Term
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Definition
| "reduce in amt, degree or severity; As the hurricane's force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm. (ebb, moderate, subside, lapse, relent, wane, let up, slacken)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to leave secretly; The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the back door. (flee, decamp, escape)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "choose not to do something; During Lent, practicing Catholics ABSTAIN from eating meat. (forbear, refrain, withhold)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "an extremely deep hole; The submarine dove in the ABYSS to char the previously unseen depths. ABYSSAL: pertaining to great depth; ABYSMAL: extremely bad. (chasm, void)" |
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Term
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Definition
| to corrupt/make impure; The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water. UNADULTERATED: pure; ADULTERY: an illicit relationship; an affair (doctor) |
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Term
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Definition
| "to speak in favor of; The vegetarian ADVOCATED diet containing no meat. ADVOCACY: active support for (back, champion, support)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "concerning the appreciation of beauty; Followers of the AESTHETIC Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true purpose of art. AESTHETE: someone unusually sensitive to beauty; AESTHETICISM: concern with beauty (artistic, tasteful)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to increase in power, influence, & reputation; The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE himself by claiming that the achievements of his staff were actually his own. (amplify, dignify, ennoble, magnify, wax, apotheosize, elevate, exalt, swell, augment, enlarge, glorify, uplift)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make more bearable; Taking aspirin helps to ALLEVIATE a headache. (allay, ease, mitigate, assuage, lessen, palliate, comfort, lighten, relieve)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to combine, to mix together; Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products Inc. " |
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Term
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Definition
| "a mixture, especially of 2 metals (admix, commingle, fuse, merge, blend, commix, intermingle, mingle, combine, compound, intermix, mix)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways; The directions he gave were so AMBIGUOUS that we disagreed on which way to turn. AMBIGUITY: the quality of being ambiguous (cloudy, equivocal, obscure, doubtful, nebulous, unclear, dubious, indeterminate, vague)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make better; to improve; The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient's suffering using painkillers. (amend, pacify, better, upgrade, improve)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "something out of place in time; The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy and far out that had not been popular for years. (archaism, incongruity)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "similar or alike in some ways; equivalent to; In a famous argument for the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent ""clockmaker."" ANALOGY: a similarity between things that are otherwise dissimilar; ANALOGUE: something that is similar in some way to something else (alike, equivalent, similar, comparable, homogeneous, corresponding, parallel)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "deviation from normal; Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally colored mates. ANOMALOUS: deviating from what is normal (aberrance, deviance, preternaturalness, aberration, deviation, abnormality, irregularity)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to annoy; provoke to anger; The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail. ANTAGONISTIC: tending to provoke conflict; ANTAGONIST: someone who fights another (clash, irritate, provoke, conflict, oppose, vex, incite, pester" |
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Term
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Definition
| "hatred, hostility; extreme dislike; The ANTIPATHY between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare. (animosity, aversion, repellence, animus, enmity, antagonism, hostility)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lack of interest/emotion; The APATHY of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually bother to do so. (coolness, disinterest, disregard, impassivity, lassitude, phlegm, unresponsiveness, indifference, lethargy, stolidity, insensibility, listlessness, unconcern" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to judge a dispute between 2 opposing parties; Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their divorce proceedings. ARBITRATION: a process by which a conflict is resolved; ARBITRATOR: a judge (adjudge, determine, referee, adjudicate, judge, rule, decide, moderate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "ancient, old-fashioned; Her ARCHAIC Commodore computer could not run the latest software. ARCHAISM: an outdated word or phrase (ancient, bygone, fusty, outdated, prehistoric, superseded, antediluvian, dated, obsolete, outmoded, stale, vintage, antique, dowdy, old-fashioned, passe, superannuated" |
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Term
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Definition
| "intense & passionate feeling; Bishop's ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of the scenic Hudson Valley. ARDENT: expressing ardor; passionate (devotion, fervidity, fire, zealousness, enthusiasm, fervidness, passion, fervency, fervor, zeal)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "speaks readily, easily, quickly, clear, coherent; She is such an ARTICULATE defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters. (eloquent, lucid, expressive, silver-tongued, fluent, smooth-spoken)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make something unpleasant less severe; to relieve; ease; Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to ASSUAGE his sense of meaninglessness and despair. (allay, comfort, lighten, pacify, propitiate, sweeten, alleviate, conciliate, mitigate, palliate, relieve, appease, ease, mollify, placate, soothe" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to reduce in force or degree; to weaken; The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will (debilitate, enervate, sap, undo, weaken, devitalize, enfeeble, thin, unnerve, dilute, rarefy, undermine, water)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "fearless & daring; having gall (guts); ""And you, your majesty, may kiss my bum!"" replied the AUDACIOUS peasant. AUDACITY: the quality of being audacious (adventuresome, bold, daring, fearless, heroic, plucky, aggressive, brave, dauntless, gallant, intrepid, stout, assertive, courageous, doughty, game, mettlesome, stouthearted, unafraid, valorous, undaunted, venturesome, valiant, venturous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "severe/stern in appearance; undecorated; The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem AUSTERE to the untrained eye. AUSTERITY: severity, especially poverty (bleak, hard, dour, harsh, grim, severe)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "predictable, cliched, boring; He used BANAL phrases like Have a nice day, or Another day, another dollar. BANALITY: the quality of being banal (bland, commonplace, innocuous, musty, quotidian, stereotypic, tired, worn-out, bromidic, fatuous, insipid, platitudinous, shopworn, threadbare, trite, cliched, hackneyed, jejune, prosaic, stale, timeworn, vapid" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to support; to prop up; The presence of giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Sasquatch was in the area. (brace, support, uphold, buttress, sustain, prop, underpin)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "pompous in speech & manner; Mussolini's speeches were mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no basis in fact. BOMBAST: pompous speech or writing (bloated, grandiloquent, magniloquent, rhetorical, declamatory, grandiose, orotund, self-important, fustian, high-flown, pretentious)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "harsh, jarring noise; The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable CACOPHONY as they tried to use their instruments. (discord, noise, chaos, clamor, disharmony, din)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "impartial & honest in speech; The observations of a child can be charming since they are CANDID and unpretentious. (direct, honest, straight, forthright, open, straightforward, frank, sincere, undisguised)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "changing one's mind quickly & often; Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their number would catch her fancy. CAPRICE: whim, sudden fancy (arbitrary, erratic, mercurial, willful, chance, fickle, random, changeable, inconstant, whimsical)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to condemn; to punish or criticize harshly; Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore CASTIGATE perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the US. (admonish, rebuke, chastise, reprimand, chide, reproach, reprove, upbraid, scold, tax)" |
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Term
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Definition
| something that brings about a change in something else; The imposition of harsh taxes was the CATALYST that finally brought on the revolution. CATALYZE: to bring about a change in something else. |
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Term
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Definition
| "biting in wit; sarcastic; corrosive; Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for CAUSTIC wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults. (acerbic, trenchant, biting, mordant)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "great disorder or confusion; In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from CHAOS. CHAOTIC: jumbled, confused (clutter, disarray, disorganization, muddle, topsy-turviness, confusion, disorder, jumble, scramble, turmoil, disarrangement, disorderliness, mess, snarl)" |
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Term
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Definition
| someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he/she belongs; The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is common among male CHAUVINISTS. (partisan) |
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Term
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Definition
| "deception by trickery or by means of craft or guile; Dishonest used car salesmen often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars. (artifice, conniving, craftiness, deception, pettifogger, sophistry, deviousness, shadiness, subterfuge, misrepresentation, sneakiness, underhandedness)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "convincing and well-reasoned; Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the defendant. COGITATE: to think deeply (convincing, sound, persuasive, telling, solid, valid)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to overlook, pardon, or disregard; to endorse; Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes in the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness. (exculpate, remit, excuse, pardon)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "intricate & complicated; Although many people bought A Brief History of time, few could follow its CONVOLUTED ideas and theories. (byzantine, intricate, perplexing, complex, knotty, tangled, elaborate, labyrinthine)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to provide supporting evidence; Fingerprints CORROBORATED the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim's apartment. (authenticate, buttress, validate, back confirm, verify, bear out, substantiate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "too trusting; gullible; Although some 4-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS 9-year-olds also believe in him. CREDULITY: the quality of being credulous (naïve, susceptible, trusting)" |
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Term
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Definition
| steadily increasing volume or force; The CRESCENDO of tension became unbearable as Evil Knievel prepared to jump his motorcycle over the school buses. |
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Term
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Definition
| "appropriateness of behavior/conduct; propriety; The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM appropriate for a visit to the palace. DECOROUS: conforming to acceptable standards (correctness, manners, seemliness, decency, mores, etiquette, propriety)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "respect, courtesy; The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE. DEFER: to delay; to show someone deference; DEFERENT: courteous and respectful (courtesy, obeisance, veneration, honor, respect, homage, reverence)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to speak of/treat with contempt; to mock; The awkward child was often DERIDED by his ""cooler"" peers. DERISION: mockery and taunts" |
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Term
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Definition
| "in a mocking manner; (gibe, ridicule, taunt, jeer, scoff, mock, sneer)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to dry out thoroughly; After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely DESICCATED. DESICCANT: something that removes water from another substance (dry, parch, dehydrate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "jumping from one thing to another; disconnected; random; Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years. (aimless, haphazard, purposeless, unconsidered, disconnected, indiscriminate, random, unplanned, erratic, objectless, stray)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "bitter, verbal attack; The trucker bellowed a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off. (fulmination, jeremiad, tirade, harangue, malediction, invective, obloquy)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "shy, lacking confidence; Steve's DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field. (backward, demure, self-effacing, bashful, modest, shy, coy, retiring, timid)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make larger; to expand; When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes DILATE to let in more light. (amplify, enlarge, develop, expand, elaborate, expatiate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "intended to delay; not prompt; The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill. (dragging, lagging, slow-going, flagging, slow, slow-paced, laggard, slow-footed, tardy)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "amateurish; someone with superficial interest in a topic; Jerry's friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies every week. (amateur, tyro, dabbler, superficial)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "funeral hymn or mournful speech; Melville wrote the poem A DIRGE for James McPherson for the funeral of a Union general who was killed in 1864. (elegy, lament)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to set right; to free from error; Galileo's observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the Sun revolved around the Earth. (correct, undeceive)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to perceive; to recognize; It is easy to DISCERN the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping. DISCERNMENT: taste and cultivation (catch, differentiate, espy, separate, tell, descry, discriminate, glimpse, spot, detect, distinguish, know, spy)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "fundamentally different; entirely unlike; Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are DISPARATE. (different, diverse, dissimilar, variant, divergent, various)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lie; to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions/characters; The villain could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer--he admitted the deed and tore up the floor to reveal the body of the old man. (act, camouflage, cover up, fake, masquerade, put on, affect, cloak, disguise, feign, pose, sham, assume, counterfeit, dissimulate, mask, pretend, simulate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "harsh & disagreeable combo; often of sounds; Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are contradicted by new evidence. (clash, dissension, friction, contention, dissent, strife, discord, dissidence, variance)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "firmly held opinion; often a religious belief; Linus' central DOGMA was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be rewarded. (creed, tenet, doctrine, teaching)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "dictatorial in one's opinions; opinionated; The dictator was DOGMATIC--he, and only he, was right. (authoritarian, doctrinaire, magisterial, peremptory, bossy, domineering, masterful, dictatorial, imperious, overbearing)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to deceive; a person who's easily deceived; Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit. (beguile, cozen, fool, mislead, betray, deceive, hoodwink, take in, bluff, delude, humbug, trick)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "selecting at will; combining elements from a variety of sources; Budapest's architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of eastern and western styles. (selective, catholic, broad)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "effectiveness; productiveness; The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered. EFFICACIOUS: effective; productive (dynamism, force, proficiency, effectiveness, power, strength, efficiency, productiveness, vigor)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "sorrowful poem/speech; Although Thomas Gray's ""ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard"" is about death and loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality. ELEGIAC: like an elegy; mournful (dirge, lament)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "persuasive & moving; especially in speech; The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because of its ELOQUENT words. (articulate, meaningful, expressive, significant, fluent, smooth-spoken)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to copy; imitate; The graduate student sought to EMULATE his professor in every way, copying not only how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class. (ape, imitate, simulate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to weaken; to zap strength from; The guerillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army. UNNERVE: to deprive of strength or courage (debilitate, weaken, enfeeble, sap)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to produce, cause, or bring about; His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his father at the hands of a clown. (beget, proliferate, generate, reproduce, procreate, spawn)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "puzzle/mystery; Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an ENIGMA. (conundrum, perplexity)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to count, list, or itemize; Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED. (catalog, index, tabulate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lasting a short time; The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter of hours. (evanescent, transient, fleeting, momentary)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead; When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed with them. EQUIVOCAL: undecided; trying to deceive; EQUIVOCATION: the act or state of equivocating (ambiguous, evasive, waffling)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "wandering & unpredictable; The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of ERRATIC turns that surprised the audience. ERRANT: straying, mistaken, roving (capricious, whimsical, inconstant, irresolute)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "learned, scholarly, bookish; The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well-published individuals in the field. ERUDITION: extensive knowledge of learning (scholastic, learned, wise)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "known or understood by only a few; Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle physics. (abstruse, arcane, obscure)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "admirable; deserving of esteem; Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of India. ESTEEM: high regard (admirable, honorable, praiseworthy, worthy, commendable, laudable, respectable, creditable, meritorious, venerable)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "speech in praise of someone; His best friend gave the EULOGY, outlining his many achievements and talents. (commend, extol, laud)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one; The funeral director preferred to use the EUPHEMISM ""sleeping"" instead of the word ""dead."" (circumlocution, whitewash)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make worse; It is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug will only EXACERBATE the problem. (annoy, irritate, aggravate, provoke, intensify)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to clear from blame; prove innocent; The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to EXCULPATE those who are innocent. (absolve, exonerate, acquit, vindicate, clear)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "urgent, requiring immediate action; The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the bleeding. (critical, imperative, needed, urgent)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "clear of blame; The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime. (absolve, exculpate, acquit, vindicate, clear)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "clearly stated/shown; forthright in expression; The owners of the house left a list of EXPLICIT instructions detailing their house-sitters' duties, including a schedule for watering the house plants. EXPLICABLE: capable of being explained; EXPLICATE: to give a detailed explanation (candid, frank, straightforward, unequivocal)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme devotion; The stormtroopers were FANATICAL in their devotion to the Emperor, readily sacrificing their lives for him. (extremist, zealous, fiery, frenzied)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to grovel; flatter excessively; seek the favor of; The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent basis. (bootlick, pander, grovel, toady)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "intensely emotional; feverish; The fans of Maria Callas were particularly FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of the great opera singer. FERVENT: enthusiastic; FERVOR: passion (burning, vehement, impassioned, passionate, zealous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "excessively decorated or embellished; The palace had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style; every surface had been carved and gilded. (baroque, elaborate, flamboyant, ornate, ostentatious, rococo)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to arouse; incite; The protesters tried to FOMENT feeling against the war thought their speeches and demonstrations. (agitate, impassion, inflame, instigate, kindle)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "a tendency to be thrifty or cheap; Scrooge McDuck's FRUGALITY was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a giant storehouse with money. (economical, parsimony, prudence, sparing)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "very talkative; The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking. (effusive, loquacious)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "outgoing, sociable; She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad. (affable, sociable, congenial, communicative)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "deceit or trickery; Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to GUILE in an effort to trap his enemy. GUILELESS: innocent, without trickery (artifice, duplicity, chicanery, connivery)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "easily fooled, naïve; The con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool GULLIBLE bank customers into giving him their account information. GULL: a person who is easily tricked (credulous, exploitable, naïve)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "of a similar kind; The class was fairly HOMOGENOUS, since almost all of the students were senior journalism majors. HOMOGENIZED: thoroughly mixed together (consistent, standardized, uniform, unvarying)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "one who opposes established beliefs, customs & institutions; His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST. (maverick, nonconformist, rebel, revolutionary)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "not capable of being disturbed; The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed IMPERTURBABLE, even when faced with the wildest tantrums. PERTURB: to disturb greatly (composed, serene, dispassionate, stoical, impassive)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected; A good raincoat will be IMPERVIOUS to moisture. (resistant, impregnable)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "rash, without a cause; quick to act without thinking; It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, since much thought should be given to all the possible options. IMPETUS: impulse (impulsive, precipitate, rash, reckless, spontaneous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "unable to be calmed down or made peaceful; His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACABLE for weeks. PLACATE: to make peaceful (inexorable, relentless, unrelenting, intransigent, remorseless, irreconcilable, unforgiving)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "not fully formed; disorganized; The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his earliest writing. (amorphous, unorganized, incoherent, incomplete)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "showing innocence; childlike simplicity; She was so INGENUOUS that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would be exploited when she visited the big city. INGENUE: a naïve girl or young woman; DISINGENUOUS: giving a false impression of innocence (artless, naive, guileless, simple, innocent, unaffected)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "hostile; unfriendly; Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the 2 sides were still INIMICAL to each other. (adverse, recalcitrant, antagonistic, dissident)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "harmless/inoffensive; Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS and pose no danger to humans. (benign, harmless, inoffensive)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lacking in something; no taste; bland; trite; The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all. (banal, stale, bland, vapid, dull)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled; The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in a the same time. (implacable, obdurate, rigid, unyielding, inexorable, obstinate, unbending, irreconcilable, remorseless, unrelenting)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "overwhelm/cover with water; The tidal wave INUNDATED Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water. (deluge, flood, drown, submerge, engulf)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "easily made angry; hot tempered; Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their lives. IRATE: angry (cantankerous, testy, irritable, ornery)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "using few words; She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible. (concise, terse, curt, taciturn, pithy)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to express sorrow; to grieve; The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise. (bewail, mourn, deplore, grieve)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to glorify/to give praise; Parades and fireworks were staged to LAUD the success of the rebels. LAUDABLE: worth of praise; LAUDATORY: expressing praise (acclaim, compliment, hail, applaud, exalt, praise, commend, extol)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "(v) to give unsparingly; (adj) generous; extravagant; She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it sonn became overweight and spoiled. (bestow, extravagant, prodigal, confer, opulent, luxuriant, exuberant, profuse, superabundant)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "acting in an indifferent, slow, sluggish manner; The clerk was so LETHARGIC that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line in front of him. (apathetic, listless, languid, torpid, lackadaisical)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "very talkative; She was naturally LOQUACIOUS, which was a problem in situations in which listening was more important than talking. ELOQUENCE: powerful, convincing speaking; LOQUACITY: the quality of being loquacious (effusive, garrulous, verbose)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "clear & easily understood; The explanations were written in a simple and LUCID manner so that students were immediately able to apply what they learned. LUCIDITY: clarity; LUCENT: glowing with light (clear, intelligible, coherent, limpid, explicit)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "bright, brilliant, glowing; The park was bathed in LUMINOUS sunshine which warmed the bodies and the souls of the visitors. ILLUMINATE: to shine light on; LUMINARY: an inspiring person (incandescent, radiant, lucent, resplendent, lustrous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "evade responsibility by pretending to be ill; A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING--pretending to be mentally or physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army. LINGER: to be slow in leaving (shirk, slack)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "capable of being shaped; Gold is the most MALLEABLE of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any shape. (adaptable, pliable, ductile, pliant, plastic)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "figure of speech comparing 2 different things; a symbol; The METAPHOR ""a sea of troubles"" suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number to the vastness of the sea. METAPHORICAL: standing as a symbol for something else (analogy, comparison)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "extremely careful about details; To find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators METICULOUSLY examined every inch of the area. (conscientious, precise, scrupulous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| a person who dislikes others; The character Scrooge in A Christmas Carol is such a MISANTHROPE that even the sight of children singing makes him angry. |
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Term
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Definition
| "to soften; to lessen; A judge may MITIGATE a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of need. (allay, ease, mollify, alleviate, lighten, palliate, assuage, moderate, temper)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "calm/make less severe; Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise would MOLLIFY them. (appease, pacify, assuage, conciliate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lack of variation; The MONOTONY of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant crazy. MONOTONE: a sound that is made at the same tone or pitch (drone, tedium)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lacking sophistication or experience; Having never traveled before, the hillbillies were more NAÏVE than the people they met in Beverly Hills. NAIVETE: the state of being naïve (artless, ingenuous, credulous, simple, guileless, unaffected)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion; The President was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion would change his mind. (inflexible, tenacious, intransigent, unyielding, recalcitrant)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "overly submissive & eager to please; excessively flattering; The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree with him on every issue. OBEISANCE: a physical show of respect or submission, such as a bow (compliant, subservient, deferential, servile)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "stubborn, unyielding; The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked. (intransigent, pertinacious, mulish, stubborn, persistent, tenacious)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make unnecessary, to anticipate & prevent; The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need for a bridge. (forestall, preclude, prohibit)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to stop up; prevent the passage of; A shadow is thrown across the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the sun is OCCLUDED by the moon. (barricade, obstruct, block, close)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "troublesome & oppressive; burdensome; The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the team in charge of it. (arduous, cumbersome, formidable, oppressive, trying, backbreaking, difficult, hard, rigorous, burdensome, exacting, laborious, taxing)" |
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Term
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Definition
| impossible to see through; preventing passage of light; The heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them OPAQUE. OPACITY: the quality of being obscure and indecipherable (obscure) |
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Term
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Definition
| "public disgrace; After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter OPPROBRIUM. (discredit, disrepute, obloquy, disgrace, ignominy, shame, dishonor, infamy)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "excessive showiness; The OSTENTATIONof the Sun King's court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness of his palace at Versailles. OSTENSIBLE: apparent (conspicuousness, showiness, flashness, pretentiousness)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "contradiction, dilemma; It is a PARADOX that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to obtain it. (incongruity, ambiguity)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "model of excellence/perfection; She is the PARAGON of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just. (apotheosis, standard, ideal, quintessence)" |
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Term
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Definition
| someone who shows off learning or scholarship; The graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a reputation as a PEDANT. PEDANTIC: making an excessive display of learning |
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Term
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Definition
| "willing to betray one's trust; faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy; The acress's PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip columnist. PERFIDY: deceit, treachery (disloyal, traitorous, faithless, treacherous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "done in a routine way; indifferent; The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a PERFUNCTORY smile. (apathetic, automatic, mechanical)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to penetrate; This miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to PERMEATE stains and dissolve them in minutes! IMPERMEABLE: unable to be permeated (imbue, infuse, suffuse)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "charity; desire/effort to promote goodness; New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art owes much of its collection to the PHILANTHROPY of private collectors who wiled their estates to the museum. PHILANTHROPIST: someone who is generous and desires to promote goodness (humanitarianism, altruism)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "soothe, pacify; The burglar tried to PLACATE the snarling dog by saying ""Nice doggy, "" and offering it a treat. PLACID: tolerant; calm; IMPLACABLE: unable to be made peaceful (appease, conciliate, mollify)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "able to be molded, altered, or bent; The new material was very PLASTIC and could be formed into products of vastly different shape. (adaptable, ductile, malleable, pliant)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "excess; abundance; Assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a PLETHORA of excuses. (glut, surfeit, overabundance, superfluity)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "practical as opposed to idealistic; While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, PRAGMATIC gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them. PRAGMATISM: a practical approach to problem solving (realistic, rational)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to throw violently/bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation; Upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only 2 months, friends and family members expected such a PRECIPITATE marriage to end in divorce. PRECIPITOUS: very steep; PRECIPICE: a steep cliff; PRECIPITATION: weather phenomena, like rain or snow, that fall from the sky (abrupt, hurried, impulsive, reckless, hasty, ill-considered, prompt, sudden, headlong, impetuous, rash)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lie; deviate from the truth; Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time. (equivocate, lie, perjure)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "fresh & clean; uncorrupted; Since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still PRISTINE when researchers arrived. (innocent, undamaged)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lavish, wasteful, spends recklessly; The PRODIGAL Son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to pleasure. PRODIGALITY: excessive or reckless spending (extravagant, spendthrift, lavish, wasteful, profligate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to increase in number quickly; Although he only kept 2 guinea pigs initially, they PROLIFERATED to such an extent that he soon had dozens. PROLIFIC: very productive or highly able to reproduce rapidly (breed, propagate, multiply, reproduce, procreate, spawn)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make peace with; to appease; The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members. PROPITIOUS: advantageous, favorable (appease, pacify, conciliate, placate mollify)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "correct behavior; obedience to rules & customs; The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor social rules. APPROPRIATE: suitable for a particular occasion or place (decency, seemliness, decorum, modesty)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "wisdom, caution, or restraint; The college student exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her studies, which greatly strengthened her resume. PRUDE: someone who is excessively concerned with propriety; PRUDISH: prissy and puritanical (astuteness, frugality, trhift, circumspection, judiciousness, discretion, providence)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "strong, sharp in smell, taste; The smoke from the burning tires was extremely PUNGENT. (acrid, poignant, caustic, stinging, piquant)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "motionless; Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to conserve energy. QUIESCENCE: state of rest or inactivity (latent, dormant)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to make thinner or sparser; Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall mountains is too thin to breathe. RAREFACTION: the process of making something less dense (attenuate, thin)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to reject the validity of; The old woman's claim that she was Russian royalty was REPUDIATED when DNA tests showed she was of no relation to them. (deny, disown, disavow, renounce, disclaim)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "silent, reserved; Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by those upon whom she was reporting. (cool, standoffish, introverted, taciturn, laconic, undemonstrative)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "effective writing/speaking; Lincoln's talent for RHETORIC was evident in his beautifully express Gettysburg Address. (eloquence, oratory)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to satisfy fully or overindulge; His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country could SATIATE it. SATE: to fully satisfy or overindulge; INSATIABLE: incapable of being satisfied (cloy, surfeit, glut, gorge)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "causing sleep; lethargy; sleep-inducing; The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the theater. SOPOR: deep sleep (hypnotic, somnolent, narcotic, slumberous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious (illogical); The student's SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise when his teacher called his home. (illusory, spurious, ostensible, sophistical, plausible)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "mark of shame/discredit; In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter ""A"" on her clothes as a public STIGMA for her adultery. STIGMATIZE: to disgrace; to label with negative terms or reputation (blemish, stain, blot, taint, opprobrium)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "unemotional; lacking sensitivity; The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence. (apathetic, phlegmatic, impassive, stoical, indifferent, unconcerned)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "lofty, grand; The music was so SUBLIME that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place. SUBLIMATE: to elevate or convert into something of higher worth; SUBLIMINAL: existing outside conscious awareness (august, grand, noble, superb, exalted, magnificent, regal, glorious, majestic, resplendent)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "done without using words; Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a TACIT agreement had been made about which course of action to take. TACITURN: silent, not talkative (implicit, unsaid, implied, unuttered, undeclared)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "silent, not talkative; The clerk's TACITURN nature earned him the nickname ""Silent Bob."" TACIT: done without using words (laconic, reticent)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "long, harsh speech/verbal attack; Observers were shocked at the manager's TIRADE over such a minor mistake. (diatribe, obloquy, fulmination, revilement, harangue, vilification)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "extreme mental & physical sluggishness; After surgery, the patient experienced TORPOR until the anesthesia wore off. TORPID: sluggish, lacking movement (apathy, languor)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "temporary, lasting a brief time; The reporter lived a TRANSITORY life, staying in one place only long enough to cover the current story. TRANSIT: to pass through; to change or make a transition; TRANSIENT: passing quickly in and out of existence; one who stays a short time (ephemeral, impermanent, evanescent, momentary, fleeting)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "sway physically; be indecisive; The customer help up the lines as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or rocky road ice cream. (dither, oscillate, falter, waver, fluctuate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to treat with great respect; In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their debts, deferring to the elders' wisdom and experience. VENERABLE: old, worthy of respect (adore, revere, honor, idolize)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "accuracy, truthfulness; She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events. VERITY: truth; VERACIOUS: truthful, accurate (candor, probity, exactitude, fidelity)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "wordy; The professor's answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the original question had been. VERBALIZE: to put into words; VERBATIM: to quote using the exact words, word for word; VERBIAGE: lots of words that are usually superfluous (long-winded, superfluous, loquacious, prolix)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "to annoy; The old man who loved his peace and quiet was VEXED by his neighbor's loud music. VEXATION: a feeling of irritation (annoy, exasperate, peeve, bother, irk, provoke, chafe, nettle)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "easily aroused/changeable; lively/explosive; His VOLATILE personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything. (capricious, inconsistent, temperamental, erratic, inconstant, fickle, mercurial)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "fluctuate between choices; If you WAVER too long before making a decision about which testing site to register for, you may not get your first choice. (dither, oscillate, falter, vacillate, fluctuate)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "acting in a fanatical/capricious manner; unpredictable; The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets. WHIM: a fancy or sudden notion (capricious, flippant, erratic, frivolous)" |
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Term
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Definition
| "passion, excitement; She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members. ZEALOT: a fanatic (ardency, passion, fervor, fire)" |
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