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barron词汇 M

barron词汇 M



2097. macabre

释义: gruesome; grisly

例句: The city morgue is a macabre spot for the uninitiated.



2098. mace

释义: ceremonial staff; clublike medieval weapon

例句: The Grand Marshal of the parade raised his mace to signal that it was time for the procession to begin.



2099. macerate

释义: soften by soaking in liquid; waste away

例句: The strawberries had been soaking in the champagn for so long that they had begun to macerate: they literally fell apart at the touch of a spoon.



2100. machiavellian

释义: crafty; double-dealing

例句: I do not think he will be a good embassador because he is not accustomed to the machiavellian maneuverings of foreign diplomats.



2101. machinations

释义: schemes

例句: I can see through your wily machinations.



2102. maculated

释义: spotted; stained

例句: Instead of writing that Gorbachev had a birthmark on his forehead, the pompous young poet sang of the former premier's maculated brow.



2103. madrigal

释义: pastoral song

例句: His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to the accompaniment of a lute.



2104. maelstrom

释义: whirlpool

例句: The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.



2105. magisterial

释义: authoritative; imperious

例句: The learned doctor laid down the law to his patient in a magisterial tone of voice.



2106. magnanimity

释义: generosity

例句: Noted for his magnanimity, philanthropist Eugene Lang donated millions to charity.



2107. magnate

释义: person of prominence or influence

例句: The steel magnate decided to devote more time to city politics.



2108. magniloquent

释义: boastful, pompous

例句: In their stories of the trial, the reporters ridiculed the magniloquent speeches of the defense attorney.



2109. magnitude

释义: greatness; extent

例句: It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.



2110. maim

释义: mutilate; injure

例句: The hospital could not take care of all who had been mangled or maimed in the railroad accident.



2111. maladroit

释义: clumsy; bungling

例句: In his usual maladroit way, he managed to upset the cart and spill the food.



2112. malaise

释义: uneasiness; distress

例句: She felt a sudden vague malaise when she heard sounds at the door.



2113. malapropism

释义: comic misuse of a word

例句: When Mrs. Malaprop criticizes Lydia for being "as headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "allegator" in a typical malapropism.



2114. malcontent

释义: person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs

例句: He was one of the few malcontents in the Congress; he constantly voiced his objections to the Presidential program.



2115. malediction

释义: curse

例句: The witch uttered maledictions against her captors.



2116. malefactor

释义: criminal

例句: We must try to bring these malefactors to justice.



2117. malevolent

释义: wishing evil

例句: We must thwart his malevolent schemes.



2118. malfeasance

释义: wrongdoing

例句: The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.



2119. malicious

释义: dictated by hatred or spite

例句: The malicious neighbor spread the gossip.



2120. malign

释义: speak evil of; defame

例句: Because of her hatred of the family, she maligns all who are friendly to them.



2121. malignant

释义: having an evil influence; virulent

例句: This is a malignant disease; we must have to use drastic measures to stop its spread.



2122. malingerer

释义: one who feigns illness to escape duty

例句: The captain ordered the sergeant to punish all malingerers and force them to work.



2123. malleable

释义: capable of being shaped by pounding

例句: Gold is a malleable metal.



2124. malodorous

释义: foul-smelling

例句: The component heap was most malodorous in summer.



2125. mammal

释义: vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young

例句: Many people regard the whale as a fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.



2126. mammoth

释义: gigantic

例句: The mammoth corporations of the twentieth century are a mixed blessing



2127. manacle

释义: restrain; handcuff

例句: The police immediately manacled the prisoner so he could not escape.



2128. mandate

释义: order; charge

例句: In his inaugural address, the President stated that he had a mandate from the people to seek an end to social evils such as poverty and poor housing.



2129. mandatory

释义: obligatory

例句: These instructions are mandatory; any violation will be severely punished.



2130. mangy

释义: shabby; wretched

例句: We finally thew out the mangy rug that the dog had destroyed.



2131. maniacal

释义: raving mad

例句: His maniacal laughter frightened us.



2132. manifest

释义: understandable; clear

例句: His evil intentions were manifest and yet we could not stop him.



2133. manifestation

释义: outward demonstration; indication

例句: Mozart's early attraction to the harsichord was the first manifestation of his pronounced musical bent.



2134. manifesto

释义: declaration; statement of policy

例句: The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed the principles of modern communism.



2135. manifold

释义: numerous; varied

例句: I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate your manifold kindnesses.



2136. manipulate

释义: operate with the hands; control or change by artful means

例句: How do you manipulate these puppets?



2137. mannered

释义: affected; not natural

例句: Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.



2138. manumit

释义: emancipate; free from bondage

例句: Enlightened slave owners were willing to manumit their slaves and thus put an end to the evil slavery in the country.



2139. marital

释义: pertaining to marriage

例句: After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often consulted by married people on the verge of divorce.



2140. maritime

释义: bordering on the sea; nautical

例句: The maritime Provinces depend on the sea for their wealth.



2141. marked

释义: noticeable; targeted for vengeance

例句: He walked with a marked limp, a souvenir of an old IRA attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked man.



2142. marred

释义: damaged; disfigured

例句: She had to refinish the marred surface of the table.



2143. marshal

释义: put in order

例句: At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or two to marshal their thoughts before addressing their audience.



2144. marsupial

释义: one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch

例句: The most common marsupial in North America is the opposum.



2145. martial

释义: warlike

例句: The sound of marital music was always inspiring to the young poet.



2146. martinet

释义: strict disciplinarian

例句: The commanding officer was a martinet who observed each regulation to the ltter.



2147. masochist

释义: person who enjoys his own pain

例句: The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says, "I won't."



2148. masticate

释义: chew

例句: We must masticate our food carefully and slowly in order to avoid digestive disorders.



2149. materialism

释义: preoccupation with physical comforts and things

例句: By its nature, materialism is opposed to idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the needs of the soul.



2150. maternal

释义: motherly

例句: Many animals display maternal instincts only while their offspring are young and helpless.



2151. matriarch

释义: woman who rules a family or larger social group

例句: The matriarch ruled her gypsy tribe with a firm hand.



2152. martrix

释义: point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die

例句: Some historians claim the Nile Valley was the matrix of the Western civilization.



2153. maudlin

释义: effusively sentimental

例句: I do not like such maudlin pictures. I call them tearjerkers.



2154. maul

释义: handle roughly

例句: The rock star was mauled by his overexcited fans.



2155. mausoleum

释义: monumental tomb

例句: His body was placed in the family mausolem.



2156. mauve

释义: pale purple

例句: The mauve tint in the lilac bush was another indication that spring had finally arrived.



2157. maverick

释义: rebel; nonconformist

例句: To the masculine literary establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.



2158. mawkish

释义: sickening; insipid

例句: Your mawkish sighs fill me with disgust.



2159. maxim

释义: proverb; a truth pithily stated

例句: Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.



2160. mayhem

释义: injury to the body

例句: The riot was marked not only by mayhem, with its attendant loss of life and limb, but also by arson and pillage.



2161. meager

释义: scanty; inadequate

例句: His salary was far too meager for him to afford to buy a new car.



2162. mealymouthed

释义: indirect speech; hypocritical; evasive

例句: Rather than tell Jill directly what he disliked, Jack made a few mealymouthed comments and tried to change the subject.



2163. meander

释义: to wind or turn in its course

例句: It is difficult to sail up this stream because of the way it meanders through the countryside.



2164. meddlesome

释义: interfering

例句: He felt his marriage was suffering because of his meddlesome mother-in-law.



2165. mediate

释义: settle a dispute through the services of an outsider

例句: Let us mediate out differences rather than engage in a costly strike.



2166. mediocre

释义: ordinary; commonplace

例句: We were disappointed because he gave a rather mediocre performance in this role.



2167. meditation

释义: reflection; thought

例句: She reached her decision only after much meditation.



2168. medley

释义: mixture

例句: The band played a medley of Gershwin tunes.



2169. meek

释义: submissive; patient and long-suffering

例句: Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.



2170. megalomania

释义: mania for doing grandiose things

例句: Developers who spend millions trying to build the world's tallest skyscraper suffer from megalomania.



2171. melee

释义: fight

例句: The captain tried to ascertain the cause of the melee that had broken out among the crew members.



2172. mellifluous

释义: flowing smoothly; smooth

例句: Italian is a mellifluous language.



2173. memento

释义: token; reminder

例句: Take this book as a memento of your visit.



2174. memorialize

释义: commemorate

例句: Let us memorialize his great contribution by dedicating this library in his honor.



2175. mendacious

释义: lying; false

例句: He was pathological liar, and his friends learned to discount his mendacious stories.



2176. mendicant

释义: beggar

例句: From the moment we left the ship, we were surrounded by mendicants and peddlers.



2177. menial

释义: suitable for sevants; low

例句: I cannot understand why a person of your ability and talent should engage in such menial activities.



2178. mentor

释义: counselor; teacher

例句: During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for the teacher was sympathetic and understanding.



2179. mercantile

释义: concerning trade

例句: I am more interested in the opportunites available in the mercantile field than I am in those in the legal profession.



2180. mercenary

释义: motivated solely by money or gain

例句: "I'm not in this war because I get my kicks waving flags," said the mercenary soldier. "I'm in it for the dough."



2181. mercurial

释义: fickle; changing

例句: He was of a mercurial temperament and therefore unpredictable.



2182. meretricious

释义: flashy; tawdry; falsely attractive

例句: Her jewels were inexpensive but not meretricious.



2183. merger

释义: combination (of two business corporations)

例句: When the firm's president married the director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was a merger.



2184. mesmerize

释义: hypnotize

例句: The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.



2185. metallurgical

释义: pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores

例句: During the course of his metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.



2186. metamorphosis

释义: change of form

例句: The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is typical of many such changes in animal life.



2187. metaphor

释义: implied comparison

例句: "He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in flight," is a metaphor.



2188. metaphysical

释义: pertaining to speculative philosophy

例句: The modern poets have gone back to the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century for many of their images.



2189. mete

释义: measure; distribute

例句: He tried to be impartial in his efforts to mete out justice.



2190. meteoric

释义: swift; momentarily brilliant

例句: We all wondered at his meteoric rise to fame.



2191. methodical

释义: systematic

例句: An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his financial records.



2192. meticulous

释义: excessively careful

例句: He was meticulous in checking his accounts and never made mistakes.



2193. metropolis

释义: large city

例句: Every evening this terminal is filled with the thousands of commuters who are going from this metropolis to their homes in the suburbs.



2194. mettle

释义: courage; spirit

例句: When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead.



2195. miasma

释义: swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence

例句: The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud; noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.



2196. microcosm

释义: small world

例句: In the microcosm of our rural village, we find illustrations of all the evils that beset the universe.



2197. migrant

释义: changing its habitat; wandering

例句: These migrant birds return every spring.



2198. migratory

释义: wandering

例句: The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country is a harbinger of spring.



2199. milieu

释义: environment; means of expression

例句: His milieu is watercolors, although he has produced excellent oil paintings and lithographs.



2200. militant

释义: combative; bellicose

例句: Althoughat this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude.



2201. militate

释义: work against

例句: Your record of lateness and absence will militate against your chances of promotion.



2202. millenium

释义: thousand-year period; period of happiness and prosperity

例句: I do not expect the milennium to come during my lifetime.



2203. mimicry

释义: imitation

例句: Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the theater.



2204. minatory

释义: menacing; threatening

例句: Jabbing a minatory forefinger at Dorothy, the Wicked Witch cried, "I'll get you, and your little dog, too!"



2205. mincing

释义: affectedly dainty

例句: Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.



2206. minion

释义: a servile dependent

例句: He was always accompanied by several of his minions because he enjoyed their subservience and flattery.



2207. minuscule

释义: extremely small

例句: Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for success?



2208. minute

释义: extremely small

例句: The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set them apart.



2209. minutiae

释义: petty details

例句: She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.



2210. mirage

释义: unreal reflection; optical illusion

例句: The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in the desert.



2211. mire

释义: entangle; stick in swampy ground

例句: Their rear wheels became mired in mud.



2212. mirth

释义: merriment; laughter

例句: Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.



2213. misadventure

释义: mischance; ill luck

例句: The young explorer met death by misadventure.



2214. misanthrope

释义: one who hates mankind

例句: We thought the hermit was a miantrope because he shunned our society.



2215. misapprehension

释义: error; misunderstanding

例句: To avoid msapprehension, I am going to ask all of you to repeat the instructions I have given.



2216. miscellany

释义: mixture of writings on various subjects

例句: This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century prose and poetry.



2217. mischance

释义: ill luck

例句: By mischance, he lost his week's salary.



2218. misconstrue

释义: interpret incorrectly; misjudge

例句: She took the passage seriously rather than humourously because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.



2219. miscreant

释义: wretch; villain

例句: His kindness to the miscreant amazed all of us who had expected to hear severe punishment pronounced.



2220. misdemeanor

释义: minor crime

例句: The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a felony.



2221. miserly

释义: stingy; mean

例句: The miserly old man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed.



2222. misgivings

释义: doubts

例句: Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes despite his foreboding of evil.



2223. mishap

释义: accident

例句: With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.



2224. misnomer

释义: wrong name; incorrect designation

例句: His tyrannical conduct proved to all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.



2225. misogamy

释义: hatred of marriage

例句: He remained a bachelor not because of misogamy but because of ill fate: his fiancee died before the wedding.



2226. misogynist

释义: hater of women

例句: She accused him of being a misogynist because he had been a bachelor all his life.



2227. missile

释义: object to be thrown or projected

例句: Scientists are experimenting with guided missiles.



2228. missive

释义: letter

例句: The ambassador received a missive from the Secretary of State.



2229. mite

释义: very small object or creature; small coin

例句: Gnats are annoying mites that sing.



2230. mitigate

释义: appease

例句: Nothing he did could mitigate her wrath; she was unforgiving.



2231. mnemonic

释义: pertaining to memory

例句: He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.



2232. mobile

释义: movable; not fixed

例句: The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our neighborhood today.



2233. mode

释义: prevailing style

例句: She was not used to their lavish mode of living.



2234. modicum

释义: limited quantity

例句: Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he describes are fictitious.



2235. modish

释义: fashionable

例句: She always discarded all garments that were no longer modish.



2236. modulation

释义: toning down; changing from one key to another

例句: When we she spoke, it was with quiet modulation of voice.



2237. mogul

释义: powerful person

例句: The oil moguls made great profits when the price of gasoline rose.



2238. molecule

释义: the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that substance

例句: In chemistry, we study how atoms and molcules react to form new substances.



2239. mollify

释义: soothe

例句: We tried to mollify the hysterical child by promising her many gifts.



2240. mollycoddle

释义: pamper; indulge excessively

例句: Don't mollycoddle the boy, Maud! You'll spoil him.



2241. molt

释义: shed or cast off hair or feathers

例句: The male robin molted in the spring.



2242. molten

释义: melted

例句: The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava flowing from Mount Vesuvius.



2243. momentous

释义: very important

例句: On this momentous occasion, we must be very solemn.



2244. momentum

释义: quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus

例句: The car lost momentum as it tried to ascend the steep hill.



2245. monarchy

释义: government under a single hereditary ruler with varying degrees of power

例句: England today remains a monarchy.



2246. monastic

释义: related to monks

例句: Wanting to live a religious life, he took his monastic vows.



2247. monetary

释义: pertaining to money

例句: Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions affecting the household.



2248. monochromatic

释义: having only one color

例句: Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish several colors; some, however, have a truly monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.



2249. monolithic

释义: solidly uniform; unyielding

例句: Knowing the importance of appearing resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.



2250. monotheism

释义: belief in one God

例句: Abraham was the first to proclaim his belief in monotheism.



2251. monotony

释义: sameness leading to boredom

例句: He took a clerical job, but soon grew to hate the monotony of his daily routine.



2252. monumental

释义: massive

例句: Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.



2253. moodiness

释义: fits of depression or gloom

例句: We could not discover the cause of her recurrent moodiness.



2254. moratorium

释义: legal delay of payment

例句: If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.



2255. morbid

释义: given to unwholesome thought; gloomy

例句: These morbid speculations are dangerous; we must lighten our spirits by emphasizing more pleasant matters.



2256. mordant

释义: biting; sarcastic; stinging

例句: Actors feared the critic's mordant pen.



2257. mores

释义: customs

例句: The mores of Mexico are those of Spain with some modifications.



2258. moribund

释义: at the point of death

例句: The doctors called the family to the bedside of the moribund patient.



2259. morose

释义: ill-humored; sullen

例句: When we first meet Hamlet, we find him morose and depressed.



2260. mortician

释义: undertaker

例句: The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.



2261. mortify

释义: humiliate; punish the flesh

例句: She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room in tears.



2262. mosaic

释义: picture made of smell, colorful inlaid tiles

例句: The mayor compared the ciry to a beautiful mosaic made up of people of every race and religion on earth.



2263. mote

释义: small speck

例句: The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.



2264. motif

释义: theme

例句: This simple motif runs throughout the score.



2265. motility

释义: ability to move spontaneously

例句: Certain organisms exhibit remarkable motility; motile spores, for example, may travel for miles before coming to rest.



2266. motley

释义: parti-colored; mixed

例句: The captain had gathered a motley crew to sail the vessel.



2267. mottled

释义: spotted

例句: When he blushed, his face took on a mottled hue.



2268. mountebank

释义: charlatan; boastful pretender

例句: The patent medicine man was a mountebank.



2269. muddle

释义: confuse; mix up

例句: His thoughts were muddled and chaotic.



2270. muggy

释义: warm and damp

例句: August in New York City is often muggy.



2271. mulct

释义: defraud a person of something

例句: The lawyer was accused of trying to mulct the boy of his legacy.



2272. multifarious

释义: varied; greatly diversified

例句: A career woman and mother, she was constantly busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.



2273. multiform

释义: having many forms

例句: Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.



2274. multilingual

释义: having many languages

例句: Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss people are multilingual.



2275. multiplicity

释义: state of being numerous

例句: He was appalled by the multuplicity of details he had to complete before setting out on his mission.



2276. mundane

释义: worldly as opposed to spiritual

例句: He was concerned only with mundane matters, especially the daily stock market quotations.



2277. munificent

释义: very generous

例句: The munificent gift was presented to the bride by her rich uncle.



2278. murkiness

释义: darkness; gloom

例句: The murkiness and fog of the waterfront that evening depressed me.



2279. muse

释义: ponder

例句: For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thought soon changed as he recalled his own personal problems.



2280. musky

释义: having the odor of musk

例句: She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.



2281. muster

释义: gather; assemble

例句: Washington mustered his forces at Trenton.



2282. musty

释义: stale; spoiled by age

例句: The attic was dark and musty.



2283. mutable

释义: changing in form; fickle

例句: His opinion were mutable and easily influenced by anyone who had any powers of persuasion.



2284. muted

释义: silent; muffled; toned down

例句: In the funeral parlor, the mourners' voices had a muted quality.



2285. mutilate

释义: maim

例句: The torturer threatened to mutilate his victim.



2286. mutinous

释义: unruly; rebellious

例句: The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew.



2287. myopic

释义: nearsighted

例句: In thinking only of your present needs and ignoring the future, you are being rather myopic.



2288. myriad

释义: very large number

例句: myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every twilight.



2289. mutter

释义: murmur or grumble

例句: The child muttered at the doll.



2290. millinery

释义: person who makes or sells women's hats

例句: The millinery displayed fashionable hats in the street where many women passed by.