Alphabetic R

verb

1 of 172

Good / Successful

audio

rebound - To recover from a bad situation.

The company's stock did badly at first, but it rebounded when it hired a new president.

adjective

2 of 172

Good / Exciting

audio

racy - (of speech, writing, or behavior) lively, entertaining, and typically mildly titillating sexually

Somewhat tame by today's standards, "Gone with the Wind" was considered very racy at the time it was released.

verb

3 of 172

Other / Up-Down

audio

rouse - To wake someone up or make someone more active or excited

When the alarm rang, Dan couldn't rouse himself up from sleep because he had been out drinking the night before.

verb

See noun

4 of 172

Bad / Aggressive

Url audio

ransom - To release someone or something in exchange for a payment or other form of compensation.

The ancient artifacts were ransomed back to the museum after being stolen and held by black-market dealers.

adjective

5 of 172

Other / Other

audio

rife - (especially of something undesirable or harmful) of common occurrence; widespread

The country wanted to attract English-speaking tourists, but their English signs were rife with errors.

adjective

6 of 172

Bad / Dangerous

Url audio

reckless - Acting without thinking about the consequences, often in a dangerous or irresponsible manner.

The reckless behavior of the lead hikers, going much too close to the edge of the cliffs, put everyone in danger during the climb.

noun

See verb

7 of 172

Bad / Dishonest

Url audio

ransom - A sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for the release of a someone held as a prisoner.

The family was able to raise the large sum of money that was demanded as ransom for their son.

verb

8 of 172

Good / Friendly

Url audio

resonate - To feel aligned with something, such as an idea, belief, feelings, or value, creating a sense of mutual understanding or agreement.

His words about strength, commitment, and perseverance resonated with the audience, inspiring them to face their own challenges with renewed strength.

noun

9 of 172

Good / Smart

audio

revelation - Realizing or disclosing something that was previously not known.

Samantha vividly remembers the day she had the revelation in therapy that relationships are one of the most important things in life.

adjective

10 of 172

Bad / Dirty

audio

risqué - Somewhat indecent and liable to shock, especially by being sexually suggestive.

In the 1960's jokes on TV that were considered risque would seem totally innocent and accepted by today's standards.

verb

11 of 172

Bad / Unfriendly

Url audio

relegate - To move someone or something to a less important role or status.

He felt unfairly relegated to simple accounting tasks, despite his superior and varied qualifications and experience.

adjective

12 of 172

Bad / Confused

Url audio

repressed - Describing memories or feelings that have been pushed out of conscious awareness due to trauma or stress.

He had repressed memories of his childhood, unable to recall the events that had deeply affected him.