| Term | Definition |
|---|
| compendium | a brief treatment or account of a subject, esp. an extensive subject; concise treatise: a compendium of medicine. synonyms: survey, digest, conspectus. |
| ancillary | serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. |
| countenance | consent to, give permission |
| espouse | take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own |
| mainstay | a central cohesive source of support and stability |
| stalwart | a person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt) |
| bilious | irritable as if suffering from indigestion |
| dudgeon | a feeling of intense indignation (now used only in the phrase 'in high dudgeon') |
| irascible | quickly aroused to anger |
| pettish | easily irritated or annoyed |
| petulant | peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset |
| pique | cause to feel resentment or indignation |
| querulous | complaining, whining, showing discontent |
| umbrage | offense, resentment |
| neophyte | a new convert being taught the principles of Christianity by a catechist |
| novitiate | someone who has entered a religious order but has not taken final vows |
| proselyte | a convert; a disciple |
| tyro | someone new to a field or activity |
| callow | lacking experience of life |
| engender | cause; produce; give rise to |
| inchoate | not fully formed; disorganized |
| incipient | only partly in existence |
| nascent | beginning to exist or develop |
| acidulous | tasting sour like acid (also, biting wit or temperament) |
| asperity | harshness of manner |
| mordacious | biting wit or a temperament capable of wounding |
| mordant | harshly ironic or sinister; black humor |
| trenchant | characterized by or full of force and vigor |
| fatuous | stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way |
| hackneyed | overused, cliched |
| insipid | lacking interest or significance; jejune |
| platitude | a trite or obvious remark |
| quotidian | occurring daily; commonplace |
| carousal | noisy revelry or merrymaking |
| bacchanalian | wild and drunken |
| dissipated | preoccupied with the pursuit of pleasure and especially games of chance |
| libertine | a free thinker, usually used disparagingly; one without moral restraint |
| licentious | lacking moral discipline |
| reprobate | to express great disapproval; a person without moral scruples |
| salacious | suggestive of or tending to moral looseness |
| turpitude | depravity, moral corruption |
| probity | uprightness; honesty; incorruptibility |
| fealty | obligated loyalty or faithfulness |
| canard | a deliberately misleading fabrication; a lie |
| dissemble | make believe with the intent to deceive |
| ersatz | fake |
| mendacious | intentionally untrue |
| perfidy | treachery |
| prevaricate | to equivocate; be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information |
| spurious | specious; plausible but false |
| factitious | artificial; not authentic or genuine. |
| paradigm | the generally accepted perspective of a particular discipline at a given time; intellectual framework |
| precursor | an indication of the approach of something or someone |
| quintessence | the most typical example or representative of a type |
| aspersion | an abusive attack on a person's character or good name; calumny |
| calumny | an abusive attack on a person's character or good name; aspersion |
| excoriate | express strong disapproval of |
| gainsay | to deny |
| harangue | a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion |
| impugn | attack as false or wrong |
| inveigh | speak against in an impassioned manner |
| objurgate | censure severely |
| obloquy | a malicious attack |
| pillory | criticize harshly or violently |
| remonstrate | oppose; argue in protest |
| reprove | to find fault with, scold, rebuke |
| vituperative | harshly abusive |
| dolorous | sorrowful |
| elegy | a sorrowful poem or speech |
| knell | the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death or a funeral or the end of something |
| moribund | close to death; dying, on the way out |
| obsequious | attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery |
| sepulchral | gruesomely indicative of death or the dead |
| wraith | apparition, ghost |
| abnegate | deny oneself (something); abstain |
| temperate | not extreme in behavior |
| hegemonic | dictatorial |
| imperious | overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling |
| peremptory | not allowing contradiction or refusal |
| obsequies | funeral ceremonies |
| abstruse | difficult to understand; recondite; arcane |
| arcane | known or understood by only a few; esoteric |
| recondite | exceeding ordinary knowledge and understanding |
| turbid | unclear |
| fetid | offensively malodorous, rotting |
| invidious | offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment |
| odious | evoking intense aversion or dislike |
| putrid | in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor |
| rebarbative | repelling; irritating |
| limpid | (of language) transparently clear |
| pellucid | (of language) transparently clear |
| aberrant | one whose behavior departs substantially from the norm of a group |
| abash | cause to be embarrassed |
| compunction | remorse, regret |
| contrition | sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation |
| diffidence | lack of self-confidence |
| expiate | to atone for |
| gaucherie | a socially awkward or tactless act |
| equity | fairness |
| tantamount | equivalent |
| conjugal | pertaining to marriage |
| consanguine | related by blood |
| distaff | characteristic of or peculiar to a woman |
| endogamous | pertaining to or characterized by the custom of marrying only within the limits of a clan or tribe |
| progenitor | ancestor |
| scion | a descendant or heir |
| doctrinaire | rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic |
| tendentious | having or showing a definite tendency, bias, or purpose |
| palliate | to mitigate; to make less serious; ease |
| redress | act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil |
| chortle | a soft partly suppressed laugh |
| droll | amusing in an odd way |
| flippant | treating serious matters lightly |
| gibe | laugh at with contempt and derision |
| raillery | good-humored ridicule or teasing |
| riposte | swift retort |
| simper | to smile or speak in a silly, forced way |
| abatement | decrease, reduction |
| fissure | a long narrow depression in a surface |
| interregnum | time between rulers |
| interstice | narrow space between things |
| rift | a split, break, breach |
| clement | merciful; lenient |
| largess | generosity; liberality in bestowing gifts |
| unstinting | very generous |
| penurious | penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous |
| rapacious | excessively greedy and grasping |
| venal | capable of being corrupted |
| asperity | harshness |
| baleful | threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments; baneful |
| dour | showing a brooding ill humor |
| fell | cruel; deadly |
| sardonic | grimly or scornfully mocking, bitterly sarcastic |
| truculent | disobedient; defiantly aggressive |
| baneful | deadly or sinister; baleful |
| inimical | hostile; unfriendly |
| insidious | beguiling but harmful |
| minatory | threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments |
| perfidious | willing to betray one's trust |
| pernicious | exceedingly harmful |
| assonance | repetition of vowel sounds |
| dissonant | lacking in harmony |
| raucous | unpleasantly loud and harsh |
| enmity | absolute hatred |
| odium | hate coupled with disgust |
| salubrious | promoting health |
| salutary | beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome |
| dither | act nervously |
| oscillate | be undecided about something |
| churlish | rude and boorish |
| ingenuous | innocent, simple; frank, sincere |
| fulsome | unctuous; unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech |
| ostensible | appearing as such but not necessarily so |
| unctuous | exaggeratedly or insincerely polite; smarmy; oily |
| assay | an assessment; an appraisal of the state of affairs |
| descry | to discriminate or discern |
| indolent | disinclined to work or exertion |
| inert | slow and apathetic |
| lassitude | lack of interest or energy |
| phlegmatic | showing little emotion, slow-moving, sluggish |
| quiescent | dormant; being quiet or still or inactive |
| adventitious | accidental |
| auspicious | favorable; fortunate |
| cavil | make frivolous objections |
| portentious | ominous |
| propitious | presenting favorable circumstances |
| propitiate | to conciliate; to appease |
| talisman | a trinket or piece of jewelry thought to be a protection against evil |
| belabor | attack verbally with harsh criticism |
| enjoin | give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority |
| exhort | to urge strongly, advise earnestly |
| hector | be bossy towards |
| martinet | a strict disciplinarian |
| askance | (used especially of glances) directed to one side with or as if with doubt or suspicion or envy |
| carom | rebound after hitting |
| oblique | slanting, indirect, evasive, devious, misleading |
| sidle | move sideways |
| sinuous | winding, having many curves; lithe and flexible |
| vortex | a powerful circular current of water (usually the resulting of conflicting tides) |
| bombastic | ostentatiously lofty in style |
| garrulous | talkative, rambling |
| grandiloquent | puffed up with vanity |
| periphrastic | roundabout and unnecessarily wordy |
| prolix | tediously wordy |
| turgid | swollen, bloated, filled to excess; overdecorated or excessive in language |
| ameliorate | to make better or more tolerable |
| assuage | to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench |
| mollify | make less rigid or softer |
| codify | to organize something (such as laws or rules) into a system |
| sonorous | producing a deep or full sound |
| acute | sharp |
| abortive | unsuccessful, often pertaining to projects or missions |
| cozen | cheat or trick |
| scruple | uneasiness about the fitness of an action |
| latticework | framework consisting of an ornamental design made of strips of wood or metal |
| habituate | make psychologically or physically used (to something) |
| intractable | stubborn, difficult to manage |
| obviate | to anticipate and prevent |
| quandary | state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options |
| vehemence | intensity or forcefulness of expression |
| adumbrate | summarize; to give the main points of |
| bauble | cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing |
| inexorable | not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course |
| suborn | incite to commit a crime or an evil deed |
| prehensile | capable of grasping or holding (esp. by wrapping around); ex. prehensile tails |
| madrigal | pastoral song; song for several singers without instruments |
| emolument | salary; payment for an office; compensation |
| importunate | urging; always demanding; troublesomely urgent or persistent |
| diorama | life-size; 3d scene from nature or history |
| redolent | odorous; fragrant; suggestive (of an odor); ex. redolent of onions/mystery |
| ballast | heavy substance used to add stability or weight |
| sere | dry and withered |
| mountebank | charlatan; boastful pretender |
| arroyo | gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater |
| secrete | hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism |
| astringent | having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe |
| epigram | a witty saying |
| poultice | a warm bandage |
| hew | to chop down or cut with blows from an ax |
| plane | a carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing or shaping wood |
| stint | an individual's prescribed share of work |
| indite | produce a literary work |
| viand | food to support life |
| labile | likely to change; unstable |
| rarefy | lessen the density or solidity of |
| meretricious | gaudy; falsely attractive |
| prate | idle or foolish and irrelevant talk |
| rococo | fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th century |
| codicil | a supplement to a will |
| opprobrium | a state of extreme dishonor |
| depredation | an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding |
| plebiscite | a vote by the electorate determining public opinion on a question of national importance |
| perspicuity | clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity |
| motility | ability to move spontaneously and independently |
| larder | a small storeroom for storing foods or wines |
| splice | join by interweaving strands; splice together (film, etc.) |
| cornice | a molding at the corner between the ceiling and the top of a wall |
| caulk | to make watertight |
| legato | played smoothly, with no separation between notes |
| pinion | restrain or immobilize by binding the wings or legs; bird's wing |
| tumid | (of a part of the body) swollen; distended; bombastic; pompous |
| raconteur | witty, skillful storyteller |
| pith | the essential or central part |
| rostrum | raised platform for speech-making; pulpit |
| dross | waste matter; worthless impurities |
| prurient | given to lustful or lewd thoughts |
| fiat | an official order |
| perdition | damnation; ruin; hell |
| appurtenances | subordinate possessions; something added to a more important thing |
| wastrel | someone who dissipates resources self-indulgently |
| whorl | ring of leaves around stem; ring |
| sylvan | relating to or characteristic of wooded regions |
| wangle | achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods |
| junket | trip especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense |
| superannuated | discharged as too old for use or work |
| pusillanimous | cowardly |
| repine | fret; complain |
| determinate | a final or conclusive settlement |
| recapitulate | summarize; adumbrate |
| gull | trick; deceive; hoodwink; person who is easily tricked; dupe |
| sententious | pithy; terse; abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing |
| consonant | harmonious; in agreement |
| roil | make liquids murky by stirring up sediment; disturb |
| unguent | ointment |
| presentiment | a vague sense of approaching misfortune |
| potentate | monarch or ruler with great power |
| adjuration | solemn urging |
| mote | small speck |
| peripatetic | a person who walks from place to place |
| parsimonious | stingy |
| pertinacious | intransigent; stubbornly unyielding |
| vouchsafe | promise or agree condescendingly, as a special favor |
| gamely | spiritedly, bravely |
| seine | net for catching fish |
| effulgent | brilliantly shining |
| protean | taking on different forms; versatile |
| patois | local or provincial dialect |
| epaulet | adornment consisting of an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder |
| stultify | to make ineffective or useless, cripple; to have a dulling effect on; suppress or hinder |
| capacious | spacious |
| collation | a light informal meal |
| disport | to entertain oneself by sport or play |
| timbre | (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound) |
| concordat | a formal agreement, especially one between the pope and a government, dealing with the control of Church affairs |
| demotic | of or for the common people |
| welter | a confused multitude of things |
| rampart | defensive mound of earth |
| syllogism | deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises |
| lout | clumsy person |
| devolve | deputize; pass or be passed to others (power, work, or property); ex. devolve on/upon/to |
| remiss | negligent or careless about a duty |
| scurrilous | coarsely abusive; vulgar |
| litany | a prayer consisting of a series of invocations by the priest with responses from the congregation |
| volley | a simultaneous discharge of a number of shots |
| decollete | (of a garment) having a low-cut neckline |
| pastiche | a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work |
| retinue | the group following and attending to some important person |
| condign | adequate; (of punishment) severe and well deserved |
| traduce | speak unfavorably about |
| roue | a rake; a man devoted to a life of sensual pleasure. |
| hermetic | tightly sealed; magical |
| temerity | rashness, boldness |
| comport | behave well or properly |
| die | metal block used for shaping metal or plastic; device for stamping or impressing; mold |
| benison | a spoken blessing |
| piquant | stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative |
| slag | glassy residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter |
| presage | a sign of something about to happen |
| rake | a dissolute man in fashionable society |
| aphasia | loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| temporize | draw out a discussion or process in order to gain time |
| physiognomy | facial character or features |
| tonsure | shaving the crown of the head by priests or members of a monastic order |
| impertinent | improperly forward or bold |
| dormer | window projecting from roof |
| overweening | conceited, arrogant |
| cant | insincere talk about religion or morals |
| efface | erase or rub out |
| ramify | divide into two or more branches so as to form a fork |
| sinecure | a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work |
| contumacious | truculent; disobedient; willfully obstinate |
| filigree | delicate and intricate ornamentation (usually in gold or silver or other fine twisted wire) |
| thrall | the state of being under the control of another person |
| cognate | having a common origin |
| legerdemain | trickery; deception; sleight of hand |
| grotto | a small cave (usually with attractive features) |
| disquisition | an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion |
| inamorata | a female lover |
| pall | to lose in interest, attraction, or effectiveness; to become tiresome; a dark covering, something that conceals |
| rebus | puzzle in which pictures stand for words |
| culvert | artificial channel for water |
| diaphanous | semi-transparent |
| panegyric | a formal expression of praise |
| encomium | a formal expression of praise |
| awl | a pointed tool for marking surfaces or for punching small holes |
| prefatory | serving as an introduction or preface |
| ascendancy | controlling influence or power |
| inured | accustomed; hardened |
| dowse | use a divining rod to search for water or metal |
| ventral | abdominal |
| abstemious | sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; abnegate |
| fiat | arbitrary order |
| sidereal | of or relating to the stars or constellations |
| concomitant | that which accompanies |
| defalcate | embezzle |
| abeyance | temporary cessation or suspension; respite |
| abjure | to renounce, repudiate under oath; to avoid, shun |
| abraded | rubbed off, worn away by friction |
| abrogate | revoke formally or abolish; (abrogate a law) |
| abut | border upon; adjoin |
| acarpous | fallow; barren; no longer bearing fruit, worn out |
| pericarp | the thickened wall of a fruit, used to be the ovary. |
| accretion | accumulation; something contributing to growth or increase |
| agog | highly excited |
| alloy | lower in value by increasing the base-metal content |
| amortize | to settle a debt by means of installment payments |
| aplomb | self-confidence |
| apotheosis | the elevation of a person (as to the status of a god) |
| apprise | make aware of; increase in value |
| approbation | official recognition or approval |
| argot | slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people |
| arrant | shameless, blatant |
| assiduous | hard-working, diligent |
| sedulous | marked by care and persistent effort |
| augury | an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come |
| avow | admit openly and bluntly |
| balk | something immaterial that interferes with or delays action or progress |
| bedizen | dress up garishly and tastelessly |
| bequest | something left to someone in a will |
| blandishment | the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery |
| brook | put up with something or somebody unpleasant |
| burnish | polish and make shiny |
| cabal | a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue |
| cadge | to beg, to get by begging |
| caliper | an instrument for measuring the distance between two points; metal supports attached to the legs |
| chary | wary; cautious; sparing |
| cloture | a rule for limiting or ending debate in a deliberative body |
| coda | the closing section of a musical composition |
| cogitate | consider carefully and deeply |
| commodious | roomy, spacious |
| consequential | pompous, self-important |
| consternation | fear resulting from the awareness of danger |
| constrain | to force, compel; to restrain, hold back |
| contemn | look down on with disdain |
| convoke | call together |
| countervail | oppose and mitigate the effects of by contrary actions |
| crass | (of persons) so unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility |
| cravat | piece of linen worn as a necktie |
| craven | an abject coward |
| delineate | to portray |
| demagogue | rabble-rousing leader who appeals to people's prejudices |
| desiccant | substance used to absorb moisture |
| desuetude | a state of inactivity or disuse |
| discomfit | cause to lose one's composure |
| disparate | fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind |
| divestiture | to strip or deprive of property or rights; the sale or liquidation of an asset |
| doggerel | trivial, poorly constructed verse |
| drone | stinger-less male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen |
| dynamo | generator; forceful, energetic person |
| edacious | devouring or craving food in great quantities |
| eddy | flow in a circular current, of liquids |
| effete | having lost one's original power; barren; worn out; exhausted |
| effluvia | outpouring of gases or vapors |
| effrontery | shameless boldness, impudence |
| egress | to exit |
| ensign | colors flown by a ship to show its nationality |
| entreat | ask earnestly |
| enzyme | protein that acts as a biological catalyst |
| epicurean | a person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment (especially good food and drink) |
| epistle | a long, formal letter |
| epithet | a defamatory or abusive word or phrase |
| equable | tranquil; of even calm temper; (of temperature) steady; uniform |
| equanimity | steadiness of mind under stress |
| equipoise | balance |
| eschew | avoid and stay away from deliberately |
| evince | to prove |
| exigency | a pressing or urgent situation |
| expatiate | to expand on, write or talk at length or in detail; to move about freely |
| expostulate | reason with (somebody) for the purpose of dissuasion |
| expurgate | edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate |
| bowdlerize | censor prudishly |
| exscind | excise; to cut out, cut away |
| extant | still in existence |
| extempore | with little or no preparation or forethought |
| extirpate | to tear up by the roots; to destroy totally |
| inextricable | incapable of being solved or untangled |
| facile | performing adroitly and without effort |
| feckless | generally incompetent and ineffectual |
| fecund | fertile; productive |
| finical | too fussy about food, clothing, etc. |
| fledged | able to fly, trained, experienced |
| florid | elaborately or excessively ornamented |
| ford | the act of crossing a stream or river by wading or in a car or on a horse |
| forestall | keep from happening or arising |
| forswear | disavow, to repudiate, renounce, disclaim, reject |
| froward | wayward, intractable, not willing to yield or comply, stubbornly disobedient |
| garner | acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions |
| germane | relevant |
| glib | marked by lack of intellectual depth; artfully persuasive in speech; having only superficial plausibility |
| gourmand | a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess |
| hallow | render holy by means of religious rites |
| hirsute | having or covered with hair |
| hoi | general masses, rabble |
| idyll | a poem or prose work depicting rural or pastoral life; a carefree episode or experience |
| ignoble | completely lacking nobility in character or quality or purpose |
| ignominious | shameful |
| imbroglio | difficult or embarrassing situation |
| impervious | incapable of being penetrated or affected |
| importune | beg persistently and urgently |
| impute | ascribe to; attribute or credit to |
| inculcate | teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions |
| ineluctable | inevitable |
| inimitable | not capable of being copied or imitated |
| insensible | unresponsive to stimulation |
| insouciant | marked by blithe unconcern; carefree |
| insurrection | organized opposition to authority |
| interdict | command against |
| invective | pillory; abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will |
| inveterate | firmly established, long-standing; habitual |
| involute | convoluted; intricate; curled or curved inward or spirally |
| itinerate | travel from place to place, as for work |
| peregrinate | to wander from place to place; to travel, especially on foot |
| lachrymose | showing sorrow |
| limn | make a portrait of |
| lope | a slow pace of running |
| lucubrate | write in scholarly fashion |
| luculent | limpid; pellucid; (of language) transparently clear |
| lugubrious | excessively mournful |
| machination | a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends |
| malapropism | ludicrous misuse of a word |
| mellifluous | pleasing to the ear |
| mendicant | a pauper who lives by begging |
| middling | of no exceptional quality or ability; mediocre |
| mite | a slight but appreciable addition |
| multifarious | having many aspects |
| nadir | lowest point |
| nexus | point of connection |
| nonplussed | perplexed; at a loss |
| nostrum | questionable medicine |
| nugatory | of no real value |
| obdurate | intransigent; hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion |
| obtuse | misguided; lacking in insight or discernment |
| officious | meddlesome |
| onerous | troubling; burdensome |
| ossify | to change into bone; to become hardened or set in a rigidly conventional pattern |
| paean | a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving |
| palatial | relating to a palace; magnificent |
| parenthesis | a statement placed beside (or within) the main sentence |
| parley | a negotiation between enemies |
| pedantic | intellectual snob; showing off learning; bookish |
| penury | a state of extreme poverty or destitution |
| perspicacity | prudence; the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions |
| picaresque | involving clever rogues or adventurers especially as in a type of fiction |
| pied | having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly |
| plaintive | lugubrious; dolorous; expressing sorrow |
| ponderous | labored and dull |
| precept | rule of personal conduct |
| predilection | proclivity; a predisposition in favor of something |
| preponderance | a superiority in numbers or amount |
| preternatural | beyond what is natural |
| proscribe | to condemn, outlaw |
| provident | providing carefully for the future |
| provisional | under terms not final or fully worked out or agreed upon |
| puissance | power; might |
| punctilious | very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety |
| purvey | supply with provisions |
| parlay | to exploit successfully; use to one's advantage |
| quaff | to swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one draught |
| quail | draw back, as with fear or pain |
| quibble | evade the truth of a point or question by raising irrelevant objections |
| quixotic | very idealistic; impractical; caught up in romantic notions |
| raffish | cheaply vulgar in appearance or nature; tawdry |
| rebuff | to snub or to reject bluntly |
| recidivism | habitual relapse into crime |
| recreancy | cowardice, treason, or disloyalty |
| redoubtable | inspiring awe, fear, and respects |
| refractory | stubbornly resistant to authority or control |
| refulgent | shining, radiant, resplendent |
| regale | to feast, entertain agreeably |
| repast | a meal |
| repudiate | reject as untrue, unfounded, or unjust |
| restive | impatient, especially under restriction or delay |
| reticent | reluctant to draw attention to yourself |
| sagacious | insightful and wise |
| sanctimony | self-righteousness, pretended piety |
| scurvy | of the most contemptible kind |
| seminal | original and inspiring further similar efforts |
| shunt | divert, turn aside, sidetrack |
| somatic | pertaining to the body; bodily; physical |
| splenetic | very irritable |
| stanch | stop the flow of a liquid |
| stentorian | extremely loud and powerful |
| striated | striped, grooved |
| strut | supporting bar |
| stygian | dark, gloomy, hellish |
| subsume | include (as a member of a group); encompass |
| succor | assistance in time of difficulty |
| summarily | performed speedily and without formality |
| supercilious | arrogant superiority and disdain of those one views as unworthy |
| superfluous | more than is needed, desired, or required |
| supersede | replace |
| sumptuous | extravagantly splendid or costly; luxurious |
| suppliant | one who asks humbly and earnestly (often with religious connotation) |
| surfeit | an excess or overindulgence, as in eating or drinking, causing disgust; to feed or supply with anything to excess |
| tangential | merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant |
| tautology | redundancy |
| timorous | timid; easily frightened |
| toady | obsequious flatterer |
| torque | a twisting force |
| tortuous | complicated or intricate; indirect |
| transient | enduring a very short time |
| travesty | an absurd or inferior imitation |
| untoward | not going your way; unfavorable or unfortunate |
| upbraid | express criticism towards |
| vagary | unpredictable action or behavior |
| variegate | change the appearance of, especially by marking with different colors |
| verdant | green with vegetation |
| veritable | actual, true, real |
| verve | enthusiasm; vivacity |
| vestige | a trace of something that once was present |
| virago | termagant; a large, strong and aggressive woman |
| vitiate | to render ineffective |
| volubility | fluency, verbosity, facile use of spoken language |
| wag | a witty, amusing person who makes jokes |
| wend | to travel or move through; to go on one's way |
| mawkish | sickeningly sentimental |
| perquisite | an extra benefit or remuneration |
| obfuscate | make obscure or unclear |
| sphinx | a mysterious person |
| mutable | capable of or tending to change in form or quality or nature |
| intransigent | not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course |
| artless | without guile; open and honest |
| aquiline | curved down like an eagle's beak |
| concatenate | to splice; add by linking or joining so as to form a chain or series |
| animadversion | harsh criticism or disapproval |
| comestible | suitable for use as food |
| annuity | an annual allowance, payment, or income |
| conductive | leading, contributing, promoting, helpful |
| choleric | quickly aroused to anger |
| actuate | put in motion or move to act |
| cavalcade | procession (esp. of vehicles or people on horseback); parade |
| circumspect | careful, cautious |
| cerebration | the process of thinking (especially thinking carefully) |
| calorific | heat-generating |
| continence | self-control, self-restraint |
| cloying | sickly sweet; excessive |
| cantata | a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text |
| apogee | highest point; highest or farthest point (in an orbit); climax |
| antecede | precede |
| clime | region; climate |
| advert | refer to |
| conveyance | the act of transporting something from one location to another |
| arraign | to bring before a court to answer a legal charge |
| carte blanche | complete freedom or authority to act |
| airy | not practical or realizable; lofty |
| connivance | conspiracy; pretend ignorance of another's wrongdoing; |
| arable | fit for plowing, tillable |
| caprice | whim |
| comely | very pleasing to the eye |
| circumscribe | limit; confine; draw a line around |
| actuarial | calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics |
| bedraggle | make wet and dirty, as from rain |
| affected | speaking or behaving in an artificial way to make an impression |
| burlesque | a composition that imitates somebody's style in a humorous or ludicrous way |
| brocade | fabric with a raised pattern |
| atavism | reappearance in a person of a characteristic or quality that has not been seen in his family for many generations |
| cede | hand over |
| anodyne | a medicine used to relieve pain |
| adduce | to provide evidence |
| badinage | frivolous banter |
| complement | something added to complete or make perfect |
| alluvial | pertaining to soil deposits left by running water |
| canto | a major division of a long poem |
| certitude | total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant |
| bulwark | a protective structure of stone or concrete |
| cohere | cause to form a united, orderly, and aethestically consistent whole |
| circumlocution | an indirect expression; use of wordy or evasive language |
| accede | to agree |
| chiropodist | one who treats ailments of the human foot |
| apothegm | epigram; a short, witty, and instructive saying. |
| accoutre | to equip |
| buffet | strike against forcefully |
| cipher | a person of no influence |
| belie | be in contradiction with |
| antediluvian | so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period; ancient |
| aegis | a shield; protection; sponsorship |
| animus | hostile feeling or intent |
| amity | friendship |
| cognomen | family name |
| bumptious | arrogant; pushy |
| cession | yielding to another; ceding |
| burgeon | grow and flourish |
| chase | ornament a metal surface by indenting |
| contravene | to contradict, oppose, violate |
| bandy | discuss lightly |
| cloven | split |
| abscission | the act of cutting something off |
| conflagration | a very intense and uncontrolled fire |
| captious | fault-finding; carping |
| clarion | clear, shrill, trumpet-like sound; kind of trumpet used in former times |
| contrived | forced; artificial; not spontaneous |
| beleaguer | besiege |
| acumen | mental keenness |
| beset | to harass; to surround |
| chimerical | produced by a wildly fanciful imagination |
| avocation | secondary or minor occupation |
| confluence | flowing together; crowd; gathering together |
| celerity | speed; rapidity |
| advent | arrival that has been awaited (especially of something momentous) |
| arcade | a structure composed of a series of arches supported by columns |
| bestial | resembling a beast |
| convenant | enter into a formal agreement; promise |
| apoplexy | stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain |
| centripetal | tending to move toward a center |
| carping | finding fault; captious |
| cataclysm | an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; upheaval |
| appellation | name; title |
| affray | public brawl |
| agglomeration | the act of collecting in a mass |
| bromide | commonplace remark intended to calm; platitude |
| biennial | occurring every second year |
| chattel | personal property |
| betoken | be a signal for or a symptom of |
| connubial | of or relating to marriage or to the relationship between a wife and husband |
| alimentary | of or providing nourishment |
| colloquy | formal conversation |
| bugaboo | an imaginary monster used to frighten children |
| acetic | vinegary |
| axiom | self-evident truth requiring no proof |
| conceit | an extended metaphor |
| azure | sky blue |
| consign | give over to another for care or safekeeping |
| acme | the highest point (of something) |
| avuncular | like an uncle in kindness or indulgence |
| baroque | highly ornate |
| matrix | mold used in the production of phonograph records, type, or other relief surface |
| exact | enact an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs |
| lexicographer | a compiler or writer of a dictionary |
| maculated | spotted; stained |
| ebb | fall away or decline |
| emend | to correct |
| hummock | small hill; hillock |
| illusory | illusive; deceptive; not real |
| crone | hag; ugly old woman |
| disabuse | to undeceive; to set right |
| decorous | proper; marked by good taste |
| galvanize | to stimulate to action |
| dastard | a malicious coward |
| gastronomy | the art and practice of choosing and preparing and eating good food |
| distrait | having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety; absent-minded |
| fuddle | make stupid or confused as with alcoholic drink |
| exchequer | the funds of a government or institution or individual |
| germinate | cause to grow or sprout |
| freebooter | pirate or plunderer who makes war in order to grow rich |
| distill | remove impurities from or increase the concentration of a substance |
| levee | earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding |
| earthy | unrefined; coarse |
| furrow | a long shallow trench in the ground (especially one made by a plow); wrinkle or crease |
| gradation | the act of arranging in grades |
| dogged | stubbornly unyielding |
| mauve | pale purple |
| enclave | territory enclosed within an alien land |
| insuperable | Incapable of being overcome or defeated |
| gall | irritate or vex |
| despoil | destroy and strip of its possessions; plunder |
| inviolable | not capable of being violated or infringed upon |
| entail | impose, involve, or imply as a necessary accompaniment or result |
| dialectical | relating to art of debate or discussion |
| magniloquent | boastful; pompous |
| coquette | flirt |
| disaffected | rebellious, resentful of authority; disloyal |
| ductile | easily influenced; capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out |
| execrate | curse; express abhorrence for; detest |
| flux | in constant change |
| gustatory | relating to the sense of taste |
| declivity | a downward slope or bend |
| denotation | the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression |
| edifice | a large, elaborate structure; an imposing building |
| inductive | reasoning that begins with specific ideas that lead to a general idea |
| foray | an initial attempt (especially outside your usual areas of competence); a quick raid or attack |
| corpus | a body or collection of writings |
| expansive | friendly and open and willing to talk |
| filch | to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts |
| flail | thresh grain by hand; strike or slap |
| impasse | a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible |
| litotes | understatement for emphasis |
| modulate | tone down in intensity; regulate; change from one tone to another |
| defray | to pay for |
| dais | raised platform for guests of honor |
| gambit | a maneuver in a game or conversation |
| misogamy | hatred of marriage |
| gambol | to dance or skip around playfully |
| flotsam | the floating wreckage of a ship |
| ensconce | to settle comfortably and firmly in position; to put or hide in a safe place |
| florescence | condition or period of flowering |
| entree | the act of entering |
| dilatory | tending to delay or to postpone |
| list | tilt to one side; heel |
| duenna | governess; female chaperon |
| finery | beautiful clothing and jewelery worn on a special occasion |
| descant | discussion; melody |
| delineate | to describe; to depict |
| fresco | a mural done with watercolors on wet plaster |
| guffaw | boisterous laughter |
| dotage | feebleness of mind due to old age |
| mincing | affectedly dainty or refined |
| jingoism | fanatical and belligerent patriotism |
| fructify | bear fruit |
| dint | means; effort |
| episodic | loosely connected |
| dapple | a small contrasting blotch; also, to mark with spots |
| lurid | glaringly vivid and graphic |
| jurisprudence | the philosophy or science of law |
| modicum | a small, moderate, or token amount |
| lexicon | a dictionary; also, the vocabulary of a person, group, etc. |
| kismet | fate; destiny |
| draught | current of air; act of pulling loads; act of swallowing liquid or amount of liquid swallowed at a time |
| fodder | food for horses or cattle (provender); raw material |
| generic | applicable to an entire class or group |
| emetic | a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting |
| flout | treat with contemptuous disregard |
| maelstrom | whirlpool; turbulence; agitated state of mind |
| husbandry | thrifty management of resources; livestock farming |
| impassive | having or revealing little emotion or sensibility |
| edify | to instruct morally and spiritually |
| illusive | deceiving; based on or causing illusion |
| metaphysical | pertaining to speculative philosophy |
| fractious | unruly; easily irritated or annoyed |
| leaven | cause to rise or grow lighter |
| epoch | unit of geological time; a period marked by distinctive character or reckoned from a fixed point or event |
| hibernal | pertaining to winter |
| ellipsis | omission or suppression of parts of words or sentences |
| immolate | to kill as a sacrificial victim, usually by fire |
| immure | imprison; shut up in confinement |
| knotty | highly involved or intricate |
| harry | to make a pillaging or destructive raid on; annoy or harass |
| environ | enclose; surround |
| malefactor | evildoer, criminal |
| miasma | an unhealthy, noxious or poisonous atmosphere |
| ethereal | of heaven or the spirit; light |
| manifold | many and varied |
| mannered | affected; not natural |
| marshal | lead ceremoniously; to arrange in order; to gather together for the purpose of doing something |
| diadem | crown; headdress signaling sovereignty |
| guy | a rope or cable that is used to brace something (especially a tent) |
| hortatory | encouraging; exhortive |
| lineaments | features, especially of the face |
| latitude | freedom from normal restraints in conduct |
| hoary | white with age |
| imbue | to fill completely with a feeling or idea; to inspire; saturate |
| intimate | to hint or suggest obscurely |
| genuflect | bend the knee as in worship |
| emissary | agent (sent on a mission to represent another); messenger |
| decadence | moral deterioration |
| homeostasis | tendency of a system to maintain relative stability |
| detraction | the act of discrediting or detracting from someone's reputation (especially by slander) |
| indissoluble | permanent; impossible to dissolve or disintegrate |
| dissolute | loose in ones morals or behavior |
| estimable | deserving of respect or high regard |
| militate | work against |
| gnome | a short pithy saying expressing a general truth; a legendary underground creature |
| insurgent | rebellious |
| hinterland | wilderness, back-country, frontier |
| cupidity | extreme greed for material wealth |
| hireling | one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously) |
| igneous | like or suggestive of fire |
| heterodox | characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards |
| monograph | thorough paper on one subject; treatise |
| languor | a feeling of lack of interest or energy |
| jetsam | the part of a ship or airplane's equipment or cargo that is thrown overboard to lighten the load in a storm |
| efflorescent | blossoming; flowering |
| effectuate | effect, produce, achieve |
| forbearance | patience, lenience |
| indices | signs; indications |
| magisterial | authoritative; imperious |
| denizen | an inhabitant, resident; one who frequents a place. |
| interpolate | insert between |
| diffuse | long-winded, unfocused; to spread or scatter freely or widely |
| maraud | raid and rove in search of booty |
| evanescent | quickly fading, short-lived, esp. an image |
| lumen | inside space or lining of a tubular structure, such as an artery or intestine; also, one candle's worth of light |
| insolvent | someone who has insufficient assets to cover their debts |
| earmark | set aside (money or time) for a particular purpose; distinctive characteristic |
| kith | your friends and acquaintances |
| indemnify | secure against future loss, damage, or liability |
| infernal | extremely evil or cruel; inhabitant of hell |
| illimitable | without limit, boundless |
| mnemonic | assisting or pertaining to memory |
| frieze | ornamental band on a wall |
| laconic | brief and to the point |
| etymology | study of word parts; study of the origins of words |
| inveigle | to entice; to wheedle |
| mat | not shiny; matte; having a dull finish |
| melange | a motley assortment of things |
| decant | pour out |
| equivocal | ambiguous, open to question |
| desultory | marked by lack of definite plan or regularity or purpose; jumping around |
| luxuriant | produced or growing in extreme abundance |
| ken | range of knowledge |
| germinal | pertaining to a germ; creative |
| insensate | without compunction or human feeling |
| incur | bring upon oneself |
| demure | modest and reserved in manner or behavior; shy away |
| errant | wayward; irregular or unpredictable |
| mall | a public walkway |
| impalpable | incapable of being perceived by the senses especially the sense of touch |
| impel | urge or force (a person) to an action |
| meteoric | coming into existence swiftly, suddenly, brightly, like a meteor |
| debar | to exclude, prohibit, prevent |
| corpulent | excessively fat |
| interloper | an intruder |
| ennui | the feeling of being bored by something tedious |
| lode | metal-bearing vein |
| discursive | desultory; rambling, moving from one topic to another randomly |
| demoniac | resembling or suggesting possession by a demon |
| grouse | complain |
| dissimulate | pretend; conceal by feigning; dissemble |
| founder | stumble and nearly fall; fail |
| irresolute | lacking decisiveness of character |
| cow | terrorize; intimidate |
| deign | to condescend, to "stoop" |
| hue and cry | loud and persistent outcry from many people |
| modish | in the current fashion or style |
| ligneous | like wood |
| isthmus | narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land |
| hermitage | the abode of a hermit |
| elegiacal | like an elegy; mournful |
| hap | chance; luck |
| metallurgical | pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores |
| mien | demeanor (esp. a dignified one) |
| corrugated | bent into folds; ridged, wrinkled |
| fulminate | come on suddenly and intensely; explode; criticize severely |
| milieu | environment, setting; means of expression |
| endue | give qualities or abilities to; imbue |
| metrical | metric; written in the form of poetry |
| gentry | people of standing; class of people just below nobility |
| disgorge | surrender something (esp. stolen); eject; vomit |
| foist | to force onto another |
| inordinate | far too great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive |
| epistemologist | philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge |
| jollity | merriment, state of being jolly |
| elicit | to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person) |
| manumit | free from slavery or servitude; emancipate |
| effusion | an unrestrained expression of emotion; outpouring |
| corollary | a practical consequence that follows naturally |
| derelict | deserted or abandoned as by an owner; indigent person |
| deposition | testimony under oath; deposing; dethroning |
| discrete | separate; unconnected |
| exegesis | an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible) |
| hapless | unlucky |
| manifest | clearly apparent or obvious to the mind or senses |
| furtive | secret and sly or sordid |
| floe | a flat mass of ice (smaller than an ice field) floating at sea |
| credence | belief |
| delusive | deceptive; raising vain hopes |
| cynosure | center of attention |
| gnarl | twist into a state of deformity; knot on a tree |
| doff | take off |
| franchise | right or privilege granted by authority; right to vote; license to sell a product in a particular territory |
| disjunction | the act of breaking a connection |
| dregs | most worthless part; sediment at the bottom of a liquid |
| explicate | expatiate; elaborate; go into detail |
| interminable | endless, so long as to seem endless |
| iridescent | having a play of lustrous rainbow-like colors |
| lateral | pertaining to the side |
| fusillade | rapid, simultaneous discharge of firearms |
| default | failure to act or to pay |
| sentient | consciously perceiving |
| yen | a strong desire, craving |
| sybarite | a person devoted to pleasure and luxury |
| vendetta | prolonged feud marked by bitter hostility |
| retrench | cut down expenses; economize |
| quisling | traitor who aids invaders |
| treatise | article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly |
| untenable | not capable of being held or defended; impossible to maintain |
| runic | mysterious; magical |
| suffuse | cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across |
| vertex | the highest point (of something); point at the intersection of lines |
| terminus | either end of a railroad or bus route |
| paradox | a self-contradictory statement that on closer examination proves true; a person or thing with seemingly contradictory qualities |
| unaccountable | inexplicable; impossible to account for; unreasonable or mysterious |
| skulk | to move about stealthily or furtively |
| yeoman | man or farmer owning small estate; middle-class farmer |
| rapt | deeply engrossed or absorbed |
| valediction | the act of saying farewell |
| vellum | fine parchment prepared from the skin of a young animal e.g. a calf or lamb |
| sibylline | having a secret or hidden meaning; prophetic, oracular |
| vignette | a short scene or story; a small illustrative sketch (as sometimes placed at the beginning of chapters in books) |
| nave | the central area of a church |
| vantage | the quality of having a superior or more favorable position |
| semblance | an outward or token appearance or form that is deliberately misleading |
| truckle | try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; to be obsequious |
| sportive | frolicsome; playful; interested in sports |
| skullduggery | trickery; underhandedness |
| patent | clearly apparent or obvious to the mind or senses |
| precipitate | bring about abruptly; done with very great haste and without deliberation |
| pallid | lacking in intensity or interest; abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress |
| sartorial | of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring |
| obtrusive | forward; undesirably prominent; thrust out |
| tantalize | torment or tease by holding out of reach |
| spangle | adornment consisting of a small piece of shiny material used to decorate clothing |
| sanguine | confidently optimistic and cheerful; having a healthy reddish color |
| scullion | a kitchen servant employed to do menial tasks (especially washing) |
| opalescent | having a play of lustrous rainbow-like colors; iridescent |
| perigee | point of moon's orbit when it is nearest the earth |
| refectory | a communal dining-hall (usually in a monastery) |
| postprandial | after a meal |
| requisition | formal demand or request |
| wont | inclined to do something; a pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition |
| wistful | showing pensive sadness or longing |
| travail | difficult or painful work/labor; toil |
| supplant | to take the place of, supersede |
| plaudit | enthusiastic approval |
| trumpery | showy but worthless finery |
| willowy | flexible, slender and graceful |
| provenance | origin or source of something |
| prosody | the study of poetic meter and the art of versification |
| politic | marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness |
| respite | a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort; pause for relaxation |
| thresh | to give a thrashing to; beat the seeds out of a grain |
| polity | (particular form of) political organization; form of government of nation or state |
| tureen | deep dish for serving soup |
| moot | open to argument or debate |
| repository | storehouse |
| sublimate | refine; purify; replace (natural urges) with socially acceptable activities; change between a solid state and a gaseous state |
| surmount | to overcome, rise above; surpassing previous achievements |
| vivisection | cutting into a living animal for scientific research |
| niggle | argue over petty things |
| pulchritude | physical beauty (especially of a woman) |
| rote | by memory without thought of the meaning; mechanical routine |
| vicissitude | change of fortune; variation |
| pare | cut small bits or pare shavings from; whittle down |
| proviso | stipulation; condition in an agreement; provision |
| purport | intention; purpose; meaning; also, to give a false impression |
| premise | a statement that is assumed to be true and from which a conclusion can be drawn |
| requiem | mass for the dead; dirge |
| staid | characterized by dignity and propriety; serious |
| rusticate | banish to the country; dwell in the country; to give a rustic look |
| unequivocal | admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; plain, clear, obvious |
| prelate | church dignitary |
| paramour | an illicit lover |
| occlude | to obstruct or block |
| noisome | very offensive, particularly to the sense of smell |
| pediment | a triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof |
| titter | nervous laugh |
| plutocracy | a political system governed by the wealthy |
| qualified | limited or restricted in meaning; contingent on another factor |
| threnody | song of lamentation; dirge |
| oblivion | obscurity; condition of being completely forgotten; forgetfulness |
| solicitous | full of anxiety and concern |
| roseate | rosy, optimistic; having a rosy color |
| venture | put forward, of a guess, in spite of possible refutation; undertaking that involves risk but has potential for profit |
| verbiage | wordiness |
| sunder | to separate or part |
| philology | the humanistic study of language and literature |
| paroxysm | a sudden outburst; a spasm, convulsion |
| postulate | maintain or assert; to take as a given |
| sacrosanct | most holy or sacred; inviolable |
| remonstrance | the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest |
| purview | range, extent, scope of something |
| reprisal | retaliation |
| onus | burden; responsibility |
| rejoinder | a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one) |
| prescience | the power to foresee the future |
| sojourn | a temporary stay (e.g., as a guest) |
| optician | maker and seller of eyeglasses |
| practicable | capable of being done; feasible |
| obelisk | a stone pillar having a rectangular cross section tapering towards a pyramidal top |
| promontory | a high point of land extending into water; headland |
| supererogatory | more than is needed, desired, or required; superfluous |
| troth | a solemn pledge of fidelity (esp. a promise to marry) |
| upshot | outcome; final result |
| recrimination | a counter accusation |
| oratorio | cantata; a musical composition for voices and orchestra based on a religious text |
| moor | a wet wasteland; to fasten or secure with weights or anchors |
| sinewy | rugged, lean and muscular; stringy and tough |
| seemly | proper or fitting with respect to established customs |
| purveyor | someone who supplies provisions (especially food) |
| supercede | replace |
| stern | to check or stem the flow of; rear part of a boat |
| roan | brown mixed with gray or white |
| truism | an obvious truth; overused saying |
| throes | violent pangs of suffering or anguish |
| threadbare | shabby, old and worn; hackneyed |
| palimpsest | parchment used for second time after original writing has been erased |
| similitude | similarity, resemblance |
| waif | homeless child or animal |
| presage | a sign of something about to happen |
| sedition | behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state |
| sentinel | lookout or guard |
| supposititious | fraudulently counterfeited; also, hypothetical. |
| peroration | the concluding part of a speech; grandiloquent speech |
| vociferous | loud and noisy; compelling attention |
| vanguard | the foremost part of an army; the leading position in any field |
| propound | put forward, as of an idea |
| prepossessing | pleasing, tending to create a favorable impression |
| risible | hilarious, provoking laughter |
| preclude | to make impossible, prevent, shut out |
| supernumerary | more than is needed, desired, or required; supererogatory; s |
| spume | froth; foam on the sea |
| visceral | obtained through intuition rather than from reasoning or observation; felt in one's inner organs |
| overture | an opening move toward negotiation or action; an introductory section or part (esp. of a musical composition) |
| sebaceous | fatty, oily |
| pendulous | hanging down loosely or swinging freely |
| pestilential | causing plague; baneful; baleful |
| obeisance | the act of obeying |
| subaltern | subordinate; inferior in rank or status |
| rout | an overwhelming defeat; disorderly crowd of people; make a groove in |
| parquet | floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic like pattern |
| plenary | complete, full; unlimited |
| paramount | of chief concern or importance |
| rubric | set of regulations, protocol; title or heading |
| recast | reconstruct (a sentence, story, statue, etc.); fashion again |
| vassal | a holder of land under feudal agreements; also a humble servant |
| scintillate | emit or reflect light in a flickering manner; be lively or brilliant or exhibit virtuosity |
| vaunted | much boasted about in a vain or swaggering way |
| sallow | unhealthy looking; yellowish |
| tatterdemalion | in deplorable condition; a person dressed in tattered clothing |
| unregenerate | not regenerate or reformed; hopelessly bad |
| touchstone | a standard; a test of authenticity or quality |
| scintilla | iota; trace amount |
| sobriquet | nickname |
| terrapin | turtle that lives in freshwater or tidewater |
| tipple | drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently |
| orthography | correct spelling |
| tarn | small mountain lake |
| overwrought | deeply agitated especially from emotion |
| stratagem | a clever trick used to deceive or outwit |
| sleight | adroitness in using the hands; dexterity |
| uncanny | beyond what is natural; incredible |
| waylay | ambush; lie in wait for and attack |
| wrest | obtain by seizing forcibly or violently |
| tensile | capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out; malleable, pliant, pliable, ductile |
| raiment | especially fine or decorative clothing |
| supposition | a hypothesis that is taken for granted; the cognitive process of supposing |
| ruminate | reflect deeply on a subject |
| stanch | stop the flow of a liquid |
| pretext | a false reason, deceptive excuse; something serving to conceal plans |
| testator | maker of a will |
| ungainly | lacking grace in movement or posture; difficult to manage or maneuver because of shape or size |
| parochial | narrowly restricted in outlook or scope; provincial |
| prerogative | a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence |
| vintner | someone who makes wine |
| tarry | to delay leaving; to linger, wait; to remain or stay for a while |
| spoonerism | an often comical switching of the first sounds of two or more words |
| natation | the act or art of swimming |
| piebald | having sections or patches colored differently and usually brightly |
| termagant | a scolding, nagging, bad-tempered woman |
| truncate | make shorter as if by cutting off |
| vitreous | resembling or derived from glass |
| rapprochement | reconciliation |
| parity | equality |
| privation | lack of necessities; hardship; poverty |
| promulgate | to proclaim, make known; put a law into effect by formal declaration; opposite of abrogate |
| zephyr | a gentle breeze |
| provisional | tentative; temporary |
| peregrination | travel (especially by foot); journey |
| welter | a confused multitude of things |
| multifarious | having many aspects |
| quibble | argue over petty things; to niggle |
| nettle | to irritate; to cause annoyance |
| winnow | to get rid of something unwanted; sift, strain, filter; separate grain from chaffe |
| plenitude | a full supply; an abundance |
| satyr | man with strong sexual desires; half-human, half-bestial |
| sledge | a vehicle mounted on runners and pulled by horses or dogs |
| mulct | defraud a person of something; to punish with a fine |
| numismatist | a coin collector |
| polemical | aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious; involving dispute or controversy |
| tutelary | protective; pertaining to a guardianship |
| perennial | recurring, happening again and again |
| recourse | act of turning to for assistance |
| transmute | to change from one nature, substance, or form to another |
| voluptuous | having strong sexual appeal; pertaining to a woman with a large bosom and curves |
| precipitous | done with very great haste and without due deliberation; extremely steep |
| putative | supposed; reputed; thought-to-be |
| venial | easily excused or forgiven |
| unwieldy | awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable |
| rhapsody | speech or writing expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm |
| stock | a standard or default; reputation and popularity of something or someone; a supply of something |
| purloin | to steal |
| stratified | deposited or arranged in horizontal layers; (used of society) socially hierarchical |
| parlance | a particular manner or kind of speech |
| writ | a written order issued by a court |
| pliant | able to adjust readily to different conditions; capable of being shaped or bent |
| solvent | capable of meeting financial obligations; a liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances |
| uxorious | excessively fond of or submissive to a wife |
| repudiate | refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid |
| vulpine | like a fox; crafty, clever |
| tenuous | having little substance or strength; flimsy; not solid |
| unconscionable | unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust; exceeding the bounds of reason |
| ratiocination | logical and methodical reasoning |
| penology | study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation |
| sangfroid | equanimity; composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances |
| unction | the act of anointing with oil |
| wizened | shriveled; withered; wrinkled |
| pugilist | a boxer or fighter |
| sluice | artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water (with a gate to regulate the flow) |
| mores | fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes |
| viscid | having the properties of glue; sticky |
| oracular | obscurely prophetic |
| tangential | merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant |
| unimpeachable | beyond doubt or reproach; free of guilt |
| stricture | a restriction; a limitation; a negative criticism |
| scotch | to stamp out, thwart, or hinder; make a small cut or score into a surface |
| subsistence | a means of surviving; maintain life at a meager level or with minimal resources |
| slough | to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; a mud-filled hollow |
| provincial | pertaining to an outlying area; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside |
| philatelist | stamp collector |
| deduction | reasoning from the general to the specific; something that is inferred (deduced or entailed or implied) |
| opulent | rich, luxurious; wealthy |
| consummate | perfect and complete in every respect |
| convoluted | intricate; complex, often in an unnecessary way |
| vacuous | stupidly empty of ideas |
| extricate | to free, to disentangle |
| oblivious | forgetful; unaware; not mindful |
| jejune | immature; lacking interest or significance (insipid) |
| frantic | excessively agitated |
| arch | teasing, pleasantly mischievous |
| catch | a type of song |
| acquisitive | eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas |
| canny | showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others |
| toothsome | delicious; attractive; luscious |
| felicitous | exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style |
| devious | deviating from a straight course; characterized by insincerity or deceit |
| ardent | passionate, enthusiastic, fervent |
| incumbent | imposed as a duty; obligatory |
| stilted | artificially formal, stiff, pompous |
| exemplary | worthy of imitation, commendable; serving as a warning |
| virulence | extreme hostility; ability to cause harm or disease |
| pallor | an extreme or unnatural paleness |
| boggle | overwhelmed with confusion, fear, or wonder |
| ascertain | to find out, learn or discover with certainty |
| hidebound | stubbornly conservative and narrow-minded |
| high-handed | presumptuous; overbearing, peremptory |
| presumptuous | arrogant; overstepping boundaries; making rash assumptions |
| herald | announce or proclaim; advocate or promote; foreshadow |
| exponent | one who advocates, speaks for, explains, or interprets |
| crestfallen | discouraged, dejected, downcast |
| elision | a deliberate act of omission; the omission of a vowel, consonant or syllable |
| detritus | the remains of something that has been destroyed or broken up; debris |
| corral | enclose in a corral; collect or gather |
| cord | an amount of wood |
| ream | a quantity of paper; remove by making a hole with a reamer |
| masthead | the title of a newspaper or magazine or a box in a newspaper that lists the writers |
| tryst | a secret rendezvous (especially between lovers) |
| blackguard | someone who is morally reprehensible; to use foul or abusive language toward |
| allegory | a visible symbol representing an abstract idea; short moral story |
| saga | a narrative telling the adventures of a hero or a family |
| reverie | a daydream; the condition of being lost in thought |
| discommode | to cause inconvenience or discomfort to |
| appropriate | take possession of by force; keep to oneself |
| imprecate | to invoke evil upon; utter obscenities or profanities |
| hallmark | a distinctive characteristic or attribute; a mark on an article of trade to indicate its origin and authenticity |
| signatory | someone who signs and is bound by a document |
| fawn | try to gain favor by cringing or flattering |
| cringe | draw back, as with submission, fear or pain |
| instrumentation | the act of arranging a piece of music for an orchestra and assigning parts to the different musical instruments |
| accoutre | to equip |
| adjutant | staff officer assisting the commander; assistant |
| facetious | humorous, not meant seriously |
| cosmopolitan | of worldwide scope or applicability |
| insular | narrowly restricted in outlook or scope |
| victual | any substance that can be used as food |
| nutriment | a source of materials to nourish the body; nourishment, food |
| campanile | freestanding bell tower on church property |
| muezzin | the Muslim official of a mosque who summons the faithful to prayer from a minaret five times a day |
| habiliment | clothing |
| escarpment | a steep artificial slope in front of a fortification |
| saltation | a light springing movement upwards or forwards; an abrupt transition |
| glissade | (ballet) a gliding or sliding step in ballet |
| deglutition | the act of swallowing |
| manducation | chewing |
| epulation | feast or feasting |
| preciosity | meticulousness, extreme fastidiousness |
| precocity | exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age |
| euphuism | an elegant style of prose of the Elizabethan period |
| atrabilious | irritable as if suffering from indigestion |
| caper | a playful leap or hop |
| liturgist | committee or individual who plan parish prayer and sacraments |
| vervet | South African monkey with black face and hands |
| tope | drink excessive amounts of alcohol |
| spoliation | pillaging; depredation |
| nimiety | an excess |
| brazier | large metal container in which coal or charcoal is burned; also, for chestnuts |
| procacity | forwardness, pertness, petulance |
| vivificate | to give life to; to animate; to revive; to vivify |
| agnate | one related on the father's side; akin, coming from a common source |
| talesman | replacement juror |
| oleaginous | containing an unusual amount of grease or oil |
| carmine | rich red |
| pabulum | any substance that can be used as food; insipid intellectual nourishment |
| farina | flour |
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