Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address — Vocabulary
Abraham Lincoln
(Auto-generated)

Exemplary sample Uses ACT/SAT
2 top 200
conflictstruggle
Violent conflict has broken out again in the Middle East.more
Show sample from book
Neither anticipated that the cause of the conflict might cease with or even before the conflict itself should cease.
war
Show general definition a struggle or disagreement
in various senses, including:
  • a serious disagreement -- as in "political conflict"
  • the tension from two opposing ideas or feelings -- as in "I'm conflicted about where I should go to college."
  • a violent fight or war -- as in "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict"
  • an idiom that refers to tension between responsibilities to different entities -- "conflict of interest"
2 top 500
ceasestop
According to the treaty, all offensive military action will cease at midnight.more
Show sample from book
...before the conflict itself should cease.1 more
Show general definition to stop or discontinue
1 top 100
correspondcorrespond → corresponds:is equivalent
The girls are using a simple code where "1" corresponds to "A", "2" to "B" and so on for each of the 26 letters of the alphabet.more
Show sample from book
On the occasion corresponding to this four years ago,
correspond → corresponding:matching (similar)
Show general definition for correspond (as in: corresponding time period) connect or fit together by being equivalent, proportionate, or matched

(Two things are equivalent if they have the same or very similar value, purpose, or result.)
1 top 200
malicemalice → malicious:evil; or made with the intent to make others suffer
I am not interested in hearing malicious gossip.more
Show sample from book
With malice toward none, with charity for all...
wanting to see others suffer
Show general definition the intention or desire to see others suffer
1 top 500
attaingain or reach something with effort
She was the first woman to attain the rank of general.more
Show sample from book
Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained.
attain → attained:reached (with effort)
Show general definition to gain or reach something with effort
1 top 500
perishbe destroyed or cease to exist
...government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.Abraham Lincoln  —  Gettysburg Addressmore
Show sample from book
Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.
be destroyed
Show general definition to die -- especially in an unnatural way

or:

to be destroyed or cease to exist
Show editor's word notes You may encounter an informal expression, "Perish the thought."  It means that the speaker hopes the thought will cease to exist and the thing it represents will never happen.
1 top 500
engrossedwith all attention focused
She was so engrossed in her conversation; she didn't realize the bell had rung.more
Show sample from book
...which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation,
engrossed → engrosses:takes all
1 top 500
ferventintense
She has a fervent desire to change society.more
Show sample from book
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.
fervent → fervently:with intense emotion
Show general definition characterized by intense emotion or passionate belief
1 top 1000
durationtime (during which something continues)
I take zinc tablets to help shorten the duration of a cold.more
Show sample from book
Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained.†
the time during which something continues
Show general definition the time during which something continues
1 top 1000
impendingabout to happen
She plans to spend more time on that after her impending retirement.more
Show sample from book
...all thoughts were anxiously directed to an impending civil war.
Show general definition about to happen -- especially of something unpleasant or feared
1 top 1000
divinewonderful
Her pies are divine.more
Show sample from book
those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him
God-like
Show general definition for divine (as in: to forgive is divine) wonderful; or god-like or coming from God
1 top 2000
providenceluck; or God's plan
On the eve of battle, he prayed that providence was in our favor.more
Show sample from book
If we shall suppose that American slavery is one of those offenses which, in the providence of God, must needs come, but which, having continued through His appointed time, He now wills to remove, and that He gives to both North and South this terrible war as the woe due to those by whom...
plan of God
Show general definition for providence (as in: divine providence) resulting from God's intervention or plan; or lucky -- especially with regard to when something happened
1 top 2000
righteousrighteous → righteousness:moral correctness
The extremism is fed by unquestioned belief in the righteousness of their cause.more
Show sample from book
...as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."
good (morally correct, or adhering to moral principles)
Show general definition for righteous (as in: a righteous cause) morally correct; or morally justified

or:

acting or feeling morally superior -- especially when it isn't true (this meaning is more typically seen as a compound word "self-righteous")
1 top 200
invokeinvoke → invokes:calls upon
Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God. Each invokes God's aid against the other.Abraham Lincoln (Second Inaugural Address)more
Show sample from book
Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other.
Show general definition to call upon
The exact meaning of invoke can depend upon its context. For example:
  • "invoking God's help"; or "invoking the spirit of the dead" -- to call upon a great or magical power
  • "I invoke the First Amendment"; or "I invoke the words of Thomas Jefferson" -- to cite or call upon for validation
  • "She invoked his sympathy and family memories." -- to call upon someone's feelings or memories
  • "She invoked his assistance." -- to call earnestly for
  • "The program invokes the subroutine" -- to call up a computer program
1
insurgentinsurgent → insurgents:irregular armed forces that fight a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
Hundreds of European Muslims journeyed to join the insurgents in Iraq.David Frum's Diary on National Review Online  —  <span class="__nowrap">http://frum.nationalreview.com/print/</span> <span class="__nowrap">(retrieved Thu Jun 29 2006 00:00:00 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)</span>)more
Show sample from book
...the insurgents would rend the Union even by war,
insurgent → insurgents:rebels (people who are rebelling)
Show general definition a member of an irregular armed force that fights a stronger force by sabotage and harassment
1
perpetuatecause to continue
Spreading false rumors can perpetuate harmful stereotypes.more
Show sample from book
To strengthen, perpetuate, and extend this interest...
Show general definition to cause to continue
1 top 2000
attributeattribute → attributes:characteristics
The spreadsheet has a column to describe the breed of dog and then ten additional columns to indicate attributes of the breeds. For example, the second column has the average full-grown weight.more
Show sample from book
those divine attributes which the believers in a living God always ascribe to Him?
Show general definition for attribute (as in: It is an attribute of...) a characteristic or feature (of something or someone)
1 top 1000
avertprevent
We're hoping that today's negotiations will help us to avert a strike.more
Show sample from book
All dreaded it, all sought to avert it.
Show general definition for avert (as in: avert a strike) prevent from happening
1 top 2000
deprecatetreat as unimportant
You should not deprecate her efforts.more
Show sample from book
Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish, and the war came.
deprecate → deprecated:disapproved of
Show general definition to diminish or treat something as unimportant or of low quality; or to express disapproval
1 top 500
constantcontinuous
The history of computers is a history of constant technological advancement.more
Show sample from book
Now, at the expiration of four years, during which public declarations have been constantly called forth on every point and phase of the great contest which still absorbs the attention and engrosses the energies of the nation, little that is new could be presented.†
constant → constantly:in a manner that is unchanging, continuous, or happens repeatedly
Show general definition unchanging, continuous, or happening repeatedly