 | Term | Definition |
| |
ameliorate |
to make better; to become better; to improve |
| |
baleful |
expressing hatred or evil; harmful, ominous |
| |
berate |
to criticize vigorously; to scold vehemently |
| |
circumvent |
to avoid through craftiness |
| |
compunction |
a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety caused by guilt |
| |
condone |
to overlook or accept without punishment; to pardon or excuse |
| |
diminutive |
very small, tiny |
| |
euphemism |
a polite term used to avoid directly naming something considered offensive or unpleasant |
| |
expendable |
able to be used up and then discarded or replaced |
| |
heresy |
the expression of shocking or unacceptable views |
| |
infirmity |
physical or mental weakness or defect |
| |
profane |
to treat with scorn or irreverence, disrespectful of sacred things |
| |
recompense |
to pay or compensate |
| |
repast |
food and drink, a meal |
| |
servitude |
a lack of freedom; forced labor |
| |
castigate |
to punish by criticizing sharply; to berate |
| |
colloquial |
characterized by informal language |
| |
epitaph |
the words carved on a tombstone in memory of the deceased |
| |
exodous |
a mass departure |
| |
inter |
to put in a grave; to bury |
| |
lacerate |
to tear or cut roughly |
| |
largesse |
the act of giving generously, gifts |
| |
obituary |
a notice of someone's death, such as in a newspaper, usually with a brief summary of that person's life |
| |
omnivorous |
eating all kinds of food, taking in everything available |
| |
permeate |
to spread throughout; to pass through |
| |
rendition |
an interpretation or translation, a performance |
| |
resurgence |
a rising again to life, use, acceptance, or prominence; a revival |
| |
stereotype |
a generalization that is used to characterize a person without acknowledging individual differences |
| |
stipend |
a regular and fixed amount of pay for work done or to help cover living or work expenses |
| |
subservient |
serving or acting in a subordinant manner; servile |
| |
adjacent |
near or next to; adjoining |
| |
beset |
to surround or attack repeatedly, trouble, or weigh down |
| |
cede |
to give up or transfer, especially by treaty or formal agreement |
| |
circuitous |
roundabout; indirect |
| |
desultory |
proceeding or carried out in an aimless or random way |
| |
galvanize |
to excite or arouse to action |
| |
implement |
a tool or instrument, to carry out |
| |
inconsequential |
lacking importance or worth, unable to make an impact; trivial |
| |
magnitude |
greatness in size, power, or influence |
| |
materialize |
to become real or actual, appear in physical form |
| |
muster |
a gathering, usually of military forces, to summon or call forth, to gather |
| |
prohibitive |
serving to restrain action or discourage use of |
| |
reminisce |
to think or talk about one's past, remembering |
| |
vanguard |
the leading or forward position in a movement |
| |
visionary |
a person who is given to ideas that are not currently realistic; a dreamer |
| |
cautionary |
offering or serving as a warning |
| |
constrain |
to confine, inhibit, or hold back by force or necessity |
| |
flotilla |
a fleet of boats or small ships |
| |
gossamer |
thin, sheer fabric resembling gauze, as light and delicate as a cobweb |
| |
ignominious |
marked by, deserving, or causing shame or disgrace |
| |
incur |
to bring upon oneself something undesirable, such as a debt |
| |
liquidate |
to settle the affairs of a business; to convert into cash, to get rid of or kill |
| |
magnate |
an important, often wealthy, person prominent in a large industry or business |
| |
misnomer |
a name that doesn't fit |
| |
onerous |
burdensome; oppressive |
| |
pandemonium |
a state or place of great confusion or uproar |
| |
quixotic |
romantic or idealistic, but impractical |
| |
tenacious |
holding fast; persistent in adhering to something valued or habitual |
| |
vestige |
a trace of something that was once present |
| |
zephyr |
a light, gentle breeze |
| |
attest |
to declare or be evidence of something as true, genuine, or accurate |
| |
axiom |
a statement or principle that requires no proof because its truth is obvious |
| |
churlish |
lacking good manners; rude, impolite |
| |
concoct |
to make up, prepare, or invent |
| |
derivative |
something that grows out of an earlier form, based on what has gone before, lacking originality |
| |
differentiate |
to see the difference; to distinguish |
| |
disparage |
to criticize in a negative, disrespectful manner |
| |
dissipate |
to break up and spread out so thinly as to disappear, to spend or use foolishly |
| |
esoteric |
not generally known or understood; familiar to only a small group of people |
| |
olfactory |
relating to the sense of smell |
| |
plethora |
too great a number, an excess |
| |
refurbish |
to make like new; to renovate |
| |
secrete |
to produce and give off, to conceal |
| |
vagary |
a departure from the normal, expected course, a whim or unpredictable action |
| |
volatile |
evaporating quickly, changing readily, explosive, unpredictable |
