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HonSophComp Cum2
Norvell's final
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| abasement | humiliation |
| abettor | encourager |
| abeyance | suspended action |
| abjure | renounce upon oath |
| ablution | washing (ritual) |
| aborigines | primitive inhabitants |
| abortive | unsuccessful; fruitless |
| abrade | wear away by friction; erode |
| abstinence | restraint from |
| abstruse | obscure |
| acclivity | sharp up slope of a hill |
| accoutre | equip |
| accretion | growth; increase |
| accrue | come about by addition |
| acidulous | slightly sour; caustic; sharp |
| acme | top; pinnacle |
| acrid | sharp; bitterly pungent |
| actuarial | calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics |
| adduce | offer as example or reason |
| adjuration | make a positive statement or solemn declaration |
| adventitious | accidental; causal |
| affray | public brawl |
| altruism | unselfish aid to others; generosity |
| amalgamate | combine; unite in one body |
| amicable | friendly |
| amorphous | shapeless |
| anathema | solemn curse |
| ancillary | auxiliary; serving as an aid |
| anomaly | irregularity |
| antediluvian | antiquated; ancient |
| antipathy | aversion; dislike |
| antithesis | contrast; direct opposite |
| apposite | appropriate; fitting |
| aquiline | curved; hooked |
| ardor | heat; passion; zeal |
| asperity | sharpness (of temper) |
| asseverate | solemn urging |
| assiduous | done with diligence |
| assuage | ease; lessen |
| astute | wise; shrewd |
| atrocity | brutal deed |
| atypical | not normal |
| avarice | greediness for wealth |
| avuncular | like an uncle |
| baneful | ruinous; poisonous |
| bauble | trinket; trifle; item of little value |
| bawdy | obscene; lewd; offensively suggestive |
| bellicose | warlike |
| bucolic | rustic; pastoral |
| cacophony | discordant sound |
| calumniate | to slander |
| canard | unfounded rumor |
| capacious | spacious |
| capricious | fickle |
| captious | finding fault |
| carnage | slaughter (as in war) |
| carnal | concerning the body (flesh) |
| carping | fault-finding |
| carrion | rotting flesh of a dead body |
| castigate | punish |
| cataclysm | upheaval |
| catechism | book for religious instruction |
| cathartic | purgative; cleansing |
| catholic | broadly sympathetic; liberal |
| caustic | burning; sarcastically biting |
| cavil | to make frivolous objection |
| celibate | unmarried; abstaining from sexual activity |
| censure | blame; criticize |
| chary | cautiously watchful; wary |
| chasm | abyss; a deep gorge |
| chattel | personal property |
| chicanery | trickery |
| chide | scold |
| chimerical | fantastic; highly imaginative |
| churlish | boorish; rude |
| ciliated | having minute hairs |
| circuitous | roundabout |
| clandestine | secret |
| clarion | shrill; trumpet-like sound |
| cleft | split |
| coadjutor | assistant; colleague |
| coalesce | combine; fuse |
| coerce | force |
| cogent | convincing |
| cogitate | think over |
| cognizance | knowledge |
| cognomen | family name |
| cohesive | force which keeps parts together |
| collation | a light meal |
| colloquy | informal discussion |
| comestible | something fit to be eaten |
| commiserate | feel or express pity or sympathy |
| commodious | spacious |
| compliant | yielding |
| conciliate | pacify; win over |
| consanguinity | kinship |
| contentious | quarrelsome |
| continence | self-restraint; sexual chastity |
| contrite | penitent, remorseful |
| controvert | oppose with arguments; contradict |
| copious | plentiful |
| corpulent | very fat |
| crux | crucial point |
| cryptic | mysterious, hidden; secret |
| cupidity | greed |
| dank | damp |
| dastard | coward |
| declivity | downward slope |
| deign | condescend |
| defile | pollute; profane |
| deleterious | harmful |
| delusive | deceptive |
| demagogue | leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims |
| demean | degrade |
| demeanor | behavior; bearing |
| demur | delay; object |
| demure | serious; coy |
| denizen | inhabitant |
| depravity | depravity |
| deprecatory | disapproving |
| deride | scoff at |
| derision | ridicule |
| descant | discuss fully |
| descry | catch sight of |
| desecrate | profane |
| desiccate | dry up |
| desuetude | disused condition |
| desultory | aimless |
| diadem | crown |
| diaphanous | sheer |
| dilatory | delaying |
| dilettante | aimless follower of the arts |
| diminution | lessening |
| dipsomaniac | one who has a strong craving for intoxicating liquors |
| dirge | musical lament |
| discomfit | defeat; disconcert |
| disconsolate | sad |
| discursive | digressing |
| disingenuous | not candid |
| disparage | belittle |
| disparate | basically different, unrelated |
| disport | amuse |
| dissimulate | pretend |
| dissolute | loose in morals |
| distrait | absent-minded |
| diurnal | daily; during the day |
| diva | prima donna |
| doggerel | poor verse |
| dolorous | sorrowful |
| dolt | stupid person |
| doughty | courageous |
| dour | sullen; stubborn |
| droll | queer and amusing |
| dross | waste matter (chemistry) |
| duplicity | double-dealing |
| duress | forcible restraint |
| ebullient | showing excitement |
| ecclesiastic | pertaining to the church |
| edify | instruct; correct morally |
| educe | draw forth; elicit |
| efface | rub out |
| effete | worn out; exhausted |
| efficacy | power to produce desired effect |
| effigy | dummy |
| efflorescent | flowering |
| effulgent | brilliantly radiant |
| effusion | a pouring forth |
| egregious | gross; shocking |
| egress | exit |
| elegiacal | like a lament; mournful |
| elicit | draw out by discussion |
| elucidate | explain; enlighten; make clearer |
| elusory | tending to deceive expectations |
| emaciated | thin and wasted |
| emend | correct (by a critic) |
| emolument | salary; compensation |
| enamored | in love |
| encomiastic | praising; eulogistic |
| encumber | burden |
| endue | provide with some quality; endow |
| enervate | weaken; unnerve |
| enigma | puzzle |
| ensconce | settle comfortably |
| entrepreneur | businessman; contractor |
| environ | enclose; surround |
| ephemeral | short-lived; fleeting |
| epicure | connoisseur of food or drink |
| epithet | descriptive word or phrase |
| epitome | summary; concise abstract |
| epoch | period of time |
| erudite | learned; scholarly |
| eschew | avoid |
| escutcheon | shield-shaped surface upon which a coat of arms is placed |
| esoteric | known only to the chosen few |
| euphemism | mild expression in place of an unpleasant one |
| euphonious | pleasing in sound |
| evanescent | fleeting; vanishing |
| evince | show clearly |
| exchequer | treasury |
| exculpate | clear from blame |
| execrable | very bad |
| exemplary | serving as a model; outstanding |
| exhort | urge |
| exiguous | small; minute |
| exonerate | acquit; exculpate |
| exorbitant | excessive |
| expatiate | talk at length |
| expatriate | exile; someone from native land who has withdrawn |
| expiate | make amends for (a sin) |
| expostulation | remonstrance; scolding |
| expunge | cancel; remove |
| expurgate | clean; remove offensive parts of a book |
| extant | still in existence |
| extenuate | weaken; mitigate |
| extirpate | root up |
| extraneous | not essential; external |
| extricate | free; disentangle |
| extrinsic | external; not inherent; foreign |
| extrude | force or push out |
| ewer | water pitcher |
| facile | easy; expert |
| factitious | artificial; sham |
| fallacious | misleading |
| fallow | plowed but not sowed; uncultivated |
| faux pas | an error or slip (in manners or behavior) |
| fawning | courting favor by cringing and flattering |
| fealty | loyalty; faithfulness |
| fecundity | fertility; fruitfulness |
| feign | pretend |
| feint | trick; shift |
| felicitous | suitably expressed, apt |
| fell | cruel; deadly |
| ferret | drive or hunt out of hiding |
| fervent | ardent; hot |
| fetid | malodorous |
| fetish | object of special devotion |
| fetter | shackle |
| fiat | command |
| filch | steal |
| flaccid | flabby; limp |
| flagellate | flog; whip |
| florid | flowery; ruddy |
| flout | reject; mock |
| flux | flowing; series of changes |
| foible | weakness; slight fault |
| foist | insert improperly |
| foment | stir up; instigate |
| forensic | suitable for debate or court |
| forte | strong point; special talent |
| fortuitous | accidental; by chance |
| fractious | unruly |
| fraught | filled |
| frenetic | frenzied; frantic |
| freshet | sudden overflow, usually of a stream |
| frieze | ornamental band on a wall |
| forward | disobedient; perverse; stubborn |
| fructify | bear fruit |
| fulminate | thunder; explode |
| fulsome | disgustingly excessive |
| funereal | sad; solemn |
| furtive | stealthy |
| gainsay | deny |
| gambol | skip; leap playfully |
| garrulity | talkativeness |
| germane | pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand |
| gesticulation | motion; gesture |
| gist | essence |
| glean | gather leavings |
| gloaming | twilight |
| goad | urge on |
| gossamer | sheer; like cobwebs |
| grandiloquent | pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language |
| gregarious | sociable |
| guile | deceit; duplicity |
| gustatory | affecting the sense of taste |
| habiliments | garb; clothing |
| hackneyed | commonplace; trite |
| halcyon | calm; peaceful |
| harangue | noisy speech |
| harbinger | forerunner |
| harrow | break up ground after plowing; torture |
| harry | raid |
| hector | to bully or pick on |
| hedonism | belief that pleasure is the sole aim in life |
| heinous | grossly wicked; abominable |
| heresy | opinion contrary to popular belief or accepted religion |
| hermitage | home of a hermit |
| hiatus | gap; pause |
| hibernal | wintry |
| hierarchy | body divided into ranks |
| hirsute | hairy |
| hoary | white with age |
| homily | sermon; serious warning |
| hostelry | inn |
| humus | substance formed by decaying vegetable matter |
| iconoclastic | attacking cherished traditions |
| ideology | ideas of a group of people |
| idiosyncrasy | peculiarity; eccentricity |
| idolatry | worship of idols; excessive admiration |
| ignoble | of lowly origin; unworthy |
| imbroglio | a complicated situation; perplexity |
| imbue | saturate; fill |
| immolate | offer as a sacrifice |
| immutable | unchangeable |
| impermeable | impassable; cannot be penetrated |
| impervious | not capable of being damaged or harmed |
| imprecate | to invoke evil; to curse |
| improvident | lacking forethought |
| impugn | make insinuations against |
| imputation | accusation |
| incendiary | inflammatory; inciting emotion |
| inchoate | incomplete; disordered |
| incipient | becoming apparent; commencing |
| incorporeal | having no material body or form |
| incubus | an evil spirit which visits during sleep |
| inculcate | to teach and impress by frequent repetitions |
| incursion | a sudden invasion; a raid |
| indemnify | to insure or protect against hurt, loss, or damage |
| indigenous | native; not from outside |
| indolence | inactivity caused by aversion to work |
| ineffable | indescribably; unspeakable |
| inexorable | unyielding; inflexible |
| ingenuous | showing innocent or childlike simplicity |
| ingratiate | to find favor or favorable acceptance for |
| iniquitous | unjust; wicked |
| inscrutable | mysterious; incapable of being understood |
| insidious | developing gradually as to be well-established before becoming apparent |
| insipid | dull; uninteresting; commonplace |
| insular | detached; isolated |
| jocular | naturally playful or cheerful; witty |
| jocund | marked by mirth or cheerfulness |
| ken | sight or range of sight; knowledge, understanding |
| klatch | gathering characterized by informal conversation |
| laconic | sparing or terse in speech; concise (almost rude in speech) |
| laity | church congregation, not the ministers (clergy) |
| languor | tiredness or weakness of body or mind; dreaminess |
| largo | in a very slow, broad manner |
| lascivious | wanton, lustful, lewd |
| lethargy | sluggishness; langouor |
| levity | lightness of approach or treatment; humor |
| lexicon | a dictionary; vocabulary particular to a language or topic |
| litany | a chant; either musical or repetitive |
| lithe | flexible and graceful |
| livid | discolored, as by bruises; extremely angry, enraged |
| loquacious | extremely talkative; gabby; garrulous |
| lucid | clear and distinct; in full possession of intelligence; intelligible |
| lugubrious | looking or sounding profoundly sad, maybe for effect |
| lurid | excessively pale-looking; red; provoking horror; gruesome |
| machinations | schemes or artful plots (usually toward bad ends) |
| malevolent | exuding evil or intense hatred |
| maudlin | overly sentimental, even weepy with sentiment |
| marauder | seeker of foods, goods; raider, pillager |
| maxim | a proverb or repeated saying of truth |
| mean | lacking distinction; humble |
| mendacious | lying, deceptive, dishonesty |
| mendicant | beggar; occasionally, a monk or friar |
| meretricious | glamorous in a cheap, showy way; rooted in bigotry |
| miasma | noxious influence or atmosphere |
| mien | manner of comporting oneself; demeanor |
| minion | a minor official, sometimes a dependent servant |
| mnemonics | art of improving memory |
| mollify | to calm someone’s temper or appease bad feelings |
| moot | something debatable or in dispute; also plainly abstract, strictly academic |
| morass | a thing that traps or restricts |
| mordant | biting or stinging in approach; cutting to the heart of the matter; incisive |
| motley | of different, oddly grouped parts |
| munificent | very liberal; generous in giving; lavish |
| nuptial(s) | marriage; wedding |
| obdurate | hardened in feelings; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing |
| obeisance | the act of showing honor or deference |
| obfuscate | darken; make obscure; confuse |
| objurgate | to denounce harshly |
| obliquity | dishonesty; perversity; divergence |
| obliterate | remove; cancel; erase |
| obloquy | strongly condemnatory utterance or language |
| obsequious | subservient |
| obtrusive | protruding; forward; impertinent |
| obtuse | insensitive; blunt |
| obviate | make unnecessary; prevent |
| odiferous | giving off an odor |
| odious | hateful; repugnant |
| ogle | to glance with amorous invitation or challenge |
| oligarchy | government by the few |
| onerous | troublesome; burdensome |
| opaque | not transparent; stupid |
| opprobrious | infamous; publicly disgraceful |
| opulence | wealth; affluence |
| oscillate | to swing back and forth; fluctuate; vibrate |
| ostensible | alleged; apparent |
| ostentatious | pretentious; showy |
| ostracize | to exclude from a group by common consent |
| paean | joyously exultant song/hymn of praise/tribute/triumph |
| palaver | conference; discussion |
| palliate | to excuse |
| palpable | capable of being touched or felt; perceptible |
| paltry | inferior; trashy; trivial |
| panacea | cure-all |
| pander | to provide gratification for other’s desires |
| panegyric | formal or elaborate praise |
| paragon | a model of excellence or perfection |
| parley | to speak with another; to confer |
| paroxysm | a sudden attack; convulsion; spasm |
| parsimonious | stingy |
| parvenu(e) | upstart; newly rich/powerful without social standing |
| patrimony | heritage; an estate inherited from one’s father |
| paucity | smallness of number or quantity; fewness |
| peccadillo | a slight offense |
| peculate | embezzle |
| pecuniary | of or relating to money; monetary; financial |
| pelf | money; riches |
| penance | an act to show sorrow or repentance for sin |
| penurious | given to or marked by extreme poverty |
| perdition | eternal damnation; hell |
| peremptory | absolute; imperative |
| perfidious | faithless; treacherous; disloyal |
| perfunctory | mechanical; routine; superficial |
| peripatetic | of/related to walking; moving from place to place |
| periphery | the outward boundary |
| pernicious | highly injurious or destructive; deadly |
| persiflage | frivolous or lightly derisive talk or writing |
| perspicacious | keen; shrewd |
| pertinacious | persistent; stubborn; unyielding |
| perusal | examining or studying with attention to detail |
| pervious | admitting passage; permeable |
| petroglyph | a carving or inscription on a rock |
| petulant | rude in speech and/or behavior |
| phial | a small vessel (bottle) for liquids |
| philanderer | one who makes love frivolously (us. refers to men) |
| philistine | lacking in/hostile to culture or intellectual/artistic values |
| philology | study of written texts to establish their authenticity |
| phlegmatic | impassive; having an apathetic disposition |
| physiognomy | facial features or expression (as index of character) |
| pied | of two or more colors in blotches |
| pinion | |
| piquant | interestingly provocative |
| pique | to arouse or stimulate (one’s interest) |
| piscatorial | of/relating to/dependent upon fishermen or fish |
| pithy | concise |
| placate | appease; pacify |
| plaintive | melancholy; sad |
| platitude | old, stale comment lacking originality/freshness; trite comment |
| plauditory | worthy of praise |
| plebeian | concerning the common folk or masses |
| plenary | full; complete |
| plethora | a vast amount; great excess |
| pluvian | rainy |
| poesy | a poem or collection of poems |
| poignant | profoundly affecting feelings; highly emotional in effect; piercing |
| pooh-bah | any politician who holds a number of jobs |
| posit | to assume or affirm the existence of |
| pragmatic | useful and practical; down-to-earth |
| precocious | having unusually early mental development |
| preemptive | attacking/acting first to secure possession or victory |
| prevaricate | to stray from the truth; to lie or equivocate |
| probity | sticking to noble ideals; incorruptibility; uprightness |
| proclivity | natural inclination/tendency/leaning toward; something objectionable |
| prodigal | wildly extravagant or lavish in spending |
| prodigious | arousing awe; extremely large; enormous; monstrous |
| prolific | extremely fruitful or productive |
| propinquity | proximity or nearness of relationship; contiguity |
| propitiate | to get into someone’s good graces; to appease; to gain favor |
| prosaic | of facts; not imaginative or original; everyday, ordinary, dull |
| proscribe | to outlaw, forbid, prohibit |
| protean | assuming many shapes |
| protuberant | swelling or bulging out; obtrusive |
| prurient | fostering lewd ideas or desires; lascivious |
| puerile | juvenile or immature; silly, inane |
| pugnacious | spoiling for a fight, combative |
| punctilious | precise about observing customs/rules; scrupulously exact |
| purport | to appear to be something; to profess, intend |
| quaff | to take a long, deep drink |
| quell | to put down completely; to overwhelm; to crush, squash |
| querulous | complaining, faultfinding, and fretful; petulant, captious |
| quiescent | resting, quiet, giving no trouble; inactive |
| quietus | permanent settlement; end of activity |
| quintessence | the core of a thing in its purest state; its essential part |
| quixotic | noble, but unrealistic |
| rabid | incredibly furious; pursuing at length some opinion or interest |
| raconteur | a fine storyteller |
| ramifications | offshoots or outgrowths; implications or consequences |
| rancor | enmity or hatred built up over time; bitterness |
| raze | to destroy totally, right down to the ground, demolish |
| recalcitrant | tough to manage/control; strongly against authority; unruly |
| recant | to renounce an opinion or belief; to confess error or wrongdoing |
| redoubtable | inspiring fear or awe; formidable |
| remiss | failing to give care or attention; negligent, neglectful; careless, lax |
| remuneration | payment for goods or services; recompense |
| reprehensible | earning disapproval or blame; blameworthy |
| rescind | to cancel, annul; to repeal or call back |
| respite | a time of relief; a pause, rest from activity, lull |
| reticent | not talkative by nature; naturally silent or reserved |
| ribald | offensive, often because of crudeness of language or behavior |
| rostrum | a raised dais, stage, or platform for speaking or performing |
| rotund | referring to any sound with notable rhythm or richness; chubby body |
| rue | to regret exceedingly; to feel remorse or sorrow |
| sagacity | wisdom and discernment; keen perception, shrewdness |
| salient | very noticeable or conspicuous; prominent |
| salubrious | giving a feeling of or aiding in well-being; favorable to health |
| sanguine | high-colored (of complexion); healthily optimistic/cheerful |
| scathing | harsh or severe to an extreme; strongly critical |
| sedulous | done with care and diligence; particular |
| serendipity | the finding of luck or good fortune when not looking for it |
| servile | subservient; overly submissive in an off-putting way |
| shibboleth | commonly accepted word/phrase that has become a byword/slogan |
| sibyl | prophetess; fortune-teller |
| sinecure | any job/position yielding income but lacking truth/validity |
| sinuous | showing flexibility in the form of undulating, wavy motion |
| slovenly | sloppy and unkempt; lazy and haphazard |
| somber | of dark/gloomy aspect; sober or grave in manner |
| splenetic | easily irritated or grouchy; ill-tempered, spiteful |
| spectral | referring to a ghost; ghostly |
| specious | appearing legitimate on the surface but demanding little work |
| spurious | false or fake, though outwardly legitimate; forged |
| squalor | the dirt and abject neglect associated with poverty |
| strident | unpleasantly harsh; getting attention through persistence |
| stupefy | to astonish or astound; to cause someone to be slow-witted |
| succulent | juicy and very appealing to the taste |
| sully | to make less appealing; to soil or defile |
| supercilious | excessively proud; disdainfully superior |
| surfeit | an extra amount/excess; revulsion brought on by overindulgence |
| surreptitious | in secretive, underhanded, or deceptive way, clandestine |
| tacit | understood or suggested but not actually stated |
| taciturn | untalkative by nature; silent; reticent |
| talisman | a special, meaningful object thought to be lucky; an amulet, fetish |
| tautology | needless repetition of words or ideas; redundancy |
| temerity | unwise boldness; reckless or rash behavior in the face of danger |
| tenet | a basic belief/truth for a group of people; doctrine |
| tenuous | slim or slender; flimsy; weak; barely perceptible |
| tome | a large volume or set of volumes; a weighty, scholarly text |
| torpid | motionless or lacking feeling; slow or sluggish in action; lethargic |
| tractable | obedient and docile; easy to teach, train, control |
| trenchant | highly effective and well-spoken, hence keenly perceptive |
| trepidation | fear, worry, or apprehension |
| truculent | showing a belligerent or cruel attitude; harsh or destructive |
| truncate | to cut short; curtail |
| turgid | distended by swelling; ornate or verbose in language use |
| ubiquitous | being everywhere at once; widespread |
| upbraid | to scold in a severe manner; to criticize harshly for faults |
| untenable | not possible to defend or uphold |
| unremitting | without pause or letting up; constant, incessant |
| usury | lending money at unusually high (or illegal ) interest rates |
| vacillate | to move or sway back and forth; to fluctuate; to change opinions |
| vacuous | without content, empty; minus ideas or intelligence |
| vagary | a whimsical, erratic, or unexpected occurrence or idea |
| vanguard | the forward or first army troops; any forerunner |
| vehement | fervent or strongly emotional; impassioned |
| venerate | to revere or admire deeply; to worship |
| veracity | truthfulness or accuracy; honesty |
| verbose | using more words than necessary; wordy |
| vernal | of springtime; fresh like spring; youthful |
| vestige | the barest trace or amount |
| vicissitudes | changeability; mutability; movement or change in circumstances |
| vilify | slander, malign, defame, reduce one’s name/community standing |
| virile | manly, masculine |
| virulent | with fast, powerful, and often fatal progress; highly poisonous |
| visage | the appearance (often the face) of a person, animal or place; aspect |
| viscous | slow-flowing, like heavy oil, honey, or syrup |
| vitiate | to cause imperfections or errors; to lower status |
| vitriolic | of words or emotions which have a biting, caustic effect |
| vociferous | loudly vocal and insistent; clamorous, boisterous |
| voluble | extremely talkative; loquacious, garrulous, glib, fluent |
| voracious | incredibly hungry; ravenous; also showing a large appetite |
| wan | pale in appearance or sickly; also weak or feeble; faint, slight |
| wanton | sexually loose or arousing sexual desire; lacking human kindness |
| winsome | very appealing in personality, cheerful, sweet |
| wistful | showing much longing or desire; yearning; sad, pensive, thoughtful |
| wizened | dried up, wrinkled, and shrunken; withered |
| wont | used or accustomed; apt, inclined |
| wraith | a ghost or apparition of a person; shadow or vague human form |
| wry | cleverly or grimly humorous |
| wyvern | a fantasy animal depicted as a two-legged, winged creature |
| xenophobe | one unduly fearful of that which is foreign |
| yahoo | a stupid person |
| zealotry | fanatical devotion |
| zephyr | a gentle breeze |
Created by:
keylime314
Popular English Vocabulary sets