Part of the 500 word list N-R

Emily W. (United States of America)
105 words 5 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. nadir
    the lowest point of anything
  2. naive
    marked by or showing unaffected simplicity
  3. nascent
    being born or beginning
  4. neologism
    a newly invented word or phrase
  5. neophyte
    a participant with no experience with an activity
  6. nettle
    plant having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation
  7. noisome
    causing or able to cause nausea
  8. nominal
    relating to or constituting or bearing or giving a name
  9. nuance
    a subtle difference in meaning or opinion or attitude
  10. numismatics
    the collection and study of money
  11. obdurate
    stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing
  12. oblique
    slanting or inclined in direction or course or position
  13. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  14. obstinate
    refusing to change one's mind or ways; difficult to convince
  15. obviate
    do away with
  16. occlude
    block passage through
  17. officious
    intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner
  18. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  19. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
  20. opine
    express one's view openly and without fear or hesitation
  21. opprobrium
    a state of extreme dishonor
  22. orotund
    overly formal and pompous in style
  23. ossify
    become bony
  24. ostensible
    appearing as such but not necessarily so
  25. ostentation
    pretentious or showy or vulgar display
  26. overwrought
    deeply agitated especially from emotion
  27. palatial
    relating to or being a large and stately residence
  28. palliate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  29. pallid
    pale, as of a person's complexion
  30. panache
    distinctive and stylish elegance
  31. panegyric
    formally expressing praise
  32. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  33. paradox
    a statement that contradicts itself
  34. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
  35. pare
    strip the skin off
  36. pariah
    a person who is rejected from society or home
  37. parley
    a negotiation between enemies
  38. parry
    impede the movement of
  39. pastiche
    a work of art that imitates the style of some previous work
  40. pathogenic
    able to cause disease
  41. peccadillo
    a petty misdeed
  42. pedant
    a person who is preoccupied with rules and learning
  43. pejorative
    expressing disapproval
  44. penury
    a state of extreme poverty or destitution
  45. peregrinate
    travel around, through, or over, especially on foot
  46. perfidious
    tending to betray
  47. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  48. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
  49. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
  50. perspicacious
    mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
  51. pervade
    spread or diffuse through
  52. phalanx
    any closely ranked crowd of people
  53. philanthropy
    the act of donating money or time to promote human welfare
  54. philistine
    a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
  55. phlegmatic
    showing little emotion
  56. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  57. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  58. plastic
    synthetic material that can be molded into objects
  59. plebeian
    of or associated with the great masses of people
  60. plethora
    extreme excess
  61. plucky
    showing courage
  62. polemic
    a verbal or written attack, especially of a belief or dogma
  63. politic
    marked by artful prudence, expedience, and shrewdness
  64. polyglot
    a person who speaks more than one language
  65. posit
    take as a given; assume as a postulate or axiom
  66. potentate
    a powerful ruler, especially one who is unconstrained by law
  67. pragmatic
    concerned with practical matters
  68. prattle
    speak about unimportant matters rapidly and incessantly
  69. precipitate
    bring about abruptly
  70. precis
    a sketchy summary of the main points of an argument
  71. prescient
    perceiving the significance of events before they occur
  72. prevaricate
    be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
  73. pristine
    immaculately clean and unused
  74. probity
    complete and confirmed integrity
  75. proclivity
    a natural inclination
  76. prodigal
    recklessly wasteful
  77. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  78. proliferate
    grow rapidly
  79. propitiate
    make peace with
  80. propriety
    correct behavior
  81. prudence
    discretion in practical affairs
  82. puerile
    displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity
  83. pugilism
    boxing with bare hands
  84. pulchritude
    physical beauty, especially of a woman
  85. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
  86. pusillanimous
    lacking in courage, strength, and resolution
  87. querulous
    habitually complaining
  88. quiescent
    being quiet or still or inactive
  89. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  90. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  91. raconteur
    a person skilled in telling anecdotes
  92. rarefy
    lessen the density or solidity of
  93. redress
    make reparations or amends for
  94. rejoinder
    a quick reply to a question or remark
  95. repast
    the food served and eaten at one time
  96. replete
    filled to satisfaction with food or drink
  97. repose
    freedom from activity
  98. repudiate
    refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid
  99. requite
    make repayment for or return something
  100. restive
    in a very tense state
  101. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  102. rhetoric
    study of the technique for using language effectively
  103. ribald
    humorously vulgar
  104. rococo
    having excessive asymmetrical ornamentation
  105. rustic
    characteristic of rural life
Created on Sun Jul 14 16:19:41 EDT 2013 (updated Wed Jul 24 20:36:00 EDT 2013)

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