Usefulness/Productiveness
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Efficacy (Noun)
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Effectiveness (Noun)
EFFICACY (Noun)
Meaning: The power to produce a desired result or effect
Use: The vaccine that the doctor recommended had
the efficacy of being safe and effective in healing Mike's
illness.
EFFECTIVENESS (Noun)
Meaning: The power to produce a desired result or effect
To hinder/To restrict
the movement, progress or action of (someone or something)
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Hamper (Verb)
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Trammel (Noun, Verb)
·
Clog (Noun, Verb)
·
Fetter (Noun, Verb)
·
Shackle (Noun, Verb)
·
Manacle (Noun, Verb)
·
Constrain (Verb)
Explanation: Hamper (Verb), Trammel (Verb), Clog (Verb),
Fetter (Verb), Shackle (Verb), Manacle (Verb) and Constrain (Verb) means to hinder
or restrict the movement, progress or action of (someone or something). Trammel
and clog implies slowing by something extraneous. Fetter implies a restraining
so severe that freedom to move or progress is almost lost. Shackle and manacle
are stronger than fetter and suggest total loss of freedom.
HAMPER (Verb)
Meaning: To slow the movement, progress or action of
(someone or something)
Use: Their work is hampered by lack of funds.
TRAMMEL (Noun)
Meaning: A net for catching birds or fish
Use: Students and parents who want to throw off the trammels
of outdated school policies.
TRAMMEL (Verb)
Meaning: To prevent or restrict (someone or something)
Use: Some canons that trammel the artist’ s creativity.
CLOG (Noun)
Meaning: Something that blocks something
Use: There is a clog in the kitchen sink.
CLOG (Verb)
Meaning: To slowly form a block in (something, such as a
pipe or street)
Use: The drain clogs easily because the opening is so small.
FETTER (Noun)
Meaning: A pair of rings connected by a chain used to fasten
a prisoner’ s wrists or ankles
Use: The police were moving the prisoners, all of whom were
in fetters, to a new location.
FETTER (Verb)
Meaning: To prevent (someone or something) from moving or
acting freely
Use: James found himself fettered by the
responsibilities of completing the project.
SHACKLE (Noun)
Meaning: A pair of rings connected by a chain used to fasten
a prisoner’ s wrists or ankles
Use: He placed shackles on the legs of the prisoners.
SHACKLE (Verb)
Meaning: To put a shackle on (someone or something)
Use: The criminal’ s ankles were shackled to prevent his
escape.
MANACLE (Noun)
Meaning: A pair of rings connected by a chain used to fasten
a prisoner’ s wrists or ankles
Use: The thief was finally caught at the scene of the crime
and was taken away in manacles, with his arms behind his back,
which prevented him from fighting with the police.
MANACLE (Verb)
Meaning: To confine (the hands) with manacles
Use: The police
officer manacled the prisoner with handcuffs.
CONSTRAIN (Verb)
Meaning: To limit or restrict (something or someone)
Use: "We felt constrained to object to the way he was
treating the dog."
Person who hates or
refuses to accept the members of a particular group
·
Bigot (Noun)
·
Xenophobic (Adj.)
·
Prejudiced (Adj.)
BIGOT (Noun)
Meaning: 1) A person who strongly and unfairly dislikes
other people, ideas etc.
2) A
person who hates or refuses to accept the member of a particular group.
Use: Mark's son was considered to be a bigot when
he made some offensive remarks about the religious beliefs of another student
who was from Israel.
XENOPHOBIC (Adj.)
Meaning: Fearful of what is foreign and especially of people
of foreign origin
Use: When Ray's wife suggested that they should go on a trip
to France and England to visit friends, he rejected the idea because as a xenophobic person,
he had a terrible fear of being around so many strangers.
PREJUDICED (Adj.)
Meaning: A person who dislikes a person or group because of
race, sex, religion etc.
Use: Much of the violence that was observed in the county
was the result of prejudiced behavior of the residents.
Strongly supporting his
feelings, opinion etc.
·
Bigot (Noun)
·
Rabid (Adj.)
·
Dogmatic (Noun)
·
Fanatic (Adj.)
BIGOT (Noun)
Meaning: 1) A person who strongly and unfairly dislikes
other people, ideas etc.
2) A
person who hates or refuses to accept the member of a particular group.
RABID (Adj.)
Meaning: Having or expressing a very strong opinion about or
interest in something
Use: Fern was a politician with rabid supporters.
DOGMATIC (Noun)
Meaning: Expressing personal opinions or beliefs as if they
are certainly true
Use: Pete made a dogmatic statement as to why he
would not be going to work today.
FANATIC (Adj.)
Meaning:
Use: Because of her fanatical views, her friends know better
than to discuss religion with her.
Enjoying the company of
others/Social
·
Gregarious (Adj.)
·
Extroverted (Adj.)
·
Sociable (Adj.)
·
Convivial (Adj.)
GREGARIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Enjoying the company of other people
Use: As a gregarious individual, Samuel
loves to be with large gatherings of people.
EXTROVERT (Adj.)
Meaning: Enjoying the company of other people
Use: Mr. Jonas thought that James was the
most extroverted, amicable, and open member of his psychology class.
SOCIABLE (Adj.)
Meaning: Enjoying the company of other people or liking to
talk to people
Use: They are sociable people who enjoy having parties.
CONVIVIAL (Adj.)
Meaning: Fond of feasting, drinking and a good company
Use: It was a lively, convivial atmosphere- gone but not
forgotten.
To feel afraid
·
Quail (Noun & Verb)
·
Cower (Verb)
QUAIL (Noun)
Meaning: A kind of small bird that is often hunted
Use: We had quail for dinner.
QUAIL (Verb)
Meaning: To feel afraid
Use: The unexpected sounds from the attic made Sally quail in
fear of a ghost.
COWER (Verb)
Meaning: Crouch or shrink back in fear
Use: The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.
Very bad
·
Notorious (Adj.)
·
Flagrant (Adj.)
·
Egregious (Adj.)
NOTORIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Well known or famous especially for something bad.
Use: Tim's supervisor has notorious outbursts
when members of his staff don't complete the right results that they have been
assigned to produce.
FLAGRANT (Adj.)
Meaning: Very bad
Use: Henry made a flagrant error in his
presentation to the voters.
EGREGIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Very bad or easily noticed
Use: Ron made an egregious error in his
financial report and so he was recognized as an egregious liar.
Without preparation
·
Extemporaneous (Adj.)
·
Impromptu (Adj.)
·
Improvised (Adj.)
·
Adlib (Verb & Adj.)
EXTEMPORANEOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Made or done without special preparation
Use: After receiving so much applause after completing the
recital, the pianist gave an extemporaneous encore.
IMPROMPTU (Adj.)
Meaning: Made or done without preparation
Use: When two of Sandra's former classmates dropped by
unexpectedly, her sister had an little impromptu party.
IMPROVISED (Adj.)
Meaning: Spoken or performed without preparation
Use: The conductor of the jazz band had improvised some
special musical renditions which the audience found very melodious and pleasant
to hear.
AD-LIB (Verb)
Meaning: Speaking or performing without preparation
AD-LIB (Adj.)
Meaning: Spoken or performed without preparation
Honesty/Fairness
·
Probity (Noun)
·
Equity (Noun)
·
Integrity (Noun)
PROBITY (Noun)
Meaning: Quality of being completely honest
Use: Everyone took his probity for granted; his
defalcations, therefore, shocked us all.
EQUITY (Noun)
Meaning: Fairness or justice in the way people are treated
Use: Our courts guarantee equity to all.
INTEGRITY (Noun)
Meaning: Quality of being honest and fair
Use: Those who doubted, and they were few, spoke of a man of
integrity with a strong commitment to republicanism.
“Solemnity”, which
describes a serious and proper state of being, and “solicitousness,” which
means hovering attentiveness, are not correct because they do not fit the
desired meaning and do not have a match.
Strong criticism
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Vituperation (Noun)
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Obloquy (Noun)
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Opprobrium (Noun)
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Fulmination (Noun)
VITUPERATION (Noun)
Meaning: Harsh and angry criticism
Use: The supervisor used vituperations to
let Marsha know that she had really made some serious blunders in her
assignment.
OBLOQUY (Noun)
Meaning: Harsh or critical statement about someone
Use: The head of the secret police resigned in obloquy because
his department's secrets had been leaked to the press.
OPPROBRIUM (Noun)
Meaning: Strong disapproval or criticism
Use: The city council is going ahead with its plan to raise
taxes despite the people's opprobrium that condemns such
action.
FULMINATION (Noun)
Meaning: Criticism
Use: They are going ahead with the plan despite public
opprobrium.
Difficult situation
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Predicament (Noun)
·
Dilemma (Noun)
·
Quandary (Noun)
·
Quagmire (Noun)
PREDICAMENT (Noun)
Meaning: A difficult or unpleasant situation
Use: Sparky, the lively kitten, was always getting herself
into predicaments; such as, climbing a tree and not being able to
get down.
DILEMMA (Noun)
Meaning: A situation in which you have to make a difficult
choice
Use: Because of the bad weather, Lester and his family were
in a dilemma as to when they should plan to go on their
vacation.
QUANDARY (Noun)
Meaning: A situation in which you are confused about what to
do
Use: Mark was in a quandary as to which
Presidential candidate he should vote for.
QUAGMIRE (Noun)
Meaning: 1) An area of soft, wet ground.
2) A
situation that is full of problems.
Use: The had trouble driving his tractor because it was
stuck in the quagmire after the heavy rains.
A person
enjoying good food and drink or knowledgeable about food and drink
·
Epicure (Noun)
·
Connoisseur (Noun)
·
Gourmet (Noun)
·
Gastronomist (Noun)
·
Bon vivant (Noun)
·
Gustatory (Adj.)
Explanation: Gustatory (Adj.) deviates slightly. It means
relating to taste or sense of taste.
EPICURE (Noun)
Meaning: A person who appreciates fine food and drink
Use: Being an epicure is not only being a
connoisseur of good edible products, but also a person who has the money to pay
for such exquisite meals!
CONNOISSEUR (Noun)
Meaning: A person who knows a lot about something (such as
art, wine, food etc.)
Use: Mark and Madeline were connoisseurs of
fine wines.
GOURMET (Noun)
Meaning: A person who enjoys and knows a lot about good food
and wine.
Use: After years of study, Cleo became a gourmet and
frequently entertained her friends.
GASTRONOMIST (Noun)
Meaning: A lover of good food especially one with interest
in gastronomy (art of cooking)
Use: A gastronomist and food historian who is very
knowledgeable about Spanish cuisine.
BON VIVANT (Noun)
Meaning: A person who likes going to parties and who enjoys
good food, wine etc.
Use: Mr. and Mrs. Smithson, known as bon vivants by
their neighbors, went on a cruise every year, had a first class veranda, or
balcony, with deck chairs, and fantastic meals served in a gorgeous dining
room.
GUSTATORY (Adj.)
Meaning: Relating to taste or the sense of taste
Use: Madison and his family were enjoying their gustatory meal
as they celebrated his birthday.
Nick name/Title
·
Appellations (Noun)
·
Sobriquets (Noun)
APPELLATIONS (Noun)
Meaning: Name or title
Use: The city fully justifies its appellation “the Pearl of
the orient.”
SOBRIQUETS (Noun)
Meaning: Nickname
Use: Tagged her with the sobriquet “peanut” because of her
diminutive size.
Enthusiastic and
passionate
·
Zealot (Adj.)
·
Ardent (Adj.)
·
Impassioned (Adj.)
·
Fanatic (Adj.)
ZEALOT (Adj.)
Meaning: Energetic or enthusiastic for a cause or pain
Use: Zealots on both sides of the issue resorted to
name-calling and scare tactics.
ARDENT (Adj.)
Meaning: Having or showing very strong feelings.
Use: I am an ardent science-fiction fan who has read
virtually all of his favorite author’ s many works.
IMPASSIONED (Adj.)
Meaning: Showing great warmth or intensity of feeling
Use: Her lawyer made an impassioned argument in her defense.
FANATIC (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) A person who holds extreme political or
religious opinions.
2)
Enthusiastic
Use: Because of her fanatical views, her friends know better
than to discuss religion with her.
Nervous while doing
something
·
Timid (Adj.)
·
Timorous (Adj.)
·
Tremulous (Adj.)
·
Skittish (Adj.)
Explanation: Skittish (Adj.) means nervous while doing
something. It has second meaning also. Skittish (Noun) means capricious or
changing often and quickly.
TIMID (Adj.)
Meaning: Feeling or showing a lack of courage or confidence
Use: She is very timid and shy when meeting strangers.
TIMOROUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Feeling or showing a lack of courage or confidence
Use: Her timorous
personality was not evident in the fascinating mystery books which she wrote
under a pseudonym.
TREMULOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Shaking slightly especially because of weakness
or nervousness
2)
Feeling or showing a lack of confidence or courage
Use: Just remember as you hear the tremulous reporter, voice
quaking in empathy, why the farmer is crying.
SKITTISH (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Nervous or fearful about doing something
2)
Tending to change often
Use: Some skittish children
are afraid to meet strangers.
To spend money,
resource carefully
·
Husband (Verb)
·
Conserve (Verb)
·
Steward (Noun, Verb)
HUSBAND (Verb)
Meaning: To carefully use or manage (something, such as a
resource)
Use: They have also argued that they are husbanding their
energies and resources for the next general election.
CONSERVE (Verb)
Meaning: To carefully use something
Use: With so little rain, everyone had to conserve water so
there would be enough for the essentials of life."
STEWARD (Noun)
Meaning: 1) An attendant on a ship or aircraft.
2) A
person employed to manage an estate
Use: We should teach our children to be good stewards of the
land.
STEWARD (Verb)
Meaning: To manage or to act as a steward
Use: He will steward the city’ s library programs.
Skillful and clever
while dealing with situation
·
Adept (Noun)
·
Adroit (Adj.)
·
Deft (Adj.)
·
Dexterous (Adj.)
·
Agile (Adj.)
·
Nimble (Adj.)
·
Ingenious (Adj.)
ADEPT
Meaning: A highly skilled or well-trained person
Use: Milly
is adept at organizational work while her husband is adept in
needlecraft.
ADROIT (Adj.)
Meaning: Very clever or skillful
Use: Steve is
an adroit mechanic when it comes to taking care of problems
with motor vehicles.
DEFT (Adj.)
Meaning: Skillful and clever
Use: Monroe was
a deft writer as expressed by his witty descriptions and
comments in the newspaper articles.
DEXTEROUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Having or showing great skill or cleverness
Use: Mildred's dexterous fingers
moved effortlessly over the piano keys as she was performing.
AGILE (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Able to move, quickly and easily
2)
Smart and clever
Use: "Even
though Ingrid was a centenarian, she still had an agile mind."
NIMBLE (Adj.)
Meaning: 1) Able to move quickly and easily
2)
Able to learn and understand things quickly and easily
Use: The magician does special exercises to keep his fingers
nimble and body agile.
INGENIOUS (Adj.)
Meaning: Very smart or clever
Use: Henry showed
how nimble he was during the football game when he was
able to avoid all of the tacklers and make a touchdown.
Skill and cleverness
while dealing with situation
·
Adeptness (Noun)
·
Adroitness (Noun)
·
Deftness (Noun)
·
Dexterity (Noun)
·
Agility (Noun)
·
Nimbleness (Noun)
·
Ingenuity (Noun)
·
Legerdemain (Noun)
·
Prestidigitation (Noun)
Explanation:
Legerdemain (or Prestidigitation) (Noun) deviates slightly. Legerdemain (or
Prestidigitation) (Noun) means skill in using hand to perform magic.
ADEPTNESS (Noun)
Meaning: Skill or cleverness
ADROITNESS (Noun)
Meaning: skill or cleverness
Use: "As a
sculptor, Wayne's adroitness was manifested by the beauty and creativity of the
shapes of his figures."
DEFTNESS (Noun)
Meaning: skill or cleverness
Use: The deftness of
the surgeon saved Brenda's life.
DEXTERITY (Noun)
Meaning: 1) Ability to use your hands skillfully
2)
Ability to think and act quickly and cleverly
Use: A surgeon
must have dexterity in order to handle medical instruments
properly.
AGILITY (Noun)
Meaning: 1) Ability to move quickly and easily
2)
Smartness and cleverness
Use: The agility of
the famed hurdler was also an inspiration for younger runners.
NIMBLENESS (Noun)
Meaning: 1) Ability to move quickly and easily
2)
Ability to learn and understand things quickly and easily
Use: Karin was
talented with imagination and a nimbleness of wit.
INGENUITY (Noun)
Meaning: Skill or cleverness
Use: She showed amazing ingenuity in finding ways to cut
costs.
LEGERDEMAIN (Noun)
Meaning: Skill in using hands to perform magic or using
tricks
Use: Sharon
performed a dazzling show of political legerdemain to be
elected as a senator of her state.
PRESTIDIGITATION (Noun)
Meaning: Skill in using hands to perform magic or using
tricks
Use: Houdini’ s powers of prestidigitation remain legendary
to this very day.
