 | Term | Definition |
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pass off |
present falsely; represent falsely to be; 2. Be completed or carried out, take place, as in The meeting ~ without incident. |
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interloper |
intruder; one who interferes |
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concord |
harmony; accord |
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wade |
walk through a substance, such as water, that impedes movement |
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delusion |
false belief; hallucination; deluding; Ex. ~s of grandeur; Ex. under the ~ that |
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sublime |
causing deep feelings of wonder, joy, respect, etc.; exalted; noble and uplifting; utter |
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effective |
effectual; producing a strong response; striking; in operation; in effect; Ex. ~ speech/photograph |
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hortatory |
encouraging; exhortive; marked by exhortation; CF. exhort |
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squalor |
condition of being squalid; filth; degradation; dirty neglected state; a state of being extremely dirty and unpleasant, esp. as a result of poverty or neglect : they lived in ~ and disease. ADJ. squalid: dirty; sordid; morally repulsive; Ex. squalid story |
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bivouac |
temporary encampment; camp without tents; V. |
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anguish |
acute pain; extreme suffering |
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omnivorous |
eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything |
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hydrophobia |
fear of water; rabies |
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grouch |
bad-tempered complaint; person who keeps complaining; V: complain; grumble |
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tedium |
boredom; weariness; ADJ. tedious |
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carcinogenic |
causing cancer; N. carcinogen |
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adage |
wise saying; proverb |
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obsidian |
black volcanic rock |
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pulpit |
raised platform used in preaching (in a church) |
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luxuriate |
take pleasure in great comfort |
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vise |
vice; tool for holding work in place; clamping device |
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dissipate |
squander; waste foolishly; scatter |
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cascade |
small waterfall; 2 a process whereby something, typically information or knowledge, is successively passed on : [as adj. ] the greater the number of people who are well briefed, the wider the ~ effect. |
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tart |
sharp to the taste; acid-tasting; caustic; sarcastic; Ex. ~ apple/reply |
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miscreant |
wretch; wrongdoer; villain; Ex. kindness to the ~; CF. believe |
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doggerel |
poor verse |
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uninhibited |
having no inhibitions; free in behavior and feelings |
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frolicsome |
prankish; gay; playful; merry; frisky |
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inexorable |
relentless; unyielding; implacable; not capable of being changed by entreaty or efforts; Ex. ~ price rises |
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surge |
powerful movement of or like a wave; V. |
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surrogate |
substitute; person or thing used in place of another; Ex. ~ mother; ADJ. |
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hue and cry |
outcry; loud cry or clamor; strong protest; Ex. ~ against the new rule |
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pachyderm |
thick-skinned animal |
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emetic |
substance causing vomiting; ADJ.• informal nauseating or revolting : that ~ music in department stores. |
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purgatory |
place of spiritual expiation; temporary state or place in which the souls must expiate their sins; his internship was purgatory torment, torture, misery, suffering, affliction, anguish, agony, woe, hell; an ordeal, a nightmare. antonym paradise. |
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insalubrious |
unwholesome; not healthful; Ex. ~ place |
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meddlesome |
interfering; V. meddle: interfere |
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cadet |
student at a military school |
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spruce |
neat and trim in appearance; smart; Ex. Be ~ for your job interview; V. |
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jumble |
mix in a confused way |
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grimace |
facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc; V. |
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lurid |
wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome; horrible; Ex. ~ details of the murder |
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application |
diligent attention; diligence; V. apply oneself |
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psychosis |
mental disorder; ADJ. N. psychotic |
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hoary |
white with age |
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vacillate |
waver (in opinion); fluctuate; sway to and fro; N. ~ion |
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emblazon |
ornament richly (a shield or flag); N. ~ment; conspicuously inscribe or display (a design) on something : T-shirts ~ed with the names of baseball teams.; • depict (a heraldic device) : the Cardinal's coat of arms is emblazoned on the door panel. |
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optometrist |
one who fits glasses to remedy visual defects |
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nadir |
lowest point; point on the celestial sphere diametrically opposite the zenith |
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low |
moo; make the sound of a cow |
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pastiche |
imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing; work of art openly imitating the works of other artists; an artistic work in a style that imitates that of another work, artist, or period : the operetta is a ~ of 18th century styles | the songs amount to much more than blatant ~. |
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eddy |
swirling current of water, air, etc.; V. |
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languid |
lacking energy or vitality; weary; sluggish; listless |
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vestige |
trace; remains; Ex. ~s of some ancient religion; a trace of something that is disappearing or no longer exists : the last ~s of colonialism. See note at trace.; • [usu. with negative ] the smallest amount (used to emphasize the absence of something) : he waited patiently, but without a ~ of sympathy. |
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partisan |
one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party (with dislike of any others); N: strong supporter of a party; guerrilla |
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implicit |
understood but not stated; implied; unquestioning and complete; Ex. ~ trust |
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thesis |
opinion put forward and supported by reasoned arguments |
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symbiosis |
interdependent relationship (between groups, species) often mutually beneficial; ADJ. symbiotic; CF. together + life |
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minutiae |
petty or trivial details; CF. ~ |
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passe |
old-fashioned; past the prime |
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dissent |
disagree |
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centigrade |
denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius) |
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whit |
small amount; smallest speck; Ex. not a ~ of |
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arroyo |
gully; narrow channel formed by rainwater |
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splice |
join together end to end to make one continuous length; fasten together; unite; Ex. ~ two strips of tape; N. |
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monochromatic |
having only one color |
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irate |
angry; CF. ire: anger; wrath |
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imposture |
assuming a false identity; masquerade; CF. impostor |
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flux |
flowing; series of changes; fluctuation; Ex. in a state of ~ |
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bulwark |
strong wall built for defense; earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends |
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mincing |
affectedly dainty(delicate); V. mince: cut (esp. meat) into very small pieces; walk with exaggerated primness; walk in an unnatural way, taking little short steps; Ex. The actor minced across the stage; CF. mincemeat; CF. mincer |
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sedentary |
requiring sitting; done while sitting; not moving from one place to another; settled; Ex. ~ job/population |
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tan |
convert (hide) into leather; make brown by exposure to the sun; 2 [ trans. ] convert (animal skin) into leather by soaking in a liquid containing tannic acid, or by the use of other chemicals.; 3 [ trans. ] informal dated beat (someone) repeatedly, esp. as a punishment : "If Mickey touches a fishing net, I'll ~ his hide !" |
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equipoise |
balance; balancing force; equilibrium |
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recuperate |
recover; return to health; regain; Ex. ~ losses |
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fiat |
command; arbitrary order; Ex. presidential ~; CF. let it be done |
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crave |
desire; want intensely |
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puissant |
powerful; strong; potent; N. puissance: power |
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infirmity |
weakness |
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shoot |
new growth from a plant |
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arcade |
a covered passageway usually lined with shops |
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propriety |
fitness; quality of being proper; correct conduct; conformity to prevailing customs and usages; CF. ~or, ~ary |
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medium |
element that is a creature's natural environment; nutrient setting in which microorganisms are cultivated; appropriate occupation or means of expression; channel of communication; compromise; middle position between extremes; intervening substance through which something else is transmitted |
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rectify |
set right; correct; CF. rect-: right |
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jabber |
chatter rapidly or unintelligibly |
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petrify |
turn to stone; cause to become stonelike; stun or paralyze |
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condone |
overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse; we cannot ~ such dreadful behavior disregard, accept, allow, let pass, turn a blind eye to, overlook, forget; forgive, pardon, excuse, let go. antonym condemn. |
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strut |
pompous walk; V: walk in a self-important manner |
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rationalize |
make rational; devise false reasons for (one's behavior); offer an excuse; give a plausible reason for an action in place of a true, less admirable ones; N. ~ation |
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sensitization |
process of being made sensitive or acutely responsive to an external agent or substance; V. sensitize: make or become sensitive |
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martinet |
strict disciplinarian; person who demands total obedience to rules and orders; CF. Jean Martinet |
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remediable |
reparable |
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urchin |
mischievous child (usually a boy); CF. ~: hedgehog; CF. porcupine: pig with spikes ?; CF. sea ~ |
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squash |
crush; quash; suppress |
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impassioned |
(of speech) filled with passion; fervent |
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perpetuate |
make perpetual; make something last for a long time; preserve from extinction; N. perpetuity |
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anthropomorphic |
having human form or characteristics |
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nondescript |
undistinctive; ordinary; ordinary-looking; Ex. ~ fellow in a crowd |
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prognosticate |
predict (according to present indications); foretell or prophesy (an event in the future) : the economists were ~ing financial Armageddon. See note at predict . |
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agog |
highly excited; intensely curious |
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apparent |
evident; easily seen or understood; appearing as such; Ex. ~ improvement |
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miserly |
stingy; mean |
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vanguard |
forerunners; foremost position of an army; advance forces; foremost position in a trend or movement; CF. rearguard |
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mitigate |
appease; moderate; make or become less in force or intensity |
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savant |
scholar; learned person; CF. savoir: know |
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fraught |
filled (with something unpleasant); full; Ex. ~ with danger and difficulties; CF. freight |
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penance |
self-imposed punishment for sin; Ex. do ~ for one's sins; CF. penitent |
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cede |
yield (title or territory) to (esp. after losing a war); surrender formally; N. cession |
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unanimity |
complete agreement; ADJ. unanimous |
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reprimand |
reprove severely; rebuke; N. |
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expertise |
specialized knowledge (in a particular field); expert skill |
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glitter |
shine brightly with flashing points of light; Ex. ~ing diamond ring; N: sparkling light; attractiveness; glamor; Ex. ~ of the sun on the waves |
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dilatory |
delaying; tending to delay |
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inept |
unsuited; inappropriate; lacking skill; incompetent; CF. inapt: (of statements or ideas) inappropriate |
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gorge |
stuff oneself (with food); glut; CF. ~ous: dazzlingly beautiful |
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vent |
small opening; outlet (as of fumes or a gas); Ex. He gave ~ to his anger by kicking the chair. |
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skimp |
provide or use scantily; live very economically; Ex. ~ on necessities; ADJ. ~y: inadequate in amount; scanty; stingy; niggardly |
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yeoman |
man or farmer owning small estate; middle-class farmer |
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construe |
explain; interpret; Ex. ~ her silence as meaning that she agreed; CF. mis~ |
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implement |
put into effect; enforce; carry out; supply with tools; Ex. ~ the plan/suggestion; noun a tool, utensil, or other piece of equipment, esp. as used for a particular purpose : agricultural ~s. See note at tool . |
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audit |
examination of accounts of a business; official examination; V. |
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seedy |
run-down; decrepit; disreputable; having many ~s; Ex. ~ downtown hotel |
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juggernaut |
irresistible crushing force; overwhelming advancing force that crushes everything in its path |
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vertebrate |
having a backbone or spinal column; N: group of animals having a segmented spinal column |
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epitaph |
inscription in memory of a dead person (as on a tombstone) |
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mire |
entangle; stick in swampy ground; stick or sink in ~; N: bog; deep mud; Ex. sucked deeper into the ~ |
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revoke |
cancel; retract; CF. irrevocable |
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peruse |
read through with care; N. ~al |
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niggle |
spend too much time on minor points (esp. when finding fault); find fault; Ex. ~ over details; ADJ. ~ing |
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slag |
glassy residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter |
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asunder |
into parts; apart; V. sunder |
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sleazy |
shabby and dirty; flimsy; insubstantial; Ex. ~ back-street hotel/fabric |
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impervious |
impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed; incapable of being affected (in one's opinions); Ex. ~ to water/criticism |
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jaunt |
trip; short journey |
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solemnity |
seriousness; gravity |
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scotch |
stamp out(put an end to); thwart; hinder; Ex. ~ the rumor; CF. cut |
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cameo |
shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role in a film |
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unwieldy |
awkward (to carry or move); cumbersome; unmanageable |
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stygian |
unpleasantly dark; gloomy; hellish; deathly; CF. Styx: the chief river in the subterranean land of the dead |
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skinflint |
miser; stingy person |
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insurgent |
rebellious; N. |
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replica |
copy |
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suckle |
give or take milk at the breast or udder |
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frolic |
play and jump about happily; frisk; Ex. ~king young lambs |
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expatriate |
exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land; V: exile; banish; leave one's country |
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maladroit |
clumsy; not skillful; awkward; bungling |
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lumen |
unit of light energy (one candle's worth) |
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sever |
separate; cut off (a part) from a whole; break up (a relationship); N. ~ance; CF. ~ance pay: extra pay given an employee upon leaving a position |
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diurnal |
daily; occurring during the daytime |
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motility |
ability to move spontaneously; ADJ. motile: moving spontaneously |
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litotes |
understatement for emphasis; Ex. ``not bad(=pretty good)'' |
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concomitant |
naturally accompanying or associated : she loved travel, with all its concomitant worries | concomitant with his obsession with dirt was a desire for order.; that which accompanies; Ex. Deafnes is a frequent concommitant of old age; ADJ: existing or happening together with something else |
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conceit |
vanity or self-love; too high opinion of one's own value; extravagant metaphor (in poetry) |
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indigent |
poor; destitute |
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shrewd |
clever; astute |
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incredulous |
withholding belief; skeptical; showing disbelief |
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