Descriptionary

Many people believe that God is omnipotent; that is, God can do anything.

onerous adj. (OH nur us) burdensome; laborious.

Shoveling out a driveway after a blizzard is an oner­ous task.

opaque adj. (oh PAYK) impossible to see through; impenetrable by light. It was impossible to spy on the people inside, because the windows were opaque.

opportunist n. (op ur TOON ist) one who aggres­sively pursues and exploits any kind of opportunity, regardless of ethical considerations. The ambulance chaser has given lawyers the reputation of being opportunists.

oppression n. (uh PRESH un) the unjust keeping down of an individual or population. The dictator ruled his citizenry with an iron fist; his oppression of the masses kept any opposition forces down.

optimism n. (OP tuh miz um) the belief or outlook that things will turn out well; a positive attitude. In

order to invest in the stock market, you should have a strong degree of optimism.

opulence n. (OP yuh lens) wealth and luxury. The

people of Beverly Hills live in great opulence.

orthodox adj. (ORTH uh DOKS) following approved or traditional standards. Our children wor­ship God in an orthodox way; every Sunday they attend church, and every night they say their prayers.

ostensible adj. (uh STEN suh bul) referring to an outward appearance which may be misleading. His ostensible reason for judging the beauty contest was philanthropic, but I suspect his real reason was to flirt with the contestants.

ostentatious adj. (aws ten TAY shus) showy, ornate, loud. The peacock is by far the most ostentatious bird in the world.

ostracize vb. (AWS truh size) to exclude; to banish. The cult would ostracize anyone who failed to follow their rules.

pacifist n. (PASS uh fist) a peace lover. A pacifist refuses to use violence to get his way; instead, he uses his wits and passive resistance.

palpable adj. (PAL puh bul) capable of being touched or perceived. The medium claimed that the ghosts attending her seance would be fully palpable.

panacea n. (pan uh SEE uh) a cure-all. Scientists have searched for a panacea for cancer for more than fifty years, to no avail.

panache n. (puh NASH) a dashing style. The model had great charisma and panache and attracted admir­ing stares wherever he went.

Pandora's box n. in mythology, the box containing human ills opened by the curious Pandora. In modern usage, anything opened or employed that may have the potential to cause human ills. Some experts warn that African jungles may contain a Pandora's box of deadly viruses just waiting to be sprung loose.

paper tiger n. a person or nation that may look dangerous and powerful but in reality is not. Third world tyrants like to bare their teeth to the rest of the world, but they're only paper tigers.