The Big Book of Words You Should Know

by David Olsen

  Dalton was supposed to have been named vice president in exchange for his support, but Peterson RENEGED on the deal after assuming control.

  reprehensible (rep-ri-HEN-sih-bull), adjective

  Abhorrent. That which is morally inexcusable is reprehensible.

  I agree that the crimes were REPREHENSIBLE; they were not, however, committed by my client.

  reprobate (REP-ruh-bate), noun

  An unprincipled person. A reprobate is someone who has crossed an accepted line describing morally sound behavior.

  From that day on Johnson was considered a REPROBATE, and was shunned in the town.

  repugnance (ri-PUG-nunce), noun

  Disgust. To show strong aversion for something is to show repugnance.

  We can greet the news of the terrorist bombing only with REPUGNANCE.

  rogue (roag), noun

  A scalawag. A rogue is a person (usually a man) known to have low morals and habits.

  Everyone in Savannah knew that Rhett was a ROGUE, but somehow he managed to use that fact to his advantage.

  sacrilegious (sak-ruh-LIDJE-uss), adjective

  Profane; blasphemous toward something considered holy or sacred.

  Some in the audience considered the director’s decision to omit the famous “to be or not to be” speech nothing short of SACRILEGIOUS.

  sanctimonious (sank-tih-MONE-ee-uss), adjective

  Hypocritical; two-faced, especially with regard to matters of morals or religion.

  Despite his SANCTIMONIOUS brayings on issues of “ family values,” Reverend Wilton certainly seems to know his way around a certain part of town, according to the reporter who trailed him there last night.

  schizophrenia (skits-uh-FREEN-ee-uh), noun

  A mental condition that often causes sufferers to hallucinate, to be disoriented, and often to withdraw from society.

  It is a common misconception that the term “SCHIZOPHRENIA” refers to the condition of multiple personalities.

  schlemiel (shluh-MEEL), noun

  An unlucky or awkward individual who can never seem to get the best of a situation.

  My guess is, that used car salesman had Mike pegged for a SCHLEMIEL the second he stepped onto the lot.

  schlimazel (shluh-MOZ-ul), noun

  Someone who endures constant bad luck.

  Over the past year, Jonah’s car was stolen, his house burned down, he lost his job, and he broke his leg—all of which earned him an impromptu “SCHLIMAZEL of the Year” award from his coworkers at the company party.

  schmaltzy (SHMALT-see), adjective

  Overly sentimental (especially with regard to music or art); tastelessly overdone.

  Although Libby loved her great-grandfather, she found his SCHMALTZY taste in music hard to bear.

  scourge (skuhrj), noun

  A scourge either is a whip used to torture, or it is a cause of affliction.

  Famine is one of humanity’s most horrific SCOURGES.

  scurrilous (SKUR-ih-luss), adjective

  Offensive to civilized discourse; verbally abusive.

  Because they were made on the floor of the Senate, the Senator’s SCURRILOUS accusations against me were protected, but if he should dare to repeat them in another setting I will sue him for every penny he’s worth.

  sectarian (seck-TEAR-ee-un), adjective

  Narrow-minded and limited in outlook.

  The competing cliques’ SECTARIAN squabbles captured the interest of the entire school.

  segregate (SEG-ruh-gate), verb

  To separate or keep apart from others.

  As the judge seemed doomed to have to point out for the rest of his life, his order affected only those school districts whose officials deliberately practiced SEGREGATION in violation of law—not SEGREGATION that was purely the result of existing demographic patterns.

  servile (SUR-vil), adjective

  Overly eager to serve; slavish.

  Marion’s uncharacteristically SERVILE demeanor can only mean one thing: He wants a raise.

  sinister (SIN-uh-ster), adjective

  Describes or suggests something unfavorable and potentially harmful. Southpaws of the world will be unhappy to learn that the word is Latin for “left.”

  The SINISTER music gave me gooseflesh.

  slander (SLAN-dur), verb

  An untrue and malicious statement intended to damage the reputation of another. (As a legal term, slander refers to oral, rather than written or pictorial, defamation.)

  If I hear you SLANDER my father, Mr. Caen, you will be hearing from my attorney.

  slovenly (SLUHV-in-lee), adjective

  Dirty or untidy in one’s personal habits.

  Burt’s SLOVENLY room is at odds with his tidy personal appearance.

  smarmy (SMAR-mee), adjective

  Insincerely earnest.

  In between syrupy love songs, the SMARMY lounge singer repeatedly assured the crowd they were by far the best audience he’ d ever performed for.

  sociopath (SO-see-uh-path), noun

  A person who, because of mental illness, lacks restraint or moral responsibility toward fellow members of society.

  Although motion pictures and popular fiction have shown an unending fascination with serial killers, the fact is that such SOCIOPATHS are quite rare.

  solipsism (SOL-ip-siz-um), noun

  The idea that one’s own perceptions are the only meaningful reality. Solipsism was once used to describe a philosophical doctrine, but it has also been taken to mean “the practice of extreme self-centeredness.”

  To the store manager, bringing thirteen items to the twelve-items-only line at the supermarket was an example of unforgiveable SOLIPSISM.

  solipsistic (sawl-up-SIS-tik), adjective

  Believing that the self is the only reality.

  It’s difficult to achieve the give-and-take qualities of a good discussion with Sandy, whose arguments tend to be a little SOLIPSISTIC.

  sophomoric (sof-uh-MORE-ik), adjective

  Immature; overbearing in a conceited or pretentious way; characteristic of one with little learning but convinced that he or she is brilliant.

  Preston was intrigued by the fraternity’s offer of fun and games, but I found their SOPHOMORIC initiation rituals and elitist attitudes tough to take.

  sordid (SORE-did), adjective

  Tawdry. That which is base or undignified is sordid.

  Desmond brought everyone up to date on all the latest gossip, omitting not a single SORDID detail.

  squalid (SKWAHL-id), adjective

  Filthy and foul from lack of care or neglect.

  I shoved old banana peels and cigarette butts from the passenger seat of Mickey’s SQUALID car.

  squalor (SKWAL-ur), noun

  The state or quality of being filthy.

  My mother knew full well that my roommates were not the tidiest men in the world, but she still seemed shocked when confronted with the unrepentant SQUALOR of our apartment.

  stigmatize (STIG-muh-tize), verb

  To mark as wicked or infamous.

  Many people with AIDS find that coping with the physical trauma of their disease is only part of their difficulty; another part is being STIGMATIZED by others as somehow deserving of punishment.

  stodgy (STAHJ-ee), adjective

  Dull, uninteresting, and tediously commonplace.

  I could only spend five minutes in the STODGY club before I left for a rowdier place.

  straitlaced (STRAYT-LAYST), adjective

  Describes someone with a prudish nature and very strict morality.

  Before she went to college and began to loosen up a little, Wendy was best known for being the most STRAITLACED girl in her graduating class.

  subterfuge (SUB-tur-fyoodge), noun

  A misleading ruse or cunning evasion; a strategic avoidance employing deceit.

  Nick knew he would have to come up with a clever SUBTERFUGE to get out of going to another boring Sunday dinner at his grandparents’ home.
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  sycophant (SIK-uh-funt), noun

  One who tries to gain favor by flattering excessively.

  Any film star used to being surrounded by an entourage of SYCOPHANTS is likely to find it difficult to keep things in perspective when questioned by an unsympathetic journalist.

  tawdry (TODD-ree), adjective

  Cheap and tasteless; also, ostentatious and gaudy.

  Although many in the publishing world considered the actress’s tell-all book to be a sleazy foray into the TAWDRIEST kind of name-dropping, there were few who didn’t envy its sales totals.

  totalitarian (toe-tahl-ih-TARE-ee-un), adjective

  Characteristic of a system of government in which political power is highly centralized and in which authorities tolerate no dissent, punishing efforts at pluralistic discourse; of or pertaining to a governmental system that controls or dictates many aspects of life.

  Although the worldwide fall of Communism has been widely discussed, several of its familiar TOTALITARIAN governments—notably those of China and North Korea—are still alive and kicking.

  traduce (truh-DOOCE), verb

  To slander or defame; to speak falsely of or with malice toward (a person).

  I was flabbergasted to learn that your campaign has tried to TRADUCE my character by offering cash payments to my ex-wife in return for her stories about me.

  traitorous (TRAY-tur-uss), adjective

  Reminiscent of or pertaining to a traitor; perfidious.

  The third chapter of the book covered Benedict Arnold’s TRAITOROUS acts and his eventual exposure as a British agent.

  trigamy (TRIG-uh-mee), noun

  The condition of being married to three husbands or three wives simultaneously.

  As a result of two identical filing errors on the part of the county clerk in the years before her third marriage, Beth learned to her dismay that she was, technically at least, guilty of TRIGAMY.

  truculent (TRUCK-yuh-lunt), adjective

  Inclined toward conflict; eager to fight.

  I had a run-in with a rather TRUCULENT sales clerk, who insisted, despite my receipt, that I had not bought the defective blender at his store.

  turgid (TUR-jid), adjective

  Swollen and overinflated. This word typically is used in a negative manner because it serves as a slightly nicer way to call someone a blowhard.

  The speaker’s TURGID rhetoric caused many in the audience to develop drooping eyelids.

  turncoat (TURN-kote), noun

  One who reverses sides in a conflict or changes principles easily.

  At the risk of being labeled a TURNCOAT, I’ve decided to support your candidacy— even though you’re a Democrat.

  tyranny (TEER-uh-nee), noun

  The abusive and unrestrained exercise of power.

  Paine’s bold arguments against the TYRANNY of George III made Common Sense powerful reading.

  unconscionable (un-KONSH-un-uh-bul), adjective

  Lacking in principles or conscience; beyond any reasonable boundary.

  Your decision to destroy those letters without attempting to get permission from the poet’s widow was UNCONSCIONABLE.

  uncouth (un-KOOTH), adjective

  Crude, without manners, unrefined.

  Carl had an unfortunate way of belching loudly in public places, guessing (accurately and loudly) whether or not someone he just met had undergone plastic surgery, and otherwise acting in an UNCOUTH manner in front of strangers.

  unctuous (UNK-choo-us), adjective

  Oily; falsely and exaggeratedly earnest; unpleasantly smooth.

  An UNCTUOUS salesman glided across the lot and shook us both by the hand, telling us what a pleasure it was to meet such intelligent and discriminating customers.

  underhanded (UN-dur-hand), adjective

  Devious or deceitful in nature; not open, but crafty.

  Who knows what UNDERHANDED means were used to turn the decision in Milton’s favor?

  undermine (UN-dur-mine), verb

  To defeat or destroy, as by sabotage.

  Little did I know that Wells was UNDERMINING my efforts to win a contract for the project.

  unsavory (un-SAY-vuh-ree), adjective

  Likely to give social or moral offense. Also: unpleasant or distasteful.

  I have no patience for biographers who concern themselves only with the number of UNSAVORY episodes they can uncover.

  unseemly (un-SEEM-ly), adjective

  Inappropriate; unbecoming.

  The family felt that Bill’s presence at the memorial service would have been UNSEEMLY, as he had been my sister-in-law’s bitterest business rival.

  usurious (yoo-ZHOOR-ee-us), adjective

  Charging excessive interest on money loaned; characterized by usury.

  The rates we agreed to when we bought the house seem positively USURIOUS by today’s standards.

  valetudinary (val-uh-tood-uhn-AIR-ee), adjective

  Sickly to the point of being an invalid.

  After catching the disease, Val stayed at home for three months in a VALETUDINARY state.

  venal (VEE-nul), adjective

  Corruptible or excessively devoted to selfish interests (as opposed to public interests); susceptible to bribes. (See, for comparison, the entry for venial.)

  The problem with politics by scandal, of course, is that it eventually leaves voters with the impression that all officeholders, regardless of ideology or experience, are VENAL, contemptible scalawags.

  vilify (VIL-ih-fie), verb

  To defame; to slander.

  My opponent’s ceaseless attempts to VILIFY me during this campaign reached a new low when she accused me of being on the side of the neo-Nazi movement.

  vindictive (vin-DIK-tiv), adjective

  Mean-spirited; eager for revenge. A vindictive person is motivated by a desire for vengeance.

  When angered, Lynn can be quite VINDICTIVE; those who work with her know that the most painless course is to stay on her good side.

  virulent (VIR-yuh-lent), adjective

  Something or someone poisonous or intensely hostile. Virulent shares the same root as the word “virus.”

  Marla’s VIRULENT words were meant to hurt her sister deeply.

  vitriolic (vit-ree-OL-ik), adjective

  Acidic (literally, but also in tone). Vitriolic speech or writing is harsh and caustic.

  McCarthy’s VITRIOLIC attacks on organizations with no actual Communist ties went completely unchallenged in the Senate.

  vituperative (vie-TOO-per-uh-tive), adjective

  Scathing and harshly abusive, as criticism.

  You can’t hide your VITUPERATIVE attack behind a few surface pleasantries!

  waspish (WAH-spish), adjective

  Easily irritated and annoyed and likely to “sting”—or act spitefully—in return for perceived slights.

  Wanda’s WASPISH behavior puts everyone in the office on eggshells.

  wiseacre (WIZE-ake-ur), noun

  A know-it-all; one who professes to know everything.

  “Listen, you little WISEACRE,” Sergeant Artemis howled at Corporal Budworth, “ if you think you can train these recruits better than I can, you ought to try it sometime.”

  xenophobe (ZEE-nuh-fobe), noun

  One who fears anything foreign or different; one who regards people, places, or customs that differ from one’s own as inherently dangerous.

  I don’t believe my opponent is really a XENOPHOBE, despite his rhetoric against foreigners; he is simply a canny, wealthy, and extremely dangerous demagogue.

  yammer (YAM-mer), verb

  To complain loudly; to whine.

  While Diane was YAMMERING about how hard it was to get the office plants watered properly, I was trying to make a deadline.

  yokel (YOE-kul), noun

  A bumpkin; a rustic person.

  That one-set show may have impressed the YOKELS where you come from, but here in the big city we require a little more flash and stardust from our musicals
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