Words I Should Know
Terms
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- abjure
- (1) to renounce under oath; (2) to give up or abstain from
- ablution
- a washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of a religious rite
- abnegation
- renunciation of your own interests in the favor of interests of others
- abstruse
- not easily understood; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge (synonym recondite)
- accretion
- growth or increase in size by gradual external addition, fusion, or inclusion
- allay
- to reduce the intensity of; relieve
- ambit
- a sphere of operation or influence; range; scope
- apocryphal
- of questionable authorship or authenticity
- apotheosis
- (1) a model of excellence or perfection of a kind; (2) the elevantion or exaltation of a person to the rank of god
- apposite
- suitable; well-adapted; pertinent; relevant
- ardor
- fiery intensity of feeling
- arrogate
- to claim or seize without right or justification; to appropriate
- aspersion
- a damaging or derogatory remark
- assay
- an analysis or examination, especially of an ore or drug, to determine its components
- assiduous
- constant in application or attention; persistent; diligent
- assignation
- (1) the act of assigning, or something assigned; (2) an appointment or meeting between lovers
- atavistic
- reverting to or suggesting the characteristics of a remote ancestor or primitive type
- auspicious
- attended by favorable circumstances (synonym propitious)
- autodidact
- a self-taught person
- aver
- to affirm positively; declare
- avuncular
- regarded as characteristic of an uncle, especially in benevolence or tolerance
- balustrade
- a rail and the row of posts that support it
- bantam
- (1) diminutive; miniature; (2) aggressive and spirited
- besot
- to muddle or stupefy, as with alcohol or infatuation
- bilious
- of, relating to, or containing bile; ill-humored
- bombastic
- grandiloquent, pompous speech or writing
- braggadocio
- (1) a braggart; (2) empty boasting; (3) a swaggering, cocky manner
- cadge
- to beg or get by begging
- capitulate
- to surrender under specified conditions; to give up all resistance or acquiesce (significantly different from recapitulate)
- caprice
- (1) an impulsive change of mind, or an inclination towards such; (2) a sudden unpredictable action, change, or series of actions or changes
- casuistry
- (1) specious reasoning intended to rationalize or mislead; (2) the determination of right and wrong in questions of moral conduct by analyzing cases that illustrate general ethical rules
- chicanery
- the use of trickery to deceive
- chignon
- a roll or knot of hair worn at the back of the head or especially at the nape of the neck
- choleric
- easily angered; indicating or expressing anger
- clemency
- an act of mercy
- concatenation
- a series or order of things depending on each other, as if linked together; a chain or succession
- conciliation
- the act of overcoming the distrust or hostility of; becoming agreeable or reconciled
- concupiscence
- sexual desire; lust
- connubial
- of or pertaining to marriage
- consign
- to give over to the care of another
- corpus delicti
- the material evidence in a crime showing that a crime has, in fact, been committed (e.g., a corpse in a homicide)
- coterie
- a small, often select group of persons who associate with one another frequently
- crepuscular
- of or like twilight; dim
- desiccated
- dried out
- desideratum
- something considered necessary or highly desirable
- desultory
- moving or jumping from one thing to another; occurring haphazardly
- dialetheism
- the belief that there are true contradictions, in opposition to the law of non-contradiction
- didactic
- intended to teach or moralize excessively
- dilettante
- (1) a dabbler or amateur; (2) an admirer or lover of the fine arts
- dispositive
- providing a final resolution (as of an issue)
- dross
- (1) waste matter; refuse; (2) worthless, commonplace, or trivial matter
- effete
- (1) no longer capable of producing young; infertile; barren; (2) marked by self-indulgence, triviality, or decadence
- effluvium
- a usually invisible emanation or exhalation, as of vapor or gas
- enervate
- to weaken or destroy the strength or vitality of
- ennui
- listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; the feeling of being bored by something tedious
- ephemeral
- lasting for a markedly brief time
- equivocal
- open to two or more interpretations and often intended to mislead; of a doubtful or uncertain nature
- escarpment
- a vertical fortification; a steep cliff-face
- exegesis
- critical explanation or interpretation of a text or a portion of a text
- expeditious
- characterized by speed and efficiency
- expiate
- to make amends or reparations for; atone
- fastidious
- (1) possessing or displaying careful, meticulous attention to detail; (2) difficult to please
- fatuous
- vacuously, smugly, and unconsciously foolish
- feasance
- the doing or performing of an act, as of a condition or duty
- feckless
- (1) feeble or ineffective; (2) careless and irresponsible
- fecundity
- the quality or power of producing abundantly; fruitfulness or fertility
- florid
- very ornate; flowery
- fractious
- inclined to make trouble; cranky
- fulsome
- offensive from excess of praise
- garrulous
- given to excessive and often trivial or rambling talk (see also loquacious; antonym laconic)
- gauche
- lacking social polish; tactless; awkward
- glabrous
- without hairs or projections; smooth (antonym: hirsute)
- halcyon
- calm and tranquil; prosperous and golden
- hector
- (n) a bully; (v) to intimidate or dominate in a blustering way
- hirsute
- covered with hair (antonym: glabrous)
- imbroglio
- a complicated and embarrassing state of things
- implacable
- incapable of being pacified
- imprecation
- the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult)
- inchoate
- (1) in an initial or stage; incipient; (2) imperfectly formed or developed
- incipient
- beginning to exist or appear
- inculcate
- to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions
- indemnification
- compensation for loss
- ineffable
- incapable of being expressed; indescribable or unutterable
- inimitable
- defying imitation; matchless
- insipid
- lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull
- insouciance
- blithe lack of concern; nonchalance
- interstice
- (1) a space between things or parts, especially a space between things closely set; (2) an interval of time
- invective
- denunciatory or abusive expression or discourse
- inveterate
- firmly established by long persistance; of long standing
- invidious
- tending to provoke envy or ill will
- itinerant
- traveling from place to place
- ken
- (1) perception; understanding; knowledge; (2) view; sight
- kitsch
- sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts
- laconic
- marked by the use of few words; terse or concise (antonym garrulous or loquacious)
- lacuna
- an empty space or a missing part
- lambent
- softly bright or radiant
- languor
- lack of energy or vitality
- largess
- generous giving (as of gifts or money), often accompanied by condescension
- legerdemain
- sleight of hand; deceitful cleverness
- lemma
- a subsidiary proposition that is assumed to be true in order to prove another proposition
- licentious
- amoral; lewd and lacivious
- loquacious
- very talkative (see also garrulous; antonym laconic)
- lugubrious
- mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to an exaggerated or ludicrous degree
- majuscule
- a large letter, as in a capital
- maladroit
- an inept person
- malaise
- a vague feeling of bodily discomfort, as at the beginning of an illness
- maquillage
- cosmetic or theatrical makeup
- mawkish
- excessively or objectionably sentimental; sickening or insipid in taste
- mealymouthed
- indirect in speech; evasive
- mendicancy
- the practice of begging; depending on alms for a living
- miasma
- a harmful or corrupting atmosphere or influence
- milieu
- environment or setting
- mordant
- biting; caustic; sarcastic
- moribund
- approaching death; about to die
- muslin
- sturdy cotton fabric of plain weave, used especially for sheets
- nacreous
- resembling mother-of-pearl; lustrous
- nascent
- coming into existence; emerging
- nescience
- lack of knowledge or awareness
- obdurate
- (1) stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing; (2) showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
- obsequious
- (1) characterized by or showing servile complaisance or deference; (2) attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
- obstreperous
- (1) noisily and stubbornly defiant and unruly; (2) noisy, clamorous, or boisterous
- officious
- volunteering one's services when they are neither asked for nor needed; meddlesome
- onanism
- (1) masturbation; (2) coitus interruptus
- opprobrium
- disgrace; infamy; reporach mingled with contempt
- otiose
- ineffective; lazy; idle
- pabulum
- (1) a substance that gives nourishment; (2) insipid intellectual nourishment
- pallor
- extreme or unnatural paleness
- panoply
- a splendid or impressive array
- paramour
- an illicit lover (esp. of a man)
- parlance
- a particular manner of speaking
- paroxysm
- (1) a sudden outburst of emotion or action; (2) a spasm or fit; a convulsion
- pastiche
- a dramatic, literary, or musical piece openly imitating the works of other artists, often with satirical intent
- patina
- a superficial layer or exterior
- perfidious
- treacherous
- perfunctory
- (1) performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial; (2) lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm; indifferent or apathetic
- peripatetic
- walking or traveling about; itinerant
- petulant
- moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation, especially over some trifling annoyance; unreasonably ill-tempered or irritable
- philander
- to engage in many love affairs, especially with a frivolous or casual attitude (used of a man)
- philistine
- a person who is lacking in or hostile or smugly indifferent to cultural values, intellectual pursuits, aesthetic refinement, etc. or is contentedly commonplace in ideas and tastes
- piebald
- (1) having spots and patches of black and white, or other colors; mottled; (2) mixed; composed of incongruous parts
- pique
- (v) to provoke or arouse; (n) a state of vexation caused by a perceived slight or indignity; a feeling of wounded pride
- pith
- the essential or central part
- placate
- to allay the anger of, especially by making concessions
- plinth
- the lowest part of the base of an architectural column; a usually square block serving as a base
- pratfall
- (1) a fall in which one lands on the buttocks, often regarded as comical or humiliating; (2) a humiliating blunder or defeat
- precipitous
- done with very great haste and without due deliberation
- prestidigitation
- sleight of hand (synonym legerdemain)
- probity
- complete and confirmed integrity
- profundity
- (1) great depth; (2) depth of intellect, feeling, or meaning
- prolegomenon
- a preliminary discussion; an introductory essay, as prefatory matter in a book
- propitiation
- the act of placating and overcoming distrust and animosity (synonym conciliation); the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing (especially appeasing a deity)
- propitious
- presenting favorable circumstances (synonym auspicious)
- prosaic
- lacking in imagination and spirit; dull
- provenance
- origin; source
- prurient
- inordinately interested in matters of sex
- puissant
- powerful; mighty; potent
- pusillanimous
- cowardly; fainthearted
- putative
- generally regarded as such; supposed
- putrefaction
- decomposition of organic matter, especially protein, by microorganisms, resulting in production of foul-smelling matter
- qua
- in the capacity or character of; as
- querulous
- apt to find fault; habitually complaining
- quixotic
- idealistic without regard to practicality
- quotidian
- everyday; commonplace
- rarefy
- to make thin, less compact, or less dense
- ratiocination
- act of drawing conclusions from premises
- recapitulate
- to repeat in concise form; to make a summary (signficantly different from capitulate)
- recondite
- not easily understood; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge (synonym abstruse)
- recriminate
- to counter one accusation with another
- redolent
- (1) having or emitting fragrance; aromatic; (2) suggestive or reminiscent
- risible
- (1) exciting or provoking laughter; laughable; amusing; (2) capable of laughing; disposed to laugh
- rococo
- having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation
- salacious
- lustful or bawdy
- sallow
- of a sickly yellowish hue or complexion
- salvo
- (1) a mental provision or reservation; (2) an expedient for protecting one's reputation or soothing one's conscience; (3) a simultaneous discharge of firearms, or something resembling such
- sartorial
- of or relating to clothes, or style or manner of dress
- scabrous
- (1) having or covered with scales or small projections and rough to the touch; (2) dealing with scandalous or salacious material
- scion
- a descendent; an heir
- screed
- a long monotonous speech or piece of writing
- scrofulous
- morally degenerate; corrupt
- sepia
- (1) a dark brown ink or pigment; (2) a photograph in brown tint
- settee
- a small or medium-sized sofa
- simulacrum
- (1) an image or representation; (2) an unreal or vague semblance
- solicitous
- anxious or concerned
- soporific
- sleep-causing
- sotto voce
- under the breath; in an undertone
- spate
- a sudden flood, rush, or outpouring
- specious
- having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious
- stanch
- to stop or check the flow of
- stentorian
- extremely loud
- stochastic
- involving or containing a random variable or variables
- stolid
- having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
- sui generis
- being the only example of its kind; unique
- supercilious
- disdainfully arrogant; haughty
- supine
- (1) lying on the back (opposite prostrate); (2) marked by or showing lethargy, passivity, or blameworthy indifference
- surfeit
- (n) an excessive amount; (v) to feed or supply to excess, satiety, or disgust
- surreptitious
- marked by quiet, caution, and secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed
- susurrus
- the indistinct sound of people whispering
- swan song
- a final or farewell appearance, action, or pronouncement
- sycophant
- a servile self-seeker who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people
- syncretic
- characterized or brought about by the combination of different forms of belief or practice
- tendentious
- having an aim; designed to further a cause
- thrombosis
- the formation, presence, or development of a thrombus, a fibrinous clot formed in a blood vessel or a chamber of the heart
- tonsure
- the part of a monk's head that has been shaved
- transom
- a small hinged window above a door or another window, or the horizontal crosspiece between the two
- turpitude
- depravity, baseness
- vagary
- an extravagant, erratic, or unpredictable notion, action, or occurrence
- venal
- capable of being bought; corruptible
- ventral
- situated on or close to the abdomen
- verisimilitude
- the quality of seeming to be true, or something that has that quality
- vicissitude
- one of the sudden or unexpected changes or shifts often encountered in one's life, activities, or surroundings (often used in the plural)
- wainscot
- the lower part of an interior wall when finished in a material, usually wood, different from that of the upper part
- wan
- unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress; suggestive or indicative of weariness, illness, or unhappiness
- yen
- a strong desire or inclination