DECEMBER WORDS

arguments
1. The following is a recommendation from the personnel director to the president of Acme Publishing Company.

“Many other companies have recently stated that having their employees take the Easy Read Speed-Reading Course has greatly improved productivity. One graduate of the course was able to read a five-hundred-page report in only two hours; another graduate rose from an assistant manager to vice president of the company in under a year. Obviously, the faster you can read, the more information you can absorb in a single workday. Moreover, Easy Read costs only $500 per employee — a small price to pay when you consider the benefits to Acme. Included in this fee is a three-week seminar in Spruce City and a lifelong subscription to the Easy Read newsletter. Clearly, Acme would benefit greatly by requiring all of our employees to take the Easy Read course.”

2. The following is a recommendation from the business manager of Monarch Books.

“Monarch Books should open a cafe in its store to attract more customers and better compete with Regal Books, which recently opened a cafe. Monarch, which has been in business at the same location for more than twenty years, has a large customer following because it is known for its wide selection of books on all subjects. Opening the cafe would clearly attract more customers. The cafe would require relatively little space. Space could be made for the cafe by discontinuing the children’s book section, which will likely become less popular given that the last national census indicated a significant decline in the percent of the population who are under age ten.”

3. Statistics collected from dentists indicate that three times more men than women faint while visiting the dentist. This evidence suggests that men are more likely to be distressed about having dental work done than women are. Thus, dentists who advertise to attract patients should target the male consumer and emphasize both the effectiveness of their anesthetic techniques and the sensitivity of their staff to nervous or suffering patients

4. The following appeared in a medical newsletter.

“Doctors have long suspected that secondary infections may keep some patients from healing quickly after severe muscle strain. This hypothesis has now been proved by preliminary results of a study of two groups of patients. The first group of patients, all being treated for muscle injuries by Dr. Newland, a doctor who specializes in sports medicine, took antibiotics regularly throughout their treatment. Their recuperation time was, on average, 40 percent quicker than typically expected. Patients in the second group, all being treated by Dr. Alton, a general physician, were given sugar pills, although the patients believed they were taking antibiotics. Their average recuperation time was not significantly reduced. Therefore, all patients who are diagnosed with muscle strain would be well advised to take antibiotics as part of their treatment.”


1. Dauntless - Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged; fearless; having or showing courage; bold, courageous

2. Vapid - Lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull; lacking taste, zest, or flavor; flat; uninteresting

3. Cameo - To make into or like a gem or shell carved in relief; to portray in sharp, delicate relief, as in a literary composition

4. Herculean - Of extraordinary size and power; displaying superhuman strength or power

5. Trifling - Of slight worth or importance; frivolous or idle; insignificant, worthless; contemptibly unimportant; the deliberate act of wasting time instead of working

6. Observable - Possible to observe; deserving or worthy of note; noteworthy; apparent; readily seen, perceived, or understood

7. Polemical - Polemic; controversial; disputatious; given to arguing; of or involving dispute or controversy

8. Bromide - A tiresome person; a bore; a commonplace remark or notion; a platitude; a binary compound of bromine with another element, such as silver; sedative; trite expression or idea
9. Hackneyed - Over familiar through overuse; trite

10. Gratuitous - Costing nothing; not required, necessary, or warranted by the circumstances of the case; not necessary; free

11. Wedding - Marriage rite

12. Ladle - a long-handled spoon with a deep bowl for serving soup, stew etc

13. Spartan - Resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity; unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; practicing great self-denial; austere; laconic; simple

14. Malice - A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite; the intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a wrongful act that will result in harm to another; hate, vengefulness; state of mind that disregards the law and legal rights of others but that does not necessarily involve personal hate or ill will

15. Teetotaler - One who abstains completely from alcoholic beverages; a total abstainer; practice of refraining from use of alcoholic liquors

16. Aggrandize - To increase the scope of; extend; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation; cause something to seem or be greater, bigger

17. Banquet - An elaborate, sumptuous repast; ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest or occasion; honor at or partake of a banquet; large meal elaborately prepared or served; dinner

18. Dire - Warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences; calamitous; urgent; desperate; terrible, ominous; urgent; crucial

19. Comprehensive - So large in scope or content as to include much; full; including everything; inclusive; covering a wide scope

20. Oaf - A person regarded as stupid or clumsy; large, ungainly, and dull-witted person; person who is clumsy, stupid; awkward person

21. Complaisance - Agreeableness; disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others

22. Veto - To forbid or prohibit authoritatively; refusal of permission

23. Maverick - An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it; one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter; being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence; radical

24. Accolade - An expression of approval; praise; special acknowledgment; an award; ceremonial embrace, as of greeting or salutation; ceremonial bestowal of knighthood; recognition; ornamental treatment, used over an arch, a door, or a window, composed of two curves meeting in the middle; often a richly decorated molding; approval

25. Gully - A deep ditch or channel cut in the earth by running water after a prolonged downpour; to wear a deep ditch or channel in; deep ditch cut by running water

26. Surreptitious - Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means; sneaky, secret; trickily secret; conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; Marked by quiet and caution and secrecy

27. Schism - A separation or division into factions; disunion; discord; state of disagreement and disharmony; condition of being divided, as in opinion; interruption in friendly relations

28. Penurious - Unwilling to spend money; stingy; yielding little; barren; poverty-stricken; destitute; mean; poor; ungenerously or pettily reluctant to spend money

29. Volatile - Following no predictable pattern; explosive, changeable; having a tendency to evaporate rapidly; flying or capable of flying; ephemeral; fleeting; inconstant; fickle; lighthearted; flighty

30. Harangue - A long pompous speech, especially one delivered before a gathering; speech or piece of writing characterized by strong feeling or expression; a tirade; long, violent, or blustering speech, usually of censure or denunciation; speak in a loud, pompous,

or prolonged manner; lecture; long passionate speech

31. Mollify - To calm in temper or feeling; soothe; lessen in intensity; temper; reduce the rigidity of; soften; ease the anger or agitation of; ause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate

32. Candid - Free from prejudice; impartial; characterized by openness and sincerity of expression; unreservedly straightforward; unposed informal photograph; not posed or rehearsed; manifesting honesty and directness, especially in speech; honest

33. Belie - To give a false representation to; misrepresent; to show to be false; contradict; deceive

34. Accrue - Accumulate or increase; increasing by addition of growth, often financial

35. Bliss - Extreme happiness; ecstasy; ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy; condition of supreme well-being and good spirits; be in a state of great happiness or joy

36. Fretwork - Ornamental work consisting of three-dimensional frets; geometric openwork; design of short bars or lines fitted together

37. Repudiate - To refuse to recognize or acknowledge; reject; turn one’s back on; disown

38. Gainsay - To declare false; deny; to oppose, especially by contradiction; refuse to admit the truth, reality, value, or worth of

39. Ungainly - Lacking grace or ease of movement or form; clumsy; Difficult to move or use; unwieldy; awkward; lacking dexterity and grace in physical movement; difficult to handle or manage especially because of shape

40. Falter - To be unsteady in purpose or action, as from loss of courage or confidence; waver; speak hesitatingly; stammer; to operate or perform unsteadily or with a loss of effectiveness; stumble, stutter; to move in a shaky or unsteady way

41. Alluring - Tending to seduce; charming; tempting; highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire; enticing

42. Bestow - To present as a gift or honor; give, allot; to store or house; to provide with often temporary lodging; give formally or officially

43. Couch - A sofa; convey in language or words of a particular form; ie down; recline, as for rest; lie in ambush or concealment; lurk; be in a heap or pile, as leaves for decomposition or fermentation; to word in a certain manner; phrase; to embroider by laying thread flat on a surface and fastening it by stitches at regular intervals; lower (a spear, for example) to horizontal position, as for an attack; frame or floor on which grain, usually barley, is spread in malting; priming coat of paint or varnish used in artistic painting; a layer of grain, usually barley, spread to germinate

44. Esteem - To regard with respect; prize; favorable regard; think highly of; have a high opinion of; recognize the worth, quality, importance, or magnitude of; feeling of deference, approval, and liking

45. Venerate - To regard with respect, reverence, or heartfelt deference

46. Din - A jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds; stun with deafening noise; instill by wearying repetition; sounds or a sound, especially when loud, confused, or disagreeable; uproar

47. Temerity - Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness; nerve, audacity; rash or presumptuous daring

48. Probity - Complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness; quality or state of being morally sound; fairness, honesty; virtue or integrity tested and confirmed

49. Pervasive - Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate; spreading throughout; extending; suffusing

50. Ineluctable - Not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable; certain; impossible to avoid or evade

51. Fraught - Filled with a specified element or elements; charged; marked by or causing distress; emotional; freight; cargo; marked by distress; filled with or attended with

52. Placidity - The quality or state of being placid; calmness; serenity; a feeling of calmness; a quiet and undisturbed feeling; a disposition free from stress or emotion

53. Mishap - Bad luck; an unfortunate accident; unexpected and usually undesirable event; an instance of misfortune; unpredictable outcome that is unfortunate

54. Happenstance - An unexpected random event

55. Intermittent - Stopping and starting at intervals; alternately containing and empty of water; irregular, sporadic; happening or appearing now and then

56. Agility - The state or quality of being agile; nimbleness; deftness (physical or mental)

57. Visa - An official authorization appended to a passport, permitting entry into and travel within a particular country or region; to endorse or ratify (a passport)

58. Pithy - Precisely meaningful; forceful and brief; consisting of or resembling pith

59. Procrastinate - To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness; postpone or delay needlessly; delay, put off doing

60. Imbue - To inspire or influence thoroughly; pervade; to permeate or saturate; to stain or dye deeply; to cause to be filled, as with a particular mood or tone; infuse, saturate

61. Playbill - A poster announcing a theatrical performance; a theatrical program

62. Conformist - A person who uncritically or habitually conforms to the customs, rules, or styles of a group; marked by conformity or convention; conventionalist, traditionalist

63. Voluble - Marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent; turning easily on an axis; rotating; talkative; marked by a ready flow of speech

64. Mulish - Stubborn and intractable; recalcitrant; unreasonably rigid in the face of argument or entreaty or attack

65. Opine - To state as an opinion; speak one’s opinion without fear or hesitation; expect, believe, or suppose

66. Pundit - A source of opinion; a critic; learned person; usually elderly person noted for wisdom, knowledge, and judgment; person who is authority

67. Equivocation - Intentionally vague or ambiguous; falsification by means of vague or ambiguous language; a statement that is not literally false but that cleverly avoids an unpleasant truth; expression or term liable to more than one interpretation; use or an instance of equivocal language

68. Go-getter - An enterprising person; someone whose career progresses rapidly; intensely energetic, enthusiastic person



December Words2

1. Ostracize - To exclude from a group; to exclude from normal social or professional activities; to force to leave a country or place by official decree; exile, banish; to put into public disfavor
2. Formulaic - Characterized by or in accordance with some formula; being of no special quality or type; average
3. Inclined - Sloping, slanting, or leaning; having a preference, disposition, or tendency; having a preference, disposition, or tendency; at an angle to the horizontal or vertical position; having made preparations; used especially of the head or upper back
4. Paralyze - To deprive of the power to move or feel in a part of the body; make powerless and unable to function; cause to be paralyzed and immobile; impair the progress or functioning of; make inoperative or powerless
5. Addle - To muddle; confuse; to become confused; to become rotten, as an egg; to cause to be unclear in mind or intent; mix up or confuse
6. Encipher - To put (a message, for example) into cipher; convert plain text into unintelligible form by means of a cipher system
7. Emulate - To take as a model or make conform to a model; to strive against (others) for victory; to imitate with intent to learn; strive to equal or excel, especially through imitation; compete with successfully; approach or attain equality with; ambitious; emulous
8. Saunter - To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll; leisurely pace; leisurely walk or stroll; stroll; walk in a confident manner; act of walking, especially for pleasure
9. Succor - Assistance in time of distress; relief; one that affords assistance or relief; to give assistance to in time of want, difficulty, or distress; give support or assistance
10. Pulchritude - Great physical beauty and appeal
11. Abate - To lessen; to subside; in metalwork, to cut away or beat down so as to show a pattern or figure in low relief
12. Peremptory - Urgent; imperative; overbearing, authoritative; tending to dictate; offensively self-assured; dictatorial; having the nature of or expressing a command; urgent; not allowing contradiction or refusal; imperative; putting an end to all debate or action
13. Timorous - Full of apprehensiveness; timid; easily frightened
14. Formulate - To convey in language or words of a particular form; form a strategy for; to use ingenuity in making, developing, or achieving; prepare according to a specified formula; devise or invent; express in systematic terms or concepts; state as or reduce to a formula
15. Disparate - Fundamentally distinct or different in kind; entirely dissimilar; containing or composed of dissimilar or opposing elements; at odds, different; not like another in nature, quality, amount, or form; including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
16. Tantalizing - Enticingly in sight, yet often out of reach; arousing desire or expectation for something unattainable or mockingly out of reach; very pleasantly inviting
17. Vile - Very evil; unpleasant; so objectionable as to elicit despisal or deserve condemnation; heavily soiled; very dirty or unclean; extremely unpleasant to the senses or feelings; having or proceeding from low moral standards; offensive, horrible; loathsome; disgusting
18. Vex - To trouble the nerves or peace of mind of, especially by repeated vexations; distress, bother; disturb or annoy; to cause perplexity in; puzzle; to debate or discuss (a question, for example) at length; to toss about or shake up
19. Dauntless - Incapable of being intimidated or discouraged; fearless; having or showing courage; bold, courageous
20. Vapid - Lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull; lacking taste, zest, or flavor; flat; uninteresting
21. Cameo - To make into or like a gem or shell carved in relief; to portray in sharp, delicate relief, as in a literary composition
22. Herculean - Of extraordinary size and power; displaying superhuman strength or power
23. Trifling - Of slight worth or importance; frivolous or idle; insignificant, worthless; contemptibly unimportant; the deliberate act of wasting time instead of working
24. Observable - Possible to observe; deserving or worthy of note; noteworthy; apparent; readily seen, perceived, or understood
25. Polemical - Polemic; controversial; disputatious; given to arguing; of or involving dispute or controversy
26. Bromide - A tiresome person; a bore; a commonplace remark or notion; a platitude; a binary compound of bromine with another element, such as silver; sedative; trite expression or idea
27. Hackneyed - Over familiar through overuse; trite
28. Gratuitous - Costing nothing; not required, necessary, or warranted by the circumstances of the case; not necessary; free
29. Wedding - Marriage rite
30. Ladle - a long-handled spoon with a deep bowl for serving soup, stew etc
31. Spartan - Resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity; unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment; practicing great self-denial; austere; laconic; simple
32. Malice - A desire to harm others or to see others suffer; extreme ill will or spite; the intent, without just cause or reason, to commit a wrongful act that will result in harm to another; hate, vengefulness; state of mind that disregards the law and legal rights of others but that does not necessarily involve personal hate or ill will
33. Teetotaler - One who abstains completely from alcoholic beverages; a total abstainer; practice of refraining from use of alcoholic liquors
34. Aggrandize - To increase the scope of; extend; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation; cause something to seem or be greater, bigger
35. Banquet - An elaborate, sumptuous repast; ceremonial dinner honoring a particular guest or occasion; honor at or partake of a banquet; large meal elaborately prepared or served; dinner
36. Dire - Warning of or having dreadful or terrible consequences; calamitous; urgent; desperate; terrible, ominous; urgent; crucial
37. Comprehensive - So large in scope or content as to include much; full; including everything; inclusive; covering a wide scope
38. Oaf - A person regarded as stupid or clumsy; large, ungainly, and dull-witted person; person who is clumsy, stupid; awkward person
39. Complaisance - Agreeableness; disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others
40. Veto - To forbid or prohibit authoritatively; refusal of permission
41. Maverick - An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it; one that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter; being independent in thought and action or exhibiting such independence; radical
42. Accolade - An expression of approval; praise; special acknowledgment; an award; ceremonial embrace, as of greeting or salutation; ceremonial bestowal of knighthood; recognition; ornamental treatment, used over an arch, a door, or a window, composed of two curves meeting in the middle; often a richly decorated molding; approval
43. Gully - A deep ditch or channel cut in the earth by running water after a prolonged downpour; to wear a deep ditch or channel in; deep ditch cut by running water
44. Surreptitious - Obtained, done, or made by clandestine or stealthy means; sneaky, secret; trickily secret; conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods; Marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
45. Schism - A separation or division into factions; disunion; discord; state of disagreement and disharmony; condition of being divided, as in opinion; interruption in friendly relations
46. Penurious - Unwilling to spend money; stingy; yielding little; barren; poverty-stricken; destitute; mean; poor; ungenerously or pettily reluctant to spend money
47. Volatile - Following no predictable pattern; explosive, changeable; having a tendency to evaporate rapidly; flying or capable of flying; ephemeral; fleeting; inconstant; fickle; lighthearted; flighty
48. Harangue - A long pompous speech, especially one delivered before a gathering; speech or piece of writing characterized by strong feeling or expression; a tirade; long, violent, or blustering speech, usually of censure or denunciation; speak in a loud, pompous, or prolonged manner; lecture; long passionate speech
49. Mollify - To calm in temper or feeling; soothe; lessen in intensity; temper; reduce the rigidity of; soften; ease the anger or agitation of; ause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate
50. Candid - Free from prejudice; impartial; characterized by openness and sincerity of expression; unreservedly straightforward; unposed informal photograph; not posed or rehearsed; manifesting honesty and directness, especially in speech; honest
51. Belie - To give a false representation to; misrepresent; to show to be false; contradict; deceive
52. Accrue - Accumulate or increase; increasing by addition of growth, often financial
53. Bliss - Extreme happiness; ecstasy; ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy; condition of supreme well-being and good spirits; be in a state of great happiness or joy

Analogies December

1. fir:tree
2. truculent:light
3. insipid:bore
4. dank:moisture
5. insect:aphid
6. wary:gulled
7. ruler:length
8. peep:sound
9. degree:centigrade
10. hardness:mass
11. pinch:quantity
12. saunter:walk
13. cameo:sculpture
1. fir:tree
2. truculent:light
3. insipid:bore
4. dank:moisture
5. insect:aphid
6. wary:gulled
7. ruler:length
8. peep:sound
9. degree:centigrade
10. hardness:mass
11. pinch:quantity
12. saunter:walk
13. cameo:sculpture
14. herculean:trifling
15. marriage:wedding
16. gratuitous:justification
17. bromide:hackneyed
18. soup:ladle
19. banquet:meal
20. comprehensive:dire
21. gully:erosion
22. candy:sugar
23. unstable:volatile
24. harangue:mollify
25. appointment:official