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Call It Sleep

Top-Ranked Words with Typical Sample Sentences

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alacrity
4 uses
She completed each assignment with alacrity.
alacrity = quickness
DefinitionGenerally alacrity means:
quickness; and/or cheerful eagerness
Word Statistics
Book4 uses
Library1 use in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
anguish
18 uses
I felt unbearable anguish when my 4-year-old child died from brain cancer.
anguish = extreme pain
DefinitionGenerally anguish means:
extreme pain, suffering, or distress (of body or mind)
Word Statistics
Book18 uses
Library12 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
beguile
5 uses
Few men could remain detached while looking into her beguiling eyes.
beguiling = enchanting; or enchanting and deceptive
DefinitionGenerally beguile means:
to charm, enchant, or entertain someone; or to deceive — especially through charm
Word Statistics
Book5 uses
Library1 use in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 3
Web Links
brusque
11 uses
She is known for her brusque manner and brief meetings.
brusque = abrupt (not taking the time to be friendly)
DefinitionGenerally brusque means:
abrupt (sudden and quick — without taking the time to be friendly)
Word Statistics
Book11 uses
Library3 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 3
Web Links
contempt
6 uses
1  —6 uses as in:
feels contempt towards her
Familiarity breeds contempt.
contempt = lack of respect
DefinitionGenerally 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
Book6 uses
Library8 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 2
Web Links
curt
7 uses
Her response was so curt it was almost rude.
curt = brief (using few words)
DefinitionGenerally curt means:
brief to the point of rudeness
Word Statistics
Book7 uses
Library7 uses in 10 avg bks
1st usePro.
Web Links
diffident
4 uses
She is diffident around adults, but dominant with her peer group.
diffident = hesitant and unassertive
DefinitionGenerally diffident means:
hesitant and unassertive — often due to a lack of self-confidence
Word Statistics
Book4 uses
Library1 use in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
dismay
10 uses
Don't be dismayed. I have a solution.
dismayed = sad, disappointed, or worried
DefinitionGenerally dismay means:
to feel sadness, disappointment, or worry — typically in response to something surprising
Word Statistics
Book10 uses
Library12 uses in 10 avg bks
SAT®*top 2000
1st useBook 1
Web Links
incredulous
11 uses
I find it incredulous that you believe she is sincere.
incredulous = difficult to believe
DefinitionGenerally incredulous means:
unbelieving; or having difficulty accepting something so unexpected
Word Statistics
Book11 uses
Library11 uses in 10 avg bks
SAT®*top 1000
1st useBook 1
Web Links
minute
2 uses
1  —2 uses as in:
minute size
Don't eat a lot of poppy seeds for a few days before a drug test. They have a minute amount of a chemical that can cause a false positive when testing for heroin use.
minute = tiny
DefinitionGenerally this sense of minute means:
small, exceptionally small, or insignificant
Word Statistics
Book2 uses
Library4 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
mollify
2 uses
She managed to mollify the angry customer.
mollify = calm
DefinitionGenerally mollify means:
calm someone who is or may become angry or upset
Word Statistics
Book2 uses
Library1 use in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 2
Web Links
ominous
16 uses
I'm beginning to hear ominous rumblings of discontent.
ominous = threatening
DefinitionGenerally ominous means:
threatening (suggestive of, or foreshadowing bad things to come)
Word Statistics
Book16 uses
Library10 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
peasant
14 uses
Most people in the Middle Ages were peasants.
peasants = an historical term describing people of low income, education, and social standing
DefinitionGenerally peasant means:
used historically or possibly in relation to a very poor country:  a person of low income, education, and social standing — especially one who raises crops or livestock
Word Statistics
Book14 uses
Library12 uses in 10 avg bks
1st usePro.
Web Links
precede
6 uses
Stone tools preceded bronze tools.
preceded = were before in time
DefinitionGenerally precede means:
to go or do before
Word Statistics
Book6 uses
Library9 uses in 10 avg bks
SAT®*top 100
1st useBook 1
Web Links
revise
1 use
How can you revise that paragraph to improve the expression of ideas?
revise = improve (change)
DefinitionGenerally revise means:
to change (and hopefully improve) — most frequently to improve a written document, but it can be any intentional change such as a change in an estimated amount, a plan, or a series of procedures
Word Statistics
Book1 use
Library4 uses in 10 avg bks
SAT®*top 10
1st useBook 4
Web Links
scrutiny
12 uses
She scrutinized her reflection in the mirror.
scrutinized = looked very carefully at

(editor's note:  The suffix "-ive" converts a word to a verb. This is the same pattern you see in words like apologize, theorize, and dramatize.)
DefinitionGenerally scrutiny means:
careful examination of something
Word Statistics
Book12 uses
Library10 uses in 10 avg bks
SAT®*top 1000
1st useBook 2
Web Links
taut
14 uses
The string is pulled taut.
taut = tight
DefinitionGenerally taut means:
pulled or drawn tight;
or: subjected to great tension
Word Statistics
Book14 uses
Library10 uses in 10 avg bks
SAT®*top 2000
1st useBook 1
Web Links
wrath
11 uses
She could hardly contain her wrath when she learned he had betrayed her.
wrath = extreme anger
DefinitionGenerally wrath means:
extreme anger or angry punishment
Word Statistics
Book11 uses
Library9 uses in 10 avg bks
1st usePro.
Web Links
writhe
16 uses
The patient writhed in pain.
writhed = moved in a twisting or contorted motion
DefinitionGenerally writhe means:
to move in a twisting or contorted motion — often of a person when struggling or in pain
Word Statistics
Book16 uses
Library9 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
yield
3 uses
1  —3 uses as in:
yield to pressure
The country vowed not to yield to pressure from its larger neighbors.
yield = give in
DefinitionGenerally this sense of yield means:
to give in, give way, or give up
Word Statistics
Book3 uses
Library14 uses in 10 avg bks
1st useBook 1
Web Links
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