 | Term | Definition |
| |
Acrid |
sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes) |
| |
Boorish |
ill-mannered |
| |
Cynical |
believing that people act only out of selfish motives |
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Epistle |
a letter (form of communication) |
| |
Heresy |
against orthodox opinion |
| |
Lance |
spear; spike; javelin |
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Obscure |
difficult to understand; partially hidden |
| |
Poignant |
deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions |
| |
Respite |
a break; intermission |
| |
Terse |
concise; to the point |
| |
Acrophobia |
fear of heights |
| |
Bourgeois |
middle class |
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Debility |
weakness; incapacity |
| |
Epistolary |
concerned with letters; through correspondence |
| |
Hiatus |
interruption; pause |
| |
Languid |
tired; slow |
| |
Obscured |
hidden; covered; buried |
| |
Poised |
calm; collected; self-possessed |
| |
Resplendent |
shining; glowing |
| |
Therapeutic |
medicinal; curative |
| |
Acuity |
sharpness (mental or visual) |
| |
Braggart |
someone who boasts |
| |
Debunking |
exposing false claims or myths |
| |
Epitomized |
typified; characterized; personified |
| |
Hidebound |
rigid in opinions |
| |
Languish |
decay; fade away; get weaker |
| |
Obsequious |
servile; submissive |
| |
Polemical |
causing debate or argument |
| |
Restorative |
a tonic |
| |
Thwart |
prevent; frustrate |
| |
Adamant |
forceful; inflexible |
| |
Brawny |
muscular |
| |
Decathlon |
an athletic competition with ten events |
| |
Equivocate |
speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth |
| |
Hieroglyphics |
1. picture writing; 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic |
| |
Larceny |
theft; robbery; stealing |
| |
Obsession |
a dominating concern |
| |
Ponderous |
weighty; slow and heavy |
| |
Retention |
preservation; withholding |
| |
Timorous |
cowardly; fearful |
| |
Adroit |
skilful |
| |
Brevity |
being brief |
| |
Decorum |
dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a)] |
| |
Err |
make a mistake |
| |
Hinder |
obstruct |
| |
Largess |
generosity |
| |
Obsolete |
no longer valid |
| |
Pontificate |
speak pompously or dogmatically |
| |
Reticent |
restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative |
| |
Tirade |
stream of verbal abuse |
| |
Adulation |
strong admiration; worship |
| |
Bristle |
to show irritation |
| |
Decoy |
lure; trap; trick |
| |
Erratic |
wandering; irregular |
| |
Histrionic |
theatrical; exaggerated |
| |
Laud |
praise |
| |
Obstreperous |
noisy and boisterous |
| |
Portend |
foretell |
| |
Retraction |
withdrawal; cancellation of a statement |
| |
Titter |
giggle quietly |
| |
Adversity |
hardship |
| |
Broach |
start to discuss; approach |
| |
Deference |
respect |
| |
Esoteric |
obscure and difficult to understand |
| |
Hoary |
old |
| |
Lavish |
on a grand scale; wasteful |
| |
Obtuse |
mentally dull |
| |
Portent |
a warning sign; omen |
| |
Revere |
worship |
| |
Tome |
large book |
| |
Advocate |
support |
| |
Brusque |
blunt; abrupt |
| |
Defoliate |
cause leaves to fall off |
| |
Espouse |
promote; take up; support |
| |
Hone |
sharpen; increase; whet |
| |
Lax |
careless; not strict |
| |
Obviate |
avoid; make unnecessary |
| |
Poseur |
someone who puts on an act |
| |
Riddled |
full of (usually full of holes) |
| |
Torpid |
inactive; lazy; stagnant |
| |
Aesthetic |
concerning art or beauty |
| |
Bulwark |
fortification; barricade; wall |
| |
Defunct |
no longer in existence |
| |
Etymology |
the study of word origins |
| |
Hyperbole |
grossly exaggerated speech |
| |
Legend |
1. key to map; 2. myth or story |
| |
Odious |
hateful |
| |
Posterity |
future generations |
| |
Rife |
common |
| |
Torpor |
dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity |
| |
Affable |
friendly; social; easygoing |
| |
Bureaucracy |
officialdom |
| |
Degradation |
deprivation; poverty; debasement |
| |
Eulogy |
praise |
| |
Hypochondriac |
a person obsessed with health; having imaginary illnesses |
| |
Legion |
in large numbers |
| |
Officious |
domineering; intrusive; meddlesome |
| |
Posthumous |
after death |
| |
Rigor |
thoroughness |
| |
Totter |
walk unsteadily |
