Characteristics and Disposition: English Vocabulary List

taking risks that are bold and shocking

"The plan is audacious."

"The plan is audacious and risky but if it works it will make us very rich."

related to or belonging to the Western branch of the Christian Church that is led by the Pope

"She is Catholic."

"The Catholic church holds mass every Sunday and many families attend services together followed by lunch and time with relatives."

useful to each other or enhancing each other's qualities when brought together

"The colors are complementary."

"The complementary colors of blue and orange look beautiful together in this painting."

believing things easily even without much evidence that leads to being easy to deceive

"She is credulous and believes anything."

"She is credulous and believes every advertisement she sees without questioning whether it is true or not."

showing a polite, dignified, and appropriate manner of behaving

"The behavior was decorous."

"The behavior was decorous and appropriate for a formal dinner with important guests."

filled with grief and sorrow

"Her expression is doleful."

"The dog had a doleful expression on its face when its owner left for work and it sat by the door waiting for her to return."

slightly strange in behavior, appearance, or ideas

"My uncle is eccentric."

"The eccentric old man wore mismatched socks and a top hat every day and he talked to the pigeons in the park as if they were his friends."

having a position or quality that is noticeably great and respected

"She is an eminent scientist."

"The university invited an eminent historian to speak about the causes of the war and the lecture hall was completely full."

deserving of admiration or approval

"She is an estimable colleague."

"She is an estimable colleague who always meets her deadlines and helps others with their work."

existing despite being extremely old

"The ruins are extant."

"The manuscript is still extant and is kept in a special vault at the university library."

talking a great deal, particularly about trivial things

"My aunt is garrulous."

"The garrulous old man talked for hours about his childhood and nobody could get a word in edgewise because he would not stop speaking."

lacking proper consideration and foresight, especially when it comes to savings and money

"He is improvident with money."

"He is improvident with money and spends his entire paycheck within the first few days of receiving it."

(of beliefs, behaviors, habits, etc.) existing for so long and so deeply rooted that has made changing very difficult

"The habit is ingrained."

"The habit is ingrained and she brushes her teeth every morning without even thinking about it."

moving in a slow, effortless, and attractive manner

"The cat stretched languid."

"The hot summer afternoon made everyone feel languid and they lay on the couches fanning themselves instead of going outside to play."

prone to unpredicted and sudden changes

"Her mood is mercurial."

"The mercurial actress could be laughing one moment and crying the next and nobody knew what mood she would be in."

treating someone in a seemingly friendly manner but in reality treating them as if they are below one in importance and intelligence

"His tone is patronizing."

"His tone is patronizing and he speaks to me as if I were a child who cannot understand simple things."

trying too hard to attract attention or impress others

"She is pretentious."

"The pretentious art critic used complicated words to describe simple paintings and everyone thought he was just trying to sound more intelligent than he actually was."

likely to become a reality in the future

"A prospective buyer arrived."

"The prospective student visited the campus and met with professors before deciding which university to attend in the fall."

impatient to move or progress, especially due to confinement or obstruction from desired movement

"The crowd became restive."

"The crowd became restive after waiting for two hours and started shouting at the security guards."

consisting of fundamental and basic principles

"Basic is rudimentary."

"I have rudimentary knowledge of Spanish and can only say hello goodbye and please and thank you."

taking place at precisely the same time

"Two simultaneous explosions happened."

"The simultaneous release of both products surprised competitors, who expected them to launch separately."

occurring at the exact same speed or time

"The movements were synchronous."

"The movements were synchronous and the dancers moved together as if they were one single body."

tending to be reserved and untalkative, in a way that makes one seem unfriendly

"He is a taciturn man."

"He is a taciturn man who says very little and prefers to listen rather than speak."

having the ability to stay composed and calm in difficult circumstances

"My boss is unflappable."

"My boss is unflappable and never gets upset even when everything goes wrong at once."

generously giving something such as help, money, time, praise, etc.

"She gave unstinting support."

"She gave unstinting support to her son throughout his long battle with cancer."

to insult or make fun of someone as if they are stupid or worthless

"Do not deride their ideas."

"It is unkind to deride your colleagues' suggestions, even if you think they are not practical."

to trick someone into believing something that is not true

"The scammer dupes elderly people easily."

"The scammer managed to dupe the elderly woman into giving him access to her entire bank account."

to speak or behave aggressively toward someone and try to force them into doing something

"He hectors his employees constantly."

"The older brother would constantly hector his younger sister about her messy room and her bad grades at school."

something that deviates from what is considered normal, expected, or standard

"The statistical anomaly was investigated."

"The sudden drop in temperature during summer was an anomaly that puzzled even the experienced meteorologists."

the way of behaving that is considered to be morally and socially correct and acceptable

"She questioned propriety."

"He always behaved with great propriety, never saying anything inappropriate in public."

behaving in a mean and disrespectful manner with no concern for others

"His tone was abrasive."

"His personality is abrasive and he often offends people without meaning to because he is too blunt."

having more than one possible meaning or interpretation

"His answer was ambiguous."

"The ambiguous wording of the contract created uncertainty about the exact terms and conditions for both parties involved."

having an inclusive nature, characterized by openness and acceptance toward different viewpoints or aspects of human experience

"His views are catholic."

"Her catholic approach to art welcomed influences from diverse cultures, resulting in a unique and vibrant creative expression."

having a humorous and joking manner

"He is in a jocular mood."

"He is in a jocular mood today and keeps telling jokes and making everyone laugh."

moving in a slow, effortless, and attractive manner

"Her movement is languid."

"The languid movements of the cat showed that it was relaxed and comfortable and it stretched slowly before curling up for a nap."

lacking experience and wisdom due to being young

"She is naive."

"The naive young woman believed everything the charming stranger told her and she was shocked when he disappeared with all of her savings."

without any preparation or prior thought

"He answered offhand."

"When asked about his future plans, he gave an offhand response, indicating he hadn't given the matter much serious consideration."

to react in an angry, aggressive, or defensive manner

"He bristles at unfair criticism."

"The dog bristled with anger when a stranger approached its owner too quickly and aggressively."

to express great regret or sorrow for something

"The article bemoans the decline of manners."

"The article bemoans the decline of traditional values in modern society and the loss of community spirit."

the quality of showing loyalty and faithfulness to someone or something

"He swore fidelity to his partner."

"He showed great fidelity to his wife and family throughout their long and happy marriage."

to express dissatisfaction with something

"Do not bemoan failure."

"Instead of continuing to bemoan the lost opportunity, she decided to focus her energy on planning for the next venture."