Comprehensive Vocabulary Master List

A complete A-Z list of vocabulary terms covering various parts of speech including definitions for GRE/SAT preparation and academic development.

Babble

To talk rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way

Balk

To hesitate or be unwilling to accept an idea or undertaking

Bandy

To pass something back and forth; to exchange or discuss casually

Bate

To reduce the force or intensity of; to restrain (as in "bated breath" - holding one's breath)

Beeline

To go directly and quickly toward something

Belabor

To argue or elaborate in excessive detail; to attack persistently

Bellicose

Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight; warlike

Bemuse

To puzzle, confuse, or bewilder someone

Beset

To trouble or threaten persistently; to surround or attack from all sides

Besmirch

To damage the reputation of someone or something; to soil or tarnish

Betoken

To be a sign of; to indicate or signify

Bigotry

Intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself

Bilk

To cheat or defraud someone

Bivouac

A temporary camp without tents or cover, used especially by soldiers or mountaineers

Blandishment

A flattering or pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something

Blatant

Completely obvious, especially in an offensive way; flagrant

Blithe

Showing a casual and cheerful indifference; carefree or heedless

Bowdlerize

To remove material considered improper or offensive, resulting in a weakened version

Brandish

To wave or flourish something, especially a weapon, as a threat or in anger

Bravado

A bold manner intended to show courage, especially when the person is afraid

Broach

To raise a sensitive or difficult subject for discussion

Browbeat

To intimidate someone, typically into doing something, with stern or abusive words

Buffoonery

Behavior that is ridiculous but amusing; foolish or playful behavior

Burnish

To polish something by rubbing; to enhance or perfect

Cabal

A secret political clique or faction

Cache

A collection of items of the same type stored in a hidden place (pronounced "cash")

Cajole

To persuade someone to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery

Calumny

The making of false and defamatory statements about someone; slander

Cantankerous

Bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative

Castigate

To reprimand someone severely

Celerity

Swiftness of movement; speed

Chicanery

The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose

Circumspect

Wary and unwilling to take risks; careful to consider all circumstances

Cogent

Clear, logical, and convincing

Compunction

A feeling of guilt or moral scruple

Corpulent

Fat; having a large bulky body

Curmudgeon

A bad-tempered or surly person, especially an old one

Cynosure

A person or thing that is the center of attention or admiration

Debonair

Confident, stylish, and charming

Décolleté

Having a low neckline that reveals the neck and shoulders

Deleterious

Causing harm or damage

Denouement

The final part of a narrative in which matters are explained or resolved

Desultory

Lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; going from one thing to another aimlessly

Dissemble

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

Doctrinaire

Seeking to impose a doctrine without regard to practical considerations

Dogged

Having or showing tenacity and grim persistence

Doldrums

A state of inactivity or stagnation; low spirits

Dulcet

Sweet and soothing, especially of sound

Effrontery

Insolent or impertinent behavior; shameless boldness

Egregious

Outstandingly bad; shocking

Emissary

A person sent on a special mission, usually as a diplomatic representative

Ennui

A feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement

Equable

Not easily disturbed or angered; calm and even-tempered

Eschew

To deliberately avoid using; to abstain from

Exculpate

To show or declare that someone is not guilty of wrongdoing

Exigency

An urgent need or demand

Expunge

To erase or remove completely

Extricate

To free from a constraint or difficulty

Fatuous

Silly and pointless; foolish

Feint

A deceptive or pretended blow, thrust, or movement

Felicitous

Well chosen or suited to the circumstances; pleasing and fortunate

Fledgling

A person or organization that is immature, inexperienced, or underdeveloped

Foible

A minor weakness or eccentricity in someone's character

Fortitude

Courage in pain or adversity

Gainsay

To deny or contradict

Garrulous

Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters

Germane

Relevant to a subject under consideration

Grandiloquent

Pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner

Gratuitous

Uncalled for; lacking good reason; given free of charge

Hallowed

Made holy; consecrated; greatly revered

Heinous

Utterly odious or wicked

Histrionic

Overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style

Immaculate

Perfectly clean, neat, or tidy; free from flaws or mistakes

Inchoate

Just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary

Indolent

Wanting to avoid activity or exertion; lazy

Inscrutable

Impossible to understand or interpret

Inured

Accustomed to something unpleasant

Invidious

Likely to arouse resentment or anger in others; unfairly discriminating

Jettison

To throw or drop something from an aircraft or ship; to abandon or discard

Judicious

Having, showing, or done with good judgment or sense

Laconic

Using very few words; concise

Largesse

Generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others

Lassitude

A state of physical or mental weariness; lack of energy

Malapropism

The mistaken use of a word in place of a similar-sounding one

Mellifluous

Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear

Mendacity

Untruthfulness; the tendency to lie

Nefarious

Wicked or criminal

Neophyte

A person who is new to a subject, skill, or belief

Obstreperous

Noisy and difficult to control

Onerous

Involving an amount of effort and difficulty that is oppressively burdensome

Panegyric

A public speech or text in praise of someone or something

Pariah

An outcast; a person despised or rejected by society

Peremptory

Insisting on immediate attention or obedience; imperious

Perspicacious

Having a ready insight into and understanding of things; perceptive

Picaresque

Relating to fiction dealing with the adventures of a rough and dishonest but appealing hero

Prevaricate

To speak or act in an evasive way; to avoid telling the truth

Proclivity

A tendency to choose or do something regularly; an inclination

Pusillanimous

Showing a lack of courage or determination; timid

Quell

To put an end to; to suppress

Raconteur

A person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way