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Difficult Words :
Acrid, Acrimonious, Acumen, Acute, Adage and Adamant
This is a list of Difficult Words: Acrid, Acrimonious, Acumen, Acute, Adage and Adamant
Acrimonious (AK ruh MOH nee us) adj: full of spite, bitter, nasty
• George and Elizabeth's discussion turned acrimonious when Elizabeth introduced the subject of George's perennial, incorrigible stupidity.
• Relations between the competing candidates were so acrimonious that each refused to acknowledge the presence of the other.
Acrid (AK rid) adj: harsh, like acid
• The drinks we had at the party had an acrid taste. It was harsh and unpleasant.
• Long after the fire had been put out, we could feel the acrid sting of smoke in our nostrils.
• Acrid is used most often with tastes and smells, but it can be used more broadly to describe anything that is offensive in a similar way. A comment that stung like acid could be called acrid. So could a harsh personality.
Acumen (AK yuh mun) n: keenness of judgement, mental sharpness
• A woman who knows how to turn a dollar into a million dollars overnight might be said to have a lot of business acumen.
• Ernie's near-total lack of acumen led him to invest all his money in a company that had already gone out of business.
Acute (uh KYOOT) adj: sharp, shrewd
• If your eyesight is acute, you can seen things that other people can't. You have visual acuity. An acute mind is a quick, intelligent one. You have mental acuity. An acute pain is a sharp pain.
• Acute means sharp only in a figurative sense. A knife, which is sharp enough to cut, is never said to be acute.
• Acute is a word which doctors throw around quite a bit. An acute disease is one that reaches its greatest intensity very quickly and then goes away. What could a disease be if it isn't acute? See chronic.
Adage (AD ij) n: an old saying, a familiar bit of wisdom
• For a happy life, ear figs is not an adage. No one ever said it, until now. But Honesty is the best policy is. Very often an adage is also a cliché.
Adamant (AD uh munt, AD uh mant) adj: stubborn, unyielding, completely inflexible
• Candice was adamant. She would never go out with Paul again.
• A very hard substance, like a diamond, is also adamant.
• Adamantine and adamant are synonyms. Adamancy is being adamant.