absorption
n. process of absorbing nutrients into the body after digestion; state of mental concentration |
accompaniment
n. act of accompanying someone or something |
accomplice
n. partner in crime; associate in wrongdoing |
acquiesce
v. assent; accept, comply, or submit tacitly or passively |
acquittal
n. state of being found or proved not guilty; judgment of not guilty |
affiliation
n. partnership; alliance; association in the same family or society |
altercation
n. noisy quarrel; contention in words; dispute carried on with heat or anger; controversy |
ambassador
n. authorized messenger or representative |
ambiguous
a. unclear or doubtful in meaning |
animosity
n. bitter hostility; active hatred; hostile feeling or act |
apparatus
n. a group of parts that work together to perform given function; appliance or device for particular purpose |
approximately
ad. nearly correct or exact; close in value or amount but not precise; about; roughly |
austerity
n. severe and rigid economy; severe or rigorous simplicity; absence of adornment or luxury |
authentic
a. not counterfeit or copied; valid; trustworthy |
authenticate
v. prove genuine; establish authenticity of |
auxiliary
a. giving help or support, especially to a more important person or thing |
benevolent
a. generous in providing aid to others; charitable |
blasphemous
a. characterized by profanity or cursing |
bravado
n. defiant or swaggering behavior; pretense of courage; false show of bravery |
camouflage
v. exploit natural surroundings to disguise something; conceal |
capricious
a. fickle; impulsive and unpredictable; apt to change opinions suddenly |
cavalcade
n. ceremonial procession or display; succession or series |
celestial
a. relating to the sky or the heavens; supremely good; god or angel |
cerebral
a. relating to the brain or cerebrum; intellectual rather than emotional |
chagrin
n. anxiety caused by humiliation or injured pride; disappointment |
chaotic
a. in utter disorder; lacking visible order or organization |
chasm
n. deep opening in the earth surface |
chastise
v. punish, as by beating; criticize severely; rebuke |
chronic
a. lasting for long period; marked by frequent recurrence, as certain diseases |
citadel
n. fortress; fortified place which people could go for shelter during battle |
clique
n. small exclusive group of friends or associates |
cocoon
n. silky envelope spun by the larvae of many insects to protect pupas and by spiders to protect eggs |
conceivable
a. capable of being conceived, imagined, or understood |
concurrent
a. simultaneous; coincident; occurring or operating at the same time |
conscientious
a. wishing to do what is right, especially to do one's work or duty well and thoroughly; diligent; responsible; reliable |
consciousness
n. having knowledge of ; special awareness or sensitivity: |
contiguous
a. sharing an edge or boundary; touching; neighboring |
correspondence
n. similarity or analogy; communication by the exchange of letters |
corroborate
v. establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts; support with evidence |
curriculum
n. the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college; program |
defamation
n. an abusive attack on a person's character or good name |
deprivation
n. poverty; removal of rank or office; taking away |
derelict
a. left and abandoned; negligent in performing a duty |
diffidence
n. lack of self-confidence |
disastrous
a. extremely bad; terrible; dreadful |
dissociate
v. to undergo a reversible or temporary breakdown of a molecule into simpler molecules or atoms |
distinction
n. excellence or eminence; note or mark of difference |
diurnal
a. daily; relating to or occurring in a 24-hour period |
dominant
a. major; most important, powerful, or influential; outweighing |
dormitory
n. a college or university building for student living; a large bedroom where several people sleep |
drudgery
n. hard monotonous routine work |
elicit
v. draw out; bring forth or to light; generate or provoke as response or answer |
elimination
n. act of removing or getting rid of something |
embroidery
n. elaboration by the use of decorative detail; ornamentation of fabric with needlework |
equinox
n. period of equal days and nights; beginning of Spring and Autumn |
escapade
n. wild and exciting undertaking; adventurous or unconventional act |
espionage
n. spying; secret observation |
etiquette
n. manners; rules governing socially acceptable behavior |
exaggeration
n. act of making something more noticeable than it really is; overstatement |
exemplary
a. serving as model; outstanding; typical |
expediency
n. the quality of being suited to the end in view |
expedient
a. suitable; appropriate to a purpose; serving to promote your interest |
expunge
v. cancel; remove; erase or strike out |
facsimile
n. exact copy or reproduction, as of a document; fax |
fallacy
n. deceptive or false appearance; false notion; deception |
feasibility
n. the quality of being doable |
fictitious
a. existing only in imagination; feigned; not true or real |
finesse
n. refinement and delicacy of performance; skillful, subtle handling |
fluorescent
a. luminous; bright; emitting visible light |
fulfill
v. put in effect, fill or meet a want or need |
gruesome
a. causing horror; frightful and shocking |
handkerchief
n. a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory |
hideous
a. frightful, shocking, or offensive to the eyes; offensive to moral sensibilities |
hindrance
n. something that holds back or causes problems with something else; obstacle |
homogenize
v. equalize; become similar, as by mixing |
hypocrisy
n. practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold; falseness; expression of agreement that is not supported by real conviction |
idiosyncrasy
n. behavioral attribute that is distinctive and peculiar to an individual |
impasse
n. road or passage having no exit; deadlock |
impropriety
n. improper act; improper or unacceptable usage in speech or writing |
incandescent
a. strikingly bright; shining with intense heat; emitting light as result of being heated |
incessant
a. uninterrupted; unceasing; continuing without interruption |
indelible
a. impossible to remove, erase, or wash away; permanent |
indispensable
a. essential; requisite; impossible to be omitted or remitted |
indisputable
a. not open to question; obviously true; beyond dispute or doubt |
insufficient
a. of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement |
interrogative
n. some linguists consider interrogative sentences to constitute a mood |
irreconcilable
a. incompatible; not able to be resolved |
irrelevant
a. not related to what is being discussed or considered and therefore not important; not applicable; having no connection with |
irrevocable
a. unalterable; irreversible; impossible to retract or revoke |
judicious
a. exhibiting good judgment or sound thinking; prudent |
justifiable
a. capable of being justified, or shown to be just |
labyrinth
n. maze; complex structure of interconnecting passages |
liaison
n. close relationship, connection, or link; secret love affair |
lustrous
a. giving out or shedding light, as sun or fire; reflecting light; having brilliant surface |
magnanimous
a. generous; high-minded; chivalrous |
magnificence
n. grandeur; splendor; grand or imposing beauty |
maintenance
n. preservation; support; continuance; court-ordered support paid by one spouse to another |
malicious
a. deliberately harmful; proceeding from extreme hatred |
martyr
n. one who makes great sacrifices or suffers to further belief or principle; one who endures great suffering |
melee
n. fight in which the combatants are mingled; hand to hand conflict; noisy riotous fight |
metamorphosis
n. marked change in appearance, character, condition, or function; major transformation |
molecular
a. of molecules; relating to simple or basic structure or form |
monotony
n. uniformity or lack of variation; continual increase, or continual decrease; tedium as a result of repetition |
morose
a. ill humored; sullen; depressingly dark; gloomy; persistent |
multiplicity
n. state of being multiplex or various; condition of being numerous; a large number |
nausea
n. feeling of sickness in stomach by an urge to vomit; strong aversion; disgust |
nonchalance
n. indifference; lack of concern; composure |
notoriety
n. known for some unfavorable act or quality; bad or ill fame |
oblique
a. having slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; inclined |
occasionally
ad. now and then; from time to time; infrequently; irregularly |
olfactory
a. relating to, or contributing to sense of smell |
omnipotent
a. all-powerful; having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force |
onomatopoeia
n. using words that imitate the sound they denote |
palatable
a. acceptable; sufficiently agreeable in flavor to be eaten |
pandemonium
n. state of extreme confusion and disorder; very noisy place |
panorama
v. complete view in every direction. |
partiality
n. inclination; favorable prejudice or bias; special fondness |
pastime
n. an activity that is done for enjoyment; amusement |
patriarch
n. father and ruler of family or tribe |
pediatrician
n. physician or expert in children's diseases |
peril
n. danger; risk; hazard; jeopardy; exposure of person or property to injury, loss, or destruction |
perjury
n. false testimony while under oath; breach of an oath or promise |
philanthropist
n. person who loves mankind in general; very generous person or institution |
picturesque
a. attractive in appearance, especially in an old-fashioned way; scenic |
pittance
n. very small portion or allowance assigned, whether of food or money |
playwright
n. someone who writes plays |
poignancy
n. state of deeply felt distress or sorrow; keenness of emotion |
poignant
a. profoundly moving; touching; agreeably intense or stimulating |
potpourri
n. a musical composition consisting of a series of songs or other musical pieces from various sources |
prejudice
n. an unfair and unreasonable opinion or feeling; leaning toward one side of a question |
premonition
n. a feeling that something, especially something unpleasant, is going to happen |
primitive
a. belonging to an early stage; simple or naive in style; primeval |
proximity
n. state of being proximate; nearness in place, time, or relation |
quibble
n. minor objection or complaint; petty distinction |
quixotic
a. idealistic without regard to practicality |
quizzical
a. suggesting puzzlement; mocking; curious |
recipient
n. receiver; one that receives or is receptive |
redundant
a. exceeding what is necessary or natural; repetitious; excessively wordy |
reek
v. emit odor; be pervaded by something unpleasant |
remembrance
n. the ability to recall past occurrences; a recognition of meritorious service |
renegade
n. disloyal person; traitor or rebel |
renovate
v. restore to good condition; renew |
reservoir
n. tank used for collecting and storing a liquid; lake used to store water for community use |
respite
n. usually short interval of rest or relief; delay in punishment |
retaliate
v. do something harmful or negative to get revenge for some harm; fight back or respond in kind to an injury or affront |
retrieve
v. recover; find and bring in; get back |
rococo
n. fanciful but graceful asymmetric ornamentation in art and architecture that originated in France in the 18th century |
sabotage
v. destroy property or hinder normal operations |
salient
a. prominent or protruding; projecting outwardly; moving by leaps or springs |
satisfactorily
ad. in a way that fulfills expectations or needs; acceptably |
saunter
v. stroll slowly; walk at a leisurely pace |
scavenger
n. animal that eats other decaying organic matter; someone who collects things that have been discarded by others |
scourge
n. whip used to inflict punishment; severe punishment |
scuttle
v. deliberately sink ship by order of commander, rather than by enemy action |
seethe
v. be disturbed; boil; be in state of turmoil or ferment |
significance
n. the quality of being worthy of attention; importance |
soliloquy
n. talking to oneself; act of a character speaking to himself so as to reveal his thoughts to audience |
spasmodic
a. affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; periodic |
squalid
a. extremely dirty and unpleasant; showing a contemptible lack of moral standards |
strenuous
a. arduous; intense; performed with much energy or force; |
stringent
a. demanding strict attention to rules and procedures; binding; rigid |
subsequent
a. following in time or order; succeeding; later |
subsistence
n. something that has real or substantial existence; means of support or maintain life |
succinct
a. brief or compact; by clear, precise expression in few words |
summarize
v. give a brief statement of the main points of something |
supersede
v. be placed in or take the room of; replace; make obsolete; make void or useless by superior power |
surgeon
n. one who performs manual operations on a patient |
surveillance
n. watching; inspection; close observation of a person or group; supervision |
swelter
v. be oppressed by heat; suffer terribly from intense heat |
synthesis
n. combining parts into a coherent whole; putting of two or more things togethe |
tantalize
v. tease; torture with disappointment; bait someone by showing something desirable but leaving them unsatisfied |
technician
n. one skilled particularly in the technical details of work |
technique
n. practical method or art applied to some particular task; skillfulness |
tedious
a. tiresome by reason of length, slowness, or dullness; progressing very slowly |
tenuous
a. long and thin; slender; having little substance |
tirade
n. extended scolding; long angry or violent speech |
transcend
v. surpass; exceed; pass beyond the limits of |
transient
a. momentary; temporary; staying for short time |
transmutation
n. (physics) the change of one chemical element into another (as by nuclear decay or radioactive bombardment) |
tremor
n. shaking or vibrating movement; slight quiver |
turbulence
n. state of violent agitation; eddying motion; unstable flow of a liquid or gas; state of violent disturbance and disorder |
ubiquitous
a. being or existing everywhere; omnipresent |
ulterior
a. beyond or outside of immediate interest; coming at a subsequent time or stage |
unanimous
a. uniform; in complete agreement |
uncanny
a. strange; mysterious; peculiarly unsettling, as if of supernatural origin or nature |
uncouth
a. lacking refinement or cultivation or taste |
undoubtedly
ad. unquestionably; without doubt; certainly |
unforgettable
a. impossible to forget; very memorable |
upbraid
v. severely criticize; reprimand; reprove sharply |
variegated
a. streaked, spotted, or marked with a variety of color; very colorful |
vengeance
n. punishment inflicted in return for an injury or an offense; retribution |
versatile
a. having many talents; capable of working in many fields |
volatile
a. tending to vary often or widely, as in price; inconstant or fickle; tending to violence |
vulnerable
a. susceptible to wounds; capable of being wounded or hurt |
wary
a. very cautious; on guard; watchful |