Chapter 1 Word List
Here is an alphabetical list of the most important words you learned in this chapter.
AMORAL (ay MOR ul) adj lacking a sense of right and wrong; neither good nor bad, neither
moral nor immoral; without moral feelings
- Very young children are amoral; when they cry, they aren’t being bad or good—they’re
merely doing what they have to do.
AMORPHOUS (uh MOR fus) adj shapeless; without a regular or stable shape; blob-like
- The sleepy little town was engulfed by an amorphous blob of glowing protoplasm—a higher
intelligence from outer space. - To say that something has an “amorphous shape” is a contradiction. How can a shape be
shapeless?
CIRCUMNAVIGATE (sur kum NAV uh gayt) v to sail or travel all the way around
- Magellan’s crew was the first to circumnavigate the globe.
- Circumnavigating their block took the little boys most of the morning because they stopped
in nearly every yard to play with their new action figures.
The word can also be used figuratively.
- Jefferson skillfully circumnavigated the subject of his retirement; in his hour-long speech,
he talked about everything but it.
CIRCUMSCRIBE (SUR kum skrybe) v to draw a line around; to set the limits; to define; to
restrict
- The Constitution clearly circumscribes the restrictions that can be placed on our personal
freedoms. - A barbed-wire fence and armed guards circumscribed the movement of the prisoners.
CIRCUMSPECT (SUR kum spekt) adj cautious
- As a public speaker, Nick was extremely circumspect; he always took great care not to
say the wrong thing or give offense. - The circumspect general did everything he could to keep his soldiers from unnecessary
risk.
The word circumspect comes from Greek roots meaning “around” and “look” (as do the words
circle and inspect). To be circumspect is to look around carefully before doing something.
CIRCUMVENT (sur kum VENT) v to get around something in a clever, occasionally dishonest
way
- Our hopes for an early end of the meeting were circumvented by the chairperson’s refusal