 | Term | Definition |
| |
abscond |
to depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide |
| |
ameliorate |
to make better or more tolerable |
| |
arduous |
strenuous; taxing; requiring significant effort |
| |
ascetic |
one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion |
| |
austere |
without adornment; bare; severely simple; ascetic |
| |
axiom |
a universally recognized principle |
| |
axiomatic |
taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth |
| |
bucolic |
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants |
| |
canonical |
following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards |
| |
contentious |
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement |
| |
convoluted |
complex or complicated |
| |
culpable |
deserving blame |
| |
disabuse |
to undeceive; to set right |
| |
eclectic |
composed of elements drawn from various sources |
| |
effrontery |
extreme boldness; presumptuousness |
| |
ephemeral |
brief; fleeting |
| |
erudite |
very learned; scholarly |
| |
eulogy |
a speech honoring the dead |
| |
extemporaneous |
improvised; done without preparation |
| |
facetious |
playful; humorous |
| |
fulminate |
to loudly attack or denounce |
| |
hyperbole |
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech |
| |
lucid |
clear; easily understood |
| |
oscillation |
the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm |
| |
paean |
a song or hymn of praise and thanksgiving |
| |
penurious |
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous |
| |
perfidy |
intentional breach of faith; treachery |
| |
pernicious |
extremely harmful; potentially causing death |
| |
perspicacious |
acutely perceptive; having keen discernment |
| |
pious |
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion |
| |
precipitate |
acting with excessive haste or impulse |
| |
precipitate |
to cause or happen before anticipated or required |
| |
precursor |
one that precedes and indicates or announces another |
| |
predilection |
a disposition in favor of something; preference |
| |
prolific |
producing large volumes or amounts; productive |
| |
qualms |
misgivings; reservations; causes for hesitancy |
| |
quiescence |
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest |
| |
recant |
to retract, esp. a previously held belief |
| |
redoubtable |
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor |
| |
reticent |
quiet; reserved; reluctant to express thoughts and feelings |
| |
satire |
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision |
| |
sordid |
characterized by filth, grime, or squalor; foul |
| |
squalid |
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect |
| |
squander |
to waste by spending or using irresponsibly |
| |
stoic |
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast |
| |
stymie |
to block; thwart |
| |
supplant |
to take the place of; supersede |
| |
synthesis |
the combination of parts to make a whole |
| |
torpid |
lethargic; sluggish; dormant |
| |
torque |
a force that causes rotation |
| |
ubiquitous |
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread |
| |
veracity |
truthfulness; honesty |
| |
vilify |
to defame; to characterize harshly |
| |
virulent |
extremely harmful or poisonous; bitterly hostile or antagonistic |
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace