Kaplan's 500: Review Flashcards
Acidulous (adj.)
sour in taste or manner
The ACIDULOUS taste of the spoiled milk made the young boy’s lips pucker.
SYN: acerbic; acetous; biting; piquant; pungent; tart
Amortize (verb)
to diminish by installment payments
While college students are notorious for accumulating credit card debt, they are not as well known for AMORTIZING it.
SYN: decrease; reduce
Affected (adj.)
phony; artificial
The AFFECTED hairdresser spouted French phrases, though he had never been to France.
SYN: insincere; pretentious; put-on
Bonhomie (noun)
good-natured geniality; an atmosphere of good cheer
The aspects of her job that Dana loved the most were the flexible hours and the pleasant BONHOMIE in the office.
SYN: affability; amiability; cordiality; geniality
Impetus (noun)
stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity
Decorum (noun)
appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM appropriate for a visit to the palace.
SYN: correctness; decency; etiquette; manners; mores; propriety; seemliness
Condone (verb)
to overlook, pardon, or disregard
Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING an air of lawlessness.
SYN: exculpate; excuse; pardon; remit
Cupidity (adj.)
greed; strong desire
Aladin and Abu stared at the jules in the Cave of Wonders with CUPIDITY
SYN: avarice; covetousness; rapacity
comme il faut (adj.)
“as it should be;” correct or correctly
SYN: appropriate; courteous; polite
Jingoist (noun)
nationalistic chauvinist
Corroborate (verb)
to support with evidence
All the DA needed were fingerprints to CORROBORATE the witness’s testimony that he saw the defendant in the victim’s department.
SYN: authenticate; back; buttress; confirm
Disabuse (verb)
to set right; to free from error
Galileo’s observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the sun revolved around the Earth.
SYN: correct; undecieve
Dogmatic (adj.)
dictatorial in one’s opinions
SYN: imperious; prepemptory
Dither (verb)
to act confusedly or without clear purpose
Ellen DITHERED around her apartment, uncertain how to tackle the family crisis.
Dissonance (noun)
a harsh and disagreeable combination, especially of sounds
Attempting to recall previous vocabulary words with similar definitions and/or spellings is creating much cognitive DISSONANCE.
SYN: clash; contention; discord; dissension; dissent; dissidence; friction; strife; variance
Deference (noun)
respect; courtesy
The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court Justice with the utmost DEFERENCE.
SYN: courtesy; homage; honor; obeisance; respect; reverence; veneration
Doctrinaire (adj.)
rigidly devoted to theories without regard for practicality; dogmatic
Diffident (adj.)
lacking self-confidence
Steve was DIFFIDENT during the job interview because of his nervous nature and lack of experience in the field.
SYN: backward; bashful; coy; demure; modest; retiring; self-effacing; shy; timid
Contumacious (adj.)
rebellious
DaeNeshya and Maqwai are very contumacious teenagers; they often run out of the classroom to avoid completing their assignments.
SYN: factious; insubordinate; insurgent; mutinous; rebellious; seditious
Encomium (noun)
warm praise
She wrote an encomium in praise of the outgoing president.
Equivocate (verb)
to use expressions of double-meaning in order to mislead
When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties thinking he agreed with them.
SYN: ambiguous; evasive; waffling
Euphony (noun)
pleasant, harmonious sound
Ephemeral (adj.)
lasting only a short time
The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies’ average lifespan is a matter of hours.
SYN: evanescent; fleeting; momentary; transient
Ethos (noun)
the beliefs or character of a group
It is the Boy Scouts’ ETHOS that one should always be prepared.
SYN: culture; ethic; philosophy
Edify (verb)
to instruct morally and spiritually
The guru was paid to EDIFY the actress in the ways of Buddhism.
SYN: enlighten; guide; teach; educate
Efficacy (noun)
effectiveness
SYN: dynamism; efficiency; force
Eulogy (noun)
a speech in praise of someone
SYN: commend; extol; laud
Enigma (noun)
a puzzle; a mystery
conundrum; perplexity
Eloquent (adj.)
persuasive and moving, especially in speech
Engender (verb)
to produce, cause, or bring about
His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed a bank-robbery carried out by five men wearing clown suits and makeup.
SYN: beget; generate; spawn
Erudite (adj.)
learned; scholarly; bookish
Droll (adj.)
amusing in a wry, subtle way
Hapless (adj.)
unfortunate; having bad luck
I wish someone would give that pour, hapless soul some food and shelter.
SYN: ill-fated; jinxed; luckless
Garrulous (adj.)
tending to talk a lot
SYN: effusive; loquacious
Imbue (verb)
to infuse, dye, wet, or moisten
Marcia struggled to IMBUE her children with decent values.
SYN: charge; freight; impregnate; permeate; pervade
Forestall (verb)
to prevent or delay; anticipate
The landlord FORESTALLED TJ’s attempt to avoid paying the rent by waiting for him outside his door.
SYN: obviate; preclude; avert; deter; hinder
Fractious (adj.)
unruly; rebellious
The general had a hard time maintaining discipline among his FRACTIOUS troops.
SYN: contentious; cranky; quarellsome
Gambol (verb)
to dance or skip around playfully
Foment (verb)
to arouse or incite
Fecund (adj.)
fertile; fruitful; productive
Rachel hopes to have great fecundity in her child-bearing years. Which she hopes are very very soon.
Glib (adj.)
fluent in an insincere manner; off-hand; casual
SYN: superficial
Gregarious (adj.)
outgoing; sociable
Social butterflies are, by definition, GREGARIOUS
SYN: affable; communicative; congenial
Hegemony (noun)
the domination of one state or group over its allies
When Germany claimed HEGEMONY over Russia, Stalin was outraged.
SYN: authority; power
Hoary (adj.)
very old; whitish from old age
Husband (verb)
to manage economically; to use sparingly
Iconoclast (noun)
one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions.
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST.
SYN: maverick; nonconformist; rebel; revolutionary
Investiture (noun)
ceremony conferring authority
Intransigent (adj.)
uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the assignment in at the same time.
SYN: implacable; inexorable; irreconcilable; obdurate; obstinate; remorseless; rigid; unbending; unrelenting; unyielding
Intractable (adj.)
not easily managed or manipulated
INTRACTABLE for hours, the wild horse eventually allowed for the rider to mount.
SYN: stubborn; unruly
Implacable (adj.)
unable to calm down or be made peaceful
His rage at the betrayal was so great that he was implacable for weeks.
SYN: inexorable; intransigent; irreconcilable; relentless; remorseless; unforgiving
Impetuous (adj.)
quick to act without thinking
I didn’t think, and then I acted. Impetuously.
SYN: impulsive; precipitate
Intransigent (adj.)
refusing to agree or compromise; inflexible; unyielding
innocuous (adj.)
harmless
insurrection (noun)
rebellion
Ingratiate (verb)
to gain favor through effort
The new intern tried to INGRATIATE herself with the managers so that they might consider her for a future job.
SYN: curry; flavor; flatter
Intrepid (adj.)
fearless
Impugn (verb)
to call into question; to attack verbally
“How dare you impugn my motives?!” protested the lawyer, on being accused of ambulance chasing.
SYN: challenge; dispute
imperturbable (adj.)
not able to be disturbed
SYN: composed; dispassionate; impassive; serene; stoical
Incardanine (adj.)
blood-red
Inure (verb)
to harden; accustom
Eventually, Hassad became INURED to the sirens that went off every night and could sleep through them.
SYN: familiarize; condition; habituate
Invective (noun)
abusive language
My students sometimes shout streams of INVECTIVES.
SYN: denunciation; revilement; vituperation
Jingoism (noun)
belligerent support of one’s own country
The professor’s JINGOISM made it difficult for the students to participate in an open political discussion.
SYN: chauvinism; nationalism
Jocular (adj.)
playful; humorous
Irascible (adj.)
easily angered
Itinerant (adj.)
wandering from place to place; unsettled
The ITINERANT tomcat came back to the Quinn homestead every two months.
SYN: nomadic; vagrant
Licentious (adj.)
immoral; unrestrained by society
Lissome (adj.)
limber; agile; lithe
Limpid (adj.)
clear; transparent
SYN: lucid; pellucid; serene
Loquacious (adj.)
talkative
Machination (noun)
a plot or scheme
Levity (noun)
an inappropriate lack of seriousness
The joke added a jarring note of LEVITY to the otherwise serious meeting.
Listless (adj.)
lacking energy and enthusiasm
SYN: faineant; indolent; languid; lethargic; sluggish
Mendacious (adj.)
dishonest
Mendicant (noun)
beggar
Some Street Sense vendors come across as MENDICANTS, pleading for money rather than trying to sell a paper.
Monastic (adj.)
extremely plain or secluded, as in a monastery
The philosopher retired to his MONASTIC lodgings to contemplate life free from any worldly distraction.
SYN: austere; contemplative; self-abnegating
Mores (noun)
fixed customs or manners; moral attitudes
SYN: conventions; practices
Multifarious (adj.)
diverse
Ken opened the hotel room window, letting in the MULTIFARIOUS noises of the great city.
SYN: assorted; heterogeneous; legion; varied
Neologism (noun)
new word or expression
Invidious (adj.)
envious, obnoxious, or offensive; likely to promote ill-will
It is cruel and INVIDIOUS for parents to play favorites with their children.
SYN: discriminatory; jaundiced; insulting; resentful
Lugubrious (adj.)
sorrowful; mournful; dismal
Inexorable (adj.)
inflexible; unyielding
The INEXORABLE force of the hurricane swept away the house.
SYN: adamant; obdurate; relentless
Mollify (verb)
to calm; to make less severe
Their argument was so intense that it was difficult to believe any compromise could MOLLIFY them.
SYN: apease; assuage; conciliate; pacify
Nadir (noun)
lowest point
Myopic (adj.)
short-sighted; lacking foresight
Not wanting to spend a lot of money up front, the MYOPIC business owner would likely suffer the consequences later
Nascent (adj.)
starting to develop; coming into existence
The ad-campaign was still at a NASCENT stage, and nothing had been finalized yet.
SYN: inchoate; embryonic; incipient; emerging
Punctilious (adj.)
careful; finicky
Militate (verb)
to work against
Meretricious (adj.)
falsely attractive
SYN: flashy; gaudy; loud; specious; insincere
Misanthrope (noun)
a person who dislikes others
Mercurial (adj.)
quick, shrewd, and unpredictable
Obviate (verb)
to make redundant; to anticipate (and prevent)
Obdurate (adj.)
hardened in feeling
The group-member was completely OBDURATE on the issue: no amount of persuasion would change her mind.
SYN: inflexible; intransigent; recacitrant; tenacious; unyielding
Opprobrium (noun)
public disgrace
SYN: disrepute; ignominy; obloquy; shame
Ostentation (noun)
excessive showiness
SYN: flashiness; pretentiousness
Ostensible (adj.)
apparent
Laconic (adj.)
using few words
SYN: taciturn
Palliate (verb)
to make less serious; to ease
The alleged crime was so vicious that the defense lawyer could not PALLIATE it for the jury.
SYN: allieve; assuage; extenuate; mitigate; placate
Lachrymose (adj.)
tearful
Orotund (adj.)
pompous
SYN: aureate; bombastic; euphuistic; grandiloquent; magniloquent; sonorous; overblown; oratorial
Occlude (verb)
to block
Obsequious (adj.)
overly submissive; eager to please
SYN: compliant; deferential; servile
Obstinate (adj.)
stubborn; unyielding
SYN: intransigent; mulish; persistent; pertinacious
Officious (adj.)
too helpful; meddlesome
Noisome (adj.)
stinking; putrid
Nominal (adj.)
existing in name only; negligible
SYN: minimal; titular
Neophyte (noun)
novice; beginner
SYN: apprentice; greenhorn; tyro
Calumny (noun)
a misrepresentation; a false/malicious accusation
Craven (adj.)
lacking courage
Arrogate (verb)
to claim without justification
Gretchen watched in astonishment as her boss ARROGATED the credit for her brilliant work on the project.
SYN: presume; appropriate; take
Approbation (noun)
approval and praise
SYN: acclaim; adulation; extolment; praise
Anodyne (noun)
something that calms or soothes pain
SYN: nepenthe; opiate
Distaff (noun)
the maternal branch of a family
I’m losing my hair because of the genetics on the distaff’s side of my family.
Dilatory (adj.)
intended to delay
The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Desultory (adj.)
jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
SYN: aimless; disconnected; erratic; objectless; unplanned
Demur (verb)
to express doubts or objections
Geocentric model of the solar system? Galileo had to DEMUR.
SYN: dissent; expostulate; protest; remonstrate
Expurgate (verb)
to censor
SYN: bowdlerize
Exigent (adj.)
urgent
Effrontery (noun)
impudent boldness
SYN: brashness; temerity; presumption; gall
Enervate (verb)
to weaken
Ebullient (adj.)
exhilarated
SYN: ardent; avid; bubbly; zestful
Iniquity (noun)
a sin; an evil act
SYN: enormity; wickedness; injustice
Ingenuous (adj.)
showing innocence or childlike simplicity
SYN: artless; guileless; innocent; unaffected
Indolent (adj.)
habitually lazy; idol
SYN: faineant; languid; lethargic
Inimical (adj.)
hostile; unfriendly
SYN: recalcitrant; adverse; antagonistic
Inculcate (verb)
to teach; to impress in the mind
Imprecation (noun)
a curse
Insipid (adj.)
lacking interest or flavor
SYN: banal; dull; stale; vapid
Inchoate (adj.)
not fully formed; disorganized
My INCHOATE plans for a massive capture the flag game on Sunday fell through due to their disorder.
SYN: incoherent; incomplete
Collusion (noun)
conspiracy; collaboration
It came to light that the police chief and the mafia had a COLLUSION in running the numbers racket.
SYN: connivance; intrigue; machination
Castigate (verb)
to punish or criticize harshly
SYN: admonish; chastise; reprimand; reproach; reprove
Cosset (verb)
to pamper
Cogent (adj.)
convincing and well-reasoned
credulous (adj.)
too trusting
August (adj.)
dignified; grandiose
Banal (adj.)
predictable; boring
SYN: bromidic; cliched; commonplace; fatuous; hackneyed; innocuous; insipid; jejune; musty; platitudinous; prosaic; quotidian; shopworn; stale; vapid
Abeyance (noun)
temporary suspension or suppression
Abstemious (adj.)
moderate in appetite
SYN: continent; self-restraining; abstinent; sober; temperate
Dissemble (verb)
to present a false appearance; to disguise one’s real intentions or character
SYN: dissimulate
Deleterious (adj.)
unexpectedly harmful
SYN: hurtful; inimical; injurious
Fallow (adj.)
dormant; unused
Endemic (adj.)
belonging to a particular area; inherent
SYN: indigenous; local; native
Veracity (noun)
filled with truth and accuracy
SYN: candor; exactitude; fidelity; probity
Verdant (adj.)
green with vegetation; inexperienced
Vernal (adj.)
relating to spring; fresh
Vestige (noun)
a trace or remnant
Usury (noun)
the practice of lending money at exorbitant rates
The moneylender was convicted of USURY when it was discovered that he charged 50 percent interest on all his loans.
Variegated (adj.)
varied; marked with different colors
SYN: diversified
Vex (verb)
to annoy, irritate, puzzle, or confuse
Volatile (adj.)
easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
SYN: capricious; erratic; fickle; mercurial
Wanton (adj.)
undisciplined; unrestrained; reckless
SYN: capricious; lewd; licentious
Whimsical (adj.)
lightly acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the children with its imaginative characters and unpredictable sets.
SYN: capricious; erratic; flippant; frivolous
Wizened (adj.)
shriveled; withered; wrinkled
Xenophobia (noun)
a fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers
Winsome (adj.)
charming; happily engaging
Sarah gave the old man a WINSOME smile, and he came in his pants.
SYN: attractive; delightful
Zephyr (noun)
a gentle breeze; something airy or unsubstantial
Wan (adj.)
sickly pale
Vim (noun)
vitality and energy
Vicissitude (noun)
a change or variation
Investors must be prepared for VICISSITUDES of the stock market.
SYN: inconstancy; mutability
Vituperate (verb)
to verbally abuse; to berate
My students frequently VITUPERATE each other in class - it’s really become a problem.
SYN: castigate; reproach; scold
Voluble (adj.)
talkative; glib; speaking easily
The VOLUBLE man and his reserved wife proved the old saying that opposites attract.
SYN: loquacious; verbose
Pariah (noun)
an outcast
SYN: castaway; derelict; leper; offscouring; untouchable
Perfunctory (adj.)
done routinely; indifferent
The machine-like teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a PERFUNCTORY smile.
SYN: apathetic; automatic; mechanical
Panegyric (noun)
elaborate praise; a formal hymn of praise
Lassitude (noun)
a state of diminished energy
The lack of energy that characterizes patients with anemia makes LASSITUDE one of the primary symptoms of the disease.
SYN: debilitation; enervation; fatigue; languor; listlessness; tiredness
Perspicacious (adj.)
shrewd; astute; keen-witted
SYN: insightful; sagacious
Panoply (noun)
impressive array
Paragon (noun)
a model of excellence or perfection
SYN: apotheosis; ideal; quintessence; standard
Parry (verb)
to ward off or deflect, especially by a quick-witted answer
Pastiche (noun)
a piece of literature or music imitating other works
Elegy (noun)
a sorrowful poem or speech
SYN: dirge; lament
Pejorative (noun)
having bad connotations; disparaging
Penury (noun)
oppressive lack of resources; severe poverty
Once a famous actor, he eventually died in PENURY and anonymity.
SYN: destitution; impoverishment
Peripatetic (adj.)
wandering from place to place, especially on foot
SYN: itinerant; nomadic; wayfaring
Permeate (verb)
to penetrate
SYN: imbue; infuse; pervade; suffuse
Perfidious (adj.)
willing to betray someone’s trust
Peregrinate (verb)
to wander around from place to place, to travel, especially on foot.
Peccadillo (noun)
a minor sin or offense
Pedant (noun)
someone who shows off learning
SYN: doctrinaire; nit-picker; pedagogue; sophist; school-master
Panache (noun)
flamboyance or dash in style and action; verve
Largess (noun)
generous giving (often money) to others who may seem inferior
She always relied on her parents’ LARGESS, but after graduation she had to get a job.
Latent (adj.)
potentially available, but not readily apparent
SYN: concealed; dormant; inert; potential; quiescent
Languid (adj.)
lacking energy; indifferent; slow
Philistine (adj.)
a person who is guided by materialism and is disdainful of intellectual or artistic values
The PHILISTINE never even glanced at the rare violin in his collection but instead kept an eye on its value and sold it at a profit.
SYN: boor; bourgeois; capitalist; materialist; vulgarian
Phlegmatic (adj.)
calm and unemotional in temperament
SYN: apathetic; calm; emotionless; impassive
Phalanx (noun)
a close-knit body of people, animals, or things
Pithy (adj.)
profound or substantial yet concise, succinct, and to the point
Martha’s PITHY comments during the interview must have been impressive because she got the job.
SYN: brief; compact; laconic; terse
Placate (verb)
to soothe or pacify
SYN: appease; conciliate; mollify
Plebeian (adj.)
crude or course; characteristic of commoners
Plethora (noun)
excess
SYN: glut; overabundance; superfluity; surfeit
Plucky (adj.)
courageous; spunky
Polemic (noun)
a controversy; an argument; a personal attack
The candidate’s POLEMIC against his opponent was vicious and small-minded rather than convincing and cogent.
SYN: denunciation; refutation
Politic (adj.)
shrewd and practical in managing or dealing with things; diplomatic
She was wise to curb her tongue and was able to explain her problem to the judge in a respectful and POLITIC manner.
SYN: tactful
Polyglot (noun)
a speaker of many languages
Mr. Winn’s extensive travels and studies have helped him to become a true POLYGLOT.
Posit (verb)
to assume as real or conceded; to propose as an explanation
Before proving the math formula, we need to POSIT that x and y are real numbers.
SYN: suggest
Potentate (noun)
a monarch or ruler with great power
Alex was much kinder before he assumed the role of POTENTATE.
Pragmatic (adj.)
practical, as opposed to idealistic
Prattle (noun)
meaningless, foolish talk
Precipitate (adj.)
lacking deliberation; brought about abruptly
Their army wedding was a PRECIPITATE marriage–they had only known each other for two weeks before they wed.
SYN: abrupt; hasty; headlong; hurried; ill-considered; impetuous
Precis (noun) (PRAY–SEE)
short summary of facts
Farah wrote a PRECIS of her her thesis on the epic poem to share with the class
SYN: summary
Prescient (adj.)
having foresight
SYN: augural; divinatory; mantic; oracular; premonitory
Prevaricate (verb)
to deviate from the truth; to lie
Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.
SYN: equivocate; lie; perjure
Probity (noun)
complete honesty and integrity
George Washington’s reputation for PROBITY is illustrated in the legend about his inability to lie after he chopped down the cherry tree.
SYN: integrity; morality; rectitude; uprightness; virtue
Propriety (noun)
the quality of behaving in a proper manner; obeying rules and customs
The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor social rules.
SYN: appropriateness; decency; decorum; modesty
Proclivity (noun)
a natural inclination or predisposition
Her childhood love of acting, singing, and adoration indicated a PROCLIVITY for the theater in later life.
SYN: bias; leaning; partiality; penchant; predilection; predisposition; prejudice; propensity
Profligate (adj.)
corrupt; degenerate
Some historians claim that it was the Romans’ decadent, PROFLIGATE behavior that led to the decline of the Roman Empire.
SYN: dissolute; extravagant; improvident; wasteful; prodigal
Propitiate (verb)
to conciliate; appease
Because their gods were angry and vengeful, the Vikings PROPITIATED them with many sacrifices.
SYN: appease; conciliate; mollify; pacify; placate
Prodigal (adj.)
lavish; wasteful
Reticent (adj.)
silent; reserved
The RETICENT student didn’t say much in the classroom, even when called upon.
SYN: cool; introverted; laconic; taciturn
Restive (adj.)
impatient; restless; uneasy
SYN: agitated; anxious; fretful
Repudiate (v)
to reject the validity of
I REPUDIATE Mr. Proxmire’s claims about the car accident.
SYN: deny; disavow; renounce; disown
Redress (noun)
relief from injury
Seeking REDRESS for the damage done to my car, I called Geico to request payment for Diminution of value.
SYN: amends; indemnity; quittance;
Indemnity (noun)
protection or security against damage or loss (see redress)
Quittance (noun)
discharge from a debt or obligation
Restitution (noun)
reparation made by equivalent compensation for loss or damage
Pusillanimous (adj.)
cowardly
Rejoinder (noun)
reply; retort
He tried desperately to think of a clever REJOINDER to Sarah’s joke, but he couldn’t.
SYN: retort; riposte
Riposte (noun)
quick, sharp response
Repose (noun)
relaxation; leisure
Sybarite (noun)
person devoted to leisure and luxury
SYN: hedonist; sensualist
Sycophant (noun)
self-serving flatterer
SYN: toady
Ribald (adj.)
humorous in a vulgar way
Prudence (noun)
wisdom; caution; restraint
SYN: astuteness; circumspection; judiciousness; providence; thrift
Pugilism (noun)
boxing
Pulchritude (noun)
beauty
SYN: comeliness
Pungent (adj.)
irritating to the senses
SYN: acrid; caustic; piquant
piquant (adj.)
agreeably pungent and sharp in taste or manner
Quiescent (adj.)
motionless
SYN: dormant; latent
Acquiescent (adj.)
compliant
Quixotic (adj.)
irrationally idealistic
SYN: capricious; impulsive; romantic; unrealistic
Quotidian (adj.)
daily; commonplace
Raconteur (noun)
a witty, skillful storyteller
SYN: anecdotalist
Querulous (adj.)
inclined to complain; irritable
First-year teachers are a QUERULOUS bunch; but their complaints and frustrations are understandable.
SYN: peevish; puling; whiny
Peevish (adj.)
cross, querulous, or fretful
Puling (adj.)
whining or whimpering
Repast (noun)
meal or mealtime
SYN: banquet; feast
Requite (verb)
to repay
SYN: compensate; reciprocate
Replete (noun)
complete; abundantly supplied
SYN: abounding; full
Sacrosanct (adj.)
extremely sacred; beyond criticism
SYN: holy; inviolable; off-limits
Bucolic (adj.)
pastoral
Sagacious (adj.)
shrewd; wise
SYN: astute; judicious; perspicacious; wise
obloquy (noun)
abusive language aimed at someone; a fulmination/diatribe
Trenchant (adj.)
acute, sharp, or incisive; forceful; effective
Tyrone’s TRENCHANT observations in class made him the professor’s favorite student.
SYN: biting; caustic; cutting; keen
Salubrious (adj.)
healthful
The doctor hoped that the sea air would have a SALUBRIOUS effect on the grandmother.
SYN: bracing; curative; medicinal; tonic; therapeutic
Taciturn (adj.)
silent; not talkative
SYN: laconic; reticent
Tangential (adj.)
digressing; diverting
Tirade (noun)
long, harsh speech or verbal attack
SYN: diatribe; fulmination; harangue; obloquy; revilement; vilification
Tome (noun)
a book, usually a large and academic one
SYN: codex; volume
Torpor (noun)
extreme mental and physical sluggishness
SYN: apathy; languor; stupor
Transitory (adj.)
temporary; lasting for a brief time
SYN: ephemeral; evanescent; fleeting; impermanent
Terrestrial (adj.)
earthly; down-to-earth; commonplace
SYN: earthbound; mundane; sublunary; tellurian; terrene
Syncopation (noun)
temporary irregularity in musical rhythm
Tacit (adj.)
done without using words
SYN: implicit; implied; unsaid
symbiosis (noun)
cooperation; mutual helpfulness
Tawdry (adj.)
gaudy; cheap; or showy
SYN: meretricious; flashy; loud
Toady (noun)
one who flatters to gain favors
The king was surrounded by TOADIES who rushed to agree with whatever outrageous thing he said.
SYN: parasite; sycophant
Sinecure (noun)
a well-paying job or office that requires little or no work
Specious (adj.)
falsely attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious.
SYN: illusory; ostensible; plausible; sophistic; spurious
Sophistic (adj.)
tricky; fallacious; spurious
Spurious (adj.)
not being what it purports to be
Somnolent (adj.)
sleepy or drowsy
Spartan (adj.)
self-disciplined; frugal; austere
SYN: restrained; simple
Sportive (adj.)
frolicsome; playful
Stigma (noun)
a mark of shame or discredit
SYN: blemish; stain; opporbrium
Stolid (adj.)
unemotional; lacking sensitivity
The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge’s harsh sentence.
SYN: phlegmatic; impassive; indifferent;apathetic; stoic; unconcerned
Stasis (noun)
a state of equilibrium; stagnation
SYN: inertia; standstill
Solecism (noun)
grammatical error
SYN: blooper; vulgarism
Stentorian (adj.)
extremely loud
MOVIE TITLE: “Stentorian and Incredibly Close”
Sully (verb)
to taint; tarnish
SYN: besmirch; defile
Supplant (verb)
to replace (another) by force; to take the place of
Surly (adj.)
rude and bad-tempered
Stratagem (noun)
a trick designed to deceive an opponent
SYN: artifice; feint; maneuver; ruse; wile
Sublime (adj.)
lofty or grand
SYN: august; exalted; glorious; grand; resplendent; majestic
Subliminal (adj.)
below the threshold of cognition; subconscious
Sanguine (adj.)
ruddy; cheerfully optimistic
A sanguine person thinks the glass is half full.
SYN: positive; rosy; rubicund
Rubicund (adj.)
having a ruddy complexion
Sardonic (adj.)
cynical; scornfully mocking
SYN: acerbic; caustic; sarcastic; satirical
Sartorial (adj.)
of or relating to tailoring clothes
Sentient (adj.)
aware; conscious; able to perceive
SYN: feeling; intelligent; thinking
Seraphic (adj.)
angelic; sweet
SYN: cherubic; heavenly
Providence (noun)
prudence; foresight
Scintilla (noun)
trace amount
SYN: atom; iota; mote; speck
Sedition (noun)
behavior that promotes rebellion or civil disorder against the state
Li was arrested for SEDITION after he gave a fiery speech in the main square
SYN: conspiracy; insurrection
Salient (adj.)
prominent; of notable significance
Satiate (verb)
to satisfy or overindulge
SYN: cloy; glut; gorge; surfeit
Slake (verb)
to calm down or moderate
In order to SLAKE his curiosity, Ben finally took a tour backstage at the theater.
SYN: moderate; quench; satisfy
Soporific (adj.)
causing sleep or lethargy
SYN: hypnotic; narcotic; slumberous; somnolent
Surfeit (noun)
excessive amount
SYN: glut; plethora; repletion; superfluity; surplus
Sobriquet (noun)
a nickname
SYN: alias; pseudonym
unequivocal (adj.)
absolute; certain
SYN: categorical; clear; explicit; express; unambiguous
Umbridge (noun)
offense; resentment
The businessman took UMBRIDGE at the security guard’s accusation that he had shoplifted a packet of gum.
SYN: asperity; dudgeon; ire; pique; rancor
Rancor (noun)
bitter resentment; umbridge
Pique (noun)
offended; irritated
Upbraid (verb)
to scold sharply
Unconscionable (adj.)
unscrupulous; shockingly unfair or unjust
SYN: dishonorable; indefensible
Malinger (verb)
to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
Malediction (noun)
a curse; a wish of evil upon another
SYN: anathema; imprecation
Magnate (noun)
a powerful or influential person
Maelstrom (noun)
whirlpool; turmoil; agitated state of mind
Zealot (noun)
someone passionately devoted to a cause
Mannered (adj.)
artificial or stilted in character
SYN: affected; unnatural
Martinet (noun)
disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows the rules
Maudlin (adj.)
overly sentimental; bathetic
Tyro (noun)
beginner; novice
SYN: greenhorn; neophyte; tenderfoot
Turgid (adj.)
swollen from fluid; bloated
SYN: distended
