The Highly Selective Dictionary for the Extraordinarily Literate (35 page)

redolent
(RED-
e
-l
e
nt)
adjective

1. having a strong smell, odorous.

2. having a pleasing smell, fragrant.

3. strongly suggestive, reminiscent.

Related works:
redolence
and
redolency
both nouns
,
redolently
adverb
.

redundant
(ri-DUN-d
e
nt)
adjective

1. no longer needed; superfluous.

2. verbose, unnecessarily repetitive.

3. of equipment in a system, having more than the minimum needed for safe operation; back-up.

Related words:
redundancy
noun
,
redundantly
adverb
.

refectory
(ri-FEK-t
e
-ree)
noun, plural
refectories

the dining hall of a monastery, college, or similar institution.

refractory
(ri-FRAK-t
e
-ree)
adjective

1. resisting control or discipline.

2. of a disease or other abnormal condition, not yielding to treatment.

3. of a substance, resistant to heat; hard to fuse or work.

Related words:
refractories
plural noun
meaning
bricks used to line kilns
,
refractorily
adverb
,
refractoriness
noun
.

refulgent
(ri-FUL-j
e
nt)
adjective

1. shining brightly, gleaming.

2. radiant.

Related words:
refulgence, refulgency
, and
refulgentness
all nouns
;
refulgently
adverb
.

regimen
(REJ-
e
-m
e
n)
noun

1. a prescribed course of exercise or way of life, especially a diet.

2. a government; a regime.

regretful
(ri-GRET-f
e
l)
adjective

full of regret, especially for something lost, done, gone, etc.

Do not confuse
regretful
with
regrettable
, which see.

Related words:
regretfully
adverb
,
regretfulness
noun
.

regrettable
(ri-GRET-
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

1. causing or deserving regret.

2. unfortunate.

Do not confuse
regrettable
with
regretful
. Actions, accidents, errors, and the like may be
regrettable
. People may feel
regretful
. So while you will surely make
regrettable
mistakes from time to time and feel properly
regretful
about your lapses, choose correctly when you are considering whether to use
regretful
or
regrettable
.

Related words:
regrettableness
noun
,
regrettably
adverb
.

reify
(REE-
e
-
F
I
)
verb

1. convert mentally into a thing.

2. materialize.

Related word:
reification
(
REE
-
e
-fi-KAY-sh
e
n)
noun
.

religiose
(ri-LIJ-ee-
OHS
)
adjective

unduly occupied with religion, excessively religious.

Do not confuse
religiose
with
religious
, with a meaning easily understood. People who are
religious
are not necessarily
religiose
.

religious
(ri-LIJ-
e
s)
adjective

See
religiose
.

reliquary
(REL-i-
KWER
-ee)
noun, plural
reliquaries

a receptacle or a shrine for relics.

remanent
(REM-
e
-n
e
nt)
adjective

of a substance or electrical activity, remaining; residual.

Related word:
remanence
noun
.

remonstrate
(ri-MON-strayt)
verb

1. make a protest.

2. plead in protest.

Related words:
remonstrance
(ri-MON-str
e
ns),
remonstration
(
REE
-mon-STRAY-sh
e
n), and
remonstrator
(ri-MON-stray-t
e
r)
all nouns
;
remonstrative
(ri-MON-str
e
-tiv)
adjective
;
remonstratively
(ri-MON-str
e
-tiv-lee) and
remonstratingly
(ri-MON-strayting-lee)
both adverbs
.

renitent
(REN-i-t
e
nt)
adjective

1. resistant to pressure.

2. persistently opposing; recalcitrant.

Related words:
renitence
and
renitency
,
both nouns
.

repine
(ri-P
I
N)
verb

1. be discontented.

2. fret.

Related word:
repiner
noun
.

retroussé
(
RE
-troo-SAY)
adjective

especially of the nose, turned up at the tip.

revenant
(REV-
e
-n
e
nt)
noun

one who returns from the dead or from exile etc.

revile
(ri-V
I
L)
verb

criticize angrily in abusive language.

Related words:
revilement
and
reviler
both nouns
,
revilingly
adverb
.

rhabdomantist
(RAB-d
e
-
MAN
-tist)
noun

a person who practices divination by means of a rod or wand to locate underground ore etc.; a dowser.

Related word:
rhabdomancy
(RAB-d
e
-
MAN
-see)
noun
.

riparian
(ri-PAIR-ee-
e
n)
adjective

of or on a riverbank.

risible
(RIZ-
e
-b
e
l)
adjective

1. of or relating to laughter.

2. causing laughter.

3. laughable, ludicrous, comical.

Related word:
risibility
(
RIZ
-
e
-BIL-i-tee)
noun
.

rodomontade
(
ROD
-
e
-mon-TAYD)
noun

1. boastful talk.

2. (
adjective
) boastful, bragging.

3. (
verb
) boast, brag.

4. (
verb
) rant.

roister
(ROY-st
e
r)
verb

1. revel noisily.

2. act boisterously.

Related words:
roisterous
adjective
,
roisterously
adverb
.

rotund
(roh-TUND)
adjective

1. rounded, plump.

2. of the mouth, rounded in speaking or singing.

3. of speech etc., sonorous, full-toned.

Do not confuse
rotund
in sense 3 with
orotund
, which see. While the two adjectives are similar in spelling and both are used to characterize sounds made by the human voice, they carry different meanings.
Orotund
is defined as
with full voice, imposing, dignified; pompous, pretentious
.
Rotund
in sense 3 means
sonorous, full-toned
. Close, but no cigar. Notice particularly the final words of the definition of
orotund
:
pompous, pretentious
. In this sense
orotund
is far from complimentary, while
rotund
in sense 3 indicates nothing but praise for the characteristic thus described. So take care when using these troublesome adjectives.