 | Term | Definition |
| |
Alacrity |
eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness |
| |
Burgeon |
grow; flourish; put forth new shoots |
| |
Deleterious |
harmful |
| |
Euphemism |
a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant |
| |
Hypocritical |
insincere |
| |
Lethargic |
tired; without energy |
| |
Ogle |
stare at; observe in an obvious manner |
| |
Postulate |
hypothesize; propose |
| |
Robust |
strong; healthy; tough |
| |
Tractable |
obedient; dutiful; polite |
| |
Alchemy |
medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold |
| |
Burnish |
polish |
| |
Deliberate |
to think over deeply |
| |
Euphony |
pleasant sounds |
| |
Iconoclast |
person who opposes orthodoxy |
| |
Levity |
flippancy; joking about serious matters |
| |
Olfactory |
concerned with the sense of smell |
| |
Potable |
suitable for drinking |
| |
Rotund |
round |
| |
Tranquil |
peaceful |
| |
Alibi |
an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene |
| |
Buttress |
strengthen; support |
| |
Delineation |
demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining |
| |
Evacuate |
vacate; empty; abandon |
| |
Idiosyncrasy |
a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual |
| |
Libertarian |
someone who opposes tyranny |
| |
Ominous |
threatening |
| |
Potent |
powerful; compelling; strong |
| |
Ruminate |
think over something; ponder |
| |
Transcribe |
copy |
| |
Allay |
to lessen |
| |
Byline |
the line that tells you who wrote an article |
| |
Demur |
hesitate; refuse |
| |
Exacerbate |
make worse |
| |
Ignominious |
shameful |
| |
Liniment |
soothing lotion |
| |
Omnipotent |
all-powerful |
| |
Pragmatic |
practical |
| |
Ruse |
trick; stratagem |
| |
Transgress |
go astray; disobey; commit a sin |
| |
Alleviate |
make less severe |
| |
Cacophony |
discordant loud noises |
| |
Denounce |
condemn; speak out against |
| |
Exasperated |
frustrated; annoyed |
| |
Ignominy |
shame [ignominious (a) = shameful] |
| |
Lithe |
flexible; supple |
| |
Omniscient |
all-knowing |
| |
Pragmatist |
practical person; one who is concerned with usefulness |
| |
Saccharin |
falsely sweet |
| |
Transient |
short-lived; ephemeral |
| |
Aloof |
distant; detached; cold |
| |
Cajole |
coax |
| |
Deplete |
use up; lessen |
| |
Exceptionable |
very bad (something which we should object to) |
| |
Illuminate |
to light up or make clear |
| |
Livid |
very angry |
| |
Onerous |
burdensome; hard to undertake |
| |
Preamble |
introductory material |
| |
Sacrosanct |
very holy; inviolable |
| |
Traverse |
to move across |
| |
Altruism |
putting others first; being self-sacrificing |
| |
Caldron |
huge cooking pot |
| |
Deplore |
regret |
| |
Exculpate |
free someone from blame; pardon; acquit |
| |
Illusory |
deceptive; false; misleading |
| |
Lobbyist |
person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause |
| |
Onus |
burden |
| |
Precarious |
unstable; risky |
| |
Sagacious |
wise |
| |
Trepidation |
fear |
| |
Amass |
accumulate |
| |
Callow |
immature |
| |
Depravity |
moral corruption |
| |
Execrable |
very, very bad |
| |
Immoderate |
excessive; extreme |
| |
Lofty |
snooty; arrogant; haughty |
| |
Opaque |
does not let light through |
| |
Precedent |
a previous occurrence used as a guide |
| |
Sage |
a wise person |
| |
Trinket |
something of little value; knick-knack |
| |
Ambiguity |
uncertainty; vagueness |
| |
Candid |
frank; honest |
| |
Deprecate |
criticize; denounce |
| |
Exegesis |
scholarly explanation or interpretation |
| |
Immutable |
unchanging; permanent |
| |
Longevity |
long life |
| |
Opulent |
wealthy; rich; magnificent |
| |
Precept |
guiding principle |
| |
Salacious |
lecherous; erotic |
| |
Trite |
unoriginal; dull |
| |
Ambiguous |
unclear in meaning; can be interpreted in different ways |
| |
Candor |
frankness; openness |
| |
Deride |
ridicule; make fun of; mock |
| |
Exemplary |
outstandingly good; setting a fine example |
| |
Impartial |
unbiased; neutral |
| |
Loquacious |
talkative |
| |
Ordain |
1. destine; 2. confer holy orders on a priest |
| |
Precinct |
district of a city |
| |
Sallow |
yellowish |
| |
Trivial |
unimportant |
