Speak Vocabulary

Abysmal [adjective] Miserable; too deep or great to be measured; extremely bad. [The abysmal canyon seemed to descend forever].

Bigoted [adjective] Blinded by obstinate or stubborn devotion to a party or creed. [The bigoted party leader shared his hate with his followers].

Conundrum [noun] A riddle, especially one with a double-meaning. [For Mr. Rustin, the Rubik Cube is a conundrum that he just can’t figure out].

Demure [adjective] Reserved, quiet, staid; affecting to be grave or decorous. [The demure woman hated to be the center of attention].

Detonate [verb] To explode with a loud report; to set off an explosion. [The bandit waited to detonate the dynamite until the train was crossing the bridge].

Dormant [adjective] Not acting; in a state of suspension. [The inactive volcano remained dormant for several centuries].

Expiration [noun] The act of breathing out; the process of dying away; coming to an end. [The expiration date on the rotten milk gallon had passed several weeks ago].

Fungal [adjective] Relating to something that grows or springs up rapidly; diseased, spongy growth. [The fungal samples were carefully laid out for the lab experiment].

Germination [noun] The act of sprouting; the process of starting to grow or develop. [The seed eventually showed signs of germination, finally sending a green shoot up above the soil].

Idiot Savants [noun] Mentally-handicapped individuals who exhibit genius in a highly specialized area. [In the movie Rain Man, Dustin Hoffman plays an idiot savant who is capable of great things despite his mental handicap].

Imperial [adjective] Of an empire; majestic. [The imperial building seemed to spread for miles].

Indoctrination [noun] State of being taught a doctrine, belief, or principle. [The television routinely gives its viewers an indoctrination, teaching watchers various cultural messages].

Inspiration [noun] The process of breathing in; creative force or influence. [For her source of inspiration, the painter often raided dumpsters to find strange discarded objects to paint].

Interim [adjective/noun] Meantime; temporary; intervening. [The interim priest would only be in the church on a temporary basis until a permanent replacement could be found].

Muse [noun] Source of inspiration. [Homer, the greek poet who wrote The Odyssey, invoked the Muses for inspiration at the beginning of his epic poem].

Profoundly [adverb] Strongly, deeply, intensely. [The movie was profoundly disturbing, containing violent images and jarring sounds].

Suffragettes [noun] Advocates of women’s right to vote. [Suffragettes crusaded fearlessly for a woman’s right to vote].

Tenacious [adjective] Holding fast; persistent. [The tenacious barfly tried again to get the attention of the standoffish woman].

Vespiary [noun] A nest or colony of social wasps. [The vespiary was humming with activity as the social wasps moved about their nest].

Wistful [adjective] Longing, sad, melancholy. [The dog peered into the bowl of pasta with a wistful look, longing for a quick snack].