| A | B |
|---|
| Abbreviate | to make shorter |
| abdicate | to give up a throne |
| aberration | a departure from the normal |
| abridge | to reduce the amount of text |
| abstinence | refraining from indluging in appetite |
| abstruse | difficult to understand |
| accentuate | to put emphasis on |
| accessory | partner in a crime |
| acrimonious | bitter and sharp in language or tone |
| acumen | keen insight |
| addendum | something intended to supplement |
| adroit | skillful: being an expert at |
| adulation | excessive flattery or admiration |
| adversity | a state of hardship: msifortune |
| aesthetic | artistic beauty |
| agenda | order of things discussed at a meeting |
| aghast | extreme horror |
| alacrity | seediness or quickness |
| allay | to lessen fear |
| altrusium | helping others without expecting profit |
| ambiguous | open to more tham one interpretation |
| amiable | lacking hostility; friendly |
| amicable | exhibiting friendliness or goodwill |
| anachronistic | out of proper time or chronological order |
| analyst | someone who studies data |
| anecdote | short story of an interesting incident |
| anemic | lacking vitality; listless and weak |
| anesthetic | medichine used to lessen pain |
| anonymous | nameless; without an identity |
| antagonist | foe, opponent, adversary |
| antipathy | strong hatred |
| apathetic | lack of emotion or feeling; impassive |
| ape | to imitate or mimic slavishly |
| appalled | shocked and horrified |
| appease | to deal with a demand |
| appraise | to determine the worth of |
| approbation | an expression of warm approval |
| apt | exactly suitable; appropriate |
| arboreal | pretaining to trees |
| arcane | known or understood by a few |
| archaic | no longer current or applicable |
| archipelago | a group of islands |
| archive | a storage of documents |
| arid | extremely dry |
| assiduous | constant in application; diligent |
| asylum | a place offering protection & shelter |
| asymmetrical | lacking balance |
| audacious | bold; lacking timidity |
| auditory | pretaining to hearing |
| autocrat | a absolute ruler; tyrant |
| automaton | one that behaves in a mechanical way |
| avant-garde | innovation in the arts |
| aviary | a large disclosure for keeping birds |
| balked | to stop short and refuse to go on |
| banish | to put into exile |
| banter | casual conversation |
| bask | to expose to warmth |
| belabor | to disscuss repeatedly or at length |
| beleaguered | besieged; harrass (surrounded) |
| belie | to show to be flase |
| benchmark | a very high standard |
| benevolent | characterized by the doing of good |
| benign | kind; harmless |
| bestial | acting like an animal (beast) |
| bilious | having a peevish disposition |
| bipartisan | having to do with two (political) parties |
| blandishment | flattery |
| blurb | a short notice |
| bog | an area of soft water-logged ground |
| bombast | pompous speech or writing |
| brag | showing excessive pride |
| braggart | someone who boasts offensively |
| brusque | abrupt in manner or speech |
| buffer | shock absorber; barrier shield |
| bouyant | lighthearted; gay |
| bureau | a chest drawers |
| bureaucracry | an inefficient organization |
| burlesque | a drama mocking in nature |
| busybody | one who meddle or pries into affairs of others |
| byzantine | highly complicated; intricate |
| cacophonous | having a harsh unpleasent sound |
| callow | lacking adult maturity |
| camaraderie | lighthearted rapport between friends |
| caricature | a portait mocking in nature |
| castigate | to scold critisize |
| catacomb | an underground burial place |
| catalog | to classify |
| cathartic | purifying; refreshing |
| caustic | biting; sharp |
| censure | to criticize harshly |
| certify | to make official |
| chaos | a disorderly situation |
| chime | sound made by a bell |
| chimerical | fantastic; wild fancies |
| chronicle | a long historical description |
| circumscribe | to limit narrowly |
| clairvoyant | having the power to see objects unable to be precieved by the senses |
| circuitous | taking a roundabout; lenghty course |
| clan | group of relative |
| clandestine | kept or done in secret |
| cleave | to split open |
| cliche | a hackneyed remark |
| coin | to make a word |
| collaborate | to work together |
| collaborator | partner in a project |
| colloquial | informal speech |
| comely | pleasing and wholesome in apperance |
| commandeer | to seize for military use |
| compassion | deep awareness of the suffering of another with wish to relieve it |
| compromise | a settlement of differences in which each side makes concession |
| compunction | a strong uneasiness caused by guilt |
| conciliate | to regain friendship by pleasent behavior |
| concord | harmony or agreement of feelings;accord |
| condemn | to express strong disapproval of |
| condescending | possessing an attitude of superiority |
| condiment | a sauce or spice used to season food |
| conditional | an action that takes place based on whether or not a condition is true |
| conflated | fused together |
| conflict | situation that lacks accord |
| conformist | person who conplies with accepted rules |
| confrontation | a fight |
| congregation | a body of assembled people |
| connoisseur | an expert in food or drinks |
| conscientious | characterized by diligence |
| conspicuous | easy to notice |
| constellation | a chain of stars |
| contemporary | current;modern |
| convergence | the state of separate elements coming together |
| convival | merry; festive |
| convoluted | a confusing twisty plot |
| coronation | the induction of a monarch |
| corporeal | pretaining to the body |
| corral | a place used to keep livestock |
| corroborate | to support with evidence |
| cosmetics | something used to improve appearance |
| counterfeit | to make fake money |
| creadulous | to believe too readily;gulliable |
| criterion | a standard rule on which a judgement can be based |
| crop | to reduce the size of a photograph |
| crush | to break by putting too much pressure on |
| culpability | guilty |
| curator | someone who manages a museum |
| curt | rudely brief or abrupt; as in speech or manner |
| cymbals | an instrument that makes a loud crashing sound |
| daunting | discouraging; intimidating |
| debase | to lower in character; quality; value |
| debonair | charming; roger-like |
| decorum | proper behavior |
| defer | to put off until later |
| deft | skill |
| deleterious | having a harmful effects; injurious |
| deliberation | thoughtful in decision or action |
| demagogue | a leader who gains power by appealing to emotions and prejudice of the people |
| depose | to remove a ruler from office |
| derviative | copied or adapted from others |
| destitute | lacking reasources or the means of subsistence |
| dexterity | having a lot of skill with the hands |
| dichotomy | division into two contradictory parts |
| diffidence | shyness |
| degression | act of straying from the main point |
| dilettante | lacking seriousness; amateur |
| diligent | marked by persevering effort |
| dirge | a song done at a funeral |
| diavow | to refuse to recognize; deny ;reject |
| discount | to disregaurd, disbelieve |
| discredit | to damage in reputation; cause to be doubt |
| disdain | to regaurd with scorn or contempt |
| dispatch | speed in performance or movement |
| dispossess | to deprive ownership of |
| dissension | fighting; disagreement |
| distension | the act of swelling or expanding from internal pressure |
| divergent | moving in different direction from one point |
| divisive | creating differences; dividing |
| docket | a calender of the cases awaitng action in court |
| doggerel | loosely or irregularly fashoined verse |
| doubtful | of uncertain outcome; undecided |
| draft | the preliminary version of a report |
| dubious | doubtful |
| dupicity | deceptive |
| ecstacy | extreme happiness |
| effervesce | giving off bubbles |
| egoist | someone who is selfish |
| elan | enthusiastic vigor and liveliness |
| elucidate | to make clear |
| embark | to board a ship; begin a journey |
| emollient | something that lessens iritation |
| empathy | understanding of another's situation |
| emulate | to imitate esp. an admired person |
| enamel | a protective coating |
| encyclopedic | embracing or comprehensive in many subjects |
| enervating | to weaken or destroy strength of |
| enhance | to make greater invalue, reputation, beauty |
| ennui | boredomn |
| entreaty | an earnest request; plea |
| ephemeral | lasting a markedly brief time; short-lived |
| equitable | balanced; fair; impartial |
| equivocal | open ot more than one interpretation intending to mislead |
| equivocate | to avoid making an explicit statement |
| eradicate | to tear down or break up; demolish |
| err | to make a mistake or error |
| eshew | to avoid, shun, evade |
| esoteric | hard ot understand |
| espionage | spying; using spies to gain information |
| espouse | to adaopt a belief; to support (wed) |
| essay | nonfiction literary work |
| ethics | proper conduct |
| etiquette | proper manners |
| eulogy | speech in praise; tribute |
| euphemism | substituting a mild a mild, indirect term for one considered harsh |
| euphoric | feeling of great happiness or well being |
| evanescent | vanishing or to vanish like vapor |
| exacerbating | irritating |
| exalt | to commend highly; to fill with joy |
| exasperation | frustration; extreme irritation |
| excessive | lacking moderation; extreme |
| excoriate | to censure strongly; criticize excessively |
| exculpate | to clear of guilt or blame |
| exemplar | outstanding person worthy of imitation |
| exempt | free from duty |
| exhort | to make urgent appeal |
| explicit | directly stated |
| exploitation | employing to the greatest possible advantage |
| extenuating | to atempt to lessen the magnitude or seriousness |
| extricating | to release from entanglement or difficulty |
| facilitate | to make easy |
| facsimilie | a copy of a document; a replicate |
| fanciful | imaginary; lacking pragmatism |
| fanfare | a spectacular public display |
| fawning | to seek attention or favor by flattery |
| feeble | lacking strenght |
| felicity | great happiness; bliss |
| ferocity | the state of being ferocious |
| fetid | stinking (of a smell) |
| flippant | lacking respect |
| flourish | an embellishment or ornamentation |
| flourid | flushed with rosy color; flowery |
| forage | act of looking or searching for food |
| forge | to make a fake copy |
| forthright | straitforward; honest |
| fortify | to increase strength |
| fortuitous | happening by luck; fortunate |
| fraudulent | engaging in fruad; deceitful |
| frugal | thrifty; cheap |
| futile | useless |
| gale | a very stong wind |
| galvenize | to arouse to awareness or action |
| gambol | to leap about playfully |
| gape | to stare wonderingly or stupidly |
| garret | a room on the top floor of a house |
| garrulous | tiresomely talkative |
| gastric | accociated with the stomache |
| gazelle | a small animal like an antelope |
| geniality | pleasent; friendly; or cordial manner |
| gloat | to show excessive satisfaction or pride |
| glutton | a person who eats or consumes excessive amount of food |
| gnash | to grind together |
| gorge | to feed excessively |
| greedy | excessive desire to aquire or possess |
| greenhorn | someone who is inexperienced |
| grove | group of trees |
| hackneyed | overfamiliar through overuse |
| hallmark | a distinctive event |
| hamper | to prevent the free movement or action of |
| haughty | scornfully and condescendingly proud |
| headstong | stubborn, willful, determined to have one's way |
| heckle | to try to embarrass and annoy by question, or gibes |
| hedge | to avoid making a direct or clear response |
| hedonist | person who seeks pleasure as a goal |
| hermit | someone who seeks solitude |
| homogeneous | lacking variation; uniform |
| hone | to sharpen |
| husbandry | careful management or conservation of resources |
| hypothesis | assumption; theory requiring proof |
| iconoclast | a nonconformist |
| illusory | not real; deceptive; misleading |
| impassive | lacking emotion; indifferent |
| impede | to slow down; hinder form progress |
| impediment | something that obstructs |
| impermeable | unpenetrable by water |
| impetuous | characterized by sudden forceful energy or emotion |
| impious | lacking reverence; not pious |
| implausible | difficult to believe |
| impugn | to attack as false or questionable |
| implusive | lacking retraint |
| impute | to charge with the fault or responsibility for |
| incendiary | capable of causing fire |
| inclusive | taking a great deal or everthing in its scope |
| incompatible | incapable of associating or blending becuase of disharmony |
| inconceivable | impossible to comprehend or grasp fully |
| incongruity | not in agreement; not consistent |
| inconsequential | unimportant; trivial |
| indigenuous | native to an area; not foreign |
| indignant | anger aroused by injustice |
| indiscriminant | not picky |
| indoctrinate | to instruct in a body of doctrines or principles |
| ineffable | incapable of being expressed |
| ineptitude | incompetence |
| inert | unable to move or act |
| inevitable | impossible to avoid or prevent |
| infallible | not making mistakes |
| infinitesimal | very small |
| injunction | a command or order |
| innocuous | harmless |
| inslovent | bankrupt |
| integrity | honesty; uprightness |
| intemperance | excessive consumption in alcohol |
| interpret | to explain the meaning of |
| intrepid | resolutely courageous; fearless |
| intuitive | instinctive; untaught |
| inundate | to overflow; flood with water |
| invalid | lacking proper claim |
| invectives | abusive language |
| invigorate | to give energy |
| jingoist | someone with extreme nationalism |
| jubilation | the act of rejoicing; condition of feeling jubilant |
| labyrinth | something that has an intricate arrangement |
| laggardly | slow; lagging behind |
| lampoon | a light-good humored satire |
| languid | lacking energy or vitality |
| laud | to praise |
| lax | not taut, firm or compact |
| legitimate | to make valid |
| lexicon | words of a language and their definition |
| liability | something that hold one back |
| livid | extreme rage |
| lobbyist | person who seek to influence political events |
| lofty | arrogant lofty |
| longevity | great duration of life; long life |
| lurid | causing shock or horror; gruesome |
| machination | the act of plotting |
| magisterial | characterized by authority |
| magnanimity | unselfishness |
| malcontent | a chronically disatisfied person |
| malediction | a malicious saying; a curse |
| marionette | a puppet manipulated by strings attached to its limbs |
| marshy | pertaining to a swamp |
| matriarchal | society run by women |
| maverick | someone who is not a conformist |
| meander | to wander aimlessly |
| meddle | to intrude into other people's business |
| melancholy | sadness |
| mellifluous | smooth and sweet |
| memento | a reminder of the past; a keepsake |
| menagerie | a diverse or miscellaneous group |
| mercurial | quick and changeable in temperment |
| methodical | being exact to procedure |
| mimicry | the act of mimicing or imitating |
| misanthropic | not trusting of others; hating people |
| mitigate | to alleviate |
| momentous | of upmost importance |
| morsel | a small bit of food |
| mosaic | a bunch of tiles laid side by side to create a design |
| motion | a formal proposal |
| multifarious | having great diversity |
| multiplicity | a large number |
| mundane | ordinary; commonplace |
| muse | a source of inspiration |
| nemesis | a source of harm |
| nocturnal | of or pretaining to the night |
| nonchalant | calm; casual; indifferent |
| nondescript | lacking distinctive qualities |
| novice | a person new to a field or activity; beginner |
| nullify | to make void |
| obsequious | full of or exhibiting servile compliance |
| obstinate | stubborn; unwilling to yield |
| occlusion | a blockage in a passageway |
| odious | receiving great hatred |
| odometer | instrument used to measure distance |
| olfactory | pretaining to smell |
| ominous | threatening |
| open-headed | generous |
| opulent | exhibiting great wealth |
| orator | one who delivers an oration; speaker |
| orthodox | adhering to the accepted and established faith |
| ostentatious | showy, displaying wealth |
| overhaul | to completely revise |
| pacifistic | opposing conflict |
| pallid | lacking in radiance or vitality; dull |
| pamper | to excessively gratify; spoil |
| pantomime | communication by gesture or facial expression |
| paradox | a seemingly contradictory statement that may actually be true |
| paragon | something known for excellence |
| parched | to make extremely dry by exposure to heat |
| parenthetical | a comment departing from the theme |
| patronizing | to act in an offensively condescending way |
| paucity | scarcity; dearth |
| pedagogy | the art or profession of teaching |
| pediatric | the branch of medicine that deals with children |
| penchant | to have an inclination for |
| perfidious | marked by perfidy; treacherous |
| permafrost | permanently frozen subsoil |
| pernicious | deadly; harmful; dangerous |
| pervasive | wide-spread; everywhere |
| pessimist | someone who lacks hope |
| pettiness | cheap; ungiving |
| petulant | easily irritated |
| philistine | narrow-minded ; ignorant |
| plucky | showing courage or spirit in trying circumstances |
| plumage | the outer covering of a bird |
| plummet | to drop quickly |
