The Soul of Battle

Nicholas N.
Victor Davis Hanson. Summer reading 2009
226 words 2 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
  2. delineate
    represented accurately or precisely
  3. saga
    a narrative telling the adventures of a hero or a family
  4. solicit
    request urgently or persistently
  5. shrewd
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
  6. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
  7. truculent
    defiantly aggressive
  8. arduous
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
  9. avowal
    a statement asserting the truth of something
  10. cognizant
    having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization
  11. boisterous
    marked by exuberance and high spirits
  12. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
  13. rectitude
    righteousness as a consequence of being honorable and honest
  14. paradoxically
    in a paradoxical manner
  15. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  16. lax
    without rigor or strictness
  17. hardtack
    very firm unsalted biscuit or bread
  18. fare
    the sum charged for riding in a public conveyance
  19. gratuitous
    unnecessary and unwarranted
  20. sentiment
    a personal belief or judgment
  21. animosity
    a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility
  22. anomaly
    deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
  23. irregular
    not level or flat or symmetrical
  24. swath
    a path or strip (also figurative)
  25. nonetheless
    despite anything to the contrary
  26. inclination
    the act of bending forward
  27. sheer
    so thin as to transmit light
  28. despoil
    plunder or steal goods
  29. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
  30. desist
    stop performing some action
  31. infamous
    known widely and usually unfavorably
  32. perpetrate
    perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
  33. tacitly
    by unexpressed agreement
  34. assent
    agree or express agreement
  35. aggrandizement
    the act of increasing the prestige or power of something
  36. relative
    not absolute or complete
  37. construct
    make by combining materials and parts
  38. qualitatively
    in a qualitative manner
  39. consensual
    involving or existing by mutual agreement
  40. retribution
    a justly deserved penalty
  41. atonement
    the act of making amends for sin or wrongdoing
  42. rationale
    an explanation of the fundamental reasons
  43. immutably
    in an unalterable and unchangeable manner
  44. perpetually
    everlastingly; for all time
  45. definitive
    clearly formulated
  46. guise
    an artful or simulated semblance
  47. semblance
    the outward or apparent appearance or form of something
  48. unimpeded
    not slowed or prevented
  49. amuck
    wildly; without self-control
  50. manifest
    clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
  51. radically
    in an extreme or revolutionary manner
  52. faint
    lacking clarity, brightness, or loudness
  53. arrogance
    overbearing pride evidenced by a superior manner
  54. disdain
    lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
  55. considerable
    large in number, amount, extent, or degree
  56. destitution
    a state without money or prospects
  57. inordinately
    in a highly unusual, impressive, or extreme manner
  58. impotent
    (of a male) unable to copulate
  59. docile
    easily handled or managed
  60. undue
    not appropriate or proper in the circumstances
  61. morale
    a state of individual psychological well-being
  62. obstinacy
    resolute adherence to your own ideas or desires
  63. incur
    make oneself subject to
  64. laurels
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
  65. megalomania
    a psychological state characterized by delusions of grandeur
  66. cagey
    characterized by great caution and wariness
  67. confound
    be confusing or perplexing to
  68. resurgent
    rising again as to new life and vigor
  69. adversary
    someone who offers opposition
  70. frantic
    marked by uncontrolled excitement or emotion
  71. fortuitous
    lucky; occurring by happy chance
  72. obituary
    a notice of someone's death
  73. subdued
    restrained in style or quality
  74. itinerant
    traveling from place to place to work
  75. ambiguous
    having more than one possible meaning
  76. affront
    a deliberately offensive act
  77. onus
    a burdensome or difficult concern
  78. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  79. succinctly
    with concise and precise brevity; to the point
  80. brevity
    the attribute of being short or fleeting
  81. humble
    marked by meekness or modesty; not arrogant or prideful
  82. procure
    get by special effort
  83. forbearance
    a delay in enforcing rights or claims or privileges
  84. concede
    give over
  85. inextricable
    incapable of being disentangled or untied
  86. bitter
    causing a sharp and acrid taste experience
  87. zeal
    a feeling of strong eagerness
  88. chivalry
    the medieval principles governing knightly conduct
  89. sublimation
    a change directly from the solid to the gaseous state
  90. stark
    severely simple
  91. preponderance
    exceeding in heaviness; having greater weight
  92. anonymous
    having no known name or identity or known source
  93. promiscuously
    in a licentious and promiscuous manner
  94. champion
    someone who has won first place in a competition
  95. detriment
    a damage or loss
  96. autocracy
    a theory favoring unlimited authority by an individual
  97. scapegoat
    someone who is punished for the errors of others
  98. meager
    deficient in amount or quality or extent
  99. culpable
    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
  100. folly
    the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
  101. execrate
    curse or declare to be evil or anathema
  102. baseness
    unworthiness by virtue of lacking higher values
  103. punctilious
    marked by precise accordance with details
  104. surplus
    a quantity much larger than is needed
  105. hasten
    move fast
  106. unkempt
    not properly maintained or cared for
  107. garrulous
    full of trivial conversation
  108. dapper
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
  109. genteel
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
  110. canonized
    accorded sacrosanct or authoritative standing
  111. precursor
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
  112. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  113. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  114. psyche
    that which is responsible for one's thoughts and feelings
  115. sojourn
    a temporary stay
  116. nemesis
    a personal foe or rival that cannot be easily defeated
  117. preposterously
    so as to arouse or deserve laughter
  118. deleterious
    harmful to living things
  119. progressive
    favoring or promoting modern or innovative ideas
  120. electorate
    the body of enfranchised citizens; those qualified to vote
  121. eccentricity
    strange and unconventional behavior
  122. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  123. censure
    harsh criticism or disapproval
  124. audit
    examine carefully for accuracy
  125. ostensibly
    from appearances alone
  126. paradox
    a statement that contradicts itself
  127. quench
    satisfy, as thirst
  128. recede
    pull back or move away or backward
  129. reappraisal
    a new appraisal or evaluation
  130. posterity
    all future generations
  131. incisive
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
  132. vehemence
    intensity or forcefulness of expression
  133. assailant
    someone who attacks
  134. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
  135. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
  136. vain
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
  137. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  138. impugn
    attack as false or wrong
  139. sporadic
    recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances
  140. bombast
    pompous or pretentious talk or writing
  141. foregone
    well in the past; former
  142. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  143. obscene
    offensive to the mind
  144. deify
    exalt to the position of a God
  145. Ajax
    a mythical Greek hero
  146. contemptible
    deserving of scorn or disrespect
  147. vain
    having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
  148. zygomatic
    of or relating to the cheek region of the face
  149. parlance
    a manner of speaking natural to a language's native speakers
  150. demote
    assign to a lower position; reduce in rank
  151. ironical
    marked by incongruity between what is expected and what is
  152. neurologist
    a medical specialist in the nervous system
  153. unanimity
    everyone being of one mind
  154. intravenous
    within or by means of a vein
  155. catheter
    a thin flexible tube inserted into the body
  156. avail
    be of use to, be useful to
  157. melancholy
    a constitutional tendency to be gloomy and depressed
  158. noble
    of or belonging to hereditary aristocracy
  159. reconnoitering
    exploring in order to gain information
  160. impale
    pierce with a sharp stake or point
  161. outlandish
    noticeably or extremely unconventional or unusual
  162. barrage
    the heavy fire of artillery to saturate an area
  163. ruthless
    without mercy or pity
  164. puritanical
    of or relating to a certain group of English Protestants
  165. miasma
    an unwholesome atmosphere
  166. probable
    likely but not certain to be or become true or real
  167. demise
    the time when something ends
  168. indiscreetly
    without discretion or wisdom or self-restraint
  169. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
  170. pitiful
    deserving or inciting compassion
  171. unwittingly
    without knowledge or intention
  172. debasing
    used of conduct; characterized by dishonor
  173. imperil
    pose a threat to; present a danger to
  174. sober
    not affected by a chemical substance, especially alcohol
  175. candor
    the quality of being honest and straightforward
  176. propensity
    a natural inclination
  177. testament
    strong evidence for something
  178. correspondent
    a journalist who supplies stories for news media
  179. redress
    make reparations or amends for
  180. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  181. irk
    irritate or vex
  182. proconsul
    a governor of a province in ancient Rome
  183. essence
    the choicest or most vital part of some idea or experience
  184. compulsory
    required by rule
  185. totalitarianism
    a form of government in which the ruler is unconstrained
  186. paranoid
    suffering from delusions of persecution or grandeur
  187. complacency
    the feeling you have when you are satisfied with yourself
  188. tyranny
    government in which the ruler is an absolute dictator
  189. warmonger
    a person who advocates militaristic policies
  190. hagiography
    a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person
  191. iota
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
  192. irrevocable
    incapable of being retracted
  193. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
  194. averse
    strongly opposed
  195. unrepentant
    not feeling or expressing remorse
  196. vilify
    spread negative information about
  197. bombast
    pompous or pretentious talk or writing
  198. anachronistic
    chronologically misplaced
  199. imbue
    spread or diffuse through
  200. atomize
    break up into small particles or pieces
  201. harangue
    a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion
  202. strafe
    attack from above with machine guns or cannon fire
  203. antiquated
    so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
  204. impeccable
    without error or flaw
  205. temperament
    your usual mood
  206. transmogrify
    change completely the nature or appearance of
  207. reckless
    marked by defiant disregard for danger or consequences
  208. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
  209. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
  210. reprimand
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
  211. obsolescence
    falling into disuse or becoming out of date
  212. transpire
    come about, happen, or occur
  213. assent
    agree or express agreement
  214. eclipse
    the phenomenon when one celestial body obscures another
  215. commensurable
    capable of being measured by a common standard
  216. superfluity
    extreme excess
  217. reactionary
    extremely conservative or resistant to change
  218. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
  219. furor
    an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
  220. duplicitous
    marked by deliberate deceptiveness
  221. bridle
    headgear for a horse
  222. decry
    express strong disapproval of
  223. crack
    a narrow opening
  224. irresolute
    uncertain how to act or proceed
  225. annals
    a chronological account of events in successive years
  226. reckoning
    problem solving that involves numbers or quantities
Created on Fri Jul 10 00:34:03 EDT 2009 (updated Fri Jul 17 21:14:01 EDT 2009)

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