On Disk Monthly 68/odm68.zip/WORDUP.DAT

Text File | 1992-04-10 | 8KB | 314 lines

G4c
Ronda Faries
68
3
pugnacious
Quarrelsome
20
paramount, adj.
supreme
perfect
contradictory
The squad's mission was of paramount importance.
allay, v.t.
to put to rest
to declare
to be loyal
The nurse was able to allay the patient's fear of getting a shot.
suppliant, adj.
beseeching
flexible
possible
His words, though suppliant, didn't change her mind.
capricious, adj.
unpredictable
surrendering
mischievous
Wild animals can be capricious in their responses to humans.
paroxysm, n.
a sudden outburst
an imitation
a conference
The movie was a drama, but its comic moments sent the audience into paroxysms of laughter.
extant, adj.
still existing
vast
outside
We must protect all extant species.
apocryphal, adj.
of doubtful authenticity
giving a revelation
imitative
The apocryphal article resulted in a libel suit.
sibilant, adj.
making a hissing sound
brother- or sister-like
excited
The letter "s" is a sibilant letter.
solicitous, adj.
eager
firmness
quiet
Overly solicitous salespeople make me nervous.
laconic, adj.
concise
sad
listless
The students vainly hoped for a short, laconic lecture from a professor known for lengthy, convoluted presentations.
bandy, v.t.
to exchange
to box
to hop
The two young politicians bandied words with an ease that belied their experience.
feign, v.t.
to pretend
to resist
to be eager
The boy feigned sickness to stay home from school.
barbate, adj.
bearded
primitive
tailless
Santa Claus is always pictured as a barbate man.
masticate, v.t.
to chew up
to abandon
to hide
A large wood chipping machine can masticate a tree in a very short time.
ineffable, adj.
too overwhelming to be expressed in words
can't be easily understood
not edible
For many, religion is personal and ineffable.
hyperborean, adj.
very cold
exaggerated
supposed
The South Pole is the hyperborean home of the penguin.
conundrum, n.
a puzzling problem
an assembly
a vacation
Brain Buster is made up of 25 conundrums.
debonair, adj.
genial
decadent
prudent
Romance novel heroes are often described as being debonair.
dilatory, adj.
inclined to delay
hardworking
very small
The airline has a reputation for being dilatory, so I won't book a flight with it.
loquacious, adj.
very talkative
crazy
desolate
The loquacious teenager was witty and smart, so she quickly became the center of attention at any social gathering.
pixilated
Slightly unbalanced mentally
20
omnivorous, adj.
taking in everything
all powerful
sinister
People who are omnivorous readers are generally very intelligent.
risible, adj.
funny
daring
strong
The situation, though grave at the time, was risible in retrospect.
truculent, adj.
fierce
juicy
weak
The truculent warriors advanced quickly, defeating everyone who dared to fight them.
suffuse, v.t.
to over-spread
to be adequate
to endure
The room was suffused with light when Mrs. Smith turned on the chandelier.
acquisitive, adj.
eager to acquire things
accepting
familiar
The Wall Street executive was so acquisitive that his friends labeled him as being "greedy."
ameliorate, v.t.
to improve
to be submissive
to revise
The company president ameliorated employee morale by starting an incentive program.
batik, n.
a dyeing method using wax
a thin, cotton fabric
a flat-bottomed boat
The clothing designer's batik-inspired spring line took the fashion world by storm.
eclectic, adj.
composed of various types
joyous
unconventional
Because his CD collection ranges from the Grateful Dead to Enrico Caruso, John's taste in music can be described as eclectic.
flaccid, adj.
weak
a bottle with a stopper
notorious
Muscles become flaccid when they are not used.
flamboyant, adj.
too showy
shameful
pompous
Liberace was a flamboyant dresser and a fair pianist.
gusto, n.
zest
a metal brace
courage
Sean ate his peas with a gusto that surprised everyone at the table.
gyrate, v.i.
revolve
shake
turn over
The boy watched the top gyrate across the floor.
homage, n.
anything done to show honor
a person who is homeless
a dwelling
The town paid homage to its past and present heroes.
homologous, adj.
matching in some way
loud
human like
The two serif typefaces, which were derived from the same font family, are homologous.
inconsequential, adj.
unimportant
harmonious
logical
The results of the survey were inconsequential because the survey questions were skewed.
incongruous, adj.
inappropriate
undeniable
matchless
The punishment seemed incongruous for the crime.
inconsonant, adj.
not in harmony
vowel-like
favorable
The inconsonant couple endured an unpleasant evening together at the party.
incontrovertibly, adv.
undeniably
unequally
incomparably
The Jeffersons' last party was incontrovertibly the worst the couple had ever thrown.
inclusive, adj.
taking everything into account
lonely
acute
The man's goal was to write an inclusive will that left nothing to chance.
incipient, adj.
just beginning to be noticed
award winner
foolish
The doctor suggested that the incipient wart be removed.
trepidation
Fear
20
mattock, n.
a tool for loosening soil
a place where horses are kept
a breed of cattle
The mattock enabled the farmer to quickly remove the small cedar stump from the ground.
militant, adj.
ready and willing to fight
angry
sore
The militant uprising was quickly routed by the soldiers.
muse, v.t.
to think deeply
to drip
to chew
On spring days, I muse about the mysteries of creation.
nebulous, adj.
indefinite
difficult
dangerous
The report contained nebulous data that made the finding invalid.
oppressive, adj.
tyrannical
timely
scornful
The oppressive regime was overthrown in a coup d'état.
parlay, v.t.
to exploit successfully
to meet with others
to debate as a team
He parlayed his athletic skills into a multi-million dollar contract.
partisan, n.
a strong supporter of something
a soccer position
an oriental factory worker
He was a partisan of the Labour Party.
quaff, v.t.
to drink in large quantities
to tap someone on the shoulder
to stop something from happening
The football player quaffed so much water at half-time that he felt ill later in the game.
quarry, n.
a place where stone is excavated
a kind of bird
a square-headed arrow
Gigantic trucks hauled rock from the quarry to the building site.
rapport, n.
a sympathetic relationship
a document
a sword
The rapport between the teacher and his students was excellent.
redress, n.
compensation
clothing
war
As redress for his mistakes, the man volunteered to do community service.
sallow, adj.
sickly pale-yellow complexioned
lacking depth
sad-eyed
The sallow dialysis patient felt better after every treatment.
shoal, n.
a school of fish
an island
a baby pig
While snorkeling, we watched a shoal of angel fish swim past.
slothful, adj.
lazy
untidy
shedding
The girl was fired for being slothful.
specter, n.
a ghost
a dust ball
a magnifying glass
The brochure boasted that Windmere Castle visitors might see the specter of a former owner.
stanchion, n.
a bar or post
a male horse
a sea captain
The crowd lined up for tickets behind the stanchions.
staid, adj.
settled
left behind
tasteless
The staid old man refused to give up smoking.
tenuous, adj.
flimsy
tenfold
unhappy
The telephone connection was tenuous at best.
tenacious, adj.
persistent
smart
jealous
Weed killer had little effect on the tenacious vine.
wreathe, v.t.
to cover
to fall down
to breathe heavily
The field was wreathed with yellow and white spring flowers.