acute (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 2 uses
1 —1 use as in:
acute pain
She felt an acute pain in her neck.
acute = sharp (severe or very bad)
Definition
Generally this sense of acute means:sharp (severe or strong) — usually negative
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.8 |
2 —1 use as in:
acute sense of smell
Dogs have an acute sense of smell.
acute = excellent (highly perceptive)
Definition
Generally this sense of acute means:sharp (highly perceptive in some area or mentally sharp)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.3 |
attain
13 uses
She was the first woman to attain the rank of general.
attain = gain or reach something with effort
Definition
Generally attain means:to gain or reach something with effort
Word Statistics
| Book | 13 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.8 |
attribute
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
I attribute it to...
She attributed this quotation to Shakespeare.
attributed = credited (pointed to as the source of)
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 | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.1 |
consequence (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 19 uses
1 —15 uses as in:
a direct consequence of
Your decision will have three major consequences.
consequences = results
Definition
Generally this sense of consequence means:a result of something (often an undesired side effect)
Word Statistics
| Book | 15 uses |
| Library | 28 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.2 |
2 —4 uses as in:
of little consequence
Think carefully. This is a consequential decision.
consequential = important
Definition
Generally this sense of consequence means:importance or relevance
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.1 |
contempt
5 uses
1 —5 uses as in:
feels contempt towards her
Familiarity breeds contempt.
contempt = lack of respect
Definition
Generally this sense of contempt means:lack of respect for someone or something thought inferior — often accompanied by a feeling of dislike or disgust
Word Statistics
| Book | 5 uses |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.11 |
contradict
3 uses
Does the sentence contradict the main claim of the essay?
contradict = disagree with
Definition
Generally contradict means:disagree
in various senses, including:
- to say something is not true — as in "She contradicted his testimony."
- to say something else is true when both can't be true — as in "I don't believe her. She contradicted herself as she told us what happened."
- to be in conflict with — as in "Her assertions contradict accepted scientific principles."
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 13 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.2 |
contrary (2 meanings)
2 meanings, 12 uses
1 —1 use as in:
contrary to
Contrary to popular belief, the largest pyramid is in Mexico—not Egypt.
contrary to = in opposition to
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.7 |
2 —11 uses as in:
on the contrary
She was not smiling. On the contrary, she frowned.
on the contrary = an expression used to intensify denial of an idea
Word Statistics
| Book | 11 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.2 |
convention
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
conventional behavior
It was once conventional wisdom that the earth is flat.
conventional = normal
Definition
Generally this sense of convention means:something regarded as normal or typical
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 11 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.1 |
dispute
3 uses
1 —3 uses as in:
She disputes his claim.
She disputes her landlord's claim that the music was that loud.
disputes = challenges
Definition
Generally this sense of dispute means:challenge, argue about, or fight over
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.3 |
establish
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
establish a positive tone
Which word choice best maintains the tone established in the first paragraph?
established = created
Definition
Generally this sense of establish means:create, start, or set in [a] place
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 25 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.7 |
irony
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
verbal irony
She was being ironic when she said she couldn't wait to see you again.
ironic = saying one thing, while meaning the opposite
Definition
Generally this sense of irony means:saying one thing, while meaning the opposite or something else — usually as humor or sarcasm
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.4 |
loathe
21 uses
I make New Year's resolutions every year and then loathe myself for breaking them.
loathe = hate
Definition
Generally loathe means:hate, detest, or intensely dislike
Word Statistics
| Book | 21 uses |
| Library | 10 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.2 |
nevertheless
1 use
The class was hard. Nevertheless, it was my favorite.
nevertheless = in spite of that (used to connect contrasting ideas)
Definition
Generally nevertheless means:in spite of that (Used to connect contrasting ideas. Other synonyms could include words and phrases such as nonetheless, all the same, still, and however.)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 14 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.1 |
retort
8 uses
She wanted to retort that he that he sounded foolish, but she made herself count to ten and thought better of it.
retort = quickly reply
Definition
Generally this sense of retort means:a quick reply to a question or remark — especially a witty or critical one
Word Statistics
| Book | 8 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.3 |
sublime
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
she is sublime
I love good movies, from the silly to the sublime.
sublime = impressively wonderful
Definition
Generally this sense of sublime means:impressively wonderful — often beautiful or morally admirable
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.6 |
vulgar
9 uses
Her vulgarity was a turnoff.
vulgarity = crudeness (showing of bad taste)
Definition
Generally vulgar means:of bad taste — often crude or offensive
or:
unsophisticated (or common) — especially of taste
or:
unsophisticated (or common) — especially of taste
Word Statistics
| Book | 9 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2.1 |
wretched
10 uses
The children were taken into protective custody due to their wretched living conditions.
wretched = miserable
Definition
Generally wretched means:very bad
in various senses, including:
- unfortunate or miserable — as in "wretched prisoners sleeping on the cold floor"
- of poor quality — as in "wretched roads"
- morally bad — as in "The wretched woman stole his wallet."
Word Statistics
| Book | 10 uses |
| Library | 10 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1.1 |