underlying

It's the economist's mission

to try to find out the underlying causes of the depression.

unprecedented

People's living standards have been rising steadily

and China's comprehensive strength has been clearly enhanced.

This is an unprecedented miracle in China's history.

unveil

The queen unveiled a statue of Prince Albert

void

The desert stretching away before the traveler seemed frighteningly void.

vow

The couple exchanged vows in a romantic Labor Day sunset ceremony on Maui.

vulgar

The houses and cars of the newly rich are huge but vulgar.

wasteful

His wife was wasteful

and he had to keep his nose to the grindstone.

abort

The rescue mission had to be aborted.

accessory

The accessories for a car include the heater and the radio.

adherence

Her adherence to her principles cost her her job

administer

She had a huge department to administer

aerospace

The Challenger shuttle crew,

of seven astronauts-including the specialties of pilot,

aerospace engineers,

and scientists died tragically in the explosion.

affiliate

The college is affiliated to the university.

alien

We should not ignore others' opinions

just because they are alien to our own ideas.

alleviate

The medicine is administered to alleviate the pain.

alternate

Mary and her sister will alternate in setting the table.

ambiguity

There is a degree of ambiguity in her answer.

amend

The government has amended the law twice

to accord with the changing situation

appraise

Sotheby's apprised Donald of the fact

that his “Rembrandt” was appraised as worthless.

appropriation

The mayor approved the appropriation of the new school.

apt

Everyone at present was very excited at his apt remark.

arrogance

I would on no account authorize in my child

the smallest degree of arrogance.

assurance

The only complete defense is the elimination of nuclear weapons

and assurance that they will never be produced again.

athletic

He is taking part in an athletic meeting.

attendant

Sally is too flighty to be a flight attendant.

authorize/ise

I have authorized him to act for me while I am away.

avail

They made great efforts,

but it was all to no avail.

bald

Too much knowledge makes the head bald.

bankruptcy

The company is reported to be on the brink of bankruptcy.

behavioral

The behavioral  sciences have been slow to change

partly because the explanatory items often seem to be directly observed

and partly because other kinds of explanations have been hard to find.

blunder

The police blundered badly by arresting the wrong man.

brighten

The new carpet brightened the room.

capsule

The capsule failed to separate from the earth satellite.

carefree

How wonderful it would be to be young and carefree again!

chronic

Is your disease chronic or acute?

circulation

Police say a number of forged banknotes are in circulation.

clearing

This is the unorthodox view of a German soil scientist

who has shown that burnt clearings in the Amazon,

dating back more than 1 000 years,

helped create patches of rich,

fertile soil that farmers still benefit from today.