1 abstract: theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete)
2 acclaim: praise; applause; admiration
3 acquiesce: to give in; to agree
4 acute (acuity): sharp~ intelligent
5 advocate: to speak in favor of; to support
6 aesthetic: having to do with art or beauty
7 alleviate: to lessen something bad; to make better
8 amass: to accumulate
9 ambiguous: unclear in meaning
10 ambivalent: undecided; blowing hot and cold
11 ambulatory: able to walk; walking
12 ameliorate: to make better; to improve
13 amiable: friendly
14 amity: friendship
15 anarchy: lack of government; chaos
16 anecdote: a brief, entertaining story
17 animated: lively; spirited
18 animosity: hatred
19 apathy: lack of emotion or interest
20 apocryphal: of doubtful origin; false
21 appease: to make peace with; to satisfy
22 apprehensive: fearful; worried
23 arrogant: feeling superior to others; snooty
24 articulate: speaking clearly and well
25 ascetic: without luxuries; austere
26 assess: to estimate the value of; to measure
27 assuage: to soothe
28 astute: perceptive; intelligent
29 atrophy: to waste away from lack of use
30 augment: to add to~ to increase~ to make bigger
31 auspicious: favorable; looking up
32 austere: severe~ without frills
33 authentic: real
34 authoritarian: like a dictator
35 banal: common~ dull~ ordinary
36 bastion: stronghold; fortress
37 belittle: to put down; to disparage
38 belligerent: argumentative; combative
39 benefactor: a generous donor
40 benevolent: kind~ good-hearted~ generous
41 benign: not causing harm
42 biased: not neutral
43 blasphemy: heretical departure from accepted practice
44 blithe: free-spirited
45 brawn: bulk; muscles
46 brevity: briefness
47 candid: honest; frank
48 caustic: burning; uncomplimentary
49 censure: to blame; to criticize
50 coalesce: to come together; to merge; to join
51 complacent: smug, self satisfied .
52 compliant: submissive; easy to persuade or control
53 comply: to go along with; to obey
54 conciliate: to soothe~ to end a dispute; to reconcile
55 concise: briefly stated
56 condescend: to talk down to
57 condone: to forgive; to overlook
58 congenial: friendly
59 conspicuous: easily seen; out in the open
60 contempt: reproachful disdain
61 contrite: deeply apologetic; remorseful
62 credulous: believing; gullible
63 cryptic: mysterious; puzzling; enigmatic
64 dearth: a lack
65 deference: a show of respect
66 denounce: to speak out against; to condemn
67 deplete: to use up; to reduce; to lessen
68 depravity: moral corruption
69 deride (derision): to ridicule~ to make fun of
70 desecrate: to profane a holy place (opposite of consecrate)
71 deter: to prevent~ to stop ~ to keep from doing something
72 didactic: instructive; intended to instruct
73 diffidence: shyness
74 digress: to go off the subject
75 diligent: hard-working
76 discern: to distinguish one thing from another
77 discord: disagreement (opposite of concord)
78 discriminate: to differentiate~ to make a clear distinction~ to see the difference
79 disdain: contempt~ intense dislike
80 disparage: to speak badly of
81 disparity: inequality
82 dispassionate: without passion; objective; neutral
83 dissent: disagreement
84 diverse: varied
85 divert: to change the direction of
86 dogmatic: stubbornly opinionated
87 drone: to talk on and on in a dull way
88 dubious: doubtful unclear .
89 eccentric: odd~ unusual~ quirky
90 efface: to erase; to wipe out
91 elaborate: detailed; careful; thorough
92 eloquent: fluent and graceful in speech
93 elusive: tough to catch; hard to pin down
94 emulate: to copy something admired; to imitate
95 engender: to create; to produce
96 enhance: to make better; to augment
97 enigma: mystery.
98 enthrall: to thrill
99 ephemeral: short-lived; fleeting; not lasting
100 esoteric: understood only by a select few
101 euphony: pleasant sound (opposite of cacophony)
102 exemplary: outstanding; setting a great example
103 exemplify: to serve as an example of
104 exhaustive: thorough; complete
105 expedient: practical; quick
106 expedite (expedient): to make faster or easier
107 extol: to praise
108 extraneous: irrelevant; extra; unnecessary; unimportant
109 facilitate: to make easier
110 fallacious: false
111 fanatic: one who is extremely devoted to a cause or idea
112 fastidious: finicky; overly critical
113 fervor: passion
114 fickle: capricious; whimsical; unpredictable
115 flagrant: shocking; outstandingly bad
116 fortuitous: accidental; happening by chance
117 frivolous: not serious; not solemn; with levity
118 furtive: secretive
119 futile: hopeless~ without effect
120 gravity (grave): seriousness (secondary meaning)
121 guile: cunning~ deceitfulness
122 gullible: overly trusting; willing to believe anything
123 hackneyed: banal; overused
124 hedonistic: pleasure-seeking; indulgent
125 heed: to listen to
126 heresy: an opinion violently opposed to establish beliefs
127 hinder: to obstruct; to get in the way of
128 hypocritical (hypocrisy): insincere
129 hypothetical: theoretical
130 idiom: a peculiar, untranslatable expression
131 immutable: unchanging; permanent
132 impartial: unbiased~ neutral
133 inadvertent: lax; careless; without intention
134 incessant: unceasing~ never ending
135 incoherent: jumbled; chaotic; impossible to understand
136 incongruous: not fitting in; out of place
137 indifferent: not caring one way or the other~ lacking a preference
138 indolence: laziness
139 indulgent: pampering oneself~ over satisfying desires
140 inevitable: unavoidable; bound to happen
141 infamous (infamy): famous in a bad way~ famous for being bad
142 innate: inborn; inherited
143 innocuous: harmless
144 innovate: to be creative; to introduce something new
145 innumerable: too many to number or count; many
146 insipid: bland~ boring~ stupid
147 instigate: to cause~ to start trouble
148 irascible: irritable
149 ironic: satiric; unexpected
150 jeopardy: danger
151 languid: slow; tired
152 laud: to praise
153 lax: careless; not diligent; relaxed
154 lethargic: tired; languid
155 levity: flippancy; humor
156 lucid (elucidate): clear, easy to understand
157 lugubrious: sad
158 marred: damaged; bruised
159 meander: to wander slowly, like a winding river
160 mellifluous: flowing with honey and sweetness
161 merger: a joining or marriage
162 mitigate: to lessen the severity of something
163 negligence: carelessness
164 neutral: unbiased; not taking sides; objective
165 nostalgic: yearning for the old days
166 novel: new; unusual
167 nullify: to make unimportant
168 objective: without bias (as opposed to subjective)
169 obscure: unclear~ clouded~ partially hidden~ hard to understand
170 orthodox: standard; commonly accepted; conventional
171 parsimony: stinginess
172 paucity: scarcity; lack
173 pedestrian: common; ordinary; banal (secondary meaning)
174 peripheral: on the edge; surrounding (a synonym for unimportant)
175 philanthropy: love of human kind~ a donation to charity
176 pious (piety): deeply religious
177 pivotal: important; critical; crucial
178 pragmatic: practical
179 preclude: to prevent; to make impossible; to shut out
180 predecessor: someone who came before another
181 pretentious: pompous; self important
182 prodigal: extravagant~ wasteful
183 prodigious: producing a lot
184 profound: deep; insightful (the opposite of superficial)
185 profuse: flowing abundance
186 propriety: correctness
187 prosaic: uninspired; dull; banal
188 provincial: narrow-minded~ unsophisticated
189 provocative (provoke): exciting~ attracting attention
190 prudent: careful; cautious
191 pugnacious: angry
192 recalcitrant: stubbornly disobedient
193 redundant: repetitive, extra~ unnecessary .
194 refute: to disprove
195 rejuvenate: to restore
196 relegate: to dismiss to a lower position
197 relevant: important~ pertinent
198 remorse: sadness~ regret
199 reprehensible: shameful; bad
200 repress: to hold down
201 reproach: to scold
202 repudiate: to reject~ to deny
203 rescind: to repeal; to take back formally
204 resignation: acceptance of a situation (secondary meaning)
205 resolution (resolve): determination (also, the solution of a problem)
206 respite: a rest~ a pause; a break
207 reticent: restrained~ uncommunicative
208 retract: to take back
209 revere: to worship; to honor (think of a reverend)
210 rigor: strength; diligence; thoroughness
211 saccharin: sickly sweet; falsely sweet
212 sage (sagacious): a wise person
213 scanty: inadequate; minimal
214 scrupulous: careful; diligent; moral
215 scrutinize: to examine closely
216 servile: overly submissive; cringing; like a servant
217 skeptical: doubting (opposite of gullible)
218 slander: to defame; to speak maliciously about someone
219 solemn: serious; grave
220 solicit: to ask for; to seek
221 squander: to waste
222 stagnant: not moving
223 stanza: a section of a poem; verse
224 static: stationary; not moving
225 stoic: indifferent to pleasure or pain
226 stringent: strict; harsh; severe
227 subtle: not obvious
228 supercilious: haughty; arrogant
229 superficial: on the surface~ shallow
230 sycophant: a bootlicker; an apple polisher; a brownnoser
231 taciturn: quiet; saying little'
232 tangible: touchable~ significant
233 tedious: boring
234 temper: to moderate; to soften
235 tenacious: tough; hard to defeat
236 tentative: not final
237 torpid: sluggish; lethargic
238 trepidation: fear
239 trivial: unimportant
240 uniform: constant; without variety
241 unprecedented: happening for the first time; novel; never seen before
242 vacillate: to waver between choices
243 vehement: urgent; passionate
244 verbose: wordy; overly talkative
245 virtuoso: an accomplished musician
246 virulent: very harmful (like a virus)
247 volatile: changeable; unstable; explosive
248 voluminous: very large; spacious
249 voluntary: willing; unforced
250 willful: stubborn
251 zeal: enthusiasm; zest