-
abate
reduce in amount/degree/severity
(KAPLAN)
-
-
Abnegate
to deny oneself (some conveniences, etc), renounce
-
abscond
to leave secretly
(the thief absconded from the bank through the back door)
(KAPLAN)
-
-
abstemious
Moderate, temperate in eating/drinking
-
Abstruse
Hard to understand, esoteric
-
Acquiesce
comply w/o protest
-
acridity
irritating, stinging, bitter taste/smell
-
acrimony
harshness, bitterness in speech/disposition
-
acumen
keen insight; shrewdness
-
-
adumbrate
outline/sketch, foreshadow
-
affable
pleasant, friendly
-
aggradize
to increase in power, influence, reputation
(KAPLAN)
-
amalgamate
combine, mix together
(the companies amalgated into a conglomerate)
(KAPLAN)
-
ambrosial
delicious, fragrant, divine
-
ameliorate
to make better, improve
(dr was ble to ameliorate the pain using sedatives)
(KAPLAN)
-
anachronism
dated, out of place in time (saying "groovy")
(KAPLAN)
-
antipathy
extreme dislike
(KAPLAN)
-
-
apocryphal
of doubtful authorship/authenticity
-
apogee
climax, highest point
-
approbation
(official) approval
-
arbitrate
judge dispute between 2 opposing parties
(KAPLAN)
-
arcane
mysterious, secret, esoteric
-
ardor
intense and passionate feeling
(KAPLAN)
-
artifice
trickery, cunning
-
assuage
relieve, soothe
- (She used aspirin to assuage her headache)
- (KAPLAN)
-
attenuate
to weaken
(KAPLAN)
-
audacious
fearless, daring
- (Her audacious nature pushed her to skydive)
- (KAPLAN)
-
austere
severe/stern in appearance; undecorated
(military barracks are plain and look austere)
(KAPLAN)
-
-
balk
stop (at obstacle) and refuse to proceed
-
banal
boring, predictable
(KAPLAN)
-
bedlam
scene of uproar, confusion
-
-
belligerent
warlike, aggressively hostile, truculent
-
bolster
support, prop up (the presence of footprints bolstered the argument that he was in the area)
(KAPLAN)
-
bombastic
pompous in speech/manner
(KAPLAN)
-
cabal
group of plotters (against govt, authority)
-
cacophony
dissonance, harsh sounds (cacophony from city traffic during rush hour)
(KAPLAN)
-
callow
immature, inexperienced
-
calumny
slander, false malicious statement to injure someone's reputation; obloquy, censure, lambast, pan
-
capitulate
surrender unconditionally
-
capricious
- changing my mind quickly and often, indecisive
- (KAPLAN)
-
castigate
- criticize severely, punish, censure, lambast, excoriate
- (KAPLAN)
-
catholic
broad range of interests, universal
-
-
censure
strong disapproval, official reprimand, excoriate, lambast, castigate
-
chauvinist
person prejudiced in favor of group that he/she belongs to
-
chicanery
clever trickery/deception
- (Used car salesmen use chicanery to sell old cars)
- (KAPLAN)
-
circuitous
roundabout, indirect
-
cleave
cling to closely, remain faithful
-
cloying
causing disgust/aversion thru excess (cloying perfume sweetness)
-
cogent
convincing, believable, relevant, well reasoned
(the lawyer presented a cogent argument to the jury)
(KAPLAN)
-
conciliate
overcome hostility of, placate, win over
-
condone
disregard, pardon, overlook
(KAPLAN)
-
contradistinction
opposite of distinction, plants and animals vs. humans
-
contumacious
stubbornly disobedient
-
convoluted
intricate, complicated
(KAPLAN)
-
corroborate
- provide supporting evidence
- (KAPLAN)
-
credulous
gullible
(KAPLAN)
-
cretaceous
resembling/containing chalk???
-
decorum
appropriateness of behavior/conduct; propriety
(KAPLAN)
-
denigrate
criticize, belittle
-
deride
speak or treat w/contempt; to mock
(KAPLAN)
-
derision
ridicule, mockery
-
despondent
showing profound hopelessness, dejection, gloom
-
desultory
jumping from 1 thing to another; disconnected
(KAPLAN)
-
diaphanous
sheer, almost transparent
-
diatribe
abusive, condemnatory speech
- (angry driver screamed a diatribe at someone who took his parking spot)
- (KAPLAN)
-
diffident
lacking self-confidence
(KAPLAN)
-
dilate
to make larger, to expand
(KAPLAN)
-
dilatory
intended to delay (the congressman used dilatory measures to delay the bill from passing)
(KAPLAN)
-
dilettante
someone w/amateur, superficial interest in topic
(KAPLAN)
-
diluvial
related to or caused by flood
-
dirge
funeral hymn, mournful speech ~elegy, eulogy
(KAPLAN)
-
disabuse
set right, to free from error
(KAPLAN)
-
disavowal
disowning, denial
-
disparate
fundamentally different
(KAPLAN)
-
dispassion
emotionally uninvolved
-
dispersive
tending to disperse (scatter)
-
dissemble
disguise true intentions/character
(KAPLAN)
-
dogma
firmly held opinion, often religious
(KAPLAN)
-
dogmatic
dictatorial in opinion
(KAPLAN)
-
duress
coercion, forcible restraint
-
ebullience
exhilaration, happy, enthusiastic
-
efficacy
effectiveness
(KAPLAN)
-
-
effusive
overflowing, lacking reserve, unctuous
-
egregious
extraordinary in a bad way (egregious liar)
-
elegy
sad poem/speech
(KAPLAN)
-
emulate
to copy, try to equal or excel
(KAPLAN)
-
enervate
reduce in strength
(KAPLAN)
-
engender
produce, cause
(KAPLAN)
-
enigma
puzzle, mystery
(The artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma)
(KAPLAN)
-
ennui
feeling of weariness/discontent from boredom (college lecture)
-
ephemeral
lasting a short time
(KAPLAN)
-
equanimity
emotional stability, calmness
-
equivocal
deliberately ambiguous, using double meaning to deceive
(KAPLAN)
-
ersatz
artificial substitute (ersatz coffee made from grain)
-
erudite
knowledgable, wise, scholarly (DUMBLEDORE)
(KAPLAN)
-
esoteric
known/understood by only a few
(KAPLAN)
-
estimable
admirable
(KAPLAN)
-
excogitate
think out, plan
-
excoriate
censure, criticize severely, lambast, castigate
-
exculpate
to clear from blame, prove innocent
(KAPLAN)
-
exigent
urgent, r/q immediate action
- (patient bleeding so much, it was exigent to find the
- source)
(KAPLAN)
-
exonerate
to clear of blame (the fugitive was exonerated when another person confessed to the crime)
(KAPLAN)
-
extol
praise enthusiastically
-
extort
obtain by force/threats
-
facetious
inappropriate humor in serious situations; flippant
-
fanatical
excessively enthusiastically, extreme devotion
(KAPLAN)
-
-
fervid
excessively enthusiastic, intensely emotional
(The fans would do anything to catch a glimpse of the singer)
(KAPLAN)
-
-
florid
excessively decorated/embellished
(the palace decorations were florid, every surface was meticulously carved)
(KAPLAN)
-
foment
instigate/stir up
(protestors tried to foment feelings against the war through demonstrations)
(KAPLAN)
-
forwent
past of "forgo" (abstain from)
-
fulsome
excessively complimentary, unctuous
-
-
garrulous
excessively chatty, loquacious
(KAPLAN)
-
gregarious
sociable; affable
(KAPLAN)
-
guile
deceit, trickery
(KAPLAN)
-
hedonism
pursuit of pleasure
-
hegemony
indirect governance w/threat of force (like Ancient Rome)
-
histrionic
very emotional, dramatic
-
hurly-burly
commotion, confusion, tumult
-
iconoclast
one who opposes established beliefs/customs/institutions
-
idiosyncrasy
thought/behavior unique to individual
-
idyllic
very happy, peaceful, picturesque
-
ignominious
humiliating, embarrassing
-
imbroglio
an extremely confused, complicated, embarrassing situation (noun)
-
Impecunious
poor, indigent
-
imperious
assuming power/authority w/o justification; arrogant, domineering
-
imperturbation
calmness, tranquility
-
impervious
impossible to penetrate
(a good raincoat is impervious to moisture)
-
impetuous
quick to act w/o thinking
(KAPLAN)
-
impinge
have negative impact
-
implacable
unable to be calmed down (his rage was so great that he remained implacable for weeks)
(KAPLAN)
-
-
impugn
call into question
-
inchoate
not fully formed, disorganized
(KAPLAN)
-
incipient
in initial stage, developing
-
incommensurate
not judgable w/common standard of measurement
-
incongruous
unsuited to surroundings
-
indigent
poor, needy, impecunious
-
-
-
-
ingenuous
innocent, unsuspecting
(KAPLAN)
-
inimical
harmful, destructive, pernicious
(KAPLAN)
-
innocuous
harmless
(KAPLAN)
-
insipid
lacking interest or flavor
(KAPLAN)
-
intemperate
unrestrained, having lack of self-control
-
interdict
forbid, prohibit
-
interloper
trespasser, intruder
-
intransigent
uncompromising; stubborn
(KAPLAN)
-
-
irresolute
hesitant, uncertain
-
-
-
laconic
using very few words; succinct
(laconic poet)
(KAPLAN)
-
lambast
criticze harshly, censure, excoriate
-
lament
to express sorrow, to grieve
(KAPLAN)
-
-
-
-
-
loquacious
talkative, garrulous
(KAPLAN)
-
lucid
expressed clearly, easy to understand, cogent
(KAPLAN)
-
lucre
money, regarded distastefully or ill-gotten
-
-
malapropism
mistakenly replacing word w/similar sounding one (dance a flamingo/flamenco)
-
malinger
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
(many men tried to avoid the draft by malingering)
(KAPLAN)
-
mellifluous
pleasant to hear, sweet, musical
-
mien
demeanor, indicating mood/character
-
misanthrope
person who dislikes others (SCROOGE, GRINCH)
(KAPLAN)
-
mollify
calm, make less severe
(KAPLAN)
-
-
nepotism
powerful ppl unfairly giving jobs/favors to relatives
-
-
obdurate
hardened, resistant to persuasion
-
obfuscation
hiding meaning, being ambiguous
-
obloquy
strong public criticism, verbal abuse; calumny, censure, opprobrium, pan, lambast
-
obstinate
stubborn, unyielding
(KAPLAN)
-
obviate
prevent, make unnecessary
(KAPLAN)
-
occlude
to prevent passage
(KAPLAN)
-
ochlocracy
govt by masses, mob rule
-
onerous
troublesome, oppressive, burdensome
(KAPLAN)
-
-
opprobrium
harsh criticism; public disgrace; censure, calumny, obloquy, lambast, pan
(He resigned in utter opprobrium)
(KAPLAN)
-
ostentation
excessive showiness
(ostentatious royal court had lavish decorations)
(KAPLAN)
-
paean
song of praise/triumph
-
panegyrical
elaborate praise, eulogy (noun)
-
panned
criticized severely, opprobrium, censure, calumny, obloquy, lambast
-
paradigm
typical example, model
-
paradox
contradiction or dilemma (it is paradoxical that the neediest patients often are least tended to)
(KAPLAN)
-
paragon
model of excellence or perfection
(KAPLAN)
-
pat
superficially complete (pat answer won't satisfy him), completely (got it down pat)
-
peccadillo
small unimportant offense, misdemeanor
-
pedant
person excessively concerned w/minor details/rules or displaying academic learning (HERMIONE)
(KAPLAN)
-
penury
extreme poverty, destitution, impecunious
-
perfidious
willing to betray one's trust (WORMTAIL)
(KAPLAN)
-
perfunctory
done in routine way, indifferent
(KAPLAN)
-
pernicious
inimical, subtly harmful
-
petulant
childishly bad-tempered
-
phlegmatic
relaxed, thoughtful
-
-
piquant
pleasantly sharp, appetizing taste, ~ toothsome
-
placate
make someone less angry; pacify, conciliate
(KAPLAN)
-
placid
not easily upset or excited
-
plastic
able to be molded, altered
(KAPLAN)
-
plutocracy
govt by rich ppl
-
pragmatic
practical, sensible
(Pragmatic people don't anticipate winning the lotto)
(KAPLAN)
-
precipitate
unexpectedly, abruptly, throw violently
(KAPLAN)
-
preponderance
being greater in quantity or importance
-
prescient
seeing into future
-
prevaricate
to lie
(KAPLAN)
-
probity
honesty, decency, integrity
-
prodigal
spending money recklessly, wastefully extravagant
(KAPLAN)
-
-
promulgate
publicize, promote
-
propitiate
to conciliate, appease
(KAPLAN)
-
propriety
correct behavior; obedience to rules/customs
(KAPLAN)
-
prudence
wisdom, caution, restraint
(KAPLAN)
-
-
quiescent
motionless
(KAPLAN)
-
quittance
release from debt/obligation
-
quixotic
very unrealistic, impractical
-
-
raillery
good humored teasing
-
rarefy
to make thinner/sparser
(the atmosphere rarefies as altitude increases)
(KAPLAN)
-
recalcitrant
uncooperative attitude toward authority, rebellious
-
repudiate
reject validity of
(the pregnancy test repudiated the possible father)
(KAPLAN)
-
reticent
introverted, reserved, taciturn
(KAPLAN)
-
rhetoric
effective writing/speaking
(KAPLAN)
-
-
rudiment
1st principles of subject (as in, rudimentary)
-
-
sanguine
pleasure seeking, sociable ~ hedonism
-
scanty
insufficient, meager (scantily clad)
-
scintillate
emit flashes of light, sparkle
-
scurrilous
spreading scandalous rumors to damage someone's reputation
-
seditious
inciting rebellion against authority of state/monarch
-
seminal
strongly influencing later developments
-
sinecure
r/q little or no work but yielding profit, easy job
-
slipshod
careless, haphazard
-
soporific
causing sleep or lethargy
(the lecture was so soporific, you could hear snoring)
(KAPLAN)
-
specious
superficially plausible, but wrong, deceptively attractive
(KAPLAN)
-
staid
respectable, unadventurous
-
stentorian
loud, powerful (voice)
-
stolid
unemotional, lacking sensitivity
(KAPLAN)
-
sublime
lofty, grand
(KAPLAN)
-
supercilious
behaving arrogantly, pompous, haughty
-
superfluous
unnecessary, redundant, excessive
-
surreptitious
secretive, stealthy, sneaky
-
seance
communicating with spirits, like with a weegee board
-
tacit
done w/o using words
(KAPLAN)
-
taciturn
saying little, reticence
(KAPLAN)
-
toothsome
temptingly tasty ~piquant
-
torpor
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
(the patient experienced torpor after taking the sedatives)
(KAPLAN)
-
transitory
temporary, brief
(KAPLAN)
-
-
trepidation
fear, dread, anxiety, foreboding
-
truculent
ready for a fight, belligerent
-
ubiquitous
found everywhere
-
unctuous
excessively flattering, obsequious, effusive
-
unhinged
mentally deranged
-
vacillate
be indecisive
(KAPLAN)
-
-
venerate
to respect deeply
(KAPLAN)
-
veracity
accuracy, truth
(KAPLAN)
-
verbiage
long winded, excessively technical speech/writing, wordiness, loquacity
-
-
vicissitude
unfortunate change of circumstance
-
vociferous
loud/forceful (voice)
-
volatile
changing quickly, unpredictably, for the worse
(KAPLAN)
-
waggish
mischievously humorous, playful
-
zeal
strong enthusiasm, eagerness, determination
(KAPLAN)
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