gre3

to retract, esp. a previously held belief

—Synonyms 1. revoke, recall, rescind, deny.

Jessica claimed she was a vegetarian, but at a barbeque she recanted and ate a burger.

to disprove; to successfully argue against

—Synonyms 1. disprove, rebut. 1, 2. confute.

In a trial, the defense attorney's job is to refute the evidence against his client.

to forcibly assign, esp. to a lower place or position

—Synonyms 2. delegate, entrust.

Mallory was relegated to the JI team, although she had been cheering her entire life.

concerned and anxious; eager

—Synonyms 1. mindful, regardful, attentive.

solicitous about a person's health.

characterized by filth, grime or squalor; foul

—Synonyms 1. degraded, depraved.

He lived in a sordid little house, covered with leftover food and beer bottles.

to waste by spending or using irresponsibly

—Synonyms 1. waste, dissipate, lavish

Jimmy has a small trust fund and squanders it on vacations and expensive clothes

to block; thwart

We made great time all morning, then were stymied by an accident on the Bay Bridge

winding, twisiting; excessively complicated

—Synonyms 1. bent, sinuous, serpentine. 2. evasive, roundabout, indirect.

The scary thing about driving in mountains are the narrow, tortuous roads.

fierce and cruel; eager to fight

After a few drinks, Kevin becomes truculent and angry.

extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic

—Synonyms 1. venomous. 5. vicious, acerbic

he came down with a virulent type of disease

having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous

—Synonyms 1. See ravenous. 2. rapacious, insatiable.

Even as a young girl, she was a voracious eater, which is why she is fat.

to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion

an expression of praise

Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.

excessive praise; intense adoration

Though the girl was pretty, I did not think she deserved the intense adulation she recieved.

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

to make better or more tolerable

—Synonyms amend, better

The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed to drink a lot of beers.

one who practices rigid self-denial esp. as an act of religious devotion

—Synonyms 3. anchorite, recluse; cenobite

The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.

greed, esp. for wealth

• —Synonyms
• cupidity

to grow rapidly or flourish

—Synonyms 1. bloom, blossom, mushroom, expand.

After fertilizing the seeds, the small weed burgeon into roses.

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

—Synonyms 2, 3. georgic.