Empty channel.
Login to view your playlist.
|
|
Newest Episode: Mon March 07, 2011. 06:17 AM
Audio Vocabulary Lessons for ESL students
more
|
|
|
Thu May 22, 2008. 06:46 AM
MALINGER = (verb) to feign illness in order to avoid obligations, especially work
Examples:
- Marc was just malingering when he called in sick.
- Marc got caught malingering in the office and he was let go.
- I would love to malinger today in order to go surfing!
Synonyms:
duck, dodge, loaf, pretend
Antonyms:
oblige
INSULATE (verb) 1. to protect something or prevent the transfer to heat, cold, or
sound by surrounding it in insulating materials; 2. to isolate or set
apart.
Examples:
- Itâs difficult to insulate your children from all the violence shown on on TV.
- The builders used insulation to prevent our house from
becoming too cold in the winter.
- Lisa insulated herself from office politics by not socializing with her coworkers.
Synonyms:
cover, protect, cushion, encase, shield, isolate, separate, sequester
Antonyms:
expose
more
|
|
|
Fri May 16, 2008. 09:40 AM
SCANTY = (adjective) 1. smaller than what is desired; 2. barely enough
Examples:
- Namibia expects another drought this year because of scanty rainfall.
- Lisa quit her job because of her of scanty wage.
- That club downtown is well know for its' scantily-clad dancers.
Synonyms:
deficient, insufficient, meager, skimpy, sparse, stingy
Antonyms:
excessive, sufficient, ample
NEFARIOUS = (adjective) very wicked or evil
Examples:
- The CEO offered his employees nefarious schemes.
- That single nefarious act made Frank's dad infamous as a crook.
- The Godfather was convicted for committing murder and many other nefarious acts.
Synonyms:
evil, wicked, bad, villainous, heinous, treacherous, base, depraved
Antonyms:
good, kind, moral
more
|
|
|
Tue May 13, 2008. 12:15 PM
VICARIOUS = (adjective) experienced as a result of watching,
listening to or reading about the activities of other people, rather
than by doing the activities yourself
Examples:
- I felt vicarious pain when Lisa told me about how she had accidentally cut herself.
- I felt vicarious excitement to hear that Frank was going for a surf
- Most football fans experience the vicarious thrill of victory every time their team wins.
Synonyms:
indirect, pretended, secondary, delegated, substituted, surrogate, sympathetic
Antonyms:
first-hand, direct
PERFIDY = 1. a betrayal of trust and faith; 2. an act of treachery
Examples:
- Marc is remembered for his perfidy more than for anything else.
- Marc's perfidious actions shocked his students
- Frank is a loyal and patriotic man who would never commit perfidy.
Synonyms:
deception, dishonesty, disloyalty, betrayal, treachery, trickery
Antonyms:
loyalty, faithfulness, honesty
more
|
|
|
Sun May 11, 2008. 12:32 PM
TIRADE = a long, angry speech, usually denouncing something
Examples:
- Marc's tirades can sometimes make me sick to my stomach.
- Marc's tirade seemed excessive, given that the situation was not all that serious.
- Marc launched into a tirade about the importance of studying with SAT Flashcards.
Synonyms:
rant, harangue, diatribe, fulmination
WHET = 1. to simulate an interest in something or intensify a feeling; 2. to sharpen something, like a knife
Examples:
- Lisa decided to whet my appetite by having starters before dinner.
- Marc will have to whet the knife before using it.
- The small bite of that brownie, whet my appetite for dessert.
Synonyms:
arouse, excite, entice, stimulate, spur, awaken, sharpen, hone, grind
Antonyms:
bore, dull, blunt
more
|
|
|
Tue May 06, 2008. 12:14 PM
FRIVOLOUS = (adjective) 1. not serious in content, attitude, or behavior; not having any serious purpose or value 2. lacking in
intellectual substance and not worth serious consideration; 3. silly
and trivial
Examples:
The judge dismissed the case as frivolous.
My dad said to watch my spending and avoid frivolous purchases.
The frivolity with which Marc approached the situation showed that
he wasn't very serious.
Synonyms:
silly, trivial, paltry, petty, senseless
Antonyms:
important, relevant, pertinent
FIASCO = (noun) a thing that is a complete failure, esp. in a ludicrous or humiliating way
Synonyms:
failure, disaster, embarrassment, blunder, breakdown, debacle, flop
Antonyms:
success, accomplishment
Examples:
The rain turned the celebration into a fiasco.
A drunk debater turned the debate into a fiasco.
I got sick and my wife got robbed; I would say the holiday was a fiasco.
more
|
|
|
Mon May 05, 2008. 04:28 AM
SATURNINE = (adjective) gloomy, bitter, and overly serious
Examples:
- The college students were in a saturnine mood after they got caught drinking alcohol.
- Marc was in a seriously bad mood which was made clear by his saturnine behavior.
- Marc to be happy and easy-going, but he has turned saturnine over the years.
Synonyms: irritable, crabby, surly, sullen, grouchy, harsh, gruff
Antonyms: happy, pleasant, sweet
INGENIOUS = (adjective) 1. clever and imaginative; 2 skillful and adept
Examples:
- Faced with a credit crisis, the President up with an ingenious proposal.
- The book was ingenious, with a clever, intricate plot and a surprise ending I never saw coming.
- Carl Sagan is an ingenious artist and scientist.
Synonyms: brilliant, talented, bright, gifted, clever, imaginative, skilled,
more
|
|
|
Thu May 01, 2008. 09:23 AM
NEBULOUS = (adjective) not clear, distinct, or definite
Examples:
Marc's goals for the future were nebulous.
The CEO said that the current plan is nebulous and
doesnât specifically address our weaknesses.
The doctor delivered only a nebulous document that failed to provide any definitive recommendations.
Synonyms:
indistinct, vague, unclear, ambiguous, unfixed, confused
Antonyms:
distinct, defined, specific
PATENT = (adjective) easily perceived, very obvious.
The earth is not orbiting around the moon; that's a patent lie!
Spitting in the police officer's face was a patent disregard for the law.
It could not be more patently obvious that he is in love with her.
Synonyms:
obvious, clear, evident, apparent
Antonyms:
obscure, ambiguous, unclear, incomprehensible
more
|
|
|
Tue April 29, 2008. 05:28 PM
WRY = (adjective) 1. combining amusement and irony for dry humor--sardonic; 2. temporarily contorted or bent to one side.
Examples:
- Marc's wry smile led me to believe Lisa was being sarcastic.
- Some people were offended by his wry humor.
- Mr. Colbert wry commentary on the state of world affairs made him very popular.
Synonyms: sarcastic, sardonic, cynical, crooked, ironic, mocking
Antonyms: serious, solemn, sober, straight
VERDANT = (adjective) 1. covered with green vegetation; 2. green in color
Examples:
- My favorite part of our trip to South Africa was observing the beautiful wildlife of its verdant Kruger Wildpark.
- Her verdant wine lands of Stellenbosch were nearly destroyed by last year's drought.
- The cows and sheep grazed in the verdant countryside.
Synonyms: green, blooming, fresh, grassy, flourishing, lush, leafy
Antonyms: barren, brown
more
|
|
|
Mon April 28, 2008. 11:51 AM
MALLEABLE = easily influenced, trained, or controlled.
Example:
- Dad wanted me to be a malleable boy who would take his advice.
- Lead is a substance that is malleable is easily bent and shaped.
- The Netherlands saw its colonies as a source of raw material and a malleable workforce.
Synonyms: suggestible, susceptible, impressionable, pliable
THREADBARE = (of material) looking worn and thin from much use.
A threadbare excuse, argument or idea lacks strength and no longer impresses people because it is old or has been used too much:
Example:
- Lisa's clothes were faded and threadbare.
- The movie was a tissue of threadbare clichÃs.
Synonyms:
worn, well-worn, old, thin, worn out, holey, moth-eaten,
more
|
|
|
Thu April 24, 2008. 11:19 AM
MISCHIEVOUS = tending to or exhibiting reckless playfulness. (of a person, animal, or their behavior) causing or showing a fondness for causing trouble in a playful way .
(Of an action or thing) causing or intended to cause harm or trouble.
Synonyms: naughty, misbehaving, troublesome, playful, teasing, wicked
Antonym: well-behaved.
- My little sister had been so mischievous that Mom had to pay the babysitter extra.
- Later my sister got punished for her mischievous tricks on the neighbors.
- The opposition spreads mischievous gossip that ruined the president's good reputation.
DEPLETE = (verb) To use up the supply of; exhaust the abundance of.
To diminish in number or quantity.
Synonyms: exhaust, use up, consume, expend, drain,
Antonym: augment.
- Our food supplies are depleting fast.
- In todays busy world it's difficult to avoid getting depleted and depressed.
- The miners depleted the vein of gold after months of working.
more
|
|
|
Wed April 23, 2008. 03:50 PM
|
|
|
Wed April 23, 2008. 10:11 AM
LUGUBRIOUS = (adjective) very sad and depressed--mournful. looking or sounding sad and dismal.
Synonyms: sad, gloomy, mournful, melancholy, dismal, morose, dreary, funereal, somber
Antonyms: happy, lighthearted, joyous
- Marc was in a lugubrious state for weeks, after being dismissed from the university.
- I tried to lighten Marc's lugubrious mood with some cheery music.
- But his lugubrious heart felt like it would never feel joy again after his dismissal.
DAUNT = (verb) to frighten or intimidate
Synonyms: frighten, dismay, frustrate, discourage, subdue
Antonyms: hearten, arouse, encourage
- Lisa was not at all daunted by the size of the project.
- Eddy Murphy was undaunted by the lack of laughter and continued his stand-up routine with a smile on his face.
- The raging inferno didn't daunt the firefighters for a moment
more
|
|
|
Tue April 22, 2008. 12:51 PM
ENCUMBER = (verb) 1. to burden or weigh down; 2. to impede, hamper, or hold back. restrict or burden (someone or something) in such a way that free action or movement is difficult.
Synonyms: burden, impede, hamper, hinder
Antonyms: help, speed, lighten
When you're climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the fewer encumbrances the better.
To encumber Frank with this additional problem may be the straw that breaks the camel's back.
The monk's movements were encumbered by her heavy skirts
INCIPIENT = (adjective) in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop. In the beginning of development or formation.
Synonyms: developing, growing, emerging, nascent, initial, beginning, inchoate,
Antonyms: developed, finished, full-blown
- The system detects incipient problems early
Marc's ideas were still incipient and vague; he needed to work them out in more detail.
Democracy is incipient in this African country; give it some time to take hold.
more
|
|
|
Mon April 21, 2008. 12:41 PM
RAMPART = a defensive fortification, specifically, a mound of earth topped by a wall
Synonyms: fortification, barrier, embankment, wall
Antonyms: opening, passage
The rampart surrounding the fort did not prevent the fort in the battle.
I got lost after wandering around the castle's old ramparts and towers.
TAWDRY = 1. gaudy and cheap in quality; 2. mean-spirited and lacking in human decency.
Synonyms: cheap, flashy, shameful, gaudy, glitzy,
Antonyms: reserved, precious, valuable
Examples:
Lisa's tawdry outfit was in bad taste for the occasion.
Joanne had a tawdry affair with her employer.
Lisa had tawdry rings she wore on her fingers
more
|
|
|
Wed April 16, 2008. 03:19 PM
= UNFLAPPABLE =
DEFINITION:
(adjective) composed and able to remain calm when facing difficult situations. Having or showing calmness in a crisis.
SYNONYMS:
composed, calm, cool, collected, unflustered
ANTONYMS:
flustered, nervous, anxious, disturbed,
EXAMPLES:
1. I voted for him because I think he is an unflappable leader who will stay calm in this frenetic, high-pressure environment.
2. The witness remained unflappable during the FBI interrogation and he calmly answered the officer's barrage of questions.
3. Richard Dawkings is a great debater, because he is unflappable and he always takes his time to calmly answer the question.
= VERBOSE =
DEFINITION:
(adjective) using or expressed in more words than are needed
SYNONYMS:
wordy, loquacious, garrulous,
ANTONYMS:
succinct, laconic.
EXAMPLES:
1. Many first year students think that much academic language is obscure and verbose.
2. Try not to be so verbose when you're being interviewed.
3. The CEO had to plow through a verbose letter of complaint.
more
|
|
|
Tue April 15, 2008. 03:27 AM
FLOUT = (verb) to show contempt or disregard for a law or convention by openly disobeying or defying it. Openly disregard (a rule, law or convention)
Synonyms: spurn, mock, deride, gibe,
Antonyms: obey, follow
The new intern flouted the company dress code by wearing torn jeans.
The brave opposition leader plans to flout the dictator's censorship laws.
PLATONIC = (adjective) 1. free from physical desire (as in love); 2. referring to Plato and his philosophies.
Synonyms: non-physical, intellectual, spiritual, non-lustful
Antonyms: amorous, sensual
Although Frank and Lisa spent a lot of time together, their relationship was only platonic.
Although it was strictly platonic, many other teachers couldn't accept Marc's close relationship with one of his female students.
More GRE, SAT and TOEFL words on our website. Click here
more
|
|
|
Mon April 14, 2008. 05:01 AM
EMBEZZLE = (verb) to use or take entrusted money for personal gain. steal or misappropriate (money placed in one's trust or belonging to the organization for which one works).
His plan to embezzle money from the bank was unsuccessful.
Underestimation of the CEO led to the quiet employee's successful large-scale embezzlement of funds.
coalesce
verb
Definition: 1. to unite, fuse, or grow together; come together and form one mass or whole. 2. to form a group from different elements.
Synonyms: unite, fuse, consolidate.
Antonyms: divide, split, separate
At the end of each season, the best players from each NBA team coalesce to form the NBA All-Stars.
We need to coalesce our resources in order to provide a truly global solution on global warming.
more
|
|
|
Mon April 14, 2008. 05:01 AM
EMBEZZLE = (verb) to use or take entrusted money for personal gain. steal or misappropriate (money placed in one's trust or belonging to the organization for which one works).
His plan to embezzle money from the bank was unsuccessful.
Underestimation of the CEO led to the quiet employee's successful large-scale embezzlement of funds.
COALESCE = (verb) 1. to unite, fuse, or grow together; come together and form one mass or whole. 2. to form a group from different elements.
Synonyms: unite, fuse, consolidate.
Antonyms: divide, split, separate
At the end of each season, the best players from each NBA team coalesce to form the NBA All-Stars.
We need to coalesce our resources in order to provide a truly global solution on global warming.
more
|
|
|
Fri April 11, 2008. 02:27 PM
INGENUOUS = (adjective) 1. to be innocent and trusting, sometimes to the point of being foolish; 2. openly candid and sincere
It was very ingenuous of Marc to give out his personal information over the internet.
My daughter's ingenuous comment about religion made the priest laugh.
IMMURE = (verb) To enclose or confine (someone) against their will. To close or shut in by or as if by barriers. To put in or as if in prison
- The adventurer was immured by the frozen wastelands that surround them.
- Rapunzel was immured in her tower by her evil stepmother
- Lisa's brother was immured in a lunatic asylum.
more
|
|
|
Thu April 10, 2008. 07:38 AM
PRUDISH = (adjective) overly concerned with being modest or proper. PRUDE = (noun) a person who is or claims to be easily shocked by matters relating to sex or nudity.
- I don't think Lisa would enjoy Amsterdam's Red Light district; she's far too prudish.
On the other hand Lisa was prudish in high school, perhaps she changed over the years.
MALCONTENT = (noun) an unhappy and discontented individual, especially one who feels oppressed or is in open rebellion against his or her government; (adjective) dissatisfied or unhappy with something.
- The streets in every town in Zimbabwe are filled with malcontents carrying protest signs.
- Cathy was malcontent at her current job and was looking to find something better.
more
|
 Remove  Add  iTunes  Zune  Winamp  RSS  Download
|
 Experience
|
 Community rating  My rating  No rating  Remove rating (#)Number of user ratings
 Add to favorites  Remove from favorites
|
More info  Less info
 Most recent episode  Selected episode  Visible episodes
|
