obdurate | /'ɒbdjʊrɪt/;/'ɑbdərɪt/ a. Syn. stubborn; inflexible
hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; not giving in to persuasion |
obfuscate | /'ɒbfʌskeɪt/ v. Syn. confuse; muddle
confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex |
oblique | /ə'bli:k/ a. Syn. inclined
having slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; inclined |
obsequious | /əb'si:kwɪəs/ a.
slavishly attentive; attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery |
obstreperous | /əb'strɛpərəs/ a.
noisily aggressive; making great noise or outcry |
obtuse | /əb'tju:s/;/əb'tu:s/ a. Syn. stupid
lacking in insight or discernment; stupid |
odious | /'oʊdɪəs/ a. Syn. hateful; vile
hateful; arousing strong dislike, aversion, or intense displeasure |
officious | /ə'fɪʃəs/ a.
marked by excessive eagerness in offering unwanted services or advice to others |
ostensible | /ɒ'stɛnsɪb(ə)l/ a. Syn. apparent
put forth or held out as real, actual, or intended; proper or intended to be shown |
palliate | /'pælɪeɪt/ v.
lessen violence of disease; moderate intensity; gloss over with excuses |
pallid | /'pælɪd/ a. Syn. pale; wan
abnormally pale; lacking intensity of color or luminousness |
panacea | /pænə'sɪə/ n.
remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all |
paragon | /'pærəgən/;/'pærəgɒn/ n. Syn. model
model of excellence or perfection; peerless example |
pariah | /'pærɪə/ n. Syn. untouchable
social outcast; person who is rejected from society or home |
parsimony | /'pɑrsɪmənɪ/;/-moʊnɪ/ n.
extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily |
pathos | /'peɪθɒs/ n. Syn. pity
tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings |
paucity | /'pɔ:sɪtɪ/ n. Syn. scarcity
scarcity; smallness of number; fewness |
pejorative | /pɪ'dʒɒrətɪv/ a.
tending to make or become worse; disparaging or belittling |
pellucid | /pɪ'lju:sɪd/ a. Syn. transparent; limpid
transparent; limpid; easy to understand |
perfidious | /pə'fɪdɪəs/ a. Syn. treacherous; disloyal
tending to betray; disloyal; faithless |
perfunctory | /pə'fʌŋktərɪ/ a. Syn. superficial
done routinely and with little interest or care; acting with indifference; showing little interest or care |
pernicious | /pə'nɪʃəs/ a. Syn. deadly
very destructive; tending to cause death or serious injury; deadly |
pertinacious | /pɜrtɪ'neɪʃəs/;/-tn'eɪʃəs/ a. Syn. stubborn; persistent
stubbornly or perversely persistent; unyielding; obstinate |
pithy | /'pɪθɪ/ a. Syn. concise
precisely meaningful; forceful and brief |
platitude | /'plætɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n.
dullness; insipidity of thought; commonplace statement; lack of originality |
plethora | /'plɛθərə/ n. Syn. excess; overabundance
excess; over-fullness in any respect; superabundance |
portent | /'pɔ:tɛnt/ n. Syn. sign; omen; forewarning
omen; forewarning; something that portends an event about to occur, especially unfortunate or evil event |
precocious | /prɪ'koʊʃəs/ a.
advanced in development; appearing or developing early |
primeval | /praɪ'mi:v(ə)l/ a. Syn. ancient; primitive
ancient; primitive; belonging to the first or earliest age; original or ancient |
proclivity | /prə'klɪvɪtɪ/ n. Syn. inclination
inclination; natural tendency; readiness; facility of learning |
promulgate | /'prɒməlgeɪt/ v. Syn. announce
proclaim doctrine or law; make known by official publication |
propensity | /prə'pɛnsɪtɪ/ n. Syn. tendency; predilection
natural inclination; tendency or preference; predilection |
propitious | /prə'pɪʃəs/ a. Syn. favorable; fortunate; advantageous
presenting favorable circumstances; fortunate; advantageous |
prosaic | /proʊ'zeiɪk/ a. Syn. factual
dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual |
proscribe | /proʊ'skraɪb/;/proʊ-/ v. Syn. banish; outlaw
command against; banish; outlaw |
protean | /'proʊtɪɛn, 'proʊti:n/ a. Syn. versatile
versatile; able to take on many shapes; readily taking on varied shapes |
prurient | /'prʊərɪənt/ a.
having or causing lustful thoughts and desires; having eager desire for something |
puerile | /'pjʊəraɪl/;/-rəl/ a. Syn. childish
childish; belonging to childhood; immature |
pulchritude | /'pʌlkrɪtju:d/ n. Syn. beauty; comeliness
great physical beauty and appeal; attractive moral excellence; moral beauty |
punctilious | /pʌŋk'tɪlɪəs/ a.
marked by precise accordance with details |
quagmire | /'kwɒgmaɪə(r)/ n.
soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free oneself |
querulous | /'kwɛrʊləs/ a. Syn. fretful; whining
habitually complaining; expressing complaint or grievance |
quixotic | /kwɪk'sɒtɪk/ a.
idealistic without regard to practicality |
rancor | /'ræŋkə(r)/ n. Syn. enmity; hatred
bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will; hatred |
rebuke | /rɪ'bju:k/ v. Syn. admonish; scold
scold harshly; criticize severely |
recalcitrant | /rɪ'kælsɪtrənt/ a.
obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority |
rectitude | /'rɛktɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n. Syn. uprightness
uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment |
replete | /rɪ'pli:t/ a.
filled to brim or to point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied |
reprobate | /'rɛproʊbeɪt/ n.
person hardened in sin; person without moral scruples |
reprove | /rɪ'pru:v/ v. Syn. censure; rebuke
voice or convey disapproval of; rebuke; find fault with |
repudiate | /rɪ'pju:dɪeɪt/ v. Syn. disown
disown; refuse to acknowledge; reject validity or authority of |
rescind | /rɪ'sɪnd/ v. Syn. cancel; annul; repeal
cancel; make void; repeal or annul |
restive | /'rɛstɪv/ a.
impatient under restraint or opposition; resisting control; difficult to control |
ribald | /'rɪbəld/ a. Syn. wanton; tasteless
coarse or indecent; humorously vulgar or offensive |
rife | /raɪf/ a. Syn. current
excessively abundant or numerous; in widespread existence, practice, or use |
ruse | /ru:z/ n. Syn. trick; stratagem
trick; use of artifice or trickery; deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture |
sacrosanct | /'sækroʊsæŋkt/ a. Syn. inviolable
regarded as sacred and inviolable |
sagacity | /sə'gæsətɪ/ n.
quality of being sagacious; quickness or acuteness of sense perceptions; keenness of discernment; shrewdness |
salient | /'seɪlɪənt/ a. Syn. prominent
prominent or protruding; projecting outwardly; moving by leaps or springs |
sanctimonious | /sæŋktɪ'moʊnɪəs/ a. Syn. hypocritical
excessively or hypocritically pious; possessing sanctity; sacred; holy; saintly; religious |
sanguine | /'sæŋgwɪn/ a. Syn. cheerful; hopeful; ruddy
cheerfully confident; optimistic; of healthy reddish color; ruddy |
scurrilous | /'skʌrɪləs/ n. Syn. obscene; indecent
obscene; indecent; expressing offensive reproach |
serendipity | /sɛrən'dɪpɪtɪ/ n.
gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck |
servile | /'sɜrvaɪl/;/'sɛrvl/ a. Syn. slavish; cringing
slavish; suitable to slave or servant; relating to servitude or forced labor |
solicitous | /sə'lɪsɪtəs/ a. Syn. worried; concerned
worried or concerned; full of desire; expressing care or concern |
somnolent | /'sɒmnələnt/ a.
half asleep; inclined to drowsiness; tending to induce sleep |
spurious | /'spjʊərɪəs/ a. Syn. false; counterfeit; forged; illogical
false; counterfeit; forged; illogical |
staid | /steɪd/ a. Syn. serious; sedate
sober; serious, organized, and professional; characterized by dignity and propriety |
stolid | /'stɒlɪd/ a. Syn. dull; impassive
dull; impassive; having or revealing little emotion or sensibility |
stupefy | /'stju:pɪfaɪ/;/'stu:-/ v.
make senseless or dizzy; be mystery or bewildering to |
surfeit | /'sɜrfɪt/ v.
eat until excessively full; be more than full; feed someone to excess |
surmise | /sə'maɪz/ v. Syn. guess
guess; infer something without sufficiently conclusive evidence |
surreptitious | /sʌrəp'tɪʃəs/ a. Syn. secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden
secret; done or made by stealth, or without proper authority; made or introduced fraudulently |
sycophant | /'sɪkəfænt/ n. Syn. bootlicker; flatterer
one who attempts to win favor by flattering influential people; bootlicker; yes man |
tacit | /'tæsɪt/ a.
indicated or understood without expressed directly; not speaking; silent |
taciturn | /'tæsɪtə:n/ a. Syn. silent
silent or reserved in speech; saying little; not inclined to speak or converse |
tantamount | /'tæntəmaʊnt/ a.
equivalent in effect or value |
temerity | /tɪ'mɛrɪtɪ/ n. Syn. boldness; rashness
boldness; rashness; foolhardy disregard of danger |
tenuous | /'tɛnjʊəs/ a. Syn. thin; rare; slim
long and thin; slender; having little substance |
timorous | /'tɪmərəs/ a. Syn. fearful
fearful; demonstrating fear; weakly hesitant |
torpid | /'tɔ:pɪd/ a.
having lost motion, or the power of exertion and feeling; numb; benumbed |
tractable | /'træktəb(ə)l/ a. Syn. docile
easily managed or controlled; governable; easily handled or worked; docile |
transient | /'trænsɪənt, 'trɑr-/;/trænʃnt/ a. Syn. momentary; temporary; transitory
momentary; temporary; staying for short time |
transmute | /træns'mju:t, trɑr-/ v. Syn. convert; transform
change from one form, nature, substance, or state into another; transform |
trenchant | /'trɛntʃənt/ a. Syn. incisive; keen
forceful, effective, and vigorous; sharp or keen |
truculent | /'trukjələnt, 'trʌkjʊlənt/ a. Syn. belligerent
disposed to fight; belligerent; aggressively hostile |
turgid | /'tɜrdʒɪd/ a. Syn. swollen; distended
swollen; distended; excessively ornate or complex in style or language |
turpitude | /'tɜrpɪtju:d/;/-tu:d/ n. Syn. depravity
depravity; corrupt, depraved, or degenerate act |
ubiquitous | /ju:'bɪkwɪtəs/ a. Syn. omnipresent
being or existing everywhere; omnipresent |
unctuous | /'ʌŋktjʊəs/ a. Syn. oily; bland
oily; composed of oil or fat; characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness |
upbraid | /ʌp'breɪd/ v. Syn. reprimand; criticize; scold
severely criticize; reprimand; reprove sharply |
usurp | /'jʊzəp/ v. Syn. appropriate
seize and hold power or rights of another by force or without legal authority |
vacillate | /'væsɪleɪt/ v. Syn. waver; fluctuate
sway unsteadily from one side to the other; oscillate |
vacuous | /'vækjʊəs/ a. Syn. empty; inane
empty; showing lack of thought or intelligence; vacant |
vapid | /'væpɪd/ a. Syn. dull
dull and unimaginative; lacking taste or flavor |
variegated | /'vɛərɪgeɪtɪd/ a.
streaked, spotted, or marked with a variety of color; very colorful |
venerate | /'vɛnəreɪt/ v.
treat with great respect and deference; consider hallowed or be in awe of |
veracity | /və'ræsɪti/ n. Syn. truthfulness
truthfulness; unwillingness to tell lies |
verdant | /'vɜrdənt/ a.
green; full of juice in vegetation |
vex | /vɛks/ v. Syn. annoy; distress
annoy; disturb, especially by minor irritations; be a mystery or bewildering to |
vicarious | /vɪ'kɛərɪəs/ a.
acting as substitute; done by deputy; experienced at secondhand |
vicissitude | /vɪ'sɪsɪtud/ n.
change, especially in one's life or fortunes; regular change or succession of one thing to another; alternation |
vilify | /'vɪlɪfaɪ/ v. Syn. slander
debase; degrade; spread negative information about |
viscous | /'vɪskəs/ a. Syn. sticky; gluey
sticky; gluey; having high resistance to flow |
vitriolic | /vɪtrɪ'ɒlɪk/ a. Syn. corrosive; sarcastic
harsh or corrosive in tone; sarcastic; bitterly scathing |
wanton | /'wɒnt(ə)n/;/wɔ:ntən/ a. Syn. unrestrained; unchaste
unrestrained; willfully malicious; immoral or unchaste |
winsome | /'wɪnsəm/ a. Syn. agreeable; gracious; engaging
agreeable; gracious; charming, often in childlike or naive way |
wistful | /'wɪstfəl/ a.
full of wishful yearning or longing; sadly thoughtful |
zenith | /'zɛnɪθ/ n. Syn. summit
point directly overhead in sky; summit |
zephyr | /'zɛfə(r)/ n.
gentle breeze; west wind; any of various soft light fabrics, yarns, or garments |
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