Day 9

45 words to learn

0 / 45 words learned

apartheid

racial discrimination

uh-PAHRT-heyt

brutal racial discrimination

aspersion

defamation

uh-SPER-zhun

critical or unpleasant remarks; false rumors

benevolence

goodwill

buh-NEV-uh-luhns

desire to do good to others; goodwill

compliant

yielding

kuhm-PLAHY-uhnt

too willing to agree with others; submissive

concord

agreement

KON-kawrd

agreement or harmony

cordial

warm and sincere

KAWR-juhl

warm and sincere

decimated

destroy

DES-uh-meyt

kill or destroy a large part of (originally one tenth)

deface

mar the appearance

dih-FAYS

to damage the appearance of; mutilate

descry

catch sight of

dih-SKRAHY

to catch sight of

diligent

hard-working

DIL-i-juhnt

hard-working; attentive and persistent in doing anything

egotistical

conceited

ee-guh-TIS-ti-kuhl

extremely selfish ; conceited

exemplar

model

ig-ZEM-plar

standard specimen; model

fallacy

mistaken belief

FAL-uh-see

a deceptive, misleading notion; mistaken belief

flag

lose energy

flag

to sag or droop ; decline in strength or interest

fusion

synthesis

FYOO-zhuhn

mixture or union

gush

flow out suddenly

guhsh

to flow out suddenly; talk ardently

hawser

thick rope

HAW-zer

thick rope or cable

incongruous

not in harmony

in-KONG-groo-uhs

not in harmony or agreement; absurd

ineluctable

unavoidable

in-i-LUKT-uh-bul

incapable of being escaped

insuperable

insurmountable

in-SOO-per-uh-buhl

that cannot be conquered

intractable

stubborn

ihn-TRAAK-tuh-buhl

not easily managed

jingoism

belligerent chauvinism

JING-goh-ihz-uhm

belligerent chauvinism

languid

lacking energy

LAANG-gwihd

lacking energy; listless

legerdemain

trickery

lehj-uhr-duh-MAYN

trickery, deception

metaphor

implied comparison

MEHT-uh-fuhr

figure of speech in which two things are compared

obdurate

stubborn

AHB-duhr-uht

unwilling to change one's mind or actions; stubborn

occlude

obstruct

uh-KLOOD

to obstruct or block

odious

hateful

OH-dee-us

hateful, repugnant

parody

humorous imitation

PAR-uh-dee

a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect

polemic

argument

puh-LEH-mihk

a controversial argument

posterity

future generations

po-STER-i-tee

future or succeeding generations

preen

groom with excessive care

preen

to groom oneself with excessive care; to clean fur or feathers

provincial

unsophisticated

pruh-VIN-shuhl

unsophisticated; narrow-minded

remuneration

payment

ri-myoo-nuh-REY-shuhn

payment for work done

reparation

compensation

rep-uh-REY-shuhn

act of giving something to somebody in order to show that you are sorry for the suffering you have caused; compensation

retinue

entourage

REHT-noo

group of attendants with an important person

secure

obtain

si-KYOOR

to fix firmly; to obtain

seer

prophet

see-er

person who prophesies future events; observer

sententious

pithy

sen-TEN-shuhs

short and pithy; full of maxims

seraphic

angelic

seh-RAH-fihk

angelic; extremely happy

sportive

frolicsome

SPOHR-tihv

frolicsome, jocular, playful

stigmatize

set mark of disgrace

STIG-muh-tahyz

to set some mark of disgrace upon

stupefy

stun into silence

STOO-puh-fy

to stun or amaze; benumb

vacillate

waver

VAA-sihl-ayt

to sway unsteadily; to waver in mind

vacillation

fluctuation

vas-uh-LEY-shuhn

state of in decision; fluctuation