boom, n. A period of business prosperity, industrial expansion, etc. Boom and bust refer to the economy in general; bear and bull refer specifiaclly to the stock market or to individual market.
Record- high housing starts contributed to the boom market in the fourth quarter.
begrudge, v. to regard with displeasure or disapproval. Begrudge is more passive than either despise or abhor; begrudge implies that you allow sth to occur even though you don`t like it.
Joyce did her best to manage her phobia and not begrudge her son an ant farm in his room.
despise, v. To regard with dislike or repugnance. Despise implies a strong emotional response toward that which one regards with contempt or aversion; compare with abhor, which is a more intense physical response.
The exterminator grew to despise Joyce`s monthly appointment; she wouldn`t let him leave until every corner of the house had been inspected.
fanatic, n. A person whose extreme zeal, piety, and so on goes beyond what is reasonable. The word fan comes from the word fanatic.
Once he got the new CD changer installed, Frank became a fanatic; within a month, he purchased over a hundred compact discs.
covet, v. to want ardently (espicially sth that another person has); to long for with envy. Coveting id more extreme that desiring.
Frank began to covet his neighbhor`s new home theater system.
meticulous, adj. careful.
The meticulous musician had nothing but disdain for his disprganized friends.
elapse, v. to slip by; (of time) to pass.
Inadvertently, Emma had allowed two months to elapse before paying her rent.
coerce, v. to force.
The elusive fugitive was coerced by his attorney into surrendering.
zealous, adj. enthusiastic.
The fund raiser was so zealous that he solicited money from a Salvation Army Santa Claus.
corroborate, v. to confirm; to support.
Even the swindler`s nefarious accomplice refused to corroborate his alibi.
extricate, v. to free from difficulties; distangle.
If you let your assignments pile up, you may get into a situation from which you will not be able to extricate yourself.
extemporaneous, adj. composed or spoken without preparation; offhand; impromptu; improvised.
It was easy to tell that the speaker`s talk was memorized, though he tried to make it seem extemporaneous.
exonerate, v. to free from blame; to clear from accusation.
The other driver exonerated Dad of any responsibility for the accident.
equitable, adj. fair to all concerned; just.
The only equitable way for the three partners to share the 60$ profit is for each to receive 20$.
dissent, v. to differ in opinion; to disagree; to object.
There was nearly complete agreement on Al`s proposal to raise the dues. Enid and Alice were the only ones who dissented.
discharge, v. to unload.
After discharging her cargo, the ship will go into drydock for repairs.
censure, n. act of blaming; expression of disapproval; hostile criticism; rebuke.
Cathy was about to reach for a third slice of cake but was stopped by a look of censure in Mother`s eyes.
astute, adj. shrewd; wise; crafty; cunning.
The only one to solve the riddle before the five minutes were up was Joel; he is a very astute thinker.
adjourn, v. to close ameeting; to suspend the business of a metting; to disband.
When we visited Washington D. C., Congress was not in session; it had addjurned for Thanksgiving weekend.
winsome, adj. Attractive in a sweet, engaging way; charming.
The young intern`s winsome good looks made her a popular lunchtime companion for the men in the department.
enticing, v. That which attracts by offering hope of reward or pleasure. One is allured by the qualities of a thing itself; one is enticed by an end result related to a thing.
The prospect of making a million dollar impact was enticing to Richard.
alluring, adj. Highly attractive. If something is alluring, it is highly desirable; one wishes to possess a thing or person that is alluring.
The new convertible was alluring; all the guys on the bowling team were lusting after her.
charismatic, adj. Of having, or resulting from a special charm taht inspires fascination or devotion. Leaders often possess charisma that insire their followers. A person with charisma is charming.
Mr Xavier had proven himself a charismatic leader; he was was able to charm his way through any situation.
mediagenic, adj. Attractive and appealing to viewers and readers of the new media. Mediagenic celebrties often define a society`s view of beauty at any given time.
Mr. Xavier wanted someone more mediagenic as the spokeperson for the new product.
phlegmatic, adj. calm; hard to rouse to action.
Harriet`s egregious error disturbed even her phlegmatic employer.
sanguine, adj. optimistic.
Because the malignancy had gone unchecked, the surgeon were not sanguine about the patient`s chance.
garbled, adj. confused, mixed up.
Although the message was garbled, its salient points were clear enough.
poignant, adj. painful to the feeling; sharply sad.
The sermon was poignant enough to bring tears to the brash delinquent`s eyes.
inundate, v. to flood; to arrive in large number.
Even though his boat was almost indundated, the skipper was loath to radio for help.