Descriptionary

remiss adj. (ri MISS) negligent in one's duties. I would be seriously remiss if I forgot to take the trash out for three weeks in a row.

renaissance n. (REN i SAHNS) a revival or resur­gence. The city is undergoing something of a renais­sance, with several new office buildings and a new park planned.

renege vb. (ri NIG) to go back on one's word or promise. Don't renege on written agreements unless you want to be sued for breach of contract.

renounce vb. (ri NOWNCE) to give up or reject. When Sally learned of the fraud involved, she quickly decided to renounce her belief in psychics.

repartee n. (REP ar TEE) clever verbal exchanges or witty remarks. The comedian engaged himself in some stinging repartee with his hecklers.

repercussion n. (ree pur KUSH un) a consequence or effect of some action. Repercussions from the oil embargo will include higher prices at the gas pumps.

replete adj. (ri PLEET) full; rich or plentiful. The

pantry was replete with beans and rice—enough sta­ples, in fact, to last a year.

reprehensible adj. (rep ri HENS uh bul) richly deserving of criticism. The graffiti artist's defacing of the town church was reprehensible.

reprisal n. (ri PRIZE ul) retaliation; a counterat­tack. You can't expect to throw eggs at someone with­out some kind of reprisal.

reproach n. (ri PROACH) criticism and blame. The

evidence proves that my client had nothing to do with the burglary; he is above reproach.

reprove vb. (ri PROOV) to give one's disapproval.

The city council vociferously reproves all violations of the noise ordinance.

repudiate vb. (ri PYOO dee AYT) to reject as false. I will loudly repudiate any allegations of unethical behavior on my part.

rescind vb. (ri SIND) to repeal or abolish. The city council thought a curfew for teens was a good idea, but public pressure will force them to rescind the experiment as of tomorrow.

resigned adj. (ri ZYEND) accepting of one's fate; reconciled to reality. I'm never going to play major league baseball, but I was resigned to that fact a long time ago.

resilient adj. (ri ZIL yunt) having the ability to cope or recover quickly. John has gone out of business, but I would never count him out; he's incredibly resilient.

resolute adj. (REZ uh LOOT) determined. I am absolutely resolute in my goal to give up smoking.

resonate adj. (REZ uh NAYT) to reverberate or echo. She gave soul-stirring speeches that deeply reso­nated with her constituents.

respite n. (RES pit) a break or rest. A mother of ten children needs a regular respite or she'll have a ner­vous breakdown.