The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart (17 page)

stagnation
(stag-NAY-shin), noun

The condition of being inactive or the slowing of forward progress or lessening of activity.

“Economists’ statistical techniques are not refined enough to analyze unambiguously the causes of this long-term STAGNATION.” – Jeff Madrick, director of policy research at the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, The New School.

staid
(STAYD), adjective

Fixed and settled; not distinctive; uninteresting.

Even though the Sandersons are an important family, we could hardly last the requisite hour at the family’s STAID winter ball.

stalwart
(STAL-wart), noun, adjective

A loyal, reliable member of an organization; a staunch supporter of a group or cause.

Although Wayne is no longer a working engineer, he is a STALWART member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

stoicism
(STOH-ih-si-zum), noun

Enduring pain or suffering without complaining.

“He soldiered through his duties with what looked like cheerful STOICISM.” – Thomas Pynchon, American author

stolid
(STAHL-id), adjective

Unemotional and impassive.

Thomas’s STOLID demeanor hides the heart of a jet-setting playboy.

stringent
(STRIHN-juhnt), adjective

Rigorous, strict, severe.

strophe
(STROF), noun

A stanza containing lines that do not conform to the type, style, or form of the poem in which they appear.

Those not wearing haute couture stick out at our gatherings like STROPHES stick out in short poems.

stultify
(STUHL-tuh-fie), verb

To cause to appear foolish or ridiculous.

The out-of-date chapeau absolutely STULTIFIED Heather’s otherwise immaculate couture.

stygian
(STY-gee-an), adjective

Eerily quiet, so dark as to be almost pitch black.

subjugation
(sub-jih-GAY-shun), noun

The process of making someone your inferior and requiring them to take orders from you.

“There was a flavor of SUBJUGATION in his love for Madeleine.” – Saul Bellow, American author

sublime
(suh-BLYME), adjective

Reaching new levels of quality and perfection unduplicated elsewhere; of such immense beauty that the viewer’s breath is taken away, metaphorically speaking.

“The SUBLIME and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately. One step above the SUBLIME makes the ridiculous, and one step above the ridiculous makes the SUBLIME again.” – Thomas Paine, English revolutionary and intellectual

subliminal
(sub-LIM-inn-uhl), adjective

Operating below the threshold of consciousness, but still having an affect on the mind.

SUBLIMINAL advertising was a big fad in advertising in the 1970s.

subrogation
(suh-bro-GAY-shin), noun

The substitution of one person for another with respect to a lawful claim or right.

The SUBROGATION clause in the lease says that if the landlord cannot collect rent from the tenant, she has the right to collect from the co-signer of the leasing agreement.

subsistence
(SUB-sis-tense), noun

The minimum—of food, water, clothing, shelter, and money—a person or family needs to survive.

All we need for SUBSISTENCE is the basics: the finest of everything.

subversive
(sub-VER-siv), adjective

Describes an act performed to challenge or overthrow the authority of those in power.

“If sex and creativity are often seen by dictators as SUBVERSIVE activities, it’s because they lead to the knowledge that you own your own body.” – Erica Jong, American author and teacher

suffrage
(SUF-rij), noun

The right to vote in political elections.

“Higginson was an early advocate of women’s SUFFRAGE as he was a vociferous advocate of civil rights for Negroes.” – Joyce Carol Oates, American author

sultry
(SUL-tree), adjective

In terms of weather, hot and humid, with little or no breeze. In terms of human behavior, suggestive of passion or smoldering sexuality.

“Bare-headed in the SULTRY sun, Ahab stood on the bowsprit.” – Herman Melville, American author

supercilious
(sue-per-SILL-ee-us), adjective

Feeling superior to others, and as a result, having a low opinion of or contempt for them based on your belief that they are inferior.

Too many get-rich-quick promoters imbue their advertisements with a SUPERCILIOUS attitude toward the wealth seekers they profess to wanting to help.

superfluous
(soo-PER-flew-us), adjective

Excessive and unnecessary.

Some people never seem to be aware that wearing more than a hint of fine jewelry is SUPERFLUOUS.

superlative
(sue-PURR-lah-tiv), adjective

The quality of something’s being the best in its class or quality.

Our family’s show horses are SUPERLATIVE to the rest of the horses one can find in the county.

supersede
(sue-per-SEED), verb

When one thing takes the place of another or renders the former obsolete.

“The classical laws [of physics] were SUPERSEDED by quantum laws.” – Stephen Hawking, British theoretical physicist

supplant
(suh-PLANT), verb

To take the place of.

“If we would SUPPLANT the opinions and policy of our fathers in any case, we should do so upon evidence so conclusive, and arguments so clear, that even their great authority fairly considered and weighted, cannot stand.” – Abraham Lincoln

surfeit
(SUR-fit), noun

Having too much of a good thing, especially generous servings of food and drink.

“A SURFEIT of the sweetest things / The deepest loathing to the stomach brings.” – William Shakespeare

surreal
(suh-REEL), adjective

Possessing a quality that makes something seem unreal; strange; bizarre; almost other-worldly.

surreptitious
(suh-rep-TISH-us), adjective

Done in secret.

With little more than SURREPTITIOUS glances, Alison was able to entice Quentin to her side at the spring gala.

susurration
(soo-suh-RAY-shun), noun

A soft sound such as the murmuring from a hushed conversation in the next room or the rain gently falling on the roof.

He bought a device to help him sleep: an electronic synthesizer that mimics the SUSURRATION of a drizzle or a rainstorm.

suzerainty
(suh-ZER-ant-tee), noun

Paramount, unquestioned authority.

“The account executives are sufficiently mature to manage every phase of their accounts without challenging the ultimate SUZERAINTY of the copywriter.” – David Ogilvy, British advertising executive

sybaritic
(sih-bar-IT-ik), adjective

Relating to self-indulgent sensuous luxury and pleasure.

Selena rubbed the suntan lotion over her tanned middle slowly, and the whole thing had an erotic, SYBARITIC quality that made the men’s eyes pop out of their heads.

sycophant
(SIK-uh-fuhnt), noun

A person attempting to get on your good side by constantly sucking up and flattering you.

Outwardly polite, the rock star secretly viewed his fans as slobbering SYCOPHANTS.

symbiosis
(sim-bee-OH-sis), noun

A close interdependency between two organisms from two different species.

The nouveau riche would like to believe they have a SYMBIOSIS with us, but, in fact, they remain wholly separate and distinct.

synchronous
(SIN-kro-nus), adjective

Two events or processes that take place at the same time.

The Smythingtons and the Lyttons caused quite a stir among their social contacts after they scheduled SYNCHRONOUS galas.

syncopation
(sin-ko-PAY-shun), noun

Music in which the beats are reversed: the normally loud beats are softer, and the beats normally subdued are emphasized.

The weird SYNCOPATION in the score made the music very difficult for the percussionists to follow.

syncretistic
(sin-kre-TIH-stik), adjective

A set of beliefs obtained by combining elements of multiple cultures, religions, societies, or schools of thought.

Pauline’s SYNCRETISTIC worldview comes from the fact that her family has traveled extensively across the globe.

synecdoche
(sih-NECK-duh-kee), noun

A type of shorthand speech in which a partial description is understood by the reader or listener to represent the whole; e.g., saying “New York” in a discussion of baseball when you mean “the New York Yankees.”

Marla could not stop using a SYNECDOCHE after she returned from her trip to England at which she met the royal family, saying repeatedly that she had met and socialized with “the crown.”

synoptic
(sin-OP-tik), adjective

Forming or involving a synopsis or summary.

The close of a presentation should be SYNOPTIC in nature.

systemic
(sih-STEM-ik), adjective

Relating to a system as a whole and not just its component parts.

The discarding of couture clothing that is less than a year old has become SYSTEMIC among our group.

syzygy
(SIZE-ih-gee), noun

In astronomy,
syzygy
takes place when the Earth, sun, and moon all line up along a straight path.

Astronomers predict an eclipse for the next SYZYGY.

tableau
(tah-BLOW), noun

A memorable scene created by the grouping of objects and people.

When Jeannette walked into the room, the TABLEAU of angry faces that greeted her revealed that we knew it was she who had gossiped to the society pages.

tabula rasa
(TAB-yuh-luh-RAH-suh), noun

A clean slate; lacking preconceived notions, prejudices, beliefs, and attitudes; receptive to instruction and information.

“Classic writer’s fear of the blank page: call it TABULA RASA-phobia.” – John Jerome, American nonfiction writer

taciturn
(TAH-sih-turn), adjective

Reserved; uncommunicative; a person of few words.

“Nature is garrulous to the point of confusion, let the artist be truly TACITURN.” – Paul Klee, German-born Swiss painter

tactile
(TACK-tile), adjective

Related to the sense of touch.

This year’s Parisian couture is distinguished by its use of highly TACTILE fabrics.

tangential
(tan-JEHN-shull), adjective

Divergent or digressive; having little to do with the subject or matter at hand.

“New York is full of people … with a feeling for the TANGENTIAL adventure, the risky adventure, the interlude that’s not likely to end in any double-ring ceremony.” – Joan Didion, American journalist

tantamount
(TAN-tuh-mount), adjective

Equivalent in value or effect.

Eleanor considered our snub of her TANTAMOUNT to betrayal and, in truth, she was correct.

tantric
(TAN-trik), adjective

Anything related to the school of thought that views sex as a sacred and deeply spiritual act.

“Both religions [Hinduism and Buddhism] were patronized by the same kings, ministers, and merchants, many of whom indulged in the same TANTRIC heterodoxies.” – William Dalrymple, Scottish historian and author

tautology
(taw-TAHL-uh-jee), noun

A statement, principle, or phrase repeated many times in different ways for emphasis and resulting in redundancy.

After his wealthy father’s death, Gerald consistently referred to his mother with the TAUTOLOGY, “widow woman.”

tawdry
(TAW-dree), adjective

Gaudy, showy, and cheap, as clothes; or, base and mean, as motives.

teem
(TEEM), verb

To abound or swarm.

As we walked into the nightclub, the paparazzi TEEMED around us like so many manic worker bees.

teleological
(tee-lee-uh-LOJ-ik-uhl), adjective

The notion that things exist for a purpose.

The fact that we have unsurpassable wealth and taste, while others who are less important endure hardship, is surely proof that we live in a TELEOLOGICAL universe.

temerity
(teh-MER-ih-tee), noun

Possessing of boldness and confidence perhaps unwarranted by the situation at hand.

Anne, the girl who just moved to our gated community, had the TEMERITY to ask if we would invite her to one of our galas.

temper
(TEHM-per), verb

To moderate or lessen the impact of.

“Yet I shall TEMPER so / Justice with mercy.” – John Milton, English poet

temperance
(TEM-per-ance), noun

Abstinence from consuming alcoholic beverages.

Cicero said that TEMPERANCE is “the firm and moderate dominion of reason over passion and other unrighteous impulses of the mind.”

tempestuous
(tem-PESS-chew-us), adjective

Tumultuous and turbulent, as a personality.

Claire’s TEMPESTUOUS personality is most likely linked to the fact that her father has married and remarried an excessive amount.

temporal
(tem-PORE-uhl), adjective

Relating to time.

“Science is the language of the TEMPORAL world; love is that of the spiritual world.” – Honoré de Balzac, French novelist and playwright

temporize
(TEHM-puh-rize), verb

To gain time by being evasive or indecisive.

When an officious socialite tries to get too close to us, we do not feel the need to TEMPORIZE with our response; we simply remind her of her place.

tenacious
(tuh-NAY-shuss), adjective

Persistent, stubborn, obstinate.

tendentious
(ten-DEN-she-us), adjective

Describes statements or actions designed to promote one’s beliefs or point of view.

Laura is TENDENTIOUS in her efforts to prove that she believes that a plentitude of fine jewelry is the key to happiness.

tenebrous
(TEN-uh-bruss), adjective

Dark and gloomy.

Eloise and Marcus spent the day exploring the TENEBROUS forest that surrounded their family’s Maine compound.

tenet
(TEH-net), noun

A central philosophy; a core belief; a rule or principle one lives by.

“Christian writers from the third century on pointed out the deleterious effect of Platonism on Christian belief—even while adopting many of its fundamental TENETS.” – Harold Attridge, Dean of Yale University Divinity School

tenuous
(TEN-you-us), adjective

Unsubstantiated and weak.

Roland’s arguments to prove to us that it’s better to give than to receive were TENUOUS at best.

tepid
(TEHP-id), adjective

Characterized by a lack of enthusiasm.

We greeted the new opera, with its mawkish plot and poor acting, with TEPID applause.

tête-à-tête
(TET-ah-tet), noun

A face-to-face meeting.

Some of us had begun to believe that our servants were pilfering from us, so we sat down the allegedly guilty parties and had a TÊTE-À-
TÊTE.

thaumaturge
(THAW-mah-turj), noun

A person who works miracles.

If you were ever to see Hannah early in the morning, just after she has awoken, then you would know her personal make-up artist is the epitome of a THAUMATURGE.

theocracy
(thee-AH-krah-see), noun

A system of government in which priests rule in the name of God.

The Vatican is the ultimate THEOCRACY.

tincture
(TINK-cherr), noun

A trace amount or slight tinge.

The tragic opera was leavened with a TINCTURE of comic relief.

titillate
(TIT-l-ate), verb

To excite in an agreeable way.

With its stirring performance of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony, the full orchestra TITILLATED us at the Van Gelder’s gala.

titular
(TITCH-uh-luhr), adjective

A person who is a leader by title only, but lacks any real power.

The Queen is the TITULAR head of the British empire.

tombolo
(TOM-bo-low), noun

A split that joins an offshore island to the mainland.

Until they decide to build a bridge, the single-lane road on the TOMBOLO is the only way on to and off of the island.

tome
(TOAM), noun

A large or scholarly book.

“She carries a book but it is not / the TOME of the ancient wisdom, / the pages, I imagine, are the blank pages / of the unwritten volume of the new.” – Hilda Doolittle, American poet and memoirist

toothsome
(TOOTH-suhm), adjective

Voluptuous and sexually alluring.

Dorienne is TOOTHSOME thanks mainly to her plastic surgeon and her family’s attractive fortune.

topical
(TOP-ih-kuhl), adjective

Having to do with issues of current or local interest.

All the debutantes at the ball wasted our time with inane attempts at TOPICAL conversation about politics and other distasteful matters.

topography
(tuh-POG-ruh-fee), noun

The arrangement of the physical features of a place, area, or physical object; the “lay of the land.”

After her return from Europe, Lauren spent most of her time talking about the dazzling alpine TOPOGRAPHY of Switzerland.

torpor
(TORE-purr), noun

Apathy; indifference.

torrid
(TORE-ihd), adjective

Ardent and passionate.

The TORRID romance between Alison and her family’s stable boy lasted only a short time before the family discovered the tryst and fired the young man.

tort
(TORT), noun

In law, a civil misdeed requiring compensation of the victims.

Cutting the branches off a neighbor’s tree that went over the fence into your yard is, at most, a TORT, not a felony.

tortuous
(TORE-chew-us), adjective

Intricate and indirect; not straightforward.

totem
(TOH-tuhm), noun

Anything that serves as a venerated symbol.

Our various formal and informal gardens are TOTEMS to our emphasis on the importance of the natural world.

tout
(TOWT), verb

To publicize in a boastful, extravagant manner.

Eloise TOUTED the excellence of her family’s new personal chef to a gauche and distasteful degree.

tractable
(TRACK-tuh-bull), adjective

Easy going; easily managed.

The occasional kind comment seems rather enough to keep our servants TRACTABLE.

tractate
(TRAK-tayt), noun

A treatise.

Amanda’s mother delivered a TRACTATE to her daughter about socializing with the right people after she learned that Amanda had been spending time with middle-class families.

traduce
(truh-DOOSS), verb

To speak maliciously of; slander.

We have snubbed Katrina permanently because she has, at one time or another, TRADUCED each one of us in the society pages.

transcendent
(tran-SEN-dent), adjective

Going beyond normal everyday experience; existing beyond the known physical universe and its limitations.

“Genius … means the TRANSCENDENT capacity of taking trouble.” – Thomas Carlyle, Scottish satirist and historian

transfiguration
(trans-fig-yuh-RAY-shun), noun

An extreme change in appearance; a metamorphosis.

By the time of her coming out party, Brigitte had undergone a TRANSFIGURATION from gawky child to poised and beautiful adolescent.

transgress
(trans-GRESS), verb

To go beyond acceptable bounds.

transient
(TRAN-shunt), adjective

Temporary; lacking permanence.

“To the artist is sometimes granted a sudden, TRANSIENT insight which serves in this matter for experience. A flash, and where previously the brain held a dead fact, the soul grasps a living truth! At moments we are all artists.” – Arnold Bennett, English novelist

transmogrify
(trans-MOG-ruh-fie), verb

To change appearance in a disturbing way.

We cannot abide that particular interior decorator because he always manages to TRANSMOGRIFY tasteful displays of luxury into pompous tableaus of arrogant wealth.

transubstantiation
(tran-sub-STAN-she-aye-shun), noun

The notion of endowing something with symbolic value beyond its physical construct.

TRANSUBSTANTIATION is used as a technique in marketing, transforming shabby and gauche items into supposed examples of tasteful luxury.

travail
(truh-VAIL), noun, verb

Pain and suffering due to a mental or physical hardship; or, to endure such pain and suffering.

Charlotte recently had to endure the TRAVAIL of going an entire week without her family’s Olympic-sized swimming pool because the pool had developed a crack.

treacle
(TREE-kuhl), noun

Contrived or mawkish sentimentality.