Abase

(Synonyms: demean; humiliate)

to humble; to disgrace

Abate

(Synonyms: ebb; lapse; let up; moderate;

relent; slacken; subside; wane)

to reduce in amount, degree, or severity

Abdicate

(Synonyms: cede; quit; relinquish; resign; yield)

to give up position, right, or power

Aberrant

(Synonyms: abnormal; anomalous; deviant; divergent; errant; irregular)

deviating from what is normal or expected

Abjure

(Synonyms: forswear; recall; recant; retract; take back)

to reject; to abandon formally

Abscond

(Synonyms: decamp; escape; flee)

to leave secretly

Abstain

(Synonyms: forbear; refrain; withhold)

to choose not to do something

Abstemious

(Synonyms: abstinent; continent; self-restraining; sober; temperate)

moderate in appetite

Abyss

(Synonyms: chasm; void)

an extremely deep hole

Accretion

(Synonyms: accumulation; buildup)

a gradual growth in size; an increase in amount

Acidulous

(Synonyms: acerbic; acetous; biting; piquant; pungent; tart)

sour in taste or manner

Acme

(Synonyms: apex; peak; summit)

the highest point; the summit; the highest level or degree attainable

Adulterate

(Synonyms: debase; doctor; load)

to make impure

Aerie

(Synonyms: perch; stronghold)

a nest built high in the air; an elevated often secluded, dwelling

Aesthetic

(Synonyms: artistic; tasteful)

concerning the appreciation of beauty

Affected

(Synonyms: insincere; pretentious; put-on)

phony; artificial

Aggrandize

(Synonyms: amplify; apotheosize; augment; dignify; elevate; enlarge; ennoble; exalt; glorify; magnify; swell; uplift)

to increase in power, influence, and reputation

Alacrity

(Synonyms: celerity; dispatch; haste; swiftness)

speed or quickness

Alleviate

(Synonyms: allay; assuage; comfort; ease; lessen; lighten; mitigate; palliate; relieve)

to make more bearable

Amalgamate

to combine; to mix together

Ambiguous

(Synonyms: cloudy; doubtful; dubious; equivocal; indeterminate; nebulous; obscure; unclear; vague)

doubtful or uncertain; can be interpreted several ways

Ameliorate

(Synonyms: amend; better; improve; pacify; upgrade)

to make better; to improve

Amortize

(Synonyms: decrease; reduce)

to diminish by installment payments

Advocate

(Synonyms: back; champion; support)

to speak in favor of

Abeyance

(Synonyms: deferral; delay; dormancy; postponement; remission)

temporary suppression or suspension

Amulet

an ornament worn as a charm against evil spirits

Anachronism

(Synonyms: archaism; incongruity)

something out of place in time

Analgesia

a lessening of pain without loss of consciousness

Analogous

(Synonyms: alike; comparable; corresponding; equivalent; homogeneous; parallel; similar)

similar or alike in some way; equivalent

Anodyne

(Synonyms: narcotic; nepenthe; opiate)

something that calms or soothes pain

Antagonize

(Synonyms: clash; conflict; incite; irritate; oppose; pester; provoke; vex)

to annoy or provoke to anger

Antipathy

(Synonyms: abhorrence; animosity; animus; antagonism; aversion; dislike; enmity; hatred; hostility; loathing; repellence; repugnance; repulsion; revulsion)

extreme dislike

Apathy

(Synonyms: coolness; disinterest; disregard; impassivity; indifference; insensibility; lassitude; lethargy; listlessness; phlegm; stolidity; unconcern; unresponsiveness)

lack of interest or emotion

Anomaly

(Synonyms: aberrancy; aberration; abnormality; deviance; deviation; irregularity; prenaturalness)

deviation from what is normal

Apocryphal

(Synonyms: disputed; doubtful; fictitious; fraudulent)

of questionable authority or authenticity

Archaic

(Synonyms: ancient; antediluvian; antique; bygone; dated; dowdy; fusty; obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated; outmoded; passé; prehistoric; stale; superannuated; superseded; vintage)

ancient; old-fashioned

Apostate

(Synonyms: defector; deserter; traitor)

one who renounces a religious faith

Arbitrate

(Synonyms: adjudge; adjudicate; determine; intermediate; intervene; judge; moderate; referee; rule)

to judge a dispute between two opposing parties

Approbation

(Synonyms: acclaim; adulation; applause; commendation; compliments; exaltation; extolment; hail; kudos; praise)

approval and praise

Arbitrary

(Synonyms: changeable; erratic; indiscriminate; random; wayward)

determined by chance or impulse

Ardor

(Synonyms: devotion; enthusiasm; fervency; fervidity; fervidness; fervor; fire; passion; zeal; zealousness)

intense and passionate feeling

Arrogate

(Synonyms: appropriate; presume; take)

to claim without justification; to claim for oneself without right

Articulate

(Synonyms: eloquent; expressive; fluent; lucid; silver-tongued; smooth-spoken)

able to speak clearly and expressively

Assail

(Synonyms: beset; storm; strike)

to attack; to assault

Assuage

(Synonyms: allay; alleviate; appease; comfort; conciliate; ease; lighten; mitigate; mollify; pacify; palliate; placate; propitiate relieve; soothe; sweeten)

to make something unpleasant less severe

Augury

(Synonyms: auspice; harbinger; omen; portent; presage)

a prophecy; a prediction of events

Audacious

(Synonyms: adventuresome; aggressive; assertive; bold; brave; courageous; daring; dauntless; doughty; fearless; gallant; game; heroic; intrepid; mettlesome; plucky; stout; stouthearted; unafraid; undaunted; valiant; valorous; venturesome; venturous)

fearless and daring

August

(Synonyms: admirable; awesome; grand; majestic)

dignified; grandiose

Austere

(Synonyms: bleak; dour; grim; hard; harsh; severe)

severe or stern in appearance; undecorated

Attenuate

(Synonyms: debilitate; devitalize; dilute; enervate; enfeeble; rarefy; sap; thin; undermine; undo; unnerve; weaken)

to reduce in force or degree; to weaken

Axiom

(Synonyms: adage; aphorism; apothegm; maxim; rule)

premise; postulate; self-evident truth

Banal

(Synonyms: bland; bromidic; clichéd; commonplace; fatuous; hackneyed; innocuous; insipid; jejune; musty; platitudinous; prosaic; quotidian; shopworn; stale; stereotypic; threadbare; timeworn; tired; trite; vapid; worn-out)

predictable; clichéd; boring

Belfry

(Synonyms: spire; steeple)

a bell tower; the room in which a bell is hung

Bevy

(Synonyms: band; bunch; gang; pack; troop)

a group

Bifurcate

(Synonyms: bisect; split)

to divide into two parts

Bilk

(Synonyms: beat; defraud; overreach)

to cheat; to defraud

Blight

(Synonyms: damage; plague)

to afflict; to destroy

Blithe

(Synonyms: carefree; lighthearted; merry)

joyful, cheerful, or without appropriate thought

Bolster

(Synonyms: brace; buttress; crutch; prop; stay; support; sustain; underpin; uphold)

to support; to prop up

Bombastic

(Synonyms: bloated; declamatory; fustian; grandiloquent; grandiose; high-flown; magniloquent; orotund; pretentious; rhetorical; self-important)

pompous in speech and manner

Bonhomie

(Synonyms: affability; amiability; cordiality; geniality)

good-natured geniality; an atmosphere of good cheer

Boor

(Synonyms: clod; lout; oaf; vulgarian; yahoo)

a crude person; one lacking manners or taste

Burgeon

(Synonyms: bloom; flourish; prosper; thrive)

to grow and flourish

Burnish

(Synonyms: buff; luster; polish; scour)

to polish

Cabal

(Synonyms: camp; circle; clan; clique; coterie; in-group; mafia; mob; ring)

a secret group seeking to overturn something

Cacophony

(Synonyms: chaos; clamor; din; discord; disharmony; noise)

a harsh, jarring noise

Calumny

(Synonyms: defamation; libel; slander)

a false and malicious accusation; misrepresentation

Canard

(Synonyms: falsehood; falsity; fib; misrepresentation; prevarication; tale; untruth)

a lie

Candid

(Synonyms: direct; forthright; frank; honest; open; sincere; straight; straightforward; undiguised)

impartial and honest in speech

Capricious

(Synonyms: arbitrary; chance; changeable; erratic; fickle; inconstant; mercurial; random; whimsical; willful)

changing one's mind quickly and often

Cartography

(Synonyms: charting; surveying; topography)

the science or art of making maps

Catalyst

(Synonyms: accelerator; goad; impetus; impuls; incentive; motivation; spur; stimulant)

something that brings about a change in something else

Caustic

(Synonyms: acerbic; biting;  mordant; trenchant)

biting in wit

Castigate

(Synonyms: admonish; chastise; chide; rebuke; reprimand; reproach; reprove; scold; tax; upbraid)

to punish or criticize harshly

Catholic

(Synonyms: extensive; general)

universal; broad and comprehensive

Chaos

(Synonyms: clutter; confusion; disarrangement; disarray; disorder; disorderliness; disorganization; jumble; mess; muddle; scramble; snarl; topsy-turviness; turmoil)

great disorder; a confused situation

Chauvinist

(Synonyms: bigot; jingoist; partisan)

someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs

Chicanery

(Synonyms: artifice; conniving; craftiness; deception; deviousness; misrepresentation; pettifoggery; shadiness; sneakiness; sophistry; subterfuge; underhandedness)

deception by means of craft or guile

Circumspect

(Synonyms: alert; cautious; heedful; mindful; prudent; solicitous; vigilant; wary)

cautious; aware of potential consequences

Cloying

(Synonyms: excessive; fulsome)

sickly sweet; excessive

Coffer

(Synonyms: chest; exchequer; treasury; war chest)

a strongbox; a large chest for money

Coalesce

(Synonyms: amalgamate; blend; condense; consolidate; fuse; unite)

to grow together to form a single whole

Cogent

(Synonyms: convincing; persuasive; solid; sound; telling; valid)

convincing and well-reasoned

Collusion

(Synonyms: connivance; intrigue; machination)

a collaboration; complicity; conspiracy

Condone

(Synonyms: exculpate; excuse; pardon; remit)

to overlook, pardon, or disregard

Connoisseur

(Synonyms: authority; epicure; expert; gastronome; gourmet)

a person with expert knowledge or discriminating tastes

Contrite

(Synonyms: apologetic; regretful; remorseful)

deeply sorrowful and repentant for a wrong

Contumacious

(Synonyms: factious; insubordinate; insurgent; mutinous; rebellious; seditious)

rebellious

Convoluted

(Synonyms: Byzantine; complex; elaborate; intricate; knotty; labyrinthine; perplexing; tangled)

intricate and complicated

Corroborate

(Synonyms: authenticate; back; buttress; confirm; substantiate; validate; verify)

to support with evidence

Cosset

(Synonyms: cater to; cuddle; dandle; fondle; love; pet; spoil)

to pamper; to treat with great care

Coterie

(Synonyms: clique; set)

an intimate group of persons with a similar purpose

Craven

(Synonyms: fainthearted; spineless; timid)

lacking courage

Credulous

(Synonyms: naïve; susceptible; trusting)

too trusting; gullible

Crescendo

(Synonyms: acme; capstone; climax; crest; culmination; meridian; peak)

steady increase in volume or force

Cupidity

(Synonyms: avarice; covetousness; rapacity)

greed; strong desire

Curmudgeon

(Synonyms: coot; crab; grouch)

a cranky person, usually an old one

Debutante

(Synonyms: lady; maiden)

a young woman making debut in high society

Declivity

(Synonyms: decline; descent; grade; slant; tilt)

a downward slope

Decorous

(Synonyms: appropriate; comme il faut; courteous; polite)

proper; tasteful; socially correct

Decorum

(Synonyms: correctness; decency; etiquette; manners; mores; propriety; seemliness)

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

Deface

(Synonyms: disfigure; impair; spoil)

to mar the appearance of; to vandalize

Deference

(Synonyms: courtesy; homage; honor; obeisance; respect; reverence; veneration)

respect; courtesy

Deleterious

(Synonyms: adverse; hurtful; inimical; injurious)

subtly or unexpectedly harmful

Demagogue

(Synonyms: agitator; inciter; instigator)

a leader or rabble-rouser, usually one appealing to emotion or prejudice

Demur

(Synonyms: dissent; expostulate; protest; remonstrate)

to express doubts or objections

Deride

(Synonyms: gibe; jeer; ridicule; scoff; sneer; taunt)

to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock

Desiccate

(Synonyms: dehydrate; dry; parch)

to dry out thoroughly

Desultory

(Synonyms: aimless; disconnected; erratic; haphazard; indiscriminate; objectless; purposeless; random; stray; unconsidered; unplanned)

jumping from one thing to another; disconnected

Diaphanous

(Synonyms: gauzy; sheer; tenuous; translucent; transparent)

allowing light to show through; delicate

Diatribe

(Synonyms: fulmination; harangue; invective; jeremiad; malediction; obloquy; tirade)

an abusive, condemnatory speech

Dictum

(Synonyms: adage; aphorism; apothegm; decree; edict)

an authoritative statement

Diffident

(Synonyms: backward; bashful; coy; demure; modest; retiring; self-effacing; shy; timid)

lacking self-confidence

Dilate

(Synonyms: amplify; develop; elaborate; enlarge; expand; expatiate)

to make larger; to expand

Dilatory

(Synonyms: dragging; flagging; laggard; lagging; slow; slow-footed; slow-going; slow-paced; tard)

intended to delay

Dilettante

(Synonyms: amateur; dabbler; superficial; tyro)

someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic

Dirge

(Synonyms: elegy; lament)

a funeral hymn or mournful speech

Disabuse

(Synonyms: correct; undecieve)

to set right; to free from error

Discern

(Synonyms: catch; descry; detect; differentiate; discriminate; distinguish; espy; glimpse; know; separate; spot; spy; tell)

to perceive or recognize

Disparate

(Synonyms: different; dissimilar; divergent; diverse; variant; various)

fundamentally different; entirely unlike

Distaff

(Synonyms: maternal)

the female branch of a family

Distend

(Synonyms: broaden; bulge)

to swell, inflate, or bloat

Dissemble

(Synonyms: act; affect; assume; camouflage; cloak; counterfeit; cover up; disguise; dissimulate; fake; feign; mask; masquerade; pose; pretend; put on; sham)

to present a false apperance; to disguise one's real intentions or character

Dissonance

(Synonyms: clash; contention; discord; dissension; dissent; dissidence; friction; strife; variance)

a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds

Dither

(Synonyms: falter; hesitate; vacillate; waffle; waver)

to act confusedly or without clear purpose

Divine

(Synonyms: auger; foresee; intuit; predict; presage)

to foretell or know by inspiration

Diurnal

(Synonyms: daylight; daytime)

active or occurring during the day

Doctrinaire

(Synonyms: dictatorial; inflexible)

rigidly devoted to theories regardless of practicality; dogmatic

Dogma

(Synonyms: creed; doctrine; teaching; tenet)

a firmly held opinion, especially a religious belief

Dogmatic

(Synonyms: authoritarian; bossy; dictatorial; doctrinaire; domineering; imperious; magisterial; masterful; overbearing; peremptory)

dictatorial in one's opinions

Droll

(Synonyms: comic; entertaining; funny; risible; witty)

amusing in a wry, subtle way

Dupe

(Synonyms: beguile; betray; bluff; cozen; deceive; delude; fool; hoodwink; humbug; mislead; take in; trick)

to deceive

Dyspeptic

(Synonyms: acerbic; melancholy; morose; solemn; sour)

suffering from indigestion; gloomy and irritable

Ebullient

(Synonyms: ardent; avid; bubbly; zestful)

exhilarated; full of enthusiasm and high spirits

Eclectic

(Synonyms: broad; catholic)

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

Edify

(Synonyms: educate; enlighten; guide; teach)

to instruct morally and spiritually

Efficacy

(Synonyms: dynamism; effectiveness; efficiency; force; power; productiveness; proficiency; strength; vigor)

effectiveness

Effigy

(Synonyms: dummy; figure; image)

a stuffed doll; a likeness of a person

Effrontery

(Synonyms: brashness; gall; nerve; presumption; temerity)

impudent boldness; audacity

Elegy

(Synonyms: dirge; lament)

a sorrowful poem or speech

Eloquent

(Synonyms: articulate; expressive; fluent; meaningful; significant; smooth-spoken)

persuasive and moving, especially in speech

Embellish

(Synonyms: adorn; bedeck; elaborate; embroider; enhance; exaggerate)

to add ornamental or fictitious details

Emulate

(Synonyms: ape; imitate; simulate)

to copy; to try to equal or excel

Encomium

(Synonyms: citation; eulogy; panegyric; salutation; tribute)

warm praise

Endemic

(Synonyms: indigenous; local; native)

belonging to a particular area; inherent

Enervate

(Synonyms: debilitate; enfeeble; sap; weaken)

to reduce in strength

Engender

(Synonyms: beget; generate; spawn)

to produce, cause, or bring about

Enigma

a puzzle; a mystery

Enumerate

(Synonyms: catalog; index; tabulate)

to count, list, or itemize

Ephemeral

(Synonyms: evanescent; fleeting; momentary; transient)

lasting a short time

Epicure

(Synonyms: bon vivant; connoisseur; gastronome; gastronomist; gourmand; gourmet)

a person with refined taste in food and wine

Equivocate

to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead

Erratic

(Synonyms: capricious; inconstant; irresolute; whimsical)

wandering and unpredictable

Ersatz

(Synonyms: artificial; dummy; false; imitation; mock; sham; simulated; spurious; substitute)

fake

Erudite

(Synonyms: scholastic; wise)

learned; scholarly; bookish

Eschew

(Synonyms: avoid; elude; escape; evade; shun; shy)

to shun; to avoid (as something wrong or distasteful)

Esoteric

(Synonyms: abstruse; arcane; obscure)

known or understood only by a few

Estimable

(Synonyms: commendable; creditable; honorable; laudable; meritorious; praiseworthy; respectable; venerable; worthy)

admirable

Ethos

the beliefs or character of a group

Eulogy

(Synonyms: commend; extol; laud)

a speech in praise of someone

Euphemism

(Synonyms: circumlocution; delicacy)

use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one

Euphony

(Synonyms: harmony; melody; music; sweetness)

pleasant, harmonious sound

Exacerbate

(Synonyms: aggravate; annoy; intensify; irritate; provoke)

to make worse

Exculpate

(Synonyms: absolve; acquit; clear; exonerate; vindicate)

to clear from blame; to prove innocent

Exigent

(Synonyms: critical; imperative; needed; urgent)

urgent; requiring immediate action

Exonerate

(Synonyms: absolve; acquit; clear; exculpate; vindicate)

to clear of blame

Explicit

(Synonyms: candid; clear-cut; definite; definitive; express; frank; specific; straightforward; unambiguous; unequivocal)

clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression

Exponent

(Synonyms: representative; supporter)

one who champions or advocates

Expurgate

(Synonyms: bowdlerize; cut; sanitize)

to censor

Fallow

(Synonyms: idle; inactive; unseeded)

dormant; unused

Fanatical

(Synonyms: extremist; fiery; frenzied; zealous)

acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unequestioned devotion

Fatuous

(Synonyms: absurd; ludicrous; preposterous; ridiculous; silly)

stupid; foolishly self-satisfied

Fawn

(Synonyms: bootlick; pander; toady)

to grovel

Fecund

(Synonyms: flourishing; prolific)

fertile; fruitful; productive

Fervid

(Synonyms: burning; impassioned; passionate; vehement; zealous)

intensely emotional; feverish

Fetid

(Synonyms: funky; malodorous; noisome; rank; stinky)

foul-smelling; putrid

Flag

(Synonyms: dwindle; ebb; slacken; subside; wane)

to decline in vigor, strength, or interest

Florid

(Synonyms: baroque; elaborate; flamboyant; ornate; ostentatious; rococo)

excessively decorated or embellished

Foment

(Synonyms: agitate; impassion; inflame; instigate; kindle)

to arouse or incite

Ford

(Synonyms: traverse; wade)

to cross a body of water by wading

Forestall

(Synonyms: avert; deter; hinder; obviate; preclude)

to prevent or delay; to anticipate

Fortuitous

(Synonyms: chance; fortunate; haphazard; lucky; propitious; prosperous)

happening by chance; fortunate

Fractious

(Synonyms: contentious; cranky; peevish; quarrelsome)

unruly; rebellious

Frenetic

(Synonyms: corybantic; delirious; feverish; mad; rabid; wild)

frantic; frenzied

Frugality

(Synonyms: economy; parsimony; prudence; sparingness)

tending to be thrifty or cheap

Furtive

(Synonyms: clandestine; covert; shifty; surreptitious; underhand)

secret; stealthy

Gambol

(Synonyms: caper; cavort; frisk; frolic; rollick; romp)

to dance or skip around playfully

Garner

(Synonyms: acquire; amass; glean; harvest; reap)

to gather and store

Garrulous

(Synonyms: effusive; loquacious)

tending to talk a lot

Gestation

(Synonyms: development; gravidity; pregnancy)

the growth process from conception to birth

Glib

(Synonyms: easy; superficial)

fluent in an insincere manner; offhand; casual

Glower

(Synonyms: frown; lower; scowl)

to glare or stare angrily and intensely

Gradation

(Synonyms: nuance; shade; step; subtelty)

a degree or stage in a process; a variation in color

Gregarious

(Synonyms: affable; communicative; congenial)

outgoing; sociable

Grievous

(Synonyms: dire; dolorous; grave; mournful)

causing grief or sorrow; serious and distressing

Grovel

(Synonyms: bootlick; cringe; fawn; kowtow; toady)

to humble oneself in a demeaning way

Guile

(Synonyms: artifice; chicanery; connivery; duplicity)

deceit; trickery

Gullible

(Synonyms: credulous; exploitable; naive)

easily deceived

Hapless

(Synonyms: ill-fated; ill-starred; jinxed; luckless; unlucky)

unfortunate; having bad luck

Hegemony

(Synonyms: authority; power)

the domination of a state or group over its allies