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provident
(adj.) prudent; economical
It was provident, in his opinion, to wait and buy the new car when he
was financially secure.
provincial
(adj.) regional; unsophisticated
After living in the city for five years, he found that his family back
home on the farm was too provincial for his cultured ways.
proviso
(n.) A clause stating a condition or stipulation
The governor began the conference with a proviso stating the disastrous
results of the flood.
provocative
(adj.) tempting; irritating
In the movie Roger Rabbit, the animated Jessica Rabbit demurs when she's
told she's provocative, saying that she's only drawn that way.
The U.S. considered the invasion of Kuwait a provocative action.
provoke
(v.) to stir action or feeling; arouse
By calling him names, he was provoking a fight.
quaff
(v.) drinking deeply
A dog will quaff if he becomes overheated.
quagmire
(n.) marshy land
The vehicle became stuck in the quagmire.
quaint
(adj.) old-fashioned; unusual; odd
One of the best qualities of the bed-and-breakfast was its quaint setting
in the charming English village.
qualified
(adj.) experienced, indefinite
She was well qualified for the job after working the field for ten years.
qualm
(n.) sudden feeling of uneasiness or doubt
His qualms about flying disappeared once the plane landed softly.
quandary
(n.) dilemma
Joe and Elizabeth were caught in a quandary: Should they spend Thanksgiving
with his parents or hers?
Unable to make a firm decision, I've been in this quandary for weeks.
When the car broke down the commuter was left in a quandary.
quarantine
(n.) isolation of a person or persons to prevent the spread of disease
To be sure they didn't bring any contagions back to Earth, the astronauts
were put under quarantine when they returned.
quiescence
(n.) state of being at rest or without motion
After a tough day on the shipping dock, one needs quiescence.
A period of quiescence is useful to calm the nerves.
quiescent
(adj.) inactive, at rest
Everyone deserves a day off and should remain quiescent on Sundays.
The Bible says that the Lord created the Earth in six days and on the
seventh He was quiescent.
quintessence
(n.) the pure essence of anything
This story is the quintessence of American fiction.
quirk
(n.) peculiar behavior; startling twist
Nobody's perfect-we all have our quirks.
Our vacation went smoothly save for one quirk-a hurricane that came barreling
into the coastline as we were preparing to head home.
The plot of that movie had so many quirks that it became very hard to
follow.
Always needing to put the left shoe on first is a peculiar quirk.
quixotic
(adj.) foolishly idealistic; romantically idealistic; extravagantly chivalrous
He was popular with the ladies due to his quixotic charm.
She had a quixotic view of the world, believing that humans need never
suffer.
rabid
(adj.; n.) furious; with extreme anger; a disease affecting animals
The insult made him rabid.
Discovering that the dog was rabid, the mail carrier knew he'd have to
get a shot.
He's been a rabid sports fan for as long as I have known him.
raconteur
(n.) a person skilled at telling stories
Our entertainment was a raconteur who told a story of talking animals.
ramification
(n.) the arrangement of branches; consequence
One of the ramifications of driving fast is getting a speeding ticket.
rampant
(adj.) growing unchecked; widespread
Social unrest was rampant because of the lack of food available to the
people.
rampart
(n.; v.) a defense; to defend
The ramparts where beginning to crumble.
rancid
(adj.) having a bad odor
Left out too long, the meat turned rancid.
rancor
(n.) strong ill will; enmity
Her rancor for the man was evident in her hateful expression.
Sure they had their disagreements, but there was no rancor between them.
rant
(v.) to speak in a loud, pompous manner; rave
He disputed the bill with the shipper, ranting that he was dealing with
thieves.
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