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barrons letter m
barrons letter m words
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| macabre | gruesome; grisly; ghastly; CF. of death |
| morgue | mortuary; place where bodies are kept before burial or cremation |
| cremate | incinerate (a corpse); N. crematory, crematorium |
| mace | ceremonial staff used as a symbol of authority; clublike medieval weapon |
| macerate | soften by soaking in liquid; waste away; Ex. macerate powdered wood to make paper |
| Machiavellian | crafty; double-dealing; of the political doctrine of Machiavelli, which holds that craft and deceit are justified in pursuing political power |
| machinations | evil schemes or plots; schemes or plots to achieve an evil end; V. machinate |
| maculated | spotted; stained; CF. immaculate |
| madrigal | pastoral song; song for several singers without instruments |
| maelstrom | violent whirlpool; violent or tublent situation; CF. stream |
| magisterial | authoritative; imperious; commanding; of a magistrate; Ex. magisterial study of Roman law; Ex. magisterial manner |
| magistrate | official with power to administer the law |
| magnanimity | generosity; ADJ. magnanimous: generous |
| magnate | person of prominence or influence; powerful or influential person (in business or industry); Ex. oil magnate |
| magniloquent | boastful; pompous |
| magnitude | greatness (in size or extent); extent |
| maim | mutilate; injure lastingly; disable; cripple; Ex. maimed for life |
| mangle | tear or cut to pieces; mutilate or disfigure; Ex. badly mangled bodies |
| maladroit | clumsy; not skillful; awkward; bungling |
| malady | illness |
| malaise | uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health (without any particular pain or appearance of disease) |
| malapropism | comic misuse of a word; CF. Mrs. Malaprop |
| malapropos | inappropriate; ADV. |
| malcontent | person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs; discontented person; ADJ: discontented |
| malediction | curse |
| malefactor | evildoer; criminal |
| maleficient | doing evil; N. maleficience |
| malevolent | wishing evil; exhibiting ill will; N. malevolence |
| malfeasance | wrongdoing; misconduct (by a public official) |
| malicious | hateful; spiteful; expressing malice; N. malice: desire to harm others; spite |
| malign | speak evil of; bad-mouth(criticize spitefully); defame; ADJ: harmful; Ex. malign influence |
| malignant | tending to cause death; highly injurious; aggressively malevolent; Ex. malignant tumor |
| malingerer | one who feigns illness to escape duty; V. malinger: feign illness to avoid work |
| malleable | (of a metal) capable of being shaped by pounding(beating); pliable; (of someone) impressionable(easily influenced); easily controlled; tractable |
| malodorous | foul-smelling |
| compost | mixture of decaying organic matter used as fertilizer; V: put or make compost |
| mammal | vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young |
| vertebrate | having a backbone or spinal column; N: group of animals having a segmented spinal column |
| suckle | give or take milk at the breast or udder |
| nurse | suckle; take care of (as a nurse); bear in mind; Ex. nursing mother; Ex. nurse a hope/grudge against someone |
| mammoth | gigantic; enormous |
| manacle | restrain; handcuff; N. |
| mandate | order; charge; authoritative command; power to govern another country; power to given to a government; region under administration; V: give a mandate to; place under a mandate; Ex. mandated territory |
| mandatory | obligatory; compulsory; of a mandate |
| mangy | shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance |
| mange | skin disease (esp. of domestic animals) marked by loss of hair |
| maniacal | raging mad; insane; N. maniac: insane person; CF. mania: disorder of the mind; intense enthusiasm |
| manifest | evident; visible; obvious; V: show plainly |
| manifestation | outward demonstration; manifesting; indication of the presence of something; Ex. manifestation of his pronounced musical bent |
| pronounced | distinct; very noticeable; Ex. pronounced limp |
| manifesto | public declaration of principles; statement of policy |
| manifold | many in number or kind; numerous; varied |
| manipulate | operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully; maneuver; Ex. how to manipulate publicity and men; ADJ. manipulative |
| mannered | affected; not natural; Ex. mannered way of speech |
| mannerism | distinctive behavioral trait; affected style in art (according to a set of styles) |
| manumit | emancipate; free from slavery or bondage |
| marital | pertaining to marriage |
| maritime | bordering on(adjacent to) the sea; nautical; of the ships or the sea; Ex. Maritime Provinces |
| marked | noticeable; targeted for vengeance or attack; Ex. marked improvement/man |
| marred | damaged; disfigured; V. mar: spoil; disfigure |
| marshal | put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place; Ex. marshal the children into the museum; N: military officer; official |
| enlist | (cause to) join the armed forces; obtain (help, sympathy, or support) |
| marsupial | one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch(pocket of skin or leather); CF. kangaroo, opossum, wombat |
| martial | warlike; of war; Ex. martial art/law |
| cadet | student at a military school |
| martinet | strict disciplinarian; person who demands total obedience to rules and orders; CF. Jean Martinet |
| martyr | one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer; Ex. martyr to his rheumatism |
| masochist | person who enjoys his own pain; CF. masochism |
| masticate | chew |
| materialism | preoccupation with physical comforts and things; excessive regard for worldly concerns (rather than spiritual matters) |
| maternal | motherly; N. maternity: motherhood |
| matriarch | woman who rules a family or larger social group |
| matriculate | enroll (in college or graduate school); CF. matrix |
| matrix | point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols; mold or die; Ex. the matrix of Western civilization |
| maudlin | effusively sentimental |
| sentimental | swayed by sentiment; appealing to the sentiments |
| maul | handle roughly; batter; injure by beating; Ex. mauled by his overexcited fans; N: heavy long-handled hammer |
| mausoleum | monumental tomb; large stately tomb; CF. Mausolos |
| mauve | pale purple |
| maverick | rebel; nonconformist (in a group) |
| mawkish | mushy(sentimental) and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental; excessively and objectionably sentimental |
| maxim | proverb; truth pithily stated |
| mayhem | injury to body; crime of willfully maiming or crippling a person; violent disorder; Ex. mayhem in the zoo; CF. maim |
| meager | scanty; inadequate |
| mealymouthed | indirect in speech (when something unpleasant must be said); hypocritical; evasive |
| meander | wind or turn in its course; follow a winding or turning course; move aimlessly and idly |
| meddlesome | interfering; V. meddle: interfere |
| mediate | settle a dispute through the services of an outsider; act as an intermediary; produce by mediating; Ex. mediate a cease-fire |
| intermediary | intermediate; acting as a mediator; N: mediator; go-between |
| mediocre | ordinary; commonplace; neither good nor bad |
| meditation | reflection; thought; V. meditate |
| medium | element that is a creature's natural environment; nutrient setting in which microorganisms are cultivated; appropriate occupation or means of expression; channel of communication; compromise; middle position between extremes; intervening substance through |
| medley | mixture |
| meek | submissive; patient and long-suffering |
| suitor | man who is courting a woman |
| megalomania | mania for doing grandiose things; mental disorder characterized by delusions of wealth, power, or importance |
| melancholy | gloomy; morose; blue; N. ADJ. melancholic; CF. melancholia |
| blue | gloomy; depressed |
| melee | fight |
| mellifluous | (of words or a voice) sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious; having a pleasant tune |
| memento | token; reminder of the past; keepsake; Ex. memento of your visit |
| memorialize | commemorate |
| memorial | something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to honor the memory of a person or event; ADJ: commemorative |
| menagerie | collection of wild animals on exhibition; zoo |
| mendacious | lying; habitually dishonest; N. mendacity |
| mendicant | beggar; ADJ: living as a beggar |
| alms | money or goods given to the poor |
| menial | suitable for servants; lowly; mean; N: someone who does menial work (esp. servant in a house) |
| mentor | counselor; teacher |
| mercantile | concerning trade or merchants |
| mercenary | motivated solely by money or gain; N. |
| mercurial | capricious; quick and changing; fickle; containing the element mercury; Ex. mercurial temper; CF. mood |
| quicksilver | mercury |
| meretricious | flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute |
| vulgar | of the common people; deficient in refinement; not refined; coarse; Ex. vulgar display of wealth; N. vulgarism: vulgarity; crudely indecent word; CF. vulgarian: vulgar person; boor; lout |
| merger | combination (of two business corporations); act of merging |
| mesmerize | hypnotize; N. mesmerism; CF. Franz Mesmer |
| metallurgical | pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores; N. metallurgy: science that deals with extracting metals from ores |
| metamorphosis | change of form; Ex. metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly; V. metamorphose: change by metamorphosis |
| metaphor | implied comparison; CF. simile |
| soar | rise or fly high in the air; Ex. The rocket soared into the sky. |
| metaphysical | pertaining to speculative philosophy; of metaphysics; N. metaphysics: branch of philosophy that examines the nature of reality |
| mete | measure; distribute; administer; Ex. mete out justice/punishment |
| meteoric | like a meteor; swift; momentarily brilliant; Ex. meteoric rise to fame; N. meteor |
| methodical | systematic; N. method: systematic method of procedure |
| meticulous | excessively careful (with great attention to detail); painstaking; scrupulous |
| metropolis | large city |
| mettle | courage (to continue bravely in spite of difficulties); spirit; ADJ. mettlesome |
| miasma | swamp gas; heavy vaporous atmosphere often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence; noxious atmosphere or influence |
| swamp | wetland; marsh; V: flood; overwhelm; drench in with liquid |
| microcosm | small representative world; world in miniature; Ex. microcosm of English society |
| miniature | small model; small painting; ADJ: small |
| migrant | changing its habitat; wandering; Ex. migrant birds/workers; N: one that migrates |
| migratory | wandering; V. migrate: move from one region and settle in another; move periodically from one region to another |
| milieu | social environment; means of expression; Ex. feel out of one's milieu; Ex. His proper milieu is watercolor. |
| militant | combative; bellicose; N. |
| militate | work against; Ex. militate against the chances of promotion; CF. serve as a soldier |
| militia | army composed of ordinary citizens rather than professional soldiers |
| millennium | thousand-year period (as in the New Testament); hoped-for period of happiness and prosperity |
| mimicry | imitation |
| mime | pantomime(act without dialogue); mimicry; mimer; V: mimic; pantomime |
| minatory | menacing; threatening |
| mincing | affectedly dainty(delicate); V. mince: cut (esp. meat) into very small pieces; walk with exaggerated primness; walk in an unnatural way, taking little short steps; Ex. The actor minced across the stage; CF. mincemeat; CF. mincer |
| dainty | delicate; delicately beautiful; fastidious; not easy to please; Ex. dainty movement/dress |
| exquisite | delicate; very finely made; extremely beautiful; Ex. exquisite piece of jewelry |
| choice | delicate; of very fine quality |
| minion | servile dependent; obsequious follower |
| minuscule(miniscule) | extremely small |
| minute | extremely small; CF. minutes: official record of the proceedings at a meeting |
| minutiae | petty or trivial details; CF. minutia |
| mirage | unreal reflection; optical illusion |
| mire | entangle; stick in swampy ground; stick or sink in mire; N: bog; deep mud; Ex. sucked deeper into the mire |
| mirth | merriment; laughter |
| misadventure | mischance; ill luck; Ex. death by misadventure |
| misanthrope | one who hates mankind; misanthropist |
| vile | despicable; unpleasant; disgusting; Ex. vile slander |
| misapprehension | error; misunderstanding; V. misapprehend |
| miscellany | mixture of writings on various subjects; collection of various items |
| miscellaneous | made up of a variety of parts |
| mischance | ill luck |
| misconstrue | interpret incorrectly; misinterpret; misjudge |
| miscreant | wretch; wrongdoer; villain; Ex. kindness to the miscreant; CF. believe |
| wretch | miserable person; bad or despicable person; ADJ. wretched: miserable; bad; contemptible; vile |
| misdemeanor | minor crime; misdeed; wrongdoing |
| misconduct | immoral behavior; bad management; V. |
| miserly | stingy; mean |
| misgivings | doubts |
| mishap | unfortunate accident |
| misnomer | wrong or improper name; incorrect designation |
| misogamy | hatred of marriage |
| misogynist | hater of woman; CF. misogyny |
| missile | object to be thrown or projected |
| missive | letter; written statement; CF. sent |
| mite | very small object or insect-like creature; small coin |
| mitigate | appease; moderate; make or become less in force or intensity |
| mnemonic | pertaining to memory; assisting the memory; N: device, such as as formula or rhyme, used as a mnemonic aid |
| mobile | movable; not fixed; N. mobility |
| mock | ridicule; deride; imitate often in derision |
| mode | prevailing style; current fashion; manner; way of doing something; Ex. in the latest mode; Ex. simple mode of life |
| modicum | limited quantity; small amount; Ex. He does not have a modicum of sense; CF. moderate |
| modish | fashionable; conforming to the current fashion |
| modulate | tone down in intensity; change the intensity or tone of; regulate; change from one musical key to another; Ex. modulate from E to G |
| mogul | powerful person; Ex. oil moguls; CF. Mogol, Moghul; CF. Mongolian |
| molecule | the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance that has all the properties of that substance |
| mollify | soothe an angry person |
| mollycoddle | pamper; coddle; baby; indulge excessively |
| molt(moult) | periodically shed or cast off hairs or feathers (for replacement by a new growth) |
| molten | melted; Ex. molten lava |
| momentous | very important; N. moment; CF. momentary |
| momentum | quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus; moving force |
| monarchy | government under a single ruler |
| monastic | related to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns |
| monetary | pertaining to money |
| monochromatic | having only one color |
| monochrome | painting in only one color; ADJ. |
| monogram | design composed of one or more initials of a name; V. |
| monograph | scholarly article |
| monolithic | solidly uniform; unchangeable; unyielding; N. monolith: large block of stone |
| monotheism | belief in one God |
| monotony | sameness leading to boredom; monotonousness; ADJ. monotonous; CF. monotone |
| monumental | massive; impressively large; built as a monument |
| moodiness | fits of depression or gloom; ADJ. moody: given to changeable moods; subject to periods of depression; gloomy CF. mood: state of mind or emotion |
| moratorium | legal delay of payment or action; Ex. declare moratorium on the building of new houses |
| morbid | given to unwholesome or unhealthy thought; moody; characteristic of disease; Ex. morbid curiosity; N. morbidity; CF. disease |
| mordant | biting; sarcastic; stinging; (apprec.) incisive; cutting; Ex. mordant pen/wit |
| mores | conventions; moral standards; moral customs |
| moribund | dying; at the point of death; CF. death |
| morose | ill-humored; sullen; sullenly melancholy |
| mortician | undertaker; CF. death |
| undertaker | funeral director; one whose business is to arrange burials |
| mortify | humiliate by embarassing excessively; shame; punish the flesh; discipline (one's body) by self-denial; Ex. mortified by her blunder; Ex. mortify the flesh; CF. cause to die |
| mosaic | picture made of small colorful inlaid tiles; ADJ. |
| mote | small speck (esp. of dust) |
| speck | small piece or mark; Ex. speck of dust in the eye |
| motif | theme; recurrent thematic element in a musical or literary work; single or repeated pattern; figure |
| motility | ability to move spontaneously; ADJ. motile: moving spontaneously |
| motley | multi-colored (as of a garment worn by a jester); mixed; heterogeneous; CF. jester: one who jests (as a paid fool at medieval courts) |
| motto | brief statement used to express a principle |
| mottled | blotched in coloring; spotted; Ex. mottled face; V. mottle: mark with blotches of different colors |
| blotch | spot; blot; CF. blot+botch |
| blemish | mar; spoil the beauty or perfection of; N: flaw or defect (that spoils perfection); Ex. blemishes in the crystal; CF. unblemished |
| mountebank | charlatan; boastful pretender |
| peddle | travel about selling (wares); CF. foot |
| muddle | confuse; mix up confusedly; N: state of confusion |
| muggy | (of weather) warm and damp |
| mulct | defraud a person of something; swindle; Ex. mulct the boy of his legacy |
| multifarious | varied; greatly diversified; Ex. multifarious activities |
| multiform | having many forms |
| multilingual | having many languages; fluent in several languages |
| multiplicity | state of being numerous or multiple; large number; Ex. multiplicity of details; ADJ. multiple: of more than one element |
| mundane | worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday; of the ordinary; Ex. mundane existence; CF. world |
| munificent | very generous in giving; Ex. munificent benefactor; N. munificience |
| mural | wall painting |
| murky | dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague; Ex. murky night/fog; N. murk: partial or complete darkness; gloom |
| muse | ponder at length; N: source of inspiration (esp. of a poet) |
| musky | having the odor of musk; N. musk: odorous substance secreted by an Asian deer |
| muster | gather; assemble (troops); Ex. muster up one's strength for the ordeal; N. |
| musty | stale (in odor or taste); spoiled by age; CF. moist |
| mutablility | ability to change in form; fickleness; ADJ. mutable: able to change; fickle; CF. mutate; CF. mutant |
| muted | silent; muffled; toned down; Ex. muted traffic noise |
| mute | silent; without speech; not pronounced; unable to speak; N: one who is incapable of speech; V: soften the sound, color, shade of |
| mutilate | maim; injure lastingly; deprive of a limb or an essential part |
| mutinous | unruly; rebellious; Ex. mutinous teenagers; N. mutiny: open rebellion; CF. mutineer |
| myopic | nearsighted; lacking foresight; N. myopia |
| myriad | very large number; ADJ. CF. ten thousand |
Created by:
imrajat
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