| 1 |
Abrogate |
To Annul;repeal; abolish; cancel.
The rule abrogatedby the committee after it was clear that it would not be effective. |
| 2 |
Acquiesce |
v.Assent, agree passively.
Although she appeared to acquiesceto her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations. |
| 3 |
Acrimony |
Harshness or bitterness of speech or manner; expression of great dislike or deep resentment.
Although he was angry, the teacher refrained from acrimonywhen he addressed the class. |
| 4 |
Affirmation |
n.Positive assertion;confirmation.
Despite Tom's Affirmationsof innocence,Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie. |
| 5 |
Aggrandizement |
That which makes richer orgreater; the state results of such.
His only interest in being elected was personal aggrandizement.
|
| 6 |
Ambiguous |
adj.Unclear or doubtful inmeaning.
His ambiguousinstructions misled us; we did not know which road to take. |
| 7 |
Ambivalence |
n.The state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes.
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalenceof her feelings. |
| 8 |
Ameliorate |
v.Improve.
Many social workers have attempted to amelioratethe conditions of people living in the slums. |
| 9 |
Animosity |
n.Active enmity; hatred.
He incurred the animosityof the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power. |
| 10 |
Antithesis |
n.Contrast; direct opposite of or to.
This tyranny was the antithesisof all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength. |
| 11 |
Aplomb |
Self assurance; self confidence; self possession; poise.
If the speaker was nervous she didn't show it, facing the audience with aplomb.
|
| 12 |
Arbitrary |
adj.Unreasonable orcapricious; imperious; tyrannical.
The members whom you do not consult will resent any arbitrary action on your part. |
| 13 |
Archaic |
Of an earlier or primitive time;ancient; no longer in popular use; outdated.
The head of a modern school should not have archaicideas. |
| 14 |
Ascendancy |
n.Controlling influence;domination
Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancyover their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing. |
| 15 |
Astute |
adj.Wise; shrewd; clever
That was a very astuteobservation. I will follow it. |
| 16 |
Augment |
v.Increase.
How can we hope to augmentour forces when our allies are deserting us? |
| 17 |
Austerity |
n.Sternness; severity; lackof luxuries.
The new justices, who were a strict and solemn group, maintained the austerityand dignity of the court. |
| 18 |
Banal |
adj.Trite; ordinary; common.
His frequent use of clich?s made his essay seem banal. |
| 19 |
Benign |
adj.Kindly; favorable; notmalignant.
The old man was well liked because of his benignattitude toward friend and stranger alike. |
| 20 |
Bequeath |
v.Leave to someone by a will;hand down.
Though Maud had intended to bequeaththe family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will. |
| 21 |
Berate |
v.To scold severely; Rebuke harshly
The judge beratedthe criminal for his evildeeds. |
| 22 |
Blasphemy |
n.Cursing; irreverence;sacrilege.
Because they had thought she was a devout believer,they were shocked to hear her utter words of blasphemy. |
| 23 |
Blatant |
abj.Obvious; conspicuous, offensivelyloud.
A little mistake may go unnoticed but a blatanterror demands attention. |
| 24 |
Brevity |
n.Conciseness.
Brevityis essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word. |
| 25 |
Cajole |
v.Coax;wheedle; flatter.
I will not be cajoledinto granting you yourwish. |
| 26 |
Capitulate |
To surrender on certain terms;to give in; to acquiesce.
Because defeat was sure, the general was willing to capitulate.
|
| 27 |
Capricious |
adj. Fickle; arbitrary
The storm was capriciousand changed courseconstantly. |
| 28 |
Censure |
v.Blames; criticize.
He was censuredfor his inappropriate behavior. |
| 29 |
Clemency |
n.Disposition to be lenient;mildness, as of the weather.
The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to JudgeSmith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemencytoward first offenders. |
| 30 |
Commensurate |
Equal in measures; properly proportionate.
The salary for his position will be commensuratewith applicant's experience. |
| 31 |
Commodious |
spacious; roomy.
He bought a commodioushome for his largefamily. |
| 32 |
Compliance |
n.Conformity in fulfillingrequirements.
The design for the new school had to be in compliancewith the local building code. |
| 33 |
Conciliatory |
adj.Reconciling;soothing; apologetic.
She was still angry despite his conciliatorywords. |
| 34 |
Concise |
adj.Brief and compact.
When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember. |
| 35 |
Concur |
To reach the same conclusion;agree occur at the same time.
The members of the jury will concurwith the foreman's opinion. |
| 36 |
Condone |
v.Overlook; forgive.
We cannot condoneyour recent criminal cooperation with the gamblers. |
| 37 |
Connoisseur |
An expert in distinguishingand judging values, especially in arts, fine foods, wines, etc.
He was a connoisseurof wine. |
| 38 |
Converge |
v.Come together.
Marchers convergedon Washington for the great Peace March. |
| 39 |
Conviction |
a) n. Proof or declaration ofguilt.
The criminal's lawyer decided to appeal thecourt's convictionof his client.
B) n. Strongly held belief.
Nothing could shake his convictionthat she was innocent. |
| 40 |
Corroborate |
v.Confirm; support.
Unless we find a witness to corroborateyour evidence, it will not stand up in court. |
| 41 |
Credulity |
n.Belief.
The witch doctor took advantage of the credulityof the superstitious natives. |
| 42 |
Criterion |
n.Standard used injudging.
What criteriondid you use when you selectedthis essay as the prizewinner? |
| 43 |
Cryptic |
adj.Mysterious; puzzling;secret.
His crypticremarks could not be interpreted. |
| 44 |
Cursory |
adj.Casual; hastily done.
A cursoryexamination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson; a more extensive study should be undertaken. |
| 45 |
Debacle |
A sudden and utter breakdown; an overwhelming and ruinous turn of events; a rout; a calamity.
What would have been a mere defeat turned into a debacle. |
| 46 |
Debilitate |
v.Weaken; enfeeble.
Over indulgence debilitatescharacter as well as physical stamina. |
| 47 |
Debonair |
Pleasant and gracious; refined;suave; urbane.
John is rough and uncouth while, in contrast, Charlesis debonair.
|
| 48 |
Decadence |
A process, condition or time ofcultural or moral decline; deterioration; decay.
In a period of decadence, high ideals are scoffed at. |
| 49 |
Delineate |
n.Portray.
He is a powerful storyteller, but he is weakest when heattempts to delineatecharacter. |
| 50 |
Depravity |
n. Corruption; wickedness.
The depravityof the tyrant's behavior shocked all. |
| 51 |
Despondent |
adj.Depressed; gloomy.
To the dismay of his parents, he became more and more despondentevery day. |
| 52 |
Despot |
n.Tyrant; harsh, authoritarianruler.
The people rebelled against the once benevolent king who had turned into a despot.
|
| 53 |
Deterrent |
n.Something thatdiscourages; a hindrance.
Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrentto potential killers? |
| 54 |
Didactic |
adj.Teaching; instructional.
The didacticqualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is ore memorable than the lines. |
| 1 |
Dilatory |
Causing or characterized bydelay; tardy; slow.
The reporter was so dilatoryin completing his assignment that he missed the deadline. |
| 2 |
Diminution |
n.Lessening; reduction insize.
The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminutionof the enemy's supplies became serious. |
| 3 |
Discerning |
adj.Mentally quick and observant; having insight.
Because he was considered the most discerningmember of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult cases. |
| 4 |
Discordant |
adj.Inharmonious; conflicting.
She tried to unite the discordantfactions. |
| 5 |
Discursive |
Passing from one subject to another.
The old man's conversation was so discursivethat we could not follow it. |
| 6 |
Disdain |
v.Treat with scorn or contempt.
You make an enemy of anyone you disdain. |
| 7 |
Disinclination |
n. Unwillingness.
Some mornings I feel a great disinclinationto get out of bed. |
| 8 |
Disparage |
v.Belittle.
Do not disparageanyone's contribution; these little gifts add up to large sums. |
| 9 |
Disparity |
n.Difference; condition of inequality.
The disparityin their ages made no differenceat all. |
| 10 |
Disperse |
v.Scatter; break up.
The police fired tear gas into the crowd to dispersethe protesters. |
| 11 |
Disseminate |
v.Scatter (like seeds) or news.
The invention of the radio has helped propagandists to disseminatetheir favorite doctrines very easily. |
| 12 |
Dissonance |
n.Discord; disagreement.
Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonanceto achieve certain effects. |
| 13 |
Dissuade |
To persuade not to do something.
It was hard to dissuadehim from doing what we planned. |
| 14 |
Divergent |
adj. Differing; deviating.
The two witnesses presented the jury with remarkable divergentaccounts of the same episode. |
| 15 |
Duplicity |
n. Double dealing;guile.
People were shocked and dismayed when they learned of his duplicityin this affair, as he had always seemed honest and straightforward. |
| 16 |
Ebullient |
Happilyexcited; exuberant; bubbling or boiling up.
Her ebullientspirits told us that she had won. |
| 17 |
Eclectic |
adj.Representing a wide variety of types or styles.
The reviewers praised the new restaurant's eclecticselection of dishes, which ranged from Oriental stir fries to French ragouts and stews. |
| 18 |
Ecstatic |
Overwhelmingly happy; intenselydelighted; rapturous.
She was ecstaticat the idea of being acceptedto Princeton. |
| 19 |
Effervescent |
adj.Exuberant; bubbly and excited.
Nothing depressed her for long; she was so naturally effervescentthat she was soon as high spirited as ever. |
| 20 |
Eloquence |
n. Expressiveness; persuasive speech.
The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's eloquence. |
| 21 |
Emaciated |
adj.Thin and wasted from lack of nourishment.
His long period of starvation had left him emaciated. |
| 22 |
Embellish |
v.Adorn; exaggerate
His handwriting was embellishedwith flourishes. |
| 23 |
Emulate |
v.Rival; imitate.
As long as our political leaders emulatethe virtues of the great leaders of this country, we shall flourish. |
| 24 |
Enervate |
v.Weaken.
She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window left her enervated. |
| 25 |
Enigma |
n.Puzzle.
Despite all attempts to decipher the code, it remainedan enigma. |
| 26 |
Ephemeral |
adj.Short |
| 27 |
Equivocal |
Having a double meaning; ambiguous; uncertain.
He gave an equivocalreply to the question toavoid answering directly. |
| 28 |
Eradicate |
To completely erase; to wipeout.
The mistake was easily eradicatedon the word processor. |
| 29 |
Esoteric |
adj.Known only to the chosen few.
The breadth of his knowledge impressed those students who had access to his esoteric discussions. |
| 30 |
Eulogy |
n.Praise.
All the eulogiesof his friends could not remove the sting of the calumny heaped upon him by his enemies. |
| 31 |
Euphemism |
n.Mild expression in place of an unpleasant one.
The expression "he passed away" is a euphemismfor "he died". |
| 32 |
Evanescent |
Tending to fade like vapor;vaporous ephemeral.
The carefree spirit of the youth is evanescentand seldom persists into adulthood. |
| 33 |
Exemplary |
adj.Serving as a model.
Her exemplarybehavior was praised at Commencement. |
| 34 |
Exonerate |
v.Acquit; free fromguilt or responsibility.
I am sure this letter naming the actual culprit will exonerateyou. |
| 35 |
Exorbitant |
Beyond reasonable limits; excessive.
That is an exorbitantprice to ask for that job. |
| 36 |
Expedient |
adj. Suitable;practical; politic.
A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what was expedientrather than by what was ethical. |
| 37 |
Explicit |
adj.Definite; open.
Your remarks are explicit; no one can misinterpret them. |
| 38 |
Extol |
v. Praise; glorify.
The astronauts were extolledas the pioneers of the Space Age. |
| 39 |
Extricate |
v.Free; disentangle.
He found that he could not extricatehimself from the trap. |
| 40 |
Fallacious |
adj. Misleading; false.
Your reasoning must be fallaciousbecause itleads to a ridiculous answer. |
| 41 |
Fanaticism |
n.Excessive emotionfor an issue or cause.
The leader of the group was held responsible even though he could not control the fanaticismof his followers. |
| 42 |
Fastidious |
adj.Difficult to please;squeamish.
The waitress disliked serving him dinner because of hisvery fastidioustaste. |
| 43 |
Fervor |
n.Glowing ardor.
Their kiss was full of the fervorof first love. |
| 44 |
Fiasco |
Complete or ridiculous failure.
The meeting turned out to be a fiasco;no onecould agree on anything. |
| 45 |
Flagrant |
adj. Conspicuously wicked; obvious.
We cannot condone such flagrantviolations of the rules. |
| 46 |
Fortuitous |
Happening by chance;accidental.
He didn't plan on getting rich; it was a fortuitousoccurrence. |
| 47 |
Frivolity |
n. Lack of seriousness.
We were distressed by his frivolityduring therecent grave crisis. |
| 48 |
Futile |
Without effect; ineffectual;useless.
No matter how hard he tried, his efforts were futile. |
| 49 |
Gnarled |
Rough and weather worn; knotted;twisted.
One or Rembrandt's paintings feature the gnarledhands of an old man. |
| 50 |
Gravity |
n.Seriousness.
We would tell we were in serious trouble from the gravityof her expression. |
| 1 |
Gregarious |
adj.Sociable.
She was not gregariousand preferred to be alonemost of the time. |
| 2 |
Grotesque |
Distorted; strangely ugly;outlandish; bizarre.
He appeared at the ball in a grotesquecostume. |
| 3 |
Guile |
n.Deceit; duplicity.
She achieved her high position by guileandtreachery. |
| 4 |
Hackneyed |
adj.Commonplace; trite.
The English teacher criticized her story because of its hackneyedand unoriginal plot. |
| 5 |
Haggard |
Wasted or gaunt in appearance.
The smooth features of his youth had turned into the haggardface of a worn out old man. |
| 6 |
Haphazard |
adj.Random; by chance.
His haphazardreading left him unacquainted with the authors of the books. |
| 7 |
Haughtiness |
n.Pride; arrogance.
I represent his haughtinessbecause he is no better than we are. |
| 8 |
Hedonism |
n.Self indulgence;belief that pleasure is the only purpose in life.
The young man's belief in hedonismled him to give up all responsibilities and requirements in pursuit of pleasure. |
| 9 |
Histrionic |
Related to acting or actors;theatrical; overly dramatic.
There is subtle meaning in the story but her histrionicpresentation ruined it. |
| 10 |
Homogeneous |
adj.Of the same kind
Educators try to put pupils of similar abilities into classes because they believe that his homogeneousgrouping is advisable. |
| 11 |
Hypothetical |
adj.Based onassumptions or hypotheses.
Why do we have to consider hypotheticalcaseswhen we have actual case histories that we may examine? |
| 12 |
Immutable |
adj.Unchangeable.
Scientists are constantly seeking to discover the immutablelaws of nature. |
| 13 |
Impervious |
Completely resistant topenetration; unaffected; unreceptive; immune.
He was imperviousto all the criticism levied against him. |
| 14 |
Implication |
n.That which is hinted ator suggested.
If I understand the implicationsof your remark,you do not trust our captain. |
| 15 |
Implicit |
adj.Understood but not stated.
It is implicitthat you will come to our aid if we are attacked. |
| 16 |
Inadvertently |
adj.Carelessly; unintentionally.
She inadvertentlyomitted two questions on the examination and mismarked her answer sheet. |
| 17 |
Inalienable |
Not subject to being takenaway; not transferable; fixed
Inalienablerights are guaranteed by theConstitution. |
| 18 |
Inane |
Meaningless; pointless; asinine
Her inanesuggestions simply waste our time. |
| 19 |
Inaugurate |
v. Start; initiate; install in office.
The airline decided to inaugurateits new route to the Far East with a special reduced fare offer. |
| 20 |
Incarcerate |
To imprison; to confine
He committed a felony and was incarceratedforpunishment |
| 21 |
Incessant |
adj.Uninterrupted;continuous.
The crickets kept up an incessantchirping which disturbed our attempts to fall asleep. |
| 22 |
Incidental |
adj.Not essential; minor.
The scholarship covered his major expenses at college and some of his incidentalexpenses as well. |
| 23 |
Incongruous |
adj.Not fitting; absurd.
Dave saw nothing incongruousabout wearing sneakers with his tuxedo. |
| 24 |
Incontrovertible |
adj.Indisputable.
We must yield to the incontrovertibleevidence that you have presented, and free your client. |
| 25 |
Incorrigible |
adj. Uncorrectable.
Because he was an incorrigiblecriminal, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. |
| 26 |
Indict |
v.Charge with a crime.
If the grand jury indictsthe suspect, he will go to trial. |
| 27 |
Indolent |
adj.Lazy
The sultry weather in the tropics encourages touriststo lead an indolentlife. |
| 28 |
Indulgent |
adj.Humoring; yielding; lenient.
Indulgentparents spoil their children by giving in to their every whim. |
| 29 |
Infamous |
adj.Notoriously bad.
Jesse James was an infamousoutlaw. |
| 30 |
Infiltrate |
v.Pass into orthrough; penetrate (an organization) sneakily.
In order to be able to infiltrateenemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore black coveralls. |
| 31 |
Ingenuous |
adj. Na?ve; young; unsophisticated.
These remarks indicate that you are ingenuousand unaware of life's harsher realities.. |
| 32 |
Inherent |
adj.Inborn; innate
His inherentlove of justice compelled him to come to their aid. |
| 33 |
Innate |
adj.Inborn. Natural.
His parents soon recognized his innatetalent for music. |
| 34 |
Innocuous |
adj.Harmless
Let him drink it; it is innocuousand will have no ill effect. |
| 35 |
Innovation |
Something new; a recent invention;the act or process of creating or introducing new things or ideas
At one time the automobile was an innovation. |
| 36 |
Instigate |
v.Urges; start; provoke.
I am afraid that this statement will instigateare volt. |
| 37 |
Intermittent |
adj. Periodic; occasional
Intermittentrains marred our picnic. |
| 38 |
Intractable |
adj.Unruly; stubborn.
The horse was intractableand refused to enterthe starting gate. |
| 39 |
Intrepid |
Fearless; dauntless.
The intrepidhero was given a great ovation when he came home. |
| 40 |
Ironic |
adj.Resulting in an unexpected and contrary manner.
It is ironicthat his success came when he least wanted it. |
| 41 |
Irresolute |
adj.Uncertain how to act;weak.
She had no respect for him because he seemedweak |
| 42 |
Laconic |
adj.Brief and to the point in speaking.
Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconictypes: strong men of few words. |
| 43 |
Laud |
v.Praise.
The Soviet premier laudedthe heroic efforts ofthe rescue workers after the Armenian earthquake. |
| 44 |
Legacy |
n.A gift made by a will.
Part of my legacyfrom my parents is an album of family photographs. |
| 45 |
Lethargic |
adj.Drowsy; dull; tired.
The stuffy room made her lethargic. |
| 46 |
Loquacious |
Talkative; given to continual talking
They are quite different: one is loquacious,while the other rarely says a word |
| 47 |
Lucid |
adj.Easily understood.
His explanation was lucidand to the point. |
| 48 |
Lugubrious |
Excessively dismal; mournful.
The lugubriousexpression on his face aroused our sympathy. |
| 49 |
Magnanimous |
adj.Generous.
The philanthropist was most magnanimous.
|
| 50 |
Megalomania |
A mental disorder causing delusions of grandeur or power; a tendency to grossly exaggerate
The senator is so obsessed with power that he must suffer from Megalomania
|
| 51 |
Mercenary |
Influenced by desire for money;acting only for pay; greedy; one who is hired, esp.: A soldier hired by a foreigngovernment.
The consultant's motives were purely mercenary;he didn&146;t ca re about the success of the plan. |
| 1 |
Meticulous |
adj.Excessivelycareful; fastidious.
He was meticulousin checking his accounts andnever made mistakes. |
| 2 |
Miserly |
adj. Stingy; mean;excessively cheap in nature.
The miserlyold man hoarded his coins not out of prudence but out of greed. |
| 3 |
Mitigate |
v.Appease; mollify; easeor quiet.
Nothing he did could mitigateher wrath; she was unforgiving. |
| 4 |
Modicum |
A small quantity or portion
Everyone expects at least a modicumof praisefor his accomplishments. |
| 5 |
Momentous |
Of great importance or consequence.
In crossing the Rubicund, Julius Caesar made a momentousdecision. |
| 6 |
Morose |
adj.Ill humored; sullen.
When we first meet Hamlet, we find him moroseand depressed. |
| 7 |
Mundane |
adj.Ordinary; worldly asopposed to spiritual.
He was concerned only with mundanematters, especially the daily stock market quotations. |
| 8 |
Nemesis |
Deserved punishment or its source; anything or anyone that always seems certain to defeat to frustrate.
His failure to notice his opponent's strengthproved to be his nemesis.
|
| 9 |
Nepotism |
Favoritism shown to relatives,especially in job appointments.
We could hardly accuse him of nepotism:his nephew really is the best qualified candidate for the job. |
| 10 |
Nomadic |
Wandering from place to place: havingno fixed location.
It took a long time before the nomadictribes settled down .
|
| 11 |
Nominal |
In name only, not in fact; relatively trifling or quite small in value.
He is only a nominalpresident; he does not haveany real powers. Her fee is so nominalthat she will never get rich from it. |
| 12 |
Nonplussed |
Baffled; confused; puzzled
We were nonplussedby his actions because we had never seen him behave that way before. |
| 13 |
Notoriety |
n.Disrepute; ill fame.
If the starlet couldn't have a good reputation,she'd settle for notoriety.
|
| 14 |
Nullify |
v.To make invalid; void
Once the contract was nullified,it no longer had any legal force. |
| 15 |
Nurture |
v.Bring up; feed; educate.
We must nurturethe young so that they will develop into good citizens. |
| 16 |
Oblivion |
n.Forgetfulness.
Her works had fallen into a state of oblivion;no one bothered to read them. |
| 17 |
Opaque |
adj.Dark; not transparent.
The opaquewindow shade kept the sunlight out of the room. |
| 18 |
Opulence |
n.Wealth.
Visitors from less wealthy lands are amazed and impressed by the opulenceof this country. |
| 19 |
Oscillation |
A swinging back and forth; indecision or wavering.
Her oscillation betweenthe two choices was like the oscillationof a pendulum. |
| 20 |
Ostentatious |
adj. Showy; pretentious; too fancy.
The real hero is modest, never ostentatious. |
| 21 |
Pacifist |
n.One who is peaceful or opposed to use of force.
The pacifistsurged that we reduce our military budget and recall our troops stationed over seas. |
| 22 |
Panacea |
A glib or Facetious for anything and everything; a supposed universal cure; a cure all.
The committee's suggestion was only a panacea;it did nothing to solve the real problem. |
| 23 |
Pandemonium |
Wild tumult; disorder on grandscale.
The earthquake wreaked many homes and sent hordes of people into pandemonium. |
| 24 |
Paradox |
That which may be true but which seems to be contradictory, false or absurd; a self contradictory statement.
To be both rational and passionate would seem to be a paradox. |
| 25 |
Pedantic |
Making a show of learning; being formal or precise about minor matters in scholarship.
He is not pompous or boring, never pedanticwhen he lectures. |
| 26 |
Perfunctory |
adj.Superficial; cursory; not thorough; routine.
He overlooked many weaknesses when he inspected the factory in his perfunctorymanner. |
| 27 |
Peripheral |
adj.Marginal; outer.
We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheralsuburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city. |
| 28 |
Pervasive |
adj.Spread throughout ;permeating.
The pervasiveodor of mothballs clung to the clothes and did not fade away until they had been thoroughly aired. |
| 29 |
Philanthropist |
n.Lover of mankind; doer of good.
As he grew older, he became famous as a philanthropistand benefactor of the needy. |
| 30 |
Piety |
n.Religious devotion; godliness.
The nuns in the convent were noted for their piety,spendingtheir days in worship and prayer. |
| 31 |
Placate |
v.Pacify; conciliate; mitigate; appease.
The teacher tried to placatethe angry mother. |
| 32 |
Plausible |
Seeming to be probable or likely;apparently trust worthy or believable.
He had no proof but his explanation was plausible;so we accepted it. |
| 33 |
Poignant |
Sharply painful or saddening to thefeelings; emotionally affective; piercing; sharp; cutting in effect.
Pictures in a photo album can be poignantreminders of happy times long gone |
| 34 |
Polyglot |
Speaking or writing in several languages; multilingual; a mixture of languages.
I hope I can find someone who speaks English in this polyglotneighborhood. |
| 35 |
Ponderous |
adj.Weighty; heavy.
His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were always ponderous. |
| 36 |
Potpourri |
A mixture of various things orsubjects.
Her book is a potpourriof poems, essays and witticisms on at least fifty different subjects |
| 37 |
Pragmatic |
adj.Practical;realistic.
The test should provide us with a pragmaticanalysis of the value of this course. |
| 38 |
Pragmatic |
adj.Practical; concerned withpractical values.
This test should provide us with a pragmaticanalysis of the value of this course. |
| 39 |
Precedent |
An action that may justify or serveas a standard for future ones; a guiding principle; proceeding; former.
The proposal was voted down because it would have set an undesirable precedent.
|
| 40 |
Preclude |
v.Make impossible;prevent or eliminate.
This contract does not preclude my being employed by others at the same time that I am working for you. |
| 41 |
Precocious |
Prematurely developed; maturedearlier than is normal; mentally advanced beyond one's years.
Most of the class found the precociousstudent annoying. |
| 42 |
Predilection |
n.Partiality;preference; liking; tendency.
Although the artist used various media from time totime, she had a predilectionfor watercolors. |
| 43 |
Prevalent |
adj. Widespread; generally accepted.
Reed had no patience with the conservative views prevalentin the America of his day. |
| 44 |
Prodigal |
Wasteful; recklessly extravagant.
He was so prodigalin his youth that he has nothing left for his old age. |
| 45 |
Profane |
v.Violate; desecrate.
Tourists were urged not to profanethe sanctity of holy places by wearing improper garb. |
| 46 |
Profound |
adj.Deep; not superficial.
Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused his fellow scientists to honor him as a profoundthinker. |
| 47 |
Profusion |
n.Lavish expenditure; large amount.
Seldom have I seen food and drink served in such profusionas at the wedding feast. |
| 48 |
Prolific |
adj.Abundantly fruitful.
She was a prolificwriter and wrote as many as three books a year. |
| 49 |
Protagonist |
The leading or central characterin a play or story; a person most concerned and active in resolving a situation.
As the protagonistin uncovering city corruption he stood out like the protagonistin a mystery novel. |
| 50 |
Proximity |
n.Nearness.
The deer sensed the hunter's proximityand bounded away. |
| 51 |
Quandary |
n.Dilemma.
When two colleges accepted him, he was in a quandaryas to which he should attend. |
| 52 |
Rebuff |
v.Snub; reject.
She rebuffedhis invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been snubbed. |
| 53 |
Recluse |
One who lives shut off from others; ahermit
The old man was such a reclusethat no one knew he had died. |
| 54 |
Redundant |
adj.Superfluous; repetitious.
Your composition is redundant; you can easily reduce its length. |
| 1 |
Regression |
A going back; a withdrawing or returning; (opposite of progression)
Fortunately, the disease is in regression, and the patient should recover completely. |
| 2 |
Relegate |
v.Banish; demote; consign to inferior position.
If we relegatepeople to positions of unimportance, we shall lose the services of trained personnel. |
| 3 |
Reminiscent |
Reminding or suggestive of the past; remembering; dwelling on the past.
That song is particularly reminiscentof mycollege days. |
| 4 |
Renegade |
One who deserts a party, side, idea,etc. And joins the opposition; a traitor; traitorous.
That renegadeis giving away our secret. |
| 5 |
Renounce |
v.Abandon; disown.
Joan of Arc refused to renounceher statements even though she knew she would be burned at the stake. |
| 6 |
Repercussion |
A serve indirect or delayed reaction; aftereffect; reverberation; echo.
The repercussion of your doing that will be very serious indeed; you may even go to jail.. |
| 7 |
Reprehensible |
adj.Deserving blame.
Your vicious conduct in this situation is reprehensible.
|
| 8 |
Reprobate |
One whose conduct is reproachful, ascoundrel; unprincipled; depraved.
The rest of the family disowned the reprobatebecause of his evil conduct. |
| 9 |
Resilience |
The capability of recovering shapeafter being or stretched; elasticity; the personal capability of recovering undamaged from stress or pressure.
In spite of many misfortunes, her resiliencehas kept her a happy person. |
| 10 |
Reticence |
n.Hesitancy to respond.
Because of the reticenceof the key witness, the case against the defendant collapsed. |
| 11 |
Ruminate |
To think about carefully; to ponder over; to meditate.
It is well to ruminateover a subject before beginning to write about it. |
| 12 |
Rustic |
Pertaining to the country; rural; not refined; simple; one who lives in the country; a simple or undefined person.
As he became older he began to prefer the rusticlife of the backwoods to the life of the city. |
| 13 |
Sacrilege |
Profanatoryor irreverent treatment of holy things; desecration.
Burning the church was vandalism but using it first for a dance hall was sacrilege.
|
| 14 |
Sagacious |
adj.Keen; shrewd; havinginsight.
He is must too sagaciousto be fooled by a trick like that. |
| 15 |
Sanction |
v.Approve; ratify.
Nothing will convince me to sanctionthe engagement of my daughter to such a worthless young man. |
| 16 |
Satirical |
adj.Mocking; ridiculing; sarcastic.
The humor of cartoonist Gary Trudeau is often satirical. |
| 17 |
Savory |
adj.Tasty; pleasing,attractive, or agreeable.
Julia Child's recipes enable amateur chefs to create savorydelicacies for their guests. |
| 18 |
Scrupulous |
adj.Conscientious; extremely thorough.
I can recommend him because he is a very scrupulousyoung man. |
| 19 |
Simulated |
Had the appearance but not the actuality of; imitated; pretended; feigned.
With this training device you can experience simulatedflying. He is not attentive; His interest is merely simulated. |
| 20 |
Sinecure |
A paid position that requires littleor on work or responsibility.
The vice president has no sinecure, for she does a lot of important work. |
| 21 |
Sinister |
Tending toward disaster; threatening; foreboding; evil; wicked; (literally: left or left hand)
He dedicated his life to combating the sinisterforces in society. |
| 22 |
Skeptical |
Doubtful; unbelieving.
He no longer was skepticalwhen he saw what they were talking about .
|
| 23 |
Sobriety |
The state of being sober serious or temperate; abstinence from intoxicating substance.
Absolute Sobrietyis necessary when one is driving. He seldom laughs but maintains sobriety.
|
| 24 |
Solemnity |
n. Seriousness; gravity.
The minister said that nothing should disturb the solemnityof the marriage service. |
| 25 |
Spontaneous |
Unplanned; acting from a natural impulse; self |
| 26 |
Stoic |
n.Person who sows no emotions.
The doctor called her patient a stoicbecause he had borne the pain of the examination without whimpering. |
| 27 |
Stupefy |
v.Make numb; stun; amaze.
Laura refused to take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefyher. |
| 28 |
Subversive |
Undermining and destructive orcorruptive; a person who acts.
The FBI devotes particular attention to groups that seem subversive.
|
| 29 |
Succinct |
adj. Brief; compact.
His remarks are always succinctand pointed. |
| 30 |
Superfluous |
adj. Excessive; overabundant; unnecessary.
Please try not to include so many superfluousdetails in your report; just give me the bare facts. |
| 31 |
Surreptitious |
adj.Secret.
News of their surreptitiousmeeting gradually leaked out. |
| 32 |
Terse |
adj.Concise;abrupt; pithy.
I admire his tersestyle of writing; he comesdirectly to the point. |
| 33 |
Trepidation |
n.Fear; trembling.
We must face the enemy without trepidationif weare to win this battle. |
| 34 |
Umbrage |
Offense; resentment
Do not take umbragemy criticism; it is intendedto be helpful. |
| 35 |
Unbridled |
Not held in check; unrestrained; uncontrolled.
He kept his temper for a long time and then exploded in unbridledwrath. |
| 36 |
Undulation |
A wave like rising and falling orbending; a wave
The old roof was full of undulations,sagging and bulging like a tin ocean .
|
| 37 |
Unkempt |
adj.Slipshod inappearance; disheveled.
The beggar was dirty and unkempt. |
| 38 |
Unobtrusive |
adj.Inconspicuous; not blatant.
The agents in charge of protecting the president tried to be as unobtrusiveas possible. |
| 39 |
Urbane |
Elegant in manner; well bred; refined; polite.
Her husband is rather coarse in manner but, incontrast, she is urbane.
|
| 40 |
Vacillation |
n.Fluctuation; wavering.
His vacillationannoyed all of us who had to wait until he made his decision. |
| 41 |
Vapid |
Spiritless; insipid; dull.
His speech was so vapidthat much of the audience fell asleep |
| 42 |
Venerate |
v.Revere.
In China, the people veneratetheir ancestors. |
| 43 |
Verbatim |
Word for word; in the exact words.
Repeat the instructions verbatimto assure me you know what to do. |
| 44 |
Verbose |
Use too many words
A speaker should be concise, not verbose.
|
| 45 |
Viable |
adj.Capable of maintaining life.
The infant, though prematurely born, is viableand has a good chance to survive. |
| 46 |
Vicarious |
Felt as one's own experience by imagining that of another; done or experienced in substitution.
She experienced a vicarious joy in herson's success |
| 47 |
Vilify |
v.Slander.
She is a liar and is always trying to vilifymyreputation. |
| 48 |
Virtuoso |
n.Highly skilled artist.
Heifetz is a violin virtuoso.
|
| 49 |
Virulent |
adj.Extremely poisonous.
The virus is highly virulentand has made many of us ill for days. |
| 50 |
Viscosity |
Heavy gluey quality.
The engineers tested the viscosityof the oil. |
| 51 |
Vitriolic |
Caustic; bitter; cutting.
As he became angrier, his insulting remarks became more vitriolic.
|
| 52 |
Vivacious |
Full of life; high spirited; lively;animated.
She is so vivaciousthat it is impossible to imagine her depressed. |
| 53 |
Volatile |
Quickly evaporating; unstable;quickly changeable; influenced easily; fickle.
He has such a volatilepersonality that one never knows what kind of mood he will be in |
| 54 |
Zealot |
n.Fanatic;person who shows excessive zeal.
It is good to have a few zealotsin our group because their enthusiasm is contagious. |
