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rapacious
(adj.) using force to take
Rapacious actions were needed to take the gun from the intruder.
ratify
(v.) to make valid; confirm
The Senate ratified the new law that would prohibit companies from discriminating
according to race in their hiring practices.
Hunters were called in to rarefy the deer population.
rationalize
(v.) to offer reasons for; account for on rational grounds
His daughter attempted to rationalize why she had dropped out of college,
but she could not give any good reasons.
raucous
(adj.) disagreeable to the sense of hearing; harsh; hoarse
The raucous protesters stayed on the street corner all night, shouting
their disdain for the whale killers.
raze
(v.) to scrape or shave off; to obliterate or tear down completely
The plow will raze the ice from the road surface.
It must be time to give the cat a manicure; she razed my skin last night.
They will raze the old Las Vegas hotel to make room for a $2.5 billion
gambling palace.
realm
(n.) an area; sphere of activity
In the realm of health care, the issue of who pays and how is never far
from the surface.
The bounding islands were added to the realm of the kingdom.
rebuff
(n.) a blunt refusal to offered help
The rebuff of her aid plan came as a shock.
rebuttal
(n.) refutation
The lawyer's rebuttal to the judge's sentencing was to present more evidence
to the case.
recalcitrant
(adj.) stubbornly rebellious
The boy became recalcitrant when the curfew was enforced.
The recalcitrant youth dyed her hair purple, dropped out of school, and
generally worked hard at doing whatever others did not want her to do.
recession
(n.) withdrawal; economic downturn
Oscar's gum recession left him with sensitive teeth.
Soaring unemployment in the nation's industrial belt triggered recession.
recidivism
(n.) habitual or chronic relapse of criminal or antisocial offenses
Even after intense therapy the parolee experienced several episodes of
recidivism, and was eventually sent back to prison.
reciprocal
(adj.) mutual; having the same relationship to each other
Hernando's membership in the Picture of Health Fitness Center gives him
reciprocal privileges at 245 health clubs around the U.S.
Although his first child was adopted, she had a reciprocal relationship
with her father.
recluse
(adj.; n.) solitary; a person who lives secluded
His recluse life seems to make him happy.
Howard Hughes, among the most famous and enigmatic figures of the 20th
century, ultimately retreated to a life as a recluse.
recondite
(adj.) hard to understand; concealed
The students were dumbfounded by the recondite topic.
Many scientific theories are recondite, and therefore not known at all
by the general public.
rectify
(v.) correct
The service manager rectified the shipping mistake by refunding the customer's
money.
recumbent
(adj.) resting
The recumbent puppy stirred.
recusant
(adj.) disobedient of authority
Recusant inmates may be denied privileges.
redolent
(adj.) sweet-smelling; having the odor of a particular thing
The redolent aroma of the pie tempted everyone.
The restaurant was redolent with the smell of spices.
redundant
(adj.) wordy; repetitive; unnecessary to the meaning
The redundant lecture of the professor repeated the lesson in the text.
Her comments were both redundant and sarcastic.
With millions of transactions at stake, the bank built a redundant processing
center on a separate power grid.
refurbish
(v.) to make new; renovate
The Newsomes are refurbishing their old colonial home with the help of
an interior designer.
refute
(v.) challenge; disprove
He refuted the proposal, deeming it unfair
regal
(adj.) royal; grand
The regal home was lavishly decorated and furnished with European antiques.
The well-bred woman behaves in a regal manner.
reiterate
(v.) to repeat again
Rose found that she had to reiterate almost everything, leading her to
fear her husband was going deaf.
If you did not hear me the first time, I will reiterate the directions
for you.
relegate
(v.) banish; put to a lower position
With Internal Affairs launching an investigation into charges that Officer
Wicker had harassed a suspect, he was relegated to desk duty.
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