| A | B |
|---|
| askance | (adj.) with suspicion, distrust, or disapproval |
| attenuate | (v.) to make thin or slender; to weaken or lessen in force, intensity, or value |
| benign | (adj.) gentle, kind; forgiving, understanding; having a favorable or beneficial effect; not malignant |
| cavil | (v.) to find fault in a petty way, carp; (n.) a trivial objection or criticism |
| charlatan | (n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack |
| decimate | (v.) to kill or destroy a large part of |
| foible | (n.) a weak point, failing, minor flaw |
| forgo | (v.) to do without, abstain from, give up |
| fraught | (adj.) full or loaded with; accompanied by |
| inure | (v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure |
| luminous | (adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating |
| obsequious | (adj.) marked by slavish attentiveness; excessively submissive, often fro purely self-interested reasons |
| obtuse | (adj.) blunt, not coming to a point; slow or dull in understanding; measuring between 90 and 180 degrees; not causing a sharp impression |
| oscillate | (v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver |
| penitent | (adj.) regretful for one's sins or mistakes; (n.) one who is sorry for wrongdoing |
| peremptory | (adj.) having the nature of a command that leaves no opportunity for debate, denial, or refusal; offensively self-assured, dictatorial; determined, resolute |
| rebuff | (v.) to snub; to repel, drive away; (n.) a curt rejection, a check |
| reconnoiter | (v.) to engage in reconnaissance; to make a preliminary inspection |
| shambles | (n.) a slaughterhouse; a place of mass bloodshed; a state of complete disorder and confusion, mess |
| sporadic | (adj.) occurring at irregular intervals, having no set plan or order |
| abrogate | (v.) to repeal, cancel, declare null and void |
| ambient | (adj.) completely surrounding, encompassing |
| asperity | (n.) roughness, severity; bitterness or tartness |
| burnish | (v.) to make smooth or glossy by rubbing, polish; (n.) gloss, brightness, luster |
| cabal | (n.) a small group working in secret |
| delectable | (adj.) delightful, highly enjoyable; deliciously flavored, savory; (n.) an appealing or appetizing food or dish |
| deprecate | (v.) to express mild disapproval; to belittle |
| detritus | (n.) loose bits and pieces of material resulting from disintegration or wearing away; fragments that result from any destruction |
| ebullient | (adj.) overflowing with enthusiasm and excitement; boiling, bubbling |
| eclectic | (adj.) drawn from different sources; (n.) one whose beliefs are drawn from various sources |
| flaccid | (adj.) limp, not firm; lacking vigor or effectiveness |
| impecunious | (adj.) having little or no money |
| inexorable | (adj.) inflexible, beyond influence; relentless, unyielding |
| moribund | (adj.) dying, on the way out |
| necromancer | (n.) one who claims to reveal or influence the future through magic, especially communication with the dead; in general, a magician or wizard |
| onerous | (adj.) burdensome; involving hardship or difficulty |
| rife | (adj.) common, prevalent, widespread, happening often; full, abounding; plentiful, abundant, replete |
| rudiments | (n. pl.) the parts of any subject or discipline that are learned first; the earliest staes of anything |
| sequester | (v.) to set apart, separate for a special purpose; to take possession of and hold in custody |
| winnow | (v.) to get rid of something unwanted, delete; to sift through to obtain what is desirable; to remove the chaff from the wheat by blowing air on it; to blow on, fan |
| aesthetic | (adj.) pertaining to beauty; sensitive or responsive to beauty |
| defunct | (adj.) no longer in existence or functioning, dead |
| discomfit | (v.) to frustrate, thwart, or defeat; to confuse, perplex, or embarrass |
| espouse | (v.) to take up and support; to become attached to, adopt; to marry |
| fetish | (n.) an object believed to have magical powers; an object of unreasoning devotion or reverence |
| gregarious | (adj.) living together in a herd or group; sociable, seeking the company of others |
| hapless | (adj.) marked by a persistent absence of good luck |
| impeccable | (adj.) faultless, beyond criticism or blame |
| importune | (v.) to trouble with demends; to beg for insistently |
| interpolate | (v.) to insert between other parts or things; to present as an addition or correction |
| irreparable | (adj.) incapable of being repaired or rectified |
| laconic | (adj.) concise, using few words |
| languish | (v.) to become weak, feeble, or dull; to droop; to be depressed or dispirited; to suffer neglect |
| mendacious | (adj.) given to lying or deception; untrue |
| nadir | (n.) the lowest point |
| omnipresent | (adj.) present in all places at all times |
| perfunctory | (adj.) done in a superficial or halfhearted manner; without interest or enthusiasm |
| plaintive | (adj.) expressive of sorrow or woe, melancholy |
| requite | (v.) to make suitable repayment, as for a kindness, service, or favor; to make retaliation, as for an injury or wrong; to reciprocate |
| tantamount | (adj.) equivalent, having the same meaning, value, or effect |
