| Word |
Part of Speech |
Contextual Meaning |
Example Sentence |
| arithmetic |
noun |
mathematics (adding, multiplying etc) |
Don't ask me to add the numbers; I'm terrible at arithmetic. |
| aroma |
noun |
scent |
The aroma at the spa was of roses and vanilla. |
| bulbous |
adjective |
large and round |
Santa Claus has a bulbous nose and belly. |
| cask |
noun |
wooden container |
We filled the cask with wine and put it in the cellar. |
| claret |
noun |
French red wine |
You should always serve a nice claret with a juicy steak. |
| concealed |
verb - past |
hid |
Franco concealed his love notes under his pillow. |
| contempt |
noun |
feeling that a person or thing is worthless |
Jane's contempt for her ex-husband is unfair on her kids. |
| cultivated |
adjective |
educated about art |
My husband is very cultivated because his grandmother was into classical music and painting. |
| dabbed |
verb - past |
touched lightly |
Mary dabbed her extra lipstick off with her napkin. |
| decent |
adjective |
pretty good |
At least wear a decent shirt because you are going to be photographed from the waist up. |
| denouncements |
noun |
accusations |
The thief rejected the denouncements even though he was caught stealing on camera. |
| elegant |
adjective |
attractive, graceful, simple |
I need a long elegant dress to wear to my graduation ceremony. |
| entertained |
verb |
hosted a party |
Whenever my parents entertained their college friends we always had a BBQ and badminton tournament. |
| excessively |
adverb |
with extra effort than necessary |
Chrisie called me so excessively that I didn't want to be friends with her. |
| fathomless |
adjective |
deep, incomprehensible |
Astronomers are constantly trying to search the fathomless depths of space. |
| flung |
verb - past |
threw wildly |
The bride flung her bouquet of flowers behind her. |
| fumes |
noun |
strong smell that makes it hard to breathe |
The petrol fumes at the garage always give me a headache. |
| game |
noun |
hunted birds and other animals (for food or sport) |
The only game I enjoy eating is duck. |
| gazed |
verb - past |
looked at intently with wide eyes |
The couple sat on the beach and gazed at the sunset. |
| genuine |
adjective |
real |
This movie is not a genuine documentary. |
| glances |
noun |
looks that last only a short moment |
Before we started dating we used to exchange glances from our desks. |
| grief-stricken |
adjective |
upset because of a loss |
I was grief-stricken when my dog got run over by a car. |
| harvest |
noun |
season when crops are ready to pick |
During the harvest the whole family goes out to work in the corn fields. |
| heaven forbid |
interjection |
expressing a strong wish that something does not happen |
Heaven forbid that we ever get hit by one of these terrible hurricanes! |
| humiliating |
adjective |
causing embarrassment |
It was humiliating when they made me stand up and make a speech. |
| idyllic |
adjective |
peaceful, perfect |
It was an idyllic afternoon with all of the kids away at school. |
| immigration |
noun |
permanent movement of someone from one country to another |
The rules of immigration say that I need a permit to work in this country. |
| impassively |
adverb |
without expression, not showing emotion |
The young teen stood impassively while the policeman put handcuffs on him. |
| insinuations |
noun |
suggestions about someone (without proof) that are not nice |
I broke up with Bob because of the insinuations he made about me and my ex-boyfriend. |
| intention |
noun |
aim or plan |
Alice's intention was to rent a guitar, not to buy one. |
| loathed |
verb - past |
hated |
I loathed my grade nine French teacher because he gave us so much homework. |
| lunged |
verb - past |
moved forward suddenly and quickly |
The child lunged at the birthday cake before we could remove the candles. |
| peasant |
noun |
poor person who usually lives off the land |
My ancestors were peasants who used to beg for food when their crops wouldn't grow. |
| pedigree |
noun |
record of ancestry, line of relatives |
We only breed dogs of excellent pedigree. |
| poised |
verb - past |
prepared to act |
The fashion model was poised at the foot of the walkway. |
| raconteur |
noun |
a skilful storyteller |
There is always one raconteur in the family who makes everyone laugh at the dinner table. |
| ravishing |
adjective |
very beautiful, entrancing |
Brides always look ravishing on their wedding days. |
| reasoned |
verb - past |
analyzed and formed judgement logically; tried to persuade by giving good reasons |
I reasoned with my father to extend my curfew. |
| reputation |
noun |
opinions or beliefs that others have about a person or thing |
Mark has a reputation for dating more than one woman at a time. |
| resorted to |
verb - past |
did because nothing else worked |
There were no size ten skates so Marie resorted to wearing men's. |
| root |
noun |
early stage, cause |
Janice's mother-in-law is the root of her marital problems. |
| shuddered |
verb - past |
trembled or shook because of cold or fear |
Andrea shuddered when she heard the loud scream. |
| telegram |
noun |
(formerly) mail sent electronically and delivered in printed form on paper |
During the war she learned of her son's injuries by telegram. |
| termagant |
noun |
a bad-tempered, noisy woman |
The termagant was hassling her husband about forgetting to make her coffee. |
| veal |
noun |
the meat of a young cow |
Samantha doesn't eat veal because she's a vegetarian. |
| vigorous |
adjective |
strong, energetic |
The vigorous builders had the house finished in one week. |
| vintage |
noun |
top wine, usually wine from a specific year |
They're serving a 1975 vintage to mark their anniversary. |
| vineyard |
noun |
place where grapes are grown |
We worked in the vineyard until all of the grapes had been picked. |
| visibly |
adverb |
easily seen |
She stood visibly in front of the window, so I knew she was home. |
| welled up |
verb - past |
filled up (often with liquid) |
Her eyes welled up with tears when he asked her to marry him. |
| winepress |
noun |
machine or equipment used to squeeze the juice out of grapes |
We'll need a winepress if we want to make juice out of these grapes. |