| A | B | 
|---|
| abate | (v) to make less in amount, degree, etc.; to subside, become less | 
| adulation | (n) praise or flattery that is excessive | 
| anathema | (n) an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation | 
| astute | (adj) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom | 
| avarice | (n) a greedy desire, particularly for wealth | 
| culpable | (adj) deserving blame, worthy of condemnation | 
| dilatory | (adj) tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone | 
| egregious | (adj) conspiculous, standing out from the mass (used particularly in an unfavorable sense) | 
| equivocate | (v) to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous | 
| evanescent | (adj) vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy | 
| irresolute | (adj) unable to make up one's mind, hesitating | 
| nebulous | (adj) cloudlike; resembling a cloud; cloudy in color, not transparent; vague | 
| novice | (n) one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience | 
| penury | (n) extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency | 
| pretentious | (adj) done for show, striving to make a big impression; claiming merit or position unjustifiably | 
| recapitulate | (v) to review a series of facts; to sum up | 
| resuscitate | (v) to revive, bring back to consciousness or existence | 
| slovenly | (adj) untidy, dirty, careless | 
| supposition | (n) something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence | 
| torpid | (adj) inactive, sluggish. dull |