1. voracious / ravenous / rapacious – having a huge appetite that cannot be satisfied• Having run a marathon on an empty stomach, he had developed a

voracious appetite.

2. callous – emotionally hardened; insensitive; unfeeling

• Although he was rather sensitive before joining the Army, four years of war have made John callous toward the feelings of others.

3. intrepid / undaunted – courageous; resolute; fearless

• The intrepid pilot attacked the heavily fortified battleship by himself.

Which the intrepid guy?

4. nonchalant – having an air of casual indifference; coolly unconcerned; unflappable• Showing no emotion, the criminal appeared nonchalant as the judge

sentenced him to 30 years in jail.

5. convoluted – winding, twisting, and therefore difficult to understand; intricate

• The longer the detectives questioned the suspect, the more convoluted his lies became until even he wasn’t sure what he was saying anymore.

6. itinerant – migrating from place to place; not sedentary

• Upon hearing that her parents were itinerant fruit pickers, we didn’t expect that the new student would be around the school for long.

Migrant fruit pickers

Hunter gatherers

7. poignant – moving; touching; heartrending

• I was struck by the movie’s poignant ending in which the main character died from the very disease he had spent his life attempting to eradicate.

8. impetus – a stimulus or encouragement that results in increased activity

• The news that a dangerous prisoner had escaped from nearby served as the impetus for a 500% increase in ammunition sales that week.

9. bucolic / rustic / pastoral – characteristic of charming, unspoiled countryside and the simple, rural life

• Tiring of the hectic pace of city life, the retirees moved to the bucolic countryside to live out their days in peace and quiet.

bucolic scene versus cityscape

10. equanimity – calmness; composure; even-temperedness; poise

• Refusing to be lured into an angry shouting match with his opponent, the politician maintained his equanimity throughout the debate.