1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Acolyte: A devoted follower Acquiesce: To comply, agree, give in Admonish: To earnestly caution; to warn against (another) to avoid a course of action Adroit, Deft, Adept: To have or show great skill; dexterous; nimble Aesthetic: Relating to what is beautiful; an appreciation of what is beautiful or attractive Affable, Amiable, Genial, Gregarious:Agreeable; marked by a pleasing personality; warm and friendly 7. Aloof: Detached; distant physically or emotionally; reserved; standing near but apart 8. Altruistic: Unselfish concern for the welfare of others 9. Amalgam: A mixture; blend, combination of different elements 10. Ambiguous: Unclear; uncertain; open to more than one interpretation; not definitive 11. Ambivalent: Contradictory, having mixed feelings 12. Anachronism: The false assignment of an event, person, scene or language to a time when the event, person, scene, or word did not exist 13. Analogy, Analogous: A similarity or likeness 14. Anguish: Agonizing physical or mental pain; torment 15. Anomaly: Deviation from the norm, something that is atypical 16. Antecedent: A preceding event; a forerunner; a precursor 17. Antipathy, Animosity, Rancor: Strong dislike; ill will; the state of detesting someone; enmity 18. Antithesis, Antithetical: Direct opposite; the complete reverse; antipode 19. Ascetic: A person who gives up material comforts and leads a life of self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion 20. Audacious: Fearlessly, often recklessly daring; very bold 21. Auspicious, Propitious: Very favorable 22. Austere: Having no adornment or ornamentation; bare; not ornate 23. Austerity: The trait of great self-denial; enforced economy 24. Automaton: A self-operation machine; a mindless follower; a person who acts in a mechanical fashion 25. Autonomous: Independent; not controlled by others 26. Bane: A source of harm and ruin 27. Belie: To give a false impression; to contradict 28. Benefactor, Patron: A person who makes a gift or bequest 29. Beneficiary: The recipient of funds, titles, property, and other benefits 30. Boon: A timely benefit; blessing 31. Boorish, Uncouth: Vulgar; characterized by crude behavior and deplorable manners 32. Bowdlerize: To remove or delete parts of a book, song, or other work that are considered offensive 33. Bucolic, Rustic, Pastoral: Refer to charming, unspoiled, countryside 34. Bungler: Someone who is clumsy or inept; a person who makes mistakes because of incompetence 35. Callous: Emotionally hardened; insensitive; unfeeling 36. Capricious, Mercurial: Very changeable; fickle; characterized by constantly-shifting moods 37. Charlatan: A fake; fraud; impostor; cheat 38. Chimerical: Given to fantastic schemes; existing only as a product of an unchecked imagination 39. Clairvoyant: Having the supposed power to see objects and events that cannot be perceived with the five traditional senses; a seer 40. Clandestine, Surreptitious: Secret; covert; not open; not aboveboard

41. Conjecture: An inference based upon guesswork; a supposition 42. Convoluted: Winding, twisting, and therefore difficult to understand; intricate 43. Covet: To strongly desire; to crave 44. Cryptic: Having a hidden or ambiguous meaning; mysterious 45. Curtail: To cut short or reduce 46. Dearth, Paucity: A scarcity or shortage of something 47. Demagogue: A leader who appeals to the fears, emotions, and prejudices of the populace 48. Diatribe, Tirade: A bitter abusive denunciation; a thunderous verbal attack 49. Diffident: Lacking self-confidence; self-effacing; not assertive 50. Digress: To depart from a subject; wander; ramble 51. Dilettante: An amateur or dabbler; a person with a superficial interest in an art or branch of knowledge 52. Diminutive: Very small 53. Dirge: A funeral hymn; a slow mournful musical composition 54. Dismissive: Showing indifference or disregard; to reject 55. Disparage: To speak of in a slighting or disrespectful way; belittle 56. Disparity: An inequality; a gap; an imbalance 57. Dispel: To drive away; scatter; as to get rid of a misconception 58. Dissembler, Prevaricator: Liars and deceivers 59. Divisive, Polarize: To create disunity or dissension; to break up into opposing factions of groups 60. Draconian: Characterized by very strict laws, rules, and punishments 61. Enigmatic, Inscrutable: Mysterious; puzzling; unfathomable; baffling 62. Equanimity, Unflappable: Calmness; composure, even-tempered; poise 63. Evocation: An imaginative re-creation 64. Exhort: To encourage; urge; implore; give a pep talk 65. Fiasco: A complete failure; a debacle 66. Fleeting, Ephemeral: Very brief; lasting for a short time 67. Fortitude: Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage 68. Fortuitous: Of accidental but fortunate occurrence; having unexpected good fortune 69. Futile: Completely useless; doomed to failure 70. Galvanize: To electrify; to stir into action as if with an electric shock 71. Gerrymander: To divide a geographic area into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections 72. Halcyon: Idyllically calm and peaceful; an untroubled golden time of happiness and tranquility 73. Hedonist: A person who believes that pleasure is the chief goal of life 74. Iconoclast: A person who attacks and ridicules figures, ideas, and institutions 75. Impasse: A deadlock; stalemate; failure to reach an agreement 76. Impecunious: Poor; penniless; not affluent 77. Impetus: A stimulus or encouragement that results in increased activity 78. Implausible: Unbelievable; incredible 79. Incontrovertible: Indisputable; beyond doubt 80. Indifferent, Apathetic: Marked by a lack of interest or concern 81. Indigenous, Endemic: Native to an area 82. Indignant: Characterized by outrage at something that is perceived as unjust 83. Indulgent: Characterized by excessive generosity; overly tolerant 84. Innocuous: Harmless; not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or hostility 85. Innovator: A person who introduces something new

86. Innuendo: A veiled reference; an insinuation 87. Intemperate: Lacking restraint; excessive 88. Intrepid, Undaunted: Courageous, resolute, and fearless 89. Itinerant: Traveling from place to place; not sedentary 90. Jovial: Good-humored; cheerful; jocular 91. Juggernaut: An irresistible force that crushes everything in its path 92. Laconic: Very brief; concise; succinct; terse 93. Laud, Extol, Tout, Acclaim: To praise; applaud 94. Martinet: A strict disciplinarian; a person who demands absolute adherence to forms and rules 95. Maudlin: Tearful; excessively sentimental 96. Maverick: An independent individual who does not go along wiht a group or party; a nonconformist 97. Mentor: An adviser; teacher; guide 98. Misanthrope: A person who hates or distrusts humankind 99. Mitigate, Mollify, Assuage, Alleviate: To relieve; to lessen; to ease 100. Morose: Very depressed, despondent, mournful 101. Nadir: The lowest point; the bottom 102. Naive, Gullible: Unaffected simplicity; lacing worldly expertise; overly credulous; unsophisticated 103. Nebulous: Vague; cloudy; misty; lacking a fully developed form 104. Nefarious: Extremely wicked; villainous; vile 105. Neophyte, Novice, Greenhorn: Beginners 106. Nonchalant: Having an air of casual indifference; coolly unconcerned 107. Nostalgia: A sentimental longing for the past 108. Obsolete, Archaic, Antiquated: No longer in use; outmoded in design or style 109. Oracle: A person considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinions 110. Ostracize: To deliberately exclude from a group 111. Painstaking, Meticulous: Extremely careful; very exacting 112. Panache, Verve, Flamboyant: Great vigor and energy; dash, especially in artistic performance and composition 113. Pandemic: An epidemic that is geographically widespread and affects a large proportion of the population 114. Pandemonium: A wild uproar; tumult 115. Paradox: A seemingly contradictory statement that nonetheless expresses a truth 116. Partisan: A person with strong and therefore biased beliefs 117. Penchant, Predilection: A liking or preference for something; an inclination 118. Picayune: Something of small value or importance; petty; triffling 119. Placid: Calm or quiet; undisturbed by tumult or disorder; serene 120. Plausible: Believable; credible 121. Poignant: Moving; touching; heartrending 122. Pompous: Filled with excessive self-importance; pretentious 123. Pragmatic: Practical; sensible; not idealistic or romantic 124. Prattle: To speak in a foolish manner, to babble incessantly 125. Presumptuous: Overbearing; impertinently bold; characterized by brashly overstepping ones place 126. Prodigy: A person with great talent; a young genius 127. Prognosticator: A person who makes predictions based upon current information and data 128. Proponent: One who argues in support of something; an advocate; a champion of a cause

129. Prototype: An original method 130. Provocative: Provoking discussion and stimulating controversy 131. Prudent: Careful; cautious; sensible 132. Pundit: An expert commentator; an authority who expresses his or her opinion, usually on political issues 133. Quixotic: Foolishly impractical in the pursuit of ideals; impractical idealism 134. Raconteur: A person who excels at telling anecdotes 135. Recalcitrant: Marked by stubborn resistance to and defiance of authority or guidance; obstinate; obdurate 136. Recluse: A person who leads a secluded or solitary life 137. Renegade: A disloyal person who betrays his or her cause; a traitor; a deserter 138. Reprobate: A morally unprincipled person 139. Rhetorician: An eloquent writer or speaker; a master of the art of speaking and writing 140. Sarcastic, Sardonic, Snide: Mocking, derisive, taunting, and stinging 141. Serendipity: An accidental but fortunate discovery 142. Skeptic: A person who doubts; asks questions and lacks faith 143. Sophistry: A plausible but deliberately misleading or fallacious argument designed to deceive someone 144. Spartan: Plain; simple; austere 145. Stoic: A person who if seemingly indifferent to or unaffected by joy, grief, pleasure, or pain; someone who is impassive and emotionless 146. Subtle: A gradual change that is difficult to detect immediately 147. Superficial: Shallow; lacking in depth; concerned with surface appearances 148. Sycophant: A person who seeks favor by flattering people of influences; a toady; someone who behaves in an obsequious or servile manner 149. Temperate: Exercising moderation and restraint 150. Tenacious: Characterized by holding fast; showing great determination in holding on to something that is valued 151. Thwart, Stymie: To stop, frustrate, prevent 152. Trite, Hackneyed, Banal, Platitudinous, Insipid: Unoriginal; commonplace; overused; cliched 153. Trivial, Minutiae: Trifling; unimportant; insignificant; minor everyday details 154. Ubiquitous, Prevalent: Characterized by being everywhere; omnipresent; widespread; pervasive 155. Unconventional, Unorthodox: Not ordinary or typical; characterized by avoiding customary conventions and behaviors 156. Upbraid, Reproach, Castigate: To express disapproval; scold; rebuke; censure 157. Viable, Feasible: Capable of being accomplished; possible 158. Voracious, Ravenous: A huge appetite that cannot be satisfied; insatiable 159. Wry: Dry, humorous with a clever twist and a touch of irony 160. Zealot: A very enthusiastic person; a champion; a true believer 161. Zenith: The highest point; the peak; apex