100 SAT Words Beginning with "M"

Thus was uncovered one of history’s most macabre bouts of serial killing. New York Times (Oct 9, 2011)

With life experiences like those behind her, the extreme plot machinations of Hollywood melodrama must have possessed an everyday familiarity for Stanwyck. New York Times (Apr 24, 2010)

It fell upon their faces, touching their whiteness with a ruddy tinge, accentuating the stains with which so many of them were freaked and maculated. Bierce, Ambrose

The entire bowl was now a maelstrom of swirling bodies, legs and arms. Browne, Howard

She will love to dwell on that large, generous, magnanimous, open, forgiving heart. Various

The day was spent in magniloquent addresses, which affected the style of ancient types, urgent exhortations to war, poetical orations, rounds of applause, rapturous demonstrations. Dawson, Æneas MacDonell

But an aftershock of almost the same magnitude, less deep that the first quake, hit soon after he finished speaking.

Think of the maimed, the mutilated, the mangled! Ingersoll, Robert Green

By-and-by the three temples loomed into view, standing in all their beauty on the barren waste, majestic, uninjured, extraordinary. Woolson, Constance Fenimore

As with most of the infectious maladies, scarlet fever extended to the Western World through European shipping. Various

Sammy was placed on antibiotics in case a bacterial infection was causing his fever and malaise. Seattle Times (Dec 19, 2011)

New words are eagerly seized; hence the malapropisms and solecisms so frequently made fun of, without appreciation of their cause. Reynolds, Stephen Sydney

They are malevolent and murderous and may be summoned by black magic.

But it would have been easy enough to simply say that no malice was intended and she regretted if anyone was offended by the phrase.

The latest growth is “most likely malignant,” Chávez conceded – aggressively so, medical experts are suggesting – leaving him “preparing to face the worst.”

On the other hand, the malingerer may actually produce injuries on his person either to excite commiseration or to escape from work. Robertson, W. G. Aitchison (William George Aitchison )

Laws are malleable, and courts can be purchased or influenced to a local’s advantage. New York Times (Dec 22, 2010)

Nay, the process was going on within, though its visible manifestations may have ceased. Various

Then, too, there are innumerable separate agencies, working in ways manifold and diverse. Field, Henry M. (Henry Martyn)

It says Google manipulated Safari users into believing they could permanently opt out of targeted advertising, when in reality they couldn’t. New York Times (Feb 17, 2012)

The slave, now free, would lay down his life for the man who has manumitted him. Reid, Mayne

This energetic and clear-textured approach allowed for plenty of striking details of percussion and phrasing, marred only by a few brass blemishes. New York Times (Mar 10, 2012)

In many jurisdictions, if your separately owned property increases in value during the marriage, that increase is also considered marital property.

In any case, the report argues, international maritime law in theory obligates ships to come to the assistance of those in trouble at sea.

Despite the pounding summer sun, Protesters turned out to demand justice for those killed during the revolution, who are seen as martyrs for democracy. New York Times (Jul 1, 2011)

Moreover, in contrast to the dominant thinking of our age, which is materialistic, King's philosophy is spiritual and religious. King, Basil

As ties warmed, the two countries discussed joint ventures, though most haven’t materialized.

Maternal mortality rates are also high, with 85 women dying in childbirth for every 100,000 live births, Tidey said.

In effect, however, women owned the country and women governed it; suddenly the matriarchy existed. Cox, Irving E.

Today, Web music services are spread across the entire range of the price/convenience/permanence matrix. New York Times (Jul 27, 2011)

Again, that is a very fast maturation rate, making it efficient for breeding in the lab. Scientific American (Dec 28, 2011)

He detested the florid sentimentality of some other universities, the maudlin old grads singing of bright college years! Canfield, Dorothy

Or if Sleepless in Seattle ended with Meg Ryan being graphically mauled to death by an escaped tiger.

The Deadhead community boasts any number of recording engineers, lighting experts, rock video mavens, electronic technicians of all descriptions. Sterling, Bruce

He's still the same maverick, independent spirit he has always been.

Herself full of mawkish sentimentality, her verses could not fail to be foolish, their whole impulse being the ambition that springs from self-admiration. MacDonald, George

As we are hastily reading books and papers we continually come across maxims, epigrams, and short, pithy sayings that attract us. McCarty, Louis Philippe

Although some graffiti had already been removed, evidence of the previous night's mayhem was visible in broken display cases. Chicago Tribune (Jan 30, 2012)

Prime Minister John Key said he was spreading his Marmite more thinly to stretch his meager and dwindling supply. New York Times (Mar 21, 2012)

That route turns out to be a long and meandering one, ending up at an ambiguous, or at least ambivalent, conclusion. New York Times (Feb 3, 2012)

The United States has waded into the conflict in recent months saying it was willing to mediate disputes between smaller countries and China. New York Times (Nov 19, 2011)

I heard a melancholy murmuring, something like suppressed sighing and sobbing, with words between that I could not make out. Palacio Vald?s, Armando

The Washington Post said the melee broke out in the fourth quarter as members of both teams tackled and threw punches at one another.

There was much of this in our great man, whose voice became of the sweetest and most mellifluous key, as he bent before the peer. Fitzgerald, Percy Hethrington

Its melodramatic characters striking theatrical postures are uninspiring, to put it mildly. New York Times (Dec 10, 2010)

Construction workers on Thursday buried a stainless steel time capsule with memorabilia relating to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Four Freedoms Park on Roosevelt Island. New York Times (Apr 13, 2012)

And raising her stick in her shaking hand, she made a gesture so menacing that, fearing she would strike him, my lord stepped back. Weyman, Stanley J.

If my cell were big enough, I should walk round and round as I have seen the caged animals do in menageries. Osborne, Thomas Mott

He is tempted to make ambiguous statements; pledges, with secret passages of escape; contracts, with fraudulent constructions; lying excuses, and more mendacious promises. Beecher, Henry Ward

In others are the broken-down mendicants who live on soup-kitchens and begging.  Ritchie, J. Ewing (James Ewing)

He can always get work at unskilled manual labour, or personal or domestic service—in other words, at menial employment. Grayson, David

But external trade is regulated by governments on the principles of the mercantile system. Various

"The Expendables" revolves around a group of mercenaries hired to overthrow a South American dictator.

Wind energy is notoriously mercurial, with patterns shifting drastically over the course of years, days, even minutes. Scientific American (Jan 4, 2012)

Education and extensive reading have preserved them from faults of gaudiness and meretricious ornament. Various

The range of Ms. Traoré’s performance as Barbary — her rich and mesmerizing voice, regal bearing and fluid movement — has enchanted critics. New York Times (Oct 25, 2011)

In the film Nina goes through a metamorphosis onstage, from sweet swan to a thrashing, rabid, seething one, complete with feathers. Seattle Times (Dec 2, 2010)

We kept coming back to a metaphor of a big-game hunter looking for “ideas” instead of animals. Forbes (Aug 30, 2011)

At the same time it is, when formulated, an abstract and metaphysical statement, which one cannot grasp at once, but to which one must grow. Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith

Like most men who get through much work, Spencer was very methodical and orderly. Thomson, J. Arthur (John Arthur)

Kuhn kept meticulous records, documenting all paintings, exhibits and sales.

That was a task which tried their mettle, but once met and overcome, it fortified their courage to meet other ordeals. Adams, Andy

In some ways what is playing out in this Ulster County town is a more colorful microcosm of affordable housing controversies elsewhere. New York Times (Sep 14, 2011)

Then Essex, majestic in mien and regal-looking in demeanour, and seeming to carry on his dress the cost of whole manors. Curling, Henry

Wheatears complete this 14,500 kilometer journey in nearly 90 days, too, a marathon migration very rare for such little birds.

Adams is particularly good at capturing the rivalries, power struggles and pecking order in the newsroom, a milieu she knows intimately. New York Times (Feb 19, 2010)

Militants holed up in a tall building were firing rockets in different directions, according to an Associated Press reporter at the scene. Time (Apr 15, 2012)

They were common clay, mere ephemeral puppets, without hope of command, minions to take orders, necessary evils in an age of mechanism and high-speed commerce. McFee, William

The isotopes detected in Western states have been found in minuscule amounts, officials say, much too small to threaten health.

At times he was as silent and mysterious as the sphinx, at other times brimming over with mirth and merriment. Hocking, Silas K. (Silas Kitto)

The misanthropes pretend that they despise humanity for its weakness. Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith)

Unconsciously and boy-like, he did things which were often misconstrued as downright badness, whereas the boy had not the slightest intention of doing anything wrong. Cody, H. A. (Hiram Alfred)

Among such characters there will be miscreants capable of any crime, and therefore there is always danger. Forester, Thomas

"Boiled" custard is rather a misnomer as on no account must the boiling point be reached in cooking, for if the custard bubbles it curdles. McClure, Mary Jane

Affliction is allayed, grief subsides, sorrow is soothed, distress is mitigated. Webster, Noah

He was able to beef up his memory by learning mnemonic techniques. Scientific American (Mar 25, 2011)

For women’s coaches, however, third-party funds are modest, if they exist at all. New York Times (Apr 3, 2012)

He volunteered a modicum of advice, limited in quantity, but valuable. Bolderwood, Rolf

Some cups of very good coffee had somewhat mollified him, and he came out smiling and talking in tolerably restored humor. Child, Lydia Maria Francis

By this momentous act Lewis XVI., without being conscious of its significance, went over to the democracy. Figgis, John Neville

The world's major central banks are opening up the monetary spigots once again, pumping new money into their economies to bolster growth.

He has been going by his childhood moniker for so long, it is the only name most people know. Seattle Times (Apr 10, 2012)

The two layers are placed within 10 minutes of each other, the purpose being to secure a monolithic or one-piece slab. Gillette, Halbert Powers

From that it passes on to monotheism, the belief in one God, who is the sole author and creator of the universe. Stace, W. T. (Walter Terence)

The old man stopped suddenly, having told all his story in a dull, monotonous voice, with little feeling and no dramatic display. Allen, Grant

Emanuel also declined to say whether he will consider a write-in campaign -- a moot point if the high court deems him ineligible.

Drilling activity was suspended on June 12 under a moratorium the U.S. placed on exploration in waters deeper than 500 feet. Washington Post (Feb 28, 2011)

I have been attending a lot of funerals recently and this has brought back to the fore my morbid fascination with funerals. BBC (Mar 30, 2010)

Societal attitudes toward servants are often shaped by ingrained mores about caste and class. New York Times (Apr 5, 2012)

He was never jolly now, but always discontented, and generally querulous, morose, or violently angry. Maxwell, W. B. (William Babington)

She could have wished that there should never be moonlight more, so shamed and mortified and humiliated did she feel. Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)

Mr. Dine’s other recurring motifs — hearts, tools and Venuses — are scattered throughout the other galleries and the museum grounds. New York Times (Apr 14, 2012)

All sorts and conditions of men were represented in the huge and motley throng. Brady, Cyrus Townsend

Thinkers like Aristotle have mulled over such questions for centuries, says philosopher Mark Vernon in the Magazine's series on modern ethical dilemmas.

Here, along the lines of multitudinous houses, up one street and down another, he wondered which of them might be occupied by her. London, Jack

But researchers say one thing has not changed and spans the divides - the temporary escape from the mundane routine of everyday life. BBC (May 21, 2010)

My munificent, generous angel will come now and then, and from her cornucopia shower her gifts upon me. Sienkiewicz, Henryk

Slaves make insurrection; soldiers or sailors break out in mutiny; subject provinces rise in revolt. Fernald, James Champlin

In this case, hundreds of drugs are involved, each with myriad approved uses in various animals. New York Times (Apr 12, 2012)

Dating back to classical antiquity, Corinth was reputedly the home of Pegasus, the winged mythical horse.