| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Achilles' heel | weak point |
| stentorian | very loud |
| mnemonic | assisting memory |
| fathom | understand, figure out, penetrate the meaning of |
| serendipity | ability to make lucky discoveries by chance or accident |
| desultory | random, unmethodical, aimless |
| pariah | social outcast |
| tawdry | showy and cheap |
| pecuniary | relating to money |
| impecunious | having little or no money; poor |
| monarch | ruler or person who holds a dominant position, especially a hereditary ruler like a king, queen, emperor or sultan |
| anarchy | absence of government or law; confusion, disorder |
| hierarchy | person or things arranged in a graded series or rank |
| matriarch | woman who rules a family, clan, tribe or group |
| patriarch | father or leader of a family or group; dignified old man |
| Spartan | severe, rigorous, disciplined |
| gadfly | person who continually annoys others |
| homage | action showing respect and honor |
| spurn | scornfully refuse or reject |
| pedigree | ancestry or record of ancestry, line of descent |
| pittance | small amount or portion, especially of money |
| preposterous | ridiculous, obviously absurd, contrary to reason |
| macabre | gruesome, horrible, causing fear, suggesting the horror of death |
| farce | ridiculous, light comedy; slapstick comedy; absurd thing; mockery |
| bombast | speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning |
| prerogative | exclusive or special right or privilege |
| derogatory | tending to make a person or thing seem lower or of less value; belittling; negative; discrediting |
| interrogate | question formally, closely, systematically |
| arrogant | showing an excessive and unpleasant sense of superiority; overbearingly proud; haughty |
| abrogate | abolish, repeal, cancel, legally do away with |
| chimerical | given to wildly impossible plans, unrealistic, fantastic, impractical |
| asinine | stupid or silly |
| bellwether | leader |
| limbo | place or state of neglect; period awaiting change; in-between state |
| plagiarize | use ideas or writings of another and present them as one's own |
| titanic | enormous in size or strength |
| irony | expression that means the opposite of what is stated; event or result the opposite of what is expected |
| effete | worn-out, unproductive, barren |
| hyperbole | obviously extravagant statement or assertion |
| diabolic | outrageously wicked; cruel; devilish |
| durable | lasting a long time; resisting wear and decay |
| endure | exist, last; bear, put up with patiently |
| duration | time something lasts or continues |
| duress | force or threats to make someone do something |
| obdurate | stubborn, unyielding, hardhearted |
| dunce | stupid person |
| charlatan | deceiver who falsely claims to have knowledge or skill; impostor |
| sycophant | sickeningly humble self-seeking flatterer |
| anachronism | something out of its proper historical time; error of putting something in the wrong historical time |
| draconian | severe, harsh, cruel |
| plummet | fall rapidly straight down |
| fatal | causing or capable of causing death and destruction |
| nefarious | extremely wicked |
| vindicate | clear from blame, charges, criticism; justify |
| vindictive | revengeful |
| indict | accuse of a crime, especially to put a subject on trial after being accused of a crime |
| malediction | curse |
| diction | style or choice of words, especially in regard to pronunciation |
| edict | public command or order by one in high authority; decree |
| jurisdiction | legal authority, especially in regard to its range or extent |
| venerate | regard with great respect |
| sadistic | getting pleasure from hurting others |
| malapropism | ridiculous or humorous misuse of words |
| pragmatic | practical |
| disparage | refer to something as having little importance; speaking slightingly of |
| vegetate | lead a dull, inactive, useless life |
| adamant | unyielding, inflexible, definite |
| conjugal | of marriage; pertaining to the relationship between husband and wife |
| abominable | utterly disgusting or hateful |
| ominous | threatening; suggestive of future evil |
| assent | agreement; agree |
| dissent | disagreement; disagree |
| presentiment | vague expectation or feeling of something about to happen |
| sententious | concise and full of meaning; using or full of proverbs and old sayings in a self-important, high-sounding, or boring way |
| sentiment | feeling or opinion |
| despotic | tyrannical, oppressive |
| gullible | easily deceived, tricked, cheated |
| guile | deceit, treachery |
| exonerate | free from blame |
| cliché | expression or idea that is stale from overuse |
| trite | uninteresting because of overuse; lacking originality and freshness |
| melancholy | sad, gloomy, depressed; sadness, gloom, depression |
| choleric | easily angered; grouchy; quick-tempered |
| phlegmatic | sluggish, not easily excited |
| sanguine | cheerful, confident, hopeful |
| consensus | general agreement, majority opinion, harmony |
| dissension | strong disagreement, quarreling |
| sensual | enjoying bodily pleasures; pertaining to the body and the senses rather than the mind or spirit |
| insensible | unable to feel; unaware; unconscious |
| insensitivity | inability to be affected by; lack of sensitivity |
| maverick | independent person |
| esoteric | known or understood only by a select few |
| undermine | weaken gradually; injure or destroy secretly or underhandedly; dig beneath or wear away from under |
| alleviate | relieve; lessen or make more bearable (pain, evil, suffering) |
| bacchanal | wild, drunken party |
| hedonist | one who lives only for pleasure |
| nihilist | one who rejects all religious, moral, and traditional values, practices, and institutions |
| somnolent | sleepy, drowsy; causing sleep |
| diatribe | violent, angry, bitter attack in words |
| tribulation | great suffering, misery, or distress |
| avert | turn away; prevent |
| divert | turn aside from a purpose, course, path; distract; amuse |
| subvert | overthrow (something established); undermine |
| revert | return to a former condition |
| vertigo | dizziness |
| paradox | seemingly self-contradictory statement (possible true), condition, or person |
| admonish | warn, advise, or criticize to correct a fault |
| penitent | feeling sorry and willing to atone or make up for sin or wrongdoing |
| accolade | high praise, award, honor |
| nonchalant | casually unconcerned |
| banal | ordinary, uninteresting, pointless |
| iridescent | showing rainbow-like colors |
| cajole | persuade by flattery, promises, pleasant or misleading words |
| urbane | sophisticated, smooth, polite, polished in manner |
| stymie | block, hinder, frustrate |
| recede | move backward; slope or slant backward |
| secede | withdraw formally from membership, especially from a political or religious association |
| intercede | ask or plead for another; help settle a dispute or bring about an agreement between differing parties |
| concede | grant or admit as true or right; yield, give up |
| precedent | something said or done earlier that serves as an example or justification |
| recalcitrant | stubbornly resisting authority, discipline, guidance, or treatment |
| pinnacle | highest point |
| siren | beautiful and dangerously fascinating woman who attracts and tempts men |
| Adonis | extremely handsome young man |
| inexorable | unchangeable or unstoppable by pleading or begging; unyielding |
| tally | count up, add, record |
| bizarre | very strange, odd, fantastic |
| remorse | bitter and painful sense of guilt |
| spurious | not genuine |
| fervent | intense, passionate |
| capitulate | surrender, give up |
| recapitulate | summarize |
| decapitate | cut off the head, behead |
| per capita | for each person (of population): per person |
| capitalize | take advantage of or profit from |
| harbinger | person or thing that signals what will follow |
| opportune | timely, suitable, favorable |
| skeptical | doubting, questioning |
| cardinal | fundamental, chief, of basic importance |
| trivial | of little importance |
| meretricious | insincere; vulgarly, showily, or cheaply attractive |
| lampoon | ridiculous or humorous attack on a person, group, or institution |
| fetish | object of obsessive concern or unreasoning devotion |
| zenith | point in the sky directly overhead; highest point |
| nadir | point in the sky directly opposite the zenith and directly beneath the observer; lowest point |
| elude | escape, avoid, slip away |
| delude | mislead, fool, deceive |
| allude | refer indirectly, mention casually |
| prelude | introductory act, event, performance or musical piece; introduction |
| interlude | something that comes between two events |
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