v. give sanction or support to; tolerate or approve
E.g. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.
v. negate; act against
E.g. The conference concluded that it was up to western societies to change the image of Islam they held and especially to counteract negative images of Islam in the media.
n. a line or long thin mark made by folding or doubling
E.g. He cut across the crease from the left side.
n. credit; faith
E.g. A letter of credence is a letter sent by one head of state to another formally accrediting a named individual, usually but not always a diplomat.
n. gap; a long narrow opening
E.g. The crevice passage twisted into this reef, curved directly to the north heel, and ran along the base of the rock.
v. shrink or recoil, as in fear, disgust or embarrassment; bend or crouch with base humility
E.g. One thing that makes me cringe is seeing politicians from the mainstream parties acting as apologists for voters.
v. improve and prepare, as by plowing or fertilizing, for raising crops; promote the growth of
E.g. I think probably the most popular habit we writers cultivate is having coffee to hand.
n. ill-tempered person full of stubborn ideas or opinions
E.g. Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly performed.
a. flowing, as writing letters joined one to another without raising pen; running
E.g. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.
a. casual; brief or broad; not cautious, nor detailed
E.g. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's cause.
n. outer layer of the skin covering the exterior body surface of vertebrates
E.g. The cuticle of a plant is the extremely resistant layer protecting the plant.
n. coniferous tree of the genus Cupressus, it is mostly evergreen, and have wood remarkable for its durability
E.g. This cypress is tall and thin, and its branches used as a symbol of mourning.
v. moisten; lessen in force or effect
E.g. Now it seems that ministers may be accepting that we're moving into a world of permanently higher oil prices that will dampen economic growth.
a. neatly dressed; very stylish in dress; lively and alert
E.g. In "The Odd Couple" TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.
n. one who is recklessly bold; person who risks life and limb for a living, or to be seen
E.g. My 3 year old daredevil son claimed his first broken leg on the first day of our recent family skiing holiday.
v. proceed slowly; waste time
E.g. We have to meet a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down to work.
n. standstill resulting from opposition of two forces or factions; stalemate
E.g. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had begun to mutter about breaking off the talks.
a. friendly; of good appearance and manners; graceful
E.g. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.
n. process, condition, or period of deterioration or decline; falling off or away; decay
E.g. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.
a. self-indulgent; moral decay
E.g. I’m not getting any younger, and seriously, I feel the excesses of my decadent life slowly catching up with me.
v. destroy or kill a large part of; select by lot and kill one in every ten of
E.g. We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.
v. decay
E.g. Unless the plastic is specially designed to decompose in the soil, such materials can last a very long time.
a. weakened, worn out, or broken down by old age, illness, or hard use
E.g. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.
n. willingness to carry out the wishes of others; great respect
E.g. In deference to the minister's request, please do not take photographs during the wedding service.
v. pollute; make dirty or spotty
E.g. The hoodlums defile the church with their scurrilous writing.
a. quick and skillful; neat in action or performance
E.g. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.
v. reduce level; lower grade of something
E.g. To reduce in worth or value: degrade a currency.
n. god; divinity; supernatural things
E.g. The earmarks of such a religion are: faith in a supreme deity, hope of eternal survival, and love, especially of one's fellows.
a. delightful; delicious; extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
E.g. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.
n. failure or omission of duty; fault; misdeed; offense or crime
E.g. Significant increases in delinquency rates have in some cases led to unexpected increases in credit losses.
n. mental disorder marked by confusion
E.g. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and talking pigs.
v. deceive mind or judgment of; lead from truth or into error; frustrate or disappoint
E.g. His mistress may delude herself into believing that he would leave his wife and marry her.
n. great flood; heavy downpour; any overflowing of water
E.g. When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.
v. dig ground, as with spade; search deeply and laboriously
E.g. To delve into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.
v. degrade; debase, as in dignity or social standing
E.g. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to the offensive letter.
v. raze; destroy; do away with completely; put an end to
E.g. Authorities plan to demolish many buildings left weakened by the quake which are threatening to fall.
v. object because of doubts; hesitate
E.g. When offered a post on the board of directors, David had to demur: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could handle it.
a. modest and reserved in manner or behavior
E.g. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.
n. class, society, or collection of individuals called by the same name; specifically, a religious sect
E.g. Every denomination is experiencing tension, and Southern Baptists are no exception.
v. condemn openly; criticize; make known in formal manner
E.g. The reform candidate kept to denounce the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust.