|
allegiance |
duty support loyalty |
|
alleviate |
make (pain) easier to bear |
|
alloy |
to debase by mixing with
something inferior |
|
aloof |
reserved indifferent |
|
amalgamate |
mix combine unite societies |
|
ambidextrous |
able to use the left hand or
the right equally well |
|
ambiguous |
doubtful uncertain |
|
ambivalent |
having both of two contrary
meanings |
|
ambrosial |
extremely pleasing to taste |
|
ameliorate |
improve make better |
|
amortize |
end (a debt) by setting aside
money |
|
anguish |
severe suffering |
|
animosity |
strong dislike |
|
antidote |
medicine used against a poison
or a disease |
|
antithetical |
direct opposing |
|
apartheid |
brutal racial discrimination |
|
aplomb |
self-confidence |
|
apostate |
one who abandons long-held
religious or political convictions |
|
apotheosis |
deification glorification to
godliness |
|
appease |
make quiet or calm |
|
apprehensive |
grasping understanding fear
unhappy feeling about future |
|
apprise |
give notice to inform |
|
approbation |
approval |
|
apropos |
appropriate to the situation
apt |
|
apt |
well-suited quick-witted |
|
arabesque |
a complex ornate design |
|
arboreal |
of connected with trees |
|
ardor |
enthusiasm |
|
arduous |
steep difficult ascent
laborious |
|
argot |
jargon slang |
|
arrant |
in the highest degree |
|
arrogance |
proud superior manner of
behavior |
|
articulate |
speak distinctly connect by
joints |
|
ascend |
go or come up |
|
ascertain |
get to know |
|
ascetic |
practicing self-denial austere
stark |
|
ascribe |
consider to be the origin of or
belonging to |
|
aseptic |
surgically clean |
|
asperity |
roughness harshness ill temper
irritability |
|
aspersion |
slander |
|
assail |
with attack violently |
|
assiduous |
diligent hard-working sedulous |
|
assuage |
make something (pain desire)
less |
|
asterisk |
the mark * (e.g.. omitted
letters) |
|
astringent |
substance that shrinks |
|
astute |
clever quick at seeing to get
an advantage |
|
atonement |
repayment death of Jesus |
|
attenuate |
make thin. weaken enervate |
|
attune |
bring into harmony |
|
audacious |
daring foolishly bold impudent |
|
augury |
omen sign |
|
august |
majestic venerable |
|
auspicious |
favorable successful
prosperous |
|
austere |
severely moral and strict
simple and plain |
|
auxiliary |
helping supporting |
|
aver |
affirm assert prove justify |
|
aversion |
strong dislike |
|
avid |
eager greedy |
|
avow |
admit. Declare openly |
|
baleful |
harmful ominous causing evil |
|
balk |
obstacle purposely to get on
the way of |
|
baneful |
causing harm or ruin pernicious
destructive |
|
barrage |
artificial obstacle built
across a river |
|
barren |
not good enough unable to have
young ones without value |
|
bask |
in enjoy warmth and light |
|
beatify |
to bless make happy or ascribe
a virtue to |
|
bedizen |
to adorn especially in a cheap
showy manner |
|
belabor |
beat hard |
|
bellicose |
belligerent pugnacious warlike |
|
belligerent |
(person nation) waging war |
|
benefactor |
person who has given help |
|
benevolence |
wish or activity in doing good |
|
benign |
kind and gentle mild (climate) |
|
bequest |
arrangement to give something
at death |
|
berate |
scold sharply |
|
bereft |
rob or dispossess of something
(material) |
|
bewilder |
puzzle confuse |
|
bigot |
stubborn narrow-minded person |
|
bilge |
bulge the protuberance of a
cask |
|
blandishment |
flattery coaxing |
|
blandness |
polite manner comforting
uninteresting |
|
blatant |
noisy and rough |
|
blithe |
cheerful casual carefree |
|
bogus |
sham counterfeit not genuine |
|
boisterous |
loud noisy rough lacking
restraint |
|
bolster |
give greatly needed support |
|
boorish |
crude offensive rude |
|
brash |
hasty rush cheeky saucy |
|
brass |
yellow metal (mixing copper and
zinc) |
|
brazen |
made of brass |
|
breach |
opening broken place breaking |
|
brittle |
easily broken |
|
broach |
bring up announce begin to talk
about |
|
brook |
to tolerate endure |
|
buoyant |
able to float light-hearted |
|
burgeon |
grow forth send out buds |
|
burnish |
to polish rub to a shine |
|
cabal |
a scheme or plot a group of
plotters |
|
cadge |
to beg to get by begging |
|
cajole |
use flattery or deceit to
persuade |
|
calipers |
metal supports attached to the
legs measuring instrument |
|
calumny |
slander aspersion |
|
candid |
frank straight-forward |
|
cant |
insincere talk/jargon |
|
cantankerous |
bad-tempered/quarrelsome |
|
canvass |
discuss thoroughly sort of
touting |
|
castigate |
to chastise correct by
punishing |
|
castigation |
severe punishment |
|
catalyst |
substance that causes speeding
up |
|
caustic |
biting sarcastic |
|
censure |
expression of blame or
disapproval a rebuke |
|
centurion |
leader of a unit of 100
soldiers |
|
chary |
cautious wary |
|
chastened |
corrected punished |
|
chastisement |
punishment |
|
chauvinist |
a blindly devoted patriot |
|
chicanery |
legal trickery/false argument |
|
chisel |
steel tool for shaping
materials |
|
churl |
bad-tempered person |
|
clamor |
shout complain with a lot of
noise |
|
clientele |
customers |
|
clinch |
come to grips/settle
conclusively |
|
cling |
to resist separation |
|
clot |
half-solid lump formed from
liquid |
|
cloture |
closing device (in Parliament)
to end a debate by voting |
|
coagulation |
change to a thick and solid
state |
|
coalescing |
coming together and uniting
into one substance |
|
coax |
get somebody to do something by
kindness |
|
coda |
passage that completes a piece
of music |
|
coddle |
treat with care and tenderness |
|
coerce |
compel to force to make
obedient |
|
coeval |
of the same period coexisting |
|
cogent |
strong convincing |
|
cogitate |
think deeply mediate |
|
cognizant |
being fully aware of |
|
colander |
bowl-shaped vessel with many
holes used to drain off water |
|
collusion |
secret agreement for a
deceitful purpose |
|
combustion |
process of burning |
|
commemorate |
keep the memory of |
|
commodious |
having plenty of space for what
is needed |
|
commuter |
person who travels regularly |
|
complaisance |
tending to comply obliging
willingness to please |
|
compunction |
feeling of regret for one's
action |
|
conceal |
hide keep secret |
|
conceit |
over-high opinion of too much
pride |
|
conciliatory |
reconciling soothing comforting
mollifying |
|
concord |
agreement or harmony |
|
concur |
agree in opinion happen
together |
|
condense |
increase in density strength
make laconic |
|
Conduce |
To bring about |
|
condone |
forgive |
|
congeal |
make or become stiff and solid |
|
conjoin |
to join together |
|
connoisseur |
a person with good judgment
(e.g.. in art) |
|
connotation |
suggestion in addition to |
|
consequential |
pompous self important |
|
console |
give comfort or sympathy to |
|
conspicuous |
easily seen remarkable |
|
consternation |
surprise and fear dismay |
|
constrain |
compel |
|
constrict |
make tight or smaller |
|
consume |
get to the end of |
|
consummate |
perfect/make perfect/complete |
|
contemn |
to scorn or despise |
|
contentious |
argumentative pugnacious
combative quarrelsome |
|
contiguous |
touching neighboring near |
|
contrite |
filled with deep sorrow for
wrongdoing |
|
contumacious |
insubordinate rebellious |
|
conundrum |
a riddle dilemma enigma |
|
conviction |
convincing firm belief |
|
convoke |
call together summon |
|
convoluted |
complicated coiled twisted |
|
cordial |
warm and sincere |
|
cordon |
line (of police acting as a
guard) |
|
cornucopia |
abundant supply |
|
corporeal |
physical of or for the body |
|
correlate |
have a mutual relation |
|
corroboration |
additional strengthening
evidence |
|
countenance |
to favor or approve of |
|
counterfeit |
forgery |
|
countervail |
counterbalance |
|
covert |
disguised |
|
covetous |
eagerly desirous |
|
cower |
crouch shrink back |
|
coy |
shy/modest (esp. of a girl) |
|
crass |
very great (esp.. stupidity) |
|
cravat |
piece of linen worn as a
necktie |
|
craven |
cowardly |
|
crease |
line made by crushing white
line on the ground in cricket |
|
credulity |
too great a readiness to
believe things |
|
credulous |
ready to believe things |
|
crush |
press lose shape subdue
overwhelm |
|
cryptic |
secret with a hidden meaning |
|
cumbersome |
burdensome heavy and awkward to
carry |
|
curmudgeon |
bad-tempered person |
|
curriculum |
course of study |
|
cursory |
quick hurried |
|
curtail |
make shorter then was planned |
|
dainty |
pretty/delicate(food)/difficult
to please |
|
daunt |
intimidate make fearful |
|
dawdler |
person who is slow waste of
time |
|
dearth |
shortage |
|
debacle |
a breakup overthrow sudden
disaster |
|
decorum |
propriety properness |
|
decree |
order given by authority |
|
decry |
disapprove of |
|
defer |
postpone give way (to show
respect) |
|
deferential |
showing respect |
|
defiance |
open disobedience or
resistance |
|
delineate |
to portray depict sketch out |
|
deluge |
great flood heavy rush of
water |
|
demagogue |
person appealing not to
reasons |
|
demur |
to hesitate raise objections |
|
denigrate |
blacken belittle sully defame |
|
denouement |
an outcome or solution the
unraveling of a plot |
|
deplete |
use until none remains |
|
deposition |
dethronement depositing |
|
deprave |
make morally bad corrupt |
|
deprecate |
protest against express
disapproval of |
|
dereliction |
deserting and leaving to fall
into ruins |
|
derision |
ridicule mockery deriding |
|
derivative |
unoriginal obtained from
another source |
|
derogatory |
insulting tending to damage |
|
descry |
catch sight of see something in
the distance |
|
desiccant |
substance used to absorb
moisture |
|
desuetude |
cessation of use disuse |
|
desultory |
aimless haphazard digressing at
random |
|
deter |
discourage hinder |
|
detraction |
slandering verbal attack
aspersion |
|
detumescence |
diminishing or lessening of
swelling |
|
deviance |
being different in moral
standards (from normal) |
|
dexterity |
skill (esp. in handling) |
|
diaphanous |
transparent gauzy |
|
diatribe |
bitter and violent attack in
words |
