Advanced GRE Words
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1,513 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 rustle | make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed together |
| comely | having a pleasing appearance |
| abrogate | to repeal, cancel, declare null and void |
| abiding | remaining in place, continuing or enduring, long lasting |
| abject | miserable, pitiful |
| accede | to agree or express agreement |
| plumage | the feathers on a bird |
| geriatrics | the branch of medicine concerned with the medical problems and treatment/care of the aged |
| peregrination | journey, wandering, odyssey |
| regatta | a boat race, a strong, striped cotton fabric that is of twill weave |
| quarry | a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence |
| conveyance | vehicle; transfer; act of conveying; Ex. public conveyance |
| carping | petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble |
| veer | change in direction; swerve |
| dotage | senility; feeblemindedness of old age; Ex. In one's dotage |
| senility | old age; feeblemindedness of old age; ADJ. senile: resulting from old age; showing the weakness of body or mind from old age; Ex. senile dementia |
| cornice | projecting molding on building (usually above columns or pillars) |
| fetid(foetid) | malodorous; foul |
| malodorous | foul-smelling |
| disgruntle | make discontented, angry |
| discontented | unhappy with life,not contented |
| tan | convert (hide) into leather; make brown by exposure to the sun |
| advert | make a more or less disguised reference to |
| hone | sharpen (a tool); N: whetstone for sharpening a tool |
| vitiate | spoil the effect of; make inoperative; corrupt morally |
| petulant | (adj) peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset |
| peevish | irritable |
| improvise | perform without preparation |
| relic | something of historic interest that has survived from the past |
| scabbard | case for a sword blade; sheath |
| mangy | shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance |
| crestfallen | discouraged, dejected, downcast |
| ligneous | like wood |
| imbroglio | complicated situation (as in a play); painful or complex misunderstanding (as in a play); entanglement; confused mass (as of papers); V. embroil |
| scion | a descendent or heir |
| frantic | excessively agitated |
| sublimate | refine; purify; replace (natural urges) with socially acceptable activities; change between a solid state and a gaseous state |
| bent | determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business; N: natural talent or inclination |
| solemnity | seriousness; gravity |
| filth | a state characterized by foul or disgusting dirt and refuse |
| pulverize | crush or grind into very small particles |
| salient | prominent; of notable significance |
| elucidate | explain; make clear; clarify; enlighten; CF. lucid |
| comity | courtesy; civility; Ex. comity of nations |
| pittance | small amount (of money); small allowance or wage |
| peevish | easily irritated or annoyed |
| exorcise | drive out evil spirits |
| derogatory | expressing a low opinion; disparaging; V. derogate: detract; disparage |
| atrophy | wasting away; V: weaken and lose flesh and muscle (through lack of blood or lack of use) |
| mawkish | effusively or insincerely emotional |
| blare | loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light |
| inkling | hint; slight indication |
| prodigious | enormous; marvelous; extraordinary; Ex. prodigious amount/memory |
| overweening | arrogant; presumptuous |
| fanfare | (music) a short lively tune played on brass instruments |
| umbrage | resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult; Ex. take umbrage at his rudeness |
| hazy | slightly obscure; misty; unclear; N. haze: light mist or smoke; confused state of mind |
| sedulous | diligent; assiduous; paying attention; N. sedulity |
| disgorge | surrender something (stolen); eject; vomit; OP. gorge |
| saunter | stroll(go for a leisurely walk) slowly |
| gavel | hammerlike tool; mallet(wooden hammer) used by a presiding officer or an auctioneer; |
| tenacity | firmness; persisten |
| sterile | incapable of reproducing |
| corrugated | wrinkled; ridged |
| nostalgia | homesickness; longing for the past; Ex. nostalgia for the clothes of 1920s |
| respite | time for rest; interval of relief; delay in punishment; reprieve |
| decimate | kill (usually one out of ten or every tenth man); destroy or kill a large part of |
| apiarist | person who keeps bees |
| giddy | light-hearted; not serious; frivolous; dizzy; causing dizziness; Ex. giddy youth; Ex. giddy climb/height |
| plutocracy | society ruled by the wealthy |
| quay | dock; wharf; pier; landing place (for boats) |
| unison | unity of pitch (in musical performance); complete accord; Ex. The choir sang in unison. |
| gambit | opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed; action made to produce a future advantage |
| conventional | ordinary; typical; not nuclear; Ex. conventional weapons |
| simper | smirk; smile in a silly way; smile affectedly |
| smirk | smile affectedly or derisively |
| rout | put to rout; stampede; drive out; N: complete defeat and disorderly retreat |
| stampede | a wild headlong rush of frightened animals (horses or cattle) |
| gall | bitterness of feeling; nerve; effrontery |
| extant | (of something written or painted) still in existence |
| ape | imitate or mimic (a person's behavior or manner) |
| jingoist | extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist; N. jingoism: extreme nationalism |
| rag | scrap of cloth; ADJ. ragged: old and torn; seeming unfinished and imperfect; Ex. ragged debut/performance |
| deflect | turn aside; turn away from a straight course |
| infest | inhabit in numbers large enough to be harmful; Ex. Mice infested the house; Ex. shark-infested waters |
| maroon | leave helpless on a deserted island or coast; ADJ. red brown |
| diaphanous | sheer; transparent |
| inert | inactive; lacking power to move; unable to move or act; Ex. chemically inert; N. inertia: state of being inert; force which keeps a thing in the position or state |
| occlude | shut; close; obstruct; Ex. A blood clot occluded an artery |
| char | make or become black by burning; reduce or be reduced to carbon or charcoal(black substance made by burning wood) by incomplete combustion |
| mite | very small object or insect-like creature; small coin |
| swagger | walk or behave with an over-confident manner |
| benison | blessing |
| trance | hypnotic state; ecstatic state; detachment from one's physical surrounding (as in contemplation or daydreaming); CF. transition |
| fumble | handle clumsily |
| motley | multi-colored (as of a garment worn by a jester); mixed; heterogeneous; CF. jester: one who jests (as a paid fool at medieval courts) |
| rectitude | moral correctness; moral uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment |
| rail | complain bitterly; scold; rant; Ex. the weaker railing against injustices |
| inerrancy | infallibility |
| solstice | point or time at which the sun is farthest from the equator |
| frigid | intensely cold; cold in manner; Ex. frigid zone |
| debunk | expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule |
| parched | extremely dry; very thirsty; V. parch: make or become extremely dry (by exposure to heat) |
| despoil | plunder; sack; Ex. despoil the village |
| apothecary | druggist; pharmacist |
| revulsion | sudden strong feeling of disgust; sudden violent change of feeling; negative reaction; Ex. revulsion from the scenes of torture |
| evasive | not frank; trying to hide the truth; eluding; evading; V. evade: avoid (a duty or responsibility) or escape from by deceit |
| anthropoid | manlike; resembling a human being |
| corpulent | very fat; N. corpulence |
| bask | luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth |
| fell | cruel; (of a disease) deadly |
| endear | make beloved; Ex. endear her to everyone; ADJ. dear: loved; cherished; high-priced |
| expropriate | take possession of (often for public use and without payment) |
| decrepit | weak and in bad condition from old age or hard use; Ex. decrepit old chair/man |
| preempt | prevent in advance; head off(forestall); forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself before others; supplant; take the place of; displace; Ex. preempt any attempts; ADJ. preemptive |
| scuttle | sink (a ship) by cutting holes in the hull; scrap; discard; N: small hatch in a ship's deck or hull |
| rant | speak violently or excitedly; rave; talk excitedly showing anger; scold; make a grandiloquent speech; Ex. The priest ranted about the devil. |
| fell | cut or knock down (a tree or a person); bring down (with a missile) |
| overt | open to view; public; not secret; CF. covert |
| apiculture | bee-keeping |
| bilk | swindle; cheat |
| chronic | long established as a disease |
| iota | very small quantity |
| cosmic | pertaining to the universe; vast |
| affliction | state of distress; trial; cause of distress or suffering; V. afflict: inflict grievous suffering on |
| subterfuge | stratagem(deceptive scheme); pretense; evasion; Ex. resort to a harmless subterfuge |
| bicker | quarrel |
| ingenue | young innocent girl, a naïve girl or young woman |
| pestilential(pestilent) | causing plague; tending to cause death; baneful; N. pestilence: fatal epidemic disease (esp. bubonic plague) |
| gibe | mock; make jeering remarks; N: jeering (mocking) remarks |
| sluggish | lazy; slow; inactive; lethargic; CF. slug: nail with no shell |
| inclusive | tending to include all; all-inclusive; Ex. inclusive charge |
| delineate | portray; depict; sketch; describe; N. delineation |
| apogee | highest point; the point farthest from the earth; OP. perigee |
| conscientious | scrupulous; through and careful; Ex. conscientious worker |
| bout | match; short period of great activity; Ex. wrestling bout; bout of drinking/flu |
| pummel | pommel; beat or pound with fists |
| placid | peaceful; calm; Ex. placid child/lake |
| tarnish | make or become dull or discolored |
| quiver | tremble; shake |
| abet | assist usually in doing something wrong; encourage |
| rake | angle of a slope; V: slant from the perpendicular |
| maraud | move in search of plunder; Ex. marauding army |
| glossary | brief explanation of words used in the text |
| quixotic | idealistic but impractical; CF. Don Quixote |
| verve | enthusiasm (as in artistic performance or composition); liveliness; vigor |
| penury | extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy |
| finesse | delicate skill; V: handle with finesse |
| stratagem | deceptive scheme; clever trick |
| apiary | a place where bees are kept |
| tremor | trembling; slight quiver (as of the earth or from nervous agitation) |
| unscathed | unharmed; Ex. escape the accident unscathed |
| swindler | cheater |
| stilted | bombastic; stiffly pompous; Ex. stilted rhetoric; CF. stiff: formal |
| deify | turn into a god; make a god of; idolize; Ex. Kings were deified; CF. deity |
| gentility | those of gentle birth; high social class; refinement; quality of being genteel |
| impel | drive or force onward; drive to take action; urge to action |
| aseptic | preventing infection; having a cleansing effect |
| profusion | great amount; plenty; overabundance; excess; lavish expenditure; Ex. profusion of choices; ADJ. profuse: plentiful; copious; giving or given abundantly; extravagant |
| preponderance | superiority of power, quantity, etc.; V. preponderate: be greater in power, weight, or importance; ADJ. preponderant |
| lagoon | shallow body of water or lake near a sea; lake separated from a sea by sandbars or coral reefs |
| equestrian | rider on horseback |
| hue | suffuse with color |
| bloated | (unpleasantly) swollen or puffed as with water or air |
| engross | occupy fully; absorb |
| bewitch | cast a spell over someone or something |
| astute | wise; shrewd; keen; seeing quickly something that is to one's advantage |
| brawl | noisy quarrel |
| piety | devoutness; reverence for God; ADJ. pious |
| blush | become red in the face (from embarrassment or shame); become red or rosy |
| alcove | nook; recess |
| nuptial | of marriage or the wedding ceremony; N; nuptials; wedding ceremony |
| innuendo | indirect or subtle (derogatory) hint; insinuation; Ex. sexual innuendo |
| parsimony | stinginess; excessive frugality; ADJ. parsimonious |
| filch | steal (things of small value) |
| mangle | tear or cut to pieces; mutilate or disfigure; Ex. badly mangled bodies |
| dissolution | disintegration; reduction to a liquid form; looseness in morals; sensual indulgence; debauchery; ADJ. dissolute: lacking in moral restraint; leading an immoral life |
| lackadaisical | lacking interest or effort; lacking purpose or zest; lazy; halfhearted; languid |
| incisive | (appreciatively) cutting; sharp; Ex. incisive remarks; V. incise: make a cut into |
| cantankerous | ill-humored; irritable |
| turbid | (of a liquid) having the sediment disturbed; muddy; thick |
| onus | burden; responsibility |
| phlegmatic | calm and unexcitable; not easily disturbed; CF. phlegm: sticky mucus produced in the respiratory tract |
| animus | hostile feeling or intent; animosity; hostility; disposition |
| venal | capable of being bribed; corrupt; CF. vernal |
| silt | sediment deposited by running water (at the entrance to a harbor or by a bend in a river) |
| regal | royal; of a monarch; Ex. regal manner |
| spendthrift | someone who wastes money; CF. thrift: accumulated wealth |
| surrogate | substitute; person or thing used in place of another; Ex. surrogate mother |
| oligarchy | government by a privileged few |
| mannered | affected; not natural; Ex. mannered way of speech |
| deprecate | express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. deprecatory |
| besmirch | soil; defile; make dirty |
| anemia | condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles |
| divine | perceive intuitively (by or as if by magic); foresee the future; foretell; dowse |
| reprehensible | deserving blame; blameworthy; V. reprehend: blame |
| eerie | weird; causing fear because strange |
| conclave | private secret meeting |
| inquisitive | eager for knowledge; unduly curious |
| compendium | brief, comprehensive summary; ADJ. compendious |
| awe | solemn wonder; feeling of respect mixed with wonder and fear; V: fill with awe; ADJ. awesome |
| dwindle | shrink; reduce gradually |
| solicitous | anxious; worried; concerned; eager; Ex. solicitous to do something; N. solicitude |
| effusion | pouring forth; unrestrained outpouring of feeling; V. effuse: pour out; ADJ. effusive: pouring forth; gushing |
| beguile | deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile |
| tarantula | venomous spider |
| bard | poet |
| podium | pedestal; raised platform |
| dire | warning of disaster; disastrous; (of needs and dangers) very great; urgent; Ex. dire prediction/need of food |
| manacle | restrain; handcuff |
| helm | steering wheel of a ship; position of control |
| unbridled | violent; uncontrolled; Ex. unbridled rage/greed |
| untoward | unexpected and adverse; unfortunate or unlucky; Ex. untoward encounter |
| macabre | gruesome; grisly; ghastly; CF. of death |
| chuckle | laugh quietly |
| penumbra | partial shadow (in an eclipse); CF. almost shadow |
| wrinkle | small ridge on a smooth surface (face or cloth) |
| aphasia | loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| recapitulate | summarize |
| swerve | deviate; turn aside sharply from a straight course; Ex. swerve from the principle; Ex. The car swerved to the right |
| contravene | contradict; oppose; violate (a rule, law, or custom); N. contravention |
| mausoleum |  monumental tomb; large stately tomb; CF. Mausolos |
| aphelion |  The place in the Earth's orbit where Earth is farthest away from the sun. |
| agrarian |  relating to rural matters |
| cherubic |  having a sweet nature befitting an angel or cherub |
| confluence |  flowing together; the place where two rivers flow together; crowd; gathering together |
| defunct | no longer in existence |
| dirge | a funeral hymn or mournful speech |
| esurient |  devouring or craving food in great quantities |
| enjoin |  give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority |
| exude |  make apparent by one's mood or behaviour |
| extricate |  release from entanglement of difficulty |
| exuberant | full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy |
| expurgate |  edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate |
| evince |  show clearly |
| eurythmics |  the interpretation in harmonious bodily movements of the rhythm of musical compositions |
| fetid |  adj. foul smelling, stinking, having an offensive odor |
| fractious |  stubbornly resistant to authority or control |
| flaunt |  to show off |
| flaccid |  lacking firmness or stiffness |
| fiendish |  extremely evil or cruel |
| furtive |  secret and sly or sordid |
| hoary |  ancient |
| importune |  beg persistently and urgently |
| inextricable |  incapable of being solved or untangled |
| injunction |  an authoritative command or order |
| lampoon |  ridicule with satire |
| mottle |  mark with spots or blotches of different color or shades of color as if stained |
| morose |  sullen and ill-tempered. |
| mollusk |  invertebrate having a soft unsegmented body usually enclosed in a shell |
| monolith |  |
| orb |  an object with a spherical shape |
| pauper |  a person who is very poor |
| philology |  the humanistic study of language and literature |
| pillage |  the act of stealing valuable things from a place |
| portent |  indication of something important or calamitous about to occur; omen |
| pummel |  beat or pound with fists |
| promontory |  a natural elevation (especially a rocky one that juts out into the sea) |
| prude |  a person excessively concerned about propriety and decorum |
| tome |  a (usually) large and scholarly book |
| tundra |  a vast treeless plain in the arctic regions between the ice cap and the tree line |
| barrister | counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law |
| primordial | existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary |
| nimble | quick in movement; agile; quick in understanding; Ex. nimble climber/mind |
| suckle | give or take milk at the breast or udder |
| tedium | boredom; weariness; ADJ. tedious |
| effete | having lost one's original power, no longer capable of effective action; barren; worn out; exhausted |
| superfluous | excessive; overabundant; unnecessary; N. superfluity |
| legend | explanatory list of symbols on a map |
| nubile | marriageable; of marriageable age; CF. connubial |
| congenial | pleasant; friendly; in agreement with one's tastes and nature; Ex. congenial weather |
| larceny | theft; Ex. petit larceny |
| buffoon | stupid person; clown |
| palatable | agreeable; pleasing to the taste |
| contumacious | stubborn and disobedient; resisting authority (esp. disobedient to an order made by a court) |
| heyday | time of greatest success or power; prime |
| theocracy | government run by religious leaders |
| tribulation | suffering; ordeal; distress; trial |
| unfledged | immature; not having the feathers necessary to fly; CF. fledgling |
| forsake | desert; abandon; renounce |
| prognosis | forecasted course of a disease; prediction; CF. prognostic |
| commensurate | equal in extent; of the same size |
| histrionic | theatrical; excessively dramatic or emotional; affected; of actors or acting; N. histrionics: histrionic behavior |
| botch | mismanage; blow |
| clasp | hold firmly within arms |
| pathetic | causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching |
| hale | healthy |
| fritter | waste (time or money on unimportant things) |
| disseminate | distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds) |
| aloof | apart; not open in one's relationship with other people; reserved |
| quintessence | purest and highest embodiment; perfect example; apotheosis; most essential element; Ex. quintessence of wit; ADJ. quintessential; CF. fifth essence |
| synoptic | providing a general overview; summary; N. synopsis |
| filigree | delicate ornamental lacelike metalwork |
| thrall | slave; bondage; slavery; Ex. Her beauty held him in thrall; CF. enthrall |
| rapacious | voracious; ravenous; taking everything one can; excessively grasping; plundering; subsisting on live prey; Ex. rapacious birds |
| nexus | connection |
| pathological | pertaining to disease; N. pathology: study of disease |
| aspire | seek to attain (position or status); long for; Ex. aspire to become president; Ex. aspire to/after the leadership |
| agog | highly excited; intensely curious |
| ram | male sheep; V. strike or drive against with a heavy impact |
| propitiate | appease; conciliate; make peaceful; ADJ. propitiatory |
| bully | one who is habitually cruel to weaker people |
| miscellaneous | made up of a variety of parts |
| ample | enough; abundant; spacious; large in size; Ex. ample opportunity/garden; N. amplitude: quality of being ample; abundance; largeness of space |
| impugn | dispute or contradict (often in an insulting way); attack as false or questionable; challenge; gainsay; CF. fight |
| rational | (of a person) having reason; (of ideas) based on reason; logical |
| coterie | group that meets socially; select circle; close group of people with shared interests |
| fraught | filled (with something unpleasant); full; Ex. fraught with danger and difficulties; CF. freight |
| unwarranted | unjustified; having no justification; groundless; baseless; undeserved |
| sloth | slow moving tree-dwelling mammal; laziness; ADJ. slothful: lazy; indolent |
| potentate | monarch; sovereign |
| epitome | perfect example or embodiment; brief summary; Ex. epitome of good manners; V. epitomize: make an epitome of; be an epitome of; embody |
| jaunt | trip; short journey |
| fiat | command; arbitrary order; Ex. presidential fiat; CF. let it be done |
| mnemonic | pertaining to memory; assisting the memory; N: device, such as as formula or rhyme, used as a mnemonic aid |
| vantage | position giving an advantage (such as a strategic point); CF. vantagepoint |
| gargantuan | huge; enormous; gigantic; CF. the hero of Gargantua and Pantagruel |
| cynosure | object of general attention; person or thing that is a center of attention; CF. Ursa Minor |
| ewe | female sheep |
| extraneous | not essential; irrelevant; superfluous; external; coming from the outside; Ex. extraneous details/noise/to the subject |
| lithe | flexible; supple; CF. limber |
| fortitude | bravery; courage; strength of mind |
| acne | skin disease (on the face) |
| exegesis | explanation, especially of biblical(of the bible) passages |
| incense | enrage; infuriate(make furious); make extremely angry; outrage; N: aromatic substance burned to produce a pleasant odor |
| misanthrope | one who hates mankind; misanthropist |
| conundrum | riddle; difficult problem |
| stickler | perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right |
| aphorism | pithy maxim or saying; ADJ. aphoristic |
| cupidity | greed (for wealth); CF. cupid; CF. Cupid |
| demean | disgrace; humiliate; debase in dignity; behave |
| niggardly | meanly stingy; parsimonious; N. niggard: stingy person |
| soporific | sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness; drowsy |
| voracious | ravenous; eating large quantities of food; exceedingly eager; insatiable; Ex. voracious animal/reader |
| fetish(fetich) | object believed to have spiritual powers; object of excessive attention or reverence; CF. fetishism |
| confine | shut in an enclosed space; restrict; keep within limits; N. confinement |
| obfuscate | confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex; make so confused as to be difficult to understand |
| orthodox | traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine |
| pertinent | suitable; to the point; relevant |
| nocturnal | done or active at night; Ex. nocturnal animals/raids; CF. nocturne |
| abscond | depart secretly and hide |
| congeal | freeze; coagulate |
| legerdemain | sleight(dexterity) of hand; CF. light of hand |
| recourse | resorting to help when in trouble |
| sacrilegious | desecrating; profane; N. sacrilege: desecration, misuse, or theft of something sacred |
| piebald | of different colors; mottled; spotted in different colors (esp. in black and white); Ex. piebald horse; CF. pie+bal |
| misapprehension | error; misunderstanding; V. misapprehend |
| foil | contrast; one that by contrast enhances the distinctive characteristics of another |
| addendum | addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book) |
| bereaved | deprived of (someone beloved through death) |
| lackluster | lacking luster(shine; gloss); dull |
| extol | praise very highly; glorify |
| presumptuous | going beyond what is right; excessively forward; arrogant; taking liberties |
| impinge | infringe; encroach; influence; touch; collide with; Ex. The effects are impinging on every aspect of our lives. |
| carousal | drunken revel; V. carouse |
| append | attach |
| covetous | avaricious; desirous of (someone else's possessions); V. covet: desire eagerly (someone else's possessions) |
| unkempt | disheveled; uncared for in appearance; not combed |
| incarnation | act of assuming a human body and human nature; one who personifies something; personification; Ex. previous incarnation/reincarnation |
| festive | joyous; celebratory; relating to a feast or festival |
| plebeian | common; vulgar; pertaining to the common people; N: common people in ancient Rome; CF. patrician |
| creed | system of religious or ethical belief |
| cognate | having a common origin; related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature; Ex. cognate languages; N. |
| libidinous | lustful |
| expatiate | talk at length; speak or write in detail |
| tumult | commotion of a great crowd; riot; noise; uproar; ADJ. tumultuous: noisy and disorderly |
| inept | unsuited; inappropriate; lacking skill; incompetent; CF. inapt: (of statements or ideas) inappropriate |
| trite | hackneyed; commonplace |
| baroque | highly ornate |
| sycophant | servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man; ADJ. sycophantic |
| exult | rejoice |
| celerity | speed; rapidity |
| pliant | flexible; easily influenced |
| jest | playful remark or act; V. act or speak playfully |
| stalemate | deadlock; situation in which further action is blocked |
| blues | state of depression or melancholy; style of slow, mournful music (evolved from southern Black American songs) |
| felicitous | (of a word or remark) apt; suitably expressed; well chosen |
| languid | lacking energy or vitality; weary; sluggish; listless |
| lax | careless; negligent; not paying enough attention; Ex. lax service |
| sextant |  navigation tool used to determine a ship's latitude and longitude (by measuring the altitudes of stars) |
| salubrious | healthful; conducive to health or well-being; socially desirable; Ex. salubrious area; CF. health |
| haphazard | random; by chance; happening in an unplanned manner; Ex. haphazard growth of the town |
| palliate | ease pain (without curing); make less severe or offensive (a crime or illness) |
| turncoat | traitor |
| patent | obvious; easily seen; open for the public to read; of or protected by a patent; Ex. patent to everyone; N. |
| collected | composed; calm; self-possessed |
| beholden | obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude |
| vituperative | abusive; scolding; V. vituperate: berate; scold; rail against abusively |
| limn | draw; outline; describe; CF. line |
| premonitory | serving to warn |
| eon(aeon) | long period of time; an age; longest division of geologic time containing two or more eras |
| sap | diminish; weaken; undermine the foundations of (a fortification); Ex. The element kryptonite sapped his strength. |
| anneal | reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (metal or glass) |
| equanimity | calmness of temperament; composure |
| isthmus |  a relatively narrow strip of land (with water on both sides) connecting two larger land areas |
| spate | sudden flood or rush; Ex. spate of accidents |
| opalescent | iridescent; lustrous; like an opal; N. opalescence |
| opal | a translucent mineral consisting of hydrated silica of variable color |
| egress | exit; opening for going out; act of going out; OP. ingress |
| paragon | model of perfection; Ex. paragon of virtue |
| condescend | bestow courtesies with a superior air; descend to the level of one considered inferior |
| unwitting | not knowing; unaware; unintentional; Ex. She was their unwitting accomplice; Ex. unwitting insult; CF. wit: know |
| fussy | fastidious; finicky; easily upset |
| paltry | insignificant; petty; trifling; contemptible; Ex. paltry sum; CF. trash |
| fiend | evil spirit; devil |
| voyeur | person who derives sexual gratification from observing the sexual acts of others |
| supplicate | petition humbly; pray to grant a favor |
| diurnal | daily; occurring during the daytime |
| atavism | resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback; ADJ. atavistic |
| indulge | yield to; gratify; allow oneself a special pleasure; Ex. indulge one's every whim/a child/in a big cigarette; N. indulgence |
| foible | small weakness of character; slight fault; CF. feeble |
| colloquy | informal discussion; conversation |
| remonstrate | protest; objection; V. remonstrate: say in protest |
| synthesis | combining parts or separate things into a whole; the whole so formed; PL. syntheses; V. synthesize |
| bank | heap; piled-up mass; embankment; lateral tilting (as of an aircraft in turning); V: pile up; protect with a bank; tilt in turning |
| sluggard | lazy person |
| profane | violate; desecrate (something holy); treat unworthily; be profane for; ADJ: secular; nonreligious; irreverent for holy things |
| tactile | pertaining to the organs or sense of touch |
| abiding | continuing, lasting |
| abjure | formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure |
| abrogate | to abolish, usually by authority |
| abut | lie adjacent to another or share a boundary |
| accede | to agree or express agreement |
| accommodating | helpful, obliging, polite |
| accost | approach with an offer of sexual favors |
| admonish | admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior |
| adumbrate | describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of |
| adventitious | (adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital |
| affected | speaking or behaving in an artificial way to make an impression |
| aggrieve | break the heart of |
| agrarian | pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform |
| aloof | reserved, distant |
| altercation | noisy quarrel |
| amenable | disposed or willing to comply |
| anoint | consecrate; put oil on (in a religious ceremony) |
| aphasia | loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| aphelion | The place in the Earth's orbit where Earth is farthest away from the sun. |
| append | attach |
| apprise | make aware of |
| arduous | difficult to accomplish |
| arraign | accuse of a wrong or an inadequacy |
| ascetic | practices self denial as spiritual discipline |
| ascribe | attribute or credit to |
| aspire | seek to attain (position or status); long for; Ex. aspire to become president; Ex. aspire to/after the leadership |
| assay | an appraisal of the state of affairs |
| astringent | sour or bitter in taste |
| atone | make amends for |
| atrophy | to waste away |
| augury | an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come |
| auspicious | favorable; fortunate |
| avow | to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true |
| awry | away from the correct or expected course |
| humane | marked by kindness or consideration; kind and compassionate; humanitarian |
| vigor | active strength; energy; enthusiasm; ADJ. vigorous |
| fitful | spasmodic; intermittent; irregular |
| swelter | (of a person) suffer from oppressive heat; be oppressed by heat |
| sidereal | relating to stars; Ex. sidereal day |
| herald | messenger; sign of something to come; V: announce; proclaim; Ex. unheralded researcher |
| arboreal | of or living in trees |
| foil | defeat; frustrate; prevent from being successful; thwart; CF. fail |
| laceration | torn ragged wound; V. lacerate: tear (the skin as with broken glass); wound |
| refractory | unmanageable; disobedient and stubborn; Ex. refractory horse |
| inadvertently | unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly |
| vernal | pertaining to spring |
| variegate | change the appearance of (by marking with different colors) |
| philology | study of language or words |
| prude | excessively modest or proper person (who is easily shocked by improper things, esp. of a sexual nature); N. prudery; ADJ. prudish: excessively concerned with propriety |
| dissident | dissenting (with an opinion, a group, or a government); rebellious |
| contrive | invent or fabricate in a clever way (by improvisation); manage; Ex. contrive to attract his attention |
| scurvy | contemptible; despicable; N: disease caused by deficiency of Vitamin C |
| cloying | distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental; V. cloy: become unpleasant through too much sweetness or excess |
| meretricious | flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute |
| viscous | (of a liquid) thick and sticky; gluey; viscid; CF. consistency |
| lustrous | shining; brilliant; Ex. lustrous hair |
| reticent | inclined to silence; uncommunicative; reserved; Ex. He was reticent about the reasons; N. reticence |
| asunder | into parts; apart; V. sunder |
| tryst | meeting arranged by lovers; arrangement between lovers to meet |
| evenhanded | impartial; fair |
| indemnify | make secure against damage or loss; compensate for damage or loss; CF. make uninjured |
| supersede | replace; cause to be set aside; make obsolete; N. supersession |
| uxorious | excessively submissive or devoted to one's wife; CF. uxor: wife |
| downcast | disheartened; dejected; sad; directed downward |
| maculated | spotted; stained; CF. immaculate |
| infraction | violation (of a rule or regulation); breach |
| sophistry | seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning; sophism |
| monograph | scholarly article |
| reprobation | severe disapproval; CF. approbation |
| lechery | gross lewdness; lustfulness; ADJ. lecherous; N. lecher: lecherous man |
| rapture | great joy and delight; ecstasy; ADJ. rapturous |
| moribund | dying; at the point of death; CF. death |
| callow | youthful; immature; inexperienced |
| hermetic | concerning alchemy or magic; obscure and mysterious; occult |
| subjugate | conquer; bring under control |
| asinine | stupid; Ex. asinine remarks |
| debilitate | weaken (esp. through heat, hunger, illness); enfeeble |
| intransigence | refusal of any compromise; stubbornness; ADJ. intransigent: uncompromising |
| ebullient | showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm; boiling; N. ebullience; N. ebullition: state of boiling |
| interlocking | linked or locked closely together as by dovetailing |
| blanch | bleach; whiten; make white or pale |
| vile | despicable; unpleasant; disgusting; Ex. vile slander |
| dolt | slow-thinking stupid person; CF. dull |
| remission | temporary moderation (of disease symptoms); remitting of a debt or punishment; cancelation of a debt; pardon; Ex. The disease went into remission; Ex. Christians pray for the remission of sins. |
| stint | set limits in amount or number; be thrifty; ADJ. stinting, unstinting; CF. stint:savings |
| colossus | gigantic statue; person or thing of great size or importance |
| myriad | very large number; ADJ. CF. ten thousand |
| drudgery | hard unpleasant work; menial work |
| mania | madness |
| petrify | turn to stone; cause to become stonelike; stun or paralyze |
| matriarch | woman who rules a family or larger social group |
| dislodge | remove (forcibly); force out of a position; Ex. dislodge the food caught in his throat; CF. lodge |
| ramble | wander aimlessly (physically or mentally); digress |
| circumvent | outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around |
| pauper | very poor person |
| embroil | throw into confusion; involve in strife, dispute, or quarrel; entangle; CF. imbroglio |
| exodus | departure (of a large number of people) |
| gull | trick; deceive; hoodwink; N: person who is easily tricked; dupe |
| foist | insert improperly; impose upon another by coercion; palm off; pass off as genuine or worthy; CF. fist |
| spurn | reject disdainfully; scorn; Ex. She spurned all offers of help. |
| perspicuous | (of something) plainly expressed; easy to understand; Ex. perspicuous comments |
| supple | flexible; limber; pliant |
| intermittent | periodic; on and off; stopping and starting at intervals |
| commiserate | feel or express pity or sympathy for |
| edify | instruct; correct morally |
| insipid | lacking in flavor; lacking interest; dull; Ex. insipid food/character |
| salacious | lascivious; lustful; Ex. salacious monk |
| slipshod | slovenly; careless; sloppy; untidy; shabby; Ex. slipshod work |
| muggy | (of weather) warm and damp |
| ascetic | practicing self-denial; avoiding physical pleasures and comforts; austere; Ex. ascetic life of Buddhist monks; N. asceticism |
| apocryphal | (of a story) widely believed but untrue |
| condign | adequate; (of punishment) severe and well deserved |
| impregnable | invulnerable; impossible to capture or enter by force; Ex. impregnable fort/argument; CF. take |
| tacit | understood (without actually being expressed); not put into words; Ex. tacit agreement |
| reprieve | postponement or cancelation of a punishment; temporary stay; V: postpone or cancel the punishment of |
| calumny | malicious misrepresentation; slander |
| ebb | (of the tide) recede; lessen; diminish; N. OP. flow: rise of tide |
| renounce | abandon; give up (by formal announcement); disown; repudiate; Ex. renounce one's claim to the property/one's religion; N. renunciation |
| heterodox | (of beliefs) against accepted opinion; unorthodox; unconventional |
| indigence | poverty |
| amnesia | loss of memory |
| limber | flexible; supple; pliable |
| tangential | only slightly connected; not central; peripheral; digressing; showing divergence; CF. tangent |
| pendulous | hanging; suspended |
| putrid | decayed and foul-smelling; foul; rotten; decayed; N. putridity |
| droll | queer and amusing |
| mirth | merriment (fun); laughter |
| eugenic | pertaining to the improvement of race; N. eugenics: study of hereditary improvement of the human race |
| berate | scold strongly |
| decrepitude | state of collapse or weakness caused by illness or old age |
| churlish | boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo |
| martinet | strict disciplinarian; person who demands total obedience to rules and orders; CF. Jean Martinet |
| deleterious | harmful |
| paean | song of praise or joy; Ex. paeans celebrating the victory |
| stigma | token of disgrace; brand; V. stigmatize: mark with a stigma; characterize as disgraceful |
| trepidation | fear; nervous apprehension |
| enclave | territory enclosed within an alien land |
| subjective | influenced by personal feelings; occurring or taking place within the mind; unreal; Ex. subjective sensation of the ghostly p |
| serenity | calmness; placidity; ADJ. serene |
| requiem | mass for the dead; dirge |
| seemly | (of behavior) proper; appropriate |
| perfunctory | done routinely and with little care; superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; Ex. perfunctory kiss |
| elusive | evasive; not frank; baffling; hard to grasp, catch, or understand; V. elude: escape from; escape the understanding or grasp of; Ex. elude the hunter; Ex. His name eludes me. |
| substantiate | support (a claim) with evidence; establish with evidence; verify |
| acme | peak; pinnacle; highest point |
| ethos | underlying character of a culture, group, etc.; character or ideas peculiar to a specific person, group, or culture; Ex. the company ethos |
| variegated | (esp. of a flower or leaf) many-colored |
| quandary | dilemma; state of uncertainty; Ex. She is in a quandary about whether to go. |
| puerile | childish; immature; CF. puer: boy |
| impervious | impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed; incapable of being affected (in one's opinions); Ex. impervious to water/criticism |
| peremptory | demanding and leaving no choice; imperative; Ex. peremptory decree/knock |
| antiquated | obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated |
| introspective | looking within oneself; N. introspection: self-examination |
| finicky | too particular; fussy; difficult to please; too concerned with unimportant details or quality; Ex. finicky about her food |
| obsequious | slavishly attentive; servile; full of servile compliance; sycophantic |
| unctuous | oily; bland; insincerely suave |
| protean | able to take on many forms; versatile; CF. Proteus: sea god to change his shape at will |
| restitution | returning something (lost or stolen) to the rightful owner; reparation; indemnification; compensation for loss, damage, or injury |
| gouge | tear out; cut out (as if with a gouge); Ex. gouge his eyes out; N: chisel for cutting out hollow areas in wood |
| sly | clever in deceiving; secretive; not telling one's intentions |
| confluence | flowing together; the place where two rivers flow together; crowd; gathering together |
| premonition | forewarning; presentiment; foreboding |
| blatant | extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy |
| hydrophobia | fear of water; rabies |
| quack | charlatan; impostor |
| carnal | fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body |
| illusory | illusive; deceptive; not real |
| begrudge | envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't begrudge him his success. |
| repast | meal; feast; banquet |
| incandescent | strikingly bright; shining with intense heat; emitting visible light when heated; Ex. incandescent light bulb; CF. candle |
| gregarious | sociable; (of an animal) tending to form a group |
| beseech | beg; plead with |
| mortify | humiliate by embarassing excessively; shame; punish the flesh; discipline (one's body) by self-denial; Ex. mortified by her blunder; Ex. mortify the flesh; CF. cause to die |
| compunction | remorse; strong uneasiness caused by guilt |
| probity | uprightness; honesty; incorruptibility |
| promulgate | announce; proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication |
| impassioned | (of speech) filled with passion; fervent |
| listless | lacking in spirit or energy; languid |
| diligence | steadiness of effort; persistent hard work |
| integral | complete; necessary for completeness; Ex. integral part |
| prelude | introduction; introductory performance or event; forerunner |
| requisition | formal demand or request; Ex. requisition for more computing equipment |
| obstreperous | boisterous; noisy and uncontrollable |
| germane | pertinent; bearing upon(having connection with) the case at hand; appropriate |
| ramify | branch out; divide into branches or subdivisions |
| rectify | set right; correct; |
| quiescent | dormant; temporarily inactive; at rest; N. quiescence |
| conjugal | pertaining to marriage |
| latitude | freedom from narrow limitations |
| ponderous | having great weight; weighty; unwieldy; lacking lightness; dull; Ex. ponderous body/style of writing |
| belated | delayed |
| beset | harass or trouble from all directions |
| prolific | producing offspring or fruit in abundance; fertile; fecund; abundantly fruitful; producing abundant works; Ex. prolific writer |
| languish | lose animation or strength |
| ulterior | intentionally hidden; beyond what is evident; situated beyond; unstated and often questionable; Ex. ulterior motive |
| exasperate | vex; annoy or make angry (by testing the patience) |
| loquacious | talkative; N. loquacity |
| expiate | make amends for (a sin) |
| furtive | stealthy; quiet and secret (trying to escape notice); sneaky; Ex. furtive glance |
| factitious | artificial; produced artificially; sham; false; Ex. factitious tears |
| subsume | include (as a member of a group); encompass |
| prologue | introduction (to a poem or play) |
| apex | tip; summit; climax; highest point |
| compulsion | compelling; strong desire that is difficult to control; irresistible impulse |
| squalor | condition of being squalid; filth; degradation; dirty neglected state; ADJ. squalid: dirty; sordid; morally repulsive; Ex. squalid story |
| vent | release or discharge through a vent; express (esp. unfairly); utter; Ex. He vented his wrath on his family. |
| wary | very cautious; watchful |
| indolent | lazy |
| penology | study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation |
| capacious | spacious |
| guileless | without deceit |
| lofty | very high |
| mutinous | unruly; rebellious; Ex. mutinous teenagers; N. mutiny: open rebellion; CF. mutineer |
| exhort | urge (by strong argument or advice); Ex. The general exhorted his men to fight bravely; N. exhortation |
| effigy | dummy; likeness of a person made of wood, paper, or stone; Ex. burn an effigy of the President |
| stringent | (of rules) binding; rigid; marked by scarcity of money; Ex. stringent economic conditions |
| inebriate | make drunk; intoxicate; N. intoxicated person |
| annotate | comment; make explanatory notes |
| beatitude | blessedness; state of great happiness |
| unwieldy | awkward (to carry or move); cumbersome; unmanageable |
| culmination | highest point; climax; V. culminate in: reach the highest point in; end in; Ex. a series of minor clashes culminating in war |
| nether | lower; Ex. nether garments/regions |
| palimpsest | parchment or piece of writing material used for second time after original writing has been erased |
| taunt | deride or provoke; challenge in derision |
| blemish | mar; spoil the beauty or perfection of; N: flaw or defect (that spoils perfection); Ex. blemishes in the crystal; CF. unblemished |
| tractable | docile; easily managed; (of something) easily changed or molded |
| auspicious | favoring success; giving signs of future success; Cf. auspices |
| cozen | cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| impetus | moving force; momentum; force of a moving body; incentive; stimulus; impulse |
| dissemble | disguise; hide the real nature of; pretend |
| slack | moving slowly; sluggish; inactive; (of a rope) loose; negligent; lax; Ex. slack season; Ex. slack in one's work |
| chisel | swindle or cheat; N: wedgelike tool for cutting |
| fatuous | smugly and unconsciously foolish; inane; silly; N. fatuity, fatuousness |
| sumptuous | grand suggesting great expense; lavish; rich; Ex. sumptuous feast |
| succumb | yield (to something overwhelming); give in; die; Ex. succumb to the illness |
| quibble | minor objection or complaint; V: raise minor objections; carp; cavil |
| hyperbole | exaggeration; overstatement; ADJ. hyperbolic: of hyperbole; of a hyperbola |
| virtuoso | highly skilled artist (esp. in music); Ex. piano virtuoso |
| altercation | noisy quarrel |
| enervate | weaken; take away energy from |
| presage | foretell; be a warning or sign of; N: presentiment; foreboding; omen |
| unobtrusive | inconspicuous; not blatant |
| perpetuate | make perpetual; make something last for a long time; preserve from extinction; N. perpetuity |
| preeminent | outstanding; superior |
| vapid | lacking liveliness; dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless; Ex. vapid lecture |
| repartee | quick clever reply |
| wan | having a pale or sickly color; pallid |
| parody | humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty |
| qualms | uneasy feelings; misgivings; uneasy fears especially about matters of conscience; Ex. I have no qualms about giving this assignment to Helen. |
| careen | lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger |
| dissent | disagree |
| nuptial | related to marriage or the wedding ceremony; N. nuptials: wedding ceremony |
| serendipity | gift for finding valuable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck; CF. The Three Princes of Serendip |
| glut | overstock; fill beyond capacity (with food); fill to excess; N: oversupply |
| empathy | ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc.; identification with and understanding of another's feelings; V. empathize; CF. sympathy |
| covert | secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt |
| tenet | doctrine; dogma |
| spartan | without attention to comfort; lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined; Ex. spartan living condition/life |
| senility | old age; feeblemindedness of old age; ADJ. senile: resulting from old age; showing the weakness of body or mind from old age; Ex. senile dementia |
| extemporaneous | not planned; impromptu; extempore |
| migratory | wandering; V. migrate: move from one region and settle in another; move periodically from one region to another |
| revelry | boisterous merrymaking; V. revel: engage boisterous festivities; enjoy greatly; N: boisterous festivity or celebration |
| trifling | trivial; unimportant |
| dross | waste matter; worthless impurities |
| preposterous | absurd; completely unreasonable; ridiculous |
| bland | soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence |
| immure | imprison; shut up in confinement |
| connivance | pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend; V. connive: feign ignorance (of a wrong); cooperate secretly in an illegal action; conspire |
| comeuppance | deserts; well-deserved punishment or misfortune; rebuke |
| beget | father; become the father of; produce; give rise to |
| arraign | charge in court; indict |
| valediction | saying farewell; expression of leave-taking |
| vital | full of life; animated; vibrant and lively; critical; of great importance; necessary to stay alive; of life; living; breathing; N. vitality; V. vitalize |
| apprise | inform |
| recalcitrant | disobedient or resisting authority even after being punished; obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly; Ex. recalcitrant child |
| frail | weak; N. frailty |
| obnoxious | offensive; disagreeable; Ex. obnoxious smell |
| glutton | someone who eats too much; ADJ. gluttonous: given to gluttony; greedy; CF. gluttony: habit of eating too much |
| propitious | favorable; auspicious; advantageous; fortunate; Ex. propitious day/sign |
| indissoluble | permanent; impossible to dissolve or disintegrate |
| depredation | plundering; destruction |
| plight | difficult condition; condition or state (esp. a bad state or condition); predicament |
| lineage | descent; ancestry |
| inclement | stormy; unkind; unmerciful; CF. clement |
| outstrip | outrun; surpass; outdo |
| rhapsodize | speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner; Ex. rhapsodize over the beauty of the scenery |
| rent | tear made by rending; rip; split |
| amble | walking at an easy unhurried pace; V: walk slowly and aimlessly |
| fastidious | difficult to please; squeamish; fussy; finicky |
| improvident | thriftless; not providing for the future |
| protract | prolong; lengthen in time; draw out |
| anchor | secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; N. anchorage |
| tact | skill or sensitivity in dealing with people without causing offence |
| recreant | disloyal; cowardly; N: disloyal and cowardly person |
| slur | pronounce indistinctly; speak indistinctly; mumble |
| painstaking | taking pains; showing hard work; taking great care; very careful and through |
| portend | foretell; presage; be a sign or warning of; N. portent: sign; omen; forewarning |
| jocund | merry |
| forthright | straightforward; direct; frank |
| incendiary | arsonist; ADJ: causing fire; of arson; Ex. incendiary bomb |
| sojourn | temporary stay; V: stay for a time |
| exude | flow out slowly; discharge (gradually); give forth; N. exudation |
| obtuse | blunt; not sharp; stupid; slow in understanding |
| prevalent | widespread; generally accepted |
| prowess | extraordinary ability; military bravery; Ex. prowess in battle |
| meek | submissive; patient and long-suffering |
| boon | blessing; benefit; something very helpful |
| intrinsic | essential; inherent; built-in |
| sadistic | inclined to cruelty; N. sadism: delight in cruelty |
| superannuated | retired or disqualified because of age; outmoded; obsolete |
| igneous | produced by fire; of fire; volcanic; (of rocks) formed from lava; Ex. igneous meteorite |
| soothsayer | one who foretells the future |
| exacerbate | worsen; aggravate; embitter |
| incarnate | endowed with flesh; invested with bodily form; personified; Ex. devil incarnate; V: give bodily form to; embody |
| imperious | domineering; too commanding; haughty; CF. imperial/emperor |
| girth | distance around something; circumference |
| officious | meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services; overly eager in offering unwanted services or advices; Ex. officious bellboy |
| precarious | unsafe; lacking in stability; uncertain; risky; Ex. precarious living |
| obloquy | slander; disgrace; infamy |
| maudlin | effusively sentimental |
| expunge | remove a word or name (from a book or list); erase |
| polemical(polemic) | aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious (rather than simply expressing opinions) |
| lampoon | ridicule; N: written attack ridiculing or satirizing a person, group, or institution |
| defile | pollute; make filthy or dirty; corrupt morally; profane; desecrate; N: narrow passage or gorge through mountains |
| blandishment | flattery |
| bucolic | rustic; pastoral |
| deserts | what someone deserves |
| forestall | prevent by taking action in advance |
| ravenous | extremely hungry; voracious |
| vestige | trace; remains; Ex. vestiges of some ancient religion |
| manumit | emancipate; free from slavery or bondage |
| astringent | binding; causing contraction (stopping bleeding); harsh or severe; stringent; Ex. astringent criticism |
| ominous | threatening; of an evil omen |
| onerous | burdensome |
| parochial | narrow in scope or outlook; provincial; related to parishes |
| ferret | drive or hunt out of hiding; hunt with ferrets; drive out (as from a hiding place); expel; uncover or discover by searching; Ex. ferret out the secret; N. small fierce animal which catches rats and rabbits by going into their holes |
| haggle | argue about prices (in an attempt to bargain) |
| gamut | entire range |
| mettle | courage (to continue bravely in spite of difficulties); spirit; ADJ. mettlesome |
| nominal | in name only; of a name; trifling; (of a sum of money) very small; CF. nominate: propose as a candidate; appoint |
| discombobulated | discomposed; confused |
| tepid | lukewarm; slightly warm; half-hearted; not eager; Ex. tepid reaction to the new film; Ex. tepid supporter |
| malapropism | comic misuse of a word; CF. Mrs. Malaprop |
| arduous | hard; strenuous; Ex. arduous work |
| kernel | central or vital part; core; whole seed (as of corn) |
| prominent | protruding(sticking out); conspicuous; notable; eminent |
| entomology | study of insects |
| wheedle | deceive, persuade, or obtain by flattery; cajole; coax; Ex. wheedle a promise out of her |
| sanctimonious | displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness; N. sanctimony: hypocritical piety |
| lucid | easily understood; clear; intelligible; N. lucidity |
| carcinogenic | causing cancer; N. carcinogen |
| fledgling(fledgeling) | inexperienced; N: young bird that has acquired wing feathers and is learning to fly; inexperienced person |
| vitriolic | causing sharp pain to the mind; caustic; corrosive; sarcastic; of vitriol; N. vitriol: sulphuric acid (which burns flesh deeply); bitterly abusive expression; caustic expression; CF. glass |
| pliable | flexible; easily influenced; yielding; adaptable |
| expansive | (of a person) outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size |
| accost | approach and speak first to a person |
| cartographer | map-maker |
| invocation | prayer for help (used in invoking); calling upon as a reference or support; act of invoking |
| dilapidated | falling to pieces; in a bad condition; ruined because of neglect; Ex. dilapidated old car/castle; N. dilapidation |
| malignant | ending to cause death; highly injurious; aggressively malevolent; Ex. malignant tumor |
| stout | rather fat; strong in body; sturdy; resolute; determined; strong in determination; Ex. stout stick/supporter |
| hypochondriac | person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness; ADJ. CF. hypochondria: neurosis that one is or is becoming ill; CF. abdomen |
| pall | become boring; grow tiresome |
| voluptuous | sensual; of or giving sensual pleasure; indulging in sensual pleasures; Ex. voluptuous lines; Ex. voluptuous life of the Romans; N. voluptuary: voluptuous person |
| specious | seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally) |
| inured | accustomed; hardened; Ex. inured to the Alaskan cold; V. inure: make used to something undesirable; harden; CF. unfeeling |
| reverberate | echo repeatedly; resound; Ex. The thunder reverberated across the valley. |
| fetter | shackle; restrict the freedom of; N. chain or shackle for the foot of a prisoner; CF. foot |
| bliss | complete happiness; ADJ. blissful |
| bilious | suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated |
| distend | expand; swell out |
| strident | loud and harsh; insistent; N. stridenc |
| jubilation | rejoicing; great joy |
| fret | be annoyed or vexed; Ex. fret over your poor grades; N: irritation of mind; ADJ. fretful |
| blas\'e | bored with pleasure or dissipation; uninterested or bored |
| rhapsody | excessively enthusiastic expression of feeling; musical composition of irregular form (as if made up as one plays it) |
| rife | (of something bad) widespread; abundant; current |
| niggle | spend too much time on minor points (esp. when finding fault); find fault; Ex. niggle over details; ADJ. niggling |
| disaffected | disloyal; lacking loyality; V. disaffect: cause to lose affection or loyalty |
| awry | distorted; crooked; bent; Ex. Our plans have gone awry. |
| demure | (of a woman or child) grave; quiet and serious; coy; pretending to be demure |
| trifle | something of little importance or value; small amount; Ex. a trifle; V: treat without seriousness; flirt |
| incubus | burden; very worriying problem; mental care; nightmare; male devil; CF. succubus |
| pithy | concise and meaningful; substantial; meaty |
| feral | (of an animal) not domestic; wild |
| importune | beg persistently; make repeated requests (in an annoying way) |
| maniacal | raging mad; insane; N. maniac: insane person; CF. mania: disorder of the mind; intense enthusiasm |
| serrated | having a sawtoothed edge; Ex. serrated leaf |
| scoff | laugh (at); mock; ridicule; Ex. scoff at their threats |
| stolid | dull; impassive; showing little emotion when strong feelings are expected |
| jettison | throw overboard (from a ship or plane) |
| tenuous | thin; slim; rare |
| insidious | treacherous; stealthy; sly; working or spreading harmfully in a stealthy manner; Ex. insidious spreading of dry rot |
| rift | narrow opening in a large mass; break in a friendly relation; Ex. through a rift in the clouds; OP. reconcilation |
| suffuse | spread through or over (with a color or liquid); charge; Ex. A blush suffused her cheeks. |
| feign | pretend |
| larder | pantry; place where food is kept |
| biennial | every two years |
| asperity | sharpness; roughness; severity (of temper or weather); Ex. asperities of a Russian winter |
| unsullied | untarnished; CF. sully |
| mishap | unfortunate accident |
| sobriety | moderation (especially regarding indulgence in alcohol); seriousness |
| discursive | (of a person or writing) digressing; rambling (without any clear plan) |
| abscission | cutting off; separation |
| abut | border upon; adjoin |
| denounce | condemn; criticize; N. denunciation |
| extenuate | weaken; mitigate; lessen the seriousness of (bad behavior) |
| evanescent | fleeting; vanishing; soon disappearing; V. evanesce |
| turpitude | depravity; baseness; Ex. moral turpitude |
| noisome | foul smelling; very unpleasant; unwholesome |
| prolixity | tedious wordiness; verbosity; ADJ. prolix: wordy; verbose; diffuse |
| fulsome | disgustingly excessive; offensively flattering; Ex. fulsome praise/expressions of admire |
| adjuration | solemn urging; V. adjure: entreat earnestly; enjoin solemnly |
| slur | slander; insult to one's character or reputation; |
| travesty | a false, absurd, or distorted representation of something |
| pillage | plunder |
| disinterested | unprejudiced; free from bias and self-interest; objective |
| scrupulous | conscientious; extremely thorough; Ex. scrupulous worker |
| tether | tie (an animal) with a rope or tether; N: rope or chain to which an animal is tied; limit of one's endurance; Ex. the end of one's tether |
| betroth | become engaged to marry |
| redolent | odorous; fragrant; suggestive (of an odor); Ex. redolent of onions/mystery |
| insolence | impudent disrespect; haughtiness; ADJ. insolent; CF. haughty + rude |
| translucent | partly transparent |
| rudimentary | elementary; not developed; crude; N. rudiment: fundamental element or principle; Ex. rudiments of the language |
| virulent | (of a disease or poison) extremely harmful or poisonous; (of a feeling) hostile; bitter; N. virulence; CF. virus; CF. venom |
| torrid | (of weather) hot or scorching; passionate; Ex. torrid love affairs |
| promiscuous | mixed indiscriminately; indiscriminate; not choosing carefully; indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners; irregular, particularly sexually; Ex. promiscuous life/girl; N. promiscuity |
| fictitious | imaginary; non-existent; purposely invented to deceive; untrue; Ex. fictitious name/boyfriend; CF. fictional |
| impertinent | insolent; rude; not pertinent; N. impertinence |
| countermand | cancel; revoke (an order) |
| cavil | quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily |
| grudge | deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V. |
| monolithic | solidly uniform; unchangeable; unyielding; N. monolith: large block of stone |
| procurement | obtaining; V. procure: obtain by effort; obtain (a prostitute) for another |
| relinquish | give up something (with reluctance); yield; release; Ex. relinquish power/the claim to the land/his hold on my arm |
| ordain | decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine; install as a minister, priest, or rabbi; N. ordainment; CF. ordination |
| ribald | marked by vulgar lewd humor; wanton; profane; N. ribaldry: ribald language or joke |
| deposition | testimony under oath; deposing; dethroning |
| facetious | joking (often inappropriately); unserious; humorous |
| internecine | mutually destructive |
| pernicious | very harmful; deadly; very destructive; Ex. pernicious effect/anemia |
| wanton | unrestrained; gratuitously cruel; willfully malicious; unchaste; sexually improper; promiscuous; Ex. wanton spending/killing; CF. having no just cause |
| exculpate | clear from blame or guilt |
| chortle | chuckle with delight |
| jaded | tired or uninterested by surfeit; fatigued; surfeited; worn out; wearied; Ex. jaded appetite |
| replete | fully filled; filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied; Ex. report replete with errors |
| equine | resembling a horse; Ex. equine face |
| unfeigned | genuine; real |
| bereft | deprived of (something valuable); lacking |
| terse | concise; abrupt; pithy |
| contrite | penitent; repentant; N. contrition |
| vicissitude | change (esp. from good to bad); change of fortune; CF. the last emperor of China |
| excoriate | scold with biting harshness; censure strongly; strip the skin off |
| revile | attack with abusive language; vilify(slander) |
| pass_off | present falsely; represent falsely to be |
| dissimulate | pretend; conceal by feigning; dissemble |
| scurrilous | abusive; obscene; indecent; Ex. scurrilous remark |
| stricture | severe and adverse criticism; critical comments; limit or restriction |
| beleaguer | besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset |
| flounder | struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter (as in water, mud, snow, etc.); proceed in confusion |
| rue | regret; lament; mourn; Ex. He will rue the day; N. ADJ. rueful |
| expound | explain |
| vagrant | homeless wanderer |
| kudos | honor; glory; acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement |
| squabble | minor quarrel; bickering; V: engage in a minor quarrel; Ex. squabbling children |
| kinetic | producing motion; of motion |
| saturnine | morose; gloomy; Ex. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance |
| mundane | worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday; of the ordinary; Ex. mundane existence; CF. world |
| overwrought | nervous or excited; extremely agitated; hysterical; wrought-up; CF. wrought: made or done |
| platonic | purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire |
| gouge | overcharge (with high price); extort from; Ex. gouge the public; CF. usury |
| callous | hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind |
| paradigm | model; example that serves as a model; pattern; list of all the inflectional forms of a word |
| resplendent | brilliant; splendid in appearance; dazzling; glorious |
| turgid | swollen; distended (as from liquid) |
| amiss | wrong; faulty; Ex. something amiss; |
| jibe | agree; be in harmony with; gibe |
| retort | quick sharp reply; |
| lurid | wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome; horrible; Ex. lurid details of the murder |
| savory | pleasant in taste; tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable; Ex. savory reputation |
| docile | obedient; easily managed; submissive |
| pertinacious | holding tenaciously to an action; stubborn; persistent |
| debauch | corrupt morally; seduce from virtue; N. debauchery: wild behavior (with sex and alcohol) |
| garrulous | loquacious; wordy; talkative; N. garrulity |
| forbearance | patience; forgiveness; V. forbear: refrain from (in a generous and forgiving way); be patient; Ex. forbear to send him to prison |
| sybarite | lover of luxury; person devoted to pleasure and luxury; CF. Sybaris: an ancient Greek city in Italy |
| ludicrous | laughable; ridiculous; trifling |
| amok(amuck) | in a state of rage; Ex. run amok |
| precocious | advanced in development; N. precocity |
| artless | without guile; open and honest |
| iniquitous | wicked; immoral; unrighteous; N. iniquity; Ex. den of iniquity |
| timorous | fearful; timid; demonstrating fear |
| poseur | person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others; person who poses; CF. pose |
| ascribe | refer; attribute; assign |
| lachrymose | producing tears; tearful |
| ornithologist | scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds |
| depravity | extreme corruption; wickedness; |
| expedient | suitable (for a particular purpose although not necessarily morally correct); practical; politic(prudent); N: something expedient |
| juggernaut | irresistible crushing force; overwhelming advancing force that crushes everything in its path |
| panacea | cure-all; remedy for all diseases |
| irksome | annoying; tedious; V. irk: annoy |
| exonerate | acquit; exculpate; free from blame or guilt |
| construe | explain; interpret; Ex. construe her silence as meaning that she agreed; CF. misconstrue |
| suppliant | entreating; beseeching; |
| stampede | sudden frenzied rush (of panic-stricken animals or people); V: participate in or cause stampede; Ex. stampede before the price rises |
| brazen | insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. brazen lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence |
| recess | pause; temporary cessation; alcove; secret inner place; Ex. parliament in recess; V. CF. recessive |
| dour | sullen; gloomy; stubborn |
| impotent | weak; ineffective; lacking in physical strength or power |
| catharsis | purging or cleansing of any passage of the body; purging and weakening of strong emotions as a result of experiencing a dramatic work of art |
| profligate | wasteful (of money); dissipated; wildly immoral; dissolute; N: profligate person; N. profligacy |
| precursor | forerunner; predecessor |
| chivalrous | courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry |
| solecism | nonstandard grammatical construction; construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically; violation of social etiquette |
| unwonted | unaccustomed; unusual; Ex. He arrived with unwonted punctuality. |
| ignominy | deep disgrace; shame or dishonor; ADJ. ignominious; Ex. ignominous defeat |
| agape | openmouthed |
| temerity | boldness; nerve; rashness; Ex. temerity to ask for a pay increase after only three day's work |
| rotund | (of a person) fat and round |
| chary | cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold |
| adventitious | accidental; casual; happening by chance |
| fortuitous | accidental; by chance; N. fortuity |
| obsolete | outmoded; no longer used |
| stamina | power of endurance; strength; staying power |
| indigent | poor; destitute |
| offhand | casual; done without prior thought or preparation |
| inveigle | deceive; lead astray by deception; wheedle(cajole); Ex. inveigle her into joining the club; CF. interest dishonestly |
| hegemony | dominance especially of one nation over others |
| sedentary | requiring sitting; done while sitting; not moving from one place to another; settled; Ex. sedentary job/population |
| parity | equality; close resemblance; CF. disparate |
| effluvium | noxious(harmful) smell |
| pusillanimous | cowardly; lacking courage; fainthearted |
| synthetic | not natural; artificial; resulting from synthesis; Ex. synthetic fiber; N. |
| mayhem | injury to body; crime of willfully maiming or crippling a person; violent disorder; Ex. mayhem in the zoo; CF. maim |
| outlandish | bizzare; peculiar; unconventional |
| raucous | (of voice) harsh and unpleasant; (of people) disorderly and boisterous; Ex. raucous shouts |
| rake | immoral or dissolute person |
| fluster | confuse; make nervous and confused |
| vociferous | clamorous; noisy; V. vociferate: cry out loudly (when complaining) |
| hinterlands | back country; inner part of a country; OP. foreland |
| pitfall | hidden danger; concealed trap |
| candor | frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid |
| blunt | having a dull edge; abrupt and frank in speech or manner; brusque; V: make or become blunt |
| surreptitious | done secretly; secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden |
| panegyric | formal praise; encomium; Ex. I don't deserve such panegyrics. |
| baleful | evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening; Ex. baleful look |
| apathy | lack of caring; indifference; lack of concern or interest in important matters; Ex. He was sunk in apathy after his failure; ADJ. apathetic |
| industrious | diligent; hard-working; N. industry |
| lugubrious | mournful; sorrowful |
| blighted | suffering from a disease; destroyed |
| inveigh | denounce; utter censure or invective; Ex. inveigh against the evils of drink |
| succulent | juicy; full of juice or sap; full of richness; N: succulent plant such as a cactus |
| scurry | move hastily; hurry; move briskly |
| ooze | (of a thick liquid) pass or flow slowly; N: mud or thick liquid as at the bottom of a river |
| occult | mysterious; secret; supernatural; beyond human comprehension; CF. mysterious to human ?; OP. bare |
| pry | inquire impertinently (someone else's private affairs); use leverage to raise or open something; prize; N. pries: tool for prying |
| tenacious | holding fast (as to a belief); persistent |
| perspicacious | (of someone) having insight; penetrating; astute |
| tendentious | promoting a particular point of view; biased; having an aim; designed to further a cause; Ex. tendentious rather than truth-seeking; CF. tend: move in a certain direction |
| dehydrate | remove water from; dry out |
| headlong | hasty; rash; headfirst; |
| slander | defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements; V. ADJ. slanderous |
| headstrong | willful; stubborn; unyielding; determined to have one's own way; CF. no 'excessive' |
| kindle | start a fire; ignite; inspire; arouse |
| obdurate | stubborn; refusing to change one's belief |
| hoary | white with age |
| staid | serious and sedate; sober; Ex. staid during the funeral ceremony |
| grudging | unwilling; reluctant; stingy(giving reluctantly) |
| forswear | renounce under oath; abandon; make a solemn promise to give up; CF. abjure |
| retrospective | looking back on the past; N. retrospection; V. retrospect |
| verdant | green; covered with green plants or grass; lush in vegetation; Ex. verdant meadows |
| ramification | branching out; subdivision; one branch of a system; one of the results following from an action or decision; Ex. ramifications of a business/the decision |
| aspersion | slanderous remark; Ex. cast aspersions on |
| torrent | rushing stream; flood; Ex. The rain fell in torrents. |
| reverie | daydream; abstracted musing |
| demur | object (because of doubts, scruples); raise an objection (showing qualms); hesitate; Ex. demur at the idea of working on Sunday |
| sodden | thoroughly soaked; dull or stupid as if from drink |
| epigram | witty thought or saying, usually short |
| mellifluous | (of words or a voice) sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious; having a pleasant tune |
| apprehend | arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive; N. apprehension |
| choreography | art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances |
| supererogatory | superfluous; more than needed or demanded |
| ravine | narrow valley with steep sides; gorge; CF. gully, canyon |
| brindled | tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals) |
| nonentity | person of no importance; nonexistence |
| innocuous | harmless |
| invective | abuse |
| tyro | beginner; novice |
| smirk | conceited smile; offensively self-satisfied smile (often at someone else's misfortune); |
| acclivity | sharp upslope of a hill; OP. declivity |
| extricate | free from an entanglement or difficulty; disentangle |
| nondescript | undistinctive; ordinary; ordinary-looking; Ex. nondescript fellow in a crowd |
| usurp | seize another's power or rank (without legal authority); supplant; appropriate; N. usurpation; CF. take for one's own use |
| abode | dwelling place; home |
| anathema | solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse; V. anathematize |
| indelible | not able to be erased |
| tantrum | fit of bad temper; fit of petulance; caprice; Ex. The child went into tantrums. |
| rou\'e | lecherous man |
| ribald | marked by vulgar lewd humor; wanton; profane; N. ribaldry: ribald language or joke |
| recount | narrate or tell (a story); count over again |
| vixen | female fox; ill-tempered woman; CF. shrew |
| chalice | goblet; consecrated cup |
| rhapsodize | speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner; Ex. rhapsodize over the beauty of the scenery |
| probe | explore with a probe or tools; investigate; N: slender instrument used to explore a wound or body cavity; device designed to investigate an unknown region; thorough investigation; Ex. space probe |
| expeditious | done with speed; quick; N. expedition |
| promontory | headland |
| effulgent | shining brightly; brilliant |
| cremate | incinerate (a corpse); N. crematory, crematorium |
| resplendent | brilliant; splendid in appearance; dazzling; glorious |
| secession | withdrawal; V. secede: withdraw formally from membership |
| implore | beg |
| volley | simultaneous discharge of a number of shots; |
| callous | hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind |
| clout | great influence (especially political or social); hard blow with fist |
| factotum | handyman; person who does all kinds of work; CF. do everything |
| anathema | solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse; V. anathematize |
| febrile | feverish |
| founder | fail completely; sink; CF. flounder |
| flout | reject; mock; show contempt for; scorn; Ex. flout the rules |
| solicitous | anxious; worried; concerned; eager; Ex. solicitous to do something; N. solicitude |
| animadversion | critical remark; V. animadvert: comment critically with disapproval |
| tramp | walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; N: vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking |
| extrude | force or push out; thrust out; shape (plastic or metal) by forcing through a die |
| tutelage | guardianship; training; function of a tutor; instruction |
| discursive | (of a person or writing) digressing; rambling (without any clear plan) |
| unassuaged | unsatisfied; not soothed |
| unassailable | not open to attack; impregnable; not subject to question |
| cession | yielding to another; ceding |
| unfaltering | steadfast; firm; not changing |
| irrepressible | unable to be restrained or held back; impossible to hold back |
| celerity | speed; rapidity |
| rusticate | banish to the country; dwell in the country |
| pundit | authority on a subject; expert; learned person |
| pandemonium | wild tumult(commotion); wild noisy disorder; CF. Paradise Lost |
| brittle | hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. brittle situation |
| aria | operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio |
| embitter | make bitter; fill with painful or bitter feelings; make sad and angry; Ex. He was embittered by many disappointments. |
| abnegation | renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation |
| renege | break a promise; deny; go back on; Ex. renege on the contract/paying off the debt |
| purported | alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored; Ex. purported Satanists |
| capitulate | surrender; give up all resistance |
| vernacular | living language (as compared to the official language); language spoken in a country or region; natural style; Ex. lapse into the vernacular |
| affidavit | written statement made under oath (for use as proof in a court of law) |
| perspicuity | clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity |
| doze | sleep lightly; nap |
| demotic | of or pertaining to the people |
| hale | healthy |
| bullion | gold and silver in the form of bars |
| apothegm(apophthegm) | pithy, compact saying |
| psychosis | mental disorder; ADJ. N. psychotic |
| raspy | making a harsh noise; grating; harsh |
| scraps | leftover food |
| lout | clumsy person; ADJ. loutish |
| log | record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities; section of a trunk |
| horticultural | pertaining to cultivation of gardens; N. horticulture: science or art of cultivating fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants; CF. agriculture: science or art of farming or growing crops |
| gorge | stuff oneself (with food); glut; CF. gorgeous: dazzlingly beautiful |
| miscellaneous | made up of a variety of parts |
| stifle | suppress; extinguish; inhibit; smother or suffocate |
| idyll(idyl) | short poem idealizing rural life; simple happy period of life (in the country); scene from such a time; Ex. idyll of two young lovers |
| provenance | place of origin; origin or source of something; Ex. Gunpowder is of Chinese provenance |
| ecclesiastic | ecclesiastical; pertaining to the church; N: minister; priest; cleric; clergyman |
| seep | pass slowly through small openings; ooze; trickle; N. seepage |
| pantomime | acting without dialogue |
| ellipsis | omission of words from a text; mark used to indicate an omission (when the meaning can be understood without them); PL. ellipses |
| sway | swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one's opinion; N. |
| macerate | soften by soaking in liquid; waste away; Ex. macerate powdered wood to make paper |
| plumage | feathers of a bird; |
| rile | irritate; vex; muddy |
| knave | untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel; jack; N. knavery |
| concomitant | that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else |
| dint | means; effort; Ex. by dint of hard work |
| comatose | in a coma; extremely sleepy |
| paltry | insignificant; petty; trifling; contemptible; Ex. paltry sum; CF. trash |
| downcast | disheartened; dejected; sad; directed downward |
| pinion | restrain or immobilize by binding the wings or legs; N: bird's wing |
| prod | poke (with a pointed object); stir up; urge; goad to action; N: pointed object used to prod; prodding |
| riddle | pierce with holes; permeate or spread throughout; Ex. The gunman riddled the car with bullets; Ex. The whole report is riddled with errors; N. large sieve (separating earth from stone) |
| delta | flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river |
| stanza | division of a poem (composed of two or more lines) |
| copious | plentiful |
| ambrosia | food of the gods |
| pendant(pendent) | hanging down from something; pending; N: ornament (hanging from a necklace etc.) |
| strident | loud and harsh; insistent; N. stridency |
| defection | desertion |
| makeshift | temporary expedient or substitute (in the case of urgent need); Ex. makeshift shelter |
| incantation | singing or chanting of magic spells; magical formula; (the saying of) words used in magic; CF. enchant |
| consternation | great shock; dismay |
| tentative | not fully worked out or developed; provisional; experimental; uncertain; hesitant; not definite or positive; Ex. tentative agreement/reply |
| odoriferous | giving off an odor |
| haggard | wasted away; gaunt; Ex. haggard faces of the rescued miners |
| gusty | windy |
| shyster | lawyer using questionable methods; unscrupulous practioner |
| gradation | series of gradual stages; degree in such a progression |
| harry | harass, annoy, torment (by repeated attacks); raid |
| staid | serious and sedate; sober; Ex. staid during the funeral ceremony |
| effeminate | having womanly traits |
| behoove(behove) | be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It behooves one to do. |
| coy | shy (flirtatiously); showing a (pretended) lack of self-confidence; modest; coquettish |
| queasy | experiencing nausea; nauseated; easily nauseated; squeamish; Ex. feel a little queasy |
| concordat | formal agreement |
| pathos | tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings; Ex. pathos that runs through the novel |
| elope | run away secretly with the intention of getting married |
| cursive | (of writing) flowing; running; having the successive letters joined |
| dilatory | delaying; tending to delay |
| titillate | tickle; excite pleasantly; Ex. not to titillate the audience but to enlighten it |
| refectory | dining hall; room where meals are served (in a school) |
| balk | stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate |
| pulchritude | eauty; comeliness; ADJ. pulchritudinous |
| rancid | having the odor of stale or decomposing fat; rank |
| dank | damp; unpleasantly wet |
| expound | explain |
| ulterior | intentionally hidden; beyond what is evident; situated beyond; unstated and often questionable; Ex. ulterior motive |
| vertigo | severe dizziness; giddiness |
| emolument | salary; payment for an office; compensation |
| natty | neatly or smartly dressed; dapper; smart; Ex. natty dresser |
| foolhardy | rash; reckless; foolishly daring |
| philatelist | stamp-collector; N. philately: stamp collecting |
| agog | highly excited; intensely curious |
| aghast | filled with great surprise or fear; horrified |
| oculist | physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes |
| delineate | portray; depict; sketch; describe; N. delineation |
| natal | connected with birth; CF. prenatal; CF. postnatal |
| pharisaical | pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical |
| squeamish | easily shocked or sickened by unpleasant things; fastidious; Ex. A nurse should not be squeamish. |
| prophylactic | used to prevent disease; N: something prophylactic; condom; N. prophylaxis: prevention of disease |
| contumacious | stubborn and disobedient; resisting authority (esp. disobedient to an order made by a court) |
| hubris | arrogance; excessive self-conceit |
| dishearten | discourage |
| dolt | slow-thinking stupid person; CF. dull |
| slink | move furtively; ADJ. slinky: stealthy; furtive; sneaky (as in ambush) |
| feebleminded | deficient in intelligence; very stupid |
| sultry | (of weather) hot; sweltering; sensual; voluptuous |
| heyday | time of greatest success or power; prime |
| voluptuous | sensual; of or giving sensual pleasure; indulging in sensual pleasures; Ex. voluptuous lines; Ex. voluptuous life of the Romans; N. voluptuary: voluptuous person |
| accoutre | equip; N. accoutrement |
| stymie | thwart; present an obstacle; stump |
| stipulate | state as a necessary condition (of an agreement); make express conditions; specify; Ex. He stipulated payment in advance |
| equable | tranquil; of even calm temper; (of temperature) steady; uniform |
| skulduggery(skullduggery) | dishonest behavior or action; Ex. skulduggery in the election |
| parched | extremely dry; very thirsty; V. parch: make or become extremely dry (by exposure to heat) |
| figment | invention; something invented; imaginary thing; Ex. figment of your imagination |
| palpitate | throb; beat rapidly; flutter; tremble; Ex. Her heart began to palpitate. |
| effulgent | shining brightly; brilliant |
| expletive | meaningless word; interjection; profane oath; swear-word |
| defalcate | embezzle |
| ape | imitate or mimic (a person's behavior or manner) |
| Epicurean | believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided; N. |
| piscatorial | pertaining to fishing; CF. Pisces |
| ordination | ceremony conferring holy orders; ceremony of ordaining a priest |
| fermentation | chemical reaction that splits complex organic compounds; unrest; agitation |
| concede | admit; acknowledge as being true (often reluctantly); yield; grant; Ex. concede a goal |
| trickle | flow in drops or in a thin stream; |
| dogged | determined; stubborn; stubbornly persevering; tenacious; Ex. Inspector Javert's dogged pursuit of Jean Valjean |
| veer | change in direction; swerve |
| scapegoat | someone who bears the blame for others; whipping boy; CF. escape+goat |
| plump | pleasantly fat; nicely rounded |
| spry | (esp. of older people) vigorously active; nimble |
| exacting | extremely demanding; Ex. exacting standard of safety |
| jaunty | cheerful and pleased with life; lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree; dapper in appearance; Ex. jaunty person/hat |
| beatitude | blessedness; state of great happiness |
| consort | associate with; keep company; N: husband or wife (or a ruler) |
| d\'eb\^acle | sudden disastrous downfall or defeat; complete disaster |
| flighty | (esp. of a woman's behavior) capricious; often changing, esp. from one lover to another; impulsive |
| succor | assist (someone in difficulty); aid; comfort; N. |
| undertaker | funeral director; one whose business is to arrange burials |
| apiculture | bee-keeping |
| poultice | soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body |
| castrate | remove the sex organs (of a male animal or person) |
| vainglorious | boastful; excessively conceited; N. vainglory: great vanity |
| ransack | search thoroughly; pillage (going through a place); Ex. Enemy soldiers ransacked the town. |
| diadem | crown |
| embryonic | undeveloped; rudimentary; N. embryo: organism in the early stage of development |
| putrescent | becoming putrid; putrefying |
| incrustation | hard coating or crust; V. incrust: encrust; cover with a crust |
| pyromaniac | person with an insane desire to set things on fire |
| enumerate | list; mention one by one |
| grotesque | antastic; comically hideous; strange and unnatural (causing fear or amusement) |
| glaze | cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating (as for pottery); Ex. unglazed pottery |
| coeval | living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age |
| suture | stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing; V: sew together a wound |
| braggadocio | boasting |
| posthumous | after death (as of child born after father's death or book published after author's death); coming or occurring after one's death; Ex. posthumous fame/novel |
| brindled | tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals) |
| douse | plunge into water or liquid; dip; immerse; drench; wet throughly; extinguish; throw water over; dowse |
| diaphanous | sheer; transparent |
| strew | spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter; Ex. flower girl strewing rose petals |
| legato | (of music) played smoothly |
| requisition | formal demand or request; Ex. requisition for more computing equipment; V. |
| volley | simultaneous discharge of a number of shots; V. |
| mellifluous | (of words or a voice) sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious; having a pleasant tune |
| shimmer | shine with a flickering light; glimmer intermittently; Ex. The moonlight shimmered on the water; N. |
| caustic | burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; (of remarks) intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless |
| pugilist | boxer; CF. pugilism: boxing |
| vouchsafe | grant condescendingly; guarantee; Ex. vouchsafe your fair return on your investment |
| ashen | ash-colored; deadly pale |
| marsupial | one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch(pocket of skin or leather); CF. kangaroo, opossum, wombat |
| mutilate | maim; injure lastingly; deprive of a limb or an essential part |
| tramp | walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; N: vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking |
| tinge | give a slight degree of a color or quality to; N: slight degree of a color or quality; Ex. tinged with grey/jealousy |
| waylay | ambush; lie in wait for and attack |
| regicide | murder of a king or queen |
| continence | self-restraint; sexual chastity; sexual abstinence; voluntary control over bladder and bowel functions; ADJ. continent |
| unintimating | unfrightening |
| addle | make or become confused; muddle; drive crazy; become rotten (egg) |
| lurid | wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome; horrible; Ex. lurid details of the murder |
| studious | given to diligent study |
| skimp | provide or use scantily; live very economically; Ex. skimp on necessities; ADJ. skimpy: inadequate in amount; scanty; stingy; niggardly |
| demented | insane |
| shambles | (place or scene of) complete disorder or ruin; wreck; mess; Ex. After the hurricane, the coast was a shambles. |
| homespun | domestic; made at home; spun or woven at home; simple and ordinary; Ex. homespun philosophy |
| reticent | inclined to silence; uncommunicative; reserved; Ex. He was reticent about the reasons; N. reticence |
| maim | mutilate; injure lastingly; disable; cripple; Ex. maimed for life |
| lopsided | heavier or larger on one side than the other; Ex. lopsided way of walking |
| uncouth | boorish; clumsy in speech or behavior; outlandish |
| crossbreed | hybridize; N: hybrid; CF. interbreed; CF. inbreed |
| hurl | throw forcefully; shout out violently |
| skinflint | miser; stingy person |
| bantering | joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter |
| blunder | error; stupid mistake |
| stock | standard; kept regularly in stock or supply; typical; routine; common; Ex. stock sizes of paper; Ex. stock excuse/character; N: goods for sale in a shop; OP. unique |
| apothecary | druggist; pharmacist |
| protuberance | protrusion; swelling; bulge |
| galvanize | timulate or shock by an electric current; stimulate by shock; shock into action; stir up; coat with rust-resistant zinc by using electricity |
| stygian | unpleasantly dark; gloomy; hellish; deathly; CF. Styx: the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead |
| capsize | (of a boat) turn over |
| limpid | crystal clear |
| vagary | capricious happening; caprice; whim; CF. wander |
| bout | match; short period of great activity; Ex. wrestling bout; bout of drinking/flu |
| pugnacity | combativeness; disposition to fight; ADJ. pugnacious: (of people) belligerent; combative in nature |
| expository | explanatory; serving to explain; N. exposition: explaining; exhibition |
| ordeal | severe trial or affliction; difficult experience; trial(test of patience or endurance); affliction |
| lilliputian | extremely small; CF. Lilliput in Gulliver's Travels |
| cataract | great waterfall; eye abnormality (causing a gradual loss of eyesight) |
| insalubrious | unwholesome; not healthful; Ex. insalubrious place |
| rickety | (of buildings) likely to break or fall apart; of rickets; CF. rickets; CF. vitamin D |
| incontinent | lacking self-restraint; not continent; licentious |
| rivulet | small stream; CF. rill < rivulet < river |
| gaffe | social blunder |
| scad | a great quantity; Ex. scads of clothes |
| compunction | remorse; strong uneasiness caused by guilt |
| gild | cover with a thin layer of gold |
| underhand(underhanded) | done slyly and secretly (being dishonest) |
| smolder | smoulder; burn slowly without flame; be liable to break out at any moment; exist in a suppressed state; Ex. smoldering anger |
| ragamuffin | dirty child in torn clothes; person wearing tattered clothes |
| lounge | stand, sit, or lie in a lazy, relaxed way |
| shack | crude cabin |
| junket | trip especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense |
| nirvana | in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of an impersonal beatitude |
| quisling | traitor who aids invaders; CF. Vidkun Quisling |
| aquiline | curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. aquiline nose |
| clich\'e | phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; platitude; ADJ. clich\'ed |
| enrapture | please intensely; fill with rapture and delight |
| meretricious | flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute |
| hypochondriac | person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness; ADJ. CF. hypochondria: neurosis that one is or is becoming ill; CF. abdomen |
| ogle | look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ogling young girls |
| tightwad | miser; excessively frugal person |
| hegemony | dominance especially of one nation over others |
| falter | hesitate; weaken in purpose or action; walk or move unsteadily through weakness; N. |
| chaperon | older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman |
| filial | pertaining to or befitting a son or daughter; Ex. filial respect |
| ruse | trick to deceive; stratagem |
| simile | comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as |
| halcyon | calm; peaceful; Ex. halcyon days |
| unrequited | not requited; not reciprocated; Ex. unrequited love |
| indite | write; compose |
| emetic | substance causing vomiting; ADJ. |
| propound | put forth for consideration or analysis; set forth; Ex. propound a problem/theory |
| proselytize | (induce someone to) convert to a religion or belief; N. proselyte: new convert to a doctrine or religion |
| contrived | unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; Ex. The ending was rather contrived. |
| infest | inhabit in numbers large enough to be harmful; Ex. Mice infested the house; Ex. shark-infested waters |
| sedition | onduct or language inciting rebellion; rebellion; resistance to authority; insubordination; ADJ. seditious |
| deign | condescend; stoop |
| unguent | ointment |
| postmortem | autopsy; ADJ: occurring after death; of a postmortem |
| pontifical | pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious; CF. pontiff: pope; bishop |
| pomposity | elf-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt(pompous person); ADJ. pompous: self-important |
| stamp | step on heavily (so as to crush or extinguish); put an end to; imprint or impress with a mark, design, or seal; shape with a die; characterize; Ex. machine stamping out car bodies; Ex. newspaper stamping him as a liar; N. stamping; implement used to stamp; impression stamped; mark; Ex. Her remarks bear the stamp of truth. |
| stoke | stir up a fire or furnace; feed plentifully |
| saline | salty |
| devolve | deputize; pass or be passed to others (power, work, or property); Ex. devolve on/upon/to |
| rapt | engrossed; absorbed; enchanted; Ex. rapt listener |
| sully | efile; soil; tarnish; Ex. sully one's hands in menial labor |
| condiments | seasonings; spices |
| grouch | bad-tempered complaint; person who keeps complaining; V: complain; grumble |
| fallow | (of land) plowed but not sowed (to improve the quality); uncultivated |
| diorama | life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background |
| trance | hypnotic state; ecstatic state; detachment from one's physical surrounding (as in contemplation or daydreaming); CF. transition |
| portly | stout; corpulent |
| hortatory | encouraging; exhortive; marked by exhortation; CF. exhort |
| mountebank | charlatan; boastful pretender |
| suborn | persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury); N. subornation |
| masticate | chew |
| lancet | small surgical tool for making incisions |
| pallet | small poor bed; Ex. straw pallet |
| mulct | defraud a person of something; swindle; Ex. mulct the boy of his legacy |
| waffle | speak equivocally about an issue; N. |
| bawdy | indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd |
| trample | step heavily with the feet; crush under the feet |
| vagrant | an idle wanderer, tramp; wandering aimlessly |
| valiant | brave, courageous |
| valorous | adj. Courageous. |
| vanquish | to defeat utterly and completely; to overcome |
| vapid | dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force |
| variegated | having a variety of colors |
| vaunted | boasted, bragged, highly publicized |
| venal | capable of being corrupted |
| vent | activity that releases or expresses creative energy or emotion |
| verbatim | using exactly the same words |
| verdant | green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment |
| verdure | greenery; fresh and ripe vegetation |
| vernal | of or characteristic of or occurring in spring |
| vestige | a trace or evidence of something that once existed |
| viable | capable of working, functioning, or developing adequately |
| vicarious | experienced at secondhand |
| vie | (v.) to compete; to strive for victory or superiority |
| vignette | a small illustrative sketch (as sometimes placed at the beginning of chapters in books) |
| vindicate | clear of accusation, blame, suspicion, or doubt with supporting proof |
| vindictive | showing malicious ill will and a desire to hurt |
| virile | manly; having masculine spirit or strength; full of strength |
| virtuoso | highly skilled artist |
| virulent | extremely poisonous or injurious |
| vitiate | take away the legal force of or render ineffective |
| vitriolic | harsh or corrosive in tone |
| vituperative | marked by harshly abusive criticism |
| vivacious | lively, sprightly, full of energy |
| vociferous | conspicuously and offensively loud |
| volition | the act of making a choice |
| voracious | devouring or craving food in great quantities |
| wallow | devote oneself entirely to something |
| wan | become pale and sickly |
| wary | watchful, alert |
| wayward | resistant to guidance or discipline |
| welter | a confused multitude of things |
| whet | to sharpen, put an edge on; to make keen or eager |
| whimsy | the trait of acting unpredictably and more from whim or caprice than from reason or judgment |
| wily | marked by skill in deception |
| windfall | a sudden happening that brings good fortune (as a sudden opportunity to make money) |
| winsome | (adj.) charming, attractive, pleasing (often suggesting a childlike charm and innocence) |
| woe | deep distress or misery |
| wrangle | an instance of intense argument (as in bargaining) |
| wry | humorously sarcastic or mocking |
| tawdry | cheap and shoddy |
| temerity | recklessness; a foolish disregard of danger |
| tempestuous | turbulent, stormy |
| tenable | (adj.) capable of being held or defended |
| tenacious | stubbornly unyielding |
| tepid | moderately warm |
| tether | restraint consisting of a rope (or light chain) used to restrain an animal |
| tidings | news |
| tinge | suffuse with color |
| tonal | relating to pitch or sound |
| torrid | burning hot |
| tottering | (of structures or institutions) having lost stability |
| trammel | a restraint that confines or restricts freedom (especially something used to tie down or restrain a prisoner) |
| transcription | the act of making a record (especially an audio record) |
| transient | enduring a very short time |
| translucent | permitting light to pass through, but not transparent |
| transmute | change in outward structure or looks |
| transpire | come about, happen, or occur |
| travesty | a comedy characterized by broad satire and improbable situations |
| tremulous | (of the voice) quivering as from weakness or fear |
| trenchant | having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect |
| trifling | trivial; unimportant |
| trite | commonplace; overused, stale |
| trounce | censure severely or angrily |
| truculent | fierce and cruel; aggressive; deadly, destructive; scathingly harsh |
| trying | extremely irritating to the nerves |
| tumult | the act of making a noisy disturbance |
| turbid | (of especially liquids) clouded as with sediment |
| turgid | abnormally distended especially by fluids or gas |
| umbrage | a feeling of anger caused by being offended |
| unavailing | producing no result or effect |
| unbridled | not restrained or controlled |
| unconscionable | greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation |
| unctuous | unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech |
| undaunted | resolutely courageous |
| undulating | moving in waves |
| unkempt | not properly maintained |
| unobtrusive | not obtrusive or undesirably noticeable |
| unruffled | free from disturbance |
| unscrupulous | without scruples or principles |
| unsolicited | not requested |
| unsullied | spotlessly clean and fresh |
| unswayable | unable to change |
| untoward | contrary to your interests or welfare |
| untrammeled | Not limited or restricted; unrestrained |
| unwarranted | incapable of being justified or explained |
| urbane | showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience |
| solipsism | (philosophy) the philosophical theory that the self is all that you know to exist |
| solstice | either of the two times of the year when the sun is at its greatest distance from the celestial equator |
| sordid | meanly avaricious and mercenary |
| spartan | resolute in the face of pain or danger or adversity |
| spawn | lay eggs (in large numbers); produce offspring (in large numbers); N: eggs of aquatic animals |
| sprightly | full of spirit and vitality |
| spur | give heart or courage to |
| spurn | reject with contempt |
| squabble | a quarrel about petty points |
| squalid | morally degraded |
| staccato | marked by or composed of disconnected parts or sounds |
| staid | (adj.) serious and dignified; quiet or subdued in character or conduct |
| stand | have or maintain a position or stand on an issue |
| stark | providing no shelter or sustenance |
| stasis | inactivity resulting from a static balance between opposing forces |
| stately | impressive in appearance |
| stentorian | extremely loud |
| stifle | impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of |
| stigma | a symbol of disgrace or infamy |
| stilted | artificially stiff or formal in manner |
| stint | an unbroken period of time during which you do something |
| stockade | fortification consisting of a fence made of a line of stout posts set firmly for defense |
| stoic | someone who is seemingly indifferent to emotions |
| stolid | having or revealing little emotion or sensibility |
| stratify | form, arrange, or deposit in layers |
| striate | Marked with striae; striped, grooved, or ridged; to mark with a line or band, as of different color or texture |
| stricture | abnormal narrowing of a bodily canal or passageway |
| strident | unpleasantly loud and harsh |
| stringent | Strict, severe; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to the taste |
| stripling | a juvenile between the onset of puberty and maturity |
| stultify | deprive of strength or efficiency |
| stunted | inferior in size or quality |
| stylize | (in art or description) restrict to a particular style; present in a fixed often less detailed style (rather that exactly as it is in real life); Ex. stylized representation of hearts and diamonds in playing cards |
| stymie | a thwarting and distressing situation |
| suave | smoothly agreeable and courteous with a degree of sophistication |
| subjection | forced submission to control by others |
| subjugate | put down by force or intimidation |
| sublimate | remove impurities from, increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation |
| subliminal | below one's absolute threshold for conscious awareness |
| subterfuge | something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity |
| subvert | destroy completely |
| succulent | a plant adapted to arid conditions and characterized by fleshy water-storing tissues that act as water reservoirs |
| sufferable | capable of being borne though unpleasant |
| suffragist | an advocate of the extension of voting rights (especially to women) |
| sullen | showing a brooding ill humor |
| sumptuous | Luxurious, splendid, lavish |
| superannuated | discharged as too old for use or work |
| supererogatory | more than is needed, desired, or required |
| supplant | take the place or move into the position of |
| supple | make pliant and flexible |
| surly | rude and bad-tempered |
| surreptitious | marked by quiet and caution and secrecy |
| survey | consider in a comprehensive way |
| sustenance | the act of sustaining life by food or providing a means of subsistence |
| swarthy | adj. dark colored |
| sybarite | a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses |
| symbiosis | the living together in mutually helpful association of two dissimilar organisms |
| symposium | a meeting or conference for the public discussion of some topic especially one in which the participants form an audience and make presentations |
| synchronous | occurring or existing at the same time or having the same period or phase |
| syncopation | temporary irregularity in musical rhythm |
| synthesis | the combination of ideas into a complex whole |
| synthetic | systematic combining of root and modifying elements into single words, not genuine or natural |
| taint | a stain or spot; a mark of corruption or dishonor; to stain or contaminate |
| tainted | contaminated |
| talon | claw of an animal, especially a bird of prey |
| tang | the taste experience when a savoury condiment is taken into the mouth |
| reticent | inclined to keep silent; reserved |
| retinue | a group that attends an important person |
| retiring | not arrogant or presuming |
| retort | a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one) |
| retract | formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure |
| retrench | to cut down, reduce in scope and cost |
| retroactive | affecting things past |
| retrograde | move back |
| retrospective | an exhibition of a representative selection of an artist's life work |
| revelry | boisterous merrymaking |
| revert | go back to a previous state |
| revile | to attack with words, call bad names |
| revitalize | restore strength |
| revulsion | intense aversion |
| rhapsody | speech or writing expressing great pleasure or enthusiasm |
| ribald | humorously vulgar |
| riddle | pierce many times |
| rife | excessively abundant |
| rift | a split, break, breach |
| riposte | a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one) |
| risque | bordering on being indecent or improper |
| roil | to stir up, disturb, rile |
| rostrum | a platform raised above the surrounding level to give prominence to the person on it |
| ruffled | shaken into waves or undulations as by wind |
| ruminate | reflect deeply on a subject |
| salacious | suggestive of or tending to moral looseness |
| salient | having a quality that thrusts itself into attention |
| sallow | yellowish and pale |
| sanguine | confidently optimistic and cheerful |
| sapient | wise; full of knowledge |
| saunter | walk leisurely and with no apparent aim |
| savory | an aromatic or spicy dish served at the end of dinner or as an hors d'oeuvre |
| scabrous | dealing with salacious or indecent material |
| scintillate | be lively or brilliant or exhibit virtuosity |
| scoff | showing your contempt by derision |
| score | get a certain number or letter indicating quality or performance |
| scrivener | a professional copyist; a scribe |
| scrupulous | exact, careful, attending thoroughly to details; having high moral standards, principled |
| secede | withdraw |
| sedentary | sitting |
| sedition | an illegal action inciting resistance to lawful authority and tending to cause the disruption or overthrow of the government |
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- "enjoin" image
- "exude" image
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- "mottle" image
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- "mollusk" image
- "monolith" image
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