Unit 2

Word

Definition

Example

Ominous

Specifically, giving indication of a coming ill; being an evil omen; threatening;

Stephen, she noticed, was sinking the cocktails with ominous rapidity

Tremulous

Timid or unconfident

He spoke but no soft voice in tremulous whispers, replied

Repudiate

To refuse to pay or honor (a debt)

And after examining my conscience before God, I could not repudiate my beliefs

Cessation

A ceasing or discontinuance, as of action, whether temporary or final

It takes many years of cessation of smoking to reduce these levels

Bristle

To be on one's guard or raise one's defenses; to show anger, indignation

I bristle at the notion that there's something pedagogical about the books

Euphemism

A word or phrase that is used to replace another in this way

The idea of purity tests by any euphemism is an insult to political parties

Mundane

Worldly, earthly, profane, vulgar as opposed to heavenly

After a big block of text, here is my real topic: what kind of powers could be used effectively in mundane situations?

Incongruous

Not similar or congruent; not matching or fitting in

So it's incongruous to hear him talk about his smutty holidays or weird daydreams

Condolence

an expression of sympathy with someone in grief, etc

My greatest condolence is that at least their terms are limited

Stipulate

To specify, promise or guarantee something in an agreement

Its policies stipulate only that children travel with a responsible adult

Alacrity

Eagerness; liveliness; enthusiasm

I was offered employment with the Queen's Guard and accepted it with alacrity

Disdain

A feeling of contempt or scorn

Johnston expressed disdain at the circumstances and relief there were no serious injuries

Belligerent

Eager to go to war, warlike

Your father is what I call a belligerent non-combatant

Intimidate

to make timid or frightened; scare; to discourage

Reynolds knows the history but won't let the expectations intimidate him

Feint

A movement made to confuse the opponent, a dummy

But there one name that make the left-wing go crazy and feint, which is a good signal:

Pugnacious

Naturally aggressive or hostile; combative; belligerent

Are we witnessing the emergence of a more pugnacious China?

Promulgate

To make known or public

Gradually new monastic brotherhoods developed to promulgate the expanded teachings

Brash

Impetuous or rash

Be bold, be brash and partake part in this great annual draft day tradition!

Scoff

To jeer; laugh at with contempt and derision

How ever could you think that I should "scoff" at any of your magnanimous effusions?

Tangible

Possible to be treated as fact; real or concrete

Yes, global warming is having an undeniable and tangible effect on people's lives

Laceration

An irregular open wound caused by a blunt impact to soft tissue

Right now, he's fortunate that the laceration is the only thing that he sustained

Castigate

To punish by stripes; to chastise by blows or verbally; to criticise

Cassie could castigate Sophie in a letter left on the dining-room table for all to read

Sordid

Morally degrading

Three years passed in sordid struggle and disappointment

Octogenarian

One who is between the age of eighty and eighty-nine, inclusive

Although an octogenarian , Harris is intellectually as sharp as a 30-year-old

Solace

Comfort or consolation in a time of distress

But language failed him, and he drew solace from the long glass

Dregs

The worst and lowest part of something

You could write it off as just the dregs of a long spring, but it had an ominous feel

Frenzy

A state of wild activity or panic

The media frenzy is over, but the problem lingers on

Scurrilous

Given to vulgar verbal abuse; foul-mouthed

The ball is in your court now and the onus falls on you to prove this scurrilous assertion

Rampant

Unrestrained or unchecked

The activists say the draft legislation is too weak to address rampant corruption in the country

Inane

senseless, unimaginative, or empty; unintelligent

Everyone seems to spend a lot of time in inane conversation

Ethics

The study of principles relating to right and wrong conduct

Confucian ethics demanded filial devotion to the old regime

Concur

to agree; be of the same mind; be in accord; to combine or conjoin;

He did herein concur in affection with all the saints

Clandestine

Done or kept in secret, sometimes to conceal an illicit or improper purpose

We've seen the clandestine export of nuclear materials in our region

Flagrant

Obvious and offensive, blatant, scandalous

He's condemned what he called the flagrant aggression of Israel's bombardment of Lebanon

Admonish

To warn or notify of a fault; to reprove gently or kindly, but seriously; to exhort

I always admonish the chauffeur who takes me to the studios to keep to the speed limit

Duress

Being constrained by threat

We need to play our game and hope we can put them under duress a little bit

Culprit

The person or thing at fault for a problem or crime

Police said the culprit was described as black, in his 30s, above average in height and 160 pounds

Inexorable

Unable to be persuaded; relentless; unrelenting

By Mixner logic though, this still means that car ownership is in inexorable decline

Egregious

Exceptional, conspicuous, outstanding, most usually in a negative fashion

The judge discovered what she called egregious government disclosures to expected witnesses

Distraught

Deeply hurt, saddened, or worried; distressed

She was staring at me, and her expression was distraught

Duplicity

Intentional deceptiveness; double-dealing

His duplicity is self evident in his own statements

Acrimonious

characterized by bitterness or sharpness of manner, speech, temper, etc

At times, the negotiations between the telcos and unions have been acrimonious

Paucity

Fewness in number; a small number

She said that the paucity of openly gay professional athletes attests to this reality

Elicit

To draw out, bring out, bring forth (something latent); to obtain information

And this is pretty much the standard crest-and-trough reaction I elicit from the Chinese

Pernicious

Causing death or injury; deadly

Worse, a pernicious attack is set to be waged on private wealth

Tolerate

to treat with indulgence, liberality, or forbearance; permit

Neither the people of this region nor my Government will tolerate vulgarity

Construe

To interpret or explain the meaning of something

You should not construe the information on this website to be a part of this release

Impunity

Freedom from punishment or retribution; security from any reprisal

Companies are backing out of their obligations with impunity

Affluent

Somebody who is wealthy

Getting millions of less affluent global users glued to Facebook will not be an easy ride

Feasible

Doable, possible, achievable, workable

Hence, the only political solution feasible is one that is Afghan in nature