Term Definition

abdicate (vb) to give up, often in a formal manner / King Edward VIII abdicated the throne in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a divorced American. / Word Forms: abdicable, abdicative, abdicator, abdication

aberrant (adj) unusual / My dog displayed aberrant behavior when he refused to greet me at the door or eat any of the treats I offered. / Word Forms: aberrance, aberrancy, aberrantly, aberrate, aberrational / PS+RO

abeyance (n) temporary suspension / The council voted to place the decision in abeyance for a month while more research was conducted. / Word Forms: abeyant, abeyancy

abjure (vb) to give up, often in a formal manner / King Edward VIII abjured the throne in order to marry Mrs. Wallis Simpson, a divorced American. / Word Forms: abjuratory, abjurer, abjuration / PS+RO

abstemious (adj) sparing in consumption, especially of food and drink / Abby’s emaciated figure was the result of her abstemious lifestyle; she never ate breakfast or lunch, and rarely ate dinner / Word Forms: abstemiously, abstemiousness

abstruse (adj) hard to understand / Mr. Abbot tried to teach us how to solve an abstruse math problem, but it was too complicated for us to understand. / Word Forms: abstrusely, abstruseness, abstrusity

accretion (n) an increase / Akeem's gradual accretion of duties at work did not go unnoticed; he was given a raise for taking on the extra work. / Word Forms: accrete, accretive, accretionary

acerbic (adj) sour; harsh / Sour Patch Kids candy tastes like acerbic gummy bears. / Word Forms: acerbically, acerbate, acerbity

acidulous (adj) sour; sharp / Her acidulous criticism of my paper on Shakespeare was disappointing since I had invested many hours in research. / Word Forms: acidulent, acidulation

acme (n) the highest point / The Roman Empire reached its acme of power around 11 AD, but a slow decline occurred over the next four centuries. / Word Forms: acmic, acmatic

acumen (n) good judgment / The judge was respected for his acumen when sentencing convicted defendants. / Word Forms: acuminous, acuminate, acumination / PS+RO

adroit (adj) highly skilled, especially with one’s hands / The adroit mechanic was able to fix Addy’s old car, even though six other mechanics said it couldn’t be repaired. / Word Forms: adroitly, adroitness

aerie (n) a nest; a home high on a mountain / Our aerie atop Roan Mountain was a cozy escape from the hustle and bustle of city life.

aesthetic (adj) relating to beauty / Alaina chose this church because of its aesthetic qualities; it was the most beautiful wedding chapel she had ever seen. / Word Forms: aesthetically, aesthetics (n.), aestheticize, aesthete, aesthetician / PS+RO

affable (adj) friendly / In the fable, the affable princess was adored by all except for her three stepsisters who were angered by her friendliness. / Word Forms: affably, affability, affableness

affected (adj) fake; phony / Afton had never traveled outside of the United States, but he used an affected French accent to attract attention. / Word Forms: affectedly, affectedness, affectation / PS+RO

aggrandize (vb) increase in size / Agatha, an avid baseball enthusiast, used her inheritance to aggrandize her collection of baseball cards. / Word Forms: aggrandizement, aggrandizer, aggrandizable / PS+RO

alacrity (n) liveliness and eagerness / Alaina impressed her new boss by accepting the task with alacrity; she was both eager and excited to get started. / PS+RO

alchemy (n) magical power; process of turning base metals into gold / Al uses alchemy in the kitchen, turning simple ingredients into delicious works of art. / Word Forms : alchemic, alchemical, alchemistic, alchemistical, alchemically, alchemist, alchemistry

amalgamation (n) a combination / Amy’s new dance routine is an amalgamation of styles, including ballet and jazz. / Word Forms: amalgam, amalgamate, amalgamable, amalgamative, amalgamator / PS+RO

ameliorate (vb) to make better / Amelia was an outstanding caregiver; she could ameliorate a patient’s discomfort just by smiling kindly. / Word Forms: ameliorable, ameliorableness, ameliorant, ameliorative, amelioratory, ameliorator / PS+RO

amenable (adj) agreeable / Amy was amenable to changing my schedule at work so that I could attend my son's baseball games. / Word Forms: amenability, amenableness, amenably / PS+RO

amiable (adj) friendly / The amiable celebrity was known for his willingness to sign autographs and visit with his fans. / Word Forms: amiably, amiability, amiableness

amortize (vb) to eliminate debt by making payments / For most borrowers, it takes thirty years to amortize their mortgage. / Word Forms: amortized, amortizable, amortizement, amortization

amulet (n) magical charm to ward off evil / Amos placed a small amulet in his pocket, a charm that he believed helped him advance to the state tennis finals. / Word Form: amuletic

anachronistic (adj) out of chronological order / Today’s announcement about the impending demolition of the stadium is anachronistic; the stadium was razed last week. / Word Forms: anachronistically, anachrony, anachronic, anachronism, anachronous / PS+RO

analgesic (adj) capable of relieving pain / Although Andy was in the most painful stages of the disease, his daughter’s visit was analgesic; he was so happy to see her that his pain was significantly reduced. / Word Forms: analgesic (n.), analgetic

anodyne (n) something that relieves pain / The comedy club was an anodyne to Annika's grief; while she was there, she could forget her pain and sadness. / Word Form: anodynic

anthropocentrism (n) theory that regards humans as the central element of the universe / People who support the theory of anthropocentrism have difficulty believing in intelligent alien life. / Word Forms: anthropocentric, anthropocentrically, anthropocentricity

antipathy (n) strong dislike / Antonio's antipathy for reporters stemmed from his childhood, when journalists hassled him about his father's trial. / Word Forms: antipathist, antipathize, antipathic / PS+RO

apathy (n) an absence of emotion or enthusiasm / The teacher was disappointed in the students’ apathy toward the field trip. / Word Forms: apathetic, apathetical, apathetically, apathist / PS+RO

apocryphal (adj) fake; untrue / April told an apocryphal tale about my mother; I wanted so much to believe it even though I knew it wasn't true. / Word Forms: apocryphally, apocryphalness, apocryphalist

apostate (n) person who abandons their religion or cause / I had been an apostate from my religion for years, but recently had started thinking about rejoining the church. / Word Forms: apostatic, apostatical, apostatically, apostasy, apostatize

approbation (n) approval / Apollo's proposal for new lighting on campus was met with approbation, as the board agreed there was a safety issue. / Word Forms: approbate, approbative, approbator, approbatory

archaic (adj) so extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period / The college cannot have fraternity houses because of an archaic law that does not allow unmarried people to live together. / Word Forms: archaically, archaism, archaistic, / PS+RO

ardor (n) intense passion / Mrs. Armstrong, my English teacher, is known for her ardor for the literature of William Faulkner; last summer she even visited his hometown in Mississippi in order to better visualize the settings of his books.

arrogate (vb) to claim without rights / The government arrogated Arianna's land, so she hired a lawyer to prove it did not have any rights to her property. / Word Forms: arrogatingly, arrogation, arrogator, arrogative

ascertain (vb) to make certain / The detective was able to ascertain the suspect’s whereabouts on the night of the burglary through surveillance video. / Word Forms: ascertainable, ascertainableness, ascertainably, ascertainment, ascertainer

ascetic (n) a person who practices self-denial as a spiritual discipline / To prove his devotion to the religion, the ascetic did not own anything that might provide comfort or pleasure. / Word Forms: ascetic (adj.), ascetical, ascetically, asceticism / PS+RO

assail (vb) to attack / Asa was determined to master the GRE Verbal Reasoning section, so she assailed vocabulary words with determination. / Word Forms: assailable, assailableness, assailer, assailment, assailant

assiduous (adj) constant and attentive / Ashley is an assiduous researcher; she was able to find articles on the poet that even the librarian could not locate. / Word Forms: assiduously, assiduousness, assiduity

assuage (vb) to relieve or ease / The shoplifter assuaged his guilt by confessing to the crime. / Word Forms: assuagement, assuager / PS+RO

attenuate (vb) to weaken / Atticus' muscles slowly attenuated when he quit working out at the gym. / Word Forms: attenuation, attenuator, attenuatedly

audacious (adj) bold and fearless / Audrey asked audacious questions that most people would be scared to ask. / Word Forms: audaciously, audaciousness, audacity / PS+RO

augment (vb) to enlarge or increase / In an effort to augment her paper on William Faulkner, Aubrey added three pages about the author’s childhood. / Word Forms: augmentation, augmentable, augmentative, augmentatively, augmenter

augury (n) divine prediction / Augustus believed the groundhog's shadow was an augury of a delayed springtime. / Word Forms: augural, augurate, auguration, augur

august (adj) noble and dignified / The august king was admired for his good work. / Word Forms: augustly, augustness

auspicious (adj) favorable; fortunate / Austin waited for an auspicious time to ask his father to borrow the car; he finally had his chance on the day that his dad received a sizable raise at work. / Word Forms: auspiciously, auspiciousness

austere (adj) 1. strict; disciplined; serious 2. simple; undecorated / Mr. Aston is the most austere teacher at school; he does not tolerate any talking nor does he accept late assignments. / Word Forms: austerely, austereness, austerity / PS+RO

autonomy (n) independence / The Confederate states fought to gain autonomy from the Union during the Civil War. / Word Forms: autonomous, autonomously, autonomist

avarice (n) extreme greed for material wealth / Avery amassed million-dollar homes, luxury cars, and exquisite jewelry to satisfy her avarice, but still wanted more. / Word Forms: avaricious, avariciously, avariciousness / PS+RO

avuncular (adj) resembling an uncle in kindness or indulgence / Mr. Avery developed an avuncular affection for his neighbor’s children after having spent so many years next door. / Word Forms: avuncularly, avuncularity

axiom (n) principle or rule / The golden rule is a good axiom to live by. / Word Forms: axiomatic, axiomatical, axiomatization

banal (adj) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse / The plot of the movie is banal; everything that takes place in this film has happened in a dozen other movies. / Word Forms: banally, banalize, banality / PS+RO

belfry (n) a bell tower / No one volunteered to clean out the belfry because of all the bats that live in it.

benevolent (adj) charitable; kind / The benevolent nun spent her entire life working with the poor. / Word Forms: benevolently, benevolentness, benevolence

bevy (n) a large group / The picnic lunch on the beach attracted a bevy of birds.

bifurcate (vb) to divide into two branches / Biff's family tree bifurcated in 1946 when his grandmother remarried, thus creating a second branch of relatives. / Word Forms: bifurcately, bifurcation, bifurcous

bilk (vb) to cheat or swindle / Bill was bilked out of $10,000 when he invested in the phony scheme. / Word Form: bilker

blight (n) any factor that causes decay or deterioration / The blight that killed Blake's corn was responsible for the destruction of crops throughout the county. / Word Form: blightingly

blithe (adj) cheerful / Blythe was know for her blithe spirit; she was always happy and cheerful. / Word Forms: blitheful, blithefullly, blithely, blitheness, blithesome

bombast (n) high-sounding language with little meaning, used to impress people. / "the bombast of gung-ho militarism" / PS+RO

bonhomie (n) friendliness / Bonnie had many friends who admired her kind nature and bonhomie. / Word Form: bonhomous

boor (n) a person who is rude, clumsy, and lacking social manners / Boris was a boor at the dinner party. / Word Forms: boorish, boorishly, boorishness

bromide (n) a common saying / As true as the old bromides are, such as “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all,” none of them are much comfort to a newly-broken heart. / Word Forms: bromidic, bromidically

bucolic (adj) relating to country life; rural / The farmer lived a bucolic lifestyle, rising with the sun to tend the farm and retiring at sundown. / Word Forms: bucolical, bucolically / PS+RO

burgeon (vb) to flourish / Under the mayor's direction, the quiet town burgeoned into an active city. / PS+RO

burnish (vb) to polish / In preparation for his dinner party, Bernie burnished the silverware and serving platters. / Word Forms: burnishable, burnishment, burnisher

byzantine (adj) highly complex or intricate / In a home loan, the byzantine language and unfamiliar terminology can be intimidating to a first-time home buyer.

cabal (n) a secret group of plotters or schemers / The cabal met in a church basement to plan the overthrow of the government. / Word Form: caballer

cacophony (n) harsh, jarring sound / On the first day of school, the band’s output was a cacophony of trumpets and horns / Word Forms: cacophonic, cacophonous, cacophonously / PS+RO

cajole (vb) to influence by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering / Caleb cajoled his mother into letting him borrow the car by telling her how young and pretty she looked today. / Word Forms: cajolement, cajolingly, cajolery, cajoler

callous (adj) insensitive; emotionally hardened / The senator’s callous indifference to the suffering of the people in the war-torn country cost him reelection. / Word Forms: callously, callousness

calumny (n) a false statement intended to harm someone’s reputation / Callie delivered the calumny about Brittany to an audience in the cafeteria. / Word Forms: calumniate, calumniation, calumnious, calumniously, calumniatory, calumniator / PS+RO

canard (n) false story or rumor / The belief that Napoleon was short is a canard; he was actually 5'7", an above average height for a Frenchman in 1800.

canon noun / a general law, rule, principle, or criterion by which something is judged. / "the appointment violated the canon of equal opportunity" / a collection or list of sacred books accepted as genuine. / "the formation of the biblical canon" / PS+RO

cantankerous (adj) ill-tempered and unwilling to cooperate / The cantankerous old man took the little boy’s sucker and refused to give it back. / Word Forms: cantankerously, cantankerousness

capricious (adj) apt to change suddenly / Cane’s capricious personality made him a fun friend but a terrible boss. / Word Forms: capriciously, capriciousness, caprice / PS+RO

cartographer (n) a person who makes maps / Amerigo Vespucci was one of the first cartographers to create a map of North America. / Word Forms: cartography, cartograph, cartographic, cartographical, cartographically

castigate (vb) to criticize or punish severely / Cassie was castigated by her parents and the school principal for her role in the cheating scam. / Word Forms: castigation, castigative, castigatory, castigator / PS+RO

cataclysm (n) a violent upheaval / The political uprising against the dictator is a cataclysm that will hopefully result in a more democratic regime. / Word Forms: cataclysmic, cataclysmically, cataclysmal

cathartic (adj) inducing a release of tense emotions / Painting was a cathartic exercise for Cathy; through her paintings she was able to release anger and fear. / Word Forms: cathartically, catharticalness

catholic (adj) universal; liberal / Cathy had very catholic tastes, enjoying a wide array of food and drink. / Word Forms: catholically, catholicly, catholicalness, catholicness

caustic (adj) burning or stinging / Cosette's caustic remark stung Kent; he could handle criticism about his job, but her bitter words were personal. / Word Forms: caustically, causticly, causticness, causticity / PS+RO

cavalier (n) a man who is chivalrous and gallant / The young cavalier was rewarded for his gallant behavior when he was chosen to escort the princess to the ball. / Word Forms: cavalier (adj.), cavalierly, cavalierness, cavalierism

censure (n) strong disapproval / High school teachers voiced their censure of the new novel due to mature themes and profanity. / Word Forms: censurer, censureless / PS+RO

charlatan (n) a person who falsely claims to possess skills or knowledge; an imposter / The charlatan tricked the unsuspecting customers. / Word Forms: charlatanic, charlatanish, charlatanical, charlatanically, charlatanistic, charlatanry, charlatanism

chary (adj) cautious; timid; choosy / Charlie was chary of sitting on the wobbly chair; he was afraid it would break under his weight. / Word Form: charily

chicanery (n) the use of tricks to deceive someone / The con artist relied on chicanery to get his victims to reveal their Social Security numbers. / Word Forms: chicane, chicaner / PS+RO

churlish (adj) rude and vulgar/ Cheryl did not think the man’s churlish jokes were appropriate, and asked that he apologize for his vulgarity. / Word Forms: churlishly, churlishness, churl

circumlocution (n) an indirect way of expressing something / Sergio hoped that his circumlocution would stall the reporters long enough to think of a better answer to their question. / Word Forms: circumlocutory, circumlocutorily, circumlocutional, circumlocutionary

circumscribed (adj) restricted / Her driving privileges are circumscribed by the state; she is only allowed to drive at night if she is returning from work. / Word Forms: circumscribable, circumscriber

circumspect (adj) cautious; discreet / Given the recent theft of passwords, you need to be circumspect when sharing personal information on the internet. / Word Forms: circumspectly, circumspectness

clandestine (adj) secret / The administrators held clandestine meetings about the new uniform policy. / Word Forms: clandestinely, clandestineness, clandestinity

cloying (adj) wearying through excess / Her perfume smelled sweet at first but became cloying after sitting in the car with her for an hour. / Word Forms: cloy, cloyingly

coalesce (vb) to blend into one / The two streams coalesced into a river. / Word Forms: coalescence, coalescent / PS+RO

coffer (n) a box for storing valuables; funds / Keifer depleted the organizations coffers, but his plan was to replenish the funds. / Word Form: cofferlike

cogent (adj) convincing; telling / Craig presents a cogent argument through sound evidence and logical conclusions. / Word Forms: cogency, cogently / PS+RO

collusion a secret agreement; conspiracy / The founding fathers worked in collusion to revolt against the British government. / Word Forms: collusive, collusively, collusory

conciliate (vb) to win over; to make peace / The manager was able to conciliate the angry customer by offering her a fifty dollar gift certificate. / Word Forms: conciliable, conciliation, conciliatory, conciliatorily, conciliatoriness

concomitant (adj) existing or occurring at the same time / Building a home can be an exciting process, but it also has concomitant stress associated with difficult decisions. / Word Forms: concomitant (n.), concomitantly, concomitance

conflagration (n) a destructive fire / The fire department determined that the conflagration in the old warehouse was a result of faulty wiring. / Word Forms: conflagrative, conflagrate, conflagrant

conspicuous (adj) obvious / The realtor put the “For Sale” sign in a conspicuous spot in the front yard so that people in traffic could easily see it. / Word Forms: conspicuously, conspicuousness, conspicuity

consummate (adj) perfect and complete / Constantine is the consummate host. / Word Forms: consummate (vb.), consummately, consummatory, consummation, consummator

contrite (adj) feeling guilty and remorseful / The contrite criminal broke into sobs as he apologized to the victim’s family for the suffering he had caused. / Word Forms: contritely, contriteness, contrition / PS+RO

contumacious (adj) willfully disobedient / The contumacious convict spat at the judge and refused to acknowledge his sentence. / Word Forms: contumaciously, contumaciousness, contumacity

convoluted (adj) complicated / Connor was unable to finish the seventeenth-century novel due to the convoluted language of the period. / Word Forms: convolutedly, convolutedness / PS+RO

corpulent (adj) excessively fat / The corpulent man purchased two adjacent airline seats in order to have a more comfortable flight. / Word Forms: corpulently, corpulence, corpulency

corroborate (vb) to confirm or support with evidence / Coral’s thesis was corroborated by three supporting paragraphs. / Word Forms: corroborated, corroboration, corroborative, corroboratively, corroboratory, corroborant, corroborator

cosset (vb) to pamper / Cossette cosseted the puppy, providing him with diamond collars, caviar dinners, and doggy massages. / Word Form: cosseted

coterie (n) an exclusive group of people; a clique / The town's wealthiest socialites formed a coterie and few people were able to gain entrance to the circle.

craven (adj) cowardly / Rather than face her landlord and explain the damage to the house, the craven tenant packed up and moved in the night. / Word Forms: craven (n), cravenly, cravenness / PS+RO

crescendo (n) peak of growth / The cheers in the audience reached a crescendo when the concert headliner was introduced.

culpable (adj) worthy of blame / The jury found the suspect culpable for the break-ins. / Word Forms: culpability, culpableness, culpably

cumbersome (adj) clumsy, awkward, and heavy / The old television set was cumbersome, making it difficult to move into the other room. / Word Forms: cumbersomely, cumbersomeness

cupidity (n) excessive greed / Cullen's downfall was his cupidity; he couldn't walk away with the money he had already embezzled and was caught when he went back for more. / Word Form: cupidinous

curmudgeon (n) cranky, difficult person / The old curmudgeon complained about every part of his meal. / Word Form: curmudgeonly

cynical (adj) distrusting and pessimistic / Cyndi’s cynical attitude made it hard for her to believe in anyone’s good intentions. / Word Forms: cynically, cynicism, cynic

dalliance (n) the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working / Dalton’s dalliance at the basketball court kept him from working on the term paper that was due tomorrow. / Word Forms: dally, dallyingly, dallier

daunt (vb) to cause to lose courage / Don had finally worked up the courage to ride the roller coaster when he was daunted by the pale faces of the riders who had just completed the ride. / Word Forms: dauntingly, dauntingness

dearth (n) a lack in supply / During the Second World War, the dearth of male baseball players led to the creation of a women’s baseball league.

debunk (vb) to prove untrue / The reporter debunked the urban legend about the witch in the woods by revealing wild goats as the sources of the noises. / Word Form: debunker

debutante (n) a young woman making her debut into society / The debutantes were introduced at a formal ball, after which they were considered members of the aristocratic society.

declivity (n) a downward slope / The backyard's declivity caused rainwater to wash down it, creating a pool of standing water at the bottom of the slope. / Word Forms: declivitous, declivous, declivent

decorous (adj) proper and dignified / The decorous host made sure that she had proper table settings; each was arranged correctly for the five-course meal. / Word Forms: decorously, decorousness

deject (vb) to lower someone’s spirits; make downhearted / The news of her father’s declining condition dejected Denise, as she had been sure his health was starting to improve. / Word Forms: dejected (adj.), dejectedly, dejectedness, dejectory, dejection

deleterious (adj) harmful / The deleterious effects of cigarette smoking, such as lung cancer, are highlighted in the public service campaign. / Word Forms: deleteriously, deleteriousness

delineate (vb) describe or portray (something) precisely. / "the law should delineate and prohibit behavior that is socially abhorrent" / Word Forms: delineable, delineative, delineation, delineament, delineatory, delineator / PS+RO

demagogue (n) a political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions and prejudices / Hitler was a demagogue who gained power by exploiting religious prejudices in Germany. / Word Forms: demagoguery, demagogism, demagogic, demagogical, demagogically

demarcate (vb) to set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something / The twins demarcated the room after their fight; Demarcus was only allowed access to the right side of their room, while Demonte had to stay on the left side. / Word Forms: demarcation, demarcator

demur (vb) to object / I was surprised when my father did not demur to me attending the rival college of his alma mater. / Word Forms: demurrable, demurral, demurrer / PS+RO

denigrate (vb) to damage the reputation of / The candidate hoped to denigrate his opponent’s character by exposing the embezzlement scandal. / Word Forms: denigration, denigrative, denigratory, denigrator / PS+RO

derelict (n) a person without a home, job, or property / The derelict spent his days begging on the street corner and his nights sleeping in the alley. / Word Forms: derelict (adj.), derelictly, derelictness, dereliction

deride (vb) to ridicule / The unsupportive team captain derided Desiree’s attempts to make the volleyball squad. / Word Forms: deridingly, derision, derisive, derisible, derider / PS+RO

derivative (n) something that came from an original / The Pilates exercise system is a derivative of the ancient Indian practice of yoga. / Word Forms: derivative (adj.), derivatively, derivativeness, derive, derivation / PS+RO

desiccate (vb) to dry up / When the flowers in my bouquet desiccate, I can preserve them as dried flowers. / Word Forms: desiccation, desiccative, desiccated, desiccator / PS+RO

despoiler (n) a person who steals goods / The despoilers from the pirate ship stripped the village members of all their possessions. / Word Forms: despoil, despoilment

despot (n) a ruler with complete power / The despot was a harsh ruler who imposed outrageous taxes and unreasonable upon against his subjects. / Word Forms: despotic, despotical, despotically, despotism

destitute (adj) completely wanting or lacking (usually money, food, and shelter) / The homeless man wasn’t always destitute; he once had a job, but poor money management led to bankruptcy. / Word Forms: destitutely, destituteness, destitution

desultory (adj) disconnected and random / People wondered about Desiree's mental state when her conversation turned desultory; she jumped from topic to topic with seemingly no connection. / Word Forms: desultorily, desultoriness, desultorious / PS+RO

diaphanous (adj) sheer; nearly translucent / Daphne would be wise to wear a slip under that diaphanous skirt. / Word Forms: diaphanously, diaphanousness, diaphaneity

diatribe (n) bitter criticism; verbal attack / It was clear from Diana's diatribes against her mother that their relationship was beyond repair. / Word Form: diatribist / PS+RO

dictum (n) a formal statement / The president released a dictum forbidding texting while at work.

didactic (adj) educational / The children’s book is not only entertaining, but also didactic; the story teaches the dietary habits of marine animals. / Word Forms: didactical, didactically, didacticism, didact / PS+RO

diffident (adj) shy; reserved / Daphne was diffident when she first made the team, but by the end of the season, she was clearly a leader on the court. / Word Forms: diffidently, diffidenness, diffidence / PS+RO

dilatory (adj) intending to delay / Dillon asked nearly twenty dilatory questions at the start of class in an attempt to postpone the scheduled math test. / Word Forms: dilatorily, dilatoriness

dilettante (n) a person who engages in an activity (such as art) without serious intentions or inquiry / Although Dylan started painting, he was merely a dilettante; his paintings were amateur attempts at a part-time hobby. / PS+RO

dirge (n) a funeral song / As the dirge played, mournful cries could be heard throughout the funeral. / Word Forms: dirgeful / PS+RO

disabuse (vb) to free someone from false ideas / Dixon believed tomatoes were vegetables but I disabused him of that idea when I revealed they are actually fruits. / Word Form: disabusal / PS+RO

discern (vb) to perceive or understand with sight or other senses / The captain discerned another ship in the fog. / Word Forms: discernible, discernibly, discernment, discernibility, discernableness, discerner / PS+RO

disdain (n) a lack of respect accompanied by a feeling of intense dislike / The suspect was looked upon with disdain by the detectives who investigated the terrible crime. / Word Forms: disdain (vb.), disdainful, disdainfully, disdainfulness

disenfranchise (vb) to deprive of voting rights / American citizens who are convicted of a felony are disenfranchised, losing their right to vote in any election. / Word Forms: disenfranchisement, disfranchise

disillusion (vb) to free from false beliefs / As a young politician, Dane believed he could stop the corruption that ran through the government, but he was quickly disillusioned by its extent. / Word Forms: disillusionment, disillusive, disillusionize, disillusionist

disingenuous (adj) insincere / Denise’s disingenuous apology was just an attempt to get out of her punishment; she was not truly sorry for going to the concert without permission. / Word Forms: disingenuously, disingenuousness, disingenuity

disparage (vb) to belittle or criticize / My mom’s feelings were hurt when I disparaged her cooking skills. / Word Forms: disparagement, disparaging (adj.), disparagingly, disparager / PS+RO

disparate (adj) different and distinct / The mixture of three disparate styles—jazz, rock, and country—created a unique sound and a diverse audience. / Word Forms: disparately, disparateness / PS+RO

dissemble (v) conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs. / "an honest, sincere person with no need to dissemble" / PS+RO

disseminate (vb) to spread widely / The police hoped the information about the suspect would disseminate quickly; the more people who knew, the better chances of apprehending the wanted man. Word Forms: dissemination, disseminative, disseminator / PS+RO

dissonance (n) 1. lack of agreement / the dissonance between the truth and what people want to believe / 2. a mingling of sounds that strike the ear harshly : a mingling of discordant sounds / PS+RO

distaff (n) the female part of a family / Driving skills clearly fell on the distaff side of the family; the ladies had clean driving records but the men had sixteen traffic tickets among them.

dither (vb) to be indecisive / Dillon dithered on whether to go to business school or law school. / Word Forms: ditherer, dithery

diurnal (adj) daily; daytime / Humans are diurnal creatures, so working the night shift can disrupt our natural sleep rhythms. / Word Forms: diurnally, diurnalness

divert (vb) to turn away from a course / Traffic was diverted through side streets in order to avoid an accident on the main road. / Word Forms: divertedly, diversion, divertible

divine (vb) to predict using supernatural means / Devina asked the psychic to divine her future using the crystal ball. / Word Forms: divinable, divinely, divineness, divination, divinator

doctrinaire (adj) impractical; insistent about one's own theory / The doctor believed that the lack of exercise was the single cause of high blood pressure and was doctrinaire in his inability to accept genetic factors. / Word Forms: doctrinaire (n), doctrinairism

dogmatic (adj) characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles / The dogmatic scientist continued to publish his theory, despite the fact that it was unproven. / Word Forms: dogmatically, dogmaticalness, dogmatize, dogmatism, dogmatist

draconian (adj) harsh and severe / In the novel, the king used draconian forms of punishment—such as torture or starvation—on any one caught plotting against the monarchy. / Word Forms: draconic, draconically

droll (adj) amusing; comical / The droll little man amused the children with his odd gait and his quaint way of speaking. / Word Forms: drollness, drolly, drollery

dubious (adj) doubtful; questionable / The candidate’s dubious past came back to haunt her in the election. / Word Forms: dubiously, dubiousness, dubitable

dupe (vb) to deceive / Dupree was duped into investing in the scam. / Word Forms: dupe (n), dupable, dupability, duper, dupery / PS+RO

dyspeptic (adj) irritable and gloomy / Dyson was dyspeptic about his acceptance into business school; everyone tried to cheer him up, but he was convinced he would be rejected. / Word Forms: dyspeptically

earnest (adj) serious; sincere / The earnest student took the SAT seriously; he bought several study guides, and dedicated two hours a day to practice. / Word Forms: earnestly, earnestness

ebullient (adj) extremely excited or enthusiastic / The ebullient child clapped her hands and jumped up and down as she waited to ride the pony at the party. / Word Forms: ebulliently, ebullience / PS+RO

eclectic (adj) made up of choices from diverse sources / Mrs. Eckert has an eclectic music collection; her albums span from classic jazz to hip hop to disco. / Word Forms: eclectically, eclecticist / PS+RO

edify (vb) to benefit by instruction / The art teacher edified his students by taking them to a premier art gallery to teach about painting techniques. / Word Forms: edifier, edifyingly, edifying, reedify

efficacy (n) the ability to produce a desired or intended result. / "there is little information on the efficacy of this treatment" / PS+RO

effigy (n) a representation of someone / The mayor's effigy was unveiled as a sculpture in the park, erected to honor his lifelong service. / Word Form: effigial

effrontery (n) shameless boldness / She had the effrontery to imply that I was pregnant when in fact I had just gained some weight.

effusive (adj) excessive enthusiasm or emotion / Effie’s effusive praise was so excessive and over-the-top that it almost seemed insincere. / Word Forms: effusively, effusiveness

egalitarian (adj) characterized by the belief in equal rights for all people / Edgar’s egalitarian beliefs made him an excellent husband. / Word Forms: egalitarian (n.), egalitarianism, egality

egregious (adj) outrageously bad or offensive / Edie made the egregious mistake of asking the slightly overweight woman if she were expecting a baby. / Word Forms: egregiously, egregiousness

elegy (n) a sad poem or song / "To An Athlete Dying Young" is a heartbreaking elegy written by A. E. Housman. / Word Forms: elegize, elegist / PS+RO

elicit (vb) to call or bring out / The woman elicits sympathy from her audience by telling the story of her difficult childhood. / Word Forms: elicitation, elicitor / PS+RO

eloquent (adj) expressing oneself powerfully and effectively / The minister’s eloquent sermon stirred the members of the church. / Word Forms: eloquently, eloquence / PS+RO

elucidate (vb) to make clear by explanation / The story in the newspaper elucidated some of the details of the mystery that had previously raised questions. / Word Forms: elucidation, elucidative, elucidatory, elucidator

embroil (vb) to bring into an argument or negative situation / Emory is embroiled in a lawsuit with his former landlord over the condition of the apartment when he moved out. / Word Forms: embroilment, embroiler

eminent (adj) distinguished and prominent / The eminent professor has taught at distinguished colleges, which is why he is such a remarkable addition to the faculty. / Word Forms: eminently, eminence / PS+RO

emissary (n) a person sent on a mission to represent the interests of someone else / The general sent an emissary to the enemy’s cap to inquire about the terms of surrender. / Related Words: emission, emissive, emit

emollient (n) that which has a softening or soothing effect, especially to the skin / Emmaline applied an emollient lotion to the rough calluses on her hands. / Word Form: emollient (adj.), emollience

empirical (adj) based on, concerned with, or verifiable by observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic. / "they provided considerable empirical evidence to support their argument" / PS+RO

emulate (vb) to imitate in order to match or excel / Emily hoped to emulate her older sister’s success on the tennis court. / Word Forms: emulative, emulatively, emulation, emulator / PS+RO

encomium (n) high praise / The chairwoman delivered an encomium about Enzo before introducing him as the employee of the month. / Word Form: encomia

endemic (adj) natural to a local area / Fire ants are endemic to the southeastern coastal plains, but they have started to migrate to the interior. / Word Forms: endemically, endemism

enervated (adj) lacking strength or vigor / After an entire weekend of moving furniture, Enrico was enervated; he would need to rest to get his strength back. / Word Forms: enervate (vb.), enervation, enervative, enervator / PS+RO

engender (vb) to cause or give rise to / Divorce can engender feelings of anger, loss, and powerlessness. / Word Forms: engenderer, engenderment / PS+RO

enigma (n) a puzzle / The dog’s escape from the pen is an enigma; no one can figure out how she broke out of the locked enclosure. / Word Forms: enigmata (plural), enigmatic, enigmatical, enigmatically

ennui (n) boredom / The monotony of my job produces utter ennui.

enumerate (vb) to count; to name one by one / The blog enumerated the top five study tips for the GRE. / Word Forms: enumerative, enumerator, enumerable

ephemeral (adj) lasting a very short time / Effie’s sadness over her breakup is ephemeral; she will quickly find a new boyfriend to help her forget the last. / Word Forms: ephemeral (n.), ephemerally, ephemeralness, ephemerality, ephemerous, ephemeron / PS+RO

epicure (n) a person with refined tastes, particularly of food and wine / The reality show features several epicures judging the cooking skills of America's best chefs. / Word Forms: epicurean, epicureous, epicurism

epistolary (adj) relating to letters / The couple has an epistolary relationship; although they have never met, they communicate regularly through letters. / Word Forms: epistle, epistolatory, epistolic, epistolical, epistolize, epistoler, epistolist

equanimity (n) steadiness of mind under stress / Eva made an excellent emergency room doctor because she handled trauma with equanimity; she was clear-headed during the most stressful situations. / Word Forms: equanimous, equanimously, equanimousness

equivocal (adj) uncertain; open to multiple interpretations / The politician’s equivocal statement about the environment could support either side of the issue. / Word Forms: equivocality, equivocacy, equivocally, equivocalness

ersatz (adj) artificial; serving to substitute / Aspertame is an ersatz sugar that has caused a lot of controversy in recent years.

erudition (n) knowledge gained from study / Erik’s erudition is sure to help him win a lot of money on the trivia-based quiz show. / Word Forms: eruditional, erudite, eruditely, eruditeness / PS+RO

eschew (vb) to avoid; to shun / Attempting to follow a low carb diet, Essie eschewed all foods containing sugar. / Word Forms: eschewal, eschewer / PS+RO

esoteric (adj) intended for a select group of people; secret or confidential / Esteban was a member of an esoteric club, whose membership consisted strictly of men over fifty who lived in the city. / Word Forms: esoterically, esotericism, esotericist / PS+RO

espouse (vb) to adopt or marry (such as an idea or cause) / Although Esmerelda had never practiced a formal religion, she espoused her fiancé’s faith in order to join his church. / Word Forms: espousal, espouser

ethos (n) the spirit or attitude of a group / The ethos of 4-H is education resulting in positive change for the community.

eulogy (n) a formal expression of praise (often delivered at funerals) / The director delivered a eulogy about the center’s most helpful volunteer, praising her for helping the needy. / Word Forms: eulogize, eulogist / PS+RO

euphemism (n) an inoffensive word or phrase used in place of one that is hurtful or harsh / In the hospital's yearly report, the euphemism "negative patient outcome" is used instead of "death."

euphony (n) pleasant sound / When the orchestra started to play, a euphony ensued that made audience members smile. / Word Forms: euphonize, euphonious, euphoniously, euphoniousness

evanescent (adj) vanishing / Many people believe that youth is evanescent, quickly vanishing before it can be truly appreciated. / Word Forms: evanescently, evanesce, evanescence

exacerbate (vb) make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse. / "the exorbitant cost of land in urban areas only exacerbated the problem" / Word Forms: exacerbatingly, exacerbation / PS+RO

exasperate (vb) to intensely irritate / The airline passenger was exasperated by the last minute cancellation of his flight. / Note: exasperate is often confused with exacerbate (meaning to increase).

exculpate (vb) to clear from blame / The arson suspect was exculpated when forensics revealed that the fire had been the result of faulty wiring. / Word Forms: exculpable, exculpation, exculpatory / PS+RO

exegesis (n) an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of the Bible) / The minister delivered an exegesis on the first two books of the Bible. / Word Forms: exegetic, exegetical, exegetically, exegete, exegetist

exigent (adj) urgent; demanding / This is an exigent matter: if you don't reach the client in time, we stand to lose millions of dollars. / Word Forms: exigently, exigence / PS+RO

exonerate (vb) to clear from blame / The use of DNA helped exonerate the innocent man; twenty years after he was sent to prison, he was released. / Word Forms: exoneration, exonerative, exonerator / PS+RO

exorbitant (adj) greatly exceeding bounds of reason or moderation / I am forced to stop shopping at that grocery store until the owners lower the exorbitant prices on meats and produce. / Word Forms: exorbitantly, exorbitance

expatriate (n) a person who lives outside his own country, often to renounce allegiance / The little village in Costa Rica is filled with American expatriates who moved there for a more relaxed lifestyle. / Word Forms: expatriate (vb.), expatriation

explicate (v) analyze and develop (an idea or principle) in detail. / "attempting to explicate the relationship between crime and economic forces" / PS+RO

explicit (adj) clearly expressed or demonstrated / Mr. Jones left explicit directions for the substitute so he was surprised when they were not followed. / Word Forms: explicitly, explicitness

exponent (n) one who explains or interprets / The teacher was an exponent of turn of the century literature, explaining the themes that populated novels at that time. / Word Forms: exponent (adj), exponential, exponentially

expurgate (vb) to revise by removing offensive text; to purify by cleansing / Recent versions of Huckleberry Finn have been expurgated to remove racial slurs and references. / Word Forms: expurgated, expurgation, expurgator

extemporaneous (adj) done without advance preparation / I was not expecting to be called to the stage, so I gave an extemporaneous speech. / Word Forms: extemporary, extemporaneity, extemporaneously, extemporarily, extemporaneousness, extemporariness

extol (vb) to praise highly / The critic extolled the works of Shakespeare, citing them as the most important contribution to the English language. / Word Forms: extollingly, extolment, extoller

extraneous (adj) not relevant or essential / When studying for the SAT, be sure to ignore the extraneous information in the book, such as the history of the test. / Word Forms: extraneously, extraneousness / PS+RO

exuberant (adj) overflowing, especially with joy / The young wife was exuberant when her husband returned safely from the military after a year-long tour of duty. / Word Forms: exuberantly, exuberance, exuberate

facetious (adj) treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant. / "a facetious remark" / Word Forms: facetiously, facetiousness / PS+RO

fallacy (n) a false idea / Many textbooks teach the fallacy that George Washington cut down a cherry tree; it is widely believed that an author made up that story to increase the sales of his book. / Word Forms: fallacious, fallaciously, fallaciousness / PS+RO

fallible (adj) capable of making a mistake / Fallon knew that her boyfriend was fallible, but she was still disappointed to learn that he had lied to her. / Word Forms: fallibly, fallibility, fallibleness

fallow (adj) not in use / The fallow field had not been used for crops in over a decade so the farmer had to till and aerate the soil. / Word Forms: fallowness

fastidious (adj) 1. very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail. / "he chooses his words with fastidious care" / 2. very concerned about matters of cleanliness. / PS+RO

fatuous (adj) foolish and silly / The professor made a fatuous argument that everyone dismissed due to its extreme foolishness. / Word Forms: fatuously, fatuousness

fawn (vb) to seek attention through flattery / The associate fawned over his supervisor in an attempt to receive a raise. / Word Forms: fawner, fawningly, fawningness

fecund (adj) productive; fruitful / The fecund field has been producing record-setting crops for many years. / Word Forms: fecundity, fecundate, fecundator, fecundatory

felicity pleasing and appropriate style; happiness / The book review highlighted both the felicities and the imperfections of the novel. / Word Forms: felicitous, felicitously, felicitousness

fervid (adj) hot or passionate / The fervid senator fought passionately for victim's rights. / Word Forms: fervidity, fervidly, fervidness

fetid (adj) stinky; smelling of decay / I hated turning the compost pile because of its fetid smell. / Word Forms: fetidly, fetidness, fetidity

flippant (adj) disrespectful; lacking seriousness / Floyd was grounded for making flippant remarks about the new rules his father set for him. / Word Forms: flippantly, flippantness, flippancy

flotsam (n) floating wreckage or useless, discarded items / In the filthy city, the gullies are filled with flotsam that finds its way into the sewer after a heavy rain.

foible (n) a minor flaw or weakness of character / Foster’s only foible is his inability to make a decision.

fomentation (n) a push for trouble or rebellion / The juniors would not have participated in skip day if it weren’t for the fomentation of their senior friends. / Word Forms: foment, fomenter

foppish (adj) affecting extreme elegance in dress and manner / The foppish fellow wore a three piece suit and a top hat to the wedding. / Word Forms: foppishly, foppishness, foppery, fop

ford (n) a shallow portion of a river used for crossing / Pioneers often would travel miles out of their way in order to find a ford that would allow them to safely cross a river. / Word Forms: ford (vb), fordable

formidable (adj) causing fear due to powerful strength / Forrest is a formidable opponent on the tennis court; he has not lost a set in his last twenty games. Word Forms: formidably, formidableness, formidabilty

fortuitous (adj) fortunate; by chance / Getting stuck in an elevator with a head hunter on my way to a job interview turned out to be a fortuitous event. / Word Forms: fortuitously, fortuitousness, fortuity / PS+RO

foster (vb) to encourage or care for / The arts foundation hopes to foster art education in the schools by donating supplies and materials. / Word Forms: fostered (adj.), fosteringly, fosterer

fractious (adj) unruly; irritable / Fido was a fractious dog who refused to cooperate even after months of obedience classes. / Word Forms: fractiously, fractiousness

frenetic (adj) frantic / The castaways were frenetic in waving down the rescue plane. / Word Forms: frenetically, frenetical

frivolous (adj) not serious; silly / The author’s new novel is a frivolous look at life in the city; although it lacks the serious tones of his previous novels, it’s a fun and enjoyable story. / Word Forms: frivolously, frivolousness, frivolity, frivol, frivoler

frugal (adj) characterized by the avoidance of excessive spending / A frugal shopper will always wait for items to go on sale or clearance before purchasing them. / Word Forms: frugally, frugalness, frugality / PS+RO

fulminate (vb) to explode loudly or to loudly pronounce / Phil was angry at his boss and fulminated his frustrations to his coworkers at lunch. / Word Forms: fulminator, fulminatory, fulmination

furtive (adj) sneaky / Frank devised a furtive plan in which he would sneak onto the rival’s campus and steal their school flag. / Word Forms: furtively, furtiveness

gambol (n) to skip and frolic / Grandma was a fun friend; she gamboled through the field with me, collecting flowers and chasing butterflies.

garner (vb) to earn or to collect / Garrett garnered a reputation as a fierce lawyer after winning the trial amid national scrutiny.

garrulous (adj) excessively talkative or wordy / The garrulous hairdresser talked the entire time he cut my hair. / Word Forms: garrulously, garrulousness, garrulity / PS+RO

genial (adj) polite and friendly / It’s important for a kindergarten teacher to be genial; young children respond positively to a friendly adult. / Word Forms: genially, genialness, geniality

germane (adj) related to; relevant / I have some ideas germane to the discussion that might resolve some of the issues we are having. / Word Forms: germanely, germaneness / PS+RO

glib (adj) fluent and talkative, often insincerely so / The glib salesman promised me that the car had been inspected, but the transmission blew two days after I bought it. / Word Forms: glibly, glibness / PS+RO

glower (vb) to stare with dislike or anger / Mr. Glover glowered at me after I walked on his flowers. / Word Form: gloweringly

gradation (n) gradual or successive changes / The bumble bee can see subtle gradations in color that humans are unable to notice. / Word Forms: gradational, gradationally

gratuitous (adj) free; given without reason / On Monday, our supervisor announced that all employees were receiving two gratuitous tickets to this weekend’s concert. / Word Forms: gratuitously, gratuitousness, gratuity

gregarious (adj) sociable / Greg is a gregarious student who finds it difficult to avoid socializing during class. / Word Forms: gregariously, gregariousness / PS+RO

grievous (adj) causing grief or very serious / During the war, families feared news from a grievous telegram indicating that their loved one had been injured or killed. / Word Forms: grievously, grievousness

grovel (vb) lowering oneself as in asking forgiveness or showing respect / Grover groveled for forgiveness from his mother after he broke her favorite vase. / Word Forms: groveler, grovelingly

guile (n) sly or cunning intelligence. / "he used all his guile and guts to free himself from the muddle he was in" / PS

gustatory (adj) relating to the sense of taste / The restaurant provides a gustatory experience by offering skewers of beef, pork, and poultry marinated in exotic oils. / Word Forms: gustatorily, gustation, gustative, gustativeness

hackneyed (adj) repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse / Instead of relying on hackneyed clichés in your essay, try to create original metaphors and similes. / Word Form: hackney (vb.) / PS+RO

halcyon (adj) joyful, peaceful, or prosperous / During the company’s halcyon days, the employees were making higher than average wages and enjoying benefits unmatched by other corporations. / Word Forms: halcyonian, halcyonic

hapless (adj) unlucky / The hapless fellow was in a car accident on the same day he lost the winning lottery ticket. / Word Forms: haplessly, haplessness

harangue (n) 1. a speech addressed to a public assembly / listening to his capacious harangue and its immaculate delivery / 2. a ranting speech or writing / emotional and frequently violent harangues / PS+RO

hedonist (n) a person dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure / After working for years as a hospice nurse, Heidi had no respect for the hedonist who lived next door. / Word Forms: hedonist (adj.), hedonistic, hedonistically, hedonism, hedonic / PS+RO

hegemony (n) leadership or dominance / The country exerted its hegemony over the smaller territories. / Word Forms: hegemonic, hegemonical

heretical (adj) characteristic of an opinion at odds with accepted beliefs / Many people in the church believe the heretical teaching of evolution should be banned. / Word Forms: heresy, heretic, heretically, hereticalness

hermetic (adj) isolated and protected / Many of the sea islands were hermetic during the Civil War, making them a safe place for runaway slaves to hide. / Word Forms: hermetical, hermetically

histrionic (adj) overly dramatic / The histrionic patient pretended to faint when he saw the needle used for the vaccination. / Word Forms: histrionic (n.), histrionics, histrionical, histrionically

hoary (adj) old or stale / Harry tells the same hoary stories at every dinner party. / Word Forms: hoarily, hoariness

hubris (n) pride; arrogance / If pride goes before a fall, hubris goes before a downfall. / Word Form: hubristic

husband (vb) to manage wisely or thriftily / Henry husbanded his finances so that he would have plenty to live on in retirement. / Word Form: husbander

iconoclast (n) a person who who attacks cherished ideas or traditional institutions / Many religious leaders accused the author of being an iconoclast. / Word Forms: iconoclastic, iconoclastically, iconoclasm / PS+RO

idiosyncrasy (n) a characteristic that is peculiar to a specific person / Some people found Ida’s idiosyncrasy a source of humor, but I never made fun of her for wearing her shirt backwards. / Word Forms: idiosyncratic, idiosyncratically

idolatrous (adj) great adoration / The young girl's idolatrous worship of the teen heartthrob began to worry her mother. / Word Forms: idolatry, idolatrously, idolatrousness

ignoble (adj) dishonorable; common / Your ignoble behavior at the dinner party will keep you off of invitation lists in the future. / Word Forms: ignobility, ignobleness, ignobly

ignominious (adj) disgraceful and shameful / Izzy’s ignominious crime brought shame and embarrassment to her entire family. / Word Forms: ignominiously, ignominiousness, ignominy

illusory (adj) creating illusions; deceiving / The illusory sweepstakes isn’t really a contest at all. / Word Forms: illusorily, illusoriness, illusive

imbue (vb) to inspire / After the seminar, our supervisor was imbued with the teachings of the keynote speaker, a management expert. / Word Form: imbuement

immutable (adj) unchangeable / We are born with some immutable characteristics, such as race, gender, height, and eye color. / Word Forms: immutability, immutableness, immutably / PS+RO

impasse (n) blocked progress; deadlock / We came to an impasse in our discussion about our wedding colors; we both refused to compromise.

impecunious (adj) poor / In less than a year, Imogen had lost all of her money, going from a wealthy businesswoman to a impecunious beggar. / Word Forms: impecuniously, impecuniousness, impecuniosity

imperturbable (adj) calm; incapable of agitation / Imelda had imperturbable composure, which is why she was selected to tackle the nerve-wracking feat. / Word Forms: imperturbability, imperturbableness, imperturbably / PS+RO

impervious (adj) not capable of being affected / Ima was impervious to Jack’s insults; nothing he said seemed to affect her. / Word Forms: imperviously, imperviousness, imperviable

impetuous (adj) impulsive / While at the airshow to see old war planes, Ivan made an impetuous decision to go skydiving. / Word Forms: impetuously, impetuousness, impetuosity

impious (adj) lacking respect or devotion, usually for a god or religion / Imogene had a difficult time convincing her impious husband to attend church with the family. / Word Forms: impiously, impiousness

implacable (adj) incapable of being pacified or appeased / Inez was so upset at the waiter that she became omplacable; nothing the manager offered was going to make her happy. / Word Forms: implacability, implacableness, implacably / PS+RO

implicit (adj) implied though not directly expressed / Although we never mentioned the fight, there seemed to be an implicit agreement not to talk about it. / Word Forms: implicitly, implicitness, implicity / PS+RO

imprecation (n) a curse / The old woman dabbled in voodoo, and was known for casting imprecations on her enemies. / Word Forms: imprecate, imprecator, imprecatory

impugn (vb) to attack as false or wrong / The candidate impugned his opponent’s voting record, proving that she had voted against reform she now supports. / Word Forms: impugnable, impugnability, impugnment, impugner

impute (vb) to attribute or credit to / The doctors imputed her sudden weight loss to a problem with her thyroid gland. / Word Forms: imputable, imputably, imputative, imputatively, imputativeness, imputedly, imputer

incarnadine (adj) red or pink; flesh-colored / For Valentine's Day, I gave my girlfriend incarnadine carnations since red is the color of love and passion. / Word Form: incarnadine (vb)

inchoate (adj) in the early stages of development / Your inchoate plan for the fund-raiser has a lot of potential, but we need to discuss some details before moving forward. / Word Forms: inchoately, inchoateness, inchoation, inchoative, inchoatively / PS+RO

incipient (adj) beginning; just starting / The zinc lozenges will help an incipient cold, but do nothing for a well-established virus. / Word Forms: incipiently, incipience, incipiency

incontrovertible (adj) unquestionable; impossible to deny / Protesters demanded the release of the imprisoned woman, saying there was incontrovertible proof of her innocence. / Word Forms: incontrovertibly, incontrovertibility, incontrovertibleness

incorrigible (adj) incapable of being corrected or punished / The incorrigible child continued to throw his vegetables even after the mother threatened to send him to his room. / Word Forms: incorrigibly, incorrigibleness, incorrigibility

incredulous (adj) skeptical; not willing to believe / The incredulous car buyer did not believe the dealer’s claim that the car was accident-free; he insisted on seeing a report on the car’s history. / Word Forms: incredulously, incredulousness, incredulity

inculcate (vb) to teach through persistent repetition / Ms. Ingles inculcated her students with a love of reading; many years later, an overwhelming majority reported that they were still voracious readers. / Word Forms: inculcation, inculcative, inculcator

indigenous (adj) native to / Although the flower can now be found all over the eastern United States, it is indigenous to Florida. / Word Forms: indigenously, indigenousness, indigenity, indigen, indigene

indignant (adj) displaying anger due to unfairness / The seniors were indignant over their disqualification in the homecoming contest, claiming that the decision was unfair. / Word Forms: indignantly, indignation

indolent (adj) lazy / India was an indolent worker, and was thus fired when it was discovered that she was lazy. / Word Forms: indolently, indolence / PS+RO

ineffable (adj) incapable of being put into words / Effie’s joy at being reunited with her long-lost brother was ineffable; words could not explain her happiness. / Word Forms: ineffably, ineffableness, ineffability

inexorable (adj) unyielding / Mary Ingalls was aware that she would lose her sight before she began her inexorable decline into blindness. / Word Forms: inexorability, inexorably, inexorableness

ingenious (adj) clever and inventive / Jeannie invented an ingenious device for the beach that combined a cooler, radio, and portable fan. / Word Forms: ingeniously, ingeniousness, ingenuity

ingenuous (adj) (of a person or action) innocent and unsuspecting. / "he eyed her with wide, ingenuous eyes" / PS+RO

ingrate (n) an ungrateful person / Inga came off as an ingrate when she failed to thank her hosts for dinner. / Word Form: ingrately

inherent (adj) existing as a natural and essential characteristic / The abused dog had an inherent distrust of men, so only female volunteers at the shelter could get close to him. / Word Forms: inherently, inhere, inherence

inimical (adj) harmful or hostile / Oscar cast an inimical sneer at Melissa when she took credit for his idea. / Word Forms: inimically, inimicalness, inimicality, inimicable / PS+RO

iniquity (n) wickedness / The wicked witch's iniquity kept Dorothy from returning to Kansas. / Word Forms: iniquitous, iniquitously, iniquitousness

innocuous (adj) harmless / No one had to be evacuated after the tanker spill, as the gas released was innocuous. / Word Forms: innocuously, innocuousness, innocuity / PS+RO

insidious (adj) intended to entrap, deceive, or harm / Sid devised an insidious plan to get the witness to admit he hadn’t really witnessed the crime. / Word Forms: insidiously, insidiousness

insipid (adj) bland, dull, or uninteresting / When I left for college, the insipid cafeteria food made me miss my father’s home-cooked meals. / Word Forms: insipidly, insipidness, insipidity / PS+RO

insolence (n) rudeness / The headmaster said that insolence would not be tolerated; rude behavior towards a teacher would result in suspension. / Word Forms: insolent (n.), insolently, insolence

insular (adj) narrow-minded; isolated / The culture is criticized for its insular ideas, such as the belief that women should not be allowed to attend school. / Word Forms: insularly, insularism, insularity / PS+RO

insurrection (n) a rebellion or uprising / King George ordered British troops to quash the colonist's insurrection, but the uprising led to the Revolutionary War. / Word Forms: insurrectional, insurrectionally, insurrectionism, insurrectionist

inter (vb) to bury / James Garfield, the 20th President of the United States who was assassinated in 1881, was interred in Cleveland, Ohio. / Word Form: reinter

interlocutor (n) a person who takes part in a conversation / At the apartment complex, the two interlocutors continued to debate the merits of television outside my bedroom window until well after midnight. / Word Forms: interlocution, interlocutory, interlocutorily

interregnum (n) a period of time free from authority / When the king died, there was a two week interregnum as the prince returned from abroad for his coronation. / Word Form: interregnal

intractable (adj) stubborn; difficult to manage / The intractable child refused to let the babysitter into the room. / Word Forms: intractability, intractableness, intractably / PS+RO

intransigent (adj) refusing to yield or compromise / When it came to Edgar’s hunting trophies, Enid was intransigent; she refused to hang the deer heads on the wall. / Word Forms: intransigent (n.), intransigently, intransigence, intransigency / PS+RO

inundate (vb) to flood / After the newspaper ran the controversial story, the editor was inundated with calls from hundreds of angry subscribers. / Word Forms: inundation, inundatory, inundator

inure (vb) to become used to / People in Alaska were inured to cold weather. / Word Forms: inuredness, inurement

invective (n) violent criticism / The governor was quick to issue an invective denouncing the show that portrayed her state's residents as vulgar and obscene. / Word Forms: invective (adj), invectively, invectiveness

inveigle (vb) to persuade with smooth talk / Vicki inveigled Vivianne into playing checkers, even though Vivianne would have rather played chess. / Word Forms: inveiglement, inveigler

investiture (n) ceremony for bestowing an official title / At the investiture, the detective was promoted to sergeant. / Word Form: investitive

invidious (adj) intended to hurt, offend, or discriminate / Ivan’s invidious remarks to his wife shocked their guests; they had no idea that he could be so cruel. / Word Forms: invidiously, invidiousness

invoke (vb) to summon into action or bring into existence / The psychic claimed that he could invoke the spirits in the house through an old-fashioned séance. / Word Forms: invocable, invocation, invocational, invoker

irascible (adj) quickly aroused to anger / The irascible old lady caused a scene at the restaurant by yelling at the manager when her hamburger was overcooked. / Word Forms: irascibly, irascibleness, irascibility / PS+RO

itinerant (adj) traveling from place to place to work / The itinerant pastor was transferred to our church from a ministry in Ohio; he will stay with us for six months before going to New Hampshire. / Word Forms: itinerant (n.), itinerantly, itinerate, itineration

jettison (vb) to throw away / Jett was arrested when he jettisoned old boat fuel into the harbor. / Word Form: jettisonable

jingoism (n) noisy and excessive patriotism for one's country / The candidate's jingoism cost him the election, as constituents did not believe he could tactfully handle foreign policy. / Word Forms: jingo, jingoish, jingoist, jingoistic, jingoistically

jocular (adj) characterized by joking / Jack's speeches were always entertaining because they were peppered with jocular anecdotes. / Word Forms: jocularly, overjocular, jocularity

juncture (n) a critical point in time / At this juncture, I think it's important to merge the Human Resources and Marketing departments.

juxtapose (vb) to place side by side / When Justin’s picture was juxtaposed with his father’s picture, the resemblance between the two was remarkable. / Word Form: juxtaposition

keen (adj) sharp as in a point, or sharp as in intelligence / It will take a keen mind to solve this difficult puzzle. / Word Forms: keenly, keenness

kindle (vb) to light up or to excite / The novel "Jurassic Park" kindled his interest in dinosaurs. / Word Form: kindler

kinetic (adj) characterized by motion / Some students are kinetic learners who learn best when they are moving around. / Word Form: kinetically

knell (n) sound of a bell at a funeral or a sign of looming death or destruction / The town was quiet, with boarded up buildings and no sign of life, a knell of the impending war. / Word Form: knell (vb)

lachrymose (adj) tearful; sad / Lakeisa tends to get lachrymose over animal rescue commercials depicting cats and dogs in abusive situations. / Word Forms: lachrymosely, lachrymosity

laconic (adj) sing or involving the use of a minimum of words : concise to the point of seeming rude or mysterious / "his laconic reply suggested a lack of interest in the topic" / PS+RO

lament (vb) to express grief; to mourn / When Lamont left for college, his little sister lamented his absence for weeks. / Word Forms: lament (n.), lamentingly, lamentable, lamentably, lamenter

lampoon (vb) to mock in a satire / The actors of "Saturday Night Live" make a living by lampooning current events. / Word Forms: lampoon (n), lampooner, lampoonist, lampoonery

languid (adj) lacking in energy or spirit / My boss's languid response to my proposal wasn't expected; I thought he'd be excited about my initiative and creativity. / Word Forms: languidly, languidness

lapidary (adj) relating to polished stones; characterized by exactness and extreme polishing / The author's lapidary manuscript was so carefully crafted that editors could find no mistakes. / Word Forms: lapidarian, lapidarist

largess (n) generous gift-giving / Larissa's largess at the twins' birthday party would not soon be forgotten; she gave them enough toys to keep them busy for a year. / Related Word: large

lassitude (n) lack of energy; weariness / One symptom of the illness was lassitude; Leslie learned early on that she had no energy during an attack.

latent (adj) existing but not visible or obvious / Latika clearly had latent ability in math, but she failed to put forward any effort in the subject so no one knew how bright she really was. / Word Forms: latently, latency

laud (vb) to praise, glorify, or honor / Landon was lauded for his achievements at the laboratory; he had made more progress in a year than most scientists had made in a decade. / Word Forms: laudable, laudation, laudative, laudatory, laudator / PS+RO

lavish (adj) very generous or extravagant / The lavish wedding reception had a steak and lobster dinner, several intricate ice sculptures, and a famous jazz band. / Word Forms: lavishly, lavishness, lavishment, lavisher

legerdemain (n) trickery; sleight of hand / The magician employed legerdemain to fool the audience into believing he pulled a rabbit from his hat. / Word Form: legerdemainist

levity (n) inappropriate lack of seriousness / The teenagers' levity during the assembly on drinking and driving cost them six Saturdays in detention.

lexicography (n) the act of writing dictionaries / Noah Webster’s career in lexicography developed from his dissatisfaction with British school books. / Word Forms: lexicographic, lexicographical, lexicographically, lexicographer

liberate (vb) free; unrestrained / When the farmer accidentally left the stall door open, the liberated horse sprinted for the woods. / Word Forms: liberated, liberative, liberatory, liberation, liberator

libertine (adj) unrestrained by morals / Libby had no scruples and thus made libertine choices, never worrying about those affected or what others would think. / Word Forms: libertine (n), libertinage, libertinism

licentious (adj) unrestrained by morals / Libby had no scruples and thus made licentious choices, never worrying about those affected or what others would think. / Word Forms: licentiously, licentiousness

limpid (adj) clear; calm / The limpid waters provided opportunity for the anglers to sight cast directly to the fish they could see in the clear water. / Word Forms: limpidity, limpidness, limpidly

lissome (adj) flexible / The lissome gymnast dazzled the audience with her tumbling routine. / Word Forms: lissomely, lissomeness

listless (adj) lacking energy or spirit / My boss's listless response to my proposal wasn't expected; I thought he'd be excited about my initiative and creativity. / Word Forms: listlessly, listlessness

loquacious (adj) extremely talkative / Lance was disappointed in his loquacious date; she talked so much that she never had time to listen to any of his stories. / Word Forms: loquaciously, loquaciousness, loquacity / PS+RO

lucid (adj) clear; easy to understand / If your directions had been more lucid, I might have made it to the party on time. / Word Forms: lucidly, lucidness, lucidity / PS+RO

lugubrious (adj) excessively mournful; sad and gloomy / Lucy’s lugubrious behavior has started to annoy her friends. / Word Forms: lugubriously, lugubriousness, lugubriosity

luminous (adj) radiating light; enlightening; easily understood / The meeting was luminous because we finally figured out the reason that the mayor was backing the construction project. / Word Forms: luminously, luminousness / PS+RO

machination (n) a crafty plot / The fairy tale follows the machinations of an evil stepsister who is out to steal the prince from the heroine. / Word Forms: machinate, machinator

maelstrom (n) a powerful whirlpool or turbulent chaos / When the manager was fired, he left the office in a maelstrom; there was frequent infighting and little leadership.

magnanimous (adj) noble and generous in spirit / The magnanimous donor has given over ten million dollars to children’s charities in the city. / Word Forms: magnanimously, magnanimousness, magnanimity / PS+RO

magnate (n) an important person in a field of business / Henry Ford was an automotive magnate, manufacturing the first automobile that was affordable to the middle class. / Word Form: magnateship

malediction (n) a curse / The members of the team feared that the old woman had placed a malediction upon their season because they hadn’t won a game since accidentally shattering her windshield with a foul ball. / Word Forms: maledictive, maledictory, maledict

malevolent (adj) evil / The malevolent old man plotted the demise of his neighbor’s barking dog. / Word Forms: malevolently, malevolence, malevolency

malice (n) a desire to make others suffer / Malika’s sharp comment was delivered with malice; she knew that her words would hurt her mother’s feelings. / Word Forms: malicious, maliciously, maliciousness

malinger (vb) to fake an illness to avoid responsibility / Malinda claims to have strep throat, but since she has been known to malinger in the past make sure she brings a doctor's note when she returns to work. / Word Form: malingerer

malleable (adj) capable of being shaped or influenced / Mallory worried that her malleable son would learn inappropriate behavior from the older boys he played with at school. / Word Forms: malleably, malleableness, malleability / PS+RO

malodorous (adj) having an unpleasant smell / My malodorous shoe smelled so terrible that my mom threw it away. / Word Forms: malodorously, malodorousness

mar (vb) to make imperfect; to disfigure / My nearly-perfect report card was marred by a low grade in speech class. / Word Forms: mar (n.), marred (adj.)

martial (adj) relating to war / The mayor was in favor of taking a martial approach to the problem, preferring to send soldiers into the abandoned houses to remove the squatters and drug dealers. / Word Forms: martialism, martialist, martially, martialness

martinet (n) a person who rigidly demands that rules are followed; a strict disciplinarian / Marty realized that the drill sergeant was a martinet, so his best course of action was to closely follow all the rules. / Word Forms: martinetish, martinetism

matriarch (n) the female head of a family / As the matriarch of the family, Grandma sat at the head of the Thanksgiving dinner table. / Word Forms: matriarchal, matriarchic, matriarchalism, matriarchy

maudlin (adj) foolishly emotional / When Maude drinks too much, she becomes maudlin, crying over silly things like her shoelaces coming untied. / Word Forms: maudlinism, maudlinly, maudlinness

maverick (n) a person who chooses to be independent in behavior or thought / Even though the other ranchers were branding their cattle, Sam was a maverick who believed he did not need to follow the rules set by his associates. / PS+RO

melange (n) a mixture / Melanie’s walls are decorated with a mélange of surfing posters and beach photographs.

mendacious (adj) lying, false, or untrue / The mendacious girl said that she didn’t take her mother’s lipstick, but the bright red evidence was all over her face. / Word Forms: mendaciously, mendaciousness, mendacity / PS+RO

mendicant (adj) begging / In the poverty-stricken country, mendicant children approach tourists to ask for food and money. / Word Forms: mendicancy, mendicity

mercurial (adj) apt to change; volatile; lively / Meryl was known for her mercurial moods; she could be charming and kind one minute ad caustic and hateful the next. / Word Forms: mercurially, mercurialness / PS+RO

meretricious (adj) insincere; flashily attractive / Meredith bestowed meretricious praise upon Mark on-camera, but she had nothing nice to say about him off-camera. / Word Forms: meretriciously, meretriciousness

meritocracy (n) a form of social system in which power goes to those with superior abilities / Critics argue that a meritocracy cannot be fairly created, as intelligence and ability are difficult to measure accurately. / Word Form: meritocratic

meticulous (adj) extremely careful and precise with details / Miss Walter demanded meticulous essays; perfect spelling and punctuation were essential for a high grade. / Word Forms: meticulously, meticulousness, meticulosity / PS+RO

militate (vb) to have substantial influence / Millie's grandfather's significant donations to the university militated for her acceptance in the admissions process. / Word Form: militation

mirth (n) laughter or merriment / Even the old scrooge could not resist the mirth of the holiday season, as he eventually joined in the celebration. / Word Forms: mirthful, mirthfully, mirthfulness,

misanthrope (n) a person who hates and distrusts mankind / The main character is a bitter misanthrope who learns to trust again through her friendship with her neighbors. / Word Forms: misanthropist, misanthropic, misanthropical, misanthropically, misanthropy / PS+RO

miscreant (n) a person who is evil or villainous / The miscreant came to town with the intention of creating strife and commotion, as he enjoyed watching others argue. / Word Forms: miscreant (adj.), miscreance, miscreancy

miser (n) a stingy person who lives in miserable conditions in order to save money / The old miser lives in a rat-infested apartment even though he has more than enough money to live in a nice home. / Word Forms: miserly, miserliness

missive (n) a letter / The governor sent out missives to her supportive constituents, thanking them for their contributions to her campaign.

mitigate (vb) to make less intense or severe / he wanted to mitigate misery in the world / Word Forms: mitigable, mitigatedly, mitigation, mitigative, mitigatory, mitigator / PS+RO

mollify (vb) to soften or soothe / Molly was able to mollify the crying child by offering him an ice cream cone. / Word Forms: mollification, mollifier, mollifyingly, mollifiable / PS+RO

molt (vb) to shed feathers / The cockatoo molted every spring in preparation for new feathers. / Word Form: molter

monastic (adj) relating to monasteries or relating to a dedicated way of life / Mona lived a monastic life, refraining from sensual pleasures and the accumulation of material possessions. / Word Form: monastically

morass (n) 1. a swamp 2. a difficult situation / After Morgan accepted Jill’s invitation to the dance, he found himself in a morass; his friend offered him a ticket to a concert that he really wanted to see, but it happened to be on the same night as the dance.

moratorium (n) suspension of an ongoing activity / When many students were late returning from lunch, the principal placed a moratorium on off-campus lunch privileges. / Word Form: moratory

mores (n) important customs or beliefs of a group / The advertisements in the housekeeping magazine from 1950 reflect the social mores of the time.

morose (adj) gloomy / After his girlfriend moved away, Morris became morose and depressed. / Word Forms: morosely, moroseness, morosity

multifarious (adj) having many parts and much variety / The school offers multifarious activities after school; children should have no problem finding a program that matches their interests. / Word Forms: multifariously, multifariousness

mundane (adj) ordinary and somewhat boring / While a trip to the beach had once been exciting, we went so often that it had become mundane. / Word Forms: mundanely, mundaneness, mundanity / PS+RO

munificent (adj) very generous / The munificent donor gave the hospital enough money to build a specialized center for heart patients. / Word Forms: munificently, munificentness, munificence / PS+RO

myopic (adj) lacking long-term vision / Maya has a myopic outlook when it comes to investment; she complains about the money she is investing now, rather than focusing on the money she will make in the future. / Word Forms: myopically, myopia

nadir (n) the lowest point / Nadia entered the nadir of despair when she lost her job and her fiance called off the wedding. / Word Form: nadiral

naïve (adj) inexperienced and gullible / Nan was naïve in thinking that no one looked at her online social page except her friends; her father looked at it daily. / Word Forms: naïvely, naïveness, naïveté / PS+RO

narcissist (n) a person who has excessive love or admiration of oneself / Nancy is a narcissist who is unable to love her husband or her children as much as she loves herself. / Word Forms: narcist, narcissism, narcistic, narcissistic, narcissistically

nascent (adj) (especially of a process or organization) just coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential. / "the nascent space industry" / PS+RO

nebulous (adj) vague or cloudy / When I woke up in the hospital, I only had a nebulous memory of the accident. / Word Forms: nebulously, nebulousness

nefarious (adj) extremely wicked / In the novel, the nefarious character plotted to financially destroy the hero. / Word Forms: nefariously, nefariousness

neologism (n) a new word / Each year Merriam Webster decides which neologisms will be granted entry into their dictionaries. / Word Forms: neologist, neologistic, neologistical, neology

neophyte (n) a beginner / Neil is a neophyte at downhill skiing, so he should stick to the smaller hills today. / Word Forms: neophytic, neophytish, neophytism

nettle (vb) to irritate / I was nettled by her annoying voice. / Word Forms: nettle (n), nettler, nettly

nihilism (n) belief in the rejection of rules and the destruction of social and political order / During the rebellion, the followers of nihilism were the first to break the laws in the city. / Word Forms: nihilistic, nihilistically, nihility, nihilist

noisome (adj) offensive (especially odors) / My noisome shoe smelled so terrible that my mom threw it away. / Word Forms: noisomely, noisomeness

nominal (adj) in name only; minimal / The president was a nominal leader; the real people making the important decisions were his advisors. / Word Form: prenominal

noxious (adj) harmful / The danger of a carbon dioxide leak is that the noxious fumes are odorless. / Word Forms: noxiously, noxiousness

nuance (n) a subtle difference / The nuances between the two fonts are often missed by the untrained graphic designer. / Word Form: nuanced / PS+RO

numismatic (adj) pertaining to coins or medals / The archeologist found numismatic evidence of the ancient civilization, including three coins with depictions of animals. / Word Forms: numismatics, numismatical, numismatically

obdurate (adj) stubborn / The obdurate child refused to eat his vegetables and sat at the dinner table with the untouched broccoli until bedtime. / Word Forms: obdurately, obdurateness, obduracy / PS+RO

obfuscate (vb) to confuse or make unclear / If a solution to a math question requires units to be in inches, the test makers may obfuscate the question by using feet. / Word Forms: obfuscation, obfuscatory

oblique (adj) slanting; not straight; indirect or evasive / The politician made oblique comments about his opponent, hinting at corruption but not actually saying it was an issue. / Word Forms: obliquely, obliqueness

obstreperous (adj) noisily defiant or aggressive / The obstreperous students crowded the school board meeting to protest the new dress code. / Word Forms: obstreperously, obstreperousness, obstreperosity

obscure (adj) not clearly understood or expressed / Most of the movie audience did not understand the obscure reference to the other movie. / Word Forms: obscure (vb.), obscurely, obscureness, obscuredly, obscurity / PS+RO

obsequious (adj) overly flattering or obedient / The new employee was distrusted by his co-workers because of his obsequious behavior. / Word Forms: obsequiously, obsequiousness, obsequence / PS+RO

obstinate (adj) extremely stubborn / Mr. O’Brien was obstinate about eating at the bistro; he refused to eat anywhere else. / Word Form: obstinately, obstinateness, obstinacy

obstructionist (n) a person who purposely blocks progress / Alberta worried that obstructionists would interfere with her environmental bill, ending her efforts to save the eagles. / Word Forms: obstructionistic, obstructionism

obtuse (adj) intellectually slow; dull / You might have to simplify your explanation of photosynthesis because Obie is a bit obtuse. / Word Forms: obtusely, obtuseness

obviate (vb) remove (a need or difficulty). / "the Venetian blinds obviated the need for curtains" / PS+RO

occlude (vb) to shut or block / Plaque buildup in the arteries can occlude the flow of blood resulting in heart disease. / Word Forms: occludent, occlusion, occlusal / PS+RO

odious (adj) offensive; hateful / The majority of Americans view dog fighting as an odious crime. / Word Forms: odiously, odiousness

officious (adj) aggressively forward / My officious neighbor insisted on helping me after my accident, but I really just wanted to be left alone. / Word Forms: officiously, officiousness, overofficious

ominous (adj) threatening or foreshadowing evil / The dark clouds in the distance were ominous and threatened to ruin the picnic. / Word Forms: ominously, ominousness

onerous (adj) oppressive; burdensome / Cinderella was saddled with onerous household duties while she lived with her wicked stepmother. / Word Forms: onerously, onerousness, onerosity / PS+RO

opaque (adj) not clear; not allowing light to pass through / The glass on the bathroom shower has an opaque layer that prevents people from seeing through it. / Word Forms: opaquely, opaqueness / PS+RO

opine (vb) to express an opinion / The editor opined about the evils of genetically modified foods in today's opinion section of the newspaper. / Antonym Form: unopined

opprobrium (n) disgrace or severe criticism due to shameful behavior / The team owner faced public opprobrium when he was caught making racial remarks. / Word Forms: opprobrious, opprobriously, opprobriousness / PS+RO

opulent (adj) rich and luxurious / The opulent kitchen had marble countertops and solid gold fixtures. / Word Forms: opulently, opulence, opulency

oration (n) a formal speech / The political candidate delivered an oration about the benefits of her universal health care plan. / Word Forms: orate, oratorical, orator

ornate (adj) highly decorated / The ornate palace had colorful paintings and intricate wood carvings in every room. / Word Forms: ornately, ornateness

orotund (adj) a rich voice or pompous speech / The millionaire's orotund speech at the graduation ceremony was shocking; he was not normally known for being pompous and pretentious. / Word Form: orotundity

orthodox (adj) customary; traditional / Maria and Bryan chose an orthodox ceremony with the standard wedding vows and the typical progression of events. / Word Forms: orthodoxly, orthodoxness, orthodoxal, orthodoxical, orthodoxy

ossify (vb) to harden like bone; to become inflexible in habits or beliefs / Oscar was open-minded prior to college, but after graduation he began to ossify concerning politics. / Word Form: ossifier

ostensible (adj) pretended / Austin’s ostensible excuse for missing school was that his grandmother was in the hospital; the real reason, however, was that he went to the beach. / Word Forms: ostensibly, ostensive

overt (adj) open and observable; not secret or hidden / The candidate’s overt support of stem cell research was unusual; he made it clear that if elected, he would work to increase research efforts. / Word Forms: overtly, overtness

overwrought (adj) extremely excited or disturbed / Eva became overwrought when she lost her cell phone. / Related Word: overwork

pacify (vb) to calm; to bring peace / The babysitter used a teething ring to pacify the crying baby. / Word Forms: pacifiable, pacifyingly, pacific, pacifier, pacifist

paean (n) a song of praise / The ancient Greeks sang paeans to Apollo and other gods. / Word Form: paeanism

palatial (adj) like a palace; magnificent / Polly bought a palatial home that had eight bedrooms, two kitchens, a ballroom, and a six car garage. / Word Forms: palatially, palatialness

palliate (vb) to relieve or lessen / Aloe will palliate the pain from a sunburn. / Word Forms: palliation, palliator, palliative

pallid (adj) pale; lacking energy / Palmer did not look healthy; his pallid skin had lost all trace of color. / Word Forms: pallidly, pallidness

panacea (n) a cure for all diseases, or a solution to all problems / The manager believed the new software was a panacea for all of the company’s computer problems, but Pam was skeptical of its ability to improve the entire system. / Word Form: panacean

panache (n) dashing style, flair, or manner / Penny only dates men with panache; she prefers to be seen with flamboyant boyfriends.

panegyric (n) a formal expression of praise / The director delivered a panegyric about the center’s most helpful volunteer, praising her for helping the needy. / Word Forms: panegyrical, panegyrically, panegyrist, panegyrize, self-panegyric

panoply (n) complete or impressive array / Penelope has managed to attract a panoply of bird species to her backyard bird feeder. / Word Form: panoplied

paradox (n) a statement that contradicts itself but nevertheless may still be true / Parker said, “I always lie,” but this is a paradox; if the statement is true, then he must be lying. / Word Forms: paradoxal, paradoxical, paradoxically, paradoxology

paragon (n) a perfect example / Parmida is a paragon of professionalism; she arrives on time, treats co-workers with respect, and refrains from gossip. / Word Forms: paragon (vb.), paragoned

parenthetical (adj) characterized by the use of parenthesis / A remark in parenthesis is called a parenthetical remark, which is usually used to explain the sentence. / Word Forms: parenthetic, parenthetically, parentheticalness

pariah (n) a person who is rejected; an outcast / Pamela became the pariah of the company when she was caught stealing money from her co-workers. / Word Forms: pariahdom, pariahism

parley (vb) to talk or confer / The two generals met to parley their demands for surrender. / Word Forms: parley (n), parleyer

parody (n) a humorous imitation / The awards show opened with a parody of a movie; all of the characters were played by monkeys dressed like the actors. / Word Forms: parody (vb.), parodiable, parodic, parodist

parry (vb) to ward off, avoid, or evade / The senator parried any questions about the scandal by focusing on the state of the economy. / Word Forms: parriable, parrier

parsimonious (adj) extremely reluctant to spend money; frugal and stingy / The parsimonious woman told her grandchildren that the gumballs in the candy machine were too expensive. / Word Forms: parsimoniously, parsimoniousness, parsimony

partisan (n) a strong supporter of a party, cause, or person. / (adj) prejudiced in favor of a particular cause. / "newspapers have become increasingly partisan" / PS+RO

pastiche (n) a work that is a mixture of styles, materials, or sources / Patsy's composition was truly a pastiche, borrowing musical elements from Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart. / Word Forms: pasticcio, pasticheur, pasticheuse

patriarch (n) the male head of a family / As the oldest of the seven, Uncle Pat was the patriarch of the family and thus gave the toasts at all family gatherings. / Word Forms: patriarchal, patriarchic, patriarchalism, patriarchy

paucity (n) an insufficient quantity or number / Pam realized there was a paucity of hamburger buns. / PS+RO

peccadillo (n) a minor fault or sin / Mr. Peck brought a bottle of white wine instead of a bottle of red wine to the dinner, but was forgiven for this peccadillo when he also produced a box of luxurious European chocolates.

pedagogical (adj) relating to education or teaching / The course for new teachers taught the pedagogical principal that all children could learn. / Word Forms: pedagogy, pedagogic, pedagogically, pedagogism, pedagogery, pedagogish, pedagog, pedagogue

pedantic (adj) excessively concerned with minor details and rules / It was difficult to be Penny’s partner because she was pedantic about recording every single step of the scientific method. / Word Forms: pedantical, pedantically, pedanticism, pedantry / PS+RO

pejorative (n) a word that is derogatory or belittling / At one time, 'imbecile' meant weak, but it has since become a pejorative to describe a person who is intellectually slow. / Word Forms: pejorative (adj), pejoratively, pejoration

penchant (n) a strong liking / Penny has a penchant for poetry; she has filled two notebooks with poems and poetic lines.

penitent (adj) feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds / The penitent criminal asked for forgiveness from the family he had robbed. / Word Forms: penitently, penitence

penurious (adj) extremely reluctant to spend money; stingy and frugal or extremely poor / The penurious old man refused to donate his spare change to the charity. / Word Forms: penuriously, penuriousness, penury

peregrinate (vb) to travel / After high school, Perry chose to peregrinate through Europe before attending college. / Word Forms: peregrinator, peregrination

perfidious (adj) tending to betray / The perfidious soldier was selling classified secrets to the army’s enemies. / Word Forms: perfidiously, perfidiousness, perfidy

perfunctory (adj) done only as a matter of routine, with indifference and a lack of enthusiasm / The principal gave a perfunctory speech about attendance. / Word Forms: perfunctorily, perfunctoriness

peripatetic (adj) traveling about / Perry had a peripatetic nature, so after high school, he spent several years traveling Europe before attending college. / Word Forms: peripatetic (n), peripatetically, peripateticism

permeate (vb) to spread throughout / The smell of sweet apples permeated the room when Grandma pulled the apple pie from the oven. / Word Forms: permeation, permeative, permeator, interpermeate / PS+RO

pernicious (adj) exceedingly harmful / The pernicious rumor could ruin several lives if permitted to spread. / Word Forms: perniciously, perniciousness

perquisite (n) a payment or benefit in addition to one’s regular pay While working at the marina, my perquisites included free boat storage, a discount at the tackle shop, and daily tips.

perspicacity (n) intelligence manifested by being astute / My accountant’s perspicacity saved me thousands of dollars on my tax returns because he found hidden rebates. / Word Forms: perspicacious, perspicaciously, perspicaciousness

peruse (vb) to read / After the lawyer perused the motion to suppress evidence, she declared it was a flimsy attempt that no judge would grant. / Word Forms: perusable, peruser, preperuse, reperuse / PS+RO

pervasive (adj) (especially of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people. / "ageism is pervasive and entrenched in our society" / PS+RO

petulant (adj) easily irritated over small issues / The petulant actress stormed off the set when she discovered that her dressing room did not have bottled water. / Word Forms: petulantly, petulance, petulancy

phalanx (n) a closely massed group / The soldiers formed a phalanx to protect the building from the protestors.

philanthropist (n) a person who makes charitable donations intended to increase human well-being / As a young philanthropist, Phillip used to donate his allowance to the homeless shelter. / Word Forms: philanthropy, philanthropic, philanthropical, philanthropically

philistine (n) a person who resists culture, the arts, or intellectual pursuits / Phil is such a philistine; he'd rather sit at home and watch reality shows than go see a play or visit a museum. / Word Forms: philistine (adj), philistinism

phlegmatic (adj) unemotional; calm / I thought the kids would be excited about our trip to the amusement park, but their reaction was much more phlegmatic. / Word Forms: phlegmatical, phlegmatically, phlegmaticalness / PS+RO

picayune (adj) small and of little importance / The man is a fool to let a picayune argument destroy his friendship with his neighbor. / Word Forms: picayunish, picayunishly, picayunishness

pious (adj) religiously devoted / The pious woman attended a church service seven days a week. / Word Forms: piously, piousness

pith (n) the essence of something / The pith of the argument was that Ren wanted Grayden's toy. / PS+RO

pithy (adj) brief but meaningful / The pastor made a pithy remark about integrity that made me reflect on my own habits long after the short sermon. / Word Forms: pithily, pithiness

placid (adj) calm / When the wind died down, the lake became placid, with hardly a ripple disturbing the surface. / Word Forms: placidly, placidness, placidity

platitude (n) a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful. / "she began uttering liberal platitudes" / PS+RO

plebeian (adj) of the common people; lacking sophistication / The queen looked down upon her plebeian subjects who did not know anything about refinement or sophistication. / Word Forms: plebeianism, plebeianly, plebeianness

plethora (n) overabundance / At 300 applications, there are a plethora of qualified applicants for the program, but only 100 spots to fill. / Word Forms: plethoric, plethorically / PS+RO

pliant (adj) capable of being bent or capable of being influenced / The pliant plastic can be easily molded into any shape, size, or design. / Word Forms: pliantly, pliantness, pliancy

plucky (adj) brave / The plucky little duck jumped right into the water without waiting for its mother to lead the way. / Word Forms: pluckily, pluckiness

polemical (adj) relating to or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech. / "a polemical essay" / PS+RO

politic (adj) ingenious, wise, or diplomatic / Paul made a politic manager; he kept employees happy and productive using tactful approaches and strategies. / Word Form: politicly

polyglot (adj) able to speak, read, or write in many languages / The polyglot woman was an asset to the company; she could speak with customers in Japan, Germany, Spain, and Italy. / Word Forms: polyglot (n.), polyglotism

populist (n) a person who supports the rights and powers of the common people / The candidate is a populist who believes in promoting the causes of the working classes. / Word Forms: populist (adj.), populistic, populism

posit (vb) to assume as fact; to put in place / The teacher posited that the children had cheated without hearing their side of the story. / Word Form: posit (n)

potentate (n) a powerful ruler / The potentate was born into the power of the monarchy; his family had ruled the country for over six hundred years. / Related Word: potent

pragmatic (adj) dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. / "a pragmatic approach to politics" / Word Forms: pragmatical, pragmatically, pragmatism, pragmatistic, pragmatist / PS+RO

prattle (vb) to babble / The child prattled on about his love of robots. / Word Forms: prattler, prattingly

precipitate 1. (v) cause (an event or situation, typically one that is bad or undesirable) to happen suddenly, unexpectedly, or prematurely. / 2. (adj) done, made, or acting suddenly or without careful consideration. / 3. (n) a substance precipitated from a solution.

precis (n) a short summary / Rather than submit the entire manuscript, I sent the publishing company a precis of my novel. / Word Form: precis (vb)

precocious (adj) advanced in development or maturity (especially in mental aptitude) / The precocious little boy was able to solve the algebraic equation without any help from his teacher. / Word Forms: precociously, precociousness, precocity

predilection (n) a p