| A | B |
|---|
| adept | thoroughly skilled |
| aspire | to have ambitious hopes or plans, strive toward a higher goal, desire earnestly; to ascend |
| bleak | bare, dreary, dismal |
| chide | to blame, scold |
| despicable | worthy of scorn, contemptible |
| diminutive | small, smaller than most others of the same type |
| emancipate | to free from slavery; to release or liberate |
| erroneous | incorrect, containing mistakes |
| exploit | to make use of, develop; to make improper use of for personal profit |
| extemporaneous | made or delivered on the spur of the moment |
| impair | to make imperfect, damage, harm |
| invincible | not able to be defeated, unbeatable |
| languid | drooping; without energy, sluggish |
| mire | mud; wet, swampy ground; a touch situation |
| obtrusive | forward; undesirably prominent; thrust out |
| preamble | an introduction to a speech or piece of writing |
| render | to cause to become; to perform; to deliver officially; to process, extract |
| rugged | rough, irregular; severe, stern; strong; stormy |
| skeptical | inclined to doubt, slow to accept something as true |
| slipshod | untidy in dress, personal habits, etc.; careless, sloppy |
| brevity | shortness |
| comport | to conduct or bear oneself, behave; to be in aggreement |
| concise | expressing much in a few words |
| demure | sober or serious in manner, modest |
| depreciation | a lessening in value; a belittling |
| deteriorate | to lower in quality or value; to wear away |
| divulge | to tell, reveal; to make public |
| enlightened | free from ignorance and false ideas; possessing sound understanding |
| forestall | to prevent by acting first |
| garble | to distort in such a way as to make unintelligible |
| proponent | one who puts forward a proposal; one who supports a cause or belief |
| quaver | to shake, tremble; to trill |
| recoil | to spring back, shrink |
| recoup | to make up for, regain |
| reek | an unpleasant smell |
| relentless | unyielding, harsh, without pity |
| rivulet | a small stream |
| squander | to spend foolishly, waste |
| staccato | detached or disconnected in sound or style |
| statute | a law |
| appreciable | sufficient to be noticed or measured |
| autocratic | absolute in power or authority |
| blanch | to remove the color from; to make or turn pale; to parboil |
| blasphemy | an act, utterance, or writing showing contempt for something sacred |
| brawny | strong, muscular |
| concerted | planned or performed in cooperation with others |
| contend | to fight, struggle; to compete; to argue |
| humane | kind, merciful |
| illustrious | very famous, distinguished |
| intolerable | unbearable |
| irreverent | disrespectful |
| laborious | not easy, requiring hard work; hardworking |
| lithe | bending easily, limber |
| maltreat | to abuse, use roughly or cruelly |
| ponder | to consider carefully, reflect on |
| subversive | intended to undermine or overthrow |
| synthetic | made or put together by people |
| temperate | mild, moderate |
| venomous | poisonous; spiteful, mean |
| wily | sly, shrewd, cunning |
