Understanding Big Words
aberration | a state or condition markedly different from the norm |
abject | of the most contemptible kind |
abjure | formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief |
abnegate | Surrender give in |
abnegation | the denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief |
abrogate | revoke formally |
abscond | run away, often taking something or somebody along |
abstruse | difficult to understand |
accede | yield to another's wish or opinion |
accost | approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently |
accretion | an increase by natural growth or addition |
acumen | shrewdness shown by keen insight |
adamant | impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason |
admonish | scold or reprimand; take to task |
adumbrate | describe roughly or give the main points or summary of |
adverse | in an opposing direction |
advocate | a person who pleads for a person, cause, or idea |
affluent | having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value |
aggrandize | embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of |
alacrity | liveliness and eagerness |
alias | a name that has been assumed temporarily |
ambivalent | uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow |
amenable | disposed or willing to comply |
amorphous | having no definite form or distinct shape |
anachronistic | chronologically misplaced |
anathema | a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication |
annex | attach to |
antediluvian | of or relating to the period before the biblical flood |
antiseptic | thoroughly clean and free of disease-causing organisms |
antithesis | exact opposite |
apathetic | showing little or no emotion or animation |
apocryphal | being of questionable authenticity |
approbation | official acceptance or agreement |
arbitrary | based on or subject to individual discretion or preference |
arboreal | of or relating to or formed by trees |
arcane | requiring secret or mysterious knowledge |
archetypal | of an original type after which other things are patterned |
arrogate | seize and take control without authority |
ascetic | someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline |
aspersion | a disparaging remark |
assiduous | marked by care and persistent effort |
atrophy | a decrease in size of an organ caused by disease or disuse |
bane | something causing misery or death |
bashful | self-consciously timid |
beguile | influence by slyness |
bereft | sorrowful through loss or deprivation |
bilk | cheat somebody out of what is due, especially money |
blandishment | flattery intended to persuade |
bombastic | ostentatiously lofty in style |
cacophony | noise |
cajole | influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering |
callous | emotionally hardened |
calumny | a false accusation of an offense |
camaraderie | the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability |
candor | the quality of being honest and straightforward |
capitulate | surrender under agreed conditions |
carouse | engage in boisterous, drunken merrymaking |
carp | any of various freshwater fish of the family Cyprinidae |
caucus | meet to select a candidate or promote a policy |
cavort | play boisterously |
circumlocution | an indirect way of expressing something |
circumscribe | draw a geometric figure around another figure |
circumvent | surround so as to force to give up |
clamor | utter or proclaim insistently and noisily |
cleave | separate or cut with a tool, such as a sharp instrument |
cobbler | a person who makes or repairs shoes |
cogent | powerfully persuasive |
cognizant | having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization |
commensurate | corresponding in size or degree or extent |
complement | something added to embellish or make perfect |
compunction | a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed |
concomitant | following or accompanying as a consequence |
conduit | a passage through which water or electric wires can pass |
conflagration | a very intense and uncontrolled fire |
congruity | the quality of agreeing; being suitable and appropriate |
connive | form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner |
consign | give over to another for care or safekeeping |
constituent | one of the individual parts making up a composite entity |
construe | make sense of; assign a meaning to |
contentious | showing an inclination to disagree |
contravene | go against, as of rules and laws |
contrite | feeling or expressing pain or sorrow for sins or offenses |
contusion | an injury in which the skin is not broken |
convivial | occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company |
corpulence | the property of excessive fatness |
covet | wish, long, or crave for |
cupidity | extreme greed for material wealth |
dearth | an insufficient quantity or number |
debacle | a sudden and complete disaster |
debauch | a wild gathering involving excessive drinking |
debunk | expose while ridiculing |
defunct | no longer in force or use; inactive |
demagogue | a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions |
Demure | quiet, modest, reserved |
denigrate | attack the good name and reputation of someone |
Deride | to ridicule, laugh at with contempt |
derivative | a compound obtained from another compound |
despot | a cruel and oppressive dictator, a dictator with absolute power |
diaphanous | so thin as to transmit light |
didactic | instructive, especially excessively |
Diligent | showing care in doing one's work |
dirge | a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person |
disaffected | discontented as toward authority |
discomfit | cause to lose one's composure |
disparate | fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind |
dispel | cause to separate and go in different directions |
disrepute | the state of being held in low esteem |
divisive | causing or characterized by disagreement or disunity |
dogmatic | pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative |
dour | showing a brooding ill humor |
duplicity | the act of deceiving or acting in bad faith |
duress | compulsory force or threat |
ebullient | joyously unrestrained |
eclectic | selecting what seems best of various styles or ideas |
edict | a formal or authoritative proclamation |
egregious | conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible |
Elated | full of high-spirited delight |
elegy | a mournful poem; a lament for the dead |
elicit | call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response |
Eloquent | expressing yourself readily, clearly, effectively |
Embezzle | to steal money by falsifying records |
embezzlement | the fraudulent appropriation of funds or property |
emend | make corrections to |
emollient | a substance with a soothing effect when applied to the skin |
Empathy | sensitivity to another's feelings as if they were one's own |
empirical | derived from experiment and observation rather than theory |
emulate | strive to equal or match, especially by imitating |
enervate | weaken mentally or morally |
enfranchise | grant freedom to, as from slavery or servitude |
engender | call forth |
Enmity | ill will; hatred; hostility |
ephemeral | anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day |
epistolary | written in the form of letters or correspondence |
equanimity | steadiness of mind under stress |
equivocal | open to two or more interpretations |
Erudite | learned or scholarly |
espouse | choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc. |
evanescent | tending to vanish like vapor |
evince | give expression to |
exacerbate | make worse |
execrable | unequivocally detestable |
exhort | spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts |
exigent | demanding immediate attention |
expedient | appropriate to a purpose |
expiate | make amends for |
expunge | remove by erasing or crossing out or as if by drawing a line |
expurgate | edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate |
extant | still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost |
extol | praise, glorify, or honor, to praise, revere |
extraneous | not belonging to that in which it is contained |
Fabricate | to make up, invent |
fallacious | containing or based on incorrect reasoning |
fatuous | devoid of intelligence |
Feral | Savage; wild |
fetter | a shackle for the ankles or feet |
Flabbergasted | Astounded |
flagrant | conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible |
foil | hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire |
forbearance | good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence |
Forsake | to give up, renounce; to leave, abandon |
fortuitous | lucky; occurring by happy chance |
fractious | easily irritated or annoyed, troublesome |
Furtive | secretive; sly |
garrulous | full of trivial conversation |
Gluttony | excessive eating or drinking |
gourmand | a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess |
grandiloquent | lofty in style |
gratuitous | unnecessary and unwarranted, uncalled for; lacking good reason |
hapless | unfortunate and deserving pity |
Haughty | proud, arrogant |
hegemony | the dominance or leadership of one social group over others |
heterogenous | consisting of elements that are not of the same kind |
Hypocrisy | Pretending to have feelings, beliefs, or virtues that one does not have. |
iconoclast | someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions |
idiosyncratic | peculiar to the individual |
Impeccable | perfect, flawless |
impecunious | not having enough money to pay for necessities |
Impertinent | insolent; rude |
impetuous | characterized by undue haste and lack of thought |
impinge | infringe upon |
Implacable | incapable of being appeased or mitigated |
Impudent | casually rude, insolent |
impute | attribute or credit to |
inane | devoid of intelligence |
inchoate | only partly in existence; imperfectly formed |
Incisive | clear and sharp in analysis or expression |
incontrovertible | impossible to deny or disprove |
incumbent | necessary as a duty or responsibility; morally binding |
Indolent | lazy |
Inept | not suitable or capable, unqualified |
inexorable | impossible to prevent, resist, or stop |
Infamy | notoriety, extreme ill repute |
Inhibit | restrain; prohibit; retard or prevent |
inimical | not friendly |
injunction | a judicial remedy to prohibit a party from doing something |
Innate | natural, inborn, inherent; built-in |
inoculate | inject or treat with the germ of a disease to render immune |
Insatiable | not capable of being fully satisfied |
insidious | working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way |
instigate | provoke or stir up |
Insular | separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off |
insurgent | in opposition to a civil authority or government |
interlocutor | a person who takes part in a conversation |
intimation | a slight suggestion or vague understanding |
intransigent | impervious to pleas, persuasion, requests, or reason |
Intrepid | brave in the face of danger |
inure | cause to accept or become hardened to |
invective | abusive language used to express blame or censure |
inveterate | habitual, stubbornly established by habit |
irreverence | a mental attitude showing lack of due respect |
Jubilant | extremely joyful |
knell | the sound of a bell rung slowly to announce a death |
laconic | brief and to the point |
largesse | liberality in bestowing gifts |
legerdemain | an illusory feat |
libertarian | an advocate of freedom of thought and speech |
licentious | lacking moral discipline |
linchpin | a central cohesive source of support and stability |
Lithe | Flexible, graceful. |
litigant | a party to a lawsuit |
Lurid | shocking; sensational |
maelstrom | a powerful circular current of water |
maudlin | effusively or insincerely emotional |
maverick | someone who exhibits independence in thought and action, nonconformist person |
mawkish | effusively or insincerely emotional |
maxim | a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits, common saying expressing a principle of conduct |
mendacious | given to lying |
Meticulous | extremely careful about details |
modicum | a small or moderate or token amount of something |
morass | a soft wet area of low-lying land that sinks underfoot |
mores | the conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group |
Morose | gloomy or sullen |
multifarious | having many aspects |
munificent | very generous |
Myriad | a very large number |
nadir | the lowest point of anything |
negligent | characterized by undue lack of attention or concern |
neophyte | any new participant in some activity |
noisome | offensively malodorous |
Nominal | insignificant, trifling |
Novice | one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience |
noxious | injurious to physical or mental health |
Nuance | a slight variation in meaning, tone, expression |
obdurate | stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing |
obfuscate | make obscure or unclear |
Oblivious | lacking consciousness or awareness of something |
Obsequitous | obeying/performing a service for someone in an overly attentive manner |
obstreperous | noisily and stubbornly defiant |
Obtuse | lacking quickness of sensibility or intellect |
officious | intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner |
onerous | burdensome or difficult to endure |
ostensible | appearing as such but not necessarily so |
ostracism | the act of excluding someone from society by general consent |
palliate | lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of |
panacea | hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases, an answer to all problems |
paradigm | a standard or typical example |
pariah | a person who is rejected from society or home |
Parody | humorous or ridiculous imitation |
partisan | a fervent and even militant proponent of something |
paucity | an insufficient quantity or number |
pejorative | expressing disapproval |
pellucid | transparently clear; easily understandable |
penchant | a strong liking, a tendency, partiality, or preference |
penurious | excessively unwilling to spend |
pernicious | exceedingly harmful |
pert | characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality |
pertinacious | stubbornly unyielding |
Perusal | a careful examination, review |
philanthropic | of or relating to charitable giving |
phlegmatic | showing little emotion |
pithy | concise and full of meaning |
platitude | a trite or obvious remark |
plaudit | enthusiastic approval |
plenitude | a full supply |
plethora | extreme excess, overabundance |
portent | a sign of something about to happen |
potentate | a ruler who is unconstrained by law |
preclude | make impossible, especially beforehand |
predilection | a predisposition in favor of something, or preferred way of doing something |
preponderance | exceeding in heaviness; having greater weight |
presage | a foreboding about what is about to happen |
probity | complete and confirmed integrity |
proclivity | a natural inclination |
profligate | unrestrained by convention or morality |
promulgate | state or announce |
proscribe | command against |
protean | taking on different forms |
prurient | characterized by lust |
puerile | displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity |
pugnacious | ready and able to resort to force or violence |
pulchritude | physical beauty, especially of a woman |
punctilious | marked by precise accordance with details |
quaint | charmingly attractively old-fashioned |
quandary | state of uncertainty in a choice between unfavorable options |
quixotic | not sensible about practical matters |
Rash | hasty, incautious |
recalcitrant | stubbornly resistant to authority or control |
redoubtable | inspiring fear |
Refurbish | to brighten, freshen or polish; to restore or improve |
relegate | assign to a lower position |
remiss | failing in what duty requires |
reprieve | postpone the punishment of a convicted criminal |
reprobate | a person without moral scruples |
Repudiate | to reject, decline |
requisition | an authoritative demand |
rescind | cancel officially |
rife | excessively abundant or plentiful |
Salient | significant; conspicuous; standing out from the rest |
sanctimonious | excessively or hypocritically pious |
sanguine | confidently optimistic and cheerful |
scurrilous | expressing offensive reproach |
semaphore | an apparatus for visual signaling |
serendipity | good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries |
sobriety | the state of being unaffected or not intoxicated by alcohol |
solicitous | full of anxiety and concern |
solipsism | the philosophical theory that the self is all that exists |
spurious | plausible but false |
staid | characterized by dignity and propriety, sedate, serious, self-restrained |
stolid | having or revealing little emotion or sensibility |
subjugate | make subservient; force to submit or subdue |
Superfluous | exceeding what is sufficient or necessary |
surfeit | indulge (one's appetite) to satiety |
surreptitious | marked by quiet and caution and secrecy |
swarthy | naturally having skin of a dark color |
Sycophant | one who sucks up to others |
Taciturn | Inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation |
tangential | of superficial relevance if any |
tirade | a speech of violent denunciation |
toady | a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage |
tome | a large and scholarly book |
torpid | in a condition of biological rest or suspended animation |
travesty | a composition that imitates or misrepresents a style |
trenchant | having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought |
trite | repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse |
truculent | defiantly aggressive, ready to fight; cruel |
turpitude | a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice |
ubiquitous | being present everywhere at once |
umbrage | a feeling of anger caused by being offended, resentment, offense |
upbraid | express criticism towards |
utilitarian | having a useful function |
Venerable | respected because of age, distinguished |
veracity | unwillingness to tell lies |
vestige | an indication that something has been present |
Vex | to confuse or annoy |
vicissitude | a variation in circumstances or fortune |
vilify | spread negative information about |
virtuoso | someone who is dazzlingly skilled in any field |
vitriolic | harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone |
vituperate | spread negative information about |
vociferous | conspicuously and offensively loud boisterous |
wanton | a lewd or immoral person, undisciplined, lewd, lustful |
wily | marked by skill in deception |
winsome | charming in a childlike or naive way |
yoke | join with stable gear, as two draft animals |
Zenith | the point of culmination; peak |
zephyr | a slight wind |
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