Words

To give up or renounce (authority, duties, an office, etc.), especially ina voluntary, public, or formal manner:

• annul by an authoritative act; repeal
• to abrogate a law.to put aside; put an end to.

sloth, laziness or indifference in religious matters

Caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.

Keen insight; shrewdness: remarkable acumen in business matters.

• Appealing to one's prejudices, emotions, or special interests rather than to one's intellect or reason.
• Attacking an opponent's character rather than answering his argument.

• inspiration;
• an impelling mental force acting from within.
• divine communication of knowledge.

Afflatus stems from the Latin term afflātus meaning "a breathing on." The Latin root flāre means "to blow." It entered English in the mid-1600s.

unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others (opposed to egoistic ).

• Having mixed feelings about someone or something; being unable to choose between two (usually opposing) courses of action; The whole family was ambivalent about the move to the suburbs. She is regarded as a morally ambivalent character in the play.
• Psychology, of or relating to the coexistence within an individual of positive and negative feelings toward the same person, object, or action, simultaneously drawing him or her in opposite directions.

• something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time
• The sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.

Being both male and female (hermaphroditic)

a short account of a particular incident or event, especially of an interesting or amusing nature.

a short, obscure historical or biographical account.

• Strong dislike or enmity;
• hostile attitude;
• animosity

noun

• a medicine that relieves or allays pain.
• anything that relieves distress or pain 

The music was an anodyne to his grief.

adjective

• relieving pain.
• soothing to the mind or feelings.

A direct or exact opposite

• Places diametrically opposite each other on the globe.
• Those who dwell there.

A terse saying embodying a general truth, or astute observation, as “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” (LordActon).

• Of doubtful authorship or authenticity
• Uncanonical
• False
• spurious

the elevation or exaltation of a person to the rank of a god.

• A class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.
• A government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.
• Government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
• A governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
• Any class or group considered to be superior, as through education,ability, wealth, or social prestige.

• a self-evident truth that requires no proof.
• a universally accepted principle or rule.

Logic, Mathematics.

a proposition that is assumed without proof for the sake of studying the consequences that follow from it.

Devoid of freshness or originality; hackneyed; trite.

Divide into two branches

A biographical movie or TV show.

to attack (a candidate or public figure) systematically, especially in the media.

Named for Robert Bork, rejected Supreme Court Justice

Middle class.

A small group of secret plotters, as against a government or person in authority.

• A false or baseless, usually derogatory story, report, or rumor.
• One of two small lifting wings located in front of the main wings.

• A sudden, odd notion or unpredictable change
• erratic.

• to raise irritating and trivial objections
• to oppose by inconsequential, frivolous, or sham objections:

Classical Mythology.

• of, relating to, or suggestive of a western people believed to dwell in perpetual darkness.
• Very dark; gloomy:deep, Cimmerian caverns.

Eating together at the same table.

Last prayers of the day, following Vespers.

• Having the same ancestry or descent
• related by blood.

• accord or agreement
• correspondence of sounds
• harmony of sounds

Music

a simultaneous combination of tones conventionally accepted as being in a state of repose. Compare dissonance

Physics

the property of two sounds the frequencies of which have a ratio equal to a small whole number.

• to come or be in conflict with
• go or act against
• deny or oppose

to contravene a statement.

• an inopportune occurrence
• an embarrassing mischance

He caused a minor contretemps by knocking over his drink.

An extensive urban area resulting from the expansion of several cities or towns so that they coalesce but usually retain their separate identities.

• free from local, provincial, or national ideas, prejudices, or attachments
• at home all over the world
• of or characteristic of a cosmopolite
• belonging to all the world
• not limited to just one part of the world

Botany, Zoology

widely distributed over the globe

noun

• a person who is free from local, provincial, or national bias or attachment
• citizen of the world
• cosmopolite [koz-MOP-uh-lahyt]

• An inadequate supply
• scarcity
• lack.

To throw a person or thing out a window

something wanted or needed.

The state of being no longer used or practiced.

• The scattering of the Jews to countries outside of Palestine after the Babylonian captivity
• The body of Jews living in countries outside Israel

From Greek, a dispersion.

DDT

• Division into two parts, kinds, etc.; subdivision into halves or pairs. Division into two mutually exclusive, opposed, or contradictory groups; a dichotomy between thought and action.
• Botany. a mode of branching by constant forking, as in some stems, in veins of leaves, etc.
• Astronomy. the phase of the moon or of an inferior planet when half of its disk is visible.

An irresistible, typically periodic craving for alcoholic drink.

• a hinged two-leaved tablet used in ancient times for writing on with astylus
• a similar tablet of wood or metal containing on one leaf the names of those among the living, and on the other those among the dead,for whom prayers and Masses are said
• the lists of such persons
• the intercession in the course of which these names were introduced
• a pair of pictures or carvings on two panels, usually hinged together.

• inharmonious or harsh sound
• discord
• cacophony

Music

• a simultaneous combination of tones conventionally accepted as being in a state of unrest and needing completion
• an unresolved, discordant chord or interval
• Compare consonance

disagreement or incongruity.

• Deceitfulness in speech or conduct, as by speaking or acting in two different ways to different people concerning the same matter
• Double-dealing
• Synonyms: deceit, deception, dissimulation, fraud, guile, hypocrisy, trickery
• An act or instance of such deceitfulness
• Law: the act or fact of including two or more offenses in one count, or charge, as part of an indictment, thus violating the requirement that each count contain only a single offense.
• The state or quality of having two elements or parts; being twofold or double.

a state of dissatisfaction, anxiety, restlessness, or fidgeting.

A society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression,disease, and overcrowding.

• selecting or choosing from various sources.
• made up of what is selected from different sources.
• not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems.
• noting or pertaining to works of architecture, decoration, landscaping, etc., produced by a certain person or during a certain period, that derive from a wide range of historic styles, the style in each instance often being chosen for its fancied appropriateness to local tradition, local geography, the purpose to be served, or the cultural back ground of the client.

• to instruct or benefit, especially morally or spiritually
• uplift

capable of having the desired result or effect; effective as a means, measure, remedy, etc.: The medicine is efficacious in stopping a cough.

An interpretation, especially of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text.

Eisigetical

depending upon experience or observation alone, without using scientific method or theory

empirical method or practice

Philosophy

• the doctrine that all knowledge is derived from sense experience. Compare rationalism
• undue reliance upon experience, as in medicine
• quackery

an empirical conclusion.

• To deprive of force or strength
• destroy the vigor of
• weaken.

A feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom

Pathology: a secondary or additional symptom or complication arising during the course of a disease

any secondary phenomenon.

a branch of philosophy that investigates the origin, nature, methods,and limits of human knowledge.

Giving one's name to a tribe, place, etc.

• Allowing the possibility of several different meanings, as a word or phrase, especially with intent to deceive or misguide; susceptible of double interpretation; deliberately ambiguous; an equivocal answer.
• Of doubtful nature or character; questionable; dubious; suspicious; aliens of equivocal loyalty.
• Of uncertain significance; not determined; an equivocal attitude.

adjective

• serving as a substitute
• synthetic
• artificial

an ersatz coffee made from grain

noun

• an artificial substance or article used to replace something natural or genuine
• a substitute.

• characterized by great knowledge
• learned or scholarly

• understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest
• recondite

poetry full of esoteric allusions

• belonging to the select few
• private
• secret
• confidential

(of a philosophical doctrine or the like) intended to be revealed only to the initiates of a group

the esoteric doctrines of Pythagoras.

a sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities, as developed among a group of persons closely associated in a task,cause, enterprise, etc.

• To remove the entrails from
• disembowel

To deprive of vital or essential parts.

Utterly detestable, abominable, abhorrent

• requiring immediate action or aid
• urgent
• pressing

requiring a great deal, or more than is reasonable.

• scanty
• meager
• small
• slender

exiguous income.

• Not spontaneous or natural; artificial; contrived; factitious laughter; factitious enthusiasm
• Made; manufactured; a decoration of factitious flowers and leaves.

exclusive reliance in religious matters upon faith, with consequent rejection of appeals to science or philosophy.

Lacking social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkward; crude; tactless.

Very cold, icy

To improve a neighborhood

• Closely or significantly related
• relevant
• pertinent.

• government by a council of elders
• a governing body consisting of old people
• a state or government in which old people rule.

• a person who operates a side show at a circus, fair, etc., especially a gambling attraction
• a swindler, dishonest gambler, or the like.

• not in accordance with established or accepted doctrines or opinions, especially in theology
• unorthodox
• holding unorthodox doctrines or opinions.

• Excessive pride or self-confidence
• arrogance.

• obvious and intentional exaggeration
• an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally, as “to wait an eternity"

A medical disorder caused by the diagnosis or treatment of a physician

Unchangeable

• incapable of being expressed or described in words
• inexpressible
• ineffable joy
• not to be spoken because of its sacredness
• unutterable

the ineffable name of the deity.

• Adverse in tendency or effect; unfavorable; harmful; a climate inimical to health.
• Unfriendly; hostile; a cold, inimical gaze.

• Surpassing imitation
• matchless

• free from concern, worry, or anxiety
• carefree
• nonchalant.

• Calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense, hateful, invidious remarks.
• Offensively or unfairly discriminating, injurious, invidious comparisons.
• Causing or tending to cause animosity, resentment, or envy, an invidious honor.
• Obsolete. envious.

From the French Revolution

An extreme radical, especially in politics.

• government by the worst persons
• a form of government in which the worst persons are in power.

• a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal
• rule by a thief or thieves.

• A gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series, or logical argument; hiatus.
• Anatomy. one of the numerous minute cavities in the substance of bone, supposed to contain nucleate cells.
• Botany. an air space in the cellular tissue of plants.

• the act of ligating, especially of surgically tying up a bleeding artery
• anything that binds or ties up
• ligature.

Philosophy

the rational principle that governs and develops the universe

Theology

the divine word or reason incarnate in Jesus Christ. John1:1–14.

• talking or tending to talk much or freely
• talkative
• chattering
• babbling
• garrulous

a loquacious dinner guest

• characterized by excessive talk
• wordy

easily the most loquacious play of the season.

• To enroll in a college or university as a candidate for a degree.
• To register (a coat of arms), used especially in Scottish heraldry.

• alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions
• tawdry

based on pretense, deception, or insincerity

pertaining to or characteristic of a prostitute.

• the branch of philosophy that treats of first principles, includes ontology and cosmology, and is intimately connected with epistemology
• philosophy, especially in its more abstruse branches
• the underlying theoretical principles of a subject or field of inquiry

(initial capital letter, italics) a treatise (4th century b.c.) by Aristotle, dealing with first principles, the relation of universals to particulars, and the teleological doctrine of causation.

Hatred of men

Inter-racial marriage

Hatred of women

Distrust or hatred of reason or reasoned argument

Misologist

• A state or nation in which the supreme power is actually or nominally lodged in a monarch. Compare absolute monarchy, limited monarchy.
• Supreme power or sovereignty held by a single person.

a pitifully ineffectual, luckless, and timid person

• 1. a new word, meaning, usage, or phrase.
• 2. the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words.
• 3. a new doctrine, especially a new interpretation of sacred writings.
• 4. Psychiatry. a new word, often consisting of a combination of other words, that is understood only by the speaker, occurring most often in the speech of schizophrenics.

• reluctant to give or spend
• stingy
• miserly

meanly or ungenerously small or scanty

a niggardly tip to a waiter

adverb

in the manner of a niggard

Logic

• an inference or a conclusion that does not follow from the premises
• a statement containing an illogical conclusion.

• Avoid unnecessary harms
• The basis of all ethical principles.

• (of a young woman) suitable for marriage, especially in regard to age or physical development, marriageable
• (of a young person, usually a woman) sexually developed and attractive

the nubile girls in their bikinis.

• of no real value
• trifling
• worthless
• of no force or effect
• ineffective
• futile
• vain
• not valid

The study or collecting of coins, medals, paper money etc.

• a movie, television show, etc., about the frontier days of the U.S. West
• western
• horse opera

• Unmoved by persuasion, pity, or tender feelings; stubborn; unyielding.
• Stubbornly resistant to moral influence; persistently impenitent, an obdurate sinner.

To confuse, bewilder or stupefy.

• deserving or causing hatred
• hateful
• detestable
• highly offensive
• repugnant
• disgusting

• intense hatred or dislike, especially toward a person or thing regarded as contemptible, despicable, or repugnant
• the reproach, discredit, or opprobrium attaching to something hated or repugnant

He had to bear the odium of neglecting his family

the state or quality of being hated.

A person who enjoys wines, usually as a connoisseur.

• A form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons or in a dominant class or clique; government by the few.
• A state or organization so ruled.
• The persons or class so ruling.

Having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding; perceiving all things.

The branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence or being.

Outrageously disgraceful or shameful.

• Outwardly appearing as such
• professed
• pretended

• to relieve or lessen without curing
• mitigate
• alleviate

to try to mitigate or conceal the gravity of (an offense) by excuses, apologies, etc.

extenuate

A fallacious argument or illogical conclusion, especially one committed by mistake, or believed by the speaker to be logical.

Having a disparaging, derogatory, or belittling effect or force.

• deliberate breach of faith or trust
• faithlessness
• treachery

perfidy that goes unpunished

an act or instance of faithlessness or treachery

PFIB is a product of pyrolysis of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon)

• performed merely as a routine duty
• hasty and superficial

perfunctory courtesy

• lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm
• indifferent or apathetic

In his lectures he reveals himself to be merely a perfunctory speaker

• Causing insidious harm or ruin
• injurious
• hurtful

Love of or liking for women.

• Producing offspring, especially abundantly; prolific.
• Of, relating to, or characterized by love for offspring, especially one'sown.

An organized massacre, especially of Jews.

The study of evil within theology

• Deliberately misstate or create an incorrect impression
• Lie

Integrity and uprightness; honesty.

wastefully or recklessly extravagant

prodigal expenditure

• giving or yielding profusely
• lavish (usually followed by of or with)

prodigal of smiles

prodigal with money

lavishly abundant, profuse

nature's prodigal resources

noun

• a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful extravagance
• spendthrift

• utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated
• thoroughly dissolute
• recklessly prodigal or extravagant.

• Lower class
• Proles

Pertaining to, resembling, derived from, or containing a pronoun.

"My" in "my book" is a pronominal adjective.

"There" is a pronominal adverb.

• Commonplace or dull; matter-of-fact or unimaginative, a prosaic mind.
• Of or having the character or form of prose, the ordinary form of spoken or written language, rather than of poetry.

Place or source of origin.

• lacking courage or resolution
• cowardly
• faint-hearted
• timid
• proceeding from or indicating a cowardly spirit.

A plotted revolt or attempt to overthrow a government, especially one that depends on suddenness and speed.

An establishment or re-establishment of harmonious relations.

the principle or habit of accepting reason as the supreme authority in matters of opinion, belief, or conduct

Philosophy

the doctrine that reason alone is a source of knowledge and is independent of experience. (in the philosophies of Descartes, Spinoza, etc.) the doctrine that all knowledge is expressible in self-evident propositions or their consequences

Theology

the doctrine that human reason, unaided by divine revelation, is an adequate or the sole guide to all attainable religious truth.

Causing annoyance, irritation, or aversion; repellent

• Hard or impossible to manage; stubbornly disobedient:a refractory child.
• Resisting ordinary methods of treatment.
• Difficult to fuse, reduce, or work, as an ore or metal.

• an unsophisticated person from a rural area
• hick

Prominent, conspicuous, projecting.

Healthful

adjective

pertaining to or of the nature of a salutation.


noun, plural salutatories.


a welcoming address, especially one given at the beginning of commencement exercises in some U.S. high schools and colleges by the salutatorian.

• a person of profound or extensive learning
• learned scholar

Satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

• a person who flouts the law, especially one who fails to pay fines owed
• a person who flouts rules, conventions, or accepted practices.

• incitement of discontent or rebellion against a government
• any action, especially in speech or writing, promoting such discontent or rebellion.

Philosophy

the theory that only the self exists, or can be proved to exist

Solipsist

• Extreme preoccupation with and indulgence of one's feelings, desires,etc.
• egoistic self-absorption.

• A subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning
• A false argument
• sophism

The doctrine of salvation through Jesus Christ.

• apparently good or right though lacking real merit
• superficially pleasing or plausible
• pleasing to the eye but deceptive.

The doctrine that rules or principles of law on which a court rested a previous decision are authoritative in all future cases in which the facts are substantially the same.

The Catholic notion of “subsidiarity” requires that problems be solved by the lowest level of competent authority.

To overspread with

• obtained, done, made, etc., by stealth
• secret or unauthorized
• clandestine
• acting in a stealthy way

a surreptitious glance

A person who completely dominates another, usually with selfish or sinister motives.

1940-45; after the evil hypnotist of the same name in the novel Trilby (1894) by George Du Maurier

A person devoted to luxury and pleasure.

Sybaris was an Ancient Greek city in S Italy noted for its wealth and luxury. Destroyed in 510 b.c.

• a self-seeking, servile flatterer
• fawning parasite

• of, relating to, or inhabiting the woods
• consisting of or abounding in woods or trees
• wooded
• woody

a shady, sylvan glade

made of trees, branches, boughs, etc.

From Latin "sylva" for forest.

Logic. an argument the conclusion of which is supported by two premises, of which one (major premise) contains the term (major term) that is the predicate of the conclusion, and the other (minor premise) contains the term (minor term) that is the subject of the conclusion; common to both premises is a term (middle term) that is excluded from the conclusion. A typical form is “All A is C; all B is A;therefore all B is C.”

deductive reasoning.

an extremely subtle, sophisticated, or deceptive argument.

• understood without being openly expressed
• implied

tacit approval

• silent
• saying nothing

a tacit partner

unvoiced or unspoken

a tacit prayer

The study of the evidences of design or purpose in nature.

Reckless boldness, rashness

• full of fear
• fearful

The noise made them timorous

• subject to fear
• timid

characterized by or indicating fear

a timorous whisper

To speak maliciously and falsely of; slander; defame: to traduce someone's character.

Excessively pious, smooth, suave, or smug.

Having an oily or soapy feel.

Having only one meaning; unambiguous.

Too wordy.

To impair the quality of; make faulty; spoil.

To impair or weaken the effectiveness of.

To debase; corrupt; pervert.

To make legally defective or invalid; invalidate.

To vitiate a claim.

• verbal abuse or castigation
• violent denunciation or condemnation

The initial substance of the universe from which all matter is said to be derived.

The spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time.