Learn: Advanced Vocabulary Sets

Cavort

To leap or dance around excitedly; to engage in extravagant behavior.

Synonyms: Gambol, frolic, romp, caper.

Credence

Belief in or acceptance of something as true.

Synonyms: Acceptance, belief, faith, trust, confidence.

Decry

To publicly denounce or express strong disapproval of.

Synonyms: Denounce, condemn, criticize, vilify, disparage.

Dissemble

To conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs.

Synonyms: Disguise, feign, mask, fake, camouflage.

Distraught

Deeply upset, agitated, or worried.

Synonyms: Distressed, overwrought, frantic, devastated.

Eulogy

A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly, typically someone who has just died.

Synonyms: Tribute, panegyric, accolade, commendation.

Evince

To reveal the presence of a quality or feeling; to indicate or show clearly.

Synonyms: Demonstrate, manifest, display, exhibit, reveal.

Exhume

To dig up something buried, especially a corpse, from the ground.

Synonyms: Disinter, unearth, unbury, dig up.

Feckless

Lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible and ineffective.

Synonyms: Useless, incompetent, shiftless, irresponsible, worthless.

Murky

Dark and gloomy, obscure, or thick with mist; vague or unclear.

Synonyms: Gloomy, cloudy, turbid, opaque, ambiguous.

Nefarious

Wicked, villainous, or criminal in the highest degree.

Synonyms: Wicked, evil, heinous, villainous, atrocious.

Piquant

Having a pleasantly sharp taste or appetizing flavor; pleasantly stimulating or exciting to the mind.

Synonyms: Spicy, tangy, sharp, provocative, stimulating.

Primordial

Existing at or from the beginning of time; primeval; basic and fundamental.

Synonyms: Ancient, primeval, elemental, instinctive, prehistoric.

Propinquity

The state of being close to someone or something; proximity or nearness in space, time, or relationship.

Synonyms: Proximity, closeness, nearness, adjacency.

Substantive

Having a firm basis in reality and so important, meaningful, or considerable.

Synonyms: Significant, essential, considerable, tangible, meaningful.

Unwonted

Uncharacteristic, unusual, or not customary.

Synonyms: Unusual, uncommon, abnormal, exceptional, atypical.

Utopian

Modeled on or aiming for a state of things in which everything is perfect; idealistic.

Synonyms: Idealistic, visionary, romantic, unpractical, chimerical.

Verbiage

Speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions.

Synonyms: Wordiness, verbosity, prolixity, redundancy.

Verdant

Green with grass or other rich vegetation; lush and ripe.

Synonyms: Green, lush, leafy, grassy, flourishing.

Viscous

Having a thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid; having a high resistance to flow.

Synonyms: Sticky, gummy, gluey, thick, gelatinous.

Accost

To approach and address someone boldly, aggressively, or insistently.

Synonyms: Confront, hail, address, buttonhole.

Animadversion

A comment or remark expressing criticism, censure, or disapproval.

Synonyms: Criticism, censure, condemnation, rebuke, reproof.

Avid

Having or showing a keen interest in or enthusiasm for something.

Synonyms: Eager, enthusiastic, passionate, keen, fervent.

Brackish

Slightly salty, as is the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries; unpleasant or distasteful.

Synonyms: Salty, briny, saline, distasteful.

Celerity

Swiftness of movement; rapid motion or speed.

Synonyms: Speed, swiftness, velocity, alacrity, rapidity.

Devious

Showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals; departing from the straightest or most direct course.

Synonyms: Underhanded, deceitful, roundabout, circuitous, sneaky.

Gambit

A device, action, or opening remark, typically one entailing a degree of risk, calculated to gain an advantage.

Synonyms: Strategy, maneuver, ploy, scheme, tactic.

Halcyon

Denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful.

Synonyms: Peaceful, calm, serene, tranquil, idyllic.

Histrionic

Overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style.

Synonyms: Theatrical, dramatic, melodramatic, exaggerated.

Incendiary

Designed to cause fires; tending to stir up conflict, strife, or rebellion.

Synonyms: Inflammatory, provocative, seditious, combustible.

Maelstrom

A powerful whirlpool in the sea or a river; a situation or state of confused movement or violent turmoil.

Synonyms: Whirlpool, vortex, turmoil, chaos, turbulence.

Myopic

Nearsighted; lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.

Synonyms: Nearsighted, shortsighted, narrow-minded, unvisionary.

Overt

Done or shown openly; plainly apparent, not secret or hidden.

Synonyms: Open, public, obvious, unconcealed, manifest.

Pejorative

Expressing contempt or disapproval; derogatory.

Synonyms: Derogatory, disparaging, insulting, slighting, negative.

Propriety

The state or quality of conforming to conventionally accepted standards of behavior or morals.

Synonyms: Decorum, respectability, politeness, decency, correctness.

Sacrilege

Violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.

Synonyms: Desecration, profanation, blasphemy, impiety.

Summarily

In a summary manner; without the customary formalities or delay; immediately.

Synonyms: Instantly, immediately, abruptly, arbitrarily, directly.

Suppliant

Making or expressing a humble plea to someone in power or authority; a person making a humble plea.

Synonyms: Petitioner, beggar, suitor, pleading, entreating.

Talisman

An object, typically an inscribed ring or stone, that is thought to have magic powers and to bring good luck.

Synonyms: Charm, amulet, fetish, mascot.

Undulate

To move with a smooth wavelike motion.

Synonyms: Wave, ripple, billow, surge, fluctuate.

Acquisitive

Excessively interested in acquiring money or material things.

Synonyms: Greedy, avaricious, covetous, grasping, predatory.

Arrogate

To take or claim something for oneself without justification or right.

Synonyms: Assume, usurp, seize, commandeer, appropriate.

Banal

So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring.

Synonyms: Trite, cliché, commonplace, hackneyed, platitudinous.

Belabor

To argue or elaborate on a subject in excessive detail; to attack someone physically or verbally.

Synonyms: Overwork, dwell on, hammer away at, pummel.

Carping

Difficult to please; critical or complaining about trivial matters.

Synonyms: Caviling, nitpicking, faultfinding, hypercritical.

Coherent

Logical and consistent; forming a unified whole.

Synonyms: Logical, consistent, articulate, cohesive, rational.

Congeal

To solidify or coagulate, especially by cooling.

Synonyms: Coagulate, solidify, gel, clot, harden.

Emulate

To match or surpass a person or achievement, typically by imitation.

Synonyms: Imitate, copy, mirror, follow, rival.

Encomium

A speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly.

Synonyms: Panegyric, eulogy, tribute, accolade, praise.

Eschew

To deliberately avoid using or abstaining from; to shun.

Synonyms: Avoid, shun, abjure, renounce, steer clear of.

Germane

Relevant to a subject under consideration.

Synonyms: Relevant, pertinent, applicable, apposite, fitting.

Insatiable

Impossible to satisfy; having an unquenchable desire.

Synonyms: Unquenchable, voracious, ravenous, bottomless.

Intransigent

Uncompromising; refusing to change one's views or to agree about something.

Synonyms: Uncompromising, stubborn, obstinate, unyielding, inflexible.

Invidious

Likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others; unfairly discriminating.

Synonyms: Resentful, malicious, discriminatory, offensive, hateful.

Largesse

Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others.

Synonyms: Generosity, liberality, munificence, bounty, charity.

Reconnaissance

Military observation of a region to locate an enemy or ascertain strategic features; preliminary survey.

Synonyms: Scouting, exploration, survey, investigation, inspection.

Substantiate

To provide evidence to support or prove the truth of something.

Synonyms: Prove, verify, corroborate, authenticate, validate.

Taciturn

Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying very little.

Synonyms: Untalkative, reticent, quiet, silent, reserved.

Temporize

To avoid making a decision or committing oneself in order to gain time or delay.

Synonyms: Equivocate, procrastinate, stall, delay, hedge.

Tenable

Able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection.

Synonyms: Defensible, justifiable, supportable, sustainable, arguable.