The top 1,000 vocabulary words have been carefully chosen to represent difficult but common words that appear in everyday academic and business writing. These words are also the most likely to appear on the SAT, ACT, GRE, and ToEFL.
To create this list, we started with the words that give our users the most trouble and then ranked them by how frequently they appear in our corpus of billions of words from edited sources. If you only have time to study one list of words, this is the list.
At the moment, artemisinin-based therapies are considered the best treatment, but cost about $10 per dose - far too much for impoverished communities.
—Seattle Times (Feb 16, 2012)
“Lipstick, as a product intended for topical use with limited absorption, is ingested only in very small quantities,” the agency said on its website.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 15, 2012)
something that interests you because it is important or affects you
The scandal broke out in October after former chief executive Michael Woodford claimed he was fired for raising concerns about the company's accounting practices.
—BBC (Feb 15, 2012)
perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
In an unprecedented front page article in 2003 The Times reported that Mr. Blair, a young reporter on its staff, had committed journalistic fraud.
—New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)
We had nearly two hundred passengers, who were seated about on the sofas, reading, or playing games, or engaged in conversation.
—Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)
He delayed making the unclassified report public while awaiting an Army review, but Rolling Stone magazine obtained the report and posted it Friday night.
—New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)
a section of text; particularly a section of medium length
His interpretation of many obscure scriptural passages by means of native manners and customs and traditions is particularly helpful and informing.
—Sheets, Emily Churchill Thompson
The funds are aimed at helping build public projects including mass transit, electricity networks, water utility and ports, it said.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 17, 2012)
In 1929, Hubble independently put forward and confirmed the same idea, and the parameter later became known as the Hubble constant.
—Nature (Nov 15, 2011)
The central bank will start distributing low-interest loans in early March to individuals and small- and medium-sized companies affected by the flooding.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
Testing that theory begins Saturday night, as the Capitals take on Tampa Bay in another important contest.
—Washington Post (Feb 18, 2012)
Like American community colleges, admission at an open university is not competitive, but the schools offer a range of programs, including doctoral degrees.
—Time (Feb 19, 2012)
At the same point in 2004 — as an incumbent facing re-election — Mr. Bush had taken in about $145.6 million for his campaign.
—New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)
More labor is entailed, more time is required, greater delay is occasioned in cleaning up, and the amount of water used is much greater.
—Hoskin, Arthur J.
Ms. Stewart said Mrs. Bachmann conferred with her family and a few aides after her disappointing showing on Tuesday evening.
—New York Times (Jan 4, 2012)
Interior Department officials insisted that they had conducted an extensive scientific inquiry before moving ahead with the spill response plan.
—New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)
Last year, the industry’s main trade convention, the Inside Self-Storage World Expo, organized workshops in Las Vegas focusing on lien laws and auction sales.
—New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)
Teens ranting over chores and whatnot can often reflect deeper feelings of alienation or perceived uncaring on the part of parents.
—Time (Feb 17, 2012)
Instead, according to court documents, the money went toward furnishing mansions, flying in private jets, and retaining a $120,000-a-year personal hairstylist.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 1, 2012)
the geographical area under the jurisdiction of a sovereign state
On Friday, West Africa regional group Ecowas condemned the rebels, urging them to end hostilities and surrender all occupied territory.
—BBC (Feb 18, 2012)
The business-oriented constituency of the Republican Party, Jacobs said, has been weakened by a faction bent on lowering taxes and cutting spending.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 17, 2012)
to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
In your talk you asserted the pill's risks of blood clotting, lung artery blockage, heart attack and stroke are minimal.
—Science Magazine (Feb 18, 2012)
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
Several pilots and crew members would have to escape at once, while safety divers watched, ready to rescue anyone who became stuck.
—New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)
Some companies in the Globe District of Arizona have started extensive underground schemes for mining large tonnages very cheaply by "caving" methods.
—Hoskin, Arthur J.
having political or social views favoring reform and progress
Romney’s actually done well in open primaries where fiscally conservative yet socially liberal independents have backed him over his opponents.
—Time (Feb 14, 2012)
A too rapid transformation of existing conditions might very easily lead to an economic crisis, symptoms of which are already beginning to manifest themselves.
—Vay, P?ter
lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike
And with his backhanded contempt for all things ordinary, Blake is making some of the catchiest, most difficult music in recent memory.
—Time (Dec 20, 2011)
So far, the political turmoil has not appeared to have discouraged visitors, but prolonged strife could weigh on tourism.
—New York Times (Feb 11, 2012)
an abstraction belonging to or characteristic of an entity
The authors found that when the available prospects varied more in attributes such as age, height, occupation and educational background, people made fewer dating proposals.
—Scientific American (Feb 13, 2012)
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
Simon Wiesenthal's parents are long since deceased, with his father dying in World War I and his mother perishing in the Holocaust.
—BBC (Feb 14, 2012)
Mr. Gray railed against lengthy stage directions, saying he crossed them out in scripts before he would begin rehearsals with his actors.
—New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)
a person who pleads for a cause or propounds an idea
Well, safety advocates, consumers and the government dragged the automobile industry toward including seat belts, air bags, more visible taillights and other safety features.
—New York Times (Feb 19, 2012)
Department store chains in general have been strained in recent years as a "multitude" of alternatives has emerged, all competing for customers.
—Chicago Tribune (Dec 28, 2011)
the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)
Despite being held in the highest esteem by his fellow poets, Redgrove never quite achieved the critical reception or readership he deserved.
—The Guardian (Feb 10, 2012)
Mike Mullen, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has acknowledged receiving the memo but said he ignored it as not credible.
—New York Times (Dec 19, 2011)
Health care providers and manufacturers can ascertain alternative treatment more effectively by tackling predicted drug shortage incidences early in the process.
—Forbes (Feb 13, 2012)
Some militia chiefs say they will only cede command of their fighters once an organized military and security apparatus is in place.
—Reuters (Jan 3, 2012)
formed or developed from something else; not original
Modern kale, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kohlrabi are all members of the same species, derived from a single prehistoric plant variety.
—Slate (Feb 21, 2012)
But the tobacco industry and owners of other convenience stores say tribal cigarette manufacturing is just an elaborate form of tax evasion.
—New York Times (Feb 22, 2012)
having substance or capable of being treated as fact; not imaginary
Defence lawyers said the large number of forensic tests which had been carried out had failed to find any substantial evidence linked to the accused.
—BBC (Feb 23, 2012)
a wilderness at the edge of a settled area of a country
Adding to the precarious security situation, tribesmen kidnapped 18 Egyptian border guards along the frontier with Israel in Sinai Peninsula.
—New York Times (Feb 9, 2012)
His business had been all along steadily flourishing, his patrons had been of high social position, some most illustrious, others actually royal.
—Petherick, Horace William
One of the present bishops was consecrated when quite a young boy, and deacons are often ordained at sixteen, and even much earlier.
—Bird, Isabella L. (Isabella Lucy)
(of undissolved particles in a fluid) supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy and without apparent attachment
Frustrating enough at ground level, but can you imagine the agony about a stranded, ever-soggier Oreo being suspended 11 feet above the ground?
—Washington Post (Feb 21, 2012)
Typhoon fighter jets, helicopters, two warships and bomb disposal experts will also be on duty to guard against security threats.
—Seattle Times (Feb 20, 2012)
run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along
The blare of bugles was heard, and a few seconds afterwards Jackson, still facing the enemy, shouted: "By Jupiter, they're bolting, sir."
—Strang, Herbert
The Securities and Exchange Commission said last year it had sanctioned 39 senior officers for conduct related to the housing market meltdown.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 19, 2012)
Carols had existed for centuries, though their popularity waxed and waned as different governments and religious movements periodically declared them sinful.
—Time (Dec 12, 2011)
His campaign even issued a press release assailing other rivals for, in Mr. Paul’s view, taking Mr. Romney’s quote about firing people out of context.
—New York Times (Feb 16, 2012)
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
He was uneven, disproportioned, saying ordinary things on great occasions, and now and then, without the slightest provocation, uttering the sublimest and most beautiful thoughts.
—Ingersoll, Robert Green
As humans increasingly exploit the deep seas for fish, oil and mining, understanding how species are dispersed is crucial, Copley said.
—Scientific American (Jan 3, 2012)
Musing about the Big Picture may be a lot more gratifying than focusing on the details of the specific policies that aren’t working.
—Time (Jan 24, 2012)
He made his customary slick feeds to open teammates, but as is their wont, the Nets struggled at times to convert points on his passes.
—New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)
a system of body parts that together serve some particular purpose
When probiotics flourish in the digestive tract, nutrients are better absorbed and bad bugs are held at bay, research suggests.
—Seattle Times (Jan 10, 2012)
a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired
For me, all novels of any consequence are literary, and they take their place, high and low, in the canon of English literature.
—The Guardian (Jan 10, 2011)
Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.
—Inc (Feb 21, 2012)
Their number diminished sharply after Villaraigosa announced last week that he wanted protesters to vacate the grounds by Monday or be forcibly removed.
—Chicago Tribune (Nov 30, 2011)
Utterly distraught, he ran up and down the bank, hunting for his clothes, calling, crying out, imploring, beseeching help from somewhere.
—Frank, Ulrich
hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
Frustrated after two years of missed budget targets, finance chiefs demanded Greek officials put their verbal commitments into law.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 13, 2012)
She will be joining an illustrious list of recipients that include Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela, Pope John Paul II and Princess Diana.
—BBC (Feb 24, 2012)
the goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)
The objective was to mobilize students from 18 high schools across the city to provide community services and inspire others.
—New York Times (Feb 5, 2012)
But given the bitter partisan divide in an election year, Democrats said they would never be able to get such legislation passed.
—Chicago Tribune (Mar 30, 2012)
Thus, after much more than two hundred years, the venerable building looks almost as it did when the first students entered its doors.
—Faris, John T. (John Thomson)
By contrast, Mr. Pei’s restrained design took time to claim my attention, particularly since it sat quietly next door to Saarinen’s concrete gull wings.
—New York Times (Oct 6, 2011)
Afterward, the leaders fought court orders to release records showing what they had done, drawing an uncommonly sharp rebuke from a federal judge.
—Washington Post (Mar 14, 2012)
The Free Syrian Army, an insurgent group made of defecting soldiers and based in southern Turkey, claimed responsibility for both attacks.
—New York Times (Nov 20, 2011)
His fiery rhetoric in support of limiting cuts to projected defense spending has surprised and impressed some of Obama's toughest Republican critics.
—Reuters (Jan 5, 2012)
approve and express assent, responsibility, or obligation
Company officials at Safeway said those replacement workers will remain on standby until the agreement is ratified by union members.
—Washington Post (Mar 29, 2012)
Though family members long suspected Evans, a local handyman who frequently hired local youths, the case stumped investigators for years.
—Washington Post (Aug 30, 2011)
The United States Army developed a comprehensive plan to address problematic race relations in the 1970s, recognizing that they were hampering military effectiveness.
—New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)
But, to fervent applause and scattered fist pumps from two sets of worshipers, he pledged to legally challenge the claims against him.
—New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
The military has historically been protected from civilian courts, with any crimes committed by soldiers being decided in closed military tribunals.
—Wall Street Journal (Feb 15, 2012)
based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice
Sandra Nurse, a member of Occupy's direct action working group, said police treated demonstrators roughly and made arbitrary arrests.
—Time (Mar 18, 2012)
Shopkeepers, exasperated at the impact of higher taxes and reduced consumer spending, are planning to close down for the day.
—New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)
Mr. Horne accused the district’s Mexican-American studies program of using an antiwhite curriculum to foster social activism.
—New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)
If Republicans repeal the law, Ms. Schakowsky said, they would be “taking away benefits that seniors are already getting.”
—New York Times (Mar 19, 2012)
The models themselves are incidental on “Scouted,” merely empty planets around which revolve some fascinating characters and plenty more dull ones.
—New York Times (Nov 27, 2011)
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
In fact, intense focus may be one reason why so-called savants become so extraordinary at performing extensive calculations or remembering a slew of facts.
—Scientific American (Mar 3, 2012)
seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession
More than anything, though, officials expressed concern about reigniting longstanding Mexican concerns about the United States’ usurping Mexico’s authority.
—New York Times (Mar 15, 2011)
the quality of being reproducible in amount or performance
At this time, home ranges of small rodents can not be measured with great precision, therefore any such calculations are, at best, only approximations.
—Douglas, Charles L.
Many critics were less than enamored with the kind of “easy listening” Mr. Williams embodied, deriding his approach as bland and unchallenging.
—New York Times (Oct 9, 2011)
A hundred years ago, monetary policy – control over interest rates and the availability of credit – was viewed as a highly contentious political issue.
—New York Times (Mar 29, 2012)
Some analysts expect Mr. Falcone, who is known for his dogged determination, to just continue to limp along while slashing costs.
—New York Times (Feb 15, 2012)
specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
The mayor has an executive order in place stipulating that all top officials, except those granted a waiver, live in the city.
—New York Times (Sep 22, 2011)
something or someone turned to for assistance or security
Bargain hunters and holiday shoppers are bad guys’ favorite targets and have little or no recourse when shoddy or fake merchandise arrives.
—Forbes (Nov 22, 2011)
“You called her ‘an interfering, disagreeable old woman’!” whispered Bertha with bated breath, glancing half fearfully at the door as she spoke.
—Vaizey, George de Horne, Mrs.
Wishing to observe the rules of decorum she invited him to stay for supper, though absolutely nothing had been prepared for a guest.
—Sudermann, Hermann
Her luxuriant curly hair, restrained by no net, but held together simply by a flowering spray, waved over her shoulders in all its rich abundance.
—Elisabeth Burstenbinder (AKA E. Werner)
The old man's fears were assailed with threats, and his avarice was approached by bribes, and he very soon capitulated.
—Abbott, John S. C. (John Stevens Cabot)
"Alas, no," said Bergfeld, mournfully, "the day after the battle our brave soldiers were surrounded by overwhelming forces and obliged to capitulate."
—Meding, Johann Ferdinand Martin Oskar
hinder or prevent (the efforts, plans, or desires) of
On March 1st, a Turkish newspaper reported that the country's intelligence service had foiled an attempt by Syrian agents to kidnap the colonel.
—Time (Mar 8, 2012)
The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a veritable quagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was.
—Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)
Residents who fled in recent days spoke of the smell of death and piles of garbage drifting like snowbanks, casting a pall over the city.
—New York Times (Mar 7, 2012)
a prediction made by extrapolating from past observations
Volume is down 25 percent from five years ago, and projections show even further declines, said Postmaster General Patrick R. Donahoe.
—New York Times (Mar 22, 2012)
Though composed amid the unromantic surroundings of a dingy, dusty, and neglected back room, the speech has become a memorable document.
—Herndon, William H.
strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage
Leigh Hunt bore himself in his captivity with cheerful fortitude, suffering severely in health but flagging little in spirits or industry.
—Colvin, Sidney
It's how Seattle won Sunday's game in Chicago, scoring 31 consecutive second-half points as an impressive comeback became an overwhelming rout.
—Seattle Times (Dec 19, 2011)
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
Tails are often an enigma; many creatures have them, but scientists know little about their function, particularly for extinct species.
—Science Magazine (Jan 4, 2012)
a person holding a fief; a person who owes allegiance and service to a feudal lord
And what was of still greater importance, he could only obtain taxes and soldiers from among the vassals, by the consent of their feudal lords.
—Freytag, Gustav
Ms. Waters talked about how she had spent the day at an organic farm on the outskirts of Beijing looking at vegetables for the dinner.
—New York Times (Nov 14, 2011)
In the family circle it was rarely adverted to, and never except when some allusion to the approaching separation had to be made.
—Werner, E. T. C. (Edward Theodore Chalmers)
the elementary stages of any subject (usually plural)
He retraced his steps, and came to Cape Girardeau, in Missouri, where he remained some time, acquiring the rudiments of the English language.
—Anonymous
In an audacious operation that unfolded like a Hollywood thriller, the Navy Seals executed a daring raid deep into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden.
—New York Times (Sep 4, 2011)
Sometimes they drive their teams through unsettled country, without roads, swimming and fording streams, clearing away obstructions, and camping where night overtakes them.
—Folsom, William Henry Carman
In addition great material losses were inflicted: seven hundred houses were destroyed, six hundred stores pillaged, and thousands of families utterly ruined.
—Straus, Oscar S.
With businesses shut, fields untended and fishing abandoned many have lost their livelihoods as well as their homes, our correspondent says.
—BBC (Apr 15, 2011)
In other words, one of our most essential abilities as humans--reading--is the product of a combination of innate and learned traits.
—Time (Dec 9, 2011)
This already-exhaustive book is studded with diary entries, academic papers and other ostensible evidence that its fictitious stories of destruction are true.
—New York Times (Jun 6, 2010)
A longtime colleague, Gate Theatre director Michael Colgan, noted Kelly's old-school charms, punctuated by his propensity for bow ties and smart suits.
—Seattle Times (Feb 15, 2012)
The Baron was less conscientious, for he ate more beefsteak than was seemly, and talked a great deal of stupid nonsense, as was his wont.
—Hoffmann, Ernst Theordor Wilhelm
Another report today showed home prices fell more than forecast in November, eroding the wealth of families as they seek to rebuild savings.
—BusinessWeek (Jan 31, 2012)
Time and again humans have domesticated wild , producing tame individuals with softer appearances and more docile temperaments, such as dogs and guinea pigs.
—Scientific American (Jan 25, 2012)
Ms. Paul herself noted that “glib talk about appreciating dyslexia as a ‘gift’ is unhelpful at best and patronizing at worst.”
—New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)
arouse hostility or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness
An atmosphere of distrust, suspicion and fear can cause workers to feel estranged from one another, Dr. Wright has written.
—New York Times (Jan 28, 2012)
the body of voters who elect a representative for their area
Each posited that the blue-collar Democratic constituency rooted in the New Deal had grown increasingly conservative, alienated from “big government.”
—New York Times (Jan 14, 2012)
belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy
Respectable ladies, long resident, wearing black poke bonnets and camel's-hair shawls, lifted their patrician eyebrows with disapproval.
—Brooks, Charles Stephen
In particular, modern medical practitioners are coming around to the idea that certain illnesses cannot be reduced to one isolatable, treatable cause.
—Nature (Dec 21, 2011)
Many lived in dilapidated apartments with leaky pipes, broken windows, rooms full of mold, and walls infested with cockroaches and rats.
—New York Times (Jul 28, 2011)
inclined to anger or bad feelings with overtones of menace
But Blake, being surly and quarrelsome even when sober, gave the lapel a savage jerk, and reached out with his other hand.
—Chisholm, A. M. (Arthur Murray)
The storm clobbered many communities still recovering from the flooding two months ago caused by Hurricane Irene, leaving weary homeowners exhausted and demoralized.
—Washington Post (Nov 1, 2011)
Every one exerted himself not only without murmuring and discontent, but even with an alacrity which almost approached to cheerfulness.
—Kippis, Andrew
curse or declare to be evil or anathema or threaten with divine punishment
When all Great Britain was execrating Napoleon, picturing him as a devil with horns and hoofs, Byron looked upon him as the world's hero.
—Hubbard, Elbert
A talented youngster who smashes his guitar in a fit of pique finds it magically reassembled just in time for a crucial concert.
—The Guardian (May 31, 2010)
The Confederacy was led by thoroughgoing racists who wanted to keep blacks subjugated for all time because of the color of their skin.
—Slate (Apr 7, 2010)
At all times reserved in his manner and his bearing full of dignity, never before had she realized the majesty of General Washington’s august presence.
—Madison, Lucy Foster
Opened in 2008, the park serves as a true public space; elderly couples stroll around the artificial lake as toddlers roll down grassy knolls.
—New York Times (May 7, 2010)
teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
But instruction in history has been for a long time systematically used to inculcate certain political sentiments in the pupils.
—Liebknecht, Karl Paul August Friedrich
He is silent, as if struck dumb, his face showing blanched and bloodless, while she utters a shriek, half terrified, half in frenzied anger.
—Reid, Mayne
Critics say it has known mixed success at best, although supporters hope the U.S. drawdown could provide just the impetus it needs to thrive.
—Reuters (Jan 10, 2012)
In March 2009, negotiations between Israel and Hamas were held in Cairo, under the auspices of the Egyptian intelligence agency.
—New York Times (Nov 9, 2011)
a schoolhouse with special facilities for fine arts
The young instrumental talent that is coming out of local music schools and conservatories is as amazingly good as you are going to find anywhere.
—Chicago Tribune (Jun 1, 2011)
New guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics arrive just as school sports ramp up in sultry August temperatures.
—Washington Post (Aug 9, 2011)
having variety of character or form or components; or having increased variety
Funds in both categories tend to be highly diversified, typically with 100 or more stocks across at least 10 industries.
—Wall Street Journal (Feb 24, 2012)
I had determined to study philology, chiefly Greek and Latin, but the fare spread out by the professors was much too tempting.
—Müller, F. Max (Friedrich Max)
Representative Ron Paul of Texas isn’t campaigning in Florida, instead focusing on Maine, which will caucus in late February.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 1, 2012)
presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success
With the Athens stock market down nearly 30 percent so far this year, it would not seem a propitious time for initial public offerings.
—New York Times (Jun 2, 2010)
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
Bullying has become an increasingly salient problem for school-age children, and in rare cases has ended tragically with victims committing suicide.
—Reuters (Feb 8, 2012)
King Edward, having subdued the Welsh, “endeavoured to propitiate his newly acquired subjects by becoming a resident in the conquered country.
—Frith, William Powell
Wielding a razor, Jefferson excised all passages containing supernaturalistic elements from the gospels, extracting what he took to be Jesus's pure ethical teachings.
—The Guardian (Apr 8, 2011)
The device of the trapped young person saved by books is a hoary one, but Ms. Winterson makes it seem new, and sulfurous.
—New York Times (Mar 8, 2012)
entry to another's property without right or permission
The move may mark yet another attempt by France to rein in what it sees as the encroachment of online services on the country's culture.
—BusinessWeek (Jan 8, 2010)
"It is a fine morning," he said, taken aback by my sudden movement, but affecting an indifference which the sparkle in his eye belied.
—Weyman, Stanley John
Given his health woes, succession worries and persistent isolation, Mr. Kim may simply be seeking succor from what may be his last friend on earth.
—New York Times (May 5, 2010)
He had a special knack of hunting out farm houses, engaging madame in conversation, and coming away with bread, eggs, or cheese in his knapsack.
—Price, Lucien
This sparkling marvel lies modestly nestled among the law courts, whose plainer modern buildings serve but to accentuate its wonderful beauty.
—Sherrill, Charles Hitchcock
Great cleanliness is enforced in all that belongs to a lighthouse, the reflectors and lenses being constantly burnished, polished, and cleansed.
—Whymper, Frederick
Pictures have always dissembled – there are millions of snaps of miserable families grinning bravely – but now they directly lie.
—The Guardian (Dec 4, 2010)
She was guarded by a flotilla of boats equipped with satellites, Global Positioning System devices, advanced navigation systems and shark shields.
—New York Times (Aug 11, 2011)
abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
There's much more name-calling, shouting and personal invective in American life than anywhere I've ever traveled outside the United States.
—Washington Post (Jan 15, 2011)
First, it is no longer really tenable – and in fact a bit disrespectful – to call a country like China an emerging economy.
—The Guardian (Feb 18, 2011)
Leave aside Spain, where Barcelona breeds its own, inimitable style, and the answer might be that we are rushing toward uniformity.
—New York Times (Sep 26, 2010)
to bring or combine together or with something else
Where two weak tribes amalgamated into one, there it exceptionally happened that two closely related dialects were simultaneously spoken in the same tribe.
—Engels, Friedrich
not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature
We are mistaken to imagine a work of literature is or should be immutable, sculpted in marble and similarly impervious to change.
—The Guardian (May 27, 2010)
Ideally, everybody over 18 should execute a living will and select a health care proxy — someone to represent you in medical matters.
—New York Times (Jan 17, 2011)
the doctrine that reason is the right basis for regulating conduct
Offering a religious rationale for policy goals threatens what for many has become the cherished principle of secular rationalism in public life.
—Salon (Apr 24, 2011)
"Since YouTube, digital culture has aided and enhanced -- or maybe the better word is abetted -- the celebrity meltdown," said Wired magazine senior editor Nancy Miller.
—Reuters (Mar 9, 2011)
The other sort of engineer understands that glib comparisons between computers and humans don't do justice to the complexities of either.
—Forbes (Jul 22, 2010)
adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material used to decorate clothing
Magdalen's garments are rich with spangles; her mantle is scarlet; she has flowers in her luxuriant tresses, and looks a vain creature.
—O'Shea, John Augustus
Some fallout appears evident in donations from Wall Street executives, who feel particularly aggrieved by Mr. Obama’s criticisms and policies.
—New York Times (Feb 20, 2012)
gown (especially ceremonial garments) worn by the clergy
And then a priest, arrayed in all his vestments, came in at the open door, and the prince and princess exchanged rings, and were married.
—Glinski, A. J.
corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones
Shady dealers along the supply chain frequently adulterate olive oil with low-grade vegetable oils and add artificial coloring.
—New York Times (Dec 7, 2011)
Failing to satisfy his examiners, he was interdicted from practice, but ignored the prohibition, and suffered more than one imprisonment in consequence.
—Worley, George
Comfortable sleeping-cars obviate the necessity of stopping by the way for bodily rest, provided the traveller be physically strong and in good health.
—Ballou, Maturin Murray
On all other points of colonial policy, Mackenzie declared, people would be found to differ, but as regards the post office there was absolute unanimity.
—Smith, William, Sir
From infancy these people have been schooled to dissimulate and hide emotion, and ordinarily their faces are as opaque as those of veteran poker players.
—Kephart, Horace
You might be tempted to think of the biggest airline as the one with the most aircraft, but capacity differences make this reasoning specious.
—Salon (May 6, 2010)
The affair had been mentioned so plainly that it was impossible for the most dense and obtuse person not to have understood the allusion.
—Brazil, Angela
an unexpected and inexplicable change in something (in a situation or a person's behavior, etc.)
Today such acquisitions are more likely to stay put, destined to survive both market fluctuations and the vagaries of style.
—New York Times (Sep 29, 2010)
Above all, medical teams will need to establish quick surveillance to identify health needs and pinpoint incipient outbreaks before they explode.
—Time (Jan 13, 2010)
having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy
A supercilious, patronizing person—son of a wretched country parson—used to loll against the wall of your salon—with his nose in the air.
—Pinero, Arthur Wing, Sir
someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field
Pundits of agricultural science explore the sheds, I believe, the barns, stables, machine-rooms, and so forth, before inspecting the crops.
—Boyle, Frederick
We had spent countless hours together drinking wine and commiserating about child-rearing, long Wisconsin winters and interrupted sleep.
—New York Times (Mar 24, 2011)
marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details
Unlike his literary icon, Herman Melville, he doesn’t adorn his writing with ornate flourishes or complicated scaffolding.
—Scientific American (Dec 20, 2011)
The house was still under construction, so he climbed up a ladder being used as a makeshift stairway, fell and injured his leg.
—New York Times (Apr 12, 2012)
the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock
The U.S. can take a lesson from Denmark, which has efficiently raised livestock without hurting farmers, by using better animal husbandry practices.
—Scientific American (Mar 22, 2011)
a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it
Leyva beamed as he stood atop the podium, nodding as the American flag was raised and “The Star-Spangled Banner” played in his honor.
—New York Times (Oct 22, 2011)
While he described the fishing as “pretty good,” the silver salmon running in the creek only whetted his appetite to return to Alaska.
—Washington Post (Aug 17, 2011)
Several new prostate cancer drugs have been approved in the last couple of years, after a long fallow period, and others are in advanced development.
—New York Times (Nov 3, 2011)
The commission sitting by, judicial, dispassionate, presided with cold dignity over the sacrifice, and pronounced it good.
—Candee, Helen Churchill Hungerford, Mrs.
Belgium found itself in turmoil as hundreds of people came forward to offer harrowing accounts of abuse over several decades.
—New York Times (Jan 16, 2012)
China needs a polity that can address its increasingly sophisticated society, and to achieve that there must be political reform, Mr. Sun said.
—New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)
She put her affairs in order and left instructions that those whom she had unwittingly wronged should be indemnified out of her private fortune.
—Butler, Pierce
In this frightful condition, the hunter grappled with the raging beast, and, struggling for life, they rolled together down a steep declivity.
—Goodrich, Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold)
Mr. Goncalves’s larder holds staples like beefsteak, salt cod, sardines, olives, artichokes, hot and sweet peppers and plenty of garlic.
—New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)
Television video showed a heavily damaged building and a grisly scene inside, with clothing and prayer mats scattered across a blood-splattered floor.
—New York Times (Aug 19, 2011)
"I could have joined the FBI in a shorter period of time and with less documentation than it took to get that mortgage," she quipped.
—Reuters (Oct 13, 2010)
But details are fuzzy and rebel leaders often resort to platitudes when dismissing suggestions of discord, saying simply that "Libya is one tribe."
—Wall Street Journal (Jun 20, 2011)
lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
Prosecutors often spend time weighing mitigating and extenuating circumstances before deciding to seek the death penalty.
—Washington Post (Oct 15, 2011)
Each of the seven instrumentalists was a virtuoso in his own right and had ample opportunity to prove it, often in long, soulful solos.
—New York Times (May 3, 2010)
Now, it would seem, that the Chinese are getting back to their everyday concerns, paying attention to events more mundane and less cataclysmic.
—New York Times (Mar 20, 2012)
In fact, when Einstein formulated his cosmological vision, based on his theory of gravitation, he postulated that the universe was finite.
—Scientific American (Jul 26, 2011)
conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry
The complaints grew so loud and vociferous that even President Obama was forced to address the backlash from Lisbon on Saturday.
—New York Times (Nov 23, 2010)
One may begin with heroic renunciations and end in undignified envy and dyspeptic comments outside the door one has slammed on one's self.
—Wells, H. G. (Herbert George)
Founded in 1947, the group's members have included such luminaries as Walt Disney, Spencer Tracy and another American president, Ronald Reagan.
—Seattle Times (Apr 11, 2011)
make automatic or control or operate automatically
And because leap seconds are needed irregularly their insertion cannot be automated, which means that fallible humans must insert them by hand.
—Economist (Jan 12, 2012)
The audience, surprisingly large given the inclement weather, responded with gusto, applauding each song, including those within the Shostakovich cycle.
—New York Times (Mar 2, 2010)
Robbe-Grillet responds that his work is in fact far less objective than the godlike, omniscient narrator who presides over so many traditional novels.
—The Guardian (May 13, 2010)
They are atheist conservatives — Mr. Khan an apostate to his family’s Islamic faith, Ms. Mac Donald to her left-wing education.
—New York Times (Feb 18, 2011)
compensation received by virtue of holding an office or having employment (usually in the form of wages or fees)
As the TUC has pointed out, those incomes – except for senior executives, whose emoluments seem to know few bounds – are rising more slowly than prices.
—The Guardian (Jan 8, 2011)
Unlike many retired doctors, whom he says often have no life outside their profession, he always knew sailing would become his avocation.
—Newsweek (Nov 17, 2010)
deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises
The conclusions arrived at by means of syllogisms are irresistible, provided the form be correct and the premises be true.
—Webster, W. F. (William Franklin)
excessive but superficial compliments given with affected charm
"You couldn't ask too much of me," he returned, with no unction of flattery, but the cheerfully frank expression of an ingenuous heart.
—Ogden, George W. (George Washington)
Relations with India have been slowly improving, although talks ended in acrimony last July with the two sides indulging in a public spat over Kashmir.
—BBC (Feb 10, 2011)
“He has been the single, clarion voice for commuter rail in central Florida for 20 years,” said Mayor Ken Bradley of Winter Park.
—New York Times (Jun 27, 2011)
The current session of Parliament has so far produced only rancor, as opposition parties have shut down proceedings with angry, theatrical protests against corruption.
—New York Times (Aug 14, 2011)
force into some kind of situation, condition, or course of action
But Mr. Marbury, often embroiled in controversy during his N.B.A. days, seems to have found some measure of peace in China.
—New York Times (Apr 1, 2012)
His eyes were piercing but sad, his voice grand and resonant, suiting well the wrathful, impassioned Calvinism of his sermons.
—Barr, Amelia Edith Huddleston
a dissolute person; usually a man who is morally unrestrained
Still, Mr. Awlaki was neither among the most conservative Muslim students nor among the libertines who tossed aside religious restrictions on drinking and sex.
—New York Times (May 8, 2010)
the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
He even believed he saw visions with his own bodily eyes, and no expostulations of his friends could drive this belief out of his head.
—Hoffmann, E. T. A. (Ernst Theodor Amadeus)
Though she is firmly ensconced in a writing career, Ms. Freud, 48, said that in the early days she missed acting terribly.
—New York Times (Oct 30, 2011)
His thesis was too cogent, and appealed too powerfully to all classes of the Upper Canada community, to be anything but irresistible.
—Morison, J. L. (John Lyle)
straying from the right course or from accepted standards
As the crowd voiced its displeasure, the referees made sure Wisconsin got the ball, but pass was errant and rolled out of bounds at midcourt.
—Seattle Times (Feb 28, 2012)
But minds were so overexcited at the time that the parties mutually accused each other, on all occasions, of the most execrable crimes.
—Imbert de Saint-Amand, Arthur Léon, baron
of no legal significance (as having been previously decided)
The statement from Hermitage said even in the Soviet period no defendant had been tried after death, when charges were generally considered moot.
—New York Times (Feb 7, 2012)
Thoroughly dapper, he took off his black-and-white pinstriped suit jacket — with its pocket-square flair — and weaved in and out among them, his voice ever rising.
—New York Times (Jan 22, 2011)
Obama administration officials argue that new regulations are forcing insurers to be more circumspect about raising rates.
—New York Times (Sep 27, 2011)
The Hindu idea is that so long as justice and equity characterise a king’s rule, even beasts naturally inimical are disposed to live in friendship.
—Kingscote, Mrs. Howard
He says, keep them on just two pints of Indian-meal gruel—by which he appears to mean thin hasty pudding—a day, and no more.
—Alcott, William A. (William Andrus)
Shortages also have raised concerns about higher prices and gouging by wholesale drug companies that obtain supplies of hard-to-get drugs and jack up the costs.
—Seattle Times (Jan 20, 2012)
a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text
Mendelssohn had no sooner completed his first oratorio, "St. Paul," than he began to think about setting another Bible story to music.
—Edwards, Frederick George
Gardner "never expressed one scintilla of remorse for his attack upon the victim" despite overwhelming evidence, prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo.
—Salon (Mar 3, 2010)
And indeed, before the 13th century, there was an extraordinary confluence of genius and innovation, particularly around Baghdad.
—New York Times (Dec 28, 2010)
What can be expected of human beings, crowded in such miserable habitations, living in filth and squalor, and often pinched with hunger?
—Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)
Highly dramatic incidents are juxtaposed with comparatively banal ones; particular attention is given to tales of doomed love affairs.
—New York Times (Dec 4, 2011)
Many young people scavenge for reusable garbage, living on proceeds from pilfered construction material and other recyclables.
—Seattle Times (Feb 8, 2012)
pertaining to or causing improvement in the offspring produced
Eugenics was aimed at creating a better society by filtering out people considered undesirable, ranging from criminals to those imprecisely designated as “feeble-minded.”
—Washington Post (Aug 1, 2011)
The Stuttgart protests became a national fiasco in late September, when protesters clashed with police wielding batons and water cannons.
—Newsweek (Dec 14, 2010)
containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice
"After an old-fashioned, all-round team performance … it might seem invidious to single out one player," admits the paper before singling out one player.
—The Guardian (Jun 24, 2010)
a gabled extension built out from a sloping roof to accommodate a vertical window
Other features, such as the front French doors and two roof dormers with curved-top windows and operable shutters, give this home a pleasing, well-balanced presence.
—Southern Living (Apr 14, 2010)
denoting or governed by or relating to a bishop or bishops
The high priest made no resistance, but went forth in his pontifical robes, followed by the people in white garments, to meet the mighty warrior.
—Lord, John
occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
Straightway the glade in which they sat was filled with knights, ladies, maidens, and esquires, who danced and disported themselves right joyously.
—Spence, Lewis
an enclosed territory that is culturally distinct from the foreign territory that surrounds it
And its suburban schools, rather than being exclusive enclaves, include children whose parents can't afford a house in the neighborhood.
—Washington Post (Jan 11, 2011)
an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion
Cumulatively, what emerges from To Kill a Mockingbird is a thoughtful disquisition that encompasses – and goes beyond – the question of racial bias at its worst.
—The Guardian (Jul 9, 2010)
Here, however, are congregated a vast number of curious and interesting objects, while the place is redolent of vivid historical associations.
—Ballou, Maturin Murray
Mrs. Connelly—a round, rosy, buxom Irishwoman, with a mellow voice, laughing eye, and artist-red hair—was very much taken with their plan.
—Douglas, Amanda Minnie
He made herculean efforts to get on terms with his examination subjects, and worked harder than he had ever done in his life before.
—Marshall, Archibald
Mrs. Barnett's mouth simpered at the implied flattery; but her eyes, always looking calculatingly for substantial results, were studying Reedy Jenkins.
—Hamby, William H. (William Henry)
characterized by iniquity; wicked because it is believed to be a sin
This was some piece of wickedness concocted by the venomous brain of the iniquitous Vicar, more abominable than all his other wickednesses.
—Trollope, Anthony
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
The prospect of seeing Ms. Palin tour Alaska’s wild habitats may rile some people who oppose her opinions about climate change.
—New York Times (Mar 25, 2010)
With its opulently garish sets and knee-jerk realism, the production dwarfed the cast, no matter what stars were singing.
—New York Times (Jan 2, 2011)
Sony, whose erstwhile dominance in consumer electronics has been eroded by the likes of Samsung, could beat rivals to a potentially new generation of devices.
—Reuters (May 20, 2010)
The trial was televised and the victim's identity became known, resulting in her being vilified by almost the entire town.
—The Guardian (Jan 19, 2011)
Meanwhile, the soup was getting cold in the refectory, so that the assembled brotherhood at last fell to, without waiting any longer for the Abbot.
—Scheffel, Joseph Victor von
The house was very large; its rooms almost palatial in size, had been finished in richly carved hardwood panels and wainscoting, mostly polished mahogany.
—Hitchcock, Frederick L. (Frederick Lyman)
having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect
They are written in a serio-comic tone, and for sparkling wit, trenchant sarcasm, and dramatic dialectics surpass anything ever penned by Lessing.
—Lessing, Gotthold Ephraim
a member of the working class (not necessarily employed)
As yet, the true proletarian wage-earner, uprooted from his native village and broken away from the organization of Indian society, is but insignificant.
—Stoddard, Lothrop
The authorities, beyond some cryptic language about the death being sudden but not suspicious, have released no details.
—New York Times (Aug 24, 2011)
But men were buying Valentine's baubles for their honeys long before the first Zales ever opened its doors in a suburban shopping mall.
—Slate (Feb 14, 2012)
model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
Contrary to popular belief, however, she said Ms. Deen’s fat-laden cooking does not in fact represent the apotheosis of Southern cuisine.
—New York Times (Jan 17, 2012)
As Moore isolated finer points of the passing game, Keller in neat penmanship jotted down pithy phrases and punchy quotes, basic ideas and specific concepts.
—New York Times (Dec 10, 2011)
Ironically, the one man on stage who did comport himself with dignity, John Huntsman, is now being dismissed as having not made an impact.
—Time (Sep 8, 2011)
Both restaurants have checkered histories with the health department; they were temporarily shut down for sanitary violations that included evidence of rodents.
—New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)
dissenting (especially dissenting with the majority opinion)
Will it be answered that we are factious, discontented spirits, striving to disturb the public order, and tear up the old fastnesses of society?
—Stanton, Elizabeth Cady
cause or allow (a solid substance) to flow or run out or over
There are telephone poles and cinder blocks and living room chairs and large trash bins, overturned and disgorging their soggy contents.
—New York Times (Oct 28, 2011)
the quality of being bright and sending out rays of light
Then, all at once, in a way that seemed to frighten her, the sunshine had burst the clouds, and dazzled her with its effulgence.
—Fenn, George Manville
It opened a month ago to considerable fanfare, with television cameras trailing government officials meandering proudly around the bright new stores filled with imported goods.
—New York Times (Aug 22, 2010)
a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot
The heavy rain had reduced this low-lying ground to a veritable quagmire, making progress very difficult even for one as unburdened as he was.
—Putnam Weale, B. L. (Bertram Lenox)
Mr. Conway denounced this scheme as "utterly and flagrantly unconstitutional, as radically revolutionary in character and deserving the reprobation of every loyal citizen."
—Blaine, James Gillespie
But please note that this gunfire-fueled film is for mature audiences; given its content, young and/or squeamish viewers should avoid this one.
—Washington Post (Aug 6, 2010)
She received, under her father's supervision, a very careful education, and developed her proclivities for literary composition at an early age.
—Adams, W. H. Davenport
(used of persons or behavior) characterized by or indicative of lack of generosity
Now, my uncle seemed so miserly that I was struck dumb by this sudden generosity, and could find no words in which to thank him.
—Stevenson, Robert Louis
lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest
How vapid was the talk of my remaining fellow-passengers; how slow of understanding, and how preoccupied with petty things they seemed!
—Dawson, A. J. (Alec John)
Wind energy is notoriously mercurial, with patterns shifting drastically over the course of years, days, even minutes.
—Scientific American (Jan 4, 2012)
Young Indian audiences are so enamored with reality television that they will not watch the soap operas and dramas that their parents or grandparents watch.
—New York Times (Jan 9, 2011)
Many speakers become so addicted to certain hackneyed phrases that those used to hearing them speak can see them coming sentences away.
—Lewis, Arthur M. (Arthur Morrow)
(often followed by `of') a large number or amount or extent
French authorities are already reporting a rising spate of calls to emergency services by homeowners whose once-frozen water mains have now burst.
—Time (Feb 13, 2012)
He would have repudiated the notion that he was looking for a sinecure, but no doubt considered that the duties would be easy and light.
—Trollope, Anthony
The juice of this herb, taken in ale, is esteemed a gentle and very good emetic, bringing on vomiting without any great irritation or pain.
—Smith, John Thomas
Whether we agree with the conclusions of these writers or not, the method of critical investigation which they adopt is unimpeachable.
—Huxley, Thomas H.
Mr. Abramoff arranged for junkets, including foreign golfing destinations, for the members of Congress he was trying to influence.
—New York Times (Feb 26, 2010)
Just here a native "medicine man" dispenses nostrums of doubtful efficacy, and in front a quantity of red Moorish pottery is exposed for sale.
—Meakin, Budgett
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
Still unfaltering, the procession commenced to trudge back, the littlest boy and girl bearing themselves bravely, with lips tight pressed.
—Sabin, Edwin L. (Edwin Legrand)
attention and management implying responsibility for safety
It will do so under German leadership that grows less hesitant with each crisis, and without the American tutelage it enjoyed for so many decades.
—Newsweek (Jan 23, 2011)
This will was drawn up by me some years since at the request of the testator, who was in good health, mentally and bodily.
—Henty, G. A. (George Alfred)
completely acceptable; not open to exception or reproach
All cowboys are from necessity good cooks, and the fluffy, golden brown biscuits and fragrant coffee of Red's making were unexceptionable.
—Mayer, Frank
a group of three men responsible for public administration or civil authority
This triumvirate approach has real benefits in terms of shared wisdom, and we will continue to discuss the big decisions among the three of us.
—Salon (Jan 20, 2011)
Behind the trees rough, lichened rock and stony slopes ran up to a bare ridge, silhouetted against the roseate glow of the morning sky.
—Bindloss, Harold
a false accusation of an offense or a malicious misrepresentation of someone's words or actions
This is the real history of a transaction which, by frequent misrepresentation, has brought undeserved obloquy upon a generous man.
—Purchas, H. T. (Henry Thomas)
There was no independent verification of the figure; the authorities have been chary of releasing death tolls for fear of inflaming further violence.
—New York Times (Apr 24, 2011)
She preferred to hang out with everyone but was best friends with no one, holding to the credo: “You should be nice to people.”
—New York Times (Jan 21, 2011)
Civil servants are superannuated at fifty-five years of age and are sent home on a pension, seldom enjoying life longer than two years afterward.
—Hunt, Eleonora
a quality that arouses emotions (especially pity or sorrow)
They were curious about the “near loss” experience—specifically the feelings of poignancy that occur when what we cherish disappears.
—Scientific American (Jan 17, 2011)
But thanks to the stilted writing and stiff acting, the characters still feel very much like one-dimensional figures from a dutiful fable.
—New York Times (Jul 12, 2011)
"Fools!" she cried, looking in her magic crystal, "he was in the big sycamore under which you stopped to give your horses provender!"
—Housman, Laurence
The trick was performed Tuesday by Russell Fitzgerald, an amateur magician known to open meetings with a little sleight of hand.
—Washington Post (Sep 29, 2011)
Ms. Moss took issue, not surprisingly, with the notion that grouping the performances under the rubric of spirituality was a marketing ploy.
—New York Times (Nov 22, 2010)
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
Kim Jong Il may be increasingly wizened and frail, with fingernails white from kidney disease, but his propaganda apparatus is as vigorous as ever.
—Wall Street Journal (Mar 26, 2010)
an unaccompanied partsong for 2 or 3 voices; follows a strict poetic form
Nevertheless we learn from Malvezzi's publication that the pieces were all written in the madrigal style, frequently in numerous voice parts.
—Henderson, W. J. (William James)
(of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects
“Tabloid,” like his previous films, consists largely of long, discursive conversations — in effect monologues directed at an unseen, mostly unheard interlocutor.
—New York Times (Jul 22, 2011)
In Arabic, the word “bayt” translates literally as house, but its connotations resonate beyond rooms and walls, summoning longings gathered about family and home.
—New York Times (Feb 18, 2012)
The dwellings and public buildings throughout Cuba are planned to give free passage to every zephyr that wafts relief from the oppressive heat.
—Various
The synonyms are also given in the cognate dialects of Welsh, Armoric, Irish, Gaelic, and Manx, showing at one view the connection between them.
—Jenner, Henry
His forebears were Greek immigrants who opened a small sandwich shop in Brooklyn, then moved, one after another, to Providence, to sell distinct, delectable wieners.
—New York Times (Sep 24, 2010)
very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold
He looked gaunt and cadaverous, and much of his old reckless joyousness had left him, though he brightened up wonderfully on seeing an old friend.
—Doyle, A. Conan
(used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic
Forty-four years ago, Bill Sievers moved into his neo-Colonial house in Douglaston, Queens, on bucolic Poplar Street, lined with stately trees and equally stately homes.
—New York Times (Mar 26, 2012)
liberality in bestowing gifts; extremely liberal and generous of spirit
After being saved by government largesse, they say, big banks then moved to thwart reforms aimed at preventing future meltdowns caused by excessive risk-taking.
—New York Times (Jul 14, 2011)
For generations in the New York City public schools, this has become the norm with devastating consequences rooted in unconscionable levels of student failure.
—New York Times (Nov 4, 2011)
It was preposterous to talk to her of serious things, and nothing but an airy badinage seemed possible in her company.
—Maugham, W. Somerset (William Somerset)
Men also are those brutal soldiers, alike stupidly ready, at the word of command, to drive the nail through quivering flesh or insensate wood.
—Stowe, Harriet Beecher
They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, some bemused, others applauding.
—Time (Oct 28, 2011)
Indeed, the Chinese make a factitious cheese out of peas, which it is difficult to discriminate from the article of animal origin.
—Cameron, Charles Alexander, Sir
Like thousands of fellow students, he was roiled with emotions, struggling to come to grips with an inescapable reality.
—New York Times (Nov 26, 2011)
A large part of his duties will be to strut about on the stage, and mouth more or less unintelligible sentences in a grandiloquent tone.
—Smith, Arthur H.
But as the months went by, Mr. Kimura had an unexpected epiphany: His business, which he thought was inconsequential, mattered to a lot of people.
—Wall Street Journal (Nov 11, 2011)
Both were in the very sparkle and effervescence of that fanciful glee which bubbles up from the golden, untried fountains of early childhood.
—Stowe, Harriet Beecher
We're reminded of the story, possibly apocryphal, that they used to play the Beach Boys' Smiley Smile in psychiatric wards to calm patients.
—The Guardian (Jan 20, 2011)
For proof, we cite the following veracious narrative, which bears within it every internal mark of truth, and matter for grave and serious reflection.
—Roby, John
having branches or flower heads that bend downward
And all around, far out of reach, the trees of the forest were swaying restlessly, their long, pendulous branches, like tentacles, lashing out hungrily.
—Bates, Harry
He was quite capable of meaningful, apposite phrases about the game, even though distant sports editors did not encourage them enough.
—The Guardian (Aug 18, 2010)
Sluggish, blind crawling things like three-foot slugs flowed across their path and among the tree trunks, leaving viscous trails of slime behind them.
—Various
The question remains, he said, whether established vintners will change their winemaking practices or “continue to sell their schlock.”
—New York Times (Oct 27, 2010)
suggesting human characteristics for animals or inanimate things
The same anthropomorphic fallacy that accords human attributes to giant corporations like BP distorts clear thinking about how to limit their political influence.
—Salon (Jul 28, 2010)
His waspish wit can make him entertaining company at a party, but there is little evidence of that in his largely turgid prose.
—The Guardian (Jul 17, 2010)
an injury that doesn't break the skin but results in some discoloration
My falling companion, being a much stouter man than myself did not fare so well, as his right shoulder received a severe contusion.
—Bevan, A. Beckford
But philosophy failed, as it will probably fail till some far-off age, to find an anodyne for the spiritual distresses of the mass of men.
—Dill, Samuel
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
They were marching in the middle of the street, chanting and singing and disrupting traffic while countless New Yorkers looked on, some bemused, others applauding.
—Time (Oct 28, 2011)
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