| Term | Definition |
|---|
| amiss | improper; defective; faulty |
| antithesis | the direct opposite; [a figure of speech] a contradiction that establishes a work's theme |
| auspicious | favorable circumstances |
| avaricious | greedy |
| behoove | to be necessary or proper |
| belie | to show to be false; to picture falsely |
| blasé | uninterested because of frequent exposure; nonchalant |
| calumnious | slanderous; defamatory; malicious |
| castellated | like a castle |
| circumvent | to avoid or get around by artful maneuvering |
| cleft | split or divided (past tense of to cleave) |
| coalesce | to grow together; to fuse; to unite |
| collateral | property acceptable as security for a loan. secondary; subordinate (e.g., collateral damage) |
| contrition | sincere remorse for wrongdoing; penitence |
| crystalline | resembling crystal; transparent or distinct of structure or outline |
| cynical | suspicious of others' motives; negative and pessimistic; callously selfish |
| dearth | a scarce supply; a lack; a shortage |
| depreciate | to lessen the price for value of; to belittle |
| despotic | possessing and abusing unlimited power |
| desultory | occurring haphazardly; random |
| dire | fraught with danger; nearly hopeless; desperate |
| dominion | sovereignty; a territory of influence or control; a supreme authority |
| droll | amusingly odd; whimsically comical |
| encompass | to enclose or envelope or surround |
| entreat | to ask for earnestly (sincerely) |
| equivocation | [pretty close to a flat-out lie] an intentionally vague or ambiguous statement |
| expostulate | to reason with someone in an effort to dissuade or correct |
| felicity | happiness; bliss |
| filial | pertaining to a son or daughter |
| garish | loud and flashy; gaudy |
| infuse | to fill or cause to be filled |
| jocund | cheerful or lighthearted in disposition or quality, full of or showing high-spirited merriment |
| lilting | cheerful or lively manner of speaking |
| myriad | constituting of a large, indefinite number |
| nascent | coming in to existence, emerging |
| nonchalant | careless, coolly unconcerned |
| opaque | impenetrable by light, dense or obscure |
| pall | a cover for a coffin; a gloomy effect or atmosphere |
| Pedagogical | characterized by pedantic formality; academically snobbish |
| Perdition | eternal damnation; loss of the soul |
| Peruse | to read or examine, typically with great care |
| Pervasive | having the ability to spread throughout |
| Portentous | full of unspecified significance; ominous |
| Precept | a rule of conduct |
| Prodigal | wastefully extravagant |
| Proficient | having an advanced degree or level of competence |
| provocative | tending to provoke or stimulate |
| pulsate | to contract and expand rhythmically; beat |
| qualms | reluctance, reservations |
| quandary | a state of uncertainty of perplexity |
| rapt | deeply absorbed; engrossed; enraptured |
| reiterate | to repeat; to say again repeatedly |
| requiem | a mass for a dead person |
| rueful | feeling of sorrow or regret for sins or offenses |
| suave | smoothly agreeable, courteous |
| subversive | (adj.) intending to overthrow or undermine an established government .(noun) one who advocates subversion |
Combine with other sets
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