Merged Vocabulary

Abject

1. very bad or severe; extremely unhappy; showing no pride or respect for oneself.
   "He is almost abject in his respect for his boss."

Abominable

1. very bad or unpleasant. Worthy of or causing disgust or hatred. ""The prisoners are forced to live in an ~ conditions.""

Abstemious

1. not doing things that give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or drinking alcohol; ""His choice of breakfast food became more ~ and of wine more that of an oenophile.""

Acclaim

1. Public approval and praise. Praise; Applause.
   "She deserves ~ for all her charitable works"

2. To give public approval and praise
   "Critics ~ed her performance."
   "She was widely ~ed for her contribution to the discovery."

Adroit

1. very skillful; showing clverness, or resourcefulness in handling situations; Deft.
   "She became ~ at dealing with difficult questions."

Affable

1. being pleasant and at ease in talking to others; easy to talk to.
   "He struck me as an ~ sort of man."

Alleviate

1. to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe; Relieve; Lessen
   "The drugs did nothing to ~ her pain/suffering."

Ameliorate

1. to make bad or unpleasant situation better; Alleviate ""Foreign aid is badly needed to ameliorate the effects of the drought.""

Arboreal

1. of or living in trees; inhabiting or frequenting trees.

Attuned

1. aware of and attentive or responsive to something.
   ""A good nurse must be highly ~ to these dangers.""

Austere

1. very simple, with only the things that are necessary (esp. because of severe limits on money or goods); unadorned. ""an ~ childhood during the war."" ""austere old-world Calvanism…""

2. very severe and unfriendly in manner; stern and cold in appearance or manner; somber. ""an austere…figure too remote for love from his children"" Eileen Lockwood

Aver

1. to declare positively; to say that something is certainly true.
   "The lawyer ~red her client's innocence."
   "She ~red that he was guilty"

Avert

1. to prevent something bad from happening. ""To avert a crisis/conflict/strike/famine""

2. to turn away or aside in avoidance. (thoughts or eyes) ""I averted my gaze while he dressed.""

Blandish

1. to try to persuade someone by saying pleasant things; to coax with flattery; Cajole
   "Artfully he flattered and ~ed him.""

Blithe

1. happy and without worry; Heedless; Casual

Bristle

1. a short, stiff hair. Like ones of a brush or a hog.

1.(of hair) to stand up; to react angrily. ""She bristled at the duggestion that she had in any way neglected the child.""

Buttress

1. to give support or stability to a building or structure; or idea or argument. Support; strengthen. ""The argument for change are buttressed by events elsewhere.""

Calamity

1. a serious accident or bad event causing damage or suffering; Catastrophe; Disaster ""A series of calamities ruined them - floods, a failed harvest, and the death of their son.""

Capricious

1. changing mood or behavior suddenly and unexpectedly; whimsical. ""He was a cruel and ~ tyrant.""

Censure

1. strong criticism or disapproval. synonym: Condemnation, Reprimand.

2. to express strong criticism or disapproval. synonym: Condemn; Denounce.

Chagrin

1. disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure. ""My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my chagrin.""

Chimerical

1. relating to a hope or dream that is extremely unlikely to come true; ""His self-image as a writer seems ~.""

Clandestine

1. planned or done in secret (esp. describing something that is not officially allowed.)
   "The group held weekly ~ meetings in a church."

Collegial

1. relating to a friendly relationship between colleagues ""The organization has a welcoming ~ atmosphere.""

2. used to describe a method of working in which responsibility is shared between several people ""The new chair wuickly upset committee members, who were used to a more ~ style.""

Complacency

1. a feeling of calm satisfation with your own abilities or situation that prevents you from trying harder. ""There's no room for complacency if we want to stay in this competition.""

Conjecture

1. a guess about something based on how it seems and not on proof; a conclusion deduced by surmise or guesswork ""There's been a lot of confecture in the meadia currently about the marriage.""

Contentious

1. causing, involving, or likely to cause disagreement and argument; exhibiting an often perverse and wearisome tendency to quarrels and disputes. ""She has some very contentious views on education.""

Contrive

1. to form or create in an artistic or ingenious manner. ""Do you think you could contrive something for hanging my clothes on until I can get a wrdrobe?""

2. to arrange a situation or event using clever planning; Manage ""Could you contrive a meeting between them?"" ""Somehow she contrived to get tickets for the concert.""

Cosmopolitan

1. containing or having experience of people and things from many different parts of the world (usually approving) ""New York is a highly cosmopolitan city.""

2. Found in most parts of the world under varied ecological conditions. ""a cosmopolitan herb means a plant that is not limited to one place and can be found everywhere.""

3. someone who has experience of many differnt parts of the world. (usally approving) ==Cosmopolite ""Many cosmopolitans around the world now also share the English language…""

Corollary

1. something that results from something else; Result ""A ~ to improved supply chain management is an improved ability to react to changes in the market.""

2. (logic) a proposition that follows from one that has already been proved; ""We point out two important ~ies of this proposition and its proof.""

Countenance

1. the appearance or expression of one's face; Look; Expression; Face; Visage; Composure ""He was of noble countenance.""

2. Approval; moral support; bearing or expression that offers approval or sanction; ""We will not give countenance to any kind of terrorism.""

3. to extend approval or toleration to; Sanction ""The school will not countenance bad behavior.""

Coveted

1. earnestly wished for or sought after; strongly desired by many. ""The Caldecott Medal is a ~ children's book award.""

Credulous

1. too willing to believe what you are told and so easily deceived; Gullible ""Few people are ~ enough to believe such nonsense.""

Decimate

1. to destroy large number of people, animals, or other creatures; to cause great destruction or harm to. ""Overfishing has decimated the cod population."" ""A fire decimated the city""

Deferential

1. showing or expressing respect and high regard due a superior or an elder. ""She is always extremely ~ towards anyone in authority.""

Deft

1. skilful, clever, or quick; characterized by facility and skill. ""He's very deft at handling awkward situations""

Delineate

1. to describe or mark the edage of something; to decribe, portray, or set forth with accuracy or in detail. ""The main characters are clearly delineated in the first chapter.""

Didacticism

1. a philosophy emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design.

Diffident

1. shy and not confidnet of one's abilities; hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence.

Disdain

1. the feeling of not liking someone or something and thinking that they do not deserve your interest or respect. ""He regards the political process with disdain.""

2. to look on with scorn or contempt; to feel disdain for someone or something; ""The older musicians disdain the new, rock-influenced music.""

Disparate

1. different in every way. ""The two cultures were so utterly ~ that she found it hard to adapt from one to the other.""

Don

1. to put on an article of clothing. ""He donned his finest coat and hat.""

Ennoble

1. to make someone a member of the nobility.
2. to make something or someone better so that people admire them more; ""He has this theory that suffering can ennoble a person's character.""

Enunciate

2. to make a definite or systematic statement of; announce, proclaim ""In the speech, the leader enunciated his party's proposals for tax reform.""

3. to utter articulate sounds. ""He doesn't enunciate very clearly.""

Ephemeral

1. lasting a very short time. ""Fame in the world of rock and pop is largely ~.""

Erratic

1. having no fixed course; moving or behaving in a way that is not regular, certain, or expected.
   "He can be very ~; one day he is friendly and the next he'll hardly speak to you."

2. characterized by lack of consistency, regularity, or uniformity; deviating from what is ordinary.
   "~ dieting."

Exhaustive

1. comprehensive.

Fatuous

1. stupid,not correct, or not carefully thought about; complacently or inanely foolish; Silly. ""a ~ idea.""

Fawn

1. to court favor by cringing or flattering manner; to give someone a lot of attention and praise in order to get that person's approval. ""Big movie stars are fawned over by the waiters at the restaurant.""

Finicky

1. extremely or excessively particular, exacting, or meticulous; ""He is terribly ~ about his food."" ""My teacher is ~ about spelling.""

2. requiring much care, precision, or attentive effort. ""Repairing watches must be a very ~ job.""

Forthright

1. free from anbiguity or evasiveness; going straight to the point; (too) honest or direct. ""His ~ manner can be mistaken for rudeness."" ""I admire her ~ way of dealing with people.""

Furtive

1. (of people) behaving secretly and often dishonestly, or (of factions) done secretly and often dishonestly. ""I saw him cast a ~ glance at the woman at the table to his right."" ""he made one or two ~ phone calls."" ""There was something ~ about his behavior and I immediately felt suspicious.""

Gallantry

1. polite and kind behavior towards women, especially when in public ""He had gained a popular reputation for his ~ towards women.""

2. the quality of being brave when something is difficult or dangerous ""The speech praised those who had displayed gallantry in the liberation of their country.""

Glean

1. to collect information in small amounts and often with difficulty. (Originally, to pick up produce left by reapers) ""From what I was able to glean, the news isn't good""

Gullible

1. easily deceived or tricked, and too willing to believe everything that other people say; Credulous

Haphazard

1. not having an obvious order or plan. ""He tackled the problem in a typically ~ manner.""

Harrow

1. a cultivating tool set used primarily for breaking up and smoothing the soil.

2. to torment; to vex; ""harrowed by war.""

Idiosyncratic

1. having strange or unusual habits, ways of behaving, or features. “An idiosyncratic approach to life and learning is a virtue throughout the college.”

Imprudent

1. unwise, by failing to consider the likely results of your actions.

Impugn

1. to cause people to doubt someone's character, qualities, or reputation by criticizing them; Assail
   "Are you ~ing my competence as a professional designer?"

Inadvertent

1. not intentional. ""All authors need to be wary of ~ copying of other people's ideas.""

Incendiary

1. designed to start fires; tending to excite or inflame. ""an ~ bomb"" ""~ remarks/speeches""

2. a substance or weapon used to start fires/ a person who excites quarrels. ""235 bombers deopped 280 tonnes of explosives and 40,000 incendiaries on the city-centre.""

Indecorous

1. conflicting with accepted standards of good conduct or good taste; behaving badly or ruudely. Unseemly

Indiscretion

1. the qulity of being indiscreet; lack of discretion; Imprudence; Blunder; error ""Jones was censured for indiscretion in leaking a secret report to the press.""

2. something that is considered morally wrong or embarassing. ""We should forgive him a few youthful indiscretion.""

Inure

1. to accustom to accept something undesirable. If one becomes inured to something unpleasant, one becomes familiar with it and able to accept and bear it. ""After spending some time on the island they became inured to the hardships.""

Medley

1. a mixture of different things, especially tunes put together to form a longer piece of music; Jumble; Collage

Misanthropic

1. not liking other people; marked by a hatred or contempt for humankind. ""The moral corruption he saw around him made him misanthropic.""

Nebulous

1. (especially of ideas) not clear and having no form; Indistinct; Vague

Occasion

1. to cause something; Bring about
   ""Her refusal ~ed a lot of trouble.""

Omniscient

1. having or seeming to have unlimited knowledge

Ooze

1. to flow slowly out of something through a small opening, or to slowly produce a thick sticky liquid; Seep ""Blood was still oozing out of the wound."" ""The waiteer brought her a massive pizza oozing with cheese.""

2. a soft deposit on the bottom of a body of water; usually made of earth and water; ""Many millions of years ago, our ancestors climbed out of the primeval ooze onto dey land.""

Ostensibly

1. to all outward appearances; on the surface; in a way that appears to be one thing when it is really something else. Seemingly ""He has spent the past three months in Florida, ~ for medical treatment, but in actual fact to avoid prosecution.""

Paraphernalia

1. all the objects needed for or connected with a particular activity; Apparatus ""Bags of cocaine and all sorts of drug paraphernalia were seized at the airport.""

2. personal belongings.

Patronize

1. to speak or behave towards someone as if they are inferior; to behave as if the doer is doee's patron.
   "Stop patronizing me. I understand the play as well as you do."
   
   

2. to provide aid or support for; to be a frequent or regular customer or client of.
   "The restaurant was patronized by many artists and writers during the 1920’s."

Permeate

1. to spread through something and be present in every part of it; to diffuse through or penetrate something. ""The table has a plastic coating which prevents liquids from permeating into the wood beneath."" ""The room permeated with tobacco smoke.""

Philandering

1. the act of having sex with a lot of different partners without becoming emotionally involved with any of them. ""Some people knew about his ~, but they wouldn't report on it.""

2. Philander: to have casual or illicit sex with a person or with many people. Especially to be sexually unfaithfaul to one's spouse.

Philanthropic

1. helping poor people, especially by giving them money. Humanitarian. ""She is known for his ~ work for children in Africa.""

Poignant

1. causing or having a very sharp feeling of sadness mainly; in some cases it can also be deeply affecting. ""The photograph awakens ~ memories of happier days.""

Ponderous

1. (mainly disapproving) slow and awkward because of being very heavy lor large. ""He had a slow and ~ manner.""

Porous

1. having many small holes, so liquid or air can pass through, especially slowly. ""porous soil with good drainage"" ""hardwood is porous""

2. capable of being penetrated; not protected enough to stop people going through. ""The border in this region is ~ and many refugees have simply walked across.""

Portend

1. to be a sign that something bad is going to happen in the future; Indicate, Signify. ""It was a deeply superstitious country, where earthquakes were commonly believed to protend the end of dynasties.""

Prairie

1. (Uncountable when used as a mass noun when talking about prairie in a general sense) a wide area of flat land without trees mostly in grass.

Precipitous

1. (a slope) is very steep ""a precipitous mountain path""
2. (a reduction or increase) is fast or great ""Over the past 18 monts, there has been a precipitous fall in car sales.""

Preclude

1. to prevent something or make it impossible, or prevent someone from doing something.
   "His contract ~s him from discussing his work with anyone outside the company.""

Propensity

1. the fact that someone is likely to behave in a particular way, especially a bad way; ""He is well-known for his natural propensity for indiscretion.""

Prosaic

1. withoug interest, imagination, and excitement; Everyday; Ordinary ""He asked if I'd got my black eye in a fight - I told the ~ truth that I'd banged my head on a door.""

Proselytize

1. to recruit or convert someone to join one's party, institution, or cause. ""He was also remarkable for the proselytizing zeal with which he wrote his political pamphlets."" ""Television has provided the evangelists with yet another platform for their ~zing.""

Punctilious

1. very careful to behave correctly or to give attention to details; marked by or concerned about precise accordance. ""He was always ~ in his manners.""

Querulous

1. habitually conplaining. ""He became increasingly dissatisfied and ~ in his old age.""

Regimen

1. any set of rules about food and exercise that someone follows in order to improve their health. ""After his heart attack the doctor put him on a strict regimen.""

Relegate

1. to put someone or something into a lower or less important rank or position; to send into exile; Banish. ""She resigned when she was relegated to a desk job.""

Renegade

1. a person who has changed their feelings of support and duty from one group to a new one; Deserter; Apostate ""A band of renegades had captured their captain and were holding him to ransom.""

2. to become a renegade

3. used to describe renegades. ""A ~ soldier/priest.""

Repercussion

1. (usually plural) the effect that an action, event, or decision has on something, especially bad effcts.

Rescind

1. to make a law, agreement, order, or decision nolonger have any legal power; Repeal; Revoke; Annul; Overturn; Cancel ""The policy of charging aire travellers for vegetarian meals proved unpopular and has already been rescinded.""

Resonance

1. the production of a sound as a result of vibration of another object.

2. a feeling, though, memory, etc. that a piece of art makes you have or the quality in it that makes this happen. ""This poem has many resonances for me.""

Rote

mechanical or unthinking rountine or repetition.

Sacrosanct

1. most sacred or holy; immune from criticism or violation.
2. thought to be too important or too special to be changed. ""His time with his children was ~.""

Sagacious

1. having or showing understanding and the ability to make good judgements; Discerning; Wise

Scintillating

1. funny, exciting, and clever.
   "~ wit/conversation"

Serendipity

1. the ability to find valuable or agreeable things not sought for; or the luck of finding said things by chance. ""There is a real element of ~ in archaeology.""