This document defines over 50 words, providing their meanings and examples of use. The words cover a wide range of topics from diligence to confusion to sentiment to politics. Many words have multiple meanings or nuances to their definitions.
This document defines over 50 words, providing their meanings and examples of use. The words cover a wide range of topics from diligence to confusion to sentiment to politics. Many words have multiple meanings or nuances to their definitions.
This document defines over 50 words, providing their meanings and examples of use. The words cover a wide range of topics from diligence to confusion to sentiment to politics. Many words have multiple meanings or nuances to their definitions.
Circuitous -lengthy because very indirect Circumlocution -the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to express an idea Destitution -the state of being in such extreme want as threatens life unless relieved Eugenic -relating to or fitted to produce good offspring Eulogy -a commendatory oration or writing especially in honor of one deceased Gritty -having strong qualities of tough uncompromising realism; courageously persistent Grovel -to abase oneself often with one’s face to the ground Interim -an intervening time -done, made, appointed, or occurring for an intervening time Interlocutor -one who takes part in dialogue or conversation Matinee -a performance or public event held in the daytime especially the afternoon Matriarchy -a system of social organization in which descent and inheritance are traced through the female line Paragon -a model of excellence or perfection -to compare with or put in rivalry Paranoia -a tendency toward excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of others Proliferate -to grow by rapid production Prominent -readily noticeable or widely known Scrupulous -having strict regard for what is right or proper Scrutinize -to examine closely and minutely Terse -using few words Assuage -to lessen the intensity Circumspect -careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences Clamor -a loud continuous noise -to utter or proclaim insistently and noisily Detrude -to force down or thrust away or out Deviate -to stray from an established course or norm Euphemism -the substitution of an inoffensive expression for one that may offend Euphony -pleasing or sweet sound Guffaw -a loud or boisterous burst of laughter Guile -deceitful cunning Interloper -one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity Intermittent -coming and going at intervals Legerdemain -a display of skill or adroitness Maudlin -weakly and effusively sentimental Maverick -an independent individual who does not go along with the group Parapet -a wall, rampart, or elevation of earth or stone; a low wall or railing Propensity -an often intense natural inclination or preference Proprietary -one that possesses, owns or holds exclusive rights to something; something that is used or marketed under exclusive legal right of the inventor or maker Scurrilous -using or given to coarse language; vulgar and evil Scurvy -arousing disgust or scorn Stickler -one who insists on exactness or completeness; something that baffles or puzzles Asylum -a place of retreat and security Atavism -recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity Clandestine -marked by or conducted with secrecy Clemency -a disposition to be merciful or to moderate the severity of punishment due Devour -to eat up greedily or ravenously Evacuate -to remove the contents of; to remove from a military zone or dangerous area Guise -a form or style of dress; external appearance Gullibility -easily duped or cheated Intractability -not easily governed, manipulated, relieved, or cured Mawkish -having an insipid often unpleasant taste; sickly or puerilely sentimental Meager -lacking desirable qualities; deficient in quality or quantity Penurious -given to or marked by extreme stinting frugality Prosaic -dull, unimaginative; everyday, ordinary Protocol -an original draft or record of a document or transaction -a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette and precedence Protuberant -thrusting out from a surrounding or adjacent surface often as a rounded mass Scandal -loss of or damage to reputation caused by actual or apparent violation of morality or propriety -indignation, chagrin, or bewilderment brought about by a flagrant violation of morality, propriety, or religious opinion Scuttle -to deliberately sink or attempt to sink a ship or boat Seance -a spiritualist meeting to receive spirit communications Testiness -marked by impatience or ill humor Theogony -an account of the origin and descent of the gods Atrophy -a wasting away or progressive decline Cliché -something that has become overly familiar or commonplace Clientele -a body of clients Dexterity -skill or quickness in mental or physical activity Diacritical -capable of distinguishing Effulge -to shine forth, to radiate Gumption -enterprise, initiative Habiliments -characteristic apparatus or dress of an occupation or occasion Intransigent -characterized by refusal to compromise or abandon an extreme position or attitude Intrepid -characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and endurance Meander -a winding path or course -to wander aimlessly or casually without urgent destination Melodrama -characterized by extravagant action and emotion, overdramatic Parochial -confined or restricted as if within the borders of a parish; limited in range or scope Parody -a feeble or ridiculous imitation Protuberate -to swell or bulge Sedulity -activity accomplished with careful perseverance Sedulous -diligent in application or pursuit Vacillate -to waver in mind, will, or feeling Vacuous -empty; marked by a lack of ideas or intelligence Attenuate -reduced in thickness, density, or force Auburn -a reddish-brown color Audacious -recklessly bold Cloistered -providing shelter from contact with the outside world Coalescence -a union of diverse entities into one body, form, or group Diaphanous -characterized by extreme delicacy of form Evoke -to call forth or up Hack -a writer who produces dull, unoriginal work Halcyon -denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful Intromit -to send or put in Mendacious -characterized by deception Mercurial -characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of mood Parry -to evade or turn aside something Parsimonious -frugal but often to the point of stinginess Provincial -limited in outlook; lacking the polish of urban society Seemly -suited to the occasion, purpose, or person Sequester -to set apart Thwart -to oppose successfully Vagary -an erratic or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion Wistful -full of yearning or desire tinged with melancholy Acolyte -one who attends or assists Aura -a distinctive atmosphere surrounding a given source Coda -something that serves to round out, conclude, or summarize and usually has its own interest, often concludes a musical section or a literary or dramatic work Commandeer -to take arbitrary or forcible possession of Dike -an artificial watercourse; a raised causeway Dilemma -a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice Exact (v) -to call for forcibly or urgently and obtain Existentialism -a form of thought that stresses existence or experience over essence or meaning Hallow -to make holy or set apart for holy use Hamper -to interfere with the operation of Inundate -to cover with a flood; overwhelm Inure -to accustom to accept something undesirable Meretricious -tawdrily and falsely attractive; superficially significant Parsimony -the quality of being careful with money or resources; stingy Prune -to remove as superfluous Psychosis -fundamental derangement of the mind often characterized by disconnection from reality Serendipity -finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for Serration -a formation resembling the toothed edge of a saw Vapid -lacking liveliness, briskness, or force Vortex -something that resembles a whirlpool Adulatory -excessive or slavish admiration or flattery Bedlam -a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion Bolster -to support or give a boost to Contusion -injury to tissue without laceration Debonair -suave, urbane; lighthearted, nonchalant Flagrant -conspicuously offensive Garrulous -given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity; pointlessly or annoyingly talkative Innate -belonging to the essential nature of something Pedagogy -the art, science, or profession of teaching Speckled -to be marked with small spots or erratically Stoic -one apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain Taciturn -temperamentally disinclined to talk Totter -to become unstable; to move unsteadily Ultimatum -a final proposition, condition, or demand Undergird -to form the basis or foundation of Upshot -the final result; outcome Venturing -to undertake the risks and dangers of; to offer at the risk of rebuff, rejection, or censure Vilification -the act of uttering slanderous and abusive standards against Numinous -appealing to higher emotions or containing a sense of a mystical divine presence Volubility -characterized by ready or rapid speech Autarchy -absolute sovereignty Condescend -to descend to a less formal or dignified level; to assume an air of superiority Detriment -a cause of injury or damage Emporium -a place of trade Extrude -to force, press, or push out Glib -informal or lacking depth and substance Gloze -gloss Hortatory -exhortatory Neologism -a new word, usage, or expression Ontology -a branch of metaphysics concerned with the nature and relations of being Skirmish -a minor dispute or contest Suppliant -one who asks humbly and earnestly Tangible -capable of being perceived especially by the sense of touch Triad -a union or group of three Unprecedented -having no earlier occurrence of something similar Vendition -the act of selling goods for a living Waffle -to vacillate or waver in mind, will, or feeling Weltanschauung -a comprehensive conception of the world especially from a specific standpoint Zealot -a fanatical person Zenith -the highest point reached Accentuate -accent, emphasize Anarchy -absence or denial of any authority or established order Blasé -apathetic to pleasure or excitement as a result of excessive indulgence Boorish -resembling or befitting a boor (as in crude insensitivity) Cede v -to yield or grant typically by treaty Crustaceous -of, relating to, having, or forming a crust or shell Doublet -a man’s close-fitting jacket worn especially during the Renaissance Fiancé -a man or woman engaged to be married Linchpin -one that serves to hold together parts that function as a unit Livid -discolored by bruises; very angry Mendicant -beggar Parasite -something in dependence on something else for existence or support without making a useful return Rapacious -excessively grasping or covetous Skiff -any of various small boats Solicit -to try to obtain by usually urgent requests or pleas Sortie -a sudden issuing of troops from a defensive position Stanza -a division of a poem Trepidation -a nervous feeling of uncertain agitation Visceral -dealing with crude or elemental emotions Wry -to pull out of proper shape Bibliophile -a lover of books Germinal -being in the earliest stage of development Impasse -a predicament affording no obvious escape Implicate -to involve in something Integrity -firm adherence to a code of moral or artistic values Miasma -a vaporous exhalation formerly believed to cause disease Sclerotic -being or relating to the outer coat on the eye Smorgasbord -a luncheon or supper buffet offering a variety of foods Stagnant -not flowing, advancing, or developing Stentorian -extremely loud Subliminal -existing below the threshold of consciousness Suborn -to induce secretly to do an unlawful thing Surreptitious -doing something secretly Tenuous -having little substance or strength Trestle -a braced frame serving as a support Vagrant -one who has no established residence and wanders idly Vicissitude -the quality of being changeable Volition -the power of choosing or determining Vulpine -foxy, crafty Zeal -eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of something Deference -respect due a superior or elder Discursive -moving from topic to topic without order Dissipate -to break up and drive off; to spend or use wastefully Draconian -laws that are especially harsh Dragoon -European military personnel often heavily armed Engender -to cause to exist or develop Gossamer -something light, delicate, or insubstantial Homogeneous -of the same or a similar kind Importune -to press or urge with troublesome persistence Laurel -may refer to a species of tree but typically refers to a token of achievement Philology -the study of human speech Quell -to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission Subtle -indirect, elusive, or skillful Succinct -marked by compact expression Sui generis -constituting a class alone Tactile -perceptible by touch Truculent -scathingly harsh; aggressively self-assertive Ubiquity -presence in many places simultaneously Wizened -dry, shrunken, and wrinkled often as a result of age or failing vitality Abut -to border on Bestial -relating to beasts; marked by base or inhuman instincts or desires Canard -a groundless rumor or belief Caprice -a disposition to do things impulsively Locate -to determine the place or limits of Marshal -to place in proper or effective position Propagate -to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or greater area Radix -the primary source Sophomoric -conceited an overconfident of knowledge but poorly informed and immature Sparse -of few and scattered elements Stupefying -to make groggy or insensible Supposition -an uncertain belief Tamp -to drive in or down by a succession of light or medium blows Tedium -the quality or state of being tiresome Tirade -a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate, vituperative, or harshly censorious language Veracity -devotion to truth Viands -an item of food Vital -characteristic of living beings; of the utmost importance Wispy -something frail, slight, or fleeting Arbitrary -existing or coming about seemingly at random or by chance or as a capricious and unreasonable act of will Centrifuge -an apparatus that rotates at high speed and by centrifugal force separates substances of different densities Ethereal -lacking material substance; having unusual delicacy Feral -not domesticated or cultivated Furtive -done by stealth Listless -characterized by lack of interest or energy Pedestrian -commonplace; performed on foot Pith -the essential part or core Profligate -wildly extravagant Raconteur -a person who excels in telling anecdotes Refract -to alter by viewing or by going through a medium Supine -lying on the back or with face upward Surly -threatening in appearance; having an irritable or sullen mood Temper -to dilute or qualify by adding something else Touting -to make much of Ubiquitous -existing everywhere at the same time Understate -to state or present with restraint for effect Utopian -impossibly ideal Veracious -truthful, honest Whimsical -subject to erratic behavior or unpredictable change Preternatural -exceeding what is natural or regular; inexplicable by ordinary means Cogitate -to ponder intently Colleague -an associate in a profession Feign -to give a false appearance of or assert as if true Illicit -not permitted Incoherence -something that lacks normal clarity or intelligibility Inimical -adverse because of hostility or malevolence Lutarious -of, pertaining to, or like mud; living in mud Ordain -to establish or order by appointment, decree, or law Plight -an unfortunate or difficult situation Proximate -very near Servile -having an excessive willingness to serve or please others Shard -a fragment of a brittle substance; a small piece Strident -characterized by harsh or insistent sound Tractable -easily handled, managed, or controlled Tranquil -free from disturbance or turmoil Tumult -a turbulent uprising or violent agitation of mind or feelings Variegate -to diversify in external appearance Veneer -a thin sheet of material; a superficial or deceptively attractive appearance Waive -to refrain from pressing or enforcing Colloquial -using conversational style Commingle -to blend thoroughly into a harmonious whole Complacent -marked by self-satisfaction Consummate -extremely skilled; complete in every detail Duplicity -contradictory doubleness of thought, speech, or action Extraneous -not forming an essential part Gibbering -to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and often foolishly Impious -lacking reverence or proper respect Ingrate -an ungrateful person Maraud -to roam about and raid in search of plunder Relegate -to assign to an appropriate place Scabbard -a sheath for a sword, dagger, or bayonet Sensuous -characterized by sense expressions or imagery aimed at the senses Syllogism -a subtle, specious, or crafty argument Throwback -a reversion to an earlier type or phase Trammel -to prevent or impede the free play of Transcendent -extending beyond the limits of normal experience; beyond comprehension Unprepossessing -not attractive or appealing to the eye Venerable -calling forth respect through age, character, and attainments Waif -something found without an owner and by chance; a stray person or animal Antic -an attention-drawing playful or funny action Bulwark -a strong support or protection Chronicler -one who puts things in order Cosmogony -a theory of the origin of the universe Dissident -disagreeing especially with an established religious or political system or belief Hospice -a facility or program designed to provide a caring environment for meeting the physical and emotional needs of the terminally ill Laud -praise, acclaim Noisome -highly obnoxious or objectionable Pastiche -a musical, literary, or artistic composition made up of selections from different works Picayune -something trivial or of little value Supplicant -one who prays or pleads for something Systemic -of, relating to, or common to a system; affecting the core of that which is basic to the system Tenacious -persistent in maintaining, seeking, or adhering to something valued or desired Therapeutic -providing or assisting in a cure Tome -a volume forming part of a larger work Travesty -a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation Unify -to make into a unit or coherent whole Verity -something true or real Wag (n) -wit, joker Wane -to decrease in size, extent, or degree; to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or influence Decode -to discover the underlying meaning of Demure -modest, reserved, or serious Entrails -the inner workings of something Epistemic -of or relating to knowledge or knowing Faun -a figure in Roman mythology similar to but gentler than the satyr Hedonism -the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the sole or chief good in life Laudatory -of, relating to, or expressing praise Matriculate -to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a college or university Nettle -to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger Plaudit -enthusiastic approval Purloin -to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of trust Sentinel -guard; especially a soldier standing guard at a passageway Talon -to claw of an animal; a human finger or hand; an object shaped like a heel or claw Tarnish -to detract from the good quality of Timorous -timid or fearful Trite -hackneyed or boring from much use Urchin -a mischievous and often poor and raggedly clothed youngster Viscidity -something having an adhesive quality or covered with a sticky layer Wax -to assume a specified characteristic, quality, or state -to move toward full development Wily -crafty Arable -fit for or used for the growing of crops Doting -to exhibit mental decline; to be excessive in one’s attention or affection Excrescence -a disfiguring, extraneous, or unwanted mark or part Lavatory -a room with conveniences for washing and usually with one or more toilets Lecher -a person given to gluttony or sensuality Mimesis -imitation, mimicry Plaintiff -a person who brings a legal action Rarefy -to make rare, thin, porous, or less dense; to expand without adding matter Remuneration -something that pays an equivalent for Scale -to climb up or to reach Scapegoat -one who is the object of blame or hostility Somatic -of, relating to, or affecting the body Soporific -marked by sleepiness or lethargy Syncopation -a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent in music Truant -one who shirks duty Underscore -to make evident; underline Verbiage -wordiness with usually little or obscure content Wanton -unduly lavish; extravagant Acumen -keenness and depth of perception, discernment, or discrimination Capricious -governed or characterized by sudden and seemingly unmotivated action Celerity -rapidity of motion or action Foppish -obsolete: foolish, silly -behaving or dressing in a vain manner Ilk -sort, kind Leaven -something that modifies or lightens Manifesto -a written statement declaring publicly, one’s intentions, motives, or views Perfidy -an act or instance of disloyalty Prone -having a tendency; lying flat or prostrate Rigor -harsh inflexibility; severe or strict; a condition that makes life difficult Solecism -something deviating from the normal order Sybarite --luxury and gratification of sensual appetites Tender -to present for acceptance; offer Tortuous -marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns Translucence -the quality of permitting the passage of light Trenchant -vigorously effective; sharply perceptive Tumultuous -marked by violent or overwhelming turbulence or upheaval Urbane -notably polite or polished or manner Vale -valley, dale; world Veritable -real; being the thing named and not imaginary or false inveigle -to acquire by ingenuity or flattery