Advanced Vocabulary: Squalid to Dubious - Definitions and Contexts

squalid

dirty; sordid; marked by filthiness

proliferate

rapidly increase in numbers; multiply

sanctuary

a refuge; a place for worship

elude

evade; cleverly avoid

ultimate

final; farthest; most remote in space or time

inscrutable

obscure; not capable of being understood

spiel

an extravagant talk; an oration

servitude

slavery; punishment for a crime; subjection

spellbind

fascinate; enchant; hold one's attention as by a spell

proletariat

common people; working class

delusion

a deception; a false idea or opinion

purge

to cleanse; to purify; to free from impurities

secular

worldly; not sacred or religious

viable

practical; able to live or be implemented

anathema

a vigorous denunciation; intense dislike

jeopardy

danger; peril; vulnerability

reflective

thoughtful; pensive; contemplative

benign

gentle; showing kindness of disposition

pugnacious

belligerent; combative; confrontational

dissipate

scatter; vanish; to waste

acquiesce

to accept passively or reluctantly; assent

denigrate

defame; belittle; criticize unkindly

munificent

lavishly generous; liberal in giving

capitulation

surrender; giving up resistance

palatable

edible; pleasant tasting; agreeable

vehement

forcibly expressed; impassioned; fervid

fruition

accomplishment; realization

eradicate

exterminate; do away with completely

despotic

tyrannical; dictatorial

extricate

to free; remove from entanglement

paranoia

irrational distrust; feeling of persecution

malevolence

malice; hatred toward others; intention to harm

tenuous

insubstantial; flimsy; weak

ambivalence

uncertainty in attitude; being torn between choices

desiccate

dry up; dehydrate; drain vitality

replete

complete; full; abundantly filled

recalcitrant

defiant of authority; resistant

cogent

convincing; valid; forcibly appealing to the mind

affluence

abundance; overflowing of wealth; profusion

astute

clever; shrewd; intellectually observant

fatuous

foolish; silly; simple-minded; not intellectual

vindictive

revengeful; spiteful; wanting to hurt or harm

meticulous

giving great attention to details; precise

catharsis

purification; cleansing of emotions

insatiable

incapable of being satisfied; quenchless

dubious

doubtful; uncertain in belief or knowledge

Tepid (adjective)

lukewarm; showing little enthusiasm

Perpetual (adjective)

never ending, occurring repeatedly

Skepticism (noun)

doubt; uncertainty in belief or knowledge

Vestige (noun)

remnant; that which is left

Clandestine (adjective)

secretive; held or conducted secretly

Expatriate (noun, adjective, verb)

a person who lives outside their native country

Converge (verb)

meet; to move toward one another

Implicit (adjective)

understood without explanation; tacitly understood; implied

Manifest (verb)

display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; demonstrate

Lexicon (noun)

the vocabulary of a person, language, or branch of knowledge

Felicity/Felicitous (noun/adjective)

intense happiness; the ability to find appropriate expression for one
es thought

Accentuate (verb)

emphasize; to focus attention on

Ephemeral (adjective/noun)

fleeting; transient; lasting only a short time

Eccentric (adjective/noun)

odd; strange; deviating from the pattern

Symbiosis/Symbiotic (noun/adjective)

mutuality; beneficial union or association

Debacle (noun)

great disaster; fiasco; a tumultuous breakup

Delusive (adjective)

giving a false or misleading impression

Exigency (noun)

an urgent need or demand

Pernicious (adjective)

having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way

Ostracize (verb)

exclude (someone) from a society or group

Ameliorate (verb)

make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better

Tutelage (noun)

instruction; guardianship

Morose (adjective)

expressive of gloom; sullen; unsociable and ill-tempered

Ancillary (adjective)

providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, institution, industry, or system

Plethora (noun)

a large or excessive amount of (something)

Vivify (verb)

enliven; to increase the liveliness of; animate

Aesthetic (adjective/noun)

concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty; a set of principles underlying and guiding the work of a particular artist or artistic movement

Disparate (adjective)

essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison

Pedagogue (noun)

a teacher, especially a strict or pedantic one

Salutary (adjective)

producing good effects; beneficial

Relegate (verb)

consign or dismiss to an inferior rank or position

Nuance (noun)

a subtle difference in or shade meaning, expression, or sound

Precarious (adjective)

not securely held or in position; dangerously likely to fall or collapse

Metamorphosis (noun)

the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages; a change of the form or nature of a thing or person into a completely different one, by natural or supernatural means

Congruent (adjective)

equal; harmonious; agreeable; in agreement or harmony

Essence (noun)

the intrinsic nature or indispensable quality of something, especially something abstract, that determines its character

Syntax (noun)

the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language

Unimpeachable (adjective)

not able to be doubted, questioned, or criticized; entirely trustworthy

Generic (adjective)

characteristic of or relating to a class or group of things; not specific

Tandem (adjective)

having two things arranged one in front of the other

Rapport (noun)

a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other's feelings or ideas and communicate well

Effete (adjective)

affected and overly refined

Austerity (noun)

sternness or severity of manner or attitude; extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance

Presumptuous (adjective)

failing to observe the limits of what is permitted or appropriate

Voracious (adjective)

wanting or devouring great quantities of food or other things (knowledge, literature, etc)

Invidious (adjective)

hostile; offensive; rousing ill will; likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others

Impermeable (adjective)

not allowing fluid to pass through; not liable to be affected by pain or distress; insusceptible or imperturbable

Aphorism (noun)

a pithy observation that contains a general truth; a concise statement of a scientific principle

Malaise (noun)

a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify

Histrionic (adjective)

overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style

Gingerly (adverb)

in a careful or cautious manner

Decadence (noun)

moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury

Drone (verb)

make a continuous low humming sound

Calibrate (verb)

mark (a gauge or instrument) with a standard scale of readings