SKIP TO CONTENT

Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 3

Vocabulary.com and the New York Times Learning Network have teamed up to launch a Vocabulary Video contest. Just create a short (15 seconds or less) video that defines or teaches any of the words in the Times' Word of the Day collection, post it online, and submit a link to your video in the Learning Network's comments section. Click on these links to learn more about the eligible words: List 1, List 2 and List 3.
214 words 31 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Full list of words from this list:

  1. trajectory
    the path followed by an object moving through space
  2. aspirant
    an ambitious young person
  3. malodorous
    having an unpleasant smell
  4. inert
    unable to move or resist motion
  5. dispassionate
    unaffected by strong emotion or prejudice
  6. recession
    the act of returning control
  7. mountebank
    a flamboyant deceiver
  8. depose
    force to leave an office
  9. protuberance
    something that bulges out or projects from its surroundings
  10. insurgent
    in opposition to a civil authority or government
  11. reparable
    capable of being rectified
  12. avow
    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true
  13. controvert
    prove to be false or incorrect
  14. lope
    run easily
  15. dissection
    the act of cutting so as to separate into pieces
  16. vivacious
    vigorous and animated
  17. pre-empt
    a high bid that is intended to prevent the opposing players from bidding
  18. indemnify
    secure against future loss, damage, or liability
  19. psychosis
    severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost
  20. dislodge
    remove or force from a position previously occupied
  21. licentious
    lacking moral discipline
  22. skinflint
    a selfish person who is unwilling to give or spend
  23. comprehensive
    including all or everything
  24. transcendent
    exceeding or surpassing usual limits
  25. reciprocal
    concerning each of two or more persons or things
  26. opulence
    wealth as evidenced by sumptuous living
  27. revile
    spread negative information about
  28. gesticulation
    a deliberate and vigorous motion of the hands or body
  29. lugubrious
    excessively mournful
  30. invulnerable
    immune to attack; impregnable
  31. dawdle
    hang or fall in movement, progress, development, etc.
  32. poignancy
    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow
  33. coincidence
    the property of two things happening at the same time
  34. polarize
    cause to divide into conflicting positions
  35. piety
    righteousness by virtue of being religiously devout
  36. stagnant
    not growing or changing; without force or vitality
  37. kudos
    an expression of approval and commendation
  38. ennui
    the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  39. yore
    time long past
  40. seminal
    influential and providing a basis for later development
  41. melee
    a noisy riotous fight
  42. clamor
    utter or proclaim insistently and noisily
  43. diverge
    move or draw apart
  44. misadventure
    an instance of misfortune
  45. potion
    a medicinal or magical or poisonous beverage
  46. obsessive
    characterized by an unhealthy and compulsive preoccupation
  47. pathos
    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow
  48. concession
    the act of yielding
  49. brook
    a natural stream of water smaller than a river
  50. addiction
    being dependent on something habit-forming
  51. comestible
    suitable for use as food
  52. muddle
    make clouded as with sediment
  53. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  54. grotto
    a small cave, usually with attractive features
  55. retrograde
    moving or directed or tending in a backward direction
  56. disgorge
    eject the contents of the stomach through the mouth
  57. fallow
    left unplowed and unseeded during a growing season
  58. diffuse
    spread out; not concentrated in one place
  59. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
  60. fiat
    a legally binding command or decision
  61. stealth
    the act of moving in a quiet or secretive way to avoid being noticed
  62. politic
    marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness
  63. lagoon
    a body of water cut off from a larger body by a reef
  64. savor
    a particular taste or smell, especially an appealing one
  65. malicious
    having the nature of threatening evil
  66. satirical
    exposing human folly to ridicule
  67. delusion
    a mistaken or unfounded opinion or idea
  68. swarthy
    naturally having skin of a dark color
  69. conformity
    correspondence in form, type, or appearance
  70. rampart
    an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
  71. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  72. imply
    express or state indirectly
  73. irretrievable
    impossible to recover or recoup or overcome
  74. amnesty
    a warrant granting release from punishment for an offense
  75. conveyance
    something that serves as a means of transportation
  76. transition
    the act of passing from one state or place to the next
  77. polemical
    of or involving dispute or controversy
  78. scintilla
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
  79. franchise
    a statutory right or privilege granted by a government
  80. phoenix
    a legendary bird that burned to death and emerged reborn
  81. mite
    small arachnid that infests animals, plants, or stored foods
  82. pliable
    capable of being shaped or bent or drawn out
  83. annotate
    add explanatory notes to or supply with critical comments
  84. ghastly
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
  85. mutability
    the quality of being capable of change
  86. inadvertently
    without knowledge or intention
  87. precipitous
    extremely steep
  88. predetermine
    establish beforehand
  89. invective
    abusive language used to express blame or censure
  90. negligence
    failure to act with the prudence of a reasonable person
  91. sinuous
    curved or curving in and out
  92. peripheral
    on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary
  93. affidavit
    written declaration made under oath
  94. rant
    talk at length in a noisy, excited, or angry manner
  95. throttle
    a valve that regulates the supply of fuel to the engine
  96. brazen
    not held back by conventional ideas of behavior
  97. vindictive
    disposed to seek revenge or intended for revenge
  98. mnemonic
    of or relating to the practice of aiding the memory
  99. incompatible
    not in harmonious or agreeable combination
  100. illimitable
    without restrictions in extent or size or quantity
  101. typhoon
    a tropical cyclone in the western Pacific or Indian oceans
  102. implausible
    highly imaginative but unlikely
  103. incarnation
    act of attributing human characteristics to abstract ideas
  104. clangor
    a loud resonant repeating noise
  105. grate
    reduce to shreds by rubbing against a perforated surface
  106. grievance
    a complaint about a wrong that causes resentment
  107. obtuse
    of an angle, between 90 and 180 degrees
  108. nebulous
    lacking definite form or limits
  109. substantive
    having a firm basis in reality and therefore important
  110. quack
    the sound made by a duck
  111. suffragist
    an advocate of the extension of voting rights
  112. conifer
    a type of tree or shrub bearing cones
  113. remunerative
    for which money is paid
  114. dross
    worthless or dangerous material that should be removed
  115. limpid
    clear and bright
  116. acoustics
    the study of the physical properties of sound
  117. hoodwink
    conceal one's true motives from
  118. euphony
    any pleasing and harmonious sounds
  119. swindler
    a person who steals by means of deception or fraud
  120. oscillate
    move or swing from side to side regularly
  121. magisterial
    of or relating to a civil officer who administers the law
  122. jovial
    full of or showing high-spirited merriment
  123. reputable
    held in high esteem and honor
  124. besiege
    surround so as to force to give up
  125. testy
    easily irritated or annoyed
  126. slur
    utter indistinctly
  127. unsullied
    free from blemishes
  128. annex
    attach to
  129. sophistry
    a deliberately invalid argument in the hope of deceiving
  130. fundamental
    serving as an essential component
  131. cascade
    a small waterfall or series of small waterfalls
  132. parable
    a short moral story
  133. sinewy
    consisting of tendons or resembling a tendon
  134. stanch
    stop the flow of a liquid
  135. repeal
    cancel officially
  136. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
  137. lineament
    the characteristic parts of a person's face
  138. dogmatic
    pertaining to a code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  139. senility
    the state of being infirm with age
  140. indeterminate
    not fixed or known in advance
  141. sate
    fill to contentment
  142. entree
    the principal dish of a meal
  143. enmity
    a state of deep-seated ill-will
  144. cant
    a slope in the turn of a road or track
  145. irremediable
    impossible to correct or redress
  146. conscript
    enroll into service compulsorily
  147. regatta
    a series of boat races
  148. wan
    pale, as of a person's complexion
  149. marital
    of or relating to the state of marriage
  150. vex
    disturb, especially by minor irritations
  151. domineer
    rule or exercise power over in a cruel and autocratic manner
  152. random
    lacking any definite plan or order or purpose
  153. inopportune
    not suitable for a purpose
  154. raiment
    especially fine or decorative clothing
  155. writhe
    move in a twisting or contorted motion
  156. apolitical
    neutral with regards to government policy
  157. incursion
    the act of entering some territory or domain
  158. gourmand
    a person who is devoted to eating and drinking to excess
  159. carapace
    hard outer covering or case of certain organisms
  160. caption
    brief description accompanying an illustration
  161. homespun
    made of cloth woven in one's household
  162. vivisection
    the act of operating on living animals
  163. imprecation
    the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil
  164. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
  165. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  166. hermitage
    the abode of a recluse
  167. lexicon
    a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words
  168. interdict
    command against
  169. underlying
    in the nature of something though not readily apparent
  170. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
  171. labile
    liable to change
  172. amphitheater
    an oval large stadium with tiers of seats
  173. anesthetic
    a drug that causes temporary loss of bodily sensations
  174. megalomania
    a psychological state characterized by delusions of grandeur
  175. gawk
    look with amazement
  176. dissolution
    separation into component parts
  177. idyllic
    charmingly simple and serene
  178. shimmer
    shine with a weak or fitful light
  179. ruffian
    a cruel and brutal fellow
  180. aria
    an elaborate song for solo voice
  181. exigency
    a pressing or urgent situation
  182. irreparable
    impossible to rectify or amend
  183. nepotism
    favoritism shown to relatives or friends by those in power
  184. glower
    look angry or sullen as if to signal disapproval
  185. unassailable
    impossible to attack
  186. extrinsic
    not forming an essential part of a thing
  187. countermand
    cancel officially
  188. disapprobation
    an expression of strong disapproval
  189. contagion
    an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted
  190. severity
    excessive sternness
  191. crestfallen
    brought low in spirit
  192. apparition
    a ghostly appearing figure
  193. bovine
    any of various wild or domestic cattle
  194. piecemeal
    one thing at a time
  195. detonation
    the act of setting off an explosive
  196. compilation
    the act of putting together
  197. lunar
    of or relating to or associated with the moon
  198. aversion
    a feeling of intense dislike
  199. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
  200. courier
    a person who carries a message
  201. argot
    a characteristic language of a particular group
  202. virile
    characteristic of a man
  203. defrock
    remove from one's position in the church
  204. capillary
    a minute blood vessel connecting arterioles with venules
  205. immutable
    not subject or susceptible to change or variation
  206. vicissitude
    a variation in circumstances or fortune
  207. awry
    turned or twisted to one side
  208. vigor
    forceful exertion
  209. repute
    the state of being held in high esteem and honor
  210. bludgeon
    a club used as a weapon
  211. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  212. frieze
    an ornament consisting of a horizontal sculptured band
  213. congeal
    solidify, thicken, or come together
  214. junta
    a group of officers who rule a country after seizing power
Created on Thu Oct 02 12:01:38 EDT 2014 (updated Wed Jan 20 17:36:48 EST 2016)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.