让你的essay更加原滋原味，让你的表达给人印象深刻，这些单词不仅在各种新闻报道中经常使用，也是日常对话中能够“震撼”到老外的独门秘籍！

原文地址：http://www.merriam-webster.com/top-ten-lists/top-10-simple-but-intelligent-words-vol-2/paradigm.html

#1: Demure 贤淑的，端庄的

定义：

not attracting or demanding a lot of attention; not showy or flashy; quiet and polite

近义词：

modest; unassuming; shy; coy

例句：

"As William and Kate sang prayers fromthe specially designed hymn sheets, the two sisters looked onunassumingly. But despite their demure appearance, rumours even began tosurface today that one of the women was a secret 'ninja nun' intendedto protect the Royal couple by pouncing on any intruders." – Daily Mail, May 1, 2011

#2: Cavalier 漫不经心的

定义：

having or showing no concern for something that is important or serious

近义词

thoughtless or careless, especially when you're describing a disregard for consequences

例句

"Manytook issue with [Kristen] Stewart's rather cavalier use of the term["rape"], even if it was used in a metaphorical sense..." – MichaelJordan, BlackBook, June 4, 2010

#3: Lurid 骇人听闻的

定义：

causing horror or revulsion; involving sex or violence in a way that is meant to be shocking

近义词

shocking; sensational; gruesome

例句：

"Likearticles about drug busts, this sort of story [about a prostitutionring] produces lurid, boldface headlines that catch the reader's eye." –Mark Drought, Stamford Advocate, April 13, 2011

#4: Maudlin 多愁善感的

定义：

showing or expressing too much emotion especially in a foolish or annoying way

近义词：

sappy; schmaltzy; overly emotional

例句：

"Hisdaughter's account of his final days manages to capture the emotionwithout becoming maudlin." – Glenn C. Altschuler, NPR.org, April 28,2011

#5: Caustic 苛刻的

定义：

marked by sharp or biting sarcasm; very harsh and critical

近义词：

critical, hostile, snarky; nasty; sarcastic

例句：

"Thisworld loves bickering buddies.... [T]here's plenty of fondness forcomedies built around caustic and amusing back–and–forths between twopeople that, at the drop of a hat, either want to kill each other orcuddle." – Christopher Bell, blogs.indiewire.com, April 27, 2011

#6: Stoic 冷漠的

定义：

showing no emotion especially when something bad is happening

近义词：

unemotional; uncomplaining; cold

例句：

"Hockey also gives normally staid, stoic and polite Canadians license to be aggressive." – Stuart Weinberg, Wall Street Journal (wsj.com), November 30, 2010

#7: Volatile 反覆无常的

定义：

likely to change in a very sudden or extreme way; having or showing extreme or sudden changes of emotion

近义词：

unstable; emotional; unpredictable

例句：

"Prosecutorswant to demonstrate that Bonds treated those around him in an abusiveand hostile manner and that his volatile nature was also the result ofsteroid use." – Christian Red, New York Daily News, March 17, 2011

#8: Austere 苛简的

定义：

marked by rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self–denial

近义词：

simple or plain, especially when you're describing something that is strict or without comfort

例句：

"Thisis the austere beauty of the desert: limitless vistas, clear skies,dramatic topography, an unforgiving environment for life of any kind." –James Fallows, The Atlantic, October 2008

#9: Lucid 清晰明白的

定义：

very clear and easy to understand; able to think clearly

近义词：

clear,logical, orderly (describing an explanation); rational (describing aperson). The word's original meaning, by the way, is "suffused withlight."

例句：

"But instead of a lucid narrative explainingwhat happened when the economy imploded in 2008, why, and who was toblame, the report is a confusing and contradictory mess..." – FrankPartnoy, The New York Times, January 29, 2011

#10: Paradigm 范式

定义：

a theory or a group of ideas about how something should be done, made, or thought about

近义词：

idea, theory, concept

例句：

"Pessimistsare bemoaning the end of U.S. human spaceflight, but optimists see thenext few years as a transition to a new paradigm that will energizecommercial ventures and get astronauts beyond Earth orbit for the firsttime since the Nixon administration." – Alan Boyle, MSNBC.com, July 13, 2011

#11: Paradox 悖论

定义：

a statement that seems to be contradictory or opposed to common sense yet is perhaps true

近义词：

puzzle, surprise

例句：

"Withhold$800 million in military aid, let it go through, or double it – nomatter what Washington does it can't escape the paradox that [Pakistan]is its most important ally in the war on terror." – Zachary Fillingham, Geopolitical Monitor, July 11, 2011

#12: Nuance 细微精妙之处

定义：

a very small difference in color, tone, or meaning

近义词：

aspect, thing, detail

例句：

"...[R]esearchshows that our memory is strongest and lasts the longest when ouremotions are heightened. This helps explain why we might remember everynuance of our wedding day or our valedictory speech in college." –Richard Zwolinski, Blogs.PsychCentral.com, July 11, 2011

#13: Dilettante 业余爱好者

定义：

a person whose interest in an art or in an area of knowledge is not very deep or serious

近义词：

dabbler, amateur, hack

例句：

"Butcompared with Matthew de Abaitua I am a complete dilettante. We campperhaps once a year, and only in summer, and only in good weather (wecancel if it's wet)." – Tom Fort, Telegraph.co.uk, June 28, 2011

#14: Serendipity 意外的收获

定义：

luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for

近义词：

luck; chance; good fortune

例句：

"Ifthere is one thing social networks and living in public havefacilitated, it's serendipity. Serendipity is a good thing. It's beenwell documented that people who talk to strangers tend to be luckier,and this also applies to communicating with our existing networks..." –Kaila Colbin, MediaPost.com, July 15, 2011

#15: Euphemism 委婉说法

定义：

a mild or pleasant word or phrase that is used in place of one that is offensive or unpleasant

近义词：

alternative, "another way of saying"

例句：

"Anyonewho's ever lived in a small apartment building full of quirky (usually aeuphemism for 'extremely irritating') tenants has probably imagined oneof them suddenly found dead or killing somebody else." – SteveDonoghue, Washington Post, July 8, 2011

#16: Dichotomy 分裂

定义：

a division into two mutually exclusive or contradictory groups or things

近义词：

split, division, contrast

例句：

"Butballet, with its built-in dichotomy of gender roles (women alone riseon point, men alone may do the partnering), has a romantic tension thatcan seem poignant, even tragic." – Alastair Macaulay, New York Times, July 4, 2011

#17: Non sequitur 无稽之谈

定义：

astatement that doesn't logically follow from or is not clearly relatedto anything said before it (literally, 'it does not follow' in Latin)

近义词：

nonsense, stumper, "huh?"

例句：

"'Russianeeds more successful young entrepreneurs, therefore, governors shouldhave more children!' At first it may seem a non-sequitur. But in Russiathe joke is obvious, cutting to the heart of a growing source ofdiscontent among the young: routes to professional success are fewer andfewer, while the offspring of top provincial officials and the like dowell." – Charles Clover, Financial Times.com, July 11, 2011

#18: Epiphany 顿悟，豁然开朗

定义：

a moment in which a person suddenly sees or understands something in a new or very clear way

近义词：

realization, insight, breakthrough

例句：

"Maybeit's just my country roots or possibly I've failed to recognise thechanges happening around me, but this week I had an epiphany. Our nationis changing." – Editorial, TheCourier.com, July 9, 2011

#19: Conundrum 迷思

定义：

a confusing, intricate, or difficult problem

近义词：

problem; challenge; dilemma

例句：

"Ithought you were trying to solve the conundrum of how, in spite of ourexpensive automatic sprinkling system, we still have brown patches inthe yard." – Joe and Linda Skinner, Grand Junction Free Press, July 8, 2011