accolade(s) – honor, awards, kudos, acclaim. (often in the plural)
Her performance on the field was so strong that she earned accolades from her opponents and their coaches.
Dan won accolades for his stirring performance in the fall musical.
Dan won accolades for his stirring performance in the fall musical.
jaundiced – (literally: yellow) Most often: cynical, envying, or hostile.
He had heard his boss contradict herself many times, and as a consequence, he had a jaundiced view about her latest announcement to the staff.
equivocate – to go back and forth; to “flip-flop.”
She tried to pin him down about their relationship, but all he could do was equivocate -- he couldn't commit!
fastidious – according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there are three “layers” to this definition:
a : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please.
c : reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude.
For purposes of Friday's quiz, I suggest that you focus on definition c: “reflecting a meticulous, sensitive, or demanding attitude.”
The piano teacher favored students who were fastidious in their rehearsal of scales and arpeggios.
ostracize – to reject; to leave out; to spurn.
Dan, Fred, Ian, and Charlie had been friends throughout eighth grade, but in ninth grade Ian was ostracized by the other three for reasons that never became public.
Spartan – evincing qualities of exceptional self-discipline and courage.
She adopted a Spartan diet after her doctor warned her that she could suffer heart disease as a consequence of being overweight.
vile – abhorrent, obnoxious, distasteful, disgusting,
1. a vile and cowardly act
2. What is that vile odor?
3. His comments were positively vile.
4. She has a vile temper. ~ Merriam-Webster Dictionary online.
analogy – a comparison that stresses the similarities of two distinct processes or entities; often, a comparison between two comparisons.
He made an effective analogy when he compared the hard-working men of our church with the fighting American Marines in World War II.
3 / 6 ~ = ~ 4 / 8
Bargain hunters congregate around the main doorway to the mall in much the same way that bees gather at the entrance of a bee-hive.
evince – to reveal; to display; to show outward evidence of.
She evinced a strong interest in piano music at an early age.
The teenager caught shoplifting seemed to evince no remorse. (Merriam-Webster)
poignant – painfully or powerfully affecting the feelings; touching; moving.
The final movement of the symphony, with its folksongs and dance themes, creates a poignant reminder of the composer’s home in Czechoslovakia.
(P.S. Poignant can also mean “pungently pervasive” as in the case of a strong perfume or odor. ~ Merriam-Webster)
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