List 1Arduous - adj.
hard to accomplish or achieve. Example: Writing the research paper can be a long, arduous task. Chastise - v. to inflict punishment; to censure severely. Example: For failing to hand in her essay, the student was chastised by her teacher. Deft - adj. gentle; characterized by facility and skill. Example: The student deftly critiqued the essay with honesty and sensitivity. Tedious - adj. tiresome due to length or dullness; boring. Example: Due to the long, tedious nature of factory work, many injuries can occur. |
List 2Augment - v.
to make greater, more numerous, longer, or more intense. Example: By using a thesaurus, students can augment their knowledge of vocabulary. Advocate - v. to plead in favor of, support. Example: Health professionals do not advocate smoking cigarettes. Exacerbate - v. to make more violent, bitter, or worse. Example: Lying about his grade only exacerbated the tenuous situation with his parents. Copious - adj. full of thought, information, or matter. Example: If a student takes copious notes, he or she may experience more success on tests. |
List 3Coherent - adj.
logically ordered or integrated; having clarity; understandable. Example: Because the paper lacked a coherent argument, the pupil earned a low grade. Enigma - n. something hard to understand or explain; a complicated puzzle. Example: Discovering the cure for cancer has been an enigma that has eluded researches for decades. Inept - adj. generally incompetent, unable. Example: Clearly, the accountant was inept at his job, for he could not even balance the books each month. Obliterate - v. to destroy all trace, indication, or significance of. Example: To obliterate the roaches that had taken over her house, she called the pest control company. |
List 4Lament - v.
to express sorrow, mourning, or regret. Example: Lamenting the death of her family's cat, the little girl locked herself in her room all day. Poignant - adj. painfully or deeply affecting one's feelings. Example: Because of its splendid acting and poignant scenes displaying the strained relationship between a father and his son, the movie earned a nomination for an Academy Award. Prolific - adj. marked by abundant inventiveness, fame, or productivity. Example: A prolific author, Stephen King engages his readers through his graphic and riveting passages of horror. Verbose - adj. containing more words than necessary. Example: Certain Composition students tend to be a bit verbose in their writing, using significantly more words than necessary to convey an idea. |
List 5Imminent - adj.
ready to take place; hanging threateningly over one's head. Example: If a terrorist attack is imminent, the Departement of Homeland Security will raise the threat level to Code Red. Obscure - v. to conceal or hide as if by covering. Example: Obscuringthe view of the preacher, the lady's flamboyant hat created quite a stir among the congregation. Permeate - v. to diffuse through or penetrate something. Example: In order to permeate the inner recesses of the agency, one must gain the trust of superiors and work secretly to gain access to sensitive files. Dissipate - v. to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish. Example: The precipitation, expected to dissipate overnight, should not pose any travel problems for the morning rush hour. |
List 6Adversity - n.
a state or condition contrary to one's well-being. Example: In the face of adversity, one should always try his/her best to make the best of the situation in order to become stronger. Halitosis - n. a condition of having bad breath. Example: Having a serious case of halitosis, the man avoided kissing his wife, but she still passed out from the stench. Laud - v. to praise. Example: After the athletic teams qualified for State, the administration and student body lauded the athletes for their accomplishments. Quell - v. to quiet or pacify. Example: To quell the rumors, the girl sent letters to her friends to describe the real story. |
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