The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart (10 page)

Luddite
(LUHD-eyt), noun

A person who refuses to use or embrace modern technology.

We would not stop calling Annabel a LUDDITE until she finally got herself a Vertu cell phone like the rest of us.

lugubrious
(loo-GOO-bree-us), adjective

Pessimistic, emotionally downtrodden, spiritually low, sad, or depressed.

Prozac failed to ameliorate the patient’s LUGUBRIOUS outlook on life.

lumerpa
(loo-MER-pa), noun

A mythological radiant bird from Asia that shines so brightly it absorbs its own shadow.

The presence of numerous Waterford crystal chandeliers made the ballroom shine like a LUMERPA.

luminary
(LOO-muh-nair-ee), noun

A person recognized as an inspirational leader in his or her field.

Frederick’s father is a LUMINARY in the field of circumventing most income tax.

lumpenproletariat
(LUM-pen-pro-lih-tear-ee-ut), noun

Term used by Karl Marx to describe uneducated common people.

It’s difficult to pretend to be a member of the LUMPENPROLETARIAT when your car costs more than your next-door neighbor’s house.

lustration
(luh-STRAY-shun), noun

Purification through symbolic or ceremonial means or remembrances.

After Melanie spent six months working with charities in third-world countries, we put her through LUSTRATION by reintroducing her to our favorite luxury boutiques.

lyceum
(LIE-see-um), noun

A school or other place of learning.

Machiavellian
(mack-ee-uh-VEL-ee-uhn), adjective

A somewhat unscrupulous and self-centered individual who is always looking out for his or her own good.

We can hardly be called MACHIAVELLIAN simply because we do what we need to do to hold on to the luxurious lifestyle to which we have become accustomed.

maelstrom
(MAIL-struhm), noun

A situation marked by violence, turbulence, and uncertainty.

Many families who lost their fortunes during the MAELSTROM of the 1929 stock market crash are still trying to regain their social status today.

Magna Carta
(MAG-nah-KAR-tah), noun

Any constitution that guarantees rights and liberties.

The club’s charter is a MAGNA CARTA that will ensure we are able to keep our tennis courts and swimming pools open only to our most significant social contacts.

magnanimous
(mag-NAN-ih-mus), adjective

A kind and generous act.

“In a serious struggle there is no worse cruelty than to be MAGNANIMOUS at an inopportune time.” – Leon Trotsky, Bolshevik revolutionary and Marxist theorist

magnate
(MAG-nayt), noun

A wealthy and prosperous business leader; a tycoon.

Oil MAGNATE T. Boone Pickens is now investing in wind power.

magniloquent
(mag-NILL-uh-kwuhnt), adjective

Pompous, bombastic, and boastful.

The nouveau riche try to atone for their lack of polish with MAGNILOQUENT speech, but the result is ludicrous.

magnum
(MAG-num), noun

An extra-large wine bottle twice the size of a regular wine bottle; a powerful handgun firing large bullets.

We doubted the taste of the event planner when we saw that the tables were filled with distasteful MAGNUMS of wines of questionable vintage.

malapropism
(MAL-ah-prop-ism), noun

Deliberate misuse of a word or mangling of the English language, often done for comic effect.

Since Emily refused to take elocution lessons like the rest of us, her speech is constantly marred by ridiculous MALAPROPISMS.

maleficence
(muh-LEF-ih-sense), noun

To act in a way that deliberately causes harm; behavior driven by evil intentions.

Our upstairs maid’s various acts of MALEFICENCE finally caused her to be released from our family’s employment.

malfeasance
(mal-FEE-zinss), noun

Misbehavior; wrongdoing; illegal, unethical, or immoral conduct.

Gavin insists that insider trading is not MALFEASANCE; it’s merely making good use of all available information.

malleable
(MAL-yah-bull), adjective

Easily molded into different shapes; easily influenced to change one’s opinion or actions.

manifest destiny
(MAN-ih-fest-DESS-tin-ee), noun

Expansion into foreign lands, justified as being necessary or benevolent.

“It’s not greed and ambition that makes wars—it’s goodness. Wars are always fought for the best of reasons, for liberation or MANIFEST DESTINY, always against tyranny and always in the best interests of humanity.” – James Garner in The Americanization of Emily

marginalize
(MAR-jin-ul-eyes), verb

To dismiss something as less important than it actually is.

Francine has too many connections for us to snub her completely, but we have done our best to MARGINALIZE her influence.

marshal
(MAR-shul), verb

To gather all the resources at one’s disposal to achieve a goal.

Patricia MARSHALED all of her social contacts to try to get a front-row ticket for fashion week.

marsupial
(mar-SOUP-ee-uhl), noun

A mammal who carries its young with her after its birth in a pouch on the outside of her body, where the baby continues to develop.

The kangaroo is the best-known MARSUPIAL, but wombats also carry their babies in a pouch.

marzipan
(MAR-zih-pan), noun

A sweet confection made of almond paste, sugar, and egg white, used as a filling in candy or as icing for cake.

masticate
(MAS-tih-kate), verb

To chew, especially to chew thoroughly.

The best way to appreciate the gustatory arts is to MASTICATE your personal chef’s creations at as relaxed a pace as possible.

maudlin
(MAWD-lin), adjective

Foolishly and mawkishly sentimental or emotional.

“It is a MAUDLIN and indecent verity that comes out through the strength of wine.” – Joseph Conrad, Polish-born English novelist

maunder
(MAWN-dehr), verb

To move, speak, or act in a random, meaningless manner.

Ricardo’s speech MAUNDERS so much that you’d never know he was heir to one of Central America’s largest fortunes.

maverick
(MAH-ver-ik), noun

An unorthodox or unconventional person who does what it takes to get things done.

“The rugged individualist is too often mistaken for the misfit, the MAVERICK, the spoilsport, the sore thumb.” – Lewis H. Lapham, former editor of Harper’s Magazine

mawkish
(MAW-kish), adjective

Nauseating and sickly sentimental.

“I would jump down Etna for any public good—but I hate a MAWKISH popularity.” – John Keats, English Romantic poet

mean
(MEEN), noun

In arithmetic, the average value of a series of numbers, determined by taking the sum of a series and dividing by the number of items in the series.

The MEAN of the Bakersfields’ fortune is nowhere near that of ours, but we tolerate the family anyway because several members are excellent golfers.

meander
(MEE-ahn-duhr), verb

To wander aimlessly.

We fired that particular servant because he MEANDERED far too slowly from task to task.

median
(MEE-dee-en), noun

In arithmetic, the middle number in a series of numbers arranged in order from smallest to largest.

When philanthropists Brock, Cliff, and Edward were honored at a luncheon, Cliff was called upon to speak second as his donation was the MEDIAN of the three.

melanin
(MEL-uh-nin), noun

The pigment that determines the color of one’s hair, eyes, and skin.

Tamara is unwilling to accept that, no matter how much time she spends on the sunny beaches of the Mediterranean, she will not achieve her desired tan due to her lack of MELANIN.

melee
(MAY-lay), noun

A confused struggle involving many people.

“The man who is in the MELEE knows what blows are being struck and what blood is being drawn.” – Woodrow Wilson

meliorism
(mel-ee-OR-iz-um), noun

A philosophy of optimism that says the world is gradually improving through divine intervention or human effort—or both.

Thomas Hardy’s philosophy was distinctly MELIORIST because he believed ultimately in the goodness of humankind.

mellifluous
(meh-LIH-flu-us), adjective

Music, speech, or other sound that is sweet and pleasant to listen to.

The MELLIFLUOUS tones of his voice brought Martin many high-paying gigs for voice-overs.

mendacity
(Men-DAH-sit-tee), noun

A tendency toward or habit of being a dishonest person.

“The human condition is composed of unequal parts of courage, friendship, ethics, self-sacrifice, brutality, degeneracy, and MENDACITY.” – Harlan Ellison, American author

mendicant
(MEN-dih-kant), adjective

A monk who does not own property or, more broadly, anyone who asks for alms and begs to support himself.

“The woman who does her job for society inside the four walls of her home must not be considered by her husband or anyone else an economic ‘dependent,’ reaching out her hands in MENDICANT fashion for financial help.” – Mary Gilson, American economist

mentat
(MEN-tat), noun

A human being capable of performing mental tasks with the accuracy and speed of a computer.

Our accountant is a veritable MENTAT! Did you see how fast he determined all of our charitable deductions!

mercurial
(mer-KYOOR-ee-uhl), adjective

Volatile, fickle, and erratic.

Men always tolerate Natasha’s MERCURIAL nature due to her beauty and her family’s great fortune.

meretricious
(mer-i-TRISH-us), adjective

Anything done to attract attention in an unseemly or inappropriate fashion.

His favorite brand of beer used MERETRICIOUS ads—TV commercials showing scantily clad young women—to attract more attention.

meridian
(mer-ID-ee-en), noun

Any line that runs from north to south on a map or globe.

He sailed his yacht straight along a MERIDIAN to the Arctic Circle.

meritocracy
(mer-ih-TOK-ruh-see), noun

Government or leadership by people having great merit, rather than by people with great wealth.

Corporate leadership in a family-owned business is determined by nepotism, not MERITOCRACY.

meritorious
(mair-uh-TORE-ee-uhss), adjective

Worthy of praise or reward.

metachromasis
(meh-tah-CROWM-ah-sis), noun

The phenomenon of different substances becoming different colors and shades when stained by the same dye.

An identical cotton blend was used in the entire lot of shirts to avoid METACHROMASIS ruining the color.

metaphor
(MEH-tah-for), noun

A sentence or phrase in which a word ordinarily associated with one thing is applied to something else, to indicate that in some way they are similar.

“If we are a METAPHOR of the universe, the human couple is the metaphor par excellence, the point of intersection of all forces and the seed of all forms.” – Octavio Paz Lozano, Mexican writer, poet, and diplomat

metaphysics
(met-a-FIZ-iks), noun

The study of arguments, thoughts, and principles based primarily on thinking and abstract reasoning rather than hard facts that can be demonstrated through physical evidence.

“During my METAPHYSICS final, I cheated by looking into the soul of the person sitting next to me.” – Woody Allen, American film director, writer, and comedian

metastasize
(meh-TA-sti-size), verb

The tendency of cancer cells to spread from a tumor throughout the body.

Byron’s ugly nature quickly METASTASIZED in our group, as he spread lies and gossip among more and more of our social contacts.

metallism
(MEH-tah-liz-um), noun

The belief that money must either be made of precious metal or backed by precious metal held in reserve—usually gold or silver.

Richard Nixon abolished the gold standard for U.S. currency, and METALLISM declined as a result.

mete
(MEET), verb

To distribute or allot.

After Elyssia ran up several of her father’s platinum cards, he METED out substantial punishment for her by not allowing her to shop at exclusive boutiques for an entire week.

meticulous
(meh-TICK-yuh-luhss), adjective

Extremely precise; fussy.

The overly METICULOUS maître d’ made us self-conscious and detracted from our enjoyment of the meal.

métier
(MAY-tee-yay), noun

One’s occupation, profession, field of work, etc.

Since her family started one of Wall Street’s most profitable houses, it’s only natural that Ellen’s MÉTIER would be finance.

miasma
(my-AZ-mah), noun

An unhealthy atmosphere or environment; an unpleasant feeling pervading the air.

microcosm
(my-kruh-KAHZ-uhm), noun

A representation of something on a very small scale.

“Each particle is a MICROCOSM, and faithfully renders the likeness of the world.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American poet, essayist, and transcendentalist