First Set
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260 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abase | to humiliate, degrade |
| abate | to reduce, lessen |
| abdicate | to give up a position, usually one of leadership |
| abduct | to kidnap, take by force |
| aberration | something that differs from the norm |
| abet | to aid, help, encourage |
| abhor | to hate |
| abide | to put up with; to remain |
| abject | wretched, pitiful |
| abjure | to reject, renounce; to give up on oath |
| balk | to stop, block abruptly |
| ballad | a love song |
| banal | dull, commonplace |
| bane | a burden |
| bard | a poet |
| bashful | shy, excessively timid |
| battery | assault; beating |
| beguile | to trick, deceive |
| behemoth | something of tremendous power or size |
| benevolent | marked by goodness or doing good |
| cacophony | tremendous noise, disharmonious sound |
| cadence | a rhythm, progression of sound |
| cajole | to urge, coax |
| calamity | an event with disastrous consequences |
| calibrate | to set, standardize |
| callous | harsh, cold, unfeeling |
| calumny | an attempt to spoil someone else's reputation by spreading lies |
| camaraderie | good will between friends |
| candor | honesty, frankness |
| canny | shrewd, careful |
| daunting | intimidating, causing one to lose courage |
| dearth | a lack, scarcity |
| debacle | a disastrous failure, disruption |
| debase | to lower the quality or esteem of something |
| debauch | to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures |
| debunk | to expose the falseness of something |
| decorous | socially proper, appropriate |
| decry | to criticize openly |
| deface | to ruin or injure something's appearance |
| defamatory | harmful toward another's reputation |
| ebullient | extremely lively, enthusiastic |
| eclectic | consisting of a diverse variety of elements |
| ecstatic | intensely and overpoweringly happy |
| edict | an order, decree |
| efface | to wipe out, obliterate, rub away |
| effervescent | bubbly, lively |
| efficacious | effective |
| effrontery | impudence, nerve, insolence |
| effulgent | radiant, splendorous |
| egregious | extremely bad |
| fabricate | to make up, invent |
| facade | the wall of a building; a deceptive appearance or attitude |
| facile | easy, requiring little effort; superficial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere |
| fallacious | incorrect, misleading |
| fastidious | meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards |
| fathom | to understand, comprehend |
| fatuous | silly, foolish |
| fecund | fruitful, fertile |
| felicitous | well suited, apt |
| feral | wild, savage |
| garish | gaudy, in bad taste |
| garrulous | talkative, wordy |
| genial | friendly, affable |
| gluttony | overindulgence in food or drink |
| goad | to urge, spur, incite to action |
| gourmand | someone fond of eating and drinking |
| grandiloquence | lofty, pompous language |
| grandiose | one a magnificent or exaggerated scale |
| gratuitous | uncalled for, unwarranted |
| gregarious | drawn to the company of others, sociable |
| hackneyed | unoriginal, trite |
| hallowed | revered, consecrated |
| hapless | unlucky |
| harangue | a ranting speech; to give such a speech |
| hardy | robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions |
| harrowing | greatly distressing, vexing |
| haughty | disdainfully proud |
| hedonist | one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans |
| hegemony | domination over others |
| heinous | shockingly wicked, repugnant |
| iconoclast | one who attacks common beliefs or institutions |
| idiosyncratic | peculiar to one person; highly individualized |
| idolatrous | excessively worshiping one object or person |
| ignominious | humiliating, disgracing |
| illicit | forbidden, not permitted |
| immerse | to absorb, deeply involve, engrossing |
| immutable | not changeable |
| impassive | stoic, not susceptible to suffering |
| impeccable | exemplary, flawless |
| impecunious | poor |
| jubilant | extremely joyful, happy |
| judicious | having or exercising sound judgement |
| juxtaposition | the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison |
| abnegation | denial of comfort to oneself |
| abort | to give up on a half finished project or effort |
| abridge | to cut down, shorten; shortened |
| abrogate | to abolish, usually be authority |
| abscond | to sneak away and hide |
| absolution | freedom from blame, guilt, sin |
| abstain | to freely choose not to commit an action |
| knell | the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death |
| kudos | praise for an achievement |
| abstruse | hard to comprehend |
| accede | to agree to something |
| accentuate | to stress, highlight |
| accessible | obtainable, reachable |
| acclaim | high praise |
| accolade | high praise, special distinction |
| accommodating | helpful, obliging, polite |
| accord | an agreement |
| laceration | a cut, tear |
| laconic | terse in speech or writing |
| languid | sluggish from fatigue or weakness |
| larceny | obtaining another's property by theft or trickery |
| largess | the generous giving of lavish gifts |
| latent | hidden, but capable of being exposed |
| laudatory | expressing admiration or praise |
| lavish | given without limits; to give without limits |
| legerdemain | deception, slight of hand |
| lenient | demonstrating tolerance or gentleness |
| maelstrom | a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects |
| magnanimous | noble, generous |
| malediction | a curse |
| malevolent | wanting harm to befall others |
| malleable | capable of being shaped or transformed |
| mandate | an authoritative command |
| manifest | easily understandable, obvious; to show plainly |
| manifold | diverse, varied |
| maudlin | weakly sentimental |
| maverick | an independent, nonconformist person |
| nadir | the lowest point of something |
| nascent | in the process of being born or coming into existence |
| nebulous | vaguely defined, cloudy |
| nefarious | heinously villainous |
| negligent | habitually careless, neglectful |
| neophyte | someone who is young or inexperienced |
| nocturnal | relating to or occurring during the night |
| noisome | unpleasant, especially to the sense of smell |
| nomadic | wandering from place to place |
| nominal | trifling, insignificant |
| obdurate | unyielding to persuasion or moral influences |
| obfuscate | to render incomprehensible |
| oblique | diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward |
| oblivious | lacking consciousness or awareness of something |
| obscure | unclear, partially hidden |
| obsequiousness | excessively compliant or submissive |
| obsolete | no longer used, out of date |
| obstinate | not yielding easily, stubborn |
| obstreperous | noisy, unruly |
| obtuse | lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect |
| pacific | soothing |
| palatable | agreeable to the taste or sensibilities |
| palette | a range of colors or qualities |
| palliate | to reduce the severity of |
| pallid | lacking color |
| panacea | a remedy for all ills or difficulties |
| paradigm | an example that is a perfect pattern or model |
| paradox | an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true |
| paragon | a model of excellence or perfection |
| paramount | greatest in importance, rank, character |
| quagmire | a difficult situation |
| quaint | charmingly old fashioned |
| quandary | a perplexed, unresolvable state |
| quell | to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation |
| querulous | whiny, complaining |
| quixotic | idealistic, impractical |
| quotidian | daily |
| accost | to confront verbally |
| accretion | slow growth in size or amount |
| acerbic | biting, bitter in tone or taste |
| rail | to scold, protest |
| rancid | having a terrible taste or smell |
| rancor | deep, bitter resentment |
| rapport | mutual understanding and harmony |
| rash | hasty, incautious |
| raucous | loud, boisterous |
| raze | to demolish, level |
| rebuke | to scold, criticize |
| recalcitrant | defiant, unapologetic |
| recapitulate | to sum up, repeat |
| saccharine | sickeningly sweet |
| sacrosanct | holy, something that should not be criticized |
| sagacity | shrewdness, soundness |
| salient | significant, conspicuous |
| salutation | a greeting |
| salve | a soothing balm |
| sanctimonious | giving a hypocritical appearance of piety |
| sanguine | optimistic, cheery |
| satiate | to satisfy excessively |
| scathing | sharp, critical, hurtful |
| tacit | expressed without words |
| taciturn | not inclined to talk |
| tangential | incidental, peripheral, divergent |
| tantamount | equivalent in value or significance |
| tedious | dull, boring |
| temerity | audacity, recklessness |
| temperance | moderation in action or thought |
| tenable | able to be defended or maintained |
| tenuous | having little substance or strength |
| terrestrial | relating to the land |
| ubiquitous | existing everywhere, widespread |
| umbrage | resentment, offense |
| uncanny | of supernatural character or origin |
| unctuous | smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner |
| undulate | to move in waves |
| upbraid | to criticize or sold severely |
| usurp | to seize by force, take possession of without right |
| utilitarian | relating to or aiming at usefulness |
| utopia | an imaginary and remote place of perfection |
| acquiesce | to agree without protesting |
| vacillate | to fluctuate, hesitate |
| vacuous | lack of content or ideas, stupid |
| validate | to confirm, support, corroborate |
| vapid | lacking liveliness, dull |
| variegated | diversified, distinctly marked |
| vehemently | marked by intense force or emotion |
| veneer | a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, facade |
| venerable | deserving of respect because of age or achievement |
| venerate | to regard with respect or to honor |
| veracity | truthfulness, accuracy |
| wallow | to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless |
| wane | to decrease in size, dwindle |
| wanton | undisciplined, lewd, lustful |
| whimsical | fanciful, full of whims |
| wily | crafty, sly |
| winsome | charming, pleasing |
| wistful | full of yearning; musingly sad |
| wizened | dry, shrunken; wrinkled |
| wrath | vengeful anger, punishment |
| acrimony | bitterness, discord |
| acumen | keen insight |
| acute | sharp, severe; having keen insight |
| adamant | impervious, immovable, unyielding |
| adept | extremely skilled |
| adhere | to stick to something |
| admonish | to caution, criticize, reprove |
| adorn | to decorate |
| adroit | skillful, dexterous |
| adulation | extreme praise |
| adumbrate | to sketch out in a vague way |
| yoke | to join, link |
| averse | antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous |
| advocate | to argue in favor of something; a person who argues in favor of something |
| aerial | somehow related to the air |
| aesthetic | artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty |
| affable | friendly, amiable |
| affinity | a spontaneous feeling of closeness |
| affluent | rich, wealthy |
| affront | an insult |
| aggrandize | to increase or make greater |
| zealous | fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something |
| zenith | the highest point, culminating point |
| zephyr | a gentle breeze |
| aggregate | a whole or total; to gather into a mass |
| aggrieved | distressed, wronged, injured |
| agile | quick, nimble |
| agnostic | believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven |
| agriculture | farming |
| aisle | a passageway between rows of seats |
| alacrity | eagerness, speed |
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