 | Term | Definition |
| |
absquatulate |
leave abruptly |
| |
acedia |
spiritual or mental sloth |
| |
acolyte |
assistant |
| |
adamantine |
unbreakable |
| |
adjuration |
solemn/earnest request |
| |
adroit |
capable; skillful |
| |
adulate |
fawn |
| |
aerate |
introduce air into |
| |
alacrity |
eager and enthusiastic willingness |
| |
ambrosial |
very pleasing to the senses |
| |
animadversion |
strong criticism or censure |
| |
anodyne |
uncontentious, inoffensive |
| |
aplomb |
self confidence |
| |
apoplectic |
extremely indignant |
| |
appellation |
a name or title |
| |
argot |
jargon |
| |
artifice |
careful or cunning devices used to trick somebody |
| |
askance |
(adv) disapprovingly |
| |
aspersions |
attacks on the reputation or integrity of someone (cast aspersions on...) |
| |
assiduous |
showing great care and perseverance |
| |
assuage |
ease or lesson; satisfy |
| |
attenuate |
reduce in force, effect, or value |
| |
augur |
portend a good or bad outcome |
| |
augury |
a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen |
| |
auspicious |
fortuitous |
| |
avuncular |
relating to an uncle |
| |
badinage |
humorous or witty conversation |
| |
bagatelle |
something of little consequence |
| |
barefaced |
shameless |
| |
bivouac |
temporary camp without tents or cover; to stay in such a camp |
| |
blithe |
showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper |
| |
bromide |
a trite or unoriginal idea or remark, typically intended to soothe or placate |
| |
brook |
allow |
| |
brusque |
abrupt in speech |
| |
bucolic |
rustic and pastoral; rural |
| |
burgher |
a city or town resident, typically of the bourgeoisie |
| |
cad |
a man who behaves dishonorably towards women |
| |
cadge |
ask for or obtain |
| |
calumniate |
make false and defamatory statements |
| |
captious |
tending to find fault or raise pretty objections |
| |
caterwaul |
a shrill howling or wailing |
| |
catholic |
all-embracing; universal |
| |
caustic |
burning or corroding |
| |
chary |
wary, cautious, sparing |
| |
chicanery |
trickery or subterfuge |
| |
choler |
anger, irascibility |
| |
clarion |
a trumpet |
| |
cogent |
appealing to reason; convincing; believable |
| |
concomitant |
naturally accompanying or associated |
| |
conflagration |
an extensive fire |
| |
consanguinity |
decent from the same ancestor |
| |
consonant |
harmonious |
| |
coquette |
a women who flirts |
| |
coruscate |
to sparkle or flash |
| |
coterie |
a small (often exclusive) group of people with shared interests |
| |
countenance |
support, or a person's face or expression |
| |
crepuscular |
relating to twilight |
| |
crone |
old thin and ugly woman |
| |
crow |
gloat; boast |
| |
cygnet |
a young swan |
| |
dais |
a low platform for a lectern |
| |
deleterious |
causing harm or damage |
| |
demimonde |
a person or group of people (particularly a woman) on the fringe of society |
| |
demonstrative |
tending to show feelings |
| |
demur |
question or oppose |
| |
depredation |
the act of plundering |
| |
deracination |
upheaval |
| |
desiccate |
to dry out |
| |
desideratum |
something desired |
| |
desultory |
lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm |
| |
diffident |
modest or shy because of lack of self-confidence |
| |
dilatory |
slow to act |
| |
din |
a loud, prolonged, annoying noise |
| |
dirge |
a lament for the dead |
| |
dirigible |
capable of being steered or directed |
| |
discommode |
cause (someone) trouble or inconvenience |
| |
doctrinaire |
dogmatic, unyielding |
| |
dotage |
one's old age |
| |
dowdy |
an unfashionably dressed woman |
| |
doyen |
the preeminent expert in a field |
| |
dragoon |
coerce |
| |
dross |
worthless rubbish |
| |
ebullience |
cheerful and full of energy |
| |
eclat |
brilliant display or effect |
| |
ecumenical |
related to religious |
| |
effrontery |
insolent or impertinent behavior; extreme boldness or presumptuousness |
| |
effusive |
expressing feelings of gratitude, pleasure, or approval |
| |
emollient |
a soothing agent, esp. to the skin |
| |
encomium |
a formal eulogy or speech of praise |
| |
enervate |
weaken; reduce in vitality |
| |
ensconce |
establish or settle in a comfortable, safe, or secret place |
| |
ephebiphobia |
the fear of youth |
| |
ersatz |
inferior substitute |
| |
etiology |
cause; set of causes; or manner of causation of a disease or condition; |
| |
evince |
indicate |
| |
excoriate |
censure or criticize severely |
| |
excrescence |
an outgrowth on an animal or plant, especially from disease |
| |
exigent |
urgent, pressing; requiring immediate action or attention |
| |
exiguous |
meager |
| |
expiate |
atone |
| |
extant |
surviving; still existing |
| |
extirpate |
root out and destroy |
| |
facile |
superficial |
| |
fatuous |
silly and pointless |
| |
fecund |
fertile (and actually producing) |
| |
filigree |
ornamental work of fine wire |
| |
fillip |
something that acts as a boost, v.: to propel |
| |
flag |
decline in vigor; become tired |
| |
frangible |
brittle |
| |
frenetic |
fast and energetic; uncontrolled |
| |
frowzy |
scruffy |
| |
fulminate |
loudly attack or denounce |
| |
furtive |
attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or believe that discovery would lead to trouble |
| |
fusillade |
barrage of fire |
| |
fusty |
stale, damp, stuffy |
| |
gainsay |
deny or contradict; speak against |
| |
garrote |
to strangle with a wire, cord, etc, or the a wire/cord used in this manner |
| |
garrulous |
excessively talkative |
| |
glom (onto) |
steal (become stuck or attached to) |
| |
gossamer |
something thin and delicate |
| |
gravamen |
the essence or most serious part of a complaint or accusation |
| |
grouse |
grumble |
| |
harangue |
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech |
| |
hoary |
old and trite |
| |
idée fixe |
obsession |
| |
impenitent |
not feeling shame or regret about one's actions; unrepentant |
| |
impetuousness |
eager impulsiveness, often violent |
| |
impugn |
call into question |
| |
inamorata |
a female lover |
| |
inchoate |
rudimentary |
| |
incipient |
beginning; developing |
| |
incorrigible |
unreformable |
| |
indefatigability |
tirelessness |
| |
indemnity |
security or protection against a loss or other financial burden |
| |
indolent |
lazy |
| |
ineffable |
too great or extreme to be expressed in words |
| |
ineluctable |
irresistible; unavoidable |
| |
inexorable |
impossible to stop or prevent |
| |
ingenuous |
artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication; gullible |
| |
inimical |
damaging; harmful; injurious |
| |
iniquitous |
immoral |
| |
insipid |
lacking flavor; lacking vigor or interest |
| |
insouciance |
casual lack of concern |
| |
insuperable |
impossible to overcome |
| |
intransigent |
refusing to compromise |
| |
inveigle |
to obtain by deception or flattery |
| |
irredentism |
the advocacy of annexing territories based on a common ethnicity or prior historical relationship |
| |
jeremiad |
a list of woes |
| |
ken |
one's range of sight or knowledge |
| |
kerfluffle |
a commotion or fuss; especially one caused by conflicting views |
| |
kvetch |
complain |
| |
lachrymose |
tearful, weeping |
| |
lacunae |
a gap or depression |
| |
lassitude |
weariness |
| |
limn |
depict or describe in painting or words |
| |
limpid |
completely clear |
| |
litotes |
a figure of speech in which the speaker emphasizes the magnitude of a statement by denying its opposite |
| |
logorrhea |
tendency towards extreme loquacity |
| |
louche |
disreputable in an unappealing way (e.g. prostitution) |
| |
lucre |
money, when regarded as sordid or distasteful |
| |
ludic |
spontaneously playful |
| |
lugubrious |
glum |
| |
malinger |
exaggerate illness in order to escape duty or work |
| |
manacles |
shackles |
| |
maudlin |
self-pitying or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness |
| |
mealymouthed |
afraid to speak straightforwardly |
| |
mellifluously |
melodically; pleasant to hear |
| |
mendacious |
lying |
| |
mercurial |
subject to sudden changes in mood |
| |
meretricious |
apparently attractive but having in reality to value or integrity |
| |
milquetoast |
a timid or submissive person, from Casper Milquetoast, a cartoon character |
| |
misprision |
concealment of wrongdoing |
| |
monomaniac |
someone who is pathologically obsessed with one idea or type of idea; exaggerated or obsessive enthusiasm for one thing |
| |
monopsony |
a market situation where there is only one buyer |
| |
munificent |
generous |
| |
nadir |
opposite of zenith |
| |
noisome |
noxious odor |
| |
nonpareil |
unmatched |
| |
obdurate |
stubborn refusal due to harshness |
| |
obsequious |
servile |
| |
obstreperous |
noisy and difficult to control |
| |
obviate |
remove (a need or difficulty) ; avoid; prevent |
| |
oeuvre |
collected works |
| |
officious |
assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way; intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice |
| |
opprobrious |
disgraceful; shameful |
| |
opprobrium |
harsh criticism or censure |
| |
oraculate |
predict/foretell |
| |
orison |
a prayer |
| |
ossify |
become bone |
| |
paean |
a song of praise and triumph |
| |
palaver |
prolonged and idle discussion |
| |
panegyric |
a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something |
| |
pap |
entertainment or reading that is worthless or lacking in substance |
| |
paramour |
illicit partner of a married person |
| |
pastiche |
a style of art that imitates another work, artist, or period; or an artistic work that mixes often materials |
| |
patina |
gloss or sheen; an impression or appearance |
| |
patrician |
an aristocrat or nobleman |
| |
peccant |
offending; having committed a fault or sin |
| |
pecuniary |
dealing with money |
| |
pelf |
money; especially ill-gotten |
| |
penurious |
penny-pinching |
| |
penury |
poverty |
| |
peremptory |
insisting on immediate attention or obedience |
| |
perfidy |
intentional break of faith; treachery |
| |
peripatetic |
traveling from place to place for relatively short periods of time; itinerant or nomadic |
| |
pernicious |
extremely harmful; potentially fatal; especially in a gradual or subtle way |
| |
perspicacity |
acute perception; keen discernment |
| |
pertinacious |
stubborn |
| |
philandering |
having lots of casual sexual encounters with women |
| |
phlegmatic |
not easily excited; cool; sluggish; stoic |
| |
picayune |
petty |
| |
pied |
multicolored |
| |
pique (n) |
irritation or resentment resulting from a slight |
| |
pirouette |
the act of spinning on one foot |
| |
placid |
not easily excited or upset |
| |
plaint |
accusation |
| |
pliant |
easily bent or manipulated |
| |
ponderous |
slow and clumsy because of great weight; dull, laborious, or solemn |
| |
prattle |
lengthy and inconsequential talk; babble meaninglessly |
| |
precipitate (adj) |
done, made, or acting suddenly and without careful consideration |
| |
preen |
to dress up |
| |
prevaricate |
speak in an evasive way; quibble or dodge the truth |
| |
prig |
a self-rightously moralistic person who behaves as if superior to others |
| |
prodigal |
wasteful |
| |
profligate |
recklessly extravagant or wasteful |
| |
promulgate |
promote; announce |
| |
propitiate |
win or regain the favor of someone (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them |
| |
propitious |
giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable |
| |
prosaic |
commonplace; unromantic |
| |
prurient |
having an excessive interest in sexual matters |
| |
pugnacious |
irascible; truculent |
| |
puissance |
great power, influence, or prowess |
| |
pusillanimous |
showing a lack of courage; timid |
| |
quiddity |
the inherent nature or essence of someone or something |
| |
quiescence |
stillness; motionlessness |
| |
quotidian |
daily |
| |
raconteur |
a good, amusing storyteller |
| |
raiment |
clothing |
| |
rankle |
cause annoyance or resentment that persists |
| |
recalcitrant |
having an obstinately uncooperative attitude towards authority or discipline |
| |
reconnoiter |
survey, explore, investigate a region for military purposes |
| |
redoubtable |
awe-inspiring; worth of honor; formidable |
| |
redound |
contribute greatly (to a person's credit or honor) |
| |
rend |
tear |
| |
retinue |
a group of advisors accompanying an important person |
| |
ribald |
referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way |
| |
risible |
laughable |
| |
roué |
an elderly debauched man |
| |
rueful |
expressing sorrow or regret |
| |
salutary |
beneficial |
| |
samizdat |
the clandestine copying & distribution of banned literature, esp. in communist states |
| |
sanctimonious |
making a show of being morally superior to other people |
| |
sanguine |
cheerfully optimistic |
| |
sartorial |
relating to clothes, style of dress |
| |
saturnine |
slow and gloomy; morose |
| |
scintillate |
emit flashes of light; sparkle |
| |
scion |
descendant of a notable family |
| |
scofflaw |
a person who flouts the law, especially by failing to comply with a law that is difficult to enforce |
| |
sedulous |
showing dedication and diligence |
| |
sedulous |
showing dedication and diligence |
| |
sibilant |
sounded with a hissing effect |
| |
sinter |
coalesce a powder into a solid or porous mass by heating it |
| |
skinflint |
miser |
| |
slake |
sate, quench |
| |
sobriquet |
a person's nickname |
| |
solecism |
a grammatical mistake |
| |
solicitous |
concerned and attentive; eager |
| |
solon |
a wise lawgiver |
| |
sop |
a thing of no great value given as a concession to appease someone whose main demands are not being met |
| |
soporific |
sleep-inducing |
| |
specious |
superficially plausible, but actually wrong |
| |
sprightly |
lively, full of energy |
| |
stanch |
stop |
| |
stolid |
calm, dependable |
| |
strident |
loud and harsh |
| |
Stygian |
very dark; of or relating to the Styx river |
| |
supplicate |
beg |
| |
surcease |
relief or consolation; cessation |
| |
surfeit |
an excessive amount of something; (v) cause to desire no more of something |
| |
suzerain |
a sovereign state having some control over another internally autonomous state |
| |
svelte |
thin |
| |
swaddle |
wrap |
| |
swashbuckle |
to engage in daring and romantic adventures with ostentatious bravado or flamboyance |
| |
sybarite |
hedonist |
| |
tableaux |
a group of motionless figures representing a historical event |
| |
temerity |
excessive confidence or boldness |
| |
tendentious |
expressing or promotion a particular cause, especially a controversial one |
| |
threnody |
a lament |
| |
timorous |
showing or suffering from nervousness or a lack of confidence |
| |
tocsin |
alarm bell or signal |
| |
torpor |
physical or mental inactivity; lethargy |
| |
torrid |
hot and passionate |
| |
troglodyte |
hermit, or purposely old fashioned person |
| |
troika |
a group of three people working together; especially in a managerial role |
| |
truculent |
eager or quick to argue or fight |
| |
tumid |
swollen |
| |
tyro |
a newbie |
| |
unctuous |
oily; greasy; excessively flattering |
| |
upbraid |
find fault; scald |
| |
uxorious |
showing excessive fondness for one's wife |
| |
vade mecum |
a handy reference |
| |
variegated |
varied, esp. in color |
| |
venal |
showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery |
| |
verisimilitude |
appearance of being real |
| |
virulent |
extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic |
| |
vitriol |
cruel and bitter criticism |
| |
vituperative |
bitter and abusive |
| |
votary |
someone dedicated to a pursuit, a follower |
| |
wan |
pale |
| |
welkin |
the sky |
| |
whet |
sharpen a tool |
| |
whorl |
coil or ring |
