Professional Documents
Culture Documents
MATH
abase to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
abstruse difficult to understand
acumen quickness, accuracy, and keenness of judgment or insight
adroit dexterous; deft
WRITING
aesthetic having to do with the appreciation of beauty
affable easygoing; friendly
alacrity cheerful willingness; eagerness
alleviate to ease a pain or a burden
altruism unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness
READING
amalgam a combination of diverse elements; a mixture
ambiguous open to more than one interpretation
ambivalent simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain
amiable friendly and agreeable in disposition; good-natured and likable
the representation of someone as existing or something as happening in other
anachronistic
VOCABULARY
than chronological, proper, or historical order
apathetic feeling or showing little emotion
arboreal relating to or resembling a tree
arcane known or understood by only a few
archaic characteristic of an earlier period; old-fashioned
ascertain to discover with certainty, as through examination or experimentation
assimilate incorporated and absorbed into the mind; made similar; caused to resemble
astute shrewd; clever
to make (something already developed or well under way) greater, as in size,
augment
extent, or quantity
aural of, relating to, or perceived by the ear
austere without decoration; strict
independence; self-determination; self-government or the right of
autonomy
self-government
averse strongly disinclined
banal drearily commonplace and often predictable; trite
belie to picture falsely; misrepresent
belligerent inclined or eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
beneficial producing or promoting a favorable result; advantageous
benign kind and gentle
bolster to buoy up or hearten; to support or prop up
bombastic given to pompous speech or writing
brevity the quality or state of being brief in duration
burgeon to grow and flourish; to put forth new buds, leaves, or greenery; sprout
MATH
derivative a by-product
MATH
derogatory tending or intending to belittle
didactic intended to instruct
diffidence timidity or shyness
dilatory habitually late
diligent marked by painstaking effort; hard-working
WRITING
dirge a funeral hymn or lament
disaffected having lost faith or loyalty; discontent
disparage to speak of in a slighting way or negatively; to belittle
disseminate to scatter widely, as in sowing seed
distend to swell out or expand from or as if from internal pressure
READING
docile ready and willing to be taught; teachable
dogmatic stubbornly adhering to insufficiently proved beliefs
dubious doubtful; of unlikely authenticity
duplicitous given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech
ebullience intense enthusiasm
VOCABULARY
eclectic made up of a variety of sources or styles
effrontery brazen boldness; presumptuousness
effusive showing excessive emotion; overflowing
embellish to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate
eminent distinguished; prominent
identification with and understanding of another’s situation, feelings,
empathetic
and motives
enigma one that is puzzling, ambiguous, or inexplicable; a riddle
ephemeral lasting for only a brief time
epitome a representative or example of a class or type
open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead;
equivocal
ambiguous (antonym: unequivocal)
eradicate to get rid of as if by tearing it up by the roots; abolish
erratic having no fixed or regular course; wandering
erudition deep, extensive learning
esoteric intended for or understood by only a particular group
the act or an example of substituting a mild, indirect, or vague term for one
euphemism
considered harsh, blunt, or offensive
exacerbate to increase the severity, violence, or bitterness of; aggravate
exonerate to free from blame
exorbitant exceeding all bounds, as of custom or fairness
expedient appropriate to a purpose; speedy
extol to praise highly
MATH
litigious tending to engage in lawsuits
loquacious very talkative
lucid easily understood; clear
lugubrious mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
magnanimous courageously noble in mind and heart
WRITING
mar to inflict damage, especially disfiguring damage, on
maverick one who is independent and resists adherence to a group
mendacious lying; untruthful
motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain (adjective); a profes-
mercenary
sional soldier (noun)
READING
meticulous extremely careful and precise
modicum a small, moderate, or token amount
multifarious having great variety; diverse
multiplicity the state of being various or manifold
nefarious infamous by way of being extremely wicked
VOCABULARY
novel fresh; original; new
obsequious full of or exhibiting servile compliance; fawning
obstinate stubbornly adhering to an opinion or a course of action
onerous troublesome or oppressive; burdensome
opulent exhibiting a display of great wealth
ornate elaborately decorated
adhering to the accepted or traditional and established faith, especially in
orthodox
religion
relieving or soothing the symptoms of a disease or disorder without effecting a
palliative
cure
parity equality, as in amount, status, or value (antonym: disparity)
partisan devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause
paucity smallness of number; fewness
characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and
pedantic
formal rules
pejorative describing words or phrases that belittle or speak negatively of someone
penchant a definite liking; a strong inclination
pernicious tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly
perspicacious having or showing penetrating mental discernment; clear-sighted
philanthropic humanitarian; benevolent
placid calm or quiet; undisturbed by tumult or disorder
an indication of something important or calamitous about to occur;
portent
an omen
pragmatic practical
manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity,
precocious
especially in mental aptitude
prescience knowledge of actions or events before they occur; foresight
prodigious enormous
WRITING
MATH
squelch to crush by or as if by trampling; squash
staid unemotional; serious
stratify to form, arrange, or deposit in layers
strident loud, harsh, grating, or shrill; discordant
stymie to thwart; stump
WRITING
substantiate to support with proof or evidence; verify
subterfuge a deceptive stratagem or device
supercilious disdainful; haughty; arrogant
superfluous extra; unnecessary
supplant to usurp the place of, especially through intrigue or underhanded tactics
READING
surreptitious done by secretive means
sycophant a servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people
the interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is
synergy
greater than the sum of their individual effects
tangential merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant
VOCABULARY
temperate moderate in degree or quality; restrained (Antonym: intemperate)
temporal of, relating to, or limited by time
tenacity persistence
tenuous having little substance or strength; shaky
therapeutic having or exhibiting healing powers
transient passing away with time; passing from one place to another
tumultuous noisy and disorderly
ubiquitous being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent
vacillate to sway from one side to the other; oscillate
vapid lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull
variegated having streaks, marks, or patches of a different color or colors; varicolored
veracity adherence to the truth; truthfulness
verdant green with vegetation; covered with green growth
vex to annoy or bother; to perplex
felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of an-
vicarious
other
vigilant on the alert; watchful
vignette a short scene or incident, as from a movie
vindicate to free from blame
vindictive disposed to seek revenge; revengeful; spiteful
vituperative using, containing, or marked by harshly abusive censure
whimsical subject to erratic behavior; unpredictable