1 / 15

conspicuous

conspicuous. Adjective: obvious, noticeable Latin root: spicere or specere meaning to behold Related words: inspect, introspection, auspicious Sample sentences: The Eiffel Tower is conspicuous among the older buildings in Paris. He was awarded a medal for conspicuous bravery.

trilby
Download Presentation

conspicuous

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. conspicuous • Adjective: obvious, noticeable • Latin root: spicere or specere meaning to behold • Related words: inspect, introspection, auspicious • Sample sentences: • The Eiffel Tower is conspicuous among the older buildings in Paris. • He was awarded a medal for conspicuous bravery. • Her constant preening made her conspicuous. (Hint: Take a picture of a • conspicuous landmark.) 46

  2. efface • Verb: to obliterate, wipe out • Related phrase: self-effacing • Sample sentences: • It took hours to efface the graffiti that had defaced the building. • He was modest and self-effacing; he never spoke of his accomplishments and awards. (Hint: Erase rhymes with efface.) 47

  3. ethereal • Adjective: light and airy, insubstantial, heavenly • Adverb: ethereally • Related words: ether • Sample sentences: • Her gossamer gown created an ethereal effect. • The ethereal music transported us. (Hint: Ether makes people feel light.) 48

  4. banal • Adjective: trite, dull, ordinary, boring • Noun: banality • Sample sentences: • Excellent acting could not rescue this film from its banal story line and hackneyed dialog. • The banality of the story would have relegated it to the back pages of the newspaper, if not for the celebrity of the victim. (Hint: Ban all dull people from the party.) 49

  5. garish • Adjective: gaudy, tastelessly showy • Sample sentences: • The garish lights of the carnival drew a crowd. • Her vivid, garish make-up lacked subtlety. 50

  6. incongruous • Adjective: out of place, odd • Noun: incongruity • Sample sentences: • A marshmallow on a hamburger would be incongruous. • Much humor is derived from incongruity between intention and effect. 51

  7. gullible • Adjective: easily fooled • Verb: to gull • Sample sentences: • They told me I was gullible, and I believed them. • A con man may attempt to gull you with false statistics; be skeptical. (Hint: A girl able to be fooled.) 52

  8. servile • Adjective: submissive, subservient • Noun: servility • Related words: servant, serve, service, serviceable, servitude, subservient • Sample sentences: • His servile manner suggested that he was intimidated by his boss. • With cringing servility he did whatever he was told. • (Hint: think of a servant.) 53

  9. resolute • Adjective: firm in purpose, determined • Noun: resolve, resolution • Verb: resolve • Adverb: resolutely • Sample sentences: • She was resolute despite setbacks that might have daunted a less tenacious person. • Nothing weakened her resolve. (Hint: Keep your New Year's resolutions!) 54

  10. abridge • Verb: to make shorter by removing words • Adjective: abridged, unabridged • Sample sentence: • The unabridged dictionary is huge. • I wonder how many words are missing in the abridged version. (Hint: A bridge can shorten the time it takes to get somewhere.) 55

  11. amity • Noun: friendship • Related words: amicable, amiable, enamored, paramour • Sample sentences: • Helena and Hermia were like sisters until competition over a man destroyed their amity. • In the end, they came to an amicable agreement. (Hint: Or, think of the town in “Jaws.”) 56

  12. capricious • Adjective: moved by whim rather than reason • Noun: caprice • Sample sentences: • The capricious child asked for lunch but didn't eat it. • The weather was capricious – one minute it was sunny and the next it started to rain. (Hint: Car prices are unpredictable these days.) 57

  13. coalesce • Verb: to come together as one, unite, blend, combine • Sample sentences: • After weeks of practice, the team coalesced into an efficient unit. • The two paints coalesced into a single color. (Hint: Wood and coal coalesce to make charcoal.) 58

  14. congeal • Verb: to solidify or freeze • Sample sentences: • The food congealed on the unwashed dishes. • In the refrigerator, the fat congealed on top of the broth. (Hint: Jello congeals.) 59

  15. debilitate • Verb: to weaken or cripple • Noun: debility • Sample sentences: • His illness debilitated him to the point that he could hardly walk. • Her debility did not prevent her from earning a living. (Hint: De + ability = without ability) 60

More Related