| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Pariah | social outcast |
| impecunious | poor |
| desultory | random, unmethodical, aimless |
| Achilles' heel | weakness |
| pecuniary | relating to money |
| tawdry | showy and cheap |
| mnemonic | assisting memory |
| serendipity | ability to make lucky discoveries by chance or accident |
| fathom | understand, figure out, penetrate the meaning of |
| stentorian | very loud |
| monarch | ruler |
| anarchy | absence of government |
| hierarchy | persons arranged in rank |
| matriarch | female leader |
| patriarch | male leader |
| gadfly | person who continually annoys others |
| farce | ridiculous, light comedy |
| pittance | small amount or portion, especially of money |
| Spartan | severe, rigorous, disciplined |
| macabre | gruesome, horrible, causing fear, suggesting the horror of death |
| pedigree | ancestry, line of descent |
| spurn | scornfully refuse or reject |
| homage | action showing respect or honor |
| bombast | speech or writing that sounds grand or important but has little meaning |
| preposterous | obviously absurd, contrary to reason |
| perogative | exclusive or special right or privilege |
| derogatory | tending to make a person or thing seem lower, or of less value |
| interrogate | question formally |
| arrogant | showing an excessive and unpleasant sense of superiority |
| abrogate | abolish, repeal, legally do away with |
| plagiarize | use ideas or writing of another and present them as one's own |
| limbo | place or state of neglect; period awaiting change |
| effete | worn out, unproductive, barren |
| diabolic | outrageously wicked; cruel; devilish |
| titanic | enormous in size or strength |
| asinine | stupid or silly |
| hyperbole | obviously extravagant statement or assertion |
| chimerical | given to wildly impossible plans, unrealistic, fantastic, impractical |
| bellwether | leader |
| irony | expression that means the opposite of what is stated; event or result the opposite of what is expected |
| durable | lasting a long time; resisting wear and decay |
| endure | exist, last |
| duration | time something lasts or continues |
| duress | force or threats to make someone do something |
| obdurate | stubborn, unyielding, hardhearted |
| vindicate | clear from blame, charges, criticism |
| plummet | fall rapidly straight down |
| charlatan | deciever who falsley claims to have knowledge or skill; imposter |
| draconian | severe, harsh, cruel |
| fatal | causing or capable of causing death and destruction |
| vindictive | revengeful |
| sycophant | sickeningly humble self-seeking flatterer |
| nefarious | extremely wicked |
| anachronism | something out od its proper historical time; error of putting something in the wrong historical time |
| dunce | stupid person |
| 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 |
| adamant | unyielding, inflexible, definite |
| pragmatic | practical |
| venerate | regard with great resepect |
| malapropism | ridiculous or humorous misuse of words |
| sadistic | getting pleasure from hurting others |
| disparage | refer to something as having little importance; speaking slightly of |
| ominous | foreboding |
| vegetate | lead a dull, inactive, useless life |
| conjugal | or marriage; pertaining to the relationship between husband and wife |
| abominable | utterly disgusting or hateful |
| assent | agreement |
| dissent | disagreement |
| presentiment | vague expectation or feeling of something about to happen |
| sententious | consise and full of meaning |
| sentiment | feeling or opinion |
| guile | deceit, treachery |
| phlegmatic | sluggish, not easily excited |
| melancholy | gloomy |
| sanguine | cheerful, confident, hopeful |
| cliche | expression or idea that is stale from overuse |
| gullible | easily decieved, tricked, cheated |
| choleric | easily angered |
| trite | uninteresting because of overuse; lacking originality and freshness |
| despotic | tyrannical, oppressive |
| exonerate | free from blame |
| consensus | general agreement |
| dissension | strong disagreement |
| sensual | enjoying bodily pleasures; pertaining to the body and the senses rather than the mind or spirit |
| insensible | unable to feel; unaware |
| insensitivity | inable to be affected by; lack of senstivity |
| esoteric | known or understood only by a select few |
| tribulation | great suffering, misery, or distress |
| bacchanal | wild, drunken party |
| undermine | weaken gradually; injure or destroy secretly or underhandedly |
| maverick | independent person |
| hedonist | one who lives only for pleasure |
| somnolent | sleepy; causing sleep |
| diatribe | violent, angry, bitter attack in words |
| nihilist | one who rejects all religious, moral, and traditional values, practices, and institutions |
| alleviate | relieve; lessen or make more bearable |
| avert | turn away; prevent |
| divert | turn aside from a purpose, course, path; distract |
| subvert | overthrow something established; undermine |
| revert | return to a former condition |
| vertigo | dizziness |
| banal | ordinary, uninteresting, boring |
| urbane | sophisticated |
| cajole | coax |
| paradox | seemingly self-contradictory statement, 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 |
| iridescent | colorful |
| nonchalant | carefree |
| stymie | thwart |
| accolade | high praise, award, honor |
| recede | move backward |
| secede | withdraw formally |
| intercede | ask on behalf of another |
| concede | admit as true |
| precedent | something said or done earlier that serves as an example |
| pinnacle | acme |
| remorse | regret |
| tally | count |
| recalcitrant | disobediant |
| Adonis | handsome man |
| fervent | intense |
| siren | seductress |
| spurious | false |
| bizarre | weird |
| capitulate | surrender |
| recapitulate | summarize |
| decapitate | behead |
| per capita | per person |
| capitalize | take advantage |
| cardinal | essential |
| fetish | obsession |
| meretricious | tawdry |
| skeptical | suspicious |
| lampoon | satire |
| nadir | lowest point |
| trivial | unimportant |
| zenith | highest point |
| opportune | favorable |
| harbinger | precursor |
| elude | slip away |
| delude | mislead |
| allude | refer indirectly |
| prelude | introduction |
| interlude | something that comes between two events |
| ominous | threatening; suggestive of future evil |
Combine with other sets
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