Barron's 1100 Words You Need to Know » Week 34 - Day 2

Word List
  • fluctuate [fluk´ chü āt]
    shift, alternate
    → “He fluctuated between mindless talk and endless silence.” Alix Shulman, “Memoirs of an Ex-Prom Queen”
  • unmitigated [un mit´ ə gā´ tid]
    unrelieved, as bad as can be
    → “The crossword puzzle is the unmitigated sedentary hobby of Americans.” Bill Bryson, Mother Tongue
  • commodious [kə mō´ dē əs]
    large, spacious
    → “The new baseball stadium offered a more commodious arena for the fans and players.” Sports Illustrated, 5/11/99
  • antiquated [an´ tə kwā tid]
    out-of-date, obsolete
    → “The custom of throwing rice at a newly married couple is an antiquated one, originally meaning a wish for many children.” “Wedding Guide,” Courier-Life Publications, 7/99
  • disheveled [də shev´ əld]
    disorderly clothing or hair
    → “The wind tugged at and disheveled her hair.” William Cowper, The Task

The next day, Wednesday, saw Robert become more frustrated.* He would fluctuate between high hopes of finding Evelyn and unmitigated despair when he was almost ready to desist* in his search. The phone calls had elicited* almost nothing. Robert had rushed to one women’s residence when the clerk described a girl who might just be Evelyn. The desk clerk phoned to her room on the pretext* that she had a special delivery letter. Robert waited in the commodious lobby, replete* with large, antiquated pieces of furniture. He watched from a discreet* distance as she came down the stairs. One look at her wan* face, slovenly* dress, and disheveled hair was enough to inform Robert that he needed no further scrutiny.* This could not be his impeccable* Evelyn.

Sample Sentences Use the new words in these sentences.

  1. He wasn’t exactly an __________ liar; he merely embellished* the truth a little.
  2. In his sumptuous* house he had a __________ den in which he kept an array* of trophies as incontrovertible* evidence of his skill.
  3. Is it banal* to say that good manners are __________ in our milieu?*
  4. The current trend* in the stock market is for stocks to __________ in a sporadic* fashion.
  5. The nondescript,* indolent* beggar was in a __________ condition.

Definitions Match the new words with their definitions.

  1. a. large, spacious
  2. b. shift, alternate
  3. c. disorderly clothing or hair
  4. d. unrelieved, as bad as can be
  5. e. out-of-date, obsolete
  1. fluctuate __________
  2. unmitigated __________
  3. commodious __________
  4. antiquated __________
  5. disheveled __________

Answer Key
brass tacks—the real problem or situation
After some moments of congenial* levity,* they got down to brass tacks.

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