This document defines 177 words related to vocabulary. It provides definitions for words ranging from relatively common words like "abdicate" to more obscure words like "apocryphal". The definitions cover a wide variety of topics from politics, religion, nature, emotions and more.
This document defines 177 words related to vocabulary. It provides definitions for words ranging from relatively common words like "abdicate" to more obscure words like "apocryphal". The definitions cover a wide variety of topics from politics, religion, nature, emotions and more.
This document defines 177 words related to vocabulary. It provides definitions for words ranging from relatively common words like "abdicate" to more obscure words like "apocryphal". The definitions cover a wide variety of topics from politics, religion, nature, emotions and more.
This document defines 177 words related to vocabulary. It provides definitions for words ranging from relatively common words like "abdicate" to more obscure words like "apocryphal". The definitions cover a wide variety of topics from politics, religion, nature, emotions and more.
"The King was forced to abdicate his throne" 2. Abeyance a temporary suspension of activity "matters were held in abeyance pending further inquires" 3. Ablution the act of washing one's body 4. Abnegate to deny to oneself, renounce, surrender "The army was outnumbered they were forced to abnegate" "He attempts to abnegate personal responsibility" 5. Abridge To shorten, condense or lessen in length 6. Abrogate to repeal, to set aside, to nullify, abolish "The residents did not approve of the housing tax, so they filed a petition to have it abrogated." 7. Abscond to leave quickly and secretively "The cashier absconded with the money" 8. Absolve to forgive or free from blame "After seeing the store video, the owner absolved the employees from the damage" 9. Abstinence voluntarily refraining from eating certain foods or drink "The best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies is to practice abstinence" 10. Abstruse hard to understand or grasp "The theories in geometry seemed abstruse to Sophia" 11. Abysmal extremely wretched, bottomless 12. Accolade award or honor, high praise 13. Accouterments personal clothing, accessories, or equipment 14. Acidulous sour, ill tempered 15. Acquiesce to comply passively, to give in 16. Acquit to find not guilty, to conduct oneself 17. Adjure to command or urge solemnly and earnestly 18. Adumbrate to suggest partly, to give a hint of things to come 19. Adventitious accidental 20. Advocate to support, or be in favor of 21. Aegis protection, patronage 22. Aesthetic concerned with or appreciative of beauty 23. Affinity sympathy, attraction, kinship 24. Afflatus a creative impulse, divine inspiration 25. Agathism the belief that things ultimately lead to good 26. Agenda Program, things to be done 27. Aggrandize to make great 28. Aggrieve to distress, to mistreat 29. Agnate from the father's side of the family 30. Akimbo having one's hands in a bent position on the hips, 31. Alacrity cheerful readiness, liveliness or eagerness 32. Alchemy a process of transformation that is seemingly magical 33. Aleatory based on chance 34. Allusion an indirect reference 35. Altruistic unselfish concern with the welfare of others 36. Ambulatory able to walk or move about 37. Ameliorate to make better, to ease or improve 38. Amnesty an official pardon for a group of people who violate a law 39. Ana a collection of materials that reflect a person or place 40. Anathema something or someone loathed or intensely dislike 41. Ancillary subsidiary, subordinate 42. Animosity ill will, active dislike 43. Animus hostile feeling 44. Anomalous irregular, abnormal, unusual 45. Anomie Absence of social norms and values. instability caused by an erosion of value or lack of purpose. 46. Antediluvian extremely old, antiquated 47. Antinomy a contradiction between two seemingly true statements 48. Antipodal situated on opposite side of the earth or being exactly opposite 49. Aphasia loss of speech 50. Aphorism a wise saying 51. Apocryphal false, spurious, of doubtful origin Kaplan 900 Study online at quizlet.com/_ptmqa 52. Apoplexy a stroke resulting from loss of blood of the brain, 53. Apostasy a judge, one who decides 54. Arable suitable for the growing of crops 55. Arduous difficult to do, laborious 56. Arrant notoriously without moderation, downright 57. Arriviste a social climber, an upstart 58. Ascetic denial, austere 59. Aseptic surgically clean, free of germs 60. Assiduous hardworking, busy, diligent 61. Assignation a secret meeting, a tryst, or something assigned 62. Atrabilious inclined to melancholy 63. Augment to increase or enlarge 64. Austere stern in manner or appearance, strict in morals 65. Aversion strong or fixed dislike, a feeling of repugnance 66. Bacchanal a drunken reveler or orgy 67. Bailiwick a particular area of expertise 68. Banal Lacking in originality, commonplace, trite 69. Banausic routine, mechanical, boring 70. Bandy to toss and forth, to exchange, to use in a glib way 71. Baroque extravagantly ornate, flamboyant, characterized by bold ornamentation 72. Bathos a transition from the illustrious to the commonplace, overdone pathos, 73. Begrudge to envy another's possessions, to concede reluctantly 74. Behemoth something that is enormous, or monstrous in size and power 75. Belie to run counter to, to show something as false 76. Bellwether a person who assumes a leadership role or takes initiative 77. Benediction a blessing, a good wish 78. Benign gentle, not harmful, kind 79. Benison blessing, benediction 80. Besmirch to stain or soil( commonly as to reputation ) 81. Bibulous highly absorbent, given to or fond of alcoholic beverages 82. Bifurcated forked, divided into two branches 83. Bilious tempered, cranky, angry 84. Bivouac a temporary encampment 85. Blanch to turn pale 86. Blithe happily, lighthearted, joyful 87. Bon Vivant someone who enjoys luxurious living 88. Boondoggle a useless or valueless project or activity 89. Bosky wooded, covered with trees and shrubs 90. Botch to bungle, to foul up 91. Bowdlerize to censor prudishly 92. Bracing invigorating, to prepare 93. Braggadocio arrogant pretension, empty conceit 94. Broach to open up a subject for discussion 95. Brook to tolerate, to put up with something 96. Brummagem bogus, fraudulent, cheap, showy 97. Buffoon clown or fool 98. Bulwark something used as a defense, a strong protection 99. Bumptious assertive 100. Byzantine extremely intricate or complicated in structure 101. Cabal a secret group of conspirators, a clique 102. Cache a hiding place, something hidden in a secret place-he decided that they must ***** their weapons 103. Cachet a mark of distinction, a quality that "says" prestige--no other shipping company had quite the ****** of Cunard" 104. Caducity the infirmity of old age; senility. "my father was attacked with symptoms of ********" 105. Callous unfeeling and insensitive---his ******* comments about the murder made me shiver 106. Calumny slander, deliberate false statements 107. Canard a fabricated story, or sensational report, a hoax 108. Candor truthfulness, great honesty, frankness 109. Capitulate to surrender, to stop resisting 110. Capricious whimsical, fanciful, impulsive 111. Castigate to punish, chastise, criticize severely 112. Cataclysm a large-scale and violent event in the natural world.--the ******* at the end of the Cretaceous Period. A sudden violent political or social upheaval--the ******** of the First World War 113. Catharsis the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.--music is a means of ********* for them 114. Caustic biting in humor 115. Cavil to quibble, to raise trivial objections--they ******** at the cost 116. Celerity haste, swiftness of movement 117. Censure the act of blaming or condemning 118. Centrifugal proceeding in action away from the center or axle 119. Chary careful, cautious, wary--she had been ***** of telling the whole truth 120. Chastise to criticize severely--he ********* his colleagues for their laziness 121. Chicanery deception or trickery 122. Chimerical a thing which is hoped for but is illusory or impossible to achieve. "the economic sovereignty you claim to defend is a *******" 123. Chronic constant, lasting a long time 124. Circumlocution wordy language, an indirect, roundabout expression 125. Circumspect careful, thought through 126. Claque an audience paid to clap, an obsequious audience 127. Clemency disposition towards mercy, mildness 128. Clerisy the intellectual elite-the ******* are those who read for pleasure 129. Clique a small close-knit group of people who do not readily allow others to join them. "his flat became a haven for a ****** of young men of similar tastes 130. Clout influence, a forceful blow--I knew she carried a lot of ***** 131. Coalesce to come together as one, to fuse or unite 132. Cogitate to ponder over, to mediate, to think 133. Coherent making sense, organize and logical 134. Colloquial conversational, used in informal speech 135. Compatible able to get along well 136. Compendium a comprehensive summary 137. Comport to behave 138. Compunction remorse, feeling uneasy after having done something 139. Concomitant accompanying, attending, going along with 140. Conflagration a large, disastrous fire 141. Contentious argumentative over a point, quarrelsome 142. Convey to transport, to conduct, to communicate 143. Conviction determination, a state of being convinced 144. Copious abundant, lavish 145. Corroborate to support with evidence 146. Cortege a procession, a group of attendants 147. Coterie an intimate group of people with a common interest 148. Covet to wish for with envy 149. Craven cowardly 150. Criterion standard for judging 151. Culvert a sewer or drain 152. Cursory brief, without much attention to detail 153. Daedal ingenious or complex in design 154. Dearth a shortage 155. Debacle a disaster or violent breakdown 156. Deciduous shedding or losing leaves on a particular season, not evergreen 157. Decimate to kill or destroy a large part of 158. Defalcate to embezzle 159. Defenestration the act of throwing someone or something out a window 160. Deference respect, courtesy 161. Deft skillful 162. Deism the belief that god created the world and then left it to its own devices 163. Deleterious harmful 164. Delineate to describe or picture in words, to detail 165. Delude to deceive, to have false illusion 166. Demimonde a class of kept women or women of lower social standing, 167. Denouement the outcome 168. Denunciation open condemnation 169. Depravity moral corruption 170. Depreciate to lessen in value, to belittle 171. Depredate to prey upon, to plunder with violence if necessary 172. Descry to discern, to see something, to teach sight of 173. Desecrate to treat with disrespect 174. Desiccate to dry out 175. Destitute very poor, totally lacking 176. Diadem a crown that indicates royalty 177. Diatribe a denunciation, a biting speech 178. Dichotomy division into two often contradictory parts 179. Didactic instructive, intended to educate 180. Diffuse wordy, not concentrated, to spread widely 181. Digress to stray from the main subject 182. Dilettante a dabbler, someone with a superficial knowledge (usually of the arts) 183. Discerning keenly perceptive, shrewd 184. Discomfit to confuse, deceive 185. Discount to deduct, to disregard 186. Disquiet to make uneasy 187. Dissipate to break up, to squander, to indulge excessively in sensual pleasure 188. Diurnal occurring during the day, happens everyday 189. Diva an opera singer, prima donna, a temperamental, conceited person 190. Docile easily tought, submissive 191. Doff to take off (usually clothing) as a sign of greeting 192. Doggerel comic, sometimes crude, informal verse 193. Dogmatic arrogantly assertive, positive about unproven ideas 194. Dolorous sorrowful 195. Dormant as though asleep, not actively growing 196. Dossier a file of documents, letters and records 197. Draconian severe, exceedingly harsh 198. Dulcet having a nice, agreeable, melodious sound 199. Dupe to deceive, to trick 200. Ebb to decline, to recede 201. Eccentric non-conventional, a little kooky 202. clat a dazzling success, acclaim 203. Eclectic drawn from many sources 204. Edacious having an instable appetite, great voracity 205. Efface to erase, to rub away the features, to obscure 206. Effete exhausted, lost vitality, over refined 207. Egocentric involved, selfish 208. Egregious extremely bad, flagrant 209. lan vigor, distinctive, elegant style 210. Elliptical oval, obscure in expression 211. Elucidate to make clear 212. Embellish to add to, to exaggerate, garnish, ornament 213. Emigrate to move to a new country, to move to a new place 214. Emissary a messenger or representative, an agent 215. Emulate to imitate, to strive to equal 216. Encomium a eulogy or expression of high praise 217. Endemic native, belonging to a specific region 218. Enervate to weaken, to sap the strength 219. Engaging charming, interesting 220. Enigma a puzzle, a baffling situation, something obscure 221. Ennui boredom, listlessness, lack of interest 222. Ensconce to settle in snugly, to hide in a secure place 223. Enshroud to cover, to enclose with a dark cover 224. Ephemeral lived, transitory 225. Epicene having characteristics of both male and female neuter 226. Ersatz an inferior substitute 227. Erudite scholarly, deeply learned, well read 228. Escarpment cliff, a steep slope resulting from erosion 229. Esculent edible, suitable for eating 230. Esoteric understood by only a few 231. Espy to glimpse, to descry, to catch sight of 232. Ethnocentric the belief in the superiority of one's race or ethnic group 233. Etiolate pale and drawn, to make weak by stunting growth 234. Eulogize to speak in praise of someone, to pay written or spoken tribute 235. Euthenics the science of improving the condition of humans by improving their environment 236. Evanescent vanishing, happening for the briefest moment 237. Evanescent fleeting, vanishing, transient 238. Evince to show, reveal 239. Exacerbate to make worse or more severe 240. Exacting greatly demanding, requiring close attention 241. Exalt to raise high, to glorify 242. Exemplar an excellent model, a typical example 243. Exigent urgent, demands prompt action 244. Exorbitant extravagant, exceeding what is usual 245. Expedite to make faster or easier, to carry out promptly 246. Explicit clearly stated, precisely shown 247. Expunge to erase, to strike out 248. Extirpate to rip up by the roots, to abolish, to annihilate 249. Extol to praise highly 250. Facade the principal front of a building, a false appearance 251. Facetious humorous, joking in a somewhat inappropriate or clumsy manner 252. Faction a group, or part of large group, united on an issue 253. Fallacy false idea, mistaken belief, an implausible argument 254. Fauna animals 255. Fawning to show excessive affection, to be overly flattering in return for favor 256. Feckless lacking responsibility, ineffective 257. Fecund fertile, productive, fruitful 258. Feign to pretend, give a false impression, to invent falsely 259. Feral wild, like a wild animal, savage 260. Fetter to impede, restrain, hamper 261. Fey otherworldly, magical, "touched" 262. Fidelity a state of being faithful, loyal 263. Filial relating to a son 264. Finesse delicacy of workmanship, subtlety, skillful maneuvering 265. Flagellate to whip, or to punish as if by whipping 266. Fledgling a young bird learning to fly, a beginner, a novice 267. Flourish to grow strong, to grow abundantly, to thrive or prosper 268. Fluke a chance event, a coincidence, a stroke of luck 269. Fodder raw material for a given end 270. Foment to stir up, to incite 271. Foray an initial venture, to raid in search of plunder 272. Forfeit to give up something as a penalty for some error or crime 273. Forswear retract, renounce or recant 274. Fortuitous happening by chance, lucky fortunate 275. Forward contrary, consistently disobedient 276. Furtive secret, done by stealth, sly 277. Fusillade a rapid outburst, spray of gunfire 278. Fustian ridiculously pompous, bombastic, grandiose in delivery 279. Futile useless, hopeless, without effect 280. Gainsay to deny, to speak or act against 281. Galoot a loutish oaf, a clumsy but somewhat likable person 282. Galvanize to arouse suddenly, to stimulate, spur to action 283. Gamin a street urchin, a slim girl with an impish charm 284. Gamut the full range of something 285. Garner to gather and store away, to acquire by effort 286. Garrulous talkative 287. Gemeinschaft a group with similar tastes, a group bound by similar interests and kinship 288. Genteel refined, polite, aristocratic 289. Gerrymander to divide into election districts to gain political advantage 290. Gestalt a structure, whose parts cannot stand alone 291. Gesticulate to gesture, especially when speaking 292. Gird to invest with authority, to brace 293. Gratuitous freely given, unnecessary, uncalled for, unwarranted 294. Gravity seriousness 295. Grig a lively person 296. Grimace to make an ugly disapproving facial expression 297. Grovel to beg persistently, to degrade oneself 298. Guile cunning duplicity, purposeful deceit 299. Guise an external appearance 300. Gullible easily deceived 301. Halitosis bad breath 302. Harbinger a precursor, an indication, one that foreshadows what is coming 303. Hegira an escape to avoid danger or to get away from an unpleasant location 304. Herald to give notice of, to hail or greet 305. Heresy any belief that is strongly opposed to established beliefs, or practice 306. Hiatus a break or interruption from work or any other established routine 307. Hidebound excessively rigid, dry and stiff, inflexible 308. Histrionic overly dramatic, theatrical, deliberately affected 309. Hoary gray or white with age, ancient, stale 310. Homage reverence, respect, an expression of high regard 311. Homeopathy a system of natural healing 312. Homogeneous similar, of the same kind, uniform in nature 313. Homologate to confirm officially 314. Hortative giving advice or exhortation 315. Hubris confidence 316. Hugger-mugger a confusion, jumble, muddle 317. Husbandry the judicious use of resources, livestock farming 318. Hyperbole extravagant exaggeration used as a figure of speech 319. Ignominious disgraceful and dishonorable 320. Imago an adult stage of an insect, 321. Imbroglio a difficult and confused situation, a complicated disagreement 322. Immaterial insignificant, unimportant 323. Imminent about to occur, hanging threatening over one's head 324. Immutable something that is unchangeable, permanent 325. Impecunious without money, penniless 326. Imperious commanding, lordly, arrogant 327. Impervious does not allow something to pass through, impenetrable 328. Implacable not capable of being appeased or mollified 329. Impotent lacking power, helpless, unable to perform sexual intercourse 330. Impugn to attack the integrity of something 331. Incessant unceasing, never ending, flowing without interruption 332. Inchoate just beginning, not organized or orderly, incomplete 333. Incipient beginning to be, in an early stage 334. Incontrovertible- not disputable, not open to question 335. Indeterminate vague, not known in advance 336. Indigenous native, produced or living in a particular area 337. Indigent poverty stricken, needy 338. Indubitable unquestionable 339. Ineffable unutterable, unspeakable 340. Ineluctable inescapable, not to be avoided 341. Inept clumsy, awkward, incompetent 342. Infamy an evil reputation borne of a criminal act, a reputation for evil deeds 343. Inhibit to keep from free activity or expression, to restrain or even forbid 344. Iniquitous evil, unjust 345. Inquietude uneasiness, restlessness 346. Insidious sly, treacherous, having a gradual effect 347. Insipid lacking taste, dull, bland 348. Insouciant nonchalant, lighthearted, unconcerned 349. Interregnum the period between two successive governments, 350. Intransigent uncompromising, stubborn 351. Intrepid fearless, having fortitude and endurance 352. Inured to become accustomed to something undesirable 353. Inveterate habitual, deeply rooted or established 354. Irascible tempered, cranky 355. Irreverent disrespectful, gently or humorously mocking 356. Itinerant moving from place to place 357. Jargon a specialized vocabulary of a group, an obscure language 358. Jaunt a short pleasure trip 359. Jejune dull, lacking interest, empty of food 360. Jeopardy exposure to danger, peril 361. Judicious wise, showing judgment, cautious 362. Juggernaut a massive, unstoppable object 363. Junction a place of meeting or joining, a linkup 364. Junta a small group that rules a country after a coup d'tat 365. Juxtapose to place side by side 366. Karma a good or bad emanation of force from someone or something 367. Labile unstable, adaptable, liable to change 368. Lachrymose tearful, mournful 369. Laconic brief in speech, using very few words 370. Lambent radiant, flickering, marked by lightness 371. Lament to mourn, to express regret 372. Largess a generous giving of gifts, philanthropy 373. Lassitude a weariness, listlessness, a state of lethargy 374. Latent present but not visible or apparent, dormant, potential 375. Laud to praise, to applaud, to extol 376. Lax careless, too relaxed 377. Legacy something handed down from the past , a bequest 378. Leitmotif a dominant or recurring theme or emotion 379. Levee an embankment designed to prevent a river from flooding 380. Levity lack of seriousness, frivolity 381. Liaison connection between different groups, a close bond 382. Libation a pouring of a liquid for a religious ceremony, a drink 383. Libidinous lustful, lascivious 384. Lissome supple 385. Listless a lack of energy, spiritless 386. Lope to run at steady, easy pace 387. Lucid clear, easily understood 388. Luminary a person of great intellectual, creative or spiritual stature 389. Luminous glowing, bright, emitting light 390. Lupine having the characteristics of a wolf 391. Macerate to soften by soaking, to cause to waste away 392. Machination scheming activity foe an evil purpose 393. Magnanimous noble in spirit, generous, giving 394. Malaise a feeling of depression, uneasiness, of being unwell 395. Malapropism the humorous misuse of a word that sound very much like the word intended 396. Malfeasance an illegal act especially by a public official 397. Manifest to make evident by showing 398. Manqu a failure to realize one's aspirations 399. Manumit to release from slavery 400. Marshal to gather together something for a purpose, to arrange in order 401. Martinet one who adheres strictly to rules 402. Martyr one who suffers for a cause, a person who sacrifices for a principle 403. Matriculate to enroll, most particularly in college 404. Matrix something from which something else originates or takes from 405. Maudlin overly sentimental 406. Maverick a person who breaks away from the crowd, a non-conformist 407. Meander to wander aimlessly 408. Mlange a mixture of incongruous elements 409. Mellifluous sweetly flowing 410. Mendacious dishonest, deceitful 411. Mercenary a person who serves only for money, motivated by greed 412. Mercurial emotionally unpredictable, give to rapid changes in mood 413. Miasma a poisonous swamp vapor, a harmful influence or atmosphere 414. Mien demeanor, the air bearing of a person 415. Milieu environment, surroundings 416. Minion on, a follower, an underling 417. Mirthful merry, gleeful 418. Moot of no matter or consequence, not important 419. Mordant bitingly sarcastic, incisive, caustic in manner 420. Moribund being in a dying or decaying condition 421. Morose gloomy, bad tempered, a sullen disposition 422. Moue a pout, usually playful, a little grimace--make a **** 423. Muckrake to expose political misconduct-This reporter was well-known for his ********** 424. Mugwump a person or politician who can't make up his mind, an independent 425. Munificent generous 426. Myopia nearsightedness, lacking foresight 427. Myriad an immense indefinite number, multitude 428. Nabob a wealthy, influential person- tycoon, magnate,plutocrat. 429. Nascent coming into existence, being born----the ******* space industry 430. Nefandous Unspeakably horrible, abominable, atrocious.--- The man was an animal, he has a myriad of ********* crimes under his name. 431. Negligent careless, remiss 432. Nemesis a powerful river, a usually unconquerable opponent-will Harry Potter finally defeat his *******, Voldemort?" 433. Neophyte a beginner, a novice 434. Nepotism showing favoritism to friends or family, as in granting positions in jobs or politics 435. Niggardly stingy, small in a mean way--he accused the Government of being unbelievably *********. 436. Nihilism the belief that there are no values or morals in the universe,-----he could not accept Bacon's ********, his insistence that man is a futile being 437. Nimbus an atmosphere that surrounds a person or thing, a rain cloud,--"a ****** of power played around him, brighter than lightning" 438. Nirvana a blissful, painless state, 439. Noisome harmful, unwholesome, stinking, putrid 440. Nomadic without a permanent home, constantly wandering 441. Nominal insignificant, trifling 442. Nonplus to bewilder, to puzzle 443. Novel new, original 444. Nuance a subtle distinction, a slight difference in definition 445. Nullify to repeal, cancel, render void 446. Obdurate stubborn 447. Obliterate to blot out leaving no traces, to destroy 448. Obloquy strong language of condemnation 449. Obscure unclear, vague partially hidden, hard to understand 450. Obsequious fawning, subservient, servile 451. Obstreperous stubbornly defiant, angry and clamorous 452. Obviate to make unnecessary, to avert, to preclude 453. Odious hateful, evil, vile 454. Odyssey a long difficult journey marked by changes in fortune 455. Oeuvre a work of art, the sum of an artist's work 456. offal the waste parts of a product (often as in a butchered animal), refuse, rubbish 457. Officious unnecessarily helpful, meddlesome, interfering 458. Ogle to stare at in a disrespectful way 459. Oligarchy a government in which the power is in the hand of only a few 460. Omniscient all knowing, infinite awareness 461. Omnivorous eating or absorbing everything, feeding on both animal and vegetable Substances 462. Onerous burdensome, oppressive, troublesome 463. Onus burden, blame, obligation 464. Opaque difficult to see through, unclear, dark 465. Opine to express an opinion 466. Opportunist a person who takes advantage of opportunity with no regard for principle 467. Opprobrious damning, extremely critical, disgraceful 468. Opus a creative work, musical composition 469. Oscillate to swing back and forth 470. Osmosis gradual or subtle absorption, an unconscious process of absorption 471. Ossify to become rigid, to become set in one's ways 472. Oust to eject, to banish, to expel 473. Overture an opening move, a preliminary offer 474. Pace with deference to 475. Pachyderm skinned animal 476. Palatable pleasant to the taste, agreeable in feeling 477. Palliate to hide the seriousness of something with excuses or apologies, 478. Pallid lacking color, wan 479. Paltry a tiny or insignificant amount, meager, scant 480. Panacea a remedy that cures everything 481. Panegyric lofty praise, eulogistic writing 482. Paradigm a model or example 483. Paralogism illogical reasoning of which the reason is not aware 484. Pariah an outcast 485. Paroxysm a fit 486. Parsimonious stingy 487. Partition a dividing wall, a division 488. Parvenu an upstart who has acquired wealth and class but hasn' 489. Pastiche a piece that imitates or is made up from pieces of other works, 490. Patina surface discoloration caused by age and oxidation, 491. Patois a language used by a particular population that differs from standard Speech 492. Paucity scarcity, smallness in number or amount 493. Pedantic boringly, scholarly, academic in mode 494. Penchant a strong like for something, a predilection 495. Penultimate next to last 496. Penury extreme poverty 497. Percipience keen perception 498. Perdition eternal damnation 499. Peregrination an expedition, wandering 500. Perfidious faithless, untrustworthy 501. Perfunctory careless, unenthusiastic, done merely as duty 502. Permeate to spread or seep through, to penetrate, to pervade 503. Perorate to make a long, formal speech, to sum up a speech 504. Perquisite a privilege or perk that goes along with a job 505. Perspicacious shrewd, astute, showing strong powers of discernment 506. Peruse to study, to read over leisurely 507. Petulant cranky, ill tempered, irritable, peevish 508. Phantasm an apparition, phantom 509. Philanthropy good will towards all people, love of mankind, and act of generosity 510. Phlegmatic calm, indifferent, not easily aroused 511. Pious reverent, devout, dutiful, may at times be marked by hypocrisy 512. Piquant pungent, charmingly provocative 513. Pique to hurt or rile the feelings of someone, irritate 514. Pivotal crucial, something around which things turn 515. Placate to soothe, to appease with concessions 516. Placebo a fake medication 517. Plausible believable 518. Plebeian common, vulgar, low class 519. Plenary complete, fully attended, not deficient in any way 520. Pluralism a society in which distinct group function together, but retain their identities 521. Pluvial rainy 522. Poignant emotionally moving 523. Polemic a powerful argument to defend a thesis 524. Poltroon a coward 525. Portent an omen, a sign of something coming, a foreshadowing 526. Precept a rule or principle to guide conduct 527. Preclude to make impossible, to shut out, to bar 528. Pregnant highly significant, overflowing, rich in significance 529. Prepossess to cause to be preoccupied, to influence, positively, in advance 530. Prescient having foresight 531. Pretentious important, make unjustifiable claims to excellence 532. Prevaricate to deviate from the truth 533. Privation lack of comforts, poverty, a state of being deprived 534. Probity honesty, uprightness 535. Profligate corrupt, degenerate, wildly extravagant 536. Prolific marked by abundant production or offspring 537. Propinquity nearness in place or time, kinship 538. Prosaic dull, unimaginative, lacking excitement 539. Proscenium the part of the stage in front of the curtain, the wall frame for the stage 540. Proselytize to seek to convert someone to a religion, cause or political position 541. Protean readily assuming different shapes or characters 542. Provenance origin, source, proof of posting ownership 543. Provincial limited in outlook, narrow in ideas 544. Prowess exceptional skill or strength, military valor 545. Prudent careful, cautious 546. Prurient lascivious, have lustful thoughts or desires 547. Puissance power, strength 548. Pulchritude physical beauty 549. Punctilious meticulously attentive to detail, exacting 550. Putrefy to rot 551. Qua in the capacity of 552. Quaint fashioned, picturesque 553. Quell to put an end to, to squelch, to calm 554. Quiddity the real nature of a thing, the essence , a hairsplitting distinction 555. Quiescence state of rest or inactivity 556. Quintessential the most perfect example of 557. Quisling a traitor who helps an enemy who occupies his country 558. Quixotic foolishly impractical and idealistic 559. Quotidian occurring every day, commonplace 560. Raffish jaunty, sporty, disreputable, vulgar, characterized by a careless Unconventionality 561. Rapprochement establishment of good relations 562. Rarefied esoteric, interesting to only a few 563. Raucous boisterous, harsh sounding, noisy and disorderly 564. Rebuff to snub, to refuse in a blunt or rude way 565. Rebuke to criticize or reprimand sharply 566. Recalcitrant stubbornly defiant and resistant of authority 567. Recidivism the act of repeating an offense 568. Reciprocal mutual, shared, interchangeable 569. Recondite hard to understand, abstruse, over one's head 570. Redoubtable formidable, fearsome, deserving of respect 571. Relegate to dismiss to a less prominent position, to banish 572. Relic an object associated with a saint, something that remains from the past 573. Remuneration payment, recompense 574. Repartee a quick, witty reply, spirited conversation 575. Replenish to refill, to supply once more 576. Reprehensible deserving of blame 577. Reprobate a morally unprincipled person, a scoundrel 578. Reprove to gently criticize 579. Rescind to cancel, to repeal 580. Resilient an ability to recover from, or adjust easily 581. Respite an interval of rest, a temporary delay 582. Resplendent brilliant, gloriously bright 583. Reticent restrained, reluctant, uncommunicative 584. Retinue a group of attendants to an elevated person 585. Ribald vulgar or indecent language 586. Rife widespread, abounding, occurring frequently 587. Robust strong and healthy, vigorous 588. Rou a lecherous man, a rake, a person devoted to sensual pleasures 589. Rout to put to flight, to scatter, to cause a huge defeat 590. Rubric heading, title, category 591. Ruminate to muse upon 592. Rustic primitive, rural, lacking city comforts 593. Saccharine excessively sweet 594. Sagacious wise shrewd 595. Sallow yellow tone 596. Sally a rushing attack, witty repartee, a brief excursion 597. Salubrious favorable to health 598. Sangfroid extraordinary composure in the face of danger 599. Saporous tasty, flavorsome 600. Sardonic disdainful, scornfully mocking 601. Sartorial relating to dress or fashion 602. Satrap a subordinate ruler 603. Saturnine sullen, gloomy, depressed 604. Savant a scholar, a very knowledgeable person 605. Scanty minimal, hardly sufficient 606. Scintillate to sparkle, to gleam, to be animated or brilliant 607. Sciolism superficial knowledge 608. Scofflaw one who is continually breaking the law 609. Scotch to put an end to 610. Secrete to give off, to conceal 611. Senescence beginning of old age 612. Sententious preachy, pompous, using wise sayings excessively 613. Sequacious slavish, obsequious, following in logical sequence 614. Serried crowded together 615. Serviette a table napkin 616. Servile submissive, behaving like a slave 617. Shantung a heavy nubby fabric, made of wild silk 618. Shibboleth a distinctive word or behavior that typifies a group, a slogan 619. Simper to smile foolishly 620. Sine qua non something that is an essential condition of 621. Sinuous winding, having many curves 622. Slatternly squalid, a slovenly woman 623. Sloth sluggish, laziness, indolence 624. Somnolent drowsy, sleepy 625. Spate a sudden outburst 626. Spelunker a cave explorer 627. Spurious false, fake, not genuine 628. Stagnate to lie inactive, to stay in one place 629. Stalwart unwavering, robust, sturdily built 630. Static stationary, not changing or moving 631. Steadfast loyal, faithful 632. Stoic showing indifference to pain, apathetic 633. Stratagem a trick or deceptive scheme 634. Striated marked with thin lines or grooves 635. Strident loud, harsh, grating 636. Sturm and drang turmoil 637. Stymie to get in the way of, to hinder, to block 638. Succinct concise, clearly expressed with a few words 639. Sui generis unique, of its own kind, in a class by itself 640. Supercilious arrogant, overbearing, condescending 641. Supervene to follow immediately after, to ensue 642. Surcease cessation 643. Surfeit abundance, excessive amount 644. Surmise abundance, excessive amount 645. Surreptitious sneaky, secret 646. Sycophant man 647. Syllogism a form of logic in which major and minor premises are made and a conclusion drawn, 648. Sylvan forest like, wooded 649. Synergy the combined force of two distinct elements that is more powerful then each alone 650. Table Postpone consideration of 651. Tatterdemalion a ragged person, always in tatters 652. Tedious boring, tiresome 653. Teem to swarm, to be inundated, to become full to overflowing 654. Teleology the study of design or purpose in natural phenomena 655. Temerarious recklessly daring, rash 656. Temerity boldness, rashness, audacity 657. Temperance habitual moderation, the avoidance of excess 658. Temporize to compromise, to draw something out in order to gain time 659. Tendentious advancing a point of view, biased 660. Tenebrous dark and gloomy 661. Tenet a principle, doctrine or belief held as so by a group 662. Tentative uncertain, temporary not fully worked out 663. Tenuous flimsy, 664. Tepid lukewarm, unenthusiastic, halfhearted 665. Termagant a quarrelsome woman, a shrew 666. Terse concise, brief, free of extra word 667. Theology the study of God or religion 668. Thwart to prevent from being accomplished, to frustrate, to hinder 669. Timorous fearful, easily frightened 670. Tirade a long and angry speech 671. Titular in title only 672. Tonic a refreshing drink, something that invigorates 673. Tony fashionable, trendy, aristocratic 674. Toothsome tasty, sexually attractive, luscious 675. Tor a high rock, a high rocky hill, or pile of rocks 676. Tortuous winding, twisting, full of curves 677. Tout to brag publicly, to praise highly 678. Transfix to cause to stand motionless with awe or other intense emotion 679. Travesty a parody, an imitation that makes crude fun of something 680. Trice an moment, a short period of time 681. Trilemma a problem for which there are three possible courses of action, and none perfect 682. Trite unoriginal, overused, clichd, commonplace 683. Trivial unimportant, insignificant 684. Truculent hostile, aggressive, savage 685. Tryst a secret meeting of lovers 686. Tumid swollen, distended, a bulging shape, overblown, bombastic 687. Tumult noisy commotion, uproar 688. Turpitude shameful wickedness, evil, depravity 689. Ukase an authoritative decree, official edict 690. Umbrage displeasure or resentment, shade 691. Undermine to weaken the support of, to injure in a slow or sneaky way 692. Undulate to move smoothly in a wavelike manner 693. Unilateral on one side alone 694. Urbane suave, sophisticated, polished 695. Usufruct the right to use someone else's property as long as it's not damaged in the process 696. Usurp to seize wrongfully 697. Usury lending money at a high interest rate 698. Vacuous empty, lacking intelligence 699. Vagary whim, an unpredictable action 700. Vainglorious boastful, pompous 701. Vapid tasteless, dull 702. Vehement intense, forceful marked by strong feeling 703. Veneer faade, coating, outward appearance 704. Venerate to honor, to worship, to respect 705. Veracious truthful, honest 706. Verbose wordy 707. Verdant covered with green plants, leafy 708. Vernal occurring in spring, spring like youthful 709. Vestige the remains of something that no longer exists 710. Viable workable, capable of living and growing, able to succeed 711. Vicarious acting for another, sharing in an experience of another through the Imagination 712. VIE to complete, to contest 713. Vilify to defame, to slander, to blacken the character of 714. Virulent extremely poisonous, malignant, full of hate 715. Viscosity a thick or sticky consistency of a liquid 716. Vitiate to impair the quality of, to corrupt morally 717. Vitriolic corrosive, biting, bitterly scathing 718. Vituperative harshly scolding, acrimonious 719. Vivacious lively, spirited 720. Volatile explosive, tend to burn quickly 721. Votary a person bound by vows to live a life of religious service 722. Wanton immoral, lewd, deliberate maliciousness, having no regards for others 723. Wastrel someone who wastes, a spendthrift 724. Waver to be indecisive or inconstant, to fluctuate in opinion 725. Welter to write, toss, wallow 726. Winnow to blow of, or away, to separate the good from the bad 727. Winsome charming, sweetly engaging 728. Wistful yearning, sad longing, a gentle desire 729. Wizened shriveled, withered 730. Wont custom, habit 731. Wraith a specter, ghost of a dead person 732. Zaftig figured, plump 733. Zealot a person with great enthusiasm for and commitment to a cause 734. Zeitgeist the mood or spirit of the times 735. Zenith the highest point 736. Zephyr a gentle breeze 737. Ziggurat a terrace