1.

abate
become less in amount or intensity

2. abbreviate
shorten

3. abduct
take away to an undisclosed location against their will

4. abound
exist in large quantities

5. abstract
existing only in the mind

6. aerate
fill, combine, or supply with oxygen

7. alacrity
liveliness and eagerness

8. altruism
the quality of unselfish concern for the welfare of others

9. ancillary
furnishing added support
10. appliance
a small mechanical device or gadget

11. arctic
extremely cold

12. artifact
a man-made object

13. asylum
a shelter from danger or hardship

14. aver
declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

15. balletomane
a ballet enthusiast

16. bawdy
humorously vulgar

17. bellwether
someone who assumes leadership of a movement or activity

18. bibliography
a list of writings with time and place of publication
19. bibulous
given to or marked by the consumption of alcohol

20. billow
a large sea wave

21. bowdlerize
edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate

22. buffet
piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room

23. buoy
an anchored float that marks locations in a body of water

24. buoyant
tending to float on a liquid or rise in air or gas

25. carving
a sculpture created by removing material (as wood or ivory or stone)
in order to create a desired shape

26. censure
harsh criticism or disapproval

27. chevron
 an inverted V-shaped charge

28. chorus
actors who comment on the action in a classical Greek play

29. cloister
residence that is a place of religious seclusion

30. comatose
in a state of deep and usually prolonged unconsciousness

31. contemplative
deeply or seriously thoughtful

32. convent
a religious residence especially for nuns

33. cruise
travel about for pleasure, relaxation, or sightseeing

34. culpable
deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious

35. curb
the act of restraining power or action or limiting excess

36. cursory
 hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

37. cynosure
something that provides guidance

38. decimate
kill in large numbers

39. deft
skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands

40. deter
turn away from as by fear or persuasion

41. diatribe
thunderous verbal attack

42. diligent
quietly and steadily persevering in detail or exactness

43. disinter
dig up for reburial or for medical investigation

44. dissension
disagreement among those expected to cooperate

45. distinguished
 standing above others in character or attainment

46. dominating
offensively self-assured or exercising unwarranted power

47. domineering
tending to rule in a cruel manner

48. ecstasy
a state of elated bliss

49. empathy
understanding and entering into another's feelings

50. empirical
derived from experiment and observation rather than theory

51. ennui
the feeling of being bored by something tedious

52. envisage
form a mental image of something that is not present

53. erudite
having or showing profound knowledge

54. espouse
 choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc.

55. eulogy
a formal expression of praise for someone who has died

56. exhume
dig up for reburial or for medical investigation

57. lewdly
in a lewd and obscene manner

58. monastery
the residence of a religious community

59. nun
a woman religious

60. pillow
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person

61. seclusion
the act of isolating oneself from others

62. stupor
marginal consciousness

63. tyrannical
 characteristic of an absolute ruler or absolute rule

64. explicit
precisely and clearly expressed or readily observable

65. detonation
the act of setting off an explosive

66. exterminate
kill on a large scale

67. familial
relating to a social unit living together

68. felon
someone who has been legally convicted of a crime

69. flawed
having a blemish or flaw

70. flintstone
pebbles of flint used in masonry construction

71. folly
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

72. fortitude
 strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity

73. furtive
secret and sly

74. surreptitious
marked by quiet and caution and secrecy

75. gluttonous
given to excess in consumption of especially food or drink

76. grimace
contort the face to indicate a certain mental state

77. humdrum
tediously repetitious or lacking in variety

78. implicate
bring into intimate and incriminating connection

79. implied trust

a trust inferred by operation of law

80. inference
a conclusion you can draw based on known evidence

81. intimidate
 compel or deter by or as if by threats

82. laurel
a small aromatic tree with shiny dark green leaves

83. lax
without rigor or strictness

84. liturgy
a rite or body of rites prescribed for public worship

85. martinet
someone who demands exact conformity to rules and forms

86. maverick
someone who exhibits independence in thought and action

87. meticulous
marked by precise accordance with details

88. scrupulous
characterized by extreme care and great effort

89. finicky
fussy, especially about details

90. morass
 a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot

91. novelty
originality by virtue of being refreshingly new

92. oblivion
the state of being disregarded or forgotten

93. paleolithic
of the early period of the Stone Age, through 10,000 BCE

94. palisade
a strong fence made of stakes driven into the ground

95. panegyric
formally expressing praise

96. panhandler
a beggar who approaches strangers asking for money

97. defile
make dirty or spotty

98. perpetrator
someone who commits wrongdoing

99. plausible
 apparently reasonable, valid, or truthful

100. Pleistocene
from two million to 11 thousand years ago

101. prosaic
lacking wit or imagination

102. proselyte
a new convert, especially to a religion

103. comical
arousing or provoking laughter

104. quizzical
perplexed

105. rebellion
organized opposition to authority

106. redundant
more than is needed, desired, or required

107. fend off

prevent the occurrence of; prevent from happening

108. retaliate
 make a counterattack and return like for like

109. reverence
a feeling of profound respect for someone or something

110. rue
feel sorry for; be contrite about

111. salvage
rescuing a ship or its crew from a shipwreck or a fire

112. meager
deficient in amount or quality or extent

113. skyrocket
shoot up abruptly, like a rocket

114. conjecture
believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds

115. stultify
deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless

116. succinct
briefly giving the gist of something

117. sybarite
 a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses

118. tirade
a speech of violent denunciation

119. harangue
a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion

120. trenchant
having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought

121. cavalry
troops trained to fight on horseback

122. trooper
a state police officer

123. truculent
defiantly aggressive

124. unscrupulous
without principles

125. varsity
a team representing a college or university

126. verbiage
 overabundance of words

127. victory
a successful ending of a struggle or contest

128. victor
a combatant who is able to defeat rivals

129. iniquitous
characterized by injustice or wickedness

130. wicked
having committed unrighteous acts

131. embolden
give encouragement to

132. implosion
a sudden inward collapse

133. clan
group of people related by blood or marriage

134. bedevil
be confusing or perplexing to

135. soprano
 the highest female voice; the voice of a boy before puberty

136. extortion
unjust exaction, as by the misuse of authority

137. trucking
the activity of transporting goods by truck

138. trafficker
someone who promotes or exchanges goods or services for money

139. turf
the territory claimed by a juvenile gang as its own

140. proxy war

a war instigated by a major power that does not itself participate

141. wizened
lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness

142. pledge
a binding commitment to do or give or refrain from something

143. blunt
not sharp (used of a knife or other blade)

144. haunting
 having a deeply disquieting or disturbing effect

145. outlast
live longer than

146. scuttle
move about or proceed hurriedly

147. leverage
the mechanical advantage gained by a machine on a fulcrum

148. berate
censure severely or angrily

149. cajole
influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

150. broker
a businessman who buys or sells for another

151. sprawling
spreading out in different directions

152. churning
(of a liquid) agitated vigorously; in a state of turbulence

153. lucrative
 producing a sizeable profit

154. pecuniary
relating to or involving money

155. racket
a sports implement used to strike a ball in various games

156. morgue
a building or room where dead bodies are kept before burial

157. rebuff
a deliberate discourteous act

158. Stinger
a portable low altitude surface-to-air missile system using infrared
guidance and an impact fuse; fired from the shoulder

159. fervent
characterized by intense emotion

160. starry
abounding with or resembling stars

161. scourge
something causing misery or death
162. boulder
a large smooth mass of rock detached from a place of origin

163. fierce
marked by extreme and violent energy

164. tenet
a basic principle or belief that is accepted as true

165. incremental
increasing gradually by regular degrees or additions

166. wedge
something solid that can be pushed between two things

167. embargo
a government order imposing a trade barrier

168. eon
the longest unit of geological time

169. entrust
put into the care or protection of someone

170. hoarding
large outdoor signboard