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Vocab 19

commensurate   adj          corresponding in size or degree 1) I'll have to be paid a salary commensurate with my experience. 2) There have never been great victories without commensurate losses.

expedient             n/adj       1. Something done as a means to an end  Turning in the spy among us rather than let the whole company be tortured was the only expedient in a desperate situation. 2. Acting purely out of selfish or self-interested motives, acting to preserve oneself   Philbert didn't much care whether his actions were honest or dishonest, he did whatever was expedient, whatever gained him the most benefit.

extortion             adj           Illegal use of one's official position or powers to obtain property, funds, or patronage You know that I have to stay overnight at this motel because a hurricane is coming, so you charge me 3 times what the room is worth; that's outright extortion!

infamous             adj           Famous for doing bad (not an antonym for "famous"; that would be "obscure") Hitler, probably the most infamous dictator in history, will long be remembered as the most hated man on the planet.

ingrate                n              One who demonstrates ingratitude for kindnesses done to him/her I took you in and fed you when you were homeless, and then you turned around and stole my family heirloom in the middle of the night, you horrible ingrate.

inquisition           n              An investigation that violates the privacy or rights of individuals, A rigorous, harsh interrogation (Originally this simply meant an investigation, but because of the Spanish Inquisition in the middle ages, it has forever become synonymous with a harsh and brutal investigation). I told you three times I was innocent, and I even provided documented proof, yet you continue to question me. Is this an interview or an inquisition?

ostentatious        adj           Flamboyantly or tastelessly showy He won the lottery and then, in an ostentatious and foolish display of wealth, put a $50,000 addition on his trailer home.

patrimony            n             That which is inherited from one's father or from the father's side of the family Though my father was a poor man who left me no money, the rich patrimony I got from him was a sense of my own dignity and a capacity for hard and honest work.

rapacious            adj            Taking by force, plundering / greedy and ravenous It isn't enough that Microsoft owns practically the entire computer software industry; their rapacious business practices are evidence that they wish to control the entire computing world.

shrewd               adj            Very clever, sly, and intelligent He's not a crook, but he's such a shrewd and crafty businessman that his success seems at times to be almost unbelievable.