obdurate [ OB-doo-rit, -dyoo'- ] | | [ adjective ] | | MEANING : | | 1. unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding. 2. stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent | | USAGE EXAMPLE 1 : | | His obdurate innings saved the match for his team.
| | USAGE EXAMPLE 2 : | | A difficult aspect of Louis Boudin's legacy is illustrated by his obdurate attempt to join the first convention of the International Workers of the World, known as the "Wobblies", on June 27, 1905, in Chicago. ABC News, Book Excerpt: Family Circle, The Boudins and the Aristocracy of the Left | | malcontent [ mal-kuh' n-TENT ] | | [ noun, adjective ] | | MEANING : | | 1. (n.) a disgruntled or displeased person 2. (adj.) disgruntled, displeased or dissatisfied | | USAGE EXAMPLE 1 : | | The journalist's constant criticisms of every administration's foibles proved that he was a political malcontent.
| | USAGE EXAMPLE 2 : | | That bothers Rich "Downtown" Brown, a wiry chain-smoking malcontent. National Geographic, ZipUSA: 33856, By Melba Newsome | | nether [ NETH' -er ] | | [ adjective ] | | MEANING : | | 1. lower, below or under 2. positioned below or under the surface of the earth 3. infernal | | USAGE EXAMPLE 1 : | | Not much is known to us about the nether regions lying in the Earth's crust.
| | USAGE EXAMPLE 2 : | | This nether world runs just below the surface of the world of bedecked and manipulative brides, and is defined by superstition, black magic, occult, witchcraft, planchette, rebirth and evil spirits. The Times of Inda, Dark deeds of another worls invades TV, Piali Banerjee, Nov 30, 2003 | | nonagenarian [ non-uh'-juh'-NAIR-ee-uh' n, noh-nuh'- ] | | [ noun ] | | MEANING : | | a person whose age is in the nineties | | USAGE EXAMPLE 1 : | | My nonagenarian grandfather remains healthy thanks to the daily walk he has taken for the past sixty years.
| | USAGE EXAMPLE 2 : | | And there were such activities as practicing scales on the piano, playing bridge, reading, and agonizing with friends over America's current quagmire. Not too bad a life for a nonagenarian. ABC News, Excerpt: 'The Red Leather Diary', Lily Koppel, June 30, 2008 | | bric-a-brac [ BRIK-uh'-brak ] | | [ noun ] | | MEANING : | | an assortment of small articles collected chiefly for decoration or sentimental value | | USAGE EXAMPLE 1 : | | The host's sitting room was full of expensive bric-a-brac that he had assiduously collected over the years.
| | USAGE EXAMPLE 2 : | | Need to dust that collection of glass animals or other delicate items? Put on some fabric gloves -- the softer the better -- to clean your bric-a-brac thoroughly. Reader's Digest, Dusting , From Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things | |
Spelled Pronunciation Key Stress marks: [ CAPS ] indicates the primary stressed syllable, as in newspaper [NOOZ-pey-per ] and information [ in-fer-MEY-shuh' n ] CONSONANTS | [b] | boy, baby, rob | [d] | do, ladder, bed | [f] | food, offer, safe | [g] | get, bigger, dog | [h] | happy, ahead | [j] | jump, budget, age | [k] | can, speaker, stick | [l] | let, follow, still | [m] | make, summer, time | [n] | no, dinner, thin | [ng] | singer, think, long | [p] | put, apple, cup | [r] | run, marry, far, store | [s] | sit, city, passing, face | [sh] | she, station, push | [t] | top, better, cat | [ch] | church, watching, nature, witch | [th] | thirsty, nothing, math | [th'] | this, mother, breathe | [v] | very, seven, love | [w] | wear, away | [hw] | where, somewhat | [y] | yes, onion | [z] | zoo, easy, buzz | [zh] | measure, television, beige | | | VOWELS | [a] | apple, can, hat | [ey] | aid, hate, day | [ah] | arm, father, aha | [air] | air, careful, wear | [aw] | all, or, talk, lost, saw | [e] | ever, head, get | [ee] | eat, see, need | [eer] | ear, hero, beer | [er] | teacher, afterward, murderer | [i] | it, big, finishes | [ahy] | I, ice, hide, deny | [o] | odd, hot, woffle | [oh] | owe, road, below | [oo] | ooze, food, soup, sue | [oo'] | good, book, put | [oi] | oil, choice, toy | [ou] | out, loud, how | [uh] | up, mother, mud | [uh'] | about, animal, problem, circus | [ur] | early, bird, stirring | | | FOREIGN SOUNDS | [a*] | Fr. ami | [kh*] | Scot. loch, Ger. ach or ich | [œ] | Fr. feu, Ger. schön | [r*] | Fr. au revoir, Yiddish rebbe | [uh*] | Fr. oeuvre | [y*] | Fr. tu, Ger. über | | | SAMPLE NASALIZED VOWELS | [an*] | Fr. bien | [ahn*] | Fr. croissant | [awn*] | Fr. bon | [œn*] | Fr. parfum | [in*] | Port. Principe | | |
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