word definition
Abasement humiliation; degradation
Abhor hate
Abrasive rough; coarse; harsh
Abridge shorten
Abrogate cancel; deny; repeal
Absolution forgiveness; pardon; release
Abstain desist; go without; withdraw
Abstemious holding back from eating or drinking too much
Abstemious self denying; refraining from indulging
Abstruse difficult to understand; obscure
Accessible available; ready for use
Acclaim to express strong approval or praise; hail
Accolade tribute; honor; praise
Acoustics the quality of sound, pertaining to how it is heard based on the quality and structure of the room
Acquiesce to agree to; give in to
Acrid sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes)
Acrid bitter, harsh
Acrophobia fear of heights
Acuity sharpness (mental or visual)
Acute keen-minded; sharp
Adamant unwilling to bend; unyielding
Adamant forceful; inflexible
Adept Very skilled, able, or proficient.
Adroit skilful
Adulate to praise or flatter too greatly; fawn over
Adulation strong admiration; worship
Adversary an opponent
Adversity great trouble or difficulty
Adversity hardship
Advocate One who acts in support or defense of a person or cause.
Advocate support
Aesthetic Pertaining to what is considered beautiful or tasteful.
Aesthetic concerning art or beauty
Aesthetic having to do with artistic beauty
Affable easy to talk to; easy to approach, friendly; kind; amiable
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Affable friendly; social; easygoing
Aggregate a sum total or mixture
Alacrity eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness
Alchemy medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold
Alibi an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
Alimentary relating to food and nourishment
Allay to lessen fear; to calm; to relieve pain
Allay to lessen
Alleviate to lessen pain or tension
Alleviate make less severe
Allusion an indirect reference, often to literature
Aloof distant; detached; cold
Aloof uninterested; showing no concern; emotionally removed or distant
Altruism putting others first; being self-sacrificing
Altruistic showing an unselfish concern for others
Amass accumulate
Ambiguity uncertainty; vagueness
Ambiguous unclear in meaning; can be interpreted in different ways
Ambiguous hard to understand; unclear; open to more than one interpretation
Ambivalence lack of clarity; wavering; being undecided
Ambivalent having conflicting feelings or opinions about something; unsure
Ambulatory able to walk around (used of hospital patients)
Ameliorate to make better; to lessen pain, difficulty, or tension
Ameliorate make better
Amelioration improvement
Amiable friendly
Amiable friendly, kind
Amicable showing goodwill; peaceable
Amity friendship
Amorphous lacking in shape
Ample abundant; plentiful; enough or more than enough
Anachronism Something out of its correct chronological or historical order.
Analgesic medicine to combat pain
Analogous comparable
Anarchy chaos; lack of government
Anecdote A short account of an interesting or humorous, often biographical, incident.
Anecdote a brief amusing story
Animosity hatred; ill will
Animosity hatred; antagonism
Annex a building which is an addition to an existing building
Annex take possession of; seize; capture
Anomaly something which does not fit in a pattern; irregularity
Antagonism hatred or hostility
Antagonism hostility; strong opposition
Antagonistic opposed; hostile; aggressive
Antediluvian very, very old; antiquated
Antediluvian outdated; prehistoric; very old-fashioned
Anthology a book which is a collection of poems or stories
Anthropocentrism putting man at the center of one's philosophy
Antidote something that relieves or prevents; a remedy that counteracts the effects of poison
Antiquated outdated; old fashioned
Antiquated very old and no longer in use; obsolete
Antiquity ancient times
Apathetic indifferent; uninterested; lethargic
Apathetic indifferent; showing no care, interest, or concern; lacking emotion
Apathy lack of interest or emotion
Apocryphal of doubtful origin
Appease pacify; soothe; calm down; make peace with
Appease to make tranquil or quiet, especially by giving into demands; to pacify
Apprehensive Uneasy, anxious, or fearful about the future; quick to understand or learn.
Apprehensive worried; fearful
Arable can be cultivated
Arbitrary random; for no definite reason
Arcane obscure; known only to a few people
Archaic ancient; outdated; old fashioned
Archaic old; from a much earlier time; antiquated
Archetype classic example of
Archives collections of old records; place of storage of old documents
Ardent full of passion and emotion
Arid dry, lacking water
Arrogance An offensive display of self-importance or superiority; overbearing pride.
Arrogant overbearing; proud; haughty
Articulate clear; lucid; eloquent
Artifice deception; trickery
Artisan craftsman
Artisan a person who is skillful with his or her hands
Ascetic without luxuries; severely simple
Ascetic a person who refrains from indulging in earthly pleasures
Ascetic a person who refrains from indulging in earthly pleasures
Aspire to work toward or to have a goal
Assiduous thorough; diligent
Assuage to alleviate; to lessen pain or conflict; pacify
Assuage to calm
Astute perceptive; sharp-witted
Astute sharp-minded; very clear
Asylum place of refuge or safety
Atheist person who does not believe in God
Atheistic without a belief in any god
Atrophy waste away from lack of use
Attenuate weaken
Audacious very bold
Augment increase; make bigger
Auspicious favorable; promising to turn out well
Austere having great economy; showing self-control when it comes to foregoing luxuries, frills; stern in manner
Austere severely plain
Autonomous independent
Avarice greed
Aversion a dislike of
Aviary an enclosed space for birds
Avid showing enthusiasm; ardent
Balk hinder and prevent; hesitate over
Banal dull or stale because of overuse; trite; hackneyed
Banal common; dull
Banality ordinariness; dullness
Baneful causing ruin; harmful; pernicious
Bellicose of a quarrelsome nature; eager to fight; warlike; belligerent
Belligerent taking part in war or fighting ready to fight
Benevolent giving freely and easily to others; charitable
Berate to rebuke or scold in a harsh tone
Bigot narrow-minded, prejudiced person
Bilk cheat; defraud
Billowing swelling; fluttering; waving
Blasphemy speech which offends religious sentiments
Blatant obvious
Blighted damaged; destroyed; ruined
Blithe free-spirited; carefree
Blunderbuss 1. ancient weapon (type of gun); 2. a clumsy person
Bolster support; prop up
Bolster to support; to strengthen
Bombast arrogant, pompous language
Boorish Crude, coarse, and clumsy in behavior; churlish, oafish, insensitive.
Boorish ill-mannered
Bourgeois middle class
Braggart on who boasts a great deal
Braggart someone who boasts
Brawny muscular
Brevity The quality of being brief in time or duration; concise expression.
Brevity briefness or conciseness in speech or writing
Brevity being brief
Bristle to show irritation
Broach start to discuss; approach
Brusque blunt; abrupt
Bulwark fortification; barricade; wall
Bureaucracy officialdom
Burgeon grow; flourish; put forth new shoots
Burnish polish
Buttress strengthen; support
Byline the line that tells you who wrote an article
Cacophony discordant loud noises
Cacophony lack of harmony; loud and unpleasant noise; a racket
Cajole coax
Caldron huge cooking pot
Callow immature
Candid frank; honest
Candor frankness; openness
Candor honesty, sincerity
Cantankerous bad-tempered; quarrelsome
Cantankerous bad-tempered; quarrelsome
Capacious spacious
Capitulate surrender; give in to
Captious made for the sake of quarreling; quibbling
Carping constant criticism
Cartographer person who makes maps
Castigate to scold or punish severely
Castigate scold strongly
Catharsis purging of pent-up emotions
Cathartic Delivering catharsis; emotionally purging.
Caucus type of private political meeting
Caustic burning
Cavalcade procession of vehicles
Celerity speed
Censorious disapproving; critical
Censure To express disapproval in a strong or vehement fashion; to criticize or blame.
Censure to criticize strongly
Censure blame
Cerebral intellectual
Certitude certainty
Charlatan trickster who claims knowledge he doesn't have
Charlatan a fraud; a quack or imposter
Chary wary of; cautious about; reluctant to give
Chary cautious; wary
Chastise to punish or scold harshly
Chastises punishes
Chicanery trickery
Chimerical changeable; unstable
Choleric easily angered
Chronicler person who records historical information
Circuitous indirect
Circumlocution speaking in circles; roundabout speech
Circumlocution using too many words; long-windedness
Circumscribe limit
Circumspect cautious; considering all sides
Circumspect careful and cautious before acting
Circumvent avoid
Cite To quote as an authority or example; to mention in support or confirmation.
Clairvoyant psychic; mystic
Clamor shout; scream
Clamor unpleasant sound; noise
Clandestine secret; covert; stealthy
Clandestine hidden, secret, concealed
Clemency mercy
Cliché overused expression; something unoriginal
Cliché an idea or expression that has become stale due to overuse
Clientele customers
Coalesce come together; merge
Coalesce to have different opinions join together; fuse; converge
Coalesce to come together
Coddle pamper; fuss over; indulge
Coercion force
Cogent lucid; well argued
Cogitate think over something; ponder
Collage picture made from fragments of other pictures
Collate arrange in order
Colloquial pertaining to common everyday speech; conversational
Colloquial local and informal (used of language)
Collusion plotting and planning
Commandeer take possession of
Commendable Worthy of great praise or approval.
Complacent self-satisfied; smug
Complacent self-satisfied; smug
Complementary serving to complete another
Compliant easy to control; submissive
Compliant yielding, submissive
Concatenate link together
Concatenation linking into chains
Conciliate to bring together; end a dispute
Conciliate to win a person over through special considerations or persuasive methods
Conciliatory Attempting to regain goodwill through pleasantness; accommodating.
Concise using few words in speaking and writing
Concise stated in few words
Condescend talk down to
Conflagration a huge fire, an inferno
Confounding puzzling; baffling
Congenial compatible; having kindred needs or tastes; sympathetic
Conscientious relating to doing what one knows is right; scrupulous
Consensus Majority of opinion among a group; general agreement or accord.
Consummate Complete or perfect in every respect; supremely skilled.
Contemporary modern, new; relating to the same time period
Contemptuous lacking respect; scornful
Contentious quarrelsome; belligerent
Convalesce to recover from an illness
Convivial sociable, outgoing in a festive way, especially when pertaining to eating and drinking; fond of good company
Copious abundant; much; plentiful
Cordial warm and friendly; amiable
Counterfeit fake; false
Covert hidden; undercover
Covert secret, hidden
Cower recoil in fear or servility; shrink away from
Credible believable
Creditable praiseworthy
Credulous gullible; ready to believe anything
Crepuscular active at dawn and dusk
Cringe recoil; flinch; shy away
Cryptic puzzling; enigmatic
Cryptic hidden; hard to understand; mysterious; obscure
Culinary having to do with cooking, preparing meals
Cursory Performed hastily and without attention to detail; superficial.
Curtail cut short
Cynical believing that people act only out of selfish motives
Cynical believing that all others are motivated by self-interest
Debacle a failure or breakdown; a collapse that is often nonsensical
Debility weakness; incapacity
Debunk to prove wrong or false
Debunking exposing false claims or myths
Decathlon an athletic competition with ten events
Decorum dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a)]
Decoy lure; trap; trick
Deference respect
Defiant Boldly resisting authority or an opposing force; challenging.
Defoliate cause leaves to fall off
Defunct no longer in existence
Degradation deprivation; poverty; debasement
Delectable delicious
Deleterious harmful
Deleterious harmful to one’s health or overall welfare; pernicious
Deliberate to think over deeply
Delineation demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining
Delusion a false opinion or belief
Demur hesitate; refuse
Denounce condemn; speak out against
Depict To represent or characterize in words, pictures, or sculpture.
Deplete use up; lessen
Deplore regret
Depravity moral corruption
Deprecate to show mild disapproval
Deprecate criticize; denounce; to show mild disapproval
Deride To laugh at in scorn or treat with contempt; to ridicule.
Deride ridicule; make fun of; mock
Derivative unoriginal; taken from something already existing
Derogatory uncomplimentary
Desecrate to damage or pollute a holy place
Desecration spoiling something holy
Desist stop; discontinue; cease
Despondent having no hope; miserable
Destitution hardship; poverty; misery
Detached aloof; indifferent
Deter put off; prevent
Deteriorate worsen; decline
Detrimental harmful
Detrimental harmful
Devious dishonest or deceptive
Devoured greedily eaten/consumed
Dexterous skilful with hands
Dichotomy a division into two parts
Didactic intended to teach; instructive
Diffident lacking confidence
Diffuse spread out, not concise; wordy
Digress wander off the subject
Digress to wander off from the subject or topic spoken about
Dike dam; embankment
Dilatory slow; falling behind with one's work
Dilemma puzzling situation
Dilettante person who dabbles in a subject without serious study
Diligent hard-working
Din ongoing loud sound; noise
Diorama model of a scene
Dirge mournful song
Disapprobation disapproval
Discern to distinguish one thing from another
Discerning able to judge people and situations clearly
Discord disagreement
Discordancy cacophony; harshness; jarring
Discordant lacking harmony or agreement
Discrepancy something which does not match up; inconsistency
Discrepancy a difference
Discriminate to make a clear distinction; see the difference
Discursiveness long windedness; indirectness
Disdain contempt; strong dislike
Disdainful full of bitter scorn and pride; aloof
Disinterested unbiased
Disparage To speak of with disrespect; to belittle or depreciate.
Disparage criticize; belittle
Disparity Lack of equality or similarity; difference.
Disparity an inequality
Dispassionate neutral; objective
Disputatious likely to dispute or argue
Disseminating circulating; broadcasting; spreading (information)
Diurnal active in daytime
Diva a highly skilled singer, usually an opera singer
Divert 1. entertain; 2. distract; 3. cause a detour
Docile gentle and easily lead
Dogged stubborn; determined
Dogmatic having stubbornly held opinions
Dolt stupid person
Dotard foolish old man
Drawl speak slowly with words running together
Drivel nonsense
Droll dryly amusing
Drone 1. monotonous noise (n); 2. to speak with no emotion (v); 3.male bee
Dubious doubtful
Dupe to fool someone
Dynamic lively; vibrant; energetic
Ebullient very lively; cheerful; jovial; happy
Ebullient filled with a bubbly excitement, as if boiling over with excitement
Eccentric unusual; quirky; odd
Eclectic Selecting, employing, or comprising individual elements from a wide variety of sources.
Eclectic taken from many different sources
Effervescent lively; full of uplifted spirit; vivacious
Egotistical excessively self-absorbed; very conceited
Elaborate Planned or executed with great care and attention; painstaking.
Eloquence artful ease with speaking; speech that can impact people’s feelings
Eloquent Characterized by clear, powerful, and persuasive speech.
Elucidate To make lucid or clear; to explain.
Emaciated very, very thin due to lack of adequate food
Embody To represent in bodily, material, or tangible form
Enfranchise give voting rights
Engender cause
Enhance improve; make better or clearer
Enigma puzzle; mystery
Enigma a riddle or mystery; a puzzling or baffling matter or person
Ensconce establish firmly in a position
Enshroud cover
Enunciation clear pronunciation; accent; articulation
Envenom to cause bitterness and bad feeling
Ephemeral lasting a short time; fleeting
Ephemeral short-lived
Epicure someone who appreciates good food and drink
Epicurean having to do with relishing the pleasure of eating and drinking (n. epicure)
Epistle a letter (form of communication)
Epistolary concerned with letters; through correspondence
Epitomized typified; characterized; personified
Equitable Characterized by fairness and impartiality; just or reasonable.
Equivocate speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth
Err make a mistake
Erratic Having no fixed or regular course; wandering; lacking consistency.
Erratic wandering; irregular
Erudite wise due to much reading and studying; scholarly
Esoteric obscure and difficult to understand
Espouse promote; take up; support
Esteem to value highly; to have great regard for
Ethical Being in accordance with the rules or standards for right conduct or practice.
Etymology the study of word origins
Eulogize to praise, as in a eulogy; to say good things about
Eulogy praise
Euphemism a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
Euphony pleasant sounds
Euphony pleasing sound
Evacuate vacate; empty; abandon
Evanescent vanishing quickly; fleeting
Exacerbate make worse
Exacting requiring a great deal of care or effort; painstaking
Exalt to praise or glorify; to lift up in status, dignity, power
Exasperated frustrated; annoyed
Exceptionable very bad (something which we should object to)
Excerpt a portion of a text or musical piece that is taken, or extracted, from the whole
Exculpate free someone from blame; pardon; acquit
Execrable very, very bad
Exegesis scholarly explanation or interpretation
Exemplary Worthy of imitation; estimable; praiseworthy.
Exemplary outstandingly good; setting a fine example
Exemplify to serve as a good example
Exhaustive complete and thorough
Exonerates acquits; absolves; removes blame
Exorcism getting free/rid of; eliminating (especially demons)
Expatriate refugee; emigrant; someone living away from his own country
Expedient convenient; practical
Expedite make faster
Exposition clear explanation
Extol praise
Extol to praise highly; laud
Extradite deport from one country back to the home country
Extraneous irrelevant
Extraneous not necessary; not an essential part; not relevant
Extrapolate extend; predict on the basis of known data
Extrinsic irrelevant; on the outside
Exuberant overflowing with vitality and good spirits
Fallacious false; untrue
Falter hesitate; waver
Fanatical obsessive; fixated
Fanatical full of great enthusiasm or devotion
Fanaticism passion; excessive devotion
Fastidious overly particular; finicky
Fastidious very attentive to detail; fussy; meticulous
Fatuous silly; foolish
Fawning gaining the favor of another by acting overly kind or by flattery
Feasible possible and practicable
Fecund fertile
Felicitous Well-suited for the occasion, appropriate; marked by good fortune.
Felicitous apt
Fervent filled with passion or intensity
Fervor passion; enthusiasm
Fickle unpredictable; whimsical; easily swayed
Finesse skill
Fitful not continuous; stopping and starting
Flagrant clearly wrong
Flamboyant showy; ornate
Flaunt show off; display in a showy manner
Fleeting short-lived
Flippant making jokes about serious matters
Florid Reddish or rosy; excessively ornate or flowery
Flout defy; reject
Flustered worked-up; not calm
Fly-By-Night unreliable; disreputable
Forensic concerned with argument or debate (esp. for legal evidence)
Fortitude bravery
Fortuitous happening by chance
Foster To promote the growth or development of; cultivate; nurture.
Fractious irritable; difficult to control
Fraudulent fake; false
Frivolous not serious
Frivolous not having substance or s sense of importance or seriousness; silly; trivial; trifling
Frugal economical; not wasting anything
Frugal careful with money; thrifty; not costly
Furrow groove
Furtive hidden and secret, sneaky
Furtive sneaky
Futile useless; hopeless
Galleon ancient type of sailing ship
Gambol frolic; leap; bound
Garble distort; confuse; muddle
Garish gaudy
Garner gather; collect
Garrulous talkative
Garrulous talkative; loquacious
Gaunt emaciated; bony and angular
Gingerly very carefully
Glacial very, very cold or very, very slow moving ( in both cases, like a glacier)
Glutton one who overindulges in food and drink
Grandiloquent using big and fancy words when speaking for the purpose of impressing others
Gratify to please or indulge
Gregarious sociable, outgoing
Hackneyed made commonplace by overuse; trite
Hamper hinder; obstruct
Hamper to hinder; to prevent something from happening
Hangar storage area (like garage) for a plane
Harangue noisy, attacking speech
Harbingers indicators; bringers of warnings
Hardy healthy and strong; robust
Hasten hurry; accelerate; rush
Haughtiness arrogance; pride
Haughty having a great pride in oneself and dislike for others
Headstrong stubborn; willful
Hedonism self indulgence; pleasure-seeking
Hedonist a pleasure seeker
Hedonist a person who lives for pleasure
Heed listen to
Heedful paying careful attention to
Heresy against orthodox opinion
Hiatus interruption; pause
Hidebound rigid in opinions
Hidebound strongly-opinionated; narrow-mindedly stubborn
Hieroglyphics 1. picture writing; 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic
Hinder obstruct
Histrionic theatrical; exaggerated
Hoary old
Holistic Emphasizing the importance of the whole and the interdependence of parts.
Homogeneous of the same kind; alike; uniform
Hone sharpen; increase; whet
Hyperbole grossly exaggerated speech
Hypochondriac a person obsessed with health; having imaginary illnesses
Hypocritical insincere
Iconoclast person who opposes orthodoxy
Idiosyncrasy A habit, mannerism, or characteristic that is peculiar to an individual.
Idiosyncrasy a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual
Ignominious shameful
Ignominy shame [ignominious (a) = shameful]
Illuminate to light up or make clear
Illusion something unreal that gives the appearance of being real
Illusory deceptive; false; misleading
Immoderate excessive; extreme
Immutable unchanging; permanent
Impartial unbiased; neutral
Impassioned filled with passionate emotion
Impassive lacking emotion or drive
Impecunious having no money
Impious wicked; profane
Impoverished destitute; poor
Impromptu unrehearsed; spontaneous
Imprudent careless; rash
Impudent rude; disrespectful
Impugn to oppose or attack someone or something as false or refutable
Inadvertent not intentional
Incantation chant; invocation; prayer
Incarceration putting in prison
Inception the start, the beginning of something
Inception the beginning; the earliest stage
Incessant without stopping
Incidental less important; minor
Incipient just beginning
Incisive sharp; keen
Inclination tendency; a leaning toward
Incoherent not clear
Incongruous not fitting in; out of place
Inconsequential unimportant; insignificant; negligible
Inconsequential irrelevant; of no significance; unimportant
Inconspicuous not easily seen; subtle; not noticeable
Inconspicuous hardly noticeable
Indelible cannot be wiped out
Indifferent 1. neutral; 2. not outstanding
Indifferent apathetic; showing little or no concern or care
Indigenous native to a particular area
Indigenous native
Indigent poor; impoverished
Indignant angry
Indolence laziness
Indolent lazy; not wanting to do any work
Inductee novice; beginner
Indulgent pampering; satisfying desires
Inebriation drunkenness; intoxication
Ineffable Defying expression or description; inexpressible.
Ineffable cannot be expressed in words
Inept incompetent; unskilled; useless
Inertia inactivity; lethargy
Inevitable cannot be avoided
Inexorable relentless
Inexpedient not advisable
Infallible perfect; flawless; cannot make mistakes
Infamous famous for something bad
Infer deduce; conclude
Ingenious very clever or inventive
Ingénue naïve, unsophisticated person
Ingrate ungrateful person
Inimical hostile
Iniquitous showing a lack of fairness; wicked; vicious
Innate inherited; inborn
Innocuous harmless; inoffensive
Innovate create; introduce something new
Innovation something new
Inscrutable mysterious; impenetrable
Insentient unfeeling
Insipid dull; bland; boring
Insipid lacking flavor or taste; unexciting
Insolent boldly disrespectful in speech or behavior; rude
Instigate to start; provoke
Instigator troublemaker; person who entices others to do something
Insuperable unable to be overcome
Insurgent a rebel
Integrity holding firmly to values, such as honesty; completeness
Intemperate Given to or characterized by excessive indulgence; not moderate
Interminable never-ending
Intermittent sporadic; irregular
Intimate to suggest; to hint at
Intimidate to frighten; to hint at
Intractable stubborn; hard to manage
Intransigence stubbornness
Intransigent stubborn; unyielding
Intrepid brave
Intrepid fearless
Inveterate habitual
Invidious arousing envy
Irrelevant not relating to the matter at hand
Irreverent Showing lack of due respect; impertinent; satirical.
Itinerant wandering about; tending to move around, travel
Jocular liking to be with people, joke around with them and have fun
Judicious showing wisdom in judging people and situations
Kindle to start a fire
Knotty complex; difficult to solve
Labyrinth a maze
Labyrinth a maze from which it is very hard to extricate (free) oneself
Labyrinthine complicated; highly convoluted
Laceration a cut
Lachrymose tearful; sad
Lackluster dull; monotonous; bland
Lackluster lacking vitality, energy, or brightness; boring
Laconic using few words; brief; to the point
Laconic using few words in speech
Lament To feel or express grief or regret; to mourn for.
Lamentation expression of regret or sorrow
Lampoon ridicule; spoof
Lance spear; spike; javelin
Languid tired; slow
Languish decay; fade away; get weaker
Languor weak or lifeless feeling
Larceny theft; robbery; stealing
Largess generous giving
Largess generosity
Lassitude a tired feeling, usually resulting from depression or too much work
Laud praise
Laud to praise; extol
Laudatory Containing or expressing praise
Lavish generous in giving to others or in spending money
Lavish on a grand scale; wasteful
Lavish abundant; in excess
Lax careless; not strict
Legend 1. key to map; 2. myth or story
Legion in large numbers
Lethargic tired; without energy
Lethargic having little or no energy
Levity lightheartedness; gaiety; carefree disposition, particularly when not appropriate
Levity flippancy; joking about serious matters
Libertarian someone who opposes tyranny
Linger to hang around; to stay
Liniment soothing lotion
Listless lacking interest in something, usually because of illness, fatigue, or general sadness; spiritless
Lithe flexible; supple
Lithe nimble and flexible
Livid very angry
Lobbyist person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause
Lofty snooty; arrogant; haughty
Lofty very high; towering; grand or noble
Longevity long life
Loquacious very talkative; liking to talk; garrulous
Loquacious talkative
Lucid Clear; rational; sane; easily understood
Lucid clear
Ludicrous ridiculous; silly
Lukewarm 1. unenthusiastic; 2. neither hot nor cold
Lummox clumsy person
Luscious juicy; moist; succulent
Lynch assassinate; kill; illegal hanging
Machinations plots and plans
Maelstrom whirlpool; storm in the ocean
Magnanimous Generous in forgiving; unselfish; free of resentment
Magnanimous generous in overlooking insult or injury by others; rising above pettiness
Magnanimous generous; big-hearted
Magnate powerful businessman
Maladroit clumsy; unskillful
Malady illness
Malediction a curse
Malefactor a wrong-doer
Malicious intending to hurt of harm another; spiteful
Malinger deliberately avoid work; shirk
Malingerer person who deliberately tries to avoid work
Malleable flexible; can be shaped
Mallet 1. wooden hammer; 2. stick used for polo
Manipulatable influencable; controllable
Marred damaged; spoiled
Marshal to gather together
Marsupial pouched mammal (like a kangaroo)
Martinet person who believes in strict discipline
Masochist person who intentionally inflicts pain on himself
Matriarchy society governed by women
Maverick a loner
Meager in short supply
Meander wander from side to side
Mediate to act as a go-between in settling conflicts or disputes between people or opposing sides
Mellifluous sweet and smooth sounding
Mellow soft; melodious; ripe
Menagerie collection of animals
Mendacious given to lying
Mercenary concerned only with money
Mercenary greedy for self-gain; thinking only of money-making
Mercurial volatile; changeable
Merge come together
Metaphorically symbolically; figuratively
Meticulous very careful; painstaking
Meticulous very careful; fussy; finicky
Mettle courage; bravery; valor
Milieu environment
Mire swamp; muddy ground
Misanthrope hater of the rest of mankind
Misanthrope someone who dislikes all people
Miserly careful with how money is spent; thrifty
Misnomer wrong name
Misogynist hater of women
Misrepresentation deliberately deceiving
Mitigate lessen; make less severe
Mitigate to make or become less severe; to lesson pain or damage
Mock To ridicule; to imitate or mimic; to defy
Mock to make fun of; to imitate
Modicum small amount
Mollify to pacify, soothe, or appease; to make less severe or violent
Momentous very important
Monotonous dull; unvarying
Moratorium temporary prohibition or halt to activity
Moribund on the point of death
Mundane Common or ordinary; pertaining to the world, secular
Mundane commonplace; ordinary
Munificent very generous
Myriad countless; a very large number
Naïve Unaffected; unsophisticated; inexperienced; having an unaffected style.
Narcissist having to do with extreme self-adoration; person who feels superior to everyone
Nefarious Wicked; infamous; villainous
Nefarious very mean and wicked
Negligible able of likely to be neglected or bypassed due to smallness or lack of importance
Nomadic wandering
Nonchalant casual and indifferent; not showing any great concern or worry about anything
Nostalgia A longing for a former place or time; something that displays nostalgia
Novel New; different
Novel new
Noxious harmful; poisonous; lethal
Nuance something subtle; a fine shade of meaning
Nullify to counter; make unimportant
Nurture to care for, to nourish
Nuzzle cuddle; snuggle
Obdurate stubborn
Obdurate resistant to persuasion or softening; stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
Obfuscate deliberately make something difficult to understand
Objective unbiased; not subjective
Oblique indirect; slanting
Obliterate destroy; demolish; eradicate
Oblivious totally unaware
Obscure difficult to understand; partially hidden
Obscure hard to understand; abstract
Obscured hidden; covered; buried
Obsequious servile; submissive
Obsequious obeying or performing a service for someone in an overly attentive manner
Obsession a dominating concern
Obsolete no longer valid
Obsolete old; outdated, as in no longer in use
Obstinate Stubborn; inflexible; not easily overcome
Obstinate stubborn; inflexible
Obstreperous noisy and boisterous
Obtuse mentally dull
Obtuse stupid; not clear or precise
Obviate avoid; make unnecessary
Odious hateful
Odious loathsome; evil; revolting in a disgusting way
Officious domineering; intrusive; meddlesome
Ogle stare at; observe in an obvious manner
Olfactory concerned with the sense of smell
Ominous threatening
Ominous pertaining to an evil omen; foreboding
Ominous related to feeling that something bad or evil is bound to happen; foreboding
Omnipotent all-powerful
Omniscient all-knowing
Onerous burdensome; hard to undertake
Onus burden
Opaque does not let light through
Opportunist a person who seeks self-gain, even at the expense of others, without regard to values or moral principles
Opulent wealthy; rich; magnificent
Ordain 1. destine; 2. confer holy orders on a priest
Ornate highly decorated
Orthodox conventional
Ossify 1. turn to bone; 2. become fixed and rigid
Ostentatious showy
Ostentatious having to do with showing off; pretentious
Oust push out of a position
Overt obvious; not hidden
Overwrought worked up; in an emotional state
Pacify to calm; to make peaceful; to restore to a tranquil state
Palatable pleasing to the taste buds
Palatable good to eat; agreeable
Palisade fence made of posts
Palliative a remedy that improves but doesn't cure
Pallid pale
Palpable easily felt; easily perceived
Panacea remedy for all ills
Panegyrize to praise a person or event in a formal speech or in writing; to praise highly
Paradigm 1. example; 2. model; 3. way of looking at things
Paradox apparently contradictory statement
Paragon a perfect example
Paramount of supreme importance
Parasite 1. scrounger; 2. animal which takes digested food from another
Parched dried up
Pariah an outcast from society
Pariah a social outcast
Parity equality
Parochial narrow-minded; concerned only with local matters
Parody a mockery; imitation for ridicule; spoof
Parry ward off; avoid
Parsimonious economical; frugal; thrifty
Parsimonious overly thrifty or miserly
Parsimony stinginess; frugality; cost-cutting
Partisan Devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause
Partisan biased; one-sided; committed to one group
Pathos evoking sadness or pity
Patron one who give support (usually financial)
Patronize condescend to; behave in an arrogant manner towards
Paucity shortage
Peccadillo minor weakness; trivial offence
Pedant person who insists on strict adherence to rules or narrow learning
Pedestrian common; mundane; banal
Peerless without equal
Pejorative derogatory
Pellucid transparently clear
Pensive in a thoughtful mood; thinking deeply
Penurious stingy; relating to great poverty, destitution
Penury poverty
Perceptive observant
Percipient perceptive; insightful
Perdition damnation
Peremptory in a commanding manner
Perfidy treachery
Perfunctory superficial; cursory
Peripatetic nomadic; moving from place to place
Peripatetic moving or walking about; itinerant
Peripheral on the edge; not important
Peripheral only marginally connected to what is truly important; minor or incidental; relating to the field of vision
Perjury telling lies under oath
Pernicious destructive; harmful
Pernicious very destructive or harmful, usually in an inconspicuous and relentless way
Perspicacious using wise judgment; sharp-minded
Pessimistic Gloomy; having a negative outlook; expecting the worst
Petty minor or trivial; small in quantity
Philanthropic showing a desire to help others by giving gifts; charitable; humane
Phlegmatic hard to get excited or emotional; calm
Pitfall an unseen danger, risk, or drawback
Pithy brief and full of meaning and substance; concise
Placate to make calm; to soothe
Placid calm; peaceful
Plagiarism taking credit for someone else's writing or ideas
Plaintiff petitioner (in court of law)
Platitude quality of being dull; an obvious remark uttered as if it were original
Plaudit statement giving strong praise
Plausible can be believed; reasonable
Plethora an excess
Plethora excess; abundance
Pliable flexible; not stubborn
Plumage feathers of a bird
Plummet fall suddenly and steeply
Podium raised platform
Poignant deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions
Poised calm; collected; self-possessed
Polemical inclined to argue or debate; controversial
Polemical causing debate or argument
Ponderable important enough to require a lot of thought
Ponderous weighty; slow and heavy
Ponderous very heavy or bulky; dull or lifeless
Pontificate speak pompously or dogmatically
Portend foretell
Portent a warning sign; omen
Poseur someone who puts on an act
Posterity future generations
Posthumous after death
Postulate hypothesize; propose
Potable suitable for drinking
Potent powerful; compelling; strong
Pragmatic Practical; dealing with actual facts or occurrences
Pragmatic practical
Pragmatist practical person; one who is concerned with usefulness
Prattle to speak on and on in a senseless and silly manner; to talk foolishly
Preamble introductory material
Precarious unstable; risky
Precarious dangerous or risky; uncertain
Precedent a previous occurrence used as a guide
Precept guiding principle
Precinct district of a city
Precipice steep slope
Precipitous done in a hurry
Preclude prevent or make impossible
Precocious developing early
Predator one who takes advantage of another, exploits or feeds on another; a strong adversary or rival
Predecessor one who came before
Predicament dilemma; difficult situation
Preeminent famous; outstanding
Prerogative right or privilege
Prescient having fore-knowledge
Presentiment a feeling that something might happen
Presumptuous assuming too much; arrogant
Presumptuous too forward or bold; overstepping proper bounds
Pretentious pompous; self-important
Pretentious claiming or pretending increased importance; ostentatious; affectedly grand
Prevaricate speak misleadingly and evasively
Pristine unspoiled
Proclivity tendency towards
Procrastinate delay; put off
Prodigal wasteful; extravagant
Prodigal wasteful; lavish
Prodigious very large
Profane unholy
Profanity swearing; cursing
Profound having deep meaning
Profundity depth
Profuse abundant; more than enough
Proletarian member of the working class
Prolific producing a lot
Proponents promoters; supporters
Prosaic Commonplace; dull; lacking in imagination
Prosaic dull; commonplace
Prosaic dull; boring; ordinary
Proscribe forbid
Prosody study of versification
Prostration 1. lying face down; 2. be overcome with extreme weakness
Protagonist main character in film, book, play etc.
Protean changeable
Protégé person under protection of, or guided by another
Protocol procedure; code of behavior
Provincial unsophisticated; narrow-minded
Proximity nearness
Prudent cautious; wise
Prudent careful, cautious, and wise
Puerile childish
Pugnacious eager to fight; belligerent
Punctilious paying attention to small details
Purloin steal
Pusillanimous cowardly
Pyromania compulsion to start fires
Quaff drink down quickly
Quagmire marsh; bog
Quaint picturesque
Quandary dilemma; puzzle
Quandary a dilemma; a confusing or puzzling situation
Quarantine isolation to prevent the spread of disease
Quarry 1. something that is hunted; 2. mine for stone
Quell To suppress; to put an end to; to pacify
Quell to pacify; to subdue; to quiet down
Querulous always complaining
Querulous whining; complaining
Quiescent quiet; still; inactive
Quirk oddity
Raconteur a skillful storyteller
Ramble wander aimlessly
Rancorous deeply hateful or spiteful; malicious
Rant to talk very loudly, even wildly
Raucous coarse-sounding; loud and unruly
Ravenous very hungry
Raze to tear down; to destroy
Rebuff to snub; to bluntly refuse
Rebuke to reprimand or scold sharply
Recalcitrant stubborn; disobedient; defiant
Recount to tell a story
Refute To prove to be false; to prove a person to be in error; to deny
Relic a custom or object that has been around for a very, very long time
Remote emotionally distant and disinterested; aloof; uninvolved; distant, far away
Remuneration payment for work done
Renown fame
Replete full
Replete filled-up; overflowing
Reprehensible shameful; very bad
Reprieve a respite; postponement of a sentence
Reprove to speak to in a disapproving manner; to scold
Repudiate shun; eschew
Rescind retract; repeal
Resignation acceptance of fate
Resolution determination
Resolve firmness, determination
Resonant echoing
Respite a break; intermission
Respite period of inactivity; a lull
Resplendent shining; glowing
Restorative a tonic
Retention preservation; withholding
Reticent not talking much; reserved
Reticent restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative
Retraction withdrawal; cancellation of a statement
Revere worship
Revere to regard highly with love an respect
Rhetorical Used for style or effect only; having to do with rhetoric; bombastic
Rhetorical relating to speech that is used to persuade or have some effect; insincere in expression
Riddled full of (usually full of holes)
Rife common
Rigor thoroughness
Rigor harshness, severity
Robust strong; healthy; tough
Rotund round
Ruminate think over something; ponder
Ruse trick; stratagem
Saccharin falsely sweet
Sacrosanct very holy; inviolable
Sagacious wise
Sagacious wise
Sage a wise person
Salacious lecherous; erotic
Sallow yellowish
Salubrious health-giving
Salutary something which teaches you a lesson; beneficial
Sanctimonious hypocritically holy
Sanction give approval to
Sanguinary bloodthirsty; bloody
Sanguine Optimistic, hopeful or confident; reddish.
Sanguine optimistic; cheerful
Sardonic mocking
Saturate to wet or soak completely; to totally fill up
Savant person with knowledge
Savory tasty or good smelling
Savvy smart; informed
Scale to climb
Scapegoat person on whom blame is placed for faults of others
Scrupulous careful; diligent; painstaking
Scrupulous showing great care and honesty, based on personal belief of what is right and proper
Scrutinize examine carefully
Scrutinize to read or look at very closely and carefully
Scuttle sink
Sedentary having to do with sitting around a lot
Seminary an institution in which priests are trained
Sensuous appealing to the senses
Sentinel guard; sentry
Sequester isolate
Serendipity fortunate coincidence; unsought discovery
Serene calm; peaceful
Serrated jagged; saw-like
Servile overly submissive; groveling
Servile slave-like; very humble and submissive
Shrewd insightful; clever
Skeptic a person who doubts
Skeptical doubting; not gullible
Skirmish minor battle
Slavish slave-like; overly humble; involving very hard work
Sluggard slow-moving; lethargic person
Sluggish slow and lazy
Sly underhanded, furtive
Smelt refine an ore
Smorgasbord a Swedish buffet of cold dishes
Solace comfort for grief
Solicit to ask for; seek
Solicitous Anxious or concerned; careful; eager
Somber Dark; dimly lit; gloomy or depressing
Somnambulist sleepwalker
Soothsayer fortuneteller
Sophomoric juvenile; immature
Soporific inducing sleep
Soporific sleep-inducing; sleepy
Sparse spare; bare; meager
Specious false; untrue
Speckled spotted; freckled; dotted
Speculate To think or reflect; to conjecture
Sporadic not continuous; intermittent
Spurious false; untrue
Spurious false; counterfeit; lacking logic
Squander to spend money (or time) in a wasteful, uncaring fashion
Stagnant still; not moving
Stagnant lacking movement or energy
Staid dull; sober; serious
Stanza section of a poem
Staunch loyal; faithful; dependable
Stealthy secretive, sly
Stereotype fixed image
Stevedore dockworker
Stifle suppress
Stoic known for fortitude; indifferent to pleasure or pain
Stoical lacking emotion or not showing any emotion
Stoke add fuel to; strengthen
Stolid impassive; dull; indifferent
Stratagem plot; plan; trick
Strident loud and harsh
Strident shrill; high-pitched
Submissive voluntarily obeying another; humble
Subordinate inferior; lower in rank or status
Subservient obedient; obsequious
Succinct clearly and briefly stated; concise
Supercilious looking down on others; proud and scornful
Superficial lacking in depth or importance; on the surface
Superfluous More than sufficient; extra; unnecessary or needless
Superfluous overabundant; more than is needed; unnecessary
Surfeit an oversupply
Surpass to be better than; to excel
Surreptitious done or made in a secret, stealthy way
Swagger to walk around in a proud, showy manner; to boast in a loud manner
Sycophant a self-server who tries to gain the favor of others through the use of flattery or by being overattentive
Taciturn silent; sparing of words; close-mouthed
Talisman lucky charm
Tangent going off the main subject
Tangible can be touched
Tardy slow; late; overdue; delayed
Tawdry of little value; gaudy
Tedium boredom
Temper to moderate; soften
Tenacious Persistent or stubborn; holding fast; holding together; sticky or adhesive
Tenacious stubborn; resolute; holding firm to a purpose
Tentative not certain
Tentative hesitant; not definite
Tenuous flimsy; not solid
Terse using only the words that are needed to make the point; very concise
Terse concise; to the point
Therapeutic medicinal; curative
Thrifty showing care with how money and resources are spent or used; miserly
Thrive to grow strong; to flourish
Thwart prevent; frustrate
Timorous cowardly; fearful
Tirade stream of verbal abuse
Titter giggle quietly
Toady a flatterer; a sycophant
Tome large book
Torpid inactive; lazy; stagnant
Torpid lacking energy; relating to inactivity; feeling sluggish
Torpor dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity
Totter walk unsteadily
Tractable obedient; dutiful; polite
Tranquil peaceful
Tranquility peacefulness; calmness
Transcribe copy
Transgress go astray; disobey; commit a sin
Transient short-lived; ephemeral
Transient lasting for only a short time; temporary
Transitory fleeting
Traverse to move across
Trepidation fear
Trifling lacking significance; unimportant
Trinket something of little value; knick-knack
Trite unoriginal and stale due to overuse
Trite unoriginal; dull
Trivial unimportant
Trivial unimportant; trifling; ordinary
Truant shirker; someone absent without permission
Truncate cut short
Tumult uproar; noise
Turbulence great unrest; turmoil or disorder
Turmoil a very puzzling scenario or situation; tumult
Turpitude depravity
Tyro novice; beginner
Ubiquitous found everywhere; omnipresent
Unalloyed undiluted; total
Unctuous oily; using excessive flattery
Undermined damaged; attacked
Underscore emphasize
Unequivocal clear; obvious
Unfetter set free
Unfrock to remove a priest from his position
Uniformity sameness
Unobtrusive inconspicuous; not easily noticed
Unprecedented never having happened before
Unprecedented novel; unparalleled
Unscathed unharmed; intact; without a scratch
Unwavering firm and determined
Unwitting not deliberate; unconscious
Unyielding stubborn; inflexible
Upbraid scold; tell off; reprimand
Upbraid to chide; to scold bitterly
Uproarious hilarious; hysterical; very funny
Upshot outcome
Urbane sophisticated; suave
Usurp take someone's position (usually by force)
Utilitarian useful
Utopian a believer in an ideal world
Vacillate waver; hesitate
Vacuous empty; silly; meaningless
Vagrant person wandering without a home
Vapid dull; uninspiring
Vapid lacking freshness and zest; flat; stale
Vaporize to turn to vapor, foam, or mist
Variegated multicolored; speckled
Vehemence violence; fervor; forcefulness
Vehement forceful
Venal corrupt; can be bribed
Veneer surface coating
Venerate To regard or treat with reverence
Venerate revere; worship
Venerate to feel of show deep respect for, especially due to age or tradition; to honor
Venial minor; unimportant
Veracity truthfulness
Verbose using too many words; wordy; long-winded
Verbose talkative; long-winded; rambling
Verbosity using too many words
Vertigo dizziness
Vestigial not developed
Vibrant lively; full of vitality
Vigilant carefully alert and watchful
Vignette small sketch
Vilification blackening someone's name
Vilify to slander or defame someone’s name
Vindicate To clear of accusation or suspicion; to defend, maintain, or avenge
Vindicate prove right; remove blame
Virtuoso an accomplished musician
Virtuoso a highly skilled performer, usually a musical performer
Virulent dangerous; harmful
Virulent extremely poisonous; deadly; full of spiteful hatred
Vital essential; alive; important
Vitriolic corrosive; strongly attacking
Vivacity liveliness; animation
Vivify enliven
Vociferous noisy; loud in speech
Vociferous loud and noisy regarding one’s own voice, especially shouting; demandingly clamorous
Volatile explosive or changing very quickly
Voluble talking a great deal with ease; glib
Voracious greedy; gluttonous; ravenous; insatiable
Wary cautious, careful
Whimsical fanciful