WORD LIST 169
tirade ('t ̄·rayd) n. a long, angry, often highly critical speech; a violent denuncia-
tion or condemnation. Since Andre was known for his temper, his tirade did not
surprise his roommate.
toil (toil) n. exhausting labor or effort; difficult or laborious work. v. to work
laboriously, labor strenuously. Evan toiled for hours before solving the problem.
totalitarian (toh·tal·i·'tair·ee·a ̆n) adj. of a form of government in which those in
control neither recognize nor tolerate rival parties or loyalties, demanding
total submission of the individual to the needs of the state. The totalitarian
regime fell quickly when the people revolted.
tout (towt) v. 1. to promote or praise highly and energetically, especially with
the goal of getting a customer, vote, etc. 2. to solicit (customers, votes, etc.) in
an especially brazen or persistent manner. Cy was touting the merits of the refer-
endum as he solicited support for Tuesday’s vote.
tractable ('trak·ta ̆·be ̆l) adj. easily managed or controlled; obedient, docile. In the
novel Brave New World , the World Controllers use hypnosis and a “happiness drug”
to make everyone tractable.
transient ('tran·zhe ̆nt) adj. lasting only a very short time; fleeting, transitory,
brief. Their relationship was transient but profound.
trenchant ('tren·cha ̆nt) adj. 1. penetrating, forceful, effective. 2. extremely per-
ceptive, incisive. 3. clear-cut, sharply defined. It was a trenchant argument, and
it forced me to change my mind about the issue.
tribunal (tr ̄·'byoo·na ̆l) n. a court of justice. He will be sentenced for his war crimes
by an international tribunal.
trite (tr ̄t) adj. repeated too often, overly familiar through overuse; worn out,
hackneyed. The theme of the novel was trite; many writers had written about death
in a similar way.
truculent ('truk·yu ̆·le ̆nt) adj. 1. defiantly aggressive. 2. fierce, violent. 3. bitterly
expressing opposition. The outspoken congresswoman gave a truculent speech argu-
ing against the proposal.
truncate ('trun·kayt) v. to shorten or terminate by (or as if by) cutting the top
or end off. The glitch in the software program truncated the lines of a very impor-
tant document I was typing.
tumultuous (too·'mul·choo·u ̆s) adj. 1. creating an uproar, disorderly, noisy. 2. a
state of confusion, turbulence, or agitation, tumult. It was another tumultuous
day for the stock market, and fluctuating prices wrought havoc for investors.