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326 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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ABATE
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to lessen in intensity or degree
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ABERRANT
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deviating from the norm
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ABJURE
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to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
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ABROGATE
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to abolish or annul by authority; put down
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ABSCISSION
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act of cutting off or removing
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ABSCOND
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to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide
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ACCOLADE
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an expression of priase; an award
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ACCRETION
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growth, increase by succesive addition, building up
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ACERBIC
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having a sour or bitter taste or character
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ACUMEN
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quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight
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ADMONISH
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to reprove; to express warning or disapproval
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ADRIOT
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adept, dexterous
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ADULATION
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excessive praise; intense adoration
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ADULTERATE
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to reduce purity by combingin with inferior ingredients
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ADUMBRATE
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to foreshadow vaguely, intimate, suggest, or outline sketchily
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AESTHETIC
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dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
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AGGRANDIZE
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to increase in intensity, power, or prestige; to make appear greater
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ALACRITY
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eager and enthusiastic willingness
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ALCHEMY
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a medieval science aimed at transmutation of metals, especially base metals into gold; any magical or wonderful transformation
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ALLOY
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to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior
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AMALGAMATE
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to combine several elements into a whole
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AMELIORATE
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to make better or more tolerable
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AMENABLE
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agreeable; responsive to suggestion
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ANACHRONISM
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something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
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ANATHEMA
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a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing
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ANODYNE
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soothing
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ANOMALY
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deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality
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ANTIPATHY
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aversion, dislike
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ANTITHETICAL
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diametrically opposed, as in antithesis
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APOCRYPHAL
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of dubious authenticity or origin; spurious
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APOGEE
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farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
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APOSTATE
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one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions, a betrayer of a cause
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APOTHEOSIS
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deification, glorification to godliness, the perfect example
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APPOSITE
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appropriate, pertinent, relevant, apropos
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APPRISE
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give notice to, inform
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APPROBATION
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an expression of approval or praise
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APPROPRIATE
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to take for one's own use, confiscate
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ARABESQUE
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complex, ornate design
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ARCANE
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mysterious, abstruse, esoteric, knowable only to initiates
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ARCHAIC
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outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive time
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ARDUOUS
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strenuous, taxing, requiring significant effort
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ARRANT
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impudent; in every way, being completely such, barefaced, utter
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ARREST
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to suspend; to engage
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ARTLESS
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completely without guile; natural, without artificiality
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ASCETIC
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one who practices rigid self-denail, especially as an act of religious devotion
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ASPERITY
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severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability
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ASPERSION
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an act of defamation or maligning
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ASSIDUOUS
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diligent, hard-working
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ASSUAGE
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to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
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ASTRINGENT
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having a tightening effect on living tissue; hars; severe
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ATTENUATE
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to rarefy, weaken or make thinner, lessen
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AUDACIOUS
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daring and fearless; recklessly bold
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AUGURY
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omen, portent, the reading of omens
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AUGUST
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majestic, venerable
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AUSPICE
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protection or support, patronage
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AUSPICIOUS
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favorable, propitious, successful, prosperous
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AUSTERE
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without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic
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AVARICE
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greed, especially for wealth
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AVER
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to state as a fact; to confirm or support
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AXIOM
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a universally recognized principle; a generally accepted or common saying
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AXIOMATIC
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taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth
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BALEFUL
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sinister, pernicious, ominous
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BANE
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cause of injury, source of harm; source of persistent frustration
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BEATIFY
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to bless, make happy, or ascribe a virtue to; to regard as saintly
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BEDIZEN
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to adorn, especially in a cheap, showy manner; festoon, caparison
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BELIE
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to give a false impression of, to misrepresent
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BELLICOSE
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belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
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BENT
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leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
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BLANDISH
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to coax with flattery, toady or fawn
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BLITHE
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carefree, merry
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BOISTEROUS
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loud, noisy, rough, lacking restraint
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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
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BOOR
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a rude or insensitive person; lout; yokel
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BROACH
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bring up, announce, begin to talk about
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BROOK
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to tolerate, endure, countenance
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BUCOLIC
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rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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BURGEON
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to grow rapidly or flourish
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BURNISH
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to polish, rub to a shine
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BYZANTINE
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labrynthine, complex
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CACOPHONY
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harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
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CADGE
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to sponge, beg, or mooch
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CAJOLE
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to inveigle, coax, wheedle, sweet-talk
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CALUMNIATE
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to slander, make a false accusation
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CANON
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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; erratic; unpredictable
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CARDINAL
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of basic importance or consequence; primary
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CARET
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an inserion mark (^) used by editors and proofreaders
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CASTIGATION
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sever criticism or punishment
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CATALYST
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a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
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CAUSTIC
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burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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CENSURE
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to criticize severely; to officially rebuke
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CHARY
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wary; cautious; sparing
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CHASTEN
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to chastise or correct; subdue
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CHAUVINIST
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one blindly devoted to a group of which one is a member
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CHICANERY
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trickery or subterfuge
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CHIMERA
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an illusion; originally, an imaginary fire-breathing she-monster
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CHURLISH
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boorish, vulgar, loutish; difficult and intractable
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COALESCE
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to come together; to fuse or unite
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CODA
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concluding section to a musical or literary piece, something that concludes or completes
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COGENT
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appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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COLOR
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to change as if by dyeing, influence, distort, or gloss over
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COMMENSURATE
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matching, corresponding, or proportionate in degree, size, amount or other property
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COMPLAISANCE
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the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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CONNOISSEUR
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an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert
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CONSEQUENTIAL
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pompous, self-important
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CONTEMN
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to scorn or despise
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CONTENTIOUS
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argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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CONTIGUOUS
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sharing a border; touching; adjacent
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CONTRITE
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regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
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CONVENTION
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a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
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CONVOLUTED
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complex or complicated
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CORRIGIBLE
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capable of being set right, correctable, reparable
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COUNTENANCE
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to approve of or tolerate
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COZEN
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to deceive, beguile, hoodwink
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CRAVEN
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contemptibly fainthearted, pusillanimous, lacking any courage
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CREDULOUS
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tending to believe too readily; gullible
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CULPABLE
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deserving blame
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CYNICISM
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an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
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DAMP
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to diminish the intensity or check something, such as a sound or feeling
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DAUNT
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to intimidate or dismay
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DEARTH
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smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; lack
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DEBACLE
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rout, fiasco, complete failure
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DECORUM
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politeness or appropriateness of conduct or behavior
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DEMUR
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to question or oppose
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DENIGRATE
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blacken, belittle, sully, defame, disparage
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DENOUEMENT
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an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
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DEPRECATE
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to disparage or belittle
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DEPREDATE
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to plunder, pillage, ravage or destroy; to exploit in a predatory manner
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DERISION
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
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DERIVATIVE
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unoriginal, obtained from another source
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DESICCATE
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to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
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DESUETUDE
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disuse
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DESULTORY
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random; thoughtless; marked by a lack of plan or purpose
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DETRACTION
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slandering, verbal attack, aspersion
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DIAPHANOUS
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transparent, gauzy
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DIATRIBE
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a harsh denunciation
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DIDACTIC
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intended to teach or instruct
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DIE
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a tool used for shaping
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DIFFIDENT
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reserved, shy, unassuming; lacking in self-confidence
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DENIGRATE
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blacken, belittle, sully, defame, disparage
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DENOUEMENT
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an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
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DEPRECATE
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to disparage or belittle
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DEPREDATE
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to plunder, pillage, ravage or destroy; to exploit in a predatory manner
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DERISION
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scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
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DERIVATIVE
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unoriginal, obtained from another source
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DESICCATE
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to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
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DESUETUDE
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disuse
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DESULTORY
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random; thoughtless; marked by a lack of plan or purpose
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DETRACTION
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slandering, verbal attack, aspersion
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DIAPHANOUS
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transparent, gauzy
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DIATRIBE
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a harsh denunciation
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DIDACTIC
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intended to teach or instruct
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DIE
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a tool used for shaping
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DIFFIDENT
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reserved, shy, unassuming; lacking in self-confidence
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DIGRESS
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to stray from the point; to go off on a tangent
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DILATORY
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causing delay, procrastinating
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DILETTANTE
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one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge
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DIN
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loud sustained noise
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DISABUSE
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to undeceive; to set right
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DISCOMFIT
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to defeat, put down
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DISCORDANT
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conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound
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DISCRETION
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cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
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DISINTERESTED
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free from self-interest; unbiased
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DISPARAGE
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to slight or belittle
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DISPARATE
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fundamentally distinct or dissimilar
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DISSEMBLE
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to disguise or conceal; to mislead
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DISSOLUTION
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disintegration, looseness in morals
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DISTRAIT
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distracted; absent-minded, especially due to anxiety
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DIVULGE
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to disclose something secret
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DOGGEREL
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trivial, poorly constructed verse
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DOGMATIC
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authoritatively and or arrogantly assertive of principles, which often cannot be proved; stubbornly opinionated
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DROSS
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slag, waste or foreign matter, impurity, surface scum
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DULCET
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melodious, harmonious, mellifluous
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DYNAMO
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generator; forceful, energetic person
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EBULLIENCE
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the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
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ECCENTRIC
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departing from norms or conventions
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ECLECTIC
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composed of elements drawn from various sources
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EDIFYING
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enlightening, informative
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EFFRONTERY
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extreme boldness; presumptuousness
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EFFUSIVE
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gushing; excessively demonstrative
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EGRESS
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exit
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ELEGY
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a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead; any mournful writing or piece of music
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ELOQUENT
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well-spoken; expressive; articulate
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EMOLLIENT
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soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying
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EMPIRICAL
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based on observation or experiment
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ENCOMIUM
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glowing and enthusiastic praise; panegyric, tribute, eulogy
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ENDEMIC
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characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people; restricted to or peculiar to that region; indigenuous
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ENERVATE
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to weaken; to reduce in vitality
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ENGENDER
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to cause, produce, give rise to
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ENIGMATIC
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mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
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ENNUI
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dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy
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ENORMITY
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excessive wickedness; evilness
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EPHEMERAL
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brief; fleeting, short-lived
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EPICURE
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one devoted to sensual pleasure, particularly in food and drink; gourmand, sybarite
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EPISODIC
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loosely connected, not flowing logically, occurring at intervals
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EPITHET
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disparaging word or phrase
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EPITOME
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embodiment; quinessence
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EQUANIMITY
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composure, self-possesion
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EQUIVOCATE
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to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent
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ERRANT
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traveling, itinerant, peripatetic
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ERUDITE
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very learned; scholarly
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ESCHEW
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to shun or avoid
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ESOTERIC
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intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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ESSAY
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to test or try; attempt, experiment
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ESTIMABLE
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worthy, formidable
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EULOGY
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a speech honoring the dead
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EVANESCENT
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tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
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EVINCE
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to show clearly, to indicate
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EXACERBATE
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to make worse or more severe
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EXACT
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to demand, call for, require, take
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EXCORIATE
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to censure scathingly, to upbraid
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EXCULPATE
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exonerate; to clear of blame
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EXEMPLAR
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typical or standard specimen; paradigm, model
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EXHORT
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to incite, to make urgent appeal
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EXIGENT
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urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention
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EXONERATE
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to remove blame
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EXPATIATE
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discuss or write about at length; to range freely
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EXPIATE
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to atone or make amends for
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EXPURGATE
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to remove obscenity, purify, censor
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EXTANT
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existing, not destroyed or lost
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EXTEMPORANEOUS
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improvised; done without preparation
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EXTIRPATE
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to destroy, exterminate, cut out, pull out by the roots
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FACETIOUS
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playful; humorous; not serious
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FALLACY
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an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
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FALLOW
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untilled, inactive, dormant
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FATUOUS
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silly, inanely foolish
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FAWN
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to flatter or praise excessively
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FECKLESS
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ineffectual; irresponsible
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FELICITOUS
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apt; suitably expressed, well chosen, apropos; delightful
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FELL
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a barren or stony hill; an animal's hide
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FERVENT
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greatly emotional or zealous
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FETID
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stinking, having a heavy bad smell
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FETTER
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to shackle, put in chains, restrain
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FILIBUSTER
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intentional obstruction, usually using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action
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FILIGREE
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an ornamental work, especially of delicate lacelike patterns; resembling such a pattern
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FLAG
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to sag or droop, to become spiritless, to decline
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FLIP
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sarcastic, impertinent
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FLORID
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flushed with color, ruddy, ornate
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FLOUT
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to demonstrate contempt for
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FOMENT
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to stir up, incite, rouse
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FORBEARANCE
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patience, willingness to wait
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FORD
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to wade across the shallow part of a river or stream
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FORESTALL
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to act in a way to hinder, exclude or prevent an action; to circumvent or thwart
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FORSWEAR
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to renounce, disallow, repudiate
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FORTUITOUS
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happening by fortunate accident or chance
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FRACAS
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noisy fight or quarrel, brawl
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FRACTIOUS
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quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly, cranky
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FROWARD
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intractable, not willing to yield or comply, stubbornly disobedient
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FULMINATE
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to attack loudly or denounce
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FURTIVE
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marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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GAINSAY
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to deny, dispute, contradict, oppose
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GAMBOL
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to skip about playfully,k frolic
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GARNER
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to gather and save, store up, acquire
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GARRULOUS
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pointlessly talkative, talking too much
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GAUCHE
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crude, awkward, tasteless
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GERMANE
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relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
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GLIB
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marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
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GOSSAMER
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delicate, insubstantial or tenuous; insincere
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GRANDILOQUENCE
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pompous speech or expression
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GREGARIOUS
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sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
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GROUSE
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to complain or grumble
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GUILE
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trickery, duplicity, cunning
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GUY
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a rope or cord attached to something as a brace or guide
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HACKNEYED
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rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
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HALCYON
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calm and peaceful, prosperous
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HARANGUE
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to deliver a loud, pompous speech or tirade
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HARROW
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to distress, create stress or torment
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HEDONISM
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devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially pleasures of the senses
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HEGEMONY
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the consistent dominance or influence of one group, state, or ideology over others
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HERETICAL
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violating accepted dogma or convention, unorthodox
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HERMETIC
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airtight, impervious to outside influence
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HETERODOX
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unorthodox, heretical, iconoclastic
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HIRSUTE
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hairy, shaggy
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HOMILY
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a sermon or morally instructive lecture, a platitude
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HUBRIS
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arrogant presumption or pride
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HYPERBOLE
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an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
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ICONOCLAST
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one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
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IDOLATROUS
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given to intense or excessive devotion to something
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IDYLL
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a carefree, light-hearted pastoral or romantic episode or experience; a literary or musical piece describing such
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IGNOMINIOUS
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shameful, dishonorable, ignoble, undignified, disgraceful
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IMBROGLIO
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difficult or embarrassing situation
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IMMINENT
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about to happen; impending
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IMMUTABLE
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not capable of change
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IMPASSIVE
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revealing no emotion or sensibility
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IMPECUNIOUS
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lacking funds; without money
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IMPERIOUS
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commanding, masterful, arrogant, domineering, haughty
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IMPERTURBABLE
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marked by extreme calm, impassivity and steadiness
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IMPETUOUS
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hastily or rashly energetic; impulsive and vehement
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IMPLACABLE
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not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
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IMPORTUNE
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to ask incessantly, beg, nag
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IMPUGN
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attack or assail verbally, censure, execrate, deny
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IMPUNITY
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immunity from punishment, penalty or harm
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IMPUTE
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to attribute to a cause or source, ascribe, assign as a characteristic
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INCHOATE
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in an initial stage, not fully formed
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INCIPIENT
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beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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INDEFATIGABLE
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not easily exhaustible, tireless, dogged
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INDIFFERENT
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having no interest or concern, apathetic; showing no bias or prejudice
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INDOLENT
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lazy, listless, torpid
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INELUCTABLE
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certain, inevitable
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INERT
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unmoving, lethargic, sluggish, not reactive chemically
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INFELICITOUS
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unfortunate; inappropriate
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INGENUOUS
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artless, frank and candid, lacking in sophistication
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INHERENT
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ingrained within one's nature, intrinsic, firmly established, essential
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INIMICAL
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damaging, harmful, injurious, hostile, unfriendly
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INIMITABLE
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one of a kind, peerless
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INIQUITY
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wickedness, gross injustice
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INNERVATE
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to supply with nerves, energize
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INNOCUOUS
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harmless; causing no damage
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INSCRUTABLE
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incapable of being discovered or understood
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INSENSIBLE
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unconscious, unresponsive, unaware, unaffected, numb
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INSIPID
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without taste or flavor, lacking in spirit, dull
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INSOUCIANT
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unconcerned, carefree, nonchalant
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INSULAR
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parochial, narrow-minded, like an island
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INTERDICT
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prohibit, forbid, ban, halt
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INTIMATE
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to imply, suggest or insinuate
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INTRACTABLE
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not easily managed or directed, stubborn, obstinate
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INTRANSIGENT
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refusing to compromise
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INTREPID
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steadfast, courageous
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INURED
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accustomed to accepting something undesirable
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INVEIGH
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to attack verbally, denounce, deprecate
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INVEIGLE
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to obtain by deception or flattery
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INVETERATE
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deep rooted, ingrained, habitual
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IRASCIBLE
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easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts
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ITINERATE
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to travel from place to place
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JEJUNE
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vapid, uninteresting; childish, immature; lacking nutrition
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