- Alacrity: eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness
- Alchemy: medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold
- Alibi: an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
- Allay: to lessen
- Alleviate: make less severe
- Aloof: distant; detached; cold
- Altruism: putting others first; being self-sacrificing
- Amass: accumulate
- Ambiguity: uncertainty; vagueness
- Ambiguous: unclear in meaning; can be interpreted in different ways
- Burgeon: grow; flourish; put forth new shoots
- Burnish: polish
- Buttress: strengthen; support
- Byline: the line that tells you who wrote an article
- Cacophony: discordant loud noises
- Cajole: coax
- Caldron: huge cooking pot
- Callow: immature
- Candid: frank; honest
- Candor: frankness; openness
- Deleterious: harmful
- Deliberate: to think over deeply
- Delineation: demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining
- Demur: hesitate; refuse
- Denounce: condemn; speak out against
- Deplete: use up; lessen
- Deplore: regret
- Depravity: moral corruption
- Deprecate: criticize; denounce
- Deride: ridicule; make fun of; mock
- Euphemism: a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
- Euphony: pleasant sounds
- Evacuate: vacate; empty; abandon
- Exacerbate: make worse
- Exasperated: frustrated; annoyed
- Exceptionable: very bad (something which we should object to)
- Exculpate: free someone from blame; pardon; acquit
- Execrable: very, very bad
- Exegesis: scholarly explanation or interpretation
- Exemplary: outstandingly good; setting a fine example
- Hypocritical: insincere
- Iconoclast: person who opposes orthodoxy
- Idiosyncrasy: a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual
- Ignominious: shameful
- Ignominy: shame [ignominious (a) = shameful]
- Illuminate: to light up or make clear
- Illusory: deceptive; false; misleading
- Immoderate: excessive; extreme
- Immutable: unchanging; permanent
- Impartial: unbiased; neutral
- Lethargic: tired; without energy
- Levity: flippancy; joking about serious matters
- Libertarian: someone who opposes tyranny
- Liniment: soothing lotion
- Lithe: flexible; supple
- Livid: very angry
- Lobbyist: person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause
- Lofty: snooty; arrogant; haughty
- Longevity: long life
- Loquacious: talkative
- Ogle: stare at; observe in an obvious manner
- Olfactory: concerned with the sense of smell
- Ominous: threatening
- Omnipotent: all-powerful
- Omniscient: all-knowing
- Onerous: burdensome; hard to undertake
- Onus: burden
- Opaque: does not let light through
- Opulent: wealthy; rich; magnificent
- Ordain: 1. destine; 2. confer holy orders on a priest
- Postulate: hypothesize; propose
- Potable: suitable for drinking
- Potent: powerful; compelling; strong
- Pragmatic: practical
- Pragmatist: practical person; one who is concerned with usefulness
- Preamble: introductory material
- Precarious: unstable; risky
- Precedent: a previous occurrence used as a guide
- Precept: guiding principle
- Precinct: district of a city
- Robust: strong; healthy; tough
- Rotund: round
- Ruminate: think over something; ponder
- Ruse: trick; stratagem
- Saccharin: falsely sweet
- Sacrosanct: very holy; inviolable
- Sagacious: wise
- Sage: a wise person
- Salacious: lecherous; erotic
- Sallow: yellowish
- Tractable: obedient; dutiful; polite
- Tranquil: peaceful
- Transcribe: copy
- Transgress: go astray; disobey; commit a sin
- Transient: short-lived; ephemeral
- Traverse: to move across
- Trepidation: fear
- Trinket: something of little value; knick-knack
- Trite: unoriginal; dull
- Trivial: unimportant
Major Test Vocabulary, 3 of 10