having an unpleasant sound
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Shoppers mingle, traders peddle their wares and children play in the street, all to a cacophonous backdrop of roaring motorbikes and honking cars.
—Reuters (May 28, 2010)
of or relating to a cadaver or corpse
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
These dreary, cadaverous corpses are supported in the positions which they are made to assume by means of steel wires hidden beneath their scanty robes.
—Ballou, Maturin Murray
calamity
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
In that memorable calamity seventeen lives were lost and forty persons seriously injured.
—Hungerford, Edward
callow
young and inexperienced
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“Marston,” he began, “drifted into the Paris ateliers from your country, callow, morbid, painfully young and totally inexperienced.
—Buck, Charles Neville
candid
openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Mr. Obama, in an unusually candid public discussion of the Central Intelligence Agency’s covert program, said the drone strikes had not inflicted huge civilian casualties.
—New York Times (Jan 31, 2012)
surrender under agreed conditions
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
"Alas, no," said Bergfeld, mournfully, "the day after the battle our brave soldiers were surrounded by overwhelming forces and obliged to capitulate."
—Meding, Johann Ferdinand Martin Oskar
determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
She remained remote and wild, suddenly breaking off our talks and displaying, where I was concerned, the most capricious and inexplicable moods.
—Leblanc, Maurice
represent in or produce a caricature of
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Mrs. Strong subsequently caricatured our progress by representing me very tall with an extremely tight waistband, and Stevenson looking upward from his diminutive steed.
—Child-Villiers, Margaret Elizabeth Leigh
a person who makes maps
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
This monk was an excellent cartographer, or map-maker, and Christopher wished to talk with him about the western lands.
—Byne, Mildred Stapley
censure severely
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
In particular, Kucinich castigated Obama for pursuing military intervention in Libya without congressional authorization: President Obama moved forward without Congress approving.
—Salon (Mar 23, 2011)
(psychoanalysis) purging of emotional tensions
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Not enough people use evenings out as an opportunity for catharsis.
—The Guardian (Dec 9, 2010)
caustic
of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Though the mud only came up to ankle height, its caustic ingredients continue to eat away the foundations.
—BBC (Dec 24, 2010)
cease
put an end to a state or an activity
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The firing ceased; the smoke slowly cleared away, revealing the two fleets commingled, shattered, and torn, and strewed with dead.
—Headley, Joel Tyler
cede
relinquish possession or control over
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He ceded some of his powers to elected officials, while keeping the final say on issues of defense, national security and religion.
—Reuters (Nov 26, 2011)
chagrin
strong feelings of embarrassment
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He watched his chance, and, at length, escaped, much to his enemies’ chagrin.
—Stratemeyer, Edward
charisma
a personal attractiveness or interestingness that enables you to influence others
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Egypt's al-Zawahri likely to succeed bin Laden For years, Osama bin Laden's charisma kept al-Qaida's ranks filled with zealous recruits.
—Salon (May 2, 2011)
a flamboyant deceiver; one who attracts customers with tricks or jokes
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Like most charlatans who find it necessary to deceive the world, the physician tried to cover up his shortcomings by noisy bluster.
—Hornblow, Arthur
chastise
censure severely
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently chastised China in a speech she gave in which she decried Internet censorship.
—New York Times (Feb 2, 2010)
produced by a wildly fanciful imagination
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Indeed during his wild and chimerical attempts for finding out a golden country, it is not improbable that this brave adventurer visited many different places.
—Hewatt, Alexander
chronic
being long-lasting and recurrent or characterized by long suffering
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Howard is expected to remain out until at least June, while Utley, battling chronic knee injuries, may not return until May.
—Washington Post (Apr 3, 2012)
deviating from a straight course
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
It has taken five hours to get here from Cairo via a circuitous route to avoid the Egyptian police checkpoints.
—BBC (Dec 31, 2010)
an indirect way of expressing something
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He got his message out bunglingly, with embarrassed circumlocution and repetition; but this was what it came to in the end.
—Howells, William Dean
heedful of potential consequences
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
As Kaufman writes: On the strategy front, some of these groups are becoming more circumspect in campaigning against global warming, mindful of mixed public sentiment.
—Time (Dec 19, 2011)
conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
"All of this is done in a very clandestine way," said Paddick, who said he had never personally seen money being exchanged.
—Seattle Times (Jul 7, 2011)
clemency
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Then on Tuesday, his last day in office, he granted clemency or suspended sentences to more than 200 other convicts.
—Reuters (Jan 13, 2012)
clique
an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
This little clique, this group admired her and instinctively adopted the tone which she set.
—Couperus, Louis
coercion
using force to cause something to occur
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Authorities are still trying to determine whether Savannah was forced to run by physical coercion or by verbal commands.
—Time (Feb 23, 2012)
cogent
powerfully persuasive
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The supposition is so very probable, that nothing short of very cogent reasons could induce us to abandon it.
—Hengstenberg, Ernst Wilhelm
(sometimes followed by `of') having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“You have to be cognizant of the evidence out there and learn from what has been published.
—New York Times (Jan 4, 2011)
characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Perhaps not elegant classical Latin, but good, everyday, useful, colloquial stuff.”
—Fenn, George Manville
secret agreement
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Then, unless there were collusion on the part of the sentries, he must have slipped through some window, said Davies to himself.
—Cox, C. B.
colossal
so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
In the galleries are colossal figures of dragons, gods, goddesses, and heroes, groups being often carved out of one gigantic monolith.
—Child-Villiers, Margaret Elizabeth Leigh
commence
set in motion, cause to start
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Reaching this just at evening, he encamped there all night, and the next morning commenced crossing.
—Headley, Joel Tyler
to feel or express sympathy or compassion
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
We had spent countless hours together drinking wine and commiserating about child-rearing, long Wisconsin winters and interrupted sleep.
—New York Times (Mar 24, 2011)
large and roomy (`convenient' is archaic in this sense)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
When done their building was quite commodious, being twenty-two feet by fourteen.
—Mudge, Zachariah Atwell
driving or forcing
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The South African site has some compelling advantages: construction costs are lower, and it sits at a higher altitude.
—Scientific American (Mar 12, 2012)
something (such as money) given or received as payment or reparation (as for a service or loss or injury)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The Home Office is understood to have paid more than £1m in compensation to 40 children wrongly held in adult detention centres while seeking asylum.
—BBC (Feb 18, 2012)
contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He added: "Like being a pioneer in anything, I suppose, you get complacent...We're waking up to the fact that we are lagging behind."
—Wall Street Journal (Dec 8, 2010)
disposed or willing to comply
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Romar said the freshmen are "such a compliant group" and "willing learner" more than any other incoming class he's had at Washington.
—Seattle Times (Oct 19, 2011)
steadiness of mind under stress
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
His heart was beating furiously under his waistcoat, but, taken aback as he was, he maintained outward composure.
—Weyman, Stanley J.
required by rule
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
While military service is compulsory on all Mohammedans over eighteen years of age, there are some exemptions, and substitution is allowed.
—Alden, John B.
concede
admit (to a wrongdoing)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He spent months defending his televised “Decision,” before finally conceding that it might not have been the greatest idea.
—New York Times (Dec 31, 2011)
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
What wonder, then, that he thought of them as conceited, vain, full of pride, without merit?
—Morris, Clara
having a common center
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The inner bark consists of numerous concentric layers of fibers, which interlace in all directions, and thus present a great resemblance to lace.
—Saunders, William
making or willing to make concessions
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Mr. Cox was conciliatory at other moments, but politely stood firm on the basics of the bureau’s economic model.
—New York Times (Apr 9, 2011)
concise
expressing much in few words
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
For some purposes, concise, exactly worded definitions are needed; for other purposes, more extended descriptions are required.
—Pag?, Victor Wilfred
conclave
a confidential or secret meeting
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“The door is closed now, and we’re in secret conclave.”
—Fenn, George Manville
concord
a harmonious state of things in general and of their properties (as of colors and sounds); congruity of parts with one another and with the whole
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
"I take it, then, that we are working in unison,—at least, in concord?"
—Wells, Carolyn
occurring or operating at the same time
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
St. Croix river being the boundary line between two states, the Wisconsin authorities claimed concurrent jurisdiction.
—Folsom, William Henry Carman
condone
excuse, overlook, or make allowances for; be lenient with
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Many frown on the mixing of the sexes, refusing to shake hands with women let alone condoning any sort of political activity by them.
—New York Times (Dec 3, 2011)
confine
place limits on (extent or access)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Work in synthetic biology is still confined to laboratories, but researchers see potential for advances in energy production, medicine and other fields.
—Washington Post (Mar 14, 2012)
a very intense and uncontrolled fire
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
We view Europe as covering at present a smothered fire, which may shortly burst forth and produce general conflagration.
—Chinard, Gilbert
conflate
mix together different elements
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Cain said his rivals were wrongly attempting to conflate his plan with existing state sales taxes, saying it was like comparing apples and oranges.
—BusinessWeek (Oct 19, 2011)
a place where things merge or flow together (especially rivers)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Memphis is situated at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
—Kennard, Nina H.
correspondence in form or appearance
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Heretics were frightened into conformity or punished; some were driven out of the country, a few were burned to death.
—Sedgwick, Henry Dwight
confound
mistake one thing for another
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He is apt to denominate, however, his whole gain, profit, and thus confounds rent with profit, at least in common language.
—Garnier, Germain
a group of diverse companies under common ownership and run as a single organization
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
During his time in office, the conglomerates have added more subsidiaries and expanded into sectors usually occupied by smaller companies, like food and retail.
—New York Times (Feb 6, 2012)
a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He guessed how Elbel was occupied, and his conjecture was confirmed by Samba, who at once resumed his scouting work.
—Strang, Herbert
an idea that is implied or suggested
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“Expand” is a word with potentially positive connotations, but also virtually an infinite number of negative connotations, including violence and aggression.
—New York Times (Aug 9, 2010)
agreement in the judgment or opinion reached by a group as a whole
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Mr. Farmer had originally hoped to form a consensus, but later announced that he was prepared to cast the tie-breaking vote.
—New York Times (Dec 24, 2011)
conserve
use cautiously and frugally
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
But by not making body parts they don’t need, parasites conserve energy, which they can invest in other efforts like reproduction.
—Scientific American (Jan 16, 2012)
the act of consoling; giving relief in affliction
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Words of consolation are but empty sounds, for to time alone it belongs to wear out the tears of affliction.
—Marshall, Florence A. Thomas
bring together into a single whole or system
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The Chinese government is now trying to consolidate dozens of small rare earth mining companies into three state-owned giants.
—New York Times (Mar 9, 2012)
obvious to the eye or mind
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Their clothes are never conspicuous; they detract rather than attract attention.
—Bok, Edward W.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He lifted himself up on his right elbow; to his horror and consternation, there were two or three spots of blood upon the white sheet.
—Jones, P.
having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Recipes are all thoroughly tested in consummate Cook's Illustrated style, which means you won't be wasting time with any duds.
—Seattle Times (Dec 18, 2010)
make impure
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Some wells and springs are still contaminated with uranium and other toxic heavy metals, a legacy of 40 years of mining.
—New York Times (Apr 6, 2012)
consider as a possibility
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He had never liked him in the old days, but he was far too good-natured to contemplate any serious bloodshed.
—Heyer, Georgette
occurring in the same period of time
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
In all cases, these materials have been introduced into the cave at some period subsequent to, or contemporaneous with, the formation of the cave.
—Nicholson, Henry Alleyne
contrite
feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
At his death he was very contrite for the sins that he had committed against God before and after his baptism.
—Robertson, James Alexander
showing effects of planning or manipulation
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Here, team spirit feels neither corny nor contrived.
—New York Times (Nov 5, 2011)
marked by or capable of arousing controversy
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Both are taking staunchly conservative positions on controversial science issues: they are against regulating carbon emissions and oppose embryonic stem-cell research.
—Nature (Jan 25, 2012)
a difficult problem
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
This could solve a conundrum for beekeepers - how to tackle the mites without damaging the bees they live so intimately with.
—BBC (Dec 22, 2010)
converse
carry on a conversation
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
They conversed in French, but the snake made no movement.
—Various
occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Large family groups and neighborhood regulars fill the dining room and the long, convivial bar.
—New York Times (Jul 25, 2010)
copious
large in number or quantity (especially of discourse)
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
During hot dry summers especially, copious waterings should be given.
—Weathers, John
cordial
politely warm and friendly
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
My personal relations with Mr. Taft had of course always been most cordial and agreeable.
—Straus, Oscar S.
a statistical relation between two or more variables such that systematic changes in the value of one variable are accompanied by systematic changes in the other
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The analysis did not prove that sleeping pills cause death, critics noted, only that there may be a correlation between the two.
—New York Times (Mar 12, 2012)
support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Such resemblances can prove little or nothing unless they are corroborated by evidence based on historical grounds.
—Nicholson, Reynold
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
On looking on the countenance of Mr. Barry at this moment, Mrs. Palmer was surprised to see it deadly pale.
—Cobbold, Richard
coup
a sudden and decisive change of government illegally or by force
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed says he has been forced out in a coup.
—BBC (Feb 11, 2012)
covert
secret or hidden; not openly practiced or engaged in or shown or avowed
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Covert channels are used to transfer sensitive information outside of the enterprise without being detected by gateway security solutions.
—Forbes (Dec 23, 2011)
coveted
greatly desired
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Among other things of Chinese provenance earnestly coveted by us, perhaps the most desired were books.
—Hara, Katsuro
cower
show submission or fear
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
And there, in one corner, frightened, with guilt writ plain all over her, cowered Lady.
—Terhune, Albert Payson
craven
lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Was it for them to follow the craven footsteps of a cowardly generation?
—Robinson, Victor
credence
the mental attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“I am surprised that plaintiffs’ hyperbolic allegations and inflated damage claims are given any credence,” said the bank’s top lawyer, Gary Lynch.
—New York Times (Aug 26, 2011)
credible
appearing to merit belief or acceptance
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
So far, no credible studies have linked exposure to radio waves to cancer.
—Forbes (Nov 16, 2011)
brought low in spirit
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Week after week, he roamed the streets of New York, looking for work, and every night returned to Hoboken, crestfallen and disappointed.
—Gilson, Charles
the ideal in terms of which something can be judged
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Each has promised to limit child-directed advertising of its least-healthy products, focusing instead on healthier op tions meeting nutritional criteria that each company established independently.
—Chicago Tribune (Mar 5, 2012)
cryptic
having a secret or hidden meaning
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“Lost” represented his most intricate, steadfastly cryptic mystery box, a drawn-out tease during which questions multiplied twice as fast as answers.
—New York Times (May 29, 2011)
end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Following Nevada, there are five nomination contests in February, including caucuses in Maine that started this weekend and will culminate later next week.
—BusinessWeek (Feb 5, 2012)
culpable
deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil or injurious
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
May even the culpable be pardoned; they are punished sufficiently by remorse.
—Garibaldi, Giuseppe
prepare for crops
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
A farmer living in rural Ethiopia, for example, will often cultivate all of the food his family needs, selling only if there is a surplus.
—Scientific American (Apr 6, 2012)
marked by refinement in taste and manners
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Dorothy admired Mrs. Faulkner's lovely gracious disposition, and her clever cultivated mind.
—Wells, Carolyn
difficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Shabby infrastructure, cumbersome bureaucracy, a meandering tax regime and a nascent local supplier base are holding back industrial growth and more foreign investment.
—Reuters (Jun 13, 2011)
increasing by successive addition
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
The unemployment rate has declined for four straight months, falling a cumulative 0.6 percentage point.
—Reuters (Feb 1, 2012)
cursory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He also said department examinations were often cursory, even though widely accepted protocols recommend detailed testing.
—New York Times (Jul 13, 2010)
curtail
terminate or abbreviate before its intended or proper end or its full extent
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
Deep-rooted corruption was curtailing justice in Pakistan, he added.
—New York Times (Jan 23, 2012)
cyclical
recurring in cycles
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
“These things are cyclical, there are some years that are happier than others,” he said.
—New York Times (May 15, 2011)
cynical
believing the worst of human nature and motives; having a sneering disbelief in e.g. selflessness of others
EXAMPLE SENTENCE:
He tried not to become jaded or cynical, he said, and retained hope that people who had made mistakes could turn their lives around.
—New York Times (Oct 7, 2011)
become, get, go, turn