Grade 11 Words

unequivocal

adj. admitting of no doubt or misunderstanding; having only one meaning or interpretation and leading to only one conclusion; clearly defined or formulated

incensed

adj. angered at something unjust or wrong

tantamount

adj. being essentially equal to something

apocryphal

adj. being of questionable authenticity; of or belonging to the Apocrypha

stellar

adj. being or relating to or resembling or emanating from stars; indicating the most important performer or role

inestimable

adj. beyond calculation or measure

Inordinate

adj. beyond normal limits

ludicrous

adj. broadly or extravagantly humorous; resembling farce; incongruous; inviting ridicule

viable

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

queasy

adj. causing or fraught with or showing anxiety; feeling nausea; feeling about to vomit; causing or able to cause nausea

histrionic

adj. characteristic of acting or a stage performance; often affected

verdant

adj. characterized by abundance of verdure

Choleric

adj. characterized by anger; quickly aroused to anger; easily moved to anger

forthright

adj. characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion; adv. directly and without evasion; not roundabout

kinetic

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

impending

adj. close in time; about to occur

commensurate

adj. corresponding in size or degree or extent

Defoliate

adj. deprived of leaves; verb strip the leaves or branches from

graphic

adj. describing nudity or sexual activity in graphic detail; evoking lifelike images within the mind; written or drawn or engraved; relating to or presented by a graph; of or relating to the graphic arts; noun an image that is generated by a computer

hapless

adj. deserving or inciting pity

Insensate

adj. devoid of feeling and consciousness and animation; without compunction or human feeling

abstruse

adj. difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

recondite

adj. difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge

frenetic

adj. excessively agitated; transported with rage or other violent emotion

parsimonious

adj. excessively unwilling to spend

penurious

adj. excessively unwilling to spend; not having enough money to pay for necessities

felicitous

adj. exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style; marked by good fortune

pejorative

adj. expressing disapproval

salubrious

adj. favorable to health of mind or body; promoting health; healthful

penitent

adj. feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds; noun (Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)

concomitant

adj. following as a consequence; noun an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another

succulent

adj. full of juice; noun a plant adapted to arid conditions and characterized by fleshy water-storing tissues that act as water reservoirs

introspective

adj. given to examining own sensory and perceptual experiences

Cavalier

adj. given to haughty disregard of others; noun a royalist supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War; a gallant or courtly gentleman

deleterious

adj. harmful to living things

perfunctory

adj. hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough; as a formality only

inveterate

adj. having a habit of long standing

utilitarian

adj. having a useful function; having utility often to the exclusion of values; noun someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility

undulate

adj. having a wavy margin and rippled surface; verb increase and decrease in volume or pitch, as if in waves; move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion; stir up (water) so as to form ripples; occur in soft rounded shapes

notorious

adj. having an exceedingly bad reputation

pendulous

adj. having branches or flower heads that bend downward

renegade

adj. having deserted a cause or principle; noun someone who rebels and becomes an outlaw; a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.; verb break with established customs

multifarious

adj. having many aspects

Bellicose

adj. having or showing a ready disposition to fight

pertinent

adj. having precise or logical relevance to the matter at hand; being of striking appropriateness and pertinence

circumspect

adj. heedful of potential consequences

pristine

adj. immaculately clean and unused; completely free from dirt or contamination

projectile

adj. impelling or impelled forward; noun a weapon that is forcibly thrown or projected at a targets but is not self-propelled; any vehicle self-propelled by a rocket engine

ramshackle

adj. in deplorable condition

subversive

adj. in opposition to a civil authority or government; noun a radical supporter of political or social revolution

Disparate

adj. including markedly dissimilar elements; fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

virulent

adj. infectious; having the ability to cause disease; harsh or corrosive in tone; extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom

redoubtable

adj. inspiring fear; having or worthy of pride

unilateral

adj. involving only one part or side; tracing descent from either the paternal or the maternal line only

Craven

adj. lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; noun an abject coward

lackluster

adj. lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality

listless

adj. lacking zest or vivacity; marked by low spirits; showing no enthusiasm

Commodious

adj. large and roomy (`convenient' is archaic in this sense)

Avuncular

adj. like an uncle in kindness or indulgence; being or relating to an uncle

zealous

adj. marked by active interest and enthusiasm

duplicitous

adj. marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another

ambidextrous

adj. marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another; equally skillful with each hand

genteel

adj. marked by refinement in taste and manners

unsavory

adj. morally offensive; not pleasing in odor or taste

sacrosanct

adj. must be kept sacred

Correlate

adj. mutually related; noun either of two correlated variables; verb bring into a mutual, complementary, or reciprocal relation; to bear a reciprocal or mutual relation

maladroit

adj. not adroit

imperturbable

adj. not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure

Inimical

adj. not friendly

impecunious

adj. not having enough money to pay for necessities

Convivial

adj. occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company

Concurrent

adj. occurring or operating at the same time

Caustic

adj. of a substance, especially a strong acid; capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action; harsh or corrosive in tone; noun any chemical substance that burns or destroys living tissue

intrinsic

adj. situated within or belonging solely to the organ or body part on which it acts; belonging to a thing by its very nature

prodigious

adj. so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe; far beyond what is usual in magnitude or degree; of momentous or ominous significance

seismic

adj. subject to or caused by an earthquake or earth vibration

sensuous

adj. taking delight in beauty

Lilliputian

adj. tiny; relating to or characteristic of the imaginary country of Lilliput; (informal) small and of little importance; very small; noun a 6-inch tall inhabitant of Lilliput in a novel by Jonathan Swift; a very small person (resembling a Lilliputian)

Bereft

adj. unhappy in love; suffering from unrequited love; sorrowful through loss or deprivation

mercenary

adj. used of soldiers hired by a foreign army; profit oriented; marked by materialism; noun a person hired to fight for another country than their own

stentorian

adj. used of the voice

Contiguous

adj. very close or connected in space or time; having a common boundary or edge; touching; connecting without a break; within a common boundary

munificent

adj. very generous

Dilatory

adj. wasting time; inclined to waste time and lag behind; using cautious slow strategy to wear down opposition; avoiding direct confrontation

extemporaneous

adj. with little or no preparation or forethought

incognito

adj. with your identity concealed; adv. without revealing one's identity

itinerant

adj. working for a short time in different places; traveling from place to place to work; noun a laborer who moves from place to place as demanded by employment

aggrieved

feeling anger because of unfair treatment

blasé

having or showing a lack of excitement or interest in something especially because it is very familiar

pinnacle

noun (architecture) a slender upright spire at the top of a buttress of tower; a lofty peak; the highest level or degree attainable; the highest stage of development; verb raise on or as if on a pinnacle; surmount with a pinnacle

upheaval

noun (geology) a rise of land to a higher elevation (as in the process of mountain building); disturbance usually in protest; a violent disturbance; a state of violent disturbance and disorder (as in politics or social conditions generally)

Demur

noun (law) a formal objection to an opponent's pleadings; verb take exception to; enter a demurrer

Domicile

noun (law) the residence where you have your permanent home or principal establishment and to where, whenever you are absent, you intend to return; every person is compelled to have one and only one domicile at a time; housing that someone is living in; verb make one's home in a particular place or community

postulate

noun (logic) a proposition that is accepted as true in order to provide a basis for logical reasoning; verb take as a given; assume as a postulate or axiom; maintain or assert; require as useful, just, or proper

regimen

noun (medicine) a systematic plan for therapy (often including diet)

regime

noun (medicine) a systematic plan for therapy (often including diet); the organization that is the governing authority of a political unit

limbo

noun (theology) in Roman Catholicism, the place of unbaptized but innocent or righteous souls (such as infants and virtuous individuals); an imaginary place for lost or neglected things; the state of being disregarded or forgotten

sully

noun French statesman (1560-1641); United States painter (born in England) of portraits and historical scenes (1783-1872); verb charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically; place under suspicion or cast doubt upon

soliloquy

noun a (usually long) dramatic speech intended to give the illusion of unspoken reflections; speech you make to yourself

requiem

noun a Mass celebrated for the dead; a musical setting for a Mass celebrating the dead; a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person

idiosyncrasy

noun a behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual

Canon

noun a collection of books accepted as holy scripture especially the books of the Bible recognized by any Christian church as genuine and inspired; a complete list of saints that have been recognized by the Roman Catholic Church; a rule or especially body of rules or principles generally established as valid and fundamental in a field or art or philosophy; a contrapuntal piece of music in which a melody in one part is imitated exactly in other parts; a priest who is a member of a cathedral chapter; a ravine formed by a river in an area with little rainfall

Conclave

noun a confidential or secret meeting

icon

noun a conventional religious painting in oil on a small wooden panel; venerated in the Eastern Church; (computer science) a graphic symbol (usually a simple picture) that denotes a program or a command or a data file or a concept in a graphical user interface; a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

Amity

noun a cordial disposition; a state of friendship and cordiality

votary

noun a devoted (almost religiously so) adherent of a cause or person or activity; a priest or priestess (or consecrated worshipper) in a non-Christian religion or cult; one bound by vows to a religion or life of worship or service

propensity

noun a disposition to behave in a certain way; a natural inclination; an inclination to do something

epiphany

noun a divine manifestation; twelve days after Christmas; celebrates the visit of the three wise men to the infant Jesus

precept

noun a doctrine that is taught; rule of personal conduct

sobriquet

noun a familiar name for a person (often a shortened version of a person's given name)

presage

noun a foreboding about what is about to happen; a sign of something about to happen; verb indicate by signs

anathema

noun a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication; a detested person

Edict

noun a formal or authoritative proclamation; a legally binding command or decision entered on the court record (as if issued by a court or judge)

plenitude

noun a full supply

archipelago

noun a group of many islands in a large body of water

triumvirate

noun a group of three men responsible for public administration or civil authority

mausoleum

noun a large burial chamber, usually above ground

levity

noun a manner lacking seriousness; feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness

mogul

noun a member of the Muslim dynasty that ruled India until 1857; a bump on a ski slope; a very wealthy or powerful businessman

Bauble

noun a mock scepter carried by a court jester; cheap showy jewelry or ornament on clothing

proclivity

noun a natural inclination

Behemoth

noun a person of exceptional importance and reputation; someone or something that is abnormally large and powerful

raconteur

noun a person skilled in telling anecdotes

oligarchy

noun a political system governed by a few people

Cadence

noun a recurrent rhythmical series; the close of a musical section; (prosody) the accent in a metrical foot of verse

vertigo

noun a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall

tenet

noun a religious doctrine that is proclaimed as true without proof

repercussion

noun a remote or indirect consequence of some action; a movement back from an impact

modicum

noun a small or moderate or token amount

opprobrium

noun a state of extreme dishonor; state of disgrace resulting from public abuse

proviso

noun a stipulated condition

Edifice

noun a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

Debacle

noun a sudden and violent collapse; flooding caused by a tumultuous breakup of ice in a river during the spring or summer; a sound defeat

maraud

noun a sudden short attack; verb raid and rove in search of booty

Buttress

noun a support usually of stone or brick; supports the wall of a building; verb make stronger or defensible; reinforce with a buttress

Bravado

noun a swaggering show of courage

ade

noun a sweetened beverage of diluted fruit juice

platitude

noun a trite or obvious remark

tundra

noun a vast treeless plain in the arctic regions between the ice cap and the tree line

conflagration

noun a very intense and uncontrolled fire

epigram

noun a witty saying

redress

noun act of correcting an error or a fault or an evil; a sum of money paid in compensation for loss or injury; verb make reparations or amends for

privation

noun act of depriving someone of food or money or rights; a state of extreme poverty

fauna

noun all the animal life in a particular region or period; a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

reverie

noun an abstracted state of absorption; absentminded dreaming while awake

depredation

noun an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action

phobia

noun an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations

revelation

noun an enlightening or astonishing disclosure; the last book of the New Testament; contains visionary descriptions of heaven and of conflicts between good and evil and of the end of the world; attributed to Saint John the apostle; communication of knowledge to man by a divine or supernatural agency; the speech act of making something evident

Coterie

noun an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

impropriety

noun an improper demeanor; the condition of being improper; an act of undue intimacy; an indecent or improper act

repulse

noun an instance of driving away or warding off; verb force or drive back; cause to move back by force or influence; be repellent to; cause aversion in

gargoyle

noun an ornament consisting of a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal; a spout that terminates in a grotesquely carved figure of a person or animal

environs

noun an outer adjacent area of any place; the area in which something exists or lives

ascent

noun an upward slope or grade (as in a road); the act of changing location in an upward direction; a movement upward

Atrophy

noun any weakening or degeneration (especially through lack of use); a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse; verb undergo atrophy

Advent

noun arrival that has been awaited (especially of something momentous); the season including the four Sundays preceding Christmas; (Christian theology) the reappearance of Jesus as judge for the Last Judgment

Effrontery

noun audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to

Blasphemy

noun blasphemous language (expressing disrespect for God or for something sacred); blasphemous behavior; the act of depriving something of its sacred character

Efficacy

noun capacity or power to produce a desired effect

accoutrement

noun clothing that is worn or carried, but not part of your main clothing

archives

noun collection of records especially about an institution

Emolument

noun compensation received by virtue of holding an office or having employment (usually in the form of wages or fees)

probity

noun complete and confirmed integrity; having strong moral principles

oxymoron

noun conjoining contradictory terms (as in `deafening silence')

Context

noun discourse that surrounds a language unit and helps to determine its interpretation; the set of facts or circumstances that surround a situation or event

terminus

noun either end of a railroad or bus route; (architecture) a statue or a human bust or an animal carved out of the top of a square pillar; originally used as a boundary marker in ancient Rome; station where transport vehicles load or unload passengers or goods; the ultimate goal for which something is done; a place where something ends or is complete

preponderance

noun exceeding in heaviness; having greater weight; a superiority in numbers or amount; superiority in power or influence

vestment

noun gown (especially ceremonial garments) worn by the clergy

animadversion

noun harsh criticism or disapproval

Autonomy

noun immunity from arbitrary exercise of authority: political independence; personal independence

venue

noun in law: the jurisdiction where a trial will be held; the scene of any event or action (especially the place of a meeting)

hypocrisy

noun insincerity by virtue of pretending to have qualities or beliefs that you do not really have; an expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction

Aegis

noun kindly endorsement and guidance; armor plate that protects the chest; the front part of a cuirass

tier

noun one of two or more layers one atop another; something that is used for tying; a worker who ties something; any one of two or more competitors who tie one another; a relative position or degree of value in a graded group

Amnesia

noun partial or total loss of memory

metropolis

noun people living in a large densely populated municipality; a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts

Chattel

noun personal as opposed to real property; any tangible movable property (furniture or domestic animals or a car etc)

malaise

noun physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression)

Careen

noun pitching dangerously to one side; verb move sideways or in an unsteady way; walk as if unable to control one's movements

Arbiter

noun someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue; someone with the power to settle matters at will

thrall

noun someone held in bondage; the state of being under the control of another person

Emissary

noun someone sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else

martinet

noun someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms

pedagogue

noun someone who educates young people

subterfuge

noun something intended to misrepresent the true nature of an activity

stance

noun standing posture; a rationalized mental attitude

Composure

noun steadiness of mind under stress

moratorium

noun suspension of an ongoing activity; a legally authorized postponement before some obligation must be discharged

abeyance

noun temporary cessation or suspension

m

noun the 13th letter of the Roman alphabet; concentration measured by the number of moles of solute per liter of solution; the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)

retribution

noun the act of correcting for your wrongdoing; a justly deserved penalty; the act of taking revenge (harming someone in retaliation for something harmful that they have done) especially in the next life

flaunt

noun the act of displaying something ostentatiously; verb display proudly; act ostentatiously or pretentiously

libation

noun the act of pouring a liquid offering (especially wine) as a religious ceremony; a serving (of wine) poured out in honor of a deity; (facetious) a serving of an alcoholic beverage

reprieve

noun the act of reprieving; postponing or remitting punishment; a warrant granting postponement (usually to postpone the execution of the death sentence); a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort; an interruption in the intensity or amount of something; verb relieve temporarily; postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal, such as an execution

Attrition

noun the act of rubbing together; wearing something down by friction; a wearing down to weaken or destroy; sorrow for sin arising from fear of damnation; the wearing down of rock particles by friction due to water or wind or ice; erosion by friction

pillage

noun the act of stealing valuable things from a place; goods or money obtained illegally; verb steal goods; take as spoils

increment

noun the amount by which something increases; a process of becoming larger or longer or more numerous or more important

lineage

noun the descendants of one individual; inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline; a rate of payment for written material that is measured according to the number of lines submitted; the number of lines in a piece of printed material; the kinship relation between an individual and the individual's progenitors

Denouement

noun the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events

genesis

noun the first book of the Old Testament: tells of creation; Adam and Eve; the Fall of Man; Cain and Abel; Noah and the flood; God's covenant with Abraham; Abraham and Isaac; Jacob and Esau; Joseph and his brothers; a coming into being

Criterion

noun the ideal in terms of which something can be judged; a basis for comparison; a reference point against which other things can be evaluated

antipathy

noun the object of a feeling of intense aversion; something to be avoided; a feeling of intense dislike

periphery

noun the outside boundary or surface of something

purport

noun the pervading meaning or tenor; the intended meaning of a communication; verb have the often specious appearance of being, intending, or claiming; propose or intend

etiology

noun the philosophical study of causation; the cause of a disease

vertex

noun the point of intersection of lines or the point opposite the base of a figure; the highest point (of something)

Cuisine

noun the practice or manner of preparing food or the food so prepared

altruism

noun the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

tenure

noun the right to hold property; part of an ancient hierarchical system of holding lands; the term during which some position is held; verb give life-time employment to

surfeit

noun the state of being more than full; eating until excessively full; the quality of being so overabundant that prices fall; verb indulge (one's appetite) to satiety; supply or feed to surfeit

fa

noun the syllable naming the fourth (subdominant) note of the diatonic scale in solmization

travail

noun use of physical or mental energy; hard work; concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of labor to the birth of a child; verb work hard

throes

noun violent pangs of suffering

exalt

verb raise in rank, character, or status; praise, glorify, or honor; fill with sublime emotion; tickle pink; heighten or intensify

exude

verb release (a liquid) in drops or small quantities; make apparent by one's mood or behaviour

expunge

verb remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line

oust

verb remove from a position or office; remove and replace

sequester

verb set apart from others; undergo sequestration by forming a stable compound with an ion; requisition forcibly, as of enemy property; keep away from others; take temporary possession of as a security, by legal authority

gesticulate

verb show, express or direct through movement

substantiate

verb solidify, firm, or strengthen; establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; make real or concrete; give reality or substance to; represent in bodily form

usurp

verb take the place of; seize and take control without authority and possibly with force; take as one's right or possession

espouse

verb take up the cause, ideology, practice, method, of someone and use it as one's own; choose and follow; as of theories, ideas, policies, strategies or plans; take in marriage

Inculcate

verb teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions

indoctrinate

verb teach doctrines to; teach uncritically

acquiesce

verb to agree or express agreement

reiterate

verb to say, state, or perform again

Deride

verb treat or speak of with contempt

prevail

verb use persuasion successfully; prove superior; continue to exist; be valid, applicable, or true; be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

jaundiced

adj. showing or affected by prejudice or envy or distaste; affected by jaundice which causes yellowing of skin etc

stricture

a law or rule that limits or controls something OR a strong criticism

Crass

adj. (of persons) so unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility

perspicacious

adj. acutely insightful and wise; mentally acute or penetratingly discerning

promulgate

verb put a law into effect by formal declaration; state or announce

propound

verb put forward, as of an idea

pass

adj. of advancing the ball by throwing it; noun (sports) the act of throwing the ball to another member of your team; a flight or run by an aircraft over a target; (American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate; a complementary (free) ticket; a permit to enter or leave a military installation; a document indicating permission to do something without restrictions; any authorization to pass or go somewhere; one complete cycle of operations (as by a computer); a difficult juncture; the location in a range of mountains of a geological formation that is lower than the surrounding peaks; a bad or difficult situation or state of affairs; (military) a written leave of absence; success in satisfying a test or requirement; (baseball) an advance to first base by a batter who receives four balls; a usually brief attempt; you advance to the next round in a tournament without playing an opponent; verb travel past; go across or through; cause to pass; transfer to another; of rights or property; place into the hands or custody of; throw (a ball) to another player; allow to go without comment or censure; go unchallenged; be approved; accept or judge as acceptable; go successfully through a test or a selection process; be identified, regarded, accepted, or mistaken for someone or something else; as by denying one's own ancestry or background; eliminate from the body; come to pass; pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life; disappear gradually; transmit information; grant authorization or clearance for; guide or pass over something; pass into a specified state or condition; pass by; pass by; be inherited by; make laws, bills, etc. or bring into effect by legislation; go beyond; stretch out over a distance, space, time, or scope; run or extend between two points or beyond a certain point; pass (time) in a specific way

vibrant

adj. of colors that are bright and striking; of sounds that are strong and resonating; vigorous and animated

moot

adj. of no legal significance (as having been previously decided); open to argument or debate; noun a hypothetical case that law students argue as an exercise; verb think about carefully; weigh

pragmatic

adj. of or concerning the theory of pragmatism; concerned with practical matters; guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; noun an imperial decree that becomes part of the fundamental law of the land

philistine

adj. of or relating to ancient Philistia or the culture of the Philistines; smug and ignorant and indifferent or hostile to artistic and cultural values; noun a member of an Aegean people who settled ancient Philistia around the 12th century BC; a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

equestrian

adj. of or relating to or featuring horseback riding; of or relating to or composed of knights; noun a man skilled in equitation

patrician

adj. of the hereditary aristocracy or ruling class of ancient Rome or medieval Europe; of honorary nobility in the Byzantine empire; belonging to or characteristic of the nobility or aristocracy; noun a person of refined upbringing and manners; a member of the aristocracy

Ecumenical

adj. of worldwide scope or applicability; concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions

repugnant

adj. offensive to the mind

Autocratic

adj. offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power; characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule; having absolute sovereignty

incipient

adj. only partly in existence; imperfectly formed

Betrothed

adj. pledged to be married; noun the person to whom you are engaged

explicit

adj. precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable; leaving nothing to implication; in accordance with fact or the primary meaning of a term

propitious

adj. presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs or success

tactile

adj. producing a sensation of touch; of or relating to or proceeding from the sense of touch

attenuate

adj. reduced in strength; verb become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude; weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance)

therapeutic

adj. relating to or involved in therapy; tending to cure or restore to health; noun a medicine or therapy that cures disease or relieve pain

Bucolic

adj. relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle; used of idealized country life; noun a short descriptive poem of rural or pastoral life; a country person

hackneyed

adj. repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

Arcane

adj. requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

opulent

adj. rich and superior in quality

stoic

adj. seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive; pertaining to Stoicism or its followers; noun a member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno; someone who is seemingly indifferent to emotions

Eclectic

adj. selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas; noun someone who selects according to the eclectic method

Interim

adj. serving during an intermediate interval of time; noun the time between one event, process, or period and another

expedient

adj. serving to promote your interest; appropriate to a purpose; practical; noun a means to an end; not necessarily a principled or ethical one

antithetical

adj. sharply contrasted in character or purpose

heinous

adj. shockingly brutal or cruel

grisly

adj. shockingly repellent; inspiring horror

complaisant

adj. showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others

phlegmatic

adj. showing little emotion

vicissitude

the quality or state of being changeable

expound

verb add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; state

reciprocate

verb alternate the direction of motion of; act, feel, or give mutually or in return

relegate

verb assign to a class or kind; refer to another person for decision or judgment; assign to a lower position; reduce in rank; expel, as if by official decree

impugn

verb attack as false or wrong

Enamor

verb attract; cause to be enamored

impute

verb attribute or credit to; attribute (responsibility or fault) to a cause or source

putrefy

verb become putrid; decay with an offensive smell

Comport

verb behave in a certain manner; behave well or properly

sunder

verb break apart or in two, using violence

Disconcert

verb cause to lose one's composure; cause to feel embarrassment

Besmirch

verb charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; smear so as to make dirty or stained

reconcile

verb come to terms; bring into consonance or accord; make compatible with; accept as inevitable

proscribe

verb command against

Disinter

verb dig up for reburial or for medical investigation; of dead bodies

upbraid

verb express criticism towards

excoriate

verb express strong disapproval of; tear or wear off the skin or make sore by abrading

ensconce

verb fix firmly

extrapolate

verb gain knowledge of (an area not known or experienced) by extrapolating; estimate the value of; draw from specific cases for more general cases

transcend

verb go beyond; go beyond

Accrue

verb grow by addition; come into the possession of

mortify

verb hold within limits and control; practice self-denial of one's body and appetites; undergo necrosis; cause to feel shame; hurt the pride of

impinge

verb impinge or infringe upon; advance beyond the usual limit

portend

verb indicate by signs

inveigle

verb influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

Interpose

verb introduce; be or come between; to insert between other elements; get involved, so as to alter or hinder an action, or through force or threat of force

Enjoin

verb issue an injunction; give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority

Debase

verb lower in value by increasing the base-metal content; corrupt, debase, or make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance; often by replacing valuable ingredients with inferior ones; corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality

consolidate

verb make firm or secure; strengthen; make or form into a solid or hardened mass; form into a solid mass or whole; unite into one; bring together into a single whole or system

pulverize

verb make into a powder by breaking up or cause to become dust; become powder or dust; destroy completely

Appease

verb make peace with; overcome or allay; cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

fabricate

verb make up something artificial or untrue; put together out of components or parts

Debilitate

verb make weak

Convene

verb meet formally; call together

vacillate

verb move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern; be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action

negate

verb prove negative; show to be false; make ineffective by counterbalancing the effect of; deny the truth of; be in contradiction with

Assuage

verb provide physical relief, as from pain; satisfy (thirst); cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of

entice

verb provoke someone to do something through (often false or exaggerated) promises or persuasion