An American Tragedy

Katharine B.
Words from An American Tagedy, written by Theodore Dreiser.
80 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. accede
    yield to another's wish or opinion
  2. accoutered
    provided with necessary articles of equipment for a specialized purpose (especially military)
  3. acquit
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  4. ague
    chills and fever that are symptomatic of malaria
  5. ameliorate
    make better
  6. arraign
    accuse of a wrong or an inadequacy
  7. betimes
    in good time
  8. bolster
    support and strengthen
  9. cadaverous
    of or relating to a corpse
  10. callous
    emotionally hardened
  11. circumspect
    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
  12. consternation
    sudden shock or dismay that causes confusion
  13. contend
    compete for something
  14. contention
    the act of competing as for profit or a prize
  15. contiguous
    having a common boundary or edge
  16. crass
    so unrefined as to be offensive or insensitive
  17. credulous
    showing a lack of judgment or experience
  18. delude
    be dishonest with
  19. deluge
    a heavy rain
  20. dictum
    an authoritative declaration
  21. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  22. didactically
    in a didactic manner
  23. dispel
    cause to separate and go in different directions
  24. dourly
    in a sullen manner
  25. dubious
    fraught with uncertainty or doubt
  26. elicited
    called forth from a latent or potential state by stimulation
  27. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
  28. enmeshed
    caught as if in a mesh
  29. equivocally
    in an ambiguous manner
  30. evince
    give expression to
  31. exhort
    spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts
  32. exploitation
    an act that victimizes someone
  33. facile
    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
  34. gimlet
    hand tool for boring holes
  35. guise
    an artful or simulated semblance
  36. impartial
    free from undue bias or preconceived opinions
  37. importune
    beg persistently and urgently
  38. incumbent
    necessary as a duty or responsibility; morally binding
  39. indictment
    an accusation of wrongdoing
  40. infamous
    known widely and usually unfavorably
  41. inferno
    a very intense and uncontrolled fire
  42. ingratiate
    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
  43. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  44. inoculate
    inject or treat with the germ of a disease to render immune
  45. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
  46. insoluble
    incapable of being dissolved
  47. intonation
    the act of singing in a monotonous tone
  48. kaleidoscopical
    continually shifting or rapidly changing
  49. macerate
    soften and cause to disintegrate as a result
  50. militate
    have force or influence; bring about an effect or change
  51. nondescript
    lacking distinct or individual characteristics
  52. notoriety
    the state of being known for some unfavorable act or quality
  53. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  54. obloquy
    state of disgrace resulting from public abuse
  55. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
  56. pathos
    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow
  57. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
  58. piecemeal
    one thing at a time
  59. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  60. pliable
    capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
  61. preternatural
    existing outside of or not in accordance with nature
  62. rebuke
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
  63. rebuttal
    the speech act of refuting by offering a contrary argument
  64. recapitulate
    summarize briefly
  65. recompense
    make payment to
  66. refute
    overthrow by argument, evidence, or proof
  67. rumination
    a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
  68. stigmata
    marks resembling the wounds on the crucified body of Christ
  69. stigmatic
    pertaining to or resembling or having stigmata
  70. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  71. tensile
    of or relating to physical stress or strain
  72. tergiversation
    falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language
  73. tribulation
    an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event
  74. unmitigated
    not diminished or moderated in intensity or severity
  75. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  76. venal
    capable of being corrupted
  77. verily
    in truth; certainly
  78. verity
    conformity to reality or actuality
  79. vouchsafe
    grant in a condescending manner
  80. wile
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
Created on Thu Jun 23 20:38:10 EDT 2011 (updated Wed Jul 13 19:16:06 EDT 2011)

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