(v) To shrink from in disgust; to detest.
We abhor cruelty in all its forms.
abhorrent (adj) Disgusting; causing loathing.
Any form of discrimination is abhorrent to decent people.
(adj) Pleasant; approachable; gracious.
Maribel?s affable manner brought her many friends.
affability (n) Friendliness of manner.
The counselor welcomed the young campers with such affability that no one felt homesick.
(adv) In a wrong or imperfect way.
Don?t take amiss my suggestion for improving your drawing.
(adj) Out of order; wrong.
Although the door was wide open when we got home late, nothing seemed amiss at first.
(adj) Depressed from loss of hope or confidence; utterly discouraged.
I was completely despondent that our dog had run away.
(v) To ask earnestly; to beg.
?Please, please, let me have a lizard,? Augustin entreated his parents. ?I promise to take care of it!?
entreaty (n) A plea or earnest request.
The umpire ignored the coach?s entreaties to reverse the call.
(v) 1. To stay in one?s mind continually.
Even though I heard the song a year ago, the music continues to haunt me.
2. To visit frequently.
Jeremy haunted the mall, hoping to catch a glimpse of his old friend.
3. To appear in the form of a ghost.
The Headless Horseman haunted the hollow where Ichabod Crane rode his horse.
(v) 1. To drive or to propel.
A raging current impelled their raft downstream toward the waterfall.
2. To urge or drive by force or moral pressure.
Hatred of slavery impelled Harriet Tubman to return repeatedly to the South to help other enslaved people escape.
(adj) Endless; seeming to be without end.
We had an interminable wait at the amusement park entrance because of the enormous crowds trying to get in.
(adj) Quick-tempered; irritable.
My grandfather looked kindly, but he was really quite irascible.
(adj) 1. Intense; deeply felt.
Parents who had been separated from their children at the beginning of the war felt profound joy when they were reunited in the refugee camp.
2. Having understanding or knowledge that goes beneath the surface, beyond the obvious.
Profound insights from Thoreau and Gandhi influenced Martin Luther King Jr.?s ideas about nonviolent protest.
(n) A person who lives apart from society and often alone.
Ahmed became a recluse when he was trying to finish writing his book, refusing to leave his apartment for days on end.
reclusive (adj) Withdrawn from society.
Our neighbors are so reclusive that we hardly see them from one year to the next.
(v) To be repeated as in a series of echoes or vibrations.
We loved to hear our shouts reverberate as we ran through the old tunnel.
(adj) Having wisdom and good judgment.
Ben Franklin?s Poor Richard?s Almanack offered sage advice to the colonists.
(n) 1. A person known for wisdom and good judgment.
When I need advice, I consult my grandmother, the family sage.
2. An aromatic grayish-green plant used in cooking.
Sage and onion are essential ingredients for a good turkey stuffing.
(n) A long, angry speech.
We lost interest in Marni?s endless tirades about how people disrespected her.
(adj) 1. Marked by trembling or shaking.
The little girl tried to look brave when she fell and scraped her knee, but her tremulous lower lip betrayed her.
2. Timid or fearful.
In a tremulous voice, Alejandro told us how he had lost our money.