Vocab Mountain · Day 2
新 group：Group 2 複習（同批次較早的 group）：1
今日學習內容（60 字）
lacking courage; contemptibly cowardly
懦弱的
His craven refusal to testify disappointed his supporters.
The craven official fled at the first sign of trouble.
Critics called the decision a craven capitulation to pressure.
to make a bad situation better or less severe
改善
The new medication helped ameliorate her symptoms.
Aid workers rushed to ameliorate the effects of the drought.
Better lighting could ameliorate safety concerns in the parking garage.
imitative of the work of another, usually in a disapproving sense
模仿的；衍生的
Critics dismissed the film as derivative of earlier sci-fi classics.
The band's sound felt derivative rather than original.
The word "kingdom" is a derivative of "king."
innocent and unsuspecting; showing a lack of experience
天真的；純樸的
Her ingenuous question revealed she'd never heard of the scandal.
He seemed too ingenuous to be lying.
The ingenuous new intern took every rumor at face value.
neatly skillful and quick in one's movements
靈巧的；熟練的
The surgeon made a deft incision.
Her deft handling of the crisis impressed everyone.
With a deft flick of the wrist, he opened the lock.
to yearn to possess or have something belonging to someone else
覬覦；渴望擁有
He coveted his neighbor's new car.
The award is coveted by scientists worldwide.
She coveted a spot on the varsity team.
behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety
得體；禮節
The judge insisted on strict decorum in the courtroom.
She maintained perfect decorum despite the chaos.
Ignoring decorum, he interrupted the ceremony.
to raise doubts or objections; to show reluctance
表示異議；猶豫
When asked to sign, she demurred.
He demurred at the suggestion of working overtime.
The board demurred, wanting more time to consider the deal.
extremely complex or complicated, difficult to follow
複雜難懂的
The plot was so convoluted that fans made charts to track it.
His convoluted explanation only confused the jury further.
The tax code is notoriously convoluted.
belonging to a time period other than the one it's placed in; out of date
時代錯誤的；過時的
The film was criticized for its anachronistic costumes.
Some call the monarchy an anachronistic institution.
A rotary phone in a scene set in 2020 seemed jarringly anachronistic.
to publicly support or recommend a particular cause or policy
提倡；倡導者
The senator advocated for stronger environmental protections.
She has long been an advocate for children's literacy programs.
Doctors advocate regular exercise to prevent heart disease.
having mixed or contradictory feelings about something
矛盾的；猶豫不決的
She felt ambivalent about accepting the job offer.
Voters seemed ambivalent about the new policy.
His ambivalent attitude toward the merger worried the board.
willing to cooperate or be persuaded; open to suggestion
順從的；願意接受的
He was amenable to changing the meeting time.
The committee proved amenable to compromise.
She's usually amenable to feedback on her drafts.
a false statement made to damage someone's reputation
誹謗；中傷
The politician denounced the accusations as pure calumny.
Years of calumny nearly destroyed her career.
He sued the newspaper for calumny.
to increase the power, wealth, or reputation of someone, often unfairly
誇大；擴張（權勢）
Critics accused the general of using the war to aggrandize himself.
The memoir seemed designed mainly to self-aggrandize.
He aggrandized his role in the negotiations far beyond what actually happened.
extremely greedy for wealth or material gain
貪婪的
The avaricious landlord raised rents every year.
His avaricious pursuit of profit alienated his partners.
Dickens often portrayed avaricious characters like Scrooge.
making very harsh, hurtful comments; corrosive
刻薄的；腐蝕性的
Her caustic wit could silence a room.
The critic's caustic review devastated the young author.
The chemical is caustic and should be handled with gloves.
unwilling or unable to believe something; showing disbelief
懷疑的；不相信的
She gave an incredulous look when he explained his excuse.
The audience was incredulous at the outrageous claim.
"You did what?" he asked, incredulous.
showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks
大膽的；魯莽的
The company launched an audacious plan to colonize Mars.
Her audacious proposal shocked the board.
It was an audacious heist carried out in broad daylight.
to make something impure or weaker by adding another substance
摻雜；使不純
The company was accused of adulterating its olive oil with cheaper vegetable oils.
Regulators tested the milk for signs it had been adulterated.
War rationing led some merchants to adulterate flour with sawdust.
gentle and kindly, or (of a disease) not harmful
溫和的；良性的
The tumor was found to be benign.
Her benign smile put the nervous patient at ease.
What seemed like a benign comment actually offended him.
so lacking in originality as to be boring; trite
陳腐的；平庸的
The dialogue in the film felt banal and predictable.
She grew tired of banal small talk at the party.
Critics dismissed the novel's plot as banal.
a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something
長篇抨擊；謾罵
He launched into a diatribe against his former employer.
The editorial was less an argument than a diatribe.
Her diatribe about traffic lasted the entire meeting.
cheerful and eager willingness or speed
欣然；敏捷
She accepted the challenge with alacrity.
The volunteers responded to the emergency call with impressive alacrity.
He agreed to help move the furniture with surprising alacrity.
truthful and straightforward; frank
坦率的
She gave a candid assessment of the company's problems.
I appreciate your candid feedback.
The interview revealed a surprisingly candid side of the actor.
feeling or showing sincere remorse
懊悔的
He offered a contrite apology for his mistake.
She seemed genuinely contrite after the argument.
The contrite student promised never to cheat again.
to interpret a word or action in a particular way
解釋；理解
Her silence was construed as agreement.
The clause could be construed in several ways.
Please don't construe my honesty as rudeness.
to criticize or punish someone severely
嚴厲批評；懲罰
The coach castigated the team for its lackluster effort.
Critics castigated the film for its clichéd plot.
He was castigated in the press for his remarks.
to remove the moisture from something; dry out thoroughly
使乾燥；脫水
The desert sun desiccated the riverbed within weeks.
Desiccated fruit is often used in trail mix.
Prolonged heat can desiccate the soil, harming crops.
bold and without shame or embarrassment
厚顏無恥的
The brazen thief robbed the store in broad daylight.
His brazen lie left everyone speechless.
She made a brazen attempt to take credit for the project.
to exist in large numbers or amounts; be abundant
大量存在；充滿
Wildlife abounds in the untouched rainforest.
Rumors abounded about the company's upcoming merger.
Opportunities abound for those willing to take risks.
to worship as a god; to treat someone or something as if it were divine
神化；奉為神明
Ancient Egyptians deified their pharaohs.
Fans tend to deify celebrities, ignoring their flaws.
The dictator was deified by state propaganda.
lacking flavor, spirit, or interest; bland
乏味的；無趣的
The soup was watery and insipid.
Critics called the sequel insipid compared to the original.
His insipid speech failed to inspire the audience.
a natural tendency to behave in a particular way
傾向；癖好
He has a proclivity for exaggeration.
Her proclivity toward risk-taking worried her parents.
The study examined criminal proclivities among repeat offenders.
given to sudden, unpredictable changes in mood or behavior
反覆無常的；任性的
The capricious weather made it impossible to plan the picnic.
Employees dreaded their capricious boss, whose demands changed daily.
Fashion trends are notoriously capricious.
having a general dislike or distrust of humankind
厭世的；憤世嫉俗的
The misanthropic hermit avoided all contact with his neighbors.
His misanthropic essays criticized nearly every aspect of society.
She grew increasingly misanthropic after years of betrayal.
excessively eager to please or obey someone; fawning
諂媚的；奉承的
The obsequious waiter hovered anxiously around the celebrity's table.
His obsequious flattery made his colleagues uncomfortable.
She despised the obsequious way he treated his supervisors.
to make someone less angry or hostile; to appease
安撫；平息
The manager offered a refund to placate the angry customer.
Nothing seemed to placate the crying toddler.
The government's concessions failed to placate the protesters.
seeming difficult or intimidating to deal with
令人畏懼的；使人怯步的
Climbing the mountain in winter was a daunting challenge.
She faced the daunting task of rebuilding the company from scratch.
The sheer size of the textbook was daunting to new students.
to spread or distribute something, especially information, widely
散播；傳播
The organization works to disseminate accurate health information.
News of the discovery quickly disseminated through the scientific community.
Social media has made it easier to disseminate misinformation.
reserved or uncommunicative; saying very little
沉默寡言的
The taciturn farmer rarely spoke to strangers.
His taciturn responses gave the interviewer little to work with.
She remained taciturn throughout the tense negotiation.
clearly visible or attracting attention; standing out
顯眼的；引人注目的
Her bright red coat made her conspicuous in the crowd.
His absence from the meeting was conspicuous.
The error was conspicuous to anyone who read the report closely.
intended to teach, especially in an excessively moralizing way
說教的；教條的
Critics found the novel too didactic, more sermon than story.
The professor's didactic tone bored the students.
Aesop's fables are famously didactic, each ending with a moral.
to give a false impression of; to show something to be untrue
掩飾；顯示…並非真實
His calm exterior belied the panic he felt inside.
The cheerful music belied the film's tragic subject matter.
Her youthful appearance belies her decades of experience.
a person who spends money in an extravagant, irresponsible way
揮霍者；浪費的
His spendthrift habits left him deeply in debt.
Once a spendthrift, she now budgets every dollar carefully.
The heir's spendthrift lifestyle quickly drained the family fortune.
capable of being done or carried out; possible and practical
可行的
The engineers concluded that the bridge design was feasible.
It isn't feasible to finish the project by tomorrow.
They explored several feasible alternatives to the original plan.
childishly silly and trivial; immature
幼稚的
The comedian's puerile jokes fell flat with the adult audience.
Critics dismissed the argument as puerile name-calling.
His puerile behavior at the meeting embarrassed the whole team.
failing to take proper or normal care; careless
疏忽的；玩忽職守的
The court found the company negligent in its safety inspections.
A negligent babysitter left the child unattended near the pool.
The audit revealed negligent record-keeping across departments.
relating to the intellect rather than emotion; intellectual
理智的；大腦的
The film was praised for its cerebral, thought-provoking plot.
She preferred cerebral pursuits like chess over physical sports.
His cerebral approach to problem-solving impressed the professors.
severe or strict in manner or attitude; markedly simple or unadorned
嚴峻的；樸素的；苦行的
The monks lived an austere life, free of any material comforts.
Her austere expression made it clear she was displeased.
The building's austere design contained no decorative flourishes.
feeling or showing caution about possible dangers or problems
警惕的；謹慎的
Investors grew wary after the market's sudden crash.
The hikers stayed wary of the loose rocks on the trail.
She was wary of strangers who offered unsolicited advice.
a name or term that is wrong or inaccurate
用詞不當；誤稱
Calling it a "silent" film is a misnomer, since it had a musical score.
"Freshwater" shark is a misnomer for a species that also lives in saltwater.
The nickname turned out to be a misnomer once the facts came out.
tending to talk a great deal; very talkative
話多的；健談的
The loquacious cab driver talked the entire ride.
She was uncharacteristically loquacious after a few drinks.
His loquacious nature made him a natural talk-show host.
pleasant, friendly, or agreeable; suited to one's nature or needs
友善的；意氣相投的；適宜的
The office had a congenial atmosphere that made new hires feel welcome.
They found the mild climate congenial to outdoor farming.
Our host was warm and congenial throughout the dinner party.
consisting of parts or elements that are all the same; uniform in composition
同質的；均一的
The suburb was once a fairly homogeneous community.
Mix the ingredients until the batter is homogeneous.
Researchers sought a homogeneous sample to reduce variability.
lacking excitement or variety; monotonous
單調的；乏味的
She grew tired of her humdrum office job.
The film turned a humdrum commute into an adventure.
Life in the small village felt humdrum after the city.
done hastily and with little attention to detail
草率的；粗略的
A cursory glance at the report revealed several typos.
He gave the proposal only a cursory review before rejecting it.
The inspector's cursory examination missed the structural damage.
extremely idealistic, unrealistic, or impractical
不切實際的；堂吉訶德式的
His quixotic plan to end world hunger single-handedly impressed no investors.
The startup's quixotic mission attracted passionate but naive believers.
She admired his quixotic idealism even as she doubted its success.
to openly disregard a rule, law, or convention
公然藐視；蔑視
The company flouted safety regulations for years before being caught.
He flouted tradition by wearing sneakers to the formal event.
Protesters flouted the curfew to continue their demonstration.
without a clearly defined shape, form, or structure
無定形的；無組織的
The committee's amorphous plan lacked any concrete steps.
Clouds drifted overhead in amorphous shapes.
His political views remained amorphous, shifting with every debate.