Vocab

• noun
• an act of usurping; wrongful or illegal encroachment, infringement, or seizure.

illegal seizure and occupation of a throne.

• Verb
• express severe disapproval of (someone or something), especially in a formal statement.

"a judge was censured in 1983 for a variety of types of injudicious conduct"

• Noun
• the expression of formal disapproval.

"angry delegates offered a resolution of censure against the offenders"

adjective

injudicious showing very poor judgment; unwise.

"I took a few injudicious swigs of potent cider"

• verb
• root out and destroy completely.

"the use of every legal measure to extirpate this horrible evil from the land"

• Verb
• cause surprise or confusion in (someone), especially by acting against their expectations.

"the inflation figure confounded economic analysts"

mix up (something) with something else so that the individual elements become difficult to distinguish.

''nuke'' is now a cooking technique, as microwave radiation is confounded with nuclear radiation"

recover one's health and strength over a period of time after an illness or operation

Synonyms: recuperate, recover...

evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

Synonyms: touching, moving, sad

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage

Synonyms: disheartened, discouraged, hopeless

• Noun
• A person's bona fides is the evidence of their qualifications or achievements.

The senator's bona fides as a viable presidential candidate have been called into question.

Obsequious means "marked by or showing a fawning attentiveness"—in other words, "too eager to help or obey someone important."

• The director's crew included an entourage of obsequious film interns.

Garble means "to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or change the meaning."

The text on the television was garbled, but viewers could still decipher what was being said.

Homogeneous means "of the same or a similar kind or nature."

The downtown area has a homogeneous population, which makes implementing programs that target needs easier.

a brief and usually trivial fact.

On the back of baseball cards is a chart showing the player's statistics along with one or two interesting factoids about his career.

"not able to clearly see objects that are far away." Figuratively, it means "lacking in foresight or discernment" or "narrow in perspective and without concern for broader implications."

• The corrective eye surgery has been approved for myopic patients.
• The mayor's proposal to build a casino to create jobs in the economically distressed city has been criticized as being myopic.

A ziggurat is an ancient Mesopotamian temple that resembles a pyramid having successive stages with outside staircases and a shrine at the top. The word is used figuratively for any structure having stages or steps.

to deceive, trick, or confuse

The legal advisor bluntly said to his client, "Don't be bamboozled into saying 'yes' to something you don't agree with."

Noun

Shortness of duration; brief time; concise expression, terseness

Brevity of human life

Adjective

• Having a harmful effect; injurious
• Hurtful; noxious; destructive;pernicious
• Harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way

Intransitive verb

The express oneself in an immoderately/extravagant enthusiastic manner

Noun

Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness

Instinctive behavior that is detrimental to the individual but favors the survival or spread of that individual's genes

the benevolent instincts and emotions: opposite of egoism

Adjective

Feeling or showing haughty disdain: arrogant

Lofty with pride; haughty, dictatorial; overbearing; arrogant

Noun

a revolutionary doctrine by which workers seize control of the economy and government by direct means (such as a general strike).

a system of economic organization in which industries are owned and managed by the workers

A theory of government based on functional rather than territorial representation

A movement that advocates direct action by the working class to abolish the capitalist order, including the state, and to establish in its place a social order based on workers organized in production units. 

political movement that advocates bringing industry and government under the control of federations of labor unions by use of direct means

Noun

refers to the act of generously giving money or to the money given. It can also mean "generosity."


The families who lost their houses in the fire sincerely appreciated the largesse shown by the people from their community.

Verb

"to direct one's course" or "to proceed on." Synonyms of the word are travel and direct.


Hikers wend along the marked trails to the top of the mountain, which provides a panoramic view of the area towns.

Adjective

"coming or having recently come into existence."


The actress is now focusing on her nascent singing career..

Noun

a humorous rhyming poem of five lines.


The students were asked to compose limericks to help them learn about poetry's use of meter and rhyme.

Verb

"to place or insert something at intervals in or among other things."


The author has interspersed the guidebook with pictures of the different animals tourists might encounter on the safari.

adjective

"tending to associate with others of one's kind" and "enjoying or tending to enjoy the company of others," which makes it synonymous with social and sociable.


The documentary is filmed inside the burrows of the gregarious prairie dogs.


The new hire is quite outgoing and gregarious.

Noun

the enciphering and deciphering of messages in secret code or cipher. It is also the computerized encoding and decoding of information.


Effective cryptography is essential for secure exchanges of sensitive information in cyberspace.

Verb

"to make something that is hard to understand clear or easy to understand."


The author elucidates complex ideas to a general audience.

Adjective

"behaving in a rude way" or "not polite or socially acceptable."


Stacy realized it would be uncouth to show up to the party without a gift, so she picked up a bottle of wine on the way.

Noun

someone or something that is seen to be a perfect example. It is also a word for the original pattern or model of which all things of the same type are representations or copies.


The young business owner is the archetype of the successful entrepreneur.


The film is a sci-fi archetype.

Adjective

"of, relating to, or resembling a tempest" (which is a violent storm). Its synonyms are turbulent or stormy.


Because the player's relationship with his manager had grown more tempestuous over the course of the season, the decision to trade him benefited everyone.

Verb

"to cause harm or damage to the purity, luster, or beauty of something."


The allegations have besmirched the politician's reputation.

Noun

a mystifying, misleading, or puzzling question posed as a problem to be solved or guessed. It can also be something or someone difficult to understand.


A rebus is a riddle that is made up of a representation of syllables or words by using pictures or symbols.


The new employee doesn't share many details about his background and personal life, so he remains something of a riddle.

Adjective

"concise" or "comprehensive."


The book is fairly short and provides a compendious account of the war.


The teacher has a compendious knowledge of the subject.

Noun

the physical or social setting in which something occurs or develops. The word is synonymous with environment.


The quiet suburban neighborhood provides the perfect milieu for raising a family.

Verb

"to generate puss" or "to become worse as time passes."


Without treatment, the wound began to fester.


The resentment between the knights festered and lead to a battle.

Adjective

"out of line" or "not straight."


Sam noticed the picture hanging on the wall was askew so she straightened it.

Verb

"to cast something off or to become shed or cast off." It is often used in the phrase slough off meaning "to get rid of something objectionable or disadvantageous."


The snake sloughs its skin several times a year.


The company needed to slough off some of its old practices that were keeping it from being as competitive as possible.

"something that appeals to popular or lowbrow taste and is often of poor quality."


Kitsch and tacky but collectable items can be found at the flea market.

Adjective


dull, unimaginative, everyday, or ordinary, but its original meaning is "characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry."


Retirement can lead to a prosaic lifestyle unless you will yourself to seek adventure. 


The poem is filled with prosaic lines; however, there is much to contemplate in between.

Adjective

"determined, planned, or chosen seemingly at random or by chance."


Because the committee wasn't transparent about the selection process, the results of the process appeared to be wholly arbitrary.


People often make arbitrary decisions on where to go out to eat.

Noun

the means, resources, or money that is needed to get or do something.


News reports suggest that the company does not have the wherewithal from investors to prevent a buyout.

Verb

"to cause to experience a state of self-conscious distress."


No one wants to embarrass themselves with spinach stuck in their teeth during a work luncheon—but it happens.

Adjective

"of the greatest or highest degree, quantity, number, or amount" or "situated at the farthest or most distant point."


The safety of employees is of utmost importance.


Olympians push themselves to the utmost limit when training.

Noun

a story having an ending based on moral attitude, a standard of conduct, or a religious principle.


The priest opened his homily by relating the parable of the Good Samaritan from the Gospel of Luke.

Verb

"to happen" or "to become known."


The police are still trying to determine what transpired on the night of the accident.


After the business magnate was arrested for financial-related crimes, it transpired that he has been in insurmountable debt for years

Adjective

"incapable of being conquered, overcome, or subdued."


The loss to the underdog proved that last year's champion was not invincible.

Noun

"unreserved, honest, or sincere expression."


During the interview, the comedian spoke with candor about the nervousness she feels every time she takes the stage.