animate
3 uses
1 —3 uses as in:
an animated cartoon
By early afternoon I became so bored that I'd plop down in front of the television and watch Speed Racer cartoons. When I could not stand another animated episode, I'd drag myself to my room and kill time by coloring in a coloring book she had given me.
animated = moving cartoon
Definition
Generally this sense of animate means:make a moving cartoon (a film technique that uses a set of gradually changing pictures to simulate movement when played in series)
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 1 |
aptitude
1 use
Immediately I'd think of the Air Force, but as a freshman in high school I had taken the aptitude test and failed miserably.
aptitude = natural ability
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 10 |
demented
1 use
As demented as he seemed, he did have a way with words.
demented = crazy (affected by insanity)
Definition
Generally this sense of demented means:acting crazy
or:
suffering from cognitive dementia (mental deterioration)
or:
suffering from cognitive dementia (mental deterioration)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
elated
1 use
On the up side, I was elated to play in the bright rays of the summer sun.
elated = had a feeling of happiness and excitement
Definition
Generally elated means:full of happiness and excitement
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
eloquent
1 use
I jumped up and waited for his eloquent words of wisdom.
eloquent = using language powerfully
Definition
Generally eloquent means:powerful use of language
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
inclined
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
on an incline or incline his head
As I walked up the steep incline, I noticed an old familiar face.
incline = hill (angle)
Definition
Generally this sense of incline means:to be at an angle or to bend
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 10 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 10 |
monotone
1 use
Mother's monotone voice became vicious.
monotone = unvarying in pitch
Definition
Generally monotone means:sound unvarying in pitch — especially the human voice
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
ogre
1 use
"David," Rudy said in a reassuring voice as he held my shoulders, "I know I bark at you quite a bit, and you may think I'm an ogre."
ogre = an evil, hideous, and frightening person
Definition
Generally ogre means:fairy tales: a frightening giant — especially one who likes to eat people
or:
an evil, hideous, and frightening person
or:
an evil, hideous, and frightening person
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
perversion
1 use
"Hi, I'm Connie. And I don't want you going through my things in my room. You got that?" ... [she] wore a minidress. I couldn't help myself as I stared up at her legs. Connie stepped back, and her face turned red. "Mom, he's a little pervert!"
pervert = someone who likes sexual practices considered unacceptable by society
Definition
Generally perversion means:the conversion of something so it is not what it should be — especially a sexual practice considered unacceptable by society
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
rancid
1 use
I could feel The Mother's rancid breath on my neck and hear her cold voice chanting that there was no escape and that she would never let me go.
rancid = bad smelling
Definition
Generally rancid means:bad — most directly referring to the smell of oils or fats that have decomposed because they are not fresh enough, but metaphorically the word can refer to anything considered bad
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
rebuttal
1 use
"Rebuttal?" the judge, sounding bored, asked in my direction.
rebuttal = argument against (something)
Definition
Generally rebuttal means:a statement arguing against something
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
recession
1 use
But months after my 18th birthday, the recession hit, gas prices shot up, my savings withered and the reality of going nowhere fast hit me in the face.
recession = a period when the economy does poorly
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 10 |
recoil
1 use
I nearly recoiled into my protective shell as the woman frantically ran toward me in thick, funny-looking wooden shoes.
recoiled = moved back suddenly
Definition
Generally recoil means:to move backward suddenly (sometimes figuratively)
especially:
- the backward jerk of a gun or cannon when it is fired
- when a person flinches (suddenly draws back) from someone or something, as with fear, disgust, or pain
- when a person is emotionally repulsed, as by disgust
- when something intended to go in one direction figuratively falls back in the opposite direction; for example, a story told to hurt someone that comes back to hurt the teller
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
remorse
1 use
I didn't feel any remorse.
remorse = deep regret for doing something that was wrong
Definition
Generally remorse means:a feeling of deep regret for doing something that was wrong
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 8 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 8 |
retract
1 use
I then retracted as many statements as I could, claiming that I had lied about everything.
retracted = took back something previously said
Definition
Generally retract means:to take back; or to move back or in
in various senses, including:
- to take back something previously said — such as a promise or opinion
- to move back or in — such as an airplane's landing gear, or pulling your hand back after being burned
- in surgery, the use of a medical instrument to draw skin or an organ back out of the way
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
ridicule
2 uses
I knew what it was like to be ridiculed, and I hated it.
ridiculed = mocked (made fun of)
Definition
Generally ridicule means:mock (make fun of); or the language or behavior that does so
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 5 |
scrutiny
1 use
We always saw a movie, and that was the only way Alice could get me to sit still for any length of time. As I sat quietly beside her, I'd wring my hands as I scrutinized every scene. My mind raced to stay one step ahead of the sometimes mindless plot. I became fascinated by complicated screenplays and how the director pieced everything together.
scrutinized = looked at very carefully
(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.)
(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.)
Definition
Generally scrutiny means:careful examination of something
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 10 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 9 |
serene
1 use
The serene beauty of the Rio Villa still takes my breath away.
serene = calm and untroubled
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 11 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Epil. |
spontaneous
1 use
Even though I was spontaneous and free at Aunt Mary's, I still became lifeless and shy around my classmates.
spontaneous = natural, instinctive, and uninhibited (rather than planned or guarded)
Definition
Generally spontaneous means:behaving in an instinctive, uninhibited manner
or:
happening naturally (without planning or external force)
or:
happening naturally (without planning or external force)
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 4 |
subtle
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
a subtle shade of blue
A subtle yet familiar fragrance filled my head.
subtle = understated so as not to draw attention to itself
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 6 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |