| A | B |
|---|
| intercede | to plead on behalf of someone else; to serve as a third party or go-between in a disagreement |
| hackneyed | used so often as to lack freshness or originality |
| approbation | the expression of approval or favorable opinion, praise; official approval or sanction |
| innuendo | a hint, indirect suggestion, or reference |
| coalition | a combination, union, or merger for some specific purpose |
| elicit | to draw forth, bring out from some source |
| hiatus | a gap, opening, break |
| assuage | to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench |
| decadence | decline, decay, or deterioration; a condition or period of decline or decay; excessive self indulgence |
| expostulate | to attempt to dissuade someone from some course or decision by earnest reasoning |
| simulate | to make a pretense of, imitate; to show the outer signs of |
| jaded | wearied, worn-out, dulled |
| umbrage | foliage giving shade; shade cast by trees; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion |
| prerogative | a special right or privilage; a special quality showing excellence |
| lurid | causing shock, horror, or revulsion; sensational; pale or sallow in color; terrible or passionate in intensity or lack of restraint |
| transcend | to rise above or beyond, exceed |
| provincial | a person with a narrow point of view; narrow in mind or outlook; pertaining to an outlying area |
| petulant | peevish, annoyed by trifles, easily irritated and upset |
| unctuous | fatty, oily; trying to hard to give an impression of sincerity |
| meritorious | worthy, deserving recognition or praise |
| ex officio | by virtue of holding a certain office |
| infringe | to violate, trespass, go beyond recognized bounds |
| callow | without feathers; without experience; immature, not fully developed; lacking sophistication and poise |
| ameliorate | to improve, make better, correct a flaw or shortcoming |
| bombastic | pompous or overblown in language |
| ingratiate | to make oneself agreeable and thus gain favorable acceptance by others |
| epitome | a summary, condensed account; an instance that represents a larger reality |
| aplomb | poise, assurance, great self-confidence; perpendicularity |
| exhort | to urge strongly, advise earnestly |
| drivel | saliva or mucous; nonsense; aimless talk or thinking; to let saliva flow from the mouth; to speak foolishness |
| inveigh | to make a violent attack in words, express strong disapproval |
| surmise | to guess; a thought that seems likely but lacks definite proof |
| intrinsic | belonging to someone or something by its very nature, essential, inherent; good for its own sake |
| occult | matters involving the supernatural; to hide, conceal |
| precipitate | to fall as moisture; to cause or bring about suddenly; characterized by excessive haste; moisture |
| lassitude | weariness of body or mind, lack of energy |
| millennium | a period of 1000 years; a golden age |
| permeate | to spread through, penetrate, soak through |
| stringent | strict, severe; sharp or bitter to the taste; rigorously or urgently binding or compelling |
| interloper | an intruder, one who moves in where he or she is not wanted or has not right to be |
| expiate | to make amends, atone, make up for; to ward off or avert |
| expedite | to make easy, cause to progress faster |
| abominate | to have an intense dislike or hatred for |
| ascribe | to assign or refer to as a cause or source, attribute |
| adventitious | resulting from chance rather that from an inherent cause or character; accidental |
| enjoin | to direct or order; to prescribe a course of action in an authoritive way; to prohibit |
| commiserate | to sympathize with, have pity or sorrow for, share a feeling of distress |
| acculturation | the modification of the social patterns, traits, or structures of one group or society by contact with those of another |
| circuitous | roundabout, not direct |
| ferment | a state of great excitement, agitation, or turbulence; to be in or work into such a state; to produce alcohol by chemical action |
| vitriolic | bitter, sarcastic; highly caustic or biting |
| wheedle | to use coaxing or flattery to gain some desired end |
| peculate | to steal something that has been given into one's trust; to take improperly for one's own use |
| proclivity | a natural or habitual inclination or tendency |
| nominal | existing in name only, not real; too small to be considered or taken seriously |
| seditious | resistant to lawful authority; having the purpose of overthrowing an established government |
| tenuous | thin, slender, not dense; lacking clarity or sharpness; of slight importance or singnificance |
| noncommittal | not decisive or definite; unwilling to take a clear position or to say yes or no |
| sangfroid | composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances |
| inadvertant | resulting from or marked by lack of attention; unintentional, accidental |
| aggrandize | to increase in greatness, power or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater |
| inscrutable | impossible to see through physically; incapable of being understood |
| archetype | an original model after which similar things are patterned; a perfect or typical example |
| erudite | scholarly, learned |
| infer | to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply |
| affable | courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to |
| amorphous | shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type or character; without organization, unity or cohesion |
| gossamer | thin, light, delicate, insubstantial; a very thin, light cloth |
| aura | an atmosphere; a distinctive air or personal quality |
| insular | relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrwo or isolated in outlook or experience |
| contraband | illegal traffic, smuggled goods; illegal, prohibited |
| sleazy | thin or flimsy in texture; cheap; shoddy, or inferior in quality or character, ethnically low, mean or disreputable |
| irrevocable | incapable of being changed or called back |
| sedulous | persistent, showing industry and determination |
| remonstrate | to argue or plead with someone against something, protest against, object to |
| retrench | to cut down, reduce in scope and cost |
| resilient | able to return to an original shape or form; able to recover quickly |
| reverberate | to re-echo, resound; to reflect or be reflected repeatedly |
| querulous | peevish, complaining, fretful |
| repudiate | to disown, reject, or deny the validity of |
| propensity | a natural inclination or bent toward |
| scurrilous | coarsely abusive, vulgur or low, foul-mouthed |
| flout | to mock, treat with contempt |
| caveat | a warning or caution to prevent misunderstanding or discourage behavior |
| blazon | to display conspiciously; to publish or proclaim widely |
| filch | to steal, especially in a sneaky way and in petty amounts |
| fractious | tending to be troublesome; unruly, quarrelsome, contrary; unpredictable |
| equitable | fair, just, embodying principles of justice |
| autonomy | self-government, political control |
| addendum | an addition or supplement designed to increase correctness, completeness, or currency |
| amnesty | a general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness |
| axiomatic | self-evident |
| extricate | to free from entanglements or difficulties; remove with effort |
| soporific | tending to cause sleep; something that induces sleep |
| scathing | bitterly severe, withering; causing great harm |
| unwieldy | not easily carried, handled, or managed because of size or complexity |
| vapid | dull, uninteresting, tiresome; lacking in sharpness, flavor, liveliness or force |
| prognosticate | to predict, especially on the basis of present indications or signs, foretoken |
| sepulchral | funereal, typical of the tomp; extremely gloomy or dismal |
| salutary | beneficial, helpful; healthy, wholesome |
| straitlaced | extremely strict in regard to moral standards and conduct; prudish |
| scourge | to whip, punish severely; a cause of affliction or suffering |
| precept | a rule of conduct or action |
| transient | lasting only a short time; one who stays only a short time |
