| Word |
 |
|
| Definition |
|
|
| Blurt |
to utter impulsively |
| Bluster |
to be loud and noisy; empty threats |
| Bode |
to foreshadow; portend (to give an omen) |
| Bogus |
counterfeit; not authentic |
| Bohemian |
unconventional (in an artistic way) |
| Boisterous |
violent; rough; noisy |
| Bolster |
to support; to reinforce |
| Bolt (N) |
door bar; a fastening pin or screw; the length of fabric |
| Bolt (V) |
to dash or to dart off; fasten (a door); to gobble down |
| Bombardment |
an attack with bombs |
| Bombastic |
pompous; using inflated language |
| Boon |
blessing; benefit |
| Boorish |
rude; insensitive |
| Bouillon |
clear beef or chicken soup |
| Bountiful |
abundant; graciously generous |
| Bourgeois |
middle class; selfishly materialistic |
| Bovine |
cowlike; placid and dull |
| Bowdlerize |
to remove passages considered vulgar: to expurgate |
| Boycott |
to refrain from buying or using |
| Brackish |
somewhat salty; unpleasant or distasteful <He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous.> |
| Braggadocio |
boasting; cockiness
<He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.> |
| Braggart |
boaster |
| Brandish |
to wave around; to flourish |
| Bravado |
pretense display of bravery; swaggering (boasting) |
| Brawn |
muscular strength; sturdiness |
| Brazen |
contemptuous in speech or conduct; insolent |
| Breach |
breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap |
| Breadth |
width; extent |
| Brevity |
shortness or conciseness |
| Brindled |
tawny or grayish with streaks or sports |
| Bristling |
rising like bristles; showing irritation |
| Brittle |
easily broken or damaged; lacking warmth, sensitivity, or compassion |
| Broach |
to introduce; to open up |
| Brocade |
rich, figured fabric |
| Brochure |
pamphlet |
| Brooch |
ornamental clasp |
| Brook |
to tolerate; to endure |
| Browbeat |
to bully; to intimidate |
| Browse |
to graze; to skim or glance at casually |
| Brunt |
main impact or shock <His arm took the brunt of the blow.> |
| Brusque |
blunt; abrupt |
| Buccaneer |
pirate |
| Bucolic |
rustic; pastoral |
| Buffet |
to slap; batter; knock about |
| Buffoonery |
clowning |
| Bugaboo |
something that causes fear or worry; bugbear |
| Bullion |
gold and silver in the form of bars |
| Bulwark |
a defense wall; person who defends |
| Bungle |
to act or work clumsily or inadequately; to mishandle; to botch |
| Buoyant |
able to float; cheerful and optimistic |
| Bureaucracy |
overregulated administrative system marked by red tape |
| Burgeon |
to sprout; to flourish |
| Burlesque |
to give an imitation that ridicules |
| Burnish |
to make shiny by rubbing; polish |
| Buttress |
to support; to prop up |
| Buxom |
full-bosomed; plump; jolly |
| Cabal |
persons secretly united in a plot; club or group <a cabal of artist> |
| Cache |
hiding place |
| Cacophonous |
having a harsh or discordant sound; inharmonious |
| Cadaver |
corpse |
| Cadaverous |
like a corpse; pale |
| Cadence |
rhythmic rise and fall of words or sounds; beat |
| Cajole |
to coax; to wheedle |
| Calamity |
disaster; misery |
| Calculated |
deliberately planned; likely |
| Cauldron |
large kettle |
| Caliber |
ability; quality |
| Calligraphy |
beautiful writing; excellent penmanship |
| Callous |
hardened; unfeeling |
| Callow |
inexperience; immature |
| Calorific |
heat-producing |
| Calumny |
malicious misrepresentation; slander |
| Camaraderie |
good-fellowship |
| Cameo |
shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film |
| Camouflage |
to disguise; to conceal |
| Canard |
a false story; exaggerate report |
| Candor |
frankness; open honesty |
| Canine |
related to dogs; doglike |
| Canker |
any ulcerous sore; any evil |
| Canny |
Careful, cautious; shrewd; skilled; thrifty |
| Canon |
the body of rules, principles, or standards; standard or criterion |
| Cant |
insincere expressions of piety; private language of the underworld |
| Cantankerous |
ill-humored; irritable |
| Cantata |
story set to music, to be sung by a chorus |
| Blunder |
error |
