U.S. Literature & Composition

Word of the Day

Set #8

1.Articulate(ar-TICK-u-let)adjective

able to speak clearly and effectively

  • A person can be more articulate if he/she has an advanced vocabulary.
  • The speaker articulated her point, and she was so convincing that I bought her book at the conference.

noun: articulationverb: articulate

2.Deplore(dee-PLOR)verb

to express regret or disapproval; complain; criticize

  • Suzie’s parents deplore her lifestyle, for they do not want her living with a man until marriage.
  • I think it was deplorable of her to ask you to clean up the dog doo-doo; that is HER dog!

Adjective: deplorable

3.Doleful(DOLE-full)adjective

extremely sad

  • In the doleful lyrics, the man left his family to fight for his country, and he never returned.
  • When the basketball team lost the championship, it was a doleful day for the student body of the school.

(Connect with “doldrums” or “condolences”)

4.Hedge(HEJ)verb

to avoid giving a definite or clear answer, thereby escaping

responsibility or blame

  • Although the meeting was supposed to end by 5:00, we decided that we could not hedge the issue any longer, so we met until we could agree.
  • It is not a good idea to hedge questions when you are being interrogated by the police!

Note: “to beat around the bush”

5.Indolent(INN-doe-lent)adjective

lazy

  • George was an indolent young man, and his parents worried about his school grades and future plans because they could not support him forever.
  • Laura blamed her poor housekeeping skills on her indolence, and it made me uncomfortable to go over to her house because it was so messy.

noun: indolenceadverb: indolently

6.Malleable(MAL-ee-uh-bull)adjective

able to be reshaped by force; pliable; impressionable

  • In art class, we worked with malleable metals to create original pieces for the halls of the school.
  • The malleability of children is astounding which is why it is important to be good role models for your siblings.

noun: malleability

7.Quandary(KWON-dree)noun

a state of confusion or doubt; dilemma

  • I was in a quandary over what to get my sister for her birthday; thankfully, I found a book by her favorite author.
  • The NASCAR officials had a quandary about the cars that crashed late in the race, and it was difficult for them to figure out the winner.

8.Spurious(SPYER-ee-us)adjective

false; fake; misleading

  • The girl filed a spurious sexual assault case against her employer because she was mad she had been fired.
  • Before spuriously lumping bands together, you should listen to their music.

adverb: spuriouslynoun: spuriousness

9.Vagrant(VAY-grent)noun

homeless person; wanderer

  • The vagrant traveled to a warmer climate and tried to find work to make ends meet.
  • The teenagers were arrested for vagrancy when they were running around town after their curfew.

adjective: vagrantadverb: vagrantlynoun: vagrancy

10.Timorous(TIM-er-uss)adjective

afraid

  • The child timorously raised his hand and asked Miss Nelson’s substitute if he could use the bathroom.
  • “The way we are living, timorous or bold, will have been our life.” (Seamus Heaney from “Elegy”)

adverb: timorouslynoun: timorousness