MINI DICTIONARY

A Contiguous – having a common boundary or

edge.
Abstain – refrain from doing, consuming, or
partaking in something. Covert – secret or hidden.
Accost – approach and speak to someone Curmudgeon – an irascible, cantankerous person
aggressively or insistently. full of stubborn ideas.
Allegory – a short moral story.
Analgesia – absence of the sense of pain without D
loss of consciousness.
Dauntless – invulnerable to fear or intimidation.
Antediluvian – of relating to the period before the
Debacle – a sudden and complete disaster.
biblical flood.
Deleterious – harmful to living things.
Apocryphal – being of questionable authenticity.
Diabolical – showing cunning or ingenuity or
Aquiline – curved down like an eagle’s beak.
wickedness.
Aria - an elaborate song for solo voice.
Diffident – lacking self-confidence.
Docile – willing to be taught or led or supervised or
B directed.
Beatific – resembling or befitting an angel or saint. Dreary – causing dejection.
Blase – nonchalantly unconcerned.
Blasphemy – profane language. E
Blatant – without any attempt at concealment; Ebullient – joyously unrestrained
completely obvious
Effervescent – marked by high spirits or
Bonanza – a sudden happening that bring good excitement.
fortune.
Egotistical – having an inflated idea of one’s own
Brandish – move or swing back and forth. importance.
Burlesque – a theatrical entertainment of broad Elusive – skillful at evading capture.
and earthy humor
Emancipate – free from slavery or servitude.
Enigma – somethings that baffles understanding
C and cannot be explained.
Cabal – a clique that seeks power usually through Epiphany – an inspiration or divine manifestation.
intrigue.
Evanescent – short-lived; tending to vanish or
Camaraderie – the quality of affording easy disappear.
familiarity and sociability.
Cerebration – the process of using one’s mind to
F
consider something.
Fealty – the loyalty that one owes to a country,
Ceremonious – characterized by pomp and stately
sovereign, or lord.
display.
Condign – fitting or appropriate and deserved.

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Felicity – state of well-being characterized by Hiatus – an interruption in the intensity or amount
contentment. of something.
Feral – wild and menacing Holocaust – an act of mass destruction and loss of
life.
Fidelity – the quality of being faithful.
Flabbergasted – as if struck dumb with
astonishment and surprise. I
Foible – a minor weakness or peculiarity in Iconoclast – someone who attacks cherished
someone’s character. ideas or institutions.
Frenzy – state of violent mental agitation. Idiosyncrasy – a behavioral attribute peculiar to an
individual.
Ignominious – deserving or bringing disgrace or
G
shame.
Genial – diffusing warmth and friendliness.
Inscrutable – difficult or impossible to understand.
Gentility – elegance by virtue of fineness of
Insidious – working or spreading in a hidden and
manner and expression.
usually injurious way.
Germane – relevant and appropriate.
Intangible – incapable of being perceived by the
Ghastly – shockingly repellent; inspiring horror senses, especially touch.
Gird – prepare oneself for action or a confrontation. Interloper – someone who intrudes on the privacy
Grandeur – the quality of being magnificent or or property of another.
splendid.
Grapple – work hard to come to terms with or deal J
with something.
Jaunt – a journey taken for pleasure.
Gregarious – temperamentally seeking and
Jibe – an aggressive remark directed at a person.
enjoying the company of others.
Jingoist – an extreme bellicose nationalist.
Jocular – characterized by jokes and good humor.
H
Jollity – feeling jovial and full of good humor.
Halcyon – idyllically calm and peaceful; suggesting
happy tranquility. Judicious – marked by the exercise of common
sense in practical matters.
Hauteur – overbearing pride with a superior
manner toward inferiors. Juggernaut – a massive inexorable force.
Haven – a shelter serving as a place of safety or
sanctuary.
Heathen – a person who does not acknowledge
your god.
Hegemony – the dominance or leadership of one
social group over others.
K
Herculean – extremely difficult; requiring great Keen – demonstrating ability to recognize or draw
strength. fine distinctions.
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 MINI DICTIONARY
Ken – range of what one can know or understand.
Kinship – relatedness or connected by blood or
marriage or adoption.
Knave – a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel.
Knell – the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce
a death.
Knit – make by a needlework with interlacing yarn.
Knoll – a small natural mound.
L
Lachrymose – showing sorrow.
Lackadaisical – idle or indolent especially in a
dreamy way.
Lament- express grief verbally.
Languor – a feeling of lack of interest or energy.
Laudable – worthy of high praise.
Leery – openly distrustful and unwilling to confide.
Loquacious – full of trivial conversations.
M Oblique – not direct, explicit, or straightforward.
Machination – a crafty and involved plot to achieve
your ends.
Magnanimous – noble and generous in spirit.
Malady – any unwholesome or desperate
condition.
Malaise – a feeling of mild sickness or depression.
Maudlin – very sentimental or emotional.
Melancholy – characterized by or causing or
expressing sadness.
Mellifluous – pleasing to the ear.
Metamorphosis – striking change in appearance
or character or circumstances.
Misanthrope – someone who dislikes people in
general.
Myriad – a large indefinite number.
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N
Narcissist – someone who is excessively self-
centered.
Naught – a quality of no importance.
Nefarious – extremely wicked
Negligence – failure to act with the prudence of a
reasonable person.
Nemesis – something or someone causing misery
or death.
Nexus – the means of connection between things
linked in series.
Nihilism – the delusion that things do not exist.
Noetic – of or associated with or requiring the use
of the mind.
Nonchalant – marked by casual unconcern or
indifference.
Nostalgia – a longing for something past.
O
Obfuscate – make obscure or unclear.
Obsequious – attentive in an ingratiating or servile
manner.
Odious – extremely repulsive or unpleasant.
Omniscient – knowing, seeing, or understanding
everything.
Onerous – burdensome or difficult to endure.
Optimist – a person disposed to take a favorable
view of things.
Opulent – rich and superior in quality.
Ostentatious – tawdry or vulgar
Overzealous – marked by excessive enthusiasm
for a cause or idea.
P
Pacifist – someone opposed to violence as a
means of setting disputes.
 MINI DICTIONARY
Palliative – moderating pain or sorrow by making it
easier to bear.
Pandemonium – a state of extreme confusion and
disorder.
Parsimonious – excessively unwilling to spend.
Patriarchal – of a social organization with the male
as the head.
Philanthropist – someone who makes charitable
donations.
Placid – calm and free from disturbance.
Plethora – extreme excess
Plight – a situation from which extrication is
difficult.
Poignant – keenly distressing to the mind or
feelings.
Q S
Quaff – swallow hurriedly or greedily or in one
draught
Quaint – attractively old-fashioned.
Quay – wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline.
Queue – form a line or stand in line.
Quibble – argue over petty things.
Quiescent – being quiet or still or inactive.
Quietude – a state of peace and quiet.
Quirk – a strange attitude or habit.
Quisling – someone who collaborates with an
enemy occupying force.
Quixotic – not sensible about practical matters.
R T
Rambunctious – noisy and lacking in restraint or
discipline.
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Rancor – a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-
will.
Rapport – a relationship of mutual understanding
between people.
Rectitude – righteousness as a consequence of
being honorable and honest.
Redress – act of correcting an error or a fault or an
evil.
Relinquish – turn away from; give up.
Reminiscent – serving to bring to mind.
Remorse – a feeling of deep regret, usually for
some misdeed.
Reverberate – ring or echo with sound.
Rigorous – demanding strict attention to rules and
procedures.
Sacrilegious – grossly irreverent toward what is
considered holy.
Sagacious – acutely insightful and wise.
Scrupulous – characterized by extreme car and
great effort.
Solace – comfort offered to one who is
disappointed or miserable.
Stagnant – not growing or changing; without force
or vitality.
Stoic – seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain;
impassive.
Superannuated – too old to be useful.
Suppression – forceful prevention; putting down
by power or authority.
Surreal – characterized by fantastic and
incongruous imagery.
Sycophant – a person who tries to please
someone to gain an advantage.
Tacit – implied by or inferred from actions or
statements.
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Tantalizing – arousing desire or expectation for Vainglorious – feeling self-importance.
something unattainable.
Valiant – having or showing heroism or courage.
Tedious – so lacking in interest as to cause mental
Veracity – unwillingness to tell lies.
weariness.
Verisimilitude – the appearance of truth; the
Thrive – grow vigorously.
quality of seeming to be true.
Thwart – hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or
Vernal – suggestive of youth; vigorous and fresh
desire.
Visceral – coming from deep inward feelings rather
Tranquility – a state of peace and quiet.
than from reasoning.
Treason – an act of deliberate betrayal.
Voluminous – large in number or quantity.
Troglodyte – a primitive person who lived in a
Vortex – a powerful circular current of water.
cave.
Truculent – defiantly aggressive.
W
Tyranny – dominance through threat of punishment
and violence. Waft – be driven or carried along, as by the air.
Waive – do without or cease to hold or adhere to.
U Wallow – devote oneself entirely to something.
Ubiquitous – being present everywhere at once. Wan – lacking vitality as from weariness or illness
or unhappiness.
Unambiguous – having or exhibiting a single
clearly defined meaning. Wanderlust – very strong or irresistible impulse to
travel.
Unanimous – in complete agreement.
Wangle – accomplishing something by scheming or
Uncanny – surpassing the ordinary or normal.
trickery.
Unfathomable – resembling an abyss in depth; so
Wary – openly distrustful and unwilling to confide.
deep as to be immeasurable.
Wrath – intense anger
Unison – the act of occurring together or
simultaneously. Wrest – obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also
metaphorically.
Unkempt – not properly maintained or cared for.
Wry – humorously sarcastic or mocking.
Upheaval – disturbance usually in protest.
Uproarious – uncontrollably noisy.
X
Utopian – characterized by or aspiring to
impracticable perfection. Xenolith – a piece of rock of different origin from
the igneous rock in which it is embedded.
Xenon – a colorless, odorless, inert gaseous
element.
Xenophobia – a fear of foreigners or strangers.
V
Xenophobic – having abnormal fear or hatred of
Vacuous – devoid of intelligence foreigners.
Vagary – an unexpected and inexplicable change Xeric – being deficient in or requiring little moisture.
in something.
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 MINI DICTIONARY
Xerophile – plant adapted for life with a limited
supply of water.
Xerox – a copy made by a xerographic printer.
Xylene – a colorless flammable volatile liquid
hydrocarbon used as a solvent.

Y
Yahoo – a person who is not intelligent or
interested in culture.
Yearn – desire strongly or persistently.
Yearning – prolonged unfulfilled desire or need.
Yelp – a sharp high-pitched cry
Yeoman – a free man who cultivates his own land.
Yield – give or supply.
Yoke – become joined or linked together.
Yokel – a person who is not intelligent or interested
in culture.
Yonder – distant but within sight.
Yore – time long past.

Z
Zany – ludicrous or foolish.
Zeal – a feeling of strong eagerness.
Zealot – a fervent and even militant proponent of
something.
Zealous – marked by active interest and
enthusiasm.
Zenith – the highest point of something.
Zephyr – a slight wind.
Zest – vigorous and enthusiastic enjoyment.

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