abase	lower; humiliate	verb	
abash	embarrass	verb	
abate	subside; decrease, lessen	verb	
abbreviate	shorten	verb	
abdicate	renounce; give up	verb	
aberrant	abnormal or deviant	noun	
abettor	encourager	noun	
abeyance	suspended action	noun	
abhor	detest; hate	verb	
abject	wretched; lacking pride	adjective	
abjure	renounce upon oath	verb	
ablution	washing	noun	
abnegation	repudiation; self-sacrifice	noun	
abolish	cancel; put an end to	verb	
abominate	loathe; hate	verb	
aboriginal	being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native	adjective	
abortive	unsuccessful; fruitless	adjective	
abrasive	rubbing away; tending to grind down	adjective	
abridge	condense or shorten	verb	
abrogate	abolish	verb	
abscond	depart secretly and hide	verb	
absolute	complete; totally unlimited; certain	adjective	
absolve	pardon(an offense)	verb	
abstain	refrain; hold oneself voluntary form an action or practice	verb	
abstemious	sparing in eating and drinking; temperate	adjective	
abstinence	restrain from eating or drinking	noun	
abstract	theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational	adjective	*
abstruse	obscure; profound; difficult to understand	adjective	*
abusive	coarsely insulting; physically harmful	adjective	
abut	border upon; adjoin	verb	
abysmal	bottomless	adjective	
accede	agree	verb	
accelerate	move faster	verb	
accessible	easy to approach; obtainable	adjective	
accessory	additional object; useful but not essential thing	noun	
acclaim	applaud; announce with great approval	verb	*
acclimate	adjust to climate	verb	
acclivity	sharp upslope of a hill	noun	
accolade	award of merit	noun	*
accommodate	oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony, adapt	verb	
accomplice	partner in crime	noun	
accord	agreement	noun	
accost	approach and speak first to a person	verb	
accoutre	to equip	verb	
accretion	growth, increase	noun	
accrue	come about by addition	verb	
acerbity	bitterness of speech and temper	noun	
acetic	vinegary	adjective	
acidulous	slightly sour; sharp, caustic	adjective	
acknowledge	recognize, admit	verb	
acme	top; pinnacle	noun	
acoustics	science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in	noun	
acquiesce	assent; agree passively	verb	*
acquittal	deliverance from a charge	noun	
acrid	sharp, bitterly pungent	adjective	
acrimonious	stinging, caustic	adjective	
actuarial	calculating, pertaining to insurance statistics	adjective	
actuate	motivate	verb	
acuity	sharpness	noun	
acumen	mental keenness	noun	
acute	quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe	adjective	
adage	wise saying; proverb	noun	
adamant	hard; inflexible	adjective	
adapt	alter; modify	verb	
addiction	compulsive, habitual need	noun	
addle	to muddle; drive crazy; become rotten	verb	
address	to direct speech to; deal with or discuss	verb	
adduce	to present as evidence	verb	
adept	expert at	adjective	
adhere	stick last	verb	
adherent	supporter, follower	noun	
adjunct	something attached to but holding and inferior position	noun	
adjuration	solemn urging	noun	
admonish	warn; reprove	verb	*
admonition	warning	noun	
adorn	decorate	verb	
adroit	skillful	adjective	*
adulation	flattery; admiration	noun	
adulterate	make impure by mixing with baser substances	verb	
adulterated	made impure or spoiled by the addition of inferior materials	adjective	
advent	arrival	noun	
adventitious	accidental; casual	adjective	
adversary	opponent	noun	*
adverse	unfavorable; hostile	adjective	
adversity	poverty; misfortune	noun	
advert	refer to	verb	
advocate	urge; plead for	verb	*
aegis	shield; defense	noun	
aesthetic	artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful	adjective	*
affable	courteous	adjective	*
affected	artificial; pretended	adjective	
affidavit	written statement made under oath	noun	
affiliation	joining; associating with	noun	
affinity	kinship	noun	
affirmation	positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath	noun	*
affluence	abundance; wealth	noun	
affray	public brawl	noun	
agape	openmouthed	adjective	
agenda	items of business at a meeting	noun	
agglomeration	collection; heap	noun	
aggrandize	increase or intensify	verb	
aggregate	sum; total	adjective	
aghast	horrified	adjective	
agility	nimbleness	noun	
agitate	stir up; disturb	verb	
agnostic	one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality	noun	
agrarian	pertaining to land or its cultivation	adjective	
alacrity	cheerful promptness	noun	
alchemy	medieval chemistry	noun	
alcove	nook; small, recessed section of a room	noun	
alias	an assumed name	noun	
alienate	make hostile; separate	verb	
alimentary	supplying nourishment	adjective	
alimony	payment by a husband to his divorced wife	noun	
allay	calm; pacify	verb	
allege	state without proof	verb	
allegory	story in which characters are used as symbols	noun	
alleviate	relieve	verb	
alliteration	repetition of beginning sound in poetry	noun	
allocate	assign	verb	
alloy	a mixture as of metals	noun	
allude	relief indirectly	verb	
allure	entice; attract	verb	
allusion	indirect reference	noun	
aloof	apart; reserved	adjective	*
aloft	upward	adjective	
altercation	wordy quarrel	noun	
altruistic	unselfishly generous, concerned for others	adjective	*
amalgamate	combine, unite in one body	verb	
amass	collect	verb	
amazon	female warrior	noun	
ambidextrous	capable of using either hand with equal ease	adjective	
ambience	environment; atmosphere	noun	
ambiguous	unclear or doubtful in meaning	adjective	*
ambivalence	the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes	noun	*
amble	moving at an easy pace	noun	
ambrosia	food of the gods	noun	
ambulatory	able to walk	adjective	
ameliorate	improve	verb	*
amenable	readily managed; willing to be led	adjective	
amend	correct; change, generally for the better	verb
amenities	convenient features; courtesies	noun	
amiable	agreeable; lovable	adjective	
amicable	friendly	adjective	
amiss	wrong; faulty	adjective	
amity	friendship	noun	
amnesia	loss of memory	noun	
amnesty	pardon	noun	
amoral	nonmoral	adjective	
amorous	moved by sexual love; loving	adjective	
amorphous	shapeless	adjective	
amphibian	able to live both on land and in water	adjective	
amphitheater	oval building with tiers of seats	noun	
ample	abundant	adjective	
amplify	enlarge	verb	
amputate	cut off part of body; prune	verb	
amuck	in a state of rage	adjective	
amulet	charm; talisman	noun	
anachronism	an error involving time in a story	noun	
analgesic	causing insensitivity to pain	adjective	
analogous	comparable	adjective	
analogy	similarity; parallelism	noun	
anarchist	person who rebels against the established order	noun	*
anarchy	absence of governing body, state of disorder	noun	
anathema	solemn curse	noun	
anchor	secure or fasten firmly	verb	
ancillary	serving as an aid or accessory, auxiliary	adjective	
anecdote	short discount of an amusing or interesting event	noun	
anemia	condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles	noun	
anesthetic	substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness	noun	
anguish	acute pain; extreme suffering	noun	
angular	sharp-cornered; stuff in manner	adjective	
animated	lively	adjective	
animosity	active enmity; hatred	noun	*
animus	hostile feeling or intent	noun	
annals	records; history	noun	
annihilate	destroy	verb	
annotate	comment; make explanatory notes	verb	
annuity	yearly allowance	noun	
annul	make void	verb	
anomalous	abnormal; irregular	adjective	
anomaly	irregularity	noun	
anonymity	state of being nameless; anonimousness	noun	
anonymous	having no name	adjective	
antagonistic	hostile; opposed; actively resisting	adjective	*
antecede	precede	verb	
antecedents	preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors	noun	
antediluvian	antiquated; ancient	adjective	
anthropoid	manlike	adjective	
anthropologist	a student of the history and science of mankind	noun	
anthropomorphic	having human form or characteristics	adjective	
anticlimax	letdown of thought or emotion	noun	
antipathy	aversion; dislike	noun	
antiquated	old-fashioned; obsolete	adjective	*
antiseptic	substance that prevents infection	noun	
antithesis	contrast; direct opposite of or to	noun	*
apathy	lack of caring; indifference	noun	*
ape	intimate or mimic	verb	
aperture	opening; hole	noun	
apex	tip; summit; climax	noun	
aphasia	loss of speech due to injury or illness	noun	
aphorism	pithy maxim	noun	
apiary	a place where bees are kept	noun	
aplomb	poise	verb	
apocalyptic	prophetic; pertaining to revelations	adjective	
apocryphal	untrue; made up	adjective	
apogee	highest point	noun	
apoplexy	stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis	noun	
apostate	one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs	noun
apothegm	pithy, compact saying	noun	
apotheosis	deification; glorification	noun	
appall	dismay; shock	verb	
apparition	ghost; phantom	noun	
appease	pacify; soothe	verb	*
appellation	name; title	noun	
append	attach	verb	
application	diligent attention	noun	
apposite	appropriate; fitting	adjective	
appraise	estimate value of	verb	
appreciate	be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious for	verb	
apprehend	arrest(a criminal); dread; perceive	verb	
apprehension	fear	noun	*
apprise	inform	verb	
approbation	approval	noun	
appropriate	acquire; take position of for one's own use	verb	
apropos	with reference to; regarding	preposition	
aptitude	fitness; talent	noun	
aquiline	curved; hooked	adjective	
arable	fit for plowing	adjective	
arbiter	a person with power to decide a dispute; judge	noun	
arbitrary	unreasonable or capricious; imperious; tyrannical; despotic	adjective	*
arbitrate	act as judge	verb	
arboretum	place where different tree varieties are exhibited	noun	
arcade	a covered passageway, usually lined with shops	noun	
arcane	secret; mysterious	adjective	
archaeology	study of artifacts and relics of early mankind	noun	
archaic	antiquated	adjective	
archetype	prototype; primitive pattern	noun	
archipelago	group of closely located islands	noun	
archives	public records; place where public records are kept	noun	
ardor	heat; passion; zeal	noun	
arduous	hard; strenuous	adjective	
argot	slang	noun	
aria	operatic solo	noun	
arid	dry; barren	adjective	
aristocracy	hereditary nobility; privileged class	noun	
armada	fleet of warships	noun	
aromatic	fragrant	adjective	
arraign	charge in court; indict	verb	
array	marshal; draw up in order	verb	
array	clothe; adorn	verb	
arrears	being in debt	noun	
arrogance	pride; haughtiness	noun	
arroyo	gully	noun	
articulate	effective; distinct	adjective	*
artifacts	products of primitive culture	noun	
artifice	deception; trickery	noun	
artisan	a manually skilled worker	noun	
artless	without guile, open and honest	adjective	
ascendancy	controlling influence; domination	noun	*
ascertain	find out for certain	verb	
ascetic	practicing self-denial, austere	adjective	*
ascribe	refer; attribute, assign	verb	
aseptic	preventing infection; having a cleansing effect	adjective	
ashen	ash-colored	adjective	
asinine	stupid	adjective	
askance	with a sideways or indirect look	adjective	
askew	crookedly; slanted; at an angle	adjective	
asperity	sharpness(of temper)	noun	
aspersion	slanderous remark	noun	
aspirant	seeker after position or status	noun	
aspiration	noble ambition	noun	
assail	assault	verb	
assay	analyze; evaluate	verb	
assent	agree; accept	verb	
assessment	estimation	noun	
assiduous	diligent	adjective	
assimilate	absorb; cause to become homogeneous	verb	
assuage	ease; lessen (pain)	verb	*
asteroid	small planet	noun	
astigmatism	eye defect that prevents proper focus	noun
astral	relating to stars	adjective	
astringent	binding; causing contraction	adjective	
astronomical	enormously large or extensive	adjective	
astute	wise; shrewd	adjective	*
asunder	into parts, apart	adjective	
asylum	place of refuge or shelter; protection	noun	
asymmetric	not identical on both sides of a dividing central line	adjective	
atavism	resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after passage of two or more generations	noun	
atheistic	denying the existence of God	adjective	
atone	make amends for; pay for	verb	
atrocity	brutal deed	noun	
atrophy	wasting away	noun	*
attentive	considerate; thoughtful	adjective	
attenuate	make thin; weaken	verb	
attest	testify; bear witness	verb	
attribute	essential quality	noun	
attribute	ascribe; explain	verb	
attrition	gradual wearing down	noun	
atypical	not normal	adjective	
audacious	daring; bold	adjective	
audit	examination of accounts	noun	
augment	increase	verb	
augury	omen; prophecy	verb	
august	impressive; majestic	adjective	
aureole	sun's corona; halo	noun	
auroral	pertaining to the aurora borealis	adjective	
auspicious	favoring success	adjective	
austere	strict; stern	adjective	
austerity	sternness; severity; lack of luxuries	noun	*
authenticate	prove genuine	verb	
authoritarian	favoring or exercising total control; non-democratic 	adjective	*
authoritative	having the weight of authority; dictatorial	adjective	
autocrat	monarch with supreme power	noun	
automaton	mechanism that imitates actions of humans	noun	
autonomous	self-governing	adjective	
autopsy	examination of a dead body; post-mortem	noun	
auxiliary	helper; additional or subsidiary	adjective	
avarice	greediness for wealth	noun	
aver	state confidently	verb	
averse	reluctant	adjective	
aversion	firm dislike	noun	
avert	prevent; turn away	verb	
aviary	enclosure for birds	noun	
avid	greedy; eager for	adjective	
avocation	secondary or minor occupation	noun	
avow	declare openly	verb	
avuncular	like an uncle	adjective	
awe	solemn wonder	noun	
awry	distorted; crooked	adverb	
axiom	self-evident truth requiring no proof	noun	
azure	sky blue	adjective	
babble	chatter ugly	verb	
bacchanalian	drunken	adjective	
badger	pester; annoy	verb	
badinage	teasing conversation	noun	
baffle	frustrate; perplex	verb	
bait	harass; tease	verb	
baleful	deadly; destructive	adjective	
balk	foil	verb	
ballast	heavy substance used to add stability or weight	noun	
balm	something that relieves pain	noun	
balmy	mild; fragrant	adjective	
banal	hackneyed; commonplace; trite	adjective	*
bandy	discuss lightly; exchange blows or words	verb	
bane	cause of ruin	noun	
baneful	ruinous; poisonous	adjective	
bantering	good-natured ridiculing	adjective	
barb	sharp projection from fishhook, etc.	noun
bard	poet	noun	
baroque	highly ornate	adj.	
barrage	barrier laid down by artillery fire	noun	
barrister	counselor-at-law	noun	
barter	trader	noun	
bask	luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth	verb	
bassoon	reed instrument of the woodwind family	noun	
bastion	fortress; defense	noun	
bate	let down; restrain	verb	
bauble	trinket; trifle	noun	
bawdy	indecent; obscene	adj.	
beatific	giving bliss; blissful	adj.	
beatitude	blessedness; state of bliss	noun	
bedizen	dress with vulgar finery	verb	
bedraggle	wet thoroughly	verb	
befuddle	confuse thoroughly	verb	
beget	father, produce; give raise to	verb	
begrudge	resent	verb	
beguile	amuse; delude, cheat	verb	
behemoth	huge creature; monstrous animal	noun	
beholden	obligated; indebted	adj.	
behoove	be suited to, be incumbent upon	verb	
belabor	explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; attach verbally	verb	
belated	delayed	adj.	
beleaguer	besiege	verb	
belie	contradict; give a false impression	verb	*
belittle	disparage; depreciate	verb	
bellicose	warlike	adj.	
belligerent	quarrelsome	adj.	
bemused	confused; lost in thought; preoccupied	adj.	
benediction	blessing	noun	
benefactor	gift giver; patron	noun	
beneficent	kindly; doing good	adj.	
beneficiary	person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will	noun	
benevolent	generous; charitable	adj.	*
benign	kindly; favorable; not malignant	adj.	* 
benignity	state of being kind, benign, gracious	noun	
benison	blessing	noun	
bent	determined	adj.	
bent	natural talent or inclination	noun	
bequeath	leave to someone by a will; hand down	verb	*
berate	scold strongly	verb	
bereavement	state of being valuable or loved	noun	
bereft	deprived of; lacking	adj.	
berserk	frenzied	adj.	
beset	harass; trouble	verb	
besmirch	soil; defile	verb	
bestial	beastlike; brutal	adj.	
bestow	give	verb	
betroth	become engaged to marry	verb	
bevy	large group	noun	
biased	slanted; prejudiced	adj.	
bicameral	two-chambered, as a legislative body	adj.	
bicker	quarrel	verb	
biennial	every two years	adj.	
bigotry	stubborn intolerance	noun	
bilious	suffering from ingestion; irritable	adj.	
bilk	swindle; cheat	verb	
billowing	rising or swelling like waves	adj.	
bivouac	temporary encampment	noun	
bizarre	fantastic; violently contrasting	adj.	
blanch	bleach; whiten	verb	
bland	soothing; mild, dull	adj.	
blandishment	flattery	noun	
blase	bored with pleasure or dissipation	adj.	
blasphemy	cursing; irreverence; sacrilege	noun	*
blatant	flagrant; consciously obvious; loudly offensive	adj.	
bleak	cold; cheerless	adj.	
blighted	suffering for a disease; destroyed	adj.	*
blithe	gay; joyous	adj.	
bloated	swollen or puffed as with water or air	adj.	
bludgeon	club; heavy-headed weapon	noun	
bluff	pretense(of strength); deception; high cliff	noun
blunder	error	noun	
blurt	utter impulsively	verb	
bode	foreshadow; portend	verb	
bogus	counterfeit; not authentic	adjective	
boisterous	violent; rough; noisy	adjective	
bolster	support; prop up	verb	*
bombastic	pompous; using inflated language	adjective	
boorish	rude; clownish	adjective	
bouillon	clear beef soup	noun	
bountiful	generous; showing bounty	adjective	
bourgeois	middle class	noun	
bovine	cowlike; placid and dull	adjective	
bowdlerize	expurgate	verb	
brackish	somewhat saline	adjective	
braggart	boaster	noun	
bravado	swagger; assumed air of defiance	noun	
brawn	muscular strength; sturdiness	noun	
brazen	insolent	adjective	
breach	breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap	noun	
breadth	width; extent	noun	
brevity	consciousness	noun	
brindled	tawny or grayish with steaks or spots	adjective	
bristling	rising like bristles; showing irritation	adjective	
brittle	easy broken; difficult	adjective	
broach	open up	verb	
brocade	rich, figured fabric	noun	
brochure	pamphlet	noun	
brooch	ornamental clasp	noun	
browbeat	bully; intimidate	adjective	
brusque	blunt; abrupt	adjective	
bucolic	rustic; pastoral	adjective	
buffoonery	clowning	noun	
bugaboo	bugbear; object of baseless terror	noun	
bullion	gold and silver in the form of bars	noun	
bulwark	earthwork or other strong defense	noun	
bumptious	self-assertive	adjective	
bungle	spoil by clumsy behavior	verb	
bureaucracy	government by bureaus	noun	
burgeon	grow forth; send out buds	verb	
burlesque	give an imitation that ridicules	verb	
burly	husky; muscular	adjective	
burnish	make shiny by rubbing; polish	verb	
buttress	support; prop up	verb	
buxom	plump; vigorous; jolly	adjective	
cabal	small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests	noun	
cache	hiding place	noun	
cacophony	discord	noun	
cadaver	corpse	noun	
cadaverous	like a corpse; pale	adjective	
cadence	rhythmic rise and fall (of words and sounds); beat	noun	
cajole	coax; wheedle	verb	*
calamity	disaster; misery	noun	
caliber	ability; capacity	noun	
calligraphy	beautiful writing; excellent penmanship	noun	
callous	hardened; unfeeling	adjective	
callow	youthful; immature	adjective	
calorific	heat-producing	adjective	
calumny	malicious misrepresentation; slander	noun	
camaraderie	good-fellowship	noun	
cameo	shell or jewel carved in relief	noun	
candor	frankness	noun	*
canine	related to dogs; dog-like	adjective	
canker	any ulcerous sore; any evil	noun	
canny	shrewd; thrifty	adjective	
cant	jargon of thieves; pious phraseology	noun	
cantankerous	ill humored; irritable	adjective	
cantata	story set in music, to be sung by a chorus	noun	
canter	slow gallop	noun	
canto	division of a long poem		noun	
canvass	determine votes, etc.	verb	
capacious	spacious	adjective	
capitulate	surrender	verb	
caprice	whim	noun	
capricious	fickle; incalculable	adjective	*
caption	title; chapter heading; text under illustration	noun	
captious	faultfinding	adjective	
carafe	glass water bottle; decanter	noun	
carat	unit of weight of precious stones; measure of fineness of gold	noun	
carcinogenic	causing cancer	adjective	
cardinal	chief	adjective	
careen	lurch; sway from side to side	verb	
caricature	distortion; burlesque	noun	
carnage	destruction of life	noun	
carnal	fleshy	adjective	
carnivorous	meat-eating	adjective	
carousal	drunken relief	noun	
carping	finding fault	adjective	
carrion	rotting flesh of a dead body	noun	
carte noun	unlimited authority or freedom	blanche	
cartographer	map-maker	noun	
cascade	small waterfall	noun	
caste	one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society	noun	
castigate	punish	verb	
casualty	serious or fatal accident	noun	
cataclysm	deluge; upheaval	noun	
catalyst	agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged	noun	
catapult	slingshot; a hurling machine	noun	
cataract	great waterfall; eye abnormality	noun	
catastrophe	calamity	noun	
catechism	book of religious instruction; instruction by question and answer	noun	
categorical	without exceptions; unqualified; absolute	adjective	
catharsis	purging or cleansing away any passage of the body	noun	
cathartic	purgative	noun	
catholic	broadly sympathetic; liberal	adjective	
caucus	private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy	noun	
causal	implying a cause-and-effect relationship	adjective	
caustic	burning; sarcastically biting	adjective	
cauterize	burn with hot iron or caustic	verb	
cavalcade	procession; parade	noun	
cavil	make frivolous objections	verb	
cede	transfer; yield title to	verb	
celerity	speed; rapidity	noun	
celestial	heavenly	adjective	
celibate	unmarried; abstaining from sexual intercourse	adjective	
censor	overseer of morals; person who reads to eliminate inappropriate remarks	noun	
censorious	critical	adjective	*
censure	blame; criticize	verb	*
centaur	mythical figure, half man and half horse	noun	
centigrade	measure of temperature used widely in Europe	adjective	
centrifugal	radiating, departing from the center	adjective	
centripetal	tending toward the center	adjective	
centurion	Roman army officer	noun	
cerebral	pertaining to the brain or intellect	adjective	
cerebration	thought	noun	
ceremonious	marked by formality	adjective	
cessation	stopping	noun	
cession	yielding to another, ceding	noun	
chafe	warm by rubbing; make sore by rubbing	verb	
chaff	worthless products of an endeavor	noun	
chaffing	bantering; joking	adjective	
chagrin	vexation; disappointment	noun	
chalice	goblet; consecrated cup	noun	
chameleon	lizard that changes color in different situations	noun	
champion	support militantly	verb	
chaotic	in utter disorder	adjective	
charisma	divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of a political leader	noun	
charlatan	quack; pretender to knowledge	noun	
chary	cautiously watchful	adjective	
chasm	abyss	noun	
chassis	framework and working parts of an automobile	noun	
chaste	pure	adjective	
chasten	discipline; punish in order to correct	verb	
chastise	punish	verb	
chattel	personal property	noun	
chauvinist	blindly devoted patriot	noun	
checkered	marked by changes in fortune	adjective	
cherubic	angelic; innocent looking	adjective	
chicanery	trickery	noun	
chide	scold	verb	
chimerical	fantastic; highly imaginative	adjective	
chiropodist	one who treats disorders of the feet	noun	
chivalrous	courteous; faithful; brave	adjective	
choleric	hot-tempered	adjective	
choreography	art of dancing	noun	
chronic	long established as a disease	adjective	
chronicle	report; record (in chronological order)	verb	
churlish	boorish; rude	adjective	
ciliated	having minute hairs	adjective	
circlet	small ring; band	noun	
circuitous	roundabout	adjective	
circumlocution	indirect or roundabout expression	noun	
circumscribe	limit; confine	verb	
circumspect	prudent; cautious	adjective	
circumvent	outwit; baffle	verb	
citadel	fortress	noun	
cite	quote; command	verb	
civil	having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite	adjective	
clairvoyant	having foresight	adjective	
clairvoyant	fortuneteller	noun	
clamber	climb by crawling	verb	
clamor	noise	noun	
clandestine	secret	adjective	
clangor	loud, resounding noise	noun	
clarion	shrill, trumpetlike sound	noun	
claustrophobia	fear of being locked in	noun	
clavicle	collarbone	noun	
cleave	split asunder	verb	
cleft	split	noun	
clemency	disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather	noun	*
cliché	phrase dulled in meaning by repetition	noun	
clientele	body of customers	noun	
climactic	relating to the highest point	adjective	
clime	region; climate	noun	
clique	small excessive group	noun	
cloister	monastery or convent	noun	
cloven	split	adjective	
coagulate	thicken; congeal; clot	verb	
coalesce	combine; fuse	verb	
coddle	to treat gently	verb	
codicil	supplement to the body of a will	noun	
codify	to arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify	verb	
coercion	use of force to get someone's compliance	noun	*
coeval	living as the same time as; contemporary	adjective	
cog	tooth protecting from a wheel	noun	
cogent	convincing	adjective	
cogitate	think over	verb	
cognate	allied by blood; of the same or kindred nature	adjective	
cognitive	having to do with knowing or perceiving	adjective	
cognizance	knowledge	noun	
cognomen	family name	noun	
cohere	stick together	verb	
cohesion	force keeps parts together	noun	
coiffure	hairstyle	noun	
coincident	occurring at the same time	adjective	
colander	utensil with perforated bottom used for straining	noun	
collaborate	work together	verb
collage	work of art put together from fragments	noun
collate	examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order	verb
collateral	security given for loan	noun
colloquial	pertaining to conversational or common speech	adjective
colloquy	informal discussion	noun
collusion	conspiring in a fraudulent scheme	noun
colossal	huge	adjective
comatose	in a coma; extremely sleepy	adjective
combustible	easily burned	adjective
comely	attractive; agreeable	adjective
comestible	something fit to be eaten	noun
comeuppance	rebuke; deserts	noun
comity	courtesy; civility	noun
commandeer	to draft form military purposes; to take for a public use	verb
commemorative	remembering; honoring	adjective
commensurate	equal in extent	adjective
commiserate	to feel or express pity or symphony for	verb
commodious	spacious and comfortable	adjective
communal	held in common; of a group of people	adjective
compact	agreement; contract	noun
compact	tightly packed; firm, brief	adjective
compatible	harmonious; in harmony with	adjective
compelling	overpowering, irresistible in effect	adjective
compendium	brief, comprehensive summary	noun
compensatory	making up for; repaying	adjective
compilation	listing of statistical information in tabular or book form	noun
complacent	self-satisfied	adjective	*
complaisant	trying to please; obliging	adjective
complement	that which completes	noun
compliance	conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield	noun	*
compliant	yielding	adjective
complicity	participation; involvement	noun
component	element; ingredient	noun
comport	bear one's self; behave	verb
composure	mental calmness	noun	*
comprehensive	thorough; inclusive	adjective	*
compress	close; squeeze; contract	verb
comprise	include; consist of	verb
compromise	adjust; endanger the interests or reputation of	verb
compunction	remorse	noun
compute	reckon; calculate	verb
concave	hollow	adjective
concede	admit; yield	verb	*
conceit	whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor	noun
concentric	having a common center	adjective
conception	beginning; forming of an idea	noun
concession	act of yielding	noun
conciliatory	reconciling; soothing 	adjective	*
concise	brief and compact	adjective	*
conclusive	decisive; ending all debate	adjective
concoct	prepare by combining; make up in concert	verb
concomitant	that which accompanies	noun
concord	harmony; agreement` between people or things	noun
concur	agree	verb	*
concurrent	happening at the same time	adjective
condescend	bestow courtesies with a superior air	verb
condiments	seasonings; spices	noun
condole	express sympathetic sorrow	verb
condone	overlook; forgive	verb	*
conductive	contributive; tending to	adjective
conduit	aqueduct; passageway for fluids	noun
confidant	trusted friend	noun
confirm	corroborate; verify; support	verb
confiscate	seize; commandeer	verb
conflagration	great fire	noun
confluence	flowing together; crowd	noun
conformity	harmony; agreement	noun
confound	confuse; puzzle	verb
congeal	freeze; coagulate	verb
congenial	pleasant; friendly	adjective
congenital	existing at birth	adjective
conglomeration	mass of material sticking together	noun
congruence	correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship	noun
conifer	pine tree; cone-bearing tree	noun
conjecture	surmise; guess	noun
conjugal	pertaining to marriage	adjective
conjure	summon a devil; practice magic; imagine; invent	verb
connivance	pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend	noun
connoisseur	person competent to act as a judge of art, etc.; a lover of an art	noun
connotation	suggested or implied meaning of an expression	noun
connubial	pertaining to marriage or the matrimonial state	adjective
consanguinity	kinship	noun
conscientious	scrupulous; careful	adjective
consecrate	dedicate; sanctify	verb
consequential	pompous; important; self-important	adjective
consign	deliver officially; entrust; set apart	verb
consistency	absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity	noun
console	lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort	verb
consonance	harmony; agreement	noun
consort	associate with	verb
consort	husband or wife	noun
conspicuous	easily seen; noticeable; striking	adjective
conspiracy	treacherous plot	noun
constituent	supporter	noun
constraint	compulsion; repression of feelings	noun
construe	explain; interpret	verb
consummate	compete	adjective
contagion	infection	noun
contaminate	pollute	verb
contemporary	person belonging to the same period	noun
contempt	scorn; disdain	noun
contend	struggle; compete; assert earnestly	verb	*
contentious	quarrelsome	adjective	*
contest	dispute	verb
context	writings preceding and following the passage quoted	noun
contiguous	adjacent to; touching upon	adjective
continence	self-restraint; sexual chastity 	noun
contingent	conditional	adjective
contortions	twistings ; distortions	noun
contraband	illegal trade; smuggling	noun
contract	compress or shrink; make a pledge; catch a disease	verb	*
contravene	contradict; infringe on	verb
contrite	penitent	adjective	*
contrived	forced; artificial; not spontaneous	adjective
controvert 	oppose with arguments; contradict	verb
confusion	bruise	noun
conundrum 	riddle	noun
convene	assemble	verb
converge	come together	verb	*
conversant	familiar with	adjective
converse	opposite	noun
convex	curving outward	adjective
conveyance	vehicle; transfer	noun
conviction	strongly held belief	noun	*
convivial	festive; gay; characterized by joviality	adjective
convoke	call together	verb
convoluted	coiled around	adjective
copious	plentiful	adjective
coquette	flirt	noun
cordial	gracious; heartfelt	adjective	*
cordon	extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress	noun
cornice	protecting molding on building (usually above columns)	noun
corollary	consequence; accompaniment	noun
corporeal	bodily; material	adjective
corpulent	very fat	adjective
correlation	mutual relationship	noun
corroborate	confirm	verb	*
corrosive	eating away by chemicals or disease	adjective
corrugated	wrinkled, ridged	adjective
cosmic	pertaining to outer space	adjective
coterie	group that meets socially; select circle	noun
countenance	approve; tolerate	verb
countermand	cancel; revoke	verb
counterpart	a thing that completes another; things very much alike	noun
coup	highly successful action or sudden attack	noun
couple	join; unite	verb
courier	messenger	noun
convenant 	agreement 	noun
covert	secret; hidden; implied	adjective
covetous	avaricious; eagerly desirous of	adjective
cower	shrink quivering, as from fear	verb
coy	shy; modest; coquettish	adjective
cozen	cheat; hoodwink; swindle	verb
crabbed	sour; peevish	adjective
crass	very unrefined; grossly insensible	adjective
craven	cowardly	adjective
credence	belief	noun
credibility	believability	noun
credo	creed	noun
credulity	belief on slight evidence	noun	*
creed	system of religious or ethical belief	noun
crescendo	increase in the volume or intensity as in a musical passage; climax	noun
crestfallen	dejected; dispirited	adjective
crevice	crack; fissure	noun
cringe	shrink back, as if in fear	verb
criterion	standard used in judging	noun	*
crone	hag	noun
crotchety	eccentric; whimsical	adjective
crux	critical point	noun
crypt	secret recess or vault, usually used for burial	noun
cryptic	mysterious; puzzling; secret	adjective	*
cubicle	small chamber used for sleeping	noun
cuisine	style of cooking	noun
culinary	pertaining to cooking	adjective
cull	pick out; reject	verb
culmination	attainment of highest point	noun
culpable	deserving blame	adjective
culvert	artificial channel for water	noun
cumbersome	heavy; hard to manage	adjective
cupidity	greed	noun
curator	superintendent; manager	noun
curmudgeon	churlish, miserly individual	noun
cursive	flowing, running	adjective
cursory	casual; hastily done	adjective
curtail	shorten; reduce	verb
cynical	skeptical or distrustful of human motives	adjective
cynosure	object of general attention	noun
dais	raised platform for guests of honor	noun
dally	trifle with; procrastinate	verb
dank	damp	adjective
dappled	spotted	adjective
dastard	coward	noun
daub	smear (as with paint)	verb
daunt	intimidate	verb	*
dauntless	bold	adjective
dawdle	loiter; waste time	verb
deadlock	standstill; stalemate	noun
deadpan	wooden; impersonal	adjective
dearth	scarcity	noun
debacle	breaking up; downfall	noun
debase	reduce to lower state	verb
debauch	corrupt; make intemperate	verb
debilitate	weaken; enfeeble	verb	*
debonair	friendly; aiming to please	adjective
debris	rubble	noun
debutante	young woman making formal entrance in society	noun
decadence	decay	noun
decant	pour off gently	verb
decapitate	behead	verb
decelerate	slow down	verb
deciduous	falling off as of leaves	adjective
decimate	kill, usually one out of ten	verb
decipher	interpret secret code	verb
declivity	downward slope	noun
décolleté  	having a low-necked dress	adjective
decomposition	decay	noun
decorous	proper	adjective
decoy	lure or bail	noun
decrepit	worn out of age	adjective
decrepitude	state of collapse caused by illness or old age	noun
decry	disparage	verb
deducible	derived by reasoning	adjective
defame	harm someone's reputation; malign	verb
default	failure to do	noun
defeatist	attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome	adjective
defection	desertion	noun
deference	courteous regard for another's wish	noun	*
defile	pollute; profane	verb
definitive	final; compete	adjective
deflect	turn aside	verb
defoliate	destroy leaves	verb
defray	pay costs for	verb
deft	neat; skillful	adjective
defunct	dead; no longer in use or existence	adjective
degenerate	become worse; deteriorate	verb
degraded	lowered in rank; debased	adjective
deify	turn into god; idolize	verb
deign	condescend	verb
delectable	delightful; delicious	adjective
delete	erase; strike out	verb
deleterious	harmful	adjective
deliberate	consider; ponder	verb
deleterious	harmful	adjective
delineate	portray	noun	*
delirium	mental disorder marked by confusion	noun
delude	deceive	verb
delude	flood; rush	noun
delusion	false belief; hallucination	noun
delusive	deceptive; raising vain hopes	adjective
delve	dig; investigate	verb
demagogue	person who appeals to people's prejudice	noun
demean	degrade; humiliate	verb
demeanor	behavior; bearing	noun
demented	insane	adjective
demise	death	noun
demolition	destruction	noun
demoniac	fiendish	adjective
demotic	pertaining to the people	adjective
demur	delay; object	verb
demure	grave; serious; coy	adjective
denigrate	blacken	verb
denizen	inhabitant of	noun
denotation	meaning; distinguishing by name	noun
denouement	outcome; final development of the plot of a play	noun
denounce	condemn; criticize	verb	*
depict	portray	verb
deplete	reduce; exhaust	verb
deplore	regret; disapprove of	verb	*
deploy	move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth	verb
depose	dethrone; remove from office	verb
deposition	testimony under oath	noun
depravity	corruption; wickedness	noun	*
depreciate	express disapproval of; protest against; belittle	verb	*
depreciate	lessen in value	verb
depredation	plundering	noun
deranged	insane	adjective
derelict	abandoned;	adjective
deride	scoff at	verb	*
derision	ridicule	noun
derivative	unoriginal; derived from another source	adjective
dermatologist	one who studies the skin and its diseases	noun
derogatory	expressing a low opinion	adjective
descant	discuss fully	verb
descry	catch sight of	verb
desecrate	profane; violate the sanctity of	verb
desiccate	dry up	verb
desolate	rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake	verb
despicable	contemptible	adjective
despise	scorn	verb
despoil	plunder	verb
despondent	depressed; gloomy	adjective	*
despot	tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler	noun	*
destitute	extremely poor	adjective
desultory	aimless; jumping around	adjective
detached	emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent	adjective	*
detergent	cleansing agent	noun
deterrent	something that discourages; hindrance	noun	*
detonation	explosion	noun
detraction	slandering; aspersion	noun
detrimental	harmful; damaging	adjective
deviate	turn away from	verb
devious	going astray; erratic; cunning	adjective	*
devoid	lacking	adjective
devolve	deputize; pass to others	verb
devotee	enthusiastic follower	noun
devout	pious	adjective
dexterous	skillful	adjective
diabolical	devilish	adjective
diadem	crown	noun
dialectic	art of debate	noun
diaphanous	sneer; transparent	adjective
diatribe	bitter scolding; invective	noun
dichotomy	branching into two parts	noun
dictum	authoritative and weighty statement	noun
didactic	teaching; instructional	adjective	*
diffidence	shyness	noun
diffusion	wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas	noun
digression	wandering away from the subject	noun	*
dilapidated	ruined because of neglect	adjective
dilate	expand	verb
dilatory	delaying	adjective
dilemma	problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives	noun
dilettante	aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler	noun
diligence	steadiness of effort; persistent hard work	noun	*
dilute	make less concentrated; reduce in strength	verb
diminution	lessening; reduction in size	noun	*
din	continued loud noise	noun
dint	means; effort	noun
dire	disastrous	adjective
dirge	lament with music	noun
disabuse	correct a false impression; undeceive	verb
disapprobation	disapproval; condemnation	noun
disarray	disorderly or untidy state	noun
disavowal	denial; disclaiming	noun
disband	dissolve; disperse	verb
disburse	pay out	verb
discernible	distinguishable; perceivable	adjective
discerning	mentally quick and observant; having insight	adjective	*
disclaim	disown; renounce claim to	verb
disclose	reveal	verb
discomfit	put to rout; defeat; disconcert	verb
disconcert	confuse; upset; embarrass	verb
disconsolate	sad	adjective
discordant	inharmonious; conflicting	adjective	*
discount	disregard	verb
discourse	formal discussion; conversation	noun
discredit	defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve	verb
discrepancy	lack of consistency; difference	noun
discrete	separate; unconnected	adjective
discretion	prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances	noun
discriminating	able to see differences; prejudiced	adjective	*
discursive	digressing; rambling	adjective	*
disdain	treat with scorn or contempt	verb	*
disfigure	mar in beauty; spoil	verb
disgruntle	make discontented	verb
dishearten	discourage; cause to lose courage or hope	verb
disheveled	untidy	adjective
disinclination	unwillingness	noun	*
disingenuous	not native; sophisticated	adjective
disinter	dig up; unearth	verb
disinterested	unprejudiced	adjective
disjointed	disconnected	adjective
dismantle	take apart	verb
dismember	cut into small parts	verb
dismiss	put away from consideration; reject	verb
disparage	belittle	verb	*
disparate	basically different; unrelated	adjective
disparity	difference; condition of inequality	noun	*
dispassionate	calm; impartial	adjective	*
dispatch	speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed	noun
dispel	scatter; drive away; cause to vanish	verb
disperse	scatter	verb	*
dispirited	lacking in spirit	adjective
disputatious	argumentative; fond of argument	adjective	*
disquisition	formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry	noun
dissection	analysis; cutting apart in order to examine	noun
dissemble	disguise; pretend	verb
disseminate	scatter (like seeds)	verb	*
dissent	disagree	verb	*
dissertation	formal essay	noun
dissimulate	pretend; conceal by feigning 	verb
dissipate	squander	verb
dissolute	loose in morals	adjective
dissonance	discord	noun	*
dissuade	advise against	verb
distant	reserved or aloof; cold in manner	adjective
distend	expand; swell out	verb	*
distill	extract the essence; purify; refine	verb
distortion	twisting out of shape	noun
distrait	absentminded	adjective
distraught	upset; distracted by anxiety	adjective
diurnal	daily	adjective
diva	operatic singer; prima donna	noun
diverge	vary; go in different directions from the same point	verb
divergent	differing; deviating	adjective	*
divers	several; differing	adjective
diverse	differing in some characteristics; various	adjective
diversion	act of turning aside; pastime	noun
diversity	variety; dissimilitude	noun
divest	strip; deprive	verb
divulge	reveal	verb
docile	obedient; easily managed	adjective
docket	program as for trial; book where such entries are made	noun
doctrinaire	unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding	adjective
document	provide written evidence	verb	*
doddering	shaky; infirm from old age	adjective
doff	take off	verb
dogged	determined; stubborn	adjective
doggerel	poor verse	noun
dogmatic	positive; arbitrary	adjective	*
doldrums	blues; listlessness; slack period	noun
dolorous	sorrowful	adjective
dolt	stupid person	noun
domicile	home	noun
domineer	rule over tyrannically	verb
dormant	sleeping; lethargic; torpid	adjective
dorsal	relating to the back of an animal	adjective
dour	sullen; stubborn	adjective
douse	plunge into water; drench; extinguish	verb
dowdy	slovenly; untidy	adjective
dregs	sediment; worthless residue	noun
droll	queer and amusing	adjective
drone	idle person; male bee	noun
drone	talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee	verb
dross	waste matter; worthless impurities	noun
drudgery	menial work	noun
dubious	doubtful	adjective	*
duenna	attendant or young female; chaperone	noun
duplicity	double dealing; hypocrisy	noun	*
duress	forcible restraint	noun
dutiful	respectful; obedient	adjective
dwindle	shrink; reduce	verb
dynamic	active; efficient	adjective
dyspeptic	suffering from indigestion	adjective
earthy	unrefined; coarse	adjective
ebb	recede; lessen	verb
ebullient	showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm	adjective
eccentric	odd; whimsical; irregular	adjective	*
eccentricity	oddity; idiosyncrasy	noun
ecclesiastic	pertaining to the church	adjective
éclat	brilliance; glory	noun
eclectic	selective in choosing from a variety of sources	adjective	*
eclipse	darken; extinguish; surpass	verb
ecologist	a person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their environment	noun
ecstasy	rapture; joy; any overflowing emotion	noun
eddy	swirling current of water, air, etc.	noun
edify	instruct; correct morally	verb
eerie	weird	adjective
efface	rub out	verb
effectual	efficient	adjective
effeminate	having womanly traits	adjective
effervescent	exuberant; bubbly and excited	adjective	*
effete	worn out; exhausted; barren	adjective
efficacy	power to produce desired effect	noun
effigy	dummy	noun
efflorescent	flowering	adjective
effluvium	noxious smell	noun
effrontery	shameless boldness	noun
effusive	pouring forth; gushing	adjective
egoism	excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self rather than in others	noun
egotism	conceit; vanity	noun
egregious	gross; shocking	adjective
egress	exit	noun
ejaculation	exclamation	noun
elaboration	addition of details; intricacy	noun	*
elated	overjoyed; in high spirits	adjective	*
elegiacal	like in elegy; mournful	adjective
elicit	draw out by discussion	verb
elixir	cure-all; something invigorating	noun
ellipsis	omission of words from a text	noun
elliptical	oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out	adjective
eloquence	expressiveness; persuasive speech	noun	*
elucidate	explain; enlighten	verb
elusive	evasive; baffling; hard to gasp	adjective	*
elysian	relating to paradise; blissful	adjective
emaciated	thin and wasted	adjective	*
emanate	issue forth	verb
emancipate	set free	verb
embargo	ban on commerce or other activity	noun
embark	commence; go on board a boat or airplane; begin a journey	verb
embed	enclose; place in something	verb
embellish	adorn	verb	*
embezzlement	stealing	noun
embroil	throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle	verb
embryonic	undeveloped; rudimentary	adjective	*
emend	correct; correct by a critic	verb
emendation	correction of errors; improvement	noun
emetic	substance causing vomiting	noun
eminent	high; lofty	adjective
emissary	agent; messenger	noun
emollient	soothing or softening remedy	noun
empirical	based on experience	adjective
emulate	rival; imitate	verb	*
enamored	in love	adjective
enclave	territory enclosed within an alien land	noun
encomium	high praise; eulogy	noun
encompass	surround	verb
encroachment	gradual intrusion	noun
encumber	burden	verb
endearment	fond statement	noun
endemic	prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country	adjective
endorse	approve; support	verb	*
endue	provide with some quality; endow	verb
enduring	lasting; surviving	adjective
energize	invigorate; make forceful and active	verb
enervate	weaken	verb	*
enfranchise	to admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote)	verb
engaging	charming; attractive	adjective
engender	cause; produce	verb	*
engross	occupy fully	verb
enhance	advance; improve	verb	*
enigma	puzzle	noun	*
enigmatic	obscure; puzzling	adjective
enmity	ill will; hatred	noun	*
ennui	boredom	noun
enormity	hugeness (in a bad sense)	noun
enrapture	please intensely	verb
ensconce	settle comfortably	verb
ensue	follow	verb
enthrall	capture; enslave	verb
entice	lure; attract; tempt	verb
entity	real being	noun
entomology	study of insects	noun
entrance	put under a spell; carry away with emotion	verb
entreat	plead; ask earnestly	verb
entree	entrance; a way in	noun
entrepreneur	businessman; contractor	noun
enumerate	list; mention one by one	verb
enunciate	speak distinctly	verb
environ	enclose; surround	verb
eon	long period of time; an age	noun
ephemeral	short-lived; fleeting	adjective	*
epic	long heroic poem or similar work of art	noun	*
epicure	connoisseur of food and drink	noun
epigram	witty thought or saying, usually short	noun
epilogue	short speech at conclusion of dramatic work	noun
episodic	loosely connected	adjective
epitaph	inscription in memory of a dead person	noun
epithet	a word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing	noun
epitome	summary; concise abstract	noun
epoch	period of time	noun
equable	tranquil; steady; uniform	adjective
equanimity	calmness of temperament	noun
equestrian	rider on horseback	noun
equilibrium	balance	noun	*
equine	resembling a horse	adjective
equinox	period of equal days and nights	noun
equitable	fair; impartial	adjective
equity	fairness; justice	noun
equivocal	doubtful; ambiguous	adjective	*
equivocate	lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth	verb
erode	eat away	verb
erotic	pertaining to passionate love	adjective
errant	wandering	adjective
erratic	odd; unpredictable	adjective	*
erroneous	mistaken; wrong	adjective	*
erudite	learned; scholarly	adjective	*
escapade	prank; flighty conduct	noun
eschew	avoid	verb
esoteric	known only to a chosen few	adjective	*
espionage	spying	noun
espouse	adopt; support	verb
esteem	respect; value; judge	verb
estranged	separated; alienated	adjective
ethereal	light; heavenly; fine	adjective
ethnic	relating to races	adjective
ethnology	study of man	noun
etymology	study of word parts	noun
eulogy	praise	noun	*
euphemism	mild expression in place of an unpleasant one	noun	*
euphonious	pleasing in sound	adjective
euphoria	feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated)	noun
euthanasia	mercy killing	noun
evanescent	fleeting; vanishing	adjective
evasive	not frank; eluding	adjective
evince	show clearly	verb
evoke	call forth	verb
exacerbate	worsen; embitter	verb	*
exacting	extremely demanding	adjective
exalt	raise in rank or dignity; praise	verb
exasperate	vex	verb
exchequer	treasury	noun
excise	cut away; cut out	verb
exculpate	clear from blame	verb
execrable	very bad	adjective
execrate	curse; express abhorrence for	verb
execute	put into effect; carry out	verb	*
exegesis	explanation, especially of Biblical passages	noun
exemplary	serving as a model; outstanding	adjective	*
exemplify	serve as an example of; embody	verb	*
exertion	effort; expenditure of much physical work	noun
exhaustive	thorough; comprehensive	adjective	*
exhort	urge	verb
exhume	dig out of the ground; remove from a grave	verb
exigency	urgent situation	noun
exodus	departure	noun
exonerate	acquit; exculpate	verb	*
exorbitant	excessive	adjective
exorcise	drive out evil spirits	verb
exotic	not native; strange	adjective
expatiate	talk at length	verb
expatriate	exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land	noun
expedient	suitable; practical; politic	adjective
expedite	hasten	verb	*
expeditiously	rapidly and efficiently	adverb
expertise	specialized knowledge; expert skill	noun
expiate	make amends for (a sin)	verb
expletive	interjection; profane oath	noun
explicit	definite; open	adjective	*
exploit	deed or action, particularly a brave deed	noun
expository	explanatory; serving to explain	adjective
expunge	cancel; remove	verb
expurgate	clean; remove offensive parts of a book	verb
extant	still in existence	adjective
extemporaneous	not planned; impromptu	adjective
extenuate	weaken; mitigate	verb
extol	praise; glorify	verb	*
extort	wring from; get money by threats, etc.	verb
extradition	surrender of prisoner by one state to another	noun
extraneous	not essential; external	adjective	*
extricate	free; disentangle	verb	*
extrinsic	not inherent; foreign	adjective
extrovert	person interested mostly in external objects and actions	noun
extrude	force or push out	verb
exuberance	abundance; effusiveness; lavishness	noun	*
exude	discharge; give forth	verb
exult	rejoice	verb
fabricate	build; lie	verb
facade	front of the building	noun
facet	small plane surface (of a gem); a side	noun
facetious	humorous; jocular	adjective
facile	easy; expert	adjective	`
facilitate	make less difficult	verb	*
facsimile	copy	noun
faction	party; clique; dissension	noun
faculty	mental or bodily powers; teaching staff	noun
fallacious	misleading	adjective
fallible	liable to err	adjective
fallow	plowed but not sowed; uncultivated	adjective
falter	hesitate	verb
fanaticism	excessive zeal	noun	*
fancied	imagined; unreal	adjective
fencier	breeder or deal of animals	noun
fanciful	whimsical; visionary	adjective
fanfare	call by bugles or trumpets	noun
fantastic	unreal; grotesque; whimsical	adjective
farce	broad comedy; mockery	noun
fastidious	difficult to please; squeamish	adjective	*
fatalism	belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control	noun
fathom	comprehend; investigate	verb
fatuous	foolish; inane	adjective
fauna	animals of period or region	noun
fawning	courting behavior by cringing and flattering	adjective
faze	disconcert; dismay	verb
feasible	practical	adjective
fecundity	fertility; fruitfulness	noun
feign	pretend	verb
feint	trick; shift; sham blow	noun
felicitous	apt; suitably expressed; well chosen	adjective
fell	cruel; deadly	adjective
felon	person convicted of grave crime	noun
ferment	agitation; commotion	noun
ferret	drive or hunt out of hiding	verb
fervent	ardent; hot	adjective
fervid	ardent	adjective
fervor	glowing ardor	noun	*
fester	generate pus	verb
festive	joyous; celebratory	adjective
fete	honor at a festival	verb
fetid	malodorous	adjective
fetter	shackle	verb
fiasco	total failure	noun
fiat	command	noun
fickle	changeable; faithless	adjective
fictitious	imaginary	adjective
fidelity	loyalty	noun
figment	invention; imaginary thing	noun
figurative	not literal but metaphorical; using a figure of speech	adjective
figurine	small ornamental statuette	noun
filch	steal	verb
filial	pertaining to a son or daughter	adjective
finale	conclusion	noun
finesse	delicate skill	noun
finicky	too particular; fussy	adjective
finite	limited	adjective
firebrand	hothead; troublemaker	noun
fissure	crevice	noun
fitful	spasmodic; intermittent	adjective
flaccid	flabby	adjective
flagging	weak; drooping	adjective
flagrant	conspicuously wicked	adjective	*
flail	thresh grain by hand; strike or slap	verb
flair	talent	noun
flamboyant	ornate	adjective
flaunt	display ostentatiously	verb
flay	strip off skin; plunder	verb
fleck	spot	verb
fledgling	inexperienced	adjective
fleece	wool coat of a sheep	noun
fleece	rob; plunder	verb
flick	light stroke as with a whip	noun
flinch	hesitate; shrink	verb
flippancy	trifling gaiety	noun
flit	fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by	verb
floe	mass of floating ice	noun
flora	plants of a region or era	noun
florid	flowery; ruddy	adjective
flotsam	drifting wreckage	noun
flourish	grow well; prosper; decorate with ornaments	verb
flout	reject; mock	verb
fluctuate	weaver	verb
fluency	smoothness of speech	noun
fluke	unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune	noun
fluster	confuse	verb
fluted	having vertical parallel grooves (as in a pillar)	adjective
flux	flowing; series of changes	noun
fodder	coarse food for cattle, horses, etc.	noun
foible	weakness; slight fault	noun
foil	contrast	noun
foil	defeat; frustrate	verb
foist	insert improperly; palm off	verb
foment	stir up; instigate	verb
foolhardy	rash	adjective
foppish	vain about dress and appearance	adjective
foray	raid	noun
forbearance	patience	noun
ford	place where a river can be crossed on foot	noun
foreboding	premonition of evil	noun
forensic	suitable to debate or courts of law	adjective
foresight	ability to foresee future happenings; prudence	noun	*
forestall	prevent by taking action in advance	verb
forgo	give up; do without	verb
formality	adherence to established rules or procedures	noun
formidable	menacing; threatening	adjective
forsake	desert; abandon; renounce	verb
forswear	renounce; abandon	verb
forte	strong point or special talent	noun
fortitude	bravery; courage	noun
fortuitous	accidental; by chance	adjective
foster	rear; encourage	verb
founder	fail completely; sink	verb
founder	person who establishes (an organization, business)	noun
fracas	brawl; melee	noun
fractious	unruly	verb
frailty	weakness	noun
franchise	right granted by authority	noun
frantic	wild	adjective
fraudulent	cheating; deceitful	adjective
fraught	filled	adjective
fray	brawl	noun
frenetic	frenzied; frantic	adjective
frenzied	madly excited	adjective
fresco	painting on plaster (usually fresh)	noun
fret	to be annoyed or vexed	verb
friction	clash in opinion; rubbing against	noun
frigid	intensely cold	adjective
fritter	waste	verb
frivolity	lack of seriousness	noun	*
frolicsome	prankish; gay	adjective
frond	fern leaf; palm or banana leaf	noun
frugality	thrift; economy	noun
fruition	bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization	noun
frustrate	thwart; defeat	verb
fulcrum	support on which a lever rests	noun
fulsome	disgustingly excessive	adjective
fundamental	basic; primary; essential	verb
funeral	sad; solemn	adjective
furor	frenzy; great excitement	noun
furtive	stealthy; sneaky	adjective	*
fusion	union; coalition	noun
futile	ineffective; fruitless	adjective
gadfly	animal-biting fly; an irritating person	noun
gaffe	social blunder	noun
gainsay	deny	verb
gait	manner of walking or running; speed	noun
galaxy	the Milky Way; any collection of brilliant personalities	noun
gall	bitterness; nerve	noun
gall	annoy; chafe	verb
galleon	large sailing ship	noun
galvanize	stimulate by shock; stir up	verb
gambit	opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed	noun
gambol	skip; leap playfully	verb
gamely	bravely; with spirit	adverb
gamut	entire range	noun
gape	open widely	verb
garbled	mixed up; based on false or unfair selection	adjective	*
gargantuan	huge; enormous	adjective
gargoyle	waterspout carved in grotesque figures on building	verb
garish	gaudy	adjective
garner	gather; store up	verb
garnish	decorate	verb
garrulity	talkativeness	noun
garrulous	loquacious; wordy	adjective
gastronomy	science of preparing and serving good food	noun
gauche	clumsy; boorish	adjective
gaudy	flashy; showy	adjective
gaunt	lean and angular; barren	adjective
gazette	official periodical publication	noun
genealogy	record of descent; lineage	noun
generality	vague statement	noun
generic	characteristic of a class or species	adjective
genesis	beginning; origin	noun
geniality	cheerfulness; kindness; sympathy	noun
genre	particular variety of art and culture	noun
genteel	well-bred; elegant	adjective
gentility	those of gentle birth; refinement	noun
gentry	people of standing; class of people just below nobility	noun
genuflect	bend the knee as in worship	verb
germane	pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand	adjective
germinal	pertaining to germ; creative	adjective
germinate	cause to sprout; sprout	verb
gestate	evolve, as in prenatal growth	verb
gesticulation	motion; desire	noun
ghastly	horrible	adjective
gibber	speak foolishly	verb
gibe	mock	verb
giddy	light-hearted; dizzy	adjective
gingerly	very carefully	adjective
girth	distance around something; circumference	noun
gist	essence	noun
glacial	like a glacier; extremely cold	adjective
glaze	cover with a thin and shiny surface	verb
glib	fluent	adjective
gloat	express evil satisfaction; view malevolently	verb
glossary	brief explanation of words used in the text	noun
glossy	smooth and shining	adjective
glower	scowl	verb
glut	overstock; fill to excess	verb
glutinous	sticky; viscous	adjective
glutton	someone who eats too much	noun	*
gnarled	twisted	adjective
gnome	dwarf; underground spirit	noun
goad	urge on	verb
gorge	small, steep-walled canyon	noun
gorge	stuff oneself	verb
gory	bloody	adjective
gossamer	sneer; like cobwebs	adjective
gouge	tear out	verb
gourmand	epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink	noun
gourmet	connoisseur of food and drink	noun
graduated	arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.)	adjective
grandiloquent	pompous; bombastic; using high-sounded language	adjective
grandiose	imposing; impressive	adjective
granulate	form into grains	verb
graphic	pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described	adjective
grapple	wrestle; come to grips with	verb
grate	make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect	verb
gratify	please	verb
gratis	free	adjective
gratuitous	given freely; unwarranted	adjective
gratuity	tip	noun
gravity	seriousness	noun	*
gregarious	sociable	adjective	*
grievance	cause of complaint	noun
grill	question severely	verb
grimace	a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc.	noun
gristly	ghastly	adjective
grouse	complain; fuss	verb
grotesque	fantastic; comically hideous	adjective
grotto	small cavern	noun
grovel	crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate	verb
grudging	unwilling; reluctant; stingy	adjective
gruel	liquid food made by boiling oatmeal, etc. in milk or water	verb
grueling	exhausting	adjective
gruesome	grisly	adjective
gruff	rough-mannered	adjective
guffaw	boisterous laughter	noun
guile	deceit; duplicity	noun	*
guileless	without deceit	adjective
guise	appearance; costume	noun
gullible	easily deceived	adjective
gustatory	affecting the sense of taste	adjective
gusto	enjoyment; enthusiasm	noun
gusty	windy	adjective
hackneyed	commonplace; trite	adjective	*
haggard	wasted away; gaunt	adjective
haggle	argue about prices	verb
halcyon	calm; peaceful	adjective
hale	healthy	adjective
hallowed	blessed; consecrated	adjective
hallucination	delusion	noun
hamper	obstruct	verb	*
hap	chance; luck	noun
haphazard	random; by chance	adjective	*
hapless	unfortunate	adjective
harangue	noisy speech	noun
harass	to annoy by repeated attacks	verb
harbinger	forerunner	noun
harbor	provide a refuge for; hide	verb
hardy	sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement water	adjective	*
harping	tiresome dwelling on a subject	noun
harrow	break up ground after plowing; torture	verb
harry	raid	verb
haughtiness	pride; arrogance	noun	*
hazardous	dangerous	adjective
hazy	slightly obscure	adjective
heckler	person who harasses others	noun
hedonism	belief that pleasure is the sole aim of life	noun	*
heed	pay attention to; consider	verb
heedless	not noticing; disregarding	adjective
heinous	atrocious; hatefully bad	adjective
herbivorous	grain eating	adjective
heresy	opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion	noun	*
heretic	person who maintains opinions contrary to the doctrines of the church	noun
hermetically	sealed by fusion so as to be airtight	adjective
hermitage	home of a hermit	noun
herpetologist	one who studies reptiles	noun
heterodox	unorthodox; unconventional	adjective
heterogeneous	dissimilar	adjective
hew	cut to pieces with ax or sword	verb
heyday	time of greatest success; prime	noun
hiatus	gap; pause	noun
hibernal	wintry	adjective
hibernate	sleep throughout the winter	verb
hierarchy	body divided into ranks	noun
hieroglyphic	picture writing	noun
hilarity	boisterous mirth	noun
hindmost	furthest behind	adjective
hindrance	block; obstacle	noun
hireling	one who serves for hire 
homage	honor; tribute	noun
homespun	domestic; made at home	adjective
homogeneous	of the same kind	adjective	*
hone	sharpen	verb
hoodwink	deceive; delude	verb
horde	crowd	noun
horticultural	pertaining to cultivation of gardens	adjective
hovel	shack; small, wretched house	noun
hover	hang about; wait nearby	verb
hubbub	confused uproar	noun
hue	color; aspect	noun
humane	kind	adjective	*
humdrum	dull; monotonous	adjective
humid	damp	adjective
humility	humbleness of spirit	noun
humus	substance formed by decaying vegetable matter	noun
hurtle	crash; rush	verb
husbandry	frugality; thrift; agriculture	noun
hybrid	mongrel; mixed breed	noun
hydrophobia	rabies; fear of water	noun
hyperbole	exaggeration; overstatement	noun
hypercritical	excessively exacting	adjective
hypochondriac	person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness	noun
hypocritical	pertaining to be virtuous; deceiving	adjective	*
hypothetical	based on assumptions or hypothesis	adjective
ichthyology	study of fish	noun
icon	religious image; idol	noun
iconoclastic	attacking cherished traditions	adjective
ideology	ideas of a group of people	noun
idiom	special usage in language	noun
idiosyncrasy	peculiarity; eccentricity	noun
idiosyncratic	private; peculiar to an individual	adjective
idolatry	worship of idols; excessive admiration	noun
idyllic	charmingly carefree; simple	adjective
igneous	produced by fire; volcanic	adjective
ignoble	of lowly origin; unworthy	adjective
ignominious	disgraceful	adjective
illicit	illegal	adjective
illimitable	infinite	adjective
illuminate	brighten; clear up or make understandable	verb
illusion	misleading vision	noun
illusive	deceiving	adjective
illusory	deceptive; not real	adjective
imbalance	lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion	noun
imbecility	weakness of mind	noun
imbibe	drink in	verb
immaculate	pure; spotless	adjective
imminent	impeding; near at hand	adjective
immobility	state of being immovable	noun
immune	exempt	adjective
immutable	unchangeable	adjective	*
impair	worsen; diminish in value	verb	*
impale	pierce	verb
impalpable	imperceptible; intangible	adjective
impartial	not biased; fair	adjective
impasse	predicament from which there is no escape	noun
impassive	without feeling; not affected by pain	adjective	*
impeach	charge with crime in office; indict	verb
impeccable	faultless	adjective
impecunious	without money	adjective
impede	hinder; block; delay	verb	*
impediment	hindrance; stumbling block	noun
impenetrable	not able to be pierced or entered; beyond understanding	adjective
impending	nearing; approaching	adjective
impenitent	not repentant	adjective
imperial	like an emperor; related to an empire	adjective
imperious	domineering	adjective
impermeable	impervious; not permitting passage through its substance	adjective
impertinent	insolent	adjective
imperturbable	calm; placid	adjective
impervious	not penetrable; not permitting passage through	adjective
impetuous	violent; hasty; rash	adjective
impetus	moving force	noun
impiety	irreverence; wickedness	noun
impinge	infringe; touch; collide with	verb
impious	irreverent	adjective
implacable	incapable of being pacified	adjective
implausible	unlikely; unbelievable	adjective
implement	put into effect; supply with tools	verb	*
implication	that is hinted at or suggested	noun	*
implicit	understood but not stated	adjective	*
implore	beg	verb
imply	suggest a meaning not expressed; signify	verb
impolitic	not wise	adjective
imponderable	weightless	adjective
import	significance	noun
importunate	urging; demanding	adjective
importune	beg earnestly	verb
impostor	someone who assumes false identity	noun
impotent	weak; ineffective	adjective
impoverished	poor	adjective
impregnable	invulnerable	adjective
impromptu	without previous preparation	adjective
impropriety	state of being inappropriate	noun
improvident	thriftless	adjective
improvise	compose on the spur of the moment	verb
imprudent	lacking caution; injudicious	adjective
impugn	doubt; challenge; gainsay	verb
impunity	freedom from punishment	noun
impute	attribute; ascribe	verb
inadvertently	carelessly; unintentionally	adjective	*
inalienable	not to be taken away; nontransferable	adjective
inane	silly; senseless	adjective	*
inanimate	lifeless	adjective
inarticulate	speechless; producing indistinct speech	adjective
inaugurate	start; initiate; install at office	verb	*
incandescent	strikingly bright; shining with intense heat	adjective
incantation	singing or chanting of magic spells; magical formula	noun
incapacitate	disable	verb
incarcerate	imprison	verb
incarnate	endowed with flesh; personified	adjective
incarnation	act of assuming a human body and human nature	noun
incendiary	arsonist	noun
incense	enrage; infuriate	verb
incentive	spur; motive	noun
inception	start; beginning	noun
incessant	uninterrupted	adjective	*
inchoate	recently begun; rudimentary; elementary	adjective
incidence	rate of occurrence; particular occurrence	noun
incidental	not essential; minor	adjective	*
incipient	beginning; in an early stage	adjective
incisive	cutting; sharp	adjective	*
incite	arouse to action	verb	*
inclement	stormy; unkind	adjective
incline	slope; slant	noun
inclined	tending or leaning toward; bent	adjective
inclusive	tending to include all	adjective	*
incognito	with identity concealed; using an assumed name	adjective
incoherent	unintelligible; muddled; illogical	adjective
incommodious	not spacious	adjective
incompatible	inharmonious	adjective
incongruous	not fitting; absurd	adjective	*
inconsequential	of trifling significance	adjective	*
incontinent	lacking self-restraint; licentious	adjective
incontrovertible	indisputable	adjective	*
incorporeal	immaterial; without a material body	adjective
incorrigible	uncorrectable	adjective	*
incredulity	tendency to disbelief	noun
incredulous	withholding belief; skeptical	adjective
increment	increase	noun
incriminate	accuse	verb
incubate	hatch; scheme	verb
incumbent	officeholder	noun
incur	bring upon oneself	verb
incursion	temporary invasion	noun
indefatigable	tireless	adjective
indemnify	make secure against loss; compensate loss	verb
indenture	bind as a servant or apprentice to master	verb
indicative	suggestive; implying	adjective
indict	charge	verb	*
indifferent	unmoved; lacking concern	adjective	*
indigenous	native	adjective
indigent	poor	adjective
indignation	anger at an injustice	noun
indignity	offensive or insulting treatment	noun
indiscriminate	choosing at random; confused	adjective	*
indisputable	too certain to be disputed	adjective
indissoluble	permanent	adjective
indolent	lazy	adjective	*
indomitable	unconquerable	adjective
indubitably	beyond a doubt	adverb
induce	persuade; bring about	verb	*
inductive	pertaining to induction or proceeding from the specific to the general	adjective
indulgent	humoring; yielding; lenient	adjective	*
inebriety	habitual intoxication	verb
ineffable	unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech	adjective
ineffectual	not effective; weak	adjective
inept	unsuited; absurd; incompetent	adjective
inequity	unfairness	noun
inert	inactive; lacking power to move	adjective	*
inertia	state of being inert or indisposed to move	noun
inevitable	unavoidable	adjective
inexorable	relentless; unyielding; implacable	adjective
infallible	unerring	adjective
infamous	notoriously bad	adjective	*
infantile	childish; infantile	adjective
infer	deduce; conclude	verb	*
inference	conclusion drawn from data	noun
infernal	pertaining to hell; devilish	adjective
informal	lacking ceremony; casual	adjective
infidel	unbeliever	noun
infiltrate	pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily	verb	*
infinitesimal	very small	adjective
infirmity	weakness	noun
inflated	exaggerated	adjective
influx	flowing into	noun
infraction	violation	noun
infringe	violate; encroach	verb
ingenious	clever	adjective
ingenue	an artless girl; an actress who plays such parts	noun
ingenious	naïve; young; unsophisticated	adjective	*
ingrate	ungrateful person	noun
ingratiate	become poplar with	verb
inherent	firmly established by nature or habit	adjective	*
inhibit	prohibit; restrain	verb
inimical	unfriendly; hostile	adjective
inimitable	matchless; not able to be imitated	adjective
iniquitous	unjust; wrong	adjective
initiate	begin; originate; receive into a group	verb
injurious	harmful	adjective
inkling	hint	noun
innate	inborn	adjective	*
innocuous	harmless	adjective	*
innovation	change; introduction of something new	noun	*
innuendo	hint; inspiration	noun
inopportune	untimely; poorly chosen	adjective
inordinate	unrestrained; excessive	adjective
insatiable	not easily satisfied; greedy	adjective
inscrutable	incomprehensive; not to be discovered	adjective
insensate	without feeling	adjective
insensible	unconscious; unreasonable	adjective
insidious	treacherous; stealthy; sly	adjective
insinuate	hint; imply	verb
insipid	tasteless; dull	adjective	*
insolent	haughty and contemptuous	adjective
insolvent	bankrupt; lacking money to pay	adjective	*
insomnia	wakefulness; inability to sleep	noun
instigate	urge; start; provoke	verb	*
insubordinate	disobedient	adjective
insularity	narrow-mindedness; isolation	noun
insuperable	insurmountable; invincible	adjective
insurgent	rebellious	adjective
insurrection	rebellion; uprising	noun
intangible	not material; not able to be perceived by touch	adjective	*
integral	complete; necessary for completeness	adjective
integrate	make whole; combine; make into one unit	verb
integrity	wholeness; purify; uprightness	noun	*
intellect	higher mental powers	noun
intelligentsia	the intelligent and educated classes 
internecine	mutually destructive	adjective
interpolate	insert between	verb
intervene	come between	verb
intimate	hint	verb
intimidation	fear	noun
intractable	unruly; refractory	adjective	*
intransigent	refusing any compromise; stubborn	adjective
intrepid	fearless	adjective
intricate	complex; knotty; tangled	adjective
intrinsically	essentially; inherently; naturally	adjective
introspective	locking within oneself	adjective
introvert	one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself	noun
intrude	trespass; enter as uninvited person	verb
intuition	power of knowing without reasoning	noun
inundate	overflow; flood	verb
inured	accustomed; hardened	adjective
invalidate	weaken; destroy	verb
invective	abuse	noun
inveigh	denounce; utter censure or invective	verb
inveigle	lead astray; wheedle	verb
inverse	opposite	adjective
invert	turn upside down or inside out	verb	*
inveterate	deep-rooted; habitual	adjective
invidious	designed to create ill will or envy	adjective
invincible	unconquerable	adjective
inviolability	security from being destroyed; corrupted or profaned	noun
invoke	call upon; ask for	verb
invulnerable	incapable of injury	adjective
iota	very small quantity	noun
irascible	irritable; easily angered	adjective	*
irate	angry	adjective
iridescent	exhibiting rainbowlike colors	adjective
irksome	annoying; tedious	adjective
ironic	resulting in unexpected and contrary manner	adjective	*
irony	hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that convey a meaning opposite to the literal meaning	noun
irrational	illogical; lacking reason; insane	adjective
irreconcilable	incompatible; not able to be resolved	adjective
irrelevant	not applicable; unrelated	adjective
irremediable	incurable; uncorrectable	adjective
irreparable	not able to be corrected or repaired	adjective
irrepressible	unable to be restrained or held back	adjective
irresolute	uncertain how to act; weak	adjective	*
irreverence	lack of proper aspect	noun	*
irrevocable	unalterable	adjective
isotope	varying form of an element	noun
itinerant	wandering; traveling	adjective
itinerary	plan of a trip	noun
jaded	fatigued; surfeited	adjective
jargon	language used by special group; gibberish	noun
jaundiced	yellowed; prejudiced; envious	adjective
jaunt	trip; short journey	noun
jaunty	stylish; perky; carefree	adjective
jeopardy	exposure to death or danger	noun
jettison	throw overboard	verb
jingoism	extremely aggressive and militant patriotism	noun
jocose	given to joking	adjective
jocular	said or done in jest	adjective
jocund	merry	adjective
jollity	gaiety; cheerfulness	noun
jostle	shove; bump	verb
jovial	good-natured; merry	adjective
jubilation	rejoicing	noun
judicious	sound in judgment; wise	adjective	*
juggernaut	irresistible crashing force	noun
juncture	crisis; joining point	noun
junket	marry feast or picnic	noun
junta	group of men joined by political intrigue; cabal	noun
jurisprudence	science of law	noun
juxtapose	place side by side	verb
kaleidoscope	tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass, etc. produce interesting symmetrical effects	noun
ken	range of knowledge	noun
kindle	start a fire; inspire	verb	*
kindred	related; belonging to the same family	adjective
kinetic	producing motion	adjective
kismet	fate	noun
kith	familiar friends	noun
kleptomaniac	person who has a convulsive desire to steal	noun
knavery	rascality	noun
knead	mix; work dough	verb
knell	tolling of a bell at a funeral; sound of the funeral bell	noun
knoll	little round hill	noun
labyrinth	maze	noun
lacerate	mangle; tear	verb
lachrymose	producing tears	adjective
lackadaisical	affectedly languid	adjective
lackey	footman; toady	noun
lackluster	dull	adjective
laconic	brief and to the point	adjective	*
laggard	slow; sluggish	adjective
lagoon	shallow body of water near a sea; lake	noun
laity	laymen; persons not connected with the clergy	noun
lament	grieve; express sorrow	verb	*
lampoon	ridicule	verb
languid	weary; sluggish; listless	adjective
languish	lose animation; lose strength	verb	*
languor	lassitude; depression	noun
lank	long and thin	adjective
larceny	theft	noun
largess	generous gift	noun
lascivious	lustful	adjective
lassitude	languor; weariness	noun
latent	dormant; hidden	adjective
lateral	coming from the side	adjective
latitude	freedom from narrow limitations	noun
laud	praise	verb	*
lavish	liberal; wasteful	adjective
lax	careless	adjective
leaven	cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven	verb
lechery	lustfulness; impurity in thought and deed	noun
lectern	reading desk	noun
leeway	room to move; margin	noun
legacy	gift made by a will	noun	*
legend	explanatory list of symbols on a map	noun
legerdemain	sleight of hand	noun
leniency	mildness; permissiveness	noun
leonine	like a lion	noun
lethal	deadly	adjective
lethargic	drowsy; dull	adjective	*
levity	lightness	noun	*
levy	impose (a fine); collect (a payment)	verb
lewd	lustful	adjective
lexicographer	compiler of a dictionary	noun
lexicon	dictionary	noun
liability	drawback; debts	noun
liaison	officer who acts as go-between for two armies	noun
libelous	defamatory; injurious to the good name of a person	adjective
libidinous	lust full	adjective
libido	emotional urges behind human activity	noun
libretto	text of an opera	noun
licentious	wanton; lewd; dissolute	adjective
lieu	instead of	noun
Lilliputian	extremely small	adjective
limber	flexible	adjective
limbo	region near heaven or hell where certain souls are kept; a prison 
listless	lacking in spirit or energy	adjective	*
litany	supplicatory prayer	noun
lithe	flexible; supple	adjective
litigation	lawsuit	noun
livid	lead-colored; black and blue; enraged	adjective
loath	averse; reluctant	adjective
loathe	detest	verb
lode	metal-bearing vein	noun
lofty	very high	adjective	*
loiter	hang around; linger	verb
loll	lounge about	verb
longevity	long life	noun
lope	gallop softly	verb
loquacious	talkative	adjective
lout	clumsy person	noun
lucid	easily understood	adjective	*
lucrative	profitable	adjective
lucre	money	noun
ludicrous	laughable; trifling	adjective
lugubrious	mournful	adjective
lull	moment of calm	noun
lumber	move heavily or clumsily	verb
luminary	celebrity; dignitary	noun
luminous	shining; issuing light	adjective
lunar	pertaining to the moon	adjective
lurid	wild; sensational	adjective
luscious	pleasing to taste or smell	adjective
luster	shine; gloss	noun
lustrous	shining	adjective
luxuriant	fertile; abundant; ornate	adjective
macabre	gruesome; grisly	adjective
Machiavellian	crafty; double-dealing	adjective
machinations	schemes	noun
madrigal	pastoral song	noun
maelstrom	whirlpool	noun
magnanimous	generous	adjective	*
magnate	person of prominence or influence	noun
magniloquent	boastful; pompous	adjective
magnitude	greatness; extent	noun
maim	mutilate; injure	verb
maladroit	clumsy; bungling	adjective
malaise	uneasiness; distress	noun
malapropism	comic misuse of a word	noun
malcontent	person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs	noun
malediction	curse	noun
malefactor	criminal	noun
malevolent	wishing evil	adjective
malicious	dictated by hatred or spite	adjective
malign	speak evil of; defame	verb
malignant	having an evil influence; virulent	adjective
malingerer	one who feigns illness to escape duty	noun
mall	public walk	noun
malleable	capable of being shaped by pounding	adjective
malodorous	foul-smelling	adjective
mammal	a vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young	noun
mammoth	gigantic	adjective
manacle	restrain; handcuff	verb
mandate	order; charge	noun
mandatory	obligatory	adjective
mangy	shabby; wretched	adjective
maniacal	raving mad	adjective
manifest	understandable; clear	adjective
manifesto	declaration; statement of policy	noun
manifold	numerous; varied	adjective
manipulate	operate with hands	verb
manumit	emancipate; free from bondage	verb
marital	pertaining to marriage	adjective
maritime	bordering on the sea; nautical	adjective
marred	damaged; disfigured	adjective	*
marrow	soft tissue filling the bones	noun
marshal	put in order	verb
marsupial	one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch	noun
martial	warlike	adjective
martinet	strict disciplinarian	noun
masochist	person who enjoys his own pain	noun
masticate	chew	verb
materialism	preoccupation with physical comforts and things	noun
maternal	motherly	adjective
matriarch	woman who rules a family or larger social group	noun
matricide	murder of a mother by a child	noun
matrix	mold or die	noun
maudlin	effusively sentimental	adjective
maul	handle roughly	verb
mausoleum	monumental tomb	noun
mauve	pale purple	adjective
maverick	rebel; nonconformist	noun
mawkish	sickening; insipid	adjective
maxim	proverb; a truth pithily stated	noun
mayhem	an injury to body	noun
meager	scantly; inadequate	adjective	*
meander	to wind or turn in its course	verb
meddlesome	interfering	adjective
mediate	settle a dispute through the services of an outsider	verb
mediocre	ordinary; commonplace	adjective
meditation	reflection; thought	noun
medley	mixture	noun
megalomania	mania for doing grandiose things	noun
melange	medley; miscellany	noun
melee	fight	noun
mellifluous	flowing smoothly; smooth	adjective
memento	token reminder	noun
memorialize	commemorate	verb
mendacious	lying; false	adjective
mendicant	beggar	noun
menial	suitable for servants; low	adjective
mentor	teacher	noun
mercantile	concerning trade	adjective
mercenary	interested in money or gain	adjective
mercurial	fickle; changing	adjective
meretricious	flashy; tawdry	adjective
merger	combination (of two business corporations)	noun
mesa	high, flat-topped hill	noun
mesmerize	hypnotize	verb
metallurgical	pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores	adjective
metamorphosis	change of form	noun
metaphor	implied comparison	noun
metaphysical	pertaining to speculative philosophy	adjective
mete	measure; distribute	verb
methodological	systematic	adjective	*
meticulous	excessively careful	adjective	*
metropolis	large city	noun
mettle	courage; spirit	noun
miasma	swamp gas; odor of decaying matter	noun
microcosm	small world	noun
mien	demeanor; bearing	noun
migrant	changing its habitat; wandering	adjective
migratory	wandering	adjective
milieu	environment; means of expression	noun
militant	combative; bellicose	adjective
militate	work against	verb
millennium	thousand-year period	noun
mimicry	imitation	noun
minaret	slender tower attached to a mosque	noun
mincing	affectedly dainty 	adjective
mignon	a servile dependent	noun
minuscule	extremely small	adjective
minute	extremely small	adjective
minutiae	petty details	noun
mirage	unreal reflection; optical illusion	noun
mire	entangle; stick in swampy ground	verb
mirth	merriment; laughter	noun
misadventure	mischance; ill luck	noun
misanthrope	one who hates mankind	noun
misapprehenison	error; misunderstanding	noun
miscegenation	intermarriage between races	noun
miscellany	mixture of writings on various subjects	noun
mischance	ill luck	noun
misconstrue	interpret incorrectly; misjudge	verb	*
miscreant	wretch; villain	noun
misdemeanor	minor crime	noun
miserly	stingy; mean	adjective	*
misgivings	doubts	noun
mishap	accident	noun
misnomer	wrong name; incorrect designation	noun
misogamy	hatred of marriage	noun
misogynist	hater of women	noun
missile	object to be thrown or projected	noun
missive	letter	noun
mite	very small object or creature; small coin	noun
mitigate	appease	verb	*
mnemonic	pertaining to memory	adjective
mobile	movable; not fixed	adjective
mode	prevailing style	noun
modicum	limited quantity	noun
modish	fashionable	adjective
modulation	toning down; changing from one key to another	noun
mogul	powerful person	noun
molecule	the smallest part of a homogeneous substance in chemistry	noun
mollify	soothe	verb
molt	shed or cast off hair of feathers	verb
molten	melted	adjective
momentous	very important	adjective
momentum	quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus	noun
monarchy	government under a single ruler	noun
monastic	related to monks	adjective
monetary	pertaining to money	adjective
monolithic	solidly uniform; unyielding	adjective
monotheism	belief in one God	noun
monotony	sameness leading to boredom	noun
monumental	massive	adjective
moodiness	fits of depression or gloom	noun
moor	marshy wasteland	noun
moot	debatable	adjective
moratorium	legal delay of payment	noun
morbid	given to unwholesome thought; gloomy	adjective
mordant	biting; sarcastic; stinging	adjective
mores	customs	noun
moribund	at the point of death	adjective
morose	ill-humored; sullen	adjective	*
mortician	undertaken	noun
mortify	humiliate; punish to the flesh	verb
mote	small speck	noun
motif	theme	noun
motley	parti-colored; mixed	adjective
mottled	spotted	adjective
mountebank	charlatan; boastful pretender	noun
muddle	confuse; mix up	verb
muggy	warm and damp	adjective
mulct	defraud a person of something	verb
multifarious	varied; greatly diversified	adjective
multiform	having many forms	adjective
multilingual	having many languages	adjective
multiplicity	state of being numerous	noun
mundane	worldly as opposed to spiritual	adjective	*
munificent	very generous	adjective
murkiness	darkness; gloom	noun
muse	ponder	verb
musky	having the odor of a musk	adjective
muster	gather; assemble	verb
musty	stale; spoiled by age	adjective
mutable	changing in form; fickle	adjective
muted	silent; muffled; toned down	adjective
mutilate	maim	verb
mutinous	unruly; rebellious	adjective
myopic	nearsighted	adjective
myriad	very large number	noun
nadir	lowest point	noun
naiveté	quality of being unsophisticated	noun
narcissist	conceited person	noun
nascent	incipient; coming into being	adjective
natal	pertaining to birth	adjective
nauseate	cause to become sick; fill with disgust	verb
nautical	pertaining to ships or navigation	adjective
nave	main body of a church	noun
nebulous	vague; hazy; cloudy	adjective
necromancy	black magic; dealings with the dead	noun
nefarious	very wicked	adjective
negation	denial	noun
negligence	carelessness	noun
nemesis	revenging agent	noun
neologism	new or newly coined word or phrase	noun
neophyte	recent convert; beginner	noun
nepotism	favoritism (to a relative)	noun
nether	lower	adjective
nettle	annoy; vex	verb
neutral	impartial; not supporting one side over another	adjective
nexus	connection	noun
nib	beak; pen point	noun
nicety	precision; minute distinction	noun
niggardly	meanly stingy; parsimonious	adjective
niggle	spend too much time on minor points; carp	verb
nihilism	denial of traditional values; absolute skepticism	noun
nirvana	in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of impersonal beatitude	noun
nocturnal	done at night	adjective
noisome	foul smelling; unwholesome	adjective
nomadic	wandering	adjective
nomenclature	terminology; system of names	noun
nominal	in name only; trifling	adjective
nonchalance	indifference; lack of interest	noun
noncommittal	neutral; unpledged; undecided	adjective
nonentity	person of no importance; nonexistence	noun
nonplus	bring to a halt confusion	verb
nostalgia	homesickness; longing for the past	noun
nostrum	questionable medicine	noun
notoriety	disrepute; ill fame	noun	*
novelty	something new; newness	noun	*
novice	beginner	noun
noxious	harmful	adjective
nuance	shade of difference in meaning or color	noun
nubile	marriageable	adjective
nullify	to make invalid	noun	*
numismatist	person who collects coins	noun
nuptial	related to marriage	adjective
nurture	bring up; feed; educate	verb	*
nutrient	providing nourishment	adjective
oaf	stupid; awkward person	noun
obdurate	stubborn	adjective
obelisk	tall column tapering and ending a pyramid	noun
obese	fat	adjective
obfuscate	confuse; muddle	verb
obituary	death notice	adjective
objective	not influenced by emotions; fair	adjective
objective	goal; aim	noun
obligatory	binding; required	adjective
oblique	slanting; deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight line	adjective
obliterate	destroy completely	verb	*
oblivion	forgetfulness	noun	*
obnoxious	offensive	adjective
obscure	dark; vague; unclear	adjective
obscure	darken; make unclear	verb
obsequious	slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic	adjective
obsession	fixed idea; continued brooding	noun
obsolete	outmoded	adjective
obstetrician	physician specializing in delivery of babies	noun
obstinate	stubborn	adjective	*
obstreperous	boisterous; noisy	adjective
obtrusive	pushed forward	adjective
obtuse	blunt; stupid	adjective
obviate	make unnecessary; get rid of	verb
Occident	the West	noun
occult	mysterious; secret; supernatural	adjective
oculist	physician who specializes in treatment of the eyes	noun
odious	hateful	adjective
odium	repugnance; dislike	noun
odoriferous	giving off an odor	adjective
odorous	having an odor	adjective
odyssey	long, eventful journey	noun
officious	meddlesome; excessively trying to please	adjective
ogle	glance coquettishly at; make eyes at	verb
olfactory	concerning the sense of smell	adjective
oligarchy	government by a few	noun
ominous	threatening	adjective	*
omnipotent	all-powerful	adjective
omnipresent	universally present; ubiquitous	adjective
omniscient	all-knowing	adjective
omnivorous	eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything	adjective
onerous	burdensome	adjective
onomatopoeia	words formed in imitation of natural sounds	noun
onslaught	viscous assault	noun
onus	burden; responsibility	noun
opalescent	iridescent	adjective
opaque	dark; not transparent	adjective	*
opiate	sleep producer; deadener of pain	noun
opportune	timely; well chosen	adjective
opportunist	individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of the circumstances	noun	*
opprobrium	infamy; vilification	noun
optician	maker and seller of eyeglasses	noun
optimist	person who looks on the good side	noun	*
optimum	most favorable	adjective
optional	not compulsory; left to one's choice	adjective
optometrist	one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects	noun
opulence	wealth	noun	*
opus	work	noun
oracular	foretelling; mysterious	adjective
oratorio	dramatic poem set to music	noun
ordain	command; arrange; consecrate	verb
ordinance	decree	noun
orient	get one's bearings; adjust	verb
orientation	act of finding oneself in society	noun
orifice	mouthlike opening; small opening	noun
ornate	excessively decorated	adjective
ornithologist	scientific student of birds	noun
ornithology	study of birds	noun
orthodox	traditional; conservative in belief	adjective
orthography	correct spelling	noun
oscillate	vibrate pendulumlike; weaver	verb
ossify	change or harden into bone	verb
ostensible	apparent; professed; pretended	adjective
ostentatious	showy; pretentious	adjective
ostracize	exclude from public favor; ban	verb
oust	expel; drive out	verb
overt	open to view	adjective
overweening	presumptuous; arrogant	adjective
ovoid	egg-shaped	adjective
pachyderm	thick-skinned animal	noun
pacifist	one opposed to force; antimilitarist	noun
paean	song of praise or joy	noun	
painstaking	showing hard work; taking great care	adjective	
palatable	agreeable; pleasing to the taste	adjective	
palatial	magnificent	adjective	
paleontology	study of prehistoric life	noun	
palette	board on which painter mixes pigments	noun	
pall	grow tiresome	verb	
pallet	small, poor bed	noun	
palliate	ease pain; make less severe or offensive	verb	
pallid	pale; wan	adjective	
palpable	tangible; easily perceptible	adjective	
palpitate	throb; flutter	verb	
paltry	insignificant; petty	adjective	
panacea	cure-all; remedy for all diseases	noun	
panache	flair; flamboyance	noun	
pandemic	widespread; affecting the majority of people	adjective	
pandemonium	wild tumult	noun	
pander	cater to the low desires of others	verb	
panegyric	formal praise	noun	
panorama	comprehensive view; unobstructed view in all directions	noun	
pantomime	acting without dialogue	noun	
papyrus	ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant	noun	
parable	short, simple story teaching a moral	noun	
paradigm	model; example; pattern	noun	
paradox	statement that looks false but is actually correct	noun	
paragon	model of reflection	noun	
parallelism	state of being parallel; similarity	noun	
parameter	limits; independent variable	noun	
paranoia	chronic form of insanity marked by delusions	noun	
paranoiac	mentally unsound person suffering from delusions	noun	
paraphernalia	equipment; odds and ends	noun	
paraphrase	restate a passage in one's own words while retaining the thought of the author	verb	
parasite	animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant	noun	
parched	extremely dry; very thirsty	adjective	
pariah	social outcast	noun	
parity	equality; close resemblance	noun	
parley	conference	noun	
parochial	narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes	adjective	
parody	humorous imitation; travesty	noun	*
paroxysm	fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage	noun	
parry	ward off a blow	verb	
parsimonious	stingy; excessively frugal	adjective	
partial	incomplete; biased; having a liking for something	adjective	
partiality	inclination; bias	noun	
partisan	one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party	noun	*
parvenu	upstart; newly rich person	noun	
passé	old-fashioned; past the prime	adjective	
passive	not active; acted upon	adjective	
pastiche	imitation of another's style in musical composition or writing	noun	
pastoral	rural	adjective	
patent	open for the public to read; obvious	adjective	
pathetic	causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching	adjective	
pathological	pertaining to disease	adjective	
pathos	tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings	noun	
patina	green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly by varnished painting	noun	
patriarch	father and ruler of a family or tribe	noun	
patrician	noble; aristocratic	adjective	
patronize	support; act superior toward	verb	
paucity	scarcity	noun	
peccadillo	slight offense	noun
pecuniary	pertaining to money	adjective	
pedagogue	teacher; dull and formal teacher	noun	
pedagogy	teaching; art of education	noun	
pedant	scholar who overemphasizes book learning and technicalities	noun	
pedantic	showing off learning; bookish	adjective	
pedestrian	ordinary, unimaginative	adjective	
pediatrician	expert in children's diseases	noun	
pediment	triangular part above columns in Greek buildings	noun	
pejorative	having a deteriorating or depreciating effect on the meaning of a word  	adjective	
pell-mell	in confusion; disorderly	adverb
pellucid	transparent; limpid; easy to understand	adjective	
penance	self-imposed punishment for sin	noun	
penchant	strong inclination; liking	noun	
pendant	hanging down from something	adjective	
penitent	repentant	adjective	
pensive	dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness	adjective	
penurious	stingy; parsimonious	adjective	
penury	extreme poverty	noun	
peon	unskilled laborer; drudge	noun	
perceptive	insightful; aware; wise	adjective	
percussion	striking one object against another sharply	adjective	
perdition	damnation; complete ruin	noun	
peregrination	journey	noun	
peremptory	demanding and leaving no choice	adjective	
perennial	something that is continuing or recent	noun	
perfidious	basely false	adjective	
perfidy	violation of a thrust	noun	
perforate	pierce; put a hole through	verb	
perfunctory	superficial; not thorough	adjective	*
perimeter	outer boundary	noun	
peripatetic	walking about; moving	adjective	
peripheral	marginal; outer	adjective	*
periphery	edge, especially of a round surface	noun	
perjury	false testimony while under oath	noun	
permeable	porous; allowing passage through	adjective	
permeate	pass through; spread	verb	
pernicious	very destructive	adjective	
perpetrate	commit an offense	verb	
perpetual	everlasting	adjective	
perquisite	any gain above stipulate salary	noun	
personable	attractive	adjective	
perspicacious	having insight; penetrating; astute	adjective	
perspicuity	clearness of expression; freedom from ambiguity	noun	
perspicuous	plainly expressed	adjective	
pert	impertinent; forward	adjective	
pertinacious	stubborn; persistent	adjective	
pertinent	suitable; to the point	adjective	
perturb	disturb greatly	verb	
perturbation	agitation	noun	*
perusal	reading	noun	
pervasive	spread throughout; permeating	adjective	*
perverse	stubborn; intractable	adjective	
perversion	corruption; turning from right to wrong	noun	
perversity	stubborn maintenance of a wrong cause	noun	
pessimism	belief that life is basically bad and evil; gloominess	noun	
pestilential	causing plague; baneful	adjective	
petrify	turn to stone	verb	
petty	trivial; unimportant; very small	adjective	
petulant	touchy, peevish	adjective	
pharisaical	pertaining to the Pharisees, who paid scrupulous attention to the tradition; self-righteous; hypocritical	adjective	
phenomena	observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation	noun	
philander	make love lightly; flirt	verb
philanthropist	lover of mankind; doer of good	noun	*
philistine	narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in material gain	noun
philology	study of language	noun
phlegmatic	calm; not easily disturbed	adjective
phobia	morbid fear	noun
physiognomy	face	noun
physiological	pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms	adjective
picaresque	pertaining to rogues in literature	adjective
piebald	molted; spotted	adjective
pied	variegated; multicolored	adjective
piety	religious devotion; godliness	noun	*
pillage	plunder	verb
pillory	punish by placing in a wooden frame and subjecting to ridicule	verb
pinion	restrain	verb
pinnacle	peak	noun
piquant	pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating	adjective
pique	irritation; resentment	noun
pithy	concise; meaty	adjective
pittance	small allowance or wage	noun
pivotal	crucial; key; vital	adjective
placate	pacify; conciliate	verb	*
placebo	harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill	noun
placid	peaceful; calm	adjective
plagiarism	theft of another's ideas or writing passed off as original	noun
plagiarize	steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own	verb
plaintive	mournful	adjective
platitude	trite remark; commonplace statement	noun
platonic	purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual desire	adjective
plauditory	approving; applauding	adjective
plausible	having a show of truth but open to doubt	adjective
plebeian	common; pertaining to the common people	adjective
plebiscite	expression of the will of a people by direct election	noun
plenary	complete; full	adjective
plenipotentiary	fully empowered	adjective
plenitude	abundance; completeness	noun
plethora	excess; overabundance	noun
plight	condition, state (especially a bad state or condition); predicament	noun
plumb	checking perpendicularly; vertical	adjective
podiatrist	doctor who treats ailments of the feet	noun
podium	pedestal; raised platform	noun
poignancy	quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion	noun	*
polarize	split into opposite extremes or camps	verb
polemic	controversy; argument in support of point of view	noun
politic	expedient; prudent; well devised	adjective
polity	form of government of nation or state	noun
polygamist	one who has more than one spouse at a time	noun
polyglot	speaking several languages	adjective
pomposity	self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt	noun
ponderous	weighty; unwieldy	adjective
porous	full of pores; like a sieve	adjective
portend	foretell; presage	verb
portent	sign; omen; forewarning	noun
portly	stately; stout	adjective
posterity	descendants; future generations	noun
posthumous	after death (as of a child born after father's death or book published after author's death)	adjective
postprandial	after dinner	adjective
postulate	self-evident truth	noun
potable	suitable for drinking	adjective
potent	powerful; persuasive; greatly influential	adjective	*
potentate	monarch; sovereign	noun
potential	expressing possibility; latent	adjective
potion	dose (of liquid)	noun
potpourri	heterogeneous mixture; medley	noun
poultice	soothing application applied to sore and inflamed portions of the body	noun
practicable	feasible	adjective
practical	based on experience; useful	adjective
pragmatic	practical; concerned with practical values	adjective	*
pragmatist	practical person	noun
prate	speak foolishly; boast idly	verb
prattle	babble	verb
preamble	introductory statement	noun
precarious	uncertain; risky	adjective	*
precedent	something preceding in time which may be used as an authority or guide for future decision	noun
precedent	preceding in time, rank, etc.	adjective
precept	practical rule guiding conduct	noun
precipice	cliff; dangerous position	noun
precipitate	headlong; rash	adjective
precipitous	steep	adjective
precise	exact	adjective
preclude	make impossible; eliminate	verb	*
precocious	advanced in development	adjective	*
precursor	forerunner	noun
predatory	plundering	adjective
predecessor	former occupant of a post	noun	*
predilection	partiality; preference	noun	*
preeminent	outstanding; superior	adjective
preempt	appropriate beforehand	verb
prefatory	introductory	adjective
prehensile	capable of gasping or holding	adjective
prelude	introduction; forerunner	noun
premeditate	plan in advance	verb
premise	assumption; postulate	noun
premonition	forewarning	noun
premonitory	serving to warn	adjective
preponderance	superiority of power, quantity, etc.	noun
preposterous	absurd; ridiculous	adjective
prerogative	privilege; unquestionable right	noun
presage	foretell	verb
presentiment	premonition; foreboding	noun
prestige	impression produced by achievements or reputation	noun
presumptuous	arrogant; taking liberties	adjective	*
pretentious	ostentatious; ambitious	adjective	*
preternatural	beyond that which is normal to nature	adjective
pretext	excuse	noun
prevail	induce; triumph over	verb
prevalent	widespread; generally accepted	adjective	*
prevaricate	lie	verb
prim	very precise and formal; exceedingly proper	adjective
primogeniture	seniority by birth	noun
primordial	existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary	adjective
primp	dress up	verb
pristine	characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled	adjective
privation	hardship; want	noun
privy	secret; hidden; not public	adjective
probe	explore with tools	verb
probity	uprightness; incorruptibility	noun
problematic	perplexing; unsettled; questionable	adjective
proboscis	long snout; nose	noun
proclivity	inclination; natural tendency	noun
procrastinate	postpone; delay	verb
prod	poke; stir up; urge	verb
prodigal	wasteful; reckless in money	adjective	*
prodigious	marvelous; enormous	adjective	*
prodigy	marvel; highly gifted child	noun
profane	violate; desecrate	verb
profligate	dissipated; wasteful; licentious	adjective
profound	deep; not superficial; complete	adjective	*
profusion	lavish expenditure; overabundant condition	noun	*
progenitor	ancestor	noun
progeny	children; offspring	noun
prognosis	forecasted course of a disease; prediction	noun
prognosticate	predict	verb
projectile	missile	noun
proletarian	member of the working class	noun
proliferation	rapid growth; spread; multiplication	noun	*
prolific	abundantly fruitful	adjective	*
prolix	verbose; drawn out	adjective
promiscuous	mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular; particularly sexually	adjective
promontory	headland	noun
promulgate	make known by official proclamation or publication	verb
prone	inclined to; prostrate	adjective
propagate	multiply; spread	verb
propellants	substances which propel or drive forward	noun
propensity	natural inclination	noun
prophylactic	used to prevent disease	adjective
propinquity	nearness; kinship	noun
propitiate	appease	verb
propitious	favorable; kindly	adjective
proponent	person who supports or proposes (an idea)	noun
propound	put forth for analysis	verb
propriety	fitness; correct conduct	noun
propulsive	driving forward	adjective
prosaic	commonplace; dull	adjective
proscribe	ostracize; banish; outlaw	verb
proselytize	convert to a religion or belief	verb
prosody	the art of versification	noun
prostrate	stretch out fill on ground	verb
protean	versatile; able to take many shapes	adjective
protégé	person under protection and support of a patron	noun
protocol	diplomatic etiquette	noun
prototype	original work used as a model by others	noun
protract	prolong	verb	*
protrude	stick out	verb
provenance	origin or source of something	noun
provender	dry food; fodder	noun
provident	displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies	adjective
provincial	pertaining to a province; limited	adjective
provisional	tentative	adjective
proviso	stipulation	noun
provoke	stir to anger; cause retaliation	verb	*
proximity	nearness	noun
proxy	authorized agent	noun
prude	excessively modest person	noun
prudent	cautious; careful	adjective	*
prune	cut away; trim	verb
prurient	based on lascivious thoughts	adjective
pseudonym	pen-name	noun
psyche	soul; mind	noun
psychiatrist	a doctor who treats mental diseases	noun
psychopathic	pertaining to mental derangement	adjective
psychosis	mental disorder	noun
pterodactyl	extinct flying reptile	noun
puerile	childish	adjective
pugilist	boxer	noun
pugnacious	combative; disposed to fight	adjective
puissant	powerful; strong; potent	adjective
pulchritude	beauty; comeliness	noun
pulmonary	pertaining to the lungs	adjective
pulsate	throb	verb
pummel	beat	verb
punctilious	laying stress on niceties of conduct, form; precise	adjective
pundit	learned Hindu; any learned man; authority on a subject	noun
pungent	stinging; caustic	adjective
punitive	punishing	adjective
puny	insignificant; tiny; weak	adjective
purchase	firm grasp or footing	noun
purgatory	place for spiritual expiation	noun
purge	clean by removing impurities; clear of charges	verb
purloin	steal	verb
purport	intention; meaning	noun
purveyor	furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer	noun
purview	scope	noun
pusillanimous	cowardly; fainthearted	adjective
putative	supposed; reputed	adjective
putrid	foul; rotten; decayed	adjective
pyromaniac	person with an insane desire to set things on fire	noun
quack	charlatan; impostor	noun
quadrupled	four-footed animal	noun
quaff	drink with relish	verb
quagmire	bog; marsh	noun
quail	cower; lose heart	verb
quaint	odd; old-fashioned; picturesque	adjective
qualified	limited; restricted	adjective	*
qualms	misgivings	noun
quandary	dilemma	noun	*
quarantine	isolation of person or ship to prevent spread of infection	noun
quarry	victim; object of a hunt	noun
quarry	dig into	verb
quay	dock; landing place	noun
queasy	easily nauseated; squeamish	adjective
quell	put down; quiet	verb
querulous	fretful; whining	adjective
queue	line	noun
quibble	equivocate; play on words	verb
quiescent	at rest; dormant	adjective
quietude	tranquillity	noun
quintessence	purest and highest embodiment	noun
quip	taunt	noun
quirk	startling twist; caprice	noun
quixotic	idealistic but impractical	adjective
quizzical	bantering; comical; humorously serious	adjective
quorum	number of members necessary to conduct a meeting	noun
rabid	like a fanatic; furious	adjective
raconteur	story-teller	noun
ragamuffin	person wearing tattered clothes	noun
rail	scold; rant	verb
raiment	clothing	noun
rakish	stylish; sporty	adjective
ramble	wonder aimlessly (physically or mentally)	verb
ramification	branching out; subdivision	noun
ramify	divide into branches or subdivisions	verb
ramp	slope; inclined plane	noun
rampant	rearing up on hind legs; unrestrained	adjective
rampart	defensive mound of earth	noun
ramshackle	rickety; falling apart	adjective
rancid	having the odor of stale fat	adjective
rancor	bitterness; hatred	noun
rankle	irritate; fester	verb
rant	rave; speak bombastically	verb
rapacious	excessively gasping; plundering	adjective
rapprochement	reconciliation	noun
rarefied	made less dense (of a gas)	adjective
raspy	grating; harsh	adjective
ratify	approve formally; verify	verb	*
ratiocination	reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises	noun
rationalization	bringing into conformity with reason	noun
rationalize	reason; justify an improper act	verb
raucous	harsh and shrill	adjective
ravage	plunder; despoil	verb
ravenous	extremely hungry	adjective
raze	destroy completely	verb
reactionary	recoiling from progress; retrograde	adjective
realm	kingdom; sphere	noun
rebate	discount	noun
rebuff	snub; beat back	verb	*
rebuttal	refutation; response with contrary evidence	noun	*
recalcitrant	obstinately stubborn	adjective
recant	repudiate; withdraw previous statement	verb
recapitulate	summarize	verb
receptive	quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc.	adjective
recession	withdrawal; retreat	noun
recidivism	habitual return to crime	noun
recipient	receiver	noun
reciprocal	mutual; exchangeable; interacting	adjective
reciprocate	repay in kind	verb
recluse	hermit	noun	*
reconcile	make friendly after quarrel; correct inconsistencies	verb
recondite	abstruse; profound; secret	adjective
reconnaissance	survey of enemy by soldiers; 	noun
recount	narrate or tell; count over again	verb
recourse	resorting to help when in trouble	noun
recreant	coward; betrayed of faith	noun
recrimination	countercharges	noun
rectify	correct	verb	*
rectitude	uprightedness	noun
recumbent	reclining; lying down completely or in part	adjective
recuperate	recover	verb
recurrent	occurring again and again	adjective
redolent	fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor	adjective
redoubtable	formidable; causing fear	adjective
redress	remedy; comprehension	noun
redundant	superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious	adjective	*
reek	emit (odor)	verb
refectory	dining hall	noun
refraction	bending of a ray of light	noun
refractory	stubborn; unmanageable	adjective
refurbish	renovate	verb
refutation	disproof of opponents' arguments	noun
refute	disprove	verb	*
regal	royal	adjective
regale	entertain	verb
regatta	boat or yacht race	noun
regeneration	spiritual rebirth	noun
regicide	murder of a king or queen	noun
regime	method or system of government	noun
regimen	prescribed diet and habits	noun
rehabilitate	restore to proper condition	verb
reimburse	repay	verb
reiterate	repeat	verb
rejuvenate	make young again	verb
relegate	banish; consign to inferior position	verb	*
relevancy	pertinence; reference to the case in hand	noun	*
relinquish	abandon	verb
relish	savor; enjoy	verb
remediable	reparable	adjective
remedial	curative; corrective	adjective
reminiscence	recollection	noun
remiss	negligent	adjective
remnant	remainder	noun
remonstrate	protest	verb
remorse	guilt; self-reproach	noun	*
remunerative	compensating; rewarding	adjective
rend	split; tear apart	verb
render	deliver; provide; represent	verb
rendezvous	meeting place	noun
rendition	translation; artistic interpretation of a song	noun
renegade	deserter; apostate	noun
renege	deny; go back on	verb
renounce	abandon; discontinue; disown; repudiate	verb	*
renovate	restore to good condition; renew	verb
renunciation	giving up; renouncing	verb
reparable	capable of being repaired	adjective
reparation	amends; compensation	noun
repartee	clever reply	noun
repellent	driving away; unattractive	adjective
repercussion	rebound; reverberation; reaction	noun
repertoire	list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present	noun
repine	fret; complain	verb
replenish	fill up again	verb
replete	filled to capacity; abundantly supplied	adjective
replica	copy	noun
replicate	reproduce; duplicate	verb
repository	storehouse	noun
reprehensible	deserving blame	adjective
repress	restrain; crush; oppress	verb
reprieve	temporary stay	noun
reprimand	reprove severely	verb	*
reprisal	retaliation	noun
reproach	blame; censure	noun
reprobation	severe disapproval	noun
reprove	censure; rebuke	verb	*
repudiate	disown; disavow	verb	*
repugnance	loathing	noun
repulsion	act of driving back; distaste	noun
reputed	supposed	adjective
requiem	mass for the dead; dirge	noun
requisite	necessary requirement	noun
requite	repay; revenge	verb
rescind	cancel	verb
reserve	self-control; formal but distant manner	noun	*
residue	remainder; balance	noun
resigned	unresisting; patiently submissive	adjective	*
resilient	elastic; having the power of springing back	adjective
resolution	determination	noun
resolve	determination	noun	*
resonant	echoing; resounding; possessing resonance	adjective
respite	delay in punishment; interval of relief; rest	noun
resplendent	brilliant; lustrous	adjective
responsiveness	state of reacting readily to appeals	noun
restitution	reparation; indemnification	noun
restive	unmanageable; fretting under control	adjective
restraint	controlling force	noun
resurgent	rising again after defeat, etc.	adjective
resuscitate	revive	verb
retaliation	repayment in kind (usually for bad treatment)	noun
retentive	holding; having a good memory	adjective
reticence	reserve; uncommunicativeness; inclination to be silent	noun	*
retinue	following; attendants	noun
retiring	modest; shy	adjective
retort	quick, sharp reply	noun
retract	withdraw; take back	verb	*
retrench	cut down; economize	verb
retribution	vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses	noun
retrieve	recover; find and bring in	verb
retroactive	of a law which dates back to a period before its enactment	adjective
retrograde	go backwards; degenerate, instead of advancing	verb
retrospective	looking back on the past	adjective
revelry	boisterous merrymaking	noun
reverberate	echo; resound	verb
reverent	respectful; worshipful	adjective	*
reverie	daydream; musing	noun
revile	slander; vilify	verb
revulsion	sudden violent change of feeling; reaction	noun
rhapsodize	to speak or write in an exaggerately enthusiastic matter	verb
rhetoric	art of effective communication; insincere language	noun
rhetorical	pertaining to effective communication; insincere language	adjective
ribald	wanton; profane	adjective
rider	amendment or clause added to a legislative bill	noun
rife	abundant; current	adjective
rift	opening; break	noun
rigor	severity	noun
risible	inclined to laugh; ludicrous	adjective
risqué	verging upon the improper; offcolor	adjective
roan	brown mixed with gray or white	adjective
robust	vigorous; strong	adjective
rococo	ornate; highly decorated	adjective
roil	to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment	verb
roseate	rosy; optimistic	adjective
roster	list	noun
rostrum	platform for speech-making; pulpit	noun
rote	repetition	noun
rotunda	circular building or hall covered with a dome	noun
rotundity	roundness; sonorousness of speech	noun
rout	stampede; drive out	verb
rubble	broken fragments	noun
ruddy	reddish; healthy-looking	adjective
rudimentary	not developed; elementary	adjective	*
rueful	regretful; sorrowful; dejected	adjective
ruffian	bully; scoundrel	noun
ruminate	chew the cud; ponder	verb
rummage	ransack; thoroughly search	verb
ruse	trick; stratagem	noun
rustic	pertaining to country people; uncouth	adjective
rusticate	banish to the country; dwell in the country	verb
ruthless	pitiless	adjective
saccharine	cloyingly sweet	adjective
sacrilegious	desecrating; profane	adjective
sacrosanct	most sacred; inviolable	adjective
sadistic	inclined to cruelty	adjective
saga	Scandinavian myth; any legend	noun
sagacious	keen; shrewd; having insight	adjective	*
salient	prominent	adjective
saline	salty	adjective
sallow	yellowish; sickly in color	adjective
salubrious	healthful	adjective
salutary	tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome	adjective
salvage	rescue from loss	verb
sanctimonious	displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness	adjective
sanction	approve; ratify	verb	*
sangfroid	coolness in a trying situation	noun
sanguinary	bloody	adjective
sanguine	cheerful; hopeful	adjective
sarcasm	scornful remarks; stinging rebuke	noun
sarcophagus	stone coffin, often highly decorated	noun
sardonic	disdainful; sarcastic; cynical	adjective
sartorial	pertaining to tailors	adjective
sate	satisfy to the full; cloy	verb
satellite	small body revolving around a larger one	noun
satiate	surfeit; satisfy fully	verb
satiety	condition of being crammed full; glutted state; repletion	noun
satire	form of literature in which irony; sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly	noun
satirical	mocking	adjective	*
saturate	soak	verb	*
saturnine	gloomy	adjective
satyr	half-human, half-bestial being in the court of Dionysus, portrayed as wanton and cunning	noun
saunter	stroll slowly	verb
savant	scholar	noun
savoir faire	tact; poise; sophistication	noun
savory	tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable	adjective	*
scanty	meager; insufficient	adjective	*
scapegoat	someone who bears the blame for others	noun
scavenger	collector and disposer of refuse; animal that devours refuse and carrion	noun
schism	division; split	noun
scintilla	shred; least bit	noun
scintillate	sparkle; flash	verb
scion	offspring	noun
scoff	mock; ridicule	verb
scourge	lash; whip; severe punishment	noun
scrupulous	conscientious; extremely thorough	adjective	*
scrutinize	examine closely and critically	verb	*
scullion	menial kitchen worker	noun
scurrilous	obscene; indecent	adjective
scurry	move briskly	verb
scuttle	scurry; run with short; rapid steps	verb
scuttle	sink	verb
sebaceous	oily; fatty	adjective
secession	withdrawal	noun
seclusion	isolation; solitude	noun	*
secrete	hide away; produce and release a substance into an organism	verb
sectarian	relating to a religious fraction or subgroup; narrow-minded; limited	adjective	*
secular	worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal	adjective
sedate	composed; grave	adjective
sedentary	requiring sitting	adjective
sedition	resistance to authority; insubordination	noun
sedulous	diligent	adjective
seethe	be disturbed; boil	verb
seine	net for catching fish	noun
seismic	pertaining to earthquakes	adjective
semblance	outward appearance; guise	noun
senility	old age; feeble mindedness of old age	noun
sensual	devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptuous	adjective
sensuous	pertaining to the physical senses; operating through the senses	adjective
sententious	terse; concise; aphoristic	adjective
septic	putrid; producing putrefaction	adjective
sepulcher	tomb	noun
sequester	retire from public life; segregate; seclude	verb
seraph	high-ranking, six-winged angel	noun
serendipity	gift for finding valuable things not searched for	noun
serenity	calmness; placidity	noun
serpentine	winding; twisting	adjective
serrated	having a sawtoothed edge	adjective
servile	slavish; cringing	adjective	*
severance	division; partition; separation	noun
severity	harshness; plainness	noun
shackle	chain; fetter	verb
sham	pretend	verb
shambles	slaughterhouse; science of carnage	noun
sheaf	bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together	noun
sheathe	place into a case	verb
sherbet	flavored dessert ice	noun
shimmer	glimmer intermittently	verb
shoddy	sham; not genuine; inferior	adjective
shrew	scolding woman	noun
shrewd	clever; astute	adjective
sibling	brother or sister	noun
silt	sediment deposited by running water	noun
simian	monkeylike	adjective
simile	comparison of one thing with another, using the word "like" or "as"	noun
similitude	similarity; using comparisons such as similes	noun
simpering	smirking	adjective
simulate	feign	verb
sinecure	well-paid position with little responsibility	noun
sinewy	tough; strong and firm	adjective
singular	unique; extraordinary; odd	adjective
sinister	evil	adjective
sinuous	winding; bending in and out; not morally honest	adjective
sirocco	warm, sultry wind blown from Africa to southern Europe	noun
skeptic	doubter; person who suspends judgment until he has examined the evidence supporting a point of view	noun	*
skimp	provide scantily; live very economically	verb
skinflint	miser	noun
skirmish	minor fight	noun
skittish	lively; frisky	adjective
skullduggery	dishonest behavior	noun
skulk	move furtively and secretly	verb
slacken	slow up; loosen	verb
slake	quench; sate	verb
slander	defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements	noun
sleazy	flimsy; unsubstantial	adjective
sleeper	something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes very valuable	noun
sleight	dexterity	noun
slither	slip or slide	verb
sloth	laziness	noun
slough	cast off	verb
slovenly	untidy; careless in work habits	adjective
sluggard	lazy person	noun
sluggish	slow; lazy; lethargic	adjective
sluice	artificial channel for directing or controlling the flow of water	noun
smattering	slight knowledge	noun
smirk	conceited smile	noun
smolder	burn without flame; be liable to break out in any moment	verb
snicker	half-stiffed laugh	noun
snivel	run at the nose; snuffle; whine	verb
sobriety	soberness	noun
sobriquet	nickname	noun
sodden	soaked; dull, as if from drink	adjective
sojourn	temporary stay	noun
solace	comfort in trouble	noun
solecism	construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically	noun
solemnity	seriousness; gravity	noun	*
solicit	request earnestly; seek	verb
solicitous	worried; concerned	adjective
soliloquy	talking to oneself	noun
solstice	point at which the sun is farthest from the equator	noun
solvent	able to pay all debts	adjective
somber	gloomy; depressing	adjective	*
somnambulist	sleepwalker	noun
somnolent	half asleep	adjective
sonorous	resonant	adjective
sophist	teacher of philosophy; quibbler; employer of fallacious reasoning	noun
sophistication	artificiality; unnaturalness; act of employing sophistry in reasoning	noun
sophistry	seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning	noun
sophomoric	immature; shallow	adjective
soporific	sleep producer	adjective
sordid	filthy; base; vile	adjective
soupçon	suggestion; hint; taste	noun
spangle	small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation	noun
sparse	not thick; thinly scattered; scanty	adjective
spasmodic	fitful; periodic	adjective
spate	sudden flood or strong outburst; a large number or amount	noun
spatial	relating to space	adjective
spatula	broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing	noun
spawn	lay eggs	verb
specious	seemingly reasonable but incorrect	adjective
spectral	ghostly	adjective
spectrum	colored band produced when beam of light passes through a prism	noun
spendthrift	someone who wastes money	noun	*
sphinx-like	enigmatic; mysterious	adjective
splenetic	spiteful; irritable; peevish	adjective
spontaneity	lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint	noun
spoonerism	accidental transposition of sounds in successive words	noun
sporadic	occurring irregularly	adjective
sportive	playful	adjective
spry	vigorously active; nimble	adjective
spume	froth; foam	noun
spurious	false; counterfeit	adjective
spurn	reject; scorn	verb
squalid	dirty; neglected; poor	adjective
squander	waste	verb	*
staccato	played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt sharp sound	adjective
stagnant	motionless; stale; dull	adjective	*
staid	sober; sedate	adjective
stalemate	deadlock	noun
stalwart	strong; brawny; steadfast	adjective
stamina	strength; staying power	noun
stanch	check flow of blood	verb
stanza	division of a poem	noun	*
static	unchanging; lacking development	adjective	*
statue	law	noun
statutory	created by statute or legislative action	adjective
steadfast	loyal	adjective	*
stein	beer mug	noun
stellar	pertaining to the stars	adjective
stern	check the flow	verb
stem from	arise from	verb
stentorian	extremely loud	adjective
stereotyped	fixed and unvarying representation	adjective
stigma	token of disgrace; brand	noun
stigmatize	brand; mark as wicked	verb
stilted	bombastic; inflated	adjective
stint	supply; allotted demand; assigned portion of work	noun
stipend	pay for services	noun
stipulate	make express conditions; specify	verb
stoic	person who is indifferent to pleasure or pain	noun	*
stoke	to feed plentifully	verb
stolid	dull; impassive	adjective
stratagem	deceptive scheme	noun
stratum	layer of earth's surface; layer of society	noun
striated	marked with parallel bands; grooved	adjective
stricture	critical comments; severe and adverse criticism	noun
strident	loud and harsh	adjective
stringent	blinding; rigid	adjective
strut	pompous walk	noun
strut	supporting bar	noun
stultify	cause to appear foolish or inconsistent	verb
stupefy	make numb; stun; amaze	verb	*
stupor	state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness	noun
stygian	gloomy; hellish; deathly	adjective
stymie	present an obstacle; stump	verb
suavity	urbanity; polish	noun
subaltern	subordinate	noun
subjective	occurring or taking place within the subject; unreal	adjective
subjugate	conquer; bring under control	verb
sublimate	refine; purify	verb
sublime	exalted; noble; uplifting	adjective
subliminal	below the threshold	adjective
submissive	yielding; timid	adjective	*
subsequent	following; later	adjective
subservient	behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious	adjective
subside	settle down; descend; grow quiet	verb
subsidiary	subordinate; secondary	adjective
subsidy	direct financial aid by government, etc.	noun
subsistence	existence; means of support; livelihood	noun
substantiate	verify; support	verb
substantive	essential; pertaining to the substance	adjective
subterfuge	pretense; evasion	noun
subtlety	nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy	noun	*
subversive	tending to overthrow or ruin	adjective
succinct	brief; terse; compact	adjective	*
succor	aid; assistance; relief	noun
succulent	juicy; full of richness	adjective
succumb	yield; give in; die	verb
suffuse	spread over	verb
sully	tarnish; soil	verb
sultry	sweltering	adjective
summation	act of finding the total; summary	noun
sumptuous	lavish; rich;	adjective
sunder	separate; part	verb
sundry	various; several	adjective
superannuated	retired on pension because of age	adjective
supercilious	contemptuous; haughty	adjective
superficial	trivial; shallow	adjective
superfluous	excessive; overabundant; unnecessary	adjective	*
superimpose	place over something else	verb
supernal	heavenly; celestial	adjective
supernumerary	person or thing in excess of what is necessary; extra	noun
supersede	cause to be set aside; replace	verb
supine	lying on back	adjective
supplant	replace; usurp	verb
supple	flexible; pliant	adjective
suppliant	entreating; beseeching	adjective
supplicate	petition humbly; pray to grant a favor	verb
supposition	hypothesis; the act of supposing	noun
suppress	crush; subdue; inhibit	verb
surcease	cessation	noun
surfeit	cloy; overfeed	verb
surly	rude; cross	adjective
surmise	guess	verb
surmount	overcome	verb
surpass	exceed	verb	*
surreptitious	secret	adjective	*
surrogate	substitute	noun
surveillance	watching; guarding	noun
susceptible	impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a disease	adjective
sustain	experience; support; nourish	verb	*
sustenance	means of support, food, nourishment	noun
suture	stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing	noun
swarthy	dark; dusky	adjective
swathe	wrap around; bandage	verb
swelter	be oppressed by heat	verb
swerve	deviate; turn aside sharply	verb
swindler	cheat	noun
sybarite	lover of luxury	noun
sycophant	servile flatterer	noun	*
syllogism	logical formula utilizing a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion	noun
sylvan	pertaining to the woods; rustic	adjective
symmetry	arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity	noun
synchronous	similarly timed; simultaneous with	adjective
synoptic	providing a general overview; summary	adjective
synthesis	combining parts into a whole	noun
synthetic	artificial; resulting from synthesis	adjective
tacit	understood; not put into words	adjective
taciturn	habitually silent; talking little	adjective	*
tactile	pertaining to the organs or sense of touch	adjective
tainted	contaminated; corrupt	adjective
talisman	charm	noun
talon	claw of bird	noun
tangential	peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing	adjective
tangible	able to be touched; real; palpable	adjective
tantalize	tease; torture with disappointment	verb
tantamount	equal	adjective
tantrum	fit of petulance; caprice	noun
taper	candle	noun
tarantula	venomous spider	noun
tarn	small mountain lake	noun
tarry	delay; dawdle	verb
tatterdemalion	ragged fellow	noun
taurine	like a bull	adjective
taut	tight; ready	adjective
tautological	needlessly repetitious	adjective
tautology	unnecessary repetitions; pleonasm	noun
tawdry	cheap and gaudy	adjective
tedious	boring; tiring	adjective	*
temerity	boldness; rashness	noun
temper	moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel)	verb
temperate	restrained; self-controlled	adjective
tempo	speed of music	noun
temporal	not lasting forever; limited by time; secular	adjective
temporize	avoid committing oneself; gain time	verb
tenacious	holding fast	adjective
tenacity	firmness; persistency; adhesiveness	noun
tendentious	having and aim; biased; designed to further a cause	adjective
tenet	doctrine; dogma	noun
tensile	capable of being stretched	adjective
tentative	provisional; experimental	adjective	*
tenuous	thin; rare; slim	adjective
tenure	holding of an office; time during which such and office is held	noun
tepid	lukewarm	adjective
termagant	shrew, scolding, brawling woman	noun
terminate	bring to an end	verb
terminology	terms used in a science or art	noun
terminus	last stop of railroad	noun
terrapin	American marsh tortoise	noun
terrestrial	on the earth	adjective
terse	concise; abrupt; pithy	adjective	*
tertiary	third	adjective
tessellated	inlaid; mosaic	adjective
testator	maker of a will	noun
testy	irritable; short-tempered	ad.
tether	tie with a rope	verb
thaumaturgist	miracle worker; magician	noun
thematic	relating to a unifying motif or idea	adjective
theocracy	government of a community by religious leaders	noun
therapeutic	curative	adjective
thermal	pertaining to heat	adjective
thespian	pertaining to drama	adjective
thrall	slave; bondage	noun
threnody	song of lamentation; dirge	noun
thrifty	careful about money; economical	adjective
thrive	prosper; flourish	verb
throes	violent anguish	noun
throng	crowd	noun
throttle	strange	verb
thwart	baffle; frustrate	verb
thyme	aromatic plant used for seasoning	noun
timbre	quality of a musical tone produced by a musical instrument	noun
timidity	lack of self-confidence or courage	noun
timorous	fearful; demonstrating fear	adjective
tipple	drink (alcoholic beverages) frequently	verb
tirade	extended scolding; denunciation	noun	*
titanic	gigantic	adjective
tithe	tax of one-tenth	noun
titillate	tickle	verb
titter	nervous laugh	noun
titular	nominal holding of title without obligations	adjective
toady	flatter of favors	verb
toga	Roman outer robe	noun
tome	large volume	noun
topography	physical features of a region	noun
torpid	dormant; dull; lethargic	adjective	*
torpor	lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy	noun
torso	trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk	noun
tortilla	flat cake made of cornmeal, etc.	noun
tortuous	winding; full of curves	adjective
touchstone	stone used to test the fitness of gold alloys; criterion	noun
touchy	sensitive; irascible	adjective
toxic	poisonous	adjective
tract	pamphlet; a region of indefinite size	noun
tractable	docile	adjective
traduce	expose to slander	verb
trajectory	path taken by a projectile	noun
tranquillity	calmness; peace	noun
transcend	exceed; surpass	verb
transcribe	copy	verb
transgression	violation of law; sin	noun
transient	fleeting; quickly passing away; staying for a short time	adjective
transition	going from one state of action to another	noun
transitory	impermanent; fleeting	adjective
translucent	partly transparent	adjective
transmute	change; convert to something different	verb
transparent	permitting light to pass through freely; easily detected	adjective
transpire	exhale; become known; happen	verb
trappings	outward decorations; ornaments	noun
traumatic	pertaining to an injury caused by violence	adjective
travail	painful labor	noun
traverse	go through or across	verb
travesty	comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous	noun
treatise	article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly	noun
trek	travel; journey	noun
tremor	trembling; slight quiver	noun
tremulous	trembling; wavering	adjective
trenchant	cutting; keen	adjective
trepidation	fear; trembling agitation	noun	*
tribulation	distress; suffering	noun
tribunal	court of justice	noun
tribute	tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect	noun
trident	three-pronged spear	noun
trilogy	group of three works	noun
trite	hackneyed; commonplace	adjective	*
trivia	trifles; unimportant matters	noun	*
troth	pledge of good faith especially in betrothal	noun
truckle	curry favor; act in an obsequious way	verb
truculent	aggressive; savage	adjective
truism	self-evident truth	noun
trumpery	objects that are showy, valueless, deceptive	noun
truncate	cut the top off	verb
tryst	meeting	noun
tumult	commotion; riot; noise	noun
tundra	rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America	noun
turbid	muddy; having the sediment disturbed	adjective
turbulence	state of violent agitation	noun	*
tureen	deep table dish for holding soup	noun
turgid	swollen; distended	adjective
turmoil	confusion; strife	noun
turpitude	depravity	noun
tutelage	guardianship; training	noun
tutelary	protective; pertaining to a guardianship	adjective
tycoon	wealthy leader	noun
tyranny	oppression; cruel government	noun
tyro	beginner; novice	noun
ubiquitous	being everywhere; omnipresent	adjective
ulterior	situated beyond; unstated	adjective
ultimate	final; not susceptible to further analysis	adjective
ultimatum	last demand; warning	noun
umbrage	resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult	noun
unanimity	complete agreement	noun
unassuaged	unsatisfied; not soothed	adjective
unassuming	modest	adjective
unbridled	violent	adjective
uncanny	strange; mysterious	adjective
unconscionable	unscrupulous; excessive	adjective
uncouth	outlandish; clumsy; boorish	adjective
unctuous	oily; bland; insincerely suave	adjective
undermine	weaken; sap	verb
undulate	move with a wavelike motion	verb
unearth	dig up	verb
unearthly	not earthy; weird	adjective
unequivocal	plain; obvious; unmistakable	adjective
unerringly	infallibly	adjective
unfaltering	steadfast	adjective
unfeigned	genuine; real	adjective
unfledged	immature	adjective
unfrock	strip a priest or minister of church authority	verb
ungainly	awkward	adjective
unguent	ointment	noun
uniformity	sameness; monotony	noun	*
unilateral	one-sided	adjective
unimpeachable	blameless and exemplary	adjective
uninhibited	unrepressed	adjective
unique	without an equal; single in kind	adjective
unison	unity of pitch; complete accord	noun
unkempt	disheveled; with uncared-for appearance	adjective	*
unmitigated	harsh; severe; not lightened	adjective
universal	characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere	adjective
unobtrusive	inconspicuous; not blatant	adjective	*
unprecedented	novel; unparalleled	adjective	*
unruly	disobedient; lawless	adjective
unsavory	distasteful; morally offensive	adjective
unscathed	unharmed	adjective
unseemly	unbecoming; indecent	adjective
unsullied	untarnished	adjective
untenable	insupportable	adjective
untoward	unfortunate; annoying	adjective
unwarranted	unjustified; groundless; undeserved	adjective	*
unwitting	unintentional; not knowing	adjective
unwonted	unaccustomed	adjective
upbraid	scold; reproach	verb
upshot	outcome	noun
urbane	suave; refined; elegant	adjective
urchin	mischievous child (usually a boy)	noun
ursine	bearlike; pertaining to a bear	adjective
usurpation	act of seizing power and rank of another	noun
usury	lending money at illegal rates of interest	noun
utopia	imaginary land with perfect social and political system	noun
vacillation	fluctuation; wavering	noun	*
vacuous	empty; inane	adjective
vagabond	wanderer; tramp	noun
vagrant	a homeless wanderer	noun	*
vainglorious	boastful; excessively conceited	adjective
valedictory	pertaining to farewell	adjective
valid	logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable	adjective
validate	confirm; ratify	verb
valor	bravery	noun
vampire	ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living	noun
vanguard	forerunners; advance forces	noun
vantage	position giving an advantage	noun
vapid	insipid; insane	adjective
vassal	in feudalism, one who held land of a superior lord	noun
vaunted	boasted; bragged; highly publicized	adjective
veer	change in direction	verb
vegetate	live in a monotonous way	verb
vehement	impetuous; with marked vigor	adjective
vellum	parchment	noun
velocity	speed	noun
venal	capable of being bribed	adjective
vendetta	blood feud	noun
vendor	seller	noun
veneer	thin layer; cover	noun
venerable	deserving high respect	adjective
venerate	revere	verb	*
venial	forgivable; trivial	adjective
venison	the meat of a deer	noun
vent	small opening; outlet	noun
vent	express; utter	verb
ventral	abdominal	adjective
ventriloquist	someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person or thing	noun
venturesome	bold	adjective
venturous	daring	adjective
venue	location	noun
veracious	truthful	adjective
verbalize	to put into words	verb
verbatim	word for word	adverb
verbiage	pompous array of words	noun
verbose	wordy	adjective	*
verdant	green; fresh	adjective
verge	border; edge	noun
verisimilitude	appearance of truth; likelihood	noun
verity	truth; reality	noun
vernacular	living language; natural style	noun
vernal	pertaining to spring	adjective
versatile	having many talents; capable of working in many fields	adjective
vertex	summit	noun
vertigo	dizziness	noun
verve	enthusiasm; liveliness	noun
vestige	trace; remains	noun
vex	annoy; distress	noun
viable	capable of maintaining life	adjective	*
viand	food	noun
vicarious	acting as a substitute; done by a deputy	adjective
vicissitude	change of fortune	noun
victuals	food	noun
vie	contend; compete	verb
vigilance	watchfulness	noun
vignette	picture; short literary sketch	noun
vigor	active strength	noun
vilify	slander	verb	*
vindicate	clear of charges	verb
vindictive	revengeful	adjective
viper	poisonous snake	noun
virile	manly	adjective
virtual	in essence; for particular purposes	adjective
virtue	goodness; moral excellence; good quality	noun
virtuoso	highly skilled artist	noun	*
virulent	extremely poisonous	adjective	*
virus	disease communicator	noun
visage	face; appearance	noun
visceral	felt in one's inner organs	adjective
viscous	sticky; gluey	adjective
visionary	produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical	adjective
vital	vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing	adjective
vitiate	spoil the effect of; make inoperative	verb
vitreous	pertaining to or resembling glass	adjective
vitriolic	corrosive; sarcastic	adjective
vituperative	abusive; scolding	adjective
vivacious	animated; gay	adjective
vivisection	act of dissecting living animals	noun
vixen	female fox; ill-tempered woman	noun
vociferous	clamorous; noisy	adjective
vogue	popular fashion	noun
volatile	evaporating rapidly; lighthearted; mercurial	adjective	*
volition	act of making a conscious choice	noun
voluble	fluent; glib	adjective
voluminous	bulky; large	adjective
voluptuous	gratifying the senses	adjective
voracious	ravenous	adjective
vouchsafe	grant condescendingly; guarantee	verb
vulnerable	susceptible to wounds	adjective
vulpine	like a fox; crafty	adjective
vying	contending	verb
waft	moved gently by wind or waves	verb
waggish	mischievous; humorous; tricky	adjective
waif	homeless child or animal	noun
waive	give up temporarily; yield	verb
wallow	roll in; indulge in; become helpless	verb
wan	having a pale or sickly color; pallid	adjective
wane	grow gradually smaller	verb
wangle	wiggle out; fake	verb
wanton	unruly; unchaste; excessive	adjective
warble	sing; babble	verb
warrant	justify; authorize	verb
warranty	guarantee; assurance by seller	noun
warren	tunnels in which rabbits live; crowded conditions in which people live	noun
wary	very cautious	adjective
wastrel	profligate	noun
wax	increase; grow	verb
waylay	ambush; lie in want	verb
wean	accustom a baby not to nurse; give up a cherished activity	verb
weather	endure the effect of weather or other forces	verb
welt	mark from a beating or whipping	noun
wheedle	cajole; coax; deceive by flattery	verb
whelp	young wolf, dog, tiger, etc.	noun
whet	sharpen; stimulate	verb
whimsical	capricious; fanciful; quaint	adjective	*
whinny	neigh like a horse	verb
whit	smallest speck	noun
whorl	ring of leaves around stem; ring	noun
willful	intentional; headstrong	adjective
wily	cunning; artful	adjective
wince	shrink back; flinch	verb
windfall	unexpected lucky event	noun
winnow	sift; separate good parts from bad	verb
winsome	agreeable; gracious; engaging	adjective
wispy	thin; slight; barely discernible	adjective
wistful	vaguely longing; sadly thoughtful	adjective
wither	shrivel; decay	verb
witless	foolish; idiotic	adjective
witticism	witty saying; facetious remark	noun
wizardry	sorcery; magic	noun
wizened	withered; shriveled	adjective
wont	custom, habitual procedure	noun
worldly	engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual	adjective
wraith	ghost; phantom of a living person	noun
wrangle	quarrel; obtain through arguing	verb
wrath	anger; fury	noun
wreak	inflict	verb
wrench	pull; strain; twist	verb
wrest	pull away; take by violence	verb
writhe	squirm; twist	verb
wry	twisted; with a humorous twist	adjective
xenophobia	fear or hatred of foreigners	noun
yen	longing; urge	noun
yeoman	man owning small estate; middle-class farmer	noun
yield	give in; surrender	verb
yield	amount produced; crop; income on investment	noun
yoke	join together; unite	verb
yokel	country bumpkin	noun
yore	time-past	noun
zany	crazy; comic	adjective
zealot	fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal	noun
zenith	point directly overhead in the sky; summit	noun
zephyr	gentle breeze; west wind	noun

    Source: geocities.com/francis_abraham/english/words

               ( geocities.com/francis_abraham/english)                   ( geocities.com/francis_abraham)