censure
9 uses
he was censuring his father for the first time in his life
censuring = criticizing
Definition
Generally censure means:harsh criticism; or formal criticism from an organization — such as the U.S. Senate
Word Statistics
| Book | 9 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
complacent
11 uses
Several of our men fell, among them the round-faced officer who had marched so gaily and complacently.
complacently = in a satisfied manner — without any concern (often to a fault)
Definition
Generally complacent means:contented (unworried and satisfied) — often to a fault
Word Statistics
| Book | 11 uses |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
consonant (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 2 uses
1 —1 use as in:
consonant or vowel?
The naval officer spoke in a particularly sonorous, musical, and aristocratic baritone voice, pleasantly swallowing his r's and generally slurring his consonants: the voice of a man calling out to his servant, "Heah!"
consonants = speech sounds that are not vowels
Definition
Generally this sense of consonant means:a letter of the alphabet (or a speech sound) that is not a vowel
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
2 —1 use as in:
in consonance with
And yet it is difficult to imagine an historical character whose activity was so unswervingly directed to a single aim; and it would be difficult to imagine any aim more worthy or more consonant with the will of the whole people.†
consonant = in keeping
Definition
Generally this sense of consonant means:in keeping with (or consistent with, or in harmony with)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 15 |
desist
2 uses
"Lise, I beg you to desist," said Prince Andrew still more emphatically.
desist = to not do something
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
dilatory
1 use
I am not to blame that the Minister is vacillating, a coward, dense, dilatory, and has all bad qualities.
dilatory = slow
Definition
Generally dilatory means:slow; or causing or tending to delay things
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 10 |
enjoin
4 uses
1 —4 uses as in:
enjoined us to act
Of the three precepts of Freemasonry Pierre realized that he did not fulfill the one which enjoined every Mason to set an example of moral life, and that of the seven virtues he lacked two—morality and the love of death.
enjoined = urged or commanded
Definition
Generally this sense of enjoin means:to urge or command someone to do something
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 8 |
fallacious
1 use
But the mind of man not only refuses to believe this explanation, but plainly says that this method of explanation is fallacious, because in it a weaker phenomenon is taken as the cause of a stronger.
fallacious = mistaken
Definition
Generally fallacious means:not correct
- typically describing something as mistaken due to incorrect information or belief
- sometimes describing something as an intentional lie
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 11 |
forage
12 uses
Denisov, who had been losing at cards all night, had not yet come home when Rostov rode back early in the morning from a foraging expedition.
foraging = searching for and gathering — often food and provisions
Definition
Generally forage means:to search for and gather — often food and provisions
Word Statistics
| Book | 12 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
nominal
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
he's nominally in charge
Nominally he is only an adjutant on Kutuzov's staff, but he does everything alone.†
nominally = officially (in title)
Definition
Generally this sense of nominal means:in form or name, but not in reality
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
obscure (3 meanings)
3 meanings, 15 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
it obscured my view
Whatever question arose, a swarm of these drones, without having finished their buzzing on a previous theme, flew over to the new one and by their hum drowned and obscured the voices of those who were disputing honestly.
obscured = made harder to hear and understand
Definition
Generally this sense of obscure means:to block from view or make less visible or understandable
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
2 —9 uses as in:
the view or directions are obscure
Met by this difficulty historians of that class devise some most obscure, impalpable, and general abstraction which can cover all conceivable occurrences, and declare this abstraction to be the aim of humanity's movement.
obscure = hard to understand
Definition
Generally this sense of obscure means:not clearly seen, understood, or expressed
Word Statistics
| Book | 9 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 14 |
3 —4 uses as in:
knows the famous and the obscure
...would lift him from the ranks of obscure officers and offer him the first step to fame!
obscure = undistinguished
Definition
Generally this sense of obscure means:not known to many people; or unimportant or undistinguished
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 15 |
prominent
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
a prominent jaw
His full face, rather young-looking, with its prominent chin, wore a gracious and majestic expression of imperial welcome.†
prominent = protruding (sticking out)
Definition
Generally this sense of prominent means:sticking out and easily noticed
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
refute
8 uses
To refute him someone would have to prove to him that there is no devil, or another peasant would have to explain to him that it is not the devil but a German, who moves the locomotive.
refute = disprove the argument of
Definition
Generally refute means:to disprove or argue against
Word Statistics
| Book | 8 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
reprehensible
2 uses
And Pierre, anxiously trying to remember whether he had done anything reprehensible, looked round with a blush.
reprehensible = bad and unacceptable
Definition
Generally reprehensible means:bad — deserving severe criticism
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
repudiate
2 uses
He could not disavow his actions, ... so he had to repudiate truth, goodness, and all humanity.
repudiate = strongly reject
Definition
Generally repudiate means:strong rejection — especially when the idea or thing being rejected was once embraced
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 11 |
sagacious
2 uses
The sagacious Barclay de Tolly, seeing crowds of wounded men running back and the disordered rear of the army, weighed all the circumstances, concluded that the battle was lost, and sent his favorite officer to the commander in chief with that news.
sagacious = wise
Definition
Generally sagacious means:wise — especially through long experience and thoughtfulness
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
vacillate
3 uses
The vacillation between the various plans that were proposed had even increased after the Emperor had been at headquarters for a month.
vacillation = changing one's mind back and forth between conflicting ideas
(editor's note: The suffix "-tion", converts a verb into a noun that denotes the action or result of the verb. Typically, there is a slight change in the ending of the root verb, as in action, education, and observation.)
(editor's note: The suffix "-tion", converts a verb into a noun that denotes the action or result of the verb. Typically, there is a slight change in the ending of the root verb, as in action, education, and observation.)
Definition
Generally vacillate means:to change one's mind back and forth between conflicting ideas
or:
to sway back and forth
or:
to sway back and forth
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
zeal
11 uses
When they understood that order the servants set to work at this new task with pleasure and zeal.
zeal = enthusiasm
Definition
Generally zeal means:active interest and enthusiasm
Word Statistics
| Book | 11 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |