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541 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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Nadir
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the lowest point; the point of greatest adversity or despair; the floor, depths or bottom
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Injunction
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an order, especially a court ordered prohibition
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Innocuous
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harmless; having no adverse effect; not likely to provoke strong emotion
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Insensible
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numb; unconscious; unfeeling; insensitive; unresponsive to stimulation
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Insipid
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lacking zest or excitement; dull, bland, without distinction
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Insular
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pertaining to an island; excessively exclusive, as in ideas or communities
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Intractable
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not easily controlled or directed, stubborn, obstinate; headstrong, willful
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Intransigent
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stubborn; intractable; unwilling to change
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Irascible
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prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered or provoked; irritable
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Lachrymose
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mournful; causing tears; tearful, weepy
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Laconic
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using few words; terse
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Lampoon
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to ridicule or mock
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Languid
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lacking in spirit or vitality; slow; indifferent; faint; drooping from weakness or fatigue
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Languish
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to droop or fade; to experience neglect, hardship, or distress; to be ignored; to experience sentimental melancholy; to long
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Largess
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generosity or philanthropy
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Lascivious
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lustful, lewd, sexual, salacious
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Latent
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present or potential but not evident or active (latent heat)
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Laudable
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praiseworthy; commendable
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Leviathan
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giant whale; something very large
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Licentious
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sexually unrestrained, lewd; lascivious; lawless; immoral; disregarding rules
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Limpid
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clear; transparent; lucid
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Listless
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having or showing little or no interest in anything; spiritless; indifferent
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Loquacious
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talkative
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Lucid
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clear; translucent; limpid
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Lucre
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monetary reward or gain; money
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Lugubrious
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sad, sorrowful; melancholy; weighty, mournful, or gloomy, especially to an excessive degree
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Magnanimity
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generosity and nobility (magnanimous)
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Malevolent
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malicious, evil; having or showing ill will
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Marshal
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to arrange in order; to gather/collect; an officer of high rank who keeps order
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Maxim
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a proverb; a short rule of conduct
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Maudlin
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overly sentimental, in a weak or silly way
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Melange
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a mixture, medley or hodgepodge
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Mendacious
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lying, false; duplicitous; equivocating; erroneous
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Mercenary
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motivated by money alone; a soldier who fights for monetary gain
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Milieu
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surroundings; situation; atmosphere; environment
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Misanthrope
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one who hates people
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Misnomer
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an incorrect name or word for something
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Mitigate
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to make less forceful; to become more moderate; to make less harsh or undesirable (to mitigate the effects of global warming)
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Mollify
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to soothe, pacify, or appease (he mollified the child with a pacifier)
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Momism
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overprotection; undue dependence on maternal care resulting in loss of maturity
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Moribund
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dying or near death
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Munificent
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lavishly generous
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Myopia
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near-sightedness; lacking foreseight or being blind to the larger implications of something; only seeing what is right in front of you
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Nadir
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the lowest point; the point of greatest adversity or despair; the floor, depths or bottom
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Nascent
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emergent, beginning to exist or develop
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Nefarious
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wicked or evil
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Nepotism
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favoritism granted to relatives or close friends without regard to merit
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Noisome
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harmful, offensive or destructive
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Nuance
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a slight variant, subtlety, fine point or shading
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Obdurate
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stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing; hardened against influence or feeling; intractable
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Oblique
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indirect or vague; sneaky, disingenuous; a line in geometry that is neither perpendicular nor parallel but at an angle; to come at something from an angle instead of directly
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Obsequious
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fawning; showing servile deference; polite or obedient out of hope for gain or fear
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Obtuse
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slow, dense, unobservant, dull, or inattentive; not sharp or pointed; blunt
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Obviate
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to prevent or anticipate; to deter; to make unnecessary ("The invention of cars has obviated the use of horse and carriage.")
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Gentrification
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the restoration and upgrading of deteriorating urban properties by middle/upper-class people, often displacing lower-income people
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Atavistic
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primal, instinctual, evolutionary; pertaining to or having the characteristics of a remote ancestor or earlier type of something ("an atavistic fear of snakes")
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Ostensibly
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outwardly appearing; apparent; evident; conspicuous
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Untenable
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doesn't hold up or incapable of being defended, as an argument; unlivable or not fit to be occupied as an apartment/house
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Corporeal
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of the physical body, bodily; material or tangible
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Exorbitant
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highly excessive; outrageous; wasteful
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Moxie
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boldness; vigor; courage; agressiveness; skill or knowledge
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Hermeneutic
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interpretive; explanatory; "biblical hermeneutics"=the study of biblical interpretations; from Hermes, messenger of the Gods)
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Sinuous
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indirect or devious; curvy or winding; characterized by graceful curving motions
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Verboten
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forbidden as by law; prohibited
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Verbatim
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word for word; exactly
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Canonical
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basic, simple, or general; official, authorized, or accepted; pertaining to accepted rules or procedures
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Occlude
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to close or shut off; to obstruct
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Opaque
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dense, difficult to understand; not transparent or translucent
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Ossified
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turned to bone; hardened like bone; inflexible/unchanging
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Ostentatious
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showy, pretentious, or grandiose; intended to attract notice and impress others
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Panacea
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a cure-all
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Panegyric
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a writing or speech in praise of a person or thing
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Paragon
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a model or pattern of excellence; to compare, parallel, or rival
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Patent
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obvious or noticeable
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Patronize
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to be a customer of; to treat in a condescending manner; to sponsor or support
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Peccadillo
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a small sin or fault; a minor offense
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Pedantic
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boringly academic, pompous, or scholarly; showing excessive concern for rules or book learning
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Peremptory
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final, absolute; firmly determined, conclusive ("a peremptory challenge"= the given right of an attorney to dismiss a jury member without reason")
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Perfidious
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deliberately treacherous; dishonest
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Pernicious
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deadly; extremely evil; harmful or fatal
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Perspicacious
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having keen mental perception; discerning; perceptive, acute, or shrewd
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Shrewd
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keen, wise, sagacious
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Petulant
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cranky; easily or frequently annoyed, especially over trivial manners; childishly irritable
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Philanthropy
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tendency or action for the benefit of others, as in donating money or property to a charity
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Phlegmatic
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not easily excited; cool; sluggish
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Placate
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to calm or reduce anger by making concessions (to appease in a condescending manner)
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Plaintive
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expressing sadness or sorrow
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Plebian
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common, vulgar, or non-aristocratic
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Plethora
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excessively large quantity; overabundance
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Ponderous
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slow, heavy, dull, massive, awkward
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Portent
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an omen of something to come, especially something momentous; a threat or warning; a prodigy or marvel
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Pragmatic
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concerned with facts; practical as opposed to principled, idealistic, or traditional
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Precipitate
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to bring about suddenly, recklessly, impulsively; to fall (as rain)
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Preempt
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to acquire before someone else (as land); to take for oneself; to claim, usurp
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Prevaricate
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to stray away from or evade the truth; to lie; to mislead
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Proclivity
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a tendency, inclination or leading
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Prodigal
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rashly wasteful; lavishly extravagant
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Propitiate
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to conciliate or appease
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Prosaic
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ordinary, commonplace, dull, boring
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Proscribe
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to prohibit, outlaw, or forbid
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Provincial
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unsophisticated, simple
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Pulchritudinous
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beautiful
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Pusillanimous
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contemptibly cowardly, timid, or irresolute; petty; indecisive
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Putative
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supposed; reputed; commonly accepted
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Quaff
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to drink a beverage, esp alcohol, copiously and heartily
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Quiescence
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inactivity; stillness; dormancy
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Quixotic
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extravagantly chivalrous or foolishly romantic; impractical, impulsive; rashly unpredictable; fantastical
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Rakish
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dissolute; dapper, debonair, breezy, jaunty, smart, or dashing
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dissolute
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corrupt, loose, indifferent to moral restraints; wanton; licentious
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Raiment
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clothing, garments
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Rancor
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bitter resentment; extreme hatred; long-lasting ill will
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Rarefy
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to make or become thin, less dense; to stretch out; to purify or refine
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Reconcile
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to cause someone to accept something not desired; to settle, come to an agreement or harmony; to pacify or placate
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Recondite
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hard to understand; over one's head, esoteric
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Repartee
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a quick, witty reply; conversation fully of witty replies; skill in making such replies
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Reproof
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the act of censuring, scolding, or rebuking
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Reprove
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to criticise, correct, or disapprove of strongly
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Sagacious
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having a sharp or powerful intellect or discernment; rational, wise, clever, smart
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Salient
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prominent, conspicuous, obvious (vs. latent)
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Salutatorian
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the student ranking second highest in the graduating class who delivers the address at commencement; pertaining to a commencement address
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Sanctimonious
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making a hypocritical show of religious devotion, piety, righteousness; feigning piety or righteousness
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Sanguine
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cheerful, confident, lively, spirited
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Sartorial
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pertaining to tailors or their trade
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Saturnine
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have a gloomy or morose temperament
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Savant
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a very knowledgeable person; a genius
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Sedulous
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diligent, persevering, persistent
(the sedulous student; sedulous craftmanship) |
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Serried
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pressed together or compacted, as soldiers in rows
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Shrewd
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astute, keen, sharp, perceptive, sagacious, perspicacious
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Slough
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a muddy, swampy area; a condition of degradation, despair, or helplessness; the shed skin layer of a snake or anything shed or cast off
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Solvent
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financially sound, able to pay all debts; an agent that is able to dissolve
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Specious
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seemingly true but really false; deceptively convincing or attractive
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Spurious
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forged, false, untrue, inauthentic; not genuine
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Squalor
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filth, wretchedness, repulsive conditions
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Squander
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to waste
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Staunch
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firm, steadfast, loyal in opinion; strong or substantial
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Substantive
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solid, real, having substance, meaty; a word, phrase, or clause that acts like a noun
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Supercilious
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haughty; patronizing; arrogant, conceited
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Supersede
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to replace in power or authority; to set aside as void, useless, or obsolete; to void, overrule, revoke, or annul
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Supple
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pliant, flexible, limber, compliant, yielding; bending readily without breaking or deforming
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Surfeit
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an excess or overindulgence
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Tacit
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unspoken
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Taciturn
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habitually quiet, silent, or not talkative
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Terse
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concise
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Temerity
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boldness, recklessness
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Temperate
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exercising moderation and self-denial; calm or mild
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Tirade
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an angry speech
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Torpor
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sluggishness, inertia, apathy, indifference, languidness
(someone showing torpor is listless and phlegmatic) |
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Tortuous
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twisted; excessively complicated (NOT Torturous)
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Torturous
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causing torture or suffering
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Tractable
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able to be easily managed or controlled
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Traverse
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to move laterally, along, over, or across; to examine or consider carefully, survey, or review; to go against, obstruct, thwart, contradict, or deny
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Trepidation
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apprehension, nervous trembling, uncertainty
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Turpitude
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immorality, corruption, depravity
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Tyro
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a beginner; someone lacking experience in a specific endeavor
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Unfrock
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to remove a monk, priest or minister from office; to strip of a frock
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Venial
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forgivable, excusable; not mortal, as a sin; a trifling or minor offense
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Venerate
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to greatly respect or revere
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Veracity
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honesty, credibility
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Vestige
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a trace, a slight remnant, an indication
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Viable
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capable of living; vivid, real, or stimulating; practical; feasible; adaptable
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Alacrity
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eagerness, liveliness
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Apropos
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appropriate, fitting, opportune
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Expedient
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efficient, practical; advantageous
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Desultory
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aimless; without plan or purpose; random (tangential; a desultory traveler)
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Abject
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hopeless, wretched, miserable
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Exalt
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to glorify, honor, elevate, or praise highly
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Exult
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to celebrate; to be jubilant
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Denizen
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an inhabitant
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Complacent
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pleased with oneself or one's merits, to a fault; self-satisfied; smug; untroubled
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Complaisant
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eager to please, obliging, agreeable, gracious, compliant
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Brusque
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abrupt; blunt
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Indigent
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poor, barely scraping by
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Hackneyed
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trite, cliche, overused, commonplace
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Hedonism
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devotion to pleasure or indulgence as a way of life
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Capitulate
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to surrender
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Elliptical
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ambiguous, obscure, or cryptic writing; using extreme economy of words
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Ellipse
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the "..." in writing that signifies missing or excluded words
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Forbear
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to refrain from or abstain; to hold onself back ; to show patience or tolerance in the face of provocation
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Espouse
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to support or advocate
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Abase
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to lower in rank, office, prestige, or esteem
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Aberrant
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deviating from normal or correct; unusual
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Abscond
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to leave secretly and hide, often to avoid the law
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Absolve
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to free from blame or obligation; to forgive; to exculpate
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Abye
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to pay a penalty; to endure or continue; to suffer as a penalty
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Accost
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to confront boldly; to solicit for sex
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Adactylia
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congenital lack of fingers or toes
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Aggrandize
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to make greater, increase, or exaggerate
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Aggregate
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the combined sum; a collection of parts considered as a whole; added, complete; to assemble, amass, accumulate, or gather
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Amalgamate
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to unite or mix
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Amyotonia
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lacking normal muscle tone
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Ancillary
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subordinate, subsidiary, auxiliary, assisting or helping
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Soporific
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sleep-causing
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Intrepid
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fearless, courageous, bold
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Congeries
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a collection or aggregation of items
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Opprobrium
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scolding, reproach, vituperation; disgrace, contempt, scorn
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Epithet
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a disparaging word or phrase
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Effusive
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gushing, excessively emotional, overflowing
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Doggerel
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trivial, poorly constructed verse; crude or irregular verse
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Edifying
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enlightening, informative
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Exact (v)
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to demand, call for, require, take
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Discomfit
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to defeat or put down
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Chasten
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to chastise or correct; to subdue
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Dilatory
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slow, tardy, intentionally causing delay, procrastinating
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Derision
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
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Paradigm
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something that serves as an example or model
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Onerous
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troubling, burdensome
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Chimera
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an illusion; a mythical, fantastical creature of the imagination
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Egress
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an exit
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Nexus
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a connection, link, or tie; the center or focus
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Essay (v)
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to test, try, attempt, experiment
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Exemplar
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a model, ideal, archetype; a paradigm
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Epicure
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one devoted to sensual pleasure in food and drink; a gourmand; a sybarite
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Sybarite
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a person devoted to pleasure and luxury
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Excoriate
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to reproach or upbraid; to criticize severely; to wear off the skin of, chafe, or fray; to be abrasive
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Censure
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to criticize harshly; upbraid; excoriate
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Upbraid
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to criticize severely, censure; excoriate
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Errant
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straying from the proper course; prone to making errors; traveling in search of adventure
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Estimable
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admirable, worthy of esteem; capable of being estimated
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Obtain
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to acquire; to exist or hold true
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Dilettante
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an amateur; a person who enjoys the arts; someone with a general and superficial interest in a subject
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Pedagogy
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the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing
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Disabuse
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to correct; to undeceive; to set right
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Ephemeral
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brief, fleeting, short-lived
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Natty
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smart and fashionable; dapper
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Eschew
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to shun or avoid
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Parry
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to block, evade or avoid
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Enormity
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extreme wickedness; an act of extreme evil
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Pariah
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an outcast; a rejected or despised person
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Chauvinism
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excessive patriotism; unwarranted bias or devotion to one's own particular group, cause or idea
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Caustic
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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Equivocate
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to use ambiguous language with deceptive intent; to be intentionally vague
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Officious
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meddlesome; offensively intrusive or interfering
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Din
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a loud, sustaining noise; a commotion
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Obsequious
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excessively eager to please; fawning, subservient
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Histrionics
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excessively exaggerated over-emotional behavior, especially to elicit a response; melodramatics
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Chagrin
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distress of mind due to failure; vexation
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Caprice
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impulsiveness; an impulsive decision or change of mind
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Capricious
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impulsive; unpredictable
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Fulminate
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to make a verbal attack or denunciation; to berate or criticize; to detonate or explode
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Mawkish
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excessively or falsely sentimental, in a sickening way
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Ineffable
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unspeakable/taboo; beyond expression in words, indescribable
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Diluvial
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pertaining to a flood/deluge; pertaining to Noah's flood (antediluvian: before Noah's flood)
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Temerity
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reckless boldness, foolish bravery (audacity, gall, recklessness)
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Efficacious
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effective
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Ebullient
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boiling, agitated, enthusiastic
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Eschatology
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the study of the end of times/death/the Apocalypse
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Quixotic
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impulsive; extravagantly romantic; absurdly chivalric
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Saturnine
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cold, slow, depressed, dull, gloomy
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Farcical
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ludicrous, absurd; resembling a farce
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Dyspeptic
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irritable, morose (grouchy, sulky)
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Jejune
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adj - not nutritious; lacking substance; naive, simplistic
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Ecumenical
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universal, worldwide; inter-religious, particularly involving uniting the denominations of the Christian church
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Fecundity
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fertility
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Ineluctable
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inescapable; irresistible
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Etiology
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the study of causes or origins, particularly with cases of disease
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Vitiate
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to spoil or reduce in value, quality, or effectiveness; to debase or morally corrupt
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Levity
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a lighthearted or frivolous act; the state or quality of being light or buoyant
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Inexorably
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relentlessly, without the possibility of stopping or prevention
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Obverse
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facing the observer; complimentary, parallel, reciprocal (obverse effect)
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Ascetic
|
involving rigorous self-denial, self-discipline, abstinence, and withholding of physical pleasure (often religiously)
antonym: hedonistic |
|
|
Aesthetic
|
concerned with beauty, artistic impact, or appearance; appealing to the senses
|
|
|
Subjugation
|
forced control by others, conquest
|
|
|
Macerate
|
to soften or separate something by immersing it in a liquid (as in digesting food in our stomachs)
|
|
|
Sublimation
|
the transition of a substance from solid ->vapor without going through the intermediate liquid phase; channeling a destructive instinct or impulse into a constructive behavior or outlet
|
|
|
Shrift
|
n. religious confession
|
|
|
Pall
|
a heavy cloth laid over a coffin or tomb
|
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|
Gaudy
|
showy or ornamented in a showy, tasteless or excessive way
|
|
|
Aphetism
|
the aphetized form of a word, which has dropped its initial vowel or syllable (esquire-->squire)
|
|
|
Sodden
|
drenched, soaked, saturated; stupid as a result of drunkenness
|
|
|
Vigilant
|
watchful, alert, wary, especially for danger
|
|
|
Vexillology
|
the study of flags
|
|
|
Union Jack
|
the flag of the UK (England, Ireland, and Scotland combined)
|
|
|
Gymnosperms
|
a group of seed plants where the seeds aren't enclosed (conifers)
|
|
|
Firebrand
|
a torch; an argumentative troublemaker or revolutionary, someone who opposes their current situation
|
|
|
Quibble
|
to complain or argue in a trivial or petty way
|
|
|
Ordinal
|
numerical, indicating a position in a sequence
|
|
|
Despondent
|
in low spirits from loss of hope or courage
|
|
|
Prudent
|
practical, wise, shrewd, frugal, circumspect
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Imprudent
|
indiscreet, improper
|
|
|
Entreat
|
to treat, use, or deal with; to invite or entertain; to beseech, solicit, or persuade
|
|
|
Stodgy
|
old fashioned, dull; with food - heavy, thick, glutinous
|
|
|
Shirk
|
to avoid a duty or responsibility, to blow-off
|
|
|
Vindictive
|
having a strong desire for revenge, bitter, spiteful
|
|
|
Notorious
|
infamous, having a bad reputation
|
|
|
Perjury
|
deliberately lying under oath or giving misleading testimony
|
|
|
Lumen
|
the hollow center or cavity of a tube, needle, etc
|
|
|
Draconian
|
Very severe, oppressive, or strict; cruel, harsh
|
|
|
Visceral
|
intuitive; a gut reaction; instinctual
|
|
|
Preternatural
|
strange, inexplicable, extraordinary
|
|
|
Syncretic
|
combining elements that are archaic with those that are modern, especially with religion, philosophy, or art
|
|
|
Subversive
|
in opposition to authority or government; radical, revolutionary
|
|
|
Heterodox
|
Referring to religious beliefs or teachings that are different from the norm ("orthodox"), but not sufficiently different to be called "heretical"
|
|
|
Recourse
|
the act of seeking assistance or advice
|
|
|
Repugnant
|
offensive, repulsive, disgusting
|
|
|
Liturgy
|
the official worship service of the christian church; a prescribed set of religious rituals that are performed
|
|
|
Homogenous vs Homogeneous
|
similar; uniform throughout; composed of equal parts; alike (the words have the same meaning but Homogeneous is the preferred spelling)
|
|
|
Fraught
|
furnished, equipped with; laden with; containing
|
|
|
Biophilia
|
the love of nature and life; natural human appreciation of nature
|
|
|
Tropism
|
the turning of an organism in response to a stimulus (either toward or away from the stimulus), ie, light, gravity, water, etc
|
|
|
Glossolalia
|
speaking in tongues; speaking an unknown, elaborate language while in a trance-like state
|
|
|
Rabble
|
a mob; commoners; a disorderly group
|
|
|
Ersatz
|
made in imitation; artificial, especially if inferior
|
|
|
Protracted
|
drawn out, extended in duration
|
|
|
Requiem
|
a mass or service for a dead person; a hymn of mourning (latin - a rest)
|
|
|
Spartan
|
highly self-disciplined; frugal; austere; simple
|
|
|
Parry
|
to avoid, evade, repel; to ward off of deflect, especially by a quick-witted answer
|
|
|
Imbue
|
to infuse, dye, wet, or moisten
|
|
|
Querulous
|
whiny, complaining, irritable
|
|
|
Impecunious
|
poor, destitute
|
|
|
Philistine
|
a materialistic person, as opposed to cultural; capitalist, materialist
|
|
|
Fatuous
|
stupid, ridiculous, silly, absurd
|
|
|
Encomium
|
warm praise; eulogy; panegyric
|
|
|
Caustic
|
biting in wit; trenchant
|
|
|
Probity
|
honesty and integrity; morality; virtue
|
|
|
Doctrinaire
|
impractically devoted to theories; dogmatic
|
|
|
Edify
|
to educate, enlighten, teach
|
|
|
Eclectic
|
made up from a variety of sources; broad
|
|
|
Interregnum
|
period between reigns; interval
|
|
|
Sacrosanct
|
extremely sacred; beyond criticism; holy
|
|
|
Judicious
|
sensible, showing good judgment; prudent; sagacious; circumspect; sapient
|
|
|
Lissome
|
easily flexed; limber, agile; graceful
|
|
|
Dissemble
|
to disguise or present a false appearance; to act, fake, feign, pretend
|
|
|
Martinet
|
strict disciplinarian, rule follower; dictator
|
|
|
Analgesia
|
lessening of pain, relief
|
|
|
Demur
|
to doubt or object; to protest, dissent, remonstrate
|
|
|
Garrulous
|
talkative, loquacious, effusive
|
|
|
Dictum
|
authoritative statement; decree, apothegm, aphorism, adage
|
|
|
Ribald
|
humorously vulgar, gross, lewd, obscene
|
|
|
Capricious
|
fickle, changing one's mind quickly and often; whimsical, erratic, willful
|
|
|
Profligate
|
corrupt, degenerate, dissolute, wasteful
|
|
|
Flag
|
to decline in vigor, strength, or interest; wane, ebb, subside, dwindle
|
|
|
Lapidary
|
relating to precious stones
|
|
|
Augury
|
prophecy, prediction; omen, portent, harbinger
|
|
|
Stentorian
|
extremely loud, noisy
|
|
|
Mercurial
|
quick, shrewd, and unpredictable; crafty, clever, whimsical
|
|
|
Orotund
|
pompous, bombastic
|
|
|
Vituperate
|
to verbally abuse or berate; castigate, scold
|
|
|
Toady
|
one who flatters to gain favors; sycophant
|
|
|
Decorous
|
proper, tasteful, socially correct; appropriate, polite
|
|
|
Exponent
|
one who advocates, a proponent; representative, supporter
|
|
|
Oblique
|
misleading, devious, indirect, evasive; tangential
|
|
|
Circumspect
|
cautious, aware of potential consequences; alert, wary
|
|
|
Solecism
|
grammatical mistake, blooper, faux pas
|
|
|
Parley
|
discussion, usually between enemies; debate, negotiations
|
|
|
Requite
|
to return or repay (ant.: "unrequited love")
|
|
|
Diaphanous
|
allowing light to show through; delicate, translucent, sheer
|
|
|
Investiture
|
ceremony conferring authority; inauguration, initiation
|
|
|
Erudite
|
learned, scholarly, bookish, wise
|
|
|
Phalanx
|
close-knit or compact body of people, animals, or things; a mass or legion
|
|
|
Cabal
|
a secret rebelling group; clan, mafia, clique
|
|
|
Propitiate
|
to conciliate, appease, mollify, placate
|
|
|
Hapless
|
unfortunate, having bad luck
|
|
|
Droll
|
subtly amusing; witty
|
|
|
Sardonic
|
cynical; scornfully mocking; sarcastic, caustic, snide
|
|
|
Repast
|
meal/mealtime, feast
|
|
|
Rhetoric
|
eloquence; oratory; effective writing or speaking
|
|
|
Juncture
|
point of time, especially when two things are JOINED; convergence, crossroads
|
|
|
Rejoinder
|
response; retort
|
|
|
Dyspeptic
|
gloomy and irritable; suffering from indigestion
|
|
|
Potentate
|
a powerful monarch or ruler
|
|
|
Deride
|
to mock, ridicule, sneer, taunt
|
|
|
Quiescent
|
still, motionless, dormant, latent
|
|
|
Posit
|
to suggest, assume, or propose as an explanation
|
|
|
Declivity
|
downward slope; decline, descent, grade, slant
|
|
|
Craven
|
lacking courage, timid, spineless
|
|
|
Larceny
|
theft of property; burglary, robbery
|
|
|
Peripatetic
|
wandering, esp. on foot; nomadic, itinerant
|
|
|
Libertine
|
a free thinker (negative); one without moral restraint; a hedonist
|
|
|
Alacrity
|
speed, haste; liveliness, eagerness; celeritous (speedy, fast)
|
|
|
Apocryphal
|
of questionable authority or authenticity; disputed, doubtful, fraudulent
|
|
|
Panache
|
flair, flamboyance; verve
|
|
|
Catholic
|
universal, broad, comprehensive; extensive, general
|
|
|
Lugubrious
|
mournful, sorrowful, dismal; gloomy, melancholy
|
|
|
Demagogue
|
a leader or rabble-rouser; an agitator, inciter, instigator
|
|
|
Eulogy
|
praising speech
|
|
|
Obdurate
|
hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion, intransigent, inflexible, recalcitrant
|
|
|
Repose
|
relaxation, leisure, tranquility
|
|
|
Affected
|
phony, artificial, insincere
|
|
|
Cloying
|
sickly sweet, excessive
|
|
|
Ignoble
|
mean, having low moral standards; vulgar
|
|
|
Desultory
|
disconnected, aimless, erratic, random
|
|
|
Panoply
|
an impressive array
|
|
|
Raconteur
|
a witty, skillful storyteller
|
|
|
Aggrandize
|
to increase in power, influence, and reputation; to amplify, augment, glorify
|
|
|
Syncopation
|
temporary irregularity in musical rhythm
|
|
|
Meretricious
|
gaudy, falsely attractive, flashy, loud, tawdry
|
|
|
Rococo
|
intricate, ornate
|
|
|
Jingoism
|
belligerent patriotism; nationalism
|
|
|
Mannered
|
artificial, stilted in character; affected, unnatural
|
|
|
Attenuate
|
to reduce in force or degree; to weaken, enervate, dilute, debilitate
|
|
|
Abstemious
|
moderate in appetite; restrained
|
|
|
Arrogate
|
to claim without justification; to presume, take, appropriate
|
|
|
Pallid
|
pale, lacking in liveliness
|
|
|
Kinetic
|
relating to motion or movement; active
|
|
|
Slake
|
to calm down or moderate; to quench or satisfy
|
|
|
Cupidity
|
greed, avarice, covetousness, rapacity
|
|
|
Palliate
|
to ease, alleviate, mitigate
|
|
|
Umbrage
|
anger, annoyance, offense, resentment, rancor
|
|
|
Winsome
|
charming, attractive
|
|
|
Anodyne
|
something that calms or soothes pain; narcotic, opiate
|
|
|
Overwrought
|
agitated, overdone, nervous, excited, elaborate
|
|
|
Distaff
|
the female family branch; maternal side
|
|
|
Gambol
|
to playfully dance or skip around; to cavort, frolic, romp
|
|
|
Supplant
|
to replace by force; to displace or supersede
|
|
|
Canard
|
a lie
|
|
|
Diffident
|
self-conscious; bashful, coy, demure, timid, shy
|
|
|
Multifarious
|
diverse
|
|
|
Inexorable
|
inflexible, unyielding
|
|
|
Puerile
|
childish, immature, silly, juvenile
|
|
|
Verdant
|
green with vegetation; inexperienced
|
|
|
Tyro
|
a beginner or novice
|
|
|
Quixotic
|
overly idealistic; impractical
|
|
|
Impetuous
|
rash, impulsive, spontaneous
|
|
|
Amortize
|
to diminish by installment payments
|
|
|
Ingratiate
|
to curry favor; to flatter; to try to please someone to gain an advantage
|
|
|
Opprobrium
|
a public disgrace; shame, infamy
|
|
|
Abeyance
|
temporary suppression or suspension; remission
|
|
|
Fractious
|
unruly, rebellious
|
|
|
Sanguine
|
ruddy, cheerfully optimistic, confident, hopeful
|
|
|
Wraith
|
a ghost, apparition, spirit
|
|
|
Aerie
|
a nest high in the air; an elevated, secluded dwelling; perch
|
|
|
Trenchant
|
forceful, acute, sharp, effective; biting, caustic
|
|
|
Glib
|
superficial, casual, insincere
|
|
|
Reticent
|
silent, reserved, taciturn
|
|
|
Elegy
|
a sorrowful poem or speech
|
|
|
Effrontery
|
audacity; imprudent boldness; nerve, gall
|
|
|
Boor
|
crude person; oaf, clod, lout
|
|
|
Officious
|
too helpful, meddlesome, eager, intrusive
|
|
|
Pastiche
|
a medley or spoof
|
|
|
Sobriquet
|
nickname, alias, pseudonym
|
|
|
Bonhomie
|
good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer
|
|
|
Incarnadine
|
blood-red in color, ruddy
|
|
|
Contumacious
|
rebellious, factious, insurgent, seditious, mutinous
|
|
|
Vernal
|
related to spring, fresh, youthful
|
|
|
Cosset
|
to pamper, cuddle, spoil, love
|
|
|
Equivocate
|
to intentionally mislead with ambiguous language; to be evasive
|
|
|
Abase
|
to humble, disgrace, humiliate
|
|
|
Militate
|
to operate against, affect, change
|
|
|
Hoary
|
very old, gray, antique
|
|
|
Machination
|
a plot or scheme, conspiracy
|
|
|
Apostate
|
one who renounces a religion; defector, deserter, traitor
|
|
|
Calumny
|
a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation, libel, slander
|
|
|
Numismatics
|
coin collecting
|
|
|
Inure
|
to harden, become used to; familiarize, condition, habituate
|
|
|
Abjure
|
to reject or abandon; to recall, retract, take back
|
|
|
Usury
|
the crime of lending money at exorbitant rates
|
|
|
Expurgate
|
to censor, sanitize
|
|
|
Assail
|
to attack, assault
|
|
|
Inimical
|
hostile, unfriendly
|
|
|
Levity
|
overly casual, lightness, humor
|
|
|
Credulous
|
too trusting, gullible, naive
|
|
|
Imprecation
|
a curse, damnation
|
|
|
Polemic
|
a controversy, argument, or verbal attack
|
|
|
Enervate
|
to reduce in strength, weaken
|
|
|
Aberrant
|
deviating from what is normal or expected; irregular, abnormal
|
|
|
Impious
|
profane, immoral; not devout in religion
|
|
|
Politic
|
shrewd and practical, diplomatic, tactful
|
|
|
Iconoclast
|
one who opposes establishes beliefs, customs, and institutions; a rebel
|
|
|
Missive
|
a written note or letter
|
|
|
Wizened
|
shriveled, withered, wrinkled
|
|
|
Venerable
|
respected because of age
|
|
|
Noisome
|
stinking, putrid, disgusting; morally unhealthy; offensive to the senses
|
|
|
Sinecure
|
a well-paying job that requires little or no work
|
|
|
Legerdemain
|
trickery, chicanery
|
|
|
Kudos
|
fame, glory, or honor
|
|
|
Sedition
|
conspiracy, insurrection, behavior that promotes rebellion
|
|
|
Impugn
|
to call into question; to verbally attack, challenge, dispute
|
|
|
Vim
|
vitality and energy
|
|
|
Blight
|
to afflict, destroy, damage
|
|
|
Bifurcate
|
to divide into two parts, bisect
|
|
|
Forestall
|
to prevent or delay, to anticipate; to avert, deter, hinder, obviate, preclude
|
|
|
Ethos
|
beliefs or character of a group, culture
|
|
|
Restive
|
impatient, uneasy, or restless; agitated, anxious
|
|
|
Salubrious
|
healthful, therapeutic, healing
|
|
|
Opine
|
to express an opinion
|
|
|
Turgid
|
bloated, swollen with fluid, distended
|
|
|
Husband
|
to manage economically; to use sparingly; to conserve
|
|
|
Peregrinate
|
to wander from place to place; to travel, esp. on foot
|
|
|
Invective
|
abusive language; vituperation
|
|
|
Jettison
|
to discard, eject, dump
|
|
|
Viscous
|
thick, slow-moving; gelatinous
|
|
|
Nettle
|
to irritate
|
|
|
Insurrection
|
rebellion, mutiny, revolt ("the contumacious iconoclast staged an the insurrection against the government")
|
|
|
Tawdry
|
gaudy, cheap, or showy; meretricious
|
|
|
Ingenuous
|
naive, innocent, unaffected
|
|
|
Itinerant
|
unsettled, wandering from place to place; nomadic, vagrant
|
|
|
Fetid
|
putrid, stinky, rank
|
|
|
Invidious
|
envious, obnoxious, offensive; insulting, discriminatory
|
|
|
Pariah
|
an outcast
|
|
|
Lassitude
|
fatigue, languor, listlessness, enervation
|
|
|
Deference
|
respect, courtesy, reverence
|
|
|
Approbation
|
approval and praise
|
|
|
Fallow
|
dormant, unused
|
|
|
Mirth
|
frivolity, gaiety, laughter, glee
|
|
|
Inculcate
|
to teach, instill
|
|
|
Arbitrate
|
to judge a dispute between opposing parties; to moderate/mediate, referee
|
|
|
Dilatory
|
delaying, slow
|
|
|
Sycophants
|
a suck-up; a self-serving flatterer; a fawner, toady
|
|
|
Inchoate
|
disorganized, not fully formed; incoherent or incomplete
|
|
|
Hermetic
|
tightly sealed
|
|
|
Accretion
|
growth or increase; accumulation
|
|
|
August
|
dignified, grandiose, admirable
|
|
|
Kindle
|
to ignite; to arouse, awaken, excite, or inspire
|
|
|
Exigent
|
urgent, critical
|
|
|
Blithe
|
joyful, cheerful
|
|
|
Acidulous
|
sour in taste or manner; tart, biting, pungent
|
|
|
Insipid
|
lacking interest or flavor; dull, bland, vapid
|
|
|
Austere
|
severe or stern in appearance; undecorated, harsh, grim
|
|
|
Coterie
|
a clique or set of people
|
|
|
Coffer
|
large chest for money; lockbox, chest, treasury
|
|
|
Stolid
|
unemotional, lacking sensitivity; apathetic, indifferent, phlegmatic
|
|
|
Dirge
|
a funeral hymn or mournful speech; elegy
|
|
|
Penury
|
severe poverty, destitution
|
|
|
Dither
|
to act confusedly, to waver, hesitate, falter
|
|
|
Livid
|
bruised, pale, or reddened with anger
|
|
|
Cogent
|
convincing and well-reasoned; persuasive, sound
|
|
|
Lionize
|
to treat as a celebrity; to honor
|
|
|
Decorum
|
etiquette, manners, propriety; appropriateness of behavior
|
|
|
Cogent
|
convincing, well-reasoned
|
|
|
Prudence
|
wisdom, caution, or restraint
|
|
|
Soporific
|
causing sleep or lethargy
|
|
|
Indolent
|
lazy, idle, languid
|
|
|
Iniquity
|
a sin or evil act
|
|
|
Ebullient
|
exhilarated, enthusiastic, bubbly
|
|
|
Perfunctory
|
routine, indifferent, automatic
|
|
|
Prescient
|
having foresight
|
|
|
Volatile
|
easily aroused or changeable; lively, explosive; capricious, fickle, mercurial
|
|
|
Contrite
|
remorseful, regretful, repentant
|
|
|
Pithy
|
laconic, terse; profound yet concise
|
|
|
Perfidious
|
disloyal, traitorous
|
|
|
Impasse
|
a blocked path or dilemma; stalemate
|
|
|
Fervid
|
intensely emotional, burning, passionate; feverish
|
|
|
Effigy
|
stuffed doll, likeness of a person, dummy
|
|
|
Precis
|
a summary
|
|
|
Endemic
|
belonging to a particular area, indigenous, inherent, local
|
|
|
Bilk
|
to cheat, defraud
|
|
|
Eschew
|
to avoid, escape, elude, evade
|
|
|
Abdicate
|
to give up a position, right, or power; relinquish, resign, yield
|
|
|
Stratagem
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a trick to deceive an enemy; a ruse, maneuver
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Voluble
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talkative, glib, loquacious, verbose
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Maelstrom
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whirlpool, turmoil; an agitated state of mind ("the public transportation system collapsed in the maelstrom of war")
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