Verbal Advantage - Level 02 » Index

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  • Word 1: Advocate
    Word 1: Advocate [AD-vuh-kayt]
    To support, plead for, be in favor of, defend by argument; especially, to speak or write in favor or in defense of a person or cause. Synonyms include champion, endorse, and espouse (eSPOWZ).
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    Advocate comes from the Latin ad-, to, and vocare, to call, summon. You can hear the Latin vocare in the English words vocation (voh-KAY-shin), a calling, profession; avocation, a hobby, sideline, subordinate occupation; and vocational, pertaining to an occupation or trade.
    Combine the Latin vocare, to call, with the prefix con-, together, and you get the more difficult English words convoke (kun-VOHK), which means to call together, and convocation (KAHN-vuh-KAY-shin), the act of calling together or a group that has been summoned. Combine the single-letter prefix e-, which is short for the Latin ex-, out, with vocare, to call, and you get the English words evoke, to call out, call forth, summon, and evocative (iVAHK-uh-tiv), calling forth a response, especially an emotional response. Vocare also can be heard in the common word vocal, spoken, oral, inclined to speak out.
    An advocate is a vocal supporter or defender of a cause, a champion: “He is an outspoken advocate of handgun control.” An advocate may also be a person who speaks for another, for example, a lawyer who pleads a case before a court. To advocate means to support, plead for, defend by argument: “Their organization advocates educational reform.”
  • Word 2: Delegate
    Word 2: Delegate [DEL-uh-gayt]
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    To entrust with authority or power, deliver to another’s care or management, hand over to an agent or representative: “The executive director delegated various managerial duties to her assistant”; “Our department chief has trouble letting go of the reins and delegating responsibility.”
  • Word 3: Unprecedented
    Word 3: Unprecedented [uhn-PRES-i-den-tid]
    Unheard-of, novel, new, having no precedent or parallel, having no prior example.
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    A precedent is an authoritative example, something done or said that may serve as a reason to justify a later act or statement. Precedent is often used specifically of a legal decision or case used as an example or as authorization in a subsequent decision or case. Unprecedented means without a precedent, without prior example or justification, and so unheard-of, novel, new.
  • Word 4: Poignant
    Word 4: Poignant [POYN-yint]
    Piercing, sharp, biting, penetrating, keen.
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    Poignant is used to mean piercing, sharp, or penetrating in three ways. First, it may mean keenly affecting the senses: a poignant odor, poignant beauty, a poignant look. Second, it may mean piercing or penetrating to the feelings, emotionally touching, painfully moving: a poignant drama, a poignant family reunion. Third, it may mean biting, cutting, acute, piercingly effective: poignant wit, poignant delight, a poignant critique.
    The odd spelling of poignant, with its silent g, comes from French; the word ultimately comes from the Latin pungere, to pierce or prick. Pungere is also the source of puncture, to pierce; pungent (PUHN-jint), piercing to the smell or taste; and expunge (ek-SPUHNJ), to punch out, erase, delete: “The editor expunged all potentially offensive and derogatory material from the book.”
    Poignant means piercing or penetrating to the senses, to the emotions, or to the intellect.
  • Word 5: Nebulous
    Word 5: Nebulous [NEB-yuh-lus]
    Unclear, vague, obscure, hazy, indefinite, indistinct.
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    In astronomy the word nebula (NEB-yuh-luh) refers to a cloudy mass of dust or gas visible between stars in space. The plural is nebulae (NEB-yuh-lee).
    The adjectives nebular and nebulous both come from a Latin word meaning cloudy, misty, foggy, like a nebula, and according to dictionaries both words may still be used in this sense. It is probably best, however, to let nebular take over the meaning cloudy, misty, vaporous, and to use nebulous in its more popular sense of vague, indefinite, hazy, unclear, as in nebulous writing, a nebulous idea, a nebulous purpose or goal.
  • Word 6: Clandestine
    Word 6: Clandestine [klan-DES-tin]
    Kept secret, done in secrecy, especially for an evil, immoral, or illegal purpose: a clandestine affair; a clandestine business deal; a clandestine intelligence operation.
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    Synonyms include private, concealed, covert (properly KUH-vurt but now often KOH-vurt), underhand, sly, stealthy, furtive (FURtiv), and surreptitious (SUR-up-TISH-us).
    Clandestine is sometimes pronounced klan-DES-tyn, klan-DESteen, KLAN-des-tyn, or KLAN-des-teen. You should avoid all these recent variants. The traditional and preferred pronunciation is klan-DES-tin (DES-tin as in destiny).
  • Word 7: Tirade
    Word 7: Tirade [TY-rayd]
    A long-drawn-out speech, especially a vehement and abusive one: “After suffering through yet another one of his boss’s frequent tirades, Joe decided it was time to quit and move on.”
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    Tirades have three characteristics: they are protracted (prohTRAK-tid), drawn out to great length; they are vituperative (vyT(Y)OO-pur-uh-tiv), full of harsh, abusive language; and they are censorious, meaning that they tend to censure (SEN-shur), to blame or condemn.
    Tirade may also be pronounced with the accent on the second syllable: ty-RAYD.
  • Word 8: Recur
    Word 8: Recur [ri-KUR]
    To happen again, occur again, especially at intervals or after some lapse of time.
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    In The Careful Writer, Theodore M. Bernstein explains the difference between the words recur and reoccur: Both mean to happen again, he says, but reoccur “suggests a one-time repetition,” whereas recur “suggests repetition more than once.” Thus you would say “the revolt is not likely to reoccur,” but “as long as these skirmishes recur, the revolt will continue.”
    Here’s another example: If economists predict that a recession will reoccur in this decade, that means they’re predicting it will happen only one more time. If economists predict that recession recurs on average every ten years, then they’re predicting it happens again and again at intervals.
    “It is the ability to feel a fine distinction such as this,” writes Bernstein, “and to choose the word that precisely expresses the thought that marks the writer of competence and taste.”
  • Word 9: Tacit
    Word 9: Tacit [TAS-it]
    Unspoken, silent, implied or understood without words.
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    Tacit is most often used to mean done or made in silence, not expressed or declared openly. Tacit consent is approval given without words, perhaps with a look or a nod. A tacit agreement is an unspoken understanding, one arrived at in silence. Tacit comes from the Latin tacere, to be silent, hold one’s tongue, the source also of the word taciturn, reserved, uncommunicative, inclined to hold one’s tongue.
  • Word 10: Allegation
    Word 10: Allegation [AL-uh-GAY-shin]
    An assertion or declaration, especially one made without proof.
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    In law, an allegation is an assertion of what one intends to prove. Often the word implies an unsupportable assertion: “The judge dismissed the allegations, citing lack of evidence to support them.” “A spokesperson for the company today denied the allegations of wrongdoing regarding the firm’s hiring practices.”
  • Word 11: Gullible
    Word 11: Gullible [GUHL-uh-bul]
    Easily deceived, fooled, or cheated.
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    A more difficult synonym of gullible is credulous (KREJ-uh-lus). Credulous comes from the Latin credere, to believe, and means inclined to believe, willing to accept something as true without questioning.
    To gull is to take advantage of someone who is foolish, unwary, or inexperienced. The gullible person is easily gulled, fooled, cheated. To dupe and to gull both mean to take advantage of. Dupe suggests unwariness on the part of the victim; gull suggests a willingness or readiness to be deceived.
  • Word 12: Benign
    Word 12: Benign [bi-NYN, rhymes with resign]
    Kindly, good-natured, gracious, mild, having or showing a gentle disposition, as a benign old man, a benign smile, a benign intention, a benign government.
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    That is the first meaning of benign listed in dictionaries, and probably the most common. The word is also used in several other ways. It may mean favorable, positive, propitious: a benign omen; a benign view. It may be used of the weather or climate to mean healthful, wholesome, salubrious. And in medicine benign means mild, not deadly or severe, as a benign tumor or disease.
  • Word 13: Peripheral
    Word 13: Peripheral [puh-RIF-uh-rul]
    External, outer, lying at or forming the outside or boundary of something; hence, not essential, irrelevant.
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    The noun periphery means the boundary, the external surface or area. It may be used literally, as in “exploring the periphery of the polar icecap,” “situated on the periphery of the combat zone”; or it may be used figuratively, as in “the periphery of consciousness,” “the periphery of one’s sphere of influence.”
    Peripheral may mean external in the literal sense of lying at the edge or on the boundary, or external in the figurative sense of irrelevant, nonessential, as peripheral issues, a peripheral point, or peripheral considerations.
  • Word 14: Rebuff
    Word 14: Rebuff [ri-BUHF]
    To refuse bluntly, reject sharply, turn down abruptly, snub, spurn.
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    In colloquial terms—that is, in informal, conversational language—rebuff means to give the cold shoulder to, slam the door on, nix. A rebuff is an abrupt refusal or rejection, especially of a request, an offer to help, or a person making advances. To rebuff means to refuse or reject bluntly.
  • Word 15: Animosity
    Word 15: Animosity [AN-i-MAHS-i-tee]
    Ill will, hostility, antagonism, strong dislike or hatred: “There was long-standing animosity between the two families.” “After her coworker apologized for his rude remarks, she resolved not to harbor any animosity toward him.”
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    More difficult synonyms of animosity include malice (MAL-is), aversion (uh-VER-zhun), malevolence (muh-LEV-uh-lints), antipathy (an-TIP-uh-thee), rancor (RANG-kur), and enmity (EN-mi-tee).
  • Word 16: Tenuous
    Word 16: Tenuous [TEN-yoo-us]
    Thin, slender, slight, flimsy, weak, not dense or substantial, lacking a strong basis.
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    At high altitudes, air is tenuous, thin. In chemistry, certain fluids or compounds are said to be tenuous, not dense. In general, nonscientific usage, tenuous refers to something weak or flimsy, that has little substance or strength: a tenuous grip, a tenuous proposal, a tenuous argument, or tenuous construction.
  • Word 17: Complacent
    Word 17: Complacent [kum-PLAY-sint]
    Self-satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself.
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    Complacent suggests being so satisfied with one’s abilities, advantages, or circumstances that one lacks proper concern for the condition of others and is unaware of the situation around one. A complacent smile is a smug, self-satisfied smile. Complacent behavior is self-centered and disregards others’ concerns. A complacently ignorant person is completely satisfied with his ignorance; he does not know he lacks knowledge and would not care if he did.
    Complacent and complaisant (kum-PLAY-zint) should be distinguished in spelling, pronunciation, and meaning. Complaisant, with a z sound for the s in the final syllable, means inclined to please, gracious, obliging, courteous, affable (AF-uhbul), urbane (ur-BAYN). It has a positive connotation. Complacent, with an s sound for the c in the final syllable, has a negative connotation. Complacent means self-satisfied, smug, overly pleased with oneself.
  • Word 18: Acme
    Word 18: Acme [AK-mee]
    The peak, highest point, summit, zenith, especially the point of culmination, the highest possible point in the development or progress of something.
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    Here’s a funny story about vocabulary development.
    I learned the word acme as a young boy watching the “Roadrunner” cartoons on television, in which Wile E. Coyote uses various products made by the “ACME” company in his obsessive quest to capture the Roadrunner. Of course the coyote’s plans always backfire, and he usually winds up flying headlong over some precipitous cliff. Through the power of association I have since connected the height of those cliffs with the word acme, the peak, highest point.
    You see, even watching television can help you build your vocabulary. However, reading Verbal Advantage along with a regular diet of general reading is a far more effective method.
    Acme comes directly from a Greek word meaning the highest point, extremity. The word is often used figuratively to mean the highest point in the development or progress of something, as in “the acme of his career,” “a company at the acme of the industry.” The corresponding adjective is acmatic (ak-MAT-ik): “Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity was an acmatic scientific breakthrough.” The antonym of the acme is the nadir (NAY-dur), the lowest point.
  • Word 19: Defunct
    Word 19: Defunct [di-FUHNGKT]
    Dead, extinct, obsolete; no longer in existence, effect, operation, or use.
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    Defunct comes from the Latin defunctus, dead, departed, finished. A defunct law is no longer in existence or effect; a defunct organization is no longer functioning or doing business; a defunct factory is no longer in operation; a defunct procedure is no longer in use; a defunct species is extinct; a defunct expression is no longer in use; a defunct idea is no longer useful or popular; and a defunct person is dead.
  • Word 20: Abet
    Word 20: Abet [uh-BET]
    To encourage, support, help, aid, promote, assist in achieving a purpose.
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    Some dictionaries note that abet means especially to encourage or assist in wrongdoing, as in the legal cliché “to aid and abet,” meaning to assist a criminal in the commission of a crime. That sense is perhaps more common, but abet may also be used favorably, as “to abet the cause of justice,” “to abet the committee’s efforts to get the plan approved.”
  • Word 21: Haggard
    Word 21: Haggard [HAG-urd]
    Worn out, tired, gaunt (GAWNT), drawn, emaciated (i-MAY-sheeAY-tid). A person who is haggard has a wild-eyed and wasted look, as from exhaustion, illness, or grief.
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    Haggard is another word whose meaning I remember through the power of association. When I read King Solomon’s Mines by H. Rider Haggard, I imagined the author as being as worn out and wild-eyed as his characters were by the end of their harrowing adventure. But you don’t need to go through a death-defying experience to look or feel haggard. Long hours at work, lack of sleep, or inadequate nutrition can easily make you haggard, worn out, tired, wasted, gaunt.
  • Word 22: Waive
    Word 22: Waive [WAYV, like wave]
    To relinquish voluntarily, give up, forgo.
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    To relinquish implies giving up something one doesn’t want to part with, either out of necessity or because one has been compelled or forced: to relinquish possession, to relinquish command. To waive implies a voluntary refusal to insist on one’s right or claim to something: to waive one’s right to a trial by jury; to waive one’s claim on a title or property.
    Waive may also mean to postpone, defer, or dispense with, as to waive discussion, or to waive formalities and get on with business.
  • Word 23: Carnal
    Word 23: Carnal [KAHR-nal]
    Bodily, pertaining to the flesh as opposed to the spirit, sensual, corporeal.
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    Carnal is not used to mean bodily in a general or neutral sense; we do not say carnal functions or carnal aches and pains. Carnal refers to the basic physical appetites of the body, especially the sexual appetite. We speak of carnal desires, carnal lust, carnal knowledge.
  • Word 24: Sanction
    Word 24: Sanction [SANGK-shun]
    To approve, allow, permit, authorize, certify, ratify.
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    To sanction, certify, and ratify all mean to approve. Ratify means to officially approve something done by a representative: to ratify a treaty. Certify means to officially approve compliance with requirements or standards: a certified public accountant. Sanction means to give authoritative approval: the company’s board of directors sanctioned the merger; many religions do not sanction unmarried sexual relations; the law sanctions free speech but not antisocial behavior.
  • Word 25: Ambiguous
    Word 25: Ambiguous [am-BIG-yoo-us]
    Uncertain, unclear, doubtful, dubious, questionable, puzzling, having an obscure or indefinite meaning.
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    By derivation, ambiguous means having two or more possible meanings, capable of being understood in more than one way. An ambiguous intention is uncertain, difficult to determine, and therefore questionable, dubious. An ambiguous statement is puzzling because it can be interpreted in more than one way; it is unclear and indefinite.
    More difficult synonyms of ambiguous include enigmatic (EN-ig-MAT-ik), cryptic (KRIP-tik), and equivocal (i-KWIV-uh-kul). Antonyms of ambiguous include distinct, apparent, evident, conspicuous, and manifest.
  • Word 26: Spendthrift
    Word 26: Spendthrift [rhymes with bend lift]
    Wasteful, spending extravagantly or foolishly, squandering one’s resources: “His spendthrift habits will put the company out of business.”
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    You may use spendthrift either as an adjective meaning wasteful, spending extravagantly, or as a noun to mean a wasteful person, someone who foolishly squanders money or resources: “There isn’t a thrifty bone in his body. He’s a gambler and a spendthrift to the core.”
    The words improvident, prodigal, profligate, and spendthrift all mean wasteful, spending thoughtlessly or squandering one’s resources.
    Improvident (im-PRAHV-i-dent) means literally not provident, not providing for the future; the improvident person does not save money for retirement or for a rainy day.
    Prodigal (PRAH-di-gal) is a close synonym of spendthrift and means spending money in a reckless or extravagant way, usually to support a lavish or luxurious lifestyle. In the Bible, the famous parable about the prodigal son tells of a young man who wasted his inheritance but was forgiven by his father.
    Profligate (PRAHF-li-git) means extremely prodigal or spendthrift; it refers specifically to a person who spends money with reckless abandon and lives a life shamelessly devoted to pleasure: a profligate Hollywood movie star who squandered his fortune in exclusive nightclubs and casinos.
    Spendthrift means wasteful, spending extravagantly: “The taxpayers want a more efficient and less spendthrift government.”
  • Word 27: Mollify
    Word 27: Mollify [MAHL-uh-fy]
    To calm, soothe, pacify, appease, soften in feeling or tone, make less harsh or severe: “Nothing mollified his anger.”
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    Mollify comes from the Latin mollis, soft, and facere, to make, and means literally “to make soft.” Also from the Latin mollis, soft, comes the word emollient (i-MAHL-yint). As an adjective, emollient means softening, soothing, mollifying; as a noun it means a softening or soothing agent, such as a lotion or cream for the skin.
    The verb to mollify once meant literally to make soft or tender, as to mollify meat, tenderize it. That sense is now obsolete and mollify today is used to mean to soften in feeling or tone, calm, soothe, make less harsh or severe: “The union leaders decided to mollify their demands”; “A good manager should be adept at mollifying conflicts that can damage morale”; “The plaintiff’s attorney said that only a million-dollar settlement would mollify her client"; "He was furious, and nothing she said mollified him.”
  • Word 28: Unequivocal
    Word 28: Unequivocal [UHN-i-KWIV-uh-kul]
    Clear and direct, definite, straightforward, certain, having a single, obvious meaning, capable of being interpreted in only one way.
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    Unequivocal, clear and direct, and ambiguous, uncertain, unclear, are antonyms.
    Unequivocal combines the common prefix un-, which means not, with the word equivocal, a synonym of ambiguous. Equivocal language can be interpreted in several ways; it is deliberately vague, evasive, or ambiguous. Unequivocal language is clear, straightforward, and direct: “Reporters are so accustomed to equivocal answers from government officials that they are often surprised and suspicious when they get an unequivocal response.”
    Now that you know the meaning of unequivocal I’d like to caution you about how you pronounce it. I have heard many educated speakers add a syllable to the word and say “unequivocable,” and I have even seen the word misspelled that way in books and magazines. No matter whom you hear saying “unequivocable,” it’s incorrect—a beastly mispronunciation. Unequivocal ends with -vocal, not -vocable, and has five syllables: un-e-quiv-o-cal.
  • Word 29: Malleable
    Word 29: Malleable [MAL-ee-uh-bul]
    Capable of being shaped, able to be molded or manipulated, adaptable, impressionable.
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    Certain metals, such as gold and iron, are malleable; they can be molded or shaped. In a figurative sense, malleable can also apply to a person or abstract thing that can be molded or shaped. For example, a young person’s mind may be malleable, impressionable, capable of being shaped, or an idea may be malleable, adaptable, capable of being shaped to fit various purposes.
    Malleable and the challenging word tractable (TRAK-tuh-bul) are close in meaning. Malleable comes from the Latin malleare, to hammer, and means literally “capable of being hammered into a desired shape.” Tractable comes from the Latin tractare, to handle, manage, haul or drag along. From the same source comes the familiar word tractor, the farm vehicle used to pull wagons, mowers, and other agricultural equipment. By derivation that which is tractable can be pulled or hauled; hence, a tractable person is manageable, easily handled. A malleable person or thing is easily hammered into shape, and therefore is adaptable, impressionable.
    Antonyms of malleable and tractable include inflexible, unyielding, stubborn, obstinate (AHB-sti-nit), and intransigent (in-TRAN-zi-jint).
  • Word 30: Verbose
    Word 30: Verbose [vur-BOHS]
    Wordy, having too many words, long-winded, full of verbiage (VUR-bee-ij).
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    More difficult synonyms of verbose include garrulous (GAR-uh-lus), loquacious (loh-KWAY-shus), voluble (VAHL-yuh-bul), and prolix (PROH-liks).
    Verbose refers to speech or writing that uses more words than necessary to get the point across. The corresponding noun is verbosity, wordiness, long-windedness, an overabundance of words.
    Whenever you see verb- at the beginning of a word, you can safely assume that the meaning of the whole word has something to do with words. That’s because most English words containing verb- come from the Latin verbum, word. From this verbum come the English words verbal, pertaining to or expressed in words; verbatim, expressed in precisely the same words; verbiage, an excess or overabundance of words; and verbose, wordy, longwinded, using more words than necessary to get the point across.
    Since I’m already waxing verbose about words from the Latin verbum, word, allow me to digress even further and proffer a few words of advice on the words verbal and verbiage. (Are you familiar with the verb to proffer, pronounced PRAHF-ur? It means to put forward for acceptance, present as a gift, as to proffer one’s services, or to proffer friendship.)
    But back to the word verbiage (VUR-bee-ij), which is often mispronounced VUR-bij, as if it had only two syllables. Carriage and marriage have two syllables, but verbiage and foliage (FOH-leeij) have three. Try not to say VUR-bij and FOH-lij, or even worse, FOY-lij. You will hear many educated people mispronounce these words, but believe me when I say that careful speakers consider the two-syllable variants beastly mispronunciations. Take care to pronounce these words in three syllables: VUR-bee-ij and FOH-leeij.
    Now for a word to the wise on the proper use of verbal. You will often hear or read such phrases as “a verbal agreement” or “a verbal understanding.” Have you ever stopped to ask yourself exactly what they mean? If you’re like most people, you probably figured that a verbal agreement or a verbal understanding meant one that was arrived at through conversation, one that was spoken but not written down—and therein lies the problem.
    The word oral means spoken, not written, and the precise meaning of verbal is expressed in words, either orally or in writing. Too often verbal, expressed in words, is used to mean oral, spoken, and the message that results from that confusion is usually ambiguous. For example, listen to this sentence, which I found recently in the business section of my local newspaper: “Ensure all promises made verbally are included, in writing, in the contract.” As written, the sentence means that we should make sure that all promises, both spoken and written, are included in the contract. The writer wants to say that we should put all spoken promises in writing, but to convey that meaning precisely the sentence should read like this: “Ensure all promises made orally are included in the contract.”
    In the future, whenever you refer to promises, agreements, or understandings, remember that if they are expressed in speech, they are oral, and if they are expressed in words, whether spoken or written, they are verbal. Of course, if they are expressed in too many words, like most long-winded legal contracts, then they are verbose, full of verbiage.
  • Word 31: Transient
    Word 31: Transient [TRAN-shint]
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    Temporary, passing away with time, lasting only a short while, momentary, fleeting, short-lived—in which -lived is commonly mispronounced with a short i as in give, when it should have a long i as in strive.
    Does that pronunciation pronouncement surprise you? In short-lived and long-lived, the -lived does not come from the verb to live, as many think. It is formed from the noun life plus the suffix -ed. That is why pronunciation authorities and careful speakers have long preferred short-LYVD and long-LYVD, and why nearly all current American dictionaries give priority to the long-i pronunciation.
    Since we’re discussing pronunciation I should point out that you will often hear educated speakers pronounce our keyword, transient, as TRAN-zee-int or TRAN-see-int, especially when the word is used as a noun to mean a homeless person, vagrant, or vagabond. Despite the popularity of these three-syllable variants, I recommend TRAN-shint, with two syllables, because it is the traditional American pronunciation and the one listed first in all the major current American dictionaries. Remember, transient sounds like ancient.
    Challenging synonyms of the adjective transient include transitory, evanescent, ephemeral, fugitive, and fugacious. All of these words mean lasting only a short while, but let’s examine the fine distinctions in their meanings.
    Transitory (TRAN-si-TOR-ee or TRAN-zi-) applies to something that by its nature is bound to pass away or come to an end. All life must by nature end; therefore life is transitory. When Andy Warhol said everyone will be famous for fifteen minutes, he was describing the transitory nature of fame—here one moment and gone the next.
    Evanescent (EV-uh-NES-int) applies to that which fades away like vapor or vanishes as if into thin air: the evanescent beauty of springtime flowers. A shooting star creates an evanescent trail of light. An intense experience, no matter how brief and evanescent, can become a lifelong memory.
    Ephemeral (e-FEM-uh-rul) by derivation means literally “living or lasting for only a day.” Newspaper writing used to be called “ephemeral literature” because the articles had a lifespan of only one day, with one day’s reportage ostensibly erased by the next day’s edition. From this original sense of lasting only a day, ephemeral has evolved to mean short-lived, existing for a short while. If when you meet people you have trouble remembering their names ten minutes later, you could say that you have an ephemeral memory for names.
    Fugitive (FYOO-ji-tiv) and fugacious (fyoo-GAY-shus) come from the Latin fugere, to flee, run or fly away, the source also of the Latin expression tempus fugit (TEM-pus FYOO-jit), “time flies.” By derivation fugitive and fugacious mean fleeting, disposed to fly away or disappear. A fugitive, from the same Latin fugere, to flee, is a person who eludes pursuit, who flees from captivity or danger. The adjectives fugitive and fugacious both refer to things that are elusive, that are hard to catch or perceive because they happen or pass by so quickly: a fugitive smile; the fugitive colors of the sunset; our fugacious memories of childhood. We may pursue happiness, but it is fugacious.
    Our keyword, transient, applies to anything that lasts temporarily or that is in the process of passing on. A transient guest stays for a while and moves on. A transient event is fleeting, momentary. A transient condition lasts for a short time.
    Antonyms of transient include permanent, timeless, eternal, and everlasting.
  • Word 32: Nettle
    Word 32: Nettle [NET-’l]
    To irritate, annoy, vex, harass (HAR-is or huh-RAS), pester, provoke: Their supervisor constantly nettled them about trivial or irrelevant details.
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    You may be familiar with the plant called the nettle, which has tiny hairs that sting and irritate the skin. The verb to nettle means to sting like a nettle, hence to irritate or annoy. Someone who is nettled is irritated to the point of silent anger or resentment.
  • Word 33: Repudiate
    Word 33: Repudiate [ri-PYOO-dee-ayt]
    To reject, cast off, disown, renounce, refuse to accept as one’s own; also, to reject as false, deny the authority of, refuse to accept as true.
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    Repudiate suggests a formal, often vehement (VEE-uh-mint, the h is silent) rejection. You can repudiate a child, reject or disown the child; you can repudiate a belief, cast it off or renounce it; you can repudiate a claim, deny its authority; and you can repudiate a charge, reject it as untrue.
  • Word 34: Impetuous
    Word 34: Impetuous [im-PECH-oo-us]
    Hasty, rash, overeager, acting in a sudden, vigorous, emotional way, with little thought: “The impetuous shopper buys on impulse rather than out of necessity”; “A prudent investor is not likely to make impetuous decisions.”
    →
    The words rash, impulsive, and impetuous all refer to hasty or sudden actions or to people who act first and think later. Rash suggests reckless haste and foolish daring: In the arena of international relations, rash statements can lead to war. Impulsive suggests an ungovernable inner force that drives one to act without thinking: He is an impulsive talker who often puts his foot in his mouth. Impetuous suggests great energy, eagerness, or impatience. Children are often impetuous, prone to act suddenly without thinking. Impetuous behavior in an adult is often considered overemotional or immature.
    Antonyms of impetuous include prudent and circumspect. For more on those two words, review the discussion of prudent, keyword 47 in Level 1.
  • Word 35: Frugal
    Word 35: Frugal [FROO-gul]
    Spending carefully and wisely, thrifty, economical.
    →
    Frugal comes directly from a Latin word meaning economical, and ultimately from the Latin frux, fruit, produce. Frugal people are cautious and sparing with the fruit of their labors.
    Thrifty, economical, provident, and parsimonious all mean frugal, spending carefully and wisely, but in slightly different ways and degrees.
    Thrifty implies hard work and good management as a means to prosperity. The thrifty person spends only what is necessary and diligently saves the rest.
    Economical implies the use of money or resources in the most advantageous way. An economical car uses fuel efficiently. An economical investment is one that generates a higher return.
    Provident suggests providing for the future. The provident person spends carefully with a mind toward what may be needed later.
    Parsimonious means extremely frugal, stingy, miserly. The parsimonious person keeps a wary eye on every nickel and dime.
    Frugal, spending carefully, may also be used to mean involving little expense, not wasteful or lavish. A frugal meal is an economical, no-frills meal. Flying coach rather than first-class is a more frugal way to travel.
  • Word 36: Incongruous
    Word 36: Incongruous [in-KAHNG-groo-wus]
    Out of place, inappropriate, inconsistent, unsuitable, lacking harmony of parts or agreement in character.
    →
    Incongruous comes from a Latin verb meaning to come together, fit in. From the same source come the adjectives congruous (KAHNG-groo-wus) and congruent (KAHNG-groo-int), which mean coming together harmoniously, fitting in consistently. The in- at the beginning of incongruous is called a privative (PRIV-uh-tiv) prefix, which means it deprives or takes away the meaning of what follows. Thus, incongruous means not congruous, not appropriate, not consistent, out of place.
    An incongruous remark is one that is inappropriate or not in keeping with the conversation. An incongruous element is out of place, not consistent with the elements around it. An incongruous action is unsuitable to the occasion or situation. An incongruous mixture lacks harmony or agreement.
  • Word 37: Assuage
    Word 37: Assuage [uh-SWAYJ, rhymes with a stage]
    To relieve, ease, allay (uh-LAY), mitigate (MIT-i-gayt), make less severe or intense; also, to satisfy, appease (uh-PEEZ), make content.
    →
    When you assuage someone’s grief, assuage someone’s anger, assuage someone’s pain, or assuage someone’s fears, you relieve those conditions, allay them, make them less severe or intense. When you assuage your hunger or thirst, you relieve it by providing food or drink. When you assuage a need or desire, you satisfy it by procuring what is needed or desired.
    Assuage is sometimes mispronounced uh-SWAYZH or uhSWAHZH. These recent variants have made their way into a few current dictionaries, but the traditional and proper pronunciation, countenanced by all dictionaries, is uh-SWAYJ.
  • Word 38: Corroborate
    Word 38: Corroborate [kuh-RAHB-uh-rayt]
    To confirm, support, make more certain or believable: “Six witnesses corroborated the victim’s account of the crime.”
    →
    Corroborate comes from a Latin verb meaning to strengthen. In modern use corroborate means to strengthen by providing additional evidence or proof. When you corroborate a story, you strengthen it, support it, help to establish it as true.
    Authenticate, verify, substantiate, and corroborate all mean to confirm in slightly different ways.
    To authenticate is to establish something as authentic or genuine: You authenticate a document, a signature, or a work of art.
    To verify is to establish as true, confirm the accuracy of: Reporters have a responsibility to verify facts and quotations.
    To substantiate is to support by supplying reliable evidence or proof: Scholars and scientists must substantiate their theories. The investigation uncovered several key facts that substantiated the case against the company.
    To corroborate is to substantiate what someone else has said by supplying additional evidence or proof. When you corroborate another person’s statement, you make it more certain or believable.
  • Word 39: Embellish
    Word 39: Embellish [em-BEL-ish]
    To decorate, dress up, adorn, enhance with ornamentation, make more beautiful, elegant, or interesting.
    →
    Embellish comes from an Old French verb meaning to make beautiful and has been traced back to the Latin bellus, pretty. By derivation, embellish means to beautify, make pretty. An embellishment, the corresponding noun, is a decoration, ornament, something that beautifies.
    Embellish may be used in numerous ways to mean to decorate, make more beautiful or interesting. You can embellish your home by decorating it with beautiful things. You can embellish an outfit with ornaments or accessories. You can embellish your speech or writing with interesting words and elegant phrases. And you can embellish a story, dress it up with entertaining details or even things that aren’t true: “Over the years the old fisherman had added many fanciful embellishments to his tale about ‘the big one that got away.’”
  • Word 40: Avaricious
    Word 40: Avaricious [AV-uh-RISH-us]
    Greedy, money-grubbing, miserly, consumed with a selfish desire to accumulate money or property. The corresponding noun is avarice (AV-uh-ris), greed, an inordinate desire for wealth.
    →
    Greedy, covetous, and avaricious all apply to people who eagerly want to acquire more than they have or are entitled to have.
    Greedy is the general term for an excessive desire for anything. A person can be greedy for approval, greedy for success, or a greedy eater.
    Covetous (KUHV-i-tus) suggests an excessive and sometimes immoral desire for what another person has: “Steve wasn’t sure if his neighbor Dave was more covetous of his new sports car or his attractive wife”; “When Anne was promoted to vice president, she could tell that most of her former coworkers in middle management were covetous of her spacious office and impressive salary.”
    Avaricious implies an excessive and selfish drive to accumulate wealth and valuable possessions, and often suggests an accompanying desire to hoard them: “Any observant person could see plainly that the city was run not by the people or the politicians but by a few avaricious developers who controlled most of the real estate, and a few avaricious bankers who were tight with credit and charged outrageous interest rates.”
  • Word 41: Cursory
    Word 41: Cursory [KUR-sur-ee]
    Quick, hasty, not methodical, done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination.
    →
    Synonyms of cursory include hurried, haphazard, slapdash, and superficial. Antonyms include thorough, careful, exhaustive, prolonged, and protracted.
    Don’t be fooled by the sound of the word cursory; it has nothing to do with curses or cursing. Cursory comes through the Latin cursorius, running, from the Latin currere, to run. This Latin currere, to run, is also the root of the words course, a path on which one moves or runs; curriculum, a course of study; and courier, a messenger who runs here and there delivering important documents or urgent news.
    By derivation, cursory means “running about, not standing still,” and the word was once used in this sense. Today, however, cursory is used to mean done rapidly with little attention to detail, passing quickly over or through something that deserves closer examination.
    A cursory glance is a quick, passing glance. A cursory reading is a hasty, superficial reading. A cursory explanation is a hurried explanation, one that covers the subject in a haphazard way. A cursory investigation is not methodical; it is done rapidly with little attention to detail.
  • Word 42: Vacillate
    Word 42: Vacillate [VAS-i-layt]
    To waver, fluctuate, be indecisive, show uncertainty, hesitate in making up one’s mind: The strong leader is decisive; the weak leader vacillates.
    →
    Vacillate comes from a Latin verb meaning to sway to and fro. When you vacillate you go back and forth mentally on an issue or question. The person or group that vacillates has difficulty coming to a conclusion or expressing a firm opinion.
  • Word 43: Clement
    Word 43: Clement [KLEM-int]
    Mild, calm, tranquil, moderate, temperate, not severe or extreme; also, merciful, lenient, inclined to pardon or forgive.
    →
    Clement comes from the Latin clemens, mild, and may be used to mean mild in two ways. You may say the weather is clement when it’s mild or temperate; when it’s rough or stormy it’s inclement (in-KLEM-int), not clement, not mild and calm. Clement’s second sense applies to a mild state of mind, one in which the person is inclined to be lenient or forgiving. A convicted criminal can only hope for a clement judge. If you screw up at work, you hope your boss will be clement, lenient, merciful.
    The corresponding noun is clemency, mildness, leniency, compassion: “The lawyers asked the governor to show clemency and stay the execution.”
  • Word 44: Lucrative
    Word 44: Lucrative [LOO-kruh-tiv]
    Profitable, producing wealth, money-making, financially productive, remunerative (ri-MYOO-nur-uh-tiv).
    →
    You’ve probably heard the phrase “filthy lucre,” which comes from Shakespeare. Lucre (LOO-kur) is an old word for money, profit, wealth. In modern usage lucre used alone usually implies filthy lucre, tainted money, ill-gotten gains.
    Lucre and the useful adjective lucrative come from the Latin lucrum, gain, profit. That which is lucrative is likely to make money, turn a profit. A lucrative job pays well; a lucrative business deal is profitable; a lucrative enterprise is a moneymaking enterprise.
  • Word 45: Allocate
    Word 45: Allocate [AL-uh-kayt]
    To assign, designate, earmark, set aside for a specific purpose.
    →
    Allocate comes from a Latin verb meaning to locate, determine the place of. That which is allocated has been assigned a special place or purpose. A person might allocate a bedroom in the house as a home office. Busy parents try to allocate time to spend with their children. Voters pass bond measures to allocate funds for education, parks, or libraries. One measure of a successful company is how much money it allocates for product development.
  • Word 46: Reconcile
    Word 46: Reconcile [REK-un-syl]
    To make friendly again, restore friendly relations between, settle, resolve, bring into harmony or agreement.
    →
    Reconcile comes from the Latin reconciliare, to make good again, restore, repair. When estranged partners reconcile, they make their relationship good again by restoring it, repairing what was wrong with it. When two parties in a dispute reconcile their differences, they settle them and restore friendly relations. The corresponding noun is reconciliation, a settlement, resolution, the act of restoring harmony or agreement.
    Reconcile also has two other useful senses. It may mean to bring into agreement, make consistent: “The jury found it hard to reconcile the defendant’s confession of guilt the night of the murder with his profession of innocence during the trial.” Reconcile may also mean to resign oneself to accept something undesirable: “Nancy didn’t want to live with her mother-in-law, but she reconciled herself to it and tried to get on with her life.”
  • Word 47: Paragon
    Word 47: Paragon [PAR-uh-gahn]
    A model of excellence, perfect example.
    →
    Paragon applies to a person or thing so excellent that it serves as a model or example of perfection. The inventor Thomas Alva Edison is a paragon of American ingenuity. In her Camelot days, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was considered a paragon of beauty and style. The Gettysburg Address is a paragon of forceful, eloquent speechwriting.
    A paragon is a model of excellence, a perfect example.
  • Word 48: Analogous
    Word 48: Analogous [un-NAL-uh-gus]
    Similar, akin, comparable (KAHM-pur-uh-buul), corresponding partially, sharing some aspects of form, function, or content.
    →
    An analogy is a partial similarity, likeness, or resemblance that allows for a comparison between things: You can draw an analogy between the human brain and a computer, between the human heart and a mechanical pump, or between an airplane and a bird.
    When we see an analogy between two things, we say they are analogous, similar but not entirely alike, comparable in some respects. Analogous does not apply to things that are identical. For example, brains and computers and birds and airplanes differ markedly in all but a few ways, but in those ways they are analogous.
    When things are analogous they share certain features or particulars; they are similar enough to form the basis for a comparison. If you say your company’s management style is analogous to Japanese management style, you mean the styles are alike in some respects but not in others. If you tell a coworker that your job descriptions are analogous, you mean they are similar, comparable, alike in certain ways.
  • Word 49: Diurnal
    Word 49: Diurnal [dy-UR-nul]
    Daily, recurring each day, performed or happening in the course of a day.
    →
    Diurnal comes from the Latin diurnus, belonging to or lasting for a day. The ocean’s tides and the rotation of the earth are diurnal; their cycles are completed in the course of a day. At work your diurnal duties are the tasks you perform every day. If your coworker Joanne complains every day about not getting a raise, that’s her diurnal complaint. Perhaps if Joanne made reading Verbal Advantage part of her diurnal routine, she might eventually get that raise and get off your back.
    Diurnal is also used to mean active during the day, as opposed to nocturnal, active during the night.
  • Word 50: Pretext
    Word 50: Pretext [PREE-tekst]
    An excuse, ostensible reason or motive, professed purpose.
    →
    Pretext comes through the Latin praetextum, an ornament, from the verb praetexere, to pretend, literally “to weave in front.” By derivation a pretext is a front, a faade, something used for cover. As the Century Dictionary (1914) puts it, a pretext is “that which is assumed as a cloak or means of concealment; something under cover of which a true purpose is hidden.”
    Tyrannical leaders often invent pretexts for invading or declaring war on other countries. Irresponsible employees will invent pretexts for not coming to work. A supervisor who hates an employee’s guts may try to come up with a pretext for firing the person. A pretext is an excuse, an ostensible reason designed to hide the real reason.
Answer Key
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