Word

to acquire

definition

to buy or obtain for oneself

sentence

He has acquired a new Porsche!

He was the first in the town to acquire a bicycle!

This vocabulary word is from my lesson plan on China & Cars: A Love Story

thrilled

definition

delighted, excited, happy

sentence

She was thrilled that she got such a large bonus.

I was thrilled to hear your good news.

underhand

definition

done in a deceptive, dishonest, sly and sneaky way

sentence

Fraudsters often use underhand tactics to get information from people via e-mail.

This vocabulary word is from my lesson plan on Business Ethics.

jubilant

defintion

very happy

sentence

He was jubilant when he found out that he had passed the exam.

The announcement of the results was followed by jubilant celebrations.

This vocabulary word is from my lesson plan on Emotional Intelligence

scribble

definition

to write quickly without worrying about being neat, clear or legible

sentences

Whenever I think of something I need to buy, I quickly scribble it into my diary.

Can you stop scribbling in my notebook please, use your own!

(taken from my lesson about Einstein)

cogitate

definition

to ponder, to think about

sentences

Sometimes it's good to just sit and cogitate about the meaning of life.

Philosophers need lots of time to cogitate over deep issues.

(taken from my Googe NGram Viewer lesson plan)

exorbitant

definition

very, very expensive

sentences

Properties in London are exorbitant!

Have you seen the exorbitant prices of designer clothes?

to be stumped

definition

to be at a loss, unable to find a solution

sentence

I am completely stumped as to how she managed to beat him!

I've nearly finished the crossword, but this one clue has me stumped.

(taken from my Intelligence Lesson Plan)

baffling

definition

confusing, because you cannot understand something or solve a puzzle; confounding

sentence

The fact that he won that race is baffling - I didn't think he was the best.

Her behaviour is baffling, one minute she is sweet as sugar, and the next she won't talk to me.

(taken from my Olympics Lesson Plan)

blatant

definition:

obvious

sentence:

That's a blatant lie! I saw you do it!

The answer is blatantly obvious. The professor hit her over the head with the candlestick in the drawing room.

(taken from my Freakonomics lesson)

deluge

definition:

a great flood, a heavy downpour, or something that overwhelms us like a flood

sentence:

Since starting this website I have received a deluge of fan mail! (I'm still waiting J)

Were you awake during that deluge last night? Our road turned into a river!

(taken from my weather vocabulary list)

flagrant

definition:

shockingly noticeable or obvious

sentence:

The fact that he was found guilty is a flagrant miscarriage of justice.

In Syria recently there have been flagrant violations of human rights.

(taken from my lesson on Planned Obsolescence)

posterity

definition:

future generations

sentence:

Posterity will not thank us for the damage we have done to our planet.

Other descriptive adjectives so far (describing size)....

minuscule

definition:

tiny, very small

(sometimes also spelt miniscule)

sentence:

Don't go to the new restaurant down the road, their portions are minuscule.

I don't know how that school manages to pay its teachers - they have such a minuscule budget.

humongous

definition:

very, very, very large

(this American word first entered into the world in the 1960's, probably starting as college slang, and is a combination of the words huge and monstrous)

sentence:

She's not even 9 months pregnant yet, and she looks humongous!

That new block of flats is humongous, it's going to block out all our sunlight!

colossal

definition:

very, very, very large

sentence:

That new shopping mall is colossal, it takes more than half an hour to walk from one end to the other!

I was attacked by a colossal mosquito, it nearly took my head off!

staggering

defintion:

causing great surprise, amazement or dismay

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sentence:

The view from the top of the hill is staggering!

They want a staggering amount of money for that house.

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