| Term | Definition |
|---|
| abscond | to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide |
| ameliorate | to make better or more tolerable |
| arduous | strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort |
| ascetic | one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion |
| austere | without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic |
| axiom | a universally recognized principle |
| axiomatic | taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth |
| bucolic | rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants |
| canonical | following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards |
| contentious | argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement |
| convoluted | complex or complicated |
| culpable | deserving blame |
| disabuse | to undeceive; to set right |
| eclectic | composed of elements drawn from various sources |
| effrontery | extreme boldness; presumptuousness |
| ephemeral | brief; fleeting |
| erudite | very learned; scholarly |
| eulogy | a speech honoring the dead |
| extemporaneous | improvised; done without preparation |
| facetious | playful; humorous |
| fulminate | to loudly attack or de-ce |
| hyperbole | an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech |
| lucid | clear; easily understood |
| oscillation | the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm |
| paean | a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving |
| penurious | penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous |
| perfidy | intentional breach of faith; treachery |
| pernicious | extremely harmful; potentially causing death |
| perspicacious | acutely perceptive; having keen discernment |
| pious | extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion |
| precipitate | acting with excessive haste or impulse |
| precipitate | to cause or happen before anticipated or required |
| precursor | one that precedes and indicates or an-ces another |
| predilection | a disposition in favor of something; preference |
| prolific | producing large volumes or amounts; productive |
| qualms | misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy |
| quiescence | stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest |
| recant | to retract, esp. a previously held belief |
| redoubtable | awe-inspiring; worthy of honor |
| reticent | quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings |
| satire | a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision |
| sordid | characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul |
| squalid | sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect |
| squander | to waste by spending or using irresponsibly |
| stoic | indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast |
| stymie | to block; thwart |
| supplant | to take the place of; supersede |
| synthesis | the combination of parts to make a whole |
| torpid | lethargic; sluggish; dormant |
| torque | a force that causes rotation |
| ubiquitous | existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread |
| veracity | truthfulness; honesty |
| vilify | to defame; to characterize harshly |
| virulent | extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic |
Combine with other sets
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