Studied by 0 PeopleTags & Description
abstruse
hard to understand
S: obscure, perplexing, incomprehensible
amicable
characterized by or done in friendliness, without anger or bad feelings
S: friendly, good-natured, cooperative
amiss
faulty, incorrect, inappropriate, or not as it should be
S: faulty, wrong, awry
amity
friendliness and peaceful relations
S: harmony, companionship, goodwill
amorous
showing or feeling romantic love or sexual attraction
S: ardent, passionate, lustful
animosity
a feeling or spirit of hostility and resentment
S: hatred, hostility, loathing
atone
to make reparation for a sin or a mistake
S: apologize, redeem, reconcile
beguile
to win and hold somebody's attention, interest, or devotion; to mislead or deceive
somebody
S: enchant, captivate, mesmerize
bereft
deprived of somebody or something loved or valued; lacking in something desirable or necessary
S: devoid, deprived, left without
besiege
to surround a city, building etc. to try and take control of it; to gather around someone in an aggressive way
S: blockade, surround, mob
blatant
obtrusive and conspicuous in an offensive way, often intentionally
S: outright, shameless, impudent
boorish
rough and bad-mannered; coarse
S: crude, vulgar, uncivilized
cadaverous
looking very thin or pale; resembling a corpse
S: ashen, corpse-like, sallow
carrion
dead and putrefying flesh; flesh unfit for food
S: remains, corpse, body
centrifugal
physics: acting, moving, or pulling away from a center or axis; politics: tending to disperse political or administrative power away from a central authority
S: diverging, spreading, diffusive
chivalrous
1. courteous and considerate 2. relating to or reflecting the values of the medieval code of knighthood, especially courtesy, self-sacrifice, and a sense of fair play
S: courteous, respectful, gallant
circuitous
lengthy because very indirect; roundabout
S: roundabout, tortuous, labyrinthine
circumspect
taking into consideration all possible circumstances and consequences before acting
S: cautious, wary, guarded
clemency
mercy; the tendency to show mercy or leniency
S: mercy, leniency, indulgence
cognomen
a nickname or name that describes somebody, e.g. "Billy the Kid"; a surname or family name, especially the third name given to a citizen of ancient Rome, e.g. "Cicero" in "Marcus Tullius Cicero"
S: alias, moniker, nickname
coincide
to happen at or around the same time or to fall together at the same time
S: conjunction, accord, accompaniment
colloquial
appropriate to, used in, or characteristic of spoken language or of writing that is used to create the effect of conversation
S: informal, conversational, everyday
components
a part of something, usually of something bigger
S: ingredient, part, element
concentric
describes circles and spheres of different sizes with the same middle point
S: coordinated, aligned, parallel
concise
using as few words as possible to give the necessary information, or compressed in order to be brief.
S: pithy, succinct, brief
condolence
an expression of sorrow and sympathy, usually to somebody who is grieving over a death
S: sympathy, consolation, pity
congestion
a state of overcrowding in a street or other area, making movement slow or difficult
S: obstruction, blockage, overcrowding
contest
to challenge or question something
S: litigate, dispute, oppose
cumbersome
awkward to carry or handle because of weight, size, or shape
S: clumsy, unwieldy, inconvenient
curtail
to reduce the length or duration of something
S: reduce, trim, lessen
decadences
a process of decline or decay in a society, especially in its morals; a state of uninhibited immoral self-indulgence
S: decay, corruption, decline
decorum
propriety and good taste in conduct or appearance
S: respectability, demeanor, civility
dilate
to become, or cause something to become, wider, larger, or stretched; to talk or write at great length
S: enlarge, widen, expand
diverge
to move or extend in different directions from a common point; to become or be different; to turn aside from a path
S: deviate, separate, differ
elegiac
having a mournful quality (especially in a work of art)
S: melancholic, sorrowful, doleful
eloquence
the ability to speak forcefully, expressively, and persuasively
S: fluency, expressiveness, articulateness
elucidate
to explain or clarify something
S: explain, clarify, spell out
enigma
like a riddle; somebody or something that is not easily explained or understood
S: mystery, puzzle, paradox
entrenched
firmly held and hard to change
S: lodged, well-established, rooted
epochs
a significant period in history or in somebody's life
S: period of time, span, era
erratic
not predictable, regular, or consistent, especially in being likely to depart from expected standards at any time
S: unpredictable, variable, turbulent
esoteric
requiring or exhibiting knowledge that is restricted to a small group; difficult to understand
S: abstruse, obscure, abstract
ethnocentric
a belief in or assumption of the superiority of the social or cultural group that a person belongs to
S: partiality, partisanship
flaccid
soft, limp, or lacking firmness; lacking energy, enthusiasm, or competence
S: flabby, nerveless, sapped
frank
open, honest, and sometimes forceful in expressing true feelings and opinions
S: candid, forthright, honest
gauche
clumsy; lacking grace or tact in social situations
S: awkward, gawky, clumsy
impediment
an impairment, especially one affecting speech; something that hinders progress
S: obstruction, hindrance, obstacle
impudent
showing a lack of respect and excessive boldness
S: impertinent, cocky, brazen
incorrigible
impossible or very difficult to correct or reform; impossible or very difficult to control or keep in order
S: hopeless, incurable, habitual
indiscretion
lack of tact or good judgment; something said or done that is tactless or unwise
S: irresponsibility, incaution, imprudence
inveterate
fixed in a habit or practice, especially a bad one; firmly established and of long standing
S: ingrained, habitual, deep-seated
irrevocable
irreversible; impossible to revoke, undo, or change
S: unchangeable, final, irreversible
jostle
to come in contact or into collision; to make one’s way by pushing and shoving
S: jolt, collide, bump into
.
laconic
using very few words
S: brief, concise, terse
larceny
the unlawful taking of personal property with intent to deprive the rightful owner of it permanently
S: burglary, theft, robbery
luminous
emitting or reflecting light; clear and easy to understand
S: brilliant, radiant, dazzling
masticate
transitive and intransitive verb to grind and pulverize food inside the mouth, using the teeth and jaws
S: munch, crunch, chew
menagerie
A varied mixture
S: exhibition, collection, assortment
militant
extremely active in the defense or support of a cause, often to the point of extremism
S: aggressive, fierce, combative
modicum
a small portion or limited quantity
S: smidgen, fragment, iota
mortician
funeral director
S: embalmer, undertaker, funeral manager
mortuary
a room or building in which dead bodies are kept until they are buried or cremated
S: morgue, funeral home, funeral parlor
nomenclature
a system of names assigned to objects or items in a particular science or art
S: classification, terminology, taxonomy
nominal
acting or being something in name only, but not in reality; representing very little cost when compared with the actual value received
S: official, formal, titular
noxious
harmful to life or health, especially by being poisonous
S: deadly, toxic, corrupting
obdurate
stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action; unmoved by pity or tender feelings
S: stubborn, obstinate, unyielding
obloquy
strong public criticism or verbal abuse; disgrace brought about by public abuse.
S: vilification, condemnation, criticism
orthodox
of, pertaining to, or conforming to beliefs, attitudes, or modes of conduct that are generally approved
S: conventional, accepted, traditional
ostentatious
marked by a vulgar display of wealth and success designed to impress people
S: flamboyant, flashy, showy
patronizing
to give money or support to someone or something; to talk to someone in a way that shows you believe you are more intelligent or better that other people
S: condescend, talk down to, look down on
placid
peaceful; tending or appearing to be calm and not easily excited, upset, or disturbed
S: peaceful, tranquil, calm
poignant
evoking a keen sense of sadness/regret or just general feelings.
S: heartbreaking, sentimental, emotional
posthumous
Occurring, awarded, or appearing after the death of the originator
S: delayed, post-mortem, post-obituary
prudent
having good sense in dealing with practical matters; using good judgment to consider likely consequences and act accordingly
S: wise, sensible, well advised
pugilist
the practice, sport, or profession of boxing
S: fighter, boxer, contender
pulchritude
physical beauty
S: allure, elegance, beauty
qualm
a sudden feeling of uncertainty or apprehension, especially a misgiving about an action or conduct
S: anxiety, sudden uncertainty, second thoughts
rendezvous
a meeting or appointment arranged for an agreed time and place
S: appointment, meeting, assignation
reticent
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
S: reserved, withdrawn, uncommunicative
ridiculing
to reduce or dismiss the importance or quality of somebody or something in a contemptuous way
S: mockery, scorn, contempt
risible
completely unreasonable and not at all sensible or acceptable
S: ridiculous, laughable, absurd
sanguine
cheerful and hopeful
S: optimistic, cheery, confident
saturnine
Slow and gloomy in manner OR moody and mysterious in features
S: somber, morose, dour
semblance
a small amount of something; an outward appearance or imitation of something
S: façade, appearance, guise