
Heavy Vocabulary

Jubilant – full of high-spirited delight
Sentence – Meanwhile we have the jubilant pictures of Hillary Clinton celebrating her husband’s triumph in which she has played no small part.

Knell – the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death
Sentence – His sudden illness was the death knell of his hope to go traveling with his schoolmates.

Lithe – moving and bending with ease
Sentence – Second, I use the word because it is lithe and playful, high-spirited and coltish.

Lurid – glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
Sentence – Disappointment followed, the lurid projector of mental pictures shut down and I was left feeling I ought to have known better.

Maverick – someone who exhibits independence in thought and action
Sentence – Narendra was some kind of new thing, a maverick, rooted in the traditional but open to new ways of being.

Meticulous – marked by precise accordance with details
Sentence – She was a meticulous, but not maniacal, housekeeper.

Modicum – a small or moderate or token amount
Sentence –he had done the necromancy with a modicum of debonair detachment until the Army called out her husband for the second time.

Morose – showing a brooding ill humor
Sentence – His morose ruminations were interrupted by Benny Katz, who wanted anyone he could find to listen to his tale of woe.

Myriad – a large indefinite number
Sentence – Armour is beautifully made from a myriad of tiny metal scales making it lightweight and very flexible but stronger than steel.

Nadir – the lowest point of anything
Sentence – At the nadir of her career, she was given a great encouragement by his marrying her.

Nominal – relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
Sentence – Inflation would be lower and so nominal rates would be rather more attractive in real terms.

Novice – someone new to a field or activity
Sentence – As a novice carver I found the MAC650 very useful for controlled shaping of curved pieces with flowing lines.

Nuance – a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
Sentence – The sophisticated nuance of a freshly peeled lemon is the hallmark of authentic, cold – pressed lemon oil.

Oblivious – lacking conscious awareness of
Sentence – I have known rocks become oblivious to both the old type of scarecrow and its modern equivalent, the automatic banger.

Obsequious – attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Sentence – Barrow was positively obsequious to me until he learnt that I too was the son of a labouring man.

Obtuse – of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
Sentence – It had strange obtuse teeth, he thought it was part of an old church clock. Very elegant tapered spoke-arms.

Parody – a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style
Sentence – Is his dramatic performance appropriate parody or merely amateurish?

Penchant – a strong liking or preference
Sentence – But the current penchant for mixing styles has placed new importance on that special little table with an individual personality.

Perusal – the act of examining or reading carefully
Sentence – A perusal of the letters which we have published has satisfied him of the reality of our claim.

Plethora – extreme excess
Sentence – Suddenly, the Fed is faced with a plethora of legislative amendments to curb its independence.

Predilection – a predisposition in favor of something
Sentence – This would explain my predilection for rapini, since my mother serves it every Thanksgiving.

Quaint – attractively old-fashioned
Sentence – The fruit of the little enlivening the quaint old northern town has got through the Exhibition may be seen by-and-bye.

Rash – imprudently incurring risk
Sentence – That was a rash decision – you didn’t think about the costs involved.

Refurbish – improve the appearance or functionality of
Sentence – The council hope to enter into a long lease with Hearth Housing Association who would refurbish the lodges for tenant occupation.

Repudiate – refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
Sentence – Strong social pressures often support or repudiate their use, and sometimes the pressures lead to control or prohibition by governments.