Preclude
<pre-clood>
stop; hinder; deter;
to prevent something from happening.
Wearing good shoes will preclude problems with your feet.
Memory trick:
preclude reminds of prevent
At work:
Good testing will preclude errors in our software.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/30/15
6/29/15
Deleterious
Deleterious
<del-lah-teer-ree-us>
bad; harmful; unfortunate;
something causing damage or injury.
I avoid cookies because they are deleterious to my diet.
Memory trick:
deleterious reminds of delete
a delete is something we lose
At work:
The termination clause makes this a deleterious contract. We can't sign it.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<del-lah-teer-ree-us>
bad; harmful; unfortunate;
something causing damage or injury.
I avoid cookies because they are deleterious to my diet.
Memory trick:
deleterious reminds of delete
a delete is something we lose
At work:
The termination clause makes this a deleterious contract. We can't sign it.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/28/15
Bilk
Bilk
<billk>
cheat; defraud; swindle;
to steal money from someone by using deceit.
He will bilk the woman out of money because he is dishonest.
Memory trick:
Bilk reminds of bill
We take their bills
At work:
We need to get a signed contract so they can't bilk us out of our deposit.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<billk>
cheat; defraud; swindle;
to steal money from someone by using deceit.
He will bilk the woman out of money because he is dishonest.
Memory trick:
Bilk reminds of bill
We take their bills
At work:
We need to get a signed contract so they can't bilk us out of our deposit.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/27/15
Perpetuate
Perpetuate
<per-pet-chew-ate>
maintain; continue; prolong
something unending that is usually considered bad.
The waves will perpetuate an assault on my sand castle until it is gone.
Memory trick:
Perpetuate reminds of perpetual as in perpetual motion
At work:
You must not perpetuate the pilfering of office supplies.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<per-pet-chew-ate>
maintain; continue; prolong
something unending that is usually considered bad.
The waves will perpetuate an assault on my sand castle until it is gone.
Memory trick:
Perpetuate reminds of perpetual as in perpetual motion
At work:
You must not perpetuate the pilfering of office supplies.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/26/15
Pedant
Pedant
<ped-dent>
purist; perfectionist; stickler;
a person who is obsessed with small details or trivial rules.
His art is worthy of a true pedant.
Memory trick:
Just remember - a ped ant is small
At work:
He is a pedant and that's why his documentation is always so complete.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<ped-dent>
purist; perfectionist; stickler;
a person who is obsessed with small details or trivial rules.
His art is worthy of a true pedant.
Memory trick:
Just remember - a ped ant is small
At work:
He is a pedant and that's why his documentation is always so complete.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/25/15
Artifice
Artifice
<art-tuh-fis>
gimmick; trickery; fraud;
an item for deceiving a person with deception.
The can of soda is an artifice because it is really a hidden safe.
Memory trick:
art is fake
At work:
Their software demo was an artifice because it secretly was a video.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<art-tuh-fis>
gimmick; trickery; fraud;
an item for deceiving a person with deception.
The can of soda is an artifice because it is really a hidden safe.
Memory trick:
art is fake
At work:
Their software demo was an artifice because it secretly was a video.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/24/15
Utilitarian
Utilitarian
<yoo-til-ah-tare-ree-an>
functional; useful; practical;
something made for use and not for show.
My car is utilitarian. It is not pretty but it is built for speed.
Memory trick:
utilitarian reminds of utility.
At work:
Our website is Utilitarian. It is simple but you can do a lot on it.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<yoo-til-ah-tare-ree-an>
functional; useful; practical;
something made for use and not for show.
My car is utilitarian. It is not pretty but it is built for speed.
Memory trick:
utilitarian reminds of utility.
At work:
Our website is Utilitarian. It is simple but you can do a lot on it.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/23/15
Marshal
Marshal
<mar-shall>
assemble; group; organize;
to gather a group of people for a purpose.
Let's marshal the players at the north field.
Memory trick:
marshal rhymes with march
we march together
At work:
We will marshal our teams together to get the job done.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<mar-shall>
assemble; group; organize;
to gather a group of people for a purpose.
Let's marshal the players at the north field.
Memory trick:
marshal rhymes with march
we march together
At work:
We will marshal our teams together to get the job done.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/22/15
Nonsensical
Nonsensical
<non-sense-sik-kal>
silly; foolish; stupid;
something ridiculous or senseless.
The nonsensical song did not have any meaning to us.
Memory trick:
Non reminds of not
Sensical reminds of sense
not sense
At work:
We have to work on these nonsensical numbers before we can do an audit.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<non-sense-sik-kal>
silly; foolish; stupid;
something ridiculous or senseless.
The nonsensical song did not have any meaning to us.
Memory trick:
Non reminds of not
Sensical reminds of sense
not sense
At work:
We have to work on these nonsensical numbers before we can do an audit.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/21/15
Disingenuous
Disingenuous
<dis-in-gen-you-us>
dishonest; lying; false;
I find your story to be disingenuous so please tell me the truth.
Memory trick:
Remember dis or insult.
genuous reminds of generous.
A fake story disses us in a genrous way.
At work:
I think their positive presentation was disingenuous because their product has bad reviews.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<dis-in-gen-you-us>
dishonest; lying; false;
I find your story to be disingenuous so please tell me the truth.
Memory trick:
Remember dis or insult.
genuous reminds of generous.
A fake story disses us in a genrous way.
At work:
I think their positive presentation was disingenuous because their product has bad reviews.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/20/15
Derogatory
Derogatory
<dee-rog-ah-tor-ree>
unfavorable; demeaning; degrading;
saying unflattering or slanderous things about someone.
Your derogatory comments are not true because I am a good person.
Memory trick:
Derogatory reminds of degrade.
We degrade someone when we say bad things.
At work:
Don't put derogatory comments in your report. Only say positive things.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<dee-rog-ah-tor-ree>
unfavorable; demeaning; degrading;
saying unflattering or slanderous things about someone.
Your derogatory comments are not true because I am a good person.
Memory trick:
Derogatory reminds of degrade.
We degrade someone when we say bad things.
At work:
Don't put derogatory comments in your report. Only say positive things.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/19/15
Recapitulate
Recapitulate
<ree-kah-pit-chew-layt>
restate; summarize; review;
to go over and resay the main ideas.
The last page will recapitulate the lessons in the book.
Memory trick:
recapitulate reminds of recap
At work:
I'd like to recapitulate what we talked about before taking questions.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<ree-kah-pit-chew-layt>
restate; summarize; review;
to go over and resay the main ideas.
The last page will recapitulate the lessons in the book.
Memory trick:
recapitulate reminds of recap
At work:
I'd like to recapitulate what we talked about before taking questions.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/18/15
Mundane
Mundane
<mone-dain>
boring; dull; ordinary;
something uninteresting or unexciting.
The movie was so mundane I fell asleep.
Memory trick
Mundane reminds of Monday.
No one likes Monday because it is boring.
At work:
The ad was mundane until we added clowns.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<mone-dain>
boring; dull; ordinary;
something uninteresting or unexciting.
The movie was so mundane I fell asleep.
Memory trick
Mundane reminds of Monday.
No one likes Monday because it is boring.
At work:
The ad was mundane until we added clowns.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/17/15
Exemplify
Exemplify
<ee-zemp-pla-fye>
depict; mirror; symbolize;
an average example of something.
Your poems exemplify beauty because they are well written.
.
Memory trick:
Exemplify reminds of example.
At work:
Your presentation will exemplify the excellence of our services.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<ee-zemp-pla-fye>
depict; mirror; symbolize;
an average example of something.
Your poems exemplify beauty because they are well written.
.
Memory trick:
Exemplify reminds of example.
At work:
Your presentation will exemplify the excellence of our services.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/16/15
Epitome
Epitome
<ee--pit-tow-me>
model; symbol; essence;
something or someone who is a perfect example of another.
She was the epitome of beauty and she always turned heads.
Memory trick:
epic tome
An epic is a long poem.
A tome is a book.
An long poetic book shows an example.
At work:
Your reports are the epitome of quality because they are always good.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<ee--pit-tow-me>
model; symbol; essence;
something or someone who is a perfect example of another.
She was the epitome of beauty and she always turned heads.
Memory trick:
epic tome
An epic is a long poem.
A tome is a book.
An long poetic book shows an example.
At work:
Your reports are the epitome of quality because they are always good.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/15/15
Minute
Minute
<my-noot>
small; tiny; minimal;
something so small it almost cannot be measured.
I added a minute pinch of sugar so it will not be too sweet.
Memory trick:
Minute reminds of the word minute <min-nut> or a small unit of time.
At work:
It is a minute change so I can have it ready for the meeting.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<my-noot>
small; tiny; minimal;
something so small it almost cannot be measured.
I added a minute pinch of sugar so it will not be too sweet.
Memory trick:
Minute reminds of the word minute <min-nut> or a small unit of time.
At work:
It is a minute change so I can have it ready for the meeting.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/14/15
Foster
Foster
<for-ster>
nurture; promote; stimulate;
to help someone or something in a good way.
The teacher would foster his learning for years to come.
Memory trick:
foster reminds of faster.
we make success come faster.
At work:
I think the training program will foster good work habits.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<for-ster>
nurture; promote; stimulate;
to help someone or something in a good way.
The teacher would foster his learning for years to come.
Memory trick:
foster reminds of faster.
we make success come faster.
At work:
I think the training program will foster good work habits.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/12/15
Purport
Purport
<per-port>
imply; pretend; impersonate;
presenting something in a false or fake way.
The purport of rain turned out to be my brother using the hose on the window.
Memory trick:
Pretend report
At work:
You purport to be a computer expert but your program is not good.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<per-port>
imply; pretend; impersonate;
presenting something in a false or fake way.
The purport of rain turned out to be my brother using the hose on the window.
Memory trick:
Pretend report
At work:
You purport to be a computer expert but your program is not good.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/11/15
Dubious
Dubious
<do-be-us>
unsure; uncertain; unclear;
something in doubt with no clear answer.
Math is a dubious subject because I don't understand it.
Memory trick:
We dub something when we don't understand it.
dub means to make up words.
At work:
The report is dubious because I don't trust the numbers.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<do-be-us>
unsure; uncertain; unclear;
something in doubt with no clear answer.
Math is a dubious subject because I don't understand it.
Memory trick:
We dub something when we don't understand it.
dub means to make up words.
At work:
The report is dubious because I don't trust the numbers.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/10/15
Chasm
Chasm
<kah-zem>
crater; canyon; separation;
something dividing two things having a hole.
The horses jumped over the chasm and landed on the other side.
Memory trick:
chase down into
At work:
The is a chasm between our companies. We should meet to work together better.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<kah-zem>
crater; canyon; separation;
something dividing two things having a hole.
The horses jumped over the chasm and landed on the other side.
Memory trick:
chase down into
At work:
The is a chasm between our companies. We should meet to work together better.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/9/15
Circumspect
Circumspect
<sir-kum-spekt>
wary; cautious; careful;
not willing to take chances or risks.
The circumspect rabbit stayed in the hole and never came out.
Memory trick:
circumstances we inspect before we go forward.
At work:
He is circumspect about the contract so we need to calm his fears.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<sir-kum-spekt>
wary; cautious; careful;
not willing to take chances or risks.
The circumspect rabbit stayed in the hole and never came out.
Memory trick:
circumstances we inspect before we go forward.
At work:
He is circumspect about the contract so we need to calm his fears.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/8/15
Animadversion
Animadversion
<ahn-nah-mad-vur-shun>
slur; criticism; accusation;
saying something negative about someone.
The animadversion of the crowd grew and they began throwing things.
Memory trick:
We are animated when we reject their version.
At work:
There was not an animadversion in the room because they loved the presentation.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<ahn-nah-mad-vur-shun>
slur; criticism; accusation;
saying something negative about someone.
The animadversion of the crowd grew and they began throwing things.
Memory trick:
We are animated when we reject their version.
At work:
There was not an animadversion in the room because they loved the presentation.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/7/15
Predominant
Predominant
<pree-dom-min-ant>
ruling; main; chief;
The most important item or the most dominant thing.
Sugar is the predominant ingredient in soda.
Memory trick:
Predominant reminds of dominant.
At work:
The quality of the product will be our predominant focus in the presentation.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<pree-dom-min-ant>
ruling; main; chief;
The most important item or the most dominant thing.
Sugar is the predominant ingredient in soda.
Memory trick:
Predominant reminds of dominant.
At work:
The quality of the product will be our predominant focus in the presentation.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/6/15
Connive
Connive
<kon-nyve>
conspire; plot; scheme;
the act of secretly planning something illegal or bad.
If we are going to connive then we should talk in private.
Memory trick:
Connive reminds of con or cheat.
At work:
Maybe you could connive with her and get paperclips.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<kon-nyve>
conspire; plot; scheme;
the act of secretly planning something illegal or bad.
If we are going to connive then we should talk in private.
Memory trick:
Connive reminds of con or cheat.
At work:
Maybe you could connive with her and get paperclips.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/5/15
Ponderous
Ponderous
<pon-der-rus>
awkward; clumsy; uncoordinated;
moving in an unsteady way because of great weight.
The ponderous elephant made the men run away.
Memory trick:
We ponder the sight of their great bulk.
At work:
Your ponderous report is hard to read. Please edit it and make it smaller.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<pon-der-rus>
awkward; clumsy; uncoordinated;
moving in an unsteady way because of great weight.
The ponderous elephant made the men run away.
Memory trick:
We ponder the sight of their great bulk.
At work:
Your ponderous report is hard to read. Please edit it and make it smaller.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/4/15
Inconspicuous
Inconspicuous
<in-kon-spik-you-iss>
hidden; concealed; unshowy;
something unseen because it is not visible.
She stayed inconspicuous by hidding in the bushes.
Memory trick:
Inconspicuous reminds of conspire.
We conspire when we hide.
At work:
Keep the report inconspicuous until the end of the meeting.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<in-kon-spik-you-iss>
hidden; concealed; unshowy;
something unseen because it is not visible.
She stayed inconspicuous by hidding in the bushes.
Memory trick:
Inconspicuous reminds of conspire.
We conspire when we hide.
At work:
Keep the report inconspicuous until the end of the meeting.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/3/15
Tomfoolery
Tomfoolery
<tom-ful-lur-ree>
foolishness; silliness; craziness;
acting like a fool or a clown.
Stop the tomfoolery! Don't run in the house.
Memory trick:
tom fool ery reminds of fool.
At work:
The boss does not like tomfoolery so don't joke around.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<tom-ful-lur-ree>
foolishness; silliness; craziness;
acting like a fool or a clown.
Stop the tomfoolery! Don't run in the house.
Memory trick:
tom fool ery reminds of fool.
At work:
The boss does not like tomfoolery so don't joke around.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/2/15
Wonky
Wonky
<wan-kee>
wobbly; crooked; unstable;
something unsteady and askew.
His wonky hat flew off his head because it was not on right.
Memory trick:
Wonky reminds of wacky.
At work:
I can't work because of my wonky desk. I guess I will take the day off.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<wan-kee>
wobbly; crooked; unstable;
something unsteady and askew.
His wonky hat flew off his head because it was not on right.
Memory trick:
Wonky reminds of wacky.
At work:
I can't work because of my wonky desk. I guess I will take the day off.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
6/1/15
Bollix
Bollix
<bol-licks>
fumble; bungle; mishandle
to flub something or make a mistake.
I'm not going to bollix this game. I made the right move.
Memory trick:
We take our licks when we make an error.
At work:
You won't bollix the speech if you prepare well.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
<bol-licks>
fumble; bungle; mishandle
to flub something or make a mistake.
I'm not going to bollix this game. I made the right move.
Memory trick:
We take our licks when we make an error.
At work:
You won't bollix the speech if you prepare well.
(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
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