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made less dense (of a gas).
"The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the rarefied atmosphere." |
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obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly.
"Which animal do you think is more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?" |
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to disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; to open confess error.
"Hoping to make Joan of Arc recant her sworn testimony, her English captors tried to convince her that her visions had been sent to her by the Devil." |
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a hermit; loner.
"Disappointed in love, Miss Emily became a recluse; she shut herself away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul." |
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profound; secret.
"He read many recondite books in order to obtain the material for his scholarly thesis." |
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stubborn; unmanageable.
"The refractory horse was eliminated from the race when he refused to obey the jockey." |
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to disprove.
"The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the lying testimony of the prosecution's sole witness." |
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to banish to an inferior position; to delegate or assign.
"After Ralph dropped his second tray of drinks that week, the manager swiftly relegated him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar." |
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to express disapproval or disappointment.
"He never could do anything wrong without imagining how the look on his mother's face would reproach him afterwards." |
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a person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency.
"I cannot understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is." |
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to disown or disavow.
"On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts incurred by her soon-to-be ex-husband." |
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to cancel.
"Because of the public outcry against the new taxes, the senator proposed a bill to rescind the unpopular financial measure." |
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determination.
"Nothing could shake his resolution to succeed despite all difficulties." |
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determination; firmness of purpose.
"How dare you question my resolve to take up sky-diving? Of course I haven't changed my mind." |
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reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence.
"Fearing his competitors might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff members, Hughes preferred reticent employees to loquacious ones." |
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respectful; worshipful.
"Though I bow my head in church and recite the prayers, sometimes I don't feel properly reverent." |
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