| Term | Definition |
|---|
| encroach | ti infringe; to intrude; to trespass |
| odyssey | a long, adventurous journey |
| integral | necessary to complete something; essential |
| invulnerable | shielded against attack |
| salient | leaping, jumping, or springing forth |
| decrepit | worn-out with use; broken-down |
| covert | hidden, disguised, purposefully kept secret |
| congenial | suited to one's needs or testes; agreeable |
| vain | not producing the desired outcome; worthless; proud or conceited |
| enunciate | to pronounce clearly |
| hyperbole | grossly exaggerated speech |
| execute | to carry out; to perform |
| flagrant | clearly wrong |
| paltry | inferior, trashy |
| insidious | sly, treacherous |
| prodigious | causing amazement or wonder |
| pertinent | relating to the matter at hand; relevent |
| delineate | to represent pictorially |
| solace | comfort or relief in sorrow or distress; consolation |
| pomp | a showy or dignified display |
| scrutiny | a close examination; minute inspection; a careful watch |
| innate | built-in |
| singe | to burn superficially; to scorch |
| pillage | plunder |
| lackadaisical | showing little spirit or enthusiasm |
| behemoth | a creature of enormous size,power,or appearance |
| flourish | to blossom; to grow vigorously; prosper |
| curator | a person in charge of an exhibition; an overseer of a museum or library collection |
| bard | a poet |
| inalienable | not able to be taken or given away |
| cliché | an overused expression |
| hypothetical | based on assumptiion or hypothesis; supposed |
| ire | anger |
| allure | the power to attract, charm |
| tamper | to interfere, esp. in order to damage or weaken |
| omnivorous | eating every kind of food |
| cautionary | offering or serving as a warning |
| reprehensible | shameful; very bad |
| feint | a pretense |
| abject | base, contemptible |
| ensconce | to settle or palce securely or snugly |
| flout | to ignore in a disrespectful or scornful way |
| salvage | to save from fire or shipwreck |
| conflate | to bring together; to merge into a composite whole |
| fallacious | false |
| chary | reserved, diffident |
| aegis | protection; sponsorship |
| stanza | section of poem |
| opaque | not clear or lucid |
| resolution | determination |
| wax | to become larger |
| superficial | concerned with or understanding only what is on the surface, shallow |
| impious | wicked; profane |
| demeanor | facial appearance,mien |
| epicurean | a person with discriminating taste |
| decorum | dignified, correct behavior |
| conversant | having knowledge or experience; well-informed |
| profane | unholy |
| stoic | known for fortitude; indifferent to pleasure or pain |
| unwitting | not deliberate, unconscious |
| potent | highly effective |
| dichotomy | a division into two parts |
| suppliant | one who makes a request humbly and earnestly |
| foment | to stir up negative feelings, esp. those that lead to violent action |
| antipathy | a strong dislike, hostile feeling |
| panacea | remedy for all ills |
| scrutinize | to examine carefully |
| slipshod | careless, sloppy |
| rectify | to make right, correct |
| gratuitous | unwarranted |
| inadvertent | not intentional |
| digress | to wander off the subject |
| predispose | to incline to beforehand |
| diurnal | active in daytime |
| conundrum | a puzzle |
| jubilant | ecstatic; delighted; rejoicing |
| erratic | inconsistent, unpredictable |
| indifferent | neutral; or not outstanding |
| annihilate | to destroy completely |
| culinary | of or related to cooking or the kitchen |
| stagnant | inactive, sluggish, dull |
| insensate | brutal; lacking feeling |
| incendiary | designed to start fires |
| modify | in grammar, to limit or restrict in meaning |
| hoary | old |
| abrasive | grinding or wearing down |
| millennium | a period of one thousand years |
| opulent | wealthy, rich, magnificent |
| apex | the highest point of something |
| infamous | disgraceful; vicious |
| dilatory | tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt |
| premeditated | considered beforehand, deliberately planned |
| manifest | plain to see; evident |
| exceptionable | very bad |
| dissension | disagreement, sharp difference of opinion |
| quaint | odd, esp. in an old-fashioned way |
| lavish | on a grand scale; wasteful |
| plumb | to understand by examining closely; to solve |
| stigma | a sign of disgrace; a mark that lowers a reputation |
| omniscient | all-knowing |
| candor | frankness; openness |
| generation | one step in the line of descent of a family |
| transcribe | to copy |
| indubitable | certain, not to be doubted or denied |
| browbeat | to intimidate by a stern or overbearing manner; to bully; to coerce |
| legend | key to map; myth or story |
| revel | to delight, to enjoy |
| asylum | place of refuge or safety |
| eminent | standing above others in worth, rank, or fame |
| incipient | in the first stage |
| engulf | to swallow up; overwhelm |
| suppliant | asking humbly and earnestly |
| abjure | to avoid, shun |
| raucous | rough and unpleasant to the ear |
| pendulous | hanging loosely or swinging freely |
| delineation | demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining |
| incontrovertible | unquestionable, beyond dispute |
| paucity | an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth |
| insurgent | a rebel |
| artifice | a clever skill |
| conversant | having knowledge or experience; well-informed |
| embezzle | to take money for one's own use, in violation of a trust |
| meander | to wander from side to side |
| reprobate | a depraved, vicious, or unprincipled person, scoundrel |
| delete | to erase, wipe out, cut short |
| cantankerous | bad-tempered; quarrelsome |
| sadistic | getting pleasure from inflicting physical or psychological pain |
| gainsay | to dispute, oppose |
| altercation | a loud and determined dispute; a noisy quarrel |
| sensuous | appealing to the senses |
| egregious | outstandingly and obviously bad |
| concise | expressing much in a few words |
| urbane | refined in manner or style, suave |
| panegyric | formal or elaborate praise |
| unfetter | to set free |
| tether | to restrict or bind with a rope |
| acquiesce | to accept as inevitable; to comply passively |
| exemplify | to serve as a good example |
| curtail | to cut short |
| hiatus | interruption; pause |
| regalia | the symbols, objects, or special costumes worn by by or associated with a group |
| rambunctious | behaving in a wild and unruly manner |
| mentor | a counselor or teacher |
| slapdash | careless and hasty |
| stereotype | fixed image |
| grouse | a complaint |
| sobriquet | a nickname |
| irascible | easily angered |
| ardent | intensely eager; passionate |
| etymology | the study of word origins |
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