| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Beguile | trick. enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive way. |
| Redouble | make bigger |
| Alderman | elected member of a council |
| Impertinent | rude |
| Penance | voluntary self punishment |
| Sonorous | imposingly deep and full |
| Dilating | make more open |
| Insolvent | unable to pay debts owed |
| Machiavellianism | the political doctrine of Machiavelli: any means (however unscrupulous) can be used by a ruler in order to create and maintain his autocratic government |
| Vertiginous | having or causing a whirling sensation |
| Accoutrements | accessories |
| Effervescent | (of a liquid) giving off bubbles. Or being vivacious. |
| Oligarchy | a political system governed by a few people |
| Theocracy | the belief in government by divine guidance |
| Begot | produce as an effect |
| Debutante | a young woman making her debut into society |
| Quixotic | exceedingly idealistic |
| Quotidian | everyday; commonplace |
| Sordid | unethical or dishonest |
| Disenfranchised | deprived of the rights of citizenship; especially the right to vote |
| Propitiate | make peace with |
| Pathology | the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases |
| Inculpate | suggest that someone is guilty |
| Reprisal | a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime |
| Broadside | an advertisement (usually printed on a page or in a leaflet) intended for wide distribution |
| Broadside | the simultaneous firing of all the armament on one side of a warship |
| Fratricidal | denoting strife within a single family or organization |
| Catechism | an elementary book summarizing the principles of a Christian religion |
| Chasm | a deep opening in the earth's surface |
| Assail | attack someone physically or emotionally |
| Impugned | challenged; to be doubted |
| Vernacular | the everyday speech of the people (as distinguished from literary language) |
| Prelude | something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows |
| Enjoin | instruct or urge (someone) to do something |
| Nepotism | favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs) |
| Efficacy | capacity or power to produce a desired effect |
| Surrogate | someone who takes the place of another person |
| Pare | decrease gradually or bit by bit |
| Gird | prepare oneself for a military confrontation |
| Vain | characteristic of false pride |
| Vogue | the popular taste at a given time |
| Astringent | sour or bitter in taste |
| Solvent | capable of meeting financial obligations |
| Narcissism | an exceptional interest in and admiration for yourself |
| Mannerism | a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display |
| Portly | euphemisms for 'fat' |
| Sultry | sexually exciting or gratifying |
| Amalgam | a combination or blend of diverse things |
| Dissension | disagreement among those expected to cooperate |
| Actuated | moved to action |
| Feign | make believe with the intent to deceive |
| Subjugation | the act of conquering |
| Torrid | emotionally charged and vigorously energetic |
| Gallivant | wander aimlessly in search of pleasure |
| Paean | a formal expression of praise |
| Gallant | chivalrous; (of man or his behavior) courteous toward women |
| Recidivism | habitual relapse into crime |
| Vanguard | the position of greatest advancement |
| Rickshaw | a small two-wheeled cart for one passenger |
| Sartorial | of or relating to a tailor or to tailoring |
| Warren | an overcrowded residential area; labyrinthine |
| Incant | chant or intone : priests were incanting psalms around her body |
| Incantatory | derivative of incantation |
| Recognizance | (law) a security entered into before a court with a condition to perform some act required by law |
| Banter | be silly or tease one another |
| Transgression | the action of going beyond or overstepping some boundary or limit |
| Gravitas | high seriousness. |
| Halcyon | marked by peace and prosperity |
| Scud | the act of moving along swiftly (as before a gale) |
| Protract | lengthen in time |
| Xenogamy | fertilization of a flower by pollen from a flower on a genetically different plant |
| Colloquy | a conversation |
| Tacit | understood or implied without being stated |
| Temerity | fearless daring |
| Exigency | a pressing or urgent situation |
| Forthwith | without delay or hesitation |
| Repulse | force or drive back |
| Intrigue | a crafty and involved plot to achieve your (usually sinister) ends |
| Indemnity | legal exemption from liability for damages |
| Citadels | strong central fortress |
| Reverie | absent-minded dreaming while awake |
| Ancillary | serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary; N. |
| Conflate | mix together different elements |
| Metonymy | substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in 'they counted heads') |
| Repute | the state of being held in high esteem and honor;be generally said or believed to do something or to have particular characteristics |
| Sovereign | greatest in status or authority or power |
| Miscreant | a person without moral scruples |
| Rabid | Affected with rabies or hydrophobia. |
| Fetid | stinking |
| Archly | with playful slyness or roguishness |
| Dullard | a person who is not very bright |
| Regression | returning to a former state |
| Lascivious | driven by lust |
| Smarmy | ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive : a smarmy, unctuous reply. |
| Fiat | a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge) |
| Execrate | feel or express great loathing for |
| Augured | tell the future |
| Crassest | So crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility. |
| Isthmus | a narrow band of tissue connecting two larger parts of an anatomical structure |
| Rhetoric | use OAD |
| Abattoir | a slaughterhouse |
| Abeyance | temporary cessation or suspension |
| Requiem | a Mass celebrated for the dead |
| Peculator | someone who violates a trust by taking (money) for their own use |
| Plutocracy | a political system governed by the wealthy people |
| Wantonly | in a licentious and promiscuous manner |
| Regnant | reigning; predominant; widespread |
| Olio | a miscellaneous collection of things |
| Availed | made use of |
| Sublime | inspiring awe |
| Sovereign | greatest in status or authority or power |
| Amortizing | reduce or extinguish (a debt) by money regularly put aside |
| Augur | indicate by signs |
| Impertinence | not showing proper respect; rude : an impertinent question. |
| Obtrusive | noticeable or prominent in an unwelcome or intrusive way |
| Tempestuous | (of the elements) as if showing violent anger |
| Ontology | the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being. |
| Effluvia | an unpleasant or harmful odor, secretion, or discharge |
| Halcyon | denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful |
| Insouciant | casual lack of concern; indifference |
| Bucolic | of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life |
| Extemporaneously | spoken or done without preparation |
| Fomenting | instigate or stir up (an undesirable or violent sentiment or course of action) |
| Totalitarian | of or relating to a system of government that is centralized and dictatorial and requires complete subservience to the state : a totalitarian regime. |
| Macabre | disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death and injury : a macabre series of murders. |
| Vain | via Old French from Latin vanus 'empty, without substance.' |
| Debauch | destroy or debase the moral purity of; corrupt. |
| Sophism | a fallacious argument, esp. one used deliberately to deceive. |
| Prophetic | accurately describing or predicting what will happen in the future |
| Absolutism | the acceptance of or belief in absolute principles in political, philosophical, ethical, or theological matters. |
| Contempt | the feeling that a person or a thing is beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn : he showed his contempt for his job by doing it very badly. |
| Diametrical | used to emphasize how completely different two or more things are : he's the diametrical opposite of Gabriel. |
| Bifurcation | the division of something into two branches or parts : the bifurcation of the profession into social do-gooders and self-serving iconoclasts. |
| Filial | of or due from a son or daughter : a display of filial affection. |
| Avuncular | of or relating to an uncle. |
| Funerary | relating to a funeral or the commemoration of the dead : funerary ceremonies. |
| Abash | cause to feel embarrassed, disconcerted, or ashamed : she was not abashed at being caught. |
| Syncopate | displace the beats or accents in (music or a rhythm) so that strong beats 2. 2 shorten (a word) by dropping sounds or letters in the middle, as in symbology for symbolology, or Gloster for Gloucester.become weak and vice versa : syncopated dance music. |
| Mellifluous | (of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear : the voice was mellifluous and smooth. |
| Rive | split or tear apart violently : the party was riven by disagreements over Europe | figurative he was riven with guilt. |
| August | Inspiring awe or admiration; majestic: the august presence of the monarch. |
| Apologist | A person who argues in defense or justification of something |
| Providence | the protective care of God or of nature as a spiritual power |
| Pecuniary | relating to or involving money |
| Languor | the state or feeling, often pleasant, of tiredness or inertia : he remembered the languor and warm happiness of those golden afternoons. |
| Canard | an unfounded rumor or story |
| Wheedle | cajole |
| Ingratiate | To win confidence or good graces for oneself. |
| Erstwhile | former |
| Ambit | the scope of something : within the ambit of federal law. |
| Dissemble | conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs |
| Chary | cautious, wary |
| Recompense | compensate |
| Sunder | to split apart |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace