| A | B |
|---|
| antipathy | an intense dislike |
| elucidate | to make clear |
| imminent | likely to happen; threatening |
| banal | common, ordinary |
| obdurate | stubborn, hardhearted |
| peruse | to read carefully; scrutinize |
| bedlam | a noisy uproar; a scene of wild confusion |
| affluence | wealth; richness |
| scurrilous | coarsely abusive; vulgar |
| parody | a work which imitates another in a ridiculous manner |
| sedulous | hard working; diligent |
| onerous | burdensome; heavy; hard to endure |
| amoral | lacking a sense of right and wrong |
| eschew | to keep away from; to avoid; to shun |
| denouement | an outcome; result |
| factious | causing disagreement |
| ignoble | dishonorable ; shameful |
| boor | a rude or impolite person |
| aegis | a shield ; protection |
| perspicacity | keenness of judgement |
| fervent | eager; earnest |
| rectify | to correct; to make right |
| enervate | to weaken |
| besiege | to overwhelm; to surround & attack |
| ephemeral | lasting only a brief time; short-lived |
| altruism | a concern for others; generosity |
| carrion | decaying flesh |
| erotic | pertaining to sexual love |
| amorphous | shapeless, formless, vague |
| opulent | rich, luxurious; wealthy |
| pedestrian | ordinary or dull |
| bona fide | in good faith |
| adventitious | accidental; nonessential |
| fecund | fertile, productive |
| deviate | to turn aside from a course; to stray |
| obfuscate | to confuse; to bewilder |
| impale | to pierce with a sharp stake through the body |
| extenuate | to lessen seriousness bv providing partial excuses |
| parochial | local; narrow; limited |
| glower | to state angrily |
| edify | improve someone morally |
| ambiguous | open to more than one interpretation |
| cataclysm | a violent change |
| optimum | best; most favorable; ideal |
| importune | to ask persistently; to beg |
| celibate | abstaining from intercourse |
| fortuitous | happening by chance or accident |
| recapitulate | t summarize or repeat briefly |
| perfunctory | done without care; routine |
| baroque | overly decorated |
| hedonism | pursuit of pleasure; especially of the senses |
| obloquy | strong disapproval; a bad reputation from public criticism |
| debacle | a complete failure; a total collapse |
| quasi- | resembling; seeming; half |
| besmirch | to make dirty; to stain |
| imperative | extremely necessary; vitally important |
| sacrosanct | extremely holy |
| sadistic | deriving pleasure from inflicting pain on others |
| demeanor | behavior; manner of conducting oneself |
| facetious | comical; jocular; flippant |
| fop | an excessively fashion-conscious man |
| imprecation | a curse |
| non sequitur | something that does not logically follow |
| sanguine | cheerful; optimistic |
| bowdlerize | to remove offensive passages of a play, novel, etc. |
| impair | to weaken; to cause to become worse |
| panegyric | an expression of praise |
| quandary | a puzzling situation; a dilemma |
| ebullient | enthusiastic |
| deference | respect; consideration |
| carnal | relating to physical appetite |
| nebulous | hazy; vague; uncertain |
| rakish | dashingly stylish and confident |
| elegy | a sad or mournful poem |
| pedantic | tending to show off one's learning |
| impotent | powerless; lacking strength |
| antithesis | an exact opposite;an opposite extreme |
| maelstrom | whirlpool; turbulence;agitated state of mind |
| emendation | a correction |
| chagrin | embarrassment; complete loss of courage |
| bauble | a showy but useless thing |
| diaphanous | very sheer and light |
| labyrinth | a complicated network of winding passages; a maze |
| gloat | to look at or think about with great satisfaction |
| impediment | a barrier; obstruction |
| bestial | savage; brutal |
| effete | worn out; barren |
| shard | a fragment |
| bland | mild; tasteless; dull |
| nihilism | a total rejection of established laws |
