vocab--word list

girisrinivas_p · Posted: Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:40 pm Post subject: vocab--word list

101. allude refer indirectly
Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him.

102. allure entice; attract
allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef.

103. allusion indirect reference
the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin.

104. alluvial pertaining to soil deposits left by running water
The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

105. aloof apart; reserved
Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

106. aloft upward
The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.

107. altercation noisy quarrel
Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered.

108. altruistic unselfishly generous; concerned for others
In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

109. amalgamate combine; unite in one body
The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

110. amass collect
The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

111. amazon female warrior
Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons.

112. ambidextrous capable of using either hand with equal ease
A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

113. ambience environment; atmosphere
She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

114. ambiguous unclear or doubtful in meaning
His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

115. ambivalence the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

116. amble moving at an easy pace
When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

117. ambrosia food of the gods
ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.

118. ambulatory able to walk
He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed.

119. ameliorate improve
Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

120. amenable readily managed; willing to be led
He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors.

121. amend correct; change, generally for the better
Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

122. amenities convenient features; courtesies
In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler -- fax machines, modems, a health club -- the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in social amenities.

123. amiable agreeable; lovable
His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.

124. amicable friendly
The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.

125. amiss wrong; faulty
Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.

126. amity friendship
Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

127. amnesia loss of memory
Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

128. amnesty pardon
When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

129. amoral non-moral
The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral.

130. amorous moved by sexual love; loving
Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures.

131. amorphous shapeless; vague; indeterminate
John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified, but could neither define nor explain the cause of his terror.

132. amphibian able to live both on land and in water
Frogs are classified as amphibian.

133. amphitheater oval building with tiers of seats
The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

134. ample abundant
He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him.

135. amplify enlarge
Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience.

136. amputate cut off part of body; prune
When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.

137. amok in a state of rage
The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.

138. amulet charm; talisman
Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

139. anachronism something or someone misplaced in time
Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

140. analgesic causing insensitivity to pain
The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.

141. analogous comparable
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

142. analogy similarity; parallelism
Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar.

143. anarchist person who rebels against the established order
Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist.

144. anarchy absence of governing body; state of disorder
The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

145. anathema solemn curse; someone or something that is despised
He heaped anathema upon his foe.

146. anathematize curse
The high priest anathematized the heretic.

147. anchor secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place
We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

148. ancillary serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary
In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own.

149. anecdote short account of an amusing or interesting event
Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.

150. anemia condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

151. anesthetic substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness
His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.

152. anguish acute pain; extreme suffering
Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

153. angular sharp-cornered; stiff in manner
His features, though angular, were curiously attractive.

154. animadversion critical remark
He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.

155. animated lively
Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect.

156. animosity active enmity
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

157. animus hostile feeling or intent
The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

158. annals records; history
In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

159. anneal reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling
After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.

160. annihilate destroy
The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

161. annotate comment; make explanatory notes
In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references.

162. annuity yearly allowance
The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.

163. annul make void
The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

164. anodyne drug that relieves pain; opiate
His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it.

165. anoint consecrate
The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

166. anomalous abnormal; irregular
He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that he despised.

167. anomaly irregularity
A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

168. anonymity state of being nameless; anonymousness
The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.

169. antagonistic hostile; opposed
Despite his lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry prisoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to the judge.

170. antecede precede
The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

171. antecedents preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors
Before giving permission for Drummie to marry Estella, Miss Havisham had a few questions about the young man's birth and antecedents.

172. antediluvian antiquated; ancient
The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years.

173. anthropoid manlike
The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.

174. anthropologist student of the history and science of humankind
Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in this area.

175. anthropomorphic having human form or characteristics
Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.

176. anticlimax letdown in thought or emotion
After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.

177. antipathy aversion; dislike
His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid argumentative discussions with his friends.

178. antiquated obsolete; outdated
Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

179. antiseptic substance that prevents infection
It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.

180. antithesis contrast; direct opposite of or to
This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

181. anvil iron block used in hammering out metals
After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil.

182. apathetic indifferent
He felt apathetic about the conditions he had observed and did not care to fight against them.

183. apathy lack of caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.

184. ape imitate or mimic
He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

185. aperture opening; hole
She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

186. apex tip; summit; climax
He was at the apex of his career.

187. aphasia loss of speech due to injury or illness
After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.

188. aphorism pithy maxim
An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.

189. apiary a place where bees are kept
Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

190. aplomb poise; composure
Wellington's nonchalance and aplomb in the heat of battle always heartened his followers.

191. apocalyptic prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster
His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises.

192. apocryphal untrue; made up
To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

193. apogee highest point
When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

194. apoplexy stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis
He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy.

195. apostate one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

196. apothecary druggist
In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.

197. apothegm pithy, compact saying
Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.

198. apotheosis deification; glorification
The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the rank of a god.

199. appal dismay; shock
We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.

200. apparition ghost; phantom
Hamlet was uncertain about the identity of the apparition that had appeared and spoken to him.