| A | B |
|---|
| derogatory | adj. disparaging; belittling; meant to show an unfavorable opinion |
| convivial | adj. fond of eating and drinking with friends; festive; social |
| deign | v. to grant or agree condescendingly to do something; stoop |
| affinity | n. a natural attraction or liking for a person or a thing; a close relationship |
| fastidious | adj. hard to please; easily disgusted; overly dainty |
| oscillate | v. to move back and forth like a pendulum; to vary between two or more opinions, thoughts or actions; to vacillate |
| audacious | adj. fearlessly daring; bold; insolent; contemptuous of decorum |
| epicure | n. a person who has refined taste in eating and drinking |
| ingratiate | v. to bring oneself into someone’s good graces or favor |
| array | n. an orderly arrangement of persons or objects; splendid dress; v. to set in proper order (especially soldiers); to dress or adorn |
| flay | v. to strip off the skin, as by whipping; to scold or criticize severely |
| felony | n. a crime of such seriousness (such as murder, kidnapping, or burglary) that it is punishable by a severe sentence |
| efficacious | adj. providing the desired effect; effective |
| rationalize | v. to explain in a manner that is false but seems reasonable; to devise self-serving but false reasons; to explain away |
| degenerate | v. to decline in physical, mental, or moral qualities; n. a person having low moral standards; adj. having grown worse or deteriorated |
| imperious | adj. domineering; overbearing; arrogant |
| relent | v. to give in or yield to something; to become less harsh |
| malevolent | adj. wishing harm or evil to others; showing or having ill will toward others; spiteful |
| equestrian | n. a horseback rider; adj. of or pertaining to horses or the riding of horses |
| bandy | v. to toss back and forth; to exchange; to discuss lightly |
| purported | v. to claim to be or do something; n. the apparent purpose or main idea of something |
| demeanor | n. outward behavior; manner of conduct; bearing |
| syndicate | n. a group of persons or companies united to carry out some enterprise or business; v. to form such an association providing the desired effect; effective |
| abashed | v. to make uneasy or ashamed; to embarrass |
| guise | n. outward appearance; a costume; a style of dress |
| allure | n. charm; v. to fascinate; to tempt with something desirable |
| auspicious | adj. marked by signs of success or good fortune; favorable |
| immemorial | adj. reaching back beyond the bounds of memory; extremely old |
| deference | n. a yielding in judgment, opinion, or wishes to another; courteous respect |
| integral | adj. pertaining to a part of the whole; complete; essential |
| contraband | n. smuggled goods |
| politic | adj. wise in looking out for one’s own interests; prudent; shrewd |
| inane | adj. senseless; pointless; stupid |
| proxy | n. a person who is given the authority to act or stand in for another; written proof of such authority |
| bureaucracy | n. the collection of departments of appointed officials through which a government is run; inflexible governmental procedures |
| arbitrary | adj. based on one’s own wishes; not fixed by rules; absolute; despotic |
| transient | adj. lasting or used for a short time only; not permanent; fleeting; n. a person or thing that has no settled place |
| premeditated | adj. planned or plotted; closely considered beforehand; deliberate |
| browbeat | v. to frighten with a stern manner of harsh words; to bully |
| scapegoat | n. a person or thing who takes the blame for the mistakes or crimes of others |
