Unfamilar Words

Duxiana
116 words 1 learner

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. terseness
    a neatly short and concise expressive style
  2. guileful
    marked by skill in deception
  3. knavish
    marked by skill in deception
  4. scrivener
    someone employed to make written copies of documents and manuscripts
  5. deprecatory
    tending to diminish or disparage
  6. elocution
    an expert manner of speaking involving control of voice
  7. galling
    causing irritation or annoyance
  8. immeasurably
    to an immeasurable degree; beyond measurement
  9. amphitheater
    an oval large stadium with tiers of seats
  10. scythe
    an edge tool for cutting grass
  11. bantam
    any of various small breeds of fowl
  12. sagacity
    the trait of having wisdom and good judgment
  13. sentinel
    a person employed to keep watch for some anticipated event
  14. orifice
    an opening, especially one that opens into a bodily cavity
  15. recidivist
    someone who lapses into undesirable patterns of behavior
  16. gangrene
    the localized death of living cells
  17. etymon
    a simple form inferred as the common basis from which related words in several languages can be derived by linguistic processes
  18. metier
    an occupation for which you are especially well suited
  19. joule
    a unit of electrical energy
  20. synod
    a council convened to discuss ecclesiastical business
  21. auteur
    a filmmaker who has a personal style
  22. piton
    a metal spike with a hole for a rope
  23. apposite
    being of striking appropriateness and pertinence
  24. defrayal
    the act of paying money
  25. fracas
    a noisy, angry argument or fight between people
  26. defenestration
    the act of throwing someone or something out of a window
  27. naught
    a quantity of no importance
  28. triceratops
    huge ceratopsian dinosaur having three horns and the neck heavily armored with a very solid frill
  29. tarpaulin
    waterproofed canvas
  30. katzenjammer
    loud confused noise from many sources
  31. gauche
    lacking social poise or refinement
  32. taipan
    large highly venomous snake of northeastern Australia
  33. tussock
    a bunch of hair, feathers, or growing grass
  34. acquisitive
    eager to attain and possess material possessions
  35. pirouette
    a rapid spin of the body
  36. scalar
    a variable quantity that cannot be resolved into components
  37. oscilloscope
    electronic equipment that provides visual images of varying electrical quantities
  38. glissade
    (ballet) a gliding or sliding step in ballet
  39. insolation
    incident solar radiation
  40. dossier
    papers containing detailed information about a person
  41. gadfly
    any of various large flies that annoy livestock
  42. duly
    in an appropriate or proper manner
  43. wayfarer
    a pedestrian who walks from place to place
  44. incisor
    a tooth for cutting or gnawing
  45. mendacious
    given to lying
  46. intentionally
    with intention; in an intentional manner
  47. toucan
    a brilliantly colored bird with a large beak
  48. defalcator
    someone who violates a trust by taking for his own use
  49. occultism
    a belief in supernatural powers and the possibility of bringing them under human control
  50. abrogate
    revoke formally
  51. envisage
    form a mental image of something that is not present
  52. catheter
    a thin flexible tube inserted into the body
  53. precedent
    an example that is used to justify similar occurrences
  54. truant
    one who is absent from school without permission
  55. compliance
    the act of submitting, usually surrendering power to another
  56. soothsayer
    someone who makes predictions of the future
  57. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
  58. menagerie
    a collection of live animals for study or display
  59. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
  60. summarily
    quickly and without following customary procedures
  61. inexorable
    impossible to prevent, resist, or stop
  62. pharmaceutical
    relating to preparing and dispensing drugs and medicines
  63. stalactite
    a cylinder of calcium carbonate hanging from a cave roof
  64. corpuscle
    an unattached cell such as a red or white blood cell
  65. scalpel
    a thin straight surgical knife
  66. irretrievably
    in an irretrievable manner
  67. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
  68. scrupulous
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
  69. debacle
    a sudden and complete disaster
  70. eradicate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
  71. incremental
    increasing gradually by regular degrees or additions
  72. fascist
    an adherent of right-wing authoritarian views
  73. disinherit
    prevent deliberately (as by making a will) from receiving
  74. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
  75. connive
    form intrigues (for) in an underhand manner
  76. indelible
    not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased
  77. emaciate
    grow weak and thin or waste away physically
  78. drudge
    a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
  79. synecdoche
    using part of something to refer to the whole thing
  80. commissioner
    a member of a special group considering some matter
  81. lacrosse
    a two-team game played with long-handled rackets
  82. embezzle
    appropriate fraudulently to one's own use
  83. larynx
    the structure containing the vocal cords
  84. disconsolate
    sad beyond comforting; incapable of being soothed
  85. lozenge
    a small aromatic or medicated candy
  86. tumult
    a state of commotion and noise and confusion
  87. derogatory
    expressive of low opinion
  88. fortuitously
    by good fortune
  89. ludicrous
    inviting ridicule
  90. wrangle
    quarrel noisily, angrily, or disruptively
  91. chloroform
    a volatile liquid haloform ; formerly used as an anesthetic
  92. compulsory
    required by rule
  93. versatile
    having great diversity or variety
  94. cumulus
    a globular cloud
  95. derelict
    a person without a home, job, or property
  96. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  97. austerity
    excessive sternness
  98. centaur
    a mythical being that is half man and half horse
  99. convenience
    the quality of being useful
  100. illegitimate
    contrary to or forbidden by law
  101. thoracic
    of or relating to the chest or thorax
  102. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
  103. esplanade
    a stretch of pavement or grass for walking by the seashore
  104. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
  105. canary
    any of several small Old World finches
  106. dilettante
    an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
  107. sagacious
    acutely insightful and wise
  108. salacious
    suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
  109. aperture
    a natural opening in something
  110. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  111. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  112. vagary
    an unexpected and inexplicable change in something
  113. indurate
    make hard or harder
  114. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
  115. chortle
    a soft partly suppressed laugh
  116. adroit
    quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
Created on Wed Dec 17 12:52:26 EST 2008 (updated Wed Jul 15 09:45:29 EDT 2009)

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