lit 31 - 40

Knell

sound of a funeral bell; omen of death or failure

Lachrymose

tearful

Laconic

using few words

Laggard

dawdler; lazy person

Lassitude

lethargy; sluggishness

Legerdemain

trickery

Limpid

clear; transparent

Lionize

to treat as a celebrity

Lissome

easily flexed, limber, agile

Lugubrious

sorrowful; mournful; dismal

Machination

plot or scheme

Maelstrom

turmoil; agitated state of mind; whirlpool

Magnanimous

generous, noble in spirit

Maladroit

clumsy; tactless

Malinger

to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

Martinet

strict disciplinarian; one who rigidly follows rules

Matriculate

to enroll as a member of a college or community

Maudlin

overly sentimental

Mendacious

dishonest

Mendicant

beggar

Mercurial

quick, shrewd, unpredictable

Meticulous

extremely careful, fastidious, painstaking

Mettle

bravery; endurance

Militate

to operate against, to work against

Mirth

frivolity; gaiety; laughter

Moribund

dying, decaying

Mottle

to mark with spots

Multifarious

diverse

Munificent

generous

Nadir

lowest point

Nascent

starting to develop, coming into existence

Negligible

not worth considering

Neophyte

novice, beginner

Nettle

to irritate, annoy

Noisome

stinking; putrid

Notoriety

unfavorable fame

Noxious

harmful, unwholesome

Nuance

shade of meaning

Nullify

to make legally invalid; to counteract the effect of

Oblique

indirect, evasive, misleading, devious

Obsequious

overly submissive, brown nosing

Obstreperous

troublesome, boisterous, unruly

Obtuse

insensitive, stupid, dull, unclear

Obviate

to make unnecessary; to anticipate and prevent

Occlude

to shut; to block

Officious

too helpful; meddlesome

Omniscient

having infinite knowledge, all-seeing

Onerous

burdensome, demanding

Opulence

wealth

Ostensible

apparent

Ostentatious

showy

Palaver

idle talk

Pall (noun)

covering that darkens or obscures; coffin

Pall (verb)

to lose strength or interest

Palliate

to make less serious, ease

Panacea

cure-all

Panoply

impressive array

Parity

equality

Parley

discussion, usually between enemies

Parochial

of limited scope or outlook, provincial

Parry

to ward off or deflect

Parsimony

stinginess

Pastiche

piece of literature or music imitating other works

Paucity

scarcity, lack

Peccadillo

minor sin or offense

Pedagogue

teacher

Pedant

uninspired, boring academic

Pejorative

having bad connotations; disparaging

Percipient

discerning, able to perceive

Perdition

complete and utter loss; damnation

Perfidious

faithless, disloyal, untrustworthy

Perfunctory

done in a routine way; indifferent

Peripatetic

moving from place to place

Permeable

penetrable

Pernicious

very harmful

Perspicacious

shrewd, astute, keen-witted

Pertinacious

persistent; stubborn

Pestilence

epidemic; plague

Petulance

rudeness; peevishness

Phlegmatic

sluggish; calm in temperament

Pilfer

to steal

Pithy

profound, substantial; concise, succinct, to the point

Pittance

meager amount of wage

Placate

to soothe or pacify

Ply

to join together; to use diligently; to enage

Polemic

controversy, argument; verbal attack

Pontificate

to speak in a pretentious manner

Precipitate (adjective)

sudden and unexpected

Precipitate (verb)

to cause to happen; to be thrown down from a height

Predilection

preference, liking

Prescient

having foresight

Prevaricate

to lie; to evade the truth

Privation

lack of usual necessities or comforts

Probity

honesty, high-mindedness

Proclivity

tendency, inclination

Prodigious

vast, enormous, extraordinary

Profligate

corrupt, degenerate

Propinquity

nearness

Propitious

favorable, advantageous

Proselytize

to convert to a particular belief or religion