Vocab Power Plus Book 3
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315 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 factious | causing disagreement |
| ignoble | dishonorable, shameful |
| boor | a rude or impolite person |
| aegis | a shield, protection |
| perspicacity | keenness of judgment |
| fervent | eager, earnest |
| rectify | to correct; to make right |
| enervate | to weaken |
| besiege | to overwhelm; to surround and attack |
| ephemeral | lasting only a brief time; short-lived |
| altruism | a concern for others; generosity |
| carrion | decaying flesh |
| erotic | pertaining to sexual love |
| amorphous | shapeless, formless, vague |
| opulent | rich, luxurious; wealthy |
| impotent | powerless; lacking strength |
| antithesis | an exact opposite; an opposite extreme |
| maelstrom | whirlpool; turbulence; agitated state of mind |
| emendation | a correction |
| chagrin | embarrassment; a complete loss of courage |
| bauble | a showy but useless thing |
| diaphanous | very sheer and light |
| labyrinth | a complicated network of winding passages; a maze |
| gloat | to look at or think about with great satisfaction |
| impediment | a barrier; obstruction |
| bestial | savage, brutal |
| effete | worn out; barren |
| shard | a fragment |
| bland | mild, tasteless, dull |
| nihilism | a total rejection of established laws |
| pedestrian | ordinary or dull |
| bona fide | in good faith |
| adventitious | accidental; nonessential |
| fecund | fertile, productive |
| deviate | to turn aside from a course; to stray |
| obfuscate | to confuse; to bewilder |
| impale | to pierce with a sharp stake through the body |
| extenuate | to lessen seriousness by providing partial excuses |
| parochial | local; narrow; limited |
| glower | to stare angrily |
| edify | to improve someone morally |
| ambiguous | open to more than one interpretation |
| cataclysm | a violent change |
| optimum | best; most favorable; ideal |
| importune | to ask persistently; to beg |
| celibate | abstaining from intercourse |
| fortuitous | lucky; by chance |
| recapitulate | to summarize; to repeat briefly |
| perfunctory | done without care; in a routine fashion |
| baroque | overly decorated |
| hedonism | pursuit of pleasure, especially of the senses |
| obloquy | strong disapproval; a bad reputation resulting from public criticism |
| debacle | a complete failure; a total collapse |
| quasi- | resembling; seeming; half |
| besmirch | to make dirty; to stain |
| imperative | extremely necessary; vitally important |
| sacrosanct | extremely holy |
| sadistic | deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others |
| demeanor | behavior; manner of conducting oneself |
| facetious | comical; jocular; flippant |
| fop | an excessively fashion-conscious man |
| imprecation | a curse |
| non sequitur | something that does not logically follow |
| sanguine | cheerful; optimistic |
| bowdlerize | to remove offensive passages of a play, novel, etc. |
| impair | to weaken; to cause to become worse |
| panegyric | an expression of praise |
| quandary | a puzzling situation; a dilemma |
| ebullient | enthusiastic |
| deference | respect; consideration |
| carnal | relating to physical appetite, especially sexual |
| nebulous | hazy, vague, uncertain |
| rakish | carefree; dashing; jaunty |
| elegy | a sad or mournful poem |
| pedantic | tending to show off one's learning |
| antipathy | an intense dislike |
| elucidate | to make clear |
| imminent | likely to happen; threatening |
| banal | common, ordinary |
| obdurate | stubborn, hardhearted |
| peruse | to read carefully; scrutinize |
| bedlam | a noisy uproar; a scene of wild confusion |
| affluence | wealth; richness |
| scurrilous | coarsely abusive; vulgar |
| parody | a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner |
| sedulous | hard working; diligent |
| onerous | burdensome; heavy; hard to endure |
| amoral | lacking a sense of right and wrong |
| eschew | to keep away from; to avoid; to shun |
| denouement | an outcome; result |
| adroit | skillful; clever |
| macroscopic | visible to the naked eye |
| fatuous | foolish; inane |
| bovine | pertaining to cows or cattle |
| ferret | to search or drive out |
| affectation | a phony attitude; pose |
| knell | a sound made by a bell rung slowly for a death or funeral |
| dichotomy | a division into two parts |
| callow | young and inexperienced |
| laconic | using few words; short; concise |
| quiddity | an essential quality |
| patent | evident or obvious |
| peccadillo | a minor offense, a misdeed |
| sagacious | wise; having keep perception and sound judgment |
| rationalize | to make an excuse for |
| deride | to ridicule; to mock |
| censure | to criticize sharply |
| gambol | to frolic; to romp about playfully |
| immolate | to kill someone as a sacrificial victim, usually by fire |
| recondite | difficult to understand; profound |
| martinet | a strict disciplinarian; taskmaster |
| quagmire | a swamp; a difficult or inextricable situation |
| gibe | to scoff; to ridicule |
| agape | open-mouthed; surprised; agog |
| carcinogen | causing cancer |
| olfactory | pertaining to smell |
| imperious | domineering; haughty |
| grotesque | absurd; distorted |
| neologism | a new word or expression |
| hackneyed | commonplace; overused |
| machination | an evil design or plan |
| pejorative | having a negative effect; insulting |
| harbinger | an omen or sign |
| nubile | suitable for marriage in age and physical development, referring to a female |
| sapient | wise; full of knowledge |
| chimerical | imaginary; fantastic |
| masochist | one who enjoys his or her own pain and suffering |
| finesse | diplomacy; tact; artful management |
| heterogeneous | different; dissimilar |
| eclectic | choosing from various sources |
| grandiose | impressive; showy; magnificent |
| raiment | clothing; garments |
| blanch | to whiten; to make pale |
| hybrid | anything of mixed origin |
| idiosyncrasy | a peculiar personality trait |
| idolatry | excessive or blind adoration; worship of an object |
| adulterate | to make impure, to contaminate |
| emanate | to come forth; to send forth |
| garish | tastelessly gaudy |
| immutable | unchangeable, fixed |
| diadem | a crown |
| bucolic | pertaining to the countryside; rural, rustic |
| redolent | having a pleasant odor; suggestive or evocative |
| impecunious | without money; penniless |
| sedition | rebellion or resistance against the government |
| defile | to pollute, to corrupt |
| gratuitous | unnecessary or uncalled for |
| onus | a burden, responsibility, obligation |
| impious | disrespectful towards God |
| caveat | a warning |
| elixir | a supposed remedy for all ailments |
| dessicated | dried up |
| cessation | a stopping; a discontinuance |
| juxtapose | to place side-by-side for comparison |
| kinetic | pertaining to motion |
| garrulous | talkative |
| fetish | an object that receives respect or devotion |
| scintillate | to sparkle; to twinkle; to sparkle intellectually |
| lachrymose | tearful; weepy |
| fissure | an opening; a groove; a split |
| epitome | a typical example |
| languid | sluggish; drooping from weakness |
| delineate | to describe; to depict |
| legerdemain | sleight of hand; deception |
| libertine | one who leads an immoral life |
| halcyon | calm, pleasant |
| fastidious | hard to please; fussy |
| badinage | playful, teasing talk |
| malapropism | a word humorously misused |
| garner | to gather; to acquire |
| kismet | destiny; fate; fortune (one's lot in life) |
| hegira | flight, escape |
| paradigm | a model; an example |
| debauchery | corruption; self-indulgence |
| milieu | environment; setting |
| regress | to move in a backward direction |
| bilious | bad tempered, cross |
| necromancy | magic, especially that practiced by a witch |
| gumption | courage and initiative; common sense |
| blandishment | flattery |
| nirvana | a condition of great peace or happiness |
| salutary | healthful; wholesome |
| despicable | contemptible, hateful |
| harlequin | a clown |
| empathy | an understanding of another's feelings |
| brevity | briefness; short duration |
| savant | a person of extensive learning; an eminent scholar |
| obsequious | excessively submissive or overly attentive |
| redundant | repetitious; using more words than needed |
| offal | garbage; waste parts |
| hoi polloi | common people; the masses |
| sentient | conscious; capable of feeling or perceiving |
| impinge | to encroach; to trespass |
| cataract | a large waterfall |
| animosity | hatred |
| bombast | impressive but meaningless language |
| orthography | correct spelling |
| paleontology | a science dealing with prehistoric life through the study of fossils |
| recoil | to retreat; to draw back |
| panache | self-confidence; a showy manner |
| saturnine | gloomy; sluggish |
| endemic | confined to a particular country or area |
| mendacious | lying; false; deceitful |
| obviate | to prevent; to get around |
| aggrandize | to enlarge; to expand |
| paroxysm | a sudden outburst; a fit |
| deign | to lower oneself before an inferior |
| flaunt | to show off |
| shibboleth | a word or pronunciation that distinguishes someone as of a particular group |
| elicit | to draw forth; to call forth |
| orifice | mouth; opening |
| hallow | to make holy |
| perdition | damnation; ruin; hell |
| chaff | worthless matter |
| aesthetic | pertaining to beauty |
| empirical | based on practical experience rather than theory |
| germane | relevant; fitting |
| hermetic | tightly sealed |
| meretricious | attractive in a cheap, flashy way |
| querulous | complaining; grumbling |
| flaccid | flabby |
| hospice | a shelter for travelers, orphans, or the ill or destitute |
| egregious | remarkably bad; outrageous |
| ratiocinate | to reason; to think |
| foment | to stir up; to incite |
| salient | significant; conspicuous; standing out from the rest |
| recant | the withdraw or disavow a statement or opinion |
| jocular | humorous; lighthearted |
| palliate | to ease; to lessen; to soothe |
| malleable | capable of being changed; easily shaped |
| recreant | a coward; a traitor |
| affinity | an attraction to |
| impalpable | unable to be felt; intangible |
| fiscal | pertaining to finances |
| regale | to delight with something pleasing or amusing |
| miscreant | a viscous person |
| flagellate | to whip; to lash |
| lascivious | lustful or lewd |
| flout | to ridicule; to show contempt for |
| salacious | obscene; lustful |
| rebuke | to scold; to blame |
| nonentity | a person or thing of little importance |
| sang-froid | calmness; composure or cool self-possession |
| desultory | wandering from subject to subject |
| hector | to bully; to pester |
| pandemic | general; widespread |
| coalesce | to blend; to merge |
| beguile | to deceive; to charm; to enchant |
| ennui | boredom; a weariness resulting from lack of interest |
| hiatus | a pause or gap |
| lambent | softly bright or radiant; moving lightly over a surface |
| ergo | therefore |
| hubris | excessive pride or self-confidence |
| pecuniary | pertaining to money; financial |
| sibilant | a hissing sound |
| incendiary | causing to excite or inflame |
| apotheosis | the finest example |
| contiguous | making contact or touching at some point; side by side |
| auspicious | signaling favorable or promising results |
| vociferous | marked by noise; loud |
| avuncular | similar to an uncle |
| proletariat | working class or lower class; blue collar |
| tenacious | strongly held; not easy to separate |
| specious | deceptive or misleading |
| refractory | unmanageable or difficult to control |
| inimitable | cannot be imitated |
| malfeasance | poor conduct or wrongdoing, especially on the part of a public official |
| platonic | marked by the absence of romantic or physical attraction |
| potificate | speak in a pretentiously dignified or dogmatic way |
| prurient | giving into lust or having lewd thoughts |
| bon mot | a witty remark or saying |
| peon | various laborers who are generally landless |
| plutocrat | a member of the controlling upper-class |
| plenary | complete in every way; full |
| digress | to deviate from the original subject or course |
| furlough | a leave of absence |
| misogyny | a hatred towards females |
| stolid | showing or having little or no emotion; unemotional |
| succor | something that gives relief or aid |
| travesty | poor representation or imitation; distortion |
| xeric | characterized by or adapted to a dry habitat |
| clandestine | marked by secrecy |
| potboiler | a poorly done artistic work, often for quick profit |
| redoubtable | arousing fear |
| vignette | a short, descriptive literary sketch |
| insuperable | not able to be overcome |
| apex | the highest point of something |
| acrid | marked by a sharp taste or smell; bitter |
| fulminate | to voice disapproval or protest |
| jejune | without interest; dull |
| hegemony | influence or domination over |
| truculent | marked by ferocity |
| credulity | willingness to believe too readily |
| dross | refuse or waste |
| verisimilitude | the appearance of truth |
| viscous | having a thick or sticky consistency like glue |
| psychosomatic | of or relating to symptoms caused by mental or emotional problems |
| abnegation | unwillingness to admit reality or truth; denial |
| polyglot | something or someone with knowledge of several different languages |
| gravitas | seriousness |
| intractable | difficult to manipulate or govern |
| disseminate | to disperse or scatter |
| sinecure | a job that provides income but requires little or no work |
| tendentious | biased in perspective; preferring one view over another |
| politic | prudent or shrewdly tactful |
| extemporaneous | done without planning; spur of the moment; unexpected; makeshift |
| discursive | jumping from one topic to another without any order or reason |
| diaspora | a dispersion of people from their homeland |
| requiem | a religious service or song for the deceased |
| traduce | to slander someone's reputation |
| acerbic | sarcastic in mood, tone, or temper; harsh |
| beatitude | a state of happiness or joy |
| maladroit | not resourceful or cunning; inept |
| androgynous | having features of both sexes; suitable for both male and female |
| augur | someone who predicts future events according to omens |
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