| A | B |
|---|
| felony | a crime of such seriousness that it is punishable by a stringent sentence |
| ferocity | the quality or state of being fierce, savage, or relentless |
| finality | the quality or condition of being complete or settled |
| flail | a manual tool used for threshing grain; to beat or strike at something |
| flaunt | to show off |
| foreshadow | to indicate or suggest beforehand |
| forte | strong point; something which a person does well |
| frustrate | to prevent from accomplishing; to cause feelings of discouragement |
| furor | frenzied anger; rage |
| furtive | stealthy; secretive; sneaky |
| gird | to fasten or put a belt or girdle around; to prepare for action |
| gourmet | a connoisseur of food and drink; an expert in food or drink; epicure |
| haggard | looking worried, tired, or exhausted |
| holocaust | great or total destruction of life or property, especially by fire |
| hypercritical | too severe in judgment |
| imbibe | to drink; to drink in or absorb |
| immemorial | reaching back beyond the bounds of memory; extremely old |
| imperious | domineering; overbearing |
| impotent | powerless; unable to act effectively; lacking in vigor or physical strength |
| impromptu | without previous thought or preparation; spontaneous |
| inane | senseless; pointless; stupid |
| incise | to cut into; to carve |
| incoherent | showing no logical connection of ideas; disconnected |
| indolence | laziness; tendency to avoid work |
| inexplicable | impossible to explain or understand |
| infer | to conclude or deduce on the basis of evidence |
| insatiable | incapable of being satisfied; greedy |
| insidious | sly; treacherous |
| intangible | not capable of being touched |
| interpose | to put between; to insert between parts |
| intrepid | brave or resolute; showing great courage |
| invidious | hateful; offensive |
| invoke | to call upon a higher power for assistance; to ask or appeal for |
| laconic | using few words; concise; brief in speech or expression |
| laudable | praiseworthy; commendable |
| martyr | one who is persecuted, tortured, put to death for refusing to renounce religious principles; to torture or put to death for refusing to deny a belief or faith |
| malevolent | spiteful; wishing harm or evil to others |
| lucid | easily understood; clear |
| miscreant | a villain; an evildoer |
| nostalgic | having a longing for things past |
| novice | an inexperienced person or beginner |
| nurture | to bring up; to care for |
| occult | secret; relating to matters beyond ordinary knowledge or understanding; the supernatural |
| omnivorous | eating every kind of food, both animal and vegetable; eagerly taking in everything |
| orient | a pearl with great luster; lustrous; to position with respect to the points of the compass |
| philistine | a person who is insensitive or indifferent to the arts or ideas; lacking in culture |
| platitude | a dull or commonplace remark as if it were a new thing; a trite saying |
| politic | wise in looking out for one's own interests; prudent |
| populace | the masses; the common people; a population |
| precipitate | to cause something to happen; to bring about quickly or suddenly; reckless; rash |
| predecessor | a person who precedes another in an office or position |
| premeditated | planned or plotted; closely considered beforehand |
| procrastinate | to put off until later; to delay without a good reason |
| prodigy | a person with extraordinary talents, especially a highly gifted child |
| prologue | introductory lines of a play; the preface of a literary work |
| protagonist | the main character of a story or play |
| prototype | an original model on which subsequent forms are based |
| provocation | something that stirs up anger or excitement |
| quadruped | an animal that has four feet |
| query | a question; to question |
| rationalize | to explain in a manner that is false but seems reasonable; to devise self-serving but false reasons |
| redress | a correction; to set something right; to remedy |
| reiterate | to restate; to repeat |
| relent | to give in or yield to something; to become less harsh |
| remission | a release from debt or a duty |
| repugnant | distasteful; repulsive |
| rigorous | very strict; exact |
| rudiment | a fundamental principle, rule, or step |
| sallow | grayish yellow in color; sickly pale |
| satiate | to satisfy an appetite or desire fully or to excess |
| scrutinize | to examine closely or critically |
| secular | worldly or temporal rather than religious or sacred |
| shrew | a mouse-like animal that eats insects; a bad-tempered, nagging woman |
| stereotype | a generalized, oversimplified view or opinion that members of a group rigidly apply to a thing, an idea, or another group |
| stigma | a mark of shame; a stain |
