- The presidential palace was defended by an elite corps of soldiers known to be loyal to
the president.
To be an elitist (i LEET ust) is to be a snob; to be elitist (adj.) is to be snobby.
EPHEMERAL (i FEM ur al) adj lasting a very short time
Ephemeral comes from Greek and refers to lasting a single day. The word is generally used
more loosely to mean “lasting a short time.”
- Youth and flowers are both ephemeral. They’re gone before you know it.
- Some friendships are ephemeral.
- The tread on those used tires will probably turn out to be ephemeral.
IMPERATIVE (im PER uh tiv) adj completely necessary; vitally important
- The children couldn’t quite accept the idea that cleaning up the playroom was imperative;
they said they didn’t mind wading through the toys strewn on the floor, even if they did
occasionally fall down and hurt themselves.
Imperative can also be used as a noun, in which case it means a command, order, or
requirement.
- A doctor has a moral imperative to help sick people instead of playing golf—unless, of
course, it’s his day off, or the people aren’t very sick.
IMPLICATION (im pluh KAY shun) n something implied or suggested; ramification
- When you said I looked healthy, was that really meant as an implication that I’ve put on
weight? - A 100-percent cut in our school budget would have troubling implications; I simply don’t
think the children would receive a good education if they didn’t have teachers, books, or a
school.
Intimation is a close synonym for implication. To imply something is to suggest it.
- When Peter’s girlfriend said, “My, you certainly know how to drive a car fast, don’t you?”
in a trembling voice, she was implying that Peter was going too fast.
To imply something is not at all the same thing as to infer (in FUR) it, even though people often
use these two words interchangeably. To infer is to figure out what is being implied. The act of
inferring is an inference (IN fur ens).
- Peter was so proud of his driving that he did not infer the meaning of his girlfriend’s
implication.
INSINUATE (in SIN yoo ayt) v to hint; to creep in
- When I told her that I hadn’t done any laundry in a month, Valerie insinuated that I was a
slob. - He didn’t ask us outright to leave; he merely insinuated, through his tone and his