VOCAB WORDS

SUBJUGATION

• noun
• Def. The state of being submissive or subservient; being brought under complete control
• The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place.
• "And, of course, it must be asked: is it proper to transact with the Turks for the most reassured of Greek possessions when Greece is under Turkish invasion and subjugation?" -Melina Mercouri

undulating

• adjective
• Def. to move with wavelike motion; display an alternation of movement
• The water made graceful undulating movements in the moonlight when I skipped rocks off it.
• "Whether being battered by the surf or swimming through the gentle undulating surface of lakes, I find inspiration in the movement of water. Sometimes I think about the journey the water has traveled, reconnecting me to the larger cycles of nature." -Janet Echelman

COPIOUS

• adjective
• Def. in large number or quantity; numerous
• There was a copious amount of nuclear missiles during the Cold War.
• "With copious evidence ranging from Plato's haughtiness to Beethoven's tirades, we may conclude that the most brilliant people of history tend to be a prickly lot." -Stephen Jay Gould

CONGENIAL

• adjective
• Def. friendly, having the same nature, tastes and interests; easy-going
• My friend Duncan and I are congenial in many ways.
• "Blessed is the man who has some congenial work, some occupation in which he can put his heart, and which affords a complete outlet to all the forces there are in him." -John Burroughs

FASTIDIOUSNESS

• noun
• Def. trait of being
• A fastidious of mine is that I love to read.
• "Those two are a fastidious couple. She's fast and he's hideous." -Henny Youngman

FEIGN

• verb
• Def. to give a false appearance; to fake
• The criminal feigned surprise to an amusement in court.
• "I would tell anyone who wants something from someone else to feign not wanting it. People are perverse. If you show great affection to them, they'll run the other way." -Hedy Lamarr

PREEMINENTLY

• adverb
• Def. having importance; in a superior way
• The president is a preeminently interesting person.
• "In the scheme of our national government, the presidency is preeminently the people's office." -Grover Cleveland

POSTERITY

• noun
• Def. all future generations
• Everyone on my dad's side of my family that is kids/ grand kids etc is my great great grandma's posterity
• "Posterity! You will never know how much it cost the present generation to preserve your freedom! I hope you will make a good use of it. " -John Adams

progeny

• noun
• Def. a descendent or offspring, as a child
• I am a progeny of my grandma and my mom and dad.
• "Nature favors those organisms which leave the environment in better shape for their progeny to survive." -James Lovelock

QUINTESSENTIAL

• adjective
• Def. the most perfect embodiment of something
• I always want a quintessential tree for Christmas.
• "My father was the quintessential husband and dad. " -Sidney Poitier

SCRUPULOUS

• adjective
• Def. with strict regard for what is considered right or proper
• The military are very scrupulous.
• "Science is properly more scrupulous than dogma. Dogma gives a charter to mistake, but the very breath of science is a contest with mistake, and must keep the conscience alive." -George Eliot

VACILLATE

• verb
• Def. to hesitate between choices, to sway
• I vacillated when I could only have a frosty or popcorn.
• "I don't like politicians who vacillate." -Eliot Spitzer

ZEALOUS

• adjective
• Def. ardently active, devoted or diligent
• I am a zealous reader.
• "Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in the desert." -Khalil Gibran

discern

• verb
• Def. to detect or identify with your senses
• Sherlock homes was a master at discerning clues.
• "As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being." -Carl Jung

ENIGMATIC

• adjective
• something hard to understand
• Why electricity only travels through certain objects is enigmatic.
• "The charm of history and its enigmatic lesson consist in the fact that, from age to age, nothing changes and yet everything is completely different." -Aldous Huxley

FACETIOUS

• adjective
• not meant to be taken seriously, amusing
• Jokes I make are facetious not a serious matter.
• I don't want to sound facetious, but humour is the key to the soul. You know what I mean?" -Martin Lawrence

gratuitous

• adjective
• Def. given without receiving anything in return
• I gratuitously donate to church every Sunday.
• "A decent government with an effective, but not gratuitously violent, police force and a fair court system are essential. This deters and incapacitates psychopaths, bullies and hotheads - and if it earns the confidence of the people, they don't have to become violent in self-defence." -Steven Pinker

rhetorical

• adjective
• Def. asked merely for effect with no answer expected
• When my parents are yelling at me their questions are usually rhetorical.
• "Wealth, religion, military victory have more rhetorical than efficacious worth." -George Santayana

riveted

• verb
• Def. attracted and held the attention of completely
• I have seen many people become riveted to the TV.
• "I love watching old movies, and some of the holiday-themed ones are really great. I also have a bizarre thing that I'll do: I'll turn on a foreign-language TV station, usually Spanish, and watch a whole show, riveted, even though I have no idea what anyone is saying. I don't know why I find that so addictive, but I do!" -John Travolta

ubiquitous

• adjective
• Def. existing or being everywhere, especially at the same time
• Theoretically if you believe in Jesus and God then God is ubiquitous.
• "I think you have a passion and an obsession for something when it's not necessarily ubiquitous." -J. J. Abrams