| Term | Definition |
| abase | v. To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade. |
| abbess | n. The lady superior of a nunnery. |
| abbey | n. The group of buildings which collectively form the dwelling-place of a society of monks or nuns. |
| abbot | n. The superior of a community of monks. |
| abdicate | v. To give up (royal power or the like). |
| abdomen | n. In mammals, the visceral cavity between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor; the belly. |
| abdominal | n. Of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen. |
| abduction | n. A carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally. |
| abed | adv. In bed; on a bed. |
| aberration | n. Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. |
| abet | v. To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense). |
| abeyance | n. A state of suspension or temporary inaction. |
| abhorrence | n. The act of detesting extremely. |
| abhorrent | adj. Very repugnant; hateful. |
| abidance | n. An abiding. |
| abject | adj. Sunk to a low condition. |
| abjure | v. To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath. |
| able-bodied | adj. Competent for physical service. |
| ablution | n. A washing or cleansing, especially of the body. |
| abnegate | v. To renounce (a right or privilege). |
| abnormal | adj. Not conformed to the ordinary rule or standard. |
| abominable | adj. Very hateful. |
| abominate | v. To hate violently. |
| abomination | n. A very detestable act or practice. |
| aboriginal | adj. Primitive; unsophisticated. |
| aborigines | n. The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country. |
| aboveboard | adv. & adj. Without concealment, fraud, or trickery. |
| abrade | v. To wear away the surface or some part of by friction. |
| abrasion | n. That which is rubbed off. |
| abridge | v. To make shorter in words, keeping the essential features, leaning out minor particles. |
| abridgment | n. A condensed form as of a book or play. |
| abrogate | v. To abolish, repeal. |
| abrupt | adj. Beginning, ending, or changing suddenly or with a break. |
| abscess | n. A Collection of pus in a cavity formed within some tissue of the body. |
| abscission | n. The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation. |
| abscond | v. To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest. |
| absence | n. The fact of not being present or available. |
| absent-minded | adj. Lacking in attention to immediate surroundings or business. |
| absolution | n. Forgiveness, or passing over of offenses. |
| absolve | v. To free from sin or its penalties. |
| absorb | v. To drink in or suck up, as a sponge absorbs water. |
| absorption | n. The act or process of absorbing. |
| abstain | v. To keep oneself back (from doing or using something). |
| abstemious | adj. Characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink, food. |
| abstinence | n. Self denial. |
| abstruse | adj. Dealing with matters difficult to be understood. |
| absurd | adj. Inconsistent with reason or common sense. |
| abundant | adj. Plentiful. |
| abusive | adj. Employing harsh words or ill treatment. |
| abut | v. To touch at the end or boundary line. |
| abyss | n. Bottomless gulf. |
| academic | adj. Of or pertaining to an academy, college, or university. |
| academician | n. A member of an academy of literature, art, or science. |
| academy | n. Any institution where the higher branches of learning are taught. |
| accede | v. To agree. |
| accelerate | v. To move faster. |
| accept | v. To take when offered. |
| access | n. A way of approach or entrance; passage. |
| accessible | adj. Approachable. |
| accession | n. Induction or elevation, as to dignity, office, or government. |
| accessory | n. A person or thing that aids the principal agent. |
| acclaim | v. To utter with a shout. |
| accommodate | v. To furnish something as a kindness or favor. |
| accompaniment | n. A subordinate part or parts, enriching or supporting the leading part. |
| accompanist | n. One who or that which accompanies. |
| accompany | v. To go with, or be associated with, as a companion. |
| accomplice | n. An associate in wrong-doing. |
| accomplish | v. To bring to pass. |
| accordion | n. A portable free-reed musical instrument. |
| accost | v. To speak to. |
| account | n. A record or statement of receipts and expenditures, or of business transactions. |
| accouter | v. To dress. |
| accredit | v. To give credit or authority to. |
| accumulate | v. To become greater in quantity or number. |
| accuracy | n. Exactness. |
| accurate | adj. Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard. |
| accursed | adj. Doomed to evil, misery, or misfortune. |
| accusation | n. A charge of crime, misdemeanor, or error. |
| accusatory | adj. Of, pertaining to, or involving an accusation. |
| accuse | v. To charge with wrong doing, misconduct, or error. |
| accustom | v. To make familiar by use. |
| acerbity | n. Sourness, with bitterness and astringency. |
| acetate | n. A salt of acetic acid. |
| acetic | adj. Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of vinegar. |
| ache | v. To be in pain or distress. |
| Achillean | adj. Invulnerable. |
| achromatic | adj. Colorless, |
| acid | n. A sour substance. |
| acidify | v. To change into acid. |
| acknowledge | v. To recognize; to admit the genuineness or validity of. |
| acknowledgment | n. Recognition. |
| acme | n. The highest point, or summit. |
| acoustic | adj. Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing. |
| acquaint | v. To make familiar or conversant. |
| acquiesce | v. To comply; submit. |
| acquiescence | n. Passive consent. |
| acquire | v. To get as one's own. |
| acquisition | n. Anything gained, or made one's own, usually by effort or labor. |
| acquit | v. To free or clear, as from accusation. |
| acquittal | n. A discharge from accusation by judicial action. |
| acquittance | n. Release or discharge from indebtedness, obligation, or responsibility. |
| acreage | n. Quantity or extent of land, especially of cultivated land. |
| acrid | adj. Harshly pungent or bitter. |
| acrimonious | adj. Full of bitterness. |
| acrimony | n. Sharpness or bitterness of speech or temper. |
| actionable | adj. Affording cause for instituting an action, as trespass, slanderous words. |
| actuality | n. Any reality. |
| actuary | n. An officer, as of an insurance company, who calculates and states the risks and premiums. |
| actuate | v. To move or incite to action. |
| acumen | n. Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of discrimination. |
| acute | adj. Having fine and penetrating discernment. |
| adamant | n. Any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability. |
| addendum | n. Something added, or to be added. |
| addle | v. To make inefficient or worthless; muddle. |
| adduce | v. To bring forward or name for consideration. |
| adhere | v. To stick fast or together. |
| adherence | n. Attachment. |
| adherent | adj. Clinging or sticking fast. |
| adhesion | n. The state of being attached or joined. |
| adieu | inter. Good-by; farewell. |
| adjacency | n. The state of being adjacent. |
| adjacent | n. That which is near or bordering upon. |
| adjudge | v. To award or bestow by formal decision. |
| adjunct | n. Something joined to or connected with another thing, but holding a subordinate place. |
| adjuration | n. A vehement appeal. |
| adjutant | adj. Auxiliary. |
| administrator | n. One who manages affairs of any kind. |
| admissible | adj. Having the right or privilege of entry. |
| admittance | n. Entrance, or the right or permission to enter. |
| admonish | v. To warn of a fault. |
| admonition | n. Gentle reproof. |
| ado | n. unnecessary activity or ceremony. |
| adoration | n. Profound devotion. |
| adroit | adj. Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers. |
| adulterant | n. An adulterating substance. |
| adulterate | v. To make impure by the admixture of other or baser ingredients. |
| adumbrate | v. To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem. |
| advent | n. The coming or arrival, as of any important change, event, state, or personage. |
| adverse | adj. Opposing or opposed. |
| adversity | n. Misfortune. |
| advert | v. To refer incidentally. |
| advertiser | n. One who advertises, especially in newspapers. |
| advisory | adj. Not mandatory. |
| advocacy | n. The act of pleading a cause. |
| advocate | n. One who pleads the cause of another, as in a legal or ecclesiastical court. |
| aerial | adj. Of, pertaining to, or like the air. |
| aeronaut | n. One who navigates the air, a balloonist. |
| aeronautics | n. the art or practice of flying aircraft |
| aerostat | n. A balloon or other apparatus floating in or sustained by the air. |
| aerostatics | n. The branch of pneumatics that treats of the equilibrium, pressure, and mechanical properties. |
| affable | adj. Easy to approach. |
| affect | v. To act upon |
| affectation | n. A studied or ostentatious pretense or attempt. |
| affiliate | n. Some auxiliary person or thing. |
| affirmative | adj. Answering yes; to a question at issue. |
| affix | v. To fasten. |
| affluence | n. A profuse or abundant supply of riches. |
| affront | n. An open insult or indignity. |
| afire | adv. & adj. On fire, literally or figuratively. |
| afoot | adv. In progress. |
| aforesaid | adj. Said in a preceding part or before. |
| afresh | adv. Once more, after rest or interval. |
| afterthought | n. A thought that comes later than its appropriate or expected time. |
| agglomerate | v. To pile or heap together. |
| aggrandize | v. To cause to appear greatly. |
| aggravate | v. To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome. |
| aggravation | n. The fact of being made heavier or more heinous, as a crime , offense, misfortune, etc. |
| aggregate | n. The entire number, sum, mass, or quantity of something. |
| aggress | v. To make the first attack. |
| aggression | n. An unprovoked attack. |
| aggrieve | v. To give grief or sorrow to. |
| aghast | adj. Struck with terror and amazement. |
| agile | adj. Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally. |
| agitate | v. To move or excite (the feelings or thoughts). |
| agrarian | adj. Pertaining to land, especially agricultural land. |
| aide-de-camp | n. An officer who receives and transmits the orders of the general. |
| ailment | n. Slight sickness. |
| airy | adj. Delicate, ethereal. |
| akin | adj. Of similar nature or qualities. |
| alabaster | n. A white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum. |
| alacrity | n. Cheerful willingness. |
| albeit | conj. Even though. |
| albino | n. A person with milky white skin and hair, and eyes with bright red pupil and usually pink iris. |
| album | n. A book whose leaves are so made to form paper frames for holding photographs or the like. |
| alchemy | n. Chemistry of the middle ages, characterized by the pursuit of changing base metals to gold. |
| alcohol | n. A volatile, inflammable, colorless liquid of a penetrating odor and burning taste. |
| alcoholism | n. A condition resulting from the inordinate or persistent use of alcoholic beverages. |
| alcove | n. A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room. |
| alder | n. Any shrub or small tree of the genus Alumnus, of the oak family. |
| alderman | n. A member of a municipal legislative body, who usually exercises also certain judicial functions. |
| aldermanship | n. The dignity, condition, office, or term of office of an alderman. |
| alias | n. An assumed name. |
| alien | n. One who owes allegiance to a foreign government. |
| alienable | adj. Capable of being aliened or alienated, as lands. |
| alienate | v. To cause to turn away. |
| alienation | n. Estrangement. |
| aliment | n. That which nourishes. |
| alkali | n. Anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc. |
| allay | v. To calm the violence or reduce the intensity of; mitigate. |
| allege | v. To assert to be true, especially in a formal manner, as in court. |
| allegory | n. The setting forth of a subject under the guise of another subject of aptly suggestive likeness. |
| alleviate | v. To make less burdensome or less hard to bear. |
| alley | n. A narrow street, garden path, walk, or the like. |
| alliance | n. Any combination or union for some common purpose. |
| allot | v. To assign a definite thing or part to a certain person. |
| allotment | n. Portion. |
| allude | v. To refer incidentally, or by suggestion. |
| allusion | n. An indirect and incidental reference to something without definite mention of it. |
| alluvion | n. Flood. |
| ally | n. A person or thing connected with another, usually in some relation of helpfulness. |
| almanac | n. A series of tables giving the days of the week together with certain astronomical information. |
| aloof | adv. Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others. |
| altar | n. Any raised place or structure on which sacrifices may be offered or incense burned. |
| alter | v. To make change in. |
| alteration | n. Change or modification. |
| altercate | v. To contend angrily or zealously in words. |
| alternate | n. One chosen to act in place of another, in case of the absence or incapacity of that other. |
| alternative | n. Something that may or must exist, be taken or chosen, or done instead of something else. |
| altitude | n. Vertical distance or elevation above any point or base-level, as the sea. |
| alto | n. The lowest or deepest female voice or part. |
| altruism | n. Benevolence to others on subordination to self-interest. |
| altruist | n. One who advocates or practices altruism. |
| amalgam | n. An alloy or union of mercury with another metal. |
| amalgamate | v. To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body. |
| amateur | adj. Practicing an art or occupation for the love of it, but not as a profession. |
| amatory | adj. Designed to excite love. |
| ambidextrous | adj. Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease. |
| ambiguous | adj. Having a double meaning. |
| ambitious | adj. Eagerly desirous and aspiring. |
| ambrosial | adj. Divinely sweet, fragrant, or delicious. |
| ambulance | n. A vehicle fitted for conveying the sick and wounded. |
| ambulate | v. To walk about |
| ambush | n. The act or state of lying concealed for the purpose of surprising or attacking the enemy. |
| ameliorate | v. To relieve, as from pain or hardship |
| amenable | adj. Willing and ready to submit. |
| Americanism | n. A peculiar sense in which an English word or phrase is used in the United States. |
| amicable | adj. Done in a friendly spirit. |
| amity | n. Friendship. |
| amorous | adj. Having a propensity for falling in love. |
| amorphous | adj. Without determinate shape. |
| amour | n. A love-affair, especially one of an illicit nature. |
| ampere | n. The practical unit of electric-current strength. |
| ampersand | n. The character &; and. |
| amphibious | adj. Living both on land and in water. |
| amphitheater | n. An edifice of elliptical shape, constructed about a central open space or arena. |
| amplitude | n. Largeness. |
| amply | adv. Sufficiently. |
| amputate | v. To remove by cutting, as a limb or some portion of the body. |
| amusement | n. Diversion. |
| anachronism | n. Anything occurring or existing out of its proper time. |
| anagram | n. The letters of a word or phrase so transposed as to make a different word or phrase. |
| analogous | adj. Corresponding (to some other) in certain respects, as in form, proportion, relations. |
| analogy | n. Reasoning in which from certain and known relations or resemblance others are formed. |
| analyst | n. One who analyzes or makes use of the analytical method. |
| analyze | v. To examine minutely or critically. |
| anarchy | n. Absence or utter disregard of government. |
| anathema | n. Anything forbidden, as by social usage. |
| anatomy | n. That branch of morphology which treats of the structure of organisms. |
| ancestry | n. One's ancestors collectively. |
| anecdote | n. A brief account of some interesting event or incident. |
| anemia | n. Deficiency of blood or red corpuscles. |
| anemic | adj. Affected with anemia. |
| anemometer | n. An instrument for measuring the force or velocity of wind. |
| anesthetic | adj. Pertaining to or producing loss of sensation. |
| anew | adv. Once more. |
| angelic | adj. Saintly. |
| Anglophobia | n. Hatred or dread of England or of what is English. |
| Anglo-Saxon | n. The entire English race wherever found, as in Europe, the United States, or India. |
| angular | adj. Sharp-cornered. |
| anhydrous | adj. Withered. |
| animadversion | n. The utterance of criticism or censure. |
| animadvert | v. To pass criticism or censure. |
| animalcule | n. An animal of microscopic smallness. |
| animate | v. To make alive. |
| animosity | n. Hatred. |
| annalist | n. Historian. |
| annals | n. A record of events in their chronological order, year by year. |
| annex | v. To add or affix at the end. |
| annihilate | v. To destroy absolutely. |
| annotate | v. To make explanatory or critical notes on or upon. |
| annual | adj. Occurring every year. |
| annuity | n. An annual allowance, payment, or income. |
| annunciation | n. Proclamation. |
| anode | n. The point where or path by which a voltaic current enters an electrolyte or the like. |
| anonymous | adj. Of unknown authorship. |
| antagonism | n. Mutual opposition or resistance of counteracting forces, principles, or persons. |
| Antarctic | adj. Pertaining to the south pole or the regions near it. |
| ante | v. In the game of poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt. |
| antecede | v. To precede. |
| antecedent | n. One who or that which precedes or goes before, as in time, place, rank, order, or causality. |
| antechamber | n. A waiting room for those who seek audience. |
| antedate | v. To assign or affix a date to earlier than the actual one. |
| antediluvian | adj. Of or pertaining to the times, things, events before the great flood in the days of Noah. |
| antemeridian | adj. Before noon. |
| antemundane | adj. Pertaining to time before the world's creation. |
| antenatal | adj. Occurring or existing before birth. |
| anterior | adj. Prior. |
| anteroom | n. A room situated before and opening into another, usually larger. |
| anthology | n. A collection of extracts from the writings of various authors. |
| anthracite | n. Hard coal. |
| anthropology | n. The science of man in general. |
| anthropomorphous | adj. Having or resembling human form. |
| antic | n. A grotesque, ludicrous, or fantastic action. |
| Antichrist | n. Any opponent or enemy of Christ, whether a person or a power. |
| anticlimax | n. A gradual or sudden decrease in the importance or impressiveness of what is said. |
| anticyclone | n. An atmospheric condition of high central pressure, with currents flowing outward. |
| antidote | n. Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease, or the like. |
| antilogy | n. Inconsistency or contradiction in terms or ideas. |
| antipathize | v. To show or feel a feeling of antagonism, aversion, or dislike. |
| antiphon | n. A response or alteration of responses, generally musical. |
| antiphony | n. An anthem or other composition sung responsively. |
| antipodes | n. A place or region on the opposite side of the earth. |
| antiquary | n. One who collects and examines old things, as coins, books, medals, weapons, etc. |
| antiquate | v. To make old or out of date. |
| antique | adj. Pertaining to ancient times. |
| antiseptic | n. Anything that destroys or restrains the growth of putrefactive micro-organisms. |
| antislavery | adj. Opposed to human slavery. |
| antispasmodic | adj. Tending to prevent or relieve non-inflammatory spasmodic affections. |
| antistrophe | n. The inversion of terms in successive classes, as in "the home of joy and the joy of home". |
| antitoxin | n. A substance which neutralizes the poisonous products of micro-organisms. |
| antonym | n. A word directly opposed to another in meaning. |
| anxious | adj. Distressed in mind respecting some uncertain matter. |
| apathy | n. Insensibility to emotion or passionate feeling. |
| aperture | n. Hole. |
| apex | n. The highest point, as of a mountain. |
| aphorism | n. Proverb. |
| apiary | n. A place where bees are kept. |
| apogee | n. The climax. |
| apology | n. A disclaimer of intentional error or offense. |
| apostasy | n. A total departure from one's faith or religion. |
| apostate | adj. False. |
| apostle | n. Any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority. |
| apothecary | n. One who keeps drugs for sale and puts up prescriptions. |
| apotheosis | n. Deification. |
| appall | v. To fill with dismay or horror. |
| apparent | adj. Easily understood. |
| apparition | n. Ghost. |
| appease | v. To soothe by quieting anger or indignation. |
| appellate | adj. Capable of being appealed to. |
| appellation | n. The name or title by which a particular person, class, or thing is called. |
| append | v. To add or attach, as something accessory, subordinate, or supplementary. |
| appertain | v. To belong, as by right, fitness, association, classification, possession, or natural relation. |
| apposite | adj. Appropriate. |
| apposition | n. The act of placing side by side, together, or in contact. |
| appraise | v. To estimate the money value of. |
| appreciable | adj. Capable of being discerned by the senses or intellect. |
| apprehend | v. To make a prisoner of (a person) in the name of the law. |
| apprehensible | adj. Capable of being conceived. |
| approbation | n. Sanction. |
| appropriate | adj. Suitable for the purpose and circumstances. |
| aqueduct | n. A water-conduit, particularly one for supplying a community from a distance. |
| aqueous | adj. Of, pertaining to, or containing water. |
| arbiter | n. One chosen or appointed, by mutual consent of parties in dispute, to decide matters. |
| arbitrary | adj. Fixed or done capriciously. |
| arbitrate | v. To act or give judgment as umpire. |
| arbor | n. A tree. |
| arboreal | adj. Of or pertaining to a tree or trees. |
| arborescent | adj. Having the nature of a tree. |
| arboretum | n. A botanical garden or place devoted to the cultivation of trees or shrubs. |
| arboriculture | n. The cultivation of trees or shrubs. |
| arcade | n. A vaulted passageway or street; a roofed passageway having shops, etc., opening from it. |
| archaic | adj. Antiquated |
| archaism | n. Obsolescence. |
| archangel | n. An angel of high rank. |
| archbishop | n. The chief of the bishops of an ecclesiastical province in the Greek, Roman, and Anglican church. |
| archdeacon | n. A high official administrator of the affairs of a diocese. |
| archaeology | n. The branch of anthropology concerned with the systematic investigation of the relics of man. |
| archetype | n. A prototype. |
| archipelago | n. Any large body of water studded with islands, or the islands collectively themselves. |
| ardent | adj. Burning with passion. |
| ardor | n. Intensity of passion or affection. |
| arid | adj. Very dry. |
| aristocracy | n. A hereditary nobility |
| aristocrat | n. A hereditary noble or one nearly connected with nobility. |
| armada | n. A fleet of war-vessels. |
| armful | n. As much as can be held in the arm or arms. |
| armory | n. An arsenal. |
| aroma | n. An agreeable odor. |
| arraign | v. To call into court, as a person indicted for crime, and demand whether he pleads guilty or not. |
| arrange | v. To put in definite or proper order. |
| arrangement | n. The act of putting in proper order, or the state of being put in order. |
| arrant | adj. Notoriously bad. |
| arrear | n. Something overdue and unpaid. |
| arrival | n. A coming to stopping-place or destination. |
| arrogant | adj. Unduly or excessively proud, as of wealth, station, learning, etc. |
| arrogate | v. To take, demand, or claim, especially presumptuously or without reasons or grounds. |
| Artesian | well n. A very deep bored well. water rises due to underground pressure |
| artful | adj. Characterized by craft or cunning. |
| Arthurian | adj. Pertaining to King Arthur, the real or legendary hero of British poetic story. |
| artifice | n. Trickery. |
| artless | adj. Ingenuous. |
| ascendant | adj. Dominant. |
| ascension | n. The act of rising. |
| ascent | n. A rising, soaring, or climbing. |
| ascetic | adj. Given to severe self-denial and practicing excessive abstinence and devotion. |
| ascribe | v. To assign as a quality or attribute. |
| asexual | adj. Having no distinct sexual organs. |
| ashen | adj. Pale. |
| askance | adv. With a side or indirect glance or meaning. |
| asperity | n. Harshness or roughness of temper. |
| aspirant | n. One who seeks earnestly, as for advancement, honors, place. |
| aspiration | n. An earnest wish for that which is above one's present reach. |
| aspire | v. To have an earnest desire, wish, or longing, as for something high and good, not yet attained. |
| assailant | n. One who attacks. |
| assassin | n. One who kills, or tries to kill, treacherously or secretly. |
| assassinate | v. To kill, as by surprise or secret assault, especially the killing of some eminent person. |
| assassination | n. Murderer, as by secret assault or treachery. |
| assay | n. The chemical analysis or testing of an alloy ore. |
| assent | v. To express agreement with a statement or matter of opinion. |
| assess | v. To determine the amount of (a tax or other sum to be paid). |
| assessor | n. An officer whose duty it is to assess taxes. |
| assets | n. pl. Property in general, regarded as applicable to the payment of debts. |
| assiduous | adj. Diligent. |
| assignee | n. One who is appointed to act for another in the management of certain property and interests. |
| assimilate | v. To adapt. |
| assonance | n. Resemblance or correspondence in sound. |
| assonant | adj. Having resemblance of sound. |
| assonate | v. To accord in sound, especially vowel sound. |
| assuage | v. To cause to be less harsh, violent, or severe, as excitement, appetite, pain, or disease. |
| astringent | adj. Harsh in disposition or character. |
| astute | adj. Keen in discernment. |
| atheism | n. The denial of the existence of God. |
| athirst | adj. Wanting water. |
| athwart | adv. From side to side. |
| atomizer | n. An apparatus for reducing a liquid to a fine spray, as for disinfection, inhalation, etc. |
| atone | v. To make amends for. |
| atonement | n. Amends, reparation, or expiation made from wrong or injury. |
| atrocious | adj. Outrageously or wantonly wicked, criminal, vile, or cruel. |
| atrocity | n. Great cruelty or reckless wickedness. |
| attache | n. A subordinate member of a diplomatic embassy. |
| attest | v. To certify as accurate, genuine, or true. |
| attorney-general | n. The chief law-officer of a government. |
| auburn | adj. Reddish-brown, said usually of the hair. |
| audacious | adj. Fearless. |
| audible | adj. Loud enough to be heard. |
| audition | n. The act or sensation of hearing. |
| auditory | adj. Of or pertaining to hearing or the organs or sense of hearing. |
| augment | v. To make bigger. |
| augur | v. To predict. |
| Augustinian | adj. Pertaining to St. Augustine, his doctrines, or the religious orders called after him. |
| aura | n. Pervasive psychic influence supposed to emanate from persons |
| aural | adj. Of or pertaining to the ear. |
| auricle | n. One of the two chambers of the heart which receives the blood from the veins. |
| auricular | adj. Of or pertaining to the ear, its auricle, or the sense of hearing. |
| auriferous | adj. Containing gold. |
| aurora | n. A luminous phenomenon in the upper regions of the atmosphere. |
| auspice | n. favoring, protecting, or propitious influence or guidance. |
| austere | adj. Severely simple; unadorned. |
| autarchy | n. Unrestricted power. |
| authentic | adj. Of undisputed origin. |
| authenticity | n. The state or quality of being genuine, or of the origin and authorship claimed. |
| autobiography | n. The story of one's life written by himself. |
| autocracy | n. Absolute government. |
| autocrat | n. Any one who claims or wields unrestricted or undisputed authority or influence. |
| automaton | n. Any living being whose actions are or appear to be involuntary or mechanical. |
| autonomous | adj. Self-governing. |
| autonomy | n. Self-government. |
| autopsy | n. The examination of a dead body by dissection to ascertain the cause of death. |
| autumnal | adj. Of or pertaining to autumn. |
| auxiliary | n. One who or that which aids or helps, especially when regarded as subsidiary or accessory. |
| avalanche | n. The fall or sliding of a mass of snow or ice down a mountain-slope, often bearing with it rock. |
| avarice | n. Passion for getting and keeping riches. |
| aver | v. To assert as a fact. |
| averse | adj. Reluctant. |
| aversion | n. A mental condition of fixed opposition to or dislike of some particular thing. |
| avert | v. To turn away or aside. |
| aviary | n. A spacious cage or enclosure in which live birds are kept. |
| avidity | n. Greediness. |
| avocation | n. Diversion. |
| avow | v. To declare openly. |
| awaken | v. To arouse, as emotion, interest, or the like. |
| awry | adv. & adj. Out of the proper form, direction, or position. |
| aye | adv. An expression of assent. |
| azalea | n. A flowering shrub. |
| azure | n. The color of the sky. |
| Baconian | adj. Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon or his system of philosophy. |
| bacterium | n. A microbe. |
| badger | v. To pester. |
| baffle | v. To foil or frustrate. |
| bailiff | n. An officer of court having custody of prisoners under arraignment. |
| baize | n. A single-colored napped woolen fabric used for table-covers, curtains, etc. |
| bale | n. A large package prepared for transportation or storage. |
| baleful | adj. Malignant. |
| ballad | n. Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric form. |
| balsam | n. A medical preparation, aromatic and oily, used for healing. |
| banal | adj. Commonplace. |
| barcarole | n. A boat-song of Venetian gondoliers. |
| barograph | n. An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the atmospheric pressure. |
| barometer | n. An instrument for indicating the atmospheric pressure per unit of surface. |
| barring | prep. Apart from. |
| baritone | adj. Having a register higher than bass and lower than tenor. |
| bask | v. To make warm by genial heat. |
| bass | adj. Low in tone or compass. |
| baste | v. To cover with melted fat, gravy, while cooking. |
| baton | n. An official staff borne either as a weapon or as an emblem of authority or privilege. |
| battalion | n. A body of infantry composed of two or more companies, forming a part of a regiment. |
| batten | n. A narrow strip of wood. |
| batter | n. A thick liquid mixture of two or more materials beaten together, to be used in cookery. |
| bauble | n. A trinket. |
| bawl | v. To proclaim by outcry. |
| beatify | v. To make supremely happy. |
| beatitude | n. Any state of great happiness. |
| beau | n. An escort or lover. |
| becalm | v. To make quiet. |
| beck | v. To give a signal to, by nod or gesture. |
| bedaub | v. To smear over, as with something oily or sticky. |
| bedeck | v. To cover with ornament. |
| bedlam | n. Madhouse. |
| befog | v. To confuse. |
| befriend | v. To be a friend to, especially when in need. |
| beget | v. To produce by sexual generation. |
| begrudge | v. To envy one of the possession of. |
| belate | v. To delay past the proper hour. |
| belay | v. To make fast, as a rope, by winding round a cleat. |
| belie | v. To misrepresent. |
| believe | v. To accept as true on the testimony or authority of others. |
| belittle | v. To disparage. |
| belle | n. A woman who is a center of attraction because of her beauty, accomplishments, etc. |
| bellicose | adj. Warlike. |
| belligerent | adj. Manifesting a warlike spirit. |
| bemoan | v. To lament |
| benediction | n. a solemn invocation of the divine blessing. |
| benefactor | n. A doer of kindly and charitable acts. |
| benefice | n. A church office endowed with funds or property for the maintenance of divine service. |
| beneficent | adj. Characterized by charity and kindness. |
| beneficial | adj. Helpful. |
| beneficiary | n. One who is lawfully entitled to the profits and proceeds of an estate or property. |
| benefit | n. Helpful result. |
| benevolence | n. Any act of kindness or well-doing. |
| benevolent | adj. Loving others and actively desirous of their well-being. |
| benign | adj. Good and kind of heart. |
| benignant | adj. Benevolent in feeling, character, or aspect. |
| benignity | n. Kindness of feeling, disposition, or manner. |
| benison | n. Blessing. |
| bequeath | v. To give by will. |
| bereave | v. To make desolate with loneliness and grief. |
| berth | n. A bunk or bed in a vessel, sleeping-car, etc. |
| beseech | v. To implore. |
| beset | v. To attack on all sides. |
| besmear | v. To smear over, as with any oily or sticky substance. |
| bestial | adj. Animal. |
| bestrew | v. To sprinkle or cover with things strewn. |
| bestride | v. To get or sit upon astride, as a horse. |
| bethink | v. To remind oneself. |
| betide | v. To happen to or befall. |
| betimes | adv. In good season or time. |
| betroth | v. To engage to marry. |
| betrothal | n. Engagement to marry. |
| bevel | n. Any inclination of two surfaces other than 90 degrees. |
| bewilder | v. To confuse the perceptions or judgment of. |
| bibliomania | n. The passion for collecting books. |
| bibliography | n. A list of the words of an author, or the literature bearing on a particular subject. |
| bibliophile | n. One who loves books. |
| bibulous | adj. Fond of drinking. |
| bide | v. To await. |
| biennial | n. A plant that produces leaves and roots the first year and flowers and fruit the second. |
| bier | n. A horizontal framework with two handles at each end for carrying a corpse to the grave. |
| bigamist | n. One who has two spouses at the same time. |
| bigamy | n. The crime of marrying any other person while having a legal spouse living. |
| bight | n. A slightly receding bay between headlands, formed by a long curve of a coast-line. |
| bilateral | adj. Two-sided. |
| bilingual | adj. Speaking two languages. |
| biograph | n. A bibliographical sketch or notice. |
| biography | n. A written account of one's life, actions, and character. |
| biology | n. The science of life or living organisms. |
| biped | n. An animal having two feet. |
| birthright | n. A privilege or possession into which one is born. |
| bitterness | n. Acridity, as to the taste. |
| blase | adj. Sated with pleasure. |
| blaspheme | v. To indulge in profane oaths. |
| blatant | adj. Noisily or offensively loud or clamorous. |
| blaze | n. A vivid glowing flame. |
| blazon | v. To make widely or generally known. |
| bleak | adj. Desolate. |
| blemish | n. A mark that mars beauty. |
| blithe | adj. Joyous. |
| blithesome | adj. Cheerful. |
| blockade | n. The shutting up of a town, a frontier, or a line of coast by hostile forces. |
| boatswain | n. A subordinate officer of a vessel, who has general charge of the rigging, anchors, etc. |
| bodice | n. A women's ornamental corset-shaped laced waist. |
| bodily | adj. Corporeal. |
| boisterous | adj. Unchecked merriment or animal spirits. |
| bole | n. The trunk or body of a tree. |
| bolero | n. A Spanish dance, illustrative of the passion of love, accompanied by caste nets and singing. |
| boll | n. A round pod or seed-capsule, as a flax or cotton. |
| bolster | v. To support, as something wrong. |
| bomb | n. A hollow projectile containing an explosive material. |
| bombard | v. To assail with any missile or with abusive speech. |
| bombardier | n. A person who has charge of mortars, bombs, and shells. |
| bombast | n. Inflated or extravagant language, especially on unimportant subjects. |
| boorish | adj. Rude. |
| bore | v. To weary by tediousness or dullness. |
| borough | n. An incorporated village or town. |
| bosom | n. The breast or the upper front of the thorax of a human being, especially of a woman. |
| botanical | adj. Connected with the study or cultivation of plants. |
| botanize | v. To study plant-life. |
| botany | n. The science that treats of plants. |
| bountiful | adj. Showing abundance. |
| Bowdlerize | v. To expurgate in editing (a literary composition) by omitting words or passages. |
| bowler | n. In cricket, the player who delivers the ball. |
| boycott | v. To place the products or merchandise of under a ban. |
| brae | n. Hillside. |
| braggart | n. A vain boaster. |
| brandish | v. To wave, shake, or flourish triumphantly or defiantly, as a sword or spear. |
| bravado | n. An aggressive display of boldness. |
| bravo | interj. Well done. |
| bray | n. A loud harsh sound, as the cry of an ass or the blast of a horn. |
| braze | v. To make of or ornament with brass. |
| brazier | n. An open pan or basin for holding live coals. |
| breach | n. The violation of official duty, lawful right, or a legal obligation. |
| breaker | n. One who trains horses, dogs, etc. |
| breech | n. The buttocks. |
| brethren | n. pl. Members of a brotherhood, gild, profession, association, or the like. |
| brevity | n. Shortness of duration. |
| bric-a-brac | n. Objects of curiosity or for decoration. |
| bridle | n. The head-harness of a horse consisting of a head-stall, a bit, and the reins. |
| brigade | n. A body of troops consisting of two or more regiments. |
| brigadier | n. General officer who commands a brigade, ranking between a colonel and a major-general. |
| brigand | n. One who lives by robbery and plunder. |
| brimstone | n. Sulfur. |
| brine | n. Water saturated with salt. |
| bristle | n. One of the coarse, stiff hairs of swine: used in brush-making, etc. |
| Britannia | n. The United Kingdom of Great Britain. |
| Briticism | n. A word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of Great Britain or the British. |
| brittle | adj. Fragile. |
| broach | v. To mention, for the first time. |
| broadcast | adj. Disseminated far and wide. |
| brogan | n. A coarse, heavy shoe. |
| brogue | n. Any dialectic pronunciation of English, especially that of the Irish people. |
| brokerage | n. The business of making sales and purchases for a commission; a broker. |
| bromine | n. A dark reddish-brown, non-metallic liquid element with a suffocating odor. |
| bronchitis | n. Inflammation of the bronchial tubes. |
| bronchus | n. Either of the two subdivisions of the trachea conveying air into the lungs. |
| brooch | n. An article of jewelry fastened by a hinged pin and hook on the underside. |
| brotherhood | n. Spiritual or social fellowship or solidarity. |
| browbeat | v. To overwhelm, or attempt to do so, by stern, haughty, or rude address or manner. |
| brusque | adj. Somewhat rough or rude in manner or speech. |
| buffoon | n. A clown. |
| buffoonery | n. Low drollery, coarse jokes, etc. |
| bulbous | adj. Of, or pertaining to, or like a bulb. |
| bullock | n. An ox. |
| bulrush | n. Any one of various tall rush-like plants growing in damp ground or water. |
| bulwark | n. Anything that gives security or defense. |
| bumper | n. A cup or glass filled to the brim, especially one to be drunk as a toast or health. |
| bumptious | adj. Full of offensive and aggressive self-conceit. |
| bungle | v. To execute clumsily. |
| buoyancy | n. Power or tendency to float on or in a liquid or gas. |
| buoyant | adj. Having the power or tendency to float or keep afloat. |
| bureau | n. A chest of drawers for clothing, etc. |
| bureaucracy | n. Government by departments of men transacting particular branches of public business. |
| burgess | n. In colonial times, a member of the lower house of the legislature of Maryland or Virginia. |
| burgher | n. An inhabitant, citizen or freeman of a borough burgh, or corporate town. |
| burnish | v. To make brilliant or shining. |
| bursar | n. A treasurer. |
| bustle | v. To hurry. |
| butt | v. To strike with or as with the head, or horns. |
| butte | n. A conspicuous hill, low mountain, or natural turret, generally isolated. |
| buttress | n. Any support or prop. |
| by-law | n. A rule or law adopted by an association, a corporation, or the like. |
| cabal | n. A number of persons secretly united for effecting by intrigue some private purpose. |
| cabalism | n. Superstitious devotion to one's religion. |
| cabinet | n. The body of men constituting the official advisors of the executive head of a nation. |
| cacophony | n. A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant sound or combination of sounds or tones. |
| cadaverous | adj. Resembling a corpse. |
| cadence | n. Rhythmical or measured flow or movement, as in poetry or the time and pace of marching troops. |
| cadenza | n. An embellishment or flourish, prepared or improvised, for a solo voice or instrument. |
| caitiff | adj. Cowardly. |
| cajole | v. To impose on or dupe by flattering speech. |
| cajolery | n. Delusive speech. |
| calculable | adj. That may be estimated by reckoning. |
| calculus | n. A concretion formed in various parts of the body resembling a pebble in hardness. |
| callosity | n. The state of being hard and insensible. |
| callow | adj. Without experience of the world. |
| calorie | n. Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1 degree centigrade. |
| calumny | n. Slander. |
| Calvary | n. The place where Christ was crucified. |
| Calvinism | n. The system of doctrine taught by John Calvin. |
| Calvinize | v. To teach or imbue with the doctrines of Calvinism. |
| came | n. A leaden sash-bar or grooved strip for fastening panes in stained-glass windows. |
| cameo | n. Any small engraved or carved work in relief. |
| campaign | n. A complete series of connected military operations. |
| Canaanite | n. A member of one of the three tribes that dwelt in the land of Canaan, or western Palestine. |
| canary | adj. Of a bright but delicate yellow. |
| candid | adj. Straightforward. |
| candor | n. The quality of frankness or outspokenness. |
| canine | adj. Characteristic of a dog. |
| canon | n. Any rule or law. |
| cant | v. To talk in a singsong, preaching tone with affected solemnity. |
| cantata | n. A choral composition. |
| canto | n. One of the divisions of an extended poem. |
| cantonment | n. The part of the town or district in which the troops are quartered. |
| capacious | adj. Roomy. |
| capillary | n. A minute vessel having walls composed of a single layer of cells. |
| capitulate | v. To surrender or stipulate terms. |
| caprice | n. A whim. |
| caption | n. A heading, as of a chapter, section, document, etc. |
| captious | adj. Hypercritical. |
| captivate | v. To fascinate, as by excellence. eloquence, or beauty. |
| carcass | n. The dead body of an animal. |
| cardiac | adj. Pertaining to the heart. |
| cardinal | adj. Of prime or special importance. |
| caret | n. A sign (^) placed below a line, indicating where omitted words, etc., should be inserted. |
| caricature | n. a picture or description in which natural characteristics are exaggerated or distorted. |
| carnage | n. Massacre. |
| carnal | adj. Sensual. |
| carnivorous | adj. Eating or living on flesh. |
| carouse | v. To drink deeply and in boisterous or jovial manner. |
| carrion | n. Dead and putrefying flesh. |
| cartilage | n. An elastic animal tissue of firm consistence. |
| cartridge | n. A charge for a firearm, or for blasting. |
| caste | n. The division of society on artificial grounds. |
| castigate | v. To punish. |
| casual | adj. Accidental, by chance. |
| casualty | n. A fatal or serious accident or disaster. |
| cataclysm | n. Any overwhelming flood of water. |
| cataract | n. Opacity of the lens of the eye resulting in complete or partial blindness. |
| catastrophe | n. Any great and sudden misfortune or calamity. |
| cathode | n. The negative pole or electrode of a galvanic battery. |
| Catholicism | n. The system, doctrine, and practice of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| catholicity | n. Universal prevalence or acceptance. |
| cat-o-nine-tails | n. An instrument consisting of nine pieces of cord, formerly used for flogging in the army and navy. |
| caucus | n. A private meeting of members of a political party to select candidates. |
| causal | adj. Indicating or expressing a cause. |
| caustic | adj. Sarcastic and severe. |
| cauterize | v. To burn or sear as with a heated iron. |
| cede | v. To pass title to. |
| censor | n. An official examiner of manuscripts empowered to prohibit their publication. |
| censorious | adj. Judging severely or harshly. |
| census | n. An official numbering of the people of a country or district. |
| centenary | adj. Pertaining to a hundred years or a period of a hundred years. |
| centiliter | n. A hundredth of a liter. |
| centimeter | n. A length of one hundredth of a meter. |
| centurion | n. A captain of a company of one hundred infantry in the ancient Roman army. |
| cereal | adj. Pertaining to edible grain or farinaceous seeds. |
| ceremonial | adj. Characterized by outward form or ceremony. |
| ceremonious | adj. Observant of ritual. |
| cessation | n. Discontinuance, as of action or motion. |
| cession | n. Surrender, as of possessions or rights. |
| chagrin | n. Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one's failures or errors. |
| chameleon | adj. Changeable in appearance. |
| chancery | n. A court of equity, as distinguished from a common-law court. |
| chaos | n. Any condition of which the elements or parts are in utter disorder and confusion. |
| characteristic | n. A distinctive feature. |
| characterize | v. To describe by distinctive marks or peculiarities. |
| charlatan | n. A quack. |
| chasm | n. A yawning hollow, as in the earth's surface. |
| chasten | v. To purify by affliction. |
| chastise | v. To subject to punitive measures. |
| chastity | n. Sexual or moral purity. |
| chateau | n. A castle or manor-house. |
| chattel | n. Any article of personal property. |
| check | v. To hold back. |
| chiffon | n. A very thin gauze used for trimmings, evening dress, etc. |
| chivalry | n. The knightly system of feudal times with its code, usages and practices. |
| cholera | n. An acute epidemic disease. |
| choleric | adj. Easily provoked to anger. |
| choral | adj. Pertaining to, intended for, or performed by a chorus or choir. |
| Christ | n. A title of Jesus |
| christen | v. To name in baptism. |
| Christendom | n. That part of the world where Christianity is generally professed. |
| chromatic | adj. Belonging, relating to, or abounding in color. |
| chronology | n. The science that treats of computation of time or of investigation and arrangement of events. |
| chronometer | n. A portable timekeeper of the highest attainable precision. |
| cipher | v. To calculate arithmetically. (also a noun meaning zero or nothing) |
| circulate | v. To disseminate. |
| circumference | n. The boundary-line of a circle. |
| circumlocution | n. Indirect or roundabout expression. |
| circumnavigate | v. To sail quite around. |
| circumscribe | v. To confine within bounds. |
| circumspect | adj. Showing watchfulness, caution, or careful consideration. |
| citadel | n. Any strong fortress. |
| cite | v. To refer to specifically. |
| claimant | n. One who makes a claim or demand, as of right. |
| clairvoyance | n. Intuitive sagacity or perception. |
| clamorous | adj. Urgent in complaint or demand. |
| clan | n. A tribe. |
| clandestine | adj. Surreptitious. |
| clangor | n. Clanking or a ringing, as of arms, chains, or bells; clamor. |
| clarify | v. To render intelligible. |
| clarion | n. A small shrill trumpet or bugle. |
| classify | v. To arrange in a class or classes on the basis of observed resemblance's and differences. |
| clearance | n. A certificate from the proper authorities that a vessel has complied with the law and may sail. |
| clemency | n. Mercy. |
| clement | adj. Compassionate. |
| close-hauled | adj. Having the sails set for sailing as close to the wind as possible. |
| clothier | n. One who makes or sells cloth or clothing. |
| clumsy | adj. Awkward of movement. |
| coagulate | v. To change into a clot or a jelly, as by heat, by chemical action, or by a ferment. |
| coagulant | adj. Producing coagulation. |
| coalescence | n. The act or process of coming together so as to form one body, combination, or product. |
| coalition | n. Combination in a body or mass. |
| coddle | v. To treat as a baby or an invalid. |
| codicil | n. A supplement adding to, revoking, or explaining in the body of a will. |
| coerce | v. To force. |
| coercion | n. Forcible constraint or restraint, moral or physical. |
| coercive | adj. Serving or tending to force. |
| cogent | adj. Appealing strongly to the reason or conscience. |
| cognate | adj. Akin. |
| cognizant | adj. Taking notice. |
| cohere | v. To stick together. |
| cohesion | n. Consistency. |
| cohesive | adj. Having the property of consistency. |
| coincide | v. To correspond. |
| coincidence | n. A circumstance so agreeing with another: often implying accident. |
| coincident | adj. Taking place at the same time. |
| collaborate | v. To labor or cooperate with another or others, especially in literary or scientific pursuits. |
| collapse | v. To cause to shrink, fall in, or fail. |
| collapsible | adj. That may or can collapse. |
| colleague | n. An associate in professional employment. |
| collective | adj. Consisting of a number of persons or objects considered as gathered into a mass, or sum. |
| collector | n. One who makes a collection, as of objects of art, books, or the like. |
| collegian | n. A college student. |
| collide | v. To meet and strike violently. |
| collier | n. One who works in a coal-mine. |
| collision | n. Violent contact. |
| colloquial | adj. Pertaining or peculiar to common speech as distinguished from literary. |
| colloquialism | n. Form of speech used only or chiefly in conversation. |
| colloquy | n. Conversation. |
| collusion | n. A secret agreement for a wrongful purpose. |
| colossus | n. Any strikingly great person or object. |
| comely | adj. Handsome. |
| comestible | adj. Fit to be eaten. |
| comical | adj. Funny. |
| commemorate | v. To serve as a remembrance of. |
| commentary | n. A series of illustrative or explanatory notes on any important work. |
| commingle | v. To blend. |
| commissariat | n. The department of an army charged with the provision of its food and water and daily needs. |
| commission | v. To empower. |
| commitment | n. The act or process of entrusting or consigning for safe-keeping. |
| committal | n. The act, fact, or result of committing, or the state of being |
| commodity | n. Something that is bought and sold. |
| commotion | n. A disturbance or violent agitation. |
| commute | v. To put something, especially something less severe, in place of. |
| comparable | adj. Fit to be compared. |
| comparative | adj. Relative. |
| comparison | n. Examination of two or more objects with reference to their likeness or unlikeness. |
| compensate | v. To remunerate. |
| competence | n. Adequate qualification or capacity. |
| competent | adj. Qualified. |
| competitive | adj. characterized by rivalry. |
| competitor | n. A rival. |
| complacence | n. Satisfaction with one's acts or surroundings. |
| complacent | adj. Pleased or satisfied with oneself. |
| complaisance | n. Politeness. |
| complaisant | adj. Agreeable. |
| complement | v. To make complete. |
| complex | adj. Complicated. |
| compliant | adj. Yielding. |
| complicate | v. To make complex, difficult, or hard to deal with. |
| complication | n. An intermingling or combination of things or parts, especially in a perplexing manner. |
| complicity | n. Participation or partnership, as in wrong-doing or with a wrong-doer. |
| compliment | v. To address or gratify with expressions of delicate praise. |
| component | n. A constituent element or part. |
| comport | v. To conduct or behave (oneself). |
| composure | n. Calmness. |
| comprehensible | adj. Intelligible. |
| comprehension | n. Ability to know. |
| comprehensive | adj. Large in scope or content. |
| compress | v. To press together or into smaller space. |
| compressible | adj. Capable of being pressed into smaller compass. |
| compression | n. Constraint, as by force or authority. |
| comprise | v. To consist of. |
| compulsion | n. Coercion. |
| compulsory | adj. Forced. |
| compunction | n. Remorseful feeling. |
| compute | v. To ascertain by mathematical calculation. |
| concede | v. To surrender. |
| conceit | n. Self-flattering opinion. |
| conceive | v. To form an idea, mental image or thought of. |
| concerto | n. A musical composition. |
| concession | n. Anything granted or yielded, or admitted in response to a demand, petition, or claim. |
| conciliate | v. To obtain the friendship of. |
| conciliatory | adj. Tending to reconcile. |
| conclusive | adj. Sufficient to convince or decide. |
| concord | n. Harmony. |
| concordance | n. Harmony. |
| concur | v. To agree. |
| concurrence | n. Agreement. |
| concurrent | adj. Occurring or acting together. |
| concussion | n. A violent shock to some organ by a fall or a sudden blow. |
| condensation | n. The act or process of making dense or denser. |
| condense | v. To abridge. |
| condescend | v. To come down voluntarily to equal terms with inferiors. |
| condolence | n. Expression of sympathy with a person in pain, sorrow, or misfortune. |
| conduce | v. To bring about. |
| conducive | adj. Contributing to an end. |
| conductible | adj. Capable of being conducted or transmitted. |
| conduit | n. A means for conducting something, particularly a tube, pipe, or passageway for a fluid. |
| confectionery | n. The candy collectively that a confectioner makes or sells, as candy. |
| confederacy | n. A number of states or persons in compact or league with each other, as for mutual aid. |
| confederate | n. One who is united with others in a league, compact, or agreement. |
| confer | v. To bestow. |
| conferee | n. A person with whom another confers. |
| confessor | n. A spiritual advisor. |
| confidant | n. One to whom secrets are entrusted. |
| confide | v. To reveal in trust or confidence. |
| confidence | n. The state or feeling of trust in or reliance upon another. |
| confident | adj. Assured. |
| confinement | n. Restriction within limits or boundaries. |
| confiscate | v. To appropriate (private property) as forfeited to the public use or treasury. |
| conflagration | n. A great fire, as of many buildings, a forest, or the like. |
| confluence | n. The place where streams meet. |
| confluent | n. A stream that unites with another. |
| conformance | n. The act or state or conforming. |
| conformable | adj. Harmonious. |
| conformation | n. General structure, form, or outline. |
| conformity | n. Correspondence in form, manner, or use. |
| confront | v. To encounter, as difficulties or obstacles. |
| congeal | v. To coagulate. |
| congenial | adj. Having kindred character or tastes. |
| congest | v. To collect into a mass. |
| congregate | v. To bring together into a crowd. |
| coniferous | adj. Cone-bearing trees. |
| conjecture | n. A guess. |
| conjoin | v. To unite. |
| conjugal | adj. Pertaining to marriage, marital rights, or married persons. |
| conjugate | adj. Joined together in pairs. |
| conjugation | n. The state or condition of being joined together. |
| conjunction | n. The state of being joined together, or the things so joined. |
| connive | v. To be in collusion. |
| connoisseur | n. A critical judge of art, especially one with thorough knowledge and sound judgment of art. |
| connote | v. To mean; signify. |
| connubial | adj. Pertaining to marriage or matrimony. |
| conquer | v. To overcome by force. |
| consanguineous | adj. Descended from the same parent or ancestor. |
| conscience | n. The faculty in man by which he distinguishes between right and wrong in character and conduct. |
| conscientious | adj. Governed by moral standard. |
| conscious | adj. Aware that one lives, feels, and thinks. |
| conscript | v. To force into military service. |
| consecrate | v. To set apart as sacred. |
| consecutive | adj. Following in uninterrupted succession. |
| consensus | n. A collective unanimous opinion of a number of persons. |
| conservatism | n. Tendency to adhere to the existing order of things. |
| conservative | adj. Adhering to the existing order of things. |
| conservatory | n. An institution for instruction and training in music and declamation. |
| consign | v. To entrust. |
| consignee | n. A person to whom goods or other property has been entrusted. |
| consignor | n. One who entrusts. |
| consistency | n. A state of permanence. |
| console | v. To comfort. |
| consolidate | v. To combine into one body or system. |
| consonance | n. The state or quality of being in accord with. |
| consonant | adj. Being in agreement or harmony with. |
| consort | n. A companion or associate. |
| conspicuous | adj. Clearly visible. |
| conspirator | n. One who agrees with others to cooperate in accomplishing some unlawful purpose. |
| conspire | v. To plot. |
| constable | n. An officer whose duty is to maintain the peace. |
| constellation | n. An arbitrary assemblage or group of stars. |
| consternation | n. Panic. |
| constituency | n. The inhabitants or voters in a district represented in a legislative body. |
| constituent | n. One who has the right to vote at an election. |
| constrict | v. To bind. |
| consul | n. An officer appointed to reside in a foreign city, chiefly to represent his country. |
| consulate | n. The place in which a consul transacts official business. |
| consummate | v. To bring to completion. |
| consumption | n. Gradual destruction, as by burning, eating, etc., or by using up, wearing out, etc. |
| consumptive | adj. Designed for gradual destruction. |
| contagion | n. The communication of disease from person to person. |
| contagious | adj. Transmitting disease. |
| contaminate | v. To pollute. |
| contemplate | v. To consider thoughtfully. |
| contemporaneous | adj. Living, occurring, or existing at the same time. |
| contemporary | adj. Living or existing at the same time. |
| contemptible | adj. Worthy of scorn or disdain. |
| contemptuous | adj. Disdainful. |
| contender | n. One who exerts oneself in opposition or rivalry. |
| contiguity | n. Proximity. |
| contiguous | adj. Touching or joining at the edge or boundary. |
| continence | n. Self-restraint with respect to desires, appetites, and passion. |
| contingency | n. Possibility of happening. |
| contingent | adj. Not predictable. |
| continuance | n. Permanence. |
| continuation | n. Prolongation. |
| continuity | n. Uninterrupted connection in space, time, operation, or development. |
| continuous | adj. Connected, extended, or prolonged without separation or interruption of sequence. |
| contort | v. To twist into a misshapen form. |
| contraband | n. Trade forbidden by law or treaty. |
| contradiction | n. The assertion of the opposite of that which has been said. |
| contradictory | adj. Inconsistent with itself. |
| contraposition | n. A placing opposite. |
| contravene | v. To prevent or obstruct the operation of. |
| contribution | n. The act of giving for a common purpose. |
| contributor | n. One who gives or furnishes, in common with others, for a common purpose. |
| contrite | adj. Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin. |
| contrivance | n. The act planning, devising, inventing, or adapting something to or for a special purpose. |
| contrive | v. To manage or carry through by some device or scheme. |
| control | v. To exercise a directing, restraining, or governing influence over. |
| controller | n. One who or that which regulates or directs. |
| contumacious | adj. Rebellious. |
| contumacy | n. Contemptuous disregard of the requirements of rightful authority. |
| contuse | v. To bruise by a blow, either with or without the breaking of the skin. |
| contusion | n. A bruise. |
| convalesce | v. To recover after a sickness. |
| convalescence | n. The state of progressive restoration to health and strength after the cessation of disease. |
| convalescent | adj. Recovering health after sickness. |
| convene | v. To summon or cause to assemble. |
| convenience | n. Fitness, as of time or place. |
| converge | v. To cause to incline and approach nearer together. |
| convergent | adj. Tending to one point. |
| conversant | adj. Thoroughly informed. |
| conversion | n. Change from one state or position to another, or from one form to another. |
| convertible | adj. Interchangeable. |
| convex | adj. Curving like the segment of the globe or of the surface of a circle. |
| conveyance | n. That by which anything is transported. |
| convivial | adj. Devoted to feasting, or to good-fellowship in eating or drinking. |
| convolution | n. A winding motion. |
| convolve | v. To move with a circling or winding motion. |
| convoy | n. A protecting force accompanying property in course of transportation. |
| convulse | v. To cause spasms in. |
| convulsion | n. A violent and abnormal muscular contraction of the body. |
| copious | adj. Plenteous. |
| coquette | n. A flirt. |
| cornice | n. An ornamental molding running round the walls of a room close to the ceiling. |
| cornucopia | n. The horn of plenty, symbolizing peace and prosperity. |
| corollary | n. A proposition following so obviously from another that it requires little demonstration. |
| coronation | n. The act or ceremony of crowning a monarch. |
| coronet | n. Inferior crown denoting, according to its form, various degrees of noble rank less than sovereign. |
| corporal | adj. Belonging or relating to the body as opposed to the mind. |
| corporate | adj. Belonging to a corporation. |
| corporeal | adj. Of a material nature; physical. |
| corps | n. A number or body of persons in some way associated or acting together. |
| corpse | n. A dead body. |
| corpulent | adj. Obese. |
| corpuscle | n. A minute particle of matter. |
| correlate | v. To put in some relation of connection or correspondence. |
| correlative | adj. Mutually involving or implying one another. |
| corrigible | adj. Capable of reformation. |
| corroborate | v. To strengthen, as proof or conviction. |
| corroboration | n. Confirmation. |
| corrode | v. To ruin or destroy little by little. |
| corrosion | n. Gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration. |
| corrosive | n. That which causes gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration. |
| corruptible | adj. Open to bribery. |
| corruption | n. Loss of purity or integrity. |
| cosmetic | adj. Pertaining to the art of beautifying, especially the complexion. |
| cosmic | adj. Pertaining to the universe. |
| cosmogony | n. A doctrine of creation or of the origin of the universe. |
| cosmography | n. The science that describes the universe, including astronomy, geography, and geology. |
| cosmology | n. The general science of the universe. |
| cosmopolitan | adj. Common to all the world. |
| cosmopolitanism | n. A cosmopolitan character. |
| cosmos | n. The world or universe considered as a system, perfect in order and arrangement. |
| counter-claim | n. A cross-demand alleged by a defendant in his favor against the plaintiff. |
| counteract | v. To act in opposition to. |
| counterbalance | v. To oppose with an equal force. |
| countercharge | v. To accuse in return. |
| counterfeit | adj. Made to resemble something else. |
| counterpart | n. Something taken with another for the completion of either. |
| countervail | v. To offset. |
| counting-house | n. A house or office used for transacting business, bookkeeping, correspondence, etc. |
| countryman | n. A rustic. |
| courageous | adj. Brave. |
| course | n. Line of motion or direction. |
| courser | n. A fleet and spirited horse. |
| courtesy | n. Politeness originating in kindness and exercised habitually. |
| covenant | n. An agreement entered into by two or more persons or parties. |
| covert | adj. Concealed, especially for an evil purpose. |
| covey | n. A flock of quails or partridges. |
| cower | v. To crouch down tremblingly, as through fear or shame. |
| coxswain | n. One who steers a rowboat, or one who has charge of a ship's boat and its crew under an officer. |
| crag | n. A rugged, rocky projection on a cliff or ledge. |
| cranium | n. The skull of an animal, especially that part enclosing the brain. |
| crass | adj. Coarse or thick in nature or structure, as opposed to thin or fine. |
| craving | n. A vehement desire. |
| creak | n. A sharp, harsh, squeaking sound. |
| creamery | n. A butter-making establishment. |
| creamy | adj. Resembling or containing cream. |
| credence | n. Belief. |
| credible | adj. Believable. |
| credulous | adj. Easily deceived. |
| creed | n. A formal summary of fundamental points of religious belief. |
| crematory | adj. A place for cremating dead bodies. |
| crevasse | n. A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier. |
| crevice | n. A small fissure, as between two contiguous surfaces. |
| criterion | n. A standard by which to determine the correctness of a judgment or conclusion. |
| critique | n. A criticism or critical review. |
| crockery | n. Earthenware made from baked clay. |
| crucible | n. A trying and purifying test or agency. |
| crusade | n. Any concerted movement, vigorously prosecuted, in behalf of an idea or principle. |
| crustacean | adj. Pertaining to a division of arthropods, containing lobsters, crabs, crawfish, etc. |
| crustaceous | adj. Having a crust-like shell. |
| cryptogram | n. Anything written in characters that are secret or so arranged as to have hidden meaning. |
| crystallize | v. To bring together or give fixed shape to. |
| cudgel | n. A short thick stick used as a club. |
| culinary | adj. Of or pertaining to cooking or the kitchen. |
| cull | v. To pick or sort out from the rest. |
| culpable | adj. Guilty. |
| culprit | n. A guilty person. |
| culvert | n. Any artificial covered channel for the passage of water through a bank or under a road, canal. |
| cupidity | n. Avarice. |
| curable | adj. Capable of being remedied or corrected. |
| curator | n. A person having charge as of a library or museum. |
| curio | n. A piece of bric-a-brac. |
| cursive | adj. Writing in which the letters are joined together. |
| cursory | adj. Rapid and superficial. |
| curt | adj. Concise, compressed, and abrupt in act or expression. |
| curtail | v. To cut off or cut short. |
| curtsy | n. A downward movement of the body by bending the knees. |
| cycloid | adj. Like a circle. |
| cygnet | n. A young swan. |
| cynical | adj. Exhibiting moral skepticism. |
| cynicism | n. Contempt for the opinions of others and of what others value. |
| cynosure | n. That to which general interest or attention is directed. |
| daring | adj. Brave. |
| darkling | adv. Blindly. |
| Darwinism | n. The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime cause of evolution of higher forms. |
| dastard | n. A base coward. |
| datum | n. A premise, starting-point, or given fact. |
| dauntless | adj. Fearless. |
| day-man | n. A day-laborer. |
| dead-heat | n. A race in which two or more competitors come out even, and there is no winner. |
| dearth | n. Scarcity, as of something customary, essential ,or desirable. |
| death's-head | n. A human skull as a symbol of death. |
| debase | v. To lower in character or virtue. |
| debatable | adj. Subject to contention or dispute. |
| debonair | adj. Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner. |
| debut | n. A first appearance in society or on the stage. |
| decagon | n. A figure with ten sides and ten angles. |
| decagram | n. A weight of 10 grams. |
| decaliter | n. A liquid and dry measure of 10 liters. |
| decalogue | n. The ten commandments. |
| Decameron | n. A volume consisting of ten parts or books. |
| decameter | n. A length of ten meters. |
| decamp | v. To leave suddenly or unexpectedly. |
| decapitate | v. To behead. |
| decapod | adj. Ten-footed or ten-armed. |
| decasyllable | n. A line of ten syllables. |
| deceit | n. Falsehood. |
| deceitful | adj. Fraudulent. |
| deceive | v. To mislead by or as by falsehood. |
| decency | n. Moral fitness. |
| decent | adj. Characterized by propriety of conduct, speech, manners, or dress. |
| deciduous | adj. Falling off at maturity as petals after flowering, fruit when ripe, etc. |
| decimal | adj. Founded on the number 10. |
| decimate | v. To destroy a measurable or large proportion of. |
| decipher | v. To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible. |
| decisive | ad. Conclusive. |
| declamation | n. A speech recited or intended for recitation from memory in public. |
| declamatory | adj. A full and formal style of utterance. |
| declarative | adj. Containing a formal, positive, or explicit statement or affirmation. |
| declension | n. The change of endings in nouns and adj. to express their different relations of gender. |
| decorate | v. To embellish. |
| decorous | adj. Suitable for the occasion or circumstances. |
| decoy | n. Anything that allures, or is intended to allures into danger or temptation. |
| decrepit | adj. Enfeebled, as by old age or some chronic infirmity. |
| dedication | n. The voluntary consecration or relinquishment of something to an end or cause. |
| deduce | v. To derive or draw as a conclusion by reasoning from given premises or principles. |
| deface | v. To mar or disfigure the face or external surface of. |
| defalcate | v. To cut off or take away, as a part of something. |
| defamation | n. Malicious and groundless injury done to the reputation or good name of another. |
| defame | v. To slander. |
| default | n. The neglect or omission of a legal requirement. |
| defendant | n. A person against whom a suit is brought. |
| defensible | adj. Capable of being maintained or justified. |
| defensive | adj. Carried on in resistance to aggression. |
| defer | v. To delay or put off to some other time. |
| deference | n. Respectful submission or yielding, as to another's opinion, wishes, or judgment. |
| defiant | adj. Characterized by bold or insolent opposition. |
| deficiency | n. Lack or insufficiency. |
| deficient | adj. Not having an adequate or proper supply or amount. |
| definite | adj. Having an exact signification or positive meaning. |
| deflect | v. To cause to turn aside or downward. |
| deforest | v. To clear of forests. |
| deform | v. To disfigure. |
| deformity | n. A disfigurement. |
| defraud | v. To deprive of something dishonestly. |
| defray | v. To make payment for. |
| degeneracy | n. A becoming worse. |
| degenerate | v. To become worse or inferior. |
| degradation | n. Diminution, as of strength or magnitude. |
| degrade | v. To take away honors or position from. |
| dehydrate | v. To deprive of water. |
| deify | v. To regard or worship as a god. |
| deign | v. To deem worthy of notice or account. |
| deist | n. One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation. |
| deity | n. A god, goddess, or divine person. |
| deject | v. To dishearten. |
| dejection | n. Melancholy. |
| delectable | adj. Delightful to the taste or to the senses. |
| delectation | n. Delight. |
| deleterious | adj. Hurtful, morally or physically. |
| delicacy | n. That which is agreeable to a fine taste. |
| delineate | v. To represent by sketch or diagram. |
| deliquesce | v. To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption of moisture from the air. |
| delirious | adj. Raving. |
| delude | v. To mislead the mind or judgment of. |
| deluge | v. To overwhelm with a flood of water. |
| delusion | n. Mistaken conviction, especially when more or less enduring. |
| demagnetize | v. To deprive (a magnet) of magnetism. |
| demagogue | n. An unprincipled politician. |
| demeanor | n. Deportment. |
| demented | adj. Insane. |
| demerit | n. A mark for failure or bad conduct. |
| demise | n. Death. |
| demobilize | v. To disband, as troops. |
| demolish | v. To annihilate. |
| demonstrable | adj. Capable of positive proof. |
| demonstrate | v. To prove indubitably. |
| demonstrative | adj. Inclined to strong exhibition or expression of feeling or thoughts. |
| demonstrator | n. One who proves in a convincing and conclusive manner. |
| demulcent | n. Any application soothing to an irritable surface |
| demurrage | n. the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time of sailing. |
| dendroid | adj. Like a tree. |
| dendrology | n. The natural history of trees. |
| denizen | n. Inhabitant. |
| denominate | v. To give a name or epithet to. |
| denomination | n. A body of Christians united by a common faith and form of worship and discipline. |
| denominator | n. Part of a fraction which expresses the number of equal parts into which the unit is divided. |
| denote | v. To designate by word or mark. |
| denouement | n. That part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up. |
| denounce | v. To point out or publicly accuse as deserving of punishment, censure, or odium. |
| dentifrice | n. Any preparation used for cleaning the teeth. |
| denude | v. To strip the covering from. |
| denunciation | n. The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or punishment. |
| deplete | v. To reduce or lessen, as by use, exhaustion, or waste. |
| deplorable | adj. Contemptible. |
| deplore | v. To regard with grief or sorrow. |
| deponent | adj. Laying down. |
| depopulate | v. To remove the inhabitants from. |
| deport | v. To take or send away forcibly, as to a penal colony. |
| deportment | n. Demeanor. |
| deposition | n. Testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced to writing, for use as evidence in court. |
| depositor | n. One who makes a deposit, or has an amount deposited. |
| depository | n. A place where anything is kept in safety. |
| deprave | v. To render bad, especially morally bad. |
| deprecate | v. To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite. |
| depreciate | v. To lessen the worth of. |
| depreciation | n. A lowering in value or an underrating in worth. |
| depress | v. To press down. |
| depression | n. A falling of the spirits. |
| depth | n. Deepness. |
| derelict | adj. Neglectful of obligation. |
| deride | v. To ridicule. |
| derisible | adj. Open to ridicule. |
| derision | n. Ridicule. |
| derivation | n. That process by which a word is traced from its original root or primitive form and meaning. |
| derivative | adj. Coming or acquired from some origin. |
| derive | v. To deduce, as from a premise. |
| dermatology | n. The branch of medical science which relates to the skin and its diseases. |
| derrick | n. An apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights. |
| descendant | n. One who is descended lineally from another, as a child, grandchild, etc. |
| descendent | adj. Proceeding downward. |
| descent | n. The act of moving or going downward. |
| descry | v. To discern. |
| desert | v. To abandon without regard to the welfare of the abandoned |
| desiccant | n. Any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or absorbs moisture, as that of wounds. |
| designate | v. To select or appoint, as by authority. |
| desist | v. To cease from action. |
| desistance | n. Cessation. |
| despair | n. Utter hopelessness and despondency. |
| desperado | n. One without regard for law or life. |
| desperate | adj. Resorted to in a last extremity, or as if prompted by utter despair. |
| despicable | adj. Contemptible. |
| despite | prep. In spite of. |
| despond | v. To lose spirit, courage, or hope. |
| despondent | adj. Disheartened. |
| despot | n. An absolute and irresponsible monarch. |
| despotism | n. Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has little or no part. |
| destitute | adj. Poverty-stricken. |
| desultory | adj. Not connected with what precedes. |
| deter | v. To frighten away. |
| deteriorate | v. To grow worse. |
| determinate | adj. Definitely limited or fixed. |
| determination | n. The act of deciding. |
| deterrent | adj. Hindering from action through fear. |
| detest | v. To dislike or hate with intensity. |
| detract | v. To take away in such manner as to lessen value or estimation. |
| detriment | n. Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss. |
| detrude | v. To push down forcibly. |
| deviate | v. To take a different course. |
| devilry | n. Malicious mischief. |
| deviltry | n. Wanton and malicious mischief. |
| devious | adj. Out of the common or regular track. |
| devise | v. To invent. |
| devout | adj. Religious. |
| dexterity | n. Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in any mechanical work. |
| diabolic | adj. Characteristic of the devil. |
| diacritical | adj. Marking a difference. |
| diagnose | v. To distinguish, as a disease, by its characteristic phenomena. |
| diagnosis | n. Determination of the distinctive nature of a disease. |
| dialect | n. Forms of speech collectively that are peculiar to the people of a particular district. |
| dialectician | n. A logician. |
| dialogue | n. A formal conversation in which two or more take part. |
| diaphanous | adj. Transparent. |
| diatomic | adj. Containing only two atoms. |
| diatribe | n. A bitter or malicious criticism. |
| dictum | n. A positive utterance. |
| didactic | adj. Pertaining to teaching. |
| difference | n. Dissimilarity in any respect. |
| differentia | n. Any essential characteristic of a species by reason of which it differs from other species. |
| differential | adj. Distinctive. |
| differentiate | v. To acquire a distinct and separate character. |
| diffidence | n. Self-distrust. |
| diffident | adj. Affected or possessed with self-distrust. |
| diffusible | adj. Spreading rapidly through the system and acting quickly. |
| diffusion | n. Dispersion. |
| dignitary | n. One who holds high rank. |
| digraph | n. A union of two characters representing a single sound. |
| digress | v. To turn aside from the main subject and for a time dwell on some incidental matter. |
| dilapidated | pa. Fallen into decay or partial ruin. |
| dilate | v. To enlarge in all directions. |
| dilatory | adj. Tending to cause delay. |
| dilemma | n. A situation in which a choice between opposing modes of conduct is necessary. |
| dilettante | n. A superficial amateur. |
| diligence | n. Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken. |
| dilute | v. To make more fluid or less concentrated by admixture with something. |
| diminution | n. Reduction. |
| dimly | adv. Obscurely. |
| diphthong | n. The sound produced by combining two vowels in to a single syllable or running together the sounds. |
| diplomacy | n. Tact, shrewdness, or skill in conducting any kind of negotiations or in social matters. |
| diplomat | n. A representative of one sovereign state at the capital or court of another. |
| diplomatic | adj. Characterized by special tact in negotiations. |
| diplomatist | n. One remarkable for tact and shrewd management. |
| disagree | v. To be opposite in opinion. |
| disallow | v. To withhold permission or sanction. |
| disappear | v. To cease to exist, either actually or for the time being. |
| disappoint | v. To fail to fulfill the expectation, hope, wish, or desire of. |
| disapprove | v. To regard with blame. |
| disarm | v. To deprive of weapons. |
| disarrange | v. To throw out of order. |
| disavow | v. To disclaim responsibility for. |
| disavowal | n. Denial. |
| disbeliever | n. One who refuses to believe. |
| disburden | v. To disencumber. |
| disburse | v. To pay out or expend, as money from a fund. |
| discard | v. To reject. |
| discernible | adj. Perceivable. |
| disciple | n. One who believes the teaching of another, or who adopts and follows some doctrine. |
| disciplinary | adj. Having the nature of systematic training or subjection to authority. |
| discipline | v. To train to obedience. |
| disclaim | v. To disavow any claim to, connection with, or responsibility to. |
| discolor | v. To stain. |
| discomfit | v. To put to confusion. |
| discomfort | n. The state of being positively uncomfortable. |
| disconnect | v. To undo or dissolve the connection or association of. |
| disconsolate | adj. Grief-stricken. |
| discontinuance | n. Interruption or intermission. |
| discord | n. Absence of harmoniousness. |
| discountenance | v. To look upon with disfavor. |
| discover | v. To get first sight or knowledge of, as something previously unknown or unperceived. |
| discredit | v. To injure the reputation of. |
| discreet | adj. Judicious. |
| discrepant | adj. Opposite. |
| discriminate | v. To draw a distinction. |
| discursive | adj. Passing from one subject to another. |
| discussion | n. Debate. |
| disenfranchise | v. To deprive of any right privilege or power |
| disengage | v. To become detached. |
| disfavor | n. Disregard. |
| disfigure | v. To impair or injure the beauty, symmetry, or appearance of. |
| dishabille | n. Undress or negligent attire. |
| dishonest | adj. Untrustworthy. |
| disillusion | v. To disenchant. |
| disinfect | v. To remove or destroy the poison of infectious or contagious diseases. |
| disinfectant | n. A substance used to destroy the germs of infectious diseases. |
| disinherit | v. To deprive of an inheritance. |
| disinterested | adj. Impartial. |
| disjunctive | adj. Helping or serving to disconnect or separate. |
| dislocate | v. To put out of proper place or order. |
| dismissal | n. Displacement by authority from an office or an employment. |
| dismount | v. To throw down, push off, or otherwise remove from a horse or the like. |
| disobedience | n. Neglect or refusal to comply with an authoritative injunction. |
| disobedient | adj. Neglecting or refusing to obey. |
| disown | v. To refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as connected with oneself. |
| disparage | v. To regard or speak of slightingly. |
| disparity | n. Inequality. |
| dispel | v. To drive away by or as by scattering in different directions. |
| dispensation | n. That which is bestowed on or appointed to one from a higher power. |
| displace | v. To put out of the proper or accustomed place. |
| dispossess | v. To deprive of actual occupancy, especially of real estate. |
| disputation | n. Verbal controversy. |
| disqualify | v. To debar. |
| disquiet | v. To deprive of peace or tranquillity. |
| disregard | v. To take no notice of. |
| disreputable | adj. Dishonorable or disgraceful. |
| disrepute | n. A bad name or character. |
| disrobe | v. To unclothe. |
| disrupt | v. To burst or break asunder. |
| dissatisfy | v. To displease. |
| dissect | v. To cut apart or to pieces. |
| dissection | n. The act or operation of cutting in pieces, specifically of a plant or an animal. |
| dissemble | v. To hide by pretending something different. |
| disseminate | v. To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown. |
| dissension | n. Angry or violent difference of opinion. |
| dissent | n. Disagreement. |
| dissentient | n. One who disagrees. |
| dissentious | adj. Contentious. |
| dissertation | n. Thesis. |
| disservice | n. An ill turn. |
| dissever | v. To divide. |
| dissimilar | adj. Different. |
| dissipate | v. To disperse or disappear. |
| dissipation | n. The state of being dispersed or scattered. |
| dissolute | adj. Lewd. |
| dissolution | n. A breaking up of a union of persons. |
| dissolve | v. To liquefy or soften, as by heat or moisture. |
| dissonance | n. Discord. |
| dissonant | adj. Harsh or disagreeable in sound. |
| dissuade | v. To change the purpose or alter the plans of by persuasion, counsel, or pleading. |
| dissuasion | n. The act of changing the purpose of or altering the plans of through persuasion, or pleading. |
| disyllable | n. A word of two syllables. |
| distemper | n. A disease or malady. |
| distend | v. To stretch out or expand in every direction. |
| distensible | adj. Capable of being stretched out or expanded in every direction. |
| distention | n. Expansion. |
| distill | v. To extract or produce by vaporization and condensation. |
| distillation | n. Separation of the more volatile parts of a substance from those less volatile. |
| distiller | n. One occupied in the business of distilling alcoholic liquors. |
| distinction | n. A note or designation of honor, officially recognizing superiority or success in studies. |
| distort | v. To twist into an unnatural or irregular form. |
| distrain | v. To subject a person to distress. |
| distrainor | n. One who subjects a person to distress. |
| distraught | adj. Bewildered. |
| distrust | n. Lack of confidence in the power, wisdom, or good intent of any person. |
| disunion | n. Separation of relations or interests. |
| diurnal | adj. Daily. |
| divagation | n. Digression. |
| divergent | adj. Tending in different directions. |
| diverse | adj. Capable of various forms. |
| diversion | n. Pastime. |
| diversity | n. Dissimilitude. |
| divert | v. To turn from the accustomed course or a line of action already established. |
| divertible | adj. Able to be turned from the accustomed course or a line of action already established. |
| divest | v. To strip, specifically of clothes, ornaments, or accouterments or disinvestment. |
| divination | n. The pretended forecast of future events or discovery of what is lost or hidden. |
| divinity | n. The quality or character of being godlike. |
| divisible | adj. Capable of being separated into parts. |
| divisor | n. That by which a number or quantity is divided. |
| divulge | v. To tell or make known, as something previously private or secret. |
| divulgence | n. A divulging. |
| docile | adj. Easy to manage. |
| docket | n. The registry of judgments of a court. |
| doe | n. The female of the deer. |
| dogma | n. A statement of religious faith or duty formulated by a body claiming authority. |
| dogmatic | adj. Making statements without argument or evidence. |
| dogmatize | v. To make positive assertions without supporting them by argument or evidence. |
| doleful | adj. Melancholy. |
| dolesome | adj. Melancholy. |
| dolor | n. Lamentation. |
| dolorous | adj. Expressing or causing sorrow or pain. |
| domain | n. A sphere or field of action or interest. |
| domesticity | n. Life in or fondness for one's home and family. |
| domicile | n. The place where one lives. |
| dominance | n. Ascendancy. |
| dominant | adj. Conspicuously prominent. |
| dominate | v. To influence controllingly. |
| domination | n. Control by the exercise of power or constituted authority. |
| domineer | v. To rule with insolence or unnecessary annoyance. |
| donate | v. To bestow as a gift, especially for a worthy cause. |
| donator | n. One who makes a donation or present. |
| donee | n. A person to whom a donation is made. |
| donor | n. One who makes a donation or present. |
| dormant | adj. Being in a state of or resembling sleep. |
| doublet | n. One of a pair of like things. |
| doubly | adv. In twofold degree or extent. |
| dowry | n. The property which a wife brings to her husband in marriage. |
| drachma | n. A modern and an ancient Greek coin. |
| dragnet | n. A net to be drawn along the bottom of the water. |
| dragoon | n. In the British army, a cavalryman. |
| drainage | n. The means of draining collectively, as a system of conduits, trenches, pipes, etc. |
| dramatist | n. One who writes plays. |
| dramatize | v. To relate or represent in a dramatic or theatrical manner. |
| drastic | adj. Acting vigorously. |
| drought | n. Dry weather, especially when so long continued as to cause vegetation to wither. |
| drowsy | adj. Heavy with sleepiness. |
| drudgery | n. Hard and constant work in any menial or dull occupation. |
| dubious | adj. Doubtful. |
| duckling | n. A young duck. |
| ductile | adj. Capable of being drawn out, as into wire or a thread. |
| duet | n. A composition for two voices or instruments. |
| dun | v. To make a demand or repeated demands on for payment. |
| duplex | adj. Having two parts. |
| duplicity | n. Double-dealing. |
| durance | n. Confinement. |
| duration | n. The period of time during which anything lasts. |
| duteous | adj. Showing submission to natural superiors. |
| dutiable | adj. Subject to a duty, especially a customs duty. |
| dutiful | adj. Obedient. |
| dwindle | v. To diminish or become less. |
| dyne | n. The force which, applied to a mass of one gram for 1 second, would give it a velocity of 1 cm/s. |
| earnest | adj. Ardent in spirit and speech. |
| earthenware | n. Anything made of clay and baked in a kiln or dried in the sun. |
| eatable | adj. Edible. |
| ebullient | adj. Showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling. |
| eccentric | adj. Peculiar. |
| eccentricity | n. Idiosyncrasy. |
| eclipse | n. The obstruction of a heavenly body by its entering into the shadow of another body. |
| economize | v. To spend sparingly. |
| ecstasy | n. Rapturous excitement or exaltation. |
| ecstatic | adj. Enraptured. |
| edible | adj. Suitable to be eaten. |
| edict | n. That which is uttered or proclaimed by authority as a rule of action. |
| edify | v. To build up, or strengthen, especially in morals or religion. |
| editorial | n. An article in a periodical written by the editor and published as an official argument. |
| educe | v. To draw out. |
| efface | v. To obliterate. |
| effect | n. A consequence. |
| effective | adj. Fit for a destined purpose. |
| effectual | adj. Efficient. |
| effeminacy | n. Womanishness. |
| effeminate | adj. Having womanish traits or qualities. |
| effervesce | v. To bubble up. |
| effervescent | adj. Giving off bubbles of gas. |
| effete | adj. Exhausted, as having performed its functions. |
| efficacious | adj. Effective. |
| efficacy | n. The power to produce an intended effect as shown in the production of it. |
| efficiency | n. The state of possessing adequate skill or knowledge for the performance of a duty. |
| efficient | adj. Having and exercising the power to produce effects or results. |
| efflorescence | n. The state of being flowery, or a flowery appearance. |
| efflorescent | adj. Opening in flower. |
| effluvium | n. A noxious or ill-smelling exhalation from decaying or putrefying matter. |
| effrontery | n. Unblushing impudence. |
| effulgence | n. Splendor. |
| effuse | v. To pour forth. |
| effusion | n. an outpouring. |
| egoism | n. The theory that places man's chief good in the completeness of self. |
| egoist | n. One who advocates or practices egoism. |
| egotism | n. Self-conceit. |
| egotist | n. One given to self-mention or who is constantly telling of his own views and experiences. |
| egregious | adj. Extreme. |
| egress | n. Any place of exit. |
| eject | v. To expel. |
| elapse | v. To quietly terminate: said of time. |
| elasticity | n. That property of matter by which a body tends to return to a former shape after being changed. |
| electrolysis | n. The process of decomposing a chemical compound by the passage of an electric current. |
| electrotype | n. A metallic copy of any surface, as a coin. |
| elegy | n. A lyric poem lamenting the dead. |
| element | n. A component or essential part. |
| elicit | v. To educe or extract gradually or without violence. |
| eligible | adj. Qualified for selection. |
| eliminate | v. To separate and cast aside. |
| Elizabethan | adj. Relating to Elizabeth, queen of England, or to her era. |
| elocution | n. The art of correct intonation, inflection, and gesture in public speaking or reading. |
| eloquent | adj. Having the ability to express emotion or feeling in lofty and impassioned speech. |
| elucidate | v. To bring out more clearly the facts concerning. |
| elude | v. To evade the search or pursuit of by dexterity or artifice. |
| elusion | n. Evasion. |
| emaciate | v. To waste away in flesh. |
| emanate | v. To flow forth or proceed, as from some source. |
| emancipate | v. To release from bondage. |
| embargo | n. Authoritative stoppage of foreign commerce or of any special trade. |
| embark | v. To make a beginning in some occupation or scheme. |
| embarrass | v. To render flustered or agitated. |
| embellish | v. To make beautiful or elegant by adding attractive or ornamental features. |
| embezzle | v. To misappropriate secretly. |
| emblazon | v. To set forth publicly or in glowing terms. |
| emblem | n. A symbol. |
| embody | v. To express, formulate, or exemplify in a concrete, compact or visible form. |
| embolden | v. To give courage to. |
| embolism | n. An obstruction or plugging up of an artery or other blood-vessel. |
| embroil | v. To involve in dissension or strife. |
| emerge | v. To come into view or into existence. |
| emergence | n. A coming into view. |
| emergent | adj. Coming into view. |
| emeritus | adj. Retired from active service but retained to an honorary position. |
| emigrant | n. One who moves from one place to settle in another. |
| emigrate | v. To go from one country, state, or region for the purpose of settling or residing in another. |
| eminence | n. An elevated position with respect to rank, place, character, condition, etc. |
| eminent | adj. High in station, merit, or esteem. |
| emit | v. To send or give out. |
| emphasis | n. Any special impressiveness added to an utterance or act, or stress laid upon some word. |
| emphasize | v. To articulate or enunciate with special impressiveness upon a word, or a group of words. |
| emphatic | adj. Spoken with any special impressiveness laid upon an act, word, or set of words. |
| employee | n. One who works for wages or a salary. |
| employer | n. One who uses or engages the services of other persons for pay. |
| emporium | n. A bazaar or shop. |
| empower | v. To delegate authority to. |
| emulate | v. To imitate with intent to equal or surpass. |
| enact | v. To make into law, as by legislative act. |
| enamor | v. To inspire with ardent love. |
| encamp | v. To pitch tents for a resting-place. |
| encomium | n. A formal or discriminating expression of praise. |
| encompass | v. To encircle. |
| encore | n. The call for a repetition, as of some part of a play or performance. |
| encourage | v. To inspire with courage, hope, or strength of mind. |
| encroach | v. To invade partially or insidiously and appropriate the possessions of another. |
| encumber | v. To impede with obstacles. |
| encyclical | adj. Intended for general circulation. |
| encyclopedia | n. A work containing information on subjects, or exhaustive of one subject. |
| endanger | v. To expose to peril. |
| endear | v. To cause to be loved. |
| endemic | adj. Peculiar to some specified country or people. |
| endue | v. To endow with some quality, gift, or grace, usually spiritual. |
| endurable | adj. Tolerable. |
| endurance | n. The ability to suffer pain, distress, hardship, or stress of any kind without succumbing. |
| energetic | adj. Working vigorously. |
| enervate | v. To render ineffective or inoperative. |
| enfeeble | v. To debilitate. |
| enfranchise | v. To endow with a privilege, especially with the right to vote. |
| engender | v. To produce. |
| engrave | v. To cut or carve in or upon some surface. |
| engross | v. To occupy completely. |
| enhance | v. To intensify. |
| enigma | n. A riddle. |
| enjoin | v. To command. |
| enkindle | v. To set on fire. |
| enlighten | v. To cause to see clearly. |
| enlist | v. To enter voluntarily the military service by formal enrollment. |
| enmity | n. Hatred. |
| ennoble | v. To dignify. |
| enormity | n. Immensity. |
| enormous | adj. Gigantic. |
| enrage | v. To infuriate. |
| enrapture | v. To delight extravagantly or intensely. |
| enshrine | v. To keep sacred. |
| ensnare | v. To entrap. |
| entail | v. To involve; necessitate. |
| entangle | v. To involve in difficulties, confusion, or complications. |
| enthrall | v. To bring or hold under any overmastering influence. |
| enthrone | v. To invest with sovereign power. |
| enthuse | v. To yield to or display intense and rapturous feeling. |
| enthusiastic | adj. Full of zeal and fervor. |
| entirety | n. A complete thing. |
| entomology | n. The branch of zoology that treats of insects. |
| entrails | n. pl. The internal parts of an animal. |
| entreaty | n. An earnest request. |
| entree | n. The act of entering. |
| entrench | v. To fortify or protect, as with a trench or ditch and wall. |
| entwine | v. To interweave. |
| enumerate | v. To name one by one. |
| epic | n. A poem celebrating in formal verse the mythical achievements of great personages, heroes, etc. |
| epicure | n. One who cultivates a delicate taste for eating and drinking. |
| Epicurean | adj. Indulging, ministering, or pertaining to daintiness of appetite. |
| epicycle | n. A circle that rolls upon the external or internal circumference of another circle. |
| epicycloid | n. A curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle which rolls upon another circle. |
| epidemic | n. Wide-spread occurrence of a disease in a certain region. |
| epidermis | n. The outer skin. |
| epigram | n. A pithy phrasing of a shrewd observation. |
| epilogue | n. The close of a narrative or dramatic poem. |
| epiphany | n. Any appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity. |
| episode | n. An incident or story in a literary work, separable from yet growing out of it. |
| epitaph | n. An inscription on a tomb or monument in honor or in memory of the dead. |
| epithet | n. Word used adjectivally to describe some quality or attribute of is objects, as in "Father Aeneas". |
| epitome | n. A simplified representation. |
| epizootic | adj. Prevailing among animals. |
| epoch | n. A interval of time, memorable for extraordinary events. |
| epode | n. A species of lyric poems. |
| equalize | v. To render uniform. |
| equanimity | n. Evenness of mind or temper. |
| equestrian | adj. Pertaining to horses or horsemanship. |
| equilibrium | n. A state of balance. |
| equitable | adj. Characterized by fairness. |
| equity | n. Fairness or impartiality. |
| equivalent | adj. Equal in value, force, meaning, or the like. |
| equivocal | adj. Ambiguous. |
| equivocate | v. To use words of double meaning. |
| eradicate | v. To destroy thoroughly. |
| errant | adj. Roving or wandering, as in search of adventure or opportunity for gallant deeds. |
| erratic | adj. Irregular. |
| erroneous | adj. Incorrect. |
| erudite | adj. Very-learned. |
| erudition | n. Extensive knowledge of literature, history, language, etc. |
| eschew | v. To keep clear of. |
| espy | v. To keep close watch. |
| esquire | n. A title of dignity, office, or courtesy. |
| essence | n. That which makes a thing to be what it is. |
| esthetic | adj. Pertaining to beauty, taste, or the fine arts. |
| estimable | adj. Worthy of respect. |
| estrange | v. To alienate. |
| estuary | n. A wide lower part of a tidal river. |
| et | cetera Latin. And so forth. |
| eugenic | adj. Relating to the development and improvement of race. |
| eulogize | v. To speak or write a laudation of a person's life or character. |
| eulogy | n. A spoken or written laudation of a person's life or character. |
| euphemism | n. A figure of speech by which a phrase less offensive is substituted. |
| euphonious | adj. Characterized by agreeableness of sound. |
| euphony | n. Agreeableness of sound. |
| eureka | Greek. I have found it. |
| evade | v. To avoid by artifice. |
| evanesce | v. To vanish gradually. |
| evanescent | adj. Fleeting. |
| evangelical | adj. Seeking the conversion of sinners. |
| evangelist | n. A preacher who goes from place to place holding services. |
| evasion | n. Escape. |
| eventual | adj. Ultimate. |
| evert | v. To turn inside out. |
| evict | v. To dispossess pursuant to judicial decree. |
| evidential | adj. Indicative. |
| evince | v. To make manifest or evident. |
| evoke | v. To call or summon forth. |
| evolution | n. Development or growth. |
| evolve | v. To unfold or expand. |
| exacerbate | v. To make more sharp, severe, or virulent. |
| exaggerate | v. To overstate. |
| exasperate | v. To excite great anger in. |
| excavate | v. To remove by digging or scooping out. |
| exceed | v. To go beyond, as in measure, quality, value, action, power, skill, etc. |
| excel | v. To be superior or distinguished. |
| excellence | n. Possession of eminently or unusually good qualities. |
| excellency | n. A title of honor bestowed upon various high officials. |
| excellent | adj. Possessing distinguished merit. |
| excerpt | n. An extract or selection from written or printed matter. |
| excess | n. That which passes the ordinary, proper, or required limit, measure, or experience. |
| excitable | adj. Nervously high-strung. |
| excitation | n. Intensified emotion or action. |
| exclamation | n. An abrupt or emphatic expression of thought or of feeling. |
| exclude | v. To shut out purposely or forcibly. |
| exclusion | n. Non-admission. |
| excrescence | n. Any unnatural addition, outgrowth, or development. |
| excretion | n. The getting rid of waste matter. |
| excruciate | v. To inflict severe pain or agony upon. |
| excursion | n. A journey. |
| excusable | adj. Justifiable. |
| execrable | adj. Abominable. |
| execration | n. An accursed thing. |
| executor | n. A person nominated by the will of another to execute the will. |
| exegesis | n. Biblical exposition or interpretation. |
| exemplar | n. A model, pattern, or original to be copied or imitated. |
| exemplary | adj. Fitted to serve as a model or example worthy of imitation. |
| exemplify | v. To show by example. |
| exempt | adj. Free, clear, or released, as from some liability, or restriction affecting others. |
| exert | v. To make an effort. |
| exhale | v. To breathe forth. |
| exhaust | v. To empty by draining off the contents. |
| exhaustible | adj. Causing or tending to cause exhaustion. |
| exhaustion | n. Deprivation of strength or energy. |
| exhaustive | adj. Thorough and complete in execution. |
| exhilarate | v. To fill with high or cheerful spirits. |
| exhume | v. To dig out of the earth (what has been buried). |
| exigency | n. A critical period or condition. |
| exigent | adj. Urgent. |
| existence | n. Possession or continuance of being. |
| exit | n. A way or passage out. |
| exodus | n. A going forth or departure from a place or country, especially of many people. |
| exonerate | v. To relieve or vindicate from accusation, imputation, or blame. |
| exorbitance | n. Extravagance or enormity. |
| exorbitant | adj. Going beyond usual and proper limits. |
| exorcise | v. To cast or drive out by religious or magical means. |
| exotic | adj. Foreign. |
| expand | v. To increase in range or scope. |
| expanse | n. A continuous area or stretch. |
| expansion | n. Increase of amount, size, scope, or the like. |
| expatriate | v. To drive from one's own country. |
| expect | v. To look forward to as certain or probable. |
| expectancy | n. The act or state of looking forward to as certain or probable. |
| expectorate | v. To cough up and spit forth. |
| expediency | n. Fitness to meet the requirements of a particular case. |
| expedient | adj. Contributing to personal advantage. |
| expedite | v. To hasten the movement or progress of. |
| expeditious | adj. Speedy. |
| expend | v. To spend. |
| expense | n. The laying out or expending or money or other resources, as time or strength. |
| expiate | v. To make satisfaction or amends for. |
| explicate | v. To clear from involvement. |
| explicit | adj. Definite. |
| explode | v. To cause to burst in pieces by force from within. |
| explosion | n. A sudden and violent outbreak. |
| explosive | adj. Pertaining to a sudden and violent outbreak. |
| exposition | n. Formal presentation. |
| expository | adj. Pertaining to a formal presentation. |
| expostulate | v. To discuss. |
| exposure | n. An open situation or position in relation to the sun, elements, or points of the compass. |
| expressive | adj. Full of meaning. |
| expulsion | n. Forcible ejection. |
| extant | adj. Still existing and known. |
| extemporaneous | adj. Done or made without much or any preparation. |
| extempore | adv. Without studied or special preparation. |
| extensible | adj. Capable of being thrust out. |
| extension | n. A reaching or stretching out, as in space, time or scope. |
| extensive | adj. Extended widely in space, time, or scope. |
| extensor | n. A muscle that causes extension. |
| extenuate | v. To diminish the gravity or importance of. |
| exterior | n. That which is outside. |
| external | n. Anything relating or belonging to the outside. |
| extinct | adj. Being no longer in existence. |
| extinguish | v. To render extinct. |
| extol | v. To praise in the highest terms. |
| extort | v. To obtain by violence, threats, compulsion, or the subjection of another to some necessity. |
| extortion | n. The practice of obtaining by violence or compulsion. |
| extradite | v. To surrender the custody of. |
| extradition | n. The surrender by a government of a person accused of crime to the justice of another government. |
| extrajudicial | adj. Happening out of court. |
| extraneous | adj. Having no essential relation to a subject. |
| extraordinary | adj. Unusual. |
| extravagance | n. Undue expenditure of money. |
| extravagant | adj. Needlessly free or lavish in expenditure. |
| extremist | n. One who supports extreme measures or holds extreme views. |
| extremity | n. The utmost point, side, or border, or that farthest removed from a mean position. |
| extricate | v. Disentangle. |
| extrude | v. To drive out or away. |
| exuberance | n. Rich supply. |
| exuberant | adj. Marked by great plentifulness. |
| fabricate | v. To invent fancifully or falsely. |
| fabulous | adj. Incredible. |
| facet | n. One of the small triangular plane surfaces of a diamond or other gem. |
| facetious | adj. Amusing. |
| facial | adj. Pertaining to the face. |
| facile | adj. Not difficult to do. |
| facilitate | v. To make more easy. |
| facility | n. Ease. |
| facsimile | n. An exact copy or reproduction. |
| faction | n. A number of persons combined for a common purpose. |
| factious | adj. Turbulent. |
| fallacious | adj. Illogical. |
| fallacy | n. Any unsound or delusive mode of reasoning, or anything based on such reasoning. |
| fallible | adj. Capable of erring. |
| fallow | n. Land broken up and left to become mellow or to rest. |
| famish | v. To suffer extremity of hunger or thirst. |
| fanatic | n. A religious zealot. |
| fancier | n. One having a taste for or interest in special objects. |
| fanciless | adj. Unimaginative. |
| fastidious | adj. Hard to please. |
| fathom | n. A measure of length, 6 feet. |
| fatuous | adj. Idiotic |
| faulty | adj. Imperfect. |
| faun | n. One of a class of deities of the woods and herds represented as half human, with goats feet. |
| fawn | n. A young deer. |
| fealty | n. Loyalty. |
| feasible | adj. That may be done, performed, or effected; practicable. |
| federate | v. To league together. |
| feint | n. Any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement. |
| felicitate | v. To wish joy or happiness to, especially in view of a coming event. |
| felicity | n. A state of well-founded happiness. |
| felon | n. A criminal or depraved person. |
| felonious | adj. Showing criminal or evil purpose. |
| felony | n. One of the highest class of offenses, and punishable with death or imprisonment. |
| feminine | adj. Characteristic of woman or womankind. |
| fernery | n. A place in which ferns are grown. |
| ferocious | adj. Of a wild, fierce, and savage nature. |
| ferocity | n. Savageness. |
| fervent | adj. Ardent in feeling. |
| fervid | adj. Intense. |
| fervor | n. Ardor or intensity of feeling. |
| festal | adj. Joyous. |
| festive | adj. Merry. |
| fete | n. A festival or feast. |
| fetus | n. The young in the womb or in the egg. |
| feudal | adj. Pertaining to the relation of lord and vassal. |
| feudalism | n. The feudal system. |
| fez | n. A brimless felt cap in the shape of a truncated cone, usually red with a black tassel. |
| fiasco | n. A complete or humiliating failure. |
| fickle | adj. Unduly changeable in feeling, judgment, or purpose. |
| fictitious | adj. Created or formed by the imagination. |
| fidelity | n. Loyalty. |
| fiducial | adj. Indicative of faith or trust. |
| fief | n. A landed estate held under feudal tenure. |
| filibuster | n. One who attempts to obstruct legislation. |
| finale | n. Concluding performance. |
| finality | n. The state or quality of being final or complete. |
| finally | adv. At last. |
| financial | adj. Monetary. |
| financier | n. One skilled in or occupied with financial affairs or operations. |
| finery | n. That which is used to decorate the person or dress. |
| finesse | n. Subtle contrivance used to gain a point. |
| finite | adj. Limited. |
| fiscal | adj. Pertaining to the treasury or public finances of a government. |
| fishmonger | n. One who sells fish. |
| fissure | n. A crack or crack-like depression. |
| fitful | adj. Spasmodic. |
| fixture | n. One who or that which is expected to remain permanently in its position. |
| flag-officer | n. The captain of a flag-ship. |
| flagrant | adj. Openly scandalous. |
| flamboyant | adj. Characterized by extravagance and in general by want of good taste. |
| flatulence | n. Accumulation of gas in the stomach and bowels. |
| flection | n. The act of bending. |
| fledgling | n. A young bird. |
| flexible | adj. Pliable. |
| flimsy | adj. Thin and weak. |
| flippant | adj. Having a light, pert, trifling disposition. |
| floe | n. A collection of tabular masses of floating polar ice. |
| flora | n. The aggregate of plants growing without cultivation in a district. |
| floral | adj. Pertaining to flowers. |
| florid | adj. Flushed with red. |
| florist | n. A dealer in flowers. |
| fluctuate | v. To pass backward and forward irregularly from one state or degree to another. |
| fluctuation | n. Frequent irregular change back and forth from one state or degree to another. |
| flue | n. A smoke-duct in a chimney. |
| fluent | adj. Having a ready or easy flow of words or ideas. |
| fluential | adj. Pertaining to streams. |
| flux | n. A state of constant movement, change, or renewal. |
| foggy | adj. Obscure. |
| foible | n. A personal weakness or failing. |
| foist | v. To palm off. |
| foliage | n. Any growth of leaves. |
| folio | n. A sheet of paper folded once, or of a size adapted to folding once. |
| folk-lore | n. The traditions, beliefs, and customs of the common people. |
| fondle | v. To handle tenderly and lovingly. |
| foolery | n. Folly. |
| foot-note | n. A note of explanation or comment at the foot of a page or column. |
| foppery | n. Dandyism. |
| foppish | adj. Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties of manners. |
| forbearance | n. Patient endurance or toleration of offenses. |
| forby | adv. Besides. |
| forcible | adj. Violent. |
| forecourt | n. A court opening directly from the street. |
| forejudge | v. To judge of before hearing evidence. |
| forepeak | n. The extreme forward part of a ship's hold, under the lowest deck. |
| foreshore | n. That part of a shore uncovered at low tide. |
| forebode | v. To be an omen or warning sign of, especially of evil. |
| forecast | v. To predict. |
| forecastle | n. That part of the upper deck of a ship forward of the after fore-shrouds. |
| foreclose | v. To bar by judicial proceedings the equitable right of a mortgagor to redeem property. |
| forefather | n. An ancestor. |
| forego | v. To deny oneself the pleasure or profit of. |
| foreground | n. That part of a landscape or picture situated or represented as nearest the spectator. |
| forehead | n. The upper part of the face, between the eyes and the hair. |
| foreign | adj. Belonging to, situated in, or derived from another country. |
| foreigner | n. A citizen of a foreign country. |
| foreknowledge | n. Prescience. |
| foreman | n. The head man. |
| foreordain | v. To predetermine. |
| foreordination | n. Predestination. |
| forerun | v. To go before as introducing or ushering in. |
| foresail | n. A square sail. |
| foresee | v. To discern beforehand. |
| foresight | n. Provision against harm or need. |
| foretell | v. To predict. |
| forethought | n. Premeditation. |
| forfeit | v. To lose possession of through failure to fulfill some obligation. |
| forfend | v. To ward off. |
| forgery | n. Counterfeiting. |
| forgo | v. To deny oneself. |
| formation | n. Relative disposition of parts. |
| formidable | adj. Difficult to accomplish. |
| formula | n. Fixed rule or set form. |
| forswear | v. To renounce upon oath. |
| forte | n. A strong point. |
| forth | adv. Into notice or view. |
| forthright | adv. With directness. |
| fortify | v. To provide with defensive works. |
| fortitude | n. Patient courage. |
| foursome | adj. Consisting of four. |
| fracture | n. A break. |
| fragile | adj. Easily broken. |
| frailty | n. Liability to be broken or destroyed. |
| fragile | adj. Capable of being broken. |
| frankincense | n. A gum or resin which on burning yields aromatic fumes. |
| frantic | adj. Frenzied. |
| fraternal | adj. Brotherly. |
| fraudulence | n. Deceitfulness. |
| fraudulent | adj. Counterfeit. |
| fray | v. To fret at the edge so as to loosen or break the threads. |
| freemason | n. A member of an ancient secret fraternity originally confined to skilled artisans. |
| freethinker | n. One who rejects authority or inspiration in religion. |
| free | trade n. Commerce unrestricted by tariff or customs. |
| frequency | n. The comparative number of any kind of occurrences within a given time or space. |
| fresco | n. The art of painting on a surface of plaster, particularly on walls and ceilings. |
| freshness | n. The state, quality, or degree of being fresh. |
| fretful | adj. Disposed to peevishness. |
| frightful | adj. Apt to induce terror or alarm. |
| frigid | adj. Lacking warmth. |
| frigidarium | n. A room kept at a low temperature for preserving fruits, meat, etc. |
| frivolity | n. A trifling act, thought, saying, or practice. |
| frivolous | adj. Trivial. |
| frizz | v. To give a crinkled, fluffy appearance to. |
| frizzle | v. To cause to crinkle or curl, as the hair. |
| frolicsome | adj. Prankish. |
| frontier | n. The part of a nation's territory that abuts upon another country. |
| frowzy | adj. Slovenly in appearance. |
| frugal | adj. Economical. |
| fruition | n. Fulfillment. |
| fugacious | adj. Fleeting. |
| fulcrum | n. The support on or against which a lever rests, or the point about which it turns. |
| fulminate | v. To cause to explode. |
| fulsome | adj. Offensive from excess of praise or commendation. |
| fumigate | v. To subject to the action of smoke or fumes, especially for disinfection. |
| functionary | n. An official. |
| fundamental | adj. Basal. |
| fungible | adj. That may be measured, counted, or weighed. |
| fungous | adj. Spongy. |
| fungus | n. A plant destitute of chlorophyll, as a mushroom. |
| furbish | v. To restore brightness or beauty to. |
| furlong | n. A measure, one-eighth of a mile. |
| furlough | n. A temporary absence of a soldier or sailor by permission of the commanding officer. |
| furrier | n. A dealer in or maker of fur goods. |
| further | adj. More distant or advanced. |
| furtherance | n. Advancement. |
| furtive | adj. Stealthy or sly, like the actions of a thief. |
| fuse | v. To unite or blend as by melting together. |
| fusible | adj. Capable of being melted by heat. |
| futile | adj. Of no avail or effect. |
| futurist | n. A person of expectant temperament. |
| gauge | n. An instrument for measuring. |
| gaiety | n. Festivity. |
| gaily | adv. Merrily. |
| gait | n. Carriage of the body in going. |
| gallant | adj. Possessing a brave or chivalrous spirit. |
| galore | adj. Abundant. |
| galvanic | adj. Pertaining or relating to electricity produced by chemical action. |
| galvanism | n. Current electricity, especially that arising from chemical action. |
| galvanize | v. To imbue with life or animation. |
| gamble | v. To risk money or other possession on an event, chance, or contingency. |
| gambol | n. Playful leaping or frisking. |
| gamester | n. A gambler. |
| gamut | n. The whole range or sequence. |
| garnish | v. In cookery, to surround with additions for embellishment. |
| garrison | n. The military force stationed in a fort, town, or other place for its defense. |
| garrote | v. To execute by strangling. |
| garrulous | adj. Given to constant trivial talking. |
| gaseous | adj. Light and unsubstantial. |
| gastric | adj. Of, pertaining to, or near the stomach. |
| gastritis | n. Inflammation of the stomach. |
| gastronomy | n. The art of preparing and serving appetizing food. |
| gendarme | n. In continental Europe, particularly in France, a uniformed and armed police officer. |
| genealogy | n. A list, in the order of succession, of ancestors and their descendants. |
| genealogist | n. A tracer of pedigrees. |
| generality | n. The principal portion. |
| generalize | v. To draw general inferences. |
| generally | adv. Ordinarily. |
| generate | v. To produce or cause to be. |
| generic | adj. Noting a genus or kind; opposed to specific. |
| generosity | n. A disposition to give liberally or to bestow favors heartily. |
| genesis | n. Creation. |
| geniality | n. Warmth and kindliness of disposition. |
| genital | adj. Of or pertaining to the animal reproductive organs. |
| genitive | adj. Indicating source, origin, possession, or the like. |
| genteel | adj. Well-bred or refined. |
| gentile | adj. Belonging to a people not Jewish. |
| geology | n. The department of natural science that treats of the constitution and structure of the earth. |
| germane | adj. Relevant. |
| germinate | v. To begin to develop into an embryo or higher form. |
| gestation | n. Pregnancy. |
| gesticulate | v. To make gestures or motions, as in speaking, or in place of speech. |
| gesture | n. A movement or action of the hands or face, expressive of some idea or emotion. |
| ghastly | adj. Hideous. |
| gibe | v. To utter taunts or reproaches. |
| giddy | adj. Affected with a whirling or swimming sensation in the head. |
| gigantic | adj. Tremendous. |
| giver | n. One who gives, in any sense. |
| glacial | adj. Icy, or icily cold. |
| glacier | n. A field or stream of ice. |
| gladden | v. To make joyous. |
| glazier | n. One who cuts and fits panes of glass, as for windows. |
| glimmer | n. A faint, wavering, unsteady light. |
| glimpse | n. A momentary look. |
| globose | adj. Spherical. |
| globular | adj. Spherical. |
| glorious | adj. Of excellence and splendor. |
| glutinous | adj. Sticky. |
| gluttonous | adj. Given to excess in eating. |
| gnash | v. To grind or strike the teeth together, as from rage. |
| Gordian | knot n. Any difficulty the only issue out of which is by bold or unusual manners. |
| gourmand | n. A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table. |
| gosling | n. A young goose. |
| gossamer | adj. Flimsy. |
| gourd | n. A melon, pumpkin, squash, or some similar fruit having a hard rind. |
| graceless | adj. Ungracious. |
| gradation | n. A step, degree, rank, or relative position in an order or series. |
| gradient | adj. Moving or advancing by steps. |
| granary | n. A storehouse for grain after it is thrashed or husked. |
| grandeur | n. The quality of being grand or admirably great. |
| grandiloquent | adj. Speaking in or characterized by a pompous or bombastic style. |
| grandiose | adj. Having an imposing style or effect. |
| grantee | n. The person to whom property is transferred by deed. |
| grantor | n. The maker of a deed. |
| granular | adj. Composed of small grains or particles. |
| granulate | v. To form into grains or small particles. |
| granule | n. A small grain or particle. |
| grapple | v. To take hold of. |
| gratification | n. Satisfaction. |
| gratify | v. To please, as by satisfying a physical or mental desire or need. |
| gratuitous | adj. Voluntarily. |
| gratuity | n. That which is given without demand or claim. Tip. |
| gravity | n. Seriousness. |
| gregarious | adj. Not habitually solitary or living alone. |
| grenadier | n. A member of a regiment composed of men of great stature. |
| grief | n. Sorrow. |
| grievance | n. That which oppresses, injures, or causes grief and at the same time a sense of wrong. |
| grievous | adj. Creating affliction. |
| grimace | n. A distortion of the features, occasioned by some feeling of pain, disgust, etc. |
| grindstone | n. A flat circular stone, used for sharpening tools. |
| grisly | adj. Fear-inspiring. |
| grotesque | adj. Incongruously composed or ill-proportioned. |
| grotto | n. A small cavern. |
| ground | n. A pavement or floor or any supporting surface on which one may walk. |
| guess | n. Surmise. |
| guile | n. Duplicity. |
| guileless | adj. Frank. |
| guinea | n. An English monetary unit. |
| guise | n. The external appearance as produced by garb or costume. |
| gullible | adj. Credulous. |
| gumption | n. Common sense. |
| gusto | n. Keen enjoyment. |
| guy | n. Stay-rope. |
| guzzle | v. To swallow greedily or hastily; gulp. |
| gynecocracy | n. Female supremacy. |
| gynecology | n. The science that treats of the functions and diseases peculiar to women. |
| gyrate | v. To revolve. |
| gyroscope | n. An instrument for illustrating the laws of rotation. |
| habitable | adj. Fit to be dwelt in. |
| habitant | n. Dweller. |
| habitual | adj. According to usual practice. |
| habitude | n. Customary relation or association. |
| hackney | v. To make stale or trite by repetition. |
| haggard | adj. Worn and gaunt in appearance. |
| halcyon | adj. Calm. |
| hale | adj. Of sound and vigorous health. |
| handwriting | n. Penmanship. |
| hanger-on | n. A parasite. |
| happy-go-lucky | adj. Improvident. |
| harangue | n. A tirade. |
| harass | v. To trouble with importunities, cares, or annoyances. |
| harbinger | n. One who or that which foreruns and announces the coming of any person or thing. |
| hard-hearted | adj. Lacking pity or sympathy. |
| hardihood | n. Foolish daring. |
| harmonious | adj. Concordant in sound. |
| havoc | n. Devastation. |
| hawthorn | n. A thorny shrub much used in England for hedges. |
| hazard | n. Risk. |
| head | first adv. Precipitately, as in diving. |
| head | foremost adv. Precipitately, as in diving. |
| heartrending | adj. Very depressing. |
| heathenish | adj. Irreligious. |
| heedless | adj. Thoughtless. |
| heifer | n. A young cow. |
| heinous | adj. Odiously sinful. |
| hemorrhage | n. Discharge of blood from a ruptured or wounded blood-vessel. |
| hemorrhoids | n. pl. Tumors composed of enlarged and thickened blood-vessels, at the lower end of the rectum. |
| henchman | n. A servile assistant and subordinate. |
| henpeck | v. To worry or harass by ill temper and petty annoyances. |
| heptagon | n. A figure having seven sides and seven angles. |
| heptarchy | n. A group of seven governments. |
| herbaceous | adj. Having the character of a herb. |
| herbarium | n. A collection of dried plants scientifically arranged for study. |
| herbivorous | adj. Feeding on herbs or other vegetable matter, as animals. |
| hereditary | adj. Passing naturally from parent to child. |
| heredity | n. Transmission of physical or mental qualities, diseases, etc., from parent to offspring. |
| heresy | n. An opinion or doctrine subversive of settled beliefs or accepted principles. |
| heretic | n. One who holds opinions contrary to the recognized standards or tenets of any philosophy. |
| heritage | n. Birthright. |
| hernia | n. Protrusion of any internal organ in whole or in part from its normal position. |
| hesitancy | n. A pausing to consider. |
| hesitant | adj. Vacillating. |
| hesitation | n. Vacillation. |
| heterodox | adj. At variance with any commonly accepted doctrine or opinion. |
| heterogeneity | n. Unlikeness of constituent parts. |
| heterogeneous | adj. Consisting of dissimilar elements or ingredients of different kinds. |
| heteromorphic | adj. Deviating from the normal form or standard type. |
| hexangular | adj. Having six angles. |
| hexapod | adj. Having six feet. |
| hexagon | n. A figure with six angles. |
| hiatus | n. A break or vacancy where something necessary to supply the connection is wanting. |
| hibernal | adj. Pertaining to winter. |
| Hibernian | adj. Pertaining to Ireland, or its people. |
| hideous | adj. Appalling. |
| hilarious | adj. Boisterously merry. |
| hillock | n. A small hill or mound. |
| hinder | v. To obstruct. |
| hindmost | adj. Farthest from the front. |
| hindrance | n. An obstacle. |
| hirsute | adj. Having a hairy covering. |
| hoard | v. To gather and store away for the sake of accumulation. |
| hoarse | adj. Having the voice harsh or rough, as from a cold or fatigue. |
| homage | n. Reverential regard or worship. |
| homogeneity | n. Congruity of the members or elements or parts. |
| homogeneous | adj. Made up of similar parts or elements. |
| homologous | adj. Identical in nature, make-up, or relation. |
| homonym | n. A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from another. |
| homophone | n. A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from another. |
| honorarium | n. A token fee or payment to a professional man for services. |
| hoodwink | v. To deceive. |
| horde | n. A gathered multitude of human beings. |
| hosiery | n. A stocking. |
| hospitable | adj. Disposed to treat strangers or guests with generous kindness. |
| hospitality | n. The practice of receiving and entertaining strangers and guests with kindness. |
| hostility | n. Enmity. |
| huckster | n. One who retails small wares. |
| humane | adj. Compassionate. |
| humanitarian | n. A philanthropist. |
| humanize | v. To make gentle or refined. |
| humbug | n. Anything intended or calculated to deceive or mislead. |
| humiliate | v. To put to shame. |
| hussar | n. A light-horse trooper armed with saber and carbine. |
| hustle | v. To move with haste and promptness. |
| hybrid | adj. Cross-bred. |
| hydra | n. The seven- or nine-headed water-serpent slain by Hercules. |
| hydraulic | adj. Involving the moving of water, of the force exerted by water in motion. |
| hydrodynamics | n. The branch of mechanics that treats of the dynamics of fluids. |
| hydroelectric | adj. Pertaining to electricity developed water or steam. |
| hydromechanics | n. The mechanics of fluids. |
| hydrometer | n. An instrument for determining the density of solids and liquids by flotation. |
| hydrostatics | n. The branch of science that treats of the pressure and equilibrium of fluids. |
| hydrous | adj. Watery. |
| hygiene | n. The branch of medical science that relates to improving health. |
| hypercritical | adj. Faultfinding. |
| hypnosis | n. An artificial trance-sleep. |
| hypnotic | adj. Tending to produce sleep. |
| hypnotism | n. An artificially induced somnambulistic state in which the mind readily acts on suggestion. |
| hypnotize | v. To produce a somnambulistic state in which the mind readily acts on suggestions. |
| hypocrisy | n. Extreme insincerity. |
| hypocrite | n. One who makes false professions of his views or beliefs. |
| hypodermic | adj. Pertaining to the area under the skin. |
| hypotenuse | n. The side of a right-angled triangle opposite the right angle. |
| hypothesis | n. A proposition taken for granted as a premise from which to reach a conclusion. |
| hysteria | n. A nervous affection occurring typically in paroxysms of laughing and crying. |
| ichthyic | adj. Fish-like. |
| ichthyology | n. The branch of zoology that treats of fishes. |
| ichthyosaurs | n. A fossil reptile. |
| icily | adv. Frigidly. |
| iciness | n. The state of being icy. |
| icon | n. An image or likeness. |
| iconoclast | n. An image-breaker. |
| idealize | v. To make to conform to some mental or imaginary standard. |
| idiom | n. A use of words peculiar to a particular language. |
| idiosyncrasy | n. A mental quality or habit peculiar to an individual. |
| idolize | v. To regard with inordinate love or admiration. |
| ignoble | adj. Low in character or purpose. |
| ignominious | adj. Shameful. |
| Iliad | n. A Greek epic poem describing scenes from the siege of Troy. |
| illegal | adj. Not according to law. |
| illegible | adj. Undecipherable. |
| illegitimate | adj. Unlawfully begotten. |
| illiberal | adj. Stingy. |
| illicit | adj. Unlawful. |
| illimitable | adj. Boundless. |
| illiterate | adj. Having little or no book-learning. |
| ill-natured | adj. Surly. |
| illogical | adj. Contrary to the rules of sound thought. |
| illuminant | n. That which may be used to produce light. |
| illuminate | v. To supply with light. |
| illumine | v. To make bright or clear. |
| illusion | n. An unreal image presented to the senses. |
| illusive | adj. Deceptive. |
| illusory | adj. Deceiving or tending to deceive, as by false appearance. |
| imaginable | adj. That can be imagined or conceived in the mind. |
| imaginary | adj. Fancied. |
| imbibe | v. To drink or take in. |
| imbroglio | n. A misunderstanding attended by ill feeling, perplexity, or strife. |
| imbrue | v. To wet or moisten. |
| imitation | n. That which is made as a likeness or copy. |
| imitator | n. One who makes in imitation. |
| immaculate | adj. Without spot or blemish. |
| immaterial | adj. Of no essential consequence. |
| immature | adj. Not full-grown. |
| immeasurable | adj. Indefinitely extensive. |
| immense | adj. Very great in degree, extent, size, or quantity. |
| immerse | v. To plunge or dip entirely under water or other fluid. |
| immersion | n. The act of plunging or dipping entirely under water or another fluid. |
| immigrant | n. A foreigner who enters a country to settle there. |
| immigrate | v. To come into a country or region from a former habitat. |
| imminence | n. Impending evil or danger. |
| imminent | adj. Dangerous and close at hand. |
| immiscible | adj. Separating, as oil and water. |
| immoral | adj. Habitually engaged in licentious or lewd practices. |
| immortalize | v. To cause to last or to be known or remembered throughout a great or indefinite length of time. |
| immovable | adj. Steadfast. |
| immune | adj. Exempt, as from disease. |
| immutable | adj. Unchangeable. |
| impair | v. To cause to become less or worse. |
| impalpable | adj. Imperceptible to the touch. |
| impartial | adj. Unbiased. |
| impassable | adj. That can not be passed through or over. |
| impassible | adj. Not moved or affected by feeling. |
| impassive | adj. Unmoved by or not exhibiting feeling. |
| impatience | n. Unwillingness to brook delays or wait the natural course of things. |
| impeccable | adj. Blameless. |
| impecunious | adj. Having no money. |
| impede | v. To be an obstacle or to place obstacles in the way of. |
| impel | v. To drive or urge forward. |
| impend | v. To be imminent. |
| imperative | adj. Obligatory. |
| imperceptible | adj. Indiscernible. |
| imperfectible | adj. That can not be perfected. |
| imperil | v. To endanger. |
| imperious | adj. Insisting on obedience. |
| impermissible | adj. Not permissible. |
| impersonal | adj. Not relating to a particular person or thing. |
| impersonate | v. To appear or act in the character of. |
| impersuadable | adj. Unyielding. |
| impertinence | n. Rudeness. |
| imperturbable | adj. Calm. |
| impervious | adj. Impenetrable. |
| impetuosity | n. Rashness. |
| impetuous | adj. Impulsive. |
| impetus | n. Any impulse or incentive. |
| impiety | n. Irreverence toward God. |
| impious | adj. Characterized by irreverence or irreligion. |
| implausible | adj. Not plausible. |
| impliable | adj. Capable of being inferred. |
| implicate | v. To show or prove to be involved in or concerned |
| implicit | adj. Implied. |
| imply | v. To signify. |
| impolitic | adj. Inexpedient. |
| importation | n. The act or practice of bringing from one country into another. |
| importunate | adj. Urgent in character, request, or demand. |
| importune | v. To harass with persistent demands or entreaties. |
| impotent | adj. Destitute of or lacking in power, physical, moral, or intellectual. |
| impoverish | v. To make indigent or poor. |
| impracticable | adj. Not feasible. |
| impregnable | adj. That can not be taken by assault. |
| impregnate | v. To make pregnant. |
| impromptu | n. Anything done or said on the impulse of the moment. |
| improper | adj. Not appropriate, suitable, or becoming. |
| impropriety | n. The state or quality of being unfit, unseemly, or inappropriate. |
| improvident | adj. Lacking foresight or thrift. |
| improvise | v. To do anything extemporaneously or offhand. |
| imprudent | adj. Heedless. |
| impudence | n. Insolent disrespect. |
| impugn | v. To assail with arguments, insinuations, or accusations. |
| impulsion | n. Impetus. |
| impulsive | adj. Unpremeditated. |
| impunity | n. Freedom from punishment. |
| impure | adj. Tainted. |
| impute | v. To attribute. |
| inaccessible | adj. Difficult of approach. |
| inaccurate | adj. Not exactly according to the facts. |
| inactive | adj. Inert. |
| inadequate | adj. Insufficient. |
| inadmissible | adj. Not to be approved, considered, or allowed, as testimony. |
| inadvertent | adj. Accidental. |
| inadvisable | adj. Unadvisable. |
| inane | adj. Silly. |
| inanimate | adj. Destitute of animal life. |
| inapprehensible | adj. Not to be understood. |
| inapt | adj. Awkward or slow. |
| inarticulate | adj. Speechless. |
| inaudible | adj. That can not be heard. |
| inborn | adj. Implanted by nature. |
| inbred | adj. Innate. |
| incandescence | n. The state of being white or glowing with heat. |
| incandescent | adj. White or glowing with heat. |
| incapacitate | v. To deprive of power, capacity, competency, or qualification. |
| incapacity | n. Want of power to apprehend, understand, and manage. |
| incarcerate | v. To imprison. |
| incendiary | n. Chemical or person who starts a fire-literally or figuratively. |
| incentive | n. That which moves the mind or inflames the passions. |
| inception | n. The beginning. |
| inceptive | adj. Beginning. |
| incessant | adj. Unceasing. |
| inchmeal | adv. Piecemeal. |
| inchoate | adj. Incipient. |
| inchoative | n. That which begins, or expresses beginning. |
| incidence | n. Casual occurrence. |
| incident | n. A happening in general, especially one of little importance. |
| incidentally | adv. Without intention. |
| incinerate | v. To reduce to ashes. |
| incipience | n. Beginning. |
| incipient | adj. Initial. |
| incisor | n. A front or cutting tooth. |
| incite | v. To rouse to a particular action. |
| incitement | n. That which moves to action, or serves as an incentive or stimulus. |
| incoercible | adj. Incapable of being forced, constrained, or compelled. |
| incoherence | n. Want of connection, or agreement, as of parts or ideas in thought, speech, etc. |
| incoherent | adj. Not logically coordinated, as to parts, elements, or details. |
| incombustible | adj. That can not be burned. |
| incomparable | adj. Matchless. |
| incompatible | adj. Discordant. |
| incompetence | n. General lack of capacity or fitness. |
| incompetent | adj. Not having the abilities desired or necessary for any purpose. |
| incomplete | adj. Lacking some element, part, or adjunct necessary or required. |
| incomprehensible | adj. Not understandable. |
| incompressible | adj. Resisting all attempts to reduce volume by pressure. |
| inconceivable | adj. Incomprehensible. |
| incongruous | adj. Unsuitable for the time, place, or occasion. |
| inconsequential | adj. Valueless. |
| inconsiderable | adj. Small in quantity or importance. |
| inconsistent | adj. Contradictory. |
| inconstant | adj. Changeable. |
| incontrovertible | adj. Indisputable. |
| inconvenient | adj. Interfering with comfort or progress. |
| indefensible | adj. Untenable. |
| indefinitely | adv. In a vague or uncertain way. |
| indelible | adj. That can not be blotted out, effaced, destroyed, or removed. |
| indescribable | adj. That can not be described. |
| indestructible | adj. That can not be destroyed. |
| indicant | adj. That which points out. |
| indicator | n. One who or that which points out. |
| indict | v. To find and declare chargeable with crime. |
| indigence | n. Poverty. |
| indigenous | adj. Native. |
| indigent | adj. Poor. |
| indigestible | adj. Not digestible, or difficult to digest. |
| indigestion | n. Difficulty or failure in the alimentary canal in changing food into absorptive nutriment. |
| indignant | adj. Having such anger and scorn as is aroused by meanness or wickedness. |
| indignity | n. Unmerited contemptuous conduct or treatment. |
| indiscernible | adj. Not perceptible. |
| indiscreet | adj. Lacking wise judgment. |
| indiscriminate | adj. Promiscuous. |
| indispensable | adj. Necessary or requisite for the purpose. |
| indistinct | adj. Vague. |
| indivertible | adj. That can not be turned aside. |
| indivisible | adj. Not separable into parts. |
| indolence | n. Laziness. |
| indolent | adj. Habitually inactive or idle. |
| indomitable | adj. Unconquerable. |
| induct | v. To bring in. |
| indulgence | n. The yielding to inclination, passion, desire, or propensity in oneself or another. |
| indulgent | adj. Yielding to the desires or humor of oneself or those under one's care. |
| inebriate | v. To intoxicate. |
| inedible | adj. Not good for food. |
| ineffable | adj. Unutterable. |
| inefficient | adj. Not accomplishing an intended purpose. |
| inefficiency | n. That which does not accomplish an intended purpose. |
| ineligible | adj. Not suitable to be selected or chosen. |
| inept | adj. Not fit or suitable. |
| inert | adj. Inanimate. |
| inestimable | adj. Above price. |
| inevitable | adj. Unavoidable. |
| inexcusable | adj. Not to be justified. |
| inexhaustible | adj. So large or furnishing so great a supply as not to be emptied, wasted, or spent. |
| inexorable | adj. Unrelenting. |
| inexpedient | adj. Unadvisable. |
| inexpensive | adj. Low-priced. |
| inexperience | n. Lack of or deficiency in experience. |
| inexplicable | adj. Such as can not be made plain. |
| inexpressible | adj. Unutterable. |
| inextensible | adj. Of unchangeable length or area. |
| infallible | adj. Exempt from error of judgment, as in opinion or statement. |
| infamous | adj. Publicly branded or notorious, as for vice, or crime. |
| infamy | n. Total loss or destitution of honor or reputation. |
| inference | n. The derivation of a judgment from any given material of knowledge on the ground of law. |
| infernal | adj. Akin to or befitting hell or its occupants. |
| infest | v. To be present in such numbers as to be a source of annoyance, trouble, or danger. |
| infidel | n. One who denies the existence of God. |
| infidelity | n. Disloyalty. |
| infinite | adj. Measureless. |
| infinity | n. Boundless or immeasurable extension or duration. |
| infirm | adj. Lacking in bodily or mental strength. |
| infirmary | n. A place for the reception or treatment of the sick. |
| infirmity | n. A physical, mental, or moral weakness or flaw. |
| inflammable | adj. Easily set on fire or excited. |
| inflammation | n. A morbid process in some part of the body characterized by heat, swelling, and pain. |
| inflexible | adj. That can not be altered or varied. |
| influence | n. Ability to sway the will of another. |
| influential | adj. Having the power to sway the will of another. |
| influx | n. Infusion. |
| infrequence | n. Rareness. |
| infrequent | adj. Uncommon. |
| infringe | v. To trespass upon. |
| infuse | v. To instill, introduce, or inculcate, as principles or qualities. |
| infusion | n. The act of imbuing, or pouring in. |
| ingenious | adj. Evincing skill, originality, or cleverness, as in contrivance or arrangement. |
| ingenuity | n. Cleverness in contriving, combining, or originating. |
| ingenuous | adj. Candid, frank, or open in character or quality. |
| inglorious | adj. Shameful. |
| ingraft | v. To set or implant deeply and firmly. |
| ingratiate | v. To win confidence or good graces for oneself. |
| ingratitude | n. Insensibility to kindness. |
| ingredient | n. Component. |
| inherence | n. The state of being permanently existing in something. |
| inherent | adj. Intrinsic. |
| inhibit | v. To hold back or in. |
| inhospitable | adj. Not disposed to entertain strangers gratuitously. |
| inhuman | adj. Savage. |
| inhume | v. To place in the earth, as a dead body. |
| inimical | adj. Adverse. |
| iniquity | n. Gross wrong or injustice. |
| initiate | v. To perform the first act or rite. |
| inject | v. To introduce, as a fluid, by injection. |
| injunction | n. Mandate. |
| inkling | n. A hint. |
| inland | adj. Remote from the sea. |
| inlet | n. A small body of water leading into a larger. |
| inmost | adj. Deepest within. |
| innocuous | adj. Harmless. |
| innovate | v. To introduce or strive to introduce new things. |
| innuendo | n. Insinuation. |
| innumerable | adj. Countless. |
| inoffensive | adj. Causing nothing displeasing or disturbing. |
| inopportune | adj. Unsuitable or inconvenient, especially as to time. |
| inquire | v. To ask information about. |
| inquisition | n. A court or tribunal for examination and punishment of heretics. |
| inquisitive | adj. Given to questioning, especially out of curiosity. |
| inquisitor | n. One who makes an investigation. |
| inroad | n. Forcible encroachment or trespass. |
| insatiable | adj. That desires or craves immoderately or unappeasably. |
| inscribe | v. To enter in a book, or on a list, roll, or document, by writing. |
| inscrutable | adj. Impenetrably mysterious or profound. |
| insecure | adj. Not assured of safety. |
| insensible | adj. Imperceptible. |
| insentient | adj. Lacking the power of feeling or perceiving. |
| inseparable | adj. That can not be separated. |
| insidious | adj. Working ill by slow and stealthy means. |
| insight | n. Intellectual discernment. |
| insignificance | n. Lack of import or of importance. |
| insignificant | adj. Without importance, force, or influence. |
| insinuate | v. To imply. |
| insipid | adj. Tasteless. |
| insistence | n. Urgency. |
| insistent | adj. Urgent. |
| insolence | n. Pride or haughtiness exhibited in contemptuous and overbearing treatment of others. |
| insolent | adj. Impudent. |
| insomnia | n. Sleeplessness. |
| inspector | n. An official appointed to examine or oversee any matter of public interest or importance. |
| instance | n. A single occurrence or happening of a given kind. |
| instant | n. A very brief portion of time. |
| instantaneous | adj. Done without perceptible lapse of time. |
| instigate | v. To provoke. |
| instigator | n. One who incites to evil. |
| instill | v. To infuse. |
| instructive | adj. Conveying knowledge. |
| insufficiency | n. Inadequacy. |
| insufficient | adj. Inadequate for some need, purpose, or use. |
| insular | adj. Pertaining to an island. |
| insulate | v. To place in a detached state or situation. |
| insuperable | adj. Invincible. |
| insuppressible | adj. Incapable of being concealed. |
| insurgence | n. Uprising. |
| insurgent | n. One who takes part in forcible opposition to the constituted authorities of a place. |
| insurrection | n. The state of being in active resistance to authority. |
| intangible | adj. Not perceptible to the touch. |
| integrity | n. Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principle. |
| intellect | n. The faculty of perception or thought. |
| intellectual | adj. Characterized by intelligence. |
| intelligence | n. Capacity to know or understand. |
| intelligible | adj. Comprehensible. |
| intemperance | n. Immoderate action or indulgence, as of the appetites. |
| intension | n. The act of stringing or stretching, or state of being strained. |
| intensive | adj. Adding emphasis or force. |
| intention | n. That upon which the mind is set. |
| interact | v. To act reciprocally. |
| intercede | v. To mediate between persons. |
| intercept | v. To interrupt the course of. |
| intercession | n. Entreaty in behalf of others. |
| intercessor | n. A mediator. |
| interdict | n. Authoritative act of prohibition. |
| interim | n. Time between acts or periods. |
| interlocutor | n. One who takes part in a conversation or oral discussion. |
| interlude | n. An action or event considered as coming between others of greater length. |
| intermediate | adj. Being in a middle place or degree or between extremes. |
| interminable | adj. Having no limit or end. |
| intermission | n. A recess. |
| intermit | v. To cause to cease temporarily. |
| intermittent | adj. A temporary discontinuance. |
| interpolation | n. Verbal interference. |
| interpose | v. To come between other things or persons. |
| interposition | n. A coming between. |
| interpreter | n. A person who makes intelligible the speech of a foreigner by oral translation. |
| interrogate | v. To examine formally by questioning. |
| interrogative | adj. Having the nature or form of a question. |
| interrogatory | n. A question or inquiry. |
| interrupt | v. To stop while in progress. |
| intersect | v. To cut through or into so as to divide. |
| intervale | n. A low tract of land between hills, especially along a river. |
| intervene | v. To interfere for some end. |
| intestacy | n. The condition resulting from one's dying not having made a valid will. |
| intestate | adj. Not having made a valid will. |
| intestine | n. That part of the digestive tube below or behind the stomach, extending to the anus. |
| intimacy | n. Close or confidential friendship. |
| intimidate | v. To cause to become frightened. |
| intolerable | adj. Insufferable. |
| intolerance | n. Inability or unwillingness to bear or endure. |
| intolerant | adj. Bigoted. |
| intoxicant | n. Anything that unduly exhilarates or excites. |
| intoxicate | v. To make drunk. |
| intracellular | adj. Occurring or situated within a cell. |
| intramural | adj. Situated within the walls of a city. |
| intrepid | adj. Fearless and bold. |
| intricacy | n. Perplexity. |
| intricate | adj. Difficult to follow or understand. |
| intrigue | n. A plot or scheme, usually complicated and intended to accomplish something by secret ways. |
| intrinsic | adj. Inherent. |
| introductory | adj. Preliminary. |
| introgression | n. Entrance. |
| intromit | v. To insert. |
| introspect | v. To look into. |
| introspection | n. The act of observing and analyzing one's own thoughts and feelings. |
| introversion | n. The act of turning or directing inward, physically or mentally. |
| introvert | v. To turn within. |
| intrude | v. To come in without leave or license. |
| intrusion | n. The act of entering without warrant or invitation; encroachment. |
| intuition | n. Instinctive knowledge or feeling. |
| inundate | v. To fill with an overflowing abundance. |
| inundation | n. Flood. |
| inure | v. To harden or toughen by use, exercise, or exposure. |
| invalid | adj. Having no force, weight, or cogency. |
| invalid | n. One who is disabled by illness or injury. |
| invalidate | v. To render of no force or effect. |
| invaluable | adj. Exceedingly precious. |
| invariable | adj. Unchangeable. |
| invasion | n. Encroachment, as by an act of intrusion or trespass. |
| invective | n. An utterance intended to cast censure, or reproach. |
| inveigh | v. To utter vehement censure or invective. |
| inventive | adj. Quick at contrivance. |
| inverse | adj. Contrary in tendency or direction. |
| inversion | n. Change of order so that the first shall become last and the last first. |
| invert | v. To turn inside out, upside down, or in opposite direction. |
| investigator | n. One who investigates. |
| investor | n. One who invests money. |
| inveterate | adj. Habitual. |
| invidious | adj. Showing or feeling envy. |
| invigorate | v. To animate. |
| invincible | adj. Not to be conquered, subdued, or overcome. |
| inviolable | adj. Incapable of being injured or disturbed. |
| invoke | v. To call on for assistance or protection. |
| involuntary | adj. Unwilling. |
| involution | n. Complication. |
| involve | v. To draw into entanglement, literally or figuratively. |
| invulnerable | adj. That can not be wounded or hurt. |
| inwardly | adv. With no outward manifestation. |
| iota | n. A small or insignificant mark or part. |
| irascible | adj. Prone to anger. |
| irate | adj. Moved to anger. |
| ire | n. Wrath. |
| iridescence | n. A many-colored appearance. |
| iridescent | adj. Exhibiting changing rainbow-colors due to the interference of the light. |
| irk | v. To afflict with pain, vexation, or fatigue. |
| irksome | adj. Wearisome. |
| irony | n. Censure or ridicule under cover of praise or compliment. |
| irradiance | n. Luster. |
| irradiate | v. To render clear and intelligible. |
| irrational | adj. Not possessed of reasoning powers or understanding. |
| irreducible | adj. That can not be lessened. |
| irrefragable | adj. That can not be refuted or disproved. |
| irrefrangible | adj. That can not be broken or violated. |
| irrelevant | adj. Inapplicable. |
| irreligious | adj. Indifferent or opposed to religion. |
| irreparable | adj. That can not be rectified or made amends for. |
| irrepressible | adj. That can not be restrained or kept down. |
| irresistible | adj. That can not be successfully withstood or opposed. |
| irresponsible | adj. Careless of or unable to meet responsibilities. |
| irreverence | n. The quality showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for sacred things. |
| irreverent | adj. Showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for sacred things. |
| irreverential | adj. Showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for sacred things. |
| irreversible | adj. Irrevocable. |
| irrigant | adj. Serving to water lands by artificial means. |
| irrigate | v. To water, as land, by ditches or other artificial means. |
| irritable | adj. Showing impatience or ill temper on little provocation. |
| irritancy | n. The quality of producing vexation. |
| irritant | n. A mechanical, chemical, or pathological agent of inflammation, pain, or tension. |
| irritate | v. To excite ill temper or impatience in. |
| irruption | n. Sudden invasion. |
| isle | n. An island. |
| islet | n. A little island. |
| isobar | n. A line joining points at which the barometric pressure is the same at a specified moment. |
| isochronous | adj. Relating to or denoting equal intervals of time. |
| isolate | v. To separate from others of its kind. |
| isothermal | adj. Having or marking equality of temperature. |
| itinerant | adj. Wandering. |
| itinerary | n. A detailed account or diary of a journey. |
| itinerate | v. To wander from place to place. |
| jargon | n. Confused, unintelligible speech or highly technical speech. |
| jaundice | n. A morbid condition, due to obstructed excretion of bile or characterized by yellowing of the skin. |
| jeopardize | v. To imperil. |
| Jingo | n. One of a party in Great Britain in favor of spirited and demonstrative foreign policy. |
| jocose | adj. Done or made in jest. |
| jocular | adj. Inclined to joke. |
| joggle | n. A sudden irregular shake or a push causing such a shake. |
| journalize | v. To keep a diary. |
| jovial | adj. Merry. |
| jubilation | n. Exultation. |
| judgment | n. The faculty by the exercise of which a deliberate conclusion is reached. |
| judicature | n. Distribution and administration of justice by trial and judgment. |
| judicial | adj. Pertaining to the administration of justice. |
| judiciary | n. That department of government which administers the law relating to civil and criminal justice. |
| judicious | adj. Prudent. |
| juggle | v. To play tricks of sleight of hand. |
| jugglery | n. The art or practice of sleight of hand. |
| jugular | adj. Pertaining to the throat. |
| juicy | adj. Succulent. |
| junction | n. The condition of being joined. |
| juncture | n. An articulation, joint, or seam. |
| junta | n. A council or assembly that deliberates in secret upon the affairs of government. |
| juridical | adj. Assumed by law to exist. |
| jurisdiction | n. Lawful power or right to exercise official authority. |
| jurisprudence | n. The science of rights in accordance with positive law. |
| juror | n. One who serves on a jury or is sworn in for jury duty in a court of justice. |
| joust | v. To engage in a tilt with lances on horseback. |
| justification | n. Vindication. |
| juvenile | adj. Characteristic of youth. |
| juxtapose | v. To place close together. |
| keepsake | n. Anything kept or given to be kept for the sake of the giver. |
| kerchief | n. A square of linen, silk, or other material, used as a covering for the head or neck. |
| kernel | n. A grain or seed. |
| kiln | n. An oven or furnace for baking, burning, or drying industrial products. |
| kiloliter | n. One thousand liters. |
| kilometer | n. A length of 1,000 meters. |
| kilowatt | n. One thousand watts. |
| kimono | n. A loose robe, fastening with a sash, the principal outer garment in Japan. |
| kind-hearted | adj. Having a kind and sympathetic nature. |
| kingling | n. A petty king. |
| kingship | n. Royal state. |
| kinsfolk | n. pl. Relatives. |
| knavery | n. Deceitfulness in dealing. |
| knead | v. To mix and work into a homogeneous mass, especially with the hands. |
| knickknack | n. A small article, more for ornament that use. |
| knight | errant n. One of the wandering knights who in the middle ages went forth in search of adventure. |
| knighthood | n. Chivalry. |
| laborious | adj. Toilsome. |
| labyrinth | n. A maze. |
| lacerate | v. To tear rudely or raggedly. |
| lackadaisical | adj. Listless. |
| lactation | n. The secretion of milk. |
| lacteal | adj. Milky. |
| lactic | adj. Pertaining to milk. |
| laddie | n. A lad. |
| ladle | n. A cup-shaped vessel with a long handle, intended for dipping up and pouring liquids. |
| laggard | adj. Falling behind. |
| landholder | n. Landowner. |
| landlord | n. A man who owns and lets a tenement or tenements. |
| landmark | n. A familiar object in the landscape serving as a guide to an area otherwise easily lost track of. |
| landscape | n. A rural view, especially one of picturesque effect, as seen from a distance or an elevation. |
| languid | adj. Relaxed. |
| languor | n. Lassitude of body or depression. |
| lapse | n. A slight deviation from what is right, proper, or just. |
| lascivious | adj. Lustful. |
| lassie | n. A little lass. |
| latent | adj. Dormant. |
| latency | n. The state of being dormant. |
| later | adv. At a subsequent time. |
| lateral | adj. Directed toward the side. |
| latish | adj. Rather late. |
| lattice | n. Openwork of metal or wood, formed by crossing or interlacing strips or bars. |
| laud | v. To praise in words or song. |
| laudable | adj. Praiseworthy. |
| laudation | n. High praise. |
| laudatory | adj. Pertaining to, expressing, or containing praise. |
| laundress | n. Washerwoman. |
| laureate | adj. Crowned with laurel, as a mark of distinction. |
| lave | v. To wash or bathe. |
| lawgiver | n. A legislator. |
| lawmaker | n. A legislator. |
| lax | adj. Not stringent or energetic. |
| laxative | adj. Having power to open or loosen the bowels. |
| lea | n. A field. |
| leaflet | n. A little leaf or a booklet. |
| leaven | v. To make light by fermentation, as dough. |
| leeward | n. That side or direction toward which the wind blows. |
| left-handed | adj. Using the left hand or arm more dexterously than the right. |
| legacy | n. A bequest. |
| legalize | v. To give the authority of law to. |
| legging | n. A covering for the leg. |
| legible | adj. That may be read with ease. |
| legionary | n. A member of an ancient Roman legion or of the modern French Legion of Honor. |
| legislate | v. To make or enact a law or laws. |
| legislative | adj. That makes or enacts laws. |
| legislator | n. A lawgiver. |
| legitimacy | n. Accordance with law. |
| legitimate | adj. Having the sanction of law or established custom. |
| leisure | n. Spare time. |
| leniency | n. Forbearance. |
| lenient | adj. Not harsh. |
| leonine | adj. Like a lion. |
| lethargy | n. Prolonged sluggishness of body or mind. |
| levee | n. An embankment beside a river or stream or an arm of the sea, to prevent overflow. |
| lever | n. That which exerts, or through which one may exert great power. |
| leviathan | n. Any large animal, as a whale. |
| levity | n. Frivolity. |
| levy | v. To impose and collect by force or threat of force. |
| lewd | adj. Characterized by lust or lasciviousness. |
| lexicographer | n. One who makes dictionaries. |
| lexicography | n. The making of dictionaries. |
| lexicon | n. A dictionary. |
| liable | adj. Justly or legally responsible. |
| libel | n. Defamation. |
| liberalism | n. Opposition to conservatism. |
| liberate | v. To set free or release from bondage. |
| licentious | adj. Wanton. |
| licit | adj. Lawful. |
| liege | adj. Sovereign. |
| lien | n. A legal claim or hold on property, as security for a debt or charge. |
| lieu | n. Stead. |
| lifelike | adj. Realistic. |
| lifelong | adj. Lasting or continuous through life. |
| lifetime | n. The time that life continues. |
| ligament | n. That which binds objects together. |
| ligature | n. Anything that constricts, or serves for binding or tying. |
| light-hearted | adj. Free from care. |
| ligneous | adj. Having the texture of appearance of wood. |
| likelihood | n. A probability. |
| likely | adj. Plausible. |
| liking | n. Fondness. |
| limitation | n. A restriction. |
| linear | adj. Of the nature of a line. |
| liner | n. A vessel belonging to a steamship-line. |
| lingo | n. Language. |
| lingua | n. The tongue. |
| lingual | adj. Pertaining to the use of the tongue in utterance. |
| linguist | n. One who is acquainted with several languages. |
| linguistics | n. The science of languages, or of the origin, history, and significance of words. |
| liniment | n. A liquid preparation for rubbing on the skin in cases of bruises, inflammation, etc. |
| liquefacient | adj. Possessing a liquefying nature or power. |
| liquefy | v. To convert into a liquid or into liquid form. |
| liqueur | n. An alcoholic cordial sweetened and flavored with aromatic substances. |
| liquidate | v. To deliver the amount or value of. |
| liquor | n. Any alcoholic or intoxicating liquid. |
| listless | adj. Inattentive. |
| literacy | n. The state or condition of knowing how to read and write. |
| literal | adj. Following the exact words. |
| literature | n. The written or printed productions of the human mind collectively. |
| lithe | adj. Supple. |
| lithesome | adj. Nimble. |
| lithograph | n. A print made by printing from stone. |
| lithotype | n. In engraving, an etched stone surface for printing. |
| litigant | n. A party to a lawsuit. |
| litigate | v. To cause to become the subject-matter of a suit at law. |
| litigious | adj. Quarrelsome. |
| littoral | adj. Of, pertaining to, or living on a shore. |
| liturgy | n. A ritual. |
| livelihood | n. Means of subsistence. |
| livid | adj. Black-and-blue, as contused flesh. |
| loam | n. A non-coherent mixture of sand and clay. |
| loath | adj. Averse. |
| loathe | v. To abominate. |
| locative | adj. Indicating place, or the place where or wherein an action occurs. |
| loch | n. A lake. |
| locomotion | n. The act or power of moving from one place to another. |
| lode | n. A somewhat continuous unstratified metal- bearing vein. |
| lodgment | n. The act of furnishing with temporary quarters. |
| logic | n. The science of correct thinking. |
| logical | adj. Capable of or characterized by clear reasoning. |
| logician | n. An expert reasoner. |
| loiterer | n. One who consumes time idly. |
| loneliness | n. Solitude. |
| longevity | n. Unusually prolonged life. |
| loot | v. To plunder. |
| loquacious | adj. Talkative. |
| lordling | n. A little lord. |
| lough | n. A lake or loch. |
| louse | n. A small insect parasitic on and sucking the blood of mammals. |
| lovable | adj. Amiable. |
| low-spirited | adj. Despondent. |
| lowly | adv. Rudely. |
| lucid | adj. Mentally sound. |
| lucrative | adj. Highly profitable. |
| ludicrous | adj. Laughable. |
| luminary | n. One of the heavenly bodies as a source of light. |
| luminescent | adj. Showing increase of light. |
| luminescence | n. Showing increase. |
| luminosity | n. The quality of giving or radiating light. |
| luminous | adj. Giving or radiating light. |
| lunacy | n. Mental unsoundness. |
| lunar | adj. Pertaining to the moon. |
| lunatic | n. An insane person. |
| lune | n. The moon. |
| lurid | adj. Ghastly and sensational. |
| luscious | adj. Rich, sweet, and delicious. |
| lustrous | adj. Shining. |
| luxuriance | n. Excessive or superfluous growth or quantity. |
| luxuriant | adj. Abundant or superabundant in growth. |
| luxuriate | v. To live sumptuously. |
| lying | n. Untruthfulness. |
| lyre | n. One of the most ancient of stringed instruments of the harp class. |
| lyric | adj. Fitted for expression in song. |
| macadamize | v. To cover or pave, as a path or roadway, with small broken stone. |
| machinery | n. The parts of a machine or engine, taken collectively. |
| machinist | n. One who makes or repairs machines, or uses metal-working tools. |
| macrocosm | n. The whole of any sphere or department of nature or knowledge to which man is related. |
| madden | v. To inflame with passion. |
| Madonna | n. A painted or sculptured representation of the Virgin, usually with the infant Jesus. |
| magician | n. A sorcerer. |
| magisterial | adj. Having an air of authority. |
| magistracy | n. The office or dignity of a magistrate. |
| magnanimous | adj. Generous in treating or judging others. |
| magnate | n. A person of rank or importance. |
| magnet | n. A body possessing that peculiar form of polarity found in nature in the lodestone. |
| magnetize | v. To make a magnet of, permanently, or temporarily. |
| magnificence | n. The exhibition of greatness of action, character, intellect, wealth, or power. |
| magnificent | adj. Grand or majestic in appearance, quality, or action. |
| magnitude | n. Importance. |
| maharaja | n. A great Hindu prince. |
| maidenhood | n. Virginity. |
| maintain | v. To hold or preserve in any particular state or condition. |
| maintenance | n. That which supports or sustains. |
| maize | n. Indian corn: usually in the United States called simply corn. |
| makeup | n. The arrangements or combination of the parts of which anything is composed. |
| malady | n. Any physical disease or disorder, especially a chronic or deep-seated one. |
| malaria | n. A fever characterized by alternating chills, fever, and sweating. |
| malcontent | n. One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs. |
| malediction | n. The calling down of a curse or curses. |
| malefactor | n. One who injures another. |
| maleficent | adj. Mischievous. |
| malevolence | n. Ill will. |
| malevolent | adj. Wishing evil to others. |
| malign | v. To speak evil of, especially to do so falsely and severely. |
| malignant | adj. Evil in nature or tending to do great harm or mischief. |
| malleable | adj. Pliant. |
| mallet | n. A wooden hammer. |
| maltreat | v. To treat ill, unkindly, roughly, or abusively. |
| man-trap | n. A place or structure dangerous to human life. |
| mandate | n. A command. |
| mandatory | adj. Expressive of positive command, as distinguished from merely directory. |
| mane | n. The long hair growing upon and about the neck of certain animals, as the horse and the lion. |
| man-eater | n. An animal that devours human beings. |
| maneuver | v. To make adroit or artful moves: manage affairs by strategy. |
| mania | n. Insanity. |
| maniac | n. a person raving with madness. |
| manifesto | n. A public declaration, making announcement, explanation or defense of intentions, or motives. |
| manlike | adj. Like a man. |
| manliness | n. The qualities characteristic of a true man, as bravery, resolution, etc. |
| mannerism | n. Constant or excessive adherence to one manner, style, or peculiarity, as of action or conduct. |
| manor | n. The landed estate of a lord or nobleman. |
| mantel | n. The facing, sometimes richly ornamented, about a fireplace, including the usual shelf above it. |
| mantle | n. A cloak. |
| manufacturer | n. A person engaged in manufacturing as a business. |
| manumission | n. Emancipation. |
| manumit | v. To set free from bondage. |
| marine | adj. Of or pertaining to the sea or matters connected with the sea. |
| maritime | adj. Situated on or near the sea. |
| maroon | v. To put ashore and abandon (a person) on a desolate coast or island. |
| martial | adj. Pertaining to war or military operations. |
| Martian | adj. Pertaining to Mars, either the Roman god of war or the planet. |
| martyrdom | n. Submission to death or persecution for the sake of faith or principle. |
| marvel | v. To be astonished and perplexed because of (something). |
| masonry | n. The art or work of constructing, as buildings, walls, etc., with regularly arranged stones. |
| masquerade | n. A social party composed of persons masked and costumed so as to be disguised. |
| massacre | n. The unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of human beings. |
| massive | adj. Of considerable bulk and weight. |
| masterpiece | n. A superior production. |
| mastery | n. The attainment of superior skill. |
| material | n. That of which anything is composed or may be constructed. |
| materialize | v. To take perceptible or substantial form. |
| maternal | adj. Pertaining or peculiar to a mother or to motherhood. |
| matinee | n. An entertainment (especially theatrical) held in the daytime. |
| matricide | n. The killing, especially the murdering, of one's mother. |
| matrimony | n. The union of a man and a woman in marriage. |
| matrix | n. That which contains and gives shape or form to anything. |
| matter | of fact n. Something that has actual and undeniable existence or reality. |
| maudlin | adj. Foolishly and tearfully affectionate. |
| mausoleum | n. A tomb of more than ordinary size or architectural pretensions. |
| mawkish | adj. Sickening or insipid. |
| maxim | n. A principle accepted as true and acted on as a rule or guide. |
| maze | n. A labyrinth. |
| mead | n. A meadow. |
| meager | adj. scanty. |
| mealy-mouthed | adj. Afraid to express facts or opinions plainly. |
| meander | v. To wind and turn while proceeding in a course. |
| mechanics | n. The branch of physics that treats the phenomena caused by the action of forces. |
| medallion | n. A large medal. |
| meddlesome | adj. Interfering. |
| medial | adj. Of or pertaining to the middle. |
| mediate | v. To effect by negotiating as an agent between parties. |
| medicine | n. A substance possessing or reputed to possess curative or remedial properties. |
| medieval | adj. Belonging or relating to or descriptive of the middle ages. |
| mediocre | adj. Ordinary. |
| meditation | n. The turning or revolving of a subject in the mind. |
| medley | n. A composition of different songs or parts of songs arranged to run as a continuous whole. |
| meliorate | v. To make better or improve, as in quality or social or physical condition. |
| mellifluous | adj. Sweetly or smoothly flowing. |
| melodious | adj. Characterized by a sweet succession of sounds. |
| melodrama | n. A drama with a romantic story or plot and sensational situation and incidents. |
| memento | n. A souvenir. |
| memorable | adj. Noteworthy. |
| menace | n. A threat. |
| menagerie | n. A collection of wild animals, especially when kept for exhibition. |
| mendacious | adj. Untrue. |
| mendicant | n. A beggar. |
| mentality | n. Intellectuality. |
| mentor | n. A wise and faithful teacher, guide, and friend. |
| mercantile | adj. Conducted or acting on business principles; commercial. |
| mercenary | adj. Greedy |
| merciful | adj. Disposed to pity and forgive. |
| merciless | adj. Cruel. |
| meretricious | adj. Alluring by false or gaudy show. |
| mesmerize | v. To hypnotize. |
| messieurs | n. pl. Gentlemen. |
| metal | n. An element that forms a base by combining with oxygen, is usually hard, heavy, and lustrous. |
| metallurgy | n. The art or science of extracting a metal from ores, as by smelting. |
| metamorphosis | n. A passing from one form or shape into another. |
| metaphor | n. A figure of speech in which one object is likened to another, by speaking as if the other. |
| metaphysical | adj. Philosophical. |
| metaphysician | n. One skilled in metaphysics. |
| metaphysics | n. The principles of philosophy as applied to explain the methods of any particular science. |
| mete | v. To apportion. |
| metempsychosis | n. Transition of the soul of a human being at death into another body, whether human or beast. |
| meticulous | adj. Over-cautious. |
| metonymy | n. A figure of speech that consists in the naming of a thing by one of its attributes. |
| metric | adj. Relating to measurement. |
| metronome | n. An instrument for indicating and marking exact time in music. |
| metropolis | n. A chief city, either the capital or the largest or most important city of a state. |
| metropolitan | adj. Pertaining to a chief city. |
| mettle | n. Courage. |
| mettlesome | adj. Having courage or spirit. |
| microcosm | n. The world or universe on a small scale. |
| micrometer | n. An instrument for measuring very small angles or dimensions. |
| microphone | n. An apparatus for magnifying faint sounds. |
| microscope | n. An instrument for assisting the eye in the vision of minute objects or features of objects. |
| microscopic | adj. Adapted to or characterized by minute observation. |
| microscopy | n. The art of examing objects with the microscope. |
| midsummer | n. The middle of the summer. |
| midwife | n. A woman who makes a business of assisting at childbirth. |
| mien | n. The external appearance or manner of a person. |
| migrant | adj. Wandering. |
| migrate | v. To remove or pass from one country, region, or habitat to another. |
| migratory | adj. Wandering. |
| mileage | n. A distance in miles. |
| militant | adj. Of a warlike or combative disposition or tendency. |
| militarism | n. A policy of maintaining great standing armies. |
| militate | v. To have weight or influence (in determining a question). |
| militia | n. Those citizens, collectively, who are enrolled and drilled in temporary military organizations. |
| Milky | Way n. The galaxy. |
| millet | n. A grass cultivated for forage and cereal. |
| mimic | v. To imitate the speech or actions of. |
| miniature | adj. Much smaller than reality or that the normal size. |
| minimize | v. To reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree. |
| minion | n. A servile favorite. |
| ministration | n. Any religious ceremonial. |
| ministry | n. A service. |
| minority | n. The smaller in number of two portions into which a number or a group is divided. |
| minute | adj. Exceedingly small in extent or quantity. |
| minutia | n. A small or unimportant particular or detail. |
| mirage | n. An optical effect looking like a sheet of water in the desert. |
| misadventure | n. An unlucky accident. |
| misanthropic | adj. Hating mankind. |
| misanthropy | n. Hatred of mankind. |
| misapprehend | v. To misunderstand. |
| misbehave | v. To behave ill. |
| misbehavior | n. Ill or improper behavior. |
| mischievous | adj. Fond of tricks. |
| miscount | v. To make a mistake in counting. |
| miscreant | n. A villain. |
| misdeed | n. A wrong or improper act. |
| misdemeanor | n. Evil conduct, small crime. |
| miser | n. A person given to saving and hoarding unduly. |
| mishap | n. Misfortune. |
| misinterpret | v. To misunderstand. |
| mislay | v. To misplace. |
| mismanage | v. To manage badly, improperly, or unskillfully. |
| misnomer | n. A name wrongly or mistakenly applied. |
| misogamy | n. Hatred of marriage. |
| misogyny | n. Hatred of women. |
| misplace | v. To put into a wrong place. |
| misrepresent | v. To give a wrong impression. |
| misrule | v. To misgovern. |
| missal | n. The book containing the service for the celebration of mass. |
| missile | n. Any object, especially a weapon, thrown or intended to be thrown. |
| missive | n. A message in writing. |
| mistrust | v. To regard with suspicion or jealousy. |
| misty | adj. Lacking clearness |
| misunderstand | v. To Take in a wrong sense. |
| misuse | v. To maltreat. |
| mite | n. A very small amount, portion, or particle. |
| miter | n. The junction of two bodies at an equally divided angle. |
| mitigate | v. To make milder or more endurable. |
| mnemonics | n. A system of principles and formulas designed to assist the recollection in certain instances. |
| moat | n. A ditch on the outside of a fortress wall. |
| mobocracy | n. Lawless control of public affairs by the mob or populace. |
| moccasin | n. A foot-covering made of soft leather or buckskin. |
| mockery | n. Ridicule. |
| moderation | n. Temperance. |
| moderator | n. The presiding officer of a meeting. |
| modernity | n. The state or character of being modern. |
| modernize | v. To make characteristic of the present or of recent times. |
| modification | n. A change. |
| modify | v. To make somewhat different. |
| modish | adj. Fashionable. |
| modulate | v. To vary in tone, inflection, pitch or other quality of sound. |
| mollify | v. To soothe. |
| molt | v. To cast off, as hair, feathers, etc. |
| momentary | adj. Lasting but a short time. |
| momentous | adj. Very significant. |
| momentum | n. An impetus. |
| monarchy | n. Government by a single, sovereign ruler. |
| monastery | n. A dwelling-place occupied in common by persons under religious vows of seclusion. |
| monetary | adj. Financial. |
| mongrel | n. The progeny resulting from the crossing of different breeds or varieties. |
| monition | n. Friendly counsel given by way of warning and implying caution or reproof. |
| monitory | n. Admonition or warning. |
| monocracy | n. Government by a single person. |
| monogamy | n. The habit of pairing, or having but one mate. |
| monogram | n. A character consisting of two or more letters interwoven into one, usually initials of a name. |
| monograph | n. A treatise discussing a single subject or branch of a subject. |
| monolith | n. Any structure or sculpture in stone formed of a single piece. |
| monologue | n. A story or drama told or performed by one person. |
| monomania | n. The unreasonable pursuit of one idea. |
| monopoly | n. The control of a thing, as a commodity, to enable a person to raise its price. |
| monosyllable | n. A word of one syllable. |
| monotone | n. The sameness or monotony of utterance. |
| monotonous | adj. Unchanging and tedious. |
| monotony | n. A lack of variety. |
| monsieur | n. A French title of respect, equivalent to Mr. and sir. |
| monstrosity | n. Anything unnaturally huge or distorted. |
| moonbeam | n. A ray of moonlight. |
| morale | n. A state of mind with reference to confidence, courage, zeal, and the like. |
| moralist | n. A writer on ethics. |
| morality | n. Virtue. |
| moralize | v. To render virtuous. |
| moratorium | n. An emergency legislation authorizing a government suspend some action temporarily. |
| morbid | adj. Caused by or denoting a diseased or unsound condition of body or mind. |
| mordacious | adj. Biting or giving to biting. |
| mordant | adj. Biting. |
| moribund | adj. On the point of dying. |
| morose | adj. Gloomy. |
| morphology | n. the science of organic forms. |
| motley | adj. Composed of heterogeneous or inharmonious elements. |
| motto | n. An expressive word or pithy sentence enunciating some guiding rule of life, or faith. |
| mountaineer | n. One who travels among or climbs mountains for pleasure or exercise. |
| mountainous | adj. Full of or abounding in mountains. |
| mouthful | n. As much as can be or is usually put into the or exercise. |
| muddle | v. To confuse or becloud, especially with or as with drink. |
| muffle | v. To deaden the sound of, as by wraps. |
| mulatto | n. The offspring of a white person and a black person. |
| muleteer | n. A mule-driver. |
| multiform | adj. Having many shapes, or appearances. |
| multiplicity | n. the condition of being manifold or very various. |
| mundane | adj. Worldly, as opposed to spiritual or celestial. |
| municipal | adj. Of or pertaining to a town or city, or to its corporate or local government. |
| municipality | n. A district enjoying municipal government. |
| munificence | n. A giving characterized by generous motives and extraordinary liberality. |
| munificent | adj. Extraordinarily generous. |
| muster | n. An assemblage or review of troops for parade or inspection, or for numbering off. |
| mutation | n. The act or process of change. |
| mutilate | v. To disfigure. |
| mutiny | n. Rebellion against lawful or constituted authority. |
| myriad | n. A vast indefinite number. |
| mystic | n. One who professes direct divine illumination, or relies upon meditation to acquire truth. |
| mystification | n. The act of artfully perplexing. |
| myth | n. A fictitious narrative presented as historical, but without any basis of fact. |
| mythology | n. The whole body of legends cherished by a race concerning gods and heroes. |
| nameless | adj. Having no fame or reputation. |
| naphtha | n. A light, colorless, volatile, inflammable oil used as a solvent, as in manufacture of paints. |
| Narcissus | n. The son of the Athenian river-god Cephisus, fabled to have fallen in love with his reflection. |
| narrate | v. To tell a story. |
| narration | n. The act of recounting the particulars of an event in the order of time or occurrence. |
| narrative | n. An orderly continuous account of the successive particulars of an event. |
| narrator | n. One who narrates anything. |
| narrow-minded | adj. Characterized by illiberal views or sentiments. |
| nasal | adj. Pertaining to the nose. |
| natal | adj. Pertaining to one's birth. |
| nationality | n. A connection with a particular nation. |
| naturally | adv. According to the usual order of things. |
| nausea | n. An affection of the stomach producing dizziness and usually an impulse to vomit |
| nauseate | v. To cause to loathe. |
| nauseous | adj. Loathsome. |
| nautical | adj. Pertaining to ships, seamen, or navigation. |
| naval | adj. Pertaining to ships. |
| navel | n. The depression on the abdomen where the umbilical cord of the fetus was attached. |
| navigable | adj. Capable of commercial navigation. |
| navigate | v. To traverse by ship. |
| nebula | n. A gaseous body of unorganized stellar substance. |
| necessary | adj. Indispensably requisite or absolutely needed to accomplish a desired result. |
| necessitate | v. To render indispensable. |
| necessity | n. That which is indispensably requisite to an end desired. |
| necrology | n. A list of persons who have died in a certain place or time. |
| necromancer | n. One who practices the art of foretelling the future by means of communication with the dead. |
| necropolis | n. A city of the dead. |
| necrosis | n. the death of part of the body. |
| nectar | n. Any especially sweet and delicious drink. |
| nectarine | n. A variety of the peach. |
| needlework | n. Embroidery. |
| needy | adj. Being in need, want, or poverty. |
| nefarious | adj. Wicked in the extreme. |
| negate | v. To deny. |
| negation | n. The act of denying or of asserting the falsity of a proposition. |
| neglectful | adj. Exhibiting or indicating omission. |
| negligee | n. A loose gown worn by women. |
| negligence | n. Omission of that which ought to be done. |
| negligent | adj. Apt to omit what ought to be done. |
| negligible | adj. Transferable by assignment, endorsement, or delivery. |
| negotiable | v. To bargain with others for an agreement, as for a treaty or transfer of property. |
| Nemesis | n. A goddess; divinity of chastisement and vengeance. |
| neocracy | n. Government administered by new or untried persons. |
| neo-Darwinsim | n. Darwinism as modified and extended by more recent students. |
| neo-Latin | n. Modernized Latin. |
| neopaganism | n. A new or revived paganism. |
| Neolithic | adj. Pertaining to the later stone age. |
| neology | n. The coining or using of new words or new meanings of words. |
| neophyte | adj. Having the character of a beginner. |
| nestle | v. To adjust cozily in snug quarters. |
| nestling | adj. Recently hatched. |
| nettle | v. To excite sensations of uneasiness or displeasure in. |
| network | n. Anything that presents a system of cross- lines. |
| neural | adj. Pertaining to the nerves or nervous system. |
| neurology | n. The science of the nervous system. |
| neuter | adj. Neither masculine nor feminine. |
| neutral | adj. Belonging to or under control of neither of two contestants. |
| nevertheless | conj. Notwithstanding. |
| Newtonian | adj. Of or pertaining to Sir Isaac Newton, the English philosopher. |
| niggardly | adj. Stingy. (no longer acceptable to use) |
| nihilist | n. An advocate of the doctrine that nothing either exists or can be known. |
| nil | n. Nothing |
| nimble | adj. Light and quick in motion or action. |
| nit | n. The egg of a louse or some other insect. |
| nocturnal | adj. Of or pertaining to the night. |
| noiseless | adj. Silent. |
| noisome | adj. Very offensive, particularly to the sense of smell. |
| noisy | adj. Clamorous. |
| nomad | adj. Having no fixed abode. |
| nomic | adj. Usual or customary. |
| nominal | adj. Trivial. |
| nominate | v. To designate as a candidate for any office. |
| nomination | n. The act or ceremony of naming a man or woman for office. |
| nominee | n. One who receives a nomination. |
| non-existent | n. That which does not exist. |
| non-resident | adj. Not residing within a given jurisdiction. |
| nonchalance | n. A state of mind indicating lack of interest. |
| non-combatant | n. One attached to the army or navy, but having duties other than that of fighting. |
| nondescript | adj. Indescribable. |
| nonentity | n. A person or thing of little or no account. |
| nonpareil | n. One who or that which is of unequaled excellence. |
| norm | n. A model. |
| normalcy | n. The state of being normal. |
| Norman | adj. Of or peculiar to Normandy, in northern France. |
| nostrum | n. Any scheme or recipe of a charlatan character. |
| noticeable | adj. Perceptible. |
| notorious | adj. Unfavorably known to the general public. |
| novellette | n. A short novel. |
| novice | n. A beginner in any business or occupation. |
| nowadays | adv. In the present time or age. |
| nowhere | adv. In no place or state. |
| noxious | adj. Hurtful. |
| nuance | n. A slight degree of difference in anything perceptible to the sense of the mind. |
| nucleus | n. A central point or part about which matter is aggregated. |
| nude | adj. Naked. |
| nugatory | adj. Having no power or force. |
| nuisance | n. That which annoys, vexes, or irritates. |
| numeration | n. The act or art of reading or naming numbers. |
| numerical | adj. Of or pertaining to number. |
| nunnery | n. A convent for nuns. |
| nuptial | adj. Of or pertaining to marriage, especially to the marriage ceremony. |
| nurture | n. The process of fostering or promoting growth. |
| nutriment | n. That which nourishes. |
| nutritive | adj. Having nutritious properties. |
| oaken | adj. Made of or from oak. |
| oakum | n. Hemp-fiber obtained by untwisting and picking out loosely the yarns of old hemp rope. |
| obdurate | adj. Impassive to feelings of humanity or pity. |
| obelisk | n. A square shaft with pyramidal top, usually monumental or commemorative. |
| obese | adj. Exceedingly fat. |
| obesity | n. Excessive fatness. |
| obituary | adj. A published notice of a death. |
| objective | adj. Grasping and representing facts as they are. |
| objector | n. One who objects, as to a proposition, measure, or ruling. |
| obligate | v. To hold to the fulfillment of duty. |
| obligatory | adj. Binding in law or conscience. |
| oblique | adj. Slanting; said of lines. |
| obliterate | v. To cause to disappear. |
| oblivion | n. The state of having passed out of the memory or of being utterly forgotten. |
| oblong | adj. Longer than broad: applied most commonly to rectangular objects considerably elongated |
| obnoxious | adj. Detestable. |
| obsequies | n. Funeral rites. |
| obsequious | adj. Showing a servile readiness to fall in with the wishes or will of another. |
| observance | n. A traditional form or customary act. |
| observant | adj. Quick to notice. |
| observatory | n. A building designed for systematic astronomical observations. |
| obsolescence | n. The condition or process of gradually falling into disuse. |
| obsolescent | adj. Passing out of use, as a word. |
| obsolete | adj. No longer practiced or accepted. |
| obstetrician | n. A practitioner of midwifery. |
| obstetrics | n. The branch of medical science concerned with the treatment and care of women during pregnancy. |
| obstinacy | n. Stubborn adherence to opinion, arising from conceit or the desire to have one's own way. |
| obstreperous | adj. Boisterous. |
| obstruct | v. To fill with impediments so as to prevent passage, either wholly or in part. |
| obstruction | n. Hindrance. |
| obtrude | v. To be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence. |
| obtrusive | adj. Tending to be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence. |
| obvert | v. To turn the front or principal side of (a thing) toward any person or object. |
| obviate | v. To clear away or provide for, as an objection or difficulty. |
| occasion | n. An important event or celebration. |
| Occident | n. The countries lying west of Asia and the Turkish dominions. |
| occlude | v. To absorb, as a gas by a metal. |
| occult | adj. Existing but not immediately perceptible. |
| occupant | n. A tenant in possession of property, as distinguished from the actual owner. |
| occurrence | n. A happening. |
| octagon | n. A figure with eight sides and eight angles. |
| octave | n. A note at this interval above or below any other, considered in relation to that other. |
| octavo | n. A book, or collection of paper in which the sheets are so folded as to make eight leaves. |
| octogenarian | adj. A person of between eighty and ninety years. |
| ocular | adj. Of or pertaining to the eye. |
| oculist | n. One versed or skilled in treating diseases of the eye. |
| oddity | n. An eccentricity. |
| ode | n. The form of lyric poetry anciently intended to be sung. |
| odious | adj. Hateful. |
| odium | n. A feeling of extreme repugnance, or of dislike and disgust. |
| odoriferous | adj. Having or diffusing an odor or scent, especially an agreeable one. |
| odorous | adj. Having an odor, especially a fragrant one. |
| off | adj. Farther or more distant. |
| offhand | adv. Without preparation. |
| officiate | v. To act as an officer or leader. |
| officious | adj. Intermeddling with what is not one's concern. |
| offshoot | n. Something that branches off from the parent stock. |
| ogre | n. A demon or monster that was supposed to devour human beings. |
| ointment | n. A fatty preparation with a butter-like consistency in which a medicinal substance exists. |
| olfactory | adj. of or pertaining to the sense of smell. |
| olive-branch | n. A branch of the olive-tree, as an emblem of peace. |
| ominous | adj. Portentous. |
| omission | n. Exclusion. |
| omnipotence | n. Unlimited and universal power. |
| Omnipotent | adj. Possessed of unlimited and universal power. |
| omniscience | n. Unlimited or infinite knowledge. |
| omniscient | adj. Characterized by unlimited or infinite knowledge. |
| omnivorous | adj. Eating or living upon food of all kinds indiscriminately. |
| onerous | adj. Burdensome or oppressive. |
| onrush | n. Onset. |
| onset | n. An assault, especially of troops, upon an enemy or fortification. |
| onslaught | n. A violent onset. |
| onus | n. A burden or responsibility. |
| opalescence | n. The property of combined refraction and reflection of light, resulting in smoky tints. |
| opaque | adj. Impervious to light. |
| operate | v. To put in action and supervise the working of. |
| operative | adj. Active. |
| operator | n. One who works with or controls some machine or scientific apparatus. |
| operetta | n. A humorous play in dialogue and music, of more than one act. |
| opinion | n. A conclusion or judgment held with confidence, but falling short of positive knowledge. |
| opponent | n. One who supports the opposite side in a debate, discussion, struggle, or sport. |
| opportune | adj. Especially fit as occurring, said, or done at the right moment. |
| opportunist | n. One who takes advantage of circumstances to gain his ends. |
| opportunity | n. Favorable or advantageous chance or opening. |
| opposite | adj. Radically different or contrary in action or movement. |
| opprobrium | n. The state of being scornfully reproached or accused of evil. |
| optic | n. Pertaining to the eye or vision. |
| optician | n. One who makes or deals in optical instruments or eye-glasses. |
| optics | n. The science that treats of light and vision, and all that is connected with sight. |
| optimism | n. The view that everything in nature and the history of mankind is ordered for the best. |
| option | n. The right, power, or liberty of choosing. |
| optometry | n. Measurement of the powers of vision. |
| opulence | n. Affluence. |
| opulent | adj. Wealthy. |
| oral | adj. Uttered through the mouth. |
| orate | v. To deliver an elaborate or formal public speech. |
| oration | n. An elaborate or formal public speech. |
| orator | n. One who delivers an elaborate or formal speech. |
| oratorio | n. A composition for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, generally taken from the Scriptures. |
| oratory | n. The art of public speaking. |
| ordeal | n. Anything that severely tests courage, strength, patience, conscience, etc. |
| ordinal | n. That form of the numeral that shows the order of anything in a series, as first, second, third. |
| ordination | n. A consecration to the ministry. |
| ordnance | n. A general name for all kinds of weapons and their appliances used in war. |
| orgies | n. Wild or wanton revelry. |
| origin | n. The beginning of that which becomes or is made to be. |
| original | adj. Not copied nor produced by imitation. |
| originate | v. To cause or constitute the beginning or first stage of the existence of. |
| ornate | adj. Ornamented to a marked degree. |
| orthodox | adj. Holding the commonly accepted faith. |
| orthodoxy | n. Acceptance of the common faith. |
| orthogonal | adj. Having or determined by right angles. |
| orthopedic | adj. Relating to the correcting or preventing of deformity |
| orthopedist | n. One who practices the correcting or preventing of deformity |
| oscillate | v. To swing back and forth. |
| osculate | v. To kiss. |
| ossify | v. to convert into bone. |
| ostentation | n. A display dictated by vanity and intended to invite applause or flattery. |
| ostracism | n. Exclusion from intercourse or favor, as in society or politics. |
| ostracize | v. To exclude from public or private favor. |
| ought | v. To be under moral obligation to be or do. |
| oust | v. To eject. |
| out-and-out | adv. Genuinely. |
| outbreak | n. A sudden and violent breaking forth, as of something that has been pent up or restrained. |
| outburst | n. A violent issue, especially of passion in an individual. |
| outcast | n. One rejected and despised, especially socially. |
| outcry | n. A vehement or loud cry or clamor. |
| outdo | v. To surpass. |
| outlandish | adj. Of barbarous, uncouth, and unfamiliar aspect or action. |
| outlast | v. To last longer than. |
| outlaw | n. A habitual lawbreaker. |
| outlive | v. To continue to exist after. |
| out-of-the-way | adj. Remotely situated. |
| outpost | n. A detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main body to guard against surprise. |
| outrage | n. A gross infringement of morality or decency. |
| outrageous | adj. Shocking in conduct. |
| outreach | v. To reach or go beyond. |
| outride | v. To ride faster than. |
| outrigger | n. A part built or arranged to project beyond a natural outline for support. |
| outright | adv. Entirely. |
| outskirt | n. A border region. |
| outstretch | v. To extend. |
| outstrip | v. To go beyond. |
| outweigh | v. To surpass in importance or excellence. |
| overdo | v. To overtax the strength of. |
| overdose | n. An excessive dose, usually so large a dose of a medicine that its effect is toxic. |
| overeat | v. To eat to excess. |
| overhang | n. A portion of a structure which projects or hangs over. |
| overleap | v. To leap beyond. |
| overlord | n. One who holds supremacy over another. |
| overpass | v. To pass across or over, as a river. |
| overpay | v. To pay or reward in excess. |
| overpower | v. To gain supremacy or victory over by superior power. |
| overproduction | n. Excessive production. |
| overreach | v. To stretch out too far. |
| overrun | v. To infest or ravage. |
| oversee | v. To superintend. |
| overseer | n. A supervisor. |
| overshadow | v. To cast into the shade or render insignificant by comparison. |
| overstride | v. To step beyond. |
| overthrow | v. To vanquish an established ruler or government. |
| overtone | n. A harmonic. |
| overture | n. An instrumental prelude to an opera, oratorio, or ballet. |
| overweight | n. Preponderance. |
| pacify | v. To bring into a peaceful state. |
| packet | n. A bundle, as of letters. |
| pact | n. A covenant. |
| pagan | n. A worshiper of false gods. |
| pageant | n. A dramatic representation, especially a spectacular one. |
| palate | n. The roof of the mouth. |
| palatial | adj. Magnificent. |
| paleontology | n. The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil organisms. |
| palette | n. A thin tablet, with a hole for the thumb, upon which artists lay their colors for painting. |
| palinode | n. A retraction. |
| pall | v. To make dull by satiety. |
| palliate | v. To cause to appear less guilty. |
| pallid | adj. Of a pale or wan appearance. |
| palpable | n. perceptible by feeling or touch. |
| palsy | n. Paralysis. |
| paly | adj. Lacking color or brilliancy. |
| pamphlet | n. A brief treatise or essay, usually on a subject of current interest. |
| pamphleteer | v. To compose or issue pamphlets, especially controversial ones. |
| panacea | n. A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases. |
| Pan-American | adj. Including or pertaining to the whole of America, both North and South. |
| pandemic | adj. Affecting a whole people or all classes, as a disease. |
| pandemonium | n. A fiendish or riotous uproar. |
| panegyric | n. A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an act. |
| panel | n. A rectangular piece set in or as in a frame. |
| panic | n. A sudden, unreasonable, overpowering fear. |
| panoply | n. A full set of armor. |
| panorama | n. A series of large pictures representing a continuous scene. |
| pantheism | n. The worship of nature for itself or its beauty. |
| Pantheon | n. A circular temple at Rome with a fine Corinthian portico and a great domed roof. |
| pantomime | n. Sign-language. |
| pantoscope | n. A very wide-angled photographic lens. |
| papacy | n. The official head of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| papyrus | n. The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans. |
| parable | n. A brief narrative founded on real scenes or events usually with a moral. |
| paradox | n. A statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received belief. |
| paragon | n. A model of excellence. |
| parallel | v. To cause to correspond or lie in the same direction and equidistant in all parts. |
| parallelism | n. Essential likeness. |
| paralysis | n. Loss of the power of contractility in the voluntary or involuntary muscles. |
| paralyze | v. To deprive of the power to act. |
| paramount | adj. Supreme in authority. |
| paramour | n. One who is unlawfully and immorally a lover or a mistress. |
| paraphernalia | n. Miscellaneous articles of equipment or adornment. |
| paraphrase | v. Translate freely. |
| pare | v. To cut, shave, or remove (the outside) from anything. |
| parentage | n. The relation of parent to child, of the producer to the produced, or of cause to effect. |
| Pariah | n. A member of a degraded class; a social outcast. |
| parish | n. The ecclesiastical district in charge of a pastor. |
| Parisian | adj. Of or pertaining to the city of Paris. |
| parity | n. Equality, as of condition or rank. |
| parlance | n. Mode of speech. |
| parley | v. To converse in. |
| parliament | n. A legislative body. |
| parlor | n. A room for reception of callers or entertainment of guests. |
| parody | v. To render ludicrous by imitating the language of. |
| paronymous | adj. Derived from the same root or primitive word. |
| paroxysm | n. A sudden outburst of any kind of activity. |
| parricide | n. The murder of a parent. |
| parse | v. To describe, as a sentence, by separating it into its elements and describing each word. |
| parsimonious | adj. Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money. |
| partible | adj. Separable. |
| participant | n. One having a share or part. |
| participate | v. To receive or have a part or share of. |
| partition | n. That which separates anything into distinct parts. |
| partisan | adj. Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a party. |
| passible | adj. Capable of feeling of suffering. |
| passive | adj. Unresponsive. |
| pastoral | adj. Having the spirit or sentiment of rural life. |
| paternal | adj. Fatherly. |
| paternity | n. Fatherhood. |
| pathos | n. The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or sympathy. |
| patriarch | n. The chief of a tribe or race who rules by paternal right. |
| patrician | adj. Of senatorial or noble rank. |
| patrimony | n. An inheritance from an ancestor, especially from one's father. |
| patriotism | n. Love and devotion to one's country. |
| patronize | v. To exercise an arrogant condescension toward. |
| patronymic | adj. Formed after one's father's name. |
| patter | v. To mumble something over and over. |
| paucity | n. Fewness. |
| pauper | n. One without means of support. |
| pauperism | n. Dependence on charity. |
| pavilion | n. An open structure for temporary shelter. |
| payee | n. A person to whom money has been or is to be paid. |
| peaceable | adj. Tranquil. |
| peaceful | adj. Tranquil. |
| peccable | adj. Capable of sinning. |
| peccadillo | n. A small breach of propriety or principle. |
| peccant | adj. Guilty. |
| pectoral | adj. Pertaining to the breast or thorax. |
| pecuniary | adj. Consisting of money. |
| pedagogics | n. The science and art of teaching. |
| pedagogue | n. A schoolmaster. |
| pedagogy | n. The science and art of teaching |
| pedal | n. A lever for the foot usually applied only to musical instruments, cycles, and other machines. |
| pedant | n. A scholar who makes needless and inopportune display of his learning. |
| peddle | v. To go about with a small stock of goods to sell. |
| pedestal | n. A base or support as for a column, statue, or vase. |
| pedestrian | n. One who journeys on foot. |
| pediatrics | n. The department of medical science that relates to the treatment of diseases of childhood. |
| pedigree | n. One's line of ancestors. |
| peddler | n. One who travels from house to house with an assortment of goods for retail. |
| peerage | n. The nobility. |
| peerless | adj. Of unequaled excellence or worth. |
| peevish | adj. Petulant. (irritable) |
| pellucid | adj. Translucent. |
| penalty | n. The consequences that follow the transgression of natural or divine law. |
| penance | n. Punishment to which one voluntarily submits or subjects himself as an expression of penitence. |
| penchant | n. A bias in favor of something. |
| pendant | n. Anything that hangs from something else, either for ornament or for use. |
| pendulous | adj. Hanging, especially so as to swing by an attached end or part. |
| pendulum | n. A weight hung on a rod, serving by its oscillation to regulate the rate of a clock. |
| penetrable | adj. That may be pierced by physical, moral, or intellectual force. |
| penetrate | v. To enter or force a way into the interior parts of. |
| penetration | n. Discernment. |
| peninsular | adj. Pertaining to a piece of land almost surrounded by water. |
| penitence | n. Sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone. |
| penitential | adj. Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone. |
| pennant | n. A small flag. |
| pension | n. A periodical allowance to an individual on account of past service done by him/her. |
| pentagram | n. A figure having five points or lobes. |
| pentavalent | adj. Quinqeuvalent. |
| pentad | n. The number five. |
| pentagon | n. A figure, especially, with five angles and five sides. |
| pentahedron | n. A solid bounded by five plane faces. |
| pentameter | n. In prosody, a line of verse containing five units or feet. |
| pentathlon | n. The contest of five associated exercises in the great games and the same contestants. |
| penultimate | adj. A syllable or member of a series that is last but one. |
| penurious | adj. Excessively sparing in the use of money. |
| penury | n. Indigence. |
| perambulate | v. To walk about. |
| perceive | v. To have knowledge of, or receive impressions concerning, through the medium of the body senses. |
| perceptible | adj. Cognizable. |
| perception | n. Knowledge through the senses of the existence and properties of matter or the external world. |
| percipience | n. The act of perceiving. |
| percipient | n. One who or that which perceives. |
| percolate | v. To filter. |
| percolator | n. A filter. |
| percussion | n. The sharp striking of one body against another. |
| peremptory | adj. Precluding question or appeal. |
| perennial | adj. Continuing though the year or through many years. |
| perfectible | adj. Capable of being made perfect. |
| perfidy | n. Treachery. |
| perforate | v. To make a hole or holes through. |
| perform | v. To accomplish. |
| perfumery | n. The preparation of perfumes. |
| perfunctory | adj. Half-hearted. |
| perhaps | adv. Possibly. |
| perigee | n. The point in the orbit of the moon when it is nearest the earth. |
| periodicity | n. The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals. |
| peripatetic | adj. Walking about. |
| perjure | v. To swear falsely to. |
| perjury | n. A solemn assertion of a falsity. |
| permanence | n. A continuance in the same state, or without any change that destroys the essential form or nature. |
| permanent | adj. Durable. |
| permeate | v. To pervade. |
| permissible | adj. That may be allowed. |
| permutation | n. Reciprocal change, different ordering of same items. |
| pernicious | adj. Tending to kill or hurt. |
| perpendicular | adj. Straight up and down. |
| perpetrator | n. The doer of a wrong or a criminal act. |
| perpetuate | v. To preserve from extinction or oblivion. |
| perquisite | n. Any profit from service beyond the amount fixed as salary or wages. |
| persecution | n. Harsh or malignant oppression. |
| perseverance | n. A persistence in purpose and effort. |
| persevere | v. To continue striving in spite of discouragements. |
| persiflage | n. Banter. |
| persist | v. To continue steadfast against opposition. |
| persistence | n. A fixed adherence to a resolve, course of conduct, or the like. |
| personage | n. A man or woman as an individual, especially one of rank or high station. |
| personal | adj. Not general or public. |
| personality | n. The attributes, taken collectively, that make up the character and nature of an individual. |
| personnel | n. The force of persons collectively employed in some service. |
| perspective | n. The relative importance of facts or matters from any special point of view. |
| perspicacious | adj. Astute. |
| perspicacity | n. Acuteness or discernment. |
| perspicuous | adj. Lucid. |
| perspiration | n. Sweat. |
| perspire | v. To excrete through the pores of the skin. |
| persuade | v. To win the mind of by argument, eloquence, evidence, or reflection. |
| persuadable | adj. capable of influencing to action by entreaty, statement, or anything that moves the feelings. |
| pertinacious | adj. Persistent or unyielding. |
| pertinacity | n. Unyielding adherence. |
| pertinent | adj. Relevant. |
| perturb | v. To disturb greatly. |
| perturbation | n. Mental excitement or confusion. |
| perusal | n. The act of reading carefully or thoughtfully. |
| pervade | v. To pass or spread through every part. |
| pervasion | n. The state of spreading through every part. |
| pervasive | adj. Thoroughly penetrating or permeating. |
| perverse | adj. Unreasonable. |
| perversion | n. Diversion from the true meaning or proper purpose. |
| perversity | n. Wickedness. |
| pervert | n. One who has forsaken a doctrine regarded as true for one esteemed false. |
| pervious | adj. Admitting the entrance or passage of another substance. |
| pestilence | n. A raging epidemic. |
| pestilent | adj. Having a malign influence or effect. |
| pestilential | adj. having the nature of or breeding pestilence. |
| peter | v. To fail or lose power, efficiency, or value. |
| petrify | v. To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character. |
| petulance | n. The character or condition of being impatient, capricious or petulant. |
| petulant | adj. Displaying impatience. |
| pharmacopoeia | n. A book containing the formulas and methods of preparation of medicines for the use of druggists. |
| pharmacy | n. The art or business of compounding and dispensing medicines. |
| phenomenal | adj. Extraordinary or marvelous. |
| phenomenon | n. Any unusual occurrence. |
| philander | v. To play at courtship with a woman. |
| philanthropic | adj. Benevolent. |
| philanthropist | n. One who endeavors to help his fellow men. |
| philanthropy | n. Active humanitarianism. |
| philately | n. The study and collection of stamps. |
| philharmonic | adj. Fond of music. |
| philogynist | n. One who is fond of women. |
| philologist | n. An expert in linguistics. |
| philology | n. The study of language in connection with history and literature. |
| philosophize | v. To seek ultimate causes and principles. |
| philosophy | n. The general principles, laws, or causes that furnish the rational explanation of anything. |
| phlegmatic | adj. Not easily roused to feeling or action. |
| phonetic | adj. Representing articulate sounds or speech. |
| phonic | adj. Pertaining to the nature of sound. |
| phonogram | n. A graphic character symbolizing an articulate sound. |
| phonology | n. The science of human vocal sounds. |
| phosphorescence | n. The property of emitting light. |
| photoelectric | adj. Pertaining to the combined action of light and electricity. |
| photometer | n. Any instrument for measuring the intensity of light or comparing the intensity of two lights. |
| photometry | n. The art of measuring the intensity of light. |
| physicist | n. A specialist in the science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy. |
| physics | n. The science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and energy. |
| physiocracy | n. The doctrine that land and its products are the only true wealth. |
| physiognomy | n. The external appearance merely. |
| physiography | n. Description of nature. |
| physiology | n. The science of organic functions. |
| physique | n. The physical structure or organization of a person. |
| picayune | adj. Of small value. |
| piccolo | n. A small flute. |
| piece | n. A loose or separated part, as distinguished from the whole or the mass. |
| piecemeal | adv. Gradually. |
| pillage | n. Open robbery, as in war. |
| pillory | n. A wooden framework in which an offender is fastened to boards and is exposed to public scorn. |
| pincers | n. An instrument having two lever-handles and two jaws working on a pivot. |
| pinchers | n. An instrument having two jaws working on a pivot. |
| pinnacle | n. A high or topmost point, as a mountain-peak. |
| pioneer | n. One among the first to explore a country. |
| pious | adj. Religious. |
| pique | v. To excite a slight degree of anger in. |
| piteous | adj. Compassionate. |
| pitiable | adj. Contemptible. |
| pitiful | adj. Wretched. |
| pitiless | adj. Hard-hearted. |
| pittance | n. Any small portion or meager allowance. |
| placate | v. To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or friendliness. |
| placid | adj. Serene. |
| plagiarism | n. The stealing of passages from the writings of another and publishing them as one's own. |
| planisphere | n. A polar projection of the heavens on a chart. |
| plasticity | n. The property of some substances through which the form of the mass can readily be changed. |
| platitude | n. A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace. |
| plaudit | n. An expression of applause. |
| plausible | adj. Seeming likely to be true, though open to doubt. |
| playful | adj. Frolicsome. |
| playwright | n. A maker of plays for the stage. |
| plea | n. An argument to obtain some desired action. |
| pleasant | adj. Agreeable. |
| pleasurable | adj. Affording gratification. |
| plebeian | adj. Common. |
| pledgee | n. The person to whom anything is pledged. |
| pledgeor | n. One who gives a pledge. |
| plenary | adj. Entire. |
| plenipotentiary | n. A person fully empowered to transact any business. |
| plenitude | n. Abundance. |
| plenteous | adj. Abundant. |
| plumb | n. A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something. |
| plummet | n. A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical. |
| pluperfect | adj. Expressing past time or action prior to some other past time or action. |
| plural | adj. Containing or consisting of more than one. |
| plurality | n. A majority. |
| plutocracy | n. A wealthy class in a political community who control the government by means of their money. |
| pneumatic | adj. Pertaining to or consisting of air or gas. |
| poesy | n. Poetry. |
| poetaster | n. An inferior poet. |
| poetic | adj. Pertaining to poetry. |
| poetics | n. The rules and principles of poetry. |
| poignancy | n. Severity or acuteness, especially of pain or grief. |
| poignant | adj. Severely painful or acute to the spirit. |
| poise | n. Equilibrium. |
| polar | adj. Pertaining to the poles of a sphere, especially of the earth. |
| polemics | n. The art of controversy or disputation. |
| pollen | n. The fine dust-like grains or powder formed within the anther of a flowering plant. |
| pollute | v. To contaminate. |
| polyarchy | n. Government by several or many persons of what- ever class. |
| polycracy | n. The rule of many. |
| polygamy | n. the fact or condition of having more than one wife or husband at once. |
| polyglot | adj. Speaking several tongues. |
| polygon | n. A figure having many angles. |
| polyhedron | n. A solid bounded by plane faces, especially by more than four. |
| polysyllable | adj. Having several syllables, especially more than three syllables. |
| polytechnic | adj. Pertaining to, embracing, or practicing many arts. |
| polytheism | n. The doctrine or belief that there are more gods than one. |
| pommel | v. To beat with something thick or bulky. |
| pomposity | n. The quality of being marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner. |
| pompous | adj. Marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner. |
| ponder | v. To meditate or reflect upon. |
| ponderous | adj. Unusually weighty or forcible. |
| pontiff | n. The Pope. |
| populace | n. The common people. |
| populous | adj. Containing many inhabitants, especially in proportion to the territory. |
| portend | v. To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs. |
| portent | n. Anything that indicates what is to happen. |
| portfolio | n. A portable case for holding writing-materials, drawings, etc. |
| posit | v. To present in an orderly manner. |
| position | n. The manner in which a thing is placed. |
| positive | adj. Free from doubt or hesitation. |
| posse | n. A force of men. |
| possess | v. To own. |
| possession | n. The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command. |
| possessive | adj. Pertaining to the having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command. |
| possessor | n. One who owns, enjoys, or controls anything, as property. |
| possible | adj. Being not beyond the reach of power natural, moral, or supernatural. |
| postdate | v. To make the date of any writing later than the real date. |
| posterior | n. The hinder part. |
| postgraduate | adj. Pertaining to studies that are pursued after receiving a degree. |
| postscript | n. Something added to a letter after the writer's signature. |
| potency | n. Power. |
| potent | adj. Physically powerful. |
| potentate | n. One possessed of great power or sway. |
| potential | n. Anything that may be possible. |
| potion | n. A dose of liquid medicine. |
| powerless | adj. Impotent. |
| practicable | adj. Feasible. |
| prate | v. To talk about vainly or foolishly. |
| prattle | v. To utter in simple or childish talk. |
| preamble | n. A statement introductory to and explanatory of what follows. |
| precarious | adj. Perilous. |
| precaution | n. A provision made in advance for some possible emergency or danger. |
| precede | v. To happen first. |
| precedence | n. Priority in place, time, or rank. |
| precedent | n. An instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule. |
| precedential | adj. Of the nature of an instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule. |
| precession | n. The act of going forward. |
| precipice | n. A high and very steep or approximately vertical cliff. |
| precipitant | adj. Moving onward quickly and heedlessly. |
| precipitate | v. To force forward prematurely. |
| precise | adj. Exact. |
| precision | n. Accuracy of limitation, definition, or adjustment. |
| preclude | v. To prevent. |
| precocious | adj. Having the mental faculties prematurely developed. |
| precursor | n. A forerunner or herald. |
| predatory | adj. Prone to pillaging. |
| predecessor | n. An incumbent of a given office previous to another. |
| predicament | n. A difficult, trying situation or plight. |
| predicate | v. To state as belonging to something. |
| predict | v. To foretell. |
| prediction | n. A prophecy. |
| predominance | n. Ascendancy or preponderance. |
| predominant | adj. Superior in power, influence, effectiveness, number, or degree. |
| predominate | v. To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree. |
| preeminence | n. Special eminence. |
| preempt | v. To secure the right of preference in the purchase of public land. |
| preemption | n. The right or act of purchasing before others. |
| preengage | v. To preoccupy. |
| preestablish | v. To settle or arrange beforehand. |
| preexist | v. To exist at a period or in a state earlier than something else. |
| preexistence | n. Existence antecedent to something. |
| preface | n. A brief explanation or address to the reader, at the beginning of a book. |
| prefatory | adj. Pertaining to a brief explanation to the reader at the beginning of a book. |
| prefer | v. To hold in higher estimation. |
| preferable | adj. More desirable than others. |
| preference | n. An object of favor or choice. |
| preferential | adj. Possessing, giving, or constituting preference or priority. |
| preferment | n. Preference. |
| prefix | v. To attach at the beginning. |
| prehensible | adj. Capable of being grasped. |
| prehensile | adj. Adapted for grasping or holding. |
| prehension | n. The act of laying hold of or grasping. |
| prejudice | n. A judgment or opinion formed without due examination of the facts. |
| prelacy | n. A system of church government. |
| prelate | n. One of a higher order of clergy having direct authority over other clergy. |
| prelude | n. An introductory or opening performance. |
| premature | adj. Coming too soon. |
| premier | adj. First in rank or position. |
| premise | n. A judgment as a conclusion. |
| premonition | n. Foreboding. |
| preoccupation | n. The state of having the mind, attention, or inclination preoccupied. |
| preoccupy | v. To fill the mind of a person to the exclusion of other subjects. |
| preordain | v. To foreordain. |
| preparation | n. An act or proceeding designed to bring about some event. |
| preparatory | adj. Having to do with what is preliminary. |
| preponderant | adj. Prevalent. |
| preponderate | v. To exceed in influence or power. |
| prepossession | n. A preconceived liking. |
| preposterous | adj. Utterly ridiculous or absurd. |
| prerogative | adj. Having superior rank or precedence. |
| presage | v. To foretell. |
| prescience | n. Knowledge of events before they take place. |
| prescient | adj. Foreknowing. |
| prescript | adj. Prescribed as a rule or model. |
| prescriptible | adj. Derived from authoritative direction. |
| prescription | n. An authoritative direction. |
| presentient | adj. Perceiving or feeling beforehand. |
| presentiment | n. Foreboding. |
| presentment | n. Semblance. |
| preservation | n. Conservation. |
| presumption | n. That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved. |
| presumptuous | adj. Assuming too much. |
| pretension | n. A bold or presumptuous assertion. |
| pretentious | adj. Marked by pretense, conceit, or display. |
| preternatural | adj. Extraordinary. |
| pretext | n. A fictitious reason or motive. |
| prevalence | n. Frequency. |
| prevalent | adj. Of wide extent or frequent occurrence. |
| prevaricate | v. To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving or diverting attention. |
| prevention | n. Thwarting. |
| prickle | v. To puncture slightly with fine, sharp points. |
| priggish | adj. Conceited. |
| prim | adj. Stiffly proper. |
| prima | adj. First. |
| primer | n. An elementary reading-book for children. |
| primeval | adj. Belonging to the first ages. |
| primitive | adj. Pertaining to the beginning or early times. |
| principal | adj. Most important. |
| principality | n. The territory of a reigning prince. |
| principle | n. A general truth or proposition. |
| priory | n. A monastic house. |
| pristine | adj. Primitive. |
| privateer | n. A vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on maritime war. |
| privilege | n. A right or immunity not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only under special conditions. |
| privity | n. Knowledge shared with another or others regarding a private matter. |
| privy | adj. Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret transaction. |
| probate | adj. Relating to making proof, as of a will. |
| probation | n. Any proceeding designed to ascertain or test character, qualification, or the like. |
| probe | v. To search through and through. |
| probity | n. Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed. |
| procedure | n. A manner or method of acting. |
| proceed | v. To renew motion or action, as after rest or interruption. |
| proclamation | n. Any announcement made in a public manner. |
| procrastinate | v. To put off till tomorrow or till a future time. |
| procrastination | n. Delay. |
| proctor | n. An agent acting for another. |
| prodigal | n. One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or property. |
| prodigious | adj. Immense. |
| prodigy | n. A person or thing of very remarkable gifts or qualities. |
| productive | adj. Yielding in abundance. |
| profession | n. Any calling or occupation involving special mental or other special disciplines. |
| professor | n. A public teacher of the highest grade in a university or college. |
| proffer | v. To offer to another for acceptance. |
| proficiency | n. An advanced state of acquirement, as in some knowledge, art, or science. |
| proficient | adj. Possessing ample and ready knowledge or of skill in any art, science, or industry. |
| profile | n. An outline or contour. |
| profiteer | n. One who profits. |
| profligacy | n. Shameless viciousness. |
| profligate | adj. Abandoned to vice. |
| profuse | adj. Produced or displayed in overabundance. |
| progeny | n. Offspring. |
| progression | n. A moving forward or proceeding in course. |
| prohibition | n. A decree or an order forbidding something. |
| prohibitionist | n. One who favors the prohibition by law of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages. |
| prohibitory | adj. Involving or equivalent to prohibition, especially of the sale of alcoholic beverages. |
| projection | n. A prominence. |
| proletarian | n. A person of the lowest or poorest class. |
| prolific | adj. Producing offspring or fruit. |
| prolix | adj. Verbose. |
| prologue | n. A prefatory statement or explanation to a poem, discourse, or performance. |
| prolong | v. To extend in time or duration. |
| promenade | v. To walk for amusement or exercise. |
| prominence | n. The quality of being noticeable or distinguished. |
| prominent | adj. Conspicuous in position, character, or importance. |
| promiscuous | adj. Brought together without order, distinction, or design (for sex). |
| promissory | adj. Expressing an engagement to pay. |
| promontory | n. A high point of land extending outward from the coastline into the sea. |
| promoter | n. A furtherer, forwarder, or encourager. |
| promulgate | v. To proclaim. |
| propaganda | n. Any institution or systematic scheme for propagating a doctrine or system. |
| propagate | v. To spread abroad or from person to person. |
| propel | v. To drive or urge forward. |
| propellant | adj. Propelling. |
| propeller | n. One who or that which propels. |
| prophecy | n. Any prediction or foretelling. |
| prophesy | v. To predict or foretell, especially under divine inspiration and guidance. |
| propitious | adj. Kindly disposed. |
| proportionate | adj. Being in proportion. |
| propriety | n. Accordance with recognized usage, custom, or principles. |
| propulsion | n. A driving onward or forward. |
| prosaic | adj. Unimaginative. |
| proscenium | n. That part of the stage between the curtain and the orchestra. |
| proscribe | v. To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or denunciation. |
| proscription | n. Any act of condemnation and rejection from favor and privilege. |
| proselyte | n. One who has been won over from one religious belief to another. |
| prosody | n. The science of poetical forms. |
| prospector | n. One who makes exploration, search, or examination, especially for minerals. |
| prospectus | n. A paper or pamphlet containing information of a proposed undertaking. |
| prostrate | adj. Lying prone, or with the head to the ground. |
| protagonist | n. A leader in any enterprise or contest. |
| protection | n. Preservation from harm, danger, annoyance, or any other evil. |
| protective | adj. Sheltering. |
| protector | n. A defender. |
| protege | n. One specially cared for and favored by another usually older person. |
| Protestant | n. A Christian who denies the authority of the Pope and holds the right of special judgment. |
| protomartyr | n. The earliest victim in any cause. |
| protocol | n. A declaration or memorandum of agreement less solemn and formal than a treaty. |
| protoplasm | n. The substance that forms the principal portion of an animal or vegetable cell. |
| prototype | n. A work, original in character, afterward imitated in form or spirit. |
| protract | v. To prolong. |
| protrude | v. To push out or thrust forth. |
| protrusion | n. The act of protruding. |
| protuberance | n. Something that swells out from a surrounding surface. |
| protuberant | adj. Bulging. |
| protuberate | v. To swell or bulge beyond the surrounding surface. |
| proverb | n. A brief, pithy saying, condensing in witty or striking form the wisdom of experience. |
| provident | adj. Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies. |
| providential | adj. Effected by divine guidance. |
| provincial | adj. Uncultured in thought and manner. |
| proviso | n. A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered conditional. |
| provocation | n. An action or mode of conduct that excites resentment. |
| prowess | n. Strength, skill, and intrepidity in battle. |
| proximately | adv. Immediately. |
| proxy | n. A person who is empowered by another to represent him or her in a given matter. |
| prudence | n. Caution. |
| prudential | adj. Proceeding or marked by caution. |
| prudery | n. An undue display of modesty or delicacy. |
| prurient | adj. Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires. |
| pseudapostle | n. A pretended or false apostle. |
| pseudonym | n. A fictitious name, especially when assumed by a writer. |
| pseudonymity | n. The state or character of using a fictitious name. |
| psychiatry | n. The branch of medicine that relates to mental disease. |
| psychic | adj. Pertaining to the mind or soul. |
| psychopathic | adj. Morally irresponsible. |
| psychotherapy | n. The treatment of mental disease. |
| pudgy | adj. Small and fat. |
| puerile | adj. Childish. |
| pugnacious | adj. Quarrelsome. |
| puissant | adj. Possessing strength. |
| pulmonary | adj. Pertaining to the lungs. |
| punctilious | adj. Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or custom. |
| punctual | adj. Observant and exact in points of time. |
| pungent | adj. Affecting the sense of smell. |
| pungency | n. The quality of affecting the sense of smell. |
| punitive | adj. Pertaining to punishment. |
| pupilage | n. The state or period of being a student. |
| purgatory | n. An intermediate state where souls are made fit for paradise or heaven by expiatory suffering. |
| purl | v. To cause to whirl, as in an eddy. |
| purloin | v. To steal. |
| purport | n. Intent. |
| purveyor | n. one who supplies |
| pusillanimous | adj. Without spirit or bravery. |
| putrescent | adj. Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter accompanied by fetid odors. |
| pyre | n. A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body. |
| pyromania | n. An insane propensity to set things on fire. |
| pyrotechnic | adj. Pertaining to fireworks or their manufacture. |
| pyx | n. A vessel or casket, usually of precious metal, in which the host is preserved. |
| quackery | n. Charlatanry |
| quadrate | v. To divide into quarters. |
| quadruple | v. To multiply by four. |
| qualification | n. A requisite for an employment, position, right, or privilege. |
| qualify | v. To endow or furnish with requisite ability, character, knowledge, skill, or possessions. |
| qualm | n. A fit of nausea. |
| quandary | n. A puzzling predicament. |
| quantity | n. Magnitude. |
| quarantine | n. The enforced isolation of any person or place infected with contagious disease. |
| quarrelsome | adj. Irascible. |
| quarter | n. One of four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided. |
| quarterly | adj. Occurring or made at intervals of three months. |
| quartet | n. A composition for four voices or four instruments. |
| quarto | n. An eight-page newspaper of any size. |
| quay | n. A wharf or artificial landing-place on the shore of a harbor or projecting into it. |
| querulous | adj. Habitually complaining. |
| query | v. To make inquiry. |
| queue | n. A file of persons waiting in order of their arrival, as for admittance. |
| quibble | n. An utterly trivial distinction or objection. |
| quiescence | n. Quiet. |
| quiescent | adj. Being in a state of repose or inaction. |
| quiet | adj. Making no noise. |
| quietus | n. A silencing, suppressing, or ending. |
| quintessence | n. The most essential part of anything. |
| quintet | n. Musical composition arranged for five voices or instruments. |
| quite | adv. Fully. |
| Quixotic | adj. Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree. |
| rabid | adj. Affected with rabies or hydrophobia. |
| racy | adj. Exciting or exhilarating to the mind. |
| radiance | n. Brilliant or sparkling luster. |
| radiate | v. To extend in all directions, as from a source or focus. |
| radical | n. One who holds extreme views or advocates extreme measures. |
| radix | n. That from or on which something is developed. |
| raillery | n. Good-humored satire. |
| ramify | v. To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions. |
| ramose | adj. Branch-like. |
| rampant | adj. Growing, climbing, or running without check or restraint. |
| rampart | n. A bulwark or construction to oppose assault or hostile entry. |
| rancor | n. Malice. |
| rankle | v. To produce irritation or festering. |
| rapacious | adj. Disposed to seize by violence or by unlawful or greedy methods. |
| rapid | adj. Having great speed. |
| rapine | n. The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in war. |
| rapt | adj. Enraptured. |
| raptorial | adj. Seizing and devouring living prey. |
| ration | v. To provide with a fixed allowance or portion, especially of food. |
| rationalism | n. The formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone, independently of authority. |
| raucous | adj. Harsh. |
| ravage | v. To lay waste by pillage, rapine, devouring, or other destructive methods. |
| ravenous | adj. Furiously voracious or hungry. |
| ravine | n. A deep gorge or hollow, especially one worn by a stream or flow of water. |
| reaction | n. Tendency towards a former, or opposite state of things, as after reform, revolution, or inflation. |
| reactionary | adj. Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction. |
| readily | adv. Without objection or reluctance. |
| readjust | v. To put in order after disarrangement. |
| ready | adj. In a state of preparedness for any given purpose or occasion. |
| realism | n. The principle and practice of depicting persons and scenes as they are believed really to exist. |
| rearrange | v. To arrange again or in a different order. |
| reassure | v. To give new confidence. |
| rebellious | adj. Insubordinate. |
| rebuff | n. A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches. |
| rebuild | v. To build again or anew. |
| rebut | v. To oppose by argument or a sufficient answer. |
| recant | v. To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or maintained). |
| recapitulate | v. To repeat again the principal points of. |
| recapture | v. To capture again. |
| recede | v. To move back or away. |
| receivable | adj. Capable of being or fit to be received - often money. |
| receptive | adj. Having the capacity, quality, or ability of receiving, as truths or impressions. |
| recessive | adj. Having a tendency to go back. |
| recidivist | n. A confirmed criminal. |
| reciprocal | adj. Mutually interchangeable or convertible. |
| reciprocate | v. To give and take mutually. |
| reciprocity | n. Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed. |
| recitation | n. The act of reciting or repeating, especially in public and from memory. |
| reck | v. To have a care or thought for. |
| reckless | adj. Foolishly headless of danger. |
| reclaim | v. To demand or to obtain the return or restoration of. |
| recline | v. To cause to assume a leaning or recumbent attitude or position. |
| recluse | n. One who lives in retirement or seclusion. |
| reclusory | n. A hermitage. |
| recognizance | n. An acknowledgment entered into before a court with condition to do some particular act. |
| recognize | v. To recall the identity of (a person or thing). |
| recoil | v. To start back as in dismay, loathing, or dread. |
| recollect | v. To recall the knowledge of. |
| reconcilable | adj. Capable of being adjusted or harmonized. |
| reconnoiter | v. To make a preliminary examination of for military, surveying, or geological purposes. |
| reconsider | v. To review with care, especially with a view to a reversal of previous action. |
| reconstruct | v. To rebuild. |
| recourse | n. Resort to or application for help in exigency or trouble. |
| recover | v. To regain. |
| recreant | n. A cowardly or faithless person. |
| recreate | v. To refresh after labor. |
| recrudescence | n. The state of becoming raw or sore again. |
| recrudescent | adj. Becoming raw or sore again. |
| recruit | v. To enlist men for military or naval service. |
| rectify | v. To correct. |
| rectitude | n. The quality of being upright in principles and conduct. |
| recuperate | v. To recover. |
| recur | v. To happen again or repeatedly, especially at regular intervals. |
| recure | v. To cure again. |
| recurrent | adj. Returning from time to time, especially at regular or stated intervals. |
| redemption | n. The recovery of what is mortgaged or pledged, by paying the debt. |
| redolent | adj. Smelling sweet and agreeable. |
| redolence | n. Smelling sweet and agreeable. |
| redoubtable | adj. Formidable. |
| redound | n. Rebound. |
| redress | v. To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the wrong-doer. |
| reducible | adj. That may be reduced. |
| redundance | n. Excess. |
| redundant | adj. Constituting an excess. |
| reestablish | v. To restore. |
| refer | v. To direct or send for information or other purpose. |
| referrer | n. One who refers. |
| referable | adj. Ascribable. |
| referee | n. An umpire. |
| refinery | n. A place where some crude material, as sugar or petroleum, is purified. |
| reflectible | adj. Capable of being turned back. |
| reflection | n. The throwing off or back of light, heat, sound, or any form of energy that travels in waves. |
| reflector | n. A mirror, as of metal, for reflecting light, heat, or sound in a particular direction. |
| reflexible | adj. Capable of being reflected. |
| reform | n. Change for the better. |
| reformer | n. One who carries out a reform. |
| refract | v. To bend or turn from a direct course. |
| refractory | adj. Not amenable to control. |
| refragable | adj. Capable of being refuted. |
| refringency | n. Power to refract. |
| refringent | adj. Having the power to refract. |
| refusal | n. Denial of what is asked. |
| refute | v. To prove to be wrong. |
| regale | v. To give unusual pleasure. |
| regalia | n. pl. The emblems of royalty. |
| regality | n. Royalty. |
| regenerate | v. To reproduce. |
| regent | n. One who is lawfully deputized to administer the government for the time being in the name of the ruler. |
| regicide | n. The killing of a king or sovereign. |
| regime | n. Particular conduct or administration of affairs. |
| regimen | n. A systematized order or course of living with reference to food, clothing and personal habits. |
| regiment | n. A body of soldiers. |
| regnant | adj. Exercising royal authority in one's own right. |
| regress | v. To return to a former place or condition. |
| regretful | adj. Feeling, expressive of, or full of regret. |
| rehabilitate | v. To restore to a former status, capacity, right rank, or privilege. |
| reign | v. To hold and exercise sovereign power. |
| reimburse | v. To pay back as an equivalent of what has been expended. |
| rein | n. A step attached to the bit for controlling a horse or other draft-animal. |
| reinstate | v. To restore to a former state, station, or authority. |
| reiterate | v. To say or do again and again. |
| rejoin | v. To reunite after separation. |
| rejuvenate | v. To restore to youth. |
| rejuvenescence | n. A renewal of youth. |
| relapse | v. To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery. |
| relegate | v. To send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination. |
| relent | v. To yield. |
| relevant | adj. Bearing upon the matter in hand. |
| reliance | n. Dependence. |
| reliant | adj. Having confidence. |
| relinquish | v. To give up using or having. |
| reliquary | n. A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept. |
| relish | v. To like the taste or savor of. |
| reluctance | n. Unwillingness. |
| reluctant | adj. Unwilling. |
| remembrance | n. Recollection. |
| reminiscence | n. The calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge or experience. |
| reminiscent | adj. Pertaining to the recollection of matters of personal interest. |
| remiss | adj. Negligent. |
| remission | n. Temporary diminution of a disease. |
| remodel | v. Reconstruct. |
| remonstrance | n. Reproof. |
| remonstrant | adj. Having the character of a reproof. |
| remonstrate | v. To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right or prevent a wrong. |
| remunerate | v. To pay or pay for. |
| remuneration | n. Compensation. |
| Renaissance | n. The revival of letters, and then of art, which marks the transition from medieval to modern time. |
| rendezvous | n. A prearranged place of meeting. |
| rendition | n. Interpretation. |
| renovate | v. To restore after deterioration, as a building. |
| renunciation | n. An explicit disclaimer of a right or privilege. |
| reorganize | v. To change to a more satisfactory form of organization. |
| reparable | adj. Capable of repair. |
| reparation | n. The act of making amends, as for an injury, loss, or wrong. |
| repartee | n. A ready, witty, or apt reply. |
| repeal | v. To render of no further effect. |
| repel | v. To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally. |
| repellent | adj. Having power to force back in a manner, physically or mentally. |
| repentance | n. Sorrow for something done or left undone, with desire to make things right by undoing the wrong. |
| repertory | n. A place where things are stored or gathered together. |
| repetition | n. The act of repeating. |
| repine | v. To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding. |
| replenish | v. To fill again, as something that has been emptied. |
| replete | adj. Full to the uttermost. |
| replica | n. A duplicate executed by the artist himself, and regarded, equally with the first, as an original. |
| repository | n. A place in which goods are stored. |
| reprehend | v. To find fault with. |
| reprehensible | adj. Censurable. |
| reprehension | n. Expression of blame. |
| repress | v. To keep under restraint or control. |
| repressible | adj. Able to be kept under restraint or control. |
| reprieve | v. To grant a respite from punishment to. |
| reprimand | v. To chide or rebuke for a fault. |
| reprisal | n. Any infliction or act by way of retaliation on an enemy. |
| reprobate | n. One abandoned to depravity and sin. |
| reproduce | v. To make a copy of. |
| reproduction | n. The process by which an animal or plant gives rise to another of its kind. |
| reproof | n. An expression of disapproval or blame personally addressed to one censured. |
| repudiate | v. To refuse to have anything to do with. |
| repugnance | n. Thorough dislike. |
| repugnant | adj. Offensive to taste and feeling. |
| repulse | n. The act of beating or driving back, as an attacking or advancing enemy. |
| repulsive | adj. Grossly offensive. |
| repute | v. To hold in general opinion. |
| requiem | n. A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead. |
| requisite | adj. Necessary. |
| requital | n. Adequate return for good or ill. |
| requite | v. To repay either good or evil to, as to a person. |
| rescind | v. To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior authority. |
| reseat | v. To place in position of office again. |
| resemblance | n. Similarity in quality or form. |
| resent | v. To be indignant at, as an injury or insult. |
| reservoir | n. A receptacle where a quantity of some material, especially of a liquid or gas, may be kept. |
| residue | n. A remainder or surplus after a part has been separated or otherwise treated. |
| resilience | n. The power of springing back to a former position |
| resilient | adj. Having the quality of springing back to a former position. |
| resistance | n. The exertion of opposite effort or effect. |
| resistant | adj. Offering or tending to produce resistance. |
| resistive | adj. Having or exercising the power of resistance. |
| resistless | adj. Powerless. |
| resonance | n. The quality of being able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations. |
| resonance | adj. Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations. |
| resonate | v. To have or produce resonance. |
| resource | n. That which is restored to, relied upon, or made available for aid or support. |
| respite | n. Interval of rest. |
| resplendent | adj. Very bright. |
| respondent | adj. Answering. |
| restitution | n. Restoration of anything to the one to whom it properly belongs. |
| resumption | n. The act of taking back, or taking again. |
| resurgent | adj. Surging back or again. |
| resurrection | n. A return from death to life |
| resuscitate | v. To restore from apparent death. |
| retaliate | v. To repay evil with a similar evil. |
| retch | v. To make an effort to vomit. |
| retention | n. The keeping of a thing within one's power or possession. |
| reticence | n. The quality of habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance. |
| reticent | adj. Habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance. |
| retinue | n. The body of persons who attend a person of importance in travel or public appearance. |
| retort | n. A retaliatory speech. |
| retouch | v. To modify the details of. |
| retrace | v. To follow backward or toward the place of beginning, as a track or marking. |
| retract | v. To recall or take back (something that one has said). |
| retrench | v. To cut down or reduce in extent or quantity. |
| retrieve | v. To recover something by searching. |
| retroactive | adj. Operative on, affecting, or having reference to past events, transactions, responsibilities. |
| retrograde | v. To cause to deteriorate or to move backward. |
| retrogression | n. A going or moving backward or in a reverse direction. |
| retrospect | n. A view or contemplation of something past. |
| retrospective | adj. Looking back on the past. |
| reunite | v. To unite or join again, as after separation. |
| revelation | n. A disclosing, discovering, or making known of what was before secret, private, or unknown. |
| revere | v. To regard with worshipful veneration. |
| reverent | adj. Humble. |
| reversion | n. A return to or toward some former state or condition. |
| revert | v. To return, or turn or look back, as toward a former position or the like. |
| revile | v. To heap approach or abuse upon. |
| revisal | n. Revision. |
| revise | v. To examine for the correction of errors, or for the purpose of making changes. |
| revocation | n. Repeal. |
| revoke | v. To rescind. |
| rhapsody | n. Rapt or rapturous utterance. |
| rhetoric | n. The art of discourse. |
| rhetorician | n. A showy writer or speaker. |
| ribald | adj. Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity. |
| riddance | n. The act or ridding or delivering from something undesirable. |
| ridicule | n. Looks or acts expressing amused contempt. |
| ridiculous | adj. Laughable and contemptible. |
| rife | adj. Abundant. |
| righteousness | n. Rectitude. |
| rightful | adj. Conformed to a just claim according to established laws or usage. |
| rigmarole | n. Nonsense. |
| rigor | n. Inflexibility. |
| rigorous | adj. Uncompromising. |
| ripplet | n. A small ripple, as of water. |
| risible | adj. capable of exciting laughter. |
| rivulet | n. A small stream or brook. |
| robust | adj. Characterized by great strength or power of endurance. |
| rondo | n. A musical composition during which the first part or subject is repeated several times. |
| rookery | n. A place where crows congregate to breed. |
| rotary | adj. Turning around its axis, like a wheel, or so constructed as to turn thus. |
| rotate | v. To cause to turn on or as on its axis, as a wheel. |
| rote | n. Repetition of words or sounds as a means of learning them, with slight attention. |
| rotund | adj. Round from fullness or plumpness. |
| rudimentary | adj. Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development. |
| rue | v. To regret extremely. |
| ruffian | adj. A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow. |
| ruminant | adj. Chewing the cud. |
| ruminate | v. To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated. |
| rupture | v. To separate the parts of by violence. |
| rustic | adj. Characteristic of dwelling in the country. |
| ruth | n. Sorrow for another's misery. |
| sacrifice | v. To make an offering of to deity, especially by presenting on an altar. |
| sacrificial | adj. Offering or offered as an atonement for sin. |
| sacrilege | n. The act of violating or profaning anything sacred. |
| sacrilegious | adj. Impious. |
| safeguard | v. To protect. |
| sagacious | adj. Able to discern and distinguish with wise perception. |
| salacious | adj. Having strong sexual desires. |
| salience | n. The condition of standing out distinctly. |
| salient | adj. Standing out prominently. |
| saline | adj. Constituting or consisting of salt. |
| salutary | adj. Beneficial. |
| salutation | n. Any form of greeting, hailing, or welcome, whether by word or act. |
| salutatory | n. The opening oration at the commencement in American colleges. |
| salvage | n. Any act of saving property. |
| salvo | n. A salute given by firing all the guns, as at the funeral of an officer. |
| sanctimonious | adj. Making an ostentatious display or hypocritical pretense of holiness or piety. |
| sanction | v. To approve authoritatively. |
| sanctity | n. Holiness. |
| sanguinary | adj. Bloody. |
| sanguine | adj. Having the color of blood. |
| sanguineous | adj. Consisting of blood. |
| sapid | adj. Affecting the sense of taste. |
| sapience | n. Deep wisdom or knowledge. |
| sapient | adj. Possessing wisdom. |
| sapiential | adj. Possessing wisdom. |
| saponaceous | adj. Having the nature or quality of soap. |
| sarcasm | n. Cutting and reproachful language. |
| sarcophagus | n. A stone coffin or a chest-like tomb. |
| sardonic | adj. Scornfully or bitterly sarcastic. |
| satiate | v. To satisfy fully the appetite or desire of. |
| satire | n. The employment of sarcasm, irony, or keenness of wit in ridiculing vices. |
| satiric | adj. Resembling poetry, in which vice, incapacity ,or corruption is held up to ridicule. |
| satirize | v. To treat with sarcasm or derisive wit. |
| satyr | n. A very lascivious person. |
| savage | n. A wild and uncivilized human being. |
| savor | v. To perceive by taste or smell. |
| scabbard | n. The sheath of a sword or similar bladed weapon. |
| scarcity | n. Insufficiency of supply for needs or ordinary demands. |
| scholarly | adj. Characteristic of an erudite person. |
| scholastic | adj. Pertaining to education or schools. |
| scintilla | n. The faintest ray. |
| scintillate | v. To emit or send forth sparks or little flashes of light. |
| scope | n. A range of action or view. |
| scoundrel | n. A man without principle. |
| scribble | n. Hasty, careless writing. |
| scribe | n. One who writes or is skilled in writing. |
| script | n. Writing or handwriting of the ordinary cursive form. |
| Scriptural | adj. Pertaining to, contained in, or warranted by the Holy Scriptures. |
| scruple | n. Doubt or uncertainty regarding a question of moral right or duty. |
| scrupulous | adj. Cautious in action for fear of doing wrong. |
| scurrilous | adj. Grossly indecent or vulgar. |
| scuttle | v. To sink (a ship) by making holes in the bottom. |
| scythe | n. A long curved blade for mowing, reaping, etc. |
| seance | n. A meeting of spirituals for consulting spirits. |
| sear | v. To burn on the surface. |
| sebaceous | adj. Pertaining to or appearing like fat. |
| secant | adj. Cutting, especially into two parts. |
| secede | v. To withdraw from union or association, especially from a political or religious body. |
| secession | n. Voluntary withdrawal from fellowship, especially from political or religious bodies. |
| seclude | v. To place, keep, or withdraw from the companionship of others. |
| seclusion | n. Solitude. |
| secondary | adj. Less important or effective than that which is primary. |
| secondly | adv. In the second place in order or succession. |
| second-rate | adj. Second in quality, size, rank, importance, etc. |
| secrecy | n. Concealment. |
| secretary | n. One who attends to correspondence, keeps records. or does other writing for others. |
| secretive | adj. Having a tendency to conceal. |
| sedate | adj. Even-tempered. |
| sedentary | adj. Involving or requiring much sitting. |
| sediment | n. Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid. |
| sedition | n. Conduct directed against public order and the tranquillity of the state. |
| seditious | adj. Promotive of conduct directed against public order and the tranquillity of the state. |
| seduce | v. To entice to surrender chastity. |
| sedulous | adj. Persevering in effort or endeavor. |
| seer | n. A prophet. |
| seethe | v. To be violently excited or agitated. |
| seignior | n. A title of honor or respectful address, equivalent to sir. |
| seismograph | n. An instrument for recording the phenomena of earthquakes. |
| seize | v. To catch or take hold of suddenly and forcibly. |
| selective | adj. Having the power of choice. |
| self-respect | n. Rational self-esteem. |
| semblance | n. Outward appearance. |
| semicivilized | adj. Half-civilized. |
| semiconscious | adj. Partially conscious. |
| semiannual | adj. Recurring at intervals of six months. |
| semicircle | n. A half-circle. |
| seminar | n. Any assemblage of pupils for real research in some specific study under a teacher. |
| seminary | n. A special school, as of theology or pedagogics. |
| senile | adj. Peculiar to or proceeding from the weakness or infirmity of old age. |
| sensation | n. A condition of mind resulting from spiritual or inherent feeling. |
| sense | n. The signification conveyed by some word, phrase, or action. |
| sensibility | n. Power to perceive or feel. |
| sensitive | adj. Easily affected by outside operations or influences. |
| sensorium | n. The sensory apparatus. |
| sensual | adj. Pertaining to the body or the physical senses. |
| sensuous | adj. Having a warm appreciation of the beautiful or of the refinements of luxury. |
| sentence | n. A related group of words containing a subject and a predicate and expressing a complete thought. |
| sentience | n. Capacity for sensation or sense-perception. |
| sentient | adj. Possessing the power of sense or sense-perception. |
| sentinel | n. Any guard or watch stationed for protection. |
| separable | adj. Capable of being disjoined or divided. |
| separate | v. To take apart. |
| separatist | n. A seceder. |
| septennial | adj. Recurring every seven years. |
| sepulcher | n. A burial-place. |
| sequacious | adj. Ready to be led. |
| sequel | n. That which follows in consequence of what has previously happened. |
| sequence | n. The order in which a number or persons, things, or events follow one another in space or time. |
| sequent | adj. Following in the order of time. |
| sequester | v. To cause to withdraw or retire, as from society or public life. |
| sequestrate | v. To confiscate. |
| sergeant | n. A non-commissioned military officer ranking next above a corporal. |
| sergeant-at-arms | n. An executive officer in legislative bodies who enforces the orders of the presiding officer. |
| sergeant-major | n. The highest non-commissioned officer in a regiment. |
| service | n. Any work done for the benefit of another. |
| serviceable | adj. Durable. |
| servitude | n. Slavery. |
| severance | n. Separation. |
| severely | adv. Extremely. |
| sextet | n. A band of six singers or players. |
| sextuple | adj. Multiplied by six. |
| sheer | adj. Absolute. |
| shiftless | adj. Wanting in resource, energy, or executive ability. |
| shrewd | adj. Characterized by skill at understanding and profiting by circumstances. |
| shriek | n. A sharp, shrill outcry or scream, caused by agony or terror. |
| shrinkage | n. A contraction of any material into less bulk or dimension. |
| shrivel | v. To draw or be drawn into wrinkles. |
| shuffle | n. A mixing or changing the order of things. |
| sibilance | n. A hissing sound. |
| sibilant | adj. Made with a hissing sound. |
| sibilate | v. To give a hissing sound to, as in pronouncing the letter s. |
| sidelong | adj. Inclining or tending to one side. |
| sidereal | adj. Pertaining to stars or constellations. |
| siege | n. A beleaguerment. |
| significance | n. Importance. |
| significant | adj. Important, especially as pointing something out. |
| signification | n. The meaning conveyed by language, actions, or signs. |
| similar | adj. Bearing resemblance to one another or to something else. |
| simile | n. A comparison which directs the mind to the representative object itself. |
| similitude | n. Similarity. |
| simplify | v. To make less complex or difficult. |
| simulate | v. Imitate. |
| simultaneous | adj. Occurring, done, or existing at the same time. |
| sinecure | n. Any position having emoluments with few or no duties. |
| singe | v. To burn slightly or superficially. |
| sinister | adj. Evil. |
| sinuosity | n. The quality of curving in and out. |
| sinuous | adj. Curving in and out. |
| sinus | n. An opening or cavity. |
| siren | n. A sea-nymph, described by Homer as dwelling between the island of Circe and Scylla. |
| sirocco | n. hot winds from Africa. |
| sisterhood | n. A body of sisters united by some bond of sympathy or by a religious vow. |
| skeptic | n. One who doubts any statements. |
| skepticism | n. The entertainment of doubt concerning something. |
| skiff | n. Usually, a small light boat propelled by oars. |
| skirmish | n. Desultory fighting between advanced detachments of two armies. |
| sleight | n. A trick or feat so deftly done that the manner of performance escapes observation. |
| slight | adj. Of a small importance or significance. |
| slothful | adj. Lazy. |
| sluggard | n. A person habitually lazy or idle. |
| sociable | adj. Inclined to seek company. |
| socialism | n. A theory of civil polity that aims to secure the reconstruction of society. |
| socialist | adj. One who advocates reconstruction of society by collective ownership of land and capital. |
| sociology | n. The philosophical study of society. |
| Sol | n. The sun. |
| solace | n. Comfort in grief, trouble, or calamity. |
| solar | adj. Pertaining to the sun. |
| solder | n. A fusible alloy used for joining metallic surfaces or margins. |
| soldier | n. A person engaged in military service. |
| solecism | n. Any violation of established rules or customs. |
| solicitor | n. One who represents a client in court of justice; an attorney. |
| solicitude | n. Uneasiness of mind occasioned by desire, anxiety, or fear. |
| soliloquy | n. A monologue. |
| solstice | n. The time of year when the sun is at its greatest declination. |
| soluble | adj. Capable of being dissolved, as in a fluid. |
| solvent | adj. Having sufficient funds to pay all debts. |
| somber | adj. Gloomy. |
| somniferous | adj. Tending to produce sleep. |
| somnolence | n. Oppressive drowsiness. |
| somnolent | adj. Sleepy. |
| sonata | n. An instrumental composition. |
| sonnet | n. A poem of fourteen decasyllabic or octosyllabiclines expressing two successive phrases. |
| sonorous | adj. Resonant. |
| soothsayer | n. One who claims to have supernatural insight or foresight. |
| sophism | n. A false argument understood to be such by the reasoner himself and intentionally used to deceive |
| sophistical | adj. Fallacious. |
| sophisticate | v. To deprive of simplicity of mind or manner. |
| sophistry | n. Reasoning sound in appearance only, especially when designedly deceptive. |
| soprano | n. A woman's or boy's voice of high range. |
| sorcery | n. Witchcraft. |
| sordid | adj. Of degraded character or nature. |
| souvenir | n. A token of remembrance. |
| sparse | adj. Thinly diffused. |
| Spartan | adj. Exceptionally brave; rigorously severe. |
| spasmodic | adj. Convulsive. |
| specialize | v. To assume an individual or specific character, or adopt a singular or special course. |
| specialty | n. An employment limited to one particular line of work. |
| specie | n. A coin or coins of gold, silver, copper, or other metal. |
| species | n. A classificatory group of animals or plants subordinate to a genus. |
| specimen | n. One of a class of persons or things regarded as representative of the class. |
| specious | adj. Plausible. |
| spectator | n. One who beholds or looks on. |
| specter | n. Apparition. |
| spectrum | n. An image formed by rays of light or other radiant energy. |
| speculate | v. To pursue inquiries and form conjectures. |
| speculator | n. One who makes an investment that involves a risk of loss, but also a chance of profit. |
| sphericity | n. The state or condition of being a sphere. |
| spheroid | n. A body having nearly the form of a sphere. |
| spherometer | n. An instrument for measuring curvature or radii of spherical surfaces. |
| spinous | adj. Having spines. |
| spinster | n. A woman who has never been married. |
| spontaneous | adj. Arising from inherent qualities or tendencies without external efficient cause. |
| sprightly | adj. Vivacious. |
| spurious | adj. Not genuine. |
| squabble | v. To quarrel. |
| squalid | adj. Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance. |
| squatter | n. One who settles on land without permission or right. |
| stagnant | adj. Not flowing: said of water, as in a pool. |
| stagnate | v. To become dull or inert. |
| stagnation | n. The condition of not flowing or not changing. |
| stagy | adj. Having a theatrical manner. |
| staid | adj. Of a steady and sober character. |
| stallion | n. An uncastrated male horse, commonly one kept for breeding. |
| stanchion | n. A vertical bar, or a pair of bars, used to confine cattle in a stall. |
| stanza | n. A group of rimed lines, usually forming one of a series of similar divisions in a poem. |
| statecraft | n. The art of conducting state affairs. |
| static | adj. Pertaining to or designating bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium. |
| statics | n. The branch of mechanics that treats of the relations that subsist among forces in order. |
| stationary | adj. Not moving. |
| statistician | n. One who is skilled in collecting and tabulating numerical facts. |
| statuesque | adj. Having the grace, pose, or quietude of a statue. |
| statuette | n. A figurine. |
| stature | n. The natural height of an animal body. |
| statute | n. Any authoritatively declared rule, ordinance, decree, or law. |
| stealth | n. A concealed manner of acting. |
| stellar | adj. Pertaining to the stars. |
| steppe | n. One of the extensive plains in Russia and Siberia. |
| sterling | adj. Genuine. |
| stifle | v. To smother. |
| stigma | n. A mark of infamy or token of disgrace attaching to a person as the result of evil-doing. |
| stiletto | n. A small dagger. |
| stimulant | n. Anything that rouses to activity or to quickened action. |
| stimulate | v. To rouse to activity or to quickened action. |
| stimulus | n. Incentive. |
| stingy | adj. Cheap, unwilling to spend money. |
| stipend | n. A definite amount paid at stated periods in compensation for services or as an allowance. |
| Stoicism | n. The principles or the practice of the Stoics-being very even tempered in success and failure. |
| stolid | adj. Expressing no power of feeling or perceiving. |
| strait | n. A narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water. |
| stratagem | n. Any clever trick or device for obtaining an advantage. |
| stratum | n. A natural or artificial layer, bed, or thickness of any substance or material. |
| streamlet | n. Rivulet. |
| stringency | n. Strictness. |
| stringent | adj. Rigid. |
| stripling | n. A mere youth. |
| studious | adj. Having or showing devotion to the acquisition of knowledge. |
| stultify | v. To give an appearance of foolishness to. |
| stupendous | adj. Of prodigious size, bulk, or degree. |
| stupor | n. Profound lethargy. |
| suasion | n. The act of persuading. |
| suave | adj. Smooth and pleasant in manner. |
| subacid | adj. Somewhat sharp or biting. |
| subaquatic | adj. Being, formed, or operating under water. |
| subconscious | adj. Being or occurring in the mind, but without attendant consciousness or conscious perception. |
| subjacent | adj. Situated directly underneath. |
| subjection | n. The act of bringing into a state of submission. |
| subjugate | v. To conquer. |
| subliminal | adj. Being beneath the threshold of consciousness. |
| sublingual | adj. Situated beneath the tongue. |
| submarine | adj. Existing, done, or operating beneath the surface of the sea. |
| submerge | v. To place or plunge under water. |
| submergence | n. The act of submerging. |
| submersible | adj. Capable of being put underwater. |
| submersion | n. The act of submerging. |
| submission | n. A yielding to the power or authority of another. |
| submittal | n. The act of submitting. |
| subordinate | adj. Belonging to an inferior order in a classification. |
| subsequent | adj. Following in time. |
| subservience | n. The quality, character, or condition of being servilely following another's behests. |
| subservient | adj. Servilely following another's behests. |
| subside | v. To relapse into a state of repose and tranquillity. |
| subsist | v. To be maintained or sustained. |
| subsistence | n. Sustenance. |
| substantive | adj. Solid. |
| subtend | v. To extend opposite to. |
| subterfuge | n. Evasion. |
| subterranean | adj. Situated or occurring below the surface of the earth. |
| subtle | adj. Discriminating. |
| subtrahend | n. That which is to be subtracted. |
| subversion | n. An overthrow, as from the foundation. |
| subvert | v. To bring to ruin. |
| succeed | v. To accomplish what is attempted or intended. |
| success | n. A favorable or prosperous course or termination of anything attempted. |
| successful | adj. Having reached a high degree of worldly prosperity. |
| successor | n. One who or that which takes the place of a predecessor or preceding thing. |
| succinct | adj. Concise. |
| succulent | adj. Juicy. |
| succumb | v. To cease to resist. |
| sufferance | n. Toleration. |
| sufficiency | n. An ample or adequate supply. |
| suffrage | n. The right or privilege of voting. |
| suffuse | v. To cover or fill the surface of. |
| suggestible | adj. That can be suggested. |
| suggestive | adj. Stimulating to thought or reflection. |
| summary | n. An abstract. |
| sumptuous | adj. Rich and costly. |
| superabundance | n. An excessive amount. |
| superadd | v. To add in addition to what has been added. |
| superannuate | v. To become deteriorated or incapacitated by long service. |
| superb | adj. Sumptuously elegant. |
| supercilious | adj. Exhibiting haughty and careless contempt. |
| superficial | adj. Knowing and understanding only the ordinary and the obvious. |
| superfluity | n. That part of anything that is in excess of what is needed. |
| superfluous | adj. Being more than is needed. |
| superheat | v. To heat to excess. |
| superintend | v. To have the charge and direction of, especially of some work or movement. |
| superintendence | n. Direction and management. |
| superintendent | n. One who has the charge and direction of, especially of some work or movement. |
| superlative | n. That which is of the highest possible excellence or eminence. |
| supernatural | adj. Caused miraculously or by the immediate exercise of divine power. |
| supernumerary | adj. Superfluous. |
| supersede | v. To displace. |
| supine | adj. Lying on the back. |
| supplant | v. To take the place of. |
| supple | adj. Easily bent. |
| supplementary | adj. Being an addition to. |
| supplicant | n. One who asks humbly and earnestly. |
| supplicate | v. To beg. |
| supposition | n. Conjecture. |
| suppress | v. To prevent from being disclosed or punished. |
| suppressible | adj. Capable of being suppressed. |
| suppression | n. A forcible putting or keeping down. |
| supramundane | adj. Supernatural. |
| surcharge | n. An additional amount charged. |
| surety | n. Security for payment or performance. |
| surfeit | v. To feed to fullness or to satiety. |
| surmise | v. To conjecture. |
| surmount | v. To overcome by force of will. |
| surreptitious | adj. Clandestine. |
| surrogate | n. One who or that which is substituted for or appointed to act in place of another. |
| surround | v. To encircle. |
| surveyor | n. A land-measurer. |
| susceptibility | n. A specific capability of feeling or emotion. |
| susceptible | adj. Easily under a specified power or influence. |
| suspense | n. Uncertainty. |
| suspension | n. A hanging from a support. |
| suspicious | adj. Inclined to doubt or mistrust. |
| sustenance | n. Food. |
| swarthy | adj. Having a dark hue, especially a dark or sunburned complexion. |
| Sybarite | n. A luxurious person. |
| sycophant | n. A servile flatterer, especially of those in authority or influence. |
| syllabic | adj. Consisting of that which is uttered in a single vocal impulse. |
| syllabication | n. Division of words into that which is uttered in a single vocal impulse. |
| syllable | n. That which is uttered in a single vocal impulse. |
| syllabus | n. Outline of a subject, course, lecture, or treatise. |
| sylph | n. A slender, graceful young woman or girl. |
| symmetrical | adj. Well-balanced. |
| symmetry | n. Relative proportion and harmony. |
| sympathetic | adj. Having a fellow-feeling for or like feelings with another or others. |
| sympathize | v. To share the sentiments or mental states of another. |
| symphonic | adj. Characterized by a harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds. |
| symphonious | adj. Marked by a harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds. |
| symphony | n. A harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds. |
| synchronism | n. Simultaneousness. |
| syndicate | n. An association of individuals united for the prosecution of some enterprise. |
| syneresis | n. The coalescence of two vowels or syllables, as e'er for ever. |
| synod | n. An ecclesiastical council. |
| synonym | n. A word having the same or almost the same meaning as some other. |
| synopsis | n. A syllabus or summary. |
| systematic | adj. Methodical. |
| tableau | n. An arrangement of inanimate figures representing a scene from real life. |
| tacit | adj. Understood. |
| taciturn | adj. Disinclined to conversation. |
| tack | n. A small sharp-pointed nail. |
| tact | n. Fine or ready mental discernment shown in saying or doing the proper thing. |
| tactician | n. One who directs affairs with skill and shrewdness. |
| tactics | n. Any maneuvering or adroit management for effecting an object. |
| tangency | n. The state of touching. |
| tangent | adj. Touching. |
| tangible | adj. Perceptible by touch. |
| tannery | n. A place where leather is tanned. |
| tantalize | v. To tease. |
| tantamount | adj. Having equal or equivalent value, effect, or import. |
| tapestry | n. A fabric to which a pattern is applied with a needle, designed for ornamental hangings. |
| tarnish | v. To lessen or destroy the luster of in any way. |
| taut | adj. Stretched tight. |
| taxation | n. A levy, by government, of a fixed contribution. |
| taxidermy | n. The art or process of preserving dead animals or parts of them. |
| technic | adj. Technical. |
| technicality | n. Something peculiar to a particular art, trade, or the like. |
| technique | n. Manner of performance. |
| technography | n. The scientific description or study of human arts and industries in their historic development. |
| technology | n. The knowledge relating to industries and manufactures. |
| teem | v. To be full to overflowing. |
| telepathy | n. Thought-transference. |
| telephony | n. The art or process of communicating by telephone. |
| telescope | v. To drive together so that one slides into the another like the sections of a spy-glass. |
| telltale | adj. That gives warning or information. |
| temerity | n. Recklessness. |
| temporal | adj. Pertaining to or concerned with the affairs of the present life. |
| temporary | adj. Lasting for a short time only. |
| temporize | v. To pursue a policy of delay. |
| tempt | v. To offer to (somebody) an inducement to do wrong. |
| tempter | n. An allurer or enticer to evil. |
| tenacious | adj. Unyielding. |
| tenant | n. An occupant. |
| tendency | n. Direction or inclination, as toward some objector end. |
| tenet | n. Any opinion, principle, dogma, or doctrine that a person believes or maintains as true. |
| tenor | n. A settled course or manner of progress. |
| tense | adj. Strained to stiffness. |
| tentative | adj. Done as an experiment. |
| tenure | n. The term during which a thing is held. |
| tercentenary | adj. Pertaining to a period of 300 years. |
| termagant | adj. Violently abusive and quarrelsome. |
| terminal | adj. Pertaining to or creative of a boundary, limit. |
| terminate | v. To put an end or stop to. |
| termination | n. The act of ending or concluding. |
| terminus | n. The final point or goal. |
| terrify | v. To fill with extreme fear. |
| territorial | adj. Pertaining to the domain over which a sovereign state exercises jurisdiction. |
| terse | adj. Pithy. |
| testament | n. A will. |
| testator | n. The maker of a will. |
| testimonial | n. A formal token of regard, often presented in public. |
| thearchy | n. Government by a supreme deity. |
| theism | n. Belief in God. |
| theocracy | n. A government administered by ecclesiastics. |
| theocrasy | n. The mixed worship of polytheism. |
| theologian | n. A professor of divinity. |
| theological | adj. Based on or growing out of divine revelation. |
| theology | n. The branch of theological science that treats of God. |
| theoretical | adj. Directed toward knowledge for its own sake without respect to applications. |
| theorist | n. One given to speculating. |
| theorize | v. To speculate. |
| thereabout | adv. Near that number, quantity, degree, place, or time, approximately. |
| therefor | adv. For that or this. |
| thermal | adj. Of or pertaining to heat. |
| thermoelectric | adj. Denoting electricity produced by heat. |
| thermoelectricity | n. Electricity generated by differences of temperature, |
| thesis | n. An essay or treatise on a particular subject. |
| thoroughbred | adj. Bred from the best or purest blood or stock. |
| thoroughfare | n. A public street or road. |
| thrall | n. One controlled by an appetite or a passion. |
| tilth | n. Cultivation. |
| timbre | n. The quality of a tone, as distinguished from intensity and pitch. |
| timorous | adj. Lacking courage. |
| tincture | n. A solution, usually alcoholic, of some principle used in medicine. |
| tinge | n. A faint trace of color. |
| tipsy | adj. Befuddled with drinks. |
| tirade | n. Harangue. |
| tireless | adj. Untiring. |
| tiresome | adj. Wearisome. |
| Titanic | adj. Of vast size or strength. |
| toilsome | adj. Laborious. |
| tolerable | adj. Moderately good. |
| tolerance | n. Forbearance in judging of the acts or opinions of others. |
| tolerant | adj. Indulgent. |
| tolerate | v. To passively permit or put up with. |
| toleration | n. A spirit of charitable leniency. |
| topography | n. The art of representing on a map the physical features of any locality or region with accuracy. |
| torpor | n. Apathy. |
| torrid | adj. Excessively hot. |
| tortious | adj. Wrongful. |
| tortuous | adj. Abounding in irregular bends or turns. |
| torturous | adj. Marked by extreme suffering. |
| tractable | adj. Easily led or controlled. |
| trait | n. A distinguishing feature or quality. |
| trajectory | n. The path described by a projectile moving under given forces. |
| trammel | n. An impediment. |
| tranquil | adj. Calm. |
| tranquilize | v. To soothe. |
| tranquility | n. Calmness. |
| transalpine | adj. Situated on the other side of the Alps. |
| transact | v. To do business. |
| transatlantic | adj. Situated beyond or on the other side of the Atlantic. |
| transcend | v. To surpass. |
| transcendent | adj. Surpassing. |
| transcontinental | adj. Extending or passing across a continent. |
| transcribe | v. To write over again (something already written) |
| transcript | n. A copy made directly from an original. |
| transfer | v. To convey, remove, or cause to pass from one person or place to another. |
| transferable | adj. Capable of being conveyed from one person or place to another. |
| transferee | n. The person to whom a transfer is made. |
| transference | n. The act of conveying from one person or place to another. |
| transferrer | n. One who or that which conveys from one person or place to another. |
| transfigure | v. To give an exalted meaning or glorified appearance to. |
| transfuse | v. To pour or cause to pass, as a fluid, from one vessel to another. |
| transfusible | adj. Capable of being poured from one vessel to another. |
| transfusion | n. The act of pouring from one vessel to another. |
| transgress | v. To break a law. |
| transience | n. Something that is of short duration. |
| transient | n. One who or that which is only of temporary existence. |
| transition | n. Passage from one place, condition, or action to another. |
| transitory | adj. Existing for a short time only. |
| translate | v. To give the sense or equivalent of in another language or dialect. |
| translator | n. An interpreter. |
| translucence | n. The property or state of allowing the passage of light. |
| translucent | adj. Allowing the passage of light. |
| transmissible | adj. That may e sent through or across. |
| transmission | n. The act of sending through or across. |
| transmit | v. To send trough or across. |
| transmute | v. To change in nature, substance, or form. |
| transparent | adj. Easy to see through or understand. |
| transpire | v. To come to pass. |
| transplant | v. To remove and plant in another place. |
| transposition | n. The act of reversing the order or changing the place of. |
| transverse | adj. Lying or being across or in a crosswise direction. |
| travail | n. Hard or agonizing labor. |
| travesty | n. A grotesque imitation. |
| treacherous | adj. Perfidious. |
| treachery | n. Violation of allegiance, confidence, or plighted faith. |
| treasonable | adj. Of the nature of betrayal, treachery, or breech of allegiance. |
| treatise | n. An elaborate literary composition presenting a subject in all its parts. |
| treble | adj. Multiplied by three. |
| trebly | adv. Triply. |
| tremendous | adj. Awe-inspiring. |
| tremor | n. An involuntary trembling or shivering. |
| tremulous | adj. Characterized by quivering or unsteadiness. |
| trenchant | adj. Cutting deeply and quickly. |
| trepidation | n. Nervous uncertainty of feeling. |
| trestle | n. An open braced framework for supporting the horizontal stringers of a railway-bridge. |
| triad | n. A group of three persons of things. |
| tribune | n. Any champion of the rights and liberties of the people: often used as the name for a newspaper. |
| trickery | n. Artifice. |
| tricolor | adj. Of three colors. |
| tricycle | n. A three-wheeled vehicle. |
| trident | n. The three-pronged fork that was the emblem of Neptune. |
| triennial | adj. Taking place every third year. |
| trimness | n. Neatness. |
| trinity | n. A threefold personality existing in the one divine being or substance. |
| trio | n. Three things grouped or associated together. |
| triple | adj. Threefold. |
| triplicate | adj. Composed of or pertaining to three related things or parts. |
| triplicity | n. The state of being triple or threefold. |
| tripod | n. A three-legged stand, usually hinged near the top, for supporting some instrument. |
| trisect | v. To divide into three parts, especially into three equal parts. |
| trite | adj. Made commonplace by frequent repetition. |
| triumvir | n. One of three men united coordinately in public office or authority. |
| trivial | adj. Of little importance or value. |
| troublesome | adj. Burdensome. |
| truculence | n. Ferocity. |
| truculent | adj. Having the character or the spirit of a savage. |
| truism | n. A statement so plainly true as hardly to require statement or proof. |
| truthful | adj. Veracious. |
| turgid | adj. Swollen. |
| turpitude | n. Depravity. |
| tutelage | n. The act of training or the state of being under instruction. |
| tutelar | adj. Protective. |
| tutorship | n. The office of a guardian. |
| twinge | n. A darting momentary local pain. |
| typical | adj. Characteristic. |
| typify | v. To serve as a characteristic example of. |
| typographical | adj. Pertaining to typography or printing. |
| typography | n. The arrangement of composed type, or the appearance of printed matter. |
| tyrannical | adj. Despotic. |
| tyranny | n. Absolute power arbitrarily or unjustly administrated. |
| tyro | n. One slightly skilled in or acquainted with any trade or profession. |
| ubiquitous | adj. Being present everywhere. |
| ulterior | adj. Not so pertinent as something else to the matter spoken of. |
| ultimate | adj. Beyond which there is nothing else. |
| ultimatum | n. A final statement or proposal, as concerning terms or conditions. |
| ultramundane | adj. Pertaining to supernatural things or to another life. |
| ultramontane | adj. Beyond the mountains, especially beyond the Alps (that is, on their Italian side). |
| umbrage | n. A sense of injury. |
| unaccountable | adj. Inexplicable. |
| unaffected | adj. Sincere. |
| unanimous | adj. Sharing the same views or sentiments. |
| unanimity | n. The state or quality of being of one mind. |
| unavoidable | adj. Inevitable. |
| unbearable | adj. Unendurable. |
| unbecoming | adj. Unsuited to the wearer, place, or surroundings. |
| unbelief | n. Doubt. |
| unbiased | adj. Impartial, as judgment. |
| unbridled | adj. Being without restraint. |
| uncommon | adj. Rare. |
| unconscionable | adj. Ridiculously or unjustly excessive. |
| unconscious | adj. Not cognizant of objects, actions, etc. |
| unction | n. The art of anointing as with oil. |
| unctuous | adj. Oily. |
| undeceive | v. To free from deception, as by apprising of the real state of affairs. |
| undercharge | v. To make an inadequate charge for. |
| underexposed | adj. Insufficiently exposed for proper or full development, as negatives in photography. |
| undergarment | n. A garment to be worn under the ordinary outer garments. |
| underman | v. To equip with less than the full complement of men. |
| undersell | v. To sell at a lower price than. |
| undersized | adj. Of less than the customary size. |
| underhanded | adj. Clandestinely carried on. |
| underlie | v. To be the ground or support of. |
| underling | n. A subordinate. |
| undermine | v. To subvert in an underhand way. |
| underrate | v. To undervalue. |
| understate | v. To fail to put strongly enough, as a case. |
| undervalue | v. To underestimate. |
| underworld | n. Hades. |
| underwrite | v. To issue or be party to the issue of a policy of insurance. |
| undue | adj. More than sufficient. |
| undulate | v. To move like a wave or in waves. |
| undulous | adj. Resembling waves. |
| unfavorable | adj. Adverse. |
| ungainly | adj. Clumsy. |
| unguent | n. Any ointment or lubricant for local application. |
| unicellular | adj. Consisting of a single cell. |
| univalence | n. Monovalency. |
| unify | v. To cause to be one. |
| unique | adj. Being the only one of its kind. |
| unison | n. A condition of perfect agreement and accord. |
| unisonant | adj. Being in a condition of perfect agreement and accord. |
| Unitarian | adj. Pertaining to a religious body that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. |
| unlawful | adj. Illegal. |
| unlimited | adj. Unconstrained. |
| unnatural | adj. Artificial. |
| unnecessary | adj. Not essential under the circumstances. |
| unsettle | v. To put into confusion. |
| unsophisticated | adj. Showing inexperience. |
| unspeakable | adj. Abominable. |
| untimely | adj. Unseasonable. |
| untoward | adj. Causing annoyance or hindrance. |
| unutterable | adj. Inexpressible. |
| unwieldy | adj. Moved or managed with difficulty, as from great size or awkward shape. |
| unwise | adj. Foolish. |
| unyoke | v. To separate. |
| up-keep | n. Maintenance. |
| upbraid | v. To reproach as deserving blame. |
| upcast | n. A throwing upward. |
| upheaval | n. Overthrow or violent disturbance of established order or condition. |
| upheave | v. To raise or lift with effort. |
| uppermost | adj. First in order of precedence. |
| uproarious | adj. Noisy. |
| uproot | v. To eradicate. |
| upturn | v. To throw into confusion. |
| urban | adj. Of, or pertaining to, or like a city. |
| urbanity | n. Refined or elegant courtesy. |
| urchin | n. A roguish, mischievous boy. |
| urgency | n. The pressure of necessity. |
| usage | n. Treatment. |
| usurious | adj. Taking unlawful or exorbitant interest on money loaned. |
| usurp | v. To take possession of by force. |
| usury | n. The demanding for the use of money as a loan, a rate of interest beyond what is allowed by law. |
| utilitarianism | n. The ethical doctrine that actions are right because they are useful or of beneficial tendency. |
| utility | n. Fitness for some desirable practical purpose. |
| utmost | n. The greatest possible extent. |
| vacate | v. To leave. |
| vaccinate | v. To inoculate with vaccine virus or virus of cowpox. |
| vacillate | v. To waver. |
| vacuous | adj. Empty. |
| vacuum | n. A space entirely devoid of matter. |
| vagabond | n. A wanderer. |
| vagrant | n. An idle wanderer. |
| vainglory | n. Excessive, pretentious, and demonstrative vanity. |
| vale | n. Level or low land between hills. |
| valediction | n. A bidding farewell. |
| valedictorian | n. Student who delivers an address at graduating exercises of an educational institution. |
| valedictory | n. A parting address. |
| valid | adj. Founded on truth. |
| valorous | adj. Courageous. |
| vapid | adj. Having lost sparkling quality and flavor. |
| vaporizer | n. An atomizer. |
| variable | adj. Having a tendency to change. |
| variance | n. Change. |
| variant | n. A thing that differs from another in form only, being the same in essence or substance. |
| variation | n. Modification. |
| variegate | v. To mark with different shades or colors. |
| vassal | n. A slave or bondman. |
| vaudeville | n. A variety show. |
| vegetal | adj. Of or pertaining to plants. |
| vegetarian | n. One who believes in the theory that man's food should be exclusively vegetable. |
| vegetate | v. To live in a monotonous, passive way without exercise of the mental faculties. |
| vegetation | n. Plant-life in the aggregate. |
| vegetative | adj. Pertaining to the process of plant-life. |
| vehement | adj. Very eager or urgent. |
| velocity | n. Rapid motion. |
| velvety | adj. Marked by lightness and softness. |
| venal | adj. Mercenary, corrupt. |
| vendible | adj. Marketable. |
| vendition | n. The act of selling. |
| vendor | n. A seller. |
| veneer | n. Outside show or elegance. |
| venerable | adj. Meriting or commanding high esteem. |
| venerate | v. To cherish reverentially. |
| venereal | adj. Pertaining to or proceeding from sexual intercourse. |
| venial | adj. That may be pardoned or forgiven, a forgivable sin. |
| venison | n. The flesh of deer. |
| venom | n. The poisonous fluid that certain animals secrete. |
| venous | adj. Of, pertaining to, or contained or carried in a vein or veins. |
| veracious | adj. Habitually disposed to speak the truth. |
| veracity | n. Truthfulness. |
| verbatim | adv. Word for word. |
| verbiage | n. Use of many words without necessity. |
| verbose | adj. Wordy. |
| verdant | adj. Green with vegetation. |
| verification | n. The act of proving to be true, exact, or accurate. |
| verify | v. To prove to be true, exact, or accurate. |
| verily | adv. In truth. |
| verity | n. Truth. |
| vermin | n. A noxious or troublesome animal. |
| vernacular | n. The language of one's country. |
| vernal | adj. Belonging to or suggestive of the spring. |
| versatile | adj. Having an aptitude for applying oneself to new and varied tasks or to various subjects. |
| version | n. A description or report of something as modified by one's character or opinion. |
| vertex | n. Apex. |
| vertical | adj. Lying or directed perpendicularly to the horizon. |
| vertigo | n. Dizziness. |
| vestige | n. A visible trace, mark, or impression, of something absent, lost, or gone. |
| vestment | n. Clothing or covering. |
| veto | n. The constitutional right in a chief executive of refusing to approve an enactment. |
| vicarious | adj. Suffered or done in place of or for the sake of another. |
| viceroy | n. A ruler acting with royal authority in place of the sovereign in a colony or province. |
| vicissitude | n. A change, especially a complete change, of condition or circumstances, as of fortune. |
| vie | v. To contend. |
| vigilance | n. Alert and intent mental watchfulness in guarding against danger. |
| vigilant | adj. Being on the alert to discover and ward off danger or insure safety. |
| vignette | n. A picture having a background or that is shaded off gradually. |
| vincible | adj. Conquerable. |
| vindicate | v. To prove true, right, or real. |
| vindicatory | adj. Punitive. |
| vindicative | adj. Revengeful. |
| vinery | n. A greenhouse for grapes. |
| viol | n. A stringed instrument of the violin class. |
| viola | n. A musical instrument somewhat larger than a violin. |
| violator | n. One who transgresses. |
| violation | n. Infringement. |
| violoncello | n. A stringed instrument held between the player's knees. |
| virago | n. A bold, impudent, turbulent woman. |
| virile | adj. Masculine. |
| virtu | n. Rare, curious, or beautiful quality. |
| virtual | adj. Being in essence or effect, but not in form or appearance. |
| virtuoso | n. A master in the technique of some particular fine art. |
| virulence | n. Extreme poisonousness. |
| virulent | adj. Exceedingly noxious or deleterious. |
| visage | n. The face, countenance, or look of a person. |
| viscount | n. In England, a title of nobility, ranking fourth in the order of British peerage. |
| vista | n. A view or prospect. |
| visual | adj. Perceptible by sight. |
| visualize | v. To give pictorial vividness to a mental representation. |
| vitality | n. The state or quality of being necessary to existence or continuance. |
| vitalize | v. To endow with life or energy. |
| vitiate | v. To contaminate. |
| vituperable | adj. Deserving of censure. |
| vivacity | n. Liveliness. |
| vivify | v. To endue with life. |
| vivisection | n. The dissection of a living animal. |
| vocable | n. a word, especially one regarded in relation merely to its qualities of sound. |
| vocative | adj. Of or pertaining to the act of calling. |
| vociferance | n. The quality of making a clamor. |
| vociferate | v. To utter with a loud and vehement voice. |
| vociferous | adj. Making a loud outcry. |
| vogue | n. The prevalent way or fashion. |
| volant | adj. Flying or able to fly. |
| volatile | adj. Changeable. |
| volition | n. An act or exercise of will. |
| volitive | adj. Exercising the will. |
| voluble | adj. Having great fluency in speaking. |
| voluptuous | adj. having fullness of beautiful form, as a woman, with or without sensuous or sensual quality. |
| voracious | adj. Eating with greediness or in very large quantities. |
| vortex | n. A mass of rotating or whirling fluid, especially when sucked spirally toward the center. |
| votary | adj. Consecrated by a vow or promise. |
| votive | adj. Dedicated by a vow. |
| vulgarity | n. Lack of refinement in conduct or speech. |
| vulnerable | adj. Capable of receiving injuries. |
| waif | n. A homeless, neglected wanderer. |
| waistcoat | n. A vest. |
| waive | v. To relinquish, especially temporarily, as a right or claim. |
| wampum | n. Beads strung on threads, formerly used among the American Indians as currency. |
| wane | v. To diminish in size and brilliancy. |
| wantonness | n. Recklessness. |
| warlike | adj. Belligerent. |
| wavelet | n. A ripple. |
| weak-kneed | adj. Without resolute purpose or energy. |
| weal | n. Well-being. |
| wean | v. To transfer (the young) from dependence on mother's milk to another form of nourishment. |
| wearisome | adj. Fatiguing. |
| wee | adj. Very small. |
| well-bred | adj. Of good ancestry. |
| well-doer | n. A performer of moral and social duties. |
| well-to-do | adj. In prosperous circumstances. |
| whereabouts | n. The place in or near which a person or thing is. |
| whereupon | adv. After which. |
| wherever | adv. In or at whatever place. |
| wherewith | n. The necessary means or resources. |
| whet | v. To make more keen or eager. |
| whimsical | adj. Capricious. |
| whine | v. To utter with complaining tone. |
| wholly | adv. Completely. |
| wield | v. To use, control, or manage, as a weapon, or instrument, especially with full command. |
| wile | n. An act or a means of cunning deception. |
| winsome | adj. Attractive. |
| wintry | adj. Lacking warmth of manner. |
| wiry | adj. Thin, but tough and sinewy. |
| witchcraft | n. Sorcery. |
| witless | adj. Foolish, indiscreet, or silly. |
| witling | n. A person who has little understanding. |
| witticism | n. A witty, brilliant, or original saying or sentiment. |
| wittingly | adv. With knowledge and by design. |
| wizen | v. To become or cause to become withered or dry. |
| wizen-faced | adj. Having a shriveled face. |
| working-man | n. One who earns his bread by manual labor. |
| workmanlike | adj. Like or befitting a skilled workman. |
| workmanship | n. The art or skill of a workman. |
| wrangle | v. To maintain by noisy argument or dispute. |
| wreak | v. To inflict, as a revenge or punishment. |
| wrest | v. To pull or force away by or as by violent twisting or wringing. |
| wretchedness | n. Extreme misery or unhappiness. |
| writhe | v. To twist the body, face, or limbs or as in pain or distress. |
| writing | n. The act or art of tracing or inscribing on a surface letters or ideographs. |
| wry | adj. Deviating from that which is proper or right. |
| yearling | n. A young animal past its first year and not yet two years old. |
| zealot | n. One who espouses a cause or pursues an object in an immoderately partisan manner. |
| zeitgeist | n. The intellectual and moral tendencies that characterize any age or epoch. |
| zenith | n. The culminating-point of prosperity, influence, or greatness. |
| zephyr | n. Any soft, gentle wind. |
| zodiac | n. An imaginary belt encircling the heavens within which are the larger planets. |