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SAT Voca

Quiz yourself by thinking what should be in each of the black spaces below before clicking on it to display the answer.
        Help!  

Question
Answer
abase   to humble ,disgrace  
🗑
abandon   total lack of inhibition  
🗑
abate   decrease, reduce  
🗑
abdicate   to give up a position, right, or power  
🗑
aberration   something different from the usual  
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abet   to aid; act as accomplice  
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abhor   to loathe, detest  
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abject   miserable, pitiful  
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abolitionist   one who opposes the practice of slavery  
🗑
abortive   interrupted while incomplete  
🗑
abridge   to condense, shorten  
🗑
abrogate   to put an end to, abolish by authority  
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abscond   to depart secretly  
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absolve   to forgive, free from blame  
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abstain   to choose not to do something  
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accolade   praise, distinction  
🗑
accrue   to accumulate, grow by additions  
🗑
acerbic   bitter, sharp in taste or temper  
🗑
acme   highest point; summit  
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acquiesce   to agree; comply quietly  
🗑
acrid   harsh, bitter  
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acrimony   bitterness, animosity  
🗑
acuity   sharpness  
🗑
acumen   sharpness of insight  
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adage   old saying or proverb  
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adamant   uncompromising, unyielding  
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adapt   to accommodate; adjust  
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adhere   to cling or follow without deviation  
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adjacent   next to  
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admonish   to caution or reprimand  
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adroit   skillful, accomplished, highly competent  
🗑
adulation   high praise  
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adumbrate   to sketch, outline in a shadowy way  
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adversarial   antagonistic, competitive  
🗑
aerie   nook or nest built high in the air  
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aesthetic   pertaining to beauty or art  
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affable   friendly, easy to approach  
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affected   pretentious, phony  
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affluent   rich, abundant  
🗑
affront   personal offense, insult  
🗑
agenda   plan, schedule  
🗑
agile   well coordinated, nimble  
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agitation   commotion, excitement; uneasiness  
🗑
agrarian   relating to farming or rural matters  
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alacrity   cheerful willingness, eagerness; speed  
🗑
alias   assumed name  
🗑
alienated   distanced, estranged  
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allegory   symbolic representation  
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alleviate   to relieve, improve partially  
🗑
allure   to entice by charm; attract  
🗑
allusion   indirect reference  
🗑
aloof   detached, indifferent  
🗑
altruism   unselfish concern for others' welfare  
🗑
ambiguous   uncertain; subject to multiple interpretations  
🗑
ambivalence   attitude of uncertainty; conflicting emotions  
🗑
ameliorate   to make better, improve  
🗑
amenable   agreeable, cooperative  
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amend   to improve or correct flaws in  
🗑
amenity   pleasantness; something increasing comfort  
🗑
amiable   friendly, pleasant, likable  
🗑
amicable   friendly, agreeable  
🗑
amoral   unprincipled, unethical  
🗑
amorphous   having no definite form  
🗑
amphibian   creature equally at home on land or in water  
🗑
ample   abundant, plentiful  
🗑
amulet   ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits  
🗑
anachronistic   outdated  
🗑
anarchy   absence of government or law; chaos  
🗑
anathema   ban, curse; something shunned or disliked  
🗑
animation   enthusiasm, excitement  
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animosity   hatred, hostility  
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annul   to cancel, nullify, declare void, or make legally invalid  
🗑
anomaly   irregularity or deviation from the norm  
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anonymity   condition of having no name or an unknown name  
🗑
antagonist   foe, opponent, adversary  
🗑
antecedent   coming before in place or time  
🗑
anthology   collection of literary works  
🗑
antipathy   dislike, hostility; extreme opposition or aversion  
🗑
antiquated   outdated, obsolete  
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antiquity   ancient times; the quality of being old  
🗑
antithesis   exact opposite or direct contrast  
🗑
apathy   lack of feeling or emotion  
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aphorism   old saying or short, pithy statement  
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apocryphal   not genuine; fictional  
🗑
apostate   one who renounces a religious faith  
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appease   to satisfy, placate, calm, pacify  
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approbation   praise; official approval  
🗑
appropriate   to take possesion of  
🗑
arable   suitable for cultivation  
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arbitrary   depending solely on individual will; inconsistent  
🗑
arboreal   relating to trees; living in trees  
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arcane   secret, obscure, known only to a few  
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archaic   antiquated, from an earlier time; outdated  
🗑
archipelago   large group of islands  
🗑
ardent   passionate, enthusiastic, fervent  
🗑
arduous   extremely difficult, laborious  
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arid   extremely dry or deathly boring  
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arsenal   ammunition storehouse  
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articulate   well spoken, expressing oneself clearly  
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artisan   craftsperson; expert  
🗑
ascend   to rise or climb  
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ascetic   self-denying, abstinent, austere  
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ashen   resembling ashes; deathly pale  
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askew   crooked, tilted  
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aspersion   false rumor, damaging report, slander  
🗑
aspire   to have great hopes; to aim at a goal  
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assail   to attack, assault  
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assiduous   diligent, persistent, hard-working  
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assuage   to make less severe, ease, relieve  
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astringent   harsh, severe, stern  
🗑
astute   having good judgment  
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atone   to make amends for a wrong  
🗑
atrocious   monstrous, shockingly bad, wicked  
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attain   to accomplish, gain  
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attenuate   to make thin or slender; weaken  
🗑
audacious   bold, daring, fearless  
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audible   capable of being heard  
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augment   to expand, extend  
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augury   prophecy, prediction of events  
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august   dignified, awe inspiring, venerable  
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auspicious   having favorable prospects, promising  
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austere   stern, strict, unadorned  
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authoritarian   extremely strict, bossy  
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autocrat   dictator  
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avarice   greed  
🗑
avenge   to retaliate, take revenge for an injury or crime  
🗑
aver   to declare to be true, affirm  
🗑
aversion   intense dislike  
🗑
avert   to turn (something) away; prevent, hinder  
🗑
aviary   large enclosure housing birds  
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awry   crooked, askew, amiss  
🗑
baleful   harmful, with evil intentions  
🗑
ballad   folk song, narrative poem  
🗑
balm   soothing, healing influence  
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banal   trite, overly common  
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bane   something causing death, destruction, or ruin  
🗑
banter   playful conversation  
🗑
bastion   fortification, stronghold  
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bay   to bark, especially in a deep prolonged way  
🗑
beguile   to deceive, mislead; charm  
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behemoth   huge creature  
🗑
belabor   to insist repeatedly or harp on  
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belie   to misrepresent; expose as false  
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bellicose   warlike, aggressive  
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belligerent   hostile, tending to fight  
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benefactor   someone giving aid or money  
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beneficent   kindly, charitable; doing good deeds; producing good effects  
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benighted   unenlightened  
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benign   kindly, gentle, or harmless  
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bequeath   to give or leave through a will; to hand down  
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berate   to scold harshly  
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beseech   to beg, plead, implore  
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bestial   beastly, animal-like  
🗑
bias   prejudice, slant  
🗑
bibliography   list of books  
🗑
bisect   to cut into two (usually equal) parts  
🗑
blanch   to pale; take the color out of  
🗑
blandish   to coax with flattery  
🗑
blasphemous   cursing, profane, irreverent  
🗑
blatant   glaring, obvious, showy  
🗑
blight   to afflict, destroy  
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boisterous   rowdy, loud, unrestrained  
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bombastic   using high-sounding but meaningless language  
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boor   crude person, one lacking manners or taste  
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botanist   scientist who studies plants  
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bovine   cowlike; relating to cows  
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brazen   bold, shameless, impudent; of or like brass  
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broach   to mention or suggest for the first time  
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burgeon   to sprout or flourish  
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burnish   to polish, make smooth and bright  
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buttress   to reinforce or support  
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cacophony   jarring, unpleasant noise  
🗑
cajole   to flatter, coax, persuade  
🗑
callous   thick-skinned, insensitive  
🗑
callow   immature, lacking sophistication  
🗑
candor   honesty of expression  
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canny   smart; founded on common sense  
🗑
capitulate   to submit completely, surrender  
🗑
capricious   impulsive, whimsical, without much thought  
🗑
caricature   exaggerated portrait, cartoon  
🗑
cartography   science or art of making maps  
🗑
castigate   to punish, chastise, criticize severely  
🗑
catalyst   something causing change without being changed  
🗑
catholic   universal; broad and comprehensive  
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caucus   smaller group within an organization; a meeting of such a group  
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caustic   biting, sarcastic; able to burn  
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cede   to surrender possession of something  
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censorious   severely critical  
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cessation   temporary or complete halt  
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chagrin   shame, embarrassment, humiliation  
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champion   to defend or support  
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chaotic   extremely disorderly  
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charlatan   quack, fake  
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chary   watchful, cautious, extremely shy  
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chastise   to punish, discipline, scold  
🗑
chide   to scold, express disapproval  
🗑
chromatic   relating to color  
🗑
circuitous   roundabout  
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circumference   boundary or distance around a circle or sphere  
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circumscribe   to encircle; set limits on, confine  
🗑
circumspect   cautious, wary  
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citadel   fortress or stronghold  
🗑
civil   polite; relating to citizens  
🗑
clairvoyant   having ESP, psychic  
🗑
clamor   to make a noisy outcry; a noisy outcry  
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clandestine   secretive, concealed for a darker purpose  
🗑
clemency   merciful leniency  
🗑
cloister   to confine, seclude  
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coalesce   to grow together or cause to unite as one  
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coddle   to baby, treat indulgently  
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coerce   to compel by force or intimidation  
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cogent   logically forceful, compelling, convincing  
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coherent   intelligible, lucid, understandable  
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collateral   accompanying  
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colloquial   characteristic of informal speech  
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collusion   collaboration, complicity, conspiracy  
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commensurate   proportional  
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commodious   roomy, spacious  
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communicable   transmittable  
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commute   to change a penalty to a less severe one  
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compensate   to repay or reimburse  
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complacent   self-satisfied, smug  
🗑
complement   to complete, perfect  
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compliant   submissive and yielding  
🗑
complicity   knowing partnership in wrongdoing  
🗑
compunction   feeling of uneasiness caused by guilt or regret  
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concave   curving inward  
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concede   to yield, admit  
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conciliatory   overcoming distrust or hostility  
🗑
concur   to agree  
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condone   to pardon or forgive; overlook, justify, or excuse a fault  
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conduit   tube, pipe, or similar passage  
🗑
conflagration   big, destructive fire  
🗑
confound   to battle, perplex  
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congeal   to become thick or solid, as a liquid freezing  
🗑
congenial   similar in tastes and habits  
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conglomerate   collected group of varied things  
🗑
conjecture   speculation, prediction  
🗑
conscientious   governed by conscience; careful and thorough  
🗑
consecrate   to declare sacred; dedicate to a goal  
🗑
consensus   unanimity, agreement of opinion or attitude  
🗑
consolation   something providing comfort or solace for a loss or hardship  
🗑
consolidate   to combine, incorporate  
🗑
constrained   forced, compelled; confined, restrained  
🗑
construe   to explain or interpret  
🗑
contentious   quarrelsome, disagreeable, belligerent  
🗑
continence   self-control, self-restraint  
🗑
contravene   to contradict, deny, act contrary to  
🗑
contrite   deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong  
🗑
conundrum   riddle, puzzle or problem with no solution  
🗑
convalescence   gradual recovery after an illness  
🗑
convene   to meet, come together, assemble  
🗑
conventional   typical, customary, commonplace  
🗑
convex   curved outward  
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convoluted   twisted, complicated, involved  
🗑
copious   abundant, plentiful  
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corpulence   obesity, fatness, bulkiness  
🗑
corroborate   to confirm, verify  
🗑
cosmetic   relating to beauty; affecting the surface of something  
🗑
cosmopolitan   sophisticated, free from local prejudices  
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coterie   small group of persons with a similar purpose  
🗑
coven   group of witches  
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covert   hidden; secret  
🗑
covet   to desire strongly something possessed by another  
🗑
crass   crude, unrefined  
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craven   cowardly  
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credence   acceptance of something as true or real  
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credulous   gullible, trusting  
🗑
creed   statement of belief or principle  
🗑
cryptic   puzzling  
🗑
cuisine   characteristic style of cooking  
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culmination   climax, final stage  
🗑
culpable   guilty, responsible for wrong  
🗑
cupidity   greed  
🗑
curmudgeon   cranky person  
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cursory   hastily done, superficial  
🗑
curt   abrupt, blunt  
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curtail   to shorten  
🗑
cynic   person who distrusts the motives of others  
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daunt   to discourage, intimidate  
🗑
dearth   lack, scarcity, insufficiency  
🗑
debase   to degrade or lower in quality or stature  
🗑
debauch   to corrupt, seduce from virtue or duty; indulge  
🗑
debilitate   to weaken, enfeeble  
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debunk   to discredit, disprove  
🗑
deciduous   losing leaves in the fall; short-lived, temporary  
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decorum   proper behavior, etiquette  
🗑
decry   to belittle, openly condemn  
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deface   to mar the appearances of, vandalize  
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defamatory   slanderous, injurious to the reputation  
🗑
deferential   respectful and polite in a submissive way  
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deflation   decrease, depreciation  
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defunct   no longer existing, dead, extinct  
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delectable   appetizing, delicious  
🗑
delegate   to give powers to another  
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deleterious   harmful, destructive, detrimental  
🗑
deluge   flood  
🗑
demagogue   leader, rabble-rouser, usually using appeals to emotion or prejudice  
🗑
demean   to degrade, humiliate, humble  
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demographics   data relating to study of human population  
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demote   to reduce to a lower grade or rank  
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demur   to express doubts or objections  
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denigrate   to slur or blacken someone's reputation  
🗑
deplete   to use up, exhaust  
🗑
deplore   to express or feel disapproval of; regret strongly  
🗑
deploy   to spread out strategically over an area  
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depravity   sinfulness, moral corruption  
🗑
deprecate   to belittle, disparage  
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depreciate   to lose value gradually  
🗑
deride   to mock, ridicule, make fun of  
🗑
derivative   copied or adapted; not original  
🗑
desiccate   to dry completely, dehydrate  
🗑
desist   to stop doing something  
🗑
despondent   feeling discouraged and dejected  
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despot   tyrannical ruler  
🗑
destitute   very poor, poverty-stricken  
🗑
desultory   at random, rambling, unmethodical  
🗑
deter   to discourage; prevent from happening  
🗑
deviate   to stray, wander  
🗑
devout   deeply religious  
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dexterous   skilled physically or mentally  
🗑
dialect   regional style of speaking  
🗑
diaphanous   allowing light to show through; delicate  
🗑
diatribe   bitter verbal attack  
🗑
dictum   authoritative statement; popular saying  
🗑
didactic   excessively instructive  
🗑
diffidence   shyness, lack of confidence  
🗑
diffuse   widely spread out  
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digress   to turn aside; to stray from the main point  
🗑
dilapidated   in disrepair, run down, neglected  
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dilate   to enlarge, swell, extend  
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dilatory   slow, tending to delay  
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diplomacy   discretion, tact  
🗑
dirge   funeral hymn  
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disarray   clutter, disorder  
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disburse   to pay out  
🗑
discern   to perceive something obscure  
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disconcerting   bewildering, perplexing, slightly disturbing  
🗑
discordant   harsh-sounding, badly out of tune  
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discredit   to dishonor or disgrace  
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discrepancy   difference between  
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disdain   to regard with scorn and contempt  
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disgorge   to vomit, discharge violently  
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disheveled   untidy, disarranged, unkempt  
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disparage   to belittle, speak disrespectfully about  
🗑
disparate   dissimilar, different in kind  
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dispassionate   free from emotion; impartial, unbiased  
🗑
dispel   to drive out or scatter  
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dispense   to distribute, administer  
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disperse   to break up, scatter  
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dispirit   to dishearten, make dejected  
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disrepute   disgrace, dishonor  
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dissemble   to pretend, disguise one's motives  
🗑
disseminate   to spread far and wide  
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dissipate   to scatter; to pursue pleasure to excess  
🗑
dissuade   to persuade someone to alter original intentions  
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distraught   very worried and distressed  
🗑
dither   to move or act confusedly or without clear purpose  
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diurnal   daily  
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divine   to foretell or know by inspiration  
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divisive   creating disunity or conflict  
🗑
docile   tame, willing to be taught  
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doctrinaire   rigidly devoted to theories  
🗑
dogmatic   rigidly fixed in opinion, opinionated  
🗑
doleful   sad, mournful  
🗑
dormant   at rest, inactive, in suspended animation  
🗑
doting   excessively fond, loving to excess  
🗑
dour   sullen and gloomy; stern and severe  
🗑
drivel   stupid talk; slobber  
🗑
droll   amusing in a wry, subtle way  
🗑
dulcet   pleasant sounding, soothing to the ear  
🗑
dupe   to deceive, trick; a fool or pawn  
🗑
duplicity   deception, dishonesty, double-dealing  
🗑
dyspeptic   suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable  
🗑
ebb   to fade away, recede  
🗑
ebullient   exhilarated, full of enthusiasm and high spirits  
🗑
eclectic   selecting from various sources  
🗑
ecstatic   joyful  
🗑
edict   law, command, official public order  
🗑
edifice   building  
🗑
edify   to instruct morally and spiritually  
🗑
efface   to erase or make illegible  
🗑
effervescent   bubbly, lively  
🗑
effigy   stuffed doll; likeness of a person  
🗑
effrontery   impudent boldness; audacity  
🗑
effulgent   brilliantly shining  
🗑
effusive   expressing emotion without restraint  
🗑
egocentric   acting as if things are centered around oneself  
🗑
egregious   conspicuously bad  
🗑
elation   exhilaration, joy  
🗑
elegy   mournful poem, usually about the dead  
🗑
elicit   to draw out, provoke  
🗑
eloquence   fluent and effective speech  
🗑
emaciated   skinny, scrawny, gaunt, especially from hunger  
🗑
emancipate   to set free, liberate  
🗑
embellish   to ornament; make attractive with decoration or details; add details to a statement  
🗑
embezzle   to steal money in violation of a trust  
🗑
eminent   celebrated, distinguished; outstanding, towering  
🗑
emollient   having soothing qualities, especially for skin  
🗑
empathy   identification with another's feelings  
🗑
emulate   to copy, imitate  
🗑
endemic   belonging to a particular area, inherent  
🗑
enervate   to weaken, sap strength from  
🗑
engender   to produce, cause, bring about  
🗑
enigmatic   puzzling, inexplicable  
🗑
enjoin   to urge, order, command; forbid or prohibit, as by judicial order  
🗑
enmity   hostility, antagonism, ill-will  
🗑
ennui   boredom, lack of interest and energy  
🗑
enormity   state of being gigantic or terrible  
🗑
ensconce   to settle comfortably into a place  
🗑
enthrall   to captivate, enchant, enslave  
🗑
entreat   to plead, beg  
🗑
enunciate   to pronounce clearly  
🗑
ephemeral   momentary, transient, fleeting  
🗑
epicure   person with refined taste in food and wine  
🗑
epigram   short, witty saying or poem  
🗑
epilogue   concluding section of a literary work  
🗑
epitome   representative of an entire group; summary  
🗑
equanimity   calmness, composure  
🗑
equine   relating to horses  
🗑
equivocal   ambiguous, open to more than one interpretation  
🗑
equivocate   to use vague or ambiguous language intentionally  
🗑
eradicate   to erase or wipe out  
🗑
errant   straying, mistaken, roving  
🗑
erudite   learned, scholarly  
🗑
eschew   to abstain from, avoid  
🗑
esoteric   understood by only a learned few  
🗑
espouse   to support or advocate; to marry  
🗑
estrange   to alienate, keep at a distance  
🗑
ethereal   not earthly, spiritual, delicate  
🗑
eulogy   high praise, often in a public speech  
🗑
euphemism   use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one  
🗑
euphony   pleasant, harmonious sound  
🗑
euphoria   feeling of well-being or happiness  
🗑
evade   to avoid, dodge  
🗑
evanescent   momentary, transitory, short-lived  
🗑
evict   to put out or force out  
🗑
exacerbate   to aggravate, intensify the bad qualities of  
🗑
exasperation   irritation  
🗑
excerpt   selection from a book or play  
🗑
excruciating   agonizing, intensely painful  
🗑
exculpate   to clear of blame or fault, vindicate  
🗑
execrable   utterly detestable, abhorrent  
🗑
exhilaration   state of being energetic or filled with happiness  
🗑
exhort   to urge or incite by strong appeals  
🗑
exonerate   to clear of blame, absolve  
🗑
exorbitant   extravagant, greater than reasonable  
🗑
expedient   convenient, efficient, practical  
🗑
expiate   to atone for, make amends for  
🗑
explicit   clearly defined, specific; forthright in expression  
🗑
exponent   one who champions or advocates  
🗑
expound   to elaborate; to expand or increase  
🗑
expunge   to erase, eliminate completely  
🗑
expurgate   to censor  
🗑
extemporaneous   unrehearsed, on the spur of the moment  
🗑
extenuate   to lessen the seriousness  
🗑
extol   to praise  
🗑
extricate   to free from, disentangle  
🗑
extrinsic   not inherent or essential, coming from without  
🗑
exuberant   lively, happy, and full of good spirits  
🗑
exude   to give off, ooze  
🗑
exult   to rejoice  
🗑
fabricate   to make or devise; construct  
🗑
facade   face, front; mask, superficial appearance  
🗑
facile   very easy  
🗑
fallacious   wrong, unsound, illogical  
🗑
fallow   uncultivated, unused  
🗑
fanaticism   extreme devotion to a cause  
🗑
farcical   absurd, ludricrous  
🗑
fastidious   careful with details  
🗑
fathom   to measure the depth of, gauge  
🗑
fatuous   stupid; foolishly self-satisfied  
🗑
fawn   to flatter excessively, seek the favor of  
🗑
faze   to bother, upset, or disconcert  
🗑
feckless   ineffective, careless, irresponsible  
🗑
fecund   fertile, fruitful, productive  
🗑
feign   to pretend, give a false impression; to invent falsely  
🗑
felicitous   suitable, appropriate; well-spoken  
🗑
fell   to chop, cut down  
🗑
fervid   passionate, intense, zealous  
🗑
fetid   foul-smelling, putrid  
🗑
fiasco   disaster, utter failure  
🗑
fidelity   loyalty  
🗑
finicky   fussy, difficult to please  
🗑
flaccid   limp, flabby, weak  
🗑
flagrant   outrageous, shameless  
🗑
flamboyant   flashy, garish; exciting, dazzling  
🗑
flaunt   to show off  
🗑
flora   plants  
🗑
florid   gaudy, extremely ornate; ruddy, flushed  
🗑
flounder   to falter, waver; to muddle, struggle  
🗑
flout   to treat contemptuously, scorn  
🗑
fluctuate   to alternate, waver  
🗑
foible   minor weakness or character flaw  
🗑
foil   to defeat, frustrate  
🗑
foment   to arouse or incite  
🗑
ford   to cross a body of water at a shallow place  
🗑
foreboding   dark sense of evil to come  
🗑
forestall   to prevent, delay; anticipate  
🗑
forethought   anticipation, foresight  
🗑
forgo   to go without, refrain from  
🗑
forlorn   dreary, deserted; unhappy; hopeless, despairing  
🗑
foreswear   to repudiate, renounce, disclaim, reject  
🗑
forte   strong point, something a person does well  
🗑
fortuitous   happening by luck, fortunate  
🗑
foster   to nourish, cultivate, promote  
🗑
founder   to fall helplessly; sink  
🗑
fracas   noisy dispute  
🗑
fractious   unruly, rebellious  
🗑
fraudulent   deceitful, dishonest, unethical  
🗑
fraught   full of, accompanied by  
🗑
frenetic   wildly frantic, frenzied, hectic  
🗑
fulsome   sickeningly excessive; repulsive  
🗑
funereal   mournful, appropriate to a funeral  
🗑
furtive   secret, stealthy  
🗑
gargantuan   giant, tremendous  
🗑
garner   to gather and store  
🗑
garrulous   very talkative  
🗑
gaunt   thin and bony  
🗑
genre   type, class, category  
🗑
germinate   to begin to grow (as with a seed or idea)  
🗑
gestation   growth process from conception to birth  
🗑
gibe   to make heckling, taunting remarks  
🗑
girth   distance around something  
🗑
glib   fluent in an insincere manner; offhand, casual  
🗑
gluttony   eating and drinking to excess  
🗑
goad   to prod or urge  
🗑
grandiloquence   pompous talk, fancy but meaningless language  
🗑
grandiose   magnificent and imposing; exaggerated and pretentious  
🗑
gratis   free, costing nothing  
🗑
gratuitous   free, voluntary; unnecessary and unjustified  
🗑
gregarious   outgoing, sociable  
🗑
grievous   causing grief or sorrow; serious and distressing  
🗑
grimace   facial expression showing pain or disgust  
🗑
grovel   to humble oneself in a demeaning way  
🗑
guile   trickery, deception  
🗑
gullible   easily deceived  
🗑
gustatory   relating to sense of taste  
🗑
habitat   dwelling place  
🗑
hackneyed   worn out by overuse  
🗑
hapless   unfortunate, having bad luck  
🗑
harbinger   precursor, sign of something to come  
🗑
hardy   robust, vigorous  
🗑
haughty   arrogant and condescending  
🗑
hedonism   pursuit of pleasure as a goal  
🗑
hegemony   leadership, domination, usually by a country  
🗑
heinous   shocking, wicked, terrible  
🗑
hemorrhage   heavy bleeding; to bleed heavily  
🗑
heretical   opposed to an established religious orthodoxy  
🗑
heterogeneous   composed of unlike parts, different, diverse  
🗑
hew   to cut with an ax  
🗑
hiatus   break, interruption, vacation  
🗑
hoary   very old; whitish or gray from age  
🗑
homage   public honor and respect  
🗑
homogeneous   composed of identical parts  
🗑
hone   to sharpen  
🗑
husband   to farm; manage carefully and thriftily  
🗑
hutch   pen or coop for animals; shack, shanty  
🗑
hygienic   clean, sanitary  
🗑
hyperbole   purposeful exaggeration for effect  
🗑
hypochondria   unfounded belief that one is often ill  
🗑
hypocrite   person claiming beliefs or virtues he or she doesn't really possess  
🗑
hypothesis   assumption subject to proof  
🗑
iconoclast   one who attacks traditional beliefs  
🗑
idealism   pursuit of noble goals  
🗑
idiosyncrasy   peculiarity of temperament, eccentricity  
🗑
ignominous   disgraceful and dishonorable  
🗑
illicit   illegal, improper  
🗑
illusory   unreal, deceptive  
🗑
illustrious   famous, renowned  
🗑
immaculate   spotless; free from error  
🗑
immerse   to bathe, dip; to engross, preoccupy  
🗑
immune   exempt; protected from harm or disease; unresponsive to  
🗑
immutable   unchangeable, invariable  
🗑
impair   to damage, injure  
🗑
impasse   blocked path, dilemma with no solution  
🗑
impassive   showing no emotion  
🗑
impeach   to charge with misdeeds in public office; accuse  
🗑
impeccable   flawless, without fault  
🗑
impecunious   poor, having no money  
🗑
impediment   barrier, obstacle; speech disorder  
🗑
imperious   arrogantly self-assured, domineering, overbearing  
🗑
impertinent   rude  
🗑
impervious   impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected  
🗑
impetuous   quick to act without thinking  
🗑
impious   not devout in religion  
🗑
implacable   inflexible, incapable of being pleased  
🗑
implicate   to involve in a crime, incriminate  
🗑
implicit   implied, not directly expressed  
🗑
importune   to ask repeatedly, beg  
🗑
impotent   powerless, ineffective, lacking strength  
🗑
impoverish   to make poor or bankrupt  
🗑
imprecation   curse  
🗑
impregnable   totally safe from attack, able to resist defeat  
🗑
impudent   arrogant, audacious  
🗑
impugn   to call into question, attack verbally  
🗑
inane   foolish, silly, lacking significance  
🗑
inaugurate   to begin or start officially; to induct into office  
🗑
incandescent   shining brightly  
🗑
incarcerate   to put in jail; to confine  
🗑
incendiary   combustible, flammable, burning easily  
🗑
incense   to infuriate, enrage  
🗑
inception   beginning  
🗑
incessant   continuous, never ceasing  
🗑
inchoate   imperfectly formed or formulated  
🗑
incipient   beginning to exist or appear; in an initial stage  
🗑
incisive   perceptive, penetrating  
🗑
incognito   in disguise, concealing one's identity  
🗑
incontrovertible   unquestionable, beyond dispute  
🗑
incorrigible   incapable of being corrected  
🗑
incredulous   skeptical, doubtful  
🗑
inculcate   to teach, impress in the mind  
🗑
indefatigable   never tired  
🗑
indelible   permanent, not erasable  
🗑
indigenous   native, occurring naturally in an area  
🗑
indigent   very poor  
🗑
indignant   angry, incensed, offended  
🗑
indolent   habitually lazy, idle  
🗑
indomitable   fearless, unconquerable  
🗑
indubitable   unquestionable  
🗑
induce   to pursuade; bring about  
🗑
inept   clumsy, awkward  
🗑
inert   unable to move, tending to inactivity  
🗑
inevitable   certain, unavoidable  
🗑
inexorable   inflexible, unyielding  
🗑
infamy   reputation for bad deeds  
🗑
infer   to conclude, deduce  
🗑
infinitesimal   extremely tiny  
🗑
infirmity   disease, ailment  
🗑
ingenious   original, clever, inventive  
🗑
ingenuous   straightforward, open; naive and unsophisticated  
🗑
ingrate   ungrateful person  
🗑
ingratiate   to bring oneself purposely into another'a good graces  
🗑
inhibit   to hold back, prevent, restrain  
🗑
inimical   hostile, unfriendly  
🗑
iniquity   sin, evil act  
🗑
injunction   command, order  
🗑
innate   natural, inborn  
🗑
innocuous   harmless; inoffensive  
🗑
innovate   to invent, modernize, revolutionize  
🗑
innuendo   indirect and subtle criticism, insinuation  
🗑
insatiable   never satisfied  
🗑
inscrutable   impossible to understand fully  
🗑
insidious   sly, treacherous, devious  
🗑
insinuate   to suggest, say indirectly, imply  
🗑
insipid   bland, lacking flavor; lacking excitement  
🗑
insolent   insulting and arrogant  
🗑
instigate   to incite, urge, agitate  
🗑
insular   isolated, detached  
🗑
insurgent   rebellious, insubordinate  
🗑
insurrection   rebellion  
🗑
integral   central, indispensable  
🗑
integrity   decency, honesty; wholeness  
🗑
intemperate   not moderate  
🗑
inter   to bury  
🗑
interloper   trespasser; meddler in others' affairs  
🗑
intermittent   starting and stopping  
🗑
interrogate   to question formally  
🗑
intimation   clue, suggestion  
🗑
intractable   not easily managed  
🗑
intransigent   uncompromising, refusing to be reconciled  
🗑
intrepid   fearless  
🗑
intrinsic   inherent, internal  
🗑
introspective   contemplating one's own thoughts and feelings  
🗑
introvert   someone given to self-analysis  
🗑
inundate   to cover with water; overwhelm  
🗑
inure   to harden; accustom; beceom used to  
🗑
invective   verbal abuse  
🗑
inveterate   confirmed, long-standing, deeply rooted  
🗑
invidious   envious; obnoxious  
🗑
invincible   invulnerable, unbeatable  
🗑
iota   very tiny amount  
🗑
irascible   easily angered  
🗑
iridescent   showing many colors  
🗑
itinerant   wandering from place to place, unsettled  
🗑
itinerary   route of a traveler's journey  
🗑
jaded   tired by excess or overuse; slightly cynical  
🗑
jargon   nonsensical talk; specialized language  
🗑
jettison   to cast off, throw cargo overboard  
🗑
jingoism   belligerent support of one's country  
🗑
jocular   jovial, playful, humorous  
🗑
juncture   point where two things are joined  
🗑
kernel   innermost, essential part; seed grain, often in a shell  
🗑
kinetic   relating to motion; characterized by movement  
🗑
knell   sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure  
🗑
kudos   fame, glory, honor  
🗑
labyrinth   maze  
🗑
lachrymose   tearful  
🗑
lackadaisical   idle, lazy; apathetic, indifferent  
🗑
laconic   using few words  
🗑
laggard   dawdler, loafer, lazy person  
🗑
lament   to deplore, grieve  
🗑
lampoon   to attack with satire, mock harshly  
🗑
languid   lacking energy,indifferent, slow  
🗑
larder   place where fod is stored  
🗑
largess   generosity; gift  
🗑
lassitude   lethargy, sluggishness  
🗑
latent   present but hidden; potential  
🗑
laudable   deserving of praise  
🗑
laxity   carelessness  
🗑
legerdemain   trickery  
🗑
legible   readable  
🗑
lenient   easygoing, permissive  
🗑
lethargy   indifferent inactivity  
🗑
levitate   to rise in the air or cause to rise  
🗑
levity   humor, frivolity, gaiety  
🗑
lexicon   dictionary, list of words  
🗑
liberal   tolerant, broad-minded; generous, lavish  
🗑
libertine   one without moral restraint  
🗑
licentious   immoral; unrestrained by society  
🗑
limpid   clear, transparent  
🗑
lionize   to treat as a celebrity  
🗑
lissome   easily flexed, limber, agile  
🗑
listless   lacking energy and enthusiasm  
🗑
literate   able to read and write; well-read and educated  
🗑
lithe   moving and bending with ease; graceful  
🗑
livid   discolored from a bruise; reddened with anger  
🗑
loiter   to stand around idly  
🗑
loquacious   talkative  
🗑
lucid   clear and easily understood  
🗑
ludicrous   laughable, ridiculous  
🗑
lugubrious   sorrowful, mournful; dismal  
🗑
lumber   to move slowly and awkwardly  
🗑
luminous   bright, brilliant, glowing  
🗑
lurid   harshly shocking, sensational; glowing  
🗑
luxuriance   elegance, lavishness  
🗑
lyrical   suitable for poetry and song; expressing feeling  
🗑
maelstrom   whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind  
🗑
magnanimous   generous, noble in spirit  
🗑
magnate   powerful or influential person  
🗑
malady   illness  
🗑
malapropism   humorous misuse of a word  
🗑
malcontent   discontented person, one who holds a grudge  
🗑
malefactor   evil-doer; culprit  
🗑
malevolent   ill-willed; causing evil or harm to others  
🗑
malice   animosity, spite, hatred  
🗑
malinger   to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill  
🗑
mandatory   necessary, required  
🗑
mannered   artificial or stilted in character  
🗑
mar   to damage, deface; spoil  
🗑
maritime   relating to the sea or sailing  
🗑
martial   warlike, pertaining to the military  
🗑
martinet   strict disciplinarian, one who rigidly follows rules  
🗑
martyr   person dying for his or her beliefs  
🗑
masochist   one who enjoys pain or humiliation  
🗑
maudlin   overly sentimental  
🗑
mawkish   sickeningly sentimental  
🗑
medieval   relating to the Middle Ages (about a  
🗑
melancholy   sadness, depression  
🗑
menagerie   various animals kept together for exhibition  
🗑
mendacious   dishonest  
🗑
mendicant   beggar  
🗑
mentor   experienced teacher and wise adviser  
🗑
mercenary   soldier for hire in foreign countries; motivated by greed  
🗑
mercurial   quick, shrewd, and unpredictable  
🗑
meretricious   gaudy, falsely attractive  
🗑
meritorious   deserving reward or praise  
🗑
metamorphosis   change, transformation  
🗑
metaphor   figure of speech comparing two different things  
🗑
meticulous   extremely careful, fastidious, painstaking  
🗑
mettle   courageousness; endurance  
🗑
militate   to operate against, work against  
🗑
misanthrope   person who hates human beings  
🗑
misconstrue   to misunderstand, fail to discover  
🗑
miserliness   extreme stinginess  
🗑
misnomer   an incorrect name or designation  
🗑
missive   note or letter  
🗑
mitigate   to soften, or make milder  
🗑
mnemonic   relating to memory; designed to assist memory  
🗑
mollify   to calm or make less severe  
🗑
molt   to shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically  
🗑
monastic   extremely plain or secluded, as in a monastery  
🗑
monologue   dramatic speech performed by one actor  
🗑
montage   composite picture  
🗑
moot   debatable; purely academic, deprived of practical significance  
🗑
morbid   gruesome; relating to disease; abnormally gloomy  
🗑
moribund   dying, decaying  
🗑
morose   gloomy, sullen, or surly  
🗑
morsel   small bit of food  
🗑
mote   small particle, speck  
🗑
motley   many colored; composed of diverse parts  
🗑
mottle   to mark with spots  
🗑
mundane   worldly; commonplace  
🗑
munificent   generous  
🗑
mutability   changeability  
🗑
myriad   immense number; multitude  
🗑
nadir   lowest point  
🗑
nascent   starting to develop, coming into existence  
🗑
nebulous   vague, cloudy  
🗑
nefarious   vicious, evil  
🗑
neophyte   novice, beginner  
🗑
nettle   to irritate  
🗑
niche   recess in a wall; best position for something  
🗑
nihilism   belief that existence and all traditional values are meaningless  
🗑
nocturnal   pertaining to night; active at night  
🗑
noisome   stinking, putrid  
🗑
nomadic   moving from place to place  
🗑
nominal   existing in name only; negligible  
🗑
notoriety   unfavorable fame  
🗑
novice   apprentice, beginner  
🗑
novitiate   state of being a beginner or novice  
🗑
noxious   harmful, unwholesome  
🗑
nuance   shade of meaning  
🗑
nullify   to make legally invalid; to counteract the effect of  
🗑
obdurate   stubborn  
🗑
obfuscate   to confuse, obscure  
🗑
oblique   indirect, evasive; misleading, devious  
🗑
oblivious   unaware, inattentive  
🗑
obsequious   overly submissive, brownnosing  
🗑
obsolete   no longer in use  
🗑
obstinate   stubborn  
🗑
obstreperous   troublesome, boisterous, unruly  
🗑
obviate   to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent  
🗑
occlude   to shut, block  
🗑
odious   hateful, contemptible  
🗑
officious   too helpful, meddlesome  
🗑
ominous   menacing, threatening, indicating misfortune  
🗑
omniscient   having infinite knowledge, all-seeing  
🗑
onerous   burdensome  
🗑
opaque   impervious to light; difficult to understand  
🗑
opine   to express an opinion  
🗑
opportune   appropriate, fitting  
🗑
opprobrious   disgraceful, contemptuous  
🗑
opulence   wealth  
🗑
oration   lecture, formal speech  
🗑
oscillate   to move back and forth  
🗑
ossify   to turn to bone; to become rigid  
🗑
ostentatious   showy  
🗑
ostracism   exclusion, temporary banishment  
🗑
ouster   expulsion, ejection  
🗑
overwrought   agitated, overdone  
🗑
pacify   to restore calm, bring peace  
🗑
palatial   like a palace, magnificent  
🗑
palaver   idle talk  
🗑
pall   covering that darkens or obscures; coffin  
🗑
pall   to lose strength or interest  
🗑
palliate   to make less serious, ease  
🗑
pallid   lacking color or liveliness  
🗑
palpable   obvious, real, tangible  
🗑
paltry   pitifully small or worthless  
🗑
panacea   cure-all  
🗑
panache   flamboyance, verve  
🗑
pandemic   spread over a whole area or country  
🗑
panegyric   elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise  
🗑
panorama   broad view; comprehensive picture  
🗑
paradigm   ideal example, model  
🗑
paradox   contradiction, incongruity; dilemma, puzzle  
🗑
paragon   model of excellence or perfection  
🗑
paramount   supreme, dominant, primary  
🗑
paraphrase   to reword, usually in simpler terms  
🗑
parasite   person or animal that lives at another's expense  
🗑
parch   to dry or shrivel  
🗑
pariah   outcast  
🗑
parity   equality  
🗑
parochial   of limited scope or outlook, provincial  
🗑
parody   humorous imitation  
🗑
parry   to ward off or deflect  
🗑
parsimony   stinginess  
🗑
partisan   strong supporter; biased in favor of  
🗑
pastiche   piece of literature or music imitating other works  
🗑
pathos   pity, compassion  
🗑
patrician   aristocrat  
🗑
patronize   to condescend to, disparage; to buy from  
🗑
paucity   scarcity, lack  
🗑
pauper   very poor person  
🗑
peccadillo   minor sin or offense  
🗑
pedagogue   teacher  
🗑
pedant   uninspired, boring academic  
🗑
pedestrian   commonplace  
🗑
peer   contemporary, equal, match  
🗑
peerless   unequaled  
🗑
penchant   inclination  
🗑
penitent   expressing sorrow for sins or offenses, repentant  
🗑
pensive   thoughtful  
🗑
penury   extreme poverty  
🗑
perennial   present throughout the years; persistent  
🗑
perfidious   faithless, disloyal, untrustworthy  
🗑
perfunctory   done in a routine way; indifferent  
🗑
peripatetic   moving from place to place  
🗑
perjure   to tell a lie under oath  
🗑
permeable   penetrable  
🗑
pernicious   very harmful  
🗑
perpetual   endless, lasting  
🗑
pertinent   applicable, appropriate  
🗑
perusal   close examination  
🗑
pervert   to cause to change in immoral way; to misuse  
🗑
pestilence   epidemic, plague  
🗑
petulance   rudeness, peevishness  
🗑
phalanx   massed group of soldiers, people, or things  
🗑
philanderer   pursuer of casual love affairs  
🗑
philanthropy   love of humanity; generosity to worthy causes  
🗑
philistine   narrow-minded person, someone lacking appreciation for art or culture  
🗑
phlegmatic   calm in temperament; sluggish  
🗑
phobia   exaggerated, illogical fear  
🗑
piety   devoutness  
🗑
pilfer   to steal  
🗑
pinnacle   peak, highest point of development  
🗑
pious   dedicated, devout, extremely religious  
🗑
pique   fleeting feeling of hurt pride  
🗑
pithy   profound, substantial; concise, succinct, to the point  
🗑
placate   to soothe or pacify  
🗑
placid   calm  
🗑
plagiarist   one who steals words or ideas  
🗑
plaintiff   injured person in a lawsuit  
🗑
platitude   stale, overused expression  
🗑
plentitude   abundance, plenty  
🗑
plethora   excess, overabundance  
🗑
pliant   pliable, yielding  
🗑
plucky   courageous, spunky  
🗑
plummet   to fall, plunge  
🗑
ply   to use diligently; to engage; to join together  
🗑
poignant   emotionally moving  
🗑
polemic   controversy, argument; verbal attack  
🗑
polyglot   speaker of many languages  
🗑
pontificate   to speak in a pretentious manner  
🗑
pore   to study closely or meditatively  
🗑
porous   full of holes, permeable to liquids  
🗑
portent   omen  
🗑
posterity   future generations; all of a person's descendants  
🗑
potable   drinkable  
🗑
pragmatic   practical; moved by facts rather than abstract ideals  
🗑
prattle   meaningless, foolish talk  
🗑
precarious   uncertain  
🗑
precipice   edge, steep overhang  
🗑
precipitous   hasty, quickly, with too little caution  
🗑
preclude   to rule out  
🗑
precocious   unusually advanced at an early age  
🗑
precursor   forerunner, predecessor  
🗑
predilection   preference, liking  
🗑
preface   introduction to a book; introductory remarks to a speech  
🗑
premeditate   to consider, plan beforehand  
🗑
prepossessing   attractive, engaging, appealing  
🗑
preposterous   absurd, illogical  
🗑
presage   to foretell, indicate in advance  
🗑
prescient   having foresight  
🗑
presumptuous   rude, improperly bold  
🗑
pretext   excuse, pretended reason  
🗑
prevalent   widespread  
🗑
prevaricate   to lie, evade the truth  
🗑
pristine   untouched, uncorrupted  
🗑
privation   lack of usual necessities or comforts  
🗑
probity   honesty, high-mindedness  
🗑
proclivity   tendency, inclination  
🗑
procrastinator   one who continually and unjustifiably postpones  
🗑
prodigal   wasteful, extravagant, lavish  
🗑
prodigious   vast, enormous, extraordinary  
🗑
proficient   expert, skilled in a certain subject  
🗑
profligate   corrupt, degenerate  
🗑
profuse   lavish, extravagant  
🗑
progenitor   originator, forefather, ancestor in a direct line  
🗑
progeny   offspring, children  
🗑
prognosis   prediction of disease outcome; any prediction  
🗑
prolific   productive, fertile  
🗑
prologue   introductory section of a literary work or play  
🗑
promontory   piece of land or rock higher than its surroundings  
🗑
promulgate   to make known publicly  
🗑
propensity   inclination, tendency  
🗑
propitious   favorable, advantageous  
🗑
proponent   advocate, defender, supporter  
🗑
prosaic   relating to prose; dull, commonplace  
🗑
proscribe   to condemn; to forbid, outlaw  
🗑
proselytize   to convert to a particular belief or religion  
🗑
prostrate   lying face downward, lying flat on ground  
🗑
protagonist   main character in a play or story, hero  
🗑
protean   readily assuming different forms or characters  
🗑
protocol   ceremony and manners observed by diplomats  
🗑
provincial   rustic, unsophisticated, limited in scope  
🗑
prowess   bravery, skill  
🗑
proximity   nearness  
🗑
prude   one who is excessively proper or modest  
🗑
prudent   careful, cautious  
🗑
pry   to intrude into; force open  
🗑
pseudonym   pen name; fictitious or borrowed name  
🗑
puerile   childish, immature, silly  
🗑
pugnacious   quarrelsome, eager and ready to fight  
🗑
pulchritude   beauty  
🗑
punctilious   careful in observing rules of behavior or ceremony  
🗑
pungent   strong or sharp in smell or taste  
🗑
punitive   having to do with punishment  
🗑
purge   to cleanse or free from impurities  
🗑
quagmire   marsh; difficult situation  
🗑
quandary   dilemma, difficulty  
🗑
quarantine   isolation period, originally 40 days, to prevent spread of disease  
🗑
quell   to crush or subdue  
🗑
querulous   inclined to complain, irritable  
🗑
quibble   to argue about insignificant and irrelevant details  
🗑
quiescence   inactivity, stillness  
🗑
quintessence   most typical example; concentrated essence  
🗑
quixotic   overly idealistic, impractical  
🗑
quotidian   occurring daily; commonplace  
🗑
raconteur   witty, skillful storyteller  
🗑
rail   to scold with bitter or abusive language  
🗑
ramble   to roam, wander; to babble, digress  
🗑
ramification   an implication, outgrowth, or consequence  
🗑
rancor   bitter hatred  
🗑
rant   to harangue, rave, forcefully scold  
🗑
rapport   relationship of trust and respect  
🗑
rapt   deeply absorbed  
🗑
rarefy   to make thinner, purer, or more refined  
🗑
rash   careless, hasty, reckless  
🗑
raucous   harsh sounding; boisterous  
🗑
ravage   to destroy, devastate  
🗑
ravenous   extremely hungry  
🗑
raze   to tear down, demolish  
🗑
reactionary   marked by extreme conservatism, especially in politics  
🗑
rebuff   blunt rejection  
🗑
rebuke   to reprimand, scold  
🗑
rebut   to refute by evidence or argument  
🗑
recalcitrant   resisting authority or control  
🗑
recant   to retract a statement, opinion, etcetera  
🗑
reclusive   shut off from the world  
🗑
recondite   relating to obscure learning; known to only a few  
🗑
recount   to describe facts or events  
🗑
redress   relief from wrong or injury  
🗑
redundancy   unnecessary repetition  
🗑
refract   to deflect sound or light  
🗑
refuge   escape, shelter  
🗑
regimen   government rule; systematic plan  
🗑
rejoinder   response  
🗑
relinquish   to renounce or surrender something  
🗑
relish   to enjoy greatly  
🗑
remuneration   pay or reward for work, trouble, etcetera  
🗑
renascent   reborn, coming into being again  
🗑
renegade   traitor, person abandoning a cause  
🗑
renege   to go back on one's word  
🗑
renown   fame, widespread acclaim  
🗑
repast   meal or mealtime  
🗑
repeal   to revoke or formally withdraw (often a law)  
🗑
repentant   apologetic, guilty, remorseful  
🗑
replete   abundantly supplied  
🗑
repose   relaxation, leisure  
🗑
reprehensible   blameworthy, disreputable  
🗑
reproach   to find fault with; blame  
🗑
reprobate   morally unprincipled person  
🗑
reprove   to criticize or correct  
🗑
requite   to return or repay  
🗑
rescind   to repeal, cancel  
🗑
residue   remainder, leftover, remnant  
🗑
resilient   able to recover quickly after illness or bad luck; able to bounce back to shape  
🗑
resolute   determined; with a clear purpose  
🗑
respite   interval of relief  
🗑
resplendent   splendid, brilliant  
🗑
restive   impatient, uneasy, restless  
🗑
reticent   not speaking freely; reserved  
🗑
retort   cutting response  
🗑
retrospective   review of the past  
🗑
revelry   boisterous festivity  
🗑
revere   to worship, regard with awe  
🗑
revert   to backslide, regress  
🗑
revile   to criticize with harsh language, verbally abuse  
🗑
rhetoric   persuasive use of language  
🗑
ribald   humorous in vulgar way  
🗑
riddle   to make many holes in; permeate  
🗑
rife   widespread, prevalent; abundant  
🗑
risque   bordering on being inappropriate or indecent  
🗑
robust   strong and healthy; hardy  
🗑
rostrum   stage for public speaking  
🗑
rotund   round in shape; fat  
🗑
rue   to regret  
🗑
ruminate   to contemplate, reflect upon  
🗑
rustic   rural  
🗑
saccharine   excessively sweet or sentimental  
🗑
sagacious   shrewd  
🗑
salient   prominent or conspicuous  
🗑
sallow   sickly yellow in color  
🗑
salubrious   healthful  
🗑
salutation   greeting  
🗑
sanction   permission, support; law; penalty  
🗑
sanctuary   haven, retreat  
🗑
sanguine   ruddy; cheerfully optimistic  
🗑
sardonic   cynical, scornfully mocking  
🗑
satiate   to satisfy  
🗑
saunter   to amble; walk in a leisurely manner  
🗑
savant   learned person  
🗑
savory   agreeable in taste or smell  
🗑
scale   to climb to the top of  
🗑
scintilla   trace amount  
🗑
scintillate   to sparkle, flash  
🗑
scoff   to deride, ridicule  
🗑
score   notation for a musical composition  
🗑
score   to make a notch or scratch  
🗑
scrupulous   restrained; honest; careful and precise  
🗑
scrutiny   careful observation  
🗑
scurrilous   vulgar, low, indecent  
🗑
secular   not specifically pertaining to religion  
🗑
sedentary   inactive, stationary; sluggish  
🗑
seminal   relating to the beginning or seeds of something  
🗑
senescent   aging, growing old  
🗑
sentient   aware, conscious, able to perceive  
🗑
sequester   to remove or set apart; put into seclusion  
🗑
seraphic   angelic, pure, sublime  
🗑
serpentine   serpentlike; twisting, winding  
🗑
servile   submissive, obedient  
🗑
shard   piece of broken glass or pottery  
🗑
shirk   to avoid a task due to laziness or fear  
🗑
simper   to smirk, smile foolishly  
🗑
sinecure   well-paying job or office that requires little or no work  
🗑
singe   to burn slightly, scorch  
🗑
sinuous   winding; intricate, complex  
🗑
skeptical   doubtful, questioning  
🗑
skulk   to move in a stealthy or cautious manner; sneak  
🗑
slight   to treat as unimportant; insult  
🗑
sloth   sluggishness, laziness  
🗑
slough   to discard or shed  
🗑
slovenly   untidy, messy  
🗑
sobriety   seriousness  
🗑
sodden   thoroughly soaked; saturated  
🗑
sojourn   visit, stay  
🗑
solace   comfort in distress; consolation  
🗑
solicitous   concerned, attentive; eager  
🗑
soliloquy   literary or dramatic speech by one character, not addressed to others  
🗑
soluble   capable of being solved or dissolved  
🗑
somber   dark and gloomy; melancholy, dismal  
🗑
somnolent   drowsy, sleepy; inducing sleep  
🗑
sonorous   producing a full, rich sound  
🗑
sophistry   deceptive reasoning or argumentation  
🗑
sophomoric   immature and overconfident  
🗑
soporific   sleepy or tending to cause sleep  
🗑
sordid   filthy; contemptible and corrupt  
🗑
sovereign   having supreme power  
🗑
spartan   austere, severe, grave; simple, bare  
🗑
spontaneous   on the spur of the moment, impulsive  
🗑
sporadic   infrequent, irregular  
🗑
spurious   lacking authenticity; counterfeit, false  
🗑
spurn   to reject or refuse contemptuously; scorn  
🗑
squalid   filthy; morally repulsive  
🗑
squander   to waste  
🗑
staccato   marked by abrupt, clear-cut sounds  
🗑
staid   self-restrained to the point of dullness  
🗑
stand   group of trees  
🗑
stark   bare, empty, vacant  
🗑
stifle   to smother or suffocate; suppress  
🗑
stipend   allowance; fixed amount of money paid regularly  
🗑
stockade   enclosed area forming defensive wall  
🗑
stoic   indifferent to or unaffected by emotions  
🗑
stolid   having or showing little emotion  
🗑
strident   loud, harsh, unpleasantly noisy  
🗑
stringent   imposing severe, rigorous standards  
🗑
stupefy   to dull the senses of; stun, astonish  
🗑
stymie   to block or thwart  
🗑
suave   smoothly gracious or polite; blandly ingratiating  
🗑
subjugate   to conquer, subdue; enslave  
🗑
sublime   awe-inspiring; of high spiritual or moral value  
🗑
subliminal   subconscious; imperceptible  
🗑
subterfuge   trick or tactic used to avoid something  
🗑
subterranean   hidden, secret; underground  
🗑
subtle   hard to detect or describe; perceptive  
🗑
subvert   to undermine or corrupt  
🗑
succinct   terse, brief, concise  
🗑
succulent   juicy; full of vitality or freshness  
🗑
suffragist   one who advocates extended voting rights  
🗑
sullen   brooding, gloomy  
🗑
sully   to soil, stain, tarnish, taint  
🗑
supercilious   arrogant, haughty, overbearing, condescending  
🗑
superficial   hasty; shallow and phony  
🗑
superfluous   extra, more than necessary  
🗑
supersede   to take the place of; replace  
🗑
supplicant   one who asks humbly and earnestly  
🗑
surfeit   excessive amount  
🗑
surly   rude and bad-tempered  
🗑
surmise   to make an educated guess  
🗑
surmount   to conquer, overcome  
🗑
surreptitious   characterized by secrecy  
🗑
susceptible   vulnerable, unprotected  
🗑
sybarite   person devoted to pleasure and luxury  
🗑
sycophant   self-serving flatterer, yes-man  
🗑
syllabus   outline of a course  
🗑
symbiosis   cooperation, mutual helpfulness  
🗑
synopsis   plot summary  
🗑
synthesis   blend, combination  
🗑
tacid   silently understood or implied  
🗑
taciturn   uncommunicative, not inclined to speak much  
🗑
tactile   relating to the sense of touch  
🗑
taint   to spoil or infect; to stain honor  
🗑
talon   claw of an animal, especially a bird of prey  
🗑
tang   sharp flavor or odor  
🗑
tangential   digressing, diverting  
🗑
tangible   able to be sensed, perceptible, measurable  
🗑
tawdry   gaudy, cheat, showy  
🗑
temperance   restraint, self-control, moderation  
🗑
tempered   moderated, restrained  
🗑
tempestuous   stormy, raging, furious  
🗑
tenable   defensible, reasonable  
🗑
tenacious   stubborn, holding firm  
🗑
tenet   belief, doctrine  
🗑
tenuous   weak, insubstantial  
🗑
tepid   lukewarm; showing little enthusiasm  
🗑
terse   concise, brief, free of extra words  
🗑
testament   statement of belief; will  
🗑
tether   to bind, tie  
🗑
theocracy   government by priests representing a god  
🗑
thesaurus   book of synonyms and antonyms  
🗑
timorous   timid, shy, full of apprehension  
🗑
tirade   long, violent speech; verbal assault  
🗑
toady   flatterer, hanger-on, yesman  
🗑
tome   book, usually large and academic  
🗑
torpid   lethargic; unable to move; dormant  
🗑
torrid   burning hot; passionate  
🗑
tortuous   having many twists and turns; highly complex  
🗑
toxin   poison  
🗑
tractable   obedient, yielding  
🗑
transcend   to rise above, go beyond  
🗑
transient   temporary, short-lived, fleeting  
🗑
transitory   short-lived, existing only briefly  
🗑
translucent   partially transparent  
🗑
travesty   parody, exaggerated imitation, caricature  
🗑
tremulous   trembling, quivering; fearful, timid  
🗑
trenchant   acute, sharp, incisive; forceful, effective  
🗑
trepidation   fear and anxiety  
🗑
trifling   of slight worth, trivial, insignificant  
🗑
trite   shallow, superficial  
🗑
troupe   group of actors  
🗑
truncate   to cut off, shorten by cutting  
🗑
tryst   agreement between lovers to meet; rendezvous  
🗑
tundra   treeless plain found in arctic or subarctic regions  
🗑
turgid   swollen, bloated  
🗑
turpitude   inherent vileness, foulness, depravity  
🗑
tyro   beginner, novice  
🗑
ubiquitous   being everywhere simultaneously  
🗑
umbrage   offense, resentment  
🗑
unadulterated   absolutely pure  
🗑
unanimity   state of total agreement or unity  
🗑
unconscionable   unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust  
🗑
unctuous   greasy, oily; smug and falsely earnest  
🗑
undulating   moving in waves  
🗑
unequivocal   absolute, certain  
🗑
uniform   consistent and unchanging; identical  
🗑
unimpeachable   beyond question  
🗑
unscrupulous   dishonest  
🗑
upbraid   to scold sharply  
🗑
uproarious   loud and forceful  
🗑
urbane   courteous, refined, suave  
🗑
usurp   to seize by force  
🗑
usury   practice of lending money at exorbitant rates  
🗑
utopia   perfect place  
🗑
vacillate   to waver, show indecision  
🗑
vagrant   poor person with no home  
🗑
vanquish   to conquer, defeat  
🗑
vapid   tasteless, dull  
🗑
variegated   varied; marked with different colors  
🗑
vaunted   boasted about, bragged about  
🗑
vehement   strong, urgent  
🗑
vendetta   prolonged feud marked by bitter hostility  
🗑
venerable   respected because of age  
🗑
vent   to express, say out loud  
🗑
veracity   accuracy, truth  
🗑
verbatim   word for word  
🗑
verbose   wordy  
🗑
verity   truthfulness; belief viewed as true and enduring  
🗑
vermin   small creatures offensive to humans  
🗑
vernacular   everyday language used by ordinary peoples; specialized language of a profession  
🗑
vernal   related to spring  
🗑
versatile   adaptable, all-purpose  
🗑
vestige   trace, remnant  
🗑
vex   to irritate, annoy; confuse, puzzle  
🗑
viable   workable, able to succeed or grow  
🗑
vicarious   substitute, surrogate; enjoyed through imagined participation in another's experience  
🗑
vie   to compete, contend  
🗑
vigilant   attentive, watchful  
🗑
vilify   to slander, defame  
🗑
vim   energy, enthusiasm  
🗑
vindicate   to clear of blame; support a claim  
🗑
vindictive   spiteful, vengeful, unforgiving  
🗑
virile   manly, having qualities of an adult male  
🗑
virtuoso   someone with masterly skill; expert musician  
🗑
virulent   extremely poisonous; malignant; hateful  
🗑
viscous   thick, syrupy, and sticky  
🗑
vitriolic   burning, caustic; sharp, bitter  
🗑
vituperate   to abuse verbally  
🗑
vivacious   lively, spirited  
🗑
vociferous   loud, vocal, and noisy  
🗑
volition   free choice, free will; act of choosing  
🗑
voluble   speaking much and easily, talkative; glib  
🗑
voracious   having a great appetite  
🗑
vulnerable   defenseless, unprotected; innocent, naive  
🗑
waive   to refrain from enforcing a rule; to give up a legal right  
🗑
wan   sickly pale  
🗑
wanton   undisciplined, unrestrained, reckless  
🗑
wary   careful, cautious  
🗑
whet   to sharpen, stimulate  
🗑
whimsical   playful or fanciful idea  
🗑
writ   written document, usually in law  
🗑
wry   amusing, ironic  
🗑
xenophobia   fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers  
🗑
yoke   to join together  
🗑
zealot   someone passionately devoted to a cause  
🗑
zenith   highest point, summit  
🗑
zephyr   gentle breeze  
🗑
zoologist   scientist who studies animals  
🗑


   

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Created by: diligencer
Popular English Vocabulary sets