-
austere
(adj.) [ah STEER] stern in manner or appearance; strict in morals. Expecting that our week with an Amish family would be an austere experience, we were pleasantly surprised by the lavish meals.
-
circumspect
(adj.) [SUR kem spekt] careful; cautious; aware of the circumstances. Louise was usually very circumspect, so everyone was surprised when she was the first one to leap into the chilly waters of Lake Bungee.
-
clairvoyant
(adj.) [klair VOIY ent] having exceptional insight even to the point of fortune telling. Victor made a fortune on Wall Street by using his clairvoyant powers to buy stocks he felt would increase in value.
-
devoid
(adj.) [di VOID] entirely without; lacking. Robinson Crusoe was shipwrecked on an austere looking island, seemingly devoid of inhabitants.
-
epitome
(n) [uh PIT uh mee] embodiment; the representative or expression an entire class or type. General Norman Schwartzkof is the living epitome of the heroic military figure.
-
equanimity
(n) [eh kwah NIM eh tee] evenness of temper. I admire the way Mrs. Charles retains her equanimity and composure even in her most unruly seventh grade class.
-
fiat
(n) [FEE at] decree; pronouncement from someone in authority. (from the Latin “let it be done”) Lacking the cooperation of parliament, the dictator ruled by fiat, using the army to enforce his decrees.
-
garner
(v) [GAR ner] to gather and store away; to collect. By paying close attention to the teacher, Michelle was able to garner enough information to pass the test with only a half‑hour of study.
-
persiflage
(n) [PUR suh flajz] a frivolous and derisive manner of treating a subject; idle, good natured banter. The group of teenage boys clumped around the snack bar, their persiflage punctuated with laughter and high fives.
-
perspicacity
(n) [pur spi KAS uh tee] shrewdness or astuteness. Although he believed himself to be in love, Dave’s perspicacity alerted him to the mockery in her voice.
-
Philistine
(adj.) usually capitalized [FIL UH steEn] (of the people of ancient Philistia) smug, ignorant; indifferent or antagonist to artistic and cultural values. Walter, comfortable in his Philistine straitjacket, closed his mind to anything, which seemed too “highbrow” or “artistic.”
-
renegade
(n) [REN UH gayd] traitor or rebel; outlaw. After deserting from the regular army, Captain Sanders gathered together a renegade band of outlaws, which terrorized residents of outlining settlements.
-
resilient
(adj.) [rih ZIL yunt] getting back strength or spirits quickly; springing back into shape or position. The NASA scientists are searching for a material that will be as resilient as rubber and yet as sturdy as steel.
-
tangential
(adj.) [tan JEN shəul] diverging or digressing; merely touching a subject, not dealing with it at length. Although the student’s paper was entitled “Causes of the American Civil War,” the essay dealt with tangential issues, rather than the main reasons.
-
vindictive
(adj.) [vin DIK tiv] revengeful; unforgiving; bitter; spiteful. The surprise test seemed to be a vindictive act by Mr. Rollins to punish us for mistreating the substitute the day before.
|
|