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warrant
(v.) justify; authorize
The police official warranted the arrest of the suspect once enough proof
had been found.
welter
(n.) a confused mass; turmoil
When the emergency alarm sounded, a welter of shivering office workers
formed in the street as people evacuated the site.
The welter moved from street to street to escape the fire.
wheedle
(v.) to influence or persuade
The crook may attempt to wheedle the money from the bank.
He tried hard to wheedle his father into buying him a car.
whet
(v.) to sharpen by rubbing; to stimulate
Before carving the turkey, you must whet the blade.
The smell of cooking food has whet my appetite.
The smell of dinner cooking whetted her appetite.
whimsical
(adj.) fanciful; amusing
Strolling down Disney World's Main Street is bound to put child and grown-up
alike in a whimsical mood.
wily
(adj.) concealing; sly
The wily explanation was meant to confuse the investigator.
winsome
(adj.) charming; sweetly attractive
His winsome words moved the crowd to love him even more.
wither
(v.) wilt; shrivel; humiliate; cut down
The plant withered slowly since it received little light and little water.
wizened
(adj.) shriveled; withered
The wizened face of the old man was covered by his hat.
wooden
(adj.) to be expressionless or dull
The wooden expression of the man made him look like a statue.
workaday
(adj.) commonplace
The workaday meal was not exciting to the world class chef.
wrath
(n.) violent or unrestrained anger; fury
Do not trespass on his property or you will have to deal with his wrath.
wreak
(v.) to give vent; to inflict
The dragon will wreak havoc upon the countryside.
wrest
(v.) to pull or force away by a violent twisting
The warriors wrest the power from the king.
wretched
(adj.) miserable or unhappy; causing distress
Brought up in an orphanage, Annie led a wretched existence.
The continual rain made for a wretched vacation.
wry
(adj.) mocking; cynical
He has a wry sense of humor which sometimes hurts people's feelings.
xenophobia
(n.) fear of foreigners
Xenophobia kept the townspeople from encouraging any immigrants to move
into the neighborhood.
yoke
(n.) harness; collar; bond
The jockey led her horse by the yoke around its neck and face.
yore
(n.) former period of time
When he sees his childhood friends, they speak about the days of yore.
zealot
(n.) believer; enthusiast; fan
The zealot followed whatever rules the cult leader set.
zenith
(n.) point directly overhead in the sky; highest point
The astronomer pointed her telescope straight up toward the zenith.
The Broncos seemed to be at the zenith of their power just as their rivals
on the turf were flagging.
The sun will reach its zenith at noon.
The zenith of her career occurred during her time as chairperson.
zephyr
(n.) a gentle wind; breeze
It was a beautiful day, with a zephyr blowing in from the sea.
The zephyr blew the boat slowly across the lake.
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