| Group 1 Alacrity eagerness, enthusiasm, quickness
Burgeon grow, flourish, put forth new shoots
Deleterious harmful
Euphemism a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant
Hypocritical insincere
Lethargic tired, without energy
Ogle stare at, observe in an obvious manner
Postulate hypothesize, propose
Robust strong, healthy, tough
Tractable obedient, dutiful, polite Group 2
Alchemy medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold
Burnish polish
Deliberate to think over deeply
Euphony pleasant sounds
Iconoclast person who opposes orthodoxy
Levity flippancy, joking about serious matters
Olfactory concerned with the sense of smell
Potable suitable for drinking
Rotund round
Tranquil peaceful Group 3
Alibi an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene
Buttress strengthen, support
Delineation demarcation, explanation, definition, outlining
Evacuate vacate, empty, abandon
Idiosyncrasy a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual
Libertarian someone who opposes tyranny
Ominous threatening
Potent powerful, compelling, strong
Ruminate think over something, ponder
Transcribe copy Group 4
Allay to lessen
Byline the line that tells you who wrote an article
Demur hesitate, refuse
Exacerbate make worse
Ignominious shameful
Liniment soothing lotion
Omnipotent all-powerful
Pragmatic practical
Ruse trick, stratagem
Transgress go astray, disobey, commit a sin Group 5
Alleviate make less severe
Cacophony discordant loud noises
Denounce condemn, speak out against
Exasperated frustrated, annoyed
Ignominy shame (adj. ignominious means shameful)
Lithe flexible, supple
Omniscient all-knowing
Pragmatist concerned with usefulness
Saccharin falsely sweet
Transient short-lived, ephemeral Group 6
Aloof distant, detached, cold
Cajole coax
Deplete use up, lessen
Exceptionable very bad (something which we should object to)
Illuminate to light up or make clear
Livid very angry
Onerous burdensome, hard to undertake
Preamble introductory material
Sacrosanct very holy, inviolable
Traverse cross Group 7
Altruism putting others first, being self-sacrificing
Caldron huge cooking pot
Deplore regret
Exculpate free someone from blame, pardon, acquit
Illusory deceptive, false, misleading
Lobbyist tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause
Onus burden
Precarious unstable, risky
Sagacious wise
Trepidation fear Group 8
Amass accumulate
Callow immature
Depravity moral corruption
Execrable very, very bad
Immoderate excessive, extreme, flattering
Lofty snooty, arrogant, haughty
Opaque does not let light through
Precedent a previous occurrence used as a guide
Sage a wise person
Trinket something of little value, knick-knack Group 9
Ambiguity uncertainty, vagueness
Candid frank, honest
Deprecate criticize, denounce
Exegesis scholarly explanation or interpretation
Immutable unchanging, permanent
Longevity long life
Opulent wealthy, rich, magnificent
Precept guiding principle
Salacious lecherous, erotic
Trite unoriginal, dull Group 10
Ambiguous unclear in meaning, can be interpreted in different ways
Candor frankness, openness
Deride ridicule, make fun of, mock
Exemplary outstandingly good, setting a fine example
Impartial unbiased, neutral
Loquacious talkative
Ordain destine; confer holy orders on a priest
Precinct district of a city
Sallow yellowish
Trivial unimportant Group 11 Ambivalence lack of clarity, wavering, being undecided
Cantankerous bad-tempered, quarrelsome
Derogatory uncomplimentary
Exemplify to serve as a good example
Impecunious having no money
Lucid clear
Ornate highly decorated
Precipice steep slope
Salubrious health-giving
Truant shirker, someone absent without permission Group 12
Ambulatory able to walk around (used of hospital patients)
Capacious spacious
Desecrate to damage or pollute a holy place
Exhaustive complete and thorough
Impious wicked, profane
Ludicrous ridiculous, silly
Orthodox conventional
Precipitous done in a hurry
Salutary something which teaches you a lesson; beneficial
Truncate cut short Group 13
Ameliorate make better
Capitulate surrender, give in to
Desecration spoiling something holy
Exonerates acquits, absolves, removes blame
Impoverished destitute, poor
Lukewarm unenthusiastic; neither hot nor cold
Ossify turn to bone, become fixed and rigid
Preclude prevent or make impossible
Sanctimonious hypocritically holy
Tumult uproar, noise Group 14
Amelioration improvement
Carping constant criticism
Desist stop, discontinue, cease
Exorcism getting free/rid of, eliminating (especially demons)
Impromptu unrehearsed, spontaneous
Lummox clumsy person
Ostentatious showy
Precocious developing early
Sanction give approval to
Turpitude depravity Group 15
Amiable friendly
Cartographer person who makes maps
Despondent having no hope, miserable
Expatriate refugee, emigrant, someone living away from his own country
Inadvertent not intentional
Luscious juicy, moist, succulent
Oust push out of a position
Predecessor one who came before
Sanguinary bloodthirsty, bloody (
Tyro novice, beginner Group 16
Amity friendship
Castigate scold strongly
Destitution hardship, poverty, misery
Expedient convenient, practical
Incantation chant, invocation, prayer
Lynch assassinate, kill, illegal hanging
Overt obvious, not hidden
Predicament dilemma; difficult situation
Sanguine optimistic, cheerful
Ubiquitous found everywhere, omnipresent Group 17
Amorphous lacking in shape
Catharsis purging of pent-up emotions
Deter put off, prevent
Expedite make faster
Incarceration putting in prison
Machinations plots and plans
Overwrought worked up, in an emotional state
Preeminent famous, outstanding
Sardonic mocking
Unalloyed undiluted, total Group 18
Analgesic medicine to combat pain
Caucus type of private political meeting
Deteriorate worsen, decline
Exposition clear explanation
Incessant without stopping
Maelstrom whirlpool, storm in the ocean
Palatable good to eat, agreeable
Prerogative right or privilege
Savant person with knowledge
Unctuous oily; using excessive flattery Group 19
Analogous comparable
Caustic burning
Detrimental harmful
Extol praise
Incipient just beginning
Magnanimous generous, big-hearted
Palisade fence made of posts
Prescient having fore-knowledge
Scale to climb
Undermined damaged, attacked Group 20
Anarchy chaos, lack of government
Cavalcade procession of vehicles
Devoured greedily eaten/consumed
Extradite deport from one country back to the home country
Inclination tendency, a leaning toward
Magnate powerful businessman
Palliative a remedy that improves but doesn't cure
Presentiment a feeling that something might happen
Scapegoat person on whom blame is placed for faults of others
Underscore emphasize Group 21 Anecdote an amusing brief story
Celerity speed
Dexterous skilful with hands
Extraneous irrelevant
Incoherent not clear
Maladroit clumsy, unskillful
Pallid pale
Presumptuous assuming too much, arrogant
Scrupulous careful, diligent, painstaking
Unequivocal clear, obvious Group 22
Animosity hatred, antagonism
Censorious disapproving, critical
Dichotomy a division into two parts
Extrapolate extend; predict on the basis of known data
Incongruous not fitting in, out of place
Malady illness
Palpable easily felt, easily perceived
Pretentious pompous, self-important
Scrutinize examine carefully
Unfetter set free Group 23
Annex (noun) a building which is an addition to an existing building
Censure blame
Didactic intended to teach, instructive
Extrinsic irrelevant, on the outside
Inconsequential unimportant, insignificant, negligible
Malediction a curse
Panacea remedy for all ills
Prevaricate speak misleadingly and evasively
Scuttle sink
Unfrock to remove a priest from his position Group 24
Annex (verb) take possession of, seize, capture
Cerebral intellectual
Diffident lacking confidence
Fallacious false
Inconspicuous not easily seen, subtle, not noticeable
Malefactor a wrong-doer
Paradigm example, model, way of looking at things
Pristine unspoiled
Seminary an institution in which priests are trained
Unprecedented never having happened before Group 25
Anomaly something which does not fit in a pattern, irregularity
Certitude certainty
Digress wander off the subject
Falter hesitate, waver
Indelible cannot be wiped out
Malinger deliberately avoid work; shirk
Paradox apparently contradictory statement
Proclivity tendency towards
Sensuous appealing to the senses
Unscathed unharmed, intact, without a scratch Group 26
Antagonism hostility, strong opposition
Charlatan trickster who claims knowledge he doesn't have
Dike dam, embankment
Fanatical obsessive, fixated
Indifferent neutral, or not outstanding
Malingerer deliberately tries to avoid work
Paragon a perfect example
Procrastinate delay, put off
Sentinel guard, sentry
Unwitting not deliberate, unconscious Group 27
Antagonistic opposed, hostile, aggressive
Chary wary of, cautious about, reluctant to give
Dilatory slow, falling behind with one's work
Fanaticism passion,excessive devotion
Indigenous native to a particular area
Malleable flexible, can be shaped
Paramount of supreme importance
Prodigal wasteful, extravagant
Sequester isolate
Upbraid scold, tell off, reprimand Group 28
Antediluvian outdated, prehistoric, very old-fashioned
Chastises punishes
Dilemma puzzling situation
Fastidious overly particular, finicky
Indolence laziness
Mallet hammer, stick used for polo
Parasite scrounger, animal which takes digested food from another
Prodigious very large
Serendipity fortunate coincidence, unsought discovery
Uproarious hilarious, hysterical, very funny Group 29
Anthology a book which is a collection of poems or stories
Chicanery trickery
Dilettante person who dabbles in a subject without serious study
Fatuous silly, foolish
Inductee novice; beginner
Manipulatable influencable, controllable
Parched dried up
Profane unholy
Serene calm, peaceful
Upshot outcome Group 30
Anthropocentrism putting man at the center of one's philosophy
Chimerical changeable, unstable
Diligent hard-working
Feasible possible and practicable
Indulgent pampering, satisfying desires
Marred damaged, spoiled
Pariah an outcast from society
Profanity swearing, cursing
Serrated jagged, saw-like
Urbane sophisticated, suave Group 31 Antiquated outdated, old fashioned
Choleric easily angered
Diorama model of a scene
Fecund fertile
Inebriation to be drunk, high, intoxicated
Marshal to gather together
Parity equality
Profound having deep meaning
Servile overly submissive, groveling
Usurp take someone's position (usually by force) Group 32
Apathetic indifferent, uninterested, lethargic
Chronicler person who records historical information
Dirge mournful song
Felicitous apt
Ineffable cannot be expressed in words
Marsupial pouched mammal (like a kangaroo)
Parochial narrow-minded, concerned only with local matters
Profundity depth
Skeptical doubting, not gullible
Utilitarian useful Group 33
Apathy lack of interest or emotion
Circuitous indirect
Disapprobation disapproval
Fervor passion, enthusiasm
Inept incompetent, unskilled, useless
Martinet person who believes in strict discipline
Parody a mockery, imitation for ridicule, spoof
Proletarian member of the working class
Skirmish minor battle
Utopian a believer in an ideal world Group 34
Apocryphal of doubtful origin
Circumlocution using too many words, long-windedness
Discern to distinguish one thing from another
Fickle unpredictable, whimsical, easily swayed
Inertia inactivity, lethargy
Masochist person who intentionally inflicts pain on himself
Parry ward off, avoid
Prolific producing a lot
Sluggard slow-moving, lethargic person
Vacillate waver, hesitate Group 35
Appease pacify, soothe, calm down, make peace with
Circumscribe limit
Discord disagreement
Finesse skill
Inevitable cannot be avoided
Matriarchy society governed by women
Parsimonious economical, frugal, thrifty
Proponents promoters, supporters
Smelt refine an ore
Vacuous empty, silly, meaningless Group 36
Apprehensive worried, fearful
Circumspect cautious, considering all sides
Discordancy cacophony, harshness, jarring
Fitful not continuous, stopping and starting
Inexorable relentless
Maverick a loner
Parsimony stinginess, frugality, cost-cutting
Prosaic dull, boring, ordinary
Smorgasbord a Swedish buffet of cold dishes
Vagrant person wandering without a home Group 37
Arable can be cultivated
Circumvent avoid
Discrepancy something which does not match up; inconsistency
Flagrant clearly wrong
Inexpedient not advisable
Meager in short supply
Partisan biased, one-sided, committed to one group
Proscribe forbid
Solace comfort for grief
Vapid dull, uninspiring Group 38
Arbitrary random, for no definite reason
Clairvoyant psychic, mystic
Discriminate to make a clear distinction, see the difference
Flamboyant showy, ornate
Infallible perfect, flawless
Meander wander from side to side
Pathos evoking sadness or pity
Prosody study of versification
Solicit to ask for, seek
Variegated multicolored, speckled Group 39
Arcane obscure, known only to a few people
Clamor shout, scream
Discursiveness long windedness, indirectness
Flaunt show off, display in a showy manner
Infamous famous for something bad
Mellow soft, melodious, ripe
Patron one who give support (usually financial)
Prostration lying face down, or, be overcome with extreme weakness
Somnambulist sleepwalker
Vehemence violence, fervor, forcefulness Group40
Archaic ancient, outdated, old fashioned
Clandestine secret, covert, stealthy
Disdain contempt, strong dislike
Flippant making jokes about serious matters
Infer deduce, conclude
Menagerie collection of animals
Patronize condescend to, behave in an arrogant manner towards
Protagonist main character in film, book, play, etc.
Soothsayer fortuneteller
Vehement forceful |
