A | B |
abate | to lessen; to subside |
abdication | giving up control, authority |
aberrant | deviating from normal or correct. |
abberation | A departure from the normal or typical: events that were aberrations from the norm |
abeyance | suspended action |
abhor | to hate; to detest |
abide | be faithful; to endure |
abjure | promise or swear to give up |
ablution | washing |
abnegation | self-denial |
abrogate | repeal or annul by authority |
abscond | to go away suddenly (to avoid arrest) , to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law. |
abstemious | restraint, especially of food and alcohol |
abstruse | difficult to comprehend; obscure |
abut | border on |
abysmal | bottomless; extreme |
acarpous | effete; no longer fertile; worn out |
acclaimed | welcomed with shouts and approval |
accolade | praise; approval |
accretion | the growing of separate things into one |
adamant | kind of stone; inflexible |
addle | to become rotten; to become confused |
adduce | to offer as example, reason or proof |
adjudicate | to settle judicially |
adjunct | something added; assistant |
adjure | to beg |
admonitory | containing warning |
adorn | add beauty; decorate |
adulteration | making unpure, poorer in quality |
adumbrate | to suggest or hint; overshadow |
adventitious | coming from another source and not innate |
advocate | to speak, plead, or argue for a cause, or in anothers behalf. (n) -- one who advocates. |
affable | polite and friendly |
affinity | close connection relationship |
aggrandize | to make greater, to increase, thus, to exaggerate. |
aggravate | make worse; irritate |
agile | active; quick-moving |
agnostic | non-committal |
agog | eager; excited |
ail | trouble; be ill |
alacrity | eager and cheerful readiness |
alcove | recess; partially enclosed place |
allegiance | duty; support; loyalty |
alleviate | make (pain) easier to bear |
alloy | to debase by mixing with something inferior |
aloof | reserved; indifferent |
altercate | to dispute angrily or noisily |
amalgamate | to unite or mix. (n) -- amalgamation. |
ambidextrous | able to use the left hand or the right equally well |
ambiguous | vague; subject to more than one interpretation |
ambivalent | having both of two contrary meanings |
amble | leisurely walk |
ambrosial | extremely pleasing to the senses, divine (as related to the gods) or delicious (n: ambrosia) |
ameliorate | improve; make better |
amorphous | shapeless |
amortize | end (a debt) by setting aside money |
anachronism | a person or artifact appearing after its own time or out of chronological order (adj: anachronistic) |
anathema | something loathed; curse |
anguish | severe suffering |
animosity | strong dislike |
anomalous | peculiar; unique, contrary to the norm (n: anomaly) |
antebellum | existing before a war |
antediluvian | made a long time ago; ancient; outmoded; (literally,before the flood) |
anthropomorphic | having human characteristics |
antidote | medicine used against a poison or a disease |
antipathy | hostility toward, objection, or aversion to |
antithetical | direct opposing |
apartheid | brutal racial discrimination |
aphasia | loss of the power to use or comprehend words |
aphorism | concise statement of a principle |
aplomb | self-confidence |
apostasy | renunciation of a religion |
apostate | one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions |
apotheosis | deification; glorification to godliness |
appease | make quiet or calm |
appellation | identifying name or title |
apprehensive | grasping; understanding; unhappy feeling about future |
apprise | give notice; to inform |
approbation | approval |
apropos | appropriate to the situation; apt |
apt | well-suited; quick-witted |
arabesque | a complex ornate design |
arbitrate | to settle a dispute by impulse (n: arbitration) |
arboreal | of connected with trees |
ardor | enthusiasm |
arduous | steep; difficult; ascent; laborious |
argot | jargon; slang |
arrant | in the highest degree |
arrogance | proud superior manner of behaviour |
articulate | speak distinctly; connect by joints |
ascend | go or come up |
ascendancy | dominance |
ascertain | get to know |
ascribe | consider to be the origin of or belonging to |
aseptic | surgically clean |
ashen | deadly pale |
asperity | roughness; harshness; ill temper; irritability |
aspersion | slander |
assiduous | diligent; hard-working; sedulous |
assuage | make smth (pain, desire) less |
assuage | make smth (pain, desire) less; to appease or satisfy |
asterisk | the mark * (e.g.. omitted letters) |
astringent | substance that shrinks |
astute | clever, quick at seeing to get an advantage |
atelier | artist's workroom |
atonement | repayment death of Jesus |
attenuate | make thin; weaken; enervate |
attenuate | weaken (adj: attenuated) |
attune | bring into harmony |
audacious | daring; foolishly bold; impudent (n: audacity) |
augury | omen; sign |
august | majestic; venerable |
auspicious | favorable; successful; prosperous |
austere | severely moral and strict; simple and plain |
auxiliary | helping; supporting |
aver | To affirm positively; to declare; to assert formally as a fact; to justify or prove |
aversion | strong; dislike |
avid | eager; greedy |
avow | admit; declare openly |
bacchanalian | orgy; a riotous, boisterous, or drunken festivity; a revel |
bait | to persecute |
baleful | harmful; ominous; causing evil |
balk | obstacle; purposely to get on the way of |
banal | commonplace or trite (n: banality) |
baneful | causing harm or ruin; pernicious; destructive |
barefaced | unconcealed, shameless, or brazen |
barrage | artificial; obstacle built across a river |
barren | not good enough; unable to have young ones without value |
bask | enjoy warmth and light |
beatify | to bless; make happy or ascribe a virtue to |
bedizen | to adorn, especially in a cheap showy manner |
belabor | beat hard |
bellicose | belligerent; pugnacious; warlike |
belligerent | (person, nation) waging war |
benediction | something that promotes goodness or well-being |
benefactor | person who has given help |
benevolence | wish or activity in doing good |
benign | kind and gentle; mild (climate) |
bequest | arrangement to give smth at death |
berate | scold sharply |
bereft | rob or dispossess of smth (material) |
bewilder | puzzle; confuse |
bigot | stubborn; narrow-minded person |
bilge | bulge the protuberance of a cask |
bilk | to cheat |
blandishment | flattery coaxing |
blandishment | speech or action intended to coax someone into doing something |
blandness | polite manner; comforting uninteresting |
blatant | noisy and rough |
blithe | cheerful; casual; carefree |
bluster | to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats |
bogus | sham; counterfeit; not genuine |
boisterous | loud; noisy; rough; lacking restraint |
bolster | give greatly needed support |
bombast | pompous speech (adj: bombastic) |
boorish | crude; offensive; rude |
brash | hasty; rush; cheeky; saucy |
brass | yellow metal (mixing copper and zinc) |
brazen | made of brass |
breach | opening; broken place; breaking |
breach | a lapse, gap or break, as in a fortress wall. To break or break through.ex: Unfortunately, the club members never forgot his breach of ettiquette. |
brittle | easily broken |
broach | bring up; announce; begin to talk about |
brook | to tolerate, endure |
buoyant | able to float light-hearted |
burgeon | grow forth; send out buds |
burgeon | to grow or flourish; a bud or new growth (adj: burgeoning ) |
burnish | to polish, rub to a shine |
buttress | to support. a support |
cabal | a scheme or plot; a group of plotters |
cacophony | harsh sound |
cadence | rhythmic modulation of sound |
cadge | to beg; to get by begging |
cadge | to get something by taking advantage of someone |
cajole | use flattery or deceit; to persuade |
calumny | slander; aspersion |
candid | frank; straight-forward |
cant | insincere talk |
cantankerous | bad-tempered; quarrelsome |
canvass | discuss thoroughly; sort of touting |
caprice | impulse (adj: capricious) |
captious | critical |
carouse | to drink alcohol freely |
carp | to find fault or complain querulously |
carte blanche | full discretionary power |
castigate | to chastise or criticize severely |
castigation | severe punishment |
catalyst | substance that causes speeding up |
catalyst | an agent of change (adj: catalytic; v. catalyze) |
catatonic | immobile |
catholic | comprehensive; universal |
caustic | biting; sarcastic |
caustic | capable of dissolving by chemical action; highly critical: "His caustic remarks spoiled the mood of the party." |
cavil | to raise trivial and frivolous objection |
cede/cession | to surrender possession of, especially by treaty |
celerity | rapidity of motion or action |
censure | expression of blame or disapproval a rebuke |
centurion | leader of a unit of 100 soldiers |
chaff | to tease good-naturedly |
charlatan | quack or fraud |
chary | cautious; wary |
chastisement | punishment |
chauvinist | a blindly devoted patriot |
chicanery | legal trickery; false argument |
chicanery | deception by trickery |
chimera | illusion or fabrication of the mind |
chisel | steel tool for shaping materials |
chivy | to tease or annoy with persistent petty attacks |
choleric | irritable; bad-tempered |
chromatic | of color |
churl | bad-tempered person |
chutzpah | nerve; gall |
circumscribe | to draw line around; to limit |
clamor | shout; complain with a lot of noise |
clerical | of the clergy or clerk |
clientele | customers |
clinch | come to grips; settle conclusively |
cling | to resist separation |
clot | half-solid lump formed from liquid |
cloture | closing device (in Parliament) to end a debate by voting |
coagulation | change to a thick and solid state |
coalescing | coming together and uniting into one substance |
coax | get smb to do smth by kindness |
coda | passage that completes a piece of music |
coddle | treat with care and tenderness |
coerce | compel to force to make obedient |
coeval | of the same period; coexisting |
cogent | strong; convincing |
cogitate | think deeply; mediate |
cognizant | being fully aware of |
collusion | secret agreement for a deceitful purpose |
combustion | process of burning |
comely | attractive |
commemorate | keep the memory of |
commodious | having plenty of space for what is needed |
commuter | person who travels regularly |
complaisance | tending to comply; obliging willingness to please |
complaisant | willingly compliant or accepting of the status quo (n: complaisance) |
compunction | feeling of regret for one's action |
conceal | hide; keep secret |
conceited | having an excessively high opinion of oneself |
conciliatory | reconciling; soothing; comforting; mollifying |
concomitant | accompanying |
concord | agreement or harmony |
concur | agree in opinion; happen together |
condense | increase in density, strength; make laconic |
condone | forgive |
conflagration | a great fire |
congeal | make or become stiff and solid |
congenital | existing from birth; inherent |
conjoin | to join together |
connoisseur | a person with good judgement (e.g., in art) |
connotation | suggestion in addition to |
console | give comfort or sympathy to |
conspicuous | easily seen; remarkable |
consternation | surprise and fear; dismay |
constrain | compel |
constrict | make tight or smaller |
consume | get to the end of |
consummate | perfect; make perfec, complete |
contemn | to scorn or despise |
contentious | argumentative; pugnacious; combative; quarrelsome |
contiguous | touching; neighboring |
contrite | filled with deep sorrow for wrongdoing |
contumacious | insubordinate; rebellious |
conundrum | a riddle; dilemma; enigma |
convalesce | to recover health gradually after sickness |
conviction | firm belief |
convivial | fond of feasting, drinking, and good company |
convoke | call together; summon |
convoluted | complicated; coiled; twisted |
Copyright | Oleg Smirnov, 2002 |
cordial | warm and sincere |
cordon | line (of police acting as a guard) |
cornucopia | abundant supply |
corporal | of the body: "corporal punishment." a non-commissioned officer ranked between a sergeant and a private. |
corporeal | physical of or for the body |
corporeal | of or having to do with material, as opposed to spiritual; tangible. (In older writings, coeporeal could be a synonym for corporal. This usage is no longer common) |
corpulent | having a large bulky body |
correlate | have a mutual relation |
corroborate | to strengthen or support: "The witness corroborted his story." (n: corroboration) |
corroboration | additional strengthening evidence |
countenance | to favor or approve of |
counterfeit | forgery |
countervail | counterbalance |
covert | disguised |
covetous | eagerly desirous |
cower | crouch; shrink back |
coy | shy, modest (esp of a girl) |
cozen | to cheat |
crass | very great (esp. stupidity) |
cravat | piece of linen worn as a necktie |
craven | cowardly |
craven | cowardly; a coward |
crease | line made by crushing white line on the ground in cricket |
credulous | ready to believe things |
cringe | to behave in an excessively servile way |
crotchet | highly individual and usually eccentric opinion |
cryptic | secret; with a hidden meaning |
culpable | deserving of blame (n: culpability) |
cumbersome | burdensome; heavy and awkward to carry |
cupidity | greed; lust |
curmudgeon | bad-tempered person |
curriculum | course of study |
cursory | quick hurried |
curtail | make shorter then was planned |
dainty | pretty, delicate (food); difficult to please |
dastard | coward |
daunt | intimidate; make fearful |
dawdler | person who is slow; waste of time |
dearth | shortage |
dearth | lack, scarcity: "The prosecutor complained about the dearth of concrete evidence against the suspect." |
debacle | a breakup; overthrow; sudden disaster |
deciduous | ephemeral |
declaim/declamation | to speak pompously or bombastically |
declivity | downward inclination |
decorum | propriety; properness |
decree | order given by authority |
decry | disapprove of |
deference | submission or courteous yielding: "He held his tongue in deference to his father." (n: deferential. v. defer) |
deferential | showing respect |
defiance | open disobedience or resistance |
deign | to condescend; to give |
deleterious | harmful |
delineate | to portray, depict, sketch out |
deluge | great flood; heavy rush of water |
demagogue | person appealing not to reasons |
demur | to hesitate; raise objections |
denigrate | blacken; belittle; defame |
denouement | an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot |
depict | to show, create a picture of. |
deplete | use until none remains |
deposition | dethronement; depositing |
deprave | make morally bad, corrupt |
deprecate | protest against; express disapproval of |
deprecation | belittlement. (v. deprecate) |
depredation | the act of preying upon or plundering: "The depredations of the invaders demoralized the population." |
dereliction | deserting and leaving; to fall into ruins |
derision | ridicule; mockery; deriding |
derivative | unoriginal; obtained from another source |
derogatory | insulting; tending to damage |
descry | catch sight of; see smth in the distance |
descry | to make clear, to say |
desiccant | substance used to absorb moisture |
desiccate | to dry out thoroughly (adj: desiccated) |
desuetude | cessation of use; disuse |
desultory | aimless; haphazard; digressing at random |
deter | discourage; hinder |
detraction | slandering; verbal attack; aspersion |
detumescence | diminishing or lessening of swelling |
deviance | being different in moral standards (from normal) |
dexterity | skill (esp. in handling) |
diaphanous | transparent; gauzy |
diatribe | bitter and violent attack in words |
diatribe | a bitter abusive denunciation. |
didactic | intended to teach; preachy |
diffidence | shyness |
diffident | lacking self-confidence, modest (n: diffidence) |
dilate | speak comprehensively; become wider, large |
dilatory | intended to delay |
disabuse | to free from error |
disabuse | to free a person from falsehood or error: "We had to disabuse her of the notion that she was invited." |
disallow | refuse to allow or accept as a correct |
discern | see with an effort but clearly |
discomfit | confuse; embarrass |
discompose | to destroy the composure of |
disconcert | upset the self-possession of |
disconsolate | cheerless; dejected |
discountenance | refuse to approve of |
discourse | speech lecture |
discredit | refuse to believe |
discreet | careful, prudent |
discrete | individually distinct |
disdain | look on with contempt |
disencumber | free from encumbrance |
disheveled | untidy |
disingenuous | sophisticated; artful; trying to deceive; cunning |
disinter | dig up from the earth |
dislodge | move force from the place occupied |
dismal | sad; gloomy; miserable |
disparaging | belittling (n: disparagement. v. disparage) |
disparate | essentially different |
dispassionate | calm; objective; unbiased |
disproof | proof to the contrary |
disquiet | to take away the peace or tranquility |
dissemble | speak or behave so as to hide smth (in mind) |
dissemble | to conceal one's real motive, to feign |
disseminate | distribute (esp. ideas) |
dissent | have a different opinion refuse to assent |
dissipate | to be dissolute |
dissolute | marked by indulgence in vices |
dissolution | disintegration; looseness in morals |
distraught | distracted violently; upset in mind |
divergence | getting farther apart from a point |
divestiture | taking off; getting rid of; giving up |
divulge | make known smth secret |
dogged | stubborn or determined: "Her dogged pursuit of the degree eventually paid off." |
doggerel | trivial, poorly constructed verse |
dogmatic | positive; certain; arbitrary without room for discussion |
dogmatic | relying upon doctrine or dogma, as opposed to evidence |
dolorous | marked by misery or grief |
dolt | stupid fellow |
dormant | in a state of inactivity but awaiting development |
dote | show much fondness; center one's attention |
drawl | slow way of speaking |
droll | jesting |
drone | male bee; person who isn't self-employed |
drowsiness | feeling sleepy; half asleep |
drudge | to do hard, menial or monotonous work |
dubious | feeling doubt |
dud | no use person; smth that fails |
dulcet | melodious; harmonious |
dupe | cheat; make a fool of |
duplicity | deliberate deception |
duress | threats to compel smb |
dwarf | person or smb much below the usual size |
dynamo | a generator; something that produces electric current |
earthenware | dishes made of baked clay |
ebullience | exuberance; outburst of feeling |
ebullient | overflowing with enthusiasm; showing excitement |
eclectic | selecting or employing individual elements from a variety of sources: "Many modern decorators prefer an eclectic style." (n: eclecticism) |
ecumenical | representing the whole Christian world |
edacious | voracious; devouring |
eddy | circular or spiral movement (e.g., of wind) |
edible | fit to be eaten; not poisonous |
efface | to make indistinct |
effete | infertile; worn out; weak |
efficacy | production of a desired result |
efficacy | effectiveness; capability to produce a desired effect |
effluent | the quality of flowing out. something that flows out, such as a stream from a river (n: effluence) |
effluvia | outflow in a stream of particles; a noxious odor or vapor |
effrontery | boldness; impudence; arrogance |
egregious | flagrant |
egress | way out; exit |
elaborate | worked out with much care, in great detail |
elegy | a lament; a melancholy composition |
elicit | draw out |
eloquence | fluent speaking; skillful use of language |
emaciate | make thin and weak |
embellish | make beautiful |
embezzle | use in a wrong way for one's own benefit |
emollient | soothing to the skin; mollifying |
emollient | softening; something that softens |
emote | stir up; excite |
empirical | relying on experiment |
emulate | to strive to equal or excel (n: emulation) |
encapsulate | enclose in capsule |
encomium | warm or glowing praise; eulogy; panegyric |
encomium | a formal eulogy or speech of praise |
encumbrance | burden things that get on the way of |
endearing | making dear or liked |
endemic | prevalent in or native to a certain region, locality, or people: "The disease was endemic to the region." Don't confuse this word with epidemic. |
endorse | write one's name on the back of |
enduring | lasting |
enervate | weaken; deprive of strength; attenuate |
enervate | to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of: "The heatenervated everyone." (adj: enervating) |
engender | to give rise to, to propagate, to cause: "His slip of the toungue engendered much laughter." |
engrave | impress deeply |
engrossing | taken up all the time or attention; writing in large or formal |
engulf | swallow up |
enigma | smth that is puzzling |
enigma | puzzle; mystery: "Math is an enigma to me." (adj: enigmatic) |
enmity | hatred; being an enemy |
ennui | boredom |
ensign | flag; badge |
entangle | put into difficulties |
enthral | please greatly; enslave (fig.) |
entice | tempt or persuade |
entreat | ask earnestly |
enunciate | pronounce (words); express a theory |
enzyme | catalyst |
ephemeral | lasting for only a brief time, fleeting (n: ephemera) |
epicurean | devoted to pleasure (sensuous enjoyment) |
epigram | terse or witty and often paradoxical saying |
epistle | letter |
epithet | adjective |
epitome | brief summary; representative example; a typical model |
equable | steady; regular |
equanimity | calmness of temperament |
equilibrium | state of being balanced |
equipoise | equal distribution of weight; equilibrium |
equivocal | having a double or doubtful meaning; suspicious |
equivocal | ambiguous; unclear; subject to more than one interpretation -- often intentionally so: "Republicans complained that Bill Clinton's answers were equivocal." (v. equivocate) |
equivocate | try to deceive by equivocal language |
eradicate | get rid of; pull up by the roots |
erratic | irregular in behaviour or opinion |
erudite | learned scholarly |
erudite | scholarly; displaying deep intensive learning. (n: erudition) |
eschew | avoid |
esoteric | abstruse; intended only for a small circle of |
esoteric | intended for or understood by only a few: "The esoteric discussion confused some people." (n: esoterica) |
espouse | marry; give one's support to |
eulogy | formal praise; panegyric |
eulogy | a spoken or written tribute to the deceased (v. eulogize) |
euphoria | elation state of pleasant excitement |
euthanasia | easy and painless death |
evasive | tending to evade |
evince | to show clearly; to indicate |
evoke | call up; bring out |
exacerbate | to make more violent, bitter or severe |
exacerbate | to increase the bitterness or violence of; to aggravate: "The decision to fortify the border exacerbated tensions." |
excoriation | severe criticism |
exculpate | to clear from a charge of guilt |
exculpate | to demonstrate or prove to be blameless: "The evidence tended to exculpate the defendant."(adj: exculpatory) |
execrate | to denounce; to detest utterly |
exhaustive | complete; thorough |
exigency | emergency an urgent situation |
exoneration | set smb clear, free (e.g., from blame) |
exorbitant | much too high or great |
exorbitant | exceeding customary or normal limits, esp. in quantity or price: "The cab fare was exorbitant." |
expatiate | to roam; wander freely |
expedient | likely to be useful for a purpose |
expiation | ending; expiring |
explicit | fully and clearly expressed |
exploit | brilliant achievement; develop, use selfishly |
expostulate | argue earnestly; to dissuade, correct or protest |
expurgate | to remove obscenity, purify, censor |
exscind | to cut out; cut away |
extant | still in existence |
extant | in existence, still existing: The only extant representative of that species." |
extempore | without previous thought or preparation |
extenuate | reduce the strength; lessen seriousness; partially excuse |
extinct | no longer active |
extinguish | end the existence of; wipe or put out |
extirpate | to destroy; exterminate |
extol | praise highly |
extort | obtain by threats, violence |
extralegal | outside the law |
extraneous | extrinsic; not forming an essential part |
extricable | that can be freed |
extrovert | cheerful person |
exuberance | state of growing vigorously; being full of life |
facetious | humorous; funny; jocular |
facile | easily done |
fallacious | based on error |
falter | waver; move in an uncertain manner |
fanciful | imaginary |
fathom | a measure of length (six feet) used in nautical settings. to penetrate to the depths of something in order to understand it: "I couldn't fathom her reasoning on that issue." |
fatuous | without sense; foolish self-satisfaction |
fawn | young deer; try to win smb's favor |
fawn | to seek favor or attention; to act subserviantly (n, adj: fawning) |
feckless | lacking purpose or vitality; ineffective |
fecund | fertile |
feign | to give false appearance or impression: "He feigned illness to avoid going to school." (adj: feigned) |
feint | pretend |
felicitous | apt; suitably expressed; well chosen |
felon | person guilty of murder |
ferment | substance; become excited |
ferocity | savage cruelty |
ferret | discover by searching; search |
fervid | showing earnest feeling |
fervid, fervent | highly emotional; hot: "The partisans displayed a fervent patriotism." (n: fervor) |
fervor | warmth of feelings; earnestness |
fetid | stinking |
fetter | to shackle; put in chains |
feud | bitter quarrel over a long period of time |
fidelity | loyalty; accuracy |
fidget | move restlessly; make nervous |
figurehead | carved image on the prow of a ship |
finesse | delicate way of dealing with a situation |
finical | too fussy about food, clothing, etc. |
finicky | finical |
fission | splitting or division (esp. of cells) |
fixate | stare at |
flak | criticism; anti-aircraft guns |
flamboyant | brightly colored; florid |
flaunting | show off complacently |
flax | pale; yellow (hair); a plant |
flay | to skin; to excoriate |
fledged | able to fly; trained, experienced |
fledgling | a baby bird; an inexperienced person; inexperienced. |
fleet | number of ships; quick-moving |
flinch | draw; move back; wince |
flop | fail; move; fall clumsily |
florid | very much ornamented; naturally red (e.g., of face) |
florid | flushed with a rosy color, as in complexion; very ornate and flowery: "florid prose." |
flounder | to struggle to move; to proceed clumsily |
floundering | struggling: "We tried to save the floundering business." |
flout | reject, mock; to go against (as in going against tradition) |
fluke | lucky stroke |
fluster | make nervous or confused |
foible | defect of character (a person is wrongly proud) |
foil | prevent from carrying out; contrast |
foment | put smth warm (to lessen the pain) |
foolproof | incapable; of failure or error |
foppish | like a man who pays too much attention to his clothes |
forage | food for horses and cattle |
forbear | refrain from; be patient; ancestor |
forbearance | patience; willingness to wait |
ford | shallow place in a river (to cross) |
forebode | to foretell or predict |
forensic | belonging to courts of judicature |
forestall | prevent by taking action in advance preempt |
foretoken | premonitory sign |
forfeit | suffer the loss of smth |
forge | workshop for the shaping of metal; to shape metal lead |
forgery | counterfeit |
forswear | renounce; disallow; repudiate |
foster | nurture; care for |
fracas | noisy quarrel |
fractious | quarrelsome; irritable |
fragile | easily injured, broken or destroyed |
fragrant | sweet-smelling |
frantic | wildly excited with joy; anxiety |
frenetic | frantic, frenzied |
fret | worry; irritation; wear away |
fringe | edge; ornamental border; part of hair over the forehead |
froward | intractable; not willing to yield or comply; stubborn |
frugal | careful; economical |
fulmination | bitter protest |
fulsome | disgusting; offensive due to excessiveness |
fusty | musty; rigidly old-fashioned or reactionary |
gainsay | to deny; to oppose |
garble | make unfair selection from facts |
garment | article of clothing |
garner | to gather and save to store up |
garrulity | talkativeness |
garrulous | too talkative |
garrulous | verbose; talkative; rambling: "We tried to avoid our garrulous neighbor." |
gaucherie | socially awkward, tactless behavior |
germane | relevant pertinent to |
gist | the point; general sense |
glean | gather facts in small quantities |
glib | ready and smooth but not sincere |
glimmer | weak, unsteady light |
gloat | look at with selfish delight |
glut | supply too much; fill to excess |
gnaw | waste away; bite steadily |
gnomic | characterized by aphorism |
goad | smth urging a person to action |
gorge | eat greedily; narrow opening with a stream |
gossamer | soft light; delicate material |
gossamer | fine cobweb on foliage; fine gauzy fabric; very fine: "She wore a gossamer robe." |
gouge | tool for cutting grooves in wood |
grandiloquent | using pompous words |
grave | serious; requiring consideration |
graze | touch or scrape lightly in passing |
gregarious | living in societies; liking the company |
grievous | causing grief or pain; serious |
grovel | crawl; humble oneself |
guile | deceit; cunning |
guile | skillful deceit: "He was well known for his guile." (v. bequile; adj: beguiling. Note, however, that these two words have an additional meaning: to charm (v.) or charming (adj:), while the word guile does not generally have any such positive connotations) |
guileless | honest; straightforward (n: guilelessness) |
gullible | easily gulled |
gush | burst out suddenly; talk ardently |
gust | outburst of feeling; sudden rain, wind, fire, etc. |
hack | cut roughly; hired horse |
halcyon | calm and peaceful |
hallow | to make holy; consecrate |
hapless | unfortunate |
harangue | a long passionate speech |
harbinger | smth or smb that foretells the coming of |
hardihood | resolute; courage and fortitude |
harrow | to distress; create stress or torment |
haughty | arrogant; conceited |
headlong | headfirst; impulsive; hasty. impulsively; hastily; without forethought: "They rushed headlong into marriage." |
heckle | to harass with questions, challenges or gibes |
hector | to bully |
heed | attention; give notice to |
heinous | odious (of crime) |
heresy | belief contrary to what is generally accepted |
hermetic | sealed by fusion |
heterogeneous | made up of different kinds |
hew | make by hard work cut (by striking) |
highbrow | (person) with superior tastes |
hirsute | hairy; shaggy |
hoax | mischievous trick played on smb for a joke |
holster | leather case for a pistol |
homiletics | act of preaching |
homogenous | similar in nature or kind; uniform: "a homogeneous society." |
hone | stone used for sharpening tools |
honorific | conferring or conveying honor |
hoodwink | trick; mislead |
hospitable | liking; to give hospitality |
hubbub | noise; confusion |
hubris | arrogant pride |
hush | make or become silent |
husk | worthless outside part of anything |
hyperbole | extravagant exaggeration |
hypocrisy | falsely making oneself appear to be good |
iconoclast | person who attacks popular beliefs |
iconoclast | one who attacks traditional ideas or institutions or one who destroys sacred images (adj: iconoclastic) |
idiosyncrasy | personal mannerism |
idolatry | excessive admiration of |
idyll | a carefree episode or experience |
ignoble | dishonorable; common; undignified |
ignominious | shameful; dishonorable; undignified; disgraceful |
illicit | unlawful; forbidden |
imbroglio | complicated and embarrassing situation |
immaculate | pure faultless |
imminent | likely to come or happen soon |
immutable | that cannot be changed |
impair | worsen; diminish in value |
impassioned | filled with passion or zeal |
impassive | unmoved feeling; no sign of passion |
impeach | to accuse; to charge with a crime |
impecunious | having little or no money |
impecunious | penniless; poor |
impede | hinder; get in the way of |
impending | imminent; being about to happen; expected |
imperative | urgent; essential |
imperious | commanding; haughty; arrogant |
imperious | commanding |
impermeable | that cannot be permeated |
impertinent | given to insolent rudeness |
imperturbable | calm; not capable of being excited |
impervious | not allowing to pass through (of materials) |
imperviousness | haughty; arrogant; commanding |
impetuous | having sudden energy; impulsive |
impiety | lack of reverence or dutifulness |
implacable | incapable of being placated; unpleasable |
implicate | show that smb has a share |
implication | insinuation or connotation (v. implicate) |
implicit | implied though not plainly expressed |
implosion | collapse; bursting inward |
imply | to suggest indirectly; to entail: "She implied she didn't believe his story." (n: implication) |
importune | beg urgently; solicit (of a prostitute) |
imprecation | an invocation of evil; a curse |
impromptu | without preparation |
improvidence | an absence of foresight; a failure to provide for future needs or events: "Their improvidence resulted in the loss of their home." |
impudent | rash indiscreet |
impugned | challenged; to be doubted |
impunity | exemption from punishment, harm or loss |
impute | to attribute; to a cause or source; ascribe |
inadvertent | not paying proper attention |
inane | silly senseless |
inasmuch | since; because |
incandescent | white, glowing or luminous with intense heat |
incarcerate | to put in prison; to confine |
incense | make angry |
incessant | often repeated; continual |
inchoate | not yet fully formed; rudimentary; elementary |
inchoate | in an initial or early stage; incomplete; disorganized: "The act of writing forces one to clarify incohate thoughts." |
incipient | beginning |
incise | engrave; make a cut in |
incite | stir up; rouse |
incongruous | out of place; not in harmony or agreement |
incorrigibility | cannot be cured or corrected |
incorrigible | not capable of being corrected: "The school board finally decided the James was incorrigible and expelled him from school." |
incredulous | skeptical; unwilling to believe |
inculcate | fix firmly by repetition |
incumbents | official duties |
incursion | a raid; a sudden attack |
indefatigability | not easily exhaustible; tirelessness |
indelible | that cannot be rubbed out |
indelible | permanent; unerasable; strong: "The Queen made an indelible impression on her subjects." |
indigence | poverty |
indigenous | native |
indistinct | not easily heard, seen |
indolence | laziness |
indomitable | not easily discouraged or subdued |
indubitable | too evident to be doubted |
indulge | gratify; give way to; satisfy; allow oneself |
indulgent | inclined to indulge |
ineffable | too great to be described in words |
ineffable | undescribable; inexpressible in words; unspeakable |
ineluctable | certain; inevitable |
inept | unskillful; said or done at the wrong time |
ineptitude | quality of being unskillful |
infer | to deduce: "New genetic evidence led some zoologists to infer that the red wolf is actually a hybrid of the coyote and the gray wolf." |
inferno | hell |
infuriate | fill with fury or rage |
infuse | put; pour; fill |
ingenious | clever: "She developed an ingenious method for testing her hypothesis."(n: ingenuity) |
ingenuous | naïve; young; artless; frank |
ingenuous | unsophisticated; artless; straightforward; candid: "Wilson's ingenuous response to the controversial calmed the suspicious listeners." |
ingest | take in by swallowing |
ingress | the act of entering; entrance |
inhibit | to hold back, prohibit, forbid, or restrain (n: inhibition, adj: inhibited) |
inimical | harmful or friendly |
inimitable | defying imitation; unmatchable |
innocuous | causing no harm |
innocuous | harmless; having no adverse affect; not likely to provoke strong emotion |
inordinate | exceeding reasonable limits |
inscrutable | incapable of being discovered or understood |
insensible | unconscious; unresponsive; unaffected |
insensible | numb; unconscious: "Wayne was rendered insensible by a blow to the head." unfeeling; insensitive: "They were insensibile to the suffering of others.: |
insinuate | suggest unpleasantly; make a way for smth gently |
insipid | without taste or flavor |
insipid | lacking zest or excitement; dull |
insolvent | unable to pay debts; impoverished |
insouciant | unconcerned; carefree |
insular | of or pertaining to an island, thus, excessively exclusive: "Newcomers found it difficult to make friends in the insular community." |
insularity | narrow-mindedness; isolated |
insuperable | incapable of being surmounted or solved |
insurrection | rising of people to open resistance to |
inter | to entomb or bury |
interdict | prohibit; forbid |
interim | as an installment |
interloper | to encroach; to intrude |
interpose | to come between |
interregnum | lapse in a continuous series |
intersperse | place here and there |
intimate | to announce; to suggest or hint |
intractable | not easily managed or controlled; unruly |
intransigence | unwillingness to compromise; stubbornness; intractability |
intransigent | uncompromising |
intransigent | stubborn; immovable; unwilling to change: "She was so intransigent we finally gave up trying to convince her." (n: intransigence) |
intrepid | fearless; brave; undaunted |
introspection | examining one's own thoughts and feelings |
inundate | flood; cover by overflowing |
inured | accustomed to adapted |
invective | abusive language; curses |
inveigh | to attack verbally; denounce; deprecate |
inveterate | deep-rooted; long-established |
invidious | of an unpleasant or objectionable nature |
invincible | too strong to be defeated |
involute | complex |
irascible | irritable; easily angered |
irascible | prone to outbursts of temper, easily angered |
irate | angry |
ire | anger |
irksome | tiresome |
irresolute | hesitating; undecided |
irrevocable | final and unalterable |
itinerate | to travel from place to place; to peregrinate |
jabber | talk excitedly; utter rapidly |
jejune | lacking nutritive value; dull; juvenile |
jettison | to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering |
jibe | gibe; make fun of |
jocular | meant as a joke |
judicious | sound in judgment; wise |
knit | draw together; unite firmly |
labyrinthine | to entangle; the state of affairs |
lachrymose | causing tears; tearful |
lackluster | (of eyes) dull |
laconic | using few words; terse: "a laconic reply." |
lament | show, feel great sorrow |
lassitude | weariness; tiredness |
latent | present but not yet active, developed or visible |
latent | present or potential but not evident or active (n: latency) |
laudable | praiseworthy; commendable (v. laud) |
laudatory | expressing or giving praise |
lavish | giving or producing freely, liberally or generously |
legacy | smth handed down from ancestors |
levee | formal reception; embankment |
leviathan | giant whale, therefore, something very large |
levity | lack of seriousness |
libel | statement that damages reputation |
liberality | free giving; generosity |
libertine | immoral person |
licentious | lacking legal or moral restraints |
lien | legal claim until a debt on it is repaid |
limn | paint; portray |
limp | lacking strength; walking unevenly |
limpid | transparent; absolutely serene and untroubled |
lionize | treat as a famous person |
listless | characterized by lack of interest, energy or spirit |
lithe | bending twisting |
loll | rest to sit or stand in a lazy way; hang (dog's tongue) |
lope | move along with long strides |
loquacious | talkative; garrulous |
loquacious | talkative |
lucid | clear; translucent: "He made a lucid argument to support his theory." |
lucubrate | write in scholarly fashion |
luculent | easily understood; lucid; clear |
lugubrious | mournful excessively; sad |
lugubrious | weighty, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an excessive degree: "Jake's lugubrious monologues depressed his friends." |
lull | become quiet or less active |
lumber | move in a clumsy, noisy way |
luminary | star; light-giving body |
lurk | be out of view ready to attack |
lustrous | being bright, polished |
macabre | gruesome; suggesting death |
macerate | make or become soft by soaking in water |
machination | plot, scheme (esp. evil) |
maelstrom | powerful; violent whirlpool |
magnanimity | generosity and nobility. (adj: magnanimous) |
maladroit | tactless; clumsy |
malapropism | misuse of a word (for one that resembles it) |
malediction | curse; execration |
malefaction | evil deed; crime |
maleficent | baleful |
malevolence | wishing to do evil |
malevolent | malicious; evil; having or showing ill will: "Some early American colonists saw the wilderness as malevolent and sought to control it." |
malign | injurious; speak ill of smb; tell lie |
malinger | to fake illness or injury in order to shirk a duty |
malleable | yielding easily; moldable; adapting |
manacle | chains for the hands or feet |
massacre | cruel killing of a large number of people |
matriculation | be admitted enter a university as a student |
maudlin | sentimental in a silly or tearful way |
maul | hurt by rough handling |
maverick | rebel; nonconformist |
mawkish | sickly or puerilely sentimental |
mellifluous | sweetly flowing |
mendacity | dishonesty |
mendicant | a beggar |
mercurial | quick, changeable in character; fleeting |
meretricious | attractive on the surface but of little value |
mesmerize | hypnotize |
meticulous | giving great attention to details |
mettle | quality of endurance or courage |
mettlesome | courageous; high-spirited |
miasma | vaporous exhalation causing disease |
middling | fairly good but not very good |
minatory | menacing; threatening |
mince | pronounce or speak affectedly; euphemize |
misanthrope | person who hates mankind |
misanthrope | one who hates people: "He was a true misanthrope and hated even himself." |
mischievous | harmful; causing mischief |
miscreant | heretical; villainous |
miser | person who loves wealth and spends little |
misnomer | incorrect name or word for something |
misogynist | one who hates women, females |
misogynist | one who hates women |
missive | letter |
mitigate | to make less forceful; to become more moderate; to make less harsh or undesirable: "He was trying to mitigate the damage he had done." (n: mitigation) |
moderation | quality of being limited; not extreme |
mollify | make calmer or quieter |
molt | moult; lose hair, feathers before new growing |
monomania | excessive concentration on a single object or idea |
morbid | diseased unhealthy (e.g., about ideas) |
mordant | biting and caustic; incisive |
morose | ill-tempered unsocial |
mottle | surface having colored spots or blotches |
muffler | cloth worn round the neck; silencer |
mulish | unreasonably and inflexibly obstinate |
multifarious | varied; motley; greatly diversified |
mundane | worldly as opposed to spiritual; commonplace; everyday |
munificent | characterized by great liberality or generosity |
myriad | very great number |
nadir | lowest, weakest point |
nascent | coming into existence; emerging |
nebulous | cloud-like; hazy; vague |
nefarious | wicked, evil: "a nefarious plot." |
negligent | taking too little care |
neophyte | person who has been converted to a belief |
nervy | bold or brash; nervous |
nexus | a connection, tie or link |
nibble | show some inclination to accept (an offer) |
noisome | offensive disgusting (smell) |
noisome | harmful, offensive, destructive: "The noisome odor of the dump carried for miles." |
nonchalant | not having interest |
nonplused | greatly surprised |
nostrum | a quack, remedy; an untested cure |
novitiate | period of being a novice; house where novices are trained |
noxious | harmful |
nugatory | trifling; worthless |
obdurate | hardened and unrepenting; stubborn; inflexible |
obdurate | hardened against influence or feeling; intractable. |
obfuscate | to darken; make obscure; muddle |
oblivious | unaware; having no memory |
obloquy | abusively detractive language; sharp criticism |
obnoxious | odiously or disgustingly objectionable |
obsequious | too eager to obey or serve |
obstreperous | noisy; loud |
obtain | to be established; accepted or customary |
obtrusive | projecting; prominent; undesirably noticeable |
obtuse | blunt; stupid |
obviate | to make unnecessary; get rid of |
obviate | to prevent by anticipatory measures; to make unnecessary: |
occlude | to close or shut off; to obstruct (n: occlusion) |
occluded | blocked up |
odious | repulsive; hateful |
odium | contempt; dislike; aversion |
odor | smell; favor; reputation |
offal | waste or by-product of a process; rubbish |
officious | too eager or ready to help; offer advice |
ominous | threatening |
onerous | needing effort; burdensome |
opaque | not transparent or transluscent; dense; difficult to comprehend, as inopaque reasoning |
opaqueness | dullness; not allowing light to pass through |
opprobrious | showing scorn or reproach |
orotund | sonorous; bombastic |
ossified | turned to bone; hardened like bone; Inflexible: "The ossified culture failed to adapt to new economic conditions and died out." |
ossify | to turn to bone; to settle rigidly into an idea |
ostensible | seeming; appearing as such; professed |
ostentation | display to obtain admiration or envy |
ostracism | shut out from society; refuse to meet, talk |
overhaul | examine thoroughly; to learn about the condition |
overweening | presumptuously arrogant; being a jerk |
paean | song of praise or triumph |
palate | roof of the mouth; sense of taste |
palatial | magnificent |
palliate | lessen the severity of |
palpability | can be felt, touched, understood |
palpitate | tremble; beat rapidly and irregularly |
panegyric | formal praise; eulogy |
panegyric | a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing |
panoply | smth forming a protective covering; impressive array |
paradigm | a model; example or pattern |
parasol | umbrella used as a sunshade, especially by women |
pariah | an outcast; a rejected and despised person |
parsimonious | too economical; miserly |
partisan | one-sided; committed to a party; biased or prejudiced |
pathos | emotion of sympathetic pity |
patron | regular customer; person who gives support |
paucity | scarcity a lacking of |
peccadillo | small sin; small weakness in one's character |
peccadillo | a small sin or fault |
pedantic | bookish; showing off learning |
pedantic | showing a narrow concern for rules or formal book learning; making an excessive display of one's own learning: "We quickly tired of his pedantic conversation." (n: pedant, pedantry). |
pedestrian | commonplace; trite; unremarkable |
peevish | bad-tempered; irritable |
pellucid | transparent; easy to understand |
penchant | strong inclination; a liking |
penitent | feeling or showing regret |
penurious | poor; stingy |
penury | extreme poverty |
perambulate | to travel over or through (esp. on foot) |
percipient | capable of perception; discerning |
peregrination | traveling about; wandering |
peremptory | urgent; imperative |
perfidious | treacherous; faithless |
perfidious | deliberately treacherous; dishonest (n: perfidy) |
perfunctory | done as a duty, without care |
perilous | dangerous |
peripatetic | wandering |
perish | be destroyed decay |
permeate | spread into every part of |
pernicious | harmful; injurious |
perpetrate | be guilty; commit (a crime) |
perquisite | gratuity or tip |
personable | pleasing in appearance; attractive |
perspicacity | quick judging and understanding |
pertain | belong as a part; have reference |
pertinacious | stubbornly unyielding or tenacious |
pest | destructive thing or a person who is nuisance |
petrified | taken away power (to think, feel, act) |
petrify | to make hard, rocklike |
petrous | like a rock, hard, stony |
petulant | unreasonably impatient |
petulant | easily or frequently annoyed, especially over trivial matters; childishly irritable |
philanthropy | tendency or action for the benefit of others, as in donating money or property to a charitible organization |
philistine | a smug ignorant person; one who lacks knowledge |
phlegmatic | calm sluggish temperament; unemotional |
phlegmatic | not easily excited; cool; sluggish |
picaresque | involving clever rogues or adventurers |
pied | of mixed colors |
pinch | be too tight; take between the thumb and finger |
pine | waste away through sorrow or illness |
pious | dutiful to parents; devoted to religion |
piquant | agreeably pungent; stimulating |
pique | hurt the pride or self-respect; stir (curiosity) |
pitfall | covered hole as a trap; unsuspected danger |
pith | essential part; soft liquid substance |
pivotal | of great importance (others depend on it) |
placate | soothe; pacify; calm |
placate | to calm or reduce anger by making concessions: "The professor tried to placate his students by postponing the exam." |
placid | serenely free of interruption or disturbance |
plaintive | mournful melancholy; sorrowful |
plaque | flat metal on a wall as a memorial |
plastic | related to being shaped or molded; capable of being molded. (n: plasticity n: plastic) |
platitude | a trite or banal statement; unoriginality |
plea | request |
plead | address a court of law as an advocate |
plethora | glut |
plethora | excessively large quantity; overabundance: "We received a p lethora of applications for the position." |
pliant | pliable; easily bent, shaped or twisted |
plod | continue doing smth without resting |
pluck | pull the feathers off; pick (e.g., flowers) |
plumb | get to the root of |
plummet | fall; plunge steeply |
plunge | move quickly, suddenly and with force |
poignant | deeply moving; keen |
polemic | aggressive attack on opinions of another; disputant |
poncho | large piece of cloth |
ponderous | heavy; bulky; dull |
ponderous | heavy; massive; awkward; dull: "A ponderous book is better than a sleeping pill." |
portent | omen; marvelous; threatening |
posit | to postulate; to suggest |
postulate | to claim; to assume as true, existent or necessary |
potentate | ruler; one who wields great power or sway |
pragmatic | concerned with facts; practical, as opposed to highly principled or traditional: "His pragmatic approach often offended idealists." (n: pragmatism) |
prate | to talk long and idly |
prattle | to prate; to utter or make meaningless sounds |
precarious | uncertain; risky; dangerous |
precepts | rules establishing standards of conduct |
precipice | cliff with a vertical or nearly vertical face; a dangerous place from which one is likely to fall; metaphorically, a very risky circumstance |
precipitate | to fall; to fall downward suddenly and dramatically; to bring about or hasten the occurrence of something: "Old World diseases precipitated a massive decline in the American Indian population." |
precipitous | steep |
precis | concise summary |
preclude | prevent; make impossible |
precursor | something (or someone) that precedes another: "The assasination of the Archduke was a precursor to the war." |
precursory | preliminary; anticipating |
predilection | special liking; mental preference |
predominate | have more power than others |
preen | tidy; show self-satisfaction |
premature | doing or happening smth before the right time |
preponderance | greatness in number, strength, weight |
presage | warning sign |
presumption | arrogance |
preternatural | not normal or usual |
prevalent | common |
prevaricate | to equivocate; to stray from the truth |
prevaricate | to stray away from or evade the truth: "When we asked him what his intentions were, he prevaricated."(n: prevarication; prevaricator) |
prim | neat formal |
primp | to dress or arrange in a careful or finicky manner |
pristine | primitive; unspoiled; pure as in earlier times |
probity | uprightness; incorruptibility |
proclivity | inclination |
procrastination | keeping on putting off |
prodigal | wasteful; reckless with money |
prodigal | rashly wasteful: "Americans' prodigal devotion to the automobile is unique." |
prodigious | enormous; wonderful |
prodigy | portentous event; omen |
profane | worldly; having contempt for God |
profligacy | shameless immorality |
profligate | wasteful; prodigal; extravagant |
profundity | depth |
profuse | abundant; lavish |
progeny/progenitor | descendants; children |
prognosticate | to foretell from signs or symptoms; presage |
proliferate | grow, reproduce by rapid multification |
prolix | tiring because too long |
prone | prostrate; inclined to (undesirable things) |
propagation | increasing the number; spreading; extending |
propinquity | nearness in time or place; affinity of nature |
propitiate | to conciliate; to appease: "They made sacrifices to propitiate angry gods." |
propitiatory | conciliatory; appeasing; mitigating |
propitious | auspicious; presenting favorable circumstances |
prosaic | everyday; mundane; commonplace |
proscribe | denounce as dangerous |
protean | displaying great diversity or variety; versatile |
protracted | prolonged |
provident | frugal; looking to the future |
provisional | of the present time only |
provoke | make angry |
prudence | careful; forethought |
prudish | easily shocked; excessively modest |
prune | dried plum; silly person |
pry | inquire too curiously |
pucker | wrinkle |
pugnacious | fond of, in the habit of fighting |
puissance | strength |
pulchritude | physical beauty |
Pulchritudinous | beautiful (n: pulchritude) |
pummel | to pound or beat |
punctilious | precise; paying attention to trivialities |
pundit | pedant; authority on a subject |
pungency | sharpness; stinging quality |
pungent | marked by a sharp incisive quality; caustic |
punitive | inflicting, involving or aiming at punishment |
purvey | provide supply |
pusillanimous | cowardly; craven |
pusillanimous | cowardly, timid, or irreselute; petty: "The pusillanimous leader soon lost the respect of his people." |
putative | commonly accepted or supposed |
putrefaction | becoming rotten |
pyre | large pile of wood for burning |
quack | person dishonestly claiming |
quaff | drink deeply |
quail | lose courage; turn frightened |
qualm | feeling of doubt; temporary feeling of sickness |
quandary | state of doubt or perplexity |
quell | suppress; subdue |
querulous | habitually complaining |
quibble | try to avoid by sophistication |
quiescence | state of being passive, motionless |
quiescence | inactivity; stillness; dormancy (adj: quiescent) |
quiescent | at rest; dormant; torpid |
quirk | habit or action peculiar to smb or smth |
quixotic | generous; unselfish |
quotidian | banal; everyday |
rabble | mob; crowd; the lower classes of populace |
raconteur | person who tells anecdotes |
racy | full of zest or vigor; piquant |
raffish | low; vulgar |
ragamuffin | ragged; often disreputable person |
rake | dissolute person; libertine |
ramble | to move aimlessly from place to place |
ramify | to be divided or subdivided; to branch out |
rancorous | feeling bitterness; spitefulness |
rant | use extravagant language |
rapacious | greedy (esp. for money) |
rarefy | to make thin, less dense; to purify or refine |
rarefy | to make or become thin; to purify or refine (n: rarefaction, adj: rarefied) |
ratify | to approve and sanction formally |
rave | act with excessive enthusiasm |
reactionary | opposing progress |
rebuff | snub |
recalcitrant | disobedient |
recant | take back as being false; give up |
recast | cast or fashion anew |
recidivism | relapse into antisocial or criminal behavior |
reciprocity | granting of privileges in return for similar |
recitals | a number of performance of music |
recluse | person who lives alone and avoids people |
recompense | make payment to reward punish |
reconcile | settle a quarrel; restore peace |
recondite | little known; abstruse |
recourse | turning to someone or something for help |
recreancy | cowardice; cowardly giving up |
recreant | coward; apostate or deserter |
rectitude | the quality of being straight; righteousness |
recuperate | become strong after illness, loss, exhaustion |
redeem | get back by payment; compensate |
redoubtable | formidable; causing fear |
refine | make or become pure, cultural |
refractory | stubborn; unmanageable; untractable |
refulgent | shining; brilliant |
regale | to delight or entertain; to feast |
regicide | crime of killing a king |
reiterate | say or do again several times |
rejuvenation | becoming young in nature or appearance |
relapse | fall back again |
remonstrate | to protest, object |
renaissance | rebirth or revival |
renascent | rising again into being or vigor |
render | deliver; provide; represent |
renegade | deserter; unconventional or unlawful person |
renege | to deny; to renounce; to go back on a promise |
renovate | restore smth to better condition |
renowned | celebrated; famous |
repast | meal |
repel | refuse to accept; cause dislike |
reprisal | recurrence, renewal or resumption of an action |
reproach | scold; upbraid |
reprobate | person hardened in sin; one devoid of decency |
reproof | the act of censuring, scolding, or rebuking. (v. reprove). |
repudiate | disown; refuse to accept or pay |
repulsive | causing a feeling of disgust |
requiem | mass for the dead; solemn chant for the dead |
requite | repay; give in return |
rescind | repeal; annul; cancel |
rescind | to repeal or annul |
resigned | unresisting; submissive |
resilience | quality of quickly recovering the original shape |
resort | to frequently visit |
restive | refusing to move; reluctant to be controlled |
resuscitation | coming back to consciousness |
retard | check; hinder |
reticent | reserved; untalkative |
retrograde | tending toward a worse or previous state |
revere | have deep respect for |
reverent | feeling or showing deep respect |
ribald | crude; characterized by coarse indecent humor |
riddle | puzzling person or thing |
rift | split; crack; dissension |
rivet | fix; take up; secure metal pin |
roll | call; calling of names |
rotund | rich and deep; plump and round |
ruffian | violent cruel man |
rumple | make rough |
sacrosanct | most sacred or holy; immune from criticism or violation |
sagacious | having sound judgment perceptive wise like a sage |
sagacious | having a sharp or powerful intellect or discernment. (n: sagacity). |
salacious | obscene |
sallow | of a grayish greenish yellow color |
salubrious | healthful |
salutary | remedial; causing improvement |
sanctimony | self-righteousness; hypocritical |
sanction | approval (by authority); penalty |
sanguinary | bloody |
sanguine | cheerful; confident; optimistic |
sanguine | cheerful; confident: "Her sanguine attitude put everyone at ease."(Sangfroid (noun) is a related French word meaning unflappibility. Literally, it means cold blood) |
sanity | health of mind; soundness of judgement |
sardonic | disdainfully or skeptically humorous; sarcastic |
sash | long strip worn round the waist |
sate | to satisfy fully or to excess |
satiate | satisfy fully |
saturnine | gloomy; dark; morose |
saturnine | having a gloomy or morose temperament |
savant | person of great learning |
savant | a very knowledgable person; a genious |
savor | taste flavor smth |
sawdust | tiny bits of wood |
scabbard | sheath for the blade |
scent | smell (esp. pleasant) |
scorch | become discolored; dry up; go at high speed |
scribble | write hastily |
scruple | minute part or quantity; qualm |
scrupulous | having moral integrity; punctiliously exact |
scurrilous | given to coarse language |
scurvy | mean; contemptible |
secede/secession | to withdraw from an organization |
secular | material (not spiritual); living outside monasteries |
sedulous | diligent; persevering; persistent: "Her sedulous devotion to overcoming her background impressed many." (n: sedulity; sedulousness; adv. sedulously) |
seminal | like a seed; constituting a source; originative |
sententious | short and pithy; full of maxims, proverbs |
sequence | succession; connected line of |
sere | make hard and without feeling |
serendipity | phenomenon of finding valuable things not sought for |
sermon | reproving a person for his faults |
serrated | having a toothed edge |
servile | like a slave; lacking independence |
sever | break off |
severance | severing |
shallow | little depth; not earnest |
shard | piece of broken earthenware |
sheath | cover for the blade of a weapon or a tool |
shiftless | lacking in resourcefulness; lacking in ambition |
shrew | ill-tempered, scolding woman |
shrewd | astute; showing sound judgement |
shrill | sharp; piercing |
shun | keep away from; avoid |
shunt | send from one track to another; lay aside |
sidestep | step to one side |
simper | (give a) silly, self-conscious smile |
sinew | power; chief supporting force |
sinuous | winding, undulating, serpentine |
skiff | small boat |
skit | short piece of humorous writing |
slack | sluggish, dull, not tight |
slake | to assuage |
slate | king of blue-grey stone; propose; criticize |
sluggard | lazy slow-moving person |
slur | join sounds, words (indistinct) |
smolder | burn slowly without flame |
snare | trap |
snub | treat with contempt |
soar | rise; fly high |
sober | self-controlled |
sobriety | quality or condition of being sober |
sodden | soaked; saturated |
soggy | heavy with water |
solvent | of the power of forming a solution |
somatic | of the body |
somnolent | likely to induce sleep; inclined to sleep |
soot | black powder in smoke |
sophisticated | complex; subtle; refined |
sophistry | fallacious reasoning; faulty logic |
sophomoric | self-assured though immature |
soporific | producing sleep |
sordid | wretched; comfortless |
specious | illogical of questionable truth or merit |
specious | seemingly true but really false; deceptively convincing or attractive: "Her argument, though specious, was readily accepted by many." |
sphinx | enigmatic or mysterious person |
spleen | feelings of anger or ill will; often suppressed |
splenetic | bad-tempered; irritable |
splice | join (two ends) |
sponge | porous rubber for washing; live at once expense |
spurious | counterfeit |
spurn | have nothing to do; reject or refuse |
squalid | foul; filthy |
squander | spend wastefully |
squat | crouch; settle without permission |
stanch | to stop the flow of a fluid |
steeply | rising or falling sharply |
stentorian | extremely loud and powerful |
stickler | person who insists on importance of smth |
stigma | mark of shame or disgrace |
stigmatize | describe smb scornfully |
sting | smth sharp |
stingy | spending, using unwillingly |
stint | to be thrifty; to set limits |
stipple | paint with dots |
stipulate | state or put forward as a necessary condition |
stolid | showing no emotion; impassive |
stray | wander; lose one's way |
streak | long; thin; move very fast |
striated | striped; grooved or banded |
stricture | something that limits; adverse criticism |
stride | walk with long steps |
strident | characterized by harsh and discordant sound |
strut | a supporting bar |
stultify | to cause to appear or be foolish |
stygian | dark, gloomy |
stymie | to hinder, obstruct or block |
subdue | overcome, bring under control |
subjugate | to conquer; to subdue |
sublime | extreme, astounding |
submerge | put under water liquid; sink out of sight |
suborn | induce by bribery; to commit perjury |
subpoena | written order requiring a person to appear in a law court |
substantiation | giving facts to support (statement) |
subsume | include under a rule |
subterfuge | deception |
succor | assistance relief in time of distress |
suffice | be enough |
suffocate | cause or have difficulty in breathing |
suffrage | short prayer usually in a series; right of voting |
sullied | to be stained or discredited |
summarily | briefly; without delay |
summary | done without delay or formality |
sumptuous | magnificent |
sundry | various; miscellaneous; separate |
superannuate | to become retired; to become obsolete |
supercilious | disdainful; characterized by haughty scorn |
superficial | only covering the surface: "A superficial treatment of the topic was all they wanted." |
superfluous | more then is needed or wanted |
superimpose | put smth on the top |
supersede | take the place of |
supine | lying on the back; slow to act; passive |
suppliant | asking humbly; beseeching |
supplicate | make a humble petition to |
suppress | prevent from being known; put an end to |
surcharge | additional load; charge |
surfeit | satiate; feed to fulness or to excess |
susceptibility | sensitiveness |
swerve | change direction suddenly |
sybarite | a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses; voluptuary |
sycophant | person who flatter to the rich and powerful |
syncopated | abbreviated; stressing the weak beat |
synopsis | summary or outline |
tacit | unspoken: "Katie and carmella had a tacit agreement that they would not mention the dented fender to their parents." |
taciturn | untalkative silent |
taciturn | habitually untalkative or silent (n: taciturnity) |
tactile | perceptible by touch |
tadpole | form of a frog when it leaves the egg |
talon | claw of a bird of prey |
tamp | tap or drive down by repeated light blows |
tamper | interfere with |
tangential | suddenly changeable |
tarnished | lost brightness |
tassel | bunch of threads |
taunt | contemptuous reproach; hurtful remark |
taut | tightly stretched |
tautology | a repetition, redundancy |
tawdry | cheap; gaudy; showy; tacky |
teetotal | oppose to alcohol |
temerity | boldness; brashness; intrepidness |
temperance | abstinence from alcohol; self-control; moderation |
temperate | showing self-control |
temperate | exercising moderation and self-denial; calm or mild (n: temperance) |
tenacity | firmness; persistency |
tendentious | biased |
tenuous | insubstantial flimsy weak |
tepid | lukewarm |
termagant | shrew |
terse | brief and to the point |
testiness | witness; evidence |
threadbare | exhausted of interest or freshness; trite |
thrift | care; economy; thriving; prosperous |
thwart | obstruct; frustrate |
timid | shy; easily frightened |
timorous | fearful; timid |
tirade (diatribe) | an angry speech: "His tirade had gone on long enough." |
toady | obsequious flatterer |
tonic | smth giving strength or energy |
topple | be unsteady and overturn |
torment | severe pain or suffering |
torpid | sleeping; sluggish; lethargic; dormant |
torque | twisting force causing rotation |
tortuous | devious; not straightforward |
tortuous | twisted; excessively complicated: "Despite public complaints, tax laws and forms have become increasingly tortuous." Note: Don't confuse this with torturous. |
tout | person who worries others to buy smth to use his service |
tractable | easily controlled or guided |
tractable | ability to be easily managed or controlled: "Her mother wished she were more tractable." (n: tractibility) |
traduce | to malign; to violate |
transgress | break; go beyond (a limit) |
transient | temporary; fleeting |
transitory | brief |
travesty | parody; imitation |
tremulous | characterized by trembling; affected with timidity |
trenchant | forceful; effective; vigorous |
trepidation | alarm; excited state of mind |
trickle | flow in drops |
trifling | unimportant |
trite | not new |
truce | (agreement) stop of fighting for a time |
truckle | to act in a subservient manner |
truculence | aggressiveness; ferocity |
trudge | walk heavily |
turbid | muddy; having the sediment stirred up |
turbulence | being uncontrolled; violent |
turgid | excessively ornate; swollen or bloated |
turmoil | trouble; disturbance |
turmoil | state of extreme confusion, agitation or commotion |
turpitude | wickedness; shamefulness |
turpitude | depravity; baseness: "Mr. Castor was fired for moral turpitude." |
turquoise | greenish-blue precious stone |
tyro | tiro; beginner |
tyro | beginner; person lacking experience in a specific endeavor: "They easily took advantage of the tyro." |
ubiquitous | present everywhere |
ulterior | situated beyond |
umbrage | offense; resentment |
uncouth | rough; awkward |
underbid | make a lower bid then smb else |
undermine | weaken gradually at the base |
undulate | to move in wavelike fashion; fluctuate |
unearth | discover and bring to light |
unencumbered | easy-going; trifle |
unexceptionable | not open to objection or criticism |
unfeigned | not pretended; sincere |
unscathed | unharmed; unhurt |
unseemly | inappropriate; indecorous |
untoward | unfortunate; inconvenient |
upbraid | scold; reproach |
urbane | elegant; refined in manners |
vacillation | being uncertain; hesitating |
vacuous | empty; without contents; without ideas or intelligence:: "She flashed a vacuous smile." |
vagary | strange act or idea |
vain | without use, result; conceited |
valedictory | of an act of bidding farewell |
valiant | brave |
valorous | brave |
vanquish | conquer |
vaunt | to boast |
veer | change direction |
venal | ready to do smth dishonest |
veneer | surface appearance covering the true nature |
venerate | great respect or reverence: "The Chinese traditionally venerated their ancestors; ancestor worship is merely a popular misnomer for this tradition." (n: veneration, adj: venerable) |
veneration | regard with deep respect |
venial | excusable |
veracity | truth |
verbose | wordy: "The instructor asked her verbose student make her paper more concise." (n: verbosity) |
verdant | fresh and green |
verisimilitude | appearing true or real |
veritable | real; rightly named |
verve | spirit; vigor; enthusiasm |
vestige | trace or sign |
vex | annoy; distress; trouble |
vex | to annoy; to bother; to perplex; to puzzle; to debate at length: "Franklin vexed his brother with his controversial writings." |
vigilance | watchfulness; self-appointed group who maintain order |
vigilant | member of a vigilance committee |
vigorous | strong; energetic |
vilify | slander; say evil things |
vindicate | to free from allegation or blame; to justify |
vindictive | having a desire to revenge |
viraginous | of a virago |
virago | a loud domineering woman; a scold or nag |
visceral | of the internal organs of the body |
viscous | sticky; semi-fluid |
viscous | slow moving; highly resistant to flow: "Heintz commercials imply that their catsup is more viscous than others'." (n: viscosity) |
vitiate | lower the quality; weaken the strength |
vituperate | curse; abuse in words |
vivacious | lively; high-spirited |
volatile | changeable; inconstant |
volatile | explosive; fickle (n: volatility). |
volition | power of choosing or determining |
volubility | fluency; verbosity; easy use of spoken language |
voluble | fluent |
voluptuous | full of pleasure to the senses |
voracious | craving or devouring large quantities of food, drink, or other things. She is a voracious reader. |
vouchsafe | to grant (often in a gracious manner) |
waffle | talk vaguely and without much result |
waft | scent; waving movement; carry lightly through |
wag | merry person |
warmonger | person who stirs up war |
warrant | authority; written order; guarantee |
waver | to hesitate or to tremble |
wean | to turn away (from a habit) |
welter | turmoil; a bewildering jumble |
wend | to go, proceed |
wheedle | to influence or entice by soft words or flattery |
whimsical | full of odd and fanciful ideas |
wince | show bodily or mental pain |
woo | try to win |
WORD | DEFINITION |
wrangle | to dispute angrily or peevishly |
wretched | extremely pitiful or unfortunate (n: wretch) |
writ | written order |
yarn | tale, story, fibers for knitting |
zeal | enthusiastic devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal (n: zealot; zealoutry. adj: zealous) |