Page 291 - WEBSTER Essential vocabulary

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Essential Vocabulary
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extraneous (eks TRAY nee is) adj. 1. not pertinent or relevant; 2. coming from
the outside; 3. not properly or truly belonging
• When discussing whether something is or is not the right thing to do, the
amount you’re willing to pay to have it done is extraneous.
• The phases of the moon are extraneous to the seasons on earth.
• When playing Chopin’s piano sonatas, the presence of a flute player is
extraneous.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. extrinsic]
extricable (EKS tri ki bil) adj. able to get out from; able to separate from; capa-
ble of being disentangled
• An egg yolk is easily extricable from a shelled egg—especially after the egg
has been hard-boiled.
• The painter’s having failed to deliver on his part of the contract made
Harvey extricable from it.
• A single rubber band is usually quite extricable from a ball of rubber bands.
[extricably adv.] [Syn. escapable]
extrovert (EKS tra VOERT) n. an outgoing person; one who directs her atten-
tion away from herself and toward others
• Francesco is quite an extrovert for a six-year-old and spends much of his
time thinking up ways to get those around him to laugh.
• Extroverts are generally a good deal more animated than introverts—their
opposites.
[extroversion n.] [Syn. outgoing]
facetious (fis EE shis) adj. joking or trying to be funny (especially at an inap-
propriate time)
• Being facetious is practically a full-time job for a punster.
• Vicki told Bill, “Don’t think I’m being facetious when I tell you you’re my
best friend, but I am.”
[-ly adv.] [Syn. witty]
facilitate (fa SIL i TAYT) vt. to make possible, or to make it easier to do something
• The hardened tips on shoelaces greatly facilitate lacing shoes and boots.
• Ramps being installed on most street corners facilitate getting on and off
sidewalks for the handicapped.
[-d, facilitating] [Syn. ease]
faction (FAK shin) n. inside a larger organization, a group of people smaller
than the whole working toward or aiming at one specific goal; partisan
• When the school PTA met, one faction favored holding a Christmas party,
while another was dead set against it.
• Because it is a part of a larger whole, one can properly say that a faction is a
fraction of a group.
feckless (FEK lis) adj. 1. weak; ineffective; 2. careless; irresponsible
• Mary was feckless about bringing her umbrella to work, and she paid for it
when the skies opened up.