| Term | Definition |
|---|
| approba'tion | n. the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval SYN: commendation ANT: disapproval |
| assuage' | v. to make easier or milder, relieve, to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench SYN: alleviate ANT: intensify |
| coalition | n. a combo, union, or merger for some specific purpose SYN: alliance ANT: splinter group |
| dec'adence | n. decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline/decy; excessive self-indulgence SYN: corruption ANT: growth |
| elic'it | v. to draw forth, bring out from some source (such as another person) SYN: evoke ANT: repress |
| expost'ulate | v. to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning SYN: protest |
| hack'neyed | adj. used so often as to lack freshness/originality SYN: corny ANT: new |
| hia'tus | n. a gap, opening, break (in the sense of having an element missing) SYN: pause ANT: continuity |
| innuendo' | n. a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference (derogatory) SYN: intimation ANT: direct |
| intercede' | v. to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third-party or go-between in a disagreement SYN: intervene |
| ja'ded | v. wearied, worn-out, dulled (in the sense of being satiated by excessive indulgence) SYN: cloyed ANT: unspoiled |
| lur'id | adj. causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow colored; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restrain SYN: gory ANT: pleasant |
| meritor'ious | adj. worthy, deserving recognition and praise SYN: commendable ANT: blameworthy |
| pet'ulant | adj. peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated SYN: irritable ANT: serene |
| prerogative | n. a special right or privilege; a special quality showing excellence |
| provincial | adj. pertaining to an outlying area; local; narrow in mind or outlook, countrified in the sense of being limited and backward; of a simple, plain design that originated in the countryside; N. a person with a narrow point of view; a person from an outlying area; a soldier from a province or colony |
| simulate | v. to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of |
| transcend | v. to rise above or beyond, exceed |
| umbrage | n. shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion |
| unctuous | adj. excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily, pliable |
| ameliorate | v. to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming |
| aplomb | n. poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity |
| bombastic | adj. pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas |
| callow | adj. without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise; without feathers |
| drivel | n. salvia or mucus flowing from the mouth/nose; folish, aimless talk or thinking; nonsense; V. to let saliva flow from the mouth; to utter nonsense or childish twaddle; to waste or fritter away foolishly |
| epitome | n. a summary, condensed account; an instance that reps a larger reality |
| exhort | v. to urge strongly, advise earnestly |
| ex officio | adj, adv. by virtue or holding a certain office |
| infringe | v. to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds |
| ingratiate | v. to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favor/acceptance by others (sometimes used derogatory) |
| interloper | n. one who moves in where he or she is not wanted and has no right to be, an intruder |
| intrinsic | adj. belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; originating in a bodily organ or part |
| inveigh | v. to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval |
| lassitude | n. weariness of body or mind, lack of energy |
| millennium | n. a period of 1 thousand years; a period of great joy |
| occult | adj. mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary menas; V. to hide, conceal; eclipse; N. matters involving the supernatural |
| permeate | v. to spread through, penetrate, soak through |
| precipitate | v. to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; to hurl down from a great height; to give distinct form to; ADJ. characterized by excessive haste; N. moisture; the product of an action/process |
| stringent | adj. strict, severe; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling; sharp or bitter to taste |
| surmise | v. to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; N. likely idea that lacks definite proof |
| abominate | v. to have an intense dislike or hatred for |
| acculturation | n. the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another; the resultant blend |
| adventitious | adj. resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (MEDICINE) acquired, not congenital |
| ascribe | v. to assign or refer to (as a cause), attribute |
| circuitous | adj. roundabout, not direct |
| commiserate | v. to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress |
| enjoin | v. to direct/order; to prescribe a course of action in a way of authority; to prohibit |
| expedite | v. to make easy, cause to progress faster |
| expiate | v. to make amends, make up for; to avert |
| ferment | n. a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; V. to be in or work into such a state; to make alcohol by chemical action |
| inadvertent | adj. resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental |
| nominal | adj. existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously |
| noncommital | adj. not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes/no |
| peculate | v. to steal something that has been given into one's trust; to take improperly for one's own use |
| proclivity | n. a natural or habitual inclination or tendency (especially of human character or behavior) |
| sangfroid | n. composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances |
| seditious | adj. resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing government |
| tenuous | adj. thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or significance; lacking a sound basis, poorly supported |
| vitriolic | adj. bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting |
| wheedle | v. to use coaxing/flattery to gain some desired end |
| affable | adj. courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to |
| aggrandize | v. to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up/intensify; to make appear greater |
| amorphous | adj. shapeless; without definite form; of no particular type or character; w/o organization, unity, or cohesion |
| aura | n. that which surrounds; a distinctive air or quality |
| contraband | n. illegal traffic, smuggled gods; ADJ. illegal, prohibited |
| erudite | adj. scholarly, learned, bookish, pedantic |
| gossamer | adj. thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; n. a very thin, light cloth |
| infer | v. to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply |
| inscrutable | adj. incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically |
| insular | adj. relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook/experience |
| irrevocable | adj. incapable of being changed or called back |
| propensity | n. a natural inclination or predilection toward |
| querulous | adj. peevish, complaining, fretful |
| remonstrate | v. to argue/please with someone against something, protest against, object |
| repudiate | v. to disown, reject, or deny the validity of |
| resilient | adj. able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly |
| reverberate | v. to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly |
| scurrilous | adj. coarsely abusive, vulgar or low, foul-mouthed |
| sedulous | adj. persistent, showing industry and determination |
| sleazy | adj. thin/flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy or inferior in quality or character; ethically low, mean, or disreputable |
| amnesty | n. a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution |
| autonomy | n. self-government, political control |
| axiomatic | adj. self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule |
| blazon | v. to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or procliam widely |
| caveat | n. a warning/caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior |
| equitable | adj. fair, just, embodying principles of justice |
| extricate | v. to free from entanglements/difficulties; to remove w/ effort |
| filch | v. to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts |
| flout | v. to mock, treat w/ contempt |
| fractious | adj. tending to be troublesome, unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable |
| precept | n. a rule of conduct /action |
| salutary | adj. beneficial, helpful; healthful, wholesome |
| scathing | adj. bitterly severe, withering, causing great harm |
| scourge | v. to whip, punish severely; N. a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism |
| sepulchral | adj. funereal, typical of the tomb; extremely gloomy/dismal |
| soporific | adj. tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy; N. something that induces sleep |
| straitlaced | adj. extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish, puritanical |
| transient | adj. lasting only a short time, fleeting; N. one who stays only a short time |
| unwieldy | adj. not easily carried, handled or managed because of size or complexity |
| vapid | adj. dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness, or force |
| anomalous | adj. abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual |
| aspersion | n. a damaging or derogatory statement; the act of slandering or defaming |
| bizarre | adj. extremely strange, unusual, atypical |
| brusque | adj. abrubt, blunt, with no formalities |
| cajole | v. to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice; to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises |
| castigate | v. to punish severely; to criticize severely |
| contrive | v. to plan with ingenuity; invent; to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan |
| demagogue | n. a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power |
| disabuse | v. to free from deception/error, set right in ideas/thinking |
| ennui | n. weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom |
| fetter | n. a chain or shackle placed on the feet; anything that confines/restrains; v. to chain or shackle; to render helpless |
| heinous | adj. very wicked, offensive, hateful |
| immutable | adj. not subject to change, constant |
| insurgent | n. one who rebels or rises against authority; ADJ. rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority surging or rushing in or on |
| megalomania | n. a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality |
| sinecure | n. a position requiring little/no work; an easy job |
| surreptitious | adj. stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud |
| transgress | v. to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin, violate a law |
| transmute | v. to change from one nature, substance, or form to another |
| vicarious | adj. performed, suffered or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace
!