 | Term | Definition |
| |
pudding |
hot sweet dish |
| |
implacable |
incapable of being pacified; impossible to appease; Ex. implacable enemy |
| |
ingenious |
marked by inventive skill; clever; resourceful; N. ingenuity |
| |
outgoing |
sociable; eager to mix socially with others |
| |
puerile |
childish; immature; CF. puer: boy |
| |
pliant |
flexible; easily influenced |
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insensate |
without feeling; lacking sense; foolish |
| |
lumber |
move heavily or clumsily; Ex. The bear lumbered through the woods; N: timber |
| |
whiff |
puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); short-lasting smell; hint; Ex. whiff of perfume/scandal |
| |
hieroglyphic |
picture writing; ADJ. |
| |
frigid |
intensely cold; cold in manner; Ex. frigid zone |
| |
manacle |
restrain; handcuff; N. |
| |
colander |
utensil with perforated bottom used for straining |
| |
pantomime |
acting without dialogue; V. |
| |
welter |
wallow (as in mud or high seas); lie soaked (as in blood); Ex. The victims weltered in their blood. |
| |
slovenly |
untidy; careless in work habits; slipshod; N. sloven: one who is habitually untidy or careless |
| |
matriarch |
woman who rules a family or larger social group |
| |
entice |
lure; persuade to do (something wrong); attract; tempt |
| |
paramour |
illicit lover |
| |
reprieve |
postponement or cancelation of a punishment; temporary stay; V: postpone or cancel the punishment of |
| |
filigree |
delicate ornamental lacelike metalwork |
| |
deterrent |
something that discourages or deters |
| |
backslide |
revert (to bad habits); N. reverter |
| |
metamorphosis |
change of form; Ex. metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly; V. metamorphose: change by metamorphosis |
| |
caricature |
distortion; burlesque |
| |
appurtenances |
subordinate possessions; something added to a more important thing |
| |
animadversion |
critical remark; V. animadvert: comment critically with disapproval |
| |
coercion |
use of force to get someone to object; compelling; V. coerce |
| |
quell |
suppress; put an end to; put down forcibly; extinguish; quiet; Ex. ``Army Quells Rebellion'' in newspaper; CF. kill |
| |
studious |
given to diligent study |
| |
antler |
bony growth on the head of a deer |
| |
palpable |
tangible; (of something bad) easily perceptible; obvious; Ex. palpable blunder |
| |
palatable |
agreeable; pleasing to the taste |
| |
cremate |
incinerate (a corpse); N. crematory, crematorium |
| |
tablet |
small round piece of medicine; flat piece of stone or metal bearing an inscription; Ex. stone tablet on the wall |
| |
grunt |
utter a deep guttural sound (as a pig does); N. |
| |
supine |
lying on back; passive; inactive; Ex. The defeated pugilist lay supine; Ex. supine acceptance of the decision |
| |
engulf |
surround and swallow up |
| |
annotate |
comment; make explanatory notes |
| |
personify |
represent (an inanimate object) as a person; be the embodiment or perfect example of; Ex. She is evil/patience personified; N. personification |
| |
muster |
gather; assemble (troops); Ex. muster up one's strength for the ordeal; N. |
| |
cohabit |
live together |
| |
coddle |
treat gently; indulge excessively; pamper; mollycoddle; baby; cook in water just below boiling point; Ex. coddled eggs |
| |
acclimate |
adjust to climate or environment; adapt |
| |
susceptible |
impressionable; easily influenced; sensitive; having little resistance as to a disease; likely to suffer; receptive to; capable of accepting; Ex. susceptible to persuasion/colds; Ex. The agreement is not susceptible of alteration; N. susceptibility |
| |
crinkle |
wrinkle |
| |
titular |
of a title; in name only; nominal; having the title of an office without the obligations; Ex. titular head of the company |
| |
rebus |
representation of words in the form of pictures or symbols; puzzle in which pictures or letters stand for words; Ex. ``R U 18'' is a rebus for ``Are you 18''. |
| |
rip |
tear or be torn quickly and violently; Ex. The sail ripped under the force of the wind; N. |
| |
brim |
uppermost edge of a cup; projecting rim (as on a hat); Ex. The glass was full to the brim; V: be full to the brim |
| |
aesthetic |
artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful (of a person or building); CF. aesthete; CF. aesthetics |
| |
schism |
division into factions (esp. within a religious body); split |
| |
outfit |
clothing or equipment for a special purpose; Ex. cowboy outfit |
| |
bookish |
fond of books and reading |
| |
cuisine |
style of cooking; Ex. French cuisine |
| |
moribund |
dying; at the point of death; CF. death |
| |
upbraid |
reprimand; severely scold |
| |
parody |
humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty; V. |
| |
jovial |
good-natured; merry; cheerful |
| |
encumber |
burden; N. encumbrance |
| |
giddy |
light-hearted; not serious; frivolous; dizzy; causing dizziness; Ex. giddy youth; Ex. giddy climb/height |
| |
implausible |
unlikely (to be true); unbelievable; Ex. implausible alibi |
| |
drudge |
do drudgery; N: person who drudges |
| |
suitor |
man who is courting a woman |
| |
far-fetched |
too improbable to be believed; implausible; Ex. far-fetched story |
| |
intimidate |
frighten; N. intimidation |
| |
ventral |
abdominal |
| |
utopia |
ideal place, state, or society; ADJ. utopian |
| |
hazardous |
dangerous |
| |
drastic |
strong; violent and severe; Ex. drastic changes/measures |
| |
impinge |
infringe; encroach; influence; touch; collide with; Ex. The effects are impinging on every aspect of our lives. |
| |
misgivings |
doubts |
| |
siren |
apparatus for making sounds; womanlike creature |
| |
piecemeal |
one part at a time; gradually; in stages; Ex. read a novel piecemeal |
| |
regimen |
prescribed course of diet or exercise; prescribed diet and habits; Ex. daily regimen of a dancer |
| |
temporal |
of time; not lasting forever; limited by time; temporary; secular; worldly |
| |
relegate |
put into a lower or worse place; banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign; Ex. relegate the old furniture to the children's room; Ex. relegated to the second division |
| |
beatific |
giving or showing bliss; blissful |
| |
arraign |
charge in court; indict |
| |
inchoate |
(of desire, wish, plan) recently begun; not explicit; at the beginning of development; rudimentary; elementary; Ex. inchoate mass |
| |
bridle |
harness fitted about a horse's head (used to restrain); curb; check; V: put a bridle on; control or restrain; show anger |
| |
significant |
expressing a meaning; important; Ex. significant smile; N. significance: importance; meaning; V. signify: denote; mean; signal; make known; matter; be significant |
| |
aloof |
apart; not open in one's relationship with other people; reserved; ADV. |
| |
stratum |
layer of earth's surface; layer of society; PL. strata |
| |
lounge |
stand, sit, or lie in a lazy, relaxed way |
| |
lineage |
descent; ancestry |
| |
pendant(pendent) |
hanging down from something; pending; N: ornament (hanging from a necklace etc.) |
| |
modish |
fashionable; conforming to the current fashion |
| |
circumvent |
outwit; defeat by behaving more cleverly; outsmart; baffle; avoid; get around |
| |
livid |
lead-colored; black and blue (as from a bruise); ashen; enraged; extremely angry |
| |
leery |
(of someone) suspicious; wary; cautious |
| |
veracious |
(of a person) truthful |
| |
vigil |
keeping watch (during normal sleeping hours); Ex. all-night vigil |
| |
parlance |
language; manner of speaking; idiom; Ex. in legal/common parlance |
| |
litany |
supplicatory prayer; prayer in which the priest calls out and the people replies in the same words |
| |
offensive |
attacking; insulting; distasteful; V. offend: violate; hurt the feelings of; N. offense: offending; violating of a moral or social code; crime; attack; Ex. first offense |
| |
stench |
strong foul odor; reek; stink |
| |
incapacitate |
disable; N. incapacity: lack of capacity |
| |
tramp |
walk with a heavy step; travel on foot; N: vagrant; one who travels aimlessly about; long walk; sound of heavy walking |
| |
functionary |
official (who performs a particular function) |
| |
rapacious |
voracious; ravenous; taking everything one can; excessively grasping; plundering; subsisting on live prey; Ex. rapacious birds |
| |
simulate |
feign; imitate |
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depose |
dethrone; remove from office; give a deposition; testify |
| |
conduit |
aqueduct; passageway for fluids |
| |
flighty |
(esp. of a woman's behavior) capricious; often changing, esp. from one lover to another; impulsive |
| |
referendum |
direct vote by all the people |
| |
worldly |
engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual; of the material world |
| |
contrived |
unnatural and forced; artificial; not spontaneous; Ex. The ending was rather contrived. |
| |
ethos |
underlying character of a culture, group, etc.; character or ideas peculiar to a specific person, group, or culture; Ex. the company ethos |
| |
disjointed |
disconnected; lacking coherence; V. disjoint: disconnect; disjoin |
| |
hallowed |
blessed; consecrated; Ex. hallowed ground; V. hallow: set apart as holy |
| |
ecologist |
person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment; person concerned with the detrimental effects of human civilization on the environment; CF. ecology |
| |
disclose |
reveal; N. disclosure |
| |
weary |
tired after long work; V. |
| |
encroachment |
gradual intrusion; Ex. I resent all these encroachments on my valuable time; V. encroach: take another's possessions or right gradually or stealthily; intrude; Ex. encroach on/upon |
| |
spoof |
parody |
| |
noxious |
harmful; CF. obnoxious |
| |
puzzle |
baffle or confuse by a difficult problem; ponder over a problem in an effort to solve; clarify or solve by reasoning; Ex. puzzle out the answer; N. |
| |
reprove |
censure; rebuke; N. reproof |
| |
paleontology |
study of prehistoric life or fossils; CF. paleo-: ancient or prehistoric; Ex. paleography: study of ancient written documents |
| |
stout |
rather fat; strong in body; sturdy; resolute; determined; strong in determination; Ex. stout stick/supporter |
| |
plebiscite |
direct vote by the entire electorate (on an important issue) |
| |
circumlocution |
indirect or roundabout expression (by using an uncecessarily large number of words esp. when trying to avoid answering a difficult question directly) |
| |
h |
43 |
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swarm |
large group of insects moving in a mass; crowd of people or animals; V: move in a crowd or mass |
| |
culprit |
one guilty of a crime |
| |
generality |
vague statement; general statement which is not detailed; quality of being general; greater part; most; Ex. generality of peopleen |
| |
respite |
time for rest; interval of relief; delay in punishment; reprieve |
| |
pragmatic |
practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with practical worth or impact of something; Ex. pragmatic test of the skill |
| |
sledge |
large sled drawn by work animals |
| |
seasonal |
of a particular season; Ex. seasonal rise in employment |
| |
lag |
move or develop more slowly; straggle; Ex. lag behind the rest; N. |
| |
tactful |
careful no to cause offence; OP. tactless |
| |
unprecedented |
having no previous example; novel; unparalleled |
| |
opiate |
medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions or causes inaction; sleep-producing drug containing opium |
| |
musky |
having the odor of musk; N. musk: odorous substance secreted by an Asian deer |
| |
malediction |
curse |
| |
fritter |
waste (time or money on unimportant things) |
| |
brandish |
wave around (a weapon); flourish |
| |
pugnacity |
combativeness; disposition to fight; ADJ. pugnacious: (of people) belligerent; combative in nature |
| |
exasperate |
vex; annoy or make angry (by testing the patience) |
| |
germinate |
cause to sprout; sprout |
| |
memento |
token; reminder of the past; keepsake; Ex. memento of your visit |
| |
reconnaissance |
survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering; V. reconnoiter: make a preliminary inspection of (esp. to gather military information) |
| |
oath |
solemn promise; blasphemous use of sacred words to express strong feelings; swear-word; Ex. ``For Christ's sake'' |
| |
thwart |
block or hinder; baffle; frustrate |
| |
vehement |
forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor; strong; N. vehemence |
| |
contraband |
illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods; ADJ. |
| |
wrench |
twist; pull; strain; Ex. He wrenched the gun out of her hands. |
| |
dainty |
delicate; delicately beautiful; fastidious; not easy to please; Ex. dainty movement/dress |
| |
zephyr |
gentle breeze; west wind |
| |
waylay |
ambush; lie in wait for and attack |
| |
contrite |
penitent; repentant; N. contrition |
| |
treasure |
keep as precious; cherish |
| |
ford |
place where a river can be crossed on foot; V. |
| |
patrician |
noble; aristocratic; N: person of high rank; aristocrat; CF. member of the governing classes in ancient Rome; CF. plebian |
| |
languor |
lack of physical or mental energy; lassitude; depression |
| |
foreshadow |
give an indication beforehand; be a sign of (what is coming); portend; prefigure |
| |
germane |
pertinent; bearing upon(having connection with) the case at hand; appropriate |
| |
reprehensible |
deserving blame; blameworthy; V. reprehend: blame |
| |
eon(aeon) |
long period of time; an age; longest division of geologic time containing two or more eras |
| |
daub |
smear (as with paint); cover with something sticky; Ex. daub one's clothes with mud/paint; N: small bit of sticky substance; Ex. a daub of paint |
| |
subordinate |
occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive; N. V: put in a lower rank or class |
| |
antediluvian |
antiquated; extremely ancient |
| |
stately |
formal; ceremonious; grand in style or size; majestic |
| |
interminable |
endless |
| |
proverb |
adage; someone or something well known for notoriety; ADJ. proverbial: of a proverb; widely known; ADV. proverbially |
| |
venue |
location; place (of a crime, trial, gathering, etc.); CF. come |
| |
distinction |
honor; excellence; difference; contrast; discrimination; Ex. graduated with distinction; Ex. a writer of real distinction |
| |
converge |
approach; tend to meet; come together |
| |
inconsistency |
state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness; ADJ. inconsistent: displaying a lack of consistency; erratic; contradictory; incompatible |
| |
commemorative |
remembering; honoring the memory of; Ex. commemorative stamp |
| |
incorporate |
introduce something into a larger whole; include; embody; give material form to; ADJ. |
| |
hone |
sharpen (a tool); N: whetstone for sharpening a tool |
| |
amenities |
convenient features that helps to make life pleasant; social courtesies |
| |
averse |
reluctant; disinclined; not liking or opposed; Ex. averse to cats/doing the house work |
| |
speechless |
unable for the moment to speak (because of strong feeling); Ex. speechless with anger |
| |
prepossessing |
attractive; CF. preoccupying ? |
| |
arrears |
being in debt; money that should have been paid; work that should have been done |
| |
providence |
quality of being provident; divine care; god's care; Providence: god; Ex. It seemed like providence that the doctor happened to be there; ADJ. providential: of divine providence; fortunate |
| |
witticism |
witty saying; wisecrack(clever joking remark) |
| |
brawl |
noisy quarrel |
| |
misconstrue |
interpret incorrectly; misinterpret; misjudge |
| |
auxiliary |
offering or providing help; additional or subsidiary; N: helper; assistant |
| |
derogatory |
expressing a low opinion; disparaging; V. derogate: detract; disparage |
| |
divine |
perceive intuitively (by or as if by magic); foresee the future; foretell; dowse; ADJ. N. divination |
| |
vertigo |
severe dizziness; giddiness |
| |
forerunner |
predecessor; one that comes before and indicates the approach of another |
| |
abnegation |
renunciation; self-sacrifice; self-abnegation |
| |
breadth |
width; extent |
| |
acrophobia |
fear of heights |
| |
reminiscent |
suggestive of something (in the past); of reminiscence |
| |
blight |
plant disease; V: infect with blight; ruin; destroy |
| |
psychiatrist |
doctor who treats mental diseases |
| |
scraps |
leftover food |
| |
kinetic |
producing motion; of motion |
| |
corroborate |
confirm; support; strengthen |
| |
polity |
(particular form of) political organization; form of government of nation or state; Ex. student polity |
| |
discount |
disregard; regard (a story or news) as unimportant; deduct from a cost |
| |
hereafter |
life after death |
| |
putrescent |
becoming putrid; putrefying |
| |
institute |
organization for a special purpose; V: establish |
| |
kudos |
honor; glory; acclaim or praise for exceptional achievement |
| |
feud |
bitter prolonged quarrel (usually between two peoples or families); V. CF. Romeo and Ju |
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