| Word |
Meaning |
| BARRONS HIGH FREQUENCY WORDLIST | Compiled by Kripesh Bhattarai |
| abate | subside or moderate |
| aberrant | abnormal or deviant |
| abeyance | suspended action |
| abscond | depart secretly and hide |
| abstemious | sparing in eating and drinking; temperate |
| admonish | warn; reprove |
| adulterate | make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances |
| aesthetic | artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful |
| aggregate | gather; accumulate |
| alacrity | cheerful promptness; eagerness |
| alleviate | relieve |
| amalgamate | combine; unite in one body |
| ambiguous | unclear or doubtful in meaning |
| ambivalence | the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes |
| ameliorate | improve |
| anachronism | something or someone misplaced in time |
| analogous | comparable |
| anarchy | absence of governing body; state of disorder |
| anomalous | abnormal; irregular |
| antipathy | aversion;dislike |
| apathy | lack of caring; indifference |
| appease | pacify or soothe; relieve |
| apprise | inform |
| approbation | approval |
| appropriate | v.acquire; take possession of for one’s own use |
| arduous | hard; trenuous |
| artless | without guile; open and honest |
| ascetic | practicing self-denial; austere |
| assiduous | diligent |
| assuage | v. ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger) |
| attenuate | make thinner |
| audacious | daring; bold |
| austere | forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented |
| autonomous | self-governing; independent |
| aver | assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact |
| banal | hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality |
| belie | contradict; give a false impression |
| beneficent | kindly; doing good |
| bolster | support; reinforce |
| bombastic | pompous; using inflated language |
| boorish | rude; insensitive |
| burgeon | grow forth; send out buds |
| burnish | make shiny by rubbing; polish |
| buttress | v. support; prop up |
| capricious | unpredictable; fickle |
| castigation | punishment; severe criticism |
| catalyst | agent that increases the pace of a chemical action |
| caustic | burning; sarcastically biting |
| chicanery | trickery; deception |
| coagulate | thicken; congeal; clot |
| coda | concluding section of a musical or literary composition; summarizes or concludes |
| cogent | convincing |
| commensurate | adj. corresponding in extent, degree, etc.; proportionate |
| compendium | brief, comprehensive summary |
| complaisant | trying to please; overly polite; obliging |
| compliant | yielding; conforming to requirements |
| conciliatory | reconciling; soothing |
| condone | overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse |
| confound | confuse; puzzle |
| connoisseur | person competent to act as a judge of art; a lover of art |
| contention | claim; thesis |
| contentious | quarrelsome |
| contrite | penitent - Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence |
| conundrum | riddle; difficult problem |
| converge | approach; tend to meet; come together |
| convoluted | coiled around; involved; intricate |
| craven | cowardly |
| daunt | intimidate; frighten |
| decorum | propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners |
| default | failure to act |
| deference | courteous regard for another’s wishes |
| delineate | portray; depict; sketch |
| denigrate | blacken |
| deride | ridicule; make fun of |
| derivative | unoriginal; obtained from another source |
| desiccate | dry up |
| desultory | aimless; haphazard; digressing at random |
| deterrent | something that discourages; hindrance |
| diatribe | n. bitter scolding; invective |
| dichotomy | split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones) |
| diffidence | shyness |
| diffuse | adj. wordy, rambling, spread out (like a gas) |
| digression | wandering away from the subject |
| dirge | lament with music |
| disabuse | correct a false impression; undeceive |
| discerning | mentally quick and observant; having insight |
| discordant | not harmonious; conflicting |
| discredit | defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve |
| discrepancy | lack of consistency; difference |
| discrete | adj. separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts |
| disingenuous | lacking genuine candor; insincere |
| disinterested | unprejudiced |
| disjointed | lacking coherence; separated at the joints |
| dismiss | eliminate from consideration; reject |
| disparage | belittle |
| disparate | adj. basically different; unrelated |
| dissemble | v. disguise; pretend |
| disseminate | distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds) |
| dissolution | disintegration; looseness in morals |
| dissonance | discord; opposite of harmony |
| distend | expand; swell out |
| distill | purify; refine; concentrate |
| diverge | vary; go in different directions from the same point |
| divest | strip; |
| deprive | document provide written evidence |
| dogmatic | opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal |
| dormant | sleeping; lethargic; latent |
| dupe | someone easily fooled |
| ebullient | showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm |
| eclectic | selective; composed of elements drawn from disparate sources |
| efficacy | power to produce desired effect |
| effrontery | impudence; shameless boldness; sheer nerve; presumptuousness |
| elegy | poem or song expressing lamentation |
| elicit | draw out by discussion |
| embellish | adorn; ornament; enhance, as a story |
| empirical | based on experience |
| emulate | imitate; rival |
| endemic | prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country |
| enervate | weaken |
| engender | cause; produce |
| enhance | increase; improve |
| ephemeral | short-lived; fleeting |
| equanimity | calmness of temperament; composure |
| equivocate | lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth |
| erudite | learned; scholarly |
| esoteric | hard to understand; known only to the chosen few |
| eulogy | expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death |
| euphemism | mild expression in place of an unpleasant one |
| exacerbate | worsen; embitter |
| exculpate | clear from blame |
| exigency | urgent situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate attention |
| extrapolation | projection; conjecture |
| facetious | joking (often inappropriately); humorous |
| facilitate | help bring about; make less difficult |
| fallacious | false; misleading |
| fatuous | brainless; inane; foolish, yet smug |
| fawning | trying to please by behaving obsequiously, flattering, or cringing |
| felicitous | apt; suitably expressed; well chosen |
| fervor | glowing ardor; intensity of feeling |
| flag | droop; grow feeble |
| fledgling | inexperienced |
| flout | reject; mock; show contempt for |
| foment | stir up; instigate |
| forestall | prevent by taking action in advance |
| frugality | thrift; economy |
| gainsay | deny |
| futile | useless; hopeless; ineffectual |
| garrulous | loquacious; talkative; wordy |
| goad | urge on |
| gouge | overcharge |
| grandiloquent | pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language |
| gregarious | sociable |
| guileless | without deceit |
| gullible | easily deceived |
| harangue | long, passionate, and vehement speech |
| homogeneous | of the same kind |
| hyperbole | exaggeration; overstatement |
| iconoclastic | attacking cherished traditions |
| idolatry | worship of idols; excessive admiration |
| immutable | unchangeable |
| impair | injure; hurt |
| impassive | without feeling; imperturbable; stoical |
| impede | hinder; block |
| impermeable | impervious; not permitting passage through its substance |
| imperturbable | calm; placid |
| impervious | impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed |
| implacable | incapable of being pacified |
| implicit | understood but not stated |
| implode | burst inward |
| inadvertently | unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly |
| inchoate | adj. recently begun; rudimentary; elementary |
| incongruity | lack of harmony; absurdity |
| inconsequential | insignificant;unimportant |
| incorporate | introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite |
| indeterminate | uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite |
| indigence | poverty |
| indolent | lazy |
| inert | inactive; lacking power to move |
| ingenuous | naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated |
| inherent | firmly established by nature or habit |
| innocuous | harmless |
| insensible | unconscious; unresponsive |
| insinuate | hint; imply; creep in |
| insipid | lacking in flavor; dull |
| insularity | narrow-mindedness; isolation |
| intractable | unruly; stubborn; unyielding |
| intransigence | n. refusal of any compromise; stubbornness |
| inundate | overwhelm; flood; submerge |
| inured | adj. accustomed; hardened |
| invective | n. abuse |
| irascible | irritable; easily angered |
| irresolute | uncertain how to act; weak |
| itinerary | plan of a trip |
| laconic | brief and to the point |
| lassitude | languor; weariness |
| latent | potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden |
| laud | v. praise |
| lethargic | drowsy; dull |
| levee | stone embankment to prevent flooding |
| levity | lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity |
| log | record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities |
| loquacious | talkative |
| lucid | easily understood; clear; intelligible |
| luminous | shining; issuing light |
| magnanimity | generosity |
| malingerer | capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable |
| maverick | rebel; nonconformist |
| mendacious | lying; habitually dishonest |
| metamorphosis | change of form |
| meticulous | excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous |
| misanthrope | one who hates mankind |
| mitigate | soothe |
| morose | ill-humored; sullen; melancholy |
| mundane | worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday |
| negate | cancel out; nullify; deny |
| neophyte | recent convert; beginner |
| obdurate | adj. stubborn |
| obsequious | slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic |
| obviate | make unnecessary; get rid of |
| occlude | shut; close |
| officious | meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one’s services |
| onerous | burdensome |
| opprobrium | infamy; vilification |
| oscillate | vibrate; waver |
| ostentatious | showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention |
| paragon | model of perfection |
| partisan | one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party |
| pathological | pertaining to disease |
| paucity | scarcity |
| pedantic | showing off learning; bookish |
| penchant | strong inclination; liking |
| penury | severe poverty; stinginess |
| perennial | something long-lasting |
| perfidious | treacherous; disloyal |
| perfunctory | superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm |
| permeable | penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through |
| pervasive | spread throughout |
| phlegmatic | calm; not easily disturbed |
| piety | devoutness; reverence for God |
| placate | pacify; conciliate |
| plasticity | ability to be molded |
| platitude | n. trite remark; commonplace statement |
| plethora | excess; overabundance |
| plummet | fall sharply |
| porous | full of pores; like a sieve |
| pragmatic | practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of something |
| preamble | introductory statement |
| precarious | uncertain; risky |
| precipitate | adj. rash, premature, hasty, sudden |
| precursor | forerunner |
| presumptuous | arrogant; taking liberties |
| prevaricate | lie |
| pristine | characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled |
| probity | uprightness; incorruptibility |
| problematic | doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing |
| prodigal | wasteful; reckless with money |
| profound | deep; not superficial; complete |
| prohibitive | tending to prevent the purchase or use of something; inclined to prevent or forbid |
| proliferate | grow rapidly; spread; multiply |
| propensity | natural inclination |
| propitiate | appease |
| propriety | fitness; correct conduct |
| proscribe | ostracize; banish; outlaw |
| pungent | stiging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic |
| qualified | limited; restricted |
| quibble | minor objection or complaint |
| quiescent | at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive |
| rarefied | made less dense (of a gas) |
| recalcitrant | obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly |
| recant | disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error |
| recluse | hermit; loner |
| recondite | abstruse; profound; secret |
| refractory | stubborn; unmanageable |
| refute | disprove |
| relegate | banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign |
| reproach | express disapproval or disappointment |
| reprobate | person hardened in sin; devoid of a sense of decency |
| repudiate | disown; disavow |
| rescind | cancel |
| resolution | determination |
| resolve | determination; firmness of purpose |
| reticent | reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence |
| reverent | respectful; worshipful |
| sage | person celebrated for wisdom |
| salubrious | healthful |
| sanction | approve; ratify |
| satiate | satisfy fully |
| saturate | soak thoroughly |
| savor | enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality |
| secrete | hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism |
| shard | fragment, generally of pottery |
| skeptic | doubter; person who suspends judgment until having examined evidence supporting a point of view |
| solicitous | worried; concerned |
| soporific | sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness |
| specious | seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally) |
| spectrum | colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism |
| sporadic | occurring irregularly |
| stigma | token of disgrace; brand |
| stint | v. be thrifty; set limits |
| stipulate | make express conditions; specify |
| stolid | dull; impassive |
| striated | marked with parallel bands; grooved |
| strut | pompous walk |
| strut | supporting bar |
| subpoena | writ summoning a witness to appear |
| subside | settle down; descend; grow quiet |
| substantiate | establish by evidence; verify; support |
| supersede | cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete |
| supposition | hypothesis; surmise |
| tacit | understood; not put into words |
| tangential | peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing |
| tenuous | thin; rare; slim |
| tirade | extended scolding; denunciation; harangue |
| torpor | lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy |
| tortuous | winding; full of curves |
| tractable | docile; easily managed |
| transgression | violation of a law; sin |
| truculence | aggressiveness; ferocity |
| vacillate | waver; fluctuate |
| venerate | revere |
| veracious | truthful |
| verbose | wordy |
| viable | practical or workable |
| viscous | sticky, gluey |
| vituperative | adj. abusive; scolding |
| volatile | changeable; explosive; evaporation rapidly |
| warranted | justified; authorized |
| wary | very cautious |
| welter | turmoil; bewildering jumble |
| whimsical | capricious; fanciful |
| zealot | fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal |
