gre 501-1000 Flashcards
(500 cards)
1
Q
carnivorous
A
meat-eating (Eg: The lion is a carnivorous animal. )
2
Q
carousal
A
drunken revel (Eg: The party degenerated into an ugly carousal. )
3
Q
carping
A
petty criticism; fault-finding (Eg: Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor’s comments, finding them free of carping. )
4
Q
carrion
A
rotting flesh of a dead body (Eg: Buzzards are nature’s scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators. )
5
Q
cartographer
A
map-maker (Eg: Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world. )
6
Q
cascade
A
small waterfall (Eg: )
7
Q
caste
A
one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige (Eg: The differences created by caste in India must be wiped out if true democracy is to prevail in that country. )
8
Q
castigation
A
punishment; severe criticism (Eg: Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear castigation that she found in certain reviews. )
9
Q
casualty
A
serious or fatal accident (Eg: The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high. )
10
Q
cataclysm
A
deluge; upheaval (Eg: A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries. )
11
Q
catalyst
A
agent that brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged (Eg: Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst. )
12
Q
catapult
A
slingshot; hurling machine (Eg: Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults. )
13
Q
cataract
A
great waterfall; eye abnormality (Eg: She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls. )
14
Q
catastrophe
A
calamity (Eg: The Johnstown flood was a catastrophe. )
15
Q
catechism
A
book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer (Eg: He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer. )
16
Q
<p>categorical</p>
A
<p>without exceptions; unqualified; absolute (Eg: Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally qualified his categorical denial; he )</p>
17
Q
catharsis
A
purging or cleansing of any passage of the body (Eg: Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts. )
18
Q
cathartic
A
purgative (Eg: Some drugs act as laxatives when taken in small doses but act as cathartics when taken in much larger )
19
Q
catholic
A
universal; wide-ranging liberal (Eg: He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library. )
20
Q
<p>caucus</p>
A
<p>private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy (Eg: At the opening of Congress the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the majority )</p>
21
Q
caulk
A
to make watertight (by plugging seams) (Eg: )
22
Q
causal
A
implying a cause-and-effect relationship (Eg: The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one’s early childhood )
23
Q
caustic
A
burning; sarcastically biting (Eg: The critic’s caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm. )
24
Q
cauterize
A
burn with hot iron or caustic (Eg: In order to prevent infection, the doctor cauterized the wound. )
25
cavalcade
procession; parade (Eg: As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group. )
26
cavalier
casual and offhand; arrogant (Eg: Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her )
27
cavil
make frivolous objections (Eg: I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details. )
28
cede
transfer; yield title to (Eg: I intend to cede this property to the city. )
29
celerity
speed; rapidity (Eg: Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death. )
30
celestial
heavenly (Eg: She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter. )
31
celibate
abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried (Eg: Though the late Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual customs and was considered an expert in )
32
censor
overseer of morals; person who eliminates inappropriate matter (Eg: Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution. )
33
censorious
critical (Eg: censorious people delight in casting blame. )
34
censure
blame; criticize (Eg: He was censured for his inappropriate behavior. )
35
centaur
mythical figure, half man and half horse (Eg: I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum. )
36
centigrade
denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius) (Eg: )
37
centrifugal
radiating; departing from the center (Eg: Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force. )
38
centrifuge
machine that separates substances by whirling them (Eg: At the dairy, we employ a centrifuge to separate cream from milk. )
39
centripetal
tending toward the center (Eg: Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface? )
40
centurion
Roman army officer (Eg: Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion. )
41
cerebral
pertaining to the brain or intellect (Eg: The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought. )
42
cerebration
thought (Eg: Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration. )
43
ceremonious
marked by formality (Eg: Ordinary dress would be in appropriate at so ceremonious an affair. )
44
cessation
stopping (Eg: The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met. )
45
cession
yielding to another; ceding (Eg: The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter. )
46
chafe
warm by rubbing (Eg: The collar chafed his neck. )
47
chaff
worthless products of an endeavor (Eg: When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff. )
48
chaffing
bantering; joking (Eg: Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us. )
49
chagrin
vexation; disappointment (Eg: Her refusal to go with us filled us with chagrin. )
50
chalice
goblet; consecrated cup (Eg: In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous )
51
chameleon
lizard that changes color in different situations (Eg: Like the chameleon, he assumed the political coloration of every group he met. )
52
champion
support militantly (Eg: )
53
chaotic
in utter disorder (Eg: He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. )
54
charisma
divine gift; great popular charm or appeal (Eg: Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television )
55
charlatan
quack; pretender to knowledge (Eg: When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends )
56
chary
cautious; sparing or restrained about giving (Eg: A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary )
57
chase
ornament a metal surface by indenting (Eg: With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice. )
58
chasm
abyss (Eg: They could not see the bottom of the chasm. )
59
chassis
framework and working parts of an automobile (Eg: Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the )
60
chaste
pure (Eg: Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion. )
61
chasten
discipline; punish in order to correct (Eg: Whom God loves, God chastens. )
62
chastise
punish (Eg: I must chastise you for this offense. )
63
chauvinist
blindly devoted patriot (Eg: A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be. )
64
check
stop motion; curb or restrain (Eg: Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better )
65
checkered
marked by changes in fortune (Eg: During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses. )
66
cherubic
angelic; innocent-looking (Eg: With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child. )
67
chicanery
trickery (Eg: Your deceitful tactics in this case are indications of chicanery. )
68
chide
scold (Eg: Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying. )
69
chimerical
fantastic; highly imaginative (Eg: Poe's chimerical stories are sometimes too morbid for reading in bed. )
70
chivalrous
courteous; faithful; brave (Eg: chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds. )
71
choleric
hot-tempered (Eg: His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature. )
72
choreography
art of dancing (Eg: Martha Graham introduced a form of choreography that seemed awkward and alien to those who had )
73
chronic
long established, as a disease (Eg: The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas )
74
chronicle
report; record (in chronological order) (Eg: The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. )
75
churlish
boorish; rude (Eg: Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again. )
76
ciliated
having minute hairs (Eg: The paramecium is a ciliated, one-celled animal. )
77
cipher
nonentity; worthless person or thing (Eg: She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him. )
78
cipher
secret code (Eg: Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher. )
79
circlet
small ring; band (Eg: This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones. )
80
circuitous
roundabout (Eg: Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route. )
81
circumlocution
indirect or roundabout expression (Eg: He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject. )
82
circumscribe
limit; confine (Eg: )
83
circumspect
prudent; cautious (Eg: Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect. )
84
circumvent
outwit; baffle (Eg: In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting )
85
citadel
fortress (Eg: The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel. )
86
cite
quote; commend (Eg: She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. )
87
civil
having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite (Eg: Although internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax )
88
clairvoyant
having foresight; fortuneteller (Eg: Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans. )
89
clamber
climb by crawling (Eg: She clambered over the wall. )
90
clamor
noise (Eg: The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap. )
91
clandestine
secret (Eg: After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting. )
92
clangor
loud, resounding noise (Eg: The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel. )
93
clapper
striker (tongue) of a bell (Eg: Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking. )
94
clarion
shrill, trumpetlike sound (Eg: We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking. )
95
claustrophobia
fear of being locked in (Eg: His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room. )
96
clavicle
collarbone (Eg: Even though he wore shoulder pads, the football player broke his clavicle during a practice scrimmage. )
97
cleave
split asunder (Eg: The lightening cleaves the tree in two. )
98
cleft
split (Eg: Erosion caused a cleft in the huge boulder. )
99
clemency
disposition ot be lenient; mildness, as of the weather (Eg: The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for )
100
cliche
phrase culled in meaning by repetition (Eg: High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as "strong as an ox." )
101
clientele
body of customers (Eg: The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele. )
102
climactic
relating to the highest point (Eg: When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading. )
103
clime
region; climate (Eg: His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime. )
104
clique
small, exclusive group (Eg: She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs. )
105
cloister
monastery or convent (Eg: The nuns lived in the cloister. )
106
clout
great influence (especially political or social) (Eg: Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club. )
107
cloying
distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental (Eg: Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake )
108
coagulate
thicken; congeal; clot (Eg: Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands. )
109
coalesce
combine; fuse (Eg: The brooks coalesce into one large river. )
110
coda
concluding section of a musical or literary composition (Eg: The piece concluded with a distinctive coda that strikingly brought together various motifs. )
111
coddle
treat gently; pamper (Eg: Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline. )
112
codicil
supplement to the body of a will (Eg: This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will. )
113
codify
arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify (Eg: )
114
coercion
use of force (Eg: They forced him to obey, but only by great coercion. )
115
coeval
living at the same time as; contemporary (Eg: coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era. )
116
cog
tooth projecting from a wheel (Eg: A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike. )
117
cogent
convincing (Eg: She presented cogent arguments to the jury. )
118
cogitate
think over (Eg: cogitate on this problem; the solution will come. )
119
cognate
related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature (Eg: The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words )
120
cognitive
having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses (Eg: Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced )
121
cognizance
knowledge (Eg: During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international )
122
cohere
stick together (Eg: Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids. )
123
cohesion
tendency to keep together (Eg: A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the )
124
cohorts
armed band (Eg: Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world. )
125
coiffure
hairstyle (Eg: You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the 60's many African-Americans affirmed their )
126
coincident
occurring at the same time (Eg: Some people find the coincident events in Hardy's novels annoyingly improbable. )
127
colander
utensil with perforated bottom used for straining (Eg: Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it. )
128
collaborate
work together (Eg: Two writers collaborated in preparing this book. )
129
collage
work of art put together from fragments (Eg: Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage. )
130
collate
examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order (Eg: They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age. )
131
collateral
security given for loan (Eg: The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral. )
132
collation
a light meal (Eg: Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation. )
133
colloquial
pertaining to conversational or common speech (Eg: Your use of colloquial expressions in a formal essay such as the one you have presented spoils the effect )
134
colloquy
informal discussion (Eg: I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching. )
135
collusion
conspiring in a fraudulent scheme (Eg: The swindlers were found guilty of collusion. )
136
colossal
huge (Eg: Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage. )
137
colossus
gigantic statue (Eg: The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek )
138
comatose
in a coma; extremely sleepy (Eg: The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state. )
139
combustible
easily burned (Eg: After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible )
140
comely
attractive; agreeable (Eg: I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one. )
141
comestible
something fit to be eaten (Eg: The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner )
142
comeuppance
rebuke; deserts (Eg: After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance. )
143
comity
courtesy; civility (Eg: A spirit of comity should exist among nations. )
144
commandeer
to draft for military purposes; to take for public use (Eg: The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest )
145
commemorative
remembering; honoring (Eg: The new commemorative stamp honors the late Martin Luther King, Jr. )
146
commensurate
equal in extent (Eg: Your reward will be commensurate with your effort. )
147
commiserate
feel or express pity or sympathy for (Eg: Her friends commiserated with the widow. )
148
commodious
spacious and comfortable (Eg: After sleeping in a small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious. )
149
communal
held in common; of a group of people (Eg: When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property. )
150
compact
agreement; contract (Eg: The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government. )
151
compact
tightly packed; firm; brief (Eg: His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball. )
152
compatible
harmonious; in harmony with (Eg: They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters. )
153
compelling
overpowering; irresistible in effect (Eg: The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for )
154
compendium
brief, comprehensive summary (Eg: This text can serve as a compendium of the tremendous amount of new material being developed in this )
155
compensatory
making up for; repaying (Eg: Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years? )
156
compilation
listing of statistical information in tabular or book form (Eg: The compilation of available scholarships serves a very valuable purpose. )
157
complacent
self-satisfied (Eg: There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings. )
158
complaisant
trying to please; obliging (Eg: The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner. )
159
complement
complete; consummate; make perfect (Eg: The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese. )
160
compliance
conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield (Eg: The design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code. )
161
compliant
yielding (Eg: He was compliant and ready to go along with his friends' desires. )
162
complicity
participation; involvement (Eg: You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your )
163
component
element; ingredient (Eg: I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time. )
164
comport
bear one's self; behave (Eg: He comported himself with great dignity. )
165
composure
mental calmness (Eg: Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure. )
166
compound
combine; constitute; pay interest; increase (Eg: The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. )
167
comprehensive
thorough; inclusive (Eg: This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT. )
168
compress
close; squeeze; contract (Eg: She compressed the package under her arm. )
169
comprise
include; consist of (Eg: If the District of Columbia were to be granted a statehood, the United States of America would comprise )
170
compromise
adjust; endanger the interests or reputation of (Eg: Your presence at the scene of the dispute compromises our claim to neutrality in this matter. )
171
compunction
remorse (Eg: The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no )
172
compute
reckon; calculate (Eg: He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate. )
173
concatenate
link as in a chain (Eg: )
174
concave
hollow (Eg: The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff. )
175
concede
admit; hield (Eg: Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right. )
176
conceit
whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor (Eg: He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of )
177
concentric
having a common center (Eg: The target was made of concentric circles. )
178
conception
beginning; forming of a idea (Eg: At the first conception of the work, he was consulted. )
179
concerted
mutually agreed on; done together (Eg: The girl scouts in the troop made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing, and emitted a )
180
concession
an act of yielding (Eg: Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions. )
181
conciliatory
reconciling; soothing (Eg: She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. )
182
concise
brief and compact (Eg: When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember. )
183
conclave
private meeting (Eg: He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial observer. )
184
conclusive
decisive; ending all debate (Eg: When the stolen books turned up in John's locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the )
185
concoct
prepare by combining; make up in concert (Eg: How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish? )
186
concomitant
that which accompanies (Eg: Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth. )
187
concord
harmony (Eg: Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to )
188
concur
agree (Eg: )
189
concurrent
happening at the same time (Eg: In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother contry; at the concurrent moment in )
190
condescend
bestow courtesies with a superior air (Eg: The king condescended to grant an audience to the friends of the condemned man. )
191
condign
adequate; deservedly severe (Eg: The public approved the condign punishment for the crime. )
192
condiments
seasonings; spices (Eg: Spanish food is full of condiments. )
193
condole
express sympathetic sorrow (Eg: His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss. )
194
condone
overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse (Eg: Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing but scold. )
195
conducive
helpful; contributive (Eg: Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health. )
196
conduit
aqueduct; passageway for fluids (Eg: Water was brought to the army in the desert by an improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain. )
197
confidant
trusted friend (Eg: He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home. )
198
confiscate
seize; commandeer (Eg: The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium. )
199
conflagration
great fire (Eg: In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed. )
200
confluence
flowing together; crowd (Eg: They built the city at the confluence of two rivers. )
201
conformity
harmony; agreement (Eg: In conformity with our rules and regulations, I am calling a meeting of our organization. )
202
confound
confuse; puzzle (Eg: No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long. )
203
congeal
freeze; coagulate (Eg: His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dread monster rush toward him. )
204
congenial
pleasant; friendly (Eg: )
205
congenital
existing at birth (Eg: His congenital deformity disturbed his parents. )
206
conglomeration
mass of material sticking together (Eg: In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis. )
207
congruence
correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship (Eg: The student demonstrated the congruence of the two triangles by using the hypotenuse-arm theorem. )
208
conifer
pine tree; cone-bearing tree (Eg: According to geologists, the conifers were the first plants to bear flowers. )
209
conjecture
surmise; guess (Eg: I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged. )
210
conjugal
pertaining to marriage (Eg: Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed. )
211
conjure
summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent (Eg: He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell. )
212
connivance
pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend (Eg: With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher. )
213
connoisseur
person competent to act as judge of art, ect.; a lover of an art (Eg: She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china. )
214
connotation
suggested or implied meaning of an expression (Eg: Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use. )
215
connubial
pertaining to maffige or the matrimonial state (Eg: In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss. )
216
consanguinity
kinship (Eg: The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate. )
217
conscientious
scrupulous; careful (Eg: A conscientious editor checked every definition for its accuracy. )
218
conscript
draftee; person forced into military service (Eg: Did Rambo volunteer to fight in Vietnam, or was he a conscript, drafted against his will? )
219
consecrate
dedicate; sanctify (Eg: We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose. )
220
consensus
general agreement (Eg: The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact. )
221
consequential
pompous; self-important (Eg: Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air. )
222
conservatory
school of the fine arts (especiallymusic or drama) (Eg: A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory. )
223
consign
deliver officially; entrust; set apart (Eg: The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care. )
224
consistency
absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness (Eg: Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency; he liked his puddings without lumps and )
225
console
lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort (Eg: When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette. )
226
consonance
harmony; agreement (Eg: Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm. )
227
consort
associate with (Eg: We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort. )
228
consort
husband or wife (Eg: The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily. )
229
conspiracy
treacherous plot (Eg: Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar. )
230
constituent
supporter (Eg: The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment )
231
constraint
compulsion; repression of feelings (Eg: There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker. )
232
construe
explain; interpret (Eg: If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced. )
233
consummate
complete (Eg: I have never seem anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot. )
234
contagion
infection (Eg: Fearing contagion, they took drastic steps to prevent the spread of the disease. )
235
contaminate
pollute (Eg: The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden. )
236
contempt
scorn; disdain (Eg: )
237
contend
struggle; compete; assert earnestly (Eg: In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been )
238
contentious
quarrelsome (Eg: We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room. )
239
contest
dispute (Eg: The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results. )
240
context
writings preceding and following the passage quoted (Eg: Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended. )
241
contiguous
adjacent to; touching upon (Eg: The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf. )
242
continence
self-restraint; sexual chastity (Eg: She vowed to lead a life of continence. )
243
contingent
conditional (Eg: The continuation of this contract is contingent on the quality of your first output. )
244
contortions
twistings; distortions (Eg: As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and )
245
contraband
illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods (Eg: The coast guard tries to prevent contraband in U.S. waters. )
246
contravene
contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress (Eg: Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert )
247
contrite
penitent (Eg: Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence. )
248
contrived
forced; artificial; not spontaneous (Eg: Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then )
249
controvert
oppose with arguments; contradict (Eg: To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it. )
250
contumacious
disobedient; resisting authority (Eg: The contumacious mob shouted defiantly at the police. )
251
contusion
bruise (Eg: )
252
conundrum
riddle; difficult problem (Eg: During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children. )
253
convene
assemble (Eg: Because much is needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in )
254
convention
social or moral custom; established practice (Eg: Flying in the face of convention, George Sand (Amandine Dudevant) shocked her contemporaries by )
255
conventional
ordinary; typical (Eg: His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family. )
256
converge
come together (Eg: Marchers converged on Washington for the great Save Our Cities-Save Our Children March. )
257
conversant
familiar with (Eg: The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence. )
258
converse
opposite (Eg: The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation. )
259
convert
one who has adopted a different religion or opinion (Eg: On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he )
260
convex
curving outward (Eg: He polished the convex lens of his telescope. )
261
conveyance
vehicle; transfer (Eg: During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances. )
262
conviction
strongly held belief (Eg: Nothing could shake his conviction that she was innocent. )
263
convivial
festive; gay; characterized by joviality (Eg: The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs. )
264
convoke
call together (Eg: Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. )
265
convoluted
coiled around; involved; intricate (Eg: His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow a it intelligently. )
266
copious
plentiful (Eg: She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal. )
267
coquette
flirt (Eg: Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette. )
268
cordial
gracious; heartfelt (Eg: Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug. )
269
cordon
extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress (Eg: The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area. )
270
cornice
projecting molding on building (usually above columns) (Eg: Because the stones forming the cornice had been loosened by the storms, the police closed the building )
271
cornucopia
horn overflowing wiht fruit and grain; symbol of abundance (Eg: The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an )
272
corollary
consequence; accompaniment (Eg: Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with a sibling rivalry its natural corollary. )
273
corporeal
bodily; material (Eg: He was not a churchgoer; he was interested only in corporeal matters. )
274
corpulent
very fat (Eg: The corpulent man resolved to reduce. )
275
correlation
mutual relationship (Eg: He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret )
276
corroborate
confirm (Eg: Unless we find a witness to corroborate your evidence, it will not stand up in court. )
277
corrosive
eating away by chemicals or disease (Eg: Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals. )
278
corrugated
wrinkled; ridged (Eg: She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow. )
279
cosmic
pertaining to the universe; vast (Eg: cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. )
280
coterie
group that meets socially; select circle (Eg: After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coteri that lunched daily at the hotel. )
281
countenance
approve; tolerate (Eg: He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part. )
282
countenance
face (Eg: Whe Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance. )
283
countermand
cancel; revoke (Eg: The general countermand the orders issued in his absence. )
284
counterpart
a thing that completes another; things very much alike (Eg: Night and day are counterparts. )
285
coup
highly successful action or sudden attack (Eg: As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him. )
286
couple
join; unite (Eg: The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act. )
287
courier
messenger (Eg: The publisher sent a special courier to pick up the manuscript. )
288
covenant
agreement (Eg: We must comply with the terms of the covenant. )
289
covert
secret; hidden; implied (Eg: She could understand the covert threat in the letter. )
290
covetous
avaricious; eagerly desirous of (Eg: The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates. )
291
cow
terrorize; intimidate (Eg: The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of )
292
cower
shrink quivering, as from fear (Eg: The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room. )
293
coy
shy; modest; coquettish (Eg: She was coy in her answers to his offer. )
294
cozen
cheat; hoodwink; swindle (Eg: He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently )
295
crabbed
sour; peevish (Eg: The children avoided the crabbed old man because he scolded them when they made noise. )
296
crass
very unrefined; grossly insensible (Eg: The philosophers deplored the crass commercialism. )
297
craven
cowardly (Eg: When he saw the enemy troops advancing, he had a craven impulse to run for his life. )
298
credence
belief (Eg: Do not place any credence in his promises. )
299
credo
creed (Eg: I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Goldren Rule. )
300
credulity
belief on slight evidence (Eg: The witch doctor took advantage of the credulity of the superstitious natives. )
301
creed
system of religious or ethical belief (Eg: In any loyal American's creed, love of democracy must be emphasized. )
302
crescendo
increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax (Eg: The overture suddenly changed from a quiet pastoral theme to a crescendo featuring blaring trumpets and )
303
crestfallen
dejected; dispirited (Eg: We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily )
304
crevice
crack; fissure (Eg: The mountain climbers found footholds in the tiny crevices in the mountainside. )
305
cringe
shrink back, as if in fear (Eg: The dog cringed, expecting a blow. )
306
criteria
standards used in judging (Eg: What criteria did you use when you selected this essay as the prize winner? )
307
crone
hag (Eg: The toothless crone frightened us when she smiled. )
308
crotchety
eccentric; whimsical (Eg: Although he was reputed to be a crochety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and )
309
crux
crucial point (Eg: This is the crux of the entire problem. )
310
crypt
secret recess or vault usually used for burial (Eg: Until recently only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt. )
311
cryptic
mysterious; hidden; secret (Eg: His cryptic remarks could not be interpreted. )
312
cubicle
small chamberused for sleeping (Eg: After his many hours of intensive study in the library he retired to his cubicle. )
313
cuisine
style of cooking (Eg: French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines. )
314
culinary
relating to cooking (Eg: Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices. )
315
cull
pick out; reject (Eg: Every month the farmer culls the nonplaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher. )
316
culmination
attainment of highest point (Eg: His inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career. )
317
culpable
deserving blame (Eg: Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable. )
318
culvert
artificial channel for water (Eg: If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road at this point, we )
319
cumbersome
heavy; hard to manage (Eg: He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels. )
320
cumulative
growing by addition (Eg: Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to )
321
cupidity
greed (Eg: The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute. )
322
curator
superintendent; manager (Eg: The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and )
323
curmudgeon
churlish, miserly individual (Eg: Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and )
324
cursive
flowing, running (Eg: In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters. )
325
cursory
casual; hastily done (Eg: A cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson; a more extensive study should be )
326
curtail
shorten; reduce (Eg: During the coal shortage, we must curtail our use of this vital commodity. )
327
cynical
skeptical or distrustful of human motives (Eg: cynical at all times, he was suspicious of all altruistic actions of others. )
328
cynosure
object of general attention (Eg: As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes. )
329
consternation
anxiety, dismay (Eg: Lincoln is famous for saying that the consternations during the civil war had left him decrepit. )
330
casual
accidental; not regular or permanent; careless; informal (Eg: It can be argued that physical laws can be casual as well as inveterate, since it is based on an induction. )
331
dais
raised platform for guests of honor (Eg: When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him. )
332
dally
trifle with; procrastinate (Eg: Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections. )
333
dank
damp (Eg: The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy. )
334
dapper
neat and trim (Eg: In "The Odd Couple," Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand )
335
dappled
spotted (Eg: The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall. )
336
daub
smear (as with paint) (Eg: From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils. )
337
daunt
intimidate (Eg: Your threats cannot daunt me. )
338
dauntless
bold (Eg: Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment. )
339
dawdle
loiter; waste time (Eg: Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work. )
340
deadlock
standstill; stalemate (Eg: The negotiations had reached a deadlock. )
341
deadpan
wooden; impassive (Eg: We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression. )
342
dearth
scarcity (Eg: The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools. )
343
debacle
breaking up; downfall (Eg: )
344
debase
reduce to lower state (Eg: Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin. )
345
debauch
corrupt; make intemperate (Eg: A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals. )
346
debilitate
weaken; enfeeble (Eg: Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina. )
347
debonair
friendly; aiming to please (Eg: The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner. )
348
debris
rubble (Eg: A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, workers were still carting away the debris. )
349
debunk
expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule (Eg: Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation, reporters )
350
debutante
yound woman making formal entrance into society (Eg: As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers. )
351
decadence
decay (Eg: The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period. )
352
decant
pour off gently (Eg: Be sure to decant this wine before serving it. )
353
decapitate
behead (Eg: They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. )
354
decelerate
slow down (Eg: Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly. )
355
deciduous
falling off, as of leaves (Eg: The oak is a deciduous tree. )
356
decimate
kill, usually one out of ten (Eg: We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war. )
357
decipher
decode (Eg: I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting. )
358
declivity
downward slope (Eg: The children loved to ski down the declivity. )
359
decollete
having a low-cut neckline (Eg: )
360
decomposition
decay (Eg: Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man. )
361
decorum
propriety; seemliness (Eg: Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum. )
362
decoy
lure or bait (Eg: The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. )
363
decrepitude
state of collagse caused by illness or old age (Eg: I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged )
364
decry
express strong disapproval of ; disparage (Eg: The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of )
365
deducible
derived byreasoning (Eg: If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible. )
366
deface
mar; disfigure (Eg: If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine. )
367
defamation
harming a person's reputation (Eg: Such defamation of character may result in a slander suit. )
368
default
failure to do (Eg: As a result of her husband's failure to appear in court, she was granted a divorce by default. )
369
defeatist
resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome (Eg: If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. )
370
defection
desertion (Eg: The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause. )
371
deference
courteous regard for another's wish (Eg: In deference to his desires, the employers granted him a holiday. )
372
defile
pollute; profane (Eg: The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing. )
373
definitive
most reliable or complee (Eg: Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great )
374
deflect
turn aside (Eg: His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet. )
375
defoliate
destroy leaves (Eg: In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands. )
376
defray
provide ofr the payment of (Eg: Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education. )
377
defrock
to strip a priest or minister of church authority (Eg: We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious )
378
deft
neat; skillful (Eg: The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop. )
379
defunct
dead; no longer in use or existence (Eg: The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation. )
380
degenerate
become worse; deteriorate (Eg: As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet. )
381
degraded
lowered in rank; debased (Eg: The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors. )
382
dehydrate
remove water from; dry out (Eg: Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances, be sure to drink more water than normal. )
383
deify
turn into a god; idolize (Eg: Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him. )
384
deign
condescend (Eg: He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics. )
385
delete
erase; strike out (Eg: If you delete this paragraph, the composition will have more appeal. )
386
deleterious
harmful (Eg: Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances. )
387
deliberate
consider; ponder; unhurried (Eg: Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision. )
388
delineate
portray (Eg: He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character. )
389
delirium
mental disorder marked by confusion (Eg: The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals. )
390
delta
flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river (Eg: His dissertation discussed the effect of intermittent flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta. )
391
delude
deceive (Eg: Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent. )
392
deluge
flood; rush (Eg: When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications. )
393
delusion
false belief; hallucination (Eg: This scheme is a snare and a delusion. )
394
delusive
deceptive; raising vain hopes (Eg: Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises. )
395
delve
dig; investigate (Eg: delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job. )
396
demagogue
person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader (Eg: He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners. )
397
demean
degrade; humiliate (Eg: He felt that he would demean himself if he replied to the scurrilous letter. )
398
demeanor
behavior; bearing (Eg: His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers. )
399
demented
insane (Eg: She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized. )
400
demise
death (Eg: Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed. )
401
demographic
related to population balance (Eg: In conducting a survey, one should take into account demographic trends in the region. )
402
demolition
destruction (Eg: One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the )
403
demoniac
fiendish (Eg: The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. )
404
demotic
pertaining to the people (Eg: He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the )
405
demur
delay; object (Eg: To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action. )
406
demure
grave; serius; coy (Eg: )
407
denigrate
blacken (Eg: All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and )
408
denizen
inhabitant of (Eg: Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth. )
409
denotation
meaning; distinguishing by name (Eg: A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will always give us its connotation. )
410
denouement
outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work (Eg: The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the )
411
denounce
condemn; critcize (Eg: The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust. )
412
depict
portray (Eg: In this book, the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters. )
413
deplete
reduce; exhaust (Eg: We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements. )
414
deplore
regret (Eg: Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely. )
415
deploy
move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth (Eg: The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy. )
416
depose
dethrone; remove form office (Eg: The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government. )
417
deposition
testimony under oath (Eg: He made his deposition in the judge's chamber. )
418
depravity
corruption; wickedness (Eg: The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all. )
419
deprecate
express disapproval of; protest against; belittle (Eg: A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new )
420
depreciate
lessen in value (Eg: If you neglect this properly, it will depreciate. )
421
depredation
plundering (Eg: After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless. )
422
deranged
insane (Eg: He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged. )
423
derelict
neglectful of duty; abandoned (Eg: The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty. )
424
deride
scoff at (Eg: The people derided his grandiose schemes. )
425
derision
ridicule (Eg: They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously. )
426
derivative
unoriginal; obtained from another source (Eg: Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and )
427
dermatologist
one who studies the skin and its diseases (Eg: I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne. )
428
derogatory
expressing a low opinion (Eg: I resent your derogatory remarks. )
429
descry
catch sight of (Eg: In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels. )
430
desecrate
profane; violate the sanctity of (Eg: The soldiers desecrated the temple. )
431
desiccate
dry up (Eg: A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to )
432
desolate
rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake (Eg: The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest. )
433
desperado
reckless outlaw (Eg: Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head. )
434
despicable
contemptible (Eg: Your despicable remarks call for no reply. )
435
despise
scorn (Eg: I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you. )
436
despoil
plunder (Eg: If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside. )
437
despondent
depressed; gloomy (Eg: )
438
despotism
tyranny (Eg: The people rebelled against the despotism of the king. )
439
destitute
extremely poor (Eg: The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute. )
440
desultory
aimless; haphazard; digressing at random (Eg: In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was )
441
detached
emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent (Eg: A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal )
442
determinate
having a fixed order of procedure; invariable (Eg: At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence. )
443
deterrent
something that discourages; hindrance (Eg: Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers? )
444
detonation
explosion (Eg: The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away. )
445
detraction
slandering; aspersion (Eg: He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader. )
446
detrimental
harmful; damaging (Eg: Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause. )
447
deviate
turn away from (Eg: Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts. )
448
devious
going astray; erratic (Eg: Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward. )
449
devoid
lacking (Eg: He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community. )
450
devolve
deputize; pass to others (Eg: It devolved upon us, the survivors, to arrange peace terms with the enemy. )
451
devotee
enthusiastic follower (Eg: A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year. )
452
devout
pious (Eg: The devout man prayed daily. )
453
dexterous
skillful (Eg: The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks. )
454
diabolical
devilish (Eg: This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it. )
455
diadem
crown (Eg: The king's diadem was on display at the museum. )
456
dialectic
art of debate (Eg: I am not skilled in dialectic and therefore, cannot answer your arguments as forcefully as I wish. )
457
diaphanous
sheer; transparent (Eg: They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain. )
458
diatribe
bitter scolding; invective (Eg: During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled. )
459
dichotomy
branching into two parts (Eg: The dichotomy of our legislative system provides us with many safeguards. )
460
dictum
arthoritative and weighty statement (Eg: She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group. )
461
didactic
teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing (Eg: The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more )
462
die
device for stamping or impressing; mold (Eg: In coining pennies, workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies. )
463
diffidence
shyness (Eg: You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson. )
464
diffusion
wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas (Eg: Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact. )
465
digression
wandering away from the subject (Eg: Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions )
466
dilapidated
ruined because of neglect (Eg: We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint. )
467
dilate
expand (Eg: In the dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate. )
468
dilatory
delaying (Eg: Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract. )
469
dilemma
problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives (Eg: In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice. )
470
dilettante
aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler (Eg: He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante. )
471
diligence
steadiness of effort; persisten hard work (Eg: Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm. )
472
dilute
make less concentrated; reduce in strength (Eg: She preferred her coffee diluted with milk. )
473
diminution
lessening; reduction in size (Eg: The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminution of the enemy's supplies became serious. )
474
din
continued loud noise (Eg: The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice. )
475
dinghy
small boat (often ship's boat) (Eg: In the film Lifeboat, an ill-assorted group of passengers from a sunken ocean liner are marooned at sea in a )
476
dingy
dull; not fresh; cheerless (Eg: Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and )
477
dint
means; effort (Eg: By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire. )
478
diorama
like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history (Eg: Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at )
479
dire
disastrous (Eg: People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression. )
480
dirge
lament with music (Eg: The funeral dirge stirred us to tears. )
481
disabuse
correct a false impression; undeceive (Eg: I will attempt to diabuse you of your impression of my client's guilt; I know he is innocent. )
482
disaffected
disloyal (Eg: Once the most loyal of Gorbachev's supporters, Shverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly )
483
disapprobation
disapproval; condemnation (Eg: The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with disapprobation. )
484
disarray
a disorderly or untidy state (Eg: After the New Year's party, the once orderly house was in total disarray. )
485
disavowal
denial; disclaiming (Eg: His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury. )
486
disband
dissolve; disperse (Eg: The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season. )
487
disburse
pay out (Eg: When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt. )
488
discernible
distinguishable; perceivable (Eg: The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog. )
489
discerning
mentally quick and observant; having insight (Eg: Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult )
490
disclaim
disown; renounce claim to (Eg: If I grant you this previlege, will you disclaim all other rights? )
491
disclose
reveal (Eg: Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's )
492
discombobulated
confused; discomposed (Eg: The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into wrong set. )
493
discomfit
put to rout; defeat; disconcert (Eg: This ruse will discomfit the enemy. )
494
disconcert
confuse; upset; embarrass (Eg: The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary. )
495
disconcolate
sad (Eg: The death of his wife left him disconsolate. )
496
discordant
inharmonious; conflicting (Eg: She tried to unite the discordant factions. )
497
discount
disregard (Eg: Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife. )
498
discourse
formal disscussion; conversation (Eg: The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers. )
499
discredit
defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve (Eg: )
500
discrepancy
lack of consistency; difference (Eg: The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him. )
