Vocabulary 1 Test
adroit [uh-droit] adjective
1. expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body.
2. cleverly skillful, resourceful, or ingenious: an adroit debater.
embody [em-bod-ee] verb
1. to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form: to
embody an idea in art.
2. to provide with a body; incarnate; make corporeal: to embody a spirit.
3. to collect into or include in a body; organize; incorporate.
foible [foi-buh l] noun
1. a minor weakness or failing of character; slight flaw or defect: an all-too-human foible.
2. the weaker part of a sword blade, between the middle and the point ( opposed to
forte ).
fugitive [fyoo-ji-tiv] noun, adjective
3. having taken flight, or run away: a fugitive slave (noun: a fugitive from justice)
4. fleeting; transitory; elusive: fugitive thoughts that could not be formulated.
5. wandering, roving, or vagabond: a fugitive carnival.
irrepressible [ir-i-pres-uh-buh l] adjective
1. incapable of being restrained; uncontrollable: irrepressible laughter.
keen [keen] adjective
1. finely sharpened, as an edge; so shaped as to cut or pierce substances readily: a keen
razor.
2. sharp, piercing, or biting: a keen wind; keen satire.
3. characterized by strength and distinctness of perception; extremely sensitive or
responsive: keen eyes.
4. having or showing great mental penetration or acumen: keen reasoning; a keen mind.
legacy [leg-uh-see] noun
1. anything handed down from the past, as from an ancestor or predecessor: the legacy
of ancient Rome.
2. an applicant to or student at a school that was attended by his or her parent.
nuance [noo-ahns, nyoo-, noo-ahns, nyoo-] noun
1. a subtle difference or distinction in expression, meaning, response, etc.
2. a very slight difference or variation in color or tone.
repertoire [rep-er-twahr, -twawr, rep-uh-] noun
1. list of dramas, operas, parts, pieces, etc., that a company, actor, singer, or the like, is
prepared to perform.
2. entire stock of works existing in a particular artistic field: A play has been added to the
theatrical repertoire.
3. entire stock of skills, techniques, or devices used in a particular field or occupation: a
magician's repertoire.
stark [stahrk] adjective, adverb
1. sheer, utter, downright, or complete: stark madness.
2. extremely simple or severe; harsh, grim, or desolate, as a view, place, etc.: a stark
landscape or interior.
3. bluntly or sternly plain; not softened or glamorized: the stark reality of the schedule's
deadline.
4. stiff or rigid in substance, muscles, etc.
Vocabulary 2 Test
arrogant [ar-uh-guh nt] adjective
1. making claims or pretensions to superior importance or rights; overbearingly assuming;
insolently proud: an arrogant public official.
cavalier [kav-uh-leer, kav-uh-leer] noun, adjective
1. one having the spirit or bearing of a knight; a courtly gentleman; gallant.
2. haughty, disdainful, or supercilious: an arrogant and cavalier attitude toward others.
3. offhand or unceremonious: The very dignified officials were confused by his cavalier
manner.
condescending [kon-duh-sen-ding] adjective
1. showing or implying a usually patronizing descent from dignity or superiority: They
resented the older neighbors' condescending cordiality.
contemptuous [kuh n-temp-choo-uh s] adjective
1. showing or expressing contempt or disdain; scornful.
ebullient [ih-buhl-yuh nt, ih-boo l-] adjective
1. overflowing with fervor, enthusiasm, or excitement; high-spirited: The award winner was
in an ebullient mood at the dinner in her honor.
2. bubbling up like a boiling liquid.
egocentric [ee-goh-sen-trik, eg-oh-] adjective
1. having or regarding the self or the individual as the center of all things: an egocentric
philosophy that ignores social causes.
2. having little or no regard for interests, beliefs, or attitudes other than one's own; selfcentered: an egocentric person; egocentric demands upon the time and patience of
others.
haughty [haw-tee] adjective
1. disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious: haughty aristocrats; a
haughty salesclerk.
pompous [pom-puh s] adjective
1. characterized by an ostentatious display of dignity or importance: a pompous minor
official.
2. ostentatiously lofty or high-flown: a pompous speech.
3. characterized by pomp, stately splendor, or magnificence.
unpretentious [uhn-pri-ten-shuh s] adjective
1. modest; without ostentatious display; plain: his unpretentious demeanor; an
unpretentious summer resort.
waspish [wos-pish] adjective
1. like or suggesting a wasp, especially in behavior.
2. quick to resent a trifling affront or injury; snappish.
3. irascibly or petulantly spiteful: waspish writing.
4. having a slight or slender build.
Vocabulary 3 Test
adjunct [aj-uhngkt] noun, adjective
1. something added to another thing but not essential to it.
2. a person associated with lesser status, rank, authority, etc., in some duty or service;
assistant.
3. joined or associated, especially in an auxiliary or subordinate relationship.
4. attached or belonging without full or permanent status: an adjunct surgeon on the
hospital staff.
aggregate [ag-ri-git, -geyt; ag-ri-geyt] adjective, noun, verb
1. formed by the conjunction or collection of particulars into a whole mass or sum; total;
combined.
2. a sum, mass, or assemblage of particulars; a total or gross amount: the aggregate of all
past experience.
congregate [kong-gri-geyt; kong-gri-git, -geyt] verb, adjective
1. to come together; assemble, especially in large numbers: Those waiting for rooms
congregated in the lobby.
2. to bring together in a crowd, body, or mass; assemble; collect.
egregious [ih-gree-juh s, -jee-uh s] adjective
1. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant: an egregious mistake; an egregious liar.
enjoin [en-join] verb
1. to prescribe (a course of action) with authority or emphasis: The doctor enjoined a strict
diet.
2. to direct or order to do something: He was enjoined to live more frugally.
gregarious [gri-gair-ee-uh s] adjective
1. fond of the company of others; sociable.
2. living in flocks or herds, as animals.
3. pertaining to a flock or crowd.
injunction [in-juhngk-shuh n] noun
1. an act or instance of enjoining.
2. a command; order; admonition: the injunctions of the Lord.
juncture [juhngk-cher] noun
1. a point of time, especially one made critical or important by a concurrence of
circumstances: At this juncture, we must decide whether to stay or to walk out.
2. a serious state of affairs; crisis: The matter has reached a juncture and a decision must be
made.
3. the line or point at which two bodies are joined; joint or articulation; seam.
4. the act of joining or the state of being joined.
junta [hoo n-tuh, juhn‐, huhn‐] noun
1. a small group ruling a country, especially after a coup d'état and before a legal
government is instituted.
2. a council.
segregate [seg-ri-geyt; seg-ri-git, -geyt] verb, noun
1. to separate or set apart from others or from the main body or group; isolate.
2. to require, often with force, the separation of a group from the general body of society.
3. to separate, withdraw, or go apart; separate from the main body and collect in one
place.
Vocabulary 4 Test
arcane [ahr-keyn] adjective
1. known or understood by very few; mysterious; secret; obscure; esoteric.
archives [ahr-kahyv] noun, verb
1. documents or records relating to the activities, business dealings, etc., of a person or
group of people.
2. a place where public records or other historical documents are kept.
3. any extensive record or collection of data: The encyclopedia is an archive of world history.
circumscribe [sur-kuh m-skrahyb, sur-kuh m-skrahyb] verb
1. to draw a line around; encircle: to circumscribe a city on a map.
2. to enclose within bounds; limit or confine: Her social activities are circumscribed by school
regulations.
3. to mark off; define; delimit: to circumscribe the area of a science.
covert [koh-vert, kuhv-ert] adjective, noun
1. (adjective)concealed; secret; disguised; (noun) concealment or disguise.
2. (adjective) covered; sheltered; (noun) a covering; cover, shelter or hiding place.
dispatch [dih-spach] verb, noun
1. (verb) to send off or away with speed; (noun) the act of sending off.
2. (verb) to put to death; kill: The spy was promptly dispatched; (noun) the act of killing;
execution.
3. (verb) to transact or dispose of (a matter) promptly or speedily; (noun) prompt or speedy
transaction.
4. expeditious performance; promptness or speed: Proceed with all possible dispatch.
facility [fuh-sil-i-tee] noun
1. something designed, built, installed, etc., to serve a specific function affording a
convenience or service.
2. readiness or ease due to skill, aptitude, or practice; dexterity: to compose with great
facility.
3. ready compliance: Her facility in organizing and directing made her an excellent
supervisor.
hone [hohn] noun, verb
1. a tool used to sharpen or carve.
2. to sharpen, enlarge, or finish on a hone: to hone a carving knife.
3. to make more acute or effective; improve; perfect: to hone one's skills.
incredulous [in-krej-uh-luh s] adjective
1. disinclined or indisposed to believe; skeptical.
2. indicating or showing unbelief: an incredulous smile.
polyglot [pol-ee-glot] adjective, noun
1. (adjective )able to speak or write several languages; multilingual; (noun) a person who is
multilingual.
2. (adjective) containing or written in several languages; (noun) a book containing text in
several languages.
surmount [ser-mount] verb
1. to get over or across (barriers, obstacles, etc.).
2. to prevail over: to surmount tremendous difficulties.
3. to be on top of or above: a statue surmounting a pillar.
Vocabulary 5 Test
appease [uh-peez] verb
1. to bring to a state of peace, quiet, ease, calm, or contentment; pacify; soothe: to
appease an angry king.
2. to satisfy, allay, or relieve; assuage: The fruit appeased his hunger.
arbitration [ahr-bi-trey-shuh n] noun
1. the determining of a dispute or the settling of differences between parties by a third party.
attaché [a-ta-shey, at-uh- or, esp. British, uh-tash-ey] noun
1. a diplomatic official attached to an embassy or legation, especially in a technical
capacity.
2. a military officer who is assigned to a diplomatic post in a foreign country in order to
gather military info.
conciliatory [kuh n-sil-ee-uh-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee] adjective, verb
1. tending to overcome the distrust or hostility of; tending to placate or win over: conciliatory
comments.
2. tending to make compatible or reconcile.
consulate [kon-suh-lit] noun
1. the premises occupied by an official appointed by the government of one country to look
after its commercial interests and the welfare of its citizens in another country
2. the position, work, authority, or term of a consul.
entente [ahn-tahnt; French ahN-tahNt] noun
1. an arrangement or understanding between two or more nations agreeing to follow a
particular policy.
2. an alliance of parties to such an understanding.
placate [pley-keyt, plak-eyt] verb
1. to appease or pacify, especially by concessions or conciliatory gestures: to placate an
outraged citizenry.
propitious [pruh-pish-uh s] adjective
1. presenting favorable conditions; favorable: propitious weather.
2. favorably inclined; disposed to bestow favors or forgive: propitious gods.
protocol [proh-tuh-kawl, -kol, -kohl] noun
1. the customs and regulations dealing with diplomatic formality, precedence, and
etiquette.
2. an original draft, minute, or record from which a document, especially a treaty, is
prepared.
3. a supplementary international agreement.
4. an agreement between states.
proxy [prok-see] noun
1. the agency, function, or power of a person authorized to act as the deputy or substitute
for another.
2. the person so authorized; substitute; agent.
3. a written authorization empowering another person to vote or act for the signer, as at a
meeting of stockholders.
4. an ally or confederate who can be relied upon to speak or act in one's behalf.
Vocabulary 6 Test
abjure [ab-joo r, -jur] verb
1. to renounce, repudiate, or retract, especially with formal solemnity; recant: to abjure one's
errors.
2. to renounce or give up under oath; forswear: to abjure allegiance.
3. to avoid or shun.
adjudicate [uh-joo-di-keyt] verb
1. to pronounce or decree by judicial sentence.
2. to settle or determine (an issue or dispute) judicially.
3. to sit in judgment (usually followed by upon ).
conjure [kon-jer, kuhn- for 1–5, 8–10, 12; kuh n-joo r for 6, 7, 11] verb, noun
1. to affect, produce, bring, call or influence by or as if by invocation, spell, or magic.
2. to bring to mind; recall (usually followed by up ): to conjure up the past.
3. to appeal to solemnly or earnestly: I conjure you to hear my plea.
demagogue [dem-uh-gog, -gawg] noun, verb
1. a person, especially an orator or political leader, who gains power and popularity by
arousing the emotions, passions, and prejudices of the people.
demographics [dem-uh-graf-iks, dee-muh-] noun
1. ( used with a plural verb ) the statistical data of a population, especially those showing
average age, income, education, etc.
endemic [en-dem-ik] adjective
1. natural to or characteristic of a specific people or place; native; indigenous.
2. belonging exclusively or confined to a particular place: a fever endemic to the tropics.
judicious [ joo-dish-uh s] adjective
1. using or showing judgment; discreet, prudent, or politic: judicious use of one's money.
2. having, exercising, or characterized by good or discriminating judgment; wise, sensible, or
well-advised.
jurisdiction [joo r-is-dik-shuh n] noun
1. the right, power, or authority to administer justice by hearing and determining
controversies.
2. power; authority; control: He has jurisdiction over all American soldiers in the area.
3. the extent or range of judicial, law enforcement, or other authority.
4. the territory over which authority is exercised: All islands to the northwest are his jurisdiction.
jurisprudence [joo r-is-prood-ns, joo r-is-prood-] noun
1. the science or philosophy of law.
2. a body or system of laws.
3. a department of law: medical jurisprudence.
4. the decisions of courts, especially after tribunal review.
perjure [pur-jer] verb
1. to render (oneself) guilty of swearing falsely or of willfully making a false statement under
oath.
Vocabulary 7 Test
assault [uh-sawlt] noun, verb
1. a sudden, violent attack; onslaught: an assault on tradition.
2. rape
3. to make an assault upon; attack; assail.
augur [aw-ger] noun verb
1. soothsayer; prophet.
2. to conjecture, divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate.
3. to serve as an omen or promise of; foreshadow; betoken: Mounting sales augur a
profitable year.
4. to be a sign; bode: The movement of troops augurs ill for the peace of the area.
bevy [bev-ee] noun
1. a large group or collection: a bevy of boisterous sailors.
careen [kuh-reen] verb
1. to lean, sway, or tip to one side while in motion: The car careened around the corner.
2. to cause to lie over on a side; heave down.
cuisine [kwi-zeen] noun
1. a style or quality of cooking; cookery: Italian cuisine; This restaurant has an excellent
cuisine.
gossamer [gos-uh-mer] noun, adjective
1. a fine, filmy cobweb seen on grass or bushes or floating in the air in calm weather,
especially in autumn.
2. any thin, light, or delicate fabric or guaze.
3. something extremely light, flimsy, or delicate.
4. thin and light.
iridescent [ir-i-des-uh nt] adjective, noun
1. displaying a play of lustrous colors like those of the rainbow.
2. an iridescent cloth, material, or other substance: new fall dresses of imported iridescents.
noxious [nok-shuh s] adjective
1. harmful or injurious to health or physical well-being: noxious fumes.
2. morally harmful; corrupting; pernicious: a noxious plan to spread dissension.
palatable [pal-uh-tuh-buh l] adjective
1. acceptable or agreeable to the palate or taste; savory: palatable food.
2. acceptable or agreeable to the mind or feelings: palatable ideas.
tandem [tan-duh m] adverb, adjective, noun
1. one following or behind the other: to drive horses tandem.
Vocabulary 8 Test
adverse [ad-vurs, ad-vurs] adjective
1. unfavorable or antagonistic in purpose or effect: adverse criticism.
2. opposing one's interests or desire: adverse circumstances.
3. being or acting in a contrary direction; opposed or opposing: adverse winds.
4. opposite; confronting: the adverse page.
averse [uh-vurs] adjective
1. having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, repugnance, etc.; opposed.
flounder [floun-der] verb
1. to struggle with stumbling or plunging movements (usually followed by about, along, on,
through, etc.).
2. to struggle clumsily or helplessly: He floundered helplessly on the first day of his new job.
founder [foun-der] noun, verb
1. a person who founds or establishes.
2. to fall or sink down (or cause to do so).
3. to become wrecked; fail utterly: The project foundered because public support was
lacking.
4. to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse: His mount foundered on the rocky path.
5. to become ill from overeating.
ingenious [in-jeen-yuh s] adjective
1. characterized by cleverness or originality of invention or construction: an ingenious
machine.
2. cleverly inventive or resourceful: an ingenious press agent.
ingenuous [in-jen-yoo-uh s] adjective
1. free from reserve, restraint, or dissimulation; candid; sincere.
2. artless; innocent; naive.
persecute [pur-si-kyoot] verb
1. to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religion, race, or
beliefs; harass persistently.
2. to annoy or trouble persistently.
prosecute [pros-i-kyoot] verb
1. to institute legal proceedings against (a person); to seek to enforce or obtain by legal
process.
2. to follow up or carry forward something undertaken or begun, usually to its completion: to
prosecute a war.
precede [pri-seed] verb, noun
1. to go or come before, often as in place, order, rank, importance, or time.
2. to introduce by something preliminary; preface: to precede one's statement with a
qualification.
proceed [pruh-seed; proh-seed] verb noun
1. to move or carry on; to continue any action or process.
2. to go on to do something; to continue one's discourse.
3. to be carried on, as an action or process; to go or come forth; issue; to arise, originate, or
result.
Vocabulary 9 Test
aspirant [uh-spahyuh r-uh nt, as-per-uh nt] noun
1. a person who aspires, as one who seeks or desires a career, advancement, status, etc.
assimilate [uh-sim-uh-leyt; uh-sim-uh-lit, -leyt] verb, noun
1. to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb: He assimilated many new experiences on
his European trip.
2. to (cause to) conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the
like.
3. to (cause to) resemble.
4. to compare; liken.
5. to be or become absorbed.
ensemble [ahn-sahm-buh l, -sahmb; French ahN-sahN-bluh] noun
1. all the parts of a thing taken together, so that each part is considered only in relation to
the whole.
2. the entire costume of an individual, especially when all the parts are in harmony.
3. a group of supporting entertainers, as actors, dancers, and singers, in a theatrical
production.
expiration [ek-spuh-rey-shuh n] noun
1. a coming to an end; termination; close: the expiration of a contract.
2. the act of expiring, or breathing out; emission of air from the lungs.
inspiration [in-spuh-rey-shuh n] noun
1. an impelling or animating action or influence: I cannot write poetry without inspiration.
2. a result of inspired activity, as an idea.
3. a thing or person that influences others.
semblance [sem-bluh ns] noun
1. outward aspect or appearance.
2. an assumed or unreal appearance; show.
3. the slightest appearance or trace.
4. a likeness, image, or copy.
simile [sim-uh-lee] noun
1. a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in “she is like a
rose.”
simulate [sim-yuh-leyt; sim-yuh-lit, -leyt] verb, adjective
1. to create a simulation, likeness, or model of (a situation, system, or the like): to simulate
crisis conditions.
2. to make a pretense of; feign: to simulate knowledge.
3. to assume or have the appearance or characteristics of: He simulated the manners of the
rich.
transpire [tran-spahyuh r] verb
1. to occur; happen; take place.
2. to escape or emit, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
3. to be revealed or become known.
verisimilitude [ver-uh-si-mil-i-tood, -tyood] noun
1. the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability: The play lacked
verisimilitude.
Vocabulary 10 Test
aspire [uh-spahyuh r] verb
1. to long, aim, or seek ambitiously; be eagerly desirous, especially for something great or of
high value.
dense [dens] adjective
1. having the component parts closely compacted together; crowded or compact: a dense
forest.
2. stupid; slow-witted; dull.
3. intense; extreme: dense ignorance.
4. relatively opaque; transmitting little light, as a photographic negative, optical glass, or
color.
5. difficult to understand or follow because of being closely packed with ideas or
complexities of style.
emulate [em-yuh-leyt; em-yuh-lit] verb, adjective
1. to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass: to emulate one's father as a
concert violinist.
2. to rival with some degree of success: Some smaller cities emulate major capitals in their
cultural offerings.
grotesque [groh-tesk] adjective
1. odd or unnatural in shape, appearance, or character; fantastically ugly or absurd; bizarre.
2. fantastic in the shaping and combination of forms, as in decorative work.
inextricable [in-ek-stri-kuh-buh l, in-ik-strik-uh-]
adjective
1. from which one cannot extricate oneself: an inextricable maze.
2. incapable of being disentangled, undone, loosed, or solved: an inextricable knot.
3. hopelessly intricate, involved, or perplexing: inextricable confusion.
intrinsic [in-trin-sik, -zik] adjective
1. belonging to a thing by its very nature: the intrinsic value of a gold ring.
2. belonging to or lying within.
overt [oh-vurt, oh-vurt] adjective
1. open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret: overt hostility.
rail [reyl] noun
1. a bar of wood or metal fixed horizontally for various purposes, as for a support, barrier,
fence, or railing.
2. one of two fences marking the inside and outside boundaries of a racetrack.
3. one of a pair of steel bars that provide the running surfaces for the wheels of locomotives
and railroad cars.
4. the railroad as a means of transportation: to travel by rail.
reconcile [rek-uh n-sahyl] verb
1. to cause (a person) to accept or be resigned to something not desired: He was reconciled
to his fate.
2. to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable: to reconcile hostile persons.
3. to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).
4. to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent: to reconcile differing
statements.
5. to reconsecrate (a desecrated church, cemetery, etc.).
unprecedented [uhn-pres-i-den-tid] adjective
1.
without previous instance; never before known or experienced; unexampled or
unparalleled.
Vocabulary 11 Test
au contraire [oh kawN-tReR] adjective
1. on the contrary.
2. on the opposite or adverse side.
coup d’etat [koo de ta] noun
1. a highly successful, unexpected stroke, act, or move; a clever action or accomplishment.
2. the sudden unconstitutional overthrow of a government usually by the military; a quick
and decisive extra-legal seizure of governmental power by a small, organized group.
é·lan [ey-lahn, ey-lan] noun
1. dash; impetuous ardor or enthusiasm: to dance with great élan.
esprit de corps[e-spree duh kawr] noun
1. a sense of unity and of common interests and responsibilities, as developed among a
group of persons closely associated in a task, cause, enterprise, etc.
faux pas[foh pah] noun
1. a slip or blunder in etiquette, manners, or conduct; an embarrassing social blunder or
indiscretion.
laissez faire [les-ey fair] noun
1. the theory or system of government that upholds the autonomous character of the
economic order, believing that government should intervene as little as possible in the
direction of economic affairs.
2. the practice or doctrine of noninterference in the affairs of others, especially with
reference to individual conduct or freedom of action.
nou·veau riche [noo-voh reesh] noun
1. a person who is newly rich: the ostentation of the nouveaux riches of the 1920s.
par excellence[pahr ek-suh-lahns, ek-suh-lans] noun
1. being an example of excellence; superior; preeminent: a chef par excellence.
savoir-faire [sav-wahr-fair] noun
1. knowledge of just what to do in any situation; tact.
tête-à-tête [teyt-uh-teyt, tet-uh-tet; Fr. te-tA-tet] noun, adverb
1. a private conversation or interview, usually between two people.
2. Also called vis-à-vis. a sofa shaped like an S so two people are able to converse face to
face.
Vocabulary 12 Test
Confluence [kon-floo-uhns]
1. a flowing together of two or more streams, rivers, or the like; their place of junction.
2. a coming together of people or things; concourse; a crowd or throng; assemblage.
Effluent [ef-loo-uhnt]
1. flowing out or forth
2. something that flows out or forth; outflow.
Fluctuate [fluhk-choo-eyt]
1. to change continually; shift back and forth; vary irregularly.
2. to move back and forth in waves.
Fluent [floo-uhnt]
1. spoken or written with ease; able to speak or write smoothly, easily, or readily.
2. easy; graceful; flowing, as a stream; capable of flowing; fluid, as liquids or gases.
Genuflect [jen-yoo-flekt]
1. to bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor in reverence or worship.
2. to express a servile attitude.
Inflexible [in-flek-suh-buhl]
1. incapable of or resistant to being bent; rigid.
2. of a rigid or unyielding temper, purpose, will, etc.; immovable.
3. not permitting change or variation; unalterable.
Influx [in-fluhks]
1. act of flowing in; an inflow.
2. the place at which one stream flows into another or into the sea; the mouth of a stream.
Mellifluous [muh-lif-loo-uhs]
1. sweetly or smoothly flowing; sweet-sounding.
2. flowing with honey; sweetened with or as if with honey.
Reflex [ree-fleks]
1. noting or pertaining to an involuntary response to a stimulus; any automatic, unthinking,
often habitual behavior or response; occurring in reaction; responsive.
2. cast back; reflected, as light, color, etc.; a reproduction, as if in a mirror; a copy;
adaptation.
3. bent or turned back.
Superfluous [soo-pur-floo-uhs]
1. being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; possessing or spending more than
enough or necessary; extravagant.
2. unnecessary or needless.
Vocabulary 13 Test
Accost [uh-kawst, uh-kost] verb (used with object)
1. to confront boldly: The beggar accosted me for money.
2. to approach, especially with a greeting, question, or remark.
3. (of prostitutes, procurers, etc.) to solicit for sexual purposes.
Acquiesce [ak-wee-es] verb (used without object), ac·qui·esced, ac·qui·esc·ing.
1. to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree; consent: to acquiesce
halfheartedly in a business plan.
Duress [doo-res, dyoo-, doo r-is, dyoo r-] noun
1. compulsion by threat or force; coercion; constraint.
2. forcible restraint, especially imprisonment.
Embolden [em-bohl-duh n] verb (used with object)
1. to make bold or bolder; hearten; encourage.
Extant [ek-stuh nt, ik-stant] adjective
1. in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost: There are only three extant copies of the
document.
Inviolable [in-vahy-uh-luh-buh l] adjective
1. prohibiting violation; secure from destruction, violence, infringement, or desecration: an
inviolable sanctuary; an inviolable promise.
2. incapable of being violated; incorruptible; unassailable: inviolable secrecy.
Mollify [mol-uh-fahy] verb (used with object), mol·li·fied, mol·li·fy·ing.
1. to soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease.
2. to mitigate or reduce; soften: to mollify one's demands.
Obviate [ob-vee-eyt] verb (used with object), ob·vi·at·ed, ob·vi·at·ing.
1. to anticipate and prevent or eliminate (difficulties, disadvantages, etc.) by effective
measures; render unnecessary: to obviate the risk of serious injury.
Provocation [prov-uh-key-shuh n] noun
1. the act of provoking.
2. something that incites, instigates, angers, or irritates.
Redress [ree-dres, ri-dres; ri-dres] noun: 1-3 below; verb (used with object): 4-7 below
1. the setting right of what is wrong: redress of abuses.
2. relief from wrong or injury.
3. compensation or satisfaction for a wrong or injury.
4. to set right; remedy or repair (wrongs, injuries, etc.).
5. to correct or reform (abuses, evils, etc.).
6. to remedy or relieve (suffering, want, etc.).
7. to adjust evenly again, as a balance.
Vocabulary 14 Test
adulterate [v. uh-duhl-tuh-reyt; adj. uh-duhl-ter-it, -tuh-reyt] verb, adjective
1. to debase or make impure by adding inferior materials or elements; use cheaper, inferior,
or less desirable goods in the production of (any professedly genuine article): to adulterate
food.
amalgamate [uh-mal-guh-meyt] verb
1. to mix or merge so as to make a combination; blend; unite; combine: to amalgamate two
companies.
2. to mix or alloy (a metal) with mercury.
3. to combine, unite, merge, or coalesce: The three schools decided to amalgamate.
4. to blend with another metal, as mercury.
coalesce [koh-uh-les] verb
1. to grow together or into one body: The two lakes coalesced into one.
2. to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc.: The various groups coalesced into a
crowd.
3. to blend or come together: Their ideas coalesced into one theory.
correlate [v., adj. kawr-uh-leyt, kor-; n. kawr-uh-lit, -leyt, kor-] verb, adjective, noun
1. to place in or bring into mutual relation; establish in orderly connection: correlate expenses
and income.
2. to have a mutual or reciprocal relation: The results of the two tests correlate to a high
degree.
3. (adjective) mutually related; (noun) either of two related things, especially when one
implies the other.
diffuse [v. dih-fyooz; adj. dih-fyoos] verb, adjective
1. to pour out and spread, as a fluid.
2. to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.
disseminate [dih-sem-uh-neyt] verb
1. to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast;
disperse.
ligature [lig-uh-cher, -choor] noun, verb
1. the act of binding or tying up: The ligature of the artery was done with skill.
2. anything that serves for binding or tying up, as a band, bandage, or cord.
3. a tie or bond: the ligature of mutual need that bound them together.
periphery [puh-rif-uh-ree] noun
1. the external boundary of any surface or area.
2. the external surface of a body.
3. the edge or outskirts, as of a city or urban area.
4. the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question.
permeate [pur-mee-eyt] verb
1. to pass into or through every part of: Bright sunshine permeated the room.
2. to penetrate through the pores, interstices, etc., of.
3. to be diffused through; pervade; saturate: Cynicism permeated his report.
pervasive [per-vey-siv] adjective
1. spread throughout: The corruption is so pervasive that it is accepted as the way to do
business.
Vocabulary 15 Test
appendectomy [ap-uhn-dek-tuh-mee] noun
1. excision or removal of the appendix
eccentric [ik-sen-trik, ek-] adjective, noun
1. deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic;
peculiar; odd.
2. a person who has an unusual, peculiar, or odd personality, set of beliefs, or behavior
pattern.
3. something that is unusual, peculiar, or odd.
4. off center; not situated in the center.
eclectic [ih-klek-tik] adjective
1. selecting or choosing from various sources.
2. made up of what is selected from different sources.
3. not following any one system, but selecting and using what are considered the best
elements of all systems.
eclipse [ih-klips] noun, verb
1. the obscuration of the light of the moon by intervention of the earth between it and the
sun (lunar eclipse); the obscuration of the light of the sun by intervention of the moon
between it and the earth (solar eclipse).
2. any obscuration of light.
3. a reduction or loss of splendor, status, reputation, etc.: Scandal caused the eclipse of his
career.
4. to cause to undergo eclipse: The moon eclipsed the sun.
5. to make less outstanding or important by comparison; surpass: one whose singing eclipses
that of her rivals.
ecstatic [ek-stat-ik] adjective, noun
1. of, pertaining to, or characterized by ecstasy.
2. subject to or in a state of ecstasy; rapturous.
3. a person subject to fits of ecstasy.
eulogize [yoo-luh-jahyz] verb
1. to praise highly.
2. to speak or write a high praise or commendation about (usually for a funeral, but not
always)
euphemism [yoo-fuh-miz-uhm] noun
1. the substitution of a mild, indirect, or vague expression for one thought to be offensive,
harsh, or blunt.
2. the expression so substituted: “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”
euphoria [yoo-fawr-ee-uh, -fohr-] noun
1. a state of intense happiness and self-confidence: She was flooded with euphoria as she
received her award.
2. a feeling of happiness, confidence, or well-being sometimes exaggerated in pathological
states as mania.
euthanasia [yoo-thuh-ney-zhuh, -zhee-uh, -zee-uh] noun
1. the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme
medical measures.
2. painless death.
mastectomy [ma-stek-tuh-mee] noun
1. the operation of removing all or part of the breast
Vocabulary 16 Test
agrarian [uh-grair-ee-uh n] adjective
1. relating to land, land tenure, or the division of landed property: agrarian laws.
2. pertaining to the advancement of agricultural groups: an agrarian movement.
3. composed of or pertaining to farmers: an agrarian co-op.
4. rural; agricultural.
5. growing in fields; wild: an agrarian plant.
ameliorate [uh-meel-yuh-reyt, uh-mee-lee-uh-] verb
1. to make or become better, more bearable, or more satisfactory; improve; meliorate.
commissary [kom-uh-ser-ee] noun
1. a store that sells food and supplies to the personnel or workers in a military post or
mining/lumber camp.
2. a dining room or cafeteria, especially one in a motion-picture studio.
3. a person to whom some responsibility or role is delegated by a superior power; a deputy.
4. (in France) a police official, usually just below the police chief in rank.
consternation [kon-ster-ney-shuh n] noun
1. a sudden, alarming amazement or dread that results in utter confusion; dismay.
excise [ek-sahyz, -sahys; ek-sahyz, ik-sahyz] noun, verb
1. an internal tax on certain commodities, as liquor or tobacco, levied on their manufacture
or sale.
2. a tax levied for a license to carry on certain employments, pursue certain sports, etc.
3. to expunge, as a passage or sentence, from a text.
4. to cut out or off, as a tumor.
gambol [gam-buh l] verb, noun
1. to skip about, as in dancing or playing; frolic.
prudent [prood-nt] adjective
1. wise or judicious in practical affairs; sagacious; discreet or circumspect; sober.
2. careful in providing for the future; provident: a prudent decision.
rigorous [rig-er-uh s] adjective
1. characterized by rigor; rigidly severe or harsh, as people, rules, or discipline: rigorous laws.
2. severely exact or accurate; precise: rigorous research.
3. (of weather or climate) uncomfortably severe or harsh; extremely inclement.
succulent [suhk-yuh-luh nt] adjective
1. full of juice; juicy.
2. rich in desirable qualities.
3. affording mental nourishment.
4. (of a plant) having fleshy and juicy tissues.
tawny [taw-nee] adjective, noun
1. of a dark yellowish or dull yellowish-brown color; a shade of brown tinged with yellow;
yellowish brown.
Vocabulary 17 Test
acrimonious [ak-ruh-moh-nee-uh s] adjective
1. caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.: an acrimonious answer; an
acrimonious dispute.
aspersion [uh-spur-zhuh n, -shuh n] noun
1. a damaging or derogatory remark or criticism; slander: casting aspersions on a campaign
rival.
2. the act of slandering; vilification; defamation; calumniation; derogation: Such vehement
aspersions cannot be ignored.
3. the act of sprinkling, as in baptism.
censure [sen-sher] noun, verb
1. strong or vehement expression of disapproval: The newspapers were unanimous in their
censure of the law.
2. an official reprimand, as by a legislative body of one of its members.
3. to criticize or reproach in a harsh or vehement manner: She is more to be pitied than
censured.
critique [kri-teek] noun, verb
1. an article or essay criticizing a literary or other work; detailed evaluation; review.
2. a criticism or critical comment on some problem, subject, etc.
3. the art or practice of criticism.
4. to review or analyze critically.
defame [dih-feym] verb
1. to attack the good name or reputation of, as by uttering or publishing maliciously or falsely
anything injurious; slander or libel; calumniate: The newspaper editorial defamed the
politician.
deride [dih-rahyd] verb
1. to laugh at in scorn or contempt; scoff or jeer at; mock.
impeach [im-peech] verb
1. to accuse (a public official) before an appropriate tribunal of misconduct in office.
2. Chiefly Law. to challenge the credibility of: to impeach a witness.
3. to bring an accusation against.
4. to call in question; cast an imputation upon: to impeach a person's motives.
5. to call to account.
innuendo [in-yoo-en-doh] noun
1. an indirect intimation about a person or thing, especially of a disparaging or a derogatory
nature.
remonstrate [ri-mon-streyt] verb
1. to say or plead in protest, objection, or disapproval.
2. to present reasons in complaint; plead in protest.
upbraid [uhp-breyd] verb
1. to find fault with or reproach severely; censure: The military tribunal upbraided the soldier
for his cowardice.
2. (of things) to bring reproach on; serve as a reproach to.
Vocabulary 18 Test
circumlocution [sur-kuh m-loh-kyoo-shuh n] noun
1. a roundabout or indirect way of speaking; the use of more words than necessary to
express an idea.
2. a roundabout expression.
colloquium [kuh-loh-kwee-uh m] noun, plural
1. a conference at which scholars or other experts present papers on, analyze, and discuss a
specific topic.
contradict [kon-truh-dikt] verb
1. to assert the contrary or opposite of; deny directly and categorically.
2. to speak contrary to the assertions of: to contradict oneself.
3. (of an action or event) to imply a denial of: His way of life contradicts his stated principles.
dictate [dik-teyt, dik-teyt; dik-teyt] verb, noun
1. to say or read (something) aloud for another person to transcribe or for a machine to
record: to dictate some letters to a secretary.
2. to prescribe or lay down authoritatively or peremptorily; command unconditionally: to
dictate peace terms to a conquered enemy.
3. to give orders.
4. an authoritative order or command.
5. a guiding or governing principle, requirement, etc.: to follow the dictates of one's
conscience.
dictum [dik-tuh m] noun
1. an authoritative pronouncement; judicial assertion.
2. a saying; maxim.
edict [ee-dikt] noun
1. a decree issued by a sovereign or other authority.
2. any authoritative proclamation or command.
elocution [el-uh-kyoo-shuh n] noun
1. a person's manner of speaking or reading aloud in public: The actor's elocution is faultless.
2. the study and practice of oral delivery, including the control of both voice and gesture.
interdict [in-ter-dikt; in-ter-dikt] noun, verb
1. to forbid; prohibit.
2. to impede by steady bombardment: Constant air attacks interdicted the enemy's
advance.
loquacious [loh-kwey-shuh s] adjective
1. talking or tending to talk much or freely; talkative; chattering; babbling: a loquacious
dinner guest.
2. characterized by excessive talk; wordy: easily the most loquacious play of the season.
malediction [mal-i-dik-shuh n] noun
1. a curse; imprecation.
2. the utterance of a curse.
3. slander.
Vocabulary 19 Test
crucial [kroo-shuh l] adjective
1. involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical: a crucial experiment.
2. severe; trying.
dynamic [dahy-nam-ik] adjective, noun
1. pertaining to or characterized by energy or effective action; vigorously active or forceful;
energetic.
2. of or pertaining to force or power; of or pertaining to force related to motion.
3. of or pertaining to the range of volume of musical sound.
4. a basic force, especially one that motivates, affects development or stability, etc.
heresy [her-uh-see] noun
1. opinion or doctrine at variance with the orthodox or accepted doctrine, especially of a
church or religious system.
2. any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs, customs, etc.
innate [ih-neyt, in-eyt] adjective
1. existing in one from birth; inborn; native: innate musical talent.
2. inherent in the essential character of something: an innate defect in the hypothesis.
3. originating in or arising from the intellect or the constitution of the mind, rather than
learned through experience.
linguist [ling-gwist] noun
1. a specialist in the study of language.
2. a person who is skilled in several languages; polyglot.
orient [awr-ee-uh nt, ‐ee-ent, ohr-; awr-ee-ent, ohr‐] noun, verb
1. the countries of Asia, especially East Asia.
2. to adjust with relation to, or bring into due relation to surroundings, circumstances, facts,
etc.
3. to familiarize (a person) with new surroundings or circumstances, or the like.
4. to direct or position toward a particular object: Orient it toward that house.
5. to determine the position of in relation to the points of the compass; get the bearings of.
palette [pal-it] noun
1. a thin and usually oval or oblong board or tablet with a thumb hole at one end, used by
painters.
2. any other flat surface used by a painter for this purpose.
3. the set of colors on such a board or surface.
4. the range of colors used by a particular artist.
5. the variety of techniques or range of any art: a lush but uneven musical palette.
pidgin [pij-uh n] noun
1. any simplified or broken form of a language, especially when used between speakers of
different languages.
proclivity [proh-kliv-i-tee] noun
1. natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition: a proclivity to
meticulousness.
subtle [suht-l] adjective
1. thin, tenuous, or rarefied, as a fluid or an odor.
2. fine or delicate in meaning or intent; difficult to perceive or understand: subtle irony.
3. delicate or faint and mysterious: a subtle smile.
4. requiring or characterized by mental acuteness, penetration, or discernment: a subtle
philosophy or understanding.
Vocabulary 20 Test
a cappella [ah kuh-pel-uh] adverb, adjective
1. without instrumental accompaniment.
2. in the style of church or chapel music.
abstract [ab-strakt] adjective
1. thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances: an abstract
idea.
2. expressing a quality or characteristic apart from any specific object or instance.
3. theoretical; not applied or practical: abstract science.
4. difficult to understand; abstruse: abstract speculations.
aesthetic [es-thet-ik] adjective, noun
1. pertaining to a sense of the beautiful or to the science of aesthetics.
2. having a sense of the beautiful; characterized by a love of beauty.
3. pertaining to, involving, or concerned with pure emotion and sensation as opposed to
pure intellectuality.
4. a philosophical theory or idea of what is aesthetically valid at a given time and place.
avant-garde[uh-vahnt-gahrd] noun, adjective
1. the advance group in any field whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and
experimental methods.
2. of or pertaining to the experimental treatment of artistic, musical, or literary material.
3. belonging to the avant-garde: an avant-garde composer.
4. unorthodox or daring; radical.
cacophony [kuh-kof-uh-nee] noun
1. harsh discordance of sound; dissonance: a cacophony of hoots, cackles, and wails.
2. a discordant and meaningless mixture of sounds: the cacophony produced by city traffic
at midday.
3. inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony.
4. disagreement or incongruity.
dissonance[dis-uh-nuhns] noun
1. inharmonious or harsh sound; discord; cacophony.
2. disagreement or incongruity.
dulcet[duhl-sit] adjective, noun
1. pleasant to the ear; melodious: the dulcet tones of the cello.
2. pleasant or agreeable to the eye or the feelings; soothing.
libretto [li-bret-oh] noun
1. the text or words of an opera or similar extended musical composition; book containing
such text.
motif [moh-teef] noun
1. a recurring subject, theme, idea, etc., especially in a literary, artistic, or musical work.
2. a distinctive and recurring form, shape, figure, etc., in a design, as in a painting or on
wallpaper.
3. a dominant idea or feature: the profit motif of free enterprise.
surrealistic [suh-ree-uh-lis-tik] adjective
1. of, pertaining to, or characteristic of having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a
dream; unreal; fantastic
Vocabulary 21 Test
Avocation [av-uh-key-shuh n] noun
1. something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, especially for pleasure;
hobby: Our doctor's avocation is painting.
2. a person's regular occupation, calling, or vocation.
3. diversion or distraction.
Claimant [kley-muh nt] noun
1. a person who makes a claim.
Clamorous [klam-er-uh s] adjective
1. full of, marked by, or of the nature of clamor.
2. vigorous in demands or complaints.
Declaim [dih-kleym] verb
1. to speak aloud in an oratorical manner; make a formal speech: Brutus declaimed from the
steps of the Roman senate building.
2. to inveigh (usually followed by against ): He declaimed against the high rents in slums.
3. to speak or write for oratorical effect, as without sincerity or sound argument.
4. to utter aloud in an oratorical manner: to declaim a speech.
Equivocate [ih-kwiv-uh-keyt] verb
1. to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to
mislead; prevaricate or hedge: When asked directly for his position on disarmament, the
candidate only equivocated.
Irrevocable [ih-rev-uh-kuh-buh l] adjective
1. not to be revoked or recalled; unable to be repealed or annulled; unalterable: an
irrevocable decree.
Evocative [ih-vok-uh-tiv] adjective
1. tending to evoke: The perfume was evocative of spring.
Proclamation [prok-luh-mey-shuh n] noun
1. something that is proclaimed; a public and official announcement.
2. the act of proclaiming.
Reclamation [rek-luh-mey-shuh n] noun
1. the reclaiming of desert, marshy, or submerged areas or other wasteland for cultivation or
other use.
2. the act or process of reclaiming.
3. the state of being reclaimed.
4. the process or industry of deriving usable materials from waste, by-products, etc.
Vouch [vouch] verb
1. to support as being true, certain, reliable, etc. (usually followed by for ): Her record in
office vouches for her integrity.
2. to attest; guarantee; certify (usually followed by for ): to vouch for someone in a business
transaction.
3. to sustain or uphold by, or as if by, practical proof or demonstration.
4. (formerly) to call or summon (a person) into court to make good a warranty of title.
5. to adduce or quote in support, as extracts from a book or author; cite in warrant or
justification, as authority, instances, facts, etc.
6. to warrant or attest; to support or authenticate with vouchers.
7. to declare as with warrant.
Vocabulary 22 Test
akin [uh-kin] adjective
1. related by blood (usually used predicatively): cousins who were too closely akin for
marriage.
2. allied by nature; having the same properties: Something akin to vertigo was troubling her.
3. having or showing an affinity; kindred: They are emotionally but not intellectually akin.
inchoate [in-koh-it] adjective
1. not yet completed or fully developed; rudimentary.
2. just begun; incipient.
3. not organized; lacking order: an inchoate mass of ideas on the subject.
indelible [in-del-uh-buhl] adjective
1. cannot be erased, removed, or the like: indelible ink.
2. cannot be eliminated, forgotten, changed, or the like: the indelible memories of war.
plumb [pluhm] noun, adverb
1. a small mass of lead or other heavy material, as that suspended by a line and used to
measure the depth of water or to ascertain a vertical line. Compare plumb line.
2. downright or absolute; exactly, precisely, or directly; completely or absolutely: She was
plumb mad.
3. in a perpendicular or vertical direction.
pristine [pri-steen] adjective
1. having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied.
2. of or pertaining to the earliest period or state; primitive.
steadfast [sted-fast] adjective
1. fixed in direction; steadily directed: a steadfast gaze.
2. firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc., as a person: a steadfast friend.
3. unwavering, as resolution, faith, adherence, etc.
4. firmly established, as an institution or a state of affairs.
5. firmly fixed in place or position.
transfigure [trans-fig-yer] verb
1. to change in outward form or appearance; transform.
2. to change so as to glorify or exalt.
unwary [uhn-wair-ee] adjective
1. not cautious or watchful, as against danger or misfortune.
variable [vair-ee-uh-buhl] adjective
1. apt or liable to vary or change; changeable: variable weather; variable moods.
2. capable of being varied or changed; alterable: a variable time limit for completion of a
book.
3. inconstant; fickle: a variable lover.
4. having much variation or diversity.
vie [vahy] verb
1. to strive in competition or rivalry with another; contend for superiority: Swimmers from all
nations vied for the title.
2. to put forward in competition or rivalry.
Vocabulary 23 Test
Avarice [av-er-is] noun
1. insatiable greed for riches; inordinate, miserly desire to gain and hoard wealth.
Gluttonous [gluht-n-uhs] adjective
1. tending to eat and drink excessively; voracious.
2. greedy; insatiable.
Intemperate [in-tem-per-it, -prit] adjective
1. given to or characterized by excessive or immoderate indulgence in alcoholic beverages.
2. immoderate in indulgence of appetite or passion.
3. not temperate; unrestrained; unbridled.
4. extreme in temperature, as climate.
Inundate [in-uhn-deyt] verb
1. to flood; cover or overspread with water; deluge.
2. to overwhelm: inundated with letters of protest.
Obsess [uhb-ses] verb
1. to dominate or preoccupy the thoughts, feelings, or desires of (a person); beset, trouble, or
haunt persistently or abnormally: Suspicion obsessed him.
2. to think about something unceasingly or persistently; dwell obsessively upon something.
Parsimony [pahr-suh-moh-nee] noun
1. extreme or excessive economy or frugality; stinginess; niggardliness.
Prodigal [prod-i-guhl] adjective, noun
1. wastefully or recklessly extravagant: prodigal expenditure.
2. giving or yielding profusely; lavish (usually followed by of or with ): prodigal of smiles;
prodigal with money.
3. lavishly abundant; profuse: nature's prodigal resources.
4. a person who spends, or has spent, his or her money or substance with wasteful
extravagance; spendthrift.
profligate [prof-li-git, -geyt] adjective, noun
1. utterly and shamelessly immoral or dissipated; thoroughly dissolute.
2. recklessly prodigal or extravagant.
3. a profligate person.
Rapacity [ruh-pey-shuhs] adjective
1. given to seizing for plunder or the satisfaction of greed.
2. inordinately greedy; predatory; extortionate: a rapacious disposition.
3. (of animals) subsisting by the capture of living prey; predacious.
Replete [ri-pleet] adjective
1. abundantly supplied or provided; filled (usually followed by with ): a speech replete with
sentimentality.
2. stuffed or gorged with food and drink.
3. complete: a scholarly survey, replete in its notes and citations.
Vocabulary 24 Test
Amortize [am-er-tahyz, uh-mawr-tahyz] verb
1. to liquidate or extinguish (a mortgage, debt, or other obligation); to write off a cost of (an
asset) gradually.
2. to convey to a corporation or church group; alienate in mortmain.
Immortalize [ih-mawr-tl-ahyz] verb
1. to bestow unending fame upon; perpetuate.
2. to make immortal; endow with immortality
Morbid [mawr-bid] adjective
1. suggesting an unhealthy mental state or attitude; unwholesomely gloomy, sensitive,
extreme, etc.: a morbid interest in death.
2. affected by, caused by, causing, or characteristic of disease.
3. pertaining to diseased parts: morbid anatomy.
4. gruesome; grisly.
Mordant [mawr-dnt] adjective, noun
1. sharply caustic or sarcastic, as wit or a speaker; biting.
2. burning; corrosive.
3. having the property of fixing colors, as in dyeing.
4. a substance used in dyeing to fix the coloring.
5. an adhesive substance for binding gold or silver leaf to a surface.
6. an acid or other corrosive substance used in etching to eat out the lines, areas, etc.
Moribund [mawr-uh-buhnd, mor-] adjective
1. in a dying state; near death.
2. on the verge of extinction or termination.
3. not progressing or advancing; stagnant: a moribund political party.
Mortgage [mawr-gij] noun, verb
1. a conveyance of an interest in property as security for the repayment of money borrowed.
2. the deed by which such a transaction is effected.
3. the rights conferred by it, or the state of the property conveyed.
4. to convey or place (real property) under a mortgage.
5. to place under advance obligation; pledge: to mortgage one's life to the defense of
democracy.
Mortify [mawr-tuh-fahy] verb
1. to humiliate or shame, as by injury to one's pride or self-respect.
2. to subjugate (the body, passions, etc.) by abstinence, ascetic discipline, or self-inflicted
suffering.
3. to practice mortification or disciplinary austerities.
4. to undergo mortification; become gangrened or necrosed.
Mortuary [mawr-choo-er-ee] noun, adjective
1. funeral home.
2. of or pertaining to the burial of the dead.
3. pertaining to or connected with death.
Postmortem [pohst-mawr-tuhm] adjective, noun
1. of, pertaining to, or occurring in the time following death.
2. of or pertaining to examination of the body after death.
3. occurring after the end of something; after the event: a postmortem criticism of a
television show.
4. a postmortem examination; autopsy.
5. an evaluation or discussion occurring after the end or fact of something: to do a
postmortem on the decision of a court.
Remorse [ri-mawrs] noun
1. deep and painful regret for wrongdoing; compunction.
2. pity; compassion.
Vocabulary 25 Test
Advocate [v. ad-vuh-keyt; n. ad-vuh-kit, -keyt] noun, verb
1. to speak or write in favor of; support or urge by argument; recommend publicly: He
advocated peace.
2. a person who speaks or writes in support or defense of a person, cause, etc. (usually
followed by of ): an advocate of peace.
3. a person who pleads for or in behalf of another; intercessor.
Arable [ar-uh-buhl] adjective, noun
1. capable of producing crops; suitable for farming; suited to the plow and for tillage: arable
land; arable soil.
2. land that can be or is cultivated.
Edifice [ed-uh-fis] noun
1. a building, especially one of large size or imposing appearance.
2. any large, complex system or organization
Heyday [hey-dey] noun
1. the stage or period of greatest vigor, strength, success, etc.; prime: the heyday of the
vaudeville stars.
Intimidate [in-tim-i-deyt] verb
1. to make timid; fill with fear.
2. to overawe or cow, as through the force of personality or by superior display of wealth,
talent, etc.
3. to force into or deter from some action by inducing fear: to intimidate a voter into
avoiding the polls.
Notorious [noh-tawr-ee-uhs, -tohr-, nuh-] adjective
1. widely and unfavorably known: a notorious gambler.
2. publicly or generally known, as for a particular trait: a newspaper that is notorious for its
sensationalism.
Nutriment [noo-truh-muhnt, nyoo-] noun
1. any substance or matter that, taken into a living organism, serves to sustain it in its
existence, promoting growth, replacing loss, and providing energy.
2. anything that nourishes; nourishment; food.
Obsolete [ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet] adjective, verb
1. no longer in general use; fallen into disuse: an obsolete expression.
2. of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date: an obsolete battleship.
3. no longer in use, especially, out of use for at least the past century.
4. effaced by wearing down or away.
5. imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in
other individuals, as of the opposite sex or of a related species.
Perpetuate [per-pech-oo-eyt] verb
1. to make eternal or permanent.
2. to preserve from extinction or oblivion: to perpetuate one's name.
Predilection [pred-l-ek-shuhn, preed-] noun
1. a tendency to think favorably of something in particular; partiality; preference: a
predilection for Bach.
Vocabulary 26 Test
Cataclysm [kat-uh-kliz-uhm] noun
1. any violent upheaval, especially one of a social or political nature.
2. a sudden and violent physical action producing changes in the earth's surface.
Decadence [dek-uh-duhns, dih-keyd-ns] noun
1. the act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay.
2. moral degeneration or decay; turpitude.
3. unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.
Decimate [des-uh-meyt] verb
1. to destroy a great number or proportion of: The population was decimated by a plague.
2. to take a tenth of or from.
Depredate [dep-ri-deyt] verb
1. to plunder or lay waste to; prey upon; pillage; ravage.
Expunge [ik-spuhnj] verb
1. to strike or blot out; erase; obliterate; to efface; wipe out or destroy.
Interpolate [in-tur-puh-leyt] verb
1. to introduce (something additional or extraneous) between other things or parts; interject;
interpose.
2. to insert, estimate, or find an intermediate term in (a sequence).
3. to alter (a text) by the insertion of new matter, especially deceptively or without
authorization.
Obliterate [uh-blit-uh-reyt] verb
1. to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.
2. to blot out or render undecipherable (writing, marks, etc.); efface.
Putrefaction [pyoo-truh-fak-shuhn] noun
1. the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter that results in obnoxiously odorous
products; rotting.
2. decay.
Stagnate [stag-neyt] verb
1. to cease to run or flow, as water, air, etc.
2. to be or become stale or foul from standing, as a pool of water.
3. to stop developing, growing, progressing, or advancing: My mind is stagnating from too
much TV.
4. to be or become sluggish and dull: When the leading lady left, the show started to
stagnate.
Wane [weyn] verb, noun
1. to decrease in strength, intensity, etc.: Daylight waned, and night came on. Her
enthusiasm is waning.
2. to decline in power, strength, intencity, importance, prosperity, etc.
3. to draw to a close; approach an end: Summer is waning.
4. a gradual decrease or decline in strength, intensity, power, etc.
Vocabulary 27 Test
Carnage [kahr-nij] noun
1. the slaughter of a great number of people, as in battle; butchery; massacre.
2. dead bodies, as of those slain in battle.
Carnal [kahr-nl] adjective
1. pertaining to or characterized by the flesh or the body, its passions and appetites; sensual.
2. not spiritual; merely human; temporal; worldly: a man of secular, rather carnal, leanings.
Carnivore [kahr-nuh-vawr, -vohr] noun
1. an animal that eats flesh.
2. an insectivorous plant.
Clairvoyant [klair-voi-uhnt] adjective
1. having the power of seeing objects or actions beyond the range of natural vision.
Improvise [im-pruh-vahyz] verb
1. to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation; extemporize.
2. to compose, play, recite, or sing (verse, music, etc.) on the spur of the moment.
3. to make, provide, or arrange from whatever materials are readily available.
Incarnate [adj. in-kahr-nit, -neyt; v. in-kahr-neyt] adjective, verb
1. embodied in flesh; given a bodily, especially a human, form: a devil incarnate.
2. personified or typified, as a quality or idea: chivalry incarnate.
3. to put into or represent in a concrete form, as an idea.
5. to be the embodiment or type of: Her latest book incarnates the literature of our day.
6. to embody in flesh; invest with a bodily, especially a human, form.
Invidious [in-vid-ee-uhs] adjective
1. calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense; hateful: invidious remarks.
2. offensively or unfairly discriminating; injurious: invidious comparisons.
3. causing or tending to cause animosity, resentment, or envy: an invidious honor.
4. envious.
Providence [prov-i-duhns] noun
1. the foreseeing care and guidance of God or nature over the creatures of the earth.
2. God, especially when conceived as omnisciently directing the universe and humankind.
3. a manifestation of divine care or direction.
4. provident or prudent management of resources; prudence.
5. foresight; provident care.
Reincarnation [ree-in-kahr-ney-shuhn] noun
1. rebirth of the soul in a new body or form.
Visage [viz-ij] noun
1. the face, with reference to shape, features, expression, etc.; countenance;
appearance.
Vocabulary 28 Test
Apogee [ap-uh-jee] noun
1. the highest or most distant point.
Confrontation [kon-fruhn-tey-shuhn, -fruhn-] noun
1. a meeting of persons face to face.
2. an open conflict of opposing ideas, forces, etc.
3. a bringing together of ideas, themes, etc., for comparison.
Cull [kuhl] verb, noun
1. to choose; select; pick.
2. to collect; gather; pluck.
Exalt [ig-zawlt] verb
1. to raise in rank, honor, power, character, quality, etc.; elevate: He was exalted to the
position of president.
2. to praise; extol: to exalt someone to the skies.
3. to stimulate, as the imagination: The lyrics of Shakespeare exalted the audience.
4. to intensify, as a color: complementary colors exalt each other.
5. to elate, as with pride or joy.
Implausible [im-plaw-zuh-buhl] adjective
1. not having the appearance of truth or credibility: an implausible alibi.
Primitive [prim-i-tiv] adjective
1. being the first or earliest of the kind or in existence, especially in an early age of the world.
2. early in the history of the world or of humankind.
3. characteristic of early ages or of an early state of human development: primitive
toolmaking.
4. unaffected or little affected by civilizing influences; uncivilized; savage: primitive passions.
Scrupulous [skroo-pyuh-luhs] adjective
1. having or showing a strict regard for what one considers right; principled.
2. punctiliously or minutely careful, precise, or exact: a scrupulous performance.
Suffuse [suh-fyooz] verb
1. to overspread with or as with a liquid, color, etc.
Transient [tran-shuhnt, -zhuhnt, -zee-uhnt] adjective
1. not lasting, enduring, or permanent; transitory.
2. lasting only a short time; existing briefly; temporary: transient authority.
3. staying only a short time: the transient guests at a hotel.
Vignette [vin-yet] noun, verb
1. a decorative design or small illustration used on the title page of a book or chapter.
2. an engraving, drawing, or photograph that is shaded off at the edges so as to leave no
definite border line.
3. a decorative design representing branches, leaves, grapes, or the like, as in a manuscript.
4. any small, pleasing picture or view.
Vocabulary 29 Test
Capricious [kuh-pree-shuhs] adjective
1. subject to, led by, or indicative of whim; erratic: He's such a capricious boss I never know
how he'll react.
2. fanciful or witty.
Desultory [des-uhl-tohr-ee] adjective
1. lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory
conversation.
2. digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.
Ephemeral [ih-fem-er-uhl] adjective, noun
1. lasting a very short time; short-lived; transitory: the ephemeral joys of childhood.
2. lasting but one day: an ephemeral flower.
3. anything short-lived, as certain insects.
Immutable [ih-myoo-tuh-buhl] adjective
1. unchangeable; changeless.
Inveterate [in-vet-er-it] adjective
1. settled or confirmed in a habit, practice, feeling, or the like: an inveterate gambler.
2. firmly established by long continuance, as a disease, habit, practice, feeling, etc.; chronic.
Malleable [mal-ee-uh-buhl] adjective
1. capable of being extended or shaped by hammering or by pressure from rollers.
2. adaptable or tractable: the malleable mind of a child.
Metamorphosis [met-uh-mawr-fuh-sis] noun, plural
1. a profound change in form from one stage to the next in the life history of an organism.
2. a complete change of form, structure, or substance, as transformation by magic or
witchcraft.
3. any complete change in appearance, character, circumstances, etc.; a form resulting
from any such change.
4. a type of alteration or degeneration in which tissues are changed: fatty metamorphosis of
the liver.
Modulate [moj-uh-leyt] verb
1. to regulate by or adjust to a certain measure or proportion; soften; tone down.
2. to alter or adapt (the voice) according to the circumstances, one's listener, etc.
3. to attune to a certain pitch or key; to vary the volume of (tone).
4. to cause the amplitude, frequency, phase, or intensity of (a carrier wave) to vary.
5. to modulate a carrier wave; to talk; visit: Enjoyed modulating with you.
6. to pass from one key to another: to modulate abruptly from A to B flat.
Vacillate [vas-uh-leyt] verb
1. to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute: His tendency to vacillate makes
him a poor leader.
2. to sway unsteadily; waver; totter; stagger; to oscillate or fluctuate.
Volatile [vol-uh-tl, -til] adjective
1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor: Acetone is a volatile solvent.
2. tending or threatening to break out into open violence; explosive: a volatile political
situation.
3. changeable; mercurial; flighty: a volatile disposition.
4. fleeting; transient: volatile beauty.
Vocabulary 30 Test
Compulsory [kuhm-puhl-suh-ree] adjective, noun
1. required; mandatory; obligatory: compulsory education.
2. using compulsion; compelling; constraining: compulsory measures to control rioting.
3. something, as an athletic feat, that must be performed or completed as part of a contest
or competition: The ice skater received a higher score on the compulsories than on her
freestyle performance.
Convivial [kuh n-viv-ee-uhl] adjective
1. friendly; agreeable: a convivial atmosphere.
2. fond of feasting, drinking, and merry company; jovial.
3. of or befitting a feast; festive.
Dispel [dih-spel] verb
1. to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate: to dispel the dense fog.
2. to cause to vanish; alleviate: to dispel her fears.
Impel [dih-spel] verb
1. to drive, force, or urge (someone) to do something.
2. to drive forward; propel: vital energies impel him in unforeseen directions.
Pulsate [puhl-seyt] verb
1. to expand and contract rhythmically, as the heart; beat; throb.
2. to vibrate; quiver.
Repellent [ri-pel-uhnt] adjective
1. causing distaste or aversion; repulsive.
2. forcing or driving back.
3. serving or tending to ward off or drive away.
4. impervious or resistant to something (often used in combination): moth-repellant.
Viable [vahy-uh-buhl] adjective
1. capable of living.
2. physically fitted to live.
3. vivid; real; stimulating, as to the intellect, imagination, or senses.
4. practicable; workable: a viable alternative
Victual [vit-l] noun, verb
1. food supplies; provisions.
2. food or provisions for human beings.
3. to supply with victuals.
4. to take or obtain victuals.
5. eat or feed.
Vitality [vahy-tal-i-tee] noun
1. exuberant physical strength or mental vigor: a person of great vitality.
2. capacity for survival or for the continuation of a meaningful or purposeful existence: the
vitality of an institution.
3. power to live or grow: the vitality of a language.
4. vital force or principle.
Vivacious [vi-vey-shuhs, vahy-] adjective
1. lively; animated; gay: a vivacious folk dance.
Vocabulary 31 Test
Bulwark [bool-werk, -wawrk, buhl-] noun, verb
1. a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart.
2. any protection against external danger, injury, or annoyance: The new dam was a
bulwark against future floods.
3. any person or thing giving strong support or encouragement in time of need, danger, or
doubt.
4. a solid wall enclosing the perimeter of a weather or main deck for the protection of
persons or objects on deck.
5. to fortify or protect with a bulwark; secure by or as if by a fortification.
Calamity [kuh-lam-i-tee] noun
1. a great misfortune or disaster, as a flood or serious injury.
2. grievous affliction; adversity; misery: the calamity of war.
Disperse [dih-spurs] verb, adjective
1. to drive or send off in various directions; scatter: to disperse a crowd.
2. to spread widely; disseminate: to disperse knowledge.
3. to dispel; cause to vanish: The wind dispersed the fog.
4. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.
5. to subject (light) to dispersion.
Laden [leyd-n] adjective
1. burdened; loaded down.
Pernicious [per-nish-uhs] adjective
1. causing insidious harm or ruin; ruinous; injurious; hurtful: pernicious teachings; a pernicious
lie.
2. deadly; fatal: a pernicious disease.
3. evil; wicked.
Placid [plas-id] adjective
1. pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed: placid
waters.
Procure [proh-kyoor, pruh-] verb
1. to obtain or get by care, effort, or the use of special means: to procure evidence.
2. to bring about, especially by unscrupulous and indirect means: to procure secret
documents.
3. to obtain (a person) for the purpose of prostitution; to act as a procurer or pimp.
Relic [rel-ik] noun
1. a surviving memorial of something past.
2. an object having interest by reason of its age or its association with the past: a museum of
historic relics.
3. a surviving trace of something: a custom that is a relic of paganism.
4. remaining parts or fragments; the remains of a deceased person.
5. something kept in remembrance; souvenir; memento.
Relinquish [ri-ling-kwish] verb
1. to renounce or surrender (a possession, right, etc.): to relinquish the throne.
2. to give up; put aside or desist from: to relinquish a plan.
3. to let go; release: to relinquish one's hold.
Salvage [sal-vij] noun, verb
1. the act of saving a ship or its cargo from perils of the seas; the property so saved.
2. compensation given to those who voluntarily save a ship or its cargo.
3. the act of saving anything from fire, danger, etc.; the property saved from danger.
Vocabulary 32 Test
Abate [uh-beyt] verb
1. to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish: to abate a tax; to abate
one's enthusiasm.
2. to put an end to or suppress (a nuisance); to suspend or extinguish (an action; to annul (a
writ).
3. to deduct or subtract: to abate part of the cost.
4. to omit: to abate all mention of names.
5. to remove, as in stone carving, or hammer down, as in metalwork.
Debut [dey-byoo] noun, verb
1. a first public appearance on a stage, on television, etc.; to make a debut, as in society or
in a performing art.
2. the first appearance of something, as a new product; to appear for the first time, as on the
market.
3. the beginning of a profession, career, etc.
Encumber [en-kuhm-ber] verb
1. to impede or hinder; hamper; retard: Red tape encumbers all our attempts at action.
2. to block up or fill with what is obstructive or superfluous: a mind encumbered with trivial
and useless information.
3. to burden or weigh down: She was encumbered with a suitcase and several packages.
4. to burden with obligations, debt, etc.
Fetter [fet-er] noun, verb
1. a chain or shackle placed on the feet.
2. anything that confines or restrains: Boredom puts fetters upon the imagination.
3. to confine; restrain.
Impede [im-peed] verb
1. to retard in movement or progress by means of obstacles or hindrances; obstruct; hinder.
Inhibit [in-hib-it] verb
1. to restrain, hinder, arrest, or check (an action, impulse, etc.).
2. to prohibit; forbid.
3. to consciously or unconsciously suppress or restrain (psychologically or sociologically
unacceptable behavior).
4. to decrease the rate of action of or stop (a chemical reaction).
Neophyte [nee-uh-fahyt] noun
1. a beginner or novice: He's a neophyte at chess.
2. a person newly converted to a belief, as a heathen, heretic, or nonbeliever; proselyte; a
person newly baptized.
Precipitate [v. pri-sip-i-teyt; adj., n. pri-sip-i-tit, -teyt] adjective, noun, verb
1. to hasten the occurrence of; bring about prematurely, hastily, or suddenly: to precipitate
an international crisis.
2. to cast down headlong; fling or hurl down.
3. to cast, plunge, or send, especially violently or abruptly: He precipitated himself into the
struggle.
4. to fall to the earth's surface as a condensed form of water; to rain, snow, hail, drizzle, etc.
5. to separate from a solution as a precipitate.
Procrastinate [proh-kras-tuh-neyt, pruh-] verb
1. to defer action; delay: to procrastinate until an opportunity is lost.
2. to put off till another day or time; defer; delay.
Thwart [thwawrt] verb, noun
1. to oppose successfully; prevent from accomplishing a purpose.
2. to frustrate or baffle (a plan, purpose, etc.).