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  1. abnegation
    the denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief
  2. abrogate
    revoke formally
  3. abstruse
    difficult to understand
  4. abysmal
    exceptionally bad or displeasing
  5. accoutre
    provide with military equipment
  6. adventitious
    associated by chance and not an integral part
  7. affected
    influenced
  8. aggrandize
    embellish; increase the scope, power, or importance of
  9. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  10. alimentary
    of or providing nourishment
  11. allegory
    a short moral story
  12. alloy
    a mixture containing two or more metallic elements
  13. amity
    a state of friendship and cordiality
  14. amok
    wildly; without self-control
  15. animus
    a feeling of ill will arousing active hostility
  16. anneal
    bring to a desired consistency by heating and cooling
  17. antic
    ludicrously odd
  18. aphorism
    a short pithy instructive saying
  19. apiary
    a shed containing a number of beehives
  20. aplomb
    great coolness and composure under strain
  21. apocryphal
    being of questionable authenticity
  22. apothegm
    a short pithy instructive saying
  23. apotheosis
    model of excellence or perfection of a kind
  24. appellation
    identifying words by which someone or something is called
  25. apposite
    being of striking appropriateness and pertinence
  26. approbation
    official acceptance or agreement
  27. appropriate
    suitable for a particular person, place, or situation
  28. appurtenances
  29. aquiline
    curved down like an eagle's beak
  30. arabesque
    position in which the dancer has one leg raised behind
  31. arcade
    a structure composed of arches supported by columns
  32. argot
    a characteristic language of a particular group
  33. array
    an impressive display or assortment
  34. artless
    simple and natural; without cunning or deceit
  35. asperity
    harshness of manner
  36. astringent
    tending to draw together or constrict soft organic tissue
  37. atavism
    a reappearance of an earlier characteristic
  38. axiom
    a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof
  39. badinage
    frivolous banter
  40. baleful
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
  41. balk
    refuse to proceed or comply
  42. baneful
    evil or sinister
  43. bedizen
    decorate tastelessly
  44. beguile
    attract; cause to be enamored
  45. behoove
    be appropriate or necessary
  46. belie
    be in contradiction with
  47. benison
    a spoken blessing
  48. bilious
    relating to a digestive juice secreted by the liver
  49. bluff
    a high steep bank
  50. blot
    a blemish made by dirt, ink, etc.
  51. bowdlerize
    edit by omitting or modifying parts considered indelicate
  52. brindled
    having a gray or brown streak or a patchy coloring
  53. buffet
    piece of furniture that stands at the side of a dining room
  54. burlesque
    a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor
  55. cadge
    obtain or seek to obtain by wheedling
  56. callow
    young and inexperienced
  57. calumny
    a false accusation of an offense
  58. canard
    a deliberately misleading fabrication
  59. canny
    showing self-interest and shrewdness in dealing with others
  60. canon
    a collection of books accepted as holy scripture
  61. cant
    a slope in the turn of a road or track
  62. canter
    a smooth three-beat gait
  63. canto
    a major division of a long poem
  64. captious
    tending to find and call attention to faults
  65. carrion
    the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food
  66. cavalcade
    a procession of people traveling by foot, horse, or vehicles
  67. cavil
    raise trivial objections
  68. celerity
    a rate that is rapid
  69. censorious
    harshly critical or expressing censure
  70. cerebration
    the process of using one's mind to consider something
  71. chaff
    material consisting of seed coverings and pieces of stem
  72. charlatan
    a flamboyant deceiver
  73. chary
    characterized by great caution
  74. chase
    go after with the intent to catch
  75. checkered
    patterned with alternating squares of color
  76. chicanery
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  77. chisel
    an edge tool with a flat steel blade with a cutting edge
  78. choleric
    characterized by anger
  79. cipher
    a secret method of writing
  80. clemency
    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders
  81. cogitate
    consider carefully and deeply
  82. cognate
    related by blood
  83. collate
    assemble in proper sequence
  84. collation
    assembling in proper numerical or logical sequence
  85. colloquy
    formal conversation
  86. comity
    a state or atmosphere of harmony or mutual civility
  87. commensurate
    corresponding in size or degree or extent
  88. complaisant
    showing a cheerful willingness to do favors for others
  89. comport
    behave in a certain manner
  90. compunction
    a feeling of deep regret, usually for some misdeed
  91. concatenate
    add by linking or joining so as to form a chain or series
  92. concomitant
    following or accompanying as a consequence
  93. concord
    a harmonious state of things and of their properties
  94. condign
    fitting or appropriate and deserved
  95. conflate
    mix together different elements
  96. congruence
    the quality of agreeing; being suitable and appropriate
  97. congruent
    corresponding in character or kind
  98. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
  99. connivance
    agreement on a secret plot
  100. consanguinity
    relation by blood
  101. consonance
    a harmonious state of things and of their properties
  102. consort
    keep company with
  103. consummate
    having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
  104. content
    satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are
  105. continence
    voluntary control over urinary and fecal discharge
  106. controvert
    prove to be false or incorrect
  107. contumacious
    willfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient
  108. conversant
    well informed about or knowing thoroughly
  109. convivial
    occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company
  110. coquette
    talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
  111. coterie
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
  112. countenance
    the appearance conveyed by a person's face
  113. cozen
    be dishonest with
  114. credulity
    tendency to believe readily
  115. cynosure
    something that provides guidance
  116. declivity
    a downward slope or bend
  117. decollete
    (of a garment) having a low-cut neckline
  118. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
  119. defray
    bear the expenses of
  120. deign
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
  121. deleterious
    harmful to living things
  122. demagogue
    a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
  123. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
  124. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
  125. denouement
    the outcome of a complex sequence of events
  126. depredation
    an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding
  127. descry
    catch sight of
  128. desuetude
    a state of inactivity or disuse
  129. desultory
    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm
  130. diadem
    an ornamental jeweled headdress signifying sovereignty
  131. diaphanous
    so thin as to transmit light
  132. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  133. diffidence
    lack of self-assurance
  134. dilatory
    wasting time
  135. dilettante
    an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
  136. disapprobation
    an expression of strong disapproval
  137. discomfit
    cause to lose one's composure
  138. discursive
    tending to cover a wide range of subjects
  139. disinterested
    unaffected by concern for one's own welfare
  140. disjunction
    state of being disconnected
  141. disport
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
  142. disputatious
    showing an inclination to disagree
  143. disquietude
    feelings of anxiety that make you tense and irritable
  144. disquisition
    an elaborate analytical or explanatory essay or discussion
  145. dissimulate
    hide feelings from other people
  146. distrait
    having the attention diverted especially because of anxiety
  147. doggerel
    a comic verse of irregular measure
  148. dolorous
    showing sorrow
  149. ductile
    capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
  150. efface
    remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing
  151. effete
    excessively self-indulgent, affected, or decadent
  152. effrontery
    audacious behavior that you have no right to
  153. effusion
    an unrestrained expression of emotion
  154. emend
    make corrections to
  155. emendation
    a correction by emending
  156. emetic
    a medicine that induces nausea and vomiting
  157. emolument
    compensation received by virtue of holding an office
  158. encomiastic
    formally expressing praise
  159. encomium
    a formal expression of praise
  160. endue
    give qualities or abilities to
  161. enervate
    weaken physically, mentally, or morally
  162. enmity
    a state of deep-seated ill-will
  163. ennui
    the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  164. epigram
    a witty saying
  165. epistemologist
    a specialist in the philosophical theory of knowledge
  166. equable
    not varying
  167. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
  168. equipoise
    equality of distribution
  169. evince
    give expression to
  170. exceptionable
    likely to cause objection or disapproval
  171. exculpate
    pronounce not guilty of criminal charges
  172. execrable
    unequivocally detestable
  173. execrate
    curse or declare to be evil or anathema
  174. exigency
    a pressing or urgent situation
  175. exiguous
    extremely scanty
  176. expiate
    make amends for
  177. exploit
    use or manipulate to one's advantage
  178. extant
    still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost
  179. extenuate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or degree of
  180. extirpate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
  181. factotum
    a servant employed to do a variety of jobs
  182. fallacious
    containing or based on incorrect reasoning
  183. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  184. febrile
    of or relating to or characterized by fever
  185. feckless
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
  186. fecundity
    the state of being fertile or capable of producing offspring
  187. feint
    any distracting or deceptive maneuver
  188. fell
    cause to go down by or as if by delivering a blow
  189. ferment
    cause to undergo the breakdown of sugar into alcohol
  190. fetter
    a shackle for the ankles or feet
  191. filch
    make off with belongings of others
  192. flail
    an implement with a handle and a free swinging stick
  193. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  194. flute
    a high-pitched woodwind instrument
  195. foil
    hinder or prevent, as an effort, plan, or desire
  196. founder
    a person who establishes some institution
  197. fractious
    easily irritated or annoyed
  198. fructify
    make productive or fruitful
  199. fulminate
    cause to explode violently and with loud noise
  200. furtive
    secret and sly
  201. fusillade
    rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
  202. gainsay
    take exception to
  203. gall
    a digestive juice secreted by the liver
  204. gambol
    play or run boisterously
  205. genuflect
    bend the knees and bow in a servile manner
  206. glib
    artfully persuasive in speech
  207. glutinous
    having the sticky properties of an adhesive
  208. guile
    shrewdness as demonstrated by being skilled in deception
  209. guileless
    innocent and free of deceit
  210. gustatory
    of or relating to the sense of taste
  211. hackles
    a feeling of anger and animosity
  212. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice
  213. hale
    exhibiting or restored to vigorous good health
  214. heterodox
    characterized by departure from accepted standards
  215. hireling
    a person who works only for money
  216. hortatory
    giving strong encouragement
  217. hovel
    small crude shelter used as a dwelling
  218. hue and cry
    loud and persistent clamor or protest from many people
  219. hummock
    a small natural mound
  220. humus
    partially decomposed organic matter
  221. hypercritical
    inclined to judge too severely
  222. hypocritical
    professing feelings or virtues one does not have
  223. ignominy
    a state of dishonor
  224. imbroglio
    an intricate and confusing interpersonal situation
  225. impassive
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  226. impecunious
    not having enough money to pay for necessities
  227. importunate
    making persistent or urgent requests
  228. importune
    beg persistently and urgently
  229. imprecation
    the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil
  230. improvident
    not supplying something useful for the future
  231. incommodious
    uncomfortably or inconveniently small
  232. indite
    produce a literary work
  233. indolent
    disinclined to work or exertion
  234. ineffable
    defying expression or description
  235. ineluctable
    impossible to avoid or evade
  236. inept
    generally incompetent and ineffectual
  237. ingenious
    showing inventiveness and skill
  238. ingenuous
    lacking in sophistication or worldliness
  239. ingrate
    a person who shows no thankfulness or appreciation
  240. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  241. inimitable
    matchless
  242. iniquitous
    characterized by injustice or wickedness
  243. insensate
    devoid of feeling and consciousness and animation
  244. insouciant
    marked by unconcern
  245. intimate
    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
  246. inured
    made tough by habitual exposure
  247. inveigle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  248. inveterate
    habitual
  249. invidious
    containing or implying a slight or showing prejudice
  250. jaded
    exhausted
  251. knave
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
  252. labile
    liable to change
  253. lancet
    a surgical knife with a pointed double-edged blade
  254. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
  255. languor
    inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
  256. lassitude
    a feeling of lack of interest or energy
  257. lechery
    unrestrained indulgence in sexual activity
  258. legerdemain
    an illusory feat
  259. ligneous
    consisting of or resembling wood
  260. limn
    make a portrait of
  261. limpid
    clear and bright
  262. litotes
    understatement for rhetorical effect
  263. maladroit
    not quick or skillful in action or thought
  264. malediction
    the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil
  265. malefactor
    someone who has committed a crime
  266. manumit
    free from slavery or servitude
  267. mendacious
    given to lying
  268. mendicant
    a pauper who lives by begging
  269. misogamy
    hatred of marriage
  270. modish
    in the current fashion or style
  271. mountebank
    a flamboyant deceiver
  272. mulct
    money extracted as a penalty
  273. nostrum
    patent medicine whose efficacy is questionable
  274. nugatory
    of no real value
  275. obloquy
    state of disgrace resulting from public abuse
  276. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
  277. obtuse
    of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
  278. odious
    extremely repulsive or unpleasant
  279. odium
    hate coupled with disgust
  280. officious
    intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
  281. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  282. oracular
    of or relating to prophecy or someone who tells the future
  283. overweening
    presumptuously arrogant
  284. palimpsest
    a manuscript on which more than one text has been written
  285. pall
    burial garment in which a corpse is wrapped
  286. palliate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  287. parley
    a negotiation between enemies
  288. paroxysm
    a sudden uncontrollable attack
  289. pastiche
    a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work
  290. pellucid
    transmitting light; able to be seen through with clarity
  291. pendulous
    hanging loosely or bending downward
  292. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  293. peon
    a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
  294. peregrination
    traveling or wandering around
  295. perfidious
    tending to betray
  296. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
  297. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  298. peroration
    the concluding section of a rhetorical address
  299. perquisite
    an incidental benefit for certain types of employment
  300. perspicacious
    mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
  301. perspicuity
    clarity as a consequence of being easily understandable
  302. perspicuous
    transparently clear; easily understandable
  303. pert
    characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality
  304. pertinacious
    stubbornly unyielding
  305. physiognomy
    the human face
  306. pique
    call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response
  307. poultice
    a medical dressing spread on a cloth and applied to the skin
  308. prate
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
  309. precipitous
    extremely steep
  310. prelate
    a senior clergyman and dignitary
  311. presumptuous
    going beyond what is appropriate, permitted, or courteous
  312. preternatural
    existing outside of or not in accordance with nature
  313. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  314. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  315. profound
    situated at or extending to great depth
  316. prolixity
    boring verbosity
  317. propinquity
    the property of being close together
  318. propitiate
    make peace with
  319. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  320. proscenium
    the part of a stage between the curtain and the orchestra
  321. prosody
    the study of poetic meter and the art of versification
  322. protean
    taking on different forms
  323. protuberance
    something that bulges out or projects from its surroundings
  324. provenance
    where something originated or started
  325. prurient
    characterized by lust
  326. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
  327. pugilist
    someone who fights with fists for sport
  328. pugnacity
    a natural disposition to be hostile
  329. puissant
    powerful
  330. pulchritude
    physical beauty, especially of a woman
  331. punctilious
    marked by precise accordance with details
  332. putative
    purported
  333. quarry
    animal hunted or caught for food
  334. querulous
    habitually complaining
  335. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
  336. quisling
    someone who collaborates with an enemy occupying force
  337. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  338. raiment
    especially fine or decorative clothing
  339. ratiocination
    the proposition arrived at by logical reasoning
  340. reactionary
    extremely conservative or resistant to change
  341. rebus
    a puzzle consisting of pictures representing words
  342. recondite
    difficult to understand
  343. redolent
    having a strong pleasant odor
  344. redoubtable
    inspiring fear
  345. refectory
    a communal dining-hall, usually in a monastery
  346. refractory
    stubbornly resistant to authority or control
  347. refulgent
    radiating or as if radiating light
  348. regale
    occupy in an agreeable, entertaining or pleasant fashion
  349. remission
    an abatement in intensity or degree
  350. remonstrance
    the act of expressing earnest opposition or protest
  351. repast
    the food served and eaten at one time
  352. repine
    express discontent
  353. reprove
    reprimand, scold, or express dissatisfaction with
  354. requiem
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
  355. resilient
    recovering readily from adversity, depression, or the like
  356. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  357. retinue
    the group following and attending to some important person
  358. salutary
    tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health
  359. sanguinary
    accompanied by bloodshed
  360. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
  361. sartorial
    of or relating to tailoring or clothing
  362. satyr
    one of a class of woodland deities
  363. scurrilous
    expressing offensive, insulting, or scandalous criticism
  364. sedulous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  365. senility
    the state of being infirm with age
  366. sere
    having lost all moisture
  367. sibylline
    resembling or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy
  368. sinecure
    a job that involves minimal duties
  369. sleazy
    morally degraded
  370. stultify
    deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless
  371. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  372. supererogatory
    more than is needed, desired, or required
  373. supine
    lying face upward
  374. suppliant
    humbly entreating
  375. supposititious
    based primarily on surmise rather than adequate evidence
  376. surfeit
    indulge (one's appetite) to satiety
  377. sybarite
    a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses
  378. taper
    diminish gradually
  379. tendentious
    having a strong bias, especially a controversial one
  380. tesselate
  381. testator
    a person who makes a will
  382. tonsure
    shaving the crown of the head by priests or monks
  383. tremulous
    quivering as from weakness or fear
  384. trenchant
    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
  385. trite
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  386. troth
    a solemn pledge of fidelity
  387. truculence
    stubborn and defiant aggressiveness
  388. turpitude
    a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice
  389. tutelary
    providing protective supervision
  390. unction
    anointing as part of a religious ceremony or healing ritual
  391. unctuous
    unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating
  392. unguent
    preparation applied externally as a remedy or for soothing
  393. unseemly
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
  394. unwitting
    not aware or knowing
  395. uxorious
    foolishly fond of or submissive to your wife
  396. venal
    capable of being corrupted
  397. venial
    warranting only temporal punishment
  398. verdigris
    a green patina that forms on copper or brass or bronze
  399. verisimilar
    appearing to be true or real
  400. verisimilitude
    the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true
  401. viable
    capable of life or normal growth and development
  402. viand
    a choice or delicious dish
  403. vicissitude
    a variation in circumstances or fortune
  404. victuals
    a source of food or nourishment
  405. vignette
    a brief literary description
  406. vitreous
    relating to or resembling or derived from glass
  407. vituperative
    marked by harshly abusive criticism
  408. vivisection
    the act of operating on living animals
  409. vulpine
    resembling or characteristic of a fox
  410. wan
    pale, as of a person's complexion
  411. wastrel
    someone who squanders resources or time
  412. waylay
    wait in hiding to attack
  413. welter
    a confused multitude of things
  414. wheedle
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  415. winsome
    charming in a childlike or naive way
Created on Thu Oct 04 12:01:28 EDT 2007

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