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Stack #205234
test1
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| scrupulous | conscientious; extremely thorough; Ex. scrupulous worker |
| rigid | hard and unbending; stiff and unyielding; fixed in behavior or views; strict; rigorous; Ex. rigid rule |
| versatile | having many talents; capable of working in many fields; having many uses or functions; N. versatility |
| mediocre | ordinary; commonplace; neither good nor bad |
| nourishment | something that nourishes; food |
| orthodox | traditional; (of someone) conservative in belief; adhering to an established doctrine |
| adherent | supporter; follower |
| hybrid | mongrel; mixed breed; V. hybridize |
| glaze | cover with a thin and shiny surface; apply a glaze to; N: thin, smooth, shiny coating (as for pottery); Ex. unglazed pottery |
| memorial | something, such as a monument or holiday, intended to honor the memory of a person or event; ADJ: commemorative |
| satiate | satisfy fully (physical needs such as hunger); sate; N. satiety: condition of being satiated |
| righteous | morally upright; just |
| castigation | punishment; severe criticism or disapproval |
| incarnate | endowed with flesh; invested with bodily form; personified; Ex. devil incarnate; V: give bodily form to; embody |
| expeditious | done with speed; quick; N. expedition |
| homespun | domestic; made at home; spun or woven at home; simple and ordinary; Ex. homespun philosophy |
| abscission | cutting off; separation |
| phoenix | symbol of immortality or rebirth; Ex. phoenix rising from its ashes |
| perceptive | insightful; showing a good ability at perceiving and understanding; aware; wise; of perception |
| taunt | deride or provoke; challenge in derision; N. |
| polarity | state of having two opposite qualities |
| constituent | supporter; voter; member of a constituency; component |
| excise | cut away; cut out; N: government tax on good produced and used inside a country; N. excision |
| prey | target of a hunt; victim; V: hunt and eat as prey; victimize; Ex. Cats prey on mice. |
| obsolete | outmoded; no longer used |
| vying | contending; CF. vie |
| impuissance | powerlessness; feebleness |
| distinct | clearly different; clearly noticed |
| healthful | conducive to good health; Ex. healthful mountain air |
| unequivocal | plain; clear; obvious |
| profligate | wasteful (of money); dissipated; wildly immoral; dissolute; N: profligate person; N. profligacy |
| opportunist | individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of circumstances; N. opportunism |
| sovereign | ruler in a monarchy; ADJ: (of a country) independent and self-governing; having supreme power; supreme; excellent |
| myriad | very large number; ADJ. CF. ten thousand |
| unfledged | immature; not having the feathers necessary to fly; CF. fledgling |
| rancid | having the odor of stale or decomposing fat; rank |
| pecuniary | pertaining to money |
| hurl | throw forcefully; shout out violently |
| founder | fail completely; sink; CF. flounder |
| sacrosanct | invioably sacred; most sacred; inviolable |
| conviction | judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief |
| cornucopia | horn (or horn-shaped container) overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance; horn of plenty |
| disgorge | surrender something (stolen); eject; vomit; OP. gorge |
| emend | correct (usually a text); N. emendation: correction of errors; improvement |
| hindrance | block; obstacle; V. hinder |
| cistern | reservoir or water tank |
| cipher | nonentity; worthless person or thing; zero; secret code; V. |
| bristling | rising like bristles; showing irritation |
| cadence | rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat; regular beat of sound; rhythm |
| outlaw | fugitive from the law (excluded from legal protection); V: declare (someone) to be an outlaw; deprive of the protection of the law; declare illegal; Ex. Drinking has been outlawed. |
| gratis | free; without charge; ADJ. |
| stalemate | deadlock; situation in which further action is blocked |
| avert | prevent; avoid; turn away (eyes or thought); Ex. An accident was averted by his quick thinking; Ex. She averted her eyes from the terrible sight. |
| bleak | cold or cheerless; frigid; unlikely to be favorable; depressing |
| liquidate | settle accounts; pay off (a debt); clear up; eliminate; kill or abolish |
| concordat | formal agreement |
| prance | move about in a spirited manner (proudly and confidently) |
| conjecture | surmise; guess; V. |
| prodigal | wasteful; reckless with money; profuse; Ex. a mind prodigal of ideas; N. prodigality |
| dingy | (of things and place) dirty and dull; Ex. dingy street/curtain |
| ferocious | fierce; violent; N. ferocity |
| confidence | self-assurance; calm unworried feeling based on a strong belief in one's abilities; strong belief in the ability of a person or plan; trust or faith in a person or thing; something confided; secret; Ex. confidence in your ability; |
| preen | make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction or pride; (of a bird) smooth or clean (feathers) with the beak; Ex. preen oneself on; CF. prune |
| adorn | decorate |
| malingerer | one who feigns illness to escape duty; V. malinger: feign illness to avoid work |
| crotchety | (of someone old) eccentric; odd; whimsical; bad-tempered; N. crotchet: odd or whimsical notion |
| ancestry | family descent; ADJ. ancestral |
| quack | charlatan; impostor |
| inductive | pertaining to induction or proceeding from the specific to the general |
| quietude | tranquillity; calmness |
| spartan | without attention to comfort; lacking luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined; Ex. spartan living condition/life |
| surreptitious | done secretly; secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden |
| undermine | weaken gradually; sap; dig a mine beneath |
| stultify | make stupid in mind; cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; suppress; frustrate or hinder; Ex. stultifying effect of uninteresting work; Ex. stultify free expression |
| querulous | given to complaining; complaining; fretful; whining |
| anodyne | drug that relieves pain or trouble; ÁøÅëÁŠ; opiate; ADJ. Ex. anodyne statement |
| comeuppance | deserts; well-deserved punishment or misfortune; rebuke |
| largess | generous gift (given to people who do not have enough) |
| endorse | approve; support; write one's signature on the back of; N. endorsement; CF. dorsal |
| pall | become boring; grow tiresome |
| frantic | wild; distraught as from fear or worry; Ex. frantic with fear |
| voluptuous | sensual; of or giving sensual pleasure; indulging in sensual pleasures; Ex. voluptuous lines; Ex. voluptuous life of the Romans; N. voluptuary: voluptuous person |
| clip | cut off with shears; fasten; N: something clipped off (as a short extract from film); clasp or fastener |
| podiatrist | doctor who treats ailments of the feet; chiropodist; N. podiatrics |
| philistine | narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain; uncultured person who is indifferent to artistic and cultural values; member of an ancient people in Palestine; OP. aesthete |
| assail | assault |
| boost | lift by pushing up from below; increase; raise; N: push upward; increase |
| diverge | vary; go in different directions from the same point; ADJ. divergent: differing; deviating |
| indelible | not able to be erased |
| hoodwink | deceive; delude |
| fabricate | build; lie; make up (a story) in order to deceive; Ex. fabricate the whole story; CF. fabric: underlying structure; Ex. fabric of society |
| minuscule(miniscule) | extremely small |
| bigotry | stubborn intolerance |
| forthcoming | happening in the near future; ready; willing to help; Ex. No answer was forthcoming. |
| seine | seine net; net for catching fish |
| enamored | in love; Ex. enamored of his own beauty; V. enamor: inspire with love |
| stammer | speak with involuntarily pauses or repetitions |
| hale | healthy |
| regent | a person who governs in place of a ruler who is ill, absent, or still a child; ADJ. Ex. the Prince regent |
| ingenue | ing\'enue; young innocent girl |
| grudge | deep feeling of dislike; Ex. grudge fight; V. |
| lugubrious | mournful; sorrowful |
| remit | transmit (money) in payment; free someone from a debt or punishment |
| glaring | (of something bad) highly conspicuous; harshly bright; shining intensely and blindingly |
| convene | come together; assemble; call to meet; Ex. convene the council |
| obsequy | funeral ceremony |
| subdue | less intense; quieter; Ex. subdued lighting; Ex. subdue: conquer; make less intense; quiet; Ex. subdue one's anger |
| dominate | control; rule; enjoy a commanding position in; overlook from a height; ³»·ÁŽÙºžŽÙ |
| acrimonious | stinging; caustic; bitter in words or manner; N. acrimony: bitter ill-natured animosity in speech or behavior |
| inadvertently | unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly |
| antiquated | obsolete; old-fashioned; outdated |
| dregs | sediment in a liquid; lees; worthless residue |
| peer | one who has equal standing with another; nobleman; V: look intently; N. peerage; CF. peeress |
| rabies | disease passed on by the bite of an infected animal (causing madness and death) |
| rabid | of or suffering rabies; like a fanatic; extremely zealous; furious; CF. rabies: hydrophobia |
| absolute | complete; totally unlimited; having complete power; certain; not relative; Ex. absolute honesty/ruler; CF. absolutism |
| illicit | illegal |
| inveigle | deceive; lead astray by deception; wheedle(cajole); Ex. inveigle her into joining the club; CF. interest dishonestly |
| prosperity | good fortune and financial success; physical well-being |
| blare | loud or harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light |
| candor | frankness; open honesty; ADJ. candid |
| talisman | charm; object believed to give supernatural powers to or protect its bearer |
| ubiquitous | being everywhere; omnipresent; N. ubiquity |
| multiplicity | state of being numerous or multiple; large number; Ex. multiplicity of details; ADJ. multiple: of more than one element |
| renovate | restore to good condition; renew |
| natal | connected with birth; CF. prenatal; CF. postnatal |
| nuptial | of marriage or the wedding ceremony; N; nuptials; wedding ceremony |
| premonition | forewarning; presentiment; foreboding |
| tempestuous | stormy; violent; impassioned; N. tempest: violent storm |
| ballast | heavy substance used to add stability or weight; V. supply with ballast |
| accolade | award of merit; strong praise and approval |
| gentility | those of gentle birth; high social class; refinement; quality of being genteel |
| retentive | holding; able to retain things (esp. facts in the mind); having a good memory |
| desperate | having lost all hope; despairing; reckless and violent because of loss of hope or despair; undertaken as a last resort |
| manifesto | public declaration of principles; statement of policy |
| covert | secret; hidden; implied; OP. overt |
| overweening | arrogant; presumptuous |
| extort | wring from; get money by threats, etc.; obtain by force or threats; CF. extortionate: exorbitant |
| trifle | something of little importance or value; small amount; Ex. a trifle; V: treat without seriousness; flirt |
| pungent | stinging; acrid; sharp in taste or smell; (of speech or writing) caustic; N. pungency |
| encompass | surround; include; Ex. His activities encompass publishing and computers. |
| surmise | guess; N. |
| graze | (of an animal) feed on growing grass; cause (an animal) to feed on grass; scrape (esp. the skin) or touch lightly in passing; brush; Ex. We can't graze the cattle till summer; N: surface wound |
| partiality | state of being partial; inclination; favorable bias; special fondness; preference |
| reaper | one who harvests grain; Ex. the Grim Reaper; V. reap: cut and gather (crop); harvest a crop |
| lull | moment of calm; period of reduced activity; Ex. a lull in the rain; V: cause to become less active; cause to sleep or rest; Ex. lull the opponents into a false sense of security; CF. lullaby |
| politic | prudent; judicious; well judged; expedient; well devised |
| papyrus | ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant |
| specious | seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally) |
| postulate | self-evident truth; something assumed without proof; V: assume the truth of (as a basis of an argument) |
| genealogy | record of descent; lineage; ancestry; study of ancestry |
| mellifluous | (of words or a voice) sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious; having a pleasant tune |
| leonine | like a lion |
| assimilate | absorb; take (food) into the body and digest it; understand (knowledge) completely and be able to use properly; cause to become homogeneous (the people of a country or race in the wasy of behaving or thinking) |
| dally | trifle with; toy with; treat without the necessary seriousness; procrastinate; waste time |
| queer | strange; eccentric; deviating from the normal |
| tribune | official of ancient Rome elected by the plebians to protect their rights; protector of the people |
| fathom | comprehend; investigate; determine the depth of; N. unit of measurement for the depth of water |
| promulgate | announce; proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication |
| lateral | of or coming from the side |
| onomatopoeia | words formed in imitation of natural sounds |
| rudimentary | elementary; not developed; crude; N. rudiment: fundamental element or principle; Ex. rudiments of the language |
| gambol | romp; skip about; leap about playfully; frolic; N. |
| inclusive | tending to include all; all-inclusive; Ex. inclusive charge |
| waffle | speak equivocally about an issue; N. |
| sparse | not thick; thinly scattered; scanty |
| melee | fight |
| harrowing | agonizing; distressing; traumatic; V. harrow: break up and level (soil) with a harrow; inflict great distress on; agonize; N: farming machine to break up the earth |
| partition | divide into parts |
| soluble | able to be dissolved in a liquid; able to be worked out or solved |
| supercilious | haughty; arrogant; condescending; patronizing; CF. eyebrow, cilium |
| minute | extremely small; CF. minutes: official record of the proceedings at a meeting |
| iridescent | exhibiting rainbowlike colors; Ex. iridescent oil slick; N. iridescence |
| precise | exact |
| depreciate | lessen in value; belittle; represent as of little value |
| immutable | unchangeable |
| winsome | charming (in a childlike way); agreeable; gracious; engaging |
| optimist | person who looks on the bright side; N. optimism |
| inaugurate | begin formally; install in office; induct into office by a formal ceremony; N. inauguration; ADJ. inaugural |
| irrelevant | not applicable; unrelated |
| quaint | odd in an old-fashioned way; odd; old-fashioned; picturesque |
| studied | carefully contrived; calculated; unspontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful; Ex. studied remark |
| concentric | having a common center |
| pacify | soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue; bring peace to |
| friction | clash or conflict in opinion; rubbing against |
| scenario | plot outline; screenplay(script for a movie); opera libretto; outline of possible future events |
| concession | an act of yielding; conceding; something conceded; point, right, etc. given unwillingly; privilege of maintaining a business in a certain place; Ex. oil concessions in the North sea; CF. concessionaire |
| serenity | calmness; placidity; ADJ. serene |
| menial | suitable for servants; lowly; mean; N: someone who does menial work (esp. servant in a house) |
| amputate | cut off part of body; prune (a limb) |
| incarcerate | imprison |
| presumptuous | going beyond what is right; excessively forward; arrogant; taking liberties |
| blithe(blithesome) | gay; joyous |
| cognitive | having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental processes; N. cognition: the mental process of knowing |
| plaintive | expressing sorrow; mournful; Ex. plaintive song |
| rivulet | small stream; CF. rill < rivulet < river |
| warranty | guarantee; assurance by seller |
| equinox | period of equal days and nights; the beginning of spring and autumn; Ex. vernal/autumnal equinox; ADJ. equinoctial |
| vital | full of life; animated; vibrant and lively; critical; of great importance; necessary to stay alive; of life; living; breathing; N. vitality; V. vitalize |
| impugn | dispute or contradict (often in an insulting way); attack as false or questionable; challenge; gainsay; CF. fight |
| yen | strong desire; longing; urge; Ex. yen for travel |
| retrench | cut down; cut down expenses; economize |
| babble | chatter idly or foolishly; make continuous sounds like water running gently over rounded stone; N. |
| gastronomy | art and science of preparing and serving good food; CF. gastronome |
| ventriloquist | someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing (without moving lips or jaws); N. ventriloquism, ventriloquy |
| deplete | reduce; exhaust |
| necromancy | black magic; sorcery; dealings with the dead; art that professes to communicate with the spirits of the dead so as to predict the future; CF. necromancer; CF. necro+divination; CF. necro-: death; Ex. necropolis |
| chasm | abyss; very deep crack |
| maternal | motherly; N. maternity: motherhood |
| daze | stun as with a blow or shock; bemuse; benumb; N. |
| caste | one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society; social stratification; prestige |
| immure | imprison; shut up in confinement; CF. wall |
| rhapsodize | speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner; Ex. rhapsodize over the beauty of the scenery |
| stupor | state of being stupefied; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness |
| deface | mar; disfigure |
| revert | relapse; backslide; turn back to; return to the former owner; N. reversion |
| parquet | floor made of wood strips inlaid in a mosaic like matter; CF. strip: long narrow piece |
| fickle | changeable (in affections or friendship); faithless |
| inimical | (of someone) unfriendly; hostile; (of something) harmful; detrimental; CF. enemy |
| consonant | harmonious; in agreement; N. |
| gauche | clumsy (in social behavior); coarse and uncouth |
| falsify | make (something written) false by changing |
| repine | fret; complain; be annoyed; Ex. repine over the undone work |
| integral | complete; necessary for completeness; Ex. integral part |
| ursine | bearlike; pertaining to a bear |
| miasma | swamp gas; heavy vaporous atmosphere often emanating from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence; noxious atmosphere or influence |
| deviate | turn away from (a principle, norm); move away from an accepted standard; swerve; depart; diverge; N. deviation; Ex. deviation of the path of light by a prism |
| slapdash | hasty and careless; haphazard; sloppy(carelessly done) |
| maim | mutilate; injure lastingly; disable; cripple; Ex. maimed for life |
| decapitate | behead |
| intractable | unruly; difficult to manage; Ex. intractable problem/child |
| cordial | warmly friendly; gracious; heartfelt; Ex. cordial welcome |
| unilateral | one-sided; involving or affecting only one side; Ex. unilateral declaration |
| verbose | wordy; N. verbosity |
| tonsure | shaving of the head especially by person entering religious orders; V. |
| masticate | chew |
| gestate | evolve as in prenatal growth; N. gestation: period of development from conception until birth |
| rhetoric | art of effective communication; art of using language effectively and persuasively; style of speaking or writing; grandiloquent language; Ex. political rhetoric; ADJ. rhetorical; |
| melancholy | gloomy; morose; blue; N. ADJ. melancholic; CF. melancholia |
| retiring | shy and reserved (of a person); modest; Ex. her retiring personality |
| agrarian | pertaining to land or its cultivation; Ex. agrarian reform |
| visceral | felt in one's inner organs; N. viscera: internal body organs; CF. eviscerate |
| palate | roof of the mouth; sense of the taste |
| cleave | split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to; N. cleavage; ADJ. cloven |
| detonation | explosion |
| levitate | rise and float in the air (especially by magical means); CF. light |
| fit | sudden outburst of an illness or feeling; convulsion caused by epilepsy |
| default | failure to act; failure to perform a task or be present; V. |
| stampede | sudden frenzied rush (of panic-stricken animals or people); V: participate in or cause stampede; Ex. stampede before the price rises |
| factitious | artificial; produced artificially; sham; false; Ex. factitious tears |
| bastard | illegitimate child |
| outlook | point of view; view from a particular place; expectation for the future; prospect; Ex. outlook on life; Ex. pleasing outlook; Ex. weather outlook |
| dank | damp; unpleasantly wet |
| brevity | conciseness; shortness of duration |
| whimsy | whim; tendency to behave amusingly strangely; Ex. story full of whimsy |
| gust | strong abrupt rush of wind; V. CF. bluster |
| trinket | knickknack; bauble; cheap jewelry |
| extemporaneous | not planned; impromptu; extempore |
| universal | characterizing or affecting all; general; present everywhere; of the universe; cosmic; Ex. universal agreement; Ex. a subject of universal interest |
| interrogate | question closely; cross-examine; cross-question |
| ferment | agitation; commotion(noisy and excited activity); unrest (of a political kind); V. produce by fermentation; undergo fermentation; cause (a state of trouble) |
| apothegm(apophthegm) | pithy, compact saying |
| transport | strong emotion; rapture; Ex. in a transport/transports of; V: move to strong emotion; enrapture |
| tickle | touch (the body) lightly so as to cause laughter; please |
| chaff | worthless products of an endeavor; husk(outer seed cover) separated from grain; Ex. separate the wheat from the chaff |
| irreverence | lack of proper respect or reverence; ADJ. irreverent |
| trifling | trivial; unimportant |
| chronicle | report; record (in chronological order) |
| gourmand | epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink |
| regal | royal; of a monarch; Ex. regal manner |
| earn | gain for the performance of service or labor; gain (something that one deserves); deserve |
| glower | scowl; glare; look or stare angrily |
| prefatory | introductory; of a preface |
| gruff | rough-mannered; (of a voice) rough; hoarse |
| harangue | long, passionate, and vehement speech; V. |
| carrion | rotting flesh of a dead body; CF. vulture |
| broach | introduce as a subject; moot; open up |
| enigma | puzzle; mystery; ADJ. enigmatic: obscure; puzzling |
| disinter | dig up; unearth; OP. inter |
| defrock | strip a priest or minister of church authority; unfrock |
| craft | skill (esp. with one's hands); skill in deceiving people; guile; ADJ. crafty: cleverly deceitful; cunning |
| collateral | security given for loan; ADJ: secondary; descended from the same person but through different sons or daughters |
| reek | emit (an unpleasant odor or smoke); give off an unpleasant odor; give out smoke; Ex. reeking chimney; N: unpleasant odor; stench |
| staid | serious and sedate; sober; Ex. staid during the funeral ceremony |
| satire | form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack human vice and folly |
| solicitor | lawyer in the lower court of law |
| synthesis | combining parts or separate things into a whole; the whole so formed; PL. syntheses; V. synthesize |
| mange | skin disease (esp. of domestic animals) marked by loss of hair |
| camp | group sharing a common cause or opinion |
| viable | capable of maintaining life; feasible; practical or workable; Ex. viable scheme |
| obviate | make unnecessary; get rid of; Ex. obviate the need |
| confound | confuse; puzzle |
| conifer | pine tree (usu. evergreen); cone-bearing tree; ADJ. coniferous; CF. deciduous; CF. evergreen |
| dissonance | discord |
| dehydrate | remove water from; dry out |
| cauterize | burn (a wound or snakebite, etc.) with hot iron or caustic substance to stop bleeding and prevent infection |
| suture | stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing; V: sew together a wound |
| epicure | connoisseur of food and drink; gourmet; ADJ. epicurean; CF. Epicurus |
| prelate | church dignitary; priest of high position in the church (esp. bishop) |
| defect | shortcoming; V: desert (in order to join the opposite one) |
| incriminate | accuse of or implicate in a crime; serve as evidence against; cause to seem or make guilty of a crime; Ex. incriminating evidence |
| sectarian | of a sect; narrow-minded; parochial; N: member of a sect; narrow-minded person |
| forsake | desert; abandon; renounce |
| inerrancy | infallibility |
| somatic | pertaining to the body; bodily; physical |
| die | metal block used for shaping metal or plastic; device for stamping or impressing; mold; CF. dice |
| gavel | hammerlike tool; mallet(wooden hammer) used by a presiding officer or an auctioneer; V. |
| monochrome | painting in only one color; ADJ. |
| thrash | beat with a whip or flail; defeat utterly; talk about thoroughly in order to find the answer; move wildly or violently; Ex. The fishes thrashed about in the net. |
| geriatrics | medical treatment and care of old age |
| discretion | prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances; freedom of action or judgment; ADJ. discreet; CF. discretionary |
| dictum | authoritative and weighty statement (made by a judge in court); saying; maxim; CF. obiter dictum: incidental, nonbinding remark (something said in passing) |
| animus | hostile feeling or intent; animosity; hostility; disposition |
| acclaim | applaud; praise; greet with great approval; announce with great approval; Ex. The new drung has been acclaimed as the most important discoveries for years; N: strong expression of approval and praise |
| reprobate | morally disapproved person; person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency; CF. disapproved by God ? |
| kleptomaniac | person who has a compulsive desire to steal |
| tycoon | wealthy and powerful businessperson; wealthy leader; magnate; Ex. business tycoon |
| resignation | patiently submissiveness; statement that one is quitting a job; ADJ. resigned: acquiescent |
| microcosm | small representative world; world in miniature; Ex. microcosm of English society |
| prosaic | lacking in imagination; dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact(concerned with facts, not imagination or feelings); factual; CF. prose |
| fuss: | trouble or worry over trifles; make nervous; pay too much attention to; N: needless concern or worry (about a trivial thing); anxious nervous condition; display of attention; Ex. make a fuss over the baby |
| compassion | sympathy for the suffering of others; ADJ. compassionate |
| anthropoid | manlike; resembling a human being; N. |
| pauper | very poor person |
| fallow | (of land) plowed but not sowed (to improve the quality); uncultivated |
| entreat | plead; ask earnestly |
| disconcert | confuse; upset; embarrass; perturb |
| unruly | disobedient; lawless; difficult to control |
| potion | dose (of liquids); liquid dose |
| bigot | one who is intolerant (in matters of religion or politics) |
| ingenuous | naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated; candid |
| illusive | deceiving; based on illusion; causing illusion; deceptive |
| orient | get one's bearings; adjust; make familiar with a situation; orientate |
| raiment | clothing; garments; Ex. I have no raiment fit to wear. |
| Bacchanalia | the ancient Roman festival in honor of Bacchus |
| pucker | gather into wrinkles or folds; N: wrinkle or fold |
| casual | happening by chance; irregular; occasional; informal; showing or feeling little interest; Ex. casual reader/labor/remark |
| pummel | pommel; beat or pound with fists |
| curmudgeon | churlish, miserly individual; bad-tempered old person |
| coup | highly successful action or sudden attack; coup(s) d'\'etat; CF. coup de gr\^ace: deathblow or shot which kills |
| glimmer | shine erratically; twinkle; N: dim or unsteady light; faint indication; Ex. glimmer of hope |
| synchronous | similarly timed; simultaneous with; occurring at the same time; V. synchronize |
| impudence | impertinence; insolence |
| quaff | drink with zest; drink with relish(zest; hearty enjoyment); ²Ü²©²Ü²© ž¶œÃŽÙ; CF. sip |
| paramount | foremost in importance; supreme; CF. para-: beyond; above; Ex. paranormal |
| violate | break (a law); defile; desecrate; assault sexually; Ex. violate graves |
| stellar | pertaining to the stars; of a star performer; outstanding; Ex. stellar attraction of the entire performance |
| affected | artificial; pretended |
| notoriety | disrepute; ill fame |
| fluctuate | waver; shift; rise and fall as if in waves; change or vary irregularly |
| slaughter | killing of animals for food; massacre; V: butcher (animals) for food; kill in large numbers |
| levee | earthen or stone embankment to prevent flooding; CF. raise |
| embroider | decorate with needlework; ornament (a story) with fancy or fictitious details; embellish |
| correlation | mutual relationship |
| crossbreed | hybridize; N: hybrid; CF. interbreed; CF. inbreed |
| centripetal | tending toward the center |
| malefactor | evildoer; criminal |
| loquacious | talkative; N. loquacity |
| garrulous | loquacious; wordy; talkative; N. garrulity |
| Occident | the West |
| lilliputian | extremely small; CF. Lilliput in Gulliver's Travels |
| prude | excessively modest or proper person (who is easily shocked by improper things, esp. of a sexual nature); N. prudery; ADJ. prudish: excessively concerned with propriety |
| pallid | pale; wan; Ex. pallid complexion |
| flinch | hesitate; shrink back (in fear of something unpleasant); Ex. She did not flinch in the face of danger. |
| romp | play or frolic boisterously; gambol; N. |
| acerbity | bitterness of speech and temper; ADJ. acerbic: bitter; acrid (in taste, manner, or tone) |
| cumulative | growing by addition; accumulative |
| dignitary | person of high rank or position |
| berserk | mad with violent anger; frenzied; madly excited |
| languish | lose animation or strength |
| outskirts | fringes; outer borders (as of a city); Ex. outskirts of Boston |
| paranoia | psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution; N: ADJ: paranoid, paranoiac |
| paradox | something apparently contradictory in nature (that may nonetheless be true); statement that looks false but is actually correct |
| infinitesimal | very small |
| masquerade | wear a mask or disguise; pretend; N: costume party or ball at which masks are worn; pretense; disguise |
| shade | slight difference in degree; nuance; degree of color; Ex. shades of meaning/grey |
| merit | good quality deserving praise; merits: aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval; Ex. judge each plan on its own merits; V: deserve; earn |
| charlatan | quack; pretender to knowledge (esp. in medicine) |
| legacy | gift made by a will; something handed down from an ancestor |
| suffuse | spread through or over (with a color or liquid); charge; Ex. A blush suffused her cheeks. |
| prelude | introduction; introductory performance or event; forerunner |
| cursive | (of writing) flowing; running; having the successive letters joined |
| alleviate | relieve (pain) |
| hireling | one who serves for hire (usually used contemptuously); one who works solely for compensation; Ex. hireling politician |
| palatial | of or suitable for a palace; magnificent |
| execrate | curse; express abhorrence for; detest |
| disheveled | untidy (of hair or clothing); V. dishevel |
| geniality | cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy; ADJ. genial: cheerful and good-tempered |
| sanguinary | bloody; with much bloodshed |
| impediment | hindrance; stumbling-block; speech defect preventing clear articulation; Ex. speech impediment |
| dolt | slow-thinking stupid person; CF. dull |
| sacrilegious | desecrating; profane; N. sacrilege: desecration, misuse, or theft of something sacred |
| nutritious | providing nourishment |
| menace | threat; V: threaten |
| dilapidated | falling to pieces; in a bad condition; ruined because of neglect; Ex. dilapidated old car/castle; N. dilapidation |
| cataract | great waterfall; eye abnormality (causing a gradual loss of eyesight) |
| usury | lending money at illegal high rates of interest |
| impute | attribute; ascribe; charge; N. imputation |
| jaundiced | yellowed; prejudiced (envious, hostile, or resentful) from long and disappointing experience of human affairs; Ex. with a jaundiced eye |
| lace | cord used to draw and tie together two opposite edges (as of a shoe); delicate fabric made of fine threads; V: draw together by tying a lace |
| prophylactic | used to prevent disease; N: something prophylactic; condom; N. prophylaxis: prevention of disease |
| paroxysm | fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage; sudden outburst |
| transmute | transform; change; convert to something different |
| submerge | place under water; dip; go under water; cover completely (as with water); Ex. submerged in work |
| foppish | vain about dress and appearance; N. fop: man who takes too much interest in his clothes and appearance |
| psychopathic | pertaining to mental dearrangement; N. psychopath: person with an antisocial personality disorder |
| porridge | soft food made by boiling oatmeal |
| religious | of religion; (of a person) pious; having reverence for a deity |
| cumbersome | heavy and awkward to carry or wear; burdensome; Ex. cumbersome parcel/uniform |
| volley | simultaneous discharge of a number of shots; V. |
| silt | sediment deposited by running water (at the entrance to a harbor or by a bend in a river) |
| catcall | shout of disapproval or displeasure (made at the theater or a sports match); boo; V. |
| sleeper | one that achieves unexpected success; something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable |
| replete | fully filled; filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied; Ex. report replete with errors |
| rakish | jaunty; stylish; sporty; morally corrupt; dissolute; Ex. He wore his hat at a rakish and jaunty angle. |
| writhe | twist in coils; contort in pain |
| satirical | using satire; mocking |
| nauseate | cause to become sick; fill with disgust; fill nausea |
| muddle | confuse; mix up confusedly; N: state of confusion |
| varnish | paint used to coat a surface with a glossy film; glossy coating produced by using this substance; Ex. nail varnish; V. |
| chortle | chuckle with delight; N. |
| multiform | having many forms |
| dilate | expand; dilate on/upon: speak or write at length on (a subject) |
| monarchy | government under a single ruler |
| layman | man who is not a cleric; man who is nonprofessional |
| flair | talent |
| fluke | unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune; accidental stroke of good luck; ADJ. fluky |
| ornithologist | scientific student of birds; N. ornithology: scientific study of birds |
| bank | heap; piled-up mass; embankment; lateral tilting (as of an aircraft in turning); V: pile up; protect with a bank; tilt in turning |
| ruthless | pitiless; merciless; cruel |
| entail | make necessary; require; necessitate; involve; limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified succession of heirs; Ex. entail A on/upon B |
| prosody | art of versification; study of the metrical structure of verse |
| acme | peak; pinnacle; highest point |
| delusive | deceptive; likely to delude; misleading; raising vain hopes; Ex. delusive promises |
| torso | trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk |
| asinine | stupid; Ex. asinine remarks |
| adulterate | make impure or of poorer quality by adding inferior or tainted(contaminated) substances |
| economy | efficiency or conciseness in using something; thrifty management of resources |
| derelict | negligent; (of someone) neglectful of duty; (of something) deserted by an owner; abandoned; N: abandoned property; homeless or vagrant person |
| lust | intense sexual desire; intense eagerness; V. |
| ignite | kindle; light; catch fire or set fire to |
| convex | curving outward |
| vociferous | clamorous; noisy; V. vociferate: cry out loudly (when complaining) |
| knack | special talent; art |
| matrimony | state of being married |
| self-righteous | sure of one's own righteousness; moralistic |
| caustic | burning; corrosive; able to burn by chemical action; sarcastically biting; (of remarks) intended to hurt; bitter; harmful; OP. harmless |
| icon(ikon) | religious image; idol; image or representation |
| static | having no motion; unchanging; lacking development; N. stasis: stable state |
| allege | state without proof |
| victuals | food; provisions; V. victual: provide with food |
| ennui | boredom; listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; CF. annoy |
| heyday | time of greatest success or power; prime |
| obese | excessively fat; N. obesity |
| maxim | proverb; truth pithily stated |
| stupefy | stun; make numb (as with a drug); amaze |
| ecstasy | rapture; very strong feeling of joy and happiness; any overpowering emotion; ADJ. ecstatic: causing or experiencing ecstasy |
| impotent | weak; ineffective; lacking in physical strength or power |
| tureen | deep dish for serving soup |
| statute | law enacted by the legislature |
| stoop | bend forward and down; lower or debase oneself; fall to a lower standard of behavior by doing something; condescend; Ex. stoop to lying |
| aromatic | fragrant; having a sweet smell; N. aroma: strong pleasant smell |
| frustrate | thwart; defeat; prevent from accomplishing a purpose |
| hothead | person who does things too quickly without thinking; ADJ. hotheaded |
| abut | border upon; adjoin |
| litigation | lawsuit; N. litigant: one party in a lawsuit; V. litigate |
| descry | catch sight of (something distant) |
| squeamish | easily shocked or sickened by unpleasant things; fastidious; Ex. A nurse should not be squeamish. |
| abrogate | abolish |
| grill | question severely; cook on a grill; broil; N: cooking surface of parallel metal bars |
| conciliatory | reconciling; soothing; V. conciliate: reconcile; soothe; win the friendly feelings (by removing anger) |
| burgeon | grow rapidly; grow forth; send out buds; Ex. burgeoning computer industry; CF. bludgeon |
| freebooter | pirate or plunderer who makes war in order to grow rich |
| bruise | injure without breaking the skin; N. |
| amorphous | formless; lacking shape or definition |
| sedition | conduct or language inciting rebellion; rebellion; resistance to authority; insubordination; ADJ. seditious |
| groom | man employed to take care of horses; V: make neat and trim; clean and brush (an animal) |
| circuitous | roundabout |
| determination | resolve; firmness of purpose; measurement or calculation; decision |
| peerless | having no equal; incomparable |
| mobile | movable; not fixed; N. mobility |
| sultry | (of weather) hot; sweltering; sensual; voluptuous |
| banal | hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality; clich\'ed |
| prehensile | capable of grasping or holding (esp. by wrapping around); Ex. prehensile tails |
| unction | the act of anointing with oil; Ex. extreme unction |
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