| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Fulsome | Disgusting because excessive or insincere; repulsive |
| Entreaty | An earnest plea or request |
| Synthesis | The combination of separate parts into a unified whole |
| Mollify | To soothe the temper; pacify; appease |
| Laggard | A slow person; loiterer |
| Desultory | Lacking a plan or purpose; unmethodical |
| Incisive | Keen or penetrating in thought or expression |
| Supercilious | Feeling or showing proud contempt |
| Estrange | To make hostile or indifferent, usu., between two persons |
| Unscrupulous | Proceeding ruthlessly; without regard for right or wrong |
| Flabbergast | To overcome with astonishment |
| Drone | To make a continuous, low buzzing or humming sound; to speak monotonously |
| Tacit | Unspoken but understood; silent |
| Reiterate | To repeat |
| Diaphanous | Of transparent or translucently fine texture; delicate and insubstantial |
| Exult | To rejoice greatly |
| Passé | Old fasioned; out-of-style |
| Circumlocution | An indirect or wordy way of expressing an idea |
| Hyperbole | Exaggeration |
| Forestall | To prevent or delay beforehand |
| Dint | Power; effort |
| Intrinsic | Relating to the essential nature of something |
| Iconoclast | One who attacks and seeks to destroy widely accepted ideas |
| Covert | Concealed or disguised; not openly practiced |
| Indoctrinate | To teach to accept a belief uncritically |
| Scourge | A cause of widespread suffering |
| Barb | A cutting or biting remark |
| Verbose | Wordy |
| Scrupulous | Conscientious and exact; having principles |
| Inaugurate | To formally bring into office at the beginning of a term |
| Mortify | To humiliate; to fill with embarrassment |
| Dichotomy | Divising into two contradictory parts |
| Unscathed | Unharmed |
| Bona Fide | Genuine |
| Hamper | To keep from moving or acting freely |
| Impasse | A dead-end |
| Criterion | A measurable value; a standard for judging |
| Bereaved | Suffering the loss of a loved one |
| Appropriate | To set apart for a specific use; to take possession of, often without permission |
| Auspicious | Marked by favorable circumstances |
| Diatribe | Prolonged and bitter speech or writing |
| Bilk | To swindle; to cheat |
| Transcend | To exceed; to go beyond or above the limits |
| Buttress | To prop up or support |
| Minuscule | Very small |
| Lukewarm | Mildly warm; lacking enthusiasm |
| Manifesto | A public declaration of principles, often political |
| Esoteric | Known by or confined to a small number of people |
| Obliging | Ready to do favors; helpful; courteous |
| Allude | To refer to indirectly |
| Probity | Complete and confirmed honesty |
| Watershed | A critical point that marks a division |
| Contravene | To act counter to; violate |
| Requisite | Needed; necessary |
| Tautology | Needless repetition of an idea in different words (e.g., "widow woman") |
| Vignette | A small design or portrait; a brief scene (as from a movie) or literary sketch |
| Swagger | To walk in an arrogant manner |
| Peremptory | Having the nature of a command; permitting no denial |
| Fetter | To confine, to restrain, or keep down; chains; shackles |
| Reluctant | Unwilling; disinclined |
| Glean | To gather bit by bit |
| Debacle | An overwhelming defeat or rout |
| Alchemy | Medieval chemistry, esp. the attempt to change common metals into gold |
| Ascendant | In a position of power or superiority |
| Upshot | The decisive or final result |
| Eminent | Outstanding, distinguished, towering above others |
| Didactic | Intending to teach; inclined to teach excessively |
| Diligent | Painstaking and steady |
| Oratory | Public speaking, esp. marked by pompous rhetoric |
| Charisma | A quality of leadership that inspires great devotion in one's followers; personal magnetism or charm |
| Hobbyhorse | A favorite pastime; a topic with which one is obsessed |
| Eccentric | Unconventional; odd |
| Aberration | A departure from what is right, true, correct |
| Epigram | A short, cleverly-worded statement |
| Apotheosis | The ideal example; the elevation of a person to the rank of a god |
| Ameliorate | To improve; to become better |
| Tirade | An abusive speech |
| Attire | Clothes, esp. fancy or elaborate apparel |
| Grandiloquent | Using excessively fancy or pompous words |
| Penchant | A strong liking |
| Vex | To disturb; to distress |
| Ascetic | Self-denying |
| Enigma | A perplexing, usually ambiguous puzzle |
| Ostentatious | Showy; pretentious |
| Monopoly | Exclusive possession or control; a company or group having that control |
| Distraught | Anxious or agitated |
| Recant | To formally take back a previous statement |
| Reproof | An expression of disapproval; a rebuke |
| Collaborate | To work together, esp. at an intellectual effort |
| Complement | Something that completes a whole or brings to perfection |
| Pathology | The study of the cause and development of disease; a departure from a normal condition |
| Implacable | Unable to be pacified; relentless |
| Aegis | A protection; sponsorship |
| Lionize | To look upon or treat as a celebrity |
| Nonchalant | Seemingly to be unconcerned or indifferent |
| Trenchant | Keen and forceful; caustic |
| Malediction | Evil talk about someone; slander; a curse |
| Unconscionable | Beyond reason; not restrained by conscience |
| Jettison | To throw overboard; discard or abandon something no longer wanted |
| Kowtow | To show servile deference; to touch the forehead to the ground as an act of respect |
| Feat | An act or accomplishment showing skill |
| Tenure | Holding or possession of an office or property; guaranteed permanent employment, especially as a teacher |
| Gainsay | To deny; declare false |
| Atrophy | A wasting away, esp. of body tissue |
| Amble | To walk slowly or leisurely |
| Indolent | Lazy |
| Emit | To send forth; to give out |
| Anomaly | A departure from the regular pattern |
| Erudite | Well-educated |
| Hackneyed | Made trite and commonplace by overuse |
| Discursive | Covering a wide range of subjects; rambling |
| Nefarious | Very wicked; villainous |
| Concomitant | Accompanying (of events) |
| Adulation | Excessive flattery or admiration |
| Parry | To deflect an attack |
| Bifurcate | To divide into two parts |
| Renown | Fame or celebrity |
| Detract | To take away a desirable part; to diminish |
| Cachet | A mark of distinction |
| Edict | An authoritative order issued publicly; a decree |
| Portly | Fat, esp. of one who has a stately, imposing bearing |
| Reconcile | To make friendly again; to settle a dispute |
| Flamboyant | Extravagant; showy |
| Gait | Manner of moving on foot; rate or manner of proceeding |
| Callow | Inexperienced; not developed; immature |
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