Word List 4

apt /æpt/

【释】adj. 倾向于的 (likely or having a natural tendency to do something)

【近】liable

【反】unlikely

【释】adj. 合适的 (exactly suitable, appropriate)

【例】an apt reply

【近】suitable, fitting, appropriate

【反】inappropriate

【释】adj. 迅速学习或领会的 (quick to learn or understand)

【例】an apt student

plight /plaɪt/

【释】n. 困境 (a dangerous, difficult situation)

【例】We must direct our efforts toward relieving the plight of children living in poverty.

【近】trouble, difficulty, extremity

anguish /ˈæŋɡwɪʃ/

【释】n. 极度痛苦 (a feeling of great physical or emotional pain)

【例】The rejection filled him with anguish.

【近】agony, pain, torment, torture

【反】happiness

sentimental /ˌsentɪˈmentl/

【释】adj. 情感的；深情的 (connected with emotions, rather than reason)

【例】The ring was of great sentimental value.

【释】adj. 多愁善感的

【例】The film is too sentimental.

【近】mawkish, nostalgic

provocative /prəˈvɑːkətɪv/

【释】adj. 撩人的 (sexually suggestive)

【近】sexy, seductive

【释】adj. 引起争议的，挑衅的 (causing contro-versy)

【例】He has made a string of outspoken and sometimes provocative speeches in recent years.

【近】annoying, irritating

ethnicity /eθˈnɪsəti/

【释】n. 种族特点；种族渊源

parachute /ˈpærəʃuːt/

【释】n. 降落伞

【释】v. 伞投，空降；突然派到

【例】An old crony of the CEO was controversially parachuted into the job.

lament /ləˈment/

【释】n./v. (表达)悲痛，痛惜 (express sorrow or regret)

【例】a young mother’s lament for the death of her son

Some older people lament the loss of close local communities.

【近】moan, mourn, grieve

【反】celebrate, rejoice

【释】n. 悲歌，挽歌 (a song or poem expressing deep grief or mourning)

prominence /ˈprɑːmɪnəns/

【释】n. 显赫；显眼 (the state of being important or famous)

【例】The commission gave the case a prominence which it might otherwise have escaped.

【近】fame, celebrity, eminence

【形】prominent

anecdote /ˈænɪkdoʊt/

【释】n. 轶事

【例】Joe kept us entertained with anecdotes about his friends.

【近】story, tale

【形】anecdotal

usher /ˈʌʃər/

【释】v. 迎接，引座 (lead someone politely somewhere)

【例】Inspector Malley ushered us into his office.

【近】accompany, guide

【释】n. 传递员，领座员

subdue /səbˈduː/

【释】v. 克制，抑制

【例】She managed to subdue an instinct to applaud.

【近】restrain

【释】v. 征服，制服 (bring (a country or people) under control by force)

【例】Charles went on a campaign to subdue the Saxons.

【近】conquer, defeat

lavish /ˈlævɪʃ/

【释】adj. 奢华的；丰富的 (large in amount, or impressive, and usually costing a lot of money)

【例】a lavish dinner/lifestyle/garden

【近】sumptuous, luxurious, expensive, fancy

【反】meager, frugal

【释】v. 慷慨地将…给予某人 (give or bestow in abundance)

【例】They lavished attention on their children.

bolster /ˈboʊlstər/

【释】n. 垫枕

【释】v. 支持 (back up)

【例】Britain is free to adopt policies to bolster its economy.

【近】strengthen, reinforce, boost, fortify

【反】undermine

bewilder /bɪˈwɪldər/

【释】v. 使迷惑 (make someone feel confused)

【例】Too much choice just bewilders you.

【近】perplex, puzzle, confuse

【形】bewildering, bewilderment

disgrace /dɪsˈɡreɪs/

【释】n. 羞耻；丢脸的事 (loss of reputation or respect)

【例】Hawkins described the team’s perfor-mance as a disgrace.

【近】shame, degradation

【反】credit

【释】v. 使…蒙受耻辱

【例】She has disgraced herself by behaving this way.

pertain /pərˈteɪn/

【释】v. 有关；从属 (be appropriate, related, or applicable)

【例】His remark did not pertain to the question.

【近】concern, relate to, relevant to

solicit /səˈlɪsɪt/

【释】v. 恳求；征集 (ask for or try to obtain)

【例】May I solicit your advice on a matter of some importance?

【近】ask for, request, seek, apply for

【形】solicitous

prophet /ˈprɑːfɪt/

【释】n. 先知 (a person regarded as an inspired teacher or proclaimer of the will of God)

【形】prophetic, prophecy

stipulate /ˈstɪpjuleɪt/

【释】v. 规定

【例】The document stipulates certain condi-tions.

【近】specify, set down

【形】stipulation

navigation /ˌnævɪˈɡeɪʃn/

【释】n. 导航 (plotting of course)

【例】Columbus corrected his westward course by celestial navigation.

affinity /əˈfɪnəti/

【释】n. 类同

【例】the semantic affinity between the two words

【近】similarity

【释】n. 喜爱

【例】her affinity with animals and birds

【近】empathy, sympathy

【反】aversion, dislike

【释】n. 密切关系

mend /mend/

【释】v. 缝补；改进 (repair (something that is broken or damaged))

【例】These socks need to be mended.

【近】repair, fix, stitch

【反】break

【释】n. 修补处 (the part of something that has been repaired)

exquisite /ɪkˈskwɪzɪt/

【释】adj. 姣好的；精致的 (extremely beautiful and, typically, delicate)

【例】an exquisite hand-painted vase from China

【近】beautiful, lovely, elegant

reckless /ˈrekləs/

【释】adj. 鲁莽的

【例】reckless driving

【近】rash, careless, thoughtless, hasty

【反】careful

allegiance /əˈliːdʒəns/

【释】n. 忠诚

【例】FBI demands its employees to pledge absolute allegiance to this bureau.

【近】loyalty, faithfulness, fidelity, obedience

【反】disloyalty, treachery

zoom /zuːm/

【释】v. 疾行，急速上升

【例】A lone car zoomed across the desert road.

【近】speed, rush

【释】n. 变焦摄影

【例】Disclosed is freely varifocal glasses, which comprises zoom lenses and a focusing device.

deduct /dɪˈdʌkt/

【释】v. 扣除

【例】We’ll deduct ten percent from the total.

【近】subtract

【反】add

【形】deduction

scrutinize /ˈskruːtənaɪz/

【释】v. 仔细检查 (examine closely)

【例】It has become necessary for us to scrutinize the behavior of our staff toward the customers.

【近】examine, inspect

transcend /trænˈsend/

【释】v. 超越 (go beyond the range or limits of)

【例】Such matters transcend human understanding.

【近】surpass, exceed, beat

churn /tʃɜːrn/

【释】v. 搅拌，搅动；翻腾

【例】Mae churned the milk.

【近】stir, toss

【释】n. (制黄油的)搅乳器

hype /haɪp/

【释】n./v. 不实宣传，大肆宣传

【例】Her work relies on hype and headlines.

【近】publicity, publicize, advertise

underscore /ˌʌndərˈskɔːr/

【释】v. 突出 (emphasize)

【例】The Labor Department figures underscore the shaky state of the economic recovery.

【释】v. 在…下面划线 (draw a line or lines underneath to call attention to)

【例】He heavily underscored his note to Shelley.

climax /ˈklaɪmæks/

【释】n./v. (达到)高潮 (the most intense, exciting, or important point of something)

【例】the exciting climax of the tournament

【近】peak, height

【释】n. 群落演替的最终成熟形态 (the final stage in a succession in a given environment, at which a plant community reaches a state of equilibrium)

【近】community

syndicate /ˈsɪndɪkət/

【释】n. 企业联合；财团；辛迪加(私人和企业联合组织)

【释】v. 联合成辛迪加；组成企业联合组织

monumental /ˌmɑːnjuˈmentl/

【释】adj. 极大的

【例】It had been a monumental blunder to give him the assignment.

【近】huge, great, enormous, gigantic

【释】adj. 意义深远的

【例】a monumental achievement

augment /ɔːɡˈment/

【释】v. 加强 (make (something) greater by adding to it)

【例】He augments his income by teaching in the evening.

【近】increase, build up

【反】decrease

【形】augmented

thump /θʌmp/

【释】n./v. 重击；重击声 (a heavy blow with a person’s fist)

【例】He was thumped by another child at school.

【近】hit, strike, beat, pound, punch

acquaint /əˈkweɪnt/

【释】v. 使了解 (give someone information about something)

【例】We aim to acquaint policy makers with some of these issues.

【近】familiar with, inform of, advise of, brief on

【形】acquaintance

mingle /ˈmɪŋɡl/

【释】v. 使混合；混合 (mix or cause to mix together)

【例】Leave the dessert overnight for the flavors to mingle.

【近】mix, blend

【反】separate, part

benign /bɪˈnaɪn/

【释】adj. 良性的 (having little or no detrimental effect)

【例】They enjoyed an especially benign climate.

【近】kind, friendly, warm

【反】hostile, harsh, unhealthy, unfavorable

weld /weld/

【释】v. 焊接；统一，团结

【例】The handle is then welded to the top of the box.

【近】fuse, bond, stick, seal, melt

tentative /ˈtentətɪv/

【释】adj. 暂定的；犹豫不决的 (not certain or fixed)

【例】Political leaders have reached a tentative agreement to hold a preparatory confe-rence next month.

【近】preliminary, conjectural, experimental, provisional

【反】definite, confident

relic /ˈrelɪk/

【释】n. 遗迹，废墟 (something from the past)

【例】Germany’s asylum law is a relic of an era in European history that has passed.

【近】remains, vestige

nostalgia /nəˈstældʒə/

【释】n. 怀旧；怀旧之情

【例】a strong feeling of nostalgia

【形】nostalgic

alleviate /əˈliːvieɪt/

【释】v. 减轻 (make less severe)

【例】Their energies were focused on the alleviation of the refugee’s misery.

【近】reduce, ease, relieve

【反】aggravate

glossy /ˈɡlɑːsi/

【释】adj. 有光泽的；光滑的 (shiny and smooth)

【例】glossy black hair

【近】shiny, lustrous

【释】adj. 用亮光纸印刷的

【例】a glossy magazine

【形】gloss

obstruction /əbˈstrʌkʃn/

【释】n. 妨碍；阻碍

【例】Wealthy property owners have created one obstruction after another to undermine the low-income housing project.

【近】obstacle, barrier

【释】n. 堵塞，障碍

【例】Walkers could proceed with the minimum of obstruction.

purport /pərˈpɔːrt/

【释】n./v. 意图；打算 (the meaning or substance of something)

【例】Many theories purport to explain growth in terms of a single cause.

huddle /ˈhʌdl/

【释】v. 挤成一团 (nestle closely)

【例】The survivors spent the night huddled around bonfires.

【近】crowd, cluster, gather, bunch

【释】v. (暗中)碰头 (gather together to discuss something quietly or secretly)

【例】Mrs Clinton was huddled with advisers at her headquarters.

【释】n. 挤在一起的一群人或东西 (a small group of people or things that are standing very close together or lying on top of each other)

【例】We lay there: a huddle of bodies, gasping for air.

baffle /ˈbæfl/

【释】v. 使困惑 (totally bewilder or perplex)

【例】An apple tree producing square fruit is baffling experts.

【近】perplex, puzzle, bewilder, confuse

【释】n. 隔板，挡板

tedious /ˈtiːdiəs/

【释】adj. 单调乏味的 (too long, slow, or dull)

【例】a tedious job

【近】boring, dull

【反】exciting

aggravate /ˈæɡrəveɪt/

【释】v. 加重 (make (a problem, injury, or offense) worse or more serious)

【例】Stress and lack of sleep can aggravate the situation.

【释】v. 激怒，惹恼 (annoy someone, especially deliberately)

【例】What aggravates you most about this country?

【近】exasperate, irritate, bother, provoke

amenity /əˈmenəti/

【释】n. 便利设施 (a desirable or useful facility of a building or place)

【例】The hotel amenities include health clubs, conference facilities, and banqueting rooms.

【释】n. 礼仪 (manners)

【例】The amenity of his manners won him many friends.

【释】n. (环境等的)舒适 (a feature that makes a place pleasant, comfortable, or easy to live in)

【例】He immediately noticed the amenity of his new surroundings.

【近】comfort

precursor /priːˈkɜːrsər/

【释】n. 先驱，前导 (a person or thing that comes before another of the same kind)

【例】He said that the deal should not be seen as a precursor to a merger.

【近】forerunner

cerebral /səˈriːbrəl/

【释】adj. 理智的

【例】His poetry is highly cerebral.

【近】intellectual

【反】emotional

【释】n. 大脑的 (of the cerebrum of the brain)

lexicon /ˈleksɪkən/

【释】n. 全部词汇 (a language user’s knowledge of words)

【例】Chocolate equals sin in most people’s lexicon.

【近】dictionary, glossary

provisional /prəˈvɪʒənl/

【释】adj. 暂时性的 (arranged or existing for the present, possibly to be changed later)

【例】If you have never held a driving license before, you should apply for a provisional license.

【近】temporary

【反】permanent

emulate /ˈemjuleɪt/

【释】v. 效仿，模仿 (match or surpass (a person or achievement), typically by imitation)

【例】They tried to emulate Lucy’s performance.

【近】imitate, copy

hymn /hɪm/

【释】n. 圣歌 (a religious song or poem)

【近】praise, anthem

rhetorical /rɪˈtɔːrɪkl/

【释】adj. 修辞的

【例】rhetorical figures

【释】adj. 雄辩的 (intended to persuade or impress)

【例】His rhetorical speech called out a response in the heart of every man.

【近】persuasive

prudent /ˈpruːdnt/

【释】adj. 精明的，深谋远虑的 (acting with or showing care and thought for the future)

【近】wise, foresighted

【反】reckless

herald /ˈherəld/

【释】n./v. 预示 (be a sign that something is about to happen)

【例】Their discovery could herald a cure for some forms of impotence.

【近】sign, indication

【释】n./v. 传令(官)；宣告(人) (a person who announces important news)

【例】Tonight’s clash between Real Madrid and Arsenal is being heralded as the match of the season.

【近】messenger, announcer

afflict /əˈflɪkt/

【释】v. 使痛苦 (cause pain or suffering to)

【例】More and more children are afflicted by allergies.

【近】trouble, burden

【形】affliction

succumb /səˈkʌm/

【释】v. 屈服 (fail to resist)

【例】First they said no, but eventually they succumbed.

【近】yield, submit, surrender

【反】resist, withstand

【释】v. 不治而死 (die, especially from a disease or injury)

【例】He remembered the pain of watching his mother succumb to cancer.

pilgrim /ˈpɪlɡrɪm/

【释】n. 朝圣者

【近】palmer

thwart /θwɔːrt/

【释】v. 挫败，使受挫 (hinder or prevent)

【近】frustrate

【释】n. 独木舟的横梁

assimilate /əˈsɪməleɪt/

【释】v. 吸收，使同化 (take in (information, ideas, or culture) and understand fully)

【例】His family tried to assimilate into the white and Hispanic communities.

【近】absorb, soak up

【形】assimilation

hilarious /hɪˈleriəs/

【释】adj. 极有趣的，滑稽的 (extremely amusing)

【例】He had a fund of hilarious tales on the subject.

【近】funny, humorous, comic

protagonist /prəˈtæɡənɪst/

【释】n. 主角

【例】a leading protagonist of the conservation movement

【近】heroine

harass /ˈhærəs/

【释】v. 不断骚扰；烦扰 (keep annoying or upsetting someone)

【例】The men were trying to harass the terrified refugees.

【近】hound, plague, torment, bother

confide /kənˈfaɪd/

【释】v. 吐露 (tell someone about a secret or private matter while trusting them not to repeat it to others)

【例】He confided to me that he felt like he was being punished.

【近】reveal, disclose

retrospect /ˈretrəspekt/

【释】n. 回顾；追忆

【例】In retrospect, we should never have allowed that to happen.

【近】review, reflection

unleash /ʌnˈliːʃ/

【释】v. 解开；释放 (suddenly let a strong force, emotion, etc. be felt or have an effect)

【例】unleash the forces of nuclear power

【近】loose, release

relentless /rɪˈlentləs/

【释】adj. 不间断的 (oppressively constant; incessant)

【例】He seems to be under relentless pressure at work.

【近】persistent, constant, continual, continuous

【形】relent

determinant /dɪˈtɜːrmɪnənt/

【释】adj. 决定性的(因素)

【例】Pure force of will was the main determinant of his success.

jeopardize /ˈdʒepərdaɪz/

【释】v. 危及 (put into a situation in which there is a danger of loss)

【例】They were accused of jeopardizing the health of their children.

【近】threaten, endanger

filthy /ˈfɪlθi/

【释】adj. 肮脏的 (disgustingly dirty)

【例】a filthy hospital with no sanitation

【近】dirty, unwashed

【释】adj. 淫秽的

【例】filthy language

【近】obscene, coarse

topple /ˈtɑːpl/

【释】v. 倒下，跌倒 (overbalance or become unsteady and fall slowly)

【例】She toppled over when I touched her.

【近】fall, tumble

【释】v. 推倒，推翻，颠覆 (make someone lose their position of power or authority)

【例】Disagreement had threatened to topple the government.

【近】overturn, upset

peril /ˈperəl/

【释】n. 危险；危害 (serious and immediate danger)

【例】Jensen feared that his life was in peril.

【近】danger, risk, hazard, menace, threat

【形】perilous

ordeal /ɔːrˈdiːl/

【释】n. 磨难；严酷的考验 (a painful or horrific experience)

【例】The hostages spoke openly about the terrible ordeal they had been through.

【近】trial, torture, torment

construe /kənˈstruː/

【释】v. 把…理解为，认为 (understand the meaning of something in a particular way)

【例】He may construe the approach as a hostile act.

【近】interpret, understand, take

renovation /ˌrenəˈveɪʃn/

【释】n. 翻新，整修

【例】The museum was closed for renovation.

【近】restoration, rehabilitation, repair

mundane /mʌnˈdeɪn/

【释】adj. 普通的，平凡的 (lacking interest or excitement)

【例】It was hard to return to mundane matters after such excitement.

【近】dull, boring, tedious, monotonous, tiresome, routine, ordinary

【反】extraordinary, imaginative, spiritual

versatile /ˈvɜːrsətl/

【释】adj. 多用途的；通用的 (with many uses)

【例】Eggs are easy to cook and are an extremely versatile food.

【近】adaptable, flexible, multifaceted

【形】versatility

contentious /kənˈtenʃəs/

【释】adj. 有争议的 (causing or likely to cause an argument)

【例】Abortion is a highly contentious issue.

【近】controversial, debatable

brink /brɪŋk/

【释】n. 边缘

【例】Their economy is teetering on the brink of collapse.

【近】edge, verge, margin, border

cliche /kliːˈʃeɪ/

【释】n. 陈词滥调 (a trite or obvious remark)

【近】platitude

astound /əˈstaʊnd/

【释】v. 使震惊 (fill with puzzled wonder)

【例】The magician will astound you with his latest tricks.

【近】amaze, astonish, stagger, surprise

【形】astounding

myriad /ˈmɪriəd/

【释】n./adj. 无数(的)，大量(的) (a very large number of something)

【例】And now myriads of bars and hotels are opening up along the coast.

【近】multitude, quantity

seduce /sɪˈduːs/

【释】v. 引诱，诱惑 (persuade someone to do sth. by making it seem very attractive)

【例】Seduced by the prospect of bigger profits, the company expanded too rapidly.

【近】lure

【形】seductive

salvage /ˈsælvɪdʒ/

【释】n./v. 抢救；挽回

【例】He tried to salvage his reputation.

【近】rescue

【释】n./v. 回收利用

【近】recycle

incompatible /ˌɪnkəmˈpætəbl/

【释】adj. 有冲突的 (not in harmony)

【例】She and her husband are incompatible.

【近】irreconcilable, at odds with

【释】adj. 不兼容的，互斥的 (inconsistent with)

【例】His theory was incompatible with that of his predecessor.

【近】unsuited, inconsistent with

dangle /ˈdæŋɡl/

【释】v. 悬荡 (hang or swing loosely)

【例】They were dangling their legs over the water.

【近】swing, sway

【形】dangling

symmetry /ˈsɪmətri/

【释】n. 对称性 (the exact match in size and shape between two parts or sides of something)

【例】the incredible beauty and symmetry of a snowflake

【释】n. 相等 (the quality of being very similar or equal)

【例】The superpowers pledged to maintain symmetry in their arms shipments.

【近】balance

conglomerate /kənˈɡlɑːmərət/

【释】n. 企业集团 (a large company formed by joining together different firms)

【例】Legend Holdings is a large investment conglomerate partly owned by the Chinese government.

【释】n. 混合物 (a compound of various things)

melancholy /ˈmelənkɑːli/

【释】n. 忧伤 (sadness or depression of the spirits)

【释】adj. 悲伤的，忧郁的

【近】mournful, gloomy, miserable, wretched, dismal

【反】cheerful

insulate /ˈɪnsəleɪt/

【释】v. 使绝缘；使隔热 (prevent heat, sound, electricity, etc. from passing through)

【例】You can insulate a house against heat loss by having the windows double-glazed.

【近】wrap, encase

【形】insulation, insulator

breathtaking /ˈbreθteɪkɪŋ/

【释】adj. 惊人的 (astonishing or awe-inspiring in quality)

【例】The scene was one of breathtaking beauty.

【近】spectacular, magnificent, sensational

placebo /pləˈsiːboʊ/

【释】n. 安慰剂；使人宽慰的东西