| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Alacrity | cheerful readiness |
| averse | disinclined |
| Altruism | selflessness |
| ameliorate | to improve |
| amalgam | mixture |
| arboreal | relating to trees |
| aural | related to the ear or hearing |
| anachronistic | in the wrong time period |
| abase | to lower in rank or prestige |
| autonomy | independence |
| adroit | clever, skillful |
| abstruse | difficult to understand |
| arcane | known only by few |
| ascertain | to find out |
| acumen | accuracy, keenness |
| aesthetic | related to appreciation of beauty |
| archaic | antiquated, old |
| austere | without decorations strict stern |
| amiable | friendly good natured |
| brevity | briefness |
| banal | drearily commonplace |
| belligerent | hostile or aggressive |
| byzantine | complicated or devious |
| benign | kind and gentle |
| burgeon | to grow and flourish |
| belie | to misrepresent |
| bombastic | given to pompous speech or writing |
| concord | agreement |
| Contentious | quarrelsome; controversial; likely to cause arguments |
| cantankerous | ill-tempered |
| cajole | persuade, urge with teasing or flattery |
| chicanery | trickery |
| curative | able to heal or cure |
| convoluted | complex |
| callous | unfeeling |
| conciliatory | appeasing, smoothing |
| censure | to issue official blame |
| contiguous | sharing and edge or boundary |
| capricious | impulsive and unpredictable |
| cosmopolitan | worldly, of worldwide scope or applicability |
| castigate | to scold |
| concur | to agree with |
| debacle | disastrous or ludicrous failure |
| dilatory | habitually late |
| deleterious | having a harmful effect |
| diffidence | timidity shyness |
| distend | to expand from internal pressure |
| deride | to mock contemptuously |
| duplicitous | deliberately deceptive |
| dirge | funeral hymn or lament |
| dearth | lack |
| debilitate | weaken |
| defunct | no longer existing or functioning |
| disparage | speak of negatively |
| disseminate | to scatter widely |
| derivative | something that comes from another source |
| derogatory | insulting |
| didactic | instructive |
| demure | modest and reserved |
| dogmatic | attached to insufficiently proven beliefs, Making statements without argument or evidence. |
| exacerbate | to increase severity of |
| expurgate | to remove objectionable content |
| epitome | representative of a type |
| extraneous | irrelevant, inessential |
| eclectic | made up of various sources or styles |
| exonerate | to free from blame |
| erratic | inconsistent |
| equivocal | ambiguous often intended to confuse |
| ephemeral | lasting for only a brief time |
| effrontery | presumptuousness |
| ebullience | intense enthusiasm |
| extirpate | to destroy |
| erudition | extensive learning |
| esoteric | understood by only a small group |
| extrapolate | to infer from known information |
| entourage | group of attendants or associated |
| Conciliatory | Appeasing; soothing; showing willingness to reconcile |
| Exonerate | To free from blame; hint: starts with an "e" |
| Incontrovertible | Beyond doubt or dispute |
| Indict | To officially charge with wrongdoing or a crime |
| Litigious | Prone to engage in lawsuits |
| Partisan | Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause |
| Parity | Equality, as in amount, status, or value |
| Disparity | Not equal in amount of status or value |
| Rectitude | Righteousness, moral uprightness |
| Remiss | Lax in attending to duty; negligent |
| Repudiate | To reject the validity or authority of |
| Sanctimonious | Feigning pity or righteousness |
| Scrupulous | Principled, having a strong sense of right and wrong; conscientious and exacting |
| Solicitous | Concerned |
| Sophistry | Plausible but misleading or fallacious argument |
| Substantiate | To support with proof or evidence; verify |
| Veracity | Adherence to the truth; truthfulness |
| Vindicate | to free from blame |
| Cajole | to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery |
| Chicanery | Trickery |
| Obsequious | Fawning and servile |
| Sycophant | Insincere, fawning flatterer |
| Altruism | Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness |
| Extol | To praise highly |
| Laudatory | Full of praise |
| Magnanimous | Courageously or generously noble in mind and heart |
| Reciprocate | to respond in kind; to mutually give or take |
| Defunct | no longer existing or functioning |
| Expurgate | To remove objectionable content before publication or release |
| Extirpate | To destroy |
| Quell | to put down forcibly; suppress |
| Raze | to level to the ground; demolish |
| Squelch | to crush as if by trampling; squash |
| Supplant | To usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics |
| Stymie | to thwart or stump |
| Abase | to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem |
| Deride | to mock with scorn |
| Derogatory | Insulting or intended to insult |
| Disparage | to speak of negatively; to belittle |
| Effrontery | brazen boldness; presumptuousness; extremely self-confident |
| Presumptuousness | State of being arrogantly self-confident |
| Ignominy | Great personal dishonor or humiliation; disgraceful conduct |
| Impugn | to attack as false or questionable |
| Mar | To damage, especially in a disfiguring way |
| Pejorative | Disparaging, belittling, insulting |
| Vex | to anger; to perplex |
| Vindictive | Disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful |
| enigma | riddle; puzzle |
| apathy | lack of emotion/interest |
| indifferet | having no preference |
| revere | to worship or honor |
| candor | frankness; honesty |
| reticent | restrained; taciturn; uncommunicative |
| aesthetic | concerning art or beauty |
| ascetic | w/o indulgence or luxuries |
| autonomy | self-rule; independence |
| disdain | contempt; scorn |
| innocuous | harmless; insignificant |
| banal | commonplace; dull; pedestrian |
| ameliorate | to soothe or mollify |
| atrophy | to waste away from lack of use; to weaken |
| innovate | to make changes; to modernize |
| servile | overly submissive; cringing |
| extol | to praise or laud |
| augment | to add to or increase |
| benevolent | kindly; generous |
| derision | contempt; ridicule |
| disparity | inequality; difference |
| flagrant | glaringly scandalous; conspicuously evil; provocative |
| indolence | laziness; torpor |
| acquiesce | to agree; to give in |
| prodigal | extravagant; wasteful |
| capricious | whimsical; unpredictable; fickle |
| prosaic | hackneyed; uninspired; dull |
| austere | spartan; severe; plain |
| complacent | smug; self-satisfied |
| compliant | conforming to a request/demand; submissive |
| dubious | doubtful; uncertain |
| ephemeral | fleeting; short-lived |
| inevitable | unavoidable; bound to happen |
| insipid | bland; boring |
| obscure | unclear; clouded; partially hidden |
| depravity | corruption; wickedness |
| discern | to distinguish one thing from another |
| expedite | to quicken/facilitate the progress of |
| peripheral | on the edge; unimportant |
| taciturn | reserved; uncommunicative; silent |
| apprehensive | fearful; worried; anxious |
| expedient | advantageous; convenient |
| fastidious | finicky; overly critical |
| novel | new; interesting |
| parsimonious | stingy; frugal |
| provincial | narrow-minded; unsophisticated |
| respite | break; rest |
| anecdote | brief story/account |
| drone | to talk on & on dully |
| desecrate | to show disrespect; to deface sth sacred |
| euphonious | melodious; pleasant-sounding |
| cacophonous | harsh-sounding |
| guile | cunning; deceit |
| immutable | unchanging; permanent |
| incessant | nonstop; unending |
| static | unchanging; not moving |
| bastion | stronghold; fort |
| benign | kindly; good-natured |
| pious | religious; devout |
| ponderous | weighty; heavy |
| protracted | drawn out; lengthy |
| deference | show of respect |
| heretic | someone who goes against accepted religious beliefs; non-conformist |
| paucity | scarcity; insufficient amount |
| conciliate | to soothe anger; to come to terms |
| contrite | thoroughly sorry/repentant |
| didactic | instructional; intending to teach |
| diffident | shy; lacking confidence |
| digress | to stray from the topic |
| dissension | disagreement; conflict; tension |
| elucidate | to explain or make clear |
| gullible | overly trusting; naive; easily deceived |
| strut | self-important walk |
| denounce | to speak against publicly; to disparage |
| laud | to praise or exult |
| surreptitious | secret; hidden |
| astute | clever; shrewd; ready-witted |
| blasphemy | irrelevant/derogatory talk about God; slander |
| censure | severely criticize or blame |
| pedestrian | commonplace; ordinary |
| Attest | v. To declare or be evidence of something as true, genuine, or accurate. |
| Axiom | n. A statement or principle that requires no proof because its truth is obvious. |
| Churlish | adj. Lacking good manners; rude, impolite. |
| Concoct | v. To make up, prepare, or invent. |
| Derivative | n. Something that grows out of or results from an earlier form or condition. |
| Differentiate | v. To see the difference; to distinguish. |
| Disparage | v. To criticize in a negative, disrespectful manner. |
| Dissipate | v. To break up and spread out so thinly as to disappear; to scatter or be scattered. |
| Esoteric | adj. Not generally know or understood; familiar to only a relatively small number of people. |
| Olfactory | adj. Relating to the sense of smell. |
| Plethora | n. Too great a number; an excess. |
| Refurbish | v. To make like new; to renovate. |
| Secrete | v. To produce and give off |
| Vagary | n. A departure from the normal, expected course; a whim or unpredictable action. |
| Volatile | adj. Evaporating quickly. |
| Castigate | v. To punish by criticizing sharply; to berate. |
| Colloquial | adj. Characterized by informal language |
| Epitaph | n. The words carved on a tombstone in memory of the deceased. |
| Exodus | n. A mass departure. |
| Inter | v. To put in a grave; to bury. |
| Lacerate | v. To tear or cut roughly. |
| Largess | n. The act of giving generously; gifts. |
| Obituary | n. A notice of someone's death, such as in a newspaper, usually with a brief summary of that person's life. |
| Omnivorous | adj. Eating all kinds of food, including both animal and vegetable food. |
| Permeate | v. To spread throughout; to pass through. |
| Rendition | n. An interpretation or translation; a performance. |
| Resurgence | n. A rising again to life, use, acceptance, or prominence; a revival. |
| Stereotype | n. A generalization that is used to characterize a person without acknowledging individual. |
| Stipend | n. A regular and fixed amount of pay for work done or to help cover living or work expenses. |
| Subservient | adj. Serving or action in a subordinate manner; servile. |
| Adjacent | adj. Near or next to; avoiding. |
| Beset | v. To surround or to attack repeartedly. |
| Cede | v. To give up or transfer, especially by treaty or formal agreement. |
| Circuitous | adj. Roundabout; Indirect. |
| Desultory | adj. Proceeding or carried out in an aimless or random way. |
| Galvanize | v. To excite or arouse action. |
| Implement | n. A tool or instrument. |
| Inconsequential | adj. Lacking importance or worth; unable to make an impact; trivial. |
| Magnitude | n. Greatness of size, power, or influence. |
| Materialize | v. To become real or actual. |
| Muster | n. A gathering, usually of military forces. |
| Prohibitive | adj. Serving to restrain action or discourage use of. |
| Reminisce | v. To think or talk about one's past. |
| Vanguard | n. The leading or forward position in a movement. |
| Visionary | n. A person who is given to ideas that are not currently realistic; a dreamer. |
| Cautionary | adj. Offering or something as a warning. |
| Constrain | v. To confine, inhibit, or hold back by force or necessity. |
| Flotilla | n. A fleet of boats or small ships. |
| Gossamer | n. Thin, sheer fabric resembling gauze. |
| Ignominious | adj. Marked by, deserving, or causing shame or disgrace. |
| Incur | v. To bring upon oneself something undesirable, such as debt. |
| Liquidate | v. To settle the affairs of a business; to convert into cash. |
| Magnate | n. An important, often wealthy, person prominent in a large industry or business. |
| Misnomer | n. A name that does not fit. |
| Onerous | adj. Burdensome; oppressive. |
| Pandemonium | n. A state or place of great confusion or uproar. |
| Quixotic | adj. Romantic and idealistic, but impractical. |
| Tenacious | adj. Holding fast; persistent in adhering to something valued ot habitual. |
| Vestigial | n. A trace of something that once was present. |
| Zephyr | n. A light, gentle breeze. |
| Amalgam | an alloy of mercury and other metals; a mixture of different elements |
| Antediluvian | Very old or old-fashioned |
| Apothecary | One who prepares and sells ointments, drugs, and similar items for medicinal purposes |
| Ascetic | Refraining from self-indulgence |
| Beneficent | Doing or producing good |
| Charlatan | One who falsely claims knowledge or ability |
| Denizen | An inhabitant, resident, or frequenter of a place |
| Doyen | A senior member of a group, especially one who is highly respected; the oldest example of a category |
| Flora | Plants considered as a group in a particular area or era. |
| Imbibe | To consume by drinking; to absorb or take in mentally |
| Nostrum | A medicine or remedy whose effectiveness has not been proven |
| Obviate | To prevent or make unnecessary; to get rid of |
| Perennial | Lasting indefinitely or recurring; A plant that lives three or more years |
| Putative | Commonly accepted or supposed; assumed to exist |
| Savant | A person with detailed knowledge in a specialized field |
| abeyance | Temporary inactivity |
| advent | A new arrival |
| altruism | Selfless action |
| amity | Friendship |
| amnesia | Loss of memory |
| animadversion | Criticism |
| antithetical | Disproving a point |
| appease | Satisfy |
| arbiter | Judge |
| archives | Records |
| attenuate | Weaken |
| attrition | Gradual decrease in number or strength |
| behemoth | Huge monstrosity |
| bellicose | Warlike |
| blasé | Indifferent |
| bravado | Bravery |
| bucolic | Rustic, pastoral |
| buttress | Support |
| chattel | Possesions, slaves |
| commensurate | Proportional |
| commodious | Spacious, comfortable |
| conclave | Secret group |
| concomitant | Simultaneous |
| concurrent | Simultaneous |
| conflagration | Large fire |
| context | The circumstances or surrounding information of something |
| coterie | A clique |
| crass | Rough, coarse |
| craven | Cowardly |
| cuisine | Food or cooking |
| debacle | A disaster |
| debase | To lower the quality of something |
| defoliate | To remove the leaves |
| demur | To object |
| dilatory | Slow, lazy |
| disinter | Dig up, remove from the ground |
| disparate | Widely divided |
| domicile | Home |
| ecumenical | Universal |
| enjoin | Direct, prohibit |
| entice | To lure or seduce |
| equestrian | Relating to horses |
| exalt | To praise |
| expunge | To wipe out |
| extemporaneous | Spontaneous |
| fabricate | To make up |
| facade | False appearance |
| flaunt | To show off |
| gargoyle | A grotesque stone figure |
| genesis | Creation |
| genteel | Polite and proper to a fault |
| graphic | Vivid, relating to images |
| hackneyed | Trite |
| impinge | To interfere, to collide, to have an impact |
| impugn | To cast doubt upon something |
| inimical | Hostile |
| inordinate | Excessive |
| introspective | Self-examining |
| itinerant | Traveling |
| libation | A beverage |
| limbo | A state of neglect or transition |
| lineage | Ancestry |
| listless | Unmotivated |
| ludicrous | Ridiculous |
| malaise | A feeling of discomfort |
| metier | An activity suitable for a person |
| metropolis | A large city |
| moot | Irrelevant, or to bring up for discussion |
| multifarious | Versatile, of many forms |
| oligarchy | Government by a small group |
| opprobrium | Scorn or contempt |
| oxymoron | A self-contradicting statement |
| penurious | Marked by poverty |
| perfunctory | Routine |
| phobia | A fear |
| pinnacle | A peak |
| platitude | A trite saying |
| plenitude | Abundance |
| postulate | Theorize |
| prevail | Succeed |
| pristine | In perfect condition |
| privation | The state of being deprived |
| proclivity | A tendency towards something |
| projectile | An object under the influence of gravity |
| proviso | A condition |
| putrefy | To decay, to give off a foul odor |
| queasy | Feeling ill |
| ramshackle | Shoddy in construction, unstable |
| reciprocate | Repay in action |
| reconcile | Resolve disagreement or problems |
| redoubtable | Formidable |
| relegate | To deprioritize, to give to someone else to continue upon |
| repugnant | Unpleasant, unsavory |
| requiem | Funeral music |
| sacrosanct | Sacred |
| salubrious | Good for health |
| sensuous | Appealing to the senses |
| sequester | To isolate |
| sobriquet | A nickname |
| subversive | Working to undermine |
| succulent | Juicy |
| sully | To tarnish, to soil |
| sunder | To sever, to seperate |
| tactile | Relating to touch |
| tantamount | Equivalent |
| tenet | A principle |
| terminus | An endpoint |
| throes | Spasms, agony |
| transcend | Go beyond |
| travail | Hard work, toil |
| tundra | Icy wasteland |
| unequivocal | Unquestionable, unarguable |
| upbraid | To criticise, to blame |
| venue | A location for an event |
| vertex | A corner |
| vertigo | Dizziness |
| vicissitudes | Variations |
| virulent | Deadly or extremely harmful |
| verdant | Green |
| lilliputian | Very small |
Combine with other sets
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