Essential Words for SAT A abase (v.) to humiliate, degrade (After being overthrown and abased, the deposed leader offered to bow down to his conqueror.) abate (v.) to reduce, lessen (The rain poured down for a while, then abated.) abdicate (v.) to give up a position, usually one of leadership (When he realized that the revolutionaries would surely win, the king abdicated his throne.) abduct (v.) to kidnap, take by force (The evildoers abducted the fairy princess from her happy home.) aberration (n.) something that differs from the norm (In 1918, the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, but the success turned out to be an aberration, and the Red Sox have not won a World Series since.) abet (v.) to aid, help, encourage (The spy succeeded only because he had a friend on the inside to abet him.) abhor (v.) to hate, detest (Because he always wound up kicking himself in the head when he tried to play soccer, Oswald began to abhor the sport.) abide 1. (v.) to put up with (Though he did not agree with the decision, Chuck decided to abide by it.) 2. (v.) to remain (Despite the beating they’ve taken from the weather throughout the millennia, the mountains abide.) abject (adj.) wretched, pitiful (After losing all her money, falling into a puddle, and breaking her ankle, Eloise was abject.) abjure (v.) to reject, renounce (To prove his honesty, the President abjured the evil policies of his wicked predecessor.) abnegation (n.) denial of comfort to oneself (The holy man slept on the floor, took only cold showers, and generally followed other practices of abnegation.) abort (v.) to give up on a half-finished project or effort (After they ran out of food, the men, attempting to jump rope around the world, had to abort and go home.) abridge 1. (v.) to cut down, shorten (The publisher thought the dictionary was too long and abridged it.) 2. (adj.) shortened (Moby-Dick is such a long book that even the abridged version is longer than most normal books.) abrogate (v.) to abolish, usually by authority (The Bill of Rights assures that the government cannot abrogate our right to a free press.) abscond (v.) to sneak away and hide (In the confusion, the super-spy absconded into the night with the secret plans.) absolution (n.) freedom from blame, guilt, sin (Once all the facts were known, the jury gave Angela absolution by giving a verdict of not guilty.) abstain (v.) to freely choose not to commit an action (Everyone demanded that Angus put on the kilt, but he did not want to do it and abstained.) abstruse (adj.) hard to comprehend (Everyone else in the class understood geometry easily, but John found the subject abstruse.) accede (v.) to agree (When the class asked the teacher whether they could play baseball instead of learn grammar they expected him to refuse, but instead he acceded to their request.) accentuate (v.) to stress, highlight (Psychologists agree that those people who are happiest accentuate the positive in life.) accessible (adj.) obtainable, reachable (After studying with SparkNotes and getting a great score on the SAT, Marlena happily realized that her goal of getting into an Ivy-League college was accessible.) acclaim (n.) high praise (Greg’s excellent poem won the acclaim of his friends.) accolade (n.) high praise, special distinction (Everyone offered accolades to Sam after he won the Noble Prize.) accommodating (adj.) helpful, obliging, polite (Though the apartment was not big enough for three people, Arnold, Mark, and Zebulon were all friends and were accommodating to each other.) accord (n.) an agreement (After much negotiating, England and Iceland finally came to a mutually beneficial accord about fishing rights off the cost of Greenland.) accost (v.) to confront verbally (Though Antoinette was normally quite calm, when the waiter spilled soup on her for the fourth time in 15 minutes she stood up and accosted the man.) accretion (n.) slow growth in size or amount (Stalactites are formed by the accretion of minerals from the roofs of caves.) acerbic (adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste (Jill became extremely acerbic and began to cruelly make fun of all her friends.) acquiesce (v.) to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Correlli wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, he acquiesced to her demands.) acrimony (n.) bitterness, discord (Though they vowed that no girl would ever come between them, Biff and Trevor could not keep acrimony from overwhelming their friendship after they both fell in love with the lovely Teresa.) acumen (n.) keen insight (Because of his mathematical acumen, Larry was able to figure out in minutes problems that took other students hours.) acute 1. (adj.) sharp, severe (Arnold could not walk because the pain in his foot was so acute.) 2. (adj.) having keen insight (Because she was so acute, Libby instantly figured out how the magician pulled off his “magic.”) adamant (adj.) impervious, immovable, unyielding (Though public pressure was intense, the President remained adamant about his proposal.) adept (adj.) extremely skilled (Tarzan was adept at jumping from tree to tree like a monkey.) adhere 1. (n.) to stick to something (We adhered the poster to the wall with tape.) 2. (n.) to follow devoutly (He adhered to the dictates of his religion without question.) admonish (v.) to caution, criticize, reprove (Joe’s mother admonished him not to ruin his appetite by eating cookies before dinner.) adorn (v.) to decorate (We adorned the tree with ornaments.) adroit (adj.) skillful, dexterous (The adroit thief could pick someone’s pocket without attracting notice.) adulation (n.) extreme praise (Though the book was pretty good, Marcy did not believe it deserved the adulation it received.) adumbrate (v.) to sketch out in a vague way (The coach adumbrated a game plan, but none of the players knew precisely what to do.) adverse (adj.) antagonistic, unfavorable, dangerous (Because of adverse conditions, the hikers decided to give up trying to climb the mountain.) advocate 1. (v.) to argue in favor of something (Arnold advocated turning left at the stop sign, even though everyone else thought we should turn right.) 2. (n.) a person who argues in favor of something (In addition to wanting to turn left at every stop sign, Arnold was also a great advocate of increasing national defense spending.) aerial (adj.) somehow related to the air (We watched as the fighter planes conducted aerial maneuvers.) aesthetic (adj.) artistic, related to the appreciation of beauty (We hired Susan as our interior decorator because she has such a fine aesthetic sense.) affable (adj.) friendly, amiable (People like to be around George because he is so affable and good-natured.) affinity (n.)a spontaneous feeling of closeness (Jerry didn’t know why, but he felt an incredible affinity for Kramer the first time they met.) affluent (adj.) rich, wealthy (Mrs. Grebelski was affluent, owning a huge house, three cars, and an island near Maine.) affront (n.) an insult (Bernardo was very touchy, and took any slight as an affront to his honor.) aggrandize (v.) to increase or make greater (Joseph always dropped the names of the famous people his father knew as a way to aggrandize his personal stature.) aggregate 1. (n.) a whole or total (The three branches of the U.S. Government form an aggregate much more powerful than its individual parts.) 2. (v.) to gather into a mass (The dictator tried to aggregate as many people into his army as he possibly could.) aggrieved (adj.) distressed, wronged, injured (The foreman mercilessly overworked his aggrieved employees.) agile (adj.) quick, nimble (The dogs were too slow to catch the agile rabbit.) agnostic (adj.) believing that the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven (Joey’s parents are very religious, but he is agnostic.) agriculture (n.) farming (It was a huge step in the progress of civilization when tribes left hunting and gathering and began to develop more sustainable methods of obtaining food, such as agriculture.) aisle (n.) a passageway between rows of seats (Once we got inside the stadium we walked down the aisle to our seats.) alacrity (n.) eagerness, speed (For some reason, Chuck loved to help his mother whenever he could, so when his mother asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.) alias (n.) a false name or identity (He snuck past the guards by using an alias and fake ID.) allay (v.) to soothe, ease (The chairman of the Federal Reserve gave a speech to try to allay investors’ fears about an economic downturn.) allege (v.) to assert, usually without proof (The policeman had alleged that Marshall committed the crime, but after the investigation turned up no evidence, Marshall was set free.) alleviate (v.) to relieve, make more bearable (This drug will alleviate the symptoms of the terrible disease, but only for a while.) allocate (v.) to distribute, set aside (The Mayor allocated 30 percent of the funds for improving the town’s schools.) aloof (adj.) reserved, distant (The scientist could sometimes seem aloof, as if he didn’t care about his friends or family, but really he was just thinking about quantum mechanics.) altercation (n.) a dispute, fight (Jason and Lionel blamed one another for the car accident, leading to an altercation.) amalgamate (v.) to bring together, unite (Because of his great charisma, the presidential candidate was able to amalgamate all democrats and republicans under his banner.) ambiguous (adj.) uncertain, variably interpretable (Some people think Caesar married Cleopatra for her power, others believe he was charmed by her beauty. His actual reasons are ambiguous.) ambivalent (adj.) having opposing feelings (My feelings about Calvin are ambivalent because on one hand he is a loyal friend, but on the other, he is a cruel and vicious thief.) ameliorate (v.) to improve (The tense situation was ameliorated when Sam proposed a solution everyone could agree upon.) amenable (adj.) willing, compliant (Our father was amenable when we asked him to drive us to the farm so we could go apple picking.) amenity (n.) an item that increases comfort (Bill Gates’s house is stocked with so many amenities, he never has to do anything for himself.) amiable (adj.) friendly (An amiable fellow, Harry got along with just about everyone.) amicable (adj.) friendly (Claudia and Jimmy got divorced, but amicably and without hard feelings.) amorous (adj.) showing love, particularly sexual (Whenever Albert saw Mariah wear her slinky red dress, he began to feel quite amorous.) amorphous (adj.) without definite shape or type (The effort was doomed from the start, because the reasons behind it were so amorphous and hard to pin down.) anachronistic (adj.) being out of correct chronological order (In this book you’re writing, you say that the Pyramids were built after the Titanic sank, which is anachronistic.) analgesic (n.) something that reduces pain (Put this analgesic on the wound so that the poor man at least feels a little better.) analogous (adj.) similar to, so that an analogy can be drawn (Though they are unrelated genetically, the bone structure of whales and fish is quite analogous.) anarchist (n.) one who wants to eliminate all government (An anarchist, Carmine wanted to dissolve every government everywhere.) anathema (n.) a cursed, detested person (I never want to see that murderer. He is an anathema to me.) anecdote (n.) a short, humorous account (After dinner, Marlon told an anecdote about the time he got his nose stuck in a toaster.) anesthesia (n.) loss of sensation (When the nerves in his spine were damaged, Mr. Hollins suffered anesthesia in his legs.) anguish (n.) extreme sadness, torment (Angelos suffered terrible anguish when he learned that Buffy had died while combating a strange mystical force of evil.) animated (adj.) lively (When he begins to talk about drama, which is his true passion, he becomes very animated.) annex 1. (v.) to incorporate territory or space (After defeating them in battle, the Russians annexed Poland.) 2. (n.) a room attached to a larger room or space (He likes to do his studying in a little annex attached to the main reading room in the library.) annul (v.) to make void or invalid (After seeing its unforeseen and catastrophic effects, Congress sought to annul the law.) anomaly (n.) something that does not fit into the normal order (“That rip in the space- time continuum is certainly a spatial anomaly,” said Spock to Captain Kirk.) anonymous (adj.) being unknown, unrecognized (Mary received a love poem from an anonymous admirer.) antagonism (n.) hostility (Superman and Bizarro Superman shared a mutual antagonism, and often fought.) antecedent (n.) something that came before (The great tradition of Western culture had its antecedent in the culture of Ancient Greece.) antediluvian (adj.) ancient (The antediluvian man still believed that Eisenhower was president of the United States and that hot dogs cost a nickel.) anthology (n.) a selected collection of writings, songs, etc. (The new anthology of Bob Dylan songs contains all his greatest hits and a few songs that you might never have heard before.) antipathy (n.) a strong dislike, repugnance (I know you love me, but because you are a liar and a thief, I feel nothing but antipathy for you.) antiquated (adj.) old, out of date (That antiquated car has none of the features, like power windows and steering, that make modern cars so great.) antiseptic (adj.) clean, sterile (The antiseptic hospital was very bare, but its cleanliness helped to keep patients healthy.) antithesis (n.) the absolute opposite (Your values, which hold war and violence in the highest esteem, are the antithesis of my pacifist beliefs.) anxiety (n.) intense uneasiness (When he heard about the car crash, he felt anxiety because he knew that his girlfriend had been driving on the road where the accident occurred.) apathetic (adj.) lacking concern, emotion (Uninterested in politics, Bruno was apathetic about whether he lived under a capitalist or communist regime.) apocryphal (adj.) fictitious, false, wrong (Because I am standing before you, it seems obvious that the stories circulating about my demise were apocryphal.) appalling (adj.) inspiring shock, horror, disgust (The judge found the murderer’s crimes and lack of remorse appalling.) appease (v.) to calm, satisfy (When the child cries, the mother gives him candy to appease him.) appraise (v.) to assess the worth or value of (A realtor will come over tonight to appraise our house.) apprehend 1. (v.) to seize, arrest (The criminal was apprehended at the scene.) 2. (v.) to perceive, understand, grasp (The student has trouble apprehending concepts in math and science.) approbation (n.) praise (The crowd welcomed the heroes with approbation.) appropriate (v.) to take, make use of (The government appropriated the farmer’s land without justification.) aquatic (adj.) relating to water (The marine biologist studies starfish and other aquatic creatures.) arable (adj.) suitable for growing crops (The farmer purchased a plot of arable land on which he will grow corn and sprouts.) arbiter (n.) one who can resolve a dispute, make a decision (The divorce court judge will serve as the arbiter between the estranged husband and wife.) arbitrary (adj.) based on factors that appear random (The boy’s decision to choose one college over another seems arbitrary.) arbitration (n.) the process or act of resolving a dispute (The employee sought official arbitration when he could not resolve a disagreement with his supervisor.) arboreal (adj.) of or relating to trees (Leaves, roots, and bark are a few arboreal traits.) arcane (adj.) obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcane Lithuanian literature.) archaic (adj.) of or relating to an earlier period in time, outdated (In a few select regions of Western Mongolian, an archaic Chinese dialect is still spoken.) archetypal (adj.) the most representative or typical example of something (Some believe George Washington, with his flowing white hair and commanding stature, was the archetypal politician.) ardor (n.) extreme vigor, energy, enthusiasm (The soldiers conveyed their ardor with impassioned battle cries.) arid (adj.) excessively dry (Little other than palm trees and cacti grow successfully in arid environments.) arrogate (v.) to take without justification (The king arrogated the right to order executions to himself exclusively.) artifact (n.) a remaining piece from an extinct culture or place (The scientists spent all day searching the cave for artifacts from the ancient Mayan civilization.) artisan (n.) a craftsman (The artisan uses wood to make walking sticks.) ascertain (v.) to perceive, learn (With a bit of research, the student ascertained that some plants can live for weeks without water.) ascetic (adj.) practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (The priest lives an ascetic life devoid of television, savory foods, and other pleasures.) ascribe (v.) to assign, credit, attribute to (Some ascribe the invention of fireworks and dynamite to the Chinese.) aspersion (n.) a curse, expression of ill-will (The rival politicians repeatedly cast aspersions on each others’ integrity.) aspire (v.) to long for, aim toward (The young poet aspires to publish a book of verse someday.) assail (v.) to attack (At dawn, the war planes assailed the boats in the harbor.) assess (v.) to evaluate (A crew arrived to assess the damage after the crash.) assiduous (adj.) hard-working, diligent (The construction workers erected the skyscraper during two years of assiduous labor.) assuage (v.) to ease, pacify (The mother held the baby to assuage its fears.) astute (adj.) very clever, crafty (Much of Roger’s success in politics results from his ability to provide astute answers to reporters’ questions.) asylum 1. (n.) a place of refuge, protection, a sanctuary (For Thoreau, the forest served as an asylum from the pressures of urban life.) 2. (n.) an institution in which the insane are kept (Once diagnosed by a certified psychiatrist, the man was put in an asylum.) atone (v.) to repent, make amends (The man atoned for forgetting his wife’s birthday by buying her five dozen roses.) atrophy (v.) to wither away, decay (If muscles do not receive enough blood, they will soon atrophy and die.) attain (v.) to achieve, arrive at (The athletes strived to attain their best times in competition.) attribute 1. (v.) to credit, assign (He attributes all of his success to his mother’s undying encouragement.) 2. (n.) a facet or trait (Among the beetle’s most peculiar attributes is its thorny protruding eyes.) atypical (adj.) not typical, unusual (Screaming and crying is atypical adult behavior.) audacious (adj.) excessively bold (The security guard was shocked by the fan’s audacious attempt to offer him a bribe.) audible (adj.) able to be heard (The missing person’s shouts were unfortunately not audible.) augment (v.) to add to, expand (The eager student seeks to augment his knowledge of French vocabulary by reading French literature.) auspicious (adj.) favorable, indicative of good things (The tennis player considered the sunny forecast an auspicious sign that she would win her match.) austere (adj.) very bare, bleak (The austere furniture inside the abandoned house made the place feel haunted.) avarice (n.) excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass a tremendous personal fortune.) avenge (v.) to seek revenge (The victims will take justice into their own hands and strive to avenge themselves against the men who robbed them.) aversion (n.) a particular dislike for something (Because he’s from Hawaii, Ben has an aversion to autumn, winter, and cold climates in general.) B B balk (v.) to stop, block abruptly (Edna’s boss balked at her request for another raise.) ballad (n.) a love song (Greta’s boyfriend played her a ballad on the guitar during their walk through the dark woods.) banal (adj.) dull, commonplace (The client rejected our proposal because they found our presentation banal and unimpressive.) bane (n.) a burden (Advanced physics is the bane of many students’ academic lives.) bard (n.) a poet, often a singer as well (Shakespeare is often considered the greatest bard in the history of the English language.) bashful (adj.) shy, excessively timid (Frankie’s mother told him not to be bashful when he refused to attend the birthday party.) battery 1.(n.) a device that supplies power (Most cars run on a combination of power from a battery and gasoline.) 2. (n.)assault, beating (Her husband was accused of assault and battery after he attacked a man on the sidewalk.) beguile (v.) to trick, deceive (The thief beguiled his partners into surrendering all of their money to him.) behemoth (n.) something of tremendous power or size (The new aircraft carrier is among several behemoths that the Air Force has added to its fleet.) benevolent (adj.) marked by goodness or doing good (Police officers should be commended for their benevolent service to the community.) benign (adj.) favorable, not threatening, mild (We were all relieved to hear that the medical tests determined her tumor to be benign.) bequeath (v.) to pass on, give (Jon’s father bequeathed his entire estate to his mother.) berate (v.) to scold vehemently (The angry boss berated his employees for failing to meet their deadline.) bereft (adj.) devoid of, without (His family was bereft of food and shelter following the tornado.) beseech (v.) to beg, plead, implore (The servant beseeched the king for food to feed his starving family.) bias (n.) a tendency, inclination, prejudice (The judge’s hidden bias against smokers led him to make an unfair decision.) bilk (v.) cheat, defraud (The lawyer discovered that this firm had bilked several clients out of thousands of dollars.) blandish (v.) to coax by using flattery (Rachel’s assistant tried to blandish her into accepting the deal.) blemish (n.) an imperfection, flaw (The dealer agreed to lower the price because of the many blemishes on the surface of the wooden furniture.) blight 1. (n.) a plague, disease (The potato blight destroyed the harvest and bankrupted many families.) 2. (n.) something that destroys hope (His bad morale is a blight upon this entire operation.) boisterous (adj.) loud and full of energy (The candidate won the vote after giving several boisterous speeches on television.) bombastic (adj.) excessively confident, pompous (The singer’s bombastic performance disgusted the crowd.) boon (n.) a gift or blessing (The good weather has been a boon for many businesses located near the beach.) bourgeois (n.) a middle-class person, capitalist (Many businessmen receive criticism for their bourgeois approach to life.) brazen (adj.) excessively bold, brash (Critics condemned the novelist’s brazen attempt to plagiarize Hemingway’s story.) brusque (adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive (The captain’s brusque manner offended the passengers.) buffet 1. (v.) to strike with force (The strong winds buffeted the ships, threatening to capsize them.) 2. (n.) an arrangement of food set out on a table (Rather than sitting around a table, the guests took food from our buffet and ate standing up.) burnish (v.) to polish, shine (His mother asked him to burnish the silverware before setting the table.) buttress 1. (v.) to support, hold up (The column buttresses the roof above the statue.) 2. (n.) something that offers support (The buttress supports the roof above the statues.) C cacophony (n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound (The elementary school orchestra created a cacophony at the recital.) cadence (n.) a rhythm, progression of sound (The pianist used the foot pedal to emphasize the cadence of the sonata.) cajole (v.) to urge, coax (Fred’s buddies cajoled him into attending the bachelor party.) calamity (n.) an event with disastrous consequences (The earthquake in San Francisco was a calamity worse than any other natural disaster in history.) calibrate (v.) to set, standardize (The mechanic calibrated the car’s transmission to make the motor run most efficiently.) callous (adj.) harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.) calumny (n.) an attempt to spoil someone else’s reputation by spreading lies (The local official’s calumny ended up ruining his opponent’s prospect of winning the election.) camaraderie (n.) brotherhood, jovial unity (Camaraderie among employees usually leads to success in business.) candor (n.) honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the mayor’s speech because he is usually rather evasive.) canny (adj.) shrewd, careful (The canny runner hung at the back of the pack through much of the race to watch the other runners, and then sprinted past them at the end.) canvas 1. (n.) a piece of cloth on which an artist paints (Picasso liked to work on canvas rather than on bare cement.) 2. (v.) to cover, inspect (We canvassed the neighborhood looking for clues.) capacious (adj.) very spacious (The workers delighted in their new capacious office space.) capitulate (v.) to surrender (The army finally capitulated after fighting a long costly battle.) capricious (adj.) subject to whim, fickle (The young girl’s capricious tendencies made it difficult for her to focus on achieving her goals.) captivate (v.) to get the attention of, hold (The fireworks captivated the young boy, who had never seen such things before.) carouse (v.) to party, celebrate (We caroused all night after getting married.) carp (v.) to annoy, pester (The husband divorced his wife after listening to her carping voice for decades.) catalog 1. (v.) to list, enter into a list (The judge cataloged the victim’s injuries before calculating how much money he would award.) 2. (n.) a list or collection (We received a catalog from J. Crew that displayed all of their new items.) catalyze (v.) to charge, inspire (The president’s speech catalyzed the nation and resuscitated the economy.) caucus (n.) a meeting usually held by people working toward the same goal (The ironworkers held a caucus to determine how much of a pay increase they would request.) caustic (adj.) bitter, biting, acidic (The politicians exchanged caustic insults for over an hour during the debate.) cavort (v.) to leap about, behave boisterously (The adults ate their dinners on the patio, while the children cavorted around the pool.) censure 1. (n.) harsh criticism (The frustrated teenager could not put up with anymore of her critical mother’s censure.) 2. (v.) to rebuke formally (The principal censured the head of the English Department for forcing students to learn esoteric vocabulary.) cerebral (adj.) related to the intellect (The books we read in this class are too cerebral— they don’t engage my emotions at all.) chaos (n.) absolute disorder (Mr. Thornton’s sudden departure for the lavatory plunged his classroom into chaos.) chastise (v.) to criticize severely (After being chastised by her peers for mimicking Britney Spears, Miranda dyed her hair black and affected a Gothic style.) cherish (v.) to feel or show affection toward something (She continued to cherish her red plaid trousers, even though they had gone out of style and no longer fit her.) chide (v.) to voice disapproval (Lucy chided Russell for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.) choreography (n.) the arrangement of dances (The plot of the musical was banal, but the choreography was stunning.) chronicle 1. (n.) a written history (The library featured the newly updated chronicle of World War II.) 2. (v.) to write a history (Albert’s diary chronicled the day-to-day growth of his obsession with Cynthia.) chronological (adj.) arranged in order of time (Lionel carefully arranged the snapshots of his former girlfriends in chronological order, and then set fire to them.) circuitous (adj.) roundabout (The bus’s circuitous route took us through numerous outlying suburbs.) circumlocution (n.) indirect and wordy language (The professor’s habit of speaking in circumlocutions made it difficult to follow his lectures.) circumscribed (adj.) marked off, bounded (The children were permitted to play tag only within a carefully circumscribed area of the lawn.) circumspect (adj.) cautious (Though Ipromised Rachel’s father Iwould bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.) circumvent (v.) to get around (The school’s dress code forbidding navel-baring jeans was circumvented by the determined students, who were careful to cover up with long coats when administrators were nearby.) clairvoyant (adj.) able to perceive things that normal people cannot (Zelda’s uncanny ability to detect my lies was nothing short of clairvoyant.) clamor 1. (n.) loud noise (Each morning the birds outside my window make such a clamor that they wake me up.) 2. (v.)to loudly insist (Neville’s fans clamored for him to appear on stage, but he had passed out on the floor of his dressing room.) clandestine (adj.) secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the gym, Sophie actually went to meet Joseph for a clandestine liaison.) cleave 1. (v.) to divide into parts (Following the scandalous disgrace of their leader, the entire political party cleaved into warring factions.) 2. (v.) to stick together firmly (After resolving their marital problems, Junior and Rosa cleaved to one another all the more tightly.) clemency (n.) mercy (After he forgot their anniversary, Martin could only beg Maria for clemency.) clergy (n.) members of Christian holy orders (Though the villagers viewed the church rectory as quaint and charming, the clergy who lived there regarded it as a mildewy and dusty place that aggravated their allergies.) cloying (adj.) sickeningly sweet (Though Ronald was physically attractive, Maud found his constant compliments and solicitous remarks cloying.) coagulate (v.) to thicken, clot (The top layer of the pudding had coagulated into a thick skin.) coalesce (v.) to fuse into a whole (Gordon’s ensemble of thrift-shop garments coalesced into a surprisingly handsome outfit.) cobbler (n.) a person who makes or repairs shoes (I had my neighborhood cobbler replace my worn-out leather soles with new ones.) coerce (v.) to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that Vanilla Ice did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.) cogent (adj.) intellectually convincing (Irene’s arguments in favor of abstinence were so cogent that I could not resist them.) cognizant (adj.) aware, mindful (Jake avoided speaking to women in bars because he was cognizant of the fact that drinking impairs his judgment.) coherent (adj.) logically consistent, intelligible (Renee could not figure out what Monroe had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherent statement.) collateral 1. (adj.) secondary (Divorcing my wife had the collateral effect of making me poor, as she was the only one of us with a job or money.) 2. (n.) security for a debt (Jacob left his watch as collateral for the $500 loan.) colloquial (adj.) characteristic of informal conversation (Adam’s essay on sexual response in primates was marked down because it contained too many colloquial expressions.) collusion (n.) secret agreement, conspiracy (The three law students worked in collusion to steal the final exam.) colossus (n.) a gigantic statue or thing (For 56 years, the ancient city of Rhodes featured a colossus standing astride its harbor.) combustion (n.) the act or process of burning (The unexpected combustion of the prosecution’s evidence forced the judge to dismiss the case against Ramirez.) commendation (n.) a notice of approval or recognition (Jared received a commendation from Linda, his supervisor, for his stellar performance.) commensurate (adj.) corresponding in size or amount (Ahab selected a very long roll and proceeded to prepare a tuna salad sandwich commensurate with his enormous appetite.) commodious (adj.) roomy (Holden invited the three women to join him in the back seat of the taxicab, assuring them that the car was quite commodious.) compelling (adj.) forceful, demanding attention (Eliot’s speech was so compelling that Lenore accepted his proposal on the spot.) compensate (v.) to make an appropriate payment for something (Reginald bought Sharona a new dress to compensate her for the one he’d spilled his ice cream on.) complacency (n.) self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Colin tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.) complement (v.) to complete, make perfect (Ann’s scarf complements her blouse beautifully, making her seem fully dressed even though she isn’t wearing a coat.) compliant (adj.) ready to adapt oneself to another’s wishes (Sue had very strong opinions about what to do on a first date, and Ted was absolutely compliant.) complicit (adj.) being an accomplice in a wrongful act (By keeping her daughter’s affair a secret, Maddie became complicit in it.) compliment (n.) an expression of esteem or approval (I blushed crimson when Emma gave me a compliment on my new haircut.) compound 1. (v.) to combine parts (The difficulty of finding a fire escape amid the smoke was compounded with the dangers posed by the panicking crowds.) 2. (n.) a combination of different parts (My attraction to Donna was a compound of curiosity about the unknown, physical desire, and intellectual admiration.) 3. (n.) a walled area containing a group of buildings (When the fighting started, Joseph rushed into the family compound because it was safe and well defended.) comprehensive (adj.) including everything (She sent me a comprehensive list of the ingredients needed to cook rabbit soufflé.) compress (v.) to apply pressure, squeeze together (Lynn compressed her lips into a frown.) compunction (n.) distress caused by feeling guilty (He felt compunction for the shabby way he’d treated her.) concede (v.) to accept as valid (Andrew had to concede that what his mother said about Diana made sense.) conciliatory (adj.) friendly, agreeable (I took Amanda’s invitation to dinner as a very conciliatory gesture.) concise (adj.) brief and direct in expression (Gordon did not like to waste time, and his instructions to Brenda were nothing if not concise.) concoct (v.) to fabricate, make up (She concocted the most ridiculous story to explain her absence.) concomitant (adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion (His dislike of hard work carried with it a concomitant lack of funds.) concord (n.) harmonious agreement (Julie and Harold began the evening with a disagreement, but ended it in a state of perfect concord.) condolence (n.) an expression of sympathy in sorrow (Brian lamely offered his condolences on the loss of his sister’s roommate’s cat.) condone (v.) to pardon, deliberately overlook (He refused to condone his brother’s crime.) conduit (n.) a pipe or channel through which something passes (The water flowed through the conduit into the container.) confection (n.) a sweet, fancy food (We went to the mall food court and purchased a delicious confection.) confidant (n.) a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, she became my chief confidant.) conflagration (n.) great fire (The conflagration consumed the entire building.) confluence (n.) a gathering together (A confluence of different factors made tonight the perfect night.) conformist (n.) one who behaves the same as others (Julian was such a conformist that he had to wait and see if his friends would do something before he would commit.) confound (v.) to frustrate, confuse (MacGuyver confounded the policemen pursuing him by covering his tracks.) congeal (v.) to thicken into a solid (The sauce had congealed into a thick paste.) congenial (adj.) pleasantly agreeable (His congenial manner made him popular wherever he went.) congregation (n.) a gathering of people, especially for religious services (The priest told the congregation that he would be retiring.) congruity (n.) the quality of being in agreement (Bill and Veronica achieved a perfect congruity of opinion.) connive (v.) to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my vacation plans.) consecrate (v.) to dedicate something to a holy purpose (Arvin consecrated his spare bedroom as a shrine to Christina.) consensus (n.) an agreement of opinion (The jury was able to reach a consensus only after days of deliberation.) consign (v.) to give something over to another’s care (Unwillingly, he consigned his mother to a nursing home.) consolation (n.) an act of comforting (Darren found Alexandra’s presence to be a consolation for his suffering.) consonant (adj.) in harmony (The singers’ consonant voices were beautiful.) constituent (n.) an essential part (The most important constituent of her perfume is something called ambergris.) constrain (v.)to forcibly restrict (His belief in nonviolence constrained him from taking revenge on his attackers.) construe (v.) to interpret (He construed her throwing his clothes out the window as a signal that she wanted him to leave.) consummate (v.) to complete a deal; to complete a marriage ceremony through sexual intercourse (Erica and Donald consummated their agreement in the executive boardroom.) consumption (n.) the act of consuming (Consumption of intoxicating beverages is not permitted on these premises.) contemporaneous (adj.) existing during the same time (Though her novels do not feature the themes of Romanticism, Jane Austen’s work was contemporaneous with that of Wordsworth and Byron.) contentious (adj.) having a tendency to quarrel or dispute (George’s contentious personality made him unpopular with his classmates.) contravene (v.) to contradict, oppose, violate (Edwidge contravened his landlady’s rule against overnight guests.) contrite (adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven (Blake’s contrite behavior made it impossible to stay angry at him.) contusion (n.) bruise, injury (The contusions on his face suggested he’d been in a fight.) conundrum (n.) puzzle, problem (Interpreting Jane’s behavior was a constant conundrum.) convene (v.) to call together (Jason convened his entire extended family for a discussion.) convention 1. (n.) an assembly of people (The hotel was full because of the cattle- ranchers’ convention.) 2. (n.) a rule, custom (The cattle-ranchers have a convention that you take off your boots before entering their houses.) convivial (adj.) characterized by feasting, drinking, merriment (The restaurant’s convivial atmosphere put me immediately at ease.) convoluted (adj.) intricate, complicated (Grace’s story was so convoluted that I couldn’t follow it.) copious (adj.) profuse, abundant (Copious amounts of Snapple were imbibed in the cafeteria.) cordial (adj.) warm, affectionate (His cordial greeting melted my anger at once.) coronation (n.) the act of crowning (The new king’s coronation occurred the day after his father’s death.) corpulence (adj.)extreme fatness (Henry’s corpulence did not make him any less attractive to his charming, svelte wife.) corroborate (v.) to support with evidence (Luke’s seemingly outrageous claim was corroborated by witnesses.) corrosive (adj.) having the tendency to erode or eat away (The effect of the chemical was highly corrosive.) cosmopolitan (adj.) sophisticated, worldly (Lloyd’s education and upbringing were cosmopolitan, so he felt right at home among the powerful and learned.) counteract (v.) to neutralize, make ineffective (The antidote counteracted the effect of the poison.) coup 1. (n.) a brilliant, unexpected act (Alexander pulled off an amazing coup when he got a date with Cynthia by purposely getting hit by her car.) 2. (n.) the overthrow of a government and assumption of authority (In their coup attempt, the army officers stormed the Parliament and took all the legislators hostage.) covet (v.) to desire enviously (I coveted Moses’s house, wife, and car.) covert (adj.) secretly engaged in (Nerwin waged a covert campaign against his enemies, while outwardly appearing to remain friendly.) credulity (n.) readiness to believe (His credulity made him an easy target for con men.) crescendo (n.) a steady increase in intensity or volume (The crescendo of the brass instruments gave the piece a patriotic feel.) criteria (n.) standards by which something is judged (Among Mrs. Fields’s criteria for good cookies are that they be moist and chewy.) culmination (n.) the climax toward which something progresses (The culmination of the couple’s argument was the decision to divorce.) culpable (adj.) deserving blame (He was culpable of the crime, and was sentenced to perform community service for 75 years.) cultivate (v.) to nurture, improve, refine (At the library, she cultivated her interest in spy novels.) cumulative (adj.) increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent in the sun was a deep tan.) cunning (adj.) sly, clever at being deceitful (The general devised a cunning plan to surprise the enemy.) cupidity (n.) greed, strong desire (His cupidity made him enter the abandoned gold mine despite the obvious dangers.) cursory (adj.) brief to the point of being superficial (Late for the meeting, she cast a cursory glance at the agenda.) curt (adj.) abruptly and rudely short (Her curt reply to my question made me realize that she was upset at me.) curtail (v.) to lessen, reduce (Since losing his job, he had to curtail his spending.) D daunting (adj.) intimidating, causing one to lose courage (He kept delaying the daunting act of asking for a promotion.) dearth (n.) a lack, scarcity (An eager reader, she was dismayed by the dearth of classic books at the library.) debacle (n.) a disastrous failure, disruption (The elaborately designed fireworks show turned into a debacle when the fireworks started firing in random directions.) debase (v.) to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.) debauch (v.) to corrupt by means of sensual pleasures (An endless amount of good wine and cheese debauched the traveler.) debunk (v.) to expose the falseness of something (He debunked her claim to be the world’s greatest chess player by defeating her in 18 consecutive matches.) decorous (adj.) socially proper, appropriate (The appreciative guest displayed decorous behavior toward his host.) decry (v.) to criticize openly (The kind video rental clerk decried the policy of charging customers late fees.) deface (v.) to ruin or injure something’s appearance (The brothers used eggs and shaving cream to deface their neighbor’s mailbox.) defamatory (adj.) harmful toward another’s reputation (The defamatory gossip spreading about the actor made the public less willing to see the actor’s new movie.) defer (v.) to postpone something; to yield to another’s wisdom (Ron deferred to Diane, the expert on musical instruments, when he was asked about buying a piano.) deferential (adj.) showing respect for another’s authority (His deferential attitude toward her made her more confident in her ability to run the company.) defile (v.) to make unclean, impure (She defiled the calm of the religious building by playing her banjo.) deft (adj.) skillful, capable (Having worked in a bakery for many years, Marcus was a deft bread maker.) defunct (adj.) no longer used or existing (They planned to turn the defunct schoolhouse into a community center.) delegate (v.) to hand over responsibility for something (The dean delegated the task of finding a new professor to a special hiring committee.) deleterious (adj.) harmful (She experienced the deleterious effects of running a marathon without stretching her muscles enough beforehand.) deliberate (adj.) intentional, reflecting careful consideration (Though Mary was quite upset, her actions to resolve the dispute were deliberate.) delineate (v.) to describe, outline, shed light on (She neatly delineated her reasons for canceling the project’s funding.) demagogue (n.) a leader who appeals to a people’s prejudices (The demagogue strengthened his hold over his people by blaming immigrants for the lack of jobs.) demarcation (n.) the marking of boundaries or categories (Different cultures have different demarcations of good and evil.) demean (v.) to lower the status or stature of something (She refused to demean her secretary by making him order her lunch.) demure (adj.) quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.) denigrate (v.) to belittle, diminish the opinion of (The company decided that its advertisements would no longer denigrate the company’s competitors.) denounce (v.) to criticize publicly (The senator denounced her opponent as a greedy politician.) deplore (v.) to feel or express sorrow, disapproval (We all deplored the miserable working conditions in the factory.) depravity (n.) wickedness (Rumors of the ogre’s depravity made the children afraid to enter the forest.) deprecate (v.) to belittle, depreciate (Always over-modest, he deprecated his contribution to the local charity.) derelict (adj.) abandoned, run-down (Even though it was dangerous, the children enjoyed going to the deserted lot and playing in the derelict house.) deride (v.) to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The bullies derided the foreign student’s accent.) derivative (adj.) taken directly from a source, unoriginal (She was bored by his music because she felt that it was derivative and that she had heard it before.) desecrate (v.) to violate the sacredness of a thing or place (They feared that the construction of a golf course would desecrate the preserved wilderness.) desiccated (adj.) dried up, dehydrated (The skin of the desiccated mummy looked like old paper.) desolate (adj.) deserted, dreary, lifeless (She found the desolate landscape quite a contrast to the hustle and bustle of the overcrowded city.) despondent (adj.) feeling depressed, discouraged, hopeless (Having failed the first math test, the despondent child saw no use in studying for the next and failed that one too.) despot (n.) one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.) destitute (adj.) impoverished, utterly lacking (The hurricane destroyed many homes and left many families destitute.) deter (v.) to discourage, prevent from doing (Bob’s description of scary snakes couldn’t deter Marcia from traveling in the rainforests.) devious (adj.) not straightforward, deceitful (Not wanting to be punished, the devious girl blamed the broken vase on the cat.) dialect (n.) a variation of a language (In the country’s remote, mountainous regions, the inhabitants spoke a dialect that the country’s other inhabitants had difficulty understanding.) diaphanous (adj.) light, airy, transparent (Sunlight poured in through the diaphanous curtains, brightening the room.) didactic 1. (adj.) intended to instruct (She wrote up a didactic document showing new employees how to handle the company’s customers.) 2. (adj.) overly moralistic (His didactic style of teaching made it seem like he wanted to persuade his students not to understand history fully, but to understand it from only one point of view.) diffident (adj.) shy, quiet, modest (While eating dinner with the adults, the diffident youth did not speak for fear of seeming presumptuous.) diffuse 1. (v.) to scatter, thin out, break up (He diffused the tension in the room by making in a joke.) 2. (adj.) not concentrated, scattered, disorganized (In her writings, she tried unsuccessfully to make others understand her diffuse thoughts.) dilatory (adj.) tending to delay, causing delay (The general’s dilatory strategy enabled the enemy to regroup.) diligent (adj.) showing care in doing one’s work (The diligent researcher made sure to check her measurements multiple times.) diminutive (adj.) small or miniature (The bullies, tall and strong, picked on the diminutive child.) dirge (n.) a mournful song, especially for a funeral (The bagpipers played a dirge as the casket was carried to the cemetery.) disaffected (adj.) rebellious, resentful of authority (Dismayed by Bobby’s poor behavior, the parents sent their disaffected son to a military academy to be disciplined.) disavow (v.) to deny knowledge of or responsibility for (Not wanting others to criticize her, she disavowed any involvement in the company’s hiring scandal.) discern (v.) to perceive, detect (Though he hid his emotions, she discerned from his body language that he was angry.) disclose (v.) to reveal, make public (The CEO disclosed to the press that the company would have to fire several employees.) discomfit (v.) to thwart, baffle (The normally cheery and playful children’s sudden misery discomfited the teacher.) discordant (adj.) not agreeing, not in harmony with (The girls’ sobs were a discordant sound amid the general laughter that filled the restaurant.) discrepancy (n.) difference, failure of things to correspond (He was troubled by the discrepancy between what he remembered paying for the appliance and what his receipt showed he paid for it.) discretion (n.) the quality of being reserved in speech or action; good judgment (Not wanting her patient to get overly anxious, the doctor used discretion in deciding how much to tell the patient about his condition.) discursive (adj.) rambling, lacking order (The professor’s discursive lectures seemed to be about every subject except the one initially described.) disdain 1. (v.) to scorn, hold in low esteem (Insecure about their jobs, the older employees disdained the recently hired ones, who were young and capable.) 2. (n.) scorn, low esteem (After learning of his immoral actions, Justine held Lawrence in disdain.) disgruntled (adj.) upset, not content (The child believed that his parents had unjustly grounded him, and remained disgruntled for a week.) disheartened (adj.) feeling a loss of spirit or morale (The team was disheartened after losing in the finals of the tournament.) disparage (v.) to criticize or speak ill of (The saleswoman disparaged the competitor’s products to persuade her customers to buy what she was selling.) disparate (adj.) sharply differing, containing sharply contrasting elements (Having widely varying interests, the students had disparate responses toward the novel.) dispatch (v.) to send off to accomplish a duty (The carpenter dispatched his assistant to fetch wood.) dispel (v.) to drive away, scatter (She entered the office as usual on Monday, dispelling the rumor that she had been fired.) disperse (v.) to scatter, cause to scatter (When the rain began to pour, the crowd at the baseball game quickly dispersed.) disrepute (n.) a state of being held in low regard (The officer fell into disrepute after it was learned that he had disobeyed the orders he had given to his own soldiers.) dissemble (v.) to conceal, fake (Not wanting to appear heartlessly greedy, she dissembled and hid her intention to sell her ailing father’s stamp collection.) disseminate (v.) to spread widely (The politician disseminated his ideas across the town before the election.) dissent 1. (v.) to disagree (The principal argued that the child should repeat the fourth grade, but the unhappy parents dissented.) 2. (n.) the act of disagreeing (Unconvinced that the defendant was guilty, the last juror voiced his dissent with the rest of the jury.) dissipate 1. (v.) to disappear, cause to disappear (The sun finally came out and dissipated the haze.) 2. (v.) to waste (She dissipated her fortune on a series of bad investments.) dissonance (n.) lack of harmony or consistency (Though the president of the company often spoke of the company as reliant solely upon its workers, her decision to increase her own salary rather than reward her employees revealed a striking dissonance between her alleged beliefs and her actions.) dissuade (v.) to persuade someone not to do something (Worried that he would catch a cold, she tried to dissuade him from going out on winter nights.) distend (v.) to swell out (Years of drinking beer caused his stomach to distend.) dither (v.) to be indecisive (Not wanting to offend either friend, he dithered about which of the two birthday parties he should attend.) divine (adj.) godly, exceedingly wonderful (Terribly fond of desserts, she found the rich chocolate cake to be divine.) divisive (adj.) causing dissent, discord (Her divisive tactics turned her two friends against each other.) divulge (v.) to reveal something secret (Pressured by the press, the government finally divulged the previously unknown information.) docile (adj.) easily taught or trained (She successfully taught the docile puppy several tricks.) dogmatic (adj.) aggressively and arrogantly certain about unproved principles (His dogmatic claim that men were better than women at fixing appliances angered everyone.) dormant (adj.) sleeping, temporarily inactive (Though she pretended everything was fine, her anger lay dormant throughout the dinner party and exploded in screams of rage after everyone had left.) dour (adj.)stern, joyless (The children feared their dour neighbor because the old man would take their toys if he believed they were being too loud.) dubious (adj.) doubtful, of uncertain quality (Suspicious that he was only trying to get a raise, she found his praise dubious.) duplicity (n.) crafty dishonesty (His duplicity involved convincing his employees to let him lower their salaries and increase their stock options, and then to steal the money he saved and run the company into the ground.) duress (n.) hardship, threat (It was only under intense duress that he, who was normally against killing, fired his gun.) dynamic (adj.) actively changing (The parents found it hard to keep up with the dynamic music scene with which their children had become very familiar.) E ebullient (adj.) extremely lively, enthusiastic (She became ebullient upon receiving an acceptance letter from her first-choice college.) eclectic (adj.) consisting of a diverse variety of elements (That bar attracts an eclectic crowd: lawyers, artists, circus clowns, and investment bankers.) ecstatic (adj.) intensely and overpoweringly happy (The couple was ecstatic when they learned that they had won the lottery.) edict (n.) an order, decree (The ruler issued an edict requiring all of his subjects to bow down before him.) efface (v.) to wipe out, obliterate, rub away (The husband was so angry at his wife for leaving him that he effaced all evidence of her presence; he threw out pictures of her and gave away all her belongings.) effervescent (adj.) bubbly, lively (My friend is so effervescent that she makes everyone smile.) efficacious (adj.) effective (My doctor promised me that the cold medicine was efficacious, but I’m still sniffling.) effrontery (n.) impudence, nerve, insolence (When I told my aunt that she was boring, my mother scolded me for my effrontery.) effulgent (adj.) radiant, splendorous (The golden palace was effulgent.) egregious (adj.) extremely bad (The student who threw sloppy joes across the cafeteria was punished for his egregious behavior.) elaborate (adj.) complex, detailed, intricate (Dan always beats me at chess because he develops such an elaborate game plan that I can never predict his next move.) elated (adj.) overjoyed, thrilled (When she found out she had won the lottery, the writer was elated.) elegy (n.) a speech given in honor of a dead person (At the funeral, the widow gave a moving elegy describing her love for her husband.) elicit (v.) to bring forth, draw out, evoke (Although Iasked several times where the exit was, I elicited no response from the stone-faced policeman.) eloquent (adj.) expressive, articulate, moving (The priest gave such an eloquent sermon that most churchgoers were crying.) elucidate (v.) to clarify, explain (I didn’t understand why my friend was so angry with me, so I asked Janine to elucidate her feelings.) elude (v.) to evade, escape (Despite an intense search, the robber continues to elude the police.) emaciated (adj.) very thin, enfeebled looking (My sister eats a lot of pastries and chocolate but still looks emaciated.) embellish 1. (v.) to decorate, adorn (My mom embellished the living room by adding lace curtains.) 2. (v.)to add details to, enhance (When Harry told me that he had “done stuff” on his vacation, I asked him to embellish upon his account.) embezzle (v.) to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling $10,000 of the company’s funds.) emend (v.) to correct or revise a written text (If my sentence is incorrect, the editor will emend what I have written.) eminent 1. (adj.) distinguished, prominent, famous (Mr. Phillips is such an eminent scholar that every professor on campus has come to hear him lecture.) 2. (adj.) conspicuous (There is an eminent stain on that shirt.) emollient (adj.) soothing (This emollient cream makes my skin very smooth.) emote (v.) to express emotion (The director told the actor he had to emote, or else the audience would have no idea what his character was going through.) empathy (n.) sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own (I feel such empathy for my sister when she’s in pain that I cry too.) empirical 1. (adj.) based on observation or experience (The scientist gathered empirical data on the growth rate of dandelions by studying the dandelions behind his house.) 2. (adj.) capable of being proved or disproved by experiment (That all cats hate getting wet is an empirical statement: I can test it by bathing my cat, Trinket.) emulate (v.) to imitate (I idolize Britney Spears so much that I emulate everything she does: I wear her outfits, sing along to her songs, and date a boy named Justin.) enamor (v.) to fill with love, fascinate, usually used in passive form followed by “of” or “with” (I grew enamored of that boy when he quoted my favorite love poem.) encore (n.) the audience’s demand for a repeat performance; also the artist’s performance in response to that demand (At the end of the concert, all the fans yelled, “Encore! Encore!” but the band did not come out to play again.) encumber (v.) to weigh down, burden (At the airport, my friend was encumbered by her luggage, so I offered to carry two of her bags.) enervate (v.) to weaken, exhaust (Writing these sentences enervates me so much that I will have to take a nap after I finish.) enfranchise (v.) to grant the vote to (The Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised women.) engender (v.) to bring about, create, generate (During the Olympics, the victories of U.S. athletes engender a patriotic spirit among Americans.) enigmatic (adj.) mystifying, cryptic (That man wearing the dark suit and dark glasses is so enigmatic that no one even knows his name.) enmity (n.) ill will, hatred, hostility (Mark and Andy have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.) ennui (n.) boredom, weariness (I feel such ennui that I don’t look forward to anything, not even my birthday party.) entail (v.) to include as a necessary step (Building a new fence entails tearing down the old one.) enthrall (v.) to charm, hold spellbound (The sailor’s stories of fighting off sharks and finding ancient treasures enthralled his young son.) ephemeral (adj.) short-lived, fleeting (She promised she’d love me forever, but her “forever” was only ephemeral: she left me after one week.) epistolary (adj.) relating to or contained in letters (Some people call me “Auntie’s boy,” because my aunt and I have such a close epistolary relationship that we write each other every day.) epitome (n.) a perfect example, embodiment (My mother, the epitome of good taste, always dresses more elegantly than I do.) equanimity (n.) composure (Even though he had just been fired, Mr. Simms showed great equanimity by neatly packing up his desk and wishing everyone in the office well.) equivocal (adj.) ambiguous, uncertain, undecided (His intentions were so equivocal that I didn’t know whether he was being chivalrous or sleazy.) erudite (adj.) learned (My Latin teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse ancient poetry.) eschew (v.) to shun, avoid (George hates the color green so much that he eschews all green food.) esoteric (adj.) understood by only a select few (Even the most advanced students cannot understand the physicist’s esoteric theories.) espouse (v.) to take up as a cause, support (I love animals so much that I espouse animal rights.) ethereal (adj.) heavenly, exceptionally delicate or refined (In her flowing silk gown and lace veil, the bride looked ethereal.) etymology (n.) the history of words, their origin and development (From the study of etymology, I know that the word “quixotic” derives from Don Quixote and the word “gaudy” refers to the Spanish architect Gaudí.) euphoric (adj.) elated, uplifted (I was euphoric when I found out that my sister had given birth to twins.) evanescent (adj.) fleeting, momentary (My joy at getting promoted was evanescent because I discovered that I would have to work much longer hours in a less friendly office.) evince (v.) to show, reveal (Christopher’s hand-wringing and nail-biting evince how nervous he is about the upcoming English test.) exacerbate (v.) to make more violent, intense (The gruesome and scary movie I saw last night exacerbated my fears of the dark.) exalt (v.) to glorify, praise (Michael Jordan is the figure in basketball we exalt the most.) exasperate (v.) to irritate, irk (George’s endless complaints exasperated his roomate.) excavate (v.) to dig out of the ground and remove (The pharaoh’s treasures were excavated by archeologists in Egypt.) exculpate (v.) to free from guilt or blame, exonerate (My discovery of the ring behind the dresser exculpated me from the charge of having stolen it.) excursion (n.) a trip or outing (After taking an excursion to the Bronx Zoo, I dreamed about pandas and monkeys.) execrable (adj.) loathsome, detestable (Her pudding is so execrable that it makes me sick.) exhort (v.) to urge, prod, spur (Henry exhorted his colleagues to join him in protesting against the university’s hiring policies.) exigent (adj.) urgent, critical (The patient has an exigent need for medication, or else he will lose his sight.) exonerate (v.) to free from guilt or blame, exculpate (The true thief’s confession exonerated the man who had been held in custody for the crime.) exorbitant (adj.) excessive (Her exorbitant praise made me blush and squirm in my seat.) expedient (adj.) advisable, advantageous, serving one’s self-interest (In his bid for reelection, the governor made an expedient move by tabling all controversial legislation.) expiate (v.) to make amends for, atone (To expiate my selfishness, I gave all my profits to charity.) expunge (v.) to obliterate, eradicate (Fearful of an IRS investigation, Paul tried to expunge all incriminating evidence from his tax files.) expurgate (v.) to remove offensive or incorrect parts, usually of a book (The history editors expurgated from the text all disparaging and inflammatory comments about the Republican Party.) extant (adj.) existing, not destroyed or lost (My mother’s extant love letters to my father are in the attic trunk.) extol (v.) to praise, revere (Violet extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat- loving brother.) extraneous (adj.) irrelevant, extra, not necessary (Personal political ambitions should always remain extraneous to legislative policy, but, unfortunately, they rarely are.) extricate (v.) to disentangle (Instead of trying to mediate between my brother and sister, I extricated myself from the family tension entirely and left the house for the day.) exult (v.) to rejoice (When she found out she won the literature prize, Mary exulted by dancing and singing through the school’s halls.) F fabricate (v.) to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to school.) façade 1. (n.) the wall of a building (Meet me in front of the museum’s main façade.) 2. (n.) a deceptive appearance or attitude (Despite my smiling façade, I am feeling melancholy.) facile 1. (adj.) easy, requiring little effort (This game is so facile that even a four-year- old can master it.) 2. (adj.) superficial, achieved with minimal thought or care, insincere (The business was in such shambles that any solution seemed facile at best; nothing could really helpit in the long-run.) fallacious (adj.) incorrect, misleading (Emily offered me cigarettes on the fallacious assumption that I smoked.) fastidious (adj.) meticulous, demanding, having high and often unattainable standards (Mark is so fastidious that he is never able to finish a project because it always seems imperfect to him.) fathom (v.) to understand, comprehend (I cannot fathom why you like that crabby and mean-spirited neighbor of ours.) F fatuous (adj.) silly, foolish (He considers himself a serious poet, but in truth, he only writes fatuous limericks.) fecund (adj.) fruitful, fertile (The fecund tree bore enough apples to last us through the entire season.) felicitous 1. (adj.) well suited, apt (While his comments were idiotic and rambling, mine were felicitous and helpful.) 2. (adj.) delightful, pleasing (I spent a felicitous afternoon visiting old friends.) feral (adj.) wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.) fervent (adj.) ardent, passionate (The fervent protestors chained themselves to the building and shouted all night long.) fetid (adj.) having a foul odor (I can tell from the fetid smell in your refrigerator that your milk has spoiled.) fetter (v.) to chain, restrain (The dog was fettered to the parking meter.) fickle (adj.) shifting in character, inconstant (In Greek dramas, the fickle gods help Achilles one day, and then harm him the next.) fidelity (n.) loyalty, devotion (Guard dogs are known for the great fidelity they show toward their masters.) figurative (adj.) symbolic (Using figurative language, Jane likened the storm to an angry bull.) flabbergasted (adj.) astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.) flaccid (adj.) limp, not firm or strong (If a plant is not watered enough, its leaves become droopy and flaccid.) flagrant (adj.) offensive, egregious (The judge’s decision to set the man free simply because that man was his brother was a flagrant abuse of power.) florid (adj.) flowery, ornate (The writer’s florid prose belongs on a sentimental Hallmark card.) flout (v.) to disregard or disobey openly (I flouted the school’s dress code by wearing a tie-dyed tank top and a pair of cut-off jeans.) foil (v.) to thwart, frustrate, defeat (Inspector Wilkens foiled the thieves by locking them in the bank along with their stolen money.) forage (v.) to graze, rummage for food (When we got lost on our hiking trip, we foraged for berries and nuts in order to survive.) forbearance (n.) patience, restraint, toleration (The doctor showed great forbearance in calming down the angry patient who shouted insults at him.) forestall (v.) to prevent, thwart, delay (I forestalled the cold I was getting by taking plenty of vitamin C pills and wearing a scarf.) forlorn (adj.) lonely, abandoned, hopeless (Even though I had the flu, my family decided to go skiing for the weekend and leave me home alone, feeling feverish and forlorn.) forsake (v.) to give up, renounce (My New Year’s resolution is to forsake smoking and drinking.) fortitude (n.) strength, guts (Achilles’ fortitude in battle is legendary.) fortuitous (adj.) happening by chance, often lucky or fortunate (After looking for Manuel and not finding him at home, Harriet had a fortuitous encounter with him at the post office.) forum (n.) a medium for lecture or discussion (Some radio talk-shows provide a good forum for political debate.) foster (v.) to stimulate, promote, encourage (To foster good health in the city, the mayor started a “Get out and exercise!” campaign.) fractious (adj.) troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behavior—especially his decision to crush his cheese and crackers all over the floor—convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.) fraught (adj.) (usually used with “with”) filled or accompanied with (Her glances in his direction were fraught with meaning, though precisely what meaning remained unclear.) frenetic (adj.) frenzied, hectic, frantic (In the hours between night and morning, the frenetic pace of city life slows to a lull.) frivolous (adj.) of little importance, trifling (Someday, all that anxiety about whether your zit will disappear before the prom will seem totally frivolous.) frugal (adj.) thrifty, economical (Richard is so frugal that his diet consists almost exclusively of catfish and chicken liver—the two most inexpensive foods in the store.) G furtive (adj.) secretive, sly (Jane’s placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not as furtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.) G garish (adj.) gaudy, in bad taste (Mrs. Watson has poor taste and covers every object in her house with a garish gold lamé.) garrulous (adj.) talkative, wordy (Some talk show hosts are so garrulous that their guests can’t get a word in edgewise.) genial (adj.) friendly, affable (Although he’s been known to behave like a real jerk, I would say that my brother is an overall genial guy.) gluttony (n.) overindulgence in food or drink (Ada’s fried chicken tastes so divine, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.) goad (v.) to urge, spur, incite to action (Jim may think he’s not going to fight Billy, but Billy will goad Jim on with insults until he throws a punch.) gourmand (n.) someone fond of eating and drinking (My parents, who used to eat little more than crackers and salad, have become real gourmands in their old age.) grandiloquence (n.) lofty, pompous language (The student thought her grandiloquence would make her sound smart, but neither the class nor the teacher bought it.) grandiose (adj.) on a magnificent or exaggerated scale (Margaret planned a grandiose party, replete with elephants, trapeze artists, and clowns.) gratuitous (adj.) uncalled for, unwarranted (Every morning the guy at the donut shop gives me a gratuitous helping of ketchup packets.) gregarious (adj.) drawn to the company of others, sociable (Well, if you’re not gregarious, I don’t know why you would want to go to a singles party!) grievous (adj.) injurious, hurtful; serious or grave in nature (Electrocuting the inmate without being sure of his guilt would be a truly grievous mistake.) guile (n.) deceitful, cunning, sly behavior (Because of his great guile, the politician was able to survive scandal after scandal.) H hackneyed (adj.) unoriginal, trite (A girl can only hear “I love you” so many times before it begins to sound hackneyed and meaningless.) H hallowed (adj.) revered, consecrated (In the hallowed corridors of the cathedral, the disturbed professor felt himself to be at peace.) hapless (adj.) unlucky (My poor, hapless family never seems to pick a sunny week to go on vacation.) harangue 1. (n.) a ranting speech (Everyone had heard the teacher’s harangue about gum chewing in class before.) 2. (v.) to give such a speech (But this time the teacher harangued the class about the importance of brushing your teeth after chewing gum.) hardy (adj.) robust, capable of surviving through adverse conditions (I too would have expected the plants to be dead by mid-November, but apparently they’re very hardy.) harrowing (adj.) greatly distressing, vexing (The car crash was a harrowing experience, but I have a feeling that the increase in my insurance premiums will be even more upsetting.) haughty (adj.) disdainfully proud (The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her costars will backfire on her someday.) hedonist (n.) one who believes pleasure should be the primary pursuit of humans (Because he’s such a hedonist, I knew Murray would appreciate the 11 cases of wine I bought him for his birthday.) hegemony (n.) domination over others (Britain’s hegemony over its colonies was threatened once nationalist sentiment began to spread around the world.) heinous (adj.) shockingly wicked, repugnant (The killings were made all the more heinous by the fact that the murderer first tortured his victims for three days.) heterogeneous (adj.) varied, diverse in character (I hate having only one flavor so I always buy the swirled, or should I say heterogeneous, type of ice cream.) hiatus (n.) a break or gap in duration or continuity (The hiatus in service should last two or three months—until the cable lines are repaired .) hierarchy (n.) a system with ranked groups, usually according to social, economic, or professional class (Women found it very difficult to break into the upper ranks of the department’s hierarchy.) hypocrisy (n.) pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.) hypothetical (adj.) supposed or assumed true, but unproven (Even though it has been celebrated by seven major newspapers, that the drug will be a success when tested in humans is still hypothetical.) I iconoclast (n.) one who attacks common beliefs or institutions (Jane goes to one protest after another, but she seems to be an iconoclast rather than an activist with a progressive agenda.) idiosyncratic (adj.) peculiar to one person; highly individualized (I know you had trouble with the last test, but because your mistakes were highly idiosyncratic, I’m going to deny your request that the class be given a new test.) idolatrous (adj.) excessively worshipping one object or person (Xena’s idolatrous fawning over the band—following them on tour, starting their fan club, filming their documentary—is really beginning to get on my nerves.) ignominious (adj.) humiliating, disgracing (It was really ignominious to be kicked out of the dorm for having an illegal gas stove in my room.) illicit (adj.) forbidden, not permitted (The fourth-grader learned many illicit words from a pamphlet that was being passed around school.) immerse (v.) to absorb, deeply involve, engross (After breaking up with her boyfriend, Nancy decided to immerse herself in her work in order to avoid crying.) immutable (adj.) not changeable (The laws of physics are immutable and constant.) impassive (adj.) stoic, not susceptible to suffering (Stop being so impassive; it’s healthy to cry every now and then.) impeccable (adj.) exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your sister’s, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.) impecunious (adj.) poor (“I fear he’s too impecunious to take me out tonight,” the bratty girl whined.) imperative 1. (adj.) necessary, pressing (It is imperative that you have these folders organized by midday.) 2. (n.) a rule, command, or order (Her imperative to have the folders organized by midday was perceived as ridiculous by the others.) imperious (adj.) commanding, domineering (The imperious nature of your manner led me to dislike you at once.) impertinent (adj.) rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.) impervious (adj.) impenetrable, incapable of being affected (Because of their thick layer of fur, many seals are almost impervious to the cold.) impetuous (adj.) rash; hastily done (Hilda’s hasty slaying of the king was an impetuous, thoughtless action.) impinge 1. (v.) to impact, affect, make an impression (The hail impinged the roof, leaving large dents.) 2. (v.) to encroach, infringe (I apologize for impinging upon you like this, but I really need to use your bathroom. Now.) implacable (adj.) incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandma’s cooking, she is totally implacable.) implement 1. (n.) an instrument, utensil, tool (Do you have a knife or some other sort of implement that I could use to pry the lid off of this jar?) 2. (v.) to put into effect, to institute (After the first town curfew failed to stop the graffiti problem, the mayor implemented a new policy to use security cameras to catch perpetrators in the act.) implicate (v.) to involve in an incriminating way, incriminate (Even though Tom wasn’t present at the time of the shooting, he was implicated by the evidence suggesting that he had supplied the shooters with guns.) implicit (adj.) understood but not outwardly obvious, implied (I know Professor Smith didn’t actually say not to write from personal experience, but I think such a message was implicit in her instruction to use scholarly sources.) impregnable (adj.) resistant to capture or penetration (Though the invaders used battering rams, catapults, and rain dances, the fortress proved impregnable and resisted all attacks.) impudent (adj.) casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young man looked the princess up and down and told her she was hot even though she hadn’t asked him.) impute (v.) to ascribe, blame (The CEO imputed the many typos in the letter to his lazy secretary.) inane (adj.) silly and meaningless (Some films are so inane that the psychology of the characters makes absolutely no sense.) inarticulate (adj.) incapable of expressing oneself clearly through speech (Though he spoke for over an hour, the lecturer was completely inarticulate and the students had no idea what he was talking about.) incarnate 1. (adj.) existing in the flesh, embodied (In the church pageant, I play the role of greed incarnate.) 2. (v.) to give human form to (The alien evaded detection by incarnating himself in a human form.) incendiary 1. (n.) a person who agitates (If we catch the incendiary who screamed “bomb” in the middle of the soccer match, we’re going to put him in jail.) 2. (adj.) inflammatory, causing combustion (Gas and lighter fluid are incendiary materials that should be kept out of hot storage areas.) incessant (adj.) unending (We wanted to go outside and play, but the incessant rain kept us indoors for two days.) inchoate (adj.) unformed or formless, in a beginning stage (The country’s government is still inchoate and, because it has no great tradition, quite unstable.) incisive (adj.) clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.) inclination (n.) a tendency, propensity (Sarah has an inclination to see every foreign film she hears about, even when she’s sure that she won’t like it.) incontrovertible (adj.) indisputable (Only stubborn Tina would attempt to disprove the incontrovertible laws of physics.) incorrigible (adj.) incapable of correction, delinquent (You can buy Grandma nicotine gum all you want, but I think that after sixty-five years of smoking she’s incorrigible.) increment (n.) an enlargement; the process of increasing(The workmen made the wall longer, increment by increment.) incumbent 1. (n.) one who holds an office (The incumbent senator is already serving his fifth term.) 2. (adj.) obligatory (It is incumbent upon this organization to offer aid to all who seek it.) indefatigable (adj.) incapable of defeat, failure, decay (Even after traveling 62 miles, the indefatigable runner kept on moving.) indigenous (adj.) originating in a region (Some fear that these plants, which are not indigenous to the region, may choke out the vegetation that is native to the area.) indigent (adj.) very poor, impoverished (I would rather donate money to help the indigent population than to the park sculpture fund.) indignation (n.) anger sparked by something unjust or unfair (I resigned from the sorority because of my indignation at its hazing of new members.) indolent (adj.) lazy (Why should my indolent children, who can’t even pick themselves up off the couch to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to the mall?) indomitable (adj.) not capable of being conquered (To be honest, Jim, my indomitable nature means I could never take orders from anyone, and especially not from a jerk like you.) induce (v.) to bring about, stimulate (Who knew that our decision to boycott school lunch would induce a huge riot?) ineffable (adj.) unspeakable, incapable of being expressed through words (It is said that the experience of playing with a dolphin is ineffable and can only be understood through direct encounter.) inept (adj.) not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot three orders and spilled a beer in a customer’s lap.) inexorable (adj.) incapable of being persuaded or placated (Although I begged for hours, Mom was inexorable and refused to let me stay out all night after the prom.) inextricable (adj.) hopelessly tangled or entangled (Unless I look at the solution manual, I have no way of solving this inextricable problem.) infamy (n.) notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as the decades pass.) infusion (n.) an injection of one substance into another; the permeation of one substance by another (The infusion of Eastern religion into Western philosophy created interesting new schools of thought.) ingenious (adj.) clever, resourceful (Her ingenious use of walnuts instead of the peanuts called for by the recipe was lauded by the other garden club members who found her cake delicious.) ingenuous (adj.) not devious; innocent and candid (He must have writers, but his speeches seem so ingenuous it’s hard to believe he’s not speaking from his own heart.) inhibit (v.) to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.) inimical (adj.) hostile, enemylike (I don’t see how I could ever work for a company that was so cold and inimical to me during my interviews.) iniquity (n.) wickedness or sin (“Your iniquity,” said the priest to the practical jokester, “will be forgiven.”) injunction (n.) an order of official warning (After his house was toilet-papered for the fifth time, the mayor issued an injunction against anyone younger than 21 buying toilet paper.) innate (adj.) inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.) innocuous (adj.) harmless, inoffensive (In spite of their innocuous appearance, these mushrooms are actually quite poisonous.) innovate (v.) to do something in an unprecedented way (Because of the stiff competition, the company knew it needed to pour a lot of energy into innovating new and better products.) innuendo (n.) an insinuation (During the debate, the politician made several innuendos about the sexual activities of his opponent.) inoculate (v.) to introduce a microorganism, serum, or vaccine into an organism in order to increase immunity to illness; to vaccinate (I’ve feared needles ever since I was inoculated against 37 diseases at age one; but I have also never been sick.) inquisitor (n.) one who inquires, especially in a hostile manner (The inquisitor was instructed to knock on every door in town in order to find the fugitive.) insatiable (adj.) incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for melons can be a real problem in the winter.) insidious (adj.) appealing but imperceptibly harmful, seductive (Lisa’s insidious chocolate cake tastes so good but makes you feel so sick later on!) insinuate (v.) to suggest indirectly or subtly (I wish Luke and Spencer would stop insinuating that my perfect report card is the result of anything other than my superior intelligence and good work habits.) insipid (adj.) dull, boring (The play was so insipid, I fell asleep halfway through.) insolent (adj.) rude, arrogant, overbearing (That celebrity is so insolent, making fun of his fans right to their faces.) instigate (v.) to urge, goad (The demagogue instigated the crowd into a fury by telling them that they had been cheated by the federal government.) insular (adj.) separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for the CIA must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.) insurgent (n.) one who rebels (The insurgent snuck into and defaced a different classroom each night until the administration agreed to meet his demands.) integral (adj.) necessary for completeness (Without the integral ingredient of flour, you wouldn’t be able to make bread.) interject (v.) to insert between other things (During our conversation, the cab driver occasionally interjected his opinion.) interlocutor (n.) someone who participates in a dialogue or conversation (When the officials could not come to an agreement over the correct cover of the flags, the prime minister acted as an interlocutor.) interminable (adj.) without possibility of end (The fact that biology lectures came just before lunch made them seem interminable.) intimation (n.) an indirect suggestion (Mr. Brinford’s intimation that he would soon pass away occurred when he began to discuss how to distribute his belongings among his children.) intractable (adj.) difficult to manipulate, unmanageable (There was no end in sight to the intractable conflict between the warring countries.) intransigent (adj.) refusing to compromise, often on an extreme opinion (The intransigent child said he would have 12 scoops of ice cream, or he would bang his head against the wall until his mother fainted from fear.) intrepid (adj.) brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepid attitude.) inundate (v.) to flood with abundance (Because I am the star of a new sitcom, my fans are sure to inundate me with fan mail and praise.) inure (v.) to cause someone or something to become accustomed to a situation (Twenty years in the salt mines inured the man to the discomforts of dirt and grime.) invective (n.) an angry verbal attack (My mother’s irrational invective against the way I dress only made me decide to dye my hair green.) inveterate (adj.) stubbornly established by habit (I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate coffee drinker—I drink four cups a day.) inviolable (adj.) secure from assault (Nobody was ever able to break into Batman’s inviolable Batcave.) irascible (adj.) easily angered (At the smallest provocation, my irascible cat will begin scratching and clawing.) J iridescent (adj.) showing rainbow colors (The bride’s large diamond ring was iridescent in the afternoon sun.) irreverence (n.) disrespect (The irreverence displayed by the band that marched through the chapel disturbed many churchgoers.) irrevocable (adj.) incapable of being taken back (The Bill of Rights is an irrevocable part of American law.) J jubilant (adj.) extremely joyful, happy (The crowd was jubilant when the firefighter carried the woman from the flaming building.) judicious (adj.) having or exercising sound judgment (When the judicious king decided to compromise rather than send his army to its certain death, he was applauded.) juxtaposition (n.) the act of placing two things next to each other for implicit comparison (The interior designer admired my juxtaposition of the yellow couch and green table.) K knell (n.) the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death (Echoing throughout our village, the funeral knell made the stormy day even more grim.) kudos (n.) praise for an achievement (After the performance, the reviewers gave the opera singer kudos for a job well done.) L laceration (n.) a cut, tear (Because he fell off his bike into a rosebush, the paperboy’s skin was covered with lacerations.) laconic (adj.) terse in speech or writing (The author’s laconic style has won him many followers who dislike wordiness.) languid (adj.) sluggish from fatigue or weakness (In the summer months, the great heat makes people languid and lazy.) larceny (n.) obtaining another’s property by theft or trickery (When my car was not where I had left it, I realized that I was a victim of larceny.) largess (n.) the generous giving of lavish gifts (My boss demonstrated great largess by giving me a new car.) latent (adj.) hidden, but capable of being exposed (Sigmund’s dream represented his latent paranoid obsession with other people’s shoes.) laudatory (adj.) expressing admiration or praise (Such laudatory comments are unusual from someone who is usually so reserved in his opinions.) lavish 1. (adj.) given without limits (Because they had worked very hard, the performers appreciated the critic’s lavish praise.) 2. (v.) to give without limits (Because the performers had worked hard, they deserved the praise that the critic lavished on them.) legerdemain (n.) deception, slight-of-hand (Smuggling the French plants through customs by claiming that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.) lenient (adj.) demonstrating tolerance or gentleness (Because Professor Oglethorpe allowed his students to choose their final grades, the other teachers believed that he was excessively lenient.) lethargic (adj.) in a state of sluggishness or apathy (When Jean Claude explained to his boss that he was lethargic and didn’t feel like working that day, the boss fired him.) liability 1. (n.) something for which one is legally responsible, usually involving a disadvantage or risk (The bungee-jumping tower was a great liability for the owners of the carnival.) 2. (n.) a handicap, burden (Because she often lost her concentration and didn’t play defense, Marcy was a liability to the team.) libertarian (adj.) advocating principles of liberty and free will (The dissatisfied subjects overthrew the monarch and replaced him with a libertarian ruler who respected their democratic principles.) licentious (adj.) displaying a lack of moral or legal restraints (Marilee has always been fascinated by the licentious private lives of politicians.) limpid (adj.) clear, transparent (Mr. Johnson’s limpid writing style greatly pleased readers who disliked complicated novels.) linchpin (n.) something that holds separate parts together (The linchpin in the prosecution’s case was the hair from the defendant’s head, which was found at the scene of the crime.) lithe (adj.) graceful, flexible, supple (Although the dancers were all outstanding, Jae Sun’s control of her lithe body was particularly impressive.) litigant (n.) someone engaged in a lawsuit (When the litigants began screaming at each other, Judge Koch ordered them to be silent.) M lucid (adj.) clear, easily understandable (Because Guenevere’s essay was so lucid, I only had to read it once to understand her reasoning.) luminous (adj.) brightly shining (The light of the luminous moon graced the shoulders of the beautiful maiden.) lurid (adj.) ghastly, sensational (Gideon’s story, in which he described a character torturing his sister’s dolls, was judged too lurid to be printed in the school’s literary magazine.) M maelstrom (n.) a destructive whirlpool which rapidly sucks in objects (Little did the explorers know that as they turned the next bend of the calm river a vicious maelstrom would catch their boat.) magnanimous (adj.) noble, generous (Although I had already broken most of her dishes, Jacqueline was magnanimous enough to continue letting me use them.) malediction (n.) a curse (When I was arrested for speeding, I screamed maledictions against the policeman and the entire police department.) malevolent (adj.) wanting harm to befall others (The malevolent old man sat in the park all day, tripping unsuspecting passersby with his cane.) malleable (adj.) capable of being shaped or transformed (Maximillian’s political opinions were so malleable that anyone he talked to was able to change his mind instantly.) mandate (n.) an authoritative command (In the Old Testament, God mandates that no one should steal.) manifest 1. (adj.) easily understandable, obvious (When I wrote the wrong sum on the chalkboard, my mistake was so manifest that the entire class burst into laughter.) 2. (v.) to show plainly (His illness first manifested itself with particularly violent hiccups.) manifold (adj.) diverse, varied (The popularity of Dante’s Inferno is partly due to the fact that the work allows for manifold interpretations.) maudlin (adj.) weakly sentimental (Although many people enjoy romantic comedies, I usually find them maudlin and shallow.) maverick (n.) an independent, nonconformist person (Andreas is a real maverick and always does things his own way.) mawkish (adj.) characterized by sick sentimentality (Although some nineteenth- century critics viewed Dickens’s writing as mawkish, contemporary readers have found great emotional depth in his works.) maxim (n.) a common saying expressing a principle of conduct (Miss Manners’s etiquette maxims are both entertaining and instructional.) meager (adj.) deficient in size or quality (My meager portion of food did nothing to satisfy my appetite.) medley (n.) a mixture of differing things (Susannah’s wardrobe contained an astonishing medley of colors, from olive green to fluorescent pink.) mendacious (adj.) having a lying, false character (The mendacious content of the tabloid magazines is at least entertaining.) mercurial (adj.) characterized by rapid change or temperamentality (Though he was widely respected for his mathematical proofs, the mercurial genius was impossible to live with.) meritorious (adj.) worthy of esteem or reward (Manfred was given the congressional medal of honor for his meritorious actions.) metamorphosis (n.) the change of form, shape, substance (Winnifred went to the gym every day for a year and underwent a metamorphosis from a waiflike girl to an athletic woman.) meticulous (adj.) extremely careful with details (The ornate needlework in the bride’s gown was a product of meticulous handiwork.) mitigate (v.) to make less violent, alleviate (When I had an awful sore throat, only warm tea would mitigate the pain.) moderate 1. (adj.) not extreme (Luckily, the restaurant we chose had moderate prices; none of us have any money.) 2. (n.) one who expresses moderate opinions (Because he found both the liberal and conservative proposals too excessive, Mr. Park sided with the moderates.) modicum (n.) a small amount of something (Refusing to display even a modicum of sensitivity, Henrietta announced her boss’s affair in front of the entire office.) modulate (v.) to pass from one state to another, especially in music (The composer wrote a piece that modulated between minor and major keys.) mollify (v.) to soften in temper (The police officer mollified the angry woman by giving her a warning instead of a ticket.) N morass (n.) a wet swampy bog; figuratively, something that traps and confuses (When Theresa lost her job, she could not get out of her financial morass.) mores (n.) the moral attitudes and fixed customs of a group of people. (Mores change over time; many things that were tolerated in 1975 are no longer seen as being socially acceptable.) morose (adj.) gloomy or sullen (Jason’s morose nature made him very unpleasant to talk to.) multifarious (adj.) having great diversity or variety (This Swiss Army knife has multifarious functions and capabilities. Among other things, it can act as a knife, a saw, a toothpick, and a slingshot.) mundane (adj.) concerned with the world rather than with heaven, commonplace (He is more concerned with the mundane issues of day-to-day life than with spiritual topics.) munificence (n.) generosity in giving (The royal family’s munificence made everyone else in their country rich.) mutable (adj.) able to change (Because fashion is so mutable, what is trendy today will look outdated in five years.) myriad (adj.) consisting of a very great number (It was difficult to decide what to do Friday night because the city presented us with myriad possibilities for fun.) N nadir (n.) the lowest point of something (My day was boring, but the nadir came when I accidentally spilled a bowl of spaghetti on my head.) nascent (adj.) in the process of being born or coming into existence (Unfortunately, my brilliant paper was only in its nascent form on the morning that it was due.) nebulous (adj.) vaguely defined, cloudy (The transition between governments meant that who was actually in charge was a nebulous matter.) nefarious (adj.) heinously villainous (Although Dr. Meanman’s nefarious plot to melt the polar icecaps was terrifying, it was so impractical that nobody really worried about it.) negligent (adj.) habitually careless, neglectful (Jessie’s grandfather called me a negligent fool after I left the door to his apartment unlocked even though there had been a recent string of robberies.) O neophyte (n.) someone who is young or inexperienced (As a neophyte in the literary world, Malik had trouble finding a publisher for his first novel.) nocturnal (adj.) relating to or occurring during the night (Jackie was a nocturnal person; she would study until dawn and sleep until the evening.) noisome (adj.) unpleasant, offensive, especially to the sense of smell (Nobody would enter the stalls until the horse’s noisome leavings were taken away.) nomadic (adj.) wandering from place to place (In the first six months after college, Jose led a nomadic life, living in New York, California, and Idaho.) nominal (adj.) trifling, insignificant (Because he was moving the following week and needed to get rid of his furniture more than he needed money, Jordan sold everything for a nominal fee.) nonchalant (adj.) having a lack of concern, indifference (Although deep down she was very angry, Marsha acted in a nonchalant manner when she found out that her best friend had used her clothing without asking.) nondescript (adj.) lacking a distinctive character (I was surprised when I saw the movie star in person because she looked nondescript.) notorious (adj.) widely and unfavorably known (Jacob was notorious for always arriving late at parties.) novice (n.) a beginner, someone without training or experience (Because we were all novices at yoga, our instructor decided to begin with the basics.) noxious (adj.) harmful, unwholesome (Environmentalists showed that the noxious weeds were destroying the insects’ natural habitats.) nuance (n.) a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression (The nuances of the poem were not obvious to the casual reader, but the professor was able to point them out.) nurture (v.) to assist the development of (Although Serena had never watered the plant, which was about to die, Javier was able to nurture it back to life.) O obdurate (adj.) unyielding to persuasion or moral influences (The obdurate old man refused to take pity on the kittens.) obfuscate (v.) to render incomprehensible (The detective did want to answer the newspaperman’s questions, so he obfuscated the truth.) O oblique (adj.) diverging from a straight line or course, not straightforward (Martin’s oblique language confused those who listened to him.) oblivious (adj.) lacking consciousness or awareness of something (Oblivious to the burning smell emanating from the kitchen, my father did not notice that the rolls in the oven were burned until much too late.) obscure (adj.) unclear, partially hidden (Because he was standing in the shadows, his features were obscure.) obsequious (adj.) excessively compliant or submissive (Mark acted like Janet’s servant, obeying her every request in an obsequious manner.) obsolete (adj.) no longer used, out of date (With the inventions of tape decks and CDs, which both have better sound and are easier to use, eight-track players are now entirely obsolete.) obstinate (adj.) not yielding easily, stubborn (The obstinate child refused to leave the store until his mother bought him a candy bar.) obstreperous (adj.) noisy, unruly (Billy’s obstreperous behavior prompted the librarian to ask him to leave the reading room.) obtuse (adj.) lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect (Political opponents warned that the prime minister’s obtuse approach to foreign policy would embroil the nation in mindless war.) odious (adj.) instilling hatred or intense displeasure (Mark was assigned the odious task of cleaning the cat’s litter box.) officious (adj.) offering one’s services when they are neither wanted nor needed (Brenda resented Allan’s officious behavior when he selected colors that might best improve her artwork.) ominous (adj.) foreboding or foreshadowing evil (The fortuneteller’s ominous words flashed through my mind as the hooded figure approached me in the alley.) onerous (adj.) burdensome (My parents lamented that the pleasures of living in a beautiful country estate no longer outweighed the onerous mortgage payments.) opulent (adj.) characterized by rich abundance verging on ostentation (The opulent furnishings of the dictator’s private compound contrasted harshly with the meager accommodations of her subjects.) oration (n.) a speech delivered in a formal or ceremonious manner (The prime minister was visibly shaken when the unruly parliament interrupted his oration about failed domestic policies.) ornate (adj.) highly elaborate, excessively decorated (The ornate styling of the new model of luxury car could not compensate for the poor quality of its motor.) orthodox (adj.) conventional, conforming to established protocol (The company’s profits dwindled because the management pursued orthodox business policies that were incompatible with new industrial trends.) oscillate (v.) to sway from one side to the other (My uncle oscillated between buying a station wagon to transport his family and buying a sports car to satisfy his boyhood fantasies.) ostensible (adj.) appearing as such, seemingly (Jack’s ostensible reason for driving was that airfare was too expensive, but in reality, he was afraid of flying.) ostentatious (adj.) excessively showy, glitzy (On the palace tour, the guide focused on the ostentatious decorations and spoke little of the royal family’s history.) ostracism (n.) exclusion from a group (Beth risked ostracism if her roommates discovered her flatulence.) P pacific (adj.) soothing (The chemistry professor’s pacific demeanor helped the class remain calm after the experiment exploded.) palatable (adj.) agreeable to the taste or sensibilities (Despite the unpleasant smell, the exotic cheese was quite palatable.) palette (adj.) a range of colors or qualities (The palette of colors utilized in the painting was equaled only by the range of intense emotions the piece evoked.) palliate (v.) to reduce the severity of (The doctor trusted that the new medication would palliate her patient’s discomfort.) pallid (adj.) lacking color (Dr. Van Helsing feared that Lucy’s pallid complexion was due to an unexplained loss of blood.) panacea (n.) a remedy for all ills or difficulties (Doctors wish there was a single panacea for every disease, but sadly there is not.) paradigm (n.) an example that is a perfect pattern or model (Because the new SUV was so popular, it became the paradigm upon which all others were modeled.) paradox (n.) an apparently contradictory statement that is perhaps true (The diplomat refused to acknowledge the paradox that negotiating a peace treaty would demand more resources than waging war.) paragon (n.) a model of excellence or perfection (The mythical Helen of Troy was considered a paragon of female beauty.) paramount (adj.) greatest in importance, rank, character (It was paramount that the bomb squad disconnect the blue wire before removing the fuse.) pariah (n.) an outcast (Following the discovery of his plagiarism, Professor Hurley was made a pariah in all academic circles.) parody (n.) a satirical imitation (A hush fell over the classroom when the teacher returned to find Deborah acting out a parody of his teaching style.) parsimony (n.) frugality, stinginess (Many relatives believed that my aunt’s wealth resulted from her parsimony.) partisan (n.) a follower, adherent (The king did not believe that his rival could round up enough partisans to overthrow the monarchy.) patent (adj.) readily seen or understood, clear (The reason for Jim’s abdominal pain was made patent after the doctor performed a sonogram.) pathology (n.) a deviation from the normal (Dr. Hastings had difficulty identifying the precise nature of Brian’s pathology.) pathos (n.) an emotion of sympathy (Martha filled with pathos upon discovering the scrawny, shivering kitten at her door.) paucity (adj.) small in quantity (Gilbert lamented the paucity of twentieth century literature courses available at the college.) pejorative (adj.) derogatory, uncomplimentary (The evening’s headline news covered an international scandal caused by a pejorative statement the famous senator had made in reference to a foreign leader.) pellucid (adj.) easily intelligible, clear (Wishing his book to be pellucid to the common man, Albert Camus avoided using complicated grammar when composing The Stranger.) penchant (n.) a tendency, partiality, preference (Jill’s dinner parties quickly became monotonous on account of her penchant for Mexican dishes.) penitent (adj.) remorseful, regretful (The jury’s verdict may have been more lenient if the criminal had appeared penitent for his gruesome crimes.) penultimate (adj.) next to last (Having smoked the penultimate cigarette remaining in the pack, Cybil discarded the last cigarette and resolved to quit smoking.) penurious (adj.) miserly, stingy (Stella complained that her husband’s penurious ways made it impossible to live the lifestyle she felt she deserved.) perfidious (adj.) disloyal, unfaithful (After the official was caught selling government secrets to enemy agents, he was executed for his perfidious ways.) perfunctory (adj.) showing little interest or enthusiasm (The radio broadcaster announced the news of the massacre in a surprisingly perfunctory manner.) permeate (v.) to spread throughout, saturate (Mrs. Huxtable was annoyed that the wet dog’s odor had permeated the furniture’s upholstery.) pernicious (adj.) extremely destructive or harmful (The new government feared that the Communist sympathizers would have a pernicious influence on the nation’s stability.) perplex (v.) to confuse (Brad was perplexed by his girlfriend’s suddenly distant manner.) perspicacity (adj.) shrewdness, perceptiveness (The detective was too humble to acknowledge that his perspicacity was the reason for his professional success.) pert (adj.) flippant, bold (My parents forgave Sandra’s pert humor at the dinner table because it had been so long since they had last seen her.) pertinacious (adj.) stubbornly persistent (Harry’s parents were frustrated with his pertinacious insistence that a monster lived in his closet. Then they opened the closet door and were eaten.) perusal (n.) a careful examination, review (The actor agreed to accept the role after a two-month perusal of the movie script.) pervasive (adj.) having the tendency to spread throughout (Stepping off the plane in Havana, I recognized the pervasive odor of sugar cane fields on fire.) petulance (n.) rudeness, irritability (The Nanny resigned after she could no longer tolerate the child’s petulance.) philanthropic (adj.) charitable, giving (Many people felt that the billionaire’s decision to donate her fortune to house the homeless was the ultimate philanthropic act.) phlegmatic (adj.) uninterested, unresponsive (Monique feared her dog was ill after the animal’s phlegmatic response to his favorite chew toy.) pillage (v.) to seize or plunder, especially in war (Invading enemy soldiers pillaged the homes scattered along the country’s border.) pinnacle (n.) the highest point (Book reviewers declared that the author’s new novel was extraordinary and probably the pinnacle of Western literature.) pithy (adj.) concisely meaningful (My father’s long-winded explanation was a stark contrast to his usually pithy statements.) pittance (n.) a very small amount, especially relating to money (Josh complained that he was paid a pittance for the great amount of work he did at the firm.) placate (v.) to ease the anger of, soothe (The man purchased a lollipop to placate his irritable son.) placid (adj.) calm, peaceful (The placid lake surface was as smooth as glass.) platitude (n.) an uninspired remark, cliché (After reading over her paper, Helene concluded that what she thought were profound insights were actually just platitudes.) plaudits (n.) enthusiastic approval, applause (The controversial new film received plaudits from even the harshest critics.) plausible (adj.) believable, reasonable (He studied all the data and then came up with a plausible theory that took all factors into account.) plenitude (n.) an abundance (My grandmother was overwhelmed by the plenitude of tomatoes her garden yielded this season.) plethora (n.) an abundance, excess (The wedding banquet included a plethora of oysters piled almost three feet high.) pliable (adj.) flexible (Aircraft wings are designed to be somewhat pliable so they do not break in heavy turbulence.) poignant (adj.) deeply affecting, moving (My teacher actually cried after reading to us the poignant final chapter of the novel.) polemic (n.) an aggressive argument against a specific opinion (My brother launched into a polemic against my arguments that capitalism was an unjust economic system.) portent (n.) an omen (When a black cat crossed my sister’s path while she was walking to school, she took it as a portent that she would do badly on her spelling test.) potable (adj.) suitable for drinking (During sea voyages it is essential that ships carry a supply of potable water because salty ocean water makes anyone who drinks it sick.) potentate (n.) one who has great power, a ruler (All the villagers stood along the town’s main road to observe as the potentate’s procession headed towards the capital.) pragmatic (adj.) practical (The politician argued that while increased security measures might not fit with the lofty ideals of the nation, they were a pragmatic necessity to ensure everyone’s safety.) precipice (n.) the face of a cliff, a steep or overhanging place (The mountain climber hung from a precipice before finding a handhold and pulling himself up.) preclude (v.) to prevent (My grandfather’s large and vicious guard dog precluded anyone from entering the yard.) precocious (adj.) advanced, developing ahead of time (Derek was so academically precocious that by the time he was 10 years old, he was already in the ninth grade.) predilection (n.) a preference or inclination for something (Francois has a predilection for eating scrambled eggs with ketchup, though I prefer to eat eggs without any condiments.) preponderance (adj.) superiority in importance or quantity (Britain’s preponderance of naval might secured the nation’s role as a military power.) prepossessing (adj.) occupying the mind to the exclusion of other thoughts or feelings (His prepossessing appearance made it impossible for me to think of anything else.) presage (n.) an omen (When my uncle’s old war injury ached, he interpreted it as a presage of bad weather approaching.) prescient (adj.) to have foreknowledge of events (Questioning the fortune cookie’s prediction, Ray went in search of the old hermit who was rumored to be prescient.) prescribe (v.) to lay down a rule (The duke prescribed that from this point further all of the peasants living on his lands would have to pay higher taxes.) presumptuous (adj.) disrespectfully bold (The princess grew angry after the presumptuous noble tried to kiss her, even though he was far below her in social status.) pretense (n.)an appearance or action intended to deceive (Though he actually wanted to use his parents’ car to go on a date, Nick borrowed his parents’ car under the pretense of attending a group study session.) primeval (adj.) original, ancient (The first primates to walk on two legs, called Australopithecus, were the primeval descendants of modern man.) privation (n.) lacking basic necessities (After decades of rule by an oppressive government that saw nothing wrong with stealing from its citizens, the recent drought only increased the people’s privation.) probity (n.) virtue, integrity (Because he was never viewed as a man of great probity, no one was surprised by Mr. Samson’s immoral behavior.) proclivity (n.) a strong inclination toward something (In a sick twist of fate, Harold’s childhood proclivity for torturing small animals grew into a desire to become a surgeon.) procure (v.) to obtain, acquire (The FBI was unable to procure sufficient evidence to charge the gangster with racketeering.) profane (adj.) lewd, indecent (Jacob’s profane act of dumping frogs in the holy water in the chapel at his boarding school resulted in his dismissal.) profligate (adj.) dissolute, extravagant (The profligate gambler loved to drink, spend money, steal, cheat, and hang out with prostitutes.) profuse (adj.) plentiful, abundant (The fans were profuse in their cheers for the star basketball player.) promulgate (v.) to proclaim, make known (The film professor promulgated that both in terms of sex appeal and political intrigue, Sean Connery’s James Bond was superior to Roger Moore’s.) propagate (v.) to multiply, spread out (Rumors of Paul McCartney’s demise propagated like wildfire throughout the world.) propensity (n.) an inclination, preference (Dermit has a propensity for dangerous activities such as bungee jumping.) propitious (adj.) favorable (The dark storm clouds visible on the horizon suggested that the weather would not be propitious for sailing.) propriety (n.) the quality or state of being proper, decent (Erma’s old-fashioned parents believed that her mini-skirt lacked the propriety expected of a “nice” girl.) Q prosaic (adj.) plain, lacking liveliness (Heather’s prosaic recital of the poem bored the audience.) proscribe (v.) to condemn, outlaw (The town council voted to proscribe the sale of alcohol on weekends.) protean (adj.)able to change shape; displaying great variety (Among Nigel’s protean talents was his ability to touch the tip of his nose with his tongue.) prowess (n.) extraordinary ability (The musician had never taken a guitar lesson in his life, making his prowess with the instrument even more incredible.) prudence (n.) cautious, circumspect (After losing a fortune in a stock market crash, my father vowed to practice greater prudence in future investments.) prurient (adj.) eliciting or possessing an extraordinary interest in sex (David’s mother was shocked by the discovery of prurient reading material hidden beneath her son’s mattress.) puerile (adj.) juvenile, immature (The judge demanded order after the lawyer’s puerile attempt to object by stomping his feet on the courtroom floor.) pugnacious (adj.) quarrelsome, combative (Aaron’s pugnacious nature led him to start several barroom brawls each month.) pulchritude (n.) physical beauty (Several of Shakespeare’s sonnets explore the pulchritude of a lovely young man.) punctilious (adj.) eager to follow rules or conventions (Punctilious Bobby, hall monitor extraordinaire, insisted that his peers follow the rules.) pungent (adj.) having a pointed, sharp quality—often used to describe smells (The pungent odor in the classroom made Joseph lose his concentration during the test.) punitive (adj.) involving punishment (If caught smoking in the boys’ room, the punitive result is immediate expulsion from school.) putrid (adj.) rotten, foul (Those rotten eggs smell putrid.) Q quagmire (n.) a difficult situation (We’d all like to avoid the kind of military quagmire characterized by the Vietnam War.) quaint (adj.) charmingly old-fashioned (Hilda was delighted by the quaint bonnets she saw in Amish country.) quandary (n.) a perplexed, unresolvable state (Carlos found himself in a quandary: should he choose mint chocolate chip or cookie dough?) quell (v.) to control or diffuse a potentially explosive situation (The skilled leader deftly quelled the rebellion.) querulous (adj.) whiny, complaining (If deprived of his pacifier, young Brendan becomes querulous.) quixotic (adj.) idealistic, impractical (Edward entertained a quixotic desire to fall in love at first sight in a laundromat.) quotidian (adj.) daily (Ambika’s quotidian routines include drinking two cups of coffee in the morning.) R rail (v.) to scold, protest (The professor railed against the injustice of the college’s tenure policy.) rancid (adj.) having a terrible taste or smell (Rob was double-dog-dared to eat the rancid egg salad sandwich.) rancor (n.) deep, bitter resentment (When Eileen challenged me to a fight, I could see the rancor in her eyes.) rapport (n.) mutual understanding and harmony (When Margaret met her paramour, they felt an instant rapport.) rash (adj.) hasty, incautious (It’s best to think things over calmly and thoroughly, rather than make rash decisions.) raucous (adj.) loud, boisterous (Sarah’s neighbors called the cops when her house party got too raucous.) raze (v.) to demolish, level (The old tenement house was razed to make room for the large chain store.) rebuke (v.) to scold, criticize (When the cops showed up at Sarah’s party, they rebuked her for disturbing the peace.) recalcitrant (adj.) defiant, unapologetic (Even when scolded, the recalcitrant young girl simply stomped her foot and refused to finish her lima beans.) recapitulate (v.) to sum up, repeat (Before the final exam, the teacher recapitulated the semester’s material.) reciprocate (v.) to give in return (When Steve gave Samantha a sweater for Christmas, she reciprocated by giving him a kiss.) reclusive (adj.) solitary, shunning society (Reclusive authors such as J.D. Salinger do not relish media attention and sometimes even enjoy holing up in remote cabins in the woods.) reconcile 1. (v.) to return to harmony (The feuding neighbors finally reconciled when one brought the other a delicious tuna noodle casserole.) 2. (v.) to make consistent with existing ideas (Alou had to reconcile his skepticism about the existence of aliens with the fact that he was looking at a flying saucer.) rectitude (n.) uprightness, extreme morality (The priest’s rectitude gave him the moral authority to counsel his parishioners.) redoubtable 1. (adj.) formidable (The fortress looked redoubtable set against a stormy sky.) 2. (adj.) commanding respect (The audience greeted the redoubtable speaker with a standing ovation.) refract (v.) to distort, change (The light was refracted as it passed through the prism.) refurbish (v.) to restore, clean up (The dingy old chair, after being refurbished, commanded the handsome price of $200.) refute (v.) to prove wrong (Maria refuted the president’s argument as she yelled and gesticulated at the TV.) regurgitate 1. (v.) to vomit (Feeling sick, Chuck regurgitated his dinner.) 2. (v.) to throw back exactly (Margaret rushed through the test, regurgitating all of the facts she’d memorized an hour earlier.) relegate 1. (v.) to assign to the proper place (At the astrology conference, Simon was relegated to the Scorpio room.) 2. (v.) to assign to an inferior place (After spilling a drink on a customer’s shirt, the waiter found himself relegated to the least lucrative shift.) relish (v.) to enjoy (Pete always relished his bedtime snack.) remedial (adj.) intended to repair gaps in students’ basic knowledge (After his teacher discovered he couldn’t read, Alex was forced to enroll in remedial English.) remiss (adj.) negligent, failing to take care (The burglar gained entrance because the security guard, remiss in his duties, forgot to lock the door.) renovate 1. (v.) restore, return to original state (The renovated antique candelabra looked as good as new.) 2. (v.) to enlarge and make prettier, especially a house (After getting renovated, the house was twice as big and much more attractive.) renown (n.) honor, acclaim (The young writer earned international renown by winning the Pulitzer Prize.) renunciation (n.) to reject (Fiona’s renunciation of red meat resulted in weight loss, but confused those people who thought she’d been a vegetarian for years.) repentant (adj.) penitent, sorry (The repentant Dennis apologized profusely for breaking his mother’s vase.) replete (adj.) full, abundant (The unedited version was replete with naughty words.) repose (v.) to rest, lie down (The cat, after eating an entire can of tuna fish, reposed in the sun and took a long nap.) reprehensible (adj.) deserving rebuke (Jean’s cruel and reprehensible attempt to dump her boyfriend on his birthday led to tears and recriminations.) reprieve (n.) a temporary delay of punishment (Because the governor woke up in a particularly good mood, he granted hundreds of reprieves to prisoners.) reproach (v.) to scold, disapprove (Brian reproached the customer for failing to rewind the video he had rented.) reprobate (adj.) evil, unprincipled (The reprobate criminal sat sneering in the cell.) reprove (v.) to scold, rebuke (Lara reproved her son for sticking each and every one of his fingers into the strawberry pie.) repudiate (v.) to reject, refuse to accept (Kwame made a strong case for an extension of his curfew, but his mother repudiated it with a few biting words.) repulse 1. (v.) to disgust (Antisocial Annie tried to repulse people by neglecting to brush her teeth.) 2. (v.) to push back (With a deft movement of her wrist and a punch to the stomach, Lacy repulsed Jack’s attempt to kiss her.) reputable (adj.) of good reputation (After the most reputable critic in the industry gave the novel a glowing review, sales took off.) requisition (n.) a demand for goods, usually made by an authority (During the war, the government made a requisition of supplies.) rescind (v.) to take back, repeal (The company rescinded its offer of employment after discovering that Jane’s resume was full of lies.) reservoir 1. (n.) reserves, large supply (Igor the Indomitable had quite a reservoir of strengh and could lift ten tons, even after running 700 miles, jumping over three mountains, and swimming across an ocean.) 2. (n.) a body of water used for storing water (After graduation, the more rebellious members of the senior class jumped into the town reservoir used for drinking water.) resilient (adj.) able to recover from misfortune; able to withstand adversity (The resilient ballplayer quickly recovered from his wrist injury.) resolute (adj.) firm, determined (With a resolute glint in her eye, Catherine announced that she was set on going to college in New York City even though she was a little frightened of tall buildings.) resolve 1. (v.) to find a solution (Sarah and Emma resolved their differences and shook hands.) 2. (v.) to firmly decide (Lady Macbeth resolved to whip her husband into shape.) respite (n.) a break, rest (Justin left the pub to gain a brief respite from the smoke and noise.) resplendent (adj.) shiny, glowing (The partygoers were resplendent in diamonds and fancy dress.) restitution (n.) restoration to the rightful owner (Many people feel that descendants of slaves should receive restitution for the sufferings of their ancestors.) restive (adj.) resistant, stubborn, impatient (The restive audience pelted the band with mud and yelled nasty comments.) retract (v.) withdraw (As the media worked itself into a frenzy, the publicist hurriedly retracted his client’s sexist statement.) revel (v.) to enjoy intensely (Theodore reveled in his new status as Big Man on Campus.) revere (v.) to esteem, show deference, venerate (The doctor saved countless lives with his combination of expertise and kindness and became universally revered.) revoke (v.) to take back (After missing the curfew set by the court for eight nights in a row, Marcel’s freedom of movement was revoked.) rhapsodize (v.) to engage in excessive enthusiasm (The critic rhapsodized about the movie, calling it an instant classic.) ribald (adj.) coarsely, crudely humorous (While some giggled at the ribald joke involving a parson’s daughter, most sighed and rolled their eyes.) rife (adj.) abundant (Surprisingly, the famous novelist’s writing was rife with spelling errors.) ruminate (v.) to contemplate, reflect (Terry liked to ruminate while sitting on the banks of the river, staring pensively into the water.) ruse (n.) a trick (Oliver concocted an elaborate ruse for sneaking out of the house to meet his girlfriend while simultaneously giving his mother the impression that he was asleep in bed.) S saccharine (adj.) sickeningly sweet (Tom’s saccharine manner, although intended to make him popular, actually repelled his classmates.) sacrosanct (adj.) holy, something that should not be criticized (In the United States, the Constitution is often thought of as a sacrosanct document.) sagacity (n.) shrewdness, soundness of perspective (With remarkable sagacity, the wise old man predicted and thwarted his children’s plan to ship him off to a nursing home.) salient (adj.) significant, conspicuous (One of the salient differences between Alison and Nancy is that Alison is a foot taller.) salutation (n.) a greeting (Andrew regularly began letters with the bizarre salutation “Ahoy ahoy.”) salve (n.) a soothing balm (After Tony applied a salve to his brilliant red sunburn, he soon felt a little better.) sanctimonious (adj.) giving a hypocritical appearance of piety (The sanctimonious Bertrand delivered stern lectures on the Ten Commandments to anyone who would listen, but thought nothing of stealing cars to make some cash on the side.) sanguine (adj.) optimistic, cheery (Polly reacted to any bad news with a sanguine smile and the chirpy cry, “When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!”) satiate (v.) to satisfy excessively (Satiated after eating far too much turkey and stuffing, Liza lay on the couch watching football and suffering from stomach pains.) scathing (adj.) sharp, critical, hurtful (Two hours after breaking up with Russell, Suzanne thought of the perfect scathing retort to his accusations.) S scintillating (adj.) sparkling (The ice skater’s scintillating rhinestone costume nearly blinded the judges.) scrupulous (adj.) painstaking, careful (With scrupulous care, Sam cut a snowflake out of white paper.) scurrilous (adj.) vulgar, coarse (When Bruno heard the scurrilous accusation being made about him, he could not believe it because he always tried to be nice to everyone.) sedentary (adj.) sitting, settled (The sedentary cat did little but loll in the sun.) semaphore (n.) a visual signal (Anne and Diana communicated with a semaphore involving candles and window shades.) seminal (adj.) original, important, creating a field (Stephen Greenblatt’s essays on Shakespeare proved to be seminal, because they initiated the critical school of New Historicism.) sensual (adj.) involving sensory gratification, usually related to sex (With a coy smile, the guest on the blind-date show announced that he considered himself a very sensual person.) sensuous (adj.) involving sensory gratification (Paul found drinking Coke, with all the little bubbles bursting on his tongue, a very sensuous experience.) serendipity (n.) luck, finding good things without looking for them (In an amazing bit of serendipity, penniless Paula found a $20 bill in the subway station.) serene (adj.) calm, untroubled (Louise stood in front of the Mona Lisa, puzzling over the famous woman’s serene smile.) servile (adj.) subservient (The servile porter crept around the hotel lobby, bowing and quaking before the guests.) sinuous (adj.) lithe, serpentine (With the sinuous movements of her arms, the dancer mimicked the motion of a snake.) sobriety (n.) sedate, calm (Jason believed that maintaining his sobriety in times of crisis was the key to success in life.) solicitous (adj.) concerned, attentive (Jim, laid up in bed with a nasty virus, enjoyed the solicitous attentions of his mother, who brought him soup and extra blankets.) solipsistic (adj.) believing that oneself is all that exists (Colette’s solipsistic attitude completely ignored the plight of the homeless people on the street.) soluble (adj.) able to dissolve (The plot of the spy film revolved around an untraceable and water-soluble poison.) solvent 1. (n.) a substance that can dissolve other substances (Water is sometimes called the universal solvent because almost all other substances can dissolve into it.) 2. (adj.) able to pay debts (Upon receiving an unexpected check from her aunt, Annabelle found herself suddenly solvent.) somnolent (adj.) sleepy, drowsy (The somnolent student kept falling asleep and waking up with a jerk.) sophomoric (adj.) immature, uninformed (The mature senior rolled her eyes at the sophomoric gross-out humor of the underclassman.) sovereign (adj.) having absolute authority in a certain realm (The sovereign queen, with steely resolve, ordered that the traitorous nobleman be killed.) speculative (adj.) not based in fact (Sadly, Tessa was convicted on merely speculative evidence.) spurious (adj.) false but designed to seem plausible (Using a spurious argument, John convinced the others that he had won the board game on a technicality.) stagnate (v.) to become or remain inactive, not develop, not flow (With no room for advancement, the waiter’s career stagnated.) staid (adj.) sedate, serious, self-restrained (The staid butler never changed his expression no matter what happened.) stingy (adj.) not generous, not inclined to spend or give (Scrooge’s stingy habits did not fit with the generous, giving spirit of Christmas.) stoic (adj.) unaffected by passion or feeling (Penelope’s faithfulness to Odysseus required that she be stoic and put off her many suitors.) stolid (adj.) expressing little sensibility, unemotional (Charles’s stolid reaction to his wife’s funeral differed from the passion he showed at the time of her death.) strenuous (adj.) requiring tremendous energy or stamina (Running a marathon is quite a strenuous task. So is watching an entire Star Trek marathon.) strident (adj.) harsh, loud (A strident man, Captain Von Trapp yelled at his daughter and made her cry.) stupefy (v.) to astonish, make insensible (Veronica’s audacity and ungratefulness stupefied her best friend, Heather.) T subjugate (v.) to bring under control, subdue (The invading force captured and subjugated the natives of that place.) sublime (adj.) lofty, grand, exalted (The homeless man sadly pondered his former wealth and once sublime existence.) submissive (adj.) easily yielding to authority (In some cultures, wives are supposed to be submissive and support their husbands in all matters.) succinct (adj.) marked by compact precision (The governor’s succinct speech energized the crowd while the mayor’s rambled on and on.) superfluous (adj.) exceeding what is necessary (Tracy had already won the campaign so her constant flattery of others was superfluous.) surfeit (n.) an overabundant supply or indulgence (After partaking of the surfeit of tacos and tamales at the All-You-Can-Eat Taco Tamale Lunch Special, Beth felt rather sick.) surmise (v.) to infer with little evidence (After speaking to only one of the students, the teacher was able to surmise what had caused the fight.) surreptitious (adj.) stealthy (The surreptitious CIA agents were able to get in and out of the house without anyone noticing.) surrogate (n.) one acting in place of another (The surrogate carried the child to term for its biological parents.) swarthy (adj.) of dark color or complexion (When he got drunk, Robinson’s white skin became rather swarthy.) sycophant (n.) one who flatters for self-gain (Some see the people in the cabinet as the president’s closest advisors, but others see them as sycophants.) T tacit (adj.) expressed without words (I interpreted my parents’ refusal to talk as a tacit acceptance of my request.) taciturn (adj.) not inclined to talk (Though Jane never seems to stop talking, her brother is quite taciturn.) tangential (adj.) incidental, peripheral, divergent (I tried to discuss my salary, but the boss kept veering off into tangential topics.) tantamount (adj.) equivalent in value or significance (When it comes to sports, fearing your opponent is tantamount to losing.) T tedious (adj.) dull, boring (As time passed and the history professor continued to drone on and on, the lecture became increasingly tedious.) temerity (n.) audacity, recklessness (Tom and Huck entered the scary cave armed with nothing but their own temerity.) temperance (n.) moderation in action or thought (Maintaining temperance will ensure that you are able to think rationally and objectively.) tenable (adj.) able to be defended or maintained (The department heads tore down the arguments in other people’s theses, but Johari’s work proved to be quite tenable.) tenuous (adj.) having little substance or strength (Your argument is very tenuous, since it relies so much on speculation and hearsay.) terrestrial (adj.) relating to the land (Elephants are terrestrial animals.) timorous (adj.) timid, fearful (When dealing with the unknown, timorous Tallulah almost always broke into tears.) tirade (n.) a long speech marked by harsh or biting language (Every time Jessica was late, her boyfriend went into a long tirade about punctuality.) toady (n.) one who flatters in the hope of gaining favors (The other kids referred to the teacher’s pet as the Tenth Grade Toady.) tome (n.) a large book (In college, I used to carry around an anatomy book that was the heaviest tome in my bag.) torpid (adj.) lethargic, dormant, lacking motion (The torpid whale floated, wallowing in the water for hours.) torrid (adj.) giving off intense heat, passionate (I didn’t want to witness the neighbor’s torrid affair through the window.) tortuous (adj.) winding (The scary thing about driving in mountains are the narrow, tortuous roads.) tractable (adj.) easily controlled (The horse was so tractable, Myra didn’t even need a bridle.) tranquil (adj.) calm (There is a time of night when nothing moves and everything is tranquil.) transgress (v.) to violate, go over a limit (The criminal’s actions transgressed morality and human decency.) U transient (adj.) passing through briefly; passing into and out of existence (Because virtually everyone in Palm Beach is a tourist, the population of the town is quite transient.) transmute (v.) to change or alter in form (Ancient alchemists believed that it was possible to transmute lead into gold.) travesty (n.) a grossly inferior imitation (According to the school newspaper’s merciless theater critic, Pacific Coast High’s rendition of the musical Oklahoma was a travesty of the original.) tremulous (adj.) fearful (I always feel a trifle tremulous when walking through a graveyard.) trenchant (adj.) effective, articulate, clear-cut (The directions that accompanied my new cell phone were trenchant and easy to follow.) trepidation (n.) fear, apprehension (Feeling great trepidation, Anya refused to jump into the pool because she thought she saw a shark in it.) trite (adj.) not original, overused (Keith thought of himself as being very learned, but everyone else thought he was trite because his observations about the world were always the same as David Letterman’s.) truculent (adj.) ready to fight, cruel (This club doesn’t really attract the dangerous types, so why was that bouncer being so truculent?) truncate (v.) to shorten by cutting off (After winning the derby, the jockey truncated the long speech he had planned and thanked only his mom and his horse.) turgid (adj.) swollen, excessively embellished in style or language (The haughty writer did not realize how we all really felt about his turgid prose.) turpitude (n.) depravity, moral corruption (Sir Marcus’s chivalry often contrasted with the turpitude he exhibited with the ladies at the tavern.) U ubiquitous (adj.) existing everywhere, widespread (It seems that everyone in the United States has a television. The technology is ubiquitous here.) umbrage (n.) resentment, offense (He called me a lily-livered coward, and I took umbrage at the insult.) V uncanny (adj.) of supernatural character or origin (Luka had an uncanny ability to know exactly what other people were thinking. She also had an uncanny ability to shoot fireballs from her hands.) unctuous (adj.) smooth or greasy in texture, appearance, manner (The unctuous receptionist seemed untrustworthy, as if she was only being helpful because she thought we might give her a big tip.) undulate (v.) to move in waves (As the storm began to brew, the placid ocean began to undulate to an increasing degree.) upbraid (v.) to criticize or scold severely (The last thing Lindsay wanted was for Lisa to upbraid her again about missing the rent payment.) usurp (v.) to seize by force, take possession of without right (The rogue army general tried to usurp control of the government, but he failed because most of the army backed the legally elected president.) utilitarian (adj.) relating to or aiming at usefulness (The beautiful, fragile vase couldn’t hold flowers or serve any other utilitarian purpose.) utopia (n.) an imaginary and remote place of perfection (Everyone in the world wants to live in a utopia, but no one can agree how to go about building one.) V vacillate (v.) to fluctuate, hesitate (I prefer a definite answer, but my boss kept vacillating between the distinct options available to us.) vacuous (adj.) lack of content or ideas, stupid (Beyonce realized that the lyrics she had just penned were completely vacuous and tried to add more substance.) validate (v.) to confirm, support, corroborate (Yoko’s chemistry lab partner was asleep during the experiment and could not validate the accuracy of her methods.) vapid (adj.) lacking liveliness, dull (The professor’s comments about the poem were surprisingly vapid and dull.) variegated (adj.) diversified, distinctly marked (Each wire in the engineering exam was variegated by color so that the students could figure out which one was which.) vehemently (adv.) marked by intense force or emotion (The candidate vehemently opposed cutting back on Social Security funding.) V veneer (n.) a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance, façade (Thanks to her Chanel makeup, Shannen was able to maintain a veneer of perfection that hid the flaws underneath.) venerable (adj.) deserving of respect because of age or achievement (The venerable Supreme Court justice had made several key rulings in landmark cases throughout the years.) venerate (v.) to regard with respect or to honor (The tribute to John Lennon sought to venerate his music, his words, and his legend.) veracity (n.) truthfulness, accuracy (With several agencies regulating the reports, it was difficult for Latifah to argue against its veracity.) verbose (adj.) wordy, impaired by wordiness (It took the verbose teacher two hours to explain the topic, while it should have taken only fifteen minutes.) verdant (adj.) green in tint or color (The verdant leaves on the trees made the world look emerald.) vestige (n.) a mark or trace of something lost or vanished (Do you know if the Mexican tortilla is a vestige of some form of Aztec corn-based flat bread?) vex (v.) to confuse or annoy (My little brother vexes me by poking me in the ribs for hours on end.) vicarious (adj.) experiencing through another (All of my lame friends learned to be social through vicarious involvement in my amazing experiences.) vicissitude (n.) event that occurs by chance (The vicissitudes of daily life prevent me from predicting what might happen from one day to the next.) vigilant (adj.) watchful, alert (The guards remained vigilant throughout the night, but the enemy never launched the expected attack.) vilify (v.) to lower in importance, defame (After the Watergate scandal, almost any story written about President Nixon sought to vilify him and criticize his behavior.) vindicate (v.) to avenge; to free from allegation; to set free (The attorney had no chance of vindicating the defendant with all of the strong evidence presented by the state.) vindictive (adj.) vengeful (The vindictive madman seeks to exact vengeance for any insult that he perceives is directed at him, no matter how small.) virtuoso (n.) one who excels in an art; a highly skilled musical performer (Even though Lydia has studied piano for many years, she’s only average at it. She’s no virtuoso, that’s for sure.) W viscous (adj.) not free flowing, syrupy (The viscous syrup took three minutes to pour out of the bottle.) vitriolic (adj.) having a caustic quality (When angry, the woman would spew vitriolic insults.) vituperate (v.) to berate (Jack ran away as soon as his father found out, knowing he would be vituperated for his unseemly behavior.) vivacious (adj.) lively, sprightly (The vivacious clown makes all of the children laugh and giggle with his friendly antics.) vocation (n.) the work in which someone is employed, profession (After growing tired of the superficial world of high-fashion, Edwina decided to devote herself to a new vocation: social work.) vociferous (adj.) loud, boisterous (I’m tired of his vociferous whining so I’m breaking up with him.) W wallow (v.) to roll oneself indolently; to become or remain helpless (My roommate can’t get over her breakup with her boyfriend and now just wallows in self-pity.) wane (v.) to decrease in size, dwindle (Don’t be so afraid of his wrath because his influence with the president is already beginning to wane.) wanton (adj.) undisciplined, lewd, lustful (Vicky’s wanton demeanor often made the frat guys next door very excited.) whimsical (adj.) fanciful, full of whims (The whimsical little girl liked to pretend that she was an elvin princess.) wily (adj.) crafty, sly (Though they were not the strongest of the Thundercats, wily Kit and Kat were definitely the most clever and full of tricks.) winsome (adj.) charming, pleasing (After such a long, frustrating day, I was grateful for Chris’s winsome attitude and childish naivete.) wistful (adj.) full of yearning; musingly sad (Since her pet rabbit died, Edda missed it terribly and sat around wistful all day long.) wizened (adj.) dry, shrunken, wrinkled (Agatha’s grandmother, Stephanie, had the most wizened countenance, full of leathery wrinkles.) wrath (n.) vengeful anger, punishment (Did you really want to incur her wrath when she is known for inflicting the worst punishments legally possible?) Y Y yoke (v.) to join, link (We yoked together the logs by tying a string around them.) Z zealous (adj.) fervent, filled with eagerness in pursuit of something (If he were any more zealous about getting his promotion, he’d practically live at the office.) zenith (n.) the highest point, culminating point (I was too nice to tell Nelly that she had reached the absolute zenith of her career with that one hit of hers.) zephyr (n.) a gentle breeze (If not for the zephyrs that were blowing and cooling us, our room would’ve been unbearably hot.)

Band 8 Vocabulary for IELTS abandon: 1. a lack of control or restraint 2. loss of inhibitions 3. exuberance 4. surrender to one's natural impulses abandonment: 1. leaving someone, such as a child or a spouse, voluntarily 2. the act of giving something up 3. the act of letting something or someone go abate: reduce in amount, degree, or intensity; lessen abbreviate: make (a word, phrase, or text) shorter abbreviation: 1. a shortened form of a name, phrase or word 2. the act of shortening something aberrant: different from the right, normal, usual course, expected course or an accepted standard aberration: a departure from what is right, true, correct, etc., typically an unwelcome one abeyance: 1. a temporary stoppage or delay of activity 2. suspension abhor: regard with extreme dislike and hatred abide: 1. to accept 2. to put up with; to tolerate 3. to conform ability: 1. the capacity to do something 2. a skill or talent in a specific area abjure: 1. to officially renounce 2. to formally and publicly announce that one no longer believes in something abnormal: 1. strange 2. not usual or typical 3. not what is considered to be normal aboard: 1. on a boat or any sort of vehicle, such as a train or plane 2. into a group; as a participant abolish: 1. to get rid of in an official way 2. to put an end to 3. to completely destroy abolition: 1. the act of getting rid of something 2. the act of stopping or cancelling something abortion: 1. the medical termination of a pregnancy 2. the failure or premature abandonment of a plan or an undertaking abortive: 1. failed 2. unfinished and therefore unsuccessful 3. imperfect abridge: 1. to make something shorter while keeping the same meaning 2. to condense 3. to reduce abrogate: 1. to officially put an end to something, especially a law or another type of formal agreement abrupt: 1. brusque or curt in behavior or speech 2. unexpected or sudden, most often in an unpleasant or shocking way 3. steep absence: 1. the state or condition of someone or something not being present or not existing 2. a failure to appear absent: 1. not present in a certain time or location 2. non-existent 3. missing absolute: 1. complete, definite or perfect 2. not limited in any way 3. unadulterated absolutely: 1. completely 2. definitely 3. without exception absorb: 1. to incorporate something 2. to soak up or suck up something 3. to gradually take something in absorption: 1. the act or process of taking in or absorbing any substance 2. the state of being mentally engrossed in something; total concentration abstain: deliberately choose not to do or have something that is enjoyable but that may not be healthy, safe, or morally right 2. refrain from voting abstract: 1. not concrete; not related to a physical object or real event 2. expressing or showing feelings instead of real objects or people 3. difficult to understand because of its complexity 4. theoretical absurd: 1. silly or ridiculous, especially in a laughable way 2. illogical or totally untrue 3. difficult or impossible to believe absurdity: 1. the state or quality of being totally ridiculous or absurd 2. nonsense abundance: 1. an extremely large quantity of something 2. a quantity that is considered to be more than enough abundant: 1. great in number 2. available in a large number 3. more than enough; plenty abuse: 1. misuse of something 2. unfair or hurtful treatment of a person or an animal 3. improper use academic: 1. related to school or scholarly subjects 2. theoretical; not practical 3. scholarly; good at studying academy: 1. a professional organization that is created to regulate or spur interest and development in a specific field 2. a school that provides special training in a particular field accede: 1. to formally take on official duties 2. to agree; to give consent 3. to do what someone else says accelerate: 1. to speed up 2. to go faster 3. to make something happen or to happen at a quicker rate than normal acceleration: 1. an increase in speed or rate 2. the ability of something to go faster access: 1. a way of entering or exiting a place 2. the right or permission to use, approach, or enter something or somewhere 3. the act of approaching accessible: 1. obtainable 2. easy to enter, speak with, or approach 3. easily influenced accessory: 1. an object that is added to another in order to make it more useful or attractive 2. a person that helps another person commit a crime, but who does not actually take part in the crime accident: 1. an unforeseen event that causes harm, damage, injury or even death 2. a sudden and unplanned event accidental: 1. unexpected 2. not predicted 3. happening by chance accidentally: 1. by chance 2. unexpectedly 3. by mistake accommodate: 1. to do a favor or oblige someone 2. to supply 3. to provide space for people to stay or to be 4. to adapt or to make suitable accommodation: 1. lodgings used for travelers 2. a place to stay or live accompaniment: 1. something that accompanies something or someone else 2. music that accompanies a singer or the main tune accompany: 1. to go along with 2. to be associated with 3. to go somewhere with someone accomplish: 1. to carry something out; to finish something 2. to be successful in doing something 3. to complete or fulfill accomplishment: 1. fulfillment, success or achievement 2. something that was done successfully accord: concurrence of opinions or wills account: 1. an explanation or description of a specific event or situation 2. a narrative 3. the reasons behind a specific event or action accountant: 1. a person who keeps and prepares financial reports for businesses and individuals accounting: 1. the practice or process of recording and keeping financial records of individuals or corporations accrue: 1. to accumulate over a long period of time 2. to increase 3. to grow in a slow way accumulate: 1. to collect or gather 2. to amass 3. to increase in quantity or amount accumulation: 1. the act of growing or increasing in amount over an extended period of time 2. agglomeration accurate: 1. meticulous or giving careful consideration to the details 2. exact 3. free from errors and mistakes achieve: 1. to accomplish 2. to reach something through hard work 3. to succeed acknowledge: 1. to recognize or admit that something is true 2. to tell someone you have received something 3. to thank someone for something they have done 4. to show someone that you have recognized them by making a gesture acquiesce: 1. to agree to something reticently but without protesting acquire: 1. to obtain 2. to purchase 3. to develop or learn a habit or skill 4. to pinpoint and hold a target or something else through the use of radar or another tracking device acquisition: 1. the act of getting something or gaining possession of a skill or a good 2. something that one gets or gains possession of acrid: 1. a strong, bitter or stinging smell which often creates an unpleasant smell in one's throat 2. a bitter or sharp taste acrimony: sharpness, harshness, or bitterness of nature, temper, manner, or speech acuity: 1. acuteness or sharpness, especially of thought, vision or perception acumen: the ability to think clearly, make good judgments and take quick decision in a particular subject, such as business or politics adamant: 1. refusing to be persuaded, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision in spite of pleas, appeals, or reason; stubbornly unyielding 2. too hard to cut, break, or pierce adapt: 1. to make changes in order to fit a specific situation or purpose 2. to modify 3. to alter something adaptation: 1. the act of modifying something so that it better fits one's needs 2. change; adjustment adept: highly skilled or proficient at doing something; expert adequate: 1. sufficient to fit the requirements or needs 2. good enough, but not excessively good 3. satisfactory adjacent: 1. near 2. close to 3. neighboring 4. touching adjust: 1. to make changes to 2. to settle or adapt to a situation adjustment: 1. a change or modification that makes something more suitable or accurate for the person or situation 2. an adaptation administrate: 1. to direct or manage 2. to control 3. to distribute or give out administration: 1. a person or group that governs or manages a particular organization 2. the act of controlling a particular organization, group or plan adroit: very clever or skillful in a physical or mental way adult: 1. a person or animal that is fully developed or fully grown 2. a mature person or animal adversity: a difficult, unlucky, or unpleasant situation, condition, or event; misfortune; tragedy advocate: 1. publicly speak, write, plead, recommend, support or argue for a cause, particular policy or way of doing things 2. a person who publicly speaks, writes, pleads, recommends, supports or argues for a cause, particular policy or way of doing things aesthetic: 1. relating to beauty or the study or appreciation of beauty or good taste 2. nice to look at affect: 1. to impact someone emotionally or mentally 2. to produce a change in affected: 1. behaving in an artificial way to impress people 2. emotionally stirred or moved 3. impaired, harmed, or attacked, as by climate or disease 4. artificial and not sincere aggregate: 1. to collect or bring together 2. to add amounts together aid: 1. help; assistance 2. a person who helps someone or something 3. a helpful device alacrity: a cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness to do something albeit: 1. although 2. even if 3. notwithstanding allay: 1. to calm or to lessen negative feelings or pain 2. to pacify 3. to alleviate or relieve alleviate: 1. to make something more bearable or relieve problems or pain 2. to make something less severe or easier allocate: divide and give out (something) for a particular purpose alter: 1. to change or modify 2. to make something different 3. to castrate or spay an animal alternative: 1. not traditional or usual 2. being a choice; offering a choice 3. existing outside traditional society altruistic: unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others amalgamate: mix, merge, combine or unite to form one thing ambiguity: 1. the state of being unclear, inexact and open to more than one possible interpretation 2. doubtfulness ambiguous: 1. not expressed or understood clearly 2. open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations amend: 1. to make changes to 2. to improve 3. to alter 4. to remove errors from amendment: 1. a change that is made to something, such as a law, an agreement or any other document 2. a minor change or addition to something amiable: pleasant and friendly; good-natured and likable amicable: characterized by or exhibiting friendliness or goodwill, often despite a difficult situation amorphous: 1. without a defined shape or form 2. unorganized 3. missing a clear structure analogous: 1. similar to 2. alike or related in a way that allows analogies to be drawn analogy: 1. a comparison designed to show that two or more things are similar 2. partial resemblance 3. comparability analyse: 1. to examine something critically 2. to separate something into its parts in order to examine it or better understand it 3. to psychoanalyze analysis: 1. the study or examination of something in an attempt to define it or understand it 2. investigation 3. the act of breaking a subject down into parts to study it anarchy: 1. a lack of government or social control of any sort 2. lawlessness and confusion due to an absence of control or structure anathema: 1. a malediction or a curse 2. something or someone that is considered to be cursed 3. someone or something that is greatly disliked anecdote: a short, often funny story, especially about something some happening, usually personal or biographical animosity: 1. clear negativity or hatred of someone or something 2. strong opposition 3. open hostility annex: 1. to take control or possession over a piece of land without permission and often by the use of force 2. to add or attach 3. annual: 1. occurring each year 2. payable on a yearly basis or calculated over a year 3. yearly anonymous: 1. with no name known or acknowledged 2. made or done by someone unknown 3. having no unusual or interesting features antagonism: 1. unfriendliness or opposition 2. a strong feeling of dislike or hatred towards someone antagonist: a person who opposes to, struggles against, or competes with someone or something, especially in combat; adversary; opponent anthology: 1. a book that contains many different selections, often from various authors 2. a collection of music or different works of art anthropology: the study of human races, origins, societies, beliefs, cultures, and its physical development anticipate: 1. to predict or foresee 2. to look forward to something 3. to prepare for something or deal with something before it happens apparent: 1. clear and able to be seen 2. obvious; evident 3. easily understood appease: 1. to calm a situation 2. to pacify a situation by giving one's enemies what they demand 3. to soothe append: 1. to attach something; to affix 2. to add something to a written work such as a letter or a book appendix: 1. additional material that is found at the end of a book, an essay or another written piece 2. added information appreciate: 1. to become more valuable or increase in worth 2. to be grateful or thankful for 3. to understand the true meaning of a situation appreciation: 1. an increase in value 2. the act of recognizing something's quality, worth, validity, merit, etc. 3. an expression of thanks or gratitude 4. judgment approach: to move nearer appropriate: 1. to take possession or control of something 2. to steal 3. to set aside or to devote to a specific purpose approximate: 1. to come close to something 2. to be similar to something 3. to get near apt: 1. exactly suitable; appropriate 2. likely to do something; having a tendency to do something 3. quick to learn or understand arbitrary: 1. determined in a random way 2. based on preference rather than logic arbitrate: officially try to settle a disagreement between opposing or contending parties or sides after hearing the opinions and ideas of both arcane: known or understood by only a few; secret or mysterious archaic: 1. antiquated 2. belonging to a time in the past 3. old-fashioned archives: 1. a group of documents with some sort of historical or informational value 2. the place where these documents are kept area: 1. a geographical region 2. part of a surface or space 3. a subject or field of study arid: 1. very dry, especially having insufficient rainfall to support trees or plants 2. lacking in interest, excitement, or meaning articulate: 1. capable of expressing oneself in a clear and coherent manner 2. clear and well formulated language aspect: 1. a part or quality of something 2. one part of a situation 3. exposure; the way in which a structure is facing aspire: long, aim, or seek ambitiously to have or achieve something, especially in your career; desire strongly assail: physically attack or severely criticize (someone or something) in a violent or angry way assemble: 1. to put something together by joining its parts 2. to bring people together into one single group assembly: 1. a gathering of people that takes place because the people share a common goal or interest; a meeting 2. a gathering of teachers and students where information is shared assess: 1. to estimate or determine the value of something; to appraise 2. to evaluate assessment: 1. the act of evaluating and judging something 2. one's judgments or observations about a particular subject assiduous: showing hard work, great care, and attention to detail; diligent assign: 1. to give or allocate 2. to appoint 3. to designate 4. to attribute assist: 1. to support or help; to aid assistance: 1. help or support 2. the act of helping or supporting someone assume: 1. to believe that something is true without proof 2. to take on a role or responsibility 3. to adopt an idea assurance: 1. a feeling of confidence in oneself or something else 2. a promise designed to give confidence assure: 1. to assure someone that something is true, in hopes of getting rid of doubts 2. to confidently promise; to pledge 3. to guarantee 4. to make secure or safe astute: 1. crafty 2. possessing the ability to correctly judge situations and use one's observations to take advantage of the situation 3. shrewd asylum: 1. protection, safety, or the right to stay, especially that given by a government to people who has escaped from war or political trouble in their own country 2. an institution for the care of the mentally ill, or of the aged, the poor, etc. attach: 1. to fasten or join two or more objects 2. to include 3. to add a file to an e-mail attached: 1. joined or fastened together somehow 2. connected 3. feeling love or attraction for someone attain: 1. to succeed at something 2. to achieve 3. to reach or arrive at attitude: 1. a feeling or an opinion; a mental position 2. physical posture 3. a way of acting, thinking or feeling attribute: 1. a trait or quality 2. a characteristic augment: 1. to increase something in size, quantity or value 2. to enlarge 3. to enhance August: impressive; majestic; inspiring awe or admiration author: 1. the creator of something 2. the person who writes a document 3. the person responsible for an action authority: 1. power; the ability and right to control 2. the person or group that is in charge of a person, group or region 3. an expert on a specific subject 4. jurisdiction 5. official permission automate: 1. to mechanize a process, replacing people with machines 2. to operate by automation available: 1. free and ready to be used; not busy 2. accessible 3. at someone's disposal avarice: extreme greed to get or keep money or possessions; cupidity aver: 1. say (something) in a very strong and determined way 2. declare in a positive or confident manner aware: 1. cognizant; knowing 2. informed about something 3. conscious of something bard: 1. a poet 2. a poet that composes or recites lyric poetry barrage: 1. a concentrated artillery bombardment to protect one's own advancing or retreating or to stop the advance of enemy troops 2. an artificial barrier across a river or estuary to increase the depth of the water, prevent flooding, facilitate irrigation, etc befuddle: 1. to completely confuse someone 2. to perplex behalf: 1. in the interest of 2. on part of 3. supporting 4. representing beleaguer: 1. to harass or create trouble for 2. to besiege or surround a place, person or group with troops belittle: 1. to disparage or put down 2. to consider something to be less important or make it seem less important 3. to scorn or disparage belligerent: inclined or eager to fight or argue; hostile and aggressive benefit: 1. an advantage 2. a gift or payment from an employer to an employee 3. a payment from an insurance company or social welfare program 4. something intended to help 5. an event designed to raise money for someone or for a cause benevolent: kind, generous, and helpful; charitable benign: 1. not harmful 2. displaying kindness or gentleness 3. beneficial bias: supporting or opposing a particular person or thing in an unfair way, especially in a way considered to be unfair bigot: 1. a person who is intolerant of views other than his or her own 2. a person with a closed-mind blatant: 1. obvious, easily detectable, or blunt 2. noisy in a vulgar way 3. obtrusive bond: 1. the link or connection between people or things 2. a written promise 3. a force that unites or pushes people together 4. a certificate of debt issued by a government or company, promising to pay borrowed money back over a specified period of time bourgeois: 1. middle class and acting in a way that is consistent with what is expected of the middle class 2. materialistic 3. typical, conventional brazen: 1. bold and shameless 2. having a loud, usually harsh, resonant sound breach: 1. an act of breaking or failing to follow a law, rule, trust, faith, promise, agreement, or code of conduct 2. a hole, opening or space in a wall, fence, barrier, or line of defense, especially during a military attack brief: 1. concise 2. short in duration 3. curt 4. scanty brusque: a very direct, brief, and unfriendly way in speech or manner buffet: 1. a table that has food on it, from which diners are expected to choose their own food 2. a meal when diners are expected to choose their own food from a variety of selections 3. a blow or a strike, usually from a hand bulk: 1. the size or mass of something 2. the largest portion or part of something 3. great in quantity bulwark: 1. something or someone which protects one from negative, dangerous or unpleasant things or gives support and encouragement in bad situations 2. a wall built for defense buoyant: 1. able to float 2. cheerful and optimistic bureaucracy: 1. a large government or administration that is divided into various departments, in which the officials must follow a set of inflexible rules 2. a complicated management system which requires compliance with an annoying set of rules or regulations burgeon: 1. grow, increase, expand or develop quickly 2. begin to grow or blossom (as buds or branches) cajole: persuade by flattery or promises; wheedle; coax callous: unkind, cruel, and without sympathy or feeling about the problems or suffering of other people candid: 1. direct or honest, even in situations when the truth is considered to be uncomfortable or unpleasant; frank; straightforward 2. impartial or unbiased 3. unrehearsed or informal candor: 1. the quality or state of being honest or frank, especially when the truth is painful or difficult 2. fairness; impartiality capable: 1. able to do something 2. quite good at a certain task; skilled capacity: 1. the ability to do something 2. the maximum number of things that a place or object can hold capricious: suddenly and unexpectedly changing mood or behavior without any good reason; impulsive and unpredictable catalyst: 1. (Chemistry) a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction 2. somebody, something or an event that quickly causes change or action category: 1. a group of things organized due to the fact that they share a common trait 2. a group or class 3. a division caustic: 1. capable of burning, corroding, destroying, or eating away by chemical action 2. severely critical or sarcastic, often in a funny or clever way cease: 1. to stop doing something; to quit 2. to discontinue 3. to come to an end censure: strong criticism or disapproval of (someone or something), especially in a formal statement chagrin: a feeling of being very annoyed, disappointed, or embarrassed because of failure, disappointment, or humiliation challenge: 1. to question or express objection to 2. to test someone 3. to invite someone to take part in a debate or competition; to dare channel: 1. a route through which water flows or can flow 2. a television or radio station 3. a course of direction through which actions or ideas pass chapter: 1. a section of a book or a written work 2. a branch of a society or group 3. a stage in a person's life chart: 1. a drawing or illustration which displays information in an easy to understand way; a graph 2. a detailed map used for navigation of the sea or air chide: 1. express mild disapproval of (someone) 2. scold mildly so as to correct or improve; reprimand circumscribe: 1. draw a line around; encircle 2. restrict something such as power, rights, or opportunities within limits circumspect: 1. prudent or careful about taking risks 2. cautious and wary about the outcome of an action circumstance: 1. the conditions surrounding an event 2. a factor which influences something circumvent: 1. surround or circle around (an enemy, for example); enclose or entrap 2. avoid (defeat, failure, unpleasantness, etc.), especially cleverly or illegally 3. go around or bypass cite: 1. to use information or exact words from another source; to quote 2. to use as an example civil: 1. not related to the church or military, but rather the ordinary people of a country 2. secular 3. polite or courteous clandestine: kept or done secretly and often illegal clarify: 1. to make something clearer or easier to understand 2. to remove ambiguity clarity: 1. clearness of expression or thought 2. the ability to be understood 3. the ability to think in a clear way classic: 1. typical; traditional; famous 2. extraordinarily good 3. timeless; considered to be good or exceptional over a long period of time classical: 1. relating to ancient cultures 2. respecting tradition or the original way of doing things 3. traditional clause: 1. a provision or stipulation in a contract or another formal document 2. a phrase containing a subject and a verb that is part of a larger sentence clientele: 1. the specific group of customers which patronize a certain establishment or service provider; customer base coalesce: 1. grow together or into one body 2. unite or merge into a single body, group, or mass code: 1. a rule or law which governs an organization or a political region 2. a set of words or images which are used to communicate a message in a secret way or in an abbreviated form coerce: 1. to convince someone to do something by threatening them or using force 2. to use force to get something coercion: 1. persuasion through threats or force 2. using force to convince someone to do something coherence: 1. a logical ordering of things 2. consistency 3. the state of being logical coherent: 1. consistent or logical 2. understandable 3. capable of explaining one's thoughts or ideas in a way that is easily understood 4. unified; sticking together coincide: 1. to happen at the same time 2. to be present at the same time and place 3. to agree with or be in agreement collaborate: 1. work together, especially in a joint intellectual effort 2. cooperate with an enemy who has invaded your country during a war collapse: 1. to cave in due to pressure or lack of support 2. to fall down 3. to break down 4. to fold into a smaller or more compact shape, allowing something to be more easily stored colleague: 1. a coworker 2. someone you work with in the same profession or organization colloquial: 1. not formal 2. familiar and conversational 3. informal commence: 1. to start; to begin 2. to commence 3. to originate comment: 1. to say something 2. to make a remark 3. to explain something through a verbal or written remark commission: 1. a fee or payment for goods or services rendered 2. a request to create a specific work for someone 3. a group which studies a certain issue commit: to do something commitment: 1. one's promise or willingness to do something 2. an obligation, engagement, pledge or understanding commodity: 1. a product or good that can be bought and sold 2. something useful or of value communicate: 1. to transmit something, such as energy or an illness 2. to transmit information to others through written, verbal or non verbal words or signals communication: 1. the act of transmitting information from one person to another 2. the message that is transmitted community: 1. a group of people living in the same area or region 2. a group of people who share common interests 3. the greater public compatible: 1. able to exist in harmony 2. well-suited 3. capable of being mixed compensate: 1. to pay someone for something that has been lost, damaged, or taken away 2. to make up for something negative 3. to pay someone for their services compensation: 1. a reward or a payment that is given in exchange for some sort of negative incident compile: 1. to gather things together 2. to put things together in a logical or orderly form complacency: a feeling of contentment or self-satisfaction with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like complement: 1. to go well with something 2. to make perfect; to complete complex: 1. complicated and not easy to understand 2. involving or made from many different parts component: 1. one specific part of something 2. an ingredient or element compound: 1. to increase 2. to combine 3. to make something worse 4. to pay interest comprehensive: 1. all-encompassing 2. thorough 3. extensive 4. dealing with most or all aspects of a certain issue comprise: 1. to be made up of 2. to be composed of 3. to include; to contain compromise: 1. a settlement of differences by mutual concessions 2. reduce the quality, value, or degree of something 3. endanger the interests or reputation of compute: 1. to calculate 2. to determine by using a calculator or computer conceive: 1. to draw up or think up a plan 2. to get pregnant 3. to invent something concentrate: 1. to focus on something 2. to strengthen something 3. to bring things or people together in a common location concept: 1. an idea or a notion 2. a plan 3. an experimental model for a future product concern: A matter of interest or importance concise: 1. expressed in few words 2. clear and succinct 3. brief yet clear conclude: 1. to finish 2. to terminate or cause something to come to an end 3. to deduce or to infer based on what one has seen or heard concomitant: 1. something that is connected to something else, often occurring at the same time 2. something associated with another thing concur: agree with someone or something concurrent: 1. contemporary 2. happening or existing at the same time 3. simultaneous conditional: imposing, containing, subject to, or depending on a condition or conditions conduct: to lead or guide confer: 1. to grant something, like a title, to someone 2. to discuss or exchange opinions conference: 1. a meeting of people who share a similar interest attend a variety of talks or sessions about a specific subject or topic 2. a meeting confidant: 1. a person that one entrusts with their secrets 2. a person one can confide in and discuss personal matters with confine: 1. to limit or restrict 2. to forcibly keep someone or something in a certain place; to imprison confirm: 1. to check 2. to verify 3. to strengthen 4. to reinforce confirmed: 1. firmly settled in a habit 2. established 3. unlikely to change conflict: 1. a fight or a disagreement between two or more parties 2. a struggle 3. an incompatibility conform: 1. to meet (standards) 2. to comply with 3. to be similar to 4. to behave in a way that is expected and acceptable conformity: 1. agreement or compliance with a particular subject or issue 2. behavior that displays compliance with socially accepted rules or norms confound: 1. to surprise or confuse someone 2. to mix something up 3. to refute 4. to bewilder connive: 1. to secretly plan or work together with another person in order to do something illegal 2. to not do anything about illegal behavior you know about, showing one's silent compliance with the issue conscientious: 1. controlled by or done according to, what one knows is right 2. working hard and careful to do things well consensus: 1. majority opinion 2. an opinion or decision reached by all, or nearly all, members of a group 3. a general agreement consent: 1. to allow or agree with 2. to grant permission 3. to approve consequent: 1. resulting 2. following 3. progressing logically consider: to think carefully considerable: 1. quite large; substantial 2. worthy of recognition or consideration 3. noteworthy consist: 1. to be composed of 2. to be inherent 3. to be compatible consistent: 1. regular 2. not changing over time 3. constantly acting or behaving the same way conspicuous: 1. obvious; easily noticed 2. attracting attention, especially because it is strange or unusual constant: 1. unchanging 2. firm or resolute 3. persistent; continuing over a long period of time 4. loyal consternation: a feeling of worry, shock, or confusion, often caused when something unexpected happens constitute: 1. to formally set up or establish 2. to appoint someone to a position 3. to be the same as or equivalent to constitutional: 1. permitted by the constitution of a country, group or business 2. related to the constitution of a country, group or business constrain: 1. to keep back; to confine 2. to restrain; to limit 3. to force; to oblige construct: 1. to create or to form 2. to build; to put pieces together to form a whole object 3. to combine smaller pieces to develop something new construction: 1. the act or business of building things, especially structures consult: 1. to get advice from someone or something; to ask someone their opinion 2. to consider; to take into account consume: 1. to eat 2. to use; to use up 3. to totally destroy consumer: 1. a person who purchases goods or services contact: 1. to communicate with someone over the phone or by writing a letter, e-mail or text message contemporary: 1. from or existing in the same time period 2. modern contempt: 1. a feeling that someone or something is unimportant and deserves no respect 2. disregard for something that is usually respected or feared 3. open disrespect or willful disobedience of the authority of a court of law or legislative body contentious: 1. tending to argue or quarrel; quarrelsome 2. causing, involving, or characterized by argument or controversy context: 1. the circumstances surrounding something 2. the words before and after something that help explain what it means 3. the circumstances or situation in which something happens, which help to explain it contract: 1. to get smaller; to shrink 2. to make smaller 3. to hire someone to work under a contract 4. to get contradict: 1. to make a statement that goes against what has been expressed by another 2. to deny 3. to disagree with something contradiction: 1. a difference between two or more messages or statements which shows that one of the statements must be wrong 2. an inconsistency contrary: 1. opposite or completely different 2. obstinate 3. unfavorable contrast: 1. the act of finding differences between two or more things 2. a difference between two or more things contribute: 1. to write for a newspaper or a magazine 2. to give goods, money or time and effort to a person or group in order to help them contribution: 1. something one gives or does in order to help reach a shared achievement 2. a donation 3. a specific tax payment controversy: 1. a disagreement or dispute over a specific subject about which people have differing opinions 2. a heated discussion or argument convene: 1. to bring people together for a formal or official purpose such as a meeting 2. to gather convention: 1. a formal political agreement 2. a gathering or meeting of people or professionals with a shared interest 3. a social custom conventional: 1. traditional 2. based on what is considered to be traditional or typical 3. common 4. related to or based on a convention or an agreement converse: 1. to talk with a person or a group of people 2. to have a conversation conversely: 1. reciprocally 2. in a contrary manner convert: 1. to change something; to transform 2. to undergo a change 3. to change to another religion convince: 1. to make someone believe what you are saying; to persuade convinced: 1. very sure 2. persuaded 3. certain convivial: 1. (of an atmosphere or event) friendly, lively, and making you feel happy and welcome; festive 2. (of a person) cheerful and friendly; jovial 3. fond of eating, drinking, and good company; sociable; jovial cooperate: 1. to work together with one or more other people in order to reach a shared or mutually beneficial goal cooperative: 1. done with others 2. willing to work with others coordinate: 1. to harmonize 2. to make two or more things work well or efficiently together 3. to match coordination: 1. the act of making various parts work together in one organized or harmonious way copious: large in quantity or number; affording ample supply; abundant; plentiful core: 1. the center of something 2. the most important or essential part of something corporal: of or relating to the body; bodily; physical corporate: 1. belonging or pertaining to a large company or corporation 2. common or shared between people or a group of people corporeal: 1. of or relating to a person's body and not to spiritual or emotional states 2. of a material nature; tangible corpulent: 1. overweight 2. fat 3. physically large correspond: 1. to communicate through messages, letters or e-mails 2. to be related to or quite similar to corresponding: 1. related to 2. comparable 3. matching 4. directly related corroborate: strengthen, confirm or give support to (a statement, theory, etc.) by providing information or evidence that agrees with them cosmopolitan: 1. common to or representative of all or many different countries and cultures 2. containing or having experience of many different countries and cultures 3. including people from many different countries 4. free from local or national habits or prejudice counterfeit: 1. to forge a copy of something, often for illegal or dishonest reasons 2. to create a high-quality copy of something with the intention of defrauding someone couple: 1. two people who are romantically involved 2. two similar or equal things covert: 1. secretive or not openly shown 2. hidden; concealed 3. veiled create: 1. to invent something; to develop something new 2. to cause or bring about credible: 1. trustworthy 2. easy to believe or convincing 3. reliable credit: 1. money that is given to someone with the understanding that it will be paid back with interest 2. recognition or praise credulous: 1. gullible or easily deceived 2. overly willing to believe what one sees or hears 3. easily tricked or convinced criteria: 1. the standards or rules on which something is judged or based crucial: 1. of the utmost importance 2. extremely important 3. decisive cryptic: 1. mysterious 2. possessing a hidden meaning 3. written or said using a special code or cypher culpable: deserving blame or censure culture: 1. behaviors, beliefs, and standards that are shared between one large group of people or a society 2. art, such as music, literature, dance, theater, etc. cumulative: 1. increasing due to the constant addition of other elements 2. gradually increasing 3. snowballing cupidity: 1. avarice 2. a strong or excessive desire for possessions or wealth currency: 1. money; any other medium of exchange cursory: quick and probably not detailed curtail: 1. to reduce or shorten something 2. to establish a limit on something 3. to abridge cycle: 1. an extended period of time 2. a bi- or tri- cycle 3. a series of events which repeat over time cynical: 1. displaying a belief that people only act in self-interested ways 2. pessimistic or skeptical 3. distrustful of humans or human nature 4. contemptuous or condescending data: 1. information, facts or figures about a specific subject that is often used to make a decision 2. information used by a computer dauntless: showing fearlessness and determination dearth: a lack of something or an inadequate supply debacle: 1. a complete collapse or failure, often in an embarrassing way 2. a sudden, disastrous collapse, downfall, or defeat debase: 1. to degrade 2. to adulterate 3. to reduce in quality or value 4. to humiliate debate: 1. a civil or controlled argument between two or more people or groups with opposing viewpoints 2. a formal discussion before a vote 3. discussion decade: 1. a period of ten years 2. any series or group of ten decimate: 1. destroy, kill, or remove a large number or proportion of (a group) 2. reduce, damage, or destroy the strength or effectiveness of something severely 3. select by lot and kill every tenth one of decline: 1. a fall in the number of something; a reduction 2. the act of reducing in number 3. a downward slope decoy: 1. an object used as a decoy or to bait people or animals 2. something used to lure people or animals to trick them into a dangerous situation decry: 1. to openly express displeasure or disagreement with 2. to condemn deduce: 1. to reach a conclusion based on the facts available 2. to infer deference: respectful submission to someone or something deferential: 1. considerate 2. respectful towards one's elders or superiors 3. polite defile: 1. to spoil something by making it less pure; to corrupt 2. to pollute or make something dirty define: 1. to explain exactly what something means 2. to describe what a word means 3. to clarify 4. to limit definite: 1. exact 2. clear 3. undeniable 4. certain and unlikely to change definition: 1. a clear outline of something 2. the meaning of a word or phrase degradation: 1. the act or process of degrading such as in rank, status, or condition 2. treat someone or something poorly and without respect; humiliation deleterious: 1. damaging or harmful 2. injurious to health deliberate: 1. to carefully debate or think about something serious 2. to thoughtfully weigh the available options delineate: 1. describe or portray (something) clearly and precisely 2. draw or trace the outline of; sketch or trace in outline demagogue: a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by appealing to emotion, passions, prejudice, etc. rather than by using rational argument in order to win them over quickly and so gain power demonstrate: 1. to deliberately show or prove 2. to make clear demonstrative: 1. freely and openly showing one's emotions, attitudes, etc., especially of love or affection 2. serving as convincing evidence or conclusive proof of something demure: (especially of a woman or her behavior) reserved, modest, shy, and well behaved denote: 1. to be a name or symbol for 2. to indicate 3. to mean; to symbolize denounce: 1. to condemn or accuse something or someone, often in a formal manner 2. to strongly and publicly criticize someone or something deny: 1. to say that something is not true 2. to claim one is not guilty of something; to not admit 3. to not let someone have something depict: 1. show (someone or something) in a picture, drawing, painting, photograph, etc. 2. describe (someone or something) using words, a story, etc. deplete: 1. to cause a great reduction in the fullness or size of 2. to use up 3. to decrease the number of something deplore: 1. to believe something is wrong or bad 2. to lament; to regret 3. to feel great sadness about depravity: behavior that is immoral or evil; wickedness deprecate: 1. criticize or express disapproval of (someone or something) 2. depreciate; belittle depreciation: 1. decrease in value due to age, wear, decay, market conditions, etc. 2. a decrease in the purchasing or exchange value of money 3. an instance of disparaging or belittlement depress: 1. to press or force down 2. to make someone feel quite sad 3. to weaken 4. to lower the amount of something depression: 1. extreme sadness 2. a dip in a surface 3. a severe recession in an economy deride: speak of or write about (someone or something) in a way that shows you think they are stupid, unimportant, or useless; make fun of; ridicule derivative: 1. developed from, based on, influenced by, or copied something else; derived 2. copied or adapted from others; not original; secondary derive: 1. to get something from a source 2. to deduce 3. to show or trace the origin of descry: 1. see (something unclear or distant) by looking carefully 2. discover by looking carefully design: 1. a sketch or a plan that shows what something will be like when it is produced or constructed 2. a pattern or plan desist: 1. to cease or to stop 2. to abstain from doing something despite: 1. hatred or malice 2. injury despondent: very sad and with no enthusiasm from loss of hope or courage; dejected despot: 1. a ruler or other person with absolute, unlimited power, typically one who uses that power in cruel and unfair ways; autocrat 2. any tyrant or oppressor destitute: 1. extremely poor and lacking money, food, a home, or possessions 2. (often followed by of) destitute of: deprived of, devoid of, or lacking detect: 1. to note or to feel something 2. to discover or catch 3. to note the presence of deter: 1. to discourage or keep someone from doing something 2. to make someone decide not to do something by making them fear the consequences or repercussions deteriorate: 1. to get or become worse 2. to depreciate 3. to disintegrate over time deterrent: something that discourages; tending to deter detrimental: 1. causing damage or injury 2. harmful deviate: 1. to stray from the established course or standards 2. to digress device: 1. a contraption used to perform specific tasks 2. an explosive, like a bomb 3. a method used to do something devote: 1. to dedicate time or resources to something 2. to set apart dexterous: 1. skillful in the use of one's hands 2. possessing great mental skill; clever diatribe: an angry, bitter, and sharply abusive speech or piece of writing that strongly criticizes, denounces, or attacks against someone or something differentiate: 1. to determine or recognize the difference between two or more things; to distinguish 2. to make one thing unlike another diffuse: 1. pour out and cause to spread freely, as a fluid 2. spread or scatter over a wide area widely or thinly; disseminate; dispersed; not concentrated in one area 3. spread among a large group of people 4. cause (light) to spread evenly to reduce glare dilemma: 1. a serious problem 2. a situation in which a difficult decision must be made diligent: steady, hard-working, and careful in one's work or duties; industrious; painstaking dimension: 1. a property or way of measuring space 2. a part or aspect of something larger diminish: 1. to reduce or make smaller 2. to become smaller or less diminutive: extremely or unusually short or small in size; much smaller than ordinary or average; very small; little; tiny dire: 1. causing or involving great fear or suffering; dreadful; terrible 2. warning of or indicating dreadful or terrible future (trouble, disaster, misfortune, etc.) 3. extremely serious or urgent; requiring immediate action discern: 1. see, recognize, find out, or understand something that is far away or not very clear 2. perceive or recognize (someone or something) with difficulty by the sight or some other sense 3. come to know, recognize, or distinguish mentally discord: 1. disagreement among people or things 2. dispute or strife 3. a lack of harmony discount: a reduction in the usual price of something discrepancy: 1. a difference or variation between things that should be identical 2. inconsistency 3. disagreement discrete: 1. distinct 2. separate 3. not continuous discretion: 1. the ability to judge people or situations wisely and make the right choices 2. the ability to behave in a way that does not cause offense discriminate: 1. to treat someone or a group of people differently due to their origin, race, sex or other trait 2. to distinguish or see the difference between things disdain: the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they are not important and do not deserve any interest, respect, notice, response, etc. disparage: 1. speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; belittle 2. lower in rank or reputation disparity: 1. a large difference between two or more things 2. inequality 3. incongruity dispel: 1. make (a doubt, fear, belief, feeling, or idea) go away or end, usually by proving them wrong or unnecessary 2. drive away or off in various directions; disperse; dissipate displace: 1. to force someone or something out of its proper place or position 2. to take over for 3. to remove displacement: 1. the act of removing someone or something from the place it held or lived previously display: 1. to show or present 2. to demonstrate 3. to reveal dispose: 1. to get rid of or throw away 2. to make someone feel a certain way 3. to arrange disseminate: 1. spread (something, especially news, information, ideas, etc.) widely 2. scatter widely, as in sowing seed distinct: 1. different or separate 2. unmistakable; obvious distinction: 1. honor or excellence 2. something that makes a person or a thing different from the rest distort: 1. to misrepresent or give false information 2. to change something so that it is no longer the way it originally was distribute: 1. to give out or hand out 2. to spread something out over a surface 3. to deliver products distribution: 1. the act of giving something out to people 2. the way in which something is distributed or spread out over an area diurnal: 1. daily; happening every day 2. done during the daytime or related to daytime divergent: 1. tending to split and move out in different directions from a single point; diverging 2. be or become different diverse: 1. possessing various characteristics 2. distinct 3. diversified diversity: 1. difference or variety 2. the state of having people from different races and cultures gathered together in one space or organization divert: 1. to distract 2. to make something move in a different direction or on a different course 3. to use for a different purpose than the original 4. to amuse or entertain docile: 1. submissive 2. easy to handle, manage or teach 3. compliant doctrine: 1. a belief or set of beliefs that are taught and accepted by a religious, political, scientific, or other group; dogma 2. a statement of official government policy, especially in foreign or military affairs document: 1. to record something on paper or in digital format 2. to provide written evidence dogmatic: an authoritative, arrogant assertion of unproved or unprovable principles as if they are certainly correct and cannot be doubted domain: 1. territory 2. field of activity or study 3. a set or group of websites that share the same suffix such as .net .org etc. domestic: 1. related to house, home or family 2. from one's own country dominant: 1. governing; ruling; exercising one's control 2. more important than similar things 3. commanding dominate: 1. to be very good at something 2. to command; to have power over 3. to be the most important or largest thing in a group dormant: 1. sleeping, lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive 2. not active or developing now, but it may become active or develop in the future 3. in a state of rest or inactivity; inoperative draft: 1. the first draft or copy of something 2. a sketch 3. a rush of air through a building or space drama: 1. a play that is performed in a theater, on television or on the radio 2. a literary work that deals with a serious subject 3. the art of performing dramatic: 1. sensational 2. pronounced 3. extremely sudden 4. extreme dubious: 1. doubtful 2. questionable 3. not totally good or honest 4. undecided duration: 1. the amount of time that something lasts dynamic: 1. full of energy; enthusiastic 2. constantly changing 3. relating to energy or physical forces eccentric: 1. strange 2. unusual 3. unconventional and deviating from what is considered to be "normal" behavior eclectic: 1. selecting or choosing from various sources, systems, or styles 2. made up of or combining elements from a variety of sources economic: 1. cheap 2. pertaining to the economy of a country or region 3. related to the system of buying and selling goods and services economy: 1. the money and production of goods and services of a specific political region 2. thriftiness or careful management when spending money edit: 1. to revise a document and change whatever errors one sees 2. to produce a book or document by gathering different works together edition: 1. a group of a publications that were published at the same time 2. a specific version or a book or a product effigy: 1. a sculpture or monument of a person 2. a poorly made dummy that looks like or represents a person and is most often used in protest or ridicule effluent: something that flows out or forth, especially sewage or other liquid waste egregious: 1. something terribly bad 2. something surprisingly negative elated: 1. very happy and excited; exultantly proud and joyful; overjoyed 2. make very proud, happy, or joyful element: 1. a specific part of something tangible 2. a characteristic of something abstract or intangible 3. the most basic information about a certain subject elicit: 1. evoke or draw out (a response, information, etc.) from someone 2. draw out or entice forth; bring to light eliminate: 1. to get rid of 2. to abolish 3. to remove eloquent: 1. persuasive in speaking or writing 2. characterized by fluent and persuasive speech 3. movingly or vividly expressive elucidate: make clear, plain, or easy to understand, especially by explanation or giving more information; clarify; explain elude: 1. avoid or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer) by quickness, cunning, etc.; evade 2. fail to be understood or remembered by (someone) 3. fail to be achieved by (someone) elusive: 1. difficult to describe, find, catch, achieve, understand, or remember 2. cleverly or skillfully evasive emaciated: 1. extremely thin due to great hunger or illness emancipate: 1. to liberate someone or something 2. to free someone or something from bondage or control 3. to grant freedom and rights to someone embezzle: 1. to secretly take money for your own use from someone who trusts you 2. to defraud emerge: 1. to appear 2. to come into view 3. to become known 4. to come into existence empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings, thoughts, attitudes, experiences, and emotions of another emphasis: 1. the importance that is specifically placed on something 2. stress empirical: relying on or derived from observation or experiment rather than theory or pure logic emulate: try to equal or excel (someone or something you admire), typically by imitation enable: 1. to make someone able to do something 2. to give someone the tools or resources to do something 3. to allow someone to do something encompass: 1. form a circle or ring around; encircle; surround 2. include different types of people or things; include comprehensively; contain 3. enclose; envelop encounter: 1. to find someone or something unexpectedly 2. to stumble across 3. to face endemic: 1. very common, prevalent in, or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or people 2. native endorse: 1. to publicly declare one's support for something 2. to acknowledge a document by signing it endurance: 1. the ability or power to withstand stress or an unpleasant situation 2. the act of persevering 3. duration energy: 1. the effort or power needed to do something 2. heat, electricity, light or the resources used to produce power enforce: 1. to make someone comply with a law or a rule 2. to cause or force something engage: to occupy the attention enhance: intensify, increase, or improve the quality, amount, extent, or strength of something, as in cost, value, attractiveness, effectiveness, etc. enigma: someone or something that is mysterious, puzzling, and difficult to understand or explain completely enmity: 1. animosity 2. hatred 3. ill-will towards others 4. a deep-seated dislike of another person enormous: 1. extremely large in size or quantity 2. massive ensure: 1. to make sure that something happens or happened 2. to guarantee 3. to secure or make safe entity: 1. an individual, complete, unit that possesses its own unique characteristics 2. a being enumerate: 1. name (a number of things in a series or list) separately, one by one 2. determine the number of; count environment: 1. all of the conditions and circumstances that surround a specific person, animal or thing 2. the surroundings ephemeral: lasting for only a very short time equate: 1. to equalize 2. to make two or more things equal 3. to consider things equal equation: 1. a math problem 2. the act of considering one thing to be the same as another equip: 1. to give someone the tools or skills necessary to perform a job 2. to dress equipment: 1. supplies or tools needed to complete a task equitable: dealing fairly and equally with everyone; just and impartial equivalent: 1. equal to 2. of the same amount, size, value, meaning equivocal: 1. not clear and seeming to have two or more possible opposing meanings 2. ambiguous erode: 1. to eat away or wear away something 2. to slowly deteriorate 3. to reduce something erosion: 1. the gradual corroding or eating away of a subject 2. deterioration erratic: 1. irregular in movement or behavior 2. not following a regular pattern 3. not doing what is expected erudite: having, containing, or showing a lot of knowledge or learning gained from reading eschew: 1. to escape or avoid 2. to stop doing something or give something up 3. to intentionally keep away from something espouse: 1. to marry someone or take them as your spouse 2. to give your support to a belief or an idea 3. to embrace a cause establish: to set up estate: 1. a rather large piece of property 2. all of one's possessions at death estimate: 1. to make a guess or calculate the amount or value of something 2. to judge ethic: 1. a belief or set of beliefs which affects one's behavior 2. a person's moral principles or standards ethnic: 1. of or relating to a specific group of people who share a common race, heritage, set of customs or traditions etymology: 1. the study of the history and origins of words 2. the study of the evolution of words euphemism: 1. a word that is substituted for another, often unpleasant,offensive or upsetting, word evacuate: 1. to empty something out 2. to make people move out of or away from an area that is in danger 3. to remove or discharge evaluate: 1. to judge 2. to closely examine something before determining its value eventual: 1. happening at a time in the future that has not been specified eventually: 1. in the end 2. at an unspecified time in the future 3. finally evidence: 1. material that shows someone is innocent or guilty of something 2. material that proves something evident: clearly and easily seen or understood evoke: 1. bring (a memory, feeling, image, etc.) into the mind 2. bring out; arouse; call forth evolution: 1. gradual development or change, especially over long periods of time evolve: 1. to grow 2. to develop gradually over an extended period of time 3. to go through evolutionary changes exacerbate: increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of (disease, pain, annoyance, etc.) exacting: 1. rigid or severe in demands or requirements; not easily satisfied; rigorous 2. requiring great effort, time, care, patience, or attention excavate: 1. dig a large hole or channel in the ground, especially with a machine 2. uncover or expose by digging; unearth 3. dig out and remove (earth, soil, etc.) 4. form (a hole, tunnel, etc.) by digging exceed: 1. to surpass 2. to go beyond 3. to be greater than exclude: 1. to leave someone or something out 2. to eject 3. to deliberately not include 4. to prevent exemplify: 1. to serve as a typical example of 2. to use an example to illustrate or clarify 2. to embody exhaustive: 1. complete; comprehensive 2. dealing with or studying all aspects 3. all-inclusive exhibit: 1. to display or show 2. to present to the public 3. to reveal exhort: strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something by strong, often stirring argument, admonition, advice, or appeal; admonish strongly exorbitant: going far beyond what is reasonable, fair, expected, just, proper, or usual, especially of a price or amount charged expand: 1. to add details or information 2. to grow larger 3. to cause growth or to make larger expansion: 1. growth 2. the act or process of getting larger 3. an increase in size or number expedient: helpful or useful in a particular situation and produces an immediate result or solution to a problem, even though possibly improper or immoral expedite: 1. to hasten; to make something happen more quickly 2. to speed up 3. to do something efficiently as well as quickly expert: 1. a person who has a great deal of knowledge about or skill in a specific subject explicit: fully and clearly expressed or demonstrated, leaving no room for confusion or doubt exploit: 1. to take advantage of 2. to make use of exploitation: 1. selfish utilization of someone's work 2. abuse of someone in order to gain advantage export: 1. to sell or send abroad 2. to introduce or transmit an idea from one country into another expose: 1. make (something) visible by uncovering it 2. lay open to danger, attack, harm, etc.; leave unprotected or without covering 3. make known, disclose, or reveal (something hidden, dishonest, etc.) 4. (expose oneself) display one's sexual organs in public exposition: 1. a show where works of art are displayed for the public to contemplate 2. a clear, detailed, easy to understand explanation 3. a show in which many objects that are for sale are displayed exposure: 1. the disclosure or revealing of something 2. the state of having no protection from the elements or other harmful agents expunge: 1. to get rid of or cancel 2. to get rid of something written by erasing it or striking it out external: 1. from or located out the outside; outer 2. coming from the outside or an outside source 3. peripheral extol: praise (someone or something) highly, especially in a very enthusiastic way extract: 1. to remove or pull something out of another source 2. to convince a person to give you something they don't want to give you, often through the use of force fabricate: 1. to create 2. to manufacture 3. to build facilitate: 1. to help make something happen 2. to assist 3. to make something easier faction: 1. a small group within a larger group, usually contentious minority within a larger group 2. conflict within an organization or nation; internal dissension factor: 1. a variable or an element 2. something that influences a result fallacious: 1. based on false information or ideas; erroneous; illogical 2. deceptive; misleading fallacy: 1. a mistaken belief that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false 2. (logic) a mistake or failure in reasoning that makes an argument or idea invalid 3. a misleading or unsound argument 4. deceptive, misleading, or false nature falter: 1. to move or speak in an unsteady, awkward manner 2. to stop doing something, even for just a moment 3. to lose strength fastidious: 1. very attentive to small details and wanting everything to be correct and perfect 2. difficult to please; exacting 3. wanting (clothes, possessions, and property) to always be clean, neat, etc. fathom: 1. a unit of length equal to 6 feet (1.83 meters), a unit for measuring the depth of water 2. understand the reason for (something) thoroughly after much thought fatuous: 1. something or someone that is silly, foolish or pointless feasible: 1. achievable 2. capable of being done or accomplished 3. possible 4. likely feature: 1. a part or aspect of something 2. a quality federal: 1. related to the central or national government 2. related to the system of federalism, a system in which states or provinces and central governments share power fee: 1. to pay a tip to someone 2. to pay someone for their services feral: 1. a wild or undomesticated animal 2. a person who behaves in a wild manner fervent: 1. having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit, feeling, enthusiasm, etc. 2. hot; boiling; burning; glowing fickle: 1. likely to change one's opinion; not constant 2. unstable; frequently changing file: 1. to cut away using a file 2. to put in order; to arrange 3. to submit or send a document 4. to walk in a line final: 1. last; concluding 2. ultimate 3. coming at the end finance: 1. money that is used to pay for a large and expensive project 2. the money that a person, company or nation has 3. the management of money financial: 1. related to money or finance finite: 1. limited 2. measurable 3. having an end flabbergasted: 1. shocked 2. surprised 3. dumbfounded flagrant: 1. (of a bad action, situation, person, etc.) shockingly noticeable or evident; obviously offensive; glaringly bad; notorious; outrageous 2. notorious; scandalous flamboyant: 1. excessively decorated 2. ornate 3. brightly colored and showy, often to draw attention to someone or something flaunt: 1. to show something, like a personal quality, wanting to get admiration from others 2. to flaunt something fledgling: 1. a young bird just fledged 2. a young, inexperienced, or underdeveloped person or organization flexibility: 1. the ability or willingness to make changes 2. easily bent 3. adaptability flexible: 1. pliable; capable of being manipulated 2. able to change or be modified 3. able to be bent flout: 1. to scorn something 2. to reject 3. to consciously refuse to comply with a rule or law fluctuate: 1. to constantly undergo changes 2. to undulate 3. to shift back and forth; to rise and fall focus: 1. the center point of something 2. the center of attention 3. the main point format: 1. to arrange a document in a specific way 2. to prepare a computer disk to save specific files formula: 1. a fixed or standard way of doing something 2. mathematical symbols that express a rule or a fact forsake: 1. to desert or abandon someone who needs you 2. to give up something special or important forthcoming: 1. upcoming; approaching 2. appearing shortly 3. helpful; collaborative fortitude: mental and emotional strength in facing or enduring pain, difficulty, adversity, misfortune, danger, or temptation with courage fortuitous: 1. happening by accident or chance rather than intention, especially in a way that is lucky or convenient 2. lucky; fortunate foster: 1. promote the growth or development of (something, especially something desirable and over a period of time) 2. bring up with care, raise, or rear a child, usually for a limited time, without being the child's legal parent foundation: 1. the base on which something is built 2. an organization that deals with social issues or projects 3. the underlying principle or basis fractious: 1. irritable and quarrelsome 2. difficult to control; unruly framework: 1. the basic structure for something 2. something's skeleton 3. a set of rules around which something is done fraudulent: 1. dishonest and illegal; based on fraud or deception; using fraud; tricky; deceitful; dishonest 2. done or obtained by deception, especially criminal deception fraught: filled, charged, or loaded (with), especially unpleasant or undesirable things such as problems, difficulties, or things that are confusing frivolous: 1. not serious 2. unimportant 3. carefree in nature and superficial 4. trivial frugal: 1. sparing or economical in use or expenditure; not wasteful; not spending freely or unnecessarily 2. simple, cheap, and not very big function: 1. a duty or an activity that one must perform 2. a formal event 3. a purpose fund: 1. money saved or collected that is destined for a specific purpose 2. a large supply of something 3. capital fundamental: 1. essential 2. of great importance 3. basic furrow: 1. a deep wrinkle in one's skin 2. a line in the ground that was dug by a plow 3. a long line or channel in any surface furthermore: 1. in addition 2. moreover 3. besides 4. additionally furtive: done quietly, quickly and secretly to avoid being noticed futile: 1. incapable of producing any result; unsuccessful, or useless; ineffective 2. of no importance; worthless garrulous: talking much or too much, especially about things that are not important gaunt: 1. extremely thin due to illness or hunger 2. empty or barren 3. dreary gender: 1. one's sex or sexual identity 2. all members of a specific sex generate: 1. to create or bring about 2. to produce 3. to produce energy, like electricity generation: 1. a group of people in a society or in a family that were born in the same general age 2. a period of around thirty years in which people are born, grow up, and have babies of their own genial: 1. cheerful, friendly, and sympathetic; amiable 2. (of air or climate) pleasantly mild and warm; favorable for life, growth, or comfort glacial: 1. icy or unfriendly 2. related to a glacier 3. slow moving 4. extraordinarily cold global: 1. world-wide 2. found around the world 3. comprehensive globe: 1. a spherical shape; a ball 2. a map of the world which is printed on a sphere 3. the earth gluttony: 1. the act of eating and drinking more than one needs 2. excess in eating or drinking goad: 1. to provoke someone 2. to urge someone on 3. to tease or incite a person or an animal goal: 1. an aim, target or objective 2. the area where players must put a ball or puck in order to receive points in various sporting events gossamer: 1. a fine, filmy cobweb often seen floating in the air or caught on bushes or grass 2. (something) delicate, light, delicate or flimsy grade: 1. a level or rank 2. a number or letter that indicates the quality of something grandiose: 1. (in a good sense) large and impressive, in size, effect, grandeur, or extent 2. (in a bad sense) seeming or trying to seem very important, but really looking artificial or silly; pompous and showy 3. more complicated or elaborate than necessary grant: 1. to give something to someone 2. to allow someone to have something 3. to bestow grate: 1. to shred something, such as cheese 2. to persistently annoy 3. to produce an annoying sound through friction gratis: 1. free 2. without charge or price gratuitous: 1. unearned; not called for 2. not necessary 3. with no cause 4. free gravity: 1. the force that pulls matter toward a center of attraction; the force that pulls matter to the ground 2. seriousness or solemnity gregarious: 1. an extremely sociable person 2. an animal that tends to live in flocks or herds guarantee: 1. the promise that something will happen or that something is true 2. an assurance guideline: 1. a rule or benchmark 2. information tells people how something should be done guile: clever and usually dishonest methods to achieve something or to make others do what you want hamper: slow or prevent the free movement, progress, or action of (someone or something); hold back; hinder; impede harangue: 1. a long, angry and vociferous speech, often made with the intention of persuading someone 2. an aggressive and highly opinionated piece of writing hardy: 1. capable of enduring extreme conditions or difficult situations; robust 2. bold or daring; courageous 3. brazenly daring; audacious 4. (of plants) able to survive outside during winter without protection from the weather hasten: 1. make something happen sooner or more quickly; speed up; accelerate 2. move or act quickly; hurry 3. cause to hurry haughty: having or showing irrational pride in oneself and irrational disdain for others headlong: 1. with the head leading 2. very quickly and without taking time to think about your actions headstrong: 1. stubborn and unwilling to change 2. strong-willed 3. very determined to do what one wishes, despite warnings from others heed: 1. to listen to or pay attention, especially when referring to advice or warnings 2. to consider or take notice of hence: 1. therefore 2. for this reason 3. from this time 4. from this place hierarchy: 1. the order of people based on their rank or status 2. a system where people or things are ranked based on their status highlight: 1. to stress something 2. to make something appear more important 3. to emphasize hinder: 1. to limit someone's possibilities or the ability to do something 2. to hamper or impede 3. to slow something down homogeneous: of the same or similar nature or kind hubris: excessive pride or self-confidence that offends people; arrogance resulting from excessive pride or from passion hypocrisy: 1. the act or process of pretending to believe in something you don't believe in 2. being two-faced, false or insincere hypocritical: 1. two-faced 2. insincere; never meaning what one says 2. behaving in a way which contradicts your professed beliefs hypothesis: an unproved theory, proposition, supposition, etc. that is made on the basis of limited evidence and not proven but that leads to further study, discussion, or investigation, etc. identical: 1. exactly alike 2. the same as something else 3. extraordinarily similar identify: 1. to discover 2. to equate 3. to recognize a person or a problem ideology: 1. a set of ideas which influence or govern a person or a society idiosyncrasy: 1. a strange or unusual habit, way of behaving, or feature that is characteristic of a person, especially that is different from most people 2. an unusual feature or characteristic of something 3. an unusual individual reaction to food or a drug ignorant: 1. not aware 2. possessing little knowledge or training 3. uneducated; uninformed illuminate: 1. to make something brighter; to brighten 2. to explain something in a way that makes it understandable; to instruct illusory: 1. not real despite appearing as if it's real 2. deceptive illustrate: 1. to show something or explain, especially by giving examples 2. to draw pictures that are to be used in a book or other written document 3. to represent image: 1. a picture or a visual representation of something 2. a mental picture of something immigrate: 1. to enter a foreign country with the purpose of permanently living there immigration: 1. the act of moving into a new country in order to live there impact: 1. a collision; the moment when two or more bodies hit 2. the effect that an event has on a person; an influence impartial: 1. fair and unbiased 2. refraining from supporting a specific side in an argument 3. not partial impeccable: 1. without fault 2. perfect 3. flawless 4. not capable of sin impecunious: having little or no money impertinent: 1. rude and not demonstrating the amount of respect that is customary for the situation at hand implacable: 1. someone with strong ideas which are impossible to change 2. unable to appease implement: 1. to put something in force or into effect 2. to carry out implicate: 1. to demonstrate, imply or show that a person is involved in something, such as a crime implication: something implied or suggested without saying it directly implicit: 1. not explicitly said or explained; implied 2. suggested imply: 1. express or indicate (something) indirectly 2. indicate or suggest without saying or showing impose: 1. to force people to comply with a rule or to accept something 2. to demand impoverished: 1. very poor; poverty stricken 2. something that has become worse than it previously was impromptu: 1. done without any planning 2. unrehearsed 3. offhand impudent: 1. insolent 2. rude towards others 3. disrespectful toward someone that should receive respect inadvertent: 1. accidental or not on purpose 2. not intentional 3. heedless inane: 1. lacking sense, meaning, substance, or importance; silly 2. empty; void; vacant incentive: 1. something that motivates people to do something or take action 2. a reward or the threat of punishment that inspires people to act inchoate: not completely formed or developed yet; disorganized; incomplete incidence: 1. the rate or frequency at which something happens 2. occurrence incipient: 1. just starting 2. in the beginning stages 3. beginning to appear incisive: 1. sharp 2. penetrating 3. clearly expressed 4. direct inclination: 1. a tendency to support something or like something; a preference 2. a slope or angle incline: 1. to be in favor of something or have a preference 2. to bend or slant 3. to slope incoherent: 1. unclear; difficult to understand 2. rambling or disjointed 3. lacking unity income: 1. money that one receives in exchange for one's work or smart investing 2. revenue 3. a company's profits incompatible: 1. unable to exist together in harmony or agreement because of basic differences 2. not consistent or able to coexist with (another) incongruous: 1. inappropriate or not considered to be normal 2. incompatible or inconsistent with the rest of things in its group or time incontrovertible: 1. very clear and obviously true; undeniable incorporate: 1. to include something into a larger unit or group 2. to combine incredulous: 1. unwilling or unable to believe something, and usually showing this; doubting; skeptical 2. showing doubt or disbelief 3. incredible; not easy to be believed indefatigable: 1. untiring and inexhaustible 2. not yielding to fatigue despite persisting in labor or effort for a long time indelible: 1. impossible to remove or forget 2. producing marks that cannot be erased or removed 3. permanent index: 1. an alphabetical list showing all that is included in a book or a larger document 2. an alphabetical list of the documents in a collection 3. an indication indicate: 1. to show 2. to be a sign of 3. to signal 4. to suggest indifferent: 1. not caring about something; apathetic or indifferent 2. impartial 3. unremarkable or average indigenous: existing, growing, or produced naturally in a particular place or climate; native indignant: feeling or showing anger or annoyance at unfair, mean, or ungrateful action or treatment individual: 1. a single human being 2. a person indolent: 1. disliking or avoiding work; idle; lazy 2. causing little or no pain 3. slow to heal, grow, or develop; inactive induce: 1. persuade or influence someone to do something 2. bring about, produce, or cause 3. draw (a general rule or conclusion) by inductive reasoning indulgent: 1. allowing someone to do or have what they want, especially when it may not be proper, healthy, appropriate, etc. 2. indulging or inclined to indulge, especially when you should be strict inept: 1. not effective 2. unfit or wrong in an inappropriate way 3. awkward or clumsy inert: 1. unable to move or act 2. moving or acting very slowly 3. not energetic or interesting inertia: 1. lack of activity 2. the fact that matter moves in the same direction unless acted upon by another force inevitable: 1. impossible to avoid, evade, escape, or prevent 2. sure to happen inevitably: 1. in a way that isn't preventable 2. not able to be avoided inexorable: 1. incapable of being altered, swayed or stopped 2. not capable of being persuaded infamy: extremely bad reputation for having done bad things or for being evil infer: form an opinion or guess that something is true by reasoning, especially based on known facts, evidence, or premises infrastructure: 1. the underlying features of something; framework 2. a country's basic systems, such as power, water or transportation ingenious: clever, resourceful, original, and inventive inherent: existing in someone or something as a natural and inseparable element, quality, right, or attribute inhibit: 1. prevent someone from doing what he or she wants to do 2. prevent or slow down the activity, growth or occurrence of (something) 3. restrain, hinder, arrest, or check (an action, impulse, etc.) initial: 1. first 2. occurring at the beginning of something 3. incipient initiate: 1. to begin 2. to introduce a person to into a subject or knowledge; to teach someone 3. to formally admit someone into a group injure: 1. to physically hurt or harm someone or something 2. to offend someone or hurt them mentally or emotionally injury: 1. physical harm caused by violence or an accident innate: 1. a quality or ability existing in one from birth 2. an essential characteristic existing as part of the basic nature innocuous: 1. that does not injure or harm 2. not likely to bother or offend anyone 3. not likely to arouse strong feelings or hostility innovate: 1. to begin to use or to invent new ideas, concepts, products, equipment, etc. 2. to make changes innovation: 1. the use of something new; a change to a particular process insatiable: 1. not able to be satisfied 2. never satisfied 3. very greedy insert: 1. to put or place something in something else 2. to add something insidious: 1. seemingly harmless yet, in truth, damaging and harmful 2. slowly acting and causing harm insight: 1. understanding of a specific theme or topic 2. the ability to clearly understand a difficult or complicated situation or topic insipid: 1. without flavor; tasteless 2. not interesting or exciting; dull; boring inspect: 1. to carefully examine something, especially in search of problems or flaws 2. to make an official visit to ensure that rules are being followed or complied with inspection: 1. the act of examining something by an official or a person who has been specially trained 2. an official or formal review instance: 1. an occurrence 2. an example used to demonstrate something institute: 1. an organization that promotes education or art 2. an organization that carries out research 3. an organization with a specific purpose instruct: 1. to teach someone 2. to show someone how to do something 3. to direct or give orders insular: 1. ignorant of or no interested in cultures, ideas, or peoples outside your own group or country 2. not interested in learning new ideas or ways of doing things 3. of, relating to, or from an island integral: 1. fundamental; essential 2. of the utmost importance 3. necessary integrate: 1. to add something to a unit to make it whole 2. to combine two or more things 3. to join; to unify integrity: 1. the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles 2. the quality or state of being whole and undivided 3. the quality or state of being unimpaired; soundness intelligence: 1. the ability to learn or to acquire knowledge or skills 2. classified or secret information about an organization or a country intend: plan intense: 1. acute 2. very strong; extreme 3. profound interact: 1. to communicate with and react to another human 2. to act on interaction: 1. the act of communicating and acting with other individuals intermediate: 1. in the middle of two things, places, etc. 2. between two levels; between basic and advanced intermittent: 1. happening at irregular intervals 2. not steady 3. stopping and starting internal: 1. found or existing within certain limits 2. inner 3. interior interpret: 1. to understand something in a certain way 2. to explain something or make it possible to understand 3. to convert someone's spoken words into another language interpretation: 1. explanation 2. definition 3. the act of orally translating from one language to another interval: 1. the space or spaces between things 2. the period of time between two things 3. a pause intervene: 1. to get involved or become involved in a situation in order to change its suspected outcome 2. to interrupt 3. to be situated between two things intervention: 1. the act of becoming involved in something intransigent: unwilling or refusing to change your opinions or behavior with no good reason intrepid: very bold or brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations; fearless intrinsic: 1. inherent 2. relating to the basic nature of something 3. fundamental intuitive: 1. of, relating to, or arising from intuition; instinctive 2. known or perceived through intuition inundate: overwhelm (someone or something) by sending or providing with a large amount of things at the same time invest: 1. to put one's money into something with the intention of eventually earning money from the project 2. to give power or rank to 3. to install a new leader 4. to endow investigate: 1. to thoroughly examine something 2. to explore a topic in order to learn the truth about it 3. to try to get information about something investigation: 1. research or inquiry 2. the act of trying to find information about something in order to better understand it inveterate: 1. established or habitual 2. deep-rooted 3. settled in a habit and unlikely to change invoke: 1. request blessing, help, inspiration, support, etc. from someone, especially God, a god, a saint, etc. 2. ask for; request earnestly 3. make someone have a particular feeling or remember something involve: 1. to engage 2. to include something as necessary 3. to cause a person to participate or get involved irate: feeling or showing extreme anger; very angry; enraged ironic: 1. using words that literally mean the opposite of what the speaker or writer wants to say, especially when one wants to express humor irony: a method of humorous or subtly sarcastic expression in which the intended meaning of the words is different from and often opposite to their literal meaning irrevocable: 1. unable to be taken away 2. unable to be changed 3. final isolate: 1. to seclude someone or something 2. to place something in quarantine 3. to separate something or someone isolated: 1. separated from others 2. occurring just one time issue: topic item: 1. a single object 2. a piece of news 3. a subject to be discussed or dealt with jeopardize: 1. to put something or someone in danger or at risk 2. to threaten journal: 1. a newspaper or magazine 2. a magazine that contains articles about a specific subject 3. a written record of the day 4. a logbook jubilant: 1. thrilled 2. feeling and expressing great joy 3. expressing extreme happiness, often due to a victory or success judicious: having, applying, or showing reason and good judgment or sense in making decisions justification: 1. the reason behind something; something that explains or justifies something else justify: 1. to explain or defend one's position or reasoning 2. to adjust one's text so that the right and left edges of a document are equal 3. to prove something to be correct kindle: 1. to build or light a fire 2. to make something burn; to ignite 3. to arouse an emotion or cause a feeling 4. to stir up knell: 1. the sad and somber sound of a bell, especially while it tolls for a person who has died label: 1. a piece of material on an object that gives information about the object 2. a name or phrase assigned to a person to classify them, often in an unfair manner 3. a company that produces music labour: 1. work or physical exertion 2. the process of giving birth to a baby 3. workers, when considered collectively lackluster: 1. dull in color or brightness 2. boring 3. unimaginative laconic: using very few words in speech, writing, or expression; terse; concise languid: 1. lacking enthusiasm, energy, or strength; without interest or spirit 2. (of a period of time) relaxed and pleasant 3. weak or faint from illness or fatigue 4. slow in progress; tardy latent: exists but is not active, obvious, completely developed, or cannot be seen laudable: deserving or worthy of praise lavish: 1. extravagant or expensive 2. liberal in one's spending or giving of money 3. impressive 4. generous 5. sumptuous lax: 1. not as strict or strong 2. loose 3. not careful layer: 1. different tiers that make something up 2. a thin sheet of a certain substance 3. a substance that is above or under another substance lecture: 1. a speech or lesson about a specific subject 2. a speech that is open to to the public 3. a long and serious scolding legal: 1. allowed or permitted by law 2. related or connected to law legend: 1. the part of a map or a chart where each symbol or color are explained 2. a story that has been told over generations that may or may not be true; myth legislate: 1. to create and pass laws legislation: 1. laws 2. the act of lawmaking lethargic: 1. sluggish or drowsy; tired or slightly tired 2. apathetic leviathan: 1. something or someone that is very large and powerful, especially a ship 2. a very large animal, especially a whale levity: 1. lack of seriousness, especially when strictness is required or appropriate 2. frivolity 3. fickleness levy: 1. to impose a tax, fee or fine on 2. to officially request the payment of a tax, fee or fine liberal: 1. tolerant or open-minded 2. in favor of personal rights and freedoms 3. in favor of reform and progressive policies 4. generous likewise: 1. similarly 2. moreover 3. in addition limpid: 1. transparent; clear 2. easily intelligible 3. serene and without worry link: 1. to connect two or more things 2. to relate things 3. to join lithe: young, healthy, attractive, and able to move and bend in an easy and graceful way locate: 1. to find 2. to situate 3. to be in a certain place 4. to discover the exact position location: 1. the place where someone or something can be found 2. place lofty: 1. elevated; high 2. arrogant; thinking that one is better or more important than others 3. tall logic: 1. a specific or formal way of thinking 2. the scientific study of the processes used when humans reason or think longevity: 1. long life 2. the length or duration of life 3. long existence or service loquacious: tending to talk a lot or too much lucid: 1. very clear and easy to understand 2. clear; transparent 3. able to think clearly lucrative: producing a lot of wealth or profit; profitable ludicrous: 1. absurd 2. laughable; deserving of or causing laughter 3. ridiculous lull: 1. cause to sleep, rest, or calm, typically with soothing sounds or movements 2. cause someone feel secure, relaxed, or confident instead of careful and alert, especially by deception 3. a temporary calm, quiet, or stillness, as in a storm 4. become calm lurid: 1. causing shock or horror, especially because involving violence, sex, or immoral activity; gruesome 2. glowing with an unnatural glare and in an ugly way magnanimous: 1. kind, generous, or forgiving in overlooking injury or insult, especially towards a rival or less powerful person; free from petty resentfulness or vindictiveness 2. high-minded; generous and noble magnate: 1. a very successful or very important person in a specific industry maintain: 1. to keep something at the same level, rate or condition 2. to continue 3. to firmly declare or assert maintenance: 1. financial support given from one ex-spouse to another 2. upkeep 3. the act of maintaining major: 1. quite important 2. serious 3. large 4. more important malady: 1. an illness, disease or ailment 2. a major problem malevolent: causing or wanting to cause harm or evil to another or others; malicious; evil malleable: 1. (of a metal or other material) able to be hammered, pounded, or pressed into various shapes without breaking or cracking 2. easily influenced, trained, or controlled; adaptable manifold: 1. multiple or many in number 2. varied or consisting of multiple parts or elements 3. plentiful, numerous manipulate: 1. to change or modify, especially to suit one's purposes 2. to handle 3. to influence or control someone manual: 1. a guide book that tells one how to operate or use something 2. an instruction book margin: 1. a border or edge 2. the difference between the cost of production of a good and the amount at which it is sold marginal: 1. not important 2. quite small 3. on the margin or border marred: damaged or disfigured by injury or rough wear; spoiled; impaired marshal: 1. to organize or arrange things or people 2. to ceremoniously lead people mature: 1. to grow old 2. to develop 3. to ripen maverick: a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of or resists adherence to a group maxim: 1. a general truth that someone lives by 2. a rule of conduct 3. a proverb maximise: 1. to make as large as possible 2. to make the most of something 3. to use something in a way that allows one to get the best possible result maximum: 1. the highest possible amount or largest quantity mechanism: 1. a machine or device 2. the working parts of a machine media: 1. companies or institutions that report the news through the television, radio, press, internet, etc. 2. mass communication when considered as a whole mediate: 1. to settle disputes through negotiation 2. to be an intermediary 3. to work with opposing sides to reach an agreement medium: 1. a way of expressing something, such as photography or print 2. something in a middle position 3. surrounding objects; environment melancholy: a feeling of sadness, depression, and of being without hope, typically with no obvious cause mental: 1. related to or involving the mind 2. existing in the mind mercenary: 1. working or acting only for money or other reward 2. a professional soldier hired to serve in a foreign army, guerrilla organization, etc. merge: 1. to put two or more things together; to unite; to combine method: 1. a way of doing something 2. an approach 3. a technique meticulous: 1. extremely concerned with details 2. thorough and precise 3. finicky mettle: 1. resilience; stamina 2. fortitude and courage 3. the ability to deal with situations that are considered difficult 4. temperament migrate: 1. to move from one region or country to another migration: 1. the movement of people or animals from one reason to another, based on a variety of different reasons military: 1. related to soldiers, the army, or armed conflict 2. done or made by soldiers minimal: 1. the least or fewest possible 2. extremely small 3. negligible minimise: 1. to make something smaller 2. to reduce as much as possible in amount or degree 3. to make something seem less important minimum: 1. the smallest or least amount of something possible 2. the smallest size possible ministry: 1. a government department that is in charge of a specific task or subject 2. the job of being a preacher or a priest minor: 1. of little importance 2. small or secondary 3. not valuable 4. not serious minute: extremely small mire: 1. to entangle or trap 2. to cause to stick or get stuck 3. to soil or stain with mud mitigate: make something less severe, serious, painful, harmful, unpleasant, or bad mode: 1. a fashion 2. a way of doing something or performing a task modicum: 1. a limited amount of something 2. a small object 3. a reduced quantity modify: 1. to make changes to something 2. to adjust or alter momentous: 1. extremely important, especially in reference to the future or future events 2. weighty monitor: 1. to watch someone or something 2. to check on something or someone in order to detect changes 3. to supervise monotonous: 1. repetitive and boring 2. lacking variety 3. dull 4. wearisome morose: 1. austere and churlish 2. ill-tempered 3. bleak or dreary in nature 4. showing a gloomy attitude motivation: 1. the enthusiasm, interest or reason for doing something motive: 1. one of the reasons behind someone's behavior 2. something that inspires someone to behave in a certain way 3. a motif mundane: 1. ordinary and not interesting or exciting 2. relating to the world and practical matters instead of heavenly or spiritual ones; worldly; earthly mutual: 1. shared between two or more parties 2. held in common myriad: 1. a large number, often one that is too large to count 2. a great deal of people or things nadir: 1. the point opposite the zenith on a sphere, directly below the observer 2. the lowest, worst point in a situation nascent: 1. emerging or beginning to exist 2. recently formed or started 3. developing navigable: 1. safe, wide, and deep enough to allow the passage or transit of ships 2. able to be directed or steered nefarious: extremely wicked; criminal; evil; immoral; sinful negate: 1. to deny something or say something isn't true 2. to cancel something out; to nullify negative: 1. pessimistic 2. harmful or bad 3. expressing or showing "no" 4. expressing disapproval negligence: 1. failure to take the proper amount of care in a specific situation, often causing damage or harm 2. the state or quality of being negligent 3. carelessness neophyte: 1. a newcomer to a specific belief; a proselyte 2. a person who has only recently started to participate in a subject or an activity nettle: 1. to bother or annoy 2. to provoke 3. to irritate or sting as if with nettles network: 1. a large system of smaller interconnected parts 2. a system of interconnected people or things 3. a group of people who are related in some way neutral: 1. impartial 2. not supporting either side involved in a conflict nevertheless: 1. in spite of 2. notwithstanding 3. however nomadic: 1. constantly moving from place to place without a fixed pattern 2. itinerant 3. pertaining to a wandering tribe nominal: 1. insignificant 2. in name, but not in practice 3. very small nonchalant: coolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited; relaxed, calm, and not worried about anything; not displaying anxiety, interest, or enthusiasm nonetheless: 1. nevertheless 2. however norm: 1. a rule or standard 2. a pattern or something that is expected 3. a model nostalgia: 1. homesickness; a longing for one's home or hometown 2. a feeling of sadness and pleasure when thinking about events or things from the past; sentimentality notion: 1. an idea, belief or opinion about something notwithstanding: 1. in spite of 2. nevertheless 3. although novel: 1. new 2. different from anything that has previously existed 3. surprisingly new or unusual novice: a person who is new and not experienced in a job or situation noxious: 1. detrimental to living beings 2. something that is dangerous for one's physical health nuance: a small variation in meaning, tone or feeling nuclear: 1. related to or employing nuclear weapons or energy 2. related to the nucleus of an atom nullify: 1. to void something, especially a legal agreement or decision 2. to make something useless or null objective: 1. fair and impartial 2. unbiased 3. based on facts and not affected by feelings 4. actual oblique: 1. possessing a slanting or sloping angle or direction; inclined 2. not expressing something in a clear or direct manner obliterate: 1. to totally destroy 2. to make something disappear completely 3. to get rid of, erase or cover completely oblivious: 1. unaware or not conscious about something happening at that moment 2. forgetful 3. inattentive obscure: 1. not famous or well-known 2. difficult to see 3. faint; vague 4. unnoticeable 5. mysterious obsequious: 1. overly attentive or eager to flatter others 2. excessive obedience or flattery, often in order to gain favors from people of influence obsession: 1. a person, object or idea that someone constantly thinks about 2. the state of being completely obsessed with something obsolete: 1. outdated or old-fashioned 2. no longer in use 3. antiquated obstinate: 1. unreasonably stubborn and unwilling to change one's opinion or attitude 2. troublesome to deal with, change or remove obtain: 1. to get 2. to acquire 3. to procure obtuse: annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand explanations or situations quickly obviate: anticipate and prevent or remove (a need, problem, difficulty, disadvantage, etc.) by effective measures so that action to deal with it becomes unnecessary obvious: 1. clear 2. easy to see 3. apparent 4. evident occupy: 1. to be inside something 2. to dwell in 3. to fill 4. to keep someone busy occur: 1. to take place 2. to happen 3. to exist odd: 1. unable to be divided by two 2. strange or uncommon 3. unexpected offset: 1. to balance or counteract something 2. to compensate ominous: 1. threatening or suggestive that something bad is going to occur 2. inauspicious ongoing: 1. continuing 2. happening at the present time 3. in progress opaque: 1. not letting light pass through; not transparent or translucent 2. difficult to understand or explain option: 1. the ability or right to choose 2. a choice or something that can be chosen opulent: 1. expensive and luxurious 2. very wealthy, rich, or affluent 3. richly supplied; abundant or plentiful orient: 1. to adapt something 2. to align something based on a specific point or direction 3. to direct towards a goal orientation: 1. the act of finding or determining one's position 2. a person or group's interests or beliefs 3. training for a job ornate: 1. elaborate or heavily adorned 2. marked by complex language and unusual vocabulary orthodox: 1. conventional or acceptable by the general public 2. traditional or old-fashioned in one's beliefs 3. a strict observer of a certain faith ostensible: 1. something apparent or professed to be true 2. something conspicuous and open to view ostentatious: 1. pretentious or showy display, as of wealth, knowledge, etc., in an attempt to attract attention, admiration, or envy 2. designed to impress oust: 1. to eject someone from a place or a role 2. to force someone out of a position outcome: 1. the result or consequence 2. the effect output: 1. production over a specific period of time 2. yield 3. energy or power produced by a system or machine overall: 1. comprehensive 2. all-inclusive 3. total 4. in general overlap: 1. a shared area of responsibility or interest 2. the amount in which two things cover a shared area 3. the period of time when two different things are occurring overseas: 1. abroad 2. in a foreign country oversight: 1. an accidental omission or mistake that often brings about problems 2.careful vigilance 3. surveillance overt: 1. transparent; done or displayed in public 2. not hidden 3. clear and apparent overwrought: 1. tired; fatigued 2. upset 3. nervous or worried 4. overly emotional 5. too ornate or complex pacifist: 1. a person who is totally opposed to the use of violence or force 2. a person opposed to the military who refuses to participate in military activities pacify: 1. to ease a tense situation or someone's anger 2. to cause calm or peace to come to a previously tense situation 3. to put an end to violence or conflict painstaking: 1. performing or characterized by diligent and careful work, in which much attention is paid to detail 2. trying very hard to do something palatable: 1. tasty 2. fit to be consumed by humans 3. acceptable panacea: 1. a cure for any malady 2. something that people think will cure any difficulty or problem panel: 1. a board 2. a group of people who work together in order to make decisions, pass judgment or entertain people paradigm: 1. something that serves as an example or a model 2. accepted ideas or practices that are used in order to explain or view a shared reality paradox: 1. something that sounds untrue or impossible but might be possible or true 2. something that contradicts itself or has opposite qualities paragon: 1. someone or something that is perfect and is considered a model to be copied or imitated 2. the model of perfection or excellence paragraph: 1. a portion of a text that centers around one specific idea parallel: 1. not intersecting 2. occurring at the same time 3. extending in the same direction parameter: 1. a boundary that limits a specific action or process 2. a rule that controls something paramount: 1. supreme 2. more important than any other thing parasite: 1. any animal or plant that lives on and feeds on another animal or plant parody: 1. a work of art such as a text or a play which is created to poke fun at or ridicule another work 2. to poke fun at someone or something participate: 1. to be involved in something 2. to take part partisan: 1. strongly prejudiced in favor of something 2. one-sided or partial 3. someone who is devoted to a political party partner: 1. someone you are closely involved with 2. a person you are involved in a relationship with 3. one of the owners of a company passive: 1. inactive 2. complacent 3. submissive 4. inert pathos: 1. sadness or pity 2. the quality of something, such as a work of art, which arouses emotions such as pity or sadness patron: 1. a person who supports a group, activity or organization by donating money to them; a benefactor 2. a regular or frequent customer pedestrian: 1. ordinary; dull 2. commonplace 3. undistinguished penchant: 1. a clear inclination towards something 2. a taste for something perceive: 1. to become aware of 2. to observe; to notice percent: 1. out of one hundred 2. a part of one hundred perfunctory: 1. an action performed in a routine and careless manner 2. acting in a way which shows a lack of interest period: 1. an interval or length of time 2. a full stop peripheral: 1. something that is found on the outer edge or boundary 2. trivial or unimportant 3. something that is secondary or supplementary pernicious: 1. deadly 2. causing extreme harm, destruction or injury persist: 1. to persevere 2. to continue despite difficulty 3. to stand firm persistent: 1. unending; unstopping 2. constant 3. stubborn; not willing to give up perspective: 1. a vista or view 2. a way of looking at or examining something 3. an outlook pertinent: 1. relevant to the topic at hand 2. logically related to the matter 3. fitting perusal: 1. the act of carefully looking at or examining something 2. the attentive reading or study of something peruse: 1. to read something thoroughly 2. to examine something in detail 3. to skim something; to read something in a relaxed manner pervasive: 1. spread all over or spreading to all parts 2. present everywhere 3. permeating; penetrating phase: 1. a stage (of time) 2. a period of time in a person's life phenomenon: 1. an extraordinary person or thing 2. an observable fact or occurrence 3. something remarkable philosophy: 1. the study of human morals and behavior 2. ideas and theories about something 3. the way someone thinks about life 4. a theory or belief that guides someone's behavior phlegmatic: not easily upset, excited, or angered to action or display of emotion; apathetic; sluggish physical: 1. related to the body 2. related to something one can see and touch; tangible piety: 1. devoutness, love or reverence to God 2. devoutness shown through actions or one's daily life pinnacle: 1. the peak 2. the highest point 3. a tall and pointed formation 4. the most important or successful part of a person's life pious: 1. extremely religious 2. devout in one's religious beliefs 3. falsely devout or moral 4. dutiful to one's parents or other authority figures pivotal: 1. of extreme importance 2. critical; crucial 3. significant placate: make (someone) less angry or hostile, especially by making concessions or by being nice to them placebo: 1. a harmless substance that has no real affect on the person who takes it 2. something designed or done to placate the person who takes or receives it placid: 1. peaceful and undisturbed 2. serene, with a lack of movement or activity 3. showing calm plastic: (of substances or materials) capable of being molded or shaped platitude: 1. a trite, dull or unoriginal saying that is considered common information, despite the remark being said as if it were original information 2. absence of originality plausible: something that is credible and possibly true plethora: a large or excessive amount of (something), especially a larger amount than you need, want, or can deal with; overabundance; excess pliable: 1. malleable 2. flexible 3. easy to manipulate into other shapes plummet: 1. to fall suddenly or drastically 2. to plunge plus: 1. positive 2. higher than 3. extra or added policy: 1. a course of action decided upon by an organization, a group of people, a government or a political party 2. guidelines ponderous: 1. slow and clumsy because of great weight or size 2. very boring or dull 3. that seems heavy; bulky; massive portion: 1. a small part or section of something whole; a piece 2. the specific amount of food given to someone pose: 1. to take on a posture for artistic purposes 2. to formally ask a question 3. to cause a problem 4. to impersonate someone positive: 1. extremely certain, without any doubt 2. more than zero 3. hopeful or giving reasons to be so posterity: 1. future generations 2. one's descendants posthumous: 1. taking place after death 2. published after death postulate: 1. a prerequisite 2. something which is accepted as true before developing or discussing another idea 3. a basic principle potent: 1. extremely powerful or effective 2. influential 3. possessing great authority or power potential: 1. possible 2. able to occur 3. capable of developing or happening practice: the expected procedure or way of doing something practitioner: 1. a person engaged in a specific practice, such as medicine or law 2. a professional pragmatic: dealing or concerned with facts or actual practice in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas, theories or speculation; practical precarious: 1. something that is not certain 2. risky or subject to chance 3. something which lacks security and is in a possibly dangerous situation precede: 1. to exist before something 2. to come before 3. to have a higher rank than someone precedent: 1. a practice or act in the past which is used to justify a similar practice in the present preceding: 1. before 2. prior to precipice: 1. a very steep side of a mountain or cliff, typically a tall one 2. a dangerous situation that could lead to harm or failure 3. a very dangerous situation precipitate: 1. cause (something) to happen quickly, suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely before expected, warranted, needed, or desired 2. throw headlong; hurl downward 3. fall; fall downward suddenly and dramatically precise: 1. accurate; exact 2. meticulous or exacting preclude: 1. to make something impossible or prevent 2. to deter or impede something from happening precocious: 1. (especially of children) unusually advanced or mature in development, especially mental development 2. appearing or developing early precursor: a person or thing that goes before another person or something else and that often leads to or influences its development; forerunner; harbinger predecessor: 1. the previous occupant of a post or a role 2. something that comes before another related thing predicament: 1. a difficult, uncomfortable, embarrassing or dangerous situation that is often difficult to get out of predict: 1. to say that something is going to happen before it actually does 2. to foretell 3. to announce in advance predilection: 1. a personal preference towards something 2. a special liking of something predominant: 1. the most powerful 2. the most common 3. superior or supreme predominantly: 1. chiefly 2. mainly 3. principally preliminary: 1. introductory 2. leading up to the main event or thing prerogative: 1. a privilege or something that one is permitted to do that others aren't 2. an advantage 3. a right presume: 1. to believe something is true, despite not knowing whether or not it is 2. to act in a certain way, even though you don't have the right to behave that way presumption: 1. the act of assuming 2. something assumed 3. the act of believing something without seeing proof pretentious: trying to appear or sound as more impressive, successful, or important than someone really is, especially in matters of art and literature pretext: a false reason or motive that you pretend to have in order to hide your real reason or motive for doing something; excuse previous: 1. anterior 2. something coming or occurring before another event 3. prior primary: 1. fundamental; principal 2. basic 3. essential 4. happening first prime: 1. chief 2. most important 3. of the highest quality principal: 1. most important 2. main 3. first in rank or order principle: 1. a basic rule or law 2. a standard of behavior or morals prior: 1. coming before 2. preceding 3. previous or former priority: 1. something that is considered to be extremely important and has the ability to take place before other things 2. possessing the right to come before others pristine: 1. unspoiled; uncorrupted 2. new and in good condition 3. pure procedure: 1. a way of doing something 2. a medical treatment 3. course of action proceed: 1. to continue onward 2. to advance 3. to begin something process: 1. a series of happenings or actions that lead to a specific result 2. a naturally occurring series of changes procure: 1. obtain something, especially with care, effort, or difficulty 2. obtain (a sexual partner, especially woman) for another, for the purpose of prostitution prodigious: 1. very great or impressive in size, force, or extent; enormous 2. extraordinary; marvelous; wonderful; amazing profane: 1. to defile 2. to show a lack of respect for objects considered to be sacred or holy 3. to violate professional: 1. relating to or suitable for a specific profession 2. performing an activity to earn money instead of to relax or have fun 3. possessing the necessary qualities profound: 1. very deep 2. (of a state, quality, or emotion) very great 3. (of a disease or disability) very severe 4. (of a subject or idea) intellectually deep; entering far into subjects 5. (of a person or statement) having or showing deep thought or wisdom profuse: 1. created or given in large amounts; generous 2. plentiful 3. given abundantly or magnanimously prohibit: 1. to forbid or ban 2. to not allow or permit 3. to officially ban prohibitive: 1. something that discourages one from doing something 2. restricting people from doing something project: 1. a scheme or a plan 2. a proposal 3. a task which requires work to be done proletarian: 1. a member of the working class proliferate: 1. to increase or grow at a rapid pace 2. to multiply or reproduce quickly prolific: 1. producing a large amount of something, especially fruit, offspring or works 2. bountiful, fruitful or productive promote: 1. to raise in rank 2. to encourage or support 3. to encourage people to buy something 4. to give publicity to promulgate: 1. to put an official decree or law into effect via official announcement 2. to make something publicly known by officially announcing it propensity: 1. a tendency or natural inclination to behave in a certain way 2. a preference propitious: 1. likely to result in or show success 2. something advantageous 3. benevolent; favorable proportion: 1. the amount of something in relation to the whole 2. the comparative size or degree 3. the relation between size and number prospect: 1. the ability to do something, especially in the future 2. a possibility 3. chances or opportunities for success prospective: 1. something in the future that is expected or predicted to happen 2. probable or likely to happen prosperity: a successful, flourishing, or thriving condition, especially in financial respects; good fortune, wealth, success, etc. protocol: 1. the rules and regulations governing certain situations 2. a record of a transaction 3. a formal diplomatic agreement between two or more countries provincial: 1. from or related to a specific province 2. an unsophisticated person from the country 3. showing narrow-minded or unsophisticated thought or ideas prudent: 1. careful, and using good judgment in practical matters 2. careful in regard to one's own interests; provident 3. cautious or discreet in conduct; circumspect; not rash psychology: 1. the study of the human mind and human behavior publication: 1. something that's been published; printed matter 2. the process or act of making a book, magazine or newspaper available to the public publish: 1. to make a document available in digital or print format 2. to make something public or known purchase: 1. an object that has been bought 2. the act of buying something pursue: 1. to follow someone or something 2. to hunt for or look for quaint: 1. picturesque 2. old-fashioned 3. interesting or appealing yet quirky in an old-fashioned way qualitative: 1. relating to the quality of something quandary: 1. a dilemma or a problem 2. a state of uncertainty 3. a state of doubt or confusion quarantine: 1. forced isolation in which a person or an item is kept away from the public in order to avoid the spread of an infection quarry: 1. an open-air pit from which rock is excavated 2. a person or animal being hunted or searched for quell: 1. to suppress or stop something, especially through the use of force 2. to pacify or soothe a previously problematic situation querulous: often complaining, especially in a way that annoys other people quotation: 1. specific words that have been directly taken from a certain source 2. the act of using someone else's words quote: 1. to repeat someone else's words 2. to say something that has previously been said or written radical: 1. extreme; drastic 2. supporting drastic changes 3. very important 4. new and different ramble: 1. to walk about or move about in an aimless manner 2. to follow a winding path 3. to write or talk in an aimless, uncontrolled manner 4. to stroll or walk for pleasure rampant: (of something bad) growing, happening, or spreading quickly and in an uncontrolled way random: 1. possessing no specific plan or structure 2. done by chance range: 1. a set of things that are similar 2. the upper and lower limits 3. the period of time in which something can happen rash: 1. not cautious 2. acting without pausing to think 3. reckless ratify: (especially of governments or organizations) make (a treaty, contract, or agreement) official by signing it or formally accepting it ratio: 1. a rate 2. the relationship between two numbers or amounts rational: 1. logical 2. using reason to make decisions or act 3. sensible raze: 1. completely destroy a city, building, etc. 2. scrape or shave off; erase react: 1. to respond to a stimulus 2. to act in opposition 3. to change in response to a specific stimulus reap: 1. cut (wheat, rye, etc.) with a scythe, sickle, or reaping machine 2. gather or take (a crop, harvest, etc.) by cutting 3. gain or obtain as the reward of one’s own or another’s action, conduct, work, etc. rebuke: 1. to punish or scold someone severely 2. to express disapproval, often in a sharp way 3. to harshly criticize rebuttal: the act of proving that something is not true by using arguments or evidence; response with contrary evidence recalcitrant: 1. (of a person ) stubbornly refusing to obey authority, discipline, rules, orders, etc. 2. (of an animal ) refusing to be controlled recant: formally or publicly say that your past beliefs or statements were wrong and that you no longer agree with them reclusive: living alone and avoiding the company of other people, often for religious meditation; solitary recover: 1. to get something back 2. to reclaim 3. to recuperate from an injury or illness rectify: 1. correct (something that is wrong) or make something right or better 2. correct by calculation or adjustment recuperate: 1. to get better or recover from illness, financial loss or misfortune redress: 1. compensation or remedy for some wrong that was done against someone; retribution 2. rectification redundant: 1. superfluous 2. unnecessarily wordy 3. not needed referendum: 1. a direct vote in which the general public votes on the answer to a specific question or issue 2. a note or letter from a diplomat to his or her home country, asking for instructions refine: 1. to purify; to take impurities out of something 2. to make changes in order to improve something refurbish: 1. to restore something to its original quality 2. to renovate 3. to make something look like new again refute: 1. to prove that something is not correct or true 2. to deny something regime: 1. a government that is currently in power 2. a system of rules 3. a political system 4. a management system region: 1. a specific part of the world; a large area of land where the people or land possesses similar characteristics 2. a district 3. a part of the body register: 1. to record something in writing 2. to enroll a student in a school 3. to express or show 4. to convey regulate: 1. to create and impose rules for something 2. to adjust to ensure accuracy 3. to control; to manage reinforce: 1. to make something stronger 2. to enhance something 3. to support an idea by giving evidence or reasons reject: 1. to refuse something 2. to turn something down 3. to decline relax: 1. to stop doing something in order to rest 2. to slacken or make less rigid 3. to make less severe 4. to calm relaxed: 1. not strict 2. free 3. calm 4. informal release: 1. to let go or free 2. to emancipate 3. to allow something to flow freely 4. to make information available to the public relegate: 1. put (someone or something) into a lower or less important rank or position 2. refer, commit, or hand over for decision, action, etc. 3. (UK) moved down to a lower division relevant: 1. related to the issue being discussed or debated 2. pertinent 3. connected to an issue reliance: 1. a dependence on a specific person or object 2. the act of depending on someone or something relinquish: 1. give up (something, such as power, control, or possession), especially when you do not want to do this; retire from; abandon 2. surrender 3. let go (a grasp, hold, etc.) reluctance: 1. unwillingness or hesitancy to do something reluctant: 1. unwilling to do something 2. uneager to do something rely: 1. to depend on 2. to trust 3. to have confidence in remorse: 1. strong pain or sadness about something you have done and feel guilty about 2. regret remove: 1. to get rid of 2. to take away 3. to take off 4. to send away renounce: 1. give up (a claim, right, or possession, etc.), especially by formal announcement 2. give up (a cause, bad habit, way of life, etc.) voluntarily 3. reject; disown renovation: 1. restore to an earlier condition by making changes and repairs, especially an old house, building, room, etc. 2. reinvigorate; refresh; revive reprehensible: unacceptable, very bad, and deserving to be criticized reprieve: 1. a way out of,or temporary relief from a bad experience or situation 2. the deferment or complete cancellation of punishment reprimand: a severe, formal, or official rebuke, disapproval, or censure reproach: express disapproval of, criticism of, or disappointment in (someone), especially for not being successful or not doing what is expected repudiate: 1. refuse to accept or reject with denial 2. disown require: 1. to make something obligatory 2. to expect 3. to need something rescind: end, revoke, repeal, or cancel (a law, agreement, order, or decision, etc.) research: 1. to investigate 2. to make inquiries in order to find out information 3. to carefully study something in order to find out new information reside: 1. to inhabit 2. to live in a certain place 3. to exist resident: 1. someone who lives in a certain place or region 2. an inhabitant resignation: 1. the act of leaving a job or position by formally resigning 2. the formal, often written, declaration that one is leaving a job or post resilient: (of a substance or object) bouncing or springing back into shape, position, etc. after being pulled, stretched, pressed, bent, etc. 2. able to quickly become strong, healthy, happy, or successful again after an illness, disappointment, or other problem resolution: 1. a decision that is made by a group through a voting process 2. a personal promise to oneself 3. a formal statement of intent or opinion resolve: 1. firm or strong determination 2. a resolution made by a legislative body; a ruling resonant: 1. prompting thoughts of a similar experience 2. loud, clear, or deep 3. enduring 4. echoing resource: 1. material used to do or make something 2. a supply of something that can be used when required 3. a country's tools for generating wealth respite: 1. a short break or delay from work or an unpleasant experience 2. a postponement of punishment respond: 1. to answer 2. to react in a favorable way restore: 1. to bring something back to its original condition 2. to make something new again restrain: 1. to hold back or put limits on someone or something 2. to curb 3. to keep under control restrict: 1. to limit 2. to physically confine 3. to keep under control retain: 1. to remember information 2. to hold or keep someone or something 3. to hire someone by paying them an initial fee reticent: 1. not willing to tell people about one's thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs 2. uncommunicative, restrained, or reserved in style 3. reluctant; unwilling reveal: 1. to show or disclose 2. to divulge 3. to make known revenue: 1. income 2. money that an organization, government or company receives from different sources reverence: a feeling or attitude of deep respect, admiration, love, and awe for someone or something reverent: feeling, showing, or characterized by great respect and admiration; deeply respectful reverse: 1. to overturn 2. to send in the opposite direction 3. to move backwards revise: 1. to check something and make changes to make sure that it is acceptable 2. to change or amend 3. to alter revision: 1. a modification or edit of something 2. the act of looking over something that one has done revolution: 1. a huge change in something, such as a political organization or country 2. the circular movement around a certain celestial body 3. a complete cycle 4. a very important change in the way people act rhetoric: 1. a style of speaking or writing that is intended to influence people and that may not be honest or reasonable 2. the art, skill, or study of using language formally and effectively in speaking or writing rhetorical: of, relating to, or concerned with the art of speaking or writing that is effective or intended to influence, persuade, or impress people and that may not be honest or reasonable rife: 1. prevalent or abundant 2. widespread; common 3. full of (something) rigid: 1. stiff 2. hard 3. unyielding or not able to be bent 4. unable to be changed or modified rigor: 1. strictness, harshness, or severity 2. exactitude 3. inflexibility robust: 1. healthy 2. hardy or strong 3. sturdy and able to withstand detrimental conditions 4. successful role: 1. the part that a performer in theater acts out 2. one's proper function in society 3. a person's function rouse: 1. wake (someone) from sleep 2. cause (someone who is tired, lazy, or unwilling to do something) to become active 3. make angry or excited, as to anger or action; stir up 4. (nautical) pull or haul strongly and all together, especially by hand route: 1. a course or path of travel 2. a course that certain forms of transport follow habitually 3. a way of achieving something salient: 1. of utmost importance; prominent; notable 2. protruding beyond a line or surface 3. jumping sanction: 1. official permission or approval, as for an action 2. a threat to punish someone for breaking a law or rule 3. an official order, such as the limiting or stopping of trade, that is taken against a country in order to force it to obey international laws sanguine: cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident, especially in a difficult situation satire: the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize someone or something and make them seem foolish, weak, bad, etc. saturate: 1. make something completely wet with water or other liquid so that no more can be absorbed 2. cause (a substance) to combine with, dissolve, or hold the greatest possible amount of another substance scale: 1. to climb a surface that is steep 2. to set something according to a scale or measure something by a scale 3. to remove something in layers or scales scapegoat: 1. a person who is blamed in place of others for something that is not their fault or doing scenario: 1. a possible situation 2. a written description or outline of a play, movie or other theater-based work schedule: 1. to arrange for something; to make arrangements 2. to plan for something 3. to make plans scheme: 1. an elaborate plan that is devised in order to gain something and, often, trick people 2. an official plan scope: the range of one's perceptions, thoughts, or actions; extent; bound scrupulous: 1. very careful about doing something correctly, giving a lot of attention to details 2. careful about doing what is honest and morally right scrutinize: examine or inspect (something) closely, thoroughly, and very carefully scurrilous: 1. fond of using coarse or indecent language 2. foul mouthed or obscene 3. slanderous section: 1. a piece of something 2. a part of a whole object 3. a smaller part of a book or a newspaper sector: 1. a division of a society or an economy 2. a part of something that is different from others secure: 1. safe 2. free from danger or worry 3. strong or stable security: 1. safety 2. a general freedom from risks seek: 1. to look for 2. to try and discover 3. to search for 4. to try to obtain (permission, etc.) select: 1. preferred 2. of a special value or importance 3. exclusive 4. discriminating 5. only the best sequence: 1. the order or pattern in which things happen or take place 2. a set of things that is put in a specific order serendipity: 1. the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance; unexpected and fortunate discoveries 2. accidental good fortune or luck serene: 1. tranquil, peaceful or calm 2. bright or clear 3. untroubled or unaffected series: 1. a sequence of things 2. a set of related objects 3. a collection of episodes of a television show that use the same characters in different situations shift: 1. a slight change in something 2. a change 3. a period of approximately eight hours during which workers perform their jobs shrewd: having or showing sharp powers to understand things and to make good judgments in practical affairs; astute shroud: 1. something that covers or hides something; hide from view 2. a cloth used to wrap a body for burial; wrap for burial 3. take shelter or harbor significant: 1. quite important 2. suggesting or showing a meaning 3. noticeable or detectable 4. noteworthy similar: 1. related to something else 2. nearly the same, but not exactly the same 3. comparable simile: (the use of) a phrase that describes something by comparing it to something else, always including the words 'as' or 'like' simulate: 1. to reproduce a situation 2. to feign 3. to do something that looks as if it is real when it truly is not site: 1. a place where something can be found or where something is located skeptical: 1. having, showing or marked by doubt 2. doubting 3. questioning skirmish: 1. a short or small battle 2. a minor fight in a much larger conflict 3. a squabble or a short argument slight: 1. small in size, degree, or amount 2. treat with disrespect or indifference; treat as unimportant sole: 1. the bottom part of a foot or shoe 2. the bottom part of an object such as a golf club or a plow solely: 1. exclusively 2. alone; not involving anyone or anything else 3. exclusively solicit: 1. to ask for something, often through a formal process 2. to petition solicitous: 1. showing care, attention, or concern about someone's health, feelings, safety, etc. 2. showing anxious desire; eager somber: 1. very sad and serious; gloomy; depressing or grave 2. dull or dark in color, especially grey or black somewhat: 1. slightly 2. a little bit 3. to a certain degree source: 1. the place in which something originates or which someone comes from 2. a point or place of origin 3. a person who provides information sparse: 1. not dense or thick 2. small in amount and not dense or crowded 3. scanty specific: 1. clear and precise 2. special 3. particular; relating to one specific person, group or thing 4. unique specified: 1. defined 2. thoroughly commented or explained 3. expressly stated specify: 1. to designate 2. to state in an explicit manner 3. to be specific sphere: 1. a globe; a ball shaped object 2. an area of knowledge, study or expertise spontaneous: 1. happening or done in a natural, often sudden way, without being planned or thought about 2. growing without cultivation or human labor, as plants and fruits sporadic: 1. occurring at irregular intervals; not constant or regular; patternless 2. appearing singly or at widely scattered localities, as a plant or disease spurious: 1. not genuine, authentic, or true; counterfeit 2. based on false ideas or bad reasoning squander: spend or use (money, time, supplies, or an opportunity) wastefully or extravagantly stability: 1. balance 2. firmness of position 2. being unlikely to change stable: 1. constant 2. unwavering 3. strongly fixed 4. firmly established stagnant: 1. (of water or air ) not flowing or moving, and often smells bad 2. not active, changing, or progressing staid: of a settled, unadventurous, sedate, and steady but boring character static: not moving, acting, or progressing, especially in an undesirable or uninteresting way statistic: 1. a numerical fact 2. the use of numbers to explain a situation statistics: 1. a field of study that collects and analyzes data 2. the data collected and what it means status: 1. one's standing in relation to others 2. one's position in society 3. a state of things or events staunch: very committed or loyal to a person, belief, or cause steadfast: 1. very committed or loyal to a person, belief, or cause 2. not changing, fickle, or wavering; constant stereotype: 1. an oversimplified way of looking at something 2. a simple and unwavering idea about what a certain person or group of people are like stock: 1. the supply of goods or merchandise available for sale or distribution in a store or warehouse 2. a supply of something for future use or sale 3. the shares of a particular company or corporation stoic: 1. not showing emotion or complaining, even when something bad happens 2. unemotional 3. indifferent to pleasure and pain straightforward: 1. clear and easy to understand 2. frank; honest 3. direct strategy: 1. a detailed plan of action 2. a way to approach a specific goal stress: 1. the pressure exerted on a physical object 2. emotional stress or anxiety caused by a difficult situation 3. emphasis placed on something stringent: 1. strict, rigid 2. binding 3. constraining 4. extremely limiting structure: 1. a free-standing building made from different parts 2. the way in which something is organized 3. the quality of being organized style: 1. a way of doing or expressing something 2. fashion 3. quality or attractiveness in design submit: 1. to hand in or present something to a teacher, boss or other other person 2. to permit someone to exercise control over you 3. to surrender to authority subordinate: 1. from a lower rank or position 2. inferior 3. less important subsequent: 1. following 2. succeeding 3. happening after something else subsidiary: 1. secondary 2. used to supplement something or someone 3. auxiliary subsidy: 1. money that a government gives a group to help it 2. financial assistance substantiate: 1. support with proof or evidence 2. give concrete form or body to; convert into substance; embody 3. give substance to; make real or actual substitute: 1. to temporarily replace someone or something with something else 2. to exchange one thing for another subtle: 1. thin, tenuous, or rarefied, as a fluid or an odor 2. not obvious, and so slight as to be difficult to notice, see, detect, or describe 3. able to make fine distinctions 4. making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something successive: 1. consecutive 2. following 3. sequential successor: 1. a person who takes over for another person after they have left 2. someone or something that follows another succinct: 1. concise and clearly expressed 2. expressed in a short and easy to understand way sufficient: 1. enough as necessary 2. adequate suffragist: 1. a person who fights in favor of granting voting rights to people who do not have them, especially women sum: 1. the total of a calculation 2. an amount of money 3. the total amount of something in existence summary: 1. an explanation of something giving the main points or ideas of the original document or argument 2. a recapitulation superficial: 1. being at, on, or near the surface 2. shallow; not profound or thorough superfluous: being more than is needed, useful, or wanted; surplus; excessive supplant: remove or uproot (someone or something that is old or no longer used or accepted) in order to replace with (more powerful) someone or something else supplement: 1. to add to something, especially in order to make up for a deficiency 2. an addition 3. something added to make something complete supplementary: 1. used in order to complete something 2. additional suppress: 1. end or stop (something) by force 2. keep (something) secret; keep from appearing or being known, published, etc. 3. stop yourself feeling, showing, or being affected by an emotion surfeit: 1. an excessive or too large amount or supply of something 2. overeat or feed to excess 3. disgust caused by excess surmise: 1. to draw a conclusion or guess, usually with little to no proof or evidence 2. to conjecture surreptitious: 1. obtained, done, or made in a secret, stealthy way, especially because it would not be approved of; clandestine; secret or unauthorized 2. acting in a secret, stealthy way survey: 1. a poll used to measure public opinion or the incidence of something in a society 2. an examination of a subject or a situation 3. a careful examination of land in order to map it survive: 1. to live through an event 2. to stay alive 3. to continue to exist 4. to outlive someone susceptible: 1. easily influenced or harmed by something 2. (of a person) easily affected emotionally; sensitive 3. a person who is vulnerable to being infected by a certain disease, or to be affected by it more severely than others are suspect: 1. to distrust someone or something 2. to think that someone or something is responsible for a specific action or something bad suspend: 1. to delay something 2. to postpone 3. to stop something temporarily or permanently 4. to hang something in the air sustain: 1. to bear or to hold 2. to support 3. to keep something alive 4. to provide for 5. to deal with sycophant: a self-seeking person who attempts to win favor by flattering rich or influential people symbol: 1. a sign 2. a shape, object or picture which is used to represent something 3. something used to represent or show an idea tacit: 1. expressed or understood without being directly said or expressed; implied 2. unspoken; silent taciturn: tending not to speak much; not liking to talk; uncommunicative tactful: careful not to say or do anything that could offend or upset other people tangential: 1. slightly or indirectly related to what you are doing, discussing, or thinking about; not closely connected to something 2. merely touching; slightly connected; peripheral tangible: 1. palpable 2. able to be felt or touched 3. real tape: 1. a long, thin strip of material which can be used for a variety of purposes: to show a location, to stick objects together, to serve as a finish line, etc. 2. a cassette or video recorded on a strip of material coated in a magnetic covering target: 1. a goal 2. an object that is shot at 3. an objective 4. something that one wants to achieve task: 1. to assign a job to someone 2. to place a burden on someone team: 1. a group of people that work toward a common goal 2. two or more animals that work together to pull something technical: 1. mechanical 2. specialized 3. having or requiring specialized knowledge technique: 1. a way of performing a specific task 2. a method of doing something or carrying out a task 3. a technical skill technology: 1. the use of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, with special reference to its use in industry 2. applied sciences teem: 1. be full of things; abound or swarm; move in large numbers 2. be present in large quantity temerity: 1. recklessness or disregard for danger or consequences 2. foolish boldness 3. audacity temper: 1. to neutralize or relax something 2. to moderate 3. to cause a substance to reach its desired consistency or hardness, often by putting it through a heating and cooling process temperate: 1. emotionally calm and controlled 2. not extreme in behavior or language 3. (of weather conditions) neither very hot nor very cold temporary: 1. limited 2. not lasting or permanent 3. passing 4. brief tenacious: 1. holding firmly 2. that clings; adhesive; sticky 3. holding together firmly; cohesive 4. very determined to do something; persistent; stubborn tense: 1. tight 2. pulled to its limit 3. nervous or stressed 4. rigid tension: 1. a feeling of nervousness before something 2. a feeling of anger or hostility between two or more people 3. the degree to which a string, rope or wire is tensed tentative: 1. provisional 2. not fixed or positive 3. experimental 4. hesitant or without confidence; uncertain terminate: 1. to stop 2. to put an end to 3. to sack or fire 4. to conclude termination: 1. the conclusion to or end of something 2. the act of ending something terse: 1. short or curt, often in a way that is interpreted as unfriendly 2. concise and to the point text: 1. a piece of writing such as a book 2. all the words that were said in a speech 3. written words theme: 1. the topic or subject discussed in a book, essay, conversation, debate, etc. 2. a subject that is brought up frequently 3. the style upon which something is based theory: 1. a hypothesis 2. an idea that tries to explain something 3. an idea used to justify or explain something therapeutic: 1. possessing curative powers 2. used to make someone healthier or happier 3. producing a positive effect on the body or mind thereby: 1. because of 2. thus 3. as a result thesis: 1. the subject to be written about or debated in an essay 2. a long study written while one is studying one's doctoral degree 3. the main idea of a written work thwart: 1. to prevent something from happening 2. to hinder, frustrate or foil timorous: 1. lacking confidence or nervous 2. showing fear 3. demonstrating timidness topic: 1. a subject that is currently being examined or discussed in a conversation, book, essay, article, etc. 2. a theme tout: 1. try to persuade people to like, accept, or buy something by praising or recommending highly and repeatedly, especially loudly and in public 2. (British) buy tickets for an event and resell them at a much higher price trace: 1. to follow or to track 2. to find the starting point of something 3. to copy a drawing by placing a piece of paper over the original and following the lines one can see through the paper tradition: 1. heritage 2. behavior and customs that are passed from one generation to the next 3. an old custom tranquil: 1. calm 2. relaxed 3. free from disturbances 4. quiet transfer: 1. moving something from one place to another 2. an exchange 3. giving property or financial holdings to another person transform: 1. to change something 2. to convert 3. to totally change something in an attempt to make it more attractive or improve it transformation: 1. a major change in something or someone 2. a change into something entirely different 3. the process of changing into something totally different transgress: 1. to surpass the limits of what is considered by society to be acceptable 2. to sin 3. to go beyond transient: existing, happening, or staying somewhere for only a short time; temporary transit: 1. the act of passing through a certain location 2. a public system of transportation 3. the act of moving people or goods from one place to another transition: 1. the conversion from one state to another 2. to cause someone or something to convert from one state to another transmission: 1. the act of sending out a message or broadcasting a message 2. the act of passing something from one person to another transmit: 1. to convey 2. to send across 3. to communicate or broadcast 4. to give a virus or illness to others 5. to pass from one person to another transport: 1. to carry something 2. to bring something from one point to another 3. to move goods or people using vehicles traverse: 1. to move across or through 2. to cross 3. to extend across treatise: a formal, usually lengthy, book or piece of writing about a particular subject trend: 1. the general direction in which something is moving or the way people are behaving 2. a fashion 3. a tendency tribulation: 1. a great trouble, difficulty, or suffering 2. something that causes great trouble, difficulty, or suffering trifling: of very little value or importance; trivial; insignificant trigger: 1. to bring about 2. to cause 3. to set something off 4. to make something happen trivial: 1. of no real importance 2. ordinary 3. insignificant or minor truant: 1. a student who avoids school without permission 2. a lazy person 3. a person who avoids or neglects his or her work duties truculent: easily annoyed or angered and always ready, eager or quick to argue or fight tumult: 1. a loud noise that is produced by a large group of people 2. a violent or turbulent uprising; a riot 3. confusion ubiquitous: present, or seeming to be present everywhere, especially at the same time; omnipresent ultimate: 1. last 2. found at the end of something 3. the best or the worst of something 4. the most extreme ultimately: 1. finally 2. in the end 3. at last umbrage: to be displeased, offended or annoyed by what someone has said or done undergo: 1. to go through a certain procedure or experience 2. to experience something 3. to endure 4. to suffer something underlie: 1. to serve as a basis for 2. to be a strong influence on 3. to be situated below something underlying: 1. fundamental 2. lying beneath 3. basic undertake: 1. to agree to do something 2. to begin something, especially a long and difficult process 3. to pledge to do something unequivocal: 1. clear and easy to understand or see 2. without doubt 3. unambiguous ungainly: (of a person or movement) awkward; clumsy; not moving in an attractive or graceful way uniform: 1. a set of clothes that must be worn to be in a specific school or do a specific job 2. an outfit worn by people from a same school or doing the same job unify: 1. to join two or more units together in order to create a newer, larger unit 2. to combine 3. to consolidate unique: 1. special 2. being the only one of its kind 3. unparalleled 4. extraordinary unprecedented: 1. new and never been seen or done before 2. without precedent upshot: 1. the outcome or result 2. the main idea; the gist 3. the conclusion utilise: 1. to employ something 2. to use something 3. to put to use for a specific purpose utility: 1. a public service 2. something useful to the public 3. usefulness utter: Complete vacuous: 1. having or showing a lack of intelligence, interest, purpose, or thought 2. without contents, meaning, importance, or substance; empty valid: 1. sound 2. binding 3. well-grounded 4. effective 5. possessing legal force validity: 1. well grounded 2. the state of being valid 3. having legal force vanquish: completely defeat in a contest, conflict, or competition variegated: 1. marked with different and varied colors, stripes, spots or other markings 2. diversified or varied vary: 1. to change 2. to fluctuate 3. to alter 4. to differ vehement: 1. powerful 2. forceful 3. intense; impassioned 4. expressing strong feelings and great energy vehicle: 1. any device which is used to transport one or more people around 2. a means or way of expressing a certain idea venerable: deserving respect, especially because of age, wisdom, character, long use, etc. venerate: regard or treat (someone or something ) with great respect version: 1. an individual's view about something that happened 2. an adaptation 3. a form of a book or other object that is slightly different from other books or objects vex: make someone angry, annoyed, confused, or worried, especially with trivial matters via: 1. by way of or through vigilant: carefully watchful and alert to detect and avoid possible danger or difficulties vindicate: 1. clear from criticism, blame, guilt, suspicion, etc. with supporting arguments or proof 2. defend or maintain (a cause, claim, etc.) against opposition violate: 1. to infringe on 2. to profane 3. to break a promise or a law 4. to do harm virtual: 1. not existing in the real, physical world 2. created by a computer or the internet 3. nearly (the thing mentioned) 4. imaginary virtually: 1. essentially 2. almost 3. just about virulent: 1. (of a disease or poison) extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous; deadly 2. (of a pathogen, especially a virus) highly infective 3. bitterly hostile or antagonistic; full of hate and violent opposition viscous: (of liquids) thick and sticky and does not flow easily visible: 1. able to be seen 2. frequently seen in public; conspicuous 3. obvious vision: 1. sight 2. the ability to see 3. a mental image 4. something or someone considered to be extremely beautiful visual: 1. capable of being seen with one's naked eye 2. related to sight 3. relating to things that can be seen vital: 1. necessary for life 2. related to life 3. showing great energy or liveliness 4. of great importance; crucial vocation: a particular occupation, business, or profession, especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified vociferous: 1. highly opinionated and loud about one's beliefs 2. clamorous or offensively loud volatile: 1. (of a substance) vaporizing or evaporating quickly 2. likely to change suddenly and unexpectedly or suddenly become violent or angry; unstable; explosive voluble: 1. talkative; speaking with enthusiasm 2. fluent 3. expressed in many words 4. garrulous volume: 1. the amount of space taken up by something 2. an amount of something 3. the sound level voluntary: 1. not obligatory 2. unenforced 3. given or done by choice voracious: 1. consuming or eager to consume very large amounts of food 2. very eager in some desire, activity or pursuit waive: 1. to defer something 2. to relinquish a right to something 3. to not enforce something 4. to put aside wane: 1. to decline in power 2. to lose strength or intensity 3. to approach the end 4. to ebb or dwindle waning: decreasing gradually in size, amount, intensity, degree, or quality wanton: 1. a cruel, malicious or violent action done, shown, used deliberately, unprovokedly and unjustifiably 2. careless; reckless wary: cautious or nervous about possible dangers or problems; watchful waver: 1. be undecided between two opinions, possibilities, or courses of action or you keep choosing one way and then the other 2. become unsteady because of weakness, emotion, tiredness, etc. wax: 1. to get larger or increase in size 2. to become stronger 3. to put wax on a surface 4. to express oneself welfare: 1. the well-being of a person or people 2. financial aid from a government to a person in need whereas: 1. in contrast to the fact that 2. although 3. since whereby: 1. by which widespread: 1. able to be found in many different locations 2. extensive 3. popular 4. occupying a wide space wrath: 1. extreme anger 2. vengeance or punishment as the consequence of anger wretched: 1. very unpleasant, unhappy, ill, or unfortunate state or in very bad condition 2. poor in quality or ability; very inferior zeal: great energy, effort, and enthusiasm, as in working for a person, cause, or object zenith: 1. the point in the sky that's directly over one's head 2. the highest point or peak