-
abate - V
to lessen in intensity or degree
-
accolade - N
an expression of praise
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adulation - N
excessive praise, intense adoration
-
aesthetic - A
dealing with appreciative of or responsive to art or the beautiful
-
ameliorate - V
to make better or more tolerable
-
ascetic - N
one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
-
avarice - N
greed, esp. for wealth
-
axiom - N
a universally recognized principle
-
burgeon - V
to grow rapidly or flourish
-
bucolic - A
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
-
cacophony - N
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
-
canon - N
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
-
castigation - N
severe criticism or punishment
-
catalyst - N
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
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caustic - A
burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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chary - A
wary, cautious, sparing
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cogent - A
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
-
complaisance - N
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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contentious - A
argumentative, quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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contrite - A
regretful, penitent, seeking forgiveness
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culpable - A
deserving blame
-
dearth - N
smallness of quantity or number, scarcity, a lack
-
demur - V
to question or oppose
-
didactic - A
intended to teach or instruct
-
discretion - N
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
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disinterested - A
free of bias or self-interest impartial
-
dogmatic - A
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles
-
ebullience - N
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
-
eclectic - A
composed of elements drawn from various sources
-
elegy - N
a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead
-
emollient - A/N
soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh, mollifying, an agent that softens or smooths the skin
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empirical - A
based on observation or experiment
-
enigmatic - A
mysterious, obscure, difficult to understand
-
ephemeral - A
brief, fleeting
-
esoteric - A
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
-
eulogy- N, eulogize - V
a speech honoring the dead
-
exonerate - V
to remove blame
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facetious - A
playful, humorous
-
fallacy - N, fallacious - A
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
-
furtive - A
marker by stealth; covert; surreptitious
-
gregarious - A
sociable, outgoing, enjoying the company of other people
-
harangue - V/N
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade, a long, pompous speech
-
heretical - A, heresy - N
violating accepted dogma or convention
-
hyperbole - N, hyperbolic - A
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
-
impecunious - A
lacking funds, without money
-
incipient - A
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
-
inert - A
unmoving, lethargic, sluggish
-
innocuous - A
harmless, causing no damage
-
intransigent - A, intransigence - N
refusing to compromise
-
inveigle - V
to obtain by deception or flattery
-
morose - A
sad, sullen, melancholy
-
odious - A
evoking intense aversion or dislike
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opaque - A
impenetrable by light, not reflecting light
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oscillation - N, oscillate - V
the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady uninterrupted rhythm
-
penurious - A
penny-pinching, excessively thrifty, ungenerous
-
pernicious - A
extremely harmful, potentially causing death
-
peruse - V, perusal - N
to examine with great care
-
pious - A, piety - N
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
-
precursor - N
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
-
preen - V
to dress up, to primp, to groom oneself with elaborate care
-
prodigious - A
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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prolific - A
producing large volumes or amounts; productive
-
putrefy - V, Putrid - A
to rot, to decay and give off a foul odor
-
quaff - V
to drink deeply
-
quiescence - N, quiescent - A
stillness, motionless, quality of being at rest
-
redoubtable - A
awe-inspiring, worthy of honor
-
sanction - N/V
authoritative permission or approval; a penality intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
-
satire - N, satirical - A
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
-
squalid - A, squalor - N
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
-
stoic - A, stoicism - N
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain, steadfast
-
supplant - V
to take the place of; supersede
-
torpid - A, torpor - N
lethargic, sluggish, dormant
-
ubiquitous - A
existing everywhere at the same time, constantly encountered; widespread
-
urbane - A, urbanity - N
sophisticated, refined, elegant
-
vilify - V
to defame, to characterize harshly
-
viscous , viscosity - N
thick, sticky
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