The Words You Should Know to Sound Smart Read Free Page B

help pay for the young boy’s leukemia treatments.
    benighted
(bee-NYE-ted), adjective
    To be lost, ignorant, or unenlightened.
    The Medieval period was a BENIGHTED era of superstition.
    benign
(beh-NINE), adjective
    Kindly, gentle, generous of spirit, not harmful.
    We thought Amanda BENIGN until she began to inflate her family pedigree.
    bereaved
(beh-REEVD), adjective
    To be in a state of grief as the result of the death of someone you love or care deeply about.
    “Laughter would be BEREAVED if snobbery died.” – Peter Ustinov, British writer and dramatist
    bereft
(Beh-REFT), adjective
    Lacking a certain characteristic, possession, or trait; isolated and lonely.
    “A woman moved is like a fountain troubled. / Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, BEREFT of beauty, / And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty / Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.” – William Shakespeare
    besotted
(bih-SOTT-ed), adjective
    Made foolish, stupid, or dull due to an infatuation with love, money, the pursuit of power, etc.
    Aline thinks Jake is BESOTTED with her, but he’s really BESOTTED with her father’s stock portfolio.
    bespoke
(bih-SPOHK), adjective
    Clothes, shoes, and other goods custom-made for a particular client.
    Taylor’s big secret is that though he wears BESPOKE clothing, he’s only leasing his new Lexus.
    bête noire
(Bett-NWAR), noun
    A thing for which one has an intense dislike or great fear; a dreaded enemy or foe.
    Sunlight was Dracula’s greatest BÊTE NOIRE.
    betoken
(bee-TOE-ken), verb
    To serve as a warning.
    For Mary and Paul, the breakdown of their new Porsche while they were still two hours away from their summer home BETOKENED a disastrous vacation.
    bibelot
(BIB-low), noun
    A small object of beauty or rarity.
    The Rossington’s collection of BIBELOTS contains numerous Faberge eggs.
    bibliomania
(bib-lee-oh-MAY-nee-uh), noun
    A preoccupation with the acquisition and ownership of books.
    Lauren’s BIBLIOMANIA extends only to her stockpile of catalogues for exclusive shops.
    bibulous
(BIB-yuh-luss), adjective
    Related to drinking or to drunkenness.
    Arthur thinks he’s “fine,” but his BIBULOUS activities are causing the club to consider permanent expulsion.
    bicameral
(by-KAM-er-el), adjective
    A government or parliament with two chambers or houses.
    With a Senate and a House of Representatives, the United States has a BICAMERAL legislature.
    bifurcate
(BYE-fur-kate), verb
    To divide something into two branches or forks.
    “François Truffaut defined a great movie as a perfect blend of truth and spectacle. Now it’s become BIFURCATED. Studio films are all spectacle and no truth, and independent films are all truth and no spectacle.” – Howard Franklin, American screenwriter and director
    bilateral
(by-LAT-ur-ul), adjective
    Touching, existing on, or having or being agreed to by two sides.
    The president signed a BILATERAL disarmament agreement with the nation bordering to the north.
    bildungsroman
(BILL-dungs-roh-man), noun
    A coming-of-age novel, such as
The Catcher in the Rye
or
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
.
    Alex has started writing a BILDUNGSROMAN about his experiences in prep school.
    bilious
(BILL-yuss), adjective
    Having a nasty temperament or disagreeable disposition; to be “full of bile” and hatred.
    The polo team’s BILIOUS captain made his team miserable as he proceeded to criticize their every move.
    billet
(BILL-uht), noun
    A job, position, or appointment.
    With his wealthy father’s influence, Miles was able to secure a lucrative BILLET in a major brokerage house.
    blandishments
(BLAN-dish-ments), noun
    Compliments rendered primarily to influence and gain favor with the person you are praising.
    The BLANDISHMENTS heaped upon the consultant by his client were not sufficient to persuade him to take a staff position with them.
    blazon
(BLAY-zuhn), noun or verb
    A coat of arms; or, to proclaim something widely.
    You’ll find the Rutherford’s family