abate | v. subside; decrease; become less in amount or intensity |
abduct | v. carry off by force; kidnap |
abhor | v. fill with horror and loathing; horrify; hate |
abject | a. being of the most miserable kind; wretched; lacking pride; brought low in condition or status |
abominable | a. detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad |
abstain | v. refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice |
abstruse | a. obscure; profound; difficult to understand |
absurdity | n. quality of being absurd or inconsistent with obvious truth, reason, or sound judgment; logical contradiction |
abyss | n. enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit; any deep, immeasurable space; hell |
accommodation | n. living quarters provided for public convenience; something that meets a need; convenience |
accomplice | n. partner in crime; associate in wrongdoing |
acquiesce | v. assent; agree without protesting |
acrid | a. unpleasantly sharp or bitter to taste or smell; bitterly pungent |
adamant | a. extremely hard; inflexible; stubbornly unyielding |
admonish | v. warn; counsel someone against something to be avoided |
adoration | n. act of playing honor to a divine being; worship paid to God; the act of addressing as a god |
adore | v. worship with profound reverence; pay divine honors to; regard with the utmost esteem and affection |
adversary | n. the opponent in a contest; someone who offers opposition |
affable | a. easily approachable; warmly friendly |
affirmative | a. confirmative; ratifying; giving assent or approval; confirming |
agency | n. a business that serves other businesses; an administrative unit of government |
aghast | a. struck by shock, terror, or amazement |
agitate | v. cause to move with violence or sudden force; upset; disturb |
agrarian | a. pertaining to land or its cultivation; relating to agricultural or rural matters |
aisle | n. passageway between rows of seats, as in an auditorium or an airplane; the wing of a building |
alacrity | n. cheerful promptness or willingness; eagerness; speed or quickness |
albeit | ad. even though; although; notwithstanding |
allegiance | n. loyalty to a nation, sovereign, or cause; fidelity to any person or thing; devotion |
alleviate | v. provide physical relief, as from pain; make easier; remove in part |
alley | n. a narrow passage, especially a walk or passage in a garden or park, bordered by rows of trees or bushes |
allot | v. parcel out in parts or portions; distribute to each individual concerned; assign as a share or lot |
ambiguous | a. unclear or doubtful in meaning |
ambush | n. disposition or arrangement of troops for attacking an enemy unexpectedly from a concealed station |
amiable | a. good-natured and likable; lovable; warmly friendly |
amicable | a. exhibiting friendliness or goodwill; not quarrelsome |
amiss | a. out of proper order; not in perfect shape; faulty |
amnesty | n. the general pardon granted by the government, especially for political offenses |
amorous | a. moved by sexual love; loving |
amphitheater | n. oval building with tiers of seats from central open space or arena |
anarchy | n. absence of governing body; state of disorder; political disorder and confusion |
animation | n. act of animating or giving life or spirit; state of being animate or alive |
ankle | n. the joint which connects the foot with the leg; tarsus |
annals | n. a chronological record of the events of successive years |
antagonism | n. active resistance; condition of being an opposing principle, force, or factor |
antagonist | n. one who contends with another, especially in combat; an adversary; opponent |
apathy | n. lack of interest, or the attitude of not caring resulting from it; the indifference |
appalling | a. causing or fitted to cause dismay or horror; frightful |
apparel | n. external clothing; vesture; garments; dress; a small ornamental piece |
apparition | n. ghostly figure; sudden or unusual sight; appearance; state of being visible |
appease | v. bring peace, quiet, or calm to; satisfy or relieve |
appellation | n. name; title; the act of naming; the act of appealing for aid, sympathy |
appraise | v. estimate value of; evaluate, especially in an official capacity |
apprehend | v. take into custody; arrest a criminal; grasp mentally; perceive |
apprehensive | a. capable of knowing; conscious; relating to the faculty of apprehension; sensible; feeling; perceptive |
apprise | v. inform; give notice to; make aware |
approbation | n. expression of warm approval; praise |
apron | n. an article of dress, of cloth or other stuff, worn on the forepart of the body, to keep the clothes clean |
arable | a. fit for growing crops, as by plowing |
arrogance | n. overbearing pride; haughtiness; manifest feeling of personal superiority in rank, power, or estimation |
arrogant | a. arising from feeling or assumption of one's superiority toward others |
ascending | a. climbing; rising; increasing in size or value |
ascertain | v. find out for certain; discover with certainty; make sure of |
ascetic | a. leading a life of self-discipline and self-denial; austere |
assail | v. assault; attack with or as if with violent blows |
assassination | n. act of assassinating; killing by treacherous violence; the murder of public figure by a surprise attack |
assiduous | a. constant in application or attention; diligent; unceasing or persistent |
assign | v. appoint; allot; point out authoritatively or exactly |
astray | a. away from the correct path or direction, either in a literal or in a figurative sense; wandering |
asunder | ad. into separate parts or pieces; apart |
asylum | n. place of refuge or shelter; protection |
atone | v. make amends, as for sin or fault; pay for; turn away from sin |
atrocity | n. brutal deed; atrocious condition, quality, or behavior; monstrousness |
attentive | a. alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful |
attic | n. story or room directly below the roof of a building, especially a house; |
audacious | a. fearlessly, often recklessly daring; bold |
audacity | a. daring spirit, resolution, or confidence; venturesome; reckless daring |
auditory | a. of or relating to hearing, the organs of hearing, or the sense of hearing |
august | a. impressive; majestic; inspiring awe or admiration |
auspicious | a. attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success; prosperous |
austere | a. strict or severe in the discipline; severely simple and unornamented |
automaton | n. the mechanism that imitates actions of humans |
avarice | n. greediness for wealth; the insatiable desire to gain |
avenge | v. take vengeance for something, or on behalf of someone |
aver | v. declare to be true; affirm |
azure | a. sky blue; light purplish-blue |
bacchanalian | a. drunken; relating to reveling and drunkenness |
bacon | n. back and sides of a pig salted and smoked |
baffle | v. frustrate as by confusing or perplexing; impede force or movement of |
bait | v. harass; tease; lure, entice, or entrap |
balcony | n. platform projecting from the wall of a building |
ballad | n. popular kind of narrative poem adapted for recitation or singing |
bamboo | n. plant of the family of grasses, and genus Bambusa, growing in tropical countries |
banish | v. drive out; drive away; compel to depart; dispel |
baron | n. title or degree of nobility |
bashful | a. abashed; daunted; very modest, or modest excess; constitutionally disposed to shrink from public notice |
bathe | v. wash by immersion, as in a bath; subject to bath; lave; immerse or cover one's self |
beaver | n. amphibious rodent about two feet in length; fur of the beaver; tall hat, originally made from beaver fur |
beckon | v. signal or summon, as by nodding or waving; attract because of inviting or enticing appearance |
bellicose | a. warlike or hostile in manner or temperament; showing or having the impulse to be combative |
belligerent | a. inclined or eager to fight; aggressive |
belly | n. part of the human body which extends downward from breast to thighs, and contains bowels; womb |
benefactor | n. gift giver; a person who gives people or institutions financial help |
beneficiary | n. a person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will |
benevolent | a. generous in providing aid to others; charitable |
bequeath | v. leave to someone by a will; hand down |
berth | n. space for the ship to dock or anchor; allotted place; the place to sleep or stay; appointment or job |
beseech | v. beg; plead with; ask for or request earnestly |
beset | v. attack from all sides; trouble persistently; hem in |
bicker | v. engage in a petty, bad-tempered quarrel |
birch | n. tree of several species, constituting the genus Betula |
blatant | a. flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive |
blot | n. spot or stain, as of ink on paper; blur; a weak point or failing |
blunder | n. serious mistake typically caused by ignorance or confusion |
bohemian | a. unconventional in an artistic way |
boisterous | a. rough and stormy; loud, noisy, and lacking in restraint or discipline |
bolt | v. dash or dart off; move or jump suddenly |
bother | v. annoy; trouble; make agitated or nervous; fluster |
bounty | n. goodness, kindness; virtue; liberality in giving |
bower | n. shady shelter or recess in a garden or woods; anchor carried at the bow of the ship; a muscle that bends a limb |
brace | n. something which holds anything tightly or supports it firmly, as bandage, cord, or rod; |
brake | n. a piece of mechanism for retarding or stopping motion by friction |
brand | n. a burning piece of wood; mark made by burning with a hot iron; distinctive mark upon in any way |
brazen | a. having loud, usually harsh, resonant sound; shameless |
breakthrough | n. act of overcoming or penetrating an obstacle or restriction |
bribe | n. something serving to influence or persuade; reward or gift to prevent judgment |
bridle | n. headgear with which a horse is directed and which carries a bit and reins |
brilliant | a. full of light; shining; bright; sharp and clear in tone |
brink | n. edge, margin, or border of a steep place verge |
broach | v. introduce; bring up for discussion or debate; announce |
brood | v. think long and anxiously; be in a state of gloomy, serious thought |
brutal | a. like a brute; savage; cruel; inhuman; merciless |
buck | v. move quickly and violently; jump vertically; strive with determination |
bucket | n. vessel for drawing up water from a well; a vessel for hoisting and conveying coal, ore, grain |
bully | n. noisy, blustering fellow; one who is threatening and quarrelsome; insolent, tyrannical fellow |
burial | n. grave or tomb; the ritual placing of a corpse in a grave; concealing something under the ground |
butcher | n. one whose job is to kill animals for food; one who kills in large numbers; vendor, especially on a train or in theater |
buttress | v. support physically; prop up; support something or someone by supplying evidence |
cable | n. solid thick rope made of twisted steel or metal wire |
cajole | v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering |
calamity | n. the event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; disaster; misery |
calendar | n. the orderly arrangement as years, months, weeks, and days; a table showing months, weeks, and days |
canon | n. law, rule, or constitution made by authority; books of the Bible officially accepted; a group of literary works |
canvass | v. determine votes; examine carefully or discuss thoroughly; scrutinize |
cape | n. piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into the sea or a lake; sleeveless outer garment |
caprice | n. sudden, unexpected fancy; impulsive change of mind |
capricious | a. fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly |
captivate | v. charm; enthrall; seize by force, as an enemy in war, or anything belonging to an enemy |
carnage | n. destruction of life; the savage and excessive killing of many people |
carpenter | n. a skilled worker who makes, finishes, and repairs wooden objects and structures |
caste | n. any of the hereditary social classes and subclasses of South Asian societies |
cataclysm | n. an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; deluge or overflowing of water |
catalogue | n. list or enumeration of names; articles arranged methodically, often in alphabetical order |
caustic | a. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action |
cavalier | a. offhand or casual; given to haughty disregard of others |
cement | n. any substances used for making bodies adhere to each other; bond of union; concrete pavement |
cemetery | n. place or ground set apart for the burial of the dead; graveyard |
censor | n. overseer of morals; official responsible for removal of objectionable or sensitive content |
censure | v. expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism; blame |
certificate | n. the document attesting to the truth of certain stated facts; document issued to a person completing a course |
cessation | n. bringing or coming to an end; cease |
champagne | n. light wine, of several kinds, originally made in the province of Champagne, in France |
chant | v. utter with a melodious voice; celebrate in song; make melody with the voice |
chasm | n. deep opening in the earth surface |
chicanery | n. mean or unfair artifice to obscure truth; deception by trickery or sophistry |
chide | v. scold mildly so as to correct or improve; express disapproval |
chivalrous | a. having qualities of ideal knight; faithful; brave |
circus | n. public entertainment of performances by acrobats, clowns, and trained animals |
clandestine | a. secret; conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods |
clasp | n. fastening device; firm grip |
cleft | n. crack or crevice; a split or indentation between two parts, as of the chin |
cliche | n. obvious remark; overused expression or idea |
client | n. someone who pays to get goods or services |
climax | n. upward movement; steady increase; the highest point; the greatest degree |
closet | n. a small room or apartment; room for privacy |
clump | n. cluster or close group of bushes, trees; mass; the sound of heavy treading |
comely | a. pleasing or attractive to the eye; handsome; graceful |
commence | v. have a beginning or origin; originate; start; begin |
commend | v. commit, entrust, or give in charge for care or preservation; recommend as worthy of confidence or regard |
commotion | n. disturbed or violent motion; agitation; public disturbance; riot; excitement |
compartment | n. one of parts or spaces into which an area is subdivided; separate room, section, or chamber |
compelling | a. overpowering; drivingly forceful; urgently requiring attention |
composure | n. mental calmness; calm or tranquil state of mind |
conceit | n. overly high self-esteem; feelings of excessive pride |
conceivable | a. capable of being conceived, imagined, or understood |
concession | n. act of yielding; point yielded; acknowledgment or admission |
concoct | v. digest; convert into nourishment by the organs of nutrition |
concord | n. agreement of opinions; harmonious state of things |
confidential | a. treated with confidence; trusted in; trustworthy; secret |
confiscate | v. seize as forfeited to the public treasury; appropriate to the public use |
confound | v. cause to become confused or perplexed; fail to distinguish; mix up |
conjunction | n. state of being conjoined, united, or associated; union; association; league |
console | v. cheer from distress or depression; alleviate grief and raise spirits of; relieve; comfort |
consummate | a. carried to the utmost extent or degree; of the highest quality; complete; perfect |
contempt | n. state of being despised or dishonored; disgrace; disobedience to, or open disrespect of |
contemptible | a. worthy of contempt; deserving of scorn or disdain; mean |
contemptuous | a. scornful; expressing contempt; showing a lack of respect |
contradiction | n. the assertion of contrary; denial of the truth of a statement; opposition, whether by argument or conduct |
contribute | v. provide; bestow a quality on |
contrive | v. form by an exercise of ingenuity; invent or design |
convey | v. carry from one place to another; bear or transport |
conveyance | n. act of conveying; tools of conveying, especially vehicle for transportation |
copious | a. plentiful; containing plenty; affording ample supply |
cordial | a. gracious; showing warmth and friendliness |
cork | n. lightweight elastic outer bark, used especially for bottle closures, insulation, floats |
corporal | a. belonging or relating to the body; bodily; noncommissioned officer, next below a sergeant |
corporeal | a. bodily; of material nature; tangible |
corpulent | a. very fat; large in the body; overweight |
correspondent | a. one who communicates information, especially, by letter or telegram to newspaper or periodical |
corroborate | v. establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; support with evidence |
covenant | n. mutual agreement of two or more persons or parties; contract; stipulation |
covert | a. secretive, not openly shown |
cowardice | n. lack of courage to face danger; extreme timidity; base fear of danger or hurt; lack of spirit |
cradle | n. small low bed for an infant, often furnished with rockers; infancy, or very early life |
crafty | a. relating to, or characterized by, skill; dexterous; skillful |
crave | v. ask with earnestness or importunity; ask with submission or humility; beg |
crease | n. a line or long thin mark made by folding or doubling |
crisp | a. firm but easily broken or crumbled; brittle |
crouch | v. bend down; stoop low; lie close to the ground with the legs bent, as an animal when waiting for prey or in fear |
crucial | a. of extreme importance; vital to the resolution of a crisis; of the greatest importance |
cruise | v. sail back and forth on the ocean; sail as for the protection of commerce, in search of an enemy, or for pleasure |
cryptic | a. having hidden meaning; mystifying; using code or cipher |
cumulative | a. increasing by successive addition |
curb | v. bend or curve; guide and manage, or restrain |
curl | v. form into a coiled or spiral shape; twist into ringlets or coils; move in curve or spiral |
curt | a. having been shortened; effectively cut short; rudely brief or abrupt, as in speech or manner |
curtail | v. cut short or reduce; cut off end or tail, or any part |
custody | n. keeping or guarding; care, watch, inspection, for keeping, preservation, or security |
cynical | a. skeptical of motives of others; selfishly calculating; negative or pessimistic |
dangle | v. hang loosely, or with a swinging or jerking motion; swing, as something suspended loosely |
deceit | n. attempt or disposition to deceive or lead into error; any declaration that misleads another to believe a false thing |
decipher | v. convert code into ordinary language; read with difficulty |
declivity | n. downward slope, as of a hill |
dedicate | v. set apart for a deity or special purposes; devote; consecrate |
deem | v. decide; judge; sentence; condemn |
define | v. determine the nature of; give a definition; describe the nature or basic qualities of; explain |
defraud | v. deprive of some right, interest, or property, by a deceitful device |
defy | v. refuse to submit to or cooperate with; be unaffected by; resist or withstand |
degenerate | v. become worse; decline; fall |
dejected | a. being in low spirits; depressed |
deluge | n. great flood; heavy downpour; any overflowing of water |
delusion | n. false belief; mistaken or unfounded opinion |
demise | n. end of existence or activity; termination |
denial | n. act of refusing or disowning; negation; refusal to admit the truth; refusal to grant; rejection of a request |
deputy | n. one appointed as the substitute of another, and empowered to act for him; substitute in office |
derelict | a. left and abandoned; negligent in performing a duty |
deride | v. ridicule; make fun of; laugh at with contempt |
descry | v. catch sight of; discover by careful observation or scrutiny |
desecrate | v. violate with violence, especially to a sacred place |
desiccate | v. dry up thoroughly; make dry, dull, or lifeless; preserve foods by removing the moisture |
desist | v. cease to proceed or act; stop; forbear |
destitute | a. extremely poor; utterly lacking; devoid |
desultory | a. aimless; haphazard; at random; not connected with the subject |
detach | v. part; separate or disunite; disengage |
detain | v. keep back or from; withhold; restrain from proceeding; stay or stop; delay |
deviate | v. turn away from a principle, norm; depart; diverge |
devout | a. expressing devotion or piety; earnest in the religious field |
dexterity | n. right-handedness; readiness and grace in physical activity; skill and ease in using the hands; expertness in manual acts |
dexterous | a. skillful in the use of the hands; having mental skill |
dingy | a. darkened with smoke and grime; dirty or discolored |
dip | v. insert into a fluid and withdraw again; immerse for baptism; wet, as if by immersing; moisten |
disclose | v. unclose; open; remove a cover or envelope from; lay open or expose to view |
discord | n. conflict; lack of agreement among persons, groups, or things |
discrepancy | n. lack of consistency; the difference |
disdain | v. view with scorn or contempt; feel with aversion |
disparity | n. difference; condition or fact of being unequal, as in age, rank, or degree |
dissolution | n. breaking of union; decomposition into fragments or parts; extinction of life; decay |
ditch | n. the trench made in the earth by digging; any long, narrow receptacle for water on the surface of the earth |
diverge | v. vary; go in different directions from the same point |
divulge | v. reveal; make known to the public |
dock | v. deprive someone of benefits; remove or shorten the tail of an animal |
dodge | v. avoid a blow by moving or shifting quickly aside; a shifty or ingenious trick |
doleful | a. sorrowful; filled with or expressing grief; mournful |
dome | n. building or house, especially as the great hall, church, or temple; anything shaped like a cupola |
dose | n. quantity of medicine given; sufficient quantity; portion |
downcast | a. low in spirits; depressed; directed downward |
doze | v. slumber; sleep lightly; be in dull or stupefied condition, as if half asleep; be drowsy |
dreadfully | ad. terribly; with alarm; fearfully |
drench | v. wet through and through; soak; put potion down the throat of; steep in moisture; wet thoroughly |
drown | v. kill by submerging and suffocating in water; overwhelm in water; deaden one's awareness of |
dubious | a. questionable; filled with doubt |
duel | n. combat between two persons; fought with deadly weapons by agreement; |
dumbfound | v. fill with astonishment and perplexity; confound |
dunce | n. backward in book learning; child or another person dull or weak in intellect; dullard or dolt |
dwindle | v. shrink; reduce in size; become less |
ecology | n. science of the relationships between organisms and their environments |
ecstasy | n. intense joy or delight; any overpowering emotion |
eddy | n. swirling current of water, air; flow in a circular current |
editorial | a. of or pertaining to an editor; written or sanctioned by an editor |
eerie | a. suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious |
efface | v. rub or wipe out; make indistinct as if by rubbing |
effectual | a. able to produce the desired effect; valid |
elastic | a. springing back; having the power of rebounding; able to return quickly to a former state or condition |
elderly | a. somewhat old; advanced beyond middle age |
electrical | a. pertaining to electricity; electric |
elucidate | v. make clear or plain, especially by explanation; clarify |
elude | v. avoid cleverly; escape the perception of |
emanate | v. come or send forth from a source, used chiefly of an intangible thing, as light |
embark | v. commence; go onboard a boat or airplane; begin a journey |
embassy | n. the diplomatic building where ambassadors live or work; diplomatic representatives headed by an ambassador |
emerald | a. of precious stone of rich green color; of a rich green color |
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