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451 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
- 3rd side (hint)
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abase
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to lower, humilate
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abash
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to make ashamed, to embarrass
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abdicate
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to renounce, to give up
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abjure
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abettor
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encourager
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accomplice
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abhor
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hate, dislike
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detest, aversion, abominate, loathe
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abjure
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to repudiate, to give up, to renounce
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abdicate
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ablution
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washing
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abominate
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hate, dislike
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detest, abhor, aversion, loathe
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aboriginal
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first of the kind, primitive, native
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abortive
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unsuccessful, fruitless
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abrogate
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to abolish (to formally end), to repeal
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abscond
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to depart clandestinely, to steal off, hide
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absolve
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pardon (an offense)
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magnanimity
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abstemious
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sparing, moderate, esp. when it comes to eating and drinking
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abstinence
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abstinence
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restraint from eating or drinking
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aberrant
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deviating from the norm
aberration |
anomaly, eccentric
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anomaly
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deviating from the norm, rule, order or form
anomalous |
aberrant, eccentric
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approbation
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expression of praise or approval
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arduous
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strenuous (difficult), taxing (burdensome), requiring significant effort
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assuage
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lessen, ease, appease or pacify
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enervate
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audacious
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daring and fearless; recklessly bold
audacity |
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austere
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without adornament, bare, severly simple; ascetic
austerity |
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axiomatic
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possessing self evident truth; taken as a given
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axiom (a universally recognized principle)
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canonical
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following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
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canon (an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature)
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capricious
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inclined to change one's mind impulsively (rash, quick), erratic (unstable), unpredictable
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censure
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to criticize severly; to offically rebuke
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chicanery
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trickery, subterfuge (deception, trick, scheme)
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connoisseur
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an informed or astute (smart, perceptive, crafty) judge in matters of taste
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convoluted
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complex or complicated
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disabuse
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to undeceive, to set right, to free a person from deception or error
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discordant
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conflicting, dissonant, harsh in sound
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disparate
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fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
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effrontery
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extreme boldness, presumptuousness (unwarrently bold)
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audacious
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eloquent
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well spoken, expressive, articulate
eloquence |
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enervate
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to weaken; to reduce in validity
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assuage, allay
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ennui
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restlessness or dissatisfaction resulting from boredom or apathy
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equivocate
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to use ambiguous language with deceptive intent
equivocal |
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erudite
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very learned and scholarly
erudition |
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exculpate
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to clear of blame
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exonerate
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exigent
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requiring immediate action or attention, urgent, pressing
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extemporaneous
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improvished (reduced to poverty; deprived of strength, validity, creativeness); done without preparation
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filibuster
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intentional obstruction esp using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
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fulminate
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to loudly attack or denounce
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censure
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ingenuous
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frank, candid, artless, lacking in sophistication
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inured
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accustomed to accepting something undesirable
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acquiescent (accepting passively)
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irascible
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easily angered; prone to temperamental outbrusts
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laud
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to praise highly
laudable laudatory |
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lucid
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clear, easily understood
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elucidate
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magnanimity
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the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart esp. in forgiving
magnanimous |
absolve (pardon an offense)
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martial
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associated with the war and the armed forces
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mundane
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of the world; typical or concerned with the ordinary
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nascent
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coming into being, in early developmental stages
nascency, nasence |
incipient
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nebulous
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vague, cloudy, lacking clearly defined form
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neologism
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a new word, expression or usage, the creation or use of new words or senses
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noxious
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harmful, injurious
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obtuse
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lacking sharpness of intellect, not clear or percise in thought or expression
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obviate
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to anticipate and make unnecessary
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paean
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a song or hymn (a song in praise of God) and thanksgiving
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parody
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a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect esp in art and literature
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satire
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perennial
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recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly
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(opposite: sporadic)
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perfidy
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intentional breach of faith, treachery
perfidious |
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perfunctory
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cursory (going rapidly over something), done without care or interest
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extemporaneous
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perspicacious
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acutely perceptive, having keen discernment
perspicacity |
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prattle
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to babble meaninglessly, to talk in an empty and idle (foolish) manner
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precipitate
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acting with excessive haste or impulse
to cause to happen before the anticipated or required |
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predilection
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a disposition in favor of something, preference
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propensity, proclivity
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prescience
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foreknowledge of events; knowing events prior to their occuring
prescient |
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prevaricate
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to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead
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qualms
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misgivings,reservations, causes for hesitancy
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recant
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to retract (withdraw) esp a previously held belief
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refute
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to disprove, to successfully argue against
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relegate
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to forcibly assign esp to lower place or position
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reticent
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quiet, reserved, reluctant (restrained) to express thoughts and feelings
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opposite: ebullience/ ebullient
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solicitous
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concerned and attentive, eager
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sordid
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characterized by filth (dirty), grime, or squalor, foul
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sporadic
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occuring only occasionally, or in scattered instances
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(opposite: perennial)
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squander
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to waste by spending or using irresposnsibly
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static
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not moving, active or in motion, at rest
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stupefy
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to amaze, stun, baffle
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stymie
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block, thwart, hinder
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synthesis
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the combination of parts to make a whole
synthesize |
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torque
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a force that causes rotation
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tortous
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winding, twisting, excessively complicated, not direct or straight forward, morally crooked or devious
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truculent
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fierce and cruel, eager to fight
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veracity
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truthfulness, honesty
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opposite: mendacity/ mendacious (the act of being untruthful, dishonest)
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virulent
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extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic (opposing, hostile, unfriendly)
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noxious
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voracious
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having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit, ravenous (craving or consuming large quantities of food; exceedingly eager or avid)
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waver
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to move to and fro; to sway (swing); to be unsettled in opinion
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desolation
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empty, alone
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propitiation
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win someone's favor; to appease or concilate someone or something
propitiate |
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abate
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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assuage, enervate
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accolade
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an expression of praise
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approbation, adulation, adoration
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ameliorate
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to make better or more tolerable
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ascetic
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one who practices rigid self denial esp as an act of religious devotion
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avarice
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greed esp for wealth
avaricious |
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burgeon
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to grow rapidly or flourish
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bucolic
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rustic and pastrol, characterisitics of rural areas and their inhabitants
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cacophony
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
cacophonous |
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castigation
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serve criticism or punishment
castigate |
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catalyst
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a substenance that accelerates the rate of chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
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caustic
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burning, stinging, causing corrosion, severly critical or sarcastic
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chary
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wary, cautious, sparing, choosy
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cogent
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appealing forcibly to the mind or reason, convincing
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complaisance
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
complaisant |
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contentious
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argumentative, quarrelsome, causing controversy or disagreement
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contrite
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regretful, penitent (caused by or showing sincere remorse), seeking forgiveness
contrition |
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culpable
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deserving blame, blame worthy
culpability |
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dearth
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smallness in quantity or number, scarcity, a lack
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opposite: abundant, extravagent, prodigious
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demur
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to oppose or question
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didactic
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intended to teach or instruct
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discretion
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions; at one's option or pleasure
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disinterested
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free of bias or self interest; impartial
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dogmatic
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expressing rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
dogma |
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ebullience
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the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings; high spirits
ebullient |
opposite: reticent
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eclectic
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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elegy
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a mournful poem, esp one lamenting the dead
elegaic |
eulogy
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emollient
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soothing, esp to the skin; making less harsh, mollifying, an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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empirical
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based on observation or experiment
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enigmatic
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mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand
enigma |
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ephemeral
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brief, fleeting
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esoteric
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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eulogy
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a speech honoring the dead
eulogize |
elegy
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exonerate
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to remove blame
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exculpate
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facetious
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playful, humorous
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fallacy
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an invalid or incorrect notion, a mistaken belief
fallacious |
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furtive
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marked by stealth, covery, surreptitious
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gregarious
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sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of other people
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harangue
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to deliver a pompous speech or tirade (a long, impassioned, emotional speech, zealous), a long pompous speech
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heretical
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violating accepted dogma or conventions
heresy |
iconoclast
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hyperbole
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an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
hyperbolic |
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impecunious
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lacking funds, without money, penniless, poor
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incipient
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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nascent
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inert
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unmoving, lethargic, sluggish
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innocuous
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harmless, causing no damage
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intransigent
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refusing to compromise
intransigence |
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inveigle
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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morose
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sad, sullen, melancholy
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odious
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evoking intense aversion or dislike
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opaque
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impenetrable by light, not reflecting light, hard to understand
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oscillation
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the act of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
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waver
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penurious
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penny pinching, excessively thrifty, ungenerous
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pernicious
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extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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noxious, virulent
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peruse
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to examine with great care
perusal |
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pious
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extremely reverant or devout, showing strong religious devotion
piety |
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precursor
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one that preceeds and indicates or announces another
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preen
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to dress up, to primp (to dress with care), to groom onself with elaborate care
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prodigious
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abundant in size, force or extent, extraordinary
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opposite: dearth
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prolific
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producing large volumes or amounts, productive
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putrefy
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to rot, decay, give a foul odor
putrid |
sordid, squalor
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quaff
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to drink deeply
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quiescense
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stillness, motionless, quality of being at rest
quiescent |
static
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redoubtable
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awe inspiring, worthy of honor
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sanction
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authoritative permission or approval, a penalty intended to enforce compliance, to give permission or authority to
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satire
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a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
satirical |
parody
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squalid
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sordid, wretched and dirty as from neglect
squalor |
sordid
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stoic
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indifferent or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast
stoicism |
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supplant
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to take place of, supersede
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torpid
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lethargic, sluggish, dormant
torpor |
inert
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ubiquitous
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existing everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered, widespread
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urbane
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sophisticated, refined, elegant
urbanity |
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vilify
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to defame, to characterize harshly, to speak ill of
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viscous
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thick, sticky
viscosity |
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acumen
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keen, accurate judgment or insight
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amalgamate
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to combine several parts ito the whole
amalgamation |
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archaic
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outdated; associated with an earlier perhaps more primitive time, ancient
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aver
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to state as a fact; to declare or assert
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asseverate, allege
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bolster
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to provide support or reinforcement
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bombastic
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pompous, grandiloquent, language that is full of long pretentious words used to impress others
bombast |
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diatribe
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a harsh denunciation (public condemnation)
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dissemble
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to disguise, to conceal, to mislead
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eccentric
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departing from the norms or conventions
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anomaly, aberrant
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endemic
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characteristics of or often found in a particular locality, region or people
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evanescent
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tending to disappear like vapor, vanishing
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ephemeral
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exacerbate
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to make worse or more severe
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fervent
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greatly emotional
fervor |
zealous
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fortuitous
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hapening by accident or chance
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germane
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relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
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grandilouence
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pompous speech or expression
grandiloquent |
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hackneyed
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rendered trite (overused) or commonplace by frequent usage
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halcyon
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calm and peaceful
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hedonism
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits esp to the pleasures of the senses
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hedonist is someone who pursues pleasure
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hegemony
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the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
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iconoclast
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one who attacks or undermines tranditional conventions or institutions
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heretical
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idolatrous
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excessive devotion to something
idolatry |
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impassive
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revealing no emotions
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imperturbable
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness
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implacable
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
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adamant, intractable
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impunity
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immunity from punishment or penalty
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inchoate
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in an initial stage, not fully formed
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nascent, incipient
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infelicitous
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unfortunate, inappropriate
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insipid
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without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, bland, dull, favorless
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loquacious
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extremely talkative
loquacity |
garrulous
opposite: laconic, terse |
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luminous
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characterised by brightness and emission of light
luminance |
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malevolent
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having or showing vicious (ferocious and violent) ill will, spite or hatred
malevolence |
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malleable
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capable of being shaped or formed, tractable (docile: easy to control or persuade), pliable (flexible, easily influenced, adaptable)
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opposite: implacable, intractable, adamant
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mendacity
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the condition of being untruthful, dishonesty
mendacious |
veracity
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meticulous
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characterized by extreme care and percision, attentive to detail
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misanthrope
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one who hates all other humans
misanthropic |
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mitigate
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to make or become less severe or intense, to moderate
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opposite: exacerbate
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obdurate
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unyielding, hardhearted, intractable
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obsequious
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exhibiting a fawning (seek favor by flattery) attentiveness, submissive (excessively eager to please or obey)
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occlude
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o obstruct or block
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stymie
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opprobrium
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disgrace, contempt, scorn
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pedagogy
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the profession or principles of teaching or instructing
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pedantic
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overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education, show-offish about one's knowledge
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penury
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poverty, destitution
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pervasive
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having the tendency to permeate (infuse, spread) or spread throughout
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pine
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yearn intensely (long for, feel affection), to languish (to become weak and lose vitality as a result of grief and longing), to long for something that is being denied
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pirate
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to illegally use or reproduce
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pith
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the essential or central part
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pithy
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precise and brief
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succinct
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placate
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to appease, to calm by making concessions (priviledge)
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opposite: implacable
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platitude
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a superficial remark esp if one presented as meaningful, a pointless, unoriginal comment made as though it was helpful or significant
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plummet
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to plunge (move suddenly downwards) or drop straight down
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polemical
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controversial, argumentative
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contentious
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prodigal
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recklessly wasetful, extravagant, profuse, lavish (abundant)
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prodigious
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profuse
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given or coming forth abundantly, extravagant
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proliferate
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to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
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queries
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questions, inquiries, doubts in the mind, reservations
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querulous
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prone to complaining or grumbling (complaint), peevish (irratible, bad tempered)
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rancorous
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characterized by bitter, long lasting resentment
rancor |
malevolence
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recalcitrant
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obstinately defiant of authority, difficult to manage
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contumacious
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repudiate
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to refuse to have anything to do with, to disown, deny, reject something
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abjure
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rescind
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to invalidate, to repeal (officially end the validity of something), to retract
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abrogate
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reverent
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marked by, feeling or expressing a feeling of profound (great) awe and respect
reverence |
devout, fervor, zealous
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rhetoric
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the art or study of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
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salubrious
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promoting to health and well being
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solvent
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able to meet financial obligations, able to disolve another substance
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specious
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seeming true but actually being fallacious, misleadingly attractive, plausible but false
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platitude
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spurious
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lacking the authenticity or validity, false, counterfeit
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subpoena
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a court order requiring appearance and/ or testimony
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succinct
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breif, concise
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pithy
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superfluous
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exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
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surfeit
|
|
|
surfeit
|
an overabundant supply, excess, to feed or supply to excess
|
superfluous
|
|
|
tenacity
|
the quality of adherence ot persistence to something valued, persistent determination
tenacious |
|
|
|
tenuous
|
having little substance or strength, flimsy (extremely delicate, fine, unconvincing), weak
|
diaphonous
opposite: viscous |
|
|
tirade
|
a long and extremely critical speech, a harsh denunciation
|
|
|
|
transient
|
fleeting, passing quickly, brief
|
evanescent, ephemeral
|
|
|
zealous
|
fervent, ardent, impassioned, devoted to a cause
|
a zealot is a zealous person
|
|
|
resentment
|
ill feelings caused by a sense of having badly treated
|
|
|
|
acerbic
|
having a sour or bitter taste or character, sharp, biting
|
acetic, acidulous
|
|
|
amenable
|
agreeable, responsive to suggestion
|
acquiescent
|
|
|
anachronism
|
something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
|
archaic
|
|
|
astringent
|
having a tightening effect on living tissue, harsh, severe
|
|
|
|
contiguous
|
sharing a border, touching, adjacent
|
|
|
|
convention
|
a generally agreed upon practice or attitude
|
|
|
|
credulous
|
tending to believe too readily, gullible
credulity |
|
|
|
cynicism
|
an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
cynical |
|
|
|
decorum
|
polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
decorous |
|
|
|
derision
|
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous (showing or expressing contempt) treatment
derisive, deride |
satire
|
|
|
desicate
|
to dry out or dehydrate, to make dry or dull
|
|
|
|
dilettante
|
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
|
|
|
|
disparage
|
to slight or belittle
|
|
|
|
divulge
|
to disclose something secret
|
|
|
|
fawn
|
to flatter or praise excessively
|
obsequious
|
|
|
flout
|
to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention
|
heretical, iconoclast
|
|
|
garrulous
|
pointlessly talkative, talking too much, wordy
|
loquacious
opposite: laconic, terse |
|
|
glib
|
marked by ease or informality, nonchalant, lacking in depth, superficial
|
|
|
|
nonchalant
|
indifferent, unexcited
|
|
|
|
hubris
|
arrogance, excessive pride or self confidence
|
opposite: humble
|
|
|
imminent
|
about to happen, impending
|
|
|
|
immutable
|
not capable of change
|
intractable, implacable
opposite: malleable, tractable, placable |
|
|
impetuous
|
hastly or rashly energetic, impulsive and vehement (zealous, ardent)
|
|
|
|
indifferent
|
having no interest or concern, showing no bias or prejudice
|
impartial
|
|
|
inimical
|
damaging, harmful, injurious
|
noxious, pernicious
opposite: innocuous |
|
|
laconic
|
using few words, terse
|
opposite: loquacious, garrulous
|
|
|
maverick
|
an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party
|
|
|
|
mercurial
|
characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
|
think: mercury
|
|
|
mollify
|
to calm, to soothe, to reduce in emotional intensity
|
emollient
|
|
|
neophyte
|
a recent convert, a beginner, novice
|
greenhorn
|
|
|
obfuscate
|
to deliberately obscure, to make confusing
|
perplex, stymie
|
|
|
obstinate
|
stubborn, hardheaded, uncompromising
|
intransigent
|
|
|
ostentatious
|
characterized by or given to pretentious display, showy
|
fawn, obsequious
|
|
|
prevade
|
to permeate throughout
pervasive |
|
|
|
phlegmatic
|
calm, sluggish, unemotional
|
inert, topor
|
|
|
plethora
|
an overabundance, a surplus (above what is needed)
|
superfluous, surfeit, extravagant, prodigal, prodigious
|
|
|
pragmatic
|
pratical rather than idealistic
|
empirical
|
|
|
presumptuous
|
overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy), taking liberties
|
effrontery
|
|
|
pristine
|
pure, uncorrupted, clean
|
unalloyed
|
|
|
probity
|
adherence to highest principles, complete and confirmed integrity, uprightness
|
|
|
|
proclivity
|
a natural predisposition or inclination
|
predilection, propensity
|
|
|
profligate
|
excessively wasetful, recklessly extravagant
profligacy |
|
|
|
propensity
|
a natural inclination or tendency
penchant |
predilection, proclivity
|
|
|
prosaic
|
dull, lacking in spirit or imagination
|
insipid
|
|
|
pungent
|
characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste
|
|
|
|
quixotic
|
foolishly impractical, marked by lofty (extending high in the air) romantic ideals
|
|
|
|
quotidian
|
occurring or recurring daily, commonplace
|
hackneyed, perennial
|
|
|
rarefy
|
to make or become thin, less dense, to refine
|
|
|
|
recondite
|
hidden, concealed, difficult to understand, obscure
|
|
|
|
refulgent
|
radiant, shiny, brilliant
|
|
|
|
renege
|
to fail to honor a commitment, to go back on a promise
|
|
|
|
sedulous
|
diligent (constant in effort to accomplish something), persistent, hard working
|
assiduous
|
|
|
shard
|
a piece of broken pottery or glass
|
|
|
|
soporific
|
causing drowsiness, tending to induce sleep
|
|
|
|
sparse
|
thin, not dense, arranged at widely spaced intervals
|
opposite: viscous
rarefy (to make thin) |
|
|
spendthrift
|
one who spends money wastefully
|
squandor
|
|
|
subtle
|
not obvious, elusive, difficult to discern
|
|
|
|
tacit
|
implied, not explicitly stated
|
implicit
opposite: manifest |
|
|
terse
|
brief and concise in wording
|
laconic
opposite: garrulous, loquacious |
|
|
tout
|
to publicly praise or promote
|
|
|
|
trenchant
|
sharply perceptive, keen, penetrating
|
acumen, perspicacious, astute
|
|
|
unfeigned
|
genuine, not false or hypocritical
|
ingenuous
opposite: specious, spurious |
|
|
untenable
|
indefensible, not viable, uninhabitable
|
|
|
|
vacillate
|
to waver undecisively between one course of action or opinion and another
|
waver, erratic, capricious
|
|
|
variegated
|
multicolored, characterized by a variety of patches of different colors
|
pied
|
|
|
vexation
|
annoyance, irritation
vex |
|
|
|
vigilant
|
alertly watchful
vigilance |
|
|
|
vituperate
|
to use harsh, condemnatory language, to abuse or censure severly or abusively
|
berate (to scold, rebuke)
|
|
|
volatile
|
readily changing to a vapor, changeable, fickle (likely to change), explosive
volatility |
|
|
|
propriety
|
conformity to established standards of good or proper behaviors or manners
|
courtesy
think: proper |
|
|
hypocritical
|
a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, that he or she does not actually possess.
|
|
|
|
alloy
|
to commingle, to debase by mixing with something inferior
|
unalloyed: pure
adulterate |
|
|
appropriate
|
to take for one's own use, confiscate (to take somebody's property with authority, or appropriate property for personal use as if with authority
|
confiscate
|
|
|
arrest, arresting
|
to suspend, to engage, holding one's attention: as in arrested adolescence, an arresting portrait
|
|
|
|
august
|
majestic, venerable (worthy of respect, ancient)
|
|
|
|
bent
|
leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
|
|
|
|
broach
|
bring up, announce, begin to talk about a difficult subject
|
|
|
|
brook
|
to tolerate, endure, countenance (self control, face or expression)
|
|
|
|
cardinal
|
major, as in cardinal sin
|
|
|
|
chauvinist
|
a blindly devoted patriot
|
|
|
|
color
|
to change as if by dyeing, to distort, gloss (shininess, deceptive, superficial) or affect (usually the first)
|
|
|
|
consequential
|
pompous, self important, logically important
|
|
|
|
damp
|
to diminish the intensity or check the vibration of a sound
|
|
|
|
die
|
a tool used for shaping, as in a tool-and-die-shop
|
|
|
|
essay
|
to test or try, attempt, experiment
|
assay
|
|
|
exact
|
to demand, call for, require, take
|
|
|
|
fell
|
to cause to fall by striking, inhumanly cruel
|
|
|
|
flag
|
to sag (bend under weight) or droop (hang or bend down, be dispirited), to become spiritless, to decline
|
think: a flag on a windless day
|
|
|
flip
|
sarcastic, impertinent, as in flippant
|
|
|
|
impertinent
|
brash (showing bold or rude lack of respect esp to a superior), irrelevant
|
|
|
|
ford
|
to wade (walk in water, read through something with difficulty) across the shallow part of a river or stream
|
|
|
|
grouse
|
to complain or grumble
|
querulous
|
|
|
guy
|
a rope, cord, or cable attached to something as a brace (clamp; a device that keeps something steady or holds two things together; support for something constructed) or guide, to steady or reinforce using a guy
|
think: guide
|
|
|
intimate
|
to imply, suggest, or insinuate (imply something)
|
|
|
|
list
|
to tilt or lean to one side
|
|
|
|
mast
|
vertical support for sails
|
|
|
|
lumber
|
to move heavily or clumsily
|
|
|
|
meet
|
fitting or proper
|
|
|
|
milk
|
to exploit (take advantage of somebody, use something for benefit), to squeeze every last ounce of it
|
|
|
|
mince
|
pronounce (utter sounds or words, formally declare something) or speak affectedly, speak too carefully, take tiny steps, tiptoe
|
euphemize: to avoid saying or writing something direct or harsh, unpleasant or offensive by using milder or more indirect language
euphemisms: less offensive synonyms |
|
|
nice
|
exacting, fastidious, extremely precise
|
fastidious: concerned that even the smallest details should be just right
|
|
|
obtain
|
to be established, accepted, or customary
|
|
|
|
occult
|
hidden, concealed, beyond comprehension
|
|
|
|
pedestrian
|
commonplace, trite, unremarkable, quotidian
|
hackneyed
|
|
|
pied
|
multicolored, usually in blotches (spot or remark, blemish on skin; a reddish patch on the skin)
|
variegated
|
|
|
plastic
|
moldable, pliable, not rigid (firm, stiff, inflexible)
|
|
|
|
pluck
|
courage, spunk (spiritedness or eager), fortitude (determination)
|
|
|
|
prize
|
to pry, to press or force with a lever, something taken by force, spoils
|
|
|
|
rail
|
to complain about bitterly
|
querulous, grouse
|
|
|
rent (rend)
|
torn, an opening or tear caused by such
|
|
|
|
quail
|
to loose courage, turn frightened
|
opposite: audacious, effrontery
|
|
|
qualify
|
to limit
|
|
|
|
sap
|
to enervate or weaken the validity of, a fool or nitwit (an offensive term that is deliberately insults someone's common sense or intelligence)
|
|
|
|
scurvy
|
contemptible (deserving contempt), despicable
|
|
|
|
reprobate
|
somebody immoral or dammed
|
|
|
|
singular
|
exceptional, unusual, odd
|
|
|
|
stand
|
a group of trees
|
|
|
|
steep
|
to saturate or completely soak, as in to let a tea bag steep
|
|
|
|
strut
|
the supporting structure cross part of a wing, walk in an arrogant way, show off
|
|
|
|
table
|
to remove (as a parlimentary motion) from consideration
|
abeyance
|
|
|
tender
|
to proffer (hold something out to someone so that he can grasp it, to propose something), or offer
|
|
|
|
waffle
|
to equivocate, to change one's position
|
|
|
|
wag
|
wit (ingenious humor), joker
|
|
|
|
ingenious
|
clever, effective, inventive
|
|
|
|
ingenuous
|
innocent and unwordly, seeming honest
|
|
|
|
abjure
|
to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
|
solemnly: earnest, formal, religious
|
|
|
anathema
|
a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse or throughly loathed person or thing, doomed
|
excommunication
|
|
|
anodyne
|
soothing, something that assuages or allays pain or comforts
|
assuage, allay
|
|
|
apogee
|
farthest or highest point, culmination, zenith
|
|
|
|
apostate/ apostasy
|
one who abandons long held religious or political convictions (firmly held belief)
|
|
|
|
apotheosis
|
deification (make divine; God), glorification to godliness, an exalted example, a model of excellence or perfection
|
|
|
|
asperity
|
severity, rigor (severity, harshness), roughness, harshness, acrimony (bitterness and resentment esp in speech, attitude or tone), irritability
|
|
|
|
asseverate
|
to aver, allege (assert something without proof), assert
|
allege, assert, aver
|
|
|
assiduous
|
diligent, hard working, sedulous
|
|
|
|
augury
|
omen, portent
|
|
|
|
bellicose
|
belligerent (hostile or aggressive, engaged in war), pugnacious (quarrelsome), warlike
|
|
|
|
renounce
|
give up claim, title, position, right, reject belief, stop doing something
|
|
|
|
denounce
|
criticize publicly, charge somebody with wrongdoing
|
|
|
|
foreshadow
|
be warning of, to indicate or suggest something unpleasant that is going to happen
|
|
|
|
loathed
|
dislike somebody intensily
|
abhor
|
|
|
calumniate
|
to slander, make a false acqusation
|
slander: the act or offense of saying something false or malicious that damages someone's reputation
|
|
|
calumny
|
slander, aspersion
|
aspersion: slanderous remark
|
|
|
captious
|
disposed to point out trival faults, calculated to confuse or entrap in argument
|
|
|
|
cavil
|
to find fault without good reason
|
|
|
|
celerity
|
speed, alacrity
|
think: accelerate
|
|
|
chimera
|
an illusion, originally an imaginary fire breathing she monster
|
|
|
|
contumacious
|
insubordinate (disobedient), rebellious
|
recalcitrant
|
|
|
contumely
|
insult, scorn, aspersion
|
|
|
|
debacle
|
rout (crushing defeat), fiasco (humiliating failure), complete failure
|
|
|
|
denounement
|
an outcome or solution, the unraveling of a plot
|
unravel: become or make something understandable
|
|
|
descry
|
to discriminate or discern (see or notice something, unclear, understand something, distinguish)
|
|
|
|
desuetude
|
disuse
|
|
|
|
desultory
|
random, aimless, marked by lack of plan or purpose
|
|
|
|
diaphanous
|
transparent, gauzy (thin, delicate, light)
|
viscous
|
|
|
diffident
|
reserved, shy, unassuming, lacking in self confidence
|
|
|
|
dirge
|
a song of grief or lamentation
|
elegy, eulogy
|
|
|
encomium
|
glowing, enthusiastic, praise, tribute (expression of praise or gratitude), eulogy
|
panegyric
|
|
|
eschew
|
to shun (deliberately avoid something) or to avoid
|
|
|
|
excoriate
|
to censure scathing, to upbraid
|
denounce, diatribe
|
|
|
execrate
|
denounce, feel loathing for, curse, declare to be evil
|
|
|
|
exegesis
|
critical examination, explication
|
peruse
|
|
|
expiate
|
to atone (make up for mislead, to make reparation for a sin or a mistake) or make amends for
|
|
|
|
extirpate
|
to destroy, exterminate, cut out, exscind
|
|
|
|
fatuous
|
silly, inanely (silly, unsubstantial), foolish
|
|
|
|
fractious
|
quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly (uncontrollable), irritable
|
contumacious, recalcitrant
|
|
|
gainsay
|
to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
|
demur
|
|
|
heterodox
|
unorthodox, heretical, iconoclast
|
|
|
|
imbroglio
|
difficult or embarrassing situation
|
|
|
|
indefatigale
|
not easliy exhaustible (tire someone out), tireless, dogged (determined to continue without giving up inspite of difficulties
|
|
|
|
ineluctable
|
certain, inevitable
|
|
|
|
inimitable
|
one of a kind, peerless
|
think: not imitated
|
|
|
insouciant
|
unconcerned, carefree, heedless (not paying attention)
|
|
|
|
inveterate
|
deep rooted, ingrained (worked deep into something), habitual
|
|
|
|
jejune
|
vapid (dull), uninteresting, childish, immature
|
nugatory, puerile
|
|
|
lubricious
|
lewd, wanton (sexually offensive), greasy, slippery
|
|
|
|
mendicant
|
a beggar, supplicant
|
servile
|
|
|
minatory
|
menacing (possible source of danger), threatening
|
Minator: a threatening creature
|
|
|
nadir
|
low point
|
perigee: nearest point to orbited object
|
|
|
nonplussed
|
baffled, bewildered, at loss for what to do or think
|
baffle: puzzle someone, frustrate something
bewildered: confusing |
|
|
obstreperous
|
noisily and stubbornly defiant (disobedient), aggressively boisterous (noisy,energetic, turbulent: wild and rough)
|
contumacious, recalcitrant
|
|
|
ossified
|
tending to become more rigid, conventional, sterile and reactionary with age, literally turned into bone
|
ossify
|
|
|
palliate
|
to make something seem less serious, to gloss over, to make less severe or intense
|
opposite: exacerbate
|
|
|
meretricious
|
cheap, flashy, showy, attracting by false show
|
gawdy: showy
tawdry: gaudy and of poor quality |
|
|
panegyric
|
formal praise, eulogy, expressing elaborate praise
panegyrical |
encomium
|
|
|
parsimonious
|
cheap, miserly
|
frugal
|
|
|
pellucid
|
transparent, easy to understand, limpid (clear, lucid, unworried)
|
think: lucid
|
|
|
peroration
|
the concluding part of a speech, flowery, rhetorical speech
|
perorate:to speak formally
|
|
|
plangent
|
pounding, thundering, resounding
|
pounding: strike something hard and repeatedly
resounding: clear and emphatic (clear and unequivocal), echoing loudly |
|
|
prolix
|
long winded, verbose (too many words)
|
verbosity, garrulous, loquacious
|
|
|
propitiate
|
to appease, to conciliate (bring disputing sides together)
|
|
|
|
propitious
|
auspicious: favorable, promising well for future, marked by lucky signs of good omen and therefore the promise of success or happiness
|
|
|
|
puerile
|
childish, immature
|
jejune, nugatory
|
|
|
pusillanimous
|
cowardly, craven (so lacking of courage as to be worthy of contempt)
|
quail
|
|
|
remonstrate
|
to protest, object
|
demonstrate
|
|
|
sagacious
|
having sound judgment, perceptive, wise
|
sage, perspicacious
|
|
|
salacious
|
lustful, bawdy, lascivious
|
lascivious, lustful, lewd, wanton, bawdy, ribald
|
|
|
lust
|
sexual desire
|
|
|
|
lascivious
|
showing a desire for sex, erotic (provoking lust)
|
|
|
|
bawdy
|
ribald in a frank, humorous, crude way
|
|
|
|
ribald
|
humorous but rude and valgar (often involving jokes about sex)
|
|
|
|
salutary
|
remedial, wholesome, causing improvement
|
salubrious
|
|
|
sanguine
|
cheerful, confident, optimistic
|
opposite: diffident
|
|
|
saturnine
|
gloomy, dark, sullen, morose
|
stygian
|
|
|
sententious
|
aphoristic or moralistic, epigrammatic, tending to moralize excessively
|
|
|
|
stygian
|
gloomy, dark
|
saturnine
|
|
|
sycophant
|
toady, servile, self seeking flatterer, parasite
|
toady: a self serving person who behaves in a servile sycophantic manner
mendicant |
|
|
tendentious
|
biased, showed marked tendencies
|
proclivity, propensity, inclination, predilection
opposite: impartial, indifferent |
|
|
timorous
|
timid (demonstrating a lack of courage or self confidence),
|
diffident, quail
|
|
|
tyro
|
novice, greenhorn (somebody easily duped, lacks experience and maybe naive or gullibe), rank amateur
|
credulous, gullible
|
|
|
vitiate
|
to corrupt, debase, spoil, make ineffective
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adulterate, commingle, alloy
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voluble
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fluent, verbal, having easy use of spoken language
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rhetoric
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