subside
or moderate

aberrant

abnormal
or deviant

abeyance

suspended
action

abscond

depart
secretly and hide

abstemious

sparing
in eating and drinking; temperate

admonish

warn;
reprove

adulterate

make
impure by adding inferior or tainted substances

aesthetic

artistic;
dealing with or capable of appreciating the beautiful

aggregate

gather;
accumulate

alacrity

cheerful
promptness; eagerness

alleviate

relieve

amalgamate

combine;
unite in one body

ambiguous

unclear
or doubtful in meaning

ambivalence

the state
of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes

ameliorate

improve

anachronism

something
or someone misplaced in time

analogous

comparable

anarchy

absence
of governing body; state of disorder

anomalous

abnormal;
irregular

antipathy

aversion;
dislike

apathy

lack of
caring; indifference

appease

pacify or
soothe; relieve

apprise

inform

approbation

approval

appropriate

v.
acquire; take possession of for one’s own use

arduous

hard;
strenuous

artless

without
guile; open and honest

ascetic

practicing
self-denial; austere

assiduous

diligent

assuage

v. ease
or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger)

attenuate

make
thinner

audacious

daring;
bold

austere

forbiddingly
stern; severely simple and unornamented

autonomous

self-governing;
independent

aver

assert
confidently or declare; as used in law, state formally as a fact

banal

hackneyed;
commonplace; trite; lacking originality

belie

contradict;
give a false impression

beneficent

kindly;
doing good

bolster

support;
reinforce

bombastic

pompous;
using inflated language

boorish

rude;
insensitive

burgeon

grow
forth; send out buds

burnish

make
shiny by rubbing; polish

buttress

v.
support; prop up

capricious

unpredictable;
fickle

castigation

punishment;
severe criticism

catalyst

agent
that increases the pace of a chemical action

caustic

burning;
sarcastically biting

chicanery

trickery;
deception

coagulate

thicken;
congeal; clot

coda

concluding
section of a musical or literary composition; summarizes or concludes

cogent

convincing

commensurate

adj.
corresponding in extent, degree, etc.; proportionate

compendium

brief,
comprehensive summary

complaisant

trying to
please; overly polite; obliging

compliant

yielding;
conforming to requirements

conciliatory

reconciling;
soothing

condone

overlook;
forgive; give tacit approval; excuse

confound

confuse;
puzzle

connoisseur

person
competent to act as a judge of art; a lover of art

contention

claim;
thesis

contentious

quarrelsome

contrite

penitent
- Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence

conundrum

riddle;
difficult problem

converge

approach;
tend to meet; come together

convoluted

coiled
around; involved; intricate

craven

cowardly

daunt

intimidate;
frighten

decorum

propriety;
orderliness and good taste in manners

default

failure
to act

deference

courteous
regard for another’s wishes

delineate

portray;
depict; sketch

denigrate

blacken

deride

ridicule;
make fun of

derivative

unoriginal;
obtained from another source

desiccate

dry up

desultory

aimless;
haphazard; digressing at random

deterrent

something
that discourages; hindrance

diatribe

n. bitter
scolding; invective

dichotomy

split;
branching into two parts (especially contradictory ones)

diffidence

shyness

diffuse

adj.
wordy, rambling, spread out (like a gas)

digression

wandering
away from the subject

dirge

lament
with music

disabuse

correct a
false impression; undeceive

discerning

mentally
quick and observant; having insight

discordant

not
harmonious; conflicting

discredit

defame;
destroy confidence in; disbelieve

discrepancy

lack of
consistency; difference

discrete

adj.
separate; unconnected; consisting of distinct parts

disingenuous

lacking
genuine candor; insincere

disinterested

unprejudiced

disjointed

lacking
coherence; separated at the joints

dismiss

eliminate
from consideration; reject

disparage

belittle

disparate

adj.
basically different; unrelated

dissemble

v.
disguise; pretend

disseminate

distribute;
spread; scatter (like seeds)

dissolution

disintegration;
looseness in morals

dissonance

discord;
opposite of harmony

distend

expand;
swell out

distill

purify;
refine; concentrate

diverge

vary; go
in different directions from the same point

divest

strip;
deprive

document

provide
written evidence

dogmatic

opinionated;
arbitrary; doctrinal

dormant

sleeping;
lethargic; latent

dupe

someone
easily fooled

ebullient

showing
excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm

eclectic

selective;
composed of elements drawn from disparate sources

efficacy

power to
produce desired effect

effrontery

impudence;
shameless boldness; sheer nerve; presumptuousness

elegy

poem or
song expressing lamentation

elicit

draw out
by discussion

embellish

adorn;
ornament; enhance, as a story

empirical

based on
experience

emulate

imitate;
rival

endemic

prevailing
among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country

enervate

weaken

engender

cause;
produce

enhance

increase;
improve

ephemeral

short-lived;
fleeting

equanimity

calmness
of temperament; composure

equivocate

lie;
mislead; attempt to conceal the truth

erudite

learned;
scholarly

esoteric

hard to
understand; known only to the chosen few

eulogy

expression
of praise, often on the occasion of someone’s death

euphemism

mild expression
in place of an unpleasant one

exacerbate

worsen;
embitter

exculpate

clear
from blame

exigency

urgent
situation; pressing needs or demands; state of requiring immediate attention

extrapolation

projection;
conjecture

facetious

joking (often
inappropriately); humorous

facilitate

help
bring about; make less difficult

fallacious

false;
misleading

fatuous

brainless;
inane; foolish, yet smug

fawning

trying to
please by behaving obsequiously, flattering, or cringing

felicitous

apt;
suitably expressed; well chosen

fervor

glowing
ardor; intensity of feeling

flag

droop;
grow feeble

fledgling

inexperienced

flout

reject;
mock; show contempt for

foment

stir up;
instigate

forestall

prevent
by taking action in advance

frugality

thrift;
economy

gainsay

deny

futile

useless;
hopeless; ineffectual

garrulous

loquacious;
talkative; wordy

goad

urge on

gouge

overcharge

grandiloquent

pompous;
bombastic; using high-sounding language

gregarious

sociable

guileless

without
deceit

gullible

easily
deceived

harangue

long,
passionate, and vehement speech

homogeneous

of the
same kind

hyperbole

exaggeration;
overstatement

iconoclastic

attacking
cherished traditions

idolatry

worship
of idols; excessive admiration

immutable

unchangeable

impair

injure;
hurt

impassive

without
feeling; imperturbable; stoical

impede

hinder;
block

impermeable

impervious;
not permitting passage through its substance

imperturbable

calm;
placid

impervious

impenetrable;
incapable of being damaged or distressed

implacable

incapable
of being pacified

implicit

understood
but not stated

implode

burst
inward

inadvertently

unintentionally;
by oversight; carelessly

inchoate

adj.
recently begun; rudimentary; elementary

incongruity

lack of
harmony; absurdity

inconsequential

insignificant;
unimportant

incorporate

introduce
something into a larger whole; combine; unite

indeterminate

uncertain;
not clearly fixed; indefinite

indigence

poverty

indolent

lazy

inert

inactive;
lacking power to move

ingenuous

naive and
trusting; young; unsophisticated

inherent

firmly
established by nature or habit

innocuous

harmless

insensible

unconscious;
unresponsive

insinuate

hint;
imply; creep in

insipid

lacking
in flavor; dull

insularity

narrow-mindedness;
isolation

intractable

unruly;
stubborn; unyielding

intransigence

n.
refusal of any compromise; stubbornness

inundate

overwhelm;
flood; submerge

inured

adj.
accustomed; hardened

invective

n. abuse

irascible

irritable;
easily angered

irresolute

uncertain
how to act; weak

itinerary

plan of a
trip

laconic

brief and
to the point

lassitude

languor;
weariness

latent

potential
but undeveloped; dormant; hidden

laud

v. praise

lethargic

drowsy;
dull

levee

stone
embankment to prevent flooding

levity

lack of
seriousness or steadiness; frivolity

log

record of
a voyage or flight; record of day-to-day activities

loquacious

talkative

lucid

easily
understood; clear; intelligible

luminous

shining;
issuing light

magnanimity

generosity

malingerer

one who
feigns illness to escape duty

malleable

capable
of being shaped by pounding; impressionable

maverick

rebel;
nonconformist

mendacious

lying;
habitually dishonest

metamorphosis

change of
form

meticulous

excessively
careful; painstaking; scrupulous

misanthrope

one who
hates mankind

mitigate

appease;
moderate

mollify

soothe

morose

ill-humored;
sullen; melancholy

mundane

worldly
as opposed to spiritual; everyday

negate

cancel
out; nullify; deny

neophyte

recent
convert; beginner

obdurate

adj.
stubborn

obsequious

slavishly
attentive; servile; sycophantic

obviate

make
unnecessary; get rid of

occlude

shut;
close

officious

meddlesome;
excessively pushy in offering one’s services

onerous

burdensome

opprobrium

infamy;
vilification

oscillate

vibrate;
waver

ostentatious

showy;
pretentious; trying to attract attention

paragon

model of
perfection

partisan

one-sided;
prejudiced; committed to a party

pathological

pertaining
to disease

paucity

scarcity

pedantic

showing
off learning; bookish

penchant

strong
inclination; liking

penury

severe
poverty; stinginess

perennial

something
long-lasting

perfidious

treacherous;
disloyal

perfunctory

superficial;
not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm

permeable

penetrable;
porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through

pervasive

spread
throughout

phlegmatic

calm; not
easily disturbed

piety

devoutness;
reverence for God

placate

pacify;
conciliate

plasticity

ability
to be molded

platitude

n. trite
remark; commonplace statement

plethora

excess;
overabundance

plummet

fall
sharply

porous

full of
pores; like a sieve

pragmatic

practical
(as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or impact of
something

preamble

introductory
statement

precarious

uncertain;
risky

precipitate

adj.
rash, premature, hasty, sudden

precursor

forerunner

presumptuous

arrogant;
taking liberties

prevaricate

lie

pristine

characteristic
of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled

probity

uprightness;
incorruptibility

problematic

doubtful;
unsettled; questionable; perplexing

prodigal

wasteful;
reckless with money

profound

deep; not
superficial; complete

prohibitive

tending
to prevent the purchase or use of something; inclined to prevent or forbid

proliferate

grow
rapidly; spread; multiply

propensity

natural
inclination

propitiate

appease

propriety

fitness;
correct conduct

proscribe

ostracize;
banish; outlaw

pungent

stinging;
sharp in taste or smell; caustic

qualified

limited;
restricted

quibble

minor
objection or complaint

quiescent

at rest;
dormant; temporarily inactive

rarefied

made less
dense (of a gas)

recalcitrant

obstinately
stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly

recant

disclaim
or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error

recluse

hermit;
loner

recondite

abstruse;
profound; secret

refractory

stubborn;
unmanageable

refute

disprove

relegate

banish to
an inferior position; delegate; assign

reproach

express
disapproval or disappointment

reprobate

person
hardened in sin; devoid of a sense of decency

repudiate

disown;
disavow

rescind

cancel

resolution

determination

resolve

determination;
firmness of purpose

reticent

reserved;
uncommunicative; inclined to silence

reverent

respectful;
worshipful

sage

person
celebrated for wisdom

salubrious

healthful

sanction

approve;
ratify

satiate

satisfy
fully

saturate

soak
thoroughly

savor

enjoy;
have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality

secrete

hide away
or cache; produce and release a substance into an organism

shard

fragment,
generally of pottery

skeptic

doubter;
person who suspends judgment until having examined evidence supporting a
point of view

solicitous

worried;
concerned

soporific

sleep-causing;
marked by sleepiness

specious

seemingly
reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally)

spectrum

colored
band produced when a beam of light passes through a prism

sporadic

occurring
irregularly

stigma

token of
disgrace; brand

stint

v. be
thrifty; set limits

stipulate

make
express conditions; specify

stolid

dull;
impassive

striated

marked
with parallel bands; grooved

strut

pompous
walk

strut

supporting
bar

subpoena

writ
summoning a witness to appear

subside

settle
down; descend; grow quiet

substantiate

establish
by evidence; verify; support

supersede

cause to
be set aside; replace; make obsolete

supposition

hypothesis;
surmise

tacit

understood;
not put into words

tangential

peripheral;
only slightly connected; digressing

tenuous

thin;
rare; slim

tirade

extended
scolding; denunciation; harangue

torpor

lethargy;
sluggishness; dormancy

tortuous

winding;
full of curves

tractable

docile;
easily managed

transgression

violation
of a law; sin

truculence

aggressiveness;
ferocity

vacillate

waver;
fluctuate

venerate

revere

veracious

truthful

verbose

wordy

viable

practical
or workable

viscous

sticky,
gluey

vituperative

adj.
abusive; scolding

volatile

changeable;
explosive; evaporation rapidly

warranted

justified;
authorized

wary

very
cautious

welter

turmoil;
bewildering jumble

whimsical

capricious;
fanciful

zealot

fanatic;
person who shows excessive zeal

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