Question | Answer |
Gouge | v. tear out; overcharge |
Gourmand | n. epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink |
Gourmet | n. connoisseur of food and drink |
Graduated | adj. arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.) |
Granary | n. storehouse for grain |
Grandeur | n. impressiveness; stateliness; majesty |
Grandiloquent | adj. pompous; bombastic; using high sounding language |
Grandiose | adj. pretentious; high flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive |
Granulate | v. to form into grains |
Graphic | adj. pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described |
Grapple | v. wrestle; to come to grips with |
Grate | v. to make a harsh noise; to have an unpleasant effect; shred |
Gratify | v. to please |
Gratis | adj. free |
Gratuitous | adj. given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for |
Gratuity | n. tip |
Gravity | n. seriousness |
Gregarious | adj. sociable |
Grievance | n. cause of complaint |
Grill | v. question severely |
Grimace | n. a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain or disgust |
Grisly | adj. ghastly |
Grotesque | adj. fantastic; comically hideous |
Grotto | n. small cavern |
Grouse | v. complain; fuss |
Grovel | v. crawl or creep on the ground; remain prostrate |
Grudging | adj. unwilling; reluctant; stingy |
Gruel | n. thin liquid porridge |
Grueling | adj. exhausting |
Gruesome | adj. grisly and horrible |
Gruff | adj. rough mannered |
Guffaw | n. boisterous laughter |
Guile | n. deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning |
Guileless | adj. without deceit |
Guise | n. appearance; costume |
Gull | v. trick; hoodwink |
Gullible | adj. easily deceived |
Gustatory | adj. affecting the sense of taste |
Gusto | n. enjoyment; enthusiasm |
Gusty | adj. windy |
Guy | n. cable or chain attached to something that needs to be braced or steadied |
Gyroscope | n. apparatus used to maintain balance, ascertain direction, etc. |
Habituate | v. to accustom or familiarize; addict |
Hackles | n. hairs on back and neck, especially of a dog |
Hackneyed | adj. commonplace; trite |
Haggard | adj. wasted away; gaunt |
Haggle | v. argue about prices |
Halcyon | adj. calm; peaceful |
Hale | adj. healthy |
Hallowed | adj. blessed; consecrated |
Hallucination | n. delusion |
Halting | adj. hesitant; faltering |
Hamper | v. obstruct |
Hap | n. chance; luck |
Haphazard | adj. random; by chance |
Hapless | adj. unfortunate |
Harangue | n. long, passionate, and vehement speech |
Harass | v. annoy by repeated attacks |
Harbinger | n. forerunner |
Harbor | v. provide refuge for; hide |
Hardy | adj. sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather |
Harping | n. tiresome dwelling on a subject |
Harrowing | adj. agonizing; distressing; traumatic |
Harry | v. harass, annoy, torment; raid |
Hatch | n. deck opening; lid covering a deck opening |
Haughtiness | n. pride; arrogance |
Haven | n. place of safety; refuge |
Hazardous | adj. dangerous |
Hazy | adj. slightly obscure |
Headlong | adj. hasty; rash |
Headstrong | adj. stubborn; willful; unyielding |
Heckler | n. person who verbally harasses others |
Hedonist | n. one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life |
Heedless | adj. not noticing; disregarding |
Hegemony | n. dominance, especially of one nation over others |
Heinous | adj. atrocious; hatefully bad |
Herbivorous | adj. grain-eating |
Heresy | n. opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion |
Hermetic | adj. sealed by fusion so as to be airtight |
Hermetic | adj. obscure and mysterious; occult |
Hermitage | n. home of a hermit |
Herpetologist | n. one who studies reptiles |
Heterodox | adj. unorthodox; unconventional |
Heterogeneous | adj. dissimilar; mixed |
Hew | v. cut to pieces with ax or sword |
Heyday | n. time of greatest success; prime |
Hiatus | n. gap; pause |
Hibernal | adj. wintry |
Hibernate | v. to sleep throughout the winter |
Hierarchy | n. arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks |
Hieroglyphic | n. picture writing |
Hilarity | n. boisterous mirth |
Hindmost | adj. the furthest behind |
Hindrance | n. block; obstacle |
Hinterlands | n. backcountry |
Hireling n. one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously) | (blank) |
Hirsute | adj. hairy |
Histrionic | adj. theatrical |
Hoard | v. stockpile; to accumulate for future use |
Hoary | adj. white with age |
Hoax | n. trick; practical joke |
Holocaust | n. destruction by fire |
Holster | n. a pistol case |
Homage | n. honor; tribute |
Homeostasis | n. tendency of a system to maintain relative stability |
Homespun | adj. domestic; made at home |
Homily | n. sermon; serious warning |
Homogenous | adj. of the same kind |
Hone | v. sharpen |
Hoodwink | v. deceive; delude |
Horde | n. crowd |
Hortatory | adj. encouraging |
Horticultural –adj. pertaining to cultivation of gardens | (blank) |
Hostility | n. unfriendliness; hatred |
Hovel | n. shack; small wretched house |
Hover | v. hang about; wait near by |
Hubbub | n. confused uproar |
Hubris | n. arrogance; excessive self-conceit |
Hue | n. color; aspect |
Hue and cry | n. outcry |
Humane | adj. marked by kindness or consideration |
Humdrum | adj. dull; monotonous |
Humid | adj. damp |
Humility | n. humbleness of spirit |
Hummock | n. small hill |
Humus | n. substance formed by decaying vegetable matter |
Hurtle | v. crash; rush |
Husband | v. use sparingly; conserve; save |
Husbandry | n. frugality; thrift; agriculture |
Hybrid | n. mongrel; mixed breed |
Hydrophobia | n. fear of water; rabies |
Hyperbole | n. exaggeration; overstatement |
Hypercritical | adj. excessively exacting |
Hypochondriac | n. person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness |
Hypocritical | adj. pretending to be virtuous; deceiving |
Hypothetical | adj. based on assumption or hypotheses; supposed |
Ichthyology | n. study of fish |
Icon | n. religious image; idol |
Iconoclastic | adj. attacking cherished traditions |
Ideology | n. system of ideas characteristic of a group or culture |
Idiom | n. expression whose meaning as a whole differs from the meanings of its individual words; distinctive style |
Idiosyncrasy | n. individual trait usually odd in nature; eccentricity |
Idolatry | n. worship of idols; excessive admiration |
Idyllic | adj. charmingly carefree; simple |
Igneous | adj. produced by fire; volcanic |
Ignite | v. kindle; light |
Ignoble | adj. unworthy; not noble |
Ignominy | n. deep disgrace; shame or dishonor |
Illicit | adj. illegal |
Illimitable | adj. infinite |
Illuminate | v. brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten |
Illusion | n. misleading vision |
Illusive | adj. deceiving |
Illusory | adj. deceptive; not real |
Imbalance | n. lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion |
Imbecility | n. weakness of mind |
Imbibe | v. drink in |
Imbroglio | n. complicated situation; painful or complex misunderstanding; entanglement; confused mass (as of papers) |
Imbue | v. saturate; fill |
Immaculate | adj. spotless; flawless; absolutely clean |
Imminent | adj. near at hand; impending |
Immobility | n. state of being immovable |
Immolate | v. offer as a sacrifice |
Immune | adj. resistant to; free or exempt from |
Immure | v. imprison; shut up in confinement |
Immutable | adj. unchangeable |
Impair | v. injure; hurt |
Impale | v. pierce |
Impalpable | adj. imperceptibility; intangible |
Impartial | adj. not biased; fair |
Impassable | adj. not able to be travelled or crossed |
Impasse | n. predicament from which there is no escape |
Impassive | adj. without feeling; imperturbable; stoical |
Impeach | v. to charge with crime in office; indict |
Impeccable | adj. faultless |
Impecunious | adj. without money |
Impede | v. hinder; block |
Impediment | n. hindrance; stumbling-block |
Impel | v. drive or force onward |
Impending | adj. nearing; approaching |
Impenetrable | adj. not able to be pierced or entered; beyond understanding |
Impenitent | adj. not repentant |
Imperative | adj. absolutely necessary; critically important |
Imperceptible | adj. unnoticeable; undetectable |
Imperial | adj. like an emperor; related to an empire |
Imperious | adj. domineering; haughty |
Impermeable | adj. impervious; not permitting passage through its substance |
Impertinent | adj. insolent; rude |
Imperturbable | adj. calm; placid |
Impervious | adj. impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed |
Impetuous | adj. violent; hasty; rash |
Impetus | n. moving forth; incentive; stimulus |
Impiety | n. irreverence; lack of respect for god |
Impinge | v. infringe; touch; collide with |
Impious | adj. irreverent |
Implacable | adj. incapable of being pacified |
Implausible | adj. unlikely; unbelievable |
Implement | v. put into effect; supply with tools |
Implicate | v. to incriminate; show to be involved |
Implication | n. something hinted at or suggested |
Implicit | adj. understood but not stated |
Implode | v. burst inward |
Implore | v. beg |
Imply | v. suggest a meaning not expressed; signify |
Impolitic | adj. not wise |
Imponderable | adj. weightless |
Import | n. significance |
Importunate | adj. urging; demanding |
Importune | v. beg persistently |
Imposture | n. act of assuming a false identity; masquerade |
Impotent | adj. weak; ineffective |
Imprecation | n. curse |
Impregnable | adj. invulnerable |
Impromptu | adj. without previous preparation; off the cuff; on the spur of the moment |
Impropriety | n. improperness; unsuitableness |
Improvident | adj. thriftless |
Improvise | v. compose on the spur of the moment |
Imprudent | adj. lacking caution; injudicious |
Impudence | n. impertinence; insolence |
Impugn | v. dispute or contradict often in an insulting way; challenge; gainsay |
Impuissance | n. powerlessness; feebleness |
Impunity | n. freedom from punishment or harm |
Impute | v. attribute; ascribe |
Inadvertently | adv. unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly |
Inalienable | adj. not to be taken away; nontransferable |
Inane | adj. silly; senseless |
Inanimate | adj. lifeless |
Inarticulate | adj. speechless; producing indistinct speech |
Inaugurate | v. begin formally; install in office |
Incandescent | adj. strikingly bright; shining with intense heat |
Incantation | n. singing or chanting of magic spells; magical formula |
Incapacitated | v. disable |
Incarcerate | v. imprison |
Incarnate | adj. endowed with flesh; personified |
Incarnation | n. act of assuming a human body and human nature |
Incendiary | n. arsonist |
Incense | v. enrage; infuriate |
Incentive | n. spur; motive |
Inception | n. start; beginning |
Incessant | adj. uninterrupted; unceasing |
Inchoate | adj. recently begun; rudimentary; elementary |
Incidence | n. rate of occurrence; particular occurrence |
Incidental | adj. not essential; minor |
Incipient | adj. beginning; in an early stage |
Incisive | adj. cutting; sharp |
Incite | v. arouse to action; goad; motivate; induce to exist |
Inclement | adj. stormy; unkind |
Incline | n. slope; slant |
Inclined | adj. tending or leaning toward; bent |
Inclusive | adj. tending to include all |
Incognito | adv. with identity concealed; using and assumed name |
Incoherent | adj. unintelligible; muddle; illogical |
Incommodious | adj. not spacious; inconvenient |
Incompatible | adj. inharmonious |
Incongruity | n. lack of harmony; absurdity |
Inconsequential | adj. insignificant; unimportant |
Inconsistency | n. state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness |
Incontinent | adj. lacking self restraint; licentious |
Incontrovertible | adj. indisputable; not open to question |
Incorporate | v. introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite |
Incorporeal | adj. lacking a material body; insubstantial |
Incorrigible | adj. uncorrectable |
Incredulity | n. tendency to disbelief |
Incredulous | adj. withholding belief; skeptical |
Increment | n. increase |
Incriminate | v. accuse; serve as evidence against |
Incrustation | n. hard coating or crust |
Incubate | v. hatch |
Incubus | n. burden; mental care; nightmare |
Inculcate | v. teach |
Incumbent | adj. obligatory; current holding an office |
Incur | v. bring upon oneself |
Incursion | n. temporary invasion |
Indefatigable | adj. tireless |
Indelible | adj. not able to be erased |
Indemnify | v. make secure against; compensate for loss |
Indentation | n. notch; deep recess |
Indenture | v. bind as servant or apprentice to master |
Indeterminate | adj. uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite |
Indicative | adj. suggestive; implying |
Indices | n. signs; indications |
Indict | v. charge |
Indifferent | adj. unmoved; unconcerned by; mediocre |
Indigence | n. poverty |
Indigenous | adj. native |
Indigent | adj. poor; destitute |
Indignation | n. anger at an injustice |
Indignity | n. offensive or insulting treatment |
Indiscriminate | adj. choosing at random; confused |
Indisputable | adj. too certain to be disputed |
Indissoluble | adj. permanent |
Indite | v. write; compose |
Indolent | adj. lazy |
Indomitable | adj. unconquerable; unyielding |
Indubitable | adj. unable to be doubted; unquestionable |
Induce | v. persuade; bring about |
Inductive | adj. pertaining to induction; proceeding from the specific to the general |
Indulgent | adj. humoring; yielding; lenient |
Industrious | adj. diligent; hardworking |
Inebriated | adj. habitually intoxicated; drunk |
Ineffable | adj. unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech |
Ineffectual | adj. not effective; weak |
Ineluctable | adj. irresistible; not to be escaped |
Inept | adj. lacking skill; unsuited; incompetent |
Inequity | n. unfairness |
Inerrancy | n. infallibility |
Inert | adj. inactive; lacking power to move |
Inevitable | adj. unavoidable |
Inexorable | adj. relentless; unyielding; implacable |
Infallible | adj. unerring |
Infamous | adj. notoriously bad |
Infantile | adj. childish; infant like |
Infer | v. deduce; conclude |
Infernal | adj. pertaining to hell; devilish |
Infidel | n. unbeliever |
Infiltrate | v. pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily |
Infinitesimal | adj. very small |
Infirmity | n. weakness |
Inflated | adj. exaggerate; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas) |
Influx | n. flowing into |
Infraction | n. violation (of a rule or regulation); breach |
Infringe | v. violate; encroach |
Ingenious | adj. clever; resourceful |
Ingenuous | adj. naïve and trusting; young; unsophisticated |
Ingrained | adj. deeply established; firmly rooted |
Ingrate | n. ungrateful person |
Ingratiate | v. become popular with |
Inherent | adj. firmly established by nature or habit |
Inhibit | v. restrain; retard or prevent |
Inimical | adj. unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental |
Inimitable | adj. matchless; not able to be imitated |
Iniquitous | adj. wicked; immoral; unrighteous |
Initiate | v. begin; originate; receive into a group |
Injurious | adj. harmful |
Inkling | n. hint |
Innate | adj. inborn |
Innocuous | adj. harmless |
Innovation | n. change; introduction of something new |
Innuendo | n. hint; insinuation |
Inopportune | adj. untimely; poorly chosen |
Inordinate | adj. unrestrained; excessive |
Inquisitor | n. questioner (especially harsh); investigator |
Insalubrious | adj. unwholesome; not healthful |
Insatiable | adj. not easily satisfied; unquenchable; greedy |
Inscrutable | adj. impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious |
Insensate | adj. without feeling |
Insensible | adj. unconscious; unresponsive |
Insidious | adj. treacherous; stealthy; sly |
Insightful | adj. discerning; perceptive |
Insinuate | v. hint; imply; creep in |
Insipid | adj. lacking in flavor; dull |
Insolence | n. impudent disrespect; haughtiness |
Insolvent | adj. bankrupt; lacking money to pay |
Insomnia | n. wakefulness; inability to sleep |
Insouciant | adj. indifferent; without concern or care |
Instigate | v. urge; start; provoke |
Insubordination | n. disobedience; rebelliousness |
Insubstantial | adj. lacking substance; insignificant; frail |
Insularity | n. narrow-mindedness; isolation |
Insuperable | adj. insurmountable; unbeatable |
Insurgent | adj. rebellious |
Insurmountable | adj. overwhelming; unbeatable; insuperable |
Insurrection | n. rebellion; uprising |
Intangible | adj. not able to be perceived by touch; vague |
Integral | adj. complete; necessary for completeness |
Integrate | v. make whole; combine; make into one unit |
Integrity | n. uprightness; wholeness |
Intellect | n. higher mental powers |
Intelligentsia | n. intellectuals; members of the educated elite [often used derogatorily] |
Inter | v. bury |
Interdict | v. prohibit; forbid |
Interim | n. meantime |
Interloper | n. intruder |
Interminable | adj. endless |
Intermittent | adj. periodic; on and off |
Internecine | adj. mutually destructive |
Interpolate | v. insert between |
Interregnum | n. period between two reigns |
Interrogate | v. question closely; cross-examine |
Intervene | v. come between |
Intimate | v. hint |
Intimidate | v. frighten |
Intractable | adj. unruly; stubborn; unyielding |
Intransigence | n. refusal of any compromise; stubbornness |
Intrepid | adj. fearless |
Intrinsic | adj. essential; inherent; built in |
Introspective | adj. looking within oneself |
Introvert | n. one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself |
Intrude | v. trespass; enter as an uninvited person |
Intuition | n. immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning |
Inundate | v. overwhelm; flood; submerge |
Inure | adj. accustomed; hardened |
Invalidate | v. weaken; destroy |
Invective | n. abuse |
Inveigh | v. denounce; utter censure or invective |
Inveigle | v. lead astray; wheedle |
Inverse | adj. opposite |
Invert | v. turn upside down or inside out |
Inveterate | adj. deep rooted; habitual |
Invidious | adj. designed to created ill will or envy |
Invincible | adj. unconquerable |
Inviolable | adj. secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailable |
Invocation | n. prayer for help; calling upon as reference or support |
Invoke | v. call upon; ask for |
Invulnerable | adj. incapable of injury |
Iota | n. very small quantity |
Irascible | adj. irritable; easily angered |
Irate | adj. angry |
Iridescent | adj. exhibiting rainbow like colors |
Irksome | adj. annoying; tedious |
Ironic | adj. occurring in an unexpected and contrary manner |
Irony | n. hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that seem to mean the opposite of what they actually mean |
Irreconcilable | adj. incompatibly; not able to be resolved |
Irrefutable | adj. indisputable; incontrovertible; undeniable |
Irrelevant | adj. not applicable; unrelated |
Irremediable | adj. incurable; uncorrectable |
Irreparable | adj. not able to be corrected or repaired |
Irrepressible | adj. unable to be restrained or held back |
Irreproachable | adj. blameless; impeccable |
Irresolute | adj. uncertain how to act; weak |
Irretrievable | adj. impossible to recover or regain; irreparable |
Irreverence | n. lack of proper respect |
Irrevocable | adj. unalterable; irreversible |
Isotope | n. varying form of an element |
Isthmus | n. narrow neck of land connecting two larger bodies of land |
Itinerant | adj. wandering; traveling |
Itinerary | n. plan of a trip |
Jabber | v. chatter rapidly or unintelligibly |
Jaded | adj. fatigued; surfeited |
Jargon | n. language used by a special group; technical terminology; gibberish |
Jaundiced | adj. prejudiced (envious, hostile, or resentful); yellowed |
Jaunt | n. trip; short journey |
Jaunty | adj. lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree |
Jeopardize | v. endanger; imperil; put at risk |
Jettison | v. throw overboard |
Jibe | v. agree; be in harmony with |
Jingoist | n. extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist |
Jocose | adj. given to joking |
Jocular | adj. said or done in jest |
Jocund | adj. merry |
Jollity | n. gaiety; cheerfulness |
Jostle | v. shove; bump |
Jovial | adj. good-natured; merry |
Jubilation | n. rejoicing |
Judicious | adj. sound in judgment; wise |
Juggernaut | n. irresistible crushing force |
Juncture | n. crisis; joining point |
Junket | n. trip, especially one taken for pleasure by an official at public expense |
Junta | n. group of persons joined in political intrigue; cabal |
Jurisprudence | n. science of law |
Justification | n. good or just reason; defense; excuse |
Juxtapose | v. place side by side |
Kaleidoscope | n. tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass produce interesting symmetrical effects |
Ken | n. range of knowledge |
Kernel | n. central or vital part; whole seed (as of corn) |
Killjoy | n. grouch; spoilsport |
Kindle | v. start a fire; inspire |
Kindred | adj. related; similar in nature or character |
Kinetic | adj. producing motion |
Kismet | n. fate |
Kleptomaniac | n. person who has a compulsive desire to steal |
Knave | n. untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel |
Knead | v. mix; work dough |
Knell | n. tolling of a bell, especially to indicate a funeral, disaster, etc.; sound of the funeral bell |
Knit | v. contract into wrinkles; grow together |
Knoll | n. little round hill |
Knotty | adj. intricate; difficult; tangled |
Kudos | n. honor; glory; praise |
Labile | adj. likely to change; unstable |
Laborious | adj. demanding much work or care; tedious |
Labyrinth | n. maze |
Laceration | n. torn ragged wound |
Lachrymose | adj. producing tears |
Lackadaisical | adj. lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; languid |
Lackluster | adj. dull |
Laconic | adj. brief and to the point |
Laggard | adj. slow; sluggish |