Wednesday, October 21, 2009

October 21st Vocab Words

Note that I study all material, even that which is just a review.

Feel free to post challenges for me, make memorization suggestions, correct misused words, or whatever else you want. The reason I am doing this is for the fun of an interactive study experience.

Below are three vocab words, with a link to a sound clip and definition as well as the definition given by my study manual...and several vocabulary sentences made up by yours truly.

approbation (noun): an expression of approval or praise
  • Her appetite for approbation could not be satiated.
  • It's not that I need approbation; I simply don't want criticism.
  • It was long thought that children developed in a positive fashion when they received regular approbation, but the research consistently showed that children became anxious about accomplishing when adults gave such constant feedback to the children.
  • I was feeling very high about my accomplishments, and the approbation I received only boosted me further.
  • To earn her approbation, he worked harder than he ever had in his life, and with alacrity took on any challenge she offered.
  • We don't need your approbation, just stay out of our way.
  • I was surprised to receive approbation from such high-powered, intelligent people who I had for so long admired.
  • Without approbation, she felt lost for a direction, and she regularly questioned her own authority despite an outward appearance of confidence.
  • If you want approbation, try asking your real questions rather than sucking up and hiding your own light by agreeing with everything they say. They may question you back, but they'll respect you for your intelligence.
  • In my parenting style, I try not to demand that my children always have my approbation, but instead that they decide independently what they believe to be right in many situations.

canonical (noun): following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards (dictionary also indicates a couple other definitions, and it has a mathematical use as well)

  • The canonical texts are certainly of critical interest, but I find studying the apocrypha also to be an important aspect of biblical scholarship.
  • Clearly I have a different idea than she, about what literature is canonical in this day and age in our culture.
  • Though I read constantly, I would not be considered by most to be well-read, as I am unfamiliar with almost all canonical works and tend instead to read obscure and non-fiction pieces.
  • My writing is non-canonical, with lengthy sentences that while grammatically acceptable, most readers find unfamiliar and unpleasant.
  • He considered himself a Christian, but his beliefs, expression, and practice of the religion where far from canonical.
  • Learning the canonical sentence structures was critical in the development of her ability to make clear and cogent arguments in court.
  • The funeral was deeply religious and completely canonical, and we were relieved to know what to expect.
  • If he had been a canonical writer, he would have been more popular but less interesting.

ennui (noun): dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy

  • Her professional failures were more a result of ennui than a lack of ability. She simply gave in to her boredom.
  • I was surprised by his ennui. He seemed a bright student who could have made interesting challenges for himself academically if only he had not been so apathetic.
  • Your ennui has, quite frankly, become boring in and of itself. Get a life!
  • The best treatment for ennui is a fresh approach to the same problem.
  • The myths centered on the idea of the suburban so-called "housewife," her presumed ennui, and the mistaken notion that women stir up trouble for the pleasure of doing so.
  • I wouldn't call it a mid-life crisis as much as the result of ennui.
  • Experiencing an unrelenting sense of ennui, he fled the country and spent three years backpacking across Europe.
  • Ennui is the gift that helps us avoid a life of little depth, driving us to challenge our apathetic tendencies with activities of greater meaning.

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