Index

*Words in bold are power verbs.

A

abaquatulate, 65

abbreviate, 34

abdicate, 43

abduce, 137

abetted, 65

abide, 43

abjure, 44

abolish, 44

abound, 45

abreact, 23

abrogate, 45

absolutize, 97

absorb, 95

accent, 31

accentuate, 23

acclimate, 45

acclimatize, 45

accompany, 24

accouter, 123

accrete, 45

accrue, 120

acculturate, 46, 105

acerbate, 65

achieve, 20, 24, 86

acquiesce, 87

acquit, 137

act, 25

acting verbs, 23-30

active voice, passive voice versus, 15

ad-lib, 25

adapt, 37, 87

addle, 65

address, 123

adduce, 105

adjudicate, 106, 137

administer, 46, 116

adulterate, 66

adumbrate, 106

advance, 56

advertise, 113

advertising verbs, 113-114

advise, 106

advocate, 138

affect, 97

affiliate, 115

agglomerate, 106

aggrandize, 106

agitate, 46

airship, 66

Allen, Woody, 3

alliteration, defined, 19

ally, 47

amagar, 31

amalgamate, 115-116

Amazon rank, 143

ameliorate, 106

amerce, 138

Americanize, 47

amortize, 120

amplify, 124

amputate, 63

amuse, 25

amygdala, 4

analogize, 106

analyze, 117

anesthetize, 63

animate, 26, 106

annex, 47

Annie Hall (film), 3

annihilate, 47

annunciate, 107

anoint, 98

antithesis, defined, 19

apostatize, 66

appease, 47

approve, 117

arbitrate, 107

arraign, 138

arrange, 117

array, 124

arrogate, 67, 98

art-related verbs

acting, performing, visual art, 23-30

dance, 31

music, 31-33

painting, 33

photography, 33

publishing, writing, 34-35

articulate, 124

aspenize, 67

asperse, 67

assail, 67

assert, 107, 117

asset strip, 115

asseverate, 107

assign, 88

assuage, 98, 107

assure, 98

attack, 21, 56

attenuate, 95, 107

attitudinize, 98

audition, 26

augur, 107

auralize, 32, 64

auspicate, 88

authenticate, 95

author, 34, 125

aver, 88

avow, 89

awfulize, 68

B

back cast, 48

backlight, 26

balkanize, 48

bandy, 125

barnstorm, 26

barter, 48

batten, 117

battle, 57

beat time, 32

beautiful words, list of, 6

beguile, 27

benchmark, 113

besiege, 58

beta test, 117

bike-wack, 68

bird dog, 114

blamestorming, 118

blandish, 118

blazon, 114

bloviate, 27, 68

blue pencil, 125

blue sky, 115, 125

body language, 3-4

Bogart, Humphrey, 3

bombard, 58

bonk, 68

boost, 125

bootstrap, 115

boustrophedon, 34

bowdlerize, 34

brainstorm, 118

break the ton, 68

bullet vote, 49

bump the shark, 108

bushwhack, 58

business-related verbs

advertising and marketing, 113-114

economics, 120-121

entrepreneurship, 115

finance, 115-116

management, 116-120

bustle, 68

buying, investing versus, 6

C

cake cut, 27

calcify, 37

campaign, 59

cannonade, 59

cantillate, 27, 32

captain, 59

carbon capture, 38

carbon date, 38

carbon sequester, 96

Casablanca (film), 3

caucus, 49

cede, 138

challenges, problems versus, 6

champion, 125

cherry-stem, 38

chimp, 143

Chomsky, Noam, 10

chope, 89

choreograph, 31

chronicle, 126

Cicero, 1

circumnavigate, 59

circumvallate, 59, 138

clarify, 90

clear-cut, 96

click stream, 143

climate verbs, 94

clone, 38

coach, 126

coalesce, 99

coerce, 49

coexist, 20, 50

cold-iron, 143

collaborate, 114, 126

collate, 126

collateralize, 115

collocate, 127

collude, 69

comfort, 90

commiserate, 108

commit, 69

commitment, defined, 7

communicate, 127

communication

language

competence versus performance in, 10

inconsistency of English rules, 9-10

power of, 4-6

skills, success and, 11-13

verbal versus nonverbal, 4

verbs, 123-137

words, power of, 1-4

competence in language, performance versus, 10

comport, 99

concatenate, 127

conceive, 118

conceptualize, 128

conciliate, 138

concinnate, 28, 128

condescend, 69

condole, 99

confabulate, 128

confide, 90, 100

conflate, 144

confute, 100

congregate, 108

conjugate, 128

connive, 100

conscript, 60

consecrate, 101

consequences, defined, 7

conserve, 96

consign, 108

conspire, 50

contaminate, 70

contemn, 70

contradistinguish, 101, 108

contravene, 139

corotate, 144

correlate, 114

corroborate, 108

coruscate, 91, 128

counsel, 91, 128

countenance, 108

countervail, 108

cozen, 101

crowd source, 114

crowdfund, 116

crusade, 51

cull, 96

culture verbs, 105-113

cumber, 101

cyberhoard, 144

cybernate, 144

D

dance verbs, 31

dashboard, 118

debug, 144

debut, 28

define, 129

delegate, 129

deliberate, 118

delimit, 129

delineate, 130

deluge, 38

Demosthenes, 1

denigrate, 70

depone, 139

depopulate, 60

deracinate, 60

deradicalize, 51

derogate, 102

descant, 32

desecrate, 102

desiccate, 39

designate, 118

despoil, 18, 71

destabilize, 51

devolatilize, 144

devolve, 119

dialogue, defined, 7

diddle, 71

dillydally, 72

diplomacy, defined, 7

disabuse, 91

disaffect, 72

disambiguate, 130

disavow, 72

discern, 119

discombobulate, 72

discomfit, 73

disconcert, 73

discount, 116

discredit, 73

discriminate, 102

disease verbs, 63-64

disenfranchise, 102

disparage, 73

disperse, 39

dragoon, 60

dramatize, 28

draw fire, 60

duel, 60

dukker, 29

E

e-source, 144

e-tail, 114

earth science verbs, 37-41

eat up the camera, 33

economics verbs, 120-121

education in communication skills, lack of, 4

educe, 119

effectuate, 119

80/20 principle, 2

emit, 39, 130

encore, 32

enfilade, 61

engage, 130

engagement stack, 116

engender, 119

English language

inconsistency of rules, 9-10

pronunciation, 13

enounce, 109

ensconce, 109

entreat, 109

entrepreneurship verbs, 115

enumerate, 116

equivocate, 74

eschew, 109

espouse, 102, 131

estivate, 94

ethics verbs, 97-104

etiolate, 64

evince, 131

eviscerate, 102

evolve, 39, 109

exacerbate, 74

excogitate, 75

excoriate, 75

exculpate, 139

execrate, 75, 103

exemplify, 119

exhort, 92

exile, 52

exonerate, 139

expatiate, 131

expiate, 132

explicate, 132

expostulate, 133

expropriate, 140

expunge, 140

expurgate, 140

extemporize, 29

extol, 133

extradite, 52

F

Facebook, 8

facebrag, 75

fecundate, 39, 94

felicitate, 133

fell, 39

fill the tree, 52

films, original titles, 3

finance verbs, 115-116

fire dance, 31

fleer, 76

flummox, 76

foist, 76

foment, 133

forage, 52

formicate, 76

fourwall, 29

free style, 31

freeball, 76

Fuller, Thomas, 1

fulminate, 76

future perfect progressive tense, 14

future progressive tense, 14

G

G.I. Jane (film), 3

gabble, 133

gainsay, 77

galump, 109

gambol, 109

gank, 77

gasconade, 77, 133

gasify, 40

gazump, 120

geocast, 144

Gere, Richard, 3

germinate, 40

gerrymander, 53

gesticulate, 133

ghost-write, 34

gibber, 133

gibe, 77, 92

gift debt, 77

glaver, 110

glissade, 110

gloze, 77

go dark, 29

Google, 8

Google bomb, 144

Google dance, 144

gorgonize, 77

gormandize, 64

government verbs, 43-52, 54-55

grabble, 110

grammar, inconsistency of English language, 9-10

grandstand, 134

grangerize, 33

green, 40

green log, 40

guffaw, 110

H

hackney, 78

harmonize, 32

health verbs, 63-64

hebetate, 134

hector, 78

hiberdate, 78

hibergame, 78

history-related verbs

government, politics, 43-55

military, 56-62

Hobbes, Thomas, 5

human behavior verbs

culture, 105-113

negative actions, 65-86

positive actions, 86-94

human knowledge, 17

hypothecate, 116

I

imbibe, 134

imbue, 110

immure, 110

impact, defined, 7

impose, 53

impugn, 110

impute, 111

inculcate, 134

inculpate, 140

indurate, 103

initiate, 119

interlard, 119

interpolate, 134

interpose, 78, 111

intervene, 54

intransitive verbs, 15

intuit, 111

inure, 140

inveigle, 78

investing, buying versus, 6

invocate, 135

J–K

jawbone, 54

Johnson, Lyndon B., 5

journal, 34

jump ugly, 79

juxtapose, 135

Keaton, Diane, 3

Kennedy, John F., 3

king, 33

Kipling, Rudyard, 1

knock and drag, 54

L

language. See also body language; words

competence versus performance in, 10

inconsistency of English rules, 9-10

learning process for, 4

phrasing of, 19-20

power of, 4-6

pronunciation, 13

launch, 61

law verbs, 137-141

lean forward, 119

liaise, 135

lightning, 9

limn, 30

Lincoln, Abraham, 3, 5

lindy bomb, 31

linguistics, goal of, 10

Locke, John, 5

lour, 79

Luce, Clare Booth, 3

Luntz, Frank, 2, 7

lustrate, 103

M

macerate, 64

machinate, 79

mail it in, 30

make (one’s) bones, 79

maledict, 103

management verbs, 116-120

marketing verbs, 113-114

mash up, 33

maze, 79

medicine verbs, 63-64

meliorate, 92, 103

merk, 79

metamorphose, 40

metaphor, defined, 19

mete, 111

mew, 111

military verbs, 56-62

militate, 103

mission, defined, 7

mitigate, 40

mollify, 92

mollycoddle, 92

morality verbs, 97-104

morph, 40, 145

“Most Beautiful Words in the English Language” (British Council), 6

movies, original titles, 3

muckrake, 54

mulct, 79

music verbs, 31-33

N

natter, 135

nature-related verbs, 37-41, 94

negative human behavior verbs, 65-86

nettle, 80

nonverbal cues, 3-4

Noonan, Peggy, 3

nouns, converting to verbs, 8

nut up, 111

O

obfuscate, 80

objurgate, 80

obnubilate, 80

obsecrate, 111

obtrude, 80

occlude, 81

offset, 35, 41

oil spot, 30

open the kimono, 120

opine, 103

Orwell, George, 9

ossify, 41

Oxford English Dictionary, 11

P

paint the tape, 121

painting verbs, 33

palliate, 64

palter, 81

pap, 33

parallelism, defined, 19

Pareto’s Law, 2

passive voice, 9

active voice versus, 15

past perfect progressive tense, 14

past progressive tense, 13

pastiche, 35

peculate, 81

perambulate, 120

performance in language, competence versus, 10

performing verbs, 23-30

permit, 55

perseverate, 135

persevere, 92

pettifog, 81

photography verbs, 33

phrase, 31

phrasing of language, 19-20

physical effects of words, 6

physical violence, words and, 2

physics verbs, 95-96

pipe, 35

pixie, 94

plan, 61

Plato, 5

Plutarch, 1

politics verbs, 43-55

pontificate, 135

positive human behavior verbs, 86-94

power

of language, 4-6

of verbs, 11-12

of words, 1-4

powerful words, list of recent, 7

prate, 135

prattle, 136

present perfect progressive tense, 14

present progressive tense, 13

presentations, guidelines for, 17

Pretty Woman (film), 3

problems, challenges versus, 6

progressive tenses of verbs, 13-15

promulgate, 35

pronunciation, 13

propitiate, 92

publishing verbs, 34-35

Q–R

quaff, 111

quantify, 121

rankle, 81

rark up, 81

ratiocinate, 93

reason, 82

recrudesce, 93

reef, 82

reliability, defined, 7

religion verbs, 97-104

repetition, defined, 19

reprove, 82

repurpose, 35

retcon, 35

retort, 136

Roberts, Julia, 3

robotrip, 64

roister, 82

Roosevelt, Franklin D., 3

rules of language, inconsistency of English, 9-10

Russell, Nan, 6

S

saber rattle, 62

sanctify, 104

sanction, 55

satiate, 111

saunter, 93, 112

science-related verbs

earth science, 37-41

health and disease, 63-64

nature and climate, 94

negative human behavior, 65-86

physics, 95-96

positive human behavior, 86-94

technology, 143

scintillate, 112

screw the pooch, 112

sculpt, 30

seagull, 93

segue, 136

sequester, 141

set-jet, 93

shimmy, 31

shotgun, 120

simile, defined, 19

smog, 145

society-related verbs, 105-113

Socrates, 5

solo, 33

spang, 112

spave, 112

spit game, 112

splay, 41, 112

spoken language. See language

squick, 112

stonewall, 83

stove-pipe, 115

stultify, 83

styleflex, 136

sublimate, 30

subsume, 113

subtilize, 136

success, communication skills and, 11-13

succor, 93

surfeit, 83

symbolize, 137

T

take a lesson, 113

tape bomb, 121

technology verbs, 143

tempor, 104

temporize, 113

tergiversate, 83

texting, 8

throw shade, 113

titivate, 94

tittle-tattle, 83

tomahawk, 62

traduce, 83

training in communication skills, lack of, 4

trip along, 94

truckle, 84

U–V

upbraid, 84

uplift, 41

venerate, 104

verbs

converting nouns to, 8

intransitive verbs, 15

power of, 11-12

progressive tenses, 13-15

vex, 84

vilify, 85

vilipend, 85

violence, words and, 2

visual art verbs, 23-30

vitiate, 85

vituperate, 86

vociferate, 86

vouchsafe, 94

W–Z

Wall Street Journal, 3

“What’s In a Name?” (Wall Street Journal), 3

wheedle, 94

woolgather, 113

words. See also language

beautiful words, list of, 6

converting nouns to verbs, 8

physical effects of, 6

physical violence and, 2

power of, 1-4

recent powerful words, list of, 7

writing verbs, 34-35

x out, 137

yammer, 86

yawp, 86

zone in, 94

zot, 145