GRE Words: difficult ones.

1.
2.
3.
4.

Abstemious: sparing in eating and drinking; temperate.

Abstruse: obscure, profound; difficult to understand.
Acrid: sharp, bitterly pungent.
Acrimonious: bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his
opponent in acrimonious terms.
5. Addendum: an addition or supplement. As an addendum to the minutes, let
me point out that susan appointed Kate to the finance committee.
6. Adventitious: accidental; casual. He found this adventitious meeting with
his friend extremely fortunate.
7. Affidavit: written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept
his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.
8. Agnostic. One who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of God.
9. Alacrity. Cheerful promptness. They packed up their ski gear and jumped in
the van with alacrity.
10.
Alimony: payment by a husband to his divorced wife or viceversa.
Mrs. Jones was awarded a 200 dollars monthly alimony by the judge when
she was divorced from her husband.
11.
Allegory: story in which characters are used as symbols; fable.
12.
Alliteration: repetition of the beginning sound in poetry. The furrow
followed free is an example of alliteration.
13.
Aloof: apart, reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the
rest conversed.
14.
Ambivalence: the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional
attitudes. Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them then
next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.
15.
Amble: moving at an easy pace. She didnt want the horse to move
go faster than a gentle amble.
16.
Ambulatory: able to walk. Juan was a highly ambulatory patient.
17.
Anachronism: an error involving time in a story.
18.
Anathema: solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse.
The USA was regarded as anathema by the orthodox Muslim leader.
19.
Ancillary: serving as an aid or accessory, auxiliary. In an ancillary
capacity Dr. Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust Watson to
solve a case on his own.
20.
Antagonism: hostility, active resistance. Barriy showed his antagonism
towards his new stepmother by ignoring her whenever she tried talking to
him.
21.
Antediluvian: antiquated, extremely ancient. Looking at her great
grandmothers antique furniture she explaimed how positively antediluvian.
22.
Antithesis: contrast, direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the
antithesis of all he had hoped for.
23.
Apathy: lack of caring, indifference. She could not understand the
apathy of those that never bothered to vote.
24.
Ape: imitate, mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had
aped the principal in front of the whole school.
25.
Aphasia: loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the accident, she
had periods of aphasia when he could not speak.

26.
Aphorism: pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it
is more philosophical and scientific. The proper study of mankind is man.
27.
Apiary: a place where bees are kept. He spent many hours a day in
the apiary, but he was seldom stung by a bee.
28.
Apocalyptic: prophetic, pertaining to revelations . The crowd jeered
at the preachers apocalyptic predictions of doom.
29.
Apologist: one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather
than act as an apologist for the current regime in Beijing, the young diplomat
decided to defect to the West.
30.
Apostate: one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs.
Because he switched from one party to the other his former friends shunned
him as an apostate.
31.
Apotheosis: elevation to godhood, an ideal example of something.
The apotheosis of a Roman Emperor was designed to insure his eternal
greatness: people would worship at his altar forever.
32.
Appellation: name, title. Macbeth was startled when the witches
greeted him with an incorrect appellation.
33.
Append: attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have
just created an appendix.
34.
Apposite: appropriate, fitting. He was always able to find the apposite
phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.
35.
Apprise: inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather
conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.
36.
Apropos: with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of
the present situation timely and pertinent.
37.
Aquiline: curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose,
curved like the beak of the eagle.
38.
Arcane: secret, mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret
brotherhoods surround themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to
mystify outsiders. Doctors sometimes use arcane terminology that only they
can understand.
39.
Arraign: charge in court, indict. After his indictment by the grand
Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the Criminal Court.
40.
Array: verb. Marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to
array public sentiment against him. Also noun.
41.
Array: clothe, adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in
her finest clothes.
42.
Arrest: stop or slow down, catch someones attention. A safety net
luckily arrested the fall of the trapeze artist.
43.
Artless: without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical,
Jack could not believe how Jill was as artless and nave as she appeared to be.
44.
Ascendancy: controlling influence, domination. Leaders of religious
cults maintain ascendancy over their followers by methods that can verge on
brainwashing.
45.
Ascetic: practicing self-denial; austere. The self-indulgent man felt
oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic
orders.
46.
Ascribe: refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.
The violent years of conquest in Latin America are often ascribed to the
values that the reconquest instilled in the Spaniards.

47.
Asinine: stupid. Our asinine remarks prove that you have not given
this problem any serious consideration.
48.
Askance: with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her
questioner, she displayed her scorn.
49.
Askew: crookedly; slanted; at an angle. When he placed his hat askew
over his head, his observers laughed.
50.
Assay: analyze, evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that
they had discovered a very rich vein.
51.
Astigmatism: eye defect that prevents proper focus.
52.
Astral: relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral
bodies the new telescope revealed.
53.
Asunder: into parts, apart. A fierce quarrel split the partnership
asunder. Their points of view were poles asunder.
54.
Atavism: resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents;
deformity returning after the passage of two or more generations. The
doctors ascribed the childs deformity to atavism.
55.
Atone: make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could
atone for his brutal crime.
56.
August: impressive, majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she
was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.
57.
Autocratic: having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. Someone
accustomed to exercising authority may become autocratic if his or her
power is unchecked.
58.
Automaton: mechanism that imitates the actions of humans. Robots
are automatons that can sometimes outperform men.
59.
Avert: prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on
the highway.
60.
Avocation: secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so
fascinating that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and
concentrated on his avocation.
61.
Awry: distorted, crooked. He held his head awry, giving the
impression he had caught cold in his neck during the night.
62.
Axiom: self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can
begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain
principles as axioms.
63.
Azure: sky blue. Azure skies are indicative of good weather.
64.
Bacchanalian: drunken. Emperor Nero attended a bacchanalian orgy.
65.
Badger: pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone
number because she was badgered by obscene calls.
66.
Badinage: teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the
news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.
67.
Bait: harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children.
68.
Baleful: deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune
teller made baleful predictions of terrible things to come.
69.
Balk: foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. The guard took steps
to balk the attempt of the inmates to escape. However, he balked at
punishing them by shackling them to the walls of their cells.
70.
Ballast: heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship
was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold
to get her back on an even keel.

71.
Bandy: discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the
president was happy to bandy patriotic generalizations with anyone, he
refused to bandy words with unfriendly reporters at the press conference.
72.
Bane: cause of ruin; curse. Lucys little brother was the bane of her
existence: his attempts to make her life miserable worked so well that she
could have poisoned him with rat poison for having such a baneful effect.
73.
Bantering: good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering
remarks because they thought he was being sarcastic.
74.
Barb: sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cutting remark. If
you were a politician, which would you prefer, being caught on the barb of a
fishhook, or being subjected to malicious verbal barbs.
75.
Barrage:
a. barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat
through the barrage of heavy cannons.
b. an overwhelming quantity or explosion, as of words, blows, or
criticisms: a barrage of questions.
76.
Bate: let down, restrain. Until it was time to open the presents, the
children had to bate their curiosity.
77.
Bawdy: indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jills bawdy remarks.
What kind of young man did she think she was?
78.
Beatitude: blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to god each
day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.
79.
Beeline: direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made
a beeline for the exit.
80.
Befuddle: confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation
succeeded only in befuddling her further.
81.
Beget: father, produce, give rise to. One good turn may deserve
another; it does not necessarily beget another.
82.
Begrudge: resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending
meetings; they are a complete waste of time.
83.
Beguile:
a. to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude.
b. to charm or divert: a multitude of attractions to beguile the tourist.
c. to pass (time) pleasantly: beguiling the long afternoon with a good
book.
d. EXAMPLE: With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con men
beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he
beguiled himself during the long hours y playing solitaire.
84.
Beleaguer: besiege or attack. The baby sitter was surrounded by a
crowd of unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.
85.
Belie: contradict; five a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten
exterior belied his inner sensitivity.
86.
Bemoan: lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the
death of her beloved husband. Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws
in the authors novels, each year his latest book topped the best-seller list.
87.
Bemused: confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the
garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.
88.
Benediction: blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many
rainy days was like a benediction.

89.
Bereavement: state of being deprived of something valuable or
beloved. His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.
90.
Bereft: deprived of, lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish
gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.
91.
Berserk: frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the
room.
92.
Beseech: beg; plead with. The workaholic executives wife beseeched
him to spend more time with his son.
93.
Hem:
a. to fold back and sew down the edge of (cloth, a garment, etc.); form
an edge or border on or around.
b. to enclose or confine (usually fol. by in, around, or about): hemmed in
by enemies.
94.
Beset: harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the
American public school system. Sleeping Beautys castle was beset on all
sides by dense forests that hid it from view.
95.
Besmirch: soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper
besmirch the reputations of every member of society.
96.
Betoken: signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo
containers and numerous vessels all betoken Oaklands importance as a port.
97.
Betroth: become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had
become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any
romance.
98.
Bigotry: stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democratic
atmosphere, the student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness
expressed by several of his classmates.
99.
Bilious: suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament
was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.
100.
Billowing: swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent;
Marilyn Monroe tried in vain to control her billowing skirts.
101.
Blanch: bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was
still vigorous and energetic.
102.
Blandishment: flattery. Despite the salespersons blandishment, the
customer did not buy the outfit.
103.
Blighted: suffering from a disease; destroyed; deteriorated. The
extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.
104.
Blithe: gay; joyous; heedless. Shelley called the singer a blithe
spirit because of his happy song.
105.
Bluff: rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff and hearty manner
that belied his actual sensitivity. He never let people know how thin-skinned
he really was.
106.
Bluff: pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought
Byrons boast that he could jump from the high bluff was just a bluff.
107.
Portend: to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an
omen does: The street incident may portend a general uprising.
108.
Bode: foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies seemed to bode evil to
those planning a day at the beach.
109.
Bogus: counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the
distributors of the bogus dollar bills.

110.
Bombastic: pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with
conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner that we longed to
deflate him.
111.
Boon: blessing, benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty
reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.
112.
Boorish: rude; clownish. Your boorish remarks to the driver of the
other car were not warranted by the situation.
113.
Braggart: boaster. Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring
to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.
114.
Brandish: wave around, flourish. Alarmed, Dr. Watson wildly
brandished his gun until Holmes told him to put the thing away.
115.
Bravado: swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the
young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his
brutal attack.
116.
Swagger:
a. to walk or strut with a defiant or insolent air.
b. to boast or brag noisily.
c. Noun. swaggering manner, conduct, or walk; ostentatious display of
arrogance and conceit.
117.
Brazen: insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the
officials.
118.
Brittle: easily broken; difficult. My employers self-control was as
brittle as an egg-shell. Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get
along with her.
119.
Broach: introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the
subject of religion with his in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may
cause a breach.
120.
Brunt: main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting
the fence, but the brunt of the work fell on others.
121.
Bucolic: rustic, pastoral. Filled with cows and sheep, the meadow was
a charmingly bucolic sight.
122.
Bullion: gold and silver in the form of bars. Much bullion is stored in
the vaults at Fort Knox.
123.
Bulwark: earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends.
The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.
124.
Bungle: mismanage; blunder. Dont botch this assignment. If you
bungle the job you are fired.
125.
Buoyant: able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat
capsized, her buoyant life jacket kept Judy afloat. Scrambling back on board,
she was still in a buoyant mood, thinking she would still win the race.
126.
Burgeon: grow forth; sent out buds. In the spring, the plants that
burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.
127.
Bustle: move about energetically; teem. David and the children
bustled about the house getting in each others way as they tried to pack for
the camping trip. The whole house bustled with activity.
128.
Buttress: support; prop up. The attorney came up with several farfetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case.
129.
Cabal: a small group of secret plotters, as against a government or
person in authority. The cabal was defeated when their scheme was
discovered.

130.
Cache: a hiding place, esp. one in the ground, for ammunition, food,
treasures, etc.: She hid her jewelry in a little cache in the cellar. He had
cached the jewels in a bag for trash.
131.
Cadence: rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds). Marching down
the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.
132.
Callow: youthful, immature; inexperienced. As a sophomore he made
fun of freshmen as callow youths. His judgment showed just how callow he
was.
133.
Cameo: shell or jewel carved in relief; stars special appearance in a
minor role in a film. Dont worry buying cameos from the street peddlers in
Rome; the carvings they sell are clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy his cameo in
Romeo and Juliette? He was only in screen for a minute but he was hilarious.
134.
Candor: frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry his candor too far:
when he told Jill his honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face.
Candid. Adj.
135.
Cantankerous: ill humored; irritable; disagreeable to deal with.
Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with
the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.
136.
Careen: lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as
it rounded the corner.
137.
Carping: finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point
out flaws. If you dont like this definition, feel free to carp.
138.
Catcall: shout of disapproval; boo. Every major league pitcher has off
days during which he must learn to ignore the catcalls from the crowd.
139.
Cavalcade: procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the
cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a motley group.
140.
Cavalier: offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented
the cavalier way in which the palace guards treated him.
141.
Cavil: make frivolous objections. Its fine when you make sensible
criticisms, but it really bugs me when you cavil about unimportant details.
142.
Centurion: roman army officer.
143.
Chafe: warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing. Chilled he chafed his
hands before the fire. The collar of his school uniform chafed Toms neck, but
not as much as the schools districts rules chafed his spirit.
144.
Chaff: worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the
wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.
145.
Chagrin: comme en francais.
146.
Chalice: goblet; consecrated cup. (Cliz) In a small room adjoining the
cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices were on display.
147.
Chary: cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty
man, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary
of paying people unnecessary compliments.
148.
Chaste: pure. Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately
selected for the solemnity of the occasion.
149.
Chasten: v. discipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves,
God chastens.
150.
Chastise: punish. I must chastise you for this offense.
151.
Checkered: marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered
career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

152.
Cherubic: angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy
cheecks, she was a particularly cherubic child.
153.
Cherub: Theology. A member of the second order of angels, often
represented as a beautiful rosy-cheeked plump child with wings.
154.
Chicanery: trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented
what occurred and in general depended on chicanery to win the case.
155.
Chimerical: fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative.
As everyone expected, Teds chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising
bees in his back yard proved a dismal failure.
156.
Chivalrous: courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves
noble words and good deeds.
157.
Chortle: chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just
been jailed for embezzlement, she chortled with joy. She was not a nice lady.
158.
Churlish: boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish manners at the
party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.
159.
Circumlocution: indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to
call a spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference
to his subject.
160.
Citadel: fortress. The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting
angel.
161.
Clangor: loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to
the clangor of hammers on steel.
162.
Blacksmith: herrero.
163.
Clasp: fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judys bracelet
broke, Fred repaired it. He then held her hand firm in the sure clasp of his
hand.
164.
Cleave: split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heave
cleaver, Julia Child can cleave a whole roast duck in two. His wet uniform
cleaved annoyingly to his body but he decided he would cleave to his post,
come rain or shine.
165.
Cleft: split. The mountain-climber grasped the edge of a cleft in the
sheer rockface.
166.
Clique: small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to
the clique of popular athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run
Princetons social life.
167.
Coddle: to treat gently. Dont coddle the children so much; they need
a taste of discipline.
168.
Cogent: convincing. He had several cogent reasons for applying to
Harvard and argued her case with such cogency that no one could refute her.
169.
Cogitate: think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.
170.
Cognizance:
a. awareness, realization, knowledge. During the election campaign the
two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international
situation.
b. the range or scope of knowledge, observation, etc.: Such
understanding is beyond his cognizance.
171.
Collate: examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order.
They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.
172.
Comatose: in a coma; extremely sleepy. The long winded orator soon
had his audience in a comatose state.

173.
Comely: attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely
wife than a rich and homely one.
174.
Commiserate: feel or express pity or sympathy for; empathize with.
Her friends commiserated with the widow.
175.
Commodious: spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small
roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.
176.
Complacency: self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of complacency about
his latest victories, he grew overconfident and arrogant.
177.
Complaisant: trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the
kings orders in a complaisant manner.
178.
Compunction: remorse. The judge was especially severe in
sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for
his heinous crime.
179.
Concomitant: existing or occurring with something else, often in a
lesser way; accompanying; concurrent: an event and its concomitant
circumstances.
180.
Concord: harmony; agreement between people or things. Watching
John and Mark argue, Alice wondered at their lack of concord.
181.
Conflagration: great fire. In the conflagration that followed the 1906
earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.
182.
Congeal: freeze; coagulate. His blood congealed in his veins as he
saw the monster rush to him.
183.
Congenial: pleasant; friendly. My father loved to go out for a meal
with congenial companions.
184.
Connivance: assistance; pretense of ignorance of something wrong;
permission to offend. With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to
embarrass the teacher.
185.
Connubial: pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state. In his
telegram, he whished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.
186.
Consequential: pompous; important; self-important. Convinced of his
own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a
consequential air.
187.
Consign: deliver officially; entrust; set apart. The court consigned the
child to her paternal grandmothers care.
188.
Constituent: supporter. The congressman received hundreds of
letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to
pass.
189.
Consummate: complete. I have never seen anyone who makes as
many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot.
190.
Contend: struggle; compete; assert earnestly. Sociologist Harris
contends that young black athletes are exploited by some college recruiters.
191.
Continence/continent: self-restraint; sexual chastity. At the convent,
Connie vowed a life of continence. The question was, could Connie be
content with always being continent?
192.
Contingent
a. Dependent on; conditional.
b. Group that makes up part of a gathering.
193.
Contravene: contradict, oppose; infringe on or transgress. Mr. Barrett
did not expect his frail daughter Elvira to contravene his will by eloping with
Brown.

194.
Contrite: penitent. Her contrite tears did not influence the judge
when he imposed his sentence.
195.
Contrived: forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with
his new in-laws, James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and
then retreated into silence.
196.
Conundrum: riddle. During the long car ride, she invented
conundrums to entertain the children.
197.
Convene: assemble. The governor ordered the legislature to convene
in special session by January 15.
198.
Conversant: familiar by use or study (usually fol. by with): conversant
with Spanish history.
199.
Converse:
a. V. to talk informally with another or others; exchange views, opinions,
etc., by talking.
b. N. opposite or contrary in direction, action, sequence, etc.; turned
around.
200.
Convoluted: coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so
convoluted that few of us could follow it intelligently.
201.
Cornucopia: horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of
abundance. The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a
veritable cornucopia of information.
202.
Corrode: destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the
bridge corroded so gradually that no one suspected any danger until the
tragic moment when it collapsed.
203.
Corrugated: wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the
wrinkles from her corrugated brow.
204.
Coterie: group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had
been published, he was invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily
at the hotel.
205.
Countenance: approve, tolerate. He refused to countenance such
rude behavior on their part.
206.
Countenance:
a. face. When Jos saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread
across his countenance.
b. appearance, esp. the look or expression of the face: a sad
countenance.
207.
Coup: highly successful action or sudden attack. As the news of his
coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to
congratulate him.
208.
Courier: messenger. The published sent a special courier to pick up a
manuscript.
209.
Covenant: agreement. We must comply with the terms of the
covenant.
210.
Covetous: avaricious; eagerly desirous of. The child was covetous by
nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates.
211.
To covet:
a. to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights
of others: to covet another's property.
b. to wish for, esp. eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted.

212.
Cow: terrorize; intimidate. The little boy was so cowed by the bully
that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.
213.
Cower: shrink quivering, as from fear. The frightened child cowered in
the corner of the room.
214.
Coy: shy; modest; coquettish. Reluctant to commit herself so early in
the game, Kay was coy in her answers to Kens offer.
215.
Crass: very unrefined; grossly insensible. The film critic deplored the
crass commercialism of movie-makers who abandon artistic standards in
order to make a quick-buck.
216.
Craven: adj or noun. Lilians craven refusal to join the protest was
criticized by her comrades.
217.
Crestfallen: dejected; dispirited. We were surprised at his reaction to
the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily engaged
in planning new activities.
218.
Crotchety: eccentric; whimsical. Although he was reputed to be a
crotchety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.
219.
Cumbersome: heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with
cumbersome parcels.
220.
Curator: superintendent; manager. The members of the board of
trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and
exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.
221.
Curmudgeon: churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded
by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindness and
acts of charity that he secretly performed.
222.
Cursory: casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the
ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency
should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fires cause.
223.
Cynical: skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth,
Sidney was suspicious whenever anyone gave him a gift with no strings
attached.
224.
Cynosure: the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star
entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.
225.
Dabble: work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur
painter dabbled at art, but seldom produced a finished piece.
226.
Dawdle: loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so dont
dawdle; just get down to work.
227.
Deadlock: standstill; stalemate. Negotiations had reached a deadlock
so some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks.
228.
Deadpan: wooden; impersonal; inexpressive. We wanted to see how
long he could maintain his deadpan expression.
229.
Debase: reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. She
feels asking her peer for help would debase her position and she will not
submit to such debasement.
230.
Debauch: corrupt; seduce from virtue. His malicious teachings did
nothing but debouch the young men who started committing acts of wild
debauchery around town.
231.
Debunk: expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc. Reporters
debunked the candidates claim that he was a fervent environmentalist by
pointing out how he had voted against anti-pollution legislation.

232.
Debutante: young woman making formal entrance into society. As a
debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the
newspapers.
233.
Decoy: lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.
234.
Deface: mar, disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to
pay a hefty fine.
235.
Defer:
a. Delay till later. Some students defer graduation till their fifth year in
college.
b. Give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions we
must defer to Michael.
236.
Deference: courteous regard for anothers wish. In deference to the
ministers request, please do not take photographs during the wedding
service.
237.
Defray: pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of
her postgraduate education.
238.
Deft: neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without
spilling a drop.
239.
Deleterious: harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to
your health, then quit!
240.
Demagogue: person who appeals to peoples prejudice; false leader
of people. He was accused of being a demagogue because he made
promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.
241.
Demise:
a. Death or decease. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute
about succession in power developed.
b. Termination of existence or operation: the demise of the empire.
242.
Demur: v. object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When
offered a post on the board of directors, David demurred: he had scruples
about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it in addition
to his other responsibilities.
243.
Denigrate: blacken.
a. to speak damagingly of; criticize in a derogatory manner; sully;
defame: to denigrate someone's character.
b. to make black; blacken: rain clouds denigrating the sky.
244.
Denizen: inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In the Untouchables,
Eliot fights Al Capone and the other denizens of Chicagos underworld.
245.
Denouement
246.
Depose: dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose
the king and set up a military government.
247.
Deposition: testimony under oath. He made his deposition in the
judges chamber.
248.
Deprecate: express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm
believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern
tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names. Deprecatory.
Adj.
249.
Derelict: abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to
navigation. Whoever abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was derelict in
living up to his responsibilities as a boat owner.

250.
Deride: ridicule, make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious
dialogue and refused to consider his play seriously.
251.
Derivative: unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her
early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had
promise and eventually would find her own voice.
252.
Despondent: depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William
became seriously despondent after he broke up with Jan.
253.
Destitute: extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance,
the fathers costly illness left the family destitute.
254.
Devious: roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The jokers plan
was so devious that it was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts
and dodges.
255.
Devoid: lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but shes
actually not devoid of intelligence. She just sounds like an airhead.
256.
Dialectical: relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal. The
debate coachs students grew to develop great dialectical skill.
257.
Diaphanous: sheer; transparent. They saw the burglar clearly
through the diaphanous curtain.
258.
Diatribe: bitter scolding; invective. During the lengthy diatribe
delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled.
259.
Diffidence: shyness. You must overcome your diffidence if you intend
to become a salesperson.
260.
Dilapidate: to cause or allow (a building, automobile, etc.) to fall into
a state of disrepair, as by misuse or neglect (often used passively): The house
had been dilapidated by neglect.
261.
Dilatory: delaying. Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the
contract.
262.
Dilettante: aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler. He was not
serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante.
263.
Din: continued loud noise. The din of the jackhammers outside the
classroom window drowned out the lecturers voice.
264.
Dinghy: small boats ship.
265.
Dingy: dull; not fresh; cheerless. Refusing to be depressed by her
dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and
hanging bright posters on the walls.
266.
Dirge: lament with music. The funeral dirge stirred us to tears.
267.
Disarray: a disorderly untidy state. After the New Years party, the
once orderly house was in total disarray.
268.
Discombobulated: confused; discomposed. The novice square
dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into the wrong set.
269.
Discount: v. disregard. Be prepared to discount what he has to say
about his ex-wife.
270.
Discursive: digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic
to topic, we wondered what point there was to his discursive remarks.
271.
Disenfranchise: deprive of civil right. The imposition of the poll tax
effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.
272.
Disgorge: surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge
the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run
away.

273.
Disheveled: untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your
chances in this interview.
274.
Disinter: dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an
autopsy.
275.
Disjointed: disconnected. His remarks were so disjointed that we
could not follow his reasoning.
276.
Dispel: scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight
eventually dispelled the morning mist.
277.
Dissemble: disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble
his motive for taking modern dance; we all knew he was there not to dance,
but to meet girls.
278.
Dissolute: indifferent to moral restraints; given to immoral or
improper conduct; licentious; dissipated. The dissolute life led by the ancient
Romans is indeed shocking.
279.
Distend: expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under pressure by
the way his veins distend on his forehead.
280.
Diva: operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva,
she did not indulge in fits of temperament.
281.
Doctrinaire: unable to compromise about points of doctrine;
dogmatic; unyielding. He thought change in China was about to come, but
the repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of
democracy.
282.
Document: v. provide written evidence. She kept all her receipts in
order to document her expenses for the firm.
283.
Dogmatic: opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage
Doug from being so dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions
might be wrong.
284.
Doldrums: noun. blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the
excitement of meeting her deadline was over, she found herself in the
doldrums.
285.
The blues: (used with a plural verb ) depressed spirits; despondency;
melancholy: This rainy spell is giving me the blues.
286.
Listless: having or showing little or no interest in anything; languid;
spiritless; indifferent: a listless mood; a listless handshake.
287.
Doleful: sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved
family emotionally disturbing and he left as quickly as he could.
288.
Dolt: stupid person. I thought the audience was going to be mature
but instead I found myself addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.
289.
Don: put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit , he
changes clothes in a convenient phone booth.
290.
Doodle: scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Arts teachers
scolded him when he doodled all over the margins of his papers.
291.
Dote: be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only
grandmothers bore you with stories of their brilliant grandchildren;
grandfathers dote on the little rascals too. Poor old Alf clearly doted: the
senile old dotard was past it.
292.
Douse: plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each
other with hoses and water balloons.
293.
Dowdy: slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by
buying a new fashionable wardrobe.

294.
Drab: dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch womans drab winter
coat contrasted with the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore
beneath it.
295.
Droll: queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll
anecdotes were always entertaining.
296.
Drone: idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the
would-be writer was in reality nothing but a drone.
297.
Drone: talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gorgeous day, who
wants to be stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone.
298.
Dumbfound: astonish. Johns perfect score on his SAT exam
dumfounded his classmates, who had always found him to be perfectly dumb.
299.
Dupe: n. someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson was often
made a dupe by his unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more
difficult to dupe.
300.
Duplicity: double-dealing; hypocrisy. Then Tanya learned that mark
had been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.
301.
Duress: forcible restraint, especially unlawfully. The hostages were
held under duress until the prisoners demands were met.
302.
Earthy: unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the
women in his audience.
303.
Ebb: recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach, Mrs. Dalloway watched the
tide ebb: the waters receded, drawing away from her.
304.
Eclipse: darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high
eclipsed the previous record set in 1995.
305.
Eddy: swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was
still, except for an occasional eddy.
306.
Egregious: notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was an
egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said.
307.
Ejaculation: exclamation.
308.
Elated: overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie was
elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal.
309.
Elegy: poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward,
Milton composed the elegy Lycidas.
310.
Ellipsis: omissions of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can
lead to a dangling modifier, as in the sentence once dressed, you should
refrigerate the potato salad.
311.
Embezzlement: stealing. The bank teller confessed his
embezzlement of the funds.
312.
Encomium: high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums
expressed by his supporters, Tolken felt unworthy of such high praise.
313.
Encumber: burden. Some people encumber themselves with too
much luggage when they take short trips.
314.
Endemic: prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific
area or country. This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than
80 percent of the population are at one time or another affected by it.
315.
Enfranchise: to admit to the rights of citizenship. Although blacks
were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right
to vote until 1920.
316.
Enrapture: please intensely. The audience was enraptured by the
freshness of the voices and the excellent orchestration.

317.
Enthrall: capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her beauty he
was enthralled by her beauty.
318.
Epigram: witty thought or saying, usually short. Poor Richards
epigrams made Benjamin Franklin famous.
319.
Episodic: loosely connected; divided into incidents. John found the
novel to episodic; he enjoyed individual passages but had trouble following
the work as a whole.
320.
Epitaph: inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will, he
dictated the epitaph he wanted placed on his tombstone.
321.
Epithet: word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or
thing. So many kings of France were named Charles that you could tell them
apart only by their epithets.
322.
Equanimity: calmness of temperament; composure. Even the
inevitable strains of caring for an ailing mother did not disturb Beas
equanimity.
323.
Equivocal: ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the
candidates equivocal comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to
state clearly where he stood on the issue.
324.
Equivocate: lie, mislead, attempt to conceal the truth. The audience
saw through his attempts to equivocate on the subject under discussion and
ridiculed his remarks.
325.
Escapade: prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard
this latest escapade as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.
326.
Ethereal: light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shakespeares The
Tempest, the spirit Ariel is an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for our
mortal world.
327.
Ethos:
a. the fundamental character or spirit of a culture; the underlying
sentiment that informs the beliefs, customs, or practices of a group or
society; dominant assumptions of a people or period: In the Greek
ethos the individual was highly valued.
b. the moral element in dramatic literature that determines a character's
action rather than his or her thought or emotion.
328.
Eulogy: expression of praise, often on occasion of someones death.
Instead of delivering a spoken eulogy at Gennys memorial service, John sang
a song he had written in her honor.
329.
Euphonious: pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the
Italian language is particularly pleasing to the ear when sung.
330.
Evanescent: fleeting; vanishing. Brandons satisfaction in his new job
was evanescent, for he immediately began to notice its many drawbacks.
331.
Evince: show clearly. When he tried to answer the questions, he
evinced his ignorance of the subject manner.
332.
Exacting: extremely demanding. Cleaning of the Sistine Chapel was
an exacting task, one that demanded meticulous care on the part of the
restorers.
333.
Exalt: v. raise in rank or dignity. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted
to the rank of knighthood by the queen.
334.
Excise: v. cut away; cut out. When you excise the dead and dying
limbs of a tree you not only improve its appearance but also enhance its
chances of bearing fruit.

335.
Excoriate: scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the
holes in Bills new pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his
good clothes. The tight collar chafed and excoriated his neck, rubbing it raw.
336.
Execrable: very bad. The anecdote was in such execrable taste that it
revolted the audience.
337.
Exonerate: acquit; exculpate. The defense team feverishly sought
fresh evidence that might exonerate their client.
338.
Expedient: suitable; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was
guided by what was expedient rather than by what was ethical. Expediency.
339.
Expiate: make amends for a sin. He tried to expiate his crimes by a
full confession to the authorities.
340.
Expurgate: clean; remove the offensive parts of a book. The editors
felt that certain passages in the book had to be expurgated before it could be
used in the classroom.
341.
Extol: v. praise; glorify. The president extolled the astronauts, calling
them the pioneers of the Space Age.
342.
Extradition: surrender of prisoner by one state to another. They
lawyers opposed the extradition of their clients on the grounds that for more
than five years he had been a model citizen.
343.
Extraneous: not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted cant think
straight. His mind is so cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he cant
concentrate on the essentials.
344.
Exude: discharge; give forth. We get maple syrup from the sap that
exudes from the trees in early spring.
345.
Fabricate: build; lie. If we fabricate the buildings in this project out of
standardized sections we can reduce costs. Because Jacks tendency to
fabricate, Jill had trouble believing a word he said.
346.
Facetious: joking (often inappropriately); humorous. Im serious
about this project; I dont need any facetious, smart-alecky cracks about dogooder little rich girls.
347.
Facsimile: copy. Many museums sell facsimiles of the works of art on
display.
348.
Fanciful: whimsical; visionary. This fanciful scheme clearly does not
consider the facts.
349.
Fanfare: call by bugles or trumpets. The exposition was opened with
a fanfare of trumpets and the firing of cannon.
350.
Fathom: comprehend; investigate. I find his motives impossible to
fathom; in fact, Im totally clueless about what goes on in his mind.
351.
Fatuous: foolish; inane. He is far to intelligent to utter such fatuous
remarks.
352.
Feign: pretend. Lady Macbeth feigned illness although she was
actually healthy.
353.
Felicitous: apt; suitably expressed; well chosen. He was famous for
his felicitous remarks and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies
at many a banquet.
354.
Felicity: happiness; appropriateness. She wrote a note to the
newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.
355.
Ferment: agitation: commotion. With the break up the Soviet Union,
much of Eastern Europe was in a state of ferment.

356.
Fester: v. produce irritation or resentment. Joes insult festered in
Annes mind for days, and made her too angry to speak to him.
357.
Fetid: malodorous. The neglected wound became fetid.
358.
Fickle: changeable; faithless. As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot
all about his old girlfriend Rosaline. Was Romeo fickle?
359.
Figment: a mere product of mental invention; a fantastic notion: The
noises in the attic were just a figment of his imagination.
360.
Filibuster:
a. v. U.S. Politics. to impede legislation by irregular or obstructive tactics,
esp. by making long speeches.
b. a member of a legislature who makes such a speech.
361.
Finicky: too particular; fussy. The little girl was finicky about her food,
leaving over anything that wasnt to her taste.
362.
Flag: v. droop; grow feeble. When the opposing hockey team scored
its third goal only minutes into the first quarter, the home teams spirits
flagged.
363.
Flamboyant: ornate. Modern architecture has discarded flamboyant
trimming on buildings and emphasizes simplicity of line.
364.
Flaunt:
a. to parade or display ostentatiously: to flaunt one's wealth. Honey, if
youve got it, flaunt it!
b. to ignore or treat with disdain: He was expelled for flaunting military
regulations.
365.
Flinch: hesitate. She did not flinch in the face of danger but fought
back bravely.
366.
Flippant: lacking proper seriousness. When Mark told Mona he loved
her, she dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant oh, you say that to
all the girls!
367.
Flounder: struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter. Up to
his knees in the bog, Floyd floundered about, trying to regain his footing.
Bewildered by the new software, Flo floundered until Jan shower her how to
get started.
368.
Flout: reject; mock. The headstrong youth flouted all authority. He
refused to be curbed.
369.
Fluke: n. unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune. When Douglas
defeated Tyson for the heavyweight championship, sportscasters dismissed
the victory as a fluke. However, in later fights he showed his victory had
been no fluke.
370.
Fluster: confuse. The teachers sudden question flustered him and he
stammered his reply.
371.
Flux: flowing; series of changes. While conditions are in such a state
of flux, I do not wish to commit myself too deeply in this affair.
372.
Foolhardy: rash. Dont be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced
people before undertaking this venture.
373.
Forbearance: patience. We must use forbearance in dealing with him
because he is still weak from his illness.
374.
Ford: a place where a river or other body of water is shallow enough
to be crossed by wading. David walked half a mile downstream until he came
to the nearest ford.
375.
Forebears: ancestors.

376.
Foreboding: premonition of evil. Suspecting no conspiracies against
him, Caesar gently ridiculed his wifes forebodings about the Ides of March.
377.
Forensic: suitable to debate or courts of law. In her best forensic
manner the lawyer addressed the jury.
378.
Forensics: (used with a singular or plural verb ) the art or study of
argumentation and formal debate.
379.
Forestall: prevent by taking action in advance. By setting a
prenuptial agreement, the prospective bride and groom hoped to forestall any
potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.
380.
Forlorn: sad and lonely; wretched. Deserted by her big sisters and
her friends, the forlorn child sat sadly on the steps awaiting their return.
381.
Founder: verb. Fail completely; sink. After hitting the submerged
iceberg, the Titanic started taking in water rapidly and soon foundered.
382.
Founder: n. Person who establishes an organization, business, etc.
383.
Fracas: brawl; melee. The military police stopped the fracas in the
bar and arrested the belligerents.
384.
Franchise: right granted by authority; right to vote; business licensed
to sell a product in a particular territory.
385.
Fraught: filled with. Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will
ask for volunteers who are willing to assume the risks.
386.
Firefly: lucirnaga.
387.
Frivolous: lacking seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively
unimportant. Though Nancy enjoyed his frivolous, lighthearted
companionship, she sometimes wondered whether he could ever be serious.
388.
Frolicsome: merrily playful; full of fun. The frolicsome puppy tired to
lick the face of its master.
389.
Prank: a trick of an amusing, playful, or sometimes malicious nature.
390.
Gaffe: social blunder. According to Miss Manners, to call your husband
by your lovers name is worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake.
391.
Gale: windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst. The Weather
Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds up to sixty miles per
hour.
392.
Galvanize: stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the
prince was almost at their door galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy
of combing and primping.
393.
Gamely: bravely; with spirit. Because he had fought gamely against a
much superior boxer, the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the
arena.
394.
Gape: open widely; stare open-mouthed. The ugly pit gaped before
him. In wonder, Huck Gaped at the huge stalactites hanging down from the
ceiling of the limestone cavern.
395.
Garbled: mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A favorite party game
involves passing a whispered message from one person to another until, by
the time it reaches the last player, the message is totally garbled.
396.
Gargantuan: huge, enormous. The gargantuan wrestler was terrified
of mice.
397.
Garrulous: loquacious; wordy; talkative. My uncle Tony can out-talk
anybody I know. He is the most garrulous person in Pasadena.
398.
Gaudy: flashy; showy. The newest Trump skyscraper is typically
gaudy, covered in gilded panels that gleam in the sun.

399.
Gentry: people of standing; class of people just below the nobility.
The local gentry did not welcome the visits of the summer tourists and tried
to ignore their presence in the community.
400.
Germane: pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The judge
refused to allow the testimony to be heard by the jury because it was not
germane to the case.
401.
Ghastly: horrible. The murdered man was a ghastly sight.
402.
Gibberish: nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting
gibberish about monsters from outer space?
403.
Gingerly: very carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg
gingerly.
404.
Glaring: highly conspicuous; harshly bright. Glaring spelling or
grammatical errors in your resume will unfavorably impress potential
employers.
405.
Gloat: express evil satisfaction; view malevolently. As you gloat over
your ill-gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?
406.
Gloss over: explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around
the issue, President Bush could not gloss over that fact that he had raised
taxes after all.
407.
Glut: overstock; fill to excess. The many manufacturers glutted the
market and could not find purchasers for the excess articles they had
produced.
408.
Gnarled: twisted. The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years
and was mentioned in several deeds.
409.
Gorge: small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water rafting guide
warned us about the rapids farther downstream, where the river cut through
a narrow gorge.
410.
Gorge: stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food
as though he had not eaten for days.
411.
Gory: bloody. The audience shuddered as they listened to the details
of the gory massacre.
412.
Gourmand: person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink;
epicure. Gourmands lack self-restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they
eat far too much of it.
413.
Epicure: a person who cultivates a refined taste, esp. in food and
wine; connoisseur.
414.
Gregarious: sociable. Typically party goers are gregarious; hermits
are not.
415.
Gratuitous: given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making
gratuitous comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.
416.
Grievance: cause of complaint. When her supervisor ignored her
complaint, she took her grievance to the union.
417.
Grill: v. question severely. In violation of the Miranda law, the police
grilled the suspect for several hours before reading him his rights. (secondary
meaning)
418.
Grouse: complain; fuss. Students traditionally grouse about the
abysmal quality of mystery meat and similar dormitory food.
419.
Grovel: crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we
have been defeated we do not have to grovel before our conquerors.

420.
Grudging: unwilling; reluctant; stingy. We received only grudging
support from the mayor despite his earlier promises of aid.
421.
Gruff: rough-mannered. Although he was blunt and gruff with most
people, he was always gentle with children.
422.
Guile: deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. Lago uses considerable
guile to trick Othello into believing Desdemona has been unfaithful.
423.
Guileless: without deceit. He is nave, simple, and guileless; he cannot
be guilty of fraud.
424.
Gusto: enjoyment; enthusiasm. He accepted the assignment with
such gusto that I feel he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.
425.
Hackneyed: commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the
movie for its hackneyed plot, we agreed. We had seen similar stories
hundreds of times before.
426.
Haggle: argue about prices. I prefer to shop in a store that has a oneprice policy because, whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper I am never certain
that I paid a fair price for the articles I purchased.
427.
Hallowed: blessed; consecrated. Although the dead girls parents had
never been active churchgoers, they insisted that their daughter be buried in
hallowed ground.
428.
Hamper: obstruct. The new mother didnt realize how much the effort
of caring for an infant would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.
429.
Haphazard: random; by chance. His haphazard reading left him
unacquainted with the authors of the books.
430.
Harbinger:
a. anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign: Frost is a
harbinger of winter.
b. a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another;
herald.
431.
Hardy: sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather. We asked the
gardening expert to recommend particularly hardy plants that could
withstand our harsh New England winters.
432.
Harrowing: agonizing; distressing; traumatic. At first the former
prisoner did not with to discuss his harrowing months of captivity as a
political hostage.
433.
Haughtiness: pride; arrogance. When she realized that Darcy
believed himself too good to dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great
offence at his haughtiness.
434.
Headlong: hasty; rash. The slave seized the unexpected chance to
make a headlong dash across the border to freedom.
435.
Heckler: person who harasses others. The heckler kept interrupting
the speaker with rude remarks. Heckle.
436.
Hedonist: one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life. A
thoroughgoing hedonist, he considered only his own pleasure and ignored
any claims others had on his money or time.
437.
Heterodox: unorthodox; unconventional.
438.
Heyday: time of greatest success; prime. In their heyday, the San
Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl two years running.
439.
Hiatus: gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause. During the
summer hiatus, many students try to earn enough money to pay their tuition
for the next school year.

440.