Elite Vocabulary 501-550

wizened

wrinkled from aging

corrode

to eat into; destroy gradually, as by a chemical process

florid

flushed with rosy color; overdecorated

enervate

to weaken

rash

showing boldness or haste without judgement

dogma

a specific set of ideas or beliefs, esp. religious or asserted to be absolutely true

germane

fitting and appropriate

tinge

a faint coloring; a trace amount

addendum

a supplement; something added at end of book or document

auspicious

showing signs of a favorable outcome; marked by favorable circumstances

epicure

one with refined tastes, esp. in food and wine

quintessence

a pure substance or essence of something

placebo

a substance, often presented as a medicine, that has an effect because of a patient's expectations rather than because of an active ingredient

blanch

to turn pale

exhaustive

thorough

ascribe

to attribute to a specific source

hazard

a risk of being harmed; something that presents such a risk

ruminate

to ponder at length

demagogue

a leader who obtains power by appealing to the emotions and prejudices of the people

burgeon

to sprout or grow rapidly

lank

long and slender; lean

revert

to return to a former condition

repudiate

to reject as invalid or untrue

nomad

one who has no permanent home

contempt

a feeling that something is low or disgusting

dubious

causing doubt, questionable

berate

to scold severely and at length

verbose

wordy

abash

to embarrass

incontrovertible

impossible to dispute

prudent

marked by careful planning; discreet

imminent

impending; threatening; likely to happen

loquacious

very talkative

brittle

rigid; likely to break

aptitude

an inherent capacity for learning, understanding, or performing

mishap

an unlucky or unfortunate accident

omnibus

including or dealing with many items at once

a volume of reprinted works of a single author or of reprinted works on a single theme

stipend

a fixed and regular payment

recapitulate

to summarize; to paraphrase

conviction

a strong belief or opinion

paradox

a statement or situation that appears contradictory

prognosticate

to predict

preclude

to make impossible; to prevent the occurrence of

rampant

unrestrained

nemesis

one who inflicts justified or great punishment; a source of harm or ruin

tautology

needless repetition of an idea in different words; a statement that is logically true no matter what

paragon

an example of perfection

stringent

imposing strict standards of performance; constricted

livid

extremely angry; discolored, as from a bruise; pale, ashen

enmity

the bitter attitude or feeling of an enemy or of mutual enemies