Distraught – sad and upset

Debilitated – sick
Venal - showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery; corrupt
Epithets – insults
Prolix - using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to
Diffident - modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence
Belligerent – physical violence
Bellicose – arrogant, bitterly critical
Finagle - to obtain by dishonesty
Winnow and sift – separate
Baleful – dangerous
Muddled – confusing
Spur and incite – activate
Upbraided – censured
Puerile and jejune- childishly silly and immature
Callow - of a young person) inexperienced and immature:
Indolent - wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy:
Saturnine - (of a person or their manner) gloomy:
Peremptory – obedience
Imperious – arrogant and domineering
Ignominious – public disgrace or shame
Affronted – offend the modesty or values of
Gaiety - the state or quality of being light-hearted or cheerful:
Bleak - (of an area of land) lacking vegetation and exposed to the elements:
Panegyric - a public speech or published text in praise of someone or something:
Subservient - prepared to obey others unquestioningly
Fastidiously – attentive care
Subversively – to damage
Splenetic and churlish – unfriendly
Simpatico and winsome- friendly
Dysphemisms – explain elucidate
Be letrism- which means engagement in the genre of literature known as be les-le tres,
Espied – catch sight of
Vitiated - spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of
Exsicate - to remove moisture from : dry
Dwindle – diminish
Wile – trickery
Affectation – artificiality
Muster , rally – support
Abhorrent - inspiring disgust and loathing;
Lachrymose – teerful or weeping
Gossamer - a fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, seen especially in
autumn.
Muddled – confusion
Felonious – realted to crime
Abjure – solemnly renounce
Decimation - killing and destruction of large grpup of people
Encomium – high praise words
Nadir and perigee – lowest
Apogee and zenith – highest
Labrynthine and byzantine – confusing
Cachinnated – laughe
Blandished – flattery
Upbraided – find faults
Simpered - smile in an affectedly coy or ingratiating manner:
Caviled - make petty or unnecessary objections:
Obsequious – flattering
Quotidian and pedestrian – commonplace boring
Invective - insulting, abusive, or highly critical language:
Catalycsm - a large-scale and violent event in the natural world
Obliteration -the action of removing all signs of something, either by destroying it or by covering it so that
it cannot be seen.
Cadency – rhythm
Jejune - naive, simplistic, and superficial:
Supplant – replace
Dissipation – overindulgence in sensual pleasures
Winnow -blow a current of air through (grain) in order to remove the chaff:
Sift -put (a fine or loose substance) through a sieve so as to remove lumps or large particles
Finagle -obtain by dishonest or devious means
Limpid – clear
Invigorate – to give strength
Corroboration – proof
Daunting – difficult
Pejorative – disapproval
Apotheosized – recognized positively
Pecuniary – a lot of money
Rail – bitter complaints
Timorous – scared or nervous
Cantankerous – bad tempered argumentative
Epithets- insults
Bellicose – agrresive ans hostile
Pilliored – attack or ridicle publicly
Deride- exprwss contempt for ridicle
Reconnoiter - make a military observation of (a region):
Candour – quality of being honest
Preclude - prevent from happening; make impossible:
Umbrage – offense
Tendatious - expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view, especially a
controversial ones
Squanderes – wasted
Evinced- indication
Unexpurgated – uncensored
Bourgeois – middle class
Pugnacity and bellicosity – willing to fight
Covet – take belonging of others
Rancour – bitterness
Camaraderie - mutual trust and friendship among people who spend a lot of time together:
Nigh – deadline
Natty – smart and fashionable
Obsequious – flattering
Oblivious – not conscious
Tout - to emphasize the positive nature of something,
Unbedizened - unadorned
Incantation – magical spell
Exegesis – scholarly
Preposterous – utterly absurd or ridiculous
Abreast if – knowledge which is not needed
Catharises - powerful emotional release that, when successful, is accompanied by cognitive insight
and positive change
Simpatico – of one mind
Peccadillous-small minor faults that can be overlooked
Risible -laughable
Pulchritude – beauty
Candor – truth
Berserk – opposite of peacefull
Parlous – dangerous
Trundled – slow
Careened –fast, out-of-control movement,
Tarried - a person lingering
Sangfroid - composure or coolness shown in danger or under trying circumstances
Protean – tending to able to change
Deft – neatly skillfull and quick
Effete- affected, over-refined, and ineffectual:
Whet - a thing that stimulates appetite or desire:
Aspersion – malicious lies
Lassitude and torpor – drowsiness
Wag – joker
Gleaned - “extracted from various sources.
Extortionate – overly expensive
Decry – speak disparagingly
Encumbrance - a claim against a property by a party that is not the owner
Piques -a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight, especially to one's pride
Floes - glaciers
Macabre – horror only no joy
Moot - “of merely academic interest,
Rend – cut limb to limb
Ironclad – rigid or fixed
Nostrum – a scheme or remedy for bringing about some social or political reform or improvement: ,,, a
medicine prepared by an unqualified person, especially one that is not considered effective:
Priggish and punctiliuos – strict
Puckish and wry – funny
Mercenaries - a mercenary is someone who fights for money
Quagmire – complex situation
Gauche and uncouth - the idea of showing off in a low-class way
Putative and conjectural – alleged , yet not proven
Subterfuge – clever deception
Mirthful – joy
Farcical and risible – laughable
Gallivant and traipse - kind of carefree walking.
Myriad – plethora
Impasse and stalemate - a situation in which no progress is possible, especially because of disagreement; a
deadlock
Rapscallion – mischievous
Painstaking – done with great care
Claptrap - pretentious but insincere language
Beseeched and supplicated – begging, pleading
Debacle and rout – crushing failure
Effaced and extirpated – destroyed
Dross - refuse, garbage

abate

v. to diminish in intensity

v. to cause to diminish in intensity

aberrant
adj. diverging from the standard type
abjure
v. to reject or renounce
abscond
v. to leave secretly, evading detection
abstain
v. to voluntarily refrain from doing something
acumen
n. keen judgment and perception
admonish
v. scold or to advise firmly
adulterate
v. to contaminate or make impure by introducing inferior elements
advocate
v. to recommend, support, or advise
n. one who advocates

aesthetic
adj. concerned with the nature of beauty and art
affectation
n. fake or artificial behavior, often meant to impress or conceal the truth
aggrandize
v. enlarge or increase, esp. wealth, power, reputation
alacrity
 n. promptness and eagerness
alleviate
v. to relieve a problem or ease a burden
amalgamate
v. to combine to or mix together
ambiguous
adj. unclear
adj. open to multiple interpretations

ambivalent
adj. having mixed or contradictory feelings about someone or something
ameliorate
v. to improve or mitigate a situation
amenable
adj. easily convinced or persuaded
anachronism
n. something old-fashioned
n. something appearing in a time period where it does not belong

analogous
n. comparable
n. appropriate for analogy

anoint
v. to choose for a particular office or position
v. to use oil on a person in a religious ceremony

anomaly
n. an exception or unusual case
antipathy
n. strong dislike or hatred
antithetical
adj. contrary to the very nature of
apathy
n. state of total disinterest or unenthusiasm
appease
v. to placate
v. to satisfy (an appetite, a need)

arbitrary
adj. seemingly chosen or designated without reason or purpose
arcane
adj. secret or known only to a select group
archaic
adj. old-fashioned
adj. no longer in the common usage

arduous
adj. difficult, taxing, requiring considerable effort
articulate
adj. exhibiting considerable communication skills, well-spoken
artless
adj. without artifice
adj. natural, untrained

ascetic
adj. austere or self-denying
assuage
v. to provide relief from an unpleasant feeling
v. to satisfy a need or appetite

astonishment
n. total surprise, shock
audacious
adj. very bold or presumptuous
austere
adj. severe, unadorned
avarice
n. greed
aver
v. to assert or allege
banal
adj. boring, cliché
belie
v. give a false impression (intentional or unintentional) in word, appearance, or deed
benign
adj. gentle, harmless
biased
adj. prejudiced, displaying partiality
bolster
v. to shore up or support
bombastic
adj. overblown, theatrical
brazen
adj. bold or open to the point of shocking
adj. shameless

bucolic
adj. pastoral, rustic, countryfied
burgeon
v. flourish, bloom, expand or increase quickly
cacophony
n. loud and chaotic noise
calumny
n. lie or slander
candid
adj. honest, open
canon
 n. accepted rules and tenets of a discipline
n. sacred works/scripture; in this sense it is also used to refer to notable literary and artistic works of a
culture or discipline

capacity
n. the capability to perform a particular action or fulfill a given function
n. the total amount a container can hold

n. a particular position or role (i.e. “she served in an advisory capacity”)

capricious
adj. mercurial, unpredictable, whimsical
castigate
v. to scold or berate strongly
catalyst
n. something that speeds up a process or causes action
caustic
adj. corrosive
adj. bitterly sarcastic

censure
v. to express intense condemnation
chauvinist
n. someone who believes prejudicially that their own group is the superior one
chicanery
n. trickery or deception
chronological
adj. ordered by time
coalesce
v. to come together, esp. from disparate parts
cogent
adj. clearly laid out and persuasive
commensurate
adj. in accordance with, proportional
compelling
adj. captivating
adj. very persuasive

comprehensive
adj. complete and thorough
condone
v. to approve or allow
confound
v. to confuse or astonish
connoisseur
n. an expert in a particular subject matter area, usually relating to the fine arts or cultural pursuits
consequential
adj. as a result of
adj. significant or memorable
construe
v. to interpret
consumption
n. utilization (esp. of a resource)
contend
v. assert or claim
v. grapple with

contentious
adj. controversial
adj. involving conflict

contrite
adj. remorseful
convoluted
adj. roundabout, not straightforward
copious
adj. plentiful or abundant
cosmopolitan
adj. of or relating to a city or urban area
adj. sophisticated

covet
v. to desire something that does not belong to you
craft
n. cunning
n. skill

craven
adj. cowardly to the point of being shameful
credence
n. belief or trust
credulous
adj. gullible, naïve
decorum
n. appropriate behavior or good manners
deference
n. respect or polite submission
deflect
v. divert or cause to ricochet
deftness
adj. skill, acumen
adj. manual dexterity

delineate
v. to describe very accurately
v. to clearly demarcate a boundary

v. to render an outline
demur
v. to object or raise concerns
denigrate
v. say negative things about, particularly in a defamatory way
deride
v. to mock or ridicule
derivative
adj. imitates another work in a way that is unoriginal or uninspiring
desiccate
v. to dry out completely
v. to suck out the vitality and passion

desultory
adj. halfhearted
adj. inconsistent or random

detachment
n. objectivity or aloofness
determinant
n. a strong factor in an outcome
diatribe
n. a rant or angry speech denouncing someone or something
didactic
adj. educational or with an instructive purpose; often includes an element of moralizing
diffident
adj. shy, timid, or reserved due to a lack of confidence
dilettante
n. someone with an amateur, nonserious interest in something
dirge
n. funeral or mourning lament
n. any sad, slow song

disabuse
v. to dispel someone’s illusions or false impressions about something
discern
v. to perceive
discrepancy
n. inconsistency
disinterested
adj. objective, unbiased
adj. not invested in the outcome

disparage
v. to belittle
disparate
adj. dissimilar to such a degree that comparison is not possible
dispassionate
adj. impartial or cool
disregard
 v. to ignore or pay no attention to
dissemble
v. to mislead or conceal the truth, esp. with respect to one’s motives
disseminate
v. to spread widely (esp. information)
dissonance
n. a clash between two elements that don’t blend well
diverge
v. to split apart, esp. a road or path
dogma
n. the official beliefs or tenets of particular sect or group
dupe
v. to deceive or fool
ebullient
adj. cheerful, enthusiastic, excited
eccentric
adj. quirky or unusual
eclectic
adj. composed of a variety of styles, themes, motifs, etc.
efficacy
n. effectiveness
elegy
n. sad poem or song, often in remembrance of someone deceased
elicit
v. to provoke a response
eloquence
adj. persuasive and articulate speech
eminent
adj. well-known, respected, distinguished
empirical
adj. based on evidence
emulate
v. to imitate or attempt to equal in accomplishment
enervate
v. to exhaust or drain of energy
engender
v. to cause or give rise to
enhance
v. intensify, increase, augment
entitlement
n. belief that one deserves things one has not earned
n. the rights one is afforded under the law

ephemeral
adj. short-lived or transient
equable
adj. even-tempered
adj. not given to much change or variation
equivocate
v. to use ambiguous language in order to mislead or deceive
erroneous
adj. incorrect
erudite
adj. learned
eschew
v. avoid or abstain from
esoteric
adj. obscure, arcane
estimable
adj. deserving respect, esteem, and admiration
eulogy
n. memorial speech for one who has passed, normally given at a funeral
exacerbate
v. to make worse
exacting
adj. challenging, demanding, grueling
exculpate
v. to exonerate or vindicate
exigent
adj. urgent or pressing
exonerate
v. to clear of charges of wrongdoing
expatiate
v. to elaborate on something in great detail
explicate
v. to explain in detail
exposition
n. a thorough explanation
n. a public show or fair

extraneous
adj. irrelevant or superfluous
extrapolate
v. to estimate or conjecture about the future based on presently available information or facts
facetious
adj. glib or flippant
facilitate
v. to make something easier or simpler
fallacious
adj. relying on a fallacy and thus incorrect/misinformed
fastidious
adj. meticulous
adj. invested in cleanliness

fluctuate
v. to shift without apparent pattern
foment
 v. to foster unrest or discontent
forestall
v. to hold off or try to prevent
fortuitous
adj. fortunate and lucky
frugal
adj. economical, thrifty
gainsay
v. deny or oppose
galvanize
v. to prod someone into action
garrulous
adj. talkative
gauche
adj. socially inept, inappropriate, or awkward
germane
adj. relevant to the matter at hand
glib
adj. talking volubly, but carelessly or insincerely
gregarious
adj. sociable, genial
guile
n. craftiness and cunning
hackneyed
adj. cliché, trite, banal
harangue
n. diatribe or rant
hedonism
n. the pursuit of pleasure
hierarchical
adj. arranged in rank order or hierarchy
homogenous
adj. uniform, identical
hyperbole
n. obvious exaggeration for effect
iconoclast
n. a person who attacks traditional religious and cultural institutions
ideological
adj. relating to a particular belief system or theory
imminent
adj. about to happen
immutable
adj. unchangeable
impair
v. to hinder or weaken someone or something
impediment
n. barrier, hindrance, or obstruction
imperturbable
adj. remaining calm under any circumstance
implacable
adj. unforgiving
adj. relentless

implicit
adj. implied or insinuated without being directly stated
imprudence
n. bad judgment
impudent
adj. disrespectful
inadvertent
adj. by accident or unintentional
Inchoate
adj. rudimentary, in the beginning stages
inconclusive
adj. indeterminate or unresolved
indebted
adj. owing money
adj. owing gratitude to someone or something

indefatigable
adj. cannot be made tired
indolent
adj. lazy
adj. idle

infer
v. to conclude from implicit evidence (as opposed to explicit facts)
ingenuous
adj. naïve or innocent
inimical
adj. harmful or hostile
Innocuous
adj. harmless
inscrutable
adj. enigmatic, incomprehensible
insipid
adj. bland, uninspired, inane
insular
adj. tight-knit and isolated; uninterested in matters outside one’s immediate sphere
intensive
adj. concentrated and in-depth
intermediary
n. a go-between
intimate
adj. close (as in a relationship)
adj. particularly private

v. to imply
intractable
adj. unmanageable
adj. stubborn or obstinate

intransigent
adj. uncompromising, obstinate
intrepid
adj. bold and adventurous
inveterate
adj. ingrained, habitual
invulnerable
adj. indestructible, impervious to harm
irascible
adj. irritable, testy, touchy
irresolute
adj. wishy-washy, hesitant
laconic
adj. taciturn, reserved, succinct
laud
v. to praise
laudable
adj. praiseworthy
litigation
n. legal proceedings
loquacious
adj. talkative
lucid
adj. clear and coherent
luminous
adj. full of light
magnanimity
n. generosity and nobility of spirit
maladroit
adj. clumsy, awkward, inept
malign
adj. evil or harmful
v. to speak negatively about someone or something

malleable
adj. pliant or pliable
adj. easily influenced

maverick
n. an unorthodox person or rebel
mendacity
n. untruthfulness, dishonesty
mercurial
adj. easily changeable, fickle
meticulous
 adj. paying close attention to detail
misanthrope
n. person who hates humanity
mitigate
v. to improve a painful, unpleasant, or negative situation
modest
adj. not boastful
adj. not overly showy

mollify
v. placate
monotony
n. boredom and repetition
mundane
adj. everyday, boring
munificent
adj. very generous
naïve
adj. inexperienced or gullible
nascent
adj. just beginning or in the early stages
neglect
v. to abandon or leave uncared-for
nonplussed
adj. confused and baffled
notoriety
n. fame for doing something negative or criminal
nuance
n. subtle shades of difference
obdurate
adj. stubborn, obstinate
obscure
adj. mysterious or not well-known
v. to cover something up or make it more difficult to perceive

obsequious
adj. overly fawning and helpful in a way that is disingenuous
obstinate
adj. stubborn, uncompromising
obviate
v. to forestall the need for something
v. to prevent

occlude
v. to block or obstruct
occult
n. the mystical and supernatural
offset
v. to counterbalance or counteract
olfactory
adj. relating to smell or the sense of smell
omniscience
n. the quality or state of being all-knowing
onerous
adj. difficult or burdensome
opaque
adj. not see-through; blocking light
opportunism
n. the practice of taking advantage of opportunities as they arise without particular concern for morality or
ethics
opprobrium
n. criticism or condemnation
oscillate
v. to swing back and forth between two points, poles, or positions
ostentatious
adj. overly showy in a way that is gaudy or vulgar
outstrip
v. to overtake or outrun
overshadow
v. to literally cast a shadow over
v. to appear more notable than

painstaking
adj. attentive to detail, meticulous
partial
adj. incomplete
partisan
n. a devoted supporter of a group, cause, or person
patent
adj. blatant, obvious
paucity
n. scarcity, poverty
pedantic
adj. overly concerned with irrelevant detail, fussy
pedestrian
adj. boring, monotonous, run-of-the-mill
perfidy
n. treachery or deceit
perfunctory
adj. done without much effort, care, or thought
peripheral
adj. on the edge or periphery; not centrally important
permeate
v. to pervade or penetrate throughout
perseverance
n. persistence in the face of obstacles
peruse
v. to read something carefully and closely
 v. to read something informally or quickly

(context is critical for this word!)

pervasive
adj. found everywhere, widespread; often has a negative connotation
phenomena
n. things that happen
phlegmatic
adj. cool and unruffled
pith
n. the essential substance of something
placate
v. to calm, esp. an angry or upset person
plastic
adj. easily shaped or molded
adj. made of plastic

platitude
n. a trite or cliché statement
plausible
adj. believable, reasonable
plethora
n. a surplus or overabundance of something
plummet
v. to fall quickly and far
polarize
v. to cause a sharp division between two groups
polemical
adj. angry, hostile, harshly critical
pragmatic
adj. practical
precarious
adj. uncertain or unstable
preceded
adj. went before
precipitate
v. to cause
adj. hastily and not well-considered

n. particulate matter formed within a solution

precursor
n. a forerunner
prescient
adj. knowing things before they happen, prophetic
presumptuous
adj. overly familiar; invades social boundaries
prevail
 v. to succeed, esp. with respect to vanquishing an opponent
v. to convince or persuade

prevaricate
v. to evade or deceive without outright lying
pristine
adj. untouched, clean, pure
probity
n. integrity and honor
prodigal
n. a reckless spender
prodigious
adj. enormous, immense, gigantic
profligate
adj. extravagant and wasteful, esp. in an immoral way
proliferate
v. to multiply and spread rapidly
propitiate
v. to obtain special favor from someone, esp. a powerful person or deity, by performing a pleasing action
v. to appease someone who is angry

propriety
n. appropriateness, manners, decorum
prospective
adj. potential or likely
adj. applicable to the future

qualification
n. credential
n. a modifying statement

quotidian
adj. relating to the everyday or mundane
rationalize
v. to attempt to justify with reasons that are only superficially valid
reconcile
v. to bring into harmony
v. to repair a relationship

recondite
adj. arcane or obscure
refute
v. to rebut or disprove
relentless
adj. never stopping, constant
relevant
adj. relating to the topic or issue at hand
reproach
v. to scold or express criticism
repudiate
v. to renounce or disown
rescind
v. to take back or retract (an offer or statement)
respectively
adv. in the sequential order previously given
reticent
adj. hesitant to speak
adj. introverted or silent

reverent
adj. solemn and respectful
rhetoric
n. the art of effective communication (written or verbal)
salubrious
adj. health-promoting
sanction
v. to give official permission
v. to impose a penalty for a particular action

n. punishments imposed for breaking a regulation

satiate
v. to completely satisfy (with respect to hunger or appetite)
secular
adj. of or relating to the world or worldly matters (as opposed to religious ones)
sediment
n. material that settles at the bottom of a body of water
sedulous
adj. dedicated and careful
simultaneous
adj. occurring at the same moment
solicitous
adj. considerate, attentive
soporific
adj. makes sleepy
sparse
adj. scattered or scarce
adj. austere and unadorned

specious
adj. spurious; appearing true but actually false
sporadic
adj. occasional or scattered
spurious
adj. fake or false
stolid
adj. calm and dependable
subjective
 adj. open to personal interpretation; not based in objective fact
substantiate
v. to corroborate or give evidence of something
subversive
adj. meant to undercut established institutions or norms
sufficient
adj. enough for a given purpose
superbly
adv. excellently
supine
adj. laying back with the face upward (opposite position to prone)
supplant
v. to overtake or replace
sycophant
n. a fawning, insincere admirer
synthesize
v. to combine disparate parts into a coherent whole
tacit
adj. unspoken; implicit
taciturn
adj. reticent or reserved; tending towards silence
temperance
n. moderation and restraint, sometimes used to specifically describe abstinence from alcohol
tenuous
adj. weak, flimsy, insubstantial
timorous
adj. meek or timid
tirade
n. an angry rant
torpor
n. tiredness, lethargy
tortuous
adj. winding or twisty
adj. complicated

tractable
adj. can be easily influenced or managed
transient
adj. passes quickly; short-lived
ubiquitous
adj. ever-present or universal
unadorned
adj. plain; unembellished
undermine
v. to weaken or compromise
underscore
v. to line underneath for emphasis
v. to emphasize
untenable
adj. weak or unsupportable, esp. with respect to an opinion or situation
vacillate
v. to shift between multiple options or opinions
venality
n. the state of being capable of being bribed
venerate
v. to give a high degree of respect; may border on worship
veracity
n. Truth and factual accuracy
verbose
adj. long-winded; loquacious
vexation
n. state of being frustrated, irritated, or concerned.
volatile
adj. easily changeable or extreme; unstable
whimsical
adj. fanciful or capricious
zeal
n. passion or fervor