disparage |diˈsparij| verb [ trans. ] regard or represent as being of little worth : he never missed an opportunity to disparage his competitors | [as adj. ] ( disparaging) disparaging remarks.
Sagacious- (adj.) having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd
(adv.) sagaciously
A sagacious person is an extremely shrewd one who is both discerning and practical. He or she can look out the window and tell whether it's going to rain by studying the facial expressions of passersby as they glance nervously at the sky.
Histrionics- (noun) overly theatrical actions or behaviors often designed to attract attention.
Ex. When confronted with a vegetable he "didn't like", the child would throw a hissy fit. His father, however, could see that he was overreacting and thus told him to "Stop the histrionics."
Ex. Discussions around the issue have been based as much in histrionics as in history.
Ornery (adj) - bad tempered and combative. stubborn.
Ex. Some hogs are mean and ornery.
Ex. "The Acutes look spoked and uneasy when he laughs, the way kids look in a school-room when one ornery kid is raising too much hell with the teacher...” (pg 18).
"Good guy, my foot. McMurphy would be embarrassed to absolute tears if her were aware of some of the simon-pure motives people had been claiming were behind some of his dealings. He would take it as a direct effrontery."
Hint for memorizing: the word sounds like it's "up front"/in your face--like rudeness and insulting behavior.
Solitary and farouche people don't have relationships; they are quite unrelatable. If you and I were capable of being altogether house-trained and made jolly, we should be nicer people, but not writers. -- Elizabeth Bowen, Letter to the writer V. S. Pritchett
I was for some reason reminded of Sillery dealing with some farouche undergraduate whom he wished especially to enclose within his net. -- Anthony Powell, A dance to the music of time
ex. "And that queer ancestral house where she spent so many years lonely and sad with her morose old husband, always silent and splenetic, who frightened them, while timid as children they hid their love from each other?" (White Nights by Dostoevsky)
disparage |diˈsparij|
ReplyDeleteverb [ trans. ]
regard or represent as being of little worth : he never missed an opportunity to disparage his competitors | [as adj. ] ( disparaging) disparaging remarks.
Sagacious- (adj.) having or showing keen mental discernment and good judgment; shrewd
ReplyDelete(adv.) sagaciously
A sagacious person is an extremely shrewd one who is both discerning and practical. He or she can look out the window and tell whether it's going to rain by studying the facial expressions of passersby as they glance nervously at the sky.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHistrionics- (noun) overly theatrical actions or behaviors often designed to attract attention.
ReplyDeleteEx. When confronted with a vegetable he "didn't like", the child would throw a hissy fit. His father, however, could see that he was overreacting and thus told him to "Stop the histrionics."
Ex. Discussions around the issue have been based as much in histrionics as in history.
Abscond - (verb) to leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid detection of or arrest for an unlawful action such as theft.
ReplyDeleteEx. The thieves intended to abscond with the money from the cash register, but they did not succeed.
Ex. from "Heart of Darkness": “There he was before me, in motley, as though he had absconded from a troupe of mines, enthusiastic, fabulous" (150).
Indefatigable (adj.) - incapable of being fatigued, persisting tirelessly,untiring.
ReplyDelete- Indefatigability-noun form
- Indefatigableness-noun form
- Indefatigably- adverbial form
Ex.(dictionary)- He was an indefatigable defender of human rights.
Ex.(mine)- The indefatigable quarterback was too much for the defense to handle.
Ex.(Heart of Darkness)- "'What a row the brute makes!' said the indefatigable man with the moustaches appearing next to us"(26).
Ornery (adj) - bad tempered and combative. stubborn.
ReplyDeleteEx. Some hogs are mean and ornery.
Ex. "The Acutes look spoked and uneasy when he laughs, the way kids look in a school-room when one ornery kid is raising too much hell with the teacher...” (pg 18).
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletelugubrious (adj.)- looking or sounding sad and dismal
ReplyDeleteEx. "There was a touch of insanity in the proceeding, a sense of lugubrious drollery in the sight" (78)
-Heart of Darkness
Daedal- Adj. Complex or ingenious in form or function; intricate
ReplyDeletevociferous- vehement or clamorous.
ReplyDeleteex. He was a vociferous opponent of the takeover (dictionary).
inveigle- (v)-to entice, lure, or ensnare by flattery.
ReplyDeleteHe tried to inveigle the two men into playing a game of pool.
effrontery: insulting behavior;shamelessness; insolence (rudeness)
ReplyDelete"Good guy, my foot. McMurphy would be embarrassed to absolute tears if her were aware of some of the simon-pure motives people had been claiming were behind some of his dealings. He would take it as a direct effrontery."
Hint for memorizing: the word sounds like it's "up front"/in your face--like rudeness and insulting behavior.
Chicanery: n. trickery for a political, financial, or legal purpose
ReplyDeleteHarding says, "He doesn't make any pretense about his motives, does he? Why should we? He has a healthy and honest attitude about his chicanery..."
Chic sounds like trick...
farouche |fəˈroō sh |
ReplyDeleteadjective
sullen or shy in company.
Examples from quotes:
Solitary and farouche people don't have relationships; they are quite unrelatable. If you and I were capable of being altogether house-trained and made jolly, we should be nicer people, but not writers.
-- Elizabeth Bowen, Letter to the writer V. S. Pritchett
I was for some reason reminded of Sillery dealing with some farouche undergraduate whom he wished especially to enclose within his net.
-- Anthony Powell, A dance to the music of time
Sounds the same as aloof.
(from dictionary.com)
Morose (adjective) - sullen and ill-tempered.
ReplyDeleteHe was a young man, lean, fair, and morose; with lanky hair and a shuffling gait" (Heart of Darkness, 14).
Morose--> More-Worse
mien: (noun) a person's look or manner, especially one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood
ReplyDeleteex: he has a cautious, academic mien
ex: "On perceiving Akakii Akakievich's modest mien, and his worn undress uniform, he turned..." ("The Overcoat")
HINT: a look that helps identify one's deMEANor (close?)
convivial: (adj) friendly; agreeable
ReplyDeleteex: she was in a convivial atmosphere. (dictionary.com)
hint for memorizing-- vivre in french means to live, so full of life=friendly
splenetic (adj): irritable; peevish; spiteful
ReplyDeleteex. "And that queer ancestral house where she spent so many years lonely and sad with her morose old husband, always silent and splenetic, who frightened them, while timid as children they hid their love from each other?" (White Nights by Dostoevsky)
hint: opposite of SPLENdid
adroit (adj): clever or skillful in using the hands or mind
ReplyDeleteEx: The adroit pianist played for hours by ear without stopping for breaks.
Hint for memorizing: Think of a droid which is a robot and does everything perfectly which is why they are especially skillful. Maybe?
Daedal: Adj. Complex or ingenious in form or function; intricate
ReplyDeleteEX: Her painting was filled with daedal patterns.
EX: The human body is run by incredibly daedal functions.
Hint to Remember:
D- Difficult
A- Abstruse
E- Exquisite
D- Detailed
A- Artistic
L- Labyrinthine