Important English vocabulary

 abase v. To lower in position, estimation, or the like; degrade.
 abbess n. The lady superior of a nunnery.
 abbey n. The group of buildings which collectively form the dwelling-place of a
society of monks or nuns.
 abbot n. The superior of a community of monks.
 abdicate v. To give up (royal power or the like).
 abdomen n. In mammals, the visceral cavity between the diaphragm and the pelvic
floor; the belly.
 abdominal n. Of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen.
 abduction n. A carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally.
 abed adv. In bed; on a bed.
 aberration n. Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course.
 abet v. To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense).
 abeyance n. A state of suspension or temporary inaction.
 abhorrence n. The act of detesting extremely.
 abhorrent adj. Very repugnant; hateful.
 abidance n. An abiding.
 abject adj. Sunk to a low condition.
 abjure v. To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath.
 able-bodied adj. Competent for physical service.
 ablution n. A washing or cleansing, especially of the body.
 abnegate v. To renounce (a right or privilege).
 abnormal adj. Not conformed to the ordinary rule or standard.
 abominable adj. Very hateful.
 abominate v. To hate violently.
 abomination n. A very detestable act or practice.
 aboriginal adj. Primitive; unsophisticated.
 aborigines n. The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country.
 aboveboard adv. & adj. Without concealment, fraud, or trickery.
 abrade v. To wear away the surface or some part of by friction.
 abrasion n. That which is rubbed off.
 abridge v. To make shorter in words, keeping the essential features, leaning out
minor particles.
 abridgment n. A condensed form as of a book or play.
 abrogate v. To abolish, repeal.
 abrupt adj. Beginning, ending, or changing suddenly or with a break.
 abscess n. A Collection of pus in a cavity formed within some tissue of the body.
 abscission n. The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation.
 abscond v. To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest.
 absence n. The fact of not being present or available.
 absent-minded adj. Lacking in attention to immediate surroundings or business.
 absolution n. Forgiveness, or passing over of offenses.
 absolve v. To free from sin or its penalties.
 absorb v. To drink in or suck up, as a sponge absorbs water.
 absorption n. The act or process of absorbing.
 abstain v. To keep oneself back (from doing or using something).
 abstemious adj. Characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink,
food.
 abstinence n. Self denial.
 abstruse adj. Dealing with matters difficult to be understood.
 absurd adj. Inconsistent with reason or common sense.
 abundant adj. Plentiful.
 abusive adj. Employing harsh words or ill treatment.
 abut v. To touch at the end or boundary line.
 abyss n. Bottomless gulf.
 academic adj. Of or pertaining to an academy, college, or university.
 academician n. A member of an academy of literature, art, or science.
 academy n. Any institution where the higher branches of learning are taught.
 accede v. To agree.
 accelerate v. To move faster.
 accept v. To take when offered.
 access n. A way of approach or entrance; passage.
 accessible adj. Approachable.
 accession n. Induction or elevation, as to dignity, office, or government.
 accessory n. A person or thing that aids the principal agent.
 acclaim v. To utter with a shout.
 accommodate v. To furnish something as a kindness or favor.
 accompaniment n. A subordinate part or parts, enriching or supporting the leading
part.
 accompanist n. One who or that which accompanies.
 accompany v. To go with, or be associated with, as a companion.
 accomplice n. An associate in wrong-doing.
 accomplish v. To bring to pass.
 accordion n. A portable free-reed musical instrument.
 accost v. To speak to.
 account n. A record or statement of receipts and expenditures, or of business
transactions.
 accouter v. To dress.
 accredit v. To give credit or authority to.
 accumulate v. To become greater in quantity or number.
 accuracy n. Exactness.
 accurate adj. Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard.
 accursed adj. Doomed to evil, misery, or misfortune.
 accusation n. A charge of crime, misdemeanor, or error.
 accusatory adj. Of, pertaining to, or involving an accusation.
 accuse v. To charge with wrong doing, misconduct, or error.
 accustom v. To make familiar by use.
 acerbity n. Sourness, with bitterness and astringency.
 acetate n. A salt of acetic acid.
 acetic adj. Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of vinegar.
 ache v. To be in pain or distress.
 Achillean adj. Invulnerable.
 achromatic adj. Colorless,
 acid n. A sour substance.
 acidify v. To change into acid.
 acknowledge v. To recognize; to admit the genuineness or validity of.
 acknowledgment n. Recognition.
 acme n. The highest point, or summit.
 acoustic adj. Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing.
 acquaint v. To make familiar or conversant.
 acquiesce v. To comply; submit.
 acquiescence n. Passive consent.
 acquire v. To get as one’s own.
 acquisition n. Anything gained, or made one’s own, usually by effort or labor.
 acquit v. To free or clear, as from accusation.
 acquittal n. A discharge from accusation by judicial action.
 acquittance n. Release or discharge from indebtedness, obligation, or
responsibility.
 acreage n. Quantity or extent of land, especially of cultivated land.
 acrid adj. Harshly pungent or bitter.
 acrimonious adj. Full of bitterness.
 acrimony n. Sharpness or bitterness of speech or temper.
 actionable adj. Affording cause for instituting an action, as trespass, slanderous
words.
 actuality n. Any reality.
 actuary n. An officer, as of an insurance company, who calculates and states the
risks and premiums.
 actuate v. To move or incite to action.
 acumen n. Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of
discrimination.
 acute adj. Having fine and penetrating discernment.
 adamant n. Any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability.
 addendum n. Something added, or to be added.
 addle v. To make inefficient or worthless; muddle.
 adduce v. To bring forward or name for consideration.
 adhere v. To stick fast or together.
 adherence n. Attachment.
 adherent adj. Clinging or sticking fast.
 adhesion n. The state of being attached or joined.
 adieu inter. Good-by; farewell.
 adjacency n. The state of being adjacent.
 adjacent n. That which is near or bordering upon.
 adjudge v. To award or bestow by formal decision.
 adjunct n. Something joined to or connected with another thing, but holding a
subordinate place.
 adjuration n. A vehement appeal.
 adjutant adj. Auxiliary.
 administrator n. One who manages affairs of any kind.
 admissible adj. Having the right or privilege of entry.
 admittance n. Entrance, or the right or permission to enter.
 admonish v. To warn of a fault.
 admonition n. Gentle reproof.
 ado n. unnecessary activity or ceremony.
 adoration n. Profound devotion.
 adroit adj. Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers.
 adulterant n. An adulterating substance.
 adulterate v. To make impure by the admixture of other or baser ingredients.
 adumbrate v. To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem.
 advent n. The coming or arrival, as of any important change, event, state, or
personage.
 adverse adj. Opposing or opposed.
 adversity n. Misfortune.
 advert v. To refer incidentally.
 advertiser n. One who advertises, especially in newspapers.
 advisory adj. Not mandatory.
 advocacy n. The act of pleading a cause.
 advocate n. One who pleads the cause of another, as in a legal or ecclesiastical
court.
 aerial adj. Of, pertaining to, or like the air.
 eronaut n. One who navigates the air, a balloonist.
 aeronautics n. the art or practice of flying aircraft
 aerostat n. A balloon or other apparatus floating in or sustained by the air.
 aerostatics n. The branch of pneumatics that treats of the equilibrium, pressure,
and
 mechanical properties.
 affable adj. Easy to approach.
 affect v. To act upon
 affectation n. A studied or ostentatious pretense or attempt.
 affiliate n. Some auxiliary person or thing.
 affirmative adj. Answering yes; to a question at issue.
 affix v. To fasten.
 affluence n. A profuse or abundant supply of riches.
 affront n. An open insult or indignity.
 afire adv. & adj. On fire, literally or figuratively.
 afoot adv. In progress.
 aforesaid adj. Said in a preceding part or before.
 afresh adv. Once more, after rest or interval.
 afterthought n. A thought that comes later than its appropriate or expected time.
 agglomerate v. To pile or heap together.
 aggrandize v. To cause to appear greatly.
 aggravate v. To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome.
 aggravation n. The fact of being made heavier or more heinous, as a crime ,
offense, misfortune, etc.
 aggregate n. The entire number, sum, mass, or quantity of something.
 aggress v. To make the first attack.
 aggression n. An unprovoked attack.
 aggrieve v. To give grief or sorrow to.
 aghast adj. Struck with terror and amazement.
 agile adj. Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally.
 agitate v. To move or excite (the feelings or thoughts).
 agrarian adj. Pertaining to land, especially agricultural land.
 aide-de-camp n. An officer who receives and transmits the orders of the general.
 ailment n. Slight sickness.
 airy adj. Delicate, ethereal.
 akin adj. Of similar nature or qualities.
 alabaster n. A white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum.
 alacrity n. Cheerful willingness.
 albeit conj. Even though.
 albino n. A person with milky white skin and hair, and eyes with bright red pupil
and usually pink iris.
 album n. A book whose leaves are so made to form paper frames for holding
photographs or the like.
 alchemy n. Chemistry of the middle ages, characterized by the pursuit of changing
base
 metals to gold.
 alcohol n. A volatile, inflammable, colorless liquid of a penetrating odor and
burning taste.
 alcoholism n. A condition resulting from the inordinate or persistent use of
alcoholic beverages.
 alcove n. A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room.
 alder n. Any shrub or small tree of the genus Alumnus, of the oak family.
 alderman n. A member of a municipal legislative body, who usually exercises also
certain judicial functions.
 aldermanship n. The dignity, condition, office, or term of office of an alderman.
 alias n. An assumed name.
 alien n. One who owes allegiance to a foreign government.
 alienable adj. Capable of being aliened or alienated, as lands.
 alienate v. To cause to turn away.
 alienation n. Estrangement.
 aliment n. That which nourishes.
 alkali n. Anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc.
 allay v. To calm the violence or reduce the intensity of; mitigate.
 allege v. To assert to be true, especially in a formal manner, as in court.
 allegory n. The setting forth of a subject under the guise of another subject of aptly
 suggestive likeness.
 alleviate v. To make less burdensome or less hard to bear.
 alley n. A narrow street, garden path, walk, or the like.
 alliance n. Any combination or union for some common purpose.
 allot v. To assign a definite thing or part to a certain person.
 allotment n. Portion.
 allude v. To refer incidentally, or by suggestion.
 allusion n. An indirect and incidental reference to something without definite
mention of it.
 alluvion n. Flood.
 ally n. A person or thing connected with another, usually in some relation of
helpfulness.
 almanac n. A series of tables giving the days of the week together with certain
 astronomical information.
 aloof adv. Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others.
 altar n. Any raised place or structure on which sacrifices may be offered or incense
burned.
 alter v. To make change in.
 alteration n. Change or modification.
 altercate v. To contend angrily or zealously in words.
 alternate n. One chosen to act in place of another, in case of the absence or
incapacity of that other.
 alternative n. Something that may or must exist, be taken or chosen, or done
instead of
 something else.
 altitude n. Vertical distance or elevation above any point or base-level, as the sea.
 alto n. The lowest or deepest female voice or part.
 altruism n. Benevolence to others on subordination to self-interest.
 altruist n. One who advocates or practices altruism.
 amalgam n. An alloy or union of mercury with another metal.
 amalgamate v. To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body.
 amateur adj. Practicing an art or occupation for the love of it, but not as a
profession.
 amatory adj. Designed to excite love.
 ambidextrous adj. Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease.
 ambiguous adj. Having a double meaning.
 ambitious adj. Eagerly desirous and aspiring.
 ambrosial adj. Divinely sweet, fragrant, or delicious.
 ambulance n. A vehicle fitted for conveying the sick and wounded.
 ambulate v. To walk about
 ambush n. The act or state of lying concealed for the purpose of surprising or
attacking the enemy.
 ameliorate v. To relieve, as from pain or hardship
 amenable adj. Willing and ready to submit.
 Americanism n. A peculiar sense in which an English word or phrase is used in the
United States.
 amicable adj. Done in a friendly spirit.
 amity n. Friendship.
 amorous adj. Having a propensity for falling in love.
 amorphous adj. Without determinate shape.
 amour n. A love-affair, especially one of an illicit nature.
 ampere n. The practical unit of electric-current strength.
 ampersand n. The character &; and.
 amphibious adj. Living both on land and in water.
 amphitheater n. An edifice of elliptical shape, constructed about a central open
space or arena.
 amplitude n. Largeness.
 amply adv. Sufficiently.
 amputate v. To remove by cutting, as a limb or some portion of the body.
 amusement n. Diversion.
 anachronism n. Anything occurring or existing out of its proper time.
 anagram n. The letters of a word or phrase so transposed as to make a different
word or phrase.
 analogous adj. Corresponding (to some other) in certain respects, as in form,
proportion,
 relations.
 analogy n. Reasoning in which from certain and known relations or resemblance
others
 are formed.
 analyst n. One who analyzes or makes use of the analytical method.
 analyze v. To examine minutely or critically.
 anarchy n. Absence or utter disregard of government.
 anathema n. Anything forbidden, as by social usage.
 anatomy n. That branch of morphology which treats of the structure of organisms.
 ancestry n. One’s ancestors collectively.
 anecdote n. A brief account of some interesting event or incident.
 anemia n. Deficiency of blood or red corpuscles.
 anemic adj. Affected with anemia.
 anemometer n. An instrument for measuring the force or velocity of wind.
 anesthetic adj. Pertaining to or producing loss of sensation.
 anew adv. Once more.
 angelic adj. Saintly.
 Anglophobia n. Hatred or dread of England or of what is English.
 Anglo-Saxon n. The entire English race wherever found, as in Europe, the United
States,or India.
 angular adj. Sharp-cornered.
 anhydrous adj. Withered.
 animadversion n. The utterance of criticism or censure.
 animadvert v. To pass criticism or censure.
 animalcule n. An animal of microscopic smallness.
 animate v. To make alive.
 animosity n. Hatred.
 annalist n. Historian.
 annals n. A record of events in their chronological order, year by year.
 annex v. To add or affix at the end.
 annihilate v. To destroy absolutely.
 annotate v. To make explanatory or critical notes on or upon.
 annual adj. Occurring every year.
 annuity n. An annual allowance, payment, or income.
 annunciation n. Proclamation.
 anode n. The point where or path by which a voltaic current enters an electrolyte
or the
 like.
 anonymous adj. Of unknown authorship.
 antagonism n. Mutual opposition or resistance of counteracting forces, principles,
or
 persons.
 Antarctic adj. Pertaining to the south pole or the regions near it.
 ante v. In the game of poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt.
 antecede v. To precede.
 antecedent n. One who or that which precedes or goes before, as in time, place,
rank,
 order, or causality.
 antechamber n. A waiting room for those who seek audience.
 antedate v. To assign or affix a date to earlier than the actual one.
 antediluvian adj. Of or pertaining to the times, things, events before the great
flood in the
 days of Noah.
 antemeridian adj. Before noon.
 antemundane adj. Pertaining to time before the world’s creation.
 antenatal adj. Occurring or existing before birth.
 anterior adj. Prior.
 anteroom n. A room situated before and opening into another, usually larger.
 anthology n. A collection of extracts from the writings of various authors.
 anthracite n. Hard coal.
 anthropology n. The science of man in general.
 anthropomorphous adj. Having or resembling human form.
 antic n. A grotesque, ludicrous, or fantastic action.
 Antichrist n. Any opponent or enemy of Christ, whether a person or a power.
 anticlimax n. A gradual or sudden decrease in the importance or impressiveness of
what is said.
 anticyclone n. An atmospheric condition of high central pressure, with currents
flowing outward.
 antidote n. Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease,
or the
 like.
 antilogy n. Inconsistency or contradiction in terms or ideas.
 antipathize v. To show or feel a feeling of antagonism, aversion, or dislike.
 antiphon n. A response or alteration of responses, generally musical.
 antiphony n. An anthem or other composition sung responsively.
 antipodes n. A place or region on the opposite side of the earth.
 antiquary n. One who collects and examines old things, as coins, books, medals,
weapons, etc.
 antiquate v. To make old or out of date.
 antique adj. Pertaining to ancient times.
 antiseptic n. Anything that destroys or restrains the growth of putrefactive
microorganisms.
 antislavery adj. Opposed to human slavery.
 antispasmodic adj. Tending to prevent or relieve non-inflammatory spasmodic
affections.
 antistrophe n. The inversion of terms in successive classes, as in “the home of joy”
and
 “the joy of home”.
 antitoxin n. A substance which neutralizes the poisonous products of microorganisms.
 antonym n. A word directly opposed to another in meaning.
 anxious adj. Distressed in mind respecting some uncertain matter.
 apathy n. Insensibility to emotion or passionate feeling.
 aperture n. Hole.
 apex n. The highest point, as of a mountain.
 aphorism n. Proverb.
 apiary n. A place where bees are kept.
 apogee n. The climax.
 apology n. A disclaimer of intentional error or offense.
 apostasy n. A total departure from one’s faith or religion.
 apostate adj. False.
 apostle n. Any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority.
 apothecary n. One who keeps drugs for sale and puts up prescriptions.
 apotheosis n. Deification.
 appall v. To fill with dismay or horror.
 apparent adj. Easily understood.
 apparition n. Ghost.
 appease v. To soothe by quieting anger or indignation.
 appellate adj. Capable of being appealed to.
 appellation n. The name or title by which a particular person, class, or thing is
called.
 append v. To add or attach, as something accessory, subordinate, or
supplementary.
 appertain v. To belong, as by right, fitness, association, classification, possession, or
natural relation.
 apposite adj. Appropriate.
 apposition n. The act of placing side by side, together, or in contact.
 appraise v. To estimate the money value of.
 appreciable adj. Capable of being discerned by the senses or intellect.
 apprehend v. To make a prisoner of (a person) in the name of the law.
 apprehensible adj. Capable of being conceived.
 approbation n. Sanction.
 appropriate adj. Suitable for the purpose and circumstances.
 aqueduct n. A water-conduit, particularly one for supplying a community from a
distance.
 aqueous adj. Of, pertaining to, or containing water.
 arbiter n. One chosen or appointed, by mutual consent of parties in dispute, to
decide matters.
 arbitrary adj. Fixed or done capriciously.
 arbitrate v. To act or give judgment as umpire.
 arbor n. A tree.
 arboreal adj. Of or pertaining to a tree or trees.
 arborescent adj. Having the nature of a tree.
 arboretum n. A botanical garden or place devoted to the cultivation of trees or
shrubs.
 arboriculture n. The cultivation of trees or shrubs.
 arcade n. A vaulted passageway or street; a roofed passageway having shops, etc.,
opening from it.
 archaic adj. Antiquated
 archaism n. Obsolescence.
 archangel n. An angel of high rank.
 archbishop n. The chief of the bishops of an ecclesiastical province in the Greek,
Roman,
 and Anglican church.
 archdeacon n. A high official administrator of the affairs of a diocese.
 archaeology n. The branch of anthropology concerned with the systematic
investigation of
 the relics of man.
 archetype n. A prototype.
 archipelago n. Any large body of water studded with islands, or the islands
collectively
 themselves.
 ardent adj. Burning with passion.
 ardor n. Intensity of passion or affection.
 arid adj. Very dry.
 aristocracy n. A hereditary nobility
 aristocrat n. A hereditary noble or one nearly connected with nobility.
 armada n. A fleet of war-vessels.
 armful n. As much as can be held in the arm or arms.
 armory n. An arsenal.
 aroma n. An agreeable odor.
 arraign v. To call into court, as a person indicted for crime, and demand whether he
pleads
 guilty or not.
 arrange v. To put in definite or proper order.
 arrangement n. The act of putting in proper order, or the state of being put in
order.
 arrant adj. Notoriously bad.
 arrear n. Something overdue and unpaid.
 arrival n. A coming to stopping-place or destination.
 arrogant adj. Unduly or excessively proud, as of wealth, station, learning, etc.
 arrogate v. To take, demand, or claim, especially presumptuously or without
reasons or
 grounds.
 Artesian well n. A very deep bored well. water rises due to underground pressure
 artful adj. Characterized by craft or cunning.
 Arthurian adj. Pertaining to King Arthur, the real or legendary hero of British poetic
story.
 artifice n. Trickery.
 artless adj. Ingenuous.
 ascendant adj. Dominant.
 ascension n. The act of rising.
 ascent n. A rising, soaring, or climbing.
 ascetic adj. Given to severe self-denial and practicing excessive abstinence and
devotion.
 ascribe v. To assign as a quality or attribute.
 asexual adj. Having no distinct sexual organs.
 ashen adj. Pale.
 askance adv. With a side or indirect glance or meaning.
 asperity n. Harshness or roughness of temper.
 aspirant n. One who seeks earnestly, as for advancement, honors, place.
 aspiration n. An earnest wish for that which is above one’s present reach.
 aspire v. To have an earnest desire, wish, or longing, as for something high and
good, not
 yet attained.
 assailant n. One who attacks.
 assassin n. One who kills, or tries to kill, treacherously or secretly.
 assassinate v. To kill, as by surprise or secret assault, especially the killing of some
eminent person.
 assassination n. Murderer, as by secret assault or treachery.
 assay n. The chemical analysis or testing of an alloy ore.
 assent v. To express agreement with a statement or matter of opinion.
 assess v. To determine the amount of (a tax or other sum to be paid).
 assessor n. An officer whose duty it is to assess taxes.
 assets n. pl. Property in general, regarded as applicable to the payment of debts.
 assiduous adj. Diligent.
 assignee n. One who is appointed to act for another in the management of certain
property
 and interests.
 assimilate v. To adapt.
 assonance n. Resemblance or correspondence in sound.
 assonant adj. Having resemblance of sound.
 assonate v. To accord in sound, especially vowel sound.
 assuage v. To cause to be less harsh, violent, or severe, as excitement, appetite,
pain, or
 disease.
 astringent adj. Harsh in disposition or character.
 astute adj. Keen in discernment.
 atheism n. The denial of the existence of God.
 athirst adj. Wanting water.
 athwart adv. From side to side.
 atomizer n. An apparatus for reducing a liquid to a fine spray, as for disinfection,
inhalation, etc.
 atone v. To make amends for.
 atonement n. Amends, reparation, or expiation made from wrong or injury.
 atrocious adj. Outrageously or wantonly wicked, criminal, vile, or cruel.
 atrocity n. Great cruelty or reckless wickedness.
 attaché n. A subordinate member of a diplomatic embassy.
 attest v. To certify as accurate, genuine, or true.
 attorney-general n. The chief law-officer of a government.
 auburn adj. Reddish-brown, said usually of the hair.
 audacious adj. Fearless.
 audible adj. Loud enough to be heard.
 audition n. The act or sensation of hearing.
 auditory adj. Of or pertaining to hearing or the organs or sense of hearing.
 augment v. To make bigger.
 augur v. To predict.
 Augustinian adj. Pertaining to St. Augustine, his doctrines, or the religious orders
called
 after him.
 aura n. Pervasive psychic influence supposed to emanate from persons
 aural adj. Of or pertaining to the ear.
 auricle n. One of the two chambers of the heart which receives the blood from the
veins.
 auricular adj. Of or pertaining to the ear, its auricle, or the sense of hearing.
 auriferous adj. Containing gold.
 aurora n. A luminous phenomenon in the upper regions of the atmosphere.
 auspice n. favoring, protecting, or propitious influence or guidance.
 austere adj. Severely simple; unadorned.
 autarchy n. Unrestricted power.
 authentic adj. Of undisputed origin.
 authenticity n. The state or quality of being genuine, or of the origin and
authorship
 claimed.
 autobiography n. The story of one’s life written by himself.
 autocracy n. Absolute government.
 autocrat n. Any one who claims or wields unrestricted or undisputed authority or
influence.
 automaton n. Any living being whose actions are or appear to be involuntary or
 mechanical.
 autonomous adj. Self-governing.
 autonomy n. Self-government.
 autopsy n. The examination of a dead body by dissection to ascertain the cause of
death.
 autumnal adj. Of or pertaining to autumn.
 auxiliary n. One who or that which aids or helps, especially when regarded as
subsidiary
 or accessory.
 avalanche n. The fall or sliding of a mass of snow or ice down a mountain-slope,
often
 bearing with it rock.
 avarice n. Passion for getting and keeping riches.
 aver v. To assert as a fact.
 averse adj. Reluctant.
 aversion n. A mental condition of fixed opposition to or dislike of some particular
thing.
 avert v. To turn away or aside.
 aviary n. A spacious cage or enclosure in which live birds are kept.
 avidity n. Greediness.
 avocation n. Diversion.
 avow v. To declare openly.
 awaken v. To arouse, as emotion, interest, or the like.
 awry adv. & adj. Out of the proper form, direction, or position.
 aye adv. An expression of assent.
 azalea n. A flowering shrub.
 azure n. The color of the sky.
 Baconian adj. Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon or his system of philosophy.
 bacterium n. A microbe.
 badger v. To pester.
 baffle v. To foil or frustrate.
 bailiff n. An officer of court having custody of prisoners under arraignment.
 baize n. A single-colored napped woolen fabric used for table-covers, curtains, etc.
 bale n. A large package prepared for transportation or storage.
 baleful adj. Malignant.
 ballad n. Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric
form.
 balsam n. A medical preparation, aromatic and oily, used for healing.
 banal adj. Commonplace.
 barcarole n. A boat-song of Venetian gondoliers.
 barograph n. An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the
atmospheric
 pressure.
 barometer n. An instrument for indicating the atmospheric pressure per unit of
surface.
 barring prep. Apart from.
 baritone adj. Having a register higher than bass and lower than tenor.
 bask v. To make warm by genial heat.
 bass adj. Low in tone or compass.
 baste v. To cover with melted fat, gravy, while cooking.
 baton n. An official staff borne either as a weapon or as an emblem of authority or
 privilege.
 battalion n. A body of infantry composed of two or more companies, forming a
part of a
 regiment.
 batten n. A narrow strip of wood.
 batter n. A thick liquid mixture of two or more materials beaten together, to be
used in cookery.
 bauble n. A trinket.
 bawl v. To proclaim by outcry.
 beatify v. To make supremely happy.
 beatitude n. Any state of great happiness.
 beau n. An escort or lover.
 becalm v. To make quiet.
 beck v. To give a signal to, by nod or gesture.
 bedaub v. To smear over, as with something oily or sticky.
 bedeck v. To cover with ornament.
 bedlam n. Madhouse.
 befog v. To confuse.
 befriend v. To be a friend to, especially when in need.
 beget v. To produce by sexual generation.
 begrudge v. To envy one of the possession of.
 belate v. To delay past the proper hour.
 belay v. To make fast, as a rope, by winding round a cleat.
 belie v. To misrepresent.
 believe v. To accept as true on the testimony or authority of others.
 belittle v. To disparage.
 belle n. A woman who is a center of attraction because of her beauty,
accomplishments,
 etc.
 bellicose adj. Warlike.
 belligerent adj. Manifesting a warlike spirit.
 bemoan v. To lament
 benediction n. a solemn invocation of the divine blessing.
 benefactor n. A doer of kindly and charitable acts.
 benefice n. A church office endowed with funds or property for the maintenance of
divine
 service.
 beneficent adj. Characterized by charity and kindness.
 beneficial adj. Helpful.
 beneficiary n. One who is lawfully entitled to the profits and proceeds of an estate
or
 property.
 benefit n. Helpful result.
 benevolence n. Any act of kindness or well-doing.
 benevolent adj. Loving others and actively desirous of their well-being.
 benign adj. Good and kind of heart.
 benignant adj. Benevolent in feeling, character, or aspect.
 benignity n. Kindness of feeling, disposition, or manner.
 benison n. Blessing.
 bequeath v. To give by will.
 bereave v. To make desolate with loneliness and grief.
 berth n. A bunk or bed in a vessel, sleeping-car, etc.
 beseech v. To implore.
 beset v. To attack on all sides.
 besmear v. To smear over, as with any oily or sticky substance.
 bestial adj. Animal.
 bestrew v. To sprinkle or cover with things strewn.
 bestride v. To get or sit upon astride, as a horse.
 bethink v. To remind oneself.
 betide v. To happen to or befall.
 betimes adv. In good season or time.
 betroth v. To engage to marry.
 betrothal n. Engagement to marry.
 bevel n. Any inclination of two surfaces other than 90 degrees.
 bewilder v. To confuse the perceptions or judgment of.
 bibliomania n. The passion for collecting books.
 bibliography n. A list of the words of an author, or the literature bearing on a
particular subject.
 bibliophile n. One who loves books.
 bibulous adj. Fond of drinking.
 bide v. To await.
 biennial n. A plant that produces leaves and roots the first year and flowers and
fruit the second.
 bier n. A horizontal framework with two handles at each end for carrying a corpse
to the grave.
 bigamist n. One who has two spouses at the same time.
 bigamy n. The crime of marrying any other person while having a legal spouse
living.
 bight n. A slightly receding bay between headlands, formed by a long curve of a
coast-line.
 bilateral adj. Two-sided.
 bilingual adj. Speaking two languages.
 biograph n. A bibliographical sketch or notice.
 biography n. A written account of one’s life, actions, and character.
 biology n. The science of life or living organisms.
 biped n. An animal having two feet.
 birthright n. A privilege or possession into which one is born.
 bitterness n. Acridity, as to the taste.
 blasé adj. Sated with pleasure.
 blaspheme v. To indulge in profane oaths.
 blatant adj. Noisily or offensively loud or clamorous.
 blaze n. A vivid glowing flame.
 blazon v. To make widely or generally known.
 bleak adj. Desolate.
 blemish n. A mark that mars beauty.
 blithe adj. Joyous.
 blithesome adj. Cheerful.
 blockade n. The shutting up of a town, a frontier, or a line of coast by hostile
forces.
 boatswain n. A subordinate officer of a vessel, who has general charge of the
rigging,
 anchors, etc.
 bodice n. A women’s ornamental corset-shaped laced waist.
 bodily adj. Corporeal.
 boisterous adj. Unchecked merriment or animal spirits.
 bole n. The trunk or body of a tree.
 bolero n. A Spanish dance, illustrative of the passion of love, accompanied by caste
nets and singing.
 boll n. A round pod or seed-capsule, as a flax or cotton.
 bolster v. To support, as something wrong.
 bomb n. A hollow projectile containing an explosive material.
 bombard v. To assail with any missile or with abusive speech.
 bombardier n. A person who has charge of mortars, bombs, and shells.
 bombast n. Inflated or extravagant language, especially on unimportant subjects.
 boorish adj. Rude.
 bore v. To weary by tediousness or dullness.
 borough n. An incorporated village or town.
 bosom n. The breast or the upper front of the thorax of a human being, especially
of a woman.
 botanical adj. Connected with the study or cultivation of plants.
 botanize v. To study plant-life.
 botany n. The science that treats of plants.
 bountiful adj. Showing abundance.
 Bowdlerize v. To expurgate in editing (a literary composition) by omitting words or
 passages.
 bowler n. In cricket, the player who delivers the ball.
 boycott v. To place the products or merchandise of under a ban.
 brae n. Hillside.
 braggart n. A vain boaster.
 brandish v. To wave, shake, or flourish triumphantly or defiantly, as a sword or
spear.
 bravado n. An aggressive display of boldness.
 bravo interj. Well done.
 bray n. A loud harsh sound, as the cry of an ass or the blast of a horn.
 braze v. To make of or ornament with brass.
 brazier n. An open pan or basin for holding live coals.
 breach n. The violation of official duty, lawful right, or a legal obligation.
 breaker n. One who trains horses, dogs, etc.
 breech n. The buttocks.
 brethren n. pl. Members of a brotherhood, gild, profession, association, or the like.
 brevity n. Shortness of duration.
 bric-a-brac n. Objects of curiosity or for decoration.
 bridle n. The head-harness of a horse consisting of a head-stall, a bit, and the reins.
 brigade n. A body of troops consisting of two or more regiments.
 brigadier n. General officer who commands a brigade, ranking between a colonel
and a
 major-general.
 brigand n. One who lives by robbery and plunder.
 brimstone n. Sulfur.
 brine n. Water saturated with salt.
 bristle n. One of the coarse, stiff hairs of swine: used in brush-making, etc.
 Britannia n. The United Kingdom of Great Britain.
 Briticism n. A word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of Great Britain or the British.
 brittle adj. Fragile.
 broach v. To mention, for the first time.
 broadcast adj. Disseminated far and wide.
 brogan n. A coarse, heavy shoe.
 brogue n. Any dialectic pronunciation of English, especially that of the Irish people.
 brokerage n. The business of making sales and purchases for a commission; a
broker.
 bromine n. A dark reddish-brown, non-metallic liquid element with a suffocating
odor.
 bronchitis n. Inflammation of the bronchial tubes.
 bronchus n. Either of the two subdivisions of the trachea conveying air into the
lungs.
 brooch n. An article of jewelry fastened by a hinged pin and hook on the underside.
 brotherhood n. Spiritual or social fellowship or solidarity.
 browbeat v. To overwhelm, or attempt to do so, by stern, haughty, or rude address
or manner.
 brusque adj. Somewhat rough or rude in manner or speech.
 buffoon n. A clown.
 buffoonery n. Low drollery, coarse jokes, etc.
 bulbous adj. Of, or pertaining to, or like a bulb.
 bullock n. An ox.
 bulrush n. Any one of various tall rush-like plants growing in damp ground or
water.
 bulwark n. Anything that gives security or defense.
 bumper n. A cup or glass filled to the brim, especially one to be drunk as a toast or
health.
 bumptious adj. Full of offensive and aggressive self-conceit.
 bungle v. To execute clumsily.
 buoyancy n. Power or tendency to float on or in a liquid or gas.
 buoyant adj. Having the power or tendency to float or keep afloat.
 bureau n. A chest of drawers for clothing, etc.
 bureaucracy n. Government by departments of men transacting particular
branches of
 public business.
 burgess n. In colonial times, a member of the lower house of the legislature of
Maryland or
 Virginia.
 burgher n. An inhabitant, citizen or freeman of a borough burgh, or corporate
town.
 burnish v. To make brilliant or shining.
 bursar n. A treasurer.
 bustle v. To hurry.
 butt v. To strike with or as with the head, or horns.
 butte n. A conspicuous hill, low mountain, or natural turret, generally isolated.
 buttress n. Any support or prop.
 by-law n. A rule or law adopted by an association, a corporation, or the like.
 cabal n. A number of persons secretly united for effecting by intrigue some private
 purpose.
 cabalism n. Superstitious devotion to one’s religion.
 cabinet n. The body of men constituting the official advisors of the executive head
of a
 nation.
 cacophony n. A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant sound or combination of sounds
or
 tones.
 cadaverous adj. Resembling a corpse.
 cadence n. Rhythmical or measured flow or movement, as in poetry or the time
and pace
 of marching troops.
 cadenza n. An embellishment or flourish, prepared or improvised, for a solo voice
or instrument.
 caitiff adj. Cowardly.
 cajole v. To impose on or dupe by flattering speech.
 cajolery n. Delusive speech.
 calculable adj. That may be estimated by reckoning.
 calculus n. A concretion formed in various parts of the body resembling a pebble in
 hardness.
 callosity n. The state of being hard and insensible.
 callow adj. Without experience of the world.
 calorie n. Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1
degree centigrade.
 calumny n. Slander.
 Calvary n. The place where Christ was crucified.
 Calvinism n. The system of doctrine taught by John Calvin.
 Calvinize v. To teach or imbue with the doctrines of Calvinism.
 came n. A leaden sash-bar or grooved strip for fastening panes in stained-glass
windows.
 cameo n. Any small engraved or carved work in relief.
 campaign n. A complete series of connected military operations.
 Canaanite n. A member of one of the three tribes that dwelt in the land of Canaan,
or
 western Palestine.
 canary adj. Of a bright but delicate yellow.
 candid adj. Straightforward.
 candor n. The quality of frankness or outspokenness.
 canine adj. Characteristic of a dog.
 canon n. Any rule or law.
 cant v. To talk in a singsong, preaching tone with affected solemnity.
 cantata n. A choral composition.
 canto n. One of the divisions of an extended poem.
 cantonment n. The part of the town or district in which the troops are quartered.
 capacious adj. Roomy.
 capillary n. A minute vessel having walls composed of a single layer of cells.
 capitulate v. To surrender or stipulate terms.
 caprice n. A whim.
 caption n. A heading, as of a chapter, section, document, etc.
 captious adj. Hypercritical.
 captivate v. To fascinate, as by excellence. eloquence, or beauty.
 carcass n. The dead body of an animal.
 cardiac adj. Pertaining to the heart.
 cardinal adj. Of prime or special importance.
 caret n. A sign (^) placed below a line, indicating where omitted words, etc., should
be inserted.
 caricature n. a picture or description in which natural characteristics are
exaggerated or
 distorted.
 carnage n. Massacre.
 carnal adj. Sensual.
 carnivorous adj. Eating or living on flesh.
 carouse v. To drink deeply and in boisterous or jovial manner.
 carrion n. Dead and putrefying flesh.
 cartilage n. An elastic animal tissue of firm consistence.
 cartridge n. A charge for a firearm, or for blasting.
 caste n. The division of society on artificial grounds.
 castigate v. To punish.
 casual adj. Accidental, by chance.
 casualty n. A fatal or serious accident or disaster.
 cataclysm n. Any overwhelming flood of water.
 cataract n. Opacity of the lens of the eye resulting in complete or partial blindness.
 catastrophe n. Any great and sudden misfortune or calamity.
 cathode n. The negative pole or electrode of a galvanic battery.
 Catholicism n. The system, doctrine, and practice of the Roman Catholic Church.
 catholicity n. Universal prevalence or acceptance.
 cat-o-nine-tails n. An instrument consisting of nine pieces of cord, formerly used
for
 flogging in the army and navy.
 caucus n. A private meeting of members of a political party to select candidates.
 causal adj. Indicating or expressing a cause.
 caustic adj. Sarcastic and severe.
 cauterize v. To burn or sear as with a heated iron.
 cede v. To pass title to.
 censor n. An official examiner of manuscripts empowered to prohibit their
publication.
 censorious adj. Judging severely or harshly.
 census n. An official numbering of the people of a country or district.
 centenary adj. Pertaining to a hundred years or a period of a hundred years.
 centiliter n. A hundredth of a liter.
 centimeter n. A length of one hundredth of a meter.
 centurion n. A captain of a company of one hundred infantry in the ancient Roman
army.
 cereal adj. Pertaining to edible grain or farinaceous seeds.
 ceremonial adj. Characterized by outward form or ceremony.
 ceremonious adj. Observant of ritual.
 cessation n. Discontinuance, as of action or motion.
 cession n. Surrender, as of possessions or rights.
 chagrin n. Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one’s failures or errors.
 chameleon adj. Changeable in appearance.
 chancery n. A court of equity, as distinguished from a common-law court.
 chaos n. Any condition of which the elements or parts are in utter disorder and
confusion.
 characteristic n. A distinctive feature.
 characterize v. To describe by distinctive marks or peculiarities.
 charlatan n. A quack.
 chasm n. A yawning hollow, as in the earth’s surface.
 chasten v. To purify by affliction.
 chastise v. To subject to punitive measures.
 chastity n. Sexual or moral purity.
 chateau n. A castle or manor-house.
 chattel n. Any article of personal property.
 check v. To hold back.
 chiffon n. A very thin gauze used for trimmings, evening dress, etc.
 chivalry n. The knightly system of feudal times with its code, usages and practices.
 cholera n. An acute epidemic disease.
 choleric adj. Easily provoked to anger.
 choral adj. Pertaining to, intended for, or performed by a chorus or choir.
 Christ n. A title of Jesus
 christen v. To name in baptism.
 Christendom n. That part of the world where Christianity is generally professed.
 chromatic adj. Belonging, relating to, or abounding in color.
 chronology n. The science that treats of computation of time or of investigation
and
 arrangement of events.
 chronometer n. A portable timekeeper of the highest attainable precision.
 cipher v. To calculate arithmetically. (also a noun meaning zero or nothing)
 circulate v. To disseminate.
 circumference n. The boundary-line of a circle.
 circumlocution n. Indirect or roundabout expression.
 circumnavigate v. To sail quite around.
 circumscribe v. To confine within bounds.
 circumspect adj. Showing watchfulness, caution, or careful consideration.
 citadel n. Any strong fortress.
 cite v. To refer to specifically.
 claimant n. One who makes a claim or demand, as of right.
 clairvoyance n. Intuitive sagacity or perception.
 clamorous adj. Urgent in complaint or demand.
 clan n. A tribe.
 clandestine adj. Surreptitious.
 clangor n. Clanking or a ringing, as of arms, chains, or bells; clamor.
 clarify v. To render intelligible.
 clarion n. A small shrill trumpet or bugle.
 classify v. To arrange in a class or classes on the basis of observed resemblance;
and differences.
 clearance n. A certificate from the proper authorities that a vessel has complied
with the
 law and may sail.
 clemency n. Mercy.
 clement adj. Compassionate.
 close-hauled adj. Having the sails set for sailing as close to the wind as possible.
 clothier n. One who makes or sells cloth or clothing.
 clumsy adj. Awkward of movement.
 coagulate v. To change into a clot or a jelly, as by heat, by chemical action, or by a
 ferment.
 coagulant adj. Producing coagulation.
 coalescence n. The act or process of coming together so as to form one body,
 combination, or product.
 coalition n. Combination in a body or mass.
 coddle v. To treat as a baby or an invalid.
 codicil n. A supplement adding to, revoking, or explaining in the body of a will.
 coerce v. To force.
 coercion n. Forcible constraint or restraint, moral or physical.
 coercive adj. Serving or tending to force.
 cogent adj. Appealing strongly to the reason or conscience.
 cognate adj. Akin.
 cognizant adj. Taking notice.
 cohere v. To stick together.
 cohesion n. Consistency.
 cohesive adj. Having the property of consistency.
 coincide v. To correspond.
 coincidence n. A circumstance so agreeing with another: often implying accident.
 coincident adj. Taking place at the same time.
 collaborate v. To labor or cooperate with another or others, especially in literary or
scientific pursuits.
 collapse v. To cause to shrink, fall in, or fail.
 collapsible adj. That may or can collapse.
 colleague n. An associate in professional employment.
 collective adj. Consisting of a number of persons or objects considered as gathered
into a
 mass, or sum.
 collector n. One who makes a collection, as of objects of art, books, or the like.
 collegian n. A college student.
 collide v. To meet and strike violently.
 collier n. One who works in a coal-mine.
 collision n. Violent contact.
 colloquial adj. Pertaining or peculiar to common speech as distinguished from
literary.
 colloquialism n. Form of speech used only or chiefly in conversation.
 colloquy n. Conversation.
 collusion n. A secret agreement for a wrongful purpose.
 colossus n. Any strikingly great person or object.
 comely adj. Handsome.
 comestible adj. Fit to be eaten.
 comical adj. Funny.
 commemorate v. To serve as a remembrance of.
 commentary n. A series of illustrative or explanatory notes on any important work.
 commingle v. To blend.
 commissariat n. The department of an army charged with the provision of its food
and
 water and daily needs.
 commission v. To empower.
 commitment n. The act or process of entrusting or consigning for safe-keeping.
 committal n. The act, fact, or result of committing, or the state of being
 commodity n. Something that is bought and sold.
 commotion n. A disturbance or violent agitation.
 commute v. To put something, especially something less severe, in place of.
 comparable adj. Fit to be compared.
 comparative adj. Relative.
 comparison n. Examination of two or more objects with reference to their likeness
or
 unlikeness.
 compensate v. To remunerate.
 competence n. Adequate qualification or capacity.
 competent adj. Qualified.
 competitive adj. characterized by rivalry.
 competitor n. A rival.
 complacence n. Satisfaction with one’s acts or surroundings.
 complacent adj. Pleased or satisfied with oneself.
 complaisance n. Politeness.
 complaisant adj. Agreeable.
 complement v. To make complete.
 complex adj. Complicated.
 compliant adj. Yielding.
 complicate v. To make complex, difficult, or hard to deal with.
 complication n. An intermingling or combination of things or parts, especially in a
perplexing manner.
 complicity n. Participation or partnership, as in wrong-doing or with a wrong-doer.
 compliment v. To address or gratify with expressions of delicate praise.
 component n. A constituent element or part.
 comport v. To conduct or behave (oneself).
 composure n. Calmness.
 comprehensible adj. Intelligible.
 comprehension n. Ability to know.
 comprehensive adj. Large in scope or content.
 compress v. To press together or into smaller space.
 compressible adj. Capable of being pressed into smaller compass.
 compression n. Constraint, as by force or authority.
 comprise v. To consist of.
 compulsion n. Coercion.
 compulsory adj. Forced.
 compunction n. Remorseful feeling.
 compute v. To ascertain by mathematical calculation.
 concede v. To surrender.
 conceit n. Self-flattering opinion.
 conceive v. To form an idea, mental image or thought of.
 concerto n. A musical composition.
 concession n. Anything granted or yielded, or admitted in response to a demand,
petition,
 or claim.
 conciliate v. To obtain the friendship of.
 conciliatory adj. Tending to reconcile.
 conclusive adj. Sufficient to convince or decide.
 concord n. Harmony.
 concordance n. Harmony.
 concur v. To agree.
 concurrence n. Agreement.
 concurrent adj. Occurring or acting together.
 concussion n. A violent shock to some organ by a fall or a sudden blow.
 condensation n. The act or process of making dense or denser.
 condense v. To abridge.
 condescend v. To come down voluntarily to equal terms with inferiors.
 condolence n. Expression of sympathy with a person in pain, sorrow, or misfortune.
 conduce v. To bring about.
 conducive adj. Contributing to an end.
 conductible adj. Capable of being conducted or transmitted.
 conduit n. A means for conducting something, particularly a tube, pipe, or
passageway for
 a fluid.
 confectionery n. The candy collectively that a confectioner makes or sells, as candy.
 confederacy n. A number of states or persons in compact or league with each
other, as for
 mutual aid.
 confederate n. One who is united with others in a league, compact, or agreement.
 confer v. To bestow.
 conferee n. A person with whom another confers.
 confessor n. A spiritual advisor.
 confidant n. One to whom secrets are entrusted.
 confide v. To reveal in trust or confidence.
 confidence n. The state or feeling of trust in or reliance upon another.
 confident adj. Assured.
 confinement n. Restriction within limits or boundaries.
 confiscate v. To appropriate (private property) as forfeited to the public use or
treasury.
 conflagration n. A great fire, as of many buildings, a forest, or the like.
 confluence n. The place where streams meet.
 confluent n. A stream that unites with another.
 conformance n. The act or state or conforming.
 conformable adj. Harmonious.
 conformation n. General structure, form, or outline.
 conformity n. Correspondence in form, manner, or use.
 confront v. To encounter, as difficulties or obstacles.
 congeal v. To coagulate.
 congenial adj. Having kindred character or tastes.
 congest v. To collect into a mass.
 congregate v. To bring together into a crowd.
 coniferous adj. Cone-bearing trees.
 conjecture n. A guess.
 conjoin v. To unite.
 conjugal adj. Pertaining to marriage, marital rights, or married persons.
 conjugate adj. Joined together in pairs.
 conjugation n. The state or condition of being joined together.
 conjunction n. The state of being joined together, or the things so joined.
 connive v. To be in collusion.
 connoisseur n. A critical judge of art, especially one with thorough knowledge and
sound
 judgment of art.
 connote v. To mean; signify.
 connubial adj. Pertaining to marriage or matrimony.
 conquer v. To overcome by force.
 consanguineous adj. Descended from the same parent or ancestor.
 conscience n. The faculty in man by which he distinguishes between right and
wrong in
 character and conduct.
 conscientious adj. Governed by moral standard.
 conscious adj. Aware that one lives, feels, and thinks.
 conscript v. To force into military service.
 consecrate v. To set apart as sacred.
 consecutive adj. Following in uninterrupted succession.
 consensus n. A collective unanimous opinion of a number of persons.
 conservatism n. Tendency to adhere to the existing order of things.
 conservative adj. Adhering to the existing order of things.
 conservatory n. An institution for instruction and training in music and
declamation.
 consign v. To entrust.
 consignee n. A person to whom goods or other property has been entrusted.
 consignor n. One who entrusts.
 consistency n. A state of permanence.
 console v. To comfort.
 consolidate v. To combine into one body or system.
 consonance n. The state or quality of being in accord with.
 consonant adj. Being in agreement or harmony with.
 consort n. A companion or associate.
 conspicuous adj. Clearly visible.
 conspirator n. One who agrees with others to cooperate in accomplishing some
unlawful purpose.
 conspire v. To plot.
 constable n. An officer whose duty is to maintain the peace.
 constellation n. An arbitrary assemblage or group of stars.
 consternation n. Panic.
 constituency n. The inhabitants or voters in a district represented in a legislative
body.
 constituent n. One who has the right to vote at an election.
 constrict v. To bind.
 consul n. An officer appointed to reside in a foreign city, chiefly to represent his
country.
 consulate n. The place in which a consul transacts official business.
 consummate v. To bring to completion.
 consumption n. Gradual destruction, as by burning, eating, etc., or by using up,
wearing
 out, etc.
 consumptive adj. Designed for gradual destruction.
 contagion n. The communication of disease from person to person.
 contagious adj. Transmitting disease.
 contaminate v. To pollute.
 contemplate v. To consider thoughtfully.
 contemporaneous adj. Living, occurring, or existing at the same time.
 contemporary adj. Living or existing at the same time.
 contemptible adj. Worthy of scorn or disdain.
 contemptuous adj. Disdainful.
 contender n. One who exerts oneself in opposition or rivalry.
 contiguity n. Proximity.
 contiguous adj. Touching or joining at the edge or boundary.
 continence n. Self-restraint with respect to desires, appetites, and passion.
 ontingency n. Possibility of happening.
 contingent adj. Not predictable.
 continuance n. Permanence.
 continuation n. Prolongation.
 continuity n. Uninterrupted connection in space, time, operation, or development.
 continuous adj. Connected, extended, or prolonged without separation or
interruption of
 sequence.
 contort v. To twist into a misshapen form.
 contraband n. Trade forbidden by law or treaty.
 contradiction n. The assertion of the opposite of that which has been said.
 contradictory adj. Inconsistent with itself.
 contraposition n. A placing opposite.
 contravene v. To prevent or obstruct the operation of.
 contribution n. The act of giving for a common purpose.
 contributor n. One who gives or furnishes, in common with others, for a common
purpose.
 contrite adj. Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin.
 contrivance n. The act planning, devising, inventing, or adapting something to or
for a
 special purpose.
 contrive v. To manage or carry through by some device or scheme.
 control v. To exercise a directing, restraining, or governing influence over.
 controller n. One who or that which regulates or directs.
 contumacious adj. Rebellious.
 contumacy n. Contemptuous disregard of the requirements of rightful authority.
 contuse v. To bruise by a blow, either with or without the breaking of the skin.
 contusion n. A bruise.
 convalesce v. To recover after a sickness.
 convalescence n. The state of progressive restoration to health and strength after
the
 cessation of disease.
 convalescent adj. Recovering health after sickness.
 convene v. To summon or cause to assemble.
 convenience n. Fitness, as of time or place.
 converge v. To cause to incline and approach nearer together.
 convergent adj. Tending to one point.
 conversant adj. Thoroughly informed.
 conversion n. Change from one state or position to another, or from one form to
another.
 convertible adj. Interchangeable.
 convex adj. Curving like the segment of the globe or of the surface of a circle.
 conveyance n. That by which anything is transported.
 convivial adj. Devoted to feasting, or to good-fellowship in eating or drinking.
 convolution n. A winding motion.
 convolve v. To move with a circling or winding motion.
 convoy n. A protecting force accompanying property in course of transportation.
 convulse v. To cause spasms in.
 convulsion n. A violent and abnormal muscular contraction of the body.
 copious adj. Plenteous.
 coquette n. A flirt.
 cornice n. An ornamental molding running round the walls of a room close to the
ceiling.
 cornucopia n. The horn of plenty, symbolizing peace and prosperity.
 corollary n. A proposition following so obviously from another that it requires little
 demonstration.
 coronation n. The act or ceremony of crowning a monarch.
 coronet n. Inferior crown denoting, according to its form, various degrees of noble
rank
 less than sovereign.
 corporal adj. Belonging or relating to the body as opposed to the mind.
 corporate adj. Belonging to a corporation.
 corporeal adj. Of a material nature; physical.
 corps n. A number or body of persons in some way associated or acting together.
 corpse n. A dead body.
 corpulent adj. Obese.
 corpuscle n. A minute particle of matter.
 correlate v. To put in some relation of connection or correspondence.
 correlative adj. Mutually involving or implying one another.
 corrigible adj. Capable of reformation.
 corroborate v. To strengthen, as proof or conviction.
 corroboration n. Confirmation.
 corrode v. To ruin or destroy little by little.
 corrosion n. Gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration.
 corrosive n. That which causes gradual decay by crumbling or surface
disintegration.
 corruptible adj. Open to bribery.
 corruption n. Loss of purity or integrity.
 cosmetic adj. Pertaining to the art of beautifying, especially the complexion.
 cosmic adj. Pertaining to the universe.
 cosmogony n. A doctrine of creation or of the origin of the universe.
 cosmography n. The science that describes the universe, including astronomy,
 geography, and geology.
 cosmology n. The general science of the universe.
 cosmopolitan adj. Common to all the world.
 cosmopolitanism n. A cosmopolitan character.
 cosmos n. The world or universe considered as a system, perfect in order and
 arrangement.
 counter-claim n. A cross-demand alleged by a defendant in his favor against the
plaintiff.
 counteract v. To act in opposition to.
 counterbalance v. To oppose with an equal force.
 countercharge v. To accuse in return.
 counterfeit adj. Made to resemble something else.
 counterpart n. Something taken with another for the completion of either.
 countervail v. To offset.
 counting-house n. A house or office used for transacting business, bookkeeping,
 correspondence, etc.
 countryman n. A rustic.
 courageous adj. Brave.
 course n. Line of motion or direction.
 courser n. A fleet and spirited horse.
 courtesy n. Politeness originating in kindness and exercised habitually.
 covenant n. An agreement entered into by two or more persons or parties.
 covert adj. Concealed, especially for an evil purpose.
 covey n. A flock of quails or partridges.
 cower v. To crouch down tremblingly, as through fear or shame.
 coxswain n. One who steers a rowboat, or one who has charge of a ship’s boat and
its
 crew under an officer.
 crag n. A rugged, rocky projection on a cliff or ledge.
 cranium n. The skull of an animal, especially that part enclosing the brain.
 crass adj. Coarse or thick in nature or structure, as opposed to thin or fine.
 craving n. A vehement desire.
 creak n. A sharp, harsh, squeaking sound.
 creamery n. A butter-making establishment.
 creamy adj. Resembling or containing cream.
 credence n. Belief.
 credible adj. Believable.
 credulous adj. Easily deceived.
 creed n. A formal summary of fundamental points of religious belief.
 crematory adj. A place for cremating dead bodies.
 crevasse n. A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier.
 crevice n. A small fissure, as between two contiguous surfaces.
 criterion n. A standard by which to determine the correctness of a judgment or
conclusion.
 critique n. A criticism or critical review.
 crockery n. Earthenware made from baked clay.
 crucible n. A trying and purifying test or agency.
 crusade n. Any concerted movement, vigorously prosecuted, in behalf of an idea or
 principle.
 crustacean adj. Pertaining to a division of arthropods, containing lobsters, crabs,
crawfish, etc.
 crustaceous adj. Having a crust-like shell.
 cryptogram n. Anything written in characters that are secret or so arranged as to
have
 hidden meaning.
 crystallize v. To bring together or give fixed shape to.
 cudgel n. A short thick stick used as a club.
 culinary adj. Of or pertaining to cooking or the kitchen.
 cull v. To pick or sort out from the rest.
 culpable adj. Guilty.
 culprit n. A guilty person.
 culvert n. Any artificial covered channel for the passage of water through a bank or
under
 a road, canal.
 cupidity n. Avarice.
 curable adj. Capable of being remedied or corrected.
 curator n. A person having charge as of a library or museum.
 curio n. A piece of bric-a-brac.
 cursive adj. Writing in which the letters are joined together.
 cursory adj. Rapid and superficial.
 curt adj. Concise, compressed, and abrupt in act or expression.
 curtail v. To cut off or cut short.
 curtsy n. A downward movement of the body by bending the knees.
 cycloid adj. Like a circle.
 cygnet n. A young swan.
 cynical adj. Exhibiting moral skepticism.
 cynicism n. Contempt for the opinions of others and of what others value.
 cynosure n. That to which general interest or attention is directed.
 daring adj. Brave.
 darkling adv. Blindly.
 Darwinism n. The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime cause of
evolution of
 higher forms.
 dastard n. A base coward.
 datum n. A premise, starting-point, or given fact.
 dauntless adj. Fearless.
 day-man n. A day-laborer.
 dead-heat n. A race in which two or more competitors come out even, and there is
no
 winner.
 dearth n. Scarcity, as of something customary, essential ,or desirable.
 death’s-head n. A human skull as a symbol of death.
 debase v. To lower in character or virtue.
 debatable adj. Subject to contention or dispute.
 debonair adj. Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner.
 debut n. A first appearance in society or on the stage.
 decagon n. A figure with ten sides and ten angles.
 decagram n. A weight of 10 grams.
 decaliter n. A liquid and dry measure of 10 liters.
 decalogue n. The ten commandments.
 Decameron n. A volume consisting of ten parts or books.
 decameter n. A length of ten meters.
 decamp v. To leave suddenly or unexpectedly.
 decapitate v. To behead.
 decapod adj. Ten-footed or ten-armed.
 decasyllable n. A line of ten syllables.
 deceit n. Falsehood.
 deceitful adj. Fraudulent.
 deceive v. To mislead by or as by falsehood.
 decency n. Moral fitness.
 decent adj. Characterized by propriety of conduct, speech, manners, or dress.
 deciduous adj. Falling off at maturity as petals after flowering, fruit when ripe, etc.
 decimal adj. Founded on the number 10.
 decimate v. To destroy a measurable or large proportion of.
 decipher v. To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible.
 decisive ad. Conclusive.
 declamation n. A speech recited or intended for recitation from memory in public.
 declamatory adj. A full and formal style of utterance.
 declarative adj. Containing a formal, positive, or explicit statement or affirmation.
 declension n. The change of endings in nouns and adj. to express their different
relations of gender.
 decorate v. To embellish.
 decorous adj. Suitable for the occasion or circumstances.
 decoy n. Anything that allures, or is intended to allures into danger or temptation.
 decrepit adj. Enfeebled, as by old age or some chronic infirmity.
 dedication n. The voluntary consecration or relinquishment of something to an end
or
 cause.
 deduce v. To derive or draw as a conclusion by reasoning from given premises or
 principles.
 deface v. To mar or disfigure the face or external surface of.
 defalcate v. To cut off or take away, as a part of something.
 defamation n. Malicious and groundless injury done to the reputation or good
name of another.
 defame v. To slander.
 default n. The neglect or omission of a legal requirement.
 defendant n. A person against whom a suit is brought.
 defensible adj. Capable of being maintained or justified.
 defensive adj. Carried on in resistance to aggression.
 defer v. To delay or put off to some other time.
 deference n. Respectful submission or yielding, as to another’s opinion, wishes, or
 judgment.
 defiant adj. Characterized by bold or insolent opposition.
 deficiency n. Lack or insufficiency.
 deficient adj. Not having an adequate or proper supply or amount.
 definite adj. Having an exact signification or positive meaning.
 deflect v. To cause to turn aside or downward.
 deforest v. To clear of forests.
 deform v. To disfigure.
 deformity n. A disfigurement.
 defraud v. To deprive of something dishonestly.
 defray v. To make payment for.
 degeneracy n. A becoming worse.
 degenerate v. To become worse or inferior.
 degradation n. Diminution, as of strength or magnitude.
 degrade v. To take away honors or position from.
 dehydrate v. To deprive of water.
 deify v. To regard or worship as a god.
 deign v. To deem worthy of notice or account.
 deist n. One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation.
 deity n. A god, goddess, or divine person.
 deject v. To dishearten.
 dejection n. Melancholy.
 delectable adj. Delightful to the taste or to the senses.
 delectation n. Delight.
 deleterious adj. Hurtful, morally or physically.
 delicacy n. That which is agreeable to a fine taste.
 delineate v. To represent by sketch or diagram.
 deliquesce v. To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption of moisture
from the
 air.
 delirious adj. Raving.
 delude v. To mislead the mind or judgment of.
 deluge v. To overwhelm with a flood of water.
 delusion n. Mistaken conviction, especially when more or less enduring.
 demagnetize v. To deprive (a magnet) of magnetism.
 demagogue n. An unprincipled politician.
 demeanor n. Deportment.
 demented adj. Insane.
 demerit n. A mark for failure or bad conduct.
 demise n. Death.
 demobilize v. To disband, as troops.
 demolish v. To annihilate.
 demonstrable adj. Capable of positive proof.
 demonstrate v. To prove indubitably.
 demonstrative adj. Inclined to strong exhibition or expression of feeling or
thoughts.
 demonstrator n. One who proves in a convincing and conclusive manner.
 demulcent n. Any application soothing to an irritable surface
 demurrage n. the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time of sailing.
 dendroid adj. Like a tree.
 dendrology n. The natural history of trees.
 denizen n. Inhabitant.
 denominate v. To give a name or epithet to.
 denomination n. A body of Christians united by a common faith and form of
worship and
 discipline.
 denominator n. Part of a fraction which expresses the number of equal parts into
which
 the unit is divided.
 denote v. To designate by word or mark.
 denouement n. That part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up.
 denounce v. To point out or publicly accuse as deserving of punishment, censure,
or
 odium.
 dentifrice n. Any preparation used for cleaning the teeth.
 denude v. To strip the covering from.
 denunciation n. The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or
 punishment.
 deplete v. To reduce or lessen, as by use, exhaustion, or waste.
 deplorable adj. Contemptible.
 deplore v. To regard with grief or sorrow.
 deponent adj. Laying down.
 depopulate v. To remove the inhabitants from.
 deport v. To take or send away forcibly, as to a penal colony.
 deportment n. Demeanor.
 deposition n. Testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced to writing, for
use as
 evidence in court.
 depositor n. One who makes a deposit, or has an amount deposited.
 depository n. A place where anything is kept in safety.
 deprave v. To render bad, especially morally bad.
 deprecate v. To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite.
 depreciate v. To lessen the worth of.
 depreciation n. A lowering in value or an underrating in worth.
 depress v. To press down.
 depression n. A falling of the spirits.
 depth n. Deepness.
 derelict adj. Neglectful of obligation.
 deride v. To ridicule.
 derisible adj. Open to ridicule.
 derision n. Ridicule.
 derivation n. That process by which a word is traced from its original root or
primitive form
 and meaning.
 derivative adj. Coming or acquired from some origin.
 derive v. To deduce, as from a premise.
 dermatology n. The branch of medical science which relates to the skin and its
diseases.
 derrick n. An apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights.
 descendant n. One who is descended lineally from another, as a child, grandchild,
etc.
 descendent adj. Proceeding downward.
 descent n. The act of moving or going downward.
 descry v. To discern.
 desert v. To abandon without regard to the welfare of the abandoned
 desiccant n. Any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or absorbs
moisture, as
 that of wounds.
 designate v. To select or appoint, as by authority.
 desist v. To cease from action.
 desistance n. Cessation.
 despair n. Utter hopelessness and despondency.
 desperado n. One without regard for law or life.
 desperate adj. Resorted to in a last extremity, or as if prompted by utter despair.
 despicable adj. Contemptible.
 despite prep. In spite of.
 despond v. To lose spirit, courage, or hope.
 despondent adj. Disheartened.
 despot n. An absolute and irresponsible monarch.
 despotism n. Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has
little or
 no part.
 destitute adj. Poverty-stricken.
 desultory adj. Not connected with what precedes.
 deter v. To frighten away.
 deteriorate v. To grow worse.
 determinate adj. Definitely limited or fixed.
 determination n. The act of deciding.
 deterrent adj. Hindering from action through fear.
 detest v. To dislike or hate with intensity.
 detract v. To take away in such manner as to lessen value or estimation.
 detriment n. Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss.
 detrude v. To push down forcibly.
 deviate v. To take a different course.
 devilry n. Malicious mischief.
 deviltry n. Wanton and malicious mischief.
 devious adj. Out of the common or regular track.
 devise v. To invent.
 devout adj. Religious.
 dexterity n. Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in
any
 mechanical work.
 diabolic adj. Characteristic of the devil.
 diacritical adj. Marking a difference.
 diagnose v. To distinguish, as a disease, by its characteristic phenomena.
 diagnosis n. Determination of the distinctive nature of a disease.
 dialect n. Forms of speech collectively that are peculiar to the people of a particular
district.
 dialectician n. A logician.
 dialogue n. A formal conversation in which two or more take part.
 diaphanous adj. Transparent.
 diatomic adj. Containing only two atoms.
 diatribe n. A bitter or malicious criticism.
 dictum n. A positive utterance.
 didactic adj. Pertaining to teaching.
 difference n. Dissimilarity in any respect.
 differentia n. Any essential characteristic of a species by reason of which it differs
from other species.
 differential adj. Distinctive.
 differentiate v. To acquire a distinct and separate character.
 diffidence n. Self-distrust.
 diffident adj. Affected or possessed with self-distrust.
 diffusible adj. Spreading rapidly through the system and acting quickly.
 diffusion n. Dispersion.
 dignitary n. One who holds high rank.
 digraph n. A union of two characters representing a single sound.
 digress v. To turn aside from the main subject and for a time dwell on some
incidental
 matter.
 dilapidated pa. Fallen into decay or partial ruin.
 dilate v. To enlarge in all directions.
 dilatory adj. Tending to cause delay.
 dilemma n. A situation in which a choice between opposing modes of conduct is
 necessary.
 dilettante n. A superficial amateur.
 diligence n. Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken.
 dilute v. To make more fluid or less concentrated by admixture with something.
 diminution n. Reduction.
 dimly adv. Obscurely.
 diphthong n. The sound produced by combining two vowels in to a single syllable
or
 running together the sounds.
 diplomacy n. Tact, shrewdness, or skill in conducting any kind of negotiations or in
social
 matters.
 diplomat n. A representative of one sovereign state at the capital or court of
another.
 diplomatic adj. Characterized by special tact in negotiations.
 diplomatist n. One remarkable for tact and shrewd management.
 disagree v. To be opposite in opinion.
 disallow v. To withhold permission or sanction.
 disappear v. To cease to exist, either actually or for the time being.
 disappoint v. To fail to fulfill the expectation, hope, wish, or desire of.
 disapprove v. To regard with blame.
 disarm v. To deprive of weapons.
 disarrange v. To throw out of order.
 disavow v. To disclaim responsibility for.
 disavowal n. Denial.
 disbeliever n. One who refuses to believe.
 disburden v. To disencumber.
 disburse v. To pay out or expend, as money from a fund.
 discard v. To reject.
 discernible adj. Perceivable.
 disciple n. One who believes the teaching of another, or who adopts and follows
some doctrine.
 disciplinary adj. Having the nature of systematic training or subjection to authority.
 discipline v. To train to obedience.
 disclaim v. To disavow any claim to, connection with, or responsibility to.
 discolor v. To stain.
 discomfit v. To put to confusion.
 discomfort n. The state of being positively uncomfortable.
 disconnect v. To undo or dissolve the connection or association of.
 disconsolate adj. Grief-stricken.
 discontinuance n. Interruption or intermission.
 discord n. Absence of harmoniousness.
 discountenance v. To look upon with disfavor.
 discover v. To get first sight or knowledge of, as something previously unknown or
unperceived.
 discredit v. To injure the reputation of.
 discreet adj. Judicious.
 discrepant adj. Opposite.
 discriminate v. To draw a distinction.
 discursive adj. Passing from one subject to another.
 discussion n. Debate.
 disenfranchise v. To deprive of any right privilege or power
 disengage v. To become detached.
 disfavor n. Disregard.
 disfigure v. To impair or injure the beauty, symmetry, or appearance of.
 dishabille n. Undress or negligent attire.
 dishonest adj. Untrustworthy.
 disillusion v. To disenchant.
 disinfect v. To remove or destroy the poison of infectious or contagious diseases.
 disinfectant n. A substance used to destroy the germs of infectious diseases.
 disinherit v. To deprive of an inheritance.
 disinterested adj. Impartial.
 disjunctive adj. Helping or serving to disconnect or separate.
 dislocate v. To put out of proper place or order.
 dismissal n. Displacement by authority from an office or an employment.
 dismount v. To throw down, push off, or otherwise remove from a horse or the
like.
 disobedience n. Neglect or refusal to comply with an authoritative injunction.
 disobedient adj. Neglecting or refusing to obey.
 disown v. To refuse to acknowledge as one’s own or as connected with oneself.
 disparage v. To regard or speak of slightingly.
 disparity n. Inequality.
 dispel v. To drive away by or as by scattering in different directions.
 dispensation n. That which is bestowed on or appointed to one from a higher
power.
 displace v. To put out of the proper or accustomed place.
 dispossess v. To deprive of actual occupancy, especially of real estate.
 disputation n. Verbal controversy.
 disqualify v. To debar.
 disquiet v. To deprive of peace or tranquility.
 disregard v. To take no notice of.
 disreputable adj. Dishonorable or disgraceful.
 disrepute n. A bad name or character.
 disrobe v. To unclothe.
 disrupt v. To burst or break asunder.
 dissatisfy v. To displease.
 dissect v. To cut apart or to pieces.
 dissection n. The act or operation of cutting in pieces, specifically of a plant or an
animal.
 dissemble v. To hide by pretending something different.
 disseminate v. To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown.
 dissension n. Angry or violent difference of opinion.
 dissent n. Disagreement.
 dissentient n. One who disagrees.
 dissentious adj. Contentious.
 dissertation n. Thesis.
 disservice n. An ill turn.
 dissever v. To divide.
 dissimilar adj. Different.
 dissipate v. To disperse or disappear.
 dissipation n. The state of being dispersed or scattered.
 dissolute adj. Lewd.
 dissolution n. A breaking up of a union of persons.
 dissolve v. To liquefy or soften, as by heat or moisture.
 dissonance n. Discord.
 dissonant adj. Harsh or disagreeable in sound.
 dissuade v. To change the purpose or alter the plans of by persuasion, counsel, or
 pleading.
 dissuasion n. The act of changing the purpose of or altering the plans of through
 persuasion, or pleading.
 disyllable n. A word of two syllables.
 distemper n. A disease or malady.
 distend v. To stretch out or expand in every direction.
 distensible adj. Capable of being stretched out or expanded in every direction.
 distention n. Expansion.
 distill v. To extract or produce by vaporization and condensation.
 distillation n. Separation of the more volatile parts of a substance from those less
volatile.
 distiller n. One occupied in the business of distilling alcoholic liquors.
 distinction n. A note or designation of honor, officially recognizing superiority or
success in
 studies.
 distort v. To twist into an unnatural or irregular form.
 distrain v. To subject a person to distress.
 distrainor n. One who subjects a person to distress.
 distraught adj. Bewildered.
 distrust n. Lack of confidence in the power, wisdom, or good intent of any person.
 disunion n. Separation of relations or interests.
 diurnal adj. Daily.
 divagation n. Digression.
 divergent adj. Tending in different directions.
 diverse adj. Capable of various forms.
 diversion n. Pastime.
 diversity n. Dissimilitude.
 divert v. To turn from the accustomed course or a line of action already
established.
 divertible adj. Able to be turned from the accustomed course or a line of action
already established.
 divest v. To strip, specifically of clothes, ornaments, or accouterments or
disinvestment.
 divination n. The pretended forecast of future events or discovery of what is lost or
hidden.
 divinity n. The quality or character of being godlike.
 divisible adj. Capable of being separated into parts.
 divisor n. That by which a number or quantity is divided.
 divulge v. To tell or make known, as something previously private or secret.
 divulgence n. A divulging.
 docile adj. Easy to manage.
 docket n. The registry of judgments of a court.
 doe n. The female of the deer.
 dogma n. A statement of religious faith or duty formulated by a body claiming
authority.
 dogmatic adj. Making statements without argument or evidence.
 dogmatize v. To make positive assertions without supporting them by argument or
 evidence.
 doleful adj. Melancholy.
 dolesome adj. Melancholy.
 dolor n. Lamentation.
 dolorous adj. Expressing or causing sorrow or pain.
 domain n. A sphere or field of action or interest.
 domesticity n. Life in or fondness for one’s home and family.
 domicile n. The place where one lives.
 dominance n. Ascendancy.
 dominant adj. Conspicuously prominent.
 dominate v. To influence controllingly.
 domination n. Control by the exercise of power or constituted authority.
 domineer v. To rule with insolence or unnecessary annoyance.
 donate v. To bestow as a gift, especially for a worthy cause.
 donator n. One who makes a donation or present.
 donee n. A person to whom a donation is made.
 donor n. One who makes a donation or present.
 dormant adj. Being in a state of or resembling sleep.
 doublet n. One of a pair of like things.
 doubly adv. In twofold degree or extent.
 dowry n. The property which a wife brings to her husband in marriage.
 drachma n. A modern and an ancient Greek coin.
 dragnet n. A net to be drawn along the bottom of the water.
 dragoon n. In the British army, a cavalryman.
 drainage n. The means of draining collectively, as a system of conduits, trenches,
pipes,
 etc.
 dramatist n. One who writes plays.
 dramatize v. To relate or represent in a dramatic or theatrical manner.
 drastic adj. Acting vigorously.
 drought n. Dry weather, especially when so long continued as to cause vegetation
to
 wither.
 drowsy adj. Heavy with sleepiness.
 drudgery n. Hard and constant work in any menial or dull occupation.
 dubious adj. Doubtful.
 duckling n. A young duck.
 ductile adj. Capable of being drawn out, as into wire or a thread.
 duet n. A composition for two voices or instruments.
 dun v. To make a demand or repeated demands on for payment.
 duplex adj. Having two parts.
 duplicity n. Double-dealing.
 durance n. Confinement.
 duration n. The period of time during which anything lasts.
 duteous adj. Showing submission to natural superiors.
 dutiable adj. Subject to a duty, especially a customs duty.
 dutiful adj. Obedient.
 dwindle v. To diminish or become less.
 dyne n. The force which, applied to a mass of one gram for 1 second, would give it
a
 velocity of 1 cm/s.
 earnest adj. Ardent in spirit and speech.
 earthenware n. Anything made of clay and baked in a kiln or dried in the sun.
 eatable adj. Edible.
 ebullient adj. Showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling.
 eccentric adj. Peculiar.
 eccentricity n. Idiosyncrasy.
 eclipse n. The obstruction of a heavenly body by its entering into the shadow of
another
 body.
 economize v. To spend sparingly.
 ecstasy n. Rapturous excitement or exaltation.
 ecstatic adj. Enraptured.
 edible adj. Suitable to be eaten.
 edict n. That which is uttered or proclaimed by authority as a rule of action.
 edify v. To build up, or strengthen, especially in morals or religion.
 editorial n. An article in a periodical written by the editor and published as an
official argument.
 educe v. To draw out.
 efface v. To obliterate.
 effect n. A consequence.
 effective adj. Fit for a destined purpose.
 effectual adj. Efficient.
 effeminacy n. Womanishness.
 effeminate adj. Having womanish traits or qualities.
 effervesce v. To bubble up.
 effervescent adj. Giving off bubbles of gas.
 effete adj. Exhausted, as having performed its functions.
 efficacious adj. Effective.
 efficacy n. The power to produce an intended effect as shown in the production of
it.
 efficiency n. The state of possessing adequate skill or knowledge for the
performance of a duty.
 efficient adj. Having and exercising the power to produce effects or results.
 efflorescence n. The state of being flowery, or a flowery appearance.
 efflorescent adj. Opening in flower.
 effluvium n. A noxious or ill-smelling exhalation from decaying or putrefying
matter.
 effrontery n. Unblushing impudence.
 effulgence n. Splendor.
 effuse v. To pour forth.
 effusion n. an outpouring.
 egoism n. The theory that places man’s chief good in the completeness of self.
 egoist n. One who advocates or practices egoism.
 egotism n. Self-conceit.
 egotist n. One given to self-mention or who is constantly telling of his own views
and
 experiences.
 egregious adj. Extreme.
 egress n. Any place of exit.
 eject v. To expel.
 elapse v. To quietly terminate: said of time.
 elasticity n. That property of matter by which a body tends to return to a former
shape after
 being changed.
 electrolysis n. The process of decomposing a chemical compound by the passage of
an
 electric current.
 electrotype n. A metallic copy of any surface, as a coin.
 elegy n. A lyric poem lamenting the dead.
 element n. A component or essential part.
 elicit v. To educe or extract gradually or without violence.
 eligible adj. Qualified for selection.
 eliminate v. To separate and cast aside.
 Elizabethan adj. Relating to Elizabeth, queen of England, or to her era.
 elocution n. The art of correct intonation, inflection, and gesture in public speaking
or
 reading.
 eloquent adj. Having the ability to express emotion or feeling in lofty and
impassioned speech.
 elucidate v. To bring out more clearly the facts concerning.
 elude v. To evade the search or pursuit of by dexterity or artifice.
 elusion n. Evasion.
 emaciate v. To waste away in flesh.
 emanate v. To flow forth or proceed, as from some source.
 emancipate v. To release from bondage.
 embargo n. Authoritative stoppage of foreign commerce or of any special trade.
 embark v. To make a beginning in some occupation or scheme.
 embarrass v. To render flustered or agitated.
 embellish v. To make beautiful or elegant by adding attractive or ornamental
features.
 embezzle v. To misappropriate secretly.
 emblazon v. To set forth publicly or in glowing terms.
 emblem n. A symbol.
 embody v. To express, formulate, or exemplify in a concrete, compact or visible
form.
 embolden v. To give courage to.
 embolism n. An obstruction or plugging up of an artery or other blood-vessel.
 embroil v. To involve in dissension or strife.
 emerge v. To come into view or into existence.
 emergence n. A coming into view.
 emergent adj. Coming into view.
 emeritus adj. Retired from active service but retained to an honorary position.
 emigrant n. One who moves from one place to settle in another.
 emigrate v. To go from one country, state, or region for the purpose of settling or
residing in another.
 eminence n. An elevated position with respect to rank, place, character, condition,
etc.
 eminent adj. High in station, merit, or esteem.
 emit v. To send or give out.
 emphasis n. Any special impressiveness added to an utterance or act, or stress laid
upon some word.
 emphasize v. To articulate or enunciate with special impressiveness upon a word,
or a
 group of words.
 emphatic adj. Spoken with any special impressiveness laid upon an act, word, or
set of words.
 employee n. One who works for wages or a salary.
 employer n. One who uses or engages the services of other persons for pay.
 emporium n. A bazaar or shop.
 empower v. To delegate authority to.
 emulate v. To imitate with intent to equal or surpass.
 enact v. To make into law, as by legislative act.
 enamor v. To inspire with ardent love.
 encamp v. To pitch tents for a resting-place.
 encomium n. A formal or discriminating expression of praise.
 encompass v. To encircle.
 encore n. The call for a repetition, as of some part of a play or performance.
 encourage v. To inspire with courage, hope, or strength of mind.
 encroach v. To invade partially or insidiously and appropriate the possessions of
another.
 encumber v. To impede with obstacles.
 encyclical adj. Intended for general circulation.
 encyclopedia n. A work containing information on subjects, or exhaustive of one
subject.
 endanger v. To expose to peril.
 endear v. To cause to be loved.
 endemic adj. Peculiar to some specified country or people.
 endue v. To endow with some quality, gift, or grace, usually spiritual.
 endurable adj. Tolerable.
 endurance n. The ability to suffer pain, distress, hardship, or stress of any kind
without succumbing.
 energetic adj. Working vigorously.
 enervate v. To render ineffective or inoperative.
 enfeeble v. To debilitate.
 enfranchise v. To endow with a privilege, especially with the right to vote.
 engender v. To produce.
 engrave v. To cut or carve in or upon some surface.
 engross v. To occupy completely.
 enhance v. To intensify.
 enigma n. A riddle.
 enjoin v. To command.
 enkindle v. To set on fire.
 enlighten v. To cause to see clearly.
 enlist v. To enter voluntarily the military service by formal enrollment.
 enmity n. Hatred.
 ennoble v. To dignify.
 enormity n. Immensity.
 enormous adj. Gigantic.
 enrage v. To infuriate.
 enrapture v. To delight extravagantly or intensely.
 enshrine v. To keep sacred.
 ensnare v. To entrap.
 entail v. To involve; necessitate.
 entangle v. To involve in difficulties, confusion, or complications.
 enthrall v. To bring or hold under any overmastering influence.
 enthrone v. To invest with sovereign power.
 enthuse v. To yield to or display intense and rapturous feeling.
 enthusiastic adj. Full of zeal and fervor.
 entirety n. A complete thing.
 entomology n. The branch of zoology that treats of insects.
 entrails n. pl. The internal parts of an animal.
 entreaty n. An earnest request.
 entree n. The act of entering.
 entrench v. To fortify or protect, as with a trench or ditch and wall.
 entwine v. To interweave.
 enumerate v. To name one by one.
 epic n. A poem celebrating in formal verse the mythical achievements of great
personages,
 heroes, etc.
 epicure n. One who cultivates a delicate taste for eating and drinking.
 Epicurean adj. Indulging, ministering, or pertaining to daintiness of appetite.
 epicycle n. A circle that rolls upon the external or internal circumference of another
circle.
 epicycloid n. A curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle which rolls
upon
 another circle.
 epidemic n. Wide-spread occurrence of a disease in a certain region.
 epidermis n. The outer skin.
 epigram n. A pithy phrasing of a shrewd observation.
 epilogue n. The close of a narrative or dramatic poem.
 epiphany n. Any appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity.
 episode n. An incident or story in a literary work, separable from yet growing out of
it.
 epitaph n. An inscription on a tomb or monument in honor or in memory of the
dead.
 epithet n. Word used adjectivally to describe some quality or attribute of is objects,
as in
 “Father Aeneas.”
 epitome n. A simplified representation.
 epizootic adj. Prevailing among animals.
 epoch n. A interval of time, memorable for extraordinary events.
 epode n. A species of lyric poems.
 equalize v. To render uniform.
 equanimity n. Evenness of mind or temper.
 equestrian adj. Pertaining to horses or horsemanship.
 equilibrium n. A state of balance.
 equitable adj. Characterized by fairness.
 equity n. Fairness or impartiality.
 equivalent adj. Equal in value, force, meaning, or the like.
 equivocal adj. Ambiguous.
 equivocate v. To use words of double meaning.
 eradicate v. To destroy thoroughly.
 errant adj. Roving or wandering, as in search of adventure or opportunity for
gallant deeds.
 erratic adj. Irregular.
 erroneous adj. Incorrect.
 erudite adj. Very-learned.
 erudition n. Extensive knowledge of literature, history, language, etc.
 eschew v. To keep clear of.
 espy v. To keep close watch.
 esquire n. A title of dignity, office, or courtesy.
 essence n. That which makes a thing to be what it is.
 esthetic adj. Pertaining to beauty, taste, or the fine arts.
 estimable adj. Worthy of respect.
 estrange v. To alienate.
 estuary n. A wide lower part of a tidal river.
 et cetera Latin. And so forth.
 eugenic adj. Relating to the development and improvement of race.
 eulogize v. To speak or write a laudation of a person’s life or character.
 eulogy n. A spoken or written laudation of a person’s life or character.
 euphemism n. A figure of speech by which a phrase less offensive is substituted.
 euphonious adj. Characterized by agreeableness of sound.
 euphony n. Agreeableness of sound.
 eureka Greek. I have found it.
 evade v. To avoid by artifice.
 evanesce v. To vanish gradually.
 evanescent adj. Fleeting.
 evangelical adj. Seeking the conversion of sinners.
 evangelist n. A preacher who goes from place to place holding services.
 evasion n. Escape.
 eventual adj. Ultimate.
 evert v. To turn inside out.
 evict v. To dispossess pursuant to judicial decree.
 evidential adj. Indicative.
 evince v. To make manifest or evident.
 evoke v. To call or summon forth.
 evolution n. Development or growth.
 evolve v. To unfold or expand.
 exacerbate v. To make more sharp, severe, or virulent.
 exaggerate v. To overstate.
 exasperate v. To excite great anger in.
 excavate v. To remove by digging or scooping out.
 exceed v. To go beyond, as in measure, quality, value, action, power, skill, etc.
 excel v. To be superior or distinguished.
 excellence n. Possession of eminently or unusually good qualities.
 excellency n. A title of honor bestowed upon various high officials.
 excellent adj. Possessing distinguished merit.
 excerpt n. An extract or selection from written or printed matter.
 excess n. That which passes the ordinary, proper, or required limit, measure, or
 experience.
 excitable adj. Nervously high-strung.
 excitation n. Intensified emotion or action.
 exclamation n. An abrupt or emphatic expression of thought or of feeling.
 exclude v. To shut out purposely or forcibly.
 exclusion n. Non-admission.
 excrescence n. Any unnatural addition, outgrowth, or development.
 excretion n. The getting rid of waste matter.
 excruciate v. To inflict severe pain or agony upon.
 excursion n. A journey.
 excusable adj. Justifiable.
 execrable adj. Abominable.
 execration n. An accursed thing.
 executor n. A person nominated by the will of another to execute the will.
 exegesis n. Biblical exposition or interpretation.
 exemplar n. A model, pattern, or original to be copied or imitated.
 exemplary adj. Fitted to serve as a model or example worthy of imitation.
 exemplify v. To show by example.
 exempt adj. Free, clear, or released, as from some liability, or restriction affecting
others.
 exert v. To make an effort.
 exhale v. To breathe forth.
 exhaust v. To empty by draining off the contents.
 exhaustible adj. Causing or tending to cause exhaustion.
 exhaustion n. Deprivation of strength or energy.
 exhaustive adj. Thorough and complete in execution.
 exhilarate v. To fill with high or cheerful spirits.
 exhume v. To dig out of the earth (what has been buried).
 exigency n. A critical period or condition.
 exigent adj. Urgent.
 existence n. Possession or continuance of being.
 exit n. A way or passage out.
 exodus n. A going forth or departure from a place or country, especially of many
people.
 exonerate v. To relieve or vindicate from accusation, imputation, or blame.
 exorbitance n. Extravagance or enormity.
 exorbitant adj. Going beyond usual and proper limits.
 exorcise v. To cast or drive out by religious or magical means.
 exotic adj. Foreign.
 expand v. To increase in range or scope.
 expanse n. A continuous area or stretch.
 expansion n. Increase of amount, size, scope, or the like.
 expatriate v. To drive from one’s own country.
 expect v. To look forward to as certain or probable.
 expectancy n. The act or state of looking forward to as certain or probable.
 expectorate v. To cough up and spit forth.
 expediency n. Fitness to meet the requirements of a particular case.
 expedient adj. Contributing to personal advantage.
 expedite v. To hasten the movement or progress of.
 expeditious adj. Speedy.
 expend v. To spend.
 expense n. The laying out or expending or money or other resources, as time or
strength.
 expiate v. To make satisfaction or amends for.
 explicate v. To clear from involvement.
 explicit adj. Definite.
 explode v. To cause to burst in pieces by force from within.
 explosion n. A sudden and violent outbreak.
 explosive adj. Pertaining to a sudden and violent outbreak.
 exposition n. Formal presentation.
 expository adj. Pertaining to a formal presentation.
 expostulate v. To discuss.
 exposure n. An open situation or position in relation to the sun, elements, or points
of the
 compass.
 expressive adj. Full of meaning.
 expulsion n. Forcible ejection.
 extant adj. Still existing and known.
 extemporaneous adj. Done or made without much or any preparation.
 extempore adv. Without studied or special preparation.
 extensible adj. Capable of being thrust out.
 extension n. A reaching or stretching out, as in space, time or scope.
 extensive adj. Extended widely in space, time, or scope.
 extensor n. A muscle that causes extension.
 extenuate v. To diminish the gravity or importance of.
 exterior n. That which is outside.
 external n. Anything relating or belonging to the outside.
 extinct adj. Being no longer in existence.
 extinguish v. To render extinct.
 extol v. To praise in the highest terms.
 extort v. To obtain by violence, threats, compulsion, or the subjection of another to
some
 necessity.
 extortion n. The practice of obtaining by violence or compulsion.
 extradite v. To surrender the custody of.
 extradition n. The surrender by a government of a person accused of crime to the
justice
 of another government.
 extrajudicial adj. Happening out of court.
 extraneous adj. Having no essential relation to a subject.
 extraordinary adj. Unusual.
 extravagance n. Undue expenditure of money.
 extravagant adj. Needlessly free or lavish in expenditure.
 extremist n. One who supports extreme measures or holds extreme views.
 extremity n. The utmost point, side, or border, or that farthest removed from a
mean
 position.
 extricate v. Disentangle.
 extrude v. To drive out or away.
 exuberance n. Rich supply.
 exuberant adj. Marked by great plentifulness.
 fabricate v. To invent fancifully or falsely.
 fabulous adj. Incredible.
 facet n. One of the small triangular plane surfaces of a diamond or other gem.
 facetious adj. Amusing.
 facial adj. Pertaining to the face.
 facile adj. Not difficult to do.
 facilitate v. To make more easy.
 facility n. Ease.
 facsimile n. An exact copy or reproduction.
 faction n. A number of persons combined for a common purpose.
 factious adj. Turbulent.
 fallacious adj. Illogical.
 fallacy n. Any unsound or delusive mode of reasoning, or anything based on such
 reasoning.
 fallible adj. Capable of erring.
 fallow n. Land broken up and left to become mellow or to rest.
 famish v. To suffer extremity of hunger or thirst.
 fanatic n. A religious zealot.
 fancier n. One having a taste for or interest in special objects.
 fanciless adj. Unimaginative.
 fastidious adj. Hard to please.
 fathom n. A measure of length, 6 feet.
 fatuous adj. Idiotic
 faulty adj. Imperfect.
 faun n. One of a class of deities of the woods and herds represented as half human,
with
 goats feet.
 fawn n. A young deer.
 fealty n. Loyalty.
 feasible adj. That may be done, performed, or effected; practicable.
 federate v. To league together.
 feint n. Any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement.
 felicitate v. To wish joy or happiness to, especially in view of a coming event.
 felicity n. A state of well-founded happiness.
 felon n. A criminal or depraved person.
 felonious adj. Showing criminal or evil purpose.
 felony n. One of the highest class of offenses, and punishable with death or
imprisonment.
 feminine adj. Characteristic of woman or womankind.
 fernery n. A place in which ferns are grown.
 ferocious adj. Of a wild, fierce, and savage nature.
 ferocity n. Savageness.
 fervent adj. Ardent in feeling.
 fervid adj. Intense.
 fervor n. Ardor or intensity of feeling.
 festal adj. Joyous.
 festive adj. Merry.
 fete n. A festival or feast.
 fetus n. The young in the womb or in the egg.
 feudal adj. Pertaining to the relation of lord and vassal.
 feudalism n. The feudal system.
 fez n. A brimless felt cap in the shape of a truncated cone, usually red with a black
tassel.
 fiasco n. A complete or humiliating failure.
 fickle adj. Unduly changeable in feeling, judgment, or purpose.
 fictitious adj. Created or formed by the imagination.
 fidelity n. Loyalty.
 fiducial adj. Indicative of faith or trust.
 fief n. A landed estate held under feudal tenure.
 filibuster n. One who attempts to obstruct legislation.
 finale n. Concluding performance.
 finality n. The state or quality of being final or complete.
 finally adv. At last.
 financial adj. Monetary.
 financier n. One skilled in or occupied with financial affairs or operations.
 finery n. That which is used to decorate the person or dress.
 finesse n. Subtle contrivance used to gain a point.
 finite adj. Limited.
 fiscal adj. Pertaining to the treasury or public finances of a government.
 fishmonger n. One who sells fish.
 fissure n. A crack or crack-like depression.
 fitful adj. Spasmodic.
 fixture n. One who or that which is expected to remain permanently in its position.
 flag-officer n. The captain of a flag-ship.
 flagrant adj. Openly scandalous.
 flamboyant adj. Characterized by extravagance and in general by want of good
taste.
 flatulence n. Accumulation of gas in the stomach and bowels.
 flection n. The act of bending.
 fledgling n. A young bird.
 flexible adj. Pliable.
 flimsy adj. Thin and weak.
 flippant adj. Having a light, pert, trifling disposition.
 floe n. A collection of tabular masses of floating polar ice.
 flora n. The aggregate of plants growing without cultivation in a district.
 floral adj. Pertaining to flowers.
 florid adj. Flushed with red.
 florist n. A dealer in flowers.
 fluctuate v. To pass backward and forward irregularly from one state or degree to
another.
 fluctuation n. Frequent irregular change back and forth from one state or degree to
 another.
 flue n. A smoke-duct in a chimney.
 fluent adj. Having a ready or easy flow of words or ideas.
 fluential adj. Pertaining to streams.
 flux n. A state of constant movement, change, or renewal.
 foggy adj. Obscure.
 foible n. A personal weakness or failing.
 foist v. To palm off.
 foliage n. Any growth of leaves.
 folio n. A sheet of paper folded once, or of a size adapted to folding once.
 folklore n. The traditions, beliefs, and customs of the common people.
 fondle v. To handle tenderly and lovingly.
 foolery n. Folly.
 foot-note n. A note of explanation or comment at the foot of a page or column.
 foppery n. Dandyism.
 foppish adj. Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties
of
 manners.
 forbearance n. Patient endurance or toleration of offenses.
 forby adv. Besides.
 forcible adj. Violent.
 forecourt n. A court opening directly from the street.
 forejudge v. To judge of before hearing evidence.
 forepeak n. The extreme forward part of a ship’s hold, under the lowest deck.
 foreshore n. That part of a shore uncovered at low tide.
 forebode v. To be an omen or warning sign of, especially of evil.
 forecast v. To predict.
 forecastle n. That part of the upper deck of a ship forward of the after foreshrouds.
 foreclose v. To bar by judicial proceedings the equitable right of a mortgagor to
redeem
 property.
 forefather n. An ancestor.
 forego v. To deny oneself the pleasure or profit of.
 foreground n. That part of a landscape or picture situated or represented as
nearest the
 spectator.
 forehead n. The upper part of the face, between the eyes and the hair.
 foreign adj. Belonging to, situated in, or derived from another country.
 foreigner n. A citizen of a foreign country.
 foreknowledge n. Prescience.
 foreman n. The head man.
 foreordain v. To predetermine.
 foreordination n. Predestination.
 forerun v. To go before as introducing or ushering in.
 foresail n. A square sail.
 foresee v. To discern beforehand.
 foresight n. Provision against harm or need.
 foretell v. To predict.
 forethought n. Premeditation.
 forfeit v. To lose possession of through failure to fulfill some obligation.
 forfend v. To ward off.
 forgery n. Counterfeiting.
 forgo v. To deny oneself.
 formation n. Relative disposition of parts.
 formidable adj. Difficult to accomplish.
 formula n. Fixed rule or set form.
 forswear v. To renounce upon oath.
 forte n. A strong point.
 forth adv. Into notice or view.
 forthright adv. With directness.
 fortify v. To provide with defensive works.
 fortitude n. Patient courage.
 foursome adj. Consisting of four.
 fracture n. A break.
 fragile adj. Easily broken.
 frailty n. Liability to be broken or destroyed.
 fragile adj. Capable of being broken.
 frankincense n. A gum or resin which on burning yields aromatic fumes.
 frantic adj. Frenzied.
 fraternal adj. Brotherly.
 fraudulence n. Deceitfulness.
 fraudulent adj. Counterfeit.
 fray v. To fret at the edge so as to loosen or break the threads.
 freemason n. A member of an ancient secret fraternity originally confined to skilled
 artisans.
 freethinker n. One who rejects authority or inspiration in religion.
 free trade n. Commerce unrestricted by tariff or customs.
 frequency n. The comparative number of any kind of occurrences within a given
time or space.
 fresco n. The art of painting on a surface of plaster, particularly on walls and
ceilings.
 freshness n. The state, quality, or degree of being fresh.
 fretful adj. Disposed to peevishness.
 frightful adj. Apt to induce terror or alarm.
 frigid adj. Lacking warmth.
 frigidarium n. A room kept at a low temperature for preserving fruits, meat, etc.
 frivolity n. A trifling act, thought, saying, or practice.
 frivolous adj. Trivial.
 frizz v. To give a crinkled, fluffy appearance to.
 frizzle v. To cause to crinkle or curl, as the hair.
 frolicsome adj. Prankish.
 frontier n. The part of a nation’s territory that abuts upon another country.
 frowzy adj. Slovenly in appearance.
 frugal adj. Economical.
 fruition n. Fulfillment.
 fugacious adj. Fleeting.
 fulcrum n. The support on or against which a lever rests, or the point about which
it turns.
 fulminate v. To cause to explode.
 fulsome adj. Offensive from excess of praise or commendation.
 fumigate v. To subject to the action of smoke or fumes, especially for disinfection.
 functionary n. An official.
 fundamental adj. Basal.
 fungible adj. That may be measured, counted, or weighed.
 fungous adj. Spongy.
 fungus n. A plant destitute of chlorophyll, as a mushroom.
 furbish v. To restore brightness or beauty to.
 furlong n. A measure, one-eighth of a mile.
 furlough n. A temporary absence of a soldier or sailor by permission of the
commanding officer.
 furrier n. A dealer in or maker of fur goods.
 further adj. More distant or advanced.
 furtherance n. Advancement.
 furtive adj. Stealthy or sly, like the actions of a thief.
 fuse v. To unite or blend as by melting together.
 fusible adj. Capable of being melted by heat.
 futile adj. Of no avail or effect.
 futurist n. A person of expectant temperament.
 gauge n. An instrument for measuring.
 gaiety n. Festivity.
 gaily adv. Merrily.
 gait n. Carriage of the body in going.
 gallant adj. Possessing a brave or chivalrous spirit.
 galore adj. Abundant.
 galvanic adj. Pertaining or relating to electricity produced by chemical action.
 galvanism n. Current electricity, especially that arising from chemical action.
 galvanize v. To imbue with life or animation.
 gamble v. To risk money or other possession on an event, chance, or contingency.
 gambol n. Playful leaping or frisking.
 gamester n. A gambler.
 gamut n. The whole range or sequence.
 garnish v. In cookery, to surround with additions for embellishment.
 garrison n. The military force stationed in a fort, town, or other place for its
defense.
 garrote v. To execute by strangling.
 garrulous adj. Given to constant trivial talking.
 gaseous adj. Light and unsubstantial.
 gastric adj. Of, pertaining to, or near the stomach.
 gastritis n. Inflammation of the stomach.
 gastronomy n. The art of preparing and serving appetizing food.
 gendarme n. In continental Europe, particularly in France, a uniformed and armed
police officer.
 genealogy n. A list, in the order of succession, of ancestors and their descendants.
 genealogist n. A tracer of pedigrees.
 generality n. The principal portion.
 generalize v. To draw general inferences.
 generally adv. Ordinarily.
 generate v. To produce or cause to be.
 generic adj. Noting a genus or kind; opposed to specific.
 generosity n. A disposition to give liberally or to bestow favors heartily.
 genesis n. Creation.
 geniality n. Warmth and kindliness of disposition.
 genital adj. Of or pertaining to the animal reproductive organs.
 genitive adj. Indicating source, origin, possession, or the like.
 genteel adj. Well-bred or refined.
 gentile adj. Belonging to a people not Jewish.
 geology n. The department of natural science that treats of the constitution and
structure
 of the earth.
 germane adj. Relevant.
 germinate v. To begin to develop into an embryo or higher form.
 gestation n. Pregnancy.
 gesticulate v. To make gestures or motions, as in speaking, or in place of speech.
 gesture n. A movement or action of the hands or face, expressive of some idea or
emotion.
 ghastly adj. Hideous.
 gibe v. To utter taunts or reproaches.
 giddy adj. Affected with a whirling or swimming sensation in the head.
 gigantic adj. Tremendous.
 giver n. One who gives, in any sense.
 glacial adj. Icy, or icily cold.
 glacier n. A field or stream of ice.
 gladden v. To make joyous.
 glazier n. One who cuts and fits panes of glass, as for windows.
 glimmer n. A faint, wavering, unsteady light.
 glimpse n. A momentary look.
 globose adj. Spherical.
 globular adj. Spherical.
 glorious adj. Of excellence and splendor.
 glutinous adj. Sticky.
 gluttonous adj. Given to excess in eating.
 gnash v. To grind or strike the teeth together, as from rage.
 Gordian knot n. Any difficulty the only issue out of which is by bold or unusual
manners.
 gourmand n. A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table.
 gosling n. A young goose.
 gossamer adj. Flimsy.
 gourd n. A melon, pumpkin, squash, or some similar fruit having a hard rind.
 graceless adj. Ungracious.
 gradation n. A step, degree, rank, or relative position in an order or series.
 gradient adj. Moving or advancing by steps.
 granary n. A storehouse for grain after it is thrashed or husked.
 grandeur n. The quality of being grand or admirably great.
 grandiloquent adj. Speaking in or characterized by a pompous or bombastic style.
 grandiose adj. Having an imposing style or effect.
 grantee n. The person to whom property is transferred by deed.
 grantor n. The maker of a deed.
 granular adj. Composed of small grains or particles.
 granulate v. To form into grains or small particles.
 granule n. A small grain or particle.
 grapple v. To take hold of.
 gratification n. Satisfaction.
 gratify v. To please, as by satisfying a physical or mental desire or need.
 gratuitous adj. Voluntarily.
 gratuity n. That which is given without demand or claim. Tip.
 gravity n. Seriousness.
 gregarious adj. Not habitually solitary or living alone.
 grenadier n. A member of a regiment composed of men of great stature.
 grief n. Sorrow.
 grievance n. That which oppresses, injures, or causes grief and at the same time a
sense
 of wrong.
 grievous adj. Creating affliction.
 grimace n. A distortion of the features, occasioned by some feeling of pain, disgust,
etc.
 grindstone n. A flat circular stone, used for sharpening tools.
 grisly adj. Fear-inspiring.
 grotesque adj. Incongruously composed or ill-proportioned.
 grotto n. A small cavern.
 ground n. A pavement or floor or any supporting surface on which one may walk.
 guess n. Surmise.
 guile n. Duplicity.
 guileless adj. Frank.
 guinea n. An English monetary unit.
 guise n. The external appearance as produced by garb or costume.
 gullible adj. Credulous.
 gumption n. Common sense.
 gusto n. Keen enjoyment.
 guy n. Stay-rope.
 guzzle v. To swallow greedily or hastily; gulp.
 gynecocracy n. Female supremacy.
 gynecology n. The science that treats of the functions and diseases peculiar to
women.
 gyrate v. To revolve.
 gyroscope n. An instrument for illustrating the laws of rotation.
 habitable adj. Fit to be dwelt in.
 habitant n. Dweller.
 habitual adj. According to usual practice.
 habitude n. Customary relation or association.
 hackney v. To make stale or trite by repetition.
 haggard adj. Worn and gaunt in appearance.
 halcyon adj. Calm.
 hale adj. Of sound and vigorous health.
 handwriting n. Penmanship.
 hanger-on n. A parasite.
 happy-go-lucky adj. Improvident.
 harangue n. A tirade.
 harass v. To trouble with importunities, cares, or annoyances.
 harbinger n. One who or that which foreruns and announces the coming of any
person or thing.
 hard-hearted adj. Lacking pity or sympathy.
 hardihood n. Foolish daring.
 harmonious adj. Concordant in sound.
 havoc n. Devastation.
 hawthorn n. A thorny shrub much used in England for hedges.
 hazard n. Risk.
 head first adv. Precipitately, as in diving.
 head foremost adv. Precipitately, as in diving.
 heartrending adj. Very depressing.
 heathenish adj. Irreligious.
 heedless adj. Thoughtless.
 heifer n. A young cow.
 heinous adj. Odiously sinful.
 hemorrhage n. Discharge of blood from a ruptured or wounded blood-vessel.
 hemorrhoids n. pl. Tumors composed of enlarged and thickened blood-vessels, at
the
 lower end of the rectum.
 henchman n. A servile assistant and subordinate.
 henpeck v. To worry or harass by ill temper and petty annoyances.
 heptagon n. A figure having seven sides and seven angles.
 heptarchy n. A group of seven governments.
 herbaceous adj. Having the character of a herb.
 herbarium n. A collection of dried plants scientifically arranged for study.
 herbivorous adj. Feeding on herbs or other vegetable matter, as animals.
 hereditary adj. Passing naturally from parent to child.
 heredity n. Transmission of physical or mental qualities, diseases, etc., from parent
to offspring.
 heresy n. An opinion or doctrine subversive of settled beliefs or accepted
principles.
 heretic n. One who holds opinions contrary to the recognized standards or tenets
of any philosophy.
 heritage n. Birthright.
 hernia n. Protrusion of any internal organ in whole or in part from its normal
position.
 hesitancy n. A pausing to consider.
 hesitant adj. Vacillating.
 hesitation n. Vacillation.
 heterodox adj. At variance with any commonly accepted doctrine or opinion.
 heterogeneity n. Unlikeness of constituent parts.
 heterogeneous adj. Consisting of dissimilar elements or ingredients of different
kinds.
 heteromorphic adj. Deviating from the normal form or standard type.
 hexangular adj. Having six angles.
 hexapod adj. Having six feet.
 hexagon n. A figure with six angles.
 hiatus n. A break or vacancy where something necessary to supply the connection
is
 wanting.
 hibernal adj. Pertaining to winter.
 Hibernian adj. Pertaining to Ireland, or its people.
 hideous adj. Appalling.
 hilarious adj. Boisterously merry.
 hillock n. A small hill or mound.
 hinder v. To obstruct.
 hindmost adj. Farthest from the front.
 hindrance n. An obstacle.
 hirsute adj. Having a hairy covering.
 hoard v. To gather and store away for the sake of accumulation.
 hoarse adj. Having the voice harsh or rough, as from a cold or fatigue.
 homage n. Reverential regard or worship.
 homogeneity n. Congruity of the members or elements or parts.
 homogeneous adj. Made up of similar parts or elements.
 homologous adj. Identical in nature, make-up, or relation.
 homonym n. A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from another.
 homophone n. A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from
another.
 honorarium n. A token fee or payment to a professional man for services.
 hoodwink v. To deceive.
 horde n. A gathered multitude of human beings.
 hosiery n. A stocking.
 hospitable adj. Disposed to treat strangers or guests with generous kindness.
 hospitality n. The practice of receiving and entertaining strangers and guests with
 kindness.
 hostility n. Enmity.
 huckster n. One who retails small wares.
 humane adj. Compassionate.
 humanitarian n. A philanthropist.
 humanize v. To make gentle or refined.
 humbug n. Anything intended or calculated to deceive or mislead.
 humiliate v. To put to shame.
 hussar n. A light-horse trooper armed with saber and carbine.
 hustle v. To move with haste and promptness.
 hybrid adj. Cross-bred.
 hydra n. The seven- or nine-headed water-serpent slain by Hercules.
 hydraulic adj. Involving the moving of water, of the force exerted by water in
motion.
 hydrodynamics n. The branch of mechanics that treats of the dynamics of fluids.
 hydroelectric adj. Pertaining to electricity developed water or steam.
 hydromechanics n. The mechanics of fluids.
 hydrometer n. An instrument for determining the density of solids and liquids by
flotation.
 hydrostatics n. The branch of science that treats of the pressure and equilibrium of
fluids.
 hydrous adj. Watery.
 hygiene n. The branch of medical science that relates to improving health.
 hypercritical adj. Faultfinding.
 hypnosis n. An artificial trance-sleep.
 hypnotic adj. Tending to produce sleep.
 hypnotism n. An artificially induced somnambulistic state in which the mind readily
acts on
 suggestion.
 hypnotize v. To produce a somnambulistic state in which the mind readily acts on
suggestions.
 hypocrisy n. Extreme insincerity.
 hypocrite n. One who makes false professions of his views or beliefs.
 hypodermic adj. Pertaining to the area under the skin.
 hypotenuse n. The side of a right-angled triangle opposite the right angle.
 hypothesis n. A proposition taken for granted as a premise from which to reach a
 conclusion.
 hysteria n. A nervous affection occurring typically in paroxysms of laughing and
crying.
 ichthyic adj. Fish-like.
 ichthyology n. The branch of zoology that treats of fishes.
 ichthyosaurs n. A fossil reptile.
 icily adv. Frigidly.
 iciness n. The state of being icy.
 icon n. An image or likeness.
 iconoclast n. An image-breaker.
 idealize v. To make to conform to some mental or imaginary standard.
 idiom n. A use of words peculiar to a particular language.
 idiosyncrasy n. A mental quality or habit peculiar to an individual.
 idolize v. To regard with inordinate love or admiration.
 ignoble adj. Low in character or purpose.
 ignominious adj. Shameful.
 Iliad n. A Greek epic poem describing scenes from the siege of Troy.
 illegal adj. Not according to law.
 illegible adj. Undecipherable.
 illegitimate adj. Unlawfully begotten.
 illiberal adj. Stingy.
 illicit adj. Unlawful.
 illimitable adj. Boundless.
 illiterate adj. Having little or no book-learning.
 ill-natured adj. Surly.
 illogical adj. Contrary to the rules of sound thought.
 illuminant n. That which may be used to produce light.
 illuminate v. To supply with light.
 illumine v. To make bright or clear.
 illusion n. An unreal image presented to the senses.
 illusive adj. Deceptive.
 illusory adj. Deceiving or tending to deceive, as by false appearance.
 imaginable adj. That can be imagined or conceived in the mind.
 imaginary adj. Fancied.
 imbibe v. To drink or take in.
 imbroglio n. A misunderstanding attended by ill feeling, perplexity, or strife.
 imbrue v. To wet or moisten.
 imitation n. That which is made as a likeness or copy.
 imitator n. One who makes in imitation.
 immaculate adj. Without spot or blemish.
 immaterial adj. Of no essential consequence.
 immature adj. Not full-grown.
 immeasurable adj. Indefinitely extensive.
 immense adj. Very great in degree, extent, size, or quantity.
 immerse v. To plunge or dip entirely under water or other fluid.
 immersion n. The act of plunging or dipping entirely under water or another fluid.
 immigrant n. A foreigner who enters a country to settle there.
 immigrate v. To come into a country or region from a former habitat.
 imminence n. Impending evil or danger.
 imminent adj. Dangerous and close at hand.
 immiscible adj. Separating, as oil and water.
 immoral adj. Habitually engaged in licentious or lewd practices.
 immortalize v. To cause to last or to be known or remembered throughout a great
or
 indefinite length of time.
 immovable adj. Steadfast.
 immune adj. Exempt, as from disease.
 immutable adj. Unchangeable.
 impair v. To cause to become less or worse.
 impalpable adj. Imperceptible to the touch.
 impartial adj. Unbiased.
 impassable adj. That can not be passed through or over.
 impassible adj. Not moved or affected by feeling.
 impassive adj. Unmoved by or not exhibiting feeling.
 impatience n. Unwillingness to brook delays or wait the natural course of things.
 impeccable adj. Blameless.
 impecunious adj. Having no money.
 impede v. To be an obstacle or to place obstacles in the way of.
 impel v. To drive or urge forward.
 impend v. To be imminent.
 imperative adj. Obligatory.
 imperceptible adj. Indiscernible.
 imperfectible adj. That can not be perfected.
 imperil v. To endanger.
 imperious adj. Insisting on obedience.
 impermissible adj. Not permissible.
 impersonal adj. Not relating to a particular person or thing.
 impersonate v. To appear or act in the character of.
 impersuadable adj. Unyielding.
 impertinence n. Rudeness.
 imperturbable adj. Calm.
 impervious adj. Impenetrable.
 impetuosity n. Rashness.
 impetuous adj. Impulsive.
 impetus n. Any impulse or incentive.
 impiety n. Irreverence toward God.
 impious adj. Characterized by irreverence or irreligion.
 implausible adj. Not plausible.
 impliable adj. Capable of being inferred.
 implicate v. To show or prove to be involved in or concerned
 implicit adj. Implied.
 imply v. To signify.
 impolitic adj. Inexpedient.
 importation n. The act or practice of bringing from one country into another.
 importunate adj. Urgent in character, request, or demand.
 importune v. To harass with persistent demands or entreaties.
 impotent adj. Destitute of or lacking in power, physical, moral, or intellectual.
 impoverish v. To make indigent or poor.
 impracticable adj. Not feasible.
 impregnable adj. That can not be taken by assault.
 impregnate v. To make pregnant.
 impromptu n. Anything done or said on the impulse of the moment.
 improper adj. Not appropriate, suitable, or becoming.
 impropriety n. The state or quality of being unfit, unseemly, or inappropriate.
 improvident adj. Lacking foresight or thrift.
 improvise v. To do anything extemporaneously or offhand.
 imprudent adj. Heedless.
 impudence n. Insolent disrespect.
 impugn v. To assail with arguments, insinuations, or accusations.
 impulsion n. Impetus.
 impulsive adj. Unpremeditated.
 impunity n. Freedom from punishment.
 impure adj. Tainted.
 impute v. To attribute.
 inaccessible adj. Difficult of approach.
 inaccurate adj. Not exactly according to the facts.
 inactive adj. Inert.
 inadequate adj. Insufficient.
 inadmissible adj. Not to be approved, considered, or allowed, as testimony.
 inadvertent adj. Accidental.
 inadvisable adj. Unadvisable.
 inane adj. Silly.
 inanimate adj. Destitute of animal life.
 inapprehensible adj. Not to be understood.
 inapt adj. Awkward or slow.
 inarticulate adj. Speechless.
 inaudible adj. That can not be heard.
 inborn adj. Implanted by nature.
 inbred adj. Innate.
 incandescence n. The state of being white or glowing with heat.
 incandescent adj. White or glowing with heat.
 incapacitate v. To deprive of power, capacity, competency, or qualification.
 incapacity n. Want of power to apprehend, understand, and manage.
 incarcerate v. To imprison.
 incendiary n. Chemical or person who starts a fire-literally or figuratively.
 incentive n. That which moves the mind or inflames the passions.
 inception n. The beginning.
 inceptive adj. Beginning.
 incessant adj. Unceasing.
 inchmeal adv. Piecemeal.
 inchoate adj. Incipient.
 inchoative n. That which begins, or expresses beginning.
 incidence n. Casual occurrence.
 incident n. A happening in general, especially one of little importance.
 incidentally adv. Without intention.
 incinerate v. To reduce to ashes.
 incipience n. Beginning.
 incipient adj. Initial.
 incisor n. A front or cutting tooth.
 incite v. To rouse to a particular action.
 incitement n. That which moves to action, or serves as an incentive or stimulus.
 incoercible adj. Incapable of being forced, constrained, or compelled.
 incoherence n. Want of connection, or agreement, as of parts or ideas in thought,
speech, etc.
 incoherent adj. Not logically coordinated, as to parts, elements, or details.
 incombustible adj. That can not be burned.
 incomparable adj. Matchless.
 incompatible adj. Discordant.
 incompetence n. General lack of capacity or fitness.
 incompetent adj. Not having the abilities desired or necessary for any purpose.
 incomplete adj. Lacking some element, part, or adjunct necessary or required.
 incomprehensible adj. Not understandable.
 incompressible adj. Resisting all attempts to reduce volume by pressure.
 inconceivable adj. Incomprehensible.
 incongruous adj. Unsuitable for the time, place, or occasion.
 inconsequential adj. Valueless.
 inconsiderable adj. Small in quantity or importance.
 inconsistent adj. Contradictory.
 inconstant adj. Changeable.
 incontrovertible adj. Indisputable.
 inconvenient adj. Interfering with comfort or progress.
 indefensible adj. Untenable.
 indefinitely adv. In a vague or uncertain way.
 indelible adj. That can not be blotted out, effaced, destroyed, or removed.
 indescribable adj. That can not be described.
 indestructible adj. That can not be destroyed.
 indicant adj. That which points out.
 indicator n. One who or that which points out.
 indict v. To find and declare chargeable with crime.
 indigence n. Poverty.
 indigenous adj. Native.
 indigent adj. Poor.
 indigestible adj. Not digestible, or difficult to digest.
 indigestion n. Difficulty or failure in the alimentary canal in changing food into
absorptive
 nutriment.
 indignant adj. Having such anger and scorn as is aroused by meanness or
wickedness.
 indignity n. Unmerited contemptuous conduct or treatment.
 indiscernible adj. Not perceptible.
 indiscreet adj. Lacking wise judgment.
 indiscriminate adj. Promiscuous.
 indispensable adj. Necessary or requisite for the purpose.
 indistinct adj. Vague.
 indivertible adj. That can not be turned aside.
 indivisible adj. Not separable into parts.
 indolence n. Laziness.
 indolent adj. Habitually inactive or idle.
 indomitable adj. Unconquerable.
 induct v. To bring in.
 indulgence n. The yielding to inclination, passion, desire, or propensity in oneself or
 another.
 indulgent adj. Yielding to the desires or humor of oneself or those under one’s
care.
 inebriate v. To intoxicate.
 inedible adj. Not good for food.
 ineffable adj. Unutterable.
 inefficient adj. Not accomplishing an intended purpose.
 inefficiency n. That which does not accomplish an intended purpose.
 ineligible adj. Not suitable to be selected or chosen.
 inept adj. Not fit or suitable.
 inert adj. Inanimate.
 inestimable adj. Above price.
 inevitable adj. Unavoidable.
 inexcusable adj. Not to be justified.
 inexhaustible adj. So large or furnishing so great a supply as not to be emptied,
wasted,
 or spent.
 inexorable adj. Unrelenting.
 inexpedient adj. Unadvisable.
 inexpensive adj. Low-priced.
 inexperience n. Lack of or deficiency in experience.
 inexplicable adj. Such as can not be made plain.
 inexpressible adj. Unutterable.
 inextensible adj. Of unchangeable length or area.
 infallible adj. Exempt from error of judgment, as in opinion or statement.
 infamous adj. Publicly branded or notorious, as for vice, or crime.
 infamy n. Total loss or destitution of honor or reputation.
 inference n. The derivation of a judgment from any given material of knowledge on
the
 ground of law.
 infernal adj. Akin to or befitting hell or its occupants.
 infest v. To be present in such numbers as to be a source of annoyance, trouble, or
 danger.
 infidel n. One who denies the existence of God.
 infidelity n. Disloyalty.
 infinite adj. Measureless.
 infinity n. Boundless or immeasurable extension or duration.
 infirm adj. Lacking in bodily or mental strength.
 infirmary n. A place for the reception or treatment of the sick.
 infirmity n. A physical, mental, or moral weakness or flaw.
 inflammable adj. Easily set on fire or excited.
 inflammation n. A morbid process in some part of the body characterized by heat,
 swelling, and pain.
 inflexible adj. That can not be altered or varied.
 influence n. Ability to sway the will of another.
 influential adj. Having the power to sway the will of another.
 influx n. Infusion.
 infrequence n. Rareness.
 infrequent adj. Uncommon.
 infringe v. To trespass upon.
 infuse v. To instill, introduce, or inculcate, as principles or qualities.
 infusion n. The act of imbuing, or pouring in.
 ingenious adj. Evincing skill, originality, or cleverness, as in contrivance or
arrangement.
 ingenuity n. Cleverness in contriving, combining, or originating.
 ingenuous adj. Candid, frank, or open in character or quality.
 inglorious adj. Shameful.
 ingraft v. To set or implant deeply and firmly.
 ingratiate v. To win confidence or good graces for oneself.
 ingratitude n. Insensibility to kindness.
 ingredient n. Component.
 inherence n. The state of being permanently existing in something.
 inherent adj. Intrinsic.
 inhibit v. To hold back or in.
 inhospitable adj. Not disposed to entertain strangers gratuitously.
 inhuman adj. Savage.
 inhume v. To place in the earth, as a dead body.
 inimical adj. Adverse.
 iniquity n. Gross wrong or injustice.
 initiate v. To perform the first act or rite.
 inject v. To introduce, as a fluid, by injection.
 injunction n. Mandate.
 inkling n. A hint.
 inland adj. Remote from the sea.
 inlet n. A small body of water leading into a larger.
 inmost adj. Deepest within.
 innocuous adj. Harmless.
 innovate v. To introduce or strive to introduce new things.
 innuendo n. Insinuation.
 innumerable adj. Countless.
 inoffensive adj. Causing nothing displeasing or disturbing.
 inopportune adj. Unsuitable or inconvenient, especially as to time.
 inquire v. To ask information about.
 inquisition n. A court or tribunal for examination and punishment of heretics.
 inquisitive adj. Given to questioning, especially out of curiosity.
 inquisitor n. One who makes an investigation.
 inroad n. Forcible encroachment or trespass.
 insatiable adj. That desires or craves immoderately or unappeasably.
 inscribe v. To enter in a book, or on a list, roll, or document, by writing.
 inscrutable adj. Impenetrably mysterious or profound.
 insecure adj. Not assured of safety.
 insensible adj. Imperceptible.
 insentient adj. Lacking the power of feeling or perceiving.
 inseparable adj. That can not be separated.
 insidious adj. Working ill by slow and stealthy means.
 insight n. Intellectual discernment.
 insignificance n. Lack of import or of importance.
 insignificant adj. Without importance, force, or influence.
 insinuate v. To imply.
 insipid adj. Tasteless.
 insistence n. Urgency.
 insistent adj. Urgent.
 insolence n. Pride or haughtiness exhibited in contemptuous and overbearing
treatment of
 others.
 insolent adj. Impudent.
 insomnia n. Sleeplessness.
 inspector n. An official appointed to examine or oversee any matter of public
interest or
 importance.
 instance n. A single occurrence or happening of a given kind.
 instant n. A very brief portion of time.
 instantaneous adj. Done without perceptible lapse of time.
 instigate v. To provoke.
 instigator n. One who incites to evil.
 instill v. To infuse.
 instructive adj. Conveying knowledge.
 insufficiency n. Inadequacy.
 insufficient adj. Inadequate for some need, purpose, or use.
 insular adj. Pertaining to an island.
 insulate v. To place in a detached state or situation.
 insuperable adj. Invincible.
 insuppressible adj. Incapable of being concealed.
 insurgence n. Uprising.
 insurgent n. One who takes part in forcible opposition to the constituted
authorities of a
 place.
 insurrection n. The state of being in active resistance to authority.
 intangible adj. Not perceptible to the touch.
 integrity n. Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principle.
 intellect n. The faculty of perception or thought.
 intellectual adj. Characterized by intelligence.
 intelligence n. Capacity to know or understand.
 intelligible adj. Comprehensible.
 intemperance n. Immoderate action or indulgence, as of the appetites.
 intension n. The act of stringing or stretching, or state of being strained.
 intensive adj. Adding emphasis or force.
 intention n. That upon which the mind is set.
 interact v. To act reciprocally.
 intercede v. To mediate between persons.
 intercept v. To interrupt the course of.
 intercession n. Entreaty in behalf of others.
 intercessor n. A mediator.
 interdict n. Authoritative act of prohibition.
 interim n. Time between acts or periods.
 interlocutor n. One who takes part in a conversation or oral discussion.
 interlude n. An action or event considered as coming between others of greater
length.
 intermediate adj. Being in a middle place or degree or between extremes.
 interminable adj. Having no limit or end.
 intermission n. A recess.
 intermit v. To cause to cease temporarily.
 intermittent adj. A temporary discontinuance.
 interpolation n. Verbal interference.
 interpose v. To come between other things or persons.
 interposition n. A coming between.
 interpreter n. A person who makes intelligible the speech of a foreigner by oral
translation.
 interrogate v. To examine formally by questioning.
 interrogative adj. Having the nature or form of a question.
 interrogatory n. A question or inquiry.
 interrupt v. To stop while in progress.
 intersect v. To cut through or into so as to divide.
 intervale n. A low tract of land between hills, especially along a river.
 intervene v. To interfere for some end.
 intestacy n. The condition resulting from one’s dying not having made a valid will.
 intestate adj. Not having made a valid will.
 intestine n. That part of the digestive tube below or behind the stomach, extending
to the
 anus.
 intimacy n. Close or confidential friendship.
 intimidate v. To cause to become frightened.
 intolerable adj. Insufferable.
 intolerance n. Inability or unwillingness to bear or endure.
 intolerant adj. Bigoted.
 intoxicant n. Anything that unduly exhilarates or excites.
 intoxicate v. To make drunk.
 intracellular adj. Occurring or situated within a cell.
 intramural adj. Situated within the walls of a city.
 intrepid adj. Fearless and bold.
 intricacy n. Perplexity.
 intricate adj. Difficult to follow or understand.
 intrigue n. A plot or scheme, usually complicated and intended to accomplish
something
 by secret ways.
 intrinsic adj. Inherent.
 introductory adj. Preliminary.
 introgression n. Entrance.
 intromit v. To insert.
 introspect v. To look into.
 introspection n. The act of observing and analyzing one’s own thoughts and
feelings.
 introversion n. The act of turning or directing inward, physically or mentally.
 introvert v. To turn within.
 intrude v. To come in without leave or license.
 intrusion n. The act of entering without warrant or invitation; encroachment.
 intuition n. Instinctive knowledge or feeling.
 inundate v. To fill with an overflowing abundance.
 inundation n. Flood.
 inure v. To harden or toughen by use, exercise, or exposure.
 invalid adj. Having no force, weight, or cogency.
 invalid n. One who is disabled by illness or injury.
 invalidate v. To render of no force or effect.
 invaluable adj. Exceedingly precious.
 invariable adj. Unchangeable.
 invasion n. Encroachment, as by an act of intrusion or trespass.
 invective n. An utterance intended to cast censure, or reproach.
 inveigh v. To utter vehement censure or invective.
 inventive adj. Quick at contrivance.
 inverse adj. Contrary in tendency or direction.
 inversion n. Change of order so that the first shall become last and the last first.
 invert v. To turn inside out, upside down, or in opposite direction.
 investigator n. One who investigates.
 investor n. One who invests money.
 inveterate adj. Habitual.
 invidious adj. Showing or feeling envy.
 invigorate v. To animate.
 invincible adj. Not to be conquered, subdued, or overcome.
 inviolable adj. Incapable of being injured or disturbed.
 invoke v. To call on for assistance or protection.
 involuntary adj. Unwilling.
 involution n. Complication.
 involve v. To draw into entanglement, literally or figuratively.
 invulnerable adj. That can not be wounded or hurt.
 inwardly adv. With no outward manifestation.
 iota n. A small or insignificant mark or part.
 irascible adj. Prone to anger.
 irate adj. Moved to anger.
 ire n. Wrath.
 iridescence n. A many-colored appearance.
 iridescent adj. Exhibiting changing rainbow-colors due to the interference of the
light.
 irk v. To afflict with pain, vexation, or fatigue.
 irksome adj. Wearisome.
 irony n. Censure or ridicule under cover of praise or compliment.
 irradiance n. Luster.
 irradiate v. To render clear and intelligible.
 irrational adj. Not possessed of reasoning powers or understanding.
 irreducible adj. That can not be lessened.
 irrefragable adj. That can not be refuted or disproved.
 irrefrangible adj. That can not be broken or violated.
 irrelevant adj. Inapplicable.
 irreligious adj. Indifferent or opposed to religion.
 irreparable adj. That can not be rectified or made amends for.
 irrepressible adj. That can not be restrained or kept down.
 irresistible adj. That can not be successfully withstood or opposed.
 irresponsible adj. Careless of or unable to meet responsibilities.
 irreverence n. The quality showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration,
especially for
 sacred things.
 irreverent adj. Showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for
sacred
 things.
 irreverential adj. Showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for
sacred
 things.
 irreversible adj. Irrevocable.
 irrigant adj. Serving to water lands by artificial means.
 irrigate v. To water, as land, by ditches or other artificial means.
 irritable adj. Showing impatience or ill temper on little provocation.
 irritancy n. The quality of producing vexation.
 irritant n. A mechanical, chemical, or pathological agent of inflammation, pain, or
tension.
 irritate v. To excite ill temper or impatience in.
 irruption n. Sudden invasion.
 isle n. An island.
 islet n. A little island.
 isobar n. A line joining points at which the barometric pressure is the same at a
specified
 moment.
 isochronous adj. Relating to or denoting equal intervals of time.
 isolate v. To separate from others of its kind.
 isothermal adj. Having or marking equality of temperature.
 itinerant adj. Wandering.
 itinerary n. A detailed account or diary of a journey.
 itinerate v. To wander from place to place.
 jargon n. Confused, unintelligible speech or highly technical speech.
 jaundice n. A morbid condition, due to obstructed excretion of bile or
characterized by
 yellowing of the skin.
 jeopardize v. To imperil.
 Jingo n. One of a party in Great Britain in favor of spirited and demonstrative
foreign policy.
 jocose adj. Done or made in jest.
 jocular adj. Inclined to joke.
 joggle n. A sudden irregular shake or a push causing such a shake.
 journalize v. To keep a diary.
 jovial adj. Merry.
 jubilation n. Exultation.
 judgment n. The faculty by the exercise of which a deliberate conclusion is
reached.
 judicature n. Distribution and administration of justice by trial and judgment.
 judicial adj. Pertaining to the administration of justice.
 judiciary n. That department of government which administers the law relating to
civil and
 criminal justice.
 judicious adj. Prudent.
 juggle v. To play tricks of sleight of hand.
 jugglery n. The art or practice of sleight of hand.
 jugular adj. Pertaining to the throat.
 juicy adj. Succulent.
 junction n. The condition of being joined.
 juncture n. An articulation, joint, or seam.
 junta n. A council or assembly that deliberates in secret upon the affairs of
government.
 juridical adj. Assumed by law to exist.
 jurisdiction n. Lawful power or right to exercise official authority.
 jurisprudence n. The science of rights in accordance with positive law.
 juror n. One who serves on a jury or is sworn in for jury duty in a court of justice.
 joust v. To engage in a tilt with lances on horseback.
 justification n. Vindication.
 juvenile adj. Characteristic of youth.
 juxtapose v. To place close together.
 keepsake n. Anything kept or given to be kept for the sake of the giver.
 kerchief n. A square of linen, silk, or other material, used as a covering for the head
or
 neck.
 kernel n. A grain or seed.
 kiln n. An oven or furnace for baking, burning, or drying industrial products.
 kiloliter n. One thousand liters.
 kilometer n. A length of 1,000 meters.
 kilowatt n. One thousand watts.
 kimono n. A loose robe, fastening with a sash, the principal outer garment in Japan.
 kind-hearted adj. Having a kind and sympathetic nature.
 kingling n. A petty king.
 kingship n. Royal state.
 kinsfolk n. pl. Relatives.
 knavery n. Deceitfulness in dealing.
 knead v. To mix and work into a homogeneous mass, especially with the hands.
 knickknack n. A small article, more for ornament that use.
 knight errant n. One of the wandering knights who in the middle ages went forth in
search
 of adventure.
 knighthood n. Chivalry.
 laborious adj. Toilsome.
 labyrinth n. A maze.
 lacerate v. To tear rudely or raggedly.
 lackadaisical adj. Listless.
 lactation n. The secretion of milk.
 lacteal adj. Milky.
 lactic adj. Pertaining to milk.
 laddie n. A lad.
 ladle n. A cup-shaped vessel with a long handle, intended for dipping up and
pouring
 liquids.
 laggard adj. Falling behind.
 landholder n. Landowner.
 landlord n. A man who owns and lets a tenement or tenements.
 landmark n. A familiar object in the landscape serving as a guide to an area
otherwise
 easily lost track of.
 landscape n. A rural view, especially one of picturesque effect, as seen from a
distance or
 an elevation.
 languid adj. Relaxed.
 languor n. Lassitude of body or depression.
 lapse n. A slight deviation from what is right, proper, or just.
 lascivious adj. Lustful.
 lassie n. A little lass.
 latent adj. Dormant.
 latency n. The state of being dormant.
 later adv. At a subsequent time.
 lateral adj. Directed toward the side.
 latish adj. Rather late.
 lattice n. Openwork of metal or wood, formed by crossing or interlacing strips or
bars.
 laud v. To praise in words or song.
 laudable adj. Praiseworthy.
 laudation n. High praise.
 laudatory adj. Pertaining to, expressing, or containing praise.
 laundress n. Washerwoman.
 laureate adj. Crowned with laurel, as a mark of distinction.
 lave v. To wash or bathe.
 lawgiver n. A legislator.
 lawmaker n. A legislator.
 lax adj. Not stringent or energetic.
 laxative adj. Having power to open or loosen the bowels.
 lea n. A field.
 leaflet n. A little leaf or a booklet.
 leaven v. To make light by fermentation, as dough.
 leeward n. That side or direction toward which the wind blows.
 left-handed adj. Using the left hand or arm more dexterously than the right.
 legacy n. A bequest.
 legalize v. To give the authority of law to.
 legging n. A covering for the leg.
 legible adj. That may be read with ease.
 legionary n. A member of an ancient Roman legion or of the modern French Legion
of
 Honor.
 legislate v. To make or enact a law or laws.
 legislative adj. That makes or enacts laws.
 legislator n. A lawgiver.
 legitimacy n. Accordance with law.
 legitimate adj. Having the sanction of law or established custom.
 leisure n. Spare time.
 leniency n. Forbearance.
 lenient adj. Not harsh.
 leonine adj. Like a lion.
 lethargy n. Prolonged sluggishness of body or mind.
 levee n. An embankment beside a river or stream or an arm of the sea, to prevent
overflow.
 lever n. That which exerts, or through which one may exert great power.
 leviathan n. Any large animal, as a whale.
 levity n. Frivolity.
 levy v. To impose and collect by force or threat of force.
 lewd adj. Characterized by lust or lasciviousness.
 lexicographer n. One who makes dictionaries.
 lexicography n. The making of dictionaries.
 lexicon n. A dictionary.
 liable adj. Justly or legally responsible.
 libel n. Defamation.
 liberalism n. Opposition to conservatism.
 liberate v. To set free or release from bondage.
 licentious adj. Wanton.
 licit adj. Lawful.
 liege adj. Sovereign.
 lien n. A legal claim or hold on property, as security for a debt or charge.
 lieu n. Stead.
 lifelike adj. Realistic.
 lifelong adj. Lasting or continuous through life.
 lifetime n. The time that life continues.
 ligament n. That which binds objects together.
 ligature n. Anything that constricts, or serves for binding or tying.
 light-hearted adj. Free from care.
 ligneous adj. Having the texture of appearance of wood.
 likelihood n. A probability.
 likely adj. Plausible.
 liking n. Fondness.
 limitation n. A restriction.
 linear adj. Of the nature of a line.
 liner n. A vessel belonging to a steamship-line.
 lingo n. Language.
 lingua n. The tongue.
 lingual adj. Pertaining to the use of the tongue in utterance.
 linguist n. One who is acquainted with several languages.
 linguistics n. The science of languages, or of the origin, history, and significance of
words.
 liniment n. A liquid preparation for rubbing on the skin in cases of bruises,
inflammation,
 etc.
 liquefacient adj. Possessing a liquefying nature or power.
 liquefy v. To convert into a liquid or into liquid form.
 liqueur n. An alcoholic cordial sweetened and flavored with aromatic substances.
 liquidate v. To deliver the amount or value of.
 liquor n. Any alcoholic or intoxicating liquid.
 listless adj. Inattentive.
 literacy n. The state or condition of knowing how to read and write.
 literal adj. Following the exact words.
 literature n. The written or printed productions of the human mind collectively.
 lithe adj. Supple.
 lithesome adj. Nimble.
 lithograph n. A print made by printing from stone.
 lithotype n. In engraving, an etched stone surface for printing.
 litigant n. A party to a lawsuit.
 litigate v. To cause to become the subject-matter of a suit at law.
 litigious adj. Quarrelsome.
 littoral adj. Of, pertaining to, or living on a shore.
 liturgy n. A ritual.
 livelihood n. Means of subsistence.
 livid adj. Black-and-blue, as contused flesh.
 loam n. A non-coherent mixture of sand and clay.
 loath adj. Averse.
 loathe v. To abominate.
 locative adj. Indicating place, or the place where or wherein an action occurs.
 loch n. A lake.
 locomotion n. The act or power of moving from one place to another.
 lode n. A somewhat continuous unstratified metal- bearing vein.
 lodgment n. The act of furnishing with temporary quarters.
 logic n. The science of correct thinking.
 logical adj. Capable of or characterized by clear reasoning.
 logician n. An expert reasoner.
 loiterer n. One who consumes time idly.
 loneliness n. Solitude.
 longevity n. Unusually prolonged life.
 loot v. To plunder.
 loquacious adj. Talkative.
 lordling n. A little lord.
 lough n. A lake or loch.
 louse n. A small insect parasitic on and sucking the blood of mammals.
 lovable adj. Amiable.
 low-spirited adj. Despondent.
 lowly adv. Rudely.
 lucid adj. Mentally sound.
 lucrative adj. Highly profitable.
 ludicrous adj. Laughable.
 luminary n. One of the heavenly bodies as a source of light.
 luminescent adj. Showing increase of light.
 luminescence n. Showing increase.
 luminosity n. The quality of giving or radiating light.
 luminous adj. Giving or radiating light.
 lunacy n. Mental unsoundness.
 lunar adj. Pertaining to the moon.
 lunatic n. An insane person.
 lune n. The moon.
 lurid adj. Ghastly and sensational.
 luscious adj. Rich, sweet, and delicious.
 lustrous adj. Shining.
 luxuriance n. Excessive or superfluous growth or quantity.
 luxuriant adj. Abundant or superabundant in growth.
 luxuriate v. To live sumptuously.
 lying n. Untruthfulness.
 lyre n. One of the most ancient of stringed instruments of the harp class.
 lyric adj. Fitted for expression in song.
 macadamize v. To cover or pave, as a path or roadway, with small broken stone.
 machinery n. The parts of a machine or engine, taken collectively.
 machinist n. One who makes or repairs machines, or uses metal-working tools.
 macrocosm n. The whole of any sphere or department of nature or knowledge to
which
 man is related.
 madden v. To inflame with passion.
 Madonna n. A painted or sculptured representation of the Virgin, usually with the
infant
 Jesus.
 magician n. A sorcerer.
 magisterial adj. Having an air of authority.
 magistracy n. The office or dignity of a magistrate.
 magnanimous adj. Generous in treating or judging others.
 magnate n. A person of rank or importance.
 magnet n. A body possessing that peculiar form of polarity found in nature in the
 lodestone.
 magnetize v. To make a magnet of, permanently, or temporarily.
 magnificence n. The exhibition of greatness of action, character, intellect, wealth,
or
 power.
 magnificent adj. Grand or majestic in appearance, quality, or action.
 magnitude n. Importance.
 maharaja n. A great Hindu prince.
 maidenhood n. Virginity.
 maintain v. To hold or preserve in any particular state or condition.
 maintenance n. That which supports or sustains.
 maize n. Indian corn: usually in the United States called simply corn.
 makeup n. The arrangements or combination of the parts of which anything is
composed.
 malady n. Any physical disease or disorder, especially a chronic or deep-seated
one.
 malaria n. A fever characterized by alternating chills, fever, and sweating.
 malcontent n. One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs.
 malediction n. The calling down of a curse or curses.
 malefactor n. One who injures another.
 maleficent adj. Mischievous.
 malevolence n. Ill will.
 malevolent adj. Wishing evil to others.
 malign v. To speak evil of, especially to do so falsely and severely.
 malignant adj. Evil in nature or tending to do great harm or mischief.
 malleable adj. Pliant.
 mallet n. A wooden hammer.
 maltreat v. To treat ill, unkindly, roughly, or abusively.
 man-trap n. A place or structure dangerous to human life.
 mandate n. A command.
 mandatory adj. Expressive of positive command, as distinguished from merely
directory.
 mane n. The long hair growing upon and about the neck of certain animals, as the
horse
 and the lion.
 man-eater n. An animal that devours human beings.
 maneuver v. To make adroit or artful moves: manage affairs by strategy.
 mania n. Insanity.
 maniac n. a person raving with madness.
 manifesto n. A public declaration, making announcement, explanation or defense
of
 intentions, or motives.
 manlike adj. Like a man.
 manliness n. The qualities characteristic of a true man, as bravery, resolution, etc.
 mannerism n. Constant or excessive adherence to one manner, style, or
peculiarity, as of
 action or conduct.
 manor n. The landed estate of a lord or nobleman.
 mantel n. The facing, sometimes richly ornamented, about a fireplace, including
the usual
 shelf above it.
 mantle n. A cloak.
 manufacturer n. A person engaged in manufacturing as a business.
 manumission n. Emancipation.
 manumit v. To set free from bondage.
 marine adj. Of or pertaining to the sea or matters connected with the sea.
 maritime adj. Situated on or near the sea.
 maroon v. To put ashore and abandon (a person) on a desolate coast or island.
 martial adj. Pertaining to war or military operations.
 Martian adj. Pertaining to Mars, either the Roman god of war or the planet.
 martyrdom n. Submission to death or persecution for the sake of faith or principle.
 marvel v. To be astonished and perplexed because of (something).
 masonry n. The art or work of constructing, as buildings, walls, etc., with regularly
 arranged stones.
 masquerade n. A social party composed of persons masked and costumed so as to
be
 disguised.
 massacre n. The unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of human beings.
 massive adj. Of considerable bulk and weight.
 masterpiece n. A superior production.
 mastery n. The attainment of superior skill.
 material n. That of which anything is composed or may be constructed.
 materialize v. To take perceptible or substantial form.
 maternal adj. Pertaining or peculiar to a mother or to motherhood.
 matinee n. An entertainment (especially theatrical) held in the daytime.
 matricide n. The killing, especially the murdering, of one’s mother.
 matrimony n. The union of a man and a woman in marriage.
 matrix n. That which contains and gives shape or form to anything.
 matter of fact n. Something that has actual and undeniable existence or reality.
 maudlin adj. Foolishly and tearfully affectionate.
 mausoleum n. A tomb of more than ordinary size or architectural pretensions.
 mawkish adj. Sickening or insipid.
 maxim n. A principle accepted as true and acted on as a rule or guide.
 maze n. A labyrinth.
 mead n. A meadow.
 meager adj. scanty.
 mealy-mouthed adj. Afraid to express facts or opinions plainly.
 meander v. To wind and turn while proceeding in a course.
 mechanics n. The branch of physics that treats the phenomena caused by the
action of
 forces.
 medallion n. A large medal.
 meddlesome adj. Interfering.
 medial adj. Of or pertaining to the middle.
 mediate v. To effect by negotiating as an agent between parties.
 medicine n. A substance possessing or reputed to possess curative or remedial
properties.
 medieval adj. Belonging or relating to or descriptive of the middle ages.
 mediocre adj. Ordinary.
 meditation n. The turning or revolving of a subject in the mind.
 medley n. A composition of different songs or parts of songs arranged to run as a
continuous
 whole.
 meliorate v. To make better or improve, as in quality or social or physical condition.
 mellifluous adj. Sweetly or smoothly flowing.
 melodious adj. Characterized by a sweet succession of sounds.
 melodrama n. A drama with a romantic story or plot and sensational situation and
 incidents.
 memento n. A souvenir.
 memorable adj. Noteworthy.
 menace n. A threat.
 menagerie n. A collection of wild animals, especially when kept for exhibition.
 mendacious adj. Untrue.
 mendicant n. A beggar.
 mentality n. Intellectuality.
 mentor n. A wise and faithful teacher, guide, and friend.
 mercantile adj. Conducted or acting on business principles; commercial.
 mercenary adj. Greedy
 merciful adj. Disposed to pity and forgive.
 merciless adj. Cruel.
 meretricious adj. Alluring by false or gaudy show.
 mesmerize v. To hypnotize.
 messieurs n. pl. Gentlemen.
 metal n. An element that forms a base by combining with oxygen, is usually hard,
heavy, and lustrous.
 metallurgy n. The art or science of extracting a metal from ores, as by smelting.
 metamorphosis n. A passing from one form or shape into another.
 metaphor n. A figure of speech in which one object is likened to another, by
speaking as if
 the other.
 metaphysical adj. Philosophical.
 metaphysician n. One skilled in metaphysics.
 metaphysics n. The principles of philosophy as applied to explain the methods of
any
 particular science.
 mete v. To apportion.
 metempsychosis n. Transition of the soul of a human being at death into another
body,
 whether human or beast.
 meticulous adj. Over-cautious.
 metonymy n. A figure of speech that consists in the naming of a thing by one of its
 attributes.
 metric adj. Relating to measurement.
 metronome n. An instrument for indicating and marking exact time in music.
 metropolis n. A chief city, either the capital or the largest or most important city of
a state.
 metropolitan adj. Pertaining to a chief city.
 mettle n. Courage.
 mettlesome adj. Having courage or spirit.
 microcosm n. The world or universe on a small scale.
 micrometer n. An instrument for measuring very small angles or dimensions.
 microphone n. An apparatus for magnifying faint sounds.
 microscope n. An instrument for assisting the eye in the vision of minute objects or
 features of objects.
 microscopic adj. Adapted to or characterized by minute observation.
 microscopy n. The art of examing objects with the microscope.
 midsummer n. The middle of the summer.
 midwife n. A woman who makes a business of assisting at childbirth.
 mien n. The external appearance or manner of a person.
 migrant adj. Wandering.
 migrate v. To remove or pass from one country, region, or habitat to another.
 migratory adj. Wandering.
 mileage n. A distance in miles.
 militant adj. Of a warlike or combative disposition or tendency.
 militarism n. A policy of maintaining great standing armies.
 militate v. To have weight or influence (in determining a question).
 militia n. Those citizens, collectively, who are enrolled and drilled in temporary
military
 organizations.
 Milky Way n. The galaxy.
 millet n. A grass cultivated for forage and cereal.
 mimic v. To imitate the speech or actions of.
 miniature adj. Much smaller than reality or that the normal size.
 minimize v. To reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree.
 minion n. A servile favorite.
 ministration n. Any religious ceremonial.
 ministry n. A service.
 minority n. The smaller in number of two portions into which a number or a group
is
 divided.
 minute adj. Exceedingly small in extent or quantity.
 minutia n. A small or unimportant particular or detail.
 mirage n. An optical effect looking like a sheet of water in the desert.
 misadventure n. An unlucky accident.
 misanthropic adj. Hating mankind.
 misanthropy n. Hatred of mankind.
 misapprehend v. To misunderstand.
 misbehave v. To behave ill.
 misbehavior n. Ill or improper behavior.
 mischievous adj. Fond of tricks.
 miscount v. To make a mistake in counting.
 miscreant n. A villain.
 misdeed n. A wrong or improper act.
 misdemeanor n. Evil conduct, small crime.
 miser n. A person given to saving and hoarding unduly.
 mishap n. Misfortune.
 misinterpret v. To misunderstand.
 mislay v. To misplace.
 mismanage v. To manage badly, improperly, or unskillfully.
 misnomer n. A name wrongly or mistakenly applied.
 misogamy n. Hatred of marriage.
 misogyny n. Hatred of women.
 misplace v. To put into a wrong place.
 misrepresent v. To give a wrong impression.
 misrule v. To misgovern.
 missal n. The book containing the service for the celebration of mass.
 missile n. Any object, especially a weapon, thrown or intended to be thrown.
 missive n. A message in writing.
 mistrust v. To regard with suspicion or jealousy.
 misty adj. Lacking clearness
 misunderstand v. To Take in a wrong sense.
 misuse v. To maltreat.
 mite n. A very small amount, portion, or particle.
 miter n. The junction of two bodies at an equally divided angle.
 mitigate v. To make milder or more endurable.
 mnemonics n. A system of principles and formulas designed to assist the
recollection in
 certain instances.
 moat n. A ditch on the outside of a fortress wall.
 mobocracy n. Lawless control of public affairs by the mob or populace.
 moccasin n. A foot-covering made of soft leather or buckskin.
 mockery n. Ridicule.
 moderation n. Temperance.
 moderator n. The presiding officer of a meeting.
 modernity n. The state or character of being modern.
 modernize v. To make characteristic of the present or of recent times.
 modification n. A change.
 modify v. To make somewhat different.
 modish adj. Fashionable.
 modulate v. To vary in tone, inflection, pitch or other quality of sound.
 mollify v. To soothe.
 molt v. To cast off, as hair, feathers, etc.
 momentary adj. Lasting but a short time.
 momentous adj. Very significant.
 momentum n. An impetus.
 monarchy n. Government by a single, sovereign ruler.
 monastery n. A dwelling-place occupied in common by persons under religious
vows of
 seclusion.
 monetary adj. Financial.
 mongrel n. The progeny resulting from the crossing of different breeds or varieties.
 monition n. Friendly counsel given by way of warning and implying caution or
reproof.
 monitory n. Admonition or warning.
 monocracy n. Government by a single person.
 monogamy n. The habit of pairing, or having but one mate.
 monogram n. A character consisting of two or more letters interwoven into one,
usually
 initials of a name.
 monograph n. A treatise discussing a single subject or branch of a subject.
 monolith n. Any structure or sculpture in stone formed of a single piece.
 monologue n. A story or drama told or performed by one person.
 monomania n. The unreasonable pursuit of one idea.
 monopoly n. The control of a thing, as a commodity, to enable a person to raise its
price.
 monosyllable n. A word of one syllable.
 monotone n. The sameness or monotony of utterance.
 monotonous adj. Unchanging and tedious.
 monotony n. A lack of variety.
 monsieur n. A French title of respect, equivalent to Mr. and sir.
 monstrosity n. Anything unnaturally huge or distorted.
 moonbeam n. A ray of moonlight.
 morale n. A state of mind with reference to confidence, courage, zeal, and the like.
 moralist n. A writer on ethics.
 morality n. Virtue.
 moralize v. To render virtuous.
 moratorium n. An emergency legislation authorizing a government suspend some
action temporarily.
 morbid adj. Caused by or denoting a diseased or unsound condition of body or
mind.
 mordacious adj. Biting or giving to biting.
 mordant adj. Biting.
 moribund adj. On the point of dying.
 morose adj. Gloomy.
 morphology n. the science of organic forms.
 motley adj. Composed of heterogeneous or inharmonious elements.
 motto n. An expressive word or pithy sentence enunciating some guiding rule of
life, or
 faith.
 mountaineer n. One who travels among or climbs mountains for pleasure or
exercise.
 mountainous adj. Full of or abounding in mountains.
 mouthful n. As much as can be or is usually put into the or exercise.
 muddle v. To confuse or becloud, especially with or as with drink.
 muffle v. To deaden the sound of, as by wraps.
 mulatto n. The offspring of a white person and a black person.
 muleteer n. A mule-driver.
 multiform adj. Having many shapes, or appearances.
 multiplicity n. the condition of being manifold or very various.
 mundane adj. Worldly, as opposed to spiritual or celestial.
 municipal adj. Of or pertaining to a town or city, or to its corporate or local
government.
 municipality n. A district enjoying municipal government.
 munificence n. A giving characterized by generous motives and extraordinary
liberality.
 munificent adj. Extraordinarily generous.
 muster n. An assemblage or review of troops for parade or inspection, or for
numbering off.
 mutation n. The act or process of change.
 mutilate v. To disfigure.
 mutiny n. Rebellion against lawful or constituted authority.
 myriad n. A vast indefinite number.
 mystic n. One who professes direct divine illumination, or relies upon meditation to
acquire truth.
 mystification n. The act of artfully perplexing.
 myth n. A fictitious narrative presented as historical, but without any basis of fact.
 mythology n. The whole body of legends cherished by a race concerning gods and
 heroes.
 nameless adj. Having no fame or reputation.
 naphtha n. A light, colorless, volatile, inflammable oil used as a solvent, as in
manufacture of
 paints.
 Narcissus n. The son of the Athenian river-god Cephisus, fabled to have fallen in
love with
 his reflection.
 narrate v. To tell a story.
 narration n. The act of recounting the particulars of an event in the order of time
or
 occurrence.
 narrative n. An orderly continuous account of the successive particulars of an
event.
 narrator n. One who narrates anything.
 narrow-minded adj. Characterized by illiberal views or sentiments.
 nasal adj. Pertaining to the nose.
 natal adj. Pertaining to one’s birth.
 nationality n. A connection with a particular nation.
 naturally adv. According to the usual order of things.
 nausea n. An affection of the stomach producing dizziness and usually an impulse
to vomit
 nauseate v. To cause to loathe.
 nauseous adj. Loathsome.
 nautical adj. Pertaining to ships, seamen, or navigation.
 naval adj. Pertaining to ships.
 navel n. The depression on the abdomen where the umbilical cord of the fetus was
 attached.
 navigable adj. Capable of commercial navigation.
 navigate v. To traverse by ship.
 nebula n. A gaseous body of unorganized stellar substance.
 necessary adj. Indispensably requisite or absolutely needed to accomplish a
desired
 result.
 necessitate v. To render indispensable.
 necessity n. That which is indispensably requisite to an end desired.
 necrology n. A list of persons who have died in a certain place or time.
 necromancer n. One who practices the art of foretelling the future by means of
 communication with the dead.
 necropolis n. A city of the dead.
 necrosis n. the death of part of the body.
 nectar n. Any especially sweet and delicious drink.
 nectarine n. A variety of the peach.
 needlework n. Embroidery.
 needy adj. Being in need, want, or poverty.
 nefarious adj. Wicked in the extreme.
 negate v. To deny.
 negation n. The act of denying or of asserting the falsity of a proposition.
 neglectful adj. Exhibiting or indicating omission.
 negligee n. A loose gown worn by women.
 negligence n. Omission of that which ought to be done.
 negligent adj. Apt to omit what ought to be done.
 negligible adj. Transferable by assignment, endorsement, or delivery.
 negotiable v. To bargain with others for an agreement, as for a treaty or transfer of
 property.
 Nemesis n. A goddess; divinity of chastisement and vengeance.
 neocracy n. Government administered by new or untried persons.
 neo-Darwinsim n. Darwinism as modified and extended by more recent students.
 neo-Latin n. Modernized Latin.
 neopaganism n. A new or revived paganism.
 Neolithic adj. Pertaining to the later stone age.
 neology n. The coining or using of new words or new meanings of words.
 neophyte adj. Having the character of a beginner.
 nestle v. To adjust cozily in snug quarters.
 nestling adj. Recently hatched.
 nettle v. To excite sensations of uneasiness or displeasure in.
 network n. Anything that presents a system of cross- lines.
 neural adj. Pertaining to the nerves or nervous system.
 neurology n. The science of the nervous system.
 neuter adj. Neither masculine nor feminine.
 neutral adj. Belonging to or under control of neither of two contestants.
 nevertheless conj. Notwithstanding.
 Newtonian adj. Of or pertaining to Sir Isaac Newton, the English philosopher.
 niggardly adj. Stingy. (no longer acceptable to use)
 nihilist n. An advocate of the doctrine that nothing either exists or can be known.
 nil n. Nothing
 nimble adj. Light and quick in motion or action.
 nit n. The egg of a louse or some other insect.
 nocturnal adj. Of or pertaining to the night.
 noiseless adj. Silent.
 noisome adj. Very offensive, particularly to the sense of smell.
 noisy adj. Clamorous.
 nomad adj. Having no fixed abode.
 nomic adj. Usual or customary.
 nominal adj. Trivial.
 nominate v. To designate as a candidate for any office.
 nomination n. The act or ceremony of naming a man or woman for office.
 nominee n. One who receives a nomination.
 non-existent n. That which does not exist.
 non-resident adj. Not residing within a given jurisdiction.
 nonchalance n. A state of mind indicating lack of interest.
 non-combatant n. One attached to the army or navy, but having duties other than
that of
 fighting.
 nondescript adj. Indescribable.
 nonentity n. A person or thing of little or no account.
 nonpareil n. One who or that which is of unequaled excellence.
 norm n. A model.
 normalcy n. The state of being normal.
 Norman adj. Of or peculiar to Normandy, in northern France.
 nostrum n. Any scheme or recipe of a charlatan character.
 noticeable adj. Perceptible.
 notorious adj. Unfavorably known to the general public.
 novellette n. A short novel.
 novice n. A beginner in any business or occupation.
 nowadays adv. In the present time or age.
 nowhere adv. In no place or state.
 noxious adj. Hurtful.
 nuance n. A slight degree of difference in anything perceptible to the sense of the
mind.
 nucleus n. A central point or part about which matter is aggregated.
 nude adj. Naked.
 nugatory adj. Having no power or force.
 nuisance n. That which annoys, vexes, or irritates.
 numeration n. The act or art of reading or naming numbers.
 numerical adj. Of or pertaining to number.
 nunnery n. A convent for nuns.
 nuptial adj. Of or pertaining to marriage, especially to the marriage ceremony.
 nurture n. The process of fostering or promoting growth.
 nutriment n. That which nourishes.
 nutritive adj. Having nutritious properties.
 oaken adj. Made of or from oak.
 oakum n. Hemp-fiber obtained by untwisting and picking out loosely the yarns of
old hemp rope.
 obdurate adj. Impassive to feelings of humanity or pity.
 obelisk n. A square shaft with pyramidal top, usually monumental or
commemorative.
 obese adj. Exceedingly fat.
 obesity n. Excessive fatness.
 obituary adj. A published notice of a death.
 objective adj. Grasping and representing facts as they are.
 objector n. One who objects, as to a proposition, measure, or ruling.
 obligate v. To hold to the fulfillment of duty.
 obligatory adj. Binding in law or conscience.
 oblique adj. Slanting; said of lines.
 obliterate v. To cause to disappear.
 oblivion n. The state of having passed out of the memory or of being utterly
forgotten.
 oblong adj. Longer than broad: applied most commonly to rectangular objects
considerably elongated
 obnoxious adj. Detestable.
 obsequies n. Funeral rites.
 obsequious adj. Showing a servile readiness to fall in with the wishes or will of
another.
 observance n. A traditional form or customary act.
 observant adj. Quick to notice.
 observatory n. A building designed for systematic astronomical observations.
 obsolescence n. The condition or process of gradually falling into disuse.
 obsolescent adj. Passing out of use, as a word.
 obsolete adj. No longer practiced or accepted.
 obstetrician n. A practitioner of midwifery.
 obstetrics n. The branch of medical science concerned with the treatment and care
of
 women during pregnancy.
 obstinacy n. Stubborn adherence to opinion, arising from conceit or the desire to
have
 one’s own way.
 obstreperous adj. Boisterous.
 obstruct v. To fill with impediments so as to prevent passage, either wholly or in
part.
 obstruction n. Hindrance.
 obtrude v. To be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence.
 obtrusive adj. Tending to be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence.
 obvert v. To turn the front or principal side of (a thing) toward any person or
object.
 obviate v. To clear away or provide for, as an objection or difficulty.
 occasion n. An important event or celebration.
 Occident n. The countries lying west of Asia and the Turkish dominions.
 occlude v. To absorb, as a gas by a metal.
 occult adj. Existing but not immediately perceptible.
 occupant n. A tenant in possession of property, as distinguished from the actual
owner.
 occurrence n. A happening.
 octagon n. A figure with eight sides and eight angles.
 octave n. A note at this interval above or below any other, considered in relation to
that
 other.
 octavo n. A book, or collection of paper in which the sheets are so folded as to
make eight
 leaves.
 octogenarian adj. A person of between eighty and ninety years.
 ocular adj. Of or pertaining to the eye.
 oculist n. One versed or skilled in treating diseases of the eye.
 oddity n. An eccentricity.
 ode n. The form of lyric poetry anciently intended to be sung.
 odious adj. Hateful.
 odium n. A feeling of extreme repugnance, or of dislike and disgust.
 odoriferous adj. Having or diffusing an odor or scent, especially an agreeable one.
 odorous adj. Having an odor, especially a fragrant one.
 off adj. Farther or more distant.
 offhand adv. Without preparation.
 officiate v. To act as an officer or leader.
 officious adj. Intermeddling with what is not one’s concern.
 offshoot n. Something that branches off from the parent stock.
 ogre n. A demon or monster that was supposed to devour human beings.
 ointment n. A fatty preparation with a butter-like consistency in which a medicinal
 substance exists.
 olfactory adj. of or pertaining to the sense of smell.
 olive-branch n. A branch of the olive-tree, as an emblem of peace.
 ominous adj. Portentous.
 omission n. Exclusion.
 omnipotence n. Unlimited and universal power.
 Omnipotent adj. Possessed of unlimited and universal power.
 omniscience n. Unlimited or infinite knowledge.
 omniscient adj. Characterized by unlimited or infinite knowledge.
 omnivorous adj. Eating or living upon food of all kinds indiscriminately.
 onerous adj. Burdensome or oppressive.
 onrush n. Onset.
 onset n. An assault, especially of troops, upon an enemy or fortification.
 onslaught n. A violent onset.
 onus n. A burden or responsibility.
 opalescence n. The property of combined refraction and reflection of light,
resulting in
 smoky tints.
 opaque adj. Impervious to light.
 operate v. To put in action and supervise the working of.
 operative adj. Active.
 operator n. One who works with or controls some machine or scientific apparatus.
 operetta n. A humorous play in dialogue and music, of more than one act.
 opinion n. A conclusion or judgment held with confidence, but falling short of
positive
 knowledge.
 opponent n. One who supports the opposite side in a debate, discussion, struggle,
or
 sport.
 opportune adj. Especially fit as occurring, said, or done at the right moment.
 opportunist n. One who takes advantage of circumstances to gain his ends.
 opportunity n. Favorable or advantageous chance or opening.
 opposite adj. Radically different or contrary in action or movement.
 opprobrium n. The state of being scornfully reproached or accused of evil.
 optic n. Pertaining to the eye or vision.
 optician n. One who makes or deals in optical instruments or eye-glasses.
 optics n. The science that treats of light and vision, and all that is connected with
sight.
 optimism n. The view that everything in nature and the history of mankind is
ordered for
 the best.
 option n. The right, power, or liberty of choosing.
 optometry n. Measurement of the powers of vision.
 opulence n. Affluence.
 opulent adj. Wealthy.
 oral adj. Uttered through the mouth.
 orate v. To deliver an elaborate or formal public speech.
 oration n. An elaborate or formal public speech.
 orator n. One who delivers an elaborate or formal speech.
 oratorio n. A composition for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, generally taken
from the
 Scriptures.
 oratory n. The art of public speaking.
 ordeal n. Anything that severely tests courage, strength, patience, conscience, etc.
 ordinal n. That form of the numeral that shows the order of anything in a series, as
first, second, third.
 ordination n. A consecration to the ministry.
 ordnance n. A general name for all kinds of weapons and their appliances used in
war.
 orgies n. Wild or wanton revelry.
 origin n. The beginning of that which becomes or is made to be.
 original adj. Not copied nor produced by imitation.
 originate v. To cause or constitute the beginning or first stage of the existence of.
 ornate adj. Ornamented to a marked degree.
 orthodox adj. Holding the commonly accepted faith.
 orthodoxy n. Acceptance of the common faith.
 orthogonal adj. Having or determined by right angles.
 orthopedic adj. Relating to the correcting or preventing of deformity
 orthopedist n. One who practices the correcting or preventing of deformity
 oscillate v. To swing back and forth.
 osculate v. To kiss.
 ossify v. to convert into bone.
 ostentation n. A display dictated by vanity and intended to invite applause or
flattery.
 ostracism n. Exclusion from intercourse or favor, as in society or politics.
 ostracize v. To exclude from public or private favor.
 ought v. To be under moral obligation to be or do.
 oust v. To eject.
 out-and-out adv. Genuinely.
 outbreak n. A sudden and violent breaking forth, as of something that has been
pent up or restrained.
 outburst n. A violent issue, especially of passion in an individual.
 outcast n. One rejected and despised, especially socially.
 outcry n. A vehement or loud cry or clamor.
 outdo v. To surpass.
 outlandish adj. Of barbarous, uncouth, and unfamiliar aspect or action.
 outlast v. To last longer than.
 outlaw n. A habitual lawbreaker.
 outlive v. To continue to exist after.
 out-of-the-way adj. Remotely situated.
 outpost n. A detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main body to
guard
 against surprise.
 outrage n. A gross infringement of morality or decency.
 outrageous adj. Shocking in conduct.
 outreach v. To reach or go beyond.
 outride v. To ride faster than.
 outrigger n. A part built or arranged to project beyond a natural outline for
support.
 outright adv. Entirely.
 outskirt n. A border region.
 outstretch v. To extend.
 outstrip v. To go beyond.
 outweigh v. To surpass in importance or excellence.
 overdo v. To overtax the strength of.
 overdose n. An excessive dose, usually so large a dose of a medicine that its effect
is
 toxic.
 overeat v. To eat to excess.
 overhang n. A portion of a structure which projects or hangs over.
 overleap v. To leap beyond.
 overlord n. One who holds supremacy over another.
 overpass v. To pass across or over, as a river.
 overpay v. To pay or reward in excess.
 overpower v. To gain supremacy or victory over by superior power.
 overproduction n. Excessive production.
 overreach v. To stretch out too far.
 overrun v. To infest or ravage.
 oversee v. To superintend.
 overseer n. A supervisor.
 overshadow v. To cast into the shade or render insignificant by comparison.
 overstride v. To step beyond.
 overthrow v. To vanquish an established ruler or government.
 overtone n. A harmonic.
 overture n. An instrumental prelude to an opera, oratorio, or ballet.
 overweight n. Preponderance.
 pacify v. To bring into a peaceful state.
 packet n. A bundle, as of letters.
 pact n. A covenant.
 pagan n. A worshiper of false gods.
 pageant n. A dramatic representation, especially a spectacular one.
 palate n. The roof of the mouth.
 palatial adj. Magnificent.
 paleontology n. The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil
organisms.
 palette n. A thin tablet, with a hole for the thumb, upon which artists lay their
colors for
 painting.
 palinode n. A retraction.
 pall v. To make dull by satiety.
 palliate v. To cause to appear less guilty.
 pallid adj. Of a pale or wan appearance.
 palpable n. perceptible by feeling or touch.
 palsy n. Paralysis.
 paly adj. Lacking color or brilliancy.
 pamphlet n. A brief treatise or essay, usually on a subject of current interest.
 pamphleteer v. To compose or issue pamphlets, especially controversial ones.
 panacea n. A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases.
 Pan-American adj. Including or pertaining to the whole of America, both North and
South.
 pandemic adj. Affecting a whole people or all classes, as a disease.
 pandemonium n. A fiendish or riotous uproar.
 panegyric n. A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an
act.
 panel n. A rectangular piece set in or as in a frame.
 panic n. A sudden, unreasonable, overpowering fear.
 panoply n. A full set of armor.
 panorama n. A series of large pictures representing a continuous scene.
 pantheism n. The worship of nature for itself or its beauty.
 Pantheon n. A circular temple at Rome with a fine Corinthian portico and a great
domed
 roof.
 pantomime n. Sign-language.
 pantoscope n. A very wide-angled photographic lens.
 papacy n. The official head of the Roman Catholic Church.
 papyrus n. The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans.
 parable n. A brief narrative founded on real scenes or events usually with a moral.
 paradox n. A statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received
belief.
 paragon n. A model of excellence.
 parallel v. To cause to correspond or lie in the same direction and equidistant in all
parts.
 parallelism n. Essential likeness.
 paralysis n. Loss of the power of contractility in the voluntary or involuntary
muscles.
 paralyze v. To deprive of the power to act.
 paramount adj. Supreme in authority.
 paramour n. One who is unlawfully and immorally a lover or a mistress.
 paraphernalia n. Miscellaneous articles of equipment or adornment.
 paraphrase v. Translate freely.
 pare v. To cut, shave, or remove (the outside) from anything.
 parentage n. The relation of parent to child, of the producer to the produced, or of
cause to
 effect.
 Pariah n. A member of a degraded class; a social outcast.
 parish n. The ecclesiastical district in charge of a pastor.
 Parisian adj. Of or pertaining to the city of Paris.
 parity n. Equality, as of condition or rank.
 parlance n. Mode of speech.
 parley v. To converse in.
 parliament n. A legislative body.
 parlor n. A room for reception of callers or entertainment of guests.
 parody v. To render ludicrous by imitating the language of.
 paronymous adj. Derived from the same root or primitive word.
 paroxysm n. A sudden outburst of any kind of activity.
 parricide n. The murder of a parent.
 parse v. To describe, as a sentence, by separating it into its elements and
describing each word.
 parsimonious adj. Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money.
 partible adj. Separable.
 participant n. One having a share or part.
 participate v. To receive or have a part or share of.
 partition n. That which separates anything into distinct parts.
 partisan adj. Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a
party.
 passible adj. Capable of feeling of suffering.
 passive adj. Unresponsive.
 pastoral adj. Having the spirit or sentiment of rural life.
 paternal adj. Fatherly.
 paternity n. Fatherhood.
 pathos n. The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or
sympathy.
 patriarch n. The chief of a tribe or race who rules by paternal right.
 patrician adj. Of senatorial or noble rank.
 patrimony n. An inheritance from an ancestor, especially from one’s father.
 patriotism n. Love and devotion to one’s country.
 patronize v. To exercise an arrogant condescension toward.
 patronymic adj. Formed after one’s father’s name.
 patter v. To mumble something over and over.
 paucity n. Fewness.
 pauper n. One without means of support.
 pauperism n. Dependence on charity.
 pavilion n. An open structure for temporary shelter.
 payee n. A person to whom money has been or is to be paid.
 peaceable adj. Tranquil.
 peaceful adj. Tranquil.
 peccable adj. Capable of sinning.
 peccadillo n. A small breach of propriety or principle.
 peccant adj. Guilty.
 pectoral adj. Pertaining to the breast or thorax.
 pecuniary adj. Consisting of money.
 pedagogics n. The science and art of teaching.
 pedagogue n. A schoolmaster.
 pedagogy n. The science and art of teaching
 pedal n. A lever for the foot usually applied only to musical instruments, cycles, and
other
 machines.
 pedant n. A scholar who makes needless and inopportune display of his learning.
 peddle v. To go about with a small stock of goods to sell.
 pedestal n. A base or support as for a column, statue, or vase.
 pedestrian n. One who journeys on foot.
 pediatrics n. The department of medical science that relates to the treatment of
diseases of
 childhood.
 pedigree n. One’s line of ancestors.
 peddler n. One who travels from house to house with an assortment of goods for
retail.
 peerage n. The nobility.
 peerless adj. Of unequaled excellence or worth.
 peevish adj. Petulant. (irritable)
 pellucid adj. Translucent.
 penalty n. The consequences that follow the transgression of natural or divine law.
 penance n. Punishment to which one voluntarily submits or subjects himself as an
 expression of penitence.
 penchant n. A bias in favor of something.
 pendant n. Anything that hangs from something else, either for ornament or for
use.
 pendulous adj. Hanging, especially so as to swing by an attached end or part.
 pendulum n. A weight hung on a rod, serving by its oscillation to regulate the rate
of a
 clock.
 penetrable adj. That may be pierced by physical, moral, or intellectual force.
 penetrate v. To enter or force a way into the interior parts of.
 penetration n. Discernment.
 peninsular adj. Pertaining to a piece of land almost surrounded by water.
 penitence n. Sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
 penitential adj. Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone.
 pennant n. A small flag.
 pension n. A periodical allowance to an individual on account of past service done
by
 him/her.
 pentagram n. A figure having five points or lobes.
 pentavalent adj. Quinqeuvalent.
 pentad n. The number five.
 pentagon n. A figure, especially, with five angles and five sides.
 pentahedron n. A solid bounded by five plane faces.
 pentameter n. In prosody, a line of verse containing five units or feet.
 pentathlon n. The contest of five associated exercises in the great games and the
same
 contestants.
 penultimate adj. A syllable or member of a series that is last but one.
 penurious adj. Excessively sparing in the use of money.
 penury n. Indigence.
 perambulate v. To walk about.
 perceive v. To have knowledge of, or receive impressions concerning, through the
medium
 of the body senses.
 perceptible adj. Cognizable.
 perception n. Knowledge through the senses of the existence and properties of
matter or
 the external world.
 percipience n. The act of perceiving.
 percipient n. One who or that which perceives.
 percolate v. To filter.
 percolator n. A filter.
 percussion n. The sharp striking of one body against another.
 peremptory adj. Precluding question or appeal.
 perennial adj. Continuing though the year or through many years.
 perfectible adj. Capable of being made perfect.
 perfidy n. Treachery.
 perforate v. To make a hole or holes through.
 perform v. To accomplish.
 perfumery n. The preparation of perfumes.
 perfunctory adj. Half-hearted.
 perhaps adv. Possibly.
 perigee n. The point in the orbit of the moon when it is nearest the earth.
 periodicity n. The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals.
 peripatetic adj. Walking about.
 perjure v. To swear falsely to.
 perjury n. A solemn assertion of a falsity.
 permanence n. A continuance in the same state, or without any change that
destroys the
 essential form or nature.
 permanent adj. Durable.
 permeate v. To pervade.
 permissible adj. That may be allowed.
 permutation n. Reciprocal change, different ordering of same items.
 pernicious adj. Tending to kill or hurt.
 perpendicular adj. Straight up and down.
 perpetrator n. The doer of a wrong or a criminal act.
 perpetuate v. To preserve from extinction or oblivion.
 perquisite n. Any profit from service beyond the amount fixed as salary or wages.
 persecution n. Harsh or malignant oppression.
 perseverance n. A persistence in purpose and effort.
 persevere v. To continue striving in spite of discouragements.
 persiflage n. Banter.
 persist v. To continue steadfast against opposition.
 persistence n. A fixed adherence to a resolve, course of conduct, or the like.
 personage n. A man or woman as an individual, especially one of rank or high
station.
 personal adj. Not general or public.
 personality n. The attributes, taken collectively, that make up the character and
nature of
 an individual.
 personnel n. The force of persons collectively employed in some service.
 perspective n. The relative importance of facts or matters from any special point of
view.
 perspicacious adj. Astute.
 perspicacity n. Acuteness or discernment.
 perspicuous adj. Lucid.
 perspiration n. Sweat.
 perspire v. To excrete through the pores of the skin.
 persuade v. To win the mind of by argument, eloquence, evidence, or reflection.
 persuadable adj. capable of influencing to action by entreaty, statement, or
anything that
 moves the feelings.
 pertinacious adj. Persistent or unyielding.
 pertinacity n. Unyielding adherence.
 pertinent adj. Relevant.
 perturb v. To disturb greatly.
 perturbation n. Mental excitement or confusion.
 perusal n. The act of reading carefully or thoughtfully.
 pervade v. To pass or spread through every part.
 pervasion n. The state of spreading through every part.
 pervasive adj. Thoroughly penetrating or permeating.
 perverse adj. Unreasonable.
 perversion n. Diversion from the true meaning or proper purpose.
 perversity n. Wickedness.
 pervert n. One who has forsaken a doctrine regarded as true for one esteemed
false.
 pervious adj. Admitting the entrance or passage of another substance.
 pestilence n. A raging epidemic.
 pestilent adj. Having a malign influence or effect.
 pestilential adj. having the nature of or breeding pestilence.
 peter v. To fail or lose power, efficiency, or value.
 petrify v. To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character.
 petulance n. The character or condition of being impatient, capricious or petulant.
 petulant adj. Displaying impatience.
 pharmacopoeia n. A book containing the formulas and methods of preparation of
 medicines for the use of druggists.
 pharmacy n. The art or business of compounding and dispensing medicines.
 phenomenal adj. Extraordinary or marvelous.
 phenomenon n. Any unusual occurrence.
 philander v. To play at courtship with a woman.
 philanthropic adj. Benevolent.
 philanthropist n. One who endeavors to help his fellow men.
 philanthropy n. Active humanitarianism.
 philately n. The study and collection of stamps.
 philharmonic adj. Fond of music.
 philogynist n. One who is fond of women.
 philologist n. An expert in linguistics.
 philology n. The study of language in connection with history and literature.
 philosophize v. To seek ultimate causes and principles.
 philosophy n. The general principles, laws, or causes that furnish the rational
explanation
 of anything.
 phlegmatic adj. Not easily roused to feeling or action.
 phonetic adj. Representing articulate sounds or speech.
 phonic adj. Pertaining to the nature of sound.
 phonogram n. A graphic character symbolizing an articulate sound.
 phonology n. The science of human vocal sounds.
 phosphorescence n. The property of emitting light.
 photoelectric adj. Pertaining to the combined action of light and electricity.
 photometer n. Any instrument for measuring the intensity of light or comparing
the
 intensity of two lights.
 photometry n. The art of measuring the intensity of light.
 physicist n. A specialist in the science that treats of the phenomena associated with
matter and
 energy.
 physics n. The science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and
energy.
 physiocracy n. The doctrine that land and its products are the only true wealth.
 physiognomy n. The external appearance merely.
 physiography n. Description of nature.
 physiology n. The science of organic functions.
 physique n. The physical structure or organization of a person.
 picayune adj. Of small value.
 piccolo n. A small flute.
 piece n. A loose or separated part, as distinguished from the whole or the mass.
 piecemeal adv. Gradually.
 pillage n. Open robbery, as in war.
 pillory n. A wooden framework in which an offender is fastened to boards and is
exposed
 to public scorn.
 pincers n. An instrument having two lever-handles and two jaws working on a
pivot.
 pinchers n. An instrument having two jaws working on a pivot.
 pinnacle n. A high or topmost point, as a mountain-peak.
 pioneer n. One among the first to explore a country.
 pious adj. Religious.
 pique v. To excite a slight degree of anger in.
 piteous adj. Compassionate.
 pitiable adj. Contemptible.
 pitiful adj. Wretched.
 pitiless adj. Hard-hearted.
 pittance n. Any small portion or meager allowance.
 placate v. To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or
 friendliness.
 placid adj. Serene.
 plagiarism n. The stealing of passages from the writings of another and publishing
them
 as one’s own.
 planisphere n. A polar projection of the heavens on a chart.
 plasticity n. The property of some substances through which the form of the mass
can
 readily be changed.
 platitude n. A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace.
 plaudit n. An expression of applause.
 plausible adj. Seeming likely to be true, though open to doubt.
 playful adj. Frolicsome.
 playwright n. A maker of plays for the stage.
 plea n. An argument to obtain some desired action.
 pleasant adj. Agreeable.
 pleasurable adj. Affording gratification.
 plebeian adj. Common.
 pledgee n. The person to whom anything is pledged.
 pledgeor n. One who gives a pledge.
 plenary adj. Entire.
 plenipotentiary n. A person fully empowered to transact any business.
 plenitude n. Abundance.
 plenteous adj. Abundant.
 plumb n. A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something.
 plummet n. A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical.
 pluperfect adj. Expressing past time or action prior to some other past time or
action.
 plural adj. Containing or consisting of more than one.
 plurality n. A majority.
 plutocracy n. A wealthy class in a political community who control the government
by
 means of their money.
 pneumatic adj. Pertaining to or consisting of air or gas.
 poesy n. Poetry.
 poetaster n. An inferior poet.
 poetic adj. Pertaining to poetry.
 poetics n. The rules and principles of poetry.
 poignancy n. Severity or acuteness, especially of pain or grief.
 poignant adj. Severely painful or acute to the spirit.
 poise n. Equilibrium.
 polar adj. Pertaining to the poles of a sphere, especially of the earth.
 polemics n. The art of controversy or disputation.
 pollen n. The fine dust-like grains or powder formed within the anther of a
flowering plant.
 pollute v. To contaminate.
 polyarchy n. Government by several or many persons of what- ever class.
 polycracy n. The rule of many.
 polygamy n. the fact or condition of having more than one wife or husband at
once.
 polyglot adj. Speaking several tongues.
 polygon n. A figure having many angles.
 polyhedron n. A solid bounded by plane faces, especially by more than four.
 polysyllable adj. Having several syllables, especially more than three syllables.
 polytechnic adj. Pertaining to, embracing, or practicing many arts.
 polytheism n. The doctrine or belief that there are more gods than one.
 pommel v. To beat with something thick or bulky.
 pomposity n. The quality of being marked by an assumed stateliness and
impressiveness of manner.
 pompous adj. Marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner.
 ponder v. To meditate or reflect upon.
 ponderous adj. Unusually weighty or forcible.
 pontiff n. The Pope.
 populace n. The common people.
 populous adj. Containing many inhabitants, especially in proportion to the
territory.
 portend v. To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs.
 portent n. Anything that indicates what is to happen.
 portfolio n. A portable case for holding writing-materials, drawings, etc.
 posit v. To present in an orderly manner.
 position n. The manner in which a thing is placed.
 positive adj. Free from doubt or hesitation.
 posse n. A force of men.
 possess v. To own.
 possession n. The having, holding, or detention of property in one’s power or
command.
 possessive adj. Pertaining to the having, holding, or detention of property in one’s
power
 or command.
 possessor n. One who owns, enjoys, or controls anything, as property.
 possible adj. Being not beyond the reach of power natural, moral, or supernatural.
 postdate v. To make the date of any writing later than the real date.
 posterior n. The hinder part.
 postgraduate adj. Pertaining to studies that are pursued after receiving a degree.
 postscript n. Something added to a letter after the writer’s signature.
 potency n. Power.
 potent adj. Physically powerful.
 potentate n. One possessed of great power or sway.
 potential n. Anything that may be possible.
 potion n. A dose of liquid medicine.
 powerless adj. Impotent.
 practicable adj. Feasible.
 prate v. To talk about vainly or foolishly.
 prattle v. To utter in simple or childish talk.
 preamble n. A statement introductory to and explanatory of what follows.
 precarious adj. Perilous.
 precaution n. A provision made in advance for some possible emergency or danger.
 precede v. To happen first.
 precedence n. Priority in place, time, or rank.
 precedent n. An instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule.
 precedential adj. Of the nature of an instance that may serve as a guide or basis for
a rule.
 precession n. The act of going forward.
 precipice n. A high and very steep or approximately vertical cliff.
 precipitant adj. Moving onward quickly and heedlessly.
 precipitate v. To force forward prematurely.
 precise adj. Exact.
 precision n. Accuracy of limitation, definition, or adjustment.
 preclude v. To prevent.
 precocious adj. Having the mental faculties prematurely developed.
 precursor n. A forerunner or herald.
 predatory adj. Prone to pillaging.
 predecessor n. An incumbent of a given office previous to another.
 predicament n. A difficult, trying situation or plight.
 predicate v. To state as belonging to something.
 predict v. To foretell.
 prediction n. A prophecy.
 predominance n. Ascendancy or preponderance.
 predominant adj. Superior in power, influence, effectiveness, number, or degree.
 predominate v. To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree.
 preeminence n. Special eminence.
 preempt v. To secure the right of preference in the purchase of public land.
 preemption n. The right or act of purchasing before others.
 preengage v. To preoccupy.
 preestablish v. To settle or arrange beforehand.
 preexist v. To exist at a period or in a state earlier than something else.
 preexistence n. Existence antecedent to something.
 preface n. A brief explanation or address to the reader, at the beginning of a book.
 prefatory adj. Pertaining to a brief explanation to the reader at the beginning of a
book.
 prefer v. To hold in higher estimation.
 preferable adj. More desirable than others.
 preference n. An object of favor or choice.
 preferential adj. Possessing, giving, or constituting preference or priority.
 preferment n. Preference.
 prefix v. To attach at the beginning.
 prehensible adj. Capable of being grasped.
 prehensile adj. Adapted for grasping or holding.
 prehension n. The act of laying hold of or grasping.
 prejudice n. A judgment or opinion formed without due examination of the facts.
 prelacy n. A system of church government.
 prelate n. One of a higher order of clergy having direct authority over other clergy.
 prelude n. An introductory or opening performance.
 premature adj. Coming too soon.
 premier adj. First in rank or position.
 premise n. A judgment as a conclusion.
 premonition n. Foreboding.
 preoccupation n. The state of having the mind, attention, or inclination
preoccupied.
 preoccupy v. To fill the mind of a person to the exclusion of other subjects.
 preordain v. To foreordain.
 preparation n. An act or proceeding designed to bring about some event.
 preparatory adj. Having to do with what is preliminary.
 preponderant adj. Prevalent.
 preponderate v. To exceed in influence or power.
 prepossession n. A preconceived liking.
 preposterous adj. Utterly ridiculous or absurd.
 prerogative adj. Having superior rank or precedence.
 presage v. To foretell.
 prescience n. Knowledge of events before they take place.
 prescient adj. Foreknowing.
 prescript adj. Prescribed as a rule or model.
 prescriptible adj. Derived from authoritative direction.
 prescription n. An authoritative direction.
 presentient adj. Perceiving or feeling beforehand.
 presentiment n. Foreboding.
 presentment n. Semblance.
 preservation n. Conservation.
 presumption n. That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved.
 presumptuous adj. Assuming too much.
 pretension n. A bold or presumptuous assertion.
 pretentious adj. Marked by pretense, conceit, or display.
 preternatural adj. Extraordinary.
 pretext n. A fictitious reason or motive.
 prevalence n. Frequency.
 prevalent adj. Of wide extent or frequent occurrence.
 prevaricate v. To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving
or
 diverting attention.
 prevention n. Thwarting.
 prickle v. To puncture slightly with fine, sharp points.
 priggish adj. Conceited.
 prim adj. Stiffly proper.
 prima adj. First.
 primer n. An elementary reading-book for children.
 primeval adj. Belonging to the first ages.
 primitive adj. Pertaining to the beginning or early times.
 principal adj. Most important.
 principality n. The territory of a reigning prince.
 principle n. A general truth or proposition.
 priory n. A monastic house.
 pristine adj. Primitive.
 privateer n. A vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on
maritime
 war.
 privilege n. A right or immunity not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only
under
 special conditions.
 privity n. Knowledge shared with another or others regarding a private matter.
 privy adj. Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret
transaction.
 probate adj. Relating to making proof, as of a will.
 probation n. Any proceeding designed to ascertain or test character, qualification,
or the
 like.
 probe v. To search through and through.
 probity n. Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed.
 procedure n. A manner or method of acting.
 proceed v. To renew motion or action, as after rest or interruption.
 proclamation n. Any announcement made in a public manner.
 procrastinate v. To put off till tomorrow or till a future time.
 procrastination n. Delay.
 proctor n. An agent acting for another.
 prodigal n. One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or
property.
 prodigious adj. Immense.
 prodigy n. A person or thing of very remarkable gifts or qualities.
 productive adj. Yielding in abundance.
 profession n. Any calling or occupation involving special mental or other special
 disciplines.
 professor n. A public teacher of the highest grade in a university or college.
 proffer v. To offer to another for acceptance.
 proficiency n. An advanced state of acquirement, as in some knowledge, art, or
science.
 proficient adj. Possessing ample and ready knowledge or of skill in any art, science,
or industry.
 profile n. An outline or contour.
 profiteer n. One who profits.
 profligacy n. Shameless viciousness.
 profligate adj. Abandoned to vice.
 profuse adj. Produced or displayed in overabundance.
 progeny n. Offspring.
 progression n. A moving forward or proceeding in course.
 prohibition n. A decree or an order forbidding something.
 prohibitionist n. One who favors the prohibition by law of the manufacture and
sale of
 alcoholic beverages.
 prohibitory adj. Involving or equivalent to prohibition, especially of the sale of
alcoholic
 beverages.
 projection n. A prominence.
 proletarian n. A person of the lowest or poorest class.
 prolific adj. Producing offspring or fruit.
 prolix adj. Verbose.
 prologue n. A prefatory statement or explanation to a poem, discourse, or
performance.
 prolong v. To extend in time or duration.
 promenade v. To walk for amusement or exercise.
 prominence n. The quality of being noticeable or distinguished.
 prominent adj. Conspicuous in position, character, or importance.
 promiscuous adj. Brought together without order, distinction, or design (for sex).
 promissory adj. Expressing an engagement to pay.
 promontory n. A high point of land extending outward from the coastline into the
sea.
 promoter n. A furtherer, forwarder, or encourager.
 promulgate v. To proclaim.
 propaganda n. Any institution or systematic scheme for propagating a doctrine or
system.
 propagate v. To spread abroad or from person to person.
 propel v. To drive or urge forward.
 propellant adj. Propelling.
 propeller n. One who or that which propels.
 prophecy n. Any prediction or foretelling.
 prophesy v. To predict or foretell, especially under divine inspiration and guidance.
 propitious adj. Kindly disposed.
 proportionate adj. Being in proportion.
 propriety n. Accordance with recognized usage, custom, or principles.
 propulsion n. A driving onward or forward.
 prosaic adj. Unimaginative.
 proscenium n. That part of the stage between the curtain and the orchestra.
 proscribe v. To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or
denunciation.
 proscription n. Any act of condemnation and rejection from favor and privilege.
 proselyte n. One who has been won over from one religious belief to another.
 prosody n. The science of poetical forms.
 prospector n. One who makes exploration, search, or examination, especially for
minerals.
 prospectus n. A paper or pamphlet containing information of a proposed
undertaking.
 prostrate adj. Lying prone, or with the head to the ground.
 protagonist n. A leader in any enterprise or contest.
 protection n. Preservation from harm, danger, annoyance, or any other evil.
 protective adj. Sheltering.
 protector n. A defender.
 protégé n. One specially cared for and favored by another usually older person.
 Protestant n. A Christian who denies the authority of the Pope and holds the right
of
 special judgment.
 protomartyr n. The earliest victim in any cause.
 protocol n. A declaration or memorandum of agreement less solemn and formal
than a
 treaty.
 protoplasm n. The substance that forms the principal portion of an animal or
vegetable
 cell.
 prototype n. A work, original in character, afterward imitated in form or spirit.
 protract v. To prolong.
 protrude v. To push out or thrust forth.
 protrusion n. The act of protruding.
 protuberance n. Something that swells out from a surrounding surface.
 protuberant adj. Bulging.
 protuberate v. To swell or bulge beyond the surrounding surface.
 proverb n. A brief, pithy saying, condensing in witty or striking form the wisdom of
 experience.
 provident adj. Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies.
 providential adj. Effected by divine guidance.
 provincial adj. Uncultured in thought and manner.
 proviso n. A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered
conditional.
 provocation n. An action or mode of conduct that excites resentment.
 prowess n. Strength, skill, and intrepidity in battle.
 proximately adv. Immediately.
 proxy n. A person who is empowered by another to represent him or her in a given
matter.
 prudence n. Caution.
 prudential adj. Proceeding or marked by caution.
 prudery n. An undue display of modesty or delicacy.
 prurient adj. Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires.
 pseudapostle n. A pretended or false apostle.
 pseudonym n. A fictitious name, especially when assumed by a writer.
 pseudonymity n. The state or character of using a fictitious name.
 psychiatry n. The branch of medicine that relates to mental disease.
 psychic adj. Pertaining to the mind or soul.
 psychopathic adj. Morally irresponsible.
 psychotherapy n. The treatment of mental disease.
 pudgy adj. Small and fat.
 puerile adj. Childish.
 pugnacious adj. Quarrelsome.
 puissant adj. Possessing strength.
 pulmonary adj. Pertaining to the lungs.
 punctilious adj. Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or
custom.
 punctual adj. Observant and exact in points of time.
 pungent adj. Affecting the sense of smell.
 pungency n. The quality of affecting the sense of smell.
 punitive adj. Pertaining to punishment.
 pupilage n. The state or period of being a student.
 purgatory n. An intermediate state where souls are made fit for paradise or heaven
by
 expiatory suffering.
 purl v. To cause to whirl, as in an eddy.
 purloin v. To steal.
 purport n. Intent.
 purveyor n. one who supplies
 pusillanimous adj. Without spirit or bravery.
 putrescent adj. Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter
accompanied by fetid odors.
 pyre n. A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body.
 pyromania n. An insane propensity to set things on fire.
 pyrotechnic adj. Pertaining to fireworks or their manufacture.
 pyx n. A vessel or casket, usually of precious metal, in which the host is preserved.
 quackery n. Charlatanry
 quadrate v. To divide into quarters.
 quadruple v. To multiply by four.
 qualification n. A requisite for an employment, position, right, or privilege.
 qualify v. To endow or furnish with requisite ability, character, knowledge, skill, or
 possessions.
 qualm n. A fit of nausea.
 quandary n. A puzzling predicament.
 quantity n. Magnitude.
 quarantine n. The enforced isolation of any person or place infected with
contagious
 disease.
 quarrelsome adj. Irascible.
 quarter n. One of four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided.
 quarterly adj. Occurring or made at intervals of three months.
 quartet n. A composition for four voices or four instruments.
 quarto n. An eight-page newspaper of any size.
 quay n. A wharf or artificial landing-place on the shore of a harbor or projecting
into it.
 querulous adj. Habitually complaining.
 query v. To make inquiry.
 queue n. A file of persons waiting in order of their arrival, as for admittance.
 quibble n. An utterly trivial distinction or objection.
 quiescence n. Quiet.
 quiescent adj. Being in a state of repose or inaction.
 quiet adj. Making no noise.
 quietus n. A silencing, suppressing, or ending.
 quintessence n. The most essential part of anything.
 quintet n. Musical composition arranged for five voices or instruments.
 quite adv. Fully.
 Quixotic adj. Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree.
 rabid adj. Affected with rabies or hydrophobia.
 racy adj. Exciting or exhilarating to the mind.
 radiance n. Brilliant or sparkling luster.
 radiate v. To extend in all directions, as from a source or focus.
 radical n. One who holds extreme views or advocates extreme measures.
 radix n. That from or on which something is developed.
 raillery n. Good-humored satire.
 ramify v. To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions.
 ramose adj. Branch-like.
 rampant adj. Growing, climbing, or running without check or restraint.
 rampart n. A bulwark or construction to oppose assault or hostile entry.
 rancor n. Malice.
 rankle v. To produce irritation or festering.
 rapacious adj. Disposed to seize by violence or by unlawful or greedy methods.
 rapid adj. Having great speed.
 rapine n. The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in war.
 rapt adj. Enraptured.
 raptorial adj. Seizing and devouring living prey.
 ration v. To provide with a fixed allowance or portion, especially of food.
 rationalism n. The formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone,
independently of
 authority.
 raucous adj. Harsh.
 ravage v. To lay waste by pillage, rapine, devouring, or other destructive methods.
 ravenous adj. Furiously voracious or hungry.
 ravine n. A deep gorge or hollow, especially one worn by a stream or flow of water.
 reaction n. Tendency towards a former, or opposite state of things, as after reform,
 revolution, or inflation.
 reactionary adj. Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction.
 readily adv. Without objection or reluctance.
 readjust v. To put in order after disarrangement.
 ready adj. In a state of preparedness for any given purpose or occasion.
 realism n. The principle and practice of depicting persons and scenes as they are
believed
 really to exist.
 rearrange v. To arrange again or in a different order.
 reassure v. To give new confidence.
 rebellious adj. Insubordinate.
 rebuff n. A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches.
 rebuild v. To build again or anew.
 rebut v. To oppose by argument or a sufficient answer.
 recant v. To withdraw formally one’s belief (in something previously believed or
 maintained).
 recapitulate v. To repeat again the principal points of.
 recapture v. To capture again.
 recede v. To move back or away.
 receivable adj. Capable of being or fit to be received – often money.
 receptive adj. Having the capacity, quality, or ability of receiving, as truths or
impressions.
 recessive adj. Having a tendency to go back.
 recidivist n. A confirmed criminal.
 reciprocal adj. Mutually interchangeable or convertible.
 reciprocate v. To give and take mutually.
 reciprocity n. Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed.
 recitation n. The act of reciting or repeating, especially in public and from memory.
 reck v. To have a care or thought for.
 reckless adj. Foolishly headless of danger.
 reclaim v. To demand or to obtain the return or restoration of.
 recline v. To cause to assume a leaning or recumbent attitude or position.
 recluse n. One who lives in retirement or seclusion.
 reclusory n. A hermitage.
 recognizance n. An acknowledgment entered into before a court with condition to
do some
 particular act.
 recognize v. To recall the identity of (a person or thing).
 recoil v. To start back as in dismay, loathing, or dread.
 recollect v. To recall the knowledge of.
 reconcilable adj. Capable of being adjusted or harmonized.
 reconnoiter v. To make a preliminary examination of for military, surveying, or
geological
 purposes.
 reconsider v. To review with care, especially with a view to a reversal of previous
action.
 reconstruct v. To rebuild.
 recourse n. Resort to or application for help in exigency or trouble.
 recover v. To regain.
 recreant n. A cowardly or faithless person.
 recreate v. To refresh after labor.
 recrudescence n. The state of becoming raw or sore again.
 recrudescent adj. Becoming raw or sore again.
 recruit v. To enlist men for military or naval service.
 rectify v. To correct.
 rectitude n. The quality of being upright in principles and conduct.
 recuperate v. To recover.
 recur v. To happen again or repeatedly, especially at regular intervals.
 recure v. To cure again.
 recurrent adj. Returning from time to time, especially at regular or stated intervals.
 redemption n. The recovery of what is mortgaged or pledged, by paying the debt.
 redolent adj. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
 redolence n. Smelling sweet and agreeable.
 redoubtable adj. Formidable.
 redound n. Rebound.
 redress v. To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the
wrong-doer.
 reducible adj. That may be reduced.
 redundance n. Excess.
 redundant adj. Constituting an excess.
 reestablish v. To restore.
 refer v. To direct or send for information or other purpose.
 referrer n. One who refers.
 referable adj. Ascribable.
 referee n. An umpire.
 refinery n. A place where some crude material, as sugar or petroleum, is purified.
 reflectible adj. Capable of being turned back.
 reflection n. The throwing off or back of light, heat, sound, or any form of energy
that travels in waves.
 reflector n. A mirror, as of metal, for reflecting light, heat, or sound in a particular
direction.
 reflexible adj. Capable of being reflected.
 reform n. Change for the better.
 reformer n. One who carries out a reform.
 refract v. To bend or turn from a direct course.
 refractory adj. Not amenable to control.
 refragable adj. Capable of being refuted.
 refringency n. Power to refract.
 refringent adj. Having the power to refract.
 refusal n. Denial of what is asked.
 refute v. To prove to be wrong.
 regale v. To give unusual pleasure.
 regalia n. pl. The emblems of royalty.
 regality n. Royalty.
 regenerate v. To reproduce.
 regent n. One who is lawfully deputized to administer the government for the time
being in
 the name of the ruler.
 regicide n. The killing of a king or sovereign.
 regime n. Particular conduct or administration of affairs.
 regimen n. A systematized order or course of living with reference to food, clothing
and
 personal habits.
 regiment n. A body of soldiers.
 regnant adj. Exercising royal authority in one’s own right.
 regress v. To return to a former place or condition.
 regretful adj. Feeling, expressive of, or full of regret.
 rehabilitate v. To restore to a former status, capacity, right rank, or privilege.
 reign v. To hold and exercise sovereign power.
 reimburse v. To pay back as an equivalent of what has been expended.
 rein n. A step attached to the bit for controlling a horse or other draft-animal.
 reinstate v. To restore to a former state, station, or authority.
 reiterate v. To say or do again and again.
 rejoin v. To reunite after separation.
 rejuvenate v. To restore to youth.
 rejuvenescence n. A renewal of youth.
 relapse v. To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery.
 relegate v. To send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination.
 relent v. To yield.
 relevant adj. Bearing upon the matter in hand.
 reliance n. Dependence.
 reliant adj. Having confidence.
 relinquish v. To give up using or having.
 reliquary n. A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept.
 relish v. To like the taste or savor of.
 reluctance n. Unwillingness.
 reluctant adj. Unwilling.
 remembrance n. Recollection.
 reminiscence n. The calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal
knowledge or
 experience.
 reminiscent adj. Pertaining to the recollection of matters of personal interest.
 remiss adj. Negligent.
 remission n. Temporary diminution of a disease.
 remodel v. Reconstruct.
 remonstrance n. Reproof.
 remonstrant adj. Having the character of a reproof.
 remonstrate v. To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to
right or
 prevent a wrong.
 remunerate v. To pay or pay for.
 remuneration n. Compensation.
 Renaissance n. The revival of letters, and then of art, which marks the transition
from
 medieval to modern time.
 rendezvous n. A prearranged place of meeting.
 rendition n. Interpretation.
 renovate v. To restore after deterioration, as a building.
 renunciation n. An explicit disclaimer of a right or privilege.
 reorganize v. To change to a more satisfactory form of organization.
 reparable adj. Capable of repair.
 reparation n. The act of making amends, as for an injury, loss, or wrong.
 repartee n. A ready, witty, or apt reply.
 repeal v. To render of no further effect.
 repel v. To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally.
 repellent adj. Having power to force back in a manner, physically or mentally.
 repentance n. Sorrow for something done or left undone, with desire to make
things right
 by undoing the wrong.
 repertory n. A place where things are stored or gathered together.
 repetition n. The act of repeating.
 repine v. To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding.
 replenish v. To fill again, as something that has been emptied.
 replete adj. Full to the uttermost.
 replica n. A duplicate executed by the artist himself, and regarded, equally with the
first, as an original.
 repository n. A place in which goods are stored.
 reprehend v. To find fault with.
 reprehensible adj. Censurable.
 reprehension n. Expression of blame.
 repress v. To keep under restraint or control.
 repressible adj. Able to be kept under restraint or control.
 reprieve v. To grant a respite from punishment to.
 reprimand v. To chide or rebuke for a fault.
 reprisal n. Any infliction or act by way of retaliation on an enemy.
 reprobate n. One abandoned to depravity and sin.
 reproduce v. To make a copy of.
 reproduction n. The process by which an animal or plant gives rise to another of its
kind.
 reproof n. An expression of disapproval or blame personally addressed to one
censured.
 repudiate v. To refuse to have anything to do with.
 repugnance n. Thorough dislike.
 repugnant adj. Offensive to taste and feeling.
 repulse n. The act of beating or driving back, as an attacking or advancing enemy.
 repulsive adj. Grossly offensive.
 repute v. To hold in general opinion.
 requiem n. A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead.
 requisite adj. Necessary.
 requital n. Adequate return for good or ill.
 requite v. To repay either good or evil to, as to a person.
 rescind v. To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior
authority.
 reseat v. To place in position of office again.
 resemblance n. Similarity in quality or form.
 resent v. To be indignant at, as an injury or insult.
 reservoir n. A receptacle where a quantity of some material, especially of a liquid
or gas, may be kept.
 residue n. A remainder or surplus after a part has been separated or otherwise
treated.
 resilience n. The power of springing back to a former position
 resilient adj. Having the quality of springing back to a former position.
 resistance n. The exertion of opposite effort or effect.
 resistant adj. Offering or tending to produce resistance.
 resistive adj. Having or exercising the power of resistance.
 resistless adj. Powerless.
 resonance n. The quality of being able to reinforce sound by sympathetic
vibrations.
 resonance adj. Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations.
 resonate v. To have or produce resonance.
 resource n. That which is restored to, relied upon, or made available for aid or
support.
 respite n. Interval of rest.
 resplendent adj. Very bright.
 respondent adj. Answering.
 restitution n. Restoration of anything to the one to whom it properly belongs.
 resumption n. The act of taking back, or taking again.
 resurgent adj. Surging back or again.
 resurrection n. A return from death to life
 resuscitate v. To restore from apparent death.
 retaliate v. To repay evil with a similar evil.
 retch v. To make an effort to vomit.
 retention n. The keeping of a thing within one’s power or possession.
 reticence n. The quality of habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
 reticent adj. Habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance.
 retinue n. The body of persons who attend a person of importance in travel or
public
 appearance.
 retort n. A retaliatory speech.
 retouch v. To modify the details of.
 retrace v. To follow backward or toward the place of beginning, as a track or
marking.
 retract v. To recall or take back (something that one has said).
 retrench v. To cut down or reduce in extent or quantity.
 retrieve v. To recover something by searching.
 retroactive adj. Operative on, affecting, or having reference to past events,
transactions,
 responsibilities.
 retrograde v. To cause to deteriorate or to move backward.
 retrogression n. A going or moving backward or in a reverse direction.
 retrospect n. A view or contemplation of something past.
 retrospective adj. Looking back on the past.
 reunite v. To unite or join again, as after separation.
 revelation n. A disclosing, discovering, or making known of what was before secret,
 private, or unknown.
 revere v. To regard with worshipful veneration.
 reverent adj. Humble.
 reversion n. A return to or toward some former state or condition.
 revert v. To return, or turn or look back, as toward a former position or the like.
 revile v. To heap approach or abuse upon.
 revisal n. Revision.
 revise v. To examine for the correction of errors, or for the purpose of making
changes.
 revocation n. Repeal.
 revoke v. To rescind.
 rhapsody n. Rapt or rapturous utterance.
 rhetoric n. The art of discourse.
 rhetorician n. A showy writer or speaker.
 ribald adj. Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity.
 riddance n. The act or ridding or delivering from something undesirable.
 ridicule n. Looks or acts expressing amused contempt.
 ridiculous adj. Laughable and contemptible.
 rife adj. Abundant.
 righteousness n. Rectitude.
 rightful adj. Conformed to a just claim according to established laws or usage.
 rigmarole n. Nonsense.
 rigor n. Inflexibility.
 rigorous adj. Uncompromising.
 ripplet n. A small ripple, as of water.
 risible adj. capable of exciting laughter.
 rivulet n. A small stream or brook.
 robust adj. Characterized by great strength or power of endurance.
 rondo n. A musical composition during which the first part or subject is repeated
several
 times.
 rookery n. A place where crows congregate to breed.
 rotary adj. Turning around its axis, like a wheel, or so constructed as to turn thus.
 rotate v. To cause to turn on or as on its axis, as a wheel.
 rote n. Repetition of words or sounds as a means of learning them, with slight
attention.
 rotund adj. Round from fullness or plumpness.
 rudimentary adj. Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development.
 rue v. To regret extremely.
 ruffian adj. A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow.
 ruminant adj. Chewing the cud.
 ruminate v. To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated.
 rupture v. To separate the parts of by violence.
 rustic adj. Characteristic of dwelling in the country.
 ruth n. Sorrow for another’s misery.
 sacrifice v. To make an offering of to deity, especially by presenting on an altar.
 sacrificial adj. Offering or offered as an atonement for sin.
 sacrilege n. The act of violating or profaning anything sacred.
 sacrilegious adj. Impious.
 safeguard v. To protect.
 sagacious adj. Able to discern and distinguish with wise perception.
 salacious adj. Having strong sexual desires.
 salience n. The condition of standing out distinctly.
 salient adj. Standing out prominently.
 saline adj. Constituting or consisting of salt.
 salutary adj. Beneficial.
 salutation n. Any form of greeting, hailing, or welcome, whether by word or act.
 salutatory n. The opening oration at the commencement in American colleges.
 salvage n. Any act of saving property.
 salvo n. A salute given by firing all the guns, as at the funeral of an officer.
 sanctimonious adj. Making an ostentatious display or hypocritical pretense of
holiness or
 piety.
 sanction v. To approve authoritatively.
 sanctity n. Holiness.
 sanguinary adj. Bloody.
 sanguine adj. Having the color of blood.
 sanguineous adj. Consisting of blood.
 sapid adj. Affecting the sense of taste.
 sapience n. Deep wisdom or knowledge.
 sapient adj. Possessing wisdom.
 sapiential adj. Possessing wisdom.
 saponaceous adj. Having the nature or quality of soap.
 sarcasm n. Cutting and reproachful language.
 sarcophagus n. A stone coffin or a chest-like tomb.
 sardonic adj. Scornfully or bitterly sarcastic.
 satiate v. To satisfy fully the appetite or desire of.
 satire n. The employment of sarcasm, irony, or keenness of wit in ridiculing vices.
 satiric adj. Resembling poetry, in which vice, incapacity ,or corruption is held up to
ridicule.
 satirize v. To treat with sarcasm or derisive wit.
 satyr n. A very lascivious person.
 savage n. A wild and uncivilized human being.
 savor v. To perceive by taste or smell.
 scabbard n. The sheath of a sword or similar bladed weapon.
 scarcity n. Insufficiency of supply for needs or ordinary demands.
 scholarly adj. Characteristic of an erudite person.
 scholastic adj. Pertaining to education or schools.
 scintilla n. The faintest ray.
 scintillate v. To emit or send forth sparks or little flashes of light.
 scope n. A range of action or view.
 scoundrel n. A man without principle.
 scribble n. Hasty, careless writing.
 scribe n. One who writes or is skilled in writing.
 script n. Writing or handwriting of the ordinary cursive form.
 Scriptural adj. Pertaining to, contained in, or warranted by the Holy Scriptures.
 scruple n. Doubt or uncertainty regarding a question of moral right or duty.
 scrupulous adj. Cautious in action for fear of doing wrong.
 scurrilous adj. Grossly indecent or vulgar.
 scuttle v. To sink (a ship) by making holes in the bottom.
 scythe n. A long curved blade for mowing, reaping, etc.
 séance n. A meeting of spirituals for consulting spirits.
 sear v. To burn on the surface.
 sebaceous adj. Pertaining to or appearing like fat.
 secant adj. Cutting, especially into two parts.
 secede v. To withdraw from union or association, especially from a political or
religious
 body.
 secession n. Voluntary withdrawal from fellowship, especially from political or
religious
 bodies.
 seclude v. To place, keep, or withdraw from the companionship of others.
 seclusion n. Solitude.
 secondary adj. Less important or effective than that which is primary.
 secondly adv. In the second place in order or succession.
 second-rate adj. Second in quality, size, rank, importance, etc.
 secrecy n. Concealment.
 secretary n. One who attends to correspondence, keeps records. or does other
writing for
 others.
 secretive adj. Having a tendency to conceal.
 sedate adj. Even-tempered.
 sedentary adj. Involving or requiring much sitting.
 sediment n. Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.
 sedition n. Conduct directed against public order and the tranquility of the state.
 seditious adj. Promotive of conduct directed against public order and the
tranquility of the
 state.
 seduce v. To entice to surrender chastity.
 sedulous adj. Persevering in effort or endeavor.
 seer n. A prophet.
 seethe v. To be violently excited or agitated.
 seignior n. A title of honor or respectful address, equivalent to sir.
 seismograph n. An instrument for recording the phenomena of earthquakes.
 seize v. To catch or take hold of suddenly and forcibly.
 selective adj. Having the power of choice.
 self-respect n. Rational self-esteem.
 semblance n. Outward appearance.
 semicivilized adj. Half-civilized.
 semiconscious adj. Partially conscious.
 semiannual adj. Recurring at intervals of six months.
 semicircle n. A half-circle.
 seminar n. Any assemblage of pupils for real research in some specific study under
a
 teacher.
 seminary n. A special school, as of theology or pedagogics.
 senile adj. Peculiar to or proceeding from the weakness or infirmity of old age.
 sensation n. A condition of mind resulting from spiritual or inherent feeling.
 sense n. The signification conveyed by some word, phrase, or action.
 sensibility n. Power to perceive or feel.
 sensitive adj. Easily affected by outside operations or influences.
 sensorium n. The sensory apparatus.
 sensual adj. Pertaining to the body or the physical senses.
 sensuous adj. Having a warm appreciation of the beautiful or of the refinements of
luxury.
 sentence n. A related group of words containing a subject and a predicate and
expressing
 a complete thought.
 sentience n. Capacity for sensation or sense-perception.
 sentient adj. Possessing the power of sense or sense-perception.
 sentinel n. Any guard or watch stationed for protection.
 separable adj. Capable of being disjoined or divided.
 separate v. To take apart.
 separatist n. A seceder.
 septennial adj. Recurring every seven years.
 sepulcher n. A burial-place.
 sequacious adj. Ready to be led.
 sequel n. That which follows in consequence of what has previously happened.
 sequence n. The order in which a number or persons, things, or events follow one
another
 in space or time.
 sequent adj. Following in the order of time.
 sequester v. To cause to withdraw or retire, as from society or public life.
 sequestrate v. To confiscate.
 sergeant n. A non-commissioned military officer ranking next above a corporal.
 sergeant-at-arms n. An executive officer in legislative bodies who enforces the
orders of
 the presiding officer.
 sergeant-major n. The highest non-commissioned officer in a regiment.
 service n. Any work done for the benefit of another.
 serviceable adj. Durable.
 servitude n. Slavery.
 severance n. Separation.
 severely adv. Extremely.
 sextet n. A band of six singers or players.
 sextuple adj. Multiplied by six.
 sheer adj. Absolute.
 shiftless adj. Wanting in resource, energy, or executive ability.
 shrewd adj. Characterized by skill at understanding and profiting by circumstances.
 shriek n. A sharp, shrill outcry or scream, caused by agony or terror.
 shrinkage n. A contraction of any material into less bulk or dimension.
 shrivel v. To draw or be drawn into wrinkles.
 shuffle n. A mixing or changing the order of things.
 sibilance n. A hissing sound.
 sibilant adj. Made with a hissing sound.
 sibilate v. To give a hissing sound to, as in pronouncing the letter s.
 sidelong adj. Inclining or tending to one side.
 sidereal adj. Pertaining to stars or constellations.
 siege n. A beleaguerment.
 significance n. Importance.
 significant adj. Important, especially as pointing something out.
 signification n. The meaning conveyed by language, actions, or signs.
 similar adj. Bearing resemblance to one another or to something else.
 simile n. A comparison which directs the mind to the representative object itself.
 similitude n. Similarity.
 simplify v. To make less complex or difficult.
 simulate v. Imitate.
 simultaneous adj. Occurring, done, or existing at the same time.
 sinecure n. Any position having emoluments with few or no duties.
 singe v. To burn slightly or superficially.
 sinister adj. Evil.
 sinuosity n. The quality of curving in and out.
 sinuous adj. Curving in and out.
 sinus n. An opening or cavity.
 siren n. A sea-nymph, described by Homer as dwelling between the island of Circe
and
 Scylla.
 sirocco n. hot winds from Africa.
 sisterhood n. A body of sisters united by some bond of sympathy or by a religious
vow.
 skeptic n. One who doubts any statements.
 skepticism n. The entertainment of doubt concerning something.
 skiff n. Usually, a small light boat propelled by oars.
 skirmish n. Desultory fighting between advanced detachments of two armies.
 sleight n. A trick or feat so deftly done that the manner of performance escapes
 observation.
 slight adj. Of a small importance or significance.
 slothful adj. Lazy.
 sluggard n. A person habitually lazy or idle.
 sociable adj. Inclined to seek company.
 socialism n. A theory of civil polity that aims to secure the reconstruction of
society.
 socialist adj. One who advocates reconstruction of society by collective ownership
of land and capital.
 sociology n. The philosophical study of society.
 Sol n. The sun.
 solace n. Comfort in grief, trouble, or calamity.
 solar adj. Pertaining to the sun.
 solder n. A fusible alloy used for joining metallic surfaces or margins.
 soldier n. A person engaged in military service.
 solecism n. Any violation of established rules or customs.
 solicitor n. One who represents a client in court of justice; an attorney.
 solicitude n. Uneasiness of mind occasioned by desire, anxiety, or fear.
 soliloquy n. A monologue.
 solstice n. The time of year when the sun is at its greatest declination.
 soluble adj. Capable of being dissolved, as in a fluid.
 solvent adj. Having sufficient funds to pay all debts.
 somber adj. Gloomy.
 somniferous adj. Tending to produce sleep.
 somnolence n. Oppressive drowsiness.
 somnolent adj. Sleepy.
 sonata n. An instrumental composition.
 sonnet n. A poem of fourteen decasyllabic or octosyllabiclines expressing two
successive
 phrases.
 sonorous adj. Resonant.
 soothsayer n. One who claims to have supernatural insight or foresight.
 sophism n. A false argument understood to be such by the reasoner himself and
 intentionally used to deceive
 sophistical adj. Fallacious.
 sophisticate v. To deprive of simplicity of mind or manner.
 sophistry n. Reasoning sound in appearance only, especially when designedly
deceptive.
 soprano n. A woman’s or boy’s voice of high range.
 sorcery n. Witchcraft.
 sordid adj. Of degraded character or nature.
 souvenir n. A token of remembrance.
 sparse adj. Thinly diffused.
 Spartan adj. Exceptionally brave; rigorously severe.
 spasmodic adj. Convulsive.
 specialize v. To assume an individual or specific character, or adopt a singular or
special
 course.
 specialty n. An employment limited to one particular line of work.
 specie n. A coin or coins of gold, silver, copper, or other metal.
 species n. A classificatory group of animals or plants subordinate to a genus.
 specimen n. One of a class of persons or things regarded as representative of the
class.
 specious adj. Plausible.
 spectator n. One who beholds or looks on.
 specter n. Apparition.
 spectrum n. An image formed by rays of light or other radiant energy.
 speculate v. To pursue inquiries and form conjectures.
 speculator n. One who makes an investment that involves a risk of loss, but also a
chance
 of profit.
 sphericity n. The state or condition of being a sphere.
 spheroid n. A body having nearly the form of a sphere.
 spherometer n. An instrument for measuring curvature or radii of spherical
surfaces.
 spinous adj. Having spines.
 spinster n. A woman who has never been married.
 spontaneous adj. Arising from inherent qualities or tendencies without external
efficient
 cause.
 sprightly adj. Vivacious.
 spurious adj. Not genuine.
 squabble v. To quarrel.
 squalid adj. Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance.
 squatter n. One who settles on land without permission or right.
 stagnant adj. Not flowing: said of water, as in a pool.
 stagnate v. To become dull or inert.
 stagnation n. The condition of not flowing or not changing.
 stagy adj. Having a theatrical manner.
 staid adj. Of a steady and sober character.
 stallion n. An uncastrated male horse, commonly one kept for breeding.
 stanchion n. A vertical bar, or a pair of bars, used to confine cattle in a stall.
 stanza n. A group of rimed lines, usually forming one of a series of similar divisions
in a
 poem.
 statecraft n. The art of conducting state affairs.
 static adj. Pertaining to or designating bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium.
 statics n. The branch of mechanics that treats of the relations that subsist among
forces in
 order.
 stationary adj. Not moving.
 statistician n. One who is skilled in collecting and tabulating numerical facts.
 statuesque adj. Having the grace, pose, or quietude of a statue.
 statuette n. A figurine.
 stature n. The natural height of an animal body.
 statute n. Any authoritatively declared rule, ordinance, decree, or law.
 stealth n. A concealed manner of acting.
 stellar adj. Pertaining to the stars.
 steppe n. One of the extensive plains in Russia and Siberia.
 sterling adj. Genuine.
 stifle v. To smother.
 stigma n. A mark of infamy or token of disgrace attaching to a person as the result
of evildoing.
 stiletto n. A small dagger.
 stimulant n. Anything that rouses to activity or to quickened action.
 stimulate v. To rouse to activity or to quickened action.
 stimulus n. Incentive.
 stingy adj. Cheap, unwilling to spend money.
 stipend n. A definite amount paid at stated periods in compensation for services or
as an
 allowance.
 Stoicism n. The principles or the practice of the Stoics-being very even tempered in
 success and failure.
 stolid adj. Expressing no power of feeling or perceiving.
 strait n. A narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water.
 stratagem n. Any clever trick or device for obtaining an advantage.
 stratum n. A natural or artificial layer, bed, or thickness of any substance or
material.
 streamlet n. Rivulet.
 stringency n. Strictness.
 stringent adj. Rigid.
 stripling n. A mere youth.
 studious adj. Having or showing devotion to the acquisition of knowledge.
 stultify v. To give an appearance of foolishness to.
 stupendous adj. Of prodigious size, bulk, or degree.
 stupor n. Profound lethargy.
 suasion n. The act of persuading.
 suave adj. Smooth and pleasant in manner.
 subacid adj. Somewhat sharp or biting.
 subaquatic adj. Being, formed, or operating under water.
 subconscious adj. Being or occurring in the mind, but without attendant
consciousness or
 conscious perception.
 subjacent adj. Situated directly underneath.
 subjection n. The act of bringing into a state of submission.
 subjugate v. To conquer.
 subliminal adj. Being beneath the threshold of consciousness.
 sublingual adj. Situated beneath the tongue.
 submarine adj. Existing, done, or operating beneath the surface of the sea.
 submerge v. To place or plunge under water.
 submergence n. The act of submerging.
 submersible adj. Capable of being put underwater.
 submersion n. The act of submerging.
 submission n. A yielding to the power or authority of another.
 submittal n. The act of submitting.
 subordinate adj. Belonging to an inferior order in a classification.
 subsequent adj. Following in time.
 subservience n. The quality, character, or condition of being servilely following
another’s
 behests.
 subservient adj. Servilely following another’s behests.
 subside v. To relapse into a state of repose and tranquility.
 subsist v. To be maintained or sustained.
 subsistence n. Sustenance.
 substantive adj. Solid.
 subtend v. To extend opposite to.
 subterfuge n. Evasion.
 subterranean adj. Situated or occurring below the surface of the earth.
 subtle adj. Discriminating.
 subtrahend n. That which is to be subtracted.
 subversion n. An overthrow, as from the foundation.
 subvert v. To bring to ruin.
 succeed v. To accomplish what is attempted or intended.
 success n. A favorable or prosperous course or termination of anything attempted.
 successful adj. Having reached a high degree of worldly prosperity.
 successor n. One who or that which takes the place of a predecessor or preceding
thing.
 succinct adj. Concise.
 succulent adj. Juicy.
 succumb v. To cease to resist.
 sufferance n. Toleration.
 sufficiency n. An ample or adequate supply.
 suffrage n. The right or privilege of voting.
 suffuse v. To cover or fill the surface of.
 suggestible adj. That can be suggested.
 suggestive adj. Stimulating to thought or reflection.
 summary n. An abstract.
 sumptuous adj. Rich and costly.
 superabundance n. An excessive amount.
 superadd v. To add in addition to what has been added.
 superannuate v. To become deteriorated or incapacitated by long service.
 superb adj. Sumptuously elegant.
 supercilious adj. Exhibiting haughty and careless contempt.
 superficial adj. Knowing and understanding only the ordinary and the obvious.
 superfluity n. That part of anything that is in excess of what is needed.
 superfluous adj. Being more than is needed.
 superheat v. To heat to excess.
 superintend v. To have the charge and direction of, especially of some work or
movement.
 superintendence n. Direction and management.
 superintendent n. One who has the charge and direction of, especially of some
work or
 movement.
 superlative n. That which is of the highest possible excellence or eminence.
 supernatural adj. Caused miraculously or by the immediate exercise of divine
power.
 supernumerary adj. Superfluous.
 supersede v. To displace.
 supine adj. Lying on the back.
 supplant v. To take the place of.
 supple adj. Easily bent.
 supplementary adj. Being an addition to.
 supplicant n. One who asks humbly and earnestly.
 supplicate v. To beg.
 supposition n. Conjecture.
 suppress v. To prevent from being disclosed or punished.
 suppressible adj. Capable of being suppressed.
 suppression n. A forcible putting or keeping down.
 supramundane adj. Supernatural.
 surcharge n. An additional amount charged.
 surety n. Security for payment or performance.
 surfeit v. To feed to fullness or to satiety.
 surmise v. To conjecture.
 surmount v. To overcome by force of will.
 surreptitious adj. Clandestine.
 surrogate n. One who or that which is substituted for or appointed to act in place
of
 another.
 surround v. To encircle.
 surveyor n. A land-measurer.
 susceptibility n. A specific capability of feeling or emotion.
 susceptible adj. Easily under a specified power or influence.
 suspense n. Uncertainty.
 suspension n. A hanging from a support.
 suspicious adj. Inclined to doubt or mistrust.
 sustenance n. Food.
 swarthy adj. Having a dark hue, especially a dark or sunburned complexion.
 Sybarite n. A luxurious person.
 sycophant n. A servile flatterer, especially of those in authority or influence.
 syllabic adj. Consisting of that which is uttered in a single vocal impulse.
 syllabication n. Division of words into that which is uttered in a single vocal
impulse.
 syllable n. That which is uttered in a single vocal impulse.
 syllabus n. Outline of a subject, course, lecture, or treatise.
 sylph n. A slender, graceful young woman or girl.
 symmetrical adj. Well-balanced.
 symmetry n. Relative proportion and harmony.
 sympathetic adj. Having a fellow-feeling for or like feelings with another or others.
 sympathize v. To share the sentiments or mental states of another.
 symphonic adj. Characterized by a harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds.
 symphonious adj. Marked by a harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds.
 symphony n. A harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds.
 synchronism n. Simultaneousness.
 syndicate n. An association of individuals united for the prosecution of some
enterprise.
 syneresis n. The coalescence of two vowels or syllables, as e’er for ever.
 synod n. An ecclesiastical council.
 synonym n. A word having the same or almost the same meaning as some other.
 synopsis n. A syllabus or summary.
 systematic adj. Methodical.
 tableau n. An arrangement of inanimate figures representing a scene from real life.
 tacit adj. Understood.
 taciturn adj. Disinclined to conversation.
 tack n. A small sharp-pointed nail.
 tact n. Fine or ready mental discernment shown in saying or doing the proper
thing.
 tactician n. One who directs affairs with skill and shrewdness.
 tactics n. Any maneuvering or adroit management for effecting an object.
 tangency n. The state of touching.
 tangent adj. Touching.
 tangible adj. Perceptible by touch.
 tannery n. A place where leather is tanned.
 tantalize v. To tease.
 tantamount adj. Having equal or equivalent value, effect, or import.
 tapestry n. A fabric to which a pattern is applied with a needle, designed for
ornamental
 hangings.
 tarnish v. To lessen or destroy the luster of in any way.
 taut adj. Stretched tight.
 taxation n. A levy, by government, of a fixed contribution.
 taxidermy n. The art or process of preserving dead animals or parts of them.
 technic adj. Technical.
 technicality n. Something peculiar to a particular art, trade, or the like.
 technique n. Manner of performance.
 technography n. The scientific description or study of human arts and industries in
their
 historic development.
 technology n. The knowledge relating to industries and manufactures.
 teem v. To be full to overflowing.
 telepathy n. Thought-transference.
 telephony n. The art or process of communicating by telephone.
 telescope v. To drive together so that one slides into the another like the sections
of a spyglass.
 telltale adj. That gives warning or information.
 temerity n. Recklessness.
 temporal adj. Pertaining to or concerned with the affairs of the present life.
 temporary adj. Lasting for a short time only.
 temporize v. To pursue a policy of delay.
 tempt v. To offer to (somebody) an inducement to do wrong.
 tempter n. An allurer or enticer to evil.
 tenacious adj. Unyielding.
 tenant n. An occupant.
 tendency n. Direction or inclination, as toward some objector end.
 tenet n. Any opinion, principle, dogma, or doctrine that a person believes or
maintains as
 true.
 tenor n. A settled course or manner of progress.
 tense adj. Strained to stiffness.
 tentative adj. Done as an experiment.
 tenure n. The term during which a thing is held.
 tercentenary adj. Pertaining to a period of 300 years.
 termagant adj. Violently abusive and quarrelsome.
 terminal adj. Pertaining to or creative of a boundary, limit.
 terminate v. To put an end or stop to.
 termination n. The act of ending or concluding.
 terminus n. The final point or goal.
 terrify v. To fill with extreme fear.
 territorial adj. Pertaining to the domain over which a sovereign state exercises
jurisdiction.
 terse adj. Pithy.
 testament n. A will.
 testator n. The maker of a will.
 testimonial n. A formal token of regard, often presented in public.
 thearchy n. Government by a supreme deity.
 theism n. Belief in God.
 theocracy n. A government administered by ecclesiastics.
 theocrasy n. The mixed worship of polytheism.
 theologian n. A professor of divinity.
 theological adj. Based on or growing out of divine revelation.
 theology n. The branch of theological science that treats of God.
 theoretical adj. Directed toward knowledge for its own sake without respect to
applications.
 theorist n. One given to speculating.
 theorize v. To speculate.
 thereabout adv. Near that number, quantity, degree, place, or time,
approximately.
 therefor adv. For that or this.
 thermal adj. Of or pertaining to heat.
 thermoelectric adj. Denoting electricity produced by heat.
 thermoelectricity n. Electricity generated by differences of temperature,
 thesis n. An essay or treatise on a particular subject.
 thoroughbred adj. Bred from the best or purest blood or stock.
 thoroughfare n. A public street or road.
 thrall n. One controlled by an appetite or a passion.
 tilth n. Cultivation.
 timbre n. The quality of a tone, as distinguished from intensity and pitch.
 timorous adj. Lacking courage.
 tincture n. A solution, usually alcoholic, of some principle used in medicine.
 tinge n. A faint trace of color.
 tipsy adj. Befuddled with drinks.
 tirade n. Harangue.
 tireless adj. Untiring.
 tiresome adj. Wearisome.
 Titanic adj. Of vast size or strength.
 toilsome adj. Laborious.
 tolerable adj. Moderately good.
 tolerance n. Forbearance in judging of the acts or opinions of others.
 tolerant adj. Indulgent.
 tolerate v. To passively permit or put up with.
 toleration n. A spirit of charitable leniency.
 topography n. The art of representing on a map the physical features of any locality
or
 region with accuracy.
 torpor n. Apathy.
 torrid adj. Excessively hot.
 tortious adj. Wrongful.
 tortuous adj. Abounding in irregular bends or turns.
 torturous adj. Marked by extreme suffering.
 tractable adj. Easily led or controlled.
 trait n. A distinguishing feature or quality.
 trajectory n. The path described by a projectile moving under given forces.
 trammel n. An impediment.
 tranquil adj. Calm.
 tranquilize v. To soothe.
 tranquility n. Calmness.
 transalpine adj. Situated on the other side of the Alps.
 transact v. To do business.
 transatlantic adj. Situated beyond or on the other side of the Atlantic.
 transcend v. To surpass.
 transcendent adj. Surpassing.
 transcontinental adj. Extending or passing across a continent.
 transcribe v. To write over again (something already written)
 transcript n. A copy made directly from an original.
 transfer v. To convey, remove, or cause to pass from one person or place to
another.
 transferable adj. Capable of being conveyed from one person or place to another.
 transferee n. The person to whom a transfer is made.
 transference n. The act of conveying from one person or place to another.
 transferrer n. One who or that which conveys from one person or place to another.
 transfigure v. To give an exalted meaning or glorified appearance to.
 transfuse v. To pour or cause to pass, as a fluid, from one vessel to another.
 transfusible adj. Capable of being poured from one vessel to another.
 transfusion n. The act of pouring from one vessel to another.
 transgress v. To break a law.
 transience n. Something that is of short duration.
 transient n. One who or that which is only of temporary existence.
 transition n. Passage from one place, condition, or action to another.
 transitory adj. Existing for a short time only.
 translate v. To give the sense or equivalent of in another language or dialect.
 translator n. An interpreter.
 translucence n. The property or state of allowing the passage of light.
 translucent adj. Allowing the passage of light.
 transmissible adj. That may e sent through or across.
 transmission n. The act of sending through or across.
 transmit v. To send trough or across.
 transmute v. To change in nature, substance, or form.
 transparent adj. Easy to see through or understand.
 transpire v. To come to pass.
 transplant v. To remove and plant in another place.
 transposition n. The act of reversing the order or changing the place of.
 transverse adj. Lying or being across or in a crosswise direction.
 travail n. Hard or agonizing labor.
 travesty n. A grotesque imitation.
 treacherous adj. Perfidious.
 treachery n. Violation of allegiance, confidence, or plighted faith.
 treasonable adj. Of the nature of betrayal, treachery, or breech of allegiance.
 treatise n. An elaborate literary composition presenting a subject in all its parts.
 treble adj. Multiplied by three.
 trebly adv. Triply.
 tremendous adj. Awe-inspiring.
 tremor n. An involuntary trembling or shivering.
 tremulous adj. Characterized by quivering or unsteadiness.
 trenchant adj. Cutting deeply and quickly.
 trepidation n. Nervous uncertainty of feeling.
 trestle n. An open braced framework for supporting the horizontal stringers of a
railwaybridge.
 triad n. A group of three persons of things.
 tribune n. Any champion of the rights and liberties of the people: often used as the
name
 for a newspaper.
 trickery n. Artifice.
 tricolor adj. Of three colors.
 tricycle n. A three-wheeled vehicle.
 trident n. The three-pronged fork that was the emblem of Neptune.
 triennial adj. Taking place every third year.
 trimness n. Neatness.
 trinity n. A threefold personality existing in the one divine being or substance.
 trio n. Three things grouped or associated together.
 triple adj. Threefold.
 triplicate adj. Composed of or pertaining to three related things or parts.
 triplicity n. The state of being triple or threefold.
 tripod n. A three-legged stand, usually hinged near the top, for supporting some
 instrument.
 trisect v. To divide into three parts, especially into three equal parts.
 trite adj. Made commonplace by frequent repetition.
 triumvir n. One of three men united coordinately in public office or authority.
 trivial adj. Of little importance or value.
 troublesome adj. Burdensome.
 truculence n. Ferocity.
 truculent adj. Having the character or the spirit of a savage.
 truism n. A statement so plainly true as hardly to require statement or proof.
 truthful adj. Veracious.
 turgid adj. Swollen.
 turpitude n. Depravity.
 tutelage n. The act of training or the state of being under instruction.
 tutelar adj. Protective.
 tutorship n. The office of a guardian.
 twinge n. A darting momentary local pain.
 typical adj. Characteristic.
 typify v. To serve as a characteristic example of.
 typographical adj. Pertaining to typography or printing.
 typography n. The arrangement of composed type, or the appearance of printed
matter.
 tyrannical adj. Despotic.
 tyranny n. Absolute power arbitrarily or unjustly administrated.
 tyro n. One slightly skilled in or acquainted with any trade or profession.
 ubiquitous adj. Being present everywhere.
 ulterior adj. Not so pertinent as something else to the matter spoken of.
 ultimate adj. Beyond which there is nothing else.
 ultimatum n. A final statement or proposal, as concerning terms or conditions.
 ultramundane adj. Pertaining to supernatural things or to another life.
 ultramontane adj. Beyond the mountains, especially beyond the Alps (that is, on
their
 Italian side).
 umbrage n. A sense of injury.
 unaccountable adj. Inexplicable.
 unaffected adj. Sincere.
 unanimous adj. Sharing the same views or sentiments.
 unanimity n. The state or quality of being of one mind.
 unavoidable adj. Inevitable.
 unbearable adj. Unendurable.
 unbecoming adj. Unsuited to the wearer, place, or surroundings.
 unbelief n. Doubt.
 unbiased adj. Impartial, as judgment.
 unbridled adj. Being without restraint.
 uncommon adj. Rare.
 unconscionable adj. Ridiculously or unjustly excessive.
 unconscious adj. Not cognizant of objects, actions, etc.
 unction n. The art of anointing as with oil.
 unctuous adj. Oily.
 undeceive v. To free from deception, as by apprising of the real state of affairs.
 undercharge v. To make an inadequate charge for.
 underexposed adj. Insufficiently exposed for proper or full development, as
negatives in
 photography.
 undergarment n. A garment to be worn under the ordinary outer garments.
 underman v. To equip with less than the full complement of men.
 undersell v. To sell at a lower price than.
 undersized adj. Of less than the customary size.
 underhanded adj. Clandestinely carried on.
 underlie v. To be the ground or support of.
 underling n. A subordinate.
 undermine v. To subvert in an underhand way.
 underrate v. To undervalue.
 understate v. To fail to put strongly enough, as a case.
 undervalue v. To underestimate.
 underworld n. Hades.
 underwrite v. To issue or be party to the issue of a policy of insurance.
 undue adj. More than sufficient.
 undulate v. To move like a wave or in waves.
 undulous adj. Resembling waves.
 unfavorable adj. Adverse.
 ungainly adj. Clumsy.
 unguent n. Any ointment or lubricant for local application.
 unicellular adj. Consisting of a single cell.
 univalence n. Monovalency.
 unify v. To cause to be one.
 unique adj. Being the only one of its kind.
 unison n. A condition of perfect agreement and accord.
 unisonant adj. Being in a condition of perfect agreement and accord.
 Unitarian adj. Pertaining to a religious body that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity.
 unlawful adj. Illegal.
 unlimited adj. Unconstrained.
 unnatural adj. Artificial.
 unnecessary adj. Not essential under the circumstances.
 unsettle v. To put into confusion.
 unsophisticated adj. Showing inexperience.
 unspeakable adj. Abominable.
 untimely adj. Unseasonable.
 untoward adj. Causing annoyance or hindrance.
 unutterable adj. Inexpressible.
 unwieldy adj. Moved or managed with difficulty, as from great size or awkward
shape.
 unwise adj. Foolish.
 unyoke v. To separate.
 up-keep n. Maintenance.
 upbraid v. To reproach as deserving blame.
 upcast n. A throwing upward.
 upheaval n. Overthrow or violent disturbance of established order or condition.
 upheave v. To raise or lift with effort.
 uppermost adj. First in order of precedence.
 uproarious adj. Noisy.
 uproot v. To eradicate.
 upturn v. To throw into confusion.
 urban adj. Of, or pertaining to, or like a city.
 urbanity n. Refined or elegant courtesy.
 urchin n. A roguish, mischievous boy.
 urgency n. The pressure of necessity.
 usage n. Treatment.
 usurious adj. Taking unlawful or exorbitant interest on money loaned.
 usurp v. To take possession of by force.
 usury n. The demanding for the use of money as a loan, a rate of interest beyond
what is
 allowed by law.
 utilitarianism n. The ethical doctrine that actions are right because they are useful
or of
 beneficial tendency.
 utility n. Fitness for some desirable practical purpose.
 utmost n. The greatest possible extent.
 vacate v. To leave.
 vaccinate v. To inoculate with vaccine virus or virus of cowpox.
 vacillate v. To waver.
 vacuous adj. Empty.
 vacuum n. A space entirely devoid of matter.
 vagabond n. A wanderer.
 vagrant n. An idle wanderer.
 vainglory n. Excessive, pretentious, and demonstrative vanity.
 vale n. Level or low land between hills.
 valediction n. A bidding farewell.
 valedictorian n. Student who delivers an address at graduating exercises of an
 educational institution.
 valedictory n. A parting address.
 valid adj. Founded on truth.
 valorous adj. Courageous.
 vapid adj. Having lost sparkling quality and flavor.
 vaporizer n. An atomizer.
 variable adj. Having a tendency to change.
 variance n. Change.
 variant n. A thing that differs from another in form only, being the same in essence
or
 substance.
 variation n. Modification.
 variegate v. To mark with different shades or colors.
 vassal n. A slave or bondman.
 vaudeville n. A variety show.
 vegetal adj. Of or pertaining to plants.
 vegetarian n. One who believes in the theory that man’s food should be exclusively
 vegetable.
 vegetate v. To live in a monotonous, passive way without exercise of the mental
faculties.
 vegetation n. Plant-life in the aggregate.
 vegetative adj. Pertaining to the process of plant-life.
 vehement adj. Very eager or urgent.
 velocity n. Rapid motion.
 velvety adj. Marked by lightness and softness.
 venal adj. Mercenary, corrupt.
 vendible adj. Marketable.
 vendition n. The act of selling.
 vendor n. A seller.
 veneer n. Outside show or elegance.
 venerable adj. Meriting or commanding high esteem.
 venerate v. To cherish reverentially.
 venereal adj. Pertaining to or proceeding from sexual intercourse.
 venial adj. That may be pardoned or forgiven, a forgivable sin.
 venison n. The flesh of deer.
 venom n. The poisonous fluid that certain animals secrete.
 venous adj. Of, pertaining to, or contained or carried in a vein or veins.
 veracious adj. Habitually disposed to speak the truth.
 veracity n. Truthfulness.
 verbatim adv. Word for word.
 verbiage n. Use of many words without necessity.
 verbose adj. Wordy.
 verdant adj. Green with vegetation.
 verification n. The act of proving to be true, exact, or accurate.
 verify v. To prove to be true, exact, or accurate.
 verily adv. In truth.
 verity n. Truth.
 vermin n. A noxious or troublesome animal.
 vernacular n. The language of one’s country.
 vernal adj. Belonging to or suggestive of the spring.
 versatile adj. Having an aptitude for applying oneself to new and varied tasks or to
various
 subjects.
 version n. A description or report of something as modified by one’s character or
opinion.
 vertex n. Apex.
 vertical adj. Lying or directed perpendicularly to the horizon.
 vertigo n. Dizziness.
 vestige n. A visible trace, mark, or impression, of something absent, lost, or gone.
 vestment n. Clothing or covering.
 veto n. The constitutional right in a chief executive of refusing to approve an
enactment.
 vicarious adj. Suffered or done in place of or for the sake of another.
 viceroy n. A ruler acting with royal authority in place of the sovereign in a colony or
 province.
 vicissitude n. A change, especially a complete change, of condition or
circumstances, as of fortune.
 vie v. To contend.
 vigilance n. Alert and intent mental watchfulness in guarding against danger.
 vigilant adj. Being on the alert to discover and ward off danger or insure safety.
 vignette n. A picture having a background or that is shaded off gradually.
 vincible adj. Conquerable.
 vindicate v. To prove true, right, or real.
 vindicatory adj. Punitive.
 vindicative adj. Revengeful.
 vinery n. A greenhouse for grapes.
 viol n. A stringed instrument of the violin class.
 viola n. A musical instrument somewhat larger than a violin.
 violator n. One who transgresses.
 violation n. Infringement.
 violoncello n. A stringed instrument held between the player’s knees.
 virago n. A bold, impudent, turbulent woman.
 virile adj. Masculine.
 virtu n. Rare, curious, or beautiful quality.
 virtual adj. Being in essence or effect, but not in form or appearance.
 virtuoso n. A master in the technique of some particular fine art.
 virulence n. Extreme poisonousness.
 virulent adj. Exceedingly noxious or deleterious.
 visage n. The face, countenance, or look of a person.
 viscount n. In England, a title of nobility, ranking fourth in the order of British
peerage.
 vista n. A view or prospect.
 visual adj. Perceptible by sight.
 visualize v. To give pictorial vividness to a mental representation.
 vitality n. The state or quality of being necessary to existence or continuance.
 vitalize v. To endow with life or energy.
 vitiate v. To contaminate.
 vituperable adj. Deserving of censure.
 vivacity n. Liveliness.
 vivify v. To endue with life.
 vivisection n. The dissection of a living animal.
 vocable n. a word, especially one regarded in relation merely to its qualities of
sound.
 vocative adj. Of or pertaining to the act of calling.
 vociferance n. The quality of making a clamor.
 vociferate v. To utter with a loud and vehement voice.
 vociferous adj. Making a loud outcry.
 vogue n. The prevalent way or fashion.
 volant adj. Flying or able to fly.
 volatile adj. Changeable.
 volition n. An act or exercise of will.
 volitive adj. Exercising the will.
 voluble adj. Having great fluency in speaking.
 voluptuous adj. having fullness of beautiful form, as a woman, with or without
sensuous or
 sensual quality.
 voracious adj. Eating with greediness or in very large quantities.
 vortex n. A mass of rotating or whirling fluid, especially when sucked spirally
toward the
 center.
 votary adj. Consecrated by a vow or promise.
 votive adj. Dedicated by a vow.
 vulgarity n. Lack of refinement in conduct or speech.
 vulnerable adj. Capable of receiving injuries.
 waif n. A homeless, neglected wanderer.
 waistcoat n. A vest.
 waive v. To relinquish, especially temporarily, as a right or claim.
 wampum n. Beads strung on threads, formerly used among the American Indians
as
 currency.
 wxane v. To diminish in size and brilliancy.
 wantonness n. Recklessness.
 warlike adj. Belligerent.
 wavelet n. A ripple.
 weak-kneed adj. Without resolute purpose or energy.
 weal n. Well-being.
 wean v. To transfer (the young) from dependence on mother’s milk to another
form of
 nourishment.
 wearisome adj. Fatiguing.
 wee adj. Very small.
 well-bred adj. Of good ancestry.
 well-doer n. A performer of moral and social duties.
 well-to-do adj. In prosperous circumstances.
 whereabouts n. The place in or near which a person or thing is.
 whereupon adv. After which.
 wherever adv. In or at whatever place.
 wherewith n. The necessary means or resources.
 whet v. To make more keen or eager.
 whimsical adj. Capricious.
 whine v. To utter with complaining tone.
 wholly adv. Completely.
 wield v. To use, control, or manage, as a weapon, or instrument, especially with full
command.
 wile n. An act or a means of cunning deception.
 winsome adj. Attractive.
 wintry adj. Lacking warmth of manner.
 wiry adj. Thin, but tough and sinewy.
 witchcraft n. Sorcery.
 witless adj. Foolish, indiscreet, or silly.
 witling n. A person who has little understanding.
 witticism n. A witty, brilliant, or original saying or sentiment.
 wittingly adv. With knowledge and by design.
 wizen v. To become or cause to become withered or dry.
 wizen-faced adj. Having a shriveled face.
 working-man n. One who earns his bread by manual labor.
 workmanlike adj. Like or befitting a skilled workman.
 workmanship n. The art or skill of a workman.
 wrangle v. To maintain by noisy argument or dispute.
 wreak v. To inflict, as a revenge or punishment.
 wrest v. To pull or force away by or as by violent twisting or wringing.
 wretchedness n. Extreme misery or unhappiness.
 writhe v. To twist the body, face, or limbs or as in pain or distress.
 writing n. The act or art of tracing or inscribing on a surface letters or ideographs.
 wry adj. Deviating from that which is proper or right.
 yearling n. A young animal past its first year and not yet two years old.
 zealot n. One who espouses a cause or pursues an object in an immoderately
partisan
 manner.
 zeitgeist n. The intellectual and moral tendencies that characterize any age or
epoch.
 zenith n. The culminating-point of prosperity, influence, or greatness.
 zephyr n. Any soft, gentle wind.
 zodiac n. An imaginary belt encircling the heavens within which are the larger
planets.