voracious, interminable, corpulent, affable, acrimonious: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 words from Proficient set 56. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. voracious · adjective/vəˈreɪ.ʃəs/

   having a huge appetite or eagerness for something

   The voracious reader finished three books in one day.

   Synonyms: greedy, ravenous, insatiable

   Origin: from Latin 'vorax', meaning 'devorer', from 'vorare', meaning 'to devour'

2. interminable · adjective/ɪnˈtɜr.mə.nə.bəl/

   endless or seemingly endless

   The meeting felt like an interminable lecture that never ended.

   Synonyms: endless, unending, continuous

   Origin: from Latin 'interminabilis' meaning 'not able to be ended'

3. corpulent · adjective/ˈkɔr.pjə.lənt/

   having a large, bulky body

   The corpulent man struggled to fit into the small chair at the restaurant.

   Synonyms: obese, hefty, stout

   Origin: from Latin 'corpulens', meaning 'having a large body', from 'corpus' meaning 'body'

4. affable · adjective/ˈæf.ə.bəl/

   friendly and easy to talk to

   Everyone in the office loves Sarah because she is very affable and always smiles.

   Synonyms: friendly, sociable, approachable

   Origin: from Latin 'affabilis', meaning 'easy to speak to'

5. acrimonious · adjective/ˌækrɪˈmoʊ.njəs/

   angry and bitter in speech or tone

   The meeting ended with an acrimonious debate between the two leaders.

   Synonyms: bitter, harsh, angry

   Origin: The word 'acrimonious' originates from the Latin word 'acrimonia', meaning 'bitterness'.