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Total Count: 3232 Words
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| abacus |
an instrument for performing calculations by sliding
counters along rods or in grooves |
| abandon |
to give (oneself) over unrestrainedly |
| abase |
To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem |
| abash |
to destroy the self-possession or self-confidence
of:disconcert |
| abate |
to reduce in degree or intensity:MODERATE:to reduce in
value or amount |
| abbreviate |
to make briefer; especially :to reduce to a shorter form
intended to stand for the whole |
| abdicate |
to relinquish (as sovereign power) formally |
| aberrant |
deviating from the usual or natural type:ATYPICAL |
| abet |
to assist or support in the achievement of a purpose |
| abeyance |
temporary inactivity:SUSPENSION |
| abhor |
to regard with extreme repugnance |
| abiding |
to remain stable or fixed in a state |
| abject |
cast down in spirit |
| abjure |
to renounce upon oath |
| abnegate |
SURRENDER, RELINQUISH |
| abolish |
To do away with; annul |
| abolitionism |
principles or measures fostering abolition especially of
slavery |
| aboveboard |
be in a straightforward manner |
| abrasion |
a wearing, grinding, or rubbing away by friction |
| abridge |
to shorten by omission of words without sacrifice of
sense:CONDENSE |
| abrogate |
to abolish by authoritative action:ANNUL |
| abscond |
to depart secretly and hide oneself |
| absolve |
to set free from an obligation or the consequences of
guilt |
| abstain |
to refrain deliberately and often with an effort of
self-denial from an action or practice |
| abstemious |
marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food
or alcohol |
| abstinent |
voluntary forbearance especially from indulgence of an
appetite or craving or from eating some foods:ABSTENTION |
| abstract |
having only intrinsic form with little or no attempt at
pictorial representation or narrative content |
| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend:RECONDITE |
| abuse |
to attack in words:REVILE |
| abysmal |
immeasurably low or wretched |
| accede |
to express approval or give consent:give in to a request
or demand |
| accelerate |
to move faster:gain speed |
| accessible |
capable of being understood or appreciated |
| accessory |
present in a minor amount and not essential as a
constituent |
| accidental |
occurring unexpectedly or by chance |
| acclimate |
to adapt to a new temperature, altitude, climate,
environment, or situation |
| accolade |
an expression of praise |
| accommodate |
to provide with something desired, needed, or suited (as a
helpful service, a loan, or lodgings) |
| accomplice |
one associated with another especially in wrongdoing |
| accost |
to approach and speak to often in a challenging or
aggressive way |
| accrete |
ACCUMULATE |
| accumulate |
to gather or pile up especially little by
little:AMASS |
| accuse |
to charge with a fault or offense:BLAME |
| acerbity |
Sourness of taste, character, or tone. |
| achromatic |
designating color perceived to have zero saturation and
therefore no hue, such as neutral grays, white, or black |
| acme |
the highest point or stage |
| acquiesce |
to accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively |
| acquisition |
the act of acquiring |
| acquit |
to discharge completely |
| acre |
A unit of area in the U.S. Customary System, used in land
and sea floor measurement |
| acrid |
sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or
odor:IRRITATING |
| acrimonious |
caustic , biting , or rancorous especially in feeling,
language, or manner |
| acumen |
mental keenness |
| ad lib |
without restraint or limit , to speak, sing, or act
without a script, saying whatever words come into one's
mind |
| adamant |
unshakable or immovable especially in
opposition:UNYIELDING |
| adapt |
to make fit (as for a specific or new use or situation)
often by modification |
| addendum |
textual matter that is added onto a publication; usually
at the end |
| addict |
to devote or surrender (oneself) to something habitually
or obsessively |
| addicted |
be addicted to |
| adherent |
one that adheres:as a follower of a leader, party, or
profession |
| adhesive |
Tending to adhere; sticky. |
| adjacent |
having a common endpoint or border also immediately
preceding or following |
| adjourn |
to suspend a session indefinitely or to another time or
place |
| adjunct |
something joined or added to another thing but not
essentially a part of it |
| ad-lib |
with little or no preparation or forethought |
| admission |
the act or process of admitting |
| admonish |
to express warning or disapproval to especially in a
gentle, earnest, or solicitous manner |
| adore |
to regard with loving admiration and devotion |
| adroit |
having or showing skill, cleverness, or resourcefulness in
handling situations |
| adulate |
to flatter or admire excessively or slavishly |
| adulterate |
to corrupt, debase, or make impure by the addition of a
foreign or inferior substance or element stickler |
| adumbrate |
to suggest or disclose partially |
| adversary |
one that contends with, opposes, or resists:ENEMY |
| advert |
to turn the mind or attention |
| advertise |
to announce publicly especially by a printed notice or a
broadcast |
| advocate |
to plead in favor of |
| aerate |
to supply (the blood) with oxygen by respiration |
| aerial |
of, relating to, or occurring in the air or
atmosphere |
| aesthetic |
adj. a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of
beauty, art, and taste and with the creation and appreciation
of beauty |
| aesthetics |
The branch of philosophy that deals with the nature and
expression of beauty |
| affable |
characterized by ease and friendliness |
| affected |
assumed artificially or falsely:PRETENDED |
| affection |
tender attachment:FONDNESS |
| affidavit |
a sworn statement in writing made especially under oath or
on affirmation before an authorized magistrateor officer |
| affiliate |
to bring or receive into close connection as a member or
branch |
| affiliation |
joining; associating with |
| affinity |
likeness based on relationship or causal connection |
| afflict |
a:to distress so severely as to cause persistent suffering
or anguish b:TROUBLE, INJURE |
| affliction |
n. |
| affluent |
having a generously sufficient and typically increasing
supply of material possessions |
| agenda |
a list or outline of things to be considered or done |
| aggrandize |
to make appear great or greater:praise highly |
| aggravate |
to make worse, more serious, or more severe:intensify
unpleasantly |
| aggregate |
to collect or gather into a mass or whole |
| aggressive |
Inclined to behave in a hostile fashion. |
| aggrieve |
to give pain or trouble to:DISTRESS |
| agonized |
suffered extreme pain or great anguish. |
| agony |
intense pain of mind or body:ANGUISH, TORTURE |
| airtight |
impermeable to air or nearly so |
| alacrity |
promptness in response:cheerful readiness |
| albino |
an organism exhibiting deficient pigmentation |
| alchemy |
a medieval chemical science and speculative philosophy
aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into
gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the
discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life |
| alibi |
an excuse usually intended to avert blame or
punishment |
| align |
to bring into line or alignment |
| allay |
to subdue or reduce in intensity or
severity:ALLEVIATE |
| allegiance |
devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause |
| allegory |
the expression by means of symbolic fictional figures and
actions of truths or generalizations abouthuman
existence |
| alleviate |
RELIEVE, LESSEN |
| alliterate |
the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two
or more neighboring words or syllables |
| allowance |
a share or portion allotted or granted |
| allude |
to make indirect reference; broadly:REFER |
| aloft |
at or toward the upper rigging. |
| aloof |
removed or distant either physically or emotionally |
| alphabetical |
arranged in the order of the letters of the alphabet |
| altitude |
Vertical distance or elevation above any point or
base-level, as the sea. |
| altruism |
unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of
others |
| amalgamate |
to merge into a single body |
| amass |
to collect for oneself:ACCUMULATE |
| ambiguous |
doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or
indistinctness |
| ambivalent |
continual fluctuation (as between one thing and its
opposite) |
| amble |
to walk slowly or leisurely; stroll |
| ambrosial |
suggestive of ambrosia; fragrant or delicious |
| ameliorate |
to make better or more tolerable |
| amenable |
readily managed; willing to be led |
| amenity |
something that conduces to comfort, convenience, or
enjoyment |
| amiable |
being friendly, sociable, and congenial |
| amicable |
characterized by friendly goodwill:PEACEABLE |
| amiss |
in a faulty way:IMPERFECTLY |
| amorphous |
having no definite form:SHAPELESS |
| amphibian |
any of a class (Amphibia) of cold-blooded vertebrates (as
frogs, toads, or salamanders) intermediate in many characters
between fishes and reptiles and having gilled aquatic larvae
and air-breathing adults |
| amplify |
to make larger or greater (as in amount, importance, or
intensity):INCREASE |
| amplitude |
the quality or state of being ample:FULLNESS |
| amulet |
a charm (as an ornament) often inscribed with a magic
incantation or symbol to protect the wearer against evil (as
disease or witchcraft) or to aid him |
| anaerobic |
living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of
free oxygen |
| analgesic |
insensibility to pain without loss of consciousness |
| analogy |
a:resemblance in some particulars between things otherwise
unlike:SIMILARITY b:comparison based on such resemblance |
| analysis |
separation of a whole into its component parts |
| anarchist |
one who rebels against any authority, established order,
or ruling power |
| anathema |
the denunciation of something as accursed |
| ancestor |
one from whom a person is descended and who is usually
more remote in the line of descent than a grandparent |
| ancillary |
serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary |
| anecdote |
a usually short narrative of an interesting, amusing, or
biographical incident |
| anemic |
lacking force, vitality, or spirit |
| anesthetic |
lacking awareness or sensitivity |
| anhydrous |
free from water and especially water of
crystallization |
| animation |
possessing or characterized by life:ALIVE |
| animus |
a usually prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill
will |
| annals |
a record of events arranged in yearly sequence |
| annotate |
comment; make explanatory notes |
| annoy |
to disturb or irritate especially by repeated acts |
| annul |
to declare or make legally invalid or void |
| anodyne |
something that soothes, calms, or comforts |
| anomalous |
inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal,
or expected:IRREGULAR, UNUSUAL |
| anonymous |
not named or identified |
| antagonize |
to incur or provoke the hostility of |
| antediluvian |
made, evolved, or developed a long time ago |
| anterior |
coming before in time or development |
| anthology |
a collection of selected literary pieces or passages or
works of art or music |
| antic |
characterized by clownish extravagance or absurdity |
| anticipatory |
to give advance thought, discussion, or treatment to |
| antidote |
a remedy to counteract the effects of poison |
| antipathy |
settled aversion or dislike:DISTASTE |
| antiquate |
To make old or out of date. |
| antiquated |
existing since or belonging to earlier times:ANCIENT |
| antiseptic |
opposing sepsis, putrefaction, or decay; |
| anvil |
a heavy usually steel-faced iron block on which metal is
shaped |
| apathy |
lack of feeling or emotion:IMPASSIVENESS |
| apex |
the highest or culminating point |
| aphorism |
a terse formulation of a truth or sentiment:ADAGE |
| apiary |
a place where bees are kept; especially :a collection of
hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey |
| aplomb |
poise |
| apocalyptic |
forecasting the ultimate destiny of the
world:PROPHETIC |
| apocrypha |
writings or statements of dubious authenticity |
| apologist |
one who speaks or writes in defense of someone or
something |
| apophasis |
Allusion to something by denying that it will be
mentioned, as in I will not bring up my opponent's
questionable financial dealings |
| apoplectic |
greatly agitated |
| apostasy |
renunciation of a religious faith |
| apostrophe |
a mark ' used to indicate the omission of letters or
figures, the possessive case, or the plural of letters or
figures |
| apothecary |
one who prepares and sells drugs or compounds for
medicinal purposes |
| appall |
to overcome with consternation, shock, or dismay |
| apparel |
to put clothes on:DRESS |
| appeal |
to make an earnest request |
| appealing |
having appeal:PLEASING |
| appease |
to bring to a state of peace or quiet:CALM |
| appellation |
A name, title, or designation. |
| appetite |
an inherent craving |
| applause |
approval publicly expressed |
| applicant |
one who applies |
| appoint |
to name officially |
| apposite |
highly pertinent or appropriate:APT |
| appreciable |
capable of being perceived or measured |
| apprehension |
suspicion or fear especially of future
evil:FOREBODING |
| apprentice |
an inexperienced person:NOVICE |
| approbation |
COMMENDATION, PRAISE |
| appropriate |
1. to take or make use of without authority or right 2.
especially suitable or compatible:FITTING |
| approval |
The act of approving |
| approve |
to have or express a favorable opinion of |
| approximate |
nearly correct or exact |
| apropos |
being both relevant and opportune |
| apt |
unusually fitted or qualified:READY |
| aquatic |
growing or living in or frequenting water |
| aqueduct |
a conduit for water |
| aquifer |
a water-bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand, or
gravel |
| arachnid |
any of a class (Arachnida) of arthropods comprising
chiefly terrestrial invertebrates, including the spiders,
scorpions, mites, and ticks, and having a segmented body
divided into two regions of which the anterior bears four
pairs of legs but no antennae |
| arbor |
a shelter of vines or branches or of latticework covered
with climbing shrubs or vines |
| arboreal |
of, relating to, or resembling a tree |
| archaic |
of, relating to, or characteristic of an earlier or more
primitive time:ANTIQUATED |
| archetype |
the original pattern or model of which all things of the
same type are representations or copies:PROTOTYPE; also :a
perfect example |
| archipelago |
an expanse of water with many scattered islands |
| architect |
a person who designs buildings and advises in their
construction |
| archive |
a place in which public records or historical documents
are preserved |
| arctic |
bitter cold:FRIGID |
| ardor |
extreme vigor or energy:INTENSITY |
| arduous |
hard to accomplish or achieve:DIFFICULT |
| argot |
an often more or less secret vocabulary and idiom peculiar
to a particular group |
| arid |
excessively dry |
| armory |
a place where arms and military equipment are stored |
| arrest |
to make inactive |
| arresting |
catching the attention:STRIKING, IMPRESSIVE |
| arrhythmic |
lacking rhythm or regularity |
| arrogance |
a feeling or an impression of superiority manifested in an
overbearing manner or presumptuous claims |
| arroyo |
a brook; a creek ;a water-carved gully or channel |
| arsenal |
a:an establishment for the manufacture or storage of arms
and military equipmentb:a collection of weapons |
| articulate |
to give clear and effective utterance to:put into
wordsratiocination:thinking:articulation:talking |
| artifacts |
something created by humans usually for a practical
purpose; especially :an object remaining from a particular
period |
| artifice |
false or insincere behavior |
| artless |
free from guile or craft:sincerely simple |
| ascendant |
governing or controlling influence:DOMINATION |
| ascent |
an upward slope or rising grade:ACCLIVITY |
| ascetic |
austere in appearance, manner, or attitude |
| aseptic |
preventing infection |
| askew |
out of line:AWRY |
| aspect |
a position facing a particular direction:EXPOSURE |
| asperity |
roughness of manner or of temper:HARSHNESS |
| aspersion |
slanderous remark |
| aspirant |
One who aspires, as to advancement, honors, or a high
position. |
| aspiration |
a strong desire to achieve something high or great |
| assert |
to state or declare positively and often forcefully or
aggressively |
| assess |
to determine the importance, size, or value of |
| asset |
the entire property of a person, association, corporation,
or estate applicable or subject to the payment of debts |
| assiduous |
marked by careful unremitting attention or persistent
application |
| assuage |
to lessen the intensity of (something that pains or
distresses):EASE |
| assume |
to take to or upon oneself:UNDERTAKE |
| astounding |
causing astonishment or amazement |
| astute |
having or showing shrewdness and perspicacity |
| asylum |
an inviolable place of refuge and protection giving
shelter to criminals and debtors:SANCTUARY |
| asymmetrical |
not of equal size or similar shape: |
| atone |
to supply satisfaction for:EXPIATE |
| atrocious |
extremely wicked, brutal, or cruel:BARBARIC |
| attenuate |
to lessen the amount, force, magnitude, or value
of:WEAKEN |
| attorney |
A person legally appointed by another to act as his or her
agent in the transaction of business, specifically one
qualified and licensed to act for plaintiffs and defendants in
legal proceedings |
| audacious |
intrepidly daring:ADVENTUROUS |
| audible |
heard or capable of being heard |
| augur |
to foretell especially from omens |
| auspicious |
affording a favorable auspice:PROPITIOUS |
| austere |
markedly simple or unadorned |
| authenticity |
not false or imitation:REAL, ACTUAL |
| authoritative |
having the weight of authority; dictatorial |
| authority |
power to influence or command thought, opinion, or
behavior |
| autocracy |
government in which one person possesses unlimited
power |
| avarice |
excessive or insatiable desire for wealth or
gain:GREEDINESS, CUPIDITY |
| aversion |
a feeling of repugnance toward something with a desire to
avoid or turn from |
| avid |
characterized by enthusiasm and vigorous pursuit |
| avulse |
to separate, cut, or tear off by avulsion |
| awash |
covered with water:FLOODED |
| awe |
an emotion variously combining dread, veneration, and
wonder that is inspired by authority or by the sacred or
sublime |
| awkward |
lacking dexterity or skill |
| awl |
a pointed tool for marking surfaces or piercing small
holes (as in leather or wood) |
| awning |
a rooflike cover extending over or in front of a place (as
over the deck or in front of a door or window) as a
shelter |
| awry |
in a turned or twisted position or
direction:ASKEW |
|
|
| babble |
to utter meaningless or unintelligible sounds |
| backhanded |
INDIRECT, DEVIOUS; especially:SARCASTIC |
| backset |
SETBACK |
| badge |
a device or token especially of membership in a society or
group |
| badger |
to harass or annoy persistently |
| badinage |
playful repartee:BANTER |
| baffle |
to check or break the force or flow of by or as if by a
baffle |
| bait |
ENTICE, LUREto attack in speech or writing as by derision
or insult; to gall or exasperate by repeated wanton
attacks |
| baleful |
deadly or pernicious in influence |
| balk |
to check or stop by or as if by an obstacle:BLOCK |
| balky |
refusing or likely to refuse to proceed, act, or function
as directed or expected |
| ballad |
a narrative composition in rhythmic verse suitable for
singing |
| ballast |
Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship or the
gondola of a balloon to enhance stability. |
| ballet |
a theatrical art form using dancing, music, and scenery to
convey a story, theme, or atmosphere |
| balm |
a balsamic resin, especially:one from small tropical
evergreen trees |
| balmy |
having the qualities of balm:SOOTHING |
| bamboozle |
to deceive by underhanded methods:DUPE, HOODWINK |
| ban |
to prohibit especially by legal means ban:protect |
| banal |
lacking originality, freshness, or novelty:TRITE |
| baneful |
productive of destruction or woe:seriously harmful |
| banish |
to drive out or remove from a home or place of usual
resort or continuance, especially compulsory removal from a
country not necessarily one's own |
| banister |
a handrail with its supporting posts |
| banquet |
a sumptuous feast; especially :an elaborate and often
ceremonious meal for numerous people often in honor of a
person |
| barb |
a biting or pointedly critical remark or comment |
| barbarous |
mercilessly harsh or cruel |
| bareface |
Having no covering over the face. |
| barefaced |
OPEN, UNCONCEALED |
| bargain |
to negotiate over the terms of a purchase, agreement, or
contract:HAGGLE |
| baroque |
characterized by grotesqueness, extravagance, complexity,
or flamboyance |
| barren |
lacking vegetation, especially useful vegetation |
| barter |
to trade by exchanging one commodity for another |
| base |
being of comparatively low value and having relatively
inferior properties |
| baseboard |
a molding covering the joint of a wall and the adjoining
floor |
| bathetic |
exceptional commonplaceness:TRITENESS |
| bedeck |
to clothe with finery:DECK |
| bedlam |
a place, scene, or state of uproar and confusion |
| belabor |
to explain or insist on excessively |
| beleaguer |
TROUBLE, HARASS |
| belie |
to show (something) to be false or wrong |
| belittle |
to speak slightingly of:DISPARAGE |
| bellicose |
favoring or inclined to start quarrels or wars |
| belligerence |
an aggressive or truculent attitude, atmosphere, or
disposition |
| bellwether |
One that serves as a leader or as a leading indicator of
future trends |
| bemoan |
to express deep grief or distress over |
| bend |
to make submissive:SUBDUE,COMPROMISE |
| benediction |
the invocation of a blessing |
| beneficent |
doing or producing good; especially :performing acts of
kindness and charity |
| benign |
a:showing kindness and gentleness b:FAVORABLE,
WHOLESOME |
| bent |
a strong inclination or interest:BIAS |
| bequest |
something bequeathed:LEGACY |
| berate |
to scold or condemn vehemently and at length |
| beseech |
to request earnestly:IMPLORE |
| besmirch |
SULLY, SOIL |
| betray |
to deliver to an enemy by treachery |
| bibliography |
a list of writings with time and place of publication
(such as the writings of a single author or the works referred
to in preparing a document etc.) |
| bibliophile |
a lover of books especially for qualities of format; also
:a book collector |
| bigot |
a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her
own opinions and prejudices |
| bit |
the jaws of tongs or pincers |
| bland |
not irritating, stimulating, or
invigorating:SOOTHING |
| blandishment |
something that tends to coax or cajole:ALLUREMENT |
| blase |
bored with pleasure or dissipation |
| blaspheme |
to speak of or address with irreverence |
| blast |
a violent gust of wind |
| blatant |
completely obvious, conspicuous, or obtrusive especially
in a crass or offensive manner:BRAZEN |
| blazon |
to publish widely:PROCLAIM |
| bleach |
to remove color or stains from |
| blemish |
to spoil by a flaw |
| blight |
a disease or injury of plants resulting in withering,
cessation of growth, and death of parts without rotting |
| bliss |
complete happiness |
| blunder |
a gross error or mistake resulting usually from stupidity,
ignorance, or carelessness |
| blunt |
to make less sharp or definite |
| blur |
to make indistinct and hazy in outline or
appearance;obscure |
| blurb |
A brief publicity notice, as on a book jacket. |
| blurt |
to utter abruptly and impulsively ? usually used with
out |
| bluster |
to talk or act with noisy swaggering threats |
| boding |
an omen, prediction, or presentiment especially of coming
evil:PORTENT ,FOREBODING |
| boggle |
to hesitate because of doubt, fear, or scruples |
| boisterous |
noisily turbulent:ROWDY |
| bolster |
a structural part designed to eliminate friction or
provide support or bearing |
| bombast |
pretentious inflated speech or writing |
| bonhomie |
good-natured easy friendliness |
| bonus |
something in addition to what is expected or strictly
due |
| boo |
to deride especially by uttering boo |
| boon |
BENEFIT, FAVOR |
| boor |
a rude or insensitive person |
| bootless |
USELESS, UNPROFITABLE |
| bore |
to make a hole by or as if by boring |
| bottleneck |
NARROW {bottleneck:indefinite} ?????? |
| bough |
a branch of a tree; especially :a main branch |
| bound |
a:to make secure by tying b:to confine, restrain, or
restrict as if with bonds c:to put under an obligation d:to
constrain with legal authority |
| box |
to fight with the fists:engage in boxing
box:fight:debate:argue |
| bracing |
giving strength, vigor, or freshness |
| bracket |
an overhanging member that projects from a structure (as a
wall) and is usually designed to support a vertical load or to
strengthen an angle |
| brackish |
REPULSIVE |
| braggadocio |
a:empty boasting b:arrogant pretension:COCKINESS |
| braid |
made by intertwining three or more strands |
| braided |
Produced by or as if by braiding |
| brake |
to retard or stop by a brake |
| brash |
done in haste without regard for consequences |
| brassy |
being shamelessly bold |
| brattish |
an ill-mannered annoying child |
| bravura |
marked by an ostentatious display of skill |
| bray |
to emit (an utterance or a sound) loudly and harshly |
| brazen |
marked by contemptuous boldness |
| breach |
to make a breach in |
| breezeway |
a roofed often open passage connecting two buildings (as a
house and garage) or halves of a building |
| brevity |
shortness or conciseness of expression |
| bribe |
to induce or influence by or as if by bribery |
| bridle |
to restrain, check, or control with or as if with a
bridle |
| brisk |
keenly alert:LIVELY |
| bristle |
to take on an aggressive attitude or appearance (as in
response to a slight) |
| brittle |
easily broken, cracked, or snapped |
| broach |
to open for the first time |
| bromide |
a commonplace or hackneyed statement or notion |
| browbeat |
to intimidate by a stern manner or arrogant speech |
| bruit |
to noise abroad:REPORT |
| buck |
to refuse assent:BALK |
| bucolic |
relating to or typical of rural life |
| budge |
to give way:YIELD |
| buffer |
to lessen the shock of:CUSHION |
| buffoon |
a ludicrous figure:CLOWN |
| bulge |
a protuberant or swollen part or place |
| bully |
one habitually cruel to others who are weaker |
| bumper |
a device for absorbing shock or preventing damage |
| bumptious |
presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily
self-assertive:OBTRUSIVE |
| bungle |
to act or work clumsily and awkwardly |
| buoy |
support;uplift |
| buoyant |
a:capable of floating b:CHEERFUL, GAY |
| burgeon |
to grow and expand rapidly:FLOURISH |
| burial |
the act or process of burying |
| burlesque |
mockery usually by caricature |
| burnish |
to make shiny or lustrous especially by rubbing
numb:insensible:burnish:lustrous |
| burrow |
to construct by tunneling |
| busybody |
an officious or inquisitive person |
| butt |
to thrust or push head foremost:strike with the head or
horns |
| buttress |
1. to furnish or shore up with a buttress; also :SUPPORT,
STRENGTHEN 2. a projecting structure of masonry or wood for
supporting or giving stability to a wall or building |
| bygone |
gone by:PAST; especially:OUTMODED |
| byline |
a line at the beginning of a news story, magazine article,
or book giving the writer's name |
|
|
| cabal |
the artifices and intrigues of a group of persons secretly
united to bring about an overturn or usurpation especially in
public affairs |
| cache |
hiding place |
| cacophony |
harsh or discordant sound:DISSONANCE |
| cadet |
one in training for a military or naval commission;
especially :a student in a service academy |
| cadge |
BEG, SPONGE |
| caisson |
a usually 2-wheeled vehicle for artillery ammunition
attachable to a horse-drawn limber |
| cajole |
to persuade with flattery or gentle urging especially in
the face of reluctance:COAX |
| calamity |
An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or
severe affliction; a disaster: |
| calcify |
to make inflexible or unchangeable |
| calibrate |
to determine, rectify, or mark the graduations of |
| calligrapher |
one who writes a beautiful |
| callous |
a:feeling no emotion b:feeling no sympathy for
others |
| callow |
lacking adult sophistication:IMMATURE |
| callus |
a thickening of or a hard thickened area on skin or
bark |
| calorie |
the amount of heat required at a pressure of one
atmosphere to raise the temperature of one gram of water one
degree Celsius that is equal to about 4.19 joules |
| calumniate |
to utter maliciously false statements, charges, or
imputations about |
| camaraderie |
a spirit of friendly good-fellowship |
| cameo |
a:a small piece of sculpture on a stone or shell cut in
relief in one layer with another contrasting layer serving as
backgroundb:A brief but dramatic appearance of a prominent
actor, as in a single scene of a motion picture. |
| camouflage |
behavior or artifice designed to deceive or hide |
| candidate |
one that aspires to or is nominated or qualified for an
office, membership, or award |
| candor |
unreserved, honest, or sincere
expression:FORTHRIGHTNESS |
| cane |
A stick used as an aid in walking or carried as an
accessory |
| canon |
a regulation or dogma decreed by a church council |
| canonical |
appearing in a biblical canon ; of or relating to or
required by canon law |
| canopy |
a cover (as of cloth) fixed or carried above a person of
high rank or a sacred object:BALDACHIN |
| cantankerous |
difficult or irritating to deal with |
| canvas |
a piece of cloth backed or framed as a surface for a
painting |
| canvass |
to seek orders or votes:SOLICIT |
| canyon |
a deep narrow valley with steep sides and often with a
stream flowing through it |
| capitulate |
to cease resisting:ACQUIESCE |
| caprice |
a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or
action |
| caption |
the part of a legal document that shows where, when, and
by what authority it was taken, found, or executed |
| captivate |
to influence and dominate by some special charm, art, or
trait and with an irresistible appeal |
| carefree |
Free of worries and responsibilities. |
| careworn |
showing the effect of grief or anxiety |
| caricature |
exaggeration by means of often ludicrous distortion of
parts or characteristics |
| carnal |
fleshly |
| carouse |
to drink liquor deeply or freely |
| carp |
to find fault or complain querulously |
| cartographer |
one that makes maps |
| cast |
the set of actors in a dramatic production; to assign a
certain role to (an actor) |
| castigate |
to subject to severe punishment, reproof, or
criticism |
| castigation |
severe punishment |
| catalyze |
BRING ABOUT, INSPIRE
supervisor:oversight,catalysis:initiate |
| cataract |
WATERFALL; especially:a large one over a precipice |
| catastrophe |
a momentous tragic event ranging from extreme misfortune
to utter overthrow or ruin |
| categorical |
ABSOLUTE, UNQUALIFIED |
| cater |
to supply what is required or desired |
| catholic |
COMPREHENSIVE, UNIVERSAL; especially :broad in sympathies,
tastes, or interests |
| caustic |
marked by incisive sarcasm |
| cavalier |
A gallant or chivalrous man, especially one serving as
escort to a woman of high social position; a gentleman |
| caveat |
a warning enjoining one from certain acts or
practices |
| cavern |
CAVE; especially:one of large or indefinite extent |
| cavil |
to raise trivial and frivolous objection |
| cavort |
to walk or move in a spirited manner:PRANCE |
| cede |
to yield or grant typically by treaty |
| celebrity |
the state of being celebrated |
| cement |
a binding element or agency:as a substance to make objects
adhere to each other |
| censor |
to examine in order to suppress or delete anything
considered objectionable |
| censorious |
marked by or given to censure |
| censure |
to find fault with and criticize as blameworthy |
| census |
a count of the population |
| centrifuge |
a machine using centrifugal force for separating
substances of different densities, for removing moisture, or
for simulating gravitational effects |
| ceramic |
of or relating to the manufacture of any product (as
earthenware, porcelain, or brick) made essentially from a
nonmetallic mineral (as clay) by firing at a high
temperature |
| ceremony |
a formal act or series of acts prescribed by ritual,
protocol, or convention |
| certitude |
the state of being or feeling certain |
| cessation |
a temporary or final ceasing (as of action):STOP |
| chaff |
the seed coverings and other debris separated from the
seed in threshing grain |
| chagrin |
disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation,
disappointment, or failure |
| chameleon |
any of a family (Chamaeleontidae) of chiefly arboreal Old
World lizards with prehensile tail, independently movable
eyeballs, and unusual ability to change the color of the
skin |
| champion |
to act as militant supporter of:UPHOLD, ADVOCATE |
| chaotic |
a:a state of utter confusion b:a confused mass or
mixture |
| charade |
a word represented in riddling verse or by picture,
tableau, or dramatic action |
| charlatan |
one making usually showy pretenses to knowledge or
ability:FRAUD, FAKER |
| chary |
discreetly cautious:as a:hesitant and vigilant about
dangers and risks b:slow to grant, accept, or expend |
| chasm |
a deep cleft in the surface of a planet (as the
earth):GORGE |
| check |
to block the progress of |
| chef |
a skilled cook who manages the kitchen (as of a
restaurant) |
| cherubic |
innocent-looking usually chubby and rosy |
| chevron |
a sleeve badge that usually consists of one or more
chevron-shaped stripes that indicates the wearer's rank and
service (as in the armed forces) |
| chiaroscuro |
the interplay or contrast of dissimilar qualities,
pictorial representation in terms of light and shade without
regard to color |
| chic |
smart elegance and sophistication especially of dress or
manner:STYLE |
| chicanery |
deception by artful subterfuge or sophistry:TRICKERY |
| chide |
to voice disapproval to:reproach in a usually mild and
constructive manner:SCOLD |
| chip |
a small usually thin and flat piece (as of wood or stone)
cut, struck, or flaked off |
| choke |
to check normal breathing of by compressing or obstructing
the trachea or by poisoning or adulterating available
air |
| choleric |
easily moved to often unreasonable or excessive
anger:hot-tempered |
| chord |
three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously |
| choreography |
the composition and arrangement of dances especially for
ballet |
| chorus |
a body of singers who perform choral compositions |
| chronic |
always present or encountered; especially :constantly
vexing, weakening, or troubling |
| chronicle |
a usually continuous historical account of events arranged
in order of time without analysis or interpretation |
| chronological |
of, relating to, or arranged in or according to the order
of time |
| churlish |
marked by a lack of civility or graciousness:SURLY |
| cinder |
small piece of partly burnt coal, wood, etc that is no
longer burning but may still be hot |
| cineast |
a film or movie enthusiast |
| cipher |
a method of transforming a text in order to conceal its
meaning |
| circuitous |
not being forthright or direct in language or action |
| circumference |
the perimeter of a circle |
| circumlocutory |
the use of an unnecessarily large number of words to
express an idea |
| circumscribe |
to construct or be constructed around (a geometrical
figure) so as to touch as many points as possible |
| circumspect |
careful to consider all circumstances and possible
consequences:PRUDENT |
| circumvent |
to manage to get around especially by ingenuity or
stratagem |
| cistern |
an artificial reservoir (as an underground tank) for
storing liquids and especially water (as rainwater) |
| citation |
an official summons to appear (as before a court) |
| civility |
COURTESY, POLITENESS |
| clairvoyant |
unusually perceptive:DISCERNING |
| clamp |
device for holding things tightly together, usu by means
of a screw |
| clandestine |
marked by, held in, or conducted with
secrecy:SURREPTITIOUS |
| clarion |
loud and clear |
| clarity |
the quality or state of being clear:LUCIDITY |
| clasp |
a device (as a hook) for holding objects or parts
together |
| claustrophobia |
abnormal dread of being in closed or narrow spaces |
| cleft |
a usually V-shaped indented formation:a hollow between
ridges or protuberances |
| clement |
inclined to be merciful:LENIENT |
| cliche |
a trite phrase or expression |
| clique |
a narrow exclusive circle or group of persons; especially
one held together by common interests, views, or
purposes |
| clog |
something that shackles or impedes:ENCUMBRANCE |
| closed-minded |
not easily subdued, remedied, or removed |
| closet |
a cabinet or recess for especially china, household
utensils, or clothing |
| clot |
a coagulated mass produced by clotting of blood |
| cloture |
closing, device (in Parliament) to end a debate by
voting |
| cloudburst |
a sudden copious rainfall |
| clout |
PULL, INFLUENCE |
| cloying |
excessively sweet or sentimental |
| clumsy |
lacking dexterity, nimbleness, or grace |
| coagulant |
something that produces coagulation |
| coalesce |
to unite into a whole:FUSE |
| coarse |
not precise or detailed with respect to adjustment or
discrimination |
| coax |
to manipulate with great perseverance and usually with
considerable effort toward a desired state or activity |
| coda |
a concluding musical section that is formally distinct
from the main structure |
| coerce |
to bring about by force or threat |
| coeval |
of the same or equal age, antiquity, or duration |
| cogent |
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason:CONVINCING |
| cognizant |
knowledgeable of something especially through personal
experience |
| colander |
a perforated utensil for washing or draining food |
| collapse |
to fall or shrink together abruptly and completely |
| collude |
CONSPIRE, PLOT |
| colonnade |
a series of columns set at regular intervals and usually
supporting the base of a roof structure |
| colossal |
of a bulk, extent, power, or effect approaching or
suggesting the stupendous or incredible |
| coma |
a state of profound unconsciousness caused by disease,
injury, or poison |
| combustible |
capable of combustion |
| comely |
having a pleasing appearance:not homely or plain |
| comity |
friendly social atmosphere:social harmony |
| commencement |
1. the ceremonies or the day for conferring degrees or
diplomas 2. an act, instance, or time of beginning |
| commend |
to mention with approbation:PRAISE |
| commensurate |
equal in measure or extent:COEXTENSIVE |
| commercial |
an advertisement broadcast on radio or television |
| commingle |
mingle together |
| commitment |
an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future
date |
| committed |
OBLIGATE, BIND |
| commodious |
comfortably or conveniently spacious:ROOMY |
| commonsense |
sound and prudent but often unsophisticated judgment |
| commotion |
an agitated disturbance:TO-DO |
| compendium |
a brief summary of a larger work or of a field of
knowledge:ABSTRACT |
| compensate |
to offset an error, defect, or undesired effect |
| complacency |
COMPLACENCE; especially :self-satisfaction accompanied by
unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies |
| complaisance |
disposition to please or comply:AFFABILITY |
| compliant |
ready or disposed to comply:SUBMISSIVE |
| compliment |
expressing or containing a compliment |
| comply |
to conform or adapt one's actions to another's wishes, to
a rule, or to necessity |
| composed |
free from agitation:CALM; especially :SELF-POSSESSED |
| compress |
to reduce in size or volume as if by squeezing |
| compromise |
1. to come to agreement by mutual concession 2. to cause
the impairment of |
| compunction |
anxiety arising from awareness of guilt |
| concatenate |
to link together in a series or chain |
| concede |
to grant as a right or privilege |
| concentrate |
to bring or direct toward a common center or
objective:FOCUS |
| concerted |
mutually contrived or agreed on |
| concerto |
a piece for one or more soloists and orchestra with three
contrasting movements |
| concession |
an act of yielding |
| conciliate |
APPEASE:to cause to subside:ALLAY especially :to buy off
(an aggressor) by concessions usually at the sacrifice of
principles |
| concise |
marked by brevity of expression or statement:free from all
elaboration and superfluous detail |
| conciseness |
Expressing much in few words |
| concomitant |
that which accompanies |
| concord |
a state of agreement:HARMONY |
| concur |
to act together to a common end or single effect |
| condemn |
to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually
after weighing evidence and without reservation |
| condescending |
showing or characterized by
condescension:PATRONIZING |
| condign |
deserved, appropriate |
| condole |
to express sympathetic sorrow |
| condone |
to pardon or overlook voluntarily; especially :to treat as
if trivial, harmless, or of no importance |
| conducive |
tending to promote or assist |
| confess |
to disclose one's faults; specifically :to unburden one's
sins or the state of one's conscience to God or to a
priest |
| confidant |
one to whom secrets are entrusted |
| confident |
characterized by assurance; especially :SELF-RELIANT |
| confine |
something that restrains |
| confluence |
a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one
point |
| conform |
to be similar or identical; also :to be in agreement or
harmony |
| confront |
to face especially in challenge:OPPOSE |
| congeal |
to make viscid or curdled:COAGULATE |
| congenial |
OCIABLE, GENIAL congenial:bonhomie ???:?? 9????: |
| congruent |
superposable so as to be coincident throughout |
| conjecture |
inference from defective or presumptive evidence |
| connive |
to cooperate secretly or have a secret understanding |
| connoisseur |
EXPERT; especially :one who understands the details,
technique, or principles of an art and is competent to act as
a critical judge |
| conquest |
the act or process of conquering |
| conscientious |
Thorough and assiduous |
| consensus |
group solidarity in sentiment and belief |
| conservative |
tending or disposed to maintain existing views,
conditions, or institutions:TRADITIONAL |
| conservatory |
a school specializing in one of the fine arts |
| conserve |
to keep in a safe or sound state |
| considerable |
worth consideration:SIGNIFICANT |
| consign |
to give, transfer, or deliver into the hands or control of
another; also :to commit especially to a final destination or
fate |
| console |
to alleviate the grief, sense of loss, or trouble
of:COMFORT |
| consolidate |
to join together into one whole:UNITE |
| consonance |
harmony or agreement among components |
| conspicuous |
obvious to the eye or mind |
| conspiracy |
An agreement to perform together an illegal, wrongful, or
subversive act. |
| constellation |
the configuration of stars. |
| constitute |
to appoint to an office, function, or dignity |
| constrained |
to appoint to an office, function, or dignity |
| constringe |
to cause to contract; constrict. |
| consult |
COUNCIL, CONFERENCE; specifically :a deliberation between
physicians on a case or its treatment |
| consummate |
Complete in every detail; of the highest degree; extremely
skilled and accomplished. |
| contagious |
communicable by contact:CATCHING |
| contaminate |
to soil, stain, corrupt, or infect by contact or
association |
| contemplate |
to view or consider with continued attention:meditate on
consider |
| contempt |
the act of despising:the state of mind of one who
despises:DISDAIN |
| content |
feeling or manifesting satisfaction with one's
possessions, status, or situation |
| contentious |
exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to
quarrels and disputes |
| contingent |
likely but not certain to happen:POSSIBLE |
| contort |
to twist into or as if into a strained shape or
expression |
| contortion |
contortingor being contorted (esp of the face or
body) |
| contradictory |
involving, causing, or constituting a contradiction |
| contravene |
to oppose in argument:CONTRADICT |
| contrite |
grieving and penitent for sin or shortcoming |
| contrived |
ARTIFICIAL, LABORED |
| control |
an individual or group used as a standard of comparison in
a control experiment |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient:REBELLIOUS |
| conundrum |
a:a question or problem having only a conjectural answer
b:an intricate and difficult problem |
| convalesce |
to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or
weakness |
| convenience |
something (as an appliance, device, or service) conducive
to comfort or ease |
| convention |
usage or custom especially in social matters |
| conventional |
lacking originality or individuality:TRITE |
| convergent |
tending to move toward one point or to approach each
other:CONVERGING |
| conversant |
having frequent or familiar association |
| convert |
to bring over from one belief, view, or party to
another |
| convex |
curved or rounded like the exterior of a sphere |
| convey |
to transfer or deliver to another |
| conviction |
1. a strong persuasion or belief 2. the act or process of
convicting of a crime especially in a court of law |
| convivial |
relating to, occupied with, or fond of feasting, drinking,
and good company |
| convoke |
to call together to a meeting |
| convoluted |
INVOLVED, INTRICATE |
| convulsion |
an abnormal violent and involuntary contraction or series
of contractions of the muscles |
| coop |
a cage or small enclosure (as for poultry) |
| copious |
present in large quantity:taking place on a large
scale |
| coquette |
a woman who endeavors without sincere affection to gain
the attention and admiration of men |
| cord |
a unit of wood cut for fuel equal to a stack 4 x 4 x 8
feet or 128 cubic feet |
| cordon |
a line of persons or objects around a person or
place |
| cornucopia |
an inexhaustible store:ABUNDANCE |
| coronation |
the act or occasion of crowning; also :accession to the
highest office |
| corporeal |
having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material
body:as a:not spiritual b:not immaterial or
intangible:SUBSTANTIAL |
| corral |
a pen or enclosure for confining or capturing
livestock |
| corroborate |
to support with evidence or authority:make more
certain |
| corrosive |
tending or having the power to corrode |
| cosmopolitan |
having worldwide rather than limited or provincial scope
or bearing |
| cosset |
to treat as a pet:PAMPER |
| coterie |
an intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a
unifying common interest or purpose |
| countenance |
to extend approval or toleration to:SANCTION |
| counterfeit |
made in imitation of something else with intent to
deceive:FORGED |
| counterpart |
one of two corresponding copies of a legal
instrument:DUPLICATE |
| court |
to seek the affections of; especially :to seek to win a
pledge of marriage from |
| courtesy |
a courteous act or expression |
| coven |
an assembly or band of usually 13 witches |
| covetous |
marked by inordinate desire for wealth or possessions or
for another's possessions |
| cow |
to destroy the resolve or courage of |
| cowardice |
lack of courage or resolution |
| cower |
to shrink away or crouch especially for shelter from
something that menaces, domineers, or dismays |
| cozen |
cheat; hoodwink; swindle |
| craft |
skill in planning, making, or executing:DEXTERITY |
| cramp |
restricted; narrowed |
| crass |
having or indicating such grossness of mind as precludes
delicacy and discrimination |
| craven |
lacking the least bit of courage:contemptibly
fainthearted |
| craving |
an intense, urgent, or abnormal desire or longing |
| credence |
acceptance as true or valid; belief |
| credulous |
ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain
evidence |
| creek |
a natural stream of water normally smaller than and often
tributary to a river |
| creep |
to move slowly,quietly and carefully, esp so as not to
attract attention |
| crescendo |
a gradual increase; specifically :a gradual increase in
volume of a musical passage |
| crest |
the top of a wave |
| crestfallen |
feeling shame or humiliation:DEJECTED |
| criterion |
a standard on which a judgment or decision may be
based |
| crockery |
EARTHENWARE |
| cronyism |
partiality to cronies especially as evidenced in the
appointment of political hangers-on to office without regard
to their qualifications |
| croon |
to sing or speak in a gentle murmuring manner; especially
:to sing in a soft intimate manner adapted to amplifying
systems |
| crouch |
to bend or bow servilely:CRINGE |
| crown |
to place a crown or wreath on the head of; specifically
:to invest with regal dignity and power |
| crucial |
important or essential as resolving acrisis:DECISIVE |
| crude |
marked by the primitive, gross, or elemental or by
uncultivated simplicity or vulgarity |
| crutch |
a support typically fitting under the armpit for use by
the disabled in walking |
| crux |
an essential point requiring resolution or resolving an
outcome |
| cryptic |
having or seeming to have a hidden or ambiguous
meaning:MYSTERIOUS |
| cuisine |
manner of preparing food:style of cooking; also:the food
prepared |
| culpable |
meriting condemnation or blame especially as wrong or
harmful |
| cultivated |
REFINED, EDUCATED |
| cumbersome |
unwieldy because of heaviness and bulk |
| cunning |
characterized by wiliness and trickery |
| curator |
one that has the care and superintendence of something;
especially:one in charge of a museum, zoo, or other place of
exhibit |
| curmudgeon |
a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man |
| curriculum |
A group of related courses, often in a special field of
study: |
| cursory |
rapidly and often superficially performed or
produced:HASTY |
| curt |
sparing of words:TERSE |
| curtail |
to make less by or as if by cutting off or away some
part |
| cyclone |
a storm or system of winds that rotates about a center of
low atmospheric pressure, and often brings heavy rain |
| cynical |
having or showing the attitude or temper of a cynic;
especially :contemptuously distrustful of human nature and
motives |
|
|
| dabble |
to work or involve oneself superficially or intermittently
especially in a secondary activity or interest |
| daft |
SILLY, FOOLISH |
| dally |
a:to act playfully; especially :to play amorously b:to
deal lightly:TOY |
| damp |
MOISTURE,HUMIDITY, DAMPNESS |
| damper |
a dulling or deadening influence |
| dandy |
a man who gives exaggerated attention to personal
appearance |
| dank |
unpleasantly moist or wet |
| dapper |
neat and trim in appearance |
| dappled |
marked with small spots or patches contrasting with the
background |
| daredevil |
a recklessly bold person |
| dart |
to move suddenly or rapidly fall |
| dastard |
a person who acts treacherously or underhandedly |
| daunt |
to lessen the courage of:COW, SUBDUE |
| dawdle |
to move lackadaisically |
| deactivate |
to make inactive or ineffective |
| deaden |
to impair in vigor or sensation:BLUNT |
| deadpan |
marked by an impassive matter-of-fact manner, style, or
expression |
| dearth |
an inadequate supply:LACK |
| debark |
To unload, as from a ship or an airplane. |
| debase |
to lower in status, esteem, quality, or character |
| debilitate |
to impair the strength of:ENFEEBLE |
| debonair |
LIGHTHEARTED, NONCHALANT |
| debris |
the remains of something broken down or destroyed |
| debunk |
to expose the sham or falseness of |
| debut |
a first appearance |
| decadence |
the process of becoming decadent:the quality or state of
being decadent |
| decant |
to pour out, transfer, or unload as if by pouring |
| decelerate |
to reduce the speed of:slow down |
| decibel |
a unit for expressing the relative intensity of sounds on
a scale from zero for the average least perceptible sound to
about 130 for the average pain level |
| decipher |
a:to make out the meaning of despite indistinctness or
obscurity b:to interpret the meaning of |
| decode |
to convert (as a coded message) into intelligible
form |
| decorum |
propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance |
| decrepit |
wasted and weakened by or as if by the infirmities of old
age |
| dedication |
a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose |
| default |
a failure to pay financial debts |
| deference |
respect and esteem due a superior or an elder;
also:affected or ingratiating regard for another's
wishes |
| deficiency |
an amount that is lacking or inadequate:SHORTAGE |
| defile |
a narrow passage or gorge |
| definitive |
serving to provide a final solution or to end a
situation |
| defoliate |
to deprive of leaves especially prematurely |
| deforest |
the action or process of clearing of forests; also :the
state of having been cleared of |
| defraud |
to deprive of something by deception or fraud |
| deft |
characterized by facility and skill |
| defuse |
to make less harmful, potent, or tense |
| defy |
to challenge to do something considered
impossible:DARE |
| dehydrate |
to remove bound water or hydrogen and oxygen from (a
chemical compound) in the proportion in which they form
water |
| deify |
To worship or revere as a god |
| deject |
to make gloomy |
| deleterious |
harmful often in a subtle or unexpected way |
| deliberate |
to think about or discuss issues and decisions
carefully |
| delicacy |
the quality or state of being dainty:FINENESS |
| delinquent |
offending by neglect or violation of duty or of law |
| deliquesce |
To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption of
moisture from the air. |
| delirium |
a mental disturbance characterized by confusion,
disordered speech, and hallucinations |
| delude |
to mislead the mind or judgment of:DECEIVE, TRICK |
| deluge |
adj. an overflowing of the land by water b:a drenching
rain |
| delve |
to make a careful or detailed search for information |
| demagogue |
a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false
claims and promises in order to gain power |
| demanding |
requiring much time, effort, or attention:EXACTING |
| demise |
DIE, DECEASE |
| demography |
the statistical study of human populations especially with
reference to size and density, distribution, and vital
statistics |
| demolition |
the act of demolishing; especially :destruction in war by
means of explosives |
| demoralize |
a:to weaken the morale of:DISCOURAGE, DISPIRIT b:to upset
or destroy the normal functioning of c:to throw into
disorder |
| demotic |
Of or relating to the common people; popular |
| demur |
to take exception:OBJECT |
| denigrate |
to cast aspersions on:DEFAME |
| denouement |
the final outcome of the main dramatic complication in a
literary work |
| denounce |
to pronounce especially publicly to be blameworthy or
evil |
| dent |
a depression or hollow made by a blow or by pressure |
| denude |
to strip of all covering or surface layers |
| denunciate |
to pronounce especially publicly to be blameworthy or
evil |
| depart |
to go away:LEAVE |
| depict |
to represent by or as if by a picture |
| deplete |
to lessen markedly in quantity, content, power, or
value |
| deplore |
to feel or express strong disapproval of; condemn. |
| deploy |
to extend (a military unit) especially in width |
| deportation |
the removal from a country of an alien whose presence is
unlawful or prejudicial |
| depose |
to testify to under oath or by affidavit |
| deposit |
to lay down or leave behind by a natural process |
| depravity |
a corrupt act or practice |
| deprecate |
BELITTLE, DISPARAGE |
| depreciate |
to lower the price or estimated value of |
| depress |
to press down |
| deprivation |
the state of being deprived:PRIVATION; especially :removal
from an office, dignity, or benefice |
| deracinate |
UPROOT |
| derelict |
a destitute homeless social misfit:VAGRANT, BUM |
| deride |
to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous
ridicule |
| derivative |
lacking originality:BANAL |
| derogatory |
expressive of a low opinion:DISPARAGING |
| descendant |
one deriving directly from a precursor or prototype |
| descent |
an inclination downward:SLOPE |
| desecrate |
to violate the sanctity of:PROFANE |
| desert |
to withdraw from or leave usually without intent to
return |
| desiccate |
to preserve (a food) by drying:DEHYDRATE |
| designate |
appointed to a job (but not yet having officially started
it) |
| despair |
to lose all hope or confidence |
| despicable |
deserving to be despised:so worthless or obnoxious as to
rouse moral indignation |
| despise |
to look down on with contempt or aversion |
| despondent |
feeling or showing extreme discouragement, dejection, or
depression |
| dessert |
a usually sweet course or dish (as of pastry or ice cream)
served at the end of a meal |
| desultory |
disappointing in progress or performance:SLUGGISH |
| detach |
to separate especially from a larger mass and usually
without violence or damage |
| detain |
to hold or keep in or as if in custody |
| deter |
to turn aside, discourage, or prevent from acting |
| detestable |
arousing or meriting intense dislike:ABOMINABLE |
| detour |
to send by a circuitous route |
| detract |
to diminish the importance, value, or effectiveness of
something |
| detritus |
a product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing
away |
| deviation |
noticeable or marked departure from accepted norms of
behavior |
| devise |
to form in the mind by new combinations or application of
and ideas or principles |
| devolve |
deputize; pass to others |
| devoted |
devote:to give over or direct (as time, money, or effort)
to a cause, enterprise, or activity |
| devout |
devoted to religion or to religious duties or
exercises |
| dew |
moisture condensed upon the surfaces of cool bodies
especially at night |
| dexterous |
mentally adroit and skillful:CLEVER |
| diabolic |
of, relating to, or characteristic of the
devil:DEVILIS |
| diabolize |
To represent as diabolical |
| diagnose |
to recognize (as a disease) by signs and symptoms |
| diaphanous |
characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit
seeing through |
| diatribe |
a bitter and abusive speech or writing |
| didactic |
designed or intended to teach |
| die |
any of various tools or devices for imparting a desired
shape, form, or finish to a material or for impressing an
object or material |
| diehard |
strongly or fanatically determined or devoted |
| diffident |
hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of
self-confidence |
| diffuse |
being at once verbose and ill-organized |
| digit |
A human finger or toe. |
| dignity |
quality or state of being worthy, honored, or
esteemed |
| digress |
to turn aside especially from the main subject of
attention or course of argument |
| dilapidate |
to bring into a condition of decay or partial ruin |
| dilate |
to enlarge or expand in bulk or extent:DISTEND,
WIDEN |
| dilatory |
characterized by procrastination:TARDY |
| dilettante |
a person having a superficial interest in an art or a
branch of knowledge:DABBLER |
| diligent |
characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic
effort:PAINSTAKING |
| dilute |
to diminish the strength, flavor, or brilliance of by
admixture |
| dimension |
measurement of any sort |
| diminish |
to make or become smaller ,less, or less important |
| din |
a loud continued noise; especially :a welter of discordant
sounds |
| dingus |
an ornamental attachment or decoration:DOODAD |
| dingy |
SHABBY, SQUALID |
| diocesan |
a bishop having jurisdiction over a diocese |
| diplomatic |
of or engaged in diplomacy; tactful or suave |
| dire |
DISMAL, OPPRESSIVE |
| dirge |
a song or hymn of grief or lamentation; especially :one
intended to accompany funeral or memorial rites |
| disabuse |
to free from error, fallacy, or misconception |
| disaffected |
discontented and resentful especially against authority
REBELLIOUS |
| disagreeable |
causing discomfort:UNPLEASANT, OFFENSIVE |
| disarm |
to deprive of means, reason, or disposition to be
hostile |
| disarray |
(n.) (state of) disorder |
| disavow |
to deny responsibility for:REPUDIATE |
| discard |
to get rid of especially as useless or unpleasant |
| discernible |
distinguishable; perceivable |
| discerning |
showing insight and understanding:DISCRIMINATING |
| discharge |
to dismiss from employment |
| disciple |
one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of
another |
| discipline |
a rule or system of rules governing conduct or
activity |
| disclaim |
to renounce a legal claim to |
| discography |
a descriptive list of phonograph records by category,
composer, performer, or date of release |
| discombobulate |
to confuse or disconcert |
| discomfit |
to put into a state of perplexity and
embarrassment:DISCONCERT |
| discommode |
to cause inconvenience to:TROUBLE |
| discompose |
to destroy the composure of |
| disconcert |
to throw into confusion |
| discord |
lack of agreement or harmony (as between persons, things,
or ideas) |
| discourse |
formal and orderly and usually extended expression of
thought on a subject |
| discredit |
to deprive of good repute:DISGRACE |
| discrepancy |
Divergence or disagreement, as between facts or claims;
difference. |
| discrete |
(adj.) separate; individually distinct; composed of
distinct parts |
| discretion |
the quality of being discreet:CIRCUMSPECTION; especially
:cautious reserve in speech frivolous |
| discretionary |
left to discretion:exercised at one's own discretion |
| discriminate |
to mark or perceive the distinguishing or peculiar
features of |
| discursive |
moving from topic to topic without order:RAMBLING |
| disdain |
a feeling of contempt for what is beneath one:SCORN |
| disembody |
To free (the soul or spirit) from the body |
| disengage |
to release from something that engages or involves |
| disentangle |
(v.) to free from confusion |
| disgorge |
to discharge by the throat and mouth:VOMIT |
| disgruntle |
to make ill-humored or discontented , usually used as a
participial adjective |
| disguise |
to furnish with a false appearance or an assumed
identity |
| disgust |
marked aversion aroused by something highly
distasteful:REPUGNANCE |
| dishevel |
to throw into disorder or disarray |
| disinclination |
a preference for avoiding something:slight aversion |
| disinfect |
to free from infection especially by destroying harmful
microorganisms |
| disinterested |
free from selfish motive or interest:UNBIASED |
| disjunctive |
marked by breaks or disunity |
| dismantle |
to take to pieces; also :to destroy the integrity or
functioning of |
| disparage |
to depreciate by indirect means (as invidious
comparison):speak slightingly about |
| disparate |
containing or made up of fundamentally different and often
incongruous elements |
| dispassionate |
not influenced by strong feeling; especially :not affected
by personal or emotional involvement |
| dispatch |
promptness and efficiency in performance or
transmission |
| disposal |
systematic destruction; especially :destruction or
transformation of garbage |
| disquiet |
to take away the peace or tranquillity of:DISTURB,
ALARM |
| disregard |
pay no attention to treat (sth) as of no importance;
ignore |
| disrupt |
to throw into disorder |
| dissect |
to analyze and interpret minutely |
| dissemble |
to put on a false appearance:conceal facts, intentions, or
feelings under some pretense |
| disseminate |
to spread abroad as though sowing seed |
| dissension |
DISAGREEMENT; especially:partisan and contentious
quarreling |
| dissent |
to withhold assent |
| dissertation |
an extended usually written treatment of a subject;
specifically :one submitted for a doctorate |
| dissipate |
dispel; squander |
| dissociate |
to separate from association or union with another |
| dissolute |
lacking restraint; especially :marked by indulgence in
things |
| dissolve |
to cause to pass into solution to separate into component
parts:DISINTEGRATE |
| dissonance |
lack of agreement; especially :inconsistency between the
beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's
beliefs |
| dissuade |
to advise (a person) against something |
| distention |
the act of distending or the state of being distended
especially unduly or abnormally |
| distillation |
the process of purifying a liquid by successive
evaporation and condensation |
| distinction |
the quality or state of being distinguishable |
| distinguished |
marked by eminence, distinction, or excellence |
| distort |
to twist out of the true meaning or proportion |
| distract |
to draw or direct (as one's attention) to a different
object or in different directions at the same time |
| distraught |
agitated with doubt or mental conflict |
| distress |
great pain/cause discomfort |
| district |
|
| ditch |
a long narrow excavation dug in the earth |
| ditty |
an especially simple and unaffected song |
| diurnal |
of, relating to, or occurring in the daytime |
| diver |
part of a country or town having a particular
quality |
| diverge |
to move or extend in different directions from a common
point:draw apart |
| divert |
to turn from one course or use to another:DEFLECT |
| divestiture |
the act of divesting |
| divulge |
to make known (as a confidence or secret) |
| doctrine |
a principle or position or the body of principles in a
branch of knowledge or system of belief:DOGMA |
| dodder |
to progress feebly and unsteadily |
| doff |
to remove (an article of wear) from the body |
| dogged |
marked by stubborn determination |
| doggerel |
loosely styled and irregular in measure especially for
burlesque or comic effect; also:marked by triviality or
inferiority |
| doggo |
in hiding |
| dogma |
something held as an established opinion;especially:a
definite authoritative tenet |
| doldrums |
state or period of inactivity, stagnation, or slump |
| dolorous |
causing, marked by, or expressing misery or grief |
| dolt |
a stupid person |
| domicile |
a dwelling place:place of residence:HOME |
| domination |
supremacy or preeminence over another |
| don |
to put on (an article of clothing) |
| donor |
one that gives, donates, or presents something |
| doodle |
an aimless or casual scribble, design, or sketch |
| dour |
STERN, HARSH |
| downpour |
a pouring or streaming downward; especially:a heavy
rain |
| doyen |
a:the senior member of a body or group b:a person
considered to be knowledgeable or uniquely skilled as a result
of long experience in some field of endeavor |
| doze |
to fall into a light sleep |
| draconian |
CRUEL; also:SEVERE |
| drain |
to exhaust physically or emotionally |
| drawl |
to utter in a slow lengthened tone |
| dreary |
having nothing likely to provide cheer, comfort, or
interest:GLOOMY, DISMAL |
| drench |
to wet thoroughly (as by soaking or immersing in
liquid) |
| drivel |
to utter in an infantile or imbecilic way |
| drizzle |
a fine misty rain |
| droll |
having a humorous, whimsical, or odd quality |
| drone |
to speak in a monotonous tone: |
| droplet |
a tiny drop (as of a liquid) |
| drudgery |
dull, irksome, and fatiguing work:uninspiring or menial
labor |
| dubious |
questionable or suspect as to true nature or quality |
| dulcet |
pleasing to the ear |
| dull |
lacking brilliance or luster |
| dullard |
a stupid or unimaginative person |
| dune |
a hill or ridge of sand piled up by the wind |
| dupe |
one that is easily deceived or cheated:FOOL |
| dwelling |
a shelter (as a house) in which people live |
| dyspeptic |
INDIGESTION |
|
|
| eaglet |
a young eagle |
| earnest |
characterized by or proceeding from an intense and serious
state of mind |
| earplug |
device of pliable material for insertion into the outer
opening of the ear (as to keep out water or deaden
sound) |
| earshot |
the range within which the unaided voice may be
heard |
| earsplitting |
distressingly loud or shrill |
| easel |
An upright frame for supporting something, such as an
artist's canvas |
| eavesdrop |
to listen secretly to the private conversation of
others |
| ebb |
recede; lessen |
| ebullience |
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of
thoughts or feelings:EXUBERANCE |
| eccentric |
deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct
especially in odd or whimsical ways |
| echelon |
an arrangement of a body of troops with its units each
somewhat to the left or right of the one in the rear like a
series of steps |
| eclat |
brilliant or conspicuous success |
| eclectic |
selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines,
methods, or styles |
| eclipse |
a falling into obscurity or decline; also :the state of
being eclipsed |
| ecstasy |
a state of overwhelming emotion; especially :rapturous
delight |
| ecstatic |
feeling great rapture or delight |
| ecumenical |
worldwide or general in extent, influence, or
application |
| eddy |
circular or spiral movement (e.g. of wind) |
| edifice |
BUILDING; especially :a large or massive structure |
| efface |
to make (oneself) modestly or shyly inconspicuous |
| effervesce |
to show liveliness or exhilaration |
| effete |
having lost character, vitality, or strength |
| effluvia |
a by-product especially in the form of waste |
| effulgent |
radiant splendor:BRILLIANCE |
| effusive |
characterized or formed by a nonexplosive outpouring of
lava |
| egalitarian |
a belief in human equality especially with respect to
social, political, and economic rights and privileges |
| egocentric |
concerned with the individual rather than society |
| elaborate |
marked by complexity, fullness of detail, or
ornateness |
| elastic |
capable of being easily stretched or expanded and resuming
former shape:FLEXIBLE |
| elated |
marked by high spirits:EXULTANT |
| eleemosynary |
of, relating to, or supported by charity |
| elegant |
of a high grade or quality:SPLENDID |
| elegy |
a song or poem expressing sorrow or lamentation especially
for one who is dead |
| elephantine |
having enormous size or strength:MASSIVE |
| elevate |
to raise in rank or status:EXALT |
| elf |
a small lively creature; also :a usually lively
mischievous or malicious person |
| elicit |
to draw forth or bring out |
| elitism |
leadership or rule by an elite |
| ellipse |
a closed plane curve resulting from the intersection of a
circular cone and a plane cutting completely through it |
| ellipsis |
the omission of one or more words that are obviously
understood but that must be supplied to make a construction
grammatically complete |
| elliptical |
of or relating to deliberate obscurity (as of literary or
conversational style) |
| elongate |
to extend the length of |
| elucidate |
to give a clarifying explanation |
| emaciate |
to cause to lose f unaffectlesh so as to become very
thin |
| emanate |
to come out from a source |
| emancipate |
to free from restraint, control, or the power of another;
especially :to free from bondage |
| embargo |
a legal prohibition on commerce |
| embark |
to make a start |
| embarrass |
to place in doubt, perplexity, or difficulties |
| embed |
to enclose closely in or as if in a matrix |
| embezzle |
to appropriate (as property entrusted to one's care)
fraudulently to one's own use |
| embolden |
to instill with boldness or courage |
| embrace |
close encircling with the arms and pressure to the bosom
especially as a sign of affection:HUG |
| emigrate |
to leave one's place of residence or country to live
elsewhere |
| eminence |
one that is eminent, prominent, or lofty:as a person of
high rank or attainments |
| emphasis |
special consideration of or stress or insistence on
something |
| emulate |
strive to equal or excel |
| enact |
to establish by legal and authoritative act;
specifically:to make (as a bill) into law |
| enamel |
a hard calcareous substance that forms a thin layer
capping the teeth |
| enclosure |
something that encloses |
| encomium |
glowing and warmly enthusiastic praise; |
| encompass |
1. to form a circle about:ENCLOSE obsolete :to go
completely around 2. to form a circle about:ENCLOSE |
| encounter |
to come upon face-to-face |
| encumber |
to impede or hamper the function or activity
of:HINDER |
| encyclopedia |
a work that contains information on all branches of
knowledge or treats comprehensively a particular branch of
knowledge usually in articles arranged alphabetically often by
subject |
| endorse |
to approve openly especially:to express support or
approval of publicly and definitely |
| enduring |
LASTING, DURABLE |
| enervate |
to lessen the vitality or strength of |
| enfeeble |
to make feeble:deprive of strength |
| enfranchise |
to endow with a franchise:as to admit to the privileges of
a citizen and especially to the right of suffrage |
| engender |
to cause to exist or to develop:PRODUCE |
| engross |
to take or engage the whole attention of:occupy
completely |
| enigmatic |
of, relating to, or resembling an enigma:MYSTERIOUS |
| enlighten |
to furnish knowledge to:INSTRUCT |
| enmity |
positive, active, and typically mutual hatred or ill
will |
| ennoble |
to make noble:ELEVATE |
| ennui |
a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction:BOREDOM |
| enrapture |
to fill with delight |
| ensconce |
settle comfortably |
| enslave |
to reduce to or as if to slavery:SUBJUGATE |
| ensue |
to take place afterward or as a result |
| entangle |
to wrap or twist together:INTERWEAVE |
| enthusiasm |
strong excitement of feeling:ARDOR |
| entice |
to attract artfully or adroitly or by arousing hope or
desire:TEMPT |
| entrance |
to carry away with delight, wonder, or rapture |
| entrap |
to catch in or as if in a trap |
| entreaty |
an act of entreating:PLEA |
| entry |
a descriptive record (as in a card catalog or an
index) |
| enumerate |
to specify one after another:LIST |
| enunciate |
a:to make a definite or systematic statement of
b:ANNOUNCE, PROCLAIM |
| envision |
to picture to oneself |
| ephemeral |
lasting a very short time |
| epic |
extending beyond the usual or ordinary especially in size
or scope |
| epicure |
one with sensitive and discriminating tastes especially in
food or wine |
| epigram |
a concise poem dealing pointedly and often satirically
with a single thought or event and often ending with an
ingenious turn of thought |
| epilogue |
a concluding section that rounds out the design of a
literary work; the final scene of a play that comments on or
summarizes the main action; the concluding section of a
musical composition:CODA |
| episode |
An incident or story in a literary work, separable from
yet growing out of it. |
| epistemology |
the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of
knowledge especially with reference to its limits and
validity |
| epitomize |
to serve as the typical or ideal example of |
| equable |
marked by lack of noticeable, unpleasant, or extreme
variation or inequality |
| equipoise |
a state of equilibrium |
| equity |
justice according to natural law or right; specifically
:freedom from bias or favoritism |
| equivocal |
subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to
mislead or confuse |
| erect |
1. characterized by firm or rigid straightness in bodily
posture 2. SET UP, ESTABLISH |
| erode |
to diminish or destroy by degrees |
| errant |
traveling or given to traveling |
| erratic |
having no fixed course:WANDERING |
| erudite |
possessing or displaying erudition:LEARNED |
| escalate |
to increase in extent, volume, number, amount, intensity,
or scope |
| eschew |
to avoid habitually especially on moral or practical
grounds:SHUN |
| esoteric |
designed for or understood by the specially initiated
alone |
| espouse |
to take up and support as a cause:become attached to |
| esteem |
to set a high value on:regard highly and prize
accordingly |
| estimable |
worthy of esteem |
| estrange |
to arouse especially mutual enmity or indifference in
where there had formerly been love, affection, or
friendliness:ALIENATE |
| etch |
a chemical agent used in etching |
| eternal |
a:continued without intermission:PERPETUAL b:seemingly
endless |
| ethereal |
a:lacking material substance:IMMATERIAL, INTANGIBLE
b:marked by unusual delicacy or refinement |
| ethics |
the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with
moral duty and obligation |
| eulogize |
to speak or write in high praise of:EXTOL |
| euphemism |
the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression
for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant |
| euphonious |
pleasing to the ear |
| euphoria |
a feeling of well-being or elation |
| evacuate |
a:to remove especially from a military zone or dangerous
area b:to withdraw from military occupation of c:VACATE |
| evade |
to avoid answering directly:turn aside |
| evanescent |
tending to vanish like vapor |
| evasive |
tending or intended to evade:EQUIVOCAL |
| everlasting |
lasting or enduring through all time:ETERNAL |
| evict |
to force out:EXPEL |
| evoke |
to call forth or up |
| ewe |
the female of the sheep especially when mature; also :the
female of various related animals |
| exacerbate |
to make more violent, bitter, or severe |
| exacting |
tryingly or unremittingly severe in making demands |
| exaggerate |
to enlarge or increase especially beyond the
normal:OVEREMPHASIZE |
| exalt |
to elevate by praise or in estimation:GLORIFY |
| exasperate |
a:to excite the anger of:ENRAGE b:to cause irritation or
annoyance to |
| excavate |
find by digging in the ground ; remove the inner part or
the core of |
| exceptional |
deviating from the norm |
| excerpt |
to select (a passage) for quoting:EXTRACT |
| exclamation |
a sharp or sudden utterance |
| excoriate |
to censure scathingly |
| excrete |
to separate and eliminate or discharge (waste) from the
blood or tissues or from the active protoplasm |
| excruciate |
to subject to intense mental distress |
| exculpate |
to clear from alleged fault or guilt |
| exculpatory |
Acting or tending to exculpate |
| excursive |
constituting a digression:characterized by
digression |
| execrate |
to declare to be evil or detestable:DENOUNCE |
| execute |
to carry out fully:put completely into effect |
| exemplary |
serving as a pattern |
| exempt |
free or released from some liability or requirement to
which others are subjectexempt:liability:pardon:penalty |
| exert |
to bring to bear especially with sustained effort or
lasting effect |
| exhaust |
to consume entirely:USE UP |
| exhilarate |
to make cheerful |
| exhortation |
language intended to incite and encourage |
| exodus |
a mass departure:EMIGRATION |
| exonerate |
to relieve of a responsibility, obligation, or
hardship |
| exorbitant |
exceeding in intensity, quality, amount, or size the
customary or appropriate limits |
| exotic |
introduced from another country:not native to the place
where found |
| expansive |
characterized by high spirits, generosity, or readiness to
talk:OPEN |
| expedite |
to accelerate the process or progress of:speed up |
| expedition |
efficient promptness:SPEED |
| expiation |
the act of making atonement |
| explicit |
fully revealed or expressed without vagueness,
implication, or ambiguity:leaving no question as to meaning or
intent |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets |
| expurgate |
to cleanse of something morally harmful, offensive, or
erroneous; especially :to expunge objectionable parts from
before publication or presentation |
| exquisite |
marked by flawless craftsmanship or by beautiful,
ingenious, delicate, or elaborate execution |
| extant |
currently or actually existing |
| extemporize |
to do something extemporaneously:IMPROVISE; especially :to
speak extemporaneously |
| extenuate |
to lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
by making partial excuses:MITIGATE |
| exterminate |
to get rid of completely usually by killing off |
| extinct |
no longer existing |
| extinguish |
to cause to cease burning:QUENCH |
| extol |
to praise highly:GLORIFY |
| extort |
to obtain from a person by force, intimidation, or undue
or illegal power:WRING |
| extraneous |
a:not forming an essential or vital part b:having no
relevance |
| extravagant |
a:spending much more than necessary b:PROFUSE,
LAVISH |
| extricate |
to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty |
| extrinsic |
not forming an essential or inherent part of a thing;
extraneous. |
| extrovert |
a gregarious and unreserved person |
| exuberant |
joyously unrestrained and enthusiastic |
| exude |
to undergo diffusion |
| exultant |
filled with or expressing great joy or
triumph:JUBILANT |
|
|
| fabricate |
CONSTRUCT, MANUFACTURE; specifically :to construct from
diverse and usually standardized parts |
| facetious |
joking or jesting often inappropriately:WAGGISH |
| facilitate |
to make easier:help bring about |
| faction |
a party or group (as within a government) that is often
contentious or self-seeking:CLIQUE |
| fade |
to change gradually in loudness, strength, or
visibility |
| fail-safe |
incorporating some feature for automatically counteracting
the effect of an anticipated possible source of failure |
| faint |
lacking strength or vigor:performed, offered, or
accomplished weakly or languidly |
| fainthearted |
lacking courage or resolution:TIMID |
| fallacy |
a:a false or mistaken idea b:erroneous
character:ERRONEOUSNESS |
| falsehood |
absence of truth or accuracy |
| falter |
a:to hesitate in purpose or action:WAVER b:to lose drive
or effectiveness |
| fantasy |
imaginative fiction featuring especially strange settings
and grotesque characters |
| farce |
ridiculous or empty show |
| fascinate |
to be irresistibly attractive |
| fast |
1. in a firm or fixed manner 2. the act to eat sparingly
or abstain from some foods |
| fasten |
to attach especially by pinning, tying, or nailing |
| fastidious |
showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care |
| fathom |
to penetrate and come to understand |
| fatigue |
weariness or exhaustion from labor, exertion, or
stress |
| fatuous |
complacently or inanely foolish:SILLY |
| fawn |
to court favor by a cringing or flattering manner |
| faze |
to disturb the composure of:DISCONCERT, DAUNT |
| feckless |
WEAK, INEFFECTIVE |
| fecund |
fruitful in offspring or vegetation:PROLIFIC |
| feeble |
markedly lacking in strength |
| fender |
a device in front of locomotives and streetcars to lessen
injury to animals or pedestrians in case of collision |
| feral |
not domesticated or cultivated:WILD |
| fertilize |
to make fertile |
| fervid |
marked by often extreme fervor |
| fervor |
intensity of feeling or expression |
| fetid |
having a heavy offensive smell |
| fetter |
to restrain from motion, action, or progress |
| fiasco |
a complete failure |
| fictitious |
of, relating to, or characteristic of
fiction:IMAGINARY |
| fidelity |
the quality or state of being faithful |
| figurative |
representing by a figure or resemblance:EMBLEMATIC |
| figurine |
a small carved or molded figure |
| filibuster |
the use of extreme dilatory tactics in an attempt to delay
or prevent action especially in a legislative assembly |
| filigree |
ornamental openwork of delicate or intricate design |
| filly |
a young female horse usually of less than four years |
| filter |
a porous article or mass (as of paper or sand) through
which a gas or liquid is passed to separate out matter in
suspension |
| finch |
any of numerous songbirds (especially families
Fringillidae, Estrildidae, and Emberizidae) having a short
stout usually conical bill adapted for crushing seeds |
| finesse |
skillful handling of a situation:adroit maneuvering |
| finicky |
extremely or excessively nice, exacting, or meticulous in
taste or standards |
| flaccid |
not firm or stiff; also :lacking normal or youthful
firmness |
| flagging |
LANGUID, WEAK |
| flamboyant |
marked by or given to strikingly elaborate or colorful
display or behavior |
| flange |
a projecting edge of cloth used for decoration on
clothing |
| flannel |
outer garments of flannel; especially:men's trousers |
| flatter |
to praise excessively especially from motives of
self-interest |
| flaw |
a defect in physical structure or form |
| flax |
any of a genus (Linum of the family Linaceae, the flax
family) of herbs; especially:a slender erect annual (L.
usitatissimum) with blue flowers commonly cultivated for its
bast fiber and seed |
| fledge |
to acquire the feathers necessary for flight or
independent activity |
| flexible |
capable of being flexed:PLIANT |
| flinch |
to withdraw or shrink from or as if from pain:WINCE; also
:to tense the muscles involuntarily in anticipation of
discomfort |
| flint |
a massive hard quartz that produces a spark when struck by
steel |
| flippancy |
unbecoming levity or pertness especially in respect to
grave or sacred matters |
| flirt |
to behave amorously without serious intent |
| flit |
to move about rapidly and nimbly. |
| flock |
a group of birds or mammals assembled or herded togetherto
gather or move in a flock |
| florid |
flowery; ruddy |
| flounder |
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually |
| flourish |
to grow luxuriantly:THRIVE |
| flout |
to treat with contemptuous disregard:SCORN |
| fluctuate |
to shift back and forth uncertainly |
| fluent |
a:ready or facile in speechb:effortlessly smooth and
rapid:POLISHED |
| flush |
to pour liquid over or through; especially:to cleanse or
wash out with or as if with a rush of liquid |
| fluster |
to put into a state of agitated confusion:UPSET |
| fluvial |
of, relating to, or living in a stream or river |
| foible |
a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or
behavior:WEAKNESS |
| foil |
a thin piece of material (as metal) put under an inferior
or paste stone to add color or brilliance |
| foliage |
the aggregate of leaves of one or more plants |
| folly |
a foolish act or idea |
| foment |
to promote the growth or development of:ROUSE,
INCITE |
| fondness |
tender affection |
| foolhardy |
foolishly adventurous and bold:RASH |
| footloose |
having no ties:free to move about |
| forbears |
To refrain from; resist |
| ford |
A shallow place in a body of water, such as a river, where
one can cross by walking or riding on an animal or in a
vehicle |
| forebear |
person from whom one is descended; ancestor ; |
| forestry |
the management of growing timber |
| foreword |
prefatory comments (as for a book) especially when written
by someone other than the author |
| forgery |
an act of forging; especially:the crime of falsely and
fraudulently making or altering a document (as a check) |
| forgo |
do without ; lose or lose the right to by some error,
offense, or crime |
| formidable |
causing fear, dread, or apprehension |
| forthright |
free from ambiguity or evasiveness:going straight to the
point |
| fortify |
to make strong:as to give physical strength, courage, or
endurance to |
| foster |
to promote the growth or development of:ENCOURAGE |
| founder |
1. to become submerged:SINK 2. one that founds or
establishes |
| fracture |
RUPTURE, TEAR |
| fragile |
a:easily broken or destroyedb:constitutionally
delicate:lacking in physical vigor |
| fraudulent |
characterized by, based on, or done by
fraud:DECEITFUL |
| freelancer |
a person who pursues a profession without a long-term
commitment to any one employer |
| freewheel |
to move, live, or play freely or irresponsibly |
| frenzy |
a violent mental or emotional agitation |
| frequent |
to associate with, be in, or resort to often or
habitually |
| fresco |
the art of painting on freshly spread moist lime plaster
with water-based pigments |
| fret |
an agitation of mind:IRRITATION |
| friable |
easily crumbled or pulverized |
| friction |
the rubbing of one body against another |
| frieze |
a heavy durable coarse wool and shoddy fabric with a rough
surface |
| frigid |
intensely cold; cold in manner |
| frivolous |
intensely cold |
| frothy |
gaily frivolous or light in content or
treatment:INSUBSTANTIAL |
| frowsy |
[ frowzy: ] untidy or unkempt in appearance; shabby |
| frowzy |
having a slovenly or uncared-for appearance |
| frugal |
characterized by or reflecting economy in the use of
resources |
| frustrate |
a:to balk or defeat in an endeavorb:to induce feelings of
discouragement in |
| full-bodied |
imparting to the palate the general impression of
substantial weight and rich texture |
| fulminate |
to send forth censures or invectives |
| fungi |
any of a major group (Fungi) of saprophytic and parasitic
spore-producing organisms usually classified as plants that
lack chlorophyll and include molds, rusts, mildews, smuts,
mushrooms, and yeasts |
| furnace |
an enclosed structure in which heat is produced |
| furor |
A general commotion; public disorder or uproar. |
| furtive |
done by stealth:SURREPTITIOUS |
| fury |
intense, disordered, and often destructive rage |
| fussy |
Calling for or requiring great attention to sometimes
trivial details |
| fusty |
saturated with dust and stale odors:MUSTY |
| futility |
the quality or state of being
futile:USELESSNESS |
|
|
| gab |
to talk in a rapid or thoughtless manner:CHATTER |
| gadfly |
a person who stimulates or annoys especially by persistent
criticism |
| gaffe |
a social or diplomatic blunder |
| gainsay |
to declare to be untrue or invalid |
| gait |
a manner of walking or moving on foot |
| galaxy |
an assemblage of brilliant or notable persons or
things |
| gall |
to fret and wear away by friction:CHAFE |
| gallant |
Possessing a brave or chivalrous spirit. |
| galvanize |
to stimulate or excite as if by an electric shock |
| gamble |
to stake something on a contingency:take a chance |
| gangling |
loosely and awkwardly built:LANKY |
| garble |
to so alter or distort as to create a wrong impression or
change the meaning |
| gargantuan |
of immense size, volume, or capacity; gigantic |
| garish |
clothed in vivid colors |
| garment |
an article of clothing |
| garner |
a:GRANARY b:a grain bin |
| garrulous |
given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity:pointlessly
or annoyingly talkative |
| gash |
a deep long cut in flesh |
| gasification |
conversion into gas; especially:conversion of coal into
natural gas |
| gauche |
lacking social experience or grace; also:not
tactful:CRUDE |
| gaudy |
ostentatiously or tastelessly ornamented |
| gauge |
a measurement (as of linear dimension) according to some
standard or system |
| gear |
a toothed wheel |
| genealogy |
an account of the descent of a person, family, or group
from an ancestor or from older forms |
| generality |
the quality or state of being general |
| genial |
marked by or diffusing sympathy or friendliness |
| genteel |
free from vulgarity or rudeness:POLITE |
| genuine |
ACTUAL, TRUE |
| germane |
being at once relevant and appropriate:FITTING |
| gesture |
a movement usually of the body or limbs that expresses or
emphasizes an idea, sentiment, or attitude |
| ghastly |
intensely unpleasant, disagreeable, or objectionable |
| gibe |
to deride or tease with taunting words |
| giddy |
lightheartedly silly:FRIVOLOUS |
| ginger |
a thickened pungent aromatic rhizome that is used as a
spice and sometimes medicinally |
| glacier |
a large body of ice moving slowly down a slope or valley
or spreading outward on a land surface |
| glade |
an open space surrounded by woods |
| glance |
a quick or cursory look |
| glaze |
to give a smooth glossy surface to |
| glib |
marked by ease and fluency in speaking or writing often to
the point of being insincere or deceitful |
| glimmer |
a:to shine faintly or unsteadily b:to give off a subdued
unsteady reflection |
| glisten |
to give off a sparkling or lustrous reflection of or as if
of a moist or polished surface |
| glitch |
a usually minor malfunction |
| gloat |
express evil satisfaction; view malevolently |
| gloomy |
low in spirits:MELANCHOLY |
| glorify |
to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or
admiration |
| gloss |
a brief explanation (as in the margin or between the lines
of a text) of a difficult or obscure word or expression |
| glossary |
a collection of textual glosses or of specialized terms
with their meanings |
| glossy |
having a surface luster or brightness |
| glut |
an excessive quantity:OVERSUPPLY |
| glutinous |
having the quality of glue:GUMMY |
| glutton |
one given habitually to greedy and voracious eating and
drinking |
| goad |
something that urges or stimulates into action:SPUR |
| gobble |
to swallow or eat greedily |
| goggle |
to stare with wide or protuberant eyes |
| goldbrick |
to shirk duty or responsibility |
| gorge |
to eat greedily or to repletion |
| gossamer |
something light, delicate, or insubstantial |
| gourmet |
a connoisseur of food and drink; broadly
:CONNOISSEUR |
| grandeur |
the quality or state of being grand:MAGNIFICENCE |
| grandiloquent |
be of a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or
bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in
language |
| grandiose |
characterized by affectation of grandeur or splendor or by
absurd exaggeration |
| grandstand |
to play or act so as to impress onlookers |
| grant |
to bestow or transfer formally specifically :to give the
possession or title of by a deed |
| gratify |
to be a source of or give pleasure or satisfaction
to |
| grating |
noisily,rasping,harsh |
| gratis |
free |
| gratuitous |
not involving a return benefit, compensation, or
consideration |
| grave |
having a serious and dignified quality or demeanor |
| green |
a:deficient in training, knowledge, or experience
b:deficient in sophistication and savoir faire:NAIVE c:not
fully qualified for or experienced in a particular
function |
| gregarious |
tending to associate with others of one's
kind:SOCIAL |
| grievous |
causing or characterized by severe pain, suffering, or
sorrow |
| grimace |
a facial expression usually of disgust or
disapproval |
| grin |
to draw back the lips so as to show the teeth especially
in amusement or laughter; broadly :SMILE |
| gripe |
to complain with grumbling |
| grisly |
inspiring horror or intense fear |
| groove |
a long narrow channel or depression |
| grotesque |
FANCIFUL, BIZARRE |
| grotto |
A small cave or cavern |
| grove |
a planting of fruit or nut trees |
| grovel |
to lie or creep with the body prostrate in token of
subservience or abasement |
| grumble |
to mutter in discontent |
| guarantee |
to engage for the existence, permanence, or nature
of:undertake to do or secure |
| guffaw |
a loud or boisterous burst of laughter |
| guile |
deceitful cunning:DUPLICITY |
| guilt |
feelings of culpability especially for imagined offenses
or from a sense of inadequacy:SELF-REPROACH |
| gullible |
easily duped or cheated |
| gully |
a trench which was orig. worn in the earth by running
water and through which water often runs after rains |
| gum |
any of numerous colloidal polysaccharide substances of
plant origin that are gelatinous when moist but harden on
drying and are salts of complex organic acids |
| gush |
a sudden outpouring |
| gust |
a sudden brief rush of wind |
| guzzle |
to drink especially liquor greedily, continually, or
habitually |
|
|
| habitable |
capable of being lived in:suitable for habitation |
| hack |
a writer who aims solely for commercial success |
| hackneyed |
lacking in freshness or originality |
| hairbreadth |
Extremely close |
| halcyon |
CALM, PEACEFUL |
| hale |
free from defect, disease, or infirmity:SOUND; also
:retaining exceptional health and vigor |
| half-baked |
a:lacking adequate planning or forethought b:lacking in
judgment, intelligence, or common sense |
| hallow |
to make holy or set apart for holy use |
| hallucination |
perception of objects with no reality usually arising from
disorder of the nervous system or in response to drugs (as
LSD) |
| halting |
marked by a lack of sureness or effectiveness |
| ham-handed |
lacking dexterity or grace:HEAVY-HANDED |
| hamper |
to restrict the movement of by bonds or
obstacles:IMPEDE |
| hamstring |
to make ineffective or powerless:CRIPPLE |
| handle |
to act, behave, or feel in a certain way when handled or
directed |
| hangdog |
SAD, DEJECTED |
| hankering |
to have a strong or persistent desire:YEARN |
| haphazard |
marked by lack of plan, order, or direction |
| hapless |
having no luck:UNFORTUNATE |
| harangue |
to address in a ranting way |
| harass |
to annoy persistently |
| harbinger |
one that presages or foreshadows what is to come |
| harbor |
to give shelter or refuge to |
| hard-bitten |
seasoned or steeled by difficult experience:TOUGH |
| hardheaded |
STUBBORN, WILLFUL |
| harebrained |
FOOLISH |
| harmonious |
marked by accord in sentiment or action |
| harness |
UTILIZE |
| harp |
a plucked stringed instrument consisting of a resonator,
an arched or angled neck that may be supported by a post, and
strings of graded length that are perpendicular to the
soundboard |
| harrow |
break up ground after plowing; torture |
| harry |
to make a pillaging or destructive raid on:ASSAULT |
| harsh |
a:causing a disagreeable or painful sensory
reaction:IRRITATING b:physically discomforting:PAINFUL |
| hasten |
to move or act quickly |
| hasty |
done or made in a hurry |
| haunt |
to visit often:FREQUENT |
| hauteur |
ARROGANCE, HAUGHTINESS |
| haven |
harbour, safety place |
| havoc |
great confusion and disorder |
| headlong |
Impetuous; rash. |
| hearken |
to give respectful attention |
| heart |
to give heart to:CHEER:HEARTEN |
| hearten |
to give heart to |
| heartrending |
causing intense sorrow or distress |
| hedge |
a means of protection or defense (as against financial
loss) |
| hedonic |
of, relating to, or characterized by pleasure |
| heinous |
hatefully or shockingly evil:ABOMINABLE |
| heirloom |
something of special value handed on from one generation
to another |
| helmet |
any of various protective head coverings usually made of a
hard material to resist impact |
| hem |
a border of a cloth article doubled back and stitched
down |
| herald |
to give notice of:ANNOUNCE |
| herbicide |
an agent used to destroy or inhibit plant growth |
| hereditary |
characteristic of or fostered by one's predecessors |
| heresy |
an opinion or doctrine contrary to church dogma |
| heretical |
of, relating to, or characterized by departure from
accepted beliefs or standards:UNORTHODOX |
| hermit |
one that retires from society and lives in solitude
especially for religious reasons:RECLUSE |
| herpetologist |
one that a branch of zoology dealing with reptiles and
amphibians |
| hesitance |
the quality or state of being hesitant:as a:INDECISION
b:RELUCTANCE |
| heterodox |
Not in agreement with accepted beliefs, especially in
church doctrine or dogma |
| hidebound |
having an inflexible or ultraconservative character |
| hideous |
offensive to the senses and especially to
sight:exceedingly ugly |
| hie |
to go quickly:HASTEN |
| hierarchy |
the classification of a group of people according to
ability or to economic, social, or professional standing |
| hieroglyph |
a character used in a system of hieroglyphic writing |
| hike |
to rise up; especially :to work upward out of place |
| hilarity |
high spirits that may be carried to the point of
boisterous conviviality or merriment |
| hint |
a slight indication of the existence, approach, or nature
of something:CLUE |
| histrionic |
of or relating to actors, acting, or the theater |
| hive |
a place swarming with activity |
| hoard |
to keep (as one's thoughts) to oneself |
| hoary |
extremely old:ANCIENT |
| hoax |
an act intended to deceive or trick |
| hodgepodge |
a heterogeneous mixture:JUMBLE |
| homage |
expression of high regard:RESPECT |
| homely |
Not attractive or good-looking |
| homily |
a lecture or discourse on or of a moral theme |
| homogenize |
to blend (diverse elements) into a uniform mixture |
| hone |
to make more acute, intense, or effective:WHET |
| honorarium |
a payment for a service (as making a speech) on which
custom or propriety forbids a |
| horn |
a wind instrument used in a jazz band; especially
:TRUMPET |
| hortative |
giving exhortation:ADVISORY |
| horticulture |
the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables,
flowers, or ornamental plants |
| hospitable |
liking to give hospitality |
| hovel |
a small, wretched, and often dirty house:HUT |
| hub |
the central part of a circular object (as a wheel or
propeller) |
| hubris |
exaggerated pride or self-confidencehubristic |
| humanitarian |
a person promoting human welfare and social
reform:PHILANTHROPIST |
| humble |
ranking low in a hierarchy or scale:INSIGNIFICANT,
UNPRETENTIOUS |
| humor |
to soothe or content by indulgence |
| hurdle |
to leap over especially while running (as in a sporting
competition |
| hurricane |
a tropical cyclone with winds of 74 miles (118 kilometers)
per hour or greater that occurs especially in the western
Atlantic, that is usually accompanied by rain, thunder, and
lightning, and that sometimes moves into temperate
latitudes |
| husbandry |
the control or judicious use of
resources:CONSERVATION |
| husk |
a usually dry or membranous outer covering (as a pod or
hull or one composed of bracts) of various seeds and fruits;
also :one of the constituent parts |
| husky |
hoarse with or as if with emotion |
| hybrid |
something heterogeneous in origin or
composition:COMPOSITE |
| hymn |
a song of praise or joy |
| hyperbole |
extravagant exaggeration |
| hypercritical |
meticulously or excessively
critical??:hypocritical9adj.???: |
| hypnotic |
tending to produce sleep:SOPORIFIC |
| hypocritical |
characterized by hypocrisy; also :being a
hypocrite |
|
|
| ichthyologist |
one that study a branch of zoology that deals with
fishes |
| idiosyncratic |
a peculiarity of constitution or temperament:an
individualizingcharacteristic or quality |
| idolatrize |
admires intensely and often blindly |
| ignite |
to set afire; also :KINDLE |
| ignominy |
deep personal humiliation and disgrace |
| ignorant |
destitute of knowledge or education also lacking knowledge
or comprehension of the thing specified |
| ignore |
to reject (a bill of indictment) as ungrounded |
| illegible |
Undecipherable. |
| illiteracy |
the quality or state of being illiterate; especially
:inability to read or write |
| illuminati |
persons who are or who claim to be unusually
enlightened |
| illumination |
one of the decorative features used in the art of
illuminating or in decorative lighting |
| illusory |
based on or producing illusion:DECEPTIVE |
| illustrate |
to provide with visual features intended to explain or
decorate |
| imbibe |
to absorb or take in as if by drinking |
| imbroglio |
a violently confused or bitterly complicated
altercation:EMBROILMENT |
| imitation |
the quality of an object in possessing some of the nature
or attributes of a transcendent idea |
| immaculate |
having no stain or blemish:PURE |
| immanent |
remaining or operating within a domain of reality or realm
of discourse:INHERENT; specifically :having existence or
effect only within the mind or consciousness |
| immaterial |
of no substantial consequence:UNIMPORTANT |
| immemorial |
extending or existing since beyond the reach of memory,
record, or tradition |
| imminent |
ready to take place; especially :hanging threateningly
over one's head |
| immune |
not susceptible or responsive; especially :having a high
degree of resistance to a disease |
| immure |
to enclose within or as if within walls b:IMPRISON |
| immutable |
not capable of or susceptible to change |
| imp |
a mischievous child:URCHIN |
| impair |
to damage or make worse by or as if by diminishing in some
material respect |
| impassive |
unsusceptible to or destitute of emotion |
| impeccable |
faultless |
| impecunious |
having very little or no money usually
habitually:PENNILESS |
| impede |
to interfere with or slow the progress of |
| impend |
to be about to occur |
| impenetrable |
incapable of being penetrated or pierced or incapable of
being comprehended:INSCRUTABLE |
| impenitent |
not feeling or expressing humble or regretful pain or
sorrow for sins or offenses |
| imperative |
expressive of a command, entreaty, or exhortation |
| imperial |
of, relating to, befitting, or suggestive of an empire or
an emperor ;of superior or unusual size or excellence |
| imperious |
marked by arrogant assurance:DOMINEERING |
| impertinent |
given to or characterized by insolent rudeness |
| imperturbable |
marked by extreme calm, impassivity, and
steadiness:SERENE |
| impervious |
not allowing entrance or passage:IMPENETRABLE also not
capable of being damaged or harmed |
| impetuosity |
Rashness. |
| impetuous |
marked by impulsive vehemence or passion |
| impiety |
the quality or state of being impious:IRREVERENCE |
| implacable |
not placable:not capable of being appeased, significantly
changed, or mitigated |
| implement |
CARRY OUT, ACCOMPLISH; especially:to give practical effect
to and ensure of actual fulfillment by concrete measures |
| implicate |
to involve as a consequence, corollary, or natural
inference:IMPLY |
| implode |
to collapse inward as if from external pressure; also:to
become greatly reduced as if from collapsing |
| importune |
beg earnestly |
| imposing |
impressive in size, bearing, dignity, or grandeur |
| impostor |
one that assumes false identity or title for the purpose
of deception |
| impotent |
not potent:lacking in power, strength, or
vigor:HELPLESS |
| impromptu |
composed or uttered without previous
preparation:EXTEMPORANEOUS |
| improvident |
not provident:not foreseeing and providing for the
future |
| improvised |
to compose, recite, play, or sing extemporaneously |
| imprudent |
not prudent:lacking discretion |
| impudent |
marked by contemptuous or cocky boldness or disregard of
others:INSOLENT |
| impugn |
to assail by words or arguments:oppose or attack as false
or lacking integrity |
| impuissance |
WEAKNESS, POWERLESSNESS |
| impute |
to lay the responsibility or blame for often falsely or
unjustly imputable:nettle |
| inadvertent |
not focusing the mind on a matter: INATTENTIVE |
| inalienable |
incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or
transferred |
| inane |
lacking significance, meaning, or point: SILLY |
| inanimate |
not animated or lively:DULL |
| inaugurate |
to induct into an office with suitable ceremonies |
| incandescent |
strikingly bright, radiant, or clear |
| incantation |
singing or chanting of magic spells; magical formula |
| incarnate |
invested with bodily and especially human nature and
form |
| incendiary |
of, relating to, or involving a deliberate burning of
property |
| incense |
to arouse the extreme anger or indignation of |
| inception |
an act, process, or instance of
beginning:COMMENCEMENT |
| incessant |
continuing or following without
interruption:UNCEASING |
| inch |
to move by small degrees:progress slowly |
| inchoate |
being only partly in existence or operation; especially
:imperfectly formed or formulated:FORMLESS |
| incinerate |
to cause to burn to ashes |
| incipient |
beginning to come into being or to become apparent |
| incisive |
impressively direct and decisive (as in manner or
presentation) |
| incite |
to move to action:stir up:spur on:urge on |
| inclement |
lacking mildness:as severe in temper or
action:UNMERCIFUL |
| incogitant |
THOUGHTLESS, INCONSIDERATE |
| incongruent |
not superposable so as to be coincident throughout,not
congruent |
| inconsequential |
of no significance:UNIMPORTANT |
| incontrovertible |
not open to question:INDISPUTABLE |
| incorrigible |
incapable of being corrected or amended UNALTERABLE,
INVETERATE |
| incriminate |
to charge with or show evidence or proof of involvement in
a crime or fault |
| inculcate |
to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or
admonitions |
| inculpate |
INCRIMINATE |
| incursion |
a hostile entrance into a territory:RAID |
| indefatigable |
incapable of being fatigued:UNTIRING |
| indelible |
UNFORGETTABLE, MEMORABLE |
| indemnity |
security against hurt, loss, or damage |
| indict |
to charge with a crime by the finding or presentment of a
jury (as a grand jury) in due form of law |
| indifferent |
marked by a lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern for
something:APATHETIC |
| indigenous |
having originated in and being produced, growing, living,
or occurring naturally in a particular region or
environment |
| indigent |
suffering from indigence:IMPOVERISHED |
| indispensability |
absolutely necessary:ESSENTIAL |
| indoctrinate |
to instruct especially in fundamentals or
rudiments:TEACH |
| indolent |
averse to activity, effort, or movement:habitually
lazy |
| inducement |
a motive or consideration that leads one to action or to
additional or more effective actions |
| indulgent |
indulging or characterized by indulgence;
especially:LENIENT |
| indurate |
to make hard |
| ineffable |
incapable of being expressed in words :
INDESCRIBABLE |
| ineluctable |
not to be avoided, changed, or resisted:INEVITABLE |
| inept |
generally incompetent:BUNGLING |
| ineptitude |
quality of being inept |
| inert |
deficient in active properties; especially:lacking a usual
or anticipated chemical or biological action |
| inestimable |
Above price. |
| inevitable |
incapable of being avoided or evaded |
| inexorable |
not to be persuaded or moved by entreaty:RELENTLESS |
| infamy |
evil reputation brought about by something grossly
criminal, shocking, or brutal |
| infatuate |
to cause to be foolish:deprive of sound judgment |
| infelicitous |
not appropriate in application or expression |
| infer |
GUESS, SURMISE |
| inferno |
a place or a state that resembles or suggests hell |
| infiltrate |
to pass (troops, for example) surreptitiously into
enemy-held territory |
| infinite |
immeasurably or inconceivably great or extensive:
INEXHAUSTIBLE |
| infirm |
of poor or deteriorated vitality; especially:feeble from
age |
| inflame |
to excite to excessive or uncontrollable action or
feeling |
| influx |
a coming in |
| infuriate |
To make furious; enrage |
| infuse |
INSPIRE, ANIMATE |
| ingenious |
marked by originality, resourcefulness, and cleverness in
conception or execution |
| ingenuous |
showing innocent or childlike simplicity and
candidness |
| ingrained |
to work indelibly into the natural texture or mental or
moral constitution |
| ingratiating |
capable of winning favor:PLEASING |
| inherent |
involved in the constitution or essential character of
something:belonging by nature or habit:INTRINSIC |
| inimical |
a:having the disposition of an enemy:HOSTILEb:reflecting
or indicating hostility:UNFRIENDLY |
| inimitable |
not capable of being imitated: MATCHLESS |
| iniquity |
gross injustice:WICKEDNESS |
| initial |
placed at the beginning:FIRST |
| inkling |
a slight knowledge or vague notion |
| innocent |
free from guilt or sin especially through lack of
knowledge of evil:BLAMELESS |
| innocuous |
not likely to give offense or to arouse strong feelings or
hostility:INOFFENSIVE, INSIPID |
| innovation |
the introduction of something new |
| inquiry |
examination into facts or principles:RESEARCH |
| insatiable |
incapable of being satisfied:QUENCHLESS |
| insipid |
lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or
challenge:DULL, FLAT |
| insolent |
exhibiting boldness or effrontery:IMPUDENT |
| insouciant |
lighthearted unconcern:NONCHALANCE |
| inspired |
outstanding or brilliant in a way or to a degree
suggestive of divine inspiration |
| instate |
to set or establish in a rank or office:INSTALL |
| instigate |
to goad or urge forward:PROVOKE |
| instill |
to impart gradually |
| institute |
to originate and get established:ORGANIZE |
| insubordinate |
disobedient to authority |
| insular |
characteristic of an isolated people; especially:being,
having, or reflecting a narrow provincial viewpoint |
| insularity |
narrow-mindedness/isolated |
| insulate |
to place in a detached situation:ISOLATE; especially:to
separate from conducting bodies by means of nonconductors so
as to prevent transfer of electricity, heat, or sound |
| insurgent |
a person who revolts against civil authority or an
established government; especially:a rebel not recognized as a
belligerent |
| intangible |
not tangible:IMPALPABLE |
| integral |
essential to completeness:CONSTITUENT |
| integrity |
the quality or state of being complete or
undivided:COMPLETENESS |
| intelligible |
capable of being understood or comprehended |
| intemperate |
not temperate especially:given to excessive use of
intoxicating liquors |
| intensify |
to make intense or more intensive:STRENGTHEN |
| inter |
to deposit (a dead body) in the earth or in a tomb |
| intercede |
to intervene between parties with a view to reconciling
differences:MEDIATE |
| interdict |
to forbid in a usually formal or authoritative
manner |
| interim |
an intervening time:INTERVAL |
| interlock |
to become locked together or interconnected |
| interlope |
one that intrudes in a place or sphere of activity |
| interminable |
having or seeming to have no end; especially:wearisomely
protracted |
| intermittent |
coming and going at intervals:not continuous |
| interrogate |
to question formally and systematically:probe |
| intervene |
to interfere usually by force or threat of force in
another nation's internal affairs especially to compel or
prevent an action |
| intimate |
1. to make known especially publicly or formally:ANNOUNCE
2. a friend or confidant marked by very close association,
contact, or familiarity |
| intimidate |
to make timid or fearful:FRIGHTEN; especially:to compel or
deter by or as if by threats |
| intransigent |
refusing to compromise or to abandon an extreme position
or attitude:UNCOMPROMISING |
| intrepid |
characterized by resolute fearlessness, fortitude, and
endurance |
| intricacy |
the quality or state of being intricate |
| intrigue |
to arouse the interest, desire, or curiosity of |
| intrinsic |
belonging to the essential nature or constitution of a
thing |
| intuition |
The act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use
of rational processes; immediate cognition. |
| inure |
to accustom to accept something undesirable |
| invective |
of, relating to, or characterized by insult or abuse |
| inveigh |
to protest or complain bitterly or vehemently:RAIL |
| inveigle |
to win over by wiles:ENTICE |
| inventory |
an itemized list of current assets:as a catalog of the
property of an individual or estate |
| investigate |
to make a systematic examination; especially:to conduct an
official inquiry |
| inveterate |
firmly established by long persistence |
| invidious |
tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy |
| invigorate |
to give life and energy to:ANIMATE; also:STIMULATE |
| invincible |
Incapable of being overcome or defeated;
unconquerable. |
| inviolate |
not violated or profaned; especially :PURE |
| invoice |
a consignment of merchandise |
| invoke |
to put into effect or operation:IMPLEMENT |
| invulnerable |
incapable of being wounded, injured, or harmed |
| irascible |
marked by hot temper and easily provoked anger |
| irate |
arising from anger |
| iridescence |
a lustrous rainbowlike play of color caused by
differential refraction of light waves (as from an oil slick,
soap bubble, or fish scales) that tends to change as the angle
of view changes |
| irk |
to make weary, irritated, or bored |
| ironclad |
so firm or secure as to be unbreakable:as a:BINDING |
| irony |
a pretense of ignorance and of willingness to learn from
another assumed in order to make the other's false conceptions
conspicuous by adroit questioning |
| irradicable |
impossible to eradicate : DEEP-ROOTED |
| irreducible |
impossible to transform into or restore to a desired or
simpler condition |
| irrelevant |
not relevant:INAPPLICABLE |
| irresolute |
uncertain how to act or proceed:VACILLATING |
| irreverent |
lacking proper respect or seriousness; also :SATIRIC |
| irritate |
to provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure
in:ANNOY |
| issue |
1. the act of publishing or officially giving out or
making available 2. a matter that is in dispute between two or
more parties |
| isthmus |
a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land
areas |
| itinerant |
wandering; traveling |
|
|
| jabber |
to talk rapidly, indistinctly, or unintelligibly |
| jaded |
fatigued by overwork:EXHAUSTED |
| jam |
fatigued by overwork:EXHAUSTED |
| jape |
to make mocking fun of |
| jar |
to make a harsh or discordant sound |
| jargon |
The specialized or technical language of a trade,
profession, or similar group. |
| jaundice |
a state or attitude characterized by satiety, distaste, or
hostility |
| jaunty |
sprightly in manner or appearance:LIVELY |
| jazz |
American music developed especially from ragtime and blues
and characterized by propulsive syncopated rhythms, polyphonic
ensemble playing, varying degrees of improvisation, and often
deliberate distortions of pitch and timbre |
| jealous |
having to do with or arising from feelings of envy,
apprehension, or bitterness |
| jealousy |
being jealous |
| jejune |
devoid of significance or interest:DULL |
| jest |
an utterance (as a jeer or quip) intended to be taken as
mockery or humor |
| jettison |
to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering :
DISCARD |
| jibe |
to be in accord: AGREE |
| jingoist |
extreme chauvinism or nationalism marked especially by a
belligerent foreign policy |
| jitter |
to be nervous or act in a nervous way |
| jocund |
marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively
mirthfulness |
| jog |
a movement, pace, or instance of jogging (as for
exercise) |
| joke |
something said or done to provoke laughter; especially :a
brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist |
| jolt |
to cause to move with a sudden jerky motion |
| jot |
to write briefly or hurriedly:set down in the form of a
note |
| jovial |
markedly good-humored especially as evidenced by jollity
and conviviality |
| jubilant |
EXULTANT |
| judicious |
having, exercising, or characterized by sound
judgment:DISCREET |
| juggernaut |
a massive inexorable force, campaign, movement, or object
that crushes whatever is in its path |
| jumble |
to mix into a confused or disordered mass |
| justify |
to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable |
| juxtapose |
to place side by side |
|
|
| kangaroo |
any of various herbivorous leaping marsupial mammals of
Australia, New Guinea, and adjacent islands with a small head,
large ears, long powerful hind legs, a long thick tail used as
a support and in balancing, and rather small foreleg |
| ken |
the range of vision |
| kindle |
to stir up:AROUSE |
| kindred |
of a similar nature or character:LIKE |
| kink |
a short tight twist or curl caused by a doubling or
winding of something upon itself |
| knack |
a clever trick or stratagem |
| knave |
a tricky deceitful fellow |
| knead |
to work and press into a mass with or as if with the
hands |
| knit |
to form by interlacing yarn or thread in a series of
connected loops with needles |
| knotty |
marked by or full of knots; especially :so full of
difficulties and complications as to be likely to defy
solution |
| kudos |
fame and renown resulting from an act or
achievement:PRESTIGE |
|
|
| labile |
readily or continually undergoing chemical, physical, or
biological change or breakdown:UNSTABLE |
| labored |
lacking ease of expression |
| labyrinth |
something extremely complex or tortuous in structure,
arrangement, or character:INTRICACY, PERPLEXITY |
| laconic |
using or involving the use of a minimum of words:concise
to the point of seeming rude or mysterious |
| lacrimose |
|
| lambaste |
to attack verbally:CENSURE |
| lamentable |
expressing grief:MOURNFUL |
| lampoon |
a harsh satire usually directed against an
individual |
| landfill |
a system of trash and garbage disposal in which the waste
is buried between layers of earth to build up low-lying
land |
| landlord |
the owner of property (as land, houses, or apartments)
that is leased or rented to another |
| landslide |
the usually rapid downward movement of a mass of rock,
earth, or artificial fill on a slope; also :the mass that
moves down |
| lane |
narrow country road or track, usu between hedges or
banks |
| languid |
drooping or flagging from or as if from
exhaustion:WEAK |
| languish |
to be or become feeble, weak, or enervated |
| languor |
listless indolence or inertia |
| lank |
not well filled out:SLENDER, THIN |
| lapse |
a slight error typically due to forgetfulness or
inattention |
| larder |
a place where food is stored:PANTRY |
| largesse |
liberal giving (as of money) to or as if to an inferior;
also :something so given |
| lariat |
a long light rope (as of hemp or leather) used with a
running noose to catch livestock or with or without the noose
to tether grazing animals:LASSO |
| lash |
to bind with or as if with a line |
| lassitude |
a condition of weariness or debility:FATIGUE |
| latent |
present and capable of becoming though not now visible,
obvious, or active |
| lathe |
machine that shapes pieces of wood, metal, etc by holding
and turning them against a fixed cutting tool |
| latitude |
Freedom from normal restraints, limitations, or
regulations. |
| laudatory |
of, relating to, or expressing praise |
| lavish |
expended or produced in abundance |
| leaven |
to raise (as bread) with a leaven |
| lectern |
a stand used to support a book in a convenient position
for a standing reader; especially :one from which scripture
lessons are read in a church service |
| leer |
to cast a sidelong glance |
| leery |
Suspicious or distrustful; wary |
| legacy |
something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or
predecessor or from the past |
| legend |
an explanatory list of the symbols on a map or chart |
| legible |
capable of being read or deciphered:PLAIN |
| legion |
MANY, NUMEROUS |
| lenient |
exerting a soothing or easing influence:relieving pain or
stress |
| lethal |
gravely damaging or destructive:DEVASTATING |
| lethargy |
the quality or state of being lazy, sluggish, or
indifferent |
| levee |
an embankment for preventing flooding |
| levelheaded |
having sound judgment:SENSIBLE |
| leverage |
positional advantage; power to act effectively: |
| levity |
excessive or unseemly frivolity |
| lexicographer |
an author or editor of a dictionary |
| liability |
something for which one is liable; especially :pecuniary
obligation |
| liaison |
a close bond or connection:INTERRELATIONSHIP |
| liberal |
marked by generosity:OPENHANDED |
| libertine |
a person who is unrestrained by convention or morality;
specifically :one leading a dissolute life |
| liberty |
an action going beyond normal limits:as a:a breach of
etiquette or propriety:FAMILIARITY |
| libretto |
the text of a work (as an opera) for the musical
theater |
| licentious |
lacking legal or moral restraints; especially
:disregarding sexual restraints |
| lien |
a charge upon real or personal property for the
satisfaction of some debt or duty ordinarily arising by
operation of law |
| liken |
compare |
| limber |
capable of being shaped:FLEXIBLE |
| limerick |
a light or humorous verse form of 5 chiefly anapestic
verses of which lines 1, 2, and 5 are of 3 feet and lines 3
and 4 are of 2 feet with a rhyme scheme of aabba |
| limousine |
a large luxurious often chauffeur-driven sedan that
sometimes has a glass partition separating the driver's seat
from the passenger compartment |
| limp |
lacking firm texture, substance, or structure |
| limpid |
marked by transparency:PELLUCID |
| linen |
cloth made of flax and noted for its strength, coolness,
and luster |
| linger |
tarry;saunter; to be slow to act:procrastinate |
| linoleum |
a floor covering made by laying on a burlap or canvas
backing a mixture of solidified linseed oil with gums, cork
dust or wood flour or both, and usually pigments |
| lint |
fuzz consisting especially of fine ravelings and short
fibers of yarn and fabric |
| lip |
either of the fleshy edges of the opening of the
mouth |
| lissome |
NIMBLE |
| list |
a deviation from the vertical:TILT; also :the extent of
such a deviation |
| listless |
characterized by lack of interest, energy, or
spirit:LANGUID |
| lithe |
characterized by easy flexibility and grace |
| livid |
lead-colored; black and blue; enraged |
| loath |
unwilling to do something contrary to one's ways of
thinking:RELUCTANT |
| loathe |
To dislike (someone or something) greatly; abhor. |
| lode |
an ore deposit |
| lofty |
elevated in status:SUPERIOR |
| loll |
to act or move in a lax, lazy, or indolent
manner:LOUNGE |
| loophole |
a similar opening to admit light and air or to permit
observation |
| lopsided |
lacking in balance, symmetry, or
proportion:disproportionately heavy on one side |
| loquacious |
given to fluent or excessive talk:GARRULOUS |
| lottery |
a drawing of lots in which prizes are distributed to the
winners among persons buying a chance |
| lounge |
to act or move idly or lazily:LOAF |
| loutish |
resembling or befitting a lout |
| loyal |
unswerving in allegiance:as faithful in allegiance to
one's lawful sovereign or government |
| lubricate |
to make smooth or slippery |
| lucid |
clear to the understanding:INTELLIGIBLE |
| ludicrous |
meriting derisive laughter or scorn as absurdly inept,
false, or foolish |
| lug |
to carry laboriously |
| lugubrious |
MOURNFUL; especially :exaggeratedly or affectedly
mournful |
| lull |
to cause to sleep or rest:SOOTHE |
| lullaby |
a soothing refrain; specifically :a song to quiet children
or lull them to sleep |
| lumen |
a unit of luminous flux equal to the light emitted in a
unit solid angle by a uniform point source of one candle
intensity |
| luminary |
a person of prominence or brilliant achievement |
| lurk |
to lie in wait in a place of concealment especially for an
evil purpose |
| lush |
growing vigorously especially with luxuriant foliage |
| lustrous |
reflecting light evenly and efficiently without glitter or
sparkle numb:insensible:burnish:lustrous |
| luxurious |
marked by or given to self-indulgence |
| lyric |
the words of a song |
| lyrics |
Expressing deep personal emotion or
observations |
|
|
| maelstrom |
a powerful often violent whirlpool sucking in objects
within a given radius |
| magnificent |
Grand or noble in thought or deed; exalted. |
| maladroit |
lacking adroitness:INEPT |
| malaise |
uneasiness; distress |
| malcontent |
dissatisfied with the existing state of
affairs:DISCONTENTED |
| malicious |
given to, marked by, or arising from malice |
| malign |
having or showing intense often vicious ill
will:MALEVOLENT |
| malinger |
to pretend incapacity (as illness) so as to avoid duty or
work |
| malleable |
capable of being altered or controlled by outside forces
or influences |
| malodor |
an offensive odor |
| mandatory |
containing or constituting a command:OBLIGATORY |
| mangle |
to spoil, injure, or make incoherent especially through
ineptitude |
| mangy |
having many worn or bare spots:SEEDY, SHABBY |
| mania |
excessive or unreasonable enthusiasm |
| manifest |
1. a list of passengers or an invoice of cargo for a
vehicle (as a ship or plane) 2. easily understood or
recognized by the mind:OBVIOUS |
| manipulate |
to control or play upon by artful, unfair, or insidious
means especially to one's own advantage |
| mansion |
a large imposing residence |
| manumit |
to release from slavery |
| manuscript |
a written or typewritten composition or document as
distinguished from a printed copy; also :a document submitted
for publication |
| mar |
To impair the soundness, perfection, or integrity of;
spoil |
| marsh |
a tract of soft wet land usually characterized by
monocotyledons (as grasses or cattails) |
| marsupial |
any of an order of mammals comprising kangaroos, wombats,
bandicoots, opossums, and related animals that do not develop
a true placenta and that usually have a pouch on the abdomen
of the female which covers the teats and serves to carry
the |
| martinet |
a strict disciplinarian |
| marvel |
something that causes wonder or astonishment |
| masquerade |
to assume the appearance of something one is not |
| masticate |
to grind or crush (food) with or as if with the teeth in
preparation for swallowing:CHEW |
| mathematical |
of mathematics |
| matriculate |
to enroll as a member of a body and especially of a
college or university |
| mattress |
a fabric case filled with resilient material (as cotton,
hair, feathers, foam rubber, or an arrangement of coiled
springs) used either alone as a bed or on a bedstead |
| maudlin |
weakly and effusively sentimental |
| maven |
one who is experienced or knowledgeable:EXPERT |
| maverick |
an independent individual who does not go along with a
group or party |
| mawkish |
sickly or puerilely sentimental m |
| meager |
deficient in quality or quantity |
| mean |
PENURIOUS, STINGY |
| meander |
to wind or turn in its course |
| measly |
contemptibly small |
| measured |
marked by due proportion |
| mechanical |
Performed or performing in an impersonal or machinelike
manner; automatic |
| meddle |
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern:interfere
without right or propriety |
| media |
a nutrient system for the artificial cultivation of cells
or organisms and especially bacteria |
| mediate |
to interpose between parties in order to reconcile
them |
| mediocre |
of moderate or low quality, value, ability, or
performance:ORDINARY, SO-SO |
| meditate |
to engage in contemplation or reflection |
| medley |
a musical composition made up of a series of songs or
short pieces |
| meet |
precisely adapted to a particular situation, need, or
circumstance:very proper |
| meliorism |
The belief that society has an innate tendency toward
improvement and that this tendency may be furthered through
conscious human effort. |
| mellifluous |
having a smooth rich flow |
| melody |
a sweet or agreeable succession or arrangement of
sounds:TUNEFULNESS |
| membrane |
a thin soft pliable sheet or layer especially of animal or
plant origin |
| menace |
to make a show of intention to harm |
| mend |
to put into good shape or working order again:patch
up:REPAIR |
| mendacious |
given to or characterized by deception or falsehood or
divergence from absolutetruth |
| mentor |
a trusted counselor or guide:TUTOR, COACH |
| mercenary |
one that serves merely for wages; especially :a soldier
hired into foreign service |
| mercurial |
characterized by rapid and unpredictable changeableness of
mood |
| merited |
deserved, be worthy of or entitled or liable to |
| mesh |
to cause (as gears) to engage |
| mesmerism |
hypnotic induction held to involve animal magnetism;
broadly :HYPNOTISM |
| messy |
marked by confusion, disorder, or dirt:UNTIDY |
| metaphor |
a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally
denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of
another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them (as in
drowning in money); broadly :figurative language |
| meteoric |
resembling a meteor in speed or in sudden and temporary
brilliance |
| meteorology |
a science that deals with the atmosphere and its phenomena
and especially with weather and weather forecasting |
| meticulous |
marked by extreme or excessive care in the consideration
or treatment of details |
| metrical |
of, relating to, or composed in meter |
| mettle |
courage; spirit |
| miff |
a trivial quarrel |
| migratory |
WANDERING, ROVING |
| mill |
a building provided with machinery for grinding grain into
flour |
| mime |
to act a part with mimic gesture and action usually
without words |
| minaret |
a tall slender tower of a mosque having one or more
balconies from which the summons to prayer is cried by the
muezzin |
| minatory |
having a menacing quality:THREATENING |
| mince |
to walk with short steps in a prim affected manner |
| mingle |
to bring or mix together or with something else usually
without fundamental loss of identity:INTERMIX |
| minion |
a servile dependent, follower, or underling |
| mint |
1. to make (as coins) out of metal:COIN 2. a vast sum or
amount |
| minuscule |
very small |
| minutia |
a minute or minor detail |
| miracle |
an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or
accomplishment |
| mirage |
something illusory and unattainable |
| mire |
to cause to stick fast in or as if in mire |
| mirth |
gladness or gaiety as shown by or accompanied with
laughter |
| misanthrope |
a person who hates or distrusts mankind |
| misbehave |
to behave badly |
| mischievous |
able or tending to cause annoyance, trouble, or minor
injury |
| miscreant |
one who behaves criminally or viciously |
| misdemeanor |
a crime less serious than a felony |
| miser |
a mean grasping person; especially :one who is extremely
stingy with money |
| misfortune |
a distressing or unfortunate incident or event |
| misgiving |
a feeling of doubt or suspicion especially concerning a
future event |
| mishap |
an unfortunate accident |
| misnomer |
a name wrongly or unsuitably applied to a person or an
object |
| misrepresent |
to give a false or misleading representation of usually
with an intent to deceive or be unfair |
| mite |
any of numerous small acarid arachnids that often infest
animals, plants, and stored foods and include important
disease vectors |
| mitigate |
to make less severe or painful:ALLEVIATE |
| mnemonics |
a technique of improving the memory |
| mobility |
capable of moving or being moved:MOVABLE |
| mockery |
a subject of laughter, derision, or sport |
| moderate |
to lessen the intensity or extremeness of |
| modicum |
a small portion:a limited quantity |
| molar |
A tooth with a broad crown used to grind food, located
behind the premolars. |
| molding |
a decorative plane or curved strip used for ornamentation
or finishing |
| mollify |
to soothe in temper or disposition:APPEASE |
| mollycoddle |
a pampered or effeminate man or boy |
| molt |
the act or process of sheding hair, feathers, shell,
horns, or an outer layer periodically; specifically
:ECDYSIS |
| momentous |
IMPORTANT, CONSEQUENTIAL |
| momentum |
a property of a moving body that the body has by virtue of
its mass and motion and that is equal to the product of the
body's mass and velocity |
| monochromatic |
having or consisting of one color or hue |
| monocle |
an eyeglass for one eye |
| monopolize |
to get a monopoly of:assume complete possession or control
of |
| monotone |
having the property either of never increasing or of never
decreasing as the values of the independent variable or the
subscripts of the terms increase :MONOTONIC |
| montage |
the production of a rapid succession of images in a motion
picture to illustrate an association of ideas |
| morass |
something that traps, confuses, or impedes |
| moratorium |
a suspension of an ongoing or planned activity |
| morbid |
abnormally susceptible to or characterized by gloomy or
unwholesome feelings |
| mordant |
biting and caustic in thought, manner, or
style:INCISIVE |
| moribund |
being in the state of dying:approaching death |
| morose |
having a sullen and gloomy disposition |
| morsel |
morsel small amount or piece of sth, esp food |
| mortar |
a strong vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed
with a pestle |
| mosque |
a building used for public worship by Muslims |
| mosquito |
any of a family (Culicidae) of dipteran flies with females
that have a set of slender organs in the proboscis adapted to
puncture the skin of animals and to suck their blood and that
are in some cases vectors of serious diseases |
| motile |
exhibiting or capable of movement |
| motivate |
to provide with a motive:IMPEL |
| motley |
variegated in colorcomposed of diverse often incongruous
elements |
| mottle |
to mark with spots or blotches of different color or
shades of color as if stained |
| mournful |
causing sorrow or melancholy:GLOOMY |
| movement |
a distinct structural unit or division having its own key,
rhythmic structure, and themes and forming part of an extended
musical composition |
| muddy |
lacking in clarity or brightness:CLOUDY, DULL |
| muffle |
to wrap or pad with something to dull the sound |
| mulish |
unreasonably and inflexibly obstinate |
| mumble |
to utter with a low inarticulate voice |
| mundane |
characterized by the practical, transitory, and
ordinary:COMMONPLACE |
| municipality |
a primarily urban political unit having corporate status
and usually powers of self-government |
| munificent |
characterized by great liberality or generosity
miser:munificent=zealot:blase munificence ? stinginess |
| mural |
a mural work of art (as a painting) |
| murky |
characterized by a heavy dimness or obscurity caused by or
like that caused by overhanging fog or smoke |
| murmur |
a low indistinct but often continuous sound |
| mute |
to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of |
| myopic |
a lack of foresight or discernment:a narrow view of
something |
| myriad |
having innumerable aspects or elements |
|
|
| nadir |
the lowest point |
| nag |
to irritate by constant scolding or urging |
| naive |
deficient in worldly wisdom or informed judgment;
especially :CREDULOUS |
| narcissism |
love of or sexual desire for one's own body |
| nascent |
coming or having recently come into existence |
| natty |
trimly neat and tidy:SMART |
| nauseate |
to feel disgust |
| naysayer |
one who denies, refuses, opposes, or is skeptical or
cynical about something |
| nebulous |
INDISTINCT, VAGUE |
| needy |
being in want:POVERTY-STRICKEN |
| nefarious |
flagrantly wicked or impious:EVIL |
| negotiate |
to confer with another so as to arrive at the settlement
of some matter |
| neophyte |
a new convert:PROSELYTE |
| nepotism |
favoritism (as in appointment to a job) based on
kinship |
| nerve |
to give strength or courage to:supply with physical or
moral force |
| nettle |
to arouse to sharp but transitory annoyance or anger
imputable:nettle |
| neutralize |
to counteract the activity or effect of:make
ineffective |
| nibble |
to eat or chew in small bits |
| nip |
to take liquor in nips:TIPPLE |
| nitpicking |
minute and usually unjustified criticism |
| nocturnal |
of, relating to, or occurring in the night |
| noisome |
offensive to the senses and especially to the sense of
smell |
| nomad |
a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move
from place to place usually seasonally and within a
well-defined territory |
| nominal |
TRIFLING, INSIGNIFICANT |
| nonchalant |
having an air of easy unconcern or indifference |
| nondescript |
lacking distinctive or interesting qualities:DULL,
DRAB |
| nonentity |
a person of little consequence or significance |
| nonflammable |
not flammable; specifically :not easily ignited and not
burning rapidly if ignited |
| nonplus |
a state of bafflement or perplexity:QUANDARY |
| nonsense |
words or language having no meaning or conveying no
intelligible ideas |
| notch |
to cut or make a notch in |
| notwithstanding |
prep (can also follow the n to which it refers ) without
being affected by (sth); in spite of |
| novelty |
something new or unusual |
| noxious |
physically harmful or destructive to living beings |
| nuance |
a subtle distinction or variation |
| nucleate |
to form into a nucleus:CLUSTER |
| nudge |
to touch or push gently; especially :to seek the attention
of by a push of the elbow |
| nurture |
to supply with nourishment EDUCATE |
|
|
| oafish |
a stupid person:BOOB |
| oasis |
a fertile or green area in an arid region (as a
desert) |
| obdurate |
resistant to persuasion or softening influences |
| obedient |
submissive to the restraint or command of
authority:willing to obey |
| obeisance |
1. a movement of the body made in token of respect or
submission:BOW 2. a movement of the body made in token of
respect or submission:BOW |
| obfuscate |
to make obscure |
| obituary |
a notice of a person's death usually with a short
biographical account |
| obligatory |
binding in law or conscience |
| oblige |
to do a favor for |
| obliging |
willing to do favors:ACCOMMODATING |
| oblique |
not straightforward:INDIRECT; also :OBSCURE |
| obliterate |
to remove from existence:destroy utterly all trace,
indication, or significance of |
| oblivious |
lacking remembrance, memory, or mindful attention |
| obloquy |
Abusively detractive language or utterance; calumny |
| obscure |
not clearly seen or easily distinguished:FAINT |
| obsequious |
marked by or exhibiting a fawning attentiveness |
| observatory |
a building or place given over to or equipped for
observation of natural phenomena (as in astronomy); |
| obsess |
to haunt or excessively preoccupy the mind of |
| obsolete |
of a kind or style no longer current |
| obstacle |
something that impedes progress or achievement |
| obstinate |
adj. perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course
in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion |
| obstreperous |
marked by unruly or aggressive noisiness:CLAMOROUS |
| obstruct |
to hinder from passage, action, or operation |
| obtuse |
lacking sharpness or quickness of sensibility or
intellect |
| obviate |
to anticipate and prevent (as a situation) or make
unnecessary (as an action) |
| occlude |
to close up or block off:OBSTRUCT |
| occult |
not easily apprehended or understood:ABSTRUSE,
MYSTERIOUS |
| occurrence |
something that occurs |
| ode |
a lyric poem usually marked by exaltation of feeling and
style, varying length of line, and complexity of stanza
forms |
| odious |
exciting or deserving hatred or repugnance |
| offbeat |
eccentric, unconventional |
| offend |
to cause dislike, anger, or vexation |
| offhand |
without premeditation or preparation:EXTEMPORE |
| officious |
volunteering one's services where they are neither asked
nor needed:MEDDLESOME |
| offish |
somewhat cold and reserved:STANDOFFISH |
| ominous |
being or exhibiting an omen : PORTENTOUS; especially :
foreboding or foreshowing evil : INAUSPICIOUS |
| omniscient |
having infinite awareness, understanding, and
insight |
| opaque |
exhibiting opacity:blocking the passage of radiant energy
and especially light |
| opera |
a drama set to music and made up of vocal pieces with
orchestral accompaniment and orchestral overtures and
interludes; specifically :GRAND OPERA |
| opine |
to express opinions |
| opportune |
suitable or convenient for a particular occurrence |
| oppose |
to place over against something so as to provide
resistance, counterbalance, or contrast |
| oppression |
unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power |
| opprobrious |
expressive of opprobrium:SCURRILOUS |
| optimization |
an act, process, or methodology of making something (as a
design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or
effective as possible; |
| opulent |
amply or plentifully provided or fashioned often to the
point of ostentation |
| oracle |
a person (as a priestess of ancient Greece) through whom a
deity is believed to speak |
| oration |
an elaborate discourse delivered in a formal and dignified
manner |
| orchestra |
a group of musicians including especially string players
organized to perform ensemble music |
| orient |
get one's bearings; adjust |
| original |
not secondary, derivative, or imitative |
| ornithology |
a branch of zoology dealing with birds |
| orthodoxy |
the quality or state of being conforming to established
doctrine especially in religion |
| oscillate |
to swing backward and forward like a pendulum |
| ossify |
to become hardened or conventional and opposed to
change |
| ossilate |
|
| ostentatious |
marked by or fond of conspicuous or vainglorious and
sometimes pretentious display |
| ostracism |
exclusion by general consent from common privileges or
social acceptance |
| oust |
to remove from or dispossess of property or position by
legal action, by force, or by the compulsion of
necessity |
| outgoing |
openly friendly and responsive:EXTROVERTED |
| outmaneuver |
to maneuver with better effect than; outwit |
| outmoded |
no longer acceptable, current, or usable |
| outwit |
to get the better of by superior cleverness:OUTSMART |
| overbearing |
harshly and haughtily arrogant |
| overdose |
too great a dose (as of a therapeutic agent) |
| overexposure |
to expose excessively; especially:to expose (as film) to
excessive radiation (as light) |
| overlap |
to occupy the same area in part:lap over |
| oversee |
INSPECT, EXAMINE |
| overt |
open to view:MANIFEST |
| overture |
something introductory:PRELUDE |
| overwhelm |
to make helpless, as with greater force or deep emotion;
overcome; crush; overpower |
| overwrought |
extremely excited:AGITATED |
| oxymoron |
a combination of contradictory or incongruous
words |
|
|
| pachyderm |
any of various nonruminant hoofed mammals (as an elephant,
a rhinoceros, or a pig) most of which have a thick skin |
| pacify |
to allay the anger or agitation of:SOOTHE |
| pack |
a group of often predatory animals of the same kind |
| pact |
COMPACT; especially:an international treaty |
| padding |
material with which something is padded |
| paean |
a joyous song or hymn of praise, tribute, thanksgiving, or
triumph; broadly |
| painstaking |
taking pains:expending, showing, or involving diligent
care and effort |
| palatable |
agreeable to the palate or taste |
| palatial |
of, relating to, or being a palace |
| palette |
a particular range, quality, or use of color |
| pall |
to lose in interest or attraction |
| palliate |
to reduce the violence of (a disease) |
| pallid |
Having an abnormally pale or wan complexion |
| pallor |
(n.) lack of facial color |
| palmy |
marked by prosperity |
| palpable |
easily perceived by the senses; audible, recognizable,
perceptible, noticeable, etc. |
| palter |
to act insincerely or deceitfully |
| paltry |
practically worthless; trifling; insignificant;
contemptible; petty |
| pan |
to criticize unfavorably, as in reviewing |
| panache |
dash or flamboyance in style and action |
| Pandemonium |
Wild uproar or noise |
| pander |
to act as a pander; especially:to provide gratification
for others' desires |
| panegyric |
a eulogistic oration or writing; also:formal or elaborate
praise |
| panorama |
comprehensive view; unobstructed view in all
directions |
| panoramic |
an unobstructed or complete view of an area in every
direction |
| pantechnicon |
a furniture van |
| pantry |
a room (as in a hotel or hospital) for preparation of
foods on order |
| parable |
EXAMPLE; specifically:a usually short fictitious story
that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious
principle |
| paradigm |
EXAMPLE, PATTERN; especially :an outstandingly clear or
typical example or archetype |
| paradise |
a place or state of bliss, felicity, or delight |
| paradox |
a statement that is seemingly contradictory or opposed to
common sense and yet is perhaps true |
| paragon |
a model of excellence or perfection |
| parallel |
extending in the same direction, everywhere equidistant,
and not meeting |
| paramount |
superior to all others |
| paranoia |
a tendency on the part of an individual or group toward
excessive or irrational suspiciousness and distrustfulness of
others |
| paraphrase |
to make a restatement of a text, passage, or work giving
the meaning in another form |
| parch |
to dry or shrivel with cold |
| pariah |
a member of a low caste of southern India |
| parity |
the quality or state of being equal or equivalent |
| parlance |
manner or mode of speech |
| parochial |
restricted to a small area or scope; narrow; limited;
provincial |
| parody |
a literary or musical work in which the style of an author
or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule; a
poor or weak imitation |
| paroxysm |
a sudden violent emotion or action : OUTBURST |
| parquetry |
inlaid woodwork in geometric forms, usually of contrasting
woods, used esp. in flooring |
| parrot |
to repeat by rote |
| parry |
to evade especially by an adroit answer |
| parse |
to resolve (as a sentence) into component parts of speech
and describe them grammatically |
| parsimony |
a tendency to be over-careful in spending; unreasonable
economy; stinginess |
| partial |
inclined to favor one party more than the
other:BIASED |
| partiality |
inclination; bias |
| particularize |
to state in detail |
| partisan |
a firm adherent to a party, faction, cause, or person;
especially:one exhibiting blind, prejudiced, and unreasoning
allegiance |
| passionate |
capable of, affected by, or expressing intense
feeling |
| pastiche |
a literary, artistic, musical, or architectural work that
imitates the style of previous work; |
| patent |
readily visible or intelligible:OBVIOUS |
| pathology |
something abnormal,deviation from propriety or from an
assumed normal state of something nonliving or
nonmaterial |
| patina |
a superficial covering or exterior |
| patrician |
a person of high birth:ARISTOCRAT |
| patriot |
one who loves his or her country and supports its
authority and interests |
| patronize |
to be kind or helpful to, but in a haughty or snobbish
way, as if dealing with an inferior |
| paucity |
smallness of number:FEWNESS |
| paunchy |
having an enlarged, swollen, or protruding abdomen |
| pauper |
a person destitute of means except such as are derived
from charity; specifically :one who receives aid from funds
designated for the poor |
| pebble |
a small usually rounded stone especially when worn by the
action of water |
| peccadillo |
a slight offense |
| peck |
(try to) strike (sth) with the beak |
| pedagogue |
TEACHER, SCHOOLMASTER; especially :a dull, formal, or
pedantic teacher |
| pedant |
one who makes a show of knowledge |
| pedestrian |
COMMONPLACE, UNIMAGINATIVE |
| peep |
to utter the slightest sound |
| peerless |
MATCHLESS, INCOMPARABLE |
| peeve |
to make peevish or resentful:ANNOY |
| pejorative |
having negative connotations; especially :tending to
disparage or belittle:DEPRECIATORY |
| pelf |
Wealth or riches, especially when dishonestly
acquired |
| pellucid |
easy to understand |
| pen |
a female swan |
| penalty |
the suffering in person, rights, or property that is
annexed by law or judicial decision to the commission of a
crime or public offense |
| penchant |
a strong and continued inclination; broadly :LIKING |
| penetrate |
to enter by overcoming resistance:PIERCE |
| penitent |
feeling or expressing humble or regretful pain or sorrow
for sins or offenses:REPENTANT |
| pensive |
musingly or dreamily thoughtful |
| penury |
a cramping and oppressive lack of resources (as money);
especially :severe poverty |
| perceptible |
capable of being perceived especially by the senses |
| peremptory |
characterized by often imperious or arrogant
self-assurance |
| perfervid |
marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion : excessively
fervent |
| perfidy |
the quality or state of being faithless or
disloyal:TREACHERY |
| perforate |
to make a hole through; especially :to make a line of
holes in to facilitate separation |
| perfunctorily |
lacking in interest or enthusiasm |
| perimeter |
the boundary of a closed plane figure |
| peripatetic |
moving or traveling from place to place:ITINERANT |
| peripheral |
of, relating to, involving, or forming a periphery or
surface part |
| perjury |
the voluntary violation of an oath or vow either by
swearing to what is untrue or by omission to do what has been
promised under oath:false swearing perjury:deposition |
| permanence |
the quality or state of being permanent:DURABILITY |
| permeable |
capable of being permeated:PENETRABLE; especially :having
pores or openings that permit liquids or gases to pass
through |
| pernicious |
highly injurious or destructive:DEADLY |
| perpetual |
continuing forever:EVERLASTING |
| persecute |
to come to mind continually; obsess: |
| persevere |
to persist in a state, enterprise, or undertaking in spite
of counterinfluences, opposition, or discouragement |
| persiflage |
to provide with an incentive; move to action; impel |
| personable |
pleasant or amiable in person:ATTRACTIVE |
| perspective |
an optical glass (as a telescope) |
| perspicacious |
of acute mental vision or discernment:KEEN |
| perspicuity |
plain to the understanding especially because of clarity
and precision of presentation |
| pertinacious |
stubbornly unyielding or tenacious |
| pertinent |
having a clear decisive relevance to the matter in
hand |
| perturb |
to disturb greatly in mind:DISQUIET |
| peruse |
to examine or consider with attention and in
detail:STUDY |
| pervade |
to become diffused throughout every part of suffuse |
| pessimism |
an inclination to emphasize adverse aspects, conditions,
and possibilities or to expect the worst possible
outcome |
| pesticide |
an agent used to destroy pests |
| pestle |
a usually club-shaped implement for pounding or grinding
substances in a mortar |
| petition |
to make a request to:SOLICIT |
| petrography |
the description and systematic classification of
rocks |
| petty |
having secondary rank or importance : MINOR,
SUBORDINATE |
| petulance |
the quality or state of being petulant:PEEVISHNESS |
| phenomenal |
EXTRAORDINARY, REMARKABLE |
| philanthropic |
of, relating to, or characterized by
philanthropy:HUMANITARIAN |
| Philistine |
a person who is guided by materialism and is usually
disdainful of intellectual or artistic values |
| philosophical |
of or according to philosophy |
| phlegmatic |
having or showing a slow and stolid temperament |
| photorespiration |
Oxidation of carbohydrates in plants with the release of
carbon dioxide during photosynthesis |
| piddling |
TRIVIAL, PALTRY |
| piebald |
of different colors; especially : spotted or blotched with
black and white |
| pigment |
a coloring matter in animals and plants especially in a
cell or tissue; |
| pilfer |
STEAL; especially :to steal stealthily in small amounts
and often again and again |
| pillar |
a firm upright support for a superstructure:POST |
| pillory |
to expose to public contempt, ridicule, or scorn |
| pilot |
one employed to steer a ship:HELMSMAN |
| pine |
to yearn intensely and persistently especially for
something unattainable |
| pinnacle |
an upright architectural member generally ending in a
small spire and used especially in Gothic construction to give
weight especially to a buttress |
| pinpoint |
to locate or aim with great precision |
| piquant |
agreeably stimulating to the palate; especially
:SPICY |
| pithy |
having substance and point:tersely cogent |
| pitiless |
devoid of pity:MERCILESS |
| pittance |
a small portion, amount, or allowance; also :a meager wage
or remuneration |
| pixel |
The smallest image-forming unit of a video display |
| placate |
to soothe or mollify especially by
concessions:APPEASE |
| placebo |
an inert or innocuous substance used especially in
controlled experiments testing the efficacy of another
substance (as a drug) |
| plagiarize |
to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as
one's own:use (another's production) without crediting the
source |
| plangent |
having a loud reverberating sound |
| plantation |
a usually large group of plants and especially trees under
cultivation |
| plateau |
a region of little or no change in a graphic
representation |
| platitude |
a banal, trite, or stale remark |
| platonic |
purely spiritual; theoretical; without sensual
desire |
| plaudit |
An expression of applause. |
| plausible |
superficially fair, reasonable, or valuable but often
specious |
| playoff |
A final game or series of games played to break a
tie |
| pleat |
FOLD; especially :to arrange in pleats |
| plethora |
EXCESS, SUPERFLUITY; also :PROFUSION, ABUNDANCE |
| pliable |
a. supple enough to bend freely or repeatedly without
breaking b. Easily influenced, persuaded, or swayed;
tractable. |
| pliant |
easily influenced:YIELDING |
| plight |
to put or give in pledge:ENGAGE |
| plodding |
working laboriously and monotonously:DRUDGE |
| plot |
1. a secret plan for accomplishing a usually evil or
unlawful end:INTRIGUE 2. the plan or main story of a literary
work |
| pluck |
1. to play by sounding the strings with the fingers or a
pick 2. courageous readiness to fight or continue against
odds:dogged resolution |
| plumage |
the feathers of a bird |
| plumb |
to measure the depth of with a plumb |
| plummet |
to drop sharply and abruptly |
| plump |
having a full rounded usually pleasing form a plump
woman |
| plurality |
A majority. |
| polarize |
to break up into opposing factions or groupings |
| polemic |
the art or practice of disputation or controversy |
| polish |
of Poland or the Poles |
| polished |
highly developed, finished, or refined PERFECT |
| politic |
characterized by shrewdness in managing, contriving, or
dealing |
| pollster |
one that conducts a poll or compiles data obtained by a
poll |
| Pollyanna |
A person regarded as being foolishly or blindly
optimistic |
| pompous |
having or exhibiting self-importance:ARROGANT |
| ponderable |
significant enough to be worth
considering:APPRECIABLE |
| ponderous |
of very great weight |
| pontificate |
to speak or express opinions in a pompous or dogmatic
way |
| porcelain |
a hard, fine-grained, sonorous, nonporous, and usually
translucent and white ceramic ware that consists essentially
of kaolin, quartz, and feldspar and is fired at high
temperatures |
| pore |
a minute opening especially in an animal or plant;
especially :one by which matter passes through a
membrane |
| porous |
capable of being penetrated |
| portentous |
eliciting amazement or wonder:PRODIGIOUS |
| portrait |
PICTURE; especially :a pictorial representation (as a
painting) of a person usually showing the face |
| poseur |
a person who pretends to be what he or she is not:an
affected or insincere person |
| posit |
to assume or affirm the existence of:POSTULATE |
| posterity |
the offspring of one progenitor to the furthest
generation |
| postscript |
a note or series of notes appended to a completed letter,
article, or book |
| postulate |
to assume or claim as true, existent, or necessary:depend
upon or start from the postulate of |
| posture |
to assume an artificial or pretended
attitude:ATTITUDINIZE |
| pot |
an enclosed framework of wire, wood, or wicker for
catching fish or lobsters |
| potable |
suitable for drinking |
| potboiler |
a literary or artistic work of poor quality,
producedquickly for profit |
| potentate |
RULER, SOVEREIGN; broadly:one who wields great power or
sway |
| potentiate |
to make effective or active or more effective or more
active; also:to augment the activity of (as a drug)
synergistically |
| pout |
to show displeasure by thrusting out the lips or wearing a
sullen expression |
| prairie |
a large area of level or rolling land in the Mississippi
valley that in its natural uncultivated state usually has deep
fertile soil, a cover of tall coarse grasses, and few
trees |
| prate |
to talk long and idly:CHATTER |
| preach |
to deliver a sermon |
| precarious |
characterized by a lack of security or stability that
threatens with danger |
| precedent |
prior in time, order, arrangement, or significance |
| precipice |
a very steep or overhanging place; dangerous
position:CLIFF |
| precipitate |
to bring about especially abruptly |
| precipitation |
something precipitated:as a deposit on the earth of hail,
mist, rain, sleet, or snow |
| precipitous |
very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging in rise or
fall |
| preclude |
To make impossible, as by action taken in advance;
prevent |
| precursor |
one that precedes and indicates the approach of
another |
| predecessor |
one that precedes; especially:a person who has previously
occupied a position or office to which another has
succeeded |
| preeminent |
having paramount rank, dignity, or
importance:OUTSTANDING |
| preempt |
to replace with something considered to be of greater
value or priority:take precedence over |
| preen |
to dress or smooth (oneself) up:PRIMP |
| preface |
the introductory remarks of a speaker or author |
| pregnant |
abounding in fancy, wit, or
resourcefulness:INVENTIVE |
| prejudice |
an adverse judgment or opinion formed beforehand or
without knowledge or examination of the facts. |
| preliminary |
coming before and usually forming a necessary prelude to
something else |
| premeditated |
characterized by fully conscious willful intent and a
measure of forethought and planning |
| preponderant |
having superior weight, force, or influence |
| prepossessing |
tending to create a favorable impression:ATTRACTIVE |
| preposterous |
contrary to nature, reason, or common sense:ABSURD |
| presage |
FORETELL, PREDICT |
| prescience |
foreknowledge of events:a:divine omniscience b:human
anticipation of the course of events:FORESIGHT |
| prescription |
a written direction for a therapeutic or corrective agent;
specifically:one for the preparation and use of a
medicine |
| presentiment |
a feeling that something will or is about to
happen:PREMONITION |
| preservative |
something that preserves or has the power of preserving;
specifically:an additive used to protect against decay,
discoloration, or spoilage |
| prestige |
standing or estimation in the eyes of people:weight or
credit in general opinion |
| presumptuous |
overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or
courtesy):taking liberties |
| pretense |
an inadequate or insincere attempt to attain a certain
condition or quality |
| prevail |
to gain ascendancy through strength or
superiority:TRIUMPH |
| prevalent |
generally or widely accepted, practiced, or
favored:WIDESPREAD |
| prevaricate |
to deviate from the truth:EQUIVOCATE |
| prime |
the earliest stage |
| primordial |
existing in or persisting from the beginning |
| primp |
to dress, adorn, or arrange in a careful or finicky
manner |
| principal |
most important, consequential, or influential:CHIEF |
| prissy |
being prim and precise:FINICKY |
| pristine |
not spoiled, corrupted, or polluted (as by
civilization):PURE |
| privation |
the state of being deprived; especially : lack of what is
needed for existence |
| privilege |
a right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit,
advantage, or favor:PREROGATIVE; especially :such a right or
immunity attached specifically to a position or an
office |
| probe |
to make a searching exploratory investigation |
| probity |
adherence to the highest principles and
ideals:UPRIGHTNESS |
| proclivity |
A natural propensity or inclination; predisposition |
| procrastinate |
to put off intentionally the doing of something that
should be done |
| procure |
to get possession of:obtain by particular care and
effort |
| prod |
to incite to action:STIR |
| prodigal |
characterized by wasteful expenditure:LAVISH |
| prodigy |
an extraordinary, marvelous, or unusual accomplishment,
deed, or event |
| profane |
to treat (something sacred) with abuse, irreverence, or
contempt:DESECRATE |
| proffer |
to present for acceptance:TENDER, OFFER |
| proficient |
having or marked by an advanced degree of competence, as
in an art, vocation, profession, or branch of learning |
| profligate |
wildly extravagant:PRODIGAL |
| profusion |
great quantity:lavish display or supply |
| proliferate |
to increase in number as if by
proliferating:MULTIPLY |
| prolix |
marked by or using an excess of words |
| prolong |
to lengthen in extent, scope, or range |
| prominent |
readily noticeable:CONSPICUOUS |
| promote |
to contribute to the growth or prosperity of:FURTHER |
| propagate |
to cause to spread out and affect a greater number or
greater area:EXTEND |
| propensity |
an often intense natural inclination or preference |
| prophetic |
foretelling events:PREDICTIVE |
| propitiate |
to gain or regain the favor or goodwill of:APPEASE,
CONCILIATE |
| propitious |
favorably disposed:BENEVOLENT |
| proposal |
an act of putting forward or stating something for
consideration |
| prosaic |
DULL, UNIMAGINATIVE,EVERYDAY, ORDINARY |
| proscribe |
to condemn or forbid as harmful or unlawful:PROHIBIT |
| prosecution |
the act or process of prosecuting; specifically:the
institution and continuance of a criminal suit involving the
process of pursuing formal charges against an offender to
final judgment |
| proselytize |
to recruit or convert especially to a new faith,
institution, or cause |
| prospect |
to search for or explore (a region) for mineral deposits
or oil. |
| prosperous |
enjoying vigorous and healthy growth:FLOURISHING |
| prostrate |
stretched out with face on the ground in adoration or
submission; also:lying flat |
| protean |
displaying great diversity or variety:VERSATILE |
| protest |
to execute or have executed a formal protest against (as a
bill or note) |
| protocol |
a code prescribing strict adherence to correct etiquette
and precedence |
| protract |
to prolong in time or space:CONTINUE |
| protuberant |
thrusting out from a surrounding or adjacent surface often
as a rounded mass:PROMINENT |
| provident |
FRUGAL, SAVING |
| providential |
Happening as if through divine intervention;
opportune. |
| provincial |
limited in outlook:NARROW |
| provisional |
serving for the time being:TEMPORARY |
| provisory |
containing or subject to a proviso:CONDITIONAL |
| provoke |
to call forth (as a feeling or action):EVOKE |
| prowess |
distinguished bravery; especially:military valor and
skill |
| prowl |
to move about or wander stealthily in or as if in search
of prey |
| prude |
a person who is excessively or priggishly attentive to
propriety or decorum; especially :a woman who shows or affects
extreme modesty |
| prudent |
marked by circumspection:DISCREET |
| prudish |
marked by prudery:PRIGGISH |
| prune |
a plum dried or capable of drying without
fermentation |
| pry |
to look closely or inquisitively; also:to make a nosy or
presumptuous inquiry |
| psychology |
the study of mind and behavior in relation to a particular
field of knowledge or activity |
| pucker |
to contract into folds or wrinkles |
| puckish |
IMPISH, WHIMSICAL |
| puerile |
CHILDISH, SILLY |
| puissance |
Power; might |
| pulchritude |
physical comeliness |
| pullet |
a young hen; specifically:a hen of the domestic chicken
less than a year old |
| pulverize |
to reduce (as by crushing, beating, or grinding) to very
small particles:ATOMIZE |
| pun |
a joke using words with similar sounds or two different
meanings: |
| punch |
the sentence, statement, or phrase (as in a joke) that
makes the point |
| punctilious |
marked by or concerned about precise accordance with the
details of codes or conventions |
| pundit |
one who gives opinions in an authoritative manner:PANDIT,
CRITIC |
| pungent |
causing a sharp or irritating sensation;
especially:ACRID |
| puny |
slight or inferior in power, size, or
importance:WEAK |
| purgatory |
an intermediate state after death for expiatory
purification; spec.:a place or state of punishment wherein
according to Roman Catholic doctrine the souls of those who
die in God's grace may make satisfaction for past sins and so
become fit for heave |
| purity |
the quality or state of being pure |
| purlieu |
a frequently visited place:HAUNT |
| purloin |
to appropriate wrongfully and often by a breach of
trust |
| pursue |
to follow in order to overtake, capture, kill, or
defeat |
| purvey |
to supply (as provisions) usually as a matter of
business |
| pusillanimous |
lacking courage and resolution:marked by contemptible
timidity |
|
|
| quaff |
to drink (a beverage) deeply |
| quail |
to recoil in dread or terror:COWER |
| quaint |
unusual or different in character or appearance:ODD |
| qualified |
limited or modified in some way |
| quandary |
a state of perplexity or doubt |
| quarantine |
to isolate from normal relations or communication |
| quarry |
1. one that is sought or pursued:PREY 2. an open
excavation usually for obtaining building stone, slate, or
limestone |
| quash |
to suppress or extinguish summarily and completely |
| quell |
to thoroughly overwhelm and reduce to submission or
passivity |
| quench |
to cool (as heated metal) suddenly by immersion (as in oil
or water) |
| querulous |
habitually complaining |
| queue |
a waiting line especially of persons or vehicles |
| quibble |
to evade the point of an argument by caviling about
words |
| quiescent |
marked by inactivity or repose:tranquilly at rest |
| quip |
a witty or funny observation or response usually made on
the spur of the moment |
| quixotic |
foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals;
especially :marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or
extravagantly chivalrous action |
| quota |
a proportional part or share; especially :the share or
proportion assigned to each in a division or to each member of
a body |
| quotidian |
COMMONPLACE, ORDINARY |
|
|
| rabble |
a disorganized or disorderly crowd of people:MOB |
| rabid |
extremely violent:FURIOUS |
| racketeer |
one who obtains money by an illegal enterprise usually
involving intimidation |
| raconteur |
a person who excels in telling anecdotes |
| racy |
having a strongly marked quality:PIQUANT |
| raffish |
marked by or suggestive of flashy vulgarity or
crudeness |
| raffle |
a lottery in which the prize is won by one of numerous
persons buying chances |
| rafter |
any of the parallel beams that support a roof |
| rage |
violent and uncontrolled anger |
| ragged |
torn or worn to tatters |
| ragtime |
rhythm characterized by strong syncopation in the melody
with a regularly accented accompaniment |
| rail |
to revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive
language |
| raisin |
a grape of any of several varieties that has been dried in
the sun or by artificial heat |
| rakish |
of, relating to, or characteristic of a rake :
DISSOLUTE |
| ramble |
to move aimlessly from place to place |
| rambunctious |
marked by uncontrollable exuberance:UNRULY |
| rampart |
a protective barrier:BULWARK |
| ramshackle |
appearing ready to collapse:RICKETY |
| rancid |
offensive in odor or flavor:RANK |
| rancor |
bitter deep-seated ill will |
| range |
a series of mountains |
| ranger |
the keeper of a British royal park or forest |
| rank |
offensive in odor or flavor; especially :RANCID |
| rankle |
to cause anger, irritation, or deep bitterness |
| rant |
to scold vehemently |
| rapacious |
excessively grasping or covetous |
| rapport |
RELATION; especially :relation marked by harmony,
conformity, accord, or affinity |
| rapprochement |
establishment of or state of having cordial
relations |
| rapscallion |
RASCAL, NE'ER-DO-WELL |
| rapt |
wholly absorbed: ENGROSSED |
| rash |
marked by or proceeding from undue haste or lack of
deliberation or caution |
| raspy |
HARSH, GRATING |
| ratify |
to approve and sanction formally:CONFIRM |
| ratiocination |
the process of exact thinking:REASONING |
| ration |
a food allowance for one day |
| rationalize |
to provide plausible but untrue reasons for conduct |
| raucous |
disagreeably harsh or strident:HOARSE |
| rave |
an extravagantly favorable criticism |
| ravel |
to separate or undo the texture of:UNRAVEL |
| ravenous |
very eager or greedy for food, satisfaction, or
gratification |
| raze |
to destroy to the ground:DEMOLISH |
| reactant |
a substance that enters into and is altered in the course
of a chemical reaction |
| reactionary |
relating to, marked by, or favoring reaction; especially
:ultraconservative in politics |
| ream |
a quantity of paper being 20 quires or variously 480, 500,
or 516 sheets |
| reap |
to gather by reaping:HARVEST |
| reaper |
one who harvests grain |
| reassure |
to restore to confidence |
| rebellow |
|
| rebuff |
to reject or criticize sharply:SNUB |
| rebus |
a representation of words or syllables by pictures of
objects or by symbols whose names resemble the intended words
or syllables in sound; also :a riddle made up of such pictures
or symbols |
| recalcitrant |
obstinately defiant of authority or restraint |
| recant |
to withdraw or repudiate (a statement or belief) formally
and publicly:RENOUNCE |
| recapitulate |
to repeat the principal points or stages of :
SUMMARIZE |
| recessive |
producing little or no phenotypic effect when occurring in
heterozygous condition with a contrasting allele |
| recidivism |
a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of
behavior; especially :relapse into criminal behavior |
| reciprocate |
to move forward and backward alternately |
| reckless |
marked by lack of proper caution:careless of
consequences |
| recluse |
a person who leads a secluded or solitary life |
| recoil |
to fall back under pressure |
| reconcile |
to make consistent or congruous |
| recondite |
difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding
or knowledge to comprehend:DEEP |
| reconnaissance |
a preliminary survey to gain information; especially :an
exploratory military survey of enemy territory |
| reconnoiter |
To make a preliminary examination of for military,
surveying, or geological purposes. |
| reconstitute |
to constitute again or anew; especially :to restore to a
former condition by adding water |
| rectify |
to correct by removing errors:ADJUST |
| rectitude |
moral integrity:RIGHTEOUSNESS |
| recuperate |
to regain a former state or condition; especially :to
recover health or strength |
| redolent |
exuding fragrance:AROMATIC |
| redoubtable |
ILLUSTRIOUS, EMINENT; broadly :worthy of respect |
| redress |
to set right:REMEDY |
| redundant |
exceeding what is necessary or normal:SUPERFLUOUS |
| reedy |
having many reeds |
| reel |
a revolvable device on which something flexible is
wound |
| refinery |
a building and equipment for refining or processing (as
oil or sugar) |
| reflective |
marked by reflection:THOUGHTFUL, DELIBERATIVE |
| refractory |
resisting control or authority:STUBBORN,
UNMANAGEABLE |
| refresh |
to restore strength and animation to:REVIVE |
| refugee |
one that flees; especially :a person who flees to a
foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution |
| refulgent |
a radiant or resplendent quality or state:BRILLIANCE |
| refute |
to prove wrong by argument or evidence:show to be false or
erroneous |
| regard |
a feeling of respect and affection:ESTEEM |
| regenerate |
restored to a better, higher, or more worthy state |
| regime |
a government in power |
| regimen |
a systematic plan (as of diet, therapy, or medication)
especially when designed to improve and maintain the health of
a patient |
| regress |
to tend to approach or revert to a mean |
| regression |
A going back; a withdrawing or returning; (opposite of
progression) |
| rehabilitate |
to restore to a former state (as of efficiency, good
management, or solvency) |
| rehabilitation |
rehabilitating or being rehabilitated |
| rehearsal |
a private performance or practice session preparatory to a
public appearance |
| reign |
royal authority:SOVEREIGNTY |
| rein |
to check or stop by or as if by a pull at the reins |
| reiterate |
to state or do over again or repeatedly sometimes with
wearying effect |
| rejoice |
to feel joy or great delight |
| relapse |
to slip or fall back into a former worse state |
| release |
to set free from restraint, confinement, or
servitude |
| relentless |
showing or promising no abatement of severity, intensity,
strength, or pace:UNRELENTING |
| relevant |
having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter
at hand |
| religion |
a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with
ardor and faith |
| relinquish |
to give over possession or control of:YIELD |
| relish |
characteristic flavor; especially :pleasing or zestful
flavor |
| reluctant |
Unwilling; disinclined: |
| remiss |
showing neglect or inattention:LAX |
| remnant |
a usually small part, member, or trace remaining |
| remodel |
to alter the structure of:REMAKE |
| remonstrance |
an earnest presentation of reasons for opposition or
grievance; especially :a document formally stating such
points |
| remorse |
a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past
wrongs:SELF-REPROACH |
| remunerate |
to pay an equivalent to for a service, loss, or
expense:RECOMPENSE |
| rend |
to split or tear apart or in pieces by violence |
| renounce |
to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal
declaration |
| renovate |
to restore to a former better state (as by cleaning,
repairing, or rebuilding) |
| repartee |
a succession or interchange of clever retorts:amusing and
usually light sparring with words |
| repatriate |
to restore or return to the country of origin, allegiance,
or citizenship |
| repeal |
to rescind or annul by authoritative act; especially :to
revoke or abrogate by legislative enactment |
| repel |
to drive back:REPULSE |
| repertoire |
the complete list or supply of dramas, operas, or musical
works available for performance |
| replete |
fully or abundantly provided or filled |
| reportage |
the act or process of reporting news |
| repose |
to take a rest |
| reprehensible |
worthy of or deserving reprehension:CULPABLE |
| repressed |
characterized by restraint |
| reprieve |
to delay the punishment of (as a condemned prisoner) |
| reprimand |
to reprove sharply or censure formally usually from a
position of authority |
| reprisal |
the act or practice in international law of resorting to
force short of war in retaliation for damage or loss
suffered |
| reproach |
an expression of rebuke or disapproval |
| reprobate |
1. to condemn strongly as unworthy, unacceptable, or evil
2. A morally unprincipled person. |
| reproof |
criticism for a fault:REBUKE |
| reprove |
to scold or correct usually gently or with kindly
intent |
| reptile |
Any of various cold-blooded, usually egg-laying
vertebrates of the class Reptilia, such as a snake, lizard,
crocodile, turtle, or dinosaur, having an external covering of
scales or horny plates and breathing by means of lungs. |
| repudiate |
to refuse to accept; especially :to reject as unauthorized
or as having no binding force |
| repugnant |
exciting distaste or aversion;inconsistent. |
| repulse |
to drive or beat back:REPEL |
| rescind |
to make void (as an act) by action of the enacting
authority or a superior authority:REPEAL |
| resentment |
a feeling of indignant displeasure or persistent ill will
at something regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury |
| reserved |
restrained in words and actions |
| resign |
to give up one's office or position:QUIT |
| resilience |
the capability of a strained body to recover its size and
shape after deformation caused especially by compressive
stress |
| resin |
a sticky substance found in some plants |
| resolute |
marked by firm determination:RESOLVED |
| resonant |
(adj.) resounding; re-echoing |
| resourceful |
able to meet situations:capable of devising ways and
means |
| respire |
BREATHE; specifically :to inhale and exhale air
successively |
| respite |
A usually short interval of rest or relief. |
| resplendent |
shining brilliantly:characterized by a glowing
splendor |
| responsive |
quick to respond or react appropriately or
sympathetically: SENSITIVE |
| restive |
marked by impatience:FIDGETY |
| restless |
marked by a lack of quiet, repose, or rest |
| restore |
to put or bring back into existence or use |
| restrain |
to limit, restrict, or keep under control |
| resurgence |
a rising again into life, activity, or
prominence:RENASCENCE |
| resuscitate |
to revive from apparent death or from unconsciousness;
also :REVITALIZE |
| retainer |
a person attached or owing service to a household;
especially :SERVANT |
| retaliate |
to repay (as an injury) in kind |
| retard |
to slow up especially by preventing or hindering advance
or accomplishment:IMPEDE |
| reticent |
restrained in expression, presentation, or
appearance |
| retinue |
a group of retainers or attendants |
| retort |
to pay or hurl back:RETURN |
| retouch |
to alter (as a photographic negative) to produce a more
desirable appearance |
| retract |
TAKE BACK, WITHDRAW |
| retreat |
the usually forced withdrawal of troops from an enemy or
from an advanced position |
| retrench |
to cut out:EXCISE |
| retrieve |
recover; find and bring in |
| retrograde |
going backward; degenerating |
| retrospective |
affecting things past:RETROACTIVE |
| revelry |
noisy partying or merrymaking |
| revenge |
to inflict injury in return for |
| revere |
to show devoted deferential honor to:regard as worthy of
great honor |
| revise |
to make a new, amended, improved, or up-to-date version
of |
| revive |
to return to consciousness or life:become active or
flourishing again |
| revoke |
to annul by recalling or taking back:RESCIND |
| revue |
a theatrical production consisting typically of brief
loosely connected often satirical skits, songs, and
dances |
| rewarding |
yielding or likely to yield a reward:VALUABLE,
SATISFYING |
| ribald |
CRUDE, OFFENSIVE |
| rickety |
lacking stability or firmness:SHAKY |
| rider |
a clause appended to a legislative bill to secure a
usually distinct object |
| ridicule |
the act of exposing to laughter:DERISION, MOCKERY |
| rife |
copiously supplied:ABOUNDING |
| riffraff |
People regarded as disreputable or worthless |
| rift |
BREACH, ESTRANGEMENT |
| rigid |
inflexibly set in
opinioncircular:asymmetrical::protean:rigid |
| rigmarole |
a set of confused and meaningless statements ; a long and
complicated and confusing procedure |
| rile |
to make agitated and angry:UPSET |
| riot |
to indulge in revelry or wantonness |
| risible |
arousing or provoking laughter; especially
:LAUGHABLE |
| rite |
a prescribed form or manner governing the words or actions
for a ceremony |
| rival |
one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something
that only one can possess |
| rive |
to wrench open or tear apart or to pieces:REND |
| riveting |
having the power to fix the attention : ENGROSSING,
FASCINATING |
| rivulet |
a small stream |
| robust |
having or exhibiting strength or vigorous health |
| rodent |
any of an order (Rodentia) of relatively small gnawing
mammals (as a mouse, a squirrel, or a beaver) that have in
both jaws a single pair of incisors with a chisel-shaped
edge |
| roil |
to stir up:DISTURB, DISORDER |
| roister |
to engage in noisy revelry:CAROUSE |
| roster |
a roll or list of personnel |
| rostrum |
a stage for public speaking |
| rosy |
characterized by or tending to promote optimism |
| rouse |
to stir up:EXCITE |
| rubicund |
having a healthy reddish color |
| rudimentary |
Being in the earliest stages of development;
incipient. |
| rue |
to feel penitence, remorse, or regret for |
| ruffian |
a brutal person:BULLY |
| ruffle |
a strip of fabric gathered or pleated on one edge |
| ruminate |
to go over in the mind repeatedly and often casually or
slowly ruminate:decidemuseful ;ruminative ;lamentable
;plaintive |
| rumple |
FOLD, WRINKLE |
| run |
an unbroken course of performances or showings,to be
presented or performed for a continuous period of time |
| rupture |
breach of peace or concord; specifically :open hostility
or war between nations |
| ruse |
a crafty stratagem; a subterfuge. |
| rustic |
of, relating to, or suitable for the country:RURAL |
| rustle |
make slight sounds like silk moving or being rubbed
together |
|
|
| sabbatical |
of or relating to the break or change from a normal
routine |
| sabotage |
damage done secretly to prevent an enemy, a competitor,
etc succeeding, esp by destroying his weapons or equipment and
spoiling his plans |
| saccharine |
overly or sickishly sweet |
| sacrifice |
an act of offering to a deity something precious;
especially :the killing of a victim on an altar |
| sacrilege |
a technical and not necessarily intrinsically outrageous
violation (as improper reception of a sacrament) of what is
sacred because consecrated to God |
| saddle |
to place (an onerous responsibility) on a person or
group |
| safeguard |
a technical contrivance to prevent accident |
| sagacious |
of keen and farsighted penetration and
judgment:DISCERNING |
| salient |
standing out conspicuously:PROMINENT; especially :of
notable significance |
| salmon |
a large anadromous salmonid fish (Salmo salar) of the No.
Atlantic noted as a game and food fish |
| salubrious |
favorable to or promoting health or well-being |
| salutary |
producing a beneficial effect:REMEDIAL |
| salutation |
an expression of greeting, goodwill, or courtesy by word,
gesture, or ceremony |
| salvage |
to rescue or save especially from wreckage or ruin |
| salve |
an unctuous adhesive substance for application to wounds
or sores |
| salvo |
a simultaneous discharge of two or more guns in military
action or as a salute |
| sanctify |
to set apart to a sacred purpose or to religious
use:CONSECRATE |
| sanctimonious |
affecting piousness:hypocritically devout; also
:indicative of affected piousness |
| sanction |
to give effective or authoritative approval or consent
to |
| sanctuary |
a place of refuge and protection |
| sand |
to smooth or dress by grinding or rubbing with an abrasive
(as sandpaper) |
| sanguine |
CONFIDENT, OPTIMISTIC |
| sanitation |
the promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease by
maintenance of sanitary conditions |
| sap |
to weaken or exhaust the energy or vitality of |
| sapient |
possessing or expressing great sagacity |
| sapling |
a young tree; specifically:one not over four inches in
diameter at breast height |
| sarcastic |
given to the use of sarcasm:CAUSTIC |
| sartorial |
of or relating to a tailor or tailored clothes; broadly
:of or relating to clothes |
| satiated |
to satisfy (as a need or desire) fully or to excess |
| satire |
a literary work holding up human vices and follies to
ridicule or scorn |
| saturated |
full of moisture:made thoroughly wet |
| saturnine |
of a gloomy or surly disposition |
| saunter |
to walk about in an idle or leisurely manner:STROLL |
| savanna |
A flat grassland of tropical or subtropical regions. |
| savory |
pleasing to the sense of taste especially by reason of
effective seasoning |
| savvy |
practical know-how |
| scale |
a.an instrument or machine for weighing b.an estimate of
the amount of sound lumber in logs or standing timber |
| scalpel |
a small straight thin-bladed knife used especially in
surgery |
| scan |
to read or mark so as to show metrical structure |
| scanty |
limited or less than sufficient in degree, quantity, or
extent |
| scarce |
deficient in quantity or number compared with the demand :
not plentiful or abundant |
| scare |
to frighten especially suddenly:ALARM |
| scathing |
bitterly severe |
| schism |
a separation or division into
factionsschism:consensus::interruption:continuity |
| scintillating |
brilliantly lively, stimulating, or witty |
| scion |
DESCENDANT, CHILD |
| scission |
a division or split in a group or union:schism |
| scissor |
a cutting implement consisting of two blades joined by a
swivel pin that allows the cutting edges to be opened and
closed |
| scoff |
to show contempt by derisive acts or language |
| scooter |
child's foot-operated vehicle consisting of a narrow
footboard mounted between two wheels tandem with an upright
steering handle attached to the front wheel |
| scorch |
to dry or shrivel with or as if with intense
heat:PARCH |
| score |
the copy of a musical composition in written or printed
notation |
| scorn |
to treat with scorn:reject or dismiss as contemptible or
unworthy |
| scour |
to rub hard especially with a rough material for
cleansing |
| scowl |
to contract the brow in an expression of displeasure |
| scrap |
discard;to abandon as no longer of enough worth to
retain |
| scrappy |
quarrelsome;having an aggressive and determined
spirit |
| scrawl |
to write or draw awkwardly, hastily, or carelessly |
| screw |
a nail-shaped or rod-shaped piece with a spiral groove and
a slotted or recessed head designed to be inserted into
material by rotating |
| scribble |
to write hastily or carelessly without regard to
legibility or form |
| script |
the written text of a stage play, screenplay, or
broadcast; specifically :the one used in production or
performance |
| scrupulous |
having moral integrity:acting in strict regard for what is
considered right or proper |
| scrutable |
capable of being deciphered:COMPREHENSIBLE |
| scrutiny |
a searching study, inquiry, or
inspection:EXAMINATION |
| scuff |
to scratch, gouge, or wear away the surface of |
| sculptor |
an artist who makes sculptures |
| scurrilous |
using or given to coarse language |
| scurvy |
disgustingly mean or contemptible:DESPICABLE |
| scutter |
to move with a clattering, scurrying sound |
| scythe |
an implement used for mowing (as grass) and composed of a
long curving blade fastened at an angle to a long handle |
| secluded |
Removed or remote from others; solitary |
| secrete |
to form and give off (a secretion) |
| sedate |
to dose with sedatives |
| sedentary |
not migratory:SETTLED |
| seduce |
to persuade to disobedience or disloyalty |
| sedulous |
involving or accomplished with careful perseverance |
| seemly |
conventionally proper:DECOROUS |
| seminal |
containing or contributing the seeds of later
development |
| seminary |
A school, especially a theological school for the training
of priests, ministers, or rabbis |
| sensation |
a mental process (as seeing, hearing, or smelling) due to
immediate bodily stimulation often as distinguished from
awareness of the |
| sensitive |
highly responsive or susceptible |
| sentinel |
SENTRY:GUARD, WATCH; especially :a soldier standing guard
at a point of passage (as a gate) |
| sepulchral |
suited to or suggestive of a sepulchre:FUNEREAL,
MORTUARY |
| sequela |
A secondary consequence or result |
| sequester |
to place (property) in custody especially in
sequestration |
| seraph |
one of the 6-winged angels standing in the presence of
God |
| sere |
being dried and withered |
| serendipity |
the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable
things not sought for |
| serenity |
the quality or state of being shining bright and
steady |
| serfdom |
a member of a servile feudal class bound to the soil and
subject to the will of his lord |
| sermon |
a religious discourse delivered in public usually by a
clergyman as a part of a worship service |
| serpentine |
Of or resembling a serpent, as in form or movement;
sinuousserpentine:directness::?? |
| serrate |
notched or toothed on the edge; specifically having
marginal teeth pointing forward or toward the apex |
| serried |
crowded or pressed together:COMPACT |
| servile |
meanly or cravenly submissive:ABJECT |
| severe |
rigorous in restraint, punishment, or
requirement:STRINGENT, RESTRICTIVE |
| shackle |
to deprive of freedom especially of action by means of
restrictions or handicaps:IMPEDE |
| shadow |
to follow especially secretly:TRAIL |
| shaft |
arrow or spear/smth long and narrow |
| shale |
a fissile rock that is formed by the consolidation of
clay, mud, or silt, has a finely stratified or laminated
structure, and is composed of minerals essentially unaltered
since deposition |
| sham |
an imitation or counterfeit purporting to be genuine |
| shard |
fragments of pottery vessels found on sites and in refuse
deposits where pottery-making peoples have lived |
| shelter |
to constitute or provide a shelter for:PROTECT |
| shiftless |
lacking in ambition or incentive:LAZY |
| shirk |
to evade the performance of an obligation |
| shopworn |
stale from excessive use or familiarity |
| shrewd |
marked by clever discerning awareness and hardheaded
acumen |
| shrink |
to recoil instinctively |
| shrug |
to raise or draw in the shoulders especially to express
aloofness, indifference, or uncertainty |
| shun |
to avoid deliberately and especially habitually |
| shunt |
to switch (as a train) from one track to another |
| shuttle |
to cause to move or travel back and forth frequently |
| sidereal |
of, relating to, or expressed in relation to stars or
constellations:ASTRAL |
| signal |
distinguished from the ordinary |
| simpleton |
a person lacking in common sense |
| simulate |
to give or assume the appearance or effect of often with
the intent to deceive:IMITATE |
| sin |
an offense against religious or moral law |
| sincere |
free of dissimulation:HONEST |
| sinecure |
an office or position that requires little or no work and
that usually provides an income |
| sinew |
solid resilient strength:POWER |
| singe |
to burn superficially or lightly:SCORCH; especially :to
remove the hair, down, or fuzz from usually by passing rapidly
over a flame |
| singular |
distinguished by superiority:EXCEPTIONAL |
| sinister |
singularly evil or productive of evil |
| sinuous |
of a serpentine or wavy form:WINDING |
| sip |
to drink in small quantities |
| siren |
One of a group of sea nymphs who by their sweet singing
lured mariners to destruction on the rocks surrounding their
island. |
| skeptic |
a person disposed to skepticism especially regarding
religion or religious principles |
| sketchy |
wanting in completeness, clearness, or substance:SLIGHT,
SUPERFICIAL |
| skimpy |
deficient in supply or execution especially through
skimping:SCANTY |
| skirt |
to avoid especially because of difficulty or fear of
controversy |
| skit |
a brief burlesque or comic sketch included in a dramatic
performance (as a revue) |
| skittish |
easily frightened:RESTIVE |
| slake |
SATISFY, QUENCH |
| slant |
to present so as to conform to a particular bias or appeal
to a certain audience |
| slate |
a list of candidates for nomination or election |
| slew |
a large number |
| slight |
1. to treat with disdain or indifference 2. small of its
kind or in amount:SCANTY, MEAGER |
| slink |
to go or move stealthily or furtively (as in fear or
shame):STEAL |
| slippery |
causing or tending to cause something to slide or
fall |
| slipshod |
wearing loose shoes or slippers |
| sloppy |
wet so as to spatter easily:SLUSHY |
| sloth |
disinclination to action or labor:INDOLENCE |
| slouch |
to walk, stand, or sit with a gait or posture
characterized by an ungainly stooping of the head and
shoulders or excessive relaxation of body muscles:DROOP |
| sloven |
untidy especially in personal appearance:slovenly |
| sluggard |
an habitually lazy person |
| sluggish |
averse to activity or exertion:INDOLENT; also
:TORPID |
| slumber |
to be in a torpid, slothful, or negligent state |
| slur |
an insulting or disparaging remark or
innuendo:ASPERSION |
| sly |
lacking in straightforwardness and
candor:DISSEMBLING |
| smarmy |
Hypocritically, complacently, or effusively earnest;
unctuous |
| smart |
1. stylish or elegant in dress or appearance 2. a smarting
pain; especially :a stinging local pain |
| smattering |
superficial piecemeal knowledge |
| smirk |
to smile in an affected or smug manner:SIMPER |
| smother |
to be overcome or killed through or as if through lack of
air |
| smug |
highly self-satisfied |
| smuggle |
to convey or introduce surreptitiously |
| snare |
to capture by or as if by use of a snare |
| snarl |
to cause to become knotted and intertwined:TANGLE To growl
viciously while baring the teeth |
| sneer |
to smile or laugh with facial contortions that express
scorn or contempt |
| snob |
one who has an offensive air of superiority in matters of
knowledge or taste |
| snub |
to treat with contempt or neglect |
| soak |
to lie immersed in liquid (as water):become saturated by
or as if by immersion |
| sober |
marked by sedate or gravely or earnestly thoughtful
character or demeanor |
| sodden |
heavy with or as if with moisture or water |
| solace |
alleviation of grief or anxiety |
| solder |
to unite or make whole by solder |
| solemn |
marked by grave sedateness and earnest sobriety |
| solicitous |
full of concern or fears:APPREHENSIVE |
| solidify |
to make solid, compact, or hard |
| solitude |
the quality or state of being alone or remote from society
: SECLUSION |
| solvent |
able to pay all legal debts |
| somber |
of a dismal or depressing character:MELANCHOLY |
| somnolence |
the quality or state of being drowsy:SLEEPINESS |
| sonata |
an instrumental musical composition typically of three or
four movements in contrasting forms and keys |
| sonnet |
a fixed verse form of Italian origin consisting of
fourteen lines that are typically five-foot iambics rhyming
according to a prescribed scheme; also :a poem in this
pattern |
| soothe |
to please by or as if by attention or
concern:PLACATE,RELIEVE, ALLEVIATE |
| sop |
a conciliatory or propitiatory bribe, gift, or
gesture |
| sophism |
an argument apparently correct in form but actually
invalid; especially :such an argument used to deceive |
| sophistication |
the process or result of becoming cultured, knowledgeable,
or disillusioned; especially :CULTIVATION, URBANITY |
| sophomoric |
conceited and overconfident of knowledge but poorly
informed and immature |
| soporific |
tending to dull awareness or alertness |
| sordid |
marked by baseness or grossness:VILE |
| sound |
SOLID, FIRM; also :STABLE |
| sparse |
of few and scattered elements; especially :not thickly
grown or settled |
| Spartan |
marked by simplicity, frugality, or avoidance of luxury
and comfort |
| spat |
a brief petty quarrel or angry outburst |
| spate |
a large number or amount |
| specialize |
To pursue a special activity, occupation, or field of
study |
| specious |
having a false look of truth or
genuineness:SOPHISTIC |
| speck |
a very small amount:BIT |
| spectator |
one who looks on or watches |
| spectrum |
a continuum of color formed when a beam of white light is
dispersed (as by passage through a prism) so that its
component wavelengths are arranged in order |
| speculate |
to meditate on or ponder a subject:REFLECT |
| spendthrift |
a person who spends improvidently or wastefully |
| spent |
drained of energy or effectiveness:EXHAUSTED |
| spindly |
of a disproportionately tall or long and thin appearance
that often suggests physical weakness |
| spine |
row of bones along the back of humans and some animals;
backbone |
| spineless |
having no spine; invertebrate |
| spiny |
abounding with difficulties, obstacles, or
annoyances:THORNY |
| spire |
a tapering roof or analogous pyramidal construction
surmounting a tower |
| spleen |
feelings of anger or ill will often suppressed |
| splint |
material or a device used to protect and immobilize a body
part (as a broken arm) |
| spoil |
to pamper excessively:CODDLE |
| spoke |
any of the small radiating bars inserted in the hub of a
wheel to support the rim |
| spontaneous |
arising from a momentary impulse |
| spoof |
A gentle satirical imitation; a light parody. |
| sporadic |
occurring occasionally, singly, or in scattered
instances |
| sprain |
a sudden or violent twist or wrench of a joint with
stretching or tearing of ligaments |
| sprightly |
marked by a gay lightness and vivacity:SPIRITED |
| spur |
to incite to action or accelerated growth or
development:STIMULATE |
| spurious |
outwardly similar or corresponding to something without
having its genuine qualities:FALSE |
| spurn |
to reject with disdain or contempt:SCORN |
| squabble |
a noisy altercation or quarrel usually over trifles |
| squalid |
marked by filthiness and degradation from neglect or
poverty |
| squall |
a short-lived commotion |
| squander |
to spend extravagantly or foolishly:DISSIPATE |
| squelch |
to completely suppress:QUELL |
| squint |
looking or tending to look obliquely or askance (as with
envy or disdain) |
| stagnant |
not advancing or developing |
| staid |
marked by settled sedateness and often prim
self-restraint: SOBER, GRAVE |
| stalemate |
a drawn contest:DEADLOCK |
| stalk |
to pursue by tracking stealthily |
| stalwart |
marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or
spirit |
| stamina |
strength; staying power |
| stammer |
to make involuntary stops and repetitions in
speaking:HALT |
| stanza |
a division of a poem consisting of a series of lines
arranged together in a usually recurring pattern of meter and
rhyme:STROPHE |
| stark |
rigid in or as if in death |
| startle |
to frighten or surprise suddenly and usually not
seriously |
| static |
characterized by a lack of movement, animation, or
progression |
| stature |
natural height (as of a person) in an upright
position |
| status |
relative rank in a hierarchy of prestige; especially :high
prestige |
| steadfast |
firmly fixed in place:IMMOVABLE |
| stealth |
the act or action of proceeding furtively, secretly, or
imperceptibly |
| steep |
to saturate with or subject thoroughly to |
| stench |
to emit a strong offensive odor:STINK |
| stentorian |
extremely loud |
| sterile |
free from living organisms and especially
microorganisms |
| stickler |
one who insists on exactness or completeness in the
observance of something |
| stiff |
lacking in suppleness or responsiveness |
| stifle |
to withhold from circulation or expression:REPRESS |
| stigma |
a mark of shame or discredit:STAIN |
| stilted |
POMPOUS, LOFTY |
| stingy |
not generous or liberal:sparing or scant in giving or
spending |
| stint |
to be sparing or frugal |
| stipple |
to engrave by means of dots and flicks |
| stipulate |
To lay down as a condition of an agreement; require by
contract. |
| stipulation |
action of stipulating |
| stock |
a store or supply accumulated; especially :the inventory
of goods of a merchant or manufacturer |
| stockade |
an enclosure or pen made with posts and stakes |
| stodgy |
BORING, DULL |
| stoic |
not affected by or showing passion or feeling; especially
:firmly restraining response to pain or distress |
| stolid |
having or expressing little or no
sensibility:UNEMOTIONAL |
| stouthearted |
having a stout heart or spirit:STUBBORN |
| straggle |
to wander from the direct course or way:ROVE, STRAY |
| strait |
a comparatively narrow passageway connecting two large
bodies of water b:a situation of perplexity or distress |
| stratify |
to divide or arrange into classes, castes, or social
strata |
| stray |
to wander accidentally from a fixed or chosen route |
| strength |
degree of potency of effect or of concentration |
| striate |
to mark with striations or striae |
| stricture |
an adverse criticism:CENSURE |
| stride |
to move with or as if with long steps |
| strident |
characterized by harsh, insistent, and discordant
sound |
| strike |
To form by stamping, printing, or punching: |
| stringent |
marked by rigor, strictness, or severity especially with
regard to rule or standard |
| strip |
to remove clothing, covering, or surface matter from |
| strut |
1. to walk with a pompous and affected air 2. a structural
piece designed to resist pressure in the direction of its
length |
| stubborn |
unreasonably or perversely unyielding:MULISH |
| studio |
the working place of a painter, sculptor, or
photographer |
| stultify |
to have a dulling or inhibiting effect on |
| stun |
to make senseless, groggy, or dizzy by or as if by a
blow:DAZE |
| stunt |
to hinder the normal growth, development, or progress
of |
| sturdy |
marked by or reflecting physical strength or vigor |
| stygian |
extremely dark, gloomy, or forbidding |
| stylus |
an instrument for writing, marking, or incising |
| stymie |
to present an obstacle to:stand in the way of |
| subdue |
to conquer and bring into subjection:VANQUISH |
| subject |
one that is placed under authority or control |
| subjugate |
to bring under control and governance as a
subject:CONQUER |
| sublime |
lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or
manner |
| submerge |
to put under water |
| submissive |
submitting to others |
| subordinate |
placed in or occupying a lower class, rank, or
position:INFERIOR |
| subpoena |
a writ commanding a person designated in it to appear in
court under a penalty for failure |
| subside |
to tend downward:DESCEND; especially :to flatten out so as
to form a depression |
| subsidiary |
furnishing aid or support:AUXILIARY |
| subsidy |
a grant by a government to a private person or company to
assist an enterprise deemed advantageous to the public |
| substantial |
IMPORTANT, ESSENTIAL |
| substantiate |
verify; support |
| subterfuge |
deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal,
escape, or evade |
| subtle |
difficult to understand or perceive:OBSCURE |
| subvert |
to overturn or overthrow from the foundation:RUIN |
| succinct |
marked by compact precise expression without wasted
words |
| succor |
to go to the aid of:RELIEVE |
| suffuse |
to spread over or through in the manner of fluid or
light:FLUSH, FILL |
| suite |
RETINUE; especially :the personal staff accompanying a
ruler, diplomat, or dignitary on official business |
| sulk |
To be sullenly aloof or withdrawn, as in silent resentment
or protest |
| sullen |
Gloomy or somber in tone, color, or portent |
| summary |
an abstract, abridgment, or compendium especially of a
preceding discourse |
| summit |
TOP, APEX; especially :the highest point:PEAK |
| summon |
to command by service of a summons to appear in
court |
| sumptuous |
extremely costly, rich, luxurious, or magnificent |
| sunder |
to break apart or in two:separate by or as if by violence
or by intervening time or space |
| supercilious |
coolly and patronizingly haughty |
| superficial |
of or relating to a surface |
| superfluous |
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary:EXTRA |
| supine |
exhibiting indolent or apathetic inertia or passivity;
especially :mentally or morally slack |
| supple |
easy and fluent without stiffness or awkwardness |
| supplement |
something that completes or makes an addition |
| supplicate |
to make a humble entreaty; especially :to pray to
God |
| suppress |
to put down by authority or force:SUBDUE |
| surfeit |
an overabundant supply:EXCESS |
| surgeon |
a medical specialist who practices surgery |
| surrender |
to yield to the power, control, or possession of another
upon compulsion or demand |
| surreptitious |
done, made, or acquired by stealth:CLANDESTINE |
| surrogate |
to put in the place of another:to appoint as successor,
deputy, or substitute for oneself |
| suspend |
to cause to stop temporarily |
| suspicion |
a state of mental uneasiness and uncertainty:DOUBT |
| suture |
to unite, close, or secure with sutures |
| svelte |
SLENDER, LITHE |
| swagger |
to conduct oneself in an arrogant or superciliously
pompous manner; especially :to walk with an air of
overbearing |
| swamp |
a wetland often partially or intermittently covered with
water; especially :one dominated by woody vegetation |
| sway |
to fluctuate or veer between one point, position, or
opinion and another |
| swear |
to use profane or obscene language:CURSE |
| sweltering |
oppressively hot |
| swerve |
to turn aside abruptly from a straight line or
course:DEVIATE |
| swill |
to drink great drafts of:GUZZLE |
| swindle |
to obtain money or property by fraud or deceit |
| swing |
something that swings freely from or on a support;
especially :a seat suspended by a rope or chains for swinging
to and fro on for pleasure |
| sybarite |
VOLUPTUARY, SENSUALIST |
| sycophant |
a servile self-seeking flatterer |
| syllabus |
Outline of a subject, course, lecture, or treatise. |
| syllogism |
a deductive scheme of a formal argument consisting of a
major and a minor premise and a conclusion |
| symbioses |
An organism in a symbiotic relationship |
| sympathetic |
given to, marked by, or arising from sympathy, compassion,
friendliness, and sensitivity to others' emotions |
| symphony |
a symphony orchestra concert |
| synergic |
working together:COOPERATING |
| synopsis |
a condensed statement or outline (as of a narrative or
treatise):ABSTRACT |
| synthesis |
the composition or combination of parts or elements so as
to form a whole |
|
|
| tacit |
expressed or carried on without words or speech |
| taciturn |
temperamentally disinclined to talk |
| tackle |
an assemblage of ropes and pulleys arranged to gain
mechanical advantage for hoisting and pulling |
| tactile |
perceptible by touch:TANGIBLE |
| tactless |
marked by lack of a keen sense of what to do or say in
order to maintain good relations with others or avoid
offense |
| tag |
a cardboard, plastic, or metal marker used for
identification or classification |
| taint |
to contaminate morally:CORRUPT |
| talisman |
charm |
| tame |
lacking spirit, zest, interest, or the capacity to
excite:INSIPID |
| tamper |
to interfere so as to weaken or change for the worse |
| tangent |
diverging from an original purpose of
course:IRRELEVANT |
| tangible |
capable of being perceived especially by the sense of
touch:PALPABLE |
| tangy |
having or suggestive of a tang |
| tantalize |
to tease or torment by or as if by presenting something
desirable to the view but continually keeping it out of
reach |
| tantamount |
equivalent in value, significance, or effect |
| tantrum |
a fit of bad temper |
| taper |
progressively narrowed toward one end |
| tapestry |
a heavy handwoven reversible textile used for hangings,
curtains, and upholstery and characterized by complicated
pictorial designs |
| tardy |
delayed beyond the expected or proper time:late |
| tarnish |
something that tarnishes; especially a film of chemically
altered material on the surface of a metal (as silver) |
| tarpaulin |
a piece of material (as durable plastic) used for
protecting exposed objects or areas |
| tasty |
strikingly attractive or interesting |
| tatty |
rather worn, frayed, or dilapidated:SHABBY |
| taunt |
to reproach or challenge in a mocking or insulting
manner:jeer at |
| taut |
having no give or slack:tightly drawn |
| tawdry |
cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality; also
:IGNOBLE |
| taxing |
onerous, wearing |
| teal |
small wild duck living near rivers or lakes |
| tear |
to move or act with violence, haste, or force |
| tease |
to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity
without intending to satisfy it |
| tedious |
tiresome because of length or dullness:boring |
| teeter |
to move unsteadily:wobble |
| telling |
carrying great weight and producing a marked
effect:effective, expressive |
| temerity |
unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or
opposition:rashness, recklessness |
| temperate |
marked by moderation |
| tempestuous |
of, relating to, or resembling a tempest |
| temporize |
avoid committing oneself; gain time |
| tenable |
capable of being held, maintained, or defended:defensible,
reasonable |
| tenacious |
persistent in maintaining or adhering to something valued
or habitual |
| tendentious |
marked by a tendency in favor of a particular point of
view:biased |
| tender |
offer; extend |
| tendinous |
consisting of tendons:sinewy |
| tepid |
moderately warm, lukewarm |
| terminus |
either end of a transportation line or travel route; also
:the station, town, or city at such a place:terminal |
| terror |
a state of intense fear |
| testator |
a person who dies leaving a will or testament in
force |
| testimony |
a solemn declaration usually made orally by a witness
under oath in response to interrogation by a lawyer or
authorized public official |
| testy |
easily annoyed:irritable |
| tether |
to fasten or restrain by |
| theatrical |
marked by pretense or artificiality of emotion |
| theology |
the study of religious faith, practice, and experience;
especially : the study of God and of God's relation to the
world |
| therapeutic |
of or relating to the treatment of disease or disorders by
remedial agents or methods |
| thorny |
full of difficulties or controversial
points:ticklish |
| threadbare |
exhausted of interest or freshness |
| thrive |
to grow vigorously:flourish |
| throng |
to crowd together in great numbers |
| thwart |
to oppose successfully:defeat the hopes or aspirations
of |
| ticklish |
touchy, oversensitive |
| tidy |
neat and orderly in appearance or habits:well ordered and
cared for |
| tiff |
a petty quarrel |
| tightfisted |
reluctant to part with money |
| tile |
slab of baked clay or other material used in rows for
covering roofs, walls, floors, etc |
| timeworn |
hackneyed, stale |
| timid |
lacking in courage or self-confidence |
| timorous |
of a timid disposition:fearful |
| tinge |
to color with a slight shade or stain:tint |
| tinker |
to repair, adjust, or work with something in an unskilled
or experimental manner:fiddle |
| tint |
a variation of a color produced by adding white to it and
characterized by a low saturation with relatively high
lightness |
| tirade |
a protracted speech usually marked by intemperate,
vituperative, or harshly censorious language |
| toady |
one who flatters in the hope of gaining
favors:SYCOPHANT |
| tolerance |
sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing
from or conflicting with one's own |
| tong |
a secret society or fraternal organization especially of
Chinese in the U.S. formerly notorious for gang warfare |
| tonic |
increasing or restoring physical or mental
tone:refreshing |
| tonsorial |
of or relating to a barber or the work of a barber |
| topsy-turvy |
being in utter confusion or disorder |
| torpid |
sluggish in functioning or acting |
| torpor |
a state of mental and motor inactivity with partial or
total insensibility:extreme sluggishness or stagnation of
function |
| torrential |
caused by or resulting from action of rapid streams |
| torrid |
giving off intense heat:scorching |
| tortuous |
marked by repeated twists, bends, or turns:winding |
| tourniquet |
a device (as a bandage twisted tight with a stick) to
check bleeding or blood flow |
| tractable |
capable of being easily led, taught, or
controlled:docile |
| trait |
a distinguishing quality (as of personal character):
peculiarity |
| transcend |
to rise above or go beyond the limits of , to triumph over
the negative or restrictive aspects of:overcome |
| transfigure |
to give a new and typically exalted or spiritual
appearance to:transform outwardly and usually for the
better |
| transgress |
to go beyond limits set or prescribed by:violate |
| transient |
passing especially quickly into and out of existence:
transitory |
| transitory |
tending to pass away:not persistent |
| translucent |
permitting the passage of light:clear, transparent |
| transparent |
easily detected or seen through:obvious |
| travail |
painful labor |
| traverse |
to go or travel across or over |
| travesty |
a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation |
| treacherous |
characterized by or manifesting treachery:perfidious |
| treasurer |
an officer entrusted with the receipt, care, and
disbursement of funds |
| treaty |
an agreement or arrangement made by negotiation |
| tremendous |
notable by reason of extreme size, power, greatness,
orexcellence |
| tremulous |
such as is or might be caused by nervousness or
shakiness |
| trenchant |
vigorously effective and articulate |
| trepidation |
timorous uncertain agitation:apprehension |
| trespass |
to enter unlawfully upon the land of another |
| tribute |
a payment by one ruler or nation to another in
acknowledgment of submission or as the price of protection;
also :the tax levied for such a payment |
| trickle |
to issue or fall in drops |
| trite |
hackneyed or boring from much use:not fresh or
original |
| triumph |
a victory or conquest by or as if by military force |
| trivial |
of little worth or importance |
| trophy |
something gained or given in victory or conquest
especially when preserved or mounted as a memorial |
| troupe |
a company or group, especially of touring actors, singers,
or dancers |
| truant |
Idle, lazy, or neglectful. one who shirks duty; especially
:one who stays out of school without permission |
| truculent |
feeling or displaying ferocity:cruel, savage |
| trudge |
to walk or march steadily and usually laboriously |
| truncate |
to shorten by or as if by cutting off |
| truss |
A rigid framework, as of wooden beams or metal bars,
designed to support a structure, such as a roof. |
| tumult |
disorderly agitation or milling about of a crowd usually
with uproar and confusion of voices:commotion |
| turbid |
deficient in clarity or purity:foul, muddy |
| turbulent |
causing unrest, violence, or disturbance |
| turgid |
excessively embellished in style or language:bombastic,
pompous |
| turmoil |
a state or condition of extreme confusion, agitation, or
commotion |
| turncoat |
one who switches to an opposing side or party;
specifically :traitor |
| turret |
a little tower; specifically :an ornamental structure at
an angle of a larger structure |
| tutor |
a person charged with the instruction and guidance of
another |
| typo |
an error (as of spelling) in typed or typeset
material |
|
|
| ugly |
offensive to the sight:HIDEOUS |
| unavailing |
not availing:FUTILE, USELESS |
| uncanny |
seeming to have a supernatural character or origin:EERIE,
MYSTERIOUS |
| uncouth |
awkward and uncultivated in appearance, manner, or
behavior |
| unctuous |
smooth and greasy in texture or appearance |
| underdog |
a loser or predicted loser in a struggle or contest |
| undermine |
to weaken or ruin by degrees |
| underscore |
line drawn under a word or line especially for emphasis or
to indicate intent to italicize |
| unexceptionable |
not open to objection or criticism:beyond reproach:
UNIMPEACHABLE |
| unexceptional |
not out of the ordinary:COMMONPLACE |
| unflappable |
marked by assurance and self-control |
| ungainly |
lacking in smoothness or dexterity:CLUMSY |
| unimpeachable |
not impeachable:not to be called in question:not liable to
accusation:IRREPROACHABLE, BLAMELESS |
| unkempt |
deficient in order or neatness |
| unlettered |
lacking facility in reading and writing and ignorant of
the knowledge to be gained from books |
| unpalatable |
not palatable |
| unpretentious |
free from ostentation, elegance, or
affectation:MODEST |
| unrequited |
not requited:not reciprocated or returned in kind |
| unruly |
not readily ruled, disciplined, or managed presumptuous :
unruly |
| untenable |
not able to be defended |
| untold |
too great or numerous to count:INCALCULABLE, VAST |
| untoward |
not favorable:ADVERSE, UNPROPITIOUS |
| untutored |
untaught or untrained |
| unwitting |
not knowing:UNAWARE |
| unwonted |
not accustomed by experience |
| upbraid |
to reproach severely:scold vehemently |
| uphold |
to support against an opponent |
| uproar |
a state of commotion, excitement, or violent
disturbance |
| upset |
to trouble mentally or emotionally:disturb the poise
of |
| urbane |
notably polite or finished in manner:POLISHED |
| urge |
to present, advocate, or demand earnestly or
pressingly |
| usurp |
to take the place of by or as if by force:SUPPLANT |
| utter |
to give public expression to:express in words |
|
|
| vaccinate |
to inoculate (a person) with cowpox virus in order to
produce immunity to smallpox |
| vacillate |
to sway through lack of equilibrium:FLUCTUATE,
OSCILLATE |
| vacuous |
marked by lack of ideas or intelligence:STUPID,
INANE |
| vagary |
an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation,
action, or notion |
| vagrant |
one who has no established residence and wanders idly from
place to place without lawful or visible means of
support |
| vague |
not thinking or expressing one's thoughts clearly or
precisely |
| valediction |
an act of bidding farewell |
| valiant |
possessing or acting with bravery or
boldness:COURAGEOUS |
| valid |
logically correct |
| vanquish |
to defeat in a conflict or contest |
| vapid |
lacking liveliness, tang, briskness, or force:FLAT,
DULL |
| vaporize |
to convert (as by the application of heat or by spraying)
into vapor |
| variance |
the fact, quality, or state of being variable or variant:
DIFFERENCE, VARIATION |
| varnish |
to apply varnish to |
| vault |
a room or compartment for the safekeeping of
valuables |
| vaunt |
to make a vain display of one's own worth or
attainments:BRAG |
| veer |
to change direction or course |
| vehement |
marked by forceful energy:POWERFUL |
| venal |
capable of being bought or obtained for money or other
valuable consideration:PURCHASABLE; especially :open to
corrupt influence and especially bribery:MERCENARY |
| vendor |
one that sell especially as a hawker or peddler |
| veneer |
a layer of wood of superior value or excellent grain to be
glued to an inferior wood |
| venerate |
to regard with reverential respect or with admiring
deference |
| vengeful |
serving to gain vengeance |
| venial |
of a kind that can be remitted:FORGIVABLE, PARDONABLE;
also :meriting no particular censure or notice:EXCUSABLE |
| venom |
poisonous matter normally secreted by some animals (as
snakes, scorpions, or bees) and transmitted to prey or an
enemy chiefly by biting or stinging |
| ventilate |
to examine, discuss, or investigate freely and
openly:EXPOSE |
| veracious |
TRUTHFUL, HONEST |
| verbatim |
being in or following the exact words:WORD-FOR-WORD |
| verbose |
containing more words than necessary:WORDY |
| verdant |
green with growing plants |
| verdict |
the finding or decision of a jury on the matter submitted
to it in trial |
| verify |
to establish the truth, accuracy, or reality of |
| vernacular |
The standard native language of a country or
locality |
| versatile |
having many uses or applications |
| versed |
acquainted through study or experience; knowledgeable or
skilled |
| versemonger |
|
| vertigo |
a disordered state in which the individual or the
individual's surroundings seem to whirl dizzily |
| verve |
the spirit and enthusiasm animating artistic composition
or performance:VIVACITY |
| vessel |
a tube or canal (as an artery) in which a body fluid is
contained and conveyed or circulated |
| vestigial |
a bodily part or organ that is small and degenerate or
imperfectly developed in comparison to one more fully
developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past
generation, or in closely related forms |
| veteran |
an old soldier of long service |
| veto |
an authoritative prohibition:INTERDICTION |
| vex |
to bring trouble, distress, or agitation to |
| viable |
capable of living; especially :capable of surviving
outside the mother's womb without artificial support |
| vibrant |
oscillating or pulsating rapidly |
| vicarious |
performed or suffered by one person as a substitute for
another or to the benefit or advantage of
another:SUBSTITUTIONARY |
| vicious |
having the nature or quality of vice or
immorality:DEPRAVED |
| vicissitude |
change (esp. from good to bad); change of fortune |
| victimize |
to subject to deception or fraud:CHEAT |
| vigilant |
alertly watchful especially to avoid danger |
| vignette |
a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie) |
| vigor |
active bodily or mental strength or force |
| vilify |
to utter slanderous and abusive statements
against:DEFAME |
| vim |
robust energy and enthusiasm |
| vindicate |
to free from allegation or blame |
| vindictive |
disposed to seek revenge:VENGEFUL |
| violate |
to do harm to the person or especially the chastity of;
specifically :RAPE |
| virility |
the quality or state of being virile:a:MANHOOD b:manly
vigor:MASCULINITY |
| virtuoso |
an experimenter or investigator especially in the arts and
sciences:SAVANT |
| virtuous |
morally excellent:RIGHTEOUS |
| virulent |
marked by a rapid, severe, and malignant course |
| viscous |
having a glutinous consistency:VISCID |
| visionary |
incapable of being realized or achieved:UTOPIAN |
| vista |
a distant view through or along an avenue or
opening:PROSPECT |
| vitality |
capacity to live and develop; also :physical or mental
vigor especially when highly developed |
| vitiate |
to make faulty or defective:IMPAIR |
| vitrify |
to convert into glass or a glassy substance by heat and
fusion |
| vitriolic |
bitterly scathing; caustic |
| vituperative |
uttering or given to censure:containing or characterized
by verbal abuse |
| vivacious |
lively in temper, conduct, or spirit:SPRIGHTLY |
| vivid |
having the appearance of vigorous life or
freshness:LIVELY |
| vociferous |
marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry |
| vogue |
popular acceptation or favor:POPULARITY |
| volatile |
characterized by or subject to rapid or unexpected
change |
| volition |
an act of making a choice or decision; also :a choice or
decision made |
| voluble |
characterized by ready or rapid speech:GLIB, FLUENT |
| voluminous |
having or marked by great volume or bulk:LARGE also
:FULL |
| voluptuous |
given to or spent in enjoyments of luxury, pleasure, or
sensual gratifications |
| vomit |
an act or instance of disgorging the contents of the
stomach through the mouth; also :the disgorged matter |
| voracious |
excessively eager:INSATIABLE |
| votary |
a devout or zealous worshiper |
| vouch |
to summon into court to warrant or defend a title |
| vulgar |
lacking in cultivation, perception, or taste:COARSE |
|
|
| waffle |
to talk or write foolishly:BLATHER |
| wag |
WIT, JOKER |
| wan |
suggestive of poor health:SICKLY, PALLID |
| wane |
to fall gradually from power, prosperity, or
influence |
| want |
grave and extreme poverty that deprives one of the
necessities of life |
| wanton |
playfully mean or cruel:MISCHIEVOUS |
| wardrobe |
a room or closet where clothes are kept:CLOTHESPRESS |
| warmonger |
one who urges or attempts to stir up war:JINGO |
| warp |
to turn or twist out of or as if out of shape; especially
:to twist or bend out of a plane |
| warrant |
to guarantee to a person good title to and undisturbed
possession of (as an estate) |
| wary |
marked by keen caution, cunning, and watchful prudence
especially in detecting and escaping danger |
| wastrel |
one who dissipates resources foolishly and
self-indulgently:PROFLIGATE |
| waterproof |
impervious to water; especially :covered or treated with a
material |
| watershed |
a crucial dividing point, line, or factor:TURNING
POINT |
| wax |
1. to treat or rub with wax usually for polishing or
stiffening 2. to increase in phase or intensity ,used chiefly
of the moon, other satellites, and inferior planets |
| waylay |
to lie in wait for or attack from ambush |
| weld |
to unite (metallic parts) by heating and allowing the
metals to flow together or by hammering or compressing with or
without previous heating |
| welter |
to be in turmoil |
| wheedle |
to influence or entice by soft words or flattery |
| whet |
to make keen or more acute:EXCITE, STIMULATE |
| whiff |
a quick puff or slight gust especially of air, odor, gas,
smoke, or spray |
| whimsical |
resulting from or characterized by whim or caprice;
especially :lightly fanciful |
| wholesome |
promoting health or well-being of mind or spirit |
| wicked |
morally very bad:EVIL |
| wily |
full of wiles:CRAFTY |
| wince |
to shrink back involuntarily (as from pain):FLINCH |
| windbag |
an exhaustively talkative person |
| windy |
VERBOSE, BOMBASTIC |
| winnow |
to remove (as chaff) by a current of air |
| winsome |
generally pleasing and engaging often because of a
childlike charm and innocence |
| wit |
mental capability and resourcefulness:INGENUITY |
| witch |
one that is credited with usually malignant supernatural
powers; especially :a woman practicing usually black
witchcraft often with the aid of a devil or
familiar:SORCERESS |
| withdraw |
to remove (money) from a place of deposit;to become
socially or emotionally detached |
| wither |
to become dry and sapless; especially :to shrivel from or
as if from loss of bodily moisture |
| withhold |
to refrain from granting, giving, or allowing |
| wizen |
to become dry, shrunken, and wrinkled often as a result of
aging or of failing vitality |
| wobble |
to move or proceed with an irregular rocking or staggering
motion or unsteadily and clumsily from side to side TREMBLE,
QUAVER |
| woo |
to sue for the affection of and usually marriage
with:COURT |
| wordsmith |
a person who works with words; especially :a skillful
writer |
| worldly |
of, relating to, or devoted to this world and its pursuits
rather than to religion or spiritual affairs |
| worship |
extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an
object of esteem |
| wrangler |
a ranch hand who takes care of the saddle horses; broadly
:COWBOY |
| wretched |
(adj.) miserable or unhappy; causing distress |
| writ |
a formal written document; specifically :a legal
instrument in epistolary form issued under seal in the name of
the English monarch |
| wry |
cleverly and often ironically or grimly humorous also
having a bent or twisted shape or condition |
|
|
| yawn |
to open the mouth wide usually as an involuntary reaction
to fatigue or boredom |
| yield |
to surrender or relinquish to the physical control of
another:hand over possession of |
| yoke |
to join as if by a yoke |
|
|
| zeal |
eagerness and ardent interest in pursuit of
something:FERVOR |
| zest |
keen enjoyment:RELISH, GUSTO |
| zigzag |
one of a series of short sharp turns, angles, or
alterations in a course; also :something having the form or
character of such a series |
| zone |
to arrange in or mark off into zones; specifically :to
partition (a city, borough, or township) by ordinance into
sections reserved for different purposes (as residence or
business |
|