abatement
n. the act of abating |
abdicate
v. give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim |
abstract
a. theoretical; not concrete; not applied or practical; difficult to understand |
acumen
n. mental keenness; quickness of perception |
adherent
n. one who strongly supports something; one who follows or upholds a leader, party, cause |
adjunct
n. something added on or attached generally nonessential or inferior |
aesthetic
a. elegant or tasteful; of or concerning appreciation of beauty or good taste |
aggrandize
v. increase scope of; extend; intensify; make greater in power, influence, stature, or reputation |
allegory
n. symbolic representation of abstract ideas or principles in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form |
allusion
n. indirect reference; symbolical reference or comparison; metaphor |
ameliorate
v. make or become better; improve; grow better |
amenable
a. responsive to advice or suggestion; responsible to higher authority; willing to comply with; agreeable |
amoral
a. lacking moral sensibility; not caring about right and wrong. |
amorous
a. moved by sexual love; loving |
ancillary
a. serving as aid or accessory; auxiliary |
antipathy
n. strong feeling of aversion; dislike |
antiquated
a. too old to be fashionable, suitable, or useful; obsolete; aged |
antiquity
n. ancient times, especially the times preceding the Middle Ages; extreme oldness |
antithesis
n. a contrast or opposition between two things; direct contrast |
aperture
n. opening; diameter of such an opening; hole |
approbation
n. expression of warm approval; praise |
arcane
a. secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated |
ardor
n. intense feeling of love; feelings of great warmth and intensity |
ascendancy
n. superiority or decisive advantage; domination |
ascertain
v. find out for certain; discover with certainty; make sure of |
assiduous
a. constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent |
assimilation
n. the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure |
attenuate
v. make slender, fine, or small; weaken; lessen density of |
audacious
a. fearlessly, often recklessly daring; bold |
audit
v. make an official examination of the accounts of a business and produce a report |
augment
v. make greater, as in size, extent, or quantity |
auxiliary
a. giving help or support, especially to a more important person or thing |
avarice
n. greediness for wealth; insatiable desire of gain |
aversion
n. firm dislike; turning away; avoidance of a thing, situation, or behavior because of dislike |
avouch
v. admit openly and bluntly; make no bones about |
belabor
v. discuss repeatedly; attack verbally; work hard upon |
bemuse
v. cause to be confused emotionally |
benefactor
n. gift giver; person who gives people or institutions with financial help |
beseech
v. beg; plead with; ask for or request earnestly |
betoken
v. signify; indicate; be a visible sign of; give evidence of |
blanch
v. cause to turn white or become pale; take color from; bleach |
blatant
a. flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive |
boorish
a. rude and clumsy in behavior; ungentlemanly; awkward in manners |
brigand
n. an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band |
buffet
n. table with food set out for people to serve themselves |
buffoon
n. one who makes a practice of amusing others by low tricks, antic gestures; droll; mimic; clown |
bulwark
n. earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends |
bursar
n. treasurer or keeper of funds; purser or treasurer of college or other community |
buttress
v. support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence |
cajole
v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering |
calamitous
a. (of events) having extremely unfortunate or dire consequences; bringing ruin |
carnal
a. fleshly; of or relating to body or flesh; bodily |
carouse
n. revelry in drinking; a merry drinking party |
carp
n. the lean flesh of a fish that is often farmed; can be baked or braised |
castigate
v. criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication |
cavalier
a. offhand or casual; given to haughty disregard of others |
cavort
v. play boisterously |
certitude
n. state of being certain; complete assurance; confidence |
cessation
n. bringing or coming to end; ceasing |
champion
n. a person who has defeated all rivals in a competition |
chasten
v. rid of excess; refine or purify; correct by punishment or reproof |
chastise
v. punish, as by beating; criticize severely; rebuke |
cherubic
a. angelic; innocent-looking; like a baby; infantile |
churlish
a. difficult to work with; rude; unyielding; unmanageable |
circumscribe
v. limit narrowly; confine; draw a line around; encircle |
citadel
n. fortress; fortified place which people could go for shelter during battle |
clandestine
a. secret; conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods |
Coalesce
v. fuse or cause to grow together |
cognition
n. the process of knowing |
collateral
n. security pledged for repayment of loan |
commodious
a. spacious and comfortable; fit; proper; convenient |
compatriot
n. person from one's own country; colleague; somebody from one's own country; a fellow-countryman |
compensate
v. make amends for; reimburse |
complacent
a. contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions |
compunction
n. feeling of deep regret; strong uneasiness caused by a sense of guilt |
concede
v. admit; yield; give up physical control of another |
conceptualize
v. have the idea for |
concur
v. be in accord; be in agreement |
conduit
n. pipe or channel for conveying fluids; tube for enclosing electric wires or cable |
congenial
a. pleasant or agreeable because suited to one's taste; compatible |
conjecture
v. guess, based on the appearance of a situation and not on proof |
Conjugal
a. of or relating to marriage or to the relationship between a wife and husband |
constrained
a. lacking spontaneity; not natural |
constraint
n. something that restricts or confines within prescribed bounds |
consummate
a. carried to the utmost extent or degree; of the highest quality; complete; perfect |
contentious
a. quarrelsome; disagreeable; marked by heated arguments or controversy |
conundrum
n. riddle; difficult problem; dilemma |
convene
v. cause to come together formally |
conventional
a. based upon tradition rules; formed by agreement or compact |
corrugate
v. fold into ridges |
credence
n. credit; faith |
credulous
a. apt to believe on slight evidence; easily imposed upon; unsuspecting; believed too readily |
culpable
a. deserving blame or censure as being wrong or evil or injurious |
cumulative
a. increasing by successive addition |
cynic
n. a person who believes that people are motivated purely by self-interest rather than acting for honorable or unselfish reasons |
daunt
v. frighten; abate the courage of; discourage |
debutante
n. young woman making formal entrance into society |
decapitate
v. behead; cut off the head of |
deferential
a. showing deference; respectful and considerate |
deflation
n. a contraction of economic activity resulting in a decline of prices; the act of letting the air out of something |
demystify
v. clarify; free from mystery or obscurity |
deplore
v. feel or express strong disapproval of; condemn; express sorrow or grief over; regret |
deploy
v. position troops in readiness for combat, as along a front or line; put into use or action |
deride
v. ridicule; make fun of; laugh at with contempt |
destitute
a. extremely poor; utterly lacking; devoid |
diffract
v. undergo diffraction |
diligent
a. assiduous; industrious; hard working |
dirge
n. a piece of music of a mournful character, to accompany funeral rites; funeral hymn |
disbar
v. remove from the bar; expel from the practice of law by official action |
disconcerting
a. causing an emotional disturbance |
dishearten
v. discourage; cause to lose courage or hope |
disinclined
a. not inclined; having a disinclination; being unwilling |
disinterment
n. the act of digging something out of the ground (especially a corpse) where it has been buried |
disoblige
v. ignore someone's wishes |
dispassionate
a. calm; impartial; unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice |
dissemble
v. disguise or conceal behind a false appearance; make a false show of |
disseminate
v. distribute; spread; scatter like seeds |
Dissension
n. a conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters |
dissuade
v. persuade not to do; discourage |
divisive
a. having a quality that divides, separates, or creates contention and discord |
dogmatic
a. stubbornly adhering to insufficiently proven beliefs; inflexible, rigid |
dowry
n. money or property brought by a woman to her husband at marriage |
dross
n. waste or impure matter; worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter |
dubious
a. questionable; filled with doubt |
edifice
n. building, especially one of imposing appearance or size; a structure that has a roof and walls |
efface
v. rub or wipe out; make indistinct as if by rubbing |
efficacious
a. successful in producing desired or intended result; |
effigy
n. crude figure or dummy representing a hated person or group; likeness or image, especially of a person |
elucidate
v. make clear or plain, especially by explanation; clarify |
encipher
v. encode; convert plain message into code |
enervate
v. weaken or destroy strength or vitality of; remove a nerve or part of a nerve |
engender
v. cause; bring into existence; give rise to |
enigmatic
a. obscure; puzzling; not easily explained or accounted for |
ensconce
v. settle oneself securely or comfortably; place or conceal in secure place |
epigram
n. witty thought or saying, usually short; short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation |
epigraph
n. a quotation at the beginning of some piece of writing |
epithet
n. word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing |
erudite
a. learned; scholarly, with emphasis on knowledge gained from books |
erudition
n. profound scholarly knowledge |
euphony
n. any agreeable (pleasing and harmonious) sounds |
euthanasia
n. practice of ending life of hopelessly ill individuals; assisted suicide |
evince
v. show or demonstrate clearly; overcome; conquer |
evoke
v. bring out; arouse; call forth |
exhort
v. urge on or encourage, especially by shouts; make urgent appeal |
expatriate
n. someone who has withdrawn from his native land |
expound
v. explain or describe in detail |
expunge
v. cancel; remove; erase or strike out |
extradite
v. hand over to the authorities of another country |
extraneous
a. not essential; coming from outside |
facilitate
v. help bring about; make less difficult |
facility
n. service, space, and equipment provided for a particular purpose |
fastidious
a. difficult to please; having complicated requirements; excessively particular demanding about details |
felicitous
a. apt; suitably expressed; well chosen |
felicity
n. great happiness; pleasing and appropriate manner or style |
filch
v. steal, especially in a small, sly way; take from another on a petty scale, as by violation of trust |
flaccid
a. acting in strength, firmness, or resilience |
flagrant
a. obvious and offensive, blatant, scandalous; flaming into notice |
flamboyant
a. elaborately or excessively ornamented |
flounder
v. move or act clumsily and in confusion |
flout
v. reject; mock; express contempt for rules by word or action; behave with contempt |
forswear
v. renounce or deny something, especially under oath; swear falsely, usually under pressure |
foster
v. rear; promote the growth of; help develop |
founder
v. fail completely; sink below the surface of the water |
frenetic
a. excessively agitated; transported with rage or other violent emotion |
furtive
a. marked by quiet and caution and secrecy |
fusion
n. union; act of melting together by heat |
garish
a. over-bright in color; tastelessly showy |
garner
v. gather; store up; amass; acquire |
garrulous
a. talking much and repetition of unimportant or trivial details |
gratis
a. free, without charge; costing nothing |
gratuity
n. something given freely or without recompense; free gift; a present |
gregarious
a. sociable; seeking and enjoying the company of others |
grievous
a. causing grief or sorrow; painful; afflictive; hard to bear; offensive; harmful |
gross
a. of huge size; excessively large; coarse; rough; not fine or delicate |
guile
n. skillful deceit; disposition to deceive or cheat; disguise cunningly |
haggle
v. argue about prices; bargain, as over the price of something |
hallow
v. make holy; set apart for holy or religious use; consecrate; treat or keep as sacred |
headstrong
a. stubbornly and often recklessly willful; unyielding |
heathen
n. irreligious person; pagan ; one who does not acknowledge the God of the Bible |
hemorrhage
n. the flow of blood from a ruptured blood vessel |
herald
n. proclaim; announces important news; messenger |
hiatus
n. gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause |
hoary
a. gray or white with or as if with age; covered with grayish hair |
hyperbole
n. figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis; overstatement |
illimitable
a. without limits in extent, size, or quantity |
impassioned
a. actuated or characterized by passion or zeal; showing warmth of feeling; ardent; animated; excited |
impeach
v. make an accusation against; challenge or discredit the credibility of |
impecunious
a. without money; poor; penniless |
implacable
a. incapable of being pacified; not to be relieved; |
implicit
a. implied or understood though not directly expressed |
importune
v. beg persistently; ask for urgently or repeatedly; annoy |
imposing
a. adapted to impress forcibly; impressive; impressive in appearance |
impromptu
a. without previous preparation |
improvident
a. thriftless; not providing for future; incautious |
incarcerate
v. imprison; put into jail; shut up or enclose |
incognito
a. with one's identity disguised or concealed; in disguise; in an assumed character, or under an assumed title |
incoherent
a. lacking cohesion, connection, or harmony; unable to think in clear manner |
inconsequential
a. insignificant; lacking importance; not following from premises or evidence; illogical |
indecorous
a. not in keeping with accepted standards of what is right or proper in polite society |
indict
v. charge; accuse formally of a crime |
indignant
a. affected with indignation; wrathful; passionate; irate; feeling wrath by unworthy or unjust treatment |
inebriated
a. under the influence of alcohol; intoxicated; drunk |
inept
a. lacking of judgment, sense, or reason; unsuited; inappropriate; foolish |
inevitable
a. unavoidable; incapable of being avoided or prevented |
infallible
a. incapable of failure or error |
infamy
n. evil fame or public reputation |
ingratiate
v. become popular with; make agreeable or acceptable |
inhibit
v. restrain; prevent or forbid; hold back |
insatiable
a. not easily satisfied; impossible to satiate or satisfy; greedy |
inscrutable
a. impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious |
insipid
a. lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; dull |
insolent
a. strange; unusual; haughty or brutal in behavior or language; grossly rude or disrespectful |
insoluble
a. admitting of no solution or explanation |
insubstantial
a. lacking substance or reality; insignificant; frail; not firm or solid |
intimation
n. an indirect suggestion |
intransigent
a. impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, reason |
introspective
a. looking within oneself; thoughtful about oneself; studying or exhibiting one's own internal state |
invective
n. abusive language used to express blame or ill will |
invincible
a. incapable of being overcome or defeated; unconquerable |
irascible
a. irritable; easily angered; excited by or arising from anger |
jaded
a. fatigued dulled by surfeit; exhausted; worn out; wearied |
jollity
n. gayness; splendor; cheerfulness or celebration |
juncture
n. point in time, especially a critical point; joining point |
juxtapose
v. place side by side |
juxtaposition
n. act of positioning close together; side-by-side position |
knave
n. untrustworthy person; deceitful and unreliable scoundrel; man of humble birth; male servant |
knell
n. the sound of a bell knelling; a toll |
lament
v. grieve; express sorrow; regret deeply |
lamentation
n. the passionate and demonstrative activity of expressing grief |
lethargy
n. inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy |
licentious
a. amoral; unrestrained; lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint |
lien
n. a large dark-red oval organ on the left side of the body between the stomach and the diaphragm; produces cells involved in immune responses |
lionize
v. look on or treat a person as celebrity; visit famous places in order to revere them |
lissome
a. moving and bending with ease |
lithe
a. flexible; moving and bending with ease |
livid
a. lead-colored; black and blue; discolored, as from a bruise; extremely angry |
loathe
v. dislike greatly; hate; cause to dislike or avoid |
luminary
n. celebrity; person who is an inspiration to others; person who has achieved eminence in specific field |
luminous
a. shining; emitting light, especially emitting self-generated light |
maelstrom
n. whirlpool; powerful circular current of water |
malady
n. disease, disorder, or ailment; unwholesome condition |
malefactor
n. criminal; one who does evil or injury to another |
malinger
v. avoid responsibilities and duties, e.g., by pretending to be ill |
mannered
a. artificial or affected; not natural; having or showing a certain manner |
mar
v. spoil or damage; impair the soundness, perfection, or integrity of |
marred
a. damaged or disfigured by injury or rough wear |
masquerade
n. assembly of persons wearing masks, and amusing themselves with dancing, conversation, or other diversions; dramatic performance by actors in masks |
maudlin
a. tearfully sentimental; over-emotional; sickly-sentimental |
melancholy
a. gloomy; feeling of thoughtful sadness; affected by depression |
mirth
n. gladness and gaiety, especially when expressed by laughter |
misanthrope
n. one who hates or mistrusts mankind |
missive
n. letter; written message; messenger |
mitigate
v. make less severe or harsh; moderate |
mnemonic
a. assisting, or intended to assist the memory |
naive
a. too willing to believe that someone is telling the truth, lacking worldly experience |
natal
a. of one's birth; accompanying or dating from one's birth; native |
nebulous
a. lacking definite form or limits; hazy; cloudy |
nemesis
n. someone seeking revenge; source of harm or ruin; opponent that cannot be beaten or overcome |
neutrality
n. a neutral position, especially in a war |
neutralize
v. make neutral and thus inoffensive |
nicety
n. precision; subtle difference in meaning, opinion, or attitude |
nomenclature
n. terminology; system of names used in an art or science |
nondescript
a. dull and uninteresting; lacking distinct or individual |
oblivious
a. inattentive or unmindful; lacking all memory; forgetful |
obscure
v. darken; make dim or indistinct; conceal in obscurity |
obscurity
n. quality or state of being obscure; darkness; privacy; inconspicuousness |
obviate
v. bypass requirement or make it unnecessary; get rid of |
odious
a. hateful; arousing strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure |
ominous
a. threatening; foreshadowing evil or tragic developments |
oracle
n. answer of god; communications, revelations, or messages delivered by god to the prophets |
palatial
a. of nature of palace, as in spaciousness or ornateness |
palette
n. board on which painter mixes pigments |
pallid
a. abnormally pale; lacking intensity of color or luminousness |
parch
v. burn surface of; roast over fire, as dry grain; dry to extremity |
pare
v. remove outer covering or skin of with knife or similar instrument |
parochial
a. narrow in outlook; related to local church community |
parry
v. avoid or try to avoid fulfilling, answering, or performing |
partisan
a. one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party |
pathogenic
a. able to cause disease; producing disease |
pedant
n. one who is overly concerned with formal rules and trivial points of learning |
pediment
n. a triangular gable between a horizontal entablature and a sloping roof |
pejorative
a. tending to make or become worse; disparaging or belittling |
pensive
a. deeply, often dreamily thoughtful; engaged in serious thought or reflection; contemplative |
perfunctory
a. done routinely and with little interest or care; acting with indifference; showing little interest or care |
personification
n. representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature |
pervert
v. cause to turn away from what is right, proper, or good; corrupt; bring to a bad or worse condition |
phalanx
n. compact or close knit group of people, animals, or things |
pique
n. sudden outburst of anger; state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity |
pneumatic
a. of or relating to or using air (or a similar gas) |
politic
a. expedient; artful, crafty or cunning; using, displaying, or proceeding from policy |
portent
n. omen; forewarning; something that portends an event about to occur, especially unfortunate or evil event |
possible
a. able to be done |
potentate
n. monarch; ruler who is unconstrained by law |
premeditate
v. plan, arrange, or plot in advance; deliberate upon future action |
progressive
a. forward-looking; advancing; incremental |
pungent
a. stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic |
puritanical
a. exaggeratedly proper |
query
n. inquiry; doubt in the mind; mental reservation |
quiver
v. shake with slight, rapid, tremulous movement |
ramification
n. act or process of branching out or dividing into branches; subdivision or branch |
rancor
n. bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will; hatred |
rancorous
a. full of deep-seated enmity or, malice, or hatred |
ravenous
a. extremely hungry; voracious; eager for prey |
recapitulate
v. summarize; repeat in concise form |
reclusive
a. avoiding the company of other people; solitary |
rectify
v. set right; correct by calculation or adjustment |
redundant
a. exceeding what is necessary or natural; repetitious; excessively wordy |
refract
v. deflect sound or light from straight path ; alter by viewing through medium |
refuge
n. a condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble
|
rehabilitate
v. restore to proper condition; help to re-adapt, as to former state of health or good repute |
rejuvenate
v. make young again; restore to youthful vigor or appearance |
remediable
a. capable of being remedied or cured; set straight or right |
remuneration
n. something that remunerates |
renown
n. fame; quality of being widely honored and acclaimed |
repast
n. food eaten or provided at a meal; feast; banquet |
replete
a. filled to brim or to point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied |
repression
n. a state of forcible subjugation |
reprove
v. voice or convey disapproval of; rebuke; find fault with |
repudiate
v. disown; refuse to acknowledge; reject validity or authority of |
repulse
v. force or drive back; drive back; refuse; disgust |
requite
v. repay; revenge; make repayment for or return something |
resilient
a. elastic; having power of springing back or recover readily |
resonant
a. echoing; strong and deep in tone; resounding; having lasting presence or effect |
resonate
v. To have an effect or impact; to influence; to engender support |
restitution
n. reparation; getting something back again; restoring something to its original state |
retort
n. reply, especially to answer in a quick, caustic, or witty manner |
retroactive
a. extending in scope or effect to a prior time or to prior conditions |
revile
v. attack with abusive language; vilify |
revitalize
v. to give new life or energy, usually after a period of inactivity |
rhapsody
n. an epic poem adapted for recitation |
robust
a. vigorous; full of health and strength; vigorous |
rotund
a. (of sounds) full and rich |
sallow
a. unhealthy looking |
sanction
v. give authorization or approval to something; penalize a state, especially for violating international law |
sanctuary
n. place of refuge or asylum; shrine; holy place, such as a church, temple, or mosque |
sanguine
a. cheerfully confident; optimistic; of healthy reddish color; ruddy |
scale
n. a balance or any of various other instruments or devices for weighing |
scathing
n. the act of damaging something or someone |
scenario
n. screenplay; outline or model of an expected sequence of events |
scrupulous
a. exactly and carefully conducted; by extreme care and great effort; cautious |
sedition
n. resistance to authority; insubordination or rebellion |
sensual
a. physical rather than spiritual or intellectual; affecting any of senses or sense organ; sensory |
sequel
n. a part added to a book or play that continues and extends it |
servile
a. slavish; suitable to slave or servant; relating to servitude or forced labor |
soluble
a. able to be dissolved; able to be explained |
sordid
a. filthy; unethical or dishonest; dirty; foul; morally degraded |
stagnant
a. not moving or flowing; lacking vitality or briskness; stale; dull |
stasis
n. condition of balance among various forces; inactivity resulting from static balance |
stipend
n. fixed and regular payment, such as salary for services or allowance. |
strident
a. loud and harsh; insistent; high-pitched; rough-sounding |
stringent
a. demanding strict attention to rules and procedures; binding; rigid |
stultify
v. cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or hinder |
sublime
a. of high spiritual, moral, or intellectual worth; characterized by nobility; majestic |
submissive
a. yielding; inclined or ready to submit |
subterfuge
n. pretense; something intended to misrepresent |
superfluous
a. being beyond what is required or sufficient |
surfeit
v. eat until excessively full; be more than full; feed someone to excess |
tenuous
a. long and thin; slender; having little substance |
tinge
n. degree, usually a slight degree, of some color, taste |
torpor
n. state of mental or physical inactivity or insensibility; sluggishness; dormancy |
transmute
v. change from one form, nature, substance, or state into another; transform |
truant
n. wandering from business or duty; one who is absent without permission, especially from school |
undulating
a. moving with wavelike motion |
vacillate
v. sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate |
vagrant
n. person without home or job; bird found outside its species' usual range |
vestige
n. trace; remains; indication that something has been happened |
vindicate
v. clear from blame; exonerate; maintain, uphold, or defend |
vindication
n. act of vindicating, or state of being vindicated; defense; evidence or statements that justify a claim or belief |
vindictive
a. seek revenge or intended for revenge; showing malicious will |
viscous
a. sticky; gluey; having high resistance to flow |
vivacious
a. animated; lively; vigorous and active |
volition
n. act of making conscious choice; power or faculty of choosing |
vulnerable
a. susceptible to wounds; capable of being wounded or hurt |
winsome
a. agreeable; gracious; charming, often in childlike or naive way |
wizened
a. lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness |