| Term | Definition |
|---|
| VERNAL | of or related to spring; springlike; belonging or characterized by youth |
| CONTINENT | exercising moderation and self-restraint in appetites and behaviors |
| SUBSEQUENT | having important issues or results; eventful |
| BASTION | stronghold; something seen as a source of protection; Ex. the last *** of male chauvinism |
| GROWL | low, guttural, menacing sound (as of a dog) |
| MAVERICK | rebel; nonconformist (in a group) |
| LETHARGIC | drowsy; dull |
| PARAPHERNALIA | equipment; odds and ends used in a particular activity; personal belongings; CF. married woman's property exclusive of her dowry |
| MORES | conventions; moral standards; moral customs |
| TIMIDITY | lack of self-confidence or courage |
| UNDERSTATE | state with less truth than seems warranted by the facts |
| PROTOCOL | diplomatic etiquette; ceremony and etiquette observed by diplomats; first copy of a treaty before its ratification; Ex. *** demands that the queen meet him at the airport. |
| BRAID | plait; interweave strands or lengths of; make by weaving strands together; N: ***ed segment (as of hair) |
| ACQUIESCE | assent; agree passively; comply without protest |
| FAVORITISM | display of partiality toward a favored person |
| WAKE | trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before; Ex. hunger followed in the wake of the war |
| 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 |
| BETOKEN | signify; indicate; be a sign of |
| AVIARY | enclosure for birds; large cage |
| WAGGISH | humorous; mischievous; tricky |
| 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. |
| BUGABOO | bugbear; object of baseless terror |
| FOLIAGE | masses of leaves; CF. defoliate |
| SATELLITE | small body revolving around a larger one |
| BUNGLE | mismanage; blunder; botch; blow; spoil by clumsy behavior |
| REINSTATE | restore to a previous condition or position |
| MNEMONIC | pertaining to memory; assisting the memory; N: device, such as as formula or rhyme, used as a mnemonic aid |
| CONSCRIPT | draftee; person forced into military service; V. |
| CONTEND | struggle; compete; assert earnestly; state strongly |
| FUNCTIONAL | made for practical use only (without decoration); functioning; Ex. functional modern furniture; CF. functionalism |
| PUNCTILIOUS | minutely attentive (perhaps too much so) to fine points; stressing niceties of conduct or form; N. punctilio, punctiliousness: careful attention payed to every small exact detail |
| IMBECILITY | weakness of mind; state of being an imbecile; N. imbecile: stupid person; fool |
| REBUKE | scold harshly; criticize severely |
| FACILE | easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial; not deep; Ex. facile solution to a complex problem; Ex. facile speaker; N. facility: ability to do something easily and well; ease in doing resulting from skill or aptitude; something that facilitates an action; amenity; Ex. with great facility |
| HARDY | (of people or animals) sturdy; robust; (of plants) able to stand inclement(stormy) weather |
| PENURY | extreme poverty; stinginess; ADJ. penurious: very poor; stingy |
| VENAL | capable of being bribed; corrupt; CF. vernal |
| FLIT | fly; fly or move lightly or quickly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by; Ex. a bee flitting from flower to flower |
| MAGNATE | person of prominence or influence; powerful or influential person (in business or industry); Ex. oil magnate |
| BOTCH | mismanage; blow |
| CITADEL | fortress |
| LIBIDINOUS | lustful |
| MENDICANT | beggar; ADJ: living as a beggar |
| OAF | stupid awkward person; CF. elf |
| VOYEUR | Peeping Tom; person who derives sexual gratification from observing the sexual acts of others |
| DOCILE | obedient; easily managed; submissive |
| VITIATE | spoil the effect of; make inoperative; corrupt morally |
| NARRATIVE | related to telling a story; N: narrated account; story; V. narrate: tell (a story); CF. narration |
| DERISION | ridicule; ADJ. derisive; CF. derisory |
| CUPIDITY | greed (for wealth); CF. cupid; CF. Cupid |
| SAVORY | pleasant in taste; tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable; Ex. savory reputation |
| RANK | offensive in odor or flavor |
| QUISLING | traitor who aids invaders; CF. Vidkun Quisling |
| TACT | skill or sensitivity in dealing with people without causing offence |
| FALLACIOUS | false; based on a fallacy; misleading; N. fallacy: false idea or notion; false reasoning; Ex. popular fallacy; Ex. fallacy of the argument |
| TRIM | make neat or tidy by clipping; reduce by removing what is unnecessary; ornament; decorate (round the edges); Ex. trim the cost; Ex. jacket trimmed with fur; N. ADJ: tidy; in good order |
| COMPARTMENT | one of the parts into which an enclosed space is divided |
| SQUANDER | waste; spend foolishly |
| COLLOQUY | informal discussion; conversation |
| REFURBISH | renovate; make clean, bright, or fresh (make new) again; make bright by polishing; Ex. refurbish an old theater; CF. furbish: polish |
| DESOLATE | make desolate; forsake; abandon and desert |
| FUMBLE | move the fingers and hands awkwardly (in search of something); mishandle or drop a ball that is in play; bungle; botch; spoil by mishandling; N. |
| MISAPPREHENSION | error; misunderstanding; V. misapprehend |
| AMELIORATE | improve |
| ISTHMUS | narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land |
| SKULDUGGERY (SKULLDUGGERY) | dishonest behavior or action; Ex. skulduggery in the election |
| CELIBATE | abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried; N. celibacy |
| ODIUM | detestation; quality of being odious; hatefulness; disrepute (resulting from hateful conduct) |
| DESERTS | what someone deserves |
| NUGATORY | worthless; futile |
| RENDITION | rendering; translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc |
| INCURSION | temporary invasion; CF. excursion: short journey |
| TERRESTRIAL | on or relating to the earth |
| STIGMA | token of disgrace; brand; V. stigmatize: mark with a stigma; characterize as disgraceful |
| GROSS | total; fragrant; clearly wrong; (of people's behavior) coarse; corpulent; Ex. gross insolence/behavior; V: earn as a total amount; N: 12 dozens |
| DOCTRINE | teachings in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught; dogma; tenet; ADJ. doctrinal |
| MISNOMER | wrong or improper name; incorrect designation |
| PROLIFERATE | grow rapidly (in numbers); spread; multiply; N. proliferation |
| HINDSIGHT | understanding the nature of an event after it has actually happened |
| LUCID | easily understood; clear; intelligible; N. lucidity |
| IMPENETRABLE | not able to be pierced or entered; beyond understanding; impossible to understand; Ex. impenetrable mystery |
| GHASTLY | horrible; terrifying; resembling ghosts; CF. aghast |
| TREMULOUS | trembling; wavering |
| GARISH | overbright in color; unpleasantly bright; gaudy |
| EUPHONY | sweet sound; ADJ. euphonious |
| PITHY | concise and meaningful; substantial; meaty |
| GIRTH | distance around something; circumference |
| LAP | take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently; Ex. waves lapping the shore; N: front area from the waist to the knees of a seated person |
| ASTEROID | small planet |
| ADULATION | flattery; admiration that is more than is necessary or deserved |
| ARRAY | marshal; draw up in order; arrange in order; clothe splendidly; adorn; N: fine clothes; ordered group; Ex. in battle array |
| REDOUBTABLE | formidable; causing fear |
| APPROBATION | approval |
| 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 |
| SECESSION | withdrawal; V. secede: withdraw formally from membership |
| POIGNANCY | quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion; ADJ. poignant: touching; deeply moving; (of sorrow, grief, etc.) painful; keenly distressing to the mind; Ex. poignant memory/anxiety; CF. prick |
| FODDER | coarse food for cattle, horses, etc.; feed for livestock; CF. food |
| REGALE | entertain |
| WARREN | tunnels in which rabbits live; overcrowded living area; crowded conditions in which people live |
| DISTANT | reserved or aloof; cold in manner; Ex. distant greeting; ADV. distantly |
| 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 |
| HETEROGENEOUS | dissimilar; mixed; not homogeneous; consisting of dissimilar elements or plants |
| TEMPERATE | moderate; restrained; self-controlled; moderate in respect to temperature; CF. temperance: moderation and self-restraint; abstinence of alcoholic drinks; Ex. temperance society |
| GLAMOR | compelling charm; ADJ. glamorous |
| DISINTERESTED | unprejudiced; free from bias and self-interest; objective |
| MOSAIC | picture made of small colorful inlaid tiles; ADJ. |
| ARBOREAL | of or living in trees |
| UNINHIBITED | unrepressed; free in behavior and feelings |
| AMNESTY | pardon (allowed by government to political criminals) |
| STINT | supply; allotted amount of work; assigned portion of work; limitation; Ex. two-year stint in the army; Ex. without stint |
| SPIN | rotate swiftly; make (thread) by twisting (cotton, wool, etc.); N. |
| GRUMBLE | complain; mutter discontentedly; grouch; N. |
| RECONDITE | abstruse; not easily understood; profound; secret |
| CONSONANCE | harmony; agreement |
| ENDURING | lasting; surviving; V. endure: bear (pain or suffering) for a long time; remain alive (in spite of difficulties); last; survive |
| CONCAVE | hollow; curved inwards; OP. convex |
| FORWARD | presumptuous or bold |
| ASTIGMATISM | eye defect which prevents proper focus; OP. stigmatism |
| SINGULAR | being only one; individual; unique; extraordinary; odd; Ex. singular beauty/behavior |
| AUGURY | omen; prophecy; sign of coming events; V. augur: predict; foretell; be a sign of (something in future) |
| TRIBULATION | suffering; ordeal; distress; trial |
| CATER | provide food and drink (for); cater to: try to satisfy (desires of a bad kind) |
| SARTORIAL | pertaining to tailors or tailoring; Ex. a man of great sartorial elegance; CF. sartor: tailor |
| SLUR | slander; insult to one's character or reputation; V. |
| QUARRY | person or animal of pursuit; victim; object of a hunt; prey |
| QUEUE | line (of waiting people or vehicles) |
| FUNEREAL | sad; solemn; suitable for a funeral |
| GENRE | particular variety of art or literature |
| AMPHIBIAN | able to live both on land and in water; N. |
| INELUCTABLE | irresistible; not to be escaped; unavoidable |
| APPALL | dismay; shock deeply |
| ANALGESIA | condition of being unable to feel pain |
| RESIGN | give up (a position, right, or claim); submit (oneself) passively |
| PANG | sudden sharp feeling of pain |
| INCONTINENT | lacking self-restraint; not continent; licentious |
| STICKLER | perfectionist; person who insists things be exactly right |
| INCLINED | tending or leaning toward; bent; V. incline: slant; dispose; be disposed; tend |
| 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 |
| SEASONABLE | occurring at the proper time or season; opportune; Ex. seasonable intervention in the dispute |
| ASTRINGENT | binding; causing contraction (stopping bleeding); harsh or severe; stringent; Ex. astringent criticism |
| QUOTIDIAN | daily; commonplace; customary; Ex. quotidian routine |
| STANZA | division of a poem (composed of two or more lines) |
| SENTINEL | sentry; lookout |
| SAGA | Scandinavian myth; any legend; long heroic narrative |
| ARISTOCRACY | hereditary nobility; privileged class; government by nobility; N. aristocrat |
| INNUENDO | indirect or subtle (derogatory) hint; insinuation; Ex. sexual innuendo |
| RAG | scrap of cloth; ADJ. ragged: old and torn; seeming unfinished and imperfect; Ex. ragged debut/performance |
| CONDUCIVE | helpful; contributive; V. conduce; Ex. conduce to/towards |
| SLIGHT | insult to one's dignity; snub; V: treat as if of small importance; insult; snub; ADJ. small in size; of small importance |
| TOUT | promote or publicize (one's goods or service); praise excessively (as a form of advertisement); CF. advertise |
| REPUGNANCE | disgust; strong dislike; loathing; ADJ. repugnant: arousing disgust; repulsive |
| CUE | word or signal (as in a play to prompt another actor's speech or entrance); reminder or hint; V: give a cue to |
| SOLILOQUY | talking to oneself (esp. in a play); CF. monologue: soliloquy; long speech by one person (often monopolizing a conversation) |
| FRUITION | bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization; Ex. come to/be brought to fruition |
| TERMINATION | end; V. terminate |
| INTERMITTENT | periodic; on and off; stopping and starting at intervals |
| JOCOSE | given to(having a tendency of) joking |
| BLASPHEMY | irreverence; sacrilege; cursing; bad language about God or holy things; V. blasphem; ADJ. blasphemous; CF. sacrilege |
| CONSUMMATE | complete; V. |
| CONSEQUENTIAL | self-important; significant; consequent; following as a result; Ex. consequential air; CF. subsequent |
| GAINSAY | deny |
| ABOLISH | cancel; put an end to |
| CONVIVIAL | pleasantly merry; festive; joyous; gay; characterized by joviality; jovial |
| GAWK | stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe |
| BETRAY | be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly); Ex. Her trembling hands betray her anxiety. |
| CESSION | yielding to another; ceding |
| COGENT | convincing |
| FLAUNT | display ostentatiously; Ex. ``Honey, if you've got it, flaunt it !'' |
| CHAPERON | older person who accompanies and supervises a young unmarried woman |
| CONSPIRE | take part in a conspiracy; (of events) work together; combine; Ex. Events conspired to produce great difficulties. |
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