advocate
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
an advocate in court
Soon after the original arraignment of Smith and Hickock, their advocates appeared before Judge Tate to argue a motion urging comprehensive psychiatric examinations for the accused.†
advocates = lawyers
Definition
Generally this sense of advocate means:a lawyer or officer of the court in some jurisdictions in Europe, colonial America, and the military
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
ascetic
1 use
His suits fitted as though he had borrowed them from a stout friend, and his face, seldom suggestive of his profession, was now not at all so; it could have been that of an ascetic absorbed in occult pursuits.
ascetic = someone who practices self-denial
Definition
Generally ascetic means:someone who practices self-denial (often to encourage spiritual growth); or relating to such self-denial
or:
severely plain (without decoration)
or:
severely plain (without decoration)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
attribute
4 uses
1 —3 uses as in:
I attribute it to...
Dewey himself, did not believe the boy had "anything to do with it"; still, it was true that at this early stage of the investigation, Bobby was the only person to whom a motive, however feeble, could be attributed.
attributed = credited (pointed to as the cause of something)
Definition
Generally this sense of attribute means:to credit (a source for something)
in two typical senses:
- "I attribute it to her work." — to say who or what made something happen
- "Remember to attribute any quotations in your paper." — indicate the source of a quotation or idea
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
unquizzed meaning —1 use
candid
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
your candid opinion
And when he had finished he sat with folded arms and a pleased smile, as though waiting to be commended for the humor, the clarity, and the candor of his traveler's tale.
candor = direct honesty
Definition
Generally this sense of candid means:honest and direct
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
caustic
1 use
"Yes, it's a disgrace," agrees the caustic, some-what original, and entirely imposing lady who presides over this "But the stamps work, don't they?"
caustic = sarcastic, critical, or harsh
Definition
Generally caustic means:of a chemical substance: corrosive; capable of destroying or eating away such as a strong acid
or:
of a person: sarcastic, critical, or harsh
or:
of a person: sarcastic, critical, or harsh
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
complacent
1 use
...his "off on a cloud" complacency.
complacency = unworried to a fault
Definition
Generally complacent means:contented (unworried and satisfied) — often to a fault
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
correspond (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 2 uses
1 —1 use as in:
corresponding by email
Correspondence between you and your sister cannot serve anything but a purely social function.†
correspondence = communication by writing letters
Definition
Generally this sense of correspond means:communicate by writing letters or email
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
2 —1 use as in:
foreign correspondent of the paper
But the bulkiest of Hickock's mud pies was aimed at the two defense attorneys, Arthur Fleming and Harrison Smith, whose "incompetence and inadequacy" were the chief cause of the correspondent's present predicament, for no real defense had been prepared or offered by them, and this lack of effort, it was implied, had been deliberate-an act of collusion between the defense and the prosecution.†
correspondent = reporter
Definition
Generally this sense of correspondent means:a reporter — typically from a foreign country or with a particular expertise
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
descend
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
thieves descended upon us
On moonlit evenings the boys would descend upon them, set them running, and try to outrace them in the wagon; they seldom did, for the scrawniest coyote can hit fifty miles an hour, whereas the wagon's top speed was thirty-five, but it was a wild and beautiful kind of fun, the wagon skidding across the sand, the fleeing coyotes framed against the moon-as Bob said, it sure made your heart hurry.†
descend = attack
Definition
Generally this sense of descend means:to come or arrive — especially suddenly or from above or as an attack
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
discern
4 uses
It was Rohleder who took the pictures that, when developed, revealed Hickock's dusty footprints in the Clutter cellar, prints the camera could discern, though not the human eye.
discern = reveal, see, or notice (something that is not obvious)
Definition
Generally discern means:to notice or understand something — often something that is not obvious
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
explicit
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
explicit instructions
He hated the light bulb's monotonous surveillance; it disturbed his sleep and, more explicitly, endangered the success of a private project-escape.†
explicitly = clearly and specifically
Definition
Generally this sense of explicit means:clear and with enough detail so there is no confusion
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
passage
1 use
...poems and literary quotations ("No man is an island, Entire of itself), and passages for newspapers and books paraphrased or quoted.†
passages = short parts of longer written works
Definition
Generally this sense of passage means:a short part of a longer written work
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
phenomenon
1 use
But, no, his customer was merely experiencing what Johnson called the Solemn Moment-a phenomenon familiar to insurance salesmen.†
phenomenon = thing that exists
Definition
Generally phenomenon means:something that exists or happened — especially something of special interest — sometimes someone or something that is extraordinary
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
positive (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 3 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
I'm absolutely positive!
Oh, I don't really miss it-the frenzy, and never a cab, and always worrying how one looks. Positively not.†
positively = absolutely (used for emphasis)
Definition
Generally this sense of positive means:certain (having no doubt; or used for emphasis)
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 22 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
2 —1 use as in:
had a positive effect
People were scarcely real to them, in the sense of being warmly or positively (or even angrily) felt about... The three men under sentence of death had shallow emotions regarding their own fate and that of their victims.†
positively = in a good or beneficial manner
Definition
Generally this sense of positive means:good or beneficial
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
pragmatic
3 uses
Dick's literalness, his pragmatic approach to every subject, was the primary reason Perry had been attracted to him, for it made Dick seem, compared to himself, so authentically tough, invulnerable, "totally masculine."
pragmatic = concerned with practical matters (as compared to concern with theory or beauty)
Definition
Generally pragmatic means:concerned with practical matters — especially where quick results and/or practical experience triumph over theory
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
pugnacious
2 uses
Pete, a tiger-striped tom weighing fifteen pounds, is a well-known character around Garden City, famous for his pugnacity, which was the cause of his current hospitalization; a battle lost to a boxer dog had left him with wounds necessitating both stitches and antibiotics.
pugnacity = quickness to fight
(editor's note: In this usage, tom is short for tomcat—a male cat.)
(editor's note: In this usage, tom is short for tomcat—a male cat.)
Definition
Generally pugnacious means:quick to fight or argue
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
resignation (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 2 uses
1 —1 use as in:
submitted her resignation
he resigned as county agent
resigned = quit (his job)
Definition
Generally this sense of resignation means:to quit — especially a job or position; or a document expressing such an act
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 12 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
2 —1 use as in:
accepted it with resignation
For the prisoner was not as unconcerned as he appeared to be, or as resigned; he intended taking every step possible to avoid "a ride on the Big Swing."
resigned = having accepted something undesired as unavoidable
Definition
Generally this sense of resignation means:acceptance of something undesired as unavoidable or the lesser of evils
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
yield
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
will yield valuable data
First they trot the length of Main Street, stopping to scrutinize the engine grilles of parked automobiles, particularly those stationed in front of the two hotels, the Windsor and Warren, for these cars, usually the property of travelers from afar, often yield what the bony, methodical creatures are hunting: slaughtered birds-crows, chickadees, and sparrows foolhardy enough to have flown into the path of oncoming motorists.†
yield = provide
Definition
Generally this sense of yield means:to produce (usually something wanted); or the thing or amount produced
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |