| Term | Definition |
|---|
| aberration | (n.) something that differs from the norm |
| abscond | (v.) to sneak away and hide |
| accolade | (n.) high praise, special distinction |
| acquiesce | (v.) to agree without protesting |
| aggrandize | (v.) to increase or make greater |
| bane | (n.) a burden |
| beguile | (v.) to trick, deceive |
| benign | (adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild |
| bombastic | (adj.) excessively confident, pompous |
| cajole | (v.) to urge, coax |
| caucus | (n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal |
| chronological | (adj.) arranged in order of time |
| clandestine | (adj.) secret |
| cognizant | (adj.) aware, mindful |
| accost | (v.) to approach and speak first |
| acquisitive | (adj.) able to get and to retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property |
| avid | (adj.) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager |
| banal | (adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace |
| celerity | (adj.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action |
| corsair | (n.) pirate; especially, a privateer of the Barbary Coast |
| covenant | (n.) a solemn agreement |
| daunting | (adj.) tending to overwhelm or intimidate |
| eloquent | (adj.) marked by forceful and fluent expression; vividly or movingly expressive or revealing |
| epitome | (n.) a typical or ideal example; embodiment |
| flabbergast | (v.) to overwhelm with shock, surprise, or wonder; dumbfound |
| histrionic | (adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial, melodramatic |
| inane | (adj.) silly, empty of meaning or value |
| insatiable | (adj.) so great or demanding that it cannot be satisfied |
| largesse | (n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions |
| nefarious | (adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards |
| perspicacity | (n.) keenness in observing and understanding |
| ramify | (v.) to divide and spread out like branches; to separate into divisions |
| substantiate | (v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to |
| taciturn | (adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little |
| acuity | (n.) sharpness, particularly of the mind or senses |
| delineate | (v.) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially |
| depraved | (adj.) marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles |
| enervate | (v.) to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring |
| esoteric | (adj.) intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret |
| fecund | (adj.) fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive |
| fiat | (n.) an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness |
| figment | (n.) a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion |
| garner | (v.) to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use |
| hallow | (v.) to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere |
| idiosyncrasy | (n.) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify |
| ignominy | (n.) shame and disgrace |
| mundane | (adj.) earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary |
| nuance | (n.) a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference |
| overweening | (adj.) conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate |
| penchant | (n.) a strong attraction or inclination |
| reputed | (adj.) according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; (part.) alleged |
| sophistry | (n.) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy |
| sumptuous | (adj.) costly, rich, magnificent |
| ubiquitous | (adj.) present or existing everywhere |
| allay | (v.) to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve |
| bestial | (adj.) beastlike; beastly, brutal; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility |
| convivial | (adj.) festive, sociable, having fun together, genial |
| coterie | (n.) a circle of acquaintances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common intrest |
| counterpart | (n.) a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement |
| demur | (v.) to object or take exception to; (n.) an objection |
| effrontery | (n.) shameless boldness, impudence |
| embellish | (v.) to decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details |
| ephemeral | (adj.) lasting only a short time, short-lived |
| felicitous | (adj.) appropriate, apt, well chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy |
| furtive | (adj.) done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen |
| garish | (adj.) glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way |
| illusory | (adj.) misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality |
| indigent | (adj.) needy, impoverished |
| inordinate | (adj.) far too great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive |
| jettison | (v.) to cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome |
| misanthrope | (n.) a person who hates or despises people |
| pertinacious | (adj.) very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied |
| picayune | (adj.) of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded |
| raiment | (n.) clothing, garments |
| allege | (v.) to assert without proof or confirmation |
| arrant | (adj.) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant |
| badinage | (n.) light and playful conversation |
| conciliate | (v.) to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent |
| countermand | (v.) to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first |
| echelon | (n.) one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement |
| exacerbate | (v.) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful |
| fatuous | (adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way |
| irrefutable | (adj.) impossible to disprove; beyond argument |
| juggernaut | (n.) a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path |
| lackadaisical | (adj.) lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted |
| litany | (n.) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list |
| macabre | (adj.) grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject |
| paucity | (n.) an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth |
| portend | (v.) to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of |
| raze | (v.) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out |
| recant | (v.) to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract |
| saturate | (v.) to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully |
| saturnine | (adj.) of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood |
| slough | (v.) to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; (n.) a mire; a state of depression |
| acclamation | (n.) a shout of welcome; an overwhelming verbal vote of approval |
| bucolic | (adj.) characteristic of the countryside, rural; relating to shepherds and cowherds, pastoral |
| calumniate | (v.) to slander; to accuse falsely and maliciously |
| chary | (adj.) extremely cautious, hesitant, or slow (to); reserved, diffident |
| collusion | (n.) secret agreement or cooperation |
| dilettante | (n.) a dabbler in the arts; one who engages in an activity in an amateurish, trifling way; (adj.) superficial |
| imperturbable | (adj.) not easily excited; emotionally steady |
| increment | (n.) an enlargement, increase, addition |
| mandate | (n.) an authoritative command, formal order, authorization; (v.) to issue such an order |
| paltry | (adj.) trifling, insignificant; mean, despicable; inferior, trashy |
| paroxysm | (n.) a sudden outburst; a spasm, convulsion |
| pedantry | (n.) a pretentious display of knowledge; overly rigid attention to rules and details |
| peregrination | (n.) the act of traveling; an excursion, especially on foot or to a foreign country |
| redolent | (adj.) fragrant, smelling strongly; tending to arouse memories or create an aura |
| refulgent | (adj.) shining, radiant, resplendent |
| shibboleth | (n.) a word, expression, or custom that distinguishes a particular group of persons from all others; a commonplace saying or truism |
| tyro | (n.) a beginner, novice; one with little or no background or skill |
| unremitting | (adj.) not stopping, maintained steadily, never letting up, relentless |
| vacillate | (v.) to swing indecisively from one idea or course of action to another; to waver weakly in mind or will |
| vituperative | (adj.) harshly abusive, severely scolding |
| askance | (adv.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval |
| attenuate | (v.) to make thin or slender, to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value |
| benign | (adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant |
| cavil | (v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism |
| charlatan | (n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, imposter, or quack |
| decimate | (v.) to kill or destroy a large part of |
| foible | (n.) a weak point, failing, minor flaw |
| forgo | (v.) to go without, abstain from, give up |
| fraught | (adj.) full of or loaded with; accompanied by |
| inure | (v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure |
| luminous | (adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating |
| obsequious | (adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often for purely self-interested reasons |
| obtuse | (adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression |
| oscillate | (v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver |
| penitent | (adj.) regretful for one's sins or mistakes; (n.) one who is sorry for wrongdoing |
| peremptory | (adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute |
| rebuff | (v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check |
| reconnoiter | (v.) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection |
| shambles | (n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess |
| sporadic | (adj.) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order |
| abrogate | (v.) to repeal, cancel, declare null and void |
| ambient | (adj.) completely surrounding, encompassing |
| asperity | (n.) roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness |
| burnish | (v.) to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (n.) glass, brightness, luster |
| cabal | (n.) a small group working in secret |
| delectable | (adj.) delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; (n.) an appealing or appetizing food or dish |
| deprecate | (v.) to express mild disapproval; to belittle |
| detritus | (n.) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction |
| ebullient | (adj.) overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling |
| eclectic | (adj.) drawn from different sources; (n.) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources |
| flaccid | (adj.) limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness |
| impecunious | (adj.) having little or no money |
| inexorable | (adj.) inflexible, beyond influence; relentless, unyielding |
| moribund | (adj.) dying, on the way out |
| necromancer | (n.) one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard |
| onerous | (adj.) burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty |
| rife | (adj.) common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding; plentiful, abundant, replete |
| rudiments | (n.) the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest stages of anything |
| sequester | (v.) to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody |
| winnow | (v.) to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan |
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