| A | B |
|---|
| abase | to lower |
| abate | to lessen |
| abbreviate | to shorten |
| abduct | to kidnap |
| aberration | a deviation from the expected course |
| abhor | to hate |
| abide | to put up with |
| abject | of the most miserable or contemptible kind |
| abort | to give up unfinished |
| abridge | to shorten |
| abrogate | to abolish |
| abscond | to sneak away and hide |
| abundant | in great numbers |
| accede | to agree |
| accentuate | to emphasize |
| accommodating | obliging |
| accost | to approach or confront aggressively |
| acumen | keen insight |
| acute | sharp |
| affable | friendly |
| affluent | rich |
| aggrandize | to increase or make greater |
| aggregate | to gather |
| aghast | struck by amazement or terror |
| agoraphobia | an abnormal fear of open or public places |
| akimbo | with hands on hips and elbows extending outward |
| alacrity | speed |
| algid | frigid |
| allay | to sooth |
| alleviate | to relieve |
| aloof | reserved |
| altercation | an argument |
| amalgamation | a union |
| ambivalent | having contradictory feelings |
| amble | to stroll |
| ameliorate | to improve |
| amend | to change for the better |
| amiable | friendly |
| amorous | relating to or showing love |
| amorphous | without shape or borders |
| anomaly | something that does not fit into the normal order |
| antechamber | a waiting room |
| anxiety | uneasiness |
| aphorism | a short saying |
| apocalypse | total devastation |
| apparitional | ghostly |
| arbitrator | one who settles controversy between two sides |
| ascetic | one who practices restraint as a means of self-discipline |
| assuage | to ease |
| atone | to apologize |
| audacious (adj.) | excessively bold |
| augment (v.) | to increase or make larger |
| austere (adj.) | very bare |
| baleful (adj.) | harmful |
| bard (n.) | a poet |
| battery (n.) | an assault or an array of similar things intended for use together |
| belligerent (adj.) | contentious |
| benevolent (adj.) | kind |
| benign (adj.) | non-threatening |
| berate (v.) | to scold severely |
| bereft (adj.) | without |
| bide (v.) | to wait |
| bilk (v.) | to cheat |
| blandish (v.) | to coax through flattery |
| bloated (adj.) | swollen |
| boisterous (adj.) | loud |
| bourgeois (adj.) | middle class |
| brash (adj.) | hasty or lacking in sensitivity |
| brazen (adj.) | excessively bold |
| brumal (adj.) | wintry |
| brusque (adj.) | short |
| buffet (n.) | a spread of food involving choices |
| buffet (v.) | to hit or strike |
| burgeon (v.) | to come forth |
| cacophony (n.) | noise |
| cadence (n.) | rhythm |
| cajole (v.) | to urge |
| callous (adj.) | harsh |
| calumny (n.) | an attempt to defame another’s reputation |
| camaraderie (n.) | cheerful unity among a group |
| canvas (n.) | a piece of cloth on which an artist paints |
| capricious (adj.) | impulsive |
| captivate (v.) | to hold the interest of |
| carouse (v.) | to revel |
| cavity (n.) | a hole |
| cavort (v.) | to frolic |
| celestial (adj.) | relating to the sky or the heavens |
| chastise (v.) | to criticize |
| choreographed (adj.) | arranged |
| circumlocution (n.) | indirect language |
| circumspect (adj.) | cautious |
| clairvoyant (adj.) | able to see things that others cannot |
| claustrophobia (n.) | an abnormal fear of closed or crowded spaces |
| cliché (n.) | a trite |
| coalesce (v.) | to combine into one |
| cogent (adj.) | intelligent |
| collusion (n.) | a conspiracy |
| colossus (n.) | an enormous structure |
| comatose (adj.) | lethargic |
| commendable (adj.) | worthy of praise |
| commodious (adj.) | spacious |
| compel (v.) | to force |
| complicit (adj.) | being an accomplice in a wrongful act |
| compliment (n.) | an expression of esteem or approval |
| concede (v.) | to give in |
| conciliatory (adj.) | agreeable |
| concoct (v.) | to make up or invent |
| concord (n.) | agreement |
| conduit (n.) | a pipe |
| confluence (n.) | a convergence |
| confound (v.) | to frustrate |
| connotation (n.) | a meaning or association suggested by a word beyond its definition |
| contusion (n.) | bruise |
| convalescence (n.) | the gradual return to health after illness |
| copious (adj.) | abundant |
| corpulent (adj.) | very fat |
| cosmopolitan (adj.) | worldly |
| credulity (n.) | readiness to believe |
| cursory (adj.) | brief to the point of being superficial |
| daft (adj.) | insane |
| daunting (adj.) | intimidating |
| dearth (n.) | a lack |
| defame (v.) | to destroy the reputation of |
| deft (adj.) | skilled |
| defunct (adj.) | no longer used or existing |
| deleterious (adj.) | harmful |
| delude (v.) | to deceive |
| deluge (n.) | a great flood or something that overwhelms like a flood |
| derelict (adj.) | run-down |
| desolate (adj.) | deserted |
| despondent (adj.) | discouraged |
| destitute (adj.) | impoverished |
| diaphanous (adj.) | transparent |
| dictate (v.) | to pronounce |
| differentiate (v.) | to distinguish |
| dilapidated (adj.) | in a state of disrepair |
| diligent (adj.) | careful |
| diminish (v.) | to decrease or make smaller |
| diminutive (adj.) | miniature |
| discreet (adj.) | prudent or inconspicuous |
| discrete (adj.) | separate |
| disparage (v.) | to criticize |
| dissonance (n.) | lack of harmony or agreement |
| divergent (adj.) | different |
| diverse (adj.) | varied |
| divisive (adj.) | causing conflict |
| domicile (n.) | a residence |
| doppelganger (n.) | a ghostly double of a living person |
| douse (v.) | to drench |
| dutiful (adj.) | careful to fulfill obligations |
| dynamic (adj.) | characterized by continuous change or activity |
| elocution (n.) | the art of public speaking |
| elucidate (v.) | to clarify |
| empathetic (adj.) | feeling another’s pain as one’s own |
| empathy (n.) | the experience of another’s feelings as one’s own |
| enervate (v.) | to weaken |
| enervated (adj.) | lacking energy |
| entity (n.) | something that exists as a discrete unit |
| entomology (n.) | the study of insects |
| envious (adj.) | jealous |
| erect (v.) | to construct |
| erroneous (adj.) | mistaken |
| espouse (v.) | to support |
| espy (v.)– | catch sight of |
| ethereal (adj.) | heavenly |
| euphoric (adj.) | elated |
| exacerbate (v.) | to make more violent |
| excursion (n.) | a trip |
| exemplary (adj.) | serving as an example |
| exigent (adj.) | critical |
| existential (adj.) | relating to existence |
| exorbitant (adj.) | excessive |
| extol (v.) | to praise |
| extravagant (adj.) | excessive |
| fabricate (v.) | to invent |
| fabulist (n.) | a teller of fables; a liar |
| facile (adj.) | easy |
| fallacious (adj.) | incorrect |
| familial (adj.) | relating to family |
| fatuous (adj.) | silly |
| fecund (adj.) | fertile |
| feign (v.) | to fake or pretend to |
| feral (adj.) | savage |
| fetter (v.) | to restrain |
| fey (adj.) | magical |
| fickle (adj.) | characterized by changeableness |
| figurative (adj.) | symbolic |
| firmament (n.) | the sky |
| flabbergasted (adj.) | astounded |
| flaccid (adj.) | limp |
| flattery (n.) | compliments |
| flout (v.) | to scorn |
| fluctuate (v.) | to vary irregularly |
| flux (n.) | a state of constant change or a flow |
| forage (v.) | to rummage |
| forestall (v.) | to delay |
| forlorn (adj.) | lonely |
| formidable (adj.) | arousing fear or alarm |
| forsake (v.) | to abandon |
| fortify (v.) | to strengthen |
| fortitude (n.) | strength |
| fortuitous (adj.) | lucky |
| foster (v.) | to stimulate |
| frenetic (adj.) | frenzied |
| gape (v.) | to open the mouth and stare stupidly |
| gay (adj.) | happy |
| gluttonous (adj.) | insatiable in appetite |
| goad (v.) | to urge |
| gourmand (n.) | one who likes eating and drinking |
| grandiose (adj.) | extraordinary |
| gregarious (adj.) | sociable |
| grotto (n.) | a small cave or cavern |
| guile (n.) | deceitful actions or behavior |
| hail (v.) | to come from |
| hapless (adj.) | unlucky |
| harmony (n.) | agreement |
| harrowing (adj.) | agonizing |
| hedonist (n.) | one whose primary pursuit is pleasure |
| henchman (n.) | a trusted follower |
| hiatus (n.) | an interruption in continuity |
| hiemal (adj.) | wintry |
| hierarchy (n.) | a ranking system of groups or individuals |
| histrionic (adj.) | excessively dramatic or emotional |
| idolatrous (adj.) | worshiping excessively an object or person |
| illusory (adj.) | deceptive |
| immaculate (adj.) | impeccably clean |
| immutable (adj.) | not susceptible to change |
| impecunious (adj.) | excessively poor |
| impervious (adj.) | unable to be penetrated |
| impudent (adj.) | rude |
| incessant (adj.) | without interruption |
| incisive (adj.) | clear |
| inclement (adj.) | stormy |
| inclination (n.) | a tendency |
| indictment (n.) | accusation of wrongdoing |
| indignation (n.) | anger due to an unfair situation |
| inextricable (adj.) | hopelessly confused or tangled |
| infuse (v.) | to inject |
| ingenious (adj.) | marked by special intelligence |
| inimical (adj.) | hostile |
| iniquity (n.) | a wicked act |
| innate (adj.) | inborn |
| innocuous (adj.) | harmless |
| inquisitor (n.) | someone who asks questions or makes an inquiry |
| inundate (v.) | to flood |
| invariable (adj.) | not susceptible to change |
| invective (n.) | a verbal attack |
| inveterate (adj.) | habitual |
| irascible (adj.) | easily angered |
| jubilant (adj.) | joyful |
| judicious (adj.) | of sound judgment |
| juvenile (adj.) | young or immature |
| juxtapose (v.) | to put next to each other |
| labyrinthine (adj.) | intricate |
| laceration (n.) | a cut |
| lachrymose (adj.) | tearful |
| latent (adj.) | present but hidden |
| laud (v.) | to applaud or praise |
| laudatory (adj.) | admiring |
| lavish (adj.) | extravagant |
| lethargic (adj.) | sluggish |
| lewd (adj.) | vulgar |
| libel (n.) | a statement that gives an unjust or unfavorable representation of a person or thing |
| licentious (adj.) | amoral |
| limber (adj.) | bending or flexing readily |
| limpid (adj.) | clear |
| linchpin (n.) | something that holds separate things together |
| lithe (adj.) | graceful |
| loquacious (adj.) | talkative |
| lull (n.) | a relatively calm interval |
| luminescence (n.) | light from non-thermal sources |
| magnanimous (adj.) | generous |
| malaise (n.) | vague feeling of discomfort |
| malevolent (adj.) | having intent to harm others |
| malicious (adj.) | malevolent |
| malign (v.) | to slander |
| malleable (adj.) | easily shaped or formed |
| mandatory (adj.) | required |
| manifest (v.) | to show clearly |
| manifold (adj.) | many |
| masticate (v.) | to chew |
| matrimony (n.) | marriage |
| maudlin (adj.) | sentimental |
| maxim (n.) | a common saying of advice or virtue |
| meager (adj.) | lacking in quality stature |
| mediate (v.) | to intervene |
| melodramatic (adj.) | exaggeratedly emotional or sentimental; histrionic |
| mendacious (adj.) | inclined to lie or mislead |
| mercurial (adj.) | quick and changeable in temperament |
| meritorious (adj.) | deserving of praise or merit |
| metamorphosis (n.) | a change of form |
| mimic (v.) | to imitate |
| misogyny (n.) | hatred of women |
| modicum (n.) | a small amount of something |
| mollify (v.) | to soften in temper |
| monogamy (n.) | having only one spouse at a time |
| mores (n.) | moral attitudes |
| morose (adj.) | gloomy or sullen |
| munificent (adj.) | generous |
| mutability (n.) | capability of change |
| myopic (adj.) | short-sighted |
| myriad (adj.) | consisting of a very great number |
| narrate (v.) | to tell a story |
| nebulous (adj.) | indistinct |
| nefarious (adj.) | horribly villainous |
| neologism (n.) | the creation of new words |
| neonate (n.) | a newborn baby |
| noisome (adj.) | foul |
| notoriety (n.) | infamy |
| novel (adj.) | strikingly new |
| noxious (adj.) | harmful |
| obdurate (adj.) | unyielding to persuasion or moral influences |
| obfuscate (v.) | to render incomprehensible |
| obsequious (adj.) | excessively compliant or submissive |
| odious (adj.) | meriting strong displeasure |
| officious (adj.) | offering unwanted help or service |
| olfactory (adj.) | relating to the sense of smell |
| ominous (adj.) | foreboding or foreshadowing evil |
| oration (n.) | a dignified and formal speech |
| ostracize (v.) | to exclude from a community |
| pacify (v.) | to sooth |
| paragon (n.) | model of perfection |
| pariah (n.) | an outcast |
| parody (n.) | a satirical imitation |
| patent (adj.) | clear |
| pedagogue (n.) | a schoolteacher |
| pellucid (adj.) | clear |
| penchant (n.) | a tendency |
| peregrinate (v.) | to travel from place to place on foot |
| perfunctory (adj.) | showing little enthusiasm |
| permeate (v.) | to spread out |
| persevere (v.) | to persist |
| pertinacious (adj.) | stubbornly persistent |
| peruse (v.) | to examine carefully |
| pervasive (adj.) | to spread throughout |
| petulance (n.) | irritability |
| physiognomy (n.) | the art of judging human character from facial features |
| pique (v.) | to provoke or to cause indignation |
| pithy (adj.) | succinctly meaningful |
| pittance (n.)– | very small amount |
| placate (v.) | to soothe |
| placid (adj.) | calm |
| plethora (n.) | a great number |
| pliable (adj.) | flexible |
| poach (v.) | to hunt or fish illegally |
| poised (adj.) | balanced |
| polygamy (n.) | having more than one spouse at a time |
| portentous (adj.) | foreboding or foreshadowing evil |
| portly (adj.) | fat |
| precarious (adj.) | dangerously lacking in security or stability |
| predestination (n.) | the concept of destiny or fate |
| premonition (n.) | a presentiment of the future |
| preponderance (n.) | a great amount or frequency |
| presage (n.) | an omen |
| prestidigitation (n.) | a sleight of hand |
| presumptuous (adj.) | disrespectfully bold |
| profane (adj.) | indecent |
| profuse (adj.) | abundant |
| propensity (n.) | an inclination |
| propriety (n.) | decency |
| protean (adj.) | readily taking on various shapes or forms |
| prudent (adj.) | cautious |
| puerile (adj.) | immature |
| pugnacious (adj.) | belligerent |
| pulchritude (n.) | physical beauty |
| punctilious (adj.) | eager to follow rules |
| pungent (adj.) | having a sharp |
| purport (v.) | to present an intention that is often FALSE |
| putrid (adj.) | rotten |
| quaint (adj.) | old-fashioned |
| quid pro | (n. |
| quotidian (adj.) | daily |
| radiant (adj.) | bright |
| rancid (adj.) | rotten |
| ratiocinate (v.) | to think |
| raze (v.) | to demolish |
| recalcitrant (adj.) | defiant |
| recalibrate (v.) | to readjust or make corrections to |
| recapitulate (v.) | to repeat |
| rectify (v.) | to set right |
| redact (v.) | to revise |
| redoubtable (adj.) | formidable |
| redress (v.) | to set right or remedy |
| reel (v.) | to be thrown off balance or feel dizzy |
| refrain (v.) | to hold oneself back |
| reiterate (v.) | to repeat |
| relish (v.) | to take zestful pleasure in |
| remiss (adj.) | negligent |
| render (v.) | to say |
| renovate (v.) | to restore |
| repose (n.) | rest |
| reprehensible (adj.) | deserving criticism |
| repudiate (v.) | to reject |
| repulse (v.) | to cause disgust or distaste |
| requisition (n.) | a demand for goods |
| restitution (n.) | compensation |
| retaliation (n.) | revenge |
| retract (v.) | withdraw |
| retribution (n.) | vengeance |
| revel (v.) | to enjoy |
| rife (adj.) | abundant |
| ruddy (adj.) | having a healthy |
| ruse (n.) | a trick |
| rustic (adj.) | relating to country life |
| saccharine (adj.) | overly sweet |
| sacrosanct (adj.) | sacred |
| sagacious (adj.) | shrewd |
| salient (adj.) | significant |
| salutation (n.) | a greeting |
| sanguine (adj.) | cheery |
| sate (v.) | to satisfy (an appetite) fully. |
| satiate (v.) | to satisfy excessively |
| savor (v.) | to appreciate fully |
| scathing (adj.) | hurtful |
| scourge (n.) | a plague |
| scurrilous (adj.) | crude |
| sedate (v.) | to calm |
| sedentary (adj.) | sitting |
| seer (n.) | a fortune teller |
| seminal (adj.) | original |
| serendipity (n.) | the act of finding things not sought |
| slander (n.) | a FALSE statement to damage the reputation of another |
| sobriety (n.) | moderation from excess |
| somnolent (adj.) | sleepy |
| soothsayer (n.) | a fortune teller |
| sordid (adj.) | dirty |
| spectral (adj.) | ghostly |
| spurious (adj.) | FALSE but intended to seem believable or possible |
| stagnant (adj.) | still |
| stagnate (v.) | to be idle |
| static (adj.) | not moving |
| steadfast (adj.) | fixed or unchanging |
| strenuous (adj.) | requiring tremendous strength or energy |
| strife (n.) | conflict |
| stupefy (v.) | to astound |
| submissive (adj.) | easily yielding to authority |
| subsist (v.) | to live |
| succinct (adj.) | marked by compact precision |
| suffice (v.) | to meet needs |
| supplant (v.) | to displace and substitute for another |
| surfeit (n.) | an excess |
| surmise (v.) | to guess |
| surreptitious (adj.) | done in a secret |
| swarthy (adj.) | of dark color or complexion |
| sybarite (n.) | someone devoted to pleasure and luxury |
| sycophant (n.) | a self-serving flatterer |
| sympathetic (adj.) | compassionate |
| sympathy (n.) | an expression of pity for another |
| synopsis (n.) | a summary |
| taciturn (adj.) | not inclined to talk |
| tantamount (adj.) | equivalent in value or significance |
| tedious (adj.) | boring |
| telepathic (adj.) | capable of reading minds |
| tenuous (adj.) | having little substance or strength |
| terrestrial (adj.) | relating to the land |
| terse (adj.) | abrupt |
| timorous (adj.) | fearful |
| tome (n.) | a large book |
| toothsome (adj.) | delicious |
| torpid (adj.) | lazy |
| torrid (adj.) | giving off intense heat |
| tortuous (adj.) | winding |
| tragedy (n.) | a disastrous event |
| tranquil (adj.) | calm |
| travesty (n.) | a grossly inferior imitation |
| trek (v.) | to walk |
| trite (adj.) | overused |
| truculent (adj.) | eager to fight |
| ubiquitous (adj.) | existing everywhere |
| ultimate (n.) | the last part |
| umbrage (n.) | anger |
| uncanny (adj.) | of supernatural character or origin |
| undulate (v.) | to move in a smooth wavelike motion |
| uniform (adj.) | unvarying |
| unilateral (adj.) | having only one side |
| unique (adj.) | being the only one of its kind |
| upbraid (v.) | to criticize |
| vacillate (v.) | to sway from one side to another |
| variance (n.) | a difference between what is expected and what actually occurs |
| variegate (v.) | to diversify |
| vast (adj.) | enormous |
| veneer (n.) | a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance |
| veracious (adj.) | honest |
| verbose (adj.) | wordy |
| vicarious (adj.) | experienced through another’s actions |
| vicissitudes (n.) | the unexpected changes and shifts often encountered in one’s life |
| vigor (n.) | vitality and energy |
| vim (n.) | and energy |
| vivacious (adj.) | lively |
| vocation (n.) | one’s work or professional calling |
| volition (n.) | a conscious choice or decision |
| voluminous (adj.) | large |
| voluptuary (n.) | someone devoted to sensory pleasure and luxury |
| wane (v.) | to decrease gradually in size or degree |
| wax (v.) | to increase gradually in size or degree |
| weather (v.) | to withstand or survive a situation |
| whet (v.) | to make more keen |
| winsome (adj.) | charming |
| Zeitgeist (n.) | the spirit of the time |
