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| 5438224108 | mediocrity (noun) | the quality or state of being mediocre Ex. The mediocrity of the effort she was handing in made me cringe. Ex. I remember her now with gratitude and affection—especially in this era when Americans are so wrought-up about a "rising tide of mediocrity" in public education and the problems of finding competent, caring teachers. Miss Bessie was an | 0 | |
| 5438224109 | harangued (adjective) | lecture (someone) at length in an aggressive and critical manner Ex. Johnathan got harangued when he took that one cookie out of the cookie jar by his brother, and in my opinion, he went a little too far. Ex. None of us could have articulated it then, but it was because we enjoyed being harangued by her, disciplined by her and taught by her. | 1 | |
| 5438494165 | depravity (noun) | moral corruption; wickedness. Ex. The depravity in the Middle East regarding women's right is downright atrocious. Ex. Were my teachers, perhaps, so good that they could not understand the depths of my depravity? | 2 | |
| 5438494166 | pious (adjective) | devoutly religious Ex. The pious man gave an empowering sermon in church that left everyone in awe. Ex. I delighted to confront a pious lady who hated the Germans with the proposition that we should love our enemies. | 3 | |
| 5438494167 | gregarious (adjective) | fond of company or togetherness Ex. Hannah was extremely gregarious, and that was bad for her because I had just got back from a 4-day conference and did not feel like talking to anyone. Ex. Man is a gregarious animal, and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way on the side of a hill. | 4 | |
| 5438494168 | restively (adverb) | impatient and hard to control under restriction Ex. I restively awaited my paycheck. I had been working overtime too, so I was ready to get it. Ex. That was too easy, said I restively (for the nearer you were to Ruth, the nicer she was to be near to) since there were more Roman Catholics than Methodists anyway; and they couldn't be wrong, could they - not all those hundreds of millions? | 5 | |
| 5438495921 | libertine (noun) | someone who rejects the accepted opinions of society or religion Ex. An atheist in the United States of America would be considered a libertine. Ex. That was too easy, said I restively (for the nearer you were to Ruth, the nicer she was to be near to) since there were more Roman Catholics than Methodists anyway; and they couldn't be wrong, could they - not all those hundreds of millions? | 6 | |
| 5438495922 | portentous (adjective) | a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress Ex. This portentous kid over here really thinks he is impressing people by thinking he's all that. Ex. The portentous Thinker I placed on the edge of the cupboard so that he looked down at the bath towel and waited for it to slip. | 7 | |
| 5438495923 | inscrutable (adjective) | something unable to be interpreted Ex. Your facial expression was inscrutable; I thought you looked upset. Ex. I would have given my Greek and Latin and French and a good slice of my English for enough German to communicate. But we were divided; he was as inscrutable as my headmaster. | 8 | |
| 5438498430 | amiability (noun) | a friendly and pleasant manner Ex. The amiability of this conversation made me relax a little bit. Ex. Then Professor Einstein, his whole figure still conveying good will and amiability, drifted away out of sight. | 9 | |
| 5439049455 | languor (noun) | the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia Ex. He remembered the languor and warm happiness of those golden afternoons Ex. Anger and bitterness gad preyed upon me continually for weeks and a deep languor had succeeded this passionate struggle | 10 | |
| 5439049456 | punctuated (adjective) | the state of occuring in intervals Ex. The screams were very punctuated as the murderer came by each room and stabbed people. Ex. When things quieted down, in a hushed silence, punctuated by a few ecstatic "Amens," all the new young lambs were blessed in the name of God. | 11 | |
| 5439309968 | supplicants (noun) | a person who asks for something in a respectful way from a powerful person or God Ex. Those supplicants are kind of wise asking for guidance from their God. Ex. Who are these wretched supplicants, scribbling notes so laden with anxiety, seeking such miracles of postponement and balm? | 12 | |
| 5439309969 | privy (adjective) | sharing in the knowledge of Ex. You are privy to knowing about this incident now. Ex. I am privy to their hopes and fears -- and also to their stereo music and their piercing cries in the dead of night ("Does anybody ca-a-are?"). | 13 | |
| 5439309970 | gallow (verb) | to frighten Ex. She was gallowed when she got her test back. | 14 | |
| 5439309971 | venerate (verb) | regard with great respect; revere. Ex. He venerated Charles Darwin greatly. Ex. Achievement is the national god, venerated in our media -- the million dollar athlete, the wealthy executive -- and the glorified in our praise of possessions. | 15 | |
| 5439309972 | matriculate (verb) | be enrolled at a college or university. Ex. Last week, I matriculated to my dream school, UCLA. Ex. Yale Law School, for instance, matriculates 170 students from an applicant pool of 3,700; Harvard enrolls 550 from a pool of 7,000. | 16 | |
| 5439309973 | exhort (verb) | strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something. Ex. I'm exhorting you students to do your homework tonight. Ex. Exhorted at commencement to go forth into the world, he is already behind as he goes forth. | 17 | |
| 5439313328 | pauperism (noun) | state of being poor Ex. The pauperism in Brazil is almost astounding when you see the rich suburbs right next to them. Ex. But the new pauperism has widened the gap still further, for professors who actually like to spend time with students don't have as much time to spend. | 18 | |
| 5439313329 | codified (adjective) | something arranged in a systematic code Ex. His codified tone of speaking made it rather awkward to talk to him. Ex. Instead, students are choosing their goal in advance, and their choices narrow as they go along, it's almost as if they think that the country has been codified in the type of jobs that exist -- that they've got to fit into certain slots. | 19 | |
| 5439313330 | blithe (adjective) | showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper. Ex. Sarah was so blithe about her father's death that she had a party after his funeral. Ex. If I have described the modern undergraduate primarily as a driven creature who is largely ignoring the blithe spirit inside who keeps trying to come out and play, it's because that's where the crunch is, not only at Yale but throughout American education. | 20 | |
| 5439313331 | tenacity (noun) | the quality or fact of being very determined Ex. I had the tenacity to take 7 night classes at my college because I wanted to develop a work ethic. Ex. I see many students taking pre-medical courses with joyless tenacity. | 21 | |
| 5439313356 | proverbial (adjective) | referred to in a proverb or idiom Ex. His proverbial sayings were very wise, but funny. Ex. I'm really up the proverbial creek. | 22 | |
| 5439315496 | didactic (adjective) | intended to teach Ex. Her didactic essay to 4th graders will hopefully result in less disciplinary issues. Ex. They said it should be something suitable to youth-something didactic, instructive, or something in the nature of good advice. | 23 | |
| 5439315497 | beseech (verb) | ask urgently of someone Ex. I beseech you; please do not cheat on this test. Ex. First, then. I will say to you my young friends -- and I say it beseechingly, urgently -- Always obey your parents, when they are present. | 24 | |
| 5439315498 | temperate (adjective) | showing moderation or self-restraint Ex. He was temperate when it came to eating candy from his Halloween bag. It was pretty impressive given that he was 12. Ex. That of course, is putting it rather stronger than necessary; still while I cannot go quite so far as that, I do maintain , and I believe I am right, that the young ought to be temperate in the use of this great art until practice and experience shall give them that confidence, elegance, and precision which alone can make the accomplishment graceful and profitable. | 25 | |
| 5439315499 | maxim (noun) | expression of a general truth Ex. My grandmother had a wise maxim to help me get through all of my teenage crises. Ex. Think what tedious years of study, thought, practice, experience, went to the equipment of that peerless old master who was able to impose upon the whole world the lofty and sounding maxim that "Truth is mighty and will prevail" -- the most majestic compound fracture of fact which any of woman born has yet achieved. | 26 | |
| 5439318035 | precept (noun) | a command or principle intended especially as a general rule of action Ex. The school's honesty precept dictates we only turn in our own work. Ex. Build your character thoughtfully and painstakingly upon these precepts, and by and by, when you have got it built, you will be surprised and gratified to see how nicely and sharply it resembles everybody else's. | 27 | |
| 5439380445 | tatting (noun) | knotted lace made by hand with a small shuttle Ex. I mastered the art of crocheting and tatting, and there was a lifetime's supple of dainty doilies that would never be used in sacheted dresser drawers. | 28 | |
| 5439380446 | sacheted (adjective) | contained in a sachet Ex. My wallet was satcheted. Ex. I mastered the art of crocheting and tatting, and there was a lifetime's supple of dainty doilies that would never be used in sacheted dresser drawers. | 29 | |
| 5439380447 | impudent (adjective) | not showing respect for a person Ex. You are being impudent to the president-elect by sending death threats to him Ex. That cup had its place and it was an act impudent rebellion to place it anywhere else. | 30 | |
| 5439380448 | barrenness (adjective) | not producing or incapable of producing offspring; sterile Ex. This woman has a lot of barrenness. Ex. For weeks after, I arrived early, left late and tried very hard to make up for her barrenness. | 31 | |
| 5439383305 | construed (adjective) | interpret (a word or action) in a particular way. Ex. You construed my definition of the word good; you threatening suicide is not a good thing! Ex. It was a dangerous 90 practice to call a Negro anything that could be loosely construed as insulting because of the centuries of their having been called... | 32 |
