aberration

(n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but
the success turned out to be an aberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup
since).
abhor
(v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he
tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).
acquiesce
(v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Pospieszny wanted to stay outside and
work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner,
he acquiesced to her demands.)
alacrity
(n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever
he could, so when his girlfriend asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)
amiable
(adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.)
appease
(v.) to calm, satisfy (When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate
to appeasehim.)
arcane
(adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert
in arcaneKashubian literature.)
avarice
(n.) excessive greed (The bankers avarice led him to amass an enormous personal
fortune.)
brazen
(adj.) excessively bold, brash, clear and obvious (Critics condemned the
writersbrazen attempt to plagiarise Frankow-Czerwonkos work.)
brusque
(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (Simons brusque manner sometimes offends his
colleagues.)
cajole
(v.) to urge, coax (Magda's friends cajoled her into drinking too much.)
callous
(adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderers callous lack of remorse shocked the
jury.)
candor
(n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the politicians speech
because she is usually rather evasive.)
chide
(v.) to voice disapproval (Hania chided Gregory for his vulgar habits and sloppy
appearance.)
circumspect
(adj.) cautious (Though I promised Martas father I would bring her home promptly
by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)
clandestine
(adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the library, Maria
actually went to meet George for a clandestine liaison.)
coerce
(v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that
David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coercedinto
signing it.)
coherent
(adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (William could not figure out what Harold had
seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.)
complacency
(n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Simon tried to shock his friends out of
theircomplacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)
confidant
(n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, he became my
chiefconfidant.)
connive
(v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my plans to start up a new
business.)
cumulative
(adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent using the
World English website was a vast improvement in his vocabulary and general level of
English.)
debase
(v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave
himself debased his motives for running the charity.)
decry
(v.) to criticize openly (Andrzej Lepper, the leader of the Polish Self Defence
partydecried the appaling state of Polish roads.)
deferential
(adj.) showing respect for anothers authority (Donata is always
excessivelydeferential to any kind of authority figure.)
demure
(adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and
going crazy, she remained demure.)
deride
(v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The native speaker often derided the other
teachers accent.)
despot
(n.) one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death sentence
for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)
diligent
(adj.) showing care in doing ones work (The diligent researcher made sure to double
check her measurements.)
elated
(adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman
was elated.)
eloquent
(adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The best man gave such an eloquent speech
that most guests were crying.)
embezzle
(v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired
for embezzling10,000 of the companys funds.)
empathy
(n.) sensitivity to anothers feelings as if they were ones own (I feel
suchempathy for my dog when shes upset so am I!)
enmity
(n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other,
because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)
erudite
(adj.) learned (My English teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated
some of the most difficult and abstruse Old English poetry.)
extol
(v.) to praise, revere (Kamila extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-
loving boyfriend.)
fabricate
(v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some
excuse about my car breaking down on the way to work.)
feral
(adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)
flabbergasted
(adj.) astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am
alwaysflabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)
forsake
(v.) to give up, renounce (I won't forsake my conservative principles.)
fractious
(adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasnt tired,
hisfractious behaviour - especially his decision to crush his jam sandwiches all over
the floor - convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)
furtive
(adj.) secretive, sly (Claudias placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not
as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)
gluttony
(n.) overindulgence in food or drink (Helens fried chicken tastes so divine, I dont
know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.)
gratuitous
(adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted (Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop
gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)
haughty
(adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstars haughty dismissal of her co-stars will
backfire on her someday.)
hypocrisy
(n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing
legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)
impeccable
(adj.) exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your brothers, then
you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)
impertinent
(adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I dont wish to
dignify them with an answer.)
implacable
(adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun
Grandmothers cooking, she is totally implacable.)
impudent
(adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young woman looked her
teacher up and down and told him he was hot.)
incisive
(adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasnt going anywhere until
her incisivecomment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)
indolent
(adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children, who cant even pick themselves up off
the sofa to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to Burger King?)
inept
(adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she
forgot two orders and spilled a pint of cider in a customers lap.)
infamy
(n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as time
passes.)
inhibit
(v.) to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I
certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)
innate
(adj.) inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never
trains, lifts weights, or practices.)
insatiable
(adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for blondes was a real
problem on my recent holiday in Japan!)
insular
(adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitive
nature of their jobs, those who work for MI5 must remain insular and generally only
spend time with each other.)
intrepid
(adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption,
the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.)
inveterate
(adj.) stubbornly established by habit (Im the first to admit that Im
an inveteratecider drinkerI drink four pints a day.)

jubilant
(adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried
the woman from the flaming building.)
knell
(n.) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our
village, the funeral knell made the grey day even more grim.)
lithe
(adj.) graceful, flexible, supple (Although the dancers were all outstanding, Joannas
control of her lithe body was particularly impressive.)
lurid
(adj.) ghastly, sensational (Barrys story, in which he described a character torturing
his neighbour's tortoise, was judged too lurid to be published on the English Library's
website.)
maverick
(n.) an independent, nonconformist person (John is a real maverick and always does
things his own way.)
maxim
(n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Ms. Stones
etiquettemaxims are both entertaining and instructional.)
meticulous
(adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the brides gown was
a product of meticulous handiwork.)
modicum
(n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity,
Magda announced her bosss affair to the entire office.)
morose
(adj.) gloomy or sullen (Davids morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk
to.)
myriad
(adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do on
Saturday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.)
nadir
(n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when my
new car was stolen.)
nominal
(adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed
to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Kim sold everything for
a nominal price.)
novice
(n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were
allnovices at archery, our instructor decided to begin with the basics
nuance
(n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuances of the poem were
not obvious to the casual reader, but the teacher was able to point them out.)
oblivious
(adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning
smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven
were burned until much too late.)
obsequious
(adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Donald acted like Susans servant,
obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.)
obtuse
(adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the
prime ministers obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in
mindless war.)
panacea
(n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panaceafor
every disease, but sadly there is not.)
parody
(n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to
find Magdalena acting out a parody of his teaching style.)
penchant
(n.) a tendency, partiality, preference (Fionas dinner parties quickly became
monotonous on account of her penchant for Indian dishes.)
perusal
(n.) a careful examination, review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a three-
month perusal of the movie script.)
plethora
(n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled
almost three feet high.)
predilection
(n.) a preference or inclination for something (James has a predilection for eating
toad in the whole with tomato ketchup.)
quaint
(adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Mary was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw
in Romania.)
rash
(adj.) hasty, incautious (Its best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather
than make rash decisions.)
refurbish
(v.) to restore, clean up (After being refurbished the old Triumph motorcycle
commanded the handsome price of $6000.)
repudiate
(v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Tom made a strong case for an extension of his
curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.)
rife
(adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the teachers writing was rife with spelling errors.)
salient
(adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and
Helen is that Alison is a couple of kilos heavier.)
serendipity
(n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit
ofserendipity, penniless Mark found a $50 bill on the back seat of the bus.)
staid
(adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression
no matter what happened.)
superfluous
(adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Samantha had already won the campaign so her
constant flattery of others was superfluous.)
sycophant
(n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the Prime
Ministers closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.)
taciturn
(adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Magda never seems to stop talking, her brother is
quite taciturn.)
truculent
(adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesnt really attract the dangerous types, so
why was that bouncer being so truculent?)
umbrage
(n.) resentment, offence (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrageat
the insult.)
venerable
(adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievement (The venerable High Court
judge had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.)
vex
(v.) to confuse or annoy (My boyfriend vexes me by pinching my bottom for hours
on end.)
vociferous
(adj.) loud, boisterous (Im tired of his vociferous whining so Im breaking up with
him.)
wanton
(adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Joannas wanton demeanor often made the frat
guys next door very excited.)
zenith
(n.) the highest point, culminating point (I was too nice to tell Emily that she had
reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one top 10 hit of hers.)







A

Abdicate - (verb) to cast off or relinquish

Aberration - (noun) a state or condition markedly different from the norm

Abject - (adj.) sunk to a low condition or in miserable circumstances

Abolish - (verb) do away with

Abridge - (verb) lessen, diminish, or curtail; reduce in scope while retaining essential elements

Abstemious - (adj.) sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; marked by temperance

Accent - (verb) put stress on; utter with an accent; to stress, single out as important

Accolade - (noun) a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

Acquiesce - (verb) to agree or express agreement; rest satisfied

Acrimonious - (adj.) caustic, biting or rancorous in language or expression

Acumen - (noun) shrewdness shown by keen insight

Affable - (adj.) friendly; outgoing disposition

Affirmation - (noun) a statement asserting the existence or the truth of something

Alacrity - (noun) liveliness and eagerness; youthful energy

Alleviate - (verb) provide physical relief, as from pain; make easier

Aloof - (adj.) remote in manner; distant

Amass - (verb) collect or gather; get or gather together

Ambiguous - (adj.) having more than one possible meaning; often misleading

Ambivalence - (noun) mixed feelings or emotions

Ambulatory - (adj.) relating to or adapted for walking; able to walk about

Ameliorate - (verb) get better; to make better

Amity - (noun) a cordial disposition; a state of friendship and cordiality

Anchor - (noun) a central cohesive source of support and stability

Anchor - (verb) fix firmly and stably

Antagonize - (verb) provoke the hostility of; act in opposition to

Antediluvian - (adj.) so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period; of or relating to the
period before the biblical flood

Antediluvian - (noun) a very old person

Apathy - (noun) the trait of lacking enthusiasm for or interest in things generally; an absence of
enthusiasm

Apocryphal - (adj.) of doubtful authenticity

Arcane - (adj.) requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

Ascendancy - (noun) the state that exists when one person or group has power over another

Atrophy - (noun) any weakening or degeneration

Augment - (verb) enlarge or increase; grow or intensify

Avuncular - (adj.) like an uncle in kindness or indulgence; being or relating to an uncle
B

Bane - (noun) something causes misery or death

Belie - (verb) represent falsely; be in contradiction with

Belittle - (verb) lessen the authority, dignity, or reputation of; express a negative opinion of; cause to
seem less serious;

Bellicose - (adj.) having or showing a ready disposition to fight

Belligerence - (noun) hostile or warlike attitude or nature; a natural disposition to be hostile

Benign - (adj.) pleasant and beneficial in nature or influence; kindness of disposition or manner; not
dangerous to health

Bizarre - (adj.) conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual

Blatant - (adj.) noisy in a vulgar or offensive manner

Blunder - (noun) an embarrassing mistake; verb utter impulsively; make one's way clumsily or
blindly

Brevity - (noun) the attribute of being brief or fleeting; the use of brief expressions

Bucolic - (adj.) relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle; used of
idealized country life

Bucolic - (noun) a short descriptive poem of rural or pastoral life

Bungle - (verb) spoil by behaving clumsily or foolishly; make a mess of, destroy or ruin

Bungle - (noun) an embarrassing mistake

Burgeon - (verb) grow and flourish
C

Cajole - (verb) to deceive or persuade with false pretenses

Callous - (verb) make insensitive or callous; deaden feelings or morals

Callous - (adj.) emotionally hardened

Candid - (adj.) openly straightforward and direct without reserve or secretiveness; informal or
natural

Cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and
unwilling to cooperate

Capitulate - (verb) surrender under agreed conditions

Capricious - (adj.) determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason;
changeable

Censure - (noun) harsh criticism or disapproval; the state of being excommunicated

Censure - (verb) rebuke formally

Chagrin - (noun) strong feelings of embarrassment

Chagrin - (verb) cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of

Charlatan - (noun) a quack or one showing false pretenses

Chicanery - (noun) the use of tricks to deceive someone

Churlish - (adj.) having a bad disposition; surly; rude and boorish

Clairvoyant - (noun) someone who has the power of clairvoyance

Clairvoyant - (adj.) foreseeing the future

Clemency - (noun) leniency and compassion shown toward offenders of rule or law

Coalesce - (verb) fuse or cause to grow together; mix together different elements

Cohere - (verb) cause to form a united, orderly, and aesthetically consistent whole; come in close
contact

Complacent - (adj.) contented to a fault with oneself or one's actions

Compress - (verb) squeeze or press together; make more compact by or as if by pressing

Compress - (noun) a folded cloth or pad applied so as to press upon a body part

Confide - (verb) reveal in private; tell confidentially; confer a trust upon

Confound - (verb) mistake one thing for another; be confusing or perplexing to

Congeal - (verb) to change from a liquid to solid state

Congenial - (adj.) used of plants; suitable to your needs or similar to your nature

Contaminant - (noun) a substance that violates the purity of an item

Converge - (verb) come together so as to form a single product; move or draw together at a certain
location

Convivial - (adj.) occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company

Copious - (adj.) large in number or quantity; affording an abundant supply

Corroborate - (verb) support with evidence or authority or make more certain or confirm; establish
or strengthen as with new evidence or facts

Corrugated - (adj.) shaped into alternating parallel grooves and ridges

Corrupt - (verb) alter from the original

Corrupt - (adj.) lacking in integrity

Cowardice - (noun) lacking courage

Credence - (noun) the attitude that something is believable and should be accepted as true

Cryptic - (adj.) having a puzzling terseness; of an obscure nature; having a secret or hidden meaning

Cupidity - (noun) greed and strong desire for wealth

Cursory - (adj.) hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
D

Daunt - (verb) cause to lose courage

Dauntless - (adj.) invulnerable to fear or intimidation

Debilitate - (verb) make weak

Decorous - (adj.) dignified in conduct, manners or disposition

Delusion - (noun) deception by creating illusory ideas; a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea

Deplete - (verb) use or exhaust resources

Derelict - (adj.) abandoned duty or neglected by owner or occupant

Deviate - (verb) to stray from the norm or standard

Dictum - (noun) an authoritative declaration; an opinion voiced by a judge on a point of law not
directly bearing on the case in question and therefore not binding

Didactic - (adj.) designed or intended to teach; making moral observations

Discrepancy - (noun) a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions; an event that
departs from expectations

Disdain - (noun) lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike

Disdain - (verb) reject with contempt

Disentangle - (verb) smoothen and neaten; free from involvement

Disingenuous - (adj.) not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness

Distend - (verb) swell from or as if from internal pressure; cause to expand as it by internal pressure

Docile - (adj.) easily handled or managed; ready and willing to be taught

Drawback - (noun) the quality of being a hindrance

Dubious - (adj.) not convinced; fraught with uncertainty or doubt; open to doubt or suspicion
E

Edict - (noun) a proclamation having the force of law

Efface - (verb) make inconspicuous; remove completely from recognition or memory

Effervescent - (adj.) marked by high spirits or excitement; bubbly and engaging

Eloquent - (adj.) marked for forceful or fluent expression; well-spoken

Enhance - (verb) increase; make better or more attractive

Enigmatic - (adj.) resembling an oracle in obscurity of thought; not clear or understandable

Entourage - (noun) the group following and attending to some important person

Ephemeral - (adj.) lasting a very short time

Ephemeral - (noun) anything short-lived

Epitome - (noun) a brief abstract in a book or journal; a standard or typical example

Equilibrium - (noun) a stable, balanced system

Equivocate - (verb) be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold
information

Erudite - (adj.) well read or esteemed for knowledge

Eschew - (verb) to avoid or shun

Eulogy - (noun) praise; a speech full of praise at a funeral

Euphonious - (adj.) having a pleasant sound; pleasing in sound; not harsh or strident

Evacuate - (verb) excrete or discharge from the body; empty completely;

Evanescent - (adj.) tending to vanish like vapor

Exacerbate - (verb) exasperate or irritate; make worse

Exclude - (verb) prevent from being included or considered or accepted; prevent from entering

Exculpate - (verb) to clear from fault or guilt

Expedite - (verb) process fast and efficiently; speed up the progress of; facilitate

Expendable - (adj.) able to be spent or done away with;

Extol - (verb) praise, glorify, or honor
F

Facilitate - (verb) make easier; increase the likelihood of (a response); be of use

Fallow - (noun) cultivated land that is not seeded for one or more growing seasons

Fallow - (adj.) undeveloped but potentially useful; left unplowed and unseeded during a growing
season

Famished - (adj.) extremely hungry

Fastidious - (adj.) giving careful attention to detail; hard to please; excessively concerned with
cleanliness; having complicated nutritional requirements; especially growing only in special artificial
cultures

Fathom - (noun) understanding or comprehension; also a unit of length equal to 6 cubic feet

Fathom - (verb) to penetrate to the meaning or nature of; comprehend;to determine the depth of;
sound

Fertile - (adj.) capable of reproducing; marked by great fruitfulness; bearing in abundance especially
offspring; intellectually productive

Fidelity - (noun) the quality of being faithful

Flourish - (verb) grow stronger; move or swing back and forth; gain in wealth

Foible - (noun) a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Foster - (verb) help develop, help grow

Fraudulent - (adj.) intended to deceive

Frugal - (adj.) avoiding waste; spendthrift

Fruitful - (adj.) productive or conducive to producing in abundance; productive of profit

Fruitless - (adj.) unproductive of success

Furtive - (adj.) marked by quiet and caution and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed;
secret and sly or sordid

Futile - (adj.) producing no result or effect; unproductive of success
G

Garner - (verb) store grain; assemble or get together; acquire or deserve by one's efforts or actions

Garner - (noun) a storehouse for threshed grain or animal feed

Gaudy - (adj.) marked by conspicuous display; tastelessly showy

Generic - (noun) any product that can be sold without a brand name

Generic - (adj.) applicable to an entire class or group

Genre - (noun) a class of art having a characteristic form or technique; a kind of literary or artistic
work

Germane - (adj.) relevant or appropriate

Glean - (verb) gather, as of natural products; to pick over in search of relevant materials

Glib - (adj.) artfully persuasive in speech; having only superficial plausibility; marked by lack of
intellectual depth

Gluttony - (noun) eating to excess; habitual eating to excess

Grandiose - (adj.) impressive because of unnecessary largeness or grandeur; used to show
disapproval

Gratuitous - (adj.) without cause; unnecessary and unwarranted; costing nothing

Gregarious - (adj.) enjoying of other peoples company or discourse

Grotto - (noun) a small cave

Guile - (noun) the use of tricks to deceive someone; the quality of being deceitful

Gullible - (adj.) easily tricked because of being too trusting; naive and easily deceived or tricked

Gusto - (noun) vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment
H

Hackneyed - (adj.) repeated too often; over familiar through overuse

Harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone

Harbinger - (verb) foreshadow or presage

Haughty - (adj.) blatantly and disdainfully proud

Hefty - (adj.) of considerable weight and size; large in amount or extent or degree; rugged and
powerful

Hiatus - (noun) a missing piece; an interruption in time

Hideous - (adj.) so extremely ugly as to be terrifying; grossly offensive to decency or morality;
causing horror

Hilarity - (noun) great merriment or enjoyment

Hinder - (verb) put at a disadvantage

Hone - (verb) make perfect or complete

Humane - (adj.) marked or motivated by concern with the alleviation of suffering

Husbandry - (noun) the practice of cultivating the land or raising stock

Hybrid - (noun) mixed offspring; produced by cross-breeding; mixture of words

Hyperbole - (noun) extravagant exaggeration

Hypocritical - (adj.) professing feelings or virtues one does not have
I

Iconoclast - (noun) someone who attacks cherished ideas or traditional institutions; a destroyer of
images used in religious worship

Idiosyncratic - (adj.) peculiar to the individual

Imperial - (adj.) belonging to or befitting a supreme ruler; befitting or belonging to an emperor or
empress

Impudent - (adj.) marked by casual disrespect; improperly forward or bold

Inchoate - (adj.) only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

Incite - (verb) to provoke

Inconspicuous - (adj.) not prominent or readily noticeable

Incorrigible - (adj.) impervious to correction by punishment

Indignant - (adj.) angered at something unjust or wrong

Indolent - (adj.) slow to heal or develop and usually painless; disinclined to work or exertion; lazy

Ineffable - (adj.) too sacred to be uttered; defying expression or description

Innocuous - (adj.) producing no injury; harmless

Insolent - (adj.) unrestrained by convention or propriety; marked by casual disrespect

Intuition - (noun) instinctive knowing

Invocation - (noun) the act of appealing for help; an incantation used in conjuring or summoning a
devil; a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service; calling up a spirit or devil

Irascible - (adj.) characterized by anger; quickly aroused to anger

Ironic - (adj.) characterized by often poignant difference or incongruity between what is expected
and what actually is; humorously sarcastic or mocking

Irrefutable - (adj.) impossible to deny or disprove
J

Jargon - (noun) specialized technical terminology; a characteristic language of a particular group

Jeopardize - (verb) to expose to danger or risk

Jettison - (verb) throw as from an airplane; throw away

Jocular - (adj.) characterized by jokes and good humor

Jocular - (adv.) with humor

Judicious - (adj.) marked by the exercise of good judgment or common sense in practical matters

Juxtapose - (verb) place side by side
K

Kindle - (verb) cause to start burning; catch fire; call forth

Kinetic - (adj.) characterized by motion; relating to the motion of material bodies and the forces
associated therewith; supplying motive force

Kudos - (noun) an expression of approval and commendation
L

Lackadaisical - (adj.) idle or indolent especially in a dreamy way; lacking spirit or liveliness

Laconic - (adj.) brief and to the point; without many words

Languid - (adj.) lacking spirit or liveliness

Laud - (verb) to give praise or highly approve

Lax - (adj.) emptying easily or excessively; lacking in rigor or strictness; not taut or rigid

Leniency - (noun) lightening a penalty or excusing from a chore by judges or parents or teachers; a
disposition to yield to the wishes of someone; mercifulness as a consequence of being lenient or
tolerant

Levitate - (verb) be suspended in the air, as if in defiance of gravity

Levity - (noun) a manner lacking seriousness; feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness

Listless - (adj.) lacking zest or vivacity; marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm

Loquacious - (adj.) full of trivial conversation

Lucid - (adj.) having a clear mind; transparently clear; easily understandable; transmitting light; able
to be seen through with clarity; capable of thinking and expressing yourself in a clear and consistent
manner

Lugubrious - (adj.) excessively mournful
M

Magnanimous - (adj.) generous and understanding and tolerant; noble and generous in spirit

Maladroit - (adj.) clumsy; lacking dexterity or physical coordination

Malleable - (adj.) capable of being shaped or bended

Maxim - (noun) a general truth or proverbial statement

Mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear; flowing in nature

Mendacious - (adj.) lying or deceitful demeanor

Mendicant - (noun) a beggar

Mercurial - (adj.) liable to sudden unpredictable change

Mettle - (noun) the courage to carry on

Misanthrope - (noun) a person who hates or distrusts humankind

Miscreant - (noun) a person without moral scruples

Mitigate - (verb) make less severe or harsh; to lessen the seriousness or extent of

Mobile - (adj.) capable of changing quickly from one state or condition to another; moving or
capable of moving

Mollify - (verb) make less rigid or softer; make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding
something else

Morbid - (adj.) suggesting an unhealthy mental state; caused by or altered by or manifesting disease
or pathology; suggesting the horror of death and decay

Motley - (verb) make something more diverse and varied

Motley - (adj.) consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds

Mundane - (adj.) ordinary, often boring

Munificent - (adj.) very generous; giving

Myopic - (adj.) lacking foresight; narrow-minded

Myriad - (noun) a large indefinite number

Myriad - (adj.) too numerous to be counted
N

Nadir - (noun) an extreme state of adversity; the lowest point of anything

Narcissistic - (adj.) characteristic of those having an inflated idea of their own importance; often
selfish

Nebulous - (adj.) lacking definition or definite content; lacking definite form or limits

Nefarious - (adj.) extremely wicked

Negligible - (adj.) so small as to be meaningless; insignificant; not worth considering

Nepotism - (noun) favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power, usually for jobs

Nexus - (noun) a connected series or group; the means of connection between things linked in series

Nomad - (noun) noun an individual who roams about without purpose or residence

Nonchalant - (adj.) marked by blithe unconcern

Nostalgia - (noun) longing for something past; a longing, retrospective view

Nullify - (verb) make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect of; show to be invalid; declare
invalid
O

Obdurate - (adj.) showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings; stubbornly persistent in
wrongdoing

Oblivion - (noun) the state of being disregarded or forgotten; total forgetfulness

Obscure - (verb) make difficult to perceive by sight

Obscure - (adj.) not clearly understood or expressed

Obsequious - (adj.) attentive in an ingratiating or servile manner; attempting to win favor from
influential people by flattery

Obtuse - (adj.) lacking sharpness or intellectual ability

Odyssey - (noun) a long wandering and eventful journey; a Greek epic poem (attributed to Homer)
describing the journey of Odysseus after the fall of Troy

Onerous - (adj.) not easily borne; wearing

Onus - (noun) an onerous or difficult concern

Opacity - (noun) the degree to which something reduces the passage of light; more obscure

Opaque - (adj.) not clear; not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; not clearly
understood or expressed

Opulent - (adj.) rich and superior in quality

Oscillate - (verb) move or swing from side to side regularly; be undecided about something; waver
between conflicting positions or courses of action

Ostentatious - (adj.) intended to attract notice and impress others; of a display that is tawdry or
vulgar

Overt - (adj.) open and observable; not secret or hidden
P

Pacify - (verb) fight violence and try to establish peace; cause to be more favorably inclined; gain
the good will of

Palpable - (adj.) capable of being perceived by the senses or the mind; especially capable of being
handled or felt

Panacea - (noun) a cure-all; a remedy for all difficulties

Pander - (verb) arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to

Parity - (noun) equality or equal status

Parsimony - (noun) extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily;
extreme stinginess

Patent - (noun) a document granting an inventor sole rights to an invention; an official document
granting a right or privilege

Patent - (verb) make open to sight or notice

Patent - (adj.) open; affording free passage

Paucity - (noun) an insufficient quantity or number

Pedantic - (adj.) marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning especially its trivial aspects

Pejorative - (adj.) derogatory or demeaning

Penchant - (noun) a strong liking or fondness

Penury - (noun) a state of extreme poverty or destitution

Perfidy - (noun) betrayal of a trust; an act of deliberate betrayal

Perfunctory - (adj.) hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough; as a formality only

Peripatetic - (adj.) often moving or wandering from place to place

Peripheral - (adj.) the outer area; related to the key issue but not of central importance

Petulant - (adj.) easily irritated or annoyed

Pilfer - (verb) make off with belongings of others; steal

Placate - (verb) to soothe or mollify

Placid - (adj.) free from disturbance; living without undue worry; taking life easy; not easily irritated

Precise - (adj.) sharply exact or accurate or delimited

Premeditated - (adj.) characterized by deliberate purpose and some degree of planning

Pretentious - (adj.) making claim to or creating an appearance of importance or distinction;
intended to attract notice and impress others; of a display that is tawdry or vulgar

Prevalent - (adj.) widely accepted, favored or practiced

Probity - (noun) complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles

Proclivity - (noun) a natural inclination

Prodigal - (noun) a recklessly extravagant consumer

Prodigal - (adj.) marked by rash extravagance; very generous

Prodigious - (adj.) so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe; far beyond what is usual

Profuse - (adj.) produced or growing in extreme abundance

Provoke - (verb) provide the needed stimulus for; evoke or provoke to appear or occur; call forth
emotions or feelings

Proximity - (noun) the property of being close together

Prudence - (noun) discretion in practical affairs; knowing how to avoid embarrassment or distress

Puerile - (adj.) juvenile and immature

Pugnacious - (adj.) ready and able to resort to force or violence; tough and callous by virtue of
experience

Pulverize - (verb) make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust; destroy completely
Q

Quagmire - (noun) in a tough position; mired with difficulty

Queasy - (adj.) causing or fraught with or showing anxiety; feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit

Querulous - (adj.) habitually complaining

Quip - (noun) witty remark

Quip - (verb) make jokes

Quirk - (noun) a strange habit

Quirk - (verb) twist or curve abruptly

Quixotic - (adj.) foolishly impractical; often unpredictable
R

Rant - (verb) talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner

Rant - (noun) pompous or pretentious talk or writing

Recalcitrant - (adj.) marked by stubborn resistance to authority; stubbornly resistant to authority or
control

Recant - (verb) formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure

Reciprocal - (adj.) shared or felt on both sides

Reclusive - (adj.) providing privacy or seclusion; withdrawn from society; seeking solitude

Remedy - (noun) a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain; act of correcting an error
or a fault or an evil

Remedy - (verb) provide relief for; set straight or right

Replete - (verb) fill to satisfaction

Replete - (adj.) filled or permeated; filled to satisfaction with food or drink

Rescind - (verb) annul by recalling or rescinding

Reserve - (noun) the trait of being uncommunicative; not volunteering anything more than
necessary; something kept back or saved for future use or a special purpose;

Resolute - (adj.) firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination

Respite - (noun) a pause from doing something; a pause for relaxation; the act of reprieving

Rhetoric - (noun) study of the technique and rules for using language effectively; using language
effectively to please or persuade; loud and confused and empty talk; high-flown style; excessive use
of verbal ornamentation

Ruffle - (verb) pleat or gather into a ruffle; disturb the smoothness of; erect or fluff up; trouble or
vex

Rupture - (noun) the act of making a sudden noisy break; a personal or social separation
S

Saccharine - (adj.) overly sweet

Salubrious - (adj.) favorable to health of mind or body; promoting health; healthful

Sardonic - (adj.) disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking

Scrutinize - (verb) examine carefully for accuracy with the intent of verification; to look at critically
or searchingly, or in minute detail

Seditious - (adj.) in opposition to a civil authority or government; arousing to action or rebellion

Sedulous - (adj.) marked by care and persistent effort

Skepticism - (noun) doubt about the truth of something; the disbelief in any claims of ultimate
knowledge

Somber - (adj.) grave or even gloomy in character; lacking brightness or color; dull

Sovereign - (noun) a nation's ruler or head of state usually by hereditary right

Sovereign - (adj.) greatest in status or authority or power; not controlled by outside forces

Sparse - (adj.) not dense; not thickly settled

Specify - (verb) decide upon or fix definitely; be specific about; determine the essential quality

Spontaneous - (adj.) happening or arising without apparent external cause; said or done without
having been planned or written in advance

Spurn - (verb) reject with contempt

Squander - (verb) spend extravagantly; spend thoughtlessly; throw away or waste

Stimulus - (noun) any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action

Stringent - (adj.) demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

Stymie - (noun) a thwarting and distressing situation

Stymie - (verb) hinder or prevent the progress or accomplishment of

Subtle - (adj.) faint and difficult to analyze; able to make fine distinctions

Succinct - (adj.) briefly giving the gist of something

Summary - (noun) a brief statement that presents the main points in a concise form

Summon - (verb) call in an official matter, such as to attend court; ask to come; gather or bring
together

Sumptuous - (adj.) rich and superior in quality

Sycophant - (noun) a servile, self-seeking flatterer

Symbiotic - (adj.) used of organisms living together but not necessarily in a relation beneficial to
each; cooperative relationship
T

Taciturn - (adj.) disinclined to talk or speak

Tangent - (noun) often unrelated; a straight line or plane that touches a curve or curved surface at a
point but does not intersect it at that point

Tantamount - (adj.) being essentially equal to something

Tawdry - (adj.) cheap and shoddy; tastelessly showy

Tenacious - (adj.) sticking together; good at remembering; stubbornly unyielding

Tenuous - (adj.) very thin in gauge or diameter; having thin consistency; having little substance or
significance

Tranquil - (adj.) free from agitation or worry; calm

Transient - (noun) in Physics, a short-lived oscillation in a system caused by a sudden change of
voltage or current or load; lasting a very short time

Truculence - (noun) obstreperous and defiant aggressiveness

Truncate - (verb) to shorten

Turbulence - (noun) unstable flow of a liquid or gas; a state of violent disturbance and disorder;
instability
U

Ubiquitous - (adj.) omnipresent, existing everywhere at the same time

Urbane - (adj.) polite and refined

Usurp - (verb) to seize or hold in possession by force without right
V

Venality - (noun) prostitution of talents or offices or services for reward; associated with bribery

Venerable - (adj.) impressive by reason of age; profoundly honored

Venturesome - (adj.) disposed to venture or take risks

Verbose - (adj.) using or containing too many words

Vex - (verb) to bring trouble to, or annoy

Viable - (adj.) capable of life or normal growth and development; capable of being done with means
at hand and circumstances as they are

Vibrancy - (noun) having the character of a loud deep sound; the quality of being resonant

Vilification - (noun) a rude expression intended to offend or hurt; slanderous defamation

Virulence - (noun) extreme hostility; extreme harmfulness
W

Wane - (verb) to decrease in size

Wanton - (noun) lewd or lascivious woman

Wanton - (verb) behave extremely cruelly and brutally

Wary - (adj.) marked by keen caution and watchful prudence; openly distrustful and unwilling to
confide

Whet - (verb) make keen or more acute; sharpen by rubbing

Whittle - (verb) cut small bits or pare shavings from

Willful - (adj.) habitually disposed to disobedience and opposition; done by design

Wily - (adj.) marked by skill in deception

Wont - (noun) a pattern of behavior acquired through frequent repetition; an established custom
X
Y
Z

Zany - (noun) a buffoon in one of the old comedies

Zealot - (noun) a fervent and even militant proponent of something

Zenith - (noun) the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary
sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected

Zephyr - (noun) (Greek mythology) the Greek god of the west wind; a slight refreshing wind

Zest - (verb) add herbs or spices to

Zest - (noun) vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment