Descriptionary

uncanny adj. (un CAN ee) weird and mysterious; something of or resembling the supernatural. Her knack for guessing our ages and weights was abso­lutely uncanny.

undermine vb. (UN dur myne) to cause damage, weaken, or sabotage. It's OK to protest, but use care not to break the law or your efforts may actu­ally backfire and undermine our efforts to pass new legislation.

unequivocal adj. (un uh KWIV uh kul) unambigu­ous; clear. The governor was unequivocal; he would lower taxes by the end of the year.

unflappable adj. (un FLAP uh bul) calm and dif­ficult to upset. Advocates of controversial issues may face a firestorm of protest; therefore they must be absolutely unflappable.

unmitigated adj. (un MIT uh gay tid) not dimin­ished or diluted in any way; out-and-out. If you have the unmitigated gall to come in here and ask for a raise, then I have no choice but to say yes.

unorthodox adj. (un ORTH uh doks) unconven­tional; nonstandard. Their form of worship is unorth­odox and vociferously protested by the head of the church.

unscrupulous adj. (un SKROOP yuh lus) unprinci­pled. The unscrupulous used car dealer could spot a sucker a mile away.

upbraid vb. (up BRAYD) to scold. The drill ser­geant took great pleasure in upbraiding new recruits for the most trivial of infractions.

urbane adj. (ur BAYN) suave; refined; smooth. The

movie star was not only glamorous but urbane; she shook hands and chatted graciously with everyone she met.

usurp vb. (yoo SURP) to overthrow and take over a position of power. The terrorists attempted to usurp the prime minister's office.

utilitarian adj. (yoo til uh TAIR ee un) useful or practical. I prefer cars that are more utilitarian than showy.

utopia n. (yoo TOH pee uh) an ideal world; a per­fect society. It's easy to imagine a utopia; it's quite another to build one that works.

vacillate vb. (VAS uh layt) to go back and forth or be indecisive. I can never make up my mind about what ice cream to eat; I tend to vacillate forever between vanilla and chocolate.

vanguard n. (VAN gard) the leading or front mem­bers of a movement, institution, army, etc. Our local university is at the vanguard of medical research.

vehement adj. (VEE uh munt) fervent; passionate. He made a vehement protest to the police officer, but he was given a speeding ticket anyway.

vendetta n. (ven DET uh) a feud fueled by a cycle of vengeance. The Mafia members had their own version of population control through personal vendettas.

veneer n. (ven EER) a topmost layer; a facade; a cover-up. Under his polished veneer stood a man with innumerable self-doubts.