A (Essential & Advanced)

whereas

(conjunction) while on the contrary, considering that ______ peppers and squash are technically fruits, they are typically considered vegetables for culinary purposes

larceny

(n) theft security office job is to prevent _____; purloin - to steal pilfer, filch - to steal, generally something small

emulate

(v) copy in an attempt to equal or be better than imitate - copy word means - copy in a positive, admiring way ape - copy with negative connotation

enumerate enumerable

(v) count or list; specify one by one reckon - count (n) countable innumerable - numerous, alot

impute

(v) credit, attribute, lay blame or responsibility (sometimes false) Latin putare - consider, putative - supposed, assumed

grovel (GRAH-vull) grovelling

(v) creep or crawl with one's face to the ground, prostrate oneself as a token of subservience, degrade or abase oneself sycophant, lackey, toady, myrmidon - fawning persons. (colloquially, bootlicker) truckle, kowtow - to fawn genuflect - bow in a courtly way

castigate

(v) criticize severely; punish in order to correct excoriate

mar

(v) damage, spoil, ruin fixtures had been ____ on the shop floor and therefore were sold at steep discounts; vitiate - spoil, corrupt, weaken deface - disfigure, mar the surface of

eschew

(v) shun, avoid, abstain from abjure - give up, renounce; repudiate, recant , shun esp formally under oath forswear - reject or renounce under oath; swear falsely in court

pious piety

(adj) (n) devout; religiously reverent and dutiful feature testimonials from the woman's relatives about her _____; naturally, only similarly ____ suitors need apply;

antithetical antithesis

(adj) (n) directly opposed, opposite; involving antithesis ( as in love me and hate me); directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible. "people whose religious beliefs are ______ to mine" deleterious - harmful, unhealthful counterproductive - defeating the purpose, preventing the intended goal inimical - unfavorable, harmful

languid languor

(adj) (n) drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit after 1 hour exercise, we all felt so overcome with ____ that we refused to go on. that we are ______ people torpid, slothful - slow and lazy indolent - habitually lazy, person chooses never to work lassitude - weariness or lack of caring languish - (of a person or other living thing) lose or lack vitality; grow weak or feeble.

frugal frugality

(adj) (n) economical, thrifty, not wasteful with money; inexpensive provident - showing foresight, providing for the future stinting - acting sparingly or with restraint

fanatical fanatic

(adj) (n) excessively devoted, enthusiastic or zealous in an uncritical way ardent - very passionate, zealous fervent, fervid, perfervid - passionate, fiery, deeply anthusiastic

prolix prolixity

(adj) (n) excessively long and wordy ( of a person, place of writing etc) loquacious, verbose - synonyms she'll tell a boring, ____ story for 5 minutes ....

benign, benignant

(adj) (n) harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle or beneficial; not cancerous innocuous - harmless, inoffensive

discordant discord

(adj) (n) harsh or inharmonious in sound; disagreeing, incongruous dissonance - harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement;

prescient prescience

(adj) (n) having foreknowledge or foresight, seeing the future was strangely _____, looks like i know what comes next prognosticate, augur - tell the future prophetic - relating to prophesy, predicting, ominous

magnanimous mangnanimity

(adj) (n) high minded, noble, lofty; generous in forgiving others, free of resentment; having a great spirit or a big heart; She was quite ___, easily forgiving insults or slights and simply rising above the petty bickering and cliquish behavior of our high school

abstain abstemious

(adj) (n) hold back, refrain (esp from something bad or unhealthy); decline to vote; forbear - hold back and abstain from temperance - moderation, holding back teetotaler - a person hold back from alcohol

arcane arcanum

(adj) (n) known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret synonyms - esoteric, abstruse

myopic myopia

(adj) (n) near-sighted; lacking long-term thinking, short sighted

apocryphal apocrypha

(adj) (n) of questionable authenticity; false ersatz - artificial, synthetic, serving as a substitute faux - fake, imitation specious - pleasing to the eye but deceptive

adverse adversity

(adj) (n) opposing, harmful antagonistic - hostile, acting in opposition

obsolete obsolescence

(adj) (n) out of date, no longer in use she has very ___ laptop whose hardware and apps are totally outdated planned ____ is a business strategy antediluvian, archaic, antedate

tumultuous (tuh-MULT-choo-uss) tumult

(adj) (n) riotous, violently agitated, marked by disturbance or uproar; noisy, chaotic; turbid - related to water that is choppy or has been stirred up turbulent

luminous luminary

(adj) (n) shining, radiant, well-lit; brilliant or enlightening ____ complexion; ____ intellect; he is truly a ____, he inspires everyone he meet; lustrous, effulgent, refulgent - shining translucent lucubrate - work or study, originally by candlelight elucidate - make clear, explain

irascible

(adj) irritable, easily angered dyspeptic - grumpy, pessimistic, irritable curmudgeon - bad tempered, difficult person crotchety - grouchy, picky, given to odd notions cantankerous - disagreeable, contentious

lissome

(adj) flexible, supple, agile she wasn't __ enough to play a ballet dancer nimble - moving quickly and lightly; alert; lithe - limber, flexible - synonym

tenuous

(adj) flimsy, having little substance; long and thin, slender your argument is quite ______ ; attenuate - weaken or thin out tensile - relating to tension; capable of being stretched

glib

(adj) fluent and easy in a way that suggests superficiality or insincerity flippant - disrespectfully casual or light in manner impertinent - inappropriately bold saucy - disrespectful or irrepressible, esp in an entertaining way

fatuous

(adj) foolish, silly, esp in a smug or complacent manner inane - lacking sense, silly; empty waggish - merry risible - laughable jocular, jocund, jocose droll - funny in an odd way

trenchant (TREN-chint)

(adj) forceful or vigorous, effective, keen; caustic, sharp keen - sharp, very perceptive or mentally sharp trenchant remark - can cut someone in the sense of hurting feelings or can cut through all the junk to get to the point

orotund

(adj) full, rich and clear (of the voice or speaking); pompous, bombastic voiceover work as well as acting jobs because of his dignified, _____ voice sonorous - giving out a deep, rich, loud sound dulcet - melodious, agreeable to the ear mellifluous - richly and smoothly flowing stentorian - loud rotund - rounded, when applied to a person, it is polite than fat

droll

(adj) funny in an odd way waggish - merry roguish risible - laughable, related to laughing Jocular, jocund, jocose - jesting, jolly

livid

(adj) furiously angry, enraged Diana was ____ when she discovered irascible - easily angered irate - angry, ire is anger word has the sense of turning blue from rage (in french); americans would say turn purple with rage (same idea) or turn red from anger; also mean bruised or black-and-blue, or turning pale from sickness

discredit

(adj) injure the reputation of, destroy credibility of of our confidence in slander, traduce, defame - to speak maliciously and falsely of

inconsequential

(adj) insignificant, unimportant; illogical negligible, null

disingenous

(adj) insincere, not genuine dissembling - misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically, prevaricating - misleading or lying

didactic

(adj) intended to instruct; teaching, or moral lesson; pedagogical - pertaining to teacher pedantic - showy about learning, excessively concerned wit details

extraneous

(adj) irrelevant, foreign, coming from without, not belonging superfluous - extra, unnecessary, excessive

grating

(adj) irritating; harsh or discordant (of a noise); scraping rasping - synonym in all senses; bottom of the boat rasped the rocky ocean floor, raspy voice

jocular (JOCK-yoo-ler)

(adj) joking or given to joking all the time; jolly, playful jocund, jocose waggish - merry, roguish risible - laughable, related to laughing droll - funny in an odd way

facetious (fuh-SEE-shuss)

(adj) joking, humorous esp inappropriately; not serious, concerned with frivolous things waggish - merry, roguish risible - laughable jocular, jocund, jocose droll - funny in an odd way fatuous - foolish silly inane ____ people are smartly sarcastic; fatuous people are dull and dim-witted

presumptuous

(adj) too bold or forward; assuming in an arrogant way i would never date that ___ jerk! presumptive - based on inference or assumption

pellucid (peh-LOO-sid)

(adj) transparent, translucent; clear, easy to understand; cove's pellucid waters were an excellent place to teacher his daughter to swim lucid - literally clear, but often means metaphorically clear or clearheaded - a lucid argument, a lucid person. pellucid usually means literally transparent, as above limpid - clear, transparent, or completely calm fervid - passionate perfervid - really passionate

itinerary (eye/it-TIN-uh-rare-ee)

(adj) travel schedule; detailed plan for a journey what next on your ____ agenda - can be used metaphorically, meeting usually have agenda

neophyte

(n) beginner, novice; person newly converted to a religion; outrageous to send a ___ into the courtroom to defend our case against a team of experienced attorneys.

credibility

(n) believability, trustworthyness

diatribe

(n) bitter, abusive attack or criticism; rant tirade, harangue, fulmination - words are bitter

tirade (tie-RAYD)

(n) bitter, abusive criticism or verbal attack diatribe, harangue, fulmination - bitter, angry speeches or attacks

catalyst

(n) causer of change

vicissitude (n)

(n) changes or variations over time, esp. regular charges from one another she pondered the _______ of life; vagaries - unpredictable or erratic actions or occurrences as in vagaries of weather;

usury (YOO-zher-ee)

(n) charging interest on a loan, esp, charging illegally high or excessive interest isn't that usury? bad connotation

homage (HAH-midge)

(n) honor or respect demonstrated publicly tribute - gift, testimonial, etc. as expression for someone; performance in someones honor, etc;

sedition

(n) inciting rebellion against a government, esp speech or writing that does this prisoners imprisoned for sedition; incendiary - starting fire;

proclivity

(n) inclination, natural tendency he had a natural ____ to judge people prematurely predilection, propensity, penchant, bent predisposed - having an inclination or tendency beforehand, susceptible

iniquity

(n) injustice, wickedness, sin peccadillo - small sin of fault inequity

avarice avaricious

(n) insatiable greed; a miserly desire to hoard wealth;accumulate wealth; (adj) having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain. "a corrupt and ________ government" cupidity - avarice or other excessive desire covetousness - greed rapacity - aggressive greed rapaciousness

interplay

(n) interaction, reciprocal relationship or influence converge dovetail

ascertain (v)

find out with certainty discern - perceive or recognize; tell two or more things apart decry - discover, see by looking carefully

aseptic (adj) septic (adj) sepsis (n)

free from gems septic - infected and putrefying

gambol (GAM-bull)

frolic; skip or leap playfully caper - gambol; prank, trick, carefree activity cavort - prance, make merry lark - merry adventure

raffish (adj)

gaudily vulgar; tawdry mildly or sometimes engagingly disreputable or nonconformist; rakish

adumbrate (v) adumbration (n)

give rough outline or; foreshadow; reveal only partially; obscure i could give a brief ______ of the premise

digress digression

go off-topic when speaking or writing divagate - synonym diffuse - off topic

accretion (n) accrue (v)

gradual increase; an added part or addition augment - grow/make larger agglomerate - form into a mass or cluster; join together

amortize (v)

gradually pay off a debt; gradually write off an assert

diffident deffidence

lacking confidence, shy timorous - fearful, timid self-effacing - modest, downplaying ones own presence or accomplishments

annul (v) annulment (n)

make a void or null, cancel, abolish (usually of laws or established rules) nullify, void abort - stop part away through

adulterate (v)

make impure by adding inappropriate or inferior ingredients taint - contaminate, corrupt debase - reduce in quality or dignity related to adultery - cheating one's spouse

augment (v)

make larger aggrandize - make greater; exaggerate

assuage (v)

make milder, relieve; soothe, pacify, calm placate, mollify, assuage - synonyms

cartography

mapmaking

anodyne (n, adj)

medicine that relieves pain (n); soothing, relieving pain (adj)

augury (n) augur (n)

telling the future, such as supernatural; a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen; (of an event or circumstance) portend a good or bad outcome. prognosticate, presage

abeyance (n)

temporary suspension, inactivity Hiatus - break or gap in activity dormant - inactive, resting deferment, deferral - postponement word follows with in generally

fecund fecundity (FEE-cuhnd)

(adj) (n) fruitful, fertile; capable of abundantly producing offspring, vegetation, or create or intellectual work prolific - synonym teeming - full of things, abundantly filled

inadvertent inadvertently

unintentional; characterized by lack of attention, careless; lack of attention paid; fortuitous - happening by chance; lucky fluke - stroke of luck, something accidentally successful to advert - turn attention

inordinate

(adj) excessive , not within proper limits, unrestrained gratuitous - free, without case or justification

predisposed predisposition

(ad) (n) having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible some autoimmune diseases don't kill the patients directly, but rather _____ the patient to other, potentially fatal illnesses

virulent virulence

(adj( (n) extremely infectious, poisonous, etc; hateful,bitterly hostile pervasive - tending to spread move throughout pathogenic - capable of producing disease; This particularly _______ strain of influenza, teacher's ____ towards misbehaving students was enough to get her suspended from teaching

infallible fallible fallacious

(adj) (adj) (adj) incapable of error; certain unerring - synonym

impermeable permeable

(adj) (adj) impassable, not allowing passage through (such as by a liquid) impervious - impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed, as in impervious to criticism

scant scanty

(adj) (adj) not enough or barely enough the new intern was ____ help at the conference - he disappeared all day to smoke and didn't seem to realize that he was here to assist his coworkers; complaining about ______ rations modicum, iota, scintilla, mite, tad - small amount of something paucity, dearth - scarcity or lack

scathing unscathed

(adj) (adj) severe, injurious; bitterly harsh or critical ( as a remark) he gave a ____ criticism of the education; how is that possible that she flew off her bicycle like that and walked away ______? excoriate - ( literal ) to rub the skin off of; (actual often used) to criticize very harshly

bombastic bombast

(adj) (n) (of speech or writing)_ far too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious declamatory - pompous, merely oratorical magniloquent, grandiloquent - speaking in a lofty, grandiose style turgid, timid - idea of being inflated

recrudescent recrudescence recrudesce (ree-cross-DESS-ent)

(adj) (n) (v) revival, breaking out into renewed activity; word generally used for the reappearance of disease; The ______________ of his psoriasis came at the worst possible time; renascent - reviving, becoming active again resurgent - having a revival, rising or surging again for something positive, renaissance is appropriate word

capricious caprice

(adj) (n) [-ve] acting on impulse, erratic whimsical (+ve) - fanciful, arbitrary

aberrant aberration

(adj) (n) abnormal, deviant anomaly (deviation from norm, inconsistency) outlier (a person on the fringe, data point that lies outside the main pattern of data)

pallid pallor

(adj) (n) abnormally pale (as skin); lacking color or vitality we knew from the _____ in his face ;; and your ____ writing isn't doing it wan - abnormally pale sallow - sickly yellow in color

canonical cannon

(adj) (n) authorized, recognized; pertaining to the cannon, or body of accepted rules, standards or artistic works

decorous decorum

(adj) (n) behaving with propriety and good taste; polite genteel - aristocratic, elegant seemly - proper, attractive

cosmopolitan cosmopolite

(adj) (n) belonging to entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachments urbane - elegant, sophisticated, suave; suitable to social life in major cities

treacherous treachery

(adj) (n) betraying trust, not faithful or trustworthy; not dependable; dangerous or deceptive; his __ cost the lives of several soldiers; perfidy - disloyalty, treachery apostate - person who deserts a party, religion, cause, religion recreant - coward or desserter quisling - person who betrays his country by aiding invader trechier - cheat or trick

archaic archaism

(adj) (n) characteristic or an earlier period, ancient, primitive obsolete - out of date, no longer used, antediluvian - extremely old

guile guileless

(adj) (n) clever, deceit, cunning, craftiness duplicity - deceit, double dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception wily - crafty, cunning beguile - to trick or mislead, also mean to charm or bewitch - to trick in pleasant, sometimes flirtatious way

fallacious fallacy

(adj) (n) containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic; logically unsound; deceptive; fallible - capable of being wrong - may not actually be ad homimum attack, post hoc fallasy (confusing correlation with causation)

naive naivety

(adj) (n) simple and unsophisticated, unsuspecting, lacking worldly experience and critical judgement I was little __ during the hiring process. dupe - person who is easily fooled or used, or to exploit sap - person easily taken advantage of credulous - gullible

ambivalent ambivalence

(adj) (n) uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once vacillate - waver in decision or opinions, be indecisive

affable affability

(adj) (n) warm and friendly, pleasant, approachable amiable, cordial, genial - synonyms standoffish, discourteous, distant - antonyms

prudent prudence

(adj) (n) wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future Her friends spend all their money, but Sophie ____ kept her usual spending habbits circumspect - cautious, prudent; careful to consider circumstances and consequences provident - showing forethought, being frugal or careful to provide for the future, thinking ahead in a wise way imprudent - antonym

sagacious sage

(adj) (n) wise, showing good judgement and foresight choose a mentor who is not only successful but also ______ .. sapient - synonym prudent - wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future circumspect - cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences perspicacious - very perceptive, insightful sage - respected wise person; also a herb

wily (WHILE-ee) wiles

(adj) (plural noun) crafty, cunning, characterized by tricks or artifice the ___ criminal stole eight laptops by simply walking into a branch o a large company; she use her "feminine ______"" to make the sale; artifice - trickery, esp as part of strategy finesse - use tact or diplomacy; employ deceptive strategy duplicity - deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception feminine wiles - artful or beguiling behavior that a attractive woman uses to get what she wants - which could be as innocent as a romance, or something more devious

baying bay

(adj) (v) howling in a deep way, like a dog or wolf person is at bay, brought to bay - captured person, powerless and unable to flee

implacable placate placatory

(adj) (v) (adj) relentless, unstoppable; not able to be appeased, calmed or satisfied "win or lose, the coach is always _______, never giving the athletes an easy practice or a break" inexorable - unyielding, merciless, not moved by pleas

discriminating discriminate

(adj) (v) judicious, discerning, having good judgement or insight (as an adj, positive spin; as a verb, negative spin)

remedial remediate

(adj) (v) providing a remedy, curative; correcting a deficient skill it is important that the company take ___ action right away; for those who need ___ reading help, ... redress - setting something right after a misdeed

abrasive abrade

(adj) (v) rough, suitable for grinding or polishing (such as sand paper); causing irritation or annoyance caustic - capable of burning or corroding; extremely critical of sarcastic excoriate - to rub the skin off; to criticize very harshly

defamatory defame

(adj) (v) slanderous, injurious to someone's reputation slander, traduce - to speak maliciously and falsely aspersions - are damaging remarks or defamatory speech

indefatigable defatigate

(adj) (v) untiring, not able to become fatigued unflagging - tireless insuperable, indomitable - not able to be defeated

laudable laud

(adj) (v) worthy of praise ___ act of heroism; he ___ the former employees .. encomium - warm, glowing praise esp formal expression of praise panegyric - formal, lofty or elaborate praise paean - song of praise, triumph, thanks plaudits - applause, approval

warranted warrant

(adj) (v,n) justified, authorized(warrant can mean to justify or a justification) but can also mean to touch for or guarantee) your criticism of aunt is ________, as your assistant, she did whatever you asked for; comments don't even _________ a response from our organization; legal justification; search justification

pronounced

(adj) Distinct, Strong, Clearly indicated; declare (v) the brownies had a _____ asparagus flavor

quixotic

(adj) Extremely impractical but very romantic, chivalrous, or idealistic; impulsive children shared what they do if elected president. their plans were adorably _____, involving housing all the homeless in floating homes on the ocean or teaching everyone to be nice to each other... rash - too hasty, acting without considering the consequences

verdant

(adj) Green, such as with vegetation, plants, grass, etc.; young and inexperienced Dabir loved the lushness of the verdant forests in rainy Oregon;

salient

(adj) Obvious, standing out; projecting, protruding, jutting out it did have few ____ points that i think we should respond to ; only one _____ feature : jut - project out from something or stand outward or upward from the main thing I snagged my clothes on a nail jutting out from the wall sapient - wise, having good judgement

lachrymose

(adj) Tearful, mournful accustomed to ___ occasions, the funeral homes kept boxes of tissues near every seat. maudlin - overly tearful, sentimental lament - express sorrow; mourn lacrimation - medical condition of making too many tears

malleable

(adj) able to be bent, shaped or adopted the more __ the material, the easier to to bend into jewelry; my mother is a little too ______, she likes what you like.. tractable, pliable, plastic - physically bendable or metaphorically bendable as in easily influenced or shaped by others mutable - changeable

plastic

(adj) able to be shaped or formed; easily influenced a young child's mind is ____, and exposure to violent movies and video games can have a much greater effect on children than they typically do on adults tractable, pliable, malleable - physically bendable, metaphorically bendable, easily influenced or shaped by others mutable - changeable

profuse

(adj) abundant, extravagant, giving or given freely the woman's _____ thanks; decorated with a ____ of flowers ; copious - abundant, pletiful lavish - abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess

orthodox

(adj) adhering to a traditional, established faith or to anything customary or commonly accepted i prefer more ______ approach to dental care conventional - traditional, customary heterodox, unorthodox - antonyms

felicitous (fuh-LISS-it-uss) felicity

(adj) admirably appropriate, very well-suited for the occasion; pleasant, fortunate, marked by happiness apt - synonym - exactly appropriate; inclined, having a natural tendency; quick to learn fortuitous - happening by chance, accidental; lucky (n) happiness

counterintuitive

(adj) against what one would intuitively expect paradoxical - contradictory, or seemingly contradictory but actually true

hermetic

(adj) airtight, sealed, isolated; reclusive; pertaining to alchemy, occult ___ sealed ___ lifestyle

phlegmatic

(adj) apathetic, sluggish, not easily excited or made emotional he had a ____ disposition, refusing to get angry or noticeably upset when his wife left him for his brother indolent, torpid, sluggish, idle, lethargic, loafing, slack - laziness, slowness bilous - bitter, mean sanguine - person ruled by blood, cheerful

conciliatory

(adj) appeasing, attempting to make the peace, reconciling placate, mollify, appease, pacify, assuage - attempting to calm or make peace

chronological

(adj) arranged in or relating to time order

dormant

(adj) asleep, inactive, on a break abeyance, hiatus - break or gap in an activity deferment or deferral - postponement

simultaneous

(adj) at the same time; it is rare in a duel that the two shooters draw their guns simultaneously synchronous, concurrent - synonyms simulcast - to broadcast simultaneously such as on TV, internet same time

meretricious

(adj) attractive in a vulgar way or flashy way, tawdry; deceptive; up close, the fan could see that accessories were just ___ plastic, like that little girls but at the mall showy - showing off, good or bad garish - something that is too bright, vivid, fancy gaudy - stand out in a cheap, tasteless or overly colorful way

surly (SER-lee)

(adj) bad-tempered, hostile, unfriendly, or rude The dinner is terrible, our ____ waitress actually told me, "if your don't like it, scram" curmudgeon - bad-tempered, grouch crotchety - grouchy, picky, given to odd notions cantankerous - disagreeable, contentious crank - an unbalanced person, fanatical about private, petty cause

arbitrary

(adj) based entirely on one's discretion; capricious, unreasonable, or having no basis word can be neutral or negative

presumptive

(adj) based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief he's __ winner of the election, we haven't counted the votes yet, but at this point it's almost mathematically impossible for the other guy to win ostensible, ostensive - professed, evident, pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way; putative - supposed, reputed presumptuous - assuming in an arrogant way

intrinsic

(adj) belonging to the essential nature of a thing innate - inborn inherent - existing as a permanent; essential quality; intrinsic extrinsic - not forming part of a thing, extraneous, coming from the outside; extrinsic motivation for a reward, to earn a grade, to avoid punishment, etc

partial

(adj) biased, prejudiced, favoring one over others; having a special liking for something or someone (use ____ly to); not complete; I've always been _____ to country music; judge was _____ to plaintiff during the trial; partisan - partial to particular party, group, etc, esp in a biased, emotional way predilection, propensity, proclivity, bent - preference, inclination

hardy

(adj) bold brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold etc robust - strong vigorous, full-bodied hale - vigorous, healthy

plucky

(adj) brave, spirited it featured ___ heroines who took the lead in cleverly solving problems spunky - synonym; appropriate for children and for people dealing with fairly minor situations word is inappropriate to describe a soldier courageous, intrepid

onerous

(adj) burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure doctors faced with ______ task of telling waiting families that their loved one has died cumbersome - burdensome, clumsy, unwieldy but usually in a physical way; the word is generally metaphorical; arduous - strenuous onus - burden

glower (GLAH-wer)

(v) stare in an angry, sullen way lower - look angry, appear threatening sky ____ before a storm

halcyon (HAL-see-un)

(adj) calm and peaceful, carefree; prosperous, successful, happy tranquil, pacific, placid

imperturbable

(adj) calm, not able to be upset or agitated impervious - impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed, as in impervious to criticism stoic - not having or showing feeling, esp in response to suffering teacher was truly _______ perturbable - person who can be upset perturbed

caustic

(adj) capable of corroding metal; very critical or sarcastic acerbic, acidulous, acrid, astringent excoriate

viable

(adj) capable of living (of growing, developing etc); practical, workable at least one idea of my three ideas was commercially _____; feasible - possible; logically or likely ; suitable plausible - credible, having the appearance of truth

pathogenic

(adj) capable of producing disease many common and legal food additives are ____________; pathos - disease

offhanded

(adj) casual, informal; done without preparation or forethought; rude in a short way, brusque; Deena mentioned her salary _____ later realized her mistake extemporaneous, off the cuff, impromptu, ad-lib (to improve; something improvised)

grievous (GREE-vuss)

(adj) causing grief or suffering; very serious, grave; flagrant, outrageous dire - causing suffering or fear, ominous, urgent or desperate

circumspect

(adj) cautious, prudent; careful to consider the circumstances and consequences; wary and unwilling to take risks. staid - restrained, prim, settled

winsome

(adj) charming, engaging, esp in a sweet and innocent way she was once the ___ young starlet in Freaky Friday ingenuous, guileless, artless - all related to being genuine and sincere (perhaps a bit naive) ingenue - a young, presumably innocent, actress or other female performer. being winsome will help you win friends

sanguine

(adj) cheerfully optimistic, hopeful; reddish, ruddy ( as in rosy-red cheeks indicating health or vitality) she maintained her ____ attitude; chipper - cheerful, healthy and in good spirits sanguinary - bloddthirsty phlegmatic bilious

cardinal

(adj) chief, most important principal - first, highest in rank

pretentious

(adj) claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp when unjustified; showing off, creating a deceptive, false show of worth her date's habit of constantly dropping French phrases into conversation to be incredibly _____, esp since he knew she didn't speak French. He sure did sound fancy though ostentatious - pretentious, boastfully showy in order to impress others pretense - pretending or making a false show of something

lucid

(adj) clear, easy to understand; rational, sane, clear headed; literally clear, metaphorically clearheaded until she is ___ again; speech becomes ___ again; a ___ argument, a ___ person; pellucid - literally transparent, a pellucid waters lucubrate - work or study, originally by candlelight elucidate - explain, make clear

limpid

(adj) clear, transparent; completely calm Hawaii water was crystal clear -- so _______ that you could see ahead for what seemed like miles (especially of writing or music) clear and accessible or melodious; "the ______ notes of a recorder" (of a person's eyes) unclouded; clear. pellucid - translucent, clear, east to understand

succeeding successor

(adj) coming after or following subsequent - synonym subsequently - synonym

empirical

(adj) coming from, based on, or able to be verified by experience; not purely based on a theory posteriori - empirical priori - based on deduction using logic alone

nascent

(adj) coming into existence, still developing inchoate, incipient - just beginning, not yet completed; although inchoate has sense of chaotic or disordered

imperious

(adj) commanding, domineering; acting like a high ranking person; urgent; ___ attitude overbearing - synonym autocratic - absolute rule despotic, tyrannical - abuse or absolute rule

mundane

(adj) common, ordinary, everyday was soon disappointed at how ___ the stay with her relatives was... quotidian - daily, have more negative meaning than the meaning of the word

analogous

(adj) comparable, corresponding in a particular way (making a good analogy) tantamount - equivalent commensurate - corresponding in size or degree, in proportion

stark

(adj) complete, total, utter; harsh or grim; extremely simple severe, blunt or plan appreciate for its ___ beauty; she is ____ raving mad; the ___ reality is that we will have to begin ; exp: stark naked; in many cultures, such an act would be a ___ violation of public decency

complementary

(adj) completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs angles that made up to 90 deg

exhaustive

(adj) comprehensive, though, exhausting a topic or subject, accounting for all possibilities; draining, tending to exhaust thoroughgoing - thorough, complete; zealous omnibus - including or providing for many items

solicitous

(adj) concerned or anxious (about another person), expressing care; eager or desirous; very careful _____ of fame, she would do anything to get near celebrities soliciting - selling, asking or entreating or acting as a prostitute

terse

(adj) concise, brief and to the point (sometimes to the point of rudeness); often negatively used; to be treated so tersely by a doctor curt, brusque - rudely abrupt or brief

patronizing patronize

(adj) condescending, having a superior manner, treating as an inferior (v) to be a patron of; (n) patronage his ____ tone has been driving me crazy

sentient (SENT-shent)

(adj) conscious; experiencing sensation or perceiving with the senses she is vegan and refused to eat any ____ creature insensate - antonym, unconscious, inanimate, lacking reason; cold blooded, merciless, lacking warm human feelings

appreciable

(adj) considerable, enough to be perceived, difference large enough to matter negligible - antonym; so small it can safely be ignored

scurvy

(adj) contemptible, mean our neighbor is _____ that he deliberately broke my bicycle reprobate - disreputable, unprincipled principle

contentious contend conention contender

(adj) controversial; prone to causing arguments, esp gratuitous or petty ones (v) argue (n) claim (n) disputatious, quarrelsome - synonyms

pusillanimous

(adj) cowardly, timid he was so ____ that not only was he afraid to ask his boss for a raise, he was even afraid to tell the waitress that he didn't like sugar in his tea craven - cowardly

crafty

(adj) cunning, skillful in deception or underhand schemes cunning, guileful, wily

quotidian (kwoh-TIDD-ee-un)

(adj) daily; everyday, ordinary he regularly forgets ___ concerns like laundry, cleanup mundane - synonym pedestrian, prosaic - commonplace, dull, lacking imagination diurnal - occurring every day or happening in the daytime

ingrained

(adj) deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber inculcate - teach persistently, implant an idea in a person

counterproductive

(adj) defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal feckless - ineffectual bootless - unsuccessful inimical - unfavorable, harmful

derivative

(adj) derived from something else; not original banal, hackneyed, inane, insipid, trite - lacking freshness and originality, shallow

heterogeneous

(adj) different in type, incongruous; composed of different type of elements homogeneous

preternatural

(adj) exceptional, supernatural his _____ golfing talent is still undeniable; strange sounds due to ____ causes occult - supernatural, mysterious, arcane

intractable

(adj) difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn; intransigent, obdurate, obstreperous - describe people who are stubborn and hard to control tractable - compliant tract - stretch of land

explicit

(adj) direct, clear, fully revealed; clearly depicting sex or nudity unequivocal, explicate - make clear

discomfiting

(adj) disconcerting, confusing, frustrating abash - destroy the confidence of, make ashamed, disconcert disquiet - disturb or cause anxiety

disjointed

(adj) disconnected, not coherent, jerky

squalid (SKWAH-lid)

(adj) disgusting, filthy, foul, extremely neglected removed children from the home due to the ____ conditions sordid - morally squalid; sordid tale

cloying

(adj) disgustingly or distastefully sweet treacly, saccharine - synonyms maudlin - tearful and sentimental

perfidious perfidy

(adj) disloyal, treacherous, violating one's trust (n) deceitfulness; untrustworthiness. the ____ soldier sold out his comrades, giving secrets to the enemy in exchange for money and protection "the ______ of her husband" apostate - person who deserts a party, cause, religion, etc recreant - coward or deserter quisling - person who betrays his country by aiding an invader infidel - unbeliever, person who doesn't accept a particular faith

disparate

(adj) distinct, different divergent - different, deviating in-commensurable - not comparable, totally proportionate

disquieting disquiet

(adj) disturbing, causing anxiety discomfiting - disconcerting, confusing, frustrating not opposite of quite, antonym of quiescent - meaning peaceful and calm

multifarious

(adj) diverse, having a lot of variety a __ array of brilliant colors heterogeneous

polarized

(adj) divided into sharply opposed groups when it came to the teaching of evolution in schools, the board was _____, immediately splitting into two camps, with the discussion devolving into a shouting match within minutes faction - group or clique within a larger organization

beneficent

(adj) doing good benevolent - expressing goodwill, helping others or charity eleemosynary - charitable x-maleficent

ridden

(adj) dominated by burdened by neighborhood was ___ with crime; corruption-ridden nation disease ridden slum equality-ridden society.. sounds like the person actually against society

furtive

(adj) done secretly; stealthy, sly, shifty clandestine, covert, surreptitious - secret undercover adds a sense of doing something wrong

perfunctory

(adj) done superficially; without much care, or merely as routine she did a really ____ job on this powerpoint cursory - quick and superficial; cursory glance

extemporaneous

(adj) done without preparation (esp of speech), or with some preparation but no notes; improvised, done on the spur of the moment impromptu ad-lib - improvised off-the-cuff

dubious

(adj) doubtful, questionable, suspect apocryphal, ersatz, faux, specious (latin) 2, one presented, and the true one being hidden

prosaic

(adj) dull, ordinary local synagogue is a bit ______; pedestrian - commonplace, dull, or lacking imagination quotidian - daily or commonplace middling - medium, average, mediocre lackluster - unexciting humdrum - boring, dull

insipid

(adj) dull, stale, lacking taste or interest banal, hackneyed, inane and trite - lacking freshness and originality, shallow antonym? - tasty, agreeably distinct

complaisant

(adj) eager to please; cheerfully complying complacent - smug, self-satisfied

tractable (TRACK-tib-ull)

(adj) easily controlled or managed, docile; easily shaped or molded malleable, pliable, plastic mutable complaisant

voluble

(adj) easily fluent in regards to speech; the journalist's new book is a ____ tome, covering three centuries of history with numerous flowing.... loquacious, prolix, verbose - talkative, wordy glib - fluent in speaking in a bad way that suggests superficiality or insincerity

rudimentary

(adj) elementary, relating to the basics; underdeveloped, primitive my knowledge of Chinese is rudimentary... inchoate - just began, unorganized nascent, incipient - just beginning to exist, in a very early stage of development

officious

(adj) excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy she is an _______ host who butts into everyone's conversation nosy, busybody - similar words

fastidious

(adj) excessively particular, difficult to please; painstaking, meticulous, requiring excessive attention to detail "he is ____ about arranging shoes in shoe rack in a particular order and each much should be evenly spaced" meticulous - taking extreme care with details, fussy exacting - severe in making demands; requiring precise attention

maudlin

(adj) excessively sentimental, showing sadness or some other emotion in a foolish or silly way; acting foolishly emotional due to drunkenness; the Telugu film was going to be _____ affair... cloying, treacly, saccharine - disgustingly, distastefully sweet

ubiquitous (yoo-BICK-wit-uss)

(adj) exciting everywhere at the same time omnipresent - synonym pervasive - tending to spread throughout

inherent

(adj) existing as a permanent, essential quality, intrinsic innate (inborn)

subjective

(adj) existing in the mind or relating to one's own thoughts, opinions, emotions, etc.; personal, individual, based on feelings anyone's experience of a movie is _______________;

virtual

(adj) existing only in mind or by means of computer network; existing in results or in essence but not officially or in name ____ pet, ____ networks nominal - in name only, not in fact

prodigious

(adj) extraordinarily large, impressive, etc;remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree. "the stove consumed a _____ amount of fuel" The Great wall of China consists of a ________ series of fortifications stretching over 5000 miles; we have a _____ task ahead, we have to all prepared and plan it well; word could be good or bad; titanic, Olympian - large and majestic

egregious (igg-GREE-juss)

(adj) extraordinarily or conspicuously bad; glaring flagrant - shamelessly bad or offensive, obvious, notorious

objective

(adj) factual, related to reality or physical objects; not influenced by emotions, unbiased to be ___ about the guilt or innocence of a spouse; impartial, disinterested, dispassionate, nonpartisan - being fair and not having bias or personal stake subjective - antonym

equitable equity

(adj) fair, equal, just evenhanded - fair, impartial parity - equality or equivalence equanimity, equanimous - being even tempered

phony

(adj) fake, counterfeit; insincere, not genuine ___ Louis Vuitton bags are easily purchased in Chinatown, but they are illegal faux, apocryphal, spurious, - fake or counterfeit a ___ person may have various affectations (fake behavior, speech, dress)

bogus

(adj) fake, fraudulent spurious, sham

propitious

(adj) favorable, giving good signs for the future, likely to work out; kind or forgiving the officials were pleased to see the ___ weather forecast, we'll get this game in after all auspicious - looking as through success is likely providential - lucky, fortunate or relating to diving care opportune - suitable, convenient, occurring at an appropriate time

timorous

(adj) fearful, timid intrepid - fearless trepid - fearful craven, pusillanimous - cowardly

intrepid

(adj) fearless, brave, enduring in the face of adversity hardy - bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold fortitude - strength in facing adversity grit - firmness of mind, esp during hardship; courage trepid - frightened trepidation - fear or alarm

reverent

(adj) feeling or expressing very deep respect and awe everyone expresses a ____ view of the author pious - devout; religiously reverent and dutiful

truculent (TRUCK-yuh-lent)

(adj) fierce, cruel, savage; belligerent belligerent, bellicose, pugnacious - combative, inclined to fighting sanguinary - blood thirsty minatory, baleful - menacing, threatening

static

(adj) fixed, not moving or changing, lacking vitality society in Amazon had been deliberately ____ for hundreds of years status quo - existing state of affairs, stasis - equilibrium, state of balance or inactivity esp caused by equal and opposing forces standing - existing indefinetly stationary - not moving

tawdry (TAW-dree)

(adj) gaudy, cheap or cheap-looking; indecent her mother found it downright ___________ showy - showing off bad/good garish - something much too bright, vivid, fancy gaudy - stand out in a cheap, tasteless overly colorful way meretricious - attractive in a vulgar or flashy way; deceptive

munificent

(adj) generous, giving liberally he was quite ____ , he donates lot of money to charity magnanimous - high minded; generous in forgiving others philanthropic - giving money to charity, providing assistance to others

ingenuous

(adj) genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive guileless, artless - near synonyms ingenue - young presumable innocent - actress or other female performer ingenious - brilliant, an ingenious idea

querulous (KWIR-ull-uss)

(adj) given to complaining, grumbling when a ____ child was dropped off on her doorstep: "I don't want to come inside", "I don't like sandwiches" , would the wining and moaning ever stop? carp - constantly complain, fret, find fault petulant - unreasonably irritable or sullen peevish - annoyed, in a bad mood, stubborn cross - angry, ill-humored shared root with quarrel

morose

(adj) gloomy, sullen she was happy, but later she adopted a ___ attitude morbid - mentally unhealthy, diseased, gruesome; if you are depressed, you're morose, if you enjoy looking at photos of crime scenes, we'd say you have morbid interest..

lurid

(adj) gruesome or excessively vivid; sensational, shocking, unrestrained that tabloid is just too __ to me-- just look at the cover, truly horrible gratuitous - free, voluntary; without cause or justification; uncalled for; gratuitous romance and violence in the movies is that which doesn't add to the plot, its just there some people like to look at things that are ____

dyspeptic

(adj) grumpy, pessimistic, irritable; suffering from dyspepsia (indigestion) curmudgeon - bad tempered, difficult person crotchety - grouchy, picky, given to odd notions cantankerous - disagreeable, contentious crank - unbalanced person fanatic about a private, petty cause irascible - easily angered

credulous

(adj) gullible; prone to believing or trusting too easily or without enough evidence incredulous - skeptical

synchronous

(adj) happening at the same time; occurring at the same rate and thus happening together repeatedly simultaneous, contemporaneous sym - together

fortuitous

(adj) happening by chance, lucky fluke - stroke of luck, something accidentally successful inadvertent - unintentional, characterized by a lack of alternative;

rife

(adj) happening frequently; abundant, currently being reported reports of financial corruption are ____ replete - supplied in abundance, filled, gorged ridden - dominated or burdened by teeming - swarming, teeming with people

posthumous

(adj) happening or continuing after death book was published _____ in 1986 after his death in 1961 humus - earth or soil hummus - spread made from chickpeas

deleterious

(adj) harmful, unhealthful pernicious - very harmful, fatal insaluatory, insalubrious - unhealthful

innocuous

(adj) harmless, inoffensive benign - harmless, unfavorable

invidious

(adj) hateful, offensive, injurious; (of an action or situation) likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others. "she'd put herself in an _____ position" (of a comparison or distinction) unfairly discriminating; unjust. "it seems ____ to make special mention of one aspect of his work" malicious, malevolent - intending ill will towards another insidious - deceitful, tricky, intended to entrap or enshare

mannered

(adj) having a particular manner, esp an artificial one he adopted a ___ way of speaking, as though he had grown up in some very odd corner of England affectation - fake behavior, such as speech or dress, adopted to give a certain impression

resurgent

(adj) having a revival, renewing, rising or surging again has experienced a ____ in the last decade, as young women dress in old fashioned finery and .... recrudescent - revival, breaking out into renewed activity renascent - reviving, becoming active again

pungent

(adj) having a sharp taste or smell; biting, stimulating, sharp received rather _____ criticism from the head chef ....; customers found the food is much too ______ acerbic - sour; harsh or severe acrid - sharp or biting, pungent astringent - caustic, biting, severe caustic - capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic latin root means to prick

noisome

(adj) having an extremely offensive smell aside from the ___ effluence they emit when frightened, skunks are not aggressive animals deleterious - harmful baneful - harmful, fatal noxious - harmful, morally corrupting fetid - smelly

principled

(adj) having high moral standards Donna was only an intern, but she was also quite _______ - although she knew it would kill her shot at a full time job, she was the one who alerted the authorities when asked to violate federal law via corrupt accounting practices scrupulous - can mean principled, strictly following moral rules; precise, exact, careful about the details principle - moral rule principal - head of the school; first or most importance

perspicacious

(adj) having penetrating insight or good discernment a good detective is shrewd and _____, judging when someone is lying, noticing things the rest of us would ignore and making connections that allow an investigation to move forward keen - sharp, piercing; very perspective or mentally sharp acumen - keen, quick, accurate insight or judgement astute - shrewd, very perceptive adj form of perspective

salubrious

(adj) healthful, promoting health adopting a more _______ lifestyle for long life salutary - synonym

ponderous

(adj) heavy; bulky and unwieldy; dull, labored; boring the book was a ____ tome; more a reference book and heavy tedium - which is tiresome due to being too long, dull, or slow; the plot moved at a tedious pace ponder - to contemplate or think deeply about

inimical

(adj) hostile, adverse, harmful conducive - antonym loud noise is ____ to studying

modest

(adj) humble; simple rather than showy; decent (esp covering up in term of dress); small, limited he has such a _____ house; her ___ salary was barely enough for rent etc paltry - extremely small or worthless, insultingly small, often a paltry sum __ outfit - doesn't show too much __ beginnings/background grew up poor

steeped (STEEPT)

(adj) immersed (in) , saturated (with) a person _____ in classic literature probably thinks about almost everything in terms of old, famous books to soak in liquid, infuse, saturate teabag is ____ in hot water

detached

(adj) impartial, disinterested; unconcerned, distant, aloof standoffish - cold, unfriendly not having common sth

impervious

(adj) impenetrable, not able to be harmed or emotionally disturbed impermeable - impassable stoic - not having or showing feeling, esp in response to suffering

implicit

(adj) implied, not stated directly; implied in the very sense of something tacit - implied, unspoken explicit - antonym; direct, clear, fully revealed or clearly depicting sex or nudity

normative

(adj) implying or attempting to establish a norm; expressing value judgement or telling people what to do you are arguing ___, telling how people should talk, and I am reporting and analyzing how people actually talk prescriptive - synonym

nontrivial

(adj) important or big enough to matter the mistakes was ____ and there going to be an investigation trivial - too small to matter trifling, nugatory - synonyms trivia - questions about small facts and details

unseemly

(adj) improper, inappropriate, against the rules of taste or politeness she found it very ____ that they suggested a specific dollar amount for the donation ... indecorous - synonym boorish, churlish - rude ill-mannered insensitive uncouth - having bad manners, awkward gauche - tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude antonym - seemly

pristine

(adj) in an original, pure state; uncorrupted; Himalayas, a ___ forest, seemingly untouched by humans unadulterated, unsullied - near synonyms

inert

(adj) inactive; having little or no power to move latent, dormant - not active at this time

insensible

(adj) incapable of feeling; unconscious, unaware people can be ___ to pain after the operation insensate - inanimate, as an object; without sense or human feeling, cruel

pugnacious

(adj) inclined to fight, combative he is a ___ fellow, always get into fistfights and arguments belligerent, bellicose, truculent - synonyms pugilism - boxing, fistfighting;

erratic

(adj) inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course desultory - lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic

peripatetic

(adj) journeying from place to place; travelling on foot quit his office job to become a ______ musician, travelling from town to town playing in bars and sleeping on couches itinerant, wayfaring - synonyms peregrinate - verb for being peripatetic transient - moving around, more associated with homeless people or those fringe in the society

blithe

(adj) joyous, merry; excessively carefree can be used positive or negative

inchoate

(adj) just began, undeveloped, unorganized nascent, incipient - just beginning to exist, or in very early stage of development the word has more sense of vagueness

incipient

(adj) just beginning; in a very early stage nascent - synonym inchoate - just began, undeveloped, unorganized

puerile (PYOOR-ile)

(adj) juvenile, immature the crtic decried the ______ humor common in so many modern movies jejune - dull, childish sophomoric - very immature, having poor judgement

conversant

(adj) knowledgeable about or experienced with to be able to carry on an intelligent conversion about a topic abreast - keeping up with, staying aware of, or remaining equal in progress with

desultory

(adj) lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic word has root - meaning rider who jumps from one horse to another

trite (TRITE)

(adj) lacking freshness and originality, lacking effectiveness due to overuse, cliche "Children are the Future" is pretty _________; banal, hackneyed, inane, insipid shopworn bromide, platitude - nouns of cliche or shopworn expression

banal

(adj) lacking freshness and originality; cliche hackneyed, inane, insipid, trite - lacking freshness and originality, shallow

ephemeral

(adj) lasting only a short time, fleeting evanescent, fugacious - synonyms

perennial

(adj) lasting through the years or indefinitely, enduring; recurring fighting over a bathroom is a ___ problem in our house -- there are eight of us and we are homeschooled annuals - plants replanted every year

indolent

(adj) lazy, slothful torpid, sluggish, idle, lethargic, loafing, slack - laziness or slowness rose from the idea of avoid pain (Latin), grief and today's translation is laziness

lethargic

(adj) lazy; drowsy, or sluggish i felt so ___ after I eat my weight in mac and cheese and hand carved turkey torpid, sluggish, idle, indolent, loafing, slack - all related to laziness, slowness Reference of river Lethe in Greek mythology, it is the river of forgetfulness or oblivion. it flowed through the underworld, and the dead were required to drink from it in order to forget their earthly lives

fallow

(adj) left unplanted (of land); not in use arable - able to be farmed, fertile (land)

seraphic - (sir-RAFF-ick)

(adj) like an angel; serene, spiritually carried off or transported the gospel choir looked ______ in the shimmering white robes

sublime

(adj) lofty or elevated, inspiring reverence or awe; excellent, majestic nonbeliever with a sense of ____; this dinner is ______; lofty - in a high position esp in character, spirit, rank elevate - lift the spirits of; edify - uplift, enlighten rarefied - lofty, figuratively high up or elevated

rarefied (RARE-if-ide)

(adj) lofty, very high up or elevated (in a metaphorical way); exclusive, select; thin, pure, less dense among the ___ ranks of conference attendees, she counted to two Nobel Prize Winners elevate - raise, lift up; move up to a higher rank Lofty - in a high position esp character , spirit, rank edify - uplift, enlighten winnow - separate the good from bad or narrow down to just the best

providential

(adj) lucky, fortunate or relating to divine care (the idea that a deity has helped or cared for a person); often this quality is attributed to God (nature) ; providence means God or God's grace propitious, auspicious - synonyms

tendentious

(adj) marked by a strong point of view, biased; expressing or intending to promote a particular cause or point of view, especially a controversial one. "a ______ reading of history" "author is so _____" partisan - partial to a particular group, party bigot - obstinately prejudiced person a tendentious person is always tending towards some particular thing

eloquent

(adj) marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving rhetorical, oratorical - related to art of public speaking, style and effect and lacking substace loquacious - talkative interlocutor - participant in a dialogue, interrogator

quiescent

(adj) quiet, dull after hours of mourning and shaking from his illness, the child finally exhausted himself and grew _____ placid, pacific - peaceful, calm, tranquil

whimsical

(adj) marked or motivated by whims (odd, fanciful ideas); erratic, unpredictable Alice in wonderland is a famously ____ story; she enjoyed a _____ day at the seashore - no plan, just wandering around and making sand castles as the mood struck; capricious - synonym; arbitrary - based on one's discretion; capricious generally positive word but depends on context

figurative

(adj) metaphorical, based on figures of speech; x literal

erroneous

(adj) mistake, in error; improper, morally incorrect fallible - liable to be in error, capable of making mistakes errant - roving adventuously

qualified

(adj) modified, limited, held-back conditional on something else; well prepared, suitable person; The scientist gave her ______ endorsement to the book... tentative - done in order to test; uncertain temper - moderate, soften, tone down

base

(adj) morally low, mean, dishonorable; of little or no value; crude and unrefined; counterfeit

lugubrious

(adj) mournful, gloomy (sometimes in exaggerated way) the _____ tunes made her cry into her Guinness lachrymose - tearful, mournful maudlin - overly tearful and sentimental lament - express sorrow, mourn

insular

(adj) narrow-minded, provincial,parochial; pertaining to an island; detached, standing alone xenophobia - fear of foreigners illiberality - narrow-mindedness, lack of generosity urbane - cosmopolitan, refined

endemic

(adj) native, local; natural, specific to, or confined to a particular place pandemic - antonym; - widespread, universal epidemic - rapidly spreading, near synonym of the word

unprecedented

(adj) never before known or seen, without having happened previously novel - new, fresh, original precedent - law term

novel

(adj) new, fresh, original novelty, trite, insipid, banal, hackneyed - antonyms

vociferous

(adj) noisy crying out, as in protest; stentorian - loud clamor - vociferous uproar; he has always been a ________ partner / opponent .. voc - voice vox populi - the voice of the people;

indifferent

(adj) not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial apathy

ambiguous

(adj) not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations equivocal - allowing for several different meanings; undecided or having mixed feelings opaque - hard to understand; dull or stupid;

recondite (RECK-un-dite)

(adj) not easily understood, hidden, dealing with an obscure topic he deals in some ____ information arcane, esoteric - synonyms

indeterminate

(adj) not fixed or determined, indefinite; vague ambiguous - not clear, hard to understand, open to having several meanings or interpretations

stingy

(adj) not generous with money, reluctant to spend or give Billionaire was so _____ that he installed pay phones in his mansion for guests to use Miser, cheapskate skinflint - stingy person frugal - economical stint - to be frugal scrooge - miserly person, esp a wealthy one

unconscionable

(adj) not guided by conscience; unjust, unreasonable it is _____ that you would deny your sister a bone marrow transplant knowing that you're the only person in the family who's match unscrupulous, unprincipled - not guided by moral rules

impassive

(adj) not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion stoic - not having or showing feeling, esp in response to suffering inscrutable - not able to be scrutinized, mysterious passive - inactive, not reacting

ignoble

(adj) not noble; having mean, base, low, low motives; low quality ignominious - disgraceful, humiliating, contemptible

recalcitrant

(adj) not obedient, resisting authority, hard to manage roomful of 20 ____ children who wouldn't even sit down intractable, intransigent, refractory, obstreperous - stubborn and hard to control Latin origin means - to strike with heels

secular

(adj) not religious or holy; pertaining to worldly things Earlier people use "Merry Christmas", secular phrase is "Happy Holidays" governments are increasingly ____ over the last century; it doesn't mean atheist

lackluster (LACK-luss-ter)

(adj) not shiny; dull, mediocre; lacking brilliance or vitality they are shocked when a ___________ effort in the workplace receives the indifference or mild disapproval it deserves. pedestrian, prosaic - commonplace, dull, lacking imagination quotidian - daily or commonplace, as daily things tend to be middling - medium, average, mediocre

lax

(adj) not strict; careless, loose, slack my parents were really ___ about homework; this legacy of ___ is not serving me well while studying for GRE slack - loose, negligent, lazy laxatives - products helps in loosen up or lubrication

taciturn

(adj) not talking much, reserved, silent, holding back in conversation reticent - synonym; laconic - using few words, concise

reticent

(adj) not talking much; private (of a person), restrained, reserved to rise to the top, it was best to be ____ about her personal life laconic - using few words, concise taciturn - not talking too much

umtempered

(adj) not toned down; not moderated, controlled, or counterbalanced the report was an untempered condemnation of the company's practices qualified - modified, limited, conditional on something else; unqualified - not limited, not restrained; untempered if your boss gives unqualified approval, for your plan, you can do whatever you want to temper - to moderate, soften, tone down, to make less intense; temper as noun - person's state of mind

opaque

(adj) not transparent; not allowing light, heat, etc to pass through; dark, dull, unclear, stupid the school code required ______ tights under skirts; she was tragically ____ i could not understand her well; turbid - middy water not clear; metaphorically means obscured, confused as in turbid feelings

compliant

(adj) obeying, submissive; following the requirements complaisant, obliging - describe people who comply with eagerness

sporadic

(adj) occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations her attendance was ____ at best; erratic - inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course desultory - lacking consistency or order, disconnected, sporadic; going off topic

diurinal

(adj) occurring every day; happening in the day time (rather than at night time) quotidian - daily, everyday, ordinary

somatic (soh-MAT-ick)

(adj) of the body many cases of depression have a ____ cause; psychosomatic - involving both the mind and the body

plebian plebeian

(adj) of the common people the wealthy would never do something so ____ as cook their own food demotic, democracy - pertaining to people The word is often negative, often used in a joking way

homogeneous

(adj) of the same kind; uniform throughout heterogeneous

tangential

(adj) only slightly relevant , going off topic you'll get wide range of _____ remarks before he gets around to the point penumbra - outer part of a shadow from an eclipse; any surrounding region, fringe, periphery digress, div-agate - go off topic in speaking/writing

pedestrain

(adj) ordinary, dull, commonplace hope you won't mind that we've made something more _____ : hot dogs and French fries prosaic - relating to prose; ordinary, dull, commonplace

incongruous

(adj) out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious heterogeneous - different in type conspicuous - standing out

overwrought

(adj) overly nervous, agitated or excited; too ornate, elaborate or fussy florid - flowery, showy, fancy; florid writing rococo - ornate, florid

fleeting

(adj) passing quickly, transitory ephemeral, evanescent, fugacious - synonyms

placid

(adj) peaceful, calm, tranquil looks so much like ____; peaceful and calm !! quiescent - quiet, still

eccentric

(adj) peculiar, odd, deviating from the norm, esp in a whimsical way anomaly, aberrant idiosyncrasy - a peculiarity specific to a particular person

sedulous

(adj) persevering, persistent, diligent in one's efforts assiduous - synonym _____ effort is necessary to improve your GRE score

skeptic

(adj) person inclined to doubting or questioning generally accepted beliefs I wish you'd be more skeptic; he was a great skeptic ... cynical - thinking worst of other motivations

repertorial

(adj) pertaining to a repertory or repertoire, a stock of available things or a number f theatrical performances presented regularly or in sequence repertory / repertoire - the performance of various plays, operas, or ballets by a company at regular short intervals reportorial - characteristics of news reporters

glacial (GLAY-shull)

(adj) pertaining to glaciers; cold, icy, slow, unsympathetic frigid - very cold, without human warmth or emotion gelid - icy person who acts like a ___ is unpleasant indeed

kinetic

(adj) pertaining to motion kinesthetic learners prefer to learn through physical activity patients with dyskenesia have trouble with movement kinesiology - preparation for being a coach on gym teacher

gawky

(adj) physically awkward (esp, of a tall, skinny person, often used to describe teenagers) coltish - playful, wild, resembling a young horse, esp having disproportionately long legs ungainly - awkward, ungraceful to gawk - stare at something in a blatant, often surprised way

sportive

(adj) playful, merry, joking around, done "in sport" (rather than intended seriously) friends called him purse snatcher, he took it as sportive and bought the next round of drinks jocular, jocose, jocund - joking, or given to joking all the time, jolly, playful waggish - merry, roguish risible - laughable, related to laughing

copious

(adj) plentiful, bountiful profuse - giving or done in a free, abundant way horn of plenty - cornucopia

impecunious

(adj) poor, without money penurious - poor or stingy indigent - destitute insolvent - unable to meet one's financial obligations, bankrupt pecuniary - relating to money

feasible

(adj) possible; logical or likely; suitable plausible - credible viable - capable of success, practicable, workable

prospective

(adj) potential, in the future perspectives or ____ doctors; even the ____ doctors --- college students hoping to be admitted to medical school--were a bit confused perspective - point of view

latent

(adj) potential; existing but not visible or active the propensity for drug addiction can remain _____ for life dormant - not active at this time inert - inactive; having little or no power to move hiatus - break or gap in an activity

pragmatic

(adj) practical; dealing with actual facts and reality she decided to be _____ : -- she doubted they'd stay together through a four year long distance relationship as they attended different colleges politic - shrewd, pragmatic; tactful or diplomatic expedient - suitable, proper; effective, often at the expense of ethics or other condierations

idyllic idyll

(adj) presenting a positive, peaceful view of rural life; pleasant in a natural, simple way; (n) a happy, enjoyable experience; bucolic, pastoral, georgic, arcadian - all positive view of rural life (n) can be a poem on an (adj) theme enjoyed a quiet ---- in a cabin

ostentatious

(adj) pretentious, boastful showiness Her ____ clothing is simply not appropriate in a business environment; showy - showing off (could be good or bad) garish - something too bright, vivid, fancy gaudy - stand out cheap, tasteless, overly colorful way

futile

(adj) producing no useful result, ineffective; trivial or unimportant bootless - useless otiose - lazy, idle, ineffective, useless

ostensible ostensive

(adj) professed, evident or pretended; outwardly appearing in a certain way _____, she came to volunteer out of goodness of her heart, However, I think she's really here because she has a crush one someone here; He's an ____ candidate for the job; putative - supposed or reputed nominal - trivial, in name only, so-called

eminent

(adj) prominent, distinguished, of high rank venerable - worthy of deep respect, hallowed, dignified

mercurial

(adj) quickly unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty it's tough being married to someone so mercurial.. erratic - inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course word comes from the idea that people born under the planet Mercury are quick but volatile

imminent

(adj) ready to occur, impending - also carry sense of something bad on the horizon about to happen ominous - giving a bad sign about the future portentous - ominous, very significant, exciting wonder and awe

contumacious

(adj) rebellious; stubbornly disobedient obstreperous, recalcitrant, refractory - synonyms contumely - contemptuous treatment or a humiliating insult

wanton

(adj) reckless, vicious, without regard for what is right; unjustifiable, deliberately done for no reason at all; sexually unrestrained or excessively luxurious it's _____ destruction of property; depict a _____ lifestyle that is attractive to some, but unattainable (and possibly illegal !) wanting - lacking

florid

(adj) reddish or rosy; flowery, showy, excessively fancy; ruddy - having reddish skin, in a manner indicating health bombastic - fat too showy or dramatic than is appropriate; pretentious turgid, tumid - inflated like balloon; or too fancy for the sentiment or occasion magniloquent, grandiloquent - speaking in lofty, grandiose style declamatory - pompous, merely oratorical rococo (ornate, florid)

intransigent

(adj) refusing to compromise, inflexible, having extreme attitudes intractable, obdurate, obstreperous - describe people who are stubborn and hard to control

egalitarian

(adj) related to belief in the equality of all people, esp in political, economic or social spheres

pathological

(adj) relating or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior it was actually _____, the result of a serious disease; you are a _____ thief; ____ lier;

synoptic

(adj) relating to a synopsis or summary; giving a general view; write up ____ outlines for the executives to review digest recapitulation precis compendium literally means see all together

grandiloquent

(adj) relating to lofty speech, esp to the point of being pompous, overblown, bombastic magniloquent - synonym declamatory - pompous, merely oratorical

peripheral

(adj) relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance, fringe main goal is to get into a good grad school, whether it has good fitness facilities is really a peripheral concern auxiliary - helping or supporting the main thing

monastic

(adj) relating to or resembling a monastery - where monks and nuns live, esp. by being quiet, secluded, contemplative, strict, and/or lacking luxuries was to live a ___ lifestyle: she broke up with her boyfriend, cancelled her cable service, left the house only when necessary... austere - severe in manner or appearance; very self-disciplined, ascetic; without luxury or ease hermit or anchorite - person who lives away from society, esp for religious reasons recluse - person who lives in solitude

prophetic

(adj) relating to prophesy; predicting, ominous prescient - having knowledge or foresight prognosticate, augur - tell the future

semantic

(adj) relating to the different meaning of words or other symbols their disagreement was purely _______; person's remarks are mere ____; you are just playing ____;

terrestrial

(adj) relating to the earth or to land; worldly terrarium - closed container garden for plants and small animals terrine - earthenware food dish terra firam - solid ground

vernal (VER-null)

(adj) relating to the spring; fresh, youthful favorite part of gardening was the __ reawakening that followed a fronzen winter primaveral - synonym; the dish pasta primavera is full of vegetation vernal equinox - a moment in in spring at which sun is directly over a equator;

inexorable

(adj) relentless, unyielding; not moved by pleading; (of a person) impossible to persuade by request or entreaty; "the doctors were ______, and there was nothing to be done" impossible to stop or prevent. "the seemingly ______ march of new technology" unflagging, indefatigable - tireless insuperable, indomitable - not able to be defeated

germane

(adj) relevant and appropriate, on topic pertinent - relevant akin - related by blood; analogous or similar

contrite

(adj) remorseful; feeling sorry for one's offenses or sins penitent - synonym atone - to make amends for

exigent

(adj) requiring immediate attention, action or aid; excessively demanding dire - causing suffering or fear; ominous; urgent or desperate expedient - suitable, proper, effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations in the face of ____ problem, the boss risked a serious lawsuit by doing what was expedient instead of what was right

restive

(adj) restless; impatient or uneasy under the control of another; the patients grew ____ as the new bosses curtailed their freedoms and put a hold on their projects restless - lacking rest

sacrosanct

(adj) sacred, inviolable, not to be trespassed on or violated; above any criticism in our home, family dinners are _____ ; if being in the school lay meant you would miss dinner, then you couldn't be in the school play sanctify - make holy sanctuary - sacred place, refugee

commensurate

(adj) same in size, extent, etc, equivalent, proportional

sardonic (sar-DAH-nick)

(adj) scornfully or ironically mocking, cynically derisive a ______ movie critic is one thing, but a _____ film professor is another; She wrote ______;

covert

(adj) secret, veiled, undercover clandestine, surreptitious, furtive - secret, undercover

specious

(adj) seemingly true but actually false; deceptively attractive all squares are rectangles, all candy bars are rectangles; therefore all squares are candy bars; is clearly a _____ argument fallacious - containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic; logically unsound; deceptive dubious - doubtful, questionable, suspect meretricious - attractive in a vulgar way or flashy way, tawdry, deceptive

eclectic

(adj) selecting the best of everything or from many diverse sources heterogeneous - made up of diverse elements hodgepodge, farrago, potpourri, pastiche, olio - mixtures of diverse things

complacent

(adj) self satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful or some other bad quality) complaisant - eager to please

discrete

(adj) separate, distinct, detached, existing as individual parts discreet - secretive, undercover

obsequious

(adj) servile, very compliant, fawning he is a very good ___ assistant sycophant, lackey, toady, myrmidon - fawning person, bootlicker fawn - to try to please in a submissive way truckle - act subserviently kowtow - to fawn root sequi - follow

incendiary

(adj) setting on fire, pertaining to arson; arousing strife, rebellion etc; inflaming the senses kindle - ignite, cause to begin burning; incite, arouse, inflame, rouse, foment

licentious

(adj) sexually unrestrained; immoral; ignoring the rules; breaking the rules; hard for politicians to abstain from _____ behavior until they are out of office hedonistic, sybaritic - pleasure seeking debauched - excessively indulging in sensual pleasures, worse and closer to the word ____

refulgent (rif-FULL-jent)

(adj) shining, radiant her new engagement ring was _______; she was so happy with it burnish - polish, make smooth, lustrous gilded - superficially good effulgent - synonym subfulgent - slightly shiny

politic

(adj) shrewd, pragmatic; tactful, diplomatic she gave a ____ reply expedient - suitable, proper, effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations

skittish

(adj) shy fickle, uncertain, or prone to act suddenly due to nervousness, lively in a restless or excessive way working with a ____ horse who nervously jerked around and ended up stepping on his foot; the band is ____; inconstancy - fickleness, unreliability; state of changing without good reason mercurial - quickly and unpredictably

oblique

(adj) slanting or sloping; indirect, misleading or evasive; after so many ____ references Bella made, i felt she is dating; gave only ____ answers that were useless in finding the bodies

dilatory

(adj) slow, late; procrastinating or stalling for time tardy (late), temporize (stall for time)

hackneyed (HACK-need)

(adj) so commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original banal, derivative, inane, insipid, trite - lacking freshness and originality, shallow

gregarious

(adj) sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd genial, congenial, convivial - sociable, friendly

listless

(adj) spiritless, lacking interest or energy "i'm too tired to care about homework", mumbled the __ child. indifferent - not caring, having no interest apathy - not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern origin - lack a lust for life

fetid

(adj) stinking; having an offensive smell noisome - disgusting, foul noxious - harmful to health, corrupting

obstinate

(adj) stubborn or hard to control; obdurate has more negative connotation; it's difficult to get an ___ child to eat food, sometimes Havi becomes ____ and don't hear my reasoning to clean up the house intractable - synonym obdurate - stubborn, hardhearted, hardened in wrongdoing

obdurate

(adj) stubborn, hardhearted, hardened in wrongdoing this ____ criminal should never be let out on parole - he cannot be transformed flinty, glacial, stony, callous - being emotionally hard and cold reprobate, unregenerate - people who are hardened evildoers _____ people are hardened against feelings, persuasion, conscience

refractory

(adj) stubbornly disobedient, hard to manage he is a ___ child, impossible to control and immune to reform intractable, intransigent, recalcitrant, obstreperous - stubborn and hard to control

mired

(adj) stuck, entangled (in something, like a swamp or muddy area), soiled ____ in her predecessor's mess and mistakes, the new CEO found it difficult to take the company in a new direction morass, quagmire - synonyms in the usage metaphorically Vietnam war is famously called quagmire muck and mire literally means animal waste and mud; prosecutor spent weeks wading through the muck and mire of the scandal; to muck up is to mess up or get dirty; to muck about or around is to waste time;

modish

(adj) stylish, contemporary sculpted modish creations that captures the pop-cultured-zeitgeist for instance,... in vogue - synonym fad (n) - an intense and widely shared enthusiasm for something, especially one that is short-lived and without basis in the object's qualities; a craze. a la mode - in fashion, literally means with ice cream; perhaps ice cream was once a big fad

bucolic

(adj) suggesting a peaceful and pleasant view of rural life pastoral, idyllic, georgic, arcadian - words related to positive view of county life

palatial (puh-LAY-shull)

(adj) suitable for or resembling a place, magnificent put her up in a ___ room at a five star hotel.. Olympian - majestic, aloof; stately - majestic; very elegant, or imposing

expedient

(adj) suitable, proper, effective, often at the expense of ethics or other considerations opportune - suitable, convenient, occurring at appropriate time exigent

replete (rip-PLEET)

(adj) supplied in abundance, filled, gorged (used with with) this essay is ___ with errors - i don't think you even bothered to use spellcheck surfeit, surplus, plethora (excess, overabundance)

leery

(adj) suspicious or wary you should be __ of any business; chary - cautious, wary, timid; a person could be habitually ____ (such as in being shy), whereas a person is generally ___ of something specific and sketchy. to leer - to look in an intense, creepy way such as with lustful or malicious intent; you should be ___ of anyone who leers at you

turgid

(adj) swollen, inflated or metaphorically inflated, such as in overblown, pompous speech; His prose was so ____ he used the phrase "synchronous repast"; carried the ___ water balloons to the balcony tumid - synonym distend - swell, expand balloon - swell, puff out turbid - turbulent, tepid - lukewarm, torpid - sluggish

gauche

(adj) tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude boorish - rude, ill-mannered, insensitive meretricious - attractive in a vulgar way, specious uncouth - having bad manners, awkward in french - it means left handed , not skilled french word, adroit - skilled

meticulous

(adj) taking extreme care in regards to details; precise, fussy needs to be highly ___ in his work; sometimes he is a little too _____ finicky, fastidious - excessively particular, hard to please exacting - very severe in making demands; require precise attention

loquacious

(adj) talkative, wordy the ___ profession talks too long prolix, verbose - synonyms magniloquent, grandiloquent - speaking in a lofty, grandiose style

garrulous

(adj) talkative, wordy, rambling prolix, verbose, loquacious - talkative, wordy word adds sense of going off topic or being tiresome

transitory

(adj) temporary, short-lived, not lasting teenage years are full of ___ relationships ephemeral, evanescent, fugacious - synonyms transient - lasting only a short time, temporary; be a noun referring to people who move from place to place

prohibitive

(adj) tending to forbid something, or serving to prevent something I was admitted to NYU, but it was _____ expensive; they installed high fence as a _____ barrier against the neighborhood hooligans exorbitant - excessive, esp by being outrageously expensive

pervasive

(adj) tending to spread throughout poverty is _____ in our school system; 65% of students receive free of reduced-price lunch omnipresent, ubiquitous - existing everywhere

verisimilar verisimilitude

(adj) the appearance of being true or real the film manages to retain verisimilitude even though the plot is about bunches of space aliens... feasible - possible; logical or likely; suitable plausible - credible, having the appearance of truth

viscid / viscous

(adj) thick, adhesive, or covered in something sticky it's too ____ to be absorbed by these paper towels adhere - stick to,

cynical

(adj) thinking the worst of others' motivations; bitterly pessimistic misanthrope - hater of humankind

itinerant (eye-TIN-uh-ruhnt)

(adj) travelling from place to place, esp. as part of job; peripatetic, wayfaring - synonyms transient - moving around, more associated with homeless people or those on the fringe of society

nominal

(adj) trivial, so small as to be unimportant; in name only, so-called notary public will certify a document for a ___ fee; country has nominal president; putative - supposed or reputed misnomer - an inappropriate name

convoluted

(adj) twisted; very complicated tortuous - twisting, not direct, deceitful labyrinthine - tortuous, resembling a labyrinth byzantine - complex or intricate

tortuous (TOR-choo-uss)

(adj) twisting, winding, complex; devious, not straightforward; convoluted - intricate, complex; often used to describe twisty, reasoning as in the first sentence. torturous - relating to torture or the type of pain caused by torture

unequivocal

(adj) unambiguous, clear, absolute; having only one possible meaning; resolute, unambivalent - firmly determined resolution - quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgement esp, decided by vote; patent - obvious, apparent, plain to see explicit - direct, clear, fully revealed

impartial (im-PAR-shull)

(adj) unbiased, fair disinterested, dispassionate, nonpartisan - being fair, not having a bias or personal take

disinterested

(adj) unbiased, impartial; not interested dispassionate - unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation nonpartisan - impartial, not controlled by a political party uninterested - not interested

dispassionate

(adj) unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion disinterested - unbiased, impartial, not interested nonpartisan - impartial, not controlled by a political pparty word can be used as positive, negative

immutable

(adj) unchangeable immalleable

esoteric

(adj) understood by or intended for only a few, secret arcane, recondite - synonyms

stolid

(adj) unemotional, showing little emotion, not easily moved Dad is so ____ that we cant get a rise out of him no matter what we do...despite all happy news impassive - not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion inscrutable - not able to be scrutinized, mysterious stolid - showing little emotion word is generally weaker than stoic; stoic is often related to enduring suffering

catholic

(adj) universal, broad-minded liberal - favorable to reform; favorable to maximum possible individual freedom; open-minded

hapless

(adj) unlucky, unfortunate bootless - useless woebegone - beset with woe - grief or distress; sad or miserable in appearance.

unsparing (un-SPAIR-ing)

(adj) unmerciful, harsh - (as in not soaring criticism); generous, lavish (as in not sparing any help or gifts to others) acerbic, acrid, astringent, caustic - literally have to do with bitterness, burning, corroding; metaphorically used to describe harshness spare - have mercy

wan (WAHN)

(adj) unnaturally pale, or showing some other indication of sickness, unhappiness, etc; weak, lacking forcefulness Are you okay? you're looking wan; Juhn's ___ attempt at asking or a raise was easily brushed of by his boss pallid - abnormally pale, lacking color or vitality sallow - sickly yellow in color ____ smile is a weak, forced smile that people use to pretend they're okay when they are not

fractious (FRACK-chuss)

(adj) unruly, trouble-making; irritable obstreperous - unruly, noisy refractory - stubbornly disobedient captious - faultfinding, making a big deal of trivial tribe

precarious

(adj) unstable, insecure, dangerous recognizing that his position at the company was ____, Sanjay requested that his bonus structure be formally written down as a contract, rather than dangled over him as a mere verbal promise parlous - synonym

laconic (luh-CON-ick)

(adj) using few words, concise the boss was famously ______ ; after so much talk; he finally responded, "Fine" pithy - use few words and get the point across in just a few, cleverly chosen words reticent, taciturn - not talking much, often used to describe shy people and do no have the sense of getting the point across efficiently

liberal

(adj, n) favorable to progress or reform; believing in maximum possible individual freedom; tolerant, open minded; generous (adj); a person with such beliefs or practices (n)

judicious (joo-DISH-uss)

(adj) using good judgement, sensible ___ person is wise prudent - wise, careful in providing for the future circumspect - cautious, careful to consider the circumstances and consequences judicial - relating to judges, courtrooms, justice etc; judicial attitude would be cold, impartial, detached

ribald

(adj) using or relating to obscene or vulgar humor the movie humor was so ____ ; bawdy - vulgar or lewd, esp for humor lewd - obscene or excessively lustful as in lewd gesture

variegated

(adj) varied in color, having multicolored patches or spots; diverse unusually, the bridesmaid's dresses were boldly _________; having many different colors myriad - innumerable, existing in abundance; diverse heterogeneous - different in type, incongruous in biology, the word refers to different color regions in the leaves of plants varicolored

volatile

(adj) varying, inconsistent, fleeting; tending to violence, explosive political environment is so ____ that anything could have started a riot inconstancy - fickleness, unreliability; state of being changing without good reason erratic - inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course

cogent

(adj) very convincing, logical

craven

(adj) very cowardly, lacking courage timorous - timid, fearful pusillanimous - cowardly dastardly - cowardly in treacherous, sneaky way

arduous

(adj) very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure grueling - very difficult and exhausting

spartan

(adj) very disciplined and stern; frugal, living simply, austere; suggestive of the ancient Spartans soldier in the ___ environment; her apartment was so ____ that she couldn't even server us both soup ascetic - pertaining to simple life with no luxuries, such as a monk; austere - severe in manner or appearance; very self-desciplined

rococo

(adj) very elaborate ornate (in decorating or metaphorically in speech and writing); relating to ornate style or art and architecture in 18th century France mansion she furnished in the most ____ style imaginable florid - reddish or rosy; flowery byzantine - very complicated; relating to Byzantine Empire - its ornate decorating style, full of gold and religious imagery

ebullient

(adj) very enthusiastic, lively, excited; bubbling as through being boiled; exuberant - extremely, uninhibitedly enthusiastic or joyful

elated

(adj) very happy, in high spirits ebullient - very enthusiastic, lively excited, excited blithe - joyous, merry, excessively carefree exultant - joyful, celebratory

pernicious

(adj) very harmful, destructive, deadly Bullying has ____ effect on the learning environment, keeping victims too intimidated to speak up and also silencing others baneful - synonym baleful - related to more to the idea of evil deleterious - harmful and unhealthful noxious - harmful or morally corrupting

torrid (TORE-id)

(adj) very hot, parching, burning; passionate arid - dry, parched, barren they had a ____ love affair; dehydrated in the _____ Sahara

fervid

(adj) very hot; heated in passion or enthusiasm ardent - very passionate; zealous - full of fervor or dedicated enthusiasm for a cause, person etc Fervent, perfervid - passionate, fiery, deeply enthusiastic

profound

(adj) very insightful, penetrating deeply into a subject; pervasive, intense, down to the very bottom; at the very bottom the philosopher's work was difficult to parse, but ______; it said truly novel things about the nature of reality; He was ______ disappointed when the project he had worked on for 15 years failed means - complete, all the way through; use in the sense - whoa, that's deep, man

stentorian

(adj) very loud and powerful (generally of a human voice) shut down the chaos immediately with a _______ "sit down and shut up" stentor - herald, messenger

hoary (HOR-ee)

(adj) very old, gray or white as from old age _____ with age.. ______ old college fraternity grizzled - graying wizened - withered or shriveled as from age antediluvian - very old

exacting

(adj) very severe in making demands; requiring precise attention; meticulous - taking extreme care with details; fastidious - excessively particular; hard to please exaction - extort; demand money under threat to exact - to etort

diaphanous

(adj) very sheer, fine, translucent ____ silk gossamer - a fine, filmy cobweb, light fabric

prodigal

(adj) wasteful, extravagant; giving abundantly, lavish you should raise your kids not to be ______; the ____ land produced larger crops than the people could even consume. profligate - utterly immoral, extremely prodigal wastrel, spendthrift - wasteful person prodigy - very gifted child

wary (WAIR-ee)

(adj) watchful, motivated by caution, on guard against danger; be _____ of anyone who tells you that anyone can get rich with some special plan chary - synonym leery - suspicious or wary vigilant - keenly watchful, alert in order to guard against danger

irresolute resolute

(adj) wavering, not sure how to proceed, not firm in one's decision making ambivalent - uncertain; unable to decide or wanting to do two contradictory things at once equivocal - allowing for several different meanings; undecided or having mixed feelings resolute or resolved - decided; firm in purpose resolution - mutual agreement or a solution to a problem

fanciful

(adj) whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality whimsical, eccentric, capricious - near synonyms

frenetic

(adj) wildly excited, frantic, distracted frenzied - wildly excited; violently agitated;

wizened (WIZZ-end)

(adj) withered, shriveled fortunately, the ____ heads for sale at the Ecuadorian market weren't really shrunken heads - just plastic souvenirs for tourists. The ______ old man still possessed a remarking sharp mind. hoary - very old, gray or white as from old age grizzled - graying antediluvian - very old; literally, from before the biblical flood desiccated - dried out

verbose

(adj) wordy forces the ____ to go against their natural tendencies and instead write succinctly loquacious, prolix, voluble - talkative, wordy verbiage - excess words or style of expressing something in words a ____ person could stand to cut down on the verbiage

estimable

(adj) worthy of esteem, admirable; able to be estimated calculable - able to be estimated

optimal optimum optimize

(adj)(adj) (v) best, most desirable or favorable _______ balance between freedom and order

metaphysical metaphysics

(adj)(n) concerned with abstract thought, related to metaphysics ( a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the nature of being and of the world); very subtle or abstruse ontology - part of metaphysics and is concerned with the investigation of the basic categories of being and their relation to one another. to Greeks, all inquiry was philosophy; metaphysics - non-empirical study, purely based on theory;

mendacious mendacity

(adj)(n) lying, habitually dishonest she was so ___ that, she blamed it on her brother; her ___ know no bounds; disingenuous - insincere, not genuine dissembling - misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically prevaricating - misleading or lying amendment - related to fixing faults or loop holes

erudite erudition

(adj)(n) scholarly, knowledgeable; possessing deep, often systematic knowledge learned - synonym cerebral - intellectual esoteric, recondite, abstruse - pertaining to difficult or obscure knowledge; know to only few

trifling (TRIFE-ling) trifle

(adj)(n) trivial, not very important; so small as to be unimportant, frivolous, shallow with some ___ matter; his internship is mere trifle frivolous - lacking seriousness, excessively carefree nugatory - of little or no importance

discerning

(adj)having good judgement or insight; able to distinguish keep, perspective and perspicaious - having good judgement or perception decry - to discover or see by looking carefully

timely

(adj, NOT adv) well-timed, happening at a suitable time your arrival is quite _____; opportune - favorable, appropriate

erstwhile

(adj, adv) former, previous (adj); in the past, formerly (adv) bygone - past, former quondam - former, sometime

aesthetic (ess-THEH-tick) aesthete aesthetician

(adj, n) (n) (n) concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful (adj); a set of principles or tastes guiding an artistic practice (n)

penitent penitence

(adj, n) (n) regretful, feeling remorse for one's sins or misdeeds (adj); a person who feels this way (n) after being expelled, she wrote a letter to the Dean expressing her deep regret and _______ and hoping to be readmitted contrite, remorseful - synonyms atone, make amends - to try to make up for having done something wrong penitentiary - prison, penal - relating to punishment

incarnadine

(adj, n) blood red or flesh-colored was left at the murder scene was an ____ stain on a pillow vermilion - bright red or reddish orange

soporific

(adj, n) causing sleep; sleepy, drowsy (adj); something that causes sleep (n) her lectures are ______, i sleep all the time in her class; the doctor gave me a _____ and sure enough, I was able to think more clearly after sleeping somnolent - synonym sopor - abnormally deep sleep stupor - state of numbness or not making sense, - a drunken stupor

partisan

(adj, n) devoted to a particular group, cause, etc. (adj); fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc; guerrilla fighter (n) engage in ____ politics in a time of crisis.. partisanship gone too far could be called factionalism bipartisan - pertaining to both parties nonpartisan - unbiased and not affiliated to any party

pejorative (pih-JOR-uh-tiv)

(adj, n) disparaging, derogatory, belittling (adj); a name or word that is disparaging (n) (adj) expressing contempt or disapproval. ""permissiveness" is used almost universally as a pejorative term" (n) a word expressing contempt or disapproval. "his remarks are inappropriately ____" "its never okay to call an employee a sniveling dullard...." vituperate, revile - to verbally abuse or speak very badly of

distaff

(adj, n) female esp relating to the maternal side of the family (adj); women or women's work (n); a staff that holds wool or flax for spinning (n)

stoic stoical

(adj, n) indifference to pleasure or pain, enduring without complaint (adj); person indifferent to pleasure or pain (n) Della was not only calm but positively _____, facing the vaccination without a single yelp, in spite of her terrible fear or needles impassive - not having or not showing physical feeling or emotion inscrutable - not able to be scrutinized, mysterious stolid - showing little emotion

retrospective

(adj, n) looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive (adj); an art exhibit of an artist's work over a long period of time (n) the proposed law is _______; anyone who violated the law before the law even existed can be prosecuted exp: in retrospect

patent

(adj, n) obvious, apparent, plain to see (adj); a letter from a government guaranteeing an inventor the rights to his or her invention (n) blatant - obvious or flagrant used to describe something bad (blatantly disregarding rules)

bygone

(adj, n) past, former (adj); that which is in past (usually pl noun) erstwhile - former quondam - former, sometime

vintage

(adj, n) related to items of high quality from a previous era, antique (adj); the wine of a particular year (n) she like men of certain _____ as well; she ordered her favorite ______ of ..; retro - informal word to describe the best of earlier times

manifest manifestation

(adj, v) (n) obvious, apparent, perceptible to the eye (adj); to show, make clear, or prove (v) my superstitious aunt claims that she saw a ________ of our deceased grandfather .... lupus is difficult to diagnose, but sometimes manifests as muscular weakness.. as a noun, a manifest - list of people or goods aboard a plane, ship, train manifestation is often something under the surface breaks out or becomes apparent; protest was a manifestation of a long brewing discontent

lavish

(adj, v) abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess (adj); give very generously (v) pursuing a ____ lifestyle she could scarcely afford; her boyfriend ___ gifts on her ____ someone with gifts posh - luxurious, elegant tony - aristocratic

net

(adj, v) remaining after expenses or other factors have been deducted; ultimate (adj); to bring in as profit, or to catch as in net (v) a ___ gain of $2000; all those weeks of working weekends and playing golf with the boss ought to ___ a promotion; gross - antonym tare - weight of the dish, often deducted prior to calculating what you pay

slack

(adj, v, n) loose, negligent, lazy, weak (adj); neglect to do one's duties; loosen up, relax (v); period of little work (n) as the product of _____ parenting, I never learned good time management ; The holidays represents an opportunity for employee to ____ a bit lax (not strict, careless, loose, slack) lull - to calm;or a period of calm or quiet;

keen

(adj, v, n) sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling) (adj); wailing or moaning (v) dogs have ___ sense of smell; grew more ___ when she was selected. acumen - keen , quick, accurate insight or judgement astute - shrewd, very perceptive perspicacity - acuteness of perception

slight

(adj, v, n) small, not very important, slender or delicate (adj); treat as though not very important; snub, ignore (v); an act of treating in this way, a discourtesy (n) she is very sensitive, always holding a grudge against her coworkers for a variety of _____, both real and imaginary; I felt ____ when my husband told you about his promotion before he told me; nominal - trivial, so small to be unimportant; in name only, so called inconsequential - insignificant, unimportant

bureaucracy bureaucratic bureaucrat

(n) (adj) (n) government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators commonly used in negative sense of excessive red tape

profligate profligacy

(adj,n) completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful; recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources; licentious; dissolute. "he succumbed to drink and a _____ lifestyle" The billionaire was so disgusted with his ______ daughter's spending ... (n) reckless extravagance or wastefulness in the use of resources; licentious or dissolute behavior. "the government returned to fiscal profligacy" "the emperor's sexual profligacy" prodigal - wasteful, extravagant debauched - corrupted morally dissolution - sinking into extreme hedonism

rustic

(adj,n) relating to country life, unsophisticated; primitive; made of rough wood (adj); a rural or uncultured person (n) chose a ____ cabin in the woods; Grandpa was a true _____ bumpkin, yokel - awkward, uncultured, simple person, generally from the country

disposition disposed

(n) (adj) a person's general or natural mood; tendency penchant, predilection

searchingly searching

(adv) (adj) in searching or penetrating manner; while examining closely or probing for answers I'm fired, Rob looking _____ at his boss

likewise

(adv) also, in addition to; similarly, in the same way moreover - in addition to what has been said before

moreover

(adv) besides; in addition to what was just stated furthermore - synonym both can be used to begin a new independent clause after a semicolon

nevertheless nonetheless

(adv) however, even so, despite that notwithstanding - in spite of , all the same she kept dancing, notwithstanding her injuries

inasmuch

(adv) in a like manner, considering that whereas - while on the contrary, considering that

hotly

(adv) in an intense, fiery or heated way heatedly - synonym

conversely

(adv) in an opposite way; on the other hand (sentence is a simple reverse)

respectively

(adv) in the order given

per se

(adv) intrinsically; by itself; in itself the policy isn't sexist, _____, but it has had a disproportionate impact on women that deserves further study also used to indicate that while something isn't naturally or the same or something else, it still has the same effect

iconoclast iconoclastic (eye-CAH-noh-clast)

(n) (adj) attacker of cherished beliefs or institutions maverick - lone dissenter, person who takes an independent stand heterodox - unorthodox

idiosyncrasy idiosyncratic

(n) (adj) characteristic of habit peculiar to a individual; peculiar quality, quirk eccentric - peculiar, odd, deviating from the esp in a whimsical way

compendium compendious

(n) (adj) concise but complete summary; a list of collection digest - a periodical containing shortened versions of works published elsewhere recapitulation - summary or act of summing up precis - summary or abstract

duplicity duplicatious

(n) (adj) deceit, double-dealing, acting in two different ways for the purpose of deception dissembling - misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically prevaricating - misleading or lying disingenuous - not genuine

antipathy antipathetic

(n) (adj) deep dislike, aversion, repugnance, sometimes without reason loathe, loathing - strong aversion, dislike, disgust sympathy - antonym

anomaly anomalous

(n) (adj) deviation from what is common; inconsistency aberration

opprobrium opprobrious

(n) (adj) disgrace and disapproval that result outrageously shameful actions DUI offense isn't such a big deal, but drunk driving deserves _____ infamy - very bad reputation; strong condemnation by the public notorious - well known for a disgraceful reason obloquy - shame, disapproval or verbal abuse esp by public or group

dissolution dissolute

(n) (adj) dissolving, the state of having been dissolved; breaking bonds or breaking up; death; sinking into extreme hedonism, vice, degradation (n) the closing down or dismissal of an assembly, partnership, or official body. "the _________ of their marriage" (adj) debauched living; dissipation. "an advanced state of _________" licentiousness - excessive freedom, extreme hedonism profligacy - reckless extravagance, shameless behavior

indigence indigent

(n) (adj) extreme poverty impecunious - poor, without money penurious - poor or stingy insolvent - unable to meet to one's financial obligations indignant - offended, angry at injustice The judge denied the allegations against him in a calm way, growing a little emotional at the end, but the president and some of his advisers worried that he was not forceful or ______ enough.

affectation affected

(n) (adj) fake behavior (such as speech or dress) adopted to given certain impression artifice - trickery esp as part of strategy

xenophobia xenophobic

(n) (adj) fear or hatred of foreigners or that which is foreign my mother's xenophobia is so great that she refuses to cross the border into Canada insular - pertaining to an island, illiberal chauvinism - fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, ect

cacophony cacophonous

(n) (adj) harsh, discordant, or meaningless mixture of sounds din - loud, confused noise dissonance - harsh, inharmonious sound clamor - noisy uproar, as from a crowd cacography - bad spelling, handwriting antonym - euphony

notoriety notorious (noh-ter-RY-et-eee)

(n) (adj) ill fame; the state of being well known for a disgraceful reason capitalizing on her ___ by writing books; Aiden was _____ for being late to everything... infamous, - synonym

calumny calumnous

(n) (adj) malicious lie intended to hurt someone's reputation; the act of telling lies slander - synonym libel - written version of slander traduce, vilify, defame - to slander, to damage a person reputation with lies

illiberality illiberal

(n) (adj) narrow mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity chauvinism - fanatical patriotism, blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc bigot - obstinately prejudice person xenophobic - fear of foreigners jingoism - extreme chauvinism plus warlike foreign policy insular - pertaining to an island;isolated, illiberal lacking a liberal arts education (as a person); not requiring such an education (profession)

apathy apathetic

(n) (adj) not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern indifferent - apathetic or impartial lukewarm - moderately warm; having little enthusiasm

epicure epicurean

(n) (adj) person with cultivated, refined tastes, esp in food and wine connoisseur - expert, specially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes discriminating - judicious, discerning, having good faith

puissance puissant

(n) (adj) power ,might she has always been drawn to ______

boor boorish

(n) (adj) rude, ill-mannered or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin churl - synonym churlish, bumpkin, yokel, rustic - words for an awkward, uncultured, simple person generally from the country

syntax syntactical

(n) (adj) rules of governing grammar, study of these rules, or any system or orderly arrangement

torpor torpid (TORE-pore)

(n) (adj) sluggishness, lethargy, or apathy; a period of inactivity anesthesia left in such a torpor .. listless - spiritless, lacking energy or interest inertia - inactivity loafing - idling away the time, lounging turbid - turbulent tepid - lukewarm turgid, tumid - swollen, bombastic

vitriol vitrolic

(n) (adj) something highly caustic, such as criticism (literally, one of a number of chemicals including sulfuric acid) caustic, acrimony, contumely

bane baneful

(n) (adj) something that ruins or spoils (n); destructive, ruinous (adj) baleful - threatening

dogma dogmatic

(n) (adj) system of principles laid down by an authority; established belief (adj) - negative (n) can be neutral or positive

rhetoric rhetorical

(n) (adj) the art or study of persuasion through speaking or writing; language that is elaborate or pretentious but actually empty, meaning little study _____ as a major academic subject; to improve your ____ skills all ____ and no substance oratorical - synonym; both words imply style, less substance

veracity veracious (ver-RASS-it-ee)

(n) (adj) truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to truth; i question the ____ of your story; she was known for her _____ only because she had no choice - she was a terrible liar probity - honesty, integrity verisimilitude - having the appearance of truth verity - quality of being true voracious - hungry, ravenous

plausible plausibility

(n) (n) believable; having the appearance of truth he is disingenuous; his explanations are hardly plausible credible - believable feasible - possible; logical or likely; suitable viable - able to live or develop; capable of success, practicable, workable

pugilism pugulist

(n) (n) boxing, fighting with the fate belligerent, bellicose, truculent, pugnacious - combative, inclined to fighting

hegemony hegemon

(n) (n) domination, authority; influence by one country over others socially, culturally, economically, etc autonomous - self governing, independent fiat - dictate or authoritative order sovereignty - supreme power, autonomy

jingoism jingoist

(n) (n) excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive, warlike foreign policy hawkish - advocating war chauvinism - fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc. pacifist - antonym cosmopolite - antonym

stratum strata (pl)

(n) (n) one of many layers (such as in a rock formation or in the classes of a society) upper _____ of society; the ____ made of bread, eggs, pancetta; hierarchy - ranked series echelon - a level, rank or grade a highly stratified society is one marked by inequality, or one in which people cannot easily move from layer to layer

activism activist

(n) (n) practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations - often considered as noble advocacy - pleading for, recommending champion - one who defends or supports, as a cause

metamorphosis metamorphose

(n) (v) a complete change or transformation (in biology, a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly) undergoing a complete _____ in my life ..

gradation grade

(n) (v) a progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of these stages (n) is a step, stage, rank

console (CON-sole) (con-SOLE)

(n) (v) lessen the suffering or grief of (v); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (n) succor (comfort, provide relief)

harangue (huh-RANG)

(n) (v) long, intense verbal attack , esp when delivered publicly (n); to speak to in a forced way (v) tirade, diatribe, fulmination - bitter angry speeches or attacks what do you call a large ape who always yells at you? A ____tan? :-)

temperance temper

(n) (v) moderation, self control, esp regarding alcohol or other desires or pleasures, total abstinence from alcohol Grandma is model of ____; she drinks very cautiously and carefully; teetotaler abstain sobriety - temperance, state of being sober, seriousness

gestation gestate

(n) (v) pregnancy, the period from conception until birth of an animal or (metaphorically) of an idea or plan conceive an idea

deference defer

(n) (v) respectful submission; yielding to the authority or opinion of another show ____ to older people at all time.. I'll _____ to you on that decision

incentive incentivize

(n) (v) something that encourage greater action or effort such as a reward inducement - motive for action, incenstive

transgression transgress

(n) (v) violation of law, moral rule, order, etc His _____ was so serious that his family disowned him; contravene (violate, act counter to, oppose) err - be mistaken, sin transgress - to step across, cross the line

spectrum

(n) A broad range of nevertheless related qualities or ideas, esp. those that overlap to create a continuous series (as in a color spectrum, where each color blends into the next in a continuous way) dialect continuum is a ______ of dialects of a language panoply - splendid, wide-ranging, impressive display or array scope - extent range, such as of knowledge, effectiveness, authority etc

largess or largesse

(n) Generosity, the giving of money or gifts (esp. with the implication that the giver is a bit superior to the recipient) I was at the school through the ____ of my grandparents magnanimity, munificence, openhandedness - generosity french origin

misanthrope misanthropist

(n) Hater of mankind philanthropist - antonym androgens - male hormones androgynous - having both male and female qualities

stigma

(n) Mark of disgrace, a figurative stain or mark on someone's reputation Pariah - social outcast, untouchable stigmata - marks supernaturally appearing on hands and feet (of nuns, monks); stigmatize

malediction

(n) a curse cast a hex (spell) on her, a ____ intended to cause terrible things to befall her imprecation - synonym execration - curse or cursing, insulting, sladering he was such a bitter person it seemed that only execration (or execrations) ever escaped his lips benediction - blessing

dirge (DERJ)

(n) a funeral or mourning song or poem lament - express sorrow, mourn requiem - musical service / hymn for the dead threnody - poem of mourning elegy - song/poem of sorrw, esp for a deceased person

rift

(n) a gap or fissure (such as in rock), a break in friendly relations it caused a ___ that lasted for decades fissure - a long, narrow opening or line of breakage made by cracking or splitting, especially in rock or earth crevasse - deep fissure or crack feud - bitter quarrel generally lasting a long time estranged - alienated (v) to split open, burst etc

tyro

(n) beginner novice - synonym neophyte - beginner, person newly converted to religion dilettante - person who takes up art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way

maxim

(n) a general truth or fundamental principle, esp. expressed as a proverb or saying my favorite maxims are "seize the day", "curiosity killed the cat" dictum, apothegm, adage - proverb, saying, truism saw - synonym, like an old saw platitude - more negative, meaning a cliched or trite statement

sinecure

(n) a job or position that pays while requiring little or no work; company rewards with ___ for spouses; Also means - a title and salary for another job in order to allow that person expanded power to accomplish something.

slew (SLOO)

(n) a large number of quantity as soon as we switched software packages, we encountered a while ______ of new problems myriad - very great number of something; probably bigger than slew;

demagogue

(n) a leader who lies and gains power by accusing the passions and especially prejudices of the people propagandist, provocateur - influences the public in ways that are probably more emotional than logical

echelon

(n) a level, rank, or grade; the people at that level; stratum - a layer, esp one of a number of parallel layers; strata

modicum

(n) a little bit or limited quantity experienced only a ___ of success as an actress.. iota, mite, tad of something - small amount

hallmark

(n) a mark of indication of quality, purity, genuineness, etc; any distinguishing characteristic earmark - distinguishing mark, allocate or set aside (v); is a neutral word word has more positive connotations

sobriquet (SOH-brick-ay)

(n) a nickname he often referred to with the _____, The Godfather epithet - descriptive nickname, add-on to a name as in Alexander THE GREAT.; insult, racial epithet is a slut and always bad;

layperson

(n) a person who is not a member of the clergy or not a member of a particular profession (such as medicine, law, etc.) remember he is a ____, not a doctor laity - group of people outside a particular profession

conundrum

(n) a riddle; any mystery enigma - puzzle, mystery paradox - contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true

platitude

(n) a shallow, overused statements; cliche; flat, stale remark; we'd enjoy their sloppy ____ about mom banal, hackneyed, inane, insipid, trite - lacking freshness, shallow

strut

(n) a structural support or base Elena could see the ____ , the vertical connectors between the lower and upper set of wings bolster, fortify, buttress (v) to swagger or walk in a showy or pompous way, such as in a fashion show

nuances

(n) a subtle difference in tone, meaning, expression, etc understand the ___ of non-literal speech nubilous - cloudy

interregnum

(n) a time between two reigns or regimes during which there is no ruler; a period during which government does not function; any period of freedom from authority or break or interruption in a series interrex - person holding supreme authority during an interregnum hiatus - break or gap in any activity abeyance - temporary suspension, inactivity

scintilla

(n) a tiny bit or trace with not one ____ of food in the house, the pioneer woman boiling weeds and even shoe leather to feed her children modicum, iota, mite, tad of something is small amount vestige - leftover trace or remaining evidence of something

intelligible

(n) able to understand , clear - the word can be used for speech, writing, ideas legible - applies to handwriting, able to read lucid - clear and applies to people as well as ideas

anarchy anarchism anarchist

(n) absence of law or government; chaos, disorder (n) (n)

implication

(n) act of implying or that which is implied; close connection, esp in an incriminating way implicit, tacit - implied, unspoke

proxy

(n) agent, substitute, person authorized to act on behalf of another she was in hospital and dont want to miss voting on the proposal, so she sent a _____ to the board meeting to vote legate, emissary - agent or official person sent to represent someone else expression: voting by ______

maelstrom

(n) any chaotic, turbulent situation; violent whirlpool first week of college is ___ of social events, orientations and business; he lost their houseboat in a _____; tumult - a commotion, uprising, riot, violentoutburst din - loud , confused noise clamor - noisy uproar as from a crowd hubbub - loud noise, confusion dutch origin

supposition

(n) assumption, hypothesis, something that has been supported in order to test our ______ that consumers will buy our product if they associate it conjecture - educated guess, speculation, opinion formed with incomplete information

mendicant

(n) beggar, or religious follower who lives by begging pauper - very poor person alms - money or other donations given as charity

alacrity alacritous

(n) cheerful or speedy willingness (adj) less common than phrases like full or alacrity or with alacrity brisk - speedy, energetic, vigorous sprightly - lively, full of spirit

coffer

(n) chest for storing valuables; financial resources, a treasury strongbox - chest for storing valuables generally word used in plural

coterie

(n) close or exclusive group, clique cabal entourage - group of attendants

precis (PRAY-see)

(n) concise summary, abstract decided to publish a ____ of her whitepaper online, while charging for access to the full version digest recapitulation compendium

propriety

(n) conforming to good manners or appropriate behavior; justness The parents questioned the ___ of punishment meted out of her son ; genteel - aristocratic, elegant seemly - proper or attractive decorous - behaving with propriety and good taste; polite mores - customs, manners, or morals of a particular group

paradox

(n) contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true conundrum - a riddle, answer to which involves a play on words; any mystery enigma - puzzle, mystery, riddle; mysterious or contradictory person

polemic

(n) controversial argument, esp. one attacking a specific idea The book is a ______, has been called shocking, scathing

pith

(n) core, essence; significance or weight can you get to the ___ of the issue? the presentation has no _____ - there's no central point and nothing I didn't already know Gist - main idea; to distill - to purify

machinations

(n) crafty schemes or plots is the product intense coaching and parental ____ collude - conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes to machinate - to overthrow the government

juncture

(n) critical point in time, such as a crisis or at a time when decision is necessary; a place where two things are joined together dovetail - join or fit together diverge junction often occur in place names, _____ is the place where they come together

imprecation

(n) curse; prayer for harm to come to person malediction - synonym (v) to curse or call down evil upon

mores

(n) customs, manners, or morals of a particular group study the culture beforehand as as to avoid violating deeply conservative cultural mores ethos - the character, personality, or moral values specific to a person, group, time period, etc

hyperbole

(n) deliberate exaggeration for effect overstatement

turpitude

(n) depravity, baseness of character, corrupt or depraved acts; depravity; wickedness. "acts of moral _____" worried about her grandson's turpitude - as evinced by his constant detentions; base - morally low, mean; debase - lower or reduce in quality and quantity moral turpitude - legal term

discrepancy discrepant

(n) difference or inconsistency incongruity - standing out discord or discordance - harshness or in-harmoniousness; disagreement

dichotomy

(n) division into two parts or into two contradictory groups binary, duality

declivity

(n) downward slope declination - downward slope, deterioration, refusal x acclivity - upward slope

philanthropy

(n) efforts to improve the well being of humankind, generally through giving money many wealthy people turn to ____ as a way to create social good... altruism - selflessness, concern for the welfare of others

milieu

(n) environment, atmosphere; the environmental setting in which something happens or develops the fall of the Soviet Union, a ______ of crushing poverty, yet hopeful aspiration.... zeitgeist - spirit of an age, cultural or intellectual mood of a time period ethos and mores

stasis

(n) equilibrium, a state of balance or inactivity, esp, caused by equal but opposing forces she felt that her career was in _____; status quo stationary static - fixed, not moving or charging, lacking vitality

travesty

(n) exaggerated, debased, or grotesque imitation The sketch was a pretty good ____ of the election scandal; what you did in front of client was a _____ !! Farce - a humorous play or a mockery burlesque - synonym

surfeit

(n) excess, excessive amount, overindulgence it has serious ____ of those can of cranberries replete with - supplied in abundance, filled, gorged glut, surplus, plethora - excess, overabundance

plethora

(n) excess; excessive amount she has a ____ of excuses, but there is simply no justification for arriving to class drunk surfeit, surplus - excess, overabundance

status quo

(n) existing state or condition

penury

(n) extreme poverty or scarcity she ended up living in ____ after her husband died destitution - synonym indigent - destitute insolvent - unable to one's financial obligations, bankrupt

fidelity

(n) faithfulness, loyalty; strict observance of duty; accuracy in reproducing a sound or image constancy - loyalty, the state of being unwavering

solidarity (sah-lid-AIR-it-ee)

(n) fellowship in interests, feelings, responsibilities, etc such as among a group of people or among classes, nations, etc union's ____ with churches and community groups across the state

inconstancy

(n) fickleness, unreliability; the state of changing without good reason continent - characterized by restraint

coda

(n) final part of a musical composition; an ending esp one that sums up what has come before recapitulation - summary or the act of summing up precis - summary or abstract caudate animal has a tail, an acaudate animal lacks one

panache

(n) flair, style, swagger; a flamboyant or grand way of acting not only did he quit, be he did so with _____, actually delivering a Power Point presentation that we though.. verve - vigor, spirit, liveliness

dictum

(n) formal or authoritative pronouncement; saying or proverb maxim, apothegm, adage - proverb, truism malediction - curse benediction - blessing

panegyric

(n) formal or lofty expression of praise the book was pure _____, nothing but heroic tales uncritically presented encomium - warm, glowing praise, esp. a formal expression of praise laudation - praise, tribute eulogy - a speech of praise or written work of praise, esp. a speech given at a funeral paean - song of triumph, praise or thanks

phalanx (FAY-lanks)

(n) formation of soldiers carrying shields close together for defense; and very close group of people to even enter the embassy, the diplomats had to make their way through a _____ of protestors plural - phalanges - bones in the hand and feet which fit together closely like soldiers in a ______

bonhomie

(n) friendliness, open and simple good heartedness amity - friendship, peaceful agreement

hand-wringing (wringing of hands)

(n) grasping, squeezing, etc of the hands as an expression of nervousness, guilt etc; extend debate over what to do about an issue

zeal zealot

(n) great fervor or enthusiasm for a cause, person, etc.; tireless diligence in furthering that cause; passion, ardor ardent - very passionate, fanatical - excessively devoted, enthusiastic fervent, fervid, per fervid - passionate, fiery, deeply enthusiastic

cupidity

(n) greed, great or excessive desire avarice - insatiable greed covetousness - greed rapacity - greedy or grasping; living on prey

bevy

(n) group of birds or other animals that stay close together; any large group covey - group of birds, or any group brood - group of offspring born or hatched at the same time, esp birds

faction

(n) group of clique within a larger organization; party strife and dissension partisan - particular to group, party etc. esp in a biased, emotional way cabal factitious - made up

haven

(n) harbor or port; refuge, safe place; succor - relief, aid asylum - refugee, sanctuary; refuge granted by a country to a foreigner

entitlement

(n) having the right to certain privileges; believing, sometimes without cause, that one deserves or have right to certain prevs

zenith (ZEE-nith)

(n) high point, culmination at the ___ of her career, the actress could command $5 million per film acme, summit, pinnacle - synonyms apex - vertex, tip, point apogee - high point antonym - nadir nadir of one's struggles, the ____ of one's success

probity

(n) honesty, integrity (v) get information party vowed to only nominate candidates whose ____ was beyond any doubt scrupulous, principled - having high moral standards veracious - honest, true

prologue

(n) introductory part to a book, play etc The novel's ____ gives some historical background so the main story can be better understand in context preamble - introductory statement, preface - such as preamble to the constitution epilogue - concluding portion added after literary work if the blow tire was an unpleasant ____ to the evening, the food poisoning we came down with that night was an even worse epilogue

preamble

(n) introductory statement, preface; literally means - walk before The __ of constitution is a brief introduction that begins - prologue - introductory part, work of literature root for walk is found in amble, ambulance, ambulatory and circumambulate

investiture (in-VEST-it-cher or choor)

(n) investing; formally giving someone a right to title divest - deprive or strip of a rank, title etc; to sell off holdings

mirth

(n) jollity, merriment; amusement or laughter nothing could beat the ____ of the office holiday party .. gaiety - synonym mirthquake - explosive outburst of laughter

tome

(n) large or scholarly book; one of the volumes in a set of several books; she ended up lugging some truly impressive ____ back from the library; a magnum opus - author's greatest works

vanguard

(n) leading units at the front of an army; leaders in a trend or movement, people on the cutting edge; the forefront of a trend or movement; Google won the search engine wars in 1994, Yahoo was on the vanguard of search technology avant-garde - front of the guard the dress was a little avant-garde for the otherwise conservative Yale Club

savant

(n) learned person, scholar, someone admitted to membership in a scholarly field; a person with amazing mental abilities despite having a cognitive difference or disability The TED conference features _____ and newsmakers

inquest

(n) legal or judicial inquiry, esp before a jury and esp made by a coroner into the cause of someone's death; the results of such inquiry Latin word for inquire

missive

(n) letter, written message he lived for the _____ from his wife he had left behind

levity

(n) lightness (of mind, spirit, mood) or lack of seriousness, sometimes in an inappropriate way levitate - to cause to float, such as in magic show

penchant

(n) liking or inclination (usually ___ for ) he jets of to Australia to satisfy his ___ for adventure sports predilection, propensity, proclivity, bent - preference, inclination a person with a ____ leans metaphorically in a certain direction

din

(n) loud, confused noise, esp for a long period of time cacophony - harsh, discordant, meaningless mixture of sounds dissonance - harsh, inharmonius clamor - noise uproad

nadir

(n) lowest point zenith - antonym ______ of one's struggles, zenith of one's success

gist

(n) main idea, essence pith - central part, essence, precis - summary of the essentials of a text

stratagem

(n) military maneuver to deceive or surprise; crafty scheme the party ____ was to dig up a scandal on their candidates opponent and then release photos the day before the election ruse, subterfuge - synonyms artifice - trickery esp as part of strategy finesse - use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive startegy duplicity - deceit, double-dealing wily - crafty, cunning

pastiche

(n) mix of incongruous parts; artistic work imitating the work of other artists, often satirically his first album was deeply unimaginative, just a ___ of every other boy-bad album ever produced heterogeneous, hodgepodge, farrago, potpourri, olio - mixture of diverse elements eclectic - selecting the best of everything from many diverse sources; more positive word

hodgepodge

(n) mixture of different kinds of things, jumble medley, farrago, potpourri, pastiche, olio - mixtures of diverse things

paragon

(n) model of excellence, perfect example; also a perfect diamond or pearl unlike his sister, he was a _____ of responsibility, taking in her three children when she went to jail.. prototype - original model serving as the basis for future copies or versions paradigm - model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values exemplar - example, item that is representative or typical, something worthy of imitation epitome - perfect example, brief summary

paradigm

(n) model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values, etc far from being atypically bawdy, this limerick is a _____ of the form, nearly all of them rely on off-color jokes prototype - original model serving as the basis for future copies of versions exemplar - example, item that is representative or typical something worthy

libertine

(n) morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker (regarding religion) ____ attitudes; person as someone who has a little too much liberty hedonists, sybarites, voluptuaries - people devoted to pressure debauchery - excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures

hierarchy

(n) ranked series; a classification of people according to rank; echelon - level, rank, grade stratum - layer, plural strata originally ranked division of angels

propensity

(n) natural inclination or tendency; leaning toward something he was an introvert with a _____ for solitary brooding predilection, proclivity, penchant, bent

neologism

(n) new word of phrase ( or new meaning applied to an existing word or phrase)

fracas

(n) noisy disturbance or fight; brawl; fray - scuffle, heated dispute, brawl frangible - breakable

solecism (SAH-liss-izm)

(n) nonstandard use of grammar or words; mistake, esp in etiquette; a grammatical mistake in speech or writing; a breach of good manners; a piece of incorrect behavior. ""it would have been a ____ to answer" "I could care less" is a ____- what the speaker really means to say is "I couldn't care less" malapropism - ludicrous mistake in word use faux pas - social blunder

umbrage (UM-brdige)

(n) offence or annoyance (usually as take umbrage, become annoyed pr annoyed) took ____ when fellow coworker suggested ; pique - anger, irritate to pique - simulate

adversary

(n) opponent, foe

penumbra

(n) outer part of a shadow from an eclipse; any surrounding region, fringe, periphery; any area where something "sort of" exists some experts consider this to exist in the ____ of the constitution ... ; they move to a suburb in the ______ of the city hinterland - remote and underdeveloped area

vim

(n) pep, enthusiasm, lively spirit grandpa is full of vim and ready for his first bungee cup vigor - synonym; verve - vigor, spirit , liveliness sprightly - vivacious, full of length

philistine

(n) person deficient in or hostile to culture her date was very handsome, but she decided he was an absolute ______ when he said that documentaries or boring boor, churl - rude, ill mannered, insensitive person; a peasant lowbrow - not intellectual or cultivated

martinet

(n) person who adheres to rules extremely closely; strict disciplinarian he was such a ____, he once gave me stringent punishment for being late for few seconds to the class doctrinaire - person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid and close-minded way jingoism - excessive, loud patriotism and aggressive warlike foreign policy hawkish - advocating war chauvinism - fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause;

exponent

(n) person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, representative proponent expound - interpret, explain, state in detail

recluse

(n) person who lives in seclusion the show about hoarders featured a ____ who hadn't left her house in six years hermit, anchorite - person lives away from society for religious reasons more negative word than hermit

dilettante (DILL-uh-tahnt)

(n) person who takes up an art or activity for amusement only or in a superficial way dabbler - synonym but somewhat less negative

bent

(n) personal inclination or tendency predilection - preference, propensity - natural tendency expression : to the top of one's bent - has meaning of limits of endurance

ranks

(n) personnel; a group of people considered all together among the _____ of our alumni are two senators and many famous authors to break rank - to rebel, disagree, disrupt a situation

pulchritude (PUHL-krih-tood)

(n) physical beauty mystique is based not only on her _____ ..... she is epitome of ______ comeliness - synonym aesthetic - concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful

euphony

(n) pleasing or sweet sound, esp as formed by a harmonious use of words dulcet - melodious mellifluous - richly and smoothly flowing, a mellifluous voice

impasse (IM-pass)

(n) position or road from which there is no escape; deadlock standstill, gridlock, logjam, stalemate, standoff, standstill - stuck due to opposing goals

kudos (KOO-dohss)

(n) praise, honor, congratulations plaudits - applause, approval laudation - praise panegyric - formal, lofty, elaborate praise paean - song of praise, triumph or thanks

predilection

(n) preference, tendency or favorability towards she really has a _____ for teaching languages penchant, propensity, proclivity, bent - preference, inclination

enigma

(n) puzzle, mystery, riddle; mysterious or contradictory person paradox - conundrum, contradiction word comes from a word for fable !!!

efficacy efficacious efficacity

(n) quality of being able to produce the intended effect; get the job done

resolution

(n) quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgement, esp decided by a vote passed a ___ to support the new monorail; setbacks did not dampen her ___ to complete Ph.D resolve - synonym

maverick

(n) rebel, individualist, dissenter most movies features heroes who are maverick police officers lone wolf, loose canon are expressions with similar meaning; loose canon implies person might something crazy of dangerous a __ is still an unbranded animal, a __ calf doesn't bear a mark of ownership; a political ___ doesn't belong to any party

insurrection

(n) rebellion or revolt against a government or similarly established authority junta - small group ruling a country, esp after a revolution cabal - conspiratorial group sedition - incitement of dissent against a government; promoting rebellion by speech or writing

effigy

(n) representation of image of a person

rejoinder

(n) response or reply, esp a witty comeback should've better _____

plutocracy

(n) rule by the wealthy some argue U.S. is becoming a ________; with richest 10% controlling 2/3 or the nation oligarchy - rule by only a few

potentate

(n) ruler, person of great power certainly waited long enough to become _____ of England; his mother has been ruling for his entire life sovereign (n) - monarch, supreme ruler (adj) having supreme power, being above all others omnipotent - all powerful impotent - lacking power despot - ruler who uses power in a bad way

canard

(n) rumor., a false or baseless story sounds pretty sketchy ! just like ____

monotony monotonous

(n) sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack of variation, uniformity, esp repetition in sound tedium - tiresome due to being too long, dull or slow; the plot moved at a tedious pace

paucity

(n) scarcity, the state of being small in number our school has such a disgraceful ______ of textbooks that the students are sharing ... dearth - scarcity, lack pauper - a very poor person

sycophant (SICK-uh-fint)

(n) servile flatterer, toady stop being such a _____; i didnt need you to complement my tie or get my coffee; lackey, toady, myrmidon - synonyms fawn - to try to please in a submissive way obsequious - servile, very compliant truckle, kowtow - to act subserviently

abattoir

(n) slaughterhouse

legerdemain (deh-MAYN)

(n) sleight of hand (magic as performed by magician); trickery of deception; it was just a bit of ___ from an amateur magician prestidigitation - synonym thaumaturgy - working of miracles to conjure - to produce by magic or call up a spirit or memory manumit - free from slavery, untie the hands

pecadillo

(n) small sin or fault sure, she has her _____, like anyone, but she's the perfect woman for me

pariah

(n) social outcast, untouchable after that protest, he became _____ in his own town

toady

(n) someone who flatters or acts in a servile manner for self-serving reasons lackey, sycophant, myrmidon - synonyms fawn, obsequious, truckle toady up to someone;

precursor

(n) something that comes before esp something that also announces or suggests something on its way we cannot ignore its warning sign - it is clearly ____ of larger problems to come; the new CEO decided to do things differently from his ______ antedate - be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date

reactant

(n) something that reacts; a substance that undergoes a change in a chemical reaction they became ____ in the worsening deadlock of an already polarized city government catalyst - causer of change

deterrent

(n) something that restrains and discourages balk -an impediment;

buffer

(n) something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions

polyglot

(n) speaking or composed of many languages; a person who knows several languages announcements often taken the form of _____ posters in the subway root glot - tongue

eulogy

(n) speech of praise or written work of praise esp. a speech given at funeral encomium - glowing praise, formal expression of praise laudation - praise, tribute panegyric - elaborate praise paean - song or praise

debunk

(v) expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims

panoply

(n) splendid, wide-ranging, impressive display or array new cafeteria has a salad bar with a ____ of toppings originally - full suit of armor and can be military regalia or something that covers and protects

fluke

(n) stroke of luck, something accidentally successful fortuitous - accidental, lucky windfall - unexpected, sudden gain of good fortune

euphemism (YOO-fuh-mizm) euphemistically

(n) substitution of a mild, inoffensive, or indirect expression for one that is considered offensive or too direct antonym - dysphemism, dysphemistically - an unnecessary bad name for something

spate

(n) sudden outpouring or rush; flood after a brief _____ of post-exam partying, Lola is ready for classes to begin again; He was so furious that a ____ of expletives just flew out of his mouth inundate, deluge - flooding; metaphorically to mean an overwhelming influx of something; inundated with work; a deluge of complaints

acme

(n) summit, peak, highest point, pinnacle apex - vertex, tip, point apogee - high point, a point where moon is furthest from the earth

rend

(n) tear violently esp to tear one's clothing or hair out of grief; tear away; many people in rural side ____ their clothing from grief...; an event that can surely _____ one's heart as well rend, rent (past tense)

repose

(n) the act of state of resting ; peacefulness, tranquility; lying dead in a grave President's body lying in ____ in the capital building; she is happy spending her day off in ____ in her living room armchair with a cup of tea and a good book; recumbent - lying down, reclining, resting exp: lying in _____ is when deceased person is available for public viewing

goosebumps

(n) the bumps created by hairs standing up on the skin in response to cold, fear, etc

ethos

(n) the character, personality, or moral values specific to a person, group, time period, etc disposition - a person's general or natural mood; tendency tenor - general drift, course, purpose penchant, predilection - tendency, preference

primacy

(n) the state of being first and most important very fabric of society depended on the ___ of the family preeminence - superiority, state if being more distinguished and noteworthy

contraries

(n) things that are opposing; either of two opposite things counterpoint - a contrasting element

lassitude

(n) tiredness, weariness; lazy indifference i cant seem to shake my ____ enough to get out of this hammock, much less study for GRE languid - drooping from exhaustion, sluggish , slow; lacking in spirit torpid, slothful - slow and lazy indolent - habitually lazy such as person who chooses never to work

vestige

(n) trace or sign of something that once existed their relationship was running on fumes and that only _______ of their former affection remained...`

chicanery (shi-KAY-nuh-ree)

(n) trickery, deception by knowingly false arguments quibbling - the use of ambiguous, petty or irrelevant arguments, esp to evade the real issue sophistry - deliberately tricky argumentation french word

quandary (KWAN-duh-ree)

(n) uncertainty or confusion about what to do, dilemma accidentally asked two girls to the prom, and now he was in quite a __________ mired - stuck, entangled in a swamp or muddy area or a problem that is hard to get out of

ingrate

(n) ungrateful person

magnate

(n) very important or influential person, esp in business hopes of becoming wealthy and powerful _______; she is taking orders from _______; scion - descendent, heir, son of a rich powerful man baron - a British noble, now used to describe a powerful businessperson

invective

(n) violent denunciation; accusations, insults, or verbal abuse vituperation - synonym censure - strong disapproval or official reprimand contumely - contemptuous treatment or a humiliating insult vitriol - very caustic criticism

jargon

(n) vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language argot, cant - specialized vocabularies, most often used by underworld, mobsters cant also mean lofty but insincere talk jargon - lawyers vocabulary lexicon - dictionary or specialized vocabulary

encomium

(n) warm, glowing praise, esp a formal expression of praise luadation - praise, tribute eulogy - a speech of praise panegyric - elaborate praise paean - song of praise

raconteur (rack-uhn-TOOR)

(n) witty storyteller; more of a person who is fun at parties; a person skilled in telling anecdotes Jude is entertaining, but he is no _________________: beyond the handful of amusing stories he has memorized, he has absolutely no spontaneous story-telling ability. Miguel was quiet the _____ -- laughing party guests naturally congregated in a cluster around him as he held court bard - poet/storyteller

symbiosis symbiotic (sim-bee-OH-siss)

(n)(adj) mutually dependent relationship between two organisms, people, groups, etc

fringe

(n)(adj) on the margin, periphery (adj) ; the people in a group who hold the most extreme views (n) penumbra - periphery, outer area

hedonist hedonism hedonistic

(n)(n)(adj) person devoted to pleasure sybarite - synonym voluptuary - near synonym and add the idea of seeking luxury licentious - sexually unrestrained; immoral; ignoring the rules libertine - morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker

sybarite (SIB-uh-rite)

(n)person devoted to pleasure and luxury hedonist, voluptuary

token tokenism

(n, adj) (n) sign, symbol, mark, badge; souvenir; coin like disk used as currency for subways, arcade games, etc.; sample or person, thing, idea taken to represent an entire group (n); of very little or merely symbolic value (adj) expression: by the same token; As a libertarian, he wants to abolish the IRS. By the same token, he wants drugs legalized;

makeshift

(n, adj) a temporary, often improvised, substitute (n); improvised for temporary use (adj) sleeping under a __ tent ; i can stack up some boxes as a ______; thrown together, slapped together - making do with resources on hand; jury rig - to assemble it quickly with whatever materials you have available;

fledgling

(n, adj) a young bird that has just recently gotten its feathers, an inexperienced person (n) ; new or inexperienced (adj); tyro - beginner (v) to nurture until it is ready or to cover with feathers or adorn

reprobate

(n, adj) disreputable, unprincipled, damned person (n); shameless, depraved (adj); wrongdoer unlikely to change; police had so many mug shots of the old ____ ; dissolution - sinking into extreme hedonism, degradation roue - a dissolute, lustful man, often a womanizer

landmark

(n, adj) object (such as a building) that stands out and can be used to navigate by (n); a very important place, event etc it was _____ in the battle of equality ; people navigate by ______; watershed - literally a division between two water drainage areas watershed moment - point of very important decision or shift

doctrinaire

(n, adj) person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid and close minded way; merely theoretical, impractical, or fanatical about other people accepting one's ideas (adj) dogmatic - close minded, expressing one's opinions as though they were facts doctrine can be good or bad but _____ is always bad and denotes someone who has taken belief in a doctrine much too far.

standing

(n, adj) status, rank, reputation (n) ; existing indefinitely, not movable (adj) his divorce greatly reduced his _____ as a relationship expert; you have a _____ invitation --- as long as i am boss, you have a job here anytime you want one; ____ army of long standing, in good standing

surrogate

(n, adj) substitute, person who acts for another (n) ; acting as a replacement (adj) preferred a _____ mother made of cloth to a less comforting; proxy - agent, substitute

occult

(n, adj, v) the supernatural (n) ; pertaining to magic, astrology, etc; mysterious, secret or hidden (adj) ; to hide, to shut off from view (v) it promoted the ____; the moon ____ the sun; eclipse - obscuring of one thing by another; make less important

finesse

(n, v) extreme delicacy, subtlety, diplomacy in handling a sensitive situation or in s performance or skill (n); use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy (v) tact (sensitivity to what is proper and inoffensive)

default

(n, v) failure to act, neglect (n); fail to fulfill an obligation, esp a financial one (v) judgement by _____

harrow harrowing (HAIR-oh)

(n, v) farming tool that breaks up soil (n) ; painfully disturb or distress; do the farming tool (v) lightest word would _____ up thy soul

stint

(n, v) period of time spent doing something, or a specific, limited amount of work (n); to be frugal, to get by on little (v); sometimes limited quantity or period; After a ____ in combat, he used to eat whatever he was offered..; After watching him ____ on ketchup, his wife said... miser, cheapskate, skinflint, frugal

redress (rih-DRESS)

(n, v) setting something right after a misdeed, compensation or relief for injury or wrongdoing (n); correct , set right, remedy (v) my client is victim of medical malpractice, he is seeking financial ___; recompense - repay, reward, compensate requite - reciprocate, repay or revenge

crescendo

(n, v) steady increase in force, intensity, or the loudness of a musical passage; a climactic moment or peak (n); to rise in volume or intensity (v) ascension - rising to the top culminate - reach a high point or final stage surge - strong forward movement, swelling wave xdecrescendo

savor savory (SAY-ver)

(n,v) (adj) a characteristic taste of flavor (usually pleasant) (n); appreciate fully , taste or smell with pleasure (v) it is important to take step back and really ___ the special moments - those children will grow up sooner than you think; soup has wonderful _____; means appetizing or enjoyable dirty joke - unsavory

whitewash

(n,v) A substance used to whiten walls, wood, etc (n); deception, covering up of wrongs, errors, misdeeds, etc (v) accused the government of trying to ____ the scandal in order to protect the vice president's reputation; gloss over, paper over are all expressions or covering up a problem, insult, etc rather than addressing it or fixing it; He made a snide remark about short people and then tried to gloss over it when he realized his 5' 2'' boss has overheard;

yoke

(n,v) a burden or something that oppresses; a frame from attaching animals (such as oxen) to each other and to plow or other equipment to be pulled (n); to unite together or to burden (v) the speaker argued that humanity had traded the ____of servitude to kings and tyrants for the _____ of consumerism, which enslaves us just as much in the end also refers to marriage

lampoon (lam-POON)

(n,v) a hash satire (n); ridicule or satirize (v) in the Obama mask ____ the state of the union address satirize - ridicule, sarcasm, etc as a form of criticism parody - similar but not harsh; actually a copy

repast (rih-PAST)

(n,v) a meal (n); to eat or feast (v) after a light _______ in a country inn, then men got back on their horses and rode away comestibles - food gustatory - pertaining to taste pasture - where farm animals eat

blight

(n,v) any cause of decay or destruction (n) ; ruin or cause to wither (v) scourge - punishment, disease, disaster bane - something that spoils or ruins

reproach (rip-PROH'ch)

(n,v) blame, disgrace (n); criticize, express disappointment in (v) my host mom ___ me in Spanish; it sounded really harsh admonish - scold or mildly criticize reprove, upbraid, reprimand, rebuke, excoriate, castigate - criticize or scolding more harshly expression - beyond reproach - not able to be reproached due to being good or perfect

welter

(n,v) confused mass, jumble; confusion or turmoil (n); roll around, wallow, toss about, writhe (v) it said "thrift store", but inside it was just a ___ of used clothing; the loser was ____ on the floor; they struggled to keep the sailboat afloat on the _____ sea

parley

(n,v) discussion, negotiation, esp. between enemies (n) ; to have such a discussion (v) industry trade show is our chance to ____ with our competetiors armistice - truce, mutual agreement to temporarily stop fighting

countenance

(n,v) facial expression of face (n); approve or tolerate (v) brook - suffer or tolerate condone - overlook or tacitly approve root continence - self control

eclipse

(n,v) obscuring of one thing by another i.e sun by moon, moon by earth (n); to obscure, darken, make less important (v) occult- supernatural, mysterious, arcane (n); to hide from view or become hidden (v)

sanction

(n,v) permission or approval, something that gives support or authority to something else (n); to allow, confirm, ratify (v); OR a legal action by one or more countries against another country to get it to comply (n); to place sanctions or penalties on (v) you should fight only _________ matches; America's ____ on Cuba mean that is illegal for Americans to do business with Cuban companies two meanings - singular usage - allow, (plural usage - penalize;

dupe

(n,v) person who is easily fooled or used (n); to fool or exploit (v) hoodwink, bilk, swindle, con, fleece - verbs for cheating others;

ford

(n,v) place where a river or similar body of water is shallow enough to walk or ride a vehicles across (n); to cross at such a place (v) traverse - pass over, along,

rue

(n,v) regret, remorse (n); to feel regret or remorse (v) you'll ___ all day; i will make you regret ; her life is endless ___ over having lost each other contrite - remorseful for one's wrongs penitent - remorseful for one's sins, or a person who is remorseful acrid herb used in medicine, likely named the character in Rue of the Hunger games with this plant name

gouge (GAH-oodge)

(n,v) scooping or digging tool, like a chisel, or a hole made with such a tool (n); cut a scoop out; force out a person's eye with one's thumb; swindle, extort money from (v) rout - dig around, as with a snout; rummage; scoop out

lull

(n,v) sooth or cause to fall sleep ( as in lullaby); quite down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely (v); a period of calm or quiet (n) grandma's singing ___ the baby to sleep; her charm ___ the foreign dignitaries into giving up their secrets; she waited for a ___ in action so as not to attract too much attention slack - usually loose, negligent, lazy; calm spot, period of quiet, suspended activity

censure

(n,v) strong disapproval or official reprimand (n); to issue disapproval or reprimand (v) censor - to delete objectionable portions of a work

sap

(n,v) the inner fluid of a plant or any essential body fluid; energy, vitality; a person taken advantage of (n); undermine, weaken, tire out (v) I feel like such a ____; I am trapped; you must drain ___ from a sugar maple tree; I feel pretty ____ doing it, it is tiring work enervate - weaken, tire enfeeble - weaken, make feeble person is gullible or simple person; sapskull

knell

(n,v) the sound made by the bell for a funeral or any sad sound or signal of a failure, death, ending etc (n); to make such a sound (v) dirge - a funeral or mourning song or poem requiem - musical service or hymn for the dead threnody - poem or song of mourning elegy - song or poem if sorrow, esp for a deceased person knoll - a small hill, grassy knoll

via

(preposition)through by means of , by the way of ( by a route that goes through or touches) We will be flying to Russia _____ Frankfurt per - for each; per your instructions;

daunt undaunted dauntless

(v) (adj) (adj) discourage, dishearten, lessen the courage of cow - intimidate, destroy the courage of

abase (uh-BASE) abased abasement

(v) (adj) (n) degrade or humble; to lower in rank, status or esteem defame - attack the reputation of belittle - put down, disparage

exculpate exculpatory

(v) (adj) clear from guilt or blame vindicate, exonerate - synonyms inculpate - charge with fault, accuse or blame he blamed himself, but also inculpated his fiancée incriminate - strongly imply the guilt of (someone)

abridge (uh-BRIDGE) abridged

(v) (adj) condense or curtail; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea truncate - shorten by cutting off a part; truncated book is missing the ending xxxx book still tells the whole story

debase debased

(v) (adj) degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc; lower in moral quality base - morally low, or little value, crude or fake adulterate - make impure debauch - corrupt morally vitiate - ruin, make faulty, corrupt

diverge divergent

(v) (adj) differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside, as from a path disparate - divergent, different

proliferate prolific

(v) (adj) increase or spread rapidly or excessively; producing a lot of something - generally either offspring (rabbits are ____ ) or creative work (a ___ songwriter ) alleged that terrorist cells are _____ across the US faster than law enforcement can keep up proletariat - working class

palliate palliative

(v) (adj) make less serious or severe; relieve symptoms of an illness _______ care where he would be made as comfortable as possible in his final weeks ameliorate, mitigate, alleviate, extenuate - lessen something bad without eliminating it to ___ a crime is to make it seem not as bad, such as by introducing extenuating circumstances

venerate venerable

(v) (adj) revere, regard with deep respect and awe the boys are crushed when the baseball player they ____ saw them waiting and refused to sign an autograph revere most common phrase - ______ university/institution

connote connotation

(v) (adj) suggest or imply in addition to the precise, literal meaning evoke - call forth esp of feelings or imagination

distend distended

(v) (adj) swell, expand, stretch, bloat balloon - swell or puff out, turgid, timid - swollen, inflated, metaphorically inflated, such as in overblown, pompous

desiccate desiccated

(v) (adj) thoroughly dried up, dehydrated; lacking vitality; acrid - very dry, like a desert

admonish admonition admonitory

(v) (n) (adj) mildly scold; caution, advise, remind to do something (adj) giving or conveying a warning or reprimand. "the sergeant lifted an ______ finger" reprove, upbraid, reprimand, rebuke - harsher form s of criticism than the word

abdicate abdication

(v) (n) (voluntarily) Formally give up the throne (or some power or responsibility) dethrone, depose - refer forcing a leader from power

collude collusion

(v) (n) conspire; cooperate for illegal or fraudulent purposes cobal - a conspiratorial group

concede concession

(v) (n) give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up

clamor

(v) (n) noisy uproar or protest; a loud continuous noise hubbub - loud noise, confusion cacophony - harsh, discordant din - loud noise dissonance - harsh noisy sounds clamber - climb awkwardly or cramble

pedant pedantic

(v) (n) person who pays excessive attention to book learning and rules, or who use his or her learning so far I hate when ___________ interrupt you to correct your grammar, esp what you're saying is important .. didactic - intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson; perfect quality for a teacher, but could be annoying for a peer fastidious - excessively particular, hard to please other meaning - someone act like schoolmaster in inappropriate situations

juxtapose juxtaposition

(v) (n) place side by side (either physically or in a metaphorical way, such as to make a comparison) abreast - side by side; metaphorically up to date with ; keeping abreast of the news abut - touch, border on, end at; their house abuts my property

malinger malingerer

(v) (n) pretend to be sick, esp to get out of work, duties etc the nurse accused him of ___ and sent him back to class to shirk - to evade your duties or try to get out of doing something to skulk - to hide for a bad reason, such as avoiding work (or waiting to attack someone etc

culminate culmination

(v) (n) reach highest point or final stage acme, summit, pinnacle, apex denouement - conclusion or ending, such as of a literary work esp one that wraps up all loose ends

abate abatement

(v) (n) reduce, diminish

dispatch

(v) (n) send off or deal with in a speedy way (v); speed, promptness (n) expediency - prompting a goal; advantageous, sometimes at the expense of morals, or justice

advocate advocacy

(v) (n) speak or argue in favor of (v); a person who pleads for a cause or on behalf of another person (n) proponents, exponents, champions - all speak for a cause

denote denotation

(v) (n) stand as a name or symbol for; indicate;

adhere (ad-HERE) adherence

(v) (n) stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief abide by - follow, conform to cohere - become united, hold together

satiate (sate) satiety

(v) (n) to fully satisfy; to go beyond satisfying to the point of excess (possibly inducing disgust, tiredness, etc) never been more satiated (sated) in my life; stop eating before you reach the point of satiety; blase - bored from overindulgence ennui - feeling of weariness, boredom, etc often caused by satiety

hearken hark

(v) (v) listen, pay attention to common expression with ____ back

dismiss

(v) allow to disperse or leave; five from a job; put aside or reject, esp after only a brief consideration discount (v) - disregard, ignore or downgrade so as to compensate for exaggaration

rescind (riss-SIND)

(v) annul, repeal, make void The governor ____ his proclamation negate - deny or refute nullify - make void or invalid

concur

(v) approve, agree assent (approval, agreement)

fulminate

(v) attack verbally in vehement, thunderous way, explode, detonate to rail against, to rail at is to issue a bitter denunciation of..

besiege

(v) attack, overwhelm, crowd in on or surround harry - harass or annoy hound - harass or pursue relentlessly as if with hunting dogs beleaguer - surround, as with difficulties or attackers

propitiate

(v) attempt to reconcile with, satisfy, or reduce the animosity of ( a person who is angry, offended ) ancient greeks often attempt to ____ angry gods by sacrificing animals to them placate, appease, mollify, conciliate, assuage - near synonyms propitiatorim - place of atonement

hedge

(v) avoid commitment by leaving provisions for withdrawal or changing one's mind; protect a bet by also betting on the other side "the CEO hedged, mentioning something vague about gut instinct" equivocate, waffle, vacillate, tergiversate - waver, use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing ambivalent - unable to decide, wanting to do two contradictory things at once palter - talk insincerely; bargain or haggle

spearhead

(v) be the leader of Lis agreed to ____ the healthy office initiative, and as instrumental in installing two treadmills and getting healthy food stocked in the vending machine avant-garde, vanguard - anyone who innovates or is on the forefront

batter

(v) beat severely

ossify

(v) become inflexible in attitudes, opinions, etc; become bone or become hard like bone his opinions have _______; sadly, he is now the most close-minded person i know. doctrinaire - person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid, close-minded way dogmatic - close minded, expressing one's own opinion as though they were facts osseous - bony osteoporosis - medical condition where bones become fragile ossuary - place for bones of the dead, such as cemetery or urn

denigrate

(v) belittle, attack the reputation of disparage is a synonym

disparage

(v) belittle, put down denigrate - synonym

skirt

(v) border, lie along the edge of, go around; evade Melissa _____ the issue of whom she was dating and when she might get married circumvent - go around, avoid, bypass

implode

(v) burst inwards; fall apart antonym?

inter

(v) bury (a dead body) or place in a tomb; to place in earth

elicit

(v) call forth, bring out, evoke educe - bring out, esp something has been in dormant illicit - illegal

convoke

(v) call together, as to a meeting convene - synonym

mollify

(v) calm or soothe (an angry person); lessen or soften spent every workday ____ angry customers appease, placate, assuage - near synonyms emollient - ointment or lotion

overshadow

(v) cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important she still felt she is _____ by her little sister eclipse - obscure one by other; make less important

coagulate

(v) cause a liquid to become solid or semisolid curdle - go from liquid to solid; tends to describe milk spoiling clotted cream

alienate (AY-lee-en-ayt) inalienable

(v) cause to become unfriendly, hostile, distant disaffect - cause to loose affection or loyalty estrange - make hostile or indifferent (adj) In law, means transfer of property to another owner, adj form meals is one that you cannot give away or sell

deflect

(v) cause to curve; turn aside, esp. from a straight course; avoid avert - prevent; turn away or aside

precipitate

(v) cause to happen suddenly or prematurely; fling, plunge or hurl down hurricane ____ their decision to finally make a move; I wouldn't want my darling son to be _____ to his doom catalyst - causer of change precipitation - rain, snow, hail precipitous - pertaining to precipice, hasty

expurgate

(v) censor, remove, objectionable or offensive parts bowdlerize - expurgate, abridge, distort expunge - strike, eliminate, mark for deletion

bilk

(v) cheat or defraud (n) person that cheats others hoodwink, swindle, con, fleece - verbs for cheating fleece is more severe with connotation of taking everything

exonerate

(v) clear from blame or accusation; free from a responsibility exculpate, vindicate - free from blame

clamber

(v) climb awkwardly or with difficulty, scramble clamor - noisy shouting or protest

coalesce

(v) come together; unite; fuse together agglomerate - collect into mass aggregate - gather together consolidate - unite combine

confound

(v) confuse, frustrate; mix up or make worse baffled, flummoxed, nonplussed - confused

extrapolate

(v) conjecture about an unknown by projecting information about something known; predict by projecting past experience

confer

(v) consult, compare views; bestow or give vest - grant an authority or right

speculate

(v) contemplate; make a guess or educated guess about; engage in a risky business transaction, gamble She ____ that , in zero gravity, showers would have to exist as closed rooms

belie

(v) contradict or misrepresent

squelch (SKWEL'ch)

(v) crush, squash; suppress or silence; walk through ooze or in wet shoes, making a smacking or sucking sound repressive government _____ the rebellion immediately; i just ____ a slug in my bare feet; curb - restrain, control, rein in quell - forcibly suppress; quiet down

gainsay

(v) declare false, deny; oppose dissent - disagree

embellish

(v) decorate, add ornamentation; enhance (a story) with fictional or fanciful berths bedeck - adorn or check out

parry

(v) deflect or avoid. a blow or attack; skillfully evade ( a question) when asked by a reporter if rumors of his infidelity were true, the candidate ____, answering that he had ... riposte - fencing term that has made it into common use; witty comeback or swift reply when opponent thrusts with a sword, your move to defend yourself is a _____;; the short thrust you make back in retaliation is riposte

forestall

(v) delay, hinder, prevent by taking action beforehand waylay - attack after lying in wait, intercept unexpectedly obviate - prevent, make unnecessary preclude - prevent, make make impossible, exclude stymie - hinder, thwart

negate

(v) deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective it would kind of ___ the part where you promise to love, honor, cherish me.. nullify - to make void or invalid sap, enfeeble, undermine - weaken, not as strong as negate or nulllify

divest

(v) deprive or strip of a rank, title, etc., of of clothing or gear; to sell off holding arrogate - claim to take presumptuously or without right appropriate - take for one's own use

abhor

(v) detest, regard with disgust loathe, abominate antipathy - instinctive repugnance or aversion

unearth

(v) dig up, uncover, expose works tirelessly to unearth evidence from old cases.. debunk - expose, ridicule, disprove false or exaggerated claims disabuse - free someone from a mistake in thinking

jettison

(v) discard, cast off; throw items overboard in order to lighten a ship in an emergency cargo ___ off a ship is called jetsam any bunch of discarded, worthless stuff can be called flotsam and jetsam

divine

(v) discover through divination or supernatural means; perceive by insight ascertain perspicacity

underscore

(v) emphasize undergird - means strengthen, support

inveigle (in-VAY-gull)

(v) entice, lure; get something by flattery, cleverness, or offering incentives coax, cajole - gentler versions; trying to get someone to do something through persuasion or flattery

opine

(v) express an opinion i was happy to __ on everything from books to wine to politics ... expatiate - to expand, elaborate and explain in detail excogitate - think through in detail

upbraid (up-BRAID)

(v) find fault with, criticize or scold severely you can't ____ someone every time he forgets to put a water glass in the sink and expect him to stick around admonish - scold or mildly criticize reprove, reproach, reprimand, rebuke, excoriate, castigate - criticize more harshly censure - strong disapproval or official reprimand

delimit

(v) fix, mark, or define the boundaries of demarcate - mark the boundaries of, separate

inundate

(v) flood, cover with water, overwhelm as the city was ____ with water ___ with work deluge - to flood, or a flood itself engulf - flow over and enclose, swallow up or submerge

garner

(v) gather and store ; amass, collect accrue - increase gradually augment - grow larger agglomerate - form into a mass or cluster, join together aggregate - gather together, amount to consolidate - unite combine, firm up garnish - to decorate; to take a portion off the top of something

flag (v)

(v) get tired, lose enthusiasm; hang limply or droop enervate - weaken, tire

abjure

(v) give up, renounce (worldly pleasures, religion, family members) ; repudiate (ideas or beliefs), recant or shun (especially formally or under oath) forswear - reject or renounce under oath; swear falsely in court eschew - shun, avoid, abstain from

render

(v) give, submit, surrender; translate; declare formally; cause to become; changing the state of something; please _____ your past due payments, we will turn your phone back on; the judge ____ a verdict that ____ us speechless

burgeon

(v) grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant) mushroom - used in a similar metaphorical way to spread out in all directions

surmise

(v) guess, infer, opine i would _____ that you actually have no idea how percents works conjecture - synonym supposition - assumption, hypothesis

reap

(v) harvest, such as by cutting; gather; get as a result of one's effort he worked night and day in the strange country, thinking he could ___ his reward someday expressions: you reap what you sow

militate

(v) have a great effect, weigh heavily (often as ___ against) while his resume was stellar, his speech impediment militated against his performance in job interviews inimical - hostile, adverse, harmful; something ___ against your success would be inimical to your success

insinuate

(v) hint, suggest slyly; introduce (an idea) into someone's mind in a subtle, artful way implicit, tacit

impede (im-PEED)

(v) hold back, obstruct the progress of hinder, hamper - synonym has sense of shackling the feet, preventing movement

kindle

(v) ignite, cause to begin burning; incite, arouse, inflame incendiary - starting fire; inflaming the senses or arousing rebellion kindling, tinder - material for lighting a fire

foment

(v) incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part rouse - wake up, incite, stir up

incorporate

(v) include, take in; combine, unite; form a legal corporation; embody, give physical form to incarnate - embodied, personified; put into concrete form, embody, take on a human body corpulent - (fat)

inform

(v) inspire, animate; give substance, essence or context to; be the characteristic quality of; impart knowledge to

construe

(v) interpret or translate add mis to form antonym

nettle

(v) irritate, sting or annoy irk, vex - synonyms He failed in gym, I reminded him about it to ___ him.

dovetail

(v) join or fit together converge - unite

deem

(v) judge; consider assay - examine, analyze, judge

balk

(v) refuse to proceed or to do something demur - show reluctance or object, esp for moral reasons (n) used as a noun for impediment, much like beam or ridge or a defeat

table

(v) lay aside to discuss later, often as a way to postpone discussion indefinitely (American English) table something - to postpone until later (British English) opposite to American English, submit it for consideration;

alleviate

(v) lessen, make easier to endure assuage - assuage someone's fears, pacify, mollify ameliorate - make better extenuate - to make seem less serious palliate - to extenuate

prevaricate

(v) lie, stray from the truth, mislead she ______, vaguely suggesting that a rich friend had bought them for her dissembling - misleading, concealing the truth, acting hypocritically disingenuous - insincere, not genuine equivocate - use unclear language or avoid committing to a position all above words less blunt than the word lie, politely, discreetly as we can

ingratiate

(v) make an effort to gain favor with fawn - show affection to try to please in the manner of a dog; try to win favor through flattery and submissive behavior; sycophant - lackey, toady, myrmidon - words for a person who fawns

sully

(v) make dirty, stain, tarnish, defile his reputation was ____ when he was photographed shaking hands with ... adulterate - make impure debauch - morally corrupt vitiate - ruin, make faulty, corrupt debase - degrade; lower in quality, value, rank

facilitate

(v) make easier, help the progress of; word can be negative, meaning - shallow superficial

clinch

(v) make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together

aggrandize (uh-GRAND-ize) self-aggrandizing

(v) make greater; exaggerate (adj) opposites of self-deprecating or self-effacing augment - to make larger

mitigate

(v) make less severe; lessen or moderate (damage, grief, pain etc) nurses made every effort to ___ the symptoms ameliorate, palliate, alleviate - near synonyms exacerbate, aggravate - antonyms, make something worse

anoint anointed

(v) make sacred (adj) she was ____ superintendent by a fawning school board

quibble

(v) make trivial arguments or criticisms, find faults in a petty way esp to evade something more important I am telling some of the serious consequences of global warming as predicted by scientific establishment - I think you are _____ to complain that I said carbon monoxide when I meant carbon dioxide cavil - synonym carp - constantly complain, fret, and find fault peevish - annoyed, in a bad mood, stubborn lawyers jargon

exacerbate

(v) make worse (more violent, severe, etc) , inflame; irritate or embitter ( a person) aggravate - synonym

impair

(v) make worse, weaken exacerbate, aggravate - make worse or irritate mar - damage, spoil, deface vitiate - ruin, corrupt

husband (HUZZ-buhnd)

(v) manage prudently, sparingly or economically; conserve ___ our resources steward - household manager (n) ; conserve, use wisely (v)

delineate`

(v) mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail adumbrate - give a rough outline

fathom

(v) measure the depth of (usu water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand sound and plumb

sound

(v) measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand (usually as sound the depths) he would need more time to sound the depths of the defendant's tortured mind fathom, plumb - synonyms

dissemble

(v) mislead, conceal the truth, put on a false appearance of disingenuous - not genuine prevaricating - misleading or lying

deride (deh-RIDE)

(v) mock, scoff at contemptuously denigrate, disparage

converge

(v) move towards one another or towards a point; unite

condone

(v) overlook, tolerate, regard as harmless to give mild, sometimes tacit, approval brook - suffer or tolerate countenance - (n) facial expression, (v) approve or tolerate

appease appeasement

(v) pacify,satisfy, relieve; conceded to belligerent demands, sometimes as the expense of principles pacify, mollify, assuage - synonyms (n) associated with cowardice and giving into bullies

pare (PAIR)

(v) peel or cut off the outer layer; such as peeling fruit with a knife, reduce or trim as if cutting of the outer parts we need to ______ down our budget if we are going to survive on unemployment for awhile; she simplified her life by ______ commitments from her schedule truncate - shorten by cutting off a part abridge - reduce of shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea related to prepare, postpartum

grandstand

(v) perform showily in an attempt to impress onlookers declaim - speak in an impassioned, pompous, oratorical manner; give a formal speech (n) the bleachers

imbue

(v) permeate or saturate, as bye in a fabric; influence throughout infuse, suffuse, pervade - spread throughout inculcate - teach persistently, implant (an idea) in a person

contextualize

(v) place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances

plummet

(v) plunge, fall straight down the diver _____ towards Earth in freefall; As a noun, plummet is a weight on the end of a cord; plumb (or sound) the depths of a body of water is to drop a _____ (or sounding line) and see how much cord is used when the ______ hits the bottom; metaphorically, when something ____; the idea is that it is falling fast and straight down, as though it has been weighted

burnish

(v) polish, make smooth and lustrous gilded - metaphor for things they look better than they really have

supplicate

(v) pray humbly; ask, beg, or seek in a humble way she ____ the old man for assistance entreat, beseech. implore - synonyms attempt to soften another person or get that person to bend to your request

posit

(v) presume, suggest, put forward (an idea); assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument; put in position; place. (n) a statement that is made on the assumption that it will prove to be true. neuroscientists today ___ the existence of modular brain "the Confucian view ________ a perfectible human nature" "these plots are ____________ on a false premise about women's nature as inferior" "the professor _____ Cohen in his second category of poets" postulate - synonym assert, contend - stronger words for putting forth an idea as true; to _____ is sometimes as weak as merely introducing an idea for discussion, rather than making a strong argument for it.

obviate

(v) prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary ___ the need to take them to the repair store later circumvent - go around, avoid, by pass

preempt

(v) prevent; take the place of, supplant; take before someone else can the speaker attempted to _____ an excessively long Q & A session by handing out a FAQs.. obviate - prevent, eliminate or make unnecessary word - also means to settle on public land in order to establish the right to purchase that land before anyone else

engender

(v) produce, give rise to, cause to exist; procreate beget - cause or produce; make children, esp as a male parent

proscribe

(v) prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish plagiarism is ___ by every college's code of conduct censure - strong disapproval or official reprimans circumscribe - encircle or confine, set limits prescribe - order, set down as a rul

refute

(v) prove to be false she's not very good at ___ opponent's arguments gainsay - deny, refute, oppose negate - deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective corroborate (confirm) - antonym

distill

(v) purify; extract the essential elements of gist, pith - essence, main idea the summary really _______ the idea down to its pith, allowing me to get the gist without reading the whole book

enhance

(v) raise to a higher value, desirability, etc embellish - decorate, add ornamentation aggrandize - make greater, exaggerate

elevate

(v) raise, lift up; lift the spirits of; move up to a higher rank or status or raise up to a higher spiritual or intellectually plane lofty - in a high position, esp in character, spirit, rank edify - uplift, enlighten, instruct in moral way levitate - lightness behavior, lack of seriousness

requite (rick-WHITE)

(v) reciprocate, repay, or revenge Ashley felt that her ______ love for George would surely kill her; he cared about nothing but _____ his fathers death; redress - setting something right after a misdeed; compensation or relief for injury or wrongdoing recompose - repay, reward, compensate (unrequited, requiting)

repudiate (rip-PYOO-dee-ayt)

(v) reject, cast off, deny that something has authority you have 30 days to ___ the debt by mail; as part of becoming an American citizen, Mr. Lee ___ his former citizenship recant - withdraw, retract, disavow something one has previously said, esp formally

supersede

(v) replace, take the position of , cause to be disregarded as void or obsolete washing machines _____ hand-powered ones many decades ago supplant - take the place of, displace, esp through sneaky tactics outstrip - surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind overshadow - cast a shadow over, make to seem less important supersede - replace or cause to be set aside eclipse - obscure, darken, make less important

propogate

(v) reproduce, spread, increase a virus ____ and infects all of the machines on a network proliferate - increase or spread rapidly or excessively

placate

(v) satisfy or calm down (an angry or dissatisfied person), esp by conciliatory gestures; our average customer uses our products to ____ an angry partner appease, mollify, conciliate, assuage - near synonyms implacable - not able to be placated

slake

(v) satisfy, esp thirst, cool or refresh; make less active to ____ their thirst in a mountain stream; demanding attitude soon ____ the girl's enthusiasm for the ballet class satiate, sate slack - loose, negligent, weak

disperse

(v) scatter, speed wisely, cause to vanish disseminate - scatter, spread about, broadcast diffuse - spread widely, disseminate, or wordy and going off topic

disseminate

(v) scatter, spread about, broadcast disperse - scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish diffuse - spread widely, disseminate, dispersed; or wordy and going off-topic __ ideas, __ seeds grows new plants

relegate

(v) send or commit to an inferior place, rank, condition, etc.; exile, banish; assign (a task) to someone else he found himself ____ to working on minor, even unwinnable cases; we refuse to ____ to the fringes of society -- we demand full inclusion!

brandish

(v) shake, wave, or flourish, as a weapon

molt

(v) shed or cast off, esp to regularly shed skin, feathers, etc( as a snake) to slough or shed is also loose an outer coating exfoliate skin to slough off dead skin cells

fawn

(v) show affection or try to please in the manner of dog; try to win favor through flattery and submissive behavior sycophant, lackey, toady, myrmidon - person who fawns (adj) obsequious means fawning (v) truckle, kowtow - to fawn subserviently

demur

(v) show reluctance or object, esp for moral reasons balk - refuse to proceed or to do something

winnow (WIN-oh)

(v) sift, analyze critically, separate the useful part from the worthless part we got 120 resumes for one job, its going to take me a while just to ______ this down to a reasonable stack of people we want to interview; rarefy - make more pure, more exclusive, thinner and less dense - rarefied air at the top of mountain; rarefied crowd - at an exclusive event winnowing - separating edible part of wheat from the chaff, the outer husks the expression "separate the wheat from the chaff" means to winnow

subside

(v) sink, settle down, become less active; return to a normal level when the terror is _______; abate - reduce, diminish sediment - material at the bottom of a liquid sedentary - not moving around, as a person with an inactive lifestyle

saturate

(v) soak or imbue thoroughly; cause a substance to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance my dress was _____ it cannot dissolve any more sugar into iced tea - it's ______ increase ____ in photoshop

declaim

(v) speak in an impassioned, pompous, or oratorical manner; give a formal speech grandstand - perform showily as if to impress an audience disclaim - deny, repudiate

stipulate

(v) specify; make a open demand, esp as a condition of agreement Before taking the job, he ___ in his contract that he would be able to leave early on Fridays to attend religious services qualified - modified, limited, conditional on something; qualified optimism A person who says "Yes, if you do X" is giving qualified agreement by stipulating X

permeate

(v) spread or penetrate throughout Christianity began to ____ every sector of public life pervade - synonym

goad (GOH'd)

(v) spur on, stimulate, encourage; urge on (as cattle) with a pointed or electrically charged stick; aggressively urge on; Doug did not want to enter the race, but Jim, through a steady stream of taunts, _____ him into singing up for it. prod - synonym - cattle prod cajole, coax, wheedle - much gentler, artfully persuade, such as by flattery or other means to peer-pressure

constrict constrictor

(v) squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of (n) the one that constrict other stuff constringe - cause to shrink

whet (WET)

(v) stimulate, make keen or eager (esp o an appetite) Dinner will take another 20 mins, but maybe this cheese plate can ____ your appetite? pique - a person is to anger or annoy, but to pique one's interest, curiosity, etc, is to _____ or stimulate that emotion Literally mean to sharpen ( a knife, cutting tool) using grinding or friction, such as on a whetstone; used metaphorically as well; Debate camp was a whetstone that sharpened the teenagers' critical faculties

occlude

(v) stop up, close, shut in or shut off "make sure nothing ends up _____ your garbage disposal" "thick makeup can _____ the pores" occult - to hide, to shut off from view

bolster

(v) strengthen or support (n) actually was a type of pillow buttress - support against a building fortify - protecting against military attack

fortify

(v) strengthen, invigorate, encourage bolster - strengthen and support buttress - to strengthen or support galvanize - excite, stimulate to action, stimulate with electric current

circumscribe

(v) strictly limit a role, range of activity, or area; in math, to be constructed around so as to touch as many points as possible proscribe - prohibit conscript - draft into military service

hew (HYOO)

(v) strike, chop, hack (as with an axe, sword); make or shape something with a cutting tool exp: roughly hewn - to describe something that seems unfinished or looks as though it was craved with a heavy axe rather than more delicate tools

brook

(v) suffer or tolerate condone - overlook or tacitly approve countenance - (n) facial expression, (v) approve or tolerate

recapitulate

(v) summarize, repeat in a concise way can you ___ what you are proposing? precis - concise summary, abstract digest - a periodical containing shortened versions of works published elsewhere compendium - concise but complete summary capitulate - surrender, give in

substantiate

(v) support with evidence or proof; give a material existence to anyone can ____ your claim? corroborate, document, verify refute

document

(v) support with evidence, cite sources in a detailed way, create documentary evidence of corroborate, substantiate and verify - prove true or provide evidence in favor of (n) factual printed item

corroborate

(v) support, add evidence to substantiate, verify - to prove true or provide evidence in favor of

outstrip

(v) surpass, exceed; be larger than; leave behind our sales figures this quarter have ____ those of any other quarter in the company's history similar expression - leave in the dust supersede - replace or cause to be set aside out - do better than outweigh, outsell, outshine, outpace, outwit, outfox, outbrave

balloon

(v) swell or puff out; increase rapidly distend - swell, expand turgid, tumid - swollen, inflated or metaphorically inflated, such as in overblown, pompous speech

oscillate

(v) swinging back and forth; waver, change one's mind stop ___ and pick a restaurant! seriously - Indian or Thai? equivocate - use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position ambivalent - - uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once vacillate, waffle - waver, indecisive dither - act irresolutely tergiversate - repeatedly change one's opinions, equivocate

doff

(v) take off(such as clothes), put aside; remove one's hat as a gesture x - don, to put on

supplant

(v) take the place of, displace, esp through sneaky tactics flax seed oil ____ the smelly old ; after ____ our previous CEO by wresting control outstrip - surpass overshadow - cast a shadow supersede - replace or cause to be set aside eclipse - obscure, make less important

prattle (PRAT-ull)

(v) talk in an idle, simple minded, meaningless, foolish way; chatter, babble it was infuriating to listen to the boss ____ on about some new restaurant in town .... prate - synonym

inculcate

(v) teach persistently, implant (an idea) in a person

enervate

(v) tire out, weaken sap - weaken, undermine, destroy in an underhanded way enfeeble - weaken, make feeble

dilate

(v) to become wider or make wider, cause to expand; to speak or write at length, elaborate upon expatiate - to expand or elaborate on a topic, to explain in detail

stem

(v) to branch out from, originate from, or be caused by; to stop, hold back, or limit (the flow of something) her interest ____ FROM her lifelong love of math; it can't ___ the tide of violence, further flight to the suburbs is inevitable to check - to limit, checks - limitations stems from - branching out; noun follows , means - to stop, hold back

redound

(v) to have a good or bad effect, esp as a result of person's efforts or actions (used with to, on, upon) studying a little everyday will ___________ to your success reap - harvest, get as a result of one's effort rebound - bounce back; recover from illness

inure

(v) toughen up; accustom or habituate to pain, hardship, etc stoic - not having or showing feeling esp. in response to suffering hardy - bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold fortitude - strengthen in facing adversity grit - firmness of mind, esp during hardship; courage

peddle (PED-ull)

(v) travel around while selling; sell illegally; give out or disseminate after a unsuccessful year spent __________ cutlery door-to-door, he turned to ______ drugs..

peregrinate (PAIR-uh-grin-ayt)

(v) travel from place to place, esp on foot after college, he took a year off to ______ across the country, visiting friends ... itinerant, peripatetic, wayfaring - synonyms transient - moving around, more associated with homeless people or those on the fringe of the society; itinerant is more associated with people who travel for a job; peregrine falcon - roving or migrating bird

cosset

(v) treat as a pet, pamper; (n) pet lamb coddle - treat tenderly or indulgently

lionize

(v) treat like a celebrity; to make person into spectacle of great interest celebrity chefs has been ____ and given theirs TV shows apotheosis - elevation to the status of gods; perfect example or embodiment

flout

(v) treat with disdain, contempt, or scorn (usually of rules) flaunt - to show off or parade oneself in a conspicuous way

hoodwink (HOOD-wink)

(v) trick, deceive bilk, swindle, con, fleece - cheating others dupe - fool or exploit covering a person's eyes with a hood

ruminate

(v) turn over in the mind, reflect on; chew cud ( as a cow) oh i don't know about that, let me ______ on it for a few days and i'll get back to you a cow is ruminant

consolidate

(v) unite, combine, solidify, make coherent agglomerate - collect into mass aggregate - gather together commix - mix together conglomerate - anything made up of different kinds of materials; blended; to bring together

edify edifying (adj)

(v) uplift, enlighten., instruct or improve in a spiritual or moral way

deface

(v) vandalize, mar the appearance of depredate - plunder, lay waste to efface - wipe out, erase

vituperate

(v) verbally abuse, rebuke, criticize harshly your girlfriend _____ you so severely that I am not sure she loves you at all... pejorative - disparaging, derogatory, belittling revile - verbally abuse berate - scold angrily and at length

lumber

(v) walk in a heavy or clumsy way, sometimes due to being weighted down she broke her leg and had to ___ around in a cast, thumping the ground everywhere she went to trudge, plod - to walk or move in a laborious, difficult or slow manner child might trudge reluctantly to school; boring movie might plod along; heavy inflexible person might ___ around;

forage

(v) wander in search of; rummage, hunt, make a raid; plunder, pillage, ransack, depredate, despoil - raiding and looting food for livestock

vacillate

(v) waver in one's mind or opinions, be indecisive I was ___ between the Ford and the Hyundai until a recommendation from a friend helped me decide equivocate - use unclear language ambivalent - uncertain; unable to decide or wanting to do contradictory things waffle - waver dither - act irresolutely tergiversate - repeatedly change one's opinions, equivocate

undermine

(v) weaken, cause to collapse by digging away at the foundation (of a building or an argument); injure or attack in a secretive or underhanded way evidence _____ the conclusion; you are _____ me behind my back; undergird - strengthen, add support underscore - emphasize

recant recantation

(v) withdraw, retract, or disavow something one has previously said esp. formally he was forced to _____, and spent the rest of his life under house arrest; a forced ____ doesn't say much ... repudiate - reject, cast off, deny that something has authority chanteuse - female singer cantor incantation

forfeit forfeiture

(v)(n) surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, failure to fulfill an obligation

foreshadow foreshadowing

(v), (n) indicate or suggest beforehand, presage prefigure - synonym forerun - run before, (the word) harbinger, herald - person or thing that indicates whats to come ominous - giving a bad sign about the future portentous, - giving a sign about the future, sth bad or significantly good

antagonize antagonistic antagonist

(v),(adj),(n) make hostile or unfriendly provoke - enrage, anger, stir up, incite to action

secrete (se-CREET)

(v)produce or release from a substance from a cell or gland of the body for functional purpose when threatened, skunks ______ an odor that humans consider horrible emit - send, give, forth

bifurcate

(v, adj) to fork into two branches or divide into two halves; split or forked (adj) cleave - split or cut as in meat cleaver

grouse

(v, n) complain or grumble (v) ; a reason for complaint (n)

offset

(v, n) counteract, compensate for (v); a counterbalance (n) was ____ by a reduction in fees paid to our homeowners assoc...

dissent dissenting dissenter

(v, n) disagree, or take an opposing view, esp in relation to a formal body such as government, political party, or church (v); an opposing opinion (n) gainsay - deny, refute, oppose sedition - incitement of dissent against a government; promoting rebellion by speech or writing dissidence - protest against official policy.

emaciate emaciated

(v, n) make abnormally think, cause to physically waste away atrophy (v) - synonym; gaunt, cadaverous (adj) - near synonyms without abnormality atrophy - 1. (of body tissue or an organ) waste away, especially as a result of the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution; gradually decline in effectiveness or vigour due to underuse or neglect. 2. (n) the process of atrophying or state of having atrophied. the calf muscles will atrophy the imagination can atrophy from lack of use gastric atrophy

disabuse

(v,n ) free someone from a mistake in thinking; persuade (someone) that an idea or belief is mistaken. "he quickly ____ me of my fanciful notions"

lament lamentable (luh-MENT)

(v,n) (adj) mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret (v); an expression of grief, esp as a song or poem (n) she is still ____ the death of her cat; bewail - to lament bemoan - express grief or simply disapproval lachrymose - tearful, mournful a person might get lachrymose over a _____ situation

subpoena (suh-PEE_nuh)

(v,n) a court order requiring a person to appear in court and give testimony he was served with _____ requiring her to testify against her colleague Latin meaning under penalty; if the person does not comply, the specified punishment will be applied

dither

(v,n) act indecisively (v) ; a state of fear or trembling excitement (n) vacillate, equivocate, flip-flops

eggress

(v,n) action of exiting(v) an exit (n)

assail assailant

(v,n) attack violently; assault

stymie (STY-mee)

(v,n) block, hinder, thwart (v); an obstacle (n) She feared that her learning disability would ____ her success in college; impede, hamper - hold back, obstruct the progress of this is golf term, where opponent's ball lies in the way of getting your own ball into the cup

levy

(v,n) collect tax from, wage war on, or enlist for military service (v); ; act of collecting tax or amount owed, or the drafting of troops into military service (n) raise troops by ____; ____ war; levee - a slope or a wall along a waterway, designed to stop flooding

resolve

(v,n) find a solution to; firmly decide to do something; decide by formal vote (v); firmness of purpose (n) she was ___ to find a marrow donor for her son; her ___ was undampened resolute - firmly determined unequivocal - clear or decided resolution - quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgement, esp decided by a vote to lose your resolve - to become unsure or lose your nerve

graft

(v,n) insert part of a plant into another plant, where it continues to grow; join living tissue (such as skin) to part of the body where it will continue to live and grow; attach as if by grafting (v); the part so grafted; the act of acquiring money or other benefits through all illegal means, esp by abusing ones power (n) graffiti, cartography - map making epigraph - inscription on a building, statue cacography - bad spelling or handwriting

log

(v,n) keep a record of, write down; travel for or at a certain distance or speed (v); a written record (n) be sure to ____ all the time they spend on every case; you cannot get pilot's license until you have ____ 40 hours of flights time chronicle - a historical account in time order to ___ - also mean to cut down the trees

revamp

(v,n) renovate, redo, revise (v); a restructuring, upgrade, etc (n) i will surely ___ my decor for next movie overhaul - repair, investigate for repairs

buttress

(v,n) support or encourage (v); a support protecting from (n);

aggregate aggregation

(v,n,adj) gather together, amount to (v); constituting a whole made up of constituent parts (adj); collections of things from a whole (n) agglomerate - collect into mass consolidate - unite, combine, firm up

abyss (n)

a deep and vast space or cavity; anything profound or infinite chasm, crevasse, fissure, gorge - words for deep opening in the earth fissure in a personal relationship, chasm between cultures

ascetic (adj, n) asceticism (n)

abstinent or austere in lifestyle (adj); a person who leads an austere & simple life without material pleasures esp someone who does it for religious reasons (n) hermit, anchorite - a person lives away from society esp. religious reasons recluse - who lives in solitude

accede (v) accedence (n)

agree, give consent; assume power (usually accede to) assent

albeit (conjunction)

although, even though notwithstanding - in spite of, although

vex vexation

annoy or bother; puzzle or distress Dont' vex me; she was totally _____ by the crossword clue; irk - synonyms nettle - irritate, stingy, annoy

artifact (n)

any object made by humans, esp those from an earlier time, such as those excavated by archaelogists

ersatz (ER-zats)

artificial, synthetic; being an inferior substitute apocryphal, faux, bogus, specious - fake or dubious factitious - made by humans, artificial, sham; ersatzbrot - replacement bread ersatzkaffee - a substitute made from grain

ascribe (v)

assign or credit to a certain cause or source impute - attribute

impugn (im-PYOON)

attack the truth or integrity of; call into question; slander,traduce, defame - to speak maliciously and falsely of; in contrast, word can sometimes help to uncover the truth pugnare - to fight pugnacious - combative, belligerent

abscission (n)

cutting off; sudden termination; separation of leaves, petals; ablation - removal of growths esp. by surgery

curmudgeon (cur-MUD-jun)

bad tempered, difficult person; grouch crotchety - grouchy, picky, given to odd notions cantankerous - disagreeable, contentious crank - an unbalanced person who is fanatical about a private, generally petty cause irascible - easily angered

antedate (v)

be older than, precede in time; assign to an earlier date postdate

amalgamate (v)

blend, merge or unite agglomerate - collect into mass aggregate - gather together commix - mix together conglomerate - anything made up of two differen kinds of marterials consolidate - unite or combine

counterpoint

contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art foil - a character in drama, or any entity, that contrasts with another

arrogate (v)

claim to take presumptuously or without right to do so to arrogantly take what doesn't belong to you is synonym of second meaning of word appropriate

equanimity equanimous

composure, even state of mind; mental or emotional stability, esp under stress; sangfroid - calmness, self-possession, esp under strain aplomb - self possession, poise, total confidence even under stress imperturbable - not able to be upset or agitated, calm

chauvinism

fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory bigot - obstinately prejudiced person xenophobia - fear of foreigners jingoism - extreme chauvinism plus warlike foreign policy

aspersions (n) asperse (v)

damaging remarks, defamation, slander slander, traduce, defame to cast ___ or to spew ___

aver (v)

declare or affirm with confidence, say veracious - speaking or representing truth, verisimilitude - the appearance of being true or real.

abscond (v)

depart suddenly and secretively decamp - to depart from camp

diffuse

disseminate (v); dispersed (adj) defuse - to calm or put an end to

aloof (adj)

distant physically or emotionally; reserved; indifferent detatched - impartial, aloof standoffish - cold unfriendly dogs are affable while cats are aloof

aerie [EYE-ree] (n)

dwelling or fortress built on a high place; nest of a bird of prey, built on a mountain cliff stronghold - well fortified place

avid (adj) avidity (n)

enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous ardent - very passionate zealous - full of fervor or dedicated enthusiasm for a cause, person

connoisseur (cah-nuh-SOOR)

expert, esp in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes epicure - person with discriminating tastes, esp. regarding food and wine

dissonance

harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony, disagreement; din - loud, confused noise clamor - noisy uproar as from a crowd hubbub - loud noise, confusion antonym - assonance, harmony, euphony

apposite (adj)

highly appropriate, suitable, relevant apt - appropriate, likely, disposed or prone condign - appropriate esp as a punishment to a crime

idolatry (eye-DOLL-uh-tree)

idol worship; excessive or unthinking devotion or adoration veneration, reverence - deep admiration and respect apotheosis - identification, the process of making someone into or like a god lionization - treating someone as a celebrity idol - is object of worship in some religions

ameliorate (v)

improve; make better or more bearable mitigate, palliate, alleviate - near synonyms

attuned (adj)

in harmony; in sympathetic relationship followed by to almost always followed by "to"

apprise (v)

inform, give notice to appraise - to evaluate or assess the value of

arbiter (n), arbitrate (v)

judge, umpire, person empowered to decide matters at hand adjudicator - judge or arbitrator esp judge of a competition arbitrator - officially appointed to settle a dispute arbiter of good taste, arbiter is who someone opinion is valued

acumen (n)

keen, quick, accurate insight or judgement perspicacity - acuteness of perception

impious pious piety

not religious, lacking reverence, ungodly ____ behavior irreverent - synonym; sacrilegious - violating what is sacred blasphemous - impious behavior, esp. speech expiate - to atone, ask to be forgiven of one's sins

candid candor

open sincere, honest frank - direct, straightforward

analgesia (n) analgesic (n,adj)

pain relief; inability to feel pain anodyne - pain relieving medicine or anything that relieves pain

impetuous (im-PET-choo-uss)

passionately impulsive, marked by sudden, hasty emotion; forceful, violent rash (hasty, lacking forethought or caution) impetus - moving force, motivation or stimulus

assiduous (adj)

persevering, diligent, constant sedulous, tenacious - synonyms

apostate (n, adj) apostasy (n)

person who deserts a religion , party, cause etc recreant - coward, deserter perfidy - faithlessness, treachery heretic - believer who betrays religious authorities; any nonconformist thinker quisling - person who betrays his country by aiding an invader infidel - unbeliever near antonym is apostle

apostle (n)

pioneer of a reform movement (originally an early follower of jesus) champion - person who fights for a cause paladin - leading champion of cause; trusted military leader expounder - person who present an idea in detail

elegy

poem/song of sorrow esp of deceased person dirge, lament, requiem, threnody

approbation (n)

praise or approval, esp formal approval imprimatur - approval, mark of approval esp a formal body's approval to publish a work approval - synonym

asperity (n)

rigor, severity; harshness or sharpness of tone; roughness of surface word describes wide variety of unplesant things

axiom (n) axiomatic (adj)

self evident truth requiring no proof; universally or generally accepted principle; maxim - short statement of general truth, proverb postulate - self-evident proposition, such as in math

autonomous (adj) autonomy (n)

self-governing, independent fiat - dictate or authoritative order hegemony - domination, authority; influence of on country over others

appropriate (v, adj [-it])

set aside or authorize (money) for a particular purpose; take for ones own use arrogate - claim or take presumptuously or without right divest - deprive or strip of a rank, title, etc., of of clothing or gear; to sell off holding

austere (adj) austerity (n)

severe in manner in appearance; very self disciplined, ascetic without luxury or ease; sober or serious

effrontery

shameless boldness; audacious - very bold n brave brazen - shameless, contemptuously bold

abreast (adj)

side by side with preposition of; keeping up with, staying aware of, remaining equal in progress with conversant with - familiar by use or study well versed in - experienced, skilled (stronger than conversant with) actual word implies you continually updating your knowledge

acidulous (adj)

slightly acid or sour; sharp or caustic grapefruit juice is acidulous

anachronism (n) anachronistic (adj)

something that is not in its correct historical time; mistake in chronology anachronistic - against time

acerbic (adj)

sour; harsh or severe caustic - capable of burning or corroding; extremely critical or sarcastic acrid - sharp or biting, pungent, taste unpleasantly bitter astringent - biting, severe; a skin cleaning fluid that clears pores lemons are acerbic

tacit (TASS-it)

understood without being said; implied, not stated directly they gave their ____ consent implicit - implied, not stated directly; unequestionable taciturn - not talking much, reserved

equivocate

use unclear language to deceive or avoid committing to a position ambivalent - uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once vacillate and waffle - waver, be indecisive dither - act irresolutely hedge - avoid commitment by leaving provisions for withdrawal or changing ones mind; protect a bet by also betting on the other side palter - talk insincerely; bargain or haggle tergiversate - repeatedly change one's opinions, equivocate

articulate (adj [-lit], v[-late])

using language in a clear, fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (v) eloquent - speaking in a fluent, powerful, appropriate way

august (adj)

venerable, majestic; inspiring admiration eminent - prominent, distinguished, of high rank venerable - worthy of deep respect, hallowed, dignified olympian - majestic, superior, lofty

audacious (adj) audacity (n)

very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original insolent - bold in a rude way brazen - shameless, contemptuously bold can be negative or positive

ardent (adj) ardor (n)

very passionate, devoted, enthusiastic fervent, fervid and perfervid - synonyms arduous - very difficult

attenuate (v)

weaken or thin out when you ____ something, it becomes tenuous - thin and weak

artless (adj)

without guile, deception, craftiness, deceit; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured guileless, ingenuous word can be positive or negative