Society, People & Social Structure
The populace celebrated in the streets after the team won the championship.
In this sentence what does populace mean?
Populace: the general public or the people living in a place.
The workers opened the sluice to let water flow into the fields.
In this sentence what does sluice mean?
Sluice: a channel or gate used to control the flow of water.
The monastery was known for its austere lifestyle and simple living conditions.
In this sentence what does austere mean?
Austere: plain, strict, or lacking luxury.
The manager promised to apprise the team of any schedule changes before the event.
In this sentence what does apprise mean?
Apprise: to inform or notify someone about something.
The principal decided to bestow an award upon the student for his outstanding leadership.
In this sentence what does bestow mean?
Bestow: to give or present something as a gift or honor.
The proletarian workers demanded better wages and safer working conditions.
In this sentence what does proletarian mean?
Proletarian: relating to the working class.
During the winter solstice, the Northern Hemisphere experiences its shortest day of the year.
In this sentence what does solstice mean?
Solstice: either of the two times in the year when the sun is farthest north or south from the equator.
The student gave a furtive glance at his phone during the exam.
In this sentence what does furtive mean?
Furtive: secretive or sneaky, usually to avoid being noticed.
The employee received a positive appraisal after working hard all year.
In this sentence what does appraisal mean?
Appraisal: an evaluation or assessment of someone or something.
Constant criticism can undermine a person’s confidence over time.
In this sentence what does undermine mean?
Undermine: to weaken or damage something gradually.
The mercenary traveled with an entourage of guards and advisers wherever he went.
In this sentence what does mercenary and entourage mean?
Mercenary: a soldier hired to fight for money, or someone motivated mainly by profit.
Entourage: a group of people who accompany and support an important person.
The farmers used the arable land wisely, while lazy travelers chose to vegetate in the shade all day.
In this sentence what does arable and vegetate mean?
Arable: suitable for farming or growing crops.
Vegetate: to live lazily or without much activity.
As the storm began to abate, the once effete noble complained about the lack of comfort.
In this sentence what does effete and abate mean?
Effete: weak, overly delicate, or lacking strength.
Abate: to become less intense or severe.
The company’s acquisition of the smaller business was announced with grandiose promises about changing the world.
In this sentence what does acquisition and grandiose mean?
Acquisition: the act of gaining or obtaining something.
Grandiose: impressive in appearance but often unrealistic or exaggerated.
The impetuous investor made risky decisions for ulterior motives instead of thinking carefully.
In this sentence what does ulterior and impetuous mean?
Ulterior: hidden or secret, especially regarding motives.
Impetuous: acting quickly without careful thought.
The two countries signed a bilateral agreement to protect indigenous communities near the border.
In this sentence what does bilateral and indigenous mean?
Bilateral: involving two sides, groups, or countries.
Indigenous: native or originally belonging to a certain place.
The new building began to encroach on land that directly abutted the school property.
In this sentence what does encroach and abut mean?
Encroach: to gradually invade or take over someone else’s space or rights.
Abut: to touch or border something.
The lawyer tried to protract the trial even though everyone knew human judgment is fallible.
In this sentence what does protract and fallible mean?
Protract: to make something last longer than necessary.
Fallible: capable of making mistakes or being wrong.
What sounded like an innocuous comment quickly turned into a meaningless platitude during the speech.
In this sentence what does platitude and innocuous mean?
Platitude: a dull or overused statement that lacks originality.
Innocuous: harmless or not likely to offend or hurt.
Through a concerted effort, the rescuers managed to wrest the survivors from danger.
In this sentence what does wrest and concerted mean?
Wrest: to take or pull something away with force or effort.
Concerted: planned or done together in a coordinated way.
We used a map to orient ourselves before making pancakes for breakfast.
In this sentence what does orient and pancake mean?
Orient: to find direction or become familiar with surroundings.
Pancake: a thin, flat cake cooked on a pan or griddle.
The artist used gradation in the shading and carefully incised patterns into the wood.
In this sentence what does gradation and incise mean?
Gradation: a gradual change from one level, color, or stage to another.
Incise: to cut into something with a sharp tool.
The drowning swimmer began to flail wildly while his hat sat askew on his head.
In this sentence what does askew and flail mean?
Askew: crooked or not properly aligned.
Flail: to wave or move wildly without control.
The insular guard tried to accost strangers who entered the isolated village without permission.
In this sentence what does insular and accost mean?
Insular: isolated or unwilling to consider outside ideas.
Accost: to approach and speak to someone in a bold or aggressive way.
The detective conducted an exhaustive investigation, and a feeling of fear began to permeate the town.
In this sentence what does exhaustive and permeate mean?
Exhaustive: extremely thorough and complete.
Permeate: to spread through or be present throughout something.