A Words
If it reeks of humiliation or looks like the lowest of lows, then you can safely describe it as
Abject
The noun --- 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 i
Bane
The verb 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.
Consing
When you debunk something you show it to be false. Many magicians, including Houdini and Penn and Teller, have worked to debunk the idea that magic is anything other than a very clever illusion.
debunk
If you are glee club treasurer, and you pocket twenty glee dollars saying you used it to buy lozenges, you are committing ---, the theft of money or property that you officially manage.
embezzlement
Abstruse things are difficult to understand because they are so deep and intellectually challenging. It might be hard to figure out how a toilet flushes but the technology that goes into making the Internet function is
Abstruse
To --- is to entertain and convince by flattery. Someone who beguiles is tricky and often charming, like when a smooth-talking friend tries to beguile you into giving them your allowance.
beguile
The noun ------ is a closed meeting of members from the same political party. The Iowa caucuses get a lot of attention during the presidential primary season.
caucus
If you say something that is intended to make people angry with each other, your words are ---. If you want to avoid divisive talk at your family's Thanksgiving dinner, it's probably best to avoid discussing politics.
divisive
For a formal-sounding verb that means to make worse, try exacerbate. If you're in trouble, complaining about it will only ---the problem.
exacerbate
means to swear off, and it applies to something you once believed. You can abjure a religious faith, you can abjure your love of another person, and you can abjure the practice of using excessive force in interrogation.
Abjure
When you hear a --- 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!
blandishment
A ---- is something that makes up a satisfying whole with something else. Those shiny red shoes you just bought complement your shiny red purse.
complement
When people are didactic, they're teaching or instructing. This word is often used negatively for when someone is acting too much like a teacher.
didactic
To ---is to weaken, wear down, or even bum out. Although a three-hour lecture on the history of socks might thrill someone, it would enervate most people. So would a too-long soak in a hot tub. With your parents.
enervate
Wearing a cast on a broken leg can cause___, or withering, in the leg, because it is immobilized and gets no exercise.
Atrophy
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.
Biki
How to ----, in one easy step: dance around all crazy, jumping on and over anything nearby like you just ate a lot of sugar. Give it a try!
Cavort
Though he said he didn't know anything about the footprints in the new sidewalk, his duplicity, or deceitfulness, was obvious from the cement caking his shoes. His mouth said one thing, his feet said another.
duplicity
When you , you're bringing out a response of some sort. A good comedian elicits a lot of laughs.
elicit
If you can't decide how you feel about something, declare yourself about it.
ambivalent
To be ------ is to be full of hot air — like a politician who makes grand promises and doesn't deliver.
Bombastic
----is really just a fancy word for a bad bruise. Professional athletes are often benched suffering from contusions. After all, if they're being paid millions, it sounds kinda wimpy to pull them because they're suffering from a...bruise.
Contusion
To dispel is to get rid of something that's bothering or threatening you, regardless of whether that's warts, worries, or wild dogs.
dispel
To ---is to censor. Usually, people talk about expurgating bad words from something written or on TV.
expurgate