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list 3
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| abate | To lessen in quantity, intensity or degree |
| abscond | To leave suddenly and secretly to avoid arrest |
| accede | To give one’s consent |
| acclaim | To praise enthusiastically (usu. in public) |
| accolade | Praise, approval |
| accretion | A gradual increase in size by external addition |
| acquit | To clear from a charge or accusation |
| acrid | Harshly bitter in taste or smell |
| addle | To muddle or confuse |
| adorn | To make beautiful; to put ornaments on something |
| adulation | Intense adoration or praise; ass-kissing |
| aggravate | To make heavier, worse or more troublesome; to provoke |
| agile | Quick, light, nimble |
| alchemy | The medieval science of turning metals to gold; any magical or false mutational process |
| allege | To assert without proof |
| allegiance | Loyalty or the obligation of loyalty |
| aloof | Physically or emotionally distant; reserved or remote |
| ambidextrous | Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease |
| anecdote | A short account of an interesting event |
| anguish | Agonizing mental or physical pain |
| animosity | Strong criticism |
| antidote | Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease, or the like |
| apartheid | A policy of racial segregation practiced in South Africa against non-white people |
| apparition | Ghost |
| apprehensive | Anxious or fearful about the future; uneasy |
| apt | Inclined; having a natural tendency to |
| ardor | Intensity of passion or affection |
| arduous | Demanding great effort or labor; difficult |
| arid | Extremely dry |
| arrogance | Overbearing pride |
| articulate | Marked by the use of clear, expressive language |
| ascertain | To discover with certainty |
| astringent | Harsh or severe in nature; sharp and penetrating |
| astute | Shrew in judgment |
| audacious | Fearlessly daring (oft. recklessly so); brave or bold |
| autocrat | A single ruler having unlimited power; a despot |
| auxiliary | Giving assistance or support; helping; supplementary |
| aversion | A fixed, intense dislike |
| avid | Marked by keen interest and enthusiasm |
| bask | To expose oneself to pleasant warmth; to take pleasure or satisfaction |
| belligerent | Inclined or eager to fight; hostile |
| benevolence | An inclination to perform generous acts; a generous act |
| benign | Of a gentle or mild character; harmless |
| blatant | Unpleasantly loud and noisy; totally or offensively conspicuous |
| brash | Hasty and unthinking; lacking in tact or sensitivity |
| brazen | Brashly audacious (oft. rudely so) |
| brittle | Likely to break, snap or crack; fragile |
| callous | Hardened; unfeeling |
| candid | Unprejudiced or impartial; open and sincere |
| cantankerous | Ill-tempered and quarrelsome |
| canvass | To examine carefully or discuss thoroughly; scrutinize |
| catalyst | Someone or something that makes a process or event happen |
| circuitous | Indirect, roundabout |
| clamor | A loud outcry or noise; din |
| coagulation | The hardening of a substance into something thicker and firmer |
| coalesce | To grow together |
| coax | To persuade through flattery |
| coddle | To treat indulgently; to baby |
| coerce | To force to act or think in a certain way through the use of pressure, threat or force; to compel |
| colloquial | Particular to common speech as distinguished from literary |
| commemorate | To honor the memory of through ceremony |
| conceit | An unduly high opinion of one’s self or abilities |
| concord | Harmony or agreement |
| concur | To agree |
| condense | To reduce in quantity or length |
| congeal | To coagulate |
| conjoin | To join together |
| consecrate | To declare or make sacred |
| console | To comfort |
| conspicuous | Easy to notice; obvious |
| consummate | To bring to completion; complete or perfect in all respects |
| copious | Abundant |
| cordial | Warm and sincere; friendly |
| counterfeit | To forge falsely; Something illegally or falsely made |
| covet | To secretly desire something which is not yours |
| cower | To cringe in fear |
| cryptic | Having hidden meaning; obscure |
| cumbersome | Difficult to handle because of weight or bulk; onerous |
| curt | Brief or short in speech or manner (oft. rudely so) |
| curtail | To cut short |
| dainty | Delicately beautiful or charming |
| debacle | A sudden collapse, downturn or defeat; a total failure |
| decimate | To kill or destroy a large portion of something |
| decorum | Appropriateness of conduct; the conventions of polite behavior |
| decree | An authoritative order having the force of a law |
| defiance | Bold resistance to authority or an opposing force |
| deluge | To overwhelm with (usu. water); a flood |
| deplete | To reduce or lessen by use, exhaustion, or waste |
| deposition | Testimony taken under oath (usu. written down) |
| deride | To speak of with contempt and mirth |
| derision | Ridicule |
| derivative | Something derived; unoriginal |
| derogatory | Disparaging or belittling |
| deter | To hinder or prevent |
| detraction | A derogatory comment on a person’s character or reputation |
| deviant | Differing from the norm or the accepted standards of society; one who differs from the norm or the accepted standards of society |
| dexterity | Skill and grace in physical activity (oft. of the hands); adroitness |
| dilate | To make wider or larger |
| diligent | Marked by painstaking effort |
| disallow | To withhold permission or sanction |
| discern | To perceive with the eyes; to detect through careful observation |
| discredit | To injure the reputation of |
| discreet | Showing prudence and self-restraint; modest |
| disdain | To regard or treat with haughty contempt; scorn |
| disheveled | Disordered or untidy |
| disinterested | Impartial; indifferent |
| dismal | Causing gloom; dreary; characterized by a lack of merit |
| disproof | The act of refuting; evidence the refutes |
| distraught | Deeply agitated; insane |
| drone | To speak in a monotonous tone; a male bee that performs no work |
| dubious | Doubtful |
| duress | Constraint by threat; coercion |
| elucidate | To make clear by explanation |
| emaciate | To make or become extremely thin |
| embezzle | To take (usu. money) for one’s own use in violation of a trust |
| emote | To express emotion, esp. in an excessive or theatrical manner |
| emulate | To strive to equal or excel; to imitate |
| encapsulate | To encase in a capsule; to sum up |
| endorse | To write one’s signature on the back of a check; to give approval or support to |
| enduring | Lasting |
| engrave | To cut, carve or etch into some material |
| engrossing | Fascinating |
| entangle | To entwine in a confusing mass |
| entice | To attract or lure |
| equilibrium | A state of balance |
| eradicate | To pull up by the roots; to destroy |
| erratic | Irregular |
| erroneous | Mistaken |
| evoke | To summon or call forth |
| exhaustive | Treating all parts or aspects without omission; thoroughly |
| exploit | An act or deed, esp. a heroic one; to use (deceitfully) |
| extinct | No longer in existence |
| extinguish | To put out or douse (usu. a fire); to destroy |
| extort | To obtain from another by coercion or intimidation |
| extraneous | Inessential or irrelevant |
| extrovert | A gregarious or outgoing individual |
| exuberant | Full of unrestrained joy or enthusiasm |
| falter | To waver or stumble, oft. due to a loss of confidence |
| feign | To give a false appearance of |
| felon | One who has committed crime more severe than a misdemeanor |
| ferocity | Savageness |
| fetish | An object of unreasonably excessive attention or interest |
| fetter | A chain or shackle for the ankles; to restrain or restrict |
| fidelity | Loyalty |
| fidget | To behave or more nervously or restlessly |
| figurehead | Someone of nominal leadership but no real authority |
| finesse | Refined or delicate performance, execution or artisanship |
| finicky | Hard to please |
| fission | The act or process of splitting into parts |
| fixate | To make stable; to fix one’s attention on; to obsess on |
| flamboyant | Highly elaborate; given to ostentatious display |
| flaunt | To exhibit shamelessly or ostentatiously |
| flop | To fall or lie down heavily and noisily; to fail utterly |
| foil | To prevent from being successful; to thwart; a pole-like sword |
| foolproof | Designed to be impervious to human error; infallible |
| forage | The act of searching for food or provisions |
| forfeit | To surrender something as a punishment |
| forgery | Counterfeiting |
| fragile | Easily broken; delicate |
| fragrant | Having a pleasant odor |
| frantic | Highly excited with strong emotion or frustration; frenzied |
| gesticulate | To make gestures for emphasis (esp. while speaking) |
| gist | The central idea; essence |
| glimmer | A dim or intermittent flicker or flash of light |
| gloat | To feel or express great self-satisfaction (oft. maliciously) |
| glut | To fill beyond capacity; oversupply or excess |
| gnaw | To bite at, chew on or generally erode with the teeth |
| gorge | A deep, narrow passage with steep, rocky sides; a ravine; to eat in a gluttonous manner |
| gouge | To scoop or dig out; to charge an excessively high price |
| grave | Requiring serious thought; somber in conduct or character |
| graze | To feed on leisurely and continuously; to touch lightly |
| grovel | To behave in a servile manner; to lie in a prostrate manner |
| guile | Cunning treachery; skillful deceit |
| gullible | Easily deceived or duped |
| gush | To flow forth suddenly in great volume (esp. tears or praise) |
| gust | A strong, abrupt burst of wind |
| hack | To cut or chap with repeated, irregular blows |
| haughty | Scornfully and condescendingly proud |
| heed | To pay attention to and consider |
| heinous | Grossly wicked or reprehensible; abominable |
| heresy | An opinion or doctrine at variance with established religious beliefs, esp. from Christian dogma by a church member |
| highbrow | Highly cultured or intellectual |
| hospitable | Disposed to treat strangers or guests with warmth and generosity |
| hovel | A small, miserable dwelling |
| idolatry | The worship of idols; excessive devotion to something |
| ignoble | Not noble in character; base |
| illicit | Illegal |
| illustrious | Well-known and distinguished |
| impair | To cause to diminish in strength or quality |
| impede | To be an obstacle to or to place obstacles in the way of |
| impermeable | Impossible to penetrate or permeate |
| implosion | A violent collapse inward |
| inane | Lacking sense or substance; empty or stupid |
| incense | To cause to become extremely angry; an aromatic substance that is burned to produce a pleasant odor |
| incessant | Unceasing |
| incite | To provoke and urge on |
| incongruous | Lacking in harmony; incompatible or not in agreement |
| incredulous | Skeptical or disbelieving |
| increment | A small, often imperceptible addition or augmentation |
| incumbent | Obligatory; Resting or leaning on something else; Someone currently holding a specified office |
| indistinct | Not clearly or sharply delineated; vague |
| inept | Not apt or fitting; foolish; incompetent |
| infallible | Incapable of erring or failing |
| inferno | A place or condition suggestive of hell; a place of fiery heat |
| infuse | To fill or cause to be filled with something |
| ingenuous | Lacking in worldliness; openly straightforward |
| ingest | To take into the body by the mouth for digestion; to take in |
| interim | An interval of time between acts or periods; temporary |
| introspection | Contemplation of one's own thoughts and feelings |
| invalid | One who is disabled by illness or injury; not valid |
| invincible | Unconquerable |
| iota | A very small amount; a bit |
| ire | Wrath |
| irksome | Causing annoyance, weariness or vexation |
| jabber | To talk rapidly or unintelligibly |
| jovial | Merry |
| lackluster | Lacking brightness, luster or vitality; dull |
| lament | To express grief for or about; to regret deeply |
| lavish | Marked by or produced with extravagance; to give in abundance |
| legacy | Money or property bequeathed to another by will; something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor |
| lethargy | A state of inactivity, sluggishness and apathy |
| lurk | To lie in wait, as in ambush |
| malcontent | One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs |
| malign | To speak evil of; evil in nature or spirit |
| manacle | A device for confining the hands |
| massacre | A cruel, indiscriminate killing of a large number of human beings |
| maul | To injure by beating; to handle roughly |
| mesmerize | To hypnotize |
| meticulous | Extremely careful and precise; excessively concerned with details |
| mischievous | Causing mischief; Playfully naughty; troublesome |
| miser | One who lives very meagerly to save money; a greedy person |
| moderation | Temperance |
| morbid | Of, relating to or caused by disease; psychologically unhealthy |
| morose | Sullenly melancholy; gloomy |
| negligent | Characterized by or inclined to neglect, esp. habitually |
| oblivious | Completely unaware or mindful of |
| ominous | Menacing or threatening; portentous |
| opaque | Impenetrable by light; so obscure as to be unintelligible |
| palate | The roof of the mouth |
| palatial | Of the nature or a palace; magnificently enormous |
| pariah | A social outcast |
| partisan | A fervent supporter of a cause, group, person or idea |
| patron | A sponsor or benefactor; a customer (esp. a regular one) |
| pedestrian | One who journeys on foot; commonplace |
| perennial | Lasting or active throughout the entire year or many years |
| perilous | Dangerous |
| permeate | To spread or flow through; to pervade |
| perpetrate | To be responsible for or commit (esp. a crime) |
| personable | Pleasing in personality |
| petrify | To turn into wood; to cause to be stiff or stone-like |
| pine | To mourn or long for out of grief |
| pivotal | Of vital importance; crucial |
| placate | To allay the anger of (esp. by concessions); to appease |
| plea | An earnest request |
| plod | To move or walk in a heavy, laborious manner |
| plummet | To decline suddenly and steeply; something that weighs down |
| poignant | Keenly distressing to the spirit, body or mind; profoundly moving |
| pompous | Marked by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity |
| portent | A sign of something important of calamitous to come; an omen |
| prevalent | Widely occurring, existing, accepted or practiced |
| pristine | In a pure state; uncorrupted |
| procrastinate | To delay or put off for later |
| propensity | An innate inclination; a tendency |
| provisional | Temporary |
| proximity | Closeness; propinquity |
| prudent | Wise in handling practical matters |
| pry | To inquire in a nosy manner or snoop; to obtain with difficulty |
| pseudo- | Prefix meaning ‘false’ |
| quack | An untrained person who pretends to be a physician; a charlatan |
| quaff | To drink heartily |
| quell | To put down forcibly; to suppress |
| queer | Deviating from the expected; strange |
| rebuff | A blunt or abrupt repulse or refusal |
| reconcile | To re-establish a close relationship; to bring (oneself) to accept |
| regurgitate | To spit up partially digested food (oft. used of ideas as well) |
| reiterate | To say or do repeatedly |
| rejuvenate | To restore to youthful vigor or appearance |
| renowned | Famous |
| renovate | To restore to an earlier condition; to revive |
| repel | To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally |
| resuscitate | To restore consciousness, vigor or life to |
| revere | To worship or adore |
| reverence | A feeling of profound awe, respect and (often) love; veneration |
| scorch | To burn |
| servile | Abjectly submissive; slavish |
| shard | A piece of broken pottery or a fragment of glass |
| shrewd | Clever or cunning; sharp or penetrating |
| shrill | High-pitched and piercing in sound; harshly keen to the senses |
| slur | To pronounce indistinctly |
| squalid | Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance |
| stipulate | To lay down as a condition |
| sublime | Majestic |
| succinct | Concise |
| suffice | To be enough or make do |
| superimpose | To lay or place something over something else |
| suppress | To prevent from being disclosed or punished |
| surcharge | An additional amount charged |
| talon | The claw of a predatory bird |
| tenacious | Holding persistently to something (e.g. a point of view) |
| thwart | To prevent the occurrence, realization or attainment of |
| transgress | To go beyond or over; to act in violation of the law |
| turbulent | Violently agitated; tumultuous; causing unrest or restless in nature |
| vain | Not yielding the desired outcome; fruitless; excessively proud of one’s appearance or accomplishments |
| vestige | A visible trace, mark, or impression, of something gone |
| virtue | A rare, curious, or beautiful quality |
| vivify | To give or bring to life; to make more lively or vivid |
| vociferous | Making a noisy and vehement outcry |
| whimsical | Capricious |
| yelp | A short, sharp cry or bark |
| yen | A strong desire or urge for something |
| zealous | Filled with enthusiastic devotion to a principle or cause |
| zenith | The peak |
Created by:
msbabione
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