aberrant

adj. markedly different from an accepted norm; noun one whose behavior departs substantially from
the norm of a group

abeyance

noun temporary cessation or suspension

abscond

verb run away; usually includes taking something or somebody along

abstemious

adj. sparing in consumption of especially food and drink; marked by temperance in indulgence

admonish

verb take to task; admonish or counsel in terms of someone's behavior; warn strongly; put on guard

aesthetic

adj. concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste; aesthetically pleasing;

relating to or dealing with the subject of aesthetics; noun (philosophy) a philosophical theory as to what
is beautiful

aggregate

adj. gathered or tending to gather into a mass or whole; formed of separate units in a cluster; noun a
sum total of many heterogenous things taken together; the whole amount; verbgather in a mass, sum,
or whole; amount in the aggregate to

alacrity
noun liveliness and eagerness

amalgamate

adj. joined together into a whole; verb to bring or combine together or with something else

ambiguous

adj. having more than one possible meaning; having no intrinsic or objective meaning; not organized in
conventional patterns; open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or
(often) intended to mislead

ambivalence

noun mixed feelings or emotions

ameliorate

verb get better; to make better

anachronism

noun an artifact that belongs to another time; a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs
to another age; something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred

analogous

adj. corresponding in function but not in evolutionary origin; similar or equivalent in some respects
though otherwise dissimilar

anomalous

adj. deviating from the general or common order or type

antipathy

noun the object of a feeling of intense aversion; something to be avoided; a feeling of intense dislike

apprise

verb increase the value of; gain in value; make aware of;inform (somebody) of something

approbation

noun official recognition or approval; official approval

appropriate

adj. suitable for a particular person or place or condition etc; suitable and fitting; meant or adapted for
an occasion or use; being of striking appropriateness and pertinence;appropriate for achieving a
particular end; implies a lack of concern for fairness; verb take possession of by force, as after an
invasion;give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause

artless

adj. simple and natural; without cunning or deceit; (of persons) lacking art or knowledge; showing lack
of art;characterized by an inability to mask your feelings; not devious

ascetic

adj. practicing great self-denial; pertaining to or characteristic of an ascetic or the practice of rigorous
self-discipline; noun someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline

assiduous

adj. marked by care and persistent effort

assuage
verb provide physical relief, as from pain; satisfy (thirst);cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the
good will of

attenuate

adj. reduced in strength; verb become weaker, in strength, value, or magnitude; weaken the consistency
of (a chemical substance)

audacious

adj. disposed to venture or take risks; unrestrained by convention or propriety; invulnerable to fear or
intimidation

austere

adj. of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor; forbidding in aspect; severely simple; practicing great self-
denial

autonomous

adj. (of persons) free from external control and constraint in e.g. action and judgment; existing as an
independent entity; (of political bodies) not controlled by outside forces

aver

verb to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true; report or maintain

banal

adj. repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse

belie

verb represent falsely; be in contradiction with

beneficent

adj. doing or producing good; generous in assistance to the poor

bombastic

adj. ostentatiously lofty in style

boorish

adj. ill-mannered and coarse and contemptible in behavior or appearance

burgeon

verb grow and flourish

burnish

noun the property of being smooth and shiny; verb polish and make shiny

buttress

noun a support usually of stone or brick; supports the wall of a building; verb make stronger or
defensible; reinforce with a buttress

cacophonous

adj. having an unpleasant sound

capricious

adj. determined by chance or impulse or whim rather than by necessity or reason; changeable
castigation

noun verbal punishment; a severe scolding

catalyst

noun something that causes an important event to happen; (chemistry) a substance that initiates or
accelerates a chemical reaction without itself being affected

causality

noun the relation between causes and effects

chicanery

noun the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)

coagulate

adj. transformed from a liquid into a soft semisolid or solid mass; verb change from a liquid to a
thickened or solid state;cause to change from a liquid to a solid or thickened state

coda

noun the closing section of a musical composition

commensurate

adj. corresponding in size or degree or extent

compendium

noun a concise but comprehensive summary of a larger work; a publication containing a variety of works
complaisant

adj. showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others

conciliatory

adj. intended or likely to overcome animosity or hostility; making or willing to make concessions

confound

verb mistake one thing for another; be confusing or perplexing to; cause to be unable to think clearly

connoisseur

noun an expert able to appreciate a field; especially in the fine arts

contention

noun a point asserted as part of an argument; the act of competing as for profit or a prize; a contentious
speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement

contentious

adj. involving or likely to cause controversy; inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree,
even to engage in law suits

conundrum

noun a difficult problem

conventional

adj. following accepted customs and proprieties;unimaginative and conformist; (weapons) using energy
for propulsion or destruction that is not nuclear energy; in accord with or being a tradition or practice
accepted from the past; conforming with accepted standards; represented in simplified or symbolic
form; rigidly formal or bound by convention

convoluted

adj. rolled or coiled together; highly complex or intricate

craven

adj. lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful; noun an abject coward

decorum

noun propriety in manners and conduct

deference

noun a courteous expression (by word or deed) of esteem or regard; courteous regard for people's
feelings; a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others

delineate

adj. represented accurately or precisely; verb describe in vivid detail; trace the shape of; make a mark or
lines on a surface; determine the essential quality of; show the form or outline of

denigrate

verb charge falsely or with malicious intent; attack the good name and reputation of someone; cause to
seem less serious; play down

derivative

adj. resulting from or employing derivation; noun(linguistics) a word that is derived from another word;
the result of mathematical differentiation; the instantaneous change of one quantity relative to another;
df(x)/dx; a financial instrument whose value is based on another security
desiccate

adj. lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; verb lose water or moisture; remove water from; preserve by
removing all water and liquids from

desultory

adj. marked by lack of definite plan or regularity or purpose; jumping from one thing to another

diatribe

noun thunderous verbal attack

dichotomy

noun being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses

diffidence

noun lack of self-confidence

diffuse

adj. spread out; not concentrated in one place; lacking conciseness; (of light) transmitted from a broad
light source or reflected; verb move outward; cause to become widely known;spread or diffuse through

digression

noun wandering from the main path of a journey; a message that departs from the main subject; a
turning aside (of your course or attention or concern)

dirge

noun a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person

disabuse

verb free somebody (from an erroneous belief)

discerning

adj. having or revealing keen insight and good judgment; able to make or detect effects of great
subtlety; sensitive;unobtrusively perceptive and sympathetic; quick to understand

discordant

adj. not in agreement or harmony; lacking in harmony

discredit

noun the state of being held in low esteem; verb cause to be distrusted or disbelieved; damage the
reputation of; reject as false; refuse to accept

discrepancy

noun a difference between conflicting facts or claims or opinions; an event that departs from
expectations

discrete

adj. constituting a separate entity or part

disingenuous

adj. not straightforward or candid; giving a false appearance of frankness

disinterested

adj. unaffected by self-interest

disjointed

adj. separated at the joint; taken apart at the joints;lacking orderly continuity

dismiss

verb bar from attention or consideration; cease to consider; put out of judicial consideration; end one's
encounter with somebody by causing or permitting the person to leave; stop associating with; declare
void; terminate the employment of

disparage

verb express a negative opinion of

disparate

adj. including markedly dissimilar elements;fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind

dissemble

verb behave unnaturally or affectedly; hide under a false appearance; make believe with the intent to
deceive

disseminate

verb cause to become widely known

dissolution

noun the termination or disintegration of a relationship (between persons or nations); separation into
component parts; the termination of a meeting; dissolute indulgence in sensual pleasure;the process of
going into solution
dissonance

noun disagreeable sounds; the auditory experience of sound that lacks musical quality; sound that is a
disagreeable auditory experience; a conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters

distend

verb swell from or as if from internal pressure; cause to expand as it by internal pressure; become wider

distill

verb give off (a liquid); undergo the process of distillation;extract by the process of distillation; undergo
condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops; remove impurities from,
increase the concentration of, and separate through the process of distillation

doctrinaire

adj. stubbornly insistent on theory without regard for practicality or suitability; noun a stubborn person
of arbitrary or arrogant opinions

dogmatic

adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of

or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative

dupe

noun a person who is tricked or swindled; verb fool or hoax

ebullient

adj. joyously unrestrained

eclectic
adj. selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas;noun someone who selects according to the
eclectic method

efficacy

noun capacity or power to produce a desired effect

effrontery

noun audacious (even arrogant) behavior that you have no right to

elegy

noun a mournful poem; a lament for the dead

elicit

verb derive by reason; deduce (a principle) or construe (a meaning); call forth (emotions, feelings, and
responses)

embellish

verb make more beautiful; add details to; make more attractive by adding ornament, colour, etc.; be
beautiful to look at

empirical

adj. derived from experiment and observation rather than theory; relying on medical quackery

emulate

verb compete with successfully; approach or reach equality with; imitate the function of (another
system), as by modifying the hardware or the software; strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
endemic

adj. native to or confined to a certain region; of or relating to a disease (or anything resembling a
disease) constantly present to greater or lesser extent in a particular locality; originating where it is
found; noun a plant that is native to a certain limited area; a disease that is constantly present to a
greater or lesser degree in people of a certain class or in people living in a particular location

enervate

verb weaken mentally or morally; disturb the composure of

engender

verb call forth; make children

ephemeral

adj. lasting a very short time; noun anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day in its
winged form

equanimity

noun steadiness of mind under stress

equivocate

verb be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

erudite

adj. having or showing profound knowledge

esoteric

adj. confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle

eulogy

noun a formal expression of praise for someone who has died recently; a formal expression of praise

euphemism

noun an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive

exacerbate

verb exasperate or irritate; make worse

exculpate

verb pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

exigency

noun a pressing or urgent situation; a sudden unforeseen crisis (usually involving danger) that requires
immediate action

extraneous

adj. not essential; not pertinent to the matter under consideration; not belonging to that in which it is
contained; introduced from an outside source; coming from the outside

facetious

adj. cleverly amusing in tone

facilitate

verb make easier; increase the likelihood of (a response); be of use

fallacious

adj. based on an incorrect or misleading notion or information; containing or based on a fallacy;

intended to deceive

fatuous

adj. devoid of intelligence

fawning

adj. attempting to win favor by flattery; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery

felicitous

adj. exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style; marked by good fortune

flag

noun a conspicuously marked or shaped tail; emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of
distinctive design;stratified stone that splits into pieces suitable as paving stones; a rectangular piece of
fabric used as a signalling device; flagpole used to mark the position of the hole on a golf green; a listing
printed in all issues of a newspaper or magazine (usually on the editorial page) that gives the name of
the publication and the names of the editorial staff, etc.; plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect
stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals; verb provide
with a flag;communicate or signal with a flag; decorate with flags; become less intense; droop, sink, or
settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness

fledgling

adj. young and inexperienced; (of a young bird) having acquired its flight feathers; noun young bird that
has just fledged or become capable of flying; any new participant in some activity

flout
verb treat with contemptuous disregard; laugh at with contempt and derision

foment

verb bathe with warm water or medicated lotions; try to stir up public opinion

forestall

verb keep from happening or arising; make impossible;act in advance of; deal with ahead of time

frugality

noun prudence in avoiding waste

gainsay

verb take exception to

garrulous

adj. full of trivial conversation

goad

noun a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something; a pointed instrument that is used to
prod into a state of motion; verb stab or urge on as if with a pointed stick; urge with or as if with a goad;
goad or provoke,as by constant criticism; give heart or courage to

gouge

noun the act of gouging; and edge tool with a blade like a trough for cutting channels or grooves; an
impression in a surface (as made by a blow); verb force with the thumb; make a groove in;obtain by
coercion or intimidation
grandiloquent

adj. puffed up with vanity; lofty in style

gregarious

adj. instinctively or temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others; (of animals) tending
to form a group with others of the same species; (of plants) growing in groups that are close together

guileless

adj. free from guile; free of deceit

gullible

adj. easily tricked because of being too trusting; naive and easily deceived or tricked

harangue

noun a loud bombastic declamation expressed with strong emotion; verb deliver a harangue to; address
forcefully

homogeneous

adj. all of the same or similar kind or nature

hyperbole

noun extravagant exaggeration

iconoclastic

adj. destructive of images used in religious worship; said of religions, such as Islam, in which the
representation of living things is prohibited; characterized by attack on established beliefs or institutions
idolatry

noun the worship of idols; the worship of images that are not God; religious zeal; the willingness to
serve God

immutable

adj. not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature

impair

verb make worse or less effective; make imperfect

impassive

adj. having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited; deliberately impassive
in manner

impede

verb be a hindrance or obstacle to; block passage through

impermeable

adj. preventing especially liquids to pass or diffuse through

imperturbable

adj. not easily perturbed or excited or upset; marked by extreme calm and composure

impervious

adj. not admitting of passage or capable of being affected

implacable

adj. incapable of being placated

implicit

adj. being without doubt or reserve; implied though not directly expressed; inherent in the nature of
something

implode

verb burst inward

inadvertently

adv. without knowledge or intention

inchoate

adj. only partly in existence; imperfectly formed