| scoff | laugh (at); mock; ridicule; Ex. ~ at their threats |
| imperious | domineering; too commanding; haughty; CF. imperial/emperor |
| pastoral | rural; of rural life; idyllic; of a pastor; (esp. of land or a farm) used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle : scattered ~ farms. |
| unfeigned | genuine; real |
| plebeian | common; vulgar; pertaining to the common people; N: common people in ancient Rome; CF. patrician |
| impregnate | make pregnant; fill thoroughly; saturate |
| vacuous | empty; lacking in ideas; inane; stupid; Ex. ~ expression; N. vacuity |
| unobtrusive | inconspicuous; not blatant |
| veer | change in direction; swerve |
| resonant | (of a sound) echoing; resounding(sounding loudly); deep and full in sound; producing -ce; Ex. ~ voice; N. -ce |
| bullion | gold and silver in the form of bars |
| impecunious | without money [Latin pecūniōsus, from pecūnia, money, wealth).] |
| spectral | ghostly; N. specter: spectre; ghost; phantom |
| hovel | shack; small wretched house |
| deputize | work or appoint as a deputy; N. deputy: person who has the power to take charge when the leading person is away |
| precipice | cliff; dangerous position; Ex. on the edge of the ~ |
| bauble | trinket; cheap jewel; trifle |
| opus | work (esp. musical composition); Ex. magnum ~: masterpiece; CF. opera |
| knoll | little round hill; hillock |
| graphite | black form of carbon used in lead pencils [from Greek graphein 'write' (because of its use as pencil "lead").] |
| diadem | crown; a jeweled crown or headband worn as a symbol of sovereignt |
| peripatetic | walking about from place to place (to work); moving; Ex. ~ school of philosophy; 1 traveling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods : the ~ nature of military life. {I could never get used to her peripatetic lifestyle nomadic, itinerant, traveling, wandering, roving, roaming, migrant, migratory, unsettled.} [from Latin peripatēticus, from Greek peripatētikos, from peripatein, to walk about, or from peripatos, covered walk (where Aristotle allegedly lectured) : peri-, peri- + patein, to walk.] |
| aloft | upward; high up in the air |
| affront | insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect; V: insult or hurt the feelings of intentionally |
| aver | state confidently; declare as true |
| simile | comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as |
| unravel | disentangle; solve |
| deprecate | express disapproval of; deplore; protest against; belittle; ADJ. ~ory |
| bandy | discuss lightly or glibly; discuss in a frivolous manner; exchange (words) heatedly; quarrel; Ex. ~ words with |
| raze | destroy completely; Ex. ~ the city to the ground |
| diaphanous | sheer; transparent [from dia 'through' + phainein 'to show.'] |
| mystic | of hidden meaning and spiritual power; Ex. ~ ceremonies; N. CF. ~ism |
| concoct | prepare by mixing or combining; make up in concert; devise (something false) so as to deceive; Ex. ~ an elaborate excuse for being late; N. ~ion [Latin concoquere, concoct-, to boil together : com-, com- + coquere, to cook.] |
| emollient | soothing or softening remedy (for the skin); ADJ. |
| wilt | loose freshness; droop |
| iota | very small quantity; an extremely small amount : nothing she said seemed to make an ~ of difference. |
| quash | crush; suppress; s~; subdue; annul; Ex. ~ a rebellion/the decision of the low court |
| fleece | wool coat of a sheep; V: shear the ~ from; rob by a trick; swindle; plunder |
| spoilsport | one who spoils the pleasure of others; a person who behaves in a way that spoils others' pleasure, esp. by not joining in an activity. |
| protrude | stick out; jut; project; Ex. ~ing teeth |
| clasp | hold firmly within arms |
| demeanor | behavior; bearing |
| vassal | in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord; subordinate or dependent |
| fastidious | difficult to please; squeamish; fussy; finicky |
| brittle | hard but easily broken; difficult; unstable; Ex. ~ situation |
| dogged | determined; stubborn; stubbornly persevering; tenacious; Ex. Inspector Javert's ~ pursuit of Jean Valjean |
| desultory | aimless; haphazard; digressing at random |
| reimburse | repay; pay back |
| clamber | climb by crawling with difficulties; scramble |
| accede | agree; assume an office or position : he ~ed to the post of director in September. |
| staccato | played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt sharp sound; Ex. ~ applause; with each sound or note sharply detached or separated from the others : [as adj. ] a staccato rhythm. Compare with legato , marcato . |
| weather | pass safely through (a storm or difficult period); endure the effects of ~ or other forces |
| cozen | cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| denouement | [note pronounciation] final outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work; the end of a story when everything is explained; • the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear : I waited by the eighteenth green to see the ~. |
| decoy | lure or bait; V. |
| inroad | hostile invasion; advance that lessens the quantity or difficulty of something; Ex. The long illness made serious ~s on his savings; CF. raid |
| apiarist | person who keeps bees |
| deign | condescend; stoop; do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity : she did not ~ to answer the maid's question. |
| travesty | copy or example of something that completely misrepresents the true nature of the real thing; comical parody or imitation; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous; Ex. ~ of justice; OP. paragon; [from French travesti 'disguised,' past participle of travestir, from Italian travestire, from trans- 'across' + vestire 'clothe.'] |
| scrap | small bit or fragment; discarded waste material; fight; Ex. a ~ of paper/cloth; V: break into parts for disposal; discard as worthless; fight; quarrel |
| bevy | large group; Ex. a ~ of starlets |
| evoke | call forth (memory or feeling); Ex. That old film ~d memories of my childhood; N. -cation |
| larceny | theft; Ex. petit ~ [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman larcin, theft, from Latin latrōcinium, robbery, from latrō, robber, mercenary, utimately from Greek latron, pay, hire.] |
| excoriate | scold with biting harshness; censure strongly; strip the skin off |
| stricture | severe and adverse criticism; critical comments; limit or restriction |
| olfactory | concerning the sense of smell |
| galvanic | relating to or involving electric currents produced by chemical action.; 2 sudden and dramatic : hurry with awkward ~ strides.of the production of electricity by the action of an acid on a metal; having the effect of an electric shock; Ex. ~ cell; ~ effect; CF. Luigi Galvani |
| frock | long loose garment (worn by monks) |
| conclave | private secret meeting; • (in the Roman Catholic Church) the assembly of cardinals for the election of a pope.; • the meeting place for such an assembly. |
| pell-mell | in confusion; disorderly; Ex. dash ~; in a confused, rushed, or disorderly manner : the contents of the sacks were thrown ~ to the ground.; recklessly hasty or disorganized; headlong : steering the ~ development of Europe onto a new and more gradual course. |
| pallet | small poor bed; Ex. straw ~ |
| reprisal | retaliation |
| exiguous | small in amount; minute; Extremely scanty; meager. [From Latin exiguus, from exigere, to measure out, demand. See exact.] |
| wretch | miserable person; bad or despicable person; ADJ. ~ed: miserable; bad; contemptible; vile |
| internecine | mutually destructive |
| diva | operatic singer; prima donna |
| ambulatory | able to walk |
| umbrage | resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult; Ex. take ~ at his rudeness [from Latin umbra 'shadow.' An early sense was [shadowy outline,] giving rise to [ground for suspicion,] whence the current notion of [offense.]] |
| timorous | fearful; timid; demonstrating fear [from Latin timor, timōr-, fear, from timēre, to fear.] |
| rousing | lively; inducing excitement; stirring; V. rouse: waken; arouse from sleep or depression; excite; stir up |
| ogle | look at amorously; make eyes at; Ex. old men ~ing young girls; stare at in a lecherous manner : he was ogling her breasts | [ intrans. ] men who had turned up to ~. |
| mottled | blotched in coloring; spotted; Ex. ~ face; V. mottle: mark with blotches of different colors |
| token | outward sign; Ex. a ~ of our gratitude |
| mote | small speck (esp. of dust) |
| sheathe | place into a case; insert into or provide with a ~; Ex. He ~d his dagger; N. ~: case for a blade |
| earthy | unrefined; coarse; of ~; Ex. ~ remarks; OP. ethereal |
| tangential | only slightly connected; not central; peripheral; digressing; showing divergence; CF. tangent |
| suavity | urbanity; polish; ADJ. suave: smooth and courteous |
| mogul | powerful person; Ex. oil ~s; CF. Mogol, Moghul; CF. Mongolian |
| sham | pretend; feign; ADJ: not genuine; fake; Ex. ~ jewelry; N: something that is not what it appears; impostor; pretense; Ex. The agreement was a ~. |
| nectar | drink of the gods; sweet liquid collected by bees |
| frond | fern leaf; palm or banana leaf |
| saturnine | morose; gloomy; Ex. Do not be misled by his ~ countenance. |
| predilection | preference; partiality |
| sybarite | lover of luxury; person devoted to pleasure and luxury; CF. Sybaris: an ancient Greek city in Italy |
| bucolic | rustic; pastoral; of or relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life : the church is lovely for its bucolic setting.; [via Latin from Greek boukolikos, from boukolos 'herdsman,' from bous 'ox.'] |
| hypnosis | induced sleeping state; ADJ. hypnotic; V. hypnotize |
| anneal | reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling (metal or glass) |
| spasmodic | fitful; periodic; of or like a spasm; N. spasm: sudden involuntary muscular contraction; sudden burst of energy or emotion |
| dwindle | shrink; reduce gradually |
| equable | tranquil; of even calm temper; (of temperature) steady; uniform |
| offhand | casual; done without prior thought or preparation |
| affirmation | positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath; V. affirm; ADJ. affirmative; CF. affirmative action: positive discrimination |
| malaise | uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health (without any particular pain or appearance of disease) |
| frieze | ornamental horizontal band on a wall |
| canter | slow gallop; V. CF. trot |
| collate | examine and compare in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order (the sheets of a book before they are bound) |
| whittle | pare; cut away thin bits (from wood); fashion in this way; reduce gradually; trim [From Middle English whyttel, knife, variant of thwitel, from thwiten, to whittle, from Old English thwītan, to strike, whittle down.] |
| soporific | sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness; drowsy |
| pterodactyl | extinct flying reptile; CF. wing+finger; a pterosaur of the late Jurassic period, with a long slender head and neck and a very short tail. • Family Pterodactylidae, order Pterosauria: several genera, including -rus. |
| coagulate | congeal; thicken; clot; N. coagulant |
| metaphysical | pertaining to speculative philosophy; of metaphysics; N. metaphysics: branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality |
| compulsive | resulting from compulsion |
| paraphrase | restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author; N: restatement of a text in other words |
| predetermine | determine in advance; predestine; settle or decide beforehand; influence markedly |
| rebuttal | refutation; response with contrary evidence; V. rebut: refute; disprove |
| drip | fall or let fall in drops; shed drops; N: action or sound of falling in drops; liquid that falls in drops |
| skulk | move furtively and secretly; Ex. He ~ed through the less fashionable sections of the city. |
| vernal | pertaining to spring; the ~ freshness of the land. |
| edict | decree (especially one issued by a sovereign); official command |
| centrifuge | machine that separates substances by whirling them; verb • separate by centrifuge : the black liquid is ~ed into oil and water. |
| maelstrom | violent whirlpool; violent or tublent situation; CF. stream [from early modern Dutch (denoting a mythical whirlpool supposed to exist in the Arctic Ocean, west of Norway), from maalen 'grind, whirl' + stroom 'stream.'] |
| verve | enthusiasm (as in artistic performance or composition); liveliness; vigor |
| amok | (amuck); in a state of rage; Ex. run amok |
| graduate | arrange into categories or grades; divide into marked intervals (for use in measurement); Ex. ~ed ruler |
| egress | exit; opening for going out; act of going out; OP. ingress |
| scavenge | hunt through discarded materials for usable items or food; search, especially for food; N. ~r: one who ~s; animal that feeds on refuse and carrion |
| thresh | beat (cereal plants) with a machine or flail to separate the grains from the straw |
| reverie | a state of being pleasantly lost in one's thoughts; a daydream : a knock on the door broke her ~ | I slipped into ~.; • Music an instrumental piece suggesting a dreamy or musing state.; • archaic a fanciful or impractical idea or theory.; [from Old French reverie 'rejoicing, revelry,' from rever 'be delirious,' of unknown ultimate origin.] |
| oblique | indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line); Ex. ~ reference |
| poseur | person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others; person who poses; CF. pose |
| desiccate | dry up |
| parry | ward off a blow; deflect; Ex. He ~ied the unwelcome question very skillfully; N. CF. |
| penology | study of prison management and criminal rehabilitation |
| behemoth | huge creature; something of monstrous size or power |
| encomiastic | praising; eulogistic; N. encomium: very high praise; eulogy |
| assumption | something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of; Ex. her ~ of power; V. assume |
| license | official or legal permission; latitude of action or speech; excessive freedom that causes harm or damage; • freedom to behave as one wishes, esp. in a way that results in excessive or unacceptable behavior : the government was criticized for giving the army too much ~.V. |
| downcast | disheartened; dejected; sad; directed downward |
| feline | of a member of the cat family; N. |
| aegis | the protection, backing, or support of a particular person or organization : negotiations were conducted under the ~ of the UN.; • (in classical art and mythology) an attribute of Zeus and Athena (or their Roman counterparts Jupiter and Minerva) usually represented as a goatskin shield. |
| dissolution | disintegration; reduction to a liquid form; looseness in morals; sensual indulgence; debauchery; ADJ. dissolute: lacking in moral restraint; leading an immoral life |
| contiguous | adjacent to; touching upon |
| solicitous | anxious; worried; concerned; eager; Ex. ~ to do something; N. solicitude |
| diminution | lessening; reduction in size; V. diminish |
| tantalize | tease; excite by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach; torture with disappointment; CF. Tantalus: Greek mythological figure |
| ebb | (of the tide) recede; lessen; diminish: the tide began to ~.; noun the movement of the tide out to sea : I knew the tide would be on the ~ | [as adj. ] the ~ tide. |
| residue | remainder; Law the part of an estate that is left after the payment of charges, debts, and bequests. |
| febrile | feverish; having or showing the symptoms of a fever : a ~ illness.; • having or showing a great deal of nervous excitement or energy : a ~ imagination. |
| discompose | disturb the composure of; confuse |
| impious | irreverent |
| clap | strike the palms of the hands together with a sudden explosive sound; come together suddenly with a sharp sound; put or send promptly; Ex. ~ the thief in jail; N: ~ping; loud or explosive sound; CF. applause |
| wanderlust | strong longing to travel |
| pliable | flexible; easily influenced; yielding; adaptable |
| pedagogue | teacher; CF. child leader |
| unmitigated | (of something bad) not moderated; unrelieved or immoderate; without qualification; absolute; Ex. ~ disaster |
| obelisk | tall column tapering(becoming gradually narrower toward the end) and ending in a pyramid |
| blowhard | talkative boaster; braggart |
| interpolate | insert between |
| felon | person convicted of a grave crime; CF. ~y: serious crime |
| braggadocio | boasting |
| nimble | quick in movement; agile; quick in understanding; Ex. ~ climber/mind |
| perdition | (in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death. |
| nip | s~ off; stop something's growth or development; bite; make numb with cold; Ex. ~ the plan; Ex. A guard dog ~ped the postman; Ex. fingers ~ped by the extreme chill |
| parvenu | upstart; newly rich person |
| impolitic | not wise; not expedient; not politic |
| remunerative | (of work) compensating; rewarding; profitable; well-paid; V. remunerate: reward; pay (someone) for work or trouble |
| epic | long heroic poem, novel, or similar work of art (celebrating the feats of a hero); ADJ: (of stories or events) resembling an ~; grand |
| dispel | scatter; drive away; cause to vanish |
| brand | trademark; mark burned on the hide of an animal; mark burned into the flesh of criminals; mark of disgrace; V: mark with a ~; give a lasting bad name; stigmatize; Ex. The press ~ed him a liar. |
| accost | approach and speak first to a person |
| scad | a great quantity; Ex. ~s of clothes |
| swipe | hit with a sweeping motion; N. |
| prodigy | highly gifted child; person with exceptional talents; marvel; wonder |
| decrepit | weak and in bad condition from old age or hard use; Ex. ~ old chair/man |
| malapropos | inappropriate; ADV. |
| preempt | prevent in advance; head off(forestall); forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself before others; supplant; take the place of; displace; Ex. ~ any attempts; ADJ. ~ive |
| testator | maker of a will; CF. testatrix; LAW a person who has made a will or given a legacy. |
| consolidation | unification; process of becoming firmer or stronger; V. consolidate: merge; strengthen |
| inception | start; beginning |
| extirpate | root up; uproot; destroy completely [from Latin exstirpare, from ex- 'out' + stirps 'a stem.'] |
| bicker | quarrel |
| euphemism | mild expression in place of an unpleasant one; ADJ. euphemistic |
| limber | flexible; supple; pliable; V. |
| caucus | private meeting of a group of people in a political party to select officers or determine policy; CF. the C- club of Boston |
| inveterate | deep-rooted; habitual; CF. grow old |
| besiege | surround with armed forces; harass (with requests); annoy continually |
| relish | enjoy; savor; N: enjoyment; zest |
| monumental | massive; impressively large; built as a monument |
| theocracy | government run by religious leaders |
| cerebral | pertaining to the brain or intellect; intellectual rather than emotional; CF. cerebrum |
| carnage | destruction of life; slaughter; killing of large numbers of people or animals |
| whelp | young animal (esp. of the dog or cat family); young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. |
| smother | kill from lack of air; suppress; cover thickly; Ex. ~ed in little stickers |
| granulate | form into grains or granules; N. granule: grain or particle |
| tessellated | mosaic; inlaid; Ex. ~ pattern [From Latin tessellātus, of small square stones, from tessella, small cube, diminutive of tessera, a square. See tessera.] |
| Epicurean | believing that pleasure is good and suffering is bad and should be avoided; N.; • ( epicurean) a person devoted to sensual enjoyment, esp. that derived from fine food and drink. |
| retrograde | go backwards; recede; degenerate; deteriorate; ADJ. |
| tantrum | fit of bad temper; fit of petulance; caprice; Ex. The child went into ~s. |
| abhor | detest; hate |
| lassitude | languor; weariness; listlessness |
| wean | accustom a baby not to nurse; accustom (the young of a mammal) to take nourishment other than by suckling; give up a cherished activity; cause to gradually leave (an interest or habit); Ex. ~ oneself from cigarettes |
| sententious | pithy; terse; concise; aphoristic |
| elysian | relating to paradise; blissful |
| hermetic | concerning alchemy or magic; obscure and mysterious; occult |
| artisan | a manually skilled worker |
| refulgent | effulgent; brilliant; brightly shining; gleaming; Ex. ~ moon |
| enrapture | please intensely; fill with rapture and delight |
| primp | groom oneself with care; adorn oneself |
| rostrum | raised platform for speech-making; pulpit |
| conjugal | pertaining to marriage; [ from conjux, conjug- 'spouse,' from con- 'together' + jugum 'a yoke.'] |
| woeful | sad; (of something bad) deplorable; deplorably bad; Ex. ~ housing conditions |
| chivalrous | courteous; faithful; brave; N. chivalry |
| harry | harass, annoy, torment (by repeated attacks); raid |
| prologue | introduction (to a poem or play) |
| piebald | of different colors; mottled; spotted in different colors (esp. in black and white); Ex. ~ horse; CF. pie+bald |
| polemical | (polemic) aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious (rather than simply expressing opinions) |
| maroon | leave helpless on a deserted island or coast: a novel about schoolboys ~ed on a desert island.; ADJ. red brown; of a brownish-crimson color. |
| talon | claw of bird |
| pander | cater to (the low desires of others); gratify or indulge (an immoral or distasteful desire, need, or habit or a person with such a desire, etc.) : newspapers are ~ing to people's baser instincts. |
| slough | (of a snake) shed or cast off (dead outer skin); N: outer layer that is shed |
| parochial | narrow in scope or outlook; provincial; related to parishes |
| affidavit | written statement made under oath (for use as proof in a court of law) |
| chaplain | clergyman attached to a chapel; a member of the clergy attached to a private chapel, institution, ship, branch of the armed forces, etc. |
| induct | place formally in office; install; admit as a member; initiate; N. ~ion: ~ing; process of deriving general principles from particular facts |
| doldrums | blues; listlessness(lack of spirit or energy); slack(inactive) period; period of stagnation; ocean area near the equator where ships cannot move because there is no wind; Ex. in the ~ |
| dulcet | (esp. of sound) sweet and soothing (often used ironically) : record the ~ tones of your family and friends. [from Latin dulcis 'sweet.' The Latin form influenced the modern spelling.] |
| imponderable | weightless; that cannot undergo precise evaluation; CF. pound |
| climactic | relating to the highest point; N. climax; CF. climatic |
| argot | slang; speech spoken by only a small group of people: teenage ~ |
| genus | division of animals or plants, below a family and above a species |
| withdrawn | introverted; retiring; remote |
| pore | study industriously; ponder; scrutinize; Ex. ~ over the book; N. |
| empathy | ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc.; identification with and understanding of another's feelings; V. ~ize; CF. sympathy |
| hyperbole | exaggeration; overstatement; ADJ. ~ic: of ~; of a ~a |
| totem | animal, plant, or natural object serving as a symbol of a clan or family; representation of this; Ex. ~ pole |
| venturesome | (of a person) bold; adventurous; daring; (of an action) risky |
| indefatigable | tireless; untiring; showing no sign of getting tired |
| insensible | unconscious; unresponsive; insensitive; unaware; imperceptible; Ex. ~ of his danger/to pain; Ex. ~ change; CF. not the opposite of sensible |
| squabble | minor quarrel; bickering; V: engage in a minor quarrel; Ex. ~ing children |
| ewe | female sheep |
| sundry | miscellaneous; various; several; N. ~ies: small miscellaneous items [relates to sunder] |
| scurry | move hastily; hurry; move briskly |
| ineffectual | not effective; not having a desired effect; weak |
| barrage | barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion; large number of questions or statements; Ex. a ~ of criticism |
| anchor | secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place; N. ~age |
| turgid | swollen; distended (as from liquid) |
| scabbard | case for a sword blade; sheath |
| illimitable | infinite; limitless |