Showing posts from May, 2015


Obtuse [  uh'b-TOOS, -TYOOS  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) dull, insensitive or lacking quickness or intellect
2. (adj.) (of an angle) measuring greater than 90 degrees and less than 180 degrees
3. (adj.) blunt or not acute or sharpUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :His obtuse suggestions weren't received very well during the meeting.


Premature [ pree-muh'-CHOO'R ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. happening before its due time
2. Born before the gestation period is completedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The premature birth of the twins concerned the doctors as the babies were underweight.


August [ AW-guh'st ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) having great prominence and importance
2. (n.) the eighth month of the yearUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :All the peasants bowed upon seeing the august personage of the king.


Prune [ proon ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to cut off parts of a plant to improve its shape
2. (tr. v.) to cut back or reduce
3.(intr. v.) to remove what is unessential
4. (n.) a partially dried plumUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The gardener said that anyone could prune a rose bush provided they knew how.


Prosaic [ proh-ZEY-ik ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. matter-of-fact or uninteresting
2. pertaining to or in the form of prose rather than poetryUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :His excuse for losing the elocution competition was that he had been given a prosaic topic.


Morose [  muh'-ROHS  ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) sullen or gloomy
2. (adj.) characterised or marked by a gloomy or sullen dispositionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was too morose to do his work the other day.


Precepts [ PREE-sept ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a commandment
2. a procedure to be adhered to as a ruleUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The King expected all of his ministers to follow all the precepts laid down by him.


Stride [ strahyd ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a long step when walking
2. (n.) a steady pace
3. (n.) a step towards progress
4. (tr. v.) to move with long steps
5. (tr. v.) to take a big step
6. (intr. v.) to move along or over with long stepsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He never seemed to tire as he walked with an easy stride.


Snub [ snuhb ][ noun, adjective, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) 1. to ignore or refuse to recognize
2. (tr. v.) to turn down with a sharp retort
3. (n.) a deliberate insult
4. (adj.) bluntUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The few innovative ideas put forth by the fresher were snubbed by his seniors.


Tassel [ TAS-uh'l ][ noun, intransitive verb, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (n.) a pendant consisting of a bunch of chords or strands hanging down freely
2, (n. ) the hairlike strands at the tip of a stalk of corn
3. (tr. v.) to decorate with strandsUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He wore a leather jacket decorated with tassels and metal studs.


Raffish [ RAF-ish ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. cheaply vulgar
2. having a bad reputationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The main actor of the street play was attired in a raffish, silk outfit.


Slur [ slur ][ noun, transitive verb ]MEANING :1. (tr. v.) to utter indistinctly
2. (tr. v.) to slander
3. (tr. v.) to not give proper consideration to
4. (n.) a slanderous remark
5. (n.) an unclear tone of voiceUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :After imbibing three pegs of whiskey, he would slur and so nobody was able to understand what he said.


Supine [ adj. soo-PAHYN; n. SOO-pahyn ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) lying on the back or lying face up
2. (adj.) inactive
3. (n.) the simple infinitive when a verb is preceded by toUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :He was relaxing by the pool in a supine posture.


Severance [ SEV-er-uh'ns, SEV-ruh'ns ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the act of cutting off or chopping off
2. separationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The king decreed that the severance of the traitor's head from his body be done by a guillotine.


Slack [ slak ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) loose or weak
2. (adj.) slow or not brisk
3. (adj.) negligent
4. a loose stateUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The staff would take advantage of the slack manager by having frequent breaks.


Propagation [ prop-uh'-GEY-shuh'n  ][ noun ]MEANING :1. the act of spreading
2. the increase in number by natural reproductionUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Some clerics who are concerned about the propagation of their faith encourage non-believers to embrace the faith.


Cosmic [ KOZ-mik ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. pertaining to or characteristic of the cosmos
2. pertaining to the regions of the Universe outside the Earth
3. vast or infinitely extendedUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The plot of the book revolved around the cosmic laws and how the protagonist used those very laws to outwit the villain and his cronies.


Recluse [ REK-loos, ri-KLOOS ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (n.) person who lives in isolation
2. (adj.) living in isolation
3. (adj.) pertaining to isolationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :Children were afraid of the recluse who lived in the cottage surrounded by overgrown hedges.


Profuse [ pruh'-FYOOS ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. excessive
2. lavishUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :They trashed the unfortunate boy because they presumed that profuse sweating coupled with nervousness was a sign of guilt.


Sophistry [ SOF-uh'-stree ][ noun ]MEANING :1. a tricky, seemingly plausible method of reasoning that is actually misleading
2. believable but fallacious argumentationUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The glib executive would indulge in sophistry to justify his actions.


Steeply [ steep-lee ][ adverb ]MEANING :1. In the manner of a sharp incline
2. In a precipitous wayUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :We followed the trail until we came to a hill that ascended too steeply to climb without proper equipment.


Sumptuous [ SUHMP-choo-uh's ][ adjective ]MEANING :1. lavish or luxuriously grandUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The poor man asked for a morsel of food but was given a sumptuous meal instead.


Valiant [ VAL-yuh'nt  ][ noun, adjective ]MEANING :1. (adj.) possessing courage
2. (adj.) marked by bravery
3. (n.) a courageous personUSAGE EXAMPLE 1 :The novel was about the crusades and the valiant battles that were fought by the knights.