Print › 180 words

Aborigine: An original inhabitant
Altercation: a noisy dispute
Amalgam: a mixture of elements
Ambulatory: walking or moving
Androgynous: unisex; having both male and female characteristics
Aperture: An opening; a hole
Appartion: Unusual or unexpected sight
Arcane: Secret; mysterious
Archetype: The original pattern or model
Ballyhoo: a noisy attention-getting demonstration or talk
Bedlam: uproar
Bellicose: warlike; quarrelsome
Bombast: pretentious; inflated speech or writing
Boudoir: A womens dressig room, bedroom, or private sitting room
Brouhaha: hubbub; uproar; furor
Cacophonous: harsh sounding or confused sounding
cameo: a raised image on precious stone; a small role
candence: rhythm
carcinogen: a substance that causes cancer
carnivore: a flesh-eating animal
caucus: a closed meeting of members of a political party or faction
circumvent: to avoid by going around; to encircle; to outwit
conflagration: a large, destructive fire
contretemps: an embarrassing incident
conveyance: a means of transporting; a vehicle
cryptic: secret; mysterious
debonair: suave; charming; lighthearted
decanter: a vessel used to receive liquid poured from another
demagogue:: leader who promises things to gain power
dexterous:: skilled with the hands; mentally adroit
disheveled:: untidy
distaff:: pertaining to females; a stick that holds wool or flax for spinning
doggerel:: loose, irregular verse; inferior poetry
dormant:: sleeping; inactive
dulcet:: sweet, melodious, soothing
echelon:: one in a series of levels of command
effervescent:: bubbly; lively
egregious:: flagrant; out of the ordinary
emaciated:: painfully thin, wasted
embellish:: to make beautiful with ornamentation; to decorate
equestrian:: relating to horseback riding
equilibrium:: a state of balance
escalate:: to enlarge, to increase
exodus:: to strike out, to erase, to remove
fecund:: fruitful, productive
fiasco:: a failure
flamboyant:: ornate; showy
formidable:: frightening; dreadful; awe-inspiring
germinate:: to begin to grow; sprout
gossamer:: something light, delicate, or tenuous
gregarious:: living in groups; social
harbinger:: forerunner, initiator, herald
hirsute:: very hairy
impropriety:: improper conduct; bad manners
incarcerate:: to put in prison
inclement:: stormy; harsh
indolent:: lazy
intrepid:: fearless; bold
irascible:: easily angered; hot-tempered
Irreparable:: cannot be repaired
itinerary:: the route of a journey
jettison:: to discard; to cast off as an encumbrance
juxtapose:: to place side by side
kowtow:: to be overly polite and flattering; to fawn
Labyrinthine:: complicated; perplexing; mazelike
lambent:: softly bright; flickering
languid:: drooping; sluggish
libation:: a beverage; the act of pouring out a liquid as a religious offering
lineage:: descent in a direct line from an ancestor
loquacious:: given to excessive talking
ludicrous:: laughable because of obvious absurdity
lugubrious:: exaggeratedly or affectedly mournful
maelstrom:: a powerful whirlpool; turmoil
manacle:: a handcuff; a retraint
masticate:: to chew;to soften by chewing
Mellifluous:: smoothly flowing; sweet
monolith:: a single large stone, often in the form of a column or monument
nadir:: the lowest point
nodule:: a small lump
obdurate:: hard; unmoved by persuasion
obsequious:: fawning; servile
opulent:: demonstrating great wealth; extravagant
oscillate:: to swing back and forth
ostracize:: to exclude from the group; to banish
ovation:: enthusiastic display of approval; applause
panorama:: a wide, unbroken view
pariah:: an outcast
penurious:: stingy; extremely poor
pinion:: to restrain by binding the arms; to hold fast
pinnacle:: the highest point; a spire
plummet:: to fall or plunge straight downward
pogrom:: an organized persecution or massacre
polyglot:: using several different languages
potable:: fit to drink
precarious:: dangerous; risky; dependent on chance
progeny:: offspring; descendants
projectile:: a missile, something thrown
promontory:: a high point of land or rock projecting into water
prostrate:: lying flat; stretched out with face on the ground
pulchritude:: physical beauty
queue:: a waiting line, especially of persons or vehicles
ravenous:: hungry; very eager
recalcitrant:: stubbornly resistant to authority or restraint
remorse:: regret for having done wrong , a feeling of deep regret (usually for some misdeed)
remuneration:: payment; reward
rendezvous:: an appointment; a meeting place
replicate:: to duplicate; to repeat
reverberate:: to echo; to resound
reverie:: daydream; lost in thought
roster:: a list of names
salutary:: promoting good health, beneficial
sangfroid:: poise and calmness, especially under strain
saturnine:: gloomy; surly
scintillate:: to sparkle; to flash
sediment:: matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid
seraph:: an angel
sibilant:: producing a hissing sound
silhouette:: a dark outline against a light background
sinewy:: strong and firm; tough
somnambulist:: sleepwalker
soporific:: causing sleep
spectrum:: a wide range or sequence
taciturn:: disinclined to talk; silent
tantalize:: to tease by keeping something out of reach
tendril:: coiling part of a plant, serves as support. Also a tendril of hair
timorous:: easily frightened; timid
titanic:: huge; powerful
tortuous:: winding or twisting; devious
transpose:: to reverse the order or place of
tributary:: a stream or river flowing into a larger stream or river
verve:: energy and liveliness
vie:: strive; contend; compete
vintage:: classic; old; outstanding
virtuoso:: person with unusual skill in any one field, particularly in the arts
votary:: a person devoted to something
wanderlust:: strong impulse to travel
whet:: to sharpen; to stimulate
xenophobia:: a fear or hatred of strangers