| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ABATE | to lessen in intensity or degree |
| ABERRANT | deviating from the norm |
| ABJURE | to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid |
| ABROGATE | to abolish or annul by authority; put down |
| ABCISSION | act of cutting off or removing |
| ABSCOND | to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide |
| ABSTAIN | to refrain from an activity |
| ACCOLADE | an expression of praise; an award |
| ACCRETION | growth, increase by successive addition, building up |
| ACERBIC | having a sour or bitter taste or character |
| ACUMEN | quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight |
| ADMONISH | to reprove; to express warning or disapproval |
| ADROIT | adept, dexterous |
| ADULATION | excessive praise; intense adoration |
| ADULTERATE | to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients |
| ADUMBRATE | to foreshadow vaguely, intimate, suggest, or outline sketchily |
| ADVOCATE | to argue for or support a cause |
| AESTHETIC | dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful |
| AGGRANDIZE | to increase in intensity, power, or prestige; to make appear greater |
| ALACRITY | cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness |
| ALCHEMY | a magical or wonderful transformation |
| ALLOY | to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior |
| AMALGAMATE | to combine several elements into a whole |
| AMBIGUITY | uncertainty in meaning |
| AMBIVALENCE | the quality of having opposing ideas or feelings |
| AMELIORATE | to make better or more tolerable |
| AMENABLE | agreeable; responsive to suggestion |
| ANACHRONISM | something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
| ANATHEMA | a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing |
| ANODYNE | soothing |
| ANOMALY | deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality |
| ANTAGONIZE | to irritate or cause hostility |
| ANTIPATHY | aversion, dislike |
| ANTITHETICAL | diametrically opposed, as in antithesis |
| APATHY | lack of interest or feeling |
| APOCRYPHAL | of dubious authenticity or origin; spurious |
| APOGEE | farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith |
| APOSTATE | one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions, a betrayer of a cause |
| APOTHEOSIS | deification, glorification to godliness, the perfect example |
| APPOSITE | appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apropos |
| APPRISE | give notice to, inform |
| APPROBATION | an expression of approval or praise |
| APPROPRIATE | to take for one's own use, confiscate |
| ARABESQUE | complex, ornate design |
| ARCANE | mysterious, abstruse, esoteric, knowable only to initiates |
| ARCHAIC | outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time |
| ARDUOUS | strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort |
| ARRANT | impudent; in every way, being completely such, bare-faced, utter |
| ARREST | to suspend; to engage |
| ARTICULATE | to enunciate or pronounce clearly; to express oneself clearly |
| ARTLESS | completely without guile; natural, without artificiality |
| ASCETIC | one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion |
| ASPERITY | severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability |
| ASPERSION | an act of defamation or maligning |
| ASSIDUOUS | diligent, hard-working |
| ASSUAGE | to ease or lesson; to appease or pacify |
| ASTRINGENT | to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify |
| ATTENUATE | to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen |
| AUDACIOUS | daring and fearless; recklessly bold |
| AUGURY | omen, portent, the reading of omens |
| AUGUST | majestic, venerable |
| AUSPICE | protection or support, patronage |
| AUSPICIOUS | favorable, propitious, successful, prosperous |
| AUSTERE | without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic |
| AVARICE | greed, especially for wealth |
| AVER | to state as fact; to confirm or support |
| AXIOM | a universally recognized principle; a generally accepted or common saying |
| BALEFUL | sinister, pernicious, ominous |
| BANE | cause of injury, source of harm; source of persistent frustration |
| BEATIFY | to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to; to regard as saintly |
| BEDIZEN | to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison |
| BELIE | to give a false impression of, to misrepresent |
| BELLICOSE | belligerent, pugnacious, warlike |
| BENIGN | favorable, harmless |
| BENT | leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency |
| BLANDISH | to coax with flattery, toady or fawn |
| BLITHE | carefree, merry |
| BOISTEROUS | loud, noisy, rough, lacking restraint |
| BOLSTER | to provide support or reinforcement |
| BOMBASTIC | pompous; grandiloquent |
| BOOR | a rude or insensitive person; lout; yokel |
| BROACH | bring up, announce, begin to talk about |
| BROOK | to tolerate, endure, countenance |
| BUCOLIC | rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants |
| BURGEON | to grow rapidly or flourish |
| BURNISH | to polish, rub to a shine |
| BYZANTINE | labyrinthine, complex |
| CACOPHONY | harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance |
| CADGE | to sponge, beg, or mooch |
| CAJOLE | to inveigle, coax, wheedle, sweet-talk |
| CALUMNIATE | to slander, make a false accusation |
| CANON | an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature |
| CAPRICIOUS | inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable |
| CARDINAL | of basic importance or consequence; primary |
| CARET | an insertion mark (^) used by editors and proofreaders |
| CARNALITY | something relating to the body or flesh |
| CASTIGATION | severe criticism or punishment |
| CATALYST | a substance hat accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change |
| CAUSALITY | the relationship between cause and effect |
| CAUSTIC | burning or stinging; causing corrosion |
| CENSURE | to criticize severely; to officially rebuke |
| CENSURE | a judgment involving condemnation; the act of blaming or condemning |
| CHAOS | a condition of confusion or unpredictability |
| CHARY | wary; cautious; sparing |
| CHASTEN | to chastise or correct; subdue |
| CHAUVINIST | one blindly devoted to a group of which one is a member |
| CHIC | stylish and fashionable; sophistication in dress |
| CHICANERY | trickery or subterfuge |
| CHIMERA | an illusion |
| CHOLERIC | tending toward anger |
| CHURLISH | boorish, vulgar, loutish; difficult and intractable |
| COALESCE | to come together; to fuse or unite |
| CODA | concluding section to a musical or literary piece, something that concludes or completes |
| COGENT | appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing |
| COLOR | to change as if by dyeing, influence, distort, or gloss over |
| COMMENSURATE | matching, corresponding, or proportionate in degree, size, amount, or other property |
| COMPLAISANCE | the willingness to comply with the wishes of others |
| CONFOUND | to cause to be confused; to frustrate |
| CONNOISSEUR | an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert |
| CONSEQUENTIAL | pompous, self-important |
| CONTEMN | to scorn or despise |
| CONTENTIOUS | argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement |
| CONTIGUOUS | sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
| CONTRITE | regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness |
| CONVENTION | a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
| CONVOLUTED | complex or complicated |
| CORRIGIBLE | capable of being set right, correctable, reparable |
| COUNTENANCE | to approve of or tolerate |
| COZEN | to deceive, beguile, hoodwink |
| CRAVEN | contemptibly fainthearted, pusillanimous, lacking any courage |
| CREDULOUS | tending to believe too readily; gullible |
| CRESCENDO | a gradual increase in intensity, particularly in music |
| CULPABLE | deserving blame |
| CYNICISM | an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness |
| DAMP | to diminish the intensity or check something, such as a sound or feeling |
| DAUNT | to intimidate or dismay |
| DEARTH | smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; lack |
| DEBACLE | rout, fiasco, complete failure |
| DECORUM | politeness or appropriateness of conduct or behavior |
| DELETERIOUS | injurious; harmful |
| DEMUR | to question or oppose |
| DENIGRATE | blacken, belittle, sully, defame, disparage |
| DENOUEMENT | an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot |
| DEPRECATE | to disparage or belittle |
| DEPREDATE | to plunder, pillage, ravage or destroy; to exploit in a predatory manner |
| DERISION | scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment |
| DERIVATIVE | unoriginal, obtained from another source |
| DESICCATE | to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull |
| DESUETUDE | disuse |
| DESULTORY | random; thoughtless; marked by a lack of plan or purpose |
| DETRACTION | slandering, verbal attack, aspersion |
| DIAPHANOUS | transparent, gauzy |
| DIATRIBE | a harsh denunciation |
| DIDACTIC | intended to teach or instruct |
| DIE | a tool used for shaping |
| DIFFIDENT | reserved, shy, unassuming; lacking in self-confidence |
| DIGRESS | to stray from the point; to go off on a tangent |
| DILATE | to become wider or more open |
| DILATORY | causing delay, procrastinating |
| DILETTANTE | one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge |
| DIN | loud sustained noise |
| DIRGE | a mournful song or poem for the dead |
| DISABUSE | to undeceive; to set right |
| DISCOMFIT | to defeat, put down |
| DISCORDANT | conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound |
| DISCRETION | cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions |
| DISINTERESTED | free from self-interest; unbiased |
| DISPARAGE | to slight or belittle |
| DISPARATE | fundamentally distinct or dissimilar |
| DISSEMBLE | to disguise or conceal; to mislead |
| DISSOLUTION | disintegration, looseness in morals |
| DISSONANCE | lack of harmony; conflict |
| DISTRAIT | distracted; absent-minded, especially due to anxiety |
| DIVULGE | to disclose something secret |
| DOGGEREL | trivial, poorly constructed verse |
| DOGMATIC | authoritatively and or arrogantly assertive of principles, which often cannot be proved; stubbornly opinionated |
| DROSS | slag, waste or foreign matter, impurity, surface scum |
| DULCET | melodious, harmonious, mellifluous |
| DUPE | one who is deceived |
| DYNAMO | generator; forceful, energetic person |
| EBULLIENCE | the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings |
| ECCENTRIC | departing from norms or conventions |
| ECLECTIC | composed of elements drawn from various sources |
| EDIFYING | enlightening, informative |
| EFFICACY | the ability to produce an intended result |
| EFFRONTERY | extreme boldness; presumptuousness |
| EFFUSIVE | gushing; excessively demonstrative |
| ELEGY | a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead; any mournful writing or piece of music |
| ELOQUENT | well-spoken; expressive; articulate |
| EMOLLIENT | soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying |
| EMPIRICAL | based on observation or experiment |
| ENCOMIUM | glowing and enthusiastic praise; panegyric, tribute, eulogy |
| ENDEMIC | characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people; restricted to or peculiar to that region; indigenous |
| ENERVATE | to weaken; to reduce in vitality |
| ENGENDER | to cause, produce, give rise to |
| ENIGMATIC | mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand |
| ENNUI | dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy |
| ENORMITY | excessive wickedness, evilness |
| EPHEMERAL | brief; fleeting, short-lived |
| EPICURE | one devoted to sensual pleasure, particularly in food and drink; gourmand, sybarite |
| EPISODIC | loosely connected, not flowing logically, occurring at intervals |
| EPITHET | disparaging word or phrase |
| EPITOME | embodiment; quintessence |
| EQUANIMITY | calm, composure, self-possession |
| EQUABLE | level; not able to be easily disturbed |
| EQUIVOCATE | to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent |
| ERRANT | traveling, itinerant, peripatetic |
| ERRATIC | without consistency |
| ERUDITE | very learned; scholarly |
| ESCHEW | to shun or avoid |
| ESOTERIC | intended for or understood by a small, specific group |
| ESSAY | to test or try; attempt, experiment |
| ESTIMABLE | worthy, formidable |
| EULOGY | a speech honoring the dead |
| EVANESCENT | tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing |
| EVINCE | to show clearly, to indicate |
| EXACERBATE | to make worse or more severe |
| EXACT | to demand, call for, require, take |
| EXCORIATE | to censure scathingly, to upbraid |
| EXCULPATE | exonerate; to clear of blame |
| EXEMPLAR | typical or standard specimen; paradigm, model |
| EXHORT | to incite, to make urgent appeals |
| EXIGENT | urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention |
| EXONERATE | to remove blame |
| EXPATIATE | discuss or write about at length; to range freely |
| EXPIATE | to atone or make amends for |
| EXPURGATE | to remove obscenity, purify, censor |
| EXTANT | existing, not destroyed or lost |
| EXTEMPORANEOUS | improvised; done without preparation |
| EXTIRPATE | to destroy, exterminate, cut out, pull out by the roots |
| FACETIOUS | playful; humorous; not serious |
| FALLACY | an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief |
| FALLOW | untilled, inactive, dormant |
| FANATICAL | zealous; single-mindedly obsessed with one thing |
| FATUOUS | silly, inanely foolish |
| FAWN | to flatter or praise excessively |
| FECKLESS | ineffectual; irresponsible |
| FELICITOUS | apt; suitably expressed, well chosen, apropos; delightful |
| FELL | a barren or stony hill; an animal's hide |
| FERVENT | greatly emotional or zealous |
| FETID | stinking, having a heavy bad smell |
| FETTER | to shackle, put in chains, restrain |
| FILIBUSTER | intentional obstruction, usually using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action |
| FILIGREE | an ornamental work, especially of delicate lacelike patterns; resembling such a pattern |
| FLAG | to sag or droop, to become spiritless, to decline |
| FLIP | sarcastic, impertinent |
| FLORID | flushed with color, ruddy, ornate |
| FLOUT | to demonstrate contempt for |
| FOMENT | to stir up, incite, rouse |
| FORBEARANCE | patience, willingness to wait |
| FORD | to wade across the shallow part of a river or stream |
| FORESTALL | to act in a way to hinder, exclude or prevent an action; to circumvent or thwart |
| FORSWEAR | to renounce, disallow, repudiate |
| FORTUITOUS | happening by fortunate accident or chance |
| FRACAS | noisy fight or quarrel, brawl |
| FRACTIOUS | quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly, cranky |
| FROWARD | intractable, not willing to yield or comply, stubbornly disobedient |
| FULMINATE | to attack loudly or denounce |
| FURTIVE | marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious |
| GAINSAY | to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose |
| GAMBOL | to skip about playfully, frolic |
| GARNER | to gather and save, store up, acquire |
| GARRULOUS | pointlessly talkative, talking too much |
| GAUCHE | crude, awkward, tasteless |
| GERMANE | relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter |
| GLIB | marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
| GOSSAMER | delicate, insubstantial or tenuous; insincere |
| GRANDILOQUENCE | pompous speech or expression |
| GREGARIOUS | sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people |
| GROUSE | to complain or grumble |
| GUILE | trickery, duplicity, cunning |
| HACKNEYED | rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage |
| HALCYON | calm and peaceful, prosperous |
| HALLOW | to set apart as holy |
| HARANGUE | to deliver a loud, pompous speech or tirade |
| HARROW | to distress, create stress or torment |
| HEDONISM | devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses |
| HEGEMONY | the consistent dominance or influence of one group, state, or ideology over others |
| HERETICAL | violating accepted dogma or convention, unorthodox |
| HERMETIC | airtight, impervious to outside influence |
| HETERODOX | unorthodox, heretical, iconoclastic |
| HIRSUTE | hairy, shaggy |
| HOMILY | a sermon or morally instructive lecture, a platitude |
| HOMOGENOUS | same throughout |
| HUBRIS | arrogant presumption or pride |
| HYPERBOLE | an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech |
| ICONOCLAST | one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions |
| IDOLATROUS | given to intense or excessive devotion to something |
| IDYLL | a carefree, light-hearted pastoral or romantic episode or experience; a literary or musical piece describing such |
| IGNOMINIOUS | shameful, dishonorable, ignoble, undignified, disgraceful |
| IMBROGLIO | difficult or embarrassing situation |
| IMMINENT | about to happen; impending |
| IMMUTABLE | not capable of change |
| IMPASSIVE | revealing no emotion or sensibility |
| IMPECUNIOUS | lacking funds; without money |
| IMPERIOUS | commanding, masterful, arrogant, domineering, haughty |
| IMPERTURBABLE | marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness |
| IMPETUOUS | hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement |
| IMPLACABLE | not capable of being appeased or significantly changed |
| IMPORTUNE | to ask incessantly, beg, nag |
| IMPUDENT | shamelessly bold; insolent; impertinent |
| IMPUGN | attack or assail verbally, censure, execrate, deny |
| IMPUNITY | immunity from punishment, penalty or harm |
| IMPUTE | to attribute to a cause or source, ascribe, assign as a characteristic |
| INALIENABLE | cannot be transferred |
| INCHOATE | in an initial stage, not fully formed |
| INCIPIENT | beginning to come into being or to become apparent |
| INDEFATIGABLE | not easily exhaustible, tireless, dogged |
| INDIFFERENT | having no interest or concern, apathetic; showing no bias or prejudice |
| INDOLENT | lazy, listless, torpid |
| INELUCTABLE | certain, inevitable |
| INERT | unmoving, lethargic, sluggish, not reactive chemically |
| INGENUOUS | artless, frank and candid, lacking in sophistication |
| INHERENT | ingrained within one's nature, intrinsic, firmly established, essential |
| INIMICAL | damaging, harmful, injurious, hostile, unfriendly |
| INIMITABLE | one of a kind, peerless |
| INIQUITY | wickedness, gross injustice |
| INNERVATE | to supply with nerves, energize |
| INNOCUOUS | harmless; causing no damage |
| INSCRUTABLE | incapable of being discovered or understood, mysterious |
| INSENSIBLE | unconscious, unresponsive, unaware, unaffected, numb |
| INSIPID | without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, dull |
| INSOUCIANT | unconcerned, carefree, nonchalant |
| INSULAR | parochial, narrow-minded, like an island |
| INTERDICT | prohibit, forbid, ban, halt |
| INTIMATE | to imply, suggest or insinuate |
| INTRACTABLE | not easily managed or directed, stubborn, obstinate |
| INTRANSIGENT | refusing to compromise |
| INTREPID | steadfast, courageous |
| INUNDATE | to cover or overwhelm, to flood |
| INURED | accustomed to accepting something undesirable |
| INVEIGH | to attack verbally, denounce, deprecate |
| INVEIGLE | to obtain by deception or flattery |
| INVETERATE | deep rooted, ingrained, habitual |
| INVIDIOUS | tending to arouse envy or ill will in others |
| IRASCIBLE | easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts |
| ITINERATE | to travel from place to place |
| JEJUNE | vapid, uninteresting; childish, immature; lacking nutrition |
| JIBE | to agree, to be in accord |
| JOCOSE | given to joking; humorous |
| KINETIC | having to do with motion; lively; active |
| LABILE | readily open to change, unstable |
| LACHRYMOSE | causing tears, tearful, showing sorrow |
| LACONIC | using few words; terse |
| LASSITUDE | listlessness, languor, weariness |
| LAUD | to praise highly |
| LAVISH | extravagant |
| LETHARGIC | characterized by sluggishness |
| LIBERTINE | someone unrestrained by morality or convention or leading a dissolute life |
| LIMN | to draw, outline in detail |
| LIMPID | transparent, serene, clear and simple in style, untroubled |
| LIST | to tilt or lean to one side |
| LOQUACIOUS | extremely talkative |
| LUCID | intelligible, sound, clear |
| LUMBER | to move heavily and clumsily or with a rumbling sound |
| LUMINOUS | characterized by brightness and the emission of light, enlightened, clear |
| MAGNANIMITY | the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, especially in forgiving |
| MALEVOLENT | having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred |
| MALINGER | to feign illness so as to avoid work |
| MALLEABLE | capable of being shaped or formed, easily influenced |
| MARTIAL | associated with war and the armed forces |
| MARTINET | a rigid disciplinarian |
| MAUNDER | to talk or move aimlessly, mutter |
| MAVERICK | an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party |
| MELANCHOLY | tending toward sadness |
| MELLIFLUOUS | sweetly flowing, usually used to describe words or sounds |
| MENDACITY | the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty |
| MENDICANT | a beggar, supplicant |
| MERCURIAL | characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood |
| MERETRICIOUS | tawdry, pretentious, attractive but false, showy, having to do with prostitution |
| METICULOUS | characterized by extreme care and precision, attentive to detail |
| METTLESOME | courageous, high-spirited |
| MILITATE | to have weight or bearing on, to argue (against) |
| MILK | to exploit, to squeeze every last ounce of |
| MINATORY | menacing, threatening |
| MINCE | pronounce or speak affectedly or too carefully, euphemize, take tiny steps, tiptoe |
| MISANTHROPE | one who hates humankind |
| MISOGYNIST | one who hates women |
| MITIGATE | to make or become less severe or intense, moderate |
| MOLLIFY | to calm or soothe, reduce in emotional intensity |
| MONOTONY | tedious lack of variety or change |
| MOROSE | sad, sullen, melancholy |
| MULTIFACETED | having many aspects |
| MULTIFARIOUS | varied, motley, greatly diversified |
| MUNDANE | of the world, typical of or concerned with the ordinary |
| NADIR | low point, perigee |
| NASCENT | coming into being; in early developmental stages |
| NATTY | trimly neat and tidy, dapper |
| NEBULOUS | vague, cloudy, lacking clearly defined form |
| NEOLOGISM | a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses |
| NEOPHYTE | a recent convert; a beginner; novice; tyro |
| NEXUS | a connection, tie, or link; center or focus |
| NICE | exacting, extremely or even excessively precise; done with delicacy or skill |
| NOISOME | offensive, especially to one's sense of smell, fetid |
| NONPLUSSED | baffled, in a quandary, at a loss for what to say, do or think |
| NOSTRUM | cure-all, placebo, questionable remedy |
| NOXIOUS | harmful; injurious |
| OBDURATE | unyielding, hardhearted, inflexible |
| OBEISANCE | gesture that expresses deference, such as a bow or curtsy |
| OBFUSCATE | to deliberately obscure, to make confusing |
| OBSEQUIOUS | exhibiting a fawning attentiveness; subservient |
| OBSTINATE | stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising |
| OBSTREPEROUS | noisy, loudly stubborn, boisterous |
| OBTAIN | to be established, accepted, or customary, prevail |
| OBTUSE | lacking sharpness of intellect, not clear or precise in thought or expression |
| OBVIATE | to anticipate and make unnecessary |
| OCCLUDE | to obstruct or block |
| OCCULT | hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension |
| ODIOUS | hateful; arousing strong feelings of dislike |
| OFFICIOUS | meddlesome, pushy in offering one's services where they are unwanted |
| ONEROUS | troubling, burdensome |
| OPAQUE | impermeable by light; dense in mind |
| OPPROBRIUM | disgrace, contempt, scorn |
| OSCILLATION | the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm |
| OSSIFIED | changed into bone; made rigidly conventional and unreceptive to change |
| OSTENSIBLE | seeming, appearing as such, professed |
| OSTENTATIOUS | characterized by or given to pretentiousness |
| OVERWEENING | presumptuously arrogant, overbearing, immoderate |
| PAEAN | a song or expression of praise and thanksgiving |
| PALLIATE | to make something appear less serious, gloss over, mitigate |
| PANDEMIC | widespread; occurring over a large area or affecting an unusually large percentage of the population |
| PANEGYRIC | formal expression of praise |
| PARADIGM | something that serves as a model, example, or pattern; the framework of assumptions and understandings shared by a group or discipline that shapes its worldview |
| PARADOX | a contradiction; a seemingly self-contradictory statement that seems true nonetheless |
| PARAGON | something regarded as a model of excellence or perfection in some way |
| PARIAH | an outcast, a rejected and despised person |
| PARODY | a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, especially in literature and art, also something so bad as to be potentially mistaken for an intentional mockery |
| PARRY | to block, evade or ward off, as a blow |
| PARSIMONIOUS | cheap, miserly |
| PARTISAN | one-sided, committed to a party, biased or prejudiced |
| PAUCITY | scarcity, a lacking of |
| PECCADILLO | a slight offense, literally, a minor sin |
| PEDAGOGY | the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing |
| PEDANTIC | ostentatious display of learning, excessive attention to minutiae and formal rules, unimaginative |
| PEDESTRIAN | commonplace, trite, unremarkable |
| PENCHANT | strong inclination, a liking |
| PENURIOUS | penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous |
| PEREMPTORY | admitting of no contradiction, putting an end to further debate, haughty, imperious |
| PERENNIAL | recurrent through the year or many years, happening repeatedly |
| PERFIDY | intentional breach of faith, treachery |
| PERFUNCTORY | cursory, done without care or interest |
| PERIPATETIC | itinerant, traveling, nomadic |
| PERNICIOUS | extremely harmful, potentially causing death |
| PERSONABLE | pleasing in appearance, attractive |
| PERSPICACIOUS | acutely perceptive, having keen discernment |
| PERUSE | to examine with great care |
| PERVADE | to permeate throughout |
| PETROUS | like a rock, hard, stony |
| PETULANT | impatient, irritable |
| PHILANTHROPIC | humanitarian; benevolent |
| PHILISTINE | a crass individual guided by material rather than intellectual or artistic values |
| PHLEGMATIC | calm, sluggish, unemotional, stoic |
| PICARESQUE | involving clever rogues or adventurers |
| PIED | multi-colored, usually in botches |
| PILLORY | to punish, hold up to public scorn |
| PINE | to yearn intensely, to languish, to lose vigor |
| PIOUS | extremely reverent or devout |
| PIQUANT | agreeably pungent, spicy, stimulating |
| PIQUE | resentment, feeling of irritation due to hurt pride |
| PIRATE | to use or reproduce illegally |
| PITH | the essential or central part |
| PLACATE | to appease, to calm by making concessions |
| PLAINTIVE | mournful, melancholy, sorrowful |
| PLANGENT | pounding, thundering, resounding |
| PLASTIC | moldable, pliable, not rigid |
| PLATITUDE | a superficial or trite remark, especially one offered as meaningful |
| PLETHORA | an overabundance, a surplus |
| PLUCK | courage, spunk, fortitude |
| PLUMB | to measure the depth, to examine critically |
| PLUMMET | to plunge or drop straight down |
| POIGNANT | distressing, pertinent, touching, stimulating, emotional |
| POLEMICAL | controversial, argumentative |
| PRAGMATIC | practical rather than idealistic |
| PRATE | chatter, babble |
| PRATTLE | to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner |
| PRECARIOUS | uncertain, risky, dangerous |
| PRECEPT | rule establishing standards of conduct, a doctrine that is taught |
| PRECIPITATE | acting with excessive haste or impulse |
| PRECURSOR | something that precedes and indicates or announces another |
| PREDILECTION | a disposition in favor of something, preference |
| PREEMPT | to replace, to supersede, to appropriate |
| PREEN | to dress up, primp, groom oneself with elaborate care; in animals, to clean fur or feathers |
| PRESCIENCE | knowing of events prior to their occurring |
| PRESUMPTUOUS | overstepping bounds, as of propriety or courtesy; taking liberties |
| PREVARICATE | to deliberately avoid the truth, mislead |
| PRISTINE | pure, uncorrupted, clean |
| PRIZE | to pry, press or force with a lever |
| PROBITY | adherence to highest principles, uprightness |
| PROCLIVITY | a natural predisposition or inclination |
| PRODIGAL | recklessly wasteful, extravagant, profuse, lavish |
| PRODIGIOUS | abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary |
| PROFLIGATE | excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant |
| PROFUSE | given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant |
| PROLIFIC | producing large volumes or amounts, productive |
| PROLIX | long-winded, verbose |
| PROPENSITY | a natural inclination or tendency, penchant |
| PROPINQUITY | nearness in time or place, affinity of nature, kinship |
| PROPITIATE | to appease or pacify |
| PROPITIOUS | auspicious, favorable |
| PROPRIETY | appropriateness; conformity with standards of acceptable behavior |
| PROSAIC | dull, unimaginative |
| PROSCRIBE | to outlaw or prohibit |
| PROVIDENT | frugal, looking to the future |
| PUERILE | childish, immature |
| PUGNACIOUS | contentious, quarrelsome, given to fighting, belligerent |
| PUNCTILIOUS | precise, paying attention to trivialities, especially in regard to etiquette |
| PUNDIT | an authority on a subject, one who gives opinions |
| PUNGENT | characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste, penetrating, to the point |
| PUSILLANIMOUS | cowardly, craven |
| PUTREFY | to rot, decay and give off a foul odor, become gangrenous |
| QUAFF | to drink deeply |
| QUAIL | to shrink back in fear, lose courage |
| QUALIFY | to limit |
| QUALMS | misgivings, reservations, causes for hesitancy |
| QUERIES | questions, inquiries, reservations |
| QUERULOUS | prone to complaining or grumbling, quarrelsome |
| QUIESCENCE | stillness, motionlessness, quality of being at rest |
| QUOTIDIAN | occurring or recurring daily, commonplace |
| RAIL | to complain about bitterly |
| RAMIFY | to be divided or subdivided, branch out |
| RANCOROUS | characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment |
| RAPACIOUS | voracious, greedy, plundering, subsisting on prey |
| RAREFY | to make or become thin, less dense, refine |
| REBUS | riddle, a representation of words by pictures or symbols that sound like words |
| RECALCITRANT | obstinately defiant of authority or guidance, difficult to manage |
| RECANT | to retract, especially a previously held belief |
| RECAPITULATE | to summarize, to repeat concisely |
| RECONDITE | hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure |
| RECONNOITER | to engage in reconnaissance, make a preliminary inspection of |
| RECUMBENT | leaning, resting, prone |
| REDOLENT | fragrant, suggestive or evocative |
| REDOUBTABLE | that is to be feared; commanding or evoking respect |
| REFULGENT | radiant, shiny, brilliant |
| REFUTE | to disprove, successfully argue against |
| REGALE | to delight or entertain, feast |
| RELEGATE | to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position |
| REMONSTRATE | to protest, object |
| RENEGE | to fail to honor a commitment, go back on a promise |
| RENT | torn, split, apart, pierced as by a sound |
| REPINE | to feel or express dejection or discontent, long for |
| REPUDIATE | to refuse to have anything to do with, disown |
| RESCIND | to invalidate, repeal, retract |
| RESOLUTE | adamant, steadfast, determined |
| RETICENT | quiet, reserved, reluctant to express thoughts and feelings |
| REVERENT | marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect |
| RHETORIC | the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion |
| RISIBLE | hilarious, provoking laughter |
| RUBRIC | authoritiative rule, heading, title, or category |
| RUE | regret, feel remorse |
| SAGACIOUS | having sound judgment, perceptive, wise |
| SALACIOUS | appealing to or causing sexual desire, bawdy |
| SALIENT | prominent, protruding, conspicuous, highly relevant |
| SALUBRIOUS | promoting health or well-being |
| SALUTARY | remedial, wholesome, causing improvement |
| SANCTIMONY | self-righteousness, pretended piety |
| SANCTION | authoritiative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance |
| SANGUINE | cheerful, confident, optimistic |
| SAP | to enervate or weaken the vitality of |
| SATIATE | to overindulge, satisfy to excess |
| SATIRE | a literary work that ridicules or criticizes human vice through humor or derision |
| SATURNINE | gloomy, dark, sullen, morose |
| SCURVY | contemptible, despicable |
| SEDULOUS | diligent, persistently maintained, assiduous |
| SEINE | a large net hung out and dragged in to catch fish |
| SERE | withered, arid |
| SEMINAL | like a seed, constituting a source, originative |
| SHARD | a piece of broken pottery or glass, any small piece or part |
| SIMPER | to smirk, to say something with a silly, coy smile |
| SINECURE | position requiring little or no work and usually providing an income |
| SINGULAR | exceptional, unusual, odd |
| SINUOUS | winding, curving, moving lithely, devious |
| SLAKE | to satisfy, quench, lessen the intensity of |
| SODDEN | soaked or drenched, unimaginative, dull |
| SOLDER | to weld, fuse or join, as with a soldering gun |
| SOLICITOUS | concerned and anxious, eager |
| SOLVENT | able to meet financial obligations |
| SOPHISTRY | fallacious reasoning; plausible but faulty logic |
| SOPHOMORIC | exhibiting immaturity, lack of judgment, pretentious |
| SOPORIFIC | causing drowsiness, tending to induce sleep |
| SORDID | characterized by filth, grime, or squalor, foul |
| SPARSE | thin, not dense, arranged at widely spaced intervals |
| SPECIOUS | seeming true, but actually false, misleadingly attractive |
| SPENDTHRIFT | one who spends money wastefully |
| SPLENETIC | bad-tempered, irritable |
| SPORADIC | occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances |
| SPURIOUS | lacking authenticity or validity, false, counterfeit |
| SQUALID | sordid, wretched and dirty as from neglect |
| SQUANDER | to waste by spending or using irresponsibly |
| STANCH | to stop the flow of a fluid |
| STATIC | not moving, active or in motion; at rest |
| STEEP | to saturate or completely soak |
| STENTORIAN | extremely loud and powerful |
| STINT | to restrain, be sparing or frugal |
| STOIC | indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast |
| STOLID | calm, impassive |
| STRIATED | striped, grooved, or banded |
| STRUT | a sturctural support used to brace a framework |
| STUPEFY | to stun, baffle, or amaze |
| STYMIE | to block, thwart |
| SUBPOENA | a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony |
| SUBTLE | not obvious, elusive, difficult to discern, crafty or sly |
| SUCCINCT | brief, concise |
| SUCCOR | assistance, relief in time of distress |
| SUNDRY | various, miscellaneous, separate |
| SUPERCILIOUS | disdainful, arrogant, haughty, characterized by haughty scorn |
| SUPERFLUOUS | exceeding what is sufficient or necessary |
| SUPINE | inactive, lying on one's back, apathetic, mentally or morally slack |
| SUPPLANT | to take the place of, supersede |
| SUPPLIANT | asking humbly, beseeching |
| SUPPLICANT | beggar, one who prays or begs for something |
| SURFEIT | to feed or supply in excess |
| SYCOPHANT | someone who tires to flatter or please for personal gain, parasite |
| SYNTHESIS | the combination of parts to make a whole |
| TABLE | to remove (as a parliamentary motion) from consideration |
| TACITURN | not talkative, silent |
| TALISMAN | something believed to have magic power or bestow good luck |
| TAMP | to plug, to drive in or down by a series of blows |
| TAUTOLOGY | a repetition, a redundancy, a circular argument |
| TAWDRY | cheap, gaudy, showy, tacky, indecent |
| TENACITY | the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued |
| TENDENTIOUS | biased, showing marked tendencies |
| TENDER | to offer formally |
| TENUOUS | having little substance or strength, flimsy, weak |
| TERSE | brief and concise in wording |
| TIMOROUS | timid, fearful, diffident |
| TIRADE | a long and extremely critical speech, harsh denunciation |
| TOADY | sycophant, flatterer, yes-man |
| TORPID | lethargic, sluggish, dormant |
| TORQUE | a force that causes rotation |
| TORRID | scorching, ardent, passionate, hurried |
| TORTUOUS | winding, twisting, excessively complicated |
| TOUT | to publicly praise or promote |
| TRACTABLE | docile, obedient, easily led |
| TRANSIENT | fleeting, passing quickly, brief |
| TRAVESTY | mockery, caricature, parody |
| TRENCHANT | sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating, biting, clear cut |
| TRUCULENT | fierce, scathing, eager to fight |
| TUMID | swollen |
| TURBID | muddy, having sediment stirred up, clouded to the point of being opaque, in a state of turmoil |
| TURGID | swollen, bloated, pompous, excessively ornate |
| TURPITUDE | depravity, baseness |
| TYRO | novice, beginner in learning |
| UBIQUITOUS | existing everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered, widespread |
| UMBRAGE | offense, resentment |
| UNDULATE | to move in wavelike fashion, fluctuate |
| UNFEIGNED | genuine, not false or hypocritical |
| UNTENABLE | indefensible, not viable, uninhabitable |
| UNTOWARD | troublesome, unruly, unseemly, adverse |
| UPBRAID | to scold, censure, rebuke, chastise |
| URBANE | sophisticated, refined, elegant |
| USURY | charging an exorbitant or illegal rate of interest |
| VACILLATE | to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another, sway from one side to the other |
| VARIEGATED | multicolored, characterized by a variety of patches of different color |
| VAUNT | to brag or boast |
| VENAL | capable of being bought or bribed, mercenary |
| VENERATE | to revere |
| VERACITY | truthfulness, honesty |
| VERISIMILITUDE | appearing true or real |
| VERITABLE | authentic, real, genuine |
| VEXATION | annoyance, irritation |
| VIGILANT | alertly watchful |
| VILIFY | to defame, characterize harshly |
| VIRULENT | extremey harmful or poisonous, bitterly hostile or antagonistic |
| VISCOUS | thick, sticky |
| VITIATE | to reduce the value of, debase, spoil, make ineffective |
| VITUPERATE | to use harsh condemnatory language; abuse or censure severely |
| VOLATILE | readily changing to a vapor; changeable, fickle, explosive |
| VORACIOUS | having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit, ravenous |
| WAFT | a light breeze, a puff |
| WAVER | to move to and fro, to sway; to be unsettled in opinion |
| WELTER | to writhe, to toss about, to be in turmoil |
| WEND | to go, proceed, walk |
| WHET | to sharpen or stimulate |
| WHIMSICAL | imaginative; unpredictable |
| ZEALOUS | fervent, ardent, impassioned |
| AMBIT | circuit or compass; also, sphere of action or influence. |
| PHILANDER | to engage in love affairs frivolously or casually |
| APOPLEXY | a sudden loss of consciousness resulting when the rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel leads to oxygen lack in the brain |
| INAMORATA | a woman with whom you are in love or have an intimate relationship |
| RECIDIVISM | relapse into antisocial or criminal behavior |
| CANDOR | the quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech |
| INCIPIENT | beginning; in an early stage |
| PERCIPIENT | characterized by ease and quickness in perceiving |
| CAPITULATE | surrender under agreed conditions |
| CONCORD | harmony; accord |
| CEDE | relinquish possession or control over |
| CERTITUDE | total certainty or greater certainty than circumstances warrant |
| RECRIMINATION | the act of accusing in return; opposing another charge |
| CIRCUMVENT | outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around |
| CIRCUMLOCUTION | an indirect way of expressing something |
| CIRCUMSCRIBE | limit; confine; draw a line around |
| INCISIVE | having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions |
| DECLAIM | speak against in an impassioned manner |
| CONVIVIAL | festive, sociable, having fun together, genial |
| CONCLAVE | a confidential or secret meeting |
| COMMENSURATE | corresponding in size or degree or extent |
| PLUTOCRACY | a political system governed by the wealthy people |
| RECUMBENT | in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting |
| RECOURSE | a person or thing turned to for help or advice; the act of seeking help or protection |
| INCURSION | an attack or raid; the act of entering another's territory |
| DEFERENTIAL | showing deference |
| PANDEMIC | an epidemic that is geographically widespread |
| DIALECTIC | any formal system of reasoning that arrives at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments |
| DICTUM | an authoritative saying; an adage; a maxim; a proverb |
| INDICT | accuse formally of a crime |
| INDITE | produce a literary work |
| INTERDICT | an official prohibition or restraint |
| DEIGN | do something that one considers to be below one's dignity |
| CONDIGN | fitting or appropriate and deserved |
| DISSEMINATE | cause to become widely known |
| INDOLENCE | inactivity resulting from a dislike of work; laziness |
| INDUBITABLE | too obvious to be doubted |
| DUCTILE | capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out |
| DURESS | compulsion by threat or force |
| DOUR | stern, unyielding, gloomy, ill-humored |
| OBSOLESCENT | becoming obsolete |
| IRIDESCENT | varying in color when seen in different lights or from different angles; having rainbow-like colors |
| INCANDESCENT | brilliant; giving off heat or light |
| EFFACE | remove completely from recognition or memory |
| EFFUSION | a pouring out; an uncontrolled display of emotion |
| EGREGIOUS | conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible |
| AFFABLE | diffusing warmth and friendliness |
| INEFFABLE | defying expression or description |
| FACILE | acting, working, or proceeding with ease; fluent |
| MUNIFICENT | extremely generous, lavish |
| CONFER | to consult, talk over, exchange opinions; to present as a gift, favor, or honor |
| REFERENDUM | a legislative act is referred for final approval to a popular vote by the electorate |
| PROFFER | present for acceptance or rejection |
| VOCIFEROUS | conspicuously and offensively loud |
| AFFIDAVIT | written declaration made under oath |
| FIDUCIARY | a person who holds assets in trust for a beneficiary |
| CONFLAGRATION | a very intense and uncontrolled fire |
| GENUFLECT | bend the knees and bow in a servile manner |
| EFFLUENCE | the process of flowing out |
| MELLIFLUOUS | sweetly or smoothly flowing |
| REFRACTORY | stubbornly resistant to authority or control |
| FOUNDER | to fail ; to collapse ; to sink |
| SUFFUSE | cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across |
| INGENUE | an artless girl; an actress who plays such parts |
| CONGENITAL | present at birth but not necessarily hereditary |
| PROGNOSIS | a prediction of the course of a disease |
| COGNOSCENTI | an expert able to appreciate a field |
| GRATUITOUS | freely given; not called for by circumstances, unwarranted |
| REGRESS | returning to a former state |
| EGRESS | the act of coming (or going) out |
| HETERODOX | characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards |
| INDIGENT | poor enough to need help from others |
| MONOLITHIC | characterized by massiveness and rigidity and total uniformity |
| INTERLOPER | someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission |
| ABJECT | miserable; hopeless; horrible |
| ADJURE | to command solemnly, as under oath |
| PREDILECTION | a predisposition in favor of something |
| ELOCUTION | an expert manner of speaking involving control of voice and gesture |
| INTERLOCUTOR | a person who takes part in a conversation |
| PHILOLOGY | the humanistic study of language and literature |
| MAGNILOQUENT | lofty in expression; pompous |
| OROTUND | having a round, resonant quality; inflated speech |
| MALCONTENT | a person who is discontented or disgusted |
| MALAISE | physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression) |
| MALAPROPISM | the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar |
| MALFEASANCE | wrongful conduct by a public official |
| MATRICULATE | someone who has been admitted to a college or university |
| REMISSION | an abatement in intensity or degree (as in the manifestations of a disease) |
| PERMUTATION | act of changing the lineal order of objects in a group |
| GASTRONOMY | the art and practice of choosing and preparing and eating good food |
| INTERNECINE | characterized by bloodshed and carnage for both sides |
| OBTRUDE | thrust oneself in as if by force |
| OBLIQUE | slanting, indirect, evasive, devious, misleading |
| OBSTREPEROUS | boisterously and noisily aggressive |
| PARITY | equality, as in amount, status, or value |
| PARAMILITARY | noting or pertaining to an organization operating as, in place of, or as a supplement to a regular military force |
| PARAPSYCHOLOGY | phenomena that appear to contradict physical laws and suggest the possibility of causation by mental processes |
| PARALEGAL | a person with specialized training who assists lawyers |
| DISPASSIONATE | unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice |
| SOCIOPATH | one who is psychopathic and antisocial |
| PATERNALISM | the attitude (of a person or a government) that subordinates should be controlled in a fatherly way for their own good |
| PATRICIAN | belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy |
| PUNITIVE | inflicting punishment |
| IMPUNITY | exemption from punishment or loss |
| PEREMPTORY | not allowing contradiction or refusal |
| PERTINACIOUS | resolute, stubbornly unyielding |
| PHILATELIST | a collector and student of postage stamps |
| PETULANT | peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset |
| PROPITIOUS | presenting favorable circumstances |
| EXPOSITION | a systematic interpretation or explanation (usually written) of a specific topic |
| REPOSITORY | a facility where things can be deposited for storage or safekeeping |
| DEPORTMENT | (behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people |
| DISPORT | to divert or amuse oneself |
| PRESAGE | a sign of something about to happen |
| PRESENTIMENT | a feeling of evil to come |
| PROPENSITY | a natural inclination |
| REPROBATE | a depraved, vicious, or unprincipled person, scoundrel; wicked, corrupt, or unprincipled; to disapprove of, condemn |
| COMPUNCTION | a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed) |
| EXPUNGE | remove by erasing or crossing out |
| PUNCTILIOUS | very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety |
| ACQUISITIVE | eager to acquire and possess things especially material possessions or ideas |
| PERQUISITE | a privilege that goes along with a job ; a perk |
| ARROGATE | seize and take control without authority and possibly with force |
| UNCONSCIONABLE | unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust |
| NESCIENT | lacking general education or knowledge |
| DISSIDENT | a person who dissents from some established policy |
| SUBSIDIARY | a company that is completely controlled by another company |
| INSIDIOUS | intended to deceive or entrap; sly, treacherous |
| ASSIDUOUS | persistent, attentive, diligent |
| ASSENT | agreement with a statement or proposal to do something |
| INSENSATE | without compunction or human feeling |
| SUBTERFUGE | something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity |
| SUPPOSITION | something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence |
| SUPERCILIOUS | having or showing arrogant superiority to and disdain of those one views as unworthy |
| TENACIOUS | holding fast; holding together firmly; persistent |
| ABSTENTION | the trait of abstaining (especially from alcohol) |
| TENABLE | based on sound reasoning or evidence |
| TENDENTIOUS | having or marked by a strong tendency especially a controversial one |
| CONTENTION | assertion; claim; thesis; struggling; competition |
| EXTENUATING | partially excusing or justifying, to represent as less serious |
| MICROTOME | scientific instrument that cuts thin slices of something for microscopic examination |
| TORT | in law, a civil misdeed requiring compensation |
| CONTRAVENE | to contradict, oppose, violate |
| INADVERTENT | unintentional |
| ADVERT | make a more or less disguised reference to |
| AVOCATION | a hobby |
| CONVOKE | call together |
| RETRENCHMENT | the act of cutting down, especially expenses |
| TANTAMOUNT | equal to |
| FURLOUGH | to lay off from work, usually temporarily |
| PAROCHIAL | narrow-minded |
| WAGGISH | roguish, jocular, witty |
| LUGUBRIOUS | overly mournful |
| EXTEMPORANEOUS | with little or no preparation or forethought |
| CIRCUMSPECT | cautious, prudent |
| FOOLHARDY | recklessly or thoughtlessly bold |
| FUGACIOUS | fleeting; transitory |
| CONCOMITANT | following as a consequence |
| TEMERITY | reckless boldness |
| PROMULGATE | to declare, make known publicly |
| GALVANIZE | to stimulate, to startle into sudden action |
| ENSCONCED | settled in |
| CONTUMELY | insult, scorn, aspersion |
| NEFARIOUS | wicked |
| IMPROVIDENT | lacking foresight, not cautious |
| BURLESQUE | ludicrous parody or grotesque caricature; humorous and provocative stage show |
| CHAGRIN | embarrassment |
| ESPOUSE | to make one's own; adopt or embrace, as in a cause |
| EMEND | to edit or change a text; correct |
| TUTELARY | being a guardian, adviser or protector |
| COMPENDIOUS | comprehensive and succinct |
| DEFRAY | to bear or pay all or part of |
| APHORISM | a terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation |
| PERORATE | to conclude a long discourse |
| PRIVATION | lack of usual comforts or necessaries of life |
| MAUDLIN | overly sentimental |
| BODACIOUS | thorough, blatant, unmistakable; remarkable |
| SURREPTITIOUS | by stealth |
| ABEYANCE | temporary inactivity, cessation |
| MIASMA | a noxious atmosphere or influence |
| SCURRILOUS | vulgar, low, indecent |
| LACKIDAISICAL | without interest, vigor, or determination; lazy |
| SOLOPSISM | the theory that one's self exists |
| DERELICT | abandoned |
| EFFLUVIUM | slight or invisible vapor, esp. one that is noxious |
| BADINAGE | light, playful banter |
| FLOTSAM | wreckage of a ship floating in water |
| JETSAM | goods thrown overboard deliberately to lighten the load |
| ESCARPMENT | steep cliff |
| PUTATIVE | reputed, supposed |
| FINAGLE | to trick, swindle or cheat |
| CADRE | a group of professionals capable of training and leading others |
| ETIOLOGY | the study of causation |
| MILIEU | the social, cultural surroundings |
| HINTERLAND | the wilderness |
| UNCTUOUS | excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, esp. in an affected manner; oily |
| SAVANT | genius |
| PRECIPITOUS | very steep |
| SOPHISTIC | apparently sound but really fallacious |
| FELICITOUS | apt, suitable for the occasion |
| COSSET | to coddle, pamper |
| CALLOW | immature or inexperienced |
| ELEEMOSYNARY | charitable |
| ATTRITION | a reduction of strength in numbers, a wearing down |
| ANIMUS | strong dislike or enmity; animosity |
| LATITUDE | freedom from narrow restrictions |
| SIBILANT | hissing |
| ABRADE | to wear off or down by scraping or rubbing |
| SVELTE | slender, esp. in figure |
| LISSOME | flexible, lithe; supple |
| REBUFF | a blunt or abrupt rejection |
| RAILLERY | good-natured teasing or ridicule |
| FORAY | raid |
| ADJURE | solemn urging |
| PECULATE | steal, embezzle |
| TRADUCE | to cause humiliation or disgrace by making malicious and false statements |
| APLOMB | self-confidence |
| CABAL | a scheme or plot, a group of plotters |
| DEMAGOGUE | a person who gains power or popularity by arousing strong emotions, passions and prejudices |
| ECUMENICAL | universal, pertaining to all of Christianity |
| EDACIOUS | voracious, devouring |
| EFFETE | exhausted; self-indulgent; infertile |
| INVOLUTE | complex |
| LIEN | legal claim until a debt on it is repaid |
| LIONIZE | treat as a famous person |
| MACERATE | to separate into parts by steeping in liquid |
| PALADIN | hero |
| PELLUCID | transparent, easy to understand |
| RAFFISH | low, vulgar, base |
| RECREANT | cowardly or craven |
| VAGARY | unpredictable act or idea, caprice |
| VIRAGO | a loud, domineering woman |
| WAFFLE | talk vaguely and without much result |
| PALAVER | idle talk |
| UXORIOUS | overly fond of one's wife |
| ONTOLOGY | the study of the nature of existence |
| PASTICHE | artistic piece which consists of many different styles |
| PREDICATE | to proclaim, declare |
| ZEITGEIST | the general trend of culture, the spirit of time |
| INEXORABLE | unchanging, unyielding |
| LEGATEE | someone who receives a legacy |
| BELEAGUER | to surround with military forces or with troubles |
| ANCILLARY | subordinate, assisting |
| CAVALIER | haughty, disdainful, unceremonious |
| PENULTIMATE | second to last |
| ANTEPENULTIMATE | third to last |
| MAVEN | expert |
| ILLICIT | illegal |
| IMMOLATE | to kill as a sacrifice |
| NUGATORY | of no real value, trifling, worthless |
| PRESTIDIGITATION | sleight of hand; legerdemain |
| ASSEVERATE | to aver, allege, assert |
| CAPTIOUS | disposed to point out trivial faults, calculated to confuse or entrap in argument |
| CAVIL | to find fault without good reason |
| AXIOMATIC | taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth |
| VAPIDITY | dull or lacking in taste |
| CONTUMACIOUS | insubordinate, rebellious |
| LUBRICIOUS | lewd, wanton, greasy, slippery |
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