first 500

Abstain

to choose not to do something Hold back, refrain decline to vote Related words: Temperance (moderation, holding back) Teetotaler( a person who abstains from alcohol) Forbear(hold back or abstain from)

Daunt

to discourage; intimidate; dishearten Related words: Cow

abdicate

to give up a position, right, or power With then angry mob clamor ink outside the palace, the king abdicated his throne and fled. Synonyms: cede; quit; relinquish; resign; yield

deem

to judge, consider Related words: Assay

Augment

to make larger, increase Related words: Aggrandize

supersede

to replace; to take the position of , cause to be disregard as void or obsolete. Of course, electric washing machines _____ hand-powered ones many decades ago. Related words : Supplant, Outstrip, Overshadow, Eclipse, Supersede

disseminate

to scatter or spread widely, broadcast Synonyms: Disperse, diffuse Used for something that spreads out and remains significant

Advocate

to speak in favor of Related words: Proponents, Exponents, Champions

Bolster

to strengthen or support Related words: Buttress, Fortify

convoluted

twisted; complicated. related words: Tortuous, labyrinthine, byzantine

Impartial

unbiased, fair Disinterested , dispassionate, nonpartisan

Ambivalent

uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow Related words: Equivocal, Vacillate

Laconic

using few words; concise The boss was famously _____; after allowing his employees to present their new plan for an entire hour, he finally responded, "fine". Related words: Reticent, Taciturn, Pithy

Laudable

worthy of praise When a major discount mart fired several employees for subduing a gunman, most people considered the action a _____ act of heroism. Related words: Encomium, Paean, Panegyric

Malleable

(adj) able to be bent, shaped, or adapted The more ____ the material, the easier it is to bend into jewelry. My mother is a little too___she said she liked all the things her first husband likes, and now she says she likes all the things her second husband likes.

Plastic

(adj) able to be shaped or formed; easily influenced A young child's mind is quite ____, and exposure to violent games can have a much greater effect on children . Related words: Tractable, Pliable, Mutable, Malleable.

Profuse

(adj) abundant, extravagant, giving or given freely It didn't mean anything at all to me, giving my old microwave to the family next door but the women's ____ thanks made methinking that maybe the family was having some financial trouble. She came home on Valentine's Day to an apartment decorated with a ____ion of flowers. Related words: Copious, Lavish

Orthodox

(adj) adhering to a traditional, established faith, or to anything customary or commonly accepted I appreciate that the new dentist thinks that my oral healthy can be improved through yoga, but I really prefer a more ____ approach to dental care. Related words: Conventional

Canonical

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

cosmopolitan

(adj) belonging to the entire world, at home globally; free from local or national prejudices or attachments relate: urbane

Partial

(adj) biased, prejudiced, favoring one over the others; having a special liking for something or someone (usually partial to) Although I grew up in New York, I've always been ____ to country music. Related words: Partisan, Predilection, Propensity, Proclivity, Bent

Onerous

(adj) burdensome, oppressive, hard to endure Doctors are often faced with the ____ task of telling waiting families that their loved one has died. Related words: Cumbersome, Arduous

offhand

(adj) casual, informal; done without preparation or forethought; rude in a short way, brusque I was pretty happy with my salary until my coworker Deena mentioned ___ly that she was thinking about buying a house now that she made six figures

Sanguine

(adj) cheerfully optimistic, hopeful; reddish, ruddy (as in rosy-red cheeks indicating health or vitality) She had three papers due in three days, but she maintained her typical _____ attitude. Related words: Chipper

Pretentious

(adj) claiming or demanding a position of importance or dignity, esp. when unjustified; showing off creating deceptive, false show of worth. Josie found her date's habit of constantly dropping French phrases into conversation to be incredibly _______ especially since he knew she didn't speak French. He sure did sound fancy, though. Related words: Ostentatious

Empirical

(adj) coming from, based on, or able to be verified by experience or experimentation; not purely based on theory. People always knew____that when something is dropped, it falls to the ground: the theory or gravity later explained why.

Nascent

(adj) coming into existence, still developing The violin teacher was always very encouraging with children. All children sound terrible the first couple of years, so she offered plenty of praise to encourage ____ talents Related words: Inchoate, incipient

Mundane

(adj) common, ordinary, everyday Dominique had been excited to visit France for the first time, but she was soon disappointed at how ____ the stay with her relatives was; they shopped at the market, cooked dinner, chatted with one another, and occasionally went shopping. Related words : Quotidian

Analogous

(adj) comparable, corresponding in some particular way (making a good analogy) Related words: Tantamount

Stark

(adj) complete, total, utter; harsh or grim; extremely simple, severe, blunt, or plain The designer's work is appreciated for its ___ beauty, but most people prefer to live in a cozier, more welcoming home. She is ___ raving mad! The ___ reality is that we will have to begin burning our furniture for warmth if we are to survive.

complementary

(adj) completing; fitting together well; filling mutual needs

Solicitous

(adj) concerned or anxious (about another person), expressing care; eager or desirous; very careful A _____ host, Derek not only asked each person how he or she was doing but asked by name about everyone's spouses and kids. ____ of fame, she would do anything to get near celebrities

Sentient

(adj) conscious; experiencing sensation or perceiving with the senses. Tia became a vegan because she refused to eat any ___ creature.

wily

(adj) crafty, cunning, characterized by tricks or artifice The ____ criminal stole right laptops by simply walking into a branch of a large company. She was quite offended when her coworker suggested that she use her "feminine ___" to make the sale. Related words: Artifice, finesse, duplicity

crafty

(adj) cunning, skillful in deception or underhanded schemes related words : cunning, guileful, wily

Ingrained

(adj) deep-rooted, forming part of the very essence; worked into the fiber. Religious observance has been ____ in him since birth: he could not remember a time when he didn't pray five times a day. Related words: Inculcate

counterproductive

(adj) defeating the purpose; preventing the intended goal related words: feckless, bootless, inimical

Pious

(adj) devout; religiously reverent and dutiful Naturally, only similarly ___ suitors need apply.

Intractable

(adj) difficult to control, manage, or manipulate; hard to cure; stubborn. The student is positively ____! last week, we talked about the importance of staying in your seat during the lesson. Back injuries often result in ___ pain: despite treatment, patients never feel fully cured. Related words: Intransigent, Obdurate, Obstreperous

disjointed

(adj) disconnected, not coherent, jerky; having the joints separated

Pronounced

(adj) distinct, strong, clearly indicated Aunt Shirley claimed we would never know that her " secret recipe" fo brownies involved lost of healthy vegetables, but the brownies had a ____ed asparagus flavor. Related words: Declare ( he ____ the book the best thing he had ever read"

Disquieting

(adj) disturbing, causing anxiety Synonyms: Discomfiting Opposite: quiescent

Dubious

(adj) doubtful, questionable, suspect The applicant's resume is filled with _____ qualifications. related words: Apocryphal, Faux, Specious

Languid

(adj) drooping from exhaustion, sluggish, slow; lacking in spirit We signed up for a fitness boot camp, but after single hour of exercise in the heat , we felt so overcome with ____ that we refused to go on. Related words: Torpid, Slothful, Indolent, Lassitude

Rudimentary

(adj) elementary, relating to the basics; undeveloped, primitive My knowledge of Chinese is quite ____- I get the idea of characters and I can order food, but I really cam't read this document you's just given me. Related words: Inchoate. Nascent, Incipient

Fanatical

(adj) excessively devoted, enthusiastic, or zealous in an uncritical way. We avoid our neighbors- they're ___ who can't go five minutes without trying to convert you to their beliefs. Related words: Ardent, Zealous, Fervent, Fervid, Perfervid

officious

(adj) excessively eager in giving unwanted advice or intruding where one is not wanted; meddlesome, pushy Natasha's dinner parties are exhausting. She's an ___- host who butts into everyone's conversations.

Virtual

(adj) existing only in the mind or by means of a computer network; existing in results or in essence but not officially or in name The Tamagotchi's is a handheld ___ per made in Japan. You have to "care" for it by performing various actions with the device, but in the end, your "pet" still looks very much like keychain Opposite: Nominal

egregious

(adj) extraordinarily or conspicuously bad; glaring Your conduct is an _____ Violation of our Honor code. Related words: Flagrant.

Phony

(adj) fake, counterfeit; insincere, not genuine ___ Louis Vuitton bags are easily purchased in certain parts of the city, but they are illegal. She's such a ___ person, pretending to befriend people and then talking about them behind their backs. Related words: Faux, apocryphal, spurious

bogus

(adj) fake, fraudulent Related words: Spurious and sham

Intrepid

(adj) fearless, brave, enduring in the face of adversity _____ explorers Lewis and Clark led the first U.S. expedition to the West Coast, facing bitter winters and rough terrain. Related words: Hardy, Fortitude, Grit

Static

(adj) fixed, not moving or changing, lacking vitality The anthropologist studied a society in the Amazon that had been deliberately ___ for hundreds of years Related words: Status Quo, Stasis, Standing, Stationary

Glib

(adj) fluent and easy in a way that suggests superficiality or insincerity Related: Flippant, Impertinent, Saucy

credulous

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

Synchronous

(adj) happening at the same time; occurring at the same rate and thus happening together repeatedly The sound of that bell is a signal for the dancers to make perfectly ____ entrance from opposite side of the stages. The two nearby churches have ___ church bells- if you stand halfway between the buildings as the bells chime out the hour, it sounds really cool. Related words: Simultaneous, contemporaneous

Rife

(adj) happening frequently, abundant, currently being reported Reports of financial corruption are ____ Related words: Replete, Teeming Ridden

haven

(adj) harbor or port; refuge, safe place related : succor, asylum

Benign

(adj) harmless; favorable; kindly, gentle, or beneficial; not cancerous Related words: Innocuous

Predisposed

(adj) having an inclination or tendency beforehand; susceptible Some autoimmune disorders don't kill the patient directly, but rather p_____ the patient to other, potentially fatal illness. His defense attorney argued that his abusive childhood ____ him to a life of crime.

discerning

(adj) having good judgment or insight; able to distinguish mentally Syn: Keen, preceptive, Precocious, descry

Salubrious

(adj) healthful, promoting health After spending her twenties smoking and drinking, Jessica recognized the necessity of adopting more ___ lifestyle, but found it difficult to cut back. Related words: Salutary

ponderous

(adj) heavy; bulky and unwieldy; dull, labored The book assigned by her professor was a____ tome, more a reference book than something you could read straight through. She was so bored she thought she would die. Related words: Tedium

Modest

(adj) humble; simple rather than showy; decent (esp. "covering up" in terms of dress); small, limited The reporter was surprised that the celebrity lived in such a ___ house, one that looked just like every other plain. Her first job out of college was a rude awakening- her___ salary was barley enough for rent, much less going out and having fun. Related words: Paltry

unseemly

(adj) improper, inappropriate, against the rules of taste or politeness The activist really did want to get the candidates support for equal-rights measure, so she dud what the candidate's aides asked, but she found it very ____ that they suggested a specific dollar amount for the " donation" she was asked to make in order to get a meeting Related words: Indecorous, Boorish. Churlish, Uncouth, Gauche.

Pristine

(adj) in an original, pure state; uncorrupted Having grown up in a rural area, Billy had been in plenty of forests where people regularly left beer cans and shotguns shells behind. So it truly took his breath away, after hiking hours through the Himalays, to visit a _____ forest, seemingly untouched by humans Related words: Unadulterated, Unsullied

pugnacious

(adj) inclined to fight, combative Maria had hoped to avoid inviting Uncle Luigi to the wedding, as he was a _____ fellow. Sure enough, he managed to start a fistfight with the best man. Related words: Belligerent bellicose, Turculent.

erratic

(adj) inconsistent, wandering, having no fixed course When someone engages in ____ behavior, family members ofter suspect drug use or mental illness. Related words: Desultory

inconsequential

(adj) insignificant, unimportant; illogical. You wrote a bestselling book and got a stellar review in the New York Times- whatever you cousin has to say about it simply ______ Related words: Negligible, Null, Nil

Extraneous

(adj) irrelevant; foreign, coming from without, not belonging. This essay would be stronger if you removed ____ information : this paragraph about the author's life doesn't happen to be relevant to your thesis. Related words: Superfluous

Jocular

(adj) joking or given to joking all the time; jolly, playful Instead of his constant stream of ____ comments. Related words: Jocund, jocose, Waggish, Risible, Droll

Facetious

(adj) joking, humorous, esp. inappropriately; not serious, concerned with frivolous things. He's a _____ person- I doubt he will take your offer of a spiritual quest very seriously. Related words: Waggish, Resible, droll

Discriminating

(adj) judicious, discerning, having good judgment or insight. As an adj is positive as a verb negative

inchoate

(adj) just begun, undeveloped, unorganized. The first few weeks of language class went well, but her ___ French was all but useless when she found herself at an academic conference in Quebec. Related words: Nascent, Incipient

warranted

(adj) justified, authorized (warrant can mean to justify or a justification, but can also mean to vouch for or guarantee) The pundit's comments don't even ____ a response from our organization-they were mere name-calling , not suitable for public discourse. Your criticism of Anne is un____ed; as your assistant, she has done everything you've asked her to do. He doesn't have his documents with him, but I'll _____ that he is indeed a certified forklift operator.

conversant

(adj) knowledgeable about or experienced with related words: Abreast

eloquent

(adj) marked by forceful, fluid, apt speech; expressive, emotionally moving. He's such an _____ speaker. Related words: Rhetorical, oratorical

whimsical

(adj) marked or motivated by whims (odd, fanciful ideas); erratic, unpredictable Alice in Wonderland is a famously ____ story in which a little girl falls down a rabbit hole and find a strange and at times absurd world. She enjoyed a ____ day at the seashore-no plan, just wandering around and making sand castles as the mood struck. Related word: Capricious, Arbitrary, lark, mercurial

Figurative

(adj) metaphorical, based on figures of speech; containing many figures of speech (as fancy-sounding writing); related to portraying human or animals figures

erroneous

(adj) mistaken, in error; improper, morally incorrect Related words: fallible

Qualified

(adj) modified, limited, conditional on something else The scientist gave her ____ endorsement to the book, pointing out that, while it posed a credible theory, more research was still needed before the theory could be applied. Related words : Tentative, Temper

Base

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

Unprecedented

(adj) never before known or seen, without having happened previously When Nixon resigned, American bravado was at an all-time low- the resignation of a sitting President was disgraceful and ______. Related words: Novel

Novel

(adj) new, fresh, original You can make your writing better by eliminating clinches and replacing those clinches with more ---- turns of speech. Smoked salmon on a pizza? that's certainly a ___ idea.

Indifferent

(adj) not caring, having no interest; unbiased, impartial Do whatever you want: I'm _____, I won't even notice. Related words: Apathy

Indeterminate

(adj) not fixed or determined, indefinite; vague The results of the drug trial were_____: the further trails will be needed to ascertain whether the drug can be released. The lottery can have _____ number of winners- the prize is simply divided among them Related words: Ambiguous

Lackluster

(adj) not shiny; dull, mediocre, lacking brilliance or vitality. Many young people today are so accustomed to being praised by parents and adults that they are shocked when a ______ effort in the workplace receives the indifference or mild disapproval it deserves. Related words : Pedestrian, Prosaic. Quotidian, Middling

Reticent

(adj) not talking much; private (of a person), restrained, reserved She figured that to rise to the top, it was best to be ___ about her personal life, thus, even her closest colleagues were left speculating at the water cooler about whether her growing belly actually indicated a pregnancy she simply declined to mention to anyone. Related words: Laconic, Taciturn

Opaque

(adj) not translucent; not allowing light, hear, etc. to pass through; dark, dull, unclear or stupid The school dress code require ____ tight under skirts. Rena was tragically ____. When her bf said " I want to see other people" she thought he meant he needed glasses. Related words : Turbid

tangential

(adj) only slightly relevant, going off topic Its hard to get a quick answer out of Noah-ask him any question, and you'll get a wide range of ____ remarks before he gets around to the point. Related words: Penumbra, Digress, Divagate

Incongruous

(adj) out of place, inappropriate, not harmonious Among the student artwork posted in the halls, Angelina's submission was ____, a dark gruesome, and even worldly work amidst the happy family portraits and other childish drawings. Related words: Heterogenous, Conspicuous

Placid

(adj) peaceful, calm, tranquil Famed Spanish tenor Placido Domingo has an unusual name- literally it means " Peaceful Sunday" . It's certainly not a coincidence that Placido looks much like ____. Related words: Quiescent

Sedulous

(adj) persevering, persistent, diligent in one's efforts ____ effort is necessary to improve your GRE verbal score- you need to study vocal in a serious way, nearly every day. Related words : Assiduous

Gawky

(adj) physically awkward (esp. of a tall, skinny person, often used to describe teenagers). As a teenager, she thought of herself as ___ and often slouched so as not to seem so much taller than her peers. Related words: Coltish, Ungainly

Sportive

(adj) playful, merry, joking around, done "in sport" (rather than intended seriously) After Will shot a ball entirely off the pool table, knowing a women's purse off a bar stool, his friends laughed hysterically and called him " purse-snatcher" all night, but he took it as a ____ and bought the next round of drinks. Related words: Jocular, Jocose, Jocund, Waggish, Risible

Feasible

(adj) possible; logical or likely; suitable Your plan to promote our product launch with a parade is just not _____- we don't have the money or enough time to get the permits. Related words: Plausible, Viable

prospective

(adj) potential, in the future Everyone had a hard time correctly saying the name of the seminar, " Perspectives for ___ Doctors". Even the ___ doctors-college students hoping to be admitted to medical school- were a bit confused.

Pragmatic

(adj) practical; dealing with actual facts and reality Megan and Dave were In love, but Megan decided to be ____-she doubted they'd stay together through a four-year long distance relationship as they attended different colleges. Related words: Politic, Expedient

mercurial

(adj) quickly unpredictably changing moods; fickle, flighty. It's tough being married to someone so ____. One minute she's happy as a clam; the next, she's inexplicably depressed. Related: Erratic

imminent

(adj) ready to occur, impending In the face of ____ ware,

Conciliatory

(adj) reconciling, appeasing, attempting to make the peace Related words:Placate, Appease, Pacify and Assuage

Pathological

(adj) relating to or caused by disease; relating to compulsive bad behavior She thought her skin darkening was simply a result of the sum, but it was actually ___, the result of a serious disease. Your's a _____ thief.

Peripheral

(adj) relating to or making up an outer boundary or region; not of primary importance My main goal is to get into a good grad school. Whether it has good fitness facilities is really a ___ concern. Related words: Auxiliary

Sacrosanct

(adj) sacred, inviolable, not to be trespassed on or violated; above any criticism In our house, family dinners were____-if being in the school play meant you would miss dinner, then you just couldn't be in the school play.

erudite

(adj) scholarly, knowledgeable; possessing a deep, often systematic, knowledge. Some have said that Americans dislike ___leaders: while German leaders frequently. Related words: Learned, cerbral, Esoteric, abstruse

covert

(adj) secret, veiled, undercover related words:clandestine, surreptitious, furtive

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 Related words: Fallacious, Dubious, Meretricious

incendiary

(adj) setting on fire, pertaining to arson; arousing strife, rebellion, etc.; "inflaming" the senses Kindle, Rouse , Foment

Scathing

(adj) severe, injurious; bitterly harsh or critical (as a remark) The school superintendent gave a ___ criticism of the education bill, calling it " am attach on our community's children that will surely go down in infamy. How is it possible that she flew off her bicycle like that and walked away un_____?

Keen

(adj) sharp, piercing; very perceptive or mentally sharp; intense (of a feeling). Dogs have a ____ sense of smell. As homecoming queen, she has experienced the envy of others, but their jealousy only grew more___ when she was selected for a small role in a movie. Related words: Acumen, Astute. Prespicacity

Naive

(adj) simple and unsophisticated, unsuspecting, lacking worldly experience and critical judgment I was a little ____ during the hiring process Related words : Dupe, Credulous

hackneyed

(adj) so commonplace as to be stale; not fresh or original Related words : Banal, Inane, Insipid, Trite

gregarious

(adj) sociable, pertaining to a flock or crowd related words: genial, congenial, convivial

Replete

(adj) supplied in abundance, filled, gorged (used with with) This essay is ___ with errors- I don't think you even bothered to use spellcheck. Related words : Surfeit, Surplus, Plethora

Gauche

(adj) tactless, lacking social grace, awkward, crude. It is terribly ____ to put ketchup on your steak and then talk with your mouth full as you eat it. Related words: Boorish, Meretricious, Uncouth.

Meticulous

(adj) taking extreme care in regards to details; precise, fussy As a surgeon, of course Mom needs to be highly ___ in her work- she gets things right down to a fraction of a millimeter. Related words: Finicky, Fastidious, Exacting

Garrulous

(adj) talkative, wordy, rambling Uncle bill is so ____ that our dinner convo lasted three hours. Related words: Prolix, Verbose, Loquacious.

Cynical

(adj) thinking the worst of others' motivations; bitterly pessimistic related words: Misanthrope

Presumptuous

(adj) too bold or forward; going beyond that which is proper I would never date that ____ jerk! I mean, I thought he was attractive until he walked up to me and said, " We should go out- I looked up your address on Google and I'll pick you up at *." the nerve!

Trifling

(adj) trivial, not very important; so small as to be unimportant; frivolous, shallow Luis broke up with Cara because she was always obsessed with some ____ing matter. The young heiress was so deathly that she considered the salary from her internship as a mere ____, and didn't even notice when her paycheck was days later. Related words: Frivolous, Nugatory

dispassionate

(adj) unbiased, not having a selfish or personal motivation; calm, lacking emotion Synonyms: disinterested, unbiased, impartial, nonpartisan

Esoteric

(adj) understood by or intended for only a few; secret related words: Arcane, Recondite

Tacit

(adj) understood without being said; implied, not stated directly; silent Her parents never told her she could smoke, but they gave their ____ consent when they didn't say anything about the obvious smell coming from her bedroom. Related words: Implicit

Stolid

(adj) unemotional, showing little emotion, not easily moved Dad is so ____ that we can't get a rise out of him no matter what we do. Related words: Impassive, Inscrutable

adverse,

(adj) unfavorable, negative; working against, hostile Opposing, harmful. Related words: Antagonistic

inadvertent

(adj) unintentional; characterized by a lack of attention, careless Fortuitous, fluke

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. Related words Parlous

Judicious

(adj) using good judgment; wise, sensible In his will, the old total of industry left little to his hard-partying younger son, and left the bulk of his estate to the more ___ older son. Related words: Prudent, Circumspect

Volatile

(adj) varying, inconstant, fleeting; tending to violence, explosive. Following the sudden revolution, the political environment in the country was so ___ that anything could have started a riot. Stock prices are by nature ___. If you want a "safe and steady" investment try mutual funds. Related words: Inconstancy, Erratic

Cogent

(adj) very convincing, logical

craven

(adj) very cowardly, lacking courage related words: timorous, pusillanimous, dastradly

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_____ly disappointed when the project he had worked on for 15 years failed.

wary

(adj) watchful, motivated by caution, on guard against danger. Be ____ of anyone who tells you that "anyone" can get rich with some special plan or scheme. Related words: Chary, leery, vigilant

Fanciful

(adj) whimsical, capricious; imaginary; freely imaginative rather than based on reason or reality The play was set I'm a ___ version of NYC, one where all the cab drivers spoke perfect English and statue of liberty seemed to be in the middle of the island. Related words: Whimsical, Capricious

Sagacious

(adj) wise; showing good judgment and foresight It's important to choose a mentor who is not only successful, but all ____-plenty of people are successful through luck and have little insight about how to attack someone else's situation. Related words: Sapient, Prudent, Circumspect, Perspicacious

Estimable

(adj) worthy of esteem, admirable; able to be estimated Related words : Calcuable

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 (noun). Splite pea soup benefits from a __ application of pepper. ____ reformers in Egypt pushed for freedom of speech.

Stoic or Stoical

(adj, n) indifferent to pleasure or pain, enduring without complaint (adj); person indifferent to pleasure or pain (noun) Della was not only calm but positively ___, facing the measles vaccination without a single yelp, in spire of her terrible fear of needle. Related words : Impassive, Stolid, Inscrutable

Patent

(adj, n) obvious, apparent, plain to see (adj); a letter from the government guaranteeing an inventor rights to his or her invention (noun) Her resume was full of ____ lies; anyone could check to see that she had never been president of UNICEF. related words: Blatant

bygone

(adj, n) past, former (adj); that which is in the past (usually plural noun). Related words: Erstwhile(former).Quondam

Vintage

(adj, n) related to items of high quality from a previous era, old-fashioned, antique (adj); the wine of a particular year (noun) He didn't want just any ___ Darth Vader action figure- he wanted a particular ____. She special-ordered her favorite ____ of the Cote du Rhone, then turned to her George Clooney lookalike husband and joked that she liked men of a certain ___ as well.

Lavish

(adj, v) abundant or giving in abundance; marked by excess (adj); give very generously (verb) Antia wanted to live as she imagined Beyonce lived, and ran up huge credit card bills pursuing a ___ lifestyle she could scarcely afford. Although her rich banker boyfriend _____ed gifts on her, she didn't want to be with someone she didn't love. Related words: Posh, Tony

Net

(adj, v) remaining after expenses or other factors have been deducted; ultimate (adj); to bring in as profit or to catch as in a net (verb) All those weeks of working weekends and. playing gold with the boss ought to ___ her a promotion.

Slack

(adj, v, n) loose, negligent, lazy, weak (adj); neglect to so one's duties; loosen up, relax (verb); period of little work (noun) As the product of ____ parenting, I never learned good time management skills- Mom and Dad never checked my homework or made me go to bed at a certain time. The holiday represents on opportunity for employees to ___ a bit. Related words: Lax, lull

Slight

(adj, v, n) small, not very important, slender or delicate (adj); treat as though not very important; snub, ignore (verb); an act of treating in this way, a discourtesy (noun) She was very sensitive, always holding a grudge against her coworkers for a variety of ____s, both real and imagined. Actress Natalie Portman has always been ___, but she became even thinner to portray a ballerina in the movie Black Swan. I Felt ___ed when my husband told you about his promotion before told me. Related words: Nominal, Inconsequential

Abrasive

(adj.) causing irritation, harsh; grinding or wearing down; (n.) a substance used to smooth or polish Related words:Caustic, Excoriate

Frugal

(adj.) economical, avoiding waste and luxury; scanty, poor, meager Related words: Provident. Stinting

Implicit

(adj.) implied or understood though unexpressed; without doubts or reservations, unquestioning; potentially contained in He didn't have to told to resign: it was ___ in his not getting the promotion Tacit

Ephemeral

(adj.) lasting only a short time, short-lived Related words: Evanescent Fugacious, Transient

Germane

(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting This is a business meeting, not a social club, lets keep our comments ___ to the issue of new campaign. related words: Pertinent, Akin

Austere

(adj.) severe or stern in manner; without adornment or luxury, simple, plain; harsh or sour in flavor Related words: Ascetic

Prodigal

(adj.) wastefully extravagant; lavishly or generously abundant; (n.) one who is wasteful and self-indulgent If you're going to leave a trust fund for your children, you should raise them not to be _____, or they'll blow through all the cash the minute they get their hands on. The ____ land produced larger crops than the people could ever consume. Related words: Profligate, Wastrel. Spendthrift

Likewise

(adv) also, in addition to; similarly, in the same way. Chip was baffled by all the silverware set before him, so when his host began eating salad with the smallest, leftmost fork, Chip did _____. Related words: Moreover

inasmuch

(adv) in like manner, considering that (contradiction of "in as much," generally followed by "as") ______ as you missed my birthday party to do the walk for the cure Whereas

Metamorphosis

(n) a complete change or transformer (in biology, a change such as a caterpillar becoming a pupa and then a butterfly). Many reality show competitions are based on the idea of a contestant undergoing a _____, such as through dieting, exercise, life coaching, rehab.

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.) The actress Jenny McCarthy has written a book about autism. While her experience as a parent is interesting to anyone in a similar situation, it's still important to remember that McCarthy is a ____, not a doctor.

Gradation

(n) a progression, a process taking place gradually, in stages; one of these stages

hierarchy

(n) a ranked series; a classification of people according to rank, ability, etc.; a ruling body Related: Echelon

Makeshift

(n) a temporary substitute for something else; (adj) crude, flimsy, or temporary Lost in the woods for over 24 hours, the children were eventually found sleeping under a ___ tent made from branches and old plastic bags. I don't have a ladder, but I can stack up some boxes as a _____.

implication

(n) act of implying or that which is implied; close connection, esp. in an incriminating way She ____ her bf in the robbery after less than 20 mins of interrogation Related : implicit, tacit

plausible

(n) believable; having the appearance of truth When three doctors treating crash victims were suddenly stricken with what looked like the effects of nerve gas, hospital officials posited " hysteria" as the culprit- hardly a ___ explanation. Related words: Credible, Feasible, Viable

diatribe

(n) bitter, abusive attack or criticism; rant Syn: Tirade, Harangue, fulmination

Tirade

(n) bitter, abusive criticism or verbal attack I hate the television show where that commentator goes on angry ____about all the liberal conspiracies taking over America. Even my conservative friends find his ranting embarrassing. Related words: Diatribe, Tirade, Harangue, Fulmination

Propriety

(n) conforming to good manners or appropriate behavior; justness The parents questioned the ____ of the punishment meted out to her son-sitting in a corner all day seemed a little harsh for using the pencil sharpener at the wrong time. Saying the accounting firm was complicit in " financial ___" was a rather polite way to refer to fraud it committed against investors. Related wordS: Genteel, Seemly, Decorous. Mores

Paradox

(n) contradiction, or seeming contradiction that is actually true Use: Kayla was always bothering the youth minister with her ____, like : if god is all-powerful, can he make a burrito so big he can't eat it? Related words: Conundrum, Enigma

counterpoint

(n) contrasting item, opposite; a complement; the use of contrast or interplay in a work of art. related words: foil

Pith

(n) core, essence; significance or weight I can only stay at this meeting for a minute- can you get to the ____of the issue now. The presentation has no___ Related words: Gist, Distill

Juncture

(n) critical point in time, such as a crisis or a time when a decision is necessary; a place where two things are joined together. We are at a critical ____ in the history of this organization. The little canoe started to sink when it split at the ____ between the old wood and the material used to repair it. Related words: Dovetail, Diverge

Mores

(n) customs, manners, or morals of a particular group An American in Saudi Arabia should study the culture beforehand so as to avoid violating deeply conservative cultural ____. Related words: Ethos

Surfeit

(n) excess, excessive amount, overindulgence The soup kitchen would like to announce that it has a serious ___ of those cans of jellied cranberries that no one seems to want, but it could still use at least 10 Thanks giving turkeys. Related words: Replete with, Glut, Surplus, Plethora

connoisseur

(n) expert, especially in the fine arts; person of educated, refined tastes Related words: Epicure

Chauvinism

(n) fanatical patriotism or blind enthusiasm for military glory; undue or biased devotion to any group, cause, etc. Related words: Bigot, Xenophobia, Jingoism

Bureaucracy

(n) government characterized by many bureaus and petty administrators or by excessive, seemingly meaningless requirements

Zeal

(n) great fervor or enthusiasm for a cause, person, etc.; tireless diligence in furthering that cause; passion, ardor Whether you agree with their views or not, you have to admit that she employees of PETA have a great ____ for animal rights. Related words: Ardent, Fanatical, fervent, fervid and Perfervid.

Dissonance

(n) harsh, inharmonious sound; cacophony; disagreement. Related words: Din, Clamor, Hubbub

entitlement

(n) having the right to certain privileges; believing, sometimes without cause, that one deserves or has a right to certain privileges. Many Bosses complain about young people's sense of _____

Zenith

(n) high point, culmination At the ____ of her career, the actress could command 5$ million per film. Now, she is mostly seem in made-for-TV movies. Related words : Acme, Summit, Pinnacle, Apex Apogee

Notoriety

(n) ill fame; the state of being well-known for a disgraceful reason Aiden was ____ for being later to everything; after awhile, his friends just stopped inviting him to movies. Related words: Infamous

Preamble

(n) introductory statement, preface The _____ to the Constitution is a brief introduction that begins," We the people of the United States. The unusual outfit the pop star wore to her first awards ceremony was a mere____ to a career of full-blown crazy dressing. Related words: Prologue

Levity

(n) lightness (of mind, spirit, or mood) or lack of seriousness, sometimes in an inappropriate way My late uncle Bill loved practical jokes and absolutely would have approved of the iPod mix my aunt played at the wake which added a little ___by segueing from " amazing grace" to the party anthem " Lets get it started"

Gist

(n) main idea, essence I didn't read the whole book, but I read enough to get the gist. Related words: Pith, Précised

Paradigm

(n) model or pattern; worldview, set of shared assumptions, values, etc. Far from being atypically bawdy, this is a ___ of the form nearly all of them rely on off-color jokes. Related words: Prototype, Exemplar

libertine

(n) morally or sexually unrestrained person; freethinker (regarding religion) A famed ____, the sitcom start was constantly in the news for cavorting with women of dubious occupation and overdosing on drugs often enough to regularly hold up production of his popular televisions show. Related words: Hedonsits, Sybarites, voluptuaries, Debauchery.

illiberality

(n) narrow-mindedness, bigotry; strictness or lack of generosity Students protested the ____ of an admissions policy that made no allowances for those from Related words: Chauvinsim,, Bigot, xenophobia, Jingoism, Insular

Exponent

(n) person who expounds or explains; champion, advocate, or representative An _____of Clean fuel, Related Words: Proponent

Kudos

(n) praise, honor, congratulations. " ______ on your amazing GRE score"! While the critics weren't impressed, the play received plentiful of ____ from the audience. Related words: Plaudits, Laudation, Panegyric, Paean

Enigma

(n) puzzle, mystery, riddle; mysterious or contradictory person. Related words: Paradox, Conundrum,

Maverick

(n) rebel, individualist, dissenter Most cop movies features heroes who are ____police officers; breaking all the rules, blowing things up.

boor

(n) rude, ill-mannered, or insensitive person; a peasant or country bumpkin Related worlds: Churl, Bumpkin, Yokel Rustic

Potentate

(n) ruler, person of great power

Potentate

(n) ruler, person of great power 62-year-old Prince Charles has certainly waited long enough to become ____ of England: his mother, Elizabeth II, has been ruling for his entire life. Related words: Sovereign

Monotony

(n) sameness or repetitiousness to the point of being boring; lack of variation, uniformity, esp. repetition in sound The ___ of working on a factory assembly like made her feel as though she would go insane from boredom. Related words: Tedium

Torpor

(n) sluggishness, lethargy, or apathy; a period of inactivity. Sam had hoped to be able to play in the game after having his wisdom teeth out, but the anesthesia left him in such _____ that he obviously could've play soccer. Related words: Listless, Insertia, loafing

pariah

(n) social outcast, untouchable After the schoolteacher was fired of participating in what some called a " hate rally," he became a ____ in his own town, glared at in the grocery store-even his longtime barber refused him a haircut.

Deterrent

(n) something that restrains or discourages Syn: balk

Eulogy

(n) speech of praise or written work of praise, esp. a speech given at a funeral. The review of his book was pure____-usually, this publication runs more balanced articles. Related words: Encomium, Laudation, Panegyric

Rhetoric

(n) the art or study of persuasion through speaking or writing; language that is elaborate or pretentious but actually empty, meaning little The ancient Greeks used to study ___ as a major academic subject. Today if you want to improve your ___ skills, you will probably have to hunt down a public speaking class. The politician's blather is all ___ and no substance. Related words: Oratorical

goosebumps

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

Efficacy

(n) the quality of being able to produce the intended effect. Extensive trails will be necessary to determine whether the drug's ___ outweighs the side effect

Resolution

(n) the quality of being firmly determined; resolving to do something; a formal judgment, esp. decided by a vote The city government passed a ___ to support the new monorail. A few serbacks did not dampen her ___ to completed her Ph.D. Related words: Resolve

Lassitude

(n) tiredness, weariness; lazy indifference It's so difficult to get anything done in the dead heat of August! I can't seem to shake my ___ enough to get out of this hammock, much less study for the GRE. Related words: Languid, Torpid, Slothful, Indolent

Veracity

(n) truthfulness, accuracy; habitual adherence to the truth. I question the ____ of your story. I just don't think you've been to outer space. She was known for her ____ only because she had no choice- she was a terrible liar. Related words: Probity (honesty, integrity) Verisimilitude (having the appearance of truth). Verity NOT VORACIOUS (hungry, ravenous)

Jargon

(n) vocabulary specific to a group or occupation; convoluted or unintelligible language. The information my doctor gave me was full of medical ____ I couldn't understand it all! Related words: Argot, Cant, Lexicon

Fringe

(n, adj) on the margin, periphery (adj); the people in a group who hold the most extreme views (noun). Related words: Penumbra

Concur

(v) approve, agree related words: Assent

skirt

(v) border, lie along the edge of , go around; evade Melissa spent all of thanksgiving ____ing the issue of whom she was dating and when she might get married and make her mother a grandmother. The creel ___s our property on the west, so it's easy to tell where our farm ends. Related words: Circumvent

Mollify

(v) calm or soothe (an angry person); lessen or soften The cellular company's billing practices were so infuriating to customers that the customer serves representatives spent every workday ___ angry customers. Related words: Appease, Placate, Assuage

Deflect

(v) cause to curve; turn aside, esp. from a straight course; avoid Related: Avert

Coalesce

(v) come together, unite; fuse together Related: Agglomerate, Aggregate, Consolidate

Emulate

(v) copy in an attempt to equal or be better than. The ardent Star Trek fan ____ Captain Kirk in every way possible right down to the uniform.

enumerate

(v) count or list; specify one-by-one I don't have time to ____ all the steps involved in baking a cake. Related words: Reckon, countable

Aver

(v) declare or affirm with confidence

Embellish

(v) decorate, add ornamentation; enhance (a story) with fictional or fanciful details. Every time she tells that story she _____ it quite a bit Related words: Bedeck

Negate

(v) deny or refute; make void or cause to be ineffective The debate coach reminded the students that they had to ____ each one of their opponents' major points in order to win Related words : Nullify, Sap, Enfeeble, Undermine

Diverge

(v) differ, deviate; branch off or turn aside, as from a path GO five miles until the old post office, the the road _____ Related words: Disparate

Underscore

(v) emphasize (or, literally, to underline text) " You're not going to mess with Otto anymore. His new bodyguards stepped forward threateningly as though to ____ his point. Related words: Undergird ( strengthen, support)

Flag

(v) get tired, lose enthusiasm; hang limply or droop Most of us were ____ and just wanted to sit. Related words: Enervate

Concede

(v) give in, admit, yield; acknowledge reluctantly; grant or give up (such as giving up land after losing a war)

Render

(v) give, submit, surrender; translate; declare formally; cause to become When you ___ your past die payments we Weill turn your phone back on. Only in her second year of Japanese, she was unable tp ___ the classic poem into English. The judge ___ed a verdict that ___ us speechless

Reap

(v) harvest, such as by cutting; gather; get as a result of one's effort He worked night and day in the strange new country, never stopping to rest, for he knew he would ___ his reward when his family greeted him as a hero for all the money he has sent back home. Related words: Sow. You ___ what you sow

Impede

(v) hold back, obstruct the progress of Hinder, hamper

Foment

(v) incite, instigate, stir up, promote the growth of; apply medicated liquid to a body part The revolutionary group was quietly ____ a rebellion Rouse

Proliferate

(v) increase or spread rapidly or excessively The book alleged that terrorist cells are ___ing across the Untied states taster than law enforcement can keep up. Related words: Prolific

Foreshadow

(v) indicate or suggest beforehand, presage Related words: Prefigure, Forerun, Harbinger, herald

Inform

(v) inspire, animate; give substance, essence, or context to; be the characteristic quality of. Her work as an art historian is ____ by backgrounders in drama; where others see a static tableau, she sees a protagonist, a conflict, a denouement.

Table

(v) lay aside to discuss later, often as a way to postpone discussion indefinitely I see we're not going to agree on whether to scrap our entire curriculum and develop a new one, so let's ____ that discussion and move on to voting on the budget.

alleviate

(v) lessen, make easier to endure Related words:Assuage, Ameliorate, Extenuate, Palliate

Mitigate

(v) make less severe; lessen or moderate (damage, grief, pain, etc.) Sadly, his illness could not be cured, but the nurses made every effort to ____ the symptoms. Related words: Ameliorate, Palliate, Alleviate

Quibble

(v) make trivial arguments or criticisms, find faults in a petty way, esp. to evade something more important Look, I am telling you some of the serious consequences of global warming, as predicated by the scientific establishment- I think your's just a ___ing to complain that I said " carbon Monoxide" when I meant " carbon dioxide" Related words: Cavil, Carp, Peevish

Exacerbate

(v) make worse (more violent, severe, etc.), inflame; irritate or embitter (a person) Allowing your band to practice in our garage has greatly exacerbated my headache Related words: Aggravate

impair

(v) make worse, weaken Playing in a rock bank without earplugs will almost certainly ____ your hearing over time. Related : Exacerbate, aggravate. mar, vitiate

Fathom

(v) measure the depth of (usually of water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand. Related words: Sound and Plumb

Sound

(v) measure the depth of (usually water) as with a sounding line; penetrate and discover the meaning of, understand (usually as sound the depths) The psychiatrist appointed by the court felt he would need more time to ___ the depths of the defendant's tortured mind; clearly, she was mentally ill. Related words: Fathom, Plumb

deride

(v) mock, scoff at, laugh at contemptuously. Related: Denigrate

Contextualize

(v) place in context, such as by giving the background or circumstances

Supplicate

(v) pray humbly; ask, beg, or seek in a humble way She had been estranged from her wealthy father for years, but when she needed money for her daughter's medical care, she ___ the old man for assistance. Related words : Entreat, Beseech , Implore.

Obviate

(v) prevent, eliminate, or make unnecessary Adding protective heel taps to your dress shoes can ____ the need the take them to the shoe repair store later Related words: Circumvent

Preempt or Pre-empt

(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 " Frequently asked Questions" Packet at the beginning of the seminar. Related words: Obviate

Proscribe

(v) prohibit, outlaw; denounce; exile or banish Plagiarism is ____ed by every college's code of conduct. Related words: Censure Circumscribe

Distill

(v) purify; extract the essential elements of It is not necessary to read your entire Powerpoint to use. Can you just ___ it down to the main point? Related words: Gist, Pith

Requite

(v) reciprocate, repay, or revenge Ashley felt that her un____ love for George would surely kills her. George barely noticed her-he cared about nothing but ____his father's death. Related words: Redress, Recompense

Abate

(v) reduce, diminish Related words:Subside

Repudiate

(v) reject, cast off, deny that something has authority If you receive an erroneous notice from a collection agency, you have 30 days to ______ the debt by mail. As part of becoming an American citizen Mr. Lee ___ his former citizenship Related words: Recant

Anoint

(v) rub or sprinkle oil on; make sacred, such as by ceremony that includes applying oil to someone.

Placate

(v) satisfy or calm down (angry or dissatisfied person), esp. by conciliatory gestures Our customer uses our product to ___ an angry partner. Related words: Appease, Mollify, Conciliate, Assuage, Implacable

Subside

(v) sink, settle down, become less active; return to a normal level. When her terror ___ed, she realized that the house wasn't really haunted. It is chronic illness-symptom \s will flare up and ___over one's lifetime. Related words :Abate (resume, diminish)

Saturate

(v) soak or imbue thoroughly; cause a substance to unite with the greatest possible amount of another substance We got married on a rainy beach, and my dress was ____. Although the pictures a bit dark, the photographer was able to increase the _____ in the Photoshop. I simply cannot dissolve any more sugar into this iced tea- it's ___ed

Constrict

(v) squeeze, compress; restrict the freedom of Related words: Constringe

Fortify

(v) strengthen, invigorate, encourage The general called for reinforcements to fortify the defenses around the capital . Related words: bolster, buttress, Galvanize

substantiate

(v) support with evidence or proof; give a material existence to. You say you were at home when the crime occurred two towns over is there anyone who can _____your claim? Your business ideas are interesting, but you never ___ them-you haven't put a single plan into action

Document

(v) support with evidence, cite sources in a detailed way, create documentary evidence of. related words: Corroborate, substantiate, verify.

Outstrip

(v) surpass, exceed; be larger or better than; leave behind Our sales figures this quarter have ___ those of any other quarter in the company's history.

Desiccate

(v) thoroughly dried up, dehydrated. SYn: Arid

Consolidate

(v) unite, combine, solidify, make coherent Related words: Agglomerate, Aggregate, Commix, Conglomerate

deface

(v) vandalize, mar the appearance of Related words: depredate, efface

Vacillate

(v) waver in one's mind or opinions, be indecisive In need of a good used car, I was ____ing between the Ford and the Hyundai until a recommendation from helped me decide. Related words: Equivocate, Ambivalent, Waffle, Dither, Tergiversated

Admonish

(v.) to caution or advise against something; to scold mildly; to remind of a duty Related words: Reprove, upbraid, reprimand, rebuke

assuage

(v.) to make easier or milder, relieve; to quiet, calm; to put an end to, appease, satisfy, quench Related words: Placate, Mollify, Appease

Culminate

(v.) to reach a high point of development; to end, climax related words:acme, pinnacle, apex

buttress

(v.) to support, prop up, strengthen; (n.) a supporting structure

Oscillate

(v.) to swing back and forth with a steady rhythm; to fluctuate or waver. I wish we had air conditioning, but at least I replaced our old fan with this ____ one that swings side to side and blows on the whole room. Stop ___ and pick a restaurant! Seriously Indian or Thai? Related words: Equivocate, Ambivalent, Vacillate, Waffle, Dither, Tergiversate

Spectrum

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) A test showed that was partially colorblind-she did see blues and greens, but was unable to perceive some other colors on the ____. A " dialect continuum" is a ____ of dialects of a language where speakers. Related words: Panoply, Scope

Lampoon

A harsh satire (noun); ridicule or satirize (verb). " As a Democrat" said Bob, " I cam't say I appreciated watching that comedian in the Obama mask ____ the state of the union address. Related words: Satirize , Parody

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds Related word: Din, Dissonance , Clamor

Slew

A larger number or quantity As soon as we switched software packages, we encountered a whole _____ of problems. Related words: Myriad

Dispositions

A person's general or natural mood : tendency. Synonyms: Penchant, Predilection

Nuance

A subtle difference in the tone, meaning, expression, etc. People with certain cognitive disabilities cannot understand the _____ of non-literal speech. Subtleties

Dogma

A system of principles laid down by an authority, established belief. It is part of the ___ of modern education that there are multiple intelligences that are equally valuable. Related words: Doctrinaire

intelligible

Able to be understood, clear. You are doing a disservice to all music by listening through those horrible speakers! None of the lyrics are ever _____! I'll bet you have no idea what this song is even about. Related words: legible, Lucid

Anarchy

Absence of law or government; chaos, disorder

Ascetic

Abstinent or austere in lifestyle; a person who leads an austere and simple life without material pleasures, esp. someone who does this for religious reasons Related words: Hermit or anchorite, Recluse

Capricious

Acting on impulse, erratic Related words: Whimsical, Lark, Mercurial, Arbitrary

counterintuitive

Against what one would intuitively expect related: paradoxical

affable, amiable, genial, gregarious

All mean agreeable; marked by a pleasing personality; warm and friendly Opposite: Standoffish, discourteous, distant

Dismiss

Allow to disperse or leave; fire from a job; put aside or reject, especially after only a brief consideration Related: discount

rescind

Annual, Repeal, make void The governor ___ed his proclamation making September 10th " Pastafarian Day" once someone told him it wasn't a real religion. Related words: Negate, Nullify

Dormant

Asleep, inactive, on a break Some famous writer's skills have lain ____untill quite late in life. Related words: Abeyance, Hiatus, Deferment or deferral

Presumptive

Based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief. The dictator's favorite nephew is the ____ heir to power, but anything could happen. He's the ____ winner of the election; we haven't counted all the votes. Related words: Ostensible, Putative

Spearhead

Be the leader of Lisa agreed to ____ the " healthy office" initiative, and was instrumental in installing two treadmills and getting healthy food stocked in the vending machine. Related words: Avant-grade vanguard

Decorous

Behaving with propriety and good taste; polite. Related words:genteel, seemly

credibility

Believability, trustworthiness

denigrate

Belittle, attack the reputation of Related: Disparage

Intrinsic

Belonging to the essential nature of a thing Despite all this high-tech safety equipment, skydiving is an _____ dangerous proposition. Communication is ____ to a healthy relationship Related words: Innate, Inherent

Moreover

Besides; in addition to what was just stated You are fired. ____, the police are coming to arrest you for theft. Related words: Furthermore

Optimal or optimum

Best, most desirable or favorable Many believe that U.S. Constitution's genius lies in its striking and ____ balance between freedom and order.

Reproach

Blame, disgrace (noun); criticize, express disappointment in (verb) I'm not really enjoying my foreign study program. My host mom ___ed me in Spanish; it sounded really harsh but I couldn't really understand her, and I have no idea what I did wrong. Related words: Admonish, Reprove, Upbraid, reprimanded, rebuke, excoriate, castigate

Stymie or stymy

Block, hinder, or thwart (verb); an obstacle (noun) Celine feared that her learning disability would _____ her success in college, but the support services offered were excellent and she was fine academically; the thing that really ____d her college career was poor time management. Related words: Impede, hamper

Hardy

Bold, brave, capable of withstanding hardship, fatigue, cold, etc. Related: Robust, hale

elicit

Call forth, bring out, evoke The touchdown ____ a wild cheer from the crowd Related words: Educe

Caustic

Capable of corroding metal or burning the skin; very critical or sarcastic

Viable

Capable of living (or growing, developing, etc.); practical, workable I have three screenplay ideas, but the studio head said only one was commercially ____. Apparently, it's important to have a human lead character and a satisfying ending. Due to leaps forward in technology, premature babies are considered ___ earlier and earlier- currently around 24 weeks. Related words : Feasible

Overshadow

Cast a shadow over, darken; dominate, make to seem less important. She was a straight- A student who excelled at field hockey, but still felt ____ed by her older sister Related words: Eclipse

Catalyst

Cause of change

Alienate

Cause to become unfriendly, hostile, or distant Related words: Disaffect

soporific

Causing sleep, drowsy; something that causes sleep. I was excited to take a class with Professor Baria because I had enjoyed her books, but sadly, she is a better writer than speaker- her lectures are _____ I was so distressed after the crash that the doctor gave me a ___ and, sure enough, I was able to think more clearly after sleeping Related words: Somnolent

Archaic

Characteristic of an earlier period, ancient, primitive Related words: Obsolete, Antediluvian

idiosyncrasy

Characteristic or habit peculiar to an individual; peculiar quality, quirk. Related words: Eccentric

Exculpate

Clear from guilt or blame Related words: Vindicate, Exonerate

Lucid

Clear, easy to understand, rational, sane, clear-headed. After surgery, it'll take at least an hour until she's ____-it's nothing to worry about. Related words: Pellucid

guile

Clever deceit, cunning, craftiness. The game of poker is all about ____. Related words: duplicity, wily

Levy

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). When England _____ yet another tax on the colonists, the colonists were pushed one further step towards ___ing war. Soon, the worried British began to raise troops by _____.

Succeeding

Coming after or following After the sale of the company, you will receive 5% of the profits from the current year, and 1% in all ____years. / In 1797, George Washington was ____ed by John Adams. Related words : subsequent

Profligate

Completely and shamelessly immoral, or extremely wasteful The billionaire software developer was so disgusted with his ____ daughter's spending that he cut her off-she had bought Champagne for an entire nightclub full of strangers one too many times. Related words: Prodigal, Debauched, Dissolution

Exhaustive

Comprehensive, thorough, exhausting a topic or subject, accounting for all possibilities; draining, tending to exhaust. Related words: thoroughgoing, Omnibus

Extrapolate

Conjecture about an unknown by projecting information about something known; predict by projecting past experience. No, I've never been to Bryn Mawer, but I've visited several small, private women's colleges in the Northeast , so I think I can _______

Confer

Consult, compare views: bestow or give Related words:Vest

Fallacious

Containing a fallacy, or mistake in logic: logically unsound: deceptive.

Speculate

Contemplate; make a guess or educated guess about; engage in a risky business transaction, gamble During the Gold Rush, ____a bought up land, sometimes with borrowed funds, expecting to prospect the land for gold and get rich quickly. She ___ed that, in zero gravity, showed would have to exist as closed rooms in which a giant bubble of water formed, and a person got inside it.

belie

Contradict or misrepresent

Contentious

Controversial; prone to causing arguments, especially gratuitous or petty ones Related words: disputations, quarrelsome

Offset

Counteract, compensate for (verb); a counterbalance (noun) Property taxes did go up this year, but the hit to our finances was ____ by a reduction in fees paid to our homeowners association

Castigate

Criticize severely: punish in order to correct Related words: Excoriate

quotidian

Daily; everyday, ordinary He was so involved in his quest for spiritual enlightenment that he regularly forgot more ____ concerns- sure he mediated for six hours a day, but he would forget to do laundry for weeks. Related words: Mundane, Pedestrian , Prosaic, Diurnal

Gainsay

Declare false, denim oppose. The professor is quite intolerant of challenges to her opinions-she's been known to lower the grade of any student who dares ____ her. Related words: Dissent

debase

Degrade; lower in quality, value, rank, etc.; lower in moral quality. Related words: base, adulterate, debauch, Vitiate

Divest

Deprive of strip of a rank, title, etc. or of clothing or gear: to sell off holdings (opposite of invest) Once his deception was exposed, he was _____ of his position on the Board. Related words: Arrgoate, Appropriate

Derivative

Derived from something else; not original. Related: Banal, hackneyed, inane, insipid and trite

Abhor

Detest, regard with disgust Related words: Loathe, Abominate, antipathy

Partisan

Devoted to a particular group, cause etc. Fervent supporter of a group, party, idea, etc: guerrilla fighter. It is unconscionable to engage in ____ politics in a time of crisis. Related world : Partial

heterogeneous

Different in type, incongruous; composed of different types of elements. Rather than build the wall with the plain brick, we used a ____ mixture of stones.

Unearth

Dip up, uncover expose The ACLU's Prison Project works tirelessly to ____ evidence from old cases that might exonerate innocent people who have spent years or even decades in prison. The archaeologist ____ed what appears to be the world's oldest known gravesite. Related words: Debunk, Disabuse

Explicit

Direct, Clear, fully revealed: clearly depicting sex or nudity. The goal of my motivational talk is to make ____ the connection between staying in school and avoiding life of crime. Related words: Unequivocal, Explicate

Dissent

Disagree or take an opposing view, esp. in relation to a formal body such as a government, political party, or church; such a view. Related words: Gainsay, Sedition

Divine

Discover though divination or supernatural means, perceive by insight. I've been poring over these quarterly reports all day, trying to _____ whether I should buy or sell this stock. Related words: Ascertain, perspicacity.

Perfidious

Disloyal, treacherous, violating one's trust. The ____ soldier sold out his comrades, giving secrets to the enemy in exchange for money and protection. Related words: Apostate, Recreant, Quisling, Infidel

Polarized

Divided into sharply opposed groups The school was used to rationally discussing issues, but 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. Related words: Faction, Partisan, Cabal

Prosaic

Dull, ordinary Finding his friend's bar mitzvah's at the local synagogue a bit ______. Justain instead asked his dad to rent out to the local laser tag center. Related words: Pedestrian, Quotidian, Middling, Lackluster, Humdrum

Tractable

Easily controlled or managed, docile; easily shaped or molded. He's a ______ fellow; when I asked if we could see a different movie than the one we'd come to see, he shrugged and said, "cool." The clay had hardened overnight, but adding water made it _____ again. Related words: Malleable, Pliable, Plastic

Philanthropy

Efforts to improve the well-being of humankind, generally through giving money Many wealthy people turn to ____ as a way to create social good, and many others true to it as a way to hobnob with the rich and famous. Related words: Altruism

Avid

Enthusiastic, dedicated, passionate; excessively desirous Related words: Ardent, Zealous

Inherent

Existing a permanent, essential quality, intrinsic New research seems to support the idea that humans have an ____ sense of justice- eve babies become upset at puppet shows depicting unfairness. and are gratified at see the " bad" puppets punished. Related words: Innate

Subjective

Existing in the mind or relating to one's own thoughts, opinions, emotions, etc.; personal, individual, based on feelings Naturally, anyone's experience of a movie is _____, and some will enjoy this picture despite its flaws.

status quo

Existing state or condition Many opposed the establishment of needle-exchange program, but others reasoned that the plan would be an improvement on the ____, in which disease spread rapidly through certain communities.

debunk

Expose, ridicule, or disprove false or exaggerated claims

finesse

Extreme delicacy, subtlety, or diplomacy in handling a sensitive situation or in a performance or skill (noun); use tact or diplomacy; employ a deceptive strategy (verb) After the prince deeply insulted his hosts, the diplomate was able to _____ the situation, playing it off as a translation error and getting the negotiation back on track. Related words: Tact

objective

Factual, related to reality or physical objects; not influenced by emotions, unbiased You cannot be forced to testify against your spouse in a court of law- it's pretty impossible for anyone to be ____ about the guilt or innocence of a spouse. Related words : Impartial, Disinterested, Dispassionate, Nonpartisan

default

Failure to act, neglect (noun); fail to fulfill an obligation, especially a financial one (verb)

equitable

Fair, equals just Related words: evenhanded, parity

Fidelity

Faithfulness, loyalty; strict observance of duty; accuracy in reproducing a sound or image Wedding vows typically include a promise of ____ such as " forsaking all other as long as I may live. Related words: Constancy

affectation

Fake behavior (such as in speech or dress) adopted to give a certain impression Related words: artifice

timorous

Fearful, timid The expression describing a ____ person as "quaking in his boots" is a bit of a cliche. Related words: Intrepid , Trepid, Craven, pusillanimous

Reverent

Feeling or expressing very deep respect and awe Ayn Rand is controversial figure, but critical views are not welcome. at the local Objectivist Club meeting, where everyone expresses a ____ view of the author. Related words: Pious

Resolve

Find a solution to; firmly decide to do something; decide by formal vote(v); firmness of purpose (n) She was ____ed to find a marrow donor for her son, and led a stunningly successful drive to get people to sign up for national donor registry. Even when no match was found for her son in the first year, her ___ was undampened. Related words: Resolute, Unequivocal, Resoluation

Artless

Free of deceit or craftiness, natural, genuine; lacking skill or knowledge, crude, uncultured Related words: Guileless, Ingenious

disabuse

Free someone from a mistake in thinking. " to ___ person of a belief or idea)

Aggregate

Gather together, amount to (verb); constituting a whole made up of constituent parts (adj) Related words: Agglomerate, Consolidate

ingenuous

Genuine, sincere, not holding back; naive. Multi-level marketing scams prey on the ____, those who really think there's someone out there who just wants to help them get rich. Related words: Guileless, Artless

Abjure

Give up, renounce; repudiate, recant, or shun (especially formally or under oath) Related words: Forswear, Eschew

digress

Go off-topic when speaking or writing Syn: Divagate, diffuse (adj)

Burgeon

Grow or flourish rapidly; put forth buds or shoots (of a plant)

Surmise

Guess, infer, opine Based on your rather sad attempt to figure out the tip on your restaurant bill, I would ____ that you actually have no idea how percents work. Related words : Conjecture, Suppositions.

Posthumous

Happening or continuing after death Erenst Hemingway died in 1961. His novel The Garden of Eden was published _____ in 1986

Deleterious

Harmful, unhealthful Related: pernicious, Insalutary, insalubrious

Innocuous

Harmless, inoffensive. While it's quite acrid in here, fortunately the fumes that come from our factory are completely ___ -you don't need a face mask unless you'd like one. Related words: Benign

Principled

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. Related words: Scruplous

Nevertheless or nonetheless

However, even so, despite that I really can't stand working withy you. Nonetheless, we're stick on this project together and we're going to have to get along.

detached

Impartial, disinterested; unconcerned, distant, aloof Syn: standoffish describes a house that does not have a wall in common with another building

conversely

In an opposite way; on the other hand related words:to the contrary

respectively

In the order given His poems " An ode to the Blossoms of Sheffield and" and Entreaty to ladies all too Prime" were written in 1756 and 1758, respectively.

discredit

Injure the reputation of, destroy credibility of or confidence in Syn: Slander, Traduce, Defame

disingenuous

Insincere, not genuine Syn: Dissembling, prevaricating

didactic

Intended to instruct; teaching, or teaching a moral lesson Syn: Pedagogical, pedantic

Construe

Interpret or translate Misconstrue: Missunderstand

Prologue

Introductory part to a book, play, etc. The novel's ____ gives some historical background so the main story can be better understood in the context. related words: Preamble

Incipient

Just beginning in a very early stage. The movie producer was devastated when, due to legal trouble over the screenplay, the ___ project was crushed before it had even begun shutting Related words: Nascent, Inchoate

Log

Keep a record of, write down; travel for or at a certain distance or speed: a written record. Lawyers who bill by the hour have to be sure to ____ all the time they spend on every client's case. You cannot get your pilot's license until you have _____ed 40 hours of flight time.

Arcane

Known or understood by only a few; obscure, secret Related words: Esoteric, Abstruse

pedestrian

Lacking excitement; ordinary and dull We made something more___; hot dogs and French fries Related words: Prosaic

Trite

Lacking freshness and originality, lacking effectiveness due to overuse, cliche The topic of your speech is " Children are the future"? That's pretty _____. Related words: Banal, Hackneyed, Inane, Insipid, Bromide, Platitude

Console

Lessen the suffering or grief of (verb); a control panel, or small table or cabinet (noun) Related words: Succor

Penchant

Liking or inclination (usually penchant for) He seems like a mild-mannered accountant, but twice a year he jets off to Australia to satisfy his ___ adventure sports. Related words: Predilection, Propensity, Proclivity, bent, Partial

hearken

Listen, pay attention to ___, students!" said the old-fashioned music teacher. "We are going to practice '___, the Herald Angels Sing."

retrospective

Looking to the past or backward; applying to the past, retroactive; an art exhibit of an artist's work over a long period of time The proposed law is ____; anyone who violated the law before the law even existed can be prosecuted

Facilitate

Make easier, help the progress of As a midwife, my goal is simply to ____ a natural process.

Clinch

Make final or settle conclusively; to fasten or hold together

Aggrandize

Make greater; exaggerate Related words:Augment

Antagonize

Make hostile or unfriendly Related words: Provoke

Cartography

Mapmaking

Delineate

Mark the outline of; sketch; describe in detail Related: Adumbrate

hodgepodge

Mixture of different kinds of things, jumble. Related : heterogenous, medley, farrago, potpourri, pastiche, olio

temerpance

Moderation, self-control, esp. regarding alcohol or other desires or pleasures, total abstinence from alcohol. After the end of the American Civil War, Economic change led to an increase in alcohol problems and the birth of the _____ Movements. Grandma is model of _____- she drinks red wine every night, but only the one-third of a glass that she read was conducive to preventing heart attacks. Related words: Teetotaler, Abstain, Sobriety

Lament

Mourn; express grief, sorrow, or regret (v); an expression of grief esp. as a song or poem (n). Slida said she couldn't make it to the party- she's still ____ing the death of her cat. Related words: bewail, bemoan Lachrymose

Clamor

Noisy uproar or protest, as from a crowd; aloud continuous noise related words: Hubbub, Cacophony, D?in, Dissonance

Apathy

Not caring; absence of feeling; lack of interest or concern Related words: Indifferent, Lukewarm

Scant

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 there to assist his coworkers. The soldiers were always on the verge of hunger, complaining about their ____y rations. Related words: Modicum, Scintilla, iota, Mita, tad, paucity, dearth

Stingy

Not generous with money, reluctant to spend or give Billionaire industrialist J, Paul Getty was famously ____ that he installed pay phones in his mansion fo guests to use. Related words: Miser, Cheapskatem Skinflintm frugal, stint

Secular

Not religious or holy; pertaining to worldly things Forty years ago, American companies wished their employees "Merry Christmas"- even the employees who didn't celebrate Christmas. Today, the ___ phrase " Happy holidays " is in common. Western government have grown increasingly ___ over the last century; many have laws prohibiting religious expression from being sponsored by the government.

taciturn

Not talking much, silent, holding back in conversation Because he felt self conscious about his stutter, Mike had always been _____, but after some very good speech therapy, soon he was much more voluble. Related words : Reticent, Laconic

Compliant

Obeying, submissive; following the requirements Related words: Complaisant, Obliging

Landmark

Object (such as a building) that stands out and can be used to navigate by; a very important place, event, etc. The Cicil Rights Act of 1964 was a ____ landmark in the battle for equality. Related words: Watershed

Sporadic

Occasional, happening irregularly or in scattered locations. Her attendance was ____ at best, so when she flounced into class after a two-session absence she discovered that not only was everyone working on group projects. " Be seeing you." " Yeah, I hope not ____lly" Related words: Erratic, Desultory

Candid

Open, sincere, honest Related words: Frank

Condone

Overlook, tolerate, regards as harmless Related words: Brook, Countenance

Appease

Pacify, satisfy, relieve; concede to belligerent demands, sometimes at the expense of principles. Related words: Placate, Mollify, Assuage

fleeting

Passing quickly, transitory I had assumed our summer romance would be ____, so O was very surprised when you proposed marriage Related words : ephemeral, Evanescent, Fugacious

eccentric

Peculiar, off, deviating from the norm esp. in a whimsical way The old women was ____ but harmless. Related words: Idiosyncrasy

Sanction

Permission or approval, something that gives support or authority to something else(noun); to allow, confirm, ratify (verb); OR a legal action by one or more countries against another country to get it to comply (noun); to place sanctions or penalties on (verb) Professional boxers may only fight in ___ matches-fighting outside the ring is prohibited. America's ____ on Cuba mean that it is illegal for Americans to do business with Cuban companies.

Hedonsit

Person devoted to pleasure. A vacation is a fine time to practice ___, letting your troubles go and indulging in every conceivable luxury and pleasure. Related words: Sybarite, Voluptuary, libertine

Skeptic

Person inclined to doubting or question generally accepted beliefs. I wish you'd be more of a ___- I can't believe you spent money on pet psychic so we can talk to out dearly departed shih tzo. Descartes was a great ___, famously declaring that we cannot truly be sure of anything except our own existence-hence, " I think, therefore I am"

Recluse

Person who lives in seclusion. That show about hoarders featured a ____ who hadn't left her house in six years. Related words: Hermit, Anchorite

Ranks

Personnel; a group of people considered all together Among the ___s of our alumni are two senators and many famous authors.

Plummet

Plunge, fall straight down. During the first 60 seconds or so of a skydive, the driver ______ towards earth in freefall.

Futile

Producing no useful results, ineffective: trivial or unimportant She spent months trying to coax fluffy to fetch and sit, but it was ____. Cats just can't be trained to preform tricks. Related words: Bootless, Otiose

Eminent

Prominent, distinguished, of high rank The undergraduate shocked everyone by asking the ___ old professor. Related words: Venerable

Refute

Prove to be false. She's not a very valuable member of the debate team, actually-she loves making speeches, but she's not very good at ____ opponent's arguments. Gainsay, Negate

Remedial

Providing a remedy, curative; correcting a deficient skill After harassment occurs in the workplace, it is important that the company take ____ action right away warning or firing the offender as appropriate, and making sure the complainant's concerns are addressed. For those who need ___ reading help, we offer a summer school program that aims tp hep students read at grade level. Related words: Redress

Enhance

Raise to a higher value, desirability, etc. The cosmetics industry stays business because so many people want to ____ their appearances. Related words: Embellish, Aggrandize

Elevate

Raise, Lift up, lift the spirits of : move up to a hight rank or status or raise up to a hight spiritual or intellectual plane. Our goal here is to _______ our readers social consciences. Related words: Lofty, Edify, Lever, Levity

balk

Refuse to proceed or to do something Related words: Demur

Egalitarian

Related to belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political economic, or social sphere

Rustic

Relating to country life, unsophisticated; primitive, made of rough wood; a rural or uncultured person. For their honeymoon, they eschewed fancy hotels and instead chose a ___ cabin in the woods. Grandpa was a true ___- I was happy to have him visit, but not so happy to find him urinating outside in a bucket when we have several perfectly nice bathrooms. Related words: Bumpkin, Yokel

Venerate

Revere, regard with deep respect and awe The boys were utterly crushed when the baseball player they ___ saw them waiting and refused to sign an autograph. Related words : Revere ( feel or express very deep respect and awe)

disperse

Scatter, spread widely, cause to vanish synonyms: Disseminate, diffuse used for something that spreads out and disappears

Eclectic

Selecting the best of everything or from many diverse sources. _______taste is helpful in being a DJ Related words: Heterogeneous, Hodgepodge, Medley, Farrago, Potpourri, Pastiche, Olio

complacent

Self-satisfied, smug; overly content (and therefore lazy, neglectful, or some other bad quality)

Relegate

Send or commit to an inferior place, rank, condition, etc,; exile, banish; assign( a task) to someone else. After the legal offended one of the partners, he found himself ____ to working on minor-even unwinnable-cases. This protest os occurring because we refuse to be ___ to the fringes of society- we demand full inclusion

Eschew

Shun, avoid, abstain from As a vegan, he ____ not only meat and dairy but also anything made of leather. Related words: abjure, Forswear

Precursor

Something that comes before, esp. something that also announces or suggests something on its way. We cannot ignore this warning sign- it is clearly a ___ of large problem to come. The new CEO decided to do things differently from his ____. Related words: Antedate

Incentive

Something that encourages greater action or effort, such as a reward Inducement

Buffer

Something that shields, protects, absorbs shock, or cushions

Lull

Soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely (verb); a period of calm or quiet (noun) Tisha always tried to be polite. If she had to slip out of class to use the bathroom, she waited for a ___ in the actions as not to attract too much attention. Grandma's singing ___ed the baby to sleep. She used her beauty and charm to ____ foreign dignitaries into giving up their secrets. Related words: Slack; The holidays represent a ___ or slack in work at many companies.

Permeate

Spread or penetrate throughout Under the Emperor Constantine. Christianity y began to ____ every sector pf public life Related words: Pervade

Standing

Status, rank, reputation (noun); existing indefinitely, not movable (adj) As he had feared, his divorce greatly reduced his _____ as a relationship expert. While the U.S. has a ___ army .

Adhere

Stick (to), such as with glue, or to a plan or belief Related words:Abide, Cohere

Censure

Strong disapproval or official reprimand (noun), to issue such disapproval or reprimand (verb)

Obstinate

Stubborn or hard to control It's difficult to get an ____ child to eat food he doesn't want to eat. Related words: Intractable, Obdurate

Spate

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 Related words: Inundate, Deluge

Forfeit

Surrender or lose as a result of an error, crime, or failure to fulfill an obligation.

Loquacious

Talkative, wordy The ------professor spoke at a million miles an hour and still regularly talked past the scheduled end time of the class. Related words: Prolix, Verbose, Magniloquent, Grandiloquent

Prohibitive

Tending to forbid something, or serving to prevent something. I was admitted to NYC, but it was _____ly expensive, so I ended up at states school instead. My partner installed at high fence as a ___ barrier against the neighborhood hooligans. Related words: Exorbitant

pervasive

Tending to spread throughout Poverty is in our school system 65% of students receive free reduced-price lunch Related words: Omnipresent and ubiquitous

Sap

The inner fluid of a plant or any essential body fluid; energy, vitality; a person taken advantage of (noun); undermine, weaken, tire out (verb) I really thought that if I clicked on that FB ad and entered all my information, I would get free iPad to test and keep! I feel like such a _____. In order to make maple syrup, you must drain ___ from sugar maple tree. They call this " ___ing" the tree, which I can understand, because I feel pretty ___ed doing it! it's tiring work. Related words: Enervate, Enfeeble

Eclipse

The obscuring of one thing by another, such as the sun by the moon or a person by a more famous or talented person (n); to obscure, darken, make less important (v) Billy Cyrus, has long found his fame ____ by that of his daughter, Miley. Related words: Occult

activism

The practice of pursuing political or other goals through vigorous action, often including protests and demonstrations. Related words: Advocacy, Champion

commensurate

The same in size, extent, etc. Equivalent, proportional Related words: Tantamounnt

occult

The supernatural: pertaining to major astrology. Mysterious, secret or hidden: to hide to shut off from view A group of religious parents demanded that a popular series of young adult vampire novels be banned in schools because it promoted the _____. Related words Eclipse

Enervate

Tire out: weaken Related words: Sap, Enfeeble

Satiate or sate

To fully satisfy; to go beyond satisfying to the point of excess ( possibly inducing disgust, tiredness, etc.) I usually just eat a tiny salad or something while I'm at work, but since I had a half day off, I went to the Indian buffet and stayed for a whole hour! I've never been more ____ in my life. To maintain a healthy wight, stop eating before you reach the point of _____y. Related words: Blase, Ennui

Unequivocal

Unambiguous, clear, absolute; having only one possible meaning Although Chuck denied he had a problem , his family was ____ in demanding that he check into rehab. Jorge equivocated, going back and forth on the issue, but his brother Rafael was ____- he knew what he wanted and went and got it. Related words: Resolute, Unambivalent, Resolution , Patent, Explicit

disinterested

Unbiased, impartial; not interested Syn: Dispassionate, Nonpartisan

Quandary

Uncertainty or confusion about what to do, dilemma. He knew it sounded like the plot of a cheesy movie, but he really had accidentally asked two girls to the prom, and now he was in quite a _______. Related words: Mired

Articulate

Using language in a clear fluent way (adj); speak distinctly or give clarity to an idea (verb) Related words: Eloquent

Vituperate

Verbally abuse, debunk or criticize harshly. All couples flight, but your girlfriend _____ you so severely that I'm not sure she loves you at all. Related words: Pejorative, Revile, Berate

Audacious

Very bold or brave, often in a rude or reckless way; extremely original Related words: Insolent, Brazen

Arduous

Very difficult, strenuous; severe, hard to endure Related words: Grueling

Sparten

Very disciplined and stern; frugal, living simply, austere; suggestive of the ancient Spartan A young soldier in the ___ environment of the boot camp can really long for a home-cooked meal or even just a comfortable couch to sit on. Her apartment was so ____ that she couldn't serve us both soups. Related words: Ascetic, Austere

Elated

Very happy, in high spirited I am ______ that you flew my twin brother in from Australia to surprise me at my birthday party. Related words: Ebullient. Blithe. Exiltant

Torrid

Very hot, parching, burning; passionate They had a _____love affair in the 80s, but split up because a royal was permitted to marry a commoner. The wandering refugees were in serious danger of becoming quickly dehydrated in the ____ Sahara. Related words: Arid (dry, parched, barren)

Exacting

Very severe in making demands: requiring precise attention. The boxing coach was ____, analyzing Joey's footwork down to the millimeter. Related words: Meticulous, Fastidious

Undermine

Weaken, cause to collapse by digging away at the foundation ( of a building or an argument), injure or attack in a secretive to underhanded way. Rather than searching impartially for the truth, these pharmaceutical company " scientists" willfully ignored any evidence that ____ed the conclusion they were being paid to produce. You are Nice to my face, but you are ____ing me behind my back.

Timely

Well-timed, happening at a suitable time Your arrival is quite ___—we were just mulling over a question we're sure you can answer! / His ____departure prevented him from having to do any work. Related words: Opportune

Whereas

While on the contrary, considering that Mr. Katsouls had always assumed his son would take over the family business, ____ his son had always assumed he would go away to college and never come back. _____ peppers and squash are technically fruits, they are typically considered vegetables for culinary purposes.

Prudent

Wise in practical matters, carefully providing for the future. Sophie's friends blew all kinds of money on spring break, but Sophine ____ly kept to her usual spending habits. Related words: Circumspect, Provident

Verbose

Wordy Twitter's 140 character limit really forces the ___to go against their natural tendencies and instead write succinctly. Related words: Loquacious, Prolix, voluble

Savor

a characteristic taste, flavor, or smell, especially a pleasant one. As a parent, it's important to take a step back and really ___ the special moments-those children will grow up sooner than you think!

alacrity

a cheerful speedy willingness Related words: Brisk, Sprightly

Hyperbole

a deliberate exaggeration or overstatement Overstatment

Discrepancy

a difference; a lack of inconsistency Syn: Incongruity, discord, discordance

Din

a loud, unpleasant, and prolonged noise SYN: cacophony, dissonance, clamor

conundrum

a riddle; any mystery Related words: Enigma, Paradox

Peccadillo

a small sin or fault I'm going to propose to Melinda tomorrow- sure, she has her______ like anyone, but she's perfect woman for me.

aberrant

abnormal or deviant (Eg: Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment. ) related words: Anomaly, Outlier

copious

abundant; plentiful related: profuse

Chronological

arranged in or relating to time order

Simultaneous

at the same time, concurrent It is rare in a duel that the two shooters draw their guns ____ly and both fire. Related words: Synchronous, concurrent

arbitrary

based entirely on one's discretion; capricious, unreasonable, or having no basis

Implode

burst inward; fall apart

Aesthetic

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty, pertaining to the science of what is beautiful: a set of principles or tastes guiding in artistic practice

abridge

condense or curtail; shorten by omitting parts throughout while retaining the main idea Related words: Turncate

patrionizing

condescending, having a supers manner, treating as an inferior. Im not surprised that professor McDoughal used to teach kindergarten. His ___ tone has been driving me crazy.

Antipathy

deep dislike, aversion, or repugnance, sometimes without reason Related words: Loathing

Anomaly

deviation from what is normal:inconsistency Related words" aberration

Appreciable

enough to be perceived, considerable RELATED WORDS: Negligible

ubiquitous

existing everywhere, widespread Pay phones, which used to be ____ in urban area, are now nearly impossible to find in operation. Butterflies seem to be ____ in the habitat. Related words: Omnipresent, Pervasive

Prodigious

extraordinary in bulk, quantity, or degree, great in size, enormous The Great Wall of china consists of a ____ series of fortifications stretching over 5000 miles. If we don't double our sales with this new product, we willl have to declare bankruptcy- we have_____task ahead Related words: Titanic, Olympian

countenance

facial expression; approve or tolerate related: brook, condone

Ascertain

find (something) out for certain; make sure of Related words: Discern, Descry

Tenuous

flimsy; having little substance; long and thin, slender Your argument is quite _____- it depends on our accepting the results of a 1955 study published in an obscure medical journal not subject to peer review.

E.G.

for example

Acme

highest point; summit; the highest level or degree attainable Related words: Apex, Summit, Pinnacle, Apogee

Probity

honesty, integrity After losing the last election when its candidate's string of mistresses came to light, the party vowed to only nominate candidate whose ___ was beyond any doubt. Related words: Scrupulous, principled, Veracious

Incorporate

include, take in; combine, unite; form a legal corporation; embody, give physical form to When a business ____s, it becomes a separate legal entity; for instance, the business can declare bankruptcy without the owners doing so. Local legend has it that ghosts can ____ on one night of the year and walk among the living. Related words: Incarnate

Mendacious

lying; habitually dishonest She was so ____ that, when she broke the television, she blamed it on her little brother, even though he was in a wheelchair and could hardly have tipped over a piece of furniture. Her ____ty knows no bounds. Related words: Disingenuous, Dissembling, Prevaricating

converge

more towards one another or toward a point: unite antonym: diverge

apocryphal

of questionable authenticity; false Related words: Ersatz.Faux, Specious

homogeneous

of the same kind

Ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation, not clear, hard to understand Related words: Equivocal, Opaque

Obsolete

out-of-date, no longer in use She kept her old laptop so long that it was _____- she couldn't sell it on Craigslist, and the local elementary school didn't even want it as a donation. Related words: Antediluvian

Deference

respectful submission or yielding to the judgment, opinion, will, etc., of another

Restive

restless; impatient or uneasy under the control of another The company was purchased by a large competitor, and the employees grew ____ as the new bosses curtailed their freedoms and put a hold on their projects.

Paucity

scarcity, the state of being small in number. Our school has such a disgraceful ___ of textbooks Related words: Dearth

autonomous

self-governing; independent Related words: Fiat Hegemony

dispatch

send off or deal with in a speedy way (verb). speed, promptness (noun). Synonyms: Expediency

sycophant

servile flatterer, toady. Stop being such a ____. I don't need you to compliment my tie or get me coffee; I just need you to do your job without bothering me. Related words: Lackey, Toady, Myrmidon, Fawn, Obsequious, Truckle, Kowtow

obsequious

servile, very compliant, fawning An _______ assistant, Sammy thought he could get ahead by doing everything asked of him, but instead, his boss gave a promotion to someone he viewed as more of a peer, truthfully, he thought Sammy's sucking up was pretty pathetic. Related words: Sycophant, Lacey, Toady, Myrmidon, Fawn, Kowtow Truckle

defamatory

slanderous, injurious to someone's reputation. Related words: Slander, Traduce, Aspersions

Denote

stand as a name or symbol for; indicate

crescendo

steadily increasing in volume or force Related words: ascension, culminate, surge

corroboration

support, add evidence to related: substantiate, verify

transitory

temporary, short-lived, not lasting While a few people marry their high school sweethearts, generally, our teenage years are full of _____ relationship Related words: Ephemeral, Evanescent, Fugacious