-
regard
- noun
- (usually preceded by `in') a detail or point; it differs in that respect; his attentiveness to her wishes; he spends without heed to the consequences; give him my kind regards; my best
-
dignity
- noun
- the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect; it was beneath his dignity to cheat; showed his true dignity when under pressure;
-
enmity
- noun
- a state of deep-seated ill-will
- the feeling of a hostile person; he could no longer contain his hostility;
-
preliminary
- adjective
- designed to orient or acquaint with a situation before proceeding; a preliminary investigation; training is a necessary preliminary to employment; drinks were the overture to dinner;
-
vivacious
- adjective
- vigorous and active; a vibrant group that challenged the system; a charming and vivacious hostess; a vivacious folk dance;
-
nimble
- adjective
- moving quickly and lightly; sleek and agile as a gymnast; as nimble as a deer; nimble fingers; quick of foot; the old dog was so spry it was halfway up the stairs before we could stop it;
-
expound
- verb
- add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation;
-
awe
- noun
- an overwhelming feeling of wonder or admiration; he stared over the edge with a feeling of awe;
-
honor
- noun
- a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction; an award for bravery;
- the state of being honored
-
implement
- noun
- instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to affect an end
- verb
- apply in a manner consistent with its purpose or design; implement a procedure;
-
indulge
- verb
- give free rein to; The writer indulged in metaphorical language;
- yield (to); give satisfaction to
-
edict
- noun
- a formal or authoritative proclamation a friend in New Mexico said that the order caused no trouble out there;
-
lament
- noun
- a cry of sorrow and grief; their pitiful laments could be heard throughout the ward;
- a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person
-
vigilance
- noun
- the process of paying close and continuous attention
- vigilant attentiveness; he keeps a weather eye open for trouble;
-
reluctant
- adjective
- unwillingness to do something contrary to your custom; a reluctant smile; loath to admit a mistake; unwilling to face facts;
-
furtive
- adjective
- marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed; a furtive manner; a lurking prowler; a sneak attack; stealthy footsteps; a surreptitious glance at his
-
chastise
- verb
- censure severely; She chastised him for his insensitive remarks;
- synonyms
- castigate, objurgate, chasten, correct
-
indignant
- adjective
- angered at something unjust or wrong; an indignant denial; incensed at the judges' unfairness; a look of outraged disbelief; umbrageous at the loss of their territory;
-
obscure
- adjective
- not clearly understood or expressed; an obscure turn of phrase; an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit; their descriptions of human behavior become vague,
-
abrupt
- adjective
- marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions; abrupt prose;
- exceedingly sudden and unexpected; came to an abrupt stop; an abrupt change in the
-
shirk
- verb
- avoid (one's assigned duties); The derelict soldier shirked his duties;
- avoid dealing with; She shirks her duties;
-
obstinate
- adjective
- stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
- resistant to guidance or discipline; Mary quite contrary; an obstinate child with a violent
-
indefatigable
- adjective
- showing sustained enthusiastic action with unflagging vitality; an indefatigable advocate of equal rights; a tireless worker; unflagging pursuit of excellence;
-
maxim
- noun
- a saying that widely accepted on its own merits
- English inventor (born in the United States) who invented the Maxim gun that was used in
-
wean
- verb
- gradually deprive (infants) of mother's milk; she weaned her baby when he was 3 months old and started him on powdered milk;
-
scorn
- noun
- lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; he was held in contempt; the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary;
-
vague
- adjective
- not clearly understood or expressed; an obscure turn of phrase; an impulse to go off and fight certain obscure battles of his own spirit; their descriptions of human behavior become vague,
-
flog
- verb
- beat severely with a whip or rod; The teacher often flogged the students; The children were severely trounced;
-
skirmish
- noun
- a minor short-term fight
- verb
- engage in a skirmish.
-
impromptu
- adjective
- with little or no preparation or forethought; his ad-lib comments showed poor judgment; an extemporaneous piano recital; an extemporary lecture; an extempore skit; an impromptu
-
esteem
- noun
- the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded); it is held in esteem; a man who has earned high regard;
-
frenzy
- noun
- state of violent mental agitation
- synonyms
- craze, delirium, fury, hysteria
-
interminable
- adjective
- tiresomely long; seemingly without end; endless debates; an endless conversation; the wait seemed eternal; eternal quarreling; an interminable sermon;
-
grimace
- noun
- a contorted facial expression; she made a grimace at the prospect; He grimaced when he saw the amount of homework he had to do;
-
fluke
- noun
- a stroke of luck
- a barb on a harpoon or arrow
-
oppressive
- adjective
- weighing heavily on the senses or spirit; the atmosphere was oppressive; oppressive sorrows;
- marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior; the oppressive government; oppressive laws; a
-
vagrant
- adjective
- continually changing especially as from one abode or occupation to another; a drifting double-dealer; the floating population; vagrant hippies of the sixties;
-
contempt
- noun
- lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike; he was held in contempt; the despite in which outsiders were held is legendary;
-
infuriate
- verb
- make furious
- synonyms
- exasperate, incense
-
subconscious
- adjective
- just below the level of consciousness
- noun
- psychic activity just below the level of awareness
-
blithe
- adjective
- lacking or showing a lack of due concern; spoke with blithe ignorance of the true situation;
- carefree and happy and lighthearted; was loved for her blithe spirit; a merry blithesome nature;
-
procure
- verb
- get by special effort; He procured extra cigarettes even though they were rationed;
- arrange for sexual partners for others
-
advocate
- noun
- a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea
- a lawyer who pleads cases in court
-
expulsion
- noun
- the act of forcing out someone or something; the ejection of troublemakers by the police; the child's expulsion from school;
-
cunning
- adjective
- attractive especially by means of smallness or prettiness or quaintness; a cute kid with pigtails; a cute little apartment; cunning kittens; a cunning baby;
-
timid
- adjective
- showing fear and lack of confidence
- contemptibly timid
-
mourn
- verb
- feel sadness; She is mourning her dead child;
- observe the customs of mourning after the death of a loved one.
-
appeal
- noun
- earnest or urgent request; an entreaty to stop the fighting; an appeal for help; an appeal to the public to keep calm; their appeal was denied in the superior court; appeal to somebody for
-
banish
- verb
- expel from a community or group
- ban from a place of residence, as for punishment
-
eccentric
- adjective
- conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual; restaurants of bizarre design--one like a hat, another like a rabbit; famed for his eccentric spelling; a freakish combination of styles; his
-
optimist
- noun
- a person disposed to take a favorable view of things
- antonyms
- pessimist
-
reminisce
- verb
- recall the past; The grandparents sat there, reminiscing all afternoon;
-
emaciated
- adjective
- very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold; emaciated bony hands; a nightmare population of gaunt men and skeletal boys; eyes were haggard and cavernous; small pinched
-
summons
- noun
- a request to be present; they came at his bidding;
- an order to appear in person at a given place and time
-
mortification
- noun
- strong feelings of embarrassment he had to undergo one humiliation after another;
- the localized death of living cells (as from infection or the interruption of blood supply)
-
antagonize
- verb
- provoke the hostility of; Don't antagonize your boss;
- act in opposition to
-
liberate
- verb
- give equal rights to; of women and minorities
- grant freedom to; free from confinement
-
taut
- adjective
- pulled or drawn tight; taut sails; a tight drumhead; a tight rope;
- subjected to great tension; stretched tight; the skin of his face looked drawn and tight; her
-
sanctity
- noun
- the quality of being holy
- synonyms
- holiness.
-
melancholy
- adjective
- characterized by or causing or expressing sadness; growing more melancholy every hour; her melancholic smile; we acquainted him with the melancholy truth;
-
dauntless
- adjective
- invulnerable to fear or intimidation; audacious explorers; fearless reporters and photographers; intrepid pioneers;
-
capitulate
- verb
- surrender under agreed conditions.
-
noble
- adjective
- having high moral qualities; a noble spirit; a solid citizen; an upstanding man; a worthy successor; of noble birth; a noble spirit; noble deeds;
-
irrevocable
- adjective
- impossible to retract or revoke; firm and irrevocable is my doom;
- synonyms
- irrevocable, revocable
-
solitude
- noun
- a state of social isolation
- a solitary place
-
tedious
- adjective
- so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness; a boring evening with uninteresting people; the deadening effect of some routine tasks; a dull play; his competent but dull
-
console
- noun
- a small table fixed to a wall or designed to stand against a wall the bust of Napoleon stood on a console;
-
relinquish
- verb
- part with a possession or right; I am relinquishing my bedroom to the long-term house guest; resign a claim to the throne;
-
demeanor
- noun
- (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people
- synonyms
- demeanor, behavior, behavior, conduct, deportment
-
waif
- noun
- a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned; street children beg or steal in order to survive;
-
premonition
- noun
- a feeling of evil to come; a steadily escalating sense of foreboding; the lawyer had a presentiment that the judge would dismiss the case;
-
raucous
- adjective
- unpleasantly loud and harsh
- disturbing the public peace; loud and rough; a raucous party; rowdy teenagers;
-
privation
- noun
- a state of extreme poverty
- act of depriving someone of food or money or rights; nutritional privation; deprivation of civil
-
provisions
- noun
- a stock or supply of foods
- synonyms
- commissariat, provender, viands, victuals
-
snigger
- noun
- a disrespectful laugh
- verb
- laugh quietly
-
intelligible
- adjective
- capable of being apprehended or understood intelligible pronunciation;
- well articulated or enunciated, and loud enough to be heard distinctly;
-
exhilaration
- noun
- the feeling of lively and cheerful joy; he could hardly conceal his excitement when she agreed;
- synonyms
- excitement
-
embroil
- verb
- force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action; They were swept up by the events; don't drag me into this business;
-
drone
- noun
- stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen
-
abstract
- adjective
- existing only in the mind; separated from embodiment; abstract words like `truth' and `justice'; a large abstract painting; abstract reasoning; abstract science;
|
|
