Ace GRE

GRE word groups

2008-03-07T04:37:00.000-08:00

GRE word groups

alienate estrange ; cause someone previously friendly to become unfriendly or indifferent by unpopular of distasteful actions ; transfer ownership to another; make hostile: separate

estrange to alienate

lacerate mangle; tear

rend split; tear apart

sunder separate; part

gossamer sheer; like cobwebs

imponderable weightless

confine (imprison) n. a boundary or bounded region; border; limit / [Old Poet.] confinement/[Obs.] a place of confinement v. to keep within limits; restrict [to confine a talk to ten minutes]/to keep shut up, as in prison, in bed because of illness, indoors, etc. SYN. limit

constraint compulsion; repression of feelings

custody (imprisonment) a guarding or keeping safe; care; protection; guardianship

detain to keep in custody; confine / to keep from going on; hold back /[Obs.] to withhold

detention detaining or being detained; specif., a) a keeping in custody; confinement b) an enforced delay/a form of punishment in which a student is required to stay after school

duress forcible restraint, especially unlawfully

fetter shackle

incarcerate to imprison; jail / to shut up; confine

manacle fetter or chain for the hands or feet / fetter with manacles ; restrain / handcuff

obligatory binding; required

quarantine isolation of person or ship to prevent spread of infection

restraint controlling force

seclusion a secluding or being secluded, retirement, isolation; isolation; solitude

sequester retire from public life; segregate; seclude

shackle chain; fetter

stringent strict, severe, that must be obeyed ; tight, difficult to operate because of scarcity of money; binding; rigid

arrogance the state or manner of having too great pride in oneself / haughtiness;

arrogant unduly or excessively proud, as of wealth, station, learning, etc

bloated swollen or puffed as with water or air

brazen insolent

bumptious self-assertive

cavalier gallant n. an armed horseman; knight / a gallant or courteous gentleman, esp. one serving as a lady's escort/ [C-] a partisan of Charles I of England in his struggles with Parliament (1641-1649); Royalist: opposed to Roundhead adj. [C-] a) of the Cavaliers b) associated with the court of Charles I of England [Cavalier poets]/a) free and easy; gay b) casual or indifferent toward matters of some importance c) haughty; arrogant; supercilious

conceit whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor

contumely scornful insolence; insult

disdain contempt ; scorn / look on with contempt ; think it dishonorable to do something ; be too proud; treat with scorn or contempt

domineer rule over tyrannically

elated in high spirits ; proud / overjoyed;

haughtiness pride; arrogance

hubris arrogance; excessive self-conceit

imperious commanding ; haughty ; arrogant ; urgent / domineering

imperiousness lordliness; domineering manner; arrogance

impertinent insolent

impudent adj. 1 orig., immodest; shameless 2 shamelessly bold or disrespectful; saucy; insolent SYN. impertinent

insolent haughty and contemptuous

lofty very high

mincing affectedly dainty

overweening presumptuous; arrogant

peremptory not to be disobeyed or questioned ; dogmatic ; insisting upon obedience ; imperious; demanding and leaving no choice

pert impertinent; forward

pontificate to officiate as a pontiff, to speak or act in a pompous or dogmatic way

presumption arrogance; effrontery

presumptuous arrogant; taking liberties

pretentious claiming great merit or importance / ostentatious; ambitious

smug (spruce) adj. orig., neat, spruce, trim, etc. / narrowly contented with one's own accomplishments, beliefs, morality, etc.; self-satisfied to an annoying degree; complacent

stilted bombastic; inflated

supercilious contemptuous; haughty

thrasonical bragging, boastful

vain (of, about) adj. having no real value or significance; worthless, empty, idle, hollow, etc. [vain pomp] / without force or effect; futile, fruitless, unprofitable, unavailing, etc. [a vain endeavor] / having or showing an excessively high regard for one's self, looks, possessions, ability, etc.; indulging in or resulting from personal vanity; conceited / [Archaic] lacking in sense; foolish

vainglorious boastful; excessively conceited

apprehend arrest a criminal; dread; perceive

apprehensive fearful about something that might happen ; quick to understand ; perceptive; fearful; discerning

hypochondriac one who suffers from morbid anxiety / person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about illness

misgivings doubts

perturb disturb ; make afraid or anxious; disturb greatly

qualm a fit of nausea

qualms misgivings

solicitous anxious or concerned about someone's welfare, etc ; eager to help or serve someone; worried; concerned

appall fill with fear or terror ; dismay ; shock deeply

craven cowardly

dastard coward

daunt intimidate

diffident not having much belief in one's own abilities ; lacking in self-confidence ; shy

dismay to make afraid or discouraged at the prospect of trouble or danger; fill with apprehension or alarm; daunt n. a loss of courage or confidence at the prospect of trouble or danger; consternation

SYN. Dismay suggests fear or, esp. in modern usage, discouragement at the prospect of some difficulty or problem which one does not quite know how to resolve [dismayed at his lack of understanding]; appall suggests terror or (now more commonly) dismay at a shocking but apparently unalterable situation [an appalling death rate]; horrify suggests horror or loathing (or, in a weakened sense, irritation) at that which shocks or offends one [horrified at the suggestion]; daunt implies a becoming disheartened in the performance of an act that requires some courage [never daunted by adversity]

intimidate

milquetoast a timid, shrinking, apologetic person

poltroon coward

pusillanimous cowardly; fainthearted

recreant coward; betrayer of faith

terrify

timorous fearful; demonstrating fear

weak sister (slang) one who is cowardly, unreliable, etc.

drone idle person; male bee / talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee

indolence laziness

indolent habitually inactive or idle

schmo, schmoe (slang) fool

slack

sloth laziness; slow-moving tree dwelling mammal

sloven

sluggard lazy person

sluggish inactive ; slow-moving / lazy; lethargic; not easily aroused by activity; slow to respond

supine (indolent) lying on back

torpor (torpidity) lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy

truant One who is absent, evader

affected artificial: pretended

aggrandize make someone or a nation greater in power, wealth, rank, etc. ; exaggerate; increase or intensify

blowhard a very boastful and talkative person [syn: braggart, boaster, line-shooter, vaunter]

bluff (Poker) To deter (an opponent) from taking the risk of betting on his hand of cards, as the bluffer does by betting heavily on his own hand although it may be of less value. [U. S.] 2. To frighten or deter from accomplishing a purpose by making a show of confidence in one's strength or resources; as, he bluffed me off. [Colloq.] n. 1. A high, steep bank, as by a river or the sea, or beside a ravine or plain; a cliff with a broad face. Beach, bluff, and wave, adieu. --Whittier. 2. An act of bluffing; an expression of self-confidence for the purpose of intimidation; braggadocio; as, that is only bluff, or a bluff. 3. A game at cards; poker. [U.S.] --Bartlett

bombastic pompous; using inflated language

braggadocio boasting

braggart boaster

bravado swagger; assumed air of defiance

charlatan quack; pretender to knowledge

consequential pompous; self-important

distend expand; swell out

effusive expressing excessive emotion in an unrestrained manner ; pouring out ; overflowing / pouring forth; gushing

enhance advance; improve; to make greater, better

fanfare call by bugles or trumpets

flaunt display ostentatiously

fustian pompous; bombastic

gasconade bluster; boastfulness

grandiloquent pompous; bombastic; using high-sounding language

grandiose imposing; impressive

hyperbole exaggerated statement made for effect and not intended to be taken literally; exaggeration; overstatement

inflate take action to increase the amount of money in circulation so that prices rise ; fill a tire , balloon, etc. with air or gas ; make proud or elated

inflated enlarged with air or gas; exaggerated

magniloquent boastful; pompous

mountebank charlatan; boastful pretender

orotund having a round, resonant quality; inflated speech

ostentatious done for unnecessary display ; liking to attract notice; showy; pretentious

panache flair, flamboyance

panegyric formal speech or writing praising a person or event ; high or hyperbolic praise, laudation; formal praise

peacock exhibit oneself vainly

pomposity self-important behavior; action like a stuffed shirt

pretentious claiming great merit or importance / ostentatious; ambitious

rhetoric art of effective communication; insincere language

rhetorical pertaining to effective communication; insincere in language

stilted bombastic; inflated

strut pompous walk / supporting bar

stuffed shirt

tumid swollen; pompous; bombastic

turgid swollen; distended

vaporer a braggart

vaunt

vaunted boasted; bragged; highly publicized

vaunter

affinity a close relationship ; likeness ; strong liking or attraction; kinship

apt

bent determined; natural talent or inclination adj. 1 made curved or crooked; not straight 2 strongly inclined or determined: with on [bent on going] 3 set in a course; bound [westward bent] 4 [Slang] a) dishonest; crooked b) eccentric; odd n. 1 an inclination; tendency 2 a natural leaning or tendency; propensity [a bent for music, a criminal bent] 3 a framework transverse to the length of a structure, for supporting lateral as well as vertical loads

disposition n. 1a putting in order or being put in order; arrangement [the disposition of the troops] 2management or settlement of affairs 3a selling or giving away, as of property 4a getting rid of something [the disposition of wastes] 5the power or authority to arrange, settle, or manage; control 6an inclination or tendency [a disposition to quarrel] 7one's customary frame of mind; one's nature or temperament adj. SYN. disposition refers to the normal or prevailing aspect of one's nature [a genial disposition]; temperament refers to the balance of traits that are manifested in one's behavior or thinking [an artistic temperament]; temper refers to one's basic emotional nature, esp. as regards relative quickness to anger [a hot temper, an even temper]; character is applied to the sum of moral qualities associated with a distinctive individual [a weak character] and, unqualified, suggests moral strength, self-discipline, etc. [a man of character]; personality is applied to the sum of physical, mental, and emotional qualities that distinguish one as a person [a negative personality] and, unqualified, suggests attractiveness or charm [a girl with personality]

endearment fond statement

gusto enjoyment; enthusiasm

inclination

incline slope; slant

leaning

partial

partiality inclination; bias

penchant strong inclination; liking

predilection special liking ; mental preference; partiality; preference

predisposition

proclivity a natural or habitual tendency, or inclination especially toward something discreditable / natural tendency

proneness

propensity a natural inclination or tendency

tendency

tendentious having an aim; designed to further a cause

ablution the act of washing one's body or a part of it as a religious ceremony

chaste pure, free from obscenity

disinfection

expurgate take out from a book what is considered to be improper or object on able parts / clean; remove offensive parts of a book

hygiene

immaculate pure ; faultless ; without a spot or stain ; perfectly clean ; right in every detail / spotless

impeccable faultless ; incapable of doing wrong

lave wash

pristine characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled

purge clean by removing impurities; to clear of charges

purify

sanitation

sterilization

bark howl. Whine. Growl. Snarl.

chaff worthless products of an endeavor

epidermis

hull

husk

membrane

peel

pod

rind

scale

shuck

coda concluding section of a musical or literary composition

culminate 1to reach its highest or lowest altitude: said of a celestial body 2to reach its highest point or climax; result (in) vt. to bring to its climax; cap

epilogue peroration, prologue ; last part of a literary work; short speech at conclusion of dramatic work

finale conclusion

interminable endless ; unable to be ended ; tedious because too long

prorogue dismiss parliament; end officially

terminate bring to an end ; come to an end / to bring to an end

truncate cut the top off

dawdle be slow, waste time / loiter;

dissipate squander

extravagant

fritter waste

improvident not looking to future needs ; wasteful / thriftless

lavish liberal; wasteful

loiter hang around; linger

muddle muddled state, confusion of ideas / bring into a state of confusion and disorder / confuse; mix up

niggle spend too much time on minor points; carp

prodigal wasteful ; too free in giving or spending ; abundant; wasteful; reckless with money

prodigality

profligacy shameless viciousness

profligate shamelessly immoral ; reckless, extravagant; dissipated; wasteful; licentious

profuse very plentiful or abundant ; lavish or extravagant ; giving generously

profusion lavish expenditure; overabundant condition

spendthrift

squander waste

thriftless

unthrifty

waster

wastrel profligate

agitation excitement of the mind or feelings, anxiety ; discussion or debate for the purpose of bringing about a change ; social or political unrest or trouble / strong feeling; excitement

altercation quarrel or noisy argument; wordy quarrel

bicker quarrel; to quarrel vi. 1 to have a petty quarrel; squabble 2 to move with quick, rippling noises [a bickering brook] 3 to flicker, twinkle, etc. n. 1 a petty quarrel 2 a rippling or pattering sound

brabble (with) vi.[Archaic] to quarrel noisily over trifles n. quarrelsome chatter

contend struggle ; be in rivalry or competition ; argue ; assert / compete; assert earnestly

contentious quarrelsome

contest dispute

controvert dispute about ; deny, oppose / oppose with arguments; contradict

disputatious argumentative; fond of argument

dispute vi. 1to argue; debate 2to quarrel vt. 1to argue or debate (a question); discuss pro and con 2to question the truth of; doubt 3to oppose in any way; resist 4to fight for; contest [to dispute every foot of ground] n. 1a disputing; argument; debate 2a quarrel 3[Obs.] a fight SYN. discuss, argument beyond dispute 1not open to dispute or question; settled 2indisputably in dispute still being argued about; not settled

haggle argue or dispute especially the price of something or the terms of a bargain / argue about prices

incontrovertible that cannot be disputed / indisputable

moot debatable

polemic controversy; argument in support of point of view

polemical

problematic perplexing; unsettled; questionable

spat n.[Rare] a slap/a quick, slapping sound/[Colloq.] a brief, petty quarrel or dispute vi.1[Rare] to slap/to strike with a quick, slapping sound/[Colloq.] to engage in a spat, or quarrel vt.[Rare] to slap SYN. quarrel

squabble to quarrel noisily over a small matter; wrangle n.a noisy, petty quarrel or dispute; wrangle SYN. quarrel2

tiff n. a slight fit of anger or bad humor; huff; pet/ a slight quarrel; spat vi. to be in or have a tiff

wrangle such an argument / take part in a noisy or angry argument / quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle

acidulous slightly sour: sharp: caustic Slightly sour; sub-acid; sourish; as, an acidulous tincture. --E. Burke. Acidulous mineral waters, such as contain carbonic anhydride.

bilious suffering from indigestion; irritable

churl 1. A rustic; a countryman or laborer. ``A peasant or churl.'' --Spenser. Your rank is all reversed; let men of cloth Bow to the stalwart churls in overalls. --Emerson. 2. A rough, surly, ill-bred man; a boor. A churl's courtesy rarely comes, but either for gain or falsehood. --Sir P. Sidney. 3. A selfish miser; an illiberal person; a niggard. Like to some rich churl hoarding up his pelf. --Drayton

crabbed sour; peevish adj. peevish; morose; ill-tempered; cross / hard to understand because intricate or complicated / hard to read or make out because cramped or irregular [crabbed handwriting]

cumbersome burdensome ; heavy and awkward to carry / hard to mange

fastidious difficult to please; squeamish

finicky too particular; fussy

fractious irritable, peevish, bad-tempered / unruly

intractable unruly or stubborn ; not easily controlled or dealt with; unruly; refractory

malcontent a person who is not contented / discontented and inclined to rebel / person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs

martinet strict disciplinarian

meticulous excessively careful

morose ill-humored; sullen

mutinous unruly; rebellious

overnice adj. too nice; too fastidious, precise, etc.

petulant touchy; peevish

recalcitrant obstinately stubborn

refractory resisting control, discipline, etc. wilful ; not yielding to treatment ; hard to melt, fuse or work; stubborn; unmanageable

restive unmanageable; fretting under control adj. refusing to go forward; balky, as a horse / hard to control; unruly; refractory / nervous or impatient under pressure or restraint; restless; unsettled SYN. contrary

shrew scolding woman

squeamish adj. having a digestive system that is easily upset; easily nauseated; queasy / easily shocked or offended; prudish / excessively fastidious; oversensitive SYN. dainty

touchy sensitive; irascible; sensitive; irritable

unruly not easily controlled ; disorderly / disobedient; lawless

untoward unfortunate; annoying

vixen female fox; ill-tempered woman

wanton unruly; unchaste; excessive

besmear

besmirch soil; defile vt. 1 to make dirty; soil 2 to bring dishonor to; sully

blotch n. 1 a discolored patch or blemish on the skin 2 any large blot or stain vt. to cover or mark with blotches

blur

brindled tawny or grayish with streaks or spots

dappled spotted

defile make something dirty ; destroy the purity of; pollute; profane

disheveled untidy

filthy

fleck spot

frowzy slovenly; unkempt; dirty

immaculate pure ; faultless ; without a spot or stain ; perfectly clean ; right in every detail / spotless

mottled spotted

piebald mottled; spotted

pied variegated; multicolored

slovenly of or like a sloven / untidy; careless in work habits

smear

sordid filthy; base; vile

squalid dirty; neglected; poor

squalor

tainted contaminated; corrupt

unkempt untidy ; uncombed / disheveled; with uncared for appearance

abash embarrass, to destroy the self-confidence, poise, or self-possession of; disconcert; make ashamed or embarrassed

addle rotten: muddled; crazy 1. Liquid filth; mire. [Obs.] 2. Lees; dregs. [Prov. Eng.] --Wright. a. Having lost the power of development, and become rotten, as eggs; putrid. Hence: Unfruitful or confused, as brains; muddled. --Dryden.

agitation excitement of the mind or feelings, anxiety ; discussion or debate for the purpose of bringing about a change ; social or political unrest or trouble / strong feeling; excitement

anarchy absence of government or control ; disorder ; confusion; absence of governing body; state of disorder

baffle frustrate; perplex; to confuse

bedlam (St. Mary of Bethlehem (madhouse) madhouse; [Archaic] any insane asylum ;any place or condition of noise and confusion

confound vt. 1to mix up or lump together indiscriminately; confuse 2to make feel confused; bewilder 3to damn: used as a mild oath 4[Archaic] to defeat or destroy 5[Archaic] to abash

consternation surprise and fear ; dismay

deranged insane

disarray a disorderly or untidy state

discombobulate to upset the composure of; disconcert

embroil throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle

fluctuate move up and down

fluster confuse

fuddle

imperturbable not capable of being excited ; calm / placid

maelstrom whirlpool

muddle muddled state, confusion of ideas / bring into a state of confusion and disorder / confuse; mix up

obfuscate darken or obscure the mind ; bewilder; confuse; muddle

oscillate vibrate pendulum like; waver

pandemonium wild and noisy disorder / wild tumult

perplex

perturb disturb ; make afraid or anxious; disturb greatly

perturbation agitation

ruffled

trepidation fear; trembling agitation

turmoil confusion; strife

vacillation fluctuation; wavering

welter wallow / turmoil; bewildering jumble

accede agree ; take up a position ; succeed ; become a member of an organization

accolade bestowed of a knighthood by a tap on the shoulder with the flat of a sword ; praise ; approval; award of merit

accord the state of being in agreement or harmony; be in agreement or harmony ; give, grant to agree; to be in harmony; to grant or bestow

acquiesce to assent tacitly ;submit or comply silently or without protest ; assent; agree passively

assent agreement / agree to something / accept

compact

concur agree, be in harmony ; happen at the same time ; work together

concurrent happening at the same time

conformity harmony; agreement

congruence correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship

congruous corresponding to what is right, proper, or reasonable; fitting; suitable; appropriate

consort associate with

converge come towards each other and meet at a point / come together

seconder

stand-by

unanimity complete agreement or unity

uniformity sameness; consistency; monotony

unison concord or agreement / unity of pitch; complete accord

articulate say words or speak distinctly ; connect by joints / in which the separate sounds and words are clear ; able to put thoughts and feelings into clear speech; effective; distinct

babble chatter idly

drone idle person; male bee / talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee

eloquent

enunciate speak distinctly

glib fluent; spoken easily but with little thought ; fluent

mumble

murmur

mutter

prattle babble

stammer

stuttering

verbiage unnecessary words for the expression of an idea, etc. / pompous array of words

voluble loquacious ; able to talk very quickly and easily ; fluent ; rotating / glib

austere strict; stern

brevity shortness of statements, human life and other nonmaterial things; conciseness

concise brief ; giving much information in few words; brief and compact

curt adj. orig., short or shortened / brief, esp. to the point of rudeness; terse or brusque [a curt reply] SYN. blunt

epigrammatic of the epigram or full of epigrams / having the nature of an epigram; terse, witty, etc. Also

laconic brief and to the point

pithy concise; meaty

proverb

reticent not saying all that is known or felt ; in the habit of saving little; reserved; uncommunicative, inclined to silence

sententious dull and moralizing ; having an air of wisdom ; in the habit of saying or writing things in a short and witty manner; terse; concise; aphoristic

succinct terse ; expressed briefly and clearly; brief; terse; compact

taciturn habitually silent; talking little

terse concise; abrupt; pithy

vignette picture; short literary sketch

amicable done in friendly way ; peaceful

amity friendship

bonhomie good nature; pleasant, affable manner; amiability

convivial gay ; cheerful ; fond of chatting, merry-making, drinking, etc. ; of a feast or an official dinner; festive; gay; characterized by joviality

debonair friendly; aiming to please

jaunty stylish; perky; carefree

jocund merry

jovial good-natured; merry

resilient bouncing or springing back into shape, position, etc. after being stretched, bent or compressed ; buoyant in disposition / elastic; having the power of springing back

sanguine hopeful ; optimistic ; having a red complexion; cheerful; hopeful

spruce neat and trim

suavity urbanity; polish

vivacious lively, high-spirited, animated; gay

winsome attractive ; pleasing, bright / agreeable; gracious; engaging

belie give a wrong or untrue idea of ; fail to justify or be equal to what is hoped for or promised; contradict; give a false impression

contravene go against a law, a custom, etc. ; attack a statement, a principle, etc. / contradict; infringe on

discordant not in agreement ; not harmonious ; harsh / inharmonious; conflicting

discrepancy difference ; absence of agreement; lack of consistency; difference

disparity inequality ; difference / condition of inequality

dissent disagreement in opinion / have a different opinion from ; refuse to assent to ; refuse to accept the religious doctrine of the Chuch of England

dissident person who disagrees ; dissenter / disagreeing

dissonant

divergent get farther apart from a point, or from each other as they progress / differing; deviating

friction clash in opinion; rubbing against

incompatible

implacable that cannot be appeased ; relentless / incapable of being pacified

incoherence lack of relevance; lack of intelligibility

incoherent not logically coordinated, as to parts, elements, or details

incongruity lack of harmony; absurdity

incongruous ¸ not fitting; absurd

inconsistency

irreconcilable incompatible; not able to be resolved

oxymoron A rhetorical figure in which incongruous or contradictory terms are combined, as in a deafening silence and a mournful optimist

paradox statement that seems to say something opposite to common sense or the truth, but which may contain a truth; statement that looks false but is actually correct

rent

repugnance loathing

schism division; split

anesthetic substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness

callous hardened; unfeeling

impassive showing no sign of feeling ; unmoved / without feeling; not affected by pain

insensate without feeling

insensible unconscious; unresponsive

opiate sleep producer; deadener of pain

soporific sleep producer

stolid (dull) dull; impassive

stupefaction a stupefying or being stupefied / stunned amazement or utter bewilderment

stupor almost unconscious condition caused by shock, drugs, alcohol, etc.; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness

torpid dormant; dull; lethargic

hefty

ponderous weighty; unwieldy

preponderous

atrophy

attenuate make thin or slender ; weaken

callous hardened; unfeeling

debilitate make weak; weaken; enfeeble

debility

decrepitude

devitalize

drowsiness

effeminacy

enervate deprive of strength, force, vigor, etc. ; weaken physically, mentally, or morally / weakened

enfeeble

flabby

flaccid flabby

flagging weak; drooping

impassive showing no sign of feeling ; unmoved / without feeling; not affected by pain

impotent weak; ineffective

indolent habitually inactive or idle

inertia state of being inert or indisposed to move

inertness

insensate without feeling

insensible unconscious; unresponsive

lackadaisical affectedly languid

laggard slow; sluggish

languid weary; sluggish; listless

languor

lassitude

lax careless

lethargy a condition of abnormal drowsiness or torpor ; a great lack of energy ; being uninterested

listless too tired to show interest or do anything; lacking in spirit or energy

loaf

loiter hand around; linger

loll vi. 1to lean or lounge about in a relaxed or lazy manner 2to hang in a relaxed manner; droop [the dog's tongue lolled out] vt. to let droop or hang loosely n. [Archaic] the act of lolling

phlegmatic calm; not easily disturbed

remiss careless of duty / negligent

sap

senility old age; feeblemindedness of old age

sloth laziness; slow-moving tree dwelling mammal

sluggard lazy person

sluggish inactive ; slow-moving / lazy; lethargic; not easily aroused by activity; slow to respond

somnolent sleepy ; almost asleep ; causing sleep / half asleep

stolid (dull) dull; impassive

stupor almost unconscious condition caused by shock, drugs, alcohol, etc.; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness

supine (indolent) lying on back

torpid dormant; dull; lethargic

torpor (torpidity) lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy

foolhardy rash

temerarious rash

temerity boldness; rashness

venturesome bold

anhydrous withered

arid dry; barren

barren

colander utensil with perforated bottom used for straining

deluge great flood ; heavy fall of rain ; anything coming in a heavy rush / flood ; come down on; flood; rush

deplete empty until little or none remains ; use up ; exhaust; reduce; exhaust

desiccant

desiccate dry up

drain

drench

drought

exsiccate

hydrate

immerse

inundate flood ; cover with water by over-flowing ; deluge; overflow; flood

macerate

parch

saturate soak

scorch

sear

soak soaked; dull, as if from drink

steep soak

asinine stupid

buffoon a clown

bungler

dolt stupid person

dupe n. a person easily tricked or fooled vt. to deceive by trickery; fool or cheat SYN. cheat

farcical

fatuity

fatuous foolish; inane

folly 1 a lack of understanding, sense, or rational conduct; foolishness 2 any foolish action or belief 3 any foolish and useless but expensive undertaking 4 a) [Obs.] wickedness or evil; also, lewdness b) action that ends or can end in disaster See also follies

imbecile

impolitic not wise

imprudent lacking caution; injudicious

inane silly; senseless

inept not suitable to the purpose ; wrong in a foolish and awkward way; unsuited; absurd; incompetent

jester

lout clumsy person

ludicrous laughable; trifling

mooncalf

oaf stupid, awkward person

obtuse blunt; stupid

pantaloon

puerility

sap head

schlemiel

schmo, schmoe

simp (simpleton)

simpleton

soft head

softy, softie

stick-in-the-mud

stultify cause to appear foolish or inconsistent

stupe

stupor almost unconscious condition caused by shock, drugs, alcohol, etc.; state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness

tomfool

vacuous empty; inane

vapid insipid; inane

witless foolish; idiotic

zany n. 1a clown or buffoon; specif., a former stock character in comedies who clownishly aped the principal actors 2a silly or foolish person; simpleton adj. of or characteristic of a zany; specif., a) comical in an extravagantly ludicrous or slapstick manner b) foolish or crazy

acumen mental keenness; keen insight; shrewdness

apprehensive fearful about something that might happen ; quick to understand ; perceptive; fearful; discerning

clairvoyant having the power of seeing things not seen by other persons ; unusually keen / fortuneteller / having foresight

discerning mentally quick and observant; having insight

epiphany any appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity

erudite having or showing a wide knowledge gained from reading ; learned; learned; scholarly

erudition high degree of knowledge and learning

judicious showing or having good sense; wise; determined by sound judgment

perspicacious quick to judge and understand / having insight; penetrating; astute

sagacious keen; shrewd; having insight

contumacious resisting authority ; obstinate and disobedient

defiance the act of defying; open, bold resistance to authority or opposition / a challenge

insubordinate disobedient ; rebellious

insurgent a person engaged in resurgent activity / rebellious ; rising in revolt ; in revolt against the leadership of a political party

insurrection rebellion; uprising

malcontent a person who is not contented / discontented and inclined to rebel / person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs

mutineer mutiny

mutinous unruly; rebellious

rebel n. one who engages in armed resistance against the established government of one's country / a person who resists any authority or controls / [often R-] name for a Confederate soldier in the Civil War adj. rebellious / of rebels vi. to be a rebel against the established government of one's country / to resist any authority or controls [to rebel against one's parents] / to feel or show strong aversion; be repelled [his mind rebels at the thought]

recalcitrant obstinately stubborn

sedition tumult, allegiance; resistance to authority; insubordination

seditionary

avert turn away, turn aside ; avoid ; prevent; prevent; turn away

balk n. 1 a ridge of unplowed land between furrows 2 a roughly hewn piece of timber 3 a beam used in construction 4 something that obstructs or thwarts; check, hindrance, disappointment, etc. 5 [Obs.] a blunder; error 6 Baseball an illegal motion by the pitcher, such as an uncompleted motion to throw to a base, while one foot is on the rubber: it entitles each base runner to advance one base 7 Billiards any of the outer spaces between the cushions and the balk line vt. 1 orig., to make balks in (land) 2 to obstruct or thwart; foil 3 [Archaic] to miss or let slip by 4 Baseball to force (a base runner to score from third base) by committing a balk vi. 1 to stop and obstinately refuse to move or act 2 to hesitate or recoil (at) 3 to make a balk in baseball SYN. frustrate

circumvent prevent a plan from being carried out, frustrate; outwit; baffle

defer

deterrent something that discourages; hindrance

encumber get in the way of ; be a burden to ; choke up

forestall upset somebody or his plans by doing something unexpectedly early ; buy up ; do something first and so prevent another from doing it; prevent by taking action in advance

hamper obstruct

hindrance block; obstacle

impede hinder; block

impediment a thing which hinders ; an obstacle ; a defect in speech / hindrance; stumbling- block

inhibit hinder, restrain ; forbid / prohibit;

obstructionist

pester vt. to annoy constantly or repeatedly with petty irritations; bother; vex/[Obs.] to overcrowd; cram

preclude prevent ; make impossible in advance; make impossible; eliminate

procrastinate delay action ; keep on putting off / postpone;

retard

seditionary

slacken slow up; loosen

stonewalled

stymie present an obstacle; stump

temporize delay making a decision, giving an answer, stating one's purpose etc. ; act so as to gain time; avoid committing oneself; gain time

thwart baffle; frustrate

apostate one who abandons his faith / one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs

convert

neophyte person who has newly been converted to some belief or religion ; beginner; recent convert; beginner

perfidious faithless ; treacherous / basely false

perfidy violation of a trust

proselyte a person who has been converted from one religion to another, or from one belief, sect, party, etc. to another to try to convert (a person), esp. to one's religion / to persuade to do or join something, esp. by offering an inducement

proselytize convert to a religion or belief

rattlesnake

recreant coward; betrayer of faith

renegade person who changes his religious beliefs ; person who deserts his political party ; traitor / deserter; apostate

tergiversation evasion; fickleness

traitor

treacherousness

caprice whim

capricious fickle; incalculable

conceit whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor

cranky adj. in poor condition; apt to operate poorly / irritable; cross / queer; eccentric/ [Rare] full of turns; crooked/ Naut. liable to lurch or capsize; unsteady SYN. irritable

crotchety eccentric; whimsical

faltering falter vi. to move uncertainly or unsteadily; totter; stumble / to stumble in speech; speak haltingly; stammer / to act hesitantly; show uncertainty; waver; flinch [to falter under enemy fire] / to lose strength, certainty, etc.; weaken [the economy faltered] vt. to say hesitantly or timidly n. a faltering / a faltering sound

fanciful whimsical; visionary

fantastic unreal; grotesque; whimsical

fickle often changing ; not constant; changeable; faithless

flux flowing; series of changes

frivolous (silly) adj. of little value or importance; trifling; trivial / not properly serious or sensible; silly and light-minded; giddy [a frivolous remark, a frivolous youth]

intersperse

mercurial fickle; changing

metamorphose

monotony sameness leading to boredom

moodiness fits of depression or gloom

mutable liable to change ; likely to change / changing in form; fickle

protean versatile; able to take on many shapes

quicksilver

quirk startling twist; caprice

skittish lively; frisky

tantrum fit of petulance; caprice

transition a passing from one condition, period, form, stage, activity, place, etc. to another / going from one state of action to another

transmute change the shape, nature or substance of / convert to something different

vacillation fluctuation; wavering

vagary caprice; whim

vagrant

vicissitude change, especially in somebody's fortunes; change of fortune

volatile evaporating rapidly; lighthearted; mercurial

wanton unruly; unchaste; excessive

waver vi. to swing or sway to and fro; flutter / to show doubt or indecision; find it hard, or be unable, to decide; vacillate / to become unsteady; begin to give way; falter / to tremble; quaver: said of the voice, etc. / to vary in brightness; flicker: said of light / to fluctuate / to totter n. the act of wavering, trembling, vacillating, etc.

whimsical capricious; fanciful; quaint

nemesis revenging agent

reprisal injury or revenge done in return for an injury, especially by one country to another in a war; retaliation

requite repay; revenge

retaliate repay in kind usually for bad treatment

vendetta feud; private warfare

vengeance n. the return of an injury for an injury, in punishment or retribution; avenging of an injury or offense; revenge / the desire to make such a return

vindicate prove the justice, truth, validity, etc. of; clear of charges

abjure renounce upon oath

abnegate to renounce (a right or privilege); 1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences) ;reject 2. to relinquish ; give up

abnegation repudiation; self-sacrifice

contravene go against a law, a custom, etc. ; attack a statement, a principle, etc. / contradict; infringe on

controvert dispute about ; deny, oppose / oppose with arguments; contradict

demur delay; object

desist cease ; stop ; give up

disavow deny belief, approval or knowledge ; refuse

disavowal denial; disclaiming

discard

disclaim give up ; reject ; deny; disown; renounce claim to

discredit loss of credit or reputation / refuse to believe or have confidence in / defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve

disprove

dissent disagreement in opinion / have a different opinion from ; refuse to assent to ; refuse to accept the religious doctrine of the Chuch of England

flout reject; mock

gainsay deny

negate

negation denial

override

protest

rebuff snub; beat back

rebut to contradict

renege deny; go back on

renounce consent formally to give up a claim, right, possession, etc. ; refuse to acknowledge ; disown; abandon; discontinue; disown; repudiate

repel vt. to drive or force back; hold or ward off [to repel an attack]/to refuse to accept, agree to, or submit to; reject [to repel advances]/ to refuse to accept (a person); spurn [to repel a suitor]/ a) to cause distaste or dislike in; disgust [the odor repelled him] b) to cause (insects, etc.) to react by staying away/ a) to be resistant to, or present an opposing force to [a coating that repels moisture] b) to fail to mix with or adhere to [water repels oil] vi. to drive off, or offer an opposing force to, something / to cause distaste, dislike, or aversion

repudiate disown ; say that one will have nothing more to do with ; refuse to accept or acknowledge ; refuse to pay an obligation or dept; disown; disavow

revoke

withhold

apparent

elucidate explain ; make clear ; throw light on a problem, or difficulty / enlighten; to make understandable

evince show that one has a feeling, quality, etc.; show clearly

explicit clearly stated and leaving nothing implied ; outspoken ; saying what is meant without reservation or disguise; definite; open

incontrovertible that cannot be disputed / indisputable

indisputable that cannot be disputed ; unquestionable / too certain to be disputed

indubitable that cannot be doubted; unquestionable

limpid clear

lucid clear ; lucent; bright; easily understood

manifest understandable; clear

noncommittal not committing oneself to a definite course or to either side in a dispute, etc. / neutral; unfledged; undecided

overt open to view

palpable that can be felt or touched ; clear to the mind; tangible; easily perceptible

patent open for the public to read; obvious

pellucid transparent; limpid; easy to understand

perspicuous plainly expressed

tangible that can be perceived by touch ; clear and definite ; real; able to be touched; real; palpable

transparent allowing light to pass through ; about which there can be no mistake or doubt / permitting light to pass through freely; easily detected

unequivocal clear, having one only possible meaning / plain; obvious

unerringly plain; obvious

dim

filmy

hazy slightly obscure; not clear; vague

murky

nebulous cloudy; hazy

opaque dark; not transparent

opaqueness

sooty

turbid muddy; having the sediment disturbed

abusive using insults and curses ; of wrong use / coarsely insulting; physically harmful

admonish blame or scold gently ; warn ; give advice to someone; warn: reprove

affront an open insult / insult someone openly and on purpose ; meet death face to face

anathema formal declaration of the church, excommunicating somebody or condemning something as evil; solemn curse

anathematize curse

animadvert

arraign charge in court; indict

aspersion the act of sprinkle water ; slander; slanderous remark

assail assault

averse unwilling ; opposed / reluctant

berate scold sharply / scold strongly vt. to scold or rebuke severely

billingsgate vituperation; abusive language

blasphemous profane; impious

bluster n. 1. Fitful noise and violence, as of a storm; violent winds; boisterousness. To the winds they set Their corners, when with bluster to confound Sea, air, and shore. --Milton. 2. Noisy and violent or threatening talk; noisy and boastful language. Syn: Noise; boisterousness; tumult; turbulence; confusion; boasting; swaggering; bullying.

calumniate slander

calumny malicious misrepresentation; slander

castigation punishment; severe criticism

censorious critical

censure blame; criticize

chastise punish

chide scold

contemn regard with contempt; disregard

contempt scorn; disdain

contumely scornful insolence; insult

culpable blameworthy, deserving punishment; deserving blame

decry disparage

defamation harm that is given to one's reputation ; slander / harming a person's reputation

defame to slander

denigrate blacken

denounce condemn; criticize

deprecate feel and express disapproval of; disapprove regretfully

deprecatory disapproving

derogatory tending to damage or take away from one's credit, etc. ; insulting; expressing a low opinion

despise scorn

detest

detraction slandering; aspersion

diatribe bitter scolding; invective

disapprobation disapproval; condemnation

disapproval

disdain contempt ; scorn / look on with contempt ; think it dishonorable to do something ; be too proud; treat with scorn or contempt

disparage say that someone or something is of small value or importance ; speak ill of; belittle

epithet an expression which give a good description, eg. Sophocles, the wise one / descriptive word or phrase

excoriate flay; abrade

execrable deserving hate ; abominable ; very bad

execrate curse; express abhorrence for

expletive interjection; profane oath

flak n. the fire of antiaircraft guns / [Colloq.] strong, clamorous criticism, opposition, etc.

flay strip off skin; plunder

flout reject; mock

fulminate thunder; explode

fulmination

gainsay deny

gibe mock

hireling one who serves for hire (usually contemptuously)

hurl (pitch) vt. to throw or fling with force or violence / to cast down; overthrow / to utter vehemently [to hurl insults] vi. to throw or fling something / to move with force or violence; rush

hypercritical too demanding, finding too much to criticize / excessively exacting

ignominy 1 loss of one's reputation; shame and dishonor; infamy 2 disgraceful, shameful, or contemptible quality, behavior, or act

imprecate curse; pray that evil will befall

imprecation a curse

impugn attack by argument or criticism, express doubt about a statement, act, quality, etc.; doubt; challenge; gainsay

imputation charge; reproach

incriminate accuse of a crime ; say that someone is guilty of wrongdoing

indignity offensive or insulting treatment

invective abuse language ; curses ; violent expressions

inveigh denounce; utter censure or invective

libel defamation

libelous defamatory; injurious to the good name of a person

malediction curse ; prayer to God that someone or something may be destroyed, hurt, etc

malign speak evil of; defame; to slander

maul

mock

mortify cause someone to be ashamed, humiliated, or hurt in his feelings ; discipline bodily passions or overcome bodily desires; humiliate; punish the flesh

mudslinger

nauseate

objurgate scold; rebuke severely

obloquy bad words spoken of a person or thing ; ill repute ; disgrade / slander; disgrace; infamy

opprobrium the disgrace or infamy attached to conduct viewed as grossly shameful ; scorn ; reproach / vilification

pan

peace monger

pejorative having a deteriorating or depreciating effect on the meaning of a word

pelf stolen property; money or wealth in a contemptuous sense

rail scold; rant

rate

rebuke

recrimination accusation made in return for one already made ; countercharge; countercharges

remonstrate say or plead in protest, objection, complaints, etc.

reprehend

reprehensible deserving to be blamed; deserving blame

reprimand

reproach blame; censure

reprobate person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency

reprobation severe disapproval

reprove find fault with ; say sharp words to; censure; rebuke

revile swear at, abuse; slander; vilify

scathe

slander defamation; utterance o false and malicious statements

slater

slight

slur

smear

sneer

sordid filthy; base; vile

spurn reject; scorn

stigmatize describe somebody scornfully; brand; mark as wicked

stricture critical comments; severe and adverse criticism

tirade extended scolding; denunciation

traduce say untrue or malicious things about ; slander / expose to slander

umbrage resentment; anger; sense of injury or insult

upbraid scold; reproach

vilifier

vilify slander

vituperate

abscond go away suddenly and hide / depart secretly and hide

abstruse deep in meaning ; difficult to understand; obscure: profound: difficult to understand; recondite

arcane secret; mysterious

cache

clandestine secret

conclave private meeting

covert secret; hidden; implied

crabbed sour; peevish adj. peevish; morose; ill-tempered; cross / hard to understand because intricate or complicated / hard to read or make out because cramped or irregular [crabbed handwriting]

cryptic mysterious; hidden; secret

enigmatic obscure; puzzling

esoteric known only to the chosen few

furtive stealthy

incognito concealed under a disguised identity ; with an assumed name / with one's name, identity, etc. concealed / with identity concealed; using an assumed name

inconspicuous

intricate complicated ; difficult to follow or understand

lurk

obscure dark; vague; unclear; darken; make unclear

occult hidden ; secret ; mysterious ; supernatural ; magical; mysterious; secret; supernatural

privy secret; hidden; not public

profound deep; not superficial; complete

recondite abstruse; profound; secret

riddle

skulk move furtively and secretly

subterranean

surreptitious done, got made, etc. in a secret, stealthy way, clandestine

affected artificial: pretended

apocryphal relating to the apocryphal ; not genuine; not genuine; sham

artifice deception; trickery

astute wise; shrewd

beguile cheat ; amuse / delude;

belie give a wrong or untrue idea of ; fail to justify or be equal to what is hoped for or promised; contradict; give a false impression

bilk vt. 1 to balk or thwart 2 to cheat or swindle; defraud 3 to get away without paying (a debt, etc.) 4 to manage to get away from; elude [to bilk the police] n. 1 a bilking or being bilked; hoax 2 a person who cheats; swindler

bogus counterfeit; not authentic

cajole coax; wheedle

calumny malicious misrepresentation; slander

charlatan quack; pretender to knowledge

chicanery trickery

circumlocution roundabout way of speaking ; roundabout expression; indirect or roundabout expression

cog¡ tooth projecting from a wheel

concoct prepare by mixing together ; invent a story, and excuse, a plot, etc.; prepare by combining; make up in concert

contrived forced; artificial; not spontaneous

cozen cheat; hoodwink; swindle

delude deceive ; mislead

delusion false belief; hallucination

delusive deceptive; raising vain hopes

devious going astray; erratic

disingenuous insincere ; not straightforward / not naive; sophisticated

dissemble hide one's feeling, intentions, etc. ; disguise; disguise; pretend

dissimulate hide one's feelings, intentions, etc. by pretense ; pretend / conceal by feigning

dupe n. a person easily tricked or fooled vt. to deceive by trickery; fool or cheat SYN. cheat

duplicity

elusive evasive; baffling; hard to grasp

equivocate use vague expressions / lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth

fabricate build; lie

factitious artificial; sham

fallacious 1 containing a fallacy; erroneous [fallacious reasoning] 2 a) misleading or deceptive b) causing disappointment; delusive

feint trick; shift; sham blow

finesse delicate skill

forswear perjure oneself ; give up doing or using something

fraudulent cheating; deceitful

furtive stealthy

gerrymander change voting district lines in order to favor a political party

gimmick

gouge tear out

guile deceit; duplicity

guise appearance; costume

hoax trick; practical joke; a trick

hoodwink deceive; delude

hypocritical pretending to be virtuous; deceiving

illusive deceiving

illusory deceptive; not real

imposture assuming a false identity; masquerade

improbity dishonesty

insidious treacherous; stealthy; sly

inveigle lead astray; wheedle

legerdemain sleight of hand

mendacious lying; false

mendacity

molten in a melted and therefore very hot state ; made of metal that has been melted and cast

nonentity thing that does not really exist or that exists only in the imagination ; unimportant person / nonexistence; person of no importance

perfidious faithless ; treacherous / basely false

perjury the act of making a false statement after taking an oath to tell the truth ; willful false statement; false testimony while under oath

pharisaical pertaining to the Pharisees; self-righteous; hypocritical

ploy

pretentious claiming great merit or importance / ostentatious; ambitious

pretext a false reason or motive put forth to hide the real one / excise

prevaricate make untrue or partly untrue statements, try to evade telling the whole truth / lie

quack charlatan; impostor

quibble evasion of the main point of an argument, attempt to escape giving an honest answer, by using a secondary or doubtful meaning of a word or phrase / use quibbles ; argue about small points of differences / equivocate; play on words

ruse trick; stratagem

serpentine twisting and curving like snake; winding; twisting

shammer

shark

sharper swindler

short-changer

shrewd clever; astute

skinner

skullduggery dishonest behavior

sleight dexterity

specious seeming right or true, but not really so; seemingly reasonable but incorrect

spurious false; counterfeit

stratagem deceptive scheme

studied

subterfuge pretense; evasion

subtlety nicety; cunning; guile; delicacy

surreptitious done, got made, etc. in a secret, stealthy way, clandestine

swindle

tortuous full of twists and bends ; not straight forward, devious; winding; full of curves

twister

vulpine of or like a fox ; crafty

wangle wiggle out; fake

welsher

wheedle cajole; coax; deceive by flattery

wily cunning; artful

botch 1. A swelling on the skin; a large ulcerous affection; a boil; an eruptive disease. [Obs. or Dial.] Botches and blains must all his flesh emboss. --Milton. 2. A patch put on, or a part of a garment patched or mended in a clumsy manner. 3. Work done in a bungling manner; a clumsy performance; a piece of work, or a place in work, marred in the doing, or not properly finished; a bungle. To leave no rubs nor botches in the work. --Shak. an embarrassing mistake [syn: blunder, blooper, bungle, foul-up, fuckup, flub, boner, boo-boo, misdoing] v : make a mess of, destroy or ruin [syn: fumble, botch up, muff, blow, flub, screw up, ball up, blunder, spoil, muck up, bungle, fluff, bollix, bollix up, bollocks, bollocks up, bobble, mishandle, louse up, foul up, mess up, fuck up]

bungle spoil by clumsy behavior

dismal adj. 1causing gloom or misery; depressing 2dark and gloomy; bleak; dreary 3depressed; miserable

doggerel poor verse

fumble vt. 1 to search (for a thing) by feeling about awkwardly with the hands; grope clumsily 2 to handle (a thing) clumsily or unskillfully; bungle 3 to lose one's grasp on (a football, etc.) while trying to catch or hold it 4 to make (one's way) clumsily or by groping n. 1 the act or fact of fumbling 2 a football, etc. that has been fumbled

gauche clumsy; boorish; impolite; clumsy; awkward

inept not suitable to the purpose ; wrong in a foolish and awkward way; unsuited; absurd; incompetent

maladroit not adroit ; clumsy ; tactless / bungling

parody writing intended to amuse by imitating the style of writing used by someone else ; weak imitation / make a parody of; humorous imitation; travesty

uncouth rough, awkward, not cultured / outlandish; clumsy; boorish; rude in one's behavior

ballast heavy substance used to add stability or weight

barge houseboat

careen lurch; sway from side to side

caulk

figurehead

galley

hold

lurch

porthole

skiff

tugboat

armor clad

arsenal n 1: all the weapons and equipment that a country has [syn: armory, armoury] 2: a military structure where arms and ammunition and other military equipment are stored and training is given in the use of arms [syn: armory, armoury] 3: a place where arms are manufactured [syn

bulwark earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends

cavalry

chivalrous the knights or the Middle Ages ; honorable ; courteous / courteous; faithful; brave

chivalry

dagger

drawbridge

gauntlet leather glove

moat

motto

quiver

rampart defensive mound of earth

cantankerous ill humored; irritable/bad-tempered; quarrelsome

choleric hot-tempered/orig., bilious/ having or showing a quick temper or irascible nature SYN. irritable

crabbed sour; peevish adj. peevish; morose; ill-tempered; cross / hard to understand because intricate or complicated / hard to read or make out because cramped or irregular [crabbed handwriting]

cranky adj. in poor condition; apt to operate poorly / irritable; cross / queer; eccentric/ [Rare] full of turns; crooked/ Naut. liable to lurch or capsize; unsteady SYN. irritable

cross (irritable) (with); adj. lying or passing across or through; transverse; crossing or crossed [cross street, cross ventilation] going counter; contrary; opposed [at cross purposes] ill-tempered; cranky; irritable involving reciprocal actions, etc. of mixed variety or breed; hybrid; crossbred [Archaic] causing harm; unfavorable

exasperate vt. to irritate or annoy very much; make angry; vex [Archaic] to intensify (a feeling, disease, etc.); aggravate SYN. irritate

fractious irritable, peevish, bad-tempered / unruly

fretful adj. tending to fret; irritable and discontented; peevish

grate vt. to grind into shreds or particles by rubbing or scraping/to rub against (an object) with a harsh, scraping sound/to grind (the teeth) together with a rasping sound/to irritate; annoy; fret vi. to grind or rub with a harsh scraping or rasping sound/to make a harsh or rasping sound/to have an irritating or annoying effect

irascible irritable; easily angered

nag vt.to annoy by continual scolding, faultfinding, complaining, urging, etc./to keep troubling, worrying, etc. [nagged by a thought] vi.to urge, scold, find fault, etc. constantly/to cause continual discomfort, pain, etc. [a nagging toothache] n.a person, esp. a woman, who nags

nettle any of a genus (Urtica) of annual and perennial weeds of the nettle family with stinging hairs/any of various other stinging or spiny plants adj.designating a family (Urticaceae, order Urticales) of chiefly tropical, dicotyledonous plants usually covered with stinging hairs, including the ramie vt.to sting with or as with nettles/to irritate; annoy; vex

peevish (cross) adj.hard to please; irritable; fretful; cross/ showing ill humor or impatience, as a glance or remark

pester vt.to annoy constantly or repeatedly with petty irritations; bother; vex/[Obs.] to overcrowd; cram

petulant touchy; peevish

querulous fretful; whining adj.inclined to find fault; complaining / full of complaint; peevish

splenetic spiteful; irritable; peevish

touchy sensitive; irascible; sensitive; irritable

vex annoy; distress vt. to give trouble to, esp. in a petty or nagging way; disturb, annoy, irritate, etc./to distress, afflict, or plague [vexed with rheumatism]/to keep bringing up, going over, or returning to (a matter difficult to solve)/[Obs.] to shake or toss about SYN. annoy

dearth scarcity

deficiency

devoid completely without ; lacking

iota very small quantity

meager scanty; inadequate

modicum limited quantity

myopia

nip

paucity scarcity

pinch to press between one's fingers or another object

scant meager

scanty meager; insufficient

scarcity

scintilla shred; least bit

soupcon suggestion; hint; taste

whit smallest speck

clapper 1. One who makes knickknacks, toys, etc. --Mortimer. 2. One of two or more pieces of bone or wood held loosely between the fingers, and struck together by moving the hand; -- called also clapper. --Halliwell.

diffuse adj. 1spread out or dispersed; not concentrated 2using more words than are needed; long-winded; wordy vt., vi. 1to pour, spread out, or disperse in every direction; spread or scatter widely 2Physics to mix by diffusion, as gases, liquids, etc. SYN. wordy

discomfit frustrate the plans or expectations of ; make someone uneasy or confused; put to rout; defeat; disconcert

garrulity talkativeness

garrulous loquacious; wordy

glib fluent; spoken easily but with little thought ; fluent

loquacious talkative, fond of talking

magpie newsmonger

prate speak foolishly; boast idly

prolix verbose; drawn out

prolixity

raconteur story-teller

rattlebrain

rattler

redundant superfluous; superfluous; excessively wordy; repetitious

screed long, tiresome harangue

verbiage unnecessary words for the expression of an idea, etc. / pompous array of words

verbose wordy

voluble loquacious ; able to talk very quickly and easily ; fluent ; rotating / glib

wordy

yenta

cogitate think over

consider to think deliberately about

contemplate

deliberate consider; ponder

meditation reflection; thought

mull

muse ponder

ponder

pore

ruminate chew the cud; ponder

adjunct something added to another thing, but not essential ; a person connected with another as a helper or subordinate associate / added or connected in a secondary or subordinate way ; temporarily employed; something attached to but holding an inferior position

bivouac temporary encampment

bout a going and coming back again, as across a field in plowing; turn 2 a struggle; contest or match [a championship bout] 3 a period of time taken up by some activity, illness, etc.; spell [a bout of the flu, a bout of shopping]

brink the edge of a high place

capricious fickle; incalculable

cursory quick ; hurried ; done without attention to details; casual; hastily done

ephemeral living for a very short time ; transitory; short-lived; fleeting

evanescent tending to fade from sight ; soon going from the memory ; ephemeral; fleeting; vanishing

fleeting

flit fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by

improvise make verse, music, etc. without preparation or plan ; provide something roughly for an immediate need; compose on the spur of the moment

makeshift

meteoric swift; momentarily brilliant

mirage an image of a distant object, often upside down, seen as if it were near especially in the desert ; any illusion or hope that cannot be realized / unreal reflection; optical illusion

palliation act of making less severe or violent

perquisite any gain above stipulated salary

provisional tentative

reprieve postponement or remission of punishment, especially by death ; delay or respite / postpone or delay punishment ; give relief for a short time from danger, trouble, etc. / temporary stay

secular worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal

sojourn temporary stay

stopgap

temporal not lasting forever; limited by time; secular

tentative provisional; experimental

transient guest who is not a permanent resident in a hotel, boarding-house, etc. / lasting for a short time only ; ephemeral; fleeting; quickly passing away; staying for a short time

transitoriness impermanence

waive give up temporarily; yield

acquiescence submission; compliance

acquiescent accepting passively

amenable readily managed; willing to be led

biddable

complaisant disposed to please ; polite ; complaint / trying to please; obliging

compliance readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements

compliant ready or disposed to comply / yielding

conformity harmony; agreement

deference the act of obeying the judgment or opinion of another ; great respect; courteous regard for another's wish

docile easily trained or controlled; obedient; easily managed

ductile

insubordinate disobedient ; rebellious

lithe flexible; supple

malleable capable of being shaped by pounding

manageable

meek

obeisance deep bow of respect or homage ; homage ; obedience, submission

pliable easily bent, shaped, or twisted ; easily influenced ; open to suggestion

pliant

recalcitrant obstinately stubborn

resigned unresisting; patiently submissive

submissive

supple flexible; pliant

tractability

unruly not easily controlled ; disorderly / disobedient; lawless

yielding

artless without guile; open and honest

artlessness n. The quality of being artless, or void of art or guile; simplicity; sincerity the quality of innocent naiveté [syn: innocence, ingenuousness, naturalness] 2: ingenuousness by virtue of being free from artful deceit [ant: artfulness]

cherubic angelic; innocent-looking

guileless without deceit

ingénue (Onjenoo) an artless girl; an actress who plays such parts

ingenuous frank ; open ; innocent ; natural; naive; young; unsophisticated

naïve (na-eev)

naiveté quality of being unsophisticated

unfeigned genuine; real

disconsolate unhappy at the loss of something ; withouut comfort or hope ; sad ; gloomy

dolorous sorrowful

elegiac like an elegy; mournful

funereal sad; solemn

grievous creating affliction

lachrymose producing tears

lugubrious mournful

maudlin effusively sentimental

mawkish sickening; insipid

plangent plaintive; resounding sadly

rheumy pertaining to a discharge from nose and eyes

rueful regretful; sorrowful; dejected

snivel run at the nose; snuffle; whine

affray public brawl

bedlam St. Mary of Bethlehem(madhouse); [Archaic] any insane asylum ;any place or condition of noise and confusion

blare

blatant loudly offensive

boisterous violent; rough; noisy

brouhaha n 1: loud confused noise from many sources [syn: hubbub, uproar] 2: a confused disturbance far greater than its cause merits

clamorous

clangor loud, resounding noise

commotion

deafening

din continued loud noise

ferment agitation; commotion

fluster confuse

fulminate thunder; explode

obstreperous boisterous; noisy

piercing

rambunctious

rattling

raucous harsh and shrill

scaremonger

sedition tumult; resistance to authority; insubordination

seethe be disturbed; boil

squeaker

stentorian extremely loud

strident loud and harsh

tumult commotion; riot; noise

tumultuous

turbulence state of violent agitation

turbulent violent ; disorderly ; uncontrolled

vociferous noisy, yelling; clamorous

assiduous working steadily, diligent ; eagerly attentive

chary cautiously watchful

circumspect cautious ; well-considered; prudent; cautious

conscientious scrupulous; careful; honest

discreet judicious

discretion carefulness ; prudence ; freedom of judgment, choice, or action / ability to adjust actions to circumstances

gingerly very carefully

heed

judicious showing or having good sense; wise; determined by sound judgment

meticulous excessively careful

precise exact

precision

prim very precise and formal; exceedingly proper

providence

prudent acting only after careful thought or planning ; careful; cautious; careful

punctilious laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; precise

sagacious keen; shrewd; having insight

scrupulous conscientious; extremely thorough

scrutinize examine closely and critically

unobtrusive not too obvious or easily noticeable ; discreet / inconspicuous; not blatant

vigilance watchfulness, keeping watch

wary cautious; very cautious

misanthrope hater of mankind ; person who avoids society / one who hates mankind

misogamy hatred of marriage

misogynist hater of women

misologist a hater of knowledge and enlightenment

Negrophobe a person who strongly fears or dislikes black people

xenophobe hatred of strangers

affray public brawl (remember, defray means pay )

altercation quarrel or noisy argument; wordy quarrel

bout n. 1 [Dial.] a going and coming back again, as across a field in plowing; turn 2 a struggle; contest or match [a championship bout] 3 a period of time taken up by some activity, illness, etc.; spell [a bout of the flu, a bout of shopping]

duel

feud a bitter, long-continued, and deadly quarrel, esp. between clans or families vi. to carry on a feud; quarrel n. land held from a feudal lord in return for service; fief

fracas brawl; melee

fray brawl

squabble vi. to quarrel noisily over a small matter; wrangle n.a noisy, petty quarrel or dispute; wrangle SYN. quarrel2

strife

vendetta feud; private warfare

wrangle such an argument / take part in a noisy or angry argument / quarrel; obtain through arguing; herd cattle

adulation flattery: admiration

blandishment flattery

cajole coax; wheedle

court

creep

cringe shrink back, as if in fear

cringing

crouch

encomiastic praising; eulogistic

fawning courting favor by cringing and flattering

flattery

fulsome disgustingly excessive

grovel crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate

incense enrage; infuriate

indomitable unyielding ; that cannot be subdued or conquered / unconquerable

ingratiate bring oneself into favor, especially in order to gain an advantage ; flatter; become popular with

inveigle coax, cajole

lackey footman; toady

obsequious too eager to obey or advantage ; showing excessive respect from hope of reward or advantage; slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic (Remember, Obsequies means funeral ceremony)

parasite animal or plant living on or in another and getting its food from it ; person supported by another and giving him nothing in return / animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant

sequacious eager to follow; ductile

servile of or like a slave ; lacking in the spirit of independence ; obsequious; slavish; cringing

snob

spaniel a submissive, fawning, or cringing person

subjection

subservient useful as a means to a purpose ; giving ot much respect to / behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious

succumb give way to ; yield to temptation, flattery, etc. ; die; yield; give in; die

sycophant a servile flatterer, especially of those in authority or influence

sycophantic servilely flattering

toady flatter for favors

truckle curry favor; act in an obsequious way

tuft hunter

unctuous oily; bland; insincerely suave

wheedle cajole; coax; deceive by flattery

Top 200 Words in the GRE

2008-03-07T04:36:00.001-08:00

Top 200 Words in the GRE and other words which are related or similar in meaning to them are grouped together so that you can learn it easier. The words are given along with it's meaning, a sentence in which it is used and also the words similar in meaning are given. A total of approximately 1500 words will be covered in just this one article. You must learn this if you want to do well...

ABATE: to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
As the hurricane's force ABATED, the winds dropped and the sea became calm.
Words with similar meanings:
EBB LAPSE LET UP
MODERATE RELENT SLACKEN
SUBSIDE WANE

ABSCOND: to leave secretly
The patron ABSCONDED from the restaurant without paying his bill by sneaking out the
back door.
Words with similar meanings:
FLEE DECAMP ESCAPE

ABSTAIN: to choose not to do something:
During Lent, practicing Catholics ABSTAIN from eating meat.
Words with similar meanings:
FORBEAR REFRAIN WITHHOLD

ABYSS: an extremely deep hole
The submarine dove into the ABYSS to chart the previously unseen depths.
Related words:
ABYSSAL: pertaining to great depth
ABYSMAL: extremely bad
Words with similar meanings:
CHASM VOID

ADULTERATE: to make impure
The restaurateur made his ketchup last longer by ADULTERATING it with water.
Related words:
UNADULTERATED: pure
ADULTERY an illicit relationship; an affair
Words with similar meanings:
DOCTOR

ADVOCATE: to speak in favor of
The vegetarian ADVOCATED a diet containing no meat.
Related words:
ADVOCACY: active support for
Words with similar meanings:
BACK CHAMPION SUPPORT

AESTHETIC: concerning the appreciation of beauty
Followers of the AESTHETIC Movement regarded the pursuit of beauty as the only true
purpose of art.
Related words:
AESTHETE: someone unusually sensitive to beauty
AESTHETICISM: concern with beauty
Words with similar meanings:
ARTISTIC TASTEFUL

AGGRANDIZE: to increase in power, influence, and reputation
The supervisor sought to AGGRANDIZE himself by claiming that the achievements of his
staff were actually his own.
Words with similar meanings:
AMPLIFY APOTHEOSIZE AUGMENT
DIGNIFY ELEVATE ENLARGE
ENNOBLE EXALT GLORIFY
MAGNIFY SWELL UPLIFT
WAX

ALLEVIATE: to make more bearable:
Taking aspirin helps to ALLEVIATE a headache.
Words with similar meanings:
ALLAY ASSUAGE COMFORT
EASE LESSEN LIGHTEN
MITIGATE PALLIATE RELIEVE

AMALGAMATE: to combine; to mix together
Giant Industries AMALGAMATED with Mega Products to form Giant-Mega Products
Incorporated.
Related Words:
AMALGAM: a mixture, especially of two metals
Words with similar meanings:
ADMIX BLEND COMBINE
COMMINGLE COMMIX COMPOUND
FUSE INTERMINGLE INTERMIX
MERGE MINGLE MIX

AMBIGUOUS: doubtful or uncertain; able to be interpreted several ways
The directions he gave were so AMBIGUOUS that we disagreed on which way to turn.
Related Words:
AMBIGUITY: the quality of being ambiguous
Words with similar meanings:
CLOUDY DOUBTFUL DUBIOUS
EQUIVOCAL NEBULOUS INDETERMINATE
OBSCURE UNCLEAR VAGUE

AMELIORATE: to make better; to improve
The doctor was able to AMELIORATE the patient's suffering using painkillers.
Words with similar meanings:
AMEND BETTER IMPROVE
PACIFY UPGRADE

ANACHRONISM: something out of place in time
The aged hippie used ANACHRONISTIC phrases like groovy and far out that had not been
popular for years.
Words with similar meanings:
ARCHAISM INCONGRUITY

ANALOGOUS: similar or alike in some way; equivalent to
In a famous argument for the existence of God, the universe is ANALOGOUS to a mechanical
timepiece, the creation of a divinely intelligent “clockmaker.”
Related words
ANALOGY: a similarity between things that are otherwise dissimilar
ANALOGUE: something that is similar in some way to something else
Words with similar meanings:
ALIKE COMPARABLE CORRESPONDING
EQUIVALENT HOMOGENEOUS PARALLEL
SIMILAR

ANOMALY: deviation from what is normal
Albino animals may display too great an ANOMALY in their coloring to attract normally
colored mates.
Related words:
ANOMALOUS: deviating from what is normal
Words with similar meanings:
ABERRANCE ABERRATION ABNORMALITY
DEVIANCE DEVIATION IRREGULARITY
PRETERNATURALNESS

ANTAGONIZE: to annoy or provoke to anger
The child discovered that he could ANTAGONIZE the cat by pulling its tail.
Related Words:
ANTAGONISTIC: tending to provoke conflict
ANTAGONIST: someone who fights another
Words with similar meanings
CLASH CONFLICT
IRRITATE OPPOSE
PROVOKE VEX
INCITE
PESTER

ANTIPATHY: extreme dislike
The ANTIPATHY between the French and the English regularly erupted into open warfare.
Words with similar meanings:
ANIMOSITY ANIMUS ANTAGONISM
AVERSION ENMITY HOSTILITY
REPELLENCE

APATHY: lack of interest or emotion
The APATHY of voters is so great that less than half the people who are eligible to vote actually
bother to do so.
Words with similar meanings:
COOLNESS DISINTEREST DISREGARD
IMPASSIVITY INDIFFERENCE INSENSIBILITY
LASSITUDE LETHARGY LISTLESSNESS
PHLEGM STOLIDITY UNCONCERN
UNRESPONSIVENESS

ARBITRATE: to judge a dispute between two opposing parties
Since the couple could not come to agreement, a judge was forced to ARBITRATE their
divorce proceedings.
Related words:
ARBITRATION: a process by which a conflict is resolved
ARBITRATOR: a judge
Words with similar meanings:
ADJUDGE ADJUDICATE DECIDE
DETERMINE JUDGE MODERATE
REFEREE RULE
ARCHAIC: ancient, old-fashioned
Her ARCHAIC Commodore computer could not run the latest software.
Related words:
ARCHAISM: an outdated word or phrase
Words with similar meanings:
ANCIENT ANTEDILUVIAN ANTIQUE
BYGONE DATED DOWDY
FUSTY OBSOLETE OLD-FASHIONED
OUTDATED OUTMODED PASSE
PREHISTORIC STALE SUPERANNUATED
SUPERSEDED VINTAGE

ARDOR: intense and passionate feeling
Bishop's ARDOR for landscape was evident when he passionately described the beauty of
the scenic Hudson Valley.
Related words:
ARDENT: expressing ardor; passionate
Words with similar meanings:
DEVOTION ENTHUSIASM FERVENCY
FERVIDITY FERVIDNESS FERVOR
FIRE PASSION ZEAL
ZEALOUSNESS

ARTICULATE: able to speak clearly and expressively
She is such an ARTICULATE defender of labor that unions are among her strongest supporters.
Words with similar meanings
ELOQUENT EXPRESSIVE FLUENT
LUClD SILVER-TONGUED SMOOTH-SPOKEN

ASSUAGE: to make something unpleasant less severe
Like many people, Philip Larkin used alcohol to ASSUAGE his sense of meaninglessness
and despair.
Words with similar meanings:
ALLAY
COMFORT
LIGHTEN
PACIFY
PROPITIATE
SWEETEN
ALLEVIATE
CONCILIATE
MITIGATE
PALLIATE
RELIEVE
APPEASE
EASE
MOLLIFY
PLACATE
SOOTHE

ATTENUATE: to reduce in force or degree; to weaken
The Bill of Rights ATTENUATED the traditional power of government to change laws at will.
Words with similar meanings:
DEBILITATE DEVITALIZE DILUTE
ENERVATE ENFEEBLE RAREFY
SAP THIN UNDERMINE
UNDO UNNERVE WATER
WEAKEN

AUDACIOUS: fearless and daring
"And you, your majesty, may kiss my bum!" replied the AUDACIOUS peasant.
Related words:
AUDACITY the quality of being audacious
Words with similar meanings:
ADVENTURESOME AGGRESSIVE
BOLD BRAVE
DARING DAUNTLESS
FEARLESS GALLANT
HEROIC INTREPID
PLUCKY STOUT
ASSERTIVE
COURAGEOUS
DOUGHTY
GAME
METTLESOME
STOUTHEARTED
UNAFRAID UNDAUNTED VALIANT
VALOROUS VENTURESOME VENTUROUS

AUSTERE: severe or stern in appearance; undecorated
The lack of decoration makes Zen temples seem AUSTERE to the untrained eye.
Related words:
AUSTERITY: severity, especially poverty
Words with similar meanings:
BLEAK DOUR GRIM
HARD HARSH SEVERE

BANAL: predictable, clichéd, boring
He used BANAL phrases like Have a nice day, or Another day, another dollar.
Related words:
BANALIR the quality of being banal
Words with similar meanings:
BLAND BROMIDIC CLICHED
COMMONPLACE FATUOUS HACKNEYED
INNOCUOUS INSIPID JEJUNE
MUSTY PLATITUDINOUS PROSAIC
QUOTIDIAN SHOPWORN STALE
STEREOTYPIC THREADBARE TIMEWORN
TIRED TRITE VAPID
WORN-OUT

BOLSTER: to support; to prop up
The presence of giant footprints BOLSTERED the argument that Sasquatch was in the area.
Words with similar meanings:
BRACE BUTTRESS PROP
SUPPORT SUSTAIN UNDERPIN UPHOLD
BOMBASTIC: pompous in speech and manner
Mussolini's speeches were mostly BOMBASTIC; his boasting and outrageous claims had no
basis in fact.
Related words:
BOMBAST: pompous speech or writing
Words with similar meanings:
BLOATED DECLAMATORY FUSTIAN
GRANDILOQUENT GRANDIOSE HIGH-FLOWN
MAGNILOQUENT OROTUND PRETENTIOUS
RHETORICAL SELF-IMPORTANT

CACOPHONY: harsh, jarring noise
The junior high orchestra created an almost unbearable CACOPHONY as they tried to
tune their instruments.
Words with similar meanings:
DISCORD CHAOS DISHARMONY
NOISE CLAMOR DIN

CANDID: impartial and honest in speech
The observations of a child can be charming since they are CANDID and unpretentious.
Words with similar meanings:
DIRECT FORTHRIGHT FRANK
HONEST OPEN SINCERE
STRAIGHT STRAIGHTFORWARD UNDISGUISED

CAPRICIOUS: changing one's mind quickly and often
Queen Elizabeth I was quite CAPRICIOUS; her courtiers could never be sure which of their
number would catch her fancy.
Related words:
CAPRICE: whim, sudden fancy
Words with similar meanings:
ARBITRARY CHANCE CHANGEABLE
ERRATIC FICKLE INCONSTANT
MERCURIAL RANDOM WHIMSICAL
WILLFUL

CASTIGATE: to punish or criticize harshly
Americans are amazed at how harshly the authorities in Singapore CASTIGATE perpetrators of what would be considered minor crimes in the united States.
Words with similar meanings:
ADMONISH CHASTISE CHIDE
REBUKE REPRIMAND REPROACH
REPROVE SCOLD TAX
UPBRAID

CATALYST: something that brings about a change in something else
The imposition of harsh taxes was the CATALYST that finally brought on the revolution.
Related Words:
CATALYZE: to bring about a change in something else

CAUSTIC: biting in wit
Dorothy Parker gained her reputation for CAUSTIC wit from her cutting, yet clever, insults.
Words with similar meanings:
ACERBIC BITING
TRENCHANT
MORDANT

CHAOS: great disorder or confusion
In most religious traditions, God created an ordered universe from CHAOS.
Related Words:
CHAOTIC: jumbled, confused
Words with similar meanings:
CLUTTER CONFUSION DISARRANGEMENT
DISARRAY DISORDER DISORDERLINESS
DISORGANIZATION JUMBLE MESS
MUDDLE SCRAMBLE SNARL
TOPSY-TURVINESS TURMOIL

CHAUVINIST: someone prejudiced in favor of a group to which he or she belongs
The attitude that men are inherently superior to women and therefore must be obeyed is
common among male CHAUVINISTS.
Words with similar meanings:
PARTISAN

CHICANERY: deception by means of craft or guile
Dishonest used car salesmen often use CHICANERY to sell their beat-up old cars.
Words with similar meanings:
ARTIFICE CONNMNG CRAFTINESS
DECEPTION DEVIOUSNESS MISREPRESENTATION
PETTIFOGGERY SHADINESS SNEAKINESS
SOPHISTRY SUBTERFUGE UNDERHANDEDNESS

COGENT: convincing and well reasoned
Swayed by the COGENT argument of the defense, the jury had no choice but to acquit the
defendant.
Related words:
COGITATE: to think deeply
Words with similar meanings:
CONVINCING PERSUASIVE
SOUND TELLING
SOLID
VALID

CONDONE: to overlook, pardon, or disregard
Some theorists believe that failing to prosecute minor crimes is the same as CONDONING
an air of lawlessness.
Words with similar meanings:
EXCULPATE EXCUSE
REMIT
PARDON

CONVOLUTED: intricate and complicated
Although many people bought A Brief History of Time, few could follow its CONVOLUTED
ideas and theories.
Words with similar meanings:
BYZANTINE COMPLEX ELABORATE
INTRICATE KNOTTY LABYRINTHINE
PERPLEXING TANGLED

CORROBORATE: to provide supporting evidence
Fingerprints CORROBORATED the witness's testimony that he saw the defendant in the
victim's apartment.
Words with similar meanings:
AUTHENTICATE BACK BEAR OUT
BUTTRESS CONFIRM SUBSTANTIATE
VALIDATE VERIFY

CREDULOUS: too trusting; gullible
Although some 4-year-olds believe in the Easter Bunny, only the most CREDULOUS 9-
year-olds also believe in him.
Related words:
CREDULITY the quality of being credulous
Words with similar meanings:
NANE SUSCEPTIBLE TRUSTING

CRESCENDO: steadily increasing volume or force
The CRESCENDO of tension became unbearable as Evel Knievel prepared to jump his
motorcycle over the school buses.

DECORUM: appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety
The countess complained that the vulgar peasants lacked the DECORUM appropriate for
a visit to the palace.
Related words:
DECOROUS: conforming to acceptable standards
Words with similar meanings:
CORRECTNESS DECENCY ETIQUETTE
MANNERS MORES PROPRIETY
SEEMLINESS

DEFERENCE: respect, courtesy
The respectful young law clerk treated the Supreme Court justice with the utmost DEFERENCE.
Related words:
DEFER: to delay; to show someone deference
DEFERENT: courteous and respectful
Words with similar meanings:
COURTESY HONOR HOMAGE
OBEISANCE RESPECT REVERENCE
VENERATION

DERIDE: to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
The awkward child was often DERIDED by his "cooler" peers.
Related words:
DERISION: mockery and taunts
Words
DERISIVE: in a mocking manner
Words with similar meanings:
GIBE
RIDICULE
TAUNT
JEER
SCOFF
MOCK
SNEER

DESICCATE: to dry out thoroughly
After a few weeks of lying on the desert's baking sands, the cow's carcass became completely
DESICCATED.
Related words:
DESICCANT: something that removes water from another substance
Words with similar meanings:
DRY PARCH DEHYDRATE

DESULTORY: jumping from one thing to another; disconnected
Diane had a DESULTORY academic record; she had changed majors 12 times in 3 years.
Words with similar meanings:
AIMLESS DISCONNECTED ERRATIC
HAPHAZARD INDISCRIMINATE OBJECTLESS
PURPOSELESS RANDOM STRAY
UNCONSIDERED UNPLANNED

DIATRIBE: an abusive, condemnatory speech
The trucker bellowed a DIATRIBE at the driver who had cut him off.
Words with similar meanings:
FULMINATION HARANGUE INVECTIVE
JEREMIAD MALEDICTION OBLOQUY
TIRADE

DIFFIDENT: lacking self-confidence
Steve's DIFFIDENT manner during the job interview stemmed from his nervous nature
and lack of experience in the field.
Words with similar meanings:
BACKWARD BASHFUL COY
DEMURE MODEST RETIRING
SELF-EFFACING SHY TIMID

DILATE: to make larger; to expand
When you enter a darkened room, the pupils of your eyes DILATE to let in more light.
Words with similar meanings:
AMPLIFY DEVELOP ELABORATE
ENLARGE EXPAND EXPATIATE

DILATORY: intended to delay
The congressman used DILATORY measures to delay the passage of the bill.
Words with similar meanings:
DRAGGING FLAGGING LAGGARD
LAGGING SLOW SLOW-FOOTED
SLOW-GOING SLOW-PACED TARDY

DILETTANTE: someone with an amateurish and superficial interest in a topic
Jerry's friends were such DILETTANTES that they seemed to have new jobs and hobbies
every week.
Words with similar meanings:
AMATEUR DABBLER SUPERFICIAL
TYRO

DIRGE: a funeral hymn or mournful speech
Melville wrote the poem A DIRGE for James McPherson for the funeral of a Union general
who was killed in 1864.
Words with similar meanings:
ELEGY LAMENT

DISABUSE: to set right; to free from error
Galilee's observations DISABUSED scholars of the notion that the Sun revolved around the
Earth.
Words with similar meanings:
CORRECT UNDECEIVE

DISCERN: to perceive; to recognize
It is easy to DISCERN the difference between butter and butter-flavored topping.
Related words:
DISCERNMENT: taste and cultivation
Words with similar meanings:
CATCH DESCRY DETECT
DIFFERENTIATE DISCRIMINATE DISTINGUISH
ESPY GLIMPSE KNOW
SEPARATE SPOT SPY
TELL

DISPARATE: fundamentally different; entirely unlike
Although the twins appear to be identical physically, their personalities are DISPARATE.
Words with similar meanings:
DIFFERENT DISSIMILAR DIVERGENT
DIVERSE VARIANT VARIOUS

DISSEMBLE: to present a false appearance; to disguise one's real intentions or character
The villain could DISSEMBLE to the police no longer-he admitted the deed and tore up
the floor to reveal the body of the old man.
Words with similar meanings:
ACT AFFECT ASSUME
CAMOUFLAGE CLOAK COUNTERFEIT
COVER UP DISGUISE DISSIMULATE
FAKE FEIGN MASK
MASQUERADE POSE PRETEND
PUT ON SHAM SIMULATE

DISSONANCE: a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
Cognitive DISSONANCE is the inner conflict produced when long-standing beliefs are
contradicted by new evidence.
Words with similar meanings:
CLASH CONTENTION DISCORD
DISSENSION DISSENT DISSIDENCE
FRICTION STRIFE VARIANCE

DOGMA: a firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
Linus' central DOGMA was that children who believed in the Great Pumpkin would be
rewarded.
Words with similar meanings:
CREED DOCTRINE TEACHING
TENET

DOGMATIC: dictatorial in one's opinions
The dictator was DOGMATIG - he, and only he, was right.
Words with similar meanings:
AUTHORITARIAN BOSSY DICTATORIAL
DOCTRINAIRE DOMINEERING IMPERIOUS
MAGISTERIAL MASTERFUL OVERBEARING
PEREMPTORY

DUPE: to deceive; a person who is easily deceived
Bugs Bunny was able to DUPE Elmer Fudd by dressing up as a lady rabbit.
Words with similar meanings:
BEGUILE BETRAY BLUFF
COZEN DECEIVE DELUDE
FOOL HOODWINK HUMBUG
MISLEAD TAKE IN TRICK

ECLECTIC: selecting from or made up from a variety of sources
Budapest's architecture is an ECLECTIC mix of eastern and western styles.
Words with similar meanings:
SELECTIVE CATHOLIC BROAD

EFFICACY: effectiveness
The EFFICACY of penicillin was unsurpassed when it was first introduced; the drug completely
eliminated almost all bacterial infections for which it was administered.
Related Words:
EFFICACIOUS: effective; productive
Words with similar meanings:
DYNAMISM EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY
FORCE POWER PRODUCTIVENESS
PROFICIENCY STRENGTH VIGOR

ELEGY: a sorrowful poem or speech
Although Thomas Gray's "ELEGY Written in a Country Churchyard" is about death and
loss, it urges its readers to endure this life, and to trust in spirituality.
Related Words:
ELEGIAC: like an elegy; mournful
Words with similar meanings:
DIRGE LAMENT

ELOQUENT: persuasive and moving, especially in speech
The Gettysburg Address is moving not only because of its lofty sentiments but also because
of its ELOQUENT words.
Words with similar meanings:
ARTICULATE EXPRESSIVE
MEANINGFUL SIGNIFICANT
FLUENT
SMOOTH-SPOKEN

EMULATE: to copy; to try to equal or excel
The graduate student sought to EMULATE his professor in every way, copying not only
how she taught, but also how she conducted herself outside of class.
Words with similar meanings:
APE IMITATE SIMULATE

ENERVATE: to reduce in strength
The guerrillas hoped that a series of surprise attacks would ENERVATE the regular army.
Related Words:
UNNERVE: to deprive of strength or courage
Words with similar meanings:
DEBILITATE ENFEEBLE
WEAKEN
SAP

ENGENDER: to produce, cause, or bring about
His fear and hatred of clowns was ENGENDERED when he witnessed the death of his
father at the hands of a clown.
Words with similar meanings:
BEGET GENERATE PROCREATE
PROLIFERATE REPRODUCE SPAWN

ENIGMA: a puzzle; a mystery
Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of
an ENIGMA.
Words with similar meanings:
CONUNDRUM PERPLEXITY

ENUMERATE: to count, list, or itemize
Moses returned from the mountain with tablets on which the commandments were ENUMERATED.
Words with similar meanings:
CATALOG INDEX TABULATE

EPHEMERAL: lasting a short time
The lives of mayflies seem EPHEMERAL to us, since the flies' average life span is a matter
of hours.
Words with similar meanings:
EVANESCENT FLEETING MOMENTARY
TRANSIENT

EQUIVOCATE: to use expressions of double meaning in order to mislead
When faced with criticism of his policies, the politician EQUIVOCATED and left all parties
thinking he agreed with them.
Related Words:
EQUIVOCAL: undecided; trying to deceive
EQUIVOCATION: the act or state of equivocating
Words with similar meanings:
AMBIGUOUS EVASIVE WAFFLING

ERRATIC: wandering and unpredictable
The plot seemed predictable until it suddenly took a series of ERRATIC turns that surprised
the audience.
Related Words:
ERRANT: straying, mistaken, roving
Words with similar meanings:
CAPRICIOUS INCONSTANT
WHIMSICAL
IRRESOLUTE

ERUDITE: learned, scholarly, bookish
The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most ERUDITE, well published
individuals in the field.
Related Words:
ERUDITION: extensive knowledge or learning
Words with similar meanings:
SCHOLASTIC LEARNED WISE

ESOTERIC: known or understood by only a few
Only a handful of experts are knowledgeable about the ESOTERIC world of particle
physics.
Words with similar meanings:
ABSTRUSE ARCANE OBSCURE

ESTIMABLE: admirable
Most people consider it ESTIMABLE that Mother Teresa spent her life helping the poor of
India.
Related Words:
ESTEEM: high regard
Words with similar meanings:
ADMIRABLE COMMENDABLE CREDITABLE
HONOWLE LAUDABLE MERITORIOUS
PRAISEWORTHY RESPECTABLE VENERABLE
WORTHY

EULOGY: speech in praise of someone
His best friend gave the EULOGY, outlining his many achievements and talents.
Words with similar meanings:
COMMEND EXTOL LAUD

EUPHEMISM: use of an inoffensive word or phrase in place of a more distasteful one
The funeral director preferred to use the EUPHEMISM "sleeping" instead of the word
"dead."
Words with similar meanings:
CIRCUMLOCUTION WHITEWASH

EXACERBATE: to make worse
It is unwise to take aspirin to try to relieve heartburn; instead of providing relief, the drug
will only EXACERBATE the problem.
Words with similar meanings:
ANNOY AGGRAVATE INTENSIFY
IRRITATE PROVOKE

EXCULPATE: to clear from blame; prove innocent
The adversarial legal system is intended to convict those who are guilty and to EXCULPATE
those who are innocent.
Words with similar meanings:
ABSOLVE ACQUIT CLEAR
EXONERATE VINDICATE

EXIGENT: urgent; requiring immediate action
The patient was losing blood so rapidly that it was EXIGENT to stop the source of the
bleeding.
Words with similar meanings:
CRITICAL IMPERATIVE NEEDED
URGENT

EXONERATE: to clear of blame
The fugitive was EXONERATED when another criminal confessed to committing the crime.
Words with similar meanings:
ABSOLVE ACQUIT CLEAR
EXCULPATE VINDICATE

EXPLICIT: clearly stated or shown; forthright in expression
The owners of the house left a list of EXPLICIT instructions detailing their house-sitters'
duties, including a schedule for watering the house plants.
Related Words:
EXPLICABLE: capable of being explained
EXPLICATE: to give a detailed explanation
Words with similar meanings:
CANDID FRANK
UNEQUIVOCAL
STRAIGHTFORWARD

FANATICAL: acting excessively enthusiastic; filled with extreme, unquestioned devotion
The stormtroopers were FANATICAL in their devotion to the Emperor, readily sacrificing
their lives for him.
Words with similar meanings:
EXTREMIST FIERY FRENZIED
ZEALOUS

FAWN: to grovel
The understudy FAWNED over the director in hopes of being cast in the part on a permanent
basis.
Words with similar meanings:
BOOTLICK GROVEL TOADY
PANDER

FERVID: intensely emotional; feverish
The fans of Maria Callas were particularly FERVID, doing anything to catch a glimpse of
the great opera singer.
Related Words:
FERVENT: enthusiastic
FERVOR: passion
Words with similar meanings:
BURNING IMPASSIONED
VEHEMENT
PASSIONATE
ZEALOUS

FLORID: excessively decorated or embellished
The palace had been decorated in an excessively FLORID style; every surface had been
carved and gilded.
Words with similar meanings:
BAROQUE ELABORATE FLAMBOYANT
ORNATE OSTENTATIOUS ROCOCO

FOMENT: to arouse or incite
The protesters tried to FOMENT feeling against the war through their speeches and
demonstrations.
Words with similar meanings:
AGITATE IMPASSION
INSTIGATE KINDLE
INFLAME

FRUGALITY: a tendency to be thrifty or cheap
Scrooge McDuck's FRUGALITY was so great that he accumulated enough wealth to fill a
giant storehouse with money.
Words with similar meanings:
ECONOMICAL PARSIMONY PRUDENCE
SPARING

GARRULOUS: tending to talk a lot
The GARRULOUS parakeet distracted its owner with its continuous talking.
Words with similar meanings:
EFFUSIVE LOQUACIOUS

GREGARIOUS: outgoing, sociable
She was so GREGARIOUS that when she found herself alone she felt quite sad.
Words with similar meanings:
AFFABLE CONGENIAL COMMUNICATIVE
SOCIABLE

GUILE: deceit or trickery
Since he was not fast enough to catch the roadrunner on foot, the coyote resorted to GUILE
in an effort to trap his enemy.
Related Words:
GUILELESS: innocent, without trickery
Words with similar meanings:
ARTIFICE CHICANERY CONNIVERY
DUPLICITY

GULLIBLE: easily deceived
The con man pretended to be a bank officer so as to fool GULLIBLE bank customers into
giving him their account information.
Related Words:
GULL: a person who is easily tricked
Words with similar meanings:
CREDULOUS EXPLOITABLE NAIVE

HOMOGENOUS: of a similar kind
The class was fairly HOMOGENOUS, since almost all of the students were senior journalism
majors.
Related Words:
HOMOGENIZED: thoroughly mixed together
Words with similar meanings:
CONSISTENT STANDARDIZED UNIFORM
UNVARYING

ICONOCLAST: one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
His lack of regard for traditional beliefs soon established him as an ICONOCLAST.
Words with similar meanings:
MAVERICK NONCONFORMIST REBEL
REVOLUTIONARY

IMPERTURBABLE: not capable of being disturbed
The counselor had so much experience dealing with distraught children that she seemed
IMPERTURBABLE, even when faced with the wildest tantrums.
Related Words:
PERTURB: to disturb greatly
Words with similar meanings:
COMPOSED DISPASSIONATE IMPASSIVE
SERENE STOICAL

IMPERVIOUS: impossible to penetrate; incapable of being affected
A good raincoat will be IMPERVIOUS to moisture.
Words with similar meanings:
RESISTANT IMPREGNABLE

IMPETUOUS: quick to act without thinking
It is not good for an investment broker to be IMPETUOUS, since much thought should be
given to all the possible options.
Related Words:
IMPETUS: impulse
Words with similar meanings:
IMPULSIVE PRECIPITATE RASH
RECKLESS SPONTANEOUS

IMPLACABLE: unable to be calmed down or made peaceful
His rage at the betrayal was so great that he remained IMPLACMLE for weeks.
Related Words:
PLACATE: to make peaceful
Words with similar meanings:
INEXORABLE INTRANSIGENT IRRECONCILABLE
RELENTLESS REMORSELESS UNFORGIVING
UNRELENTING

INCHOATE: not fully formed; disorganized
The ideas expressed in Nietzsche's mature work also appear in an INCHOATE form in his
earliest writing.
Words with similar meanings:
AMORPHOUS INCOHERENT INCOMPLETE
UNORGANIZED

INGENUOUS: showing innocence or childlike simplicity
She was so INGENUOUS that her friends feared that her innocence and trustfulness would
be exploited when she visited the big city.
Related Words:
INGENUE: a naive girl or young woman
DISINGENUOUS: giving a false impression of innocence
Words with similar meanings:
ARTLESS GUILELESS INNOCENT
NAIVE SIMPLE UNAFFECTED

INIMICAL: hostile, unfriendly
Even though a cease-fire had been in place for months, the two sides were still INIMICAL
to each other.
Words with similar meanings:
ADVERSE ANTAGONISTIC DISSIDENT
RECALCITRANT

INNOCUOUS: harmless
Some snakes are poisonous, but most species are INNOCUOUS and pose no danger to
humans.
Words with similar meanings:
BENIGN HARMLESS INOFFENSIVE

INSIPID: lacking interest or flavor
The critic claimed that the painting was INSIPID, containing no interesting qualities at all.
Words with similar meanings:
BANAL. BLAND DULL
STALE VAPID

INTRANSIGENT: uncompromising; refusing to be reconciled
The professor was INTRANSIGENT on the deadline, insisting that everyone turn the
assignment in at the same time.
Words with similar meanings:
IMPLACABLE INEXORABLE IRRECONCILABLE
OBDURATE OBSTINATE REMORSELESS
RIGID ' UNBENDING UNRELENTING
UNYIELDING

INUNDATE: to overwhelm; to cover with water
The tidal wave INUNDATED Atlantis, which was lost beneath the water.
Words with similar meanings:
DELUGE DROWN ENGULF
FLOOD SUBMERGE

IRASCIBLE: easily made angry
Attila the Hun's IRASCIBLE and violent nature made all who dealt with him fear for their
lives.
Related Words:
IRATE: angry
Words with similar meanings:
CANTANKEROUS IRRITABLE
TESTY
ORNERY

LACONIC: using few words
She was a LACONIC poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as
possible.
Words with similar meanings:
CONCISE CURT PITHY
TERSE TACITURN

LAMENT: to express sorrow; to grieve
The children continued to LAMENT the death of the goldfish weeks after its demise.
Words with similar meanings:
BEWAIL DEPLORE GRIEVE
MOURN
LAUD: to give praise; to glorify
Parades and fireworks were staged to LAUD the success of the rebels.
Related words:
LAUDABLE: worth of praise
LAUDATORY: expressing praise
Words with similar meanings:
ACCLAIM APPLAUD
COMPLIMENT EXALT
HAIL PRAISE
COMMEND
EXTOL

LAVISH: to give unsparingly (v.); extremely generous or extravagant (adj.)
She LAVISHED the puppy with so many treats that it soon become overweight and spoiled.
Words with similar meanings:
BESTOW CONFER EXUBERANT
EXTRAVAGANT OPULENT PROFUSE
PRODIGAL, LUXURIANT SUPERABUNDANT

LETHARGIC: acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
The clerk was so LETHARGIC that, even when the store was slow, he always had a long line
in front of him.
Words with similar meanings:
APATHETIC LANGUID LACKADAISICAL
LISTLESS TORPID

LOQUACIOUS: talkative
She was naturally LOQUACIOUS, which was a problem in situations in which listening was
more important than talking.
Related Words:
ELOQUENCE: powerful, convincing speaking
LOQUACI'PI: the quality of being loquacious
Words with similar meanings:
EFFUSIVE GARRULOUS VERBOSE

LUCID: clear and easily understood
The explanations were written in a simple and LUCID manner so that students were immediately
able to apply what they learned.
Related Words:
LUCIDITY: clarity
LUCENT: glowing with light
Words with similar meanings:
CLEAR COHERENT EXPLICIT
INTELLIGIBLE LIMPID

LUMINOUS: bright, brilliant, glowing
The park was bathed in LUMINOUS sunshine which warmed the bodies and the souls of
the visitors.
Related Words:
ILLUMINATE: to shine light on
LUMINARY: an inspiring person
Words with similar meanings:
INCANDESCENT LUCENT LUSTROUS
RADIANT RESPLENDENT

MALINGER: to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill
A common way to avoid the draft was by MALINGERING-pretending to be mentally or
physically ill so as to avoid being taken by the Army.
Related Words:
LINGER: to be slow in leaving
Words with similar meanings:
SHIRK SLACK

MALLEABLE: capable of being shaped
Gold is the most MALLEABLE of precious metals; it can easily be formed into almost any
shape.
Words with similar meanings:
ADAPTABLE DUCTILE PLASTIC
PLIABLE PLIANT

METAPHOR: a figure of speech comparing two different things; a symbol
The METAPHOR "a sea of troubles" suggests a lot of troubles by comparing their number
to the vastness of the sea.
Related Words:
METAPHORICAL: standing as a symbol for something else
Words with similar meanings:
ANALOGY COMPARISON

METICULOUS: extremely careful about details
To find all the clues at the crime scene, the investigators METICULOUSLY examined every
inch of the area.
Words with similar meanings:
CONSCIENTIOUS PRECISE SCRUPULOUS

MISANTHROPE: a person who dislikes others
The character Scrooge in A Christmas Carol is such a MISANTHROPE that even the sight
of children singing makes him angry.

MITIGATE: to soften; to lessen
A judge may MITIGATE a sentence if she decides that a person committed a crime out of
need.
Words with similar meanings:
ALLAY ALLEVIATE ASSUAGE
EASE LIGHTEN MODERATE
MOLLIFY PALLIATE TEMPER

MOLLIFY: to calm or make less severe
Their argument was so intense that is was difficult to believe any compromise would
MOLLIFY them.
Words with similar meanings:
APPEASE ASSUAGE . CONCILIATE
PACIFY

MONOTONY: lack of variation
The MONOTONY of the sound of the dripping faucet almost drove the research assistant
crazy.
Related Words:
MONOTONE: a sound that is made at the same tone or pitch
Words with similar meanings:
DRONE TEDIUM

NAIVE: lacking sophistication or experience
Having never traveled before, the hillbillies were more NAIVE than the people they met in
Beverly Hills.
Related Words:
NAIVETE: the state of being naive
Words with similar meanings:
ARTLESS CREDULOUS GUILELESS
INGENUOUS SIMPLE UNAFFECTED

OBDURATE: hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
The President was completely OBDURATE on the issue, and no amount of persuasion
would change his mind.
Words with similar meanings:
INFLEXIBLE INTRANSIGENT RECALCITRANT
TENACIOUS UNYIELDING

OBSEQUIOUS: overly submissive and eager to please
The OBSEQUIOUS new associate made sure to compliment her supervisor's tie and agree
with him on every issue.
Related Words:
OBEISANCE: a physical show of respect or submission, such as a bow
Words with similar meanings:
COMPLIANT DEFERENTIAL SERVILE
SUBSERVIENT

OBSTINATE: stubborn, unyielding
The OBSTINATE child could not be made to eat any food that he disliked.
Words with similar meanings:
INTRANSIGENT MULISH PERSISTENT
PERTINACIOUS STUBBORN TENACIOUS

OBVIATE: to prevent; to make unnecessary
The river was shallow enough to wade across at many points, which OBVIATED the need
for a bridge.
Words with similar meanings:
FORESTALL PRECLUDE PROHIBIT

OCCLUDE: to stop up; to prevent the passage of
A shadow is thrown across the Earth's surface during a solar eclipse, when the light from the
sun is OCCLUDED by the moon.
Words with similar meanings:
BARRICADE BLOCK
OBSTRUCT
CLOSE

ONEROUS: troublesome and oppressive; burdensome
The assignment was so extensive and difficult to manage that it proved ONEROUS to the
team in charge of it.
Words with similar meanings:
ARDUOUS BACKBREAKING BURDENSOME
CUMBERSOME DIFFICULT EXACTING
FORMIDABLE HARD LABORIOUS
OPPRESSIVE RIGOROUS TAXING
TRYING

OPAQUE: impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
The heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them OPAQUE.
Related Words:
OPACITY the quality of being obscure and indecipherable
Words with similar meanings:
OBSCURE

OPPROBRIUM: public disgrace
After the scheme to embezzle the elderly was made public, the treasurer resigned in utter
OPPROBRIUM.
Words with similar meanings:
DISCREDIT DISGRACE DISHONOR
DISREPUTE IGNOMINY INFAMY
OBLOQUY SHAME

OSTENTATION: excessive showiness
The OSTENTATION of the Sun King's court is evident in the lavish decoration and luxuriousness
of his palace at Versailles.
Related Words:
OSTENSIBLE: apparent
Words with similar meanings:
CONSPICUOUSNESS FLASHINESS PRETENTIOUSNESS
SHOWINESS

PARADOX: a contradiction or dilemma
It is a PAR4DOX that those most in need of medical attention are often those least able to
obtain it.
Words with similar meanings:
INCONGRUITY AMBIGUITY

PARAGON: model of excellence or perfection
She is the PARAGON of what a judge should be: honest, intelligent, hardworking, and just.
Words with similar meanings:
APOTHEOSIS IDEAL QUINTESSENCE
STANDARD

PEDANT: someone who shows off learning
The graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her
a reputation as a PEDANT.
Related Words:
PEDANTIC: making an excessive display of learning

PERFIDIOUS: willing to betray one's trust
The actress's PERFIDIOUS companion revealed all of her intimate secrets to the gossip
columnist.
Related Words:
PERFIDY: deceit, treachery
Words with similar meanings:
DISLOYAL FAITHLESS TREACHEROUS
TRAITOROUS

PERFUNCTORY: done in a routine way; indifferent
The machinelike bank teller processed the transaction and gave the waiting customer a
PERFUNCTORY smile.
Words with similar meanings:
APATHETIC AUTOMATIC MECHANICAL

PERMEATE: to penetrate
This miraculous new cleaning fluid is able to PERMEATE stains and dissolve them in minutes!
Related Words:
IMPERMEABLE: unable to be permeated
Words with similar meanings:
IMBUE INFUSE SUFFUSE

PHILANTHROPY: charity; a desire or effort to promote goodness
New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art owes much of its collection to the
PHILANTHROPY of private collectors who willed their estates to the museum.
Related Words:
PHILANTHROPIST: someone who is generous and desires to promote goodness
Words with similar meanings:
HUMANITARIANISM ALTRUISM

PLACATE: to soothe or pacify
The burglar tried to PLACATE the snarling dog by saying, "Nice doggy," and offering it a treat
Related Words:
PLACID: tolerant; calm
IMPLACABLE: unable to be made peaceful
Words with similar meanings:
APPEASE CONCILIATE MOLLIFY

PLASTIC: able to be molded, altered, or bent
The new material was very PLASTIC and could be formed into products of vastly different
shape.
Words with similar meanings:
ADAPTABLE DUCTILE MALLEABLE
PLIANT

PLETHORA. excess
Assuming that more was better, the defendant offered the judge a PLETHORA of excuses.
Words with similar meanings:
GLUT OVERABUNDANCE SUPERFLUITY
SURFEIT

PRAGMATIC: practical as opposed to idealistic
While daydreaming gamblers think they can get rich by frequenting casinos, PRAGMATIC
gamblers realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.
Related Words:
PRAGMATISM: a practical approach to problem solving
Words with similar meanings:
REALISTIC RATIONAL

PRECIPITATE: to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
Upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only two months, friends
and family members expected such a PRECIPITATE marriage to end in divorce.
Related Words:
PRECIPITOUS: very steep
PRECIPICE: a steep cliff
PRECIPITATION: weather phenomena, like rain or snow, that fall from the sky
Words with similar meanings:
ABRUPT HASTY HEADLONG
HURRIED ILL-CONSIDERED Impetuous
IMPULSIVE PROMPT RASH
RECKLESS SUDDEN

PREVARICATE: to lie or deviate from the truth
Rather than admit that he had overslept again, the employee PREVARICATED and claimed
that heavy traffic had prevented him from arriving at work on time.
Words with similar meanings:
EQUIVOCATE LIE PERJURE

PRISTINE: fresh and clean; uncorrupted
Since concerted measures had been taken to prevent looting, the archeological site was still
PRISTINE when researchers arrived.
Words with similar meanings:
INNOCENT UNDAMAGED

PRODIGAL: lavish, wasteful
The PRODIGAL Son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lavish lifestyle devoted to
pleasure.
Related Words:
PRODIGALITY: excessive or reckless spending
Words with similar meanings:
EXTRAVAGANT LAVISH
SPENDTHRIFT WASTEFUL
PROFLIGATE

PROLIFERATE: to increase in number quickly
Although he only kept two guinea pigs initially, they PROLIFERATED to such an extent
that he soon had dozens.
Related Words:
- PROLIFIC: very productive or highly able to reproduce rapidly
Words with similar meanings:
BREED MULTIPLY
PROPAGATE REPRODUCE
PROCREATE
SPAWN

PROPITIATE: to conciliate; to appease
The management PROPITIATED the irate union by agreeing to raise wages for its members.
Related Words:
PROPITIOUS: advantageous, favorable
Words with similar meanings:
APPEASE CONCILIATE
PACIFY PLACATE
MOLLIFY

PROPRIETY: correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
The aristocracy maintained a high level of PROPRIETY, adhering to even the most minor
social rules.
Related Words:
APPROPRIATE: suitable for a particular occasion or place
Words with similar meanings:
DECENCY DECORUM
SEEMLINESS
MODESTY

PRUDENCE: wisdom, caution, or restraint
The college student exhibited PRUDENCE by obtaining practical experience along with her
studies, which greatly strengthened her resume.
Related Words:
PRUDE: someone who is excessively concerned with propriety
PRUDISH: prissy and puritanical
Words with similar meanings:
ASTUTENESS CIRCUMSPECTION DISCRETION
FRUGALITY JUDICIOUSNESS PROVIDENCE
THRIFT

PUNGENT: sharp and irritating to the senses
The smoke from the burning tires was extremely PUNGENT.
Words with similar meanings:
ACRID CAUSTIC PIQUANT
POIGNANT STINGING

QUIESCENT: motionless
Many animals are QUIESCENT over the winter months, minimizing activity in order to
conserve energy.
Related Words:
QUIESCENCE: state of rest or inactivity
Words with similar meanings:
LATENT DORMANT

RAREFY: to make thinner or sparser
Since the atmosphere RAREFIES as altitudes increase, the air at the top of very tall
mountains is too thin to breathe.
Related Words:
RAREFACTION: the process of making something less dense
Words with similar meanings:
ATTENUATE THIN

REPUDIATE: to reject the validity of
The old woman's claim that she was Russian royalty was REPUDIATED when DNA tests
showed she was of no relation to them.
Words with similar meanings:
DENY DISAVOW DlSCLAIM
DISOWN RENOUNCE

RETICENT: silent, reserved
Physically small and RETICENT in her speech, Joan Didion often went unnoticed by
those upon whom she was reporting.
Words with similar meanings:
COOL INTROVERTED LACONIC
STANDOFFISH TACITURN UNDEMONSTRATIVE

RHETORIC: effective writing or speaking
Lincoln's talent for RHETORIC was evident in his beautifully expressed Gettysburg
Address.
Words with similar meanings:
ELOQUENCE ORATORY

SATIATE: to satisfy fully or overindulge
His desire for power was so great that nothing less than complete control of the country
could SATIATE it.
Related Words:
SATE: to fully satisfy or overindulge
INSATIABLE:
incapable of being satisfied
Words with similar meanings:
CLOY GLUT
SURFEIT
GORGE

SOPORIFIC: causing sleep or lethargy
The movie proved to be so SOPORIFIC that soon loud snores were heard throughout the
theater.
Related Words:
SOPOR: deep sleep
Words with similar meanings:
HYPNOTIC NARCOTIC SLUMBEROUS
SOMNOLENT

SPECIOUS: deceptively attractive; seemingly plausible but fallacious
The student's SPECIOUS excuse for being late sounded legitimate, but was proved otherwise
when his teacher called his home.
Words with similar meanings:
ILLUSORY OSTENSIBLE PLAUSIBLE
SPURIOUS SOPHISTICAL

STIGMA: a mark of shame or discredit
In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was required to wear the letter "A" on her clothes as a
public STIGMA for her adultery.
Related Words:
STIGMATIZE: to disgrace; to label with negative terms or reputation
Words with similar meanings:
BLEMISH BLOT OPPROBRIUM
STAIN TAINT

STOLID: unemotional; lacking sensitivity
The prisoner appeared STOLID and unaffected by the judge's harsh sentence.
Words with similar meanings:
APATHETIC IMPASSIVE INDIFFERENT
PHLEGMATIC STOICAL UNCONCERNED

SUBLIME: lofty or grand
The music was so SUBLIME that it transformed the rude surroundings into a special place.
Related Words:
SUBLIMATE: to elevate or convert into something of higher worth
SUBLIMINAL: existing outside conscious awareness
Words with similar meanings:
AUGUST EXALTED GLORIOUS
GRAND h4AGNIFICENT MAJESTIC
NOBLE REGAL RESPLENDENT
SUPERB

TACIT: done without using words
Although not a word had been said, everyone in the room knew that a TACIT agreement
had been made about which course of action to take.
Related Words:
TACITURN: silent, not talkative
Words with similar meanings:
IMPLICIT IMPLIED UNDECLARED
UNSAID UNUTTERED

TACITURN: silent, not talkative
The clerk's TACITURN nature earned him the nickname "Silent Bob."
Related Words:
TACIT: done without using words
Words with similar meanings:
LACONIC RETICENT

TIRADE: long, harsh speech or verbal attack
Observers were shocked at the manager's TIRADE over such a minor mistake.
Words with similar meanings:
DIATRIBE FULMINATION HARANGUE
OBLOQUY REVILEMENT VILIFICATION

TORPOR: extreme mental and sluggishness
After surgery, the patient experienced TORPOR until the anesthesia wore off.
Related Words:
TORPID: sluggish, lacking movement
Words with similar meanings:
APATHY LANGUOR

TRANSITORY: temporary, lasting a brief time
The reporter lived a TRANSITORY life, staying in one place only long enough to cover the
current story.
Related Words:
TRANSIT: to pass through; to change or make a transition
TRANSIENT: passing quickly in and out of existence; one who stays a short time
Words with similar meanings:
EPHEMERAL EVANESCENT FLEETING
Impermanent MOMENTARY

VACILLATE: to sway physically; to be indecisive
The customer held up the line as he VACILLATED between ordering chocolate chip or
rocky road ice cream.
Words with similar meanings:
DITHER FALTER FLUCTUATE
OSCILLATE WAVER

VENERATE: to respect deeply
In a traditional Confucian society, the young VENERATE their elders, deferring to the
elders' wisdom and experience.
Related Words:
VENERABLE: old, worthy of respect
Words with similar meanings:
ADORE HONOR
REVERE
IDOLIZE

VERACIM: filled with truth and accuracy
She had a reputation for VERACITY, so everyone trusted her description of events.
Related Words:
VERITY: truth
VERACIOUS: truthful, accurate
Words with similar meanings:
CANDOR EXACTITUDE FIDELITY
PROBITY

VERBOSE: wordy
The professor's answer was so VERBOSE that his student forgot what the original question
had been.
Related Words:
VERBALIZE: to put into words
VERBATIM: to quote using the exact words, word for word
VERBIAGE: lots of words that are usually superfluous
Words with similar meanings:
LONG-WINDED LOQUACIOUS PROLIX
SUPERFLUOUS

VEX: to annoy
The old man who loved his peace and quiet was VEXED by his neighbor's loud music.
Related Words:
VEXATION: a feeling of irritation
Words with similar meanings:
ANNOY BOTHER CHAFE
EXASPERATE IRK NETTLE
PEEVE PROVOKE

VOLATILE: easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
His VOLATILE personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything.
Words with similar meanings:
CAPRICIOUS ERRATIC FICKLE
INCONSISTENT INCONSTANT MERCURIAL.
TEMPERAMENTAL

WAVER: to fluctuate between choices
If you WAVER too long before making a decision about which testing site to register for,
you may not get your first choice.
Words with similar meanings:
DITHER FALTER FLUCTUATE
OSCILLATE VACILLATE

WHIMSICAL: acting in a fanciful or capricious manner; unpredictable
The ballet was WHIMSICAL, delighting the child with its imaginative characters and
unpredictable sets.
Related Words:
WHIM: a fancy or sudden notion
Words with similar meanings:
CAPRICIOUS ERRATIC FRIVOLOUS
FLIPPANT

ZEAL: passion, excitement
She brought her typical ZEAL to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team
members.
Related Words:
ZEALOT: a fanatic
Words with similar meanings:
ARDENCY FERVOR
PASSION

GRE Thesaurus

2008-03-07T04:34:00.001-08:00

1. Abhorrent, abominable, detestable, execrable, loathsome, obnoxious, repellent, repugnant, odious, heinous, disgusting
2. Abandon, renounce, maroon, leave in the lurch, forfeit, disown, waive, ditch, abdicate, jilt, forsake, abjure, disown, repudiate
3. Abnormal, aberrant, anomalous, bizarre, eccentric, freak, idiosyncratic, queer, wayward
4. Scurrilous, calumnious, libelous, opprobrious
5. Libel, calumny, defamation, denigration, misrepresentation, obloquy, slander, aspersion, vilification, malign, traduce, smear, besmirch, tarnish, imputation, vituperation, defile
6. Abundant, bountiful, copious, luxuriant, rampant
7. Abuse, assault, execration, invective, vituperation, affront, berate, castigate, inveigh, odium
8. Acclaim, applaud, extol, commend, kudos, laud, eulogize, ovation, esteem, plaudits, acquiescence, endorsement, mandate, ratification
9. Accusations, impeachment, allegation, summons, indictment
10. Acquit, absolve, exonerate, vindicate
11. Bounty, largesse, munificence, philanthropy
12. Commendable, absolve, exemplary, laudable, meritorious, honorable
13. Contemptible, despicable, detestable, disgraceful, loathsome, odious, ignominious, dishonorable, discreditable
14. Condemnable, reprehensible, deplorable
15. Censure, condemnation, culpability, reprimand, recrimination, reproach, denounce
16. Aggressive, antagonistic, bellicose, belligerent, pugnacious, warlike, fractious, quarrelsome, contentious, litigious, militant
17. Irascible, petulant, peevish, dyspeptic, cantankerous, irritable, bilious
18. Agreement, accord, conformity, consensus, harmony, unanimity, compact, treaty, covenant, truce, pact
19. Approbate, comply, accent, concur, approve, acquiesce, concede, accord
20. Alleviate, abate, allay, ameliorate, assuage, mitigate, slake, subdue, temper, relieve, mollify, appease, conciliate, placate, gruntle
21. Alliance, affiliation, coalition, concordat, compact, confederation, consortium
22. Allure, attract, beguile, decoy, entice, lure, magnetize
23. Mitigate, palliate, extenuate
24. Coax, wheedle, inveigle, cajole
25. Amiable, affable, amicable, genial
26. Amorous, carnal, enamored, erotic, lustful, lecherous, licentious, salacious, lascivious, libidinous, lewd, prurient, lubricious, bawdy, erotic
27. Ancient, antediluvian, antiquated, archaic, outmoded, passé, primordial
28. Animosity, acerbity, acrimony, animus, antagonism, antipathy, asperity, malevolence, rancor, vindictiveness, enmity, malice
29. Anonymous, incognito, pseudonym
30. Phlegmatic, sluggish, languid, indolent, listless, lackadaisical
31. Apathy, lassitude, lethargy, debility, languor
32. Apex, acme, apogee, zenith, crest, culmination, summit, pinnacle
33. Apologetic, contrite, penitent, remorseful, rueful
34. Apprentice, novice, tyro, greenhorn
35. Appropriate, apposite, apropos, apt, befitting, felicitous, opportune, pertinent, seasonable, seemly
36. Arbitrary, autocratic, despotic, imperious, tyrannical, totalitarian
37. Arbitrary, capricious, whimsical, erratic, eccentric, mercurial, quirky
38. Ardent, zealous, fervent, impassioned, passionate
39. Arduous, grueling, laborious, Herculean, onerous
40. Altercation, bickering, clash, dispute, feud, squabble, wrangle, quibble, carp, cavil
41. Arrogant, cavalier, haughty, impudent, supercilious, swaggering, presumptuous, snobbish, condescending, insolent
42. Articulate, eloquent, glib, lucid
43. Asperity, abrasiveness, acerbity, acidity, acrimony, churlishness, irascibility, rancor
44. Atrocious, heinous
45. Augury, premonition, forewarning, portent, foreboding, bode, foreshadow, presentiment
46. Ascetic, austere, Spartan, self-denying
47. Frugal, parsimonious, stingy,
48. Banal, clichéd, commonplace, hackneyed, humdrum, platitudinous, stereotyped, trivial, trite
49. Banish, exile, expel, rusticate, outlaw, oust, expatriate, deport
50. Banter, badinage, chaffing, repartee
51. Barbarian, boor
52. Barrage, fusillade, onslaught, bombardment, assault
53. Barrier, embankment, rampart, bulwark, blockade, fortification, palisade
54. Beget, procreate, father
55. Bell, carillon, knell
56. Bemuse, befuddle, bewilder, stupefy, confound, daze, flummox, muddle, mystify
57. Benevolent, altruistic, beneficent, benign, compassionate, philanthropic
58. Berserk, frenzied, frenetic, demented, deranged, maniacal
59. Bizarre, eccentric, freakish, grotesque, outlandish, weird, idiosyncratic
60. Beseech, implore, importune, entreat, supplicate
61. Besiege, beleaguer, pester, badger
62. Bewitch, captivate, enrapture, enchant, enthrall, entrance, mesmerize, ensnare, endear, engaging
63. Biased, bigoted, chauvinistic, jaundiced, partisan, tendentious, patriotic, jingoistic, sectarian
64. Genealogy, lineage, pedigree, race
65. Blasphemous, impious, irreverent, profane, sacrilegious
66. Blatant, barefaced, flagrant, conspicuous, shameless
67. Blaze, conflagration, holocaust, carnage, massacre
68. Boastful, vainglorious, bragging, conceited
69. Boisterous, obstreperous, rowdy, uproarious
70. Burlesque, caricature, travesty, lampoon, parody, sham, pastiche
71. Circuitous, devious, labyrinthine, meandering, oblique, rambling, tortuous, serpentine
72. Dainty, squeamish, fastidious, meticulous
73. Dappled, pied, motley, speckled, variegated
74. Dawdle, dally, loiter
75. Dexterous, agile, nimble, deft, adroit, lithe, limber
76. Devilish, demoniac, diabolic, fiendish, infernal
77. Dingy, murky, drab, seedy, dowdy
78. Discordant, cacophonous, clashing, dissonant, incongruous
79. Dormant, comatose, quiescent, latent, torpid
80. Ephemeral, fugitive, evanescent, fleeting
81. Etiquette, civility, protocol, decorum
82. Exuberant, ebullient, effervescent, vivacious, exultant
83. Fashionable, modish, vogue, contemporary, trendy
84. Flirt, coquette, philanderer
85. Gaunt, emaciated, cadaverous, lanky, haggard
86. Grandiloquent, bombastic, melodramatic, pompous, rhetorical
87. Heresy, unorthodox, heterodox, iconoclast, pagan
88. Hoodwink, cozen, deceive, dupe, hoax
89. Impromptu, extemporized, offhand
90. Impregnable, impenetrable, invincible, unconquerable
91. Insidious, deceptive, treacherous, surreptitious, furtive
92. Lament, dirge, elegy, requiem
93. Melancholy, lugubrious, disconsolate, despondent, somber, dejected, plaintive, lamenting, doleful
94. Paraphernalia, appurtenance, accessories
95. Perfunctory, cursory
96. Pestilence, blight, pandemic, plague, contagion, epidemic
97. Pillage, depredation, marauding, plunder, despoil, ransack, ravage, devastate
98. Prevaricate, tergiversate, equivocate, evasive, elusive
99. Profuse, exuberant, prolific, lavish, abundant
100. Profound, erudite, esoteric, recondite
101. Suspicious, apprehensive, skeptical, dubious, incredulous, wary
102. Sycophantic, flattering, servile
103. Therapeutic, curative, salubrious
104. Tumult, pandemonium, turmoil, chaos, commotion, turbulence, uproar
105. Virtuoso, maestro, prodigy
106. Voracious, ravenous, rapacious, insatiable, avid