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