| A | B |
|---|
| aggrandize | to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify |
| Inscrutable | impossible to see through physically; incapable of being understood |
| archetype | an original model after which similar things are patterned. |
| erudite | scholarly, learned |
| infer | to find out by reasoning; to hint |
| affable | courteous, and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to. |
| amorphous | shapeless, w/o definite form. |
| gossamer | thin, light, delicate |
| aura | that which surrounds |
| insular | relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island |
| contraband | illegal traffic, smuggled goods |
| sleazy | thin or flimsy in texture or cheap, shoddy |
| irrevocable | incapable of being changed or called back |
| sedulous | persistent, showing industry |
| remonstrate | to argue or pleade w/ someone against something |
| resilient | able to return to an original shape or form |
| reverberate | to re-echo, resound |
| querulous | peevish, complaining, fretful |
| repudiate | to disown, reject, or deny the validity of |
| propensity | a natural inclination or bent toward |
| scurrilous | coarsely abusive, vulagar or low, foul mouthed |
| retrench | to cut down, reduce in scope and cost |
| flout | to mock, treat w/ contempt |
| caveat | warning |
| blazon | to adorn or embellish; to display conspicuously; to publish or proclaim widely |
| filch | to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts |
| fractious | tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary |
| equitable | fair, just, embodying principles of justice |
| autonomy | self gov't. |
| addendum | an addition or supplement designed to increase correctness, completeness, or currency |
| amnesty | a general pardon for an offense against a gov't. |
| axiomatic | self-evident, expressing a universally accepted principle or rule |
| Soporific | tending to cause sleep, relating to sleepiness or lethargy. |
| Scathing | bitterly severe, withering, causing harm |
| unwieldly | not easily carried b/c of size or complexity |
| vapid | dull, uninteresting, carried, handled, or managed b/c of size or complexity |
| prognosticate | to predict, especially on the basis of present indications or signs |
| sepulchral | funereal, typical of the tomp, extremely gloomy or dismal |
| salutary | beneficial, helpful, healthy, wholesome |
| straitlaced | to whip, punish; a cause of afflicition or suffering |
| precept | a rule of conduct or action |
| transient | lasting only a short time, fleeting; one who stays only a short time |
| brosque | abrupt, blunt, w/ no formalities |
| demagogue | a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power |
| cajole | to coax through flattery or artifice. |
| ennui | weariness and discontent from the lack of occupation or interest, boredom |
| anomalous | abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual |
| contrive | to plan w/ ingenuity, invent; to bring about as the result of a plan |
| disabuse | to free from deception or error, to set right |
| arbiter | one having power to decide a matter at issue; a judge, |
| bizarre | strange, unusual |
| castigate | to punish severely |
| aspersion | a damaging or derogatory statement, the act of slandering or defaming |
| vouchsafe | to give or furnish condescendingly |
| megalomania | a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc., far in excess of reality |
| surreptitious | stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation, made by fraud. |
| transmute | to change from one nature or form to another, to transform |
| immutable | not subject to change |
| transgress | to go beyond a limit or boundary; to sin; violate a law. |
| heinous | very wicked, offensive, hateful |
| insurgent | one who rebels or rises against authority. Rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority, surging or rushing in or on |
| fetter | a chain or shackle placed on the feet; anything that confines or restrains. To chain or shackle |
| sinecure | a position requiring little or no work, an easy job |
| vicarious | performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by 1 person in place of another |
| extricate | to free from entanglements or difficulties; remove w/ effort |
| scourge | to whip, punish severely; a cause of affliction or suffering; a source of severe punishment or criticism |
