Advanced Vocabulary: Literary, Psychological, and Formal Terms

Iconic

Relating to or having the characteristics of a symbolic figure

Amalgamate

Verb: bring together or combine with something else; Adjective: joined together into a whole

Verbose

Using or containing too many words

Ancillary

Furnishing added support

Raconteur

A person skilled in telling anecdotes

Cacophonous

Having a loud, harsh, unpleasant sound

Edify

Help (someone) understand; enlighten

Sartorial

1. Of or relating to tailoring or clothing; 2. Of or relating to the sartorius muscle

Comatose

1. In a state of deep and usually prolonged unconsciousness; unable to respond to external stimuli; 2. Relating to or associated with a coma

Montage

1. The technique of splicing together different sections of film to convey an idea; 2. A film sequence made by editing together a series of separate scenes or shots; 3. Sticking together pieces of paper or photographs to form art

Recumbent

Lying down; in a position of comfort or rest

Posterity

1. All future generations; 2. All of the offspring of a given ancestor

Monolith

1. A single great stone, often in the form of a column; 2. A system or organized structure that is large, uniform and powerful

Untrammeled

Not confined or limited

Horde

1. A vast multitude; 2. A moving crowd; 3. A nomadic community

Mellifluous

Pleasing to the ear

Nemesis

A personal enemy

Salubrious

1. Promoting health; 2. Favorable to health of mind or body

Permutation

1. Complete change in character or condition; 2. A change in the order or arrangement of objects in a group; 3. The act of changing the arrangement of a given number of elements; 4. An event in which one thing is substituted for another

Cohesive

1. Combining well to form a unified whole; 2. Sticking together

Extol

Praise, glorify or honor

Tact

Consideration in dealing with others

Turgid

1. Ostentatiously lofty in style; 2. Abnormally swollen, especially by fluids or gas

Iconoclast

1. Someone who attacks cherished ideas or institutions; 2. A destroyer of images used in religious worship

Vascular

Relating to vessels that conduct and circulate fluids

Tapestry

1. A wall hanging of heavy fabric with pictorial designs; 2. A heavy textile with a woven design; 3. A complex thing that can be compared with a tapestry in its intricacy

Ambivalence

Conflicting or mixed feelings or emotions

Certitude

Complete assurance or confidence

Valiantly

With heroic courage or bravery

Laudable

Worthy of high praise

Abstemious

1. Marked by temperance in indulgence; 2. Sparing in consumption, especially of food and drink

Lionize

Assign great social importance to

Titular

1. Existing in name only; 2. Of or bearing a title signifying status or function; 3. Of or bearing a title signifying nobility; 4. Of or relating to a legal title to something; 5. Of or pertaining to the name of a work of art

Hiatus

1. An interruption in the intensity or amount of something; 2. A missing piece (such as a gap in a manuscript); 3. A natural opening through a bone or a membranous structure

Stentorian

Very loud or booming

Sheaf

A package of several things tied together

Neophyte

1. A participant who has no experience with an activity; 2. A new convert being taught the principles of Christianity; 3. A plant found where it had not been recorded previously

Repertory

1. A collection of pieces that a theater company, dance troupe or musicians have rehearsed and are ready to perform; 2. The range of skills or aptitudes used in a particular field; 3. A storehouse where a stock of things is kept

Prolix

Tediously prolonged or tending to speak or write at great length

Rectitude

Behavior that is correct, upright and honorable

Felicitous

1. Exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner or style; 2. Marked by good fortune

Protagonist

1. The principal character in a work of fiction; 2. A person who advocates for or champions a particular cause or idea

Foster

Verb: promote the growth of; help develop or grow; raise in place of a child's biological parents; Adjective: providing nurture though not related by blood or legal ties

Innocuous

1. Not injurious to physical or mental health; 2. Lacking intent or capacity to injure; 3. Not causing disapproval

Invigorate

1. Give life or energy to; 2. Impart strength or vitality to; 3. Heighten or intensify; 4. Make lively

Entourage

The group following and attending to some important person

Forensic

1. Used in the investigation of facts or evidence in court; 2. Of, relating to or used in public debate or argument

Ascertain

1. Learn or discover with confidence; 2. Establish after a calculation, investigation or study; 3. Learn or determine by making an inquiry or other effort; 4. Take care or make sure to do something

Prudent

Marked by sound judgment

Exalt

1. Praise, glorify or honor; 2. Raise in rank, character or status; 3. Heighten or intensify; 4. Fill with sublime emotion

Deficient

1. Inadequate in amount or degree; 2. Of a quantity not able to fulfill a need or requirement; 3. Falling short of some prescribed norm

Perpetuate

Cause to continue or prevail

Umbrage

A feeling of anger caused by being offended

Revitalize

1. Give new life or vigor to; 2. Restore strength

Arid

1. Lacking sufficient water or rainfall; 2. Lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless

Bestow

1. Give as a gift; 2. Present; 3. Impart a quality to

Esoteric

Understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

Coterie

An exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

Halcyon

Adjective: calm and peaceful; suggesting an ideal and happy tranquillity; Adjective: marked by peace and prosperity; Noun: a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice

Ineffable

1. Defying expression or description; 2. Too sacred to be uttered

Stipend

A regular, unchanging payment usually meant for a specific purpose

Prosperity

1. The condition of having good fortune

Growth

A state of growth with rising profits and full employment

Exonerate

Pronounce not guilty of criminal charges

Scurry

Move about or proceed hurriedly

Fruition

The attainment or fulfillment of a plan or objective

Circumspect

Careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk

Beatific

Resembling or befitting an angel or saint

Compensation

The act of making amends for service, loss or injury

Anachronism

Locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed

Unimpeachable

Beyond doubt or reproach

Commensurate

Corresponding in size, degree or extent; proportionate

Nominate

Propose as a candidate for some honor

Indefatigable

Showing sustained enthusiasm with unflagging vitality

Magnanimous

Noble and generous in spirit

Decorum

Propriety in manners and conduct

Succor

Assistance in time of difficulty

Didactic

Instructive, especially excessively

Abrogate

Revoke formally

Homily

A sermon or speech on a moral or religious topic

Corpulent

Excessively large; very overweight

Memorandum

A written proposal or reminder

Abstruse

Difficult to understand

Skein

A loosely coiled length of yarn or thread

Puerile

Displaying or suggesting a lack of maturity

Autonomous

Existing as an independent entity

Panacea

Hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases

Transcend

Go beyond the scope or limits of

Dearth

An insufficient quantity or number

Strident

Unpleasantly loud and harsh

Voracious

Devouring or craving something such as food in great quantities

Precursor

Something indicating the approach of something or someone

Sagacious

Acute insight and wisdom

Convivial

Occupied with or fond of the pleasures of good company

Pertain

Be relevant to

Truculent

Defiantly aggressive

Accede

Yield to another's wish or opinion

Sporadic

Recurring in scattered or unpredictable instances

Covert

Secret or hidden

Commiserate

Feel or express sympathy or compassion