The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart (3 page)

We found it impossible to follow the BYZANTINE plot of how Eileen made Mariah a laughingstock by replacing her Prada shoes with nearly identical knockoffs.

cabal
(kah-BAHL), noun

An underground society, secret religious sect, or other private group assembled for purposes hidden from those around them.

I was shocked when our neighbor asked us to join a CABAL of devil worshippers; after all, he is a deacon at the local church!

cabotage
(KAB-uh-tij), noun

The right of a country to control all air traffic flying in its skies.

After 9/11, CABOTAGE became a major concern of New York City and its mayor.

cache
(KASH), noun

Something hidden or stored.

Everyone was jealous when they learned of Moira’s CACHE of acceptances to the finest schools.

caducous
(kuh-DOO-kuss), adjective

Transitory; short-lived; perishable.

“Some thing, which I fancied was a part of me, falls off from me and leaves no scar. It was CADUCOUS.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, essayist, and transcendentalist

calumny
(KAL-um-nee), noun

The act of libel or slander; to besmirch a person’s reputation by spreading false statements and rumors.

“CALUMNY will sear virtue itself.” –William Shakespeare

cannonade
(CAN-non-ayd), noun

A continuous, relentless bombardment or effort.

A CANNONADE of questioning greeted Eva’s statement that she was quitting the club’s tennis team.

capacious
(kuh-PAY-shus), adjective

A huge open space; roomy; a large interior or room.

All of our meetings take place in the golf club’s CAPACIOUS private auditorium.

capitulation
(kah-pih-chew-LAY-shun), noun

The act of surrendering or giving up.

Ross offered James no CAPITULATION during the confrontational lacrosse game.

capricious
(kah-PREE-shus), adjective

Prone to quickly change one’s mind, decision, or course of action at the drop of a hat or on impulse.

“I do not understand the CAPRICIOUS lewdness of the sleeping mind.” – John Cheever, American novelist

captious
(KAP-shuss), adjective

A person who enjoys giving unsolicited advice; a nitpicker; a petty individual who takes pleasure in pointing out the flaws in and mistakes made by others, no matter how small.

Audrey is a CAPTIOUS individual eager to show others how smart she is, often by belittling them.

carouse
(kuh-ROWZ), verb

To engage in boisterous social activity.

We CAROUSED until dawn at the annual New Year’s Eve party that the Weatherton’s hold on their yacht.

castigate
(KAS-tuh-gate), verb

To scold or criticize harshly, with the objective of assigning blame and motivating the other person to correct their error.

The bartender was CASTIGATED by his boss for serving alcohol to two teenage girls without checking their ID first.

catharsis
(kah-THAR-sis), noun

The purging of the senses through tragic drama or through music; or, in general, a discharge of negative emotions.

After losing matches at the club’s courts, Puccini’s
Madama Butterfly
always leads Celeste to CATHARSIS.

caveat
(KAV-ee-ott), noun

A precaution or warning.

Before Arthur applied to college, his sister offered him a CAVEAT: “Many of us do not consider Columbia to be a true Ivy League school.”

chimera
(kih-MER-ah), noun

An object, place, event, or combination of things so strange, odd, and improbable that it logically should not exist in the real world—and yet, it does.

“What a CHIMERA then is humankind. What a novelty! What a monster, what a chaos!” – Blaise Pascal, French philosopher

chivalry
(SHIV-ul-ree), noun

Brave, kind, courteous, or gentlemanly behavior.

“We hear much of CHIVALRY of men towards women; but … it vanishes like dew before the summer sun when one of us comes into competition with the manly sex.” – Martha Coston, American author

cholers
(KOH-lers), noun

The mood of anger, irritability, grumpiness, or being short-tempered and impatient.

When Franklin is in the grip of CHOLERS, even his closest friends avoid his table at the club.

circuitous
(sir-CUE-uh-tuss), adjective

Extremely twisty and winding; indirect.

Blanche called it a shortcut, but her CIRCUITOUS directions caused us to arrive very late at the debutante ball.

circumlocution
(sir-kum-low-CUE-shun), noun

Language that is pompous, overly formal, wordy, and redundant.

Grant used CIRCUMLOCUTION to suggest that he attended a prep school, but all of us know he is a product of public education.

circumspect
(SIR-kum-spekt), adjective

Prudent, cautious, and well considered.

clandestine
(klan-DES-tyne), adjective

Refers to activities that are secret, covert, and perhaps not fully authorized or sanctioned.

“
Clandestine
steps upon imagined stairs / Climb through the night, because his cuckoos call.” – Wallace Stevens, American poet

clarion
(KLAR-ee-uhn), adjective

Clear and shrill, like sound.

On the day classes began at his prep school, Paul groaned at the CLARION call of his morning alarm.

cloying
(KLOYE-ing), adjective

Sickeningly sweet, sappy, or sentimental.

“Minerva save us from the cloying
syrup of coercive compassion!” – Camille Paglia, American author, feminist, and social critic

codify
(KAHD-uh-fye), verb

To organize into a system of rules, codes, or principles; to make clear and coherent.

Fiona set out to CODIFY the rules associated with her exclusive clique.

cogent
(KOH-gent), adjective

A case or argument presented in a reasoned, well-thought-out, logical, compelling, and persuasive manner.

Corey offered a very COGENT argument in favor of insider trading.

cognizant
(KOG-nih-sint), adjective

Aware of the realities of a situation.

Amanda is always COGNIZANT of her acquaintances’ pedigrees.

cognoscente
(kon-yuh-SHEN-tee), noun

Person with superior knowledge or understanding of a particular field.

As a result of my many years living in the Bordeaux region of France, I am very much a COGNOSCENTE of wine and winemaking.

colloquial
(kah-LOW-kwee-ul), adjective

Informal, conversational, everyday language.

commodious
(kah-MOW-dee-us), adjective

Very spacious.

Though COMMODIOUS, the Barrows’ Cape Cod home is austere and lacks charm.

compendious
(kuhm-PEN-dee-us), adjective

Concise, succinct; to the point.

Sheila is unable to tell COMPENDIOUS stories about her trips to the Riviera.

complaisant
(kuhm-PLAY-zuhnt), adjective

Agreeable and eager to please.

Eleanor is far too COMPLAISANT with common strangers.

comport
(kum-PORT), verb

To conduct oneself; to behave in a particular way.

Roger always embarrasses us because he seems to think his family name frees him to COMPORT himself foolishly.

compunction
(kuhm-PUHNGK-shun), noun

Anxiety caused by regret for doing another harm.

Thomas never feels COMPUNCTION for the bruises he leaves on the lacrosse field.

compurgation
(kom-purr-GAY-shun), noun

A practice by which an accused person can be found not guilty if twelve or more people take an oath testifying to the validity of his claim of innocence.

The Anglo-Saxon process of COMPURGATION is the basis of the modern American jury system.

conciliatory
(kon-SILL-ee-ah-tore-ee), adjective

Actions or words meant to settle a dispute or resolve a conflict in a manner that leaves no hard feelings on either side.

“If you are not very clever, you should be CONCILIATORY.” – Benjamin Disraeli, British statesmen and literary figure

concomitant
(KON-koh-mit-ant), noun

Something that exists or occurs with something else.

“Each action of the actor on the stage should be the visible CONCOMITANT of his thoughts.” – Sarah Bernhardt, nineteenth-century French actress and author

concupiscence
(kon-KYOO-pih-suhns), noun

Unbridled lust in the extreme—horniness.

“You’re talking to a young vampire, a fountain of CONCUPISCENCE.” – Mario Acevedo, American fantasy author

confabulate
(kuhn-FAB-yuh-late), verb

To chat or converse informally.

Jarod proceeded to CONFABULATE about the wines most recently added to the family cellar.

consecrate
(KON-seh-krayt), verb

To declare something sacred, true, sacrosanct, or involuble.

“It is regarded as normal to CONSECRATE virginity in general and to lust for its destruction in particular.” – Karl Kraus, Austrian writer

consummate
(KON-suh-mitt), adjective

Complete or perfect; showing supreme skill.

“[John F. Kennedy is] a new star with a tremendous national appeal, the skill of a CONSUMMATE showman.” – Russell Baker, American author

contiguous
(kon-TIG-yew-us), adjective

Adjacent; sharing a common border; sitting next to one another in a row or sequence.

The network extends to the forty-eight CONTIGUOUS states.

contretemps
(KON-truh-tahn), noun

An inopportune occurrence with embarrassing results.

“Pan had been amongst them …the little god Pan, who presides over social CONTRETEMPS and unsuccessful picnics.” – E. M. Forster, English novelist

conundrum
(kuh-NUN-drum), noun

A difficult problem or situation that is not easily resolved.

Knowing whether to attend MIT, Yale, or Harvard was quite a CONUNDRUM: MIT had the courses he wanted, but Harvard and Yale offered him full sports scholarships.

convalescence
(con-vah-LESS-sense), noun

The time you spend recovering from—and getting back to full health—after an illness, during which the patient usually rests while being taken care of by others.

convivial
(kuhn-VIV-ee-ull), adjective

Fond of feasting, drinking, and companionship.

“One does not leave a CONVIVIAL party before closing time.” – Winston Churchill, British statesman and orator

coquette
(ko-KET), noun

A woman who dresses promiscuously or flirts excessively to make men think she is sexually available when in fact she has no intention of sleeping with them.

Marla doesn’t intend to play the COQUETTE at society balls, but her alluring looks attract other debutantes’ dates constantly.

countenance
(KOUN-tn-unts), noun

A facial expression, either deliberate or unconscious, conveying the person’s mood, thoughts, or emotions.

“We romped until the pans / Slid from the kitchen shelf; / My mother’s COUNTENANCE / Could not unfrown itself.” – Theodore Roethke, American poet

coup
(koo), noun

When a person already in a position of power forcibly seizes control.

Sophia took control of her father’s company while he was in the hospital, an act the investors considered a bit of a COUP.

couture
(kuh-TOUR), noun

Clothing in the latest and most popular styles created by in-vogue fashion designers.

If Alyssia does not have the latest COUTURE prior to its debut on Paris runways, she will not deign to consider wearing it.

cull
(KULL), verb

To gather, amass, or collect.

Consumer behavior data was CULLED from online surveys and focus groups.

cynosure
(SIN-uh-sure), noun

A center of attention or attraction.

“This lighthouse was the CYNOSURE of all eyes.” – Henry David Thoreau, American author and transcendentalist