9th May

1.       Presumption, noun: an assumption that is taken for granted

When Mr. Barker found out the

2.       Discriminate, verb: recognize or perceive the difference

Sarah couldn’t

3.       Begrudge, verb: to envy someone for possessing or enjoying something

Sitting all alone in his room, Harvey begrudged the happiness of the other children playing outside his window.

Begrudge, verb: to give reluctantly

We never begrudge money spent on ourselves.

4.       Analogous, adjective: similar in some respects but otherwise different

In many ways, the Internet’s transformative effect on society has been analogous to that of the printing press.

5.       Compound, verb: make more intense, stronger, or more marked

Her headache was compounded by the construction crew outside, which had six jackhammers going at the same time.

8th May

1.       Inclement, adjective: (of weather) unpleasant, stormy

After a week of inclement weather, we finally are able to go outside and enjoy the sun.

Inclement, adjective: used of persons or behavior; showing no mercy

Marcus, though a fair man, was inclement to Christians during his reign, persecuting them violently.

2.       Raft, noun: a large number of something

Despite a raft of city ordinances passed by an overzealous council, noise pollution continued unabated in the megalopolis.

3.       Fleece, verb: to deceive

Many people have been fleeced by internet scams and never received their money back.

4.       Powwow, noun: an informal meeting or discussion

Before the team takes the field, the coach always calls for a powwow so that he can make sure all the players are mentally in the right place.

5.       Amok, adverb: in a frenzied or uncontrolled state

Wherever the bowl haircut teen-idol went, his legions of screaming fans ran through the streets amok, hoping for a glance at his boyish face.

7th May

1.       Seemly, adjective: according with custom or propriety

The seemly attitude of Southerners is famous, and so I was surprised to find so many impolite and disgraceful people when I visited last fall.

2.       Tribulation, noun: something, especially an event that causes difficulty and suffering

As of 2013, nearly 1.5 million Syrians have fled their country hoping to escape the tribulations of a civil war tearing their country to pieces.

3.       Thoroughgoing, adjective: very thorough; complete

As a thoroughgoing bibliophile, one who had turned his house into a veritable library, he shocked his friends when he bought a Kindle.

4.       Virago, noun: an ill-tempered or violent woman

Poor Billy was the victim of the virago’s invective- she railed at him for a good 30 minutes about how he is the scum of the earth for speaking loudly on his cellphone in public.

5.       Flush, adjective: to be in abundance

The exam’s passage is flush with difficult words, words that you may have learned only yesterday.

6th May

1.       Cosmopolitan, adjective: compromising many cultures; global in reach and outlook

There are few cities in the world as diverse and cosmopolitan as New York.

2.       Heyday, noun: the pinnacle or top of a time period or career

During the heyday of Prohibition, bootlegging had become such a lucrative business that many who had been opposed to the 18^th Amendment began to fear it would be repealed.

3.       Jocular, adjective: characterized by jokes and good humor

My uncle was always in a jocular mood at family gatherings, messing up people’s hair and telling knock-knock jokes to anyone who would listen.

4.       Snide, adjective: expressive of contempt; derogatory or mocking in an indirect way

The chairman interpreted Taylor’s question about promotions as a snide remark, but in all innocence Taylor was trying to figure out the company’s process.

5.       Contemptuous, adjective: scornful, looking down at others with a sneering attitude

Always on the forefront of fashion, Vanessa looked contemptuously at anyone wearing dated clothing.

5th May

1.       Boon, noun: a desirable state

Modern technology has been a boon to the travel industry.

Boon, adjective: very close and convivial

He was a boon companion to many, and will be sadly missed.

2.       Retiring, adjective: to be shy, and to be inclined to retract from company\

Nelson was always the first to leave soirees- rather than mill about with “fashionable” folk, he was retiring, and preferred the solitude of his garret.

3.       Peruse, verb: to read very carefully

Instead of perusing important documents, people all too often rush to the bottom of the page and plaster their signatures at the bottom.

4.       Vacuous, adjective: devoid of intelligent, matter, or significance

To the journalist’s pointed question, the senator gave a vacuous response, mixing a few of his overall campaign slogans with platitudes and completely avoiding the controversial subject of the question.

5.       Unruly, adjective: (of persons) noisy and lacking in restraint or discipline; unwilling to submit to authority

Walk in to any preschool and I am sure that you will find an unruly and chaotic scene-unless it’s nap time.

4th May

1.       Laborious, adjective: characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

The most laborious job I’ve had was working 20 hours a day as a fisherman in King Salmon, Alaska.

2.       Beatification, noun: the action of rendering supremely blessed and extremely happy; a state of supreme happiness

Often we imagine all monks to wear the beatific smile of the Buddha, but, like any of us, a monk can have a bad day and not look very happy.

3.       Stymie, verb: hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of

The engineers found their plans stymied at every turn and were ultimately able to make almost no progress on the project.

4.       Morph, verb: to undergo dramatic change in a seamless and barely noticeable fashion

The earnestness of the daytime talk shows of the 1970’s has morphed into something far more sensational and vulgar: today guests actually stand up and threaten to take swings at one another.

5.       Aphoristic, adjective: something that is concise and instructive of a general truth or principle

Sometimes I can’t stand Nathan because he tries to impress everyone by being aphoristic, but he just states the obvious.

3rd May

1.       Industrious, adjective: characterized by hard work and perseverance

Pete was an industrious student, completing every assignment thoroughly and on time.

2.       Cavalier, adjective: given to haughty disregard of others

Percy dismissed the issue with a cavalier wave of his hand.

3.       Abysmal, adjective: extremely bad

Coach Ramsey took his newest player off the field after watching a few painful minutes of her abysmal performance.

4.       Preempt, verb: take the place of or have precedence over

A governmental warning about an imminent terrorist attack would preempt ordinary network programming on television.

5.       Maxim, noun: a short saying expressing a general truth

Johnson initially suggests that the secret to business can be summarized in a single maxim but then requires a 300-page book to explain exactly what he means.

2nd May

1.       Tout, verb: advertise in strongly positive terms; show off

At the conference, the CEO touted the extraordinary success of his company’s Research and Development division.

2.       Pine, verb: to yearn for

Standing forlornly by the window, she pined for her lost love.

3.       Underwrite,  verb: to support financially

The latest symphony broadcast was made possible with underwriting from the Carnegie Endowment.

4.       Collusion, noun: agreement on a secret plot

Many have argued that Lee Harvey Oswald, JFK’s assassin, was in collusion with other criminals; others maintain that Oswald was a lone gunman.

5.       Imponderable, adjective: impossible to estimate or figure out

According to many lawmakers, the huge variety of factors affecting society make devising an efficient imponderable task.

1st May

1.       Uncompromising, adjective: not making concessions

The relationship between Bart and Hilda ultimately failed because they were both so uncompromising, never wanting to change their opinions.

2.       Exemplify, verb: clarify by giving an example of

Please present some case studies that exemplify the results that you claim in your paper.

3.       Renege, verb: fail to fulfill a promise or obligation

We will no longer work with that vendor since it has reneged on nearly every agreement.

4.       Serendipity, noun: the instance in which an accidental, fortunate discovery is made

By pure serendipity, Sarah discovered, at a flea market in Peoria, a matching earring to replace the one that fell down the storm drain back home.

5.       Chauvinist, noun: a person who believes in the superiority of their group

The chauvinist lives on both sides of the political spectrum, outright shunning anybody whose ideas are not consistent with his own.

30 April

I'm so sorry for not updating my blog since a few weeks ago. This is because lately I've been so busy preparing myself for the upcoming examination. Again, I'm so sorry. I will always remind myself to be more responsible towards my blog.

1.       Clemency, noun: leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice

In the final moments of the trial, during his closing speech, Philips was nearly begging the judge for clemency.

2.       Antedate, verb: precede in time

Harry was so unknowledgeable that he was unaware the Egyptian pharaohs antedated the American Revolution.

3.       Obdurate, adjective: unable to be persuaded or moved emotionally; stubborn; unyielding

No number of pleas and bribes would get him to change his obdurate attitude.

4.       Raffish, adjective: marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputable

The men found him raffish, but the women adored his smart clothes and casual attitude.

5.       Start, verb: to suddenly move in a particular direction

All alone in the mansion, Jane started when she heard a sound.