Word List 8

understatement /ˈʌndərsteɪtmənt/

【释】n. 低调的说法；轻描淡写

【例】—These figures are a bit disappointing.

—That’s got to be the understatement of the year.

【近】restraint, reserve

【反】exaggeration

indignant /ɪnˈdɪɡnənt/

【释】adj. 义愤的 (feeling anger or annoyance)

【例】He was indignant at being the object of suspicion.

【近】resentful, cross, angry, mad, annoyed

carefree /ˈkerfriː/

【释】adj. 无忧无虑的 (having no worries or responsibilities)

【例】the carefree days of the holidays

bequeath /bɪˈkwiːð/

【释】v. 遗赠 (leave to a person by a will)

【例】He bequeathed all his silver to his children.

【近】leave to

vestige /ˈvestɪdʒ/

【释】n. 残留

【例】the last vestiges of colonialism

【近】remnant, fragment, residue

【释】n. 丝毫

【例】She showed no vestige of emotion.

chide /tʃaɪd/

【释】v. 呵斥

【例】She was chiding her son for not being more dutiful to her.

【近】scold, rebuke

【反】praise

aloft /əˈlɔːft/

【释】adv. 在高处 (up in or into the air)

【例】He held the trophy proudly aloft.

【近】upward

【反】down

calamity /kəˈlæməti/

【释】n. 灾难 (terrible loss)

【近】disaster, catastrophe, tragedy

purr /pɜːr/

【释】v. 发出轰鸣声

【例】Both boats purred out of the cave mouth and into open water.

onerous /ˈoʊnərəs/

【释】adj. 沉重的；繁重的

【例】The job had become onerous.

【近】burdensome, arduous

【反】easy

sarcasm /ˈsɑːrkæzəm/

【释】n. 讽刺 (the use of irony to convey contempt)

【例】His voice, hardened by sarcasm, could not hide his resentment.

【近】ridicule, scorn

demean /dɪˈmiːn/

【释】v. 贬低 (reduce in worth)

【例】Some groups say that pornography demeans women and incites rape.

【近】degrade, humiliate

pelt /pelt/

【释】v. 攻击或投掷

【例】They pelted him with snowballs.

【近】bombard

【释】v. 飞跑

【例】They pelted into the factory.

【近】dash

pseudonym /ˈsuːdənɪm/

【释】n. 假名

【例】Geisel was best known by the pseudonym “Dr. Seuss.”

【近】pen name

deride /dɪˈraɪd/

【释】v. 嘲笑 (ridicule)

【例】Do you get tired of being derided and dismissed by many mainstream environmental leaders?

【近】ridicule, mock

【反】praise

【形】derisive, derision

unequivocal /ˌʌnɪˈkwɪvəkl/

【释】adj. 毫不含糊的

【例】The report’s advice was unequivocal.

【近】unambiguous, clear

【反】ambiguous

comprehensible /ˌkɑːmprɪˈhensəbl/

【释】adj. 可理解的

【例】Your code should be easily comprehensible, read well and be well documented.

inept /ɪˈnept/

【释】adj. 无能的

【例】His mother could pitch a wicked fastball, but she was completely inept in the kitchen.

【近】incompetent, clumsy

【反】competent

hypocritical /ˌhɪpəˈkrɪtɪkl/

【释】adj. 虚伪的

【例】It would be entirely hypocritical of me to say I regret it because I don’t.

haphazard /hæpˈhæzərd/

【释】adj. 无计划的 (lacking any obvious principle of organization)

【例】The investigation does seem haphazard.

【近】unplanned, unsystematic, unmethodical, disorganized

feign /feɪn/

【释】v. 假装 (pretend to be affected by)

【例】She feigned nervousness.

【近】simulate, fake

coalesce /ˌkoʊəˈles/

【释】v. 合并 (come together and form one mass or whole)

【例】The puddles had coalesced into shallow streams.

【近】merge, unite, combine

hinterland /ˈhɪntərlænd/

【释】n. 偏僻地区

【例】Jody always worried that his father would take them back to the hinterland.

【近】backwoods

cryptic /ˈkrɪptɪk/

【释】adj. 隐晦的

【例】She leaves cryptic messages on his answering machine.

【近】enigmatic

【反】clear

serenity /səˈrenəti/

【释】n. 静谧 (the quality of being calm and peaceful)

【例】The hotel offers a haven of peace and serenity away from the bustle of the city.

juxtapose /ˌdʒʌkstəˈpoʊz/

【释】v. 把…并列 (place or deal with close together for contrasting effect)

【例】The exhibit juxtaposes works by Van Gogh and Gauguin.

【近】compare, contrast

surmount /sərˈmaʊnt/

【释】v. 居于…之上 (stand or be placed on top of)

【例】a column/tower surmounted by a statue

【反】descend

【释】v. 克服 (overcome)

【例】She was well aware of the difficulties that had to be surmounted.

【近】overcome, conquer

genteel /dʒenˈtiːl/

【释】adj. 有教养的，体面的 (polite, refined, or respectable)

【例】genteel manners

【近】respectable, courteous, polite

elate /ɪˈleɪt/

【释】v. 使高兴 (make (someone) ecstatically happy)

【例】Her success elated the family.

reminisce /ˌremɪˈnɪs/

【释】v. 缅怀往事 (think about or tell of past experiences or events)

【例】We spent the evening reminiscing about our university days.

【近】remember, recall, recollect, reflect on

tact /tækt/

【释】n. (为人处事)圆滑

【例】Settling the dispute required great tact and diplomacy.

【近】diplomacy, sensitivity

banal /bəˈnɑːl/

【释】adj. 平庸的 (so lacking in originality as to be boring)

【例】banal topics

【反】original

forestall /fɔːrˈstɔːl/

【释】v. 预先阻止 (prevent ahead of time)

【例】Vitamins may forestall many diseases of aging.

【近】ward off, fend off, avert

quintessential /ˌkwɪntɪˈsenʃl/

【释】adj. 典型的

【例】Abbie was the quintessential flower child.

【近】typical, ideal

arcane /ɑːrˈkeɪn/

【释】adj. 神秘的，难解的

【例】processes as old and arcane as the language of the law

【近】mysterious, enigmatic

agile /ˈædʒl/

【释】adj. 敏捷的 (able to move quickly and easily)

【例】Ruth was as agile as a monkey.

【近】supple

【反】clumsy, stiff, slow, dull

evasive /ɪˈveɪsɪv/

【释】adj. 含糊其辞的 (tending to avoid commit-ment)

【例】He was evasive about the circumstances of his first meeting with Stanley Dean.

【近】elusive, ambiguous, vague

figurative /ˈfɪɡərətɪv/

【释】adj. 比喻的 (metaphorical)

【例】in the figurative sense

【反】literal

【释】adj. 具象的 (representing forms that are derived from life)

【例】a figurative painter

【近】representative

euphemism /ˈjuːfəmɪzəm/

【释】n. 委婉语

【例】“User fees” is just a politician’s euphemism for taxes.

【近】polite term

partake /pɑːrˈteɪk/

【释】v. 参与，分享 (join in)

【例】Visitors can partake in golfing or clay pigeon shooting.

【近】participate in, engage in

【反】be excluded from, abstain from

【释】v. (~of) 享用 (eat or drink)

【例】She had partaken of a cheese sandwich and a cup of coffee.

condescend /ˌkɑːndɪˈsend/

【释】v. 屈尊；高人一等 (be patronizing)

【例】The king condescended to take advice from his servants.

【近】patronize, deign

consternation /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃn/

【释】n. 惊愕 (feelings of anxiety or dismay)

【例】I always welcomed clover, much to the consternation of the neighbors.

【近】dismay, distress, surprise

【反】satisfaction

nozzle /ˈnɑːzl/

【释】n. 喷嘴；管口；鼻

laud /lɔːd/

【释】v./n. 赞美 (praise highly)

【例】Dickens was lauded for his social and moral sensitivity.

【近】praise, extol, hail, applaud

【反】criticize

ephemeral /ɪˈfemərəl/

【释】adj. 短暂的 (short-lived)

【例】He talked about the country’s ephemeral unity being shattered by the defeat.

【近】temporary, momentary, transient

【反】permanent, perpetual, enduring

corrosion /kəˈroʊʒn/

【释】n. 腐蚀

【例】Clean off any corrosion before applying the paint.

conundrum /kəˈnʌndrəm/

【释】n. 谜 (a confusing and difficult problem or question)

【近】problem, riddle

tumultuous /tuːˈmʌltʃuəs/

【释】adj. 喧闹的 (making an uproar or loud noise)

【例】tumultuous applause

【近】loud

【释】adj. 动荡的；混乱的 (excited or disorderly)

【例】a tumultuous crowd

【近】turbulent, disorderly

【反】peaceful, orderly

prodigy /ˈprɑːdədʒi/

【释】n. 奇才 (an unusually gifted or intelligent (young) person)

【例】She was a child prodigy on the violin.

【近】genius

incongruous /ɪnˈkɑːŋɡruəs/

【释】adj. 不一致的 (lacking in harmony or compatibility)

【例】She was small and fragile and looked incongruous in an army uniform.

【近】inconsistent, incompatible

delude /dɪˈluːd/

【释】v. 欺骗(自己) (impose a misleading belief upon)

【例】He had been unwittingly deluded by their mystical nonsense.

【近】mislead, deceive, fool, trick

scrawl /skrɔːl/

【释】n./v. 写字潦草 (write in a hurried, careless way)

【例】He scrawled a hasty note to his wife.

profusion /prəˈfjuːʒn/

【释】n. 大量

【例】A profusion of crocuses covered the front lawn.

【近】abundance, mass

supposition /ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃn/

【释】n. 推测 (an uncertain belief)

【例】They were working on the supposition that his death was murder.

【近】suspicion, conjecture, hypothesis

connoisseur /ˌkɑːnəˈsɜːr/

【释】n. 鉴赏家 (an expert judge in matters of taste)

【近】expert, authority

dilapidate /dəˈlæpəˌdeɪt/

【释】v. (使)荒废 (cause to fall into disrepair or ruin)

【例】a ruined Chappell, built by the Spaniard, and dilapidated by the Dutch

vignette /vɪnˈjet/

【释】n. 片段

【例】I would like to share one short vignette.

amalgamate /əˈmælɡəmeɪt/

【释】v. 合并

【例】The two departments were amalgamated.

【近】combine

【反】separate

laborious /ləˈbɔːriəs/

【释】adj. 费力的 (requiring considerable effort and time)

【例】The work is very slow and laborious.

【近】arduous, strenuous, tough

【反】easy

archetypal /ˌɑːrkiˈtaɪpl/

【释】adj. 原型的

【例】The Beatles were the archetypal pop group.

【近】quintessential

dearth /dɜːrθ/

【释】n. 缺乏 (a scarcity or lack of something)

【例】There is a dearth of good children’s plays.

【近】lack, scarcity, shortage, paucity

commotion /kəˈmoʊʃn/

【释】n. 骚动 (a state of confused and noisy disturbance)

【例】Damage caused by civil commotion.

【近】disturbance, chaos, unrest

【释】n. 喧闹声

【例】What’s all that commotion in the parking lot?

foreshadow /fɔːrˈʃædoʊ/

【释】v. 预示 (be a warning or indication of (a future event))

【例】Those things that foreshadow war are sadly upon us.

【近】signal, indicate, signify

revisionist /rɪˈvɪʒənɪst/

【释】n./adj. 修正主义者；修正主义的

caustic /ˈkɔːstɪk/

【释】adj. 尖刻的

【例】a caustic comment

【近】sarcastic

【释】adj. 腐蚀性的

【例】a caustic cleaner

【近】corrosive

defunct /dɪˈfʌŋkt/

【释】adj. 不复存在的；已废除的

【例】The original contract is defunct.

【近】disused

【反】working

palatable /ˈpælətəbl/

【释】adj. 可口的

【例】palatable meals

【近】edible

【反】tasteless

【释】adj. 可接受的

【例】The truth is not always palatable.

exonerate /ɪɡˈzɑːnəreɪt/

【释】v. 免除…的责任；宣布…无罪

【例】The inquiry exonerated them.

【近】absolve, release

【反】charge, convict

admonish /ədˈmɑːnɪʃ/

【释】v. 告诫 (warn or reprimand someone firmly)

【例】They admonished me for taking risks with my health.

【近】rebuke, scold, reproach, criticize

indiscriminate /ˌɪndɪˈskrɪmɪnət/

【释】adj. 不加区别的；不加选择的 (action is done without thought)

【例】The indiscriminate use of fertilizers is damaging to the environment.

stagnate /ˈstæɡneɪt/

【释】v. 因不流动而变得污浊

【例】Obstructions allow water to stagnate.

【反】flow

【释】v. 停滞，不进步

【例】I am stagnating in this job; I need more of a challenge!

【反】boom

antipathy /ænˈtɪpəθi/

【释】n. 强烈的厌恶 (a deep-seated feeling of dislike)

【例】I never encountered racial antipathy until I went to college.

【近】aversion, hostility, hatred

【反】affinity

bigotry /ˈbɪɡətri/

【释】n. 偏执

incessant /ɪnˈsesnt/

【释】adj. 持续不断的 (continuing without pause)

【例】incessant rain

【近】ceaseless, constant

【反】intermittent

commendable /kəˈmendəbl/

【释】adj. 值得称赞的

【近】admirable

【反】reprehensible

devious /ˈdiːviəs/

【释】adj. 狡诈的

【例】the devious ways in which they bent the rules

【近】underhanded

【释】adj. 迂回的；弯曲的

【例】a devious route around the coast

【近】circuitous

sullen /ˈsʌlən/

【释】adj. 郁郁寡欢的 (bad-tempered and unpleasant)

【例】He sat in sullen silence.

【近】resentful, gloomy

【反】cheerful

【释】adj. (天气)阴沉的

【例】a sullen sunless sky

antagonize /ænˈtæɡənaɪz/

【释】v. 产生敌意

【例】Have I done something to antagonize you?

【近】arouse hostility in, annoy

【反】pacify

insatiable /ɪnˈseɪʃəbl/

【释】adj. 贪得无厌的 (impossible to satisfy)

【例】The public has an insatiable appetite for stories about the famous.

【近】voracious, greedy

voluminous /vəˈluːmɪnəs/

【释】adj. 宽大的；宽松的

【例】the clown’s voluminous trousers

【近】spacious, bulky

【释】adj. 冗长的；长篇的 (very lengthy and full)

【例】We all scribbled down voluminous notes.

【近】extensive

fragmentary /ˈfræɡmənteri/

【释】adj. 支离破碎的 (consisting of small disconnected parts)

【例】There is only fragmentary evidence to support this theory.

catalyze /ˈkætəlaɪz/

【释】v. 催化

【例】Any unexpected circumstance that arises may catalyze a sudden escalation of violence.

pester /ˈpestər/

【释】v. 打扰；使烦恼

【例】Is there someplace I can study where no one will pester me?

【近】badger

placid /ˈplæsɪd/

【释】adj. 平和的 (not easily upset or excited)

【例】a placid expression/face

【释】adj. 平静的

【例】the placid waters of the lake

【近】calm, tranquil, serene

brazen /ˈbreɪzn/

【释】adj. 厚颜无耻的 (bold and without shame)

【例】He went about his illegal business with a brazen assurance.

【近】bold

【反】timid

【释】adj. 黄铜制的

commemoration /kəˌmeməˈreɪʃn/

【释】n. 纪念(仪式)

implausible /ɪmˈplɔːzəbl/

【释】adj. 不合情理的 (not seeming reasonable)

【例】A swift conclusion to the negotiations is implausible.

【近】unlikely, unconvincing

industrious /ɪnˈdʌstriəs/

【释】adj. 勤奋的 (diligent and hard-working)

【例】an industrious student

【近】diligent, conscientious, painstaking

twine /twaɪn/

【释】v. 盘绕；使交织 (cause to wind or spiral round something)

【例】He had twined his chubby arms around Vincent’s neck.

【近】wind, wrap, coil, loop

deft /deft/

【释】adj. 灵巧的 (quick in one’s movements)

【例】With a deft flick of his foot, Mr. Worth tripped one of the raiders up.

【近】skillful, adept, agile

rebuttal /rɪˈbʌtl/

【释】n. 反驳 (proving a criticism is false)

【例】Now that you’ve heard the accusations, have you a rebuttal?

【反】confirmation

tenacity /təˈnæsəti/

【释】n. 坚韧 (the quality or fact of being able to grip something firmly)

【例】The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.

【近】persistence, determination, perseverance, firmness

interminable /ɪnˈtɜːrmɪnəbl/

【释】adj. 无休止的 (endless)

【例】He talked to me interminably about his first wife.

【近】everlasting, ceaseless

scavenge /ˈskævɪndʒ/

【释】v. (在垃圾中)捡拾 (search and collect from discarded waste)

【例】the city dump where the squatters scavenge to survive

【释】n. (scavenger) 食腐动物；拾荒者

【例】It is a scavenger that feeds on dead whales, fish and shrimp.

annihilate /əˈnaɪəleɪt/

【释】v. 歼灭；彻底击败

【例】An ungodly tornado touched down, annihilating everything in its path.

【近】destroy, eliminate

tectonic /tekˈtɑːnɪk/

【释】adj. 地壳构造的

【例】tectonic activity

circumscribe /ˈsɜːrkəmskraɪb/

【释】v. 约束 (restrict within limits)

【例】There are laws circumscribing the right of individual citizens to cause bodily harm to others.

【近】restrict, limit

introvert /ˈɪntrəvɜːrt/

【释】n./adj. 内向的(人)

【反】extrovert

assail /əˈseɪl/

【释】v. 困扰 (disturb somebody severely)

【例】He was assailed by doubts.

【释】v. 攻击 (attack violently)

【例】He was assailed with fierce blows to the head.

【近】attack, assault

tantamount /ˈtæntəmaʊnt/

【释】adj. 同等的；相当于…的

【例】The resignations were tantamount to an admission of guilt.

【近】equivalent to, equal to, comparable to