The Brothers Karamazov

Jon S.
Words you may wish to know presented in the Bantam Classic 936 page edition of The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
205 words 85 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. auto-da-fe
    the burning to death of heretics
  2. quid pro quo
    something given in exchange for something else
  3. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
  4. impertinent
    improperly forward or bold
  5. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
  6. harken
    listen; used mostly in the imperative
  7. cupola
    a roof or part of a roof in the form of a dome
  8. efface
    remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing
  9. consumption
    the act of using something up
  10. privation
    the act of stripping someone of food, money, or rights
  11. effusion
    an unrestrained expression of emotion
  12. chagrin
    strong feelings of embarrassment
  13. pontiff
    the head of the Roman Catholic Church
  14. disparagement
    a communication that belittles somebody or something
  15. mirth
    great merriment
  16. expiate
    make amends for
  17. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
  18. edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls
  19. edification
    uplifting enlightenment
  20. edify
    make understand
  21. austere
    of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
  22. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
  23. derision
    the act of treating with contempt
  24. puissant
    powerful
  25. waif
    a homeless child especially one forsaken or orphaned
  26. plinth
    an architectural support or base, as for a column or statue
  27. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
  28. ostracize
    expel from a community or group
  29. morose
    showing a brooding ill humor
  30. indignant
    angered at something unjust or wrong
  31. strident
    unpleasantly loud and harsh
  32. magnanimous
    noble and generous in spirit
  33. extraneous
    not belonging to that in which it is contained
  34. conceit
    the trait of being unduly vain
  35. incorrigible
    impervious to correction by punishment
  36. ardent
    characterized by intense emotion
  37. despondent
    without or almost without hope
  38. ingratiating
    capable of winning favor
  39. languorous
    lacking spirit or liveliness
  40. imperturbable
    marked by extreme calm and composure
  41. callow
    young and inexperienced
  42. moralist
    a philosopher who specializes in ideas of right and wrong
  43. prostrate
    stretched out and lying at full length along the ground
  44. verity
    conformity to reality or actuality
  45. axiom
    a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof
  46. sordid
    foul and run-down and repulsive
  47. ignominious
    deserving or bringing disgrace or shame
  48. Euclidean geometry
    (mathematics) geometry based on Euclid's axioms
  49. voluptuary
    displaying luxury and furnishing gratification to the senses
  50. apostle
    an ardent early supporter of a cause or reform
  51. meek
    humble in spirit or manner
  52. usurer
    someone who lends money at excessive rates of interest
  53. uncouth
    lacking refinement or cultivation or taste
  54. drudgery
    hard, monotonous, routine work
  55. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
  56. servile
    submissive or fawning in attitude or behavior
  57. avaricious
    immoderately desirous of acquiring something
  58. ostentation
    pretentious or showy or vulgar display
  59. credulous
    showing a lack of judgment or experience
  60. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
  61. ignoble
    dishonorable in character or purpose
  62. delude
    be dishonest with
  63. impotence
    an inability (usually of the male animal) to copulate
  64. lofty
    of imposing height; especially standing out above others
  65. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
  66. fervor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  67. rapture
    a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
  68. ecstasy
    a state of elated bliss
  69. insatiable
    impossible to fulfill, appease, or gratify
  70. parable
    a short moral story
  71. abnegation
    the denial and rejection of a doctrine or belief
  72. betide
    become of; happen to
  73. glean
    gather, as of natural products
  74. cowl
    a loose hood or hooded robe
  75. ascetic
    someone who practices self denial as a spiritual discipline
  76. ordained
    fixed or established especially by command
  77. requiem
    a song or hymn of mourning as a memorial to a dead person
  78. levity
    a manner lacking seriousness
  79. flagrant
    conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
  80. veneration
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
  81. sanctity
    the quality of being holy
  82. uncanny
    surpassing the ordinary or normal
  83. dogma
    a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
  84. rejoinder
    a quick reply to a question or remark
  85. apiary
    a shed containing a number of beehives
  86. dispensation
    the act of giving out in portions
  87. castor
    a pivoting roller attached to the bottom of furniture or trucks or portable machines to make them movable
  88. cassock
    a black garment reaching down to the ankles
  89. imperious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  90. canticle
    a hymn derived from the Bible
  91. denunciation
    a public act of condemnation
  92. rapacious
    living by preying on other animals
  93. tepid
    moderately warm
  94. perfidy
    an act of deliberate betrayal
  95. banal
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  96. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  97. coy
    affectedly shy especially in a playful or provocative way
  98. venerable
    profoundly honored
  99. epigram
    a witty saying
  100. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
  101. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  102. ardor
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  103. pert
    characterized by a lightly saucy or impudent quality
  104. sententious
    concise and full of meaning
  105. furor
    an interest followed with exaggerated zeal
  106. amorous
    inclined toward or displaying love
  107. impetuous
    characterized by undue haste and lack of thought
  108. detractor
    one who disparages or belittles the worth of something
  109. disparage
    express a negative opinion of
  110. perspicacious
    mentally acute or penetratingly discerning
  111. agrarian
    relating to rural matters
  112. willy-nilly
    in a random manner
  113. parricide
    the murder of your own father or mother
  114. magistrate
    a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law
  115. bellicose
    having or showing a ready disposition to fight
  116. aphoristic
    terse and witty and like a maxim
  117. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
  118. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  119. ingratiate
    gain favor with somebody by deliberate efforts
  120. impudent
    improperly forward or bold
  121. peremptory
    putting an end to all debate or action
  122. languor
    inactivity; showing an unusual lack of energy
  123. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
  124. abstruse
    difficult to understand
  125. dropsy
    swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities
  126. stolid
    having or revealing little emotion or sensibility
  127. lout
    an awkward, foolish person
  128. insolent
    marked by casual disrespect
  129. prolix
    tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at length
  130. flunky
    an underling of unquestioning obedience
  131. congenial
    suitable to your needs
  132. cantankerous
    stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
  133. luminary
    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others
  134. hosanna
    a cry of praise or adoration (to God)
  135. repine
    express discontent
  136. casuistry
    argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle
  137. buxom
    healthily plump and vigorous
  138. trite
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  139. pretension
    the advancing of a claim
  140. penitent
    feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds
  141. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
  142. vainglorious
    feeling self-importance
  143. impeach
    bring an accusation against
  144. unimpeachable
    beyond doubt or reproach
  145. deference
    courteous regard for people's feelings
  146. superfluous
    more than is needed, desired, or required
  147. admonish
    scold or reprimand; take to task
  148. mores
    the conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group
  149. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
  150. shrift
    the act of being shriven
  151. aspersion
    a disparaging remark
  152. expound
    add details to clarify an idea
  153. incontrovertible
    impossible to deny or disprove
  154. sultry
    attractive and suggesting hidden passion
  155. lorgnette
    eyeglasses that are held to the eyes with a long handle
  156. scrupulous
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
  157. indictment
    an accusation of wrongdoing
  158. haughty
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  159. mitigate
    lessen or to try to lessen the seriousness or extent of
  160. statuesque
    suggestive of a sculpture representing a human or animal
  161. opaque
    not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy
  162. scruples
    motivation deriving from ethical or moral principles
  163. immolate
    kill as a sacrifice, especially by fire
  164. calamity
    an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
  165. eccentric
    conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual
  166. troika
    a Russian carriage pulled by three horses abreast
  167. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  168. chauvinism
    fanatical patriotism
  169. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
  170. obverse
    the more conspicuous of two alternatives or cases or sides
  171. stoic
    seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
  172. tantamount
    being essentially equal to something
  173. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
  174. conjecture
    believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds
  175. calvary
    any experience that causes intense suffering
  176. concession
    the act of yielding
  177. duress
    compulsory force or threat
  178. confounded
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
  179. jackdaw
    common black-and-grey Eurasian bird noted for thievery
  180. peroration
    the concluding section of a rhetorical address
  181. nihilism
    complete denial of established authority and institutions
  182. rostrum
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
  183. pathos
    a quality that arouses emotions, especially pity or sorrow
  184. colloquial
    characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
  185. outset
    the time at which something is supposed to begin
  186. improvident
    not supplying something useful for the future
  187. unassailable
    impossible to attack
  188. reprehensible
    bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure
  189. eccentricity
    strange and unconventional behavior
  190. esthetic
    concerning an appreciation of beauty or good taste
  191. extravagant
    recklessly wasteful
  192. equivocal
    open to two or more interpretations
  193. equivocation
    intentional vagueness or ambiguity
  194. dissent
    a difference of opinion
  195. declaim
    recite in a skilled and formal way
  196. blackguard
    someone who is morally reprehensible
  197. callous
    emotionally hardened
  198. intimate
    marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
  199. shirk
    avoid one's assigned duties
  200. eminent
    standing above others in quality or position
  201. mainstay
    a prominent supporter
  202. mete
    a line that indicates a boundary
  203. restive
    in a very tense state
  204. dissolute
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  205. exhortation
    an earnest attempt at persuasion
Created on Sun Jul 31 09:17:40 EDT 2011 (updated Mon Aug 01 11:10:13 EDT 2011)

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