abject (adj.) – deserving contempt; sunk to a low condition; wretched
abstemious (adj.) sparing in eating in drinking; temperate; abstinent
acme (n.) – highest point, pinnacle; summit
adulation (n.) – excessive praise; flattery
amorphous (adj.) – shapeless; having no definite form; unorganized
anticlimax (n.) – abrupt decline from the dignified to the trivial; comedown; bathos
apiary (n.) – place where bees are kept
apogee (n.) 1. farthest point from the earth in the orbit of a heavenly body (ant. perigee)
arbitrary (adj.) – autocratic; despotic; tyrannical; proceeding form a whim or fancy (ant. legitimate)
archaic (adj.) – no longer used, except in special context; old-fashioned
astringent (adj.) – 1. severe; stern 2. causing contraction
astringent (n.) – substance that shrinks tissue and checks flow of blood
attenuate (v.) – make tin; weaken
axiom (n.) – self-evident truth; maxim
bigoted (adj.) – intolerant; narrow-minded
blandishment (n.) – word or deed of mild flattery; allurement; enticement
blithe (adj.) – 1. merry; joyous 2. heedless
callow (adj.) – young and inexperienced; unfledged
calumnious (adj.) – falsely and maliciously accusing; defamatory; slanderous
carrion (n.) – decaying flesh of a carcass
chagrin (n.) – embarrassment; mortification; disappointment
cogitate (v.) – think over; consider with care; ponder
complacency (n.) – self-satisfaction, smugness
complacent (adj.) – too pleased with oneself – often without awareness of possible dangers of defects; self-satisfied; smug
consummate (adj.) – perfect, superb, carried to the highest degree
convalesce (v.) – recover health after illness; recuperate
convalescent (n.) – person recovering from sickness
convivial (adj.) – 1. fond of eating and drinking with friends 2. sociable
coy (adj.) – pretending to be shy
crone (n.) – withered old woman
curry (v.) favor (n.) – seek to gain favor by flattery
defunct (adj.) dead; deceased; extinct
demure (adj.) – 1. falsely modest or serious; coy 2. grave; prim
diffident (adj.) – lacking self-confidence; unduly timid; shy (ant. confident)
staid (adj.) – of settled, quiet disposition; sedate
dipsomania (n.) – abnormal; uncontrollable craving for alcohol; alcoholism
disconsolate (adj.) – in bad humor, displeased; discontented
maudlin (adj.) – weakly sentimental and tearful
droll (adj.) – odd and laughter-provoking
dross (n.) waste; refuse
eclectic (adj.) – choosing ideas, etc. from various sources
encomium (n.) – speech or writing of high praise, tribute
environs (n.pl.) – districts surrounding a place; suburbs
expurgate (v.) – remove objectionable material from a book; bowdlerize; purify
fallacious (adj.) based on a fallacy (erroneous idea); misleading; deceptive
flippant (adj.) – treating serious matters lightly
flotsam (n.) – wreckage of a ship of its cargo found floating on the sea; driftage
forebear (n.) – forefather; ancestor
fulsome (adj.) – offensive because of insincerity; repulsive; disgusting
fusty (adj.) – 1. stale smelling; musty; moldy 2. old-fashioned
gala (adj.) – characterized by festivity
halcyon (adj.) – calm; peaceful
harlequin (n.) buffoon; clown
hypochondriac (n.) – one who is morbidly anxious about personal health or suffering from imagined illness
imputation (n.) – charge, esp. an unjust false charge; insinuation; accusation
inebriated (adj.) – drunk; intoxicated
inveterate (adj.) – 1. firmly established by age, deep-rooted 2. habitual
jetsam (n.) – goods cast overboard to lighten a ship in distress
jettison (n.) throw (goods) overboard to lighten a ship or plane; discard
jocose (adj.) – given to jesting; playfully humorous; jocular
jocund (adj.) – merry; cheerful
lackey (n.) follower who carries out another’s wishes like a servant; toady
levity (n.) – lack of proper seriousness; trifling gaiety; frivolity
libel (n.) false and defamatory printed or written statement
libelous (adj.) injurious to reputation; defamatory; calumnious
nadir (n.) – lowest pint
nepotism (n.) – favoritism to relatives by those in power
noisome (adj.) – 1. offensive to smell; disgusting 2. harmful; noxious
nonage (n.) legal minority; period before maturity
nugatory (adj.) – of little or no value; trifling; worthless; useless
obsequious (adj.) – showing excessive willingness to serve; subservient, fawning
obsolescent (adj.) – going out of use; becoming obsolete
offal (n.) – waste parts of a butchered animal; refuse; garbage
ornithology (n.) – study of birds
ostentations (adj.) – done to impress others; showy; pretentious
paltry (adj.) practically worthless; trashy; piddling; petty
parody (n.) humorous imitation
pathos (n.) – quality in events or in art that arouses our pity
pert (adj.) – too free in speech or action; bold; saucy; impertinent
plumb (v.) – get to the bottom of; ascertain the depth of; fathom
poignant (adj.) – painfully touching , piercing
predicament (n.) – situation where either choice is bad
preeminent (adj.) standing our above others; superior
primeval (adj.) – pertaining to the world’s first ages; primitive
primordial (adj.) – 1. existing at eh very beginning 2. elementary; primary; first in order
progeny (n.) – offspring; children; descendants
propinquity (n.) – 1. kinship 2. nearness of place; proximity
puerile (adj.) – foolish for a grown person to say or do; childish
rank (adj.) – 1. having a strong, bad odor or taste; offensively gross or coarse 2. extreme
rationalize (v.) – invent excuses for one’s actions, desires, failures, etc.
ravine (n.) – deep, narrow gorge worn by running water
slander (n.) false and defamatory; calumnious
slatternly (adj.) – untidy; dirty from habitual neglect; slovenly
sophistry (n.) – clever but deceptive reasoning
sordid (adj.) – filthy; vile
sot (n.) – person made foolish by excessive drinking; drunkard
specious (adj.) – apparently reasonable, but not really so
stigma (n.) – mark of disgrace
sublimate (v.) – 1. redirect the energy of a person’s bad impulses into socially and morally higher channels 2. purify; refine
superannuated (adj.) retired on a pension; extremely old
svelte (adj.) – slender; lithe
sycophant (n.) – parasitic flatterer; truckler
teetotaler (n.) – person who abstains from intoxicating beverages
tenable (adj.) capable of being maintained or defended
travesty (n.) – imitation that makes a serious thing seem ridiculous, mockery
unguent (n.) – ointment; salve
volition (v.) – will
zenith (n.) – 1. highest point, culmination (ant. nadir) 2. pint in the heavens directly overhead
abstemious (adj.) sparing in eating in drinking; temperate; abstinent
acme (n.) – highest point, pinnacle; summit
adulation (n.) – excessive praise; flattery
amorphous (adj.) – shapeless; having no definite form; unorganized
anticlimax (n.) – abrupt decline from the dignified to the trivial; comedown; bathos
apiary (n.) – place where bees are kept
apogee (n.) 1. farthest point from the earth in the orbit of a heavenly body (ant. perigee)
arbitrary (adj.) – autocratic; despotic; tyrannical; proceeding form a whim or fancy (ant. legitimate)
archaic (adj.) – no longer used, except in special context; old-fashioned
astringent (adj.) – 1. severe; stern 2. causing contraction
astringent (n.) – substance that shrinks tissue and checks flow of blood
attenuate (v.) – make tin; weaken
axiom (n.) – self-evident truth; maxim
bigoted (adj.) – intolerant; narrow-minded
blandishment (n.) – word or deed of mild flattery; allurement; enticement
blithe (adj.) – 1. merry; joyous 2. heedless
callow (adj.) – young and inexperienced; unfledged
calumnious (adj.) – falsely and maliciously accusing; defamatory; slanderous
carrion (n.) – decaying flesh of a carcass
chagrin (n.) – embarrassment; mortification; disappointment
cogitate (v.) – think over; consider with care; ponder
complacency (n.) – self-satisfaction, smugness
complacent (adj.) – too pleased with oneself – often without awareness of possible dangers of defects; self-satisfied; smug
consummate (adj.) – perfect, superb, carried to the highest degree
convalesce (v.) – recover health after illness; recuperate
convalescent (n.) – person recovering from sickness
convivial (adj.) – 1. fond of eating and drinking with friends 2. sociable
coy (adj.) – pretending to be shy
crone (n.) – withered old woman
curry (v.) favor (n.) – seek to gain favor by flattery
defunct (adj.) dead; deceased; extinct
demure (adj.) – 1. falsely modest or serious; coy 2. grave; prim
diffident (adj.) – lacking self-confidence; unduly timid; shy (ant. confident)
staid (adj.) – of settled, quiet disposition; sedate
dipsomania (n.) – abnormal; uncontrollable craving for alcohol; alcoholism
disconsolate (adj.) – in bad humor, displeased; discontented
maudlin (adj.) – weakly sentimental and tearful
droll (adj.) – odd and laughter-provoking
dross (n.) waste; refuse
eclectic (adj.) – choosing ideas, etc. from various sources
encomium (n.) – speech or writing of high praise, tribute
environs (n.pl.) – districts surrounding a place; suburbs
expurgate (v.) – remove objectionable material from a book; bowdlerize; purify
fallacious (adj.) based on a fallacy (erroneous idea); misleading; deceptive
flippant (adj.) – treating serious matters lightly
flotsam (n.) – wreckage of a ship of its cargo found floating on the sea; driftage
forebear (n.) – forefather; ancestor
fulsome (adj.) – offensive because of insincerity; repulsive; disgusting
fusty (adj.) – 1. stale smelling; musty; moldy 2. old-fashioned
gala (adj.) – characterized by festivity
halcyon (adj.) – calm; peaceful
harlequin (n.) buffoon; clown
hypochondriac (n.) – one who is morbidly anxious about personal health or suffering from imagined illness
imputation (n.) – charge, esp. an unjust false charge; insinuation; accusation
inebriated (adj.) – drunk; intoxicated
inveterate (adj.) – 1. firmly established by age, deep-rooted 2. habitual
jetsam (n.) – goods cast overboard to lighten a ship in distress
jettison (n.) throw (goods) overboard to lighten a ship or plane; discard
jocose (adj.) – given to jesting; playfully humorous; jocular
jocund (adj.) – merry; cheerful
lackey (n.) follower who carries out another’s wishes like a servant; toady
levity (n.) – lack of proper seriousness; trifling gaiety; frivolity
libel (n.) false and defamatory printed or written statement
libelous (adj.) injurious to reputation; defamatory; calumnious
nadir (n.) – lowest pint
nepotism (n.) – favoritism to relatives by those in power
noisome (adj.) – 1. offensive to smell; disgusting 2. harmful; noxious
nonage (n.) legal minority; period before maturity
nugatory (adj.) – of little or no value; trifling; worthless; useless
obsequious (adj.) – showing excessive willingness to serve; subservient, fawning
obsolescent (adj.) – going out of use; becoming obsolete
offal (n.) – waste parts of a butchered animal; refuse; garbage
ornithology (n.) – study of birds
ostentations (adj.) – done to impress others; showy; pretentious
paltry (adj.) practically worthless; trashy; piddling; petty
parody (n.) humorous imitation
pathos (n.) – quality in events or in art that arouses our pity
pert (adj.) – too free in speech or action; bold; saucy; impertinent
plumb (v.) – get to the bottom of; ascertain the depth of; fathom
poignant (adj.) – painfully touching , piercing
predicament (n.) – situation where either choice is bad
preeminent (adj.) standing our above others; superior
primeval (adj.) – pertaining to the world’s first ages; primitive
primordial (adj.) – 1. existing at eh very beginning 2. elementary; primary; first in order
progeny (n.) – offspring; children; descendants
propinquity (n.) – 1. kinship 2. nearness of place; proximity
puerile (adj.) – foolish for a grown person to say or do; childish
rank (adj.) – 1. having a strong, bad odor or taste; offensively gross or coarse 2. extreme
rationalize (v.) – invent excuses for one’s actions, desires, failures, etc.
ravine (n.) – deep, narrow gorge worn by running water
slander (n.) false and defamatory; calumnious
slatternly (adj.) – untidy; dirty from habitual neglect; slovenly
sophistry (n.) – clever but deceptive reasoning
sordid (adj.) – filthy; vile
sot (n.) – person made foolish by excessive drinking; drunkard
specious (adj.) – apparently reasonable, but not really so
stigma (n.) – mark of disgrace
sublimate (v.) – 1. redirect the energy of a person’s bad impulses into socially and morally higher channels 2. purify; refine
superannuated (adj.) retired on a pension; extremely old
svelte (adj.) – slender; lithe
sycophant (n.) – parasitic flatterer; truckler
teetotaler (n.) – person who abstains from intoxicating beverages
tenable (adj.) capable of being maintained or defended
travesty (n.) – imitation that makes a serious thing seem ridiculous, mockery
unguent (n.) – ointment; salve
volition (v.) – will
zenith (n.) – 1. highest point, culmination (ant. nadir) 2. pint in the heavens directly overhead