an authority
[kon-uh-sur, -soor]
noun
1705–15; < French; Old French
"BBQ connoisseur grills up business with Keizer shop." - http://www.statesmanjournal.com/article/20131130/NEWS/311300012/
This man is a connoisseur of fine wines, making him a good authority to ask if you have any wine related questions. - http://rationallyspeakingpodcast.org/storage/images/connoisseur.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1372290834729
2. Conspiracy
a plot[kuhn-spir-uh-see]
noun
1325–75; Middle English
"But certain conspiracy forums have developed several theories around the actor’s death suggesting that it was murder." - http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/527012/20131203/paul-walker-death-dead.htm
Some people believe that 9/11 was a conspiracy, or plot, developed by the United States to attack itself. - http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/conspiracy-theory-6.jpg
3. Contrite
sorry
[kuhn-trahyt, kon-trahyt]
adjective
1300–50; Middle English
"A contrite Mike Tomlin apologized profusely and sincerely today for his widely criticized actions Thursday night in the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens." - http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/smizik-on-sports/2013/12/03/Contrite-Tomlin-successfully-pleads-his-case/stories/201312030135#ixzz2mRqfud1p
This picture shows a man who is repenting, contrite, or sorry, of his actions. - http://www.phocabulary.com/words/contrite.jpg
4. Distraught
anxious
[dih-strawt]
adjective
1350–1400; Middle English
"Serial killer's distraught daughter is terrified she'll end up evil too, says her father. " - http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/444839/Distraught-Serial-killer-s-daughter-is-terrified-she-ll-end-up-evil-too-says-her-father
This man is distraught, or anxious, of working on the computer and doing electronic tasks. - http://us.123rf.com/400wm/400/400/warrengoldswain/warrengoldswain1112/warrengoldswain111200029/11598386-businessman-is-distraught-and-puts-his-head-down-in-disbelief-after-hearing-news-of-the-global-reces.jpg
5. Germane
related
[jer-meyn]
adjective
1600; Middle English
"Generally speaking, students have the right to express their religious beliefs in assignments if germane to the assignment. " - http://fox4kc.com/2013/12/03/seventh-grader-files-lawsuit-after-school-staff-destroys-prayer-flyers/
This picture shows a large family and everyone is germane, or related to each other. - http://www.daltondatabank.org/Chronicles/RDaltonBook/12_files/image002.gif
6. Lucid
easy to understand
[loo-sid]
adjective
1575–85; < Latin
"The ability to become lucid in a dream — in essence, to know that you are dreaming while you are dreaming — is a highly sought after skill." - http://mashable.com/2013/11/17/remee-lucid-dreaming/
This picture shows a basic math problem that is lucid, or easy to understand. - http://awo.aws.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/easyUnderstand.jpg
7. Plight
an unfortunate situation
[plahyt]
noun
1350–1400; Middle English
"REVEALED: Plight of the hungry polar bears." - http://www.express.co.uk/news/nature/446292/Plight-of-the-hungry-polar-bears
This poor people are living in a plight, an unfortunate situation, since a storm destroyed their homes. - http://intercrossblog.icrc.org/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field-rapidly-deteriorating-humanitarian-situation-kivus.jpeg?itok=2BdY9o20
8. Superficially
slightly
[soo-per-fish-uhl]
adverb
1375–1425; late Middle English
"This bewilderment is not surprising because assumption of risk superficially does look like the informed consent doctrine. " - http://dermatologytimes.modernmedicine.com/dermatology-times/news/if-my-patient-signed-consent-form-why-can-he-sue-me?contextCategoryId=116
This woman is superficially adoring herself in a mirror; she only cares about cliche things and does not get deep or sentimental, making her shallow. - http://www.knowji.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/superficial.png
9. Symmetrical
balanced
[si-me-tri-kuhl]
adjective
1745–55; Latin
"Symmetry brings aesthetically pleasing balance and proportion into photography" - http://mashable.com/2013/11/05/photos-symmetry/
This picture of a butterfly is symmetrical because both sides (vertically) are balanced and congruent. - http://activities.macmillanmh.com/reading/treasures/stories/worksheets/images/RI_G1U6W1a.gif
10. Verbose
wordy
[ver-bohs]
adjective
1665–75; < Latin
"Verbose vocabulary can bring greater life to language." - http://mainecampus.com/2013/11/04/verbose-vocabulary-can-bring-greater-life-to-language/
This teacher is verbose, or wordy, when he teaches, leaving the students with a lot of notes to copy. - http://s3.amazonaws.com/brainyflix/photos/11783/medium.jpg