| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Alleviate | (V.) To make more bearable, reduce |
| Altercation | (N.) A heated and noisy quarrel |
| Altruistic | (N.) Concern for the welfare of others, as opposed to egoism; selflessness |
| Amity | (N.) Peaceful relations, as between nations |
| Anachronism | (N.) The representation of something as existing or happening at other than its proper or historical time |
| Abate | (V.) To reduce in amount, degree or intensity; lessen |
| Aberration | (N.) A deviation from the proper or expected course; a departure from normal or typical |
| Abet | (V.) To encourage, incite, or help, especially in wrongdoing |
| Abeyance | N.) The condition of being temporarily set aside; suspended |
| Abstemious | Adj.) Eating and drinking in moderation, inundulgent |
| Abstruse | Adj.) Difficult to understand, recondite |
| Acrimonious | (Adj.) Bitter in language or tone; rancorous |
| Acumen | N.) Quickness and accuracy of judgement; keenness of insight (sometimes in buisness) |
| Adamant | N.) A legendary stone believed to be impenetrable; (Adj.) An extremely hard substance; (Adj.) Firm in purpose or opinion |
| Aesthetic | Adj.) Of or pertaining to the criticism of taste; (Adj.) Of or pertaining to the sense of the beautiful |
| Affable | (Adj.) Easy to speak to, amiable; (Adj.) Mild, gentle benign |
| Aggravate | (V.) To make worse or more troublesome; make more of a burden |
| Agnostic | (N.) Someone who believes that there can be no proof of the existence of God but does not deny the possibility that God exists |
| Alacrity | (N.) Cheerful wilingness, eagerness; (N.) Speed or quickness, celerity |
| Allegory | (N.) A literary, dramatic, or pictorial device in which each literal character, object and event represents a symbol illustrating an idea or moral or religious principle |
| analogy | a similarity beteen like features of two things, on which a comparison may be based;correspondence in some things respects between things otherwise dissimilar |
| anathema | a person or thing detested or loathed; a formal ecclesiastical ban, curse or excommunication |
| apathy | lack of emotion or feeling; absence or supression of passion, emotion or excitment |
| apostate | a person who gives up his religon, cause or party; one who is guilty of an abandonment of ones religious faith, political party, cause or principles |
| apropos | fitting; at the right time; to the purpose; opportunely; appropriate, pertinent |
| arbitrary | subject to the individuals will or judgement without restiction; contingent solely upon ones decision; determined by whim or impulse, not by reason or law |
| aroma | a pleasant, characteristic odor, as of a plant, spice or food; an odor arising from spices, plants, cooking etc.; especially an agreeable odor or fragrence |
| ascetic | exceedingly strict or severe in religous excersises or self mortification; a person who renounces the comforts of society and leads a life of austere self discipline, especially a an act of religious devotion |
| askance | with suspicion, mitrust or disapproval; with a side or oblique glance; done secretly |
| askew | to one side; out of line; in a crooked position; awry |
| asperity | harshness or sharpness of TONE, temper, or manner; severity; acrimony: |
| assiduous | STUDIOUS DUTIFUL CONSTANT in application or effort; working diligently at a task; persevering; industrious; attentive:unremitting |
| assuage | ALLEVIATED FEELINGS/ TO MAKE IT MIDLERto make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate:to soothe, calm |
| atavism | A THROWBACK TO ROOTS /STATE OF NATUAL BEINGThe reappearance of a characteristic in an organism after several generations of absence, usually caused by the chance recombination of genes |
| augment | INCREASE to make larger; enlarge in size, number, strength, or extent; increase |
| auspicious | FAVORABLE promising success; propitious; opportune; favorable |
| austere | severe in manner or APPEARANCE; uncompromising; strict; forbiddingrigorously self-disciplined and severely moral; ascetic; abstinent |
| authentic | GENUINE not false or copied; genuine; real |
| avarice | insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth |
| averse | RELUCTANT having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, repugnance, etc.; opposed: |
| calumny | a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something |
| candid | rank; outspoken; open and sincere: free from reservation, disguise, or subterfuge; straightforward:informal; unposed:honest, impartial |
| canine | of or like a dog; pertaining to or characteristic of dogs |
| cantankerous | unwilling to cooperate; stubborn; disagreeable to deal with; contentious; peevish: |
| capricious | changing views; changing mind constantly |
| captious | apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please.:proceeding from a faultfinding or caviling disposition |
| caustic | sarcastic; capable of burning, corroding, or destroying living tissue.: severely critical or sarcastic |
| chaos | a state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order |
| charlatan | a person who pretends to more knowledge or skill than he or she possesses; quack. |
| chastise | to discipline, esp. by corporal punishment: to criticize severly |
| chimerical | unreal; imaginary; visionary: highly unrealistic, wildly fanciful |
| circumspect | watchful and discreet; cautious; prudent:Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent. |
| circumvent | to go around or bypass:to avoid (defeat, failure, unpleasantness, etc.) by artfulness or deception; avoid by anticipating or outwitting: to surround or encompass, as by stratagem; entrap: |
| cite | to quote (a passage, book, author, etc.), esp. as an authority:o summon officially or authoritatively to appear in cour |
| clandestine | characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, esp. for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious: |
| avid | enthusiastic; ardent; dedicated; keen |
| banal | devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite: predictable; commonplace; tired or petty |
| bellicose | inclined or eager to fight; aggressively hostile; belligerent; pugnacious. |
| benign | having a kindly disposition; gracious; showing or expressive of gentleness or kindness: favorable; propitious: healthful; pleasant or beneficial |
| bigoted | utterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own. |
| bucolic | of or pertaining to shepherds; pastoral: of, pertaining to, or suggesting an idyllic rural life.: rustic |
| bumptious | offensively self-assertive: Crudely or loudly assertive; pushy. |
| cadaverous | of or like a corpse; pale; ghastly: haggard and thin; |
| cajole | to persuade by flattery or promises; wheedle; coax. |
| callous | made hard; hardened; insensitive; indifferent; unsympathetic |
| clemency | showing compassion, showing mercy, a pardon |
| coerce | to compel by force |
| cogent | to the point, convincing, well supported |
| cognizant | aware |
| collaborate | to work together, to cooperate |
| comely | put together, attractive, beautiful, pleasing |
| compatible | able to work together in harmony |
| complacent | pleased in ones self |
| concur | to agree |
| condolence | an expression of sympathy for one going through a loss |
| condone | to disregard, to overlook, to give approval |
| conducive | contributive, helpful |
| conjecture | an expression or a theory without sufficient evidence |
| connive | to scheme, conspire, do something secretly |
| connoisseur | a qualified judge, an expert, one who can give an expert opinion, knowledgeable in a subject |
| construe | to give the meaning or intention of; explain; interpret |
| consummate | make it official; to bring to a state of perfection; fulfill; to complete |
| contrite | caused by or showing sincere remorse: filled with a sense of guilt and the desire for atonement; penitent |
| convivial | friendly; agreeable:jovial: merry: festive; pertaining to a feast |
| copious | plentifully furnished; lavish; abundant |
| corroborate | to make more certain; confirm; To strengthen or support with other evidence |
| coterie | a group of people who associate closely: an exclusive group; clique |
| credence | belief as to the truth of something: something giving a claim to belief or confidence: Acceptance as true or valid |
| credulous | gullible |
| culinary | of, pertaining to, or used in cooking or the kitchen |
| culminate | to reach the highest point, summit, or highest development: to end or arrive at a final stage: to bring to a close; complete; climax |
| culpable | guilty; evil, improper, deserving blame or censure; blameworthy |
| cumbersome | burdensome; troublesome: unwieldy; clumsy: Troublesome or onerous |
| cupidity | eager or excessive desire, esp. to possess something; greed; avarice |
| curtail | to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish; to cease |
| Cynic | a person who believes that only selfishness motivates human actions; a critical person; critical of the motives of others |
| Decorum | dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress; orderliness, good manners; following proper behavior |
| Deference | respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another; tendency to yield to the will of others |
| Deleterious | injurious to health; harmful |
| Demur | a formal objection |
| Demure | shyness and modesty |
| Deprecate | to express earnest disapproval of; voicing strong opposition |
| Derelict | homeless, a person who cannot support themselves |
| Derogatory | tending to lessen the merit or reputation of a person or thing; expressive of a low opinion |
| Desultory | wavering, unsteady; erratic, irregular, inconsistent |
| Deviate | to turn aside, as from a route, way, course, etc.; to depart or swerve, as from a procedure, course of action, or acceptable norm. |
| Devious | departing from the most direct way; deviating from the straight course |
| Dexterous | skillful or adroit in the use of the hands or body |
| Didactic | instructive |
| Diffident | lacking self confidence in oneself |
| dilatory | inclined to waste time |
| dilemma | situation that requires choice between equally unfavorable options |
| dilettante | amateur who engages in activity without serious intentions and pretends to have knowledge |
| discomfiture | anxious embarrassment |
| disparage | express a negative opinion of |
| disparity | inequality or difference in some respect |
| divulge | make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or was meant to be kept secret |
| docile | easily managed or handled |
| dogmatic | arrogant assertion of unproved or unprovable principles |
| duplicity | double-dealing |
| drastic | forceful and extreme and rigorous |
| dynamic | characterized by action or force of personality |
| effete | marked by excessive self indulgence and moral decay |
| efficacious | capable of producing an intended result, having a striking effect |
| effigy | dummy |
| dilatory | lag behind |
| docile | willing to be taught or directed |
| duplicity | hypocricy |
| effigy | likeness of a person made of wood |
| effigy | paper or stone |
| effrontery | rudeness without any sense of shame; shameless boldness; presumptousness; nerve; cheek |
| egregious | extraordinary in a bad way; conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible |
| elicit | draw out fact or information (by discussion or from someone) |
| elixir | a supposed remedy for all ailments |
| emaciated | very thin especially from disease or hunger or cold |
| emanate | proceed or issue forth, as from a source |
| emolument | salary; payment for an office; compensation |
| emulate | To imitate with intent to equal or surpass. |
| enhance | make better or more attractive |
| enigma | a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation |
| epicure | food lover, a connoisseur of food, a person dedicated to sensual enjoyment |
| epitaph | an inscription on a tombstone or monument in memory of the person buried there |
| epithet | giving a title before your name |
| epitome | perfect example or embodiment; brief summary; |
| equitable | fair, just, embodying principles of justice |
| equivocal | ambiguous, vague, confusing, undefined, philosophical |
| erode | become ground down or deteriorate |
| erudite | having or showing profound knowledge; well educated |
| esoteric | hard to understand |
| estrange | To alienate. |
| epithet | a word, phrase, or expression used invectively as a term of abuse or contempt; to express hostility |
| epitome | a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class |
| estrange | to turn away in feeling or affection; make unfriendly or hostile; to remove to or keep at a distance |
| eulogy | expression of praise (often at someone's funeral) |
| euphony | agreeableness of sound |
| exacerbate | make worse |
| execrable | extremely bad |
| exigency | a sudden, unforeseen crisis |
| exonerate | pronounce not guilty, determine innocence |
| exotic | strikingly strange |
| expatiate | add details |
| expatriate | expel from a country |
| expedient | contributing to a personal advantage |
| expiate | to make amends for |
| explicit | precisely expressed, clear |
| expunge | erase, remove |
| extemporize | ad lib, speak without preparation |
| extenuate | weaken, diminish the gravity or importance of |
| extirpate | destroy completely, as if pulled up by the roots |
| facetious | cleverly amusing in tone |
| factious | causing disagreement |
| fallacy | misconception resulting from incorrect reasoning |
| fallible | likely to fail or be inaccurate |
| fatuous | complacently or inanely foolish |
| feasible | practical; able to be carried out; practicable |
| felicitous | marked by good fortune, exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style |
| festoon | an embellishment consisting of a decorative representation of a string of flowers suspended between two points |
| fetish | excessive or irrational devotion to some activity |
| fiasco | a sudden and violent collapse |
| filch | steal |
| fluctuate | To pass backward and forward irregularly from one state or degree to another. |
| foible | A personal weakness or failing. |
| forensic | used of legal argumentation |
| formidable | extremely impressive in strength or excellence |
| fortuitous | occurring by happy chance |
| fractious | easily irritated or annoyed |
| frugal | thrifty |
| frustrate | thwart; defeat; prevent from accomplishing a purpose |
| furtive | secret and sly or sordid |
| futile | having no useful purpose; pointless |
| gird | To encircle, bind, or surround: to brace |
| gossamer | characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy |
| gregarious | seeking and enjoying the company of others |
| hackneyed | repeated too often |
| haggard | showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering |
| halcyon | idyllically calm and peaceful |
| harbinger | foreshadow or presage |
| heinous | hatefully evil; abominable |
| heresy | (n.) an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred. |
| hibernate | sleep during winter |
| hilarious | adj.: funny,extremly funny |
| histrionic | characteristic of acting or a stage performance |
| hoax | n. an act intended to trick or decive, a fraud v. to trick, deceive |
| hoodwink | conceal one's true motives from especially by elaborately feigning good intentions so as to gain an end |
| humid | containing or characterized by a great deal of water vapor |
| hybrid | a word that is composed of parts from different languages (e.g., 'monolingual' has a Greek prefix and a Latin root) |
| hyperbole | a figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration, or overstatement for effect. |
| idiosyncrasy | a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual |
| ignominy | great personal dishonor or humiliation; shameful or disgraceful action, conduct, or character |
| immaculate | completely neat and clean |
| immutable | Unchangeable. |
| impale | pierce with a sharp stake or point |
| impasse | a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible |
| impeccable | faultless: without fault or error |
| impediment | hindrance; stumbling-block; speech defect preventing clear articulation; Ex. speech impediment |
| impervious | not capable of being affected, not allowing entrance |
| implacable | incapable of being placated, unpleasable |
| impunity | exemption from punishment or loss |
| inadvertent | Accidental. |
| inane | silly; senseless |
| inarticulate | incomprehensible; unable to speak with clarity |
| incarcerate | To imprison. |
| incessant | occurring so frequently as to seem ceaseless or uninterrupted |
| incipient | only partly in existence, early stage of development |
| inclement | harsh; severe -- especially said of the weather. |
| incognito | with identity concealed; using an assumed name; ADJ. |
| incongruous | lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness |
| incorrigible | Impossible to correct or reform; uncontrollable |
| incredible | beyond belief or understanding |
| incubus | burden; very worrying problem; mental care; nightmare; male devil |
| indigent | poor enough to need help from others |
| indomitable | unconquerable; unyielding |
| inert | not moving |
| inexorable | not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course |
| inexplicable | incapable of being explained or accounted for |
| inference | logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience |
| ingenious | showing inventiveness and skill |
| ingenuous | characterized by an inability to mask your feelings, lacking in sophistication or worldliness |
| ingratiate | gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts |
| inimical | not friendly, hostile |
| inordinate | beyond normal limits |
| inscrutable | difficult to understand |
| insidious | stealthy, sly, treacherous |
| insipid | Lacking flavor or zest; not tasty. Lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull. |
| interminable | Tiresomely long; tedious. |
| intrepid | Resolutely courageous; fearless |
| intrinsic | Of or relating to the essential nature of a thing; inherent. |
| inundate | to cover completely with water, as if in a flood |
| invalidate | to nullify, to take away the legal force of (a contract) |
| inveigh | To give vent to angry disapproval; protest vehemently. |
| inveigle | To win over by coaxing, flattery, or artful talk. |
| inveterate | Firmly and long established; deep-rooted: |
| irascible | Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered. |
| irony | insipid: Lacking flavor or zest; not tasty. Lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull. |
| irrefutable | impossible to deny or disprove |
| irrevocable | [adj] irreversible, incapable of being taken back |
| jaunty | having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air |
| jeopardize | put at risk |
| lachrymose | showing sorrow |
| laconic | using few words; expressing much in few words; concise: |
| lambent | dealing lightly and gracefully with a subject; brilliantly playful |
| latent | present but not visible, apparent, or actualized; existing as potential |
| laudable | worthy of high praise |
| lenient | not strict |
| lethargy | weakness characterized by a lack of vitality or energy |
| levity | lightness of manner |
| longevity | duration of service, n. Unusually prolonged life. |
| loquacious | talkative, wordy; fond of talking |
| lucid | capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent manner |
| lucrative | well-paid, beneficial, profitable |
| lugubrious | sad, mournful, somber |
| luminary | star, achiever, leading light |
| lurid | striking, garish, loud, shocking |
| magnanimous | generous in forgiving an insult or injury; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness |
| manacle | NOUN -a shackle for the hand; handcuff. VERB - to handcuff; fetter. |
| maudlin | tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental |
| mendacity | an instance of lying; falsehood. |
| mendicant | ADJ - begging; practicing begging; living on alms. NOUN - a person who lives by begging. |
| mercenary | ADJ - working or acting merely for money or other reward; venal NOUN - a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army |
| metamorphosis | any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances |
| meticulous | taking or showing extreme care about minute details; precise; thorough |
| misnomer | a misapplied or inappropriate name or designation |
| missile | an object or weapon for throwing, hurling, or shooting, as a stone, bullet, or arrow. |
| Missive | sent or about to be sent, esp. of a letter from an official source |
| Mitigate | to make less severe in punishment |
| Mollify | to soothe in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease |
| Moot | of little or no practical value or meaning |
| Morbid | suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive, extreme, |
| Motley | exhibiting great diversity of elements, being of different colors combined |
| Mundane | of or pertaining to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly; earthly, common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative. |
| Munificent | extremely liberal in giving; very generous |
| Murky | vague; unclear; confused, obscure or thick with mist, haze |
| Nadir | the lowest point; point of greatest adversity or despair |
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