insular adj. (IN sul ur) isolated or detached; narrow in opinion due to a lack of worldly experience. The insular opinions of the remote regions of the state are in stark contrast to the more liberal views of the southern, metropolitan areas.
insurrection n. (in sur EK shun) rebellion against established authorities. The peasants banded together in a mass insurrection.
intangible adj. (in TAN juh bul) imperceptible; impalpable. The soul is intangible, yet philosophers have long pondered its existence.
integral adj. (IN ti grel) essential; basic. Math should be an integral component of anyone's curriculum.
integrity n. (in TEG ruh tee) moral and ethical character. The boy who returned my lost wallet had great integrity.
intractable adj. (in TRAK tuh bul) unmanageable and stubborn. The impish lad had to be removed from class for his intractable behavior.
intransigent adj. (in TRANS uh junt) uncompromising. It is impossible to negotiate a difficult situation with someone who is intransigent.
intrepid adj. (in TREP id) bold; fearless. Parasailing requires an exceptionally intrepid temperament.
intrinsic adj. (in TRIN sik) inherent; natural. It's unwise to challenge the intrinsic nature of bears to protect their young.
introspective adj. (in truh spek tiv) contemplative and observant of one's own thoughts, feelings, and inner world. He had an introspective bent that compelled him to examine and carefully edit all thoughts before he spoke them aloud.
inundate vb. (IN un dayt) to flood or engulf.
The day following every Thanksgiving, orders for Christmas cards would inundate the greeting card company.
irascible adj. (i RAS uh bul) easy to anger. Killer bees have earned a reputation of being frighteningly irascible.
ironic adj. (i RON ik) having an opposite meaning to what is said. She said that politicians should always aspire to the highest form of sleaze, but I suspect she was being ironic.
irrelevant adj. (i REL uh vunt) impertinent; unrelated; beside the point. We're arguing about farm subsidies here, sir, and your comments about Beanie Babies are really quite irrelevant.
irreverent adj. (i REV ur unt) disrespectful. The
comedians of today love to gore sacred cows and are often lauded for being so irreverent.
irrevocable adj. (i REV uh kuh bul) irreversible; irretrievable. Once this new constitution is signed, there will be no turning back; its laws will be irrevocable.
itinerary n. (i TIN ur air ee) travel plan, route, or schedule. A fall foliage tour of New Hampshire and Maine is on our itinerary next week.
jaded adj. (JAY ded) tired out or bored from overindulgence. Washington is nice, but after touring seven museums in one day, I've become jaded.
jaundiced adj. (JON disd) prejudiced, hostile, and envious. The bigot regarded the minorities dominating his city's baseball team with a jaundiced eye.
je ne sais quoi (je ne say KWA) French term for "I know not what"; "a certain something." People with charisma have that certain je ne sais quoi that attracts others like a magnet.
judicious adj. (joo DISH us) prudent, fair, and sound in judgment. By splitting the profits evenly three ways, we made the most judicious choice possible.
juggernaut n. (JUG ur not) a powerful force or institution, sometimes followed blindly by devotees. The company had become a juggernaut, wiping out competing mom and pop shops all over the country.
juxtapose vb. (juks tuh POHZ) to place side by side. Juxtapose the pieces of a puzzle to expedite assembly.
Kafkaesque adj. (KAHF kuh ESK) nightmarish or otherworldly, as the writings of Franz Kafka. His drug-induced hallucinations took on a Kafkaesque quality.
kinetic adj. (kin ET ik) in motion; active; energetic. The kinetic properties of electricity are difficult to comprehend.
kismet n. (KIZ met) destiny; fate. My wife thinks it was kismet that brought us together, but I say it was just dumb luck.
kudos n. (KOO dohs) acclaim; praise. She is winning kudos for her gourmet cooking.
lackadaisical adj. (lak uh DAYZ uh kul) listless; careless; indifferent; unspirited. The children's efforts to rake the yard were lackadaisical at best; even after three hours of work, the lawn remained covered in leaves.
lackluster adj. (LACK lus tur) dull; bland; colorless. The home team has been rather lackluster lately; as a result, they've lost four games in a row.
laconic adj. (luh KON ik) terse; using few words.
The laconic gentleman rarely answered us with more than a grunt.
laissez-faire n. (LESS ay FEHR) any noninterfering or "hands-off" policy; allowance to act as one pleases without control or regulation. The government's laissez-faire economic policy allows for natural cycles of growth and recession.
lampoon vb. (lam POON) to ridicule, satirize, or parody. Every week, the comedy show would lampoon the president and his behind-the-scenes antics.
languid adj. (LAN gwid) weak; lacking in energy. On hot days, the workers tend to grow languid.
languish vb. (LAN gwish) to grow weak, listless, or neglected. The company is letting its typewriter business languish in favor of its word processor division.
lascivious adj. (lah SIV ee us) expressing lust; lewd.
She eyed the cake hungrily and gave a lascivious moan of desire.
latent adj. (LAY tunt) hidden beneath the surface. Parents always wonder what latent abilities reside within their children.
latitude n. (LAT uh tood) unrestricted freedom to act as one wishes. The voters gave the mayor the latitude to rein in city polluters with stiff fines.