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WORDS FROM BOOKS
1
| Word | Definition | Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| amiss | Adv. improperly, wrongly, Adj. wrong, faulty | If he's done anything 'amiss', he shall be punished. I think something is 'amiss' in your calculations. |
| impertinent | Adj. improperly forward or bold | It is 'impertinent' of a child to lecture a grownup. |
| irascible | Adj. easily angered. | His 'irascible' temperament often got him into trouble. |
| placid | Adj. calm, serene | If I weren't reasonably 'placid', I don't think I could cope with this sort of hectic life. |
| forbearing | Adj. tolerant | She has a 'forbearing' nature, hence she never gets into quarrels. |
| ruddy | Adj. Red and healthy looking | The child had a strong body and a 'ruddy' complexion. |
| countenance | N. appearance, especially the expression of the face; tolerate or approve | The question left him with a puzzled 'countenance'. The college administration will not 'countenance' cheating. |
| doleful | Adj. sad, mournful | The demise of her father was a 'doleful' loss to her. |
| skirmish | N. a minor or preliminary conflict or dispute | She had a 'skirmish' with her landlord about the rent. |
| repose | N. absence of movement; V. to lie peacefully calm and quiet, to lie dead | When in 'repose', her face recalls the Mona Lisa. The sea 'reposed' under the tropical sun. His body will repose in the chapel for two days. |
| estimable | Adj. Deserving of esteem; admirable | An 'estimable' young professor. |
| nettle | N. to annoy | Her loud singing of television commercials soon began to 'nettle' him. |
| coquetry | N. Insincerity, often in a flirtatious way. | 'Coquetry' sometimes leads to not being taken seriously. |
| petulant | Adj. easily irritated or annoyed, showing sudden irritation | A 'petulant' toss of the head. |
| capricious | Adj. given to sudden behavior change | He's such a 'capricious' boss I never know how he'll react. |
| airing | N. Public exposure; a short excursion in the open air; ventilation | Aunt March had met Laurie as she took her 'airing', and heard from him about Beth. |
| diabolical | Adj. satanic, having characteristics like the devil | The wind seemed 'diabolical' as it blew the trees close to the electric lines. |
| peremptory | Adj. demanding and leaving no choice | From Jack's 'peremptory' knock on the door, Jill knew he would not give up until she opened the door. |
| dudgeon | N. to react in ill humor. | Slamming the door in Meg's face, Aunt March drove off in high 'dudgeon'. |
| tempestuous | Adj. tumultuous, stormy | a 'tempestuous' relationship. |
| exult | V. feel extreme happiness or elation. | The whole school would "exalt" (to praise) the quarterback and "exult" (to be very glad or jubilant, or to rejoice) wildly after every win. |
| promenade | N. a leisurely walk; a public space for such walking | They might promenade (long a in the second syllable) along the promenade (short o sound in the second syllable). |
| chassé | N. quick gliding steps with one foot always leading (in balle) | Mr. Laurance chasséd towards Aunt March. |
| pervade | V. To pass or spread through every part. | When nonviolence is accepted as the law of life, it must 'pervade' the whole being and not be applied to isolated acts. |
| tribulation | N. great affliction, suffering | After all the trials and 'tribulations' we have gone through, we need this rest. |
| conflagration | N. A large destructive fire. | It took sixty firefighters to put out the 'conflagration'. |
| promiscuous | Adj. mixed indiscriminately, haphazard, particularly sexually | In the opera La Boheme, we get the picture about the 'promiscuous' life led by the young artists of Paris. |
| truckle | N. A small wheel or roller, a caster; to be servile or submissive | Don't truckle to unreasonable demands. |
| whet | V. Make keen or more acute. | The delicious smells coming from the kitchen served to 'whet' our appetites for dinner. |
| suave | Adj. charming and smooth, urbane | He is particularly good in roles that require 'suavity' and sophistication. |
| efface | V. To make unclear, as by rubbing out; to obliterate. | The hand of the parent writes on the heart of the child the first faint characters which time deepens into strength so that nothing can efface them. |
| surfeit | V. satiate, stuff, indulge to excess in anything | Every Thanksgiving we are 'surfeited' with an overabundance of holiday treats. |
| vortex | N. whirlwind, whirlpool, center of turbulence, predicament into which one is inexorably plunged | Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were carried from Kansas to Oz. |
| despondent | Adj. depressed, gloomy | William became seriously 'despondent' after he broke up with Jan. |
| denouement | N. outcome, final development of the plot of a play or other literary work | I guessed the play's 'denouement' before the interval itself. |
| peruse | V. read with care | Joan carefully 'perused' her home insurance policy to find out what benefits her policy provided. |
| morbid | Adj. given to unwholesome thought, moody, characteristic of disease | People who come to disaster sites just to peer at the grisly wreckage are indulging their 'morbid' curiosity. |
| languish | V. lose animation or strength | When Mary's mother died, she refused to 'languish'; instead, she hid her grief and started doing active community work. |
| pique | N. irritation, resentment | She showed her 'pique' at her boss by not turning up for an important meeting the next day. |
| cherubic | Adj. angelic, innocent-looking | With her cheery smile and rosy lips, she was a particularly 'cherubic' child. |
| gadding | Adj. & N. Going about much, needlessly or without purpose. | Envy is a gadding passion, and walketh the streets. |
| imbecility | N. weakness of mind | I am amazed at the 'imbecility' of the readers of these trashy magazines. |
| deportment | N. demeanor, conduct; behavior. | His 'deportment' at my aunt's place was not proper. |
| demure | Adj. grave, modest and reserved in manner, coy | She was 'demure' and reserved, and he liked that about her. |
| balk | V. stop short, as if faced with an obstacle and refuse to continue | The horse balked at the jump. |
| balk | V.foil | When the warden came to know that the inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to 'balk' their attempts. |
| puritanical | N. exaggeratedly proper, morally rigorous and strict. | |
| tableau | N. A graphic description or representation. | ...the audience saw actors from a distance, with a sense of tableau and formal separation. |
| precocious | Adj. advanced in development | Seeing the little child discuss serious topics, I was impressed at her 'precocity' . |
| concomitant | N. existing concurrently with other | Grace is a necessary 'concomitant' to forgiveness. |
| fractious | Adj. unruly | The 'fractious' horse unseated its rider. |
| hoyden | N. a bold boisterous girl | Jo and Beth ; the 'hoyden' sister with the meek one. |
| Hypochondriasis, hypochondria | N. excessive preoccupation or worry about having a serious illness | He was 'Hypochondriac'. He thought he was terminally ill, even though he was completely fine. |
| propitiate | V. to make favorably inclined; appease, conciliate. | 'Propitiate' the gods with a sacrifice. |
Created by:
megsshere
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