| Term | Definition |
|---|
| quagmire | swampy, unstable area |
| quash | to suppress or end |
| quasi | resembling something but is fake |
| querulous | full of complaints, whiny |
| quid pro quo | something given in return for something else, a substitute |
| quiescent | at rest or inactive |
| quixotic | romantic, unpredictable |
| raffish | gaudy, cheap, tacky |
| rankle | to cause persistent irritation or resentment |
| recalcitrant | rebellious, stubborn, disobedient |
| recidivate | to relapse into a bad habit |
| recondite | difficult to understand, obscure |
| reconnoiter | to examine or survey to gain information |
| recreant | coward, traitor |
| rectitude | moral righteousness, integrity |
| red herring | something intended to divert attention from the real matter at hand |
| redolent | odorous, sweet smelling |
| refractory | hard to manage |
| refulgent | shiny, brightly radiant |
| remonstrate | to plead in protest |
| renege | to go back on a promise or commitment |
| restive | uneasy, fidgety, nervous |
| retrench | to cut down or diminish |
| riposte | a quick, sharp reply to a question or remark |
| rodomontade | bragging, boastful speech |
| rubric | a set of regulations for procedures |
| ruthful | compassionate, sorrowful |
| raucous | boisterous, disorderly |
| remuneration | to pay someone for goods provided |
| repudiate | to reject or decline |
| salient | prominent, important, notable |
| salubrious | promoting good health |
| sanguine | optimistic, cheerful |
| sardonic | biting, scornfully mocking |
| sedulous | diligent, persevering |
| senescent | aging, elderly |
| sequacious | sequencial, logical order |
| serendipity | good luck happening unexpectedly |
| sipid | having a pleasing taste or flavor |
| skullduggery | mischief, trickery, crafty deception |
| sniffish | highly contemptuous, snobbish |
| sobriquet | nickname |
| sonorous | rich and full in sound |
| soporific | causing sleep |
| spelunk | to explore caves |
| spiniferous | covered with spines |
| spoonerism | a mixing up of the initial letters of two or more words to form a new phrase |
| spurious | fake, counterfeit |
| squib | a short, witty word attack |
| stalwart | consistently courageous and strong |
| stolid | not easily stirred or emotionally moved |
| subjacent | lying directly below or underneath |
| subterfuge | to avoid something |
| sultry | very humid and hot |
| supercilious | pretentious, snobby |
| surfeit | an excess |
| sybarite | a person devoted to pleasure |
| sylph | a slender, graceful woman |
| synergy | collaboration |
| taciturn | silent, unwilling to talk |
| tendentious | biased, having a tendency towards something |
| trilemma | a situation in which there are three almost equally undesirable alternatives |
| ubiquitous | everywhere at the same time |
| urbane | polite, sophisticated, refined |
| usury | the lending of money at an extreme interest rate |
| veracity | honesty, truth |
| vituperative | harshly abusive, criticizing |
| wanton | reckless, careless |
| whiffle | to shift, change, displace like the wind |
| xanadu | any place of beauty; paradise |
| xenophobia | fear of strangers or foreigners |
| yahoo | slob; crude person |
| zaftig | pleasantly plump |
| zealous | devoted, diligent, enthusiastic |
| zephyr | a gentle, mild breeze |
| jocuse | joking, jesting, humorous |
| jodhpurs | riding britches |
| joey | baby kangaroo |
| juvenescent | youthful |
| juxtapose | to place next to for comparison |
| killjoy | one who spoils the enjoyment of others |
| kinetic | caused/pertaining to motion |
| kismet | fate or destiny |
| krotoscope | an instrument that measures applause |
| kudos | prestige or recognition |
| lexicon | vocabulary used in a particular profession |
| libertarian | a person who advocates liberty |
| lilliputian | a very small person |
| limn | to capture through artistic medium |
| limpid | clear, transparent |
| livid | extremely mad, furious |
| logorrhea | excessive talk, repetitive speech |
| loup | a mask that covers the eyes and nose |
| lubricious | smooth, slippery |
| machination | the act of plotting, scheming |
| maladroit | physically awkward or clumsy |
| malapropism | the confusion of similar sounding words |
| malfeasance | misconduct or wrong doing by a public official while in office |
| malice | the desire to inflict injury, harm, or suffering on another person |
| malinger | to fake sick to get out of work |
| martinet | a rigid disciplinarian |
| maverick | a rebel or non-conformist |
| mawkish | sentimental, emotional |
| mêlée | jumbled turmoil, a riot |
| mercurial | changeable, moody, fickle |
| mete | to distribute/apportion by measure |
| metonymy | substituting the name of something for an example of something else |
| mien | a person's demeanor |
| milieu | environment/surroundings |
| mingy | mean spirited, stingy |
| minion | a servant or follower |
| minutia | a small and important detail |
| miscreant | an evil doer, villian |
| mnemonic | a device used to help remember something |
| mollify | to soften or ease |
| morose | sullen disposition |
| mugwump | neutral in politics |
| munificent | generous |
| myopia | nearsighted |
| myriad | a countless number |
| narcolepsy | a condition characterized by frequent and uncontrollable periods of deep sleep |
| nascent | beginning to exist or develop |
| neophyte | a beginner |
| nepenthe | something that induces forgetfulness while easing pain |
| nephology | the study of clouds |
| nepotism | favoritism towards relatives |
| nethermost | lowest or farthest down |
| nettlesome | causing irritation or annoyance |
| nihilism | rejection of laws, no morals or values |
| nirvana | a state of total mental peace or bliss |
| nubbin | a stub |
| nugatory | of no value, worthless |
| nebulous | cloudy, hazy |
| nuance | a slight variation in meaning or tone |
| nefarious | extremely wicked, vicious |
| obfuscate | to confuse |
| obliterate | to eliminate completely |
| obsequious | fawns, sucks up to, obedient, compliant |
| obtuse | unclear, slow to comprehend |
| obviate | to anticipate, prevent |
| octogenarian | a person between the age of 80 and 90 |
| officious | a person who meddles or interferes without being asked |
| ombudsman | one who investigates complaints about abuses or wrongdoings performed by the government or by the organization he represents |
| ominous | having the significance of an omen, indicating evil or harm |
| omnificent | having supreme creative power, creating all things |
| onomatopoeia | a word that sounds like what it defines |
| ostentatious | showy, intended to attract attention |
| otiose | idle, useless and unnecessary |
| overt | open and observable |
| oxymoron | a phrase that is internally contradictory |
| paladin | a knight or heroic champion |
| palindrome | a word, phrase, sentence, or number that reads the same backwards and forwards |
| panacea | a remedy for all disease and evil |
| pandemic | widespread, prevelant in a specific area |
| panoply | complete area of something, splendid |
| paraclete | a person called to intercede or advocate |
| paradigm | one that serves as a model |
| paroxysm | a sudden, violent outburst of action or emotion |
| pathetic fallacy | giving human emotion to elements of nature |
| pathos | quality of suffering in someone or something that arouses pity |
| patronize | to appeal to one's ego |
| penicil | the patches of fur on a caterpillar's back |
| peremptory | decisive or final |
| perfidious | unfaithful or disloyal, treacherous |
| perfunctory | performed as routine, duty, hasty and superficial |
| persevere | to keep at something, persist |
| pertinacious | holding strongly to an opinion, purpose, or course of action |
| peruse | to review thoroughly |
| philistine | one who is uncultured or ignorant to cultural values |
| picaresque | adventurous, retaining to rogues |
| piquant | agreeably pungent or sharp in taste or flavor |
| plangent | having a loud reverberating sound |
| plethora | overabundance, excess |
| pontificate | to speak or behave pompously |
| précis | a precise summary of essential facts |
| predicable | something that can be stated as true |
| prevaricate | to stray away from or avoid the truth |
| pristine | perfect/original form |
| probity | honesty, integrity |
| promethean | creative, boldly original |
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