| A | B |
|---|
| atypical (adj) | unusual |
| amorphous (adj) | shapeless |
| anarchy (n) | disorder; chaos resulting from no leadership |
| antediluvian (adj) | before the flood |
| anachronism (n) | something that occurs out of time |
| anagram (n) | a word or phrase formed using all the letters from another word or phrase |
| anathema (n) | anything greatly detested; a ban or curse |
| abdicate (v) | to step down from, give up a position |
| abstemious (adj) | moderate in use of food and drink |
| abstruse (adj) | difficult to understand |
| abscond (v) | to depart secretly and hide |
| absquatulate (v) | to move off hastily and secretly |
| aberration (n) | error; deviation from norm |
| archetype (n) | first of its kind |
| prototype (n) | archetype |
| amphitheater (n) | circular theater |
| antipathy (n) | hatred |
| antithetical (adj) | opposite |
| antidisestablishmentarianism (n) | belief against those against the system |
| ambiguous (adj) | vague |
| ambidextrous (adj) | using both hands equally well |
| ambivalent (adj) | having two conflicting feelings |
| circumspect (adj) | careful, cautious |
| circumscribe (v) | to limit; draw a circle around |
| circumlocution (n) | the use of too many words to express an idea |
| apocalypse (n) | forecast of doom |
| apogee (n) | highest point |
| apoplectic (adj) | lack of feeling, lack of control |
| dyspepsia (n) | indigestion |
| dyslexia (n) | reading impairment |
| dysphoria (n) | state of anxiety, depression, restlessness |
| dysphoric (adj) | anxious, depressed, restless |
| exonerate (v) | to free from blame or responsibility |
| extol (v) | to praise |
| exude (v) | to ooze |
| expiate (v) | to seek forgiveness; to atone |
| expunge (v) | to erase, delete, obliterate |
| exacerbate (v) | to aggravate or worsen |
| exculpate (v) | to clear from blame |
| exculpatory (adj) | clearing from blame |
| culpable (adj) | blameworthy; guilty |
| execration (n) | curse |
| extirpate | to root out, remove, eliminate |
| diarrhea (n) | a disease causing everything to pass through quickly |
| diaphanous (adj) | transparent |
| dialect (n) | local language, regional language |
| diatribe (n) | an abusive or critical speech |
| diameter (n) | the cross section of a circle |
| benefactor (n) | one who gives money, time, or other aid |
| benevolent (adj) | generous, charitable |
| benign (adj) | mild, harmless |
| benediction (n) | blessing |
| euphoria (n) | bliss, elation, happiness |
| euthanasia (n) | intentional, painless, and easy killing |
| euphony (n) | pleasant, harmonious sound |
| cacophony (n) | unpleasant sound; dissonance |
| euphemism (n) | milder words used in place of more direct language |
| eulogy (n) | speech that gives praise |
| eulogize (v) | to offer words of praise |
| debilitate (v) | to weaken |
| declivity (n) | downward slope |
| decrepit (adj) | worn out, broken down, weak |
| degenerate (v) | to sink to a lower level; deteriorate |
| degenerate (n) | a morally degraded person |
| decry (v) | to speak badly of; denounce; disparage |
| defunct (adj) | having finished the course of life of existence; dead |
| delineate (v) | to outline; to portray, show, depict |
| depravity (n) | corruption, evil, moral badness |
| depraved (adj) | corrupt, evil, wicked |
| deride (v) | to insult, make fun of, ridicule |
| desiccate (v) | to dry out thoroughly; to drain of spirit or life |
| pejorative (adj) | having negative connotations; belittling, degrading, disparaging |
| catatonic (adj) | dazed, mentally out of touch; marked by stupor or immobility |
| cataclysm (n) | disaster, upheaval |
| catacombs (n) | underground cemetery |
| peripatetic (adj) | given to walking, moving from place to place |
| itinerant (adj) | traveling or moving from place to place; peripatetic |
| peripheral (adj) | outer, away from the center |
| periphery (n) | edge, outer part |
| perphrasis (n) | using more words than necessary; wordiness |
| paradox (n) | statement that appears false but is true; a seeming contradiction |
| paradigm (n) | an outstanding example; overall concept accepted by most people in an intelligent community |
| paragon (n) | model of excellence or perfection |
| parasite (n) | one which lives off another without contributing anything |
| para- | beside, next to, like |
| peri- | around |
| cata- | down |
| impervious (adj) | not able to be harmed |
| impecunious (adj) | without money; poor |
| implacable (adj) | not able to be soothed or calmed |
| implicit (adj) | understood though not plainly expressed; implied but not stated |
| imprecation (n) | curse; execration |
| incessant (adj) | non-stop, continual, endless |
| incorrigible (adj/n) | difficult to control, unruly (adj); a delinquent (n) |
| incongito (adj/adv) | with hidden identity; so as not to be recognized |
| indolent (adj) | lazy |
| ineffable (adj) | unable to be put into words; indescribable |
| im-, in- | not |
| inexorable (adj) | relentless; inflexible |
| infidel (n) | non-believer in any particular religion; desbeliever in something specific |
| iniquity (n) | wickedness; sin |
| innocuous (adj) | not harmful or offensive |
| insidious (adj) | treacherous; dangerous or harmful but enticing; developing gradually before becoming apparent |
| intrinsic (adj) | innate, inborn; part of the essential nature |
| insipid (adj) | dull, bland, uninteresting; tasteless |
| im-, in- | not; into, against |
| impetus (n) | stimulus; driving force |
| incite (v) | to stimulate, provoke |
| inundate (v) | to flood, overwhelm, swamp |
| prodigal (adj) | very wasteful, extravagant; very generous, lavish |
| profane (adj/v) | obscene, sacrilegious; to desecrate or treat irreverently |
| propagate (v) | to cause to multiply, breed; to publicize |
| progentior (n) | ancestor, forefather, originator |
| prognosticate (v) | to predict |
| proliferation (n) | rapid growth, increase or spread |
| prosaic (adj) | commonplace, dull, ordinary |
| prostrate (v/adj) | to stretch out on the ground; lying on the ground |
| provincial (adj) | limited in scope; unsophisticated |
| propensity (n) | natural inclination, preference, tendency |
| proclivity (n) | natural tendency or inclination (usually toward something objectionable) |
| pro- | before, for, forward |
| superfluous (adj) | excessive, unnecessary, irrelevant |
| supercilious (adj) | arrogant, snobbish, haughty |
| supernal (adj) | heavenly, celestial |
| subliminal (adj) | below conscious perception |
| sublime (adj) | lofty, noble, grand, majestic; of outstanding spiritual, intellectual, or moral worth |
| sublimate (v) | to refine, to purify |
| subservient (adj) | behaving like a slave; submissive, compliant |
| subjugate (v) | to conquer; to bring under control |
| subterfuge (n) | deception by means of escape, concealment, or evasion |
| subversive (adj) | rebellious; seeking to overthrow or destroy |
| subterranean (adj) | underground |
| super- | above, beyond |
| sub- | under |
| Saturnalia (n) | wild, disorderly party |
| jovial (adj) | jolly, good-humored |
| joviality (n) | joyfulness, good humor |
| cereal (n) | food from grain |
| martial (adj) | related to war |
| vulcanology (n) | science of volcanoes |
| vulcanization (n) | process of making rubber |
| venerate (v) | to look upon with great love and respect |
| cupidity (n) | strong desire, esp. for money |
| hermetic (adj) | airtight |
| bacchanalia (n) | wild drunken party |
| dionysiac (n) | one prone to drunken parties |
| tantalize (v) | to tease or torment, esp. with food/drink |
| Sisyphean (adj) | seemingly impossible |
| post mortem (adj/n) | after death; analysis of a completed event |
| posthumous (adj) | after burial; taking place after death |
| postprandial (adj) | following a meal, esp. dinner |
| post- | after |
| precarious (adj) | dangerously unstable, insecure |
| preclude (v) | to prevent or make impossible by prior action |
| predilection (n) | natural liking or preference for |
| prerogative (n) | right or privilege |
| prevaricate (v) | to stray from the truth; lie |
| presumptuous (adj) | taking liberties; overconfident yet unjustified |
| pretentious (adj) | showy |
| presentiment (n) | hunch, premonition; feeling that something is about to happen |
| pre- | before |
| trans-, tra- | across, beyond |
| transcend (v) | to go beyond, exceed expectations; to rise above the limits of |
| transient (adj) | short-lived, transitory, temporary; (Latin = going across) |
| ephemeral (adj) | short-lived, not permanent; (Greek = only for a day) |
| evanescent (adj) | short-lived, not permanent; (Latin = vanishes away) |
| transpose (v) | to reverse or change position of, esp. words |
| transgression (n) | violation of a law; overstepping a limit; sin |
| transmute (v) | to change into a different form, nature, or appearance |
| transpire (v) | to happen, occur; to come to pass |
| transmigrate (v) | to pass into another body after death |
| translucent (adj) | partially transparent; letting light pass through |
| transparent (adj) | clear; capable of being seen through; diaphanous |
| obloquy (n) | strong verbal abuse |
| obtrude (v) | to push forward; thrust oneself forward to get attention |
| obdurate (adj) | hardened in feelings; unyielding; stubborn |
| obfuscate (v) | darken; make obscure; confuse |
| obliterate (v) | to destroy, erase; make undecipherable |
| obsequious (adj) | slavishly attentive, servile |
| sycophant (n) | a self-serving flatterer; one who is obsequious |
| obstinate (adj) | stubborn |
| obviate (v) | to make unnecessary; prevent |
| obtuse (adj) | blunt, dull; lacking mental quickness |
| oblivion (n) | forgetfulness; state of being forgotten |
| oblivious (adj) | lacking memory or concious knowledge; unaware |
| coagulate (v) | to clot; congeal; thicken |
| cohere (v) | to stick together; be logically consitent or united |
| commodious (adj) | spacious, roomy; comfortable |
| complacent (adj) | sef-satisfied yet unconcerned; smug |
| compunction (n) | remorse |
| conflagration (n) | large, disastrous fire; huge conflict |
| contentious (adj) | argumentative; causing an argument |
| conglomeration (n) | a mass of material stuck together; a mixed coherent mass |
| corroborate (v) | to support with evidence; to confirm |
| confabulate (v) | to converse casually |
| contortion (n) | a twisted, strained, or deformed posture |
| disapprobation (n) | disapproval |
| discerning (adj) | insightful; mentally sharp |
| discordant (adj) | not in harmony; disagreeing; quarrelsome |
| disparage (v) | to belittle; decry |
| disputatious (adj) | argumentative |
| disingenuous (adj) | lacking sincerity; giving false appearance of simple frankness |
| dissonance (n) | discord; harsh sound |
| cacophony (n) | harsh, unpleasant sound |
| dissemble (v) | disguise, simulate, conceal under some pretense |
| dissuade (v) | to advise against |
| disseminate (v) | to scatter, disperse throughout (like seeds) |
| corporal (adj) | relating to the body |
| corpulent (adj) | heavy-set, pudgy |
| incorporate (v) | to unite into a legal body |
| corporate (adj) | relating to a united legal body |
| per capita (Latin) | for each person; per person |
| decapitate (v) | to cut off the head |
| capitulate (v) | to give up, surrender |
| precipice (n) | steep drop, cliff |
| recapitulate (v) | to summarize |
| accord (n) | harmony, agreement |
| concord (n) | agreement |
| cordial (adj) | warm-hearted, polite |
| discord (n) | disagreement, lack of harmony |
| precipitate (v) | to cause or bring about; to fall into some condition |
| precipitous (adj) | very steep |
| emancipate (v) | to set free; enfranchise |
| manacles (n) | handcuffs, shackles |
| manicure (v) | to trim neatly and evenly |
| manure (n) | animal dung |
| manumission (n) | freedom from slavery |
| manumit (v) | to free from slavery |
| manuscript (n) | hand-written document |
| manifest (v) | to reveal, display, show clearly |
| manifestation (n) | revelation, indication |
| genuflect (v) | to kneel, bend at the knee |
| guttural (adj) | discribing a sound from the throat; marked by a strange, unpleasant sound |
| gutturalize (v) | to produce sound from the throat |
| capillary (n) | small, hairlike blood vessel |
| depilatory (n) | product which removes hair or wool |
| inoculate (v) | to give preventative medicine; vaccinate |
| ocular (adj) | related to the eye |
| expectorate (v) | to spit |
| pectoral (adj) | of the chest, pertaining to the chest |
| parapet (n) | low, chest-high wall |
| expedite (v) | to facilitate, quicken |
| expedient (adj) | suitable for a purpose, quick |
| impede (v) | to hinder, obstruct, or delay |
| quadruped (n) | an animal with four feet |
| velocipede (n) | early bicycle |
| expeditious (adj) | efficient and speedy |
| affront (v) | to insult, offend |
| confront (v) | to oppose; to stand or meet face to face |
| effrontery (n) | shameless boldness |
| frontage (n) | front piece of a property |
| contort (v) | to twist out of shape |
| distort (v) | to twist or alter the meaning |
| extort (v) | to force by physical threat |
| retort (v) | to answer back |
| intort (v) | to twist inward |
| torment (n, v) | extreme pain or anguish; to cause such pain or anguish |
| inter (v) | to bury |
| disinter (v) | to dig up |
| terrestrial (n/adj) | land-dweller; of the earth |
| democracy (n) | rule by the people |
| demagogue (n) | a leader who makes use of popular prejudices, false claims, and promises to gain power |
| endemic (adj) | indigenous; prevalent in a particular region |
| epidemic (n, adj) | wide-spreading and rapid, esp. a disease |
| pandemic (adj, n) | universal; disease prevalent over a whole area |
| geocentric (adj) | belief that earth is at the center of the universe |
| apogee (n) | apex, highest point |
| perigee (n) | orbit of the moon when it is closest to the earth |
| cynosure (n) | object of all eyes, center of attention |
| myopic (adj) | short-sighted |
| autopsy (n) | 1. post mortem exam 2. critical evaluation of a past event |
| iota (n) | very small quantity or particle |
| dogma (n) | a group of beliefs; a doctrine, tenet, belief |
| orthodox (adj) | conforming to the extablished doctrines or approved ideas |
| heterodox (adj) | unorthodox; departing from established doctrine |
| prognosticate (v) | to foretell or predict, esp. from signs or indications |
| gnosis (n) | knowledge; superior wisdom |
| ignoble (adj) | not noble; of low birth or character; dishonorable |
| ennoble (v) | to make noble; to raise in rank or quality; to dignify |
| epigraph (n) | 1. an inscription, as on a building or monument 2. a quote placed at the start of a book or chapter |
| orthography (n) | correct spelling |
| epigram (n) | any short, witty statement or poem |
| epitaph (n) | an inscription on a tomb |
| ars gratia artis | art for the sake of art |
| carpe diem | seize the day |
| e pluribus unum | one from many |
| annuit coeptis | he smiles on our beginnings |
| novus ordo seclorum | a new order of the ages |
| in vino veritas | in wine there is truth |
| morituri te salutamus | we about to die salute you |
| non sequitur | it does not follow |
| modus operandi | m.o. way of working |
| quid pro quo | something for something |
| quod erat demonstrandum | q.e.d. which was to be shown |
| tempus fugit | time flies |
| veni, vidi, vici | I came, I saw, I conquered |
| exempli gratia | e.g. for example |
| et alia (et alii) | et al. and others |
| nota bene | N.B. note well |
| id est | i.e. that is |
| pathological (adj) | altered or caused by disease; abnormal |
| epilogue (n) | conclusion of literary work; speech addressed to audience at the end of the play |
| eulogy (n) | speech giving praise |
| logic (n) | science dealing with validity and reason |
| panacea (n) | cure-all; remedy for all problems |
| panorama (n) | 1. unobstructed view 2. comprehensive presentation 3. mental picture of a series of images |
| panoply (n) | 1. full suit of armor 2. magnificent, impressive array |
| pandemonium (n) | chaos |
| pantheon (n) | temple dedicated to all the gods |
| panegyric (n) | eulogy, encomium |
| diaphanous (adj) | see-through, translucent |
| epiphany (n) | realization, revelation |
| sycophant (n) | one who tries to influence others by flattery |
| antipathy (n) | hatred |
| apathy (n) | lack of interest, indifference |
| empathy (n) | putting oneself into another's position to better understand |
| pathos (n) | pity, compassion |
| gregarious (adj) | sociable, fond of company |
| aggregate (v/n) | to collect; a collection |
| congregation (n) | crowd |
| egregious (adj) | outstanding in a bad way |
| segregate (v) | to separate from others |
| genocide (n) | systematic attempt to kill an entire people |
| congenital (adj) | innate; belonging to an individual from birth |
| eugenics (n) | science of hereditary improvement and genetic manipulation |
| progeny (n) | offspring, children; descendants |
| disingenuous (adj) | insincere |
| malign (v) | to traduce, vilify, speak badly of |
| engender (v) | to bring about, cause to exist |
| degenerate (v/n) | 1) to sink to a lower level 2) a morally depraved person |
| congenial (adj) | friendly, agreeable; compatible |
| genus (n) | subordinate classification of plants and animal with common characteristics |
| tenable (adj) | defensible, reasonable |
| untenable (adj) | not able to be defended |
| tenet (n) | an opinion or principle a person or group believes in |
| tenacious (adj) | holding fast, persistent, not easily pulled apart |
| continence (n) | self-restraint, control |
| pertinacious (adj) | stubbornly unyielding; very tenacious |
| impertinence (n) | insolence; inappropriateness |
| impertinent (adj) | rude; insolent; irrelevant |
| ostensible (adj) | apparent; evident |
| pretentious (adj) | making unjustified or excessive claims |
| ostentatious (adj) | showy |
| pretense (n) | professed rather than real intention; a claim not supported by fact |
| nominal (adj) | being something in name only; trifling, insignificant |
| nominate (v) | to designate, appoint; propose as a candidate |
| nominee (n) | person who has been nominated |
| misnomer (n) | use of a wrong name |
| renown (n) | state of being widely acclaimed; fame |
| ignominious (adj) | disgraceful, shameful, dishonorable; humiliating |
| pronoun (n) | word in place of a noun |
| binomial (n) | mathematical expression of two terms |
| habitat (n) | dwelling place |
| habitant (n) | resident, inhabitant |
| cohabitate (v) | to live with, together |
| inhabit (v) | occupy, dwell in |
| inhibit (v) | restrain, forbid, prohibit from doing |
| prohibition (n) | act of forbidding by authority |
| ubiquitous (adj) | being everywhere, constantly encountered |
| omnipresent (adj) | ubiquitous |
| arboreal (adj) | relating to trees; inhabiting trees |
| arboretum (n) | place where plants/trees are cultivated for study |
| arborist (n) | tree-care specialist |
| sediment (n) | matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid |
| sedimentary (adj) | consisting of matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid |
| sedentary (adj) | settled; doing or requiring much sitting |
| sedative (adj/n) | tending to calm or tranquilize; a calming drug |
| sedate (adj/v) | unruffled, serious; to dose with sedatives |
| recant (v) | to retract a statement publicly, renounce |
| incantation (n) | magic spell sung or spoken |
| enchant (v) | to influence by charms; to move deeply |
| vicinity (n) | surrounding area, neighborhood |
| vicinage (n) | vicinity |
| vicinal (adj) | local |
| villa (n) | country estate; farmhouse |
| villain (n) | an uncouth person; scoundrel, criminal |
| amicable | friendly, peaceable |
| amateur (n/adj.) | one who engages in study, science, sport as a pastime rather than as a professional; lacking experience |
| amatory (adj.) | loving |
| amiable (adj.) | agreeable, friendly, sociable |
| amorous (adj.) | strongly moved by love; in love |
| enamor (v) | to inflame with love |
| enmity (n) | hatred, hostility |
| inimical (adj.) | hostile |
| somnambulist (n) | sleepwalker |
| ambulate (v) | walk |
| amble (v) | saunter, walk leisurely |
| ambulatory (adj.) | moving from place to place, itinerant |
| perambulate (v) | to travel over by foot, traverse, stroll |
| perambulator (n) | baby carriage, stroller |
| preamble (n) | introductory statement |
| brevity (adj.) | conciseness |
| circumscribe (v) | to enclose within a certain limit |
| ascribe (v) | to attribute to a source; to consider to belong to |
| nondescript (adj) | hard to classify or describe |
| proscribe (v) | to forbid, exile, or banish |
| dialect (n) | speech particular to a culture or region |
| eclectic (adj) | selected from a variety |
| unintelligible (adj) | unable to be understood |
| lectern (n) | a speaker's desk |
| neglibible (adj) | unimportant |
| predilection (n) | preference or perconceived liking |
| legible (adj) | able to be read |
| illegible (adj) | unable to be read |
| lexicon (n) | dictionary or special vocabulary |
| urbane (adj) | refined, sophisticated; polite |
| provincial (adj) | limited in scope; narrow-minded |
| ludicrous (adj) | ridiculous |
| elude (v) | to escape |
| delude (v) | to mislead or deceive |
| interlude (n) | space between two events |
| collude (v) | to plot against to deceive; to conspire |
| collusion (n) | secret agreement for deceitful or illegal purpose |
| timidity (n) | shyness; lack of self-confidence |
| subterfuge (n) | a secret plan used to hide or evade |
| fugacious (adj) | fleeting, short-lived, temporary; (Latin = likely to flee) |
| pulchritude (n) | beauty |
| puerile (adj) | childish |
| horticulture (n) | science of growing plants |
| riddle (n) | puzzling question |
| ridicule (n/v) | mockery, contempt; to mock, make fun of |
| deride (v) | to laugh at in contempt |
| derision (n) | ridicule, mockery |
| risible (adj) | inclined to laugh; causing laughter |
| ridiculous (adj) | absurd; laughable |
| multifaceted (adj) | many-sided, multi-dimensional |
| multifarious (adj) | diverse, varied |
| multitudinous (adj) | large numbered; many |
| soliloquy (n) | actor's solo speech |
| desolate (adj) | deserted |
| sullen (adj) | gloomy, depressing |
| solitude (n) | state of being alone |
| cascade (n/v) | small, steep waterfall; to fall in such a way |
| recidivism (n) | tendency to return to crime |
| cadaver (n) | corpse |
| decadence (n) | decline in force or quality |
