aberrant

adj. deviating from what is normal

abeyance

n. temporary suppression or suspension

abscond

v. to depart secretly

abstemious

adj. moderate in appetite

admonish

v. to caution or reprimand

aesthetic

adj. relating to beauty or art

aggregate

adj. amounting to a whole; total

alacrity n. cheerful willingness; eagerness; speed

amalgamate

v. to combine into a unified whole

ambiguous

adj. unclear or doubtful in meaning

ambivalence

n. the state of having conflicting emotional attitudes

ameliorate

v. improve

anachronism

n. something out of proper time

analogous

adj. comparable

anomalous

adj. irregular; deviating from the norm

antipathy

n. dislike; hostility

apprise v. to inform
approbation

n. praise; approval

appropriate

v. to take possession for ones own use; confiscate

artless adj. guileless; natural

ascetic n. one who practices self denial
assiduous

adj. diligent; hardworking

assuage v. to make less sever

attenuate

v. to weaken

audacious

adj. bold; daring

austere adj. stern; unadorned

autonomous
aver

adj. self-governing; independent

v. to affirm; declare to be true

*banal adj. commonplace; trite

belie

v. to contradict; misrepresent; give a false impression

beneficent

adj. kindly; doing good

bombastic

adj. pompous; using inflated language

boorish adj. rude; insensitive

burgeon

v. to flourish

burnish v. to polish
buttress

v. to reinforce; support

cacophonous

adj. unpleasant or harsh sounding

capricious

adj. fickle

castigation

n. punishment; chastisement; criticism

catalyst n. something causing change

causality

adj. involving a cause

chicanery

n. trickery; fraud

coagulate

v. thicken; congeal

coda

n. concluding part of a literary or musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes

commensurate adj. proportional

compendium

n. brief, comprehensive summary

complaisant

adj. overly polite; willing to please; obliging

conciliatory

adj. overcoming distrust or hostility

confound

v. to baffle; perplex; mix-up

connoisseur
n. a person possessing expert knowledge or training; a person of informed or
discriminating taste

contention

n. assertion

contentious

adj. quarrelsome; causing quarrels

conundrum

n. riddle; puzzle with no solution

conventional

adj. customary; commonplace

convoluted

adj. twisted; complicated

craven adj. cowardly

decorum

n. proper behavior

deference

n. respect; regard for another's wish

delineate

v. to represent or depict

denigrate

v. to slur someones reputation

derivative

n. something derived; unoriginal

desiccate

v. to dry completely

desultory

adj. random; disconnected; rambling

diatribe n. bitter verbal attack

dichotomy

n. division into two usually contradictory parts

diffidence

n. shyness; lack of confidence

diffuse v. to spread out

digression
dirge

n. act of straying from the main point

n. funeral hymn

disabuse

v. to free from a misconception

discerning

adj. perceptive; exhibiting keen insight and good judgement

discordant

adj. not in tune

discredit

v. to dishonor; disgrace; cause to be doubted

discrepancy

n. difference between

discreteadj. constituting a separate thing; distinct

disingenuous

adj. not candid; crafty

disinterested

adj. unprejudiced; objective

disjointed

adj. lacking order or coherence; dislocated

dismiss v. put away from consideration; reject

disparage

v. to belittle

disparate

adj. dissimilar

dissemble

v.to pretend; disguise ones motive

disseminate

v. to spread; scatter; disperse

dissolution

n. disintegration; debauchery

dissonance

n. discord; lack of harmony

distend v. to expand; swell out

distill

v. extract the essential elements

doctrinaire
adj. relating to a person who cannot compromise about points of a theory or doctrine;
dogmatic; unyielding
dogmatic
dupe

adj. stating opinions without proof

v. to deceive; trick

ebullient

adj. exhilarated; enthusiastic

eclectic adj. selecting from various sources

efficacy n. efficiency; effectiveness
effrontery

n. shameless boldness; presumptuousness

elegy

n. a poem or song expressing lamentation

elicit

v. to provoke; draw out

embellish

v. to adorn; decorate; enhance; make more attractive by adding details

empirical

adj. derived from observation or experiment

emulate

v. to imitate; copy

endemic

adj. inherent; belonging to an area

enervate

v. to weaken

engender

v. to cause; produce

ephemeral

adj. short-lived; fleeting

equanimity

n. composure; calmness

equivocate

v. to intentionally use vague language

erudite adj. learned; scholarly

esotericadj. hard to understand; known only to a few
eulogy n. a high praise, especially of a person who has recently died
euphemism

n. use of agreeable or inoffensive language in place of unpleasant or offensive language

exacerbate

v. to aggravate; make worse

exculpate

v. to clear of blame; vindicate

exigency

n. crisis; urgent requirements

extraneous

adj. not essential

facetious

adj. humorous

facilitate

v. to make less difficult

fallacious

adj. based on a false idea or fact; misleading

fatuous adj. foolishly self-satisfied

fawningadj. seeking favor by flattery
felicitous
flag

v. to droop; grow weak

fledgling
flout

adj. suitably expressed; appropriate; well-chosen

n. beginner; novice

v. to treat scornfully

foment v. to incite; arouse

forestall

v. to prevent; delay

frugality

n. thrift

*gainsay

v. to deny; dispute; oppose

garrulous

adj. very talkative; wordy

goad

v. to prod; urge on

gouge v. to tear out; scoop out; overcharge

grandiloquent adj. pompous; bombastic
gregarious

adj. sociable

guileless

adj. free of cunning or deceit; artless

gullible adj. easily deceived

harangue

n. long pompous speech; tirade

homogeneous adj. composed of identical parts; uniform in composition

hyperbole

n. purposeful exaggeration for effect

iconoclastic

adj. attacking cherished traditions

idolatry n. idol worship; blind or excessive devotion

immutable

adj. unchangeable

impair v. to damage; injure

impassive

adj. showing no emotion

impede v. to hinder; block

impermeable

adj. impossible to penetrate

imperturbable adj. not easily disturbed

impervious

adj. impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected

implacable

adj. inflexible; incapable of being pleased

implicit adj. implied; understood but not stated

implode

v. to collapse inward violenty

inadvertently

adv. carelessly; unintentionally

inchoate

adj. imperfectly formed or formulated

incongruity

n. state of not fitting

inconsequential adj. insignificant; unimportant

incorporate

v. to introduce something into another thing already in existence; combine

indeterminate adj, uncertain; indefinite

indigence

n. poverty

indolent

adj. habitually lazy; idle

inert

adj. unable to move; sluggish

ingenuous

adj. naive and trusting; lacking sophistication

inherent

adj. firmly established by nature or habit

innocuous

adj. harmless

insensible

adj. unconscious; unresponsive

insinuate

v. to suggest; say indirectly; imply

insipid adj. lacking in flavor; dull

insularity

n. narrow-mindedness; isolation

intractable

adj. not easily managed

intransigence

n. stubbornness; refusal to compromise

inundate

v. to cover with water; to overwhelm

inured v. hardened; accustomed; used to

invective

n. verbal abuse

irascible

adj. easily angered

irresolute

adj. unsure of how to act; weak

laconic adj. using few words

lassitude
laud

n. lethargy; sluggishness

v. to praise

lethargic

adj. inactive

levee

n. an embankment that prevents a river from overflowing

levity

n. light manner or attitude

log

n. record of a voyage or daily activities

loquacious
lucid

adj. talkative

adj. bright; clear; intelligible

magnanimity

n. generosity; nobility

malinger

v. to feign illness to escape duty

malleable

adj. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable

maverick

n. dissenter

mendacious

adj. dishonest

metamorphosis n. change; transformation

meticulous

adj. very careful; fastidious

misanthrope

n. one who hates humanity

mitigate

v. to cause to become less harsh, severe, or painful; alleviate

mollify v. soothe
mundane

adj. worldly as opposed to spiritual; concerned with the ordinary

morose adj. ill-humored; sullen

negate v. to cancel out; nullify
neophyte

n. novice; beginner

obdurate

adj. stubborn

obsequious

adj. overly submissive

obviate v. to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent

occlude v. to shut; block
officious

adj. too helpful; meddlesome

onerous

adj. burdensome

opprobrium

n. disgrace; contempt

oscillate

v. to move back and forth

ostentatious

adj. showy; trying to attract attention; pretentious

paragon

n. model of excellence or perfection

partisan

adj. one-sided;committed to a party, group, or cause; prejudiced

pathological

adj. departing from normal condition

paucity n. scarcity
pedantic

adj. showing off learning

penchant

n. inclination

penury n. extreme poverty

perennial

adj. present throughout the years; persistent

perfidious

adj. faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy

perfunctory

adj. superficial; not thorough; performed really as a duty

permeable

adj. penetrable

pervasive

adj. spread throughout every part

phlegmatic

calm in temperament; sluggish

piety

n. devoutness

placate v. to lessen another's anger; to pacify

plasticity

n. condition of being able to be shaped or formed; pliability

platitude

n. stale, overused expression

plethora

n. excess; overabundance

plummet

v. to fall; plunge

pragmatic

adj. practical

precarious

adj. uncertain

precipitate

v. to cause to happen; to throw down from a height

adj. rash; hasty; sudden

precursor

n. forerunner; predecessor

presumptuous adj. rude; improperly bold

prevaricate

v. to quibble, evade the truth

pristine adj. untouched; uncorrupted

probity n. honesty; high-mindedness
problematic

adj. posing a problem; doubtful; unsettled

prodigal

adj. wasteful; extravagant; lavish

proliferate

v. to increase rapidly

propensity

n. inclination; tendency

propitiate

v. to win over; appease

propriety

n. correct conduct; fitness

proscribe

v. to condemn; forbid; outlaw

pungent

adj. strong or sharp in smell and taste; penetrating; caustic

qualified

adj. limited; restricted

quibble v. to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details

quiescent

adj. inactive; still

rarefied adj. refined

recalcitrant

adj. resisting authority or control

recant v. to retract a statement or opinion

recondite

adj. abstruse; profound

refractory

adj. stubborn; unmanageable;resisting ordinary methods of treatment

refute v. to contradict; to disprove

relegate

v. to confine to an inferior position

reproach

v. to find fault with; to blame

reprobate

n. morally unprincipled person

repudiate

v. reject as having no authority

rescind v. to cancel
resolution

n. determination; resolve

reticent adj. not speaking freely; reserved; reluctant

reverent
sage

adj. expressing deep respect; worshipful

adj. wise

salubrious

adj. healthful

sanction

v. to approve; ratify; permit

satiate v. to satisfy
saturate

v. to soak thoroughly; imbue throughout

secrete v. to produce and release substance into organism

shard n. a piece of broken glass or pottery
skeptic n. one who doubts
solicitous

adj. attentive; eager; concerned

soporific

adj. sleep producing

specious

adj. seeming to be logical and sound, but not really so

spectrum
n. band of colors produced when sunlight passes through a prism; a broad range of
related ideas or objects
sporadic

adj. irregular

stigma n. mark of disgrace or inferiority

stint

v. to be sparing

n. period of time spent doing something

stipulate
stolid

v. to specify as an essential condition

adj. having or showing little emotion

striated adj. marked with thin narrow grooves or channels

strut

v. to swagger; display to impress others

subpoena

n. notice ordering someone to appear in court

substantiate

v. to support with proof or evidence

supersede

v. to replace, especially to displace as inferior or antiquated

supposition

n. the act of assuming to be true or real

tacit

adj. silently understood; implied

tangential

adj. peripheral; digressing

tenuous

adj. weak; insubstantial

tirade n. long, violent speech, verbal assualt

torpor n. lethargy; dormancy; sluggishness
tortuous

adj. having many twists and turns; highly complex

tractable

adj. obedient; yielding

transgression

n. act of of trespassing or violating a law or rule

truculence

n. aggressiveness; ferocity

vacillate

v. to waver; oscillate

venerate

v. to adore; honor; respect

veracious

adj. truthful; accurate

verboseadj. wordy
viable adj. practicable; capable of developing
viscous adj. thick, syrupy, and sticky
vituperative

adj. using or containing harsh, abusive censure

v. vituberate
volatile adj. tending to vary frequently; fickle
warranted
wary

adj. justified

adj. careful; cautious

welter v. to wallow or roll; toss about; be in turmoil

whimsical

adj. fanciful; unpredictable

zealot n. one who is fanatically devoted to a cause