Page 150 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary
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12_571656 ch08.qxd  11/10/04  12:37 PM  Page 141
                                                                          I: SAT Words
                                                                                         141
                        intimidate (in TIM id ayt) vt. 1. to make afraid; daunt; 2. to deter or compel
                      with threats of violence; cow
                          • It is easy to intimidate little children, but it’s not very sporting.
                          • Mobsters have been known to intimidate potential witnesses against them
                             to deter them from testifying.
                             [-d, intimidating, intimidation, intimidator n.]
                        intrepid (in TRE pid) adj. not afraid; bold; fearless; very brave
                          • Actors who play Roman gladiators appear to be intrepid.
                          • The Marines who fought on Iwo Jima were intrepid indeed.
                          • Are you intrepid enough to ride a big roller coaster?
                             [Syn. brave]
                        intrigue (in TREEG) vt. 1. to bring on by secret plotting; 2. to excite the curiosi-
                      ty; fascinate —n. 1. a secret or underhanded plotting; 2. a secret plot; 3. a love affair
                          • Brutus and Cassius intrigue to kill Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s take on the
                             subject.
                          • A cliff-hanger intrigues one to find out what will come next.
                          • The intrigue of Quisling’s fifth column betrayed Norway.
                          • Many believe the death of JFK was the result of intrigue.
                          • Tracy and Hepburn’s intrigue lasted many years.
                             [-d, intriguing] [Syn. plot]
                        intrinsic (in TRIN sik) adj. essential nature; not depending on outside sources;
                      inherent
                          • Gold has always had an intrinsic value as a precious metal.
                          • Some, but not all, believe that good is intrinsic to all people.
                          • The intrinsic nature of children is innocence.
                             [-ally* adv.]
                        intrusion (in TROO zhin) n. 1. the act of forcing one’s self or ideas on another
                      who has not asked for and/or does not welcome them; 2. (law) the illegal entry
                      onto another’s land; 3. (geology) the squeezing of magma between layers of solid
                      rock; the actual solidified rock so created
                          • Eric’s intrusion into the girl’s locker room was not greeted with amusement.
                          • Tresspassing is one form of illegal intrusion; burglary is another.
                          • Volcanic intrusions can be found in some museums’ geological exhibits.
                        intuitive (in TOO it iv) adj. 1. having to do with intuition (a direct and imme-
                      diate understanding or learning of something without use of reasoning); 2. learning
                      or knowing by such a feeling
                          • Ginny seemed to have been born with an intuitive grasp of how to ride a
                             horse.
                          • Alan found driving an automobile to be intuitive and was driving like an
                             old-timer the first time he took the wheel.
                             [-ly adv.]
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