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GRE Vocab 898
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| aberrant | adj. deviating from normal or correct. |
| advocate | to speak, plead, or argue for a cause, or in another￢ﾀﾙs behalf. (n) -- one who advocates. |
| ambrosial | extremely pleasing to the senses, divine (as related to the gods) or delicious (n: ambrosia) |
| anachronism | a person or artifact appearing after its own time or out of chronological order (adj: anachronistic) |
| anomalous | peculiar; unique, contrary to the norm (n: anomaly) |
| antipathy | hostility toward, objection, or aversion to |
| arbitrate | to settle a dispute by impulse (n: arbitration) |
| attenuate | weaken (adj: attenuated) |
| barefaced | unconcealed, shameless, or brazen |
| burgeon | to grow or flourish; a bud or new growth (adj: burgeoning ) |
| buttress | to support. a support |
| cadge | to get something by taking advantage of someone |
| caprice | impulse (adj: capricious) |
| catalyst | an agent of change (adj: catalytic; v. catalyze) |
| complaisant | willingly compliant or accepting of the status quo (n: complaisance) |
| corporal | of the body: "corporal punishment." a non-commissioned officer ranked between a sergeant and a private. |
| corroborate | to strengthen or support: "The witness corroborted his story." (n: corroboration) |
| craven | cowardly; a coward |
| culpable | deserving of blame (n: culpability) |
| deference | submission or courteous yielding: "He held his tongue in deference to his father." (n: deferential. v. defer) |
| depict | to show, create a picture of. |
| deprecation | belittlement. (v. deprecate) |
| depredation | the act of preying upon or plundering: "The depredations of the invaders demoralized the population." |
| desiccate | to dry out thoroughly (adj: desiccated) |
| disabuse | to free a person from falsehood or error: "We had to disabuse her of the notion that she was invited." |
| disparaging | belittling (n: disparagement. v. disparage) |
| dispassionate | calm; objective; unbiased |
| dogged | stubborn or determined: "Her dogged pursuit of the degree eventually paid off." |
| eclectic | selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources: "Many modern decorators prefer an eclectic style." (n: eclecticism) |
| effluent | the quality of flowing out. something that flows out, such as a stream from a river (n: effluence) |
| emollient | softening; something that softens |
| emulate | to strive to equal or excel (n: emulation) |
| ephemeral | lasting for only a brief time, fleeting (n: ephemera) |
| esoteric | intended for or understood by only a few: "The esoteric discussion confused some people." (n: esoterica) |
| explicit | fully and clearly expressed |
| fathom | a measure of length (six feet) used in nautical settings. to penetrate to the depths of something in order to understand it: "I couldn't fathom her reasoning on that issue." |
| feign | to give false appearance or impression: "He feigned illness to avoid going to school." (adj: feigned) |
| fervid, fervent | highly emotional; hot: "The partisans displayed a fervent patriotism." (n: fervor) |
| fledgling | a baby bird; an inexperienced person; inexperienced. |
| floundering | struggling: "We tried to save the floundering business." |
| guileless | honest; straightforward (n: guilelessness) |
| hapless | unfortunate |
| headlong | headfirst; impulsive; hasty. impulsively; hastily; without forethought: "They rushed headlong into marriage." |
| homogenous | similar in nature or kind; uniform: "a homogeneous society." |
| implication | insinuation or connotation (v. implicate) |
| imply | to suggest indirectly; to entail: "She implied she didn't believe his story." (n: implication) |
| improvidence | an absence of foresight; a failure to provide for future needs or events: "Their improvidence resulted in the loss of their home." |
| incorrigible | not capable of being corrected: "The school board finally decided the James was incorrigible and expelled him from school." |
| infer | to deduce: "New genetic evidence led some zoologists to infer that the red wolf is actually a hybrid of the coyote and the gray wolf." |
| ingenious | clever: "She developed an ingenious method for testing her hypothesis."(n: ingenuity) |
| inhibit | to hold back, prohibit, forbid, or restrain (n: inhibition, adj: inhibited) |
| insular | of or pertaining to an island, thus, excessively exclusive: "Newcomers found it difficult to make friends in the insular community." |
| laconic | using few words; terse: "a laconic reply." |
| leviathan | giant whale, therefore, something very large |
| lucid | clear; translucent: "He made a lucid argument to support his theory." |
| magnanimity | generosity and nobility. (adj: magnanimous) |
| malevolent | malicious; evil; having or showing ill will: "Some early American colonists saw the wilderness as malevolent and sought to control it." |
| misanthrope | one who hates people: "He was a true misanthrope and hated even himself." |
| misogynist | one who hates women |
| mitigate | to make less forceful; to become more moderate; to make less harsh or undesirable: "He was trying to mitigate the damage he had done." (n: mitigation) |
| occlude | to close or shut off; to obstruct (n: occlusion) |
| opaque | not transparent or transluscent; dense; difficult to comprehend, as inopaque reasoning |
| ossified | turned to bone; hardened like bone; Inflexible: "The ossified culture failed to adapt to new economic conditions and died out." |
| pedantic | showing a narrow concern for rules or formal book learning; making an excessive display of one's own learning: "We quickly tired of his pedantic conversation." (n: pedant, pedantry). |
| perfidious | deliberately treacherous; dishonest (n: perfidy) |
| philanthropy | tendency or action for the benefit of others, as in donating money or property to a charitible organization |
| plastic | related to being shaped or molded; capable of being molded. (n: plasticity n: plastic) |
| pragmatic | concerned with facts; practical, as opposed to highly principled or traditional: "His pragmatic approach often offended idealists." (n: pragmatism) |
| precipice | cliff with a vertical or nearly vertical face; a dangerous place from which one is likely to fall; metaphorically, a very risky circumstance |
| precipitate | to fall; to fall downward suddenly and dramatically; to bring about or hasten the occurrence of something: "Old World diseases precipitated a massive decline in the American Indian population." |
| precursor | something (or someone) that precedes another: "The assasination of the Archduke was a precursor to the war." |
| propitiate | to conciliate; to appease: "They made sacrifices to propitiate angry gods." |
| Pulchritudinous | beautiful (n: pulchritude) |
| rarefy | to make or become thin; to purify or refine (n: rarefaction, adj: rarefied) |
| reproof | the act of censuring, scolding, or rebuking. (v. reprove). |
| sate | to satisfy fully or to excess |
| saturnine | having a gloomy or morose temperament |
| savant | a very knowledgable person; a genious |
| superficial | only covering the surface: "A superficial treatment of the topic was all they wanted." |
| tacit | unspoken: "Katie and carmella had a tacit agreement that they would not mention the dented fender to their parents." |
| temperate | exercising moderation and self-denial; calm or mild (n: temperance) |
| tirade (diatribe) | an angry speech: "His tirade had gone on long enough." |
| vacuous | empty; without contents; without ideas or intelligence:: "She flashed a vacuous smile." |
| venerate | great respect or reverence: "The Chinese traditionally venerated their ancestors; ancestor worship is merely a popular misnomer for this tradition." (n: veneration, adj: venerable) |
| vex | to annoy; to bother; to perplex; to puzzle; to debate at length: "Franklin vexed his brother with his controversial writings." |
| viscous | slow moving; highly resistant to flow: "Heintz commercials imply that their catsup is more viscous than others'." (n: viscosity) |
| voracious | craving or devouring large quantities of food, drink, or other things. She is a voracious reader. |
| waver | to hesitate or to tremble |
| wretched | extremely pitiful or unfortunate (n: wretch) |
| zeal | enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal (n: zealot; zealoutry. adj: zealous) |
| aberration | Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. |
| abet | To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense). |
| abeyance | A state of suspension or temporary inaction. |
| abjure | To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath. |
| ablution | A washing or cleansing, especially of the body. |
| abrogate | To abolish, repeal. |
| abstemious | Characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink, food. |
| abstruse | Dealing with matters difficult to be understood. |
| abut | To touch at the end or boundary line. |
| accede | To agree. |
| acquiesce | To comply; submit. |
| acrid | Harshly pungent or bitter. |
| acumen | Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of discrimination. |
| adage | An old saying. |
| adamant | Any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability. |
| admonition | Gentle reproof. |
| adumbrate | To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem. |
| affable | Easy to approach. |
| aggravate | To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome. |
| agile | Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally. |
| agog | In eager desire. |
| alacrity | Cheerful willingness. |
| alcove | A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room. |
| alleviate | To make less burdensome or less hard to bear. |
| aloof | Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others. |
| ambidextrous | Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease. |
| ameliorate | To relieve, as from pain or hardship |
| anathema | Anything forbidden, as by social usage. |
| animadversion | The utterance of criticism or censure. |
| animosity | Hatred. |
| antidote | Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease, or the like. |
| aplomb | Confidence; coolness. |
| apocryphal | Of doubtful authority or authenticity. |
| apogee | The climax. |
| apostate | False. |
| apotheosis | Deification. |
| apparition | Ghost. |
| appease | To soothe by quieting anger or indignation. |
| apposite | Appropriate. |
| apprise | To give notice to; to inform. |
| approbation | Sanction. |
| arboreal | Of or pertaining to a tree or trees. |
| ardor | Intensity of passion or affection. |
| argot | A specialized vocabulary peculiar to a particular group. |
| arrant | Notoriously bad. |
| ascetic | Given to severe self-denial and practicing excessive abstinence and devotion. |
| ascribe | To assign as a quality or attribute. |
| asperity | Harshness or roughness of temper. |
| assiduous | Unceasing; persistent |
| astringent | Harsh in disposition or character. |
| astute | Keen in discernment. |
| atonement | Amends, reparation, or expiation made from wrong or injury. |
| augury | Omen |
| auspicious | Favorable omen |
| austere | Severely simple; unadorned. |
| autocrat | Any one who claims or wields unrestricted or undisputed authority or influence. |
| auxiliary | One who or that which aids or helps, especially when regarded as subsidiary or accessory. |
| avarice | Passion for getting and keeping riches. |
| aversion | A mental condition of fixed opposition to or dislike of some particular thing. |
| avow | To declare openly. |
| baleful | Malignant. |
| bask | To make warm by genial heat. |
| beatify | To make supremely happy. |
| bedaub | To smear over, as with something oily or sticky. |
| bellicose | Warlike. |
| belligerent | Manifesting a warlike spirit. |
| benefactor | A doer of kindly and charitable acts. |
| benevolence | Any act of kindness or well-doing. |
| benign | Good and kind of heart. |
| berate | To scold severely. |
| bewilder | To confuse the perceptions or judgment of. |
| blatant | Noisily or offensively loud or clamorous. |
| blithe | Joyous. |
| boisterous | Unchecked merriment or animal spirits. |
| bolster | To support, as something wrong. |
| boorish | Rude. |
| brittle | Fragile. |
| broach | To mention, for the first time. |
| bumptious | Full of offensive and aggressive self-conceit. |
| buoyant | Having the power or tendency to float or keep afloat. |
| burnish | To make brilliant or shining. |
| cabal | A number of persons secretly united for effecting by intrigue some private purpose. |
| cacophony | A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant sound or combination of sounds or tones. |
| cajole | To impose on or dupe by flattering speech. |
| callow | Without experience of the world. |
| calumny | Slander. |
| candid | Straightforward. |
| cant | To talk in a singsong, preaching tone with affected solemnity. |
| capacious | Roomy. |
| capitulate | To surrender or stipulate terms. |
| captious | Hypercritical. |
| cataract | Opacity of the lens of the eye resulting in complete or partial blindness. |
| censure | To criticize severely; also, an expression of disapproval. |
| centurion | A captain of a company of one hundred infantry in the ancient Roman army. |
| chagrin | Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one's failures or errors. |
| chary | Careful; wary; cautious. |
| circumlocution | Indirect or roundabout expression. |
| coddle | To treat as a baby or an invalid. |
| coerce | To force. |
| coeval | Existing during the same period of time; also, a contemporary. |
| cogent | Appealing strongly to the reason or conscience. |
| cogitate | Consider carefully and deeply; ponder. |
| cognizant | Taking notice. |
| colloquial | Pertaining or peculiar to common speech as distinguished from literary. |
| collusion | A secret agreement for a wrongful purpose. |
| comestible | Fit to be eaten. |
| commemorate | To serve as a remembrance of. |
| complaisance | Politeness. |
| complement | To make complete. |
| comport | To conduct or behave (oneself). |
| compunction | Remorseful feeling. |
| conceit | Self-flattering opinion. |
| conciliatory | Tending to reconcile. |
| concord | Harmony. |
| concur | To agree. |
| condense | To abridge. |
| confluence | The place where streams meet. |
| congeal | To coagulate. |
| conjoin | To unite. |
| connoisseur | A critical judge of art, especially one with thorough knowledge and sound judgment of art. |
| console | To comfort. |
| conspicuous | Clearly visible. |
| consternation | Panic. |
| constrict | To bind. |
| consummate | To bring to completion. |
| contiguous | Touching or joining at the edge or boundary. |
| contrite | Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin. |
| contumacious | Rebellious. |
| copious | Plenteous. |
| cornucopia | The horn of plenty, symbolizing peace and prosperity. |
| correlate | To put in some relation of connection or correspondence. |
| corroboration | Confirmation. |
| counterfeit | Made to resemble something else. |
| countervail | To offset. |
| covert | Concealed, especially for an evil purpose. |
| cower | To crouch down tremblingly, as through fear or shame. |
| crass | Coarse or thick in nature or structure, as opposed to thin or fine. |
| credulous | Easily deceived. |
| cupidity | Avarice. |
| cursory | Rapid and superficial. |
| curtail | To cut off or cut short. |
| cynosure | That to which general interest or attention is directed. |
| defer | To delay or put off to some other time. |
| deign | To deem worthy of notice or account. |
| deleterious | Hurtful, morally or physically. |
| delineate | To represent by sketch or diagram. |
| deluge | To overwhelm with a flood of water. |
| demagogue | An unprincipled politician. |
| denizen | Inhabitant. |
| denouement | That part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up. |
| deplete | To reduce or lessen, as by use, exhaustion, or waste. |
| deposition | Testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced to writing, for use as evidence in court. |
| deprave | To render bad, especially morally bad. |
| deprecate | To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite. |
| deride | To ridicule. |
| derision | Ridicule. |
| derivative | Coming or acquired from some origin. |
| desiccant | Any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or absorbs moisture, as that of wounds. |
| desuetude | A state of disuse or inactivity. |
| desultory | Not connected with what precedes. |
| deter | To frighten away. |
| dexterity | Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in any mechanical work. |
| diaphanous | Transparent. |
| didactic | Pertaining to teaching. |
| diffidence | Self-distrust. |
| dilate | To enlarge in all directions. |
| dilatory | Tending to cause delay. |
| disallow | To withhold permission or sanction. |
| discomfit | To embarrass greatly; to confuse. To defeat the plans or hopes of; to frustrate. |
| disconcert | To disturb the composure of. |
| disconsolate | Hopelessly sad; also, saddening; cheerless. |
| discountenance | To look upon with disfavor. |
| discredit | To injure the reputation of. |
| discreet | Judicious. |
| disheveled | Disordered; disorderly; untidy. |
| disseminate | To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown. |
| dissent | Disagreement. |
| dissolution | A breaking up of a union of persons. |
| distraught | Bewildered. |
| divulge | To tell or make known, as something previously private or secret. |
| dormant | Being in a state of or resembling sleep. |
| dubious | Doubtful. |
| duplicity | Double-dealing. |
| earthenware | Anything made of clay and baked in a kiln or dried in the sun. |
| ebullient | Showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling. |
| edacious | Given to eating. |
| edible | Suitable to be eaten. |
| educe | To draw out. |
| effete | Exhausted, as having performed its functions. |
| effrontery | Unblushing impudence. |
| effulgence | Splendor. |
| egregious | Extreme. |
| egress | Any place of exit. |
| elegy | A lyric poem lamenting the dead. |
| elicit | To educe or extract gradually or without violence. |
| elucidate | To bring out more clearly the facts concerning. |
| emaciate | To waste away in flesh. |
| embellish | To make beautiful or elegant by adding attractive or ornamental features. |
| embezzle | To misappropriate secretly. |
| emblazon | To set forth publicly or in glowing terms. |
| encumbrance | A burdensome and troublesome load. |
| engrave | To cut or carve in or upon some surface. |
| enmity | Hatred. |
| entangle | To involve in difficulties, confusion, or complications. |
| entreat | To ask for or request earnestly. |
| Epicurean | Indulging, ministering, or pertaining to daintiness of appetite. |
| epithet | Word used adjectivally to describe some quality or attribute of is objects, as in "Father Aeneas". |
| epitome | A simplified representation. |
| equable | Equal and uniform; also, serene. |
| equilibrium | A state of balance. |
| equivocate | To use words of double meaning. |
| eradicate | To destroy thoroughly. |
| errant | Roving or wandering, as in search of adventure or opportunity for gallant deeds. |
| erratic | Irregular. |
| erroneous | Incorrect. |
| eschew | To keep clear of. |
| espy | To keep close watch. |
| euphonious | Characterized by agreeableness of sound. |
| evanescent | Fleeting. |
| evince | To make manifest or evident. |
| evoke | To call or summon forth. |
| exhaustive | Thorough and complete in execution. |
| expatiate | To speak or write at some length. |
| expedient | Contributing to personal advantage. |
| expiate | To make satisfaction or amends for. |
| explicate | To clear from involvement. |
| expostulate | To discuss. |
| expropriate | To deprive of possession; also, to transfer (another's property) to oneself. |
| extempore | Without studied or special preparation. |
| extenuate | To diminish the gravity or importance of. |
| extinct | Being no longer in existence. |
| extinguish | To render extinct. |
| extirpate | To root out; to eradicate. |
| extol | To praise in the highest terms. |
| extort | To obtain by violence, threats, compulsion, or the subjection of another to some necessity. |
| extraneous | Having no essential relation to a subject. |
| exuberance | Rich supply. |
| facetious | Amusing. |
| facile | Not difficult to do. |
| factious | Turbulent. |
| fallacious | Illogical. |
| fatuous | Idiotic |
| feint | Any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement. |
| felon | A criminal or depraved person. |
| ferocity | Savageness. |
| fervid | Intense. |
| fervor | Ardor or intensity of feeling. |
| fidelity | Loyalty. |
| finesse | Subtle contrivance used to gain a point. |
| flamboyant | Characterized by extravagance and in general by want of good taste. |
| flippant | Having a light, pert, trifling disposition. |
| flout | To treat with contempt. |
| foible | A personal weakness or failing. |
| foment | To nurse to life or activity; to encourage. |
| foppish | Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties of manners. |
| forbearance | Patient endurance or toleration of offenses. |
| forfeit | To lose possession of through failure to fulfill some obligation. |
| forgery | Counterfeiting. |
| forswear | To renounce upon oath. |
| fragile | Easily broken. |
| frantic | Frenzied. |
| frugal | Economical. |
| fugacious | Fleeting. |
| fulminate | To cause to explode. |
| fulsome | Offensive from excess of praise or commendation. |
| gainsay | To contradict; to deny. |
| gamut | The whole range or sequence. |
| germane | Relevant. |
| gesticulate | To make gestures or motions, as in speaking, or in place of speech. |
| glimmer | A faint, wavering, unsteady light. |
| gourmand | A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table. |
| grandiloquent | Speaking in or characterized by a pompous or bombastic style. |
| gregarious | Sociable, outgoing |
| grievous | Creating affliction. |
| gullible | Credulous. |
| halcyon | Calm. |
| harangue | A tirade. |
| harbinger | One who or that which foreruns and announces the coming of any person or thing. |
| head | Adv. Precipitately, as in diving. |
| heinous | Odiously sinful. |
| heresy | An opinion or doctrine subversive of settled beliefs or accepted principles. |
| heterogeneous | Consisting of dissimilar elements or ingredients of different kinds. |
| hirsute | Having a hairy covering. |
| hoodwink | To deceive. |
| hospitable | Disposed to treat strangers or guests with generous kindness. |
| hypocrisy | Extreme insincerity. |
| idiosyncrasy | A mental quality or habit peculiar to an individual. |
| ignoble | Low in character or purpose. |
| ignominious | Shameful. |
| illicit | Unlawful. |
| imbroglio | A misunderstanding attended by ill feeling, perplexity, or strife. |
| imbue | To dye; to instill profoundly. |
| immaculate | Without spot or blemish. |
| imminent | Dangerous and close at hand. |
| immutable | Unchangeable. |
| impair | To cause to become less or worse. |
| impassive | Unmoved by or not exhibiting feeling. |
| impede | To be an obstacle or to place obstacles in the way of. |
| imperative | Obligatory. |
| imperturbable | Calm. |
| impervious | Impenetrable. |
| impetuous | Impulsive. |
| impiety | Irreverence toward God. |
| implacable | Incapable of being pacified. |
| implicate | To show or prove to be involved in or concerned |
| implicit | Implied. |
| importunate | Urgent in character, request, or demand. |
| importune | To harass with persistent demands or entreaties. |
| impromptu | Anything done or said on the impulse of the moment. |
| improvident | Lacking foresight or thrift. |
| impugn | To assail with arguments, insinuations, or accusations. |
| impute | To attribute. |
| inadvertent | Accidental. |
| inane | Silly. |
| incessant | Unceasing. |
| incipient | Initial. |
| incite | To rouse to a particular action. |
| incongruous | Unsuitable for the time, place, or occasion. |
| inculcate | To teach by frequent repetitions. |
| indigence | Poverty. |
| indigenous | Native. |
| indistinct | Vague. |
| indolence | Laziness. |
| indolent | Habitually inactive or idle. |
| indomitable | Unconquerable. |
| indulgent | Yielding to the desires or humor of oneself or those under one's care. |
| ineluctable | Impossible to avoid. |
| inept | Not fit or suitable. |
| inexorable | Unrelenting. |
| infuse | To instill, introduce, or inculcate, as principles or qualities. |
| inimical | Adverse. |
| inscrutable | Impenetrably mysterious or profound. |
| insinuate | To imply. |
| insouciant | Nonchalant. |
| insurrection | The state of being in active resistance to authority. |
| interdict | Authoritative act of prohibition. |
| interim | Time between acts or periods. |
| intrepid | Fearless and bold. |
| introspection | The act of observing and analyzing one's own thoughts and feelings. |
| inundate | To fill with an overflowing abundance. |
| inure | To harden or toughen by use, exercise, or exposure. |
| invalid | One who is disabled by illness or injury. |
| invective | An utterance intended to cast censure, or reproach. |
| inveigh | To utter vehement censure or invective. |
| inveterate | Habitual. |
| invidious | Showing or feeling envy. |
| invincible | Not to be conquered, subdued, or overcome. |
| iota | A small or insignificant mark or part. |
| irate | Moved to anger. |
| ire | Wrath. |
| irksome | Wearisome. |
| itinerant | Wandering. |
| itinerate | To wander from place to place. |
| jocular | Inclined to joke. |
| jovial | Merry. |
| judicious | Prudent. |
| junta | A council or assembly that deliberates in secret upon the affairs of government. |
| lachrymose | Given to shedding tears. |
| lackadaisical | Listless. |
| languid | Relaxed. |
| lascivious | Lustful. |
| lassitude | Lack of vitality or energy. |
| laudatory | Pertaining to, expressing, or containing praise. |
| legacy | A bequest. |
| levee | An embankment beside a river or stream or an arm of the sea, to prevent overflow. |
| levity | Frivolity. |
| lexicon | A dictionary. |
| libel | Defamation. |
| licentious | Wanton. |
| lien | A legal claim or hold on property, as security for a debt or charge. |
| listless | Inattentive. |
| lithe | Supple. |
| luminary | One of the heavenly bodies as a source of light. |
| lustrous | Shining. |
| malaise | A condition of uneasiness or ill-being. |
| malcontent | One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs. |
| malevolence | Ill will. |
| malign | To speak evil of, especially to do so falsely and severely. |
| malleable | Pliant. |
| massacre | The unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of human beings. |
| maudlin | Foolishly and tearfully affectionate. |
| mawkish | Sickening or insipid. |
| mellifluous | Sweetly or smoothly flowing. |
| mendacious | Untrue. |
| mendicant | A beggar. |
| meretricious | Alluring by false or gaudy show. |
| mesmerize | To hypnotize. |
| meticulous | Over-cautious. |
| mettle | Courage. |
| mettlesome | Having courage or spirit. |
| microcosm | The world or universe on a small scale. |
| mien | The external appearance or manner of a person. |
| mischievous | Fond of tricks. |
| miscreant | A villain. |
| miser | A person given to saving and hoarding unduly. |
| moderation | Temperance. |
| modicum | A small or token amount. |
| mollify | To soothe. |
| molt | To cast off, as hair, feathers, etc. |
| monomania | The unreasonable pursuit of one idea. |
| morbid | Caused by or denoting a diseased or unsound condition of body or mind. |
| mordant | Biting. |
| moribund | On the point of dying. |
| morose | Gloomy. |
| multifarious | Having great diversity or variety. |
| mundane | Worldly, as opposed to spiritual or celestial. |
| munificent | Extraordinarily generous. |
| myriad | A vast indefinite number. |
| nadir | The lowest point. |
| negligent | Apt to omit what ought to be done. |
| neophyte | Having the character of a beginner. |
| nostrum | Any scheme or recipe of a charlatan character. |
| noxious | Hurtful. |
| nugatory | Having no power or force. |
| obfuscate | To darken; to obscure. |
| oblique | Slanting; said of lines. |
| obsequious | Showing a servile readiness to fall in with the wishes or will of another. |
| obstreperous | Boisterous. |
| obtrude | To be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence. |
| obtrusive | Tending to be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence. |
| odious | Hateful. |
| odium | A feeling of extreme repugnance, or of dislike and disgust. |
| officious | Intermeddling with what is not one's concern. |
| ominous | Portentous. |
| onerous | Burdensome or oppressive. |
| onus | A burden or responsibility. |
| opprobrium | The state of being scornfully reproached or accused of evil. |
| ossify | To convert into bone. |
| ostentation | A display dictated by vanity and intended to invite applause or flattery. |
| ostracism | Exclusion from intercourse or favor, as in society or politics. |
| ostracize | To exclude from public or private favor. |
| palate | The roof of the mouth. |
| palatial | Magnificent. |
| palliate | To cause to appear less guilty. |
| palpable | Perceptible by feeling or touch. |
| panacea | A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases. |
| panoply | A full set of armor. |
| paragon | A model of excellence. |
| Pariah | A member of a degraded class; a social outcast. |
| paroxysm | A sudden outburst of any kind of activity. |
| parsimonious | Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money. |
| partisan | Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a party. |
| pathos | The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or sympathy. |
| paucity | Fewness. |
| pedestrian | One who journeys on foot. |
| pellucid | Translucent. |
| penchant | A bias in favor of something. |
| penurious | Excessively sparing in the use of money. |
| penury | Indigence. |
| peregrination | A wandering. |
| peremptory | Precluding question or appeal. |
| perfidy | Treachery. |
| perfunctory | Half-hearted. |
| peripatetic | Walking about. |
| perjury | A solemn assertion of a falsity. |
| permeate | To pervade. |
| pernicious | Tending to kill or hurt. |
| persiflage | Banter. |
| perspicacity | Acuteness or discernment. |
| perturbation | Mental excitement or confusion. |
| petrify | To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character. |
| physiognomy | The external appearance merely. |
| pious | Religious. |
| pique | To excite a slight degree of anger in. |
| platitude | A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace. |
| plea | An argument to obtain some desired action. |
| plenary | Entire. |
| plumb | A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something. |
| plummet | A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical. |
| poignant | Severely painful or acute to the spirit. |
| polyglot | Speaking several tongues. |
| portend | To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs. |
| portent | Anything that indicates what is to happen. |
| precarious | Perilous. |
| preclude | To prevent. |
| precocious | Having the mental faculties prematurely developed. |
| predominate | To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree. |
| premature | Coming too soon. |
| presage | To foretell. |
| prescience | Knowledge of events before they take place. |
| presumption | That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved. |
| preternatural | Extraordinary. |
| prevalent | Of wide extent or frequent occurrence. |
| prim | Stiffly proper. |
| pristine | Primitive. |
| probity | Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed. |
| proclivity | A natural inclination. |
| procrastination | Delay. |
| prodigious | Immense. |
| profligacy | Shameless viciousness. |
| profligate | Recklessly wasteful |
| profuse | Produced or displayed in overabundance. |
| prolix | Verbose. |
| propinquity | Nearness. |
| propitious | Kindly disposed. |
| prosaic | Unimaginative. |
| proscribe | To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or denunciation. |
| protuberant | Bulging. |
| provident | Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies. |
| prudence | Caution. |
| puerile | Childish. |
| pugnacious | Quarrelsome. |
| punctilious | Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or custom. |
| pungency | The quality of affecting the sense of smell. |
| pyre | A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body. |
| qualm | A fit of nausea. |
| quandary | A puzzling predicament. |
| quibble | An utterly trivial distinction or objection. |
| quiescent | Being in a state of repose or inaction. |
| Quixotic | Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree. |
| quotidian | Of an everyday character; ordinary. |
| raconteur | A person skilled in telling stories. |
| ramify | To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions. |
| rapacious | Sieze by force, avaricious |
| raucous | Harsh. |
| reactionary | Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction. |
| rebuff | A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches. |
| recalcitrant | Marked by stubborn resistance. |
| recant | To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or maintained). |
| reciprocity | Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed. |
| recluse | One who lives in retirement or seclusion. |
| recondite | Incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding. |
| recrudescent | Becoming raw or sore again. |
| recuperate | To recover. |
| redoubtable | Formidable. |
| redress | To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the wrong-doer. |
| refractory | Not amenable to control. |
| regale | To give unusual pleasure. |
| regicide | The killing of a king or sovereign. |
| reiterate | To say or do again and again. |
| relapse | To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery. |
| remonstrate | To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right or prevent a wrong. |
| renovate | To restore after deterioration, as a building. |
| repast | A meal; figuratively, any refreshment. |
| repel | To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally. |
| repine | To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding. |
| reprobate | One abandoned to depravity and sin. |
| repudiate | To refuse to have anything to do with. |
| repulsive | Grossly offensive. |
| requisite | Necessary. |
| requite | To repay either good or evil to, as to a person. |
| resilience | The power of springing back to a former position |
| resonance | Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations. |
| respite | Interval of rest. |
| restive | Resisting control. |
| retinue | The group of people who accompany an important person during travels. |
| revere | To regard with worshipful veneration. |
| reverent | Humble. |
| ribald | Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity. |
| risible | Capable of exciting laughter. |
| rotund | Round from fullness or plumpness. |
| ruffian | A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow. |
| ruminate | To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated. |
| salacious | Having strong sexual desires. |
| salient | Standing out prominently. |
| salubrious | Healthful; promoting health. |
| salutary | Beneficial. |
| sanction | To approve authoritatively. |
| sardonic | Scornfully or bitterly sarcastic. |
| satiate | To satisfy fully the appetite or desire of. |
| satyr | A very lascivious person. |
| savor | To perceive by taste or smell. |
| scabbard | The sheath of a sword or similar bladed weapon. |
| scintilla | The faintest ray. |
| scribble | Hasty, careless writing. |
| sequence | The order in which a number or persons, things, or events follow one another in space or time. |
| severance | Separation. |
| shrewd | Characterized by skill at understanding and profiting by circumstances. |
| sinecure | Any position having emoluments with few or no duties. |
| sinuous | Curving in and out. |
| skiff | Usually, a small light boat propelled by oars. |
| sluggard | A person habitually lazy or idle. |
| solace | Comfort in grief, trouble, or calamity. |
| solvent | Having sufficient funds to pay all debts. |
| somniferous | Tending to produce sleep. |
| somnolent | Sleepy. |
| sonorous | Resonant. |
| sophistry | Reasoning sound in appearance only, especially when designedly deceptive. |
| soporific | Causing sleep; also, something that causes sleep. |
| sordid | Filthy, morally degraded |
| spurious | Not genuine. |
| squalid | Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance. |
| stanch | To stop the flowing of; to check. |
| stigma | A mark of infamy or token of disgrace attaching to a person as the result of evil-doing. |
| stingy | Cheap, unwilling to spend money. |
| stolid | Expressing no power of feeling or perceiving. |
| submerge | To place or plunge under water. |
| subterfuge | Evasion. |
| succinct | Concise. |
| sumptuous | Rich and costly. |
| supercilious | Exhibiting haughty and careless contempt. |
| superfluous | Being more than is needed. |
| supernumerary | Superfluous. |
| supersede | To displace. |
| supine | Lying on the back. |
| supplicate | To beg. |
| suppress | To prevent from being disclosed or punished. |
| surcharge | An additional amount charged. |
| surfeit | To feed to fullness or to satiety. |
| susceptibility | A specific capability of feeling or emotion. |
| sybarite | A luxurious person. |
| sycophant | A servile flatterer, especially of those in authority or influence. |
| synopsis | A syllabus or summary. |
| taut | Stretched tight. |
| temerity | Foolhardy disregard of danger; recklessness. |
| terse | Pithy. |
| timorous | Lacking courage. |
| torpid | Dull; sluggish; inactive. |
| torrid | Excessively hot. |
| transgress | To break a law. |
| transient | One who or that which is only of temporary existence. |
| transitory | Existing for a short time only. |
| travail | Hard or agonizing labor. |
| travesty | A grotesque imitation. |
| trenchant | Cutting deeply and quickly. |
| trepidation | Nervous uncertainty of feeling. |
| trite | Made commonplace by frequent repetition. |
| truculence | Ferocity. |
| truculent | Having the character or the spirit of a savage. |
| turbid | In a state of turmoil; muddled |
| turgid | Swollen. |
| tutelage | The act of training or the state of being under instruction. |
| ubiquitous | Being present everywhere. |
| ulterior | 1. beyond what is obvious or evident<br>2. being intentionally concealed so as to deceive <br>3. happening later; subsequent |
| umbrage | A sense of injury. |
| unctuous | Oily. |
| undermine | To subvert in an underhand way. |
| undulate | To move like a wave or in waves. |
| untoward | Causing annoyance or hindrance. |
| upbraid | To reproach as deserving blame. |
| vagary | A sudden desire or action |
| vainglory | Excessive, pretentious, and demonstrative vanity. |
| valorous | Courageous. |
| vapid | Having lost sparkling quality and flavor. |
| variegated | Having marks or patches of different colors; also, varied. |
| vehement | Very eager or urgent. |
| venal | Mercenary, corrupt. |
| veneer | Outside show or elegance. |
| venial | That may be pardoned or forgiven, a forgivable sin. |
| veracious | Habitually disposed to speak the truth. |
| veracity | Truthfulness. |
| verbiage | Use of many words without necessity. |
| verdant | Green with vegetation. |
| veritable | Real; true; genuine. |
| vestige | A visible trace, mark, or impression, of something absent, lost, or gone. |
| vicissitude | A change, especially a complete change, of condition or circumstances, as of fortune. |
| vigilance | Alert and intent mental watchfulness in guarding against danger. |
| vigilant | Being on the alert to discover and ward off danger or insure safety. |
| virago | Loud talkative women, strong statured women |
| virtu | Rare, curious, or beautiful quality. |
| visage | The face, countenance, or look of a person. |
| vitiate | To contaminate. |
| vituperate | To overwhelm with wordy abuse. |
| vivify | To endue with life. |
| vociferous | Making a loud outcry. |
| voluble | Having great fluency in speaking. |
| wean | To transfer (the young) from dependence on mother's milk to another form of nourishment. |
| whimsical | Capricious. |
| winsome | Attractive. |
| Zeitgeist | The intellectual and moral tendencies that characterize any age or epoch. |
| breach | a lapse, gap or break, as in a fortress wall. To break or break through |
| eulogy | a spoken or written tribute to the deceased (v. eulogize) / A spoken or written laudation of a person's life or character. |
| assuage | to make less severe; to appease or satisfy / To cause to be less harsh, violent, or severe, as excitement, appetite, pain, or disease. |
| placate | to Pacify; to calm or reduce anger by making concessions; To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or friendliness. |
| quiescence | motionless; inactivity; stillness; dormancy (adj: quiescent) / Being quiet, still, or at rest; inactive |
| taciturn | habitually untalkative or silent (n: taciturnity) / Disinclined to conversation. |
| enervate | to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of; To render ineffective or inoperative. |
| encomium | a formal eulogy or speech of praise |
| audacious | extremely bold; fearless; daring |
| descry | to make clear, to say / To discern. |
| insensible | numb; unconscious: "Wayne was rendered insensible by a blow to the head." unfeeling; insensitive: "They were insensibile to the suffering of others.: / Imperceptible. |
| loquacious | talkative |
| ingenuous | Childlike or innocnent simplicity; unsophisticated; artless; straightforward; candid |
| impecunious | penniless; poor |
| verbose | wordy |
| phlegmatic | not easily excited; cool; sluggish / Not easily roused to feeling or action. |
| extant | in existence, still existing and known |
| corporeal | of or having to do with material, as opposed to spiritual; tangible; Of a material nature; physical. |
| engender | to give rise to, to propagate, to cause |
| blandishment | speech or action intended to coax someone into doing something / Flattery intended to persuade. |
| dogmatic | Dictatorial in one's opinion; relying upon doctrine or dogma, as opposed to evidence / Making statements without argument or evidence. |
| ambiguous | doubtful or uncertain; vague; subject to more than one interpretation / Having a double meaning. |
| obdurate | hardened against influence or feeling; resistant to persuasion; intractable. / Impassive to feelings of humanity or pity. |
| aggrandize | To increase in power, influence, and reputation; v. to make greater, to increase, thus, to exaggerate. / to make greater, to increase, thus, to exaggerate. / To cause to appear greatly. |
| antediluvian | ancient; outmoded; (literally,before the flood) / Of or pertaining to the times, things, events before the great flood in the days of Noah. |
| tortuous | twisted; excessively complicated: "Despite public complaints, tax laws and forms have become increasingly tortuous." Note: Don't confuse this with torturous. / Abounding in irregular bends or turns. |
| lugubrious | weighty, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an excessive degree: "Jake's lugubrious monologues depressed his friends." / Indicating sorrow, often ridiculously. |
| tractable | ability to be easily managed or controlled: "Her mother wished she were more tractable." (n: tractibility) / Easily led or controlled. |
| fawn | to grovel; to seek favor or attention; to act subserviantly (n, adj: fawning) / A young deer. |
| exorbitant | exceeding customary or normal limits, esp. in quantity or price: "The cab fare was exorbitant." / Going beyond usual and proper limits. |
| abscond | v. to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law. / to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law. / To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest. |
| prodigal | lavish; rashly wasteful: "Americans' prodigal devotion to the automobile is unique." / One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or property. |
| garrulous | verbose; talkative; rambling: "We tried to avoid our garrulous neighbor." / Given to constant trivial talking. |
| tyro | beginner; person lacking experience in a specific endeavor: "They easily took advantage of the tyro." / One slightly skilled in or acquainted with any trade or profession. |
| chicanery | deception by trickery / The use of trickery to deceive. |
| banal | boring; predicable; cliche; commonplace or trite (n: banality) / Commonplace. |
| laudable | praiseworthy; commendable (v. laud) / Praiseworthy. |
| endemic | prevalent in or native to a certain region, locality, or people: "The disease was endemic to the region." Don't confuse this word with epidemic. / Peculiar to some specified country or people. |
| bombast | pompous speech (adj: bombastic) / Inflated or extravagant language, especially on unimportant subjects. |
| caustic | capable of dissolving by chemical action; <br>Biting in wit; <br>highly critical: "His caustic remarks spoiled the mood of the party." / Sarcastic and severe. |
| conflagration | a great fire / A great fire, as of many buildings, a forest, or the like. |
| volatile | explosive; fickle (n: volatility). / Changeable. |
| exigency | A critical period or condition. / State of requiring immediate action; also, an urgent situation; also, that which is required in a |
| exacerbate | to make worse; to increase the bitterness or violence of; to aggravate: "The decision to fortify the border exacerbated tensions." / To make more sharp, severe, or virulent. |
| petulant | easily or frequently annoyed, especially over trivial matters; childishly irritable / Displaying impatience. |
| rescind | to repeal or annul / To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior authority. |
| gossamer | fine cobweb on foliage; fine gauzy fabric; very fine: "She wore a gossamer robe." / Flimsy. |
| sanguine | cheerful; confident: "Her sanguine attitude put everyone at ease."(Sangfroid (noun) is a related French word meaning unflappibility. Literally, it means cold blood) / Cheerfully confident; optimistic. |
| exculpate | to demonstrate or prove to be blameless: "The evidence tended to exculpate the defendant."(adj: exculpatory) / To relieve of blame. |
| prevaricate | to stray away from or evade the truth: "When we asked him what his intentions were, he prevaricated."(n: prevarication; prevaricator) / To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving or diverting attention. |
| latent | present or potential but not evident or active (n: latency) / Dormant. |
| enigma | puzzle; mystery: "Math is an enigma to me." (adj: enigmatic) / A riddle. |
| noisome | harmful, offensive, destructive: "The noisome odor of the dump carried for miles." / Very offensive, particularly to the sense of smell. |
| equivocal | ambiguous; unclear; subject to more than one interpretation -- often intentionally so: "Republicans complained that Bill Clinton's answers were equivocal." (v. equivocate) / Ambiguous. |
| iconoclast | one who attacks traditional ideas or institutions or one who destroys sacred images (adj: iconoclastic) / An image-breaker. |
| imperious | commanding / Insisting on obedience. |
| sedulous | diligent; persevering; persistent: "Her sedulous devotion to overcoming her background impressed many." (n: sedulity; sedulousness; adv. sedulously) / Persevering in effort or endeavor. |
| inchoate | in an initial or early stage; incomplete; disorganized: "The act of writing forces one to clarify incohate thoughts." / Incipient. |
| castigate | to chastise or criticize severely / To punish. |
| insipid | lacking zest or excitement; dull / Tasteless. |
| diatribe | a bitter abusive denunciation. / A bitter or malicious criticism. |
| intransigent | stubborn; immovable; unwilling to change: "She was so intransigent we finally gave up trying to convince her." (n: intransigence) / Not capable of being swayed or diverted from a course. |
| peccadillo | a small sin or fault / A small breach of propriety or principle. |
| equanimity | Evenness of mind or temper. / Calmness; composure. |
| irascible | prone to outbursts of temper, easily angered / Prone to anger. |
| efficacy | effectiveness; capability to produce a desired effect / The power to produce an intended effect as shown in the production of it. |
| panegyric | a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing / A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an act. |
| nefarious | wicked, evil: "a nefarious plot." / Wicked in the extreme. |
| florid | flushed with a rosy color, as in complexion; very ornate and flowery: "florid prose." / Flushed with red. |
| pusillanimous | cowardly, timid, or irreselute; petty: "The pusillanimous leader soon lost the respect of his people." / Without spirit or bravery. |
| aver | to declare / To avouch, justify or prove |
| amalgamate | v. to unite or mix. (n) -- amalgamation. / to unite or mix. (n) -- amalgamation. / To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body. |
| obviate | to prevent by anticipatory measures; to make unnecessary: / To clear away or provide for, as an objection or difficulty. |
| turpitude | depravity; baseness: "Mr. Castor was fired for moral turpitude." / Depravity. |
| ineffable | undescribable; inexpressible in words; unspeakable / Unutterable. |
| misnomer | incorrect name or word for something / A name wrongly or mistakenly applied. |
| sagacious | having a sharp or powerful intellect or discernment. (n: sagacity). / Able to discern and distinguish with wise perception. |
| diffident | lacking self-confidence, modest (n: diffidence) / Affected or possessed with self-distrust. |
| ponderous | heavy; massive; awkward; dull: "A ponderous book is better than a sleeping pill." / Unusually weighty or forcible. |
| dissemble | to conceal one's real motive, to feign / To hide by pretending something different. |
| specious | seemingly true but really false; deceptively convincing or attractive: "Her argument, though specious, was readily accepted by many." / Plausible. |
| erudite | scholarly; displaying deep intensive learning. (n: erudition) / Very-learned. |
| innocuous | harmless; having no adverse affect; not likely to provoke strong emotion / Harmless. |
| dearth | lack, scarcity: "The prosecutor complained about the dearth of concrete evidence against the suspect." / Scarcity, as of something customary, essential,or desirable. |
| plethora | excessively large quantity; overabundance: "We received a p lethora of applications for the position." / Excess; superabundance. |
| indelible | permanent; unerasable; strong: "The Queen made an indelible impression on her subjects." / That can not be blotted out, effaced, destroyed, or removed. |
| guile | skillful deceit: "He was well known for his guile." (v. bequile; adj: beguiling. Note, however, that these two words have an additional meaning: to charm (v.) or charming (adj:), while the word guile does not generally have any such positive connotations) |
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