repercussion n. (ree pur KUSH un) a consequence or effect of some action. Repercussions from the oil embargo will include higher prices at the gas pumps.
replete adj. (ri PLEET) full; rich or plentiful. The
pantry was replete with beans and rice—enough staples, in fact, to last a year.
reprehensible adj. (rep ri HENS uh bul) richly deserving of criticism. The graffiti artist's defacing of the town church was reprehensible.
reprisal n. (ri PRIZE ul) retaliation; a counterattack. You can't expect to throw eggs at someone without some kind of reprisal.
reproach n. (ri PROACH) criticism and blame. The
evidence proves that my client had nothing to do with the burglary; he is above reproach.
reprove vb. (ri PROOV) to give one's disapproval.
The city council vociferously reproves all violations of the noise ordinance.
repudiate vb. (ri PYOO dee AYT) to reject as false. I will loudly repudiate any allegations of unethical behavior on my part.
rescind vb. (ri SIND) to repeal or abolish. The city council thought a curfew for teens was a good idea, but public pressure will force them to rescind the experiment as of tomorrow.
resigned adj. (ri ZYEND) accepting of one's fate; reconciled to reality. I'm never going to play major league baseball, but I was resigned to that fact a long time ago.
resilient adj. (ri ZIL yunt) having the ability to cope or recover quickly. John has gone out of business, but I would never count him out; he's incredibly resilient.
resolute adj. (REZ uh LOOT) determined. I am absolutely resolute in my goal to give up smoking.
resonate adj. (REZ uh NAYT) to reverberate or echo. She gave soul-stirring speeches that deeply resonated with her constituents.
respite n. (RES pit) a break or rest. A mother of ten children needs a regular respite or she'll have a nervous breakdown.
reticent adj. (RET i sunt) reserved, quiet. Joe is so reticent with his feelings, it's hard to know what he is thinking.
reverberate vb. (ree VUR bur ayt) to echo, resonate, or produce an aftereffect. Every toll of the bell would reverberate all the way across town.
revere vb. (ri VEER) to highly honor or respect. Young athletes will always revere the superstars of sports.
reverie n. (REV uh ree) fantasizing; daydreaming. I
was in the midst of pleasant reverie when a loud noise jarred me back to reality.
rhapsodize vb. (RAP suh dize) to speak about with great passion; to gush. My sons like to rhapsodize about all the latest rap groups, who are, apparently, something approaching gods.
rhetoric n. (RET uh rik) words and their artful employment in speech or writing. Also, artful speech that in reality says nothing meaningful. The crowd demanded more than rhetoric from the senator; they demanded action.
rife adj. (RIFE) abounding, widespread. The topic of evolution is rife with misunderstanding by those who are unschooled in natural science.
rudimentary adj. (rood uh MENT uh ree) basic; fundamental. Our introduction to biology was strictly rudimentary; we'll study it in more depth next year.
ruminate vb. (ROOM uh nayt) to contemplate; to think about. I like to ruminate on questions for a while before answering them.
rustic adj. (RUS tik) of rural life or simplicity. They lived in a rustic log cabin far on the outskirts of town.
saccharine adj. (SAK uh rin) sickeningly sweet. The movie's ending was so saccharine, we nearly all vomited into our popcorn containers.
sacred cow n. any institution, belief, object, etc., that is considered taboo to criticize or question. It takes great courage to gore sacred cows, as any atheist will readily tell you.
sacrilege n. (SAK ruh lij) a violation of that which is considered holy or sacred. By defacing the Christian cross and knocking over the gravestones, the vandals committed a sacrilege.
sacrosanct adj. (SAK ruh SANKT) sacred. The symbol of the Christian cross is considered sacrosanct.
sadistic adj. (suh DIS tik) gaining pleasure by inflicting pain on another. The torturer enjoyed great sadistic pleasure by stretching his victims on the rack.
salient adj. (SAYL yunt) prominent; outstanding.
The professor tends to be verbose, so I take notes only on his most salient points.
sanction n. (SANK shun) permission; formal authorization. We have received the official sanction of the National Basketball Association to hold this game for charity.
sanctimonious adj. (SANK tuh MOHN ee us) pretending to be holy or righteous. Our preacher is rather sanctimonious when it comes to gambling; he admonishes us to stay away from it, but then he goes and sponsors bingo games for charity every Saturday.
sangfroid n. (sahn FWAH) composure, especially in unnerving situations. Even when asked to deliver an impromptu speech before five hundred people, Sally maintained her sangfroid and appeared completely unruffled.
sanguine adj. (SAN gwin) cheerful and optimistic. Also ruddy in complexion. For a woman who had suffered great personal adversity, she was remarkably sanguine.
sardonic adj. (sar DON ik) bitterly mocking or sarcastic. Any more sardonic remarks like that and you'll be asked to leave the room.
satirical adj. (suh TEER uh kul) lampooning; ridiculing. John's satirical play made a laughingstock out of the president of the United States.
savoir faire n. (SAV war FAIR) great social expertise and ability. To qualify as an international diplomat, you must first and foremost have great savoir faire.