by David Olsen
The REAPPORTIONMENT of voting districts dramatically affected the balance of power in the House.
recapitulate (re-kub-PIT-yoo-late), verb
To summarize in concise form. To recapitulate a story is to relate its essential points briefly.
Sgt. Dennis, an eyewitness, RECAPITULATED the incident to his superiors at headquarters.
recondite (RECK-un-dite), adjective
Describes something, such as knowledge, that is difficult, obscure, and beyond ordinary knowledge.
I made it through only five pages of the author’s RECONDITE prose before turning to the latest thriller.
recrimination (rih-krim-ih-NAY-shun), noun
An accusation made in response to an accusation; a countercharge.
Bo knew that divorce proceedings often degenerated into endless, bitter rounds of seemingly pointless RECRIMINATION.
recumbent (ri-KUM-bent), adjective
Lying down. Recumbent can also mean “inactive.”
Oscar lay on the beach, RECUMBENT beneath the warm Hawaiian sun.
redolent (RED-uh-lent), adjective
Either having a pleasant fragrance OR being suggestive or reminiscent of something else, such as a writer’s work that shows clear evidence of another writer’s influence.
The song’s dominant theme was REDOLENT of well-known works by Beethoven.
redoubtable (rih-DOUT-uh-bull), adjective
Inspiring wonder or awe; worthy of respect.
The REDOUBTABLE Saint George mounted his charger and set off in search of his next dragon.
redundant (rih-DUN-dunt), adjective
Unnecessarily repetitious.
By the end of the lecture, Professor Smith’s points began to seem a little REDUNDANT, and I gave up taking notes when she said for the third time, “And as I stated earlier. . . .”
reiterate (re-IT-uh-rate), verb
To restate or say again; to repeat.
Let me REITERATE: There will be no exception to the official policy on removing unauthorized recordings from the studio.
rejoinder (rih-JOIN-der), noun
An answer to a reply, especially a clever or witty answer.
I stood there silently, racking my brain for a suitable REJOINDER to Mike’s rude remarks.
remiss (rih-MISS), adjective
Negligent; unreliable or careless in one’s duties.
I hired Ted because he was my friend, but if he continues to be REMISS in his duties I’m afraid I’m going to have to let him go.
remonstrate (rih-MON-strate), verb
To protest, object, or offer disapproval; to offer objection or specific complaint.
Neighborhood parents packed the meeting to REMONSTRATE with the school committee for voting to close the local elementary school.
remunerate (ri-MYOO-ne-rate), verb
To pay (in consideration of another person’s expense or action). To remunerate is to settle an existing financial obligation by means of payment.
The insurance company REMUNERATED the accident victim only after months of delaying.
repartee (rep-er-TAY), noun
Conversation characterized by witty banter.
The REPARTEE of the new late-night host seemed rehearsed rather than spontaneous.
repose (rih-POSE), noun
An instance of resting after exercise or strain; also, tranquil rest reminiscent of eternal or heavenly ease.
We hiked in the Blue Hills from sunrise to sunset, stopping only for a brief REPOSE by the lake around midday.
resplendent (ri-SPLEN-dent), adjective
Brilliantly shining. That which is splendidly lustrous is resplendent.
A sky RESPLENDENT with stars awaited Norman and his telescope.
restaurateur (reh-stuh-ruh-TUR), noun
A person who manages and owns a restaurant.
The Andersons had no one to complain to when they discovered their rude waiter was none other than the RESTAURATEUR himself.
retort (rih-TORT), verb
To reply in a sharp, sometimes retaliatory fashion; as a noun: a biting reply.
“Well, if you’re so smart,” Frank RETORTED, “why did you drop the ball on the five-yard line?”
retrograde (REH-truh-grade), adjective
Of withdrawing, retreating, or moving backward.
I wouldn’t say you’re in a slump. I’ d say you’re making RETROGRADE progress.
revamp (re-VAMP), verb
To redo. To revamp is to renovate thoroughly.
The playwright decided to REVAMP several of the weaker scenes in the first act.
revelry (REV-ul-ree), noun
Uninhibited celebration.
Although Allan had a lot of work to do, he couldn’t resist joining in the REVELRY that accompanied the office Christmas party.
revile (rih-VILE), verb
To curse or abuse in harsh language. Someone who is reviled by another is denounced or hated by that person.
Realizing that he was REVILED by those opposing his stand on the military buildup, the Senator decided to cancel his appearance at the campus.
ribald (RIB-uld), adjective
Amusingly coarse or lewd. A ribald story is one that is off-color.
The young boys often retired to a spot behind the gym where they would pretend to smoke cigarettes and exchange RIBALD jokes none of them understood.
rife (rife), adjective
Widespread; commonly occurring.
Unimaginably poor sanitary conditions, RIFE in London at the time, were the chief cause of the sufferings of the plague years.
rigmarole (RIG-muh-role), noun
Nonsensically complicated procedure. Rigmarole is also misleading and incomprehensible doubletalk.
I have had enough of this author’s RIGMAROLE; I want a book with some substance to it.
risible (RIZZ-uh-bull), adjective
Capable of causing laughter due to its ludicrous nature.
Will someone please tell Sean that the hairstyle he thinks is so cool is really just RISIBLE?
rue (roo), verb
To be sorrowful; to mourn or regret bitterly.
After spending prom night at home watching movies by herself, Susan began to RUE the day she had rejected Mark so cruelly.
sacrosanct (SACK-roh-sankt), adjective
Beyond criticism because it is considered sacred.
You can’t criticize the Beatles, Steve. They’re SACROSANCT.
sagacious (suh-GAY-shuss), adjective
Perceptive; showing sound judgment.
Brian is the perfect candidate for chairman of the board; experienced, patient, and SAGACIOUS enough to help us counter the threat from our competitor.
salubrious (suh-LOOB-ree-uss), adjective
Healthful; promoting or contributing to good health.
Working out at the health club was definitely a more SALUBRIOUS use of my spare time than sitting at home in front of the television eating potato chips.
sans (sans), preposition
Without.
On the MTV show “Unplugged,” rock artists perform their songs SANS electric instruments and amplifiers.
sartorial (sar-TORE-ee-uhl), adjective
Pertaining to tailors and their trade.
Jake arrived at the job interview in SARTORIAL splendor.
satiate (SAY-shee-ate), verb
Satisfy beyond reasonable expectation. To be satiated is to consume to excess.
If this Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t SATIATE your appetite, nothing will.
saunter (SON-tur), verb
To walk leisurely or for pleasure.
On Sunday afternoons, Mr. Weeks would SAUNTER through Central Park gathering material for his short stories.
scarify (SKARE-ih-fie), verb
To wound with harsh criticism.
The drill instructor SCARIFIED recruits for the slightest deviation from protocol.
scintilla (sin-TILL-uh), noun
The smallest imaginable portion.
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br /> Your Honor, the prosecution’s case, which is based entirely on hearsay, is unsupported by a SCINTILLA of hard evidence.
scion (SIE-on), noun
A person directly descended from a given line.
My professor told me my claim to be a SCION of William Shakespeare’s line was totally at odds both with the existing genealogical information and with the quality of writing in my term paper.
sedentary (SED-un-tare-ee), adjective
Involving the act of sitting; accustomed to a lack of movement or exercise.
Although I have nothing against watching television during the work week, I do like to engage in less SEDENTARY activities on weekends.
sedition (sih-DISH-un), noun
Words or actions directed against public order; the incitement of disorder or rebellion.
The dictator’s charges of SEDITION against his political opponents were met with skepticism by the international press.
segue (SEG-way), noun
In music, to pass from one section to another; also, as a noun, any connective matter linking, for example, otherwise unrelated thoughts or observations.
Tomlin’s mature routines, which featured random observations on the eccentricities of life with few or no SEGUES, were risky but always rewarding.
sepulchral (suh-PUHL-kruhl), adjective
Describes something that is characteristic of a tomb because it is hollow and deep.
Anyone who’s watched old reruns of The Addams Family will never forget Lurch’s SEPULCHRAL voice saying, “You rang?”
seriocomic (seer-ee-oh-KOM-ik), adjective
Having both serious and humorous characteristics.
Like many of today’s successful dramatists, Erica employs SERIOCOMIC themes in her work.
similitude (sih-MIL-ih-tood), noun
Likeness or similarity. If A is a similitude of B, A is similar to B.
Bea and Rosa have a SIMILITUDE of habits when it comes to cooking.
skulk (skulk), verb
To move about furtively or quietly.
After she lost her job, Lea SKULKED around the town at odd hours, hoping to avoid her former colleagues.
skullduggery (skull-DUG-uh-ree), noun
Dishonest actions; cheating.
Mike accused me of copying my answers to the math quiz; I replied that I had never engaged in such SKULLDUGGERY, or at any rate had never been caught, which in my view amounted to much the same thing.
smattering (SMAT-er-ing), noun
A little bit. A smattering is a small amount of something.
Dean picked up a SMATTERING of Italian during his visit to Venice.
smitten (SMIT-uhn), adjective
Very much in love, or struck, as though by a hard blow.
Warren is so SMITTEN with Ellen that he’s practically stopped getting anything productive done.
snit (snit), noun
An angry or nasty mood; an irritated state.
After his roommate spilled grape juice all over his favorite coat, Jay was in a SNIT for weeks.
somnambulist (som-NAM-byoo-list), noun
A person who walks during sleep.
My father, the most notorious SOMNAMBULIST in our family, once emptied out the contents of the refrigerator before proceeding back upstairs to bed.
sonorous (SON-uh-russ), adjective
Deep or rich in sound; also, overblown or conceited in language.
The chairman’s SONOROUS but mercifully brief remarks brought the long meeting to a close.
spatial (SPAY-shull), adjective
Of or pertaining to physical space.
The cover artist’s use of varying widths of type leaves the viewer with an intriguing sense of SPATIAL disorientation.
specious (SPEE-shuss), adjective
Something that appears to be good or right, but upon closer examination is not; superficially convincing but unsound.
My opponent’s arguments may seem sound at first hearing, but if you will grant me five uninterrupted minutes, Mr. Moderator, I will show them to be SPECIOUS.
staid (stayed), adjective
Serious and dignified.
Bert’s fluorescent pinstripes and huge bow tie were not at all what his new supervisor had in mind when he called for STAID attire.
stolid (STOL-id), adjective
Unemotional; impassive.
The witness retained her STOLID, professional demeanor in the face of some intense cross-examination.
stopgap (STOP-gap), noun
A temporary expedient.
We knew that keeping Dad inside the house by suggesting he watch the football game while we mowed the lawn was nothing more than a STOPGAP; sooner or later he’ d have to see the huge dent Billy put in the car.
stratum (STRA-tum), noun
From the Latin meaning “cover,” stratum is a layer or level within a larger substance, object, idea, etc. The plural is “strata.”
As his apology tumbled out, STRATUM after stratum of Carl’s mistakes came to light.
striate (STRY-ate), verb
To mark with stripes or streaks. The adjective form, which you may see, is striated.
I think I’ ll try to liven up the appearance of this room by STRIATING one of its walls with white and yellow.
stringent (STRIN-junt), adjective
Imposing strict standards, rigid.
It was very difficult for Bonnie to adhere to such a STRINGENT diet, but she managed to do it.
stultify (STUL-tih-fy), verb
To render foolish or unable to act intelligently. That which stultifies causes a decrease in mental power.
The intense heat had a STULTIFYING effect on Melanie; she found she had difficulty thinking clearly.
stymie (STIE-mee), verb
To thwart; to prevent (another) from achieving a goal.
The reporter’s attempts to get to the bottom of the scandal were STYMIED by the refusal of the principals to talk to him—either on or off the record.
substrate (SUB-strayt), noun
An underlying layer that serves as a foundation or basis.
Doodling on notepads during office meetings became the SUBSTRATE for Phil’s successful cartooning career.
succinct (suck-SINKT), adjective
Brief; pithy; concise.
Norman preferred to say a SUCCINCT goodbye to his brother before getting into the cab, rather than engaging in a long, drawn-out scene at the train station.
succor (SUCK-ur), noun
Aid or assistance; relief.
Although she did not participate in the crime, Mrs. Helm was sentenced to five years in prison for giving SUCCOR to men she knew to be kidnappers.
sully (SUL-ee), verb
To besmear or make foul. Figuratively speaking, to sully a person, group, or institution is to cast aspersions on it.
I will not allow you to SULLY the good name of my family with such baseless accusations.
sumptuous (SUMP-choo-us), adjective
Extravagant. That which is lavish is sumptuous.
A SUMPTUOUS feast awaited the couple at the hotel.
surcease (sur-SEESE), noun
End. A surcease is a cessation.
It was only with the SURCEASE of hostilities that life began to return to normal for the region’s civilian population.
surfeit (SUR-fit), noun and verb
Excess. To have a surfeit of something is to have too much of it.
We have had a SURFEIT of proposals and analysis; the time has come for us to act.
surmise (sur-MIZE), verb
To guess; to come to a conclusion (often without strong evidence).
We SURMISED that Leanna had declined the invitation to Arthur’s birthday party simply because she didn’t want to buy him a gift.
tableau (ta-BLOW), noun
A memorable scene created by the grouping of objects and people.
When I walked into the room, the TABLEAU of angry faces let me know we were about to resolve the family argument.
Implied; understood without being openly explained or expressed.
The men took their sergeant’s harsh language toward Ned as TACIT approval of their own abusive behavior toward him.
tangential (tan-JEN-chull), adjective
Divergent or digressive; only slightly connected (to a more important matter).
After reviewing the financial outlook for the coming year, the chairman closed the meeting with a few TANGENTIAL remarks on some new software the accounting department would be purchasing.
tantamount (TAN-tuh-mount), adjective
Equivalent to in all meaningful respects. Tantamount derives from an old verb meaning “to amount to as much.”
Please remember that, since this is a tight race, a vote for the third-party candidate is TANTAMOUNT to a vote for my opponent.
tempestuous (tem-PESS-choo-uss), adjective
Stormy, violent.
Lear’s own rage and madness, far more than any artificial theatrical storm effects, are the truly TEMPESTUOUS elements of these scenes.
temporize (TEM-puh-rize), verb
To gain time by being evasive or indecisive.
I stuttered and unleashed a flurry of “um’s” in an effort to TEMPORIZE and come up with a logical explanation for my earlier behavior.
tenet (TEN-ut), noun
A principle. Something held to be true, valid, or essential by a group or organization is a tenet.
I think you will agree with me that the primary TENET of this company is that the customer must come first.
tepid (TEP-id), adjective
Lukewarm in temperature; also, unenthusiastic.
Although he expected a loud and long ovation from the crowd in appreciation of his work, the playwright had to make do with a few pockets of TEPID applause and a low buzzing sound distinctly reminiscent of snoring.
terrestrial (tuh-RESS-tree-ul), adjective
Of or pertaining to the earth, or to life on earth.
Although life on a space station is interesting to read about, I still believe I’ d be most comfortable in a TERRESTRIAL setting.
tertiary (TUR-shee-are-ee), adjective
Third in succession. That which follows the second item in a list, sequence, or progression is tertiary.
The disease had progressed beyond its first two phases, and even showed signs of worsening beyond the TERTIARY stage.
thespian (THESS-pee-un), noun
An actor. Thespian refers especially to a person who performs onstage in a play.