 | Term | Definition |
| |
Discomfit |
to embarrass and confuse |
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Edification |
improvement or enlightenment |
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Malfeasance |
misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official |
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Feasible |
capable of being accomplished |
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Surfeit |
condition of being too full; overabundance |
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magnum opus |
the greatest work of an artist, writer, or composer |
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modus operandi |
manner of working |
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opulent |
possessing or exhibiting great wealth; affluent |
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synergy |
the power that results from the combination of two or more forces |
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liturgy |
a pattern of prayer or worship |
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lethargy |
a state of sluggishness, inactivity, and apathy |
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laborious |
requiring mental or physical effort |
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belabor |
to discuss in too much detail -or- to attack |
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elaborate |
to explain in greater detail |
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stanch |
to stop the flow of |
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staunch |
firm and steadfast |
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extant |
still in existence; not destroyed |
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restive |
resisting authority; difficult to control |
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apropos |
with regard to |
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depose |
to remove from office or power |
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static |
having no motion or change |
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ecstasy |
intense joy or delight |
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stasis |
condition in which there is no change |
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entity |
a being |
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essence |
the most important ingredient; the crucial element |
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quintessential |
the most typical, ideal, or important |
| |
verdure |
greenery: fresh and ripe vegetation |
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verdant |
green; lush with vegetation |
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viridity |
lack of experience; innocent |
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candid |
open and sincere |
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candor |
frankness or sincerity of expression; openness |
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incandescent |
shining brilliantly |
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pallor |
extreme or unnatural paleness |
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pallid |
lacking color; dull |
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appall |
to fill with horror or disapproval |
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livid |
enraged; furious |
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denigrate |
to attack the character of; to mock |
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peccadillo |
a small sin or fault |
| |
impeccable |
having no flaws |
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peccant |
violating a moral law; sinful |
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pejorative |
negative and critical; insulting |
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impair |
to cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality |
| |
malign |
to speak maliciously; insult |
| |
malinger |
to pretend to be sick in order to avoid something |
| |
malaise |
a sense of unease; depression |
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negligent |
not properly attentive |
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negligible |
unimportant; insignigicant |
| |
negate |
to cancel the effect of; nullify |
| |
jocose |
cheerful; merry |
| |
jocular |
characterized by joking |
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festoon |
to drape or adorm festively |
| |
fete |
to honor with a banquet or feast |
| |
bacchic |
of or related to a wild celebration |
| |
bacchanal |
a durnken party or celebration |
| |
plaintive |
sorrowful; expressing or evoking mourning or sadness |
| |
plaint |
a lament or complaint |
| |
elegy |
a song or poem memorializing something or someone |
| |
elegiac |
mourning that which is lost or past; sorrowful |
| |
somnolent |
drowsy; sleepy |
| |
soporific |
causing sleep or fatigue |
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sopor |
sleep; drowsiness |
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languid |
lacking energy; weak |
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languish |
to waste away |
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languor |
lack of physical or mental energy |
| |
vigilant |
on the alert; watchful |
| |
vigilante |
someone who takes law enforcement into his or her own hands |
| |
acquiesce |
to give in |
| |
requiem |
a song or religious service for the dead or lost |
| |
quittance |
a repayment; compensation |
| |
auspices |
protection or support; patronage |
| |
auspicious |
followed by favorable circumstances |
| |
consort |
to keep compnay;associate OR (n) a companion, especially a romantic one |
| |
consortium |
a group of companies or institutions |
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destine |
intend for a specific end or purpose |
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fortuitous |
happening by a lucky accident or chance |
| |
fortuity |
chance or accident |
| |
predestination |
the belief that one's fate has been determined in advance by a higher power |
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propitiate |
to soothe or satisfy; to appease |
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propitious |
lucky or favorable |
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conferment |
the act of bestowing; a formal offer |
| |
congested |
overcrowded; too tightly packed |
| |
euphoria |
a feeling of great happiness or well-being |
| |
gestate |
to conceive and develop in the mind or body |
| |
gesticulate |
to make gestures for emphasis |
| |
importunate |
extremely demanding; insistent |
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importune |
to urge or beg without end |
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insufferable |
impossible to bear; intolerable |
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periphery |
the outermost part of boundary |
| |
preferential |
giving or showing an advantage to one over another |
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rapport |
a positive relationship |
| |
desolate |
deserted and lonely |
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divulge |
to make public |
| |
hoi polloi |
the common people |
| |
monosyllabic |
having only one syllable |
| |
monotone |
sameness of sound, style, manner, or color |
| |
monotonous |
unvarying |
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polyglot |
a perrson with a knowledge of several languages |
| |
polymath |
a person with knowledge of many subjects |
| |
soliloquy |
a literary or dramatic speech spoken by a solitary character |
| |
solipsism |
the theory that the self is the only reality |
| |
vulgar |
of the common people |
| |
catholic |
covering a broad range; universal |
| |
consummate |
perfect or ideal, wspecially in skill or accomplishment |
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holistic |
concerning the whole rather than the parts |
| |
parcel |
to divide into parts and distribute |
| |
parse |
to examine or analyze |
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repartee |
quick, witty conversation |
| |
summation |
accumulation; total result |
| |
totalitarian |
having to do with a government in which one person, group, or party controls everything |
| |
totality |
completeness |
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trenchant |
sharply effective or insightful |
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truncate |
to cut short in the middle |
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annex |
to attach oneself; take over |
| |
ascertain |
to discover; find out |
| |
assertion |
something declared or stated positively |
| |
certitude |
certainty; inevitability |
| |
disconcert |
to upset and confuse |
| |
dissertation |
a formal and long paper, written for a degree at t university or college |
| |
exertion |
the use of power and of strength |
| |
liaison |
intermediary; go-between |
| |
ligature |
a binding or joining |
| |
nexus |
the core or center |
| |
obligatory |
expected or required |
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accede |
to agree, often at the urging of another |
| |
adventitious |
artificial; acquired |
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ambiance |
environment surrounding; atmosphere |
| |
antecedent |
one that precedes another |
| |
circuitous |
roundabout or lengthy |
| |
contravene |
to violate or go against |
| |
parvenu |
someone newly wealthy |
| |
precedent |
tradition; an act or decision that is used as a model for future acts or decisions |
| |
sedition |
act or practice aimed at undermining authority; rebellion |
| |
transitory |
short-lived or temporary |
| |
conflagration |
a large fire |
| |
flagrant |
noticeably bad or offensive |
| |
flamboyant |
intended to attract attention; showy |
| |
fulminate |
to attack with words; denounce |
| |
illustrative |
descriptive; representative |
| |
illustrious |
well-known and distinguished |
| |
incendiary |
inflaming; provoking heat or anger |
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incense |
to infuriate; to make passionately angry |
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inflammatory |
arousing anger or strong emotion |
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luster |
brilliance; brightness |
| |
refulgent |
brilliantly illuminated; shining |
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abominable |
loathsome; disagreeable |
| |
abomination |
something disgustingly offensive |
| |
demonstrative |
openly expressive of emotions |
| |
metaphrase |
an exact translation or restatement |
| |
ominous |
menacing; threatening |
| |
paradigm |
a pattern or model |
| |
paraphrase |
a summary that is not word-for-word |
| |
phraseology |
the way in which something is expressed; style |
| |
remonstrate |
to protest or object |
| |
semantic |
having to do with the meaning of works or language |
| |
semiotic |
of or relating to signs or symbols |
