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Misc Vocab
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| • Adage | a proverb or short statement expressing a general truth |
| • Adamantine | unbreakable |
| • Adroit | clever or skillful in using the hands or mind |
| • Adytum | the innermost sanctuary of an ancient Greek temple |
| • Affable | friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to |
| • Affectation | behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress |
| • Affiance | (v) be engaged to marry |
| • Aggrieved | feeling resentment at having been unfairly treated |
| • Aliment | (n/v) food; nourishment |
| • Alloyed | debase (something) by adding something inferior |
| • Allusive | (of a remark or reference) working by suggestion rather than explicit mention |
| • Ambivalent | having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone |
| • Ambulatory | (adj) relating to or adapted for walking; (n) a place for walking |
| • Amorous | showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire |
| • Anathema | something or someone that one vehemently dislikes; a formal curse by a pope or a council of the Church, excommunicating a person or denouncing a doctrine |
| • Ancillary | (n/v) providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, etc. |
| • Antecedent | (n/adj) a thing or event that exists before or logically precedes another; preceding in time or order |
| • Anthropogenic | (chiefly or pollution or environmental change) originating in human activity |
| • Apace | swiftly; quickly; at the same speed or rate as |
| • Apotheosis | the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax |
| • Append | add (something) as an attachment or supplement |
| • Approbation | approval or praise |
| • Appurtenance | an accessory or other item associated with a particular activity or style of living |
| • Apse | a large semicircular or polygonal recess in a church, arched or with a domed roof, typically at the eastern end, and usually containing the altar |
| • Aquiline | (of a person’s nose) hooked or curved like an eagle’s beak |
| • Ardor | enthusiasm or passion |
| • Artifice | clever or cunning devices or expedients, especially as used to trick or deceive others |
| • Artless | without guile or deception |
| • Assail | make a concerted or violent attack on; (of an unpleasant feeling or physical sensation) come upon (someone) strongly and suddenly; criticize (someone) strongly |
| • Assent | (n/v) the expression of approval or agreement |
| • Assiduous | showing great care and perseverance |
| • Assuage | make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense; satisfy (an appetite or desire) |
| • Atelier | a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer |
| • Audacious | showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; showing an impudent lack of respect |
| • Augur | (of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome |
| • Auspicious | conducive to success; favorable |
| • Austere | stern and cold in appearance or manner |
| • Autodidact | a self-taught person |
| • Avuncular | relating to an uncle |
| • Baleful | threatening harm; menacing; having a harmful or destructive effect |
| • Balk | hesitate or be unwilling or accept an idea or undertaking |
| • Balustrade | an upright support, often a vertical molded shaft, found in stairways, parapets, and other architectural features |
| • Banal | so lacking in originality to be obvious and boring |
| • Barbarous | savagely cruel; exceedingly brutal; primitive and uncivilized |
| • Bashful | reluctant to draw attention to oneself; shy |
| • Bedraggled | dirty and disheveled |
| • Beguile | charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way; help (time) pass pleasantly |
| • Behoove | it is a duty or responsibility for someone to do something; it is incumbent on |
| • Belie | (of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict |
| • Bellicose | demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight |
| • Bellicosity | a natural disposition to fight |
| • Benediction | the utterance or bestowing of a blessing, especially at the end of a religious service |
| • Benefactor | a person who gives money or other help to a person or cause |
| • Benignant | kindly and benevolent |
| • Bereft | deprived of or lacking (something); (of a person) sad and lonely, especially through someone’s death or departure |
| • Bestial | of or like an animal or animals; savagely cruel and depraved |
| • Bindle | bag, sack, or carrying device stereotypically used by American hobos |
| • Blanch | flinch or grow pale from shock, fear, or a similar emotion |
| • Blandishment | a flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something |
| • Blather | (n/v) talk long-windedly without making much sense |
| • Blazon | display prominently or vividly |
| • Bleary | (of the eyes) unfocused or filmy from sleep or tiredness |
| • Blithe | showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper; (literary) happy or joyous |
| • Bookend | occur or be position at the end or on either side of (something) |
| • Brash | self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way |
| • Broach | raise (a sensitive or difficult subject) for discussion |
| • Brook | (v) tolerate or allow (something, typically dissent or opposition) |
| • Brusque | abrupt or offhand in speech or manner |
| • Burlesque | (n/v) an absurd or comically exaggerated imitation of something, especially in a literary or dramatic work |
| • Cacophony | a harsh discordant mixture of sounds |
| • Cad | a man who behaves dishonorably, especially toward a woman |
| • Cajole | persuade (someone) to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery |
| • Capitulate | cease to resist an opponent or unwelcome demand; surrender |
| • Capricious | given to sudden an unaccountable changes of mood or behavior |
| • Carrel | a small cubicle with a desk for the use of a reader or student in a library |
| • Casement | a window or part of a window set on a hinge so that it opens like a door |
| • Castigate | reprimand (someone) severely |
| • Casuist | a person who uses clever but unsound reasoning, especially in relation to moral questions; a sophist |
| • Caustic | (n/adj) sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way; able to burn or corrode organic tissue by chemical action |
| • Cavalier | (n) a dashing and attentive man, especially one acting as a lady’s escort; (adj) showing a lack of proper concern; offhand |
| • Cavort | jump or dance around excitedly |
| • Celerity | swiftness of movement |
| • Cerebral | intellectual rather than emotional or physical |
| • Chagrin | distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated |
| • Chaplet | a garland or wreath for a person’s head (typically for prayer) |
| • Chaste | not having any sexual nature or intention; without unnecessary ornamentation; simple or restrained |
| • Chauvinist | (n/adj) a person displaying excessive or prejudiced support for their own cause or group, in particular a man prejudiced against women |
| • Chenille | type of yarn, or the fabric made from it |
| • Chic | elegantly and stylishly fashionable |
| • Chicanery | the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose |
| • Chignon | a knot or coil of hair arranged on the back of a woman’s head |
| • Chilblains | a painful, itching swelling on the skin, caused by exposure to cold |
| • Circumlocutious | roundabout and unnecessarily wordy; using too many words to express an idea |
| • Circumspection | the quality of being wary and unable to take risks; prudence |
| • Clamber | (n/v) an awkward and laborious climb or movement |
| • Clamor | (n/v) a loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting vehemently |
| • Clandestine | kept secret or done secretly, especially because illicit |
| • Cleft | (adj) split, divided, or partially divided into two |
| • Clement | (of weather) mild; (of a person or person’s actions) merciful |
| • Cloister | (n) a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and a colonnade open with a quadrangle on the other; (v) seclude or shut up in as if in a convent or monastery |
| • Cloister | (v) seclude or shut up in or as if in a convent or monastery; (n) a covered walk in a convent, monastery, college, or cathedral, typically with a wall on one side and colonnade open to a quadrangle on the other |
| • Cloy | disgust or sicken (someone) with an excess of sweetness, richness, or sentiment |
| • Cogent | (of an argument or case) clear, logical, and convincing |
| • Coiffure | a person’s hairstyle, typically an elaborate one |
| • Colicky | experiencing or denoting severe pain in the abdomen (colic) due to gas or intestinal obstruction |
| • Commensurate | corresponding in size or degree; in proporation |
| • Commiserate | express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize |
| • Commodious | (especially of furniture or a building) roomy and comfortable |
| • Complaisant | willing to please others; obliging; agreeable |
| • Compunction | a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad |
| • Concert | arrange (something) by mutual agreement or coordination |
| • Confidant | a person with whom one shares a secret or private matter, trusting them not to repeat it to others |
| • Confluence | the junction of two rivers, especially rivers of approximately equal width |
| • Congenital | a condition or trait that is present at birth |
| • Consign | deliver (something) to a person’s custody, typically in order for it to be sold; commit decisively or permanently |
| • Consternation | feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected |
| • Contrition | the state of feeling remorseful or penitent |
| • Contrive | create or bring about (an object or situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice; manage to do something foolish or create an undesirable situation |
| • Contrived | deliberately created rather than arising naturally or spontaneously; created or arranged in a way that seems artificial and unrealistic |
| • Convalescent | time spent recovering from an illness or medical treatment; recuperation |
| • Convivial | (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and enjoyable; (of a person) friendly and cheerful; jovial |
| • Coquetry | flirtatious behavior or a flirtatious manner |
| • Cordon | a line or circle of police, soldiers, or guards preventing access to or from an area or building |
| • Corpulent | (of a person) fat |
| • Covey | a small group of people or things, especially birds |
| • Craven | (adj) contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly; (n) a cowardly person |
| • Crestfallen | feeling shame or humiliation; dejected |
| • Crockery | dishes made of earthenware or china |
| • Cupidity | greed for money or possessions |
| • Daub | coat or smear (a surface) with a thick or sticky substance in a carelessly rough or liberal way |
| • Debar | exclude or prohibit (someone) officially from doing something |
| • Debase | to reduce in quality or value; adulterate |
| • Decolletage | a low neckline on a woman’s dress or top; a woman’s cleavage as revealed by a low neckline |
| • Deference | humble submission and respect |
| • Defray | provide money to pay (a cost or expense) |
| • Deign | do something that one considers to be beneath one’s dignity |
| • Delineate | describe or portray (something) precisely; indicate the exact position of (a border or boundary) |
| • Deluge | (n) a great flood; (v) inundate with a great quantity of something |
| • Demoniacal | relating to or characteristic of a demon or evil spirit |
| • Demonym | a noun used to denote the natives or inhabitants of a particular country, state, city, etc |
| • Demure | reserved, modest, and shy (typically used of a woman) |
| • Denigrate | criticize unfairly; disparage |
| • Denouement | the climax of a chain or events, usually when something is decide or made clear |
| • Deportment | a person’s manners or behavior |
| • Deprecate | express disapproval of; disparage or belittle (something) |
| • Derelict | in a very poor condition as a result of misuse or neglect; a person without a home, job, or property |
| • Derogate | detract from; deviate from (a set of rules or agreed form of behavior) |
| • Descry | catch sight of |
| • Desist | cease; abstain |
| • Desolation | a state of complete emptiness or destruction; anguished misery or loneliness |
| • Despot | a ruler or other person who holds absolute power, typically one who exercises it in a cruel or oppressive way |
| • Desultory | lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; (of a conversation or speech) going constantly from one subject to another in a half-hearted way; unfocused |
| • Desultory | lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; occurring randomly or occasionally (especially of subjects in a conversation) |
| • Diametrical | used to emphasize how completely different two or more things are; of or along a diameter |
| • Dictum | a formal announcement from an authoritative source; a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle |
| • Diegetic | of or existing within the world of the narrative rather than externally |
| • Diffidence | modesty or shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence |
| • Dint | (n/v) an impression or hollow in a surface |
| • Discordant: | |
| • Discountenance | refuse to approve of (something); disturb the composure of |
| • Disparage | regard or represent as being of little worth |
| • Disparate | (adj) essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison; (n) things so unlike that there is no basis for comparison |
| • Dispensation | exemption from a rule or usual requirement |
| • Disquisition | a long essay or discussion on a particular subject |
| • Disseminate | spread (something, especially information) widely |
| • Dissimulate | conceal or disguise (one’s thoughts, feelings, or character) |
| • Dissipation | overindulgent living; the squandering of money, energy, or resources |
| • Divest | deprive (someone) of power, rights, or possessions |
| • Dodder | move in a feeble or unsteady way, especially because of old age |
| • Doldrums | a state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or depression |
| • Dole | benefit paid by the government to the unemployed; a person’s lot or destiny |
| • Dotard | an old person, especially a physically weak or mentally declined one |
| • Dote | be extremely and uncritically fond of |
| • Draper | a person who sells cloth and dry goods |
| • Drawl | (v/n) speak in a slow, lazy way with prolonged vowel sounds |
| • Droll | curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement |
| • Dudgeon | a feeling of offense or deep resentment |
| • Ebullition | the action of bubbling or boiling; a sudden outburst of emotion or violence |
| • Edict | an official order or proclamation issued by a person in authority |
| • Efface | erase (a mark) from a surface; make oneself appear insignificant or inconspicuous |
| • Effervescent | (of a liquid) giving off bubbles; fizzy; vivacious and enthusiastic |
| • Effigy | a sculpture or model of a person, often made to be destroyed as a protest or expression of anger |
| • Elucidate | make (something) clear; explain |
| • Emboss | carve, mold, or stamp a design (on a surface) so that it stands out in relief |
| • Emissary | a person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative |
| • Engender | cause or give rise to (a feeling, situation, or condition) |
| • Enmity | the state or feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something |
| • Ennui | a feeling of listlessness or dissatisfaction arising from a lack of employment or excitement |
| • Ensconce | establish or settle (someone) in a comfortable, safe, or secret place |
| • Ensign | a badge of office, rank, or power |
| • Entreaty | an earnest or humble request |
| • Ephemeral | lasting for a very short time |
| • Epigraph | an inscription on a building, statue, or coin |
| • Equable | (of a person) not easily disturbed or angered; calm and even-tempered |
| • Equanimity | mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation |
| • Ersatz | (n) (of a product) made or used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else; (adj) not real or genuine |
| • Eschew | deliberately avoid using; abstain from |
| • Estimable | worthy of great respect |
| • Ether | the clear sky; the upper region of air beyond the clouds |
| • Ethereal | light, airy, or tenuous; extremely delicate or refined |
| • Evocative | bringing strong images, memories, or feelings to mind |
| • Ex-officio | (adv) as a result of one’s status or position |
| • Execrate | feel or express great loathing for; curse or swear |
| • Exegesis | critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture |
| • Exegete | one who practices explanation or critical interpretation of text |
| • Exemplar | a person or thing serving as a typical example or excellent model |
| • Exordium | the beginning or introductory part, especially of a discourse or treatise |
| • Expatiate | speak or write at length or in detail |
| • Expedient | (n) means of obtaining and end, especially one that is convenient but considered immoral or improper |
| • Expurgate | remove matter thought to be objectionable or unsuitable from (a text or account) |
| • Extemporaneous | spoken or done without preparation |
| • Extenuate | cause (an offense) to seem less serious; make (someone) thin |
| • Extol | praise enthusiastically |
| • Extortionate | (of a price) much too high; exorbitant |
| • Extricate | free (someone or something) from a constraint or difficulty |
| • Facinorous | atrociously wicked; infamous |
| • Fastidious | very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail; very concerned about matters of cleanliness |
| • Fatuous | silly and pointless |
| • Felicity | intense happiness; the ability to find appropriate expression for one’s thoughts |
| • Fen | a low and marshy or frequented flooded area of land |
| • Festoon | a chain or garland of flowers, leaves, or ribbons, hung in a curve as a decoration |
| • Fetid | smelling extremely unpleasant |
| • Fetter | (n/v) a restraint or check on someone’s freedom to do something, typically one considered unfair or overly restrictive |
| • Filial | of or due from a son or daughter |
| • Filial | of or due to a son or daughter; denoting the generation or generation after the parental generation |
| • Flippant | not showing a serious or respectful attitude |
| • Florid | having a red or flushed complexion |
| • Flounce | (n/v) go or move in an exaggerated impatient or angry manner |
| • Flume | a deep, narrow channel or ravine with a stream running through it |
| • Foible | a minor weakness or eccentricity in someone’s character; the weaker part of a sword blade, from the middle to the point |
| • Forbearance | patient self-control; restraint and tolerance |
| • Foretaste | a sample or suggestion of something that lies ahead |
| • Forlorn | pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely; (of an aim or endeavor) unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled; hopeless |
| • Forlorn | pitifully sad and abandoned or lonely; unlikely to succeed or be fulfilled |
| • Fraught | (of a situation or course of action) filled with or likely to result in (something undesirable) |
| • Freeter | a person aged 18-34 who is unemployed or underemployed |
| • Frenetic | fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way |
| • Frivolity | lack of seriousness; lightheartedness |
| • Frond | the leaf or leaflike part of a palm, fern, or similar plant |
| • Furtive | attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive; suggestive of guilty nervousness |
| • Fusillade | a series of shots fired or missiles thrown all at the same time or in quick succession |
| • Gallantry | courageous behavior, especially in battle; polite attention or respect given by men to women |
| • Gambol | (n/v) run or jump about playfully |
| • Gamut | the complete range or scope of something |
| • Garish | obtrusively bright or showy; lurid |
| • Garrulous | excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters |
| • Gaucherie | awkward, embarrassing, or unsophisticated ways |
| • Gaudy | extravagantly bright or showy, typically as to be tasteless |
| • Gaunt | (of a person) lean and haggard, especially because of suffering, hunger, or age; (of a building or place) grim or desolate in appearance |
| • Gauzy | resembling gauze; thin and translucent |
| • Genteel | (n/adj) polite, refined, or respectable, often in an affected or ostentatious way |
| • Gesticulate | use gesture, especially dramatic ones, instead of speaking or to emphasize one’s words |
| • Gird | encircle (a person or part of body) with a belt or band; prepare oneself for something difficult or challenging |
| • Glade | an open space in a forest |
| • Glib | (of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow |
| • Glower | have an angry or sullen look on one’s face; scowl |
| • Gooseflesh | the state of possessing bumps on the skin by cold, fear, or excitement |
| • Gormless | lacking sense or initiative; foolish |
| • Gossamer | very light, thin, and insubstantial or delicate |
| • Gracility | the state of being gracefully slender; (with reference to a literary style) plain simplicity |
| • Gubernatorial | relating to a state governor or the office of one |
| • Guile | sly or cunning intelligence |
| • Gulch | narrow, deep valley or ravine with steep sides, often containing a stream |
| • Gunwale | the upper edge of the side of a boat or ship |
| • Habit | a long, loose garment worn by a member of a religious order or congregation |
| • Hallmark | (n/v) a mark stamped on precious metals certifying their standard of purity |
| • Hapless | (especially of a person) unfortunate |
| • Harangue | (n/v) a lengthy and aggressive speech |
| • Harbinger | a person or thing that announces the approach of another; a forerunner of something |
| • Harridan | a strict, bossy, or belligerent old woman |
| • Harried | feeling strained as a result of having demands persistently made on one; harassed |
| • Haughty | arrogantly superior and disdainful |
| • Haunt | (n) a place frequented by a specified person or group of people |
| • Heady | (of liquor) potent; intoxicating; having a strong or exhilarating effect |
| • Heft | (n) the weight of someone or something; (v) lift or carry (something heavy) |
| • Hegemony | leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others |
| • Hem | (v) turn under and sew the edge of (a piece of cloth or clothing) |
| • Hoary | grayish white; old and trite |
| • Hovel | a small, squalid, unpleasant, or simply constructed dwelling |
| • Humdrum | (adj/n) lacking excitement or variety; dull; monotonous |
| • Hutch | a chest or compartment for storage |
| • Idiosyncrasy | a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual; a distinctive or peculiar characteristic |
| • Ignoble | not honorable in character or purpose; of humble origin or social status |
| • Ignominy | public shame or disgrace |
| • Illustrious | well known, respected, and admired for past achievements |
| • Imbibe | drink (usually alcohol); absorb or assimilate (ideas or knowledge) |
| • Immure | enclose or confine (someone) against their will |
| • Impassive | not feeling or showing emotion |
| • Imperious | assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering |
| • Imperturbable | unable to be upset or excited; calm |
| • Impetuous | acting or done quickly and without thought or care; moving forcefully or rapidly |
| • Implacable | not capable of being appeased, significantly changed, or mitigated |
| • Importunate | persistent, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion |
| • Imprecation | a spoken curse |
| • Imprudent | not showing care for the consequences of an action; rash |
| • Impudent | not showing due respect for another person; impertinent |
| • Impunity | exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action |
| • Impute | represent (something, especially something undesirable) as being done, caused, or possessed by someone; attribute |
| • Impute | represent (something, especially undesirable) as being done, caused, or possessed by someone; attribute |
| • Incensed | very angry; enraged |
| • Incertitude | a state of uncertainty or hesitation |
| • Incipient | in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop; (of a person) developing into a specified type or role |
| • Inclement | (of the weather) unpleasantly cold or wet |
| • Incorporeal | not composed of matter; having no material existence |
| • Incredulous | (of a person or their manner) unwilling or unable to believe something |
| • Inculcate | instill (an attitude, idea, or habit) by persistent instruction |
| • Indigent | (n) a needy person; (adj) poor; needy |
| • Indolence | avoidance of activity or exertion; laziness |
| • Ineffable | too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words |
| • Inerrant | incapable of being wrong |
| • Inextricable | impossible to disentangle or separate; impossible to escape from |
| • Ingenuous | (of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting |
| • Ingratiate | bring oneself into favor with someone by flattering or trying to please them |
| • Inimical | tending to obstruct or harm; unfriendly; hostile |
| • Iniquity | immoral or grossly unfair behavior |
| • Inordinate | unusually or disproportionately large; excessive |
| • Inquietude | physical or mental restlessness or disturbance |
| • Inscrutable | impossible to understand or interpret |
| • Insensate | lacking sense or understanding; lacking animate awareness or sensation |
| • Insensible | without one’s mental faculties, typically as a result of violence or intoxication; unconscious; unaware of or indifferent to |
| • Insouciance | casual lack of concern; indifference |
| • Instantiate | represent as or by an instance; be represented by an actual example |
| • Insuperable | (of a difficulty or obstacle) impossible to overcome |
| • Intemperate | having or showing a lack of self-control; immoderate; characterized by excessive indulgence, especially alcohol |
| • Intercede | intervene on behalf of another |
| • Interlocutor | a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation |
| • Interment | the burial of a corpse in a grave or tomb, typically with funeral rites |
| • Interstice | an intervening space, especially a very small one |
| • Intimate | (v) imply or hint |
| • Intrepid | fearless; adventurous (often used for rhetorical or humorous effect) |
| • Inure | accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant; come into operation; take effect |
| • Invective | insulting, abusive, or highly critical language |
| • Inveigh | speak or write about (something) with great hostility |
| • Inveterate | having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change |
| • Invoke | cite or appeal to (someone or something) as an authority for an action or in support of an argument; give rise to; evoke |
| • Involute | (adj) involved or intricate; (v) curl up |
| • Irreverent | showing a lack of respect for people or things that are generally taken seriously |
| • Itinerant | (n/adj) traveling from place to place |
| • Jocular | fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful |
| • Judicious | having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense |
| • Lackadaisical | without interest, vigor, or determination; listless; half-hearted |
| • Laconic | (of a person, speech, or style of writing) using very few words |
| • Lacquer | (v/n) a varnish used to treat wood |
| • Laity | lay people, as distinct from the clergy or professionals |
| • Languid | (of a person, manner, or gesture) displaying or having a disinclination for physical effort or exertion; slow and relaxed; weak or faint from illness or disease |
| • Languor | the state or feeling, often pleasant, or tiredness or inertia; an oppressive stillness of the air |
| • Larceny | theft of personal property |
| • Lascivious | (of a person, manner, or gesture) feeling and revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire |
| • Laud | (n/v) praise (a person or their achievements) highly, especially in a public context |
| • Lectern | a tall stand with a sloping tops to hold books or notes for a preacher or lecturer |
| • Lenity | kindness; gentleness |
| • Levity | a lightness of manner or lack of seriousness, often in an inappropriate or excessive way |
| • Liaison | communication or cooperation which facilitates a close working relationship between people or organizations |
| • Licentious | promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matter; disregarding accepted rules or conventions, especially in a grammar or literary style |
| • Lilt | (n/v) a characteristic rising and falling of the voice when speaking; a pleasant gentle accent |
| • Limerence | the state of being infatuated or obsessed with another person, especially involuntarily and nonsexually |
| • Limpid | unclouded; clear |
| • Linoleum | material typically used for floor covering |
| • Listless | (of a person or their manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm |
| • Litany | a tedious recital or repetitive series |
| • Locution | a word or phrase, especially with regard to style or idiom |
| • Loll | sit, lie, or stand in a relaxed, lazy way; hang loosely; droop |
| • Lollop | move in an ungainly way in a series of clumsy paces or bounds |
| • Loquacious | tending to talk a great deal; talkative |
| • Luddite | a person opposed to new technology or ways of working |
| • Lurid | very vivid in color, especially as to create an unpleasant harsh or unnatural effect; described in shocking or sensational terms |
| • Lusty | healthy and strong; full of vigor |
| • Macula | part of the retina at the back of the eye |
| • Magnanimous | generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person |
| • Maladroit | ineffective or bungling; clumsy |
| • Malaise | a general feeling or discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify |
| • Manna | (in the Bible) the substance miraculously supplied as food to the Israelites in the wilderness |
| • Matins | a service of morning prayer in various churches, especially the Anglican church; the morning song of birds |
| • Matriculate | be enrolled at a college or university |
| • Matron | a woman in charge of medical or domestic arrangements at an establishment; a married woman, especially a dignified and sober middle-aged one |
| • Maxim | a general truth, fundamental principle, or rule of conduct |
| • Meander | (of a river or road) follow a winding course; a winding curve or bend of a river or road |
| • Melange | a mixture; a medley |
| • Menarche | a female’s first menstrual period |
| • Mendicant | (n/adj) beggar |
| • Mercurial | (of a person) subject to sudden or unpredictable changes or mood or mind |
| • Metastasize | (of a cancer) spread to other sites in the body |
| • Mewl | (esp of a baby) cry feebly or querulously; whimper |
| • Microcosm | a community, place, or situation regarded as capturing in miniature the characteristic qualities or features of something much bigger |
| • Mince | walk with short, quick steps in an affectedly dainty manner |
| • Ministration | the provision of assistance or care |
| • Mirth | amusement, especially as expressed in laughter |
| • Molder(ing) | slowly decay or disintegrate, especially because of neglect |
| • Moonstruck | unable to think or act normally, esp because of being in love |
| • Morose | sullen and ill-tempered |
| • Mortification | great embarrassment or shame; the action of subduing one’s bodily desires |
| • Mottle(d) | marked with spots or smears of colors |
| • Mountebank | a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan |
| • Muslin | a cotton fabric of plain weave |
| • Mutable | prone to change or mutation |
| • Nadir | the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization |
| • Neophyte | a person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief; a new convert to a religion |
| • Niggle | (n/v) cause slight or persistent annoyance, discomfort, or anxiety |
| • Nominal | (of a role or status) existing in name only; (of a price or amount) very small; far below the real value or cost |
| • Novitiate | the period or state of being a novice, especially in a religious order |
| • Nubile | (of a young woman) sexually attractive; sexually mature; old enough for marriage |
| • Oblique | neither parallel nor at a right angle to a specified or implied line; slanting |
| • Oblong | (n/adj) an object or flat figure in an elongated rectangle or oval shape |
| • Obloquy | strong public criticism or verbal abuse |
| • Obsequious | obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree |
| • Odious | extremely unpleasant; repulsive |
| • Officious | assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters; intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering |
| • Offing | the more distant part of the sea in view |
| • Opprobrium | harsh criticism or censure |
| • Oratory | a small chapel, especially for private worship |
| • Ostensible | stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so |
| • Ostentatious | characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice |
| • Pantomime | express or represent (something) by exaggerated and extravagant mime |
| • Paramour | a lover, especially the illicit partner of a married person |
| • Parlance | a particular way of speaking or using words, especially a way common to those with a particular job or interest |
| • Parochial | relating to a church parish; having a limited or narrow outlook or scope |
| • Parochialism | a limited or narrow outlook, especially focused on a local area; narrow-mindedness |
| • Paroxysm | a sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity |
| • Parquet | flooring composed of wooden blocks arranged in geometric pattern |
| • Parricide | the killing of a parent or other near relative; a person who commits parricide |
| • Parsimonious | unwilling to spend money or use resources; stringy or frugal |
| • Paternoster | (in the Roman Catholic Church) the Lord’s Prayer, especially in Latin |
| • Pecuniary | relating to or consisting of money |
| • Peevish | easily irritated, especially by unimportant things |
| • Perdition | (in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and impenitent person passes after death |
| • Peremptory | (especially of a person’s manner or actions) insisting on immediate action or obedience, especially in a brusquely imperious way |
| • Perfidy | deceitfulness; untrustworthiness |
| • Perfunctory | (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection |
| • Pergola | an archway in a garden or park consisting of a framework covered with trained climbing or trailing plants |
| • Periphery | the external boundary or surface of a body |
| • Perjury | the offense of willingly telling an untruth in a court after having taken an oath or affirmation |
| • Pernicious | having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way |
| • Perquisition | a thorough search |
| • Personage | a person (often used to express their importance, significance, or elevated status); a character in a play or other work |
| • Pert | (of a girl or young woman) attractively lively or cheeky; (of a bodily feature or garment) attractive because neat and jaunty |
| • Perverse | (of a person or their actions) showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences; contrary to the expected or accepted standard or practice |
| • Pestilential | relating to or tending to cause infectious diseases; (of a plant or animal) very widespread and troublesome |
| • Petrichor | an earthy, pleasant scent usually produced by rainfall |
| • Petulant | (of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered |
| • Philistine | (n/adj) a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them |
| • Pinion | the outer part of a bird’s wing including the flight feathers |
| • Plaintive | sounding sad and mournful |
| • Plinth | a heavy base supporting a statue or vase |
| • Plod | (n/v) walk doggedly and slowly with heavy steps |
| • Plodder | a person who walks doggedly and slowly with heavy steps |
| • Plumb | (v) measure (the depth of a body of water); (adj) vertical |
| • Plumb | straight up or down; vertically; to a complete degree; in a direct manner |
| • Plutocratic | relating to or characterized by government by the wealthy |
| • Polyphyletic | relating to or being a taxonomic group that includes members from different ancestral lineages |
| • Pomade | greasy or waxy substance used to style hair |
| • Ponderous | slow and clumsy because of great weight; dull, laborious, or excessively solemn |
| • Portentous | done in a pompously or overly solemn manner so as to impress |
| • Poseur | another term for poser |
| • Posterity | all future generations of people; the descendants of someone |
| • Pragmatic | dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations |
| • Precarious | not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse |
| • Precept | a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought; a writ or warrant |
| • Preceptor | a teacher or instructor |
| • Precinct | a geographical area, or district, often established for administrative or electoral purposes |
| • Precipitous | dangerously high or steep; (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration |
| • Preclude | to prevent the presence, existence, or occurrence of; make impossible |
| • Precocity | exceptionally early or premature development (as of mental powers or sexual characteristics) |
| • Preincarnate | existing or happening before incarnation, specifically that of Jesus Christ |
| • Presage | (n/v) (of an event) be a sign or warning that (something, typically bad) will happen |
| • Presentiment | an intuitive feeling about the future, especially one of foreboding |
| • Pretension | a claim or assertion of a claim to something; the use of affectation to impress; ostentatiousness |
| • Prim | stiffly formal and respectable; feeling or showing disapproval at anything regarded as improper |
| • Prise | use force in order to move, move apart, or open (something) |
| • Privation | a state in which things that are essential for human well-being such as food and warmth are scarce or lacking |
| • Probity | the quality of having strong moral principles; honesty and decency |
| • Progeny | a descendant or descendants of a person, animal, or plant; offspring |
| • Prognosis | the likely course of a disease or ailment; the forecast of the likely outcome of a situation |
| • Prolix | (of speech or writing) using or containing too many words; tediously lengthy |
| • Promenade | (n) a paved public walk, typically one along a waterfront at a resort; (v) take a leisurely public walk, ride, or drive so as to be seen or met by others |
| • Promulgate | promote or make widely known (an idea or cause); put (a law or decree) into effect by official proclamation |
| • Propitiate | win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them |
| • Propitious | giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorably disposed toward someone |
| • Propound | put forward (an idea, theory, or point of view) for consideration by others |
| • Propriety | the state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals |
| • Prosaic | having the style or diction of prose; lacking poetic beauty; commonplace; unromantic |
| • Proselytize | convert, or attempt to convert, (someone) from one religion, belief, or opinion to another; advocate or promote (a belief or course of action) |
| • Prostrate | (adj) lying stretched out on the ground with one’s face downward; (v) lay oneself flat on the ground face downward, especially in reverence or submission |
| • Protean | tending or able to change frequently or easily; able to do many different things; versatile |
| • Provincial | of or concerning a province of a country or empire; of or concerning the regions outside the capital city of a country, especially when regarded as unsophisticated and narrow-minded |
| • Provocation | action or speech that makes some annoyed or angry, especially deliberately |
| • Prudence | cautiousness |
| • Prurient | having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters |
| • Puerile | childishly silly and trivial |
| • Pugnacious | eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight |
| • Pulpit | a raised platform or lectern in a church or chapel from which the preacher delivers a sermon; preachers collectively |
| • Punctilious | showing great attention to detail or correct behavior |
| • Putter | move with or make a rapid, intermittent sound; move or go in a casual, unhurried way |
| • Pyrrhic | (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor |
| • Quandrangle | rectangular open space completely or partially enclosed by buildings of an academic or civic center |
| • Quintessence | the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class |
| • Rancor | bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing |
| • Rapacious | aggressively greedy or grasping |
| • Rapt | completely fascinated by what one is seeing or hearing |
| • Raucous | making or constituting a disturbingly loud and harsh noise |
| • Recompense | (n/v) make amends to (someone) for loss for harm suffered; compensate |
| • Recondite | (of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse |
| • Reconnoiter | make a military observation of (a region) |
| • Rectitude | morally correct behavior or thinking; righteousness |
| • Recumbent | (especially of a person or human figure) lying down |
| • Recursive | characterized by recurrence or repetition |
| • Redolent | strongly reminiscent or suggestive of; fragrant or sweet-smelling |
| • Refectory | a room used for communal meals in an educational or religious institution |
| • Relent | abandon or mitigate a harsh intention or cruel treatment; (especially of bad weather) become less severe or intense |
| • Reminiscer | someone who remembers and tells of past events |
| • Remit | to lay aside (a mood or disposition) partly or wholly; to desist from (an activity); to let (attention or diligence) slacken |
| • Remonstrance | a forcefully reproachful protest |
| • Remunerate | pay (someone) for services rendered or work done |
| • Repatriate | (v) send (someone) back to their home country; (n) a person who has been repatriated |
| • Repertory | the performance of plays, operas, or ballets by a company at regular, short intervals |
| • Repine | feel or express discontent; fret |
| • Repose | a state or rest, sleep, or tranquility; be lying, situated, or kept in a certain place |
| • Reprieve | cancel or postpone the punishment of (someone, especially one condemned to death) |
| • Reproach | (n/v) address (someone) in such a way as to express disappointment or disapproval |
| • Reproof | an expression of blame or disapproval |
| • Repudiate | refuse to accept or be associated with; deny the truth or validity of |
| • Resplendent | attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous |
| • Reticent | not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily |
| • Reverie | a state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; a daydream |
| • Rivulet | a very small stream |
| • Roil | make (a liquid) turbid or muddy by disturbing the sediment; make (someone) annoyed or irritated |
| • Rove | (n/v) travel constantly without a fixed destination; wander |
| • Ryokan | a traditional japanese inn |
| • Salacious | having or conveying undue or inappropriate interest in sexual matters |
| • Salient | most noticeable or important; (of an angle) pointing outward |
| • Sallow | (of a person’s face or complexion) of an unhealthy yellow or pale brown color |
| • Salve | soothe (wounded pride or one’s conscience) |
| • Sanctimonious | making a show of being morally superior to other people |
| • Sardonic | grimly mocking or cynical |
| • Sartorial | relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress |
| • Saturnine | (of a person or their manner) slow and gloomy; dark in coloring; moody and mysterious |
| • Sconce | a candle holder attached to a wall with an ornamental bracket |
| • Scrofulous | having a diseased, run-down appearance; morally contaminated |
| • Scrupulous | (of a person or process) diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details; very concerned to avoid doing wrong |
| • Scud | (v) move fast in a straight line because or as if driven by the wind; (n) a form of vapory clouds driven fast by the wind |
| • Seminary | a college that trains students to be priests, rabbis, or minsters |
| • Sepia | (n/adj) a reddish-brown color associated particularly with photographs of the 19th and early 20th centuries |
| • Sepulchral | relating to a tomb or interment; gloomy; dismal |
| • Sessile | (of an organism) fixed in one place; immobile |
| • Shamble | to walk slowly or awkwardly without lifting one’s feet properly |
| • Sheaf | a bundle of grain stalks laid lengthwise and tied together after reaping |
| • Shirk | avoid or neglect (a duty or responsibility) |
| • Sibilant | (n/adj) making or characterized by a hissing sound |
| • Simper | (v/n) smile in an affectedly coy or ingratiating manner |
| • Sinecure | a position requiring little to no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit |
| • Slake | quench or satisfy one’s thirst |
| • Slough | a swamp; a situation characterized by a lack of progress or activity |
| • Snuffle | breathe noisily through the nose due to a cold or crying |
| • Sojourn | (n/v) a temporary stay |
| • Solicitude | care or concern for someone or something |
| • Sonorous | (of a person’s voice or other sound) imposingly deep or full |
| • Sophistry | the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving |
| • Soporific | tending to induce drowsiness or sleep |
| • Sordid | involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; dirty or squalid |
| • Sordid | involving ignoble actions or motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; dirty or squalid |
| • Souse | (v) to pickle; to plunge in liquid; to make drunk; (n) a habitual drunkard |
| • Spate | a large number of similar things or events appearing or occurring in quick succession |
| • Spindly | (of a person or limb) long or tall and thin; (of a thing) thin and weak or insubstantial in construction |
| • Spire | a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, typically a church tower |
| • Splutter | (v/n) make a series of short explosive spitting or choking sounds |
| • Spurn | reject with disdain or contempt |
| • Squall | (n) a sudden violent gust of wind or localized storm; (v) (of a baby or small child) cry noisily and continuously |
| • Squalor | the state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect |
| • Staid | sedate, respectable, and unadventurous |
| • Statuary | sculpture consisting of statues; statues regarded collectively |
| • Stile | an arrangement of steps that allows people but not animals to climb over a fence or wall |
| • Stolid | (of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation |
| • Strata | a level or class to which people area assigned according to their social status, education, or income |
| • Stratagem | a plan or scheme, especially one used to outwit an opponent to achieve an end |
| • Stultify | cause to lost enthusiasm and initiative, especially as a result of a tedious or restrictive routine |
| • Sublunary | belonging to this world as contrasted with a better or more spiritual one |
| • Subterfuge | deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal |
| • Subterfuge | deceit used in order to achieve one’s goal |
| • Succor | (n/v) assistance and support in times of hardship or distress |
| • Suffuse | gradually spread through or over |
| • Supercilious | behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others |
| • Supple | bending and moving easily and gracefully; flexible |
| • Suppliant | (n/adj) a person making a humble plea to someone in power or authority |
| • Supplicate | ask or beg for something earnestly or humbly |
| • Surcease | (n) cessation; (v) cease |
| • Surfeit | (n) an excessive amount of something; (v) cause (someone) to desire no more of something as a result of having consumed or done it to excess |
| • Surly | bad-tempered and unfriendly |
| • Surreptitious | kept secret, especially because it would not be approved of |
| • Suspire | breathe |
| • Suzerain | a sovereign or state having some control over another state that is internally autonomous |
| • Swain | a young lover or suitor |
| • Swarthy | dark-skinned |
| • Swill | (v) drink (something) greedily or in large quantities; (n) a large mouthful of a drink |
| • Sycophant | a person who acts obsequiously toward someone important in order to gain advantage |
| • Tabernacle | (in biblical use) a fixed or movable habitation, typically of light construction |
| • Tableau | a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history |
| • Tacit | understood or implied without being stated |
| • Taciturn | (of a person) reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little |
| • Tantamount | equivalent in seriousness to; virtually the same as |
| • Tawdry | showy but cheap and of poor quality |
| • Temerity | excessive confidence or boldness; audacity |
| • Temporize | avoid making a decision or committing oneself in order to gain time; temporarily adopt a particular course in order to conform to the circumstances |
| • Tenebrous | dark; shadowy or obscure |
| • Tenement | a room or set of rooms forming a separate residence within a house or block of apartments; a piece of land held by an owner |
| • Thatch | (n/v) a roof covering of straw, reeds, leave, or similar material |
| • Theophany | a visible manifestation to humankind of God or a god |
| • Theretofore | before that time |
| • Thrall | the state of being in someone’s power or having great power over someone; a slave, servant, or captive |
| • Threadbare | (of a cloth, clothing, or soft furnishings) becoming tattered and thin with age; (of a person, building, or room) poor or shabby in appearence |
| • Thrum | (v/n) make a continuous, rhythmic humming sound |
| • Timbre | the quality of a sound made by a particular voice or musical instrument |
| • Timorous | showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence |
| • Titter | (v/n) give a short, half-suppressed laugh; giggle |
| • Torpid | mentally or physically inactive; lethargic; (of an animal) dormant, especially during hibernation |
| • Tractable | (of a person) easy to control or influence |
| • Traipse | walk or move wearily or reluctantly |
| • Transmute | change in form, nature, or substance |
| • Transports | an overwhelmingly strong emotion |
| • Transpose | cause (two or more things) to change places with each other |
| • Tremens | a severe form of alcohol withdrawal characterized by violent delirium with tremors, hallucinations, etc. |
| • Tremulous | shaking or quivering slightly |
| • Trepidation | a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen |
| • Trite | (of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and consequently of little import; lacking originality or freshness |
| • Trousseau | the clothes, household linen, and other belongings collected by a bride for her marriage; a dowry |
| • Turbid | (of a liquid) cloudy, opaque, or thick with suspended matter; confused or obscure in meaning or effect |
| • Twiddle | (v/n) twist, move, or fiddle with (something), esp in a purposeless or nervous way |
| • Unctuous | (of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily |
| • Undulate | (v) move or go with a smooth up-and-down motion; (adj) (especially of a leaf) having a wavy surface or edge |
| • Unscrupulous | having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair |
| • Vacillate | alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive |
| • Vacuous | having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless |
| • Vagary | an unexpected or inexplicable change in someone’s behavior or situation |
| • Vaunt | (n/v) boast about or praise (something), especially excessively |
| • Venal | showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery |
| • Veneer | an attractive appearance that covers or disguises someone or something’s true nature or feelings |
| • Venial | denoting a sin that is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace |
| • Veranda | roofed, open-aired hallway or porch, attached to the outside of a building |
| • Verdure | lush green vegetation; a condition of freshness |
| • Verge (landscape) | (n) an edge or border; (v) approach (something) closely; be close or similar to (something) |
| • Vertiginous | causing vertigo, especially by being extremely high or steep |
| • Vestibule | an antechamber, hall, or lobby next to the outer door of a building; (of anatomy) a channel or channel opening into another |
| • Vestige | a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists; the smallest amount (used to emphasize absence) |
| • Vestry | a room or building attached to a church, used as an office or changing in vestments |
| • Vicar | (in the Roman Catholic Church) a representative or deputy of a bishop |
| • Vicissitude | a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant; alternation between opposite or contrasting things |
| • Vie | compete eagerly with someone in order to achieve or do something |
| • Vigil | a period staying awake during the time usually spent asleep, especially to keep watch or pray |
| • Vituperation | bitter and abusive language |
| • Vivacious | attractively lively and animated (typically used of a woman) |
| • Vivisection | ruthlessly sharp and detailed criticism or analysis; the practice of performing operations on live animals for the purpose of experimentation or scientific research |
| • Vocation | a strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation |
| • Vociferous | (especially or a person or speech) vehement or clamorous |
| • Votary | a person, such as a monk or nun, who has made vows of dedication to religious service; a devoted follower, adherent, or advocate of someone or something |
| • Vouchsafe | give or grant (something) to (someone) in a gracious or condescending manner; reveal or disclose (information) |
| • Wainscot | an area of wooden paneling on the lower part of the walls of a room |
| • Waltz | move or act lightly, casually, or inconsiderately |
| • Wanton | (of a cruel or violent action) deliberate and unprovoked |
| • Waylay | stop or interrupt (someone) and detain them in conversation or trouble them in some other way |
| • Wheedle | use flattery or coaxing in order to persuade someone to do something or give one something |
| • Withering | intended to make someone feel mortified or humiliated; (of heat) intense; scorching |
| • Wizen(ed) | shrunken or withered with age |
| • Wont | (n) one’s customary behavior in a particular situation; (adj) (of a person) in the habit of doing something; accustomed |
| • Especial | better or greater than usual; special; for or belonging chiefly to one person or thing |
| • Caper | (n/v) skip or dance about in a lively or playful way |
| • Knoll | a small hill or mound |
| • Indefatigable | (of a person or their efforts) persisting tirelessly |
| • Ignominious | deserving or causing public disgrace or shame |
| • Rill | (n/v) a small stream |
| • Daffy | silly; mildly eccentric |
| • Replete | filled or well-supplied with something |
| • Restive | (of a person) unable to keep still or silent and becoming increasingly difficult to control, especially because of impatience, dissatisfaction, or boredom |
| • Disinter | dig up (something that has been buried, especially a corpse) |
| • Retinue | a group of advisors, assistants, or others accompanying an important person |
| • Wistful | having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing |
| • Smart | (v) (of a wound or part of the body) feel or cause a sharp stinging pain |
| • Poultice | a soft, moist mass of material applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation and kept in place with a cloth |
| • Superannuate | retire (someone) with a pension |
| • Insoluble | impossible to solve; (of a substance) incapable of being dissolved |
| • Deputation | a group of people appointed to undertake a mission or take part in a formal process on behalf of a larger group |
| • Totter | move in a feeble or unsteady way; (of a structure) shake or sway as if about to collapse |
| • Upbraid | find fault with (someone); scold |
| • Resound | (of a sound, voice, etc.) fill a place with sound; be loud enough to echo; sing (the praises) of |
| • Laden | heavily loaded or weighed down |
| • Bucolic | (adj) relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life; (n) a pastoral poem |
| • Bemused | puzzled, confused, or bewildered |
| • Pastoral | (especially of land or a farm) used for or related to the keeping or grazing of sheep or cattle; (in the Christian Church) concerning or appropriate to the giving of spiritual guidance |
| • Specious | superficially plausible but actually wrong; misleading in appearance, especially misleadingly attractive |
| • Mordant | (especially of humor) having or showing a sharp or critical quality; biting |
| • Requisition | (n/v) an official order laying claim to the use of property or materials |
| • Tarpaulin | heavy-duty waterproof cloth, originally of tarred canvas |
| • Coterie | a small group of people with shared interests or tastes, especially one that is exclusive of other people |
| • Bellwether | the leading sheep of a flock, with a bell on its neck |
| • Slovenly | (especially of a person or their appearance) messy and dirty; careless, excessively casual |
| • Duplicity | deceitfulness; double-dealing |
| • Pleonasm | the use of more words than are necessary to convey meaning, either as a fault of style or for emphasis |
| • Cachet | the state of being respected or admired; prestige; a distinguishing mark or seal |
| • Bouffant | (of a person’s hair) styled so as to puff out in a rounded shape |
| • Mete | dispense or allot justice, a punishment, or harsh treatment; (in biblical use) measure out |
| • Quandary | a state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation; a difficult situation; a practical dilemma |
| • Croon | (n/v) hum or sing in a soft, low voice, especially in a sentimental manner |
| • Modulate | exert a modifying or controlling influence on; vary the strength, pitch, or tone of (one’s voice) |
| • Carouse | (n/v) drink plentiful amounts of alcohol and enjoy oneself with others in a noisy, lively way |
| • Environs | the surrounding area or district |
| • Foray | (n/v) a sudden attack or incursion into enemy territory, especially to obtain something; a raid |
| • Homey | (of a place or surroundings) pleasantly comfortable and cozy |
| • Interminable | endless (often used hyperbolically) |
| • Straitlaced | having or showing very strict moral attitudes |
| • Condole | express sympathy for (someone); grieve with |
| • Winnow | [literary] (of the wind) blow |
| • Impresario | a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, and operas |
| • Analgesic | (n/adj) (of a drug) acting to relieve pain |
| • Subsume | include or absorb (something) in something else |
| • Limerence | the mental state of being madly in love or intensely infatuated when reciprocation of the feeling is uncertain |
| • Victual | (n) food or provisions; (v) provide with food or other stores |
| • Solipsism | the quality of being very self-centered or selfish; the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist |
| • Pleather | imitation leather |
| • Wan | (of a person’s complexion or appearance) pale and giving the impression of illness or exhaustion |
| • Sprightly | (especially of an old person) lively; full of energy |
| • Feckless | lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible |
| • Ribald | referring to sexual matters in an amusingly coarse or irreverent way |
| • Putrescent | undergoing the process of decay; rotting |
| • Tacit | understood or implied without being stated |
| • Candor | the quality of being open or honest in expression; frankness |
| • Verdant | (of countryside) green with grass or other rich vegetation; of the bright green color of lush grass |
| • Aperitif | an alcoholic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite |
| • Connivance | willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing, especially an immoral or illegal act |
| • Cadge | ask for or obtain (something to which one is not strictly entitled) |
| • Leonine | of or resembling a lion |
| • Promontory | a point of high land that juts out into a large body of water; a headland |
| • Pockmark(ed) | (n) a pitted scar or mark left on the skin left by a pustule or pimple; cover or disfigure with pockmarks |
| • Inimitable | so good or unusual as to be impossible to copy; unique |
| • Preen | (of a person) devote effort to making oneself look attractive and then admire one’s appearance; congratulate or pride onself |
| • Concierge | (especially in France) a caretaker of an apartment complex or small motel, typically one living on the premises |
| • Assay | determine the content or quality of (a metal or ore); attempt |
| • Exigency | an urgent need or demand |
| • Dipsomania | alcoholism |
| • Idyll | an extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque episode or scene, typically an idealized or unsustainable one; a short description in verse or prose of a picturesque scene or incident, especially in rustic life |
| • Bawdy | dealing with sexual matters in a comical way; humorously indecent |
| • Flue | a duct for smoke or waste gases produced by a fire |
| • Alabaster | a fine-grained, translucent form of gypsum, typically white, often carved into ornaments |
| • Gully | (n/v) a ravine formed by the action of water |
| • Rotunda | a round building or room, especially one with a dome |
| • Bramble | a prickly scrambling vine or shrub, especially a blackberry or other wild shrub of the rose family |
| • Breakfront | a piece of furniture having the line of its front broken by a curve or angle |
| • Escarpment | a long, steep slope, especially one at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of lands at different heights |
| • Lave | wash |
| • Provenance | the place of origin or earliest known history of something; the beginning of something’s existence |
| • Ineluctable | unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable |
| • Referent | the thing that a word or phrase denotes or stands for |
| • Frieze | a broad horizontal band of painted or sculpted decoration, especially on a wall near the ceiling |
| • Tableau | a group of models or motionless figures representing a scene from a story or from history |
| • Catamite | a boy kept for homosexual practices |
| • Bedlam | a scene of uproar and confusion |
| • Chary | cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something |
| • Cistern | a tank for storing water, especially one supplying taps or as part of a flushing toilet |
| • Trundle | (n/v) the act of moving slowly or heavily |
| • Mendicant | (n) a beggar; (adj) given to begging |
| • Palimpsest | a manuscript or piece of writing material on which the original has been effaced to make room for later writing but of which traces remain |
| • Scrabble | (n/v) scratch or grope around with one’s fingers to find, collect, or hold on to something |
| • Intestate | (n/adj) not having made a will before one dies |
| • Gelid | icy; extremely cold |
| • Enkindle | set on fire |
| • Pall | a cloth spread over a coffin, hearse, or tomb; a dark cloud or covering of smoke, dust, or similar matter |
| • Bivouac | (n/v) a temporary camp without tents or cover, used especially by soldiers and mountaneers |
| • Prevaricate | speak or act in an evasive way |
| • Supposition | an uncertain belief |
Created by:
Gungi
Popular English Vocabulary sets