| Term | Definition |
|---|
| jocose | joking |
| jodhpurs | riding pants |
| joey | baby kangaroo |
| juvenescent | juvenile |
| juxtapose | place side by side |
| killjoy | downer |
| kinetic | energy with motion |
| kismet | fate |
| krotoscope | applauseometer |
| kudos | praise |
| lexicon | compilation of language |
| libertarian | believer in liberty |
| lilliputian | little person |
| limn | express oneself (in a different medium) |
| limpid | crystal clear |
| livid | furious |
| logorrhea | diarrhea of the mouth |
| loup | a half mask |
| lubricious | lubricated |
| machination | plot or scheme |
| maladroit | awkward |
| malapropism | mixing up words |
| malfeasance | wrongdoing (by a public official) |
| malice | hostility |
| malinger | to fake sick |
| martinet | disciplinarian |
| maverick | rebel |
| mawkish | very sentimental |
| melee | mix up, riot |
| mercurial | fickle |
| mete | to ration |
| metonymy | substituting an example for the thing |
| mien | demeanor |
| milieu | environment |
| mingy | stingy |
| minion | follower |
| minutia | minute details |
| miscreant | villainously wicked |
| mnemonic | memory device |
| mollify | to pacify |
| morose | gloomy |
| mugwump | neutral on political issues |
| munificent | very generous |
| myopia | short-sightedness |
| myriad | a plethora |
| narcolepsy | an urge to sleep |
| nascent | coming into existence |
| neophyte | a novice or beginner |
| nepenthe | something that makes someone forget |
| nephology | the study of clouds |
| nepotism | favoritism |
| nethermost | farthest down |
| nettlesome | irritating, annoying |
| nihilism | skepticism |
| nirvana | heavenly bliss |
| nubbin | a lumpy nub |
| nugatory | worthless |
| nebulous | unclear, vague |
| nuance | slight variation in meaning |
| nefarious | villainous, wicked |
| obfuscate | to confuse |
| obliterate | to eliminate |
| obsequious | kowtows to others |
| obtuse | hard to understand |
| obviate | to anticipate |
| octogenarian | an eighty-something |
| officious | meddlesome |
| ombudsman | complaint investigator |
| omnificent | having supreme creative power |
| ominous | evil omen |
| onomatopoeia | a sound word |
| ostentatious | showy |
| otiose | idle, useless |
| overt | observable |
| oxymoron | an internally contradictory phrase |
| paladin | a hero |
| palindrome | the same forwards and backwards |
| panacea | a universal cure |
| pandemic | a big epidemic |
| panoply | a complete array |
| paraclete | a person who intercedes |
| paradigm | a model for comparison |
| paroxysm | an outburst |
| pathetic fallacy | attribution of human emotions to nature |
| pathos | pathetic quality |
| patronize | to do business with (or condescend) |
| penicil | caterpillar hair |
| peremptory | controlling |
| perfidious | disloyal |
| perfunctory | automatic |
| probity | integrity |
| pontificate | to speak pompously |
| piquant | pleasantly spicy |
| persevere | not giving up |
| promethean | daringly original |
| precis | a summary |
| pertinacious | stubbornly persistent |
| predicable | true or proven |
| pristine | clean, pure |
| peruse | to examine thoroughly |
| prevaricate | to mislead |
| plangent | loud, resounding |
| philistine | lacking culture or taste |
| picaresque | devilish |
| nepotism | favoritism |
| quagmire | a swamp |
| quash | to put an end to |
| quasi | seems to be |
| querulous | complaining |
| quid pro quo | tit for tat |
| quiescent | quiet, motionless |
| quixotic | romantic |
| raffish | tacky or cheap |
| rankle | to cause long lasting anger |
| recalcitrant | rebellious, stubborn |
| recidivate | to relapse into a bad habit |
| recondite | secret, obscure |
| reconnoiter | to survey for info |
| recreant | a traitor, coward |
| rectitude | moral righteousness |
| red herring | distraction |
| redolent | sweet smelling |
| refractory | hard to manage |
| refulgent | shining or gleaming |
| remonstrate | to object |
| renege | to go back on a promise |
| restive | fidgety, unruly |
| retrench | to reduce, cut back |
| riposte | a sharp response |
| rodomontade | a bragging speech |
| rubric | a set of regulations |
| ruthful | having pity or compassion |
| raucous | shrill |
| remuneration | to reward or pay |
| repudiate | to refuse |
| salient | most important |
| salubrious | promoting good health |
| sanguine | cheerful |
| sardonic | scornful |
| sedulous | persevering |
| senescent | old |
| sequacious | sequential |
| serendipity | wonderful things (happening suddenly) |
| sipid | having a pleasant taste |
| skulduggery | sneaky or crafty |
| sniffish | snobbish |
| sobriquet | a nickname |
| sonorous | sounding deep or rich |
| soporific | inducing sleep |
| spelunk | to explore caves |
| spiniferous | spiny |
| spoonerism | switching the first letters |
| spurious | counterfeit |
| squib | a short witty composition or saying |
| stalwart | dependably courageous |
| stolid | showing no emotion |
| subjacent | lying directly under |
| subterfuge | misrepresentation |
| sultry | hot and humid |
| supercilious | haughty and contemptuous |
| surfeit | a surplus |
| sybarite | someone living luxuriously |
| sylph | a slender, graceful woman |
| synergy | cooperative interaction |
| taciturn | choosing silence |
| tendentious | having certain tendencies |
| trilemma | a dilemma (with 3 solutions) |
| ubiquitous | to appear everywhere |
| urbane | sophisticated, worldly |
| usury | an illegal lender |
| veracity | truth |
| vituperative | violently abusive |
| wanton | out of the blue |
| whiffle | to go back and forth |
| xanadu | a utopia |
| xenophobia | fear of foreigners |
| yahoo | a slob |
| zaftig | pleasantly plump |
| zealous | eager, enthusiastic |
| zephyr | a gentle breeze |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace