Professional Documents
Culture Documents
apposite
(adj.) suitable; apt; relevant
approbatory
(adj.) approving or sanctioning
arbitrary (adj.)
based on one’s preference orjudgment
Rick admitted his decision had been arbitrary, as he claimed noexpertise on the matter.
ardent
(adj.) with passionate or intense feelings
arduous
(adj.) laborious, difficult; strenuous
arrogant
(adj.) acting superior to others; conceited
askance
(adv.) a sideways glance of disapproval
The look askance proved the guard suspected some wrongdoing.
asperity
(n.) harshness
assuage
(v.) to relieve; ease; make less severe
Medication should assuage the pain.
assiduous
(adj.) carefully attentive; industrious
astute
(adj.) cunning; sly; crafty
atrophy
(v.; n.)to waste away, as from lack of use; to wither;
audacious
(adj.) fearless; bold
augment
(v.) to increase or add to; to make larger
august
(adj.) to be imposing or magnificent
austere (adj.)
having a stern look;having strict self-discipline
azure
(adj.) the clear blue color of the sky
The azure sky made the picnic day perfect.
avarice
(n.) inordinate desire for gaining and possessing wealth The man’s avaricefor money kept him at
work through the evenings and weekends.
aver
(v.) to affirm as true
The witness was able to aver the identity of the defendant.
baleful
(adj.) harmful, malign, detrimental
The strange liquid could be baleful if ingested.
banal
(adj.) trite; without freshness or originality
Attending parties became trite after a few weeks
baroque
(adj.) extravagant; ornate; embellished
The baroque artwork was made up of intricate details which kept the museum-goers enthralled.
beholden
(adj.) indebted to
bellicose
(adj.) quarrelsome; warlike
The bellicose guest would not be invited back again.
benefactor
(n.) one who helps others; a donor
benevolent
(adj.) kind; generous
benign
(adj.) mild; harmless
berate
(v.) scold; reprove; reproach; criticize
besmirch
(v.) to dirty or discolor
The soot from the chimney will besmirch clean curtains.
blasphemous
(adj.) irreligious; away from acceptable standards; speaking ill ofusing profane language
The upper-class parents thought that it was blasphemousfor their son to marry a waitress.
blatant
(adj.) obvious; unmistakable; crude; vulgar
blithe (adj.)
happy; cheery; merry; a cheerful disposition
The wedding was a blithe celebration.
bode
(v.) to foretell something
bombast
(n.) pompous speech; pretentious words
After he delivered his bombast at the podium, he arrogantly left the meeting.
brindled
(adj.) mixed with a darker color
broach
to introduce into conversation
bumptious
(adj.) arrogant
bungler
a clumsy person
burlesque
(v.; n.)to imitate in anon-serious manner; a comical imitation
burnish
(v.) to polish by rubbing
cabal
(n.) a group of persons joined by a secret