WORD LIST 151
mince (mins) v. 1. to cut into very small pieces. 2. to walk or speak affectedly, as
with studied refinement. 3. to say something more delicately or indirectly for
the sake of politeness or decorum. Please don’t mince your words—just tell me
what you want to say.
minutiae (m ̆·no ̄o ̄'she ̄·a) n., pl. very small details; trivial or trifling matters. His
attention to the minutiae of the process enabled him to make his great discovery.
mirth (murth) n. great merriment, joyous laughter. The joyous wedding celebration
filled the reception hall with mirth throughout the evening.
misanthrope ('mis·an·throhp) n. one who hates or distrusts humankind. Pay no
mind to his criticism; he’s a real misanthrope, and no one can do anything right in
his eyes.
miscreant ('mis·kree·a ̆nt) n. a villain, criminal; evil person. The miscreant had
eluded the police for months, but today he was finally captured.
mitigate ('mit· ̆·ayt) v. 1. to make less intense or severe. 2. to moderate the
force or intensity of, soften, diminish, alleviate. I am sure that if you tell the
headmaster the truth, the extenuating circumstances will mitigate the severity of your
punishment.
mollify ('mol· ̆·f ̄) v. 1. to soothe the anger of, calm. 2. to lessen in intensity.
- to soften, make less rigid. The crying child was quickly mollified by her mother.
moot (moot) adj. debatable, undecided. Although this is a moot issue, it is one that is
often debated among certain circles.
morose (mo ̆·'rohs) adj. gloomy, sullen, melancholy. My daughter has been morose
ever since our dog ran away.
multifarious (mul·ti·'fair·ee·u ̆s) adj. very varied, greatly diversified; having many
aspects. The job requires the ability to handle multifarious tasks.
mundane (mun·'dayn) adj. 1. ordinary, commonplace, dull. 2. worldly, secular,
not spiritual. If you do not have passion for your job, going to work each day can
become mundane.
myriad ('mir·ee·a ̆d) adj. too numerous to be counted; innumerable. n. an indefi-
nitely large number; an immense number, vast amount. To the refugees from
Somalia, the myriad choices in the American supermarket were overwhelming.