| A | B |
|---|
| abash | to make ashamed or uneasy |
| abate | to reduce |
| abide | to remain; continue; stay; endure |
| ablution | a cleansing, especially as a ritual |
| abstract | difficult to understand; impersonal; theoretical |
| accountable | expected to answer for one's actions; responsible, liable, answerable |
| adherent | a follower of a leader; supporter |
| adroit | skillful; deft |
| aesthetic | having to do with artistic beauty |
| ambivalence | indecision; experiencing contradictory emotions |
| ambulatory | of or for walking; capable of walking |
| ancillary | helping; providing assistance; subordinate |
| armament | military supplies and weapons; the process of arming for war |
| ascribe | to attribute to a specific cause, source, or origin |
| attrition | a gradual reduction or weakening |
| augment | to make or become greater |
| bauble | a small, inexpensive trinket |
| carrion | dead and rotting flesh |
| cavalier | adj. casual; carefree and nonchalant; arrogant disregard; n. a gallant gentleman |
| choleric | hot-tempered; quick to anger |
| circumspect | cautious; heedful of situations and potential consequences |
| circumvent | to surround; enclose; bypass |
| coerce | to force someone by threatening or physically overpowering him |
| continuum | a continuous whole without clear division into parts |
| copious | abundant; plentiful |
| corpulent | fat; obese |
| cryptic | having an ambiguous or hidden meaning |
| cursory | rapid and superficial; performed with haste and scant attention to detail |
| defunct | dead or inactive; having ceased to exist |
| deploy | to arrange strategically |
| diffident | lacking self-confidence; timid |
| diminution | reduction |
| diverse | different; varied |
| dogmatic | characterized by an authoritative, often arrogant, assertion of opinions or beliefs |
| ebullience | enthusiastic; bubbling with excitement |
| edification | enlightenment; instruction |
| egg | to encourage or incite to action |
| elocution | the art of public speaking |
| embroil | to involve in argument or hostile action; to throw in disorder |
| eminent | standing out, renowned; distinguished; prominent |
| emphatic | forcibly expressive |
| enhance | to improve; to intensify |
| exodus | a mass departure |
| frank | straightforward; open and sincere in expression |
| gambit | to take a risk for some advantage |
| gradient | a rate of inclination; a slope |
| gregarious | seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable |
| gullible | easily cheated or fooled |
| idolatry | blind or excessive devotion to something |
| idyllic | charming in a rustic way; naturally peaceful |
| impair | to cause to diminish, as in strength, value, or quality |
| incessant | continuing without interruption; nonstop |
| influx | a mass arrival or incoming; a continuous coming |
| intrepid | fearless; bold |
| jaunt | a short pleasure trip |
| kismet | fate |
| languid | lacking energy; weak; showing little interest in anything |
| latent | laying hidden or undeveloped; potential |
| lithe | bending easily and gracefully |
| logistics | the management of the details of an operation |
| malcontent | dissatisfied with existing conditions |
| mawkish | excessively and objectionably sentimental |
| mete | to distribute by or as if by measure; allot |
| nullify | to make useless; cancel; undo |
| officious | unwanted services or advice |
| onerous | troublesome or oppressive |
| ostensible | appearing as such; offered as genuine or real |
| palpable | capable or being touched or felt |
| pandemic | widespread; general |
| panorama | an unbroken view of a wide area |
| peccadillo | a slight or trifling sin; a minor offense |
| pecuniary | consisting or or relating to money |
| pedestrian | ordinary; moving on foot |
| philippic | a verbal denunciation characterized by harsh, insulting language; a tirade |
| pinion | confine |
| pious | devout or virtuous; holy |
| plethora | a state of excessive fullness; superabundance |
| pliable | receptive to change; easily persuaded or controlled; easily bent or twisted |
| predatory | victimizing or destroying others for one's own gain; pillaging |
| presentiment | a sense that something is about to occur; a premonition |
| prudent | cautious; discreet; exercising good judgment |
| raffish | cheaply vulgar in appearance or nature; tawdry; disreputable |
| rhetoric | the art or study of using language effectively and persuasively; over-elaborate language |
| saga | a long story, often telling the history of a family |
| scrupulous | careful of small details; honest; conscientious |
| sedentary | characterized by or requiring much sitting; accustomed to little exercise |
| skullduggery | trickery; underhandedness |
| spurious | not genuine; false |
| succinct | brief and to the point; concise and terse |
| surreptitious | done or acting in a secret, sly manner |
| symmetry | exact correspondence of form on opposite sides of a dividing line |
| tawdry | gaudy and cheap in appearance or nature |
| tenacious | tough; stubborn; not letting go |
| terse | brief and to the point; concise |
| travail | strenuous physical or mental labor or effort; the labor of childbirth |
| vent | a means of excape or release; an outlet; a small hoe |
| voracious | an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; eager to consume great amounts of food |
| waffle | to speak or write evasively |
| wince | to flinch; to shrink back or start aside, as from a blow or pain |
| writhe | to cause to twist or bend; to suffer acutely, as in pain or embarrassment |
