assuage
1 use
"I would not have thought it," she said slowly, "had I not seen for myself."
"Thought what?" I said. "Seen what?"
"That you have so much passion in your body," she said insolently, "that you seek assuagement thus."
"Thought what?" I said. "Seen what?"
"That you have so much passion in your body," she said insolently, "that you seek assuagement thus."
assuagement = to be soothed
Definition
Generally assuage means:to soothe (make something less unpleasant or frightening)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 11 |
bewilder
8 uses
Nathan turned bewildered eyes on me.
bewildered = confused
Definition
Generally bewilder means:to confuse someone
Word Statistics
| Book | 8 uses |
| Library | 17 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 14 |
contempt
5 uses
1 —5 uses as in:
feels contempt towards her
"She is a fool," Nathan said contemptuously when I told him.
contemptuously = with disrespect
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 2 |
disdain
1 use
"...Men are all the same."
I saw Kunthi shrug with a slight disdain; Janaki was quiet.
I saw Kunthi shrug with a slight disdain; Janaki was quiet.
disdain = lack of respect
Definition
Generally disdain means:a lack of respect — often suggesting distaste and an undeserved sense of superiority
or:
to reject as not good enough
or:
to reject as not good enough
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
distend
1 use
Dead dogs, cats and rats cluttered the roadside, or floated starkly on the waters with blown distended bellies.
distended = extended or swollen
Definition
Generally distend means:to extend — especially the swelling outward of a part of the body; e.g., the stomach
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
dowry
10 uses
...but I was without beauty and without dowry and it was the best she could do.
dowry = in some societies, money or property given by a woman's family to the husband at marriage
or less formally: money or property a bride brings to a marriage
or less formally: money or property a bride brings to a marriage
Word Statistics
| Book | 10 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
endure
3 uses
1 —3 uses as in:
endured the pain
But we had come too far, hoped too high, endured too much, to turn back now.
endured = suffered through (or to put up with something difficult or unpleasant)
Definition
Generally this sense of endure means:to suffer through (or put up with something difficult or unpleasant)
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 18 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 16 |
exasperated
5 uses
Several times work stopped altogether ... while Kenny and Selvam strode about the deserted site in exasperation,
exasperation = great annoyance
(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.)
Definition
Generally exasperated means:greatly annoyed
Word Statistics
| Book | 5 uses |
| Library | 15 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 11 |
futile
3 uses
Perhaps they both knew the futility of trying to restrain Kali.
futility = pointlessness (uselessness)
Definition
Generally futile means:effort that is pointless because it is unproductive or unsuccessful
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
indifferent
5 uses
We stared at the cruel sky, calm, blue, indifferent to our need.
indifferent = unsympathetic
Definition
Generally indifferent means:without interest
in various senses, including:
- unconcerned — as in "She is indifferent to what is served to eat."
- unsympathetic — as in "She is indifferent to his needs."
- not of good quality (which may imply average or poor quality depending upon context) — as in "an indifferent performance"
- impartial — as in "We need a judge who is indifferent."
Word Statistics
| Book | 5 uses |
| Library | 15 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 26 |
mitigate
1 use
I washed him slowly, and massaged oil into his body, hoping to mitigate the whiteness of it, hoping to give colour to his skin,
mitigate = make less harmful or unpleasant
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 20 |
morose
2 uses
Janaki said, morosely, she wished it could happen to her; a child each year was no fun.
morosely = sullenly (in an unhappy manner)
Definition
Generally morose means:unhappy — often with a withdrawn personality
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
obscure
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
the view or directions are obscure
Dust lay thick on the floor, there were neat hillocks of chipped cement and the earth where bandicoots, for some obscure reason of their own, had dug.
obscure = not clearly understood
Definition
Generally this sense of obscure means:not clearly seen, understood, or expressed
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 18 |
pervasive
3 uses
...our distaste for the city grew and grew and became a sweeping, pervading hatred.
pervading = existing throughout something
Definition
Generally pervasive means:existing throughout something; or generally widespread
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
pretense
3 uses
I put the clothes away, making a pretence of going to the door.
pretence = a false appearance or action to help one pretend
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use pretense.)
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use pretense.)
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 12 |
prudent
1 use
Prudently we took his advice to follow closely,
prudently = with good sense and caution
Definition
Generally prudent means:sensible and careful
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 25 |
refute
1 use
...they cannot refute it,
refute = disprove (prove that something is false)
Definition
Generally refute means:to disprove or argue against
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 20 |
reproach
5 uses
Sometimes I would go to see my parents, but seldom, since there was so much to be done in my own home; and my mother, knowing this, did not reproach me for the long intervals between my visits.
reproach = criticize
Definition
Generally reproach means:a criticism; or to express criticism — especially where a relationship makes the disapproval result in disappointment or shame
Word Statistics
| Book | 5 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
somber
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
a somber mood
She looked at me sombrely: "Feed him; he is hungry."†
sombrely = solemnly (in a manner that is serious—not cheerful or lighthearted)
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use somberly.)
(editor's note: This is a British spelling. Americans use somberly.)
Definition
Generally this sense of somber means:serious and without humor or fun — perhaps sad
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
torment
7 uses
...who knows what fears tormented his child's mind?
tormented = caused great mental or physical suffering
Definition
Generally torment means:to cause or to experience great mental or physical suffering
Word Statistics
| Book | 7 uses |
| Library | 17 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 16 |