Abdicate To step down from a position of Power

Abridge To shorten, condense or lessen in length

Absolve to forgive or free from blame

Abysmal extremely wretched, bottomless

Acquiesce to comply passively, to give in

Advocate to support, or be in favor of

Aesthetic concerned with or appreciative of beauty

Affinity sympathy, attraction, kinship

Agenda Program, things to be done

Aggrandize to make great

Allusion an indirect reference

Altruistic unselfish concern with the welfare of others

Amnesty an official pardon for a group of people who violate a law

Animosity ill will, active dislike

Anomalous irregular, abnormal, unusual

Arduous difficult to do, laborious

Augment to increase or enlarge

Austere stern in manner or appearance, strict in morals

Aversion strong or fixed dislike, a feeling of repugnance

Banal commonplace, trite, unoriginal

Baroque extravagantly ornate, flamboyant, characterized by bold ornamentation

Begrudge to envy another’s possessions, to concede reluctantly

Benediction a blessing, a good wish

Benign gentle, not harmful, kind

Blanch to turn pale

Blithe happily, lighthearted, joyful

Botch to bungle, to foul up

Bracing invigorating, to prepare

Broach to open up a subject for discussion

Buffoon clown or fool

Bulwark something used as a defense, a strong protection

Cache a hiding place, something hidden in a secret place

Callous unfeeling and insensitive

Candor truthfulness, great honesty, frankness

Capitulate to surrender, to stop resisting

Catharsis an emotional purification, an emotional release

Caustic biting in humor

Censure the act of blaming or condemning

Chastise to criticize severely

Chronic constant, lasting a long time

Circumspect careful, thought through

Clemency disposition towards mercy, mildness

Clique an exclusive group

Coalesce to come together as one, to fuse or unite

Coherent making sense, organize and logical

Colloquial conversational, used in informal speech

Compatible able to get along well

Convey to transport, to conduct, to communicate

Conviction determination, a state of being convinced

Copious abundant, lavish

Corroborate to support with evidence

Craven cowardly

Criterion standard for judging

Cursory brief, without much attention to detail

Dearth a shortage

Deference respect, courtesy

Deft skillful

Delineate to describe or picture in words, to detail

Delude to deceive, to have false illusion

Depravity moral corruption

Depreciate to lessen in value, to belittle

Desecrate to treat with disrespect

Destitute very poor, totally lacking

Diatribe a denunciation, a biting speech

Didactic instructive, intended to educate

Diffuse wordy, not concentrated, to spread widely

Digress to stray from the main subject

Discerning keenly perceptive, shrewd

Discount to deduct, to disregard

Diva an opera singer, prima donna, a tempermental, conceited person

Docile easily tought, submissive

Dogmatic arrogantly assertive, positive about unproven ideas

Dormant as though asleep, not actively growing

Dupe to deceive, to trick

Ebb to decline, to recede

Eccentric non conventional, a little kooky

Eclectic drawn from many sources

Efface to erase, to rub away the features, to obscure

Egocentric self-involved, selfish

Egregious extremely bad, flagrant

Elucidate to make clear

Embellish to add to, to exaggerate, garnish, ornament

Emigrate to move to a new country, to move to a new place

Emissary a messenger or representative, an agent

Emulate to imitate, to strive to equal

Engaging charming, interesting

Enigma a puzzle, a baffling situation, something obscure

Enshroud to cover, to enclose with a dark cover

Esoteric understood by only a few

Eulogize to speak in praise of someone, to pay written or spoken tribute

Exacerbate to make worse or more severe

Exacting greatly demanding, requiring close attention

Exalt to raise high, to glorify

Exorbitant extravagant, exceeding what is usual

Expedite to make faster or easier, to carry out promptly

Explicit clearly stated, precisely shown

Expunge to erase, to strike out

Extol to praise highly

Facade the principal front of a building, a false appearance

Faction a group, or part of large group, united on an issue

Fallacy - false idea, mistaken belief, an implausible argument

Fawning - to show excessive affection, to be overly flattering in return for favor

Feign - to pretend, give a false impression, to invent falsely

Fidelity - a state of being faithful, loyal

Finesse - delicacy of workmanship, subtlety, skillful maneuvering

Fledgling - a young bird learning to fly, a beginner, a novice

Flourish - to grow strong, to grow abundantly, to thrive or prosper

Fluke - a chance event, a coincidence, a stroke of luck

Fodder - raw material for a given end

Foray - an initial venture, to raid in search of plunder

Forfeit - to give up something as a penalty for some error or crime

Fortuitous - happening by chance, lucky fortunate

Furtive - secret, done by stealth, sly

Futile - useless, hopeless, without effect

Galvanize - to arouse suddenly, to stimulate, spur to action

Gamut - the full range of something

Garner - to gather and store away, to acquire by effort

Genteel - refined, polite, aristocratic

Gratuitous - freely given, unnecessary, uncalled for, unwarranted

Gravity - seriousness

Grimace - to make an ugly disapproving facial expression

Grovel - to beg persistently, to degrade oneself

Guile - cunning duplicity, purposeful deceit

Guise - an external appearance

Gullible - easily deceived

Harbinger - a precursor, an indication, one that foreshadows what is coming

Herald - to give notice of, to hail or greet

Heresy - any belief that is strongly opposed to established beliefs, or practice

Hiatus - a break or interruption from work or any other established routine

Homage - reverence, respect, an expression of high regard

Homogeneous - similar, of the same kind, uniform in nature

Hubris - excessive pride, arrogance, exaggerated self-confidence

Hyperbole - extravagant exaggeration used as a figure of speech

Immaterial - insignificant, unimportant

Imminent - about to occur, hanging threatening over one’s head

Immutable - something that is unchangeable, permanent

Imperious - commanding, lordly, arrogant

Impotent - lacking power, helpless, unable to perform sexual intercourse

Incessant - unceasing, never ending, flowing without interruption

Incipient - beginning to be, in an early stage

Incontrovertible- not disputable, not open to question

Indigenous - native, produced or living in a particular area

Indigent - poverty stricken, needy

Inept - clumsy, awkward, incompetent

Infamy - an evil reputation borne of a criminal act, a reputation for evildeeds

Inhibit - to keep from free activity or expression, to restrain or even forbid

Insidious - sly, treacherous, having a gradual effect

Insipid - lacking taste, dull, bland

Intrepid - fearless, having fortitude and endurance

Irreverent - disrespectful, gently or humorously mocking

Jargon - a specialized vocabulary of a group, an obscure language

Jaunt - a short pleasure trip

Jeopardy - exposure to danger, peril

Judicious - wise, showing judgment, cautious

Junction - a place of meeting or joining, a linkup

Juxtapose - to place side by side

Karma - a good or bad emanation of force from someone or something

Laconic - brief in speech, using very few words

Lament - to mourn, to express regret

Latent - present but not visible or apparent, dormant, potential

Laud - to praise, to applaud, to extol

Lax - careless, too relaxed

Legacy - something handed down from the past , a bequest

Levity - lack of seriousness, frivolity

Liaison - connection between different groups, a close bond

Listless - a lack of energy, spiritless

Lucid - clear, easily understood

Luminous - glowing, bright, emitting light

Magnanimous - noble in spirit, generous, giving

Malaise - a feeling of depression, uneasiness, of being unwell

Manifest - to make evident by showing

Marshal - to gather together something for a purpose, to arrange in order

Martyr - one who suffers for a cause, a person who sacrifices for a principle

Maverick - a person who breaks away from the crowd, a non conformist

Meander - to wander aimlessly

Mercenary - a person who serves only for money, motivated by greed

Moot - of no matter or consequence, not important

Morose - gloomy, bad tempered, a sullen disposition

Myriad - an immense indefinite number, multitude

Negligent - careless, remiss

Nemesis - a powerful river, a usually unconquerable opponent

Nomadic - without a permanent home, constantly wandering

Nominal - insignificant, trifling

Novel - new, original

Nuance - a subtle distinction, a slight difference in definition

Nullify - to repeal, cancel, render void

Obliterate - to blot out leaving no traces, to destroy

Obscure - unclear, vague partially hidden, hard to understand

Obviate - to make unnecessary, to avert, to preclude

Odious - hateful, evil, vile

Odyssey - a long difficult journey marked by changes in fortune

Ogle - to stare at in a disrespectful way

Oligarchy - a government in which the power is in the hand of only a few

Opaque - difficult to see through, unclear, dark

Opportunist - a person who takes advantage of opportunity with no regard for principle

Osmosis - gradual or subtle absorption, an unconscious process of absorption

Oust - to eject, to banish, to expel

Overture - an opening move, a preliminary offer

Palatable - pleasant to the taste, agreeable in feeling

Paltry - a tiny or insignificant amount, meager, scant

Pariah - an outcast

Partition - a dividing wall, a division

Paucity - scarcity, smallness in number or amount

Pedantic - boringly, scholarly, academic in mode

Penchant - a strong like for something, a predilection

Permeate - to spread or seep through, to penetrate, to pervade

Peruse - to study, to read over leisurely

Philanthropy - good will towards all people, love of mankind, and act of generosity

Pious - reverent, devout, dutiful, may at times be marked by hypocrisy

Pique - to hurt or rile the feelings of someone, irritate

Pivotal - crucial, something around which things turn

Placate - to soothe, to appease with concessions

Plausible - believable

Poignant - emotionally moving

Polemic - a powerful argument to defend a thesis

Precept - a rule or principle to guide conduct

Preclude - to make impossible, to shut out, to bar

Pretentious - showy, self-important, make unjustifiable claims to excellence

Prolific - marked by abundant production or offspring

Prosaic - dull, unimaginative, lacking excitement

Provincial - limited in outlook, narrow in ideas

Prudent - careful, cautious

Quaint - pleasantly old-fashioned, picturesque

Quell - to put an end to, to squelch, to calm

Quintessential - the most perfect example of

Quixotic – foolishly impractical and idealistic

Raucous - boisterous, harsh sounding, noisy and disorderly

Rebuff - to snub, to refuse in a blunt or rude way

Rebuke - to criticize or reprimand sharply

Reciprocal - mutual, shared, interchangeable

Relegate - to dismiss to a less prominent position, to banish

Relic - an object associated with a saint, something that remains from the past

Replenish - to refill, to supply once more

Reprehensible - deserving of blame

Reprove - to gently criticize

Rescind - to cancel, to repeal

Resilient - an ability to recover from, or adjust easily

Respite - an interval of rest, a temporary delay

Resplendent - brilliant, gloriously bright

Robust - strong and healthy, vigorous

Rustic - primitive, rural, lacking city comforts

Saccharine - excessively sweet

Sardonic - disdainful, scornfully mocking

Scanty - minimal, hardly sufficient

Scintillate - to sparkle, to gleam, to be animated or brilliant

Servile - submissive, behaving like a slave

Sloth - sluggish, laziness, indolence

Spurious - false, fake, not genuine

Stagnate - to lie inactive, to stay in one place

Static - stationary, not changing or moving

Steadfast - loyal, faithful

Stoic - showing indifference to pain, apathetic

Stratagem - a trick or deceptive scheme

Strident - loud, harsh, grating

Stymie - to get in the way of, to hinder, to block

Succinct - concise, clearly expressed with a few words

Surfeit - abundance, excessive amount

Surmise - abundance, excessive amount

Table - to remove from consideration

Tedious - boring, tiresome

Teem - to swarm, to be inundated, to become full to overflowing

Temperance - habitual moderation, the avoidance of excess

Tenet - a principle, doctrine or belief held as so by a group

Tentative - uncertain, temporary not fully worked out

Tenuous - flimsy,

Tepid - lukewarm, unenthusiastic, halfhearted

Terse - concise, brief, free of extra word

Theology - the study of God or religion

Thwart - to prevent from being accomplished, to frustrate, to hinder

Tirade - a long and angry speech

Tonic - a refreshing drink, something that invigorates

Tortuous - winding, twisting, full of curves

Tout - to brag publicly, to praise highly

Transfix - to cause to stand motionless with awe or other intense emotion

Travesty - a parody, an imitation that makes crude fun of something

Trite - unoriginal, overused, clichéd, commonplace

Trivial - unimportant, insignificant

Tryst - a secret meeting of lovers

Tumult - noisy commotion, uproar

Turpitude - shameful wickedness, evil, depravity

Undermine - to weaken the support of, to injure in a slow or sneaky way

Unilateral - on one side alone

Urbane - suave, sophisticated, polished

Usurp - to size wrongfully

Vapid - tasteless, dull

Vehement - intense, forceful marked by strong feeling

Verbose - wordy

Vestige - the remains of something that no longer exists

Viable - workable, capable of living and growing, able to succeed

VIE - to complete, to contest

Vilify - to defame, to slander, to blacken the character of

Virulent - extremely poisonous, malignant, full of hate

Vivacious - lively, spirited

Volatile - explosive, tend to burn quickly

Wanton - immoral, lewd, deliberate maliciousness, having no regards for others

Waver - to be indecisive or inconstant, to fluctuate in opinion

Winsome - charming, sweetly engaging

Wistful - yearning, sad longing, a gentle desire

Zealot - a person with great enthusiasm for and commitment to a cause

Zenith - the highest point