abate lessen

aberration deviation, not normal

abhor, abhorrence hatred
abstruse difficult to understand
accost confront
acrimony bitter animosity
acumen insightfulness
adamant not yielding
adept skillful
adroit skillful
affected haughty
alacrity eagerness
allocate assign, portion
altruistic, altruism generous
amenable yielding
amiable friendly
amicable friendly
antediluvian very old
anthropology study of human beings
antipathy dislike
apathetic, apathy lacking interest
apt appropriate, inclined
arcane mysterious, known only by a few
ascendancy influence, domination
ascetic, asceticism one who practices self-denial as a spiritual discipline
aspire strive for
assail belittle
assiduous diligent
assuage relieve, appease
atrophy waste away
attenuate weaken, reduce
august dignified
aura air, feeling
auspicious favorable
autocrat, autocratic dictator, dictatorial
automaton a person who acts like a robot
avarice greed
banal common
barrage bombardment, torrent
belie give a false impression
belligerent aggressive, warlike
benevolent generous
bequeath hand down (through a will)
berate scold harshly
bipartisanship supported by two opposing groups (political parties)
blighted destroyed
bog marsh, swamp
bolster support
bombastic pompous
boorish, boorishness crude
buoyant cheerful, floating
burgeon grow, flourish
buttress support
byzantine convoluted, complex
cacophonous, cacophony discordant sound
cajole coax
callous insensitive
cantankerous(ness) irritable
capricious fickle
castigate belittle
caustic bitter
censorious harshly critical
censure scold
cerebral intellectual
chagrin mortification
charlatan swindler
chastise belittle
chide belittle
churlish vulgar, boorish
circuitous indirect
circumscribe restrict
circumvent escape, avoid
clandestine secretive
coalesce blend, fuse
compendious succinct
complacency, complacent self-satisfaction, smugness
compliant, compliance yielding
conciliate, conciliatory compromising, apologizing
concur agree
conflagration large destructive fire
confluence a place where things merge or flow together
congenial pleasant
conscientious careful
consternation dismay
contempt(uous) disdainful
contemptible despicable
contentious belligerent, quarrelsome
convivial sociable, lively
copious abundant
corroborate strengthen or support with additional evidence
cosmopolitan sophisticated, urbane
credulity, credulous the trait of trusting others too much
culpable blameworthy
cursory hasty, superficial
dauntless courageous
dearth scarcity
debacle failure
debilitate(d) weaken(ed)
debunkprove wrong
decimate destroy
decorum, decorous order, politeness
deference, deferential respectful submission, yielding
degradation humiliation
deleterious harmful
delineate list, explain
demonstrative openly emotional
demure, demurral overly modest
demystify make clear and comprehensible
denigrate belittle
depose dethrone, remove from power
depravity moral corruption
deprecate disapprove, belittle
depreciation, depreciatory decrease in value
deride make fun of
derivative not original
derogatory, derogate disparaging, belittling
desecration violate the sacredness of
despondent sad, depressed
despot dictator
destitute poor
deterrent hindrance, impediment
devoid lacking
didactic (often excessively) morally instructive
diffident, diffidence shy
diffuse spread out
digress(ion) stray from the subject at hand
dilatory tending to waste time
diminutive, diminution extremely small
dire urgent, dreadful
discern, discerning perceive, perceptive
discomfited disappointed, defeated
discount (verb) disregard
disheartening discouraging
disillusionment disenchantment, disappointment
disingenuous insincere
disparage belittle
dispassionate unemotional
dispel to drive away or disprove
disputatious quarrelsome
disquiet(ing) (causing) anxiety
disseminate scatter widely
distaste dislike, aversion
divergent different, conflicting
divisive creating conflict
divulge make known
doctrine religious, political, or philosophical principles or teachings
dogmatic tending to force one's own opinions on other people
dormant inactive
dupe deceive
duplicitous, duplicity deliberately deceptive
ebullient enthusiastic
eclectic from diverse sources
efface(ment) erase
effervesce bubble, fizz
egalitarian belief in equality
elated, elation joyful
elicit bring about
elucidate clarify
elude evade
elusive difficulty to catch or define
embitter(ed) make worse
embroil(ed) involve in an argument or conflict
empathetic, empathy compassionate
empiric(al) based on observation and experiment (not theory)
encompass include, surround
encroaching intrusive
encumbrance burden
enigma(tic) mystery, mysterious
enumerate list
ephemeral short-lived
epiphany sudden realization
epitome, epitomize representative example
equanimity calmness
equitable even-handed
equivocal ambiguous
erudite, erudition scholarly
esoteric understood only by a few
estrange, estrangement alienate, alienation
eulogy, eulogize praising speech
evoke bring about, stir up
exacting demanding, severe requirements
excavate unearth, dig up
exemplar representative example
exhibitionist, exhibitionistic deliberately behaving a certain way to attract attention
exhort encourage
exorbitant too expensive
expedient useful
exposé a report designed to reveal the truth to the public
extol praise
extricate disentangle
facile superficial, effortless
faction group within a larger group
fallacious deceitful, incorrect
fallacy false belief
fanaticism excessive enthusiasm
fastidious careful
fathom (verb) understand
felicitous well-suited, happy
finesse tact, elegant skill
flagrant evident, obvious
flippant, flippancy disrespectful
florid(ity) flushed, flowery
flummox confuse
folly foolishness
foolhardy recklessly daring
forlorn sad
fortitude courage
fortuitous fortunate, lucky
fraudulent deceitful
frugal(ity) cheap(ness)
furor commotion, anger
furtive sneaky
futile, futility hopeless
gait manner of walking
gallant(ry) courageous
gargantuan gigantic
garish tastelessly showy
genial friendly
germinate (cause to) grow
glutton(ous) someone who eats and drinks too much
grandiose pompous, pretentious
hackneyed common
hamper (verb) hinder, restrict
hardy robust, sturdy
hasten speed up the progress of
heresy, heretic belief contrary to the established opinion
histrionic excessively dramatic or emotional
hubris arrogance
idiosyncracy, idiosyncratic unique personal trait, quirky
idyllic simply tranquil
ignominy, ignominious dishonor, humiliation
illicit illegal
impasse obstacle
imperious arrogant
impetuous rash, passionate
impudence, impudent disrespectful, insolent
inane senseless, stupid
incongruity, incongruous inappropriateness, discrepancy
incredulous, incredulity skeptical
incriminate accuse someone of a crime
incubate develop, grow
indeterminate left doubtful, inconclusive
indict(ment) formally accuse of a crime
indigenous native to a region
indignant angered (by injustice)
indiscriminate unselective, random
indolent lazy
indomitable too strong to be defeated
induce cause
indulgent lenient
ineffable impossible to express in words
ineptitude incompetence
inert, inertia not moving or active
ingenuous unsophisticated and trusting, naïve
inherent intrinsic, natural
inhibit(ing) restrain(ing)
innate intrinsic, natural
innocuous harmless
innuendo implicit suggestion
inscrutable mysterious
insipid dull, boring
insolence, insolent disrespectful
instigate provoke, start
insular(ity) related to or similar to an island
intrepid courageous
inundate flood
invoke call forth, appeal to
irate angry
irony, ironic incongruity between what is expected and what actually results
irreverent, irreverence disrespectful
jaded tired, bored
jocular cheerful
jovial cheerful
judicious fair
lackadaisical lacking energy, lethargic
laconic concise
laggard lazy person
languid inactive, dreamy
latent, latency the state of being not yet evident or active
laud, laudatory praise
listless languid, sluggish
lithe graceful, supple
lucid clear, easily understood
lucrative profitable
lull short period of calm
lurid sensational, shocking
luxuriant lush, elaborate
magnanimity, magnanimous generosity, generous
malleable capable of being shaped, pliable
marred scarred
maudlin overly sentimental
melancholy bleak
mercenary motivated by money
mercurial fickle
miserly cheap, stingy
mitigate, mitigator moderate, alleviate
modicum small amount
morosedepressed
motley diverse, heterogeneous
multifarious many types
nebulous vague
nefarious evil
neophyte beginner
notoriety, notorious infamous, ill fame
noxious poisonous
nuance subtle difference
obdurate stubborn
obstinate (obstinacy) stubborn(ness)
officious meddlesome, interfering
onerous difficult, trying
opportunist, opportunistic a person who takes advantage of opportunities, often unethically
oracle prophet
orthodox conservative, traditional
ostensible apparent, seeming
oversight mistake
pacifistone who completely opposes violence
pacify soothe, calm
painstaking careful
palliate, palliative relieve pain without curing
paradigm clear example
parch make dry
parody intentional mockery
partisan someone with biased beliefs
patronize financially support, be condescending towards
paucityscarcity
pedant, pedantic, pedantry a person who makes a great show of his knowledge
peevish unpleasant
penchant preference
penurious cheap, stingy
peremptory bossy, decisive
perfunctory done routinely with little interest or care
peripheral outermost, secondary
perquisite additional payment, bonus
petulant irritable
philanthropist, philanthropic someone who supports charity
piety, pious religious devotion
placate calm someone down
placid calm
plasticity malleability, the ability to be shaped or molded
plausible, plausibility likely true
plethora, plethoric surplus
pliable, pliant easily shaped or influenced
polemical controversial
prattle babble
precarious dangerous, unstable
precipitate outcome
preclude prevent
precocious early development in maturity and intelligence
presumptuous too bold, arrogant
pretext misleading claim or appearance
prevaricator liar
procure get or provide
prodigious huge
profound, profundity intense, significant
profuse, profusion plentiful
prohibitive, prohibition restrictive
proliferate, proliferation grow, increase
prolificfertile, fruitful
pronouncement formal declaration
propensity inclination, tendency
proponent supporter
prosaic lacking imagination, dull
prospective likely or expected to become
provident prudent, frugal
provincial narrow-minded, unsophisticated
punctilious meticulous, attentive to detail
pundit a knowledgeable commentator
quell suppress, quench
quixotic foolish
rampant unrestrained, growing
ramshackle poorly constructed
rancor(ous) bitter resentment
rapport relationship
ratify approve, confirm
raucous harsh, rowdy
ravenous insatiable, having a huge appetite
raze destroy, demolish
reap harvest, gather
rebuttal defense, counterargument
recalcitrant stubborn
recant reject
recessive tending to go backward
recluse, reclusive hermit
rectify, rectitude put right, correct
redolent reminiscent, having smell
refutation, refute arguing that a claim is false
regressive tending to return or revert
relegate demote
relinquish give back
renounce reject
repertory collection
reprehensible blameworthy
reprimand belittle
reproach scold
repudiate reject
repugnant offensive, disgusting
rescind annull, retract
reticent, reticence emotionally reserved
reverent respectful, pious
rhetoric(al), rhetorician (related to) elegant speech/writing, elegant speaker/writer
rouse, rousing provoke, excite
sage wise
sanctimonious pretending to be religious, hypocritical
sanction (verb) formally approve
sanctity holiness
sanguine cheerfully confident, optimistic
satiate satisfy fully
satire, satirical, satirize sarcastic imitation
saturate flood, soak
scanty barely sufficient
scathing harshly critical
scintillating lively, effervescent
scope opportunity, range
scrupulous very careful and precise
scrutinize, scrutiny examine carefully
self-righteous smug, holier-than-thou
self-serving selfish
serendipity luck
servile submissive, subservient
shrewd astute, smart
shroud hide, obscure
simile comparison
slight (verb) insult, snub
slipshod careless, sloppy
solace comfort, consolation
solicitous(ness) expressing care or concern, often too much
somberbleak
sophistry deceptive reasoning
spartan simple, self-disciplined
sporadic occurring at irregular intervals
spurious false, inauthentic
spurn reject with contempt
squander waste
stagnant, stagnation not moving
stark(ness) harsh, plain
static (adjective) not moving
staunch strong and loyal
steadfast not yielding
stock (adjective) standard, hackneyed
strident loud and harsh
stupefy, stupefaction bewilder
subservient yielding
substantiate confirm, establish as genuine
subversive one who intends to overthrow the government
succulent delicious
supercilious arrogant
superfluous more than necessary
supplant to take the place of
surfeit surplus
susceptible easily influenced or affected
sycophant suck up, flatterer
tangential digressive, irrelevant
teem, teeming abundant
temperamentalmoody
temporize delay, evade
tenacious, tenacity stubborn, determined
tenuous insignificant, flimsy
tirade critical speech
toady suck-up
torpor drowsiness, apathy
totalitarian undemocratic, rigid political control
tout praise
tractable easily managed or controlled
transient lasting for only a short time
treatise extensive written argument about some topic
trepidation apprehension
tribulation suffering
trifling frivolous, unimportant
trite common
truculent, truculence aggressive, bad-tempered
ubiquitous ever-present, pervasive
unabashed not embarrassed
uncanny extraordinary, weird
uncouth crude
unfathomable incomprehensible, unbelievable
ungainly clumsy
unruly boisterous, unrestrained
unwitting unintentional
urbane elegant, sophisticated
usurp seize power without authority
vacuous, vacuity empty
vanquish conquer, defeat
vapid dull, uninteresting
venal(ity) willing to accept bribes
venerable commanding respect because of age, dignity
verbose wordy, long-winded
vicarious felt indirectly by imagining someone else's experiences
vigilant watchful, alert
vindicate, vindication clear of blame or suspicion
vindictive seeking revenge
virtuoso, virtuosity one with exceptional musical skill
virulent poisonous
viscous thick, sticky
vocation career
vying striving
waninglessening
wayward selfish, stubborn
wrath anger
wry clever or grim sense of humor
zealot fanatic