SA 372 Word Bank

Sara A. (United States of America)
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
    Backstage, Wilson said he felt "wonderful, and honored" to receive the accolade.
    Noun:
    an award or privilege granted as a special honour or as an acknowledgement of merit:
    ex. the hotel has won numerous accolades
    from Latin origins
  2. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
    Stroking his beard with serene equanimity, Agha seemed reconciled to waiting out the clock.
    Noun:
    calmness andcomposure, especially in a difficult situation
    ex. she accepted both the good and the bad with equanimity.
    from Latin origins
  3. equivocate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
    “That is an unfair question,” he equivocated, narrowing his eyes whimsically. Seltzer, Charles Alden
    Verb,equivication: noun, equivocatory: adjective
    use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself
    ex. the government have equivocated too often in the past
  4. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
    It can be refreshing or chilling, playful or overwhelming – but always capricious, changing direction in an instant, blowing us along with it.
    adjective, capriciously: adverb, capriciousness: noun
    given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behaviour
    ex. a capricious climate, a capricious and often brutal administration
    from French origins
  5. cacophony
    loud confusing disagreeable sounds
    The people have spoken, but the messages of Election Day are not easily heard in the cacophony of our political culture.
    noun, plural cacophonies
    a harsh discordant mixture of sounds
    ex. a cacophony of deafening alarm bells
  6. bona fide
    not counterfeit or copied
    A bona fide war hero
    adjective, adverb
    genuine, real/ without intention to deceive
    ex. she was a bona fide expert, the court will assume that they have acted bona fide.
    from Latin origins, literally: "with good faith"
  7. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
    Sales managers tended to be more gregarious and looked down on the more introverted developers.
    adjective, gregariously: adverb, gregariousness: noun
    (of a person)fond of company; sociable
    ex. He was a popular and gregarious man
    from Latin gregarius
  8. harbinger
    something indicating the approach of something or someone
    The slowing momentum is not necessarily a harbinger for a bad holiday season, Mr. Bines said.
    noun
    a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another
    ex. witch hazels are the harbingers of spring, these works were not yet opera but they were the most important harbinger of opera.
  9. litany
    a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation
    A litany of bad economic news sent leading shares lower once more, but engineering group bucked the trend after a positive update.
    noun (plural litanies)
    a tedious recital or repitive series
    ex. a litany of complaints, a litany contained in the Book of Common Prayer
  10. kitsch
    excessively gaudy or sentimental art
    We’re all used to walking into chain restaurants and seeing slightly different takes on kitsch. Slate (Jan 31, 2013)
    noun and adjective. noun:kitschiness, adjective: kitschy
    arts, objects, or design considered to be in poor taste because of excessive garishness or sentimentality, but sometimes appreciated in an ironic or knowing way
    considered to be in poor taste but appreciated in an ironic or knowing way
    ex. the front room is stuffed with kitsch knock-knacks, little glass and gilt ornaments
    ex. the lava lamp is a bizarre example of sixties kitsch
  11. insidious
    working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
    As David Remnick wrote in The New Yorker: Inaction on climate change has an insidious ally: time. Scientific American (Jan 25, 2013)
  12. treacherous
    dangerously unstable and unpredictable
    Rare travel bans in Connecticut and Massachusetts were lifted but roads throughout the region remained treacherous, according to state transportation departments. Scientific American (Feb 10, 2013)
  13. malinger
    avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness
    But company detectives have also been making covert use of GPS devices to follow employees suspected of theft or malingering. New York Times (Jan 28, 2012)
  14. misnomer
    an incorrect or unsuitable name
    But that's a misnomer – reindeer moss is in fact lichen.
  15. narcissist
    someone who is excessively self-centered
    Of course, we can all be a bit self-focused at times, but for narcissists the self is an overriding concern. Scientific American (Feb 5, 2013)
  16. nirvana
    the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation
    By American standards, the culture committee's budget looks like nirvana.
  17. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
    Some dabbed their eyes as prayers and remembrances were said, but faces were mostly stoic and there was no sobbing. Seattle Times (Jan 29, 2013)
  18. suave
    having a sophisticated charm
    Mr. Lom gained more attention as a reliable character actor than as a suave leading man, although he was both.
  19. sycophant
    a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
    But when Mr Putin turned up to deliver his speech the delegates, Westerners included, were transformed into slavering sycophants.
  20. teetotaler
    someone who abstains from drinking alcoholic beverages
    As a matter of fact, few hunting people are teetotalers, but those who ride straight are almost invariably temperate. Street, Julian
  21. tirade
    a speech of violent denunciation
    He’s toned down the famous paint-peeling tirades of his early days, but his temper remains in force, and is present behind his demands on staff.
  22. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
    China, they said, would consider an American presence on its doorstep untenable.
  23. vile
    morally reprehensible
    However, no other debate brings the intensity and vile of dividend paying stocks. Forbes (Jan 12, 2013)
  24. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
    World Peace went through another aggressive workout Friday, but wasn't in his usual genial mood afterward, giving brusque answers to almost every question. Seattle Times (May 12, 2012)
  25. idiosyncrasy
    a behavioral attribute peculiar to an individual
    Beyond espionage, any public figure who combines grandiose ambition, perceived malign purpose and memorable idiosyncrasy will eventually be likened to a "Bond villain".
  26. dichotomy
    a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
    What amazes me is that this particular dichotomy is often given quite a bit of credence out in the real world.
  27. ennui
    the feeling of being bored by something tedious
    Mr. George held a good civil appointment in India, but he was now home on sick leave, and his days were eaten up with ennui. Wood, Mrs. Henry
  28. esoteric
    understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
    He has recesses of esoteric knowledge yet his poems are riddled with pop culture, buzzing with philosophy, history, high and low politics, theology and economics.
  29. euphemism
    an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one
    Euphemisms like “things that happen in private rooms” were used.
  30. weaning
    the act of substituting other food for the mother's milk in the diet of a child or young mammal
    Anthropologists have studied the weaning customs of hunter gatherer societies, and found significant variation. Slate (May 11, 2012)
  31. ontogeny
    the process of an individual organism growing organically
    Each individual life thus repeats an entire cycle of development called ontogeny, which is peculiar to all individuals of the species. Forel, Auguste
  32. egalitarian
    favoring social equality
    In fact, plenty of companies use an egalitarian structure to foster unique environments in which workers are more free to innovate.
  33. affect
    have an influence upon
    The horsemeat scandal affecting a growing number of European countries began in Ireland after its food safety authority discovered horsemeat in frozen beef burgers.
  34. effect
    a phenomenon that is caused by some previous phenomenon
    The findings may have come from studying large companies, but small business owners and founders are probably not immune to these unintended effects. 
  35. chronic
    long-lasting or characterized by long suffering
    Tax evasion in Italy has been a chronic problem for generations.
  36. negate
    make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect of
    He picked up three early fouls, two on offense, negating a pair of layups.
  37. profane
    grossly irreverent toward what is held to be sacred
    He has this no-nonsense, little bit profane, kind of unorthodox counseling approach. New York Times (Jul 27, 2012)
  38. infer
    conclude by reasoning
    The flip side, inferred but never entirely substantiated, was that his taskmaster side wore out his troops.
  39. prod
    push against gently
    If prodded, Mr. Gogu will reveal a few celebrity stories.
  40. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
    Shakespeare’s plays, as well as being sublime works of art, are also products of their time. Newsweek (Aug 6, 2012)
  41. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    He is leaving behind legal predicaments and intertwined personal and corporate interests that analysts say could linger for years.
  42. primitive
    characteristic of an earlier ancestral type
    “We’re so clever and civilized, but our hearts are very primitive.
  43. arable
    capable of being farmed productively
    We lose arable land to development at an astounding pace. 
  44. forager
    someone who hunts for food and provisions
    In Europe, meanwhile, roving foragers of so-called Mesolithic cultures continued to hunt, fish, and gather wild plants.
  45. somatic
    characteristic of the body as opposed to the mind or spirit
    The reproductive cells, like unicellular organisms, are regarded as immortal, the somatic cells as mortal. Hertwig, Oscar
  46. conundrum
    a difficult problem
    No doubt the industry will eventually crack the Arctic drilling conundrum. Forbes (Jan 3, 2013)
  47. deliberately
    in a careful unhurried manner
    Basically, I crinkle a crisp bag for three minutes, and then spend a further five or so very slowly and deliberately consuming its contents. Slate (Feb 12, 2013)
  48. elicit
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
    So why has this otherwise minor corner of family life elicited such strong feelings?
  49. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
    The results support expectations that the unfolding economic recovery in China is powered from home by rising state investment and resilient private consumption.
  50. havoc
    violent and needless disturbance
    Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night, just before bedtime, can play havoc with sleep patterns.
    Noun, wide and general destruction
    Transitive verb, to lay waste or destroy
    Collocates: wreak havoc
  51. inundate
    fill or cover completely, usually with water
    Areas including the central business district were inundated and traffic was grid-locked as residents struggled to move around the city.
    verb,inundated, inundating
    Collocates: inundated rivers
    Synonyms:flood, overflow
  52. foray
    a sudden short attack
    That does not mean he will be spared the verbal jabs of his teammates after his foray into pairs figure skating.
    Collocates: first foray, sudden foray
    Noun, a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid
  53. acrimony
    a rough and bitter manner
    His warning added to the acrimony in the region as the Syrian civil war continues to spill blood and pour out refugees.
    noun
    bitterness or ill feeling
    the AGM dissolved into acrimony
    Collocate: mutual acrimony
  54. garish
    tastelessly showy
    Dressed in sunglasses and a garish dollar bill suit, the former athlete even thinks that the two leaders have common ground.
    adjective, garishly: adverb, garishness:noun
    obtrusively bright and showy, lurid
    ex. garish shirts in all sorts of colors
    Colocates: Garish colors
Created on Tue Jan 29 08:29:38 EST 2013 (updated Tue Mar 26 16:46:48 EDT 2013)

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