John Wiley And Sons Webster''s New World - Essential vocabulary_R

R
radicalism* (RAD i kil IZ im) n. 1. the quality or state of being extreme, espe-
cially in political matters; 2. extreme in principles, ideas, methods, etc.
• Senator Brown’s penchant for radicalism brought him the admiration of his
friends and the distrust of his enemies.
• The surgeon’s reputation for radicalism made his patients think twice
before assenting to go under the knife.
rancorously (RAN kir uhs lee) adv. maliciously; spitefully; with continuous bit-
ter ill will or hatred
• The argument continued rancorously as each side showed its contempt for
the other.
• Peter treated double-parkers rancorously by letting the air out of their tires.
[rancorous adj.]
raucous (RAW kuhs) adj. 1. hoarse; rough sounding; 2. loud and bawdy
• The revelers had a raucous good time as they partied the night away.
• Gerald had a raucous laugh that reminded the average bystander of how a
grizzly bear might laugh.
[-ly adv., -ness n.]
reaction* (ree AK shin) n. 1. an opposing action or force; 2. a response to a
stimulus; 3. a moving backward to an earlier time’s condition or way of doing
things; extreme conservatism
• Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal
and opposite reaction.
• When suddenly poked, it is a natural reaction to jump.
• The forces of reaction would move the country back to horse-and-buggy
times.
reactionary (ree AK shin ER ee) adj. characteristic of or advocating definition 3
of reaction —n. one who advocates same
• Reactionary forces wish to return the country’s economy to the gold
standard.
• The political opposite of a radical is a reactionary.

[reactionaries pl.]
rebellious (ri BEL yis) adj. 1. resisting authority; engaged in armed resistance
against the government; 2. of or like rebels; 3. opposing all control; defiant; 4.
difficult to treat
• There is usually one rebellious group or another trying to overthrow a
government in Central America.
• Teenagers frequently become rebellious against parental authority around
age 17.
• Dan struggled with a very rebellious cowlick of hair.
[-ly adv., -ness n.]
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rebuff (ri BUF) vt. 1. to snub; bluntly reject; 2. to check or turn back (an
advance) —n. a snubbing; an abrupt refusal of advice, help, etc.
• Management’s offer of a 2% raise was rebuffed by the union’s
representatives.
• Marilyn rebuffed Joe’s attempt to get back together.
• Liz’s attempt to get the floor refinishers back to fix the flaws in their work
was met with a rebuff.
[-ed, -ing]
recklessness (REK lis NIS) n. 1. foolhardiness; carelessness; 2. rashness; disre-
gard for consequences
• Paul’s mom was nervous about his going skiing—especially because he had
a history of recklessness.
• What appears to be recklessness on the part of professional daredevils has
usually been very carefully planned out so as to avoid injury.
[reckless adj., recklessly adv.]
reconcile (REK in SYL) vt. 1. make consistent; 2. become friendly again; 3. to
settle

• At least once a month, everyone should reconcile his or her checkbook to
make sure that what is in the account jibes with what the book shows.
• Jan and Mary reconciled their differences over who should have brought the
watermelon to the picnic.
• The divorced couple reconciled for the sake of the children.
[-d*, reconciling, reconciliation n.]
QUICK REVIEW #70
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
1. radicalism
2. rancorously
3. raucous
4. reaction
5. reactionary
6. rebellious
7. rebuff
8. recklessness
9. reconcile
a. extremism
b. response
c. defiant
d. conservative
e. carelessness
f. snub
g. settle
h. maliciously
i. noisy
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reconnoiter (REE kin OY tir) vt. 1. to make a reconnaisance, that is, to seek out
information about enemy installations or positions; 2. to make a preliminary survey

• Corporal Smith was sent ahead to reconnoiter the lay of the land and look
for enemy troops.
• The surveyor was sent to the prospective shopping center to reconnoiter the
property and the existing traffic patterns and to assess the practicality of
the project.
[-ed, -ing]
recrimination (ree KRIM in AY shin) n. the answering of an accusation by
accusing the accuser; countercharge
• When Sue threatened to take Jim to court over his dog’s digging up her
roses, he threatened recrimination over her cat’s destroying his vegetable
garden.
• Barbara threatened recrimination if Barry complained to the authorities
about her noisy party.
[(to) recriminate vi.]
rectify (REK ti FY) vt. 1. to set right; correct; 2. (electricity) to convert alternat-
ing current to direct current
• Roberta tried to rectify the error that she had made when she omitted Jack’s
name from the guest list.
• Mr. Jones rectified the boundary dispute with his neighbor by moving his
fence.
[rectified, -ing]
redoubtable (ree DOWT ib il) adj. 1. formidable; fearsome; 2. commanding
respect
• Atilla the Hun’s horsemen constituted a redoubtable force.
• Heavy machinery is redoubtable, and one working with it must exercise care
at all times.
reductive (ree DUHK tiv) adj. 1. of or characterized by making smaller or lower-
ing in price; 2. tending to making things less complex (usually a disparaging term)
• Certain stores price items so that they may advertise reductive pricing
schemes.

• Good science teachers take a reductive approach to the subject matter so
that they can feed the concepts to the students in bite-sized portions.
[-ly adv.]
redundancy* (ree DUHN din see) n. 1. the quality of being excessive; super-
fluity; 2. an overabundance; 3. something that says something already said or does
something already done; 4. the part of a redundant statement that is superfluous
• To say that the dirty laundry is not very clean is a redundancy.
• Due to a redundancy of grain produced most years by U.S. farmers, some of
them are paid by the government not to grow certain crops.
• Many commercial airliners have redundancies deliberately built into them
to back up the main systems.
• “Is not very clean” is the redundancy in the first sentence.
[redundancies pl., redundance n.]
198 Essential Vocabulary
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refract (rif RAKT) vt. 1. to cause a ray of light to bend, as it does when passing
obliquely from one medium to another of different density; 2. to measure the
degree of bending of a ray of light
• When white light refracts through a triangular prism, it separates into the
colors of the rainbow.
• An ophthalmologist or optometrist refracts one’s eyes to determine the
proper curvature for corrective lenses.
[-ed, -ing, -ion, n.]
refute (rif YOOT) vt. 1. to prove to be wrong; 2. to prove incorrect by argument
or evidence
• Mr. Brown’s fingerprints and gloves, found at the scene of the crime, refute
his contention that he was never there.
• It is the defense attorney’s job to refute the prosecutor’s case so that the
defendant will be found not guilty.
[-d, refuting, refutable adj., refutably adv.] [Syn. disprove]

regale (ri GAYL) vt. 1. to entertain with a great feast; 2. to delight with some-
thing enjoyable or amusing
• The opulent party thrower regaled his guests with champagne, caviar, and
truffled pâté.
• The audience at the Mayfair Theater last night was regaled by a confection
of music and dance.
[-d, regaling]
regurgitate (ri GOER ji TAYT) vt. 1. to cause to flow backward, notably from
the stomach to the mouth; 2. to give back information that has been only partially
digested
• Those who go to a party with an upset stomach are likely to regurgitate any
and all refreshments they partake of.
• Some teachers ask their students to regurgitate what they have learned on
exams rather than to apply the knowledge in a meaningful way.
[-d, regurgitating, regurgitation n.] [Syn. vomit]
reiterate (ree IT er AYT) vt. to say or do again or repeatedly
• If your mother has told you once, she’s reiterated it 1,000 times: Keep your
elbows off the table!
• Those who have not learned the lessons of history are doomed to reiterate
them.
[-d, reiterating] [Syn. repeat]
relapse (ree LAPS) vt. to slip or fall back into a former condition, disease, or bad
habit, especially after improvement —n. the act of having a relapse or a recurrence
• After years of successfully fighting her compulsion to gamble, Norma
relapsed at the Kentucky Derby.
• Just as Carlos seemed ready to be released from intensive care, he suffered
a relapse.
[-d, relapsing]
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QUICK REVIEW #71
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
200 Essential Vocabulary
1. reconnoiter
2. recrimination
3. rectify
4. redoubtable
5. reductive
6. redundancy
7. refract
8. refute
9. regale
10. regurgitate
11. reiterate
12. relapse
a. formidable
b. disprove
c. bend
d. entertain
e. survey
f. vomit
g. superfluity
h. recurrence
i. repeat
j. correct
k. countercharge
l. lowering
relinquish (ri LIN kwish) vt. 1. to abandon (a claim); 2. to surrender
(something); 3. to give up

• Carla relinquished all claim to part ownership of Ira’s cat.
• By the Treaty of Torsedilla, Spain relinquished all claims on Brazil to
Portugal.
• Mike relinquished his sidearm to the palace guard.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. abandon, waive, forego]
reluctant (ri LUHK tint) adj. 1. unwilling or opposed to participating in;
disinclined; 2. marked by unwillingness
• The defendant in most trials is usually a reluctant participant.
• Mark seemed reluctant to accept Abbie’s excuse for not being able to go
bowling on Thursday night.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. loath, unwilling]
remiss (ri MISS) adj. 1. negligent in; careless about; lax; 2. marked by careless-
ness or negligence
• Don’t be remiss in paying your income taxes on time.
• The yard clearly showed that the house’s last owner had been remiss in
performing lawn maintenance.
[Syn. negligent, neglectful, lax]
remnant (REM nint) n. 1. what is left over; remainder; 2. a small remaining
part or quantity; 3. last trace; 4. a piece of cloth or carpet left at the end of a roll
• Only a small remnant of the turkey remained after the feasters at Bob and
Barbara’s were finished with it.
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• The ice-cream cake disappeared without leaving a remnant behind.
• Carpet remnants are usually very good buys and, in some cases, can be
room size.
[Syn. scrap, remainder]
remuneration (ri MYOO noer AY shin) n. 1. the act of paying for work done;
2. reward; payment; compensation
• A painter usually expects remuneration when his job is completed.
• Remuneration should be appropriate to the nature of the job performed.

[Syn. payment]
render (REN dir) vt. 1. to deliver, present, or submit for payment (for example,
a bill); 2. to give in return; 3. to pay something due or owed; 4. to represent or
depict
• The painter will render the bill to his customer upon completing the job.
• The Lone Ranger renders good in response to evil.
• Ralph rendered Phyllis thanks for a job well done.
• The architect rendered a drawing of the new kitchen.
[-ed*, -ing]
renovate (REN uh VAYT) vt. 1. to make sound again; to clean up and make like
new; 2. to revive; refresh
• Jason enjoyed renovating homes so much that he gave up his teaching job
to do it full-time.
• When you renovate your kitchen, you can expect to improvise and put up
with inconveniences until the job is done.
• Wallie felt renovated after her plunge in the ocean.
[-d, renovating] [Syn. renew]
renunciation (ri NUHN see AY shin) n. 1. the act of formally giving up, often
at the cost of a right, claim, title, etc.; 2. a formal declaration of the foregoing
• His renunciation of all claims to the motorcycle came only after receiving a
fair amount in compensation.
• The applicant signed the renunciation of rights to the deed to the house
until the mortgage had been paid off.
[Syn. disclaimer]
repentance (re PEN tins) n. a feeling of sorrow or self-reproach for what one
has done or has not done
• Ralph had a deep feeling of repentance for not having gotten to know his
father better.
• Absolution by repentance for indiscretions and sins is one of the attractive
qualities of the Catholic Church.

[Syn. penitence]
reprehensible (REP ri HEN si bl) adj. deserving reprimand or rebuke; fault
filled; awful
• The judge told the hit-and-run driver that his behavior had been reprehensible.
• Reprehensible behavior is not permissible under any circumstances—even if
you can get away with it.
[reprehensibly adv.]
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repudiate* (ri PYOO dee AYT) vt. 1. refuse to have anything to do with; dis-
own; 2. to deny the validity or authority of (a charge, a belief, etc.); 3. to refuse to
acknowledge (a government)
• Fran repudiated any responsibility for the behavior of her ex-husband.
• The ancient Romans typically did not repudiate the religious beliefs of their
captured subjects, as long as the subjects continued to pay taxes to Rome.
• It is typical of war criminals to repudiate the power of the courts that are
trying them.
[-d, repudiating]
resentment* (ri ZENT mint) n. feelings of displeasure from having been
ignored, snubbed, offended, or injured
• Tom made no attempt to hide his resentment of the fact that Mom always
liked Dick best.
• A certain former president, who shall go nameless, tried to hide his resentment
that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences never honored him for
his movie work.
[Syn. offense]
QUICK REVIEW #72
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
202 Essential Vocabulary

1. relinquish
2. reluctant
3. remiss
4. remnant
5. remuneration
6. render
7. renovate
8. renunciation
9. repentance
10. reprehensible
11. repudiate
12. resentment
a. lax
b. deliver
c. disown
d. penitence
e. awful
f. unwilling
g. offense
h. surrender
i. payment
j. renew
k. remainder
l. disclaimer
resolute (REZ i loot) adj. having or showing a firm resolve; determined; pur-
poseful; unwavering
• We must stay resolute in our refusal to give in to terrorists.
• Elaine was resolute in her plan to climb Mount Everest.
[-ly adv.] [Syn. faithful]
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resolution (rez i LOO shin) n. 1. the act or process of breaking something up
into its constituent parts; 2. a determining or deciding; 3. the thing determined or
decided; 4. a formal statement or opinion adopted by a group; 5. a solution or
answering of a question or problem
• A digital picture’s resolution often depends on how many pixels it is made
up of.
• The two parties worked toward the resolution of their difficulties.
• The resolution to the dispute was to split the baby into two equal parts.
(Hmm, where have I heard that before?)
• The General Assembly’s resolution passed by a unanimous vote.
• To find the resolution to a complex math problem, you should first separate
the problem into its parts and then solve each of those.
resplendent* (ris PLEN dint) adj. brightly shining; dazzling; splendid
• She was resplendent, bedecked in her finest jewelry.
• The ship was resplendent in the morning sun as she made ready to sail to
the Caribbean.
[-ly adv., resplendence n.]
responsibility (ris PAHN si BIL i tee) n. 1. condition or quality of being
accountable for something’s happening; accountability, dependability, obliged, etc.;
2. a thing or person that one holds accountability for
• The responsibility for anything that happens on this ship is the captain’s
alone.
• On a field trip, the teacher takes responsibility for all the students’
well-being.
• The children are the babysitter’s responsibility.
restraint (ris TRAYNT) n. 1. a holding back or being held back; 2. an influence
or action that holds something back; 3. a limitation of liberty; 4. emotional con-
trol; impulse control; reserve; constraint
• The patient is confined to her bed by Velcro restraints.
• Sometimes we need to use restraint to keep from eating that extra dessert

treat.
• The Constitution of the United States permits no restraint of freedom of
speech, which doesn’t mean that it doesn’t happen.
• Restraint, like everything else, should be exercised in moderation.
retain* (ree TAYN) vt. 1. to keep; maintain possession of; 2. to continue to have
or to hold in; 3. to keep in mind; 4. to hire (as a lawyer)
• One needs to make the monthly mortgage payments to retain ownership of
a house.
• Walt Disney retained his stock in the company long after he had ceased
running it.
• It is not easy for all people to retain facts in their minds.
• If you intend to pursue your interest in this matter, it might be advisable
for you to retain an attorney.
[-ed, -ing] [Syn. keep]
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retroactive (RET roh AK tiv) adj. 1. affecting things that took place earlier;
2. going into effect at a specified date in the past
• Despite the Constitution’s prohibiting ex post facto laws, many tax laws
are retroactive.
• The congressional budget is always retroactive to the beginning of the
current fiscal year, even though it is usually approved well after that date.
[-ly adv.]
retrospective (RET roh SPEK tiv) adj. 1. looking back on or toward the past;
2. applying to the past; retroactive —n. an exhibition of the lifetime work of a
person (usually one in the arts); a compendium of one’s life’s work
• It is often fun to take a retrospective look at one’s early years.
• Beethoven’s work, in retrospective, changed classical music for all time.
• The museum is having a retrospective on the works of Picasso next month.
[-ly adv.]

reveler (REV il oer) n. 1. one who is noisily partying; 2. one delighting in one’s
freedom; 3. a merrymaker
• Most college students become revelers at one time or another.
• Some college students are revelers for four years; then they spend the rest of
their lives wondering why they did that.
•A reveler should always have a designated driver preselected.
[revel vi., revelry, reveller n.]
QUICK REVIEW #73
Match the word from column 2 with the word from column 1 that means most
nearly the same thing.
204 Essential Vocabulary
1. resolute
2. resolution
3. resplendent
4. responsibility
5. restraint
6. retain
7. retroactive
8. retrospective
9. reveler
a. accountability
b. constraint
c. merrymaker
d. affecting earlier things
e. compendium
f. determined
g. dazzling
h. answer
i. keep
reverence (REV ir ins) n. 1. a feeling of respect, love, and awe (as for something

sacred or venerated); 2. a gesture of respect to indicate same; 3. the state of being
regarded with deep respect
• Clergymen are often held by their flock in reverence.
• Reverence is usually the proper attitude to assume during religious services
and preparing for SAT exams.
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• Great reverence permeates the state funeral of a former U.S. president.
[Syn. honor, awe]
revulsion (riv UHL shin) n. extreme shock, disgust, or repugnance; a feeling of
great loathing
• Revulsion swept through the world at the untimely demise of President
Kennedy.
• To avoid causing your revulsion, we aver that no animals were harmed in
the making of this book.
[Syn. aversion]
rhetoric (RET oer ik) n. 1. the art or skill of using words effectively in speaking
or writing; 2. language that is showy or elaborate, but lacking in clarity or originality
of ideas or emotions; phony eloquence
• Former President Reagan was extremely good at connecting with the pub-
lic through use of rhetoric.
• Political conventions are always filled with rhetoric for the party faithful
but unrelated to the real world.
ridicule (RID ik yool) vt. the act of making someone or something the object of
scorn; to mock; to poke fun at
• Certain political leaders are easier than others to ridicule by drawing carica-
tures of them.
• Political cartoonists are specialists in the art of ridicule.
[-d, ridiculing] [Syn. deride, mock, taunt]
rite (RYT) n. 1. a formal ceremony or act associated with a relegious procedure
or observance; 2. any customary formal observance, procedure, or practice

• Almost every religion has some sort of rite of passage from childhood into
adulthood.
• Stravinsky celebrated the pagan rite of spring in his tone poem of the same
name.
[Syn. ceremony]
romantic* (roh MAN tik) adj. 1. having the nature of or characterized by romance
(idealized imagined love and adventure stories); 2. without factual basis; 3. not practi-
cal; guided by emotion rather than thought —n. a romantic person; romantic litera-
ture or music from the Romantic Movement (early to mid-nineteenth century)
• The Arthurian legend is a romantic story of the love triangle between
Arthur, Guinevere, and Lancelot.
• Many girls have a romantic notion about being carried away by Prince
Charming to live happily ever after.
• Karl Marx’s notion of a society where each person does what he can and
receives what he needs was a romantic one.
• Beethoven’s later works ushered in the Romantic Movement in music.
[-ally adv.]
ruffian (RUHF ee in) n. a hoodlum; a violent, lawless, brutal person; a tough guy
• Allen’s mom did not want him hanging out with ruffians after school.
• Ruffians are often the bane of an otherwise nice neighborhood.
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