1000 words to an educated vocabulary PT I

Ibraheem D.
I feel that mastering these words would give me the required vocabulary of an educated person. I keep adding 20 words to the list - gradually moving towards 1000 mark. The words are taken from various vocabulary books.
100 words 329 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abashed
    feeling or caused to feel uneasy and self-conscious
    The NC Senate, perhaps abashed to consider such absurdity on World Oceans Day, will discuss the matter further next week. Scientific American (Jun 9, 2012)
  2. abate
    become less in amount or intensity
    Some stigma has abated; the sense of shame that once kept most people from ever speaking of seeing a “shrink” has greatly lessened.
  3. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
    Incidentally, poor old King Ludwig came in for so much unpopularity on her account that he was forced to abdicate. Terhune, Albert Payson
  4. aberrant
    markedly different from an accepted norm
    Hitler’s derived personality profile also suggested that he probably had schizophrenic tendencies, including excessive grandiosity and aberrant thinking. Scientific American (Dec 20, 2011)
  5. abominate
    find repugnant
    I am not a sentimentalist by any means, yet I abominate wanton cruelty. Stables, Gordon
  6. abrasive
    causing irritation or erosion by friction
    Jobs was someone who was described as being abrasive at times and not always a team player.
  7. abrogate
    revoke formally
    If too many are abrogated, future proposals may face more skepticism from the tax authorities. New York Times (May 20, 2012)
  8. abstemious
    marked by temperance in indulgence
    He is, I believe, abstemious in eating and drinking, caring only for the homeliest fare. McCarthy, Justin
  9. abstinent
    self-restraining
    Living the Abstinent Lifestyle in New York Trinity Laurel moved to Manhattan at 21 to pursue a modeling career.
  10. abstruse
    difficult to understand
    Begin my dissertation and try to make abstruse subject attractive: 'learning put lightly, like powder in jam.' Godley, A. D. (Alfred Denis)
  11. accolade
    a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
    TV and online viewing figure records were broken as the British public tuned in to witness British athletes rack up honours and accolades galore. BBC (Sep 10, 2012)
  12. acerbic
    sour or bitter in taste
    He was smart, acerbic, funny and astoundingly prolific. Salon (Aug 3, 2012)
  13. acme
    the highest point of something
    Before his defeat in Moscow, Napoleon had attained the acme of his power.
  14. acolyte
    a devoted follower or assistant
    Any outreach by Mr. Obama’s Chicago acolytes to hear out these arguments is limited and superficial. New York Times (Jun 18, 2012)
    Dr. Abati, has metomorphosed from a writer who received accolades to a toady acolyte whom many Nigerians have found very ...
  15. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
    He asked to be taken off the assignment; his bosses gladly acquiesced. New York Times (Apr 15, 2012)
  16. acrimonious
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
    They parted on acrimonious terms, and now Williams works for Scott. New York Times (Jul 22, 2012)
  17. acronym
    a word formed from the initial letters of several words
    For some, the acronym “HMO” remains lodged in the pantheon of toxic terms, somewhere between “rationing” and “death panel”.
  18. adage
    a condensed but memorable saying embodying an important fact
    The old adage about never meeting your heroes falls apart here.
  19. admonitory
    expressing reprimand, criticism, or censure
    That conveys admonition; warning or reproving; as, an admonitory glance. Webster, Noah
  20. adroit
    quick or skillful or adept in action or thought
    All his life he had been treated to honeyed words, profound reverence, the most polished and adroit courtesy. Terhune, Albert Payson
  21. abrogate
    revoke formally
  22. access
    the right to enter
  23. accomplice
    a person who joins with another in carrying out some plan
  24. alleged
    doubtful or suspect
  25. asperity
    harshness of manner
  26. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
  27. controversial
    marked by or capable of causing disagreement
  28. culpable
    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious
  29. declaim
    recite in a skilled and formal way
  30. epithet
    descriptive word or phrase
  31. extrinsic
    not forming an essential part of a thing
  32. fetter
    a shackle for the ankles or feet
  33. invalidate
    make no longer acceptable for use
  34. landmark
    a prominent or well-known object in a particular place
  35. liquidation
    termination of a business operation by using its assets to discharge its liabilities
  36. nomadic
    relating to persons or groups who travel in search of food or work
  37. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
  38. persevere
    be persistent, refuse to stop
  39. preclude
    make impossible, especially beforehand
  40. recant
    formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief
  41. altruistic
    showing unselfish concern for the welfare of others
  42. amorous
    inclined toward or displaying love
  43. antithesis
    exact opposite
  44. bulwark
    an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
  45. cache
    a hidden storage space
  46. coterie
    an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose
  47. cupidity
    extreme greed for material wealth
  48. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  49. embellish
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
  50. frugal
    avoiding waste
  51. gregarious
    temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
  52. habitat
    the type of environment in which an organism normally lives
  53. indigenous
    originating where it is found
  54. interloper
    someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another
  55. progeny
    the immediate descendants of a person
  56. prolific
    intellectually productive
  57. saturate
    infuse or fill completely
  58. sedentary
    requiring sitting or little activity
  59. temerity
    fearless daring
  60. virtuosity
    great technical skill, fluency, or style
  61. assiduous
    marked by care and persistent effort
  62. attest
    provide evidence for
  63. component
    one of the individual parts making up a larger entity
  64. concoct
    make something by mixing
  65. consummate
    having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
  66. deploy
    place troops or weapons in battle formation
  67. enigma
    something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
  68. evaluate
    estimate the nature, quality, ability or significance of
  69. exult
    feel extreme happiness or elation
  70. fallacious
    containing or based on incorrect reasoning
  71. fraught
    filled with or attended with
  72. gullible
    naive and easily deceived or tricked
  73. hoax
    something intended to deceive
  74. impeccable
    without error or flaw
  75. labyrinth
    complex system of paths in which it is easy to get lost
  76. manifold
    many and varied; having many features or forms
  77. murky
    cloudy, dirty, and difficult to see through
  78. perpetrate
    perform an act, usually with a negative connotation
  79. resourceful
    adroit or imaginative
  80. subterfuge
    something intended to misrepresent the nature of an activity
  81. abortive
    failing to accomplish an intended result
  82. accommodate
    have room for; hold without crowding
  83. barometer
    an instrument that measures atmospheric pressure
  84. buff
    a soft thick undyed leather
  85. conjugal
    relating to the relationship between a wife and husband
  86. crave
    have an appetite or great desire for
  87. deem
    judge or regard in a particular way
  88. inherent
    existing as an essential constituent or characteristic
  89. innate
    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary
  90. irrelevant
    having no bearing on or connection with the subject at issue
  91. itinerant
    traveling from place to place to work
  92. latent
    potentially existing but not presently evident or realized
  93. modify
    cause to change; make different
  94. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  95. peregrination
    traveling or wandering around
  96. romp
    play boisterously
  97. spontaneous
    said or done without having been planned in advance
  98. tortuous
    marked by repeated turns and bends
  99. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  100. veneer
    coating consisting of a thin layer of wood
Created on Mon Sep 17 02:38:51 EDT 2012 (updated Wed Oct 17 12:31:33 EDT 2012)

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