Repugnant (adjective) So distasteful or offensive that it provokes strong dislike or disgust.
Example: Many viewers found the film's casual violence repugnant.
Mnemonic: Repugnant shares its root with 'pugnacious' (ready to fight) -- something repugnant makes you want to fight it off or recoil from it.
Rescind (verb) To officially cancel or take back a law, decision, or agreement.
Example: The company rescinded the job offer after the background check turned up inconsistencies.
Mnemonic: Rescind comes from Latin 'scindere,' to cut or split, the same cutting idea behind 'scissors' -- rescinding a rule is like cutting it out of existence.
Restive (adjective) Unable to stay calm or still, especially out of impatience or resistance to being controlled.
Example: The horses grew restive as the thunder rolled closer, stamping and pulling at their reins.
Mnemonic: Restive looks like it should mean 'wanting rest,' but it means the opposite -- that very trap is the memory hook, since restive animals refuse to settle down.
Rudimentary (adjective) Basic, undeveloped, or existing only in an early, simple form.
Example: His rudimentary grasp of Spanish let him order food but not hold a real conversation.
Mnemonic: Rudimentary comes from 'rudiment,' the first crude sketch of something -- a rudimentary skill is still stuck at that rough, unfinished draft stage.
Ruminate (verb) To think about something slowly and carefully over a long period of time.
Example: After the interview, she spent the whole weekend ruminating over every answer she had given.
Mnemonic: Cows literally ruminate by chewing their cud again and again -- picture your mind chewing over the same thought the same slow way.
Reprehensible (adjective) Deserving of strong criticism or blame because it is morally wrong.
Example: Leaving the injured driver at the scene was a reprehensible act that shocked the entire town.
Mnemonic: Hidden inside reprehensible is 'reprehend,' a cousin of 'apprehend' (to seize) -- behavior this bad deserves to be seized and condemned.
Renege (verb) To go back on a promise, deal, or commitment one had previously agreed to.
Example: The contractor reneged on the agreed price once the project was half finished.
Mnemonic: Renege contains 'negate' -- to renege on a promise is to negate it, erasing it as if it were never made.
Rapacious (adjective) Excessively greedy and aggressive in grabbing for money, resources, or power.
Example: Critics described the corporation's rapacious pricing as taking advantage of customers who had no other choice.
Mnemonic: Rapacious shares a root with 'rapid' and 'raptor' -- think of a raptor swooping down at full speed to seize its prey without a moment's hesitation.
Recondite (adjective) Dealing with a subject so obscure or specialized that only a select few can understand it.
Example: The professor's lecture on medieval tax law was so recondite that half the class stopped taking notes.
Mnemonic: Recondite comes from Latin 'reconditus,' meaning hidden away or put back into storage -- recondite knowledge has been tucked so far out of sight that only specialists ever dig it back up.
Refractory (adjective) Stubbornly resistant to control, discipline, or treatment.
Example: The doctors switched medications when the patient's infection proved refractory to the first antibiotic.
Mnemonic: A refractory patient or material behaves like refracted light -- it bends away from whatever force is trying to direct it, instead of following the expected path.
Remonstrate (verb) To argue or protest strongly against something, often while trying to persuade someone to change course.
Example: Neighbors remonstrated with the city council for hours before the new zoning law was postponed.
Mnemonic: Remonstrate and 'monster' both descend from the Latin 'monstrare/monere,' to show or warn -- when you remonstrate, you are forcefully showing someone why they are wrong, almost like sounding an alarm.
Requisite (adjective) Necessary or required for a particular purpose.
Example: She finally had the requisite experience to apply for the senior engineering position.
Mnemonic: Requisite shares a root with 'require' -- a requisite qualification is simply one the job requires.
Replete (adjective) Completely filled or generously supplied with something.
Example: The museum's new wing is replete with artifacts that had never before been shown to the public.
Mnemonic: Replete shares roots with 'complete' and 'deplete' -- while deplete empties something out, replete fills it all the way back up.
Sagacious (adjective) Showing good judgment and keen insight, especially about practical matters.
Example: The company's founder was known for her sagacious investment decisions years before the trend caught on.
Mnemonic: Sagacious sounds like it should be tied to 'sage,' the wise elder of old stories, and that sound-alike link makes a handy hook -- a sagacious person judges situations with that same sage-like sharpness.
Salient (adjective) Standing out as the most noticeable or important feature of something.
Example: The lawyer summarized the salient points of the contract before her client signed it.
Mnemonic: Salient comes from Latin 'salire,' to leap -- the salient detail is the one that leaps out at you first.
Sanctimonious (adjective) Acting as though one is morally superior to others in a way that feels fake or hypocritical.
Example: His sanctimonious lecture about honesty rang hollow, since he had lied about his own expenses.
Mnemonic: Sanctimonious contains 'saint' -- picture someone acting like a saint on the outside while behaving nothing like one underneath.
Sanguine (adjective) Cheerfully confident and optimistic that things will turn out well.
Example: Despite the delayed flight and lost luggage, she stayed remarkably sanguine about the trip.
Mnemonic: Sanguine comes from 'sanguis,' Latin for blood -- old medical theory held that a person with abundant blood was naturally cheerful and hopeful, unlike someone pale and gloomy.
Sardonic (adjective) Mocking or scornful in a dry, biting way, often through sarcasm.
Example: He gave a sardonic smile and said, 'Wonderful, another meeting that could have been an email.'
Mnemonic: Legend traces sardonic to a bitter Sardinian plant said to twist the face into a grim, mocking smile as it poisoned you -- a sardonic grin still looks like that same twisted smirk.
Scrupulous (adjective) Extremely careful and thorough about doing what is right, down to the smallest detail.
Example: The accountant was scrupulous about documenting every expense, no matter how small.
Mnemonic: Scrupulous comes from 'scruple,' a tiny sharp pebble the Romans imagined as an uncomfortable weight on the conscience -- a scrupulous person feels every little pebble of doubt and deals with it.
Serendipitous (adjective) Happening by a lucky chance in a way that turns out to be pleasant or valuable.
Example: Their meeting on a delayed train was entirely serendipitous, yet it changed both of their careers.
Mnemonic: The word was coined from the old tale of 'The Three Princes of Serendip,' whose heroes kept stumbling onto treasures they were not even looking for -- a serendipitous event is exactly that kind of accidental treasure.
Spurious (adjective) Not genuine or authentic, and often meant to deceive by appearing legitimate.
Example: The report's conclusions rested on a spurious correlation between ice cream sales and crime rates.
Mnemonic: Think of spurious as 'spur-ious' -- a spurious claim spurs you down a false trail that looks real but leads nowhere.
Squander (verb) To waste money, time, or an opportunity carelessly.
Example: He squandered his inheritance on risky investments within a single year.
Mnemonic: Squander rhymes with 'wander' -- picture money aimlessly wandering out of your pocket instead of being put to any real use.
Stalwart (adjective) Loyal, dependable, and firm in one's support, especially under pressure.
Example: Even when the team was losing, its stalwart fans kept filling the stadium every single week.
Mnemonic: Stalwart descends from old words meaning 'stall' (place) plus 'worth' -- a stalwart supporter is worth keeping in place because they never budge.
Stoic (adjective) Enduring hardship or pain without complaining or showing much emotion.
Example: She remained stoic through the surgery, never once mentioning the pain to her worried family.
Mnemonic: Named for the ancient Stoic philosophers, who taught calm acceptance of fate while teaching under a painted porch, or 'stoa,' in Athens -- a stoic person keeps that same unshaken calm.
Stringent (adjective) Strict and rigorously enforced, leaving little room for exception.
Example: The new factory had to meet stringent safety standards before it could open.
Mnemonic: Stringent relates to a string pulled tight -- rules this strict feel like they are bound with a string cinched as far as it will go.