accord
4 uses
1 —4 uses as in:
according to, or in accord with
It was difficult to see how these calves would grow according to Josiah's theories.
according to = in keeping with (based upon)
Definition
Generally this sense of accord means:in keeping with; or in agreement/harmony/unity with
This sense of accord is often seen in the form according to or accordingly where it can take on more specific meanings. For example:
- "According to Kim, ..." — as stated by
- "To each according to her ability." — based upon
- "Points are scored according to how well they perform." — depending upon
- "The dose is calculated according to body weight." — in proportion to
- "We got a flat tire. Accordingly, I pulled to the side of the road." — because of what was just said; or as a result
Word Statistics
| Book | 4 uses |
| Library | 53 uses in 10 avg bks |
bronze
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
bronze won't corrode in salt water
The story ended with him pulling out his wallet to show her a little bronze star on a blue ribbon.
bronze = made of a brownish metal
(editor's note: The bronze Star is a medal awarded to selected members of the United States military for heroism or other merit.)
(editor's note: The bronze Star is a medal awarded to selected members of the United States military for heroism or other merit.)
Definition
Generally this sense of bronze means:a brownish-colored metal with red or yellow hues that is made of copper and (usually) tin
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
cavort
1 use
Big ravens cavorted on the docks in search of tidbits from the fishing boats, but most amazing to my eyes were the great bald eagles, a dozen or more, that lounged or played in the tops of tall spruce while they waited to dive into the water for salmon.†
cavorted = played in a lively, unrestrained manner
Definition
Generally cavort means:to play in a lively, unrestrained manner — typically with someone — sometimes implying sexual play
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | A.P. |
contempt
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
feels contempt towards her
The old men discussed the stupidity of the young men in tones of great 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 | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
debris
6 uses
Squatting close to the ground, he followed the long shadow cast by the continuous mounds of mining debris.
debris = pieces of something that has been destroyed; or trash that is lying around
Word Statistics
| Book | 6 uses |
| Library | 11 uses in 10 avg bks |
domesticated
1 use
Their memory of people endured long after all other traces of domestication were gone; and he was counting on another instinct: the dim memory of direction which lured them always south, to the Mexican desert where they were born.†
domestication = to make fit for service to humans or home life — by breeding or taming
(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.)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
emerge
8 uses
He could feel the motion pushing out of the damp earth into the sunshine—the yellow spotted snake the first to emerge, carrying this message on his back to the people.
emerge = appear
Definition
Generally emerge means:to come out, or to appear
Word Statistics
| Book | 8 uses |
| Library | 58 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
evoke
2 uses
I indulged myself with the old-time stories because they evoked a feeling of comfort I remembered from my childhood at Laguna.†
evoked = called forth or caused
Definition
Generally evoke means:to call forth or cause — typically to arouse an emotion or bring a memory to mind
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | A.P. |
Geronimo
7 uses
she would go into a long history of what the Apaches had done to the Pueblo people, dwelling especially on Geronimo.
Geronimo = Apache chieftain who raided the white settlers in the Southwest as resistance to being confined to a reservation (1829-1909)
Word Statistics
| Book | 7 uses |
| Library | 0 uses in 10 avg bks |
haughty
1 use
It stood there with its head up and a haughty look in its eyes; it waited until Harley was under the elm tree before it tasted the water.
haughty = arrogant or condescending (acting superior)
Definition
Generally haughty means:arrogant or condescending (acting superior or self-important)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
incessant
1 use
Tayo talked to the corporal almost incessantly, walking behind him with his end of the blanket stretcher, telling him that it wasn't much farther now, and all down hill from there.
incessantly = continuously
Definition
Generally incessant means:continuous — often in an annoying way
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
indulge
1 use
I indulged myself with the old-time stories because they evoked a feeling of comfort I remembered from my childhood at Laguna.†
indulged = enjoyed to excess
Definition
Generally indulge means:to give into a desire or enjoy something — especially in excess of what is thought good—such as a desire to eat too much cake, or be too lazy
or:
to allow or help someone to get their way or enjoy something — especially something that (probably because of excess) is not considered to be good or proper
or:
to allow or help someone to get their way or enjoy something — especially something that (probably because of excess) is not considered to be good or proper
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | A.P. |
inherent
1 use
with a strength inherent in spider webs
inherent = existing as an inseparable part or characteristic
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
obliterate
1 use
The snow was covering everything, burying the mountain lion's tracks and obliterating his scent.
obliterating = doing away with completely
Definition
Generally obliterate means:do away with completely
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
oblivious
1 use
But he was looking the other way, oblivious to the scuffling and noise, opening the blades on his pocketknife, one by one, and stabbing them into the juniper post.
oblivious = unaware of
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 11 uses in 10 avg bks |
persistent
2 uses
They were the same—the mule and old Grandma, she sitting in the corner of the room in the wintertime by the potbelly stove, or the summertime on an apple crate under the elm tree; she was as blind as the gray mule and just as persistent.†
persistent = continuing — especially despite difficulties or opposition
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
redress
1 use
The Hirabayashis, like other Japanese Americans, were imprisoned in internment camps during the war, and it was Gordon Hirabayashi, Mrs. Hirabayashi's son, who with others worked tirelessly to secure redress for the crime from the U.S. Congress.†
redress = fix a problem; or make up for a wrong
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | A.P. |
senile
1 use
We try to teach our children to avoid touching alien things, but every day they see you do it, you senile old man.†
senile = mental weakness caused by old age; or describing a medical condition as caused by old age
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
translucent
2 uses
he flat seed pods were still thick and green, but later, in the fall, the skin would dry thin, and cold winds would strip away the hull to the last translucent membrane, holding the dark eyes of the seed inside it.
translucent = almost transparent; allowing light to pass through diffusely
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
tundra
2 uses
Eighty miles from the Bering Sea and with temperatures of fifty below zero, I still found Bethel preferable to Ketchikan because at least the frozen tundra had blue sky and miles of visibility in all directions.†
tundra = a vast treeless plain in the northern arctic regions where the subsoil is always frozen (between the ice cap and the tree line)
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | A.P. |