- I -
Iconoclastic: MEANING: Defying tradition
SENTENCE: Jackson Pollack was an iconoclastic artist, totally breaking with tradition by splashing paint on a blank canvas.
Idolatry: MEANING: The worship of idols; excessive admiration
SENTENCE: We must not allow our idolatry of pop stars to make them seem more than mortal.
Ignominious: MEANING: Embarrassing, humiliating SENTENCE: He suffered an ignominious defeat.
Immutable: MEANING: Unchanging over time, permanent
SENTENCE: Science presents us with some immutable facts, like gravity on planet Earth.
Impair : MEANING: Make worse, damage
SENTENCE: Listening to loud music without earplugs with almost certainly impair your hearing over time.
Impassive: MEANING: Not showing emotion
SENTENCE: His cold, impassive face stared at the cripple begging on the street.
Impede: MEANING: Block or obstruct progress
SENTENCE: The judge determined that the detective had not intentionally set out to impede the progress of the investigation.
Impermeable: MEANING: Not allowing fluid to pass through, waterproof
SENTENCE: The boat is made from impermeable wood.
Imperturbable: MEANING: Unshakeably calm
SENTENCE: Greg remained imperturbable during his exam, even the last moments before completion didn't panic him.
Impervious: MEANING: Not affected or influenced; resistant to water or heat
SENTENCE: The system remained impervious to all suggestions of change.
Implacable: MEANING: Hostile, unable to be appeased, relentless SENTENCE: The barrister was implacable in his handling of the offence.
Implicit : MEANING: Not directly expressed; essentially connected with; absolute
SENTENCE: She had an implicit faith in God.
Implode: MEANING: Burst Inward
SENTENCE: There is a new technology of controlled demolition during which old buildings implode in a matter of seconds, without any damage to nearby buildings.
Inadvertently: MEANING: Accidentally, without intention
SENTENCE: Chris inadvertently dialled Sandra’s number and she happily answered the call.
Incensed : MEANING: Extremely angry
SENTENCE: Mr. Smith is known for his kindness towards children; unkindness towards children by others incensed him.
Incessantly : MEANING: Continuing without stopping
SENTENCE: The batsman hit boundaries and sixes incessantly and won the game!
Inchoate: MEANING: Just begun, not fully developed; rudimentary SENTENCE: The country was a still inchoate democracy.
Incongruity : MEANING: Mismatch; incompatibility
SENTENCE: The incongruity of his fleshy face and skinny body disturbed her.
Inconsequential: MEANING: Having little importance; illogical; haphazard
SENTENCE: Her answers were inconsequential despite the numbering on the page.
Incorporate : MEANING: Bring something into a larger whole; include
SENTENCE: The second division team incorporated third division players in the latter half of the season.
Incorrigible: MEANING: A person or behaviour that cannot be reformed or changed
SENTENCE: My friend’s father is an incorrigible drinker.
Indefatigable: MEANING: Tirelessly persisting
SENTENCE: He had courage, a vivid sense of duty, an indefatigable love of work, and all the inquisitive zeal and inventive energy of a born reformer.
Indeterminate: MEANING: Vague and unclear, cannot be determined
SENTENCE: Our galaxy has an indeterminate number of stars
Indifferent: MEANING: Not caring, unconcerned; mediocre
SENTENCE: Because she felt no desire to marry, she was indifferent to the constant proposals by her lover.
Indigence: MEANING: A state of extreme poverty; destitution
SENTENCE: After the U.S. Supreme Court case, Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, state governments were required to provide lawyers to indigent defendants.
Indolent : MEANING: Lazy, wanting to avoid effort or exertion
SENTENCE: At lunchtime the indolent kids sat around while the active kids played games.
Ineluctable: MEANING: Inescapable, unable to be avoided SENTENCE: Two ineluctable facts of life are death and taxes.
Inert: MEANING: Not able to move; inactive
SENTENCE: The story was inert and careless, as if the author was writing half-asleep.
Inexorable: MEANING: Continuing without any possibility of being stopped
SENTENCE: Technology moves inexorably towards a digital future.
Inherent: MEANING: Existing as a permanent, essential quality
SENTENCE: New research seems to support the idea that humans have an inherent sense of fairness – even babies become upset at equal and unequal distributions of food.
Innocuous: MEANING: Harmless, inoffensive
SENTENCE: The journalist asked a couple of innocuous questions at the press conference.
Insatiable: MEANING: Unable to be satisfied, physically and spiritually SENTENCE: She has an insatiable desire to learn the English language.
Inscrutability: MEANING: The quality of being impossible to investigate SENTENCE: There is a certain inscrutability of the future.
Insensible: MEANING: Barely able to be perceived; incapable of sensation
SENTENCE: There was an insensible change in his temperature.
Insinuate: MEANING: Hint at something negative; become involved in a subtle way
SENTENCE: He insinuated himself into the conversation of the people at the nearby table.
Insipid: MEANING: Lacking flavour, weak or tasteless SENTENCE: The first band to play at the concert was a little insipid.
Insularity: MEANING: The quality of being isolated or detached SENTENCE: The 1950s were a decade of conservatism and insularity.
Intractable: MEANING: Difficult to manage or mould
SENTENCE: The kindergarten kids were intractable and the teacher grew frustrated.
Intransigence: MEANING: Unwillingness to change one' beliefs; stubbornness
SENTENCE: Despite many calls for mercy, the judge remained intransigent, citing strict legal precedence.
Inundate: MEANING: Quickly fill up, overwhelm
SENTENCE: Her inbox was inundated with emails on her birthday.
Inured: MEANING: Made tough by habitual exposure
SENTENCE: He was inured to the sound of his neighbour’s dog barking.
Invective: MEANING: Insulting, abusive, or highly critical language SENTENCE: His invective was overheard by everyone in the next office.
Involved: MEANING: Connected; highly complex
SENTENCE: She was involved in animal care through her Girl Guides membership.
Irascible: MEANING: Having or showing a tendency to be easily angered.
SENTENCE: Early in their marriage, Julie discovered her husband could be irascible.
Irresolute: MEANING: Uncertain how to act or proceed
SENTENCE: The new governor was irresolute; he needed the advice from the committee.
Itinerary: MEANING: A planned route or journey SENTENCE: His itinerary included an official visit to Canada
- L -
Lacklustre: MEANING: Lacking energy, excitement, enthusiasm, or passion.
SENTENCE: We were disappointed by the lacklustre performance of our cricket team this weekend.
Laconic: MEANING: Saying very little
SENTENCE: While Martha always swooned over the hunky, laconic types in romantic comedies, her boyfriend was very talkative – and not very hunky.
Largesse: MEANING: Liberality in bestowing gifts; generous of spirit
SENTENCE: Her partner’s largesse warmed her heart; he was generous to family, friends and neighbours.
Lassitude: MEANING: Tiredness, laziness
SENTENCE: As a couch potato I turn lassitude into an art form!
Latent: MEANING: Existing, but not yet developed or manifest; hidden or concealed.
SENTENCE: Australia has a huge reserve of latent talent.
Laud : MEANING: Praise highly
SENTENCE: In the newspaper obituary, she was lauded as a brilliant opera singer.
Lethargic: MEANING: Affected by lethargy; sluggish and apathetic
SENTENCE: Yesterday I felt lethargic and stayed at home; today I am rearing to go!
Levee: MEANING: An embankment built to prevent the overflow of a river
SENTENCE: They had their picnic on the levee next to the river.
Levity: MEANING: Lacking seriousness
SENTENCE: Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew; such levity is improper in church.
Log : MEANING: Record of day-to-day activities; tree trunk
SENTENCE: Lawyers who bill by the hour have to be sure to log all the time they spend on every client's case.
Loquacious: MEANING: Talkative, wordy.
SENTENCE: MIguel is very loquacious and can speak on the telephone for hours.
Lucid: MEANING: Easily understood; clear; intelligible.
SENTENCE: Example sentences are another lucid way of learning vocabulary.
Lull: MEANING: Cause to fall asleep; quieten down
SENTENCE: The continuous reading of vocabulary lulled Miriam to sleep.
Luminous: MEANING: Giving off soft light; shining SENTENCE: Her happy face was luminous in the twilight.
- M -
Magnanimity: MEANING: Generosity of spirit; unselfishness
SENTENCE: Both sides will have to show magnanimity to reach a compromise.
Maladroit: MEANING: Not skilful; awkward; bungling
SENTENCE: A maladroit movement of his hands caused the car to swerve.
Malfeasance: MEANING: Wrongdoing by a public official
SENTENCE: The high-ranking official's malfeasance was discovered only after he had fled the country.
Malingerer: MEANING: Someone who shirks duty, work or effort, often pretending to be unwell
SENTENCE: The doctor said my son was a malingerer.
Malleable: MEANING: Easily influenced; pliable
SENTENCE: The fans of the governor are as malleable and easily led as sheep.
Maverick: MEANING: Rebel, nonconformist
SENTENCE: Most cop movies feature heroes that are maverick police officers, breaking all the rules, blowing things up, and getting their guns confiscated by the chief – but ultimately saving the day.
Mawkish: MEANING: Effusively or insincerely emotional; excessively sentimental
SENTENCE: The Valentine’s Day cards were a bit mawkish to my taste.
Mellifluous: MEANING: Pleasing to the ear
SENTENCE: Ali woke up early to the mellifluous singing of sparrows.
Mendacious : MEANING: Not telling the truth; lying.
SENTENCE: The political party workers had been mendacious throughout the court investigation and as a result they were punished severely.
Mendacity: MEANING: The tendency to be untruthful
SENTENCE: You need to overcome this deplorable mendacity, or no one will ever believe anything you say.
Metamorphosis: MEANING: Change of form or shape.
SENTENCE: The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life.
Meticulous: MEANING: Extremely careful and precise
SENTENCE: She was meticulous in her proofreading and copy-editing business.
Mimicking: MEANING: Copying, imitating
SENTENCE: When Richard was caught mimicking his teacher in a rude way, he was put on detention.
Misanthrope: MEANING: A person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society.
SENTENCE: Hostile and untrusting people can be described as misanthropic.
Mitigate: MEANING: Lessen the extent of a harmful or negative outcome
SENTENCE: Sunscreen is used to mitigate the effects of sun on your skin.
Modicum: MEANING: A small or moderate amount
SENTENCE: When you awarded the Fulbright Scholarship, you will have only a modicum expense of the visa to bear; all major expenses are covered by the scholarship.
Mollify: MEANING: Calm or soothe; gain the good will of
SENTENCE: We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts.
Morbid: MEANING: Suggesting the horror of death and decay
SENTENCE: The stories of the war were morbid and upsetting to the children.
Morose: MEANING: Extremely gloomy and depressed SENTENCE: She was morose after her aunt passed away.
Mundane : MEANING: Common, ordinary
SENTENCE: He was concerned only with mundane matters; where to park the car, what butcher was best etc.
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