Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Words to Ponder 14

Brusque (adj) = talking in a direct and unfriendly way

Nurses are expected to be friendly and accommodating, and not brusque and snobbish.

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Contentious (adj) = likely to cause people to argue

Let's try to avoid discussing contentious topic at his dinner party.

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Contumacious (adj) = obstinately disobedient

There are students who are so contumacious that they break every single rule there is.

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Irascible (adj) = easily angered; gets angry easily

Cassandra is so irascible that she tries to stay away from the people who might exasperate her.

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Upbraid (verb) = scold

We were upbraided by Ms. Lewis for not passing our projects on time.

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Accolade (noun) = award or an expression of praise

The movie received numerous accolades from different award giving bodies.

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Adulation (noun) = excessive praise

He enjoys the adulation he receives from his fans.

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Aplomb (noun) = confidence especially during pressure

He was able to deliver his speech with aplomb.

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August (adj) = inspiring respect or admiration

An august leadership is not based on the position but on the things done.

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Complaisant (adj) = willing to please others

Sometimes, a person tries to be complaisant just to avoid being ostracized.

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Words to Ponder 13

Wager (verb) = to bet

He wagered 20 dollars on that game.

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Bear out (verb) = confirm that something is true

The diagnostic exam results bore out that she has cancer.

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Bowl over (verb) = surprise; overwhelm

We were bowled over by their performance.

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Foible (noun) = minor flaw

Our own foibles make us unique.

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Pertinent (adj) = relevant

She was able to give a pertinent answer to the question asked by her professor.

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Shoddy (adj) = poorly done; poorly made

The essay which I had made was considered shoddy by my professor.

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Disparate (adj) = dissimilar; different

They divorced because of their disparate views on things.

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Ghastly (adj) = horrible; awful

Racism is such a ghastly practice.

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Conceited (adj) = having an excessive praise on oneself

No matter how good one is, if he is conceited, people will think less of him.


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Inconspicuous (adj) = not easily noticed

The actor had tried to be inconspicuous but still failed because the crowd noticed him.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Words to Ponder 12

Inebriated (adj) = drunk; intoxicated

Somebody told me that you had been inebriated when you had gone home last night, alone.

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Descry (verb) = to see something that is not easily seen; detect

My fastidious professor descries even minor typographical errors on our papers.

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Grope (verb) = to search blindly for something

I hate it when power interruption happens in the middle of the night because I am forced to grope for flashlights.

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Wont (adj) = likely; accustomed; used

He is wont to develop diabetes later in life because of his eating habit.

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Swarthy (adj) = having a dark complexion

I do have a friend who is fat and swarthy.

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Pariah (noun) = outcast

It is so hard to be treated like a pariah in another country just because my skin is brown and theirs are white.

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Jeer (verb) = to shout or speak insulting words at someone

You should not jeer on other people because you, for sure, don't want to be jeered at.

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Sneer (verb) = to smile or laugh at someone or something with an expression on one's face which shows dislike and lack of respect

He sneered at his opponent because the latter failed to do the task.

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Dawdle (verb) = to waste time by moving slowly

Don't dawdle because we still have a train to catch.

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Taunt (verb) = to mock, tease, or insult someone to make him angry

The guy, who had been taunted by the five bullies, sought vengeance after six years.