1. voracious / ravenous / rapacious – having a huge appetite that cannot be satisfied• Having run a marathon on an empty stomach, he had developed a
voracious appetite.
2. callous – emotionally hardened; insensitive; unfeeling
• Although he was rather sensitive before joining the Army, four years of war have made John callous toward the feelings of others.
3. intrepid / undaunted – courageous; resolute; fearless
• The intrepid pilot attacked the heavily fortified battleship by himself.
Which the intrepid guy?
4. nonchalant – having an air of casual indifference; coolly unconcerned; unflappable• Showing no emotion, the criminal appeared nonchalant as the judge
sentenced him to 30 years in jail.
5. convoluted – winding, twisting, and therefore difficult to understand; intricate
• The longer the detectives questioned the suspect, the more convoluted his lies became until even he wasn’t sure what he was saying anymore.
6. itinerant – migrating from place to place; not sedentary
• Upon hearing that her parents were itinerant fruit pickers, we didn’t expect that the new student would be around the school for long.
Migrant fruit pickers
Hunter gatherers
7. poignant – moving; touching; heartrending
• I was struck by the movie’s poignant ending in which the main character died from the very disease he had spent his life attempting to eradicate.
8. impetus – a stimulus or encouragement that results in increased activity
• The news that a dangerous prisoner had escaped from nearby served as the impetus for a 500% increase in ammunition sales that week.
9. bucolic / rustic / pastoral – characteristic of charming, unspoiled countryside and the simple, rural life
• Tiring of the hectic pace of city life, the retirees moved to the bucolic countryside to live out their days in peace and quiet.
bucolic scene versus cityscape
10. equanimity – calmness; composure; even-temperedness; poise
• Refusing to be lured into an angry shouting match with his opponent, the politician maintained his equanimity throughout the debate.
