The Big Book of Words You Should Know

by David Olsen

  Marie’s FURTIVE designs were soon detected and exposed.

  futility (fyoo-TILL-ih-tee), noun

  That which is characterized by uselessness. Something that is impractical or vainly undertaken shows futility.

  The FUTILITY of attempting to reason with Paula could no longer be denied; Michael gave up trying.

  gallantry (GAL-un-tree), noun

  Something displaying dashing bravery or chivalry. Gallantry pertains to an air of courage and nobility.

  His GALANTRY Although we expected to confront to solve this problem; what is needed is cold cash.

  galore (guh-LORE), adjective

  In abundance; plentiful.

  Once Mom hit the lottery, she promised, it would be presents GALORE for all of us: new cars, clothes, jewelry, vacations, and just about anything else we wanted.

  galvanize (GAL-vuh-nize), verb

  To stimulate into action; to motivate (as if with an electric shock).

  After considerable national debate over the merits of entering into a “European war,” the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor GALVANIZED American public opinion as nothing else could.

  garner (GAR-nur), verb

  To amass, gather, or accumulate. To garner something is to acquire it over a period.

  William GARNERED much praise for his writing but little cash.

  garret (GARE-ut), noun

  An attic room; also, a secluded, generally unfinished area near the top of a structure used as an observation post or as a place for privacy and refuge.

  Although he had a computer and printer set up in his downstairs study, Christopher found that he did his best writing sitting up in the GARRET with a pad of paper and a pencil.

  gaudy (GAHW-dee), adjective

  Showy; tasteless. Something that bespeaks tackiness or excessive ornamentation is gaudy.

  For some reason, Cheryl always adorns herself with the GAUDIEST jewelry imaginable.

  gaunt (gawnt), adjective

  Extremely thin; haggard, as by deprivation or worry.

  The televised images of the hostages showed the world a series of GAUNT faces, worn by months of torture and captivity, reading words that had obviously been written for them.

  gauntlet (GONT-let), noun

  A challenge. To “throw down the gauntlet” in medieval times, was to issue a challenge to a duel.

  This deadline is not simply a goal for this department; it is a GAUNTLET that has been thrown before us.

  gazebo (guh-ZEE-boe), noun

  A small outdoor structure, roofed but open on the sides, usually placed in a backyard or a park.

  The GAZEBO in the church courtyard was freshened up with a new coat of white paint every spring in preparation for outdoor weddings.

  generic (juh-NARE-ik), adjective

  Of or pertaining to all members of a group or category; also, unprotected by trademark; common and unremarkable.

  Senator Smith used the press conference as an opportunity to deliver his GENERIC speech on the role of the media in the development of public policy.

  genial (JEEN-yul), adjective

  Kindly or pleasant in disposition. A genial attitude is one of warmth and openness.

  Although we expected to confront the enemy in full force, we encountered only GENIAL townsfolk.

  ghoulish (GOO-lish), adjective

  Having a morbid fascination with subjects like death, disease, serial killers, etc.

  I wouldn’t call Jim GHOULISH, but his favorite activity is to tour local cemeteries and to take pictures of area funeral homes.

  girth (girth), noun

  The circumference of something. “Girth” often is used as a nice way to say “fat.”

  My mind was boggled as I tried to conceive of the GIRTH of the planet Jupiter.

  gist (jist), noun

  The main point; the essential meaning, the core or heart of a message.

  The GIST of the letter from the grievance committee is that the workers are tired of being unappreciated and underpaid.

  gnocchi (NYAW-kee), noun

  An Italian pasta dish; small round balls of pasta.

  Dawn ordered GNOCCHI for Ellen, her five-year-old, but the little girl seemed to enjoy playing with the little things more than eating them.

  goad (goad), verb

  To stimulate, urge, or prod, especially toward a given action. Originally, a goad was a pointed stick used to prod animals.

  Brian decided not to write his name on the wall, despite his friends’ attempts to GOAD him into doing so.

  goulash (GOO-losh), noun

  A stew made with beef, vegetables, and paprika.

  The chef ’s famous GOULASH was an old family recipe that had been handed down from his Hungarian ancestors for generations.

  grandeur (GRAN-jur), noun

  The quality of being grand; extravagance in scale or appearance. Grandeur refers to magnificence.

  The Emerald City’s GRANDEUR exceeded anything Dorothy had ever seen.

  grapple (GRAP-ul), verb

  To struggle (with an opponent or enemy); to attempt to pin down or throw to the ground.

  Alert Secret Service agents GRAPPLED with the armed intruder and wrestled him to the ground before any shots were fired.

  gratis (GRAT-iss), adjective

  Free of charge.

  I liked visiting Renee when she was working at the ice cream parlor, but the GRATIS sundaes and banana splits she always offered were impossible to resist—and they weren’t helping my diet much.

  gratuity (gruh-TOO-ih-tee), noun

  A tip; extra money given for service beyond the amount required by the bill.

  I make it a point never to leave a GRATUITY if the service has been truly horrible.

  gravitate (GRAV-ih-tate), verb

  To have a natural inclination toward or to be strongly attracted to something (or someone).

  As soon as we entered the electronics store, my kids GRAVITATED toward the video games.

  greenhouse effect (GREEN-HOUSE-uh-fect), noun

  Many believe the greenhouse effect is the cause of global warming. A greenhouse traps heat because the short waves of solar radiation easily go through glass. Once the sun’s light passes through the glass and hits something, it is converted to longer-waved heat radiation, which cannot pass back out of the greenhouse. On Earth, the burning of fossil fuels has created something akin to the panes of glass on a greenhouse. The sun’s rays can pass into the planet’s atmosphere, but then, once converted to heat radiation, they are trapped inside our atmosphere.

  Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, brought attention to the perils of the GREENHOUSE EFFECT.

  grimace (GRIM-uss), noun

  A facial expression showing disgust or discomfort. A grimace is a sharp facial contortion indicating pain, dissatisfaction, or disgust.

  Billy made a GRIMACE at the thought of eating his vegetables.

  grisly (GRIZ-lee), adjective

  Gruesome.

  The final confrontation with Brando’s character, GRISLY though it is, effectively follows through on the themes of ritual sacrifice established earlier in the film.

  grope (groap), verb

  To reach about blindly. Grope can also be used figuratively to describe someone who acts in uncertainty of purpose.

  He GROPED for the right words, but could not manage to come up with an acceptable explanation.

  grovel (GROV-ul), verb

  To lie prostrate, especially when done as a sign of humility. Another meaning of grovel is to give oneself over completely to subservience.

  To see his sister reduced to GROVELING for approval in this way was almost too much for Ryan to take.

  guile (gile), noun

  Cunning; treacherous deceit. Someone who exercises guile is insidious and misleading.

  In laying the groundwork for embezzlement on such a large scale, Donald showed considerable GUILE and no small amount of daring.

  guru (GOO-roo), noun

  An in
spiring spiritual or intellectual leader; a revered teacher.

  Though I found the self-help seminar to be helpful enough, I wasn’t as awed as some others in the course, who made the instructor out to be some kind of GURU.

  gyrate (JIE-rate), verb

  To spin; to wind or coil.

  “What you kids do today isn’t dancing,” said Grandma; “all you do is jump and GYRATE willy-nilly.”

  hacienda (ha-see-EN-duh), noun

  A large estate or plantation.

  After spending his junior year living on a HACIENDA while he studied Spanish in Madrid, Oscar had a tough time readjusting to his tiny dorm room.

  haggle (HAG-ul), verb

  To bargain with; to dicker or negotiate on price or terms.

  I think Tom enjoyed the process of HAGGLING at the flea market more than the items he bought.

  hale (hale), adjective

  Healthy and vigorous; disease-free.

  Lydia had been assured by the surgeon that she’d be HALE and hearty again in two weeks.

  hallucinogenic (huh-loo-sih-noe-JEN-ik), adjective

  Reminiscent of or pertaining to a drug or other substance that causes imaginary visions or delusions.

  It seems difficult to believe that any person would knowingly administer HALLUCINOGENIC drugs to a seven-year-old child, Your Honor, but such are the facts before us in this case.

  haphazard (hap-HAZ-urd), adjective

  Irregular; governed by chance. Something that is done in a haphazard manner is not guided by a system or regular method.

  After a few HAPHAZARD guesses at the box’s contents, Steve gave up.

  hardscrabble (HARD-scrabb-uhl), adjective

  Describes a task, activity, profession, etc. that is extremely arduous yet offers little reward in return.

  My family comes from dirt farmers who barely survived their HARDSCRABBLE existence.

  harlequin (HAR-luh-kwin), noun

  A comic character from the Italian commedia tradition, usually masked and wearing a tight-fitting costume.

  Instead of the standard joker, the ornamental deck of playing cards featured a HARLEQUIN in colorful attire.

  harrowing (HARE-roe-ing), adjective

  Extremely distressing; disturbing or frightening in the extreme.

  After her HARROWING ride down a hill in a car with failed brakes, Monica vowed never to drive again.

  harry (HAR-ee), verb

  To harass and annoy to an excessive degree.

  The bill collectors HARRIED Susan until she felt forced to declare bankruptcy.

  heed (heed), verb

  To pay attention to; to take into consideration; as a noun, an instance of notice or attention.

  Don’t HEED my brother George; he always tries to make me look bad in front of my dates.

  heirloom (AIR-loom), noun

  A possession of commercial or sentimental value handed down from generation to generation.

  As the oldest child, I was given the most precious family HEIRLOOM, our old grandfather clock, when my mother passed away.

  helter-skelter (HEL-tur SKEL-tur), adjective

  Haphazard; lacking order or purpose; confused in manner or array.

  While the children ran HELTER-SKELTER through the living room, Mrs. Moore tried to light the candles on her son’s birthday cake and set out party bags.

  hereditary (huh-RED-ih-tare-ee), adjective

  Passed through the genes from parents to their children.

  Although the doctors of his time believed him to be suffering from a host of exotic contagious illnesses, experts now believe that George III’s madness was caused by HEREDITARY factors.

  heterogeneous (het-er-uh-JEEN-ee-us), adjective

  Different. Heterogeneous means consisting of utterly dissimilar parts or styles.

  Marie invited a HETEROGENEOUS group: poets, potters, mechanics, bureaucrats, and who knows who else.

  hierarchy (HIE-uh-rar-kee), noun

  A system (of people, concepts, groups, etc.) in which there is a ranking of entities one above another. A hierarchy often refers to a formal chain of command.

  The famous psychologist Abraham Maslow has established a HIERARCHY of human needs.

  highbrow (HIE-brow), adjective

  Intelligent and cultured; also, one who is pretentious or snobby about intelligence and culture.

  Al liked going to gallery shows to see the work of new artists, but he found the HIGHBROW analysis of some of his fellow patrons almost unbearable.

  highfalutin (hi-fuh-LOO-tin), adjective

  Pompous; pretentious; overblown and extravagant.

  Al said he’ d rather have root canal work than attend another one of Gina’s HIGHFALUTIN dinner parties and suffer in humiliation for not using the proper utensils for each course.

  hologram (HOLL-uh-gram), noun

  A three-dimensional image created electronically and without a lens.

  The HOLOGRAM was such a convincing illusion that the dog actually barked at the image of its owner, apparently expecting to be fed.

  homogeneous (ho-mo-JEE-nee-uss), adjective

  The same throughout; made up of like parts; not heterogeneous.

  The island supported a small HOMOGENEOUS population of aboriginal tribes.

  homonym (HOM-uh-nim), noun

  A word that sounds the same as another word. “To” and “two” are homonyms.

  I think in this sentence you have confused the word “real” with its HOMONYM “reel.”

  horde (hord), noun

  A large crowd; a swarm of people.

  Outside the department store, HORDES of angry shoppers, having been told that the doors would swing open at eight o’clock sharp, began to press against the huge window.

  hormonal (HOR-moan-uhl), adjective

  A hormone is a substance released by the body to affect physiological activity. Thus, “hormonal” describes someone who acts as though he or she is being affected by hormones.

  The HORMONAL shouts of teenagers and preteens annoyed me so much that I left the concert before the encore.

  horrific (hor-RIFF-ik), adjective

  Horrifying; scary; terrifying.

  Mr. Benton insisted on reading the newspaper’s account of the HORRIFIC train wreck out loud during lunch.

  hybrid (HIE-brid), adjective

  The result of a mixture or combination of two dissimilar things (as in two breeds of animals, or two types of flowers).

  Raymond spent all of his free time in the greenhouse perfecting his beautiful HYBRID orchids.

  hyperbole (hie-PUR-buh-lee), noun

  Extravagant overstatement. To exaggerate something for the purpose of effect is to use hyperbole.

  I think you can safely regard his promise to eat his hat if proven wrong as HYPERBOLE.

  idle (EYE-dul), adjective

  Not put to use; inactive. Also: lacking in substance. (See, for comparison, the entry for idol.)

  When the phone service went down, our customer service operators had to sit IDLE at their stations, which drove Mr. Brown to distraction.

  idol (EYE-dul), noun

  A worshiped image; a figure of a god. Also, any personage who is the object of devotion. (See, for comparison, the entry for idle.)

  That flamenco dancer she went to see last week is my sister Cassandra’s latest IDOL.

  idolatry (eye-DOLL-uh-tree), noun

  The worship of a physical object as though it were a god or idol; to display an unusual and worshipful attachment to an object.

  Buddy’s IDOLATRY of his shiny new Corvette led a couple of his friends to remark that he would take it to bed with him if he could.

  imam (ih-MAHM), noun

  The governing priest at a mosque.

  I was wary of attending the mosque, but I quickly found the IMAM welcoming and pleasant.

  immaculate (im-MAK-yoo-lut), adjective

  Spotless; utterly free from fault, blemish, or stain. Something that is immaculate is impeccably clean.
/>   After the boys had finished the cleanup job, the garage looked IMMACULATE.

  immeasurable (ih-MEZH-er-uh-bull), adjective

  Describes a quantity that cannot be measured because it seems to be limitless.

  I was gladdened by the IMMEASURABLE love my daughter clearly felt for her fiancé.

  immerse (im-MURCE), verb

  To plunge into or surround with liquid.

  Radios, electric shavers, and other electrical appliances can deliver lethal electric shocks if IMMERSED in water while plugged in.

  imminent (IM-uh-nunt), adjective

  Likely to happen at any time; impending.

  With his plane’s departure IMMINENT, Greg gave his little girl a hug for the last time, kissed her on the forehead, and headed toward the gate.

  impale (im-PALE), verb

  To pierce with a sharp object; to pin or hold down.

  Carol, with her flair for the dramatic, urged her husband to fix the loose pickets on the fence before one of the neighborhood children was IMPALED.

  impeccable (im-PEK-uh-buhl), adjective

  Flawless; faultless.

  James Bond wore IMPECCABLE evening dress, marred only by the bulge where his gun was concealed.

  impede (im-PEED), verb

  To obstruct progress; to block.

  The fire regulations are quite clear on the question of storage in this hallway; nothing is allowed to IMPEDE access to the main exit.

  imperative (im-PAIR-uh-tiv), adjective and noun

  Essential, obligatory, or mandatory. As a noun, an imperative is a command or an essential objective. Imperative also has a grammatical sense referring to verbs that command or exhort. (For instance, in the sentence “Sit, Rex!” the word sit is in the imperative.)

  It is IMPERATIVE that the soldiers evacuate as soon as possible.

  imperceptible (im-pur-SEP-tuh-bull), adjective

  So subtle as to be unnoticeable. Imperceptible refers to that which is so gradual or unnoticeable it is virtually impossible to perceive.

  The distinctions you draw in this paragraph are IMPERCEPTIBLE to the average reader.

  impervious (im-PURR-vee-us), adjective

  Impenetrable. Also: impossible to alter or affect. Impervious usually means incapable of being changed from a given course.

  We tried to dissuade Millicent from sending the children to Montana, but she was IMPERVIOUS.

  impetuous (im-PET-you-us), adjective

  Impulsive. That which is driven by sudden force or emotion is impetuous.