The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart Read online

  Something that one covets or desires.

  Ever since she was an adolescent, Evangeline’s DESIDERATUM has been a first edition of Virginia Woolf’s first novel, The Voyage Out.

  desultory (dee-SULL-ter-ee), adjective

  Acting without plan or purpose; activity that seems random or haphazard.

  “Find time still to be learning somewhat good, and give up being DESULTORY.” – Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor

  deus ex machina (DAY-oos-eks-ma-KEEN-uh), noun

  An unexpected and fortunate event solving a problem or saving someone from disaster; a stroke of good luck.

  The author used a DEUS EX MACHINA to work his way out of the mess he got the characters in toward the end of the novel.

  diaphanous (die-APH-uh-nuss), adjective

  Fine and sheer; or, insubstantial and vague.

  “To behold the day-break! / The little light fades the immense and DIAPHANOUS shadows, / The air tastes good to my palate.” – Walt Whitman, American poet and humanist

  diatribe (DIE-uh-tribe), noun

  A speech railing against injustice; a vehement denunciation.

  The editorial was a mean-spirited DIATRIBE against school vouchers written to prevent children from other towns from being sent by bus to Centerville High School.

  dichotomy (die-KOT-uh-me), noun

  Division into two parts, especially into two seemingly contradictory parts.

  A DICHOTOMY between good and evil is present in every human heart.

  didactic (dye-DAK-tik), adjective

  Designed, made, or tailored for purposes of education, self-improvement, or ethical betterment.

  “The essential function of art is moral … but a passionate, implicit morality, not DIDACTIC.” – D. H. Lawrence, British author

  diffident (DIFF-ih-dent), adjective

  To be uncertain or unsure about a making a decision or taking an action; to lack confidence and boldness.

  If you feel DIFFIDENT about driving a Rolls Royce, you can always buy a Bentley.

  dilettante (DILL-ih-tont), noun

  A person who studies a subject in a casual fashion, learning the topic for the fun of it rather than to apply it to solve real problems.

  Joseph Priestly could be considered a DILETTANTE, and yet his work led to the discovery of oxygen.

  disabuse (diss-uh-BYOOZ), verb

  To free oneself or someone else from an incorrect assumption or belief.

  We had to DISABUSE Lorraine from her belief that her family connections would immediately make her a member of our group.

  discomfit (diss-KUM-fit), verb

  To embarrass someone to the point where they become uncomfortable.

  Maggie’s public mispronunciation of the designer’s name at the charity benefit DISCOMFITED her mother.

  discursive (dis-KER-siv), adjective

  A manner or style of lecturing in which the speaker jumps back and forth between many topics.

  Paul’s DISCURSIVE lectures on American history jumped from century to century, yet it all came together in an understandable and fresh fashion.

  disenfranchise (dis-en-FRAN-chyz), verb

  To deny someone a right or privilege; to make someone feel rejected and apart.

  “Some states specify felonies that condemn the citizen to DISENFRANCHISEMENT for life.” – Andrew Hacker, American political scientist

  dishabille (dis-uh-BEE-uhl), noun

  Casual dress, or a casual manner.

  Jensen is such a stickler for proper attire he feels he is in a state of DISHABILLE if he leaves the house without an ascot.

  disparage (dih-SPAIR-ihj), verb

  To bring reproach or discredit upon through one’s words or actions.

  “Man’s constant need to DISPARAGE woman, to humble her, to deny her equal rights, and to belittle her achievements—all are expressions of his innate envy and fear.” – Elizabeth Gould Davis, American feminist and author

  disparate (dis-PAHR-at), adjective

  Describes two or more things that differ greatly from one another and cannot be logically reconciled.

  “As if, as if, as if the DISPARATE halves / Of things were waiting in a betrothal known / To none.” – Wallace Stevens, American modernist poet

  disport (dih-SPOHRT), noun

  A diversion or amusement; can also be used as a verb, meaning to amuse oneself.

  Felicia has turned the act of arguing with the proprietors of her favorite boutiques into a DISPORT.

  disseminate (diss-SEM-in-ate), verb

  To distribute something so as to make it available to a large population or area.

  The Internet is rapidly replacing newspapers as the primary medium for the DISSEMINATION of news.

  dissimulate (diss-IHM-you-late), verb

  To hide one’s feelings from another by using untruths.

  “To know how to DISSIMULATE is the knowledge of kings.” – Cardinal Richelieu, French clergyman, noble, and statesman

  diurnal (die-URN-al), adjective

  Taking place or being active during daylight hours.

  The house staff knows not even to approach Nora’s bedroom door before twilight because she totally rejects a DIURNAL lifestyle.

  dogmatic (DAWG-matt-ick), adjective

  A person who adheres rigidly to principles, rules, and beliefs, even when there is ample evidence that doing so may not be the best course of action.

  Leroy is DOGMATIC in his assertion that the Maserati Gran Turismo is superior to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

  douceur (doo-SIR), noun

  A bribe or a conciliatory gift.

  After Francine’s father refused to buy her another polo pony, he offered her the DOUCEUR of a weekend at an exclusive spa.

  doyen/doyenne (doy-EN), noun

  A man or woman who is the senior member of a group, based on rank, age, experience, etc.

  Though she is the youngest member of our group, Brittany is our DOYENNE, based on her extensive family connections.

  Draconian (drah-KONE-ee-an), adjective

  Strict; mean-spirited; excessively harsh; cruel; punishment or restriction meant to cause misery to those receiving it.

  Ophelia was distraught over the DRACONIAN way that her father forced her to stay with her chaperone throughout their vacation on the Greek Isles.

  duffer (DUFF-uhr), noun

  An incompetent or ineffectual person.

  Maxwell can’t help being a DUFFER. After all, his family has only been wealthy for two generations.

  dyslogistic (diz-luh-JISS-tick), adjective

  Showing disapproval or censure.

  We gave Elizabeth DYSLOGISTIC glances when she told us she had decided to stop shopping at Cartier.

  “There is no man, however wise,

  who has not at some period of his

  youth said things, or lived in a

  way the consciousness of which is

  so unpleasant to him in later life

  that he would gladly, if he could,

  EXPUNGE it from his memory.”

  Marcel Proust, French novelist,

  essayist, and critic

  E

  earmark (EER-mark), verb

  To set aside money to be used for a specific purpose.

  Milly’s earnings from her job were EARMARKED for her son’s college tuition.

  ebullient (EB-you-lent), adjective

  Feeling joy and positive emotions at an extreme level; the state of being wildly enthusiastic about something.

  Lorne was EBULLIENT when he found that his mother had given the college enough money to overturn his rejection.

  echelon (ESH-uh-lonn), noun

  A level of command or authority.

  Family connections helped Michael ascend quickly to the upper ECHELON of his brokerage firm.

  éclat (ay-KLAH), noun

  Great public acclaim; or, great public notoriety.

  Although they are the height of Paris fashion, Martina’s five-inch heels
earned her much ÉCLAT in the society pages.

  edacious (ih-DAY-shuss), adjective

  Greedy, eager, and consumed with consumption.

  It’s not fair to label Rosella EDACIOUS because she only wants the same luxury items the rest of us desire.

  educe (ee-DYOOCE), verb

  To come to a conclusion or solve a problem through reasoning based on thoughtful consideration of the facts.

  After Roger’s family purchased a Mercedes C class, rather than its usual Mercedes E class, we EDUCED the Wallertons were enduring financial difficulties.

  efface (ih-FAYSS), verb

  To erase, obliterate, make inconspicuous.

  “It is also true that one can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to EFFACE one’s own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane.” – George Orwell, British author

  effervescent (ef-ur-VES-ent), adjective

  Bubbly; upbeat; cheerful; possessing a positive attitude and joyful personality.

  After getting the acceptance letter from Cornell, Sabrina was positively EFFERVESCENT and celebrated with a trip to Neiman Marcus.

  effete (eh-FEET), adjective

  Decadent and lacking in vigor due to decadence or self-indulgence.

  The Eddingtons donated one of their serving sets to charity, so only the truly EFFETE would deign to label the family as snobs.

  efficacious (eff-ih-KAY-shuss), adjective

  Capable of having a desired effect.

  “Example is always more EFFICACIOUS than precept.” – Samuel Johnson, British moralist and poet

  efflorescent (ef-luh-RES-uhnt), adjective

  Describes something that has reached the final stage of its development or is at the peak of perfection.

  Thomas is convinced that the Bugati Veyron Fbg represents the EFFLORESCENT automobile.

  effrontery (eh-FRON-ter-ee), noun

  To have offended someone through inappropriate or aggressive behavior or audacious requests; audacity.

  After doing a terrible job on the project, he had the EFFRONTERY to ask me, “Can I do extra credit?”

  effulgent (ih-FULL-junt), adjective

  Shining brightly; glowing; radiant.

  The lightning storm made the evening sky positively EFFULGENT.

  effusive (eh-FEW-siv), adjective

  Profuse and overflowing, without reservation.

  In an effort to butter up the senator, the lobbyist was transparently EFFUSIVE in his praise of the new bill.

  egalitarian (ih-gal-uh-TARE-ee-uhn), adjective

  To be fair and balanced in the extreme; to act in the belief that all men are created equal and should be treated so.

  “Chinks in America’s EGALITARIAN armor are not hard to find. Democracy is the fig leaf of elitism.” – Florence King, American author

  egregious (E-GREE-jus), adjective

  A serious mistake or offense, often with dire consequences.

  Pauline made the EGREGIOUS mistake of asking the price of a piece of jewelry that caught her eye, rather than simply asking to purchase the necklace.

  eidetic (aye-DETT-ick), adjective

  Of visual imagery that is nearly photographic in detail.

  We were displeased with the Howlands’ recent art purchase because the so-called artist harkens back to the tired old school of EIDETIC representation.

  eidolon (eye-DOH-luhn), noun

  A phantom or apparition; or, the image of an ideal.

  “By a route obscure and lonely, / Haunted by ill angels only, / Where an EIDOLON, named Night, / On a black throne reigns upright.” – Edgar Allan Poe, American author and poet

  élan, (ey-LAN), noun

  Enthusiasm, energy, flair, zest.

  Bryanna reacted with ÉLAN when she was tapped to be part of a feature for Elite Travel Magazine.

  elegy (EL-eh-gee), noun

  A lament for the dead.

  “Modern ELEGIES tend to be unconvincing because the poet so clearly believes in the immortality that an ELEGY traditionally claims for its subject.” – Edward Mendelson, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Colombia University

  elide (ee-LIDE), verb

  To leave out a sound or syllable when speaking; to eliminate the distinctive barrier separating levels.

  When Catherine ELIDES the “g’s” at the end of certain words, she betrays her Southern origins.

  elocution (el-oh-CUE-shun), noun

  The ability to deliver a public speech in a clear and persuasive manner.

  He’s a brilliant man, but he needs to work on his ELOCUTION.

  elucidate (ee-LOO-sih-date), verb

  To lecture, explain, or pontificate about a subject in great detail so as to make it exceeding clear.

  “It [was] the mission of the twentieth century to ELUCIDATE the irrational.” – Maurice Merleau -Ponty, French philosopher

  elucubrate (ih-LOO-kyoo-brait), verb

  To produce a written work through lengthy, intensive effort.

  Thanks to a few hundred bucks passed along to a classmate, Miles did not have to ELUCUBRATE his term paper and could, instead, attend parties with us.

  emend (ih-MEND), verb

  To correct or remove faults, as from a text.

  Blanche EMENDED her holiday wish list, removing the Ferrari watch and replacing it with a Versace dinner plate.

  empressement (ahn-press-MAH), noun

  A display of effusive cordiality.

  Those at the party who belonged to the nouveau riche set were easy to recognize, due to their constant and distasteful EMPRESSEMENT.

  empyreal (em-PEER-ee-uhl), adjective

  Elevated and sublime; or, of the sky

  The beautiful three-carat sapphire her fiancé gave her shone with an EMPYREAL, almost celestial, light.

  encipher (en-SY-fur), verb

  To scramble or convert data into a secret code, prior to transmission, thereby making it impossible for unauthorized users to understand or decipher.

  Mathematicians were employed by the Army to crack ENCIPHERED messages during the war.

  encomium (en-KO-me-um), noun

  Effusive praise given in a public forum.

  The CEO’s ENCOMIUM at Phil’s retirement dinner caused his eyes to mist over.

  endemic (en-DEM-ik), adjective

  A widespread condition or characteristic found in a certain region, area, or group.

  Affluence and influence seem to be just ENDEMIC to our group.

  enervate (EN-er-vayt), transitive verb

  To rob a person, organization, place, or thing of its energy, strength, and vitality.

  Greenhouse gases ENERVATE the protective ozone layer surrounding the Earth.

  enigmatic (en-ig-MATT-ik), adjective

  Mysterious, puzzling, and difficult to figure out.

  “The interest in life does not lie in what people do, nor even in their relations to each other, but largely in the power to communicate with a third party, antagonistic, ENIGMATIC, yet perhaps persuadable, which one may call life in general.” – Virginia Woolf, British essayist and novelist

  enjoin (ehn-JOYN), verb

  To direct or order someone to do something.

  After purchasing one too many Bentleys, Alex’s father ENJOINED him to be more frugal.

  enmity (EN-mih-tee), noun

  Mutual dislike, animosity, hatred, antagonism, or disagreement between two groups or parties.

  Was the ENMITY between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frasier an act, genuine, or a combination of both?

  ennui (on-WEE), noun

  Apathy and lack of energy caused by boredom and disinterest.

  “And he spoke of ENNUI, of jaded appetites, of nights and days aboard a moonstone vessel as large as a city.” – Harlan Ellison, American author

  ensconce (en-SKONTS), verb

  To settle oneself warmly or snugly; or, to hide something in a secure place.

  Julia ENSCONSED herself in a leather chair in the family’s library and perused
recent catalogues.

  entropy (EN-troh-pee), noun

  The tendency of any system to run down and revert to total chaos.

  “Just as the constant increase of ENTROPY is the basic law of the universe, so it is the basic law of life to be ever more highly structured and to struggle against ENTROPY.” – Václav Havel, Czech playwright, writer, and politician

  enumerate (eh-NOO-muh-rate), verb

  To list or to count off individually, one by one.

  “One might ENUMERATE the items of high civilization, as it exists in other countries, which are absent from the texture of American life, until it should become a wonder to know what was left.” – Henry James, American-born British author

  enunciate (ee-NUN-see-ate), verb

  To pronounce words carefully and clearly; to speak in a manner that makes you easily understood.

  No one will listen to him until he stops mumbling and learns to ENUNCIATE.

  envisage (en-VIZ-ij), verb

  To envision, imagine, or create a mental picture.

  “I don’t ENVISAGE collectivism. There is no such animal, it is always individualism.” – Gertrude Stein, American author

  ephemeral (eh-FEM-er-uhl), adjective

  Describes a short-lived condition, temporary event, or fleeting moment.

  “There remain some truths too EPHEMERAL to be captured in the cold pages of a court transcript.” – Irving Kaufman, Chief Judge, United States Court of Appeals

  epicurean (eh-pih-CURE-ee-an), noun

  Devoted to the enjoyment of good food and comfort.

  Mother’s Thanksgiving meal at the Cape Cod compound was an annual EPICUREAN delight.

  epigraph (EH-pih-graf), noun

  A short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or book chapter, or a brief inscription on a coin, statue, or building.

  “Benfey begins his book with a curious EPIGRAPH from John Ruskin.” – Joyce Carol Oates, American author

  epiphany (eh-PIH-fan-see), noun

  A sudden, unexpected insight that seems to come from nowhere and throws great illumination on a subject previously not well understood.

  One day Marcus had an EPIPHANY and realized that, to find true happiness, he should become a philanthropist.