intemperate(in TEM per uht) adj.1. not moderate; lacking in restraint; exces-
sive or severe; violent; 2. consuming too large a quantity of beer, wine, liquor, etc.
- Lloyd was intemperatein his gambling, never missing an opportunity to
place a bet. - Diane’s disposition was intemperate,being quick to anger at the slightest
perceived slight. - Rocco is an intemperatedrinker, often ending up sloshed.
[-ly adv.]
intense (in TENS) adj.1. very strong; extreme; sharp; vivid; 2. strenuous;
fervent; strained very hard; 3. showing or having strong emotion; being very
serious - The poet’s words created an intenseimage of warfare.
- The effort he put into pulling on the rope was intense.
- Paula had an intensedesire to become a professional musician.
[-ly adv.]
interest (IN toer EST) n.1. a claim to or share of something; 2. an involvement;
- a concern
- Charlie had an interestin a bicycle repair shop on Elm St.
- Vicki’s calling Bob upset Anne, who had her own interestin him.
- A good teacher always takes an interestin the welfare of his or her students.
intermission(IN toer MISH in) n.1. a time period between acts in a play or
half innings in a baseball game; 2. any pause between periods of activity - The intermissionbetween play acts, or entre acte,is a good time to stretch
one’s legs. - In the intermissionbetween halves of the seventh inning comes baseball’s
traditional seventh-inning stretch. - An intermissionbetween periods of fighting is always a welcome time dur-
ing any war.
interpretation(in TOER pri TAY shin) n.1. the meaning, expression, or expla-
nation of something; 2. one person’s take on the meaning of some work (of art,
literature, etc.); artistic expression - The interpretationof The Iliadfrom its ancient Greek has happened many
times over. - Freud’s forte was the interpretationof the meanings of dreams.
- Two violinists’ interpretationsof a Beethoven sonata might differ greatly.
intervention (IN toer VEN shin) n.1. the act of coming between; 2. any inter-
ference in the affairs of others, whether people, companies, or countries - It often takes the interventionof a third party to keep two boxers apart at
the weigh-in. - The United States has gained a reputation for its frequent interventionin
the affairs of Central American countries. - The confrontation of a drug user by his friends to get him into rehab is
known as an intervention.
140 Essential Vocabulary