| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Discomfit | to embarrass and confuse |
| Edification | improvement or enlightenment |
| Malfeasance | misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official |
| Feasible | capable of being accomplished |
| Surfeit | condition of being too full; overabundance |
| magnum opus | the greatest work of an artist, writer, or composer |
| modus operandi | manner of working |
| opulent | possessing or exhibiting great wealth; affluent |
| synergy | the power that results from the combination of two or more forces |
| liturgy | a pattern of prayer or worship |
| lethargy | a state of sluggishness, inactivity, and apathy |
| laborious | requiring mental or physical effort |
| belabor | to discuss in too much detail -or- to attack |
| elaborate | to explain in greater detail |
| stanch | to stop the flow of |
| staunch | firm and steadfast |
| extant | still in existence; not destroyed |
| restive | resisting authority; difficult to control |
| apropos | with regard to |
| depose | to remove from office or power |
| static | having no motion or change |
| ecstasy | intense joy or delight |
| stasis | condition in which there is no change |
| entity | a being |
| essence | the most important ingredient; the crucial element |
| quintessential | the most typical, ideal, or important |
| verdure | greenery: fresh and ripe vegetation |
| verdant | green; lush with vegetation |
| viridity | lack of experience; innocent |
| candid | open and sincere |
| candor | frankness or sincerity of expression; openness |
| incandescent | shining brilliantly |
| pallor | extreme or unnatural paleness |
| pallid | lacking color; dull |
| appall | to fill with horror or disapproval |
| livid | enraged; furious |
| denigrate | to attack the character of; to mock |
| peccadillo | a small sin or fault |
| impeccable | having no flaws |
| peccant | violating a moral law; sinful |
| pejorative | negative and critical; insulting |
| impair | to cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality |
| malign | to speak maliciously; insult |
| malinger | to pretend to be sick in order to avoid something |
| malaise | a sense of unease; depression |
| negligent | not properly attentive |
| negligible | unimportant; insignigicant |
| negate | to cancel the effect of; nullify |
| jocose | cheerful; merry |
| jocular | characterized by joking |
| festoon | to drape or adorm festively |
| fete | to honor with a banquet or feast |
| bacchic | of or related to a wild celebration |
| bacchanal | a durnken party or celebration |
| plaintive | sorrowful; expressing or evoking mourning or sadness |
| plaint | a lament or complaint |
| elegy | a song or poem memorializing something or someone |
| elegiac | mourning that which is lost or past; sorrowful |
| somnolent | drowsy; sleepy |
| soporific | causing sleep or fatigue |
| sopor | sleep; drowsiness |
| languid | lacking energy; weak |
| languish | to waste away |
| languor | lack of physical or mental energy |
| vigilant | on the alert; watchful |
| vigilante | someone who takes law enforcement into his or her own hands |
| acquiesce | to give in |
| requiem | a song or religious service for the dead or lost |
| quittance | a repayment; compensation |
| auspices | protection or support; patronage |
| auspicious | followed by favorable circumstances |
| consort | to keep compnay;associate OR (n) a companion, especially a romantic one |
| consortium | a group of companies or institutions |
| destine | intend for a specific end or purpose |
| fortuitous | happening by a lucky accident or chance |
| fortuity | chance or accident |
| predestination | the belief that one's fate has been determined in advance by a higher power |
| propitiate | to soothe or satisfy; to appease |
| propitious | lucky or favorable |
| conferment | the act of bestowing; a formal offer |
| congested | overcrowded; too tightly packed |
| euphoria | a feeling of great happiness or well-being |
| gestate | to conceive and develop in the mind or body |
| gesticulate | to make gestures for emphasis |
| importunate | extremely demanding; insistent |
| importune | to urge or beg without end |
| insufferable | impossible to bear; intolerable |
| periphery | the outermost part of boundary |
| preferential | giving or showing an advantage to one over another |
| rapport | a positive relationship |
| desolate | deserted and lonely |
| divulge | to make public |
| hoi polloi | the common people |
| monosyllabic | having only one syllable |
| monotone | sameness of sound, style, manner, or color |
| monotonous | unvarying |
| polyglot | a perrson with a knowledge of several languages |
| polymath | a person with knowledge of many subjects |
| soliloquy | a literary or dramatic speech spoken by a solitary character |
| solipsism | the theory that the self is the only reality |
| vulgar | of the common people |
| catholic | covering a broad range; universal |
| consummate | perfect or ideal, wspecially in skill or accomplishment |
| holistic | concerning the whole rather than the parts |
| parcel | to divide into parts and distribute |
| parse | to examine or analyze |
| repartee | quick, witty conversation |
| summation | accumulation; total result |
| totalitarian | having to do with a government in which one person, group, or party controls everything |
| totality | completeness |
| trenchant | sharply effective or insightful |
| truncate | to cut short in the middle |
| annex | to attach oneself; take over |
| ascertain | to discover; find out |
| assertion | something declared or stated positively |
| certitude | certainty; inevitability |
| disconcert | to upset and confuse |
| dissertation | a formal and long paper, written for a degree at t university or college |
| exertion | the use of power and of strength |
| liaison | intermediary; go-between |
| ligature | a binding or joining |
| nexus | the core or center |
| obligatory | expected or required |
| accede | to agree, often at the urging of another |
| adventitious | artificial; acquired |
| ambiance | environment surrounding; atmosphere |
| antecedent | one that precedes another |
| circuitous | roundabout or lengthy |
| contravene | to violate or go against |
| parvenu | someone newly wealthy |
| precedent | tradition; an act or decision that is used as a model for future acts or decisions |
| sedition | act or practice aimed at undermining authority; rebellion |
| transitory | short-lived or temporary |
| conflagration | a large fire |
| flagrant | noticeably bad or offensive |
| flamboyant | intended to attract attention; showy |
| fulminate | to attack with words; denounce |
| illustrative | descriptive; representative |
| illustrious | well-known and distinguished |
| incendiary | inflaming; provoking heat or anger |
| incense | to infuriate; to make passionately angry |
| inflammatory | arousing anger or strong emotion |
| luster | brilliance; brightness |
| refulgent | brilliantly illuminated; shining |
| abominable | loathsome; disagreeable |
| abomination | something disgustingly offensive |
| demonstrative | openly expressive of emotions |
| metaphrase | an exact translation or restatement |
| ominous | menacing; threatening |
| paradigm | a pattern or model |
| paraphrase | a summary that is not word-for-word |
| phraseology | the way in which something is expressed; style |
| remonstrate | to protest or object |
| semantic | having to do with the meaning of works or language |
| semiotic | of or relating to signs or symbols |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace