Hard Words with Meaning and Sentence | Manage Words by Panel

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abjure

/æb'dʒʊə(r)/ v. Syn. renounce; abandon
renounce upon oath; abandon forever
He will abjure his allegiance to the king.

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abrogate

/'æbroʊgeɪt/ a. Syn. abolish
abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority
He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

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acumen

/'ækjʊmɛn, ə'kju:mɛn/ n. Syn. acuteness; insight
mental keenness; quickness of perception
However, her team's political acumen is clearly beyond mine, an Ivy League Medical Science Professor and NOT a Political "Science" Professor.

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adumbrate

/'ædʌmbreɪt/ v. Syn. overshadow; shade
give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade
Her constant complaining about the job would adumbrate her intent to leave.

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alacrity

/ə'lækrɪtɪ/ n.
cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness
Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.

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anathema

/ə'næθəmə/ n.
solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse
To the Ayatolla, America and the West were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words.

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antipathy

/æn'tɪpəθɪ/ n. Syn. aversion; dislike
strong feeling of aversion; dislike
Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into arguments with his temperamental wife.

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approbation

/æprə'beɪʃ(ə)n/ n. Syn. approval
expression of warm approval; praise
She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good grades would please them.

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arrogate

/'æroʊgeɪt/ v.
claim without justification; claim for oneself without right
Lynn watch in astonishments as her coworkers arrogate the credit for her brilliant work in the project.

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ascetic

/ə'sɛtɪk/ a. Syn. austere; severe
leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere
The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders.

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assiduous

/ə'sɪdjʊəs/;/ə'sɪdʒʊəs/ a. Syn. diligent; persistent
constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent
He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results.

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boon

/bu:n/ n. Syn. blessing; benefit
blessing; benefit bestowed, especially in response to a request
The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

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brusque

/brʊsk/;/brʌsk/ a. Syn. blunt; abrupt
abrupt and curt in manner or speech; rudely abrupt, unfriendly
Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob's request with a curt "Not now!"?

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burnish

/'bɜrnɪʃ/ v. Syn. polish
make shiny by rubbing; polish
I burnish the brass fixtures until they reflect the lamplight.

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buttress

/'bʌtrɪs/ v. Syn. support
support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence
The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt to buttress his weak case.

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cajole

/kə'dʒoʊl/ v.
influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering
Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car.

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calumny

/'kæləmnɪ/ n. Syn. slander
false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slander
He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

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capricious

/kə'prɪʃəs/ a. Syn. unpredictable; fickle; arbitrary
fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly
The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly.

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clemency

/'klɛmənsɪ/ n.
mildness, as of the weather; merciful, kind, or lenient act
The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders.

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cogent

/'koʊdʒənt/ a. Syn. convincing
reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive
It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship.

200 Difficult Words - Group 1