148 VOCABULARY FOR TOEFL iBT
jocund ('jok·u ̆nd) adj. merry, cheerful; sprightly and lighthearted. Alexi’s jocund
nature makes it a pleasure to be near her.
juggernaut ('ju·e ̆r·nawt) n. 1. a massive, overwhelmingly powerful and unstop-
pable force that seems to crush everything in its path. 2. Juggernaut, title for
the Hindu god Krishna. A shroud of fear covered Eastern Europe as the juggernaut
of communism spread from nation to nation.L
laconic (la ̆·'kon·ik) adj. brief and to the point; succinct, terse, concise, often to
the point of being curt or brusque. Zse’s laconic reply made it clear that he did not
want to discuss the matter any further.
laissez-faire (les·ay 'fair) adj. hands-off; noninterference by the government in
business and economic affairs. Raheeb’s laissez-faire management style is not only
popular with our employees but also very successful—employee satisfaction is high and
profits are up for the third quarter in a row.
languish ('lan·wish) v. 1. to lose vigor or strength; to become languid, feeble,
weak. 2. to exist or continue in a miserable or neglected state. Lucinda lan-
guished in despair when Sven told her he’d fallen in love with another woman.
latent ('lay·te ̆nt) adj. present or in existence but not active or evident. Julian’s
latent musical talent surfaced when his parents bought an old piano at a garage sale
and he started playing.
lax (laks) adj. 1. lacking in rigor or strictness; lenient. 2. not taut or rigid; flaccid,
slack. If parents are too lax with their toddlers, chances are they will have a lot of
trouble once they enter school, where the children must follow a long list of rules and
regulations.
liaison (lee·'ay·zon, 'lee·a ̆·zon) n. 1. a channel or means of connection or com-
munication between two groups; one who maintains such communication.- a close relationship or link, especially one that is secretive or adulterous. I
have been elected to be the liaison between the union members and management.
libertine ('lib·e ̆r·teen) n. one who lives or acts in an immoral or irresponsible
way; one who acts according to his or her own impulses and desires and is
unrestrained by conventions or morals. They claim to be avant-garde, but in my
opinion, they’re just a bunch of libertines.