WORD LIST 127
bombastic (bom·'bas·tik) adj. speaking pompously, with inflated self-
importance. Ahmed was shocked that a renowned and admired humanitarian could
give such a bombastic keynote address.
boor (boor) n. a crude, offensive, ill-mannered person. Seeing Chuck wipe his
mouth with his sleeve, Maribel realized she was attending her senior prom with a
classic boor.
bourgeois (boor·'zhwah) adj. typical of the middle class; conforming to the stan-
dards and conventions of the middle class; hence also, commonplace, conser-
vative, or materialistic. Although she won millions in the lottery, Ada still maintains
her bourgeois lifestyle.
bowdlerize ('bohd·le ̆·r ̄z) v. to edit by omitting or modifying parts that may be
considered offensive; censor. To make their collection of fairy tales suitable for chil-
dren, the Brothers Grimm had to bowdlerize the folk tales they had collected, for many
of the original tales included graphic language.
bravado (bra ̆·'vah·doh) n. false courage, a show of pretended bravery. Kyle’s
bravado often got him in trouble with other kids in the neighborhood.
broach (brohch) v. 1. to bring up, introduce, in order to begin a discussion of.
- to tap or pierce, as in to draw off liquid. It was hard for Sarah to broach the
subject of her mother’s weight gain.
bumptious ('bump·shu ̆s) adj. arrogant, conceited. The bumptious man couldn’t stop
talking about himself or looking in the mirror.
buoyant ('boi·a ̆nt) adj. 1. able to float. 2. light-hearted, cheerful. In science class,
the children tried to identify which objects on the table would be buoyant.
burgeon ('bur·jo ̆n) v. to begin to grow and flourish; to begin to sprout, grow
new buds, blossom. The tulip bulbs beneath the soil would burgeon in early spring
providing there was no late frost.
burnish ('bur·nish) v. to polish, rub to a shine. When Kathryn began to burnish the
old metal tea pot, she realized that it was, in fact, solid silver.
Ccabal (ka ̆·'bal) n. 1. a scheme or conspiracy. 2. a small group joined in a secret
plot. With Antonio as their leader, the members of the unit readied themselves to
begin the cabal.
cacophony (ka ̆·'kof·o ̆·nee) n. loud, jarring, discordant sound; clamor, din. I
heard a cacophony coming from the garage where the band was practicing.