List 29

Abscond (ab-SKOND)

Meaning: Leave hurriedly and secretly, typically to avoid capture.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a bank robber sprinting away with bags of money shouting, “Abscond before they catch me!”
Sentence: The thief managed to abscond with the stolen jewels before the police arrived.

Apogee (AP-uh-jee)

Meaning: The peak or highest point of something.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a mountain climber reaching the top of Everest and yelling, “This is the apogee of my life!”
Sentence: Winning the championship marked the apogee of her career.

Aspersion (uh-SPUR-zhun)

Meaning: A critical or damaging remark or criticism.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a gossip bird dropping “aspersions” from the sky onto people below.
Sentence: The politician faced aspersions from the opposition regarding his past decisions.

Bawdy (BAW-dee)

Meaning: Humorously dealing with sexual subjects; risqué in a comedic way.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a stand-up comedian cracking jokes so bawdy that grandma faints in the audience.
Sentence: The movie’s bawdy humor might not appeal to all viewers.

Chagrin (shuh-GRIN)

Meaning: A feeling of frustration, annoyance, or anger.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine someone spilling coffee on their freshly ironed suit, muttering, “Oh, the chagrin of it all!”
Sentence: To his chagrin, he realized he had sent the email to the wrong person.

Collude (kuh-LOOD)

Meaning: Secretly cooperate for deceitful or fraudulent purposes.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of two cartoon villains in a secret “collude” club, whispering their evil plans.
Sentence: The two companies were found to have colluded to fix prices.

Commiserate (kuh-MIZ-uh-rayt)

Meaning: Express sympathy or sorrow with someone who has experienced misfortune.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a friend handing you tissues while saying, “Let’s commiserate over your bad haircut.”
Sentence: She called to commiserate with her friend after hearing about the loss.

Conflagration (kon-fluh-GRAY-shun)

Meaning: A large, destructive fire.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a forest shouting, “Help! I’m in a conflagration, not just a campfire!”
Sentence: The conflagration destroyed several homes in the area.

Contretemps (KON-truh-tahn)

Meaning: A small disagreement or mishap.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of two friends arguing over spilled soup, saying, “This contretemps won’t ruin our dinner!”
Sentence: Their contretemps at the meeting was quickly resolved.

Conviction (kuhn-VIK-shun)

Meaning: A strong belief or principle held with confidence.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a judge banging a gavel and declaring, “My conviction is that pineapple belongs on pizza!”
Sentence: He spoke with such conviction that everyone was convinced.

Croon (kroon)

Meaning: Sing softly, typically in a sentimental manner.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a grandpa rocking in his chair, crooning lullabies to the cat.
Sentence: She would croon her favorite songs while doing the dishes.

Depose (dih-POHZ)

Meaning: Forcibly remove someone from office or power.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a king being deposed and reluctantly handing over his crown, muttering, “Fine, take it!”
Sentence: The rebels sought to depose the corrupt leader.

Detente (day-TAHNT)

Meaning: A period of improved relations between countries, especially when tensions have been high.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture two world leaders sharing a pizza and calling it a “pizza of detente.”
Sentence: The summit resulted in a detente between the previously warring nations.

Dowdy (DOW-dee)

Meaning: Lacking style or elegance; out of fashion.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a fashion critic pointing at a dress and yelling, “That’s so dowdy, it hurts my eyes!”
Sentence: She felt her wardrobe was too dowdy for the gala event.

Echelon (ESH-uh-lon)

Meaning: A level or tier within a system or organization.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a ladder labeled “echelon,” where people climb to higher levels saying, “Onwards!”
Sentence: She reached the upper echelons of the company after years of hard work.

Ennui (ahn-WEE)

Meaning: A feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction due to a lack of excitement or interest.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a cat lying on its back sighing, “Life is full of ennui without new toys.”
Sentence: The endless routine left him with a sense of ennui.

Expatiate (ek-SPAY-shee-ayt)

Meaning: Talk or write in great detail about a topic.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a professor expatiating about the history of toast for hours while everyone falls asleep.
Sentence: She could expatiate on the virtues of organic farming for hours.

Fraught (frawt)

Meaning: Filled with tension, stress, or negative emotions.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a tightrope walker, saying, “This walk is fraught with danger!”
Sentence: The meeting was fraught with disagreement and hostility.

Fulcrum (FULL-krum)

Meaning: The main factor or element that plays a pivotal role in a situation.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a giant seesaw where the fulcrum is labeled “key to success!”
Sentence: The player’s performance was the fulcrum of the team’s victory.

Imbroglio (im-BROHL-yoh)

Meaning: A complex and confusing situation, often of a messy or controversial nature.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a cat tangled in yarn, exclaiming, “This is quite the imbroglio!”
Sentence: The scandal created an imbroglio that the company struggled to escape.

Jocund (JOH-kund)

Meaning: Merry and in high spirits; exhibiting happiness.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a jolly clown named Jocund dancing and handing out balloons while everyone laughs.
Sentence: The children were in a jocund mood after the surprise party.

Languish (LANG-gwish)

Meaning: Become weak or feeble, often from neglect or lack of attention.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a plant wilting in a corner, sighing, “I’m languishing without water or love.”
Sentence: The neglected project began to languish after months of inattention.

Nadir (NAY-deer)

Meaning: The absolute lowest point or worst moment.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a person falling into a deep well yelling, “This is the nadir of my life!”
Sentence: Losing his job was the nadir of his career.

Nimble (NIM-buhl)

Meaning: Quick and agile in movement or thinking.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a ninja flipping and dodging obstacles, shouting, “Call me Nimble Ninja!”
Sentence: The gymnast was as nimble as a cat on the balance beam.

Ominous (AH-min-us)

Meaning: Indicating that something unfavorable is likely to happen.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of dark clouds forming in the sky, whispering, “Something ominous is brewing.”
Sentence: The thunder was an ominous sign of the coming storm.

Outlandish (out-LAN-dish)

Meaning: Strange, unusual, or bizarre in appearance or style.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine someone walking down the street wearing a dress made of spaghetti shouting, “I’m outlandishly stylish!”
Sentence: Her outlandish outfit turned heads at the event.

Propitious (proh-PISH-us)

Meaning: Favorable; advantageous.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a fortune teller saying, “This is a propitious time to buy a lottery ticket!”
Sentence: The sunny weather was propitious for their picnic plans.

Prurient (PROOR-ee-uhnt)

Meaning: Displaying or prompting an undue interest in sexual matters.
Funny Mnemonic: Picture a nosy neighbor peeking through the blinds, whispering, “What prurient drama will I find today?”
Sentence: The novel’s prurient content was criticized by many readers.

Sadistic (suh-DIS-tik)

Meaning: Taking pleasure in causing pain or suffering to others.
Funny Mnemonic: Think of a villain laughing maniacally while saying, “I enjoy being sadistic, mwahaha!”
Sentence: The sadistic ruler enjoyed tormenting his prisoners.

Zenith (ZEE-nith)

Meaning: The point at which something attains its maximum strength or power.
Funny Mnemonic: Imagine a rocket flying to the highest point in space and saying, “I’ve reached my zenith!”
Sentence: Her performance reached its zenith during the final act of the play.