altercation,
candidly,
circumvent,
consummate,
fallacy,
indolence,
perpetuate,
vicissitude
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe, who have spoken candidly in the past about the challenges of matrimony, announced that they are formally separating. In 2002, Ryan explained that they were seeking marriage counseling because "the biggest mistake" is circumventing the problem and allowing the relationship to disintegrate as a result of indolence. At that time, Reese commented that she was "not interested in the fallacy of the Hollywood relationship" that perpetuates the myth of a consummate union free from altercations and vicissitudes.
candidly - (adverb) frankly, honestly, openly
circumvent - (verb) to avoid; to bypass
indolence - (noun) laziness; sloth
fallacy - (noun) a false idea
perpetuate - (verb) to prolong; to cause the indefinite continuation of
consummate - (adjective) complete or perfect
altercation - (noun) a fight or quarrel
vicissitude - (noun) a change; the quality of changing
beseech,
consummate,
cull,
elucidate,
halcyon,
imminent,
lapidary,
predicament,
repercussion,
succor
The Kalahari Bushmen have besought Leonardo DiCaprio for succor in their battle with the government of Botswana. The Bushmen are facing imminent eviction from their land in the Central Kalahari Desert so that the government can consummate an agreement with mining companies over the rights to cull diamonds from the region. Leonardo stars in Blood Diamond, a film that elucidates the repercussions of lapidary mining in Sierra Leone, where the revenue generated by diamond syndicates helps to finance civil wars. The Bushmen believe that Leonardo's prominence will focus worldwide attention on their predicament and ultimately allow them return to their land to resume their halcyon lives of hunting and gathering.
beseech - (verb) to beg urgently or eagerly [The past tense and past participle of this verb have two forms: "besought" and "beseeched."]
succor - (noun) help during a time of need [The verb form of this word means "to provide help during a time of need."]
imminent - (adjective) likely to happen in the near future
consummate - (verb) to complete; to fulfill [The adjective form of this word means "complete; perfect; having supreme skill."]
cull - (verb) to gather
elucidate - (verb) to shed light upon; to make clear
repercussion - (noun) an indirect result of an action; a reverberation or echo
lapidary - (adjective) pertaining to precious gems; marked by the sort of precision necessary to cut precious gems [The noun form of this word means "an expert in precious gems or the art of cutting precious gems."]
predicament - (noun) a difficult situation
halcyon - (adjective) calm; carefree; prosperous
collaborate,
colleague,
consummate,
deem,
derogatory,
diva,
prima donna,
stupefy,
utmost
Janet Jackson, who is collaborating with Mariah Carey on a duet, has deemed her colleague to be a consummate diva. Considered by many to be a prima donna herself, Janet was stupefied by Mariah's demands in the studio. However, she was quick to add that she does not consider the term "diva" to be derogatory and that she has the utmost respect for Mariah.
collaborate - (verb) to work together
deem - (verb) to consider
colleague - (noun) a co-worker, partner, or associate
consummate - (adjective) of the highest degree; very skilled; complete [The verb form of this word means "to complete."]
diva - (noun) a glamorous, successful, and sometimes difficult female performer or personality
prima donna - (noun) a difficult performer who is hard to work with
stupefy - (verb) to amaze; to dull one's senses
derogatory - (adjective) expressing a low opinion
utmost - (adjective) of the highest degree; farthest
