abjure: renounce upon oath; abandon forever | abrogate: abolish, do away with, or annul, especially by authority |
acumen: mental keenness; quickness of perception | adumbrate: give hint or indication of something; disclose partially or guardedly; overshadow; shade |
alacrity: cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness | anathema: solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse |
antipathy: strong feeling of aversion; dislike | approbation: expression of warm approval; praise |
arrogate: claim without justification; claim for oneself without right | ascetic: leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere |
assiduous: constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent | boon: blessing; benefit bestowed, especially in response to a request |
brusque: abrupt and curt in manner or speech; rudely abrupt, unfriendly | burnish: make shiny by rubbing; polish |
buttress: support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence | cajole: influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering |
calumny: false statement maliciously made to injure another's reputation; slander | capricious: fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly |
clemency: mildness, as of the weather; merciful, kind, or lenient act | cogent: reasonable and convincing; based on evidence; forcefully persuasive |
concomitant: in conjunction with; accompanying; associated with | conflagration: large destructive fire; burning; large-scale military conflict |
conundrum: riddle; difficult problem; dilemma | credulity: readiness of belief; disposition to believe on slight evidence |
cupidity: greed; excessive desire, especially for wealth | cursory: casual; brief or broad; not cautious, nor detailed |
decry: express strong disapproval of; disparage | defile: pollute; make dirty or spotty |
deleterious: having harmful effect; injurious; having quality of destroying life; noxious; poisonous | demure: modest and reserved in manner or behavior |
deprecate: express disapproval of; protest against; belittle | deride: ridicule; make fun of; laugh at with contempt |
desecrate: violate with violence, especially to sacred place | discursive: tending to depart from main point or cover a wide range of subjects |
dissemble: disguise or conceal behind a false appearance; make a false show of | ebullient: showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm |
effrontery: shameless or brazen boldness; insolent and shameless audacity | egregious: notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking |
enervate: weaken or destroy strength or vitality of; remove a nerve or part of a nerve | ephemeral: short-lived; enduring a very short time |
eschew: avoid; refuse to use or participate in; stand aloof from | evanescent: fleeting; vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor |
evince: show or demonstrate clearly; overcome; conquer | exculpate: pronounce not guilty of criminal charges |
execrable: very bad; extremely inferiorl; intolerable; very hateful | expiate: make amends or pay the penalty for; relieve or cleanse of guilt |
expunge: cancel; remove; erase or strike out | extant: still in existence; not destroyed, lost, or extinct |
extol: praise highly; glorify; celebrate | fallacious: false; tending to mislead; deceptive |
fastidious: difficult to please; having complicated requirements; excessively particular demanding about details | fatuous: foolish or silly, especially in self-satisfied way |
feral: not domestic; wild; existing in wild or untamed state | fetid: unpleasant-smelling; having offensive smell; stinking |
florid: reddish; elaborately or excessively ornamented | fractious: inclined to make trouble; disobedient; irritable |
garrulous: talking much and repetition of unimportant or trivial details | gregarious: sociable; seeking and enjoying the company of others |
hackneyed: repeated too often; over familiar through overuse | hapless: without hap or luck; luckless; unfortunate; unlucky; unhappy |
harangue: noisy speech; speech or piece of writing with strong feeling or expression | harangue: noisy speech; speech or piece of writing with strong feeling or expression |
hegemony: domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by political group or nation over others | impassive: without feeling; revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited |
imperious: urgent or pressing; able to deal authoritatively; dictatorial | impertinent: improperly forward or bold; rude |
impervious: impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed | impetuous: marked by sudden and violent force; hasty; impulsive and passionate |
impinge: infringe; advance beyond usual limit; make physical impact on; touch | implacable: incapable of being pacified; not to be relieved; |
inchoate: recently begun; imperfectly formed or developed; elementary | incontrovertible: indisputable; not open to question |
indefatigable: tireless; showing sustained enthusiastic action | ineffable: unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech |
inexorable: not capable of being swayed; unyielding; implacable | ingenuous: naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated |
inimical: unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental | iniquity: absence of, or deviation from, just dealing; want of rectitude or uprightness; gross injustice; unrighteousness; wickedness |
insidious: spreading harmfully in a subtle manner; designed or adapted to entrap | inure: apply in use; use or accustom till no pain or inconvenience; harden; habituate |
invective: abusive language used to express blame or ill will | inveterate: deep-rooted; firmly and long established; habitual |
jubilant: happy; merry; joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success | juxtaposition: act of positioning close together; side-by-side position |
laconic: brief; effectively cut short; marked by use of few words | languid: lacking energy or vitality; weak; sluggish; lacking spirit or liveliness |
largess: generous gift; money or gifts bestowed | latent: present or potential but not evident or active; dormant; hidden |
legerdemain: show of skill or deceitful cleverness, considered magical by naive observers | licentious: amoral; unrestrained; lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint |
limpid: clear, transparent or bright; calm, untroubled, and without worry | maelstrom: whirlpool; powerful circular current of water |
magnanimous: generous; high-minded; chivalrous | malediction: curse; evil speaking; utterance of curse or execration |
malevolent: having or exhibiting ill will; wishing harm to others; malicious | manifold: various in kind or quality; many in number; numerous; multiplied; complicated |
maudlin: tearfully sentimental; over-emotional; sickly-sentimental | mawkish: insincerely emotional; showing a sickly excess of sentiment |
mendacious: lying; habitually dishonest; speaking falsely | mercurial: capricious; liable to sudden unpredictable change; quick and changeable in temperament |
modicum: limited quantity; small or moderate amount; any small thing | multifarious: varied; greatly diversified; made up of many differing parts |
myriad: of very large or indefinite number; of ten thousand | nadir: lowest point; point on sphere opposites zenith diametrically |
nascent: incipient; coming into existence; emerging | nefarious: very wicked; infamous by being extremely wicked |
neophyte: recent convert to a belief; one newly initiated | |
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