From Rags to Riches: English Vocabulary List

to make up for the expense or cost of something

"The grant defrays research expenses partly."

"The generous grant will help to defray the costs of the conference for students who cannot afford to attend."

to take away someone's possession, right, authority, etc.

"The company divests its underperforming assets."

"The company decided to divest itself of its unprofitable divisions to focus on its core business operations."

to rob someone of their money by either overcharging or tricking them

"Scammers fleece tourists with fake tickets."

"The dishonest mechanic tried to fleece the elderly woman by charging her for expensive repairs that her car did not actually need."

to enforce a type of payment, such as fees, taxes, or fines and collect them

"The government will levy taxes."

"The government decided to levy a new tax on imported electronics to protect local manufacturers."

to use deception to obtain someone's money or goods

"The tax mulcts citizens unfairly."

"The corrupt official was convicted for trying to mulct the public treasury by creating fake contracts and pocketing the money."

to not put in the required amount of effort, care, energy, or attention toward one's responsibilities or obligations

"Do not slack on your duties."

"The employees began to slack off as soon as the manager left the office for his lunch break."

to formally present or propose something

"Propose your offer now."

"The contractor decided to tender a bid for the new highway construction project expected to begin next spring."

to financially support a project, activity, etc. and take responsibility for potential loss

"The bank underwrites the new business loan."

"The bank agreed to underwrite the startup's loan so that the young entrepreneurs could get the funding they needed."

the quality of being against generosity and the freedom of thought, action, and expression

"The law's illiberality restricted free speech."

"The illiberality of the university's administration frustrated students who wanted to invite controversial speakers to campus."

(Louisiana) a small bonus or extra gift, often given unexpectedly

"The baker gave us a free cookie as lagniappe."

"The baker always included a small lagniappe with each purchase such as an extra cookie or a piece of candy."

a thing that reduces or neutralizes the effect of another thing

"The company used new revenue to offset the loss."

"The company hoped that increased sales in Europe would offset declining revenue from its struggling domestic market."

a sum of money that is very insufficient

"He earned only a pittance."

"The interns were paid a mere pittance for their work despite the company making millions in annual profits."

a position that is not demanding or difficult but pays well

"The sinecure required little effort."

"Critics accused officials of rewarding allies with comfortable government sinecure positions frequently."

a fixed amount of money given to a person regularly as an allowance or salary

"The graduate student receives a monthly stipend."

"The graduate student received a modest stipend that barely covered rent and food each month."

the willingness to do something that is immoral or dishonest for money

"The government was notorious for its venality."

"The venality of the corrupt officials was exposed when investigators discovered their offshore bank accounts and secret properties."

(of prices) unreasonably or extremely high

"The price is exorbitant."

"The landlord charged an exorbitant rent for the small apartment and the tenants decided to move out because they could not afford it."

careful to not spend money in an unnecessary or wasteful way

"He is frugal."

"The frugal family saved money by growing their own vegetables repairing old clothes and never eating at restaurants even on special occasions like birthdays."

severely lacking money

"The student is impecunious."

"The impecunious artist could not afford to buy new paints so she mixed her own colors from cheap materials she found at the store."

incapable of fulfilling financial obligations due to a lack of money

"He is insolvent."

"The bank declared the business insolvent after it failed to make its loan payments for six months and all of the assets were sold to pay the debts."

spending money very reluctantly

"He is parsimonious."

"The parsimonious man refused to buy new shoes even though his old ones had holes."

involving or about money

"His interest is pecuniary."

"His pecuniary interest in the company motivated him to work harder than anyone else."

extremely poor or unwilling to spend money

"He is penurious."

"The penurious scholar lived in a tiny room, dedicating his life to study rather than comfort."

habitually spending money or other resources in a reckless, extravagant, and wasteful way

"He was prodigal with money."

"The prodigal son returned home after many years and his father welcomed him with open arms."

planning and preparing for the future, particularly by managing one's finances

"She is provident with money."

"She is provident with money and saves a portion of her income every month for retirement."

unwilling to spend or give away money or resources

"He is stingy."

"The stingy millionaire never tipped waiters or donated to charity even though he had more money than he could ever spend in his entire lifetime."

(of a person) careful with money and resources, avoiding unnecessary spending

"She is thrifty."

"The thrifty shopper always looked for coupons and sales before buying anything and she managed to save thousands of dollars over the course of a single year."

to legally form a company or organization and to give it a separate legal identity from its owners

"They incorporate the business."

"The entrepreneurs decided to incorporate their startup to provide limited liability protection."

to make a risky investment while hoping to profit from it

"I speculate on stocks."

"He decided to speculate on the volatile cryptocurrency market, hoping for quick profits."

a thing or method that protects one against potential problems, particularly financial ones

"Investors use a hedge to protect against big losses."

"Investors often buy gold as a hedge against inflation because its price tends to rise when the value of paper currency falls."

an individual who is in the habit of spending money in a careless and wasteful way

"The spendthrift wasted his inheritance."

"The spendthrift wasted his inheritance and was broke within two years of receiving it."

referring to internal disputes among members of the same group

"The war was internecine."

"The war was internecine and caused great suffering within the country as families fought against each other."

generous in giving or expressing

"The party was lavish."

"The wedding reception was a lavish event with hundreds of guests live music and an enormous cake that fed everyone."

final amount after the deduction of all costs

"The weight is net."

"The net profit of the company increased by fifteen percent last year and the shareholders were very pleased with the results."

to merge several financial accounts, debts, funds, into one

"Consolidate your debts."

"Many people choose to consolidate their numerous credit card debts into a single loan."