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Definitions
choose not to consume
"The monk abstained from sleeping on a nice bed."
"The doctor told him to abstain from drinking more than one drink of alcohol in one evening."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
speak, plead, or argue in favor of
"It is easy to advocate for something you believe in."
"The prime minister could not advocate a response that could hurt innocent civilians."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Deviation from the common rule; an irregularity
"The horrible performance was considered an anomaly for the prominent musician."
"The chilly day was an anomaly among the otherwise hot summer days."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Free from guile, art, craft, or stratagem; characterized by simplicity and sincerity; sincere; guileless; ingenuous; honest
"Instead of tricking the customer into buying the product, the salesman attempted a more artless, genuine approach."
"His artless demeanor let the customers know that he was not hiding anything from them."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
a loud harsh or strident noise
"The classroom full of rowdy children made a cacophony of shouting voices."
"The junior high marching band sounded like a cacophony of loud and inharmonious noises rather than a well coordinated symphony."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
rebuke formally
"The judge censured the criminal before giving the harsh sentencing."
"Alex censured Blair for embarrassing them in front of their crush."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Deception by use of trickery, quibbling, or subterfuge.
"The unskilled player relied on chicanery and cheating to win the game."
"The team won the game fairly and without any chicanery."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To confirm, strengthen or support something with additional evidence; to attest or vouch.
"The facts corroborated the lawyer's argument."
"Her closet full of shoes corroborated her claim that she had an outfit for every occasion."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To harshly mock; ridicule.
"The schoolmaster derided the troublemakers."
"His bullies derided the shy kid for being so awkward."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
a state of disagreement or conflict
"There was obvious dissonance between the couple surrounding specific polarizing topics."
"The dissonance among the keys showed that the piano needed to be tuned."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
"The politician preferred to equivocate when giving answers instead of directly addressing the question."
"He was asked to answer directly rather than equivocate with a meaningless response."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
An oration to honor a deceased person, usually at a funeral.
"The departed's brother gave a moving eulogy at the funeral."
"He could not help but tear up as his was giving the eulogy at his friends funeral."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Still in existence.
"The species is still considered extant since they recently found a few of the animals still living deep in the Amazon forest."
"The few remaining extant species of orangutan are critically endangered."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
all of the same or similar kind or nature
"The Japanese culture is relatively homogenous when compared to the diversified culture in the United States."
"He stirred the pot until the mix of ingredients became a homogeneous fluid."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
very generous
"The munificent hair stylist gave a free haircut to the homeless person before their job interview."
"She gave munificent donations to many charities."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Emerging; just coming into existence.
"Being in the nascent stages, the construction site still did not have any resemblance of the building it would soon become."
"There are many grammatical and syntactical growing pains in the the nascent months of learning a new language."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Bewildered; unsure how to respond or act.
"The puppy was nonplussed when she heard her owner making barking noises."
"The speechless guest was nonplussed by the talk show host's question."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
A strong verbal or written attack on someone or something.
"The op-ed was a polemic attack on the prominent figure."
"The journalist published the polemic to criticize the political leader for his recent mistakes."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Practical, concerned with making decisions and actions that are useful in practice, not just theory
"The politicians decided to forget about their differences and form a pragmatic response to the crisis."
"It's difficult to make a pragmatic decision when emotions are flowing."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Overly plain or simple, to the point of being boring; humdrum.
"The prosaic speech lulled the crowd to sleep."
"Hourly wage jobs can be prosaic and monotonous."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Inclined to keep silent; reserved; uncommunicative.
"The reticent child could barely find the voice to speak even when spoken to."
"The reticent novice spent most of his time silently watching the masters play."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Tending to induce sleep.
"A glass of wine right before bed can have soporific effects."
"The soporific music helped her fall asleep."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Truthfulness
"The argument's veracity was put into question when they learned that everything else had been a lie."
"The veracity of her statements were always in question because of her habit of lying."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
variable or erratic.
"The volatile weather could be rainy in one minute and sunny in the next."
"The fluctuating price of the stock has never been so volatile."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
a feeling of strong eagerness (usually in favor of a person or cause)
"The new convert had great zeal for the religion."
"She tried to show her zeal for the position during the job interview."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
