Words Starting with

Resolute (REZ uh loot) - determined; firm; unwavering Example: Someone who sticks to his New Year's resolution is resolute.

Redolent (RED uh lunt) - fragrant Example: The air in autumn is redolent of wood smoke and fallen leaves.

Reiterate (ree IT uh rayt) - to say again; to repeat Example: The candidate had reiterated his position so many times on the campaign trail that he sometimes even muttered it in his sleep.

Recalcitrant (ri KAL suh trunt) - stubbornly defiant of authority or control; disobedient Example: The country was in turmoil, but the recalcitrant dictator refused even to listen to the pleas of the international representatives.

Robust (roh BUST) - strong and healthy; vigorous Example: The hundred-year-old man was still robust. Every morning he ran several miles down to the ocean and jumped in.

Relentless (ri LENT lis) - continuous; unstoppable Example: The insatiable rabbit was relentless, it ate and ate until nothing was left in the botanical garden.

Rebuke (ri BYOOK) - to criticize sharply Example: The judge rebuked the convicted murderer for chopping up so many people and burying them in the woods.

Relegate (REL uh gayt) - to banish; to send away Example: The most junior of the junior executives was relegated to a tiny, windowless office that had once been a broom closet.

Rancor (RANG kur) - bitter, long-lasting ill will or resentment Example: The mutual rancor felt by the two nations eventually led to war.

Replete (ri PLEET) - completely filled; abounding Example: The once polluted stream was now replete with fish of every description.

Recondite (REK un dyte) - hard to understand; over one's head Example: The philosopher's thesis was so recondite that I couldn't get past the first two sentences.

Remonstrate (ri MAHN strayt) Definition: to argue against; to protest; to raise objections Sentence: My boss remonstrated with me for telling all the secretaries they could take the rest of the week off.

Reprove (ri PROOV) Definition: to criticize mildly Sentence: My wife reproved me for leaving my dirty dish in the sink.

Resolute (REZ uh loot) Definition: determined; firm; unwavering Sentence: Someone who sticks to his New Year's resolution is resolute.

Redolent (RED uh lunt) Definition: fragrant Sentence: The air in autumn is redolent of wood smoke and fallen leaves.

Recalcitrant (ri KAL suh trunt) Definition: stubbornly defiant of authority or control; disobedient Sentence: The country was in turmoil, but the recalcitrant dictator refused even to listen to the pleas of the international representatives.

Relegate (REL uh gayt) Definition: to banish; to send away Sentence: The most junior of the junior executives was relegated to a tiny, windowless office that had once been a broom closet.

Rancor (RANG kur) Definition: bitter, long-lasting ill will or resentment Sentence: The mutual rancor felt by the two nations eventually led to war.

Replete (ri PLEET) Definition: completely filled; abounding Sentence: The once polluted stream was now replete with fish of every description.

Recondite (REK un dyte) Definition: hard to understand; over one's head Sentence: The philosopher's thesis was so recondite that I couldn't get past the first two sentences.

Reparation (rep uh RAY shun) Definition: paying back; making amends; compensation Sentence: To make a reparation is to repair some damage that has occurred.

Rapacious (ruh PAY shus) Definition: greedy; plundering; avaricious Sentence: Wall Street investment bankers are often accused of being rapacious, but they claim they are performing a valuable economic function.

Respite (RES pit ) Definition: a period of rest or relief Sentence: We worked without respite from five in the morning until five in the afternoon.

Rogue (rohg) Definition: a criminally dishonest person; a scoundrel Sentence: A rogue is someone who can't be trusted.

Rhetoric (RET ur ik) Definition: the art of formal speaking or writing; inflated discourse Sentence: A talented public speaker might be said to be skilled in rhetoric.

Ramification (ram uh fuh KAY shun) Definition: a consequence; a branching out Sentence: A tree could be said to ramify, or branch out, as it grows.

Replenish (ri PLEN ish) Definition: to fill again; to resupply; to restore Sentence: After the big Thanksgiving meal, everyone felt replenished.

Reprehensible (rep ri HEN suh bul) Definition: worthy of blame or censure Sentence: He put the cat in the laundry chute, tied the dog to the chimney, and committed several other reprehensible acts.

Refute (ri FYOOT) Definition: to prove to be false; to disprove Sentence: His expensive suit and imported shoes clearly refuted his claim that he was poor.

Repudiate (ri PYOO dee ayt) Definition: to reject; to renounce; to disown; to have nothing to do with Sentence: Hoping to receive a lighter sentence, the convicted gangster repudiated his former connection with the mob.

Rustic (RUS tik) - rural; lacking urban comforts or sophistication; primitive Example: Life in the log cabin was too rustic for Leah; she missed hot showers, cold beer, and electricity.

Recrimination (ri krim uh NAY tion) - a bitter counteraccusation, or the act of making a bitter counteraccusation Example: Mary was full of recrimination. When I accused her of stealing my pen, she angrily accused me of being careless, evil, and stupid.

Remonstrate (ri MAHN strayt) - to argue against; to protest; to raise objections Example: My boss remonstrated with me for telling all the secretaries they could take the rest of the week off.

Reproach (ri PROHCH) - to scold, usually in disappointment; to blame; to disgrace Example: My doctor reproached me for gaining twenty pounds after he had advised me to lose fifteen.

Reprove (ri PROOV) - to criticize mildly Example: My wife reproved me for leaving my dirty dish in the sink.

Repercussion (ree pur KUSH un) - a consequence; an indirect effect Example: One repercussion of the new tax law was that accountants found themselves with a lot of new business.

Rigorous (RIG ur us) - strict; harsh; severe Example: Our exercise program was rigorous but effective.

Reclusive (ri KLOOS iv) - hermitlike; withdrawn from society Example: Our new neighbors were so reclusive that we didn't even meet them until a full year after they had moved in.

Renounce (ri NOWNCE) - to give up formally or resign; to disown; to have nothing to do with anymore Example: The presidential candidate renounced his manager after it was revealed that the zealous manager had tried to murder the candidate's opponent in the primary.

Rudimentary (roo duh MEN tuh ree) - basic; crude; unformed or undeveloped Example: The primitive tribe's tools were very rudimentary. In fact, they looked more like rocks than tools.

Reprisal (ri PRYE zul) - a military action undertaken in revenge for another; an act of taking an eye for an eye Example: The raid on the Iranian oil-drilling platform was a reprisal for the Iranians' earlier attack on the American tanker.

Relinquish (ri LING kwish) - to release or let go of; to surrender; to stop doing Example: The retiring president relinquished control of the company only with the greatest reluctance.

Recant (ri KANT) - to publicly take back and deny (something previously said or believed); to openly confess error Example: The secret police tortured the intellectual for a week, by tickling his feet with a feather duster, until he finally recanted.

Ruminate (ROO muh nayt) - to contemplate; to ponder; to mull over Example: The teacher's comment about the causes of weather set me to ruminating about what a nice day it was and to wishing that I were outside.

Reciprocal (ri SIP ruh kul) - mutual; shared; interchangeable Example: Their hatred was reciprocal; they hatred each other.

Rebut (ri BUT) - to contradict; to argue in opposition to; to prove to be false Example: They all thought I was crazy, but none of them could rebut my argument.

Reparation (rep uh RAY shun) - paying back; making amends; compensation Example: To make a reparation is to repair some damage that has occurred.

Rapacious (ruh PAY shus) - greedy; plundering; avaricious Example: Wall Street investment bankers are often accused of being rapacious, but they claim they are performing a valuable economic function.

Respite (RES pit ) - a period of rest or relief Example: We worked without respite from five in the morning until five in the afternoon.

Rogue (rohg) - a criminally dishonest person; a scoundrel Example: A rogue is someone who can't be trusted.

Rhetoric (RET ur ik) - the art of formal speaking or writing; inflated discourse Example: A talented public speaker might be said to be skilled in rhetoric.

Ramification (ram uh fuh KAY shun) - a consequence; a branching out Example: A tree could be said to ramify, or branch out, as it grows.

Replenish (ri PLEN ish) - to fill again; to resupply; to restore Example: After the big Thanksgiving meal, everyone felt replenished.