Barrons GRE Wordlist 4,759 words
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Created by:
megafan on July 22, 2007
Classes:
My GRE Practice, Language, English, GRE, GRE Practice, Beeblah (see more)
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4,759 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 abase | lower; degrade; humiliate; make humble; make (oneself) lose self-respect |
| abash | embarrass |
| abate | subside or moderate |
| abbreviate | shorten |
| abdicate | renounce; give up (position, right, or responsibility) |
| aberrant | abnormal or deviant |
| aberration | deviation from the normal; mental disorder |
| abet | assist usually in doing something wrong; encourage |
| abeyance | suspended action |
| abhor | detest; hate |
| abject | (of a condition) wretched; as low as possible; lacking pride; very humble; showing lack of self-respect; Ex. abject apology |
| abjure | renounce upon oath |
| ablution | washing |
| abnegation | renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation |
| abolish | cancel; put an end to |
| abominate | loathe; hate |
| abominable | detestable; extremely unpleasant |
| aboriginal | being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native; indigenous; N. aborigine |
| abortive | unsuccessful; fruitless |
| abrasive | rubbing away; tending to grind down |
| abridge | condense or shorten |
| abrogate | abolish |
| abscission | cutting off; separation |
| abscond | depart secretly and hide |
| absolute | complete; totally unlimited; having complete power; certain; not relative; Ex. absolute honesty/ruler; CF. absolutism |
| absolve | pardon (an offense) |
| abstain | refrain; withhold from participation; intentionally not use one's vote |
| abstemious | sparing in eating and drinking; temperate |
| abstinence | restraint from pleasant things, esp. eating or drinking; CF. abstention: act of abstaining from vote |
| abstract | theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational |
| abstruse | obscure; profound; difficult to understand |
| abusive | coarsely insulting; physically harmful |
| abut | border upon; adjoin |
| abysmal | bottomless |
| abyss | enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit |
| academic | related to a school; not practical or directly useful |
| accede | agree |
| accelerate | move faster |
| accessible | easy to approach; obtainable |
| accessory | additional object; useful but not essential thing |
| acclaim | applaud; praise; greet with great approval; announce with great approval; Ex. The new drung has been acclaimed as the most important discoveries for years; N: strong expression of approval and praise |
| acclimate | adjust to climate or environment; adapt |
| acclivity | sharp upslope of a hill; OP. declivity |
| accolade | award of merit; strong praise and approval |
| accommodate | oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt; make enough space for; ADJ. accommodative; CF. accomodating: helpful and obliging |
| accomplice | partner in crime |
| accord | agreement |
| accost | approach and speak first to a person |
| accoutre | equip; N. accoutrement |
| accretion | growth or increase in size by gradual addition; growth; increase; increase by natural growth; Ex. towers and other accretions of the castle; V. accrete |
| accrue | come to one as a gain; accumulate over time; come about by addition; Ex. benefits that accrue from scientific research; Ex. interest accruing in a bank account; N. accrual |
| acerbity | bitterness of speech and temper; ADJ. acerbic: bitter; acrid (in taste, manner, or tone) |
| acetic | vinegary |
| acidulous | slightly sour (in taste or manner); sharp; caustic |
| acknowledge | recognize; admit |
| acme | peak; pinnacle; highest point |
| acoustics | science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in |
| acquiesce | assent; agree passively; comply without protest |
| acquittal | deliverance from a charge; V. acquit: free from a charge or accusation; discharge from a duty; conduct (oneself) in a specified manner |
| acrid | bitter (to the taste or smell); sharp; bitterly pungent |
| acrimonious | stinging; caustic; bitter in words or manner; N. acrimony: bitter ill-natured animosity in speech or behavior |
| acrophobia | fear of heights |
| actuarial | calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics |
| actuary | someone who advises insurance companies |
| actuate | motivate; activate; cause to act |
| acuity | sharpness (of mind or senses of sight or hearing) |
| acumen | mental keenness; sharpness of judgment; ability to judge quickly and well; Ex. business acumen |
| acute | (of the senses) sharp; quickly perceptive; keen; penetrating; brief and severe; Ex. acute sense of smell/analysis/pain |
| adage | wise saying; proverb |
| proverb | adage; someone or something well known for notoriety; ADJ. proverbial: of a proverb; widely known; ADV. proverbially |
| adamant | hard; inflexible |
| adapt | make or become suitable for a specific use; alter; modify; adjust; N. adaptation: act of adapting; composition recast into a new form; Ex. The play is an adaption of a short novel. |
| addendum | addition; appendix to book; something that is added (as at the end of a speech or book) |
| addiction | compulsive habitual need |
| addle | make or become confused; muddle; drive crazy; become rotten (egg) |
| address | direct a speech to; speak to; deal with or discuss; direct one's efforts or attention to; make with a destination; N: formal speech |
| adept | expert at; very skilled |
| adhere | stick fast; be a devotd follower; N. adhesion: adhering; devotion; loyality |
| adherent | supporter; follower |
| adjacent | adjoining; neighboring; close by |
| adjunct | something attached to but holding an inferior position |
| adjuration | solemn urging; V. adjure: entreat earnestly; enjoin solemnly |
| adjutant | staff officer assisting the commander; assistant |
| admonish | warn or speak to with gentle disapproval; reprove |
| adorn | decorate |
| adroit | skillful (in using mind or hand) |
| adulation | flattery; admiration that is more than is necessary or deserved |
| adulterate | make impure or of poorer quality by adding inferior or tainted(contaminated) substances |
| advent | arrival |
| adventitious | accidental; casual; happening by chance |
| adversary | opponent; enemy |
| adverse | going against; opposing; unfavorable; hostile |
| adversity | great hardship or affliction; misfortune; calamitous event |
| advert | refer |
| advocacy | support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something |
| advocate | speak in favor of; support (an idea or plan); urge; plead for |
| aegis | shield; protection; defense |
| aerie(aery,eyrie,eyry) | nest of a large bird of prey |
| aesthetic | artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful (of a person or building); CF. aesthete; CF. aesthetics |
| affable | easily approachable; easy to talk to; warmly friendly |
| affected | artificial; pretended |
| affidavit | written statement made under oath (for use as proof in a court of law) |
| affiliation | joining; associating with |
| affinity | feeling of kinship; similarity; Ex. strong affinity for her; Ex. many affinities between two languages |
| affirmation | positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath; V. affirm; ADJ. affirmative; CF. affirmative action: positive discrimination |
| affliction | state of distress; trial; cause of distress or suffering; V. afflict: inflict grievous suffering on |
| affluence | abundance; wealth |
| affront | insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect; V: insult or hurt the feelings of intentionally |
| agape | openmouthed |
| agenda | items of business at a meeting |
| agglomeration | collection; heap; V. agglomerate: gather into a rounded mass; N. aggolmeate: jumbled mass; heap |
| aggrandize | make greater; increase in power, wealth, rank, or honor; N. aggrandizement |
| aggregate | sum; total; ADJ. V: gather into a mass or whole; accumulate; add up to; Ex. aggregate 100 dollars |
| aghast | filled with great surprise or fear; horrified |
| agility | nimbleness; ability to move quickly |
| agitate | stir up; disturb |
| agnostic | one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality |
| agog | highly excited; intensely curious |
| agrarian | pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform |
| alacrity | cheerful promptness without reluctance |
| alchemy | medieval chemistry |
| alcove | nook; recess |
| alias | an assumed name esp. by a criminal (usually to mislead people); ADV. alias |
| alienate | make unfriendly or hostile; estrange; separate; change the ownership of |
| alimentary | supplying nourishment |
| alimony | payments made regularly to an ex-spouse after divorce |
| allay | calm; pacify |
| allege | state without proof |
| allegiance | loyalty |
| allegory | story, play, or picture in which characters are used as symbols; fable |
| alleviate | relieve (pain) |
| alliteration | repetition of beginning sound in poetry |
| allocate | assign; set apart for a particular purpose |
| alloy | mixture as of metals; something added that lowers in value or purity; V: mix; make less pure; lower in value or quality; spoil; CF. unalloyed: not in mixture with other maetals; pure; complete; unqualified; Ex. unalloyed happiness |
| allude | refer indirectly; N. allusion: indirect reference |
| allure | entice; attract; tempt |
| siren | apparatus for making sounds; womanlike creature |
| alluvial | pertaining to soil deposits left by running water |
| aloof | apart; not open in one's relationship with other people; reserved; ADV. |
| aloft | upward; high up in the air |
| altercation | noisy quarrel |
| altruistic | unselfishly generous; concerned for others; N. altiruism: unselfish concern for the welfare of others; unselfishness; OP. egoism |
| amalgamate | (of societies or groups) combine; unite in one body |
| amalgam | combination of different things; mixture of metals (containing mercury) used for filling holes in teeth |
| amass | collect (gradually, in a very large amount) |
| amazon | female warrior |
| ambidextrous | capable of using either hand with equal ease |
| ambience | environment; atmosphere; Ex. restraurant with a pleasant ambience; ADJ. ambient: completely surrounding; Ex. ambient temperature |
| ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning; having more than one possible interpretation |
| ambivalence | the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes or opinions |
| amble | walking at an easy unhurried pace; V: walk slowly and aimlessly |
| ambrosia | food of the gods |
| nectar | drink of the gods; sweet liquid collected by bees |
| ambulatory | able to walk |
| ameliorate | improve |
| amenable | obedient; compliant; readily managed; responsive; willing to be led; answerable or accountable legally; responsible; able to be tested by; Ex. amenable to sensible suggestions; Ex. He is very amenable; Ex. amenable to the usual tests |
| amend | correct; change ; generally for the better |
| amenities | convenient features that helps to make life pleasant; social courtesies |
| amiable | agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly |
| amicable | peaceful; politely friendly; not quarrelsome; Ex. amicable settlement |
| amiss | wrong; faulty; Ex. something amiss; ADV. |
| amity | friendship; peaceful relationship as between nations |
| amnesia | loss of memory |
| amnesty | pardon (allowed by government to political criminals) |
| amoral | nonmoral; having no understanding of right and wrong |
| amorous | moved by sexual love; loving; of sexual love; Ex. amorous advances |
| amorphous | formless; lacking shape or definition |
| amphibian | able to live both on land and in water; N. |
| amphitheater | oval building with tiers of seats; CF. arena |
| ample | enough; abundant; spacious; large in size; Ex. ample opportunity/garden; N. amplitude: quality of being ample; abundance; largeness of space |
| amplify | increase in size or effect; expand; broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger; Ex. amplify one's remarks with a graph |
| amputate | cut off part of body; prune (a limb) |
| amok(amuck) | in a state of rage; Ex. run amok |
| amulet | charm; talisman; an object worn believed to protect against evil, bad luck |
| anachronism | an error involving time in a story; something or someone misplaced in time; ADJ. anachronistic |
| analgesic | causing insensitivity to pain; N. |
| analgesia | condition of being unable to feel pain |
| analogous | comparable; similar |
| analogy | similarity; parallelism; comparing two similar things |
| anarchist | person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing authority |
| anarchy | absence of governing body; state of disorder |
| anathema | solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse; V. anathematize |
| ancestry | family descent; ADJ. ancestral |
| anchor | secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; N. anchorage |
| ancillary | serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary; N. |
| anecdote | short story of an amusing or interesting event |
| anemia | condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles; ADJ. anemic |
| anesthetic | substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness; N. anesthesia |
| anguish | acute pain; extreme suffering |
| angular | sharp-cornered; having an angle; not rounded (body); bony; lean; gaunt; stiff in manner |
| animadversion | critical remark; V. animadvert: comment critically with disapproval |
| animated | lively; spirited |
| animosity | active enmity |
| animus | hostile feeling or intent; animosity; hostility; disposition |
| annals | records arranged in yearly parts; history |
| anneal | reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (metal or glass) |
| annex | attach; add to a large thing; take possession of; incorporate (territory) into a larger existing political unit (by force); N: building added to a large one |
| annihilate | destroy |
| annotate | comment; make explanatory notes |
| annuity | yearly allowance |
| annul | make void |
| elope | run away secretly with the intention of getting married |
| anodyne | drug that relieves pain or trouble; opiate; ADJ. Ex. anodyne statement |
| anoint | consecrate; put oil on (in a religious ceremony) |
| anomalous | abnormal; irregular |
| anomaly | irregularity |
| anonymity | state of being nameless; anonymousness; ADJ. anonymous |
| antagonism | hostility; active opposition; V. antagonize: cause to become an enemy; N. antagonist: person who is opposed to another; opponent; adversary; principal character in oppostion to the protagonist |
| antecede | precede |
| antecedents | preceding events that influence what comes later; ancestors or early background |
| antediluvian | antiquated; extremely ancient |
| anthem | song of praise or patriotism; Ex. national anthem |
| anthology | book of literary selections by various authors; CF. omnibus |
| anthropoid | manlike; resembling a human being; N. |
| anthropologist | student of the history and science of humankind |
| anthropomorphic | having human form or characteristics |
| anticlimax | letdown in thought or emotion; something unexciting, ordinary, or disappointing coming after something important or exciting |
| antidote | remedy to counteract a poison or disease; Ex. antidote to the economic troubles |
| antipathy | aversion; dislike or opposition |
| antiquated | obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated |
| antiseptic | substance that prevents infection in a wound; ADJ. |
| antithesis | contrast; direct opposite of or to; ADJ. antithetic or antithetical |
| anvil | iron block used in hammering out metals |
| apathy | lack of caring; indifference; lack of concern or interest in important matters; Ex. He was sunk in apathy after his failure; ADJ. apathetic |
| ape | imitate or mimic (a person's behavior or manner) |
| aperture | opening; hole; adjustable opening in a camera that limits the amount of light |
| apex | tip; summit; climax; highest point |
| aphasia | loss of speech due to injury or illness |
| aphorism | pithy maxim or saying; ADJ. aphoristic |
| apiary | a place where bees are kept |
| hive | box for bees; V: cause to go in a hive |
| apiculture | bee-keeping |
| apiarist | person who keeps bees |
| aplomb | poise; composure in difficult situations; assurance; self-confidence |
| poise | good judgment with composure; balance; V: place in a carefully balanced position |
| apocalyptic | prophetic; pertaining to revelations especially of disaster; N. apocalypse |
| apocryphal | (of a story) widely believed but untrue |
| apogee | highest point; the point farthest from the earth; OP. perigee |
| apolitical | having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs |
| apologist | one who writes in defense of a cause or institution; N. apologia |
| apoplexy | stroke; loss of consciousness caused by too much blood in the brain |
| apostate | one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs; N. apostasy |
| apothecary | druggist; pharmacist |
| apothegm(apophthegm) | pithy, compact saying |
| apotheosis | elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something |
| appall | dismay; shock deeply |
| apparition | ghost; phantom |
| appease | pacify or soothe; Ex. appease a crying baby; N. appeasement |
| appellation | name; title |
| append | attach |
| application | diligent attention; diligence; V. apply oneself |
| apposite | appropriate; fitting |
| appraise | estimate value of; N. appraisal |
| appreciate | be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of; ADJ. appreciable: enough to be felt; Ex. appreciable difference |
| apprehend | arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive; N. apprehension |
| apprehensive | fearful; discerning |
| apprise | inform |
| approbation | approval |
| appropriate | acquire; take possession of for one's own use without permission; set aside for a particular purpose; allocate; CF. misappropriate |
| appurtenances | subordinate possessions; something added to a more important thing |
| apropos | with reference to; regarding; Ex. remarks apropos (of) the present situation; ADJ. ADV. |
| aptitude | fitness; talent |
| aquiline | curved; hooked; of or like an eagle; Ex. aquiline nose |
| arable | fit for growing crops; Ex. arable land |
| arbiter | person with power to decide a matter in dispute; judge who is in a position ot make influential judgments; Ex. supreme arbiter of fashion in beachware |
| arbitrary | unreasonable or capricious; random; tyrannical; Ex. arbitrary ruler |
| arbitrate | act as judge (at the request of both sides) |
| arboretum | place where different trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited |
| arboreal | of or living in trees |
| arcade | a covered passageway usually lined with shops |
| arcane | esoteric; secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated; Ex. arcane ritual; Ex. arcane process closed to the uninitiated listener |
| archaeology | study of artifacts and relics of early mankind |
| archaic | antiquated; no longer used; belonging to the past; N. |
| archetype | prototype; primitive pattern |
| arch- | chief; first; Ex. archbishop |
| archipelago | group of closely located islands |
| archives | public records; place where public records are kept |
| ardor | heat; passion; zeal; ADJ. ardent |
| arduous | hard; strenuous; Ex. arduous work |
| argot | slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people |
| aria | operatic solo; a song sung by one person in an opera or oratorio |
| arid | (of land) dry; barren; unproductive |
| aristocracy | hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; N. aristocrat |
| armada | fleet of warships |
| aromatic | fragrant; having a sweet smell; N. aroma: strong pleasant smell |
| arraign | charge in court; indict |
| array | marshal; draw up in order; arrange in order; clothe splendidly; adorn; N: fine clothes; ordered group; Ex. in battle array |
| arrears | being in debt; money that should have been paid; work that should have been done |
| arrhythmic | lacking rhythm or regularity; N. arrhythmia |
| arrogance | pride; haughtiness; ADJ. arrogant: unpleasantly self-important (with a strong confidence in one's own importance and a lack of respect for other people) |
| arroyo | gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater |
| artery | blood-vessel; CF. vein |
| articulate | effective; distinct; expressing ideas clearly; having clear sounds; having joints; Ex. articulate speech; V: express thoughts and feeling clearly; pronounce clearly; unite by joints |
| arsenal | storage place for military equipment |
| artifacts | object made by human beings, either hand-made or mass-produced |
| artifice | deception; trickery |
| artisan | a manually skilled worker |
| artless | without guile; open and honest |
| ascendancy | controlling influence; position of controlling influence; CF. in the ascendant |
| ascertain | find out for certain; make certain |
| ascetic | practicing self-denial; avoiding physical pleasures and comforts; austere; Ex. ascetic life of Buddhist monks; N. asceticism |
| ascribe | refer; attribute; assign |
| aseptic | preventing infection; having a cleansing effect |
| ashen | ash-colored; deadly pale |
| asinine | stupid; Ex. asinine remarks |
| askance | with a sideways or indirect look (with disapproval or distruct); Ex. look askance at |
| askew | crookedly; slanted; at an angle |
| asperity | sharpness; roughness; severity (of temper or weather); Ex. asperities of a Russian winter |
| aspersion | slanderous remark; Ex. cast aspersions on |
| aspirant | seeker after position or status |
| aspire | seek to attain (position or status); long for; Ex. aspire to become president; Ex. aspire to/after the leadership |
| assail | assault |
| assay | analyze (to discover what materials are present); evaluate (soil or ore) |
| assent | agree; accept; N. assessment |
| assert | state strongly or positively; demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc.); make a claim to (by forceful action); Ex. assert one's independence |
| assiduous | diligent |
| assimilate | absorb; take (food) into the body and digest it; understand (knowledge) completely and be able to use properly; cause to become homogeneous (the people of a country or race in the wasy of behaving or thinking) |
| assuage | mak less severe; ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger) |
| assumption | something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of; Ex. her assumption of power; V. assume |
| regent | a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child; ADJ. Ex. the Prince regent |
| assurance | firm statement that something is certainly true; promise or pledge; certainty; confidence in one's own ability; self-confidence; Ex. In spite of all his assurances, he did not come back; Ex. assurance of his loyalty; Ex. The teacher lacked assurance in fron of his class; V. assure; tell firmly with confidence; ensure; make (something) certain to heappen; make (someone) feel sure; give confidence to; ADJ. assured: self-assured; confident in one's own ability; showing certainty |
| asteroid | small planet |
| astigmatism | eye defect which prevents proper focus; OP. stigmatism |
| astral | relating to the stars |
| astringent | binding; causing contraction (stopping bleeding); harsh or severe; stringent; Ex. astringent criticism |
| astronomical | enormously large or extensive |
| astute | wise; shrewd; keen; seeing quickly something that is to one's advantage |
| asunder | into parts; apart; V. sunder |
| asylum | place of refuge or shelter; protection (religious or political) |
| asymmetric | not identical on both sides of a dividing central line |
| atavism | resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback; ADJ. atavistic |
| atheistic | denying the existence of God; N. atheism |
| atone | make amends for; pay for; Ex. atone for |
| atrocity | brutal deed; ADJ. atrocious |
| atrophy | wasting away; V: weaken and lose flesh and muscle (through lack of blood or lack of use) |
| attentive | alert and watchful; listening carefully; paying attention; considerate; thoughtful; politely helpful; Ex. attentive audience; Ex. He was attentive to the old lady; N. attentions: act of courtesy and consideration |
| attenuate | make thin; weaken |
| attest | testify; bear witness |
| attribute | essential quality; V: ascribe; explain |
| attrition | rubbing away by friction; gradual decrease in numbers or strength; reduction in the work force without firing employees; wearing away of opposition by means of harassment; Ex. a war of attrition |
| atypical | not normal; not typical |
| audacious | daring; bold; N. audacity |
| audit | examination of accounts of a business; official examination; V. |
| augment | increase; add to |
| augury | omen; prophecy; sign of coming events; V. augur: predict; foretell; be a sign of (something in future) |
| august | impressive; majestic |
| aureole | sun's corona; halo; bright circle of light |
| auroral | pertaining to the aurora borealis; CF. aurora australis |
| auspicious | favoring success; giving signs of future success; Cf. auspices |
| austere | forbiddingly stern; ascetic; without comfort or enjoyment; severely simple and unornamented; Ex. a monk's austere life; Ex. austere grandeur of the cathedral; N. austerity |
| authenticate | prove genuine |
| authoritarian | subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another's will; Ex. authoritarian regime/father |
| authoritative | having the weight of authority; regarded as providing knowledge that can be trusted; reliable; peremptory and dictatorial; Ex. authoritative dictionary/manner; CF. definitive |
| autocratic | having absolute unchecked power; dictatorial; N. autocrat, autocracy |
| automaton | mechanism that imitates actions of humans; machine that works by itself |
| autonomous | self-governing; N. autonomy |
| autopsy | examination of a dead body; postmortem; V. |
| auxiliary | offering or providing help; additional or subsidiary; N: helper; assistant |
| avalanche | great mass of falling snow and ice |
| avarice | greediness for wealth |
| avenge | take vengence for something or on behalf of someone; Ex. They avenged his death by burning the village; Ex. He swore to avenge his brother; Ex. They avenged themselves on their enemy. |
| aver | state confidently; declare as true |
| averse | reluctant; disinclined; not liking or opposed; Ex. averse to cats/doing the house work |
| aversion | firm dislike |
| avert | prevent; avoid; turn away (eyes or thought); Ex. An accident was averted by his quick thinking; Ex. She averted her eyes from the terrible sight. |
| aviary | enclosure for birds; large cage |
| avid | greedy; extremely eager for; Ex. avid learner; N. avidity |
| avocation | secondary or minor occupation |
| avow | declare openly; N. avowal |
| avuncular | of or like an uncle |
| awe | solemn wonder; feeling of respect mixed with wonder and fear; V: fill with awe; ADJ. awesome |
| awful | terrible; very bad |
| awl | pointed tool used for piercing |
| awry | distorted; crooked; bent; Ex. Our plans have gone awry. |
| axiom | self-evident truth requiring no proof |
| azure | sky blue |
| babble | chatter idly or foolishly; make continuous sounds like water running gently over rounded stone; N. |
| bacchanalian | drunken |
| bacchanal | noisy party with a lot of drinking |
| Bacchanalia | the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus |
| badger | pester; annoy continually with demands; persuade by asking again and again; Ex. The children badgered me into taking them into the cinema; N: a kind of mountain animal |
| badinage | teasing conversation; banter; joking talk |
| baffle | frustrate; perplex |
| bait | harass; tease; torment; Ex. badger baiting; N: food or other lure used to catch fish or trap animals |
| baleful | evil; malignant in intent or effect; deadly; having a malign influence; portending evil; ominous; threatening; Ex. baleful look |
| balk | stop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue; foil; stop or get in the way of; frustrate |
| ballast | heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V. supply with ballast |
| balm | something that relieves pain; oily liquid with a pleasant smell from trees |
| pang | sudden sharp feeling of pain |
| balmy | soft and mild (of air); fragrant |
| banal | hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clich\'ed |
| bandy | discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. bandy words with |
| bane | posion; cause of ruin; ADJ. baneful: harmful; poisonous |
| bantering | joking talk; good-naturedly ridiculing; N.V. banter |
| barb | sharp projection from fishhook, arrow, or other object; openly cutting remark |
| bard | poet |
| barefaced | shameless and noticeable; blatant; bold; unconcealed; having no covering on the face; Ex. barefaced lie |
| unregenerate | making no attempt to change one's bad practices |
| baroque | highly ornate |
| barrage | barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a barrage of criticism |
| barrister | counselor-at-law or lawyer in the higher court of law; CF. bar |
| solicitor | lawyer in the lower court of law |
| barterer | trader; V. barter: trade; exchange good for other goods rather than money |
| bask | luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth |
| luxuriate | take pleasure in great comfort |
| bastion | stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; Ex. the last bastion of male chauvinism |
| bate | let down; lessen the force of; moderate; restrain; Ex. with bated breath; CF. abate |
| bauble | trinket; cheap jewel; trifle |
| bawdy | indecent; obscene; about sex in a rude funny way; CF. bawd |
| beatific | giving or showing bliss; blissful |
| bliss | complete happiness; ADJ. blissful |
| beatitude | blessedness; state of great happiness |
| mystic | of hidden meaning and spiritual power; Ex. mystic ceremonies; N. CF. mysticism |
| bedizen | dress with vulgar finery |
| finery | beautiful clothes for a special occasion |
| bedraggle | wet thoroughly; ADJ. bedraggled: draggled |
| beeline | direct quick route |
| befuddle | confuse thoroughly |
| fuddle | make stupid or confused as with alcholic drink; N. in a fuddle: confused |
| beget | father; become the father of; produce; give rise to |
| begrudge | envy; give or allow unwillingly; grudge; Ex. We shouldn't begrudge him his success. |
| grudge | deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V. |
| beguile | deceive; mislead or delude; cheat; pass time pleasantly; charm or attract; Ex. beguiling smile |
| behemoth | huge creature; something of monstrous size or power |
| beholden | obligated; indebted; owing thanks; obliged or indebted from gratitude |
| behoove(behove) | be suited to; be incumbent upon; be right and necessary; Ex. It behooves one to do. |
| belabor | harp on; dwell on tediously; explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally; beat severely; attack physically |
| belated | delayed |
| beleaguer | besiege or attack (with an army); harass; beset |
| belie | contradict; give a false impression; disguise; Ex. The poor sales belied our high hopes; Ex. Her smile belies her true feeling of displeasure. |
| belittle | disparage; depreciate |
| bellicose | warlike |
| belligerent | quarrelsome |
| bemoan | lament; moan for; express sorrow or disapproval of |
| bemused | confused; lost in thought; preoccupied |
| benediction | blessing |
| benefactor | gift giver; patron; person who does good or who gives money for a good purpose |
| beneficent | kindly; doing good |
| beneficial | helpful; useful; advantageous |
| beneficiary | person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will |
| benefit | advantage; anything that brings helpl, advantage, or profit; money provided by the government to the people; fund-raising public entertainment; Ex. unemployment benefit; V: receive benefits; be beneficial to; give benefits |
| benevolent | generous; charitable; having a wish to do good |
| benign | kindly; favorable; not malignant (disease); Ex. benign tumor |
| benison | blessing |
| bent | determined; Ex. bent on advancing in the business; N: natural talent or inclination |
| bequeath | leave to someone by means of a will; hand down in his will; N. bequest |
| berate | scold strongly |
| bereavement | state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved; state of being bereaved or bereft |
| bereaved | deprived of (someone beloved through death) |
| bereft | deprived of (something valuable); lacking |
| berserk | mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited |
| beseech | beg; plead with |
| beset | harass or trouble from all directions; hem in |
| hem | surround tightly so that movement is impossible; Ex. hem in; N. |
| besiege | surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually |
| besmirch | soil; defile; make dirty |
| bestial | beastlike; brutal; inhuman; very cruel |
| bestow | confer |
| betoken | signify; indicate; be a sign of |
| token | outward sign; Ex. a token of our gratitude |
| betray | be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly); Ex. Her trembling hands betray her anxiety. |
| betroth | become engaged to marry |
| bevy | large group; Ex. a bevy of starlets |
| bicameral | two-chambered as a legislative body |
| bicker | quarrel |
| biennial | every two years |
| bifurcated | divided into two branches; forked |
| bigotry | stubborn intolerance |
| bigot | one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics) |
| intolerant | not willing to accept ways of thinking different from one's own; CF. tolerant; CF. tolerate |
| bilious | suffering from indigestion; sick from having too much bile; irritable; easily irritated |
| bilk | swindle; cheat |
| billowing | swelling out in waves; surging |
| billow | large wave of water; a great swell or surge (of smoke); V: surge, swell, roll in billows |
| swell | long wave of water that moves continuously without breaking; V. |
| surge | powerful movement of or like a wave; V. |
| bivouac | temporary encampment; camp without tents; V. |
| bizarre | fantastic; violently contrasting; noticeably odd; strikingly unconventional |
| blanch | bleach; whiten; make white or pale |
| bland | soothing or mild (food); agreeable; causing no trouble or offence |
| blandishment | flattery |
| blare | loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light |
| screech | unpleasant high sharp sound; shriek; V. |
| dazzle | make blind with a sudden intense light; amaze; fill with wonder |
| blasé | bored with pleasure or dissipation; uninterested or bored |
| blasphemy | irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege |
| blatant | extremely (offensively) obvious; loudly offensive; Ex. blatant lie; N. blatancy |
| bleak | cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable; depressing |
| blighted | suffering from a disease; destroyed |
| blight | plant disease; V: infect with blight; ruin; destroy |
| blithe(blithesome) | gay; joyous |
| bloated | (unpleasantly) swollen or puffed as with water or air |
| blowhard | talkative boaster; braggart |
| bludgeon | club; heavy-headed weapon; V. |
| bluff | pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff; ADJ: rough but good-natured |
| blunder | error; stupid mistake |
| blurt | utter impulsively from nervousness or excitement |
| bluster | blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully; speak in a noisy or bullying manner; CF. breeze, gust, gale |
| bully | one who is habitually cruel to weaker people; V. |
| bode | foreshadow; portend |
| bogus | counterfeit; not authentic; intentionally false; Ex. bogus interview |
| bohemian | unconventional (in an artistic way) |
| boisterous | violent; rough; noisy |
| bolster | support; reinforce |
| bolt | door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric; large roll of cloth; V: dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down |
| dart | move or throw suddenly and quickly |
| gobble | eat very quickly |
| bombardment | attack (as with missiles or bombs); V. bombard |
| bombastic | pompous; using inflated language |
| bombast | grandiloquent, pompous speech |
| boon | blessing; benefit; something very helpful |
| boorish | rude; insensitive |
| boor | rude, insensitive person |
| bouillon | clear beef (or meat) soup |
| bountiful | generous; graciously generous; showing bounty |
| gracious | kind in a generous way (to someone less important) |
| bourgeois | middle class; selfishly materialistic; too interested in material possessions |
| bovine | cowlike; placid and dull; slow-thinking; calm |
| bowdlerize | expurgate; CF. Thomas Bowdler |
| brackish | somewhat saline |
| braggadocio | boasting |
| brag | boast |
| braggart | boaster; bragger |
| brandish | wave around (a weapon); flourish |
| bravado | swagger; assumed air of defiance; false show of bravery |
| swagger | walk or behave with an over-confident manner |
| brawn | human muscle; muscular strength; sturdiness |
| brawny | muscular; having well-developed muscles |
| sturdy | strong and firm (in the body) |
| brazen | insolent; without shame; bold; Ex. brazen lie; V: face with bold self-assurance or with unshamed confidence |
| brawl | noisy quarrel |
| breach | breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap; opening; V. |
| breadth | width; extent |
| brevity | conciseness; shortness of duration |
| brindled | tawny or grayish with streaks or spots (of animals) |
| tawny | brownish yellow |
| bristling | rising like bristles; showing irritation |
| bristle | short stiff hair; V: (hair or fur) stand up stiffly |
| brittle | hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. brittle situation |
| broach | introduce as a subject; moot; open up |
| brocade | rich, figured(patterned) fabric |
| brochure | pamphlet |
| brooch | ornamental clasp; pin |
| clasp | hold firmly within arms |
| brook | tolerate; endure; Ex. brook no interference; N: small stream |
| browbeat | bully; intimidate |
| browse | graze; feed on growing grass; skim or glance at casually |
| graze | (of an animal) feed on growing grass; cause (an animal) to feed on grass; scrape (esp. the skin) or touch lightly in passing; brush; Ex. We can't graze the cattle till summer; N: surface wound |
| skim | read or glance through quickly; touch lightly in passing; brush; remove from the surface of a liquid |
| brunt | main impact or shock (of an attack or blow); Ex. brunt of the argument |
| brusque | blunt; abrupt; curt; not wanting to waste time being nice |
| buccaneer | pirate |
| bucolic | rustic; pastoral |
| buffet | strike forcefully; slap; batter; knock out; N: table with food set out for people to server themselves; meal at which people help themselves to food that's been set |
| slap | hit quickly with the flat part of the hand; N. CF. smack |
| buffoonery | clowning |
| buffoon | stupid person; clown |
| clown | act stupidly; play the fool; N. |
| bugaboo | bugbear; object of baseless terror |
| bullion | gold and silver in the form of bars |
| bulwark | strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends |
| bungle | mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior |
| botch | mismanage; blow |
| buoyant | able to float; cheerful and optimistic; N. buoyancy; Ex. buoyancy of wood/water/American market |
| bureaucracy | overregulated administrative system marked by red tape; ADJ. bureaucratic |
| burgeon | grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds; Ex. burgeoning computer industry; CF. bludgeon |
| burlesque | give an imitation that ridicules; imitate mockingly |
| burnish | make shiny by rubbing; polish |
| buttress | support; prop up; N. stationary structure to support wall; Ex. flying buttress |
| prop | support placed under or against something; V. |
| buxom | full-bosomed; plump; jolly |
| plump | pleasantly fat; nicely rounded |
| cabal | small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests |
| cache | hiding place; V. |
| cacophonous | discordant; inharmonious; N. cacophony: unpleasant mixture of loud sounds |
| cadaver | corpse; dead human body |
| cadaverous | like a corpse; pale |
| cadence | rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm |
| cajole | persuade by praise or false promise; coax; wheedle |
| coax | persuade by flattery |
| calamity | disaster; misery |
| calculated | deliberately planned; likely |
| caldron(cauldron) | large kettle |
| caliber | ability; quality; diameter of the inside of a round cylinder; Ex. work of very high caliber |
| calligraphy | beautiful writing; excellent penmanship |
| callous | hardened; unfeeling; without sympathy for the sufferings of others; unkind |
| callus | area of thick hard skin |
| callow | youthful; immature; inexperienced |
| calorific | heat-producing; N. calorie |
| calumny | malicious misrepresentation; slander |
| camaraderie | good-fellowship; CF. comrade |
| cameo | shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film |
| canard | unfounded false rumor; exaggerated false report |
| candor | frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid |
| canine | related to dogs; doglike |
| canker | any ulcerous sore; ulcer; any evil; CF. cancer |
| ulcer | sore place appearing on the skin inside or outside the body; Ex. stomach ulcer; ADJ. ulcerous; V. ulcerate |
| canny | shrewd in money matters; thrifty |
| cant | insincere speech or expression of piety; jargon of thieves; special words used by a particular group of people |
| cantankerous | ill-humored; irritable |
| cantata | story set to music to be sung by a chorus (shorter than an oratorio) |
| canter | slow gallop; V. CF. trot |
| canto | division of a long poem |
| canvass | determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.; go through (a region) to solicit votes or orders; conduct a survey; N. |
| capacious | spacious |
| capacity | mental or physical ability; role; position or duty; ability to accommodate; Ex. in my capacity as president |
| capillary | having a very fine bore; resembling a hair; fine and slender; Ex. capillary attraction; N: very fine hairlike tube; CF. capillarity |
| capitulate | surrender; give up all resistance |
| caprice | whim; sudden change of mind without any real cause |
| capricious | unpredictable; fickle |
| caption | title; chapter heading; text under illustration |
| captious | faultfinding; too critical |
| carafe | glass water bottle; decanter |
| carapace | shell covering the back (of a turtle, tortoise, crab, etc.) |
| carat(karat) | unit of weight for precious stones; measure of the purity of gold |
| carcinogenic | causing cancer; N. carcinogen |
| cardinal | chief; most important; N: priest; cardinal number: number that shows quantity rather thatn order |
| cardiologist | doctor specializing in ailments of the heart |
| careen | lurch; sway from side to side; move with irregular swinging movement; stagger |
| career | rush wildly; go at full speed |
| sway | swing from side to side; influence (someone) to change one's opinion; N. |
| caricature | distortion; burlesque |
| carillon | a set of bells (often in a tower) capable of being played |
| carnage | destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals |
| carnal | fleshly; sensual; concerning the desires of the body |
| carnivorous | meat-eating; N. carnivore; CF. herbivore |
| carousal | drunken revel; V. carouse |
| carping | petty criticism; fault-finding; fretful complaining; quibble |
| carrion | rotting flesh of a dead body; CF. vulture |
| cartographer | map-maker |
| cascade | small waterfall |
| caste | one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige |
| castigation | punishment; severe criticism or disapproval |
| casualty | serious or fatal accident; person killed or wounded in an accident or battle |
| casual | happening by chance; irregular; occasional; informal; showing or feeling little interest; Ex. casual reader/labor/remark |
| cataclysm | deluge; upheaval; earthquake; violent and sudden event or change |
| catalyst | agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged; CF. catalysis |
| catapult | slingshot; hurling machine; V: fire from catapult |
| hurl | throw forcefully; shout out violently |
| cataract | great waterfall; eye abnormality (causing a gradual loss of eyesight) |
| catastrophe | calamity ; disaster |
| catcall | shout of disapproval or displeasure (made at the theater or a sports match); boo; V. |
| catechism | book for religious instruction in question-and-answer form; religious instruction by question and answer; V. catechize |
| categorical | without exceptions; made without any doubt in mind; unqualified; absolute |
| qualify | reach a necessary standard; limit the meaning of something stated |
| catharsis | purging or cleansing of any passage of the body; purging and weakening of strong emotions as a result of experiencing a dramatic work of art |
| cathartic | purgative; medicine that causes the bowels to empty; ADJ. |
| catholic | (of likings and interests) universal; general; broad; including many different parts; wide-ranging liberal; Ex. catholic opinions/tastes |
| caucus | private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the Caucus club of Boston |
| caulk(calk) | make watertight (by blocking up cracks as in a ship) |
| causal | implying a cause-and-effect relationship; N. causality |
| caustic | burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; (of remarks) intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless |
| cauterize | burn (a wound or snakebite, etc.) with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection |
| cavalcade | procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages; parade; CF. cavalry |
| cavalier | casual and offhand; arrogant; N: knight |
| cavil | quibble; make frivolous objections; find fault unnecessarily |
| cede | yield (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a war); surrender formally; N. cession |
| celerity | speed; rapidity |
| celestial | heavenly |
| hereafter | life after death |
| afterlife | life after death; later part of one's life |
| celibate | abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried; N. celibacy |
| censor | (in ancient Rome) overseer of morals (also taking the census); person who eliminates inappropriate matter; V. |
| censorious | severely critical |
| censure | blame; criticize; express strong disapproval; N: severe criticism; strong disapproval |
| centaur | mythical figure, half man and half horse |
| centigrade | denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius) |
| centrifugal | radiating; departing from the center |
| centrifuge | machine that separates substances by whirling them |
| centripetal | tending toward the center |
| centurion | Roman army officer (commanding a company of about 100 soldiers) |
| cerebral | pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum |
| cerebration | thought; working of the brain |
| ceremonious | marked by formality; extremely formal and polite; CF. ceremony: conventional social courtesy |
| unceremonious | not done politely without due formalities |
| certitude | certainty |
| cessation | stoppage |
| cession | yielding to another; ceding |
| chafe | warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing; N. |
| chaff | worthless products of an endeavor; husk(outer seed cover) separated from grain; Ex. separate the wheat from the chaff |
| chaffing | bantering; joking |
| chagrin | annoyance and disappointment; vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride) |
| chalice | goblet; consecrated cup |
| chameleon | lizard that changes color in different situations |
| champion | support militantly; fight for; N: person who fights for or supports strongly (a principle, movement, person, etc.) |
| championship | position of champion; defense or support; competition held to determine a champion |
| chaotic | in utter disorder |
| charisma | divine gift; great popular charm or appeal; magnetism |
| charlatan | quack; pretender to knowledge (esp. in medicine) |
| chary | cautious; unwilling to take risks; sparing or restrained about giving; OP. bold |
| chase | ornament a metal surface by indenting; follow rapidly to catch |
| chasm | abyss; very deep crack |
| chassis | framework and working parts of an automobile; framework to which components are attached |
| chaste | morally pure; virginal; abstaining from illicit sexual acts; modest; simple (of a style of writing); not highly decorated; austere |
| chasten | discipline; punish in order to correct; CF. castigate |
| chastise | punish as by beating; criticize severely |
| chauvinist | blindly devoted patriot; zealous adherent of a group, cause, or sex; ADJ. chauvinistic; CF. chauvinism; Nicolas Chauvin |
| check | stop motion; curb or restrain |
| checkered (chequered) | marked by great changes in fortune; with many changes of fortuene; CF. checked: having a pattern of squares |
| cherubic | angelic; innocent-looking; N. cherub; CF. seraph: winged angel of the highest order |
| chicanery | trickery; deception |
| chide | scold; rebuke (someone who has done wrong) |
| chimerical | fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; N. chimera: unreal fancy; fire-breathing female creature |
| chisel | swindle or cheat; N: wedgelike tool for cutting |
| chip | lose a small piece from the surface or edge; N: small piece broken off something; CF. French fry; Potato chip/crisp |
| chivalrous | courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry |
| choleric | hot-tempered; bad-tempered; irritable; easily angered; CF. cholera |
| choreography | art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances |
| chore | daily domestic task (such as cleaning, cooking, and shopping); unpleasant task |
| chortle | chuckle with delight; N. |
| chuckle | laugh quietly |
| chronic | long established as a disease |
| chronicle | report; record (in chronological order) |
| churlish | boorish; rude; N. churl: boor; yahoo |
| ciliated | having minute hairs; CF. cilium; CF. cilia: eyelash |
| cipher | nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V. |
| circlet | small ring; band of gold, silver, jewel, etc. (worn on the head, arms, or neck as decoration) |
| circuitous | roundabout |
| circuit | closed circular line around an area; circumference; regularly repeated journey from place to place |
| circumlocution | indirect or roundabout expression (by using an uncecessarily large number of words esp. when trying to avoid answering a difficult question directly) |
| circumscribe | limit; confine; draw a line around |
| circumspect | prudent; cautious; acting after careful thought |
| circumvent | outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around |
| cistern | reservoir or water tank |
| citadel | fortress |
| cite | quote; commend; Ex. cited for bravery in an official record |
| civil | having to do with citizens; not military or religious; courteous and polite; Ex. married in a civil ceremony; Ex. civil strife/disorder/law; N. civility; CF. civic |
| clairvoyant | having foresight; fortuneteller; N. clairvoyance |
| hindsight | understanding the nature of an event after it has actually happened |
| clamber | climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble |
| clamor | loud continous noise; continuous demand or complaint made by a large number of people; V: make a clamor; express (a demand) continually and loudly; ADJ. clamorous |
| clandestine | secret |
| chaperon | older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman |
| clangor | loud resounding noise; sound of repeated clanging |
| clapper | striker (tongue) of a bell |
| clap | strike the palms of the hands together with a sudden explosive sound; come together suddenly with a sharp sound; put or send promptly; Ex. clap the thief in jail; N: clapping; loud or explosive sound; CF. applause |
| clarion | shrill, trumpetlike sound; kind of trumpet used in former times |
| claustrophobia | fear of being locked in |
| clavicle | collarbone |
| scrimmage | disorderly fight between two or more people |
| cleave | split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to; N. cleavage; ADJ. cloven |
| cleft | N: split |
| clemency | disposition to be lenient in deciding punishments; mildness as of the weather; ADJ. clement |
| cliché | phrase dulled in meaning by repetition; platitude; ADJ. clichéd |
| bromide | platitude; chemical compound used to calm excitement |
| clientele | body of customers |
| climactic | relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic |
| clime | climate |
| clique | small exclusive group of people |
| cloister | monastery or convent |
| clout | great influence (especially political or social); hard blow with fist |
| cloying | distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental; V. cloy: become unpleasant through too much sweetness or excess |
| coagulate | congeal; thicken; clot; N. coagulant |
| clot | half-solid lump formed from a liquid (or blood); V. |
| pudding | hot sweet dish |
| coalesce | combine; fuse; N. coalescence |
| coalition | partnership; league; union of separate political parties |
| coda | concluding section of a musical or literary composition |
| coddle | treat gently; indulge excessively; pamper; mollycoddle; baby; cook in water just below boiling point; Ex. coddled eggs |
| codicil | supplement to the body of a will; later addition to a will |
| codify | arrange (laws or rules) as a code; classify; N. code: system of words used instead of ordinary writing; collection of laws, rules, established social customs |
| coercion | use of force to get someone to object; compelling; V. coerce |
| coeval | living at the same time as; existing during the same period of time; contemporary; of the same age |
| cog | tooth projecting from a wheel |
| cogent | convincing |
| cogitate | think over; ponder |
| cognate | having a common origin; related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature; Ex. cognate languages; N. |
| cognitive | having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental processes; N. cognition: the mental process of knowing |
| cognizance | knowledge; ADJ. cognizant; having knowledge; aware |
| cohabit | live together |
| cohere | stick together |
| cohesion | tendency to keep together |
| cohorts | group of people who share some common quality; armed band; a group of between 300 and 600 soldiers under one commander (in the ancient Rome) |
| coiffure | hairstyle |
| coin | make coins; invent or fabricate (a word or phrase); N. coinage: word or phrase recently invented |
| coincidence | the chance occurrence, at the same time, of two or more seemingly connected events; V. coincide: happen at the same time; be in agreement; CF. coincident; CF. coincidental |
| colander | utensil with perforated bottom used for straining |
| collaborate | work together; cooperate treasonably with the enemy |
| collage | work of art put together from fragments |
| scrap | small bit or fragment; discarded waste material; fight; Ex. a scrap of paper/cloth; V: break into parts for disposal; discard as worthless; fight; quarrel |
| scraps | leftover food |
| scrappy | quarrelsome |
| collate | examine and compare in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order (the sheets of a book before they are bound) |
| collateral | security given for loan; ADJ: secondary; descended from the same person but through different sons or daughters |
| collation | a light meal; collating |
| colloquial | pertaining to conversational or common speech; informal; N. colloquialism: colloquial expression |
| colloquy | informal discussion; conversation |
| collusion | conspiring in a fraudulent scheme to cheat or deceive others; V. collude |
| colossal | huge |
| colossus | gigantic statue; person or thing of great size or importance |
| comatose | in a coma; extremely sleepy |
| coma | deep prolonged unconsciousness caused by disease, poison, or a severe blow |
| combustible | easily burned; N. CF. combustion |
| comely | attractive; agreeable; having a pleasing appearance |
| homely | not good-looking; unattractive |
| comestible | something fit to be eaten |
| comeuppance | deserts; well-deserved punishment or misfortune; rebuke |
| deserts | what someone deserves |
| comity | courtesy; civility; Ex. comity of nations |
| commandeer | take (private property) for military use without needing permission or giving payment; draft for military purposes |
| draft | first rough form; conscription; draught; V: make a draft of; conscript |
| draught | current of air (through a room or to a fire); act of pulling roads; act of swallowing liquid or amount of liquid swallowed at a time |
| commemorative | remembering; honoring the memory of; Ex. commemorative stamp |
| commemorate | honor the memory of; serve as a memorial to; Ex. commemorate the 100th anniversary/those who died in the war |
| commensurate | equal in extent; of the same size |
| commiserate | feel or express pity or sympathy for |
| commodious | spacious and comfortable |
| communal | held in common; public; of a group of people; of a commune |
| commune | small (often rural) community whose members share work and income; V: exchange thoughts or feelings; Ex. commune with nature |
| compact | agreement; contract; ADJ: tightly packed; firm; brief; concise; Ex. compact statement |
| compatible | harmonious; in harmony with; able to exist together |
| compelling | overpowering; irresistible in effect; holding one's attention; that compels one to do something; Ex. a compelling adventure story; V. compel |
| compulsion | compelling; strong desire that is difficult to control; irresistible impulse |
| compulsory | obligatory; that must be done |
| compulsive | resulting from compulsion |
| compendium | brief, comprehensive summary; ADJ. compendious |
| compensatory | making up for; repaying |
| compilation | listing of information in tabular or book form; compiling |
| compile | assemble; gather; accumulate; make (a report or a book) from facts and information found in various places; Ex. compile a dictionary |
| complacency | self-satisfaction; smugness; ADJ. complacent |
| smug | self-satisfied; complacent |
| complaisant | trying to please; obliging; willing to please others |
| complement | complete; consummate; make perfect; N. |
| complementary | serving to complete something |
| compliance | conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield; disposition to yield to others; V. comply |
| compliant | readily acting in accordance with a rule, order, or the wishes or others; yielding; comforming to requirements |
| complicity | participation; involvement (in a questionable act or a crime) |
| component | element; ingredient |
| comport | bear one's self; behave; Ex. comport oneself; N. comportment |
| deport | send out of the country; behave; N. deportation, deportment |
| bearing | deportment; connection |
| composure | mental calmness |
| compound | combine; produce by combining; increase; make worse by adding to or increasing; exacerbate; Ex. compound an error; ADJ: consisting of two or more parts; N: combination of two or more parts; area enclosed by a wall containing a group of buildings; Ex. factory compound; CF. complex |
| comprehensive | broad; including a lot or everything; thorough; inclusive |
| compress | force into less space; squeeze; contract; put into fewer words; N: thick mass of cloth pressed to part of the body to stop bleeding or swelling, reduce fever, etc. |
| comprise | include; consist of |
| compromise | adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of; put into danger, disrepute, or a dishonorable position; Ex. compromise one's principle; N. |
| compunction | remorse; strong uneasiness caused by guilt |
| compute | reckon; calculate |
| reckon | count; calculate; regard as; think; suppose |
| concatenate | link as in a chain |
| concave | hollow; curved inwards; OP. convex |
| concede | admit; acknowledge as being true (often reluctantly); yield; grant; Ex. concede a goal |
| conceit | vanity or self-love; too high opinion of one's own value; extravagant metaphor (in poetry) |
| vain | full of self-admiration; conceited; without result; unsuccessful; N. vanity |
| concentric | having a common center |
| conception | beginning; forming of an idea; fertilization; V. conceive: form an idea in the mind; devise; become pregnant; CF. inception |
| concerted | mutually agreed on; done together by agreement; Ex. concerted effort; CF. in concert: working together |
| concession | an act of yielding; conceding; something conceded; point, right, etc. given unwillingly; privilege of maintaining a business in a certain place; Ex. oil concessions in the North sea; CF. concessionaire |
| conciliatory | reconciling; soothing; V. conciliate: reconcile; soothe; win the friendly feelings (by removing anger) |
| concise | brief and compact |
| conclave | private secret meeting |
| conclusive | decisive; ending all debate |
| concoct | prepare by mixing or combining; make up in concert; devise (something false) so as to deceive; Ex. concoct an elaborate excuse for being late; N. concoction |
| concomitant | that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else |
| concord | harmony; accord |
| concordat | formal agreement |
| concur | agree; coincide; happen at the same time |
| concurrent | happening at the same time; in agreement |
| condescend | (derog.) bestow courtesies with a superior air; descend to the level of one considered inferior |
| condign | adequate; (of punishment) severe and well deserved |
| condiments | seasonings; spices |
| condole | express condolences; N. condolence: sympathy for someone who has experienced great sorrow |
| condone | overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse |
| conducive | helpful; contributive; V. conduce; Ex. conduce to/towards |
| conduit | aqueduct; passageway for fluids |
| confidant(confidante) | trusted friend (to whom one tells one's secret) |
| confide | tell in confidence (to a person one trusts); be confident about |
| confidence | self-assurance; calm unworried feeling based on a strong belief in one's abilities; strong belief in the ability of a person or plan; trust or faith in a person or thing; something confided; secret; Ex. confidence in your ability; Ex. I'm telling you this in confidence; Ex. exchange confidences about their boyfriends; ADJ. confident |
| confidential | spoken or written in secret; trusted with private matters; Ex. confidential secretary |
| confine | shut in an enclosed space; restrict; keep within limits; N. confinement |
| confiscate | seize; take possession of (private property) by official order (usu. as a punishment); commandeer |
| conflagration | great fire |
| confluence | flowing together; the place where two rivers flow together; crowd; gathering together |
| conformity | harmony; agreement with established rules or customs; similarity; Ex. behave in conformity with; V. conform: be similar; act in agreement; comply; Ex. conform to the rule; CF. conformance |
| confound | confuse; puzzle |
| congeal | freeze; coagulate |
| congenial | pleasant; friendly; in agreement with one's tastes and nature; Ex. congenial weather |
| congenital | existing at birth |
| conglomeration | mass of material sticking together |
| conglomerate | corporation made up of several different companies in diversified fields; mass of various material gathered together; rock consisting of small stones held together by clay; V. |
| congruence | correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship; CF. congruity |
| congruent | in agreement; harmonious; corresponding; coinciding exactly; CF. congruous |
| conifer | pine tree (usu. evergreen); cone-bearing tree; ADJ. coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen |
| conjecture | surmise; guess; V. |
| conjugal | pertaining to marriage |
| conjure | cause to appear by magic; summon (a devil or a spirit) by magical power; practice magic (esp. by very quick movement of the hands); evoke; conjure up: bring into the mind; Ex. The magician conjured a rabbit out of his hat. |
| connivance | pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend; V. connive: feign ignorance (of a wrong); cooperate secretly in an illegal action; conspire |
| connoisseur | person competent to act as a judge of art, etc. (whose judgments are respected); a lover of an art |
| connotation | suggested or implied meaning of an expression; V. connote |
| connubial | pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state |
| matrimony | state of being married |
| patrimony | property inherited from a father |
| consanguinity | kinship; relationship by birth |
| consanguineous(consanguine) | having a common ancestor |
| conscientious | scrupulous; through and careful; Ex. conscientious worker |
| conscript | draftee; person forced into military service; V. |
| consecrate | dedicate; sanctify; declare as sacred; Ex. consecrate one's life to helping the poor |
| consensus | general agreement; opinion reached by a group |
| consequential | self-important; significant; consequent; following as a result; Ex. consequential air; CF. subsequent |
| conservatory(conservatoire) | school of the fine arts (especially music or drama); glass-enclosed area; CF. conservancy |
| consign | send to a person or place for sale; deliver officially; entrust; put into the care of another; set apart (for a special purpose); N. consignment; CF. consignor, consignee |
| consistency | absence of contradictions; uniformity; degree of thickness or firmness; Ex. consistency of thick cream; CF. viscous |
| console | lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort; allay the sorrow of; N. consolation |
| consolidation | unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger; V. consolidate: merge; strengthen |
| consonance | harmony; agreement |
| consonant | harmonious; in agreement; N. |
| consort | associate with; keep company; N: husband or wife (or a ruler) |
| conspiracy | treacherous plot; secret plan against the law (by two or more people) |
| conspire | take part in a conspiracy; (of events) work together; combine; Ex. Events conspired to produce great difficulties. |
| consternation | great shock; dismay |
| constituent | supporter; voter; member of a constituency; component |
| constituency | voters represented by an elected official; district so represented; group of supporters (or constituents) |
| constitution | constituting; system of laws; composition of something; physical makeup or structure of a person; Ex. men with strong constitutions |
| constraint | restraint; compulsion; repression of feelings; reticence; V. constrain: hold back; restrain; compel; oblige; confine forcibly; imprison |
| construe | explain; interpret; Ex. construe her silence as meaning that she agreed; CF. misconstrue |
| consummate | complete; V. |
| contagion | infection (by contact); ADJ. contagious; CF. infectious: that can be passed by infection in the air |
| drastic | strong; violent and severe; Ex. drastic changes/measures |
| contaminate | pollute |
| contempt | scorn; disdain; ADJ. contemptuous; CF. contemptible |
| contend | struggle; compete; assert earnestly; state strongly |
| contention | assertion; claim; thesis; struggling; competition |
| thesis | opinion put forward and supported by reasoned arguments |
| boost | lift by pushing up from below; increase; raise; N: push upward; increase |
| contentious | quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments |
| contest | dispute; argue about the rightness of; compete for; try to win; Ex. contest the election results; Ex. contest a seat in Parliament; N. |
| context | writings preceding and following the passage quoted; circumstance in which an event occurs |
| contiguous | adjacent to; touching upon |
| continence | self-restraint; sexual chastity; sexual abstinence; voluntary control over bladder and bowel functions; ADJ. continent |
| contingent | dependent on something uncertain or in the future; conditional; happening by chance; accidental; N: a group of soldiers, ships to a larger force; CF. contingency: future event that may or may not occur; possibility; Ex. prepare for every contingency |
| contortions | twistings; distortions; V. contort: twist violently out of shape; CF. contortionist |
| contraband | illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods; ADJ. |
| contravene | contradict; oppose; violate (a rule, law, or custom); N. contravention |
| contrite | penitent; repentant; N. contrition |
| contrived | unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; Ex. The ending was rather contrived. |
| contrive | invent or fabricate in a clever way (by improvisation); manage; Ex. contrive to attract his attention |
| contrivance | something contrived; machine or apparatus; clever deceitful plan; scheme |
| controvert | oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict; ADJ. controversial; N. controversy |
| contumacious | stubborn and disobedient; resisting authority (esp. disobedient to an order made by a court) |
| contusion | bruise |
| bruise | injure without breaking the skin; N. |
| conundrum | riddle; difficult problem |
| convene | come together; assemble; call to meet; Ex. convene the council |
| convention | social or moral custom; established practice; formal meeting; international agreement |
| conventional | ordinary; typical; not nuclear; Ex. conventional weapons |
| converge | approach; tend to meet; come together |
| conversant | familiar with; having knowledge of |
| converse | opposite; ADJ. |
| convert | one who has adopted a different religion or opinion; V: change into another form; (persuade to) adopt a particular religion or belief |
| convex | curving outward |
| conveyance | vehicle; transfer; act of conveying; Ex. public conveyance |
| conviction | judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief |
| convivial | pleasantly merry; festive; joyous; gay; characterized by joviality; jovial |
| convoke | call together; Ex. convoke Parliament; N. convocation |
| convoluted | coiled around; twisted; involved; complicated; intricate; complex; N. convolution: twist; one of the convex folds of the surface of the brain |
| convulsion | violent uncontrollable shaking movement (caused by illness); V. convulse; ADJ. convulsive |
| copious | plentiful |
| coquette | flirt; flirtatious woman; woman who tries to attract the admiration of men without sincere feelings; V. |
| flirt | behave in a way that attracts (sexual) attention; deal triflingly with; N: one (or woman) given to flirting; ADJ. flirtatious |
| cordial | warmly friendly; gracious; heartfelt; Ex. cordial welcome |
| cordon | extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress; |
| cornice | projecting molding on building (usually above columns or pillars) |
| cornucopia | horn (or horn-shaped container) overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance; horn of plenty |
| corollary | natural consequence (which naturally follows from something else) |
| corporeal | bodily (rather than spiritual); of a bodily form; material; tangible |
| corpulent | very fat; N. corpulence |
| corpus | collection (of writings or information); Ex. the corpus of Shakespear's works; Cf. corpse |
| corpuscle | red or white cell in the blood |
| correlation | mutual relationship |
| correlate | either of the correlated things; V. |
| corroborate | confirm; support; strengthen |
| corrode | destroy or wear away gradually by chemical action (over a long period) |
| corrosive | eating away by chemicals or disease; (of language) fierce |
| corrugated | wrinkled; ridged |
| wrinkle | small ridge on a smooth surface (face or cloth); V. |
| crinkle | wrinkle |
| cosmic | pertaining to the universe; vast |
| coterie | group that meets socially; select circle; close group of people with shared interests |
| countenance | approve; support; tolerate; Ex. countenance his rude behavior; N: face; appearance |
| countermand | cancel; revoke (an order) |
| counterpart | thing that completes another; things very much alike; thing that has the same purpose in a different system |
| coup | highly successful action or sudden attack; coup(s) d'\'etat; CF. coup de gr\^ace: deathblow or shot which kills |
| couple | join; unite; OP. uncouple |
| courier | messenger |
| covenant | binding agreement between two groups or people; compact; V: enter into a covenant; promise |
| bargain | agreement between two groups or people; something for sale at a price advantageous to the buyer; V: negotiate; trade; Ex. bargaining power |
| covert | secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt |
| covetous | avaricious; desirous of (someone else's possessions); V. covet: desire eagerly (someone else's possessions) |
| cow | terrorize; intimidate |
| cower | shrink quivering as from fear; cringe |
| coy | shy (flirtatiously); showing a (pretended) lack of self-confidence; modest; coquettish; CF. job offer |
| cozen | cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| crabbed | sour; bad-tempered; peevish; difficult to read as handwriting |
| peevish | bad-tempered; irritable; V. peeve: make angry |
| crass | very unrefined; grossly insensible; crude and undiscriminating; Ex. crass behavior |
| craven | cowardly |
| credence | belief |
| credo | creed |
| credulity | belief on slight evidence; gullibility; naivet\'e; ADJ. credulous |
| creed | system of religious or ethical belief |
| crescendo | increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical passage; climax; CF. crescent |
| far-fetched | too improbable to be believed; implausible; Ex. far-fetched story |
| overture | musical introduction to a long musical piece; first offer or proposal (to begin talks in the hope of reaching an agreement); Ex. overtures for peace |
| crestfallen | dejected; dispirited |
| crest | top (as of a hill or wave); showy feathers on the head of a bird |
| crevice | crack; fissure |
| cringe | shrink back as if in fear; cower |
| criteria | standards used in judging; CF. criterion |
| crone | hag; ugly old woman |
| crotchety | (of someone old) eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered; N. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion |
| crux | essential or main point; Ex. the crux of the problem; ADJ. crucial: of deciding importance |
| crypt | secret recess or vault usually used for burial; underground room (under a church) |
| cryptic | mysterious; hidden; secret |
| cubicle | small chamber used for sleeping or work |
| compartment | one of the parts into which an enclosed space is divided |
| cuisine | style of cooking; Ex. French cuisine |
| culinary | relating to cooking or kitchen |
| cull | pick out from others (to kill the weakest members); reject; select; collect (information); N. |
| culmination | highest point; climax; V. culminate in: reach the highest point in; end in; Ex. a series of minor clashes culminating in war |
| culpable | deserving blame; blameworthy |
| culprit | one guilty of a crime |
| culvert | artificial channel for water; drain crossing under a road |
| cumbersome | heavy and awkward to carry or wear; burdensome; Ex. cumbersome parcel/uniform |
| cumulative | growing by addition; accumulative |
| cupidity | greed (for wealth); CF. cupid; CF. Cupid |
| curator | superintendent; manager (in charge of a museum or a library) |
| curmudgeon | churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person |
| cursive | (of writing) flowing; running; having the successive letters joined |
| cursory | casual; hastily done with little attention to detail |
| curtail | shorten; reduce |
| cynical | skeptical or distrustful of human motives; N. cynicism; CF. cynic: person who believes all people are motivated by selfishness |
| cynosure | object of general attention; person or thing that is a center of attention; CF. Ursa Minor |
| dabble | work at in a nonserious fashion; splash around; move noisily in a liquid |
| dais | raised platform for speakers or other important people |
| dally | trifle with; toy with; treat without the necessary seriousness; procrastinate; waste time |
| dank | damp; unpleasantly wet |
| dapper | neat and trim (in appearance); (of small men) neat in appearance and quick in movements; neat; spry |
| dappled | spotted |
| daub | smear (as with paint); cover with something sticky; Ex. daub one's clothes with mud/paint; N: small bit of sticky substance; Ex. a daub of paint |
| smear | spread or cover with a sticky substance; N: mark made by smearing |
| smudge | dirty mark with unclear edges made by rubbing; V. |
| daunt | intimidate; frighten; discourage; dishearten |
| dauntless | bold; fearless |
| dawdle | loiter; hang around; waste time doing nothing |
| deadlock | standstill resulting from the opposition of two unrelenting forces; stalemate |
| standstill | condition of no movement or activity; stop |
| deadpan | wooden; impassive; with no show of feeling; with an expressionless face |
| dearth | scarcity |
| d\'eb\^acle | sudden disastrous downfall or defeat; complete disaster |
| debase | degrade; reduce in quality or value; degenerate; lower in esteem; disgrace; N. debasement |
| kneel | go down on one's knee(s) |
| debauch | corrupt morally; seduce from virtue; N. debauchery: wild behavior (with sex and alcohol) |
| seduce | lead away from proper conduct; entice; ADJ. seductive |
| debilitate | weaken (esp. through heat, hunger, illness); enfeeble |
| bout | match; short period of great activity; Ex. wrestling bout; bout of drinking/flu |
| debonair | (of men) friendly, charming, and fashionably dressed; aiming to please; CF. of good disposition |
| d\'ebris | rubble; wreckage; scattered remains of something broken or destroyed |
| debunk | expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule |
| debutante | young woman making formal entrance into society |
| debut | d\'ebut; first public appearance; formal presentation of a young woman to society |
| decadence | decay; fall to a lower level (of morality, civilization, or art); ADJ. decadent |
| decant | pour off gently (wine or liquid) |
| decapitate | behead |
| decelerate | slow down |
| deciduous | falling off at a specific season or stage of growth as of leaves; Ex. deciduous tree/teeth |
| decimate | kill (usually one out of ten or every tenth man); destroy or kill a large part of |
| decipher | decode; CF. indecipherable |
| declivity | downward slope |
| d\'ecollet\'e | (of a dress) having a low-cut neckline; CF. d\'ecolletage: low neckline (on a dress) |
| decree | authoritative order; edict; judgment of a court of law; V: order or judge by decree |
| decomposition | decay; V. decompose: decay; break and separate into simple parts |
| decorum | propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners; appropriateness of behavior or conduct |
| decorous | proper (in behavior, conduct, or appearance) |
| decoy | lure or bait; V. |
| decrepitude | state of collapse or weakness caused by illness or old age |
| decrepit | weak and in bad condition from old age or hard use; Ex. decrepit old chair/man |
| decry | express strong disapproval of; condemn openly (something dangerous to the public); disparage; Ex. decry the violence of modern films |
| deducible | derived by reasoning; V. deduce: infer; derive by reasoning |
| deface | mar; disfigure |
| mar | spoil the appearance of |
| defame | harm someone's reputation; malign; speak evil of; slander; N. defamation; ADJ. defamatory |
| default | failure to act; failure to perform a task or be present; V. |
| defeatist | resigned to defeat or failure; accepting defeat or failure as a natural outcome; N. CF. defeatism |
| defection | desertion |
| defect | shortcoming; V: desert (in order to join the opposite one) |
| defer | give in respectfully; submit; delay till later; exempt temporarily; N. deferment; CF. show respect, comply with, courteous |
| deference | courteous regard for another's wish; courteous yielding to another's wish or opinion (showing respect); ADJ. deferential; OP. effrontery |
| defiance | refusal to yield; resistance; V. defy; ADJ. defiant |
| defile | pollute; make filthy or dirty; corrupt morally; profane; desecrate; N: narrow passage or gorge through mountains |
| definitive | most reliable; authorative and complete; that cannot be improved; conclusive; decisive; definite; Ex. definitive decision by the supreme court |
| deflect | turn aside; turn away from a straight course |
| defoliate | destroy leaves; deprive of leaves (by the use of chemicals); N. defoliant |
| defray | provide for the payment of; undertake the payment of; pay |
| defrock | strip a priest or minister of church authority; unfrock |
| frock | long loose garment (worn by monks) |
| deft | neat; skillful |
| defunct | dead; no longer in use or existence |
| degenerate | become worse in quality; deteriorate; ADJ: having become worse; Ex. a degenerate species; N: depraved or corrupt person |
| degradation | humiliation; debasement; degeneration; V. degrade: debase; disgrace; degenerate; reduce (something) in worth; demote (someone); reduce in rank |
| dishonor | disgrace; N. ADJ. dishonorable |
| dehydrate | remove water from; dry out |
| deify | turn into a god; make a god of; idolize; Ex. Kings were deified; CF. deity |
| deign | condescend; stoop |
| stoop | bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; Ex. stoop to lying |
| delete | erase; strike out |
| deleterious | harmful |
| deliberate | consider; ponder; ADJ: done on purpose; slow |
| delineate | portray; depict; sketch; describe; N. delineation |
| delirium | mental disorder marked by confusion; uncontrolled excitement; ADJ. delirious |
| delta | flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river |
| delude | deceive |
| deluge | flood; rush; V. |
| delusion | false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. delusions of grandeur; Ex. under the delusion that |
| delusive | deceptive; likely to delude; misleading; raising vain hopes; Ex. delusive promises |
| delve | dig; search deeply; investigate |
| demagogue | person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people; CF. demagoguery |
| demean | disgrace; humiliate; debase in dignity; behave |
| demeanor | behavior; bearing |
| demented | insane |
| demise | death |
| demographic | related to population balance; N. demography: statistical study of human population |
| demolition | destruction; V. demolish |
| demoniac(demoniacal) | fiendish; cruel; N. demon: evil supernatural being; devil |
| fiend | evil spirit; devil |
| demotic | of or pertaining to the people |
| demur | object (because of doubts, scruples); raise an objection (showing qualms); hesitate; Ex. demur at the idea of working on Sunday |
| demure | (of a woman or child) grave; quiet and serious; coy; pretending to be demure |
| denigrate | blacken; defame |
| denizen | (animal, person, or plant) inhabitant or resident of a particular place; regular visitor |
| denotation | meaning; distinguishing by name; V. denote: indicate; refer to directly; mean; CF. connotation |
| d\'enouement | final outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work; the end of a story when everything is explained |
| denounce | condemn; criticize; N. denunciation |
| depict | portray |
| expos\'e | public revelation of something discreditable |
| deplete | reduce; exhaust |
| deplore | regret; express sorrow and severe disapproval for something bad; Ex. deplore their violent behavior; ADJ. deplorable: very bad; deserving severe disapproval; Ex. deplorable living condition |
| deploy | spread out (troops) in an extended though shallow battle line; distribute (persons or forces) systematically or strategically |
| battalion | army unit made up of four or more companies |
| depose | dethrone; remove from office; give a deposition; testify |
| deposition | testimony under oath; deposing; dethroning |
| depravity | extreme corruption; wickedness; V. deprave |
| deprecate | express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. deprecatory |
| depreciate | lessen in value; belittle; represent as of little value |
| depredation | plundering; destruction |
| deranged | insane |
| institute | organization for a special purpose; V: establish |
| institution | instituting; (building for the) organization; established custom, practice, or relationship in a society; mental hospital; Ex. institution of marriage |
| institutionalize | make into an institution; put or confine in an institution |
| derelict | negligent; (of someone) neglectful of duty; (of something) deserted by an owner; abandoned; N: abandoned property; homeless or vagrant person |
| dereliction | neglect of duty; abandonment |
| deride | ridicule; treat with contempt; make fun of; OP. respect |
| derision | ridicule; ADJ. derisive; CF. derisory |
| derivative | unoriginal; obtained from another source; Ex. derivative prose style; N. |
| derivation | deriving; origin or source of something; Ex. the derivation of the word |
| dermatologist | one who studies the skin and its diseases |
| acne | skin disease (on the face) |
| derogatory | expressing a low opinion; disparaging; V. derogate: detract; disparage |
| descry | catch sight of (something distant) |
| desecrate | profane; violate the sanctity of |
| violate | break (a law); defile; desecrate; assault sexually; Ex. violate graves |
| desiccate | dry up |
| desolate | (of a place) deserted; unpopulated; (of a person) lonely; forlorn; joyless |
| desolate | make desolate; forsake; abandon and desert |
| desperado | reckless, desperate outlaw |
| desperate | having lost all hope; despairing; reckless and violent because of loss of hope or despair; undertaken as a last resort |
| despise | look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful; ADJ. despicable: contemptible |
| despoil | plunder; sack; Ex. despoil the village |
| despondent | without hope and courage; depressed; gloomy; N. despondency: loss of hope with gloom; dejection |
| despot | tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler; CF. despotism |
| destitute | extremely poor; lacking means of subsistence; utterly lacking; devoid; Ex. destitute of any experience |
| impoverish | make poor; deprive of natural strength or something important; Ex. impoverished soil |
| desultory | aimless; haphazard; digressing at random |
| detached | emotionally removed; free from emotional involvement; calm and objective; physically separate; N. detachment; CF. attachment |
| detain | keep waiting; prevent from leaving or going; N. detention |
| determinate | having a fixed order of procedure; precisely defined; invariable; fixed; conclusive; final |
| determination | resolve; firmness of purpose; measurement or calculation; decision |
| deterrent | something that discourages or deters |
| detonation | explosion |
| detraction | slandering; aspersion; detracting; CF. detractor |
| detrimental | harmful; damaging; N. detriment |
| deviate | turn away from (a principle, norm); move away from an accepted standard; swerve; depart; diverge; N. deviation; Ex. deviation of the path of light by a prism |
| devious | roundabout; erratic; deviating from the straight course; not straightforward; not completely honest; Ex. devious route |
| devise | think up; invent; plan; bequeath; N: bequest |
| devoid | empty; lacking |
| devolve | deputize; pass or be passed to others (power, work, or property); Ex. devolve on/upon/to |
| deputize | work or appoint as a deputy; N. deputy: person who has the power to take charge when the leading person is away |
| devotee | enthusiastic follower; enthusiast; Ex. devotee of Bach |
| devout | pious; deeply religious; sincere; earnest; Ex. my devout hope |
| dexterous | skillful; skill in using hands or mind; N. dexterity |
| diabolical | diabolic; devilish; fiendish |
| diadem | crown |
| dialectical | relating to the art of debate; mutual or reciprocal; Ex. dialectical situation; N. dialectic: art of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments |
| diaphanous | sheer; transparent |
| diatribe | bitter scolding or denunciation; invective; abuse |
| dichotomy | division into two opposite parts; split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones) |
| dictum | authoritative and weighty statement (made by a judge in court); saying; maxim; CF. obiter dictum: incidental, nonbinding remark (something said in passing) |
| didactic | (of speech or writing) intended to teach a moral lesson; teaching; instructional; N. didacticism |
| die | metal block used for shaping metal or plastic; device for stamping or impressing; mold; CF. dice |
| diffidence | shyness; lack of self-confidence; timidity; ADJ. diffident |
| diffuse | wordy; verbose; rambling; spread out (like a gas); V: spread out in all directions; disperse; N. diffusion; CF. suffuse |
| digression | wandering away from the subject; V. digress |
| dilapidated | falling to pieces; in a bad condition; ruined because of neglect; Ex. dilapidated old car/castle; N. dilapidation |
| dilate | expand; dilate on/upon: speak or write at length on (a subject) |
| dilatory | delaying; tending to delay |
| dilemma | situation that requires a choice between equally unfavorable options; problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives |
| dilettante | aimless follower of an art or a field of knowledge (not taking it seriously); amateur; dabbler; CF. delight |
| diligence | steadiness of effort; persistent hard work |
| dilute | make (a liquid) less concentrated; reduce in strength; Ex. dilute the influence of the president |
| diminution | lessening; reduction in size; V. diminish |
| din | continued loud noise; V: make a din; instill by wearying repetition |
| weary | tired after long work; V. |
| dinghy | small boat (often ship's boat) |
| maroon | leave helpless on a deserted island or coast; ADJ. red brown |
| dingy | (of things and place) dirty and dull; Ex. dingy street/curtain |
| dull | (of colors or surfaces) not bright; cloudy; overcast; boring; (of edge or sound) not sharp; not rapid; sluggish; slow in thinking and understanding; stupid; V. |
| dint | means; effort; Ex. by dint of hard work |
| diorama | life-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history; three-dimensional scene with modeled figures against a painted background |
| dire | warning of disaster; disastrous; (of needs and dangers) very great; urgent; Ex. dire prediction/need of food |
| dirge | funeral song; slow mournful piece of music (sung over a dead person) |
| disabuse | correct a false impression; undeceive; free from a wrong belief |
| disaffected | disloyal; lacking loyality; V. disaffect: cause to lose affection or loyalty |
| disapprobation | disapproval; condemnation |
| disarray | state of disorder; a disorderly or untidy state; Ex. with her clothes in disarray |
| disavowal | denial; disclaiming; repudiating; disowning; V. disavow; CF. disclaim |
| disband | dissolve; disperse; (of a group) break up and separate; Ex. The club has disbanded. |
| disburse | pay out (as from a fund); N. disbursement; CF. purse |
| discernible | distinguishable; perceivable; Ex. discernible improvement |
| discerning | mentally quick and observant; having insight; perceptive; able to make good judgments; V. discern: perceive |
| disclaim | disown; renounce claim to; deny; CF. disclaimer |
| disclose | reveal; N. disclosure |
| discombobulated | discomposed; confused |
| discompose | disturb the composure of; confuse |
| discomfit | frustrate; put to rout; defeat; disconcert; embarrass; perturb |
| disconcert | confuse; upset; embarrass; perturb |
| disconsolate | hopelessly sad (at the loss of something) |
| discord | conflict; lack of harmony; dissonance (when musical notes are played) |
| discordant | not harmonious; conflicting |
| discount | disregard; regard (a story or news) as unimportant; deduct from a cost |
| discourse | serious speech, writing, or conversation; formal discussion (either written or spoken); conversation; V. |
| discredit | defame; disgrace; destroy confidence in; disbelieve; N. CF. discreditable: causing discredit; shameful |
| discrepancy | lack of consistency or agreement as between facts; difference; Ex. discrepancy between two descriptions |
| discrete | separate; unconnected |
| discretion | prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances; freedom of action or judgment; ADJ. discreet; CF. discretionary |
| discriminating | able to see differences; discerning; prejudiced; N. discrimination |
| discriminate | distinguish; make distinctions on the basis of preference |
| brisk | quick and active; marked by liveliness and vigor |
| discursive | (of a person or writing) digressing; rambling (without any clear plan) |
| disdain | treat with scorn or contempt |
| disembark | debark; go ashore (from a ship); unload cargo from a ship; CF. embark |
| disenfranchise | disfranchise; deprive of a civil right; OP. enfranchise |
| disengage | uncouple; separate; disconnect; stop fighting; OP. engage |
| disfigure | mar the appearance of; spoil |
| disgorge | surrender something (stolen); eject; vomit; OP. gorge |
| disgruntle | make discontented |
| dishearten | discourage |
| disheveled | untidy (of hair or clothing); V. dishevel |
| disinclination | unwillingness |
| disingenuous | not naive; not candid; sophisticated; worldly wise; OP. ingenuous |
| disinter | dig up; unearth; OP. inter |
| disinterested | unprejudiced; free from bias and self-interest; objective |
| disjointed | disconnected; lacking coherence; V. disjoint: disconnect; disjoin |
| disjunction | act or state of separation; disunity; CF. disjunctive: expressing a choice between two ideas; CF. conjunction; CF. conjunctive |
| dislodge | remove (forcibly); force out of a position; Ex. dislodge the food caught in his throat; CF. lodge |
| dismantle | take apart; disassemble |
| mantle | loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the crust and the core |
| crust | hard outer covering (as of earth or snow) |
| dismember | cut into small parts; cut (a body) apart limb from limb |
| dismiss | eliminate from consideration; no longer consider; put out of court without further hearing; reject; discharge from employment; direct to leave; ADJ. dismissive; N. dismissal |
| disparage | belittle |
| maneuver(manoeuver) | strategic military or naval movement (done for training purposes); carefully planned process; stratagem; V: carry out a military maneuver; use maneuvers in gaining an end |
| disparate | basically different; impossible to compare; unrelated |
| disparity | difference; condition of inequality; OP. parity |
| dispassionate | calm; impartial; not influenced by personal feelings |
| dispatch | speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed; V: send to a specified destination; finish promptly; kill |
| dispel | scatter; drive away; cause to vanish |
| dispense | distribute; prepare and give out (medicines); N. dispensation: dispensing; religious system; official exemption from an obligation or a rule |
| disperse | scatter; Ex. disperse the cloud/crowd |
| dispirited | lacking in spirit |
| disport | amuse; Ex. disport oneself; CF. divert |
| disputatious | argumentative; fond of argument |
| disquietude | uneasiness; anxiety; V. disquiet: make anxious |
| disquisition | formal systematic inquiry; explanation of the results of a formal inquiry; long formal speech or written report |
| dissection | analysis; cutting apart in order to examine |
| dissemble | disguise; hide the real nature of; pretend |
| disseminate | distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds) |
| dissent | disagree |
| dissertation | formal essay; treatise |
| dissident | dissenting (with an opinion, a group, or a government); rebellious; N. |
| dissimulate | pretend; conceal by feigning; dissemble |
| dissipate | squander; waste foolishly; scatter |
| dissolution | disintegration; reduction to a liquid form; looseness in morals; sensual indulgence; debauchery; ADJ. dissolute: lacking in moral restraint; leading an immoral life |
| reduce | diminish; bring to a weaker or more difficult condition; demote; lower in rank; separate into components by analysis; Ex. reduced to the ranks; Ex. reduce the house to rubble; N. reduction |
| dissuade | persuade not to do; discourage; N. dissuasion |
| dissonance | discord |
| distant | reserved or aloof; cold in manner; Ex. distant greeting; ADV. distantly |
| distend | expand; swell out |
| distill | refine (a liquid by evaporating and subsequent condensation); concentrate; separate the most important parts from; Ex. distill fresh water from sea water; CF. brew |
| distinction | honor; excellence; difference; contrast; discrimination; Ex. graduated with distinction; Ex. a writer of real distinction |
| distinct | clearly different; clearly noticed |
| distinctive | clearly different from others of the same kind |
| distort | twist out of shape; give a false account of; misrepresent; N. distortion |
| distrait | absentminded; distracted |
| distraught | upset; distracted by anxiety; very anxious and troubled almost to the point of madness; Ex. distraught with grief/worry |
| distract | take (one's attention) off something; upset emotionally; make anxious; ADJ. distracted |
| diurnal | daily; occurring during the daytime |
| diva | operatic singer; prima donna |
| diverge | vary; go in different directions from the same point; ADJ. divergent: differing; deviating |
| diverse | differing in some characteristics (from each other); various; N. diversity: variety; dissimilitude; lack of resemblance |
| diversion | act of turning aside; pastime; V. divert: turn aside from a course; distract; amuse |
| divest | strip (as of clothes); deprive (as of rights); dispossess; N. divestiture(divestment) |
| divine | perceive intuitively (by or as if by magic); foresee the future; foretell; dowse; ADJ. N. divination |
| dowse | use a divining rod to search for underground water or minerals |
| divulge | reveal |
| docile | obedient; easily managed; submissive |
| ferocious | fierce; violent; N. ferocity |
| docket | program as for trial; book where such entries are made; list of things to be done; agenda; label fixed to a package listing contents or directions; V: describe in a docket |
| doctrinaire | unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding; marked by inflexible attachment to a doctrine without regard to its practical difficulties |
| doctrine | teachings in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught; dogma; tenet; ADJ. doctrinal |
| indoctrinate | cause to accept a doctrine without questioning it; Ex. indoctrinated with mindless anti-communism |
| document | provide written evidence (for a claim); record with documents; N. |
| doddering | shaky; infirm from old age; V. dodder |
| merit | deserve; ADJ. meritorious: deserving reward or praise |
| doff | take off; OP. don |
| dogged | determined; stubborn; stubbornly persevering; tenacious; Ex. Inspector Javert's dogged pursuit of Jean Valjean |
| persevere | continue steadily in spite of difficulties |
| doggerel | poor verse |
| dogmatic | opinionated; holding stubbornly to one's opinion; arbitrary; doctrinal |
| doldrums | blues; listlessness(lack of spirit or energy); slack(inactive) period; period of stagnation; ocean area near the equator where ships cannot move because there is no wind; Ex. in the doldrums |
| blues | state of depression or melancholy; style of slow, mournful music (evolved from southern Black American songs) |
| dolorous | sorrowful; N. dolor |
| dolt | slow-thinking stupid person; CF. dull |
| domicile | home; V. ADJ. domiciled: having one's domicile; Ex. He is domiciled in Britain. |
| domineer | rule over tyrannically |
| dominate | control; rule; enjoy a commanding position in; overlook from a height |
| dominant | exercising the most influence; high and easily seen; stronger than the other part of a system; not recessive |
| don | put on; OP. doff |
| outfit | clothing or equipment for a special purpose; Ex. cowboy outfit |
| dormant | sleeping; temporarily inactive; lethargic; latent |
| dormer | window projecting upright from roof; CF. sleeping room |
| dorsal | relating to the back of an animal; Ex. dorsal fin |
| dossier | file of documents on a subject or person; file; CF. bundle of papers labeled on the back |
| dotage | senility; feeblemindedness of old age; Ex. In one's dotage |
| dote | be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline |
| dour | sullen; gloomy; stubborn |
| sullen | silently showing ill humor or resentment; dark; gloomy |
| brood | sit on in order to hatch; think deeply or worry anxiously; N: the young of certain animals; group of young birds hatched at one time |
| douse | plunge into water or liquid; dip; immerse; drench; wet throughly; extinguish; throw water over; dowse |
| dowdy | untidy (of a woman or clothes); slovenly; dressed in an unattractive way; shabby; CF. unattractive woman |
| downcast | disheartened; dejected; sad; directed downward |
| drab | dull; lacking color; cheerless ; Ex. drab coat/life |
| draconian | extremely severe; Ex. draconian punishment; CF. Draco: Athenian politician |
| dregs | sediment in a liquid; lees; worthless residue |
| drivel | nonsense; foolishness; V: talk nonsense |
| nonsense | speech or writing with no meaning; foolish behavior or language; Ex. make (a) nonsense of: spoil; cause to fail |
| dribble | flow or fall in drops; let saliva flow out slowly from the mouth; move a ball; N. |
| drip | fall or let fall in drops; shed drops; N: action or sound of falling in drops; liquid that falls in drops |
| trickle | flow in drops or in a thin stream; N. |
| droll | queer and amusing |
| queer | strange; eccentric; deviating from the normal |
| drone | idle person who lives on other people's work; male bee |
| drone | talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee; N. |
| murmur | low, indistinct, continuous sound; V. CF. mumble |
| dross | waste matter; worthless impurities |
| drudgery | hard unpleasant work; menial work |
| drudge | do drudgery; N: person who drudges |
| dubious | questionable; (of something) causing doubt; (of someone) filled with doubt; N. dubiety |
| ductile | malleable; pliable; (of metals) easily pulled into shape; flexible; (of someone) easily influenced or controlled |
| dulcet | sweet sounding; pleasing to the ear; melodious |
| dumbfound(dumfound) | astonish (making dumb); ADJ. dumbfounded, dumfounded, dumbstruck |
| dupe | someone easily fooled or deceived; V: deceive |
| duplicity | double-dealing; hypocrisy; being dishonest and deceitful; ADJ. duplicitous |
| duration | length of time something lasts |
| duress | forcible restraint, especially unlawfully; coercion by threat; illegal coercion; Ex. a promise made under duress |
| dutiful(duteous) | (of people or their behavior) respectful; obedient (filled with a sense of duty) |
| dwindle | shrink; reduce gradually |
| dynamic | energetic; vigorously active |
| dynamo | generator for producing electricity; energetic person |
| dyspeptic | suffering from indigestion; N. dyspepsia: indigestion; difficulty in digesting food |
| dys- | abnormal; impaired |
| dyslexia | word blindness; learning disorder marked by impairment of the ability to read |
| dysentery | inflammatory disorder of the lower intestinal tract |
| earthy | unrefined; coarse; of earth; Ex. earthy remarks; OP. ethereal |
| earthly | of this earth; terrestrial; worldly; not divine; possible; Ex. no earthly reason |
| ebb | (of the tide) recede; lessen; diminish; N. OP. flow: rise of tide |
| ebullient | showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm; boiling; N. ebullience; N. ebullition: state of boiling |
| eccentric | irregular; odd; unconventional; whimsical; bizarre; not concentric |
| eccentricity | oddity; idiosyncrasy |
| ecclesiastic | ecclesiastical; pertaining to the church; N: minister; priest; cleric; clergyman |
| chapel | small church (in a prison, college, or hospital) |
| chaplain | clergyman attached to a chapel |
| padre | chaplain (in the armed forces) |
| eclectic | selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources; selecting individual elements from a variety of sources; N. eclecticism |
| eclipse | darken; extinguish; outshine; surpass; cause an eclipse |
| ecliptic | path of the sun and the planets |
| ecologist | person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment; person concerned with the detrimental effects of human civilization on the environment; CF. ecology |
| ecosystem | ecological community together with its environment |
| economy | efficiency or conciseness in using something; thrifty management of resources |
| ecstasy | rapture; very strong feeling of joy and happiness; any overpowering emotion; ADJ. ecstatic: causing or experiencing ecstasy |
| rapture | great joy and delight; ecstasy; ADJ. rapturous |
| eddy | swirling current of water, air, etc.; V. |
| edict | decree (especially one issued by a sovereign); official command |
| sovereign | ruler in a monarchy; ADJ: (of a country) independent and self-governing; having supreme power; supreme; excellent |
| sovereignty | complete independence and self-government (of a country); supremacy of authority; power to govern |
| edify | instruct; correct morally |
| edifice | building (of imposing size) |
| eerie | weird; causing fear because strange |
| efface | rub out; remove the surface of |
| effectual | able to produce a desired effect; valid |
| effective | effectual; producing a strong response; striking; in operation; in effect; Ex. effective speech/photograph |
| effectuate | effect; produce; achieve; Ex. effectuate a reconciliation |
| effeminate | having womanly traits |
| emasculate | weaken; castrate |
| castrate | remove the sex organs (of a male animal or person) |
| effervescence | inner excitement or exuberance; showing high spirits; emitting bubbles forming inside; bubbling from fermentation or carbonation; ADJ. effervescent; V. effervesce |
| effete | having lost one's original power; barren; worn out; exhausted |
| efficacy | power to produce desired effect; ADJ. efficacious: effectual |
| effigy | dummy; likeness of a person made of wood, paper, or stone; Ex. burn an effigy of the President |
| dummy | imitation of a real object used as a substitute; effigy |
| effluvium | noxious(harmful) smell |
| effrontery | rudeness without any sense of shame; shameless boldness; presumptousness; nerve; cheek |
| effulgent | shining brightly; brilliant |
| effusion | pouring forth; unrestrained outpouring of feeling; V. effuse: pour out; ADJ. effusive: pouring forth; gushing |
| gush | (of liquid) pour out in large quantities from a hole; make an excessive display of feeling (without true feeling); Ex. Blood gushed from the wound. |
| egoism | excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others; selfishness; ADJ. egoistic, egoistical |
| ego | one's opinion of oneself; self-esteem |
| egotistical | egotistic; excessively self-centered(egocentric); self-important; conceited |
| egotism | tendency to speak or write of oneself excessively; conceit; self-importance |
| egregious | notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking |
| egress | exit; opening for going out; act of going out; OP. ingress |
| ejaculation | exclamation; abrupt ejection (to discharge sperm); V. ejaculate |
| elaboration | addition of details; intricacy |
| elaborate | work out carefully; add more detail or information; ADJ. |
| elated | filled with excited joy and pride; overjoyed; in high spirits; joyful and proud; Ex. elated crowd; V. elate; N. elation |
| elegy | poem or song expressing lamentation (for the dead); ADJ. elegiacal, elegiac |
| elicit | draw out fact or information (by discussion or from someone) |
| elixir | cure-all; panacea; something invigorating |
| ellipsis | omission of words from a text; mark used to indicate an omission (when the meaning can be understood without them); PL. ellipses |
| elliptical | elliptic; oval; of an ellipse; containing an ellipsis; ambiguous either purposely or because key words have been left out |
| eloquence | expressiveness; persuasive speech; ADJ. eloquent: movingly expressive; expressing ideas well so that the hearers can be influeneced |
| elucidate | explain; make clear; clarify; enlighten; CF. lucid |
| elusive | evasive; not frank; baffling; hard to grasp, catch, or understand; V. elude: escape from; escape the understanding or grasp of; Ex. elude the hunter; Ex. His name eludes me. |
| elysian | relating to paradise; blissful |
| Elysium | place or condition of bliss |
| emaciated | thin and wasted (from hunger or illness) |
| emanate | issue forth; come out |
| emancipate | set free; liberate |
| embargo | ban on commerce or other activity |
| embark | commence; go on board a boat; begin a journey |
| embed(imbed) | enclose; place in something; fix firmly in a surrounding mass |
| embellish | adorn; ornament; enhance as a story (by adding fictitious details) |
| embezzlement | taking for one's own use in violation of trust; stealing (of money placed in one's care) |
| emblazon | ornament richly (a shield or flag); N. emblazonment |
| embody | give a bodily form to; incorporate; include |
| emboss | produce a design in raised relief; decorate with a raised design |
| embrace | hug; clasp with the arms; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include; Ex. embrace the cause/socialism; Ex. all-embracing; CF. brace; CF. bracelet |
| encircle | surround |
| embroider | decorate with needlework; ornament (a story) with fancy or fictitious details; embellish |
| embroil | throw into confusion; involve in strife, dispute, or quarrel; entangle; CF. imbroglio |
| embryonic | undeveloped; rudimentary; N. embryo: organism in the early stage of development |
| emend | correct (usually a text); N. emendation: correction of errors; improvement |
| emetic | substance causing vomiting; ADJ. |
| eminent | rising above others; high; lofty; distinguished; Ex. eminent position |
| emissary | agent (sent on a mission to represent another); messenger |
| emollient | soothing or softening remedy (for the skin); ADJ. |
| emolument | salary; payment for an office; compensation |
| empathy | ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc.; identification with and understanding of another's feelings; V. empathize; CF. sympathy |
| compassion | sympathy for the suffering of others; ADJ. compassionate |
| empirical | based on experience |
| emulate | imitate; rival; try to equal or excel (through imitation) |
| enamored | in love; Ex. enamored of his own beauty; V. enamor: inspire with love |
| encipher | encode; convert a message into code; put into cipher |
| enclave | territory enclosed within an alien land |
| encomiastic | praising; eulogistic; N. encomium: very high praise; eulogy |
| encompass | surround; include; Ex. His activities encompass publishing and computers. |
| encroachment | gradual intrusion; Ex. I resent all these encroachments on my valuable time; V. encroach: take another's possessions or right gradually or stealthily; intrude; Ex. encroach on/upon |
| encumber | burden; N. encumbrance |
| endearment | fond word or act; expression of affection |
| endear | make beloved; Ex. endear her to everyone; ADJ. dear: loved; cherished; high-priced |
| endemic | prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country; peculiar to a particular region or people; CF. pandemic |
| endorse | approve; support; write one's signature on the back of; N. endorsement; CF. dorsal |
| endue | provide with some quality; endow |
| enduring | lasting; surviving; V. endure: bear (pain or suffering) for a long time; remain alive (in spite of difficulties); last; survive |
| energize | invigorate; give energy to; make forceful and active |
| enervate | weaken; take away energy from |
| enfranchise | admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote); CF. franchise |
| engage | attract; employ; hire; pledge oneself; confront; fight; enter into confliction; interlock; lock together; participate; N. engagement: agreement to marry; arrangement to meet someone or to do something; battle |
| engaging | charming; attractive |
| engaged | employed; busy; betrothed; involved in conflict |
| engender | cause; produce; give rise to |
| engross | occupy fully; absorb |
| enhance | increase; make greater (as in value, reputation, or usefulness); improve |
| enigma | puzzle; mystery; ADJ. enigmatic: obscure; puzzling |
| puzzle | baffle or confuse by a difficult problem; ponder over a problem in an effort to solve; clarify or solve by reasoning; Ex. puzzle out the answer; N. |
| enjoin | command; order; forbid |
| enmity | ill will; hatred; hostility |
| ennui | boredom; listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; CF. annoy |
| enormity | hugeness (in a bad sense); excessive wickedness; Ex. enormity of the crime; ADJ. enormous |
| enrapture | please intensely; fill with rapture and delight |
| ensconce | settle comfortably; place comfortably (in a secure place) |
| ensue | follow (as a result) |
| entail | make necessary; require; necessitate; involve; limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs; Ex. entail A on/upon B |
| enterprising | full of initiative; showing enterprise |
| enterprise | willingness to take new ventures; initiative; business organization; plan (that is difficult or daring); Ex. their latest enterprise to sail round the world in a small boat |
| enthrall | capture; enslave; captivate; hold the complete attention of (as if magic); hold spellbound |
| entice | lure; persuade to do (something wrong); attract; tempt |
| mischief | behavior (of children) causing trouble with no serious harm; damage; harm; Ex. mischief to the crops; ADJ. mischievous: causing mischief; playfully troublesome |
| entity | real being |
| entomology | study of insects |
| entrance | put under a spell(condition caused by magical power); carry away(fill with strong feeling) with emotion; put into a trance; fill with delight |
| trance | hypnotic state; ecstatic state; detachment from one's physical surrounding (as in contemplation or daydreaming); CF. transition |
| hypnosis | induced sleeping state; ADJ. hypnotic; V. hypnotize |
| entreat | plead; ask earnestly |
| entree(entr\'ee) | entrance; a way in; right to enter; main dish of a meal; Ex. entree into the exclusive circle |
| entrepreneur | businessperson (who assumes the risk of a business venture); contractor; ADJ. entrepreneurial |
| enumerate | list; mention one by one |
| enunciate | announce; proclaim; utter or speak, especially distinctly; pronounce clearly; articulate; Ex. This theory was first enunciated by him. |
| environ | enclose; surround; N. environs: surrounding area (as of a city) |
| eon(aeon) | long period of time; an age; longest division of geologic time containing two or more eras |
| epaulet(epaulette) | ornament worn on the shoulder (of a uniform, etc.) |
| fringe | decorative edge of hanging threads; edge |
| ephemeral | short-lived; fleeting |
| fleet | fast; rapid; N. ADJ. fleeting: passing quickly; ephemeral |
| epic | long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (celebrating the feats of a hero); ADJ: (of stories or events) resembling an epic; grand |
| epicure | connoisseur of food and drink; gourmet; ADJ. epicurean; CF. Epicurus |
| Epicurean | believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided; N. |
| epigram | witty thought or saying, usually short |
| epilogue | short speech at conclusion of dramatic work |
| episodic | (of a story or play) loosely connected; made up of separate and loosely connected parts; N. episode: incident in the course of an experience |
| epistemologist | philosopher who studies the nature of knowledge; N. epistemology |
| epitaph | inscription in memory of a dead person (as on a tombstone) |
| epithet | word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing; descriptive phrase to characterize a person (often contemptous) |
| epitome | perfect example or embodiment; brief summary; Ex. epitome of good manners; V. epitomize: make an epitome of; be an epitome of; embody |
| epoch | period of time |
| equable | tranquil; of even calm temper; (of temperature) steady; uniform |
| equanimity | calmness of temperament; composure |
| equestrian | rider on horseback; ADJ. |
| equilibrium | balance of opposing forces; balance of the mind; equanimity |
| equine | resembling a horse; Ex. equine face |
| equinox | period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; Ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; ADJ. equinoctial |
| equipoise | balance; balancing force; equilibrium |
| equitable | fair; impartial; OP. inequitable |
| equity | fairness; justice; OP. inequity |
| equivocal | (of words or statements) ambiguous; intentionally misleading; (of behavior) questionable; OP. unequivocal |
| equivocate | use equivocal language to deceive people; lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth; N. equivocation |
| erode | eat away; wear away gradually by abrasion; Ex. The sea erodes the rocks. |
| erotic | pertaining to passionate love or sexual love |
| errant | wandering (esp. in search of adventure); straying from proper moral standards; Ex. knight-errant |
| erratic | odd; irregular in movement or behavior; unpredictable |
| erroneous | mistaken; wrong; incorrect |
| erudite | (of a person or book) learned; full of learning; scholarly; N. erudition |
| escapade | prank; flighty conduct; reckless adventure that disobeys rules |
| prank | mischievous trick |
| flighty | (esp. of a woman's behavior) capricious; often changing, esp. from one lover to another; impulsive |
| eschew | avoid habitually; Ex. eschew alcoholic drinks |
| esoteric | hard to understand; known only to the chosen few, esp. initiates; N. esoterica |
| espionage | spying |
| espouse | adopt; support (an idea or aim); marry; N. espousal |
| esteem | respect; value; judge; N. |
| estranged | separated; alienated; V. estrange: alienate (people in a family); N. estrangement |
| ethereal | like a spirit or fairy; unearthly light; heavenly; unusually refined; Ex. She has an ethereal beauty; CF. ether: upper air |
| airy | of air; high in the air; lofty; immaterial; unreal |
| ethnic | relating to races |
| ethnology | study of humankind; study of the different races of human beings; CF. anthropology |
| ethos | underlying character of a culture, group, etc.; character or ideas peculiar to a specific person, group, or culture; Ex. the company ethos |
| etymology | study of word parts; study of the origins of words |
| eugenic | pertaining to the improvement of race; N. eugenics: study of hereditary improvement of the human race |
| eulogistic | praising; full of eulogy |
| eulogy | expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death; V. eulogize |
| euphemism | mild expression in place of an unpleasant one; ADJ. euphemistic |
| euphony | sweet sound; ADJ. euphonious |
| euphoria | feeling of exaggerated or unfounded(ungrounded; baseless) well-being; feeling of great happiness or well-being (when unreasonable); ADJ. euphoriaric |
| euthanasia | mercy killing |
| evanescent | fleeting; vanishing; soon disappearing; V. evanesce |
| evasive | not frank; trying to hide the truth; eluding; evading; V. evade: avoid (a duty or responsibility) or escape from by deceit |
| evince | show clearly |
| evenhanded | impartial; fair |
| evocative | tending to call up (emotions, memories) |
| evoke | call forth (memory or feeling); Ex. That old film evoked memories of my childhood; N. evocation |
| ewe | female sheep |
| ram | male sheep; V. strike or drive against with a heavy impact |
| exacerbate | worsen; aggravate; embitter |
| embitter | make bitter; fill with painful or bitter feelings; make sad and angry; Ex. He was embittered by many disappointments. |
| exacting | extremely demanding; Ex. exacting standard of safety |
| exact | demand and obtain by force; Ex. exact a promise from him; N. exaction |
| exalt | raise in rank or dignity; praise highly; inspire; Ex. exalt the imagination; ADJ. exalted; N. exaltation |
| exasperate | vex; annoy or make angry (by testing the patience) |
| exceptionable | objectionable; likely to cause dislike; offensive; CF. unexceptionable: entirely acceptable |
| except | exclude; N. exception: objection; exclusion; ADJ. exceptional: unusual; of unusually high quality |
| excerpt | selected passage (written or musical) taken from a longer work; V. |
| exchequer | treasury; Ex. Chancellor of the exchequer |
| chancellor | legal official of high rank; CF. chancellery(chancellory): position of a chancellor |
| treasure | keep as precious; cherish |
| excise | cut away; cut out; N: government tax on good produced and used inside a country; N. excision |
| exclaim | cry out suddenly; N. exclamation; ADJ. exclamatory |
| excoriate | scold with biting harshness; censure strongly; strip the skin off |
| exculpate | clear from blame or guilt |
| execrable | very bad; detestable |
| execrate | curse; express abhorrence for; detest |
| execute | put into effect; carry out; kill as a lawful punishment; N. execution |
| executor | person designated to execute the terms of a will |
| executioner | person administering capital punishment |
| executive | person having administrative authority; one branch of government executing laws; ADJ: relating to executing |
| legislature | legislating branch of government; CF. legislate: make laws |
| judiciary | judicial branch of government |
| exegesis | explanation, especially of biblical(of the bible) passages |
| exemplary | serving as a model; outstanding; Ex. exemplary punishment/behavior; N. exemplar: typical example; model |
| exemplify | show by example; furnish an example; serve as an example of; Ex. His pictures exemplify that sort of painting. |
| exempt | not subject to a duty or obligation; free from a duty; V. |
| exertion | effort; expenditure of much physical work; V. exert oneself: make a great effort |
| exhale | breathe out; OP. inhale |
| exhilarating | invigorating and refreshing; cheering; V. exhilarate: make cheerful and excited; Ex. exhilarated by the ride in the sports car |
| exhort | urge (by strong argument or advice); Ex. The general exhorted his men to fight bravely; N. exhortation |
| urge | drive or force forward (by causing impulses); drive to take action; impel; entreat earnestly; Ex. urge horses; N: impulse that prompts action |
| urgent | compelling immediate action; pressing; persistent; importunate; Ex. urgent in his demands |
| exhume | dig out of the ground; remove from a grave |
| exigency | urgent situation; ADJ. exigent |
| exiguous | small in amount; minute |
| existential | pertaining to existence; pertaining to the philosophy of existentialism |
| exodus | departure (of a large number of people) |
| exonerate | acquit; exculpate; free from blame or guilt |
| exorbitant | (of costs or demands) excessive; exceeding reasonable bounds |
| exorcise | drive out evil spirits |
| exotic | not native; from another part of the world; strange; intriguingly unusual; Ex. exotic flower/dress |
| intrigue | make secret plans; plot; arouse the curiosity of; N: secret scheme; plot; secret love affair |
| expansive | (of a person) outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size |
| outgoing | sociable; eager to mix socially with others |
| expatiate | talk at length; speak or write in detail |
| expatriate | exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land; V: exile; banish; leave one's country |
| expedient | suitable (for a particular purpose although not necessarily morally correct); practical; politic(prudent); N: something expedient |
| expedite | hasten; make go faster |
| expeditious | done with speed; quick; N. expedition |
| expenditure | payment or expense; expending; something expended; output; Ex. receipt for the expenditure; Ex. expenditure of all the energy |