ab ovo
from the beginning (literally "from the egg)
Example sentence: The documentary presented the history of
the President's life ab ovo, started with his privileged upbringing,
his wasted college years, his nepotistic business career, and brought
the viewer right up to his ekking out a Presidential election by a
lionistic legal team and making sure the actual votes were not counted,
although that part was presented
triumphantly.
abecedarian \ay-bee-see-DEHR-ee-uhn\ (adjective)
1 a : of or relating to the alphabet b : alphabetically arranged 2 :
rudimentary
Example sentence: In the far right's version of what education "should
be," a classic school scene is endlessly replicated,
with students sitting in rows of desks before a bespectacled teacher
dutifully reciting an abecedarian chant: "A is for apple, B is for
boy, C is for conservative. . . ."
abjure \ab-JURE\ (verb)
1 a : to renounce upon oath b : to reject solemnly *2 : to abstain from
: avoid
Example sentence: Martin Luther King, Jr. called upon black
Americans to abjure violence in favor of civil disobedience and to meet
hatred with love.
abrogate \AB-ruh-gate\ (verb)
1 : to abolish by authoritative action : annul 2 : to treat as nonexistent
Example sentence: When the new regime tried to abrogate freedom
of the press, the nation's writers moved underground, starting secret
newspapers to share their stories with the public awaiting the return
of a more progressive administration.
abstruse \ub-STROOSE or ab-STROOSE\ (adjective)
: difficult to comprehend : recondite
Example sentence: George W. Bush has admitted that he finds
trendy mystery novels more enjoyable than the abstruse disquisitions
of modern scholars who delve into issues with real intelligence and
insight.
abulia \ay-BOO-lee-uh\ (noun)
abnormal lack of ability to act or to make decisions
Example sentence: "Since his college graduation, and up to his
election as President, my son seemed to be suffering from abulia; he
just couldn't decide what he
wanted
to
do next." He sighed and looked out the window. "But, that's all
over now, thank God, now that he's been elected."
ad hominem \ad-HAH-muh-num\ adjective
1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect
*2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent's character rather
than by an answer to the contentions made
Example sentence: "Ad hominem attacks will not be tolerated
in this debate," the moderator stated. The participating politicians
laughed uproariously.
adumbrate \AD-um-brayt\ verb
1 : to foreshadow vaguely : intimate
*2 : to suggest, disclose, or outline partially
3 : overshadow, obscure
Example sentence: The moderator stated, "We will not tolerate
manipulative adumbration in this debate." The politicians looked at
each other and wondered if they had just been insulted.
ahimsa \uh-HIM-sah\ noun
: the Hindu and Buddhist doctrine of refraining from harming any
living being
Example sentence: Mahatma Gandhi directed his followers to adhere
to the principles of ahimsa, insisting that even people fighting
for their rights need
to honor life and do no harm.
amative \AM-uh-tiv\ adjective
1 : strongly moved by love and especially sexual love
*2 a : indicative of love b : of or relating to love
Example sentence: The conservative politician was transfixed
in an amative gaze as the convention wound down with balloons and
anthems and the anticipation of sweeping victories to come.
anabasis \uh-NAB-uh-sis\ (noun)
1 : a going or marching up : advance; especially : a military advance
2 : a difficult and dangerous military retreat
Example sentence: In U.S. history class, we learned about General
Sherman's famous anabasis through the South. One of the students compared
it to the Bush Administration's march through the existing environmental
legislation. Everyone laughed.
animadversion \an-uh-mad-VER-zhun\
(noun)
1 : a critical and usually censorious remark often used with
on 2 : adverse criticism
Example sentence: The overweight politician delivered
his standard animadversion on the duplicity of all other
politicians, hoping to hide
behind his own hypocrisy, while in truth he was suddenly standing
out there like a sore thumb.
aphelion \af-EEL-yun\ noun
: the point in the path of a celestial body (as a planet) that is farthest
from the sun
Example sentence: If you live in the Northern Hemisphere,
you might expect the earth to be closest to the sun in July, but in
fact it is at aphelion in January.
apodictic \ap-uh-DIK-tik\ (adjective)
expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty
Example sentence: The politician's demagoguery was apodictic
in tone, reflecting his complete confidence in the correctness of
his
own statements, but the audience was quietly sagacious in its tepid
applause.
apophasis (a-poph-a-sis) n.
1 : a rhetorical device of alluding to something by denying that it will be mentioned, as in : "I will not stoop to mentioning my opponent's recent arrest for public indecency, nor will I mention his constant and embarrassing financial troubles."
a posteriori
1 : of or relating to the kind of reasoning that derives propositions
from observation of facts or that arrives at principles by generalization
from facts 2 : of or relating to that which can only be known by experience
: proved by induction from facts obtained by observation or experiment
Example sentence: The effectiveness of the 2000 Republican platform
policy that "no child will be left behind," resulting in controversal
national educational policy, can only be evaluated a posteriori,
which they are avoiding and arguing against coast to coast.
apotheosis n. pl.
1. Exaltation to
divine rank or stature; deification. 2. Elevation to a preeminent or
transcendent
position; glorification. 3. An exalted or glorified example
Example sentence: "Many
observers have tried to attribute Warhol's current apotheosis to the
subversive power of artistic vision." (Michiko Kakutani).
argy-bargy \ahr-jee-BAHR-jee\ (noun)
a lively discussion : argument, dispute
Example sentence: In the corner of the pub, Ted and Donnie
were caught up in a beauty of an argy-bargy over the election, each
man arguing his point with gusto. Suddenly, Ted, a Republican, stormed
out. Donnie, sat down and thought, "I must have hit a nerve when
I started talking about the 2000 election."
artless \ART-luss\ adjective
1 : lacking
art, knowledge, or skill : uncultured 2 a : made without skill : crude
*b : free from artificiality
: natural 3 : free from guile or craft : sincerely simple
Example sentence: Staring in disbelief at his colleague, the
local official said, "As the senior member of this elected board,
that sort of artless, misinformed comment can only be
labeled
as the most extravagant variety of manipulative
pandering."
B 
Barmecidal \bar-muh-SYE-dul\ (adjective)
providing only the illusion of abundance
Example sentence: The cast of the administration is replete
with puffed-up Texans and newcomers, but the talent "feast" proves
to be a Barmecidal one because the performances are so uninspired and
the
accumulating record is, shall we say, of limited value.
bathetic \buh-THEH-tik\ adjective
1 : extremely commonplace or trite
*2 : characterized by insincere or overdone pathos : excessively sentimental
Example sentence: The apolgetic politician's performance was
a bathetic weeper, one that all but the most maudlin and sentimental
watchers will
find
overly
dramatic
and unbelievable.
bloviate \BLOH-vee-ayt\ verb : to speak or write verbosely and
windily
Example sentence: He could bloviate on a par with the windiest of
politicians, but he was also capable of being concise and getting
right
to the point, which infuriated them.
bludge \BLUHJ\
verb, chiefly Australian & New
Zealand
1 : to avoid work or responsibility
*2 : sponge
Example sentence: "I'm okay because I come home and
bludge off Mum and Dad," said the 30-year-old as she watched reruns
of reality shows.
C
cachinnate \KAK-uh-nayt\
verb
: to laugh loudly or immoderately
Example sentence: "He looked in at the door and snickered, then in at the window, then
peeked down from between the rafters and cachinnated till his sides
must have ached." (John Burroughs, "A Bed of Boughs")
cacography \kak-AH-gruh-fee\
noun
*1 : bad spelling 2 : bad handwriting
Example sentence: "I always wanted to be a contestant in the
National Spelling Bee," said Pat, "but an unfortunate tendency to
cacography prevented me from qualifying."
callithump \KAL-uh-thump\ noun
a noisy boisterous band or parade Example sentence: We were eager to
get to the annual callithump on New Year's Day, so we bundled up the
kids, filled thermoses with hot chocolate, and set off for the parade
route.
cock-a-hoop \kah-kuh-HOOP\ adjective
*1 : triumphantly boastful : exulting
2 : awry
Example sentence: Team members, still cock-a-hoop over last
week's victory, need to regain their focus and win one more game
for the championship.
cockalorum \kah-kuh-LOR-um\ noun 1: a boastful and self-important
person *2 : boastful talk
Example sentence: Old Colonel Popin's stories usually centered
on exaggerated accounts of his heroism, and his incessant cockalorum
annoyed many of his listeners.
commensal \kuh-MEN-sul\ adjective
1 : of or relating to those who habitually eat together
*2 : living in a relationship in which one organism obtains food or
other benefits from another without damaging or benefiting it
Example sentence: The commensal pearlfish can be found inside
the sea cucumber, nibbling on the internal organs of the host (which,
fortunately, has a unique
capacity to regrow its internal anatomy).
complaisant \kuhm-PLAY-suhnt; -zuhnt\, adjective
Exhibiting a desire to please; obliging; compliant.
Example sentence: The politicians, sitting around the appointment
table, predictably evicted the the qualified and informed, but opinionated,
candidates, and always accepted the sycophantic and complaisant ones,
while the people in the audience watched in amazement longing for election
day.
con amore \kahn-uh-MOR-ee\ adverb *1
: with love, devotion, or zest 2 : in a tender manner used as a direction
in music
Example sentence: For Claire, who so loves caring for children,
volunteering at the children's hospital is a task performed con amore.
contumacious \kahn-too-MAY-shuss\ adjective
: stubbornly disobedient : rebellious
Example sentence: His constituients voted the politician
out of office, not for his contumacious conduct, which polling
revealed was a strong suit for him in the election, but rather
because his opponent's beautiful, and innocuous oratory captivated
them.
crapulous \KRAP-yuh-luss\ (adjective)
1 : marked by intemperance especially in eating or drinking *2 : sick
from excessive indulgence in liquor
Example sentence: If you're feeling crapulous the morning after
the big celebration, drinking lots of water and taking some aspirin
will help.
D
de minimis \dee-MIH-nih-miss\ adjective
lacking significance or importance : so minor as to merit disregard
Example sentence: "The likelihood that I'm going to win the
lottery is de minimis," said the struggling young law student, "so
I don't expect to be buying that luxury yacht I've got my eye on anytime
soon."
diaphanous \dye-AF-uh-nus\ adjective
1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through
*2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal 3 : insubstantial,
vague
Example sentence: "The very mist on the Essex marsh was like
a gauzy and radiant fabric, hung from the wooded rises inland, and
draping the low shores in diaphanous
folds." (Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness)
doppelganger \DAH-pul-gang-ur\ (noun)
1 : a ghostly counterpart of a living person 2 a : alter ego b : a living
person who has the same name as or who closely resembles another living
person
Example sentence: The two Bushes, 41 and 43, play dopplegangers
to one another, but at times it's hard to know which is which.
duende \doo-EN-day\ noun
: the power to attract through personal magnetism and charm
Example sentence: Rick possessed not only the talents of a
fine quarterback but also the duende to lure fans to the games.
E
edulcorate \ih-DUL-kuh-rayt\ (verb)
to free from harshness (as of attitude) : soften
Example sentence: Desperately in need of sympathy, Martha, searched
the Republican headquarters all day but found no one who understood
the edulcorating influence of a kind word and a receptive ear.
eleemosynary \eh-lih-MAH-sun-air-ee\ adjective : of, relating
to, or supported by charity Example
sentence: Rob is charitable with his money and always donates
generously to his favorite eleemosynary organizations.
ennead \EH-nee-ad\ noun : a group of nine
Example sentence: "An ennead of gorillas — four bachelors on one side of a waterfall,
a family of five safely on the other — scuff their knuckles as
they proudly prowl." (Richard Corliss, Time, April 20, 1998)
evanescent \eh-vuh-NEH-sunt\ adjective
: tending to vanish like vapor
Example sentence: For Marcy, the enchantment of the elegant ballroom
was as evanescent as Cinderella's gilded coach — it vanished
the instant Dudley appeared.
enervate \EH-ner-vayt\ verb
1 : to reduce the mental or moral vigor of * 2 : to lessen the vitality
or strength of
Example sentence: Prolonged exposure to the sun and dehydration
enervated the shipwrecked crew, leaving them almost too weak to hail
the passing vessel.
excoriate \ek-SKOR-ee-ayt\ verb
*1 : to wear off the skin of : abrade
2 : to censure scathingly
Example sentence: The just-elected official was listening to the
blather of the other members of the Board: he felt their pomposity
and self-justification was quickly excoriating the thin veneer of collegiality.
execrable \Eks-kr›-b›l\ (adj.)
1. Deserving of execration; hateful. 2. Extremely inferior; very bad:
an execrable meal
Example sentence: (from The New York Times): Mr. Thurmond, who was
born in 1902, is still with us and, in some execrable corners of the
Republican
Party, so are his racist midcentury attitudes.
exigent \EK-suh-junt\ adjective
1 : requiring immediate aid or action
*2 : requiring or calling for much : demanding
Example sentence: The demands of even the most exigent of bosses
can be tolerated if he or she has real influence with upper management
when it comes to
recommending raises.
F
factotum \fak-TOH-tuhm\ (noun)
1 : a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities 2 :
a general servant
Example sentence: Sander's job title is "General Manager," which
basically means he is a factotum who does whichever jobs need
to be done around the office.
fanfaronade \fan-fair-uh-NAYD\ noun
: empty boasting : bluster
Example sentence: Damon's accounts of impressive exploits abroad
were nothing but fanfaronade — we
found out later that he really spent that time as a drifter and vagabond.
farraginous \fuh-RAJ-uh-nuss\ adjective
: consisting of a confused mixture : formed of various materials in
no fixed order or arrangement
Example sentence: Staying home for the evening, the elected
official watched the television broadcast of the meeting he was missing.
In disbelief, he saw the farraginous display of opinions, panderings,
and obfuscations of his colleagues, thinking, "Is this what
the people see every week?"
farrago \fuh-RAH-goh\ noun : a confused mixture : hodgepodge
Example sentence: The Board seemed to be a democracy with equality
and respect in public, but behind the scenes, sadly, it was a true farrago
of insecurity and turf battles.
fata morgana \fah-tuh-mor-GAH-nuh\ (noun)
: mirage
Example sentence: Then, suddenly -- like a fata morgana rising
out of the desert clouds -- the new adminstration took office before
a stunned nation.
florilegium \flor-uh-LEE-jee-um\ noun, plural florilegia
: a volume of writings : anthology
Example sentence: One prominent critic hailed Tara's third
poetry collection as "an
elegant florilegium of old favorites and sophisticated new works."
futurity \fyoo-TOOR-uh-tee\ (noun)
1 : time to come: future 2 : the quality or state of being future 3
plural : future events or prospects
Example sentence: The motivational speaker exhorted us to change
the way we live today, rather than looking always toward some vague
distant futurity.
G
gormandize \GOR-mun-dyze\
(verb)
to eat greedily
Example sentence: The correspondent watched in horror as the
fat cat conservatives gormandized their plush dinner plates; she was
thinking of the poor who were getting poorer under their brand of
leadership.
gravamen \gruh-VAY-mun\ (noun)
the material or significant part of a grievance or complaint
Example sentence: The gravamen of Walter's letter to the editor
was that the newspaper frequently reported on the school system's
failures but rarely covered its successes and improvements.
H
hebetude \HEB-uh-tood ("oo" as
in "food")\ noun
: lethargy, dullness
Example sentence: As the professor droned on and on in the
overheated lecture hall, Kim was overcome with such hebetude that she
had to fight to keep her eyes
open.
Hobson's choice \HAHB-suhnz-choyss\ (noun) :
an apparently free choice when there is no real alternative
Example sentence: "You can either eat the dinner I have served
you or go hungry," said Mother, presenting the grumbling children with
a classic Hobson's choice.
SPECIAL NOTE: In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, Thomas Hobson
worked as a licensed carrier of passengers, letters, and parcels between
Cambridge and London, England. He kept horses for this purpose and
rented
them to university students when he wasn't using them. Of course, the
students always wanted their favorite mounts, and consequently a few
of Hobson's horses became overworked. To correct the situation, Hobson
began a strict rotation system, giving each customer the choice of
taking
the horse nearest the stable door or none at all. This rule became
known as "Hobson's choice," and soon people were using that term to mean "no
choice at all" in all kinds of situations.
hypermnesia \hye-perm-NEE-zhee-uh\ noun
: abnormally vivid or complete memory or recall of the past
Example sentence: Julie's hypermnesia
enabled her to perfectly recall any page in her textbook for the test.
hypnagogic \hip-nuh-GAH-jik\ adjective
: of, relating to, or occurring in the period of drowsiness immediately
preceding sleep
Example sentence: In her hypnagogic state, Edith wondered
why the politician couldn't find his way to make the point.
I
ideate \EYE-dee-ayt\ verb
transitive sense : to form an idea or conception of *intransitive sense
: to form an idea
Example sentence: The politician looked across the table at his
colleagues. "To them ideating is a complete waste of time: who needs
anything new?"
immure \ih-MYOOR\ verb
1 a : to enclose within or as if within walls *b : imprison
2 : to build into a wall; especially : to entomb in a wall
Example sentence: The environmentalist was worried: if the
only way to save precious habitats from rapacious developers is to
immure them in artificial isolation, then is the 'solution' even worse
than the 'problem?' She wondered, "Is all government kakistocracy?"
importunate \im-POR-tyoo-nit\ adjective 1 : troublesomely
urgent : overly persistent in request or demand *2 : troublesome
Example sentence: "I am ashamed to trouble you -- a man should surely
manage so as not to give trouble -- and yet I believe you will not consider
me importunate." (John Galsworthy, "A Knight")
inanition \in-uh-NISH-uhn\, (noun)
1. The condition or quality of being empty. 2. Exhaustion, as from lack
of nourishment. 3. Lack of vitality or spirit.
Example sentence: The problem that faces American public schools
today is not that they have become fat and lazy, inefficient and ineffective,
no, far, far from that: the problem is that they have been fiscally
starved beyond the search for lean efficiency into inanition. --John
Sutherland
ineluctable \ih-nih-LUK-tuh-bul\ adjective
: not to be avoided, changed, or resisted : inevitable
Example sentence: In classical Greek tragedy, the hero's flaw
leads him to a disastrous and ineluctable fate.
infrangible \in-FRAN-juh-bul\ (adjective)
1 : not capable of being broken or separated into parts *2 : not to
be infringed or violated
Example sentence: "Family is sacred to me," wrote George Bush
I, "for I believe that few things in life are more infrangible than
the bonds of kinship, especially in business and politics."
irenic \i-REH-nik (with a long "i" in the first syllable)\
adjective
: favoring, conducive to, or operating toward peace, moderation, or
conciliation
Example sentence: Sasha had always been one of the more irenic
students on campus, so we weren't surprised to learn that she had helped
negotiate a truce between feuding student factions.
J
jackleg \JAK-leg\ (adjective)
1 a : lacking skill or training : amateur *b : characterized by unscrupulousness,
dishonesty, or lack of professional standards 2 : makeshift
Example sentence: There we were, stuck in Nowheresville with
a jackleg President who told us he'd fix the world but first we'd have
to wait while he chases terrorists and blows up Iraq.
jeremiad \jeh-ruh-MY-ud\ noun
: a prolonged lamentation or complaint; also : a cautionary or angry
harangue
Example sentence:
Mrs. Whinge waggled a finger at us and launched into a doleful jeremiad
about how we would come to no good end.
jeunesse doree \zh[oe]-nes-do-rA\ (noun)
young people of wealth and fashion
Example sentence: The sight of the homeless family
watching the jeuness doree discuss whether a BMW or a Merecedes Benz
has better tires was, if not disheartening, at least a moment to ponder
life's contradictions and what happens when conservatives run the world.
jocose \joh-KOHSS\ (adjective)
1 : given to joking : merry 2 : characterized by joking : humorous
Example sentence: In front of the camera, the politician's jocose
nature was legend, but behind the scenes with his staff a different
style was darkly rumored.
K
kakistocracy \kak-uh-STAH-kruh-see\ (noun)
: government by the worst people
Example sentence: The last election resulted in a kakistocracy,
in the few of many.
L
lachrymose \LAK-ruh-mohss\ (adjective)
1 : given to tears or weeping : tearful *2 : tending to cause tears
: mournful
Example sentence: The pronouncements of the candidate portrayed
his election as a boon for the country, but tin the end it turned out
to be a surprisingly lachrymose period in the country's history.
lapidary \LAP-uh-dair-ee\ (noun) *1 : a cutter, polisher, or
engraver of precious stones usually other than diamonds 2 : the art
of cutting gems
Example sentence: The "compassionate Conservative," like,
an accomplished lapidary, seemed to be polishing the stones of caring
and charity, while in reality he was just trying to avoid the
scrutiny of honest political dialog with the use of anesthetizing platitudes.
Lucullan \loo-KULL-un\ (adjective)
lavish, luxurious
Example sentence: Today's CEOs enjoy a Lucullan retirment full
of extravagant benefits and armies of servants and assistants, while
their erstwhile employees struggle to find healthcare and bleakly anticipate
meager raises and declining job security.
Special Note: "Lucullan" echoes the name of Roman general Lucius Licinius
Lucullus. The general had a distinguished military career (including
the defeat of Mithradates VI Eupator, king of Pontus, 72-71 B.C.), but
he's best remembered for the splendor of his opulent retirement. Living
in Rome from 66 B.C. until his death ten years later, Lucullus established
a reputation for magnificent banquets, at which he wined and dined the
leading poets, artists, and philosophers of his time. His feasts were
sufficiently extravagant to establish a lasting place for his name as
a synonym of "lavish" in the English lexicon.
lacuna \lu-KOO-nuh or luh-KYOO-nuh\ (noun)
1 : a blank space or a missing part : gap 2 : a small cavity, pit, or
discontinuity in an anatomical structure
Example sentence: The newly disclosed tapes of the first Bush
Administration are beginning to fill in many a lacuna in the official
version of those confusing years.
lagniappe \LAN-yap\ (noun)
a small gift given a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase;
broadly : something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good
measure
Example sentence: The Garcia family's store always has the best
holiday- themed lagniappes; this year with a $10 purchase you receive
a snowman figurine.
Laodicean \lay-ah-duh-SEE-uhn\ (adjective) : lukewarm or indifferent
in religion or politics
Example sentence: In Far from the Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
describes Farmer Oak, a yawning, distracted churchgoer, as a man "who
felt himself to occupy morally that vast middle space of Laodicean
neutrality
which lay between the Communion people of the parish and the drunken
section."
louche \LOOSH ("OO" as in "food")\ (adjective)
: not reputable or decent
Example sentence: Her novels are populated by louche characters
wasting their days in seedy bars and brothels.
lucubration \loo-kyuh-BRAY-shun\ noun
: laborious or intensive study; also : the product of such study — usually
used in plural
Example sentence: Harper's doctoral dissertation
is a collection of lucubrations that contemplate the role of linguistics
in media and politics.
lugubrious \la-GOO-bree-us\ (adjective)
Mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous
degree.
Example sentence: During his thoughtful, if lugubrious television
appearances, he maintained a serious intellectual standing, despite
his earlier fall from grace.
M
mahatma \muh-HAHT-muh\ (noun)
1 : a person to be revered for high-mindedness, wisdom, and selflessness
2 : a person of great prestige in a field of endeavor
Example sentence: After the rotund and self-congratulatory local
politician had again proclaimed his self-satisfying "integrity"
and self-referential application of his little Town's "historic
character," a small voice in the back of the audience was heard
to say, "Oh, yeah, you're a regular mahatma!"
magniloquent \mag-NIL-uh-kwunt\ adjective
: speaking in or characterized by a high-flown often bombastic style
or manner
Example sentence: Poet Edward Weismiller told The
Baltimore Sun (April 10, 2004) that his former tendency to be magniloquent "was
stamped out" of
him by his mentor
-- John Berryman.
mantic \MAN-tik\ adjective
: of or relating to the faculty of divination : prophetic
Example sentence: "You may be skeptical now of my mantic
skills," said the fortune-teller, "but
you'll soon learn that my prophecies are true."
manumit \man-yuh-MIT\ verb
: to release from slavery
Example sentence: On February 1, 1865, Abraham Lincoln approved
the 13th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which, when ratified by
the states, would manumit
millions of Americans.
métier \MET-yay\ noun
1 : vocation, trade
*2 : an area of activity in which one excels : forte
Example sentence: Penelope dabbled in poetry for a while, but
she eventually returned to writing novels, which was her true métier.
meshuggener \muh-SHOO-guh-ner (''OO'' as in ''foot,'' not as
in ''boot'')\ noun : a foolish or crazy person.
Example sentence: "Don't be a meshuggener, David," said Ilene. "Even
an idiot would realize that salesman is just trying to take advantage
of you with a bogus offer."
munificent \myoo-NIH-fuh-sunt\ (adjective)
1 : very liberal in giving or bestowing : lavish
*2 : characterized by great liberality or generosity
Example sentence: When the demonstrator yelled out to the President's
entourage, "Have you even HEARD of the word 'munificence?'"
one camera caught him looking quizzically at his aide, as though saying,
"What does that word mean?"
N
neophilia \nee-uh-FILL-ee-uh\ noun
: love of or enthusiasm for what is new or novel
Example sentence: The home entertainment industry indulges
the neophilia of its customers with a steady line of new products,
each with more flashy automated
features than the one before.
nepenthe \nuh-PEN-thee\ noun
1 : a potion used by the ancients to induce forgetfulness of pain or
sorrow
*2 : something capable of causing oblivion of grief or suffering
Example sentence: Ed threw himself into his art and used painting
as a nepenthe to numb the pain of his broken heart.
O
oligopsony \ah-luh-GAHP-suh-nee\ noun
a market situation in which each of a few buyers exerts a disproportionate
influence on the market
Example sentence: Fewer than 10 automakers worldwide dominate
the industry, forcing suppliers into an oligopsony where the buyers
can dictate prices.
omphaloskepsis \ahm-fuh-loh-SKEP-sis\ (noun)
contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation; also : indisposition
to motion, exertion, or change
Example sentence: One can imagine them all, sitting around
the White House, in a deep state of omphaloskepsis, waiting for the
inspiration of what to do next.
opusculum \oh-PUSS-kyuh-lum\ noun :
a minor work (as of literature)
Example sentence: Between the publication of his two most famous
novels, the author released a slim opusculum documenting his experiences
teaching English
in Italy.
osculate \AHSS-kyuh-layt\ verb : kiss
Example sentence: "I've been osculated to death," Kevin
complained, wiping his cheeks to remove the vestiges of
kisses planted there
by
adoring aunts and cousins on his wedding day.
P
palimpsest \PAL-imp-sest\ (noun)
1 : writing material (as a parchment or tablet) used one or more times
after earlier writing has been erased 2 : something having usually diverse
layers or aspects apparent beneath the surface
Example sentence: The Republicans' agenda was obviously a palimpsest,
rewritten to cover up hidden text, and having layers upon layers of
obfuscated sub themes.
peloton \peh-luh-TAHN\ noun
the main body of riders in a bicycle race
Example sentence: Thousands of cycling fans lined the race route,
relaxing in lawn chairs as they waited for the peloton to speed by.
perfidious \per-FIH-dee-us\ adjective
: of, relating to, or characterized by faithlessness or disloyalty
: treacherous
Example sentence: "Perfidious Traitor! ... the rustling serpent /
Lurks in the thicket of the Tyrant's greatness, / Ever prepared to
sting who shelters
him." (Samuel
Taylor Coleridge, The Fall of Robespierre)
philodox
n.
dogmatic person; person fond of opinions, especially their own.
Example sentence: The audience listened to the philodox, bored and
casting their eyes around the room.
poetaster \POH-uh-tass-ter\ noun
: an inferior poet
Example sentence: "Germaine Greer, Chair Of Judges For
The National Poetry Competition 2000, Invites Entries From Readers,
But Be Warned: Poetasters Need
Not Apply" (Headline, The [London] Independent, May 7, 2000)
polyglot \PAH-lee-glaht\ adjective
1 : speaking or writing several languages *2 : containing or made up
of several languages 3 : being widely diverse (as in ethnic or cultural
origins)
Example sentence: "I could hear a lot of words often repeated,
queer words, for there were many nationalities in the crowd, so I quietly
got my polyglot dictionary from my bag...." (Bram Stoker, Dracula)
preprandial \pree-PRAN-dee-ul\ adjective
: of, relating to, or suitable for the time just before dinner
Example sentence: Our celebration last night began with a preprandial
cocktail followed by a lavish buffet dinner, and it ended with a champagne
toast at the
stroke of midnight.
prevenient \prih-VEEN-yunt\ adjective : antecedent, anticipatory
Example sentence: "What aroused my hackles when I saw the news
reports on the Academy's findings was the prevenient sense that here
again was another propaganda statement." (R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., The
Washington Times, July 7, 2000.)
profligate \PRAH-flih-gut\ adjective
1 : completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness
*2 : wildly extravagant : prodigal
Example sentence: Each political party tried to paint the other
side as profligate wasters of the taxpayers' money.
prosaic \proh-ZAY-ik\ adjective
1 : characteristic of prose as distinguished from poetry : factual
2 : dull, unimaginative
*3 : everyday, ordinary
Example sentence:
Sometimes Mary tired of her prosaic life and wished she could travel
the world.
punctilio \punk-TIH-lee-oh\ (noun)
1 : a minute detail of conduct in a ceremony or in observance of a code
*2 : careful observance of forms (as in social conduct)
Example sentence: Because of his poise and punctilio, Sam was
the employee most often chosen to show important guests around the office.
Q
quidnunc \KWID-nunk\ (noun)
a person who seeks to know all the latest news or gossip : busybody
Example sentence: I lowered my voice when I noticed that Nancy,
the office quidnunc, was standing right next to my cubicle hoping to
overhear what I was saying.
R
realia \ree-AL-ee-uh\ noun
objects or activities used to relate classroom teaching to the real
life especially of peoples studied
Example sentence: The teacher asked the exchange student from
Brazil to bring in photos, food items, and other realia to share with
the class.
recrudesce \(ree-kroo-dess) intr.v.
To break out anew or come into renewed activity, as after a period of
quiescence.
Example sentence: While the relationship seemed to have cooled
to their circle of friends, the couple knew that an emotional and affectionate
recrudescence of a startling magnitude was occurring in private, much
to their delight.
repine \rih-PYNE\ verb
*1 : to feel or express dejection or discontent : complain
2 : to long for something
Example sentence: "They saw less of each other, and Robyn
was aware that this did not cause her to repine as much as perhaps
it should
have done." (David
Lodge, Nice Work)
retrodict \reh-truh-DIKT\ verb
: to utilize present information or ideas to infer or explain (a past
event or state of affairs)
Example sentence: Politicians often have attempted to retrodict
their past positions based on the revised history they
are currently espousing, hoping to hide from the truth.
risible \RIH-zuh-bull\ adjective
1 a : capable of laughing b : disposed to laugh
*2 : arousing or provoking laughter; especially : laughable
Example sentence: During the rain delay, the crowd was entertained
by the risible antics of the baseball teams' mascots.
roorback \ROOR-back\ (noun)
a defamatory falsehood published for political effect
Example sentence: "The attacks on my character are nothing
but roorbacks drummed up by my opponent," insisted the candidate.
S
sansculotte \sanz-koo-LAHT\ noun
1 : an extreme radical republican in France at the time of the Revolution
*2 : a radical or violent extremist in politics
Example sentence: Foreign diplomats and their families fled the
city just before the sansculottes launched their bloody assault on the
government.
schadenfreude \shþ-den-froida\ noun
enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others
Example sentence: What began as a friendly competitive event, had evolved
into an intemperate rout of the mismatched visiting team; in fact it
was now becoming an unbecoming schadendreuda for the boistrous and aggressive
home team and their supporters.
sciolism \SYE-uh-lih-zum\ (noun)
a superficial show of learning
Example sentence: The grad students in the corner of the cafe
were engaged in a display of sciolism, tossing around trendy academic
terms and evoking obscure writers.
sententious \sen-TEN-shuss\ adjective
1 : given to or abounding in aphoristic expression or excessive moralizing
*2 : terse, aphoristic, or moralistic in expression
Example sentence: When her date launched into a sententious
monologue on "the deplorable
decline of Western culture," Meg wrote him off as an insufferable
bore.
shibboleth \SHIH-buh-luth\ noun
1 *a : a catchword or slogan used by members of a group but regarded
by others as empty of real meaning b : a commonly held belief
2 : a behavior or use of language that identifies a person as belonging
to a group
Example sentence: Bill urged voters to ignore the
political shibboleths put forth by his opponents.
solipsism \SOH-lip-sih-zum\ noun
: a theory holding that the self can know nothing but its own modifications
and that the self is the only existent thing
Example sentence: After learning about solipsism in Philosophy
101, Dan wondered if the things around him might just be products of
his own mind.
sternutation \ster-nyuh-TAY-shun\ (noun)
the act, fact, or noise of sneezing
Example sentence: During cold and flu season, a chorus of sternutation
could be heard around the office as employees gave in to fits of sneezing.
stormy petrel \STOR-mee-PET-ruhl\, (noun)
1. Any of various small sea birds of the family Hydrobatidae, having
dark plumage with paler underparts; also called storm petrel. 2. One
who brings discord or strife, or appears at the onset of trouble.
Example sentence: But far from a 'pet' of the Communist regime,
Gorky, the "stormy petrel of the revolution," also condemned the revolution
early on as a "cruel experiment" with the Russian people "doomed to
failure." --Valentina Kolesnikova
stultify \STUL-tuh-fye\ verb *1 : to cause to appear stupid,
foolish, or absurdly illogical 2 : to impair, invalidate, or make ineffective
: negate 3 : to have a dulling effect on
Example sentence: The sitcom's creators often stultify the
main character as a buffoon, but they also find ways to redeem him
as an everyday Joe who is just trying to get it right.
supercilious \soo-per-SIH-lee-uss\ (adjective) : coolly and patronizingly
haughty
Example sentence: Brooke's snooty remarks and consistently supercilious
attitude alienated virtually all of her colleagues.
syncretism \sin-kreti-zm, 'sin \noun
1 : the combination of different forms of belief or practice 2 : the
fusion of two or more original different inflectional forms
Example sentence: His religious syncretism left many confused
and others offended.
superficies \soo-per-FIH-sheez\ noun
1 : a surface of a body or a region of space *2 : the external aspects
or appearance of a thing
Example sentence: Although there have been changes in the superficies
of our lives, many of the human dilemmas faced by our ancestors are
still quite recognizable.
T
tetragrammaton - tet-ra-GRAM-ma-ton / (noun)
1: four Hebrew letters usually transliterated as YHWH (Yahweh) or JHVH (Jehovah) signifying the Hebrew name for God which the Jews regarded as too holy to pronounce
Example sentence: The boy was staring at the candy counter with wide eyes as though it was he own personal tetragrammaton.
tetralogy \teh-TRAH-luh-jee
or teh-TRAL-uh-jee\ (noun)
1 : a group of four dramatic pieces presented consecutively on the Attic
stage at the Dionysiac festival 2 : a series of four connected works
(as operas or novels)
Example sentence: "The Raj Quartet", Paul Scott's
long and complex tetralogy of India, was made into a highly praised
television series.
taradiddle \tair-uh-DIH-dul\ noun 1 : fib *2 : pretentious nonsense
Example sentence: Business writer Don Larson didn't mince words
when he criticized a story as "the worst collection of falsehoods,
fabrications, misrepresentations, deceptions and just plain old-fashioned
taradiddle
that I have ever read."
torpor \TOR-per\ noun
1 : a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or total insensibility
*2 : apathy, dullness
Example sentence: As the play progressed from dull to duller,
the audience sank into a state of torpor, their eyes glazed over with
boredom.
traduce \truh-DOOS\ verb
*
1: to expose to shame or blame by means of falsehood and misrepresentation
2: violate, betray
Example sentence: The scandalous half-truths in the unauthorized
biography angered the star, and she was hurt that so many of her former
friends had traduced
her.
trichotillomania \trih-kuh-tih-luh-MAY-nee-uh\ noun :
an abnormal desire to pull out one's hair
Example sentence: Randolph's affliction with trichotillomania
left him with an unfortunate array of bald spots along the crown of
his head.
U
uxorial \uk-SOR-ee-ul\
adjective
: of, relating to, or characteristic of a wife
Example sentence: Joe's idea of uxorial duties — cooking, cleaning,
planning parties, and balancing his checkbook — didn't sit well with
his coworkers.
V
vaticination \vuh-tih-suh-NAY-shun\
noun
*1 : prediction
2 : the act of prophesying
Example sentence: The Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
could make his vaticination — "I
will blot out the sun" — because he knew the exact day and
hour of a solar eclipse that occurred in the year 528.
vitiate \VIH-shee-ayt\ verb
1 : to make faulty or defective : impair
2 : to debase in moral or aesthetic status
*3 : to make ineffective
Example sentence: Critics asserted that studies claiming to
prove the product safe were vitiated by lack of objectivity on the
part of company-hired scientists.
voluble \VAHL-yuh-bul\ (adjective)
1 : easily rolling or turning : rotating
2 : characterized by ready or rapid speech : glib, fluent
Example sentence: The young man proved to be a voluble informer
who would tell stories of bookies, smugglers, and hit men to the detectives
for hours.
vulpine \VUL-pyne\ adjective
1 : of, relating to, or resembling a fox
*2 : foxy, crafty
Example sentence: The stranger's vulpine smile revealed his
cunning mind and greedy heart, and Hazel knew instantly that she shouldn't
trust him.
W
weltanschauung \VELT-ahn-show-ung ("ow" as in "cow")\
(noun, often capitalized) : a comprehensive conception or
apprehension of
the
world especially from a specific standpoint
Example sentence: The petitioning group found itself defeated
by the ineluctable weltanschauung of the petty politician: everything
they said was immediately translated into a self-referential and jaundiced
interpretation that had nothing to do with them even as it condemned
their point of view.
williwaw \WIH-lih-waw\ (noun)
1 a : a sudden violent gust of cold land air common along mountainous
coasts of high latitudes
b : a sudden violent wind
2 : a violent commotion
Example sentence: The williwaw screamed down the mountains like
an avalanche of air and slammed into the fishing vessel with enough
force to nearly capsize her.
XYZ
xenophobia \zeh-nuh-FOH-bee-uh or zee-nuh-FOH-bee-uh\ (noun)
fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners or of anything that is strange
or foreign
Example sentence: It was one of life's ironies that Gene, whose
xenophobia precluded travel beyond the state border, chose to become
a travel agent.
zeugma \ZOOG-muh\ noun
: the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words usually in
such a manner that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense
with only one (as in "opened the door and her heart to the homeless
boy").
Example sentence: "
She left in a huff and a Chevy," said Jack, employing vivid zeugma
to report of Marissa's departure. |
