| abase |
v. |
To lower in position, estimation, or the
like; degrade. |
| abbess |
n. |
The lady superior of a nunnery. |
| abbey |
n. |
The group of buildings which collectively form the dwelling-place of a
society of monks or nuns. |
| abbot |
n. |
The superior of a community of monks. |
| abdicate |
v. |
To give up (royal power or the like). |
| abdomen |
n. |
In mammals, the visceral cavity between the diaphragm and the pelvic
floor; the belly. |
| abdominal |
n. |
Of, pertaining to, or situated on the abdomen. |
| abduction |
n. |
A carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally. |
| abed |
adv. |
In bed; on a bed. |
| aberration |
n. |
Deviation from a right, customary, or prescribed course. |
| abet |
v. |
To aid, promote, or encourage the commission of (an offense). |
| abeyance |
n. |
A state of suspension or temporary inaction. |
| abhorrence |
n. |
The act of detesting extremely. |
| abhorrent |
adj. |
Very repugnant; hateful. |
| abidance |
n. |
An abiding. |
| abject |
adj. |
Sunk to a low condition. |
| abjure |
v. |
To recant, renounce, repudiate under oath. |
| able-bodied |
adj. |
Competent for physical service. |
| ablution |
n. |
A washing or cleansing, especially of the body. |
| abnegate |
v. |
To renounce (a right or privilege). |
| abnormal |
adj. |
Not conformed to the ordinary rule or standard. |
| abominable |
adj. |
Very hateful. |
| abominate |
v. |
To hate violently. |
| abomination |
n. |
A very detestable act or practice. |
| aboriginal |
adj. |
Primitive; unsophisticated. |
| aborigines |
n. |
The original of earliest known inhabitants of a country. |
| aboveboard |
adv. |
& adj. Without concealment, fraud, or trickery. |
| abrade |
v. |
To wear away the surface or some part of by friction. |
| abrasion |
n. |
That which is rubbed off. |
| abridge |
v. |
To make shorter in words, keeping the essential features, leaning out
minor particles. |
| abridgment |
n. |
A condensed form as of a book or play. |
| abrogate |
v. |
To abolish, repeal. |
| abrupt |
adj. |
Beginning, ending, or changing suddenly or with a break. |
| abscess |
n. |
A Collection of pus in a cavity formed within some tissue of the body. |
| abscission |
n. |
The act of cutting off, as in a surgical operation. |
| abscond |
v. |
To depart suddenly and secretly, as for the purpose of escaping arrest. |
| absence |
n. |
The fact of not being present or available. |
| absent-minded |
adj. |
Lacking in attention to immediate surroundings or business. |
| absolution |
n. |
Forgiveness, or passing over of offenses. |
| absolve |
v. |
To free from sin or its penalties. |
| absorb |
v. |
To drink in or suck up, as a sponge absorbs water. |
| absorption |
n. |
The act or process of absorbing. |
| abstain |
v. |
To keep oneself back (from doing or using something). |
| abstemious |
adj. |
Characterized by self denial or abstinence, as in the use of drink, food. |
| abstinence |
n. |
Self denial. |
| abstruse |
adj. |
Dealing with matters difficult to be understood. |
| absurd |
adj. |
Inconsistent with reason or common sense. |
| abundant |
adj. |
Plentiful. |
| abusive |
adj. |
Employing harsh words or ill treatment. |
| abut |
v. |
To touch at the end or boundary line. |
| abyss |
n. |
Bottomless gulf. |
| academic |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to an academy, college, or university. |
| academician |
n. |
A member of an academy of literature, art, or science. |
| academy |
n. |
Any institution where the higher branches of learning are taught. |
| accede |
v. |
To agree. |
| accelerate |
v. |
To move faster. |
| accept |
v. |
To take when offered. |
| access |
n. |
A way of approach or entrance; passage. |
| accessible |
adj. |
Approachable. |
| accession |
n. |
Induction or elevation, as to dignity, office, or government. |
| accessory |
n. |
A person or thing that aids the principal agent. |
| acclaim |
v. |
To utter with a shout. |
| accommodate |
v. |
To furnish something as a kindness or favor. |
| accompaniment |
n. |
A subordinate part or parts, enriching or supporting the leading part. |
| accompanist |
n. |
One who or that which accompanies. |
| accompany |
v. |
To go with, or be associated with, as a companion. |
| accomplice |
n. |
An associate in wrong-doing. |
| accomplish |
v. |
To bring to pass. |
| accordion |
n. |
A portable free-reed musical instrument. |
| accost |
v. |
To speak to. |
| account |
n. |
A record or statement of receipts and expenditures, or of business
transactions. |
| accouter |
v. |
To dress. |
| accredit |
v. |
To give credit or authority to. |
| accumulate |
v. |
To become greater in quantity or number. |
| accuracy |
n. |
Exactness. |
| accurate |
adj. |
Conforming exactly to truth or to a standard. |
| accursed |
adj. |
Doomed to evil, misery, or misfortune. |
| accusation |
n. |
A charge of crime, misdemeanor, or error. |
| accusatory |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or involving an accusation. |
| accuse |
v. |
To charge with wrong doing, misconduct, or error. |
| accustom |
v. |
To make familiar by use. |
| acerbity |
n. |
Sourness, with bitterness and astringency. |
| acetate |
n. |
A salt of acetic acid. |
| acetic |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or of the nature of vinegar. |
| ache |
v. |
To be in pain or distress. |
| Achillean |
adj. |
Invulnerable. |
| achromatic |
adj. |
Colorless, |
| acid |
n. |
A sour substance. |
| acidify |
v. |
To change into acid. |
| acknowledge |
v. |
To recognize; to admit the genuineness or validity of. |
| acknowledgment |
n. |
Recognition. |
| acme |
n. |
The highest point, or summit. |
| acoustic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the act or sense of hearing. |
| acquaint |
v. |
To make familiar or conversant. |
| acquiesce |
v. |
To comply; submit. |
| acquiescence |
n. |
Passive consent. |
| acquire |
v. |
To get as one's own. |
| acquisition |
n. |
Anything gained, or made one's own, usually by effort or labor. |
| acquit |
v. |
To free or clear, as from accusation. |
| acquittal |
n. |
A discharge from accusation by judicial action. |
| acquittance |
n. |
Release or discharge from indebtedness, obligation, or responsibility. |
| acreage |
n. |
Quantity or extent of land, especially of cultivated land. |
| acrid |
adj. |
Harshly pungent or bitter. |
| acrimonious |
adj. |
Full of bitterness. |
| acrimony |
n. |
Sharpness or bitterness of speech or temper. |
| actionable |
adj. |
Affording cause for instituting an action, as trespass, slanderous words. |
| actuality |
n. |
Any reality. |
| actuary |
n. |
An officer, as of an insurance company, who calculates and states the
risks and premiums. |
| actuate |
v. |
To move or incite to action. |
| acumen |
n. |
Quickness of intellectual insight, or discernment; keenness of
discrimination. |
| acute |
adj. |
Having fine and penetrating discernment. |
| adamant |
n. |
Any substance of exceeding hardness or impenetrability. |
| addendum |
n. |
Something added, or to be added. |
| addle |
v. |
To make inefficient or worthless; muddle. |
| adduce |
v. |
To bring forward or name for consideration. |
| adhere |
v. |
To stick fast or together. |
| adherence |
n. |
Attachment. |
| adherent |
adj. |
Clinging or sticking fast. |
| adhesion |
n. |
The state of being attached or joined. |
| adieu |
inter. |
Good-by; farewell. |
| adjacency |
n. |
The state of being adjacent. |
| adjacent |
n. |
That which is near or bordering upon. |
| adjudge |
v. |
To award or bestow by formal decision. |
| adjunct |
n. |
Something joined to or connected with another thing, but holding a
subordinate place. |
| adjuration |
n. |
A vehement appeal. |
| adjutant |
adj. |
Auxiliary. |
| administrator |
n. |
One who manages affairs of any kind. |
| admissible |
adj. |
Having the right or privilege of entry. |
| admittance |
n. |
Entrance, or the right or permission to enter. |
| admonish |
v. |
To warn of a fault. |
| admonition |
n. |
Gentle reproof. |
| ado |
n. |
unnecessary activity or ceremony. |
| adoration |
n. |
Profound devotion. |
| adroit |
adj. |
Having skill in the use of the bodily or mental powers. |
| adulterant |
n. |
An adulterating substance. |
| adulterate |
v. |
To make impure by the admixture of other or baser ingredients. |
| adumbrate |
v. |
To represent beforehand in outline or by emblem. |
| advent |
n. |
The coming or arrival, as of any important change, event, state, or
personage. |
| adverse |
adj. |
Opposing or opposed. |
| adversity |
n. |
Misfortune. |
| advert |
v. |
To refer incidentally. |
| advertiser |
n. |
One who advertises, especially in newspapers. |
| advisory |
adj. |
Not mandatory. |
| advocacy |
n. |
The act of pleading a cause. |
| advocate |
n. |
One who pleads the cause of another, as in a legal or ecclesiastical
court. |
| aerial |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or like the air. |
| aeronaut |
n. |
One who navigates the air, a balloonist. |
| aeronautics |
n. |
the art or practice of flying aircraft |
| aerostat |
n. |
A balloon or other apparatus floating in or sustained by the air. |
| aerostatics |
n. |
The branch of pneumatics that treats of the equilibrium, pressure, and
mechanical properties. |
| affable |
adj. |
Easy to approach. |
| affect |
v. |
To act upon |
| affectation |
n. |
A studied or ostentatious pretense or attempt. |
| affiliate |
n. |
Some auxiliary person or thing. |
| affirmative |
adj. |
Answering yes; to a question at issue. |
| affix |
v. |
To fasten. |
| affluence |
n. |
A profuse or abundant supply of riches. |
| affront |
n. |
An open insult or indignity. |
| afire |
adv. |
& adj. On fire, literally or figuratively. |
| afoot |
adv. |
In progress. |
| aforesaid |
adj. |
Said in a preceding part or before. |
| afresh |
adv. |
Once more, after rest or interval. |
| afterthought |
n. |
A thought that comes later than its appropriate or expected time. |
| agglomerate |
v. |
To pile or heap together. |
| aggrandize |
v. |
To cause to appear greatly. |
| aggravate |
v. |
To make heavier, worse, or more burdensome. |
| aggravation |
n. |
The fact of being made heavier or more heinous, as a crime , offense,
misfortune, etc. |
| aggregate |
n. |
The entire number, sum, mass, or quantity of something. |
| aggress |
v. |
To make the first attack. |
| aggression |
n. |
An unprovoked attack. |
| aggrieve |
v. |
To give grief or sorrow to. |
| aghast |
adj. |
Struck with terror and amazement. |
| agile |
adj. |
Able to move or act quickly, physically, or mentally. |
| agitate |
v. |
To move or excite (the feelings or thoughts). |
| agrarian |
adj. |
Pertaining to land, especially agricultural land. |
| aide-de-camp |
n. |
An officer who receives and transmits the orders of the general. |
| ailment |
n. |
Slight sickness. |
| airy |
adj. |
Delicate, ethereal. |
| akin |
adj. |
Of similar nature or qualities. |
| alabaster |
n. |
A white or delicately tinted fine-grained gypsum. |
| alacrity |
n. |
Cheerful willingness. |
| albeit |
conj. |
Even though. |
| albino |
n. |
A person with milky white skin and hair, and eyes with bright red pupil
and usually pink iris. |
| album |
n. |
A book whose leaves are so made to form paper frames for holding
photographs or the like. |
| alchemy |
n. |
Chemistry of the middle ages, characterized by the pursuit of changing
base metals to gold. |
| alcohol |
n. |
A volatile, inflammable, colorless liquid of a penetrating odor and
burning taste. |
| alcoholism |
n. |
A condition resulting from the inordinate or persistent use of alcoholic
beverages. |
| alcove |
n. |
A covered recess connected with or at the side of a larger room. |
| alder |
n. |
Any shrub or small tree of the genus Alumnus, of the oak family. |
| alderman |
n. |
A member of a municipal legislative body, who usually exercises also
certain judicial functions. |
| aldermanship |
n. |
The dignity, condition, office, or term of office of an alderman. |
| alias |
n. |
An assumed name. |
| alien |
n. |
One who owes allegiance to a foreign government. |
| alienable |
adj. |
Capable of being aliened or alienated, as lands. |
| alienate |
v. |
To cause to turn away. |
| alienation |
n. |
Estrangement. |
| aliment |
n. |
That which nourishes. |
| alkali |
n. |
Anything that will neutralize an acid, as lime, magnesia, etc. |
| allay |
v. |
To calm the violence or reduce the intensity of; mitigate. |
| allege |
v. |
To assert to be true, especially in a formal manner, as in court. |
| allegory |
n. |
The setting forth of a subject under the guise of another subject of
aptly suggestive likeness. |
| alleviate |
v. |
To make less burdensome or less hard to bear. |
| alley |
n. |
A narrow street, garden path, walk, or the like. |
| alliance |
n. |
Any combination or union for some common purpose. |
| allot |
v. |
To assign a definite thing or part to a certain person. |
| allotment |
n. |
Portion. |
| allude |
v. |
To refer incidentally, or by suggestion. |
| allusion |
n. |
An indirect and incidental reference to something without definite
mention of it. |
| alluvion |
n. |
Flood. |
| ally |
n. |
A person or thing connected with another, usually in some relation of
helpfulness. |
| almanac |
n. |
A series of tables giving the days of the week together with certain
astronomical information. |
| aloof |
adv. |
Not in sympathy with or desiring to associate with others. |
| altar |
n. |
Any raised place or structure on which sacrifices may be offered or
incense burned. |
| alter |
v. |
To make change in. |
| alteration |
n. |
Change or modification. |
| altercate |
v. |
To contend angrily or zealously in words. |
| alternate |
n. |
One chosen to act in place of another, in case of the absence or
incapacity of that other. |
| alternative |
n. |
Something that may or must exist, be taken or chosen, or done instead of
something else. |
| altitude |
n. |
Vertical distance or elevation above any point or base-level, as the sea. |
| alto |
n. |
The lowest or deepest female voice or part. |
| altruism |
n. |
Benevolence to others on subordination to self-interest. |
| altruist |
n. |
One who advocates or practices altruism. |
| amalgam |
n. |
An alloy or union of mercury with another metal. |
| amalgamate |
v. |
To mix or blend together in a homogeneous body. |
| amateur |
adj. |
Practicing an art or occupation for the love of it, but not as a
profession. |
| amatory |
adj. |
Designed to excite love. |
| ambidextrous |
adj. |
Having the ability of using both hands with equal skill or ease. |
| ambiguous |
adj. |
Having a double meaning. |
| ambitious |
adj. |
Eagerly desirous and aspiring. |
| ambrosial |
adj. |
Divinely sweet, fragrant, or delicious. |
| ambulance |
n. |
A vehicle fitted for conveying the sick and wounded. |
| ambulate |
v. |
To walk about |
| ambush |
n. |
The act or state of lying concealed for the purpose of surprising or
attacking the enemy. |
| ameliorate |
v. |
To relieve, as from pain or hardship |
| amenable |
adj. |
Willing and ready to submit. |
| Americanism |
n. |
A peculiar sense in which an English word or phrase is used in the United
States. |
| amicable |
adj. |
Done in a friendly spirit. |
| amity |
n. |
Friendship. |
| amorous |
adj. |
Having a propensity for falling in love. |
| amorphous |
adj. |
Without determinate shape. |
| amour |
n. |
A love-affair, especially one of an illicit nature. |
| ampere |
n. |
The practical unit of electric-current strength. |
| ampersand |
n. |
The character &; and. |
| amphibious |
adj. |
Living both on land and in water. |
| amphitheater |
n. |
An edifice of elliptical shape, constructed about a central open space or
arena. |
| amplitude |
n. |
Largeness. |
| amply |
adv. |
Sufficiently. |
| amputate |
v. |
To remove by cutting, as a limb or some portion of the body. |
| amusement |
n. |
Diversion. |
| anachronism |
n. |
Anything occurring or existing out of its proper time. |
| anagram |
n. |
The letters of a word or phrase so transposed as to make a different word
or phrase. |
| analogous |
adj. |
Corresponding (to some other) in certain respects, as in form,
proportion, relations. |
| analogy |
n. |
Reasoning in which from certain and known relations or resemblance others
are formed. |
| analyst |
n. |
One who analyzes or makes use of the analytical method. |
| analyze |
v. |
To examine minutely or critically. |
| anarchy |
n. |
Absence or utter disregard of government. |
| anathema |
n. |
Anything forbidden, as by social usage. |
| anatomy |
n. |
That branch of morphology which treats of the structure of organisms. |
| ancestry |
n. |
One's ancestors collectively. |
| anecdote |
n. |
A brief account of some interesting event or incident. |
| anemia |
n. |
Deficiency of blood or red corpuscles. |
| anemic |
adj. |
Affected with anemia. |
| anemometer |
n. |
An instrument for measuring the force or velocity of wind. |
| anesthetic |
adj. |
Pertaining to or producing loss of sensation. |
| anew |
adv. |
Once more. |
| angelic |
adj. |
Saintly. |
| Anglophobia |
n. |
Hatred or dread of England or of what is English. |
| Anglo-Saxon |
n. |
The entire English race wherever found, as in Europe, the United States,
or India. |
| angular |
adj. |
Sharp-cornered. |
| anhydrous |
adj. |
Withered. |
| animadversion |
n. |
The utterance of criticism or censure. |
| animadvert |
v. |
To pass criticism or censure. |
| animalcule |
n. |
An animal of microscopic smallness. |
| animate |
v. |
To make alive. |
| animosity |
n. |
Hatred. |
| annalist |
n. |
Historian. |
| annals |
n. |
A record of events in their chronological order, year by year. |
| annex |
v. |
To add or affix at the end. |
| annihilate |
v. |
To destroy absolutely. |
| annotate |
v. |
To make explanatory or critical notes on or upon. |
| annual |
adj. |
Occurring every year. |
| annuity |
n. |
An annual allowance, payment, or income. |
| annunciation |
n. |
Proclamation. |
| anode |
n. |
The point where or path by which a voltaic current enters an electrolyte
or the like. |
| anonymous |
adj. |
Of unknown authorship. |
| antagonism |
n. |
Mutual opposition or resistance of counteracting forces, principles, or
persons. |
| Antarctic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the south pole or the regions near it. |
| ante |
v. |
In the game of poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt. |
| antecede |
v. |
To precede. |
| antecedent |
n. |
One who or that which precedes or goes before, as in time, place, rank,
order, or causality. |
| antechamber |
n. |
A waiting room for those who seek audience. |
| antedate |
v. |
To assign or affix a date to earlier than the actual one. |
| antediluvian |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the times, things, events before the great flood in
the days of Noah. |
| antemeridian |
adj. |
Before noon. |
| antemundane |
adj. |
Pertaining to time before the world's creation. |
| antenatal |
adj. |
Occurring or existing before birth. |
| anterior |
adj. |
Prior. |
| anteroom |
n. |
A room situated before and opening into another, usually larger. |
| anthology |
n. |
A collection of extracts from the writings of various authors. |
| anthracite |
n. |
Hard coal. |
| anthropology |
n. |
The science of man in general. |
| anthropomorphous |
adj. |
Having or resembling human form. |
| antic |
n. |
A grotesque, ludicrous, or fantastic action. |
| Antichrist |
n. |
Any opponent or enemy of Christ, whether a person or a power. |
| anticlimax |
n. |
A gradual or sudden decrease in the importance or impressiveness of what
is said. |
| anticyclone |
n. |
An atmospheric condition of high central pressure, with currents flowing
outward. |
| antidote |
n. |
Anything that will counteract or remove the effects of poison, disease,
or the like. |
| antilogy |
n. |
Inconsistency or contradiction in terms or ideas. |
| antipathize |
v. |
To show or feel a feeling of antagonism, aversion, or dislike. |
| antiphon |
n. |
A response or alteration of responses, generally musical. |
| antiphony |
n. |
An anthem or other composition sung responsively. |
| antipodes |
n. |
A place or region on the opposite side of the earth. |
| antiquary |
n. |
One who collects and examines old things, as coins, books, medals,
weapons, etc. |
| antiquate |
v. |
To make old or out of date. |
| antique |
adj. |
Pertaining to ancient times. |
| antiseptic |
n. |
Anything that destroys or restrains the growth of putrefactive
micro-organisms. |
| antislavery |
adj. |
Opposed to human slavery. |
| antispasmodic |
adj. |
Tending to prevent or relieve non-inflammatory spasmodic affections. |
| antistrophe |
n. |
The inversion of terms in successive classes, as in "the home of joy
and the joy of home". |
| antitoxin |
n. |
A substance which neutralizes the poisonous products of micro-organisms. |
| antonym |
n. |
A word directly opposed to another in meaning. |
| anxious |
adj. |
Distressed in mind respecting some uncertain matter. |
| apathy |
n. |
Insensibility to emotion or passionate feeling. |
| aperture |
n. |
Hole. |
| apex |
n. |
The highest point, as of a mountain. |
| aphorism |
n. |
Proverb. |
| apiary |
n. |
A place where bees are kept. |
| apogee |
n. |
The climax. |
| apology |
n. |
A disclaimer of intentional error or offense. |
| apostasy |
n. |
A total departure from one's faith or religion. |
| apostate |
adj. |
False. |
| apostle |
n. |
Any messenger commissioned by or as by divine authority. |
| apothecary |
n. |
One who keeps drugs for sale and puts up prescriptions. |
| apotheosis |
n. |
Deification. |
| appall |
v. |
To fill with dismay or horror. |
| apparent |
adj. |
Easily understood. |
| apparition |
n. |
Ghost. |
| appease |
v. |
To soothe by quieting anger or indignation. |
| appellate |
adj. |
Capable of being appealed to. |
| appellation |
n. |
The name or title by which a particular person, class, or thing is
called. |
| append |
v. |
To add or attach, as something accessory, subordinate, or supplementary. |
| appertain |
v. |
To belong, as by right, fitness, association, classification, possession,
or natural relation. |
| apposite |
adj. |
Appropriate. |
| apposition |
n. |
The act of placing side by side, together, or in contact. |
| appraise |
v. |
To estimate the money value of. |
| appreciable |
adj. |
Capable of being discerned by the senses or intellect. |
| apprehend |
v. |
To make a prisoner of (a person) in the name of the law. |
| apprehensible |
adj. |
Capable of being conceived. |
| approbation |
n. |
Sanction. |
| appropriate |
adj. |
Suitable for the purpose and circumstances. |
| aqueduct |
n. |
A water-conduit, particularly one for supplying a community from a
distance. |
| aqueous |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or containing water. |
| arbiter |
n. |
One chosen or appointed, by mutual consent of parties in dispute, to
decide matters. |
| arbitrary |
adj. |
Fixed or done capriciously. |
| arbitrate |
v. |
To act or give judgment as umpire. |
| arbor |
n. |
A tree. |
| arboreal |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to a tree or trees. |
| arborescent |
adj. |
Having the nature of a tree. |
| arboretum |
n. |
A botanical garden or place devoted to the cultivation of trees or
shrubs. |
| arboriculture |
n. |
The cultivation of trees or shrubs. |
| arcade |
n. |
A vaulted passageway or street; a roofed passageway having shops, etc.,
opening from it. |
| archaic |
adj. |
Antiquated |
| archaism |
n. |
Obsolescence. |
| archangel |
n. |
An angel of high rank. |
| archbishop |
n. |
The chief of the bishops of an ecclesiastical province in the Greek,
Roman, and Anglican church. |
| archdeacon |
n. |
A high official administrator of the affairs of a diocese. |
| archaeology |
n. |
The branch of anthropology concerned with the systematic investigation of
the relics of man. |
| archetype |
n. |
A prototype. |
| archipelago |
n. |
Any large body of water studded with islands, or the islands collectively
themselves. |
| ardent |
adj. |
Burning with passion. |
| ardor |
n. |
Intensity of passion or affection. |
| arid |
adj. |
Very dry. |
| aristocracy |
n. |
A hereditary nobility |
| aristocrat |
n. |
A hereditary noble or one nearly connected with nobility. |
| armada |
n. |
A fleet of war-vessels. |
| armful |
n. |
As much as can be held in the arm or arms. |
| armory |
n. |
An arsenal. |
| aroma |
n. |
An agreeable odor. |
| arraign |
v. |
To call into court, as a person indicted for crime, and demand whether he
pleads guilty or not. |
| arrange |
v. |
To put in definite or proper order. |
| arrangement |
n. |
The act of putting in proper order, or the state of being put in order. |
| arrant |
adj. |
Notoriously bad. |
| arrear |
n. |
Something overdue and unpaid. |
| arrival |
n. |
A coming to stopping-place or destination. |
| arrogant |
adj. |
Unduly or excessively proud, as of wealth, station, learning, etc. |
| arrogate |
v. |
To take, demand, or claim, especially presumptuously or without reasons
or grounds. |
| Artesian |
well |
n. A very deep bored well. water rises due to underground pressure |
| artful |
adj. |
Characterized by craft or cunning. |
| Arthurian |
adj. |
Pertaining to King Arthur, the real or legendary hero of British poetic
story. |
| artifice |
n. |
Trickery. |
| artless |
adj. |
Ingenuous. |
| ascendant |
adj. |
Dominant. |
| ascension |
n. |
The act of rising. |
| ascent |
n. |
A rising, soaring, or climbing. |
| ascetic |
adj. |
Given to severe self-denial and practicing excessive abstinence and
devotion. |
| ascribe |
v. |
To assign as a quality or attribute. |
| asexual |
adj. |
Having no distinct sexual organs. |
| ashen |
adj. |
Pale. |
| askance |
adv. |
With a side or indirect glance or meaning. |
| asperity |
n. |
Harshness or roughness of temper. |
| aspirant |
n. |
One who seeks earnestly, as for advancement, honors, place. |
| aspiration |
n. |
An earnest wish for that which is above one's present reach. |
| aspire |
v. |
To have an earnest desire, wish, or longing, as for something high and
good, not yet attained. |
| assailant |
n. |
One who attacks. |
| assassin |
n. |
One who kills, or tries to kill, treacherously or secretly. |
| assassinate |
v. |
To kill, as by surprise or secret assault, especially the killing of some
eminent person. |
| assassination |
n. |
Murderer, as by secret assault or treachery. |
| assay |
n. |
The chemical analysis or testing of an alloy ore. |
| assent |
v. |
To express agreement with a statement or matter of opinion. |
| assess |
v. |
To determine the amount of (a tax or other sum to be paid). |
| assessor |
n. |
An officer whose duty it is to assess taxes. |
| assets |
n. |
pl. Property in general, regarded as applicable to the payment of debts. |
| assiduous |
adj. |
Diligent. |
| assignee |
n. |
One who is appointed to act for another in the management of certain
property and interests. |
| assimilate |
v. |
To adapt. |
| assonance |
n. |
Resemblance or correspondence in sound. |
| assonant |
adj. |
Having resemblance of sound. |
| assonate |
v. |
To accord in sound, especially vowel sound. |
| assuage |
v. |
To cause to be less harsh, violent, or severe, as excitement, appetite,
pain, or disease. |
| astringent |
adj. |
Harsh in disposition or character. |
| astute |
adj. |
Keen in discernment. |
| atheism |
n. |
The denial of the existence of God. |
| athirst |
adj. |
Wanting water. |
| athwart |
adv. |
From side to side. |
| atomizer |
n. |
An apparatus for reducing a liquid to a fine spray, as for disinfection,
inhalation, etc. |
| atone |
v. |
To make amends for. |
| atonement |
n. |
Amends, reparation, or expiation made from wrong or injury. |
| atrocious |
adj. |
Outrageously or wantonly wicked, criminal, vile, or cruel. |
| atrocity |
n. |
Great cruelty or reckless wickedness. |
| attache |
n. |
A subordinate member of a diplomatic embassy. |
| attest |
v. |
To certify as accurate, genuine, or true. |
| attorney-general |
n. |
The chief law-officer of a government. |
| auburn |
adj. |
Reddish-brown, said usually of the hair. |
| audacious |
adj. |
Fearless. |
| audible |
adj. |
Loud enough to be heard. |
| audition |
n. |
The act or sensation of hearing. |
| auditory |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to hearing or the organs or sense of hearing. |
| augment |
v. |
To make bigger. |
| augur |
v. |
To predict. |
| Augustinian |
adj. |
Pertaining to St. Augustine, his doctrines, or the religious orders
called after him. |
| aura |
n. |
Pervasive psychic influence supposed to emanate from persons |
| aural |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the ear. |
| auricle |
n. |
One of the two chambers of the heart which receives the blood from the
veins. |
| auricular |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the ear, its auricle, or the sense of hearing. |
| auriferous |
adj. |
Containing gold. |
| aurora |
n. |
A luminous phenomenon in the upper regions of the atmosphere. |
| auspice |
n. |
favoring, protecting, or propitious influence or guidance. |
| austere |
adj. |
Severely simple; unadorned. |
| autarchy |
n. |
Unrestricted power. |
| authentic |
adj. |
Of undisputed origin. |
| authenticity |
n. |
The state or quality of being genuine, or of the origin and authorship
claimed. |
| autobiography |
n. |
The story of one's life written by himself. |
| autocracy |
n. |
Absolute government. |
| autocrat |
n. |
Any one who claims or wields unrestricted or undisputed authority or
influence. |
| automaton |
n. |
Any living being whose actions are or appear to be involuntary or
mechanical. |
| autonomous |
adj. |
Self-governing. |
| autonomy |
n. |
Self-government. |
| autopsy |
n. |
The examination of a dead body by dissection to ascertain the cause of
death. |
| autumnal |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to autumn. |
| auxiliary |
n. |
One who or that which aids or helps, especially when regarded as
subsidiary or accessory. |
| avalanche |
n. |
The fall or sliding of a mass of snow or ice down a mountain-slope, often
bearing with it rock. |
| avarice |
n. |
Passion for getting and keeping riches. |
| aver |
v. |
To assert as a fact. |
| averse |
adj. |
Reluctant. |
| aversion |
n. |
A mental condition of fixed opposition to or dislike of some particular
thing. |
| avert |
v. |
To turn away or aside. |
| aviary |
n. |
A spacious cage or enclosure in which live birds are kept. |
| avidity |
n. |
Greediness. |
| avocation |
n. |
Diversion. |
| avow |
v. |
To declare openly. |
| awaken |
v. |
To arouse, as emotion, interest, or the like. |
| awry |
adv. |
& adj. Out of the proper form, direction, or position. |
| aye |
adv. |
An expression of assent. |
| azalea |
n. |
A flowering shrub. |
| azure |
n. |
The color of the sky. |
| Baconian |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to Lord Bacon or his system of philosophy. |
| bacterium |
n. |
A microbe. |
| badger |
v. |
To pester. |
| baffle |
v. |
To foil or frustrate. |
| bailiff |
n. |
An officer of court having custody of prisoners under arraignment. |
| baize |
n. |
A single-colored napped woolen fabric used for table-covers, curtains,
etc. |
| bale |
n. |
A large package prepared for transportation or storage. |
| baleful |
adj. |
Malignant. |
| ballad |
n. |
Any popular narrative poem, often with epic subject and usually in lyric
form. |
| balsam |
n. |
A medical preparation, aromatic and oily, used for healing. |
| banal |
adj. |
Commonplace. |
| barcarole |
n. |
A boat-song of Venetian gondoliers. |
| barograph |
n. |
An instrument that registers graphically and continuously the atmospheric
pressure. |
| barometer |
n. |
An instrument for indicating the atmospheric pressure per unit of
surface. |
| barring |
prep. |
Apart from. |
| baritone |
adj. |
Having a register higher than bass and lower than tenor. |
| bask |
v. |
To make warm by genial heat. |
| bass |
adj. |
Low in tone or compass. |
| baste |
v. |
To cover with melted fat, gravy, while cooking. |
| baton |
n. |
An official staff borne either as a weapon or as an emblem of authority
or privilege. |
| battalion |
n. |
A body of infantry composed of two or more companies, forming a part of a
regiment. |
| batten |
n. |
A narrow strip of wood. |
| batter |
n. |
A thick liquid mixture of two or more materials beaten together, to be
used in cookery. |
| bauble |
n. |
A trinket. |
| bawl |
v. |
To proclaim by outcry. |
| beatify |
v. |
To make supremely happy. |
| beatitude |
n. |
Any state of great happiness. |
| beau |
n. |
An escort or lover. |
| becalm |
v. |
To make quiet. |
| beck |
v. |
To give a signal to, by nod or gesture. |
| bedaub |
v. |
To smear over, as with something oily or sticky. |
| bedeck |
v. |
To cover with ornament. |
| bedlam |
n. |
Madhouse. |
| befog |
v. |
To confuse. |
| befriend |
v. |
To be a friend to, especially when in need. |
| beget |
v. |
To produce by sexual generation. |
| begrudge |
v. |
To envy one of the possession of. |
| belate |
v. |
To delay past the proper hour. |
| belay |
v. |
To make fast, as a rope, by winding round a cleat. |
| belie |
v. |
To misrepresent. |
| believe |
v. |
To accept as true on the testimony or authority of others. |
| belittle |
v. |
To disparage. |
| belle |
n. |
A woman who is a center of attraction because of her beauty,
accomplishments, etc. |
| bellicose |
adj. |
Warlike. |
| belligerent |
adj. |
Manifesting a warlike spirit. |
| bemoan |
v. |
To lament |
| benediction |
n. |
a solemn invocation of the divine blessing. |
| benefactor |
n. |
A doer of kindly and charitable acts. |
| benefice |
n. |
A church office endowed with funds or property for the maintenance of
divine service. |
| beneficent |
adj. |
Characterized by charity and kindness. |
| beneficial |
adj. |
Helpful. |
| beneficiary |
n. |
One who is lawfully entitled to the profits and proceeds of an estate or
property. |
| benefit |
n. |
Helpful result. |
| benevolence |
n. |
Any act of kindness or well-doing. |
| benevolent |
adj. |
Loving others and actively desirous of their well-being. |
| benign |
adj. |
Good and kind of heart. |
| benignant |
adj. |
Benevolent in feeling, character, or aspect. |
| benignity |
n. |
Kindness of feeling, disposition, or manner. |
| benison |
n. |
Blessing. |
| bequeath |
v. |
To give by will. |
| bereave |
v. |
To make desolate with loneliness and grief. |
| berth |
n. |
A bunk or bed in a vessel, sleeping-car, etc. |
| beseech |
v. |
To implore. |
| beset |
v. |
To attack on all sides. |
| besmear |
v. |
To smear over, as with any oily or sticky substance. |
| bestial |
adj. |
Animal. |
| bestrew |
v. |
To sprinkle or cover with things strewn. |
| bestride |
v. |
To get or sit upon astride, as a horse. |
| bethink |
v. |
To remind oneself. |
| betide |
v. |
To happen to or befall. |
| betimes |
adv. |
In good season or time. |
| betroth |
v. |
To engage to marry. |
| betrothal |
n. |
Engagement to marry. |
| bevel |
n. |
Any inclination of two surfaces other than 90 degrees. |
| bewilder |
v. |
To confuse the perceptions or judgment of. |
| bibliomania |
n. |
The passion for collecting books. |
| bibliography |
n. |
A list of the words of an author, or the literature bearing on a
particular subject. |
| bibliophile |
n. |
One who loves books. |
| bibulous |
adj. |
Fond of drinking. |
| bide |
v. |
To await. |
| biennial |
n. |
A plant that produces leaves and roots the first year and flowers and
fruit the second. |
| bier |
n. |
A horizontal framework with two handles at each end for carrying a corpse
to the grave. |
| bigamist |
n. |
One who has two spouses at the same time. |
| bigamy |
n. |
The crime of marrying any other person while having a legal spouse
living. |
| bight |
n. |
A slightly receding bay between headlands, formed by a long curve of a
coast-line. |
| bilateral |
adj. |
Two-sided. |
| bilingual |
adj. |
Speaking two languages. |
| biograph |
n. |
A bibliographical sketch or notice. |
| biography |
n. |
A written account of one's life, actions, and character. |
| biology |
n. |
The science of life or living organisms. |
| biped |
n. |
An animal having two feet. |
| birthright |
n. |
A privilege or possession into which one is born. |
| bitterness |
n. |
Acridity, as to the taste. |
| blase |
adj. |
Sated with pleasure. |
| blaspheme |
v. |
To indulge in profane oaths. |
| blatant |
adj. |
Noisily or offensively loud or clamorous. |
| blaze |
n. |
A vivid glowing flame. |
| blazon |
v. |
To make widely or generally known. |
| bleak |
adj. |
Desolate. |
| blemish |
n. |
A mark that mars beauty. |
| blithe |
adj. |
Joyous. |
| blithesome |
adj. |
Cheerful. |
| blockade |
n. |
The shutting up of a town, a frontier, or a line of coast by hostile
forces. |
| boatswain |
n. |
A subordinate officer of a vessel, who has general charge of the rigging,
anchors, etc. |
| bodice |
n. |
A women's ornamental corset-shaped laced waist. |
| bodily |
adj. |
Corporeal. |
| boisterous |
adj. |
Unchecked merriment or animal spirits. |
| bole |
n. |
The trunk or body of a tree. |
| bolero |
n. |
A Spanish dance, illustrative of the passion of love, accompanied by
caste nets and singing. |
| boll |
n. |
A round pod or seed-capsule, as a flax or cotton. |
| bolster |
v. |
To support, as something wrong. |
| bomb |
n. |
A hollow projectile containing an explosive material. |
| bombard |
v. |
To assail with any missile or with abusive speech. |
| bombardier |
n. |
A person who has charge of mortars, bombs, and shells. |
| bombast |
n. |
Inflated or extravagant language, especially on unimportant subjects. |
| boorish |
adj. |
Rude. |
| bore |
v. |
To weary by tediousness or dullness. |
| borough |
n. |
An incorporated village or town. |
| bosom |
n. |
The breast or the upper front of the thorax of a human being, especially
of a woman. |
| botanical |
adj. |
Connected with the study or cultivation of plants. |
| botanize |
v. |
To study plant-life. |
| botany |
n. |
The science that treats of plants. |
| bountiful |
adj. |
Showing abundance. |
| Bowdlerize |
v. |
To expurgate in editing (a literary composition) by omitting words or
passages. |
| bowler |
n. |
In cricket, the player who delivers the ball. |
| boycott |
v. |
To place the products or merchandise of under a ban. |
| brae |
n. |
Hillside. |
| braggart |
n. |
A vain boaster. |
| brandish |
v. |
To wave, shake, or flourish triumphantly or defiantly, as a sword or
spear. |
| bravado |
n. |
An aggressive display of boldness. |
| bravo |
interj. |
Well done. |
| bray |
n. |
A loud harsh sound, as the cry of an ass or the blast of a horn. |
| braze |
v. |
To make of or ornament with brass. |
| brazier |
n. |
An open pan or basin for holding live coals. |
| breach |
n. |
The violation of official duty, lawful right, or a legal obligation. |
| breaker |
n. |
One who trains horses, dogs, etc. |
| breech |
n. |
The buttocks. |
| brethren |
n. |
pl. Members of a brotherhood, gild, profession, association, or the like. |
| brevity |
n. |
Shortness of duration. |
| bric-a-brac |
n. |
Objects of curiosity or for decoration. |
| bridle |
n. |
The head-harness of a horse consisting of a head-stall, a bit, and the
reins. |
| brigade |
n. |
A body of troops consisting of two or more regiments. |
| brigadier |
n. |
General officer who commands a brigade, ranking between a colonel and a
major-general. |
| brigand |
n. |
One who lives by robbery and plunder. |
| brimstone |
n. |
Sulfur. |
| brine |
n. |
Water saturated with salt. |
| bristle |
n. |
One of the coarse, stiff hairs of swine: used in brush-making, etc. |
| Britannia |
n. |
The United Kingdom of Great Britain. |
| Briticism |
n. |
A word, idiom, or phrase characteristic of Great Britain or the British. |
| brittle |
adj. |
Fragile. |
| broach |
v. |
To mention, for the first time. |
| broadcast |
adj. |
Disseminated far and wide. |
| brogan |
n. |
A coarse, heavy shoe. |
| brogue |
n. |
Any dialectic pronunciation of English, especially that of the Irish
people. |
| brokerage |
n. |
The business of making sales and purchases for a commission; a broker. |
| bromine |
n. |
A dark reddish-brown, non-metallic liquid element with a suffocating
odor. |
| bronchitis |
n. |
Inflammation of the bronchial tubes. |
| bronchus |
n. |
Either of the two subdivisions of the trachea conveying air into the
lungs. |
| brooch |
n. |
An article of jewelry fastened by a hinged pin and hook on the underside. |
| brotherhood |
n. |
Spiritual or social fellowship or solidarity. |
| browbeat |
v. |
To overwhelm, or attempt to do so, by stern, haughty, or rude address or
manner. |
| brusque |
adj. |
Somewhat rough or rude in manner or speech. |
| buffoon |
n. |
A clown. |
| buffoonery |
n. |
Low drollery, coarse jokes, etc. |
| bulbous |
adj. |
Of, or pertaining to, or like a bulb. |
| bullock |
n. |
An ox. |
| bulrush |
n. |
Any one of various tall rush-like plants growing in damp ground or water. |
| bulwark |
n. |
Anything that gives security or defense. |
| bumper |
n. |
A cup or glass filled to the brim, especially one to be drunk as a toast
or health. |
| bumptious |
adj. |
Full of offensive and aggressive self-conceit. |
| bungle |
v. |
To execute clumsily. |
| buoyancy |
n. |
Power or tendency to float on or in a liquid or gas. |
| buoyant |
adj. |
Having the power or tendency to float or keep afloat. |
| bureau |
n. |
A chest of drawers for clothing, etc. |
| bureaucracy |
n. |
Government by departments of men transacting particular branches of
public business. |
| burgess |
n. |
In colonial times, a member of the lower house of the legislature of
Maryland or Virginia. |
| burgher |
n. |
An inhabitant, citizen or freeman of a borough burgh, or corporate town. |
| burnish |
v. |
To make brilliant or shining. |
| bursar |
n. |
A treasurer. |
| bustle |
v. |
To hurry. |
| butt |
v. |
To strike with or as with the head, or horns. |
| butte |
n. |
A conspicuous hill, low mountain, or natural turret, generally isolated. |
| buttress |
n. |
Any support or prop. |
| by-law |
n. |
A rule or law adopted by an association, a corporation, or the like. |
| cabal |
n. |
A number of persons secretly united for effecting by intrigue some
private purpose. |
| cabalism |
n. |
Superstitious devotion to one's religion. |
| cabinet |
n. |
The body of men constituting the official advisors of the executive head
of a nation. |
| cacophony |
n. |
A disagreeable, harsh, or discordant sound or combination of sounds or
tones. |
| cadaverous |
adj. |
Resembling a corpse. |
| cadence |
n. |
Rhythmical or measured flow or movement, as in poetry or the time and
pace of marching troops. |
| cadenza |
n. |
An embellishment or flourish, prepared or improvised, for a solo voice or
instrument. |
| caitiff |
adj. |
Cowardly. |
| cajole |
v. |
To impose on or dupe by flattering speech. |
| cajolery |
n. |
Delusive speech. |
| calculable |
adj. |
That may be estimated by reckoning. |
| calculus |
n. |
A concretion formed in various parts of the body resembling a pebble in
hardness. |
| callosity |
n. |
The state of being hard and insensible. |
| callow |
adj. |
Without experience of the world. |
| calorie |
n. |
Amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water 1
degree centigrade. |
| calumny |
n. |
Slander. |
| Calvary |
n. |
The place where Christ was crucified. |
| Calvinism |
n. |
The system of doctrine taught by John Calvin. |
| Calvinize |
v. |
To teach or imbue with the doctrines of Calvinism. |
| came |
n. |
A leaden sash-bar or grooved strip for fastening panes in stained-glass
windows. |
| cameo |
n. |
Any small engraved or carved work in relief. |
| campaign |
n. |
A complete series of connected military operations. |
| Canaanite |
n. |
A member of one of the three tribes that dwelt in the land of Canaan, or
western Palestine. |
| canary |
adj. |
Of a bright but delicate yellow. |
| candid |
adj. |
Straightforward. |
| candor |
n. |
The quality of frankness or outspokenness. |
| canine |
adj. |
Characteristic of a dog. |
| canon |
n. |
Any rule or law. |
| cant |
v. |
To talk in a singsong, preaching tone with affected solemnity. |
| cantata |
n. |
A choral composition. |
| canto |
n. |
One of the divisions of an extended poem. |
| cantonment |
n. |
The part of the town or district in which the troops are quartered. |
| capacious |
adj. |
Roomy. |
| capillary |
n. |
A minute vessel having walls composed of a single layer of cells. |
| capitulate |
v. |
To surrender or stipulate terms. |
| caprice |
n. |
A whim. |
| caption |
n. |
A heading, as of a chapter, section, document, etc. |
| captious |
adj. |
Hypercritical. |
| captivate |
v. |
To fascinate, as by excellence. eloquence, or beauty. |
| carcass |
n. |
The dead body of an animal. |
| cardiac |
adj. |
Pertaining to the heart. |
| cardinal |
adj. |
Of prime or special importance. |
| caret |
n. |
A sign (^) placed below a line, indicating where omitted words, etc.,
should be inserted. |
| caricature |
n. |
a picture or description in which natural characteristics are exaggerated
or distorted. |
| carnage |
n. |
Massacre. |
| carnal |
adj. |
Sensual. |
| carnivorous |
adj. |
Eating or living on flesh. |
| carouse |
v. |
To drink deeply and in boisterous or jovial manner. |
| carrion |
n. |
Dead and putrefying flesh. |
| cartilage |
n. |
An elastic animal tissue of firm consistence. |
| cartridge |
n. |
A charge for a firearm, or for blasting. |
| caste |
n. |
The division of society on artificial grounds. |
| castigate |
v. |
To punish. |
| casual |
adj. |
Accidental, by chance. |
| casualty |
n. |
A fatal or serious accident or disaster. |
| cataclysm |
n. |
Any overwhelming flood of water. |
| cataract |
n. |
Opacity of the lens of the eye resulting in complete or partial
blindness. |
| catastrophe |
n. |
Any great and sudden misfortune or calamity. |
| cathode |
n. |
The negative pole or electrode of a galvanic battery. |
| Catholicism |
n. |
The system, doctrine, and practice of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| catholicity |
n. |
Universal prevalence or acceptance. |
| cat-o-nine-tails |
n. |
An instrument consisting of nine pieces of cord, formerly used for
flogging in the army and navy. |
| caucus |
n. |
A private meeting of members of a political party to select candidates. |
| causal |
adj. |
Indicating or expressing a cause. |
| caustic |
adj. |
Sarcastic and severe. |
| cauterize |
v. |
To burn or sear as with a heated iron. |
| cede |
v. |
To pass title to. |
| censor |
n. |
An official examiner of manuscripts empowered to prohibit their
publication. |
| censorious |
adj. |
Judging severely or harshly. |
| census |
n. |
An official numbering of the people of a country or district. |
| centenary |
adj. |
Pertaining to a hundred years or a period of a hundred years. |
| centiliter |
n. |
A hundredth of a liter. |
| centimeter |
n. |
A length of one hundredth of a meter. |
| centurion |
n. |
A captain of a company of one hundred infantry in the ancient Roman army. |
| cereal |
adj. |
Pertaining to edible grain or farinaceous seeds. |
| ceremonial |
adj. |
Characterized by outward form or ceremony. |
| ceremonious |
adj. |
Observant of ritual. |
| cessation |
n. |
Discontinuance, as of action or motion. |
| cession |
n. |
Surrender, as of possessions or rights. |
| chagrin |
n. |
Keen vexation, annoyance, or mortification, as at one's failures or
errors. |
| chameleon |
adj. |
Changeable in appearance. |
| chancery |
n. |
A court of equity, as distinguished from a common-law court. |
| chaos |
n. |
Any condition of which the elements or parts are in utter disorder and
confusion. |
| characteristic |
n. |
A distinctive feature. |
| characterize |
v. |
To describe by distinctive marks or peculiarities. |
| charlatan |
n. |
A quack. |
| chasm |
n. |
A yawning hollow, as in the earth's surface. |
| chasten |
v. |
To purify by affliction. |
| chastise |
v. |
To subject to punitive measures. |
| chastity |
n. |
Sexual or moral purity. |
| chateau |
n. |
A castle or manor-house. |
| chattel |
n. |
Any article of personal property. |
| check |
v. |
To hold back. |
| chiffon |
n. |
A very thin gauze used for trimmings, evening dress, etc. |
| chivalry |
n. |
The knightly system of feudal times with its code, usages and practices. |
| cholera |
n. |
An acute epidemic disease. |
| choleric |
adj. |
Easily provoked to anger. |
| choral |
adj. |
Pertaining to, intended for, or performed by a chorus or choir. |
| Christ |
n. |
A title of Jesus |
| christen |
v. |
To name in baptism. |
| Christendom |
n. |
That part of the world where Christianity is generally professed. |
| chromatic |
adj. |
Belonging, relating to, or abounding in color. |
| chronology |
n. |
The science that treats of computation of time or of investigation and
arrangement of events. |
| chronometer |
n. |
A portable timekeeper of the highest attainable precision. |
| cipher |
v. |
To calculate arithmetically. (also a noun meaning zero or nothing) |
| circulate |
v. |
To disseminate. |
| circumference |
n. |
The boundary-line of a circle. |
| circumlocution |
n. |
Indirect or roundabout expression. |
| circumnavigate |
v. |
To sail quite around. |
| circumscribe |
v. |
To confine within bounds. |
| circumspect |
adj. |
Showing watchfulness, caution, or careful consideration. |
| citadel |
n. |
Any strong fortress. |
| cite |
v. |
To refer to specifically. |
| claimant |
n. |
One who makes a claim or demand, as of right. |
| clairvoyance |
n. |
Intuitive sagacity or perception. |
| clamorous |
adj. |
Urgent in complaint or demand. |
| clan |
n. |
A tribe. |
| clandestine |
adj. |
Surreptitious. |
| clangor |
n. |
Clanking or a ringing, as of arms, chains, or bells; clamor. |
| clarify |
v. |
To render intelligible. |
| clarion |
n. |
A small shrill trumpet or bugle. |
| classify |
v. |
To arrange in a class or classes on the basis of observed resemblance’s
and differences. |
| clearance |
n. |
A certificate from the proper authorities that a vessel has complied with
the law and may sail. |
| clemency |
n. |
Mercy. |
| clement |
adj. |
Compassionate. |
| close-hauled |
adj. |
Having the sails set for sailing as close to the wind as possible. |
| clothier |
n. |
One who makes or sells cloth or clothing. |
| clumsy |
adj. |
Awkward of movement. |
| coagulate |
v. |
To change into a clot or a jelly, as by heat, by chemical action, or by a
ferment. |
| coagulant |
adj. |
Producing coagulation. |
| coalescence |
n. |
The act or process of coming together so as to form one body,
combination, or product. |
| coalition |
n. |
Combination in a body or mass. |
| coddle |
v. |
To treat as a baby or an invalid. |
| codicil |
n. |
A supplement adding to, revoking, or explaining in the body of a will. |
| coerce |
v. |
To force. |
| coercion |
n. |
Forcible constraint or restraint, moral or physical. |
| coercive |
adj. |
Serving or tending to force. |
| cogent |
adj. |
Appealing strongly to the reason or conscience. |
| cognate |
adj. |
Akin. |
| cognizant |
adj. |
Taking notice. |
| cohere |
v. |
To stick together. |
| cohesion |
n. |
Consistency. |
| cohesive |
adj. |
Having the property of consistency. |
| coincide |
v. |
To correspond. |
| coincidence |
n. |
A circumstance so agreeing with another: often implying accident. |
| coincident |
adj. |
Taking place at the same time. |
| collaborate |
v. |
To labor or cooperate with another or others, especially in literary or
scientific pursuits. |
| collapse |
v. |
To cause to shrink, fall in, or fail. |
| collapsible |
adj. |
That may or can collapse. |
| colleague |
n. |
An associate in professional employment. |
| collective |
adj. |
Consisting of a number of persons or objects considered as gathered into
a mass, or sum. |
| collector |
n. |
One who makes a collection, as of objects of art, books, or the like. |
| collegian |
n. |
A college student. |
| collide |
v. |
To meet and strike violently. |
| collier |
n. |
One who works in a coal-mine. |
| collision |
n. |
Violent contact. |
| colloquial |
adj. |
Pertaining or peculiar to common speech as distinguished from literary. |
| colloquialism |
n. |
Form of speech used only or chiefly in conversation. |
| colloquy |
n. |
Conversation. |
| collusion |
n. |
A secret agreement for a wrongful purpose. |
| colossus |
n. |
Any strikingly great person or object. |
| comely |
adj. |
Handsome. |
| comestible |
adj. |
Fit to be eaten. |
| comical |
adj. |
Funny. |
| commemorate |
v. |
To serve as a remembrance of. |
| commentary |
n. |
A series of illustrative or explanatory notes on any important work. |
| commingle |
v. |
To blend. |
| commissariat |
n. |
The department of an army charged with the provision of its food and
water and daily needs. |
| commission |
v. |
To empower. |
| commitment |
n. |
The act or process of entrusting or consigning for safe-keeping. |
| committal |
n. |
The act, fact, or result of committing, or the state of being |
| commodity |
n. |
Something that is bought and sold. |
| commotion |
n. |
A disturbance or violent agitation. |
| commute |
v. |
To put something, especially something less severe, in place of. |
| comparable |
adj. |
Fit to be compared. |
| comparative |
adj. |
Relative. |
| comparison |
n. |
Examination of two or more objects with reference to their likeness or
unlikeness. |
| compensate |
v. |
To remunerate. |
| competence |
n. |
Adequate qualification or capacity. |
| competent |
adj. |
Qualified. |
| competitive |
adj. |
characterized by rivalry. |
| competitor |
n. |
A rival. |
| complacence |
n. |
Satisfaction with one's acts or surroundings. |
| complacent |
adj. |
Pleased or satisfied with oneself. |
| complaisance |
n. |
Politeness. |
| complaisant |
adj. |
Agreeable. |
| complement |
v. |
To make complete. |
| complex |
adj. |
Complicated. |
| compliant |
adj. |
Yielding. |
| complicate |
v. |
To make complex, difficult, or hard to deal with. |
| complication |
n. |
An intermingling or combination of things or parts, especially in a
perplexing manner. |
| complicity |
n. |
Participation or partnership, as in wrong-doing or with a wrong-doer. |
| compliment |
v. |
To address or gratify with expressions of delicate praise. |
| component |
n. |
A constituent element or part. |
| comport |
v. |
To conduct or behave (oneself). |
| composure |
n. |
Calmness. |
| comprehensible |
adj. |
Intelligible. |
| comprehension |
n. |
Ability to know. |
| comprehensive |
adj. |
Large in scope or content. |
| compress |
v. |
To press together or into smaller space. |
| compressible |
adj. |
Capable of being pressed into smaller compass. |
| compression |
n. |
Constraint, as by force or authority. |
| comprise |
v. |
To consist of. |
| compulsion |
n. |
Coercion. |
| compulsory |
adj. |
Forced. |
| compunction |
n. |
Remorseful feeling. |
| compute |
v. |
To ascertain by mathematical calculation. |
| concede |
v. |
To surrender. |
| conceit |
n. |
Self-flattering opinion. |
| conceive |
v. |
To form an idea, mental image or thought of. |
| concerto |
n. |
A musical composition. |
| concession |
n. |
Anything granted or yielded, or admitted in response to a demand,
petition, or claim. |
| conciliate |
v. |
To obtain the friendship of. |
| conciliatory |
adj. |
Tending to reconcile. |
| conclusive |
adj. |
Sufficient to convince or decide. |
| concord |
n. |
Harmony. |
| concordance |
n. |
Harmony. |
| concur |
v. |
To agree. |
| concurrence |
n. |
Agreement. |
| concurrent |
adj. |
Occurring or acting together. |
| concussion |
n. |
A violent shock to some organ by a fall or a sudden blow. |
| condensation |
n. |
The act or process of making dense or denser. |
| condense |
v. |
To abridge. |
| condescend |
v. |
To come down voluntarily to equal terms with inferiors. |
| condolence |
n. |
Expression of sympathy with a person in pain, sorrow, or misfortune. |
| conduce |
v. |
To bring about. |
| conducive |
adj. |
Contributing to an end. |
| conductible |
adj. |
Capable of being conducted or transmitted. |
| conduit |
n. |
A means for conducting something, particularly a tube, pipe, or
passageway for a fluid. |
| confectionery |
n. |
The candy collectively that a confectioner makes or sells, as candy. |
| confederacy |
n. |
A number of states or persons in compact or league with each other, as
for mutual aid. |
| confederate |
n. |
One who is united with others in a league, compact, or agreement. |
| confer |
v. |
To bestow. |
| conferee |
n. |
A person with whom another confers. |
| confessor |
n. |
A spiritual advisor. |
| confidant |
n. |
One to whom secrets are entrusted. |
| confide |
v. |
To reveal in trust or confidence. |
| confidence |
n. |
The state or feeling of trust in or reliance upon another. |
| confident |
adj. |
Assured. |
| confinement |
n. |
Restriction within limits or boundaries. |
| confiscate |
v. |
To appropriate (private property) as forfeited to the public use or
treasury. |
| conflagration |
n. |
A great fire, as of many buildings, a forest, or the like. |
| confluence |
n. |
The place where streams meet. |
| confluent |
n. |
A stream that unites with another. |
| conformance |
n. |
The act or state or conforming. |
| conformable |
adj. |
Harmonious. |
| conformation |
n. |
General structure, form, or outline. |
| conformity |
n. |
Correspondence in form, manner, or use. |
| confront |
v. |
To encounter, as difficulties or obstacles. |
| congeal |
v. |
To coagulate. |
| congenial |
adj. |
Having kindred character or tastes. |
| congest |
v. |
To collect into a mass. |
| congregate |
v. |
To bring together into a crowd. |
| coniferous |
adj. |
Cone-bearing trees. |
| conjecture |
n. |
A guess. |
| conjoin |
v. |
To unite. |
| conjugal |
adj. |
Pertaining to marriage, marital rights, or married persons. |
| conjugate |
adj. |
Joined together in pairs. |
| conjugation |
n. |
The state or condition of being joined together. |
| conjunction |
n. |
The state of being joined together, or the things so joined. |
| connive |
v. |
To be in collusion. |
| connoisseur |
n. |
A critical judge of art, especially one with thorough knowledge and sound
judgment of art. |
| connote |
v. |
To mean; signify. |
| connubial |
adj. |
Pertaining to marriage or matrimony. |
| conquer |
v. |
To overcome by force. |
| consanguineous |
adj. |
Descended from the same parent or ancestor. |
| conscience |
n. |
The faculty in man by which he distinguishes between right and wrong in
character and conduct. |
| conscientious |
adj. |
Governed by moral standard. |
| conscious |
adj. |
Aware that one lives, feels, and thinks. |
| conscript |
v. |
To force into military service. |
| consecrate |
v. |
To set apart as sacred. |
| consecutive |
adj. |
Following in uninterrupted succession. |
| consensus |
n. |
A collective unanimous opinion of a number of persons. |
| conservatism |
n. |
Tendency to adhere to the existing order of things. |
| conservative |
adj. |
Adhering to the existing order of things. |
| conservatory |
n. |
An institution for instruction and training in music and declamation. |
| consign |
v. |
To entrust. |
| consignee |
n. |
A person to whom goods or other property has been entrusted. |
| consignor |
n. |
One who entrusts. |
| consistency |
n. |
A state of permanence. |
| console |
v. |
To comfort. |
| consolidate |
v. |
To combine into one body or system. |
| consonance |
n. |
The state or quality of being in accord with. |
| consonant |
adj. |
Being in agreement or harmony with. |
| consort |
n. |
A companion or associate. |
| conspicuous |
adj. |
Clearly visible. |
| conspirator |
n. |
One who agrees with others to cooperate in accomplishing some unlawful
purpose. |
| conspire |
v. |
To plot. |
| constable |
n. |
An officer whose duty is to maintain the peace. |
| constellation |
n. |
An arbitrary assemblage or group of stars. |
| consternation |
n. |
Panic. |
| constituency |
n. |
The inhabitants or voters in a district represented in a legislative
body. |
| constituent |
n. |
One who has the right to vote at an election. |
| constrict |
v. |
To bind. |
| consul |
n. |
An officer appointed to reside in a foreign city, chiefly to represent
his country. |
| consulate |
n. |
The place in which a consul transacts official business. |
| consummate |
v. |
To bring to completion. |
| consumption |
n. |
Gradual destruction, as by burning, eating, etc., or by using up, wearing
out, etc. |
| consumptive |
adj. |
Designed for gradual destruction. |
| contagion |
n. |
The communication of disease from person to person. |
| contagious |
adj. |
Transmitting disease. |
| contaminate |
v. |
To pollute. |
| contemplate |
v. |
To consider thoughtfully. |
| contemporaneous |
adj. |
Living, occurring, or existing at the same time. |
| contemporary |
adj. |
Living or existing at the same time. |
| contemptible |
adj. |
Worthy of scorn or disdain. |
| contemptuous |
adj. |
Disdainful. |
| contender |
n. |
One who exerts oneself in opposition or rivalry. |
| contiguity |
n. |
Proximity. |
| contiguous |
adj. |
Touching or joining at the edge or boundary. |
| continence |
n. |
Self-restraint with respect to desires, appetites, and passion. |
| contingency |
n. |
Possibility of happening. |
| contingent |
adj. |
Not predictable. |
| continuance |
n. |
Permanence. |
| continuation |
n. |
Prolongation. |
| continuity |
n. |
Uninterrupted connection in space, time, operation, or development. |
| continuous |
adj. |
Connected, extended, or prolonged without separation or interruption of
sequence. |
| contort |
v. |
To twist into a misshapen form. |
| contraband |
n. |
Trade forbidden by law or treaty. |
| contradiction |
n. |
The assertion of the opposite of that which has been said. |
| contradictory |
adj. |
Inconsistent with itself. |
| contraposition |
n. |
A placing opposite. |
| contravene |
v. |
To prevent or obstruct the operation of. |
| contribution |
n. |
The act of giving for a common purpose. |
| contributor |
n. |
One who gives or furnishes, in common with others, for a common purpose. |
| contrite |
adj. |
Broken in spirit because of a sense of sin. |
| contrivance |
n. |
The act planning, devising, inventing, or adapting something to or for a
special purpose. |
| contrive |
v. |
To manage or carry through by some device or scheme. |
| control |
v. |
To exercise a directing, restraining, or governing influence over. |
| controller |
n. |
One who or that which regulates or directs. |
| contumacious |
adj. |
Rebellious. |
| contumacy |
n. |
Contemptuous disregard of the requirements of rightful authority. |
| contuse |
v. |
To bruise by a blow, either with or without the breaking of the skin. |
| contusion |
n. |
A bruise. |
| convalesce |
v. |
To recover after a sickness. |
| convalescence |
n. |
The state of progressive restoration to health and strength after the
cessation of disease. |
| convalescent |
adj. |
Recovering health after sickness. |
| convene |
v. |
To summon or cause to assemble. |
| convenience |
n. |
Fitness, as of time or place. |
| converge |
v. |
To cause to incline and approach nearer together. |
| convergent |
adj. |
Tending to one point. |
| conversant |
adj. |
Thoroughly informed. |
| conversion |
n. |
Change from one state or position to another, or from one form to
another. |
| convertible |
adj. |
Interchangeable. |
| convex |
adj. |
Curving like the segment of the globe or of the surface of a circle. |
| conveyance |
n. |
That by which anything is transported. |
| convivial |
adj. |
Devoted to feasting, or to good-fellowship in eating or drinking. |
| convolution |
n. |
A winding motion. |
| convolve |
v. |
To move with a circling or winding motion. |
| convoy |
n. |
A protecting force accompanying property in course of transportation. |
| convulse |
v. |
To cause spasms in. |
| convulsion |
n. |
A violent and abnormal muscular contraction of the body. |
| copious |
adj. |
Plenteous. |
| coquette |
n. |
A flirt. |
| cornice |
n. |
An ornamental molding running round the walls of a room close to the
ceiling. |
| cornucopia |
n. |
The horn of plenty, symbolizing peace and prosperity. |
| corollary |
n. |
A proposition following so obviously from another that it requires little
demonstration. |
| coronation |
n. |
The act or ceremony of crowning a monarch. |
| coronet |
n. |
Inferior crown denoting, according to its form, various degrees of noble
rank less than sovereign. |
| corporal |
adj. |
Belonging or relating to the body as opposed to the mind. |
| corporate |
adj. |
Belonging to a corporation. |
| corporeal |
adj. |
Of a material nature; physical. |
| corps |
n. |
A number or body of persons in some way associated or acting together. |
| corpse |
n. |
A dead body. |
| corpulent |
adj. |
Obese. |
| corpuscle |
n. |
A minute particle of matter. |
| correlate |
v. |
To put in some relation of connection or correspondence. |
| correlative |
adj. |
Mutually involving or implying one another. |
| corrigible |
adj. |
Capable of reformation. |
| corroborate |
v. |
To strengthen, as proof or conviction. |
| corroboration |
n. |
Confirmation. |
| corrode |
v. |
To ruin or destroy little by little. |
| corrosion |
n. |
Gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration. |
| corrosive |
n. |
That which causes gradual decay by crumbling or surface disintegration. |
| corruptible |
adj. |
Open to bribery. |
| corruption |
n. |
Loss of purity or integrity. |
| cosmetic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the art of beautifying, especially the complexion. |
| cosmic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the universe. |
| cosmogony |
n. |
A doctrine of creation or of the origin of the universe. |
| cosmography |
n. |
The science that describes the universe, including astronomy, geography,
and geology. |
| cosmology |
n. |
The general science of the universe. |
| cosmopolitan |
adj. |
Common to all the world. |
| cosmopolitanism |
n. |
A cosmopolitan character. |
| cosmos |
n. |
The world or universe considered as a system, perfect in order and
arrangement. |
| counter-claim |
n. |
A cross-demand alleged by a defendant in his favor against the plaintiff. |
| counteract |
v. |
To act in opposition to. |
| counterbalance |
v. |
To oppose with an equal force. |
| countercharge |
v. |
To accuse in return. |
| counterfeit |
adj. |
Made to resemble something else. |
| counterpart |
n. |
Something taken with another for the completion of either. |
| countervail |
v. |
To offset. |
| counting-house |
n. |
A house or office used for transacting business, bookkeeping,
correspondence, etc. |
| countryman |
n. |
A rustic. |
| courageous |
adj. |
Brave. |
| course |
n. |
Line of motion or direction. |
| courser |
n. |
A fleet and spirited horse. |
| courtesy |
n. |
Politeness originating in kindness and exercised habitually. |
| covenant |
n. |
An agreement entered into by two or more persons or parties. |
| covert |
adj. |
Concealed, especially for an evil purpose. |
| covey |
n. |
A flock of quails or partridges. |
| cower |
v. |
To crouch down tremblingly, as through fear or shame. |
| coxswain |
n. |
One who steers a rowboat, or one who has charge of a ship's boat and its
crew under an officer. |
| crag |
n. |
A rugged, rocky projection on a cliff or ledge. |
| cranium |
n. |
The skull of an animal, especially that part enclosing the brain. |
| crass |
adj. |
Coarse or thick in nature or structure, as opposed to thin or fine. |
| craving |
n. |
A vehement desire. |
| creak |
n. |
A sharp, harsh, squeaking sound. |
| creamery |
n. |
A butter-making establishment. |
| creamy |
adj. |
Resembling or containing cream. |
| credence |
n. |
Belief. |
| credible |
adj. |
Believable. |
| credulous |
adj. |
Easily deceived. |
| creed |
n. |
A formal summary of fundamental points of religious belief. |
| crematory |
adj. |
A place for cremating dead bodies. |
| crevasse |
n. |
A deep crack or fissure in the ice of a glacier. |
| crevice |
n. |
A small fissure, as between two contiguous surfaces. |
| criterion |
n. |
A standard by which to determine the correctness of a judgment or
conclusion. |
| critique |
n. |
A criticism or critical review. |
| crockery |
n. |
Earthenware made from baked clay. |
| crucible |
n. |
A trying and purifying test or agency. |
| crusade |
n. |
Any concerted movement, vigorously prosecuted, in behalf of an idea or
principle. |
| crustacean |
adj. |
Pertaining to a division of arthropods, containing lobsters, crabs,
crawfish, etc. |
| crustaceous |
adj. |
Having a crust-like shell. |
| cryptogram |
n. |
Anything written in characters that are secret or so arranged as to have
hidden meaning. |
| crystallize |
v. |
To bring together or give fixed shape to. |
| cudgel |
n. |
A short thick stick used as a club. |
| culinary |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to cooking or the kitchen. |
| cull |
v. |
To pick or sort out from the rest. |
| culpable |
adj. |
Guilty. |
| culprit |
n. |
A guilty person. |
| culvert |
n. |
Any artificial covered channel for the passage of water through a bank or
under a road, canal. |
| cupidity |
n. |
Avarice. |
| curable |
adj. |
Capable of being remedied or corrected. |
| curator |
n. |
A person having charge as of a library or museum. |
| curio |
n. |
A piece of bric-a-brac. |
| cursive |
adj. |
Writing in which the letters are joined together. |
| cursory |
adj. |
Rapid and superficial. |
| curt |
adj. |
Concise, compressed, and abrupt in act or expression. |
| curtail |
v. |
To cut off or cut short. |
| curtsy |
n. |
A downward movement of the body by bending the knees. |
| cycloid |
adj. |
Like a circle. |
| cygnet |
n. |
A young swan. |
| cynical |
adj. |
Exhibiting moral skepticism. |
| cynicism |
n. |
Contempt for the opinions of others and of what others value. |
| cynosure |
n. |
That to which general interest or attention is directed. |
| daring |
adj. |
Brave. |
| darkling |
adv. |
Blindly. |
| Darwinism |
n. |
The doctrine that natural selection has been the prime cause of evolution
of higher forms. |
| dastard |
n. |
A base coward. |
| datum |
n. |
A premise, starting-point, or given fact. |
| dauntless |
adj. |
Fearless. |
| day-man |
n. |
A day-laborer. |
| dead-heat |
n. |
A race in which two or more competitors come out even, and there is no
winner. |
| dearth |
n. |
Scarcity, as of something customary, essential ,or desirable. |
| death's-head |
n. |
A human skull as a symbol of death. |
| debase |
v. |
To lower in character or virtue. |
| debatable |
adj. |
Subject to contention or dispute. |
| debonair |
adj. |
Having gentle or courteous bearing or manner. |
| debut |
n. |
A first appearance in society or on the stage. |
| decagon |
n. |
A figure with ten sides and ten angles. |
| decagram |
n. |
A weight of 10 grams. |
| decaliter |
n. |
A liquid and dry measure of 10 liters. |
| decalogue |
n. |
The ten commandments. |
| Decameron |
n. |
A volume consisting of ten parts or books. |
| decameter |
n. |
A length of ten meters. |
| decamp |
v. |
To leave suddenly or unexpectedly. |
| decapitate |
v. |
To behead. |
| decapod |
adj. |
Ten-footed or ten-armed. |
| decasyllable |
n. |
A line of ten syllables. |
| deceit |
n. |
Falsehood. |
| deceitful |
adj. |
Fraudulent. |
| deceive |
v. |
To mislead by or as by falsehood. |
| decency |
n. |
Moral fitness. |
| decent |
adj. |
Characterized by propriety of conduct, speech, manners, or dress. |
| deciduous |
adj. |
Falling off at maturity as petals after flowering, fruit when ripe, etc. |
| decimal |
adj. |
Founded on the number 10. |
| decimate |
v. |
To destroy a measurable or large proportion of. |
| decipher |
v. |
To find out the true words or meaning of, as something hardly legible. |
| decisive |
ad. |
Conclusive. |
| declamation |
n. |
A speech recited or intended for recitation from memory in public. |
| declamatory |
adj. |
A full and formal style of utterance. |
| declarative |
adj. |
Containing a formal, positive, or explicit statement or affirmation. |
| declension |
n. |
The change of endings in nouns and adj. to express their different
relations of gender. |
| decorate |
v. |
To embellish. |
| decorous |
adj. |
Suitable for the occasion or circumstances. |
| decoy |
n. |
Anything that allures, or is intended to allures into danger or
temptation. |
| decrepit |
adj. |
Enfeebled, as by old age or some chronic infirmity. |
| dedication |
n. |
The voluntary consecration or relinquishment of something to an end or
cause. |
| deduce |
v. |
To derive or draw as a conclusion by reasoning from given premises or
principles. |
| deface |
v. |
To mar or disfigure the face or external surface of. |
| defalcate |
v. |
To cut off or take away, as a part of something. |
| defamation |
n. |
Malicious and groundless injury done to the reputation or good name of
another. |
| defame |
v. |
To slander. |
| default |
n. |
The neglect or omission of a legal requirement. |
| defendant |
n. |
A person against whom a suit is brought. |
| defensible |
adj. |
Capable of being maintained or justified. |
| defensive |
adj. |
Carried on in resistance to aggression. |
| defer |
v. |
To delay or put off to some other time. |
| deference |
n. |
Respectful submission or yielding, as to another's opinion, wishes, or
judgment. |
| defiant |
adj. |
Characterized by bold or insolent opposition. |
| deficiency |
n. |
Lack or insufficiency. |
| deficient |
adj. |
Not having an adequate or proper supply or amount. |
| definite |
adj. |
Having an exact signification or positive meaning. |
| deflect |
v. |
To cause to turn aside or downward. |
| deforest |
v. |
To clear of forests. |
| deform |
v. |
To disfigure. |
| deformity |
n. |
A disfigurement. |
| defraud |
v. |
To deprive of something dishonestly. |
| defray |
v. |
To make payment for. |
| degeneracy |
n. |
A becoming worse. |
| degenerate |
v. |
To become worse or inferior. |
| degradation |
n. |
Diminution, as of strength or magnitude. |
| degrade |
v. |
To take away honors or position from. |
| dehydrate |
v. |
To deprive of water. |
| deify |
v. |
To regard or worship as a god. |
| deign |
v. |
To deem worthy of notice or account. |
| deist |
n. |
One who believes in God, but denies supernatural revelation. |
| deity |
n. |
A god, goddess, or divine person. |
| deject |
v. |
To dishearten. |
| dejection |
n. |
Melancholy. |
| delectable |
adj. |
Delightful to the taste or to the senses. |
| delectation |
n. |
Delight. |
| deleterious |
adj. |
Hurtful, morally or physically. |
| delicacy |
n. |
That which is agreeable to a fine taste. |
| delineate |
v. |
To represent by sketch or diagram. |
| deliquesce |
v. |
To dissolve gradually and become liquid by absorption of moisture from
the air. |
| delirious |
adj. |
Raving. |
| delude |
v. |
To mislead the mind or judgment of. |
| deluge |
v. |
To overwhelm with a flood of water. |
| delusion |
n. |
Mistaken conviction, especially when more or less enduring. |
| demagnetize |
v. |
To deprive (a magnet) of magnetism. |
| demagogue |
n. |
An unprincipled politician. |
| demeanor |
n. |
Deportment. |
| demented |
adj. |
Insane. |
| demerit |
n. |
A mark for failure or bad conduct. |
| demise |
n. |
Death. |
| demobilize |
v. |
To disband, as troops. |
| demolish |
v. |
To annihilate. |
| demonstrable |
adj. |
Capable of positive proof. |
| demonstrate |
v. |
To prove indubitably. |
| demonstrative |
adj. |
Inclined to strong exhibition or expression of feeling or thoughts. |
| demonstrator |
n. |
One who proves in a convincing and conclusive manner. |
| demulcent |
n. |
Any application soothing to an irritable surface |
| demurrage |
n. |
the detention of a vessel beyond the specified time of sailing. |
| dendroid |
adj. |
Like a tree. |
| dendrology |
n. |
The natural history of trees. |
| denizen |
n. |
Inhabitant. |
| denominate |
v. |
To give a name or epithet to. |
| denomination |
n. |
A body of Christians united by a common faith and form of worship and
discipline. |
| denominator |
n. |
Part of a fraction which expresses the number of equal parts into which
the unit is divided. |
| denote |
v. |
To designate by word or mark. |
| denouement |
n. |
That part of a play or story in which the mystery is cleared up. |
| denounce |
v. |
To point out or publicly accuse as deserving of punishment, censure, or
odium. |
| dentifrice |
n. |
Any preparation used for cleaning the teeth. |
| denude |
v. |
To strip the covering from. |
| denunciation |
n. |
The act of declaring an action or person worthy of reprobation or
punishment. |
| deplete |
v. |
To reduce or lessen, as by use, exhaustion, or waste. |
| deplorable |
adj. |
Contemptible. |
| deplore |
v. |
To regard with grief or sorrow. |
| deponent |
adj. |
Laying down. |
| depopulate |
v. |
To remove the inhabitants from. |
| deport |
v. |
To take or send away forcibly, as to a penal colony. |
| deportment |
n. |
Demeanor. |
| deposition |
n. |
Testimony legally taken on interrogatories and reduced to writing, for
use as evidence in court. |
| depositor |
n. |
One who makes a deposit, or has an amount deposited. |
| depository |
n. |
A place where anything is kept in safety. |
| deprave |
v. |
To render bad, especially morally bad. |
| deprecate |
v. |
To express disapproval or regret for, with hope for the opposite. |
| depreciate |
v. |
To lessen the worth of. |
| depreciation |
n. |
A lowering in value or an underrating in worth. |
| depress |
v. |
To press down. |
| depression |
n. |
A falling of the spirits. |
| depth |
n. |
Deepness. |
| derelict |
adj. |
Neglectful of obligation. |
| deride |
v. |
To ridicule. |
| derisible |
adj. |
Open to ridicule. |
| derision |
n. |
Ridicule. |
| derivation |
n. |
That process by which a word is traced from its original root or
primitive form and meaning. |
| derivative |
adj. |
Coming or acquired from some origin. |
| derive |
v. |
To deduce, as from a premise. |
| dermatology |
n. |
The branch of medical science which relates to the skin and its diseases. |
| derrick |
n. |
An apparatus for hoisting and swinging great weights. |
| descendant |
n. |
One who is descended lineally from another, as a child, grandchild, etc. |
| descendent |
adj. |
Proceeding downward. |
| descent |
n. |
The act of moving or going downward. |
| descry |
v. |
To discern. |
| desert |
v. |
To abandon without regard to the welfare of the abandoned |
| desiccant |
n. |
Any remedy which, when applied externally, dries up or absorbs moisture,
as that of wounds. |
| designate |
v. |
To select or appoint, as by authority. |
| desist |
v. |
To cease from action. |
| desistance |
n. |
Cessation. |
| despair |
n. |
Utter hopelessness and despondency. |
| desperado |
n. |
One without regard for law or life. |
| desperate |
adj. |
Resorted to in a last extremity, or as if prompted by utter despair. |
| despicable |
adj. |
Contemptible. |
| despite |
prep. |
In spite of. |
| despond |
v. |
To lose spirit, courage, or hope. |
| despondent |
adj. |
Disheartened. |
| despot |
n. |
An absolute and irresponsible monarch. |
| despotism |
n. |
Any severe and strict rule in which the judgment of the governed has
little or no part. |
| destitute |
adj. |
Poverty-stricken. |
| desultory |
adj. |
Not connected with what precedes. |
| deter |
v. |
To frighten away. |
| deteriorate |
v. |
To grow worse. |
| determinate |
adj. |
Definitely limited or fixed. |
| determination |
n. |
The act of deciding. |
| deterrent |
adj. |
Hindering from action through fear. |
| detest |
v. |
To dislike or hate with intensity. |
| detract |
v. |
To take away in such manner as to lessen value or estimation. |
| detriment |
n. |
Something that causes damage, depreciation, or loss. |
| detrude |
v. |
To push down forcibly. |
| deviate |
v. |
To take a different course. |
| devilry |
n. |
Malicious mischief. |
| deviltry |
n. |
Wanton and malicious mischief. |
| devious |
adj. |
Out of the common or regular track. |
| devise |
v. |
To invent. |
| devout |
adj. |
Religious. |
| dexterity |
n. |
Readiness, precision, efficiency, and ease in any physical activity or in
any mechanical work. |
| diabolic |
adj. |
Characteristic of the devil. |
| diacritical |
adj. |
Marking a difference. |
| diagnose |
v. |
To distinguish, as a disease, by its characteristic phenomena. |
| diagnosis |
n. |
Determination of the distinctive nature of a disease. |
| dialect |
n. |
Forms of speech collectively that are peculiar to the people of a
particular district. |
| dialectician |
n. |
A logician. |
| dialogue |
n. |
A formal conversation in which two or more take part. |
| diaphanous |
adj. |
Transparent. |
| diatomic |
adj. |
Containing only two atoms. |
| diatribe |
n. |
A bitter or malicious criticism. |
| dictum |
n. |
A positive utterance. |
| didactic |
adj. |
Pertaining to teaching. |
| difference |
n. |
Dissimilarity in any respect. |
| differentia |
n. |
Any essential characteristic of a species by reason of which it differs
from other species. |
| differential |
adj. |
Distinctive. |
| differentiate |
v. |
To acquire a distinct and separate character. |
| diffidence |
n. |
Self-distrust. |
| diffident |
adj. |
Affected or possessed with self-distrust. |
| diffusible |
adj. |
Spreading rapidly through the system and acting quickly. |
| diffusion |
n. |
Dispersion. |
| dignitary |
n. |
One who holds high rank. |
| digraph |
n. |
A union of two characters representing a single sound. |
| digress |
v. |
To turn aside from the main subject and for a time dwell on some
incidental matter. |
| dilapidated |
pa. |
Fallen into decay or partial ruin. |
| dilate |
v. |
To enlarge in all directions. |
| dilatory |
adj. |
Tending to cause delay. |
| dilemma |
n. |
A situation in which a choice between opposing modes of conduct is
necessary. |
| dilettante |
n. |
A superficial amateur. |
| diligence |
n. |
Careful and persevering effort to accomplish what is undertaken. |
| dilute |
v. |
To make more fluid or less concentrated by admixture with something. |
| diminution |
n. |
Reduction. |
| dimly |
adv. |
Obscurely. |
| diphthong |
n. |
The sound produced by combining two vowels in to a single syllable or
running together the sounds. |
| diplomacy |
n. |
Tact, shrewdness, or skill in conducting any kind of negotiations or in
social matters. |
| diplomat |
n. |
A representative of one sovereign state at the capital or court of
another. |
| diplomatic |
adj. |
Characterized by special tact in negotiations. |
| diplomatist |
n. |
One remarkable for tact and shrewd management. |
| disagree |
v. |
To be opposite in opinion. |
| disallow |
v. |
To withhold permission or sanction. |
| disappear |
v. |
To cease to exist, either actually or for the time being. |
| disappoint |
v. |
To fail to fulfill the expectation, hope, wish, or desire of. |
| disapprove |
v. |
To regard with blame. |
| disarm |
v. |
To deprive of weapons. |
| disarrange |
v. |
To throw out of order. |
| disavow |
v. |
To disclaim responsibility for. |
| disavowal |
n. |
Denial. |
| disbeliever |
n. |
One who refuses to believe. |
| disburden |
v. |
To disencumber. |
| disburse |
v. |
To pay out or expend, as money from a fund. |
| discard |
v. |
To reject. |
| discernible |
adj. |
Perceivable. |
| disciple |
n. |
One who believes the teaching of another, or who adopts and follows some
doctrine. |
| disciplinary |
adj. |
Having the nature of systematic training or subjection to authority. |
| discipline |
v. |
To train to obedience. |
| disclaim |
v. |
To disavow any claim to, connection with, or responsibility to. |
| discolor |
v. |
To stain. |
| discomfit |
v. |
To put to confusion. |
| discomfort |
n. |
The state of being positively uncomfortable. |
| disconnect |
v. |
To undo or dissolve the connection or association of. |
| disconsolate |
adj. |
Grief-stricken. |
| discontinuance |
n. |
Interruption or intermission. |
| discord |
n. |
Absence of harmoniousness. |
| discountenance |
v. |
To look upon with disfavor. |
| discover |
v. |
To get first sight or knowledge of, as something previously unknown or
unperceived. |
| discredit |
v. |
To injure the reputation of. |
| discreet |
adj. |
Judicious. |
| discrepant |
adj. |
Opposite. |
| discriminate |
v. |
To draw a distinction. |
| discursive |
adj. |
Passing from one subject to another. |
| discussion |
n. |
Debate. |
| disenfranchise |
v. |
To deprive of any right privilege or power |
| disengage |
v. |
To become detached. |
| disfavor |
n. |
Disregard. |
| disfigure |
v. |
To impair or injure the beauty, symmetry, or appearance of. |
| dishabille |
n. |
Undress or negligent attire. |
| dishonest |
adj. |
Untrustworthy. |
| disillusion |
v. |
To disenchant. |
| disinfect |
v. |
To remove or destroy the poison of infectious or contagious diseases. |
| disinfectant |
n. |
A substance used to destroy the germs of infectious diseases. |
| disinherit |
v. |
To deprive of an inheritance. |
| disinterested |
adj. |
Impartial. |
| disjunctive |
adj. |
Helping or serving to disconnect or separate. |
| dislocate |
v. |
To put out of proper place or order. |
| dismissal |
n. |
Displacement by authority from an office or an employment. |
| dismount |
v. |
To throw down, push off, or otherwise remove from a horse or the like. |
| disobedience |
n. |
Neglect or refusal to comply with an authoritative injunction. |
| disobedient |
adj. |
Neglecting or refusing to obey. |
| disown |
v. |
To refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as connected with oneself. |
| disparage |
v. |
To regard or speak of slightingly. |
| disparity |
n. |
Inequality. |
| dispel |
v. |
To drive away by or as by scattering in different directions. |
| dispensation |
n. |
That which is bestowed on or appointed to one from a higher power. |
| displace |
v. |
To put out of the proper or accustomed place. |
| dispossess |
v. |
To deprive of actual occupancy, especially of real estate. |
| disputation |
n. |
Verbal controversy. |
| disqualify |
v. |
To debar. |
| disquiet |
v. |
To deprive of peace or tranquillity. |
| disregard |
v. |
To take no notice of. |
| disreputable |
adj. |
Dishonorable or disgraceful. |
| disrepute |
n. |
A bad name or character. |
| disrobe |
v. |
To unclothe. |
| disrupt |
v. |
To burst or break asunder. |
| dissatisfy |
v. |
To displease. |
| dissect |
v. |
To cut apart or to pieces. |
| dissection |
n. |
The act or operation of cutting in pieces, specifically of a plant or an
animal. |
| dissemble |
v. |
To hide by pretending something different. |
| disseminate |
v. |
To sow or scatter abroad, as seed is sown. |
| dissension |
n. |
Angry or violent difference of opinion. |
| dissent |
n. |
Disagreement. |
| dissentient |
n. |
One who disagrees. |
| dissentious |
adj. |
Contentious. |
| dissertation |
n. |
Thesis. |
| disservice |
n. |
An ill turn. |
| dissever |
v. |
To divide. |
| dissimilar |
adj. |
Different. |
| dissipate |
v. |
To disperse or disappear. |
| dissipation |
n. |
The state of being dispersed or scattered. |
| dissolute |
adj. |
Lewd. |
| dissolution |
n. |
A breaking up of a union of persons. |
| dissolve |
v. |
To liquefy or soften, as by heat or moisture. |
| dissonance |
n. |
Discord. |
| dissonant |
adj. |
Harsh or disagreeable in sound. |
| dissuade |
v. |
To change the purpose or alter the plans of by persuasion, counsel, or
pleading. |
| dissuasion |
n. |
The act of changing the purpose of or altering the plans of through
persuasion, or pleading. |
| disyllable |
n. |
A word of two syllables. |
| distemper |
n. |
A disease or malady. |
| distend |
v. |
To stretch out or expand in every direction. |
| distensible |
adj. |
Capable of being stretched out or expanded in every direction. |
| distention |
n. |
Expansion. |
| distill |
v. |
To extract or produce by vaporization and condensation. |
| distillation |
n. |
Separation of the more volatile parts of a substance from those less
volatile. |
| distiller |
n. |
One occupied in the business of distilling alcoholic liquors. |
| distinction |
n. |
A note or designation of honor, officially recognizing superiority or
success in studies. |
| distort |
v. |
To twist into an unnatural or irregular form. |
| distrain |
v. |
To subject a person to distress. |
| distrainor |
n. |
One who subjects a person to distress. |
| distraught |
adj. |
Bewildered. |
| distrust |
n. |
Lack of confidence in the power, wisdom, or good intent of any person. |
| disunion |
n. |
Separation of relations or interests. |
| diurnal |
adj. |
Daily. |
| divagation |
n. |
Digression. |
| divergent |
adj. |
Tending in different directions. |
| diverse |
adj. |
Capable of various forms. |
| diversion |
n. |
Pastime. |
| diversity |
n. |
Dissimilitude. |
| divert |
v. |
To turn from the accustomed course or a line of action already
established. |
| divertible |
adj. |
Able to be turned from the accustomed course or a line of action already
established. |
| divest |
v. |
To strip, specifically of clothes, ornaments, or accouterments or
disinvestment. |
| divination |
n. |
The pretended forecast of future events or discovery of what is lost or
hidden. |
| divinity |
n. |
The quality or character of being godlike. |
| divisible |
adj. |
Capable of being separated into parts. |
| divisor |
n. |
That by which a number or quantity is divided. |
| divulge |
v. |
To tell or make known, as something previously private or secret. |
| divulgence |
n. |
A divulging. |
| docile |
adj. |
Easy to manage. |
| docket |
n. |
The registry of judgments of a court. |
| doe |
n. |
The female of the deer. |
| dogma |
n. |
A statement of religious faith or duty formulated by a body claiming
authority. |
| dogmatic |
adj. |
Making statements without argument or evidence. |
| dogmatize |
v. |
To make positive assertions without supporting them by argument or
evidence. |
| doleful |
adj. |
Melancholy. |
| dolesome |
adj. |
Melancholy. |
| dolor |
n. |
Lamentation. |
| dolorous |
adj. |
Expressing or causing sorrow or pain. |
| domain |
n. |
A sphere or field of action or interest. |
| domesticity |
n. |
Life in or fondness for one's home and family. |
| domicile |
n. |
The place where one lives. |
| dominance |
n. |
Ascendancy. |
| dominant |
adj. |
Conspicuously prominent. |
| dominate |
v. |
To influence controllingly. |
| domination |
n. |
Control by the exercise of power or constituted authority. |
| domineer |
v. |
To rule with insolence or unnecessary annoyance. |
| donate |
v. |
To bestow as a gift, especially for a worthy cause. |
| donator |
n. |
One who makes a donation or present. |
| donee |
n. |
A person to whom a donation is made. |
| donor |
n. |
One who makes a donation or present. |
| dormant |
adj. |
Being in a state of or resembling sleep. |
| doublet |
n. |
One of a pair of like things. |
| doubly |
adv. |
In twofold degree or extent. |
| dowry |
n. |
The property which a wife brings to her husband in marriage. |
| drachma |
n. |
A modern and an ancient Greek coin. |
| dragnet |
n. |
A net to be drawn along the bottom of the water. |
| dragoon |
n. |
In the British army, a cavalryman. |
| drainage |
n. |
The means of draining collectively, as a system of conduits, trenches,
pipes, etc. |
| dramatist |
n. |
One who writes plays. |
| dramatize |
v. |
To relate or represent in a dramatic or theatrical manner. |
| drastic |
adj. |
Acting vigorously. |
| drought |
n. |
Dry weather, especially when so long continued as to cause vegetation to
wither. |
| drowsy |
adj. |
Heavy with sleepiness. |
| drudgery |
n. |
Hard and constant work in any menial or dull occupation. |
| dubious |
adj. |
Doubtful. |
| duckling |
n. |
A young duck. |
| ductile |
adj. |
Capable of being drawn out, as into wire or a thread. |
| duet |
n. |
A composition for two voices or instruments. |
| dun |
v. |
To make a demand or repeated demands on for payment. |
| duplex |
adj. |
Having two parts. |
| duplicity |
n. |
Double-dealing. |
| durance |
n. |
Confinement. |
| duration |
n. |
The period of time during which anything lasts. |
| duteous |
adj. |
Showing submission to natural superiors. |
| dutiable |
adj. |
Subject to a duty, especially a customs duty. |
| dutiful |
adj. |
Obedient. |
| dwindle |
v. |
To diminish or become less. |
| dyne |
n. |
The force which, applied to a mass of one gram for 1 second, would give
it a velocity of 1 cm/s. |
| earnest |
adj. |
Ardent in spirit and speech. |
| earthenware |
n. |
Anything made of clay and baked in a kiln or dried in the sun. |
| eatable |
adj. |
Edible. |
| ebullient |
adj. |
Showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling. |
| eccentric |
adj. |
Peculiar. |
| eccentricity |
n. |
Idiosyncrasy. |
| eclipse |
n. |
The obstruction of a heavenly body by its entering into the shadow of
another body. |
| economize |
v. |
To spend sparingly. |
| ecstasy |
n. |
Rapturous excitement or exaltation. |
| ecstatic |
adj. |
Enraptured. |
| edible |
adj. |
Suitable to be eaten. |
| edict |
n. |
That which is uttered or proclaimed by authority as a rule of action. |
| edify |
v. |
To build up, or strengthen, especially in morals or religion. |
| editorial |
n. |
An article in a periodical written by the editor and published as an
official argument. |
| educe |
v. |
To draw out. |
| efface |
v. |
To obliterate. |
| effect |
n. |
A consequence. |
| effective |
adj. |
Fit for a destined purpose. |
| effectual |
adj. |
Efficient. |
| effeminacy |
n. |
Womanishness. |
| effeminate |
adj. |
Having womanish traits or qualities. |
| effervesce |
v. |
To bubble up. |
| effervescent |
adj. |
Giving off bubbles of gas. |
| effete |
adj. |
Exhausted, as having performed its functions. |
| efficacious |
adj. |
Effective. |
| efficacy |
n. |
The power to produce an intended effect as shown in the production of it. |
| efficiency |
n. |
The state of possessing adequate skill or knowledge for the performance
of a duty. |
| efficient |
adj. |
Having and exercising the power to produce effects or results. |
| efflorescence |
n. |
The state of being flowery, or a flowery appearance. |
| efflorescent |
adj. |
Opening in flower. |
| effluvium |
n. |
A noxious or ill-smelling exhalation from decaying or putrefying matter. |
| effrontery |
n. |
Unblushing impudence. |
| effulgence |
n. |
Splendor. |
| effuse |
v. |
To pour forth. |
| effusion |
n. |
an outpouring. |
| egoism |
n. |
The theory that places man's chief good in the completeness of self. |
| egoist |
n. |
One who advocates or practices egoism. |
| egotism |
n. |
Self-conceit. |
| egotist |
n. |
One given to self-mention or who is constantly telling of his own views
and experiences. |
| egregious |
adj. |
Extreme. |
| egress |
n. |
Any place of exit. |
| eject |
v. |
To expel. |
| elapse |
v. |
To quietly terminate: said of time. |
| elasticity |
n. |
That property of matter by which a body tends to return to a former shape
after being changed. |
| electrolysis |
n. |
The process of decomposing a chemical compound by the passage of an
electric current. |
| electrotype |
n. |
A metallic copy of any surface, as a coin. |
| elegy |
n. |
A lyric poem lamenting the dead. |
| element |
n. |
A component or essential part. |
| elicit |
v. |
To educe or extract gradually or without violence. |
| eligible |
adj. |
Qualified for selection. |
| eliminate |
v. |
To separate and cast aside. |
| Elizabethan |
adj. |
Relating to Elizabeth, queen of England, or to her era. |
| elocution |
n. |
The art of correct intonation, inflection, and gesture in public speaking
or reading. |
| eloquent |
adj. |
Having the ability to express emotion or feeling in lofty and impassioned
speech. |
| elucidate |
v. |
To bring out more clearly the facts concerning. |
| elude |
v. |
To evade the search or pursuit of by dexterity or artifice. |
| elusion |
n. |
Evasion. |
| emaciate |
v. |
To waste away in flesh. |
| emanate |
v. |
To flow forth or proceed, as from some source. |
| emancipate |
v. |
To release from bondage. |
| embargo |
n. |
Authoritative stoppage of foreign commerce or of any special trade. |
| embark |
v. |
To make a beginning in some occupation or scheme. |
| embarrass |
v. |
To render flustered or agitated. |
| embellish |
v. |
To make beautiful or elegant by adding attractive or ornamental features. |
| embezzle |
v. |
To misappropriate secretly. |
| emblazon |
v. |
To set forth publicly or in glowing terms. |
| emblem |
n. |
A symbol. |
| embody |
v. |
To express, formulate, or exemplify in a concrete, compact or visible
form. |
| embolden |
v. |
To give courage to. |
| embolism |
n. |
An obstruction or plugging up of an artery or other blood-vessel. |
| embroil |
v. |
To involve in dissension or strife. |
| emerge |
v. |
To come into view or into existence. |
| emergence |
n. |
A coming into view. |
| emergent |
adj. |
Coming into view. |
| emeritus |
adj. |
Retired from active service but retained to an honorary position. |
| emigrant |
n. |
One who moves from one place to settle in another. |
| emigrate |
v. |
To go from one country, state, or region for the purpose of settling or
residing in another. |
| eminence |
n. |
An elevated position with respect to rank, place, character, condition,
etc. |
| eminent |
adj. |
High in station, merit, or esteem. |
| emit |
v. |
To send or give out. |
| emphasis |
n. |
Any special impressiveness added to an utterance or act, or stress laid
upon some word. |
| emphasize |
v. |
To articulate or enunciate with special impressiveness upon a word, or a
group of words. |
| emphatic |
adj. |
Spoken with any special impressiveness laid upon an act, word, or set of
words. |
| employee |
n. |
One who works for wages or a salary. |
| employer |
n. |
One who uses or engages the services of other persons for pay. |
| emporium |
n. |
A bazaar or shop. |
| empower |
v. |
To delegate authority to. |
| emulate |
v. |
To imitate with intent to equal or surpass. |
| enact |
v. |
To make into law, as by legislative act. |
| enamor |
v. |
To inspire with ardent love. |
| encamp |
v. |
To pitch tents for a resting-place. |
| encomium |
n. |
A formal or discriminating expression of praise. |
| encompass |
v. |
To encircle. |
| encore |
n. |
The call for a repetition, as of some part of a play or performance. |
| encourage |
v. |
To inspire with courage, hope, or strength of mind. |
| encroach |
v. |
To invade partially or insidiously and appropriate the possessions of
another. |
| encumber |
v. |
To impede with obstacles. |
| encyclical |
adj. |
Intended for general circulation. |
| encyclopedia |
n. |
A work containing information on subjects, or exhaustive of one subject. |
| endanger |
v. |
To expose to peril. |
| endear |
v. |
To cause to be loved. |
| endemic |
adj. |
Peculiar to some specified country or people. |
| endue |
v. |
To endow with some quality, gift, or grace, usually spiritual. |
| endurable |
adj. |
Tolerable. |
| endurance |
n. |
The ability to suffer pain, distress, hardship, or stress of any kind
without succumbing. |
| energetic |
adj. |
Working vigorously. |
| enervate |
v. |
To render ineffective or inoperative. |
| enfeeble |
v. |
To debilitate. |
| enfranchise |
v. |
To endow with a privilege, especially with the right to vote. |
| engender |
v. |
To produce. |
| engrave |
v. |
To cut or carve in or upon some surface. |
| engross |
v. |
To occupy completely. |
| enhance |
v. |
To intensify. |
| enigma |
n. |
A riddle. |
| enjoin |
v. |
To command. |
| enkindle |
v. |
To set on fire. |
| enlighten |
v. |
To cause to see clearly. |
| enlist |
v. |
To enter voluntarily the military service by formal enrollment. |
| enmity |
n. |
Hatred. |
| ennoble |
v. |
To dignify. |
| enormity |
n. |
Immensity. |
| enormous |
adj. |
Gigantic. |
| enrage |
v. |
To infuriate. |
| enrapture |
v. |
To delight extravagantly or intensely. |
| enshrine |
v. |
To keep sacred. |
| ensnare |
v. |
To entrap. |
| entail |
v. |
To involve; necessitate. |
| entangle |
v. |
To involve in difficulties, confusion, or complications. |
| enthrall |
v. |
To bring or hold under any overmastering influence. |
| enthrone |
v. |
To invest with sovereign power. |
| enthuse |
v. |
To yield to or display intense and rapturous feeling. |
| enthusiastic |
adj. |
Full of zeal and fervor. |
| entirety |
n. |
A complete thing. |
| entomology |
n. |
The branch of zoology that treats of insects. |
| entrails |
n. |
pl. The internal parts of an animal. |
| entreaty |
n. |
An earnest request. |
| entree |
n. |
The act of entering. |
| entrench |
v. |
To fortify or protect, as with a trench or ditch and wall. |
| entwine |
v. |
To interweave. |
| enumerate |
v. |
To name one by one. |
| epic |
n. |
A poem celebrating in formal verse the mythical achievements of great
personages, heroes, etc. |
| epicure |
n. |
One who cultivates a delicate taste for eating and drinking. |
| Epicurean |
adj. |
Indulging, ministering, or pertaining to daintiness of appetite. |
| epicycle |
n. |
A circle that rolls upon the external or internal circumference of
another circle. |
| epicycloid |
n. |
A curve traced by a point on the circumference of a circle which rolls
upon another circle. |
| epidemic |
n. |
Wide-spread occurrence of a disease in a certain region. |
| epidermis |
n. |
The outer skin. |
| epigram |
n. |
A pithy phrasing of a shrewd observation. |
| epilogue |
n. |
The close of a narrative or dramatic poem. |
| epiphany |
n. |
Any appearance or bodily manifestation of a deity. |
| episode |
n. |
An incident or story in a literary work, separable from yet growing out
of it. |
| epitaph |
n. |
An inscription on a tomb or monument in honor or in memory of the dead. |
| epithet |
n. |
Word used adjectivally to describe some quality or attribute of is
objects, as in "Father Aeneas". |
| epitome |
n. |
A simplified representation. |
| epizootic |
adj. |
Prevailing among animals. |
| epoch |
n. |
A interval of time, memorable for extraordinary events. |
| epode |
n. |
A species of lyric poems. |
| equalize |
v. |
To render uniform. |
| equanimity |
n. |
Evenness of mind or temper. |
| equestrian |
adj. |
Pertaining to horses or horsemanship. |
| equilibrium |
n. |
A state of balance. |
| equitable |
adj. |
Characterized by fairness. |
| equity |
n. |
Fairness or impartiality. |
| equivalent |
adj. |
Equal in value, force, meaning, or the like. |
| equivocal |
adj. |
Ambiguous. |
| equivocate |
v. |
To use words of double meaning. |
| eradicate |
v. |
To destroy thoroughly. |
| errant |
adj. |
Roving or wandering, as in search of adventure or opportunity for gallant
deeds. |
| erratic |
adj. |
Irregular. |
| erroneous |
adj. |
Incorrect. |
| erudite |
adj. |
Very-learned. |
| erudition |
n. |
Extensive knowledge of literature, history, language, etc. |
| eschew |
v. |
To keep clear of. |
| espy |
v. |
To keep close watch. |
| esquire |
n. |
A title of dignity, office, or courtesy. |
| essence |
n. |
That which makes a thing to be what it is. |
| esthetic |
adj. |
Pertaining to beauty, taste, or the fine arts. |
| estimable |
adj. |
Worthy of respect. |
| estrange |
v. |
To alienate. |
| estuary |
n. |
A wide lower part of a tidal river. |
| et |
cetera |
Latin. And so forth. |
| eugenic |
adj. |
Relating to the development and improvement of race. |
| eulogize |
v. |
To speak or write a laudation of a person's life or character. |
| eulogy |
n. |
A spoken or written laudation of a person's life or character. |
| euphemism |
n. |
A figure of speech by which a phrase less offensive is substituted. |
| euphonious |
adj. |
Characterized by agreeableness of sound. |
| euphony |
n. |
Agreeableness of sound. |
| eureka |
Greek. |
I have found it. |
| evade |
v. |
To avoid by artifice. |
| evanesce |
v. |
To vanish gradually. |
| evanescent |
adj. |
Fleeting. |
| evangelical |
adj. |
Seeking the conversion of sinners. |
| evangelist |
n. |
A preacher who goes from place to place holding services. |
| evasion |
n. |
Escape. |
| eventual |
adj. |
Ultimate. |
| evert |
v. |
To turn inside out. |
| evict |
v. |
To dispossess pursuant to judicial decree. |
| evidential |
adj. |
Indicative. |
| evince |
v. |
To make manifest or evident. |
| evoke |
v. |
To call or summon forth. |
| evolution |
n. |
Development or growth. |
| evolve |
v. |
To unfold or expand. |
| exacerbate |
v. |
To make more sharp, severe, or virulent. |
| exaggerate |
v. |
To overstate. |
| exasperate |
v. |
To excite great anger in. |
| excavate |
v. |
To remove by digging or scooping out. |
| exceed |
v. |
To go beyond, as in measure, quality, value, action, power, skill, etc. |
| excel |
v. |
To be superior or distinguished. |
| excellence |
n. |
Possession of eminently or unusually good qualities. |
| excellency |
n. |
A title of honor bestowed upon various high officials. |
| excellent |
adj. |
Possessing distinguished merit. |
| excerpt |
n. |
An extract or selection from written or printed matter. |
| excess |
n. |
That which passes the ordinary, proper, or required limit, measure, or
experience. |
| excitable |
adj. |
Nervously high-strung. |
| excitation |
n. |
Intensified emotion or action. |
| exclamation |
n. |
An abrupt or emphatic expression of thought or of feeling. |
| exclude |
v. |
To shut out purposely or forcibly. |
| exclusion |
n. |
Non-admission. |
| excrescence |
n. |
Any unnatural addition, outgrowth, or development. |
| excretion |
n. |
The getting rid of waste matter. |
| excruciate |
v. |
To inflict severe pain or agony upon. |
| excursion |
n. |
A journey. |
| excusable |
adj. |
Justifiable. |
| execrable |
adj. |
Abominable. |
| execration |
n. |
An accursed thing. |
| executor |
n. |
A person nominated by the will of another to execute the will. |
| exegesis |
n. |
Biblical exposition or interpretation. |
| exemplar |
n. |
A model, pattern, or original to be copied or imitated. |
| exemplary |
adj. |
Fitted to serve as a model or example worthy of imitation. |
| exemplify |
v. |
To show by example. |
| exempt |
adj. |
Free, clear, or released, as from some liability, or restriction
affecting others. |
| exert |
v. |
To make an effort. |
| exhale |
v. |
To breathe forth. |
| exhaust |
v. |
To empty by draining off the contents. |
| exhaustible |
adj. |
Causing or tending to cause exhaustion. |
| exhaustion |
n. |
Deprivation of strength or energy. |
| exhaustive |
adj. |
Thorough and complete in execution. |
| exhilarate |
v. |
To fill with high or cheerful spirits. |
| exhume |
v. |
To dig out of the earth (what has been buried). |
| exigency |
n. |
A critical period or condition. |
| exigent |
adj. |
Urgent. |
| existence |
n. |
Possession or continuance of being. |
| exit |
n. |
A way or passage out. |
| exodus |
n. |
A going forth or departure from a place or country, especially of many
people. |
| exonerate |
v. |
To relieve or vindicate from accusation, imputation, or blame. |
| exorbitance |
n. |
Extravagance or enormity. |
| exorbitant |
adj. |
Going beyond usual and proper limits. |
| exorcise |
v. |
To cast or drive out by religious or magical means. |
| exotic |
adj. |
Foreign. |
| expand |
v. |
To increase in range or scope. |
| expanse |
n. |
A continuous area or stretch. |
| expansion |
n. |
Increase of amount, size, scope, or the like. |
| expatriate |
v. |
To drive from one's own country. |
| expect |
v. |
To look forward to as certain or probable. |
| expectancy |
n. |
The act or state of looking forward to as certain or probable. |
| expectorate |
v. |
To cough up and spit forth. |
| expediency |
n. |
Fitness to meet the requirements of a particular case. |
| expedient |
adj. |
Contributing to personal advantage. |
| expedite |
v. |
To hasten the movement or progress of. |
| expeditious |
adj. |
Speedy. |
| expend |
v. |
To spend. |
| expense |
n. |
The laying out or expending or money or other resources, as time or
strength. |
| expiate |
v. |
To make satisfaction or amends for. |
| explicate |
v. |
To clear from involvement. |
| explicit |
adj. |
Definite. |
| explode |
v. |
To cause to burst in pieces by force from within. |
| explosion |
n. |
A sudden and violent outbreak. |
| explosive |
adj. |
Pertaining to a sudden and violent outbreak. |
| exposition |
n. |
Formal presentation. |
| expository |
adj. |
Pertaining to a formal presentation. |
| expostulate |
v. |
To discuss. |
| exposure |
n. |
An open situation or position in relation to the sun, elements, or points
of the compass. |
| expressive |
adj. |
Full of meaning. |
| expulsion |
n. |
Forcible ejection. |
| extant |
adj. |
Still existing and known. |
| extemporaneous |
adj. |
Done or made without much or any preparation. |
| extempore |
adv. |
Without studied or special preparation. |
| extensible |
adj. |
Capable of being thrust out. |
| extension |
n. |
A reaching or stretching out, as in space, time or scope. |
| extensive |
adj. |
Extended widely in space, time, or scope. |
| extensor |
n. |
A muscle that causes extension. |
| extenuate |
v. |
To diminish the gravity or importance of. |
| exterior |
n. |
That which is outside. |
| external |
n. |
Anything relating or belonging to the outside. |
| extinct |
adj. |
Being no longer in existence. |
| extinguish |
v. |
To render extinct. |
| extol |
v. |
To praise in the highest terms. |
| extort |
v. |
To obtain by violence, threats, compulsion, or the subjection of another
to some necessity. |
| extortion |
n. |
The practice of obtaining by violence or compulsion. |
| extradite |
v. |
To surrender the custody of. |
| extradition |
n. |
The surrender by a government of a person accused of crime to the justice
of another government. |
| extrajudicial |
adj. |
Happening out of court. |
| extraneous |
adj. |
Having no essential relation to a subject. |
| extraordinary |
adj. |
Unusual. |
| extravagance |
n. |
Undue expenditure of money. |
| extravagant |
adj. |
Needlessly free or lavish in expenditure. |
| extremist |
n. |
One who supports extreme measures or holds extreme views. |
| extremity |
n. |
The utmost point, side, or border, or that farthest removed from a mean
position. |
| extricate |
v. |
Disentangle. |
| extrude |
v. |
To drive out or away. |
| exuberance |
n. |
Rich supply. |
| exuberant |
adj. |
Marked by great plentifulness. |
| fabricate |
v. |
To invent fancifully or falsely. |
| fabulous |
adj. |
Incredible. |
| facet |
n. |
One of the small triangular plane surfaces of a diamond or other gem. |
| facetious |
adj. |
Amusing. |
| facial |
adj. |
Pertaining to the face. |
| facile |
adj. |
Not difficult to do. |
| facilitate |
v. |
To make more easy. |
| facility |
n. |
Ease. |
| facsimile |
n. |
An exact copy or reproduction. |
| faction |
n. |
A number of persons combined for a common purpose. |
| factious |
adj. |
Turbulent. |
| fallacious |
adj. |
Illogical. |
| fallacy |
n. |
Any unsound or delusive mode of reasoning, or anything based on such
reasoning. |
| fallible |
adj. |
Capable of erring. |
| fallow |
n. |
Land broken up and left to become mellow or to rest. |
| famish |
v. |
To suffer extremity of hunger or thirst. |
| fanatic |
n. |
A religious zealot. |
| fancier |
n. |
One having a taste for or interest in special objects. |
| fanciless |
adj. |
Unimaginative. |
| fastidious |
adj. |
Hard to please. |
| fathom |
n. |
A measure of length, 6 feet. |
| fatuous |
adj. |
Idiotic |
| faulty |
adj. |
Imperfect. |
| faun |
n. |
One of a class of deities of the woods and herds represented as half
human, with goats feet. |
| fawn |
n. |
A young deer. |
| fealty |
n. |
Loyalty. |
| feasible |
adj. |
That may be done, performed, or effected; practicable. |
| federate |
v. |
To league together. |
| feint |
n. |
Any sham, pretense, or deceptive movement. |
| felicitate |
v. |
To wish joy or happiness to, especially in view of a coming event. |
| felicity |
n. |
A state of well-founded happiness. |
| felon |
n. |
A criminal or depraved person. |
| felonious |
adj. |
Showing criminal or evil purpose. |
| felony |
n. |
One of the highest class of offenses, and punishable with death or
imprisonment. |
| feminine |
adj. |
Characteristic of woman or womankind. |
| fernery |
n. |
A place in which ferns are grown. |
| ferocious |
adj. |
Of a wild, fierce, and savage nature. |
| ferocity |
n. |
Savageness. |
| fervent |
adj. |
Ardent in feeling. |
| fervid |
adj. |
Intense. |
| fervor |
n. |
Ardor or intensity of feeling. |
| festal |
adj. |
Joyous. |
| festive |
adj. |
Merry. |
| fete |
n. |
A festival or feast. |
| fetus |
n. |
The young in the womb or in the egg. |
| feudal |
adj. |
Pertaining to the relation of lord and vassal. |
| feudalism |
n. |
The feudal system. |
| fez |
n. |
A brimless felt cap in the shape of a truncated cone, usually red with a
black tassel. |
| fiasco |
n. |
A complete or humiliating failure. |
| fickle |
adj. |
Unduly changeable in feeling, judgment, or purpose. |
| fictitious |
adj. |
Created or formed by the imagination. |
| fidelity |
n. |
Loyalty. |
| fiducial |
adj. |
Indicative of faith or trust. |
| fief |
n. |
A landed estate held under feudal tenure. |
| filibuster |
n. |
One who attempts to obstruct legislation. |
| finale |
n. |
Concluding performance. |
| finality |
n. |
The state or quality of being final or complete. |
| finally |
adv. |
At last. |
| financial |
adj. |
Monetary. |
| financier |
n. |
One skilled in or occupied with financial affairs or operations. |
| finery |
n. |
That which is used to decorate the person or dress. |
| finesse |
n. |
Subtle contrivance used to gain a point. |
| finite |
adj. |
Limited. |
| fiscal |
adj. |
Pertaining to the treasury or public finances of a government. |
| fishmonger |
n. |
One who sells fish. |
| fissure |
n. |
A crack or crack-like depression. |
| fitful |
adj. |
Spasmodic. |
| fixture |
n. |
One who or that which is expected to remain permanently in its position. |
| flag-officer |
n. |
The captain of a flag-ship. |
| flagrant |
adj. |
Openly scandalous. |
| flamboyant |
adj. |
Characterized by extravagance and in general by want of good taste. |
| flatulence |
n. |
Accumulation of gas in the stomach and bowels. |
| flection |
n. |
The act of bending. |
| fledgling |
n. |
A young bird. |
| flexible |
adj. |
Pliable. |
| flimsy |
adj. |
Thin and weak. |
| flippant |
adj. |
Having a light, pert, trifling disposition. |
| floe |
n. |
A collection of tabular masses of floating polar ice. |
| flora |
n. |
The aggregate of plants growing without cultivation in a district. |
| floral |
adj. |
Pertaining to flowers. |
| florid |
adj. |
Flushed with red. |
| florist |
n. |
A dealer in flowers. |
| fluctuate |
v. |
To pass backward and forward irregularly from one state or degree to
another. |
| fluctuation |
n. |
Frequent irregular change back and forth from one state or degree to
another. |
| flue |
n. |
A smoke-duct in a chimney. |
| fluent |
adj. |
Having a ready or easy flow of words or ideas. |
| fluential |
adj. |
Pertaining to streams. |
| flux |
n. |
A state of constant movement, change, or renewal. |
| foggy |
adj. |
Obscure. |
| foible |
n. |
A personal weakness or failing. |
| foist |
v. |
To palm off. |
| foliage |
n. |
Any growth of leaves. |
| folio |
n. |
A sheet of paper folded once, or of a size adapted to folding once. |
| folk-lore |
n. |
The traditions, beliefs, and customs of the common people. |
| fondle |
v. |
To handle tenderly and lovingly. |
| foolery |
n. |
Folly. |
| foot-note |
n. |
A note of explanation or comment at the foot of a page or column. |
| foppery |
n. |
Dandyism. |
| foppish |
adj. |
Characteristic of one who is unduly devoted to dress and the niceties of
manners. |
| forbearance |
n. |
Patient endurance or toleration of offenses. |
| forby |
adv. |
Besides. |
| forcible |
adj. |
Violent. |
| forecourt |
n. |
A court opening directly from the street. |
| forejudge |
v. |
To judge of before hearing evidence. |
| forepeak |
n. |
The extreme forward part of a ship's hold, under the lowest deck. |
| foreshore |
n. |
That part of a shore uncovered at low tide. |
| forebode |
v. |
To be an omen or warning sign of, especially of evil. |
| forecast |
v. |
To predict. |
| forecastle |
n. |
That part of the upper deck of a ship forward of the after fore-shrouds. |
| foreclose |
v. |
To bar by judicial proceedings the equitable right of a mortgagor to
redeem property. |
| forefather |
n. |
An ancestor. |
| forego |
v. |
To deny oneself the pleasure or profit of. |
| foreground |
n. |
That part of a landscape or picture situated or represented as nearest
the spectator. |
| forehead |
n. |
The upper part of the face, between the eyes and the hair. |
| foreign |
adj. |
Belonging to, situated in, or derived from another country. |
| foreigner |
n. |
A citizen of a foreign country. |
| foreknowledge |
n. |
Prescience. |
| foreman |
n. |
The head man. |
| foreordain |
v. |
To predetermine. |
| foreordination |
n. |
Predestination. |
| forerun |
v. |
To go before as introducing or ushering in. |
| foresail |
n. |
A square sail. |
| foresee |
v. |
To discern beforehand. |
| foresight |
n. |
Provision against harm or need. |
| foretell |
v. |
To predict. |
| forethought |
n. |
Premeditation. |
| forfeit |
v. |
To lose possession of through failure to fulfill some obligation. |
| forfend |
v. |
To ward off. |
| forgery |
n. |
Counterfeiting. |
| forgo |
v. |
To deny oneself. |
| formation |
n. |
Relative disposition of parts. |
| formidable |
adj. |
Difficult to accomplish. |
| formula |
n. |
Fixed rule or set form. |
| forswear |
v. |
To renounce upon oath. |
| forte |
n. |
A strong point. |
| forth |
adv. |
Into notice or view. |
| forthright |
adv. |
With directness. |
| fortify |
v. |
To provide with defensive works. |
| fortitude |
n. |
Patient courage. |
| foursome |
adj. |
Consisting of four. |
| fracture |
n. |
A break. |
| fragile |
adj. |
Easily broken. |
| frailty |
n. |
Liability to be broken or destroyed. |
| fragile |
adj. |
Capable of being broken. |
| frankincense |
n. |
A gum or resin which on burning yields aromatic fumes. |
| frantic |
adj. |
Frenzied. |
| fraternal |
adj. |
Brotherly. |
| fraudulence |
n. |
Deceitfulness. |
| fraudulent |
adj. |
Counterfeit. |
| fray |
v. |
To fret at the edge so as to loosen or break the threads. |
| freemason |
n. |
A member of an ancient secret fraternity originally confined to skilled
artisans. |
| freethinker |
n. |
One who rejects authority or inspiration in religion. |
| free |
trade |
n. Commerce unrestricted by tariff or customs. |
| frequency |
n. |
The comparative number of any kind of occurrences within a given time or
space. |
| fresco |
n. |
The art of painting on a surface of plaster, particularly on walls and
ceilings. |
| freshness |
n. |
The state, quality, or degree of being fresh. |
| fretful |
adj. |
Disposed to peevishness. |
| frightful |
adj. |
Apt to induce terror or alarm. |
| frigid |
adj. |
Lacking warmth. |
| frigidarium |
n. |
A room kept at a low temperature for preserving fruits, meat, etc. |
| frivolity |
n. |
A trifling act, thought, saying, or practice. |
| frivolous |
adj. |
Trivial. |
| frizz |
v. |
To give a crinkled, fluffy appearance to. |
| frizzle |
v. |
To cause to crinkle or curl, as the hair. |
| frolicsome |
adj. |
Prankish. |
| frontier |
n. |
The part of a nation's territory that abuts upon another country. |
| frowzy |
adj. |
Slovenly in appearance. |
| frugal |
adj. |
Economical. |
| fruition |
n. |
Fulfillment. |
| fugacious |
adj. |
Fleeting. |
| fulcrum |
n. |
The support on or against which a lever rests, or the point about which
it turns. |
| fulminate |
v. |
To cause to explode. |
| fulsome |
adj. |
Offensive from excess of praise or commendation. |
| fumigate |
v. |
To subject to the action of smoke or fumes, especially for disinfection. |
| functionary |
n. |
An official. |
| fundamental |
adj. |
Basal. |
| fungible |
adj. |
That may be measured, counted, or weighed. |
| fungous |
adj. |
Spongy. |
| fungus |
n. |
A plant destitute of chlorophyll, as a mushroom. |
| furbish |
v. |
To restore brightness or beauty to. |
| furlong |
n. |
A measure, one-eighth of a mile. |
| furlough |
n. |
A temporary absence of a soldier or sailor by permission of the
commanding officer. |
| furrier |
n. |
A dealer in or maker of fur goods. |
| further |
adj. |
More distant or advanced. |
| furtherance |
n. |
Advancement. |
| furtive |
adj. |
Stealthy or sly, like the actions of a thief. |
| fuse |
v. |
To unite or blend as by melting together. |
| fusible |
adj. |
Capable of being melted by heat. |
| futile |
adj. |
Of no avail or effect. |
| futurist |
n. |
A person of expectant temperament. |
| gauge |
n. |
An instrument for measuring. |
| gaiety |
n. |
Festivity. |
| gaily |
adv. |
Merrily. |
| gait |
n. |
Carriage of the body in going. |
| gallant |
adj. |
Possessing a brave or chivalrous spirit. |
| galore |
adj. |
Abundant. |
| galvanic |
adj. |
Pertaining or relating to electricity produced by chemical action. |
| galvanism |
n. |
Current electricity, especially that arising from chemical action. |
| galvanize |
v. |
To imbue with life or animation. |
| gamble |
v. |
To risk money or other possession on an event, chance, or contingency. |
| gambol |
n. |
Playful leaping or frisking. |
| gamester |
n. |
A gambler. |
| gamut |
n. |
The whole range or sequence. |
| garnish |
v. |
In cookery, to surround with additions for embellishment. |
| garrison |
n. |
The military force stationed in a fort, town, or other place for its
defense. |
| garrote |
v. |
To execute by strangling. |
| garrulous |
adj. |
Given to constant trivial talking. |
| gaseous |
adj. |
Light and unsubstantial. |
| gastric |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or near the stomach. |
| gastritis |
n. |
Inflammation of the stomach. |
| gastronomy |
n. |
The art of preparing and serving appetizing food. |
| gendarme |
n. |
In continental Europe, particularly in France, a uniformed and armed
police officer. |
| genealogy |
n. |
A list, in the order of succession, of ancestors and their descendants. |
| genealogist |
n. |
A tracer of pedigrees. |
| generality |
n. |
The principal portion. |
| generalize |
v. |
To draw general inferences. |
| generally |
adv. |
Ordinarily. |
| generate |
v. |
To produce or cause to be. |
| generic |
adj. |
Noting a genus or kind; opposed to specific. |
| generosity |
n. |
A disposition to give liberally or to bestow favors heartily. |
| genesis |
n. |
Creation. |
| geniality |
n. |
Warmth and kindliness of disposition. |
| genital |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the animal reproductive organs. |
| genitive |
adj. |
Indicating source, origin, possession, or the like. |
| genteel |
adj. |
Well-bred or refined. |
| gentile |
adj. |
Belonging to a people not Jewish. |
| geology |
n. |
The department of natural science that treats of the constitution and
structure of the earth. |
| germane |
adj. |
Relevant. |
| germinate |
v. |
To begin to develop into an embryo or higher form. |
| gestation |
n. |
Pregnancy. |
| gesticulate |
v. |
To make gestures or motions, as in speaking, or in place of speech. |
| gesture |
n. |
A movement or action of the hands or face, expressive of some idea or
emotion. |
| ghastly |
adj. |
Hideous. |
| gibe |
v. |
To utter taunts or reproaches. |
| giddy |
adj. |
Affected with a whirling or swimming sensation in the head. |
| gigantic |
adj. |
Tremendous. |
| giver |
n. |
One who gives, in any sense. |
| glacial |
adj. |
Icy, or icily cold. |
| glacier |
n. |
A field or stream of ice. |
| gladden |
v. |
To make joyous. |
| glazier |
n. |
One who cuts and fits panes of glass, as for windows. |
| glimmer |
n. |
A faint, wavering, unsteady light. |
| glimpse |
n. |
A momentary look. |
| globose |
adj. |
Spherical. |
| globular |
adj. |
Spherical. |
| glorious |
adj. |
Of excellence and splendor. |
| glutinous |
adj. |
Sticky. |
| gluttonous |
adj. |
Given to excess in eating. |
| gnash |
v. |
To grind or strike the teeth together, as from rage. |
| Gordian |
knot |
n. Any difficulty the only issue out of which is by bold or unusual
manners. |
| gourmand |
n. |
A connoisseur in the delicacies of the table. |
| gosling |
n. |
A young goose. |
| gossamer |
adj. |
Flimsy. |
| gourd |
n. |
A melon, pumpkin, squash, or some similar fruit having a hard rind. |
| graceless |
adj. |
Ungracious. |
| gradation |
n. |
A step, degree, rank, or relative position in an order or series. |
| gradient |
adj. |
Moving or advancing by steps. |
| granary |
n. |
A storehouse for grain after it is thrashed or husked. |
| grandeur |
n. |
The quality of being grand or admirably great. |
| grandiloquent |
adj. |
Speaking in or characterized by a pompous or bombastic style. |
| grandiose |
adj. |
Having an imposing style or effect. |
| grantee |
n. |
The person to whom property is transferred by deed. |
| grantor |
n. |
The maker of a deed. |
| granular |
adj. |
Composed of small grains or particles. |
| granulate |
v. |
To form into grains or small particles. |
| granule |
n. |
A small grain or particle. |
| grapple |
v. |
To take hold of. |
| gratification |
n. |
Satisfaction. |
| gratify |
v. |
To please, as by satisfying a physical or mental desire or need. |
| gratuitous |
adj. |
Voluntarily. |
| gratuity |
n. |
That which is given without demand or claim. Tip. |
| gravity |
n. |
Seriousness. |
| gregarious |
adj. |
Not habitually solitary or living alone. |
| grenadier |
n. |
A member of a regiment composed of men of great stature. |
| grief |
n. |
Sorrow. |
| grievance |
n. |
That which oppresses, injures, or causes grief and at the same time a
sense of wrong. |
| grievous |
adj. |
Creating affliction. |
| grimace |
n. |
A distortion of the features, occasioned by some feeling of pain,
disgust, etc. |
| grindstone |
n. |
A flat circular stone, used for sharpening tools. |
| grisly |
adj. |
Fear-inspiring. |
| grotesque |
adj. |
Incongruously composed or ill-proportioned. |
| grotto |
n. |
A small cavern. |
| ground |
n. |
A pavement or floor or any supporting surface on which one may walk. |
| guess |
n. |
Surmise. |
| guile |
n. |
Duplicity. |
| guileless |
adj. |
Frank. |
| guinea |
n. |
An English monetary unit. |
| guise |
n. |
The external appearance as produced by garb or costume. |
| gullible |
adj. |
Credulous. |
| gumption |
n. |
Common sense. |
| gusto |
n. |
Keen enjoyment. |
| guy |
n. |
Stay-rope. |
| guzzle |
v. |
To swallow greedily or hastily; gulp. |
| gynecocracy |
n. |
Female supremacy. |
| gynecology |
n. |
The science that treats of the functions and diseases peculiar to women. |
| gyrate |
v. |
To revolve. |
| gyroscope |
n. |
An instrument for illustrating the laws of rotation. |
| habitable |
adj. |
Fit to be dwelt in. |
| habitant |
n. |
Dweller. |
| habitual |
adj. |
According to usual practice. |
| habitude |
n. |
Customary relation or association. |
| hackney |
v. |
To make stale or trite by repetition. |
| haggard |
adj. |
Worn and gaunt in appearance. |
| halcyon |
adj. |
Calm. |
| hale |
adj. |
Of sound and vigorous health. |
| handwriting |
n. |
Penmanship. |
| hanger-on |
n. |
A parasite. |
| happy-go-lucky |
adj. |
Improvident. |
| harangue |
n. |
A tirade. |
| harass |
v. |
To trouble with importunities, cares, or annoyances. |
| harbinger |
n. |
One who or that which foreruns and announces the coming of any person or
thing. |
| hard-hearted |
adj. |
Lacking pity or sympathy. |
| hardihood |
n. |
Foolish daring. |
| harmonious |
adj. |
Concordant in sound. |
| havoc |
n. |
Devastation. |
| hawthorn |
n. |
A thorny shrub much used in England for hedges. |
| hazard |
n. |
Risk. |
| head |
first |
adv. Precipitately, as in diving. |
| head |
foremost |
adv. Precipitately, as in diving. |
| heartrending |
adj. |
Very depressing. |
| heathenish |
adj. |
Irreligious. |
| heedless |
adj. |
Thoughtless. |
| heifer |
n. |
A young cow. |
| heinous |
adj. |
Odiously sinful. |
| hemorrhage |
n. |
Discharge of blood from a ruptured or wounded blood-vessel. |
| hemorrhoids |
n. |
pl. Tumors composed of enlarged and thickened blood-vessels, at the lower
end of the rectum. |
| henchman |
n. |
A servile assistant and subordinate. |
| henpeck |
v. |
To worry or harass by ill temper and petty annoyances. |
| heptagon |
n. |
A figure having seven sides and seven angles. |
| heptarchy |
n. |
A group of seven governments. |
| herbaceous |
adj. |
Having the character of a herb. |
| herbarium |
n. |
A collection of dried plants scientifically arranged for study. |
| herbivorous |
adj. |
Feeding on herbs or other vegetable matter, as animals. |
| hereditary |
adj. |
Passing naturally from parent to child. |
| heredity |
n. |
Transmission of physical or mental qualities, diseases, etc., from parent
to offspring. |
| heresy |
n. |
An opinion or doctrine subversive of settled beliefs or accepted
principles. |
| heretic |
n. |
One who holds opinions contrary to the recognized standards or tenets of
any philosophy. |
| heritage |
n. |
Birthright. |
| hernia |
n. |
Protrusion of any internal organ in whole or in part from its normal
position. |
| hesitancy |
n. |
A pausing to consider. |
| hesitant |
adj. |
Vacillating. |
| hesitation |
n. |
Vacillation. |
| heterodox |
adj. |
At variance with any commonly accepted doctrine or opinion. |
| heterogeneity |
n. |
Unlikeness of constituent parts. |
| heterogeneous |
adj. |
Consisting of dissimilar elements or ingredients of different kinds. |
| heteromorphic |
adj. |
Deviating from the normal form or standard type. |
| hexangular |
adj. |
Having six angles. |
| hexapod |
adj. |
Having six feet. |
| hexagon |
n. |
A figure with six angles. |
| hiatus |
n. |
A break or vacancy where something necessary to supply the connection is
wanting. |
| hibernal |
adj. |
Pertaining to winter. |
| Hibernian |
adj. |
Pertaining to Ireland, or its people. |
| hideous |
adj. |
Appalling. |
| hilarious |
adj. |
Boisterously merry. |
| hillock |
n. |
A small hill or mound. |
| hinder |
v. |
To obstruct. |
| hindmost |
adj. |
Farthest from the front. |
| hindrance |
n. |
An obstacle. |
| hirsute |
adj. |
Having a hairy covering. |
| hoard |
v. |
To gather and store away for the sake of accumulation. |
| hoarse |
adj. |
Having the voice harsh or rough, as from a cold or fatigue. |
| homage |
n. |
Reverential regard or worship. |
| homogeneity |
n. |
Congruity of the members or elements or parts. |
| homogeneous |
adj. |
Made up of similar parts or elements. |
| homologous |
adj. |
Identical in nature, make-up, or relation. |
| homonym |
n. |
A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from another. |
| homophone |
n. |
A word agreeing in sound with but different in meaning from another. |
| honorarium |
n. |
A token fee or payment to a professional man for services. |
| hoodwink |
v. |
To deceive. |
| horde |
n. |
A gathered multitude of human beings. |
| hosiery |
n. |
A stocking. |
| hospitable |
adj. |
Disposed to treat strangers or guests with generous kindness. |
| hospitality |
n. |
The practice of receiving and entertaining strangers and guests with
kindness. |
| hostility |
n. |
Enmity. |
| huckster |
n. |
One who retails small wares. |
| humane |
adj. |
Compassionate. |
| humanitarian |
n. |
A philanthropist. |
| humanize |
v. |
To make gentle or refined. |
| humbug |
n. |
Anything intended or calculated to deceive or mislead. |
| humiliate |
v. |
To put to shame. |
| hussar |
n. |
A light-horse trooper armed with saber and carbine. |
| hustle |
v. |
To move with haste and promptness. |
| hybrid |
adj. |
Cross-bred. |
| hydra |
n. |
The seven- or nine-headed water-serpent slain by Hercules. |
| hydraulic |
adj. |
Involving the moving of water, of the force exerted by water in motion. |
| hydrodynamics |
n. |
The branch of mechanics that treats of the dynamics of fluids. |
| hydroelectric |
adj. |
Pertaining to electricity developed water or steam. |
| hydromechanics |
n. |
The mechanics of fluids. |
| hydrometer |
n. |
An instrument for determining the density of solids and liquids by
flotation. |
| hydrostatics |
n. |
The branch of science that treats of the pressure and equilibrium of
fluids. |
| hydrous |
adj. |
Watery. |
| hygiene |
n. |
The branch of medical science that relates to improving health. |
| hypercritical |
adj. |
Faultfinding. |
| hypnosis |
n. |
An artificial trance-sleep. |
| hypnotic |
adj. |
Tending to produce sleep. |
| hypnotism |
n. |
An artificially induced somnambulistic state in which the mind readily
acts on suggestion. |
| hypnotize |
v. |
To produce a somnambulistic state in which the mind readily acts on
suggestions. |
| hypocrisy |
n. |
Extreme insincerity. |
| hypocrite |
n. |
One who makes false professions of his views or beliefs. |
| hypodermic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the area under the skin. |
| hypotenuse |
n. |
The side of a right-angled triangle opposite the right angle. |
| hypothesis |
n. |
A proposition taken for granted as a premise from which to reach a
conclusion. |
| hysteria |
n. |
A nervous affection occurring typically in paroxysms of laughing and
crying. |
| ichthyic |
adj. |
Fish-like. |
| ichthyology |
n. |
The branch of zoology that treats of fishes. |
| ichthyosaurs |
n. |
A fossil reptile. |
| icily |
adv. |
Frigidly. |
| iciness |
n. |
The state of being icy. |
| icon |
n. |
An image or likeness. |
| iconoclast |
n. |
An image-breaker. |
| idealize |
v. |
To make to conform to some mental or imaginary standard. |
| idiom |
n. |
A use of words peculiar to a particular language. |
| idiosyncrasy |
n. |
A mental quality or habit peculiar to an individual. |
| idolize |
v. |
To regard with inordinate love or admiration. |
| ignoble |
adj. |
Low in character or purpose. |
| ignominious |
adj. |
Shameful. |
| Iliad |
n. |
A Greek epic poem describing scenes from the siege of Troy. |
| illegal |
adj. |
Not according to law. |
| illegible |
adj. |
Undecipherable. |
| illegitimate |
adj. |
Unlawfully begotten. |
| illiberal |
adj. |
Stingy. |
| illicit |
adj. |
Unlawful. |
| illimitable |
adj. |
Boundless. |
| illiterate |
adj. |
Having little or no book-learning. |
| ill-natured |
adj. |
Surly. |
| illogical |
adj. |
Contrary to the rules of sound thought. |
| illuminant |
n. |
That which may be used to produce light. |
| illuminate |
v. |
To supply with light. |
| illumine |
v. |
To make bright or clear. |
| illusion |
n. |
An unreal image presented to the senses. |
| illusive |
adj. |
Deceptive. |
| illusory |
adj. |
Deceiving or tending to deceive, as by false appearance. |
| imaginable |
adj. |
That can be imagined or conceived in the mind. |
| imaginary |
adj. |
Fancied. |
| imbibe |
v. |
To drink or take in. |
| imbroglio |
n. |
A misunderstanding attended by ill feeling, perplexity, or strife. |
| imbrue |
v. |
To wet or moisten. |
| imitation |
n. |
That which is made as a likeness or copy. |
| imitator |
n. |
One who makes in imitation. |
| immaculate |
adj. |
Without spot or blemish. |
| immaterial |
adj. |
Of no essential consequence. |
| immature |
adj. |
Not full-grown. |
| immeasurable |
adj. |
Indefinitely extensive. |
| immense |
adj. |
Very great in degree, extent, size, or quantity. |
| immerse |
v. |
To plunge or dip entirely under water or other fluid. |
| immersion |
n. |
The act of plunging or dipping entirely under water or another fluid. |
| immigrant |
n. |
A foreigner who enters a country to settle there. |
| immigrate |
v. |
To come into a country or region from a former habitat. |
| imminence |
n. |
Impending evil or danger. |
| imminent |
adj. |
Dangerous and close at hand. |
| immiscible |
adj. |
Separating, as oil and water. |
| immoral |
adj. |
Habitually engaged in licentious or lewd practices. |
| immortalize |
v. |
To cause to last or to be known or remembered throughout a great or
indefinite length of time. |
| immovable |
adj. |
Steadfast. |
| immune |
adj. |
Exempt, as from disease. |
| immutable |
adj. |
Unchangeable. |
| impair |
v. |
To cause to become less or worse. |
| impalpable |
adj. |
Imperceptible to the touch. |
| impartial |
adj. |
Unbiased. |
| impassable |
adj. |
That can not be passed through or over. |
| impassible |
adj. |
Not moved or affected by feeling. |
| impassive |
adj. |
Unmoved by or not exhibiting feeling. |
| impatience |
n. |
Unwillingness to brook delays or wait the natural course of things. |
| impeccable |
adj. |
Blameless. |
| impecunious |
adj. |
Having no money. |
| impede |
v. |
To be an obstacle or to place obstacles in the way of. |
| impel |
v. |
To drive or urge forward. |
| impend |
v. |
To be imminent. |
| imperative |
adj. |
Obligatory. |
| imperceptible |
adj. |
Indiscernible. |
| imperfectible |
adj. |
That can not be perfected. |
| imperil |
v. |
To endanger. |
| imperious |
adj. |
Insisting on obedience. |
| impermissible |
adj. |
Not permissible. |
| impersonal |
adj. |
Not relating to a particular person or thing. |
| impersonate |
v. |
To appear or act in the character of. |
| impersuadable |
adj. |
Unyielding. |
| impertinence |
n. |
Rudeness. |
| imperturbable |
adj. |
Calm. |
| impervious |
adj. |
Impenetrable. |
| impetuosity |
n. |
Rashness. |
| impetuous |
adj. |
Impulsive. |
| impetus |
n. |
Any impulse or incentive. |
| impiety |
n. |
Irreverence toward God. |
| impious |
adj. |
Characterized by irreverence or irreligion. |
| implausible |
adj. |
Not plausible. |
| impliable |
adj. |
Capable of being inferred. |
| implicate |
v. |
To show or prove to be involved in or concerned |
| implicit |
adj. |
Implied. |
| imply |
v. |
To signify. |
| impolitic |
adj. |
Inexpedient. |
| importation |
n. |
The act or practice of bringing from one country into another. |
| importunate |
adj. |
Urgent in character, request, or demand. |
| importune |
v. |
To harass with persistent demands or entreaties. |
| impotent |
adj. |
Destitute of or lacking in power, physical, moral, or intellectual. |
| impoverish |
v. |
To make indigent or poor. |
| impracticable |
adj. |
Not feasible. |
| impregnable |
adj. |
That can not be taken by assault. |
| impregnate |
v. |
To make pregnant. |
| impromptu |
n. |
Anything done or said on the impulse of the moment. |
| improper |
adj. |
Not appropriate, suitable, or becoming. |
| impropriety |
n. |
The state or quality of being unfit, unseemly, or inappropriate. |
| improvident |
adj. |
Lacking foresight or thrift. |
| improvise |
v. |
To do anything extemporaneously or offhand. |
| imprudent |
adj. |
Heedless. |
| impudence |
n. |
Insolent disrespect. |
| impugn |
v. |
To assail with arguments, insinuations, or accusations. |
| impulsion |
n. |
Impetus. |
| impulsive |
adj. |
Unpremeditated. |
| impunity |
n. |
Freedom from punishment. |
| impure |
adj. |
Tainted. |
| impute |
v. |
To attribute. |
| inaccessible |
adj. |
Difficult of approach. |
| inaccurate |
adj. |
Not exactly according to the facts. |
| inactive |
adj. |
Inert. |
| inadequate |
adj. |
Insufficient. |
| inadmissible |
adj. |
Not to be approved, considered, or allowed, as testimony. |
| inadvertent |
adj. |
Accidental. |
| inadvisable |
adj. |
Unadvisable. |
| inane |
adj. |
Silly. |
| inanimate |
adj. |
Destitute of animal life. |
| inapprehensible |
adj. |
Not to be understood. |
| inapt |
adj. |
Awkward or slow. |
| inarticulate |
adj. |
Speechless. |
| inaudible |
adj. |
That can not be heard. |
| inborn |
adj. |
Implanted by nature. |
| inbred |
adj. |
Innate. |
| incandescence |
n. |
The state of being white or glowing with heat. |
| incandescent |
adj. |
White or glowing with heat. |
| incapacitate |
v. |
To deprive of power, capacity, competency, or qualification. |
| incapacity |
n. |
Want of power to apprehend, understand, and manage. |
| incarcerate |
v. |
To imprison. |
| incendiary |
n. |
Chemical or person who starts a fire-literally or figuratively. |
| incentive |
n. |
That which moves the mind or inflames the passions. |
| inception |
n. |
The beginning. |
| inceptive |
adj. |
Beginning. |
| incessant |
adj. |
Unceasing. |
| inchmeal |
adv. |
Piecemeal. |
| inchoate |
adj. |
Incipient. |
| inchoative |
n. |
That which begins, or expresses beginning. |
| incidence |
n. |
Casual occurrence. |
| incident |
n. |
A happening in general, especially one of little importance. |
| incidentally |
adv. |
Without intention. |
| incinerate |
v. |
To reduce to ashes. |
| incipience |
n. |
Beginning. |
| incipient |
adj. |
Initial. |
| incisor |
n. |
A front or cutting tooth. |
| incite |
v. |
To rouse to a particular action. |
| incitement |
n. |
That which moves to action, or serves as an incentive or stimulus. |
| incoercible |
adj. |
Incapable of being forced, constrained, or compelled. |
| incoherence |
n. |
Want of connection, or agreement, as of parts or ideas in thought,
speech, etc. |
| incoherent |
adj. |
Not logically coordinated, as to parts, elements, or details. |
| incombustible |
adj. |
That can not be burned. |
| incomparable |
adj. |
Matchless. |
| incompatible |
adj. |
Discordant. |
| incompetence |
n. |
General lack of capacity or fitness. |
| incompetent |
adj. |
Not having the abilities desired or necessary for any purpose. |
| incomplete |
adj. |
Lacking some element, part, or adjunct necessary or required. |
| incomprehensible |
adj. |
Not understandable. |
| incompressible |
adj. |
Resisting all attempts to reduce volume by pressure. |
| inconceivable |
adj. |
Incomprehensible. |
| incongruous |
adj. |
Unsuitable for the time, place, or occasion. |
| inconsequential |
adj. |
Valueless. |
| inconsiderable |
adj. |
Small in quantity or importance. |
| inconsistent |
adj. |
Contradictory. |
| inconstant |
adj. |
Changeable. |
| incontrovertible |
adj. |
Indisputable. |
| inconvenient |
adj. |
Interfering with comfort or progress. |
| indefensible |
adj. |
Untenable. |
| indefinitely |
adv. |
In a vague or uncertain way. |
| indelible |
adj. |
That can not be blotted out, effaced, destroyed, or removed. |
| indescribable |
adj. |
That can not be described. |
| indestructible |
adj. |
That can not be destroyed. |
| indicant |
adj. |
That which points out. |
| indicator |
n. |
One who or that which points out. |
| indict |
v. |
To find and declare chargeable with crime. |
| indigence |
n. |
Poverty. |
| indigenous |
adj. |
Native. |
| indigent |
adj. |
Poor. |
| indigestible |
adj. |
Not digestible, or difficult to digest. |
| indigestion |
n. |
Difficulty or failure in the alimentary canal in changing food into
absorptive nutriment. |
| indignant |
adj. |
Having such anger and scorn as is aroused by meanness or wickedness. |
| indignity |
n. |
Unmerited contemptuous conduct or treatment. |
| indiscernible |
adj. |
Not perceptible. |
| indiscreet |
adj. |
Lacking wise judgment. |
| indiscriminate |
adj. |
Promiscuous. |
| indispensable |
adj. |
Necessary or requisite for the purpose. |
| indistinct |
adj. |
Vague. |
| indivertible |
adj. |
That can not be turned aside. |
| indivisible |
adj. |
Not separable into parts. |
| indolence |
n. |
Laziness. |
| indolent |
adj. |
Habitually inactive or idle. |
| indomitable |
adj. |
Unconquerable. |
| induct |
v. |
To bring in. |
| indulgence |
n. |
The yielding to inclination, passion, desire, or propensity in oneself or
another. |
| indulgent |
adj. |
Yielding to the desires or humor of oneself or those under one's care. |
| inebriate |
v. |
To intoxicate. |
| inedible |
adj. |
Not good for food. |
| ineffable |
adj. |
Unutterable. |
| inefficient |
adj. |
Not accomplishing an intended purpose. |
| inefficiency |
n. |
That which does not accomplish an intended purpose. |
| ineligible |
adj. |
Not suitable to be selected or chosen. |
| inept |
adj. |
Not fit or suitable. |
| inert |
adj. |
Inanimate. |
| inestimable |
adj. |
Above price. |
| inevitable |
adj. |
Unavoidable. |
| inexcusable |
adj. |
Not to be justified. |
| inexhaustible |
adj. |
So large or furnishing so great a supply as not to be emptied, wasted, or
spent. |
| inexorable |
adj. |
Unrelenting. |
| inexpedient |
adj. |
Unadvisable. |
| inexpensive |
adj. |
Low-priced. |
| inexperience |
n. |
Lack of or deficiency in experience. |
| inexplicable |
adj. |
Such as can not be made plain. |
| inexpressible |
adj. |
Unutterable. |
| inextensible |
adj. |
Of unchangeable length or area. |
| infallible |
adj. |
Exempt from error of judgment, as in opinion or statement. |
| infamous |
adj. |
Publicly branded or notorious, as for vice, or crime. |
| infamy |
n. |
Total loss or destitution of honor or reputation. |
| inference |
n. |
The derivation of a judgment from any given material of knowledge on the
ground of law. |
| infernal |
adj. |
Akin to or befitting hell or its occupants. |
| infest |
v. |
To be present in such numbers as to be a source of annoyance, trouble, or
danger. |
| infidel |
n. |
One who denies the existence of God. |
| infidelity |
n. |
Disloyalty. |
| infinite |
adj. |
Measureless. |
| infinity |
n. |
Boundless or immeasurable extension or duration. |
| infirm |
adj. |
Lacking in bodily or mental strength. |
| infirmary |
n. |
A place for the reception or treatment of the sick. |
| infirmity |
n. |
A physical, mental, or moral weakness or flaw. |
| inflammable |
adj. |
Easily set on fire or excited. |
| inflammation |
n. |
A morbid process in some part of the body characterized by heat,
swelling, and pain. |
| inflexible |
adj. |
That can not be altered or varied. |
| influence |
n. |
Ability to sway the will of another. |
| influential |
adj. |
Having the power to sway the will of another. |
| influx |
n. |
Infusion. |
| infrequence |
n. |
Rareness. |
| infrequent |
adj. |
Uncommon. |
| infringe |
v. |
To trespass upon. |
| infuse |
v. |
To instill, introduce, or inculcate, as principles or qualities. |
| infusion |
n. |
The act of imbuing, or pouring in. |
| ingenious |
adj. |
Evincing skill, originality, or cleverness, as in contrivance or
arrangement. |
| ingenuity |
n. |
Cleverness in contriving, combining, or originating. |
| ingenuous |
adj. |
Candid, frank, or open in character or quality. |
| inglorious |
adj. |
Shameful. |
| ingraft |
v. |
To set or implant deeply and firmly. |
| ingratiate |
v. |
To win confidence or good graces for oneself. |
| ingratitude |
n. |
Insensibility to kindness. |
| ingredient |
n. |
Component. |
| inherence |
n. |
The state of being permanently existing in something. |
| inherent |
adj. |
Intrinsic. |
| inhibit |
v. |
To hold back or in. |
| inhospitable |
adj. |
Not disposed to entertain strangers gratuitously. |
| inhuman |
adj. |
Savage. |
| inhume |
v. |
To place in the earth, as a dead body. |
| inimical |
adj. |
Adverse. |
| iniquity |
n. |
Gross wrong or injustice. |
| initiate |
v. |
To perform the first act or rite. |
| inject |
v. |
To introduce, as a fluid, by injection. |
| injunction |
n. |
Mandate. |
| inkling |
n. |
A hint. |
| inland |
adj. |
Remote from the sea. |
| inlet |
n. |
A small body of water leading into a larger. |
| inmost |
adj. |
Deepest within. |
| innocuous |
adj. |
Harmless. |
| innovate |
v. |
To introduce or strive to introduce new things. |
| innuendo |
n. |
Insinuation. |
| innumerable |
adj. |
Countless. |
| inoffensive |
adj. |
Causing nothing displeasing or disturbing. |
| inopportune |
adj. |
Unsuitable or inconvenient, especially as to time. |
| inquire |
v. |
To ask information about. |
| inquisition |
n. |
A court or tribunal for examination and punishment of heretics. |
| inquisitive |
adj. |
Given to questioning, especially out of curiosity. |
| inquisitor |
n. |
One who makes an investigation. |
| inroad |
n. |
Forcible encroachment or trespass. |
| insatiable |
adj. |
That desires or craves immoderately or unappeasably. |
| inscribe |
v. |
To enter in a book, or on a list, roll, or document, by writing. |
| inscrutable |
adj. |
Impenetrably mysterious or profound. |
| insecure |
adj. |
Not assured of safety. |
| insensible |
adj. |
Imperceptible. |
| insentient |
adj. |
Lacking the power of feeling or perceiving. |
| inseparable |
adj. |
That can not be separated. |
| insidious |
adj. |
Working ill by slow and stealthy means. |
| insight |
n. |
Intellectual discernment. |
| insignificance |
n. |
Lack of import or of importance. |
| insignificant |
adj. |
Without importance, force, or influence. |
| insinuate |
v. |
To imply. |
| insipid |
adj. |
Tasteless. |
| insistence |
n. |
Urgency. |
| insistent |
adj. |
Urgent. |
| insolence |
n. |
Pride or haughtiness exhibited in contemptuous and overbearing treatment
of others. |
| insolent |
adj. |
Impudent. |
| insomnia |
n. |
Sleeplessness. |
| inspector |
n. |
An official appointed to examine or oversee any matter of public interest
or importance. |
| instance |
n. |
A single occurrence or happening of a given kind. |
| instant |
n. |
A very brief portion of time. |
| instantaneous |
adj. |
Done without perceptible lapse of time. |
| instigate |
v. |
To provoke. |
| instigator |
n. |
One who incites to evil. |
| instill |
v. |
To infuse. |
| instructive |
adj. |
Conveying knowledge. |
| insufficiency |
n. |
Inadequacy. |
| insufficient |
adj. |
Inadequate for some need, purpose, or use. |
| insular |
adj. |
Pertaining to an island. |
| insulate |
v. |
To place in a detached state or situation. |
| insuperable |
adj. |
Invincible. |
| insuppressible |
adj. |
Incapable of being concealed. |
| insurgence |
n. |
Uprising. |
| insurgent |
n. |
One who takes part in forcible opposition to the constituted authorities
of a place. |
| insurrection |
n. |
The state of being in active resistance to authority. |
| intangible |
adj. |
Not perceptible to the touch. |
| integrity |
n. |
Uprightness of character and soundness of moral principle. |
| intellect |
n. |
The faculty of perception or thought. |
| intellectual |
adj. |
Characterized by intelligence. |
| intelligence |
n. |
Capacity to know or understand. |
| intelligible |
adj. |
Comprehensible. |
| intemperance |
n. |
Immoderate action or indulgence, as of the appetites. |
| intension |
n. |
The act of stringing or stretching, or state of being strained. |
| intensive |
adj. |
Adding emphasis or force. |
| intention |
n. |
That upon which the mind is set. |
| interact |
v. |
To act reciprocally. |
| intercede |
v. |
To mediate between persons. |
| intercept |
v. |
To interrupt the course of. |
| intercession |
n. |
Entreaty in behalf of others. |
| intercessor |
n. |
A mediator. |
| interdict |
n. |
Authoritative act of prohibition. |
| interim |
n. |
Time between acts or periods. |
| interlocutor |
n. |
One who takes part in a conversation or oral discussion. |
| interlude |
n. |
An action or event considered as coming between others of greater length. |
| intermediate |
adj. |
Being in a middle place or degree or between extremes. |
| interminable |
adj. |
Having no limit or end. |
| intermission |
n. |
A recess. |
| intermit |
v. |
To cause to cease temporarily. |
| intermittent |
adj. |
A temporary discontinuance. |
| interpolation |
n. |
Verbal interference. |
| interpose |
v. |
To come between other things or persons. |
| interposition |
n. |
A coming between. |
| interpreter |
n. |
A person who makes intelligible the speech of a foreigner by oral
translation. |
| interrogate |
v. |
To examine formally by questioning. |
| interrogative |
adj. |
Having the nature or form of a question. |
| interrogatory |
n. |
A question or inquiry. |
| interrupt |
v. |
To stop while in progress. |
| intersect |
v. |
To cut through or into so as to divide. |
| intervale |
n. |
A low tract of land between hills, especially along a river. |
| intervene |
v. |
To interfere for some end. |
| intestacy |
n. |
The condition resulting from one's dying not having made a valid will. |
| intestate |
adj. |
Not having made a valid will. |
| intestine |
n. |
That part of the digestive tube below or behind the stomach, extending to
the anus. |
| intimacy |
n. |
Close or confidential friendship. |
| intimidate |
v. |
To cause to become frightened. |
| intolerable |
adj. |
Insufferable. |
| intolerance |
n. |
Inability or unwillingness to bear or endure. |
| intolerant |
adj. |
Bigoted. |
| intoxicant |
n. |
Anything that unduly exhilarates or excites. |
| intoxicate |
v. |
To make drunk. |
| intracellular |
adj. |
Occurring or situated within a cell. |
| intramural |
adj. |
Situated within the walls of a city. |
| intrepid |
adj. |
Fearless and bold. |
| intricacy |
n. |
Perplexity. |
| intricate |
adj. |
Difficult to follow or understand. |
| intrigue |
n. |
A plot or scheme, usually complicated and intended to accomplish
something by secret ways. |
| intrinsic |
adj. |
Inherent. |
| introductory |
adj. |
Preliminary. |
| introgression |
n. |
Entrance. |
| intromit |
v. |
To insert. |
| introspect |
v. |
To look into. |
| introspection |
n. |
The act of observing and analyzing one's own thoughts and feelings. |
| introversion |
n. |
The act of turning or directing inward, physically or mentally. |
| introvert |
v. |
To turn within. |
| intrude |
v. |
To come in without leave or license. |
| intrusion |
n. |
The act of entering without warrant or invitation; encroachment. |
| intuition |
n. |
Instinctive knowledge or feeling. |
| inundate |
v. |
To fill with an overflowing abundance. |
| inundation |
n. |
Flood. |
| inure |
v. |
To harden or toughen by use, exercise, or exposure. |
| invalid |
adj. |
Having no force, weight, or cogency. |
| invalid |
n. |
One who is disabled by illness or injury. |
| invalidate |
v. |
To render of no force or effect. |
| invaluable |
adj. |
Exceedingly precious. |
| invariable |
adj. |
Unchangeable. |
| invasion |
n. |
Encroachment, as by an act of intrusion or trespass. |
| invective |
n. |
An utterance intended to cast censure, or reproach. |
| inveigh |
v. |
To utter vehement censure or invective. |
| inventive |
adj. |
Quick at contrivance. |
| inverse |
adj. |
Contrary in tendency or direction. |
| inversion |
n. |
Change of order so that the first shall become last and the last first. |
| invert |
v. |
To turn inside out, upside down, or in opposite direction. |
| investigator |
n. |
One who investigates. |
| investor |
n. |
One who invests money. |
| inveterate |
adj. |
Habitual. |
| invidious |
adj. |
Showing or feeling envy. |
| invigorate |
v. |
To animate. |
| invincible |
adj. |
Not to be conquered, subdued, or overcome. |
| inviolable |
adj. |
Incapable of being injured or disturbed. |
| invoke |
v. |
To call on for assistance or protection. |
| involuntary |
adj. |
Unwilling. |
| involution |
n. |
Complication. |
| involve |
v. |
To draw into entanglement, literally or figuratively. |
| invulnerable |
adj. |
That can not be wounded or hurt. |
| inwardly |
adv. |
With no outward manifestation. |
| iota |
n. |
A small or insignificant mark or part. |
| irascible |
adj. |
Prone to anger. |
| irate |
adj. |
Moved to anger. |
| ire |
n. |
Wrath. |
| iridescence |
n. |
A many-colored appearance. |
| iridescent |
adj. |
Exhibiting changing rainbow-colors due to the interference of the light. |
| irk |
v. |
To afflict with pain, vexation, or fatigue. |
| irksome |
adj. |
Wearisome. |
| irony |
n. |
Censure or ridicule under cover of praise or compliment. |
| irradiance |
n. |
Luster. |
| irradiate |
v. |
To render clear and intelligible. |
| irrational |
adj. |
Not possessed of reasoning powers or understanding. |
| irreducible |
adj. |
That can not be lessened. |
| irrefragable |
adj. |
That can not be refuted or disproved. |
| irrefrangible |
adj. |
That can not be broken or violated. |
| irrelevant |
adj. |
Inapplicable. |
| irreligious |
adj. |
Indifferent or opposed to religion. |
| irreparable |
adj. |
That can not be rectified or made amends for. |
| irrepressible |
adj. |
That can not be restrained or kept down. |
| irresistible |
adj. |
That can not be successfully withstood or opposed. |
| irresponsible |
adj. |
Careless of or unable to meet responsibilities. |
| irreverence |
n. |
The quality showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially
for sacred things. |
| irreverent |
adj. |
Showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for sacred
things. |
| irreverential |
adj. |
Showing or expressing a deficiency of veneration, especially for sacred
things. |
| irreversible |
adj. |
Irrevocable. |
| irrigant |
adj. |
Serving to water lands by artificial means. |
| irrigate |
v. |
To water, as land, by ditches or other artificial means. |
| irritable |
adj. |
Showing impatience or ill temper on little provocation. |
| irritancy |
n. |
The quality of producing vexation. |
| irritant |
n. |
A mechanical, chemical, or pathological agent of inflammation, pain, or
tension. |
| irritate |
v. |
To excite ill temper or impatience in. |
| irruption |
n. |
Sudden invasion. |
| isle |
n. |
An island. |
| islet |
n. |
A little island. |
| isobar |
n. |
A line joining points at which the barometric pressure is the same at a
specified moment. |
| isochronous |
adj. |
Relating to or denoting equal intervals of time. |
| isolate |
v. |
To separate from others of its kind. |
| isothermal |
adj. |
Having or marking equality of temperature. |
| itinerant |
adj. |
Wandering. |
| itinerary |
n. |
A detailed account or diary of a journey. |
| itinerate |
v. |
To wander from place to place. |
| jargon |
n. |
Confused, unintelligible speech or highly technical speech. |
| jaundice |
n. |
A morbid condition, due to obstructed excretion of bile or characterized
by yellowing of the skin. |
| jeopardize |
v. |
To imperil. |
| Jingo |
n. |
One of a party in Great Britain in favor of spirited and demonstrative
foreign policy. |
| jocose |
adj. |
Done or made in jest. |
| jocular |
adj. |
Inclined to joke. |
| joggle |
n. |
A sudden irregular shake or a push causing such a shake. |
| journalize |
v. |
To keep a diary. |
| jovial |
adj. |
Merry. |
| jubilation |
n. |
Exultation. |
| judgment |
n. |
The faculty by the exercise of which a deliberate conclusion is reached. |
| judicature |
n. |
Distribution and administration of justice by trial and judgment. |
| judicial |
adj. |
Pertaining to the administration of justice. |
| judiciary |
n. |
That department of government which administers the law relating to civil
and criminal justice. |
| judicious |
adj. |
Prudent. |
| juggle |
v. |
To play tricks of sleight of hand. |
| jugglery |
n. |
The art or practice of sleight of hand. |
| jugular |
adj. |
Pertaining to the throat. |
| juicy |
adj. |
Succulent. |
| junction |
n. |
The condition of being joined. |
| juncture |
n. |
An articulation, joint, or seam. |
| junta |
n. |
A council or assembly that deliberates in secret upon the affairs of
government. |
| juridical |
adj. |
Assumed by law to exist. |
| jurisdiction |
n. |
Lawful power or right to exercise official authority. |
| jurisprudence |
n. |
The science of rights in accordance with positive law. |
| juror |
n. |
One who serves on a jury or is sworn in for jury duty in a court of
justice. |
| joust |
v. |
To engage in a tilt with lances on horseback. |
| justification |
n. |
Vindication. |
| juvenile |
adj. |
Characteristic of youth. |
| juxtapose |
v. |
To place close together. |
| keepsake |
n. |
Anything kept or given to be kept for the sake of the giver. |
| kerchief |
n. |
A square of linen, silk, or other material, used as a covering for the
head or neck. |
| kernel |
n. |
A grain or seed. |
| kiln |
n. |
An oven or furnace for baking, burning, or drying industrial products. |
| kiloliter |
n. |
One thousand liters. |
| kilometer |
n. |
A length of 1,000 meters. |
| kilowatt |
n. |
One thousand watts. |
| kimono |
n. |
A loose robe, fastening with a sash, the principal outer garment in
Japan. |
| kind-hearted |
adj. |
Having a kind and sympathetic nature. |
| kingling |
n. |
A petty king. |
| kingship |
n. |
Royal state. |
| kinsfolk |
n. |
pl. Relatives. |
| knavery |
n. |
Deceitfulness in dealing. |
| knead |
v. |
To mix and work into a homogeneous mass, especially with the hands. |
| knickknack |
n. |
A small article, more for ornament that use. |
| knight |
errant |
n. One of the wandering knights who in the middle ages went forth in
search of adventure. |
| knighthood |
n. |
Chivalry. |
| laborious |
adj. |
Toilsome. |
| labyrinth |
n. |
A maze. |
| lacerate |
v. |
To tear rudely or raggedly. |
| lackadaisical |
adj. |
Listless. |
| lactation |
n. |
The secretion of milk. |
| lacteal |
adj. |
Milky. |
| lactic |
adj. |
Pertaining to milk. |
| laddie |
n. |
A lad. |
| ladle |
n. |
A cup-shaped vessel with a long handle, intended for dipping up and
pouring liquids. |
| laggard |
adj. |
Falling behind. |
| landholder |
n. |
Landowner. |
| landlord |
n. |
A man who owns and lets a tenement or tenements. |
| landmark |
n. |
A familiar object in the landscape serving as a guide to an area
otherwise easily lost track of. |
| landscape |
n. |
A rural view, especially one of picturesque effect, as seen from a
distance or an elevation. |
| languid |
adj. |
Relaxed. |
| languor |
n. |
Lassitude of body or depression. |
| lapse |
n. |
A slight deviation from what is right, proper, or just. |
| lascivious |
adj. |
Lustful. |
| lassie |
n. |
A little lass. |
| latent |
adj. |
Dormant. |
| latency |
n. |
The state of being dormant. |
| later |
adv. |
At a subsequent time. |
| lateral |
adj. |
Directed toward the side. |
| latish |
adj. |
Rather late. |
| lattice |
n. |
Openwork of metal or wood, formed by crossing or interlacing strips or
bars. |
| laud |
v. |
To praise in words or song. |
| laudable |
adj. |
Praiseworthy. |
| laudation |
n. |
High praise. |
| laudatory |
adj. |
Pertaining to, expressing, or containing praise. |
| laundress |
n. |
Washerwoman. |
| laureate |
adj. |
Crowned with laurel, as a mark of distinction. |
| lave |
v. |
To wash or bathe. |
| lawgiver |
n. |
A legislator. |
| lawmaker |
n. |
A legislator. |
| lax |
adj. |
Not stringent or energetic. |
| laxative |
adj. |
Having power to open or loosen the bowels. |
| lea |
n. |
A field. |
| leaflet |
n. |
A little leaf or a booklet. |
| leaven |
v. |
To make light by fermentation, as dough. |
| leeward |
n. |
That side or direction toward which the wind blows. |
| left-handed |
adj. |
Using the left hand or arm more dexterously than the right. |
| legacy |
n. |
A bequest. |
| legalize |
v. |
To give the authority of law to. |
| legging |
n. |
A covering for the leg. |
| legible |
adj. |
That may be read with ease. |
| legionary |
n. |
A member of an ancient Roman legion or of the modern French Legion of
Honor. |
| legislate |
v. |
To make or enact a law or laws. |
| legislative |
adj. |
That makes or enacts laws. |
| legislator |
n. |
A lawgiver. |
| legitimacy |
n. |
Accordance with law. |
| legitimate |
adj. |
Having the sanction of law or established custom. |
| leisure |
n. |
Spare time. |
| leniency |
n. |
Forbearance. |
| lenient |
adj. |
Not harsh. |
| leonine |
adj. |
Like a lion. |
| lethargy |
n. |
Prolonged sluggishness of body or mind. |
| levee |
n. |
An embankment beside a river or stream or an arm of the sea, to prevent
overflow. |
| lever |
n. |
That which exerts, or through which one may exert great power. |
| leviathan |
n. |
Any large animal, as a whale. |
| levity |
n. |
Frivolity. |
| levy |
v. |
To impose and collect by force or threat of force. |
| lewd |
adj. |
Characterized by lust or lasciviousness. |
| lexicographer |
n. |
One who makes dictionaries. |
| lexicography |
n. |
The making of dictionaries. |
| lexicon |
n. |
A dictionary. |
| liable |
adj. |
Justly or legally responsible. |
| libel |
n. |
Defamation. |
| liberalism |
n. |
Opposition to conservatism. |
| liberate |
v. |
To set free or release from bondage. |
| licentious |
adj. |
Wanton. |
| licit |
adj. |
Lawful. |
| liege |
adj. |
Sovereign. |
| lien |
n. |
A legal claim or hold on property, as security for a debt or charge. |
| lieu |
n. |
Stead. |
| lifelike |
adj. |
Realistic. |
| lifelong |
adj. |
Lasting or continuous through life. |
| lifetime |
n. |
The time that life continues. |
| ligament |
n. |
That which binds objects together. |
| ligature |
n. |
Anything that constricts, or serves for binding or tying. |
| light-hearted |
adj. |
Free from care. |
| ligneous |
adj. |
Having the texture of appearance of wood. |
| likelihood |
n. |
A probability. |
| likely |
adj. |
Plausible. |
| liking |
n. |
Fondness. |
| limitation |
n. |
A restriction. |
| linear |
adj. |
Of the nature of a line. |
| liner |
n. |
A vessel belonging to a steamship-line. |
| lingo |
n. |
Language. |
| lingua |
n. |
The tongue. |
| lingual |
adj. |
Pertaining to the use of the tongue in utterance. |
| linguist |
n. |
One who is acquainted with several languages. |
| linguistics |
n. |
The science of languages, or of the origin, history, and significance of
words. |
| liniment |
n. |
A liquid preparation for rubbing on the skin in cases of bruises,
inflammation, etc. |
| liquefacient |
adj. |
Possessing a liquefying nature or power. |
| liquefy |
v. |
To convert into a liquid or into liquid form. |
| liqueur |
n. |
An alcoholic cordial sweetened and flavored with aromatic substances. |
| liquidate |
v. |
To deliver the amount or value of. |
| liquor |
n. |
Any alcoholic or intoxicating liquid. |
| listless |
adj. |
Inattentive. |
| literacy |
n. |
The state or condition of knowing how to read and write. |
| literal |
adj. |
Following the exact words. |
| literature |
n. |
The written or printed productions of the human mind collectively. |
| lithe |
adj. |
Supple. |
| lithesome |
adj. |
Nimble. |
| lithograph |
n. |
A print made by printing from stone. |
| lithotype |
n. |
In engraving, an etched stone surface for printing. |
| litigant |
n. |
A party to a lawsuit. |
| litigate |
v. |
To cause to become the subject-matter of a suit at law. |
| litigious |
adj. |
Quarrelsome. |
| littoral |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or living on a shore. |
| liturgy |
n. |
A ritual. |
| livelihood |
n. |
Means of subsistence. |
| livid |
adj. |
Black-and-blue, as contused flesh. |
| loam |
n. |
A non-coherent mixture of sand and clay. |
| loath |
adj. |
Averse. |
| loathe |
v. |
To abominate. |
| locative |
adj. |
Indicating place, or the place where or wherein an action occurs. |
| loch |
n. |
A lake. |
| locomotion |
n. |
The act or power of moving from one place to another. |
| lode |
n. |
A somewhat continuous unstratified metal- bearing vein. |
| lodgment |
n. |
The act of furnishing with temporary quarters. |
| logic |
n. |
The science of correct thinking. |
| logical |
adj. |
Capable of or characterized by clear reasoning. |
| logician |
n. |
An expert reasoner. |
| loiterer |
n. |
One who consumes time idly. |
| loneliness |
n. |
Solitude. |
| longevity |
n. |
Unusually prolonged life. |
| loot |
v. |
To plunder. |
| loquacious |
adj. |
Talkative. |
| lordling |
n. |
A little lord. |
| lough |
n. |
A lake or loch. |
| louse |
n. |
A small insect parasitic on and sucking the blood of mammals. |
| lovable |
adj. |
Amiable. |
| low-spirited |
adj. |
Despondent. |
| lowly |
adv. |
Rudely. |
| lucid |
adj. |
Mentally sound. |
| lucrative |
adj. |
Highly profitable. |
| ludicrous |
adj. |
Laughable. |
| luminary |
n. |
One of the heavenly bodies as a source of light. |
| luminescent |
adj. |
Showing increase of light. |
| luminescence |
n. |
Showing increase. |
| luminosity |
n. |
The quality of giving or radiating light. |
| luminous |
adj. |
Giving or radiating light. |
| lunacy |
n. |
Mental unsoundness. |
| lunar |
adj. |
Pertaining to the moon. |
| lunatic |
n. |
An insane person. |
| lune |
n. |
The moon. |
| lurid |
adj. |
Ghastly and sensational. |
| luscious |
adj. |
Rich, sweet, and delicious. |
| lustrous |
adj. |
Shining. |
| luxuriance |
n. |
Excessive or superfluous growth or quantity. |
| luxuriant |
adj. |
Abundant or superabundant in growth. |
| luxuriate |
v. |
To live sumptuously. |
| lying |
n. |
Untruthfulness. |
| lyre |
n. |
One of the most ancient of stringed instruments of the harp class. |
| lyric |
adj. |
Fitted for expression in song. |
| macadamize |
v. |
To cover or pave, as a path or roadway, with small broken stone. |
| machinery |
n. |
The parts of a machine or engine, taken collectively. |
| machinist |
n. |
One who makes or repairs machines, or uses metal-working tools. |
| macrocosm |
n. |
The whole of any sphere or department of nature or knowledge to which man
is related. |
| madden |
v. |
To inflame with passion. |
| Madonna |
n. |
A painted or sculptured representation of the Virgin, usually with the
infant Jesus. |
| magician |
n. |
A sorcerer. |
| magisterial |
adj. |
Having an air of authority. |
| magistracy |
n. |
The office or dignity of a magistrate. |
| magnanimous |
adj. |
Generous in treating or judging others. |
| magnate |
n. |
A person of rank or importance. |
| magnet |
n. |
A body possessing that peculiar form of polarity found in nature in the
lodestone. |
| magnetize |
v. |
To make a magnet of, permanently, or temporarily. |
| magnificence |
n. |
The exhibition of greatness of action, character, intellect, wealth, or
power. |
| magnificent |
adj. |
Grand or majestic in appearance, quality, or action. |
| magnitude |
n. |
Importance. |
| maharaja |
n. |
A great Hindu prince. |
| maidenhood |
n. |
Virginity. |
| maintain |
v. |
To hold or preserve in any particular state or condition. |
| maintenance |
n. |
That which supports or sustains. |
| maize |
n. |
Indian corn: usually in the United States called simply corn. |
| makeup |
n. |
The arrangements or combination of the parts of which anything is
composed. |
| malady |
n. |
Any physical disease or disorder, especially a chronic or deep-seated
one. |
| malaria |
n. |
A fever characterized by alternating chills, fever, and sweating. |
| malcontent |
n. |
One who is dissatisfied with the existing state of affairs. |
| malediction |
n. |
The calling down of a curse or curses. |
| malefactor |
n. |
One who injures another. |
| maleficent |
adj. |
Mischievous. |
| malevolence |
n. |
Ill will. |
| malevolent |
adj. |
Wishing evil to others. |
| malign |
v. |
To speak evil of, especially to do so falsely and severely. |
| malignant |
adj. |
Evil in nature or tending to do great harm or mischief. |
| malleable |
adj. |
Pliant. |
| mallet |
n. |
A wooden hammer. |
| maltreat |
v. |
To treat ill, unkindly, roughly, or abusively. |
| man-trap |
n. |
A place or structure dangerous to human life. |
| mandate |
n. |
A command. |
| mandatory |
adj. |
Expressive of positive command, as distinguished from merely directory. |
| mane |
n. |
The long hair growing upon and about the neck of certain animals, as the
horse and the lion. |
| man-eater |
n. |
An animal that devours human beings. |
| maneuver |
v. |
To make adroit or artful moves: manage affairs by strategy. |
| mania |
n. |
Insanity. |
| maniac |
n. |
a person raving with madness. |
| manifesto |
n. |
A public declaration, making announcement, explanation or defense of
intentions, or motives. |
| manlike |
adj. |
Like a man. |
| manliness |
n. |
The qualities characteristic of a true man, as bravery, resolution, etc. |
| mannerism |
n. |
Constant or excessive adherence to one manner, style, or peculiarity, as
of action or conduct. |
| manor |
n. |
The landed estate of a lord or nobleman. |
| mantel |
n. |
The facing, sometimes richly ornamented, about a fireplace, including the
usual shelf above it. |
| mantle |
n. |
A cloak. |
| manufacturer |
n. |
A person engaged in manufacturing as a business. |
| manumission |
n. |
Emancipation. |
| manumit |
v. |
To set free from bondage. |
| marine |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the sea or matters connected with the sea. |
| maritime |
adj. |
Situated on or near the sea. |
| maroon |
v. |
To put ashore and abandon (a person) on a desolate coast or island. |
| martial |
adj. |
Pertaining to war or military operations. |
| Martian |
adj. |
Pertaining to Mars, either the Roman god of war or the planet. |
| martyrdom |
n. |
Submission to death or persecution for the sake of faith or principle. |
| marvel |
v. |
To be astonished and perplexed because of (something). |
| masonry |
n. |
The art or work of constructing, as buildings, walls, etc., with
regularly arranged stones. |
| masquerade |
n. |
A social party composed of persons masked and costumed so as to be
disguised. |
| massacre |
n. |
The unnecessary and indiscriminate killing of human beings. |
| massive |
adj. |
Of considerable bulk and weight. |
| masterpiece |
n. |
A superior production. |
| mastery |
n. |
The attainment of superior skill. |
| material |
n. |
That of which anything is composed or may be constructed. |
| materialize |
v. |
To take perceptible or substantial form. |
| maternal |
adj. |
Pertaining or peculiar to a mother or to motherhood. |
| matinee |
n. |
An entertainment (especially theatrical) held in the daytime. |
| matricide |
n. |
The killing, especially the murdering, of one's mother. |
| matrimony |
n. |
The union of a man and a woman in marriage. |
| matrix |
n. |
That which contains and gives shape or form to anything. |
| matter |
of |
fact n. Something that has actual and undeniable existence or reality. |
| maudlin |
adj. |
Foolishly and tearfully affectionate. |
| mausoleum |
n. |
A tomb of more than ordinary size or architectural pretensions. |
| mawkish |
adj. |
Sickening or insipid. |
| maxim |
n. |
A principle accepted as true and acted on as a rule or guide. |
| maze |
n. |
A labyrinth. |
| mead |
n. |
A meadow. |
| meager |
adj. |
scanty. |
| mealy-mouthed |
adj. |
Afraid to express facts or opinions plainly. |
| meander |
v. |
To wind and turn while proceeding in a course. |
| mechanics |
n. |
The branch of physics that treats the phenomena caused by the action of
forces. |
| medallion |
n. |
A large medal. |
| meddlesome |
adj. |
Interfering. |
| medial |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the middle. |
| mediate |
v. |
To effect by negotiating as an agent between parties. |
| medicine |
n. |
A substance possessing or reputed to possess curative or remedial
properties. |
| medieval |
adj. |
Belonging or relating to or descriptive of the middle ages. |
| mediocre |
adj. |
Ordinary. |
| meditation |
n. |
The turning or revolving of a subject in the mind. |
| medley |
n. |
A composition of different songs or parts of songs arranged to run as a
continuous whole. |
| meliorate |
v. |
To make better or improve, as in quality or social or physical condition. |
| mellifluous |
adj. |
Sweetly or smoothly flowing. |
| melodious |
adj. |
Characterized by a sweet succession of sounds. |
| melodrama |
n. |
A drama with a romantic story or plot and sensational situation and
incidents. |
| memento |
n. |
A souvenir. |
| memorable |
adj. |
Noteworthy. |
| menace |
n. |
A threat. |
| menagerie |
n. |
A collection of wild animals, especially when kept for exhibition. |
| mendacious |
adj. |
Untrue. |
| mendicant |
n. |
A beggar. |
| mentality |
n. |
Intellectuality. |
| mentor |
n. |
A wise and faithful teacher, guide, and friend. |
| mercantile |
adj. |
Conducted or acting on business principles; commercial. |
| mercenary |
adj. |
Greedy |
| merciful |
adj. |
Disposed to pity and forgive. |
| merciless |
adj. |
Cruel. |
| meretricious |
adj. |
Alluring by false or gaudy show. |
| mesmerize |
v. |
To hypnotize. |
| messieurs |
n. |
pl. Gentlemen. |
| metal |
n. |
An element that forms a base by combining with oxygen, is usually hard,
heavy, and lustrous. |
| metallurgy |
n. |
The art or science of extracting a metal from ores, as by smelting. |
| metamorphosis |
n. |
A passing from one form or shape into another. |
| metaphor |
n. |
A figure of speech in which one object is likened to another, by speaking
as if the other. |
| metaphysical |
adj. |
Philosophical. |
| metaphysician |
n. |
One skilled in metaphysics. |
| metaphysics |
n. |
The principles of philosophy as applied to explain the methods of any
particular science. |
| mete |
v. |
To apportion. |
| metempsychosis |
n. |
Transition of the soul of a human being at death into another body,
whether human or beast. |
| meticulous |
adj. |
Over-cautious. |
| metonymy |
n. |
A figure of speech that consists in the naming of a thing by one of its
attributes. |
| metric |
adj. |
Relating to measurement. |
| metronome |
n. |
An instrument for indicating and marking exact time in music. |
| metropolis |
n. |
A chief city, either the capital or the largest or most important city of
a state. |
| metropolitan |
adj. |
Pertaining to a chief city. |
| mettle |
n. |
Courage. |
| mettlesome |
adj. |
Having courage or spirit. |
| microcosm |
n. |
The world or universe on a small scale. |
| micrometer |
n. |
An instrument for measuring very small angles or dimensions. |
| microphone |
n. |
An apparatus for magnifying faint sounds. |
| microscope |
n. |
An instrument for assisting the eye in the vision of minute objects or
features of objects. |
| microscopic |
adj. |
Adapted to or characterized by minute observation. |
| microscopy |
n. |
The art of examing objects with the microscope. |
| midsummer |
n. |
The middle of the summer. |
| midwife |
n. |
A woman who makes a business of assisting at childbirth. |
| mien |
n. |
The external appearance or manner of a person. |
| migrant |
adj. |
Wandering. |
| migrate |
v. |
To remove or pass from one country, region, or habitat to another. |
| migratory |
adj. |
Wandering. |
| mileage |
n. |
A distance in miles. |
| militant |
adj. |
Of a warlike or combative disposition or tendency. |
| militarism |
n. |
A policy of maintaining great standing armies. |
| militate |
v. |
To have weight or influence (in determining a question). |
| militia |
n. |
Those citizens, collectively, who are enrolled and drilled in temporary
military organizations. |
| Milky |
Way |
n. The galaxy. |
| millet |
n. |
A grass cultivated for forage and cereal. |
| mimic |
v. |
To imitate the speech or actions of. |
| miniature |
adj. |
Much smaller than reality or that the normal size. |
| minimize |
v. |
To reduce to the smallest possible amount or degree. |
| minion |
n. |
A servile favorite. |
| ministration |
n. |
Any religious ceremonial. |
| ministry |
n. |
A service. |
| minority |
n. |
The smaller in number of two portions into which a number or a group is
divided. |
| minute |
adj. |
Exceedingly small in extent or quantity. |
| minutia |
n. |
A small or unimportant particular or detail. |
| mirage |
n. |
An optical effect looking like a sheet of water in the desert. |
| misadventure |
n. |
An unlucky accident. |
| misanthropic |
adj. |
Hating mankind. |
| misanthropy |
n. |
Hatred of mankind. |
| misapprehend |
v. |
To misunderstand. |
| misbehave |
v. |
To behave ill. |
| misbehavior |
n. |
Ill or improper behavior. |
| mischievous |
adj. |
Fond of tricks. |
| miscount |
v. |
To make a mistake in counting. |
| miscreant |
n. |
A villain. |
| misdeed |
n. |
A wrong or improper act. |
| misdemeanor |
n. |
Evil conduct, small crime. |
| miser |
n. |
A person given to saving and hoarding unduly. |
| mishap |
n. |
Misfortune. |
| misinterpret |
v. |
To misunderstand. |
| mislay |
v. |
To misplace. |
| mismanage |
v. |
To manage badly, improperly, or unskillfully. |
| misnomer |
n. |
A name wrongly or mistakenly applied. |
| misogamy |
n. |
Hatred of marriage. |
| misogyny |
n. |
Hatred of women. |
| misplace |
v. |
To put into a wrong place. |
| misrepresent |
v. |
To give a wrong impression. |
| misrule |
v. |
To misgovern. |
| missal |
n. |
The book containing the service for the celebration of mass. |
| missile |
n. |
Any object, especially a weapon, thrown or intended to be thrown. |
| missive |
n. |
A message in writing. |
| mistrust |
v. |
To regard with suspicion or jealousy. |
| misty |
adj. |
Lacking clearness |
| misunderstand |
v. |
To Take in a wrong sense. |
| misuse |
v. |
To maltreat. |
| mite |
n. |
A very small amount, portion, or particle. |
| miter |
n. |
The junction of two bodies at an equally divided angle. |
| mitigate |
v. |
To make milder or more endurable. |
| mnemonics |
n. |
A system of principles and formulas designed to assist the recollection
in certain instances. |
| moat |
n. |
A ditch on the outside of a fortress wall. |
| mobocracy |
n. |
Lawless control of public affairs by the mob or populace. |
| moccasin |
n. |
A foot-covering made of soft leather or buckskin. |
| mockery |
n. |
Ridicule. |
| moderation |
n. |
Temperance. |
| moderator |
n. |
The presiding officer of a meeting. |
| modernity |
n. |
The state or character of being modern. |
| modernize |
v. |
To make characteristic of the present or of recent times. |
| modification |
n. |
A change. |
| modify |
v. |
To make somewhat different. |
| modish |
adj. |
Fashionable. |
| modulate |
v. |
To vary in tone, inflection, pitch or other quality of sound. |
| mollify |
v. |
To soothe. |
| molt |
v. |
To cast off, as hair, feathers, etc. |
| momentary |
adj. |
Lasting but a short time. |
| momentous |
adj. |
Very significant. |
| momentum |
n. |
An impetus. |
| monarchy |
n. |
Government by a single, sovereign ruler. |
| monastery |
n. |
A dwelling-place occupied in common by persons under religious vows of
seclusion. |
| monetary |
adj. |
Financial. |
| mongrel |
n. |
The progeny resulting from the crossing of different breeds or varieties. |
| monition |
n. |
Friendly counsel given by way of warning and implying caution or reproof. |
| monitory |
n. |
Admonition or warning. |
| monocracy |
n. |
Government by a single person. |
| monogamy |
n. |
The habit of pairing, or having but one mate. |
| monogram |
n. |
A character consisting of two or more letters interwoven into one,
usually initials of a name. |
| monograph |
n. |
A treatise discussing a single subject or branch of a subject. |
| monolith |
n. |
Any structure or sculpture in stone formed of a single piece. |
| monologue |
n. |
A story or drama told or performed by one person. |
| monomania |
n. |
The unreasonable pursuit of one idea. |
| monopoly |
n. |
The control of a thing, as a commodity, to enable a person to raise its
price. |
| monosyllable |
n. |
A word of one syllable. |
| monotone |
n. |
The sameness or monotony of utterance. |
| monotonous |
adj. |
Unchanging and tedious. |
| monotony |
n. |
A lack of variety. |
| monsieur |
n. |
A French title of respect, equivalent to Mr. and sir. |
| monstrosity |
n. |
Anything unnaturally huge or distorted. |
| moonbeam |
n. |
A ray of moonlight. |
| morale |
n. |
A state of mind with reference to confidence, courage, zeal, and the
like. |
| moralist |
n. |
A writer on ethics. |
| morality |
n. |
Virtue. |
| moralize |
v. |
To render virtuous. |
| moratorium |
n. |
An emergency legislation authorizing a government suspend some action
temporarily. |
| morbid |
adj. |
Caused by or denoting a diseased or unsound condition of body or mind. |
| mordacious |
adj. |
Biting or giving to biting. |
| mordant |
adj. |
Biting. |
| moribund |
adj. |
On the point of dying. |
| morose |
adj. |
Gloomy. |
| morphology |
n. |
the science of organic forms. |
| motley |
adj. |
Composed of heterogeneous or inharmonious elements. |
| motto |
n. |
An expressive word or pithy sentence enunciating some guiding rule of
life, or faith. |
| mountaineer |
n. |
One who travels among or climbs mountains for pleasure or exercise. |
| mountainous |
adj. |
Full of or abounding in mountains. |
| mouthful |
n. |
As much as can be or is usually put into the or exercise. |
| muddle |
v. |
To confuse or becloud, especially with or as with drink. |
| muffle |
v. |
To deaden the sound of, as by wraps. |
| mulatto |
n. |
The offspring of a white person and a black person. |
| muleteer |
n. |
A mule-driver. |
| multiform |
adj. |
Having many shapes, or appearances. |
| multiplicity |
n. |
the condition of being manifold or very various. |
| mundane |
adj. |
Worldly, as opposed to spiritual or celestial. |
| municipal |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to a town or city, or to its corporate or local
government. |
| municipality |
n. |
A district enjoying municipal government. |
| munificence |
n. |
A giving characterized by generous motives and extraordinary liberality. |
| munificent |
adj. |
Extraordinarily generous. |
| muster |
n. |
An assemblage or review of troops for parade or inspection, or for
numbering off. |
| mutation |
n. |
The act or process of change. |
| mutilate |
v. |
To disfigure. |
| mutiny |
n. |
Rebellion against lawful or constituted authority. |
| myriad |
n. |
A vast indefinite number. |
| mystic |
n. |
One who professes direct divine illumination, or relies upon meditation
to acquire truth. |
| mystification |
n. |
The act of artfully perplexing. |
| myth |
n. |
A fictitious narrative presented as historical, but without any basis of
fact. |
| mythology |
n. |
The whole body of legends cherished by a race concerning gods and heroes. |
| nameless |
adj. |
Having no fame or reputation. |
| naphtha |
n. |
A light, colorless, volatile, inflammable oil used as a solvent, as in
manufacture of paints. |
| Narcissus |
n. |
The son of the Athenian river-god Cephisus, fabled to have fallen in love
with his reflection. |
| narrate |
v. |
To tell a story. |
| narration |
n. |
The act of recounting the particulars of an event in the order of time or
occurrence. |
| narrative |
n. |
An orderly continuous account of the successive particulars of an event. |
| narrator |
n. |
One who narrates anything. |
| narrow-minded |
adj. |
Characterized by illiberal views or sentiments. |
| nasal |
adj. |
Pertaining to the nose. |
| natal |
adj. |
Pertaining to one's birth. |
| nationality |
n. |
A connection with a particular nation. |
| naturally |
adv. |
According to the usual order of things. |
| nausea |
n. |
An affection of the stomach producing dizziness and usually an impulse to
vomit |
| nauseate |
v. |
To cause to loathe. |
| nauseous |
adj. |
Loathsome. |
| nautical |
adj. |
Pertaining to ships, seamen, or navigation. |
| naval |
adj. |
Pertaining to ships. |
| navel |
n. |
The depression on the abdomen where the umbilical cord of the fetus was
attached. |
| navigable |
adj. |
Capable of commercial navigation. |
| navigate |
v. |
To traverse by ship. |
| nebula |
n. |
A gaseous body of unorganized stellar substance. |
| necessary |
adj. |
Indispensably requisite or absolutely needed to accomplish a desired
result. |
| necessitate |
v. |
To render indispensable. |
| necessity |
n. |
That which is indispensably requisite to an end desired. |
| necrology |
n. |
A list of persons who have died in a certain place or time. |
| necromancer |
n. |
One who practices the art of foretelling the future by means of
communication with the dead. |
| necropolis |
n. |
A city of the dead. |
| necrosis |
n. |
the death of part of the body. |
| nectar |
n. |
Any especially sweet and delicious drink. |
| nectarine |
n. |
A variety of the peach. |
| needlework |
n. |
Embroidery. |
| needy |
adj. |
Being in need, want, or poverty. |
| nefarious |
adj. |
Wicked in the extreme. |
| negate |
v. |
To deny. |
| negation |
n. |
The act of denying or of asserting the falsity of a proposition. |
| neglectful |
adj. |
Exhibiting or indicating omission. |
| negligee |
n. |
A loose gown worn by women. |
| negligence |
n. |
Omission of that which ought to be done. |
| negligent |
adj. |
Apt to omit what ought to be done. |
| negligible |
adj. |
Transferable by assignment, endorsement, or delivery. |
| negotiable |
v. |
To bargain with others for an agreement, as for a treaty or transfer of
property. |
| Nemesis |
n. |
A goddess; divinity of chastisement and vengeance. |
| neocracy |
n. |
Government administered by new or untried persons. |
| neo-Darwinsim |
n. |
Darwinism as modified and extended by more recent students. |
| neo-Latin |
n. |
Modernized Latin. |
| neopaganism |
n. |
A new or revived paganism. |
| Neolithic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the later stone age. |
| neology |
n. |
The coining or using of new words or new meanings of words. |
| neophyte |
adj. |
Having the character of a beginner. |
| nestle |
v. |
To adjust cozily in snug quarters. |
| nestling |
adj. |
Recently hatched. |
| nettle |
v. |
To excite sensations of uneasiness or displeasure in. |
| network |
n. |
Anything that presents a system of cross- lines. |
| neural |
adj. |
Pertaining to the nerves or nervous system. |
| neurology |
n. |
The science of the nervous system. |
| neuter |
adj. |
Neither masculine nor feminine. |
| neutral |
adj. |
Belonging to or under control of neither of two contestants. |
| nevertheless |
conj. |
Notwithstanding. |
| Newtonian |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to Sir Isaac Newton, the English philosopher. |
| niggardly |
adj. |
Stingy. (no longer acceptable to use) |
| nihilist |
n. |
An advocate of the doctrine that nothing either exists or can be known. |
| nil |
n. |
Nothing |
| nimble |
adj. |
Light and quick in motion or action. |
| nit |
n. |
The egg of a louse or some other insect. |
| nocturnal |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the night. |
| noiseless |
adj. |
Silent. |
| noisome |
adj. |
Very offensive, particularly to the sense of smell. |
| noisy |
adj. |
Clamorous. |
| nomad |
adj. |
Having no fixed abode. |
| nomic |
adj. |
Usual or customary. |
| nominal |
adj. |
Trivial. |
| nominate |
v. |
To designate as a candidate for any office. |
| nomination |
n. |
The act or ceremony of naming a man or woman for office. |
| nominee |
n. |
One who receives a nomination. |
| non-existent |
n. |
That which does not exist. |
| non-resident |
adj. |
Not residing within a given jurisdiction. |
| nonchalance |
n. |
A state of mind indicating lack of interest. |
| non-combatant |
n. |
One attached to the army or navy, but having duties other than that of
fighting. |
| nondescript |
adj. |
Indescribable. |
| nonentity |
n. |
A person or thing of little or no account. |
| nonpareil |
n. |
One who or that which is of unequaled excellence. |
| norm |
n. |
A model. |
| normalcy |
n. |
The state of being normal. |
| Norman |
adj. |
Of or peculiar to Normandy, in northern France. |
| nostrum |
n. |
Any scheme or recipe of a charlatan character. |
| noticeable |
adj. |
Perceptible. |
| notorious |
adj. |
Unfavorably known to the general public. |
| novellette |
n. |
A short novel. |
| novice |
n. |
A beginner in any business or occupation. |
| nowadays |
adv. |
In the present time or age. |
| nowhere |
adv. |
In no place or state. |
| noxious |
adj. |
Hurtful. |
| nuance |
n. |
A slight degree of difference in anything perceptible to the sense of the
mind. |
| nucleus |
n. |
A central point or part about which matter is aggregated. |
| nude |
adj. |
Naked. |
| nugatory |
adj. |
Having no power or force. |
| nuisance |
n. |
That which annoys, vexes, or irritates. |
| numeration |
n. |
The act or art of reading or naming numbers. |
| numerical |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to number. |
| nunnery |
n. |
A convent for nuns. |
| nuptial |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to marriage, especially to the marriage ceremony. |
| nurture |
n. |
The process of fostering or promoting growth. |
| nutriment |
n. |
That which nourishes. |
| nutritive |
adj. |
Having nutritious properties. |
| oaken |
adj. |
Made of or from oak. |
| oakum |
n. |
Hemp-fiber obtained by untwisting and picking out loosely the yarns of
old hemp rope. |
| obdurate |
adj. |
Impassive to feelings of humanity or pity. |
| obelisk |
n. |
A square shaft with pyramidal top, usually monumental or commemorative. |
| obese |
adj. |
Exceedingly fat. |
| obesity |
n. |
Excessive fatness. |
| obituary |
adj. |
A published notice of a death. |
| objective |
adj. |
Grasping and representing facts as they are. |
| objector |
n. |
One who objects, as to a proposition, measure, or ruling. |
| obligate |
v. |
To hold to the fulfillment of duty. |
| obligatory |
adj. |
Binding in law or conscience. |
| oblique |
adj. |
Slanting; said of lines. |
| obliterate |
v. |
To cause to disappear. |
| oblivion |
n. |
The state of having passed out of the memory or of being utterly
forgotten. |
| oblong |
adj. |
Longer than broad: applied most commonly to rectangular objects
considerably elongated |
| obnoxious |
adj. |
Detestable. |
| obsequies |
n. |
Funeral rites. |
| obsequious |
adj. |
Showing a servile readiness to fall in with the wishes or will of
another. |
| observance |
n. |
A traditional form or customary act. |
| observant |
adj. |
Quick to notice. |
| observatory |
n. |
A building designed for systematic astronomical observations. |
| obsolescence |
n. |
The condition or process of gradually falling into disuse. |
| obsolescent |
adj. |
Passing out of use, as a word. |
| obsolete |
adj. |
No longer practiced or accepted. |
| obstetrician |
n. |
A practitioner of midwifery. |
| obstetrics |
n. |
The branch of medical science concerned with the treatment and care of
women during pregnancy. |
| obstinacy |
n. |
Stubborn adherence to opinion, arising from conceit or the desire to have
one's own way. |
| obstreperous |
adj. |
Boisterous. |
| obstruct |
v. |
To fill with impediments so as to prevent passage, either wholly or in
part. |
| obstruction |
n. |
Hindrance. |
| obtrude |
v. |
To be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence. |
| obtrusive |
adj. |
Tending to be pushed or to push oneself into undue prominence. |
| obvert |
v. |
To turn the front or principal side of (a thing) toward any person or
object. |
| obviate |
v. |
To clear away or provide for, as an objection or difficulty. |
| occasion |
n. |
An important event or celebration. |
| Occident |
n. |
The countries lying west of Asia and the Turkish dominions. |
| occlude |
v. |
To absorb, as a gas by a metal. |
| occult |
adj. |
Existing but not immediately perceptible. |
| occupant |
n. |
A tenant in possession of property, as distinguished from the actual
owner. |
| occurrence |
n. |
A happening. |
| octagon |
n. |
A figure with eight sides and eight angles. |
| octave |
n. |
A note at this interval above or below any other, considered in relation
to that other. |
| octavo |
n. |
A book, or collection of paper in which the sheets are so folded as to
make eight leaves. |
| octogenarian |
adj. |
A person of between eighty and ninety years. |
| ocular |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the eye. |
| oculist |
n. |
One versed or skilled in treating diseases of the eye. |
| oddity |
n. |
An eccentricity. |
| ode |
n. |
The form of lyric poetry anciently intended to be sung. |
| odious |
adj. |
Hateful. |
| odium |
n. |
A feeling of extreme repugnance, or of dislike and disgust. |
| odoriferous |
adj. |
Having or diffusing an odor or scent, especially an agreeable one. |
| odorous |
adj. |
Having an odor, especially a fragrant one. |
| off |
adj. |
Farther or more distant. |
| offhand |
adv. |
Without preparation. |
| officiate |
v. |
To act as an officer or leader. |
| officious |
adj. |
Intermeddling with what is not one's concern. |
| offshoot |
n. |
Something that branches off from the parent stock. |
| ogre |
n. |
A demon or monster that was supposed to devour human beings. |
| ointment |
n. |
A fatty preparation with a butter-like consistency in which a medicinal
substance exists. |
| olfactory |
adj. |
of or pertaining to the sense of smell. |
| olive-branch |
n. |
A branch of the olive-tree, as an emblem of peace. |
| ominous |
adj. |
Portentous. |
| omission |
n. |
Exclusion. |
| omnipotence |
n. |
Unlimited and universal power. |
| Omnipotent |
adj. |
Possessed of unlimited and universal power. |
| omniscience |
n. |
Unlimited or infinite knowledge. |
| omniscient |
adj. |
Characterized by unlimited or infinite knowledge. |
| omnivorous |
adj. |
Eating or living upon food of all kinds indiscriminately. |
| onerous |
adj. |
Burdensome or oppressive. |
| onrush |
n. |
Onset. |
| onset |
n. |
An assault, especially of troops, upon an enemy or fortification. |
| onslaught |
n. |
A violent onset. |
| onus |
n. |
A burden or responsibility. |
| opalescence |
n. |
The property of combined refraction and reflection of light, resulting in
smoky tints. |
| opaque |
adj. |
Impervious to light. |
| operate |
v. |
To put in action and supervise the working of. |
| operative |
adj. |
Active. |
| operator |
n. |
One who works with or controls some machine or scientific apparatus. |
| operetta |
n. |
A humorous play in dialogue and music, of more than one act. |
| opinion |
n. |
A conclusion or judgment held with confidence, but falling short of
positive knowledge. |
| opponent |
n. |
One who supports the opposite side in a debate, discussion, struggle, or
sport. |
| opportune |
adj. |
Especially fit as occurring, said, or done at the right moment. |
| opportunist |
n. |
One who takes advantage of circumstances to gain his ends. |
| opportunity |
n. |
Favorable or advantageous chance or opening. |
| opposite |
adj. |
Radically different or contrary in action or movement. |
| opprobrium |
n. |
The state of being scornfully reproached or accused of evil. |
| optic |
n. |
Pertaining to the eye or vision. |
| optician |
n. |
One who makes or deals in optical instruments or eye-glasses. |
| optics |
n. |
The science that treats of light and vision, and all that is connected
with sight. |
| optimism |
n. |
The view that everything in nature and the history of mankind is ordered
for the best. |
| option |
n. |
The right, power, or liberty of choosing. |
| optometry |
n. |
Measurement of the powers of vision. |
| opulence |
n. |
Affluence. |
| opulent |
adj. |
Wealthy. |
| oral |
adj. |
Uttered through the mouth. |
| orate |
v. |
To deliver an elaborate or formal public speech. |
| oration |
n. |
An elaborate or formal public speech. |
| orator |
n. |
One who delivers an elaborate or formal speech. |
| oratorio |
n. |
A composition for solo voices, chorus, and orchestra, generally taken
from the Scriptures. |
| oratory |
n. |
The art of public speaking. |
| ordeal |
n. |
Anything that severely tests courage, strength, patience, conscience,
etc. |
| ordinal |
n. |
That form of the numeral that shows the order of anything in a series, as
first, second, third. |
| ordination |
n. |
A consecration to the ministry. |
| ordnance |
n. |
A general name for all kinds of weapons and their appliances used in war. |
| orgies |
n. |
Wild or wanton revelry. |
| origin |
n. |
The beginning of that which becomes or is made to be. |
| original |
adj. |
Not copied nor produced by imitation. |
| originate |
v. |
To cause or constitute the beginning or first stage of the existence of. |
| ornate |
adj. |
Ornamented to a marked degree. |
| orthodox |
adj. |
Holding the commonly accepted faith. |
| orthodoxy |
n. |
Acceptance of the common faith. |
| orthogonal |
adj. |
Having or determined by right angles. |
| orthopedic |
adj. |
Relating to the correcting or preventing of deformity |
| orthopedist |
n. |
One who practices the correcting or preventing of deformity |
| oscillate |
v. |
To swing back and forth. |
| osculate |
v. |
To kiss. |
| ossify |
v. |
to convert into bone. |
| ostentation |
n. |
A display dictated by vanity and intended to invite applause or flattery. |
| ostracism |
n. |
Exclusion from intercourse or favor, as in society or politics. |
| ostracize |
v. |
To exclude from public or private favor. |
| ought |
v. |
To be under moral obligation to be or do. |
| oust |
v. |
To eject. |
| out-and-out |
adv. |
Genuinely. |
| outbreak |
n. |
A sudden and violent breaking forth, as of something that has been pent
up or restrained. |
| outburst |
n. |
A violent issue, especially of passion in an individual. |
| outcast |
n. |
One rejected and despised, especially socially. |
| outcry |
n. |
A vehement or loud cry or clamor. |
| outdo |
v. |
To surpass. |
| outlandish |
adj. |
Of barbarous, uncouth, and unfamiliar aspect or action. |
| outlast |
v. |
To last longer than. |
| outlaw |
n. |
A habitual lawbreaker. |
| outlive |
v. |
To continue to exist after. |
| out-of-the-way |
adj. |
Remotely situated. |
| outpost |
n. |
A detachment of troops stationed at a distance from the main body to
guard against surprise. |
| outrage |
n. |
A gross infringement of morality or decency. |
| outrageous |
adj. |
Shocking in conduct. |
| outreach |
v. |
To reach or go beyond. |
| outride |
v. |
To ride faster than. |
| outrigger |
n. |
A part built or arranged to project beyond a natural outline for support. |
| outright |
adv. |
Entirely. |
| outskirt |
n. |
A border region. |
| outstretch |
v. |
To extend. |
| outstrip |
v. |
To go beyond. |
| outweigh |
v. |
To surpass in importance or excellence. |
| overdo |
v. |
To overtax the strength of. |
| overdose |
n. |
An excessive dose, usually so large a dose of a medicine that its effect
is toxic. |
| overeat |
v. |
To eat to excess. |
| overhang |
n. |
A portion of a structure which projects or hangs over. |
| overleap |
v. |
To leap beyond. |
| overlord |
n. |
One who holds supremacy over another. |
| overpass |
v. |
To pass across or over, as a river. |
| overpay |
v. |
To pay or reward in excess. |
| overpower |
v. |
To gain supremacy or victory over by superior power. |
| overproduction |
n. |
Excessive production. |
| overreach |
v. |
To stretch out too far. |
| overrun |
v. |
To infest or ravage. |
| oversee |
v. |
To superintend. |
| overseer |
n. |
A supervisor. |
| overshadow |
v. |
To cast into the shade or render insignificant by comparison. |
| overstride |
v. |
To step beyond. |
| overthrow |
v. |
To vanquish an established ruler or government. |
| overtone |
n. |
A harmonic. |
| overture |
n. |
An instrumental prelude to an opera, oratorio, or ballet. |
| overweight |
n. |
Preponderance. |
| pacify |
v. |
To bring into a peaceful state. |
| packet |
n. |
A bundle, as of letters. |
| pact |
n. |
A covenant. |
| pagan |
n. |
A worshiper of false gods. |
| pageant |
n. |
A dramatic representation, especially a spectacular one. |
| palate |
n. |
The roof of the mouth. |
| palatial |
adj. |
Magnificent. |
| paleontology |
n. |
The branch of biology that treats of ancient life and fossil organisms. |
| palette |
n. |
A thin tablet, with a hole for the thumb, upon which artists lay their
colors for painting. |
| palinode |
n. |
A retraction. |
| pall |
v. |
To make dull by satiety. |
| palliate |
v. |
To cause to appear less guilty. |
| pallid |
adj. |
Of a pale or wan appearance. |
| palpable |
n. |
perceptible by feeling or touch. |
| palsy |
n. |
Paralysis. |
| paly |
adj. |
Lacking color or brilliancy. |
| pamphlet |
n. |
A brief treatise or essay, usually on a subject of current interest. |
| pamphleteer |
v. |
To compose or issue pamphlets, especially controversial ones. |
| panacea |
n. |
A remedy or medicine proposed for or professing to cure all diseases. |
| Pan-American |
adj. |
Including or pertaining to the whole of America, both North and South. |
| pandemic |
adj. |
Affecting a whole people or all classes, as a disease. |
| pandemonium |
n. |
A fiendish or riotous uproar. |
| panegyric |
n. |
A formal and elaborate eulogy, written or spoken, of a person or of an
act. |
| panel |
n. |
A rectangular piece set in or as in a frame. |
| panic |
n. |
A sudden, unreasonable, overpowering fear. |
| panoply |
n. |
A full set of armor. |
| panorama |
n. |
A series of large pictures representing a continuous scene. |
| pantheism |
n. |
The worship of nature for itself or its beauty. |
| Pantheon |
n. |
A circular temple at Rome with a fine Corinthian portico and a great
domed roof. |
| pantomime |
n. |
Sign-language. |
| pantoscope |
n. |
A very wide-angled photographic lens. |
| papacy |
n. |
The official head of the Roman Catholic Church. |
| papyrus |
n. |
The writing-paper of the ancient Egyptians, and later of the Romans. |
| parable |
n. |
A brief narrative founded on real scenes or events usually with a moral. |
| paradox |
n. |
A statement or doctrine seemingly in contradiction to the received
belief. |
| paragon |
n. |
A model of excellence. |
| parallel |
v. |
To cause to correspond or lie in the same direction and equidistant in
all parts. |
| parallelism |
n. |
Essential likeness. |
| paralysis |
n. |
Loss of the power of contractility in the voluntary or involuntary
muscles. |
| paralyze |
v. |
To deprive of the power to act. |
| paramount |
adj. |
Supreme in authority. |
| paramour |
n. |
One who is unlawfully and immorally a lover or a mistress. |
| paraphernalia |
n. |
Miscellaneous articles of equipment or adornment. |
| paraphrase |
v. |
Translate freely. |
| pare |
v. |
To cut, shave, or remove (the outside) from anything. |
| parentage |
n. |
The relation of parent to child, of the producer to the produced, or of
cause to effect. |
| Pariah |
n. |
A member of a degraded class; a social outcast. |
| parish |
n. |
The ecclesiastical district in charge of a pastor. |
| Parisian |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the city of Paris. |
| parity |
n. |
Equality, as of condition or rank. |
| parlance |
n. |
Mode of speech. |
| parley |
v. |
To converse in. |
| parliament |
n. |
A legislative body. |
| parlor |
n. |
A room for reception of callers or entertainment of guests. |
| parody |
v. |
To render ludicrous by imitating the language of. |
| paronymous |
adj. |
Derived from the same root or primitive word. |
| paroxysm |
n. |
A sudden outburst of any kind of activity. |
| parricide |
n. |
The murder of a parent. |
| parse |
v. |
To describe, as a sentence, by separating it into its elements and
describing each word. |
| parsimonious |
adj. |
Unduly sparing in the use or expenditure of money. |
| partible |
adj. |
Separable. |
| participant |
n. |
One having a share or part. |
| participate |
v. |
To receive or have a part or share of. |
| partition |
n. |
That which separates anything into distinct parts. |
| partisan |
adj. |
Characterized by or exhibiting undue or unreasoning devotion to a party. |
| passible |
adj. |
Capable of feeling of suffering. |
| passive |
adj. |
Unresponsive. |
| pastoral |
adj. |
Having the spirit or sentiment of rural life. |
| paternal |
adj. |
Fatherly. |
| paternity |
n. |
Fatherhood. |
| pathos |
n. |
The quality in any form of representation that rouses emotion or
sympathy. |
| patriarch |
n. |
The chief of a tribe or race who rules by paternal right. |
| patrician |
adj. |
Of senatorial or noble rank. |
| patrimony |
n. |
An inheritance from an ancestor, especially from one's father. |
| patriotism |
n. |
Love and devotion to one's country. |
| patronize |
v. |
To exercise an arrogant condescension toward. |
| patronymic |
adj. |
Formed after one's father's name. |
| patter |
v. |
To mumble something over and over. |
| paucity |
n. |
Fewness. |
| pauper |
n. |
One without means of support. |
| pauperism |
n. |
Dependence on charity. |
| pavilion |
n. |
An open structure for temporary shelter. |
| payee |
n. |
A person to whom money has been or is to be paid. |
| peaceable |
adj. |
Tranquil. |
| peaceful |
adj. |
Tranquil. |
| peccable |
adj. |
Capable of sinning. |
| peccadillo |
n. |
A small breach of propriety or principle. |
| peccant |
adj. |
Guilty. |
| pectoral |
adj. |
Pertaining to the breast or thorax. |
| pecuniary |
adj. |
Consisting of money. |
| pedagogics |
n. |
The science and art of teaching. |
| pedagogue |
n. |
A schoolmaster. |
| pedagogy |
n. |
The science and art of teaching |
| pedal |
n. |
A lever for the foot usually applied only to musical instruments, cycles,
and other machines. |
| pedant |
n. |
A scholar who makes needless and inopportune display of his learning. |
| peddle |
v. |
To go about with a small stock of goods to sell. |
| pedestal |
n. |
A base or support as for a column, statue, or vase. |
| pedestrian |
n. |
One who journeys on foot. |
| pediatrics |
n. |
The department of medical science that relates to the treatment of
diseases of childhood. |
| pedigree |
n. |
One's line of ancestors. |
| peddler |
n. |
One who travels from house to house with an assortment of goods for
retail. |
| peerage |
n. |
The nobility. |
| peerless |
adj. |
Of unequaled excellence or worth. |
| peevish |
adj. |
Petulant. (irritable) |
| pellucid |
adj. |
Translucent. |
| penalty |
n. |
The consequences that follow the transgression of natural or divine law. |
| penance |
n. |
Punishment to which one voluntarily submits or subjects himself as an
expression of penitence. |
| penchant |
n. |
A bias in favor of something. |
| pendant |
n. |
Anything that hangs from something else, either for ornament or for use. |
| pendulous |
adj. |
Hanging, especially so as to swing by an attached end or part. |
| pendulum |
n. |
A weight hung on a rod, serving by its oscillation to regulate the rate
of a clock. |
| penetrable |
adj. |
That may be pierced by physical, moral, or intellectual force. |
| penetrate |
v. |
To enter or force a way into the interior parts of. |
| penetration |
n. |
Discernment. |
| peninsular |
adj. |
Pertaining to a piece of land almost surrounded by water. |
| penitence |
n. |
Sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone. |
| penitential |
adj. |
Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone. |
| pennant |
n. |
A small flag. |
| pension |
n. |
A periodical allowance to an individual on account of past service done
by him/her. |
| pentagram |
n. |
A figure having five points or lobes. |
| pentavalent |
adj. |
Quinqeuvalent. |
| pentad |
n. |
The number five. |
| pentagon |
n. |
A figure, especially, with five angles and five sides. |
| pentahedron |
n. |
A solid bounded by five plane faces. |
| pentameter |
n. |
In prosody, a line of verse containing five units or feet. |
| pentathlon |
n. |
The contest of five associated exercises in the great games and the same
contestants. |
| penultimate |
adj. |
A syllable or member of a series that is last but one. |
| penurious |
adj. |
Excessively sparing in the use of money. |
| penury |
n. |
Indigence. |
| perambulate |
v. |
To walk about. |
| perceive |
v. |
To have knowledge of, or receive impressions concerning, through the
medium of the body senses. |
| perceptible |
adj. |
Cognizable. |
| perception |
n. |
Knowledge through the senses of the existence and properties of matter or
the external world. |
| percipience |
n. |
The act of perceiving. |
| percipient |
n. |
One who or that which perceives. |
| percolate |
v. |
To filter. |
| percolator |
n. |
A filter. |
| percussion |
n. |
The sharp striking of one body against another. |
| peremptory |
adj. |
Precluding question or appeal. |
| perennial |
adj. |
Continuing though the year or through many years. |
| perfectible |
adj. |
Capable of being made perfect. |
| perfidy |
n. |
Treachery. |
| perforate |
v. |
To make a hole or holes through. |
| perform |
v. |
To accomplish. |
| perfumery |
n. |
The preparation of perfumes. |
| perfunctory |
adj. |
Half-hearted. |
| perhaps |
adv. |
Possibly. |
| perigee |
n. |
The point in the orbit of the moon when it is nearest the earth. |
| periodicity |
n. |
The habit or characteristic of recurrence at regular intervals. |
| peripatetic |
adj. |
Walking about. |
| perjure |
v. |
To swear falsely to. |
| perjury |
n. |
A solemn assertion of a falsity. |
| permanence |
n. |
A continuance in the same state, or without any change that destroys the
essential form or nature. |
| permanent |
adj. |
Durable. |
| permeate |
v. |
To pervade. |
| permissible |
adj. |
That may be allowed. |
| permutation |
n. |
Reciprocal change, different ordering of same items. |
| pernicious |
adj. |
Tending to kill or hurt. |
| perpendicular |
adj. |
Straight up and down. |
| perpetrator |
n. |
The doer of a wrong or a criminal act. |
| perpetuate |
v. |
To preserve from extinction or oblivion. |
| perquisite |
n. |
Any profit from service beyond the amount fixed as salary or wages. |
| persecution |
n. |
Harsh or malignant oppression. |
| perseverance |
n. |
A persistence in purpose and effort. |
| persevere |
v. |
To continue striving in spite of discouragements. |
| persiflage |
n. |
Banter. |
| persist |
v. |
To continue steadfast against opposition. |
| persistence |
n. |
A fixed adherence to a resolve, course of conduct, or the like. |
| personage |
n. |
A man or woman as an individual, especially one of rank or high station. |
| personal |
adj. |
Not general or public. |
| personality |
n. |
The attributes, taken collectively, that make up the character and nature
of an individual. |
| personnel |
n. |
The force of persons collectively employed in some service. |
| perspective |
n. |
The relative importance of facts or matters from any special point of
view. |
| perspicacious |
adj. |
Astute. |
| perspicacity |
n. |
Acuteness or discernment. |
| perspicuous |
adj. |
Lucid. |
| perspiration |
n. |
Sweat. |
| perspire |
v. |
To excrete through the pores of the skin. |
| persuade |
v. |
To win the mind of by argument, eloquence, evidence, or reflection. |
| persuadable |
adj. |
capable of influencing to action by entreaty, statement, or anything that
moves the feelings. |
| pertinacious |
adj. |
Persistent or unyielding. |
| pertinacity |
n. |
Unyielding adherence. |
| pertinent |
adj. |
Relevant. |
| perturb |
v. |
To disturb greatly. |
| perturbation |
n. |
Mental excitement or confusion. |
| perusal |
n. |
The act of reading carefully or thoughtfully. |
| pervade |
v. |
To pass or spread through every part. |
| pervasion |
n. |
The state of spreading through every part. |
| pervasive |
adj. |
Thoroughly penetrating or permeating. |
| perverse |
adj. |
Unreasonable. |
| perversion |
n. |
Diversion from the true meaning or proper purpose. |
| perversity |
n. |
Wickedness. |
| pervert |
n. |
One who has forsaken a doctrine regarded as true for one esteemed false. |
| pervious |
adj. |
Admitting the entrance or passage of another substance. |
| pestilence |
n. |
A raging epidemic. |
| pestilent |
adj. |
Having a malign influence or effect. |
| pestilential |
adj. |
having the nature of or breeding pestilence. |
| peter |
v. |
To fail or lose power, efficiency, or value. |
| petrify |
v. |
To convert into a substance of stony hardness and character. |
| petulance |
n. |
The character or condition of being impatient, capricious or petulant. |
| petulant |
adj. |
Displaying impatience. |
| pharmacopoeia |
n. |
A book containing the formulas and methods of preparation of medicines
for the use of druggists. |
| pharmacy |
n. |
The art or business of compounding and dispensing medicines. |
| phenomenal |
adj. |
Extraordinary or marvelous. |
| phenomenon |
n. |
Any unusual occurrence. |
| philander |
v. |
To play at courtship with a woman. |
| philanthropic |
adj. |
Benevolent. |
| philanthropist |
n. |
One who endeavors to help his fellow men. |
| philanthropy |
n. |
Active humanitarianism. |
| philately |
n. |
The study and collection of stamps. |
| philharmonic |
adj. |
Fond of music. |
| philogynist |
n. |
One who is fond of women. |
| philologist |
n. |
An expert in linguistics. |
| philology |
n. |
The study of language in connection with history and literature. |
| philosophize |
v. |
To seek ultimate causes and principles. |
| philosophy |
n. |
The general principles, laws, or causes that furnish the rational
explanation of anything. |
| phlegmatic |
adj. |
Not easily roused to feeling or action. |
| phonetic |
adj. |
Representing articulate sounds or speech. |
| phonic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the nature of sound. |
| phonogram |
n. |
A graphic character symbolizing an articulate sound. |
| phonology |
n. |
The science of human vocal sounds. |
| phosphorescence |
n. |
The property of emitting light. |
| photoelectric |
adj. |
Pertaining to the combined action of light and electricity. |
| photometer |
n. |
Any instrument for measuring the intensity of light or comparing the
intensity of two lights. |
| photometry |
n. |
The art of measuring the intensity of light. |
| physicist |
n. |
A specialist in the science that treats of the phenomena associated with
matter and energy. |
| physics |
n. |
The science that treats of the phenomena associated with matter and
energy. |
| physiocracy |
n. |
The doctrine that land and its products are the only true wealth. |
| physiognomy |
n. |
The external appearance merely. |
| physiography |
n. |
Description of nature. |
| physiology |
n. |
The science of organic functions. |
| physique |
n. |
The physical structure or organization of a person. |
| picayune |
adj. |
Of small value. |
| piccolo |
n. |
A small flute. |
| piece |
n. |
A loose or separated part, as distinguished from the whole or the mass. |
| piecemeal |
adv. |
Gradually. |
| pillage |
n. |
Open robbery, as in war. |
| pillory |
n. |
A wooden framework in which an offender is fastened to boards and is
exposed to public scorn. |
| pincers |
n. |
An instrument having two lever-handles and two jaws working on a pivot. |
| pinchers |
n. |
An instrument having two jaws working on a pivot. |
| pinnacle |
n. |
A high or topmost point, as a mountain-peak. |
| pioneer |
n. |
One among the first to explore a country. |
| pious |
adj. |
Religious. |
| pique |
v. |
To excite a slight degree of anger in. |
| piteous |
adj. |
Compassionate. |
| pitiable |
adj. |
Contemptible. |
| pitiful |
adj. |
Wretched. |
| pitiless |
adj. |
Hard-hearted. |
| pittance |
n. |
Any small portion or meager allowance. |
| placate |
v. |
To bring from a state of angry or hostile feeling to one of patience or
friendliness. |
| placid |
adj. |
Serene. |
| plagiarism |
n. |
The stealing of passages from the writings of another and publishing them
as one's own. |
| planisphere |
n. |
A polar projection of the heavens on a chart. |
| plasticity |
n. |
The property of some substances through which the form of the mass can
readily be changed. |
| platitude |
n. |
A written or spoken statement that is flat, dull, or commonplace. |
| plaudit |
n. |
An expression of applause. |
| plausible |
adj. |
Seeming likely to be true, though open to doubt. |
| playful |
adj. |
Frolicsome. |
| playwright |
n. |
A maker of plays for the stage. |
| plea |
n. |
An argument to obtain some desired action. |
| pleasant |
adj. |
Agreeable. |
| pleasurable |
adj. |
Affording gratification. |
| plebeian |
adj. |
Common. |
| pledgee |
n. |
The person to whom anything is pledged. |
| pledgeor |
n. |
One who gives a pledge. |
| plenary |
adj. |
Entire. |
| plenipotentiary |
n. |
A person fully empowered to transact any business. |
| plenitude |
n. |
Abundance. |
| plenteous |
adj. |
Abundant. |
| plumb |
n. |
A weight suspended by a line to test the verticality of something. |
| plummet |
n. |
A piece of lead for making soundings, adjusting walls to the vertical. |
| pluperfect |
adj. |
Expressing past time or action prior to some other past time or action. |
| plural |
adj. |
Containing or consisting of more than one. |
| plurality |
n. |
A majority. |
| plutocracy |
n. |
A wealthy class in a political community who control the government by
means of their money. |
| pneumatic |
adj. |
Pertaining to or consisting of air or gas. |
| poesy |
n. |
Poetry. |
| poetaster |
n. |
An inferior poet. |
| poetic |
adj. |
Pertaining to poetry. |
| poetics |
n. |
The rules and principles of poetry. |
| poignancy |
n. |
Severity or acuteness, especially of pain or grief. |
| poignant |
adj. |
Severely painful or acute to the spirit. |
| poise |
n. |
Equilibrium. |
| polar |
adj. |
Pertaining to the poles of a sphere, especially of the earth. |
| polemics |
n. |
The art of controversy or disputation. |
| pollen |
n. |
The fine dust-like grains or powder formed within the anther of a
flowering plant. |
| pollute |
v. |
To contaminate. |
| polyarchy |
n. |
Government by several or many persons of what- ever class. |
| polycracy |
n. |
The rule of many. |
| polygamy |
n. |
the fact or condition of having more than one wife or husband at once. |
| polyglot |
adj. |
Speaking several tongues. |
| polygon |
n. |
A figure having many angles. |
| polyhedron |
n. |
A solid bounded by plane faces, especially by more than four. |
| polysyllable |
adj. |
Having several syllables, especially more than three syllables. |
| polytechnic |
adj. |
Pertaining to, embracing, or practicing many arts. |
| polytheism |
n. |
The doctrine or belief that there are more gods than one. |
| pommel |
v. |
To beat with something thick or bulky. |
| pomposity |
n. |
The quality of being marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness
of manner. |
| pompous |
adj. |
Marked by an assumed stateliness and impressiveness of manner. |
| ponder |
v. |
To meditate or reflect upon. |
| ponderous |
adj. |
Unusually weighty or forcible. |
| pontiff |
n. |
The Pope. |
| populace |
n. |
The common people. |
| populous |
adj. |
Containing many inhabitants, especially in proportion to the territory. |
| portend |
v. |
To indicate as being about to happen, especially by previous signs. |
| portent |
n. |
Anything that indicates what is to happen. |
| portfolio |
n. |
A portable case for holding writing-materials, drawings, etc. |
| posit |
v. |
To present in an orderly manner. |
| position |
n. |
The manner in which a thing is placed. |
| positive |
adj. |
Free from doubt or hesitation. |
| posse |
n. |
A force of men. |
| possess |
v. |
To own. |
| possession |
n. |
The having, holding, or detention of property in one's power or command. |
| possessive |
adj. |
Pertaining to the having, holding, or detention of property in one's
power or command. |
| possessor |
n. |
One who owns, enjoys, or controls anything, as property. |
| possible |
adj. |
Being not beyond the reach of power natural, moral, or supernatural. |
| postdate |
v. |
To make the date of any writing later than the real date. |
| posterior |
n. |
The hinder part. |
| postgraduate |
adj. |
Pertaining to studies that are pursued after receiving a degree. |
| postscript |
n. |
Something added to a letter after the writer's signature. |
| potency |
n. |
Power. |
| potent |
adj. |
Physically powerful. |
| potentate |
n. |
One possessed of great power or sway. |
| potential |
n. |
Anything that may be possible. |
| potion |
n. |
A dose of liquid medicine. |
| powerless |
adj. |
Impotent. |
| practicable |
adj. |
Feasible. |
| prate |
v. |
To talk about vainly or foolishly. |
| prattle |
v. |
To utter in simple or childish talk. |
| preamble |
n. |
A statement introductory to and explanatory of what follows. |
| precarious |
adj. |
Perilous. |
| precaution |
n. |
A provision made in advance for some possible emergency or danger. |
| precede |
v. |
To happen first. |
| precedence |
n. |
Priority in place, time, or rank. |
| precedent |
n. |
An instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a rule. |
| precedential |
adj. |
Of the nature of an instance that may serve as a guide or basis for a
rule. |
| precession |
n. |
The act of going forward. |
| precipice |
n. |
A high and very steep or approximately vertical cliff. |
| precipitant |
adj. |
Moving onward quickly and heedlessly. |
| precipitate |
v. |
To force forward prematurely. |
| precise |
adj. |
Exact. |
| precision |
n. |
Accuracy of limitation, definition, or adjustment. |
| preclude |
v. |
To prevent. |
| precocious |
adj. |
Having the mental faculties prematurely developed. |
| precursor |
n. |
A forerunner or herald. |
| predatory |
adj. |
Prone to pillaging. |
| predecessor |
n. |
An incumbent of a given office previous to another. |
| predicament |
n. |
A difficult, trying situation or plight. |
| predicate |
v. |
To state as belonging to something. |
| predict |
v. |
To foretell. |
| prediction |
n. |
A prophecy. |
| predominance |
n. |
Ascendancy or preponderance. |
| predominant |
adj. |
Superior in power, influence, effectiveness, number, or degree. |
| predominate |
v. |
To be chief in importance, quantity, or degree. |
| preeminence |
n. |
Special eminence. |
| preempt |
v. |
To secure the right of preference in the purchase of public land. |
| preemption |
n. |
The right or act of purchasing before others. |
| preengage |
v. |
To preoccupy. |
| preestablish |
v. |
To settle or arrange beforehand. |
| preexist |
v. |
To exist at a period or in a state earlier than something else. |
| preexistence |
n. |
Existence antecedent to something. |
| preface |
n. |
A brief explanation or address to the reader, at the beginning of a book. |
| prefatory |
adj. |
Pertaining to a brief explanation to the reader at the beginning of a
book. |
| prefer |
v. |
To hold in higher estimation. |
| preferable |
adj. |
More desirable than others. |
| preference |
n. |
An object of favor or choice. |
| preferential |
adj. |
Possessing, giving, or constituting preference or priority. |
| preferment |
n. |
Preference. |
| prefix |
v. |
To attach at the beginning. |
| prehensible |
adj. |
Capable of being grasped. |
| prehensile |
adj. |
Adapted for grasping or holding. |
| prehension |
n. |
The act of laying hold of or grasping. |
| prejudice |
n. |
A judgment or opinion formed without due examination of the facts. |
| prelacy |
n. |
A system of church government. |
| prelate |
n. |
One of a higher order of clergy having direct authority over other
clergy. |
| prelude |
n. |
An introductory or opening performance. |
| premature |
adj. |
Coming too soon. |
| premier |
adj. |
First in rank or position. |
| premise |
n. |
A judgment as a conclusion. |
| premonition |
n. |
Foreboding. |
| preoccupation |
n. |
The state of having the mind, attention, or inclination preoccupied. |
| preoccupy |
v. |
To fill the mind of a person to the exclusion of other subjects. |
| preordain |
v. |
To foreordain. |
| preparation |
n. |
An act or proceeding designed to bring about some event. |
| preparatory |
adj. |
Having to do with what is preliminary. |
| preponderant |
adj. |
Prevalent. |
| preponderate |
v. |
To exceed in influence or power. |
| prepossession |
n. |
A preconceived liking. |
| preposterous |
adj. |
Utterly ridiculous or absurd. |
| prerogative |
adj. |
Having superior rank or precedence. |
| presage |
v. |
To foretell. |
| prescience |
n. |
Knowledge of events before they take place. |
| prescient |
adj. |
Foreknowing. |
| prescript |
adj. |
Prescribed as a rule or model. |
| prescriptible |
adj. |
Derived from authoritative direction. |
| prescription |
n. |
An authoritative direction. |
| presentient |
adj. |
Perceiving or feeling beforehand. |
| presentiment |
n. |
Foreboding. |
| presentment |
n. |
Semblance. |
| preservation |
n. |
Conservation. |
| presumption |
n. |
That which may be logically assumed to be true until disproved. |
| presumptuous |
adj. |
Assuming too much. |
| pretension |
n. |
A bold or presumptuous assertion. |
| pretentious |
adj. |
Marked by pretense, conceit, or display. |
| preternatural |
adj. |
Extraordinary. |
| pretext |
n. |
A fictitious reason or motive. |
| prevalence |
n. |
Frequency. |
| prevalent |
adj. |
Of wide extent or frequent occurrence. |
| prevaricate |
v. |
To use ambiguous or evasive language for the purpose of deceiving or
diverting attention. |
| prevention |
n. |
Thwarting. |
| prickle |
v. |
To puncture slightly with fine, sharp points. |
| priggish |
adj. |
Conceited. |
| prim |
adj. |
Stiffly proper. |
| prima |
adj. |
First. |
| primer |
n. |
An elementary reading-book for children. |
| primeval |
adj. |
Belonging to the first ages. |
| primitive |
adj. |
Pertaining to the beginning or early times. |
| principal |
adj. |
Most important. |
| principality |
n. |
The territory of a reigning prince. |
| principle |
n. |
A general truth or proposition. |
| priory |
n. |
A monastic house. |
| pristine |
adj. |
Primitive. |
| privateer |
n. |
A vessel owned and officered by private persons, but carrying on maritime
war. |
| privilege |
n. |
A right or immunity not enjoyed by all, or that may be enjoyed only under
special conditions. |
| privity |
n. |
Knowledge shared with another or others regarding a private matter. |
| privy |
adj. |
Participating with another or others in the knowledge of a secret
transaction. |
| probate |
adj. |
Relating to making proof, as of a will. |
| probation |
n. |
Any proceeding designed to ascertain or test character, qualification, or
the like. |
| probe |
v. |
To search through and through. |
| probity |
n. |
Virtue or integrity tested and confirmed. |
| procedure |
n. |
A manner or method of acting. |
| proceed |
v. |
To renew motion or action, as after rest or interruption. |
| proclamation |
n. |
Any announcement made in a public manner. |
| procrastinate |
v. |
To put off till tomorrow or till a future time. |
| procrastination |
n. |
Delay. |
| proctor |
n. |
An agent acting for another. |
| prodigal |
n. |
One wasteful or extravagant, especially in the use of money or property. |
| prodigious |
adj. |
Immense. |
| prodigy |
n. |
A person or thing of very remarkable gifts or qualities. |
| productive |
adj. |
Yielding in abundance. |
| profession |
n. |
Any calling or occupation involving special mental or other special
disciplines. |
| professor |
n. |
A public teacher of the highest grade in a university or college. |
| proffer |
v. |
To offer to another for acceptance. |
| proficiency |
n. |
An advanced state of acquirement, as in some knowledge, art, or science. |
| proficient |
adj. |
Possessing ample and ready knowledge or of skill in any art, science, or
industry. |
| profile |
n. |
An outline or contour. |
| profiteer |
n. |
One who profits. |
| profligacy |
n. |
Shameless viciousness. |
| profligate |
adj. |
Abandoned to vice. |
| profuse |
adj. |
Produced or displayed in overabundance. |
| progeny |
n. |
Offspring. |
| progression |
n. |
A moving forward or proceeding in course. |
| prohibition |
n. |
A decree or an order forbidding something. |
| prohibitionist |
n. |
One who favors the prohibition by law of the manufacture and sale of
alcoholic beverages. |
| prohibitory |
adj. |
Involving or equivalent to prohibition, especially of the sale of
alcoholic beverages. |
| projection |
n. |
A prominence. |
| proletarian |
n. |
A person of the lowest or poorest class. |
| prolific |
adj. |
Producing offspring or fruit. |
| prolix |
adj. |
Verbose. |
| prologue |
n. |
A prefatory statement or explanation to a poem, discourse, or
performance. |
| prolong |
v. |
To extend in time or duration. |
| promenade |
v. |
To walk for amusement or exercise. |
| prominence |
n. |
The quality of being noticeable or distinguished. |
| prominent |
adj. |
Conspicuous in position, character, or importance. |
| promiscuous |
adj. |
Brought together without order, distinction, or design (for sex). |
| promissory |
adj. |
Expressing an engagement to pay. |
| promontory |
n. |
A high point of land extending outward from the coastline into the sea. |
| promoter |
n. |
A furtherer, forwarder, or encourager. |
| promulgate |
v. |
To proclaim. |
| propaganda |
n. |
Any institution or systematic scheme for propagating a doctrine or
system. |
| propagate |
v. |
To spread abroad or from person to person. |
| propel |
v. |
To drive or urge forward. |
| propellant |
adj. |
Propelling. |
| propeller |
n. |
One who or that which propels. |
| prophecy |
n. |
Any prediction or foretelling. |
| prophesy |
v. |
To predict or foretell, especially under divine inspiration and guidance. |
| propitious |
adj. |
Kindly disposed. |
| proportionate |
adj. |
Being in proportion. |
| propriety |
n. |
Accordance with recognized usage, custom, or principles. |
| propulsion |
n. |
A driving onward or forward. |
| prosaic |
adj. |
Unimaginative. |
| proscenium |
n. |
That part of the stage between the curtain and the orchestra. |
| proscribe |
v. |
To reject, as a teaching or a practice, with condemnation or
denunciation. |
| proscription |
n. |
Any act of condemnation and rejection from favor and privilege. |
| proselyte |
n. |
One who has been won over from one religious belief to another. |
| prosody |
n. |
The science of poetical forms. |
| prospector |
n. |
One who makes exploration, search, or examination, especially for
minerals. |
| prospectus |
n. |
A paper or pamphlet containing information of a proposed undertaking. |
| prostrate |
adj. |
Lying prone, or with the head to the ground. |
| protagonist |
n. |
A leader in any enterprise or contest. |
| protection |
n. |
Preservation from harm, danger, annoyance, or any other evil. |
| protective |
adj. |
Sheltering. |
| protector |
n. |
A defender. |
| protege |
n. |
One specially cared for and favored by another usually older person. |
| Protestant |
n. |
A Christian who denies the authority of the Pope and holds the right of
special judgment. |
| protomartyr |
n. |
The earliest victim in any cause. |
| protocol |
n. |
A declaration or memorandum of agreement less solemn and formal than a
treaty. |
| protoplasm |
n. |
The substance that forms the principal portion of an animal or vegetable
cell. |
| prototype |
n. |
A work, original in character, afterward imitated in form or spirit. |
| protract |
v. |
To prolong. |
| protrude |
v. |
To push out or thrust forth. |
| protrusion |
n. |
The act of protruding. |
| protuberance |
n. |
Something that swells out from a surrounding surface. |
| protuberant |
adj. |
Bulging. |
| protuberate |
v. |
To swell or bulge beyond the surrounding surface. |
| proverb |
n. |
A brief, pithy saying, condensing in witty or striking form the wisdom of
experience. |
| provident |
adj. |
Anticipating and making ready for future wants or emergencies. |
| providential |
adj. |
Effected by divine guidance. |
| provincial |
adj. |
Uncultured in thought and manner. |
| proviso |
n. |
A clause in a contract, will, etc., by which its operation is rendered
conditional. |
| provocation |
n. |
An action or mode of conduct that excites resentment. |
| prowess |
n. |
Strength, skill, and intrepidity in battle. |
| proximately |
adv. |
Immediately. |
| proxy |
n. |
A person who is empowered by another to represent him or her in a given
matter. |
| prudence |
n. |
Caution. |
| prudential |
adj. |
Proceeding or marked by caution. |
| prudery |
n. |
An undue display of modesty or delicacy. |
| prurient |
adj. |
Inclined to lascivious thoughts and desires. |
| pseudapostle |
n. |
A pretended or false apostle. |
| pseudonym |
n. |
A fictitious name, especially when assumed by a writer. |
| pseudonymity |
n. |
The state or character of using a fictitious name. |
| psychiatry |
n. |
The branch of medicine that relates to mental disease. |
| psychic |
adj. |
Pertaining to the mind or soul. |
| psychopathic |
adj. |
Morally irresponsible. |
| psychotherapy |
n. |
The treatment of mental disease. |
| pudgy |
adj. |
Small and fat. |
| puerile |
adj. |
Childish. |
| pugnacious |
adj. |
Quarrelsome. |
| puissant |
adj. |
Possessing strength. |
| pulmonary |
adj. |
Pertaining to the lungs. |
| punctilious |
adj. |
Strictly observant of the rules or forms prescribed by law or custom. |
| punctual |
adj. |
Observant and exact in points of time. |
| pungent |
adj. |
Affecting the sense of smell. |
| pungency |
n. |
The quality of affecting the sense of smell. |
| punitive |
adj. |
Pertaining to punishment. |
| pupilage |
n. |
The state or period of being a student. |
| purgatory |
n. |
An intermediate state where souls are made fit for paradise or heaven by
expiatory suffering. |
| purl |
v. |
To cause to whirl, as in an eddy. |
| purloin |
v. |
To steal. |
| purport |
n. |
Intent. |
| purveyor |
n. |
one who supplies |
| pusillanimous |
adj. |
Without spirit or bravery. |
| putrescent |
adj. |
Undergoing decomposition of animal or vegetable matter accompanied by
fetid odors. |
| pyre |
n. |
A heap of combustibles arranged for burning a dead body. |
| pyromania |
n. |
An insane propensity to set things on fire. |
| pyrotechnic |
adj. |
Pertaining to fireworks or their manufacture. |
| pyx |
n. |
A vessel or casket, usually of precious metal, in which the host is
preserved. |
| quackery |
n. |
Charlatanry |
| quadrate |
v. |
To divide into quarters. |
| quadruple |
v. |
To multiply by four. |
| qualification |
n. |
A requisite for an employment, position, right, or privilege. |
| qualify |
v. |
To endow or furnish with requisite ability, character, knowledge, skill,
or possessions. |
| qualm |
n. |
A fit of nausea. |
| quandary |
n. |
A puzzling predicament. |
| quantity |
n. |
Magnitude. |
| quarantine |
n. |
The enforced isolation of any person or place infected with contagious
disease. |
| quarrelsome |
adj. |
Irascible. |
| quarter |
n. |
One of four equal parts into which anything is or may be divided. |
| quarterly |
adj. |
Occurring or made at intervals of three months. |
| quartet |
n. |
A composition for four voices or four instruments. |
| quarto |
n. |
An eight-page newspaper of any size. |
| quay |
n. |
A wharf or artificial landing-place on the shore of a harbor or
projecting into it. |
| querulous |
adj. |
Habitually complaining. |
| query |
v. |
To make inquiry. |
| queue |
n. |
A file of persons waiting in order of their arrival, as for admittance. |
| quibble |
n. |
An utterly trivial distinction or objection. |
| quiescence |
n. |
Quiet. |
| quiescent |
adj. |
Being in a state of repose or inaction. |
| quiet |
adj. |
Making no noise. |
| quietus |
n. |
A silencing, suppressing, or ending. |
| quintessence |
n. |
The most essential part of anything. |
| quintet |
n. |
Musical composition arranged for five voices or instruments. |
| quite |
adv. |
Fully. |
| Quixotic |
adj. |
Chivalrous or romantic to a ridiculous or extravagant degree. |
| rabid |
adj. |
Affected with rabies or hydrophobia. |
| racy |
adj. |
Exciting or exhilarating to the mind. |
| radiance |
n. |
Brilliant or sparkling luster. |
| radiate |
v. |
To extend in all directions, as from a source or focus. |
| radical |
n. |
One who holds extreme views or advocates extreme measures. |
| radix |
n. |
That from or on which something is developed. |
| raillery |
n. |
Good-humored satire. |
| ramify |
v. |
To divide or subdivide into branches or subdivisions. |
| ramose |
adj. |
Branch-like. |
| rampant |
adj. |
Growing, climbing, or running without check or restraint. |
| rampart |
n. |
A bulwark or construction to oppose assault or hostile entry. |
| rancor |
n. |
Malice. |
| rankle |
v. |
To produce irritation or festering. |
| rapacious |
adj. |
Disposed to seize by violence or by unlawful or greedy methods. |
| rapid |
adj. |
Having great speed. |
| rapine |
n. |
The act of seizing and carrying off property by superior force, as in
war. |
| rapt |
adj. |
Enraptured. |
| raptorial |
adj. |
Seizing and devouring living prey. |
| ration |
v. |
To provide with a fixed allowance or portion, especially of food. |
| rationalism |
n. |
The formation of opinions by relying upon reason alone, independently of
authority. |
| raucous |
adj. |
Harsh. |
| ravage |
v. |
To lay waste by pillage, rapine, devouring, or other destructive methods. |
| ravenous |
adj. |
Furiously voracious or hungry. |
| ravine |
n. |
A deep gorge or hollow, especially one worn by a stream or flow of water. |
| reaction |
n. |
Tendency towards a former, or opposite state of things, as after reform,
revolution, or inflation. |
| reactionary |
adj. |
Pertaining to, of the nature of, causing, or favoring reaction. |
| readily |
adv. |
Without objection or reluctance. |
| readjust |
v. |
To put in order after disarrangement. |
| ready |
adj. |
In a state of preparedness for any given purpose or occasion. |
| realism |
n. |
The principle and practice of depicting persons and scenes as they are
believed really to exist. |
| rearrange |
v. |
To arrange again or in a different order. |
| reassure |
v. |
To give new confidence. |
| rebellious |
adj. |
Insubordinate. |
| rebuff |
n. |
A peremptory or unexpected rejection of advances or approaches. |
| rebuild |
v. |
To build again or anew. |
| rebut |
v. |
To oppose by argument or a sufficient answer. |
| recant |
v. |
To withdraw formally one's belief (in something previously believed or
maintained). |
| recapitulate |
v. |
To repeat again the principal points of. |
| recapture |
v. |
To capture again. |
| recede |
v. |
To move back or away. |
| receivable |
adj. |
Capable of being or fit to be received - often money. |
| receptive |
adj. |
Having the capacity, quality, or ability of receiving, as truths or
impressions. |
| recessive |
adj. |
Having a tendency to go back. |
| recidivist |
n. |
A confirmed criminal. |
| reciprocal |
adj. |
Mutually interchangeable or convertible. |
| reciprocate |
v. |
To give and take mutually. |
| reciprocity |
n. |
Equal mutual rights and benefits granted and enjoyed. |
| recitation |
n. |
The act of reciting or repeating, especially in public and from memory. |
| reck |
v. |
To have a care or thought for. |
| reckless |
adj. |
Foolishly headless of danger. |
| reclaim |
v. |
To demand or to obtain the return or restoration of. |
| recline |
v. |
To cause to assume a leaning or recumbent attitude or position. |
| recluse |
n. |
One who lives in retirement or seclusion. |
| reclusory |
n. |
A hermitage. |
| recognizance |
n. |
An acknowledgment entered into before a court with condition to do some
particular act. |
| recognize |
v. |
To recall the identity of (a person or thing). |
| recoil |
v. |
To start back as in dismay, loathing, or dread. |
| recollect |
v. |
To recall the knowledge of. |
| reconcilable |
adj. |
Capable of being adjusted or harmonized. |
| reconnoiter |
v. |
To make a preliminary examination of for military, surveying, or
geological purposes. |
| reconsider |
v. |
To review with care, especially with a view to a reversal of previous
action. |
| reconstruct |
v. |
To rebuild. |
| recourse |
n. |
Resort to or application for help in exigency or trouble. |
| recover |
v. |
To regain. |
| recreant |
n. |
A cowardly or faithless person. |
| recreate |
v. |
To refresh after labor. |
| recrudescence |
n. |
The state of becoming raw or sore again. |
| recrudescent |
adj. |
Becoming raw or sore again. |
| recruit |
v. |
To enlist men for military or naval service. |
| rectify |
v. |
To correct. |
| rectitude |
n. |
The quality of being upright in principles and conduct. |
| recuperate |
v. |
To recover. |
| recur |
v. |
To happen again or repeatedly, especially at regular intervals. |
| recure |
v. |
To cure again. |
| recurrent |
adj. |
Returning from time to time, especially at regular or stated intervals. |
| redemption |
n. |
The recovery of what is mortgaged or pledged, by paying the debt. |
| redolent |
adj. |
Smelling sweet and agreeable. |
| redolence |
n. |
Smelling sweet and agreeable. |
| redoubtable |
adj. |
Formidable. |
| redound |
n. |
Rebound. |
| redress |
v. |
To set right, as a wrong by compensation or the punishment of the
wrong-doer. |
| reducible |
adj. |
That may be reduced. |
| redundance |
n. |
Excess. |
| redundant |
adj. |
Constituting an excess. |
| reestablish |
v. |
To restore. |
| refer |
v. |
To direct or send for information or other purpose. |
| referrer |
n. |
One who refers. |
| referable |
adj. |
Ascribable. |
| referee |
n. |
An umpire. |
| refinery |
n. |
A place where some crude material, as sugar or petroleum, is purified. |
| reflectible |
adj. |
Capable of being turned back. |
| reflection |
n. |
The throwing off or back of light, heat, sound, or any form of energy
that travels in waves. |
| reflector |
n. |
A mirror, as of metal, for reflecting light, heat, or sound in a
particular direction. |
| reflexible |
adj. |
Capable of being reflected. |
| reform |
n. |
Change for the better. |
| reformer |
n. |
One who carries out a reform. |
| refract |
v. |
To bend or turn from a direct course. |
| refractory |
adj. |
Not amenable to control. |
| refragable |
adj. |
Capable of being refuted. |
| refringency |
n. |
Power to refract. |
| refringent |
adj. |
Having the power to refract. |
| refusal |
n. |
Denial of what is asked. |
| refute |
v. |
To prove to be wrong. |
| regale |
v. |
To give unusual pleasure. |
| regalia |
n. |
pl. The emblems of royalty. |
| regality |
n. |
Royalty. |
| regenerate |
v. |
To reproduce. |
| regent |
n. |
One who is lawfully deputized to administer the government for the time
being in the name of the ruler. |
| regicide |
n. |
The killing of a king or sovereign. |
| regime |
n. |
Particular conduct or administration of affairs. |
| regimen |
n. |
A systematized order or course of living with reference to food, clothing
and personal habits. |
| regiment |
n. |
A body of soldiers. |
| regnant |
adj. |
Exercising royal authority in one's own right. |
| regress |
v. |
To return to a former place or condition. |
| regretful |
adj. |
Feeling, expressive of, or full of regret. |
| rehabilitate |
v. |
To restore to a former status, capacity, right rank, or privilege. |
| reign |
v. |
To hold and exercise sovereign power. |
| reimburse |
v. |
To pay back as an equivalent of what has been expended. |
| rein |
n. |
A step attached to the bit for controlling a horse or other draft-animal. |
| reinstate |
v. |
To restore to a former state, station, or authority. |
| reiterate |
v. |
To say or do again and again. |
| rejoin |
v. |
To reunite after separation. |
| rejuvenate |
v. |
To restore to youth. |
| rejuvenescence |
n. |
A renewal of youth. |
| relapse |
v. |
To suffer a return of a disease after partial recovery. |
| relegate |
v. |
To send off or consign, as to an obscure position or remote destination. |
| relent |
v. |
To yield. |
| relevant |
adj. |
Bearing upon the matter in hand. |
| reliance |
n. |
Dependence. |
| reliant |
adj. |
Having confidence. |
| relinquish |
v. |
To give up using or having. |
| reliquary |
n. |
A casket, coffer, or repository in which relics are kept. |
| relish |
v. |
To like the taste or savor of. |
| reluctance |
n. |
Unwillingness. |
| reluctant |
adj. |
Unwilling. |
| remembrance |
n. |
Recollection. |
| reminiscence |
n. |
The calling to mind of incidents within the range of personal knowledge
or experience. |
| reminiscent |
adj. |
Pertaining to the recollection of matters of personal interest. |
| remiss |
adj. |
Negligent. |
| remission |
n. |
Temporary diminution of a disease. |
| remodel |
v. |
Reconstruct. |
| remonstrance |
n. |
Reproof. |
| remonstrant |
adj. |
Having the character of a reproof. |
| remonstrate |
v. |
To present a verbal or written protest to those who have power to right
or prevent a wrong. |
| remunerate |
v. |
To pay or pay for. |
| remuneration |
n. |
Compensation. |
| Renaissance |
n. |
The revival of letters, and then of art, which marks the transition from
medieval to modern time. |
| rendezvous |
n. |
A prearranged place of meeting. |
| rendition |
n. |
Interpretation. |
| renovate |
v. |
To restore after deterioration, as a building. |
| renunciation |
n. |
An explicit disclaimer of a right or privilege. |
| reorganize |
v. |
To change to a more satisfactory form of organization. |
| reparable |
adj. |
Capable of repair. |
| reparation |
n. |
The act of making amends, as for an injury, loss, or wrong. |
| repartee |
n. |
A ready, witty, or apt reply. |
| repeal |
v. |
To render of no further effect. |
| repel |
v. |
To force or keep back in a manner, physically or mentally. |
| repellent |
adj. |
Having power to force back in a manner, physically or mentally. |
| repentance |
n. |
Sorrow for something done or left undone, with desire to make things
right by undoing the wrong. |
| repertory |
n. |
A place where things are stored or gathered together. |
| repetition |
n. |
The act of repeating. |
| repine |
v. |
To indulge in fretfulness and faultfinding. |
| replenish |
v. |
To fill again, as something that has been emptied. |
| replete |
adj. |
Full to the uttermost. |
| replica |
n. |
A duplicate executed by the artist himself, and regarded, equally with
the first, as an original. |
| repository |
n. |
A place in which goods are stored. |
| reprehend |
v. |
To find fault with. |
| reprehensible |
adj. |
Censurable. |
| reprehension |
n. |
Expression of blame. |
| repress |
v. |
To keep under restraint or control. |
| repressible |
adj. |
Able to be kept under restraint or control. |
| reprieve |
v. |
To grant a respite from punishment to. |
| reprimand |
v. |
To chide or rebuke for a fault. |
| reprisal |
n. |
Any infliction or act by way of retaliation on an enemy. |
| reprobate |
n. |
One abandoned to depravity and sin. |
| reproduce |
v. |
To make a copy of. |
| reproduction |
n. |
The process by which an animal or plant gives rise to another of its
kind. |
| reproof |
n. |
An expression of disapproval or blame personally addressed to one
censured. |
| repudiate |
v. |
To refuse to have anything to do with. |
| repugnance |
n. |
Thorough dislike. |
| repugnant |
adj. |
Offensive to taste and feeling. |
| repulse |
n. |
The act of beating or driving back, as an attacking or advancing enemy. |
| repulsive |
adj. |
Grossly offensive. |
| repute |
v. |
To hold in general opinion. |
| requiem |
n. |
A solemn mass sung for the repose of the souls of the dead. |
| requisite |
adj. |
Necessary. |
| requital |
n. |
Adequate return for good or ill. |
| requite |
v. |
To repay either good or evil to, as to a person. |
| rescind |
v. |
To make void, as an act, by the enacting authority or a superior
authority. |
| reseat |
v. |
To place in position of office again. |
| resemblance |
n. |
Similarity in quality or form. |
| resent |
v. |
To be indignant at, as an injury or insult. |
| reservoir |
n. |
A receptacle where a quantity of some material, especially of a liquid or
gas, may be kept. |
| residue |
n. |
A remainder or surplus after a part has been separated or otherwise
treated. |
| resilience |
n. |
The power of springing back to a former position |
| resilient |
adj. |
Having the quality of springing back to a former position. |
| resistance |
n. |
The exertion of opposite effort or effect. |
| resistant |
adj. |
Offering or tending to produce resistance. |
| resistive |
adj. |
Having or exercising the power of resistance. |
| resistless |
adj. |
Powerless. |
| resonance |
n. |
The quality of being able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations. |
| resonance |
adj. |
Able to reinforce sound by sympathetic vibrations. |
| resonate |
v. |
To have or produce resonance. |
| resource |
n. |
That which is restored to, relied upon, or made available for aid or
support. |
| respite |
n. |
Interval of rest. |
| resplendent |
adj. |
Very bright. |
| respondent |
adj. |
Answering. |
| restitution |
n. |
Restoration of anything to the one to whom it properly belongs. |
| resumption |
n. |
The act of taking back, or taking again. |
| resurgent |
adj. |
Surging back or again. |
| resurrection |
n. |
A return from death to life |
| resuscitate |
v. |
To restore from apparent death. |
| retaliate |
v. |
To repay evil with a similar evil. |
| retch |
v. |
To make an effort to vomit. |
| retention |
n. |
The keeping of a thing within one's power or possession. |
| reticence |
n. |
The quality of habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance. |
| reticent |
adj. |
Habitually keeping silent or being reserved in utterance. |
| retinue |
n. |
The body of persons who attend a person of importance in travel or public
appearance. |
| retort |
n. |
A retaliatory speech. |
| retouch |
v. |
To modify the details of. |
| retrace |
v. |
To follow backward or toward the place of beginning, as a track or
marking. |
| retract |
v. |
To recall or take back (something that one has said). |
| retrench |
v. |
To cut down or reduce in extent or quantity. |
| retrieve |
v. |
To recover something by searching. |
| retroactive |
adj. |
Operative on, affecting, or having reference to past events,
transactions, responsibilities. |
| retrograde |
v. |
To cause to deteriorate or to move backward. |
| retrogression |
n. |
A going or moving backward or in a reverse direction. |
| retrospect |
n. |
A view or contemplation of something past. |
| retrospective |
adj. |
Looking back on the past. |
| reunite |
v. |
To unite or join again, as after separation. |
| revelation |
n. |
A disclosing, discovering, or making known of what was before secret,
private, or unknown. |
| revere |
v. |
To regard with worshipful veneration. |
| reverent |
adj. |
Humble. |
| reversion |
n. |
A return to or toward some former state or condition. |
| revert |
v. |
To return, or turn or look back, as toward a former position or the like. |
| revile |
v. |
To heap approach or abuse upon. |
| revisal |
n. |
Revision. |
| revise |
v. |
To examine for the correction of errors, or for the purpose of making
changes. |
| revocation |
n. |
Repeal. |
| revoke |
v. |
To rescind. |
| rhapsody |
n. |
Rapt or rapturous utterance. |
| rhetoric |
n. |
The art of discourse. |
| rhetorician |
n. |
A showy writer or speaker. |
| ribald |
adj. |
Indulging in or manifesting coarse indecency or obscenity. |
| riddance |
n. |
The act or ridding or delivering from something undesirable. |
| ridicule |
n. |
Looks or acts expressing amused contempt. |
| ridiculous |
adj. |
Laughable and contemptible. |
| rife |
adj. |
Abundant. |
| righteousness |
n. |
Rectitude. |
| rightful |
adj. |
Conformed to a just claim according to established laws or usage. |
| rigmarole |
n. |
Nonsense. |
| rigor |
n. |
Inflexibility. |
| rigorous |
adj. |
Uncompromising. |
| ripplet |
n. |
A small ripple, as of water. |
| risible |
adj. |
capable of exciting laughter. |
| rivulet |
n. |
A small stream or brook. |
| robust |
adj. |
Characterized by great strength or power of endurance. |
| rondo |
n. |
A musical composition during which the first part or subject is repeated
several times. |
| rookery |
n. |
A place where crows congregate to breed. |
| rotary |
adj. |
Turning around its axis, like a wheel, or so constructed as to turn thus. |
| rotate |
v. |
To cause to turn on or as on its axis, as a wheel. |
| rote |
n. |
Repetition of words or sounds as a means of learning them, with slight
attention. |
| rotund |
adj. |
Round from fullness or plumpness. |
| rudimentary |
adj. |
Being in an initial, early, or incomplete stage of development. |
| rue |
v. |
To regret extremely. |
| ruffian |
adj. |
A lawless or recklessly brutal fellow. |
| ruminant |
adj. |
Chewing the cud. |
| ruminate |
v. |
To chew over again, as food previously swallowed and regurgitated. |
| rupture |
v. |
To separate the parts of by violence. |
| rustic |
adj. |
Characteristic of dwelling in the country. |
| ruth |
n. |
Sorrow for another's misery. |
| sacrifice |
v. |
To make an offering of to deity, especially by presenting on an altar. |
| sacrificial |
adj. |
Offering or offered as an atonement for sin. |
| sacrilege |
n. |
The act of violating or profaning anything sacred. |
| sacrilegious |
adj. |
Impious. |
| safeguard |
v. |
To protect. |
| sagacious |
adj. |
Able to discern and distinguish with wise perception. |
| salacious |
adj. |
Having strong sexual desires. |
| salience |
n. |
The condition of standing out distinctly. |
| salient |
adj. |
Standing out prominently. |
| saline |
adj. |
Constituting or consisting of salt. |
| salutary |
adj. |
Beneficial. |
| salutation |
n. |
Any form of greeting, hailing, or welcome, whether by word or act. |
| salutatory |
n. |
The opening oration at the commencement in American colleges. |
| salvage |
n. |
Any act of saving property. |
| salvo |
n. |
A salute given by firing all the guns, as at the funeral of an officer. |
| sanctimonious |
adj. |
Making an ostentatious display or hypocritical pretense of holiness or
piety. |
| sanction |
v. |
To approve authoritatively. |
| sanctity |
n. |
Holiness. |
| sanguinary |
adj. |
Bloody. |
| sanguine |
adj. |
Having the color of blood. |
| sanguineous |
adj. |
Consisting of blood. |
| sapid |
adj. |
Affecting the sense of taste. |
| sapience |
n. |
Deep wisdom or knowledge. |
| sapient |
adj. |
Possessing wisdom. |
| sapiential |
adj. |
Possessing wisdom. |
| saponaceous |
adj. |
Having the nature or quality of soap. |
| sarcasm |
n. |
Cutting and reproachful language. |
| sarcophagus |
n. |
A stone coffin or a chest-like tomb. |
| sardonic |
adj. |
Scornfully or bitterly sarcastic. |
| satiate |
v. |
To satisfy fully the appetite or desire of. |
| satire |
n. |
The employment of sarcasm, irony, or keenness of wit in ridiculing vices. |
| satiric |
adj. |
Resembling poetry, in which vice, incapacity ,or corruption is held up to
ridicule. |
| satirize |
v. |
To treat with sarcasm or derisive wit. |
| satyr |
n. |
A very lascivious person. |
| savage |
n. |
A wild and uncivilized human being. |
| savor |
v. |
To perceive by taste or smell. |
| scabbard |
n. |
The sheath of a sword or similar bladed weapon. |
| scarcity |
n. |
Insufficiency of supply for needs or ordinary demands. |
| scholarly |
adj. |
Characteristic of an erudite person. |
| scholastic |
adj. |
Pertaining to education or schools. |
| scintilla |
n. |
The faintest ray. |
| scintillate |
v. |
To emit or send forth sparks or little flashes of light. |
| scope |
n. |
A range of action or view. |
| scoundrel |
n. |
A man without principle. |
| scribble |
n. |
Hasty, careless writing. |
| scribe |
n. |
One who writes or is skilled in writing. |
| script |
n. |
Writing or handwriting of the ordinary cursive form. |
| Scriptural |
adj. |
Pertaining to, contained in, or warranted by the Holy Scriptures. |
| scruple |
n. |
Doubt or uncertainty regarding a question of moral right or duty. |
| scrupulous |
adj. |
Cautious in action for fear of doing wrong. |
| scurrilous |
adj. |
Grossly indecent or vulgar. |
| scuttle |
v. |
To sink (a ship) by making holes in the bottom. |
| scythe |
n. |
A long curved blade for mowing, reaping, etc. |
| seance |
n. |
A meeting of spirituals for consulting spirits. |
| sear |
v. |
To burn on the surface. |
| sebaceous |
adj. |
Pertaining to or appearing like fat. |
| secant |
adj. |
Cutting, especially into two parts. |
| secede |
v. |
To withdraw from union or association, especially from a political or
religious body. |
| secession |
n. |
Voluntary withdrawal from fellowship, especially from political or
religious bodies. |
| seclude |
v. |
To place, keep, or withdraw from the companionship of others. |
| seclusion |
n. |
Solitude. |
| secondary |
adj. |
Less important or effective than that which is primary. |
| secondly |
adv. |
In the second place in order or succession. |
| second-rate |
adj. |
Second in quality, size, rank, importance, etc. |
| secrecy |
n. |
Concealment. |
| secretary |
n. |
One who attends to correspondence, keeps records. or does other writing
for others. |
| secretive |
adj. |
Having a tendency to conceal. |
| sedate |
adj. |
Even-tempered. |
| sedentary |
adj. |
Involving or requiring much sitting. |
| sediment |
n. |
Matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid. |
| sedition |
n. |
Conduct directed against public order and the tranquillity of the state. |
| seditious |
adj. |
Promotive of conduct directed against public order and the tranquillity
of the state. |
| seduce |
v. |
To entice to surrender chastity. |
| sedulous |
adj. |
Persevering in effort or endeavor. |
| seer |
n. |
A prophet. |
| seethe |
v. |
To be violently excited or agitated. |
| seignior |
n. |
A title of honor or respectful address, equivalent to sir. |
| seismograph |
n. |
An instrument for recording the phenomena of earthquakes. |
| seize |
v. |
To catch or take hold of suddenly and forcibly. |
| selective |
adj. |
Having the power of choice. |
| self-respect |
n. |
Rational self-esteem. |
| semblance |
n. |
Outward appearance. |
| semicivilized |
adj. |
Half-civilized. |
| semiconscious |
adj. |
Partially conscious. |
| semiannual |
adj. |
Recurring at intervals of six months. |
| semicircle |
n. |
A half-circle. |
| seminar |
n. |
Any assemblage of pupils for real research in some specific study under a
teacher. |
| seminary |
n. |
A special school, as of theology or pedagogics. |
| senile |
adj. |
Peculiar to or proceeding from the weakness or infirmity of old age. |
| sensation |
n. |
A condition of mind resulting from spiritual or inherent feeling. |
| sense |
n. |
The signification conveyed by some word, phrase, or action. |
| sensibility |
n. |
Power to perceive or feel. |
| sensitive |
adj. |
Easily affected by outside operations or influences. |
| sensorium |
n. |
The sensory apparatus. |
| sensual |
adj. |
Pertaining to the body or the physical senses. |
| sensuous |
adj. |
Having a warm appreciation of the beautiful or of the refinements of
luxury. |
| sentence |
n. |
A related group of words containing a subject and a predicate and
expressing a complete thought. |
| sentience |
n. |
Capacity for sensation or sense-perception. |
| sentient |
adj. |
Possessing the power of sense or sense-perception. |
| sentinel |
n. |
Any guard or watch stationed for protection. |
| separable |
adj. |
Capable of being disjoined or divided. |
| separate |
v. |
To take apart. |
| separatist |
n. |
A seceder. |
| septennial |
adj. |
Recurring every seven years. |
| sepulcher |
n. |
A burial-place. |
| sequacious |
adj. |
Ready to be led. |
| sequel |
n. |
That which follows in consequence of what has previously happened. |
| sequence |
n. |
The order in which a number or persons, things, or events follow one
another in space or time. |
| sequent |
adj. |
Following in the order of time. |
| sequester |
v. |
To cause to withdraw or retire, as from society or public life. |
| sequestrate |
v. |
To confiscate. |
| sergeant |
n. |
A non-commissioned military officer ranking next above a corporal. |
| sergeant-at-arms |
n. |
An executive officer in legislative bodies who enforces the orders of the
presiding officer. |
| sergeant-major |
n. |
The highest non-commissioned officer in a regiment. |
| service |
n. |
Any work done for the benefit of another. |
| serviceable |
adj. |
Durable. |
| servitude |
n. |
Slavery. |
| severance |
n. |
Separation. |
| severely |
adv. |
Extremely. |
| sextet |
n. |
A band of six singers or players. |
| sextuple |
adj. |
Multiplied by six. |
| sheer |
adj. |
Absolute. |
| shiftless |
adj. |
Wanting in resource, energy, or executive ability. |
| shrewd |
adj. |
Characterized by skill at understanding and profiting by circumstances. |
| shriek |
n. |
A sharp, shrill outcry or scream, caused by agony or terror. |
| shrinkage |
n. |
A contraction of any material into less bulk or dimension. |
| shrivel |
v. |
To draw or be drawn into wrinkles. |
| shuffle |
n. |
A mixing or changing the order of things. |
| sibilance |
n. |
A hissing sound. |
| sibilant |
adj. |
Made with a hissing sound. |
| sibilate |
v. |
To give a hissing sound to, as in pronouncing the letter s. |
| sidelong |
adj. |
Inclining or tending to one side. |
| sidereal |
adj. |
Pertaining to stars or constellations. |
| siege |
n. |
A beleaguerment. |
| significance |
n. |
Importance. |
| significant |
adj. |
Important, especially as pointing something out. |
| signification |
n. |
The meaning conveyed by language, actions, or signs. |
| similar |
adj. |
Bearing resemblance to one another or to something else. |
| simile |
n. |
A comparison which directs the mind to the representative object itself. |
| similitude |
n. |
Similarity. |
| simplify |
v. |
To make less complex or difficult. |
| simulate |
v. |
Imitate. |
| simultaneous |
adj. |
Occurring, done, or existing at the same time. |
| sinecure |
n. |
Any position having emoluments with few or no duties. |
| singe |
v. |
To burn slightly or superficially. |
| sinister |
adj. |
Evil. |
| sinuosity |
n. |
The quality of curving in and out. |
| sinuous |
adj. |
Curving in and out. |
| sinus |
n. |
An opening or cavity. |
| siren |
n. |
A sea-nymph, described by Homer as dwelling between the island of Circe
and Scylla. |
| sirocco |
n. |
hot winds from Africa. |
| sisterhood |
n. |
A body of sisters united by some bond of sympathy or by a religious vow. |
| skeptic |
n. |
One who doubts any statements. |
| skepticism |
n. |
The entertainment of doubt concerning something. |
| skiff |
n. |
Usually, a small light boat propelled by oars. |
| skirmish |
n. |
Desultory fighting between advanced detachments of two armies. |
| sleight |
n. |
A trick or feat so deftly done that the manner of performance escapes
observation. |
| slight |
adj. |
Of a small importance or significance. |
| slothful |
adj. |
Lazy. |
| sluggard |
n. |
A person habitually lazy or idle. |
| sociable |
adj. |
Inclined to seek company. |
| socialism |
n. |
A theory of civil polity that aims to secure the reconstruction of
society. |
| socialist |
adj. |
One who advocates reconstruction of society by collective ownership of
land and capital. |
| sociology |
n. |
The philosophical study of society. |
| Sol |
n. |
The sun. |
| solace |
n. |
Comfort in grief, trouble, or calamity. |
| solar |
adj. |
Pertaining to the sun. |
| solder |
n. |
A fusible alloy used for joining metallic surfaces or margins. |
| soldier |
n. |
A person engaged in military service. |
| solecism |
n. |
Any violation of established rules or customs. |
| solicitor |
n. |
One who represents a client in court of justice; an attorney. |
| solicitude |
n. |
Uneasiness of mind occasioned by desire, anxiety, or fear. |
| soliloquy |
n. |
A monologue. |
| solstice |
n. |
The time of year when the sun is at its greatest declination. |
| soluble |
adj. |
Capable of being dissolved, as in a fluid. |
| solvent |
adj. |
Having sufficient funds to pay all debts. |
| somber |
adj. |
Gloomy. |
| somniferous |
adj. |
Tending to produce sleep. |
| somnolence |
n. |
Oppressive drowsiness. |
| somnolent |
adj. |
Sleepy. |
| sonata |
n. |
An instrumental composition. |
| sonnet |
n. |
A poem of fourteen decasyllabic or octosyllabiclines expressing two
successive phrases. |
| sonorous |
adj. |
Resonant. |
| soothsayer |
n. |
One who claims to have supernatural insight or foresight. |
| sophism |
n. |
A false argument understood to be such by the reasoner himself and
intentionally used to deceive |
| sophistical |
adj. |
Fallacious. |
| sophisticate |
v. |
To deprive of simplicity of mind or manner. |
| sophistry |
n. |
Reasoning sound in appearance only, especially when designedly deceptive. |
| soprano |
n. |
A woman's or boy's voice of high range. |
| sorcery |
n. |
Witchcraft. |
| sordid |
adj. |
Of degraded character or nature. |
| souvenir |
n. |
A token of remembrance. |
| sparse |
adj. |
Thinly diffused. |
| Spartan |
adj. |
Exceptionally brave; rigorously severe. |
| spasmodic |
adj. |
Convulsive. |
| specialize |
v. |
To assume an individual or specific character, or adopt a singular or
special course. |
| specialty |
n. |
An employment limited to one particular line of work. |
| specie |
n. |
A coin or coins of gold, silver, copper, or other metal. |
| species |
n. |
A classificatory group of animals or plants subordinate to a genus. |
| specimen |
n. |
One of a class of persons or things regarded as representative of the
class. |
| specious |
adj. |
Plausible. |
| spectator |
n. |
One who beholds or looks on. |
| specter |
n. |
Apparition. |
| spectrum |
n. |
An image formed by rays of light or other radiant energy. |
| speculate |
v. |
To pursue inquiries and form conjectures. |
| speculator |
n. |
One who makes an investment that involves a risk of loss, but also a
chance of profit. |
| sphericity |
n. |
The state or condition of being a sphere. |
| spheroid |
n. |
A body having nearly the form of a sphere. |
| spherometer |
n. |
An instrument for measuring curvature or radii of spherical surfaces. |
| spinous |
adj. |
Having spines. |
| spinster |
n. |
A woman who has never been married. |
| spontaneous |
adj. |
Arising from inherent qualities or tendencies without external efficient
cause. |
| sprightly |
adj. |
Vivacious. |
| spurious |
adj. |
Not genuine. |
| squabble |
v. |
To quarrel. |
| squalid |
adj. |
Having a dirty, mean, poverty-stricken appearance. |
| squatter |
n. |
One who settles on land without permission or right. |
| stagnant |
adj. |
Not flowing: said of water, as in a pool. |
| stagnate |
v. |
To become dull or inert. |
| stagnation |
n. |
The condition of not flowing or not changing. |
| stagy |
adj. |
Having a theatrical manner. |
| staid |
adj. |
Of a steady and sober character. |
| stallion |
n. |
An uncastrated male horse, commonly one kept for breeding. |
| stanchion |
n. |
A vertical bar, or a pair of bars, used to confine cattle in a stall. |
| stanza |
n. |
A group of rimed lines, usually forming one of a series of similar
divisions in a poem. |
| statecraft |
n. |
The art of conducting state affairs. |
| static |
adj. |
Pertaining to or designating bodies at rest or forces in equilibrium. |
| statics |
n. |
The branch of mechanics that treats of the relations that subsist among
forces in order. |
| stationary |
adj. |
Not moving. |
| statistician |
n. |
One who is skilled in collecting and tabulating numerical facts. |
| statuesque |
adj. |
Having the grace, pose, or quietude of a statue. |
| statuette |
n. |
A figurine. |
| stature |
n. |
The natural height of an animal body. |
| statute |
n. |
Any authoritatively declared rule, ordinance, decree, or law. |
| stealth |
n. |
A concealed manner of acting. |
| stellar |
adj. |
Pertaining to the stars. |
| steppe |
n. |
One of the extensive plains in Russia and Siberia. |
| sterling |
adj. |
Genuine. |
| stifle |
v. |
To smother. |
| stigma |
n. |
A mark of infamy or token of disgrace attaching to a person as the result
of evil-doing. |
| stiletto |
n. |
A small dagger. |
| stimulant |
n. |
Anything that rouses to activity or to quickened action. |
| stimulate |
v. |
To rouse to activity or to quickened action. |
| stimulus |
n. |
Incentive. |
| stingy |
adj. |
Cheap, unwilling to spend money. |
| stipend |
n. |
A definite amount paid at stated periods in compensation for services or
as an allowance. |
| Stoicism |
n. |
The principles or the practice of the Stoics-being very even tempered in
success and failure. |
| stolid |
adj. |
Expressing no power of feeling or perceiving. |
| strait |
n. |
A narrow passage of water connecting two larger bodies of water. |
| stratagem |
n. |
Any clever trick or device for obtaining an advantage. |
| stratum |
n. |
A natural or artificial layer, bed, or thickness of any substance or
material. |
| streamlet |
n. |
Rivulet. |
| stringency |
n. |
Strictness. |
| stringent |
adj. |
Rigid. |
| stripling |
n. |
A mere youth. |
| studious |
adj. |
Having or showing devotion to the acquisition of knowledge. |
| stultify |
v. |
To give an appearance of foolishness to. |
| stupendous |
adj. |
Of prodigious size, bulk, or degree. |
| stupor |
n. |
Profound lethargy. |
| suasion |
n. |
The act of persuading. |
| suave |
adj. |
Smooth and pleasant in manner. |
| subacid |
adj. |
Somewhat sharp or biting. |
| subaquatic |
adj. |
Being, formed, or operating under water. |
| subconscious |
adj. |
Being or occurring in the mind, but without attendant consciousness or
conscious perception. |
| subjacent |
adj. |
Situated directly underneath. |
| subjection |
n. |
The act of bringing into a state of submission. |
| subjugate |
v. |
To conquer. |
| subliminal |
adj. |
Being beneath the threshold of consciousness. |
| sublingual |
adj. |
Situated beneath the tongue. |
| submarine |
adj. |
Existing, done, or operating beneath the surface of the sea. |
| submerge |
v. |
To place or plunge under water. |
| submergence |
n. |
The act of submerging. |
| submersible |
adj. |
Capable of being put underwater. |
| submersion |
n. |
The act of submerging. |
| submission |
n. |
A yielding to the power or authority of another. |
| submittal |
n. |
The act of submitting. |
| subordinate |
adj. |
Belonging to an inferior order in a classification. |
| subsequent |
adj. |
Following in time. |
| subservience |
n. |
The quality, character, or condition of being servilely following
another's behests. |
| subservient |
adj. |
Servilely following another's behests. |
| subside |
v. |
To relapse into a state of repose and tranquillity. |
| subsist |
v. |
To be maintained or sustained. |
| subsistence |
n. |
Sustenance. |
| substantive |
adj. |
Solid. |
| subtend |
v. |
To extend opposite to. |
| subterfuge |
n. |
Evasion. |
| subterranean |
adj. |
Situated or occurring below the surface of the earth. |
| subtle |
adj. |
Discriminating. |
| subtrahend |
n. |
That which is to be subtracted. |
| subversion |
n. |
An overthrow, as from the foundation. |
| subvert |
v. |
To bring to ruin. |
| succeed |
v. |
To accomplish what is attempted or intended. |
| success |
n. |
A favorable or prosperous course or termination of anything attempted. |
| successful |
adj. |
Having reached a high degree of worldly prosperity. |
| successor |
n. |
One who or that which takes the place of a predecessor or preceding
thing. |
| succinct |
adj. |
Concise. |
| succulent |
adj. |
Juicy. |
| succumb |
v. |
To cease to resist. |
| sufferance |
n. |
Toleration. |
| sufficiency |
n. |
An ample or adequate supply. |
| suffrage |
n. |
The right or privilege of voting. |
| suffuse |
v. |
To cover or fill the surface of. |
| suggestible |
adj. |
That can be suggested. |
| suggestive |
adj. |
Stimulating to thought or reflection. |
| summary |
n. |
An abstract. |
| sumptuous |
adj. |
Rich and costly. |
| superabundance |
n. |
An excessive amount. |
| superadd |
v. |
To add in addition to what has been added. |
| superannuate |
v. |
To become deteriorated or incapacitated by long service. |
| superb |
adj. |
Sumptuously elegant. |
| supercilious |
adj. |
Exhibiting haughty and careless contempt. |
| superficial |
adj. |
Knowing and understanding only the ordinary and the obvious. |
| superfluity |
n. |
That part of anything that is in excess of what is needed. |
| superfluous |
adj. |
Being more than is needed. |
| superheat |
v. |
To heat to excess. |
| superintend |
v. |
To have the charge and direction of, especially of some work or movement. |
| superintendence |
n. |
Direction and management. |
| superintendent |
n. |
One who has the charge and direction of, especially of some work or
movement. |
| superlative |
n. |
That which is of the highest possible excellence or eminence. |
| supernatural |
adj. |
Caused miraculously or by the immediate exercise of divine power. |
| supernumerary |
adj. |
Superfluous. |
| supersede |
v. |
To displace. |
| supine |
adj. |
Lying on the back. |
| supplant |
v. |
To take the place of. |
| supple |
adj. |
Easily bent. |
| supplementary |
adj. |
Being an addition to. |
| supplicant |
n. |
One who asks humbly and earnestly. |
| supplicate |
v. |
To beg. |
| supposition |
n. |
Conjecture. |
| suppress |
v. |
To prevent from being disclosed or punished. |
| suppressible |
adj. |
Capable of being suppressed. |
| suppression |
n. |
A forcible putting or keeping down. |
| supramundane |
adj. |
Supernatural. |
| surcharge |
n. |
An additional amount charged. |
| surety |
n. |
Security for payment or performance. |
| surfeit |
v. |
To feed to fullness or to satiety. |
| surmise |
v. |
To conjecture. |
| surmount |
v. |
To overcome by force of will. |
| surreptitious |
adj. |
Clandestine. |
| surrogate |
n. |
One who or that which is substituted for or appointed to act in place of
another. |
| surround |
v. |
To encircle. |
| surveyor |
n. |
A land-measurer. |
| susceptibility |
n. |
A specific capability of feeling or emotion. |
| susceptible |
adj. |
Easily under a specified power or influence. |
| suspense |
n. |
Uncertainty. |
| suspension |
n. |
A hanging from a support. |
| suspicious |
adj. |
Inclined to doubt or mistrust. |
| sustenance |
n. |
Food. |
| swarthy |
adj. |
Having a dark hue, especially a dark or sunburned complexion. |
| Sybarite |
n. |
A luxurious person. |
| sycophant |
n. |
A servile flatterer, especially of those in authority or influence. |
| syllabic |
adj. |
Consisting of that which is uttered in a single vocal impulse. |
| syllabication |
n. |
Division of words into that which is uttered in a single vocal impulse. |
| syllable |
n. |
That which is uttered in a single vocal impulse. |
| syllabus |
n. |
Outline of a subject, course, lecture, or treatise. |
| sylph |
n. |
A slender, graceful young woman or girl. |
| symmetrical |
adj. |
Well-balanced. |
| symmetry |
n. |
Relative proportion and harmony. |
| sympathetic |
adj. |
Having a fellow-feeling for or like feelings with another or others. |
| sympathize |
v. |
To share the sentiments or mental states of another. |
| symphonic |
adj. |
Characterized by a harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds. |
| symphonious |
adj. |
Marked by a harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds. |
| symphony |
n. |
A harmonious or agreeable mingling of sounds. |
| synchronism |
n. |
Simultaneousness. |
| syndicate |
n. |
An association of individuals united for the prosecution of some
enterprise. |
| syneresis |
n. |
The coalescence of two vowels or syllables, as e'er for ever. |
| synod |
n. |
An ecclesiastical council. |
| synonym |
n. |
A word having the same or almost the same meaning as some other. |
| synopsis |
n. |
A syllabus or summary. |
| systematic |
adj. |
Methodical. |
| tableau |
n. |
An arrangement of inanimate figures representing a scene from real life. |
| tacit |
adj. |
Understood. |
| taciturn |
adj. |
Disinclined to conversation. |
| tack |
n. |
A small sharp-pointed nail. |
| tact |
n. |
Fine or ready mental discernment shown in saying or doing the proper
thing. |
| tactician |
n. |
One who directs affairs with skill and shrewdness. |
| tactics |
n. |
Any maneuvering or adroit management for effecting an object. |
| tangency |
n. |
The state of touching. |
| tangent |
adj. |
Touching. |
| tangible |
adj. |
Perceptible by touch. |
| tannery |
n. |
A place where leather is tanned. |
| tantalize |
v. |
To tease. |
| tantamount |
adj. |
Having equal or equivalent value, effect, or import. |
| tapestry |
n. |
A fabric to which a pattern is applied with a needle, designed for
ornamental hangings. |
| tarnish |
v. |
To lessen or destroy the luster of in any way. |
| taut |
adj. |
Stretched tight. |
| taxation |
n. |
A levy, by government, of a fixed contribution. |
| taxidermy |
n. |
The art or process of preserving dead animals or parts of them. |
| technic |
adj. |
Technical. |
| technicality |
n. |
Something peculiar to a particular art, trade, or the like. |
| technique |
n. |
Manner of performance. |
| technography |
n. |
The scientific description or study of human arts and industries in their
historic development. |
| technology |
n. |
The knowledge relating to industries and manufactures. |
| teem |
v. |
To be full to overflowing. |
| telepathy |
n. |
Thought-transference. |
| telephony |
n. |
The art or process of communicating by telephone. |
| telescope |
v. |
To drive together so that one slides into the another like the sections
of a spy-glass. |
| telltale |
adj. |
That gives warning or information. |
| temerity |
n. |
Recklessness. |
| temporal |
adj. |
Pertaining to or concerned with the affairs of the present life. |
| temporary |
adj. |
Lasting for a short time only. |
| temporize |
v. |
To pursue a policy of delay. |
| tempt |
v. |
To offer to (somebody) an inducement to do wrong. |
| tempter |
n. |
An allurer or enticer to evil. |
| tenacious |
adj. |
Unyielding. |
| tenant |
n. |
An occupant. |
| tendency |
n. |
Direction or inclination, as toward some objector end. |
| tenet |
n. |
Any opinion, principle, dogma, or doctrine that a person believes or
maintains as true. |
| tenor |
n. |
A settled course or manner of progress. |
| tense |
adj. |
Strained to stiffness. |
| tentative |
adj. |
Done as an experiment. |
| tenure |
n. |
The term during which a thing is held. |
| tercentenary |
adj. |
Pertaining to a period of 300 years. |
| termagant |
adj. |
Violently abusive and quarrelsome. |
| terminal |
adj. |
Pertaining to or creative of a boundary, limit. |
| terminate |
v. |
To put an end or stop to. |
| termination |
n. |
The act of ending or concluding. |
| terminus |
n. |
The final point or goal. |
| terrify |
v. |
To fill with extreme fear. |
| territorial |
adj. |
Pertaining to the domain over which a sovereign state exercises
jurisdiction. |
| terse |
adj. |
Pithy. |
| testament |
n. |
A will. |
| testator |
n. |
The maker of a will. |
| testimonial |
n. |
A formal token of regard, often presented in public. |
| thearchy |
n. |
Government by a supreme deity. |
| theism |
n. |
Belief in God. |
| theocracy |
n. |
A government administered by ecclesiastics. |
| theocrasy |
n. |
The mixed worship of polytheism. |
| theologian |
n. |
A professor of divinity. |
| theological |
adj. |
Based on or growing out of divine revelation. |
| theology |
n. |
The branch of theological science that treats of God. |
| theoretical |
adj. |
Directed toward knowledge for its own sake without respect to
applications. |
| theorist |
n. |
One given to speculating. |
| theorize |
v. |
To speculate. |
| thereabout |
adv. |
Near that number, quantity, degree, place, or time, approximately. |
| therefor |
adv. |
For that or this. |
| thermal |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to heat. |
| thermoelectric |
adj. |
Denoting electricity produced by heat. |
| thermoelectricity |
n. |
Electricity generated by differences of temperature, |
| thesis |
n. |
An essay or treatise on a particular subject. |
| thoroughbred |
adj. |
Bred from the best or purest blood or stock. |
| thoroughfare |
n. |
A public street or road. |
| thrall |
n. |
One controlled by an appetite or a passion. |
| tilth |
n. |
Cultivation. |
| timbre |
n. |
The quality of a tone, as distinguished from intensity and pitch. |
| timorous |
adj. |
Lacking courage. |
| tincture |
n. |
A solution, usually alcoholic, of some principle used in medicine. |
| tinge |
n. |
A faint trace of color. |
| tipsy |
adj. |
Befuddled with drinks. |
| tirade |
n. |
Harangue. |
| tireless |
adj. |
Untiring. |
| tiresome |
adj. |
Wearisome. |
| Titanic |
adj. |
Of vast size or strength. |
| toilsome |
adj. |
Laborious. |
| tolerable |
adj. |
Moderately good. |
| tolerance |
n. |
Forbearance in judging of the acts or opinions of others. |
| tolerant |
adj. |
Indulgent. |
| tolerate |
v. |
To passively permit or put up with. |
| toleration |
n. |
A spirit of charitable leniency. |
| topography |
n. |
The art of representing on a map the physical features of any locality or
region with accuracy. |
| torpor |
n. |
Apathy. |
| torrid |
adj. |
Excessively hot. |
| tortious |
adj. |
Wrongful. |
| tortuous |
adj. |
Abounding in irregular bends or turns. |
| torturous |
adj. |
Marked by extreme suffering. |
| tractable |
adj. |
Easily led or controlled. |
| trait |
n. |
A distinguishing feature or quality. |
| trajectory |
n. |
The path described by a projectile moving under given forces. |
| trammel |
n. |
An impediment. |
| tranquil |
adj. |
Calm. |
| tranquilize |
v. |
To soothe. |
| tranquility |
n. |
Calmness. |
| transalpine |
adj. |
Situated on the other side of the Alps. |
| transact |
v. |
To do business. |
| transatlantic |
adj. |
Situated beyond or on the other side of the Atlantic. |
| transcend |
v. |
To surpass. |
| transcendent |
adj. |
Surpassing. |
| transcontinental |
adj. |
Extending or passing across a continent. |
| transcribe |
v. |
To write over again (something already written) |
| transcript |
n. |
A copy made directly from an original. |
| transfer |
v. |
To convey, remove, or cause to pass from one person or place to another. |
| transferable |
adj. |
Capable of being conveyed from one person or place to another. |
| transferee |
n. |
The person to whom a transfer is made. |
| transference |
n. |
The act of conveying from one person or place to another. |
| transferrer |
n. |
One who or that which conveys from one person or place to another. |
| transfigure |
v. |
To give an exalted meaning or glorified appearance to. |
| transfuse |
v. |
To pour or cause to pass, as a fluid, from one vessel to another. |
| transfusible |
adj. |
Capable of being poured from one vessel to another. |
| transfusion |
n. |
The act of pouring from one vessel to another. |
| transgress |
v. |
To break a law. |
| transience |
n. |
Something that is of short duration. |
| transient |
n. |
One who or that which is only of temporary existence. |
| transition |
n. |
Passage from one place, condition, or action to another. |
| transitory |
adj. |
Existing for a short time only. |
| translate |
v. |
To give the sense or equivalent of in another language or dialect. |
| translator |
n. |
An interpreter. |
| translucence |
n. |
The property or state of allowing the passage of light. |
| translucent |
adj. |
Allowing the passage of light. |
| transmissible |
adj. |
That may e sent through or across. |
| transmission |
n. |
The act of sending through or across. |
| transmit |
v. |
To send trough or across. |
| transmute |
v. |
To change in nature, substance, or form. |
| transparent |
adj. |
Easy to see through or understand. |
| transpire |
v. |
To come to pass. |
| transplant |
v. |
To remove and plant in another place. |
| transposition |
n. |
The act of reversing the order or changing the place of. |
| transverse |
adj. |
Lying or being across or in a crosswise direction. |
| travail |
n. |
Hard or agonizing labor. |
| travesty |
n. |
A grotesque imitation. |
| treacherous |
adj. |
Perfidious. |
| treachery |
n. |
Violation of allegiance, confidence, or plighted faith. |
| treasonable |
adj. |
Of the nature of betrayal, treachery, or breech of allegiance. |
| treatise |
n. |
An elaborate literary composition presenting a subject in all its parts. |
| treble |
adj. |
Multiplied by three. |
| trebly |
adv. |
Triply. |
| tremendous |
adj. |
Awe-inspiring. |
| tremor |
n. |
An involuntary trembling or shivering. |
| tremulous |
adj. |
Characterized by quivering or unsteadiness. |
| trenchant |
adj. |
Cutting deeply and quickly. |
| trepidation |
n. |
Nervous uncertainty of feeling. |
| trestle |
n. |
An open braced framework for supporting the horizontal stringers of a
railway-bridge. |
| triad |
n. |
A group of three persons of things. |
| tribune |
n. |
Any champion of the rights and liberties of the people: often used as the
name for a newspaper. |
| trickery |
n. |
Artifice. |
| tricolor |
adj. |
Of three colors. |
| tricycle |
n. |
A three-wheeled vehicle. |
| trident |
n. |
The three-pronged fork that was the emblem of Neptune. |
| triennial |
adj. |
Taking place every third year. |
| trimness |
n. |
Neatness. |
| trinity |
n. |
A threefold personality existing in the one divine being or substance. |
| trio |
n. |
Three things grouped or associated together. |
| triple |
adj. |
Threefold. |
| triplicate |
adj. |
Composed of or pertaining to three related things or parts. |
| triplicity |
n. |
The state of being triple or threefold. |
| tripod |
n. |
A three-legged stand, usually hinged near the top, for supporting some
instrument. |
| trisect |
v. |
To divide into three parts, especially into three equal parts. |
| trite |
adj. |
Made commonplace by frequent repetition. |
| triumvir |
n. |
One of three men united coordinately in public office or authority. |
| trivial |
adj. |
Of little importance or value. |
| troublesome |
adj. |
Burdensome. |
| truculence |
n. |
Ferocity. |
| truculent |
adj. |
Having the character or the spirit of a savage. |
| truism |
n. |
A statement so plainly true as hardly to require statement or proof. |
| truthful |
adj. |
Veracious. |
| turgid |
adj. |
Swollen. |
| turpitude |
n. |
Depravity. |
| tutelage |
n. |
The act of training or the state of being under instruction. |
| tutelar |
adj. |
Protective. |
| tutorship |
n. |
The office of a guardian. |
| twinge |
n. |
A darting momentary local pain. |
| typical |
adj. |
Characteristic. |
| typify |
v. |
To serve as a characteristic example of. |
| typographical |
adj. |
Pertaining to typography or printing. |
| typography |
n. |
The arrangement of composed type, or the appearance of printed matter. |
| tyrannical |
adj. |
Despotic. |
| tyranny |
n. |
Absolute power arbitrarily or unjustly administrated. |
| tyro |
n. |
One slightly skilled in or acquainted with any trade or profession. |
| ubiquitous |
adj. |
Being present everywhere. |
| ulterior |
adj. |
Not so pertinent as something else to the matter spoken of. |
| ultimate |
adj. |
Beyond which there is nothing else. |
| ultimatum |
n. |
A final statement or proposal, as concerning terms or conditions. |
| ultramundane |
adj. |
Pertaining to supernatural things or to another life. |
| ultramontane |
adj. |
Beyond the mountains, especially beyond the Alps (that is, on their
Italian side). |
| umbrage |
n. |
A sense of injury. |
| unaccountable |
adj. |
Inexplicable. |
| unaffected |
adj. |
Sincere. |
| unanimous |
adj. |
Sharing the same views or sentiments. |
| unanimity |
n. |
The state or quality of being of one mind. |
| unavoidable |
adj. |
Inevitable. |
| unbearable |
adj. |
Unendurable. |
| unbecoming |
adj. |
Unsuited to the wearer, place, or surroundings. |
| unbelief |
n. |
Doubt. |
| unbiased |
adj. |
Impartial, as judgment. |
| unbridled |
adj. |
Being without restraint. |
| uncommon |
adj. |
Rare. |
| unconscionable |
adj. |
Ridiculously or unjustly excessive. |
| unconscious |
adj. |
Not cognizant of objects, actions, etc. |
| unction |
n. |
The art of anointing as with oil. |
| unctuous |
adj. |
Oily. |
| undeceive |
v. |
To free from deception, as by apprising of the real state of affairs. |
| undercharge |
v. |
To make an inadequate charge for. |
| underexposed |
adj. |
Insufficiently exposed for proper or full development, as negatives in
photography. |
| undergarment |
n. |
A garment to be worn under the ordinary outer garments. |
| underman |
v. |
To equip with less than the full complement of men. |
| undersell |
v. |
To sell at a lower price than. |
| undersized |
adj. |
Of less than the customary size. |
| underhanded |
adj. |
Clandestinely carried on. |
| underlie |
v. |
To be the ground or support of. |
| underling |
n. |
A subordinate. |
| undermine |
v. |
To subvert in an underhand way. |
| underrate |
v. |
To undervalue. |
| understate |
v. |
To fail to put strongly enough, as a case. |
| undervalue |
v. |
To underestimate. |
| underworld |
n. |
Hades. |
| underwrite |
v. |
To issue or be party to the issue of a policy of insurance. |
| undue |
adj. |
More than sufficient. |
| undulate |
v. |
To move like a wave or in waves. |
| undulous |
adj. |
Resembling waves. |
| unfavorable |
adj. |
Adverse. |
| ungainly |
adj. |
Clumsy. |
| unguent |
n. |
Any ointment or lubricant for local application. |
| unicellular |
adj. |
Consisting of a single cell. |
| univalence |
n. |
Monovalency. |
| unify |
v. |
To cause to be one. |
| unique |
adj. |
Being the only one of its kind. |
| unison |
n. |
A condition of perfect agreement and accord. |
| unisonant |
adj. |
Being in a condition of perfect agreement and accord. |
| Unitarian |
adj. |
Pertaining to a religious body that rejects the doctrine of the Trinity. |
| unlawful |
adj. |
Illegal. |
| unlimited |
adj. |
Unconstrained. |
| unnatural |
adj. |
Artificial. |
| unnecessary |
adj. |
Not essential under the circumstances. |
| unsettle |
v. |
To put into confusion. |
| unsophisticated |
adj. |
Showing inexperience. |
| unspeakable |
adj. |
Abominable. |
| untimely |
adj. |
Unseasonable. |
| untoward |
adj. |
Causing annoyance or hindrance. |
| unutterable |
adj. |
Inexpressible. |
| unwieldy |
adj. |
Moved or managed with difficulty, as from great size or awkward shape. |
| unwise |
adj. |
Foolish. |
| unyoke |
v. |
To separate. |
| up-keep |
n. |
Maintenance. |
| upbraid |
v. |
To reproach as deserving blame. |
| upcast |
n. |
A throwing upward. |
| upheaval |
n. |
Overthrow or violent disturbance of established order or condition. |
| upheave |
v. |
To raise or lift with effort. |
| uppermost |
adj. |
First in order of precedence. |
| uproarious |
adj. |
Noisy. |
| uproot |
v. |
To eradicate. |
| upturn |
v. |
To throw into confusion. |
| urban |
adj. |
Of, or pertaining to, or like a city. |
| urbanity |
n. |
Refined or elegant courtesy. |
| urchin |
n. |
A roguish, mischievous boy. |
| urgency |
n. |
The pressure of necessity. |
| usage |
n. |
Treatment. |
| usurious |
adj. |
Taking unlawful or exorbitant interest on money loaned. |
| usurp |
v. |
To take possession of by force. |
| usury |
n. |
The demanding for the use of money as a loan, a rate of interest beyond
what is allowed by law. |
| utilitarianism |
n. |
The ethical doctrine that actions are right because they are useful or of
beneficial tendency. |
| utility |
n. |
Fitness for some desirable practical purpose. |
| utmost |
n. |
The greatest possible extent. |
| vacate |
v. |
To leave. |
| vaccinate |
v. |
To inoculate with vaccine virus or virus of cowpox. |
| vacillate |
v. |
To waver. |
| vacuous |
adj. |
Empty. |
| vacuum |
n. |
A space entirely devoid of matter. |
| vagabond |
n. |
A wanderer. |
| vagrant |
n. |
An idle wanderer. |
| vainglory |
n. |
Excessive, pretentious, and demonstrative vanity. |
| vale |
n. |
Level or low land between hills. |
| valediction |
n. |
A bidding farewell. |
| valedictorian |
n. |
Student who delivers an address at graduating exercises of an educational
institution. |
| valedictory |
n. |
A parting address. |
| valid |
adj. |
Founded on truth. |
| valorous |
adj. |
Courageous. |
| vapid |
adj. |
Having lost sparkling quality and flavor. |
| vaporizer |
n. |
An atomizer. |
| variable |
adj. |
Having a tendency to change. |
| variance |
n. |
Change. |
| variant |
n. |
A thing that differs from another in form only, being the same in essence
or substance. |
| variation |
n. |
Modification. |
| variegate |
v. |
To mark with different shades or colors. |
| vassal |
n. |
A slave or bondman. |
| vaudeville |
n. |
A variety show. |
| vegetal |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to plants. |
| vegetarian |
n. |
One who believes in the theory that man's food should be exclusively
vegetable. |
| vegetate |
v. |
To live in a monotonous, passive way without exercise of the mental
faculties. |
| vegetation |
n. |
Plant-life in the aggregate. |
| vegetative |
adj. |
Pertaining to the process of plant-life. |
| vehement |
adj. |
Very eager or urgent. |
| velocity |
n. |
Rapid motion. |
| velvety |
adj. |
Marked by lightness and softness. |
| venal |
adj. |
Mercenary, corrupt. |
| vendible |
adj. |
Marketable. |
| vendition |
n. |
The act of selling. |
| vendor |
n. |
A seller. |
| veneer |
n. |
Outside show or elegance. |
| venerable |
adj. |
Meriting or commanding high esteem. |
| venerate |
v. |
To cherish reverentially. |
| venereal |
adj. |
Pertaining to or proceeding from sexual intercourse. |
| venial |
adj. |
That may be pardoned or forgiven, a forgivable sin. |
| venison |
n. |
The flesh of deer. |
| venom |
n. |
The poisonous fluid that certain animals secrete. |
| venous |
adj. |
Of, pertaining to, or contained or carried in a vein or veins. |
| veracious |
adj. |
Habitually disposed to speak the truth. |
| veracity |
n. |
Truthfulness. |
| verbatim |
adv. |
Word for word. |
| verbiage |
n. |
Use of many words without necessity. |
| verbose |
adj. |
Wordy. |
| verdant |
adj. |
Green with vegetation. |
| verification |
n. |
The act of proving to be true, exact, or accurate. |
| verify |
v. |
To prove to be true, exact, or accurate. |
| verily |
adv. |
In truth. |
| verity |
n. |
Truth. |
| vermin |
n. |
A noxious or troublesome animal. |
| vernacular |
n. |
The language of one's country. |
| vernal |
adj. |
Belonging to or suggestive of the spring. |
| versatile |
adj. |
Having an aptitude for applying oneself to new and varied tasks or to
various subjects. |
| version |
n. |
A description or report of something as modified by one's character or
opinion. |
| vertex |
n. |
Apex. |
| vertical |
adj. |
Lying or directed perpendicularly to the horizon. |
| vertigo |
n. |
Dizziness. |
| vestige |
n. |
A visible trace, mark, or impression, of something absent, lost, or gone. |
| vestment |
n. |
Clothing or covering. |
| veto |
n. |
The constitutional right in a chief executive of refusing to approve an
enactment. |
| vicarious |
adj. |
Suffered or done in place of or for the sake of another. |
| viceroy |
n. |
A ruler acting with royal authority in place of the sovereign in a colony
or province. |
| vicissitude |
n. |
A change, especially a complete change, of condition or circumstances, as
of fortune. |
| vie |
v. |
To contend. |
| vigilance |
n. |
Alert and intent mental watchfulness in guarding against danger. |
| vigilant |
adj. |
Being on the alert to discover and ward off danger or insure safety. |
| vignette |
n. |
A picture having a background or that is shaded off gradually. |
| vincible |
adj. |
Conquerable. |
| vindicate |
v. |
To prove true, right, or real. |
| vindicatory |
adj. |
Punitive. |
| vindicative |
adj. |
Revengeful. |
| vinery |
n. |
A greenhouse for grapes. |
| viol |
n. |
A stringed instrument of the violin class. |
| viola |
n. |
A musical instrument somewhat larger than a violin. |
| violator |
n. |
One who transgresses. |
| violation |
n. |
Infringement. |
| violoncello |
n. |
A stringed instrument held between the player's knees. |
| virago |
n. |
A bold, impudent, turbulent woman. |
| virile |
adj. |
Masculine. |
| virtu |
n. |
Rare, curious, or beautiful quality. |
| virtual |
adj. |
Being in essence or effect, but not in form or appearance. |
| virtuoso |
n. |
A master in the technique of some particular fine art. |
| virulence |
n. |
Extreme poisonousness. |
| virulent |
adj. |
Exceedingly noxious or deleterious. |
| visage |
n. |
The face, countenance, or look of a person. |
| viscount |
n. |
In England, a title of nobility, ranking fourth in the order of British
peerage. |
| vista |
n. |
A view or prospect. |
| visual |
adj. |
Perceptible by sight. |
| visualize |
v. |
To give pictorial vividness to a mental representation. |
| vitality |
n. |
The state or quality of being necessary to existence or continuance. |
| vitalize |
v. |
To endow with life or energy. |
| vitiate |
v. |
To contaminate. |
| vituperable |
adj. |
Deserving of censure. |
| vivacity |
n. |
Liveliness. |
| vivify |
v. |
To endue with life. |
| vivisection |
n. |
The dissection of a living animal. |
| vocable |
n. |
a word, especially one regarded in relation merely to its qualities of
sound. |
| vocative |
adj. |
Of or pertaining to the act of calling. |
| vociferance |
n. |
The quality of making a clamor. |
| vociferate |
v. |
To utter with a loud and vehement voice. |
| vociferous |
adj. |
Making a loud outcry. |
| vogue |
n. |
The prevalent way or fashion. |
| volant |
adj. |
Flying or able to fly. |
| volatile |
adj. |
Changeable. |
| volition |
n. |
An act or exercise of will. |
| volitive |
adj. |
Exercising the will. |
| voluble |
adj. |
Having great fluency in speaking. |
| voluptuous |
adj. |
having fullness of beautiful form, as a woman, with or without sensuous
or sensual quality. |
| voracious |
adj. |
Eating with greediness or in very large quantities. |
| vortex |
n. |
A mass of rotating or whirling fluid, especially when sucked spirally
toward the center. |
| votary |
adj. |
Consecrated by a vow or promise. |
| votive |
adj. |
Dedicated by a vow. |
| vulgarity |
n. |
Lack of refinement in conduct or speech. |
| vulnerable |
adj. |
Capable of receiving injuries. |
| waif |
n. |
A homeless, neglected wanderer. |
| waistcoat |
n. |
A vest. |
| waive |
v. |
To relinquish, especially temporarily, as a right or claim. |
| wampum |
n. |
Beads strung on threads, formerly used among the American Indians as
currency. |
| wane |
v. |
To diminish in size and brilliancy. |
| wantonness |
n. |
Recklessness. |
| warlike |
adj. |
Belligerent. |
| wavelet |
n. |
A ripple. |
| weak-kneed |
adj. |
Without resolute purpose or energy. |
| weal |
n. |
Well-being. |
| wean |
v. |
To transfer (the young) from dependence on mother's milk to another form
of nourishment. |
| wearisome |
adj. |
Fatiguing. |
| wee |
adj. |
Very small. |
| well-bred |
adj. |
Of good ancestry. |
| well-doer |
n. |
A performer of moral and social duties. |
| well-to-do |
adj. |
In prosperous circumstances. |
| whereabouts |
n. |
The place in or near which a person or thing is. |
| whereupon |
adv. |
After which. |
| wherever |
adv. |
In or at whatever place. |
| wherewith |
n. |
The necessary means or resources. |
| whet |
v. |
To make more keen or eager. |
| whimsical |
adj. |
Capricious. |
| whine |
v. |
To utter with complaining tone. |
| wholly |
adv. |
Completely. |
| wield |
v. |
To use, control, or manage, as a weapon, or instrument, especially with
full command. |
| wile |
n. |
An act or a means of cunning deception. |
| winsome |
adj. |
Attractive. |
| wintry |
adj. |
Lacking warmth of manner. |
| wiry |
adj. |
Thin, but tough and sinewy. |
| witchcraft |
n. |
Sorcery. |
| witless |
adj. |
Foolish, indiscreet, or silly. |
| witling |
n. |
A person who has little understanding. |
| witticism |
n. |
A witty, brilliant, or original saying or sentiment. |
| wittingly |
adv. |
With knowledge and by design. |
| wizen |
v. |
To become or cause to become withered or dry. |
| wizen-faced |
adj. |
Having a shriveled face. |
| working-man |
n. |
One who earns his bread by manual labor. |
| workmanlike |
adj. |
Like or befitting a skilled workman. |
| workmanship |
n. |
The art or skill of a workman. |
| wrangle |
v. |
To maintain by noisy argument or dispute. |
| wreak |
v. |
To inflict, as a revenge or punishment. |
| wrest |
v. |
To pull or force away by or as by violent twisting or wringing. |
| wretchedness |
n. |
Extreme misery or unhappiness. |
| writhe |
v. |
To twist the body, face, or limbs or as in pain or distress. |
| writing |
n. |
The act or art of tracing or inscribing on a surface letters or
ideographs. |
| wry |
adj. |
Deviating from that which is proper or right. |
| yearling |
n. |
A young animal past its first year and not yet two years old. |
| zealot |
n. |
One who espouses a cause or pursues an object in an immoderately partisan
manner. |
| zeitgeist |
n. |
The intellectual and moral tendencies that characterize any age or epoch. |
| zenith |
n. |
The culminating-point of prosperity, influence, or greatness. |
| zephyr |
n. |
Any soft, gentle wind. |
| zodiac |
n. |
An imaginary belt encircling the heavens within which are the larger
planets. |