100 Nouns You Should Know

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acclaim

Back 1

enthusiastic praise or approval given publicly

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acme

Back 2

the higest point, especially of achievement or perfection

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adjunct

Back 3

something added to something else without forming an essential part of it

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adversity

Back 4

hardship, suffering, or misfortune

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aegis

Back 5

1. protection or support 2. patronage, auspices

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affinity

Back 6

1. a natural attraction or liking to something

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allusion

Back 7

an indirect or implied reference for something

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analogy

Back 8

a comparison between two things that have some features in common but are otherwise different from each other

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annotation

Back 9

an explanatory note or commentary added to a document

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antithesis

Back 10

the direct or exact opposite of something

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archetype

Back 11

1. the original model or pattern for other things of the same type 2. an ideal or typical example of something

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artifact

Back 12

an object created by human, especially a tool or something of pratical importance that has archaeological, historical, or cultural interest.

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avant-garde

Back 13

the leading edge of a trend or movement especially in the arts

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bathos

Back 14

1. insincere or excessive feelings or pity or compassion 2. a sudden change in style from the sublime to the commonplace; the anticlimax

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behemoth

Back 15

something monstrously big or powerful

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bellwhether

Back 16

something that acts as an indicator of a future trend

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bully pulpit

Back 17

a public position of prominence, such as a political office that gives the holder a large audience

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cataclysm

Back 18

a sudden and violent disaster or upheval that causes major change or action to occur

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catalyst

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somebody or something that causes change to occur or brings an action or an event

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catch-22

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a situation in which the desired outcome is impossible to achieve because the rules that govern the situation always work agianst the solution

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chagrin

Back 21

a feeling of annoyance or humiliation caused by a failure or disappointment

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chronology

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1. the order in which events occur 2. a list in order of occurrence

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cliche

Back 23

a word or phrase that has lost its originally effectiveness due to its longterm overuse

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collusion

Back 24

secret cooperation or agreement between two or more parties for illegal or decietful purposes

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compendium

Back 25

1. a brief but complete summary of larger work or subject 2. a list or collection of items

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complement

Back 26

1. something that completes or perfects another thing 2. the quantity of things required to make something complete

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conduit

Back 27

1. a pipe or channel that comveys liquid
2. a pipe or tube that encloses and protects electrical wires or other cables
3. a person or thing that conveys information or goods

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correlation

Back 28

a relationship between two or more things that tend to change or occur together

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dearth

Back 29

a scarcity or shortage of something; a famine

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debacle

Back 30

a disaster, defeat, or total and humiliating failure

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decadence

Back 31

the state or process of decline or decay in standards or morals; degeneration

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demeanor

Back 32

a persons behavior or manner; bearing; deportment

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deprivation

Back 33

the condition of being without something, especially food and shelter

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deterrent

Back 34

something that prevents or dicourages an action especially by using fear or doubt

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dichotomy

Back 35

a separation into two contradictory or fundamentally different parts

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disparity

Back 36

1. a lack of equality between people or things
2. a dissimilarity

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dynasty

Back 37

1. a series of rulers from the same family
2. a family or group that holds influence through several generations

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effect

Back 38

1. the result of some action or cause
2. the ability to influence something or someone

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embargo

Back 39

1. a government order that prohibits some or all trade with a foriegn nation
2. a prohibition

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enigma

Back 40

something that is not easy to understand or explain; a mystery

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epitome

Back 41

a representative or ideal example of a class or type

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euphemism

Back 42

a word or phrase substituted for another word or phrase that is considered to be to blunt, harsh, or offensive

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exodus

Back 43

a departure that involves a large number of people

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fiasco

Back 44

a total failure

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foresight

Back 45

the ability to imagine or provide future consequences or problems; anticipation; providence

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gambit

Back 46

1. a manuever or ploy, especially one used in the beginning; a stratagem
2. a remark used to begin a conversation
3. an opening chess move that sacrifices a minor piece such as a pawn to gain a positional advantage

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gamut

Back 47

a complete range or series

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gusto

Back 48

lively and vigorous enjoyment; relish; zest

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hindsight

Back 49

the ability ot judge or understand the significance of an event after it has happened

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hiatus

Back 50

a gap or break in an otherwise continuous object or schedule; an interruption

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horde

Back 51

a large group; a throng (usually of people); a swarm (of insects)

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impasse

Back 52

a situation in which no further progress can be made; a deadlock; a logjam; a stalemate

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inception

Back 53

the beginning of something or a commencement

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inverse

Back 54

the opposite of something

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iota

Back 55

an extremely small amount of something; a jot; a tad; a whit

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irony

Back 56

1. the use of words to express something different from an usually opposite to their literal meaning

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itinerary

Back 57

a route for a journey that lists different places in the order that they are to be visited

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juxtaposition

Back 58

the placement or two or more things that are placed side by side to compare or contrast them

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labyrinth

Back 59

1. a place that contains an interconnected an complicated set of tunnels, passageways, or paths in which it would be easy to become lost; a maze; a warren 2. something with an extremely complex or intricate structure or composition

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longevity

Back 60

1. the duration of a life; the length of a life 2. the length of a career

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metaphor

Back 61

a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing but is applied to another to suggest a likeness or make a comparison

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mettle

Back 62

courage, spirit, or strength of character; fortitude

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miscellany

Back 63

a diverse collection of things; an assortment; a mixed bag

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misnomer

Back 64

a wrong or unsuitable name for a person or object

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morale

Back 65

the overall levle of optimism or confidence felt by a person or group, especially as it affects discipline and loyalty; espirit de corps

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onus

Back 66

a necessity or responsibility, especially a disagreeable one; a burden

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oxymoron

Back 67

a phrase that combines two words that have contradictory meanings

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paradigm

Back 68

a typical example, especially one taht serves as a model or pattern

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parphernalia

Back 69

1. equipment or gear used in a particular activity; accessories 2. personal belongings

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penchant

Back 70

a strong liking or tast for something; a particularity

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plethora

Back 71

a large or excessice amount; an overabundance

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plight

Back 72

a bad or unfortunate situation

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precursor

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1. a person or thing that comes before and leads to the development of another person or thing 2. a person who has held a particular position before someone else; a forerunner; a predecessor

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predicament

Back 74

an unpleseant, troublesome, or embarrassing situation from which there is no easy way out; a jam; a fix

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prelude

Back 75

an event or action that precedes or serces to introduce something else, particularly something longer or more important

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prodigy

Back 76

a wondrous act or event, especially a young person who shows extraordinary talent

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propensity

Back 77

a natural inclination; a proclivity; a tendency

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proximity

Back 78

nearness in space or time; closeness

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ramification

Back 79

a consequence of an action or decision that may complicate the situation

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recourse

Back 80

1. the act of turning to a person or thing for assistance 2. a person, thing, or course of action to which a person turns for assistance

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repetoire

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1. the collection of musical or dramatic material that a player or troupe knows and can perform 2. the complete bodies of works available in a particular segment of the arts 3. the range of skills, abilities and techniques of a person or troupe

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respite

Back 82

a short period of rest or relief, especially one that comes after a period of exertion

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rift

Back 83

1. a break in relations caused by a disagreement 2. a narrow fissure, a cleft; a crevice

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sarcasm

Back 84

the use of words that mean the opposite of their literal meaning and that are intended to mock, ridicule, or deride a person or thing

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satire

Back 85

1. the use of wit, especially irony or sarcasm, to attack human vice and folly 2. a work of art that uses satire

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scourge

Back 86

1. a source of widespread affliction and devastation 2. a person or thing that inflicts punishment, suffering, or severe criticism

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serendipidity

Back 87

a fortunate or useful discovery made by accident; the facutly or gift for making such discoveries

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solecism

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1. an ungrammatical combination of words or a non-standard usage; a malapropism; a misusage 2. something inappropiate or incorrect 3. a violation of etiquette or good manners

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sophistry

Back 89

argumentation that seems plausable but is actually flawed, especially in a dishonest or fallacious way

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spate

Back 90

a sudden and strong flood or outpouring of something

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status quo

Back 91

the current state or condition of affairs

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surrogate

Back 92

1. a person or thing that takes place of another person or thing 2. a woman who bears a child for another couple

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synopsis

Back 93

a condensed version of a text; an abstract; a summary; a concise outline of a subject

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transcript

Back 94

1. a written record of an ecent such as a court session, television or radio show 2. the record of a student's academic history

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transgression

Back 95

1. an act that violates a law, command, duty, or moral code; a breach; an infraction 2. an act that oversteps a limit or bound; an encroachment; a trespass

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trevail

Back 96

hard work, especially work that requires painful effort of hard physical labor ove a long period; toil

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trepidation

Back 97

fear or uneasiness about the future

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verisilitude

Back 98

the quality of being or appearing to be true or real

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zenith

Back 99

1. high point or climax of something; the culmination; the peak; acme e. the point on the celestial sphere is directly overhead the observer

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k

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j

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advent

Back 101

the arrival of something important or long-awaited