300 advanced frequency based words

The words are presented in order from the highest to the lowest frequency. This means that the first words in the list tend to appear the most often in the exam texts, academic textbooks, articles, etc.

300 Advanced Frequency-based Words in Motivating Contexts Study online at quizlet.com/_1ydec5 document (v) record for evidence, substantiate E.g Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself - what you're wearing, who you're around, what you're doing Recreate and repeat (Warsan Shire) comprehensive (adj.) including much, extensive E.g A man, to be greatly good, must imagine intensely and comprehensively; he must put himself in the place of another and of many others; the pains and pleasures of his species must become his own (Percy Bysshe Shelley) calculated (adj.) deliberate, planned E.g Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one's ideas, to take a calculated risk - and to act (Maxwell Maltz) consensus (n.) agreement E.g To me, consensus seems to be the process of abandoning all beliefs, principles, values and policies So it is something in which no one believes and to which no one objects (Margaret Thatcher) resolve (n.) determination, firmness of purpose E.g Each of us has the right and the responsibility to assess the roads which lie ahead, and those over which we have traveled, and if the future road looms ominous or unpromising, and the roads back uninviting, then we need to gather our resolve and, carrying only the necessary baggage, step off that road into another direction If the new choice is also unpalatable, without embarrassment, we must be ready to change that as well (Maya Angelou) doctrine (n.) philosophy, school of thought, belief E.g The older I grow, the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom (H.L Mencken) provincial adj limited in outlook to one's own small corner of the world; narrow-minded E.g Man is always inclined to regard the small circle in which he lives as the center of the world and to make his particular, private life the standard of the universe But he must give up this vain pretense, this petty provincial way of thinking and judging (Ernst Cassirer) inherent (adj.) inborn E.g Shyness is the fear of social disapproval or humiliation, while introversion is a preference for environments that are not overstimulating Shyness is inherently painful; introversion is not (Susan Cain) gravity (n.) severity; seriousness; solemnity E.g I suppose I'll have to add the force of gravity to my list of enemies (Lemony Snicket) 10 obscure (v.) make unclear, make vague; make indistinct E.g Fiction reveals truth that reality obscures (Jessamyn West) 11 restraint (n.) moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction E.g Why are we so full of restraint? Why we not give in all directions? Is it fear of losing ourselves? Until we lose ourselves there is no hope of finding ourselves (Henry Miller) 12 arbitrary (adj.) wanton, reckless; uncontrolled, unreasonable E.g All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values (Marshall McLuhan) 13 detached (adj.) separate; impartial; aloof E.g Too unconcerned to love and too passionless to hate, too detached to be selfish and too lifeless to be unselfish, too indifferent to experience joy and too cold to express sorrow, they are neither dead nor alive; they merely exist (Martin Luther King) 14 prevalence (adj.) commonness, state of being widespread, currentness, predominance E.g Comedy is deemed inferior to tragedy primarily because of the social prevalence of narcissistic pathology In other words people who are too self-important to laugh at their own frequently ridiculous behavior have vested interest in gravity because it supports their illusions of grandiosity (Tom Robbins) 15 vigorous (adj.) energetic; forceful; strong and healthy E.g We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there "is" such a thing as being too late This is no time for apathy or complacency This is a time for vigorous and postive action (Martin Luther King Jr ) 16 rhetoric (n.) describes speech or writing which is intended to seem important or persuasive E.g Out of the quarrel with others we make rhetoric; out of the quarrel with ourselves we make poetry (W.B Yeats) 17 peripheral (adj.) circumferential; marginal E.g Real life was something happening in her peripheral vision (Rainbow Rowell) 18 derive (v.) obtain, gain; come from; deduce E.g I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship (Brené Brown) 19 predecessor (n.) a person or thing that has held a position or office before another E.g Always dream and shoot higher than you know you can Do not bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors Try to be better than yourself (William Faulkner) 20 undermine (v) weaken; injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way E.g When people cheat in any arena, they diminish themselves-they threaten their own self-esteem and their relationships with others by undermining the trust they have in their ability to succeed and in their ability to be true (Cheryl Hughes) 21 superficial (adj.) on or near the surface; concerned with or understanding only what is on the surface, shallow E.g We will gradually become indifferent to what goes on in the minds of other people when we acquire a knowledge of the superficial nature of their thoughts, the narrowness of their views and of the number of their errors Whoever attaches a lot of value to the opinions of others pays them too much honor (Arthur Schopenhauer) 22 proliferation (n.) rapid growth; spread; multiplication E.g For nearly a century, the moral relativism of science has given faith-based religion-that great engine of ignorance and bigotry-a nearly uncontested claim to being the only universal framework for moral wisdom As a result, the most powerful societies on early spend their time debating issues like gay marriage when they should be focused on problems like nuclear proliferation, genocide, energy security, climate change, poverty, and failing schools (Sam Harris) 23 pragmatic (adj) practical; dealing with actual facts and reality E.g Even the most pragmatic person fell victim at times to a longing for something other (Kate Morton) 24 ironic (adj.) sarcastic, ironical E.g It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when they have lost their way (Rollo May) 25 robust (adj.) healthy E.g All opinions are not equal Some are a very great deal more robust, sophisticated and well supported in logic and argument than others (Douglas Adams) 26 disclose (v.) reveal, divulge, expose E.g Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either - but right through every human heart - and through all human hearts This line shifts Inside us, it oscillates with the years (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn) 27 susceptible (adj.) open to; easily influenced; lacking in resistance E.g Here's something for you to remember; you might have been born into money, but you came out of a vagina the same as everyone else Popping out of one that's rich doesn't make you anything but lucky, or susceptible to being stuck your own arse Whichever (Suzanne Wright) 28 proximity (n.) adjacency, closeness E.g It takes so little, so infinitely little, for a person to cross the border beyond which everything loses meaning: love, convictions, faith, history Human life - and herein lies its secret - takes place in the immediate proximity of that border, even in direct contact with it; it is not miles away, but a fraction of an inch (Milan Kundera) 29 rigorous (n.) harsh, strict, severe; exact, precise E.g We should be rigorous in judging ourselves and gracious in judging others (John Wesley) 30 constraint (n.) restriction; force E.g Freedom is not being a slave to any circumstance, to any constraint, to any chance; it means compelling fortune to enter the lists on equal terms (Seneca the Elder) 31 induce (v.) cause, impel, deduce E.g Once upon a time there was a bear and a bee who lived in a wood and were the best of friends All summer long the bee collected nectar from morning to night while the bear lay on his back basking in the long grass When winter came the bear realised he had nothing to eat and thought to himself 'I hope that busy little bee will share some of his honey with me.' But the bee was nowhere to be found - he had died of a stress induced coronary disease (Banksy) 32 deterrent (n.) obstacle E.g "I've often thought that beauty can be a deterrent to love," Fern's father mused "Why?" "Because sometimes we fall in love with a face and not what's behind it." (Amy Harmon) 33 articulate (adj.) well spoken, eloquent E.g Talkers are usually more articulate than doers, since talk is their specialty (Thomas Sowell) 34 indifference (n.) apathy, unconcern, detachment, disinterest E.g The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference." (Elie Wiesel) 35 predator (n.) an animal that naturally preys on others E.g It's like when a kitten tries to bite something to death The kitten clearly has the cold-blooded murderous instinct of a predator, but at the same time, it's this cute little kitten, and all you want to is stuff it in a shoebox and shoot a video of it for grandmas to watch on YouTube (Jesse Andrews) 36 tentative (adj.) experimental in nature; uncertain, hesitant E.g It is not what the man of science believes that distinguishes him, but how and why he believes it His beliefs are tentative, not dogmatic; they are based on evidence, not on authority or intuition (Bertrand Russell) 37 dissent (v.) disagree on, dispute, oppose E.g I wish I could say that racism and prejudice were only distant memories We must dissent from the indifference We must dissent from the apathy We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust We must dissent because America can better, because America has no choice but to better (Thurgood Marshall) 38 exhaust (v.) to use all of sth so that there is none left E.g When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this - you haven't (Thomas A Edison) 39 turbulent (adj.) disorderly, riotous, violent; stormy E.g The need to go astray, to be destroyed, is an extremely private, distant, passionate, turbulent truth (Georges Bataille) 40 turmoil (n) a state of great confusion or disorder; mental strain or agitation E.g When I'm in turmoil, when I can't think, when I'm exhausted and afraid and feeling very, very alone, I go for walks It's just one of those things I I walk and I walk and sooner or later something comes to me, something to make me feel less like jumping off a building (Jim Butcher) 41 volatile (adj.) highly changeable, fickle; tending to become violent or explosive E.g This may come as a shock to some of you, but I have a slightly volatile personality I don't suffer fools well (Tucker Max) 42 apprehension (n.) fearful expectation or anticipation E.g There's always apprehension whenever I launch anything, it seems When I launch a tour, people are always, 'Oooh, is this gonna work?' And when I launch an album: 'Ooh, is this gonna work?' Or a new video 'Really?' It's always like that - but I've always acted on the impulse that I have nothing to lose (Mika) 43 sanction (v.) approve; ratify E.g I made no resolutions for the New Year The habit of making plans, of criticizing, sanctioning and molding my life, is too much of a daily event for me (Anaïs Nin) 44 concede (v.) admit, yield, give up E.g If there is no struggle there is no progress Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle Power concedes nothing without a demand It never did and it never will (Frederick Douglass) 45 homogeneous (adj.) the same E.g In scientific thinking are always present elements of poetry Science and music requires a thought homogeneous (Albert Einstein) 46 contentious (adj.) belligerent, argumentative E.g It is better to dwell in the wilderness, than with a contentious and angry woman (Bible) 47 prudent (adj) wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future E.g Run from what's comfortable Forget safety Live where you fear to live Destroy your reputation Be notorious I have tried prudent planning long enough From now on I'll be mad (Rumi) 48 lavish (v.) expend profusely, give in large amounts E.g Great minds that are healthy are never considered geniuses, while this sublime qualification is lavished on brains that are often inferior but are slightly touched by madness (Guy de Maupassant) 49 degradation (n.) humiliation, dishonor E.g I have come to the conclusion that it's a waste of time to have too much pride in anything Perhaps it's good to have a sense of duty, a jealous zeal to protect or improve, but pride ultimately is only that which stands vulnerable to offense and degradation (Henry Rollins) 50 ingenious (adj.) brilliant, someone's ability to think of clever new ways of doing something E.g Better is possible It does not take genius It takes diligence It takes moral clarity It takes ingenuity And above all, it takes a willingness to try (Atul Gawande) 51 mundane (adj.) banal, normal; earthy E.g Today is a new day Don't let your history interfere with your destiny! Let today be the day you stop being a victim of your circumstances and start taking action towards the life you want You have the power and the time to shape your life Break free from the poisonous victim mentality and embrace the truth of your greatness You were not meant for a mundane or mediocre life! (Steve Maraboli) 52 transient (adj.) lasting only a short time, fleeting; (n.) one who stays only a short time E.g Music isn't just a pleasure, a transient satisfaction It's a need, a deep hunger; and when the music is right, it's joy Love A foretaste of heaven A comfort in grief Is it too much to think that perhaps God speaks to us sometimes through music? How, then, could I be so ungrateful as to refuse the message? (Orson Scott Card) 53 innate (adj.) inherent; inborn E.g You've been given the innate power to shape your life but you cannot just speak change, you have to LIVE change Intent paired with action builds the bridge to success You can't just want it; you have to it, live it BE it! Success isn't something you have, it's something you DO! (Steve Maraboli) 54 contend (v.) maintain, assert; compete E.g Only by contending with challenges that seem to be beyond your strength to handle at the moment you can grow more surely toward the stars (Brian Trac) 55 prolific (adj.) abundantly productive; abundant, profuse E.g There is something heroic about the way my fans operate their cameras So precisely, so intricately and so proudly Like Kings writing the history of their people, is their prolific nature that both creates and procures what will later be perceived as the kingdom (Lady Gaga) 56 archaic (adj.) ancient; no longer used E.g Painting and sculpture are very archaic forms It's the only thing left in our industrial society where an individual alone can make something with not just his own hands, but brains, imagination, heart maybe (Philip Guston) 57 discrepancy (n.) difference, lack of accord, inconsistency E.g There is a serious discrepancy between what we really wants, and what we usually to get what we think we want What we really want is to fill the hole inside and become complete, and what we is look for success and growth outside (Ilchi Lee) 58 pervasive (adj) tending to spread throughout E.g Deep in the human unconscious is a pervasive need for a logical universe that makes sense But the real universe is always one step beyond logic (Frank Herbert) 59 complacency (n.) contentment, self-satisfaction E.g Complacency by the watchdogs hurts both taxpayers and beneficiaries (Chuck Grassley) 60 benevolent (adj.) charitable, kind E.g We both can be the most beautiful and benevolent creatures on the planet, but then there's another side that can be as harsh and as ugly as the darkest thing you could imagine seeing (Terrence Howard) 61 diffuse (v.) spread, scatter, fan out E.g I learned early in life that laughter is a great way to diffuse and uncomfortable situation, so I began to use that as a tool, throughout my life (Romany Malco) 62 sporadic (adj) occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations E.g Our society is so fragmented, our family lives so sundered by physical and emotional distance, our friendships so sporadic, our intimacies so 'in-between' things and often so utilitarian, that there are few places where we can feel truly safe (Henri J.M Nouwen) 63 malicious (adj.) hateful E.g Don't listen to the malicious comments of those friends who, never taking any risks themselves, can only see other people's failures (Paulo Coelho) 64 ominous (adj.) sign of negative event E.g Ayn Rand's 'philosophy' is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil (Gore Vidal) 65 coercion (n.) compulsion, use of force E.g True freedom is the capacity for acting according to one's true character, to be altogether one's self, to be selfdetermined and not subject to outside coercion (Corliss Lamont) 66 mar (v.) damage, mutilate, spoil, deface E.g We laugh and laugh, and nothing can ever be sad, no one can be lost, or dead, or far away: right now we are here, and nothing can mar our perfection, or steal the joy of this perfect moment." (Audrey Niffenegger) 67 shudder (v) to shake suddenly with very small movements because of a very unpleasant thought or feeling E.g The true genius shudders at incompleteness — imperfection — and usually prefers silence to saying the something which is not everything that should be said (Edgar Allan Poe) 68 emulate (v.) copy E.g Grief and love are conjoined, you don't get one without the other All I can is love her, and love the world, emulate her by living with daring and spirit and joy (Jandy Nelson) 69 partisan (n.) one who fervently supports a specific group or cause E.g I hate the indifferent I believe that living means taking sides Those who really live cannot help being a citizen and a partisan Indifference and apathy are parasitism, perversion, not life That is why I hate the indifferent I am a partisan, I am alive, I feel the pulse of the activity of the future city that those on my side are building is alive in their conscience And in it, the social chain does not rest on a few; nothing of what happens in it is a matter of luck, nor the product of fate, but the intelligent work of the citizens Nobody in it is looking from the window of the sacrifice and the drain of a few Alive, I am a partisan That is why I hate the ones that don't take sides, I hate the indifferent (Antonio Gramsci) 70 salvage (v) save from destruction, rescue E.g You know a relationship has deteriorated past the point of salvage when one person detests another's gestures (Josephine Humphreys) 71 sage (adj.) wise; (n.) a very wise person E.g To paraphrase several sages: Nobody can think and hit someone at the same time (Susan Sontag) 72 diligence (n.) persistence, perseverance, industriousness E.g Few things are impossible to diligence and skill Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance (Samuel Johnson) 73 opaque (n.) unclear; muddy E.g We exist for ourselves, perhaps, and at times we even have a glimmer of who we are, but in the end we can never be sure, and as our lives go on, we become more and more opaque to ourselves, more and more aware of our own incoherence No one can cross the boundary into another - for the simple reason that no one can gain access to himself (Paul Auster) 74 eloquent (adj.) well-spoken, persuasive, convincing, silver-tongued E.g In my mind I am eloquent; I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts But when I open my mouth, everything collapses (Isaac Marion) 75 deference (n.) respect, reverence, esteem E.g To have respect for ourselves guides our morals; and to have a deference for others governs our manners (Lawrence Sterne ) 76 devious (adj.) dishonest, deceptive, crooked E.g With my physicality and my face, I don't think I could pull off a completely righteous guy There's something devious about my eyes I like characters with flaws and to see how they overcome those flaws I want to play real people, and they're flawed, not perfect (Emraan Hashmi) 77 preclude (v.) to make impossible, prevent, shut out E.g Accepting oneself does not preclude an attempt to become better (Flannery O'Connor) 78 lofty (adj.) elevated, noble E.g Great men are like eagles, and build their nest on some lofty solitude (Arthur Schopenhauer) 79 austere (adj.) strict, rigid; ascetic E.g I'm not shy in the spotlight I might seem austere and even arrogant, but far from it, I'm actually shy (Riccardo Muti) 80 inert (adj.) not moving (E.g The only thing more painful than being an active forgetter is to be an inert rememberer." (Jonathan Safran Foer) 81 heterogeneous (adj.) of different mixture E.g Memory has its own special kind It selects, eliminates, alters, exaggerates, minimizes, glorifies, and vilifies also; but in the end it creates its own reality, its heterogeneous but usually coherent version of events; and no sane human being ever trusts someone else's version more than his own (Salman Rushdie) 82 vow (n.) a solemn or sacred promise or pledge; (v.) to declare or promise in a solemn way 83 expedient (adj.) worthwhile E.g On some positions, cowardice asks the question, is it expedient? And then expedience comes along and asks the question, is it politic? Vanity asks the question, is it popular? Conscience asks the question, is it right? There comes a time when one must take the position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must it because conscience tells him it is right (Martin Luther King Jr.) 84 composure (n.) calmness, equanimity E.g Genuine good taste consists in saying much in few words, in choosing among our thoughts, in having order and arrangement in what we say, and in speaking with composure (Francois Fenelon) 85 fervor (n.) ardor, passion, eagerness; great heat E.g Those who direct the maximum force of their desires towards the center, toward the true being, toward perfection, seem quieter than the passionate souls because the flame of their fervor cannot always be seen In argument, for example, they will not shout and wave their arms But I assure you, they are nevertheless burning with subdued fires." (Hermann Hesse) 86 apathy (n.) indifference, absence of emotion or enthusiasm (E.g Willpower is the key to success Successful people strive no matter what they feel by applying their will to overcome apathy, doubt or fear (Dan Millman) 87 bolster (v.) strengthen, reinforce E.g If the United Nations is to survive, those who represent it must bolster it; those who advocate it must submit to it; and those who believe in it must fight for it (Norman Cousins) 88 antagonism (n.) opposition, resistance E.g My opinion on who's wrong or who's right has nothing to with the fact that we have to bring together people who are against each other, to transform antagonism into cooperation (Harri Holkeri) 89 discern (v.) distinguish, perceive E.g As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light of meaning in the darkness of mere being (C.G Jung) 90 acclaim (v.) praise, extol E.g Did you ever stop to think that a great man in life, who has won great acclaim and great reputation, is the very man who is willing to share and give the honor to others in the doing of things that made him great? (Charles M Schwab) 91 commemorate (v.) honor, pay tribute E.g Life is a lot more interesting if you are interested in the people and the places around you So, illuminate your little patch of ground, the people that you know, the things that you want to commemorate Light them up with your art, with your music, with your writing, with whatever it is that you (Alan Moore) 92 impeccable (adj.) faultless, perfect; free from sin, pure E.g Be impeccable with your word Don't take anything personally Don't make assumptions Always your best (Miguel Ruiz) 93 reverence (n.) veneration, sense of deep respect; gesture of honor E.g Spring passes and one remembers one's innocence Summer passes and one remembers one's exuberance Autumn passes and one remembers one's reverence Winter passes and one remembers one's perseverance (Yoko Ono) 94 exemplary (adj.) top E.g You give up on what you need to be doing because you forget that you're worth it This is why most people aren't leading exemplary lives You have to believe in yourself so much that you're willing to what's uncomfortable, timeconsuming, inconvenient, and on occasion seemingly impossible When you don't believe in yourself this much, pretend (Victoria Moran) 95 linger (v.) stay around, tarry, persist E.g Everyone makes choices in life Some bad, some good It's called living, and if you want to bow out, then go right ahead But don't it halfway Don't linger in whiner's limbo." (Maria V Snyder) 96 sluggish (adj.) lazy; slow-moving; not active, dull E.g But we never get back our youth The pulse of joy that beats in us at twenty becomes sluggish Our limbs fail, our senses rot We degenerate into hideous puppets, haunted by the memory of the passions of which we were too much afraid, and the exquisite temptations that we had not the courage to yield to (Oscar Wilde) 97 adversary (n.) opponent, rival, enemy E.g We have been conditioned to see the passing of time as an adversary (Menachem Mendel Schneerson) 98 disperse (v.) scatter, send out; be scattered E.g Now I know what loneliness is, I think Momentary loneliness, anyway It comes from a vague core of the self - like a disease of the blood, dispersed throughout the body so that one cannot locate the matrix, the spot of contagion 99 cessation (n.) a temporary discontinuance E.g The Buddha said that suffering was caused by desire, we'd learned, and that the cessation of desire meant the cessation of suffering When you stopped wishing things wouldn't fall apart, you'd stop suffering when they did (John Green) 100 disdain (v.) contempt, scorn E.g The biggest moments of insecurity come when all self-confidence is lost and you feel like people are watching and judging It should be the opposite You should feel like the people who are watching care about you This is something we can try to give each other - the feeling that eyes signal support, not disdain ( Miley Cyrus) 101 indignant (adj.) irate, angry, furious; exasperated, resentful E.g There is perhaps no phenomenon which contains so much destructive feeling as 'moral indignation,' which permits envy or hate to be acted out under the guise of virtue (Erich Fromm) 102 oblivion (n.) unawareness, state of complete forgetfulness E.g "I'm in love with you," he said quietly "Augustus," I said "I am," he said He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling "I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you." (John Green) 103 astute (adj.) clever, acute, shrewd E.g One of the funny things about the stock market is that every time one person buys, another sells, and both think they are astute (William Feather) 104 piety (n.) devotion E.g The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion, and the tyranny of the dull mind forever threatens but our lives are not as limited as we think they are, all things are possible, laughter is holier than piety, freedom is sweeter than fame, and in the end it's love and love alone that really matters (Tom Robbins) 105 superfluous (adj.) exceeding what is sufficient or required, excess E.g Obedience, fasting, and prayer are laughed at, yet only through them lies the way to real true freedom I cut off my superfluous and unnecessary desires, I subdue my proud and wanton will and chastise it with obedience, and with God's help I attain freedom of spirit and with it spiritual joy (Fyodor Dostoyevsky) 106 erroneous (adj.) wrong, incorrect, mistaken, inaccurate E.g What disturbs and depresses young people is the hunt for happiness on the firm assumption that it must be met with in life From this arises constantly deluded hope and so also dissatisfaction Deceptive images of a vague happiness hover before us in our dreams, and we search in vain for their original Much would have been gained if, through timely advice and instruction, young people could have had eradicated from their minds the erroneous notion that the world has a great deal to offer them (Arthur Schopenhauer) 107 rectify (v.) make better, calibrate E.g No, the secret is that there's no reward and we have to endure our characters and our natures as best we can, because no amount of experience or insight is going to rectify our deficiencies, our self-regard, or our cupidity We have to learn that our desires not find any real echo in the world We have to accept that the people we love not love us, or not in the way we hope We have to accept betrayal and disloyalty, and, hardest of all, that someone is finer than we are in character or intelligence (Sándor Márai) 108 divergent (adj.) diverging from another or a standard E.g I feel like someone breathed new air into my lungs I am not Abnegation I am not Dauntless I am Divergent (Veronica Roth) 109 alleviate (v.) relieve, allay, soothe E.g Everybody should have a fair deal; everybody should have the chance to life in this world If we were evolved as human beings, we would hopefully be able to alleviate suffering in the world (Vivienne Westwood) 110 aloof (adj.) unfriendly, standoffish, indifferent E.g I love Obama's calm and dignity A lot of people confuse that with being aloof, but I know people that have held that job It's a 24-hour barrage of information (Stephen Stills) 111 remorse (n.) regret, guilty feeling E.g All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened and after you are finished reading one you will feel that all that happened to you and afterwards it all belongs to you: the good and the bad, the ecstasy, the remorse and sorrow, the people and the places and how the weather was If you can get so that you can give that to people, then you are a writer (Ernest Hemingway) 125 ascendancy (n.) domination, superiority, supremacy E.g The Japanese put houses in among the trees and allowed nature to gain the ascendancy in any composition (Stephen Gardiner) 126 aversion (n.) a feeling of intense dislike E.g I deeply detest social distinction and snobbery, and in that lies my strong aversion to titular honours (Helen Clark) 127 conciliatory (adj.) pacifying, appeasing E.g If you're not very clever you should be conciliatory (Benjamin Disraeli) 128 ratify (v.) approve, confirm E.g All over the place, from the popular culture to the propaganda system, there is constant pressure to make people feel that they are helpless, that the only role they can have is to ratify decisions and to consume (Noam Chomsky) 129 innocuous (adj.) harmless E.g You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living Then you read a book or you take a trip and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure That is all It appears like an innocuous illness Monotony, boredom, death Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it They work in offices They drive a car They picnic with their families They raise children And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death Some never awaken (Anaïs Nin) 130 antidote (n.) remedy E.g Good humor is a tonic for mind and body It is the best antidote for anxiety and depression It is a business asset It attracts and keeps friends It lightens human burdens It is the direct route to serenity and contentment (Grenville Kleiser) 131 hamper (v.) impede, hinder E.g Understanding the difference between healthy striving and perfectionism is critical to laying down the shield and picking up your life Research shows that perfectionism hampers success In fact, it's often the path to depression, anxiety, addiction, and life paralysis (Brené Brown) 132 anecdote (n.) story (E.g Art to me is an anecdote of the spirit, and the only means of making concrete the purpose of its varied quickness and stillness (Mark Rothko) 133 diminution (n.) reduction E.g The first thing which I can record concerning myself is, that I was born These are wonderful words This life, to which neither time nor eternity can bring diminution - this everlasting living soul, began My mind loses itself in these depths (Groucho Marx) 134 perpetuate (v.) eternalize, make everlasting E.g Resentment always hurts you more than it does the person you resent While your offender has probably forgotten the offense and gone on with life, you continue to stew in your pain, perpetuating the past Listen: those who hurt you in the past cannot continue to hurt you now unless you hold on to the pain through resentment Your past is past! Nothing will change it You are only hurting yourself with your bitterness For your own sake, learn from it, and then let it go (Rick Warren) 135 unscathed (adj.) wholly unharmed, not injured E.g It's impossible to go through life unscathed Nor should you want to By the hurts we accumulate, we measure both our follies and our accomplishments." (Christopher Paolini) 136 pacifist (n.) lover of peace E.g Wise men are not pacifists; they are merely less likely to jump up and retaliate against their antagonizers They know that needless antagonizers are virtually already insecure enough (Criss Jami) 11 137 cryptic (adj.) obscure, puzzling, concealing E.g Maps encourage boldness They're like cryptic love letters They make anything seem possible (Mark Jenkins) 138 lament (v.) mourn, grieve for E.g Both looked back then on the wild revelry and they lamented that it had cost them so much of their lives to find the paradise of shared solitude." (Gabriel Garcí¬a Márquez) 139 refute (v.) dispute, rebut, disprove, prove false E.g.There are also those who inadvertently grant power to another man's words by continuously trying to spite him If a man gets to the point where he can simply say, 'The sky is blue,' and people indignantly rush up trying to refute him saying, 'No, the sky is light blue,' then, whether they realize it or not, he has become an authority figure even to such adversaries (Criss Jami) 140 censure (n.) harsh criticism or disapproval E.g It is folly for an eminent man to think of escaping censure, and a weakness to be affected with it All the illustrious persons of antiquity, and indeed of every age in the world, have passed through this fiery persecution (Joseph Addison) 141 incongruous (adj.) inhamornious, inconsistent E.g A lonely, quiet person has observations and experiences that are at once both more indistinct and more penetrating than those of one more gregarious; his thoughts are weightier, stranger, and never without a tinge of sadness Loneliness fosters that which is original, daringly and bewilderingly beautiful, poetic But loneliness also fosters that which is perverse, incongruous, absurd, forbidden (Thomas Mann) 142 profusion (n.) a plentiful supply; a great or generous amount E.g I'll admit that my garden now grows hope in lavish profusion, leaving little room for anything else I suppose it has squeezed out more practical plants like caution and common sense Still, though, hope does not flourish in every garden, and I feel thankful it has taken root in mine (Sharon Kay Penman) 143 unwarranted (adj.) unjustified; groundless; undeserved E.g The unwarranted devotion Putting up with the fear of being with the wrong person because you can't deal with the fear of being alone The hope tinged with doubt, and the doubt tinged with hope Every time I see these feelings in someone else's face, it weighs me down (David Levithan) 144 mitigate (v.) soften in force or severity; lessen the impact or intensity of; appease, make easier, sweeten E.g Yes, it's vital to make lifestyle choices to mitigate damage caused by being a member of industrialized civilization, but to assign primary responsibility to oneself, and to focus primarily on making oneself better, is an immense copout, an abrogation of responsibility." (Derrick Jensen) 145 renounce (v.) to give up or resign something E.g But time, as well as healing all wounds, taught me something strange too: that it's possible to love more than one person in a lifetime I remarried I'm very happy with my new wife, and I can't imagine living without her This, however, doesn't mean that I have to renounce all my past experiences, as long as I'm careful not to compare my two lives You can't measure love the way you can the length of a road or the height of a building (Paulo Coelho) 146 cursory (adj.) quick and probably not detailed E.g We not talk - we bludgeon one another with facts and theories gleaned from cursory readings of newspapers, magazines and digests 147 adversity (n) hardship, adverse fortune E.g Every adversity, every failure, every heartache carries with it the seed of an equal or greater benefit (Napoleon Hill) 148 implausible (adj.) not feasible E.g There is boring There is sensational There is mediocre There is lazy There is good There is evil People implausible things all the time, and they run the gamut of moderately weird to truly extraordinary But there is no normal The world is an unbelievable place full of unbelievable people doing unbelievable things (Penny Reid) 12 149 augment (v.) improve, enlarge, enhance E.g There are two ways of being happy: We must either diminish our wants or augment our means - either may - the result is the same and it is for each man to decide for himself and to that which happens to be easier (Benjamin Franklin) 150 eclectic (adj.) odd; obscure E.g Postmodernity is said to be a culture of fragmentary sensations, eclectic nostalgia, disposable simulacra, and promiscuous superficiality, in which the traditionally valued qualities of depth, coherence, meaning, originality, and authenticity are evacuated or dissolved amid the random swirl of empty signals (Jean Baudrillard) 151 elation (n.) a state of extreme happiness or excitement E.g Science is not only compatible with spirituality; it is a profound source of spirituality When we recognize our place in an immensity of light‐years and in the passage of ages, when we grasp the intricacy, beauty, and subtlety of life, then that soaring feeling, that sense of elation and humility combined, is surely spiritual So are our emotions in the presence of great art or music or literature, or acts of exemplary selfless courage such as those of Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr The notion that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both (Carl Sagan) 152 impair (v.) hinder, spoil, mar, damage, weaken E.g Real strength never impairs beauty or harmony, but it often bestows it, and in everything imposingly beautiful, strength has much to with the magic." (Herman Melville) 153 artisan (n.) craftsman, skilled workman E.g I am an artisan I only became an artist when people watch what I That is when it becomes art (Rhys Ifans) 154 denounce (v.) condemn, criticize E.g Denounce useless guilt Don't make a cult of suffering Live in the now (or at least the soon) Always the things you fear most Courage is an acquired taste like caviar Trust all joy If the evil eye fixes you in its gaze, look elsewhere Get ready to be 87 (Erica Jong) 155 furtive (adj.) surreptitious, stealthy; sly, shifty E.g We can never go back again, that much is certain The past is still close to us The things we have tried to forget and put behind us would stir again, and that sense of fear, of furtive unrest, struggling at length to blind unreasoning panic - now mercifully stilled, thank God - might in some manner unforeseen become a living companion as it had before." (Daphne du Maurier) 156 deplorable (adj.) Distressing; pitiable; scandalous E.g He who joyfully marches to music rank and file has already earned my contempt He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance and all the loathsome nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder (Albert Einstein) 157 ephemeral (adj.) short-lived E.g Thoughts are ephemeral, they evaporate in the moment they occur, unless they are given action and material form Wishes and intentions, the same Meaningless, unless they impel you to one choice or another, some deed or course of action, however insignificant Thoughts that lead to action can be dangerous Thoughts that not, mean less than nothing (Ann Leckie) 158 altruistic (adj.) selfless, devoted to others E.g We are selfish when we are exclusively or predominantly concerned with the good for ourselves We are altruistic when we are exclusively or predominantly concerned with the good of others (Mortimer Adler) 159 notoriety (n.) reputation, infamy, E.g Men often mistake notoriety for fame, and would rather be noticed for their vices than not be noticed at all (Harry S Truman) 13 160 exuberance (n.) enthusiasm, ebullience E.g Passion has little to with euphoria and everything to with patience It is not about feeling good It is about endurance Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati It does not mean to flow with exuberance It means to suffer (Mark Z Danielewski) 161 discord (n) disharmony, dissension, disagreement E.g Out of clutter, find simplicity From discord, find harmony In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity (Albert Einstein) 162 impede (v.) hinder, delay, obstruct; hinder, thwart, prevent E.g I will not be "famous," "great." I will go on adventuring, changing, opening my mind and my eyes, refusing to be stamped and stereotyped The thing is to free one's self: to let it find its dimensions, not be impeded (Virginia Woolf) 163 submissive (adj.) compliant, obedient E.g Every woman who is aroused by submission is also aroused by an alpha male who can tame her These women aren't looking for a husband in the bedroom who will make them feel safe and loved They already have that in their relationship These women are looking for a man who is strong enough to conquer them That way the woman can still feel vibrant and independent but also feel comfortable submitting to their lover That's the turn-on for women They don't want to be submissive they want to feel like they can't resist submitting (Jason Luke) 164 seclusion (n.) isolation; solitude E.g I need to be alone I need to ponder my shame and my despair in seclusion; I need the sunshine and the paving stones of the streets without companions, without conversation, face to face with myself, with only the music of my heart for company (Henry Miller) 165 exacerbate (v.) make worse E.g It's effortless to let go of self-absorbed people It's challenging to let go of someone you care about and it's exceedingly difficult to let go of an ideal and a belief in someone because what exacerbates the disappointment of finding out they weren't who they presented themselves to be, is the betrayal of it (Donna Lynn Hope) 166 gratuitous (adj.) not necessary; with no cause E.g And I realize how useless wails are and how gratuitous melancholy is (Mircea Eliade) 167 virtuoso (n.) a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique E.g Where we are from stories are factual If a farmer is declared a music virtuoso by the state, everyone had better start calling him maestro And secretly, he'd be wise to start practicing the piano For us, the story is more important than the person If a man and his story are in conflict, it is the man who must change (Adam Johnson) 168 obstinate (adj.) stubborn, bullheaded; inflexible E.g Charlotte slammed the paper down onto her desk with an exclamation of rage "Aloysius Starkweather is the most stubborn, hypocritical, obstinate, degenerate—" She broke off, clearly fighting for control of her temper Tessa had never seen Charlotte's mouth so firmly set into a hard line "Would you like a thesaurus?" Will inquired "You seem to be running out of words." (Cassandra Clare) 169 antiquated (adj.) out-of-date, obsolete E.g No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated (Ellen Glasgow) 170 brevity (n.) shortness, terseness E.g Four basic premises of writing: clarity, brevity, simplicity, and humanity (William Zinsser) 171 repel (v.) repulse, reject (E.g I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life (F Scott Fitzgerald) 14 172 scrupulous (adj.) exact, careful, attending thoroughly to details; having high moral standards, principled E.g A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? (George Orwell) 173 gullible (adj.) naive; trusting E.g If others think I am nuts, naive, gullible, and not living in the real world, that's all right, too I'll gladly stay in what some have called my fictitious world, my happy and peaceful world, a world full of signs of hope (Ward Foley) 174 hypocritical (adj.) two-faced, insincere, duplicitous, false E.g I wore black because I liked it I still do, and wearing it still means something to me It's still my symbol of rebellion against a stagnant status quo, against our hypocritical houses of God, against people whose minds are closed to others' ideas (Johnny Cash) 175 intrepid (adj.) brave, fearless E.g Fortune helps the intrepid and abandons the cowards I am the daughter of a man who did not know of fear Whatever may come, I am resolved to follow that course until death (Caterina Sforza) 176 anarchist (n.) revolutionary, a person in favor of lawlessness E.g All comedians are, in a way, anarchists Our job is to make fun of the existing world (Bob Newhart) 177 analogous (adj.) parallel; similar, comparable (E.g The director is a bit analogous to the conductor of a symphony orchestra It's a collaborative adventure (Nicholas Meyer) 178 appease (adj.) placate, soothe, bring peace E.g All attempts to appease the Nazis between 1934 and 1939 through various agreements and pacts were morally unacceptable and politically senseless, harmful and dangerous (Vladimir Putin) 179 gregariousness (n.) quality of being outgoing, sociability E.g Love is essential, gregariousness is optional (Susan Cain) 180 disseminate (v.) scatter, spread, disperse E.g I'm not better, you know The weight hasn't left my head I feel how easily I could fall back into it, lie down and not eat, waste my time and curse wasting my time, look at my homework and freak out and go and chill at Aaron's, look at Nia and be jealous again, take the subway home and hope that it has an accident, go and get my bike and head to the Brooklyn Bridge All of that is still there The only thing is, it's not an option now It's just a possibility, like it's a possibility that I could turn to dust in the next instant and be disseminated throughout the universe as an omniscient consciousness It's not a very likely possibility (Ned Vizzini) 181 repudiation (n.) rejection, disavowal; act of disowning, renouncement; denial, refusal; condemnation E.g First, we think all truth is beautiful, no matter how hideous its face may seem We accept all of nature, without any repudiation We believe there is more beauty in a harsh truth than in a pretty lie, more poetry in earthiness than in all the salons of Paris We think pain is good because it is the most profound of all human feelings We think sex is beautiful even when portrayed by a harlot and a pimp We put character above ugliness, pain above prettiness and hard, crude reality above all the wealth in France We accept life in its entirety without making moral judgments We think the prostitute is as good as the countess, the concierge as good as the general, the peasant as good as the cabinet minister, for they all fit into the pattern of nature and are woven into the design of life! (Irving Stone) 182 terse (adj.) brief and to the point E.g Briefing is not reading In fact it is the antithesis of reading Briefing is terse, factual and to the point Reading is untidy, discursive and perpetually inviting Briefing closes down a subject, reading opens it up (Alan Bennett) 15 183 morose (adj.) depressed, gloomy, irritable, bitter E.g So avoid using the word 'very' because it's lazy A man is not very tired, he is exhausted Don't use very sad, use morose Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women - and, in that endeavor, laziness will not It also won't in your essays (N.H Kleinbaum) 184 concur (v.) agree E.g For the creation of a masterwork of literature two powers must concur, the power of the man and the power of the moment, and the man is not enough without the moment (Matthew Arnold) 185 capricious (adj.) impulsive, fickle, changeable E.g As love without esteem is capricious and volatile; esteem without love is languid and cold (Jonathan Swift) 186 cordial (adj.) friendly, affable, amiable, genial E.g Tolerance is the positive and cordial effort to understand another's beliefs, practices, and habits without necessarily sharing or accepting them (Joshua Loth Liebman) 187 reprimand (n.) a rebuke, an act or expression of criticism and censure E.g Destiny is a lie Destiny is justification for atrocity It is the means by which murderers armour themselves against reprimand It is a word intended to stand in place of ethics, denying all moral context (Steven Erikson) 188 affable (adj.) friendly E.g I wasn't good at being affable You get beyond that and realise the attraction in any human being has more to with what they give to someone rather than just being face candy (Alison Moyet) 189 fastidious (adj.) hard to please, critical (E.g People who are too fastidious towards the finite never reach actuality, but linger in abstraction, and their light dies away." (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel) 190 placate (v.) to appease, soothe, pacify E.g I am not one of those weak-spirited, sappy Americans who want to be liked by all the people around them I don't care if people hate my guts; I assume most of them The important question is whether they are in a position to anything about it My affections, being concentrated over a few people, are not spread all over Hell in a vile attempt to placate sulky, worthless shits (William S Burroughs) 191 reticence (n.) taciturnity, uncommunicativeness E.g She was a dark, unenduring little flower - yet he thought he detected in her some quality of spiritual reticence, of strength drawn from her passive acceptance of all things In this he was mistaken (F Scott Fitzgerald) 192 condone (v.) forgive, pardon, overlook E.g As a global society, we not have to agree, endorse or condone the lifestyle choices of others However, history has taught us that we equally cannot and should not excuse those who would hide behind religion or misuse God's word to justify bigotry and persecution (Joyce Meyer) 193 scanty (adj.) inadequate, meager; insufficient E.g It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents, except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness (Edward Bulwer-Lytton) 194 lethargic (adj.) lazy (E.g The people not complain because they have no voice; not move because they are lethargic, and you say that they not suffer because you have not seen their hearts bleed." (José Rizal) 16 195 enmity (n.) hatred E.g Cities were always like people, showing their varying personalities to the traveler Depending on the city and on the traveler, there might begin a mutual love, or dislike, friendship, or enmity Where one city will rise a certain individual to glory, it will destroy another who is not suited to its personality Only through travel can we know where we belong or not, where we are loved and where we are rejected (Roman Payne) 196 negate (v.) to cause something to have no effect and therefore to be useless E.g I had jumped off the edge, and then, at the very last moment, something reached out and caught me in midair That something is what I define as love It is the one thing that can stop a man from falling, powerful enough to negate the laws of gravity (Paul Auster) 197 precocious (adj.) showing unusually early development (especially in talents and mental capacity) E.g When I pretended to be precocious, people started the rumor that I was precocious When I acted like an idler, rumor had it I was an idler When I pretended I couldn't write a novel, people said I couldn't write When I acted like a liar, they called me a liar When I acted like a rich man, they started the rumor I was rich When I feigned indifference, they classed me as the indifferent type But when I inadvertently groaned because I was really in pain, they started the rumor that I was faking suffering The world is out of joint (Osamu Dazai) 198 extraneous (adj.) inessential, irrelevant; external, coming from the outside E.g I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to I need not sell my soul to buy bliss I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give (Charlotte Brontë) 199 prodigal (adj) wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish E.g Never cease loving a person, and never give up hope for him, for even the prodigal son who had fallen most low, could still be saved; the bitterest enemy and also he who was your friend could again be your friend; love that has grown cold can kindle (Søren Kierkegaard) 200 flagrant (adj.) blatant, shameless, shocking because of being so obvious E.g Beautiful sunshine, cloudless skies, no one to play with, nothing to Living like this, the way I'm living at the moment, is harder in the summer when there is so much daylight, so little cover of darkness, when everyone is out and about, being flagrantly, aggressively happy It's exhausting, and it makes you feel bad if you're not joining in (Paula Hawkins) 201 adulation (n) flattery, fawning E.g Most good programmers programming not because they expect to get paid or get adulation by the public, but because it is fun to program (Linus Torvalds) 202 ascetic (adj.) self-denying, abstinent E.g Religions, which condemn the pleasures of sense, drive men to seek the pleasures of power Throughout history power has been the vice of the ascetic (Bertrand Russell) 203 ponderous (adj) heavy; bulky and unwieldy; dull, labored E.g In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age But ponderously, inevitably, it overtakes you (Brandon Mull) 204 fanaticism (n.) over enthusiasm E.g I'm for open-mindedness and tolerance I'm against any form of fanaticism, fundamentalism or zealotry, and this certainty of 'We have the truth.' The truth is far too large and complex Nobody has the truth (Philip Pullman) 205 candor (n.) honesty, forthrightness E.g Candor is a compliment; it implies equality It's how true friends talk (Peggy Noonan) 17 206 orator (n.) public speaker E.g Words have a magical power They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions Words are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men's actions (Sigmund Freud) 207 decorum (n.) good manner; etiquette, seemliness E.g Every man has his moral backside which he refrains from showing unless he has to and keeps covered as long as possible with the trousers of decorum (Georg C Lichtenberg) 208 inconsequential (adj.) unimportant, insignificant; irrelevant; illogical E.g I care," he said in a trembling voice "I care so much that I not know how to tell you without it seeming inconsequential compared to how I feel Even if I am distant at times and seem as if I not want to be with you, it is only because this scares me, too." ( Aimee Carter) 209 recluse (n.) a person who leads a life shut up or withdrawn from the world E.g Normally seven minutes of another person's company was enough to give her a headache so she set things up to live as a recluse She was perfectly content as long as people left her in peace Unfortunately society was not very smart or understanding (Stieg Larsson) 210 ostentatious (adj.) marked by conspicuous or pretentious display, showy E.g Sentimentality, the ostentatious parading of excessive and spurious emotion, is the mark of dishonesty the wet eyes of the sentimentalist betray his aversion to experience, his fear of life, his arid heart; and it is always, therefore, the signal of secret and violent inhumanity, the mark of cruelty (James Baldwin) 211 recount (v.) tell again E.g This is what I thought: for the most banal event to become an adventure, you must (and this is enough) begin to recount it This is what fools people: a man is always a teller of tales, he sees everything that happens to him through them; and he tries to live his own life as if he were telling a story But you have to choose: live or tell (Jean-Paul Sartre) 212 extricate (v.) untangle, release, free E.g Do not sleep under a roof Carry no money or food Go alone to places frightening to the common brand of men Become a criminal of purpose Be put in jail, and extricate yourself by your own wisdom (Miyamoto Musashi) 213 euphemism (n.) less severe word E.g Beauty of style and harmony and grace and good rhythm depend on simplicity - I mean the true simplicity of a rightly and nobly ordered mind and character, not that other simplicity which is only a euphemism for folly (Plato) 214 trite (adj.) unoriginal, expressed too frequently to be interesting or seem sincere E.g Rejoicing in ordinary things is not sentimental or trite It actually takes guts Each time we drop our complaints and allow everyday good fortune to inspire us, we enter the warrior's world (Pema Chödrön) 215 despondent (adj.) depressed, dejected, gloomy, melancholy E.g A word or a smile is often enough to put fresh life in a despondent soul (Thérèse de Lisieux) 216 immutable (adj.) unchangeable E.g Of course it hurt that we could never love each other in a physical way We would have been far more happy if we had But that was like the tides, the change of seasons -something immutable, an immovable destiny we could never alter No matter how cleverly we might shelter it, our delicate friendship wasn't going to last forever We were bound to reach a dead end That was painfully clear (Haruki Murakami) 217 servile (adj.) subservient, of or relating to a slave; behaving like or suitable for a slave or a servant, menial; lacking spirit or independence, abjectly submissive E.g To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public (Theodore Roosevelt) 18 218 confound (v.) bewilder, confuse; mix up E.g As every divided kingdom falls, so every mind divided between many studies confounds and saps itself (Leonardo DaVinci) 219 whimsical (adj.) subject to odd ideas, notions, or fancies; playful, unpredictable E.g One who has loved truly, can never lose entirely Love is whimsical and temperamental Its nature is ephemeral, and transitory It comes when it pleases, and goes away without warning Accept and enjoy it while it remains, but spend no time worrying about its departure Worry will never bring it back (Napoleon Hill) 220 duplicity (n.) deception; being two-faced E.g Those who blamed aggression formed Amity Those who blamed ignorance became the Erudite Those who blamed duplicity created Candor Those who blamed selfishness made Abnegation And those who blamed cowardice were the Dauntless (Veronica Roth) 221 rancor (n.) bitter resentment or ill-will E.g It began to seem that one would have to hold in the mind forever two ideas which seemed to be in opposition The first idea was acceptance, the acceptance, totally without rancor, of life as it is, and men as they are: in the light of this idea, it goes without saying that injustice is a commonplace But this did not mean that one could be complacent, for the second idea was of equal power: that one must never, in one own's life, accept these injustices as commonplace but must fight them with all one's strength (James Baldwin) 222 obliterate (v.) destroy, erase E.g I must not fear Fear is the mind-killer Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration I will face my fear I will permit it to pass over me and through me And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path Where the fear has gone there will be nothing Only I will remain (Frank Herbert, Dune) 223 curtailment (n.) reducing, shortening E.g Every season is likeable, and wet days and fine, red wine and white, company and solitude Even sleep, that deplorable curtailment of the joy of life, can be full of dreams; and the most common actions (Virginia Woolf) 224 guile (adj.) deceit, duplicity; fraud, cunning; trickery E.g I'm not a person who thinks they can have it all, but I certainly feel that with a bit of effort and guile I should be able to have more than my fair share (George Carlin) 225 inadvertent (adj.) unintentional, negligent, careless, heedless; accidental; neglectful E.g I had inadvertently walked through a door that I shouldn't have gone through and couldn't get back to the place I hadn't meant to leave (William Maxwell) 226 listless (adj.) lifeless E.g I was anti-everything and everyone I didn't want people around me This aversion was not some big crippling anxiety; merely a mature recognition of my own psychological vulnerability and my lack of suitability as a companion Thoughts jostled for space in my crowded brain as i struggled to give them some order which might serve to motivate my listless life (Irvine Welsh) 227 surpass (v.) to exceed or go beyond E.g Finally I am coming to the conclusion that my highest ambition is to be what I already am That I will never fulfill my obligation to surpass myself unless I first accept myself, and if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself (Thomas Merton) 228 incision (n.) a sharp cut made in something E.g If the incision of our words amounts to nothing but a feeling, a slow motion, it will still cut a better swath than the factory model, the corporate model, the penitentiary model, which by my lights are one and the same (C.D Wright) 19 229 vindicate (v.) prove innocence E.g Don't concern yourself with being right in others' eyes And don't secretly hope that their lives will fall apart so that your opinion will be vindicated Instead, concentrate on obeying God in your own life and, when possible, helping others to obey Him as well You don't have to prove others wrong to continue on the course you know God has shown you (Joshua Harris) 230 invert (v.) reverse, turn upside down, turn inside out E.g A relationship is like a holiday from loneliness, beginning and ending in the same airport The most awful thing about the end is that it reminds you so clearly of the beginning with the joy with which you set off Everything is the same, yet everything has been inverted by grief (Louis Buss) 231 laud (v.) praise, commend (E.g If anyone says that the best life of all is to sail the sea, and then adds that I must not sail upon a sea where shipwrecks are a common occurrence and there are often sudden storms that sweep the helmsman in an adverse direction, I conclude that this man, although he lauds navigation, really forbids me to launch my ship." (Seneca) 232 presumptuous (adj.) arrogant, haughty (E.g Be thankful that you have a life, and forsake your vain and presumptuous desire for a second one." (Richard Dawkins) 233 depraved (adj.) Vicious; unreformable; perverted (E.g The most depraved type of human being is the man without a purpose (Ayn Rand) 234 retract (v.) take back (E.g Those who never retract their opinions love themselves more than they love truth (Joseph Joubert) 235 taciturn (adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little (E.g The observations and encounters of a solitary, taciturn man are vaguer and at the same times more intense than those of a sociable man; his thoughts are deeper, odder and never without a touch of sadness Images and perceptions that could be dismissed with a glance, a laugh, an exchange of opinions, occupy him unduly, become more intense in the silence, become significant, become an experience, an adventure, an emotion Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportionate, the absurd and the forbidden (Thomas Mann) 236 conflagration (n.) large fire, inferno, hell (E.g The most intense conflicts, if overcome, leave behind a sense of security and calm that is not easily disturbed It is just these intense conflicts and their conflagration which are needed to produce valuable and lasting results (Carl Jung) 237 opulence (n) wealth, affluence (E.g We have created a manic world nauseous with the pursuit of material wealth Many also bear their cross of imagined deprivation, while their fellow human beings remain paralyzed by real poverty We drown in the thick sweetness of our sensual excess, and our shameless opulence, while our discontent souls suffocate in the arid wasteland of spiritual deprivation (Anthon St Maarten ) 238 instigate (v.) provoke, incite, excite (E.g Conflict is the gadfly of thought It stirs us to observation and memory It instigates invention It shocks us out of sheep-like passivity, and sets us at noting and contriving conflict is a sine qua non of reflection and ingenuity (John Dewey) 239 reprehensible (adj.) very bad, deserving blame or punishment (E.g And the flesh is that reprehensible preference for self that lurks within every one of our hearts It is that base and selfish instinct to preserve our own interests at the expense of God's interests It's devious, it's deceitful, it's self-indulgent It's interested only in selfish comfort and will happily crucify Christ afresh to secure it God also has another name for it- sin (Eric Ludy) 240 inane (adj.) silly, foolish, lacking sense; empty, void (E.g To agree without understanding is inane To disagree without understanding is impudent 20 241 insipid (adj.) dull, bland, lacking flavor (E.g I certainly must,' said she 'This sensation of listlessness, weariness, stupidity, this disinclination to sit down and employ myself, this feeling of everything's being dull and insipid about the house! I must be in love; I should be the oddest creature in the world if I were not (Jane Austen) 242 surreptitious (adj.) sneaky, furtive (E.g Propaganda is as powerful as heroin; it surreptitiously dissolves all capacity to think." (Gil Courtemanche) 243 usurp (v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right (E.g Narrow minds devoid of imagination Intolerance, theories cut off from reality, empty terminology, usurped ideals, inflexible systems Those are the things that really frighten me What I absolutely fear and loathe (Haruki Murakami) 244 credulity (n.) gullibility, naivete (E.g The only disadvantage of an honest heart is credulity (Philip Sidney) 245 exaltation (n.) a feeling of very great joy or happiness (E.g My mind," he said, "rebels at stagnation Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere I can dispense then with artificial stimulants But I abhor the dull routine of existence I crave for mental exaltation That is why I have chosen my own particular profession, or rather created it, for I am the only one in the world (Arthur Conan Doyle) 246 expedite (v.) speed up, accelerate, facilitate E.g The art of statesmanship is to foresee the inevitable and to expedite its occurrence (Charles Maurice de Talleyrand) 247 frivolity (n.) light-heartedness, flippancy, foolishness, silliness (E.g When you're a teenager, your friends are your life When you grow up, friendships seem to get pushed further and further back, until it seems like a luxury, a frivolity, like a bubble bath." (Sarah Addison Allen) 248 rebuttal (n) refutation; response with contrary evidence, counterargument (E.g Violence is what people when they run out of good ideas It's attractive because it's simple, it's direct, it's almost always available as an option When you can't think of a good rebuttal for your opponent's argument, you can always punch them in the face (James S.A Corey) 249 quandary (n) uncertainty or confusion about what to do, dilemma (E.g The day after his father left, Franz and his mother went into town together, and as they left home Franz noticed that her shoes did not match He was in a quandary: he wanted to point out the mistake, but was afraid he would hurt her So, during the two hours they spent walking through the city together he kept his eyes focused on her feet It was then he had his first inkling of what it means to suffer (Milan Kundera) 250 erudition (n.) learning, scholarship, knowledge (E.g The ceaseless, senseless demand for original scholarship in a number of fields, where only erudition is now possible, has led either to sheer irrelevancy, the famous knowing of more and more about less and less, or to the development of a pseudo-scholarship which actually destroys its object (Hannah Arendt) 251 insularity (n.) state of being narrow-minded (E.g Insularity is the foundation of ethnocentrism and intolerance; when you only know of those like yourself, it is easy to imagine that you are alone in the world or alone in being good and right in the world Exposure to diversity, on the contrary, is the basis for relativism and tolerance; when you are forced to face and accept the Other as real, unavoidable, and ultimately valuable, you cannot help but see yourself and your 'truths' in a new - and trouble - way (David Eller) 252 scrutinize (v.) to examine closely (E.g If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence The origin of myths is explained in this way (Bertrand Russell) 21 253 censorious (adj.) fault-finding, critical (E.g I am quite strict as a dad but I don't want to be censorious (Nick Clegg) 254 disinclination (n) reluctance, unwillingness E.g Viscosity and velocity are opposites, yet they can look the same Viscosity causes the stillness of disinclination, velocity causes the stillness of fascination An observer can't tell if a person is silent and still because inner life has stalled or because inner life is transfixingly busy (Susanna Kaysen) 255 impudent (adj.) rude, impertinent E.g Never assume that the person you are dealing with is weaker or less important than you are Some people are slow to take offense, which may make you misjudge the thickness of their skin, and fail to worry about insulting them But should you offend their honor and their pride, they will overwhelm you with a violence that seems sudden and extreme given their slowness to anger If you want to turn people down, it is best to so politely and respectfully, even if you feel their request is impudent or their offer ridiculous (Robert Greene) 256 digress (v.) deviate, divagate, wander (E.g For if the modern mind is whimsical and discursive, the classical mind is narrow, unhesitating, relentless It is not a quality of intelligence that one encounters frequently these days But though I can digress with the best of them, I am nothing in my soul if not obsessive (Donna Tartt) 257 nonchalance (n.) apathy, indifference; composure E.g She had acquired some of his gypsy ways, some of his nonchalance, his bohemian indiscipline She had swung with him into the disorders of strewn clothes, spilled cigarette ashes, slipping into bed all dressed, falling asleep thus, indolence, timelessness A region of chaos and moonlight She liked it there (Anaïs Nin) 258 tranquility (n) calmness; peace E.g Quiet is peace Tranquility Quiet is turning down the volume knob on life Silence is pushing the off button Shutting it down All of it - Amir (Khaled Hosseini) 259 squander (v.) fritter away, waste E.g What's friendship's realest measure? I'll tell you The amount of precious time you'll squander on someone else's calamities and ****-ups (Richard Ford) 260 egotism (n.) self-importance E.g It has always seemed strange to me The things we admire in men, kindness and generosity, openness, honesty, understanding and feeling, are the concomitants of failure in our system And those traits we detest, sharpness, greed, acquisitiveness, meanness, egotism and self-interest, are the traits of success And while men admire the quality of the first they love the produce of the second (John Steinbeck) 261 embellish (v.) decorate E.g We are like children building a sand castle We embellish it with beautiful shells, bits of driftwood, and pieces of colored glass The castle is ours, off limits to others We're willing to attack if others threaten to hurt it Yet despite all our attachment, we know that the tide will inevitably come in and sweep the sand castle away The trick is to enjoy it fully but without clinging, and when the time comes, let it dissolve back into the sea (Pema Chödrön) 262 eulogy (n.) speech praising and commending an individual (especially one who has died) E.g I think eulogies are wasted on the dead It's the living who need to hear kind words spoken about them (Jarod Kintz) 263 relegate (v.) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish (E.g Your way of life is sinful and wrong," he said fiercely Thus says a man who admits to worshipping a God who vilifies pleasure, relegates women to roles that are little more than servants and broodmares, though they are the backbone of your church, and seeks to control his worshippers through guilt and fear (P.C Cast) 22 264 incorrigible (adj.) unreformable, hopelessly bad; deep-seated E.g It gives me great pleasure indeed to see the stubbornness of an incorrigible nonconformist warmly acclaimed (Albert Einstein) 265 abstruse (adj.) complicated, obscure E.g My mind rebels at stagnation Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I am in my own proper atmosphere But I abhor the dull routine of existence I crave for mental exaltation (Arthur Conan Doyle) 266 incite (v.) provoke, inflame, stimulate E.g Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it, an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide (Kay Redfield Jamison) 267 garrulous (adj.) talkative, chatty, loquacious; wordy, verbose E.g Men respect the silent; they despise the garrulous (Conn Iggulden) 268 ingenuous (adj.) innocent, naive, artless; honest E.g She, like everyone else in the world, needed other people in order to be happy But other people were so difficult They reacted in unpredictable ways, they surrounded themselves with defensive walls, they behaved just as she did, pretending they didn't care about anything When someone more open to life appeared, they either rejected them outright or made them suffer, consigning them to being inferior, ingenuous (Paulo Coelho) 269 gratify (v.) gladden E.g Always what is right It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other (Mark Twain) 270 belie (v.) hide, be in contradiction with (E.g Her calm face belied the terror she was feeling 271 corroborate (v.) reinforce, confirm to be true E.g All decisions in the criminal justice system must be determined by the physical and scientific evidence, and the credible testimony corroborated by that evidence, not in response to public outcry (Robert P McCulloch) 272 indigent (adj.) poor, impoverished, needy, destitute E.g I may be indigent in name, position, and in appearance, but in my own mind I am an unrivaled goddess (Muriel Barbery) 273 indolence (adj.) laziness E.g We mistook violence for passion, indolence for leisure, and thought recklessness was freedom." (Toni Morrison) 274 underscore (v.) underline; emphasize E.g Bonhoeffer's experiences with African American community underscored an idea that was developing in his mind: the only real piety and power that he had seen in the American church seemed to be in the churches where there were a present reality and a past history of suffering (Eric Metaxas) 275 verbose (adj) wordy E.g I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences That is the way to write English―it is the modern way and the best way Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in When you catch an adjective, kill it No, I don't mean utterly, but kill most of them―then the rest will be valuable They weaken when they are close together They give strength when they are wide apart An adjective habit, or a wordy, diffuse, flowery habit, once fastened upon a person, is as hard to get rid of as any other vice (Mark Twain) 276 idiosyncrasy (n.) odd details E.g Books have their idiosyncrasies as well as people, and will not show me their full beauties unless the place and time in which they are read suits them (Elizabeth von Arnim) 23 277 extol (v.) praise, laud, exalt (E.g Everyone is in favor of free speech Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage ( Winston S Churchill) 278 levity (n.) silliness; light (E.g Moderate strength is shown in violence, supreme strength is shown in levity (G.K Chesterton) 279 exonerate (v.) acquit, absolve, clear of blame, declare innocent E.g Forgiveness is not a matter of exonerating people who have hurt you They may not deserve exoneration Forgiveness means cleansing your soul of the bitterness of 'what might have been,' 'what should have been,' and 'what didn't have to happen.' Someone has defined forgiveness as 'giving up all hope of having had a better past.' What's past is past and there is little to be gained by dwelling on it There are perhaps no sadder people then the men and women who have a grievance against the world because of something that happened years ago and have let that memory sour their view of life ever since (Harold S Kushner) 280 glutton (n.) over-eater E.g He who distinguishes the true savor of his food can never be a glutton; he who does not cannot be otherwise (Henry David Thoreau) 281 deride (v.) mock, ridicule, sneer E.g People who pride themselves on their "complexity" and deride others for being "simplistic" should realize that the truth is often not very complicated What gets complex is evading the truth (Thomas Sowell) 282 abstemious (adj.) moderate, not indulgent E.g I was too prissy, too refined, too abstemious, too French to be a good American writer (Edmund White) 283 profanity (n.) crudeness, vulgarity; obscenity E.g There are in life a few moments so beautiful, that even words are a sort of profanity (Diana Palmer) 284 disparagement (n.) degradation, scorn, slander, belittlement (E.g For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they want something more And this is said in disparagement, whereas it is one of the greatest talents the species has and one that has made it superior to animals that are satisfied with what they have (John Steinbeck) 285 frugality (n.) quality of being economical, thrift; meanness, stinginess E.g Even Socrates, who lived a very frugal and simple life, loved to go to the market When his students asked about this, he replied, "I love to go and see all the things I am happy without (Jack Kornfield) 286 saturate (v.) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity (E.g The last introvert in a world of extroverts Silence: my response to both emptiness and saturation But silence frightens people I had to learn how to talk Out of politeness (Ariel Gore) 287 abridge (v.) shorten, condense E.g Reading is one of the true pleasures of life In our age of mass culture, when so much that we encounter is abridged, adapted, adulterated, shredded, and boiled down, it is mind-easing and mind-inspiring to sit down privately with a congenial book (Thomas S Monson) 288 braggart (n.) arrogant boaster E.g The greatest braggarts are usually the biggest cowards (Jean Jacques Rousseau) 289 indict (v.) accuse, charge, criticize E.g Nothing indicts female allegiance to patriarchy more than the willingness to behave as though the problems created by cultural investment in sexist thinking about the nature of male and female roles can be solved by women's working harder (Bell Hooks) 24 290 vilify (v.) to abuse or belittle unjustly or maliciously E.g Here's to the crazy ones The misfits The rebels The troublemakers The round pegs in the square holes The ones who see things differently They're not fond of rules And they have no respect for the status quo You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them About the only thing you can't is ignore them Because they change things They push the human race forward And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who (Rob Siltanen) 291 deprecate (v.) disapprove; belittle, disparage E.g Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground They want rain without thunder and lightning (Frederick Douglass) 292 reprove (v.) rebuke, centure, tell someone that you disapprove of their wrong or foolish behaviour E.g True love is willing to warn, reprove, confront or admonish when necessary (John Ortberg) 293 disputatious (adj.) argumentative, contentious, disputative E.g We sometimes disputed, and very fond we were of argument, and very desirous of confuting one another, which disputatious turn, by the way, is apt to become a very bad habit, making people often extremely disagreeable in company by the contradiction that is necessary to bring it into practice; and thence, besides souring and spoiling the conversation, is productive of disgusts and, perhaps enmities where you may have occasion for friendship I had caught it by reading my father's books of dispute about religion Persons of good sense, I have since observed, seldom fall into it, except lawyers, university men, and men of all sorts that have been bred at Edinborough (Benjamin Franklin) 294 haughtiness (n.) arrogance, snobbishness, disdainfulness E.g Never be haughty to the humble, never be humble to the haughty (Jefferson Davis) 295 venerate (v.) to regard with reverence, look up to with great respect E.g We don't always choose the best solution but we carry on regardless, trying to remain upright and decent in order to honor not to the walls or the doors or the windows but to the empty space inside, the space where we worship and venerate what is dearest and most important to us (Paulo Coelho) 296 inundate (v.) flood, overflow E.g Your heart is like a great river after a long spell of rain, spilling over its banks All signposts that once stood on the ground are gone, inundated and carried away by that rush of water And still the rain beats down on the surface of the river Every time you see a flood like that on the news you tell yourself: That's it That's my heart (Haruki Murakami) 297 vacillate (v.) waver, fluctuate E.g I don't want to go on being a root in the dark, vacillating, stretched out, shivering with sleep, downward, in the soaked guts of the earth, absorbing and thinking, eating each day (Pablo Neruda) 298 equivocate (v.) be ambiguous, prevaricate, use words with double meanings E.g He was free, free in every way, free to behave like a fool or a machine, free to accept, free to refuse, free to equivocate; to marry, to give up the game, to drag this death weight about with him for years to come He could what he liked, no one had the right to advise him, there would be for him no Good or Evil unless he thought them into being (Jean-Paul Sartre) 299 sycophant (n.) brown-noser, one who flatters for self-gain E.g I would rather a thousand times be a free soul in jail than to be a sycophant and coward in the streets (Eugene V Debs) 300 somber (adj.) dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit E.g I want you cool and regal, earthy and impertinent, spoiling for a fight and abashed at your own temper I want you flushed with exertion and rosy with sleep I want you teasing and provocative, somber and thoughtful I want every emotion, every mood, every year in a lifetime to come I want you beside me, to encourage and argue with me, to help me and let me help you I want to be your champion and lover, your mentor and student (Connie Brockway) 25 [...]... implies equality It's how true friends talk (Peggy Noonan) 17 206 orator (n.) public speaker E.g Words have a magical power They can bring either the greatest happiness or deepest despair; they can transfer knowledge from teacher to student; words enable the orator to sway his audience and dictate its decisions Words are capable of arousing the strongest emotions and prompting all men's actions (Sigmund... lives to find the paradise of shared solitude." (Gabriel Garcí¬a Márquez) 139 refute (v.) dispute, rebut, disprove, prove false E.g.There are also those who inadvertently grant power to another man's words by continuously trying to spite him If a man gets to the point where he can simply say, 'The sky is blue,' and people indignantly rush up trying to refute him saying, 'No, the sky is light blue,'... She broke off, clearly fighting for control of her temper Tessa had never seen Charlotte's mouth so firmly set into a hard line "Would you like a thesaurus?" Will inquired "You seem to be running out of words. " (Cassandra Clare) 169 antiquated (adj.) out-of-date, obsolete E.g No idea is so antiquated that it was not once modern No idea is so modern that it will not someday be antiquated (Ellen Glasgow)... thoroughly to details; having high moral standards, principled E.g A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: 1 What am I trying to say? 2 What words will express it? 3 What image or idiom will make it clearer? 4 Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? (George Orwell) 173 gullible (adj.) naive; trusting E.g If others think I am nuts, naive,... concrete the purpose of its varied quickness and stillness (Mark Rothko) 133 diminution (n.) reduction E.g The first thing which I can record concerning myself is, that I was born These are wonderful words This life, to which neither time nor eternity can bring diminution - this everlasting living soul, began My mind loses itself in these depths (Groucho Marx) 134 perpetuate (v.) eternalize, make everlasting... unless I first accept myself, and if I accept myself fully in the right way, I will already have surpassed myself (Thomas Merton) 228 incision (n.) a sharp cut made in something E.g If the incision of our words amounts to nothing but a feeling, a slow motion, it will still cut a better swath than the factory model, the corporate model, the penitentiary model, which by my lights are one and the same (C.D... into the sea (Pema Chödrön) 262 eulogy (n.) speech praising and commending an individual (especially one who has died) E.g I think eulogies are wasted on the dead It's the living who need to hear kind words spoken about them (Jarod Kintz) 263 relegate (v.) to place in a lower position; to assign, refer, turn over; to banish (E.g Your way of life is sinful and wrong," he said fiercely Thus says a man... American church seemed to be in the churches where there were a present reality and a past history of suffering (Eric Metaxas) 275 verbose (adj) wordy E.g I notice that you use plain, simple language, short words and brief sentences That is the way to write English―it is the modern way and the best way Stick to it; don't let fluff and flowers and verbosity creep in When you catch an adjective, kill it No,... prissy, too refined, too abstemious, too French to be a good American writer (Edmund White) 283 profanity (n.) crudeness, vulgarity; obscenity E.g There are in life a few moments so beautiful, that even words are a sort of profanity (Diana Palmer) 284 disparagement (n.) degradation, scorn, slander, belittlement (E.g For it is said that humans are never satisfied, that you give them one thing and they... dark, vacillating, stretched out, shivering with sleep, downward, in the soaked guts of the earth, absorbing and thinking, eating each day (Pablo Neruda) 298 equivocate (v.) be ambiguous, prevaricate, use words with double meanings E.g He was free, free in every way, free to behave like a fool or a machine, free to accept, free to refuse, free to equivocate; to marry, to give up the game, to drag this death