-
Abate (v)
To lessen in intensity or degree
-
Accolade (n)
An expression of praise
-
Adulation (n)
Excessive praise; intense adoration
-
Aesthetic (adj)
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 oact of religious devotion
-
Avarice (n)
greed, esp. for wealth (adj. form: avaricious)
-
Axiom (n)
A universally recognized principle (adj form: axiomatic)
-
Burgeon (v)
To grow rapidly and flourish
-
Bucolic (adj)
Rustic and pastoral; characteristic or rural areas and their inhabitants
-
Cacophony (n)
Harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance (adj form: cacophonous)
-
Canon (n)
An established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj form: canonical)
-
Castigation (n)
Severe criticism or punishment (verb form: castigate)
-
Catalyst (n)
A substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
-
Caustic (adj)
Burning or stinging; causing corrosion
-
Chary (adj)
Wary; cautious; sparing
-
Cogent (adj)
Appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
-
Complaisance (n)
The willingness to comply with thte wishes of others (adj. form: complaisant)
-
Contentious (adj)
Argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
-
Contrite (adj)
Regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness (noun form: contrition)
-
Culpable (adj)
Deserving blame (noun form: culpability)
-
Dearth (n)
Smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
-
Demur (v)
To question or oppose
-
Didactic (adj)
Intended to reach or instruct
-
Discretion (n)
Cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. form: discreet)
-
Disinterested (adj)
Free of bias or self-interest; impartial
-
Dogmatic (adj)
Expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or unprovable principles (noun form: dogma)
-
Ebullience (n)
The quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings (adj form: ebullient)
-
Eclectic (adj)
Composed of elements drawn from various sources
-
Elegy (n)
A mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead (adj form: elegiac)
-
Emollient (adj/n)
Soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin.
-
Empirical (adj)
Based on observation or experiment
-
Enigmatic (adj)
Mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand (noun form: enigma)
-
Ephemeral (adj)
Brief; fleeting
-
Esoteric (adj)
Intended for or understood by a small, specific group
-
Eulogy (n)
a speech honoring the dead (verb form: eulogize)
-
Exonerate (v)
To remove blame
-
Facetious (adj)
playful; humorous
-
Fallacy (n)
An invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj form: fallacious)
-
Furtive (adj)
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
-
Gregarious (adj)
Sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
-
Harangue (verb/noun)
To deliver a pompus speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
-
Heretical (adj)
Violating accepted dogma or convention (noun form: heretic)
-
Hyperbole (n)
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech (adj. form: hyperbolic)
-
Impecunious (adj)
Lacking funds; without money
-
Incipient (adj)
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
-
Inert (adj)
Unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
-
Innocuous (adj)
Harmless; causing no damage
-
Intransigent (adj)
Refusing to compromise (noun form: intransigence)
-
Inveigle (v)
To obtain by decption or flattery
-
Morose (adj)
Sad; sullen; melancholy
-
Odious (adj)
Evoking intense aversion or dislike
-
Opaque (adj0
Impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
-
Oscillation (n)
The act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rythm (verb form: oscillate)
-
Penurious (adj)
Penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
-
Pernicious (adj)
Extremely harmful; potentially causing death
-
Peruse (v)
To examine with great care (noun form: perusal)
-
Pious (adj)
Extremely reverant or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun form: piety)
-
Precursor (n)
One that precedes and indicates or announces another
-
Preen (v)
To dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
-
Prodigious (adj)
Abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordianry
-
Prolific (adj)
Producing large volumes or amounts; productive
-
Putrefy (v)
To rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
-
Quaff (v)
To drink deeply
-
Quiescence (n)
Stillness; motionlessness;quality of being at rest (adj. form: quiescent)
-
Redoubtable (adj)
Awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
-
Sanction (noun/verb)
Authoratative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
-
Satire (n)
A literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
-
Squalid (adj)
Sordid; wrethed and dirty as from neglect (noun form: squalid)
-
Stoic (adj)
Indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast (noun form: stoicism)
-
Supplant (v)
To take the place of; supersede
-
Torpid (adj)
Lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun form: torpor)
-
Ubiquitous (adj)
Existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; wide-spread
-
Urbane (adj)
Sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun form: urbanity)
-
Vilify (v)
To defame; to characterize harshly
-
Viscous (adj)
Thick; sticky (noun form: viscosity)
|
|