providence
n. act of providing or preparing for future use or application; making ready; preparation; foresight |
prudent
a. cautious; careful in regard to one's own interests |
pulverize
v. pound, crush, or grind to powder or dust |
putrid
a. decomposed and foul-smelling; rotten; decayed |
qualm
n. sudden feeling of sickness or faintness; sudden attack of illness |
quandary
n. dilemma; state of uncertainty or perplexity |
quell
v. extinguish; put down forcibly; suppress; pacify or quiet |
querulous
a. habitually complaining; expressing complaint or grievance |
radiate
v. spread out; effuse; issue or emerge in rays or waves |
radical
a. drastic; extreme; arising from or going to a root or source; basic |
ratify
v. approve formally; confirm; verify |
rational
a. consistent with; based on; using reason |
ravenous
a. extremely hungry; voracious; eager for prey |
ravish
v. force someone to have sex against their will; hold spellbound |
readjust
v. adjust again after an initial failure |
rebuff
v. offer sudden or harsh resistance; turn down or shut out; repel or drive back |
rebuke
v. scold harshly; criticize severely |
recondite
a. difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge |
recuperate
v. recover; return to health or strength; recover from financial loss |
reformatory
a. serving or designed to reform |
reimburse
v. pay back for some expense incurred |
reinstate
v. place again in possession, or in a former state; restore to a state from which one had been removed |
remittance
n. transmitting money, bills, especially to a distant place, as in satisfaction of a demand, or in discharge of an obligation |
renounce
v. abandon; disown; turn away from; give up |
renovate
v. restore to good condition; renew |
reorganize
v. organize anew, as after a setback |
repercussion
n. often indirect effect or result that is produced by an event or action; reflection, especially of sound |
reprove
v. voice or convey disapproval of; rebuke; find fault with |
repudiate
v. disown; refuse to acknowledge; reject validity or authority of |
reputable
a. having a good reputation; honorable |
residue
n. remainder of something after removal of parts or a part; balance |
resolute
a. firm, unyielding, or determined; having decided purpose |
respite
n. usually short interval of rest or relief; delay in punishment |
revere
v. worship; regard with feelings of respect or honor |
reverie
n. daydream; state of abstracted musing; absent-minded dreaming while awake |
revert
v. return to a former condition, practice, subject, or belief; backslide; turn back to |
revoke
v. void or annul by recalling, withdrawing, or reversing; cancel; retract |
rhapsody
n. an epic poem adapted for recitation |
rift
n. shallow area in a waterway; break in friendly relations; narrow fissure in rock |
ritual
n. procedure for religious ceremonies; any customary practice |
rogue
n. a deceitful and unreliable person; a dishonest or worthless person |
roster
n. list, especially of names |
rostrum
n. elevated platform for public speaking; pulpit |
rue
v. feel regret, remorse, or sorrow for; mourn |
sally
n. a sudden rushing forth or activity; an excursion or trip, usually off the main course; witty remark |
satire
n. form of literature in which irony and ridicule are used to attack human vice and folly |
saturate
v. soak, fill, or load to capacity; cause to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance |
scope
n. range of one's perceptions, thoughts, or actions; extent; bound |
scrimmage
n. a noisy riotous fight; a confused struggle |
scrutinize
v. examine closely and critically |
sear
v. make very hot and dry; become superficially burned |
secluded
a. removed or remote from others; solitary; hidden or isolated |
sector
n. particular aspect of life or activity; body of people who form part of society or economy |
sediment
n. deposit; matter deposited by some natural process |
segment
n. sector; portion; any of the parts into which something can be divided |
segregate
v. isolate; separate; divide from the main body |
silhouette
n. a drawing of the outline of an object; filled in with some uniform color; an outline of a solid object, as cast by its shadow |
simultaneous
a. existing, happening, or done at the same time |
skeptical
a. marked by or given to doubt; questioning |
skirmish
n. minor battle in war; minor or preliminary conflict or dispute |
slothful
a. lazy; disinclined to work or exertion; inactive; sluggish |
smelt
v. melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition |