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| make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense |
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| open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous : the equivocal nature of her remarks. |
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| having or showing great knowledge or learning |
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| intensely enthusiastic or passionate, esp. to an excessive degree : a letter of fervid thanks. |
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| expressed clearly; easy to understand : a lucid account | write in a clear and lucid style |
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| not able to be seen through; not transparent : the windows were opaque with steam. |
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| make (someone) less angry or hostile : they attempted to placate the students with promises. |
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| cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely : the incident precipitated a political crisis. |
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| spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant : prodigal habits die hard. |
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| great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective : his zeal for privatization | Laura brought a missionary zeal to her work. |
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| something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected : there are a number of anomalies in the present system | a legal anomaly | [with clause ] the apparent anomaly that those who produced the wealth were the poorest | the position abounds in anomaly. |
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enigma |iˈnigmə|
noun ( pl. -mas or -mata |-mətə|)
a person or thing that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to understand.
• a riddle or paradox |
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restrain oneself from doing or enjoying something : abstaining from chocolate.
• refrain from drinking alcohol : most pregnant women abstain or drink very little. |
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| render (something) poorer in quality by adding another substance, typically an inferior one : the meat was ground fine and adulterated with potato flour. See note at pollute . |
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| lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern : widespread apathy among students. |
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1 showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks : a series of audacious takeovers. See note at bold .
2 showing an impudent lack of respect : an audacious remark. |
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| given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior : a capricious and often brutal administration | a capricious climate. |
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| confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, or finding) : the witness had corroborated the boy's account of the attack. |
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remove the moisture from (something, esp. food), typically in order to preserve it : desiccated coconut.
• [as adj. ] ( desiccated) figurative lacking interest, passion, or energy : a desiccated history of ideas. |
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cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition) : the issue engendered continuing controversy.
• archaic (of a father) beget (offspring).
• [ intrans. ] come into being; arise. |
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lasting for a very short time : fashions are ephemeral. See note at temporary .
• (chiefly of plants) having a very short life cycle |
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| easily persuaded to believe something; credulous : an attempt to persuade a gullible public to spend their money. |
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| having the same relation, relative position, or structure, in particular |
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| (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words : his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic. See note at terse . |
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| (of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation : laudable though the aim might be, the results have been criticized. |
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| make less severe, serious, or painful : he wanted to mitigate misery in the world. See note at alleviate . |
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| a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning. |
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| dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations : a pragmatic approach to politics. |
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the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals : he always behaved with the utmost propriety.
• ( proprieties) the details or rules of behavior conventionally considered to be correct : she's a great one for the proprieties. |
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| alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive : I had for a time vacillated between teaching and journalism. |
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1 (of a substance) easily evaporated at normal temperatures.
2 liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, esp. for the worse : the political situation was becoming more volatile. |
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| a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy : he was an untiring advocate of economic reform. |
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| a deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion : his fundamental antipathy to capitalism | a thinly disguised mutual antipathy. |
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| support or strengthen; prop up : the fall in interest rates is starting to bolster confidence | he wished to bolster up his theories with hard data. |
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| a harsh, discordant mixture of sounds : a cacophony of deafening alarm bells | figurative a cacophony of architectural styles | songs of unrelieved cacophony. |
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| express contempt for; ridicule : critics derided the proposals as clumsy attempts to find a solution. |
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lack of harmony among musical notes : an unusual degree of dissonance for such choral styles | the harsh dissonances give a sound which is quite untypical of the Renaissance.
• a tension or clash resulting from the combination of two disharmonious or unsuitable elements : dissonance between campaign rhetoric and personal behavior. |
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| cause (someone) to feel drained of energy or vitality; weaken. |
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| a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died : his good friend delivered a brief eulogy. |
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| excessively talkative, esp. on trivial matters : Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man. See note at talkative . |
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| (of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting. See note at gullible . |
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| affected by lethargy; sluggish and apathetic : I felt tired and a little lethargic. |
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(of a metal or other material) able to be hammered or pressed permanently out of shape without breaking or cracking.
• figurative easily influenced; pliable : Anna was shaken enough to be malleable |
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| a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society. |
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| stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action. See note at stubborn . |
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| pretentious and vulgar display, esp. of wealth and luxury, intended to impress or attract notice : the office was spacious, but without any trace of ostentation. |
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a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory : a potentially serious conflict between quantum mechanics and the general theory of relativity known as the information paradox. See note at riddle .
• a seemingly absurd or self-contradictory statement or proposition that when investigated or explained may prove to be well founded or true : in a paradox, he has discovered that stepping back from his job has increased the rewards he gleans from it.
• a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities : an Arizona canyon where the mingling of deciduous trees with desertic elements of flora forms a fascinating ecological paradox. |
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| (of a person or organization) seeking to promote the welfare of others, esp. by donating money to good causes; generous and benevolent : they receive financial support from philanthropic bodies. |
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| speak or act in an evasive way : he seemed to prevaricate when journalists asked pointed questions. See note at lie . |
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| regard with great respect; revere : Mother Teresa is venerated as a saint. See note at revere . |
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shake with a quivering motion : the flame wavered in the draft.
• become unsteady or unreliable : his love for her had never wavered.
• be undecided between two opinions or courses of action; be irresolute : she never wavered from her intention. |
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