JULY VERBAL

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 31st)




1. Camouflage(v): To conceal, usually through misrepresentation or other artifice; to conceal by the use of disguise or by protective coloring or garments that blend in with the surrounding environment.
Synonyms: mask, blind, cover, cloak, conceal, deceptive, disguise, fake, hide, masquerade, screen.

2. Consolidate(v): to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole; unite; combine; to discard the unused or unwanted items of and organize the remaining; to make solid or firm; solidify; strengthen.
Synonyms: amalgamate, blend, centralize, coalesce, compact, compress, concentrate, concrete, condense, fortify, fuse, incorporate, join, merge, pool, reinforce, solidify, strengthen, unify, unite.

3. Deprecate(v): To express disapproval of; to urge reasons against; protest against (a scheme, purpose, etc.).
Synonyms: condemn, denounce, disparage, belittle, denigrate, deplore, depreciate, derogate, disapprove, downgrade, underrate.

4. Agitate(v): to move or force into violent, irregular action; to disturb or excite emotionally; arouse; To cause to move with violence or sudden force; to upset; disturb.
Synonyms: activate, alarm, bother, churn, convulse, debate, discompose, disconcert, disquiet, disturb, drive, excite, fluster, goad, harass, harry, inflame, irk, irritate, perturb, provoke, rattle, rile, rouse, ruffle, shake, stir, trouble, unsettle, upset.

5. Incendiary(adj): tending to inflame the senses; causing or capable of causing fire; capable of catching fire spontaneously or causing fires or burning readily; involving deliberate burning of property.
Synonyms: agitator, arsonist, firebug, inflammatory, insurgent, pyromaniac, rebel, subversive.

6. Fawning(v): to exhibit affection or attempt to please, as a dog does by wagging its tail, whining, or cringing; to seek favor or attention by flattery and obsequious behavior.(Adj): attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery.

7. Ascetic(adj): avoiding pleasure and comfort, especially for religious reasons; a person who leads an austerely simple life, esp. one who abstains from the normal pleasures of life or denies himself or herself material satisfaction; exceedingly strict or severe in religious exercises or self-mortification.
Synonyms: abstinent, anchorite, austere, celibate, disciplined, drastic, eremite, essene, exacting, fakir, harsh, hermit, monk, precise, recluse, rigorous, self-denying, self-disciplined, severe, stark, stoic, strict, stylite, unbending, yogi.

8. Tangential(adj): merely touching; slightly connected; divergent or digressive, as from a subject under consideration; Only superficially relevant; tending to digress or to reply to questions obliquely.
Synonyms: discursive, excursive, parenthetic, parenthetical, rambling.


Analogies:

1. Incendiary: Agitate

2. Fawning: attentive

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 30th)


1. Dogged

2. Dissemble

3. Hasten

4. Precipitous

5. Ingratiate

6. Narcissit

7. Couetous

8. Panegyric


Analogies:

1. Flattery: Ingratiate

2. Skeptical: Doubtful

3. Accesible: Nearby

4. Precipitous: Hasten

5. Narcissit: Couetous


Argument Topic:

1. The following was posted on an Internet real estate discussion site. "Of the two leading real estate firms in our town — Adams Realty and Fitch Realty — Adams is clearly superior. Adams has 40 real estate agents. In contrast, Fitch has 25, many of whom work only part-time. Moreover, Adams' revenue last year was twice as high as that of Fitch, and included home sales that averaged $168,000, compared to Fitch's $144,000. Homes listed with Adams sell faster as well: Ten years ago, I listed my home with Fitch and it took more than four months to sell; last year, when I sold another home, I listed it with Adams, and it took only one month. Thus, if you want to sell your home quickly and at a good price, you should use Adams."

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 29th)


1. Adulate(v): to show excessive admiration or devotion to; flatter or admire servilely; to praise or admire excessively.

2. Consolidate(v): to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole; unite; combine; to discard the unused or unwanted items of and organize the remaining; To make strong or secure; strengthen.
Synonyms: amalgamate, blend, centralize, coalesce, compact, concentrate, concrete, fortify, harden, incorporate, merge, reinforce, solidify, unify.

3. Cognizant(adj): Fully informed; conscious; having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception; having cognizance or knowledge.
Synonyms: apprehensive, awake, aware, conscious, enlightened, sensible, versed.

4. Dacite(n): a grey volcanic rock containing plagioclase and quartz and other crystalline minerals; it is the fine-grained equivalent of granodiorite.

5. Reticent(adj): disposed to be silent or not to speak freely; reserved; reluctant or restrained; Inclined to keep one's thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs to oneself; cool and formal in manner.
Synonyms: discreet, dumb, laconic, reluctant, reserved, restrained, retiring, speechless, subdued, taciturn, uncommunicative, unwilling, withdrawn.

6. Elucidate(v): to provide clarification; explain; To make clear or plain, especially by explanation; make free from confusion or ambiguity; make clear.
Synonyms: clarify, clear, detail, enlighten, explain, expound, illume, illustrate, interpret.

7. Peripheral(adj): concerned with relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question; Related to, located in, or constituting an outer boundary or periphery.
Synonyms: circumferential, distal, external, incidental, marginal, peripheric, secondary.

8. Persistent(adj): constantly repeated; continued; Existing or remaining in the same state for an indefinitely long time; Refusing to give up or let go.
Synonyms: assiduous, consistent, continuous, contumacious, determined, diligent, dogged, durable, enduring, gritty, importunate, insistent, obdurate, persevering, pertinacious, relentless, resolute, sedulous, steadfast, stubborn, sustained, tenacious, unshakable.

9. Snarl(v): to bring into a tangled condition, as thread or hair; to render complicated or confused; to speak angrily or threateningly; to utter with anger or hostility.
Synonyms: arr, bark, chaos, complicate, confuse, entangle, gnar, growl, grumble, infusion, kink, knot, maze, mesh, muddle, predicament, quarrel, snap, snare, tangle, twist, web.

10. Din(n): a loud, confused noise; a continued loud or tumultuous sound; noisy clamor; the act of making a noisy disturbance.
Synonyms: babble, clamor, clangor, clatter, commotion, confusion, hubbub, instill, loud, pandemonium, racket, rattle, riot, steven, tumult, turmoil, uproar.

11. Transient(adj): not lasting, enduring, or permanent; lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary; staying only a short time; remaining in a place only a brief time; passing swiftly away; not durable.
Synonyms: conveyance, deciduous, ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, fugitive, impermanent, itinerant, migratory, momentary, short-lived, temporal, volatile.

12. Exinanite(v): To make empty; to render of no effect; to humble.

13. Adroit(adj): expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body; cleverly skillful, resourceful; skillful and adept under pressing conditions; quick or skillful or adept in action or thought.
Synonyms: adept, apt, artful, brainy, canny, cunning, deft, dexterous, dextrous, expert, facile, handy, ingenious, polished, proficient, quick, resourceful, shrewd, skilled, slick, smart, suave, urbane, witty.
Antonyms: clumsy

14. Hasten(v): to move or act with haste; proceed with haste; hurry; to cause to hasten; to move or act swiftly; to speed up; accelerate; act or move at high speed.
Synonyms: urge, expedite, quicken, speed, accelerate, advance, barrel, bolt, dart, fleet, gallop, hie, hurry, precipitate, rush, scamper, scurry, trot, urge, whisk.

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 28th)


1. Gregarious

2. Potentate

3. Palliate

4. Kinship

5. Tinge

6. Clairvoyant

7. Proffer

8. Countenance

9. Puerile

10. Addendum

11. Doggerel


Analogies:

1. Vision:glass

2. Saga:poem

3. Addendum:document

4. Doggerel:Verse

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 25th)


1. Ameliorate(v): to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve.
Synonyms: amend, advance, progress, promote, recuperate, reform, uplift.
Antonyms: worsen.

2. Paucity(n): smallness of quantity; scarcity; smallness or insufficiency of number; fewness; an insufficient quantity or number.
Synonyms: dearth, guilty, insufficiency, lack, poverty, scantiness, scarcity, shortage, sparsity

3. Penurious(adj): extremely stingy; extremely poor; poorly or inadequately supplied; lacking in means or resources; Unwilling to spend money; stingy; Yielding little; barren.
Synonyms: avaricious, barren, destitute, frugal, grasping, indigent, miserly, niggardly, parsimonious, penny-pinching, stingy.
Antonyms: generous.

4. Fastidiousness(adj): excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please; requiring or characterized by excessive care or delicacy; painstaking.

5. Modicum(n): A small or moderate quantity or token amount.
Synonyms: iota, tinge.

6. Flippant(adj): frivolously disrespectful, shallow, or lacking in seriousness; showing inappropriate levity.
Synonyms: airy, bold, brassy, brazen, chatty, fluent, glib, irreverent, malapert, pert, sassy, saucy, smart-alecky, voluble.

7. Cardsharp(n): a person, esp. a professional gambler, who cheats at card games; a professional card player who makes a living by cheating at card games.

8. Masonry(n): work constructed by a mason, esp. stonework; structure built of stone or brick by a mason; the craft or occupation of a mason.
Synonyms: ashlar, brickwork, stonework, trade.

9. Pernickety(adj): characterized by excessive precision and attention to trivial details.

10. Obfuscate(v): to confuse, bewilder, to make obscure or unclear, to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand; to render indistinct or dim; darken.
Synonyms: bewilder, blur, cloud, confuse, darken, dim, garble, hide, muddle, obscure, perplex, puzzle.
Antonyms: clarify

11. Elucidate(v): to provide clarification; explain; to make clear or plain, especially by explanation; make free from confusion or ambiguity.
Synonyms: clarify, describe, detail, enlighten, explain, expound, illume, illustrate, interpret.

12. Rococo(adj): Immoderately elaborate or complicated; having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation; noting or pertaining to a style of painting developed simultaneously with the rococo in architecture and decoration, characterized chiefly by smallness of scale, delicacy of color, freedom of brushwork, and the selection of playful subjects as thematic material; A very ornate style of speech or writing.
Synonyms: arty, extravagant, flamboyant, gaudy, ornate.

13. Transient(adj): not lasting, enduring, or permanent; lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary; staying only a short time; remaining in a place only a brief time; passing swiftly away; not durable.
Synonyms: conveyance, deciduous, ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, fugitive, impermanent, itinerant, migratory, momentary, short-lived, temporal, volatile.

14. Conniving(v): to cooperate secretly; conspire; to avoid noticing something that one is expected to oppose or condemn; give aid to wrongdoing by forbearing to act or speak; to be indulgent toward something others oppose or criticize.
Synonyms: plot, collude.

15. Bucolic(adj): of or pertaining to shepherds; of, pertaining to, or suggesting an idyllic rural life; Of or characteristic of the countryside or its people.

16. Tenterhooks(n): A hooked nail for securing cloth on a tenter; to be uncertain and anxious about what is going to happen.

17. Sloven(n): a person who is habitually negligent of neatness or cleanliness in dress, appearance, etc; a person who works, acts, speaks, etc, in a negligent, slipshod manner; One who is habitually careless in personal appearance or work.

18. Exacerbant(v): to increase the severity, bitterness, or violence of (disease, ill feeling, etc.); aggravate; to embitter the feelings of (a person); irritate;make worse.
Synonyms: aggravate, annoy, enrage, exasperate, infuriate, ire, irritate, provoke, tease, worsen, intensify, inflame.
Antonyms: relieve, soothe, alleviate.

19. Flagrant(adj): shockingly noticeable or evident; obvious; glaring; glowing; conspicuously bad, offensive, or reprehensible; very obvious; easily seen.
Synonyms: disgraceful, monstrous, egregious, notorious; scandalous, arrant, glaring, gross.

20. Conceit(n): an excessively favorable opinion of one's own ability, importance, wit, etc; personal opinion or estimation.
Synonyms: arrogant, bumptious, conceited, egomaniac, egotistical, haughty, hubristic, pragmatic, presumptuous, priggish, self-esteem, vanity, egotism, complacency.
Antonyms: humility.

21. Lugubrious(adj): mournful, dismal, or gloomy, esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner; excessively mournful.
Synonyms: sorrowful, melancholy, bleak, depressing, dismal, doleful, dour, funeral, gloomy, morose, mournful, woebegone, woful.
Antonyms: cheerful

22. Innovation(n): something new or different introduced; introduction of new things or methods; the creation of something in the mind; the act of starting something for the first time; introducing something new.
Synonyms: change, departure, introduction, invention, novelty, vicissitude.

23. Virtual(adj): Existing in the mind, especially as a product of the imagination; Existing or resulting in essence or effect though not in actual fact, form, or name.
Synonyms: essential, fundamental, implied, tacit.

24. Camouflage(v): to disguise, hide, or deceive by means of camouflage; to conceal, usually through misrepresentation or other artifice; to use protective coloring or garments for concealment.
Synonyms: cloak, conceal, cover, deceptive, disguise, fake, hide, masquerade, screen, mask, blind, front.

25. Malingerer(v): to pretend illness, esp. in order to shirk one's duty, avoid work, etc; To feign illness or other incapacity in order to avoid duty or work.

26. Protract(v): to draw out or lengthen, esp. in time; extend the duration of; prolong; to draw out or lengthen in time; cause to be or last longer.
Synonyms: continue, defer, detract, drag, elongate, extend, procrastinate, prolong, stall, stretch.
Antonyms: curtail.

27. Silhouette(n): a dark image outlined against a lighter background; a dark image, especially a shadow, seen against the light; A drawing consisting of the outline of something, especially a human profile, filled in with a solid color.
Synonyms: contour, figuration, outline, portrait, profile, shadow, shape.

28. Indiscrimination(n): an act or instance of not discriminating; the quality or condition of being indiscriminate or of not discriminating; lack of discrimination.


Analogies:

1. Protract: length

2. Silhouette: shadow

3. Camoflage: Detect

4. Malingerer: Work


Issue Topic:

1. The laws should not be rigid, they should be flexible according to the circumstance, place, time etc.


ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 24th)


1. Intrasigence

2. Tenable

3. Euphemism

4. Disquiescense

5. Vindicted

6. Enervate

7. Laconic

8. Artless

9. Puny

10. Barbiturate

11. Servile

12. Obeisance

13. Affront

14. Deference

15. Carouse

16. Sobriety

17. Labrynthine


Analogies:

1. Servile: Obeisance

2. Affront: Deference

3. Carouse: Sobriety

4. Labrynthine: straight

5. Clarity: confusion

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 23rd)


1. Blueprint

2. Euphemism

3. Recant

4. Lethargic

5. Eschew

6. Legible

7. Deleterious


Antonymns:

1. Foul

2. Better


Analogies:

1. Director: Actor

2. Peck: Kiss


Issue Topic:

1. "History teaches us only one thing: knowing about the past cannot help people to make important decisions today."

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 21st)


1. Bumptious

2. Chimera

3. Disquiet

4. Phlegmatic

5. Euphemism

6. Adamant

7. Radical

8. Segment

9. Sychophant

10. Sonnet

11. Obfuscate

12. Rickety


Analogies:

1. Wood: Carpenter

2. Sychophant: Flattery

3. Poem: Sonnet

4. Glasses: See

5. Obfuscate: Confusion

6. Director: Actor

7. Furniture: Rickety

8. Charishma: Bore

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 16th)


1. Zither(n): a musical stringed instrument with strings stretched over a flat sounding board; it is laid flat and played with a plectrum and with fingers

2. Quibble: A petty distinction or an irrelevant objection;an instance of the use of ambiguous, prevaricating, or irrelevant language or arguments to evade a point at issue; petty or carping criticism; a minor objection.
Synonyms: (adj):captious, carping, casuistic, sophistic, sophomoric, specious.(n): evasion, equivocation, sophism, shift, ambiguity.

3. Freaky(adj): Strange or unusual and somewhat frightening; weird; conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual;
Synonyms: grotesque, monstrous.

4. Flockn): a number of animals of one kind, esp. sheep, goats, or birds, that keep or feed together or are herded together; a large number of things; crowd; a band or company of persons.
Synonyms: bevy, covey, flight, gaggle, brood, hatch, shoal, swarm, brood, drove, herd, litter, skein.

5. Itinerant(adj): Traveling from place to place, especially to perform work or a duty; working in one place for a comparatively short time and then moving on to work in another place, usually as a physical or outdoor laborer; characterized by alternating periods of working and wandering.
Synonyms: wandering, nomadic, migratory, unsettled, roving, roaming; peripatetic; ambulatory, vagabond, vagrant, wayfaring
Antonyms: settled.

6. Transience(n): The state or quality of being transient; the attribute of being brief or fleeting.

7. Phlegmatic(adj): not easily excited to action or display of emotion; self-possessed, calm, or composed; showing little emotion.
Synonyms: aloof, apathetic, calm, dull, impassive, indifferent, lethargic, sluggish, spiritless, unemotional; stoical, uninterested, torpid, unruffled, placid, quiet.

8. Stolid(adj): not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive; Having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited.
Synonyms: anserine, apathetic, asinine, blunt, bovine, brutish, deadpan, dense, impassable, impassive, phlegmatic, stoic, stubborn. lethargic, phlegmatic.

9. Untold(adj): not told; not related; not revealed; not numbered or enumerated; uncounted; inexpressible; incalculable.
Synonyms: boundless, countless, endless, enormous, huge, immeasurable, innumerable, staggering, undisclosed, unrevealed, vast.

10. Deferential(adj): Marked by or exhibiting deference; showing deference; deferent; respectful.
Synonyms: duteous, dutiful, obeisant, respectful; courteous, regardful, dutiful, obedient, reverential.

11. Noxious(adj): harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being; morally harmful; corrupting; injurious to physical or mental health.
Synonyms: hurtful, unwholesome, nocuous, detrimental, deleterious, corruptive, baneful, evil, fetid, lethal, nocent, nocuous, noisome, pernicious, putrid, revolting, stinking, toxic, virulent.
Antonyms: harmless

12. Penchant(n): a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something; A definite liking.
Synonyms: affinity, bent, bias, fancy, fondness, inclination, knack, leaning, partiality, predilection, proneness, propensity, tendency.

13. Rhabdomancy(n): Divination by means of a wand or rod, especially for discovering underground water or ores; searching for underground water or minerals by using a dowsing rod

14. Scalawag(n): a scamp; rascal; A reprobate; a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel; one who is playfully mischievous.
Synonyms: (slang) scamp, caitiff, miscreant, rapscallion, rascal, reprobate, rogue, scamp, scapegrace, scoundrel, trickster, varlet, villain.

15. Loquacious(adj): talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling; characterized by excessive talk; wordy; full of trivial conversation.
Synonyms: verbose, voluble, chatty, conversational, garrulous, talky.

16. Succinct(adj):expressed in few words;characterized by conciseness or verbal brevity; Characterized by clear, precise expression in few words.
Synonyms: blunt, brief, compact, concise, condensed, curt, summary, terse.

17. Palatable(adj): acceptable or agreeable to the palate or taste; acceptable or agreeable to the mind or feelings; Acceptable to the taste; sufficiently agreeable in flavor to be eaten.
Synonyms: delicious, delectable, palatable, appetizing, tasty, savory, delightful, pleasing, sapid, toothsome.

18. Magnificience(n): the quality or state of being magnificent; splendor; impressiveness of surroundings, Greatness or lavishness of surroundings; splendor, Grand or imposing beauty.

19. Fluvial(adj): of or pertaining to a river; relating to or inhabiting a river or stream; produced by the action of a river or stream.

20. Subterranean(adj): existing or operating out of sight or secretly; hidden or secret; Situated or operating beneath the earth's surface; underground.
Synonyms: cavern, concealed, hidden, secret, underground.

21. Arboreal(adj): of or pertaining to trees; treelike; relating to or resembling a tree; living in trees; inhabiting or frequenting trees.


Analogies:

1. Loqacious: Succinct

2. Palatable: Magnificience

3. Learn: School

4. Fluvial: River

5. Subterranean: Cave

6. Arboreal: Tree


ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 15th)


1. Vivacity

2. Irascible

3. Rile

4. Excision

5. Revulsion

6. Solebrity

7. Crub

8. Palatable

9. Magnificience

10. Reticent

11. Stricture

12. Imminant

13. Horray

14. Prudigal

15. Impredectable

16. Glut

17. Paucity

18. Tortousness

19. Pelf

20. Impecunious

21. Affront

22. Oeisance

23. esteem


Analogies:

1. Glut: Paucity

2. Soil: Mud

3. Tortousness: Straightforward

4. Pelf: Impecunious

5. Affront: Offensive

6. Oeisance: esteem


Issues Topic:

1. "When research priorities are being set for science, education, or any other area, the most important question to consider is: How many people's lives will be improved if the results are successful?"

2. "It is the artist, not the critic,* who gives society something of lasting value."


Argument Topic:

1. The following appeared in a Brenton newspaper.
"The Brenton power plant draws water from Scott's River for its cooling system and releases the warmed water back into the river. The town council recommends that the plant install a more efficient cooling system that uses less water, claiming it will be more environmentally sound. However, in Uptown, where the new system is used, a study found that the complex network of pipes in the new system tends to accumulate algae. The build up of algae can be avoided by scrubbing the pipes, which is costly, or by adding an herbicide to the water in the pipes to prevent algae accumulation. But water containing the herbicide cannot be released back into the river and it is known that low water levels can harm river ecosystems accustomed to higher levels. Therefore, Brenton power plant should continue to use the old cooling system exclusively."

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 14th)


1. Stricture(n): a remark or comment, esp. an adverse criticism; an abnormal contraction of any passage or duct of the body; a restriction; the act of enclosing or binding tightly; severe criticism.

2. Unbend(v): to straighten from a bent form or position; to release from the strain of formality, intense effort, etc.; to release from tension, as a bow; to untie or loosen; To become less tense; relax; make less taut;
Synonyms: condescend, relax, slacken, straighten, vouchsafe.

3.Fling(v): to put suddenly or violently; To put or send suddenly or unexpectedly; to project or speak sharply, curtly, or forcefully; to speak harshly or abusively; To throw (oneself) into an activity with abandon and energy.
Synonyms: affair, binge, cast, catapult, chuck, dart, discard, flip, flirt, flounce, heave, hurtle, pitch, plunge, scatter, sling, splurge, spree, toss, whirl.

4. Touchy(adj): sensitive to touch; Tending to take offense with slight cause; oversensitive; Easily ignited; flammable; requiring caution, tactfulness, or expert handling.
Synonyms: cantankerous, choleric, crabby, cranky, delicate, fragile, grouchy, grumpy, huffy, irascible, peevish, precarious, temperamental, tetchy, ticklish, umbrageous, volatile, edgy, snappish.

5. Flock(n): a number of animals of one kind, esp. sheep, goats, or birds, that keep or feed together or are herded together; a large number of things; crowd; a band or company of persons.
Synonyms: bevy, covey, flight, gaggle, brood, hatch, shoal, swarm, brood, drove, herd, litter, skein.

6. Obfuscate(v): to confuse; to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand; to darken; unclear.
Synonyms: muddle, perplex, bewilder, blur, cloud, dim, garble, hide, obscure, puzzle.
Antonyms: clarify.

7. Euphemism(n): an inoffensive or indirect expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive or too harsh; a pleasant name for something that is unpleasant; The act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive; the expression so substituted.

8. Nugtory(adj): of no real value; worthless; of no force or effect; ineffective; not valid.
Synonyms: futile, hollow, idle, ineffectual, invalid, trifling, trivial, unavailing; vain, insignificant, frivolous.

9. Evident(adj): plain or clear to the sight or understanding; obvious; clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; capable of being seen or noticed.
Synonyms: obvious, manifest, palpable, patent, apparent, certain, conclusive, conspicuous, glaring, manifest, noticeable, overt, transparent, unmistakable.

10. Concealed(adj): To keep from being seen, found, observed, or discovered; not accessible to view; hidden on any grounds for any motive; To hide or withdraw from observation; to cover; to cover or keep from sight.
Synonyms: abstruse, blindfold, clandestine, covert, disguised, hidden, incognito, latent, occult, perdue, privy, recondite, secreted.

10. Pitfall(n): a lightly covered and unnoticeable pit prepared as a trap for people or animals; any trap or danger for the unwary; an unapparent source of trouble or danger; an unforeseen or unexpected or surprising difficulty.
Synonyms: artifice, drawback, hazard, inveiglement, maelstrom, peril, risk, snag, snare, subterfuge, temptation, traps.

11. Inane(adj): lacking sense, significance, or ideas; empty; void; devoid of intelligence; Without contents; empty; something that is empty or void.
Synonyms: pointless, asinine, daft, dumb, fatuitous, feckless, frivolous, idiotic, illogical, imbecile, insubstantial, jejune, nonsensical, puerile, ridiculous, shallow, silly, stratospheric, vacuous, vapid, void, worthless.


Analogies:

1. Judge: laws

2. Assembly: humans

3. Musical band:musicians

4. Inane: weightage

5. Soil: Mud


Issue Topic:

1. "Money spent on research is almost always a good investment, even when the results of that research are controversial".

2. "Tradition and modernization are incompatible. One must choose between them".

3. "The most essential quality of an effective leader is the ability to remain consistently committed to particular principles and objectives. Any leader who is quickly and easily influenced by shifts in popular opinion will accomplish little".


Argument Topic:

1. The following appeared in a letter to the school board in the town of Centerville.
"All students should be required to take the driver's education course at Centerville High School. In the past two years several accidents in and around Centerville have involved teenage drivers. Since a number of parents in Centerville have complained that they are too busy to teach their teenagers to drive, some other instruction is necessary to ensure that these teenagers are safe drivers. Although there are two driving schools in Centerville, parents on a tight budget cannot afford to pay for driving instruction. Therefore an effective and mandatory program sponsored by the high school is the only solution to this serious problem.

2. The following appeared in a memorandum to faculty from the academic vice president of Waymarsh University.
"So that we can better accomplish Waymarsh University's academic goals, we should adopt the job-opportunity (job-op) program offered at Plateau Technical College and strongly encourage all students at Waymarsh to participate in it. The success of the job-op program at Plateau is evident: Over the past two years, more than 75% of the freshmen at Plateau have enrolled in the optional job-op program. Moreover, at Plateau, the grades of job-op students are consistently higher than those of other students, 90% of the job-op students receive job offers within a month after their graduation, and most former job-op students report much success in their careers.

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 11th)

Today's Words:

1. Mendacious(adj): false or untrue; given to deception or falsehood; telling lies, esp. habitually; dishonest; lying; untruthful.
Synonyms: deceitful, dishonest, fibbing.
Antonyms: veracious.

2. Artless(adj): free from deceit, cunning, or craftiness; not artificial; natural; simple; lacking art, knowledge, or skill; poorly made; inartistic; clumsy.
Synonyms: candid, frank, guileless, humble, ignorant, inartistic, ingenuous, naif, naive, trusting, unauspicious, unschooled, unsophisticated, guileless.
Antonyms: cunning.

3. Flock(n): a number of animals of one kind, esp. sheep, goats, or birds, that keep or feed together or are herded together; a large number of things; crowd; a band or company of persons.
Synonyms: bevy, covey, flight, gaggle, brood, hatch, shoal, swarm, brood, drove, herd, litter, skein.

4. Plummet(n): something that weighs down or depresses; (v): To fall straight down; plunge; to decline suddenly and steeply.
Synonyms: dive, swoop, buxom, chubby, downturn, fleshy, nose-dive, obese, plop, portly, rotund, sink, stout.

5. Coagulate(v): to change from a fluid into a thickened mass; To cause transformation of (a liquid or sol, for example) into or as if into a soft, semisolid, or solid mass; change from a liquid to a thickened or solid state.
Synonyms: clabber, clod, clot, concrete, congeal, cotter, curdle, gel, harden, jell, solidify.

6. Panegyric(n): a lofty oration or writing in praise of a person or thing; formal or elaborate praise; formally expressing praise; A formal eulogistic composition intended as a public compliment.
Synonyms: (adj): acclamatory, citation, complimentary, encomium, eulogy, laudation, tribute.

7. Myriad(n): a very great or indefinitely great number of persons or things; a vast number.(adj): of an indefinitely great number; innumerable having innumerable phases, aspects, variations, etc.
Synonyms: army, countless, endless, flood, host, innumerable, legion.

8. Summit(n): the highest point or part, as of a hill, a line of travel, or any object; top; the highest state or degree; (adj): of or pertaining to a summit meeting.
Synonyms: peak, pinnacle, acme, zenith, culmination, acme, apex, apogee, arete, climax, consummation, crest, culmination, meridian, spire, tip, vertex, zenith.
Antonyms: base.

9. Nadir(n): the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair; A point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith; an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything.
Synonyms: bottom, floor, foot, depths.

10. Ostensive(adj): clearly or manifestly demonstrative; seeming or professed; manifestly demonstrative; Showing; exhibiting.

11. Wit(n): the keen perception and cleverly apt expression of those connections between ideas that awaken amusement and pleasure; speech or writing showing such perception and expression; understanding, intelligence, or sagacity; astuteness.
Synonyms:acumen, badinage, causerie, comedian, comprehension, coruscation, cunning, drollery, esprit, facetiousness, humorist, ingenuity, jocosity, jocularity, keenness, mordacity, persiflage, punster, quickness, repartee, retort, sageness, sanity, sarcasm, satire, whimsicality, witticism.

12. Intermittent(adj): stopping or ceasing for a time; alternately functioning and not functioning or alternately functioning properly and improperly ; Stopping and starting at intervals.
Synonyms: cyclical, episodic, fitful, hesitant, periodical, recurrent, remittent, rhythmic, spasmodic, sporadic; interrupted, sporadic.

13. Flawless(adj): Being entirely without flaw or imperfection; without a flaw.
Synonyms: exquisite, ideal, immaculate, impeccable, indefectible, intact, irreproachable, perfect, sound, spotless, undamaged, unexceptionable, unmarred.

14. Marbled(n): something lacking in warmth or feeling; a little ball made of stone, baked clay, glass, porcelain, agate, or steel, esp. for use in games; anything resembling marble in hardness, coldness, smoothness, etc.: (v): lacking in warmth, compassion, or sympathy

15. Exonerate(v): to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame; to free from a responsibility, obligation, or task; pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
Synonyms: absolve, acquit, disburden, dismiss, exculpate, excuse, exempt, forgive, pardon, release, remit, vindicate.

16. Extol(v): to praise highly; laud;praise, glorify, or honor
Synonyms: glorify, exalt, applaud, approbate, commend, compliment, deify, enhance, enshrine, eulogize, laud, magnify, panegyrize, spiritualize.
Antonyms: disparage.

17. Forthright(adj): going straight to the point; frank; direct; outspoken; proceeding in a straight course; direct; straightforward; Direct and without evasion; characterized by directness in manner or speech
Synonyms: candid, foursquare, frankly, honest, straightforward, truthfully, aboveboard, foursquare, frankly, straightforward, truthfully.

18. Ant(n): to be impatient or eager to act or speak; Any of various social insects of the family Formicidae, characteristically having wings only in the males and fertile females and living in colonies that have a complex social organization.
Synonyms: amazon, carpenter, emmet, formican, pismire, soldier, termite.

19. Lugubrious(adj): mournful, dismal, or gloomy; , esp. in an affected, exaggerated, or unrelieved manner; excessively mournful.
Synonyms: bleak, dismal, doleful, dour, funeral, gloomy, melancholy, morose, mournful, woebegone, woful .

20. Stultify(v): to make, or cause to appear, foolish or ridiculous; to render useless or ineffectual; to allege or prove (oneself or another) to be of unsound mind.
Synonyms: impair, impede, inhibit, nullify, ridiculous, stifle, cripple, frustrate, hinder, thwart.

21. Sylvan(adj): Relating to or characteristic of woods or forest regions; consisting of or abounding in woods or trees; Located in or inhabiting a wood or forest.
Synonyms: forestlike, rustic, shady, wooded, woodsy.

22. Base: to make or form a base or foundation for; to establish, as a fact or conclusion; the principal element or ingredient of anything, considered as its fundamental part .
Synonyms: alloyed, contemptible, counterfeit, debased, degenerate, degraded, despicable, disgraceful, dishonorable, groveling, ignoble, inferior, menial, obscure, plebeian, proletarian, servile, spurious, substratal, unworthy, venal, wicked.


Issue Topic:

1. It is a grave mistake to theorize before one has data.

2. Students should memorize facts only after they have studied the ideas, trends, and concepts that help explain those facts. Students who have learned only facts have learned very little.


ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 9th)


1. Hagiography(n): the writing and critical study of the lives of the saints; A worshipful or idealizing biography; a biography that idealizes or idolizes the person

2. Puerile(adj): of or pertaining to a child or to childhood; childishly foolish; immature or trivial; displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity.
Synonyms: youthful, juvenile juvenile, silly, babyish, callow, green, infantile, naive, sophomoric, trifling, trivial, youthful.

3. Nadir(n): the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair; A point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith; an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything.
Synonyms: bottom, floor, foot, depths.

4. Doggerel(adj): comic or burlesque, and usually loose or irregular in measure; rude; crude; poor. (n): Crudely or irregularly fashioned verse, often of a humorous or burlesque nature; a comic verse of irregular measure.

5. Verse(n): a stanza; a succession of metrical feet written, printed, or orally composed as one line; one of the lines of a poem; a poem, or piece of poetry; The art or work of a poet; one of the short conventional divisions of a chapter of the Bible; a subdivision in any literary work, metrical writing that lacks depth or artistic merit; Metrical writing that lacks depth or artistic merit.
Synonyms: ballad, burden, chorus, doggerel, jingle, limerick, metrification, ode, poesy, posy, prosody, refrain, stanza, stave, stich, strophe.

6. Outtake(n): a segment of film or videotape edited out of the final version, as because of a technical error; a recording of a song not included in the final release of a record album, as because of a technical error; An opening for outward discharge; a vent.

7. Lofty(adj): extending high in the air; of imposing height; exalted in rank, dignity, or character; eminent; arrogantly or condescendingly superior in manner; Of imposing height; of high moral or intellectual value;of imposing height; especially standing out above others.
Synonyms: aerial, aery, altitudinous, arduous, arrogant, celestial, condescending, distinguished, divine, elevated, eloquent, eminent, epic, ethereal, exalted, grandiloquent, haughty, imposing, magniloquent, majestic, olympian, overbearing, pompous, soaring, spirituelle, steep, supernal.

8. Marbled


Analogies:

1. Doggerel:Verse

2. Outtake:movie

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 8th)


1. Peerless(adj): having no equal; Being such as to have no match; incomparable.
Synonyms: unmatched, unequaled; unique, unsurpassed; eminent, immutable, incommensurable, majestic, nonpareil, optimum, paramount, preeminent, sovereign, supereminent, superlative, transcendent, unrivalled, unsurpassable.

2. Evident(adj): plain or clear to the sight or understanding, easily seen or understood; obvious; clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment; capable of being seen or noticed.
Synonyms: apparent, conclusive, conspicuous, glaring, manifest, overt, palpable, patent, transparent, visible, obvious, manifest, unmistakable
Antonyms: concealed

3. Callow(adj): immature or inexperienced; Lacking adult maturity; boyish; (of a young bird) featherless; unfledged.
Synonyms: bald, bare, crude, green, infantile, juvenile, marshy, naive, shallow, tenderfoot, unfledged, youthful; puerile, jejune.
Antonyms: mature, adult, experienced.

4. Harry(v): to harass, annoy, to ravage, as in war; devastate; to make harassing incursions; To disturb or distress by or as if by repeated attacks; harass; annoy continually or chronically, to disturb or distress by or as if by repeated attacks; harass; To raid, as in war; sack or pillage.
Synonyms: molest, plague, trouble; plunder, strip, pillage, agitate, annoy, assault, badger, bedevil, bother, distress, harrow, hector, pester, plague, raid, ravage, sack, tease, torment.

5. Trite(adj): lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; characterized by hackneyed expressions, ideas, etc; Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition.
Synonyms: banal, bromidic, commonplace, conventional, corny, hackneyed, inane, jejune, passe, pedestrian, platitudinous, prosaic, shopworn, stale, stereotyped, threadbare, trivial, uninspired, vapid, worn.
Antonyms: original.

6. Immutable(adj): not mutable; unchangeable; changeless; not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature.
Synonyms: constant, enduring, eternal, firm, invariable, permanent, solid, unaltered, unchangeable, unchanging.

7. Restive (adj): impatient of control, restraint, or delay, as persons; restless; uneasy; refractory; stubborn; refusing to go forward; balky; Uneasily impatient under restriction, opposition, criticism, or delay; resisting control; difficult to control.
Synonyms: nervous, unquiet, recalcitrant, disobedient, obstinate.
Antonyms: patient, quiet, obedient, tractable.

8. Perishables(adj): subject to decay, ruin, or destruction.
Synonyms: caducous, deciduous, destructible, ephemeral, evanescent, fleeting, fugacious, impermanent, mortal, spoilable, transitory, volatile.
Antonyms: imperishable, permanent.

9. Finesse(v): to bring about by finesse or artifice; to avoid; circumvent; to accomplish by the use of finesse; To handle with a deceptive or evasive strategy.
Synonyms: adeptness, artfulness, artifice, craftiness, cunning, delicacy, dexterity, guile, maneuver, manipulate, refinement, savvy, stratagem, subtlety, tact.


Analogies:

1. Refrigerator: perishables

2. Lamp: illuminate

3. Accidental : intentionally

4. Finesse: Sculpture

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 4th)

Today's words:

1. Redoubtable(adj): that is to be feared; formidable; Worthy of respect or honor; Arousing fear or awe; commanding or evoking respect, reverence.
Synonyms: awesome, brave, courageous, dreadful, fearful, fearsome, formidable, frightening, illustrious, imminent, terrible, valiant.

2. Paltry(adj): Lacking in importance or worth; contemptibly small in amount; ridiculously or insultingly small; utterly worthless; mean or contemptible; utterly worthless.
Synonyms: bare, base, contemptible, flimsy, insignificant, mere, petty, picayune, pitiful, trifling, trivial, vile, inconsiderable.
Antonyms: important, major.

3. Elicit(v): To bring or draw out (something latent); To call forth, draw out, or provoke (a reaction, for example); To arrive at (a truth, for example) by logic.
Synonyms: deduce, derive, discover, educe, entice, evoke, extort, extract, induce, wrest, wring.

4. Puissant(adj): powerful; mighty; potent.

5. Conscientious(adj): controlled by or done according to conscience;careful; particular; Guided by or in accordance with the dictates of conscience; principled
Synonyms: upright, honest, faithful, devoted, dedicated; assiduous, diligent, dutiful, fair, meticulous, painstaking, pious, punctual, reliable, scrupulous, sedulous.

6. Inexplicable(adj): not explicable; incapable of being accounted for or explained; Difficult or impossible to explain or account for.
Synonyms: abstruse, ambiguous, enigmatic, inexplainable, mysterious, obscure, peculiar, preternatural, strange, supermundane, unaccountable, unfathomable.

7. Meandering(v): To move aimlessly and idly without fixed direction; To follow a winding and turning course.

8. Luminary(n): a body, object, etc., that gives light; a celestial body, as the sun or moon; a person who has attained eminence in his or her field or is an inspiration to others.
Synonyms: bigwig, celebrity, dignitary, eminence, notable, planet.

9. Illustrious(adj): Well known and very distinguished; widely known and esteemed; highly distinguished; luminous; bright.
Synonyms: august, brilliant, distinguished, eminent, exalted, exemplary, famed, formidable, glorious, honorable, honorific, immortal, magnificent, majestic, outstanding, prestigious, prominent, redoubtable, regal, renowned, resplendent, splendid, transcendent.


Analogies:

1. Meandering : directness

2. Luminary : illustrious


Issue Topic:

1. Creating an appealing image has become more important in contemporary society than is the reality or truth behind that image.


Argument Topic:

1. The following appeared in a magazine focusing on health and fitness. "A recent study of several nutritional supplements showed that subjects who took a daily pill containing luceen had significantly better vision of distant objects than subjects in the study who took other nutritional supplements. Luceen appears naturally in a tasty fruit that grows on the island of Bonopia, and very few inhabitants of that island wear eyeglasses or other corrective lenses. Such evidence suggests that people who develop vision problems should take regular luceen supplements."

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 2nd)


1. Dogged(adj): persistent in effort; stubbornly persevering; Stubbornly persevering. (n):a despicable man or youth;an utter failure; an ugly, boring, or crude person; A person regarded as unattractive or uninteresting; something of inferior or low quality.
Synonyms: mulish, inflexible, unyielding, confounded, adamant, insistent, obstinate, persevering, persistent, staunch, stubborn, tenacious, unshakable, unyielding.

2. Aversion(n): a strong feeling of dislike, opposition; The avoidance of a thing, situation, or behavior because it has been associated with an unpleasant or painful stimulus.
Synonyms: distaste, abhorrence, disgust, antipathy, loathing, abomination, animosity, disdain, disgust, disinclination, dread, enmity, hostility, nausea, opprobrium, recalcitrance, reluctation, repugnance, revulsion, unwillingness.
Antonyms: predilection.

3. Penchant(n): a strong inclination, taste, or liking for something; A definite liking; a strong inclination.
Synonyms: affinity, bias, fondness, inclination, knack, leaning, predilection, proneness, propensity, tendency.

4. Tendentious(adj): having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose; having or marked by a strong tendency especially a controversial one; Marked by a strong implicit point of view.

5. Unbiased(adj): not biased or prejudiced; fair; impartial,characterized by a lack of partiality.
Synonyms: fair, equitable, tolerant, neutral, disinterested, dispassionate, equitable, nonpartisan, objective, unbigoted, unprejudiced.

6. Inept(adj): without skill or aptitude for a particular task or assignment; generally awkward or clumsy; haplessly incompetent; inappropriate; unsuitable; out of place; absurd or foolish.
Synonyms: unskillful, bungling, stupid, pointless, inane, absurd, awkward, bumbling, clumsy, gauche, improper, inane, inappropriate, inapt, incompetent, ineffectual, inefficient, unbecoming, unfit, unskilled, unsuited.
Antonyms: suited.

7. Trite(adj): lacking in freshness or effectiveness because of constant use or excessive repetition; Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed; repeated too often.
Synonyms: banal, bromidic, common, commonplace, conventional, corny, dated, dull, everyday, inane, jejune, ordinary, passe, pedestrian, platitudinous, prosaic, routine, shopworn, stale, stereotyped, threadbare, timeworn, trivial, vapid, worn.

8. Obfuscate(v): to make so confused or opaque as to be difficult to perceive or understand; to make obscure or unclear; to darken.
Synonyms: bewilder, blur, cloud, confuse, dim, garble, muddle, obscure, perplex, puzzle.
Antonyms: clarify.

9. Ameliorate(v): to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve; To grow better.
Synonyms: advance, improve, progress, promote, recuperate, reform, set up, uplift, amend.
Antonyms: worsen.

10. Suppress(v): To put an end to forcibly; subdue; To curtail or prohibit the activities of; To keep from being revealed, published, or circulated; control and refrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior.
Synonyms: abolish, annihilate, bridle, censor, choke, conceal, elide, extinguish, gag, hugger-mugger, inhibit, muzzle, oppress, overwhelm, prohibit, quash, quell, refrain, repress, restrain, scotch, smother, squelch, stifle, stunt, subdue, withhold.

11. Immutable(adj): not mutable; unchangeable; changeless; not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature.
Synonyms: constant, enduring, eternal, firm, invariable, permanent, solid, unaltered, unchangeable, unchanging.

12. Ephemeral(adj): lasting a very short time; short-lived; Lasting for a markedly brief time; Living or lasting only for a day, as certain plants or insects do.
Synonyms: brief, evanescent, fleeting, momentary, temporary, transient, transitory, unenduring, vague.
Antonyms: permanent.

13. Durable(adj): capable of withstanding wear and tear and decay; lasting; enduring; Able to perform or compete over a long period, as by avoiding or overcoming injuries
Synonyms: constant, dependable, enduring, lasting, permanent, staple, sturdy.
Antonyms: weak, transitory.

14. Recant(v): to withdraw or disavow a statement, opinion, etc., To make a formal retraction or disavowal of a previously held statement or belief.
Synonyms: revoke, recall, rescind, deny, abandon, abjure, abrogate, annul, cancel, disavow, disclaim, renege, renounce, repudiate, retract, unsay, withdraw.

15. Quandary(n): a state of perplexity or uncertainty; dilemma; a situation from which extrication is difficult especially an unpleasant or trying one.
Synonyms: bind, crisis, dilemma, fix, impasse, jam, pickle, plight, quagmire, scrape.

16. Nadir(n): the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair; A point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith; an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything.
Synonyms: bottom, floor, foot, depths.

17. Acme(n): the highest point; summit; peak; The highest point, as of achievement or development.
Synonyms: apex, apogee, capstone, climacteric, consummation, crest, culmination, excellence, heyday, meridian, peak, pinnacle, sublimity, vertex, zenith.

18. Contentment(n): the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind ; Gratification; pleasure; satisfaction; a source of satisfaction.
Synonyms: bliss, comfort, complacency, ease, gladness, happiness, pleasure, satisfaction.

19. Abatement(n): decrease; reduction; diminution in amount, degree, or intensity; moderation; The amount lowered; a reduction; the act of eliminating or annulling.
Synonyms: lessening, letup, cessation, allowance, deduction, lessening, lull, myosis, rebate, subsidence.
Antonyms: intensification, increase

20. Coward(adj): lacking courage; very fearful or timid; proceeding from or expressive of fear or timidity.
Synonyms: caitiff, craven, dastardly, irresolute, lily-livered, pusillanimous, recreant, timorous, tremulous, poltroon, recreant, milksop.

21. Pusillanimous(adj): lacking courage or resolution; cowardly; faint-hearted; timid; Destitute of a manly or courageous strength and firmness of mind; of weak spirit; mean-spirited; spiritless;
Synonyms: afraid, chicken, cowardly, fearful, gutless, tame, timid, timorous, frightened.

22. Boor(n): A person with rude, clumsy manners and little refinement; a churlish, rude, or unmannerly person a country bumpkin; rustic; yokel.
Synonyms: lout, oaf, boob, churl, philistine, vulgarian, barbarian, boorishness, bromide, buffoon, bumpkin, cad, churl, clodhopper, clown, cornball, countryman, dork, dullard, fool, gaucherie, goon, hick, idiot, lummox, peasant, roughneck, rudeness, rustic, rusticity, slave, villein, yokel

23. Supplant(v): to replace (one thing) by something else; To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics; to take the place of (another), as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like; To displace and substitute for (another).
Synonyms: succeed, depose, eject, oust, overthrow, supersede, undermine, usurp.

24. Turncoat(n): a person who changes to the opposite party or faction, reverses principles; etc.; a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.
Synonyms: apostate, betrayer, defector, deserter, renegade, spy, traitor.


ANALOGIES:

1. Disaffected: Contentment

2. Abatement: Intensify

3. Coward: Pusilanimous

ORKUT VERBAL DATABASE (Till july 1st)


1. Nadir(n): the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair; A point on the celestial sphere directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith; an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything
Synonyms: bottom, floor, foot, depths.

2. Acme(n): the highest point; summit; peak; The highest point, as of achievement or development.
Synonyms: apex, apogee, capstone, climacteric, consummation, crest, culmination, excellence, heyday, meridian, peak, pinnacle, sublimity, vertex, zenith.

3. Preach(v): to give earnest advice, as on religious or moral subjects or the like; to do this in an obtrusive or tedious way; to advocate or inculcate (religious or moral truth, right conduct, etc.) in speech or writing; To give religious or moral instruction, especially in a tedious manner.
Synonyms: advocate, evangelize, exhort, lecture, moralize, proclaim, profess, sermonize, profess, pronounce, expound.

4. Curb(n): anything that restrains or controls; a restraint; check; an enclosing framework or border; an enclosing framework or border.
Synonyms: bridle, repress.
Antonyms: encourage.

5. Pacify(v): to bring or restore to a state of peace or tranquillity; quiet; calm; to appease; To end war, fighting, or violence in; establish peace in; to ease the anger or agitation of.
Synonyms: soothe, mollify, assuage, abate, allay, alleviate, ameliorate, appease, conciliate, lull, mitigate, moderate, palliate, placate, propitiate, reconcile, salve, sedate, serene, subdue, tame, tranquilize.
Antonyms: anger, enrage.

6. Vulnerable(adj): open to moral attack, criticism, temptation, etc; Susceptible to physical or emotional injury; capable of being wounded or hurt; Open to censure or criticism.
Synonyms: accessible, assailable, defenseless, insecure, liable, susceptible, unguarded.

7. Rile(v): to irritate or vex; to roil (water or the like); To stir to anger.
Synonyms: agitate, annoy, bother, bug, gall, irk, needle, nettle, peeve, roil, upset, vex; provoke, chafe; disfigure, deface;

8. Mar(v): to damage or spoil to a certain extent; render less perfect, attractive; To inflict damage, especially disfiguring damage, on; To impair the soundness, perfection, or integrity of; spoil.
Synonyms: blemish, botch, bruise, deform, disfigure, flaw, impair, injure, mangle, mark, nick, ruin, scar, scratch, spoil, tarnish.
Antonyms: enhance, adorn.

9. Havoc(n): great destruction or devastation; ruinous damage; Disorder or chaos; violent and needless disturbance.
Synonyms: chaos, confusion, destruction, devastate, devastation, disruption, mayhem, pillage, ravage, ruin, upheaval; desolation.

10. Inept(adj): without skill or aptitude for a particular task or assignment; generally awkward or clumsy; haplessly incompetent; inappropriate; unsuitable; out of place; absurd or foolish
Synonyms: unskillful, bungling, stupid, pointless, inane, absurd, awkward, bumbling, clumsy, gauche, improper, inane, inappropriate, inapt, incompetent, ineffectual, inefficient, unbecoming, unfit, unskilled, unsuited.
Antonyms: suited.

11. Sanctuary(n): a sacred or holy place; any place of refuge; a tract of land where birds and wildlife; any place of refuge; asylum
Synonyms: church, altar, shrine, sanctum, adytum, preserve, asylum, chapel, convent, den, haven, hospice, monastery, oasis, preserve, retreat, sacrarium, sanctum, shrine, tabernacle.


Analogies:

1. Sanctuary: Protection

2. Accelaration: Velocity


Issue Topic:

1. It is the artist, not the critic who provide the society the things of lasting value