v. swing back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm; vibrate pendulum like; waver
E.g. It is interesting to note how public opinions oscillate between the extremes of optimism and pessimism.
a. put forth or held out as real, actual, or intended; proper or intended to be shown
E.g. Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.
n. making ambitious display; unnecessary show; pretentious parade
E.g. As for the painters who commanded these extraordinary prices, they rivaled each other in ostentation and vanity.
v. expel; eject from a position or place; force out
E.g. The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.
n. strong protest or objection; loud cry or clamor
E.g. Improvements to our education system will require relentless and vocal outcry from the parents whose children suffer most from the current schools.
a. old; old-fashioned; antiquated; out of date
E.g. This mess in England reminds me of a similar outdated law still on the books in Ontario.
v. go beyond in performance; excel; surpass.
E.g. I think you continually outdo yourself in finding new and inventive means of providing filler.
a. relatively distant or remote from a center or middle
E.g. And why should the rest of us subsidize folks who live in outlying areas to commute?
n. act or process of producing; production; amount produced during a certain time
E.g. Oman's oil output is not as high as some of its neighbors.
n. beginning; start; origin; time at which something is supposed to begin
E.g. At the outset of the November 16 meeting, I will provide some comment on.
n. part or region remote from a central district, as of a city or town; fringe; outer border
E.g. Besides it a handicrafts and local fruit process exhibition show also arranged in outskirt of cattle show.
a. given to expressing yourself freely or insistently
E.g. The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had not yet learned to weigh his words carefully.
v. exceed or surpass; leave behind
E.g. Jesse Owens easily will outstrip his white competitors to win the gold medal at the Olympic Games.
v. go beyond; surpass; exceed
E.g. The benefits of antidepressant medications likely outweigh their risks to children with major depression and anxiety disorders.
n. enthusiastic, prolonged applause; show of public homage or welcome
E.g. When the popular tenor Placido Domingo came on stage, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.
v. flow over; cover with, or as with, water or other fluid; spread over; flow over the brim of
E.g. Rochester's eyes that they overflow like two cups filled above the brim: have you never remarked that?
v. examine or go over carefully for needed repairs; make extensive renovations or revisions on; renovate
E.g. He proposals to overhaul the health care system.
n. representation of common ground between two things; extend over and cover a part of
E.g. He warned of the potential for gap, overlap and duplication.
a. open to view; not secret or hidden
E.g. According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit an overt act before he may be tried for treason.
v. come up with in a course, pursuit, progress, or motion; catch up with; come upon from behind; capture; overcome
E.g. The driver behind me tried to overtake on the inside.
v. throw over; overturn; upset; turn upside down; cause to fall or to fail
E.g. He revealed their conspiracy to overthrow the government.
n. an opening or aperture; recess; introductory section or part, as of a poem
E.g. This overture has the potential to call out the real spirit of the so-called Tea Party.
v. defeat; cover completely or make imperceptible; overcome by superior force ; charge someone with too many tasks
E.g. Still, he was sufficiently touched by his aunt's grief too long to rush out from under the bed and overwhelm her with joy--and the theatrical gorgeousness of the thing appealed strongly to his nature, too, but he resisted and lay still.
a. extremely disturbed from emotion
E.g. When Kate heard the news of the sudden tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.
n. any compound of oxygen with another element; a binary chemical compound of oxygen
E.g. Using black oxide is tricky that way; if you use too much, it will create black bubbles in the tub.
v. ease anger or agitation of; make calm or quiet; end war or violence
E.g. Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy children sweets to pacify them.
a. extremely careful and diligent work or effort; taking of pains
E.g. The truth is, I didn’t want to have to call any parents, so by outlining everything in painstaking detail in my newsletters, I could avoid it.
a. acceptable; sufficiently agreeable in flavor to be eaten
E.g. Neither Jack's under-baked opinions nor his overcooked casseroles were palatable to Jill.
v. beat rapidly; shake with fast, tremulous movements
E.g. As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more erratically.
v. feed to the full; feed luxuriously; glut; indulge with rich food
E.g. As far as I've seen, they don't overly pamper the girls even though obviously they are privileged.
v. complete view in every direction.
E.g. The 360 degree panorama from the top of Mt Everest is just awesome to look at.
v. breathe quickly or in a labored manner; respire with heaving of the breast; sigh
E.g. We began to pant before we reached the top of hill.
n. one that serves as a pattern or model; system of assumptions, concepts, and practices that constitutes a way of viewing reality
E.g. Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned-response experiment in behavioral psychology.
n. something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually correct
E.g. Richard presents a bit of a paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of both the National Rifle Association and the relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union.
v. make unable to move or act; impair the progress or functioning of
E.g. Again the poor man groaned; he looked as if he dared not move; fear, either of death or of something else, appeared almost to paralyse him.
n. characteristic or feature that distinguishes something from others
E.g. Security's critical parameter is the ratio of workers to retirees.
a. foremost in importance; supreme in rank
E.g. Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the impact of the volcano ash cloud temporarily lessened, but stressed that passenger safety would remain paramount.
n. personal ornaments or accessories, as of attire; articles used in particular activity
E.g. His desk was cluttered with paper, pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.
v. restate text in one's own words, especially to clarify thought of others
E.g. In 250 words or less, paraphrase this article.
n. work or performance that imitates another work or performance with ridicule or irony; make fun of
E.g. The show Forbidden Broadway presents a parody spoofing the year's new productions playing on Broadway.