APRIL - High frequency words

APRIL THREAD - Updated regularly

Make sure to do all words from previous threads also...

1. Haphazard - Dependent upon or characterized by mere chance; fortuity; ; without plan or organization; having no particular pattern, purpose, organization, or structure
2. Immutable - Not subject or susceptible to change; incapable of changing or being modified; unchangeable
3. Haunter - One who, or that which, haunts
4. Qurush - 20 qurush equal 1 riyal in Saudi Arabia; a former coin and fractional monetary unit of several Middle Eastern and North African countries
5. Taut - Pulled or drawn tight; not slack; strained; tense; marked by the efficient, sparing, or concise use of something, such as language or detail; kept in trim shape; neat and tidy; rigid, tight; (of a ship) having a disciplined and efficient crew
6. Escalation - The act of increasing or rising; intensification; the use of successively more powerful types of weapons in war
7. Happenstance - An unexpected random event
8. Layover - A short stop or break in a journey, usually imposed by scheduling requirements; a brief stay in the course of a journey
9. Banquet - Banquet - An elaborate, sumptuous repast; ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest or occasion; honor at or partake of a banquet; large meal elaborately prepared or served; dinner
10. Allude - To make an indirect reference; to suggest or infer; make a more or less disguised reference to
11. Nuance - A subtle or slight degree of difference, as in meaning, feeling, or tone; a gradation; expression or appreciation of subtle shades of meaning, feeling, or tone; slight difference; shading; slight variation between nearly identical entities
12. Prevarication - The act of prevaricating, shuffling, or quibbling, to evade the truth or the disclosure of truth; a deviation from the truth and fair dealing; secret abuse in the exercise of a public office; collusion of an informer with the defendant, for the purpose of making a sham prosecution; statement that deviates from or perverts the truth; intentionally vague or ambiguous; the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
13. Boredom - The condition of being bored; disinterest; weariness
14. Appeasement - An act of appeasing; policy of granting concessions to potential enemies to maintain peace; satisfaction; pacification
15. Metaphorical - Figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison; one thing conceived as representing another; a symbol; expressing one thing in terms normally denoting another
16. Altruistic - Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
17. Innocuous - Having no adverse effect; harmless; not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid; devoid of hurtful qualities; lacking the qualities requisite for spiritedness and originality
18. Affinity - A natural attraction, liking, or feeling of kinship; inherent similarity between persons or things; relationship or resemblance in structure between species that suggests a common origin; liking or inclination toward something; similarity; close relationship or connection
19. Pervasive - Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate; spreading throughout; extending; suffusing
20. Euphemism - The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive; use or an instance of equivocal language; polite term
21. Rhetoric - The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; treatise or book discussing this art; skill in using language effectively and persuasively; style of speaking or writing, especially the language of a particular subject; verbal communication; discourse; art of public speaking; wordiness; long speech
22. Stench - A strong, foul odor; a stink; a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
23. Unbridled - Unrestrained; uncontrolled; lacking in moral restraint; being without restraint
24. Misdemeanor - A misdeed; breaking of the law that is less serious than a felony; minor crime, punishable by a fine or a light jail term
25. Discreditable - Harmful to one's reputation; blameworthy; dishonorable, reprehensible; meriting or causing shame or dishonor; tending to bring discredit or disrepute
26. Conundrum - A riddle in which a fanciful question is answered by a pun; paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma; anything that arouses curiosity or perplexes because it is unexplained, inexplicable, or secret
27. Symphony - Pleasing agreement, as of musical sounds; harmony, especially of sound or color
28. Mettle - Courage and fortitude; spirit; inherent quality of character and temperament; boldness, strength of character; quality of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship resolutely
29. Hankering - Strong desire
30. Obstreperous - Noisily and stubbornly defiant; aggressively boisterous; unruly; not submitting to discipline or control; offensively loud and insistent
31. Amenable - Willing to carry out the wishes of others; able to be judged; responsible; willing, cooperative; willing to change or submit
32. Debauched - Dissolute; dissipated; violated, corrupted; lead away from virtue or morality; to corrupt
33. Exacerbate - To increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate; infuriate; make more sharp, severe, or virulent
34. Saboteur - Someone who commits sabotage or deliberately causes wrecks; a member of a clandestine subversive organization who tries to help a potential invader
35. Gratuitous - Costing nothing; not required, necessary, or warranted by the circumstances of the case; not necessary; free
36. Stern - Hard, harsh, or severe in manner or character; grim, gloomy, or forbidding in appearance or outlook; firm or unyielding; uncompromising; inexorable; relentless; the rear part of a ship or boat; rear part or section
37. Lampoon - A written attack ridiculing a person, group, or institution; light, good-humored satire; a work, as a novel or play, that exposes folly by the use of humor or irony; ridicule, make fun of
38. Futility - The quality of having no useful result; uselessness; lack of importance or purpose; frivolousness; condition or quality of being useless or ineffective; fruitlessness
39. Pragmatic - Practical; sensible; dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; person given to intruding in other people's affairs
40. Impeachable - Capable of being impeached
41. Feral - Existing in a wild or untamed state; having returned to an untamed state from domestication; of or suggestive of a wild animal; savage; wild; being wild after escaping from domestication
42. Disrupt - To interrupt or impede the progress, movement, or procedure of; break or burst; rupture; throw into confusion or disorder; upset, disorganize
43. Starry-eyed - Having a naively enthusiastic, overoptimistic, or romantic view; unrealistic; unrealistically or naively optimistic
44. Choreograph - To plan out or oversee the movement, development, or details of; orchestrate; to specialize in choreography; compose a sequence of dance steps to music; plan and oversee the development and details of
45. Invidious - Tending to rouse ill will, animosity, or resentment; containing or implying a slight; discriminatory; envious; damaging to the reputation; resentfully or painfully desirous of another's advantages; hateful
46. Calcify - To make or become stony or chalky by deposition of calcium salts; make or become inflexible and unchanging; become impregnated with calcium salts; convert into lime; become inflexible and unchanging
47. Whet - To sharpen (a knife, for example); hone; make more keen; stimulate; sharpen; arouse; excite
48. Invective - Denunciatory or abusive language; vituperation; denunciatory or abusive expression or discourse; harsh, often insulting language; of, relating to, or characterized by verbal abuse; verbal abuse; utterance intended to insult or abuse
49. Abdicate - To relinquish (power or responsibility) formally; relinquish formally a high office or responsibility; give up a possession, claim, or right; give up a right, or power, position
50. Trenchant - Forceful, effective, and vigorous; caustic; cutting; distinct; clear-cut; possessing or displaying perceptions of great accuracy and sensitivity; sarcastic, scathing; having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect
51. Bilk - To defraud, cheat, or swindle; evade payment of; thwart or frustrate; to elude; hoax or swindle; one who cheats; get money or something else from by deceitful trickery; person who cheats; cheat out of something
52. Tantalize - To excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; excite (another) by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; provoke, tease; to tease
53. Slight - Insignificant, small; thin, small in build; insult, disrespect; offend, insult; deliberate discourtesy; a snub; do negligently or thoughtlessly; scant; treat with discourteous reserve or inattention; small importance or consideration; trifling; small and slender in build or construction; delicate; small in size, degree, or amount
54. Seer - Someone who sees something occur; clairvoyant; prophet; person who foretells future events by or as if by supernatural means; person with unusual powers of foresight
55. Fastidious - Possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail; difficult to please; exacting; excessively scrupulous or sensitive, especially in matters of taste or propriety; very particular and sensitive
56. Feckless - Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective; careless and irresponsible; without purpose
57. Daft - Mad; crazy; foolish; stupid; scots; frolicsome
58.Tantamount - Agreeing exactly in value, quantity, or effect; same; equivalent in effect or value
59. Cull - To pick out from others; select; gather; collect; to remove rejected members or parts from (a herd, for example); something picked out from others, especially something rejected because of inferior quality; collect (something) bit by bit; make a choice from a number of alternatives
60. Perspicuous - Clearly expressed or presented; easy to understand; expressing oneself clearly and effectively; clear, obvious; (of language) transparently clear; easily understandable
61. Gargoyle - A roof spout in the form of a grotesque or fantastic creature projecting from a gutter to carry rainwater clear of the wall; a grotesque ornamental figure or projection; person of bizarre or grotesque appearance; decoration on a building in the form of a strange, imaginary creature
62. Garbled - To mix up or distort to such an extent as to make misleading or incomprehensible; to scramble (a signal or message), as by erroneous encoding or faulty transmission; to sort out; cull; mix up, misrepresent; make false by mutilation or addition
63. Wrench - A sudden, sharp twist or pull; tool for holding and turning nuts, bolts or pipes; sudden tug at one's emotions; a surge of compassion, sorrow, or anguish; break or parting that causes emotional distress; distortion in the original form or meaning of something written or spoken; twisted interpretation; twist and sprain; alter the position of by a sharp, forcible twisting or turning movement
64. Jibe - To shift a fore-and-aft sail from one side of a vessel to the other while sailing before the wind so as to sail on the opposite tack; to be in accord; agree; to be compatible or in correspondence; make fun of in a taunting way
65. Spat - An oyster or similar bivalve mollusk in the larval stage, especially when it settles to the bottom and begins to develop a shell; spawn of an oyster or a similar mollusk; cloth or leather gaiter covering the shoe upper and the ankle and fastening under the shoe with a strap. Often used in the plural; brief quarrel; a slap or smack; spattering sound, as of raindrops; discussion, often heated, in which a difference of opinion is expressed; protective covering (usually stainless steel) at the bottom of a doorframe to prevent or minimize damage in this area; past tense of spit
66. Weltschmerz - Sadness over the evils of the world, especially as an expression of romantic pessimism; sadness on thinking about the evils of the world
67. Exoteric - Not confined to an inner circle of disciples or initiates; comprehensible to or suited to the public; popular; of or relating to the outside; external; suitable for the general public
68. Physiognomy - The art of judging human character from facial features; facial features, especially when regarded as revealing character; aspect and character of an inanimate or abstract entity; an outward appearance; features of the human face; art of determining the character of another by the resemblances and differences between his face and our own, which is the standard of excellence
69. Bravura - Brilliant technique or style in performance; piece or passage that emphasizes a performer's virtuosity; showy manner or display; of, relating to, or being a brilliant performance technique or style; ostentatious
70. Enliven - To make lively or spirited; animate; inspire, vitalize; heighten or intensify
71. Nugatory - Of little or no importance; trifling. having no force; invalid
72. Yank - To pull with a quick, strong movement; jerk; extract or remove abruptly; pull on something suddenly; move or cause to move with a sudden abrupt motion; pull hard and fast
73. Welsh - Of or relating to Wales or its people, language, or culture; to swindle a person by not paying a debt or wager; fail to fulfill an obligation; cheat by avoiding payment of a gambling debt
74. Zeitgeist - The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation; the general intellectual, moral and cultural climate of an era
75. Dissension - Difference of opinion; disagreement; conflict of opinion; state of disagreement and disharmony; disagreement among those expected to cooperate; conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters
76. Expatiate - To speak or write at length; wander freely; express at greater length or in greater detail; speak or write in great detail
77. Loom - To come into view as a massive, distorted, or indistinct image; appear to the mind in a magnified and threatening form; to seem imminent; impend; distorted, threatening appearance of something, as through fog or darkness; apparatus for making thread or yarn into cloth by weaving strands together at right angles; weave (a tapestry, for example) on a loom; machine for weaving yarn into cloth
78. Dabble - To splash or spatter with or as if with a liquid; undertake something superficially or without serious intent; bob forward and under in shallow water so as to feed off the bottom; play at; tinker; do something lightly or playfully
79. Rig - To supply what is needed for some activity or purpose; things needed for a task, journey, or other purpose; set or style of clothing; provide with a harness or equipment; fit out; equip (a ship) with sails, shrouds, and yards; manipulate dishonestly for personal gain; special apparatus used for drilling oil wells; costume or an outfit; fishing tackle
80. Lurk - To lie in wait, as in ambush; move furtively; sneak; exist unobserved or unsuspected; read but not contribute to the discussion in a newsgroup, chatroom, or other online forum; hide; move stealthily; to hide in order to attack
81. Frieze - A plain or decorated horizontal part of an entablature between the architrave and cornice; decorative horizontal band, as along the upper part of a wall in a room; coarse, shaggy woolen cloth with an uncut nap; dense, low-pile surface, as in carpeting, resembling such cloth; band of designs, drawings, or carvings used as a decoration along a wall or around a room
82. Whit - The least bit; an iota; tiny amount
83. Whiff - A slight, gentle gust of air; a waft; brief, passing odor carried in the air; inhalation, as of air or smoke; be carried in brief gusts; waft; swing at and miss a ball or puck; slight amount or indication; perceive with the olfactory sense; short light gust of air; strikeout resulting from the batter swinging at and missing the ball for the third strike; utter with a puff of air
84. Staccato - Cut short crisply; detached(music); marked by or composed of abrupt, disconnected parts or sounds; made up of rapid, short, sharp sounds
85. Libretto - The text of a dramatic musical work, such as an opera; book containing such a text; text of an opera
86. Gubernatorial - Of or relating to a governor; of or relating to government
87. Exchequer - Money available; the treasury of a country or organization; financial resources; funds; British governmental department charged with the collection and management of the national revenue
88. Feint - A deceptive action calculated to divert attention from one's real purpose; feigned attack designed to draw defensive action away from an intended target; indirect, usually cunning means of gaining an end; pretense; mock attack or movement in warfare, made in order to distract or deceive an enemy; any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement
89. Opera - A theatrical presentation in which a dramatic performance is set to music; the score of such a work; drama set to music
90. Virile - Of, relating to, or having the characteristics of an adult male; having or showing masculine spirit, strength, vigor, or power; potent; manly
91. Tantalizing - Enticingly in sight, yet often out of reach; arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach; very pleasantly inviting
92. Insipid - Lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull
93. Annul - To make or declare void or invalid, as a marriage or a law; nullify; obliterate the effect or existence of; void an agreement; put an end to, especially formally and with authority; remove or invalidate by or as if by running a line through or wiping clean
94. Allude - To make an indirect reference; to suggest or infer; make a more or less disguised reference to
95. Demography - The study of the characteristics of human populations, such as size, growth, density, distribution, and vital statistics; study of the characteristics of people residing in an area, including age, sex, income
96. Rotundity - Rounded in figure; plump; having a full, rich sound; sonorous; having or producing a full, deep, or rich sound; well-rounded and full in form
97. Benediction - A blessing; an invocation of divine blessing, usually at the end of a church service; an expression of good wishes; closing prayer; short prayer said at meals; blessing
98. Ablution - A washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of a religious rite
99. Glutton - A person who eats or consumes immoderate amounts of food and drink; person with an inordinate capacity to receive or withstand something; overeater
100. Quaint - Charmingly odd, especially in an old-fashioned way; unfamiliar or unusual in character; strange; cleverly made; artful; old-fashioned; strange; odd
101. Assiduous - Constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing; persistent; hard-working
102. Rancor - Bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will
103. Abet - To give support or assistance; assist, help in wrongdoing; approve, encourage, and support (an action or a plan of action); urge and help on
104. Mottled - Spotted or blotched with different shades or colors; speckled
105. Purvey - To supply (food, for example); furnish; advertise or circulate; supply with provisions; meal provided after a funeral by the family of the deceased to the mourners
106. Surmount - To overcome (an obstacle, for example); conquer; ascend to the top of; climb; place something above; top; surpass or exceed in amount; overcome, triumph over; be or do something to a greater degree
107. Estimable - Possible to estimate; deserving of esteem; admirable; honorable, worthy; may be computed or estimated
108. Dour - Marked by sternness or harshness; forbidding; silently ill-humored; gloomy; sternly obstinate; unyielding; gloomy, grim; cold and forbidding; broodingly and sullenly unhappy; unfriendly and sullen
109. Salubrious - Conducive or favorable to health or well-being; promoting good health; health-giving
110. Antediluvian - Extremely old and antiquated; out-of-date; prehistoric; belonging to, existing, or occurring in times long past; of, existing, or occurring in a distant period; an antique; something of the time before the great flood in the Bible
111. Dessert - A usually sweet course or dish, as of fruit, ice cream, or pastry, served at the end of a meal; something sweet served at the end of a meal; fresh fruit, nuts, or sweetmeats served after the sweet course of a dinner
112. Striate - Marked with striae; striped, grooved, or ridged; to mark with a line or band, as of different color or texture
113. Perturbation - The state of being perturbed; agitation; small change in a physical system; state of discomposure; upset, unsettle
114. Pacific - Tending to diminish or put an end to conflict; appeasing; of a peaceful nature; tranquil; being of a peaceful nature; not quarrelsome or unruly; disposed to peace or of a peaceful nature; promoting peace
115. Succumb - To submit to an overpowering force or yield to an overwhelming desire; give up or give in; to die; die or surrender; consent reluctantly; be fatally overwhelmed
116. Impetuous - Characterized by sudden and forceful energy or emotion; impulsive and passionate; having or marked by violent force; acting without thinking
117. Lithe - Readily bent; supple; marked by effortless grace; flexible, graceful and slender; limber, graceful and quick
118. Aggrandize - To increase the scope of; extend; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation; cause something to seem or be greater, bigger
119. Belie - To give a false representation to; misrepresent; to show to be false; contradict; deceive
120. Stasis - A condition of balance among various forces; motionlessness; stable state characterized by the cancellation of all forces by equal opposing forces
121. Proffer - To offer for acceptance; tender; act of proffering; an offer; put before another for acceptance; suggest, offer


ANALOGIES:

1. euphemism:offense::
A). rhetoric:persuasion
B). prevarication:truth - Ans: X avoids Y
C). metaphor:description
D). repetition:boredom
E). conciliation:appeasement
2. stench:nose
3. misdemeanor:crime
4. isthmus:land
5. discreditable:honorable
6. haphazard:order
7. layover:journey
8. obstreperous:control
9. choreograph:movement
10. starry-eyed:pragmatic
11. saboteur:disrupt
12. abdicate:throne
13. trenchant:insipid
14. singers:opera
15. demography:population
16. classroom:teacher
17. glasses:vision
18. thermometer:temperature
19. antediluvian:age
20. dessert:meal
21. feral:domesticated
22. perturbation:passive
23. striated:grooves
24. mulish:persuaded
25. impetuous:hesitancy


ISSUE TOPICS:

1. The purpose of many advertisements is to make consumers want to buy a product so that they will 'be like' the person in the ad. This practice is effective because it not only sells products but also helps people feel better about themselves
2. The best way to understand the character of a society is to examine the character of the men and women that the society chooses as its heroes or its heroines
3. History teaches us only one thing: knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today
4. There are two types of laws: just and unjust. Every individual in a society has a responsibility to obey just laws and, even more importantly, to disobey and resist unjust laws
5. Many people know how to attain success, but few know how to make the best use of it
6. The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people


ARGUMENT TOPICS:

1. The following appeared in a memorandum from a dean at Omega University.

"Fifteen years ago, Omega University implemented a new procedure that encouraged students to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of all their professors. Since that time, Omega professors have begun to assign higher grades in their classes, and overall student grade averages at Omega have risen by thirty percent. Potential employers apparently believe the grades at Omega are inflated; this would explain why Omega graduates have not been as successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. To enable its graduates to secure better jobs, Omega University should now terminate student evaluation of professors."