Vocabulary Word Meanings: From Hamper, Hackneyed to Hypocrite

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Hamper

Meaning: verb- interfere with movement or progress

Example: The blizzard hampered the search for survivors.

Hackneyed

adj- unoriginal; trite duplicate

Avoid hackneyed phrases in your writing.

Haphazard

adj- without plan or direction

Also used as: Haphazardly (adv) ; haphazardness (noun)

Martin planted the trees haphazardly, scattering them around the yard.

Harbor

verb – to provide shelter or refuge; hide

Also used as: Harbored, harborage (nouns)

Harboring a know criminal is a chrome in itself.

Hierarchy

noun- a group of people in authority, ranked in order of power, a sequential listing

Also used as: Hierarchical (adj)

The military is a hierarchy; each level is more powerful than the ones below it.

Homage

noun – respect paid to someone or something; tribute; honor

We pay homage to certain people by putting their images on stamps and currency.

Homogeneous

adj- the same throughout; consistent; uniform balance

Homogeneousness (noun) ; homogeneously (adv)

If you add chocolate syrup to a glass of milk and stir, you՚ll get a homogeneous mixture.

Harangue

noun- a long lecturing speech

Also used as: Harangue- verb

We began wearing earplugs to work to get some relief from his harangues.

Hardy

adj- bold; brave; capable of withstanding harsh conditions.

Also used as: Hardiness- noun; hardily- adv don՚t confuse with hearty which means enthusiastic.

Lewis and Clark were hardy explorers of ragged terrain.

Hedge

verb- to avoid giving a clear answer thereby escaping responsibility or blame

Note: Hedge means to beat around the bush

Connected to the lie detector big nick tried to hedge his way through the test.

Heed

verb- notice; pay attention to

Also used as: Heed- noun – as in to take every day. Is he listening or tornado?

it՚s wise to heed the warning of a coming hurricane or tornado.

Heinous

adj- shockingly evil, worst

An especially heinous crime can leave a community in shock for years.

Heresy

noun- an opinion expressed in defiance of generally accepted ideas

Also used as: Heretic- noun; heretical- adj; heretically- adv

In centuries past people were burned at the stake for heretical comments.

Hiatus

noun- gap; interruption; a break in the continuity of a process; a pause

The brick layer explains, I needed a little break.

Some companies take a summer hiatus closing down completely for weeks.

Hyperbole

noun- extreme exaggeration

Also used as: Hyperbolic- adj

I՚ve told you a million times is an example of hyperbole.

Hypocrite

noun- an insincere person; one who pretends to have feelings he doesn՚t really possess

Also used as: Hypocritical- adj

don՚t be a hypocrite- say what you mean