 | Term | Definition |
| |
immune |
not subject to an obligation imposed on others; not affected by an influence |
| |
insuperable |
impossible to overcome |
| |
venomous |
malignant; spiteful; secreting poison |
| |
entourage |
a group of attendants or followers |
| |
absolve |
to free from guilt or blame |
| |
unassuming |
modest; not pretentious |
| |
eulogy |
a speech or written tribute in praise of someone who has died |
| |
impending |
about to happen |
| |
conviction |
a strong belief or opinion |
| |
benevolent |
characterized by doing good |
| |
timbre |
the distinguishing quality of a sound |
| |
hirsute |
having excessive body hair |
| |
repress |
to hold back; to put down by force |
| |
torrent |
a swift-flowing stream; an uncontrolled outpouring |
| |
flux |
flow; continuous change or movement |
| |
intricate |
elaborately detailed |
| |
fertile |
producing abundantly; prolific |
| |
beneficent |
performing deeds of kindness or charity; producing a good result |
| |
leery |
suspicious; distrustful |
| |
divisive |
creating conflict |
| |
placebo |
something presented as a drug but having no actual effect |
| |
shrewd |
clever in practical matters; cunning |
| |
delineate |
to draw the outline of; describe in words or gestures |
| |
temporize |
to act evasively in order to gain time |
| |
novice |
a person new to a field or activity; a beginner |
| |
preposterous |
absurd; ridiculous; senseless; irrational |
| |
annul |
to make void or invalid |
| |
thwart |
to prevent or frustrate |
| |
shuffle |
to walk while scraping or sliding the feet |
| |
putative |
put forth or accepted as true on inadequate grounds; supposed |
| |
dreary |
depressing and boring |
| |
sanction |
to give official approval |
| |
meander |
to follow a winding course; to wander without any fixed destination |
| |
tyranny |
arbitrary or unrestrained exercise of power; despotic abuse of authority |
| |
revere |
to honor |
| |
strut |
to walk with a proud, arrogant bearing |
| |
gregarious |
seeking and enjoying the company of others; ending to move in a group |
| |
palliate |
to lessen the pain or severity |
| |
perpetuity |
a state of infinite or indefinitely long duration |
| |
trying |
resulting from great difficulties; irritating |
| |
cleave |
to split with a sharp instrument; to cling |
| |
serendipity |
unexpected gift or discovery |
| |
uncouth |
uncultured; crude |
| |
nomad |
one who has no permanent home |
| |
regress |
to return to a previous state |
| |
spendthrift |
one who spends money wastefully |
| |
valiant |
courageous, brave, as in battle |
| |
maul |
to injure; mangle |
| |
segue |
an easy, effective, or uninterrupted transition |
| |
figurehead |
a person with apparent but no real authority |
| |
patronize |
to sponsor or support; to be kind of helpful in a snobbish way, as if dealing with an inferior |
| |
inalienable |
not able to be taken away or transferred to others |
| |
fervent |
passionate; eager; earnest |
| |
obtuse |
slow in understanding; dull; stupid |
| |
underscore |
to emphasize |
| |
quibble |
to criticize or evade the truth by raising trivial or irrelevant objections |
| |
periphery |
a boundary line; perimeter; an outside surface |
| |
stentorian |
extremely loud |
| |
benediction |
blessing |
| |
expedition |
a journey undertaken for a specific reason, such as for war or exploration; speed in doing something |
| |
excoriate |
to denounce sharply; to tear or wear the skin off |
| |
euphoria |
a feeling of great happiness |
| |
perennial |
lasting through the years |
| |
fathom |
to measure the depth of; to understand |
| |
usury |
excessive charging of intereset |
| |
celerity |
speed in motion; swiftness |
| |
superfluous |
unnecessary; extra |
| |
undulate |
to move in a wave-like motion |
| |
euphony |
pleasing sound, esp. of words |
| |
rancorous |
bitter and resentful |
| |
gyrate |
to revolve on an axis; to spin |
| |
ode |
a long, lyrical poem, usually serious or meditative in nature |
| |
obliterate |
to destroy so as to leave no trace |
| |
credulous |
tending to believe too easily |
| |
frugal |
careful in spending money or resources |
| |
prototype |
the original model; someone or something that serves to illustrate the typical qualities of a class |
| |
beset |
to attak from all sides; to trouble persistently |
| |
forlorn |
appearing sad because abandoned; in pitiful condition; almost without hope |
| |
falter |
to hesitate or stumble |
| |
expertise |
specialized skill or knowledge |
| |
veritable |
being truly named; real or genuine |
| |
shirk |
to put off or avoid performing (a duty or responsibility) |
| |
digress |
to turn aside from the main subject |
| |
extenuate |
to lessen the seriousness of, esp. by giving partial excuses |
| |
ruffle |
to take away the smoothness of; to discompose |
| |
plummet |
to decline or descend sharply |
| |
penury |
lack of money, property, or necessities |
| |
esteem |
high regard; respect; to regard highly |
| |
gibe |
to ridicule |
| |
therapeutic |
having healing powers |
| |
fitful |
ocurring in irregular outbursts; occuring in spurts |
| |
decor |
a decorative style or scheme as of a room |
| |
raucous |
loud and harsh |
| |
obsequious |
showing too great a willingness to serve or obey |
| |
raze |
to demolish; to flatten to ground level |
| |
sophisticated |
refined; cultivated; not simple; worldly-wise |
| |
forage |
to search for food of provisions |
| |
subdue |
to conquer; to make less intense |
| |
connoisseur |
an expert esp. in teh fine arts |
| |
appease |
to satisfy or attempt to satisfy demands by granting concessions |
| |
punitive |
inflicting or intended to inflict punishment |
| |
idyllic |
pleasing and simple |
| |
scurry |
to move with light running steps |
| |
vigilant |
alert and watchful esp. for what is dangerous |
| |
benefactor |
one who helps and supports others |
| |
correlate |
to correspond; to be mutually related |
| |
concede |
to acknowledge as true |
| |
vivacious |
full of animation |
| |
skittish |
nervous; easily frightened |
| |
pungent |
sharp to the smell or taste |
| |
sonorous |
having a full deep sound; impressive in style of speech |
| |
prostrate |
lying face down, esp. as a sign of humility or worship; physically or emotionally exhausted |
| |
jeopardy |
risk of loss or injury; peril |
| |
zenith |
maximum; the highest point |
| |
hapless |
unfortunate; unlucky |
| |
clamber |
to crawl or climb with difficulty, esp. on all fours |
| |
laden |
loaded; burdened; afflicted |
| |
maudlin |
excessively sentimental |
| |
deity |
a god |
| |
placate |
to make less angry |
| |
extemporaneous |
done with little or no preparation |
| |
writhe |
to twist or squirm, as in pain, struggle, or embarassment |
| |
gruesome |
causing horror; frightful and shocking |
| |
wry |
dryly humorous, with a touch of irony |
| |
recluse |
one who hides from the world |
| |
ambiance |
environment |
| |
collateral |
parallel; serving to support; of a secondary nature |
| |
fortitude |
strength of mind that allows one to endure adversity |
| |
lummox |
clumsy person |
| |
respite |
temporary relief |
| |
invoke |
to call upon; to appeal to; as for confirmation; to summon |
| |
malefactor |
one who does wrong; a villain |
| |
obsess |
to preoccupy excessively |
| |
parsimony |
excessive care in spending; stinginess |
| |
stamina |
resistance to fatigue or hardship; endurance |
| |
implicit |
not plainly stated |
| |
stoic |
apparently indifferent to joy, grief, pleasure, or pain |
| |
mar |
to damage |
| |
amiable |
friendly and agreeable; sociable |
| |
tout |
to solicit customers; to praise or recommend highly |
| |
tractable |
easily managed or controlled |
| |
lax |
careless; lacking firmness |
| |
ferment |
excitement; agitation |
| |
sedate |
calm; quiet |
| |
nonplus |
to put at loss of what to do or think |
| |
bravura |
a showy display |
| |
clamor |
a loud and continuous noise |
| |
commence |
to begin |
| |
palpable |
capable of being handled, touched or felt; easily perceived |
| |
aggrandize |
to enlarge; increase in size, power or rank |
| |
abject |
of the lowest degree; brought low in condition |
| |
resonate |
to echo |
| |
notorious |
having a bad reputation; infamous |
| |
nemesis |
one who inflicts justified or great punishment; a source of harm or ruin |
| |
antipathy |
a feeling of strong repulsion or aversion |
| |
docile |
easy to teach; submissive |
| |
surmise |
to infer something by intuition or with slender evidence |
| |
eon |
a long period of time |
| |
inception |
commencement; beginning; origin |
| |
cacophony |
a harsh, jarring sound |
| |
delve |
to look for; to search, to investigate |
| |
xenophobia |
fear or hatred of strangers or foreigners |
| |
reminisce |
to recall the past, esp. fondly |
| |
succumb |
to give in or yield |
| |
mangle |
to mutilate; to disfigure by cutting or crushing |
| |
quotidian |
daily, customary |
| |
purport |
to claim, esp. falsely |
| |
rectitude |
conduct according to moral principles |
| |
alliteration |
repetition of initial consonants in several words in a phrase or line |
| |
indifferent |
uncaring; showing no bias or preference |
| |
gangly |
awkwardly tall |
| |
quaint |
odd, esp. in an old-fashioned way |
| |
scour |
to wash by scrubbing vigorously |
| |
abound |
to be plentiful |
| |
aesthetic |
relating to beauty |
| |
litigant |
one who is engaged in a lawsuit |
| |
occult |
relating to the supernatural; beyond human comprehension; mysterious |
| |
disgruntled |
discontented; displeased |
| |
cavil |
to argue in a petty fashion; make trifling objections |
| |
fiasco |
a major disaster |
| |
abolish |
to put an end to |
| |
fawn |
to exhibit affection like a dog; to flatter excessively |
| |
myopic |
near-sighted |
| |
viable |
able to live; capable of success |
| |
pervade |
to spread through, or be present throughout |
| |
meretricious |
attracting attention in a vulgar way |
| |
explicit |
fully revealed or made clear |
| |
mayhem |
deliberated injury of someone, especially maiming; a state of violent chaos |
| |
arcane |
understood by few |
| |
teeming |
overfilled; crowded; pouring out |
| |
civil |
observing accepted social customs; not rude |
| |
rural |
relating to teh country or farming |
| |
quandary |
a state of uncertainty esp. about what course of action to take |
| |
maim |
to cripple; mutilate; disable |
| |
subvert |
to corrupt; to overthrow completely |
| |
agitate |
to move violently; to disturb |
| |
quarry |
a hunted bird or animal; prey |
| |
wince |
to flinch in pain or fear |
| |
trek |
to travel or migrate, esp. slowly or with great difficulty |
| |
florid |
flushed with rosy color; over decorated |
| |
nondescript |
lacking distinction or individual character |
| |
nocturnal |
occuring at night |
| |
pandemonium |
confusion; misunderstanding |
| |
acoustics |
science of sound; quality that maes a room easy or hard to hear in |
| |
emigration |
departure from one country for another |
| |
pedantic |
putting unnecessary stress on minor or purely academic knowledge |
| |
assail |
to attack; to assault |
| |
adage |
a familiar saying; a proverb |
| |
indignation |
anger aroused by something unjust or evil |
| |
refractory |
stubbornly resistant to control, authority, or treatment |
| |
paucity |
smallness of number; scarcity |
| |
nirvana |
a place of ideal peace and harmony |
| |
grimace |
a facial expression taht shows disapproval or pain |
| |
candor |
frankness or sincerity of expression |
| |
predominant |
surpassing all others; most common |
| |
animosity |
bitter hostility; esp. that which provokes punitive action |
| |
disingenuous |
not straightforward or candid; crafty |
| |
melange |
a mixture; a hodgepodge |
| |
dote |
to show excessive love or fondness |
| |
nuance |
variation of meaning; subtlety |
| |
parvenu |
someone recently risen to a higher social class and not yet accepted by others in that class, oft. because of a lack of manners |
| |
temperate |
consistent; moderate; without extremes |
| |
mendicant |
a beggar; one who depends on charity for support |
| |
malady |
a disease; illness; sickness |
| |
devour |
to eat up greedily |
| |
mogul |
a rich or powerful person |
| |
malaise |
a vague feeling of physical discomfort or uneasiness |
| |
forensic |
related to the law or debate |
| |
cynical |
distrusting others from a sense that everyone's motives are selfish |
| |
sanctuary |
a holy place; a place of refuge |
| |
unkempt |
sloppy, messy, unclean |
| |
manumit |
to grant freedom to slaves; to emancipate |
| |
beatific |
showing joy or saintliness |
| |
primordial |
living or existing at the very beginning |
| |
wary |
cautious; on guard |
| |
urban |
relating to a city |
| |
obstreperous |
noisily and stubbornly defiant |
| |
amorous |
feeling strong attraction, espcially sexual |
| |
haggard |
appearing tired and thin, as from anxiety, disease, hunger, etc |
| |
wax |
to become larger |
| |
incongruous |
lacking agreement; incompatible |
| |
fluke |
an accidental stroke of good luck |
| |
fracas |
a noisy fight |
| |
insatiable |
incapable of being satisfied |
| |
misanthrope |
one who hates or mistrusts mankind |
| |
tranquil |
calm, unruffled |
| |
sweltering |
oppressively hot and humid |
| |
fasatidious |
not easy to please; very critical or discriminating |
| |
etymology |
the study of origins of words |
| |
aural |
perceived by the ear |
| Add or remove terms from this set |
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace