#things to study

Coarse – composed of relatively large parts or particles; lacking in fineness or delicacy of texture, structure, etc; not precise or detailed with respect to adjustment or discrimination

Condemn – to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation

Congenial – pleasing because of similarities in temperament, interests, etc.

Convalesce – to recover health and strength gradually after sickness or weakness

Crucial – involving an extremely important decision or result; decisive; critical

Demeanor – behavior; bearing; behavioral attitudes

Deplore – be shocked or offended by; condemn; to feel or express strong disapproval of

Deprecate – feel and express disapproval of; belittle; disparage; protest against

Detritus – a product of disintegration, destruction, or wearing away

Dexterity – skill

Diffident – hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence

Dilapidated – falling to pieces; in bad state of repair

Gregarious – sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people; liking to be with other people; living in societies

Hackneyed – rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage; used so often that it has become trite and dull; lacking freshness or originality

Halcyon – calm and peaceful; happy

Harangue – long, loud, serious and usually angry speech; to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; to address in a ranting way

Hedonism – devotion to pleasurable pursuits, especially to the pleasures of the senses; belief that pleasure should be the main aim in life

Hegemony – the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others; leadership, especially by one state in a group of states

Heretical – violating accepted dogma or convention; of, relating to, or characterized by departure from accepted beliefs or standards; unorthodox

Apathetic – showing or feeling apathy; indifferent; having or showing little or no emotion; not interested or concerned

Apex – top or highest point; tip; summit; climax

Artful – cunningly clever at getting what one wants; crafty; exhibiting art or skill; deceitful

Attest – to be or give proof of something; testify; bear witness

Augment – make something larger in size; increase

Barren – lacking vegetation, especially useful vegetation; not good enough; unable to have young ones; without value

Bedlam – a scene or state of wild uproar and confusion

Befuddle – confuse thoroughly

Bland – gentle or casual in manner; showing no strong emotions; suave; not irritating, stimulating, or invigorating; soothing; agreeable

Brusque – rough and abrupt; curt; blunt; not wanting to waste time being nice

Catholic – comprehensive; universal; especially broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests; liberal; of or pertaining to a Catholic church, especially the Roman Catholic Church

Chagrin – feeling of disappointment or annoyance; disquietude or distress of mind caused by humiliation, disappointment, or failure

Flout – to demonstrate contempt for, as a rule or convention; to treat with disdain, scorn, or contempt; scoff at; mock

Fortuitous – happening by fortunate accident or chance

Fulminate – to loudly attach or denounce; protest strongly and loudly; to send forth censures or invectives; berate, vituperate, to thunder out, to explode

Furtive – marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious; done secretly and quietly so as not to be noticed

Garrulous – pointlessly talkative, talking too much; given to prosy, rambling, or tedious loquacity

Germane – relevant to the subject at hand; fitting; pertinent to

Glib – marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial

Abjured – promise or swear to give up; renounce formally; to renounce upon oath; promise or swear to give up

Abstruse – difficult to understand; recondite; obscure

Acrid – having a strongly bitter smell or taste; sharp and harsh or unpleasantly pungent in taste or odor; irritating; bitterly pungent

Advocate – speak publicly in favor of; recommend; support; to plead in favor of; urge

Ail – trouble; be ill; to be unwell; feel pain; to cause pain, uneasiness, or trouble to

Alienate – cause somebody to become unfriendly or indifferent; estrange

Altruism – unselfish regard for or devotion to the welfare of others

Ambrosial – suggestive of ambrosia; fragrant or delicious

Eulogy – a speech honoring the dead; high praise of a person or thing; formal praise; panegyric

Evanescent – tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing; quickly fading; soon disappearing from memory; fleeting

Exacerbate – to make worse or more severe; aggravate; to make more violent, bitter, or severe

Exculpate – exonerate; to clear of blame

Exigent – urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention

Exonerate – to remove blame; to clear, as of an accusation; exculpate; to relieve, as from an obligation, duty, or task

Extemporaneous – improvised; done without preparation; extempore

Facetious – playful; humorous; intended to be amusing, often inappropriately; joking or jesting often inappropriately; waggish; funny, jocular

Fallacy – an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief; erroneous character

Fawn – a young deer or either sex aged under one year; to flatter or praise excessively; to court favor by cringing or flattering manner; try to win somebody’s favor

Fervent – greatly emotional or zealous; showing warmth and sincerity of feeling; enthusiastic; passionate; ardent; hot

Candor – the state of quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness; unreserved, honest, or sincere expression; forthrightness

Corroborate – confirm or give support to; to support with evidence or authority; make more certain

Decipher – succeed in understanding; to make out the meaning of despite indistinctness or obscurity

Decry – to condemn or depreciate by proclamation, as foreign or obsolete coins; speak critically of something to make seem less valuable, useful, etc.; disparage; denounce as faulty or worthless; express censure of

Defamation – the act of defaming; false or unjustified injury of the good reputation of another, as by slander or libel; calumny

Denounce – give information against somebody; to pronounce especially publically to be blameworthy or evil

Deride – treat as funny and not worthy of serious attention; mock; to subject to usually bitter or contemptuous ridicule

Despair – to lose all hope or confidence

Eloquent – well-spoken; expressive; articulate

Emollient – soothing, especially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; that soothes and softens the skin

Empirical – based on observation or experiment, not on theory

Endemic – characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region or people

Enervate – to weaken; to reduce in vitality; cause to lose strength or energy; to lessen the vitality or strength of; attenuate; destroy the vigor of

Enigmatic – mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand; of, relating to, or resembling an enigma

Ennui – dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy; a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom; weariness of mind caused by lack of anything interesting or exciting to do

Ephemeral – brief; fleeting; living, lasting, etc. for a very short time; short-lived

Equivocal – having a double or doubtful meaning; ambiguous; subject to two or more interpretations and usually used to mislead or confuse

Equivocate – to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent; to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead; prevaricate or hedge; try to deceive by equivocal language

Erudite – very learned; scholarly; possession or displaying erudition

Abash – to destroy the self-possession or self-confidence of; disconcert; embarrass

Altruistic – unselfishly generous; concerned for others

Appease – make quiet or calm, usually by making concessions or by satisfying demands; to bring to a state of peace or quiet; calm

Apprehensive – feeling anxiety; fearful; uneasy; grasping, understanding; fear, unhappy feeling about future

Articulate – able to express one’s ideas clearly in words; to give clear and effective utterance to; put into words ratiocination; thinking; articulation; talking; speak distinctly, connect by joints

Atrocious- extremely wicked, brutal or cruel; barbaric

Baneful – productive of destruction or woe; seriously harmful; causing harm or ruin; pernicious; destructive; poisonous

Candid – frank, straight-forward

Discretion – cautious reverse in speech; ability to make responsible decisions; quality of being discreet; good judgment; circumspection

Disinterested – indifferent; free from self-interest; not influenced by personal feelings or interests; unbiased; unprejudiced

Disparage – to slight or belittle; suggest, especially unfairly, that is of little value or importance; to depreciate by indirect means

Disparate – fundamentally distinct or dissimilar; so different in kind or degree that they cannot be compared; containing or made up of fundamentally different and often incongruous elements; essentially different

Dissemble – to disguise or conceal; to mislead; hide or disguise; dissimulate; to put on false appearance; conceal facts, intentions, or feelings under some pretense; speak or behave so as to hide something

Divulge – to disclose something secret; make known

Dogmatic – stubbornly opinionated; of or based on dogma; positive, certain, arbitrary, without room for discussion

Ebullience – the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings; high spirits; exhilaration; exuberance; outburst of feeling

Eccentric – departing from norms or conventions; deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd; unusual

Eclectic – composed of elements drawn from various sources; not restricted to one source of ideas, but choosing from or using a wide range; selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles

Effrontery – extreme boldness; presumptuousness; rudeness without shame; impertinence; impudence, arrogance