Vocabulary List #10

Seethe: to boil; to be violently agitated or disturbed

•    Maggie thought her parents would seethe over her cheating. But it was worse than that; they sat quietly and looked very, very disappointed.

•    Tony was seething inside, but he wasn't about to let Hank know it. He smiled calmly and walked on by.

Incompatible: not going together well

•    Bonnie and Jeff are incompatible on road trips. She likes to stop and look at every attraction, and he hates to get off the highway for any reason at all.

•    Alices boss asked her to transfer to another department because the two of them were so incompatible.

paunch: a potbelly

•    Ever since he stopped doing his sit-ups, Mr. Romero had been getting a bit of a paunch.

•    Walt didn't care if he developed a paunch. He would never give up his favorite snack of Mountain Dew and Oreos.

proprietor: the owner of a business

•    Celestina Monarco became the sole proprietor of Monarco s Grocery Store after her husband died.

•    If Tom decided to buy the store, he would then become the proprietor.

Vermin: any of various small, harmful or disgusting animals or insects

•    The run-down building was full of vermin and quite unsuitable for people to live in.

•    If you want to keep your sugar and flour free of vermin, store them in the refrigerator.

Smitten: struck with a powerful feeling; inspired with love

•    Tony was smitten with the new girl in his chemistry class. Because he was concentrating on her and not on his Bunsen burner, he knocked it over and burned a hole in the counter.

•    Yvonne went to the pool every single day all summer long because she was smitten with the lifeguard.

Fickle: very changeable in affection, loyalty, etc.

•    The fickle princess was always changing her mind about which prince she wanted to marry.

•    The fickle fan always cheered for whichever team was winning.

gaunt: thin and bony

•    The artist was gaunt. He had been working so hard on his project that he usually forgot to take time to eat.

•    Other than looking gaunt, the hostage appeared unharmed after being locked up for five days with no food.

Meddle: to interfere in someone else's business

•    Since Mrs. Busby lives alone, meddling in her neighbors' lives makes her own life seem more interesting.

•    Mrs. Vance is always snooping around her daughter s room and meddling in her personal affairs.

Kleptomaniac: someone who is addicted to stealing

•    After Kirsten was picked up a fifth time for shoplifting, her parents won­dered if maybe she was a kleptomaniac.

•    When Lila's grandma moved in with her, she had to keep a constant eye on all her things. Her grandma was known for being a kleptomaniac who stole salt shakers, pillow cases — anything.

Bonus Words

astute: clever; intelligent; cunning

•    Eleanor was astute about investing her money, and she soon became a mil­lionaire.

•    "These footprints are muddy The thief must have come in after it started rain­ing," said the detective, making an observation that wasn't particularly astute.

filibuster: the making of long speeches to prevent a vote on a bill

•    The senators kept the filibuster going for six days. It's a wonder any of them had a voice left afterwards.

•    The 16-hour filibuster was successful. It prevented a vote on the bill.