vocabulary booster

VOCABULARY BOOSTER, VOLUME II A abhor (v.) to strongly detest or dislike 憎恶;回避;拒绝;淘汰 abstemious (adj.) sparing in food and drink 有节制的;节省的 abstract (adj.) theoretical, not concrete 抽象的 acquiesce (v.) to agree with, to go along with 默认,默许 adversary (n.) opponent or enemy 对手,敌手 advocate (v. / n.) to support / a supporter 提倡,主张/ 提倡者,拥护者;辩护律师 alleviate (v.) to relieve, to lessen 减轻,缓解,缓和 ambiguous (adj.) unclear in meaning 模棱两可的 ambivalent (adj.) torn between two conflicting emotions 对某物某人或某境况具有或显示矛盾情感的 amorphous (adj.) lacking a definite shape or form 无固定形状的;非结晶的;模糊的;难以名状的;乱七八糟的;无方向目的的 anachronistic (adj.)obsolete, outdated 过时的 anecdote (n.) a short story intended to instruct or amuse 趣闻,轶事 arbitrary (adj.) random, by chance 随意的,主观的;专横的,独断专行的 archaic (adj.) outdated, obsolete, ancient 古老的,陈旧的,古香古色的 articulate (adj.) skillful in the use of language, well-spoken 达能力强的,口齿清楚的 ascendancy (n.) the state of rising or ascending; domination 优势;支配地位 assent (n. / v.) agreement / to agree or consent 赞同,同意 assiduous (adj.) hard working, diligent 专心致志的;照顾周到的;殷勤的;一丝不苟的 astute (adj.) smart, perceptive 机敏的,精明的,狡猾的 augment (v.) to increase in size, to swell 增加;提高;扩大 auspicious (adj.) favorable, fortunate, boding well for the future 有前途的,有希望的,吉祥的;有利的,吉利的 austere (adj.) stark, severely simple 朴素的,无装饰的;严格的,一丝不苟的;苦行的 autocratic (adj.) having total power, dictatorial 独裁的,专制的,专横的 autonomy (n.) independence 自治权,自治 avaricious (adj.) greedy 贪婪的,贪得无厌的 avuncular (adj.) having the qualities of an uncle 伯父的,谆谆长辈风范的;慈爱的 B behemoth (n.) something that is huge, gigantic 巨兽,庞然大物 benefactor (n.) one who provides financial support 捐助者,施主,恩人 benevolent (adj.) kind, good-hearted 好心肠的,与人为善的,行善的,慈善的 C cantankerous (adj.) ornery, agitated, mean-spirited 脾气不好的,爱争吵的 castigate (v.) to scold severely, berate 严厉责骂、批评或惩罚某人 caustic (adj.) biting, scornful 尖刻的,刻薄的,挖苦的 cliche (n.) an overused saying or expression [法语]陈腐的说法;陈词滥调 colloquial (adj.) pertaining to everyday language or speech 口语的,会话的 commemorate (v.) to honor the memory of 纪念,庆祝 complacent (adj.)peaceful, easygoing 自满的,自鸣得意的 condone (v.) to allow something to happen, to give approval to a questionable act 容忍,宽恕,原谅 conflagration (n.) a huge fire 大火灾 cryptic (adj.) secretive, hidden, hard to understand 私密的。隐秘的 D definitive (adj.) defining; held up as the ultimate example of something 决定性,明确的,权威性的,不能活不必改变的 delineate (v.) to mark with a line (or lines)勾画,描述 desecrate (v.) to violate, to make impure, to defile 毁坏或亵渎 destitute (adj.) extremely poor, poverty stricken 赤贫的,贫苦的;没有的,缺乏的 deterrent (n.) something that prevents something from happening 制止物 detrimental (adj.) harmful 有害的,不利的 devious (adj.) tricky, crafty, unprincipled 曲折的;不坦诚的,狡猾的 diatribe (n.) a lengthy and accusatory speech 谩骂,讽刺 digress (v.) to turn away from the main point, to get off track 离题,岔开话题 dilatory (adj.) tending to delay 拖拉的,延误的 diminution (n.) a decrease or diminishing 减少,缩减 disdain (v.) contempt or scorn; bitter dislike 鄙视;不愿意做,不屑于做 diverge (v.) to split or move apart 分开,偏离,分歧,分道扬镳 doff (v.) to take off an item of clothing 脱去,脱帽 don (v.) to put on an item of clothing 穿上,披上 draconian (adj.) extremely harsh, severe, oppressive 非常严厉的,非常严酷的 E ebullient (adj.) extremely joyful 热情奔放的,兴高采烈的 edify (v.) to instruct, to educate 开导,启发 egregious (adj.) extremely bad or mistaken 极坏的 eloquent (adj.) well spoken, marked by expressive and persuasive speech 雄辩的 ,有口才的;清楚表现出来的 elusive (adj.) hard to capture or grasp 难以捉摸的,难以找到的,不易记住的 emissary (n.) agent or messenger (外交上的)使者 erudition (n.) deep learning, scholarship 博学的,有学问的 eschew (v.) to avoid 避开 etymology (n.) the study of word origins 词源学 euphemism (n.) a pleasant way of saying something unpleasant 委婉语,委婉说法 evanescent (adj.) vanishing quickly, fleeting 短暂的 exalted (adj.) holding a high position, greatly respected 高贵的,崇高的;兴奋的,得意洋洋的 exemplary (adj.) serving as a good example 杰出的,值得效仿的 exonerate (v.) to free from blame 使免罪,免除 expatriate (n.) someone who leaves their native land to settle elsewhere 侨民,放弃本国国籍的人 expedite (v.) to quicken, hasten 加快进展,迅速完成 extraneous (adj.) extra and unnecessary 外部的,外来的;无关的,不相干的 extricate (v.) to extract, free, disentangle, remove 脱身 F facilitate (v.) to make easier 使便利,减轻……的困难 fallow (adj.) barren, uncultivated 未经耕种的,休闲的 feasible (adj.) doable, possible, able to be accomplished 可行的,可能且合理的 florid (adj.) flowery foolhardy (adj.) daring in a foolish way 红润的,华丽的,炫耀的 frivolous (adj.) lacking in importance or seriousness 不重要的,不必要的,轻浮愚蠢的 furtive (adj.) sneaky, hidden, stealthy 偷偷摸摸的,鬼鬼祟祟的 G germane (adj.) pertinent, related to the point at hand 有关的,恰当的 glutton (n.) habitual overeater 贪婪者,酷爱……的人 grandiose (adj.) overly grand 庄严的,壮观的;浮夸的,做作的 gregarious (adj.) sociable 爱交际的,合群的 gullible (adj.) unquestioning, easily fooled 易受骗的 H hierarchy (n.) power structure 等级限制;统治集团,领导层 hyperbole (n.) exaggeration, overstatement 夸张法 I idiosyncrasy (n.) odd personality trait, quirk 气质,习性,癖好 idolatry (n.) worship of false 偶像崇拜 idol(s) immutable (adj.) unable to change or be changed 不可改变的 incongruous (adj.) not congruent, dissimilar 不协调的,不和谐的,不一致的,不相称的 incorrigible (adj.) not able to be corrected, beyond redemption 无法矫正的,屡教不改的,无可救药的 indifferent (adj.) making no difference, not caring one way or the other 不关心的,冷淡的,中立的;交叉的,平庸的 indomitable (adj.) unable to be defeated 不屈服的,不气馁的,不可战胜的 ingenious (adj.) pertaining to a genius; very clever 灵巧的,善于创造发明的;设计独特的,制作精巧的 ingenuous (adj.) genuine, honest, open 天真无邪的,朴实 的,坦率的 inherent (adj.) natural, innate; pertaining to the essential nature of something固有的,内在的 innovation (n.) new development 改革,革新,创新;新发明,新方法,新观念insurmountable (adj.) unable to be overcome不可逾越的intractable (adj.) extremely stubborn, not able to be solved 难对付的,难解决的;倔强的,难管教的 intrepid (adj.) brave, fearless, lacking trepidation无畏的invoke (v.) to call upo行使权力;祈求救助;乞求,恳求 J jovial (adj.) good natured, merry, given to joking 善良快乐的,好交际的 K kinetic (adj.) pertaining to motion动力的,由运动引起的 L laconic (adj.) sparing in words 简洁的,简明的 laud (v.) to praise称赞,赞美 listless (adj.)lacking energy倦怠的,无精打采的,冷淡的loquacious (adj.) talkative爱说话的,多嘴的 M malice (n.) evil intent恶意,蓄意害人 mellifluous (adj.) smooth-flowing声音甜美的,悦耳的mendicant (adj. / n.) extremely poor and given to begging / a beggar行乞的/ 乞丐 meticulous (adj.) paying very close attention to detail 极仔细的,一丝不苟的 miser (n.) a person who is extremely stingy or cheap 守财奴,吝啬鬼 mitigate (v.) to lessen or moderate the severity of something 减轻,缓和 mnemonic (adj.) pertaining to memory 记忆的,记忆术的mollify (v.)to soothe, soften, pacify使变软,使平静,抚慰morose (adj.) sad, gloomy 闷闷不乐的,阴郁的 myopic (adj.) near sighted, lacking foresight 近视;缺乏深谋远虑 N noxious (adj.) harmful有害的,有毒的 nurture (v.) to care for, to raise教育,培育,培养 O opaque (adj.) impossible to see through 不透明的;难理解的,晦涩的 optimistic (adj.) having a positive outlook 乐观的 P parsimony (n.) stinginess, cheapness极度节俭;吝啬pecuniary (adj.) pertaining to money 金钱上的 penury (n.) poverty缺乏,赤贫 perfidious (adj.) treacherous, disloyal 不诚实的;背信弃义的 perpetual (adj.) continuous, without end永久的;不断的pessimism (n.) a gloomy or negative outlook悲观主义philanthropist (n.) a person who donates large sums of money to charitable causes慈善家 piecemeal (adj. / adv.) bit by bit / in a gradual way 一块一块的/ 地;零碎的/ 地 pine (v.) to miss, to long for, to yearn for渴望 platitude (n.) overused saying, trite remark 老生常谈,平常的话,陈词滥调 posterity (n.) future generations后代,子孙 potentate (n.) ruler, monarch, very powerful person 统治者,君主,有权势的人 precocious (adj.) characterized by early development advanced at an early age早熟的,超常的 privation (n.) a condition or result of deprivation or loss (生活必需品的)匮乏,贫困 prodigal (adj.) wasteful; reckless with money 浪费的;铺张的;挥霍的;慷慨的, 不吝啬的profligate (adj.) reckless in spending 挥霍的,浪费的;行为不检点的 profound (adj.) deep, deeply moving 深度的,深远的,深奥的,知识渊博的,见解深刻的propensity (n.) tendency倾向,习性 protege (n.) a person who is groomed for a position 被保护者,门生,门徒 provincial (adj.) pertaining to a province; narrow-minded 省的;守旧的,褊狭的,迂腐的 prudent (adj.) wise, marked by good judgment 审慎的,有先见之明,判断力强的 pugnacious (adj.) combative, tending to fight 好战的,好挑衅的 Q quiescent (adj.) quiet, dormant, temporarily inactive 不活动的,静态的,休眠的 R raconteur (n.) a person who tells witty and amusing stories 善于讲轶事的人 ramification (n.) a branching out; a consequence of a problematic situation 后果,结果 rancid (adj.) foul, putrid disgusting 因变质而有陈腐味道或气味的 rancor (n.) anger, ill will深仇;积怨;怨恨 rebuff (v.) to snub, beat back粗暴拒绝,冷落 rectify (v.) to fix, correct改正,矫正 rectitude (n.) uprightness, moral virtue操行端正 redolent (adj.) fragrant, scented 有强烈气味的;使人联想或回想起某事 remedial (adj.) pertaining to a remedy补习的,补救的remiss (adj.) at fault, negligent玩忽职守的,马虎的remunerative (adj.) resulting in monetary gain, profitable 酬报的,报偿性的;付酬的;有利可图的 reparations (n.) money to be paid for injury or damage 赔款,补偿,赔偿 replete (adj.) full of or filled with 饱食的,充满的,供应充足的 reprimand (v. / n.) blame训斥,谴责,惩戒 reproach (n.) blame, disapproval 责备 rescind (v.) to take back, recall, nullify, repeal 废除,取消respite (n.) a brief break or rest休息 revile (v.) to hate or detest辱骂,痛斥 rhetoric (n.) skillful use of language, or just language in general雄辩言辞,虚夸的言辞,修辞学 ribald (adj.) vulgarly humorous, lewd, crude 粗俗的,下流的 robust (adj.) strong, hearty, vigorous强壮的,健全的 S scant (adj.) minimal 不足的,缺乏的 scrutinize (v.) to examine closely (visually)仔细检查,祥审seemly (adj.) proper, suitable得体适宜的,合乎礼仪的serpentine (adj.) serpent- like, snake-like蜿蜒的 sluggish (adj.) slow moving, hard to arouse 行动迟缓的,不机警的,不活泼的,无精打采的sophomoric (adj.) of or pertaining to a sophomore; wise and foolish at the same time大学二年级的;一知半解的staid (adj.) bland, boring古板的,保守的,一本正经的strident (adj.) loud, harsh, shrill尖锐的,刺耳的subsidize (v.) to assist financially 给……津贴或补助,资助或补助 subtle (adj.) not overt, nuanced, subject to fine distinctions 微妙的,难以捉摸的,细微的 supercilious (adj.) haughty, arrogant, overly proud 高傲的,傲慢的 superfluous (adj.) unnecessary, extraneous 过多的,过剩的,多余的 surreptitious (adj.) secretive, stealthy偷偷摸摸的sycophant (n.) brown-noser, servile flatterer 谄媚者,拍马屁者 T taciturn (adj.) quiet, reserved沉默寡言的 tempestuous (adj.) of or pertaining to a tempest or storm 暴风雨的,暴风雪的,动乱的;剧烈的,狂暴的 tenacious (adj.) unyielding, forceful 粘牢的,抓牢的,紧握的,坚持的,顽固的 tenet (n.) a key belief or principle原则,信条,教条tentative (adj.) possible but subject to change, not definite 试验性的,尝试性的 theology (n.) the study of religion 神学,宗教研究timorous (adj.) timid, fearful胆怯的,羞怯的 tirade (n.) a lengthy and abusive verbal attack 激烈的长篇指责或演说 torpor (n.) lack of energy, listlessness麻木,迟钝,懒散transcend (v.) to surpass, go beyond 超出或超越……的范围;优于或胜过…… trite (adj.) overused, unoriginal老生常谈的,陈腐的truncate (v.) to shorten, reduce删减,缩短 U utopia (n.) a perfect place乌托邦 V venerate (v.) to hold in high regard, to greatly respect, to revere崇敬,敬重 veracity (n.) truthfulness诚实,真实 verbose (adj.) wordy冗长的,罗嗦的,累赘的 verdant (adj.)lush with greenery嫩绿的,长满绿色植物的 vilify (v.) to make into or portray as a villain中伤,诽谤virulent (adj.) poisonous, toxic 剧毒的,危险的,致命的;刻毒的,充满仇恨的volatile (adj.) explosive; tending to evaporate quickly 易变的,反复无常的,易激动的;易发挥的 W wary (adj.) cautious谨慎的,小心翼翼的 wane (v.) to decrease, diminish减少,衰弱 whimsical (adj.) fickle, changeable, moody 异想天开的,闹着玩的,反复无常的 wistful (adj.) filled with regret and longing 惆怅的,渴望的,思念的,怀旧的