COERCE: (V) to Compel, to Force . I.E. Andrew Will Not Do His Homework Unless He Is Coerced

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COERCE: (v) to compel, to force. [i.e. AFFABLE: (adj) sociable, friendly, agreeable. Andrew will not do his homework [i.e. His affable manner is the secret unless he is coerced.] of his popularity.]

CONNOTATION: (n) the suggested or AMENABLE: (adj) easy to persuade; open to implied meaning of a word or suggestion; obedient. [i.e. Tom will expression beyond its actual never give in an inch, but his brother meaning. Very often a word or will be amenable to our request.] phrase suggests something which it does not actually mean. Its CURSORY: (adj) rapidly or hurriedly done. suggested meaning is its Cursory suggests a superficial connotation. A single word may performance. [i.e. Having given the have connotations, but so may a chapter only a cursory reading, I was remark or an entire speech. not prepared for the test.]

FALLACY: (n) a false idea, mistaken belief, IRRELEVANT: (adj) off the subject; not error in thinking. [i.e. The belief applicable. [i.e. In his essay on that the world was flat was a mountain climbing, Jon’s discussion fallacy.] of trout fishing seemed irrelevant.]

INDOLENCE: (n) love of ease and inactivity, PANACEA: (n) a cure-all; a general remedy for laziness. [i.e. Indolence is a all ailment. [i.e. The President was frequent cause of failure.] warned against expecting to find a panacea for the country’s ills; each PRECARIOUS: (adj) insecure, unsafe, problem has its own solution.] dangerous. [i.e. Caught on a ledge between the cliff and the rising NOSTALGIA: (noun) homesickness. [i.e. tide, we were in a precarious Recently separated from her native position.] surroundings, she found that her nostalgia was almost unbearable.] DUBIOUS: (adj) doubtful, uncertain, questionable. Dubious suggests ADAMANT: (adj) unyielding; hard. [i.e. We that something is probably bad or pleaded, but he remained adamant undesirable. and would not change his mind.]

LUCID: (adj) clear, easily understood. [i.e. The essay was written in such a lucid style that we had no trouble understanding it.] WEEKLY VOCABULARY WEEKLY VOCABULARY 3 4

AVARICE: (n) greediness; extreme desire for ALTRUISM: (n) concern for others, their wealth. [i.e. His avarice was interests, welfare, etc. [i.e. Unlike responsible for his cruelty to his selfish men of wealth, he was noted employees and unfairness to his for his altruism.] competitors.] DEROGATORY: (adj) showing an unfavorable BIGOT: (n) a person stubbornly and opinion of someone or something; intolerantly devoted to his own belittling. [i.e. After reading many ideas, party, church, etc. [i.e. derogatory opinions of Smith, we One’s inability to see another’s decided not to vote for him.] point of view marks him as a bigot.] NOTORIOUS: (adj) widely known but with a bad reputation. Notorious should DIFFIDENT: (adj) shy; lacking in self- only be used to describe a bad confidence. [i.e. The confidence person. [i.e. Many notorious of a diffident child will be outlaws appear in the history of the strengthened by giving him work West.] which he can do successfully.] PERTINENT: (adj) relating directly to the LOQUACIOUS: (adj) talkative; enjoys subject. [i.e. In considering any talking. [i.e. Being in a loquacious costly project, the size of your mood, Fred gave a long account of treasure is pertinent information.] his war experiences.] VENERABLE: (adj) deserving respect or VERACITY: (n) truthfulness. [i.e. He is an admiration. Venerable is used honest man; his veracity is beyond when referring to the old. [i.e. The question.] entire village considers my grandfather to be a venerable AUGMENT: (v) to increase; to enlarge. [i.e. gentleman.] He augments his income by working overtime.] ECCENTRIC: (adj) different from the usual; odd; peculiar. [i.e. The strange customs CHRONIC: (adj) constant; habitual; with of foreigners seem eccentric to us.] reference to a disease; long lasting. [i.e. We groaned when LETHARGIC: (adj) being inactive or indifferent; the teacher called on Steve, having a dislike for activity. [i.e. because we knew him to be a The actor’s lethargic performance chronic complainer.] was due to his illness.]

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FACETIOUS: (adj) humorous, funny; trying to AMBIGUOUS: (adj) having two meanings; be humorous. [i.e. We were unclear. This word is most annoyed by his facetious reply to commonly used to describe a our serious question.] statement that can be understood to mean two different things. [i.e. PHLEGMATIC: (adj) sluggish; calm; not easily The following sentence is aroused. [i.e. Fred’s phlegmatic ambiguous: Mary told Janet her disposition is an advantage in a father would call for her. Whose crisis.] father… Mary’s or Janet’s? The sentence may be interpreted two PLAUSIBLE: (adj) seeming to be true and ways.] reasonable. [i.e. A plausible argument is one which sounds AUDACIOUS: (adj) daring, bold, adventurous. convincing.] Audacious commonly used to mean too bold or too daring. [i.e. John’s INANIMATE: (adj) not living; without life or audacious spirit sometimes gets him consciousness; dull. Inanimate into trouble.] means “not living” or “without life”. [i.e. Standing still, she OSTENTATIOUS: (adj) showy, indicating seemed as inanimate as a statue.] fondness for unnecessary outward display. [i.e. Her ostentatious INCORRIGIBLE: (adj) not capable of being clothes and make-up showed her corrected; not correctable. When bad taste.] a person’s bad habits are so firmly established that nothing but bad IRREVOCABLE: (adj) cannot be withdrawn, behavior can be expected. The canceled, or revoked. [i.e. Once it word is always used in reference has been made, my decision will be to bad behavior. [i.e. We have irrevocable.] tried to break him of biting his nails, but he is incorrigible.] LATENT: (adj) in existence but hidden or concealed. [i.e. He revealed a latent FEASIBLE: (adj) capable of being done. [i.e. ability to control others.] The bridge is feasible from an engineering point of view.] EMULATE: (v) to imitate another person in order to equal or surpass him; to IMPLACABLE: (adj) cannot be calmed. [i.e. rival. [i.e. A boy often emulates his His implacable attitude caused him older brother.] not to see the truth.] OPULENCE: (n) wealth; riches; abundance. [i.e. Bill Gates’ opulence is incalculable.] WEEKLY VOCABULARY WEEKLY VOCABULARY 7 8

AFFLUENT: (adj) rich, prosperous. [i.e. An CANDID: (adj) frank, straightforward, affluent gentleman, he spent his sincere. A candid person is one who money freely.] says what he thinks without “beating around the bush.” [i.e. You APATHY: (n) lack of emotion, feeling or always know where you stand with excitement: lack of concern with Edward because he is candid.] things which usually arouse feeling. [i.e. Mr. Stone’s apathy DISPARAGE: (v) to lower the estimation of toward his children is responsible someone or something; to speak for their bad behavior.] slightingly of someone/something. [i.e. Although I do not approve of ASSIDUOUS: (adj) hardworking, persistent Mr. Strom’s appointment, I do not steadily working. [i.e. If Al were disparage his ability.] as assiduous in his studies as he is at golf, he would be an A student.] MUNDANE: (adj) worldly, earthly. Means worldly as opposed to heavenly or IMPERVIOUS (to): (adj) cannot be spiritual. [i.e. He said the church penetrated or affected. [i.e. This should be concerned with mundane furniture is made of a plastic matters as well as with spiritual impervious to weather.] matters.]

OBSEQUIOUS: (adj) overly polite and SAGACITY: (n) mental keenness; shrewdness. obedient, slave-like. Used to [i.e. Crooked lawyers fear Judge describe those who “bow and Roberts’ sagacity.] scrap” to gain someone’s favor. [i.e. Jack surprised us by his SANGUINE: (adj) hopeful, cheerful. [i.e. The obsequious manner in the coach’s sanguine view of our presence of the principal.] chances made us work harder than ever to win.] CHARLATAN: (n) a person who pretends to have knowledge or ability which COHERENT: (adj) sticking together, logically he does not have; a quack; an organized and consistent [i.e. imposter. [i.e. Due to his Although the speech was impossible explanations, the entertaining, the subjects jumped all supposed doctor was proven to be over the place and it was not a charlatan.] coherent.]

PROPRIETY: (n) proper behavior. [i.e. I INEXPLICABLE: (adj) not explainable. [i.e. question the propriety of chewing Teachers were puzzled by her gum in class.] inexplicable behavior. VOCABULARY 9 VOCABULARY 10

ANTIPATHY: (n) a dislike of someone or INTANGIBLE: (adj) not capable of being something. Antipathy is usually touched; describing an object which followed by to or toward. [i.e. My is not material. Intangible is antipathy to him was increased by frequently used to mean not his attempt to cheat me.] definite or clear to the mind. [i.e. In addition to the money I made from CRYPTIC: (adj) having a hidden meaning; the job, I acquired a number of obscure; mysterious. Cryptic intangible benefits, such as means that the remark of the experience, good will and a sense of writing is not entirely clear; it is responsibility.] puzzling. [i.e. His essay is so cryptic as to be almost OSTRACIZE: (v) to banish from society or from meaningless to me.] social privileges. [i.e. She became so nosey that even her best friends TACIT: (adj) silent, unspoken. Tacit is ostracized her.] commonly used to mean implied. [i.e. His refusal to speak against SUBJUGATE: (v) to conquer, to subdue, to force the measure in the Senate was into one’s power. [i.e. To subjugate interpreted as tacit approval of it.] the people is more difficult than to defeat their armies.] TENACIOUS: (adj) holding fast or likely to hold fast; stubborn. [i.e. A VICARIOUS: (adj) done or felt through the tenacious person and fighter, he experience of someone else. [i.e. refused to stay down.] Unable to play in the game, John participated vicariously by watching VORACIOUS: (adj) greedy in eating; very his friends play.] eager. [i.e. The voracious diners left not a single crumb.] VINDICTIVE: (adj) having a strong desire for revenge; revengeful. [i.e. Unable EXPEDIENT: (adj) useful for producing a to forget my insult, he adopted a desired result; advisable; vindictive attitude towards me.] advantageous. [i.e. Knowing that traffic would be heavy, we decided INSATIABLE: (adj) not capable of being that the train would be more satisfied; greedy. [i.e. She had an expedient.] insatiable need for ice cream eating gallons at a time.] LUCRATIVE: (adj) financially profitable [i.e. Buying Microsoft stock in the IMPUNITY: (n) without punishment; without 1980s proved to be quite harm. [i.e. Nothing goes through a lucrative.] hurricane with impunity.] VOCABULARY 11 VOCABULARY 12

INANE: (adj) lacking sense, pointless, silly. INNOCUOUS: (adj) harmless. [i.e. I considered [i.e. His conversation is usually so his criticisms of me quite inane that it is boring.] innocuous.]

INDIGENT: (adj) needy, poor. [i.e. The Red OBSOLETE: (adj) no longer in use, out of date. Cross keeps a list of the indigent [i.e. As golfing apparel, families in the city.] knickerbockers are obsolete.]

PLATITUDE: (n) a commonplace, trite OMNISCIENT: (adj) knowing everything; very remark. A person whose wise. (Latin omni = all; omnipotent conversation is full of platitudes is = all powerful) [i.e. People who a dull conversationalist, simply think of themselves as omniscient saying things that everyone has are often irritating to others.] heard many times before. “Better be safe than sorry” is a type of PSEUDO: (adj) false, counterfeit, pretended. platitude. [i.e. We were bored by [i.e. Her pseudo sophistication is a Gerald’s assembly speech because pose which everyone sees through.] it was just a series of platitudes.] RECIPROCATE: (v) to make return, to pay back SCRUPULOUS: (adj) very careful to do the for a compliment or a courtesy. right thing; finding conscientious [i.e. She invited me to her party in attention to details. [i.e. The the hope that I would reciprocate by teacher praised Helen for the inviting her to mine.] scrupulous way she did her assignment.] UBIQUITOUS: (adj) being everywhere at the same time; present everywhere. SUCCINCT: (adj) expressed briefly and [i.e. When one travels abroad, one clearly; concise. [i.e. When he finds that Americans are the most returned, the scout gave a succinct ubiquitous people in the world.] report of his findings.] INCREDULOUS: (adj) unwilling to believe; ENIGMA: (n) a riddle; a puzzling problem or doubting; skeptical; must be statement. [i.e. The strange shown. [i.e. Accused of having told things that Roger does make him an incredible story, he supplied an enigma.] enough proof to convince even the most incredulous listener.] PERNICIOUS: (adj) causing harm, wicked. [i.e. Always a troublemaker, she is a pernicious influence on her classmates.] VOCABULARY 13 VOCABULARY 14

HOMOGENEOUS: (adj) all of the same kind; EXORBITANT: (adj) excessive, beyond what is composed of things which are customary or reasonable. [i.e. We alike. [i.e. In some schools liked the quality of his products but students are grouped in thought the prices were exorbitant.] homogeneous classes – all boys or all girls.] IMPECCABLE: (adj) faultless. [i.e. She is an impeccable housekeeper.] DEPRECATE: (v) to express disapproval of someone or something. [i.e. The PERFUNCTORY: (adj) done mechanically, president deprecated the senate’s without thought or interest. [i.e. slow response to his proposal.] Sometimes students say the “pledge of allegiance” in a perfunctory CONNIVE: (v) to co-operate secretly with manner, as if it means nothing. ] someone; to have a secret understanding with someone. [i.e. MALEVOLENT: (adj) wishing evil; showing ill The team connived to lose the will. [i.e. Hitler was a malevolent game.] dictator.]

EXONERATE: (v) to free someone from BENEVOLENT: (adj) wishing good; showing blame or from an accusation. [i.e. good will. [i.e. Santa Clause is a After hearing my story the council benevolent man.] exonerated me; I was free to go.] OFFICIOUS: (adj) offering help or advice PROXIMITY: (v) nearness to something [i.e. which has not been asked for; Our proximity to the screen made meddling in others’ business. [i.e. the movie seem blurry to us.} We grudgingly paid attention to the officious freshman who barged into INDIGNANT: (adj.) strong displeasure at the senior room.] something unjust, offensive, or insulting [i.e. She was indignant, RECALCITRANT: (adj) stubbornly resisting but agreed to be searched when authority; disobedient. [i.e. The they accused her of shoplifting.] principal asked that only the most recalcitrant pupils be sent to him.] MALIGN: (v) to speak evil of someone or something. [i.e. I did not mind when he maligned me because I knew no one would believe him.] VOCABULARY 15 VOCABULARY 16

MALICIOUS: (adj) being evil, arising from SARDONIC: (adj) bitterly scornful; sneering; evil intentions; hurtful to others. sarcastic [i.e. The author’s sardonic [i.e. Out of jealousy, she humor angered many of his readers circulated malicious rumors about but some understood it.] her rival.] TRUCULENT: (adj) fierce; cruel; threatening. REPLETE: (adj) filled to capacity. [i.e. I am [i.e. When his feelings are hurt, he replete with food; in fact, I wish I adopts a truculent attitude towards had not eaten so much.] everyone.]

SALIENT: (adj) standing out, prominent, DILEMMA: (n) a situation in which one must conspicuous. [i.e. Organize choose between two unsatisfactory writing so that the reader can see alternatives. [i.e. John was in a easily the salient points you are dilemma about whether to keep his trying to make.] job, or stay in school.]

SPURIOUS: (adj) not genuine; false. [i.e. We EULOGY: (n) high praise; a speech or writing escaped because the border guard in praise of someone or something. did not detect that our passports [i.e. The main address at the were spurious.] Memorial day parade was a stirring eulogy of our military heroes.] TRANSITORY: (adj) lasting only a short time; temporary. [i.e. She gave up his EXOTIC: (adj) foreign; strange. [i.e. Her exotic friendship for the transitory dress attracted our attention.] pleasure of a date with a cute guy.] QUERULOUS: (adj) habitually complaining, peevish. [i.e. Her querulous INTREPID: (adj) fearless, brave, daring. [i.e. reaction to everything we did With our intrepid guides, we white spoiled our trip.] water rafted without harm.] SUBTERFUGE: (n) a trip or plan for escaping POIGNANT: (adj) emotionally painful, something unpleasant; a deception. painfully moving or touching. [i.e. [i.e. His claim that he was prejudice The poignant scene at the end of was a subterfuge for avoiding jury the movie left the audience full of duty.] tears.]