Context Clues 1
The patient may have been a hypochondriac, for when he was examined by a doctor he was found to be asymptomatic.
showing no symptoms
I would never have cut the price, but my partner, who is more malleable—perhaps too flexible—gave them one-third off.
Flexible
At that time, Uncle Roger was experimenting with a peripatetic existence, which is to say he moved constantly, never staying long enough to have an official address.
moving constantly
It seems to me that philately, which is not only the collection of stamps but also their detailed study, is unfairly ridiculed in the media as a hobby for wimps.
collection and study of stamps
At the colloquy, which is a fancy name for a conference, I had a chance to meet with several professors and find out about their universities.
conference
He was brought up to show deference to adults—for example, he answered my parents’ questions politely and thanked them for letting him come to our house.
courtesy and respect
My great-grandfather’s office was full of antiquated equipment, such as a typewriter, a telephone with a dial instead of push-buttons, and a pencil sharpener with a hand crank.
old-fashioned, out-of-date
Some architects focus on designing a specific type of edifices—for instance, churches, office buildings, or houses.
buildings
My mother complained about the pandemonium at our house last night: our two dogs were barking, a CD player was blasting, and the TV was turned up full blast
wild uproar and noise
The students invented ingenious new products such as a robot alarm clock, a pager for locating lost sneakers, and a solar-powered scooter
original, imaginative
“You came here of your own volition. No one dragged you.” “That’s right, and I’ll leave of my own volition, too.” “You won’t leave until I get a straight answer.” “You’ll get no answer. But you will get out of my way.”
the power or faculty of choosing, free will
Science offers no conclusive theories to explain the mutability of dogs. Selective breeding by humans helps account for the tremendous variety in shapes, sizes, and colors among Canis familiaris. But comparable breeding practices are also commonly applied to cats, a species that by no measure is as capable of or subject to change and alteration as dogs are.
capable of being changed or altered
Her blessings had been counted. Sheep had been counted. She had read a little bit of a book she liked, and a little bit more of a book she disliked. But sleep would not come. However, she would not take a soporific. She did not like the way they made her feel the next day. She groaned, then resigned herself to the fact that it was going to be one of those nights
a substance that induces sleep
Jerrod slumped to the concrete floor. He had been walking to the milk store when he was arrested. His luggage was not yet unpacked. He had 300 rupees in his pocket. He had been nowhere, had done nothing, and had barely spoken to anyone in the two hours since he arrived in this terrible country. “They don’t have a scintilla of evidence against me,” Jerrod thought, shivering in the damp darkness. “I have done nothing wrong.”
a minute amount, an iota or a trace
Arms folded at her waist, Margo blocked the stairway. “You will no longer turn your back when I am talking to you,” she said. “You will not get away with ignoring me when you don’t like what I am saying. You will not hold your breath until you get your way. And you will not spend half the weekend locked away in your room, ignoring everyone, just to prove how stubborn you can be. “This contumacious behavior of yours is going to stop,” she said. “And it’s going to stop NOW.”
stubbornly disobedient or rebellious
“Your friend is an insufferable bore. If he comes this way, I’m going to run.”
difficult or impossible to endure
Because he was known for omniscience, we knew he could answer all our questions.
knowing everything.
The least you could say for him was that his duplicity was obvious and predictable. Still, you had to admire his aplomb as he delivered one outrageous statement after another. As often as not, I find it hard to convey that kind of confidence even when I’m in dead earnest.
self-assurance
Black bears are omnivores, feeding on insects, nuts, berries and grasses, as well as meat and fish. The male black bear is potentially Brobdingnagian, growing to an adult height of up to 75 inches and weighing in at up to 660 pounds.
huge, gigantic
Getting to school on time was not primary, was not secondary, was not even tertiary on my list of things to be concerned about. But invariably, every weekday morning at 6:15, my mother would be there, shaking my shoulder, saying in a gentle tone of voice, “It’s time to get up.”
without fail
Because Tim’s features were impassive, we found it difficult to tell what he really thought of our suggestion.
expressionless
Iris had hoped that the speech would be inspiring, but instead she found it trite and full of platitudes.
trite sayings or clichés
The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park in 1995 has offered wildlife biologists a rare chance to study the effects of an apex predator—an animal at the top of the food chain—on an ecosystem.
topmost, the top or highest part of something
Scientists suspect, for example, that the Yellowstone wolves, which now number about 130, are indirectly responsible for a marked resurgence of willow plants, which before wolf reintroduction were in severe decline.
an increase or revival after a period of little activity, popularity, or occurrence, renewal, revival, recovery
In another development, because they are wolf-wary, elk have become notably more vigilant, spending much of their time in places that afford a 360-degree view
keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties, watchful, sharp-eyed