Abase to humble; disgrace Abate to reduce in amount, degree, or severity Abdicate Aberrant Abeyance to give up a position, right, or power

deviating from what is normal or expected temporary suppression or supension

Abjure to reject; abandon formally Abscond Abstain to leave secretly to chose not to do something

Abstemious moderate in appetite Abyss an extreely deep hole Accretion Acidulous a growth in size; increase in amount sour in taste or manner

Acme highest point; summit; the highest level or degree attainable Adulterate Advocate to make impure to speak in favor of

Aerie a nest built high in the air; an elevated, often secluded, dwelling Aesthetic Affected Aggrandize Alacrity Alleviate concerning the appreciation of beauty phony; artificial to increase in power, influence, and reputation speed or quickness to make more bearable

Amalgamate to combine; to mix together Ambiguous Ameliorate Amortize Amulet doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted several ways to make better; to improve to diminish by installment payments ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits

Anachronism something out of place in time

Analgesia Analogous Anodyne Anomaly Antagonize Antipathy Apathy Apocryphal Apostate

a lessening of pain without loss of consciousness similar or alike insome way; equivalent to something that calms or soothes pain deviation from what is normal to annoy or provoke to anger extreme dislike lack of interest or emotion of questionable authority or authenticity one who renounces a religious faith

Approbation approval and praise Arbitrary Arbitrate Archaic determined by chance or impulse to judge a dispute between two opposing parties ancient; old-fashioned

Ardor intense and passionate feeling Arrogate Articulate to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right able to speak clearly and expressively

Assail to attack; assault Assuage Attenuate Audacious Augury to make something unpleasant less severe to reduce in force or degree; weaken fearless and daring prophecy; prediction of events

Augustdignified; grandiose Austere severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

Axiom premise; postulate; self-evident truth Banal predictable; cliched; boring Belfry bell tower; room in which a bell in hung Bevy group

Bifurcate Bilk

to divide into two parts

to cheat; defraud

Blight to afflict; destroy Blithe joyful; cheerful; or without appropriate thought Bolster Bombastic Bonhomie to support; prop up pompous in speech and manner good-natured geniality; atmosphere of good cheer

Boor crude person, one lacking manners or taste Burgeon Burnish to grow and flourish to polish

Cabal a secret group seeking to overturn something Cacophony Calumny Canard harsh, jarring noise a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation a lie

Candidimpartial and honest in speech Capricious changing one's mind quickly and often

Cartography science or art of making maps Castigate Catalyst Catholic Caustic to punish or criticize harshly something that brings about a change in something else universal broad and comprehensive biting in wit

Chaos great disorder or confused situation Chauvinist Chicanery someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs deception by means of craft or guile

Circumspect cautious; aware of potential consequences Cloying Coalesce sickly sweet; excessive to grow together to form a single whole

Coffer strongbox; large chest for money Cogentconvincing and well-reasoned Collusion Condone collaboration; complicity; conspiracy to overlook, pardon, or disregard

Connoisseur a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes Contrite deeply sorrowful and repentatnt for a wrong rebellious

Contumacious Convoluted

intricate and complicated

Corroborate to support with evidence Cosset to pamper; treat with great care Coterie Craven Credulous Crescendo Cupidity an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose lacking courage too trusting; gullible steadily increasing in volume or force greed; strong desire

Curmudgeon cranky person, usually old Debutante Declivity Decorous Decorum young woman making debut in high society downward slope proper; tasteful; socially correct appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

Deface to mar the appearance of; vandalize Deference Deleterious respect; courtesy subtly or unexpectedly harmful

Demagogue a leader or rabble-rouser, usually appealing to emotion or prejudice Demur to express doubts or objections Deride to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock Desiccate to dry out thoroughly

Desultory

jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

Diaphanous allowing light to show through; delicate Diatribe Dictum Diffident an abusive, condemnatory speech authoritative statement lacking self-confidence

Dilate to make larger; expand Dilatory Dilettante intended to delay someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

Dirge a funeral hymn or mournful speech Disabuse Discern Disparate Dissemble character Dissonance to set right; free from error to perceive or recognize fundamentally different; entirely unlike to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds

Distaff the female branch of a family Distend to swell, inflate, or bloat

Dither to act confusedly or without clear purpose Diurnal existing during the day

Divine to foretell or know by inspiration Doctrinaire Dogma Dogmatic rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief dictatorial in one's opinions

Droll amusing in a wry, subtle way Dupe to deceive; a person who is easily deceived Dyspeptic Ebullient suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable exhilarated; full of enthusiam and high spirits

Eclectic

selecting from or made up from a variety of soures

Edify to instruct morally and spiritually Efficacy effectiveness

Effigy stuffed doll; likeness of a person Effrontery impudent boldness; audacity

Elegy a sorrowful poem or speech Eloquent Embellish Emulate Encomium Endemic Enervate Engender Enigma Enumerate Ephemeral Epicure Equivocate persuassive and moving, espcially in speech to add ornamental or fictitious details to copy; to try to equal or excel warm praise belinging to a particular area; inherent to reduce in strength to produce, cause, or bring about a puzzle; a mystery to count, list, or itemize lasting a short time person with refined taste in food and wine to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

Erratic wandering and unpredictable Ersatz fake Erudite Eschew Esoteric Estimable learned; scholarly; bookish to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful) known or understood only by a few admirable

Ethos beliefs or character of a group Eulogy speech in praise of someone Euphemism use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

Euphony Exacerbate Exculpate Exigent Exonerate Explicit Exponent Exprugate

pleasant, harmonious sound to make worse to clear from blame; prove innocent urgent; requiring immediate action to clear of blame clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression one who champions or advocates to censor

Fallow dormant; unused Fanatical devotion Fatuous acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned stupid; foolishly self-satisfied

Fawn to grovel Fecund fertile; fruitful; productive

Fervid intensely emotional; feverish Fetid foul-smelling; putrid Flag to decline in vigor; strength; or interest

Florid excessively decorated or embellished Foment to arouse or incite

Ford to cross a body of water by wading Forestall Fortuitous Fractious Frenetic Frugality Furtive Gambol to prevent or delay; anticipate happening by chance; fortunate unruly; rebellious frantic; frenzied tending to be thrifty or cheap secret; stealthy to dance or skip around playfully

Garnerto gather and store Garrulous Gestation Glib tending to talk a lot growth process from conception to birth

fluent in an insincere manner; offhand; casual to glare or stare angrily and intensely process occurring by regular degrees or stages; variation in color outgoing; sociable causing grief or sorrow; serious and distressing

Glower Gradation Gregarious Grievous

Grovel to humble oneself in a demeaning way Guile deceit; trickery Gullible Hapless Hegemony Hermetic easily deceived unfortunate; having bad luck the domination of one state or group over its allies tightly sealed composed of unlike parts; different; diverse

Heterogeneous

Hoary very old; whitish or gray from age Homogeneous Husband Hyperbole Iconoclast of a similar kind

to manage economically; to use sparingly purposeful exaggeration for effect one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions

Idiosyncrasy peculiarity of temperament; eccentricity Ignoble having low moral standards; not noble in character; mean

Imbue to infuse, dye, wet, or moisten Impasse blocked path; dilemma with no solution

Impecunious poor; having no money Imperturbable Impervious not capable of being disturbed

impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

Impetuous Impious Implacable

quick to act without thinking not devout in religion unable to be calmed down or made peaceful

Imprecation a curse Impugn to call into question; to attack verbally

Incarnadine blood-red in color Inchoate Inculcate Indolent Inexorable Ingenuous Ingrate no fully formed; disorganized to teach; impress in the mind habitually lazy or idle inflexible; unyielding showing innocence or childlike simplicity ungrateful person

Ingratiate to gain favor with another by deliberate effort; to seek to please somebody so as to gain an advantage Inimical Iniquity Innocuous Inquest hostile; unfriendly sin; evil act harmless an investigatin; an inquiry

Insipidlacking interest or flavor Insurrection rebellion Inter to bury Interregnum period between reigns Intractable not easily managed or manipulated

Intransigent uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled Latent potential that is not readily apparent Laud to giv praise; to glorify Lavish extremely generous or extravagant; giving unsparingly

Leery suspicious Languid Lapidary Larceny Largess Lassitude lacking energy; indifferent relating to precious stones or the art of cutting them theft of property generous giving (as of money) to others who may seem inferior a state of diminished energy

Legerdemain trickery Lethargic acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner

Levity an inappropriate lack of seriousness; overly casual Liberal Libertine Intrepid Inundate tolerant or broad-minded; generous or lavish a free thinker, usually used disparagingly; one without moral restraint fearless; resolutely courageous to overwhelm; to cover with water

Inure to harden; accustom; become used to Invective Investiture Invidious Irascible Itinerant abusive language ceremony conferring authority envious, obnoxious, or offensive, likely to promote ill-will easily made angry wandering from place to place; unsettled

Jargon nonsensical talk; specialized language Jettison Jingoism Jocular Judicious Juncture to discard; to get rid of as unnecessary or encumbering belligerent support of one's country playful; humorous sensible; showing good judgement point of time, especially where two things are joined

Keen having a sharp edge; intellectually sharp; perceptive Kindle to set fire to or ignite; excite or inspire

Kinetic

relating to motion; characterized by movement

Knell sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure Kudos fame, glory, or honor Lachrymose tearful Laconic Lament Lampoon Licentious Limpid Lionize Lissome Listless using few words to express sorrow; to grieve to ridicule with satire immoral; unrestrained by society clear; transparent to treat as a celebrity easily flexed; limber; agile lacking energy and enthusiasm

Livid discolored from a bruise; pale; reddened with anger Loquacious talkative

Lucid clear and esily understood Lugubrious Lumber Luminous sorrowful; mournful; dismal to move slowly and awkwardly btight; brilliant; glowing

Machination plot or scheme Maelstrom Magnate whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind powerful or influential person

Malediction a curse; a wish of evil upon another Malinger Malleable Mannered Mar to evade responibilty by pretending to be ill capable of being shaped artifical or stilted in character

to damage or deface; spoil strict discipliarian; one who rigidly follows rules

Martinet

Maudlin

overly sentimental

Mendacious dishonest Mendicant Mercurial beggar quick, shrewd, and unpredictable

Meretricious gaudy; falsely attractive Metaphor Meticulous Militate figure of speech comparing two different things extremely careful; fastidious; painstaking to operate against; work against

Mirth frivolity; gaiety; laughter Misanthrope a person who dislikes others Missive Mitigate a written note or letter to soften; to lessen

Mollifyto calm or make less severe Molt to shed hair, skin, or an outer layer periodically extremly plain or secluded, as in a monastery no variaion; tedioulsly the same

Monastic Monotony

Mores fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes Multifarious diverse Myopic lacking foresight; having a narrow view or long-range perspective

Nadir lowest point Naive lacking sophistication or experience Nascent Neologism Neophyte starting to develop; coming into existence new word or expression novice; beginner

Nettle to irritate Noisome Nominal stinking; putrid existing in name only; negligble

Nuance

a subltle expression of meaning or quality

Numismatics coin collecting Obdurate Oblique hardening in feeling; resistant to persuasion indirect or evasive; misleading or devious

Obsequious overly submissive and eager to please Obstinate Obviate Occlude Officious Onerous Opaque stubborn; unyielding to prevent; to make unnecessary to stop up; prevent the passage of too helpful; meddlesome troublesome and oppresive; burdensome impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

Opine to express an opinion Opprobrium public disgrace Orotund pompous

Ossify to change in to bone; to become hardened or set in a rigidly conventional pattern Ostensible Ostentation apparent excessive showiness

Overwrought agitated; overdone Palatial Palliate relating to a palace; magnificent to make less serious; ease

Pallid lacking color or liveliness Panache Panegyric Panoply Paradox Paragon flamboyance or dash in style and action; verve elaborate praise; formal hymn of praise impressive array a contradiction or dilemma model of excellence or perfection

Pare

to trim off excess; reduce

Pariah an outcast Parley discussion, usually between enemies Parry to ward off or deflect, especially by a quickwitted answer Pastiche Pathogenic Peccadillo piece of literature or music imitating other works causing disease minor sin or offense

Pedantsomeone who shows off learning Pejorative Penury having bad connotations; disparaging an oppressive lack of resources (as money); severe poverty

Peregrinate to wander fro place to place; to travel; especially on foot Perfidious willing to betray one's trust

Perfunctory done in a routine way; indifferent Peripatetic Permeate wandering from place to place, especially on foot to penetrate

Perspicacious shrewd, astute, or keen-witted Pervade Phalanx to be present throughout; to permeate a compact or close-knit body of people, animals, or things

Philanthropy charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness Philistine a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values Phlegmatic calm and unemotional in temperament

Pithy profound or substantial yet concise, succinct and to the point Placate to soothe or pacify

Plastic able to be molded, altered, or bent Plebeian Plethora crude or coarse; characteristic of commoners excess

Plucky courageous; spunky Polemic controversy; argument; verbal attack

Politic shrewd and practical in managing or dealing with things; diplomatic Polyglot a speaker of many languages

Posit to assume as real or conceded; propose as an explanation Potentate Pragmatic a monarch or ruler with great power practical, as opposed to idealistic

Prattle meaningless, foolish talk Precipitate to throw violently or bring about abruplty; lacking deliberation

Precis short summary of facts Prescient Prevaricate Pristine Probity Proclivity Prodigal Profligate Proliferate Propitiate Propriety customs Prudence Puerile Pugilism having foresight to lie or deviate from the truth fresh and clean; uncorrupted complete honesty and integrity a natural inclination or predisposition lavish; wasteful corrupt; degenerate to increase in number quickly to conciliate; to appease the quality of behaving in a proper manner; obeying rules and wisdom, caution, or restraint childish, immature, or silly boxing

Pulchritude beauty Pungent sharp and irritating to the senses cowardly; without courage

Pusillanimous

Querulous Quiescent Quixotic Quotidian Raconteur

inclined to complain; irritable motionless overly idealistic; impractical occurring daily; commonplace witty, skillful storyteller

Rarefy to make thinner or sparser Redress Rejoinder relief from wrong or injury response

Repast meal or mealtime Replete Repose Repudiate Requite Restive Reticent Rhetoric abundantly supplied, complete rexlation; leisure to reject the validity of to return or repay impatient, uneasy, or restless silent; reserved effective writing or speaking

Ribald humorous in a vulgar way Rococo very highly ornamented; relating to an 18th century artistic style of elaborate ornamentation Rustic rural Sacrosanct Sagacious extremely sacred; beyond criticism shrewd; wise

Salient prominent; of notable significance Salubrious Sanguine Sardonic healthful ruddy; cheerfully optimistic cynical; scornfully mocking

Satiate to satisfy fully or overindulge

Scintilla Sedition Sentient Seraphic Sinecure

trace amount behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state aware; conscious; able to perceive angelic; sweet a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work

Slake to calm down or moderate Sobriquet Solecism Soporific Spartan Specious Sportive nickname gtrammatical mistake; blunder in speech causing sleep or lethargy highly self-disciplined; frugal; austere deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious frolicsome; playful

Stasis a state of static balance or equilibrium; stagnation Stentorian extremely loud

Stigma a mark of shame or discredit Stolid unemotional; lacking sensitivity Stratagem Sublime trick designed to deceive an enemy lofty or grand

Sully to tarnish; taint Supplant to replace (another) by force; to take the place of

Surfeit excessive amount Surly rude and bad-tempered Sybarite Sycophant Symbiosis a person devoted to pleasure and luxury a self-serving flatterer; yes-man cooperation; mutual helpfulness

Syncopation temporary irregularity in musical rhythm Tacit done without using words

Taciturn

silent; not talkative

Talon claw of an animal, especially a bird of prey Tangential Tawdry Terrestrial digressing; diverting gaudy, cheap,or showy earthly; down to earth; commonplace

Tirade long, harsh speech or verbal attack Toady one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors Tome book, usually large and academic Torpor Transitory Trenchant extreme mental and physical sluggishness temporary; lasting a brief time acute, sharp, or incisive; forecful; effective

Turgid swollen as from a fluid; bloated Tyro beginner; novice Umbrage offense; resentment unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust

Unconscionable

Unequivocal absolute; certain Upbraid to scold sharply

Usury the practice of lending money at exorbitant rates Vacillate Variegated Venerable Venerate Veracity Verbose Verdant to physically sway or to be indecisive varied; marked with different colors respected because of age to respect deeply filled with truth and accuracy wordy green with vegtation; inexperienced

Vernal related to spring; fresh Vestige a trace; remnant

Vex

to annoy; irritate; puzzle; confuse a change or variation; ups and downs

Vicissitude Vim

vitality and energy thick and adhesive, like a slow-flowing fluid to abuse verbally; berate easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive talkative; speaking easily; glib

Viscous Vituperate Volatile Voluble Wan

sickly pale undisciplined; unrestrained; reckless

Wanton

Waver to fluctuate between choices Whimsical Wily lightly acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable

clever; deceptive charming; happily engaging shriveled; withered; wrinkled

Winsome Wizened

Wraitha ghost or specter; a ghost of a living person seen just before his or her death Xenophobia a fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers Yoke to join together Zeal passion; excitement

Zealot someone passionately devoted to a cause Zenith the point of culmination; peak Zephyr a gentle breeze; something airy or usubstantial