amble
3 uses
An old woman was ambling across the street.
ambling = walking slowly or leisurely
Definition
Generally amble means:to walk leisurely or slowly
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
apprehensive
1 use
She is apprehensive about her new job.
apprehensive = worried
Definition
Generally apprehensive means:worried over possible misfortune
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 14 |
cultivate
1 use
We encourage our representatives to cultivate a close relationship with their clients.
cultivate = develop or grow
Definition
Generally cultivate means:enhance growth or development
in various senses, including:
- to grow crops or prepare land for them
- enhance a relationship — especially for a purpose
- develop discernment (better recognition of differences) in taste or judgment
- to grow a culture in a petri dish
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 9 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 26 |
erratic
1 use
Her behavior became erratic and often argumentative.
erratic = irregular or unpredictable
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 20 |
fluctuate
1 use
"I'm not overweight. I fluctuate between chubby and curvy."
fluctuate = alternately increase and decrease in quantity
Definition
Generally fluctuate means:to alternately increase and decrease in quantity
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 2 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 500 |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
foal
2 uses
I've trained her to ride since she was a foal.
foal = young horse
Definition
Generally foal means:a young horse; or giving birth to a young horse
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 26 |
hippie
11 uses
Many of the hippies who initiated the Summer of Love had moved on by the 1970s.
hippies = member of the counterculture that first became prevalent in the early 1960's in San Francisco — associated with long hair, illegal drugs, casual sex, and opposition to violence.
Definition
Generally hippie means:member of the counterculture that first became prevalent in the early 1960's in San Francisco — associated with long hair, illegal drugs, casual sex, and opposition to violence.
Word Statistics
| Book | 11 uses |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
indifferent
1 use
About a third are in favor of the change, a third are opposed, and a third are indifferent.
indifferent = without interest
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 | 1 use |
| Library | 15 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 2 |
inhibit
2 uses
1 —2 uses as in:
she is shy and inhibited
She's personable and funny with her friends, but tends to be inhibited with strangers.
inhibited = unable to act naturally due to being overly self-conscious
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 21 |
integral
1 use
That was before China became an integral part of the world economy.
integral = essential
Definition
Generally this sense of integral means:an essential part or characteristic
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 2000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 20 |
meander
3 uses
The path meanders through the vineyards.
meanders = follows a winding course (rather than following a definite direction)
Definition
Generally meander means:to move slowly in a winding or indefinite direction — (often said of a river, or path, or conversation)
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 7 |
migrate
3 uses
The birds migrate in the Winter.
migrate = move from one place to another
Definition
Generally migrate means:move from one place to another — sometimes seasonally
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 7 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
paralysis
3 uses
She suffers paralysis of her legs.
paralysis = loss of the ability to move
Definition
Generally paralysis means:loss of the ability to move the body or a part of it
or:
inability to act or make a decision
or:
inability to act or make a decision
Word Statistics
| Book | 3 uses |
| Library | 15 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 3 |
positive
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
had a positive effect
Lower interest rates positively affected home sales.
positively = in a good or beneficial manner
Definition
Generally this sense of positive means:good or beneficial
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 4 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 22 |
proportion
1 use
1 —1 use as in:
respond in proportion
She gets to ranting and loses all sense of proportion.
proportion = appropriateness
Definition
Generally this sense of proportion means:appropriate in size, amount, or degree
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 6 |
repentance
8 uses
Prisoners who show repentance are more likely to be released on parole.
repentance = regret for having done wrong with a desire to be a better person in the future
Definition
Generally repentance means:the feeling or expression of regret for having done something wrong with a firm decision to be a better person in the future
Word Statistics
| Book | 8 uses |
| Library | 5 uses in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 28 |
replenish
1 use
The recent storms helped replenish the city's water supply.
replenish = replace what was used up
Definition
Generally replenish means:replace what was used up; or restore to a previous condition
Word Statistics
| Book | 1 use |
| Library | 3 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 1000 |
| 1st use | Chapter 20 |
scrutiny
1 use
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.)
(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 13 |
seminary
18 uses
She plans to attend Fuller Theological Seminary.
seminary = a school for training ministers (though in other contexts, the word could refer to a school for teaching priests, or rabbis)
Definition
Generally seminary means:a school for training ministers, priests, or rabbis
Word Statistics
| Book | 18 uses |
| Library | 1 use in 10 avg bks |
| 1st use | Chapter 30 |
vary
2 uses
Your mileage may vary.
vary = be different
Definition
Generally vary means:to be different, or to change
Word Statistics
| Book | 2 uses |
| Library | 13 uses in 10 avg bks |
| SAT®* | top 100 |
| 1st use | Chapter 14 |