A words
aberration
is something strange that rarely occurs. An example of an aberration is when the temperature in Minnesota hits 90 degrees in January — it's nice and warm, but it's really strange.
bane
refers to anything that is a cause of harm, ruin, or death. But we often use it for things that aren't that bad, just feel like it. You might say mosquitoes are the bane of your existence.
cajole
To cajole someone is to persuade them by using insincere compliments or promises. If you say "Please, pretty-please, I'll be your best friend," when asking for a stick of gum, you are cajoling the gum holder.
debauch
Debauch means to destroy or corrupt someone's morals. Overnight fame and wealth might debauch a previously mild-mannered and altruistic actor. As a noun, debauch refers to a wild party characterized by excess.
extant
Use the adjective extant to describe old things that are still around, like your extant diary from third grade or the only extant piece of pottery from certain craftspeople who lived hundreds of years ago.
advocate
is someone who supports a cause, like an advocate for outdoor recess. Advocate (AD-və-kate) is also a verb meaning to speak in favor of, so you can advocate for that outdoor recess by urging your school to play outside!
bashful
Bashful means shy or timid. You might feel bashful when meeting a famous actress, a high-ranking government official, or just someone whom you find really good-looking.
cobbler
A cobbler is someone who fixes shoes. A cobbler is also a type of fruit pie. Context is everything with this word! If you give a pie a broken shoe, don’t expect results.
defunct
Defunct describes something that used to exist, but is now gone. A magazine that no longer publishes, like Sassy, the girl-power mag from the '90s, is defunct, for example.
expurgate
To expurgate is to censor. Usually, people talk about expurgating bad words from something written or on TV.
antithesis
is the complete opposite of something. Though the counterculture was strong in America in 1968, voters elected Richard Nixon, the antithesis of a hippie.
bereft
So, they took the thing you most loved, and you're never going to get it back. You've gone beyond just plain grief-stricken — you're bereft.
construe
If you interpret something or make sense of it, you construe its meaning. If the new girl in your class asks to sit with you at lunch, you could construe that she wants to be friends. You can never have too many friends!
demagogue
A demagogue is someone who becomes a leader largely because of skills as a speaker or who appeals to emotions and prejudices.
elegy
An elegy is a sad poem, usually written to praise and express sorrow for someone who is dead. Although a speech at a funeral is a eulogy, you might later compose an elegy to someone you have loved and lost to the grave.
accretion
increasing can be called accretion. Although you may say that stalactites "grow" from the ceilings of caves, they actually form from an accretion of limestone and other minerals.
blandishment
When you hear a blandishment come your way, you may feel flattered, as that's what a blandisher intends to do. However, beware because that flattery may come with the underlying intention of persuading you to do something!
contravene
To contravene means to go against or defy. You might contravene your parents' ban on sweets when your friend offers to share her candy because chocolate tastes too good to resist!
dour
Dour describes something sullen, gloomy, or persistent. You might look dour on your way to picking up your last check from the job you just got fired from, and people should get out of your way.
engender
Engender is a fancy way of saying "to make happen," like when you engender the spirit of teamwork and cooperation by encouraging others and doing your share of the group's work.
affluent
You know you're driving through an affluent neighborhood when you see large houses, perfect landscaping, and expensive cars. Use affluent to describe wealthy people or areas.
bilk
Ever paid a restaurant bill only to discover they charged you for stuff you never had? What they did was bilk you — cheat you out of money that was justly yours. Shady companies are forever bilking their investors.
consign
The verb consign means to transfer permanently to another. You can consign ownership of your old car to your son, an act that will probably make you the "best parent ever" in his eyes.
dispel
To dispel is to get rid of something that's bothering or threatening you, regardless of whether that's warts, worries, or wild dogs.
embezzlement
If you are glee club treasurer, and you pocket twenty glee dollars saying you used it to buy lozenges, you are committing embezzlement, the theft of money or property that you officially manage.