Word List 01

expurgate / ˈekspərɡeɪt / 阅

v. 删改，删节 remove offensive parts of a piece of writing

You have to expurgate your paper in order to typeset it.

yen / jen /

n. 瘾；渴望 longing; urge

I’ve always had a yen to travel around the world.

flinch / flɪntʃ / 阅

v. 畏缩，退缩 hesitate; shrink

I will never flinch at difficulties.

invincible / ɪnˈvɪnsəbl /

adj. 不可战胜的 unconquerable

He led an army of invincible strength.

antiquated ■ / ˈæntɪkweɪtɪd / 阅

adj. 陈旧的，过时的 old-fashioned; obsolete

Some laws are antiquated and should be abolished.

deft / deft / 阅

adj. 灵巧的，熟练的，机敏的 neat; skillful

She was knitting with deft fingers.

divergent ■ / daɪˈvɜːrdʒənt /

adj. 有分歧的；分叉的 differing; deviating

Standing at the divergent paths, she didn’t know which to choose.

fitful ● / ˈfɪtfl /

adj. 间歇的，断断续续的 spasmodic; intermittent After a fitful investigation, we finally get a meaningful result.

hiatus / haɪˈeɪtəs / 阅

n. 裂缝；间断 gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause

He came back to his old job after a two-year hiatus.

stint / stɪnt /

n. 限制，限量；（工作）限额 supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work v. 节约；限制 be thrifty; set limits

George reinvented himself as a cultural translator after a six-year stint as a personnel manager in Japan. // She had to stint herself on chocolate in order to keep slim.

infuriate / ɪnˈfjʊrieɪt / 阅

v. 使生气，激怒 enrage; anger

Everyone in the room was infuriated by his arrogance.

molecule / ˈmɑːlɪkjuːl / 阅

n. 分子；小颗粒 the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance, having all the properties of that substance

In chemistry class, the teacher told us how atoms and molecules react to form new substances.

reverent ■ / ˈrevərənt / 阅

adj. 尊敬的，虔诚的 respectful; worshipful

The pupils looked almost reverent when the teacher was proudly talking about his volunteer work in the disaster area.

conspicuous / kənˈspɪkjuəs / 阅

adj. 明显的，显著的 easily seen; noticeable; striking

The monkeys were cautious when confronted with conspicuous markings.

discomposure / ˌdɪskəmˈpoʊʒər / 阅

n. 心乱，不安；失去平衡 agitation; loss of poise

He received this thrust without discomposure.

dissemble / dɪˈsembl / 阅

v. 伪装，假装 disguise; pretend

She dissembled innocence to stay with him.

concession / kənˈseʃn / 阅

n. 让步，妥协 the act of conceding or yielding

He made major concessions to end the quarrel with his wife.

esoteric ■ / ˌesəˈterɪk / 阅

adj. 深奥的；只有少数才懂的 hard to understand; known only to the chosen few

The theory explained in this book is too esoteric for me to understand.

antidote ■ / ˈæntidoʊt / 阅

n. 解毒剂 medicine to counteract a poison or disease

He found a natural antidote for that poison.

unique / juˈniːk / 阅

adj. 唯一的，独特的 without an equal; single in kind

Only those with a unique personality and ability can succeed.

receptive / rɪˈseptɪv / 阅

adj. 善于接受的，能接纳的 quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc.

If we have a receptive mind, we can achieve success more easily.

imperious / ɪmˈpɪriəs / 阅

adj. 专横的；傲慢的 domineering; haughty

He always talks in an imperious voice.

intimidate ■ / ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪt / 阅

v. 胁迫 frighten

The robber intimidated him into silence by the life of his son.

retrograde / ˈretrəɡreɪd /

v. 倒退，退化 go backwards; degenerate adj. 后退的；恶化的

It is generally acknowledged that the revival of this fashion is a sign of retrograded civilization.

meticulous ■ / məˈtɪkjələs / 阅

adj. 小心翼翼的，极为仔细的 excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous

My teacher was so meticulous about everything.

toxic / ˈtɑːksɪk / 阅

adj. 有毒的；中毒的 poisonous

The residents living nearby complained to the local government that large quantities of toxic waste of the factory were released into the river.

injurious / ɪnˈdʒʊrəriəs / 阅

adj. 有害的 harmful

The drought period last year was extremely injurious to these apple trees.

acerbity / əˈsɜːrbəti / 阅

n. 尖酸，刻薄 bitterness of speech and temper

Grandet’s acerbity to his daughter brought retribution to himself.

condone ■ / kənˈdoʊn / 阅

v. 宽恕，赦免 overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse

People cannot condone the use of fierce violence.

rebuttal ■ / rɪˈbʌtl / 阅

n. 辩驳，举反证 refutation; response with contrary evidence

The defense lawyer provided evidence in rebuttal of the charge.

irreproachable ● / ˌɪrɪˈproʊtʃəbl /

adj. 无可指责的，无瑕疵的 blameless; impeccable

Everybody admired Mary for her irreproachable conduct at the office party.

economy / ɪˈkɑːnəmi / 阅

n. 节约，节俭 efficiency or conciseness in using something

Many schools are conducting economy activities.

agenda / əˈdʒendə / 阅

n. 议事日程 items of business at a meeting

There are five items on the agenda of the regular meeting.

indelible / ɪnˈdeləbl / 阅

adj. 去不掉的，不能拭去的 not able to be erased

That travel experience left an indelible impression on me.

insubordination / ˌɪnsəˌbɔːrdɪˈneɪʃn /

n. 不顺从，反抗 disobedience; rebelliousness

A soldier might lose his life at war because of insubordination.

repeal / rɪˈpiːl / 阅

v. 废除，撤消 revoke; annul

The government has repealed the law segregating public facilities.

tangential / tænˈdʒenʃl / 阅

adj. 略微有关系的；离题的 peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing

It’s meaningless to spend so much time discussing those tangential issues.

halting / ˈhɔːltɪŋ / 阅

adj. 犹豫的；蹒跚的 hesitant; faltering

It seemed he was hiding something, because he was talking in a halting way.

nonchalance ■ / ˌnɑːnʃəˈlɑːns / 阅

n. 冷淡，漠不关心；镇静 indifference; lack of concern; composure

Some heroes in the movies show remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger, for example, James Bond.

bode / boʊd / 阅

v. 预示 foreshadow; portend

The good news one after another bode well for our company.

elusive ■ / iˈluːsɪv / 阅

adj. 逃避的；难以表述的，难懂的 evasive; baffling; hard to grasp

The room is filled with an elusive perfume.

correlation / ˌkɔːrəˈleɪʃn / 阅

n. 相关，相互关系 mutual relationship

There is high positive correlation between smoking and cancer.

remunerative / rɪˈmjuːnərətɪv / 阅

adj. 有报酬的，有利的 compensating; rewarding

One year after she graduated, she found her job not so remunerative and she decided to set up her own business.

statute / ˈstætʃuːt / 阅

n. 法令，条例 law enacted by the legislature

According to our university’s statutes, students who escape classes more than three times will be disqualified to take the final exam.

convention / kənˈvenʃn / 阅

n. 习俗，惯例 social or moral custom; established practice

It’s just a social convention that men don’t wear skirts.

nullify / ˈnʌlɪfaɪ /

v. 使无效，废除 make invalid

You have no right to nullify laws even if you are the president.

remedial / rɪˈmiːdiəl /

adj. 治疗的；补救的 curative; corrective

Because my roommate Mary was poor at grammar, she decided to take a course in remedial grammar at weekends.

bemoan / bɪˈmoʊn / 阅

v. 哀叹；为…惋惜 lament; express disapproval of

We often hear teachers bemoan the lack of respect from students.

superficial ■ / ˌsuːpərˈfɪʃl / 阅

adj. 表面的，肤浅的 trivial; shallow

A foreigner’s knowledge of superficial behaviors like shaking hands or using chopsticks is not surely a sign of knowing Chinese culture.

rectify ■ / ˈrektɪfaɪ / 阅

v. 纠正，改正 set right; correct

When they realized their mistakes, it was too late to rectify.

fabricate / ˈfæbrɪkeɪt / 阅

v. 制造；编造 build; lie

It’s illegal to fabricate evidence.

ordinance / ˈɔːrdɪnəns /

n. 法令，条例 decree

Driving without a license is a violation of a city ordinance.

incorrigible ■ / ɪnˈkɔːrɪdʒəbl /

adj. 无可救药的，不能被纠正的 not correctable

Smoking is an incorrigible habit.

stigmatize / ˈstɪɡmətaɪz / 阅

v. 打烙印；污蔑 brand; mark as wicked

A child who is not brave enough shouldn’t be stigmatized as a coward by parents.

dwindle / ˈdwɪndl / 阅

v. 缩小，减少 shrink; reduce

His fame dwindled because he was not active like before.

mediocre / ˌmiːdiˈoʊkər / 阅

adj. 中等的，平庸的 ordinary; commonplace

The audience were disappointed because their idol gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.

xenophobia / ˌzenəˈfoʊbiə /

n. 仇外者，惧外者 fear or hatred of foreigners

Xenophobia hindered the country’s development.

wax / wæks /

v. 变大，增大 increase; grow

The tension between the two countries waxed at an alarming rate.

emulate ■ / ˈemjuleɪt / 阅

v. 效仿，模仿；竞争 imitate; rival

He tried his utmost to emulate his younger brother at the English course.

construe / kənˈstruː / 阅

v. 解释 explain; interpret

How do you construe what he did?

harbor / ˈhɑːrbər / 阅

v. 提供住所或栖息地；窝藏 provide a refuge for; hide

The criminal must have been harbored somewhere.

disband / dɪsˈbænd /

v. 解散，遣散 dissolve; disperse

The government tried to disband the illegal organization.

consecrate / ˈkɑːnsɪkreɪt / 阅

v. 献给 dedicate; sanctify

The priest promised God he would consecrate his life to helping the poor.

entail / ɪnˈteɪl /

v. 要求；使必要；牵涉 require; necessitate; involve

The property of the rich family was entailed on the eldest son.

relevant / ˈreləvənt /

adj. 相应的，相关联的 pertinent; referring to the case in hand

The police chief ordered that all the clues directly relevant to the case be immediately searched for across the city.

ulterior / ʌlˈtɪriər /

adj. 隐秘不明的，别有用心的；较远的 unstated; hidden; more remote

He did many things just for the sake of ulterior ends.

alias / ˈeɪliəs / 阅

n. 别名，化名 an assumed name

The agent used Bob Jones as his alias in this mission.

retrench / rɪˈtrentʃ /

v. 紧缩；节约 cut down; economize

They had to retrench their expenditure on everything after the third child was born.

grouse / ɡraʊs /

v. 埋怨，发牢骚 complain; fuss

He is always grousing about something.

provincial ■ / prəˈvɪnʃl / 阅

adj. 省的；偏狭的；守旧的 pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated

One would be considered provincial if he had no access to the Internet.

wily / ˈwaɪli /

adj. 老谋深算的，狡猾的cunning; artful

The old cop is very experienced and wily.

contention / kənˈtenʃn / 阅

n. 主张，论点 claim; thesis

He disproved the major contention of his opponents.

incisive ■ / ɪnˈsaɪsɪv / 阅

adj. 锋利的，尖锐的 cutting; sharp

Be careful of the incisive edge.

reprehensible ■ / ˌreprɪˈhensəbl / 阅

adj. 应受谴责的 deserving blame

No matter what the motive, the abduction of a child is an utterly illegal and reprehensible act.

mode / moʊd / 阅

n. 时尚，风尚；方式，方法；风格 prevailing style; manner; way of doing something

He has to change his mode of attire after working.

desultory / ˈdesəltɔːri /

adj. 散漫的，随便的，离题的 aimless; haphazard

The careful study of a few books is better than the desultory reading of many.

conglomeration / kənˌɡlɑːməˈreɪʃn /

n. 团块，混合物 mass of material sticking together

New York is a conglomeration of peoples speaking different languages.

enterprising / ˈentərpraɪzɪŋ / 阅

adj. 有事业的，有进取精神的 full of initiative

The enterprising young man has a promise of success.

animosity ■ / ˌænɪˈmɑːsəti / 阅

n. 仇恨，憎恶 active enmity

Due to border disputes, the animosity between the two countries is deepening sharply.

invulnerable / ɪnˈvʌlnərəbl / 阅

adj. 攻不破的，不会受伤的 incapable of injury

Misled by the heresy, she used to think she was invulnerable.

fraternize / ˈfrætərnaɪz /

v. 结有深交，友善 associate in a friendly way

You would have lived a happier life if you had fraternized with the local people when you first arrived here.

dauntless / ˈdɔːntləs / 阅

adj. 大胆的；不屈不挠的 bold; persevering

The goal has now been finally achieved through their dauntless efforts.

metropolis / məˈtrɑːpəlɪs / 阅

n. 大城市，都会 large city

There is many a metropolis in China.

dissent ■ / dɪˈsent / 阅

v. 不同意，持异议 disagree n. 异议 disagreement

I dissented from her views.

copious / ˈkoʊpiəs / 阅

adj. 丰富的 plentiful

In France, a hallowed tradition demands a copious flow of red wine at weddings.

obsolete / ˌɑːbsəˈliːt / 阅

adj. 不再使用的，过时的 no longer useful; outmoded; antiquated

So many digital products become obsolete almost as soon as they are made.

alleviate ■ / əˈliːvieɪt / 阅

v. 减轻 relieve

The doctor gave her some strong drugs to alleviate her pain.

opportune / ˌɑːpərˈtuːn / 阅

adj. 及时的；合适的，适宜的 timely; well-chosen

I believed my arrival was very opportune.

caliber / ˈkælɪbər / 阅

n. 才干；质量 ability; quality

He was a man of caliber, and of character.

contest / ˈkɑːntest / 阅

n. 争辩 dispute

It is a contest between ignorance and death, or wisdom and life.

surveillance / sɜːrˈveɪləns / 阅

n. 监视，监督 watching; guarding

The ferocious murderer was kept under strict surveillance by the jailers.

derogatory / dɪˈrɑːɡətɔːri / 阅

adj. 侮辱的，贬义的 expressing a low opinion

Such conduct will be derogatory to his reputation.

husband / ˈhʌzbənd / 阅

v. 节约使用 use sparingly; conserve; save

The country needs to husband the fuel resources before it is too late.

oligarchy / ˈɑːləɡɑːrki /

n. 寡头政治 government by a privileged few

The oligarchy had stunted the country’s democratic and economic development.

decelerate / ˌdiːˈseləreɪt /

v. 减速 slow down

The government has made every effort to decelerate inflation.

integrity ■ / ɪnˈteɡrəti / 阅

n. 正直，诚实；完整，整体 uprightness; wholeness

I was deeply touched by his integrity.

tumult / ˈtuːmʌlt / 阅

n. 吵闹，骚动 commotion; riot; noise

His mind was in a tumult because of the entrance exam.

fallacious ■ / fəˈleɪʃəs / 阅

adj. 谬误的；误导的 false; misleading

We cannot accept the conclusion because the proof was fallacious.

inhibit / ɪnˈhɪbɪt / 阅

v. 抑制，限制，阻止 restrain; retard or prevent

The fear of failure inhibited him from taking more risk.

reciprocal / rɪˈsɪprəkl / 阅

adj. 相互的，互惠的 mutual; exchangeable; interacting

Reciprocal help and affection is highly valued in this system of value.