Ludicrous

Ludicrous

<loo-da-cris>

insane; stupid; absurd;

something so silly that it is funny.

The dog had on a ludicrous hat. We could not stop laughing.

Memory trick:
Ludicrous reminds of ridiculous

Used at work:
The demo is ludicrous. We can't show it to the client.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Incoherent

Incoherent

<in-co-hare-rent>

jumbled; unclear; confusing;

something that is presented in puzzling way.

He said incoherent words and fell asleep.

Memory trick:
incoherent reminds of incomprehensible

Used at work:
Your report is incoherent. Please write it again.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Staunch

Staunch

<st-onch>

loyal; reliable; faithful;

being trustworthy and dependable.

He is a staunch friend. I can count on his support.

Memory trick:
sta reminds of stay

Used at work:
She is a staunch leader. She will not fail us.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Disapprobation

Disapprobation

<dis-app-pro-bay-shun>

disapprove; dislike; boycott;

condemn especially for a moral reason.

The disapprobation of her mother was obvious. She gave a disapproving look.

Memory trick:
disapprobation reminds of disapprove

Used at work:
He has a strong disapprobation about stealing computer software.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Countryside

Scrupulous

Scrupulous

<skroop-u-lus>

fussy; careful; precise;

doing something with a lot of attention.

He painted in a scrupulous style. Each brushstroke was thought about.

Memory trick:
srup reminds of scrub
we scrub by doing it over and over
we scrub it until it is clean

Used at work:
You're a scrupulous accountant. Your numbers are always right.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Choleric

Choleric

<kol-lur-rik>

angry; irritable; bad-tempered;

having a grumpy or cranky attitude;

The choleric tempered cat hissed when the dog walked by.

Memory trick:
choleric reminds of chlorine
chlorine is bitter and caustic

Used at work:
His choleric temper flared when the computer would not start.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Bourgeois

Bourgeois

<burge-wah>

middle-class; land owning; materialistic;

a common person who is moderately wealthy.

The bourgeois family lived in a nice house.

Memory trick:
bourgeois reminds of burgeon
burgeon means to grow
land owners grow their money

Used at work:
The bourgeois will love this product. It has something for everyone who can afford it.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers


 

Bane

Bane

<bayne>

burden; curse; torment;

something that is annoying or painful.

The rabbits were the bane of my garden. They ate all the vegetables.

Memory trick:
bane rhymes with pain

Used at work:
Meetings are the bane of my time management. They take up too much time.



(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Incipient

Incipient

<in-sip-pee-ent>

beginning; initial; emerging

The start of something. The birth point and absolute beginning.

The incipient seedling would one day grow into a great tree.

Memory trick:
incipient reminds of incite
incite means to start something
He incited the team to action.

Used at work:
My incipient book will become a great success. It will make millions.



(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Hiatus

Hiatus

<high-ate-us>


gap; pause; lapse;

Taking a break or a pause in something that is normally done.

He took a hiatus from exercising. He gained a bit of weight.

Memory trick:
Hiatus reminds of hut
We take a break in a hut.

Hiatus comes from Latin and means “opening”.

(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Cynosure

Cynosure

<sine-oh-sore>


Focus; heart; hub

Anything or anyone that attracts a lot of interest.

The clock tower is the cynosure of the town. People come from miles to see it.

Memory trick:
Cyno reminds of center

A landmark is a cynosure.



Used at work:
The demo will be the cynosure of the conference. Everyone will flock to it.



(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Stupefy

Stupefy

<stoop-ee-feye>

stun; daze; awe

shock someone to a point they cannot think.

The magic trick will stupefy the kids.

Memory trick:
stupe reminds of stupid
we make them stupid when we shock them

Used at work:
Our presentation will stupefy them. They will love it.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Colloquial

Colloquial

<ko-low-qwe-il>

saying things in a common and not fancy language.

His colloquial poetry was understood by all.

Memory trick:
collo reminds of color
quial reminds of quill
A colored quill is bright and seen by all

Used at work:
Your report is colloquial. It is easy to read.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers
 

Exacerbate

Exacerbate

<ex-zas-er-bayte>

worsen; aggravate; intensify

to make some more annoying.

You will exacerbate the situation by yelling.

Memory trick:
exac reminds of extra.
bate rhymes with rate.
Extra rate

Used at work:
Shutting off the computer will exacerbate the problem.



(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Malefactor

Malefactor

<mal-ah-fak-tor>

convict; evildoer; lawbreaker;

a person who is a wrongdoer and commits crimes.

He was a malefactor but now he is a good person.

Memory trick:
Mal reminds of mal or bad.
Factor reminds of fact.
Bad in fact.

Used at work:
You're not a malefactor. You're a good employee and I can count on you.


(c) 2015 E. Carruthers

Servile

Servile

<sir-vil>

submissive; serving; obedient;

The servile dog was very well behaved. He followed my commands.

Memory trick:
Servile reminds of serve.

Used at work:
He is never servile. That is why he is a good idea person.









(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Cynical

Cynical

<sin-ik-kal>

distrusting; contempt; bitter;

having a bad negative attitude

He was a cynical person and did not trust anyone.

Memory trick:
Cyn rhymes with sin or bad

Used at work:
I am not cynical. I have a good feeling about the project.




(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Fecund

Fecund

fertile; lush; fruitful;

being able to have a lot of children or offspring.

Cats are super fecund. One litter can have different fathers.

Memory trick:
fe reminds of fertile
cund rhymes with come
from something fertile babies come

Used at work:
Coffee makes for fecund ideas. I can think up new inventions.

(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Nadir

Nadir

<nay-der>

lowest; bottom; despair

reaching the rock-bottom point of something.

The nadir of the storm came and all was calm for a while.

Memory trick:
Nadir reminds of "nada" or nothing.
Nothing is at the lowest point.

Used at work:
We reached our nadir when we lost the report. It would not be one time.





(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

 

Qualm

Qualm

<kwalm>

fear; anxiety; worry;

being afraid about something you have done.

I have a qualm about touching snakes. They scare me.

Memory trick:
Q reminds of Quit
ualm sounds like calm
We quit being calm when we worry.

Used at work:
I don't have a qualm about completing the project. It is going well,



(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Replete

Replete

<reh=pleet>

full; loaded; filled

having a lot of something.

His bag was replete with candy. He had plenty for all.

Memory trick: replete reminds of repeat.
It repeats when you have many.

Used at work:
Your report is replete with good examples. It is a good report.


(c) 2013 E. Carruthers
 

Stint

Stint

<stynt>

withhold; limit; curtail;

to give not enough of something; give less than desired.

He gave us money without stint. He was generous.

Memory trick: Stint reminds of stingy.

Used at work:
They always stint the office supplies. I buy my own pens.


(c) 2013 E. Carruthers
 

Erudite

Erudite

<err-roo-dyte>

scholarly; intelligent; literate

having skill acquired by learning and being well versed.

The erudite parrot was impressive. You could have a conversation with him.

Memory trick: erudite reminds of educate

Used at work:
Your erudite report was great. We now understand our finances.



(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Inerrant

Inerrant

<in-air-rant>

flawless; infallible; unbeatable;

making no errors or performing perfectly.

The play was inerrant. The tennis player never missed the ball.

Memory trick:
in reminds of incapable
errant reminds of error
incapable of making an error

Used at work:
Your inerrant instructions were great. The program was easy to use.





(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Fallible

Fallible

<fahl-lah-bul>


flawed; imperfect; unreliable;

being prone to errors or failure.


The fallible umbrella let me down. I always got wet.


Memory trick:
fallible reminds of fail able or able to fail.



Used at work:
I better save a backup. My computer is fallible.





(c) 2013 E. Carruthers

Sedulity

Sedulity

<say-dool-lit-tee>

tenacity; grit; stamina;

having great endurance and determination.

His sedulity helped him to finish the race.

Memory trick: Remember: Said duty.
I said it was my duty to continue.

Used at work:
Her sedulity was noticed because she always finished her projects.


(c) 2014 E. Carruthers

Panegyric

Panegyric

<pan-ah-jare-rik>

praising; tribute; accolade;

givings a good speech about someone.

He composed a panegyric in her honor. It was a great tribute.

Memory trick: Pane reminds of a window pane.
We look through a window pane.
Gyric reminds of terrific.
We look and see someone terrific.

Used at work:
His panegyric was well deserved. He is a good worker.




(c) 2014 E. Carruthers

Corroborate

Corroborate

<ko-rahb-bore-rayhte>

confirm; verify; certify;

validating a fact or idea by giving verbal confirmation.

He will corroborate my story. He was there and saw what happened.

Memory trick:
Co reminds of two.
Robor reminds of robbers.
Two robbers tell the same story.

Used at work:
The report will corroborate our findings. It will prove what we are saying.





(c) 2014 E. Carruthers