| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abate | to decrease; reduce |
| abdicate | to give up a position, right, or power |
| aberrant | deviating from what is normal |
| abeyance | temporary suppression or suspension |
| abject | miserable; pitiful |
| abjure | to reject; abandon formally |
| abscission | the act of cutting; the natural separation of a leaf or other part of a plant |
| abscond | to depart secretly |
| abstemious | moderate in appetite |
| abstinence | the giving up of certain pleasures |
| abysmal | very bad |
| accretion | growth in size or increase in amount |
| accrue | to accumulate; grow by additions |
| adamant | uncompromising; unyielding |
| adjunct | something added, attached, or joined |
| admonish | to caution or reprimand |
| adulterate | to corrupt or make impure |
| aesthetic | relating to beauty or the arts |
| affected | pretentious; phony |
| affinity | fondness; liking; similarity |
| aggrandize | to make larger or greater |
| aggregate | amounting to a whole; total |
| alacrity | cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed |
| alchemy | medieval chemical philosophy based on changing metal into gold; a seemingly magical power or process of transmutation |
| allay | to lessen; ease; soothe |
| alleviate | to relieve; improve partially |
| alloy | a combination; a mixture of two or more metals |
| allure | the power to entice by charm |
| amalgamate | to combine into a unified whole |
| ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning |
| ambivalence | the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes |
| ambrosia | something delicious; the food of the gods |
| ameliorate | to improve |
| amenable | agreeable; cooperative; suited |
| amenity | something that increases comfort |
| amulet | ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits |
| anachronism | something out of the proper time |
| analgesic | medication that reduces or eliminates pain |
| analogous | comparable |
| anarchy | absence of government; state of disorder |
| anodyne | something that calms or soothes pain |
| anomalous | irregular; deviating from the norm |
| antecedent | something that comes before |
| antediluvian | prehistoric |
| antipathy | dislike; hostility |
| apathy | indifference |
| apex | the highest point |
| apogee | the point in an orbit most distant from the body being orbited; the highest point |
| apothegm | a terse, witty saying |
| appease | to calm, pacify, placate |
| appellation | name |
| apposite | strikingly appropriate and relevant |
| apprise | to inform |
| approbation | praise, approval |
| appropriate | to take possession of for one's own use; confiscate |
| apropos | relevant |
| arabesque | ornate design featuring intertwined curves; a ballet position in which one leg is extended in back while the other supports the weight of the body |
| archeology | the study of material evidence of past human life |
| ardor | great emotion or passion |
| arduous | extremely difficult; laborious |
| argot | a specialized vocabulary used by a group |
| arrest | to stop; to seize |
| artifact | item made by human craft |
| artless | guileless; natural |
| ascetic | one who practices self-denial |
| asperity | severity; harshness; irritability |
| aspersion | slander; false rumor |
| assiduous | diligent; hard-working |
| assuage | to make less severe |
| astringent | harsh; severe |
| asylum | place of refuge or shelter |
| atavism | in biology, the reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence; individual or a part that exhibits atavism; return of a trait after a period of absence |
| attenuate | to weaken |
| audacious | bold; daring |
| austere | stern; unadorned; simple |
| autonomous | self-governing; independent |
| avarice | greed |
| aver | to affirm; declare to be true |
| avocation | secondary occupation |
| avuncular | like an uncle, benevolent and tolerant |
| axiomatic | taken for granted; self-evident truth |
| bacchanalian | pertaining to riotous or drunken festivity; pertaining to revelry |
| banal | commonplace; trite |
| banter | playful conversation |
| bard | poet |
| bawdy | obscene |
| beatify | to sanctify; to bless; to ascribe a virtue to |
| bedizen | to dress in a vulgar, showy manner |
| behemoth | huge creature; anything very large and powerful |
| belie | to contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression |
| beneficent | kindly; doing good |
| bifurcate | to divide into two parts |
| blandishment | flattery |
| blase | bored because of frequent indulgence; unconcerned |
| bolster | to give a boost to; prop up; support |
| bombastic | pompous; using inflated language |
| boorish | rude; insensitive |
| bovine | cowlike |
| brazen | bold; shameless |
| broach | to mention for the first time |
| bucolic | characteristic of the countryside; rustic; pastoral |
| burgeon | to grow and flourish |
| burnish | to polish |
| buttress | to reinforce; support |
| cacaphonous | unpleasant or harsh-sounding |
| cadge | to beg; sponge |
| callous | thick-skinned; insensitive |
| calumny | false and malicious accusation; slander |
| canard | false; deliberately misleading story |
| canon | an established set of principles; a basis or standard for judgment; a group of literary works |
| cant | insincere talk; language of a particular group |
| cantankerous | irritable; ill-humored |
| capricous | fickle |
| captious | faultfinding; intended to entrap, as in an argument |
| cardinal | of foremost importance |
| carnal | of the flesh or body; related to physical appetities |
| carping | to find fault; complain |
| cartography | science of making maps |
| caste | any of the hereditary social classes in Hindu society; social stratification |
| castigation | punishment; chastisement; criticism |
| cataclysm | a violent upheaval that causes great destruction and change |
| catalyst | something that causes change |
| categorical | absolute; without exception |
| caucus | smaller group within an organization |
| causal | involving a cause |
| caustic | burning; stinging; causing corrosion |
| celestial | concerned with sky or heavens; sublime |
| centrifugal | moving away from a center |
| centripetal | moving or directed toward a center |
| champion | to defend or support |
| chasten | to correct by punishment or reproof; to restrain or subdue |
| chicanery | trickery; fraud |
| chivalry | the qualities idealized by knighthood such as bravery and gallantry toward women |
| churlish | rude; boorish |
| circuitous | roundabout |
| clamor | noisy outcry |
| clique | a small, exclusive group |
| cloister | to confine; seclude |
| coagulate | thicken; congeal |
| coalesce | to cause to become one |
| coda | concluding part of a literary or musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes |
| codify | to systematize |
| cognizant | informed; conscious; aware |
| collage | artistic composition of materials pasted over a surface; an assemblage of diverse elements |
| commensurate | proportional |
| compendium | brief, comprehensive summary |
| complacent | self-satisfied |
| complaisant | overly polite; willingness to comply with the wishes of others |
| complement | something that completes or makes up a whole |
| compliant | yielding |
| compunction | uneasiness caused by guilt |
| concave | curving inward |
| conciliatory | overcoming distrust or hostility |
| concoct | to invent |
| concomitant | existing concurrently |
| condone | to overlook voluntarily; forgive |
| confound | to baffle; perplex; mix up |
| congenial | similar in tastes and habits; friendly; suited to |
| conjugal | pertaining to marriage agreement |
| connoisseur | expert in matters of taste; expert knowledge or training |
| conscript | a person compulsorily enrolled for military service |
| consecrate | to declare sacred |
| contend | to assert |
| contentious | quarrelsome; causing quarrels |
| contiguous | touching; neighboring; connecting without a break |
| continence | self-control; abstention from sexual activity |
| contrite | very sorrowful for a wrong; seeking forgiveness |
| contumacious | disobedient; rebellious |
| conundrum | riddle; puzzle with no solution |
| convention | practice widely observed in a group; custom; accepted technique or device |
| converge | to approach; come together; tend to meet |
| convex | curved outward |
| convivial | sociable |
| convoluted | twisted; complicated |
| copious | abundant; plentiful |
| coquette | woman who flirts |
| cornucopia | horn overflowing with fruit and grain; state of abundance |
| cosmology | study of the universe as a totality; theory of the origin and structure of the universe |
| covert | hidden; secret |
| covetous | desiring something owned by another |
| cozen | to mislead by trick or fraud; decieve |
| craven | cowardly |
| credence | acceptance of something as true |
| credo | statement of belief or principle; creed |
| daunt | to discourage; intimidate; dishearten |
| dearth | scarcity |
| debauchery | corruption |
| decorum | proper behavior |
| defame | to malign; harm someone's reputation |
| default | to fail to act |
| deference | respect; regard for another's wish |
| defunct | no longer existing |
| delineate | to represent or depict |
| demographic | related to population balance |
| demotic | pertaining to people |
| demur | to express doubt; question or oppose |
| denigrate | to slur someone's reputation |
| denizen | an inhabitant; a regular visitor |
| denouement | outcome; unraveling of the plot of a play or work of literature |
| clairvoyant | one who can predict the future; psychic |
| deride | to mock |
| derivative | something derived; unoriginal |
| desiccate | to dry completely |
| desuetude | state of disuse |
| desultory | random; disconnected; rambling |
| deterrent | something that discourages or hinders |
| detraction | the act of taking away |
| diaphanous | transparent; vague; insubstancial |
| diatribe | bitter verbal attack |
| dichotomy | division into two usually contradictory parts |
| diffidence | shyness; lack of confidence |
| diffuse | to spread out |
| digression | act of straying from the main point |
| dirge | funeral hymn |
| disabuse | free from a misconception |
| discerning | perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgement |
| discomfit | to make uneasy; disconcert |
| discordant | not in tune |
| discredit | to dishonor; disgrace |
| discrepancy | difference between |
| discrete | constituing a separate thing; distinct |
| discretion | quality of showing self-restraint in speech or actions |
| disingenuous | not candid, crafty |
| disinterested | unpredujiced; objective |
| disjointed | lacking order or coherence; dislocated |
| dismiss | put away from consideration; reject |
| disparage | to belittle |
| disparate | dissimilar |
| dissemble | to pretend; disguise one's motives |
| disseminate | to spread; scatter; disperse |
| dissolution | disintegration;debauchery |
| dissonance | discord; lack of harmony |
| distend | to expand; swell out |
| distill | extract the essential elements |
| distrait | inattentive; preoccupied |
| diverge | to vary; go in different directions from the same point |
| divest | to strip; deprive; rid |
| divulge | to make known something that is secret |
| document | to provide with written evidence to support |
| doggerel | poor verse |
| dogmatic | stating opinions without proof |
| dormant | inactive |
| dross | waste; worthless matter |
| dupe | to deceive; trick |
| ebullient | exhilarated; overly enthusiastic |
| eclectic | selecting from various sources |
| effervescence | state of high spirits or liveliness; process of bubling as gas escapes |
| effete | depleted of vitality; overrefined; decadent |
| dissident | person who disagrees about beliefs |
| doctrinaire | dogmatic; unyielding |
| efficacy | effectiveness; efficiency |
| effrontery | shameless boldness; presumptuousness |
| egoism | the tendency to see things in relation to oneself; self-centeredness |
| egotistical | excessively self-centered; conceited |
| elegy | poem or song expressing lamentation |
| elicit | to provoke; draw out |
| elixir | a sustance believed to have the power to cure ills |
| Elysian | delightful; blissful |
| emaciated | thin and wasted |
| embellish | to adorn; enhance |
| emollient | soothing; mollifying |
| empirical | derived from observation or experiment |
| emulate | to imitate; copy |
| encomium | a formal expression of praise |
| endemic | inherent; belonging to an area |
| enervate | to weaken |
| engender | to cause; produce |
| enhance | to increase; improve |
| entomology | the scientific study of insects |
| enunciate | to pronounce clearly |
| ephemeral | short-lived; fleeting |
| epistemology | branch of philosophy tha texamines the nature of knowledge |
| equable | steady; unvarying; serene |
| equanimity | composure; calmness |
| equivocate | intentionally use vague language |
| errant | mistaken; straying from the proper course |
| erudite | learned; scholarly |
| esoteric | hard to understand; known only to a few |
| essay | to make an attempt; subject to a test |
| estimable | admirable; possible to estimate |
| ethnocentric | based on the attitude tha one's group is superior |
| etiology | causes or origins |
| etymology | origin an history of a word |
| eugenics | study of factors that influence the hereditary qualities of the human race and ways to improve those qualities |
| eulogy | high praise to a death person |
| euphemism | use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of offensive language |
| euphoria | feeling of extreme happiness |
| euthanasia | mercy killing |
| evince | to show plainly; be an indication of |
| evocative | tending to call to mind or produce a reaction |
| exacerbate | to aggravate; make worse |
| exact | to force the payment of; demand and obtain by authority |
| exculpate | to clear of blame; vindicate |
| execrable | detertable; abhorrent |
| exhort | to urge by strong appeals |
| exigency | crisis; urgent requirements |
| existential | having to do with existence |
| exorcise | to expel evil spirits; free from bad influences |
| expatiate | to speak or write at length |
| expatriate | to send into exile |
| expiate | to atone for |
| explicate | to explain;interpret;clarify |
| expository | explanatory |
| extant | in existence; not lost |
| extemporaneous | unrehearsed |
| extirpate | to root up; to destroy |
| extraneous | not essencial |
| extrapolation | the act of estimation by projecting known information |
| extrinsic | not inherent of essential |
| facetious | homorous |
| facilitate | to make less difficult |
| factotum | a person who does all sorts of work; a handyman |
| fallacious | based on a false idea or fact; misleading |
| fallow | plowed but not sowed; uncultivated |
| fatuous | foolishly self-satisfied |
| fauna | animals of a period o region |
| fawning | seeking flavor by flattering |
| felicitous | suitable expressed; wee-chose; appropiate |
| feral | existing in a wild or untamed state |
| fervor | warmth and intensity of emotion |
| fetid | having a bad smell |
| fetter | to bind; confine |
| fiat | arbitray order; authorization |
| fidelity | loyalty; exact correspondence |
| filibuster | use of obstructive tactics in a legislature to block passage of a law |
| finesse | to handle with a deceptive or evasive strategy; refined in performance |
| fissure | crevice |
| flag | to droop; grow weak |
| fledging | beginner; novice |
| flora | plants of a region or era |
| flourish | en embellishment or ornamentation |
| flout | to treat scornfully |
| flux | flowing; a continuous moving |
| foment | to incite; arouse |
| forbearance | patience |
| forestall | to prevent; delay |
| formidable | menacing; threatening |
| forswear | renounce; repudiate |
| founder | to sink; fail; colapse |
| fracas | a loud quarrel; brawl |
| fractious | quarrelsome; unruly; rebellious |
| fresco | a painting done on plaster |
| frieze | ornamental band on a wall |
| froward | stubbornly contrary; obstinately disobedient |
| frugality | thrift |
| fulminate | to attack loudly; denounce |
| fulsome | so excessive as to be disgusting |
| fusion | union; synthesis |
| futile | ineffective; useless; fruitless |
| florid | ruddy; reddish; flowery |
| gainsay | to deny; dispute; oppose |
| gambol | to frolic; leap playfully |
| garrulous | very talkative; wordy |
| gauche | coarse and uncouth; clumsy |
| geniality | cheerfulness; kindliness; sociability |
| gerrymander | to divide an area into voting districts in a way that favors a political party |
| glib | fluent in an insincere way; offhand |
| goad | to prod; urge on |
| gossamer | sheer; light and delicate; like cobwebs |
| gouge | to tear out; scoop out; overcharge |
| grandiloquent | pompous; bombastic |
| gregarious | outgoing; sociable |
| grouse | to complain |
| guileless | free of cunning or deceit; artless |
| guise | outward appearance; false appearance |
| gullible | easily deceived |
| gustatory | affecting the sense of taste |
| halcyon | calm and peaceful; happy; golden; prosperous |
| hallowed | holy; sacred |
| harangue | long, pompous speech; tirade |
| harrowing | extremely distressing; terrifying |
| herbivorous | an animal that feeds mainly on plants |
| hermetic | tighly sealed; magical |
| heterodox | not widely accepted |
| hieroglyphics | a system of writing in which pictorial symbols represent meanings or sounds; wirting or symbols that are difficult to decipher |
| hirsute | covered with hair |
| histrionic | relating to exaggerated emotional behavior calculated for effect; theatrical acts or performances |
| homeostasis | automatic maintenance by an organism in balance with itself |
| homily | sermon; tedious moralizing lecture |
| homogeneous | composed of identical parts; uniform in composition |
| hyperbole | purposeful exaggeration for effect |
| iconoclastic | attacking cherished traditions |
| idolatry | idol worship; blind or excessive devotion |
| igneous | produced by fire; volcanic |
| imbroglio | complicated situation; an entanglement |
| immutable | inchangeable |
| impair | to damage; injure |
| impassive | showing no emotion |
| impecunious | poor; having no money |
| impede | to hinder; block |
| impermeable | impossible to permeate |
| imperturbable | not easily disturbed |
| impervious | incapable of being affected; impossible to penetrate |
| impinge | to strike; encroach |
| implacable | inflexible; incable of being pleased or calmed down |
| implausible | unlikely; unbelievable |
| implicit | implied; understood but not stated |
| implode | collapse inward violently |
| imprecation | curse; damnation |
| impute | to attribute the fault to; relate to a particular cause or source |
| inadvertenly | carelessly; unintentionally |
| incarnate | having bodily form |
| inchoate | imperfectely formed or formulated |
| incongruity | state of not fitting |
| inconsequencial | insgnificant; unimportant |
| incorporate | introduce something into another thing already in existence |
| incursion | sudden invasion |
| indeterminate | uncertain; indefinite |
| indigence | poverty |
| indolent | habitually lazy; idle |
| ineluctable | not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable |
| inert | unable to move; sluggish |
| ingenous | naive and trusting; lacking sophistication |
| inherent | firmly established by nature or habit |
| innocuous | harmless |
| insensible | unconscious; unresponsive |
| insinuate | to suggest; say indirectly; imply |
| insipid | lacking in flavor; dull |
| insouciant | indifferent; lacking concern or care |
| insularity | narrow-mindedness; isolation |
| insuperable | insurmountable; unconquerable |
| intangible | not material |
| interdict | to forbid; prohibit |
| internecine | deadly to both sides |
| interpolate | to insert; change by adding new words or material |
| interregnum | interval between reigns; gap in continuity |
| intimate | marked by close acquaintance |
| intractable | not easily managed |
| intransigence | stubbornness; refusal to compromise |
| introspective | contemplating one's own thoughts and feelings |
| inundate | to cover with water, overwhelm |
| inured | hardened; accustomed; used to |
| invective | verbal abuse |
| inveigh | to disapprove; protest vehemently |
| inveigle | to win over by flattering or coaxing |
| inveterate | confirmed; long standing |
| invidious | likely to provoke ill will |
| irascible | easily angered |
| irresolute | unsure of how to act; weak |
| itinerant | wandering from place to place; unsettled |
| itinerary | route of a traveler's journey |
| jaundiced | havind a yellowish discoloration of the skin; affected by envy |
| jibe | to be in agreement |
| jocose | fond of joking; jocular |
| juggernaut | huge froce destrying everything in its path |
| junta | group of people united in political intrigue |
| juxtapose | place side by side |
| kudos | fame; glory; honor |
| labile | likely to change |
| laconic | using few words |
| lambaste | to trash verbally or physically |
| lascivious | lustful |
| lassitude | lethargy; sluggishness |
| latent | dormant; potential not apparent |
| laud | praise |
| lethargic | inactive |
| levee | en embankment that prevents a river from overflowing |
| levity | light manner or attitude |
| liberal | tolerant; broad-minded |
| libertine | one without moral restraint |
| libido | sexual desire |
| lilliputian | extremely small |
| limn | to draw, describe |
| limpid | clear; transparent |
| linguistic | pertaining to language |
| litany | lengthy recitation; repetitive chant |
| literati | scholarly of learned persons |
| litigation | legal proceedings |
| log | record of a voyage; record of daily activities |
| loquacious | talkative |
| lucid | bright; clear; intelligible |
| lucre | money or profits |
| luminous | bright; brilliant; glowing |
| lustrous | shining |
| machiavellian | crafty; double-dealing |
| machinations | plots or schemes |
| maelstrom | whirpool; turmoil |
| magnaminity | generosity; nobility |
| malign | to speak evil of |
| malinger | to feign illness to escape duty |
| malleable | capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionate |
| maverick | dissenter |
| megalomania | delusions of power or importance |
| menagerie | a variety of animals kept together |
| mendacious | dishonest |
| mendicant | beggar |
| meretricious | gaudy; specious; flasely attractive |
| mesmerize | to hypnotize |
| metamorphosis | change; transformation |
| metaphysics | a branch of philosophy tha tinvestigates the ultimate nature of reality |
| metereological | concerned with the weather |
| meticulous | very careful; picky; fastidious |
| mettle | courage; endurance |
| mettlesome | full of courage and fortitude |
| microcosm | a small system having analogies to a larger system |
| militate | to work against |
| minatory | threatening; menacing |
| minuscule | very small |
| minutia | petty details |
| misanthrope | one who hates humanity; one who dislikes others |
| miscellany | mixture of writtings on various subjects |
| miscreant | villain; criminal |
| misogynist | one who hates women |
| mitigate | alleviate; to become less severe |
| mnemonic | realated to memory; assisting memory |
| modicum | limited quantity |
| mollify | to soothe |
| monolithic | solid and uniform; constituing a single, unified whole |
| morose | ill-humored; sullen |
| motley | many colored; made up of many parts |
| multifarious | diverse |
| mundane | worldy as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary |
| necromancy | black magic |
| negate | to cancel out; nullify |
| neologism | new word or expression |
| neophyte | novice; beginner |
| nexus | a means of connection; a center |
| nonplussed | bewildered |
| nostalgia | sentimental longing for a past time |
| nostrum | medicine or remedy of doubtful effectiveness |
| nugatory | trifling; invalid |
| obdurate | stubborn |
| obsequious | overly submissive |
| obsequy | funeral ceremony |
| obviate | to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent |
| occlude | to shut; block |
| occult | relating to practices connected with supernatural phenomena |
| odyssey | a long, adventurous voyage; a quest |
| officious | too helful; meddlesome |
| olfactory | concerning the sense of smell |
| oligarchy | form of government in which power belongs to only a few leaders |
| onerous | burdensome |
| onomatopeia | formation or use of words that imitate sounds of the actions they refer to |
| opprobium | public disgrace; contempt |
| ornithologist | scientist who studies birds |
| oscillate | to move back and forth |
| ostentatious | showy; pretentious |
| overweening | presumptuous; arrogant |
| paean | song of joy or triumph; a fervent expression of joy |
| paleonthology | study of past geological eras through fossil remains |
| pallid | lacking color or liveliness |
| panegyric | elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise |
| paragon | model of perfection or excellence |
| partisan | one-sided; committed to a party, group or cause |
| pathological | departing from normal condition |
| patois | jargon; a regional dialect |
| paucity | scarcity |
| pedantic | showing off learning |
| pellucid | transparent; easily understood |
| penchant | inclination |
| penury | extreme poverty |
| peregrination | wandering from place to place |
| peremptory | imperative; leaving no choice |
| perennial | present throughout the years; persistent |
| perfidious | faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy |
| perfunctory | superficial; performed really as a duty |
| perigee | point in an orbit that is closest to the earth |
| permeable | penetrable |
| perturb | to disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious |
| pervasive | spread throughout every part |
| petulant | rude; peevish |
| phlegmatic | unemotional; calm in temperament |
| phoenix | anything that is restored after suffering great destruction |
| physiognomy | facial features |
| piety | devoutness |
| piquant | pleasantly pungent; attractive |
| pique | fleeting feeling or hurt pride |
| placate | soothe; pacify |
| placid | calm |
| plaintive | melancholy; mournful |
| plasticity | pliability; condition of being able to be shaped or formed |
| platitude | stale; overused expression |
| platonic | spiritual; theoretical |
| plethora | excess; overabundance |
| plumb | to examine deeply; determine the depth |
| plummet | to fall; plunge |
| plutocracy | society ruled by the wealthy |
| porous | full of holes; permeable to liquids |
| poseur | poerson who affects an attitude to impress others |
| pragmatic | practical |
| prate | to talk idly; chatter |
| prattle | meaningless, foolish talk |
| preamble | preliminary statement |
| precarious | uncertain |
| precept | principle; law |
| precipitate | to cause to happen; throw down from a height |
| precipitate | rash; hasty; sudden; done without deliberation |
| precursor | forerunner; predecessor |
| preempt | to supersede; appropiate for oneself |
| prehensile | capable of grasping |
| premonition | forewarning; presentiment |
| presage | to foretell; indicate in advance |
| presumptuous | rude; improperly bold |
| preternatural | supernatural; beyond the normal use of nature |
| prevaricate | to quibble; evade the truth |
| primordial | original; existing from the beginning |
| pristine | untouched; uncorrupted |
| probity | honesty; high-mindness |
| problematic | posing a problem; doubtful |
| prodigal | wasteful; extravagant; lavish |
| profound | deep, not superficial |
| prohibitive | so high as to prevent the purchase or use of, forbidding |
| proliferate | to increase rapidly |
| propensity | inclination, tendency |
| propitiate | to win over, appease |
| propriety | correct conduct, fitness |
| proscribe | to condemn, forbid, outlaw |
| provident | providing for future need, frugal |
| puissant | powerful |
| punctilious | careful in observing rules fo behavior |
| pungent | penetrating, caustic, to the point |
| pusillanimous | cowerdly |
| purport | to profess, suppose, claim |
| quagmire | marsh, difficult situation |
| quail | to cower, lose heart |
| qualified | limited, restricted |
| qualm | sudden feeling of faintness or nausea |
| query | question |
| quibble | to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details |
| quiescent | inactive, still |
| quorum | number of memeber necessary to conduct a meeting |
| raconteur | witty, skillful storyteller |
| rail | to scold with bitter or abusive language |
| raiment | clothing |
| ramification | implication, consequence |
| rarefied | refined |
| rationale | fundamental reason |
| rebu | puzzle in whic pictures or symbols represent words |
| recalcitrant | resisting authority or control |
| recant | retract a statement of opinion |
| recluse | person who lives in seclusion and often in solitude |
| recondite | abstruse, profound |
| redoubtable | formidable, arousing fear |
| refractory | stubborn, resisting ordinary methods of treatment |
| refulgent | brightly shining, resplendent |
| refute | to contradict, disprove |
| regale | to entertain |
| relegate | to consign to an inferior position |
| remonstrate | to object or protest |
| renege | to go back on one's word |
| reparation | amends, compensation |
| repine | fret, complain |
| reprise | repetition, especially of a piece of music |
| reproach | to find fault with, blame |
| reprobate | morally unprincipled person |
| repudiate | to reject as having no authority |
| rescind | to cancel |
| resolution | determination, resolve |
| resolve | determination, firmness of purpose |
| reticent | nor speaking freely, reserved, reluctant |
| reverent | expressing deep respect, worshipful |
| riposte | retaliatory action or retort |
| rococo | excessively ornate |
| rubric | protocol, title or heading |
| rue | regret |
| ruse | trick, crafty stratagem |
| sage | wise |
| salacious | lascivious, lustful |
| salubrious | healthful |
| salutary | expecting an improvement, favorable to health |
| sanction | to approve, ratify, permit |
| sardonic | cynical, scornfully mocking |
| sartorial | pertaining to tailors |
| satiate | to satisfy |
| saturate | imbue througout, soak thoroughly |
| saturnine | gloomy |
| satyr | a creature that is half-man, half beast, with the horns and legs of a goat |
| savor | to enjoy, have a distinctive flavor or smell |
| schematic | relating to or in the form of an outline or diagram |
| secrete | produce and release substance into organism |
| sedition | behaviour prompting rebellion |
| sedulous | diligent, assiduous |
| seismic | relating to earthquakes |
| sensual | relating to the senses, gratifying the physical (sexual) senses |
| sensuous | relating to the senses |
| sentient | aware, concious, able to preceive |
| servile | submissive, obedient |
| sextant | navigation tool that determines latitude and longitude |
| shard | a piece of broken glass or pottery |
| sidereal | relating to the stars |
| simian | apelike, relating to apes |
| simile | comparison of one thing with another using "like" or "as" |
| sinecure | well-paying job that requieres little or no work |
| singular | unique, extraordinary, odd |
| sinuous | intricate, complex |
| skeptic | one who doubts |
| sobriety | seriousness |
| sodden | thoroughly soaked, saturated |
| solicitous | concerned, attentive, eager |
| soliloquy | literary or dramatic speech by one character, not adressed to others |
| solvent | able to meet financial obligations |
| somatic | relating to or affecting the body, corporeal |
| soporific | sleep producing |
| sordid | filthy, contemptible and corrupt |
| specious | seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so |
| spectrum | band of color, broad range of related ideas or objects |
| spendthrift | person who spends money recklessly |
| sporadic | irregular |
| squalor | filthy, wretched condition |
| staccato | marked by abrupt, clear-cut sounds |
| stanch | to stop or check the flow of |
| stentorian | extremely loud |
| stigma | mark of disgrace or inferiority |
| stint | to be sparing |
| stipulate | to specify as an essential condition |
| stolid | having or showing little emotion |
| stratified | arranged in layers |
| striated | marked with thin, narrow grooves or channels |
| stricture | something that restrains, negative criticism |
| strident | loud, harsh, unpleasantly noisy |
| strut | to swagger, display to impress others |
| stultify | to impair or reduce to uselessness |
| stupefy | to dull the senses of, stun, atonish |
| stygian | dark and gloomy, hellish |
| subpoena | notice ordering someone to appear in court |
| subside | to settle down, grow quiet |
| substantiate | to support with proof or evidence |
| substantive | essential |
| subsume | to include, incorporate |
| subversive | intended to undermine or underthrow, especially an established government |
| succor | relief, help in time of distress or want |
| suffrage | the right to vote |
| sundry | various |
| supersede | to relace, especially to displace as inferior or antiquated |
| supine | lying in the back, marked by lethargy |
| supplant | to replace, substitute |
| suppliant | beseeching |
| supplicant | one who asks humbly and earnestly |
| supposition | the act of assuming to be true or real |
| syllogism | a form of deductive reasoning with a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion |
| sylvan | related to the woods or forest |
| tacit | silently understood, implied |
| talisman | charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune |
| tangential | peripheral, irrelevant, digressing |
| tautology | unnecessary repetition |
| taxonomy | science of classification |
| tenet | belief, doctrine |
| tenuous | weak, insubstantial |
| terrestrial | earthly, commonplace |
| theocracy | government by priests representing a god |
| thespian | an actor or actress |
| timbre | voice tone color |
| tirade | long, violent speech, verbal assault |
| toady | flatterer, yes-man |
| tome | book, usually large and academic |
| torpor | lethargy, dormancy, sluggishness |
| torque | a turning or twisting force |
| tortuous | having many twists and turns, highly complex |
| tout | to promote or praise energetically |
| tractable | obedient, yielding |
| transgression | act of trespassing or violating a law or rule |
| transient | temporary, fleeting |
| translucent | partially transparent |
| travail | work, especially arduous work |
| travesty | parody, exaggerated imitation, caricature |
| treatise | article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly |
| tremulous | trembling, frugal, timid |
| trepidation | fear and anxiety |
| truculence | aggressiveness, ferocity |
| tryst | agreement between lovest to meet, rendez-vous |
| tumid | swollen, distended |
| turbid | muddy, opaque, in a state of great confusion |
| turgid | swollen, pompous |
| tutelary | serving as a guardian or protector |
| uncanny | myterious, strange |
| undulating | moving in waves |
| unfeigned | not false, genuine |
| untenable | indefensible |
| untoward | not favorable, troublesome, unruly |
| usury | a practice of lending money at exorbitant rates |
| vacillate | to waver, oscillate |
| vacuous | empty, void, lacking intelligence |
| valedictory | pertaining to a farewell |
| vapid | tasteless, dull |
| variegated | varied, marked with different colors |
| vaunt | to boast, drag |
| venal | mercenary, corruptible |
| vendetta | prolonged feud marked by bitter hostility |
| venerate | to adore, honor, respect |
| veracious | truthful, accurate |
| verbose | wordy |
| vertigo | dizziness |
| vexation | irritation, annoyance |
| viable | practicable, capable of developing |
| vindictive | vengeful, unforgiving |
| virtuoso | someone with master skills, expert musician |
| visage | appearance, aspect |
| viscous | thick, syrupy |
| vitiate | to impair the quality of, corrupt morally |
| vituperative | using or containing harsh, abusive censure |
| vivisection | dissection, surgery, or painful experiments performed on a living animal for the purpose of scientific research |
| vogue | prevailing fashion or practice |
| volatile | tending to vary frequently, fickle |
| vortex | whirpool, center of turbulence |
| warranted | justified |
| wary | careful, cautious |
| welter | wallow or roll, toss about, be in turmoil |
| whimsical | fanciful, unpredictable |
| wistful | vaguely longing, sadly thoughtful |
| zealot | one who is fanatically devoted to a cause |
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