Government Corruption
Definitions and Samples
1. bribery n. Giving money or other gifts to a government official or other
person in authority in order to get special privileges
Bribery of police officers is common in countries where police
salaries are very low.
Parts of speech bribe v, bribe n
2. cynically adv. Disrespectfully; emphasizing the weaknesses of otherwise
respected things
Employees of the Roadways Department cynically referred to their
boss as “the banker” because he took so many bribes.
Parts of speech cynic n, cynicism n, cynical adj
3. erode v. To wear away and become smaller
People’s respect for the government eroded as more officials were
arrested for corruption.
Usage tips Erode can be intransitive (the beach eroded) or transitive
(the waves eroded the beach).
Parts of speech erosion n, erosive adj
4. evade v. To get away from something that tries to catch you
The robbery suspects tried to evade the police by fleeing to Canada.
Parts of speech evasion n, evasive adj
5. grotesque adj. Extremely unattractive, in a way that catches a lot of
attention.
Spending $3.5 million to redecorate the governor’s house is a
grotesque misuse of public money.
6. integrity n. Personal honesty and good character
We don’t have a problem with our employees stealing from the
store because we hire only people with a lot of integrity.
7. prevalent adj. Common; easy to find because it exists in great amounts
Distrust of elected officials was prevalent in our county because
many of them were friends with certain candidates.
Parts of speech prevail v, prevalence n
8. reform v. To make big improvements
The new law was an attempt to reform the system of giving money
to political candidates.
Parts of speech reform n, reformer n
9. scandal n. A case of wrongdoing that hurts someone’s reputation
In the Watergate scandal, some of the president’s top advisors were
revealed to be criminals.
Parts of speech scandalize v, scandalous adj
10. unmask v. Reveal; expose something that is hidden
The Forge Trucking Company was eventually unmasked as a front
for organized crime.
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Crimes at Sea
Definitions and Samples
1. abduction n. Kidnapping
Pirates got many crew members by abduction, snatching unlucky
citizens from seaport towns.
Parts of speech abduct v
2. coerce v. To force; to put pressure on someone to do something
A criminal’s confession is not usable in court if the police coerce
him or her into giving it.
Parts of speech coercion n, coercive adj
3. detain v. To prevent someone, for a relatively short time, from going on
their way
The police detained at least 20 men for questioning, but charged
none of them with a crime.
Parts of speech detention n, detainee n
4. deviant adj. In a style that is not normal and is offensive to many
The artist based his reputation on creating deviant works of art that
disgusted most of the public.
Usage tips Deviant always implies a bad opinion of someone or
something.
Parts of speech deviant n, deviation n, deviate v
5. distort v. To twist or misrepresent; to make something seem different
from what it really is
If you hold a pencil in a glass of water, the water distorts the appearance
of the pencil.
Parts of speech distortion n
6. intentionally adv. On purpose, not by accident
Danny intentionally lost his last golf ball because he was tired of
playing.
Parts of speech intent n, intention n. intend v, intentional adj
7. piracy n. Stealing a ship or taking the ship’s cargo; the unlawful copying
of books, CDs, etc.
Modern-day piracy occurs mostly near groups of small, uninhabited
islands where pirates can hide.
The software company constantly battled piracy.
Parts of speech pirate n, pirate v
8. predicament n. A difficult situation, one that is hard to get out of
College basketball stars face the predicament of wanting to graduate
but being tempted by high professional salaries.
9. smuggle v. To illegally bring things into a country
The pirate Ben Dewar smuggled guns to British and Indian fighters
in North America.
Parts of speech smuggler n, smuggling n
10. villainy n. Exceptional badness, as demonstrated by many serious evil
deeds
Fred was not a natural criminal, but he learned all kinds of villainy
while being jailed for a minor crime.
Parts of speech villain n, villainous adj
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The War on Drugs
Definitions and Samples
1. addictive adj. Making someone want it so much that the person feels
ill without it
Some drugs, like heroin or methamphetamines, are addictive to almost
everyone who tries them.
Parts of speech addict v, addict n, addiction n
2. cartel n. A small group controlling a certain area of business
The world’s major oil producers formed a cartel to control the price
and supply of petroleum.
3. concentrated adj. Strong because large amounts are in a certain space
Concentrated lemon juice is very sour, so I mix it with water when I
make lemonade.
Parts of speech concentrate v, concentration n, concentrate n
4. interdict v. To keep something from reaching a certain place
With faster patrol boats, the Coast Guard can more easily interdict
drugs being smuggled by sea.
Parts of speech interdiction n
5. juxtapose v. Place next to one another
If you juxtapose these two similar flowers, you can see clear differences
between them.
Parts of speech juxtaposition n
6. misconception n. A mistaken belief
A common misconception about rabbits is that they are a kind of
rodent.
7. modify v. Make small changes in order to get a certain result
People who live in high mountains often modify their car engines to
run well in the thinner air.
Parts of speech modification n, modifier n
8. potent adj. Powerful
A very potent type of marijuana with surprisingly strong effects became
available in Burrytown.
Parts of speech potency n
9. residual adj. Left behind after most of a thing has gone
In the airplane, agents found residual traces of heroin.
Usage tips Residual is often followed by trace, amount, or some
other word referring to “quantity.”
Parts of speech residue n
10. subtly adv. In a quiet, hard-to-notice way
By subtly changing the soft drink’s formula, we improved its taste
and made production cheaper.