abate
v. subside; decrease; become less in amount or intensity |
abdicate
v. give up, renounce, abandon, lay down, or withdraw from, as a right or claim |
aberration
n. a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm |
abject
a. being of the most miserable kind; wretched; lacking pride; brought low in condition or status |
abstruse
a. obscure; profound; difficult to understand. |
abysmal
a. bottomless; very profound; limitless; very bad |
acerbic
a. sour or bitter in taste; harsh or corrosive in tone |
acquiesce
v. assent; accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively |
acrimonious
a. bitter and sharp in language, tone, or manner |
acumen
n. mental keenness; quickness of perception |
adept
a. expert at; very skilled; having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude |
admonish
v. warn; counsel someone against something to be avoided |
aesthetic
a. elegant or tasteful; of or concerning appreciation of beauty or good taste |
affectation
n. a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display |
aggregate
v. gather into a mass, sum, or whole; amount to |
allure
v. attract with something desirable; be highly, often subtly attractive |
allusion
n. indirect reference; symbolical reference or comparison; metaphor |
ambience
n. particular environment or surrounding influence; atmosphere of environment |
amphitheater
n. oval building with tiers of seats from central open space or arena |
annihilate
v. destroy completely; reduce to nonexistence |
annul
v. make or declare void or invalid; reduce to nothing |
antithesis
n. a contrast or opposition between two things; direct contrast |
apathetic
a. feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern; indifferent |
apex
n. highest point; vertex; summit; climax |
aphorism
n. definition or concise statement of principle; tersely phrased statement of truth or opinion |
appalling
a. causing or fitted to cause dismay or horror; frightful |
ardent
a. displaying or by strong enthusiasm or devotion; passionate |
atrocious
a. shockingly brutal or cruel; exceptionally bad or displeasing |
august
a. impressive; majestic; inspiring awe or admiration |
auspicious
a. attended by favorable circumstances; marked by success; prosperous |
authoritative
a. having weight of authority; peremptory and dictatorial |
automation
n. act or process of converting the controlling of a machine or device to a more automatic system, such as computer or electronic controls |
avow
v. declare openly; acknowledge openly, boldly, and unashamedly |
banal
a. obvious and dull; commonplace; lacking originality |
befall
v. happen, occur, or be the case in the course of events or by chance |
bland
a. lacking stimulating or mild; agreeable |
blasphemy
n. act of claiming for oneself the attributes and rights of God; utterance or writing concerning God or a sacred entity |
blurb
n. a promotional statement; a short description of a book, movie, or other product for promotional purposes |
bogus
a. counterfeit or fake; not authentic; not genuine |
bourgeois
a. middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional |
brandish
v. move or wave, as a weapon; raise and move in various directions |
brevity
n. quality or state of being brief in duration; concise expression |
broach
v. introduce; bring up for discussion or debate; announce |
bureaucracy
n. over regulated administrative system |
cajole
v. influence or urge by gentle urging or flattering |
callow
a. youthful; immature; inexperienced; without feathers |
cancellation
n. act of cancelling; calling off some arrangement |
candor
n. frankness; quality of being honest and straightforward in attitude and speech |
capillary
n. long and slender with a very small internal diameter |
capricious
a. fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly |
carnivorous
a. eating or feeding on flesh; predatory |
castigate
v. criticize severely; punish; revise or make corrections to publication |
cater
v. supply what is needed or desired; provide food professionally for special occasion |
catharsis
n. purging or cleansing of any passage of body |
catholic
a. broadly sympathetic; universal; related to Roman Catholic Church |
celibacy
n. state of being unmarried; single life |
cervical
a. of or relating to the cervix of the uterus; relating to the neck |
chagrin
n. anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointment |
charisma
n. divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of political leader |
charlatan
n. quack; one who pretends to knowledge, skill, or importance |
choleric
a. hot-tempered; easily angered; bad-tempered; expressing anger |
choreography
n. art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances |