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Common Tested Words
Commonly Tested Words
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| abaft | adv. on or toward the rear of a ship |
| abdicate | v. to reject, denounce, or abandon |
| abjure | v. to renounce upon oath |
| abnegation | n. a denial |
| abscond | v. to go away hastily or secretly often with the intention to hide |
| abstemious | adj. sparing in diet, sparingly used |
| abysmal | adj. bottomless, extraordinarily bad |
| acerbity | n. harshness or bitterness |
| acrimony | n. sharpness |
| addle | adj. confused |
| adjure | v. to entreat earnestly and solemnly |
| adulation | n. praise in excess |
| adulterate | v. to corrupt, debase, or make impure |
| agrarian | adj. relating to land and the equal divisions of land |
| alchemy | n. any imaginary power of transmitting one thing into another |
| allegory | n. symbolic narration or description |
| anachronism | n. representation of something existing at other than its proper time |
| annihilate | v. to reduce to nothing |
| apocalyptic | adj. pertaining to revelation or prophecy |
| arrogate | v. to claim or demand unduly |
| artifice | n. skill, ingenuity, craft, deception, trickery |
| askance | adv. sideways, with suspicion |
| assay | n. the determination of any quantity of metal in an ore or alloy |
| attenuate | v. to make thin or slender, to lessen or weaken |
| avarice | n. inordinate desire of gaining and possessing wealth |
| batten | v. to grow fat; to thrive |
| beholden | adj. obliged; indebted |
| bellicose | adj. warlike; disposed to quarrel or fight |
| besmirch | v. to soil or discolor |
| bestial | adj. having the qualities of a beast |
| betroth | v. to promise or pledge in marriage |
| blighted | adj. destroyed, frustrated |
| bode | v. to foreshadow something |
| boorish | adj. rude; ill-mannered |
| brindled | adj. streaked or spotted with a darker color |
| broach | v. to pierce, to introduce into conversation |
| bucolic | adj. pastoral |
| burlesque | v. to imitate comically |
| cadaver | n. a dead body |
| caliber | n. the diameter of a bullet or shell, quality |
| callow | adj. immature |
| calumny | n. false and malicious accusation, misinterpretation, slander |
| canard | n. a false statement or rumor |
| candid | adj. open; frank; honest |
| captious | adj. disposed to find fault |
| carnage | n. slaughter |
| carte blanche | n. unlimited power to decide |
| castigate | v. to chastise |
| cataclysm | n. an overflowing of water, an extraordinary change |
| catharsis | n. purgation |
| cavil | v. to find fault without good reason |
| celibate | adj. unmarried, single and chaste |
| cessation | n. a ceasing, a stop |
| chafe | v. to rage, to fret |
| chaffing | n. banter, teasing |
| chaste | adj. virtuous, free from obscenity |
| choleric | adj. easily irritated; angry |
| circumvent | v. to go around |
| clandestine | adj. secret, private, hidden |
| cogent | adj. urgent, compelling, convincing |
| cohort | n. a group, a band |
| collusion | n. secret agreement for a fraudulent or illegal purpose |
| comport | v. to agree, to accord |
| conclave | n. any private meeting or closed assembly |
| connivance | v. passive cooperation |
| consort | n. a companion, v. to be in harmony or agreement |
| contravene | v. to go against, to oppose |
| contusion | n. a bruise; an injury where the skin is not broken |
| copious | adj. abundant; in great quantities |
| covenant | n. a binding and solemn agreement |
| coy | adj. modest, bashful; pretending shyness to attract |
| crass | adj. gross, think, course |
| cursory | adj. hasty, slight |
| dally | v. to delay or put off |
| dauntless | adj. fearless, not discouraged |
| debonair | adj. having an affable manner, courteous, suave, urbane |
| decadence | n. a decline in force for quality; moral decay |
| deciduous | adj. falling off at a particular season or stage of growth |
| decry | v. to denounce or condemn openly |
| defunct | adj. no longer living or exiting |
| deliquesce | v. to melt away |
| delusion | n. act or process of deception |
| deposition | n. a removal from a position or power; a testimony |
| desultory | adj. without order or natural connection |
| dexterous | adj. having or showing skill of hands, body or mind |
| diffidence | n. lack of self confidence; distrust |
| dilapidated | n. falling to pieces or into disrepair |
| dilettante | n. an admirer of the fine arts; a dabbler |
| dint | n. a blow; a stroke |
| disarray | n. disorder; confusion; incomplete or disorderly attire |
| divulge | v. to make known |
| dormant | adj. as if asleep |
| doting | adj. excessively fond |
| doughty | adj. brave; valiant |
| dregs | n. waste or worthless manner |
| ecclesiastic | adj. pertaining or relating to a church |
| edify | v. to build or establish; to instruct and improve the mind |
| efface | v. to erase; to remove from the mind |
| effrontery | n. impudence; assurance |
| effusive | adj. pouring out or forth; overflowing |
| egregious | adj. remarkably bad, outrageous |
| egress | v. to depart; to go out |
| elegy | n. a poem or lament and praise for the dead |
| elucidate | v. to make clear or manifest; to explain |
| emanate | v. to send forth; to emit |
| embellish | v. to improve the appearance of |
| enamored | adj. filled with love and desire |
| encroach | v. to trespass or intrude |
| encumber | v. to hold back; to hinder |
| endue | v. to provide with some quality or trait |
| enrapture | v. to fill with pleasure |
| epilogue | n. closing section of a play or novel providing further comment. |
| epiphany | n. an appearance of a supernatural being |
| epitaph | n. an inscription on a monument, in honor or memory of a dead person |
| epitome | n. a part that is typical of the whole |
| equinox | n. precise time when the day and night everywhere is of equal length |
| equivocate | v. to be purposely ambiguous |
| eschew | v. to escape from, to avoid |
| estranged | adj. kept at a distance; alienated |
| ethereal | adj. very light, airy; heavenly; not earthly |
| euphemism | n. the use of a word or phrase in place of one that is distasteful |
| euphoria | n. a feeling of well-being |
| exhume | v. to unearth; to reveal |
| expunge | v. to blot out; to delete |
| exude | v. to flow slowly or ooze in drops |
| faction | n. a number of people in an organization having a common end view |
| fallible | adj. liable to be mistaken or erroneous |
| fathom | v. to reach or penetrate with the mind |
| fatuous | adj. silly; inane; unreal |
| fealty | n. fidelity; loyalty |
| feign | v. to invent or imagine |
| ferment | v. to excite or agitate |
| fervid | adj. very hot; burning; intensely fervent or zealous |
| fester | v. t become more and more virulent and fixed |
| fetish | n. an object to which one gives excessive devotion or blind adoration |
| fidelity | n. faithfulness; honesty |
| fissure | n. a dividing or breaking into parts |
| flaccid | adj. hanging in loose folds or wrinkles; lacking force; weak |
| flamboyant | adj. ornate; too showy |
| foible | n. a slight frailty in character |
| foist | v. to put in slyly or stealthily; to pass off as genuine or valuable |
| foray | v. to raid for spoils, plunder |
| forensic | ADJ. PERTAINING TO LEGAL OR PUBLIC ARGUMENT |
| fortitude | n. firm courage; strength |
| fractious | adj. rebellious; apt to quarrel |
| fraught | adj. loaded; charged |
| froward | adj. not willing to yield or comply with what is reasonable |
| fulminate | v. to explode with sudden violence, to issue thunderous verbal attack or denunciation |
| galvanize | v. to stimulate as if by electric shock; startle; excite |
| gamut | n. a complete range; any complete musical scale |
| garish | adj. gaudy; showy |
| gauche | adj. awkward; lacking grace |
| gauntlet | n. a long glove with a flaring cuff covering the lower part of the arm |
| germane | adj. closely related; pertinent |
| glib | adj. smooth and slippery; speaking or spoken in a smooth manner |
| gnarled | adj. full of knots |
| gourmand | n. a greedy or ravenous eater; glutton |
| gregarious | adj. fond of the company of others |
| gristly | adj. frightful; horrible |
| guffaw | n a loud, course burst of laughter |
| guise | n. customary behavior; manner of dress; false appearance |
| halcyon | adj. calm; quiet; peaceful |
| hapless | adj. unlucky; unfortunate |
| harangue | v. to speak in an impassioned and forcible manner |
| heretic | n. one who holds opinion contrary to that which is generally accepted |
| hiatus | n. an opening or gap; slight pause |
| hoary | adj. very aged; ancient; gray or white with age |
| homily | n. discourse or sermon read to an audience |
| hybrid | n. anything of mixed origin |
| idiosyncrasy | n. any personal peculiarity, mannerism, etc. |
| igneous | adj. having the nature of fire |
| ignominious | adj. contemptible; degrading |
| immaculate | adj. perfectly clean; perfectly correct; pure |
| imminent | adj. appearing as if about to happen |
| impasse | n. a situation that has no solution or escape |
| impenitent | adj. without regret, shame or remorse |
| impiety | n. irreverence toward God; lack of respect |
| impolitic | adj. unwise; imprudent |
| imprecate | v. to pray for evil; to invoke a curse |
| imputation | n. attribution |
| incarcerate | v. to imprison or confine |
| incommodious | adj. uncomfortable; troublesome |
| incorporeal | adj. not consisting of matter |
| incorrigible | adj. not capable of correction or improvement |
| incubate | v. to sit on and hatch (eggs) |
| inculcate | v. to impress upon the mind by frequent repetition or urging |
| indemnify | v. to protect against or keep free from loss |
| indigenous | adj. innate; inherent; inborn |
| indomitable | adj. not easily discouraged or defeated |
| indubitably | adv. unquestionably; surely |
| inimical | adj. unfriendly; adverse |
| iniquitous | adj. unjust; wicked |
| inordinate | adj. not regulated; excessive |
| intrepid | adj. fearless; brave |
| inured | adj. accustomed |
| irascible | adj. easily provoked or inflamed to anger |
| irreparable | adj. cannot be repaired or regained |
| jettison | n a throwing overboard of goods to lighten a vehicle in an emergency |
| jocund | adj. merry; gay; cheerful |
| lacerate | v. to tear or mangle, to wound or hurt |
| lambent | adj. giving off a soft radiance |
| lassitude | n. a state or feeling of being tired or weak |
| lewd | adj. lustful; wicked |
| libertine | n. one who indulges his desires without restraint |
| licentious | adj. disregarding accepted rules and standards |
| lithe | adj. easily bent; pliable; marked by effortless grace |
| loquacious | adj. talkative |
| lucent | adj. shining; translucent |
| lugubrious | adj. mournful; very sad |
| lurid | adj. ghastly pale; gloomy |
| magnate | n. a very influential person in any field of activity |
| malefactor | n. one who commits a crime |
| malign | v. to defame; speak evil of |
| marauder | n. a rover in search of booty or plunder |
| maudlin | adj. foolishly and tearfully sentimental |
| mendacious | adj. addicted to deception |
| mercurial | adj. quick, volatile; changeable |
| meretricious | adj. alluring by false, showy charms; fleshy |
| mettle | n. high quality of character |
| mien | n. manner; external appearance |
| misanthropy | n. hatred of mankind |
| mite | n. very small sum of money; very small creature |
| modulate | v. to regulate or adjust; to vary the pitch of the voice |
| mollify | v. to soften; to make less intense |
| moot | adj. debatable; purely academic, deprived of practical significance |
| mordant | adj. biting, cutting, or caustic |
| mutinous | adj. inclined to revolt |
| nefarious | adj. very wicked; abominable |
| nemesis | n. just punishment; retribution; one that inflicts relentless vengeance |
| nexus | n. a connection |
| nostrum | n. a questionable remedy or scheme, a quack medicine |
| noxious | adj. harmful to health or morals |
| nugatory | adj. trifling; futile; insignificant |
| obeisance | n. a gesture of respect or reverence |
| obfuscate | v. to darken; to confuse |
| objurgate | v. to chide vehemently |
| obloquy | n. verbal abuse of a person or thing |
| obtrude | v. to thrust forward; to eject |
| odious | adj. hateful; disgusting |
| oligarchy | n form of government in which the supreme power is placed in the hands of a small exclusive group |
| opalescent | adj. iridescent |
| opprobrious | adj. reproachful or contemptuous |
| palatial | adj. large and ornate, like a palace |
| palindrome | n. a word, verse or sentence that is the same when read backward or forward |
| paltry | adj. worthless; trifling |
| pandemonium | n. a place of wild disorder, noise, or confusion |
| parapet | n. a wall or railing to protect people from falling |
| pariah | n. an outcast; someone despised by others |
| parity | n. state of being the same in power, value or rank |
| parley | v. to speak with another; to discourse |
| parry | v. to ward off; to avoid |
| parsimonious | adj. miserly; stingy |
| paucity | n. scarcity; small number |
| peculate | v. to embezzle |
| pecuniary | adj. relating to money |
| pellucid | adj. transparent |
| penury | n. lack of money or property |
| perdition | n. complete and irreparable loss |
| peremptory | adj. barring future action; that cannot be denied, changed, etc. |
| perfidious | adj. violating good faith or vows |
| perquisite | n. a fee, profit, etc. in addition to the stated income of one's employment |
| peruse | v. to read carefully and thoroughly |
| pied | adj. spotted |
| pinioned | adj. having wings, having wings or arms bound or confined |
| platonic | adj. idealistic or impractical; not opprobrious or sensual |
| plenary | adj. full; entire; complete |
| plethora | n. the state of being too full; excess |
| pommel | n. the rounded, upward-projecting front of a saddle |
| portend | v. to foreshadow |
| potable | adj. drinkable |
| prate | v. to talk much and foolishly |
| precept | n. a rule or direction of moral conduct |
| precocious | adj. developed or matured earlier than usual |
| prefatory | adj. introductory |
| preponderate | v. to outweigh |
| prerogative | n. a prior or exclusive right or privilege |
| prevaricate | v. to evade the truth |
| prognosis | n. a forecast, especially in medicine |
| prolific | adj. fruitful |
| propagate | v. to reproduce or multiply |
| propitiate | v. to win the good will of |
| protocol | n. an original draft or record of a document |
| provident | adj. prudent; economical |
| proviso | n. conditional stipulation to an agreement |
| pseudonym | n. a borrowed or fictitious name |
| puerile | adj. childish; immature |
| purloin | v. to steal |
| purview | n. the range of control, activity or understanding |
| quaff | v. to drink or swallow in large quantities |
| quagmire | n. a difficult position, as if on shaky ground |
| qualm | n. sudden feeling of uneasiness or doubt |
| quintessence | n. . the ultimate substance; the pure essence of anything |
| quixotic | adj. extravagantly chivalrous; not sensible about practical matters; idealistic and unrealistic |
| quizzical | adj. odd, comical, suggesting puzzlement; questioning |
| ramification | n. the arrangement of branches; consequence |
| rampant | adj. violent or uncontrollable action |
| rancor | n. a continuing and bitter hate or ill will |
| raze | v. to scrape or shave off |
| recalcitrant | adj. refusing to obey authority |
| recidivism | n. habitual or chronic relapse |
| recumbent | adj. leaning or reclining |
| recusant | adj. disobedient of authority |
| redolent | adj. sweet smelling; fragrant |
| reminiscence | n. a remembering |
| remonstrate | v. to exhibit strong reasons against an act |
| rendition | n. a performance or interpretation |
| repertoire | n. stock of plays which can be readily performed by a company |
| reprehend | v. to reprimand; to find fault with |
| reprieve | v. to give temporary relief |
| resonant | adj. resounding; re-echoing |
| resplendent | adj. dazzling; splendid |
| resurgent | adj. rising or tending to rise again |
| revile | v. to be abusive in speech |
| risible | adj. able or inclined to laugh |
| roseate | adj. bright, cheerful, or optimistic |
| rote | n. a fixed, mechanical way of doing something |
| rotundity | n. condition of being rounded out or plump |
| rudimentary | adj. elementary |
| ruminate | v. to muse on |
| salutary | adj. of or containing greetings |
| sapid | adj. having a pleasant taste |
| sardonic | adj. bitterly ironic |
| savant | n. a learned person |
| schism | n. a division in an organized group |
| scourge | v. to whip severely |
| scurrilous | adj. using low and indecent language |
| sedentary | adj. characterized by sitting; remaining in one locality |
| serendipity | n. an apparent aptitude for making fortunate discoveries accidentally |
| shoal | n. a great quantity |
| sloth | n. disinclination to action or labor |
| slovenly | adv. careless in habits, behavior; untidy |
| sordid | adj. filthy; foul |
| specious | adj. appearing just and fair without really being so |
| spelunker | n. one who explores caves |
| splenetic | adj. bad-tempered; irritable |
| staid | adj. sober; sedate |
| stanch | v. to stop or check the flow of blood |
| stigmatize | v. to characterize or brand as disgraceful |
| stoic | adj. a person who is seemingly indifferent to joy, grief, pleasure or pain |
| stolid | adj. unexcitable; dull |
| striated | adj. marked with fine parallel lines |
| strident | adj. creaking; harsh; grating |
| stymie | n. to hinder or obstruct; golf - opponent's ball lies in a direct line between the player's ball and the hole |
| succor | n. aid; assistance |
| sumptuous | adj. involving great expense |
| sundry | adj. various; misc; separate; distinct |
| supplant | v. to take the place of |
| suppliant | adj. asking earnestly and submissively |
| surfeit | v. to feed or supply in excess |
| swathe | v. to wrap around something; envelop |
| tawdry | adj. gaudy or cheap |
| teem | v. to be stocked to overflowing, to pour out, to empty |
| tenet | n. any principle, doctrine, etc. which a person, school, etc. believes or maintains |
| termagant | n. a boisterous, scolding woman; a shrew |
| terrestrial | adj. pertaining to the earth |
| tether | n. the range or limit of one's abilities |
| thrall | n. a slave |
| throe | n. a violent pang or spasm |
| timorous | adj. fearful |
| tortuous | adj. pertaining to or involving excruciating pain |
| traduce | v. to exhibit; to slander |
| transmute | v. to transform |
| travail | v. to harass; to torment |
| trenchant | adj. keen; penetrating; clear cut; distinct |
| tribunal | n. the seat of judge |
| troth | n. belief; faith; fidelity |
| turbid | adj. think, dense, confused, perplexed |
| tutelage | n. the condition of being under a guardian or a tutor |
| umbrage | n. shade; shadow |
| uncouth | adj. uncultured; crude |
| unfeigned | adj. genuine; real; sincere |
| untrowable | adj. incredible |
| uxoricide | n. the murder of a wife by her husband |
| vagary | n. an odd action or idea; a wandering |
| vantage | advantage; gain; profit |
| vaunt | v. to brag or boast |
| venal | adj. that can be readily bribed or corrupted |
| veneer | n. a thin surface layer |
| verbiage | n. wordiness |
| verity | n. truthfulness |
| vertigo | n. a sensation of dizziness |
| vestige | n. a trace of something that no longer exists |
| vicarious | adj. taking the place of another person or thing |
| vicissitude | n. changes or variation occurring irregularly in the course of something |
| vigilance | n. watchfulness |
| visage | n. appearance |
| vitriolic | adj. extremely biting or caustic |
| vociferous | adj. making a loud outcry |
| volition | n. the act of willing |
| voracious | adj. greedy in eating |
| vouchsafe | v. to be gracious enough to grant; to guarantee as safe |
| wan | adj. pale; pallid |
| wily | adj. cunning; sly |
| wizened | adj. withered; shrunken |
| wreak | v. to give vent or free play |
| wrest | v. to turn or twist; usurp; to distort or change the meaning of |
| abash | to embarass |
| abate | decrease, reduce |
| aberration | something different from the usual |
| abet | to adi; act as accomplice |
| abridge | to condense, shorten |
| accede | to express approval; agree to |
| accretion | growth in size or increase in amount |
| accrue | to accumulate, grow by additions |
| alacrity | cheerful readiness, promptness in response |
| ameliorate | to make better, improve |
| anachronistic | outdated |
| anathema | ban, curse; something shunned or disliked |
| acillary | accessory; subordinate; helping |
| antedeluvian | prehistoric, ancient beyond measure |
| antipathy | dislike,hostility; extreme opposition or aversion |
| aphorism | old saying or short, pithy statement |
| apocryphal | not genuine; fictional |
| apostate | one who renounces a religious faith |
| arable | suitable for cultivation |
| archipelago | large group of islands |
| ascetic | self-denying, abstinent, austere |
| aspersion | false rumor, damaging report, slander |
| assiduous | diligent, persistent, hard-working |
| assonance | resemblance insound, especially in vowel sounds, partial rhyme |
| augury | prophecy, prediction of events |
| auspicious | having favorable prospects, promising |
| blandish | to coax with flattery |
| blithe | joyful, cheerful or without appropriate thought |
| bovine | cow-like; relating to cows |
| contumacious | stubbornly disobedient |
| contumelious | sinsolently abusive and himiliating |
| corpulence | obesity, fatness, bulkiness |
| cudgel | a short heavy club |
| deleterious | harmful often in a suble or unexpected way |
| despot | tyrannical leader |
| diaphanous | allowing light to show thorugh; delicate |
| diatribe | bitter verbal attack |
| ephemeral | momentary, transient, fleeting |
| equine | relating to horses |
| etiolate | to bleach and alter the natural development of a green plant by excluding sunlight |
| exculpate | to clear of blame or fault, vindicate |
| exigent | urgent; excessively demanding |
| expurgate | to censor |
| facile | very easy, poised, assured |
| fathom (v) | to measure the depth of, guage |
| feckless | ineffective, careless, irresponsible |
| fecund | fertile, fruitful, productive |
| fluvial | of, relating to or living in a stream or river |
| hegemony | leadership, domination, usually by country |
| heretical | opposed to an established religious orthodoxy |
| iconoclast | one who attacks traditional beliefs |
| immutable | unchangeable, invariable |
| impecunious | poor, having no money |
| imprecation | curse |
| incontrovertible | unquestionable, beyond dispute |
| insipid | bland, lacking flavor; lacking excitement |
| intransigent | uncompromising, refusing to e reconciled |
| invidious | envioius; obnoxioius |
| inveterate | confirmed, long-standing, deeply rooted |
| jingoism | belligerent support of one's country |
| kinetic | relating to motion, movement |
| lachrymose | tearful |
| maladroit | clumsy, tactless |
| mendicant | beggar |
| myopic | near sighted |
| nascent | starting to develop, coming into existence |
| noisome | stinking, putrid |
| obdurate | stubborn |
| obsequious | overly submissive, brownnosing |
| obviate | to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent |
| officious | overly helpful, meddlesome |
| ornithologist | scientist who studies birds |
| palliate | to make less serious, ease |
| panegyric | elaborate praise, formal hymn of praise |
| phlegmatic | calm in termperament; sluggish |
| polymath | a person of encyclopedic learning |
| primordial | original, exiting from the beginning |
| prodigal adj. | wasteful, extravagant, lavish |
| progenitor | originator, forefather, ancestor in a direct line |
| salubrious | healthful |
| scimitar | a type of sword; a saber with a curved blade with the edge on the convex side |
| seminal | relating to the beginning or seeds of something |
| seraphic | angelic, pure, sublime |
| sinecure | well paying job or office that requires little or no work |
| sojourn | visit, stay |
| sodden | thoroughly soaked; saturated |
| soporific | sleepy or tending to cause sleep |
| subterfuge | trick or tactic used to avoid something |
| sybarite | person devoted to pleasure and luxury |
| taciturn | uncommunicative, not inclined to speak much |
| tome | book, usually large and academic |
| torpid | lethargic; unable to move; dormant |
| truncheon | a shattered spear or lance |
| turpitude | inherent vileness, foulness, depravity |
| unctuous | greasy, oily, smug and falsely earnest |
| usury | practice of lending money at exorbitant rates |
| uxorial | of, relating to or characteristic of a wife |
| xenophobia | fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers |
| zephyr | gentle breeze |
Created by:
kvilleneuve
Popular English Vocabulary sets