Page 214 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

18_571656 ch14.qxd 11/10/04 12:39 PM Page 205
R: SAT Words
• Great reverence permeates the state funeral of a former U.S. president. 205
[Syn. honor, awe]
revulsion (riv UHL shin) n. extreme shock, disgust, or repugnance; a feeling of
great loathing
• Revulsion swept through the world at the untimely demise of President
Kennedy.
• To avoid causing your revulsion, we aver that no animals were harmed in
the making of this book.
[Syn. aversion]
rhetoric (RET oer ik) n. 1. the art or skill of using words effectively in speaking
or writing; 2. language that is showy or elaborate, but lacking in clarity or originality
of ideas or emotions; phony eloquence
• Former President Reagan was extremely good at connecting with the pub-
lic through use of rhetoric.
• Political conventions are always filled with rhetoric for the party faithful
but unrelated to the real world.
ridicule (RID ik yool) vt. the act of making someone or something the object of
scorn; to mock; to poke fun at
• Certain political leaders are easier than others to ridicule by drawing carica-
tures of them.
• Political cartoonists are specialists in the art of ridicule.
[-d, ridiculing] [Syn. deride, mock, taunt]
rite (RYT) n. 1. a formal ceremony or act associated with a relegious procedure
or observance; 2. any customary formal observance, procedure, or practice
• Almost every religion has some sort of rite of passage from childhood into
adulthood.
• Stravinsky celebrated the pagan rite of spring in his tone poem of the same
name.
[Syn. ceremony]
romantic* (roh MAN tik) adj. 1. having the nature of or characterized by romance
(idealized imagined love and adventure stories); 2. without factual basis; 3. not practi-
cal; guided by emotion rather than thought —n. a romantic person; romantic litera-
ture or music from the Romantic Movement (early to mid-nineteenth century)
• The Arthurian legend is a romantic story of the love triangle between
Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot.
• Many girls have a romantic notion about being carried away by Prince
Charming to live happily ever after.
• Karl Marx’s notion of a society where each person does what he can and
receives what he needs was a romantic one.
• Beethoven’s later works ushered in the Romantic Movement in music.
[-ally adv.]
ruffian (RUHF ee in) n. a hoodlum; a violent, lawless, brutal person; a tough guy
• Allen’s mom did not want him hanging out with ruffians after school.
• Ruffians are often the bane of an otherwise nice neighborhood.