Studied by 133 people(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property syn: greedy, avaricious, retentive ant: altruistic
acquisitive
(v) to claim or take without right syn: expropriate, commandeer ant: renounce, abdicate, abandon
arrogate
(adj) hackneyed, trite, commonplace syn: stale, insipid ant: fresh, original, new
banal
(v) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly syn: overwork
belabor
(adj) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n) petty, nagging criticism syn: nit-picking, caviling ant: approving, uncritical
carping
(adj) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful syn: connected, unified, consistent, cohesive ant: muddled, chaotic, disjointed
coherent
(v) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid syn: harden, jell, solidify ant: liquefy
congeal
(v) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model syn: copy, mimic, rival, match
emulate
(n) a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute syn: panegyric, eulogy ant: condemnation, castigation, criticism
encomium
(v) to avoid, shun, keep away from syn: abstain from, steer clear of, forgo ant: embrace, adopt
eschew
(adj) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting syn: pertinent ant: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate
germane
(adj) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied syn: unquenchable, ravenous
insatiable
(adj) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable syn: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate ant: lukewarm, halfhearted, yielding
intransigent
(adj) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment syn: malicious, spiteful ant: flattering
invidious
(n) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions syn: liberality, bounty ant: stinginess
largesse
(n) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination syn: exploration
reconnaissance
(v) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form syn: confirm, validate ant: refute, disprove
substantiate
(adj) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little syn: uncommunicative ant: verbose, prolix
taciturn
(v) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise syn: procrastinate
temporize
(adj) capable of being held or defended syn: defensible, justifiable ant: indefensible
tenable
(v) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way
syn: buttonhole, approach
ant: avoid, shun
accost
(n) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval
syn: rebuke, reproof
ant: praise, compliment
animadversion
(adj) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager
syn: keen, enthusiastic
ant: reluctant, indifferent
avid
(adj) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink
syn: saline
ant: clear, sweet
brackish
(n) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action
syn: promptness, speed
ant: slowness, sluggishness
celerity
(adj) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way
syn: roundabout, indirect
ant: direct, straightforward
devious
(n) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type
syn: ploy, ruse, maneuver
gambit
(n) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj) calm, peaceful, happy, golden
syn: tranquil, placid
ant: turbulent, tumultuous
halcyon
(adj) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial, melodramatic
syn: affected, stagy
ant: muted, untheatrical
histrionic
(adj) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist
syn: inflammatory, provocative; (n) firebrand
ant: soothing, quieting; (n) peacemaker
incendiary
(n) a whirlpool or great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction
syn: chaos, turbulence
maelstrom
(adj) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment
syn: shortsighted
ant: farsighted
myopic
(adj) open, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized
syn: clear, obvious, patent
ant: clandestine, covert
overt
(adj) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement
ant: complimentary, ameliorative
pejorative
(n) the state of being proper, appropriateness
syn: fitness, correctness
ant: unseemliness, inappropriateness
propriety
(n) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
syn: desecration, profanation, defilement
sacrilege
(adv) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
syn: promptly, peremptorily
summarily
(adj) asking humbly and earnestly; (n) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a suitor
suppliant
(n) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers
talisman
(v) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion
syn: fluctuate
undulate
(v) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry
syn: gambol, frolic
cavort
(n) belief, mental acceptance
syn: credit, trust, confidence
ant: disbelief, skepticism
credence
(v) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate
syn: denounce, censure, devalue
ant: tout, commend, extol
decry
(v) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
syn: dissimulate, mask, feign
dissemble
(adj) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict
syn: distracted
ant: calm, collected
distraught
(n) a formal statement of commendation; high praise
syn: panegyric, encomium, tribute
ant: philippic, inventive
eulogy
(v) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke
syn: exhibit, manifest, occasion
evince
(v) to remove from a grave, to bring to light
syn: disinter, unearth
ant: bury
exhume
(adj) lacking in spirit and strength
syn: feeble
ant: competent
feckless
(adj) dark and gloomy, obscure
syn: dim, cloudy
ant: clear, transparent
murky
(adj) wicked, depraved
syn: iniquitous, reprehensible
ant: virtuous, honorable
nefarious
(adj) stimulating to the taste or mind
syn: zestful, tangy
ant: bland, mild
piquant
(adj) developed or created at the very beginning
syn: original
primordial
(n) nearness in place or time; kinship
syn: similarity
ant: remoteness, distance
propinquity
(adj) real, having a solid basis; considerable in amount
syn: firm, substantial
ant; imaginary, meaningless
substantitive
(adj) not usual or expected
syn: unusual, uncommon
ant: usual, customary
unwonted
(adj) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world
syn: idealistic
ant: realistic
utopian
(n) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content
syn: prolixity, diction, jargon
verbiage
(adj) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement
syn: artless, naive
ant: scorched, barren
verdant
(adj) having a gelatinous or gluey quality
syn: sticky, thick
ant: watery, aqueous
viscous
(n) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; (v) to waste away
syn: degeneration, wither
ant: growth, mature
atrophy
(n) a foritfied place
syn: rampart, parapet
bastion
(n) a state of agreement
syn: disagreement
concord
(adj) complete or perfect in the highest degree; to bring to a state of completion or perfection
syn: masterful (v) to complete
ant: launch, initiate
consummate
(n) disorder, confusion (v) to throw into disorder
syn: (n) disorganization (v) dishevel
ant: organization, order
disarray
(n) urgency, pressure
syn: requirement, crisis
exigency
(n) floating debris, unimportant material
syn: debris
flotsam
(adj) frenzied, highly agitated
syn: frantic
ant: calm, controlled
frenetic
(v) to gather bit by bit
syn: cull, pick up
glean
(n) a type of game bird; a complaint; (v) to complain
syn: (v) kvetch, bellyache
grouse
(v) to imprison
syn: intern
ant: liberate
incarcerate
(adj) obligatory, required; (n) one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of
syn: mandatory
ant: optional
incumbent
(adj) humorous, jesting
syn: waggish, droll
ant: solemn, grave
jocular
(adj) ridiculous, laughable, absurd
syn: risible, preposterous
ant: heartrending, poignant
ludicrous
(adj) biting or caustic in thought, manner or style; sharply or bitterly harsh
syn: acrimonious, scathing
ant: bland, mild
mordant
(n) a prickly or stinging plant; (v) to arouse displeasure
syn: peeve, annoy
ant: please, delight
nettle
(adj) consisting of or measured in money
syn: monetary
pecuniary
(adj) contemptibly cowardly or mean spirited
syn: lily-livered
ant: corageous
pusillanimous
(adj) in a reclining position, lying down
syn: prone, inactive
ant: erect, energetic
recumbent
(n) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent
syn: trick, ploy
stratagem
(n) sharpness
syn: acuteness
ant: dullness
acuity
(v) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate detail
syn: render
delineate
(adj) marked by evil and corruption
syn: degenerate, vicious
ant: moral, virtuous
depraved
(v) to weaken or lessen
syn: impair, cripple
ant: invigorate, strengthen
enervate
(adj) intended for only a select few
syn: cryptic
ant: accessible
esoteric
(adj) fruitful in offspring or vegetation
syn: fertile, teeming
ant: infertile, barren
fecund
(n) an arbitrary order or decree
syn: dictum
fiat
(n) fabrication or the mind
syn: invention, fancy
figment
(v) to acquire as a result of effort
syn: collect, accumulate
ant: scatter
garner
(v) to set apart as holy or scared
syn: bless
ant: defile
hallow
(n) a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
syn: quirk
idiosyncrasy
(n) shame and disgrace
syn: humiliation, disrepute
ant: honor
ignominy
(adj) earthly, worldly
syn: humdrum
ant: heavenly, spiritual
mundane
(n) a subtle or slight variation
syn: refinement, shade
nuance
(adj) conceited, presumptuous
syn: arrogant
ant: restrained, meek
overweening
(n) a strong attraction or inclination
syn: proclivity
ant: disinclination, aversion
penchant
(adj) according to reputation or general belief
syn: putative
ant: proven
reputed
(n) reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound
syn: specious reasoning
sophistry
(adj) present or existing everywhere
syn: universal
ant: restricted
ubiquitous
(adj) costly, rich
syn: lavish, splendid
ant: skimpy, stingy
sumptuous
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