) - to take back, repeal
(The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies.)
Resilient (adj.) - able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity
(The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.)
Resolve (v.) - to find a solution
(Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.)
Respite (n.) - a break, rest
(Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise.)
Revel (v.) - to enjoy intensely
(Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.)
Revoke (v.) - to take back
(After missing the curfew for eight nights in a row, Marcel’s freedom of movement was revoked.)
Ruminate (v.) - to contemplate, reflect
(Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river, staring pensively into the water.)
Salutation (n.) - a greeting
(Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation “Ahoy ahoy.”)
Satiate (v.) - to satisfy excessively
(Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing, Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.)
Scathing (adj.) - sharp, critical, hurtful
(Two hours after breaking up with Russell, Suzanne thought of the perfect scathing retort.)
Seminal (adj.) - original, important, creating a field
(Ermat Ravshanov’s essays on Shakespeare proved to be seminal, because they initiated the critical school of New Historicism.)
Week 10
Serendipity (n.) - luck, finding good things without looking for them
(In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.)
Serene (adj.) - calm, untroubled
(Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzled over her serene smile.)
Sobriety (n.) - sedate, calm
(Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.)
Soluble (adj.) - able to dissolve
(The plot of the spy film revolved around an untraceable and water-soluble poison.)
Speculative (adj.) - not based in fact
(Sadly, Tessa was convicted on merely speculative evidence.)
Spurious (adj.) - false but designed to seem plausible
(Using a spurious argument, John convinced them that he’d won the board game on a technicality.)
Stagnate (v.) - to become or remain inactive, not develop, not flow
(With no room for advancement, the waiter’s career stagnated.)
Staid (adj.) - sedate, serious, self-restrained
(The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.)
Stingy (adj.) - not generous, not inclined to spend or give
(Scrooge’s stingy habits did not fit with the generous, giving spirit of Christmas.)
Stoic (adj.) - unaffected by passion or feeling
(Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put off her many suitors.)
Strident (adj.) - harsh, loud
(A strident man, Captain Bad yelled at his daughter and made her cry.)
Subjugate (v.) - to bring under control, subdue
(The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place.)
Sublime (adj.) - lofty, grand, exalted
(The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth and once sublime existence.)
Submissive (adj.) - easily yielding to authority
(In some cultures, wives are supposed to be submissive and support their husbands in all matters.)
Surmise (v.) - to infer with little evidence
(After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.)
Sycophant (n.) - one who flatters for self-gain
(Some see cabinet members as the North Korean president’s closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)
Tedious (adj.) - dull, boring
(As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on and on, the lecture became increasingly tedious for the students.)
Tenuous (adj.) - having little substance or strength
(Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.)
Terrestrial (adj.) - relating to the land
(Elephants are terrestrial animals.)
Tractable (adj.) - easily controlled
(The horse was so tractable, Myra didn’t even need a bridle.)
