of 23
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Abate Subside or moderate
Aberrant Abnormal or deviant
Abeyance Suspended action
Abjure To renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
Abscond Depart secretly and hide
Abstain To choose not to do something
Abstemious Sparing in eating and drinking; temperate
Abyss An extremely deep hole
Accolade An expression of praise
Acerbic Having a sour or bitter taste or character
Acumen Quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight
Admonish Warn; reprove
Adulation Excessive praise; intense adoration
Adulterate Make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances
AdumbrateTo foreshadow vaguely or intimate; to suggest or outline sketchily; to
obscure or overshadow
Advocate To speak in favor of
Aesthetic Artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful
Aggrandize To increase in power, influence and reputation
Aggregate Gather; accumulate
Alacrity Cheerful promptness; eagerness
Alleviate Relieve
Alloy To commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior
Amalgamate Combine; unite in one body
Ambiguous Unclear or doubtful in meaning
Ambivalence The state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
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Ameliorate Improve
Amenable Agreeable; responsive to suggestion
Anachronism Something or someone misplaced in time
Analogous Comparable
Anarchy Absence of governing body; state of disorder
AnathemaA solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly
loathed person or thing
Anodyne Soothing, something that assuages or allays pain or comforts
Anomalous Abnormal; irregular
Antagonize To annoy or provoke anger
Antipathy Aversion; dislike
Apathy Lack of caring; indifference
Apogee Farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
Apostate One who abandons long held religious or political convictions
ApotheosisDeification, glorification to godliness, an exhalted example, a model of
excellence or perfection
Appease Pacify or soothe; relieve
Apprise Inform
Approbation Approval
Appropriate Acquire; take possession of for one's own use
Arbitrate To judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Archaic Ancient; old-fashioned
Ardor Intense and passionate feeling
Arduous Hard; strenuous
Arrest To suspend; to engage; to hold one's attention
Articulate Able to speak clearly and expressively
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Artless Without guile; open and honest
Ascetic Practicing self-denial; austere
Asperity Severity, rigor, roughness, harshness, acrimony, irritability
Asseverate To aver, allege, assert
Assiduous Diligent
Assuage Ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)
Attenuate Make thinner; weaken or lessen (in density, force, degree)
Audacious Daring; bold
Augury Omen, portent
August Majestic; venerable
Austere Forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented
Avarice Greed, esp. For wealth
Aver Assert confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact
Axiom A universally recognized principle
Banal Hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality
Belie Contradict; give a false impression
Bellicose Belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
Beneficent Kindly; doing good
Bent Leaning; inclination; proclivity; tendency
Bolster Support; reinforce
Bombastic Pompous; using inflated language
Boorish Rude; insensitiveBroach To bring up or announce; to begin to talk about
Brook To tolerate, endure, or countenance
Bucolic Rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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Burgeon Grow forth; send out buds
Burnish Make shiny by rubbing; polish
Buttress Support; prop up
Cacophonous Discordant; inharmonious
Calumniate To slander, make a false accusation
Candid Impartial and honest in speech
Canonical Following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
Capricious Unpredictable; fickle
CaptiousDisposed to point out trivial faults; calculated to confuse or entrap in
argument
Cardinal Of great importance
Castigation Punishment; severe criticism
Catalyst Agent that stimulates or precipitates a reaction, development, or change
Caustic Burning; sarcastically biting
Cavil To find fault without good reason
Celerity Speed, alacrity (think accelerate)
Chaos Great disorder and confusion
Chary Wary; cautious; sparing
Chauvinist Someone prejudiced in favor of a group which he or she belongs
Chicanery Trickery; deception
Chimera An illusion; originally a fire-breathing she-monster
Coagulate Thicken; congeal; clot
CodaConcluding section of a musical or literary composition; something that
summarizes
Cogent Convincing
Commensurate Corresponding in extent, degree, amount, etc.; proportionate
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Compendium Brief, comprehensive summary
Complaisant Trying to please; overly polite; obliging
Compliant Yielding; conforming to requirements
Conciliatory Reconciling; soothing
Condone Overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
Confound Confuse; puzzle
Connoisseur Person competent to act as a judge of art, etc.; a lover of an art
Contention Claim; thesis
Contentious Quarrelsome
Contentious Argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
Contrite Penitent, seeking forgiveness
Contumacious Insubordinate, rebellious
Conundrum Riddle; difficult problem
Converge Approach; tend to meet; come together
Convoluted Coiled around; involved; intricate
Corroborate To provide supporting evidence
Craven Cowardly
Credulous Too trusting; gullible
Crescendo Steadily increasing volume or force
Culpable Deserving blame
Daunt Intimidate; frighten
Dearth Smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lackDebacle Rout, fiasco, complete failure
Decorum Propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners
Default Failure to act
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Deference Courteous regard for another's wish
Delineate Portray; depict; sketch
Demur To question or oppose
Denigrate Blacken
Denouement An outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
Deride Ridicule; make fun of
Derivative Unoriginal; obtained from another source
Descry To discriminate or discern
Desiccate Dry up
Desuetude Disuse
Desultory Aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
Deterrent Something that discourages; hindrance
Diaphanous Transparent, gauzy
Diatribe Bitter scolding; invective
Dichotomy Split; branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)
Didactic Intended to teach or instruct
Die A part of a machine that punches shaped holes or cuts
Diffidence Shyness
Diffuse Wordy; rambling; spread out (like a gas)
Digression Wandering away from the subject
Dilate To make larger; expand
Dilatory Intended to delayDilettante Someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Dirge Lament with music
Disabuse Correct a false impression; undeceive
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Discerning Mentally quick and observant; having insight
Discordant Not harmonious; conflicting
Discredit Defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve
Discrepancy Lack of consistency; difference
Discrete Separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts
Discretion Cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
Disingenuous Lacking genuine candor; insincere
Disinterested Unprejudiced
Disjointed Lacking coherence
Dismiss Eliminate from consideration; reject
Disparage Belittle
Disparate Basically different; unrelated
Dissemble Disguise; pretend
Disseminate Distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds)
Dissolution Disintegration; looseness in morals
Dissonance Discord; opposite of harmony
Distend Expand; swell out
Distill Purify; refine; concentrate
Diverge Vary; go in different directions from the same point
Divest Strip; deprive
Document Provide written evidence
Dogmatic Opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinalDormant Sleeping; lethargic; latent
Dupe Someone easily fooled
Ebullient Showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm
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Essay To test or try; to attempt or experiment
Estimable Admirable
Eulogy Expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death
Euphemism Mild expression in place of an unpleasant one
Evanescent Tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing
Exacerbate Worsen; embitter
Exact To demand, call for, require or take
Excoriate To censure scathingly, to upbraid
Exculpate Clear from blame
Execrate Denounce, feel loathing for, curse, declare to be evil
Exegesis Critical examination, explication
ExigencyUrgent situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate
attention
Exonerate To clear of blame
Expiate To atone or make amends for
Explicit Clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
Extemporaneous Improvised; done without preparation
Extirpate To destroy, exterminate, cut out, exscind
Extrapolation Projection; superfluous
Facetious Joking (often inappropriately); humorous
Facilitate Help bring about; make less difficult
Fallacious False; misleading
Fanatical Acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
Fatuous Brainless; inane; foolish, yet smug
Fawning Trying to please by behaving obsequiously, flattering or cringing
Felicitous Apt; suitably expressed; well chosen
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Fervor Glowing ardor; intensity of feeling
Flag Droop; grow feeble
Fledgling Inexperienced
Flip Sarcastic, impertinent
Florid Excessively decorated or embellished
Flout Reject; mock; show contempt for
Foment Stir up; instigate
Ford To wade across the shallow part of a river or stream
Forestall Prevent by taking action in advance
Fortuitous Happening by fortunate accident or chance
Fractious Quarrelsome, rebellious, unruly, refractory, irritable
Frugality Thrift; economy
Fulminate To loudly attack or denounce
Furtive Marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
Futile Useless; hopeless; ineffectual
Gainsay Deny
Garrulous Loquacious; wordy; talkative
Germane Relevant to the subject at hand; appropriate in subject matter
Glib Marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial
Goad Urge on
Gouge Overcharge
Grandiloquent Pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding languageGregarious Sociable
Grouse To complain or grumble
Guileless Without deceit
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Gullible Easily deceived
Guy A cord or cable used to steady or guide some-thing
Hackneyed Rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage
Halcyon Calm and peaceful
Harangue Long, passionate, and vehement speech
Hedonism Devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. To the pleasures of the senses
Hegemony The consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others
Heretical Violating accepted dogma or convention
Heterodox Unorthodox, heretical, iconoclastic
Homogenous Of the same kind
Hubris Arrogant presumption or pride
Hyperbole Exaggeration; overstatement
Iconoclast Attacking cherished traditions
Idolatrous Given to intense or excessive devotion to something
Idolatry Worship of idols; excessive admiration
Imbroglio Difficult or embarrassing situation
Imminent About to happen; impending
Immutable Unchangeable
Impair Injure; hurt
Impassive Without feeling; imperturbable; stoical
Impecunious Lacking funds; without money
Impede Hinder, blockImpermeable Impervious; not permitting passage through its substance
Imperturbable Calm; placid
Impervious Impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed
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Impetuous Quick to act without thinking
Implacable Incapable of being pacified
Implicit Understood but not stated
Implode Burst inward
Impunity Immunity from punishment or penalty
Inadvertently Unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly
Inchoate Recently begun; rudimentary; elementary
Incipient Beginning to come into being or to become apparent
Incongruity Lack of harmony; absurdity
Inconsequential Insignificant; unimportant
Incorporate Introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite
Indefatigable Not easily exhaustible; tireless; dogged
Indeterminate Uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite
Indifferent Having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice
Indigence Poverty
Indolent Lazy
Ineluctable Certain; inevitable
Inert Inactive; lacking power to move
Infelicitous Unfortunate; inappropriate
Ingenuous Naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated
Inherent Firmly established by nature or habit
Inimical Hostile, unfriendlyInimitable One of a kind; peerless
Innocuous Harmless
Insensible Unconscious; unresponsive
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Insinuate Hint; imply; creep in
Insipid Lacking in flavor; dull
Insouciant Unconcerned, carefree, heedless
Insularity Narrow-mindedness; isolation
Intimate To imply, suggest, or insinuate
Intractable Unruly; stubborn; unyielding
Intransigence Refusal of any compromise; stubbornness
Intrepid Steadfast and courageous
Inundate Overwhelm; flood; submerge
Inured Accustomed; hardened
Invective Abuse
Inveigle To obtain by deception or flattery
Inveterate Deep rooted, ingrained, habitual
Irascible Irritable; easily angered
Irresolute Uncertain how to act; weak
Itinerary Plan of a trip
Jejune Vapid, uninteresting, nugatory, childish, immature, puerile
Laconic Brief and to the point
Lament To express sorrow; to grieve
Lassitude Languor; weariness
Latent Potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden
Laud PraiseLavish To give unsparingly; extremely generous or extravagant
Lethargic Drowsy; dull
Levee Earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding
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Levity Lack of seriousness or steadiness; frivolity
List To tilt or lean to one side
Log Record of a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities
Loquacious Talkative
Lubricious Lewd, wanton, greasy, slippery
Lucid Easily understood; clear; intelligible
Lumber To move heavily and clumsily
Luminous Shining; issuing light
Magnanimity Generosity
Malevolent Having or showing often vicious ill-will, spite, or hatred
Malingerer One who feigns illness to escape duty
Malleable Capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable
Maverick Rebel; nonconformist
Mendacious Lying; habitually dishonest
Mendicant A beggar, supplicant
Mercurial Characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood
Meretricious Cheap, gaudy, tawdry, flashy, showy; attracting by false show
Metamorphosis Change of form
Metaphor A figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
Meticulous Excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous
Milk To exploit; to squeeze every last ounce of
Minatory Menacing, threatening
MinceTo pronounce or speak affectedly; to speak too carefully; also, to take
tiny steps or tiptoe
Misanthrope One who hates mankind
Mitigate Lessen in intensity; moderate; appease
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Mollify Soothe
Monotony Lack of variation
Morose Ill-humored; sullen; melancholy
Mundane Worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday
Nadir Low point, perigee
Negate Cancel out; nullify; deny
Neophyte Recent convert; beginner
Nice Exacting; fastidious; extremely, even excessively, precise
Nonplussed Baffled, bewildered, at a loss for what to do or think
Obdurate Stubborn
Obfuscate To deliberately obscure; to make confusing
Obsequious Slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic
Obstinate Stubborn, unyielding
Obstreperous Noisily and stubbornly defiant, aggressively boisterous
Obtain To be established, accepted, or customary
Obviate Make unnecessary; get rid of
Occlude Shut; close
Occult Hidden; concealed; beyond comprehension
Odious Evoking intense aversion or dislike
Officious Meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services
Onerous Burdensome
Opaque Impossible to see through; preventing the passage of lightOpprobrium Infamy; vilification
Oscillate Vibrate pendulum like; waver
OssifiedTending to become more rigid, conventional, sterile, and reactionary
with age; literally, turned into bone
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Ostentatious Showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention
Paean A song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving
Palliate
To make something seem less serious, to gloss over, to make less severe
or intensePanegyric Formal praise, eulogy, encomium
Paradox A contradiction of dilemma
Paragon Model of perfection
Parsimonious Cheap, miserly
Partisan One-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party
Pathological Pertaining to disease
Paucity Scarcity
Pedagogy The art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing
Pedantic Showing off learning; bookish
PedanticThe parading of learning; excessive attention to minutiae and formal
rules
Pedestrian Commonplace; trite; unremarkable; quotidian
Pellucid Transparent, easy to understand, limpid
Penchant Strong inclination; liking
Penurious Penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
Penury Severe poverty; stinginess
Perennial Something long-lasting
Perfidious Treacherous; disloyal
Perfunctory Superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm
Permeable Penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through
Pernicious Extremely harmful; potentially causing death
Peroration The concluding part of a speech; flowery, rhetorical speech
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Preen To dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
Presumptuous Arrogant; taking liberties
Prevaricate Lie
Pristine Characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled
Prize To pry; to press or force with a lever; something taken by force; spoils
Probity Uprightness; incorruptibility
Problematic Doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing
Prodigal Wasteful; reckless with money
Profound Deep; not superficial; complete
Profuse Given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant
Prohibitive Inclined to prevent or forbid
Proliferate Grow rapidly; spread; multiply
Prolix Long-winded, verbose
Propensity Natural inclination
Propitiate Appease
Propitiate To appease, to conciliate
Propriety Fitness; correct conduct
Proscribe Ostracize; banish; outlaw
Prudence Wisdom, caution, or restraint
Puerile Childish, immature, jejune, nugatory
Puissance Power, strength
Pungent Stinging; sharp in taste or smell; causticPusillanimous Cowardly, craven
Putrefy To rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
Quaff To drink deeply
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Quail To lose courage; to become frightened
Qualified Limited; restricted
Qualify To limit
Qualms Misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy
Queries Questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations
Querulous Prone to complaining or grumbling; quarrelsome
Quibble Minor objection or complaint
Quiescent At rest; dormant; temporarily inactive
Rail To complain about bitterly
Rancorous Characterized by bitter, long-lasting resentment
Rarefied Made less dense (of a gas)
Recalcitrant Obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly
Recant Disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error
Recluse Hermit; loner
Recondite Abstruse; profound; secret
Redoubtable Awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
Refractory Stubborn; unmanageable
Refute Disprove
Relegate Banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign
Remonstrate To protest, object
Rent Torn, past of rend; an opening or tear caused by such
Reproach Express disapproval or disappointmentReprobate Person hardened by sin, devoid of a sense of decency
Repudiate Disown; disavow
Rescind Cancel
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Resolution Determination
Resolve Determination; firmness of purpose
Reticent Reserved; uncommunicative; inclined to silence
Reverent Respectful; worshipful
Rhetoric Effective writing or speaking
Sage Person celebrated for wisdom
Salacious Lustful, lascivious, bawdy
Salubrious Healthful
Salutary Remedial, wholesome, causing improvement
Sanction Approve; ratify
SanctionAuthoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce
compliance
Sanguine Cheerful, optimistic, confident
Sap To enervate or weaken the vitality of
Satiate Satisfy fully
SatireA literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor
or derision
Saturate Soak thoroughly
Saturnine Gloomy, dark, sullen, morose
Savor Enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality
Scurvy Contemptible; despicable
Secrete Hide away or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism
Sedulous Diligent; persistent; hard-working
SententiousAphoristic or moralistic; epigrammatic; tending to moralize
excessively
Shard Fragment; generally of pottery
Singular Exceptional; unusual; odd
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Solicitous Worried, concerned
Solvent Able to meet financial obligations; able to dissolve another substance
Soporific Sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness
Sordid Characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul
Specious Seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentional)
Spectrum Colored band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism
Sporadic Occurring irregularly
Spurious Lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit
Squalid Sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
Squander To waste by spending or using irresponsibly
Steep To saturate or completely soak
Stentorian Extremely loud and powerful
Stigma Token of disgrace; brand
Stint Be thrifty; set limits
Stipulate Make express conditions, specify
Stoic Indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
Stolid Dull; impassive
Striated Marked with parallel bands; grooved
Strut Pompous walk
Strut Supporting bar
Stygian Gloomy, dark
Stymie To block; thwartSublime Lofty or grand
Subpoena Writ summoning a witness to appear
Subside Settle down; descend; grow quiet
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Substantiate Establish by evidence; verify; support
Succinct Brief; concise
Superfluous Exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
Supersede Cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete
Supplant To take the place of; supersede
Supposition Hypothesis; surmise
Surfeit Excess; overindulgence
Sycophant Toady, servile, self-seeking flatterer; parasite
Synthesis The combination of parts to make a whole
Table To remove (as a parliamentary motion) from consideration
Tacit Understood; not put into words
Taciturn Silent, not talkative
Tangential Peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing
Tenacity The quality of adherence or persistence to something valued
Tendentious Biased; showing marked tendencies
Tender To proffer or offer; to give
Tenuous Thin; rare; slim
Timorous Timid, fearful, diffident
Tirade Extended scolding; denunciation; harangue
Torpor Lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy
Tortuous Winding; full of curves
Tractable Docile; easily managedTransgression Violation of a law; sin
Transient Fleeting; passing quickly; brief
Transitory Temporary, lasting a brief time
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Truculence Aggressiveness; ferocity
Tyro Novice, greenhorn, rank amateur
Ubiquitous
Existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered;
widespreadUrbane Sophisticated; refined; elegant
Vacillate Waver; fluctuate
Venerate Revere
Veracious Truthful
Verbose Wordy
Vex To annoy
Vilify To defame; to characterize harshly
Virulent Extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic
Viscous Sticky, gluey
Vitiate To corrupt, debase, spoil, make ineffective
Vituperative Abusive; scolding
Volatile Changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly
Voluble Fluent, verbal, having easy use of spoken language
Waffle To equivocate; to change one's position
Wag Wit; joker
Warranted Justified; authorized
Wary Very cautious
Waver To fluctuate between choices
Welter Turmoil; bewildering jumble
Whimsical Capricious; fanciful
Zealot Fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal