| Term | Definition |
|---|
| permeate | spread throughout |
| etymology | the study of word origins or roots |
| prevaricator | liar |
| nefarious | wicked or evil |
| gregarious | friendly; out-going; sociable |
| ostracize | to exclude or banish |
| diurnal | of the daytime or during the daytime |
| officious | a busybody |
| stereotyped | a pre-conceived idea |
| stilted | overly-formal or pompous |
| askance | disapprovingly (always used with the word look) |
| inscrutable | difficult to understand |
| insidious | harmful but hardly noticeable |
| insouciance | a lack of concern; indifference; apathy |
| intercessor | Mediator; Go-between |
| interstices | Gaps or Spaces |
| intransigent | stubborn |
| intrepid | brave |
| foment | to cause; to stir up; to make happen(always bad) |
| fortuitous | lucky or fortunate |
| aphorism | a wise, old saying |
| aplomb | confidence |
| maudlin | overly sentimental |
| apocryphal | suspect |
| appurtenance | accessories or gear |
| arabesque | intricate design consisting of fine lines |
| archaic | old-fashioned |
| archipelago | group of islands |
| grandiloquent | very formal |
| pandemonium | chaos |
| panegyric | a speech in praise |
| fraught | filled with (negative) |
| fructify | to make fruitful or to make more productive |
| arterial | serves as a major carrier |
| nemesis | arch-enemy |
| nepotism | favoritism shown toward relatives |
| niggardly | cheap or stingy |
| noisome | stinking; foul-smelling |
| peripatetic | nomadic or wandering |
| nominal | small in value |
| nonplussed | confused and upset |
| grotesque | bizarre or hideous |
| habiliments | clothing or costume |
| hackneyed | overused or trite |
| haggard | exhausted or worn-out |
| panoramic | far-ranging |
| paradox | a contradiction |
| verbatim | word-for-word |
| verbiage | wordiness (a thing) |
| polyglot | multilingual (one who is) |
| verbose | wordy (adjective) |
| exorbitant | excessive or unreasonable |
| verdant | lush, rich, or green |
| ardity | dryness or barrenness |
| modicum | a small amount |
| momentous | very important or critical |
| monograph | a long, formal written work |
| modulate | to adjust |
| mollify | to calm or soothe |
| buttress | to strengthen or to reinforce |
| cacophony | noise |
| descry | to glimpse or to catch sight of |
| shoddy | poorly made, inferior |
| shibboleth | catch-phrase |
| shrew | a harsh, bitter woman |
| discursive | rambling or digressive |
| sidle | to move sideways or to side-step |
| feign | to pretend |
| disheveled | messy or disorderedly |
| disparaging | insulting or degrading |
| disparity | vast difference or inequality |
| sinecure | well-paid job with little work or with little responsibility |
| sinister | *threatening or evil |
| dispersion | a scattering |
| dissemble | to fake or to disguise |
| skeptical | unbelieving or questioning |
| skittish | easily frightened |
| sober | serious-minded |
| soiree | evening party |
| solicitous | overly protective |
| disseminate | to broadcast |
| dissent | to disagree or to argue against |
| dissonance | *noise;disagreement |
| dissuade | to persuade against |
| distraught | hysterical |
| divulge | to reveal |
| sophisticated | cultured or refined |
| soporific | causing sleepiness or drowsiness |
| spasmodic | intermittent |
| specious | suspect or suspicious |
| doleful | sad or mournful |
| flout | to disobey or defy openly |
| dogma | a set of beliefs or doctrine |
| ductile | malleable |
| dulcet | melodious or sweet-sounding |
| duplicity | lying |
| whimsical | unplanned or spontaneous |
| spurious | fake or false |
| squalid | filthy |
| ebullient | extremely or very happy |
| ecstatic | very or extremely happy |
| edict | official order or decree |
| edification | enlightenment or improvement |
| staid | serious-minded |
| stark | plain or bleak |
| stentorian | very loud |
| precocious | overly-mature |
| sheen | a shine |
| scathing | very critical |
| deviation | a change or difference |
| devoid | empty or lacking |
| diaphanous | transparent and shiny |
| diatribe | an abusive speech |
| didactic | entertaining and instructive |
| diffident | shy |
| reticent | reluctant to speak |
| retract | to take back |
| retrench | economize |
| dilatory | late or tardy |
| dilettante | "poser" or amateur |
| diminutive | small or little |
| discordant | disagreeing or conflicting |
| anathema | someone or something that is hated |
| retrograde | to worsen or decline |
| animadversion | an insult or putdown |
| animated | energetic |
| anomaly | abnormality |
| chronic | constant or frequent |
| reverie | a daydream |
| lucid | clear-minded or clear-thinking |
| ludicrous | absurd |
| malign | to mock or to put down |
| rococo | ornate |
| homogeneous | the same or similar |
| writhe | to twist or squirm (in pleasure or pain) |
| zenith | the highest point |
| desideratum | a goal, an aim, or an intention |
| despicable | terrible or disgusting (action) |
| destitution | poverty |
| desuetude | uselessness |
| apparition | ghost or a phantom |
| gouge | to dig out |
| preclude | to make impossible |
| derogatory | insulting |
| parochial | narrow-minded or narrow in focus |
| trepidation | fear |
| trenchant | intelligent |
| truncated | cut short |
| truculent | fierce |
| sinuous | curvy |
Combine with other sets
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