Flashcards: GRE 555 (advanced SAT too)
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Created by:
c1scottc on July 13, 2010
Subjects:
Groups:
Cynkanne, Word_Power, AceTheTest
Log in to favorite or report as inappropriate.All 569 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 palindrome | (n.) a word or phrase which reads the same backwards and forwards |
| adage | (n.) an old saying now accepted as being truthful |
| hackneyed | (adj.) made common by overuse |
| hyperbole | (n.) an exaggeration, not to be taken seriously |
| lurid | (adj.) 1) shocking; sensational 2) glowing through haze |
| throe | (n.) spasm or pang |
| vitiate | (v.) to spoil; to cause moral weakness |
| precipitate | (v./adj.) to cause to happen; happening quickly |
| edify | (v.) to instruct and improve the mind |
| livid | (adj.) discolored, as if bruised; extremely angry, furious |
| eminence | (n.) a lofty place; superiority |
| vehement | (adj.) using great force; described by strong feelings |
| amorphous | (adj.) with no shape; unorganized |
| consort | (n./v.) a companion; a spouse; to associate |
| immaculate | (adj.) perfectly clean; correct |
| untoward | (adj.) unfortunate |
| astringent | (n./adj.) a substance that contracts bodily tissues; harsh; biting |
| chary | (adj.) cautious |
| educe | (v.) to draw out; to infer from information |
| whet | (v.) to sharpen by rubbing; to stimulate |
| deposition | (n.) a removal from officer or power; a testimony |
| relegate | (v.) to assign to an inferior position; to commit to an action |
| lucid | (adj.) shiny; clear-minded |
| modulate | (v.) to regulate or adjust; to vary the pitch |
| hone | (n./v.) something used to sharpen; to sharpen |
| cascade | (n.v.) a small series of waterfalls; to fall rapidly, like a waterfall |
| coy | (adj.) modest; bashful; pretending shyness to attract |
| effervescence | (n.) liveliness; spirit; enthusiasm; bubbliness |
| fervid | (adj.)intensely hot; fervent; impassioned |
| imperious | (adj.) arrogant; urgent |
| miscreant | (adj./n.) evil; an evil person, villain |
| chafe | (v.) to annoy; to irritate; to wear away to make sore by rubbing |
| duress | (n.) imprisonment; the use of threats |
| goad | (n./v.) a driving impulse; to push into action |
| ideology | (n.) speculation; representative way of thinking |
| salient | (adj.) relevant and important; noticeable |
| recluse | (n.) a person who likes to live alone -- far from others |
| censure | (n & v ) strong expression of disapproval |
| servile | (adj.) in a slave-like manner |
| burlesque | (v./n.) to imitate in a non-serious manner; a comical imitation |
| visionary | (adj.) not realistic; impractical |
| waive | (v.) to give up; to put off until later (cf. waiver of rights) |
| prattle | (n./v.) childish babble; to babble while speaking |
| auspicious | (adj.) favorable; predicting a good outcome |
| fathom | (v./n.) to understand; a nautical unit of depth equal to 6 feet |
| ken | (v./n.) understand(ing) |
| covetous | (adj.) greedy; eagerly desirous |
| malign | (adj./v.) having an evil disposition toward others (opposite: benign); to speak evil of |
| pensive | (adj.) engaged in deep thought; expressing thoughtfulness wih some sadness |
| tether | (n.) the range or limit of one's abilities; rope or chain used to keep a boat from drifting or an animal from wandering |
| ulterior | (adj.) intentionally hidden; undisclosed |
| wanton | (adj.) unmanageable; unjustifiably malicious, dissolute |
| odium | (n.) extreme hatred; the disgrace from a hateful action |
| superfluous | (adj.) excessive; unnecessary |
| accrue | (v.) to come to a person or thing by way of gain or increment; to increase through natural growth |
| lacerate | (v.) to tear or mangle through rough cutting/biting; to wound or hurt |
| demur | (v./n.) hesitate due to doubts; an objection raised |
| prodigal | (adj.) wasteful; generous |
| virile | (adj.) masculine; manly |
| ignominious | (adj.) contemptible; disgraceful; degrading |
| impiety | (n.) irreverence toward God; lack of respect |
| caustic | (adj.) eating away at; sarcastic words |
| obloquy | (n.) verbal condemnation or abuse of a person or thing |
| implicit | (adj.) understood but not plainly stated; without doubt |
| colloquial | (adj.) having to do with conversation; informal speech |
| problematic | (adj.) being hard to deal with; unsolved situation |
| nemesis | (n.) enemy; rival |
| dearth | (n.) a lack, scarcity, inadequate supply; (famine) |
| effluvium | (n.) an outflow of vapor of invisible particles; a noxious odor |
| endemic | (adj.) native to a particular area; constantly present in a particular country or locality |
| esoteric | (adj.) understood by only a chosen few; confidential |
| ethereal | (adj.) very light; airy; heavenly; not earthly |
| execute | (v.) to put to death; kill; to carry out; fulfill |
| exigent | (adj.) calling for immediate attention; needing more than is reasonable |
| travail | (n.) very hard work; intense pain or agony |
| fastidious | (adj.) difficult to please; excessive care or delicacy; painstaking |
| fatuous | (adj.) lacking in seriousness; vain and silly |
| feint | (v./n.) to pretend to throw a punch, as in boxing; a fake show intended to deceive |
| sodden | (adj.) soggy; dull in aciotn as if from alcohol |
| subsidiary | (adj.) less important; in a subordinate position |
| sanction | (v.) to give authoritative permission; to personalize by way of discipline |
| manifest | (v.) to show clearly; to appear |
| impetuous | (adj.) moving with great force; characterized by a sudden or rash action |
| obtrude | (v.) to force oneself or one's ideas upon another; to thrust forward; to eject |
| ignoble | (adj.) ordinary; dishonorable |
| laggard | (n./adj.) a person who has fallen behind; moving slowly |
| languid | (adj.) lacking vitality; indifferent |
| haggard | (adj.) untamed; having a worn look |
| levity | (n.) lack of seriousness; instability |
| bereft | (adj.) to be deprived of; to be in a sad manner |
| repudiate | (v.) to disown; to deny support for |
| expedient | (adj.) convenient in obtaining a result; guided by self-interest |
| palliate | (v.) to alleviate or ease pain but not cure; to make appear less serious |
| mite | (n.) a very small sum of money; a very small creature |
| dubious | (adj.) causing doubt; hesitating; an undecided outcome |
| teem | (v.) to be stocked to overflowing; to pour out; to empty |
| noisome | (adj.) harmful to health; having a foul odor |
| occult | (adj./n.) mysterious, beyond the range of ordinary knowledge; supernatural agencies and affairs considered as a whole |
| austere | (adj.) having a stern look; having strick self-discipline |
| substantive | (adj.) existing independently of others; a large quantity; essential |
| oscillate | (v.) to move back and forth; to have a wavering opinion |
| vouchsafe | (v.) to grant or give, as by favor or graciousness; to allow or permit |
| parapet | (n.) a wall for protection; a low wall or railing |
| peremptory | (adj.) barring future action; that which cannot be denied, or changed; final |
| peripheral | (adj.) the other part of; slightly connected to what is important |
| platonic | (adj.) of, pertaining to, or characteristic of Plato's philosophy; not amorous or sensual |
| enfranchised | (v.) to free from obligation; to admit to citizenship |
| quirk | (n.) a twist; a peculiar trait |
| ferret | (v./n.) to force out of hiding; to search for; a small, weasel-like mammal |
| precarious | (adj.) depending upon another; risky; uncertain |
| prodigious | (adj.) wonderful; enormous |
| profusion | (n.) great wastefulness; a large abundance |
| propinquity | (n.) closeness in time or place; closeness of relationship |
| pungent | (adj.) sharp and piercing; expressive |
| harbor | (n./v.) a place of safety or shelter; to give shelter or protect |
| rampart | (n./v.) a defense; to defend |
| virulent | (adj.) extremely poisonous or injurious |
| repugnant | (adj.) distasteful; offensive; |
| encumber | (v.) to hinder; to burden; |
| exhume | (v.) to unearth; to reveal |
| redolent | (adj.) sweet-smelling |
| redundant | (adj.) wordy; repetitive; unnecessary to the meaning |
| innocuous | (adj.) harmless; dull |
| sedentary | (adj.) characterized by sitting; remaining in one locality |
| sedulous | (adj.) diligent; persistent |
| flag | (v.) to become weak; to tire |
| succinct | (adj.) clearly stated; concise |
| pious | (adj.) having a religious devotion; sacred |
| meander | (v./n.) wander in a winding fashion; circuitous walk, path, stream |
| zenith | (n.) highest point |
| reprobate | (adj., n., v.) morally unprincipled (person); to act in a socially bad manner |
| surfeit | (v./n.) to over-indulge (in food/drink); too much of something |
| diffuse | (v., adj.) spread out; not focused |
| tumid | (adj.) swollen; pompous |
| tumult | (n.) a noisy commotion; disturbance |
| plumb | (adj./v./n.) perfectly straight up-down; to examine deeply/closely; a weight at the end of a line |
| gamut | (n.) the complete range (of all options) |
| veneer | (n.) a thin surface layer; any attractive but superficial appearance |
| flippant | (adj.) overly and too easily talkative; disrespectful |
| dogmatic | (adj.) sticking to one rule-bound way of thinking (ex. following only religious 'dogma') |
| opaque | (adj.) not allowing light to pass through; dense or stupidly dull |
| presage | (n./v) an omen; a foreshadowing; to predict |
| skulk | (v.) to move in a stealthy way; to avoid responsibility; lurk |
| diminutive | (adj.) small |
| sundry | (adj.) various; miscellaneious; separate; distinct |
| deference | (n.) courteous respect, submission to another's will; |
| jettison | (v.) to throw goods overboard to lighten a vehicle; to discard |
| quandary | (n.) a state of uncertainity; difficult situation |
| surmise | (n./v.) guess (based on evidence) |
| attenuate | (v./adj.) to thin out; weakened; diminishing |
| rivet | (v.) to secure; to hold firmly or to be engrossed |
| harangue | (n./v.) a lengthy, heartfelt speech; to talk excitedly |
| consecrate | (v.) to declare sacred; to dedicate |
| torpid | (adj.) being dormant; slow, sluggish |
| rabid | (adj.) violent; fanatic about a belief |
| tenacious | (adj.) holding firmly; persistent |
| flux | (n.) a flow; a continual change |
| malediction | (n.) putting a curse on someone; talking negatively about another |
| trenchant | (adj.) cutting; keen or incisive |
| eclectic | (adj.) made from various sources |
| beneficient | (adj.) conferring benefits; kindly; doing good |
| captious | (adj.) overly fault-finding; tricky argument style intended to trap opponent |
| circumspect | (adj.) considering all circumstances; cautious |
| guffaw | (n.) boisterous laughter |
| ameliorate | (v.) to improve or make better |
| contrite | (adj.) repentant; sorry |
| meretricious | (adj.) attractive by a show of flashy or vulgar qualities; insincere |
| derision | (n.) ridicule |
| disinterested | (adj.) neutral; unbiased |
| quaff | (v.) to drink heartily |
| faction | (n.) a number of people in an organization working for a common cause against the main body |
| fetter | (n.) a chain to bind the feet together |
| frenetic | (adj.) frenzied |
| gourmand | (n.) one who eats heartily |
| innate | (adj.) existing from birth |
| allocate | (v.) to set aside; to designate; to assign |
| litigate | (v.) to involve a lawsuit |
| paean | (n.) a song of praise or triumph |
| partisan | (n.) a person who strongly supports one view |
| quiescence | (n.) state of being at rest or without motion; stillness |
| jaded | (adj.) worn-out |
| plenary | (adj.) full; entire; absolute |
| pragmatic | (adj.) practical |
| resurgent | (adj.) rising or tending to rise again |
| scrupulous | (adj.) making sure all detail are perfect |
| coterie | (n.) a clique; a group who meets frequently, usually socially |
| sumptuous | (adj.) involving great expense; splendid; lavish |
| ubiquitous | (adj.) present everywhere |
| fallacious | (adj.) misleading; deceptive |
| peruse | (v.) to read carefully; to study |
| vestige | (n.) a trace of something that no longer exists |
| imprecate | (v.) to pray for evil; to invoke a curse |
| abjure | (v.) to give up |
| accolade | (n.) approving or praising mention |
| embellish | (v.) to improve by adding details |
| rudimentary | (adj.) elementary |
| catharsis | (n.) a purging or relieving of the body or soul |
| altruism | (n.) unselfish devotion to the welfare of others |
| laconic | (adj.) sparing of words; terse; pithy |
| abstemious | (adj.) sparing in use of food or drinks |
| disheartened | (adj.) discouraged; depressed |
| vertigo | (n.) a sensation of dizziness |
| cloture | (n.) a parliamentary procedure to end debate and begin to vote |
| voracious | (adj.) greedy in eating |
| reverie | (n.) daydream |
| adamant | (adj.) not yielding, firm |
| misanthrope | (n.) a person who hates or distrusts everyone/thing |
| foster | (v.) encourage; nurture; support |
| morose | (adj.) gloomy, sad |
| wane | (v.) to gradually decrease; to grow dim |
| perquisite | (n.) a tip in addition to regular income |
| cloying | (adj.) causing disgust or aversion through excess |
| termagant | (n.) a constantly quarrelsome woman; a shrew |
| connotative | (adj.) containing associated meanings in addition to the primary one |
| reciprocal | (n.) mutual; having the same relationship to each other |
| callow | (adj.) immature, young and inexperienced |
| amiable | (adj.) friendly |
| knavery | (n.) a dishonest act |
| parse | (v.) to separate (a sentence) into parts and describe the funciton of each |
| improvident | (adj.) not providing for the future |
| indolent | (adj.) not wanting to work |
| usuary | (n.) the lending of money with an excessively high interest rate |
| intractable | (adj.) stubborn; not easily taught or disciplined |
| unalloyed | (adj.) pure, of high quality |
| artifice | (n.) skillful deception or trickery |
| epicure | (n.) a person who has good taste in food and drink |
| obeisance | (n.) a gesture of respect or reverence |
| banal | (adj.) trite; boring b/c lacking freshness or originality |
| resonant | (adj.) resounding; re-echoing |
| heretic | (n.) one who holds opinions contrary to that which is generally accepted |
| verbose | (adj.) wordy verbal communication |
| nugatory | (adj.) trifling; futile; worthless; insignificant |
| chaste | (adj.) virtuous; free of obscenity, pure of heart/mind |
| inured | (adj.) accustomed to pain |
| discerning | (adj.) having good judgement |
| thrifty | (adj.) frugal; careful with money |
| tutelage | (n.) the condition of being under a guardian or a tutor |
| expunge | (v.) to blot out; to delete |
| broach | (v.) to introduce into conversation |
| myriad | (n.) a large number |
| fallible | (adj.) liable to be mistaken or erroneous |
| coda | (n.) a concluding passage (esp. in music) |
| seething | (v./adj) (to be) violently disturbed, angry |
| guile | (n.) trickery, slyness in dealing with others |
| gaffe | (n.) big mistake, blunder |
| supplant | (v.) to take the place of |
| aggrandize | (v.) to make more powerful than one actually is |
| tedious | (adj.) wearisome; tiresome |
| cognitive | (adj.) possessing the power to think or meditate; meditative; capable of perception |
| arduous | (adj.) laborious; difficult; strenuous |
| compliant | (adj.) complying; obeying; yielding |
| doggerel | (n.) trivial, inartistic, weakly constructed verse, usually of a comic nature |
| craven | (adj.) cowardly |
| transmute | (v.) to transform |
| terrestrial | (adj.) pertaining to the earth |
| deleterious | (adj.) harmful; hurtful; noxious |
| apposite | (adj.) suitable; apt; relevant |
| flout | (v.) to mock or jeer scornfully |
| extraneous | (adj.) irrelevant; not related; not essential |
| trite | (adj.) becoming unoriginal through too much use |
| ecclesiastic | (adj.) pertaining or relating to a church |
| anarchist | (n.) one who believes that a formal government is unnecessary |
| anomaly | (n.) an oddity; an inconsistency; a deviation from the norm |
| slothful | (adj) lazy; sluggish |
| ennui | (n.) boredom; apathy |
| equanimity | (n.) the quality of remaining calm and undisturbed |
| eschew | (v.) to shun; to avoid |
| recidivism | (n.) habitual or chronic relapse of criminal or antisocial offenses |
| elusive | (adj.) hard to catch |
| aloof | (adj.) distant in interest; reserved; cool |
| quiescent | (adj.) inactive; quiet; at rest |
| preclude | (v.) to prevent |
| exultation | (n.) the act of rejoicing |
| fortuitous | (adj.) happening accidentally |
| reprehend | (v.) to reprimand; to find fault with; censure |
| deign | (v.) to lower one's self in order to do something believed to be beneath one's dignity |
| putrefy | (v.) to decompose; to rot |
| adroit | (adj.) expert or skillful |
| libertine | (n.) one who indulges his desires without moral restraint |
| fractious | (adj.) rebellious; apt to quarrel; unruly |
| humility | (n.) lack of pride; modesty |
| proliferate | (v.) to reproduce quickly |
| abase | (v.) to degrade; to humiliate; to disgrace |
| mundane | (adj.) ordinary |
| gregarious | (adj.) fond of the company of others |
| sardonic | (adj.) bitterly sarcastic; mocking; sneering |
| emanate | (v.) to emit; come from |
| assay | (v.) to determine the quality of a substance |
| odious | (adj.) hateful; disgusting |
| facade | (n.) front view; false appearance |
| volition | (n.) free choice; act of making a conscious choice |
| vicissitude | (n.) unpredictable change occurring in life |
| forbearance | (n.) patience; self-restraint |
| vindicate | (v.) to clear or defend against criticism or blame |
| fickle | (adj.) changeable; unpredictable |
| mettle | (n.) spirit; courage; ardor |
| vantage | (n.) favorable position; position allowing a clear view or understanding |
| bumptious | (adj.) arrogant |
| haphazard | (adj.) unplanned |
| indignant | (adj.) expressing anger to an injustice |
| quixotic | (adj.) romantically idealistic; extravagantly chivalrous |
| vitriolic | (adj.) bitter |
| denigrate | (v.) to defame; to blacken or sully; to belittle |
| copious | (adj.) abundant; in great quantities |
| germane | (adj.) relevant to the point |
| impassive | (adj.) showing no emotion |
| wan | (adj.) lacking color; sickly pale |
| guise | (n.) appearance |
| intrepid | (adj.) fearless; bold |
| abhor | (v.) to hate |
| mien | (n.) appearance, bearing, or manner |
| mordant | (adj.) cutting; sarcastic |
| opalescent | (adj.) iridescent |
| rancor | (n.) strong ill will; enmity |
| strident | (adj.) creaking; harsh; grating |
| suppliant | (adj.) asking earnestly and submissively |
| idiosyncrasy | (n.) any personal peculiarity; mannerism |
| unfeigned | (adj.) genuine; real; sincere |
| efface | (v.) to erase; to make inconspicuous |
| traduce | (v.) to defame or slander |
| purview | (v.) extent of something |
| fester | (v.) to become more and more virulent and fixed |
| hindrance | (n.) blockage; obstacle |
| blasphemous | (adj.) speaking ill of ; using profane language |
| brusque | (adj.) abrupt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt |
| hypocritical | (adj.) two-faced; deceptive |
| coviviality | (n.) a fondness for festiveness or joviality |
| facetious | (adj.) joking in an awkard or improper manner |
| fidelity | (n.) faithfulness; honesty |
| incisive | (adj.) getting ot the heart of things; to the point |
| ingenious | (adj.) clever; resourceful |
| slovenly | (adv.) sloppy |
| preponderant | (adj.) to outweigh; to be superior in amount, weight, etc. |
| qualms | (n.) sudden feeling of uneasiness or doubt |
| vagary | (n.) an odd or eccentric action |
| verity | (n.) truth |
| winsome | (adj.) charming; sweetly attractive |
| hedonistic | (adj.) pleasure seeking |
| parry | (v.) to avoid; to ward off |
| verbiage | (n.) wordiness |
| calumny | (n.) slander |
| penchant | (n.) a strong liking |
| propensity | (n.) an inclination; a natural tendency toward |
| conundrum | (n.) a puzzle or riddle |
| specious | (adj.) plausible, apparently good or right through lacking real merit |
| condone | (v.) to forgive |
| inculcate | (v.) to impress upon the mind by persistent urging |
| parley | (v.) to speak with another; to discourse |
| impugn | (v.) to attack verbally; to criticize; to refute |
| propitiate | (v.) to win the goodwill of |
| lambaste | (v.) to beat harshly or scold |
| amalgate | (v.) to mix; to merge; to combine |
| heed | (v.) to obey; to yield to |
| impolitic | (adj.) unwise; imprudent |
| reiterate | (v.) to say again |
| articulate | (adj.) clear; distinct; expressed with clarity; skillful with words |
| adulterate | (v.) to corrupt, debase, or make impure |
| impudent | (adj.) disrespectful; shameless; rude |
| brindled | (adj.) streaked or spotted with a darker color; said especially of animals; coats |
| elucidate | (v.) to make clear; to explain |
| behoove | (v.) to be necessary; to be incumbent upon |
| lithe | (adj.) easily bent; pliable; supple |
| deride | (v.) to laugh at with contempt; to mock |
| fulminate | (v.) to issue denunciations; to condemn |
| indemnify | (v.) to insure against or pay for loss or damage |
| pedantic | (adj.) emphasizing trivial points of learning |
| aspetic | (adj.) germ free |
| assiduous | (adj.) carefully attentive; industrious |
| cogitate | (v.) to think hard; ponder; meditate |
| fortitude | (n.) firm courage; strength |
| stanch | (v.) to stop or check the flow of; to staunch |
| revile | (v.) to be abusive in speech |
| feign | (v.) to pretend |
| prate | (v.) to talk foolishly; chatter |
| purloin | (v.) to steal |
| encroach | (v.) to trespass or intrude |
| constrain | (v.) to force; to compel; to restrain |
| exhaustive | (adj.) thorough; complete |
| futile | (adj.) worthless; unprofitable |
| illusive | (adj.) deceiving; misleading |
| reticent | (adj.) reserved; typically quiet |
| finite | (adj.) measurable; limited; not everlasting |
| comport | (v.) to behave in a specified manner in order to fit in |
| extemporize | (v.) to improvise; to make it up as you go along |
| macerate | (v.) to soften by steeping in liquid |
| impenitent | (adj.) without regret, shame, or remorse |
| provident | (adj.) prudent; economical; characterized by foresight |
| latency | (n.) a period of inactivity |
| abdicate | (v.) to reject, renounce, or abandon |
| homeostasis | (n.) maintenance of stability |
| lascivious | (adj.) characterized by lust |
| stymie | (v.) to hinder or obstruct |
| pseudonym | (n.) a borrowed or fictitious name |
| ephemeral | (adj.) very short-lived; lasting only a short time |
| perjury | (n.) lying while under oath |
| sunder | (v.) to separate or break apart |
| agrarian | (adj.) of the land |
| sagacious | (adj.) wise |
| insipid | (adj.) uninteresting; boring; flat; dull |
| ascetic | (adj.) self-denying |
| assuage | (v.) to relieve; to ease; to make less severe |
| allusion | (n.) an indirect reference (often literary); a hint |
| foible | (n.) a minor weakness of character |
| crass | (adj.) stupid; unrefined; gross |
| quarantine | (n.) isolation of a person to prevent spread of disease |
| garrulous | (adj.) extremely talkative or wordy |
| opprobrious | (adj.) abusive |
| equinox | (n.) precise time when the day and night is of equal length |
| quaint | (adj.) old-fashioned; unusual; odd |
| ramification | (n.) consequence |
| privy | (adj.) to know secret knowledge |
| debonair | (adj.) having an affable manner; carefree; genial |
| raconteur | (n.) a person skilled at telling stories |
| kith | (n.) relatives and acquaintances |
| amass | (v.) to collect together; to accumulate |
| vital | (adj.) very important; critical |
| eccentric | (adj.) odd; peculiar; strange |
| dally | (v.) to loiter; to waste time |
| frugality | (n.) thrift |
| judicious | (adj.) using sound judgement |
| propagate | (v.) to reproduce or multiply |
| rapacious | (adj.) given to seizing for plunder or satisfaction of greed |
| idyll | (n.) a written piece of work describing a peaceful rural scene |
| recusant | (adj.) disobedient of authority |
| vaunted | (adj.) boastful |
| salubrious | (adj.) promoting good health |
| apocalyptic | (adj.) predicting or presaging universal destruction |
| equivocal | (adj.) questionable; deliberately ambiguous |
| evoked | (v.) to call forth; to provoke |
| pedagogue | (n.) a teacher |
| serendipity | (n.) an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally |
| cognizant | (adj.) aware of |
| arcane | (adj.) obscure; secret; mysterious |
| disdain | (v.) to reject with scorn |
| egullience | (n.) an overflowing of high spirits; effervescence |
| aesthetic | (adj.) of beauty; pertaining to taste in art and beauty |
| sinuous | (adj.) full of curves; twisting and turning |
| qualified | (adj.) experienced |
| fundamental | (adj.) basic; necessary |
| shoals | (n.) a large group or crowd |
| rampant | (adj.) growing unchecked; widespread |
| swathe | (v.) to wrap around something; to envelop |
| decadence | (n.) a decline in morals or art |
| eradication | (n.) the act of annihilating; destroying, or erasing |
| extant | (adj.) still existing; refers especially to books, documents, or species of animals |
| hubris | (n.) arrogance |
| aghast | (adj.) astonished; amazed; horrified; terrified; appalled |
| succor | (n.) aid; assistance |
| hiatus | (n.) interval; break; period of rest |
| vex | (v.) to be troublesome to; to annoy |
| temerity | (n.) foolhardiness; recklessness |
| lassitude | (n.) weariness |
| vacuous | (adj.) dull; stupid; empty-headed |
| abyssal | (adj.) of or relating ot the deepest portion of the oceans |
| unequivocal | (adj.) clear and unambiguous |
| aberrant | (adj.) abnormal; straying from the normal or usual path |
| ellipsis | (n.) omission of words necessary for the complete syntactical construction of a sentence, but not necessary for understanding it |
| subsume | (v.) to include within a larger group |
| cacophony | (n.) a harsh, inharmonious collection of sounds; dissonance |
| debacle | (n.) a disaster; a collapse; a rout |
| dormant | (adj.) as if asleep |
| euphemism | (n.) the use of a word or phrase in place of one that is distasteful |
| incorporeal | (adj.) not consisting of matter |
| amalgam | (n.) a mixture or combination (often of metals) |
| visage | (n.) face; appearance |
| aspersion | (n.) slanderous statement; a damaging or derogatory criticism |
| atrophy | (n.) wasting away, as from lack of use; failure to grow |
| undermine | (v.) to weaken, often through subtle means |
| collusion | (n.) a secret agreement for an illegal purpose |
| autocracy | (n.) an absolute monarchy; government where one person holds power |
| autocrat | (n.) an absolute ruler |
| implacable | (adj.) unwilling to be pacified or appeased |
| acerbic | (adj.) sour or bitter in taste or manner |
| epitome | (n.) a part that is typical of the whole |
| stipend | (n.) a fixed payment |
| fealty | (n.) loyalty |
| baroque | (adj.) embellished; ornate |
| bellicose | (adj.) quarrelsome; warlike |
| benevolent | (adj.) kindly |
| bestial | (adj.) having the qualities of a beast; brutal |
| blighted | (v.) causing frustration or destruction |
| blithe | (adj.) cheerful |
| tractable | (adj.) easily managed (opposite: intractable) |
| allegory | (n.) a literary, dramatic, or pictorial representation that is symbolic |
| boor | (n.) a rude person |
| realm | (n.) a region |
| recalcitrant | (adj.) stubbornly rebellious |
| nettle | (v.) to irritate |
| anaphylaxis | (n.) an allergic reaction |
| bilateral | (adj.) two-sided |
| coalesce | (v.) to grow together to combine |
| bucolic | (adj.) having to do with shepherds or the country |
| extrapolate | (v.) to estimate the value of something beyond the scale; to infer what is unknown from something known |
| subjugate | (v.) to dominate or enslave |
| cache | (n.) a safe place for hiding |
| caliber | (n.) quality |
| canard | (n.) a false statement or rumor |
| umbrage | (n.) offense or resentment |
| complacent | (adj.) self-satisfied; content |
| caprice | (n.) a sudden, unpredictable, or whimsical change |
| biennial | (adj.) occurring every two years |
| dank | (adj.) damp and chilly |
| cessation | (n.) a ceasing; a stopping |
| harmonious | (adj.) having proportionate and orderly parts |
| charlatan | (n.) a person who pretends to have knowledge |
| inimical | (adj.) hostile; unfriendly |
| vigilance | (n.) watchfulness |
| peccadukki | (n.) a slight fault or offense |
| impervious | (adj.) impenetrable; not allowing anything to pass through; unaffected |
| disputatious | (adj.) argumentative; inclined to disputes |
| cavil | (v.) to bicker unnecessarily |
| beholden | (adj.) indebted to |
| choleric | (adj.) ill-tempered; easily angered |
| solemnity | (n.) a deep, reverent feeling often associated with religious occasions |
| churlishness | (n.) crude or surly behavior |
| munificent | (adj.) showing great generosity |
| clandestine | (adj.) secret |
| conjoin | (v.) to combine |
| fetish | (n.) anything to which ones gives excessive devotion |
| discomfit | (v.) to frustrate the expectations of |
| cohesion | (n.) the act of holding together |
| cohort | (n.) a group; a band |
| antipathy | (n.) a strong dislike or repugnance |
| comeliness | (n.) beauty; attractiveness in appearance or behavior |
| fraught | (adj.) loaded; charged |
| lewd | (adj.) lustful; wicked |
| evasion | (n.) the avoiding of a duty |
| complaisance | (n.) the quality of being agreeable or eager to please |
| abstruse | (adj.) hard to understand |
| conclave | (n.) any private meeting or closed assembly |
| conglomeration | (n.) a collection or mixture of various things |
| fecund | (adj.) productive |
| contentious | (adj.) quarrelsome |
| contiguous | (adj.) touching or adjoining and close, but not touching |
| culpable | (adj.) deserving blame; guilty |
| troth | (n.) belief; faith; fidelity |
| amortize | (v.) to liquidate (a debt) at fixed intervals |
| mendacious | (adj.) not truthful; lying |
| coherent | (adj.) sticking together; connected; logical; consistent |
| adept | (adj.) skilled; practiced |
| sordid | (adj.) filthy; foul |
| wheedle | (v.) to influence or persuade by flattery |
| abaft | (adv.) on or toward the rear of a ship |
| curmudgeon | (n.) an ill-tempered person |
| dais | (n.) a raised platform at one end of a room |
| irreparable | (adj.) that which cannot be repaired or regained |
| dauntless | (adj.) fearless; not discouraged |
| motif | (n.) a repeated figure or design in architecture or decoration |
| decorous | (adj.) suitable; proper; seemly |
| depravity | (n.) wickedness |
| derisive | (adj.) showing disrespect or scorn for |
| paucity | (n.) scarity |
| propinquity | (n.) nearness in place, time, or kinship |
| irredentism | (n) reclaiming of territory lost to a neighbor state -- esp. when many ethnically similar people still live there |
| catholic | (adj) broad-minded, universal |
| reticent | (adj) silent by nature; reserved |
| buildingsroman | n. coming-of-age story |
| mimetic | adj. imitative. |
| mimesis | n. 1) the imitative representation of nature and human behavior in art and literature 2) the representation of another person's words in a speech 3) any disease that shows symptoms characteristic of another disease |
| apostrophe | n. address to an absent or imaginary person (Greek rhetoric) |
| polemic | n./adj controversy; argument; verbal attack |
| persiflage | n. lighthearted joking, talk, or writing |
| railery | n. good-humored ridicule or teasing |
| pelagic | adj. relating to or occurring or living in or frequenting the open ocean |
| demersal | adj./n.subaqueous; living underwater; sinking to the bottom; zone of the ocean just above the bottom |
| benthic | n/adj. bottom of a sea or lake |
| desultory | adj. aimless; haphazard; digressing at random |
| improvident | adj. wasteful, not preparing for the future; incautious |
| panagyric | n. a formal expression of praise |