aesthetic
1 use
It was not aesthetically pleasing.
aesthetically = related to beauty or good taste
Definition
Generally aesthetic means:related to beauty or good taste — often referring to one's appreciation of beauty or one's sense of what is beautiful
or:
beautiful or tasteful
or:
beautiful or tasteful
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.109.6 |
combustion
1 use
Increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is produced by combustion of fossil fuels, coal, and natural gas.
combustion = burning
Definition
Generally combustion means:the act of burning
or metaphorically:
a state of violent disturbance and excitement
or metaphorically:
a state of violent disturbance and excitement
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 1, p.58.4 |
complement
1 use
The coach is not looking for the best players. She's looking for players who will best complement each other.
complement = make better
Definition
Generally complement means:add to something to make it better or complete
or more rarely:
a quantity of something that is considered complete
or more rarely:
a quantity of something that is considered complete
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.86.7 |
incriminate
1 use
She refused to answer on the grounds that she might incriminate herself.
incriminate = make herself look guilty
Definition
Generally incriminate means:to make someone appear guilty
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.145.9 |
insidious
1 use
The debt grew insidiously—just a little at a time and always for a good purpose.
Alan Greenspan -- The Age of Turbulence
insidiously = in a manner not appearing dangerous, but actually very harmful over time
Definition
Generally insidious means:not appearing dangerous, but actually very harmful over time
or:
treacherous (dangerous due to trickery or from hidden or unpredictable risks)
or:
treacherous (dangerous due to trickery or from hidden or unpredictable risks)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.82.8 |
liberal arts
1 use
It is a prestigious liberal arts school.
liberal arts = focusing on studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills
Definition
Generally liberal arts means:studies intended to provide general knowledge and intellectual skills (rather than occupational or professional skills)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.71 |
metaphor
1 use
He was speaking metaphorically when he referred to being mugged by reality.
metaphorically = with a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally denote
Definition
Generally metaphor means:a figure of speech in which a similarity between two things is highlighted by using a word to refer to something that it does not literally denote — as when Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage."
For example, Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." Shakespeare is not saying the world is really a stage and all people are actors, but there are similarities he wants us to recognize.
For example, Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." Shakespeare is not saying the world is really a stage and all people are actors, but there are similarities he wants us to recognize.
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.103.7 |
patronage
1 use
Most ambassadors are selected from career Foreign Service officers, but many are appointed through political patronage.
patronage = political appointment in return for political support
Definition
Generally patronage means:support or favor given
The exact sense of patronage depends upon its context. For example::
- "wants to increase federal patronage of the arts" — donations made to support an organization or person
- "a political patronage appointee" — favors given such as political appointments or contracts given in return for political support
- "rewards repeat patronage" — business from customers — especially recurring business
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.71 |
pedantic
1 use
Her lectures were too pedantic for my taste.
pedantic = overly concerned with book learning
Definition
Generally pedantic means:too concerned with formal rules, details, or book learning
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.146.6 |
perfunctory
1 use
She gave us menus and a perfunctory smile.
perfunctory = done without much interest or effort
Definition
Generally perfunctory means:done without much interest or effort — especially as when dispensing with a formality
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.105.2 |
pyre
2 uses
While cremation is not uncommon in the western world, open air funeral pyres are typically illegal.
pyres = piles of wood or other burnable materials
Definition
Generally pyre means:a pile of wood or other burnable material — especially to burn a dead body as in a funeral rite
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.156.7 |
rationalize
1 use
Criminals typically rationalize their behavior. Even when convicted, many blame others for their decisions.
rationalize = think of a good excuse for
Definition
Generally this sense of rationalize means:to think of a good excuse for behavior that seems bad or unreasonable, and to believe the excuse is good or reasonable — typically done subconsciously and often after the behavior in question
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 1, p.60.7 |
rebuttal
1 use
She immediately wrote a rebuttal and sent it to the New York Times.
rebuttal = argument against (something)
Definition
Generally rebuttal means:a statement arguing against something
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.104.2 |
resolve
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
Her resolve weakened.
She never waivered in her resolve to attend a good college.
resolve = determination (firmness of purpose)
Definition
Generally this sense of resolve means:firmness of purpose (strong determination to do something)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.147.9 |
scapegoat
1 use
She is a convenient scapegoat because she was chosen by the last administration.
scapegoat = someone to blame for the errors of others
(editor's note: This expression comes from an ancient Jewish ritual in which the sins of the people were ritually transferred to a goat which was then driven into the desert away from the community.)
(editor's note: This expression comes from an ancient Jewish ritual in which the sins of the people were ritually transferred to a goat which was then driven into the desert away from the community.)
Definition
Generally scapegoat means:someone blamed or punished for the errors of others
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.141.6 |
sloth
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
a sloth in the tree
A sloth moves faster than she does.
sloth = a type of animal that seldom moves and is very slow when it does move
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.150.9 |
sober
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
I need to sober up.
Coffee doesn't really help one to sober up; though it does help fight sleepiness.
sober up = become less drunk
Definition
Generally this sense of sober up means:to become less drunk
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.102.7 |
status quo
1 use
Despite the rhetoric, the new agreement largely maintains the status quo.
status quo = existing state of affairs
Definition
Generally this sense of status quo means:the existing state of affairs
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 3, p.150.8 |
subside
3 uses
1 —3 uses as in:
her anger subsided
I couldn't think clearly until the pain subsided.
subsided = became less severe
Definition
Generally this sense of subside means:become less intense, less severe, or less active — perhaps going away entirely
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 2, p.78.4 |
torrent
2 uses
She screamed a torrent of abuse.
torrent = an overwhelming amount
Definition
Generally torrent means:an overwhelming amount — especially of quickly moving water
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Part 1, p.59.2 |