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Good Words to Know

Terms in this set (94)

adroit
Dexterous: proficient; skillful
altruistic
Concerned about the general welfare of other's above one's own welfare; charitable; generous
antediluvian
Ancient; antiquated; obsolete (literally, before Noah's flood)
apocryphal
False; unauthenticated, disputed
atrophy
To waste away from lack of use, as in arm muscles atrophying inside a cast.
banal
Dull "That teacher couldn't have been more banal; she bored me to tears"
blithe
Happy; pleased; delighted
buttress
Truss; foundation; architectural support
cacophonous
Discordant; dissident; harsh-sounding
camaraderie
Goodwill between friends
caustic
Bitingly sarcastic as in "Her caustic wit left me speechless"
chary
Careful; cautious
charlatan
A fake or fraud; a hustler
cherubic
Sweet; kind; innocent, as in the winged, nude babies often depicted in art (cherubs)
chimerical
Playful; fanciful; whimsical
churlish
Surly; selfish; cranky; rancorous
cloister
To isolate or hide away from the bustle of the world; n. Convent; monastery; religious place
cogent
Convincing; reasonable "George's argument was so cogent that even his opponents had to agree with him."
convoluted- Intricate; complex.
corpulent
Obese
curmudgeon
Cranky, cantankerous person
daub
To smear; blur: spread
dearth
A shortage or scarcity
diatribe
Extremely bitter, abusive speech; a tirade
diffidence
Self-doubt; timidity; shyness
dilettante
One with an amateurish or very superficial understanding of a field of knowledge
dogmatic
Stubbornly adhering to insufficiently proved beliefs
dolt
Idiot; dimwit; fool
eclectic
Made up of a variety of styles or sources
effigy
A likeness (usually of a human); a mannequin or image "They burned President Bush in effigy; the life-sized doll of hum melted."
enmity
Mutual hatred or ill-will
extemporaneous
Unrehearsed; spontaneous; impromptu
extol
Praise; laud; glorify
facetious
Playfully humorous
fastidious
Possessing careful attention to detail
fecund
Productive; fruitful; fertile
furtive
Secretive; clandestine; surreptitious; covert
hackneyed
Worn out through overuse; trite
heinous
Hatefully evil; abominable
iconoclasm
Attack on religious values or symbols
impinge
To interfere with or hinder
incorrigible
Unable to be reformed
incumbent
Imposed as a duty; obligatory
insipid
Dull; banal
irascible
Touchy; irritable
juxtapose
To place side by side
laconic
Terse; responding in a very brief way; curt
lampoon
To mock or ridicule
lithe
Flexible; agile; mobile; bendable
malfeasance
Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official
meticulous
Extremely careful and precise
nadir
The lowest point
nascent
Just beginning; embryonic
nefarious
Evil; vile; sinister; wicked
neologism
A newly coined phrase or expression
officious
Meddlesome
ostracize
To exclude; bar; shun; isolate
paucity
Shortage
peccadillo
Small sin or fault
pedantic
Stuffy or dogmatic; making an excessive show about learning
pejorative
Describing the words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively about someone
pithy
Substantial; profound Also: brief; concise
poignant
Profoundly moving or touching
progeny
Descendant; heir; offspring
prosaic
unimaginative; dull
pundit
An authority who expresses his or her opinions
quandary
A state of uncertainty or perplexity
quixotic
Romantic; whimsical; unrealistic
raze
To demolish, level, or topple
recant
To take back; retract; rescind
rend
To rip; tear; splinter
reprehensible
Worthy of blame
reprobate
A degenerate; a person without morals
repudiate
To reject or disavow
restive
Nervous; restless; uneasy
rhetoric
The art of using language effectively and persuasively
ribald
Obscene; lewd; irreverent
rudiment
The beginning, foundation, or source
solvent
Able to pay one's debts
sonorous
Producing a deep or full sound
soporific
Hypnotic; causing sleep; lethargic
stoic
Indifferent to pleasure or pain; tough; impassive
surfeit
Excess; surplus; overabundance
surreptitious
Furtive; secretive; acquired by stealthy means
sycophant
A flatterer
tantamount
Equivalent
tenuous
Shaky; unsure; weak; having little strength
torpor
Laziness; inactivity; dullness
truncated
Shortened; cut off
vacillate
to waver; fluctuate
verdant
Lush; thick with green vegetation
vitriolic
Harshly critical; scathing; caustic
whet
To sharpen; stimulate; intensify
xenophobe
One who dislikes strangers or foreigners
zenith
The highest point (opposite of nadir)
THIS SET IS OFTEN IN FOLDERS WITH...