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629 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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deleterious
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having a harmful effect; injurious
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ensconce
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to hide or place in a
secure place |
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rescind
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v.:to invalidate; to repeal; to retract
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debunk
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to expose the falseness of
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gerrymander
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v.:to set up lines for political
districts so that the party in power is more likely to win an election |
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dulcet
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adj.:melodious, harmonious
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asylum
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a place of retreat or security
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heretical
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adj.:violating accepted dogma or convention
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desiderate
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v.:to seek earnestly, to express a desire
for, to miss |
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alleviate
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to ease a pain or a burden
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objurgate
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v.:to scold sharply
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terse
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adj.:brief and concise in wording
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punctilious
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strictly attentive to minute details in
conduct; picky |
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extirpate
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v.:to rip up by the roots; to abolish or
exterminate; to remove by surgery |
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apprise
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v.:to give notice to, inform
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apprise
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v.:to give notice to, inform
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vituperate
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v.:to revile, to scold
harshly, to vilify |
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imminent
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adj.:about to happen; impending
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zealous
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passionate; extremely interested in pursuing
something |
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ablate
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v.:to remove through erosion or evaporation; to become
reduced by erosion or evaporation |
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antipathy
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n.:aversion, dislike
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tenacity
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persistent adherence to a belief or a point
of view |
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manumit
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v.:to release from slavery
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squander
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v.:to waste by spending or using irresponsibly
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obstinate
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stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course
of action |
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impunity
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n.:immunity from punishment or penalty
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interdict
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v.:to prohibit, to forbid; to
stop enemy movement by destroying supply lines |
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prognosticate
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v.:to predict; foreshadow, presage
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pervasive
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adj.:having the tendency to permeate or spread throughout
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intrepid
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courageous; fearless
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fastidious
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possessing careful attention to detail;
difficult to please |
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posit
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v.:to postulate or theorize, to assume to be true; to
place in position |
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enigmatic
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adj.:mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
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amenable
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adj.:agreeable; responsive to suggestion
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bruit (BROOT)
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v.:to pass news of; repeat
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exemplary
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commendable
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gloze
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v.:to palliate, to minimize, to gloss (over)
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dogged
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stubbornly persevering
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disinterested
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adj.:indifferent; free from self-interest
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undulate
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v.:to move smoothly in a wavelike motion; to
cause to move smoothly in a wavelike motion |
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martial
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adj.:associated with war and the armed forces
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diligent
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marked by painstaking effort; hard-working
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conscientious
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careful and principled
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relegate
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v.:to forcibly assign, especially to a lower place or position
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deliquesce
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v.:to melt away, to become liquid
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assiduous
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hard-working
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brook
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v.:to tolerate, endure
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macerate (MAS uh rayt
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v.:to make or become soft by soaking; to cause to
waste away (usually be starving) |
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adamant
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extremely stubborn
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susurrate
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v.:to make a soft rustling sound, to whisper
n.:a whispering sound |
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audacious
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adj.:daring and fearless; recklessly bold
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assuage
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v.:to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
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disparate
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fundamentally distinct or different
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fleer (FLIR)
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v.:to smirk in contempt, to leer; n.:a derisive look, a
sneer |
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gauche
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adj.:crude, awkward, tasteless
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disingenuous
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not straightforward; crafty
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unfeigned
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adj.:genuine; not false or hypocritical
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eschew
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v.:to shun
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usurp
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to take power by force
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sough(SAOW or SUHF)
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v.:to make a murmuring or sighing sound n.:a soft
murmuring sound |
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rail
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v.:to complain about bitterly
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omnipotent
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all-powerful
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crepitate
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v.:to make a crackling noise; to crackle
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auspicious
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adj.:favorable, prosperous, well-omened
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prattle
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v.:to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner
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cachinnate
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v.:to laugh really hard; to guffaw
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imperious
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arrogantly domineering or overbearing
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haughty
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condescendingly proud
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immolate
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v.:to kill as a sacrificial victim; to commit
suicide by fire; to destroy |
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bolster
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v.:to provide support or reinforcement
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dictatorial
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domineering; oppressively overbearing
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jape
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v.:to joke, to quip; to make fun of n.:a joke, something
meant to amuse |
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eclectic
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adj.:composed of elements drawn from various sources
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wreak
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v.:to inflict; to vent, to indulge; to cause
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innocuous
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adj.:harmless; causing no damage
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despotic
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characterized by exercising absolute power
tyrannically |
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renege
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v.:to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise
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annihilate
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to destroy completely
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mollycoddle
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v.:to indulge, to pamper; n.:a boy who
is pampered; a wimp or weakling |
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abdicate
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to formally give up power
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coruscate
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v.:to glitter or sparkle; to be brilliant in
technique or intelligence |
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malleable
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adj.:capable of being shaped or formed; tractable; pliable
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kibitz
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v.:to give unasked-for advice, esp. in a card game
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aesthetic
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adj.:dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or
the beautiful |
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parody
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an artistic work that imitates the style of
another work for comic effect |
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babbitt
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n.:a member of the middle class who is so fond of its
ideals as to be narrow minded and conceited |
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decorum
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n.:polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
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thwart
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to prevent the occurrence of
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wary
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on guard; watchful
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troglodyte
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n.:a member of any ancient or mythological
race that dwelt in caves; a recluse, a brutish person, a hermit |
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virulent
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adj.:extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or
antagonistic |
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nocturnal
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of or occurring in the night
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nimbus
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n.:a luminous cloud surrounding an ancient god while
on earth; an atmosphere that surrounds a person or thing; a brilliant light that surrounds a holy person, god, or emperor that is used in artistic representation to denote holiness; a rain cloud |
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credulous
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adj.:tending to believe too readily; gullible
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conflagration
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a widespread fire
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paramour
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n.:a lover, esp. an illicit lover
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hackneyed
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adj.:rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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apodictic
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adj.:unequivocally true
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dyad
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n.:two individuals thought of as a pair
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sturm und drang
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n.:turmoil; a late eighteenth
century German literary movement in which a person's individual struggle against conventional society was a typical theme |
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nictate
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v.:to wink
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etiolated
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adj.:to whiten or become bleached
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divagate
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v.:to wander; to digress
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gad
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v.:to wander with no apparent purpose
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sashay
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v.:to walk, to glide in an easy or casual manner; to
strut; to do a certain dance move in which one foot slides sideways and is then followed by the other (like a gallop) n.:the dance move described above; an outing |
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ululate
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v.:to wail or howl loudly
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reify
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v.:to treat (mentally) something that is abstract as
if it were real |
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brook
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v.:to tolerate or endure
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moil
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v.:to toil; to work assiduously and continuously
n.:drudgery, confusion |
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twit
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v.:to tease, ridicule in a good humored way; n.:the act of
ridiculing; a taunt; (slang) a fool |
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burke
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v.:to suppress quietly or stifle; to disregard; to kill
someone through suffocation |
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contraindicate
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v.:to suggest that something is
inadvisable (usually used in discussing medical treatments) |
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perorate
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v.:to make a long speech, esp. in
a grandiloquent manner; to sum up a speech |
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exculpate
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v.:to free from blame, to prove to be
guiltless |
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ideate
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v.:to form an idea, to conceive
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coquet
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v.:to flirt; to dally
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predicate
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v.:to establish, to base; to affirm, to
declare; to ascribe a quality to (used with of) |
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tergiversate
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v.:to equivocate, evade, esp. in a
dishonorable manner; to desert a cause; apostatize |
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embrangle
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v.:to entangle; to mix up in confusion (also
imbrangle) |
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roister
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v.:to engage in boisterous revelry; to swagger
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immure
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v.:to enclose as if within a wall; to entomb into a
wall |
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gird
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v.:to encircle as with a belt; to prepare for action
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peculate
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v.:to embezzle money
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defalcate
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v.:to embezzle
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degauss
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v.:to eliminate the magnetic field of something
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quaff
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v.:to drink deeply; to drink of a liquid freely n.:a drink
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bedizen
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v.:to dress in a gaudy fashion
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educe
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v.:to draw out something that is present in a latent
state, elicit, evoke |
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sully
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v.:to dirty, soil or stain; to defile
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titivate
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v.:to decorate, spruce up, make alterations in
ones appearance |
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absquatulate
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v.:to decamp
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imprecate
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v.:to curse
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bray
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v.:to crush into powder
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emend
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v.:to correct, improve, esp. to correct a
literary text |
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disabuse
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v.:to correct someone; to free from
misconception |
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discombobulate
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v.:to confuse; to throw into a
state of chaos or confusion |
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homologate
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v.:to confirm officially
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adjure
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v.:to command earnestly
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masticate
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v.:to chew, to grind with the teeth; to grind
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diddle
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v.:to cheat or swindle (slang)
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dily
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a remarkable thing or a person (slang)
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confabulate
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v.:to chat; in psychology, to replace
fact with fantasy in memory |
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bowdlerize
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v.:to censor prudishly
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canoodle
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v.:to caress or make love; to persuade through
caressing |
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vaunt
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v.:to brag about; to brag
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gallivant
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v.:to bop about happily, esp. with members of
the opposite sex |
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nonplus
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v.:to bewilder, to make incapable of speaking or
doing n.:a state of confusion |
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genuflect
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v.:to bend one's knees or touch a knee to the
ground in worship; to grovel |
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decollate
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v.:to behead
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comport
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v.:to behave (oneself) in a particular manner; to
agree; to suit |
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ossify
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v.:to become bone; to become rigidly conventional,
to mold into a conventional pattern |
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niggle
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v.:to be obsessed with trivialities; to quibble, to
constantly find fault with |
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arrogate
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v.:to appropriate without right, to make undue
claim to, assume; to appropriate for another in an unwarranted manner |
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commove
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v.:to agitate; to move violently
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excoriate
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v.:to abrade, to wear the skin off; to
denounce scathingly |
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philippic
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n.:tirade, an attack
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serif
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n.:those little lines that are used in printing on the
end of broad strokes used to form the lines of a letter |
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empiricism
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n.:the view that experience is the only
valid source of knowledge; a way of practicing medicine in which all theory is disregarded and only practical experience is used; quackery |
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pleonasm
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n.:the use of an excess of words to express an
idea when only a few words would make the same statement clear to anyone who could see with his own eyes; superfluity |
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trope
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n.:the use of a word in a figurative sense, a figure of
speech |
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avatar
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n.:an archetype; a temporary incarnation of a
continuing entity; the embodiment of a Hindu deity, esp. Vishnu |
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babbitt
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n.:a member of the middle class who is so fond of its
ideals as to be narrow minded and conceited |
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gymnosophist
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n.:a member of an ancient Hindu sect
that wore no clothes and meditated a lot |
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farrago
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n.:a medley, a mixture
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omphaloskepsis
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n.:a meditation on one's navel
practiced by Eastern mystics to achieve mystical fulfillment |
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nostrum
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n.:a medicine, made up of secret
ingredients, whose efficacy is in question, and is usually prepared by the person selling it; a panacea |
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cachet
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n.:a mark or quality of distinction or
authenticity; prestige; an indication of approval |
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parlance
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n.:a manner of speaking, diction, idiom,
phraseology; a speech, an instance of speaking |
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epiphany
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n.:a manifestation of God or other divine
being; a sudden understanding of the essential meaning of something |
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ombudsman
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n.:a man who mediates
settlements between aggrieved parties, esp. representing people against the government; a mediator |
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sesquipedalian
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n.:a long word, or one with many
syllables adj.:given to using long words |
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juggernaut
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n.:a massive unstoppable
object that crushes anything in its path |
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ruck
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n.:a mass, a throng, a crowd; the group of horses left
behind in a race, or people who are not distinguishable as opposed to their leader |
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palaver
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n.:a long meeting or conference; idle chitchat;
talk meant to charm v.:to cajole, to wheedle; to partake of idle chitchat |
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screed
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n.:a long and monotonous tirade or a long letter
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grig
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n.:a lively person
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dada
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n.:a literary and artistic movement (1916-1923) in Europe
that thrived on absurdity, flouting conventional artistic values |
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portmanteau
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n.:a large suitcase; a portmanteau word is a
word made from two other words by combining sounds; e.g. smog |
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beguine
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n.:a kind of popular dance, associated
with Martinique; adj.:syncopated beat |
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sinecure
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n.:a job or position that pays
a salary but requires no work |
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nimrod
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n.:a hunter
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tor
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n.:a high rocky hill or pile of rocks
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chirr
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n.:a harsh sound similar to that made by crickets.
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nebbish
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an offensive term that deliberately insults somebody’s courage, personality, and initiative (insult)
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gemeinschaft
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n.:a group with similar tastes or a strong
sense of identity |
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gestalt
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n.:a group or configuration whose individual parts
cannot stand alone, nor can they be understood as simply the summation of the elements |
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claque
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n.:a group of people paid to applaud during a performance;
a group of obsequious admirers |
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coffle
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n.:a group of animals or prisoners chained in a line
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puce
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n.:a gray brownish purple
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bonhomie
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n.:a genial disposition; a
genial atmosphere |
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mercurial
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quick and changeable in mood
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dilettante
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n.:one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the
arts or a branch of knowledge |
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bonhomie
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n.:a genial disposition; a
genial atmosphere |
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syncretism
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n.:a fusion of differing systems of
belief or philosophy |
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syllogism
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n.:a form of logic in which major and minor
premises are made, and from them a conclusion is drawn; the process of deduction; a crafty or specious argument |
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coxcomb
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n.:a fop; a self-satisfied dandy
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schlemiel
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n.:a foolish, unlucky, clumsy wimp
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marplot
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n.:a foolish meddler who causes a plot to fail
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myrmidon
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n.:a follower who faithfully obeys orders
without asking questions |
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minx
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n.:a flirtatious young woman or girl
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mulct
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n.:a fine; a penalty v.:to fine; to swindle, to bleed
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metonymy
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n.:a figure of speech in which a word is
substituted for a related word with which it is associated |
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canard
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n.:a false, intentionally misleading story
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jactitation
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n.:a false boasting or claim, esp. one
that hurts others; a twitching of the body or its parts |
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homunculus
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n.:a dwarf, a small human; a tiny human
believed by early biologists to live in a sperm cell |
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oubliette
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n.:a dungeon which has only one exit, a trap door
in its roof |
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nepenthe
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n.:a drug or something else that helps someone
forget sorrow or pain |
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luftmensch
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n.:a dreamer; a person who is impractical
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pettifogger
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n.:a disreputable lawyer who works mainly
on petty cases; one who worries over trivial details |
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imbroglio
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n.:a difficult situation; a complicated
disagreement; a confused mass |
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argot
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n.:a dialect of a particular group
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charybdis
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n.:a destructive hazard
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cuckold
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n.:a derisive word for a man whose wife is
unfaithful; v.:to make into a cuckold |
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fop
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n.:a dandy, coxcomb, a man overly concerned with (and usually
vain about) his manners and clothes |
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diadem
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n.:a crown that symbolizes royalty; royal power;
v.:to adorn with a diadem |
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bower
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n.:a cottage or abode; a shelter in a garden made of tree
limbs |
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cognoscente
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n.:a connoisseur;
one with refined taste, esp. in the fine arts |
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mountebank
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n.:a conman who sells false medicines and
uses jokes or tricks to attract customers; an impostor or charlatan |
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trade-last
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n.:a compliment that one has overheard and is
willing to trade to a person if that person will repeat a favorable remark made about oneself |
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weltanschauung
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n.:a complete philosophy of the
universe, world view |
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votary
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n.:a committed worshiper; a zealously devoted
person; an enthusiast |
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dissonance
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n.:a combination of sounds that is harsh;
discord; discrepancy; strife |
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caryatid
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column in the shape of a draped female figure supporting a structure such as the frieze or porch of a classical Greek temple
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demimonde
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n.:a class of kept women or other woman of
lower social standing; a group with marginal success or respectability |
|
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gobbet
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n.:a chunk or piece, esp. of raw flesh; a lump, or
morsel; a mouthful |
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hobson's choice
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n.:a choice where one must take what
is offered or must take nothing at all |
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wunderkind
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n.:a child with exceptional talent who
becomes famous at an early age, a prodigy |
|
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pablum
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n.:Trite or simplistic writing, speech, or concepts; a
cereal for infants patented in 1932; something made palatable |
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ailurophile
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n.:a cat lover
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quidnunc
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n.:a busybody, one who needs to know everything
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tome
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n.:a book, esp. a large, heavy scholarly book
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incunabula
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n.:a book from before the invention
of the printing press (1501); anything in its infancy |
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hagiography
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n.:a biography of
saints; a biography that idealizes or worships its subjec |
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tyro
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n.:a beginner, one who understands the basics but lacks
any experience |
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bastinado
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n.:a beating; a form of punishment in which
a person is hit on the soles of his feet with a stick |
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bibelot
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n.:a bauble, a small decorative
object; a finely crafted miniature book |
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hootenanny
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n.:a "thingamajig"; an informal jam session
of singers with participation from the audience |
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schlimazel
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n.:a "born loser," an unlucky simp
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leitmotif
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n.:(music) a repeating theme
associated with a particular character (in Wagnerian opera); a dominant and recurring theme |
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demesne
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n.:possessed legally; land attached to a home or
estate; a region; a realm |
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fungible
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)adj.:able to replace something of equal value,
e.g. a quantity of grain that can replace the same amount; interchangeable |
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moot
|
n.:(law) a hypothetical case or trial used as an exercise;
<I>v.</I> to discuss, to broach adj.:subject to debate; of no legal significance; of no importance, made academic |
|
|
nadir
|
n.:(astronomy) the point diametrically opposed to the
zenith, directly below the observer; the lowest point |
|
|
weltschmerz
|
n.:world weariness
|
|
|
verbiage
|
n.:wordiness, too many words for the purpose; how
words are used to express something, diction, wording |
|
|
glabrous
|
adj.:without hair; smooth
|
|
|
pace
|
prep.:with deference to
|
|
|
sapient
|
adj.:wise, sagacious, shrewd
|
|
|
feral
|
adj.:wild by nature; tame animals whose
descendants have become wild; like a wild animal |
|
|
synesthesia
|
n.:when one sense informs the other (a
sound makes one see color); a description of one sense with a term used in another sense (loud pattern) |
|
|
synergy
|
n.:when combined or cooperative force is stronger
than its individual parts |
|
|
chary
|
adj.:wary, extremely cautious; sparing
|
|
|
flagitious
|
adj.:vicious, characterized by cruelty or
brutality, extremely wicked; scandalous |
|
|
agog
|
adj.:very excited; impatiently eager
|
|
|
panache
|
n.:verve; style; a plume of feathers, esp. on a
helmet |
|
|
chiaroscuro
|
n.:using light and shade for
representation in painting or drawing; the arrangements of such elements in a work of art |
|
|
hullabaloo
|
n.:uproar, great noise or excitement;
excited confusion |
|
|
fractious
|
adj.:unruly, with a tendency to make trouble;
cranky |
|
|
indeterminism
|
n.:unpredictability; the
philosophical theory that not everything is predetermined |
|
|
sui generis
|
adj.:unique, of its own kind
|
|
|
decalogue
|
n.:the Ten Commandments; a set of rules that is
fundamental |
|
|
psephology
|
n.:the study of elections
|
|
|
numismatics
|
n.:the study of coins or currency; the
collecting of coins or currency |
|
|
tintinnabulation
|
n.:the sound made when
bells ring |
|
|
dybbuk
|
n.:the soul of a dead person that controls a living
person's behavior |
|
|
fillip
|
n.:the snap made when a finger is pressed and held
against one's thumb and then suddenly released; a small stimulus (also filip) v.:to strike with a fillip, to stimulate |
|
|
doyenne
|
n.:the senior female member of a group
|
|
|
hermeneutics
|
n.:the science of interpretation
|
|
|
anomie
|
n.:the resultant instability caused by an erosion of
values; unsocial behavior caused by a person's disorganization |
|
|
abreaction
|
n.:the release of pent-up
emotions through verbalizing a previous event that caused a conflict or catharsis (psychology) |
|
|
atavism
|
n.:the reappearance or return
of a previous trait after a period in which the trait had not appeared |
|
|
ubiety
|
n.:the quality of being in a particular position
or location, whereness |
|
|
dharma
|
n.:the principle that orders the universe; one's
conduct with regard to that principle; something's essential function |
|
|
prophylaxis
|
n.:the prevention or protection from
disease |
|
|
apogee
|
.:the point of a moon or an artificial satellite
when it is as far away as possible from the center of its orbit; the apex or highest point |
|
|
determinism
|
n.:the philosophy that everything is
caused by some previous action that is out of human hands |
|
|
positivism
|
n.:the philosophical theory that only
sense perceptions can be used for precise thought; similar to empiricism |
|
|
ontology
|
n.:the philosophical study of the nature of
being |
|
|
interregnum
|
n.:the period between the end of one
sovereign's reign and the beginning of another's; a period when government has stopped temporarily |
|
|
morass
|
something that traps, confuses, or overwhelms
|
|
|
laudatory
|
expressing great praise
|
|
|
intuitive
|
knowing or perceiving quickly and readily
|
|
|
eclectic
|
made up of a variety of sources or styles
|
|
|
dilettante
|
a dabbler in, or one who superficially
understands an art or a field of knowledge |
|
|
malfeasance
|
misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a
public official |
|
|
malice
|
extreme ill will or spite
|
|
|
brittle
|
easily broken when subjected to pressure
|
|
|
toxic
|
poisonous
|
|
|
novice
|
a beginner
|
|
|
nascent
|
coming into existence; emerging
|
|
|
naive
|
lacking sophistication
|
|
|
emulate
|
to try to equal or excel, especially through
imitation |
|
|
archaic
|
characteristic of an earlier, more primitive
period; old-fashioned |
|
|
staid
|
characterized by a strait-laced sense of propriety;
serious |
|
|
genre
|
escribing a category of artistic endeavor
|
|
|
austere
|
somber, stern
|
|
|
tenet
|
a principle held as being true by a person or an
organization |
|
|
prudent
|
exercising good judgment or common sense
|
|
|
prosaic
|
unimaginative; dull
|
|
|
mundane
|
commonplace; ordinary
|
|
|
immutable
|
not able to be changed
|
|
|
trepidation
|
uncertainty; apprehension
|
|
|
timorous
|
shy; timid
|
|
|
tenuous
|
having little substance or strength; shaky;
flimsy |
|
|
tacit
|
implied but not actually expressed
|
|
|
obscure
|
relatively unknown; or to conceal or make
indistinct |
|
|
ephemeral
|
lasting for a markedly brief time
|
|
|
wane
|
to decrease gradually in intensity; decline
|
|
|
truncated
|
shortened; cut off
|
|
|
obsolete
|
no longer in use; old-fashioned
|
|
|
lament
|
to express grief for; mourn
|
|
|
laconic
|
using few words
|
|
|
impinge
|
to encroach in a way that violates the rights of
another |
|
|
pervasive
|
having the quality or tendency to be
everywhere at the same time |
|
|
parochial
|
narrow in scope
|
|
|
inveterate
|
long established; deep-rooted; habitual
|
|
|
innate
|
possessed at birth; inborn
|
|
|
indigenous
|
riginating and living in a particular area
|
|
|
incumbent
|
mposed as a duty; obligatory
|
|
|
penitent
|
expressing remorse for one’s misdeeds
Examples: |
|
|
vindicated
|
freed from blame
|
|
|
jurisprudence
|
the philosophy or science of law
|
|
|
incontrovertible
|
indisputable; not open to
question |
|
|
biased
|
prejudiced
|
|
|
plausible
|
seemingly valid or acceptable; credible
|
|
|
facile
|
one or achieved with little effort; easy
|
|
|
solvent
|
able to pay one’s debts
|
|
|
apt
|
suitable; appropriate
|
|
|
feasible
|
capable of being accomplished; possible
|
|
|
equanimity
|
the quality of being calm and
even-tempered; composure |
|
|
catalog
|
to make an itemized list of
|
|
|
impetuous
|
characterized by sudden energy or emotion
|
|
|
furtive
|
characterized by stealth; sneaky
|
|
|
reclamation
|
a restoration or rehabilitation to
productivity or usefulness |
|
|
stratagem
|
a clever trick used to deceive or outwit
|
|
|
rancorous
|
hateful; marked by deep-seated ill will
|
|
|
pugnacious
|
combative; belligerent
|
|
|
implacable
|
impossible to appease
|
|
|
heresy
|
an opinion that disagrees with established,
dearly-held beliefs |
|
|
enmity
|
mutual hatred or ill-will
|
|
|
coup
|
a brilliant and sudden overthrow of a government
|
|
|
clandestine
|
secretive, especially in regard to
concealing an illicit purpose |
|
|
temperate
|
moderate; mild
|
|
|
arid
|
describing a dry, rainless climate
|
|
|
curtailed
|
cut short; abbreviated
|
|
|
insightful
|
perceptive
|
|
|
terse
|
brief and to the point; concise
|
|
|
pragmatic
|
practical
|
|
|
frank
|
open and sincere in expression; straightforward
|
|
|
burgeoning
|
expanding or growing rapidly
|
|
|
ample
|
describing a large amount of something
|
|
|
rapport
|
a relationship of mutual trust or affinity
|
|
|
hackneyed
|
overly familiar through overuse; trite
|
|
|
florid
|
describing flowery or elaborate speech
|
|
|
inconsequential
|
unimportant
|
|
|
arbiter
|
a judge who decides a disputed issue
|
|
|
aesthetic
|
aving to do with the appreciation of beauty
|
|
|
trite
|
unoriginal; overused; stale
|
|
|
pejorative
|
describing words or phrases that belittle
or speak negatively of someone |
|
|
glower
|
to look or stare angrily or sullenly
|
|
|
disdain
|
to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on
|
|
|
capricious
|
impulsive and unpredictable
|
|
|
spurious
|
not genuine; false
|
|
|
rehabilitate
|
to restore to good health, useful
life or good condition |
|
|
regulation
|
a principle or condition that
customarily governs behavior |
|
|
regret
|
a sense of loss and longing for someone or something
gone |
|
|
regeneration
|
the renewal or restoration of
something |
|
|
refurbish
|
to restore or brighten up
|
|
|
refrain
|
a recurring phrase of a poem or song
|
|
|
reflection
|
the return of light or sound waves; careful
consideration |
|
|
redundant
|
more than is needed, desired, or required
|
|
|
ravenous
|
very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or
gratification |
|
|
medley
|
an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical
pieces |
|
|
idyllic
|
simple and carefree
|
|
|
embellish
|
to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
|
|
|
decorous
|
proper; marked by good taste
|
|
|
gourmand
|
a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to
excess |
|
|
goad
|
to provoke; to stir to action or feeling
|
|
|
fortuitous
|
having no cause or apparent cause;
occurring by happy chance |
|
|
fickle
|
marked by erratic changes in affections or
attachments |
|
|
dogmatic
|
characterized by a stubborn adherence to
insufficiently proved beliefs |
|
|
didactic
|
intended to instruct
|
|
|
faction
|
a party or group (as within a government) that is
often contentious or self-seeking |
|
|
ecstatic
|
feeling great rapture or delight
|
|
|
caustic
|
bitingly sarcastic or witty
|
|
|
mural
|
a big painting applied directly to a wall
|
|
|
repel
|
cause aversion in; repulse
|
|
|
repeal
|
to recall; to call back
|
|
|
renowned
|
widely known and esteemed
|
|
|
renounce
|
to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any
further |
|
|
render
|
to cause to be, or to become
|
|
|
remuneration
|
the act of paying for goods or
services or to recompense for losses |
|
|
remorseful
|
motivated by a sense of guilt for past
wrongs |
|
|
dubious
|
doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
|
|
|
aberration
|
a deviation from the way things normally
happen or are done |
|
|
disparage
|
to speak of in a slighting way or negatively;
to belittle |
|
|
vilify
|
to make vicious statements about
|
|
|
vacuous
|
devoid of matter; empty
|
|
|
replicate
|
to make, do, or perform again
|
|
|
replica
|
a copy exact in all details
|
|
|
replenish
|
to fill or build up again; to nourish
|
|
|
repetition
|
the act or process of repeating or being
repeated |
|
|
purge
|
to free from impurities; purify; to rid of sin or guilt
|
|
|
punitive
|
inflicting punishment
|
|
|
pariah
|
a person who is rejected (from society or home)
|
|
|
pardoned
|
forgiven; absolved; excused; acquitted
|
|
|
parched
|
dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight
|
|
|
parasite
|
a creature that lives in or on another and from
which it obtains nourishment; one who lives off another |
|
|
optimistic
|
anticipating the best possible outcome
|
|
|
oppressive
|
unreasonably burdensome or severe
|
|
|
opportunist
|
a person who takes immediate advantage,
often unethically, of any circumstance of possible benefit |
|
|
olfactory
|
of or relating to the sense of smell
|
|
|
ecology
|
the branch of biology concerned with the
relations between organisms and their environment |
|
|
desolate
|
devoid of inhabitants; deserted, barren;
lifeless; sad and forlorn |
|
|
stoic
|
indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive
|
|
|
deprecate
|
to disapprove of strongly
|
|
|
depose
|
force to leave an office, such as a king
|
|
|
ointment
|
a substance resembling a cream that soothes the
skin |
|
|
offbeat
|
not conforming to an ordinary type or pattern;
unconventional |
|
|
obsessive
|
characterized by or constituting an obsession
|
|
|
obscene
|
something that incites depravity; offensive or
repulsive |
|
|
monument
|
something that stands to keep something in
remembrance |
|
|
monotonous
|
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety
|
|
|
merciful
|
full of mercy; compassionate; unwilling to
punish |
|
|
candor
|
sincerity; openness
|
|
|
replete
|
abundantly supplied; filled
|
|
|
prodigious
|
enormous
|
|
|
permeated
|
spread or flowing throughout
|
|
|
copious
|
plentiful; having a large quantity
|
|
|
capacious
|
roomy; spacious
|
|
|
mentor
|
a trusted counselor or guide
|
|
|
mend
|
to repair a hole or a relationship
|
|
|
menacing
|
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic
developments |
|
|
memoir
|
a narrative composed from personal experience
|
|
|
melodrama
|
a drama characterized by exaggerated
emotions, stereotypical characters, and interpersonal conflicts |
|
|
melodious
|
having a musical sound; especially a
pleasing tune |
|
|
melancholy
|
depression of spirits
|
|
|
incite
|
to move to action
|
|
|
incisive
|
impressively direct and decisive
|
|
|
incinerator
|
a furnace that burns waste
|
|
|
implicit
|
implied though not directly expressed
|
|
|
implement
|
to put into execution
|
|
|
implausible
|
having a quality that provokes
disbelief; highly imaginative but unlikely; farfetched |
|
|
impious
|
lacking piety or reverence for a god; lacking
due respect or dutifulness |
|
|
imperturbable
|
not easily excited or upset; marked
by extreme calm and composure |
|
|
impersonal
|
having no personal reference or connection
|
|
|
imperial
|
of or relating to an empire or an emperor
|
|
|
imperceptible
|
extremely slight, gradual, or
subtle |
|
|
clarity
|
clearness in thought or expression
|
|
|
ambiguous
|
open to more than one interpretation
|
|
|
prophetic
|
foretelling or predicting future events
|
|
|
portend
|
to serve as an omen or a warning of
|
|
|
ominous
|
menacing; threatening
|
|
|
harbinger
|
one that indicates what is to come; a
forerunner |
|
|
unfettered
|
set free from restrictions or bonds
|
|
|
transitory
|
short-lived or temporary
|
|
|
remote
|
located far away
|
|
|
itinerant
|
traveling from place to place
|
|
|
parsimonious
|
excessively cheap
|
|
|
unpalatable
|
not pleasing to the taste
|
|
|
repugnant
|
causing disgust or hatred
|
|
|
obdurate
|
stubborn; inflexible
|
|
|
notorious
|
known widely and usually unfavorably;
infamous |
|
|
malevolent
|
having or exhibiting ill will; wishing
harm to others; hateful |
|
|
insolent
|
insulting in manner or speech
|
|
|
ingrate
|
an ungrateful person
|
|
|
incorrigible
|
unable to be reformed
|
|
|
feral
|
savage, fierce, or untamed
|
|
|
caustic
|
bitingly sarcastic or witty
|
|
|
cantankerous
|
grumpy; disagreeable
|
|
|
brusque
|
describing a rudely abrupt manner
|
|
|
innocuous
|
having no bad effect; harmless
|
|
|
salutary
|
promoting good health
|
|
|
amenable
|
responsive; agreeable
|
|
|
amiable
|
good-natured and likable
|
|
|
cerebral
|
involving intelligence rather than emotions or
instinct |
|
|
censure
|
to criticize severely; blame
|
|
|
reprehensible
|
bringing or deserving severe
rebuke or censure |
|
|
throng
|
a large gathering of people
|
|
|
tepid
|
lacking in passion, force, or zest
|
|
|
tentative
|
not final or fully worked out; hesitant
|
|
|
scrutinize
|
To examine closely; to inspect or observe
with critical attention |
|
|
scrupulous
|
careful to avoid doing wrong
|
|
|
scrumptious
|
extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
|
|
|
scorch
|
to make or feel hot, as if by cooking; to burn
|
|
|
scathing
|
marked by harshly abusive criticism
|
|
|
scapegoat
|
one that is made to bear the blame of others
|
|
|
scandal
|
loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or
apparent violation of morality or propriety |
|
|
savory
|
leasing to the organs of taste or smell
|
|
|
reprimand
|
a severe or formal criticism
|
|
|
reprieve
|
(temporary) relief from harm or discomfort
|
|
|
representation
|
an artistic likeness or image
|
|
|
reprehensible
|
bringing or deserving severe
rebuke or censure |
|
|
relegate
|
to forcibly assign, especially to a lower
position or place |
|
|
placate
|
to appease, to calm by making concessions
|
|
|
obsequious
|
exhibiting a fawning attentiveness
|
|
|
hedonist
|
only interested in pleasure
|
|
|
enigmatic
|
mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand
|
|
|
cynicism
|
belief that all people are motivated by
selfishness |
|
|
contentious
|
argumentative, quarrelsome
|
|
|
avarice
|
greed, especially for wealth
|
|
|
abscond
|
to steal away and hide; to sneak off
|
|
|
platitude
|
a superficial remark, especially one offered
as meaningful |
|
|
despair
|
utter loss of hope
|
|
|
peruse
|
to examine with great care
|
|
|
latent
|
in a dormant or hidden stage
|
|
|
semantic
|
pertaining to the meaning of words or symbols
|
|
|
vernacular
|
everyday speech, slang, idiom
|
|
|
verdant
|
covered with green plants; leafy; inexperienced
|
|
|
wanton
|
malicious, unjustifiable, unprovoked, unrestrained
|
|
|
sublime
|
of great intellectual, moral, or spiritual value;
superior; impressive |
|
|
pedantic
|
boringly scholarly or academic
|
|
|
irascible
|
easily angered or provoked, irritable
|
|
|
furrow
|
a narrow groove; to make wrinkles in the face
|
|
|
vandalism
|
willful and malicious destruction of the
property of others |
|
|
truculent
|
defiantly aggressive
|
|
|
troupe
|
a group of theatrical performers
|
|
|
troubadour
|
a singer of folk songs
|
|
|
stymied
|
thwarted; stumped; blocked
|
|
|
quandary
|
a state of uncertainty or perplexity
|
|
|
ostentatious
|
describing a showy or pretentious
|
|
|
recalcitrant
|
defiant of authority; stubborn; not
easily managed |
|
|
propriety
|
appropriateness of behavior
|
|
|
pander
|
to cater to the lower tastes and desires of others or
exploit their weaknesses |
|
|
facetious
|
playfully humorous
|
|
|
ruse
|
crafty trick
|
|
|
slander
|
false charges and malicious oral statements or
reports about someone |
|
|
specious
|
having the ring of truth or plausibility but
actually false |
|
|
superfluous
|
extra; unnecessary
|
|
|
squalor
|
a filthy condition or quality
|
|
|
sonorous
|
having or producing a deep rich sound
|
|
|
ponderous
|
having a great weight; massive
|
|
|
insipid
|
uninteresting; unchallenging
|
|
|
gratuitous
|
given freely; unearned; unwarranted
|
|
|
garrulous
|
given to excessive, rambling talk
|
|
|
frenetic
|
wildly excited or active
|
|
|
farce
|
an absurdly ridiculous situation
|
|
|
ebullience
|
intense enthusiasm
|
|
|
paucity
|
an extreme lack of
|
|
|
torpor
|
laziness; inactivity; dullness
|
|
|
stupor
|
a state of reduced or suspended sensibility
|
|
|
soporific
|
feeling sleepy,tedious
|
|
|
sedentary
|
not migratory; settled
|
|
|
listless
|
lacking energy; lazy
|
|
|
indolent
|
indolent
|
|
|
enervate
|
to weaken the strength or vitality of
|
|
|
dilatory
|
describing one who habitually delays or is
tardy |
|
|
impenetrable
|
incapable of being understood
|
|
|
impede
|
to slow the progress of
|
|
|
trite
|
unoriginal; overused; stale
|
|
|
plagiarism
|
the act of passing off as one’s own the
ideas or writings of another |
|
|
pejorative
|
describing words or phrases that belittle
or speak negatively of someone |
|
|
glower
|
to look or stare angrily or sullenly
|
|
|
disdain
|
to regard or treat with contempt; to look down on
|
|
|
capricious
|
impulsive and unpredictable
|
|
|
spurious
|
not genuine; false
|
|
|
reign
|
the time during which a king, queen, or emperor has the
supreme authority; dominance or widespread influence |
|
|
rehabilitate
|
to restore to good health, useful
life or good condition |
|
|
regulation
|
a principle or condition that
customarily governs behavior |
|
|
regeneration
|
the renewal or restoration of
something |
|
|
refurbish
|
to restore or brighten up
|
|
|
refrain
|
a recurring phrase of a poem or song
|
|
|
reflection
|
the return of light or sound waves; careful
consideration |
|
|
reef
|
a submerged ridge of rock or coral near the surface of the
water |
|
|
redundant
|
more than is needed, desired, or required
|
|
|
ravenous
|
very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or
gratification |
|
|
raucous
|
unpleasantly loud and harsh
|
|
|
medley
|
an assortment or a mixture, especially of musical
pieces |
|
|
idyllic
|
simple and carefree
|
|
|
aesthetic
|
having to do with the appreciation of beauty
|
|
|
wily
|
cunning
|
|
|
heinous
|
hatefully evil; abominable
|
|
|
futile
|
having no useful purpose
|
|
|
arduous
|
difficult; painstaking
|
|
|
abstruse
|
hard to understand
|
|
|
poignant
|
profoundly moving; touching
|
|
|
adage
|
a wise old saying
|
|
|
emphatic
|
expressed with emphasis
|
|
|
effusive
|
describing unrestrained emotional expression;
gushy |
|
|
calamity
|
an event resulting in great loss and
misfortune |
|
|
cajole
|
to influence by gentle urging or flattering
|
|
|
antithesis
|
the direct opposite
|
|
|
antiquity
|
the quality of being old or ancient
|
|
|
antipathy
|
settled aversion or dislike
|
|
|
arcane
|
requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
|
|
|
ardor
|
warmth or heat of passion or affection; eagerness; zeal
|
|
|
abash
|
to cause to feel self-conscious; to confuse or
confound |
|
|
buttress
|
to support or reinforce; to sustain, prop, or
bolster |
|
|
berate
|
to scold or rebuke
|
|
|
bequeath
|
to leave or give by will
|
|
|
whimsical
|
subject to erratic behavior; unpredictable
|
|
|
trenchant
|
keen; incisive
|
|
|
epiphany
|
a sudden burst of understanding or discovery
|
|
|
multifacete
|
having many aspects
|
|
|
morose
|
having a sullen and gloomy disposition
|
|
|
ambivalent
|
simultaneously feeling opposing feelings,
such as love and hate |
|
|
substantiated
|
supported with proof or evidence;
verified |
|
|
sanction
|
to give official authorization or approval to
|
|
|
mollify
|
to calm or soothe
|
|
|
glutton
|
one given habitually to greedy and voracious eating
and drinking |
|
|
fraternize
|
to associate with; to make friends with
|
|
|
foster
|
to promote the growth of; to encourage
|
|
|
mitigate
|
to make less severe or painful
|
|
|
emollient
|
softening and soothing
|
|
|
benign
|
kind and gentle
|
|
|
auspicious
|
attended by favorable circumstances
|
|
|
affable
|
easy-going; friendly
|
|
|
lucid
|
easily understood
|
|
|
pristine
|
not spoiled; pure
|
|
|
opulent
|
exhibiting a display of great wealth
|
|
|
repel
|
cause aversion in; repulse
|
|
|
repeal
|
to recall; to call back
|
|
|
renowned
|
widely known and esteemed
|
|
|
renounce
|
to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any
further |
|
|
render
|
to cause to be, or to become
|
|
|
remuneration
|
the act of paying for goods or
services or to recompense for losses |
|
|
remorseful
|
motivated by a sense of guilt for past
wrongs |
|
|
dubious
|
doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
|
|
|
aberration
|
a deviation from the way things normally
happen or are done |
|
|
disparage
|
to speak of in a slighting way or negatively;
to belittle |
|
|
vilify
|
o make vicious statements about
|
|
|
vacuous
|
devoid of matter; empty
|
|
|
cogent
|
convincing; reasonable
|
|
|
demagogue
|
a leader who obtains power by appealing to the
emotions and prejudices of the people |
|
|
coalesce
|
to come together as one, to fuse, to unite
|
|
|
vapid
|
cking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force
|
|
|
vacillate
|
to waver indecisively between one course of
action or opinion and another |
|
|
waver
|
to move to and fro, to sway, to be unsettled in
opinion |
|
|
ubiquitous
|
existing everywhere at the same time;
widespread |
