Abase: To lower in rank, prestige, or esteem.

Aberration: A departure from what is normal or expected.

Abet: To encourage or assist someone to do something wrong.
Abjure: To renounce a belief, cause, or claim formally.
Abrogate: To repeal or do away with a law or formal agreement.
Accede: To agree to a demand or request.
Accolade: An expression of praise or admiration.
Accretion: The process of growth or increase by gradual addition.
Acumen: The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions.
Admonish: To warn or reprimand someone firmly.
Adroit: Skillful and clever in using the hands or mind.
Adulation: Excessive admiration or praise.
Aegis: Protection or support of a particular person or organization.
Affable: Friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to.
Aggrandize: To increase the power, status, or wealth of.
Alacrity: Brisk and cheerful readiness.
Altruism: Selfless concern for the well-being of others.
Ameliorate: To make something better or more tolerable.
Amorphous: Without a clearly defined shape or form.
Anachronism: Something belonging to a period other than in which it exists.
Antipathy: A deep-seated feeling of aversion or dislike.
Apathetic: Showing or feeling no interest or enthusiasm.
Aplomb: Self-confidence or assurance, especially in a demanding situation.
Apocryphal: Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as true.
Apropos: Very appropriate to a particular situation.
Ardor: Enthusiasm or passion.
Arrogate: To take or claim without justification.
Ascendancy: Occupation of a position of dominant power or influence.
Ascetic: Characterized by severe self-discipline and abstention from indulgence.
Asperity: Harshness of tone or manner.
Aspersion: A negative comment that harms someone’s reputation.
Assiduous: Showing great care and perseverance.
Assuage: To make an unpleasant feeling less intense.
Astringent: Sharp or severe in manner or style.
Atrophy: The wasting away or decline of effectiveness due to underuse.
Augury: A sign of what will happen in the future; an omen.
Auspicious: Conducive to success; favorable.
Avarice: Extreme greed for wealth or material gain.
Aver: To state or assert to be the case.
Baleful: Threatening harm; menacing.
Banal: Boring and unoriginal.
Beguile: To charm someone in a tricky or misleading way.
Belie: To fail to give a true impression; to disguise.
Bellicose: Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight.
Benign: Gentle and kindly; not harmful in effect.
Bilious: Bad-tempered; spiteful.
Blight: A thing that spoils or damages something.
Blithe: Showing a casual indifference considered to be callous.
Boorish: Rough and bad-mannered; coarse.
Bromide: A trite statement intended to soothe or placate.
Brook: To tolerate or allow.
Bucolic: Relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside.
Burnish: To polish something by rubbing.
Byzantine: Excessively complicated and intricate.
Cacophony: A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds.
Cadge: To ask for or obtain something to which one is not strictly entitled.
Calumny: The making of false statements to damage someone’s reputation.
Canard: An unfounded rumor or story.
Candid: Truthful and straightforward; frank.
Capricious: Given to sudden changes of mood or behavior.
Castigate: To reprimand someone severely.
Cathartic: Providing psychological relief through open expression.
Censure: To express severe disapproval.
Chary: Cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something.
Chicanery: The use of trickery to achieve a purpose.
Churlish: Rude in a mean-spirited way.
Circuitous: Longer than the most direct way.
Circumscribe: To restrict within limits.
Circumspect: Wary and unwilling to take risks.
Clandestine: Kept secret or done secretively.
Clemency: Mercy; lenience.
Coalesce: To come together to form one mass or whole.
Cogent: Clear, logical, and convincing.
Commensurate: Corresponding in size or degree; proportionate.
Compendium: A collection of concise but detailed information.
Complaisant: Willing to please others; obliging.
Compliant: Inclined to agree with others or obey rules.
Conciliate: To stop someone from being angry; to placate.
Concomitant: Naturally accompanying or associated.
Conflagration: An extensive fire that destroys land or property.
Confluence: The junction of two rivers; an act of merging.
Confound: To cause surprise or confusion.
Consummate: Showing a high degree of skill; perfect.
Contentious: Causing or likely to cause an argument.
Contiguous: Sharing a common border; touching.
Contrite: Feeling or expressing remorse.
Conundrum: A confusing and difficult problem.
Convivial: Friendly, lively, and enjoyable.
Corroborate: To confirm or give support to a statement or theory.
Cosset: To spoil someone by caring for them too much.
Craven: Contemptibly lacking in courage.
Credulous: Having too great a readiness to believe things.
Culpable: Deserving blame.
Cupidity: Greed for money or possessions.
Curmudgeon: A bad-tempered or surly person.
Cursory: Hasty and therefore not thorough.
Daunt: To make someone feel intimidated.
Dearth: A scarcity or lack of something.
Debacle: A sudden and ignominious failure.
Debilitate: To make someone weak.
Decorum: Behavior in keeping with good taste.
Deference: Humble submission and respect.
Deleterious: Causing harm or damage.
Demagogue: A leader who seeks support by appealing to desires.
Demur: To raise doubts or objections.
Denigrate: To criticize unfairly.
Denizen: An inhabitant or occupant.
Deprecate: To express disapproval of.
Deride: To express contempt for; ridicule.
Desiccate: To remove moisture from.
Desultory: Lacking a plan or purpose.
Deterrent: Something that discourages an action.
Diaphanous: Light, delicate, and translucent.
Diatribe: A forceful and bitter verbal attack.
Didactic: Intended to teach.
Diffident: Modest or shy due to a lack of confidence.
Dilatory: Slow to act.
Disabuse: To persuade someone that an idea is mistaken.
Discern: To perceive or recognize something.
Discomfit: To make someone feel uneasy.
Discordant: Disagreeing or incongruous.
Disparate: Essentially different in kind.
Dissemble: To conceal one’s true motives.
Dissolute: Lax in morals; licentious.
Dissonance: Lack of harmony among musical notes.
Divulge: To make known private or sensitive information.
Dogged: Having or showing tenacity.
Doggerel: Comic verse composed in irregular rhythm.
Dogmatic: Inclined to lay down principles as incontrovertibly true.
Dour: Relentlessly severe; stern.
Dross: Something regarded as worthless.
Dubious: Hesitating or doubting.
Dupe: To deceive or trick.
Duplicity: Deceitfulness; double-dealing.
Ebullient: Cheerful and full of energy.
Eclectic: Deriving ideas from a broad range of sources.
Edify: To instruct or improve morally or intellectually.
Efface: To erase from a surface.
Effrontery: Insolent or impertinent behavior.
Egregious: Outstandingly bad; shocking.
Elicit: To evoke or draw out a response.
Emaciated: Abnormally thin or weak.
Embellish: To make something more attractive.
Emollient: Having the quality of softening skin.
Empirical: Based on observation or experience.
Encomium: A speech or piece of writing that praises.
Endemic: Regularly found among particular people.
Enervate: To cause someone to feel drained.
Engender: To cause or give rise to.
Enigma: A person or thing that is mysterious.
Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time.
Equanimity: Mental calmness in a difficult situation.
Equivocate: To use ambiguous language to conceal the truth.
Erudite: Having or showing great knowledge.
Eschew: To deliberately avoid.
Esoteric: Intended for or likely to be understood by a small number.
Eulogy: A speech or piece of writing that praises someone.
Euphemism: A mild word substituted for one considered too harsh.
Exacerbate: To make a problem worse.
Exculpate: To show that someone is not guilty.
Execrable: Extremely bad or unpleasant.
Exigent: Pressing; demanding.
Exonerate: To absolve from blame.
Expedient: Convenient and practical, possibly improper.
Expiate: To atone for guilt or sin.
Extant: Still in existence; surviving.
Extemporaneous: Spoken or done without preparation.
Extirpate: To root out and destroy completely.
Facetious: Treating serious issues with inappropriate humor.
Fallacious: Based on a mistaken belief.
Fatuous: Silly and pointless.
Feckless: Lacking initiative; irresponsible.
Fecund: Capable of producing offspring; fertile.
Felicitous: Well-chosen or suited to the circumstances.
Fervid: Intensely enthusiastic or passionate.
Fetter: A chain used to restrain a prisoner.
Flagrant: Obviously offensive.
Flippant: Not showing a serious or respectful attitude.
Flout: To openly disregard a rule.
Foment: To instigate or stir up undesirable actions.
Forbearance: Patient self-control.
Fractious: Irritable and quarrelsome.
Furtive: Attempting to avoid notice; secretive.
Gainsay: To deny or contradict.
Garrulous: Excessively talkative.
Gauche: Lacking ease or grace; unsophisticated.
Germane: Relevant to a subject under consideration.
Glib: Fluent but insincere and shallow.
Goad: To provoke or annoy to stimulate action.
Grandiloquent: Pompous or extravagant in language.
Gregarious: Fond of company; sociable.
Guileless: Devoid of guile; innocent and without deception.
Hackneyed: Lacking significance through overuse.
Harangue: A lengthy and aggressive speech.
Harbinger: A person or thing that announces the approach of another.
Hedonism: The pursuit of pleasure.
Hegemony: Leadership or dominance.
Hermetic: Complete and airtight.
Heterodox: Not conforming with accepted standards.
Iconoclast: A person who attacks cherished beliefs.
Idolatry: Extreme admiration, love, or reverence.
Immutable: Unchanging over time.
Impecunious: Having little or no money.
Imperturbable: Unable to be upset or excited.
Impervious: Not allowing fluid to pass through; unaffected.
Implacable: Unable to be appeased.
Importune: To ask someone pressingly.
Impute: To represent something as being done by someone.
Inchoate: Just begun; not fully formed.
Incongruous: Not in harmony.
Indolent: Wanting to avoid activity.
Ineluctable: Unable to be resisted; inescapable.
Inimical: Tending to obstruct or harm.
Iniquity: Immoral or grossly unfair behavior.
Innocuous: Not harmful or offensive.
Insipid: Lacking flavor; dull.
Insular: Ignorant of cultures outside one’s own.
Interdict: An authoritative prohibition.
Interloper: A person who becomes involved where they are not wanted.
Intractable: Hard to control or deal with.
Intransigent: Unwilling to change views.
Intrepid: Fearless; adventurous.
Inundate: To flood or overwhelm.
Inure: To accustom to something unpleasant.
Invective: Insulting or abusive language.
Invidious: Likely to arouse anger in others.
Irascible: Easily angered.
Irascible: (Already listed as 234) So replace with Iridescent: Showing luminous
colors that seem to change.
Itinerant: Traveling from place to place.
Jaundiced: Affected by bitterness or resentment.
Jejune: Naive, simplistic, and superficial.
Jettison: To discard or abandon something.
Jingoism: Extreme patriotism, favoring aggressive policies.
Jocular: Fond of or characterized by joking.
Juxtapose: To place close together for contrast.
Kinetic: Relating to motion.
Kismet: Destiny; fate.
Knell: The solemn toll of a bell, usually signaling someone’s passing.
Lackadaisical: Lacking enthusiasm.
Laconic: Using very few words.
Lambaste: To criticize harshly.
Lassitude: A state of physical or mental weariness.
Lithe: Thin, supple, and graceful.
Loquacious: Tending to talk a great deal.
Lucid: Expressed clearly; easy to understand.
Lugubrious: Looking or sounding sad.
Machination: A plot or scheme.
Maelstrom: A powerful whirlpool.
Magnanimity: Generosity.
Malinger: To exaggerate illness to escape duty.
Maverick: An independent-minded person.
Mawkish: Sentimental in an exaggerated way.
Mendacious: Not telling the truth; lying.
Mercurial: Subject to sudden changes of mood.
Meretricious: Apparently attractive but having no value.
Meticulous: Showing great attention to detail.
Militate: To be a powerful factor in preventing.
Misanthrope: A person who dislikes humankind.
Mitigate: To make less severe.
Modicum: A small quantity of something.
Morose: Sullen and ill-tempered.
Multifarious: Many and of various types.
Mundane: Lacking interest or excitement; dull.
Myopic: Nearsighted; lacking imagination.
Nebulous: Vague or ill-defined.
Neophyte: A person new to a subject.
Nettle: To irritate or annoy.
Noisome: Having an extremely offensive smell.
Nonplussed: Surprised and confused.
Obdurate: Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion.
Obviate: To remove a need or difficulty.
Occlude: To stop, close up, or obstruct.
Onerous: Involving a great deal of effort.
Opprobrium: Harsh criticism or censure.
Ostensible: Stated to be true but not necessarily so.
Ostentatious: Characterized by pretentious display.
Paean: A song of praise or triumph.
Palaver: Prolonged and idle discussion.
Palliate: To make less severe.
Panegyric: A public speech in praise of someone.
Pariah: An outcast.
Parsimonious: Unwilling to spend money.
Paucity: The presence of something in insufficient quantities.
Peccadillo: A small, relatively unimportant offense.
Pedagogy: The method and practice of teaching.
Pedantic: Overly concerned with minute details.
Pejorative: Expressing contempt or disapproval.
Penchant: A strong or habitual liking.
Penury: Extreme poverty.
Peremptory: Insisting on immediate attention.
Perfidious: Deceitful and untrustworthy.
Perfunctory: Carried out with minimal effort.
Petulant: Childishly sulky.
Phlegmatic: Having an unemotional disposition.
Pithy: Concise and forcefully expressive.
Placate: To make someone less angry.
Platitude: A remark used too often.
Plethora: An excessive amount.
Polemic: A strong verbal or written attack.
Portent: A sign that something is about to happen.
Pragmatic: Dealing with things sensibly.
Precarious: Not securely held; dangerous.
Precipitate: To cause to happen suddenly.
Predilection: A preference for something.
Prevaricate: To speak or act evasively.
Proclivity: A tendency to choose or do something regularly.
Profligate: Recklessly extravagant or wasteful.
Prolific: Producing many offspring.
Propensity: An inclination to behave a certain way.
Propitiate: To win the favor of by doing something pleasing.
Prosaic: Lacking poetic beauty.
Proscribe: To forbid by law.
Protean: Able to change frequently.
Prurient: Having excessive interest in sexual matters.
Puerile: Childishly silly.
Pugnacious: Eager to argue or fight.
Pulchritude: Beauty.
Quotidian: Occurring every day.
Rancor: Bitterness or resentfulness.
Rarefied: Distant from the lives of ordinary people.
Redolent: Strongly reminiscent.
Refractory: Stubborn or unmanageable.
Relegate: To consign to an inferior position.
Remonstrate: To make a forcefully reproachful protest.
Reprobate: An unprincipled person.
Repudiate: To refuse to accept.
Rescind: To revoke or cancel.
Restive: Unable to keep still; impatient.
Reticent: Not revealing one’s thoughts readily.
Ribald: Referring to sexual matters in an amusing way.
Ruminate: To think deeply about something.
Sacrosanct: Regarded as too important to be interfered with.
Salient: Most noticeable or important.
Sanguine: Optimistic or positive.
Sardonic: Grimly mocking or cynical.
Scurrilous: Making scandalous claims to damage reputation.
Sedulous: Showing dedication and diligence.
Sinecure: A position requiring little work.
Solecism: A grammatical mistake.
Solicitous: Showing interest or concern.
Soporific: Tending to induce sleep.
Specious: Misleading in appearance.
Spurious: Not being what it purports to be.
Stentorian: Loud and powerful voice.
Stolid: Calm and dependable.
Strident: Loud and harsh.
Stymie: To prevent or hinder progress.
Subjugate: To bring under domination.
Sublime: Of such excellence as to inspire awe.
Subterfuge: Deceit used to achieve a goal.
Supplant: To supersede and replace.
Surfeit: An excessive amount.
Surreptitious: Kept secret due to disapproval.
Tacit: Understood without being stated.
Tangential: Hardly touching a matter; peripheral.
Temerity: Excessive confidence.
Tenuous: Very weak or slight.
Tepid: Showing little enthusiasm.
Timorous: Showing or suffering from nervousness.
Tirade: A long, angry speech.
Torpor: A state of physical or mental inactivity.
Tractable: Easy to control or influence.
Transient: Lasting only for a short time.
Transmute: To change in form.
Trenchant: Vigorous or incisive in expression.
Truculent: Eager to argue or fight.
Tumid: Swollen; pompous.
Turgid: Swollen and distended.
Turpitude: Depravity; wickedness.
Umbrage: Offense or annoyance.
Unctuous: Excessively flattering.
Upbraid: To find fault with someone.
Urbane: Courteous and refined.
Vacillate: To waver between opinions.
Vacuous: Having or showing a lack of thought.
Variegated: Exhibiting different colors.
Vehement: Showing strong feeling.
Venal: Susceptible to bribery.
Veracity: Conformity to facts.
Verbose: Using more words than needed.
Vex: To make someone feel annoyed.
Vicissitude: A change of circumstances.
Vilify: To speak or write about in an abusive manner.
Viscous: Having a thick, sticky consistency.
Vituperate: To blame or insult in strong language.
Vociferous: Vehement or clamorous.
Volatile: Liable to change rapidly.
Wane: To decrease in vigor.
Wanton: Deliberate and unprovoked.
Waver: To be undecided between options.
Welter: A large number of items in no order.
Whimsical: Playfully quaint or fanciful.
Winsome: Attractive or appealing.
Wistful: Having a feeling of vague longing.
Zeal: Great energy in pursuit of a cause.
Zealous: Having or showing zeal.
Zephyr: A soft gentle breeze.
Zest: Great enthusiasm.
Ziggurat: A rectangular stepped tower.
Zydeco: A kind of dance music from southern Louisiana.
Acolyte: A person assisting in a religious service.
Adage: A proverb or short statement.
Adjure: To urge or request solemnly.
Benevolent: Well-meaning and kindly.
Camaraderie: Mutual trust among people.
Capitulate: To surrender.
Inane: Silly; stupid.
Nefarious: Wicked or criminal.
Recalcitrant: Uncooperative.
Stalwart: Loyal, reliable, and hardworking.
Taciturn: Uncommunicative.
Usurp: To take illegally by force.
Wary: Feeling caution.
Yoke: To join together.
Zenith: The time at which something is most powerful.
Abate: To become less intense.
Aberrant: Departing from an accepted standard.
Abjure: To renounce.
Abrogate: To repeal a law.
Abscond: To leave hurriedly and secretly.
Abstruse: Difficult to understand.
Accolade: An award.
Acrimonious: Angry and bitter.
Acumen: The ability to make good judgments.
Adverse: Preventing success.
Affluent: Having a great deal of money.
Alleviate: To make less severe.
Ambivalent: Having mixed feelings.
Amorphous: Without a clear shape.
Anachronistic: Belonging to a period other than that being portrayed.
Antithesis: A person or thing that is the direct opposite.
Arbitrary: Based on random choice.
Ascendancy: Dominant power.
Austere: Severe in manner.
Banal: Lacking in originality.
Benevolent: Well-meaning.
Blithe: Casual indifference.
Bombastic: High-sounding but with little meaning.
Candor: The quality of being open and honest.
Capricious: Given to sudden changes.
Censure: Express severe disapproval.
Churlish: Rude in a mean way.
Coerce: To persuade by force.
Coherent: Logical and consistent.
Complacent: Showing uncritical satisfaction.
Concise: Giving a lot of information clearly.
Condescend: Show feelings of superiority.
Conformist: A person who conforms to accepted behavior.
Contemptuous: Showing contempt.
Contrite: Feeling remorse.
Convoluted: Extremely complex and difficult to follow.
Dissonant: Lacking harmony.
Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time.
Exacerbate: To make a problem or bad situation worse.
Idyllic: Extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque.
Illicit: Forbidden by law, rules, or custom.
Ineffable: Too great or extreme to be expressed in words.
Insidious: Something harmful that sneaks up on you slowly.
Intrepid: Fearless; adventurous.
Paradox: A seemingly absurd or contradictory statement that, when investigated, may
prove to be well founded or true.
Redolent: Strongly reminiscent or suggestive of something.
Adroit: Clever or skillful.
Altruistic: Showing selfless concern.
Amorphous: Without a clearly defined shape.
Anomaly: Something that deviates from the norm.
Antipathy: A deep-seated feeling of dislike.
Antithesis: A person or thing that is the direct opposite.
Ardor: Enthusiasm or passion.
Yokel: An uneducated and unsophisticated person from the countryside.
Zealot: A person who is fanatical.
Abnegation: The act of renouncing or rejecting something.
Anathema: Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes.
Disparage: To say bad things about someone or something.
Fortuitous: Happening by a lucky chance; fortunate.
Frugal: Sparing or economical with regard to money or food.
Guile: Sly or cunning intelligence.
Haughty: Arrogantly superior and disdainful.
Impetuous: Doing things quickly without thinking first.
Indefatigable: Persisting tirelessly.
Ingenuous: Innocent and unsuspecting.
Lethargic: Affected by lethargy; sluggish and apathetic.
Obfuscate: To render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible.
Obsequious: Obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree.
Paradigm: A common example or the usual way of doing something.
Obstreperous: Noisy and difficult to control.
Prodigal: Spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully
extravagant.
Acerbic: (Especially of a comment or style of speaking) sharp and forthright.
Superfluous: Unnecessary, especially through being more than enough.
Tenacious: Tending to keep a firm hold of something; persistent.
Venerable: Someone or something that is highly respected, especially because they
are old or wise.
Voracious: Really hungry or extremely eager to do something.
Abstemious: Not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking.
Aesthetic: Concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty.
Arduous: Involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.
Audacious: Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks.
Boon: A thing that is helpful or beneficial.
Brash: Self-assertive in a rude, noisy, or overbearing way.
Brusque: Abrupt or offhand in speech or manner.
Cajole: To try to get someone to do something by being nice or flattering.
Callous: Not caring about others and being insensitive.