English Language Vocabulary
1 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Abettor accomplice, co-conspirator,
Abeyance temporary inactivity, halt, standstill, moratorium – a legally
authorised period of delay, table, our weekend plans were held in abeyance until we could get a
weather forecast.
Abjure give up, abandon, repudiate, abnegate, reject, renounce,
recant,
Abounds plentiful, legion, something in great numbers, superfluous,
inordinate,
Abscond escape, run away, flee, break out, leave suddenly,
Abstemious moderate in eating or drinking,
Abstruse hard to understand, obscure, perplexing, recondite,
profound, puzzling, complex, ગઢુ,
Abusive rude, unmannerly, insulting, obnoxious – intolerant,
abhorrent, loathsome – hateful, repugnant, vile, despicable, offensive, X polite, cordial,
Accomplice one who helps another in wrongdoing, abettor,
Accost approach and speak to someone in a bold manner, confront,
Accrete increase in size, gain,
Acquiesce agree passively, consent, comply, accept, agree,
Acrimonious sarcastic, bitter, caustic
Adamant determined, obstinate – mulish – obstinate and unwilling to
cooperate or listen to suggestions, obdurate, unyielding, unwavering, tenacious, tenacity,
inflexible, stubborn, firm, persistent, tireless, untiring, X Loath
Adherent a supporter, devotee, aficionado,
Admonish reprimand, warn, scold, rebuke, reproach, chasten,
Ado fuss, commotion, busy and useless activity, bother, upheaval
– turmoil, confusion, disorder, mayhem, ruckus,
Adroit clever, skilful, erudite - learned,
Adversary a foe, opponent,
Adverse unfavourable, hostile,
Advocate support, defend, recommend publicly,
Aegis sponsorship, protection, tutelage – instruction, guidance,
teaching, coaching,
Alacrity quick willingness, eagerness, enthusiasm,
Alienated separate, isolated, withdrawn, indifferent, maladjusted,
Allay soothe, calm, assuage, alleviate,
Alleged supposed, reported, apparent, so-called, assumed,
Alliteratively begin with same consonant,
Altruistic unselfish, humane, philanthropic, selflessness,
magnanimous, generous, benevolent, benign,
Ameliorating perfecting, improving, enriching, enhancing, upgrading, X
deteriorating,
Anaerobic not needing oxygen, lacking oxygen,
Analogous similar, comparable, equivalent, akin,
English Language Vocabulary
2 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Anathema curse,
Angst anguish, torment, worry, anxiety, trouble, fear,
Annals Historical records, chronicles, archives,
Antebellum colonial, historical, early nineteenth century,
Antedate earlier, go before, occur before, predate,
Antipathy hatred, dislike, aversion, ill-feeling,
Apathy lack of energy or enthusiasm, emotional emptiness, lack of
emotion or interest, Torpor, lethargy, boredom, inactivity, inertia, languor, insensibility,
laziness, X excitement
Apex acme, pinnacle, zenith, summit, apogee, vertex, (Apical) X
nadir – the worst time in someone’s life or in a situation, the lowest point,
Apical of/or relating to/situated at apex,
Apocryphal made-up, dubious, invented, fictional, mythical, untrue,
fictitious, pretended,
Apogee acme, pinnacle, zenith, summit, apex, X nadir,
Appalling awful, terrible, dreadful, horrendous, inexcusable, atrocious,
ghastly, horrific, catastrophic, deplorable,
Appellation name, designation, label, title,
Apposite apt, suitable, germane,
Apropos related to matter at hand, right, appropriate, suitable,
correct, seemly, germane – to the point, apt, apposite, pertinent,
Arbitrary indiscriminate, haphazard, random,
Array a system or an arrangement
Articulate well-spoken, grandiloquent, turgid, lilt – a cheerful lively
manner of speaking,
Ascribe give credit, assign, crediting, attribute, (ascribing),
Asperity bitterness of temper, harshness, sternness, gruffness,
severity,
Aspirant someone hoping for advancement, candidate, postulant –
somebody who applies to join a religious order, applicant, hopeful,
Asset something of use or value
Astute keen, shrewd
Atypical out of the ordinary, strange, odd, different, abnormal,
Auriferous containing gold,
Auscultation the act of listening,
Avarice greed, passion for riches,
Badger pester, annoy, nag persistently, nettle,
Banal commonplace, trite, ordinary, prosaic, dull, boring,
Bedlam uproar, confusion, turmoil, turbulent, commotion,
Beleaguered stressed, fraught, harassed, careworn, besieged,
Bellicose belligerent, warlike, quarrelsome, pugnacious,
Belligerent warlike, hostile, pugnacious, cantankerous, bellicose,
quarrelsome, contentious,
Bereft deprived of, mourning, grieving, depressed, dispossessed,
English Language Vocabulary
3 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Besmirch stain or dim one’s reputation, sully, defame, tarnish, slander,
taint,
Bestead to aid, to be of use to, to be of service to, to help, assist,
serve,
Bias prejudice, partiality, unfairness, favouritism, preconceived
notion,
Blatant noisy, disagreeably loud, overt, obvious,
Bliss pleasure, happiness,
Blunt speak plainly
Bodacious remarkable, excellent, fearlessly daring,
Brash insolent, disrespectful, prosper, flourish, bourgeon, nascent,
X dwindle,
Bristle hair stiffen with fear or anger,
Buckaroo Western US cowboy , older slang – fellow, guy,
Burgeon mushroom, proliferate,
Bustle activity, stir, flurry, movement,
Cacophony unpleasant noise, din,
Cajole coax, wheedle, sweet – talk, persuade,
Candor honesty even when the truth is not pleasant, frankness,
honesty,
Castigate punish, chastise, reprimand, rebuke, reprove, inveigh,
scold,
Catastrophic a disastrous, appalling, shattering, calamitous, horrific,
Categorically (categorical), without exception or qualification, in a very
clear and definite way, X tentatively – hesitantly, falteringly,
Cauterize to sear-(burn, solder,) or close with hot metal plate,
Celerity speed,
Cerebration the functioning of the brain as a whole, the unconscious
activities of the brain,
Chagrin humiliation, vexation, annoyance, irritation, pestering,
Charlatan a fraud, a pretender, fake, con, impostor,
Chasten reprimand, punish, castigate, censure, admonish, upbraid,
Chastise castigate, inveigh,
Chimerical imaginary, fantastic,
Chivalry polite and kind behaviour by which men show respect to
women, gallantry – courage, extremely polite and helpful treatment of a woman by a man,
courtesy, courtliness, valor,
Chore hard work, routine, bore, inconvenience,
Circumspect cautious, wary, prudent, judicious, guarded,
Clandestine secret, hidden, covert, surreptitious, concealed, furtive -
sneaky, devious, sly, guileful,
Clerisy an educational elite, Always Capital
Coerce force people to something against their will, compel, bully,
English Language Vocabulary
4 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Cogitation thought, consideration, ruminative – thoughtful, reflective,
pensive, cogitative, deliberation, musing, pondering, meditative,
Cognition ability to acquire knowledge, understanding, thought,
reasoning, perception, cognizance, ken, awareness, profundity,
Coherent clear, articulate, lucid, comprehensible, rational, logical,
perspicuous , X rambling-pointless, confused,
Cohesion consistency, sticking together, unity,
Colloquial formal, every day,
Commotion uproar, tumult, turmoil, turbulent, ferment, foment,
Complicity partnership in wrongdoing, X detachment
Compound increase, add to
Concoct devise, invent, formulate, conceive, fabricate, create, make
up,
Concomitant occurring in company with, connected, associated, related,
affiliated, juxtaposed - put side by side, X unrelated,
Concomitantly parallel, concurrently, along with, alongside, simultaneously,
X consecutively, separately,
Concur agree, coincide, be in accord
Condescend lower oneself, to stoop, disdain X respect,
Conducive helpful
Conflagration a great fire, inferno, forest fire,
Confront come face to face with, provoke, put it to, oppose,
Congenial friendly, agreeable, sympathetic,
Congeries a collection or assortment of things, agglomerations,
clusters, groups,
Conjecture an educated guess, surmise, assume, suppose,
Connoisseur an expert
Connubial related to marriage, nuptial, marital, conjugal,
Consign entrust – trust, assign, deliver, deliver or commit irrevocably,
give, handover, X deprive,
Constrict bind, limit, restrictive, confine
Construe interpret, infer, understand by, read
Consummate perfect, ideal – quintessential , complete, flawless –
impeccable – immaculate, spotless, faultless, supreme, excellent, absolute, X
imperfect,
Contemplation consider something, look at something thoughtfully,
inspection, survey, observation, review, examination, (to contemplate – think of)
contempt disdain, dislike, hatred, scorn, flout,
Contiguous adjacent, adjoining, neighbouring, touching, attached, X
detached,
Contingent likely but not certain to happen, possibility, unforeseen
event, contingency, likelihood, exigency,
Contrive to make schemes, plot, fix, arrange, plan,
Controversial causing argument
English Language Vocabulary
5 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Contumacious flagrantly – blatantly, unashamed, unashamedly, overtly,
openly, or obstinately- stubbornly, adamantly, persistently, disobedient, very resistant to
authority, insubordinate – disobedient, mutinous, defiant, rebellious,
Conundrum puzzle, mystery, enigma, poser, riddle,
Conviction belief, opinion, principle, view, faith, verdict, tenet, precept,
Coruscate to be brilliant or showy in technique or style, to show
brilliance or virtuosity, glitter, coruscating,
Coup revolution, a strikingly successful move
Coy shy, bashful, modest, reserved, reticent, demure,
coquettish,
Crony friend, pal, colleague, companion, buddy, mate,
Cryptic puzzling,
Culminate to reach highest point or the end
Culprit a guilty person
Cumbersome awkward, bulky, burdensome, clumsy, onerous, arduous,
unwieldy, ponderous,
Curtail shorten, cut short, limit, curb, restrain,
Cutaneous relating to skin,
Debacle fiasco, devastation, disaster, calamity, catastrophe, tragedy,
Debilitate enervate, drain, weaker, incapacitate, hamper, encumber,
Debris fragments, wreckage, rubbles, remains,
Decimate destroy, demolish, annihilate, devastate,
Decipher decode, decrypt, interpret, translate, make out, untangle,
Decorum correct behaviour, dignity, sedateness, politeness,
Defalcate to misuse funds, embezzle,
Deflagrate burn with great heat and intense light, burn violently,
Conflagration - a great fire, inferno, forest fire,
Deflection bend, swerve, refraction, rebound,
Deify to make a god of, to exalt,
Delude fool, deceive, con, dupe,
Demography the science of vital and social statistics, as of births, deaths,
diseases, marriages, etc.,
Demur raise objections, balk, baulk, object, protest,
Denigrate defame, belittle, vilify, disparage, degrade, malign, pour
scorn on, deride, slander,
Denominator a common trait, standard, average,
Deplorable pitiable, disgraceful, appalling, dreadful, awful,
Derogatory express a low opinion,
Desist cease, give up, discontinue, abstain, end,
Deter to discourage, hinder, dissuade, prevent, put off X
encourage, persuade, coax
Detriment damage, destroy, X advantage,
Dewey an
English Language Vocabulary
6 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Diatribe invective – abusive or violent language, harangue, tirade,
rant, spew, bitter criticism, gush out, screed – a lengthy piece of writing or speech often
tedious- boring, dull, tiresome, wearisome, invective, tirade, rant,
Dictum pronouncement, motto, saying, axiom, aphorism, maxim,
Digress to move away from the main point, shift away, (progress,
regress)
Diminutive tiny, little, miniscule,
Din a loud, unpleasant noise, cacophony,
Discern differentiate, distinguish, separate, discriminate, tell me the
difference, detect, recognise,
Disconcert to upset with, to embarrass, perturb, agitate, disturb,
bother,
Discourse dissertation, address, sermon, homily, address, speech,
dialogue,
Disdain scorn, contempt, scold,
Disgruntled displeased, unhappy, resentful, dissatisfied,
Dismantle to take apart, disassemble
Disparate different, varying,
Dispelling dispersing, drive out, chase away, scattering, dissipating,
Disperse scatter, disband – split up, break up, dissolve, spread,
disappear, go away, break up, separate, diffuse, go away,
Disquietude the state of disquiet, uneasiness,
Dissuade deter, discourage, put off, advise against, X persuade
Doddering shaking as a result of old age, tottering, wobbling, reeling,
Doleful pitiful, sad, mournful, dejected,
Domicile a home, abode, dwelling,
Doodle squiggle, scrawl,
Dregs the most worthless part, silts, lees,
Drone buzz, hum, murmur,
Drudgery hard or dull work
Dun to pester for payment of a debt,
Dupe to fool somebody, someone who is easily fooled,
Duplicity double dealing,
Ebb recede, flow back, decline, Recidiviate, retreat, go out
X flow,
Ebullient jovial, cheerful, jolly, lively, vim,
Eccentricities idiosyncratic, quirks, deviation from normal, expected or
conventional behaviour, freaky, quirky, unusual, odd,
Edification improvement, clarification, X obfuscation –
complication, confusion, mystification, ,
Edifice network, structure, organisation, group, society, association,
Effusive unrestrained in expressing feelings, garrulous,
Egregious conspicuously – clearly, evidently, visibly, noticeably,
obviously bad,
English Language Vocabulary
7 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Elapse slip by, usually, time elapses,
Elicit provoke, cause, prompt, stimulate, bring about,
Elision any omission or deletion, omission of element of word,
Elucidate to make clear, clarify, explicate, expound,
Elusive hard to gasp, subtle, intangible, vague, abstract, obscure,
nebulous,
Emaciated thin, withered, shrunken, skinny,
Emancipate to set free, let go, manumit,
Eminent outstanding, above others
Emit give off,
Empirical experimental, heuristic,
Emulate rival, strive to equal, match, compete with,
Encrustations coatings, layers, veneers,
Encumbrance a burden, handicap, impediment,
Endure persevere, continue,
Engrossed absorbed, captivated, enthralled, occupied, immersed,
Enmity hatred, Rancor - bitter dip seated ill will, hostility, animosity,
Entail bring about, require, need, involve, necessitate, demand,
Entourage a group of followers
Enunciate speak clearly,
Epithet a descriptive name, appellation, label, sobriquet, moniker,
nickname
Equanimity composure, calmness, X Volatility,
Eradicate obliterate, demolish, destroy, annihilate,
Erudite clever, scholarly, learned
Eruption bursting out, outburst, discharge,
Esurient very hungry or greedy – avaricious, rapacious, insatiable,
voracious, ravenous,
Ethics moral philosophy
Etymology the study of the origins of words,
Eulogy tribute, acclaim, praise, homage, exaltation, commend,
Euphemism something said in a good manner, understatement, neutral
word, X dysphemism, a less offensive term, neutral term,
Euphoria jubilation, bliss, joy, elation, ecstasy, excitement, exultation,
rapture,
Euthanasia painless killing to relieve suffering,
Evanescent momentary, fleeting, short- lived, brief, temporary
exacerbate to make worse, irritate, aggravate, intensify, impair
Exacting demanding, rigorous, thorough, challenging, tough, onerous
– arduous, X easy,
Exalte emotionally excited or elated,
Exhort urge strongly,
English Language Vocabulary
8 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Exonerate to free someone from guilt who is not actually guilty, acquit,
vindicate X acquit, accuse, guilty, indict,
Expansive wide, sweeping, comprehensive, grand in style, sprawling X
contained, – rambling – incoherent, confused, wordy, inconsequential, extensive, straggling,
Expedite speed up progress, accelerate, rush X impede,
Exploit use for selfish purposes,
Expository detailed description or discussion, exhibition or fair,
Expunge erase, obliterate, purge, remove, wipe out,
Expurgate to remove objectionable material, to purge, to abridge, to
clean up,
Extinct no longer exist, vanished, defunct, non-existent,
Extol praise, exalt, eulogize, commend, X deprecate,
Extrinsic coming from the outside
Fabricate to make up lie,
Facetious dubiously humorous, flippant, silly, inane,
Fallow unplanted, bare, crop-free, unused,
Falter hesitate, stumble, loath, waver, vacillate, dither, fickle –
capricious, inconsistent, X adamant
Fascinate captivate, enthral, mesmerise, intrigue, attract, charm,
absorb,
Faux pas violation of accepted social norms, fake, unreal, artificial,
Fealty the loyalty sworn by a tenant, loyalty, dedication,
Fecund fertile, prolific, bountiful, productive, fruitful, creative,
Felicitous happy
Felon a criminal,
Fetter tie, chain, shackle, handcuff, restrain, yoke, X manumit,
emancipate, unfetter,
Fey(ness) clairvoyant, magical, enchanted, fanciful, capricious, mystic,
supernatural, X profound – deep, thoughtful ,
Fiat an official order or a command
Filch steal, pilfer, purloin, lift, pinch,
Finagle to obtain by indirect or involved means, foist – pass off - to
give a false identity or character to, wangle, persuade, cheat, trick, manoeuvre, foist,
contrive – arrange, plot, fix, plot, to make schemes,
Flagrant outrageous, unashamed, blatant,
Flamboyant colourful, showy, flashy, gaudy, ostentatious,
Flatulent pompous, bombastic, verbose, full of gas, pretentious,
grandiloquent, turgid – overly ornate in style or language, tumid,
Fledgling someone newly developed, raw,
Foist pass off, to give a false identity or character to, finagle,
persuade, cheat, trick,
Fold group, herd, flock,
Foment to stir up, agitate, ferment, instigate, turbulent,
English Language Vocabulary
9 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Forsake abandon, ditch, leave, desert, reject, cast off, repudiate,
abnegate, renounce, recant, abject, relinquish,
forthwith immediately, instantly, without delay,
Fortuitous happily accidental,
Foudroyant dazzling or stunning in effect, occurring suddenly or severely,
Fracas a brawl, a noisy fight,
fray conflict, fight
Frenzy a frantic outburst,
Fructuous fertile in fruit,
Furtive clandestine, covert, surreptitious, secret
Gaffe blunder, mistake, error, howler – stupid mistake, blooper,
Gamut the complete range, scope, extent,
Garbled confused, mangled, muddled,
Garrulous verbose, loquacious, chatty, talkative, effusive –
unrestrained in expressing feelings, X taciturn – reticent, quiet,
Gash a deep long cut in flesh, cut, tear, wound, slash, incision,
lacerate – to cause sharp mental or emotional pain to , slash,
Gasp shrewd, knowing, witty, sharp, perspicacious,
Gasp to breathe laboriously, pant, puff, wheeze, take breath in,
inhale, guff,
Gaudy flashy, showy, ostentatious,
Germane apposite, apt, appropriate, to the point,
Gesticulate use lively gestures, sign, indicate,
Glean gather, collect
Glint shine, flash, shimmer, glimmer, sparkle,
Gratitude thankfulness, appreciation, gratefulness, thanks,
Groans mournful sound, moan, creaks,
Grudge dislike, hatred, resentment, bitterness, complaint,
Gubernatorial relating to, involving, or associated with a governor,
especially of a US state,
Gusto zest, relish, enthusiasm,
Halcyon calm, peaceful
Handsel first payment for something, good luck gift,
Hapless unlucky, unfortunate, ill – fated,
harass to trouble, torment
Heave lurch, motion, roll, stagger, wobble, throw, lift, raise,
Hebetudinous dullness of mind, mental lethargy,
Hedonistic seeking of pleasure, decadent, debauched, profligate –
wasteful, squandering, spendthrift, extravagant, reckless, debauched, X ascetic – austere,
abstinent, frugal, abstemious,
Heterogeneous dissimilar, diverse, X tantamount
Heuristic involving trial and error, encouraging discovery of solutions,
experimental, exploratory, empirical, investigative,
English Language Vocabulary
10 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Hiatus break, pause, gap, space, lull, respite, interlude,
intermission, interval,
Hoard accumulate,
Hobble walk with difficulty, stumble, shuffle, stagger, totter,
impede, hamper, encumber, hinder,
Hominine human,
Howler stupid mistake, gaffe, error, blooper, blunder,
Humility humbleness, modesty
Hustings A place where political campaign speeches are made: a
candidate out on the hustings in the farm belt,
Iconoclast an attacker of beliefs, subversive, reformer, rebel, radical,
insubordinate, dissident, revolutionary, freethinker X Conservative
Ideal consummate, quintessential, utopia,
Idiosyncratic eccentricity, quirks, freaky, unusual, odd,
Idyllic peaceful, simple,
Ilk type, kind, like, sort, class, breed, manner,
Imbibe drink, guzzle, take in, gulp,
Immersion absorption, soaking – to lie immersed in liquid, involvement,
engaged,
Imminent about to happen, looming, in the offing, coming up,
forthcoming,
Impede hinder, foil, block, preclude, stymie, prohibit, interfere, X
expedite,
Imperative authoritative, commanding, domineering, X subservient –
submissive, obedient, meek – deficient in spirit and courage, servile,
Impetuous impulsive, spontaneous, rash, sudden, reckless, profligate,
implacable relentless, inexorable, unremitting, ceaseless,
Implore plead urgently, entreat
Imply suggest, point toward, infer – to derive as a conclusion from
facts or premises, entail – involve, need, require, necessitate,
Importune urgently ask,
Impoverished make somebody/something poor, deprive something/body
of nutrients, destitute, indigent, penniless, poor, insolvent, X solvent – in clover, in funds,
Impregnation permeate - flood, infuse, fill, pervade, flood, saturate,
something with quality, to make woman or female pregnant,
Impresario an organizer of public event or entertainment,
impulsive thoughtless, spontaneous, imprudent, rash, brash, unwary,
whimsical, reckless,
Inadvertent unintentional, accidental, unplanned,
Inane silly, immature, mindless, childish, absurd, ridiculous,
frivolous, facetious, flippant
Inchoate undeveloped, immature, incipient, developing, beginning,
emergent,
Incipient beginning to exist, inchoate, developing,
English Language Vocabulary
11 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Incisive keen, penetrating, razor – sharp, sharp, perceptive,
trenchant,
inclement severe, harsh, stormy, rough, extreme
Incognito undercover, secretly, disguised, under another name,
Incoherent not making sense,
Incongruous having inconsistent elements, odd, strange, incompatible,
bizarre, unsuitable,
Inconsiderate selfish, unkind, careless, insensitive, uncaring, lax,
Incredulous sceptical, doubtful, dubious,
Indict guilty, accuse, blame, arraign, impeach,
indigent poverty stricken, destitute, impoverished,
Indiscriminate chosen at random without careful selection,
Indolent lazy, inert,
Inebriated intoxicated,
Ineffectual fruitless, unsuccessful,
Inept unskilled, useless, hopeless, clumsy, foolish, otiose, lack of
ability, lack of skill, futile – unsuccessful, vain, ineffective, wasted,
Inert powerless to move, sluggish, torpid, lethargic, slow,
unmotivated, indolent,
inexorable relentless, implacable, unyielding, unremitting,
Infallible unfailing, fool-proof, failsafe, reliable, dependable, always
right,
Inference extrapolated, conclusion, suggestion, insinuation,
Ingrate ungrateful person,
Inherently naturally, integrally, characteristically, fundamentally,
intrinsically, innately – innate – present from birth, coming from mind, essentially,
Inhibition restraint, reserve, X spontaneity,
Innate present from birth, coming from mind,
Inordinate excessive, plentiful, legion, abounds,
Insatiable impossible to satisfy, voracious,
Interject interrupt, interpolate, interpose,
Interlude pause, rest, interval, break, pause in the action,
intermission, hiatus,
Intermediary arbitrator, broker, agent,
Interpret construe, infer, deduce,
Intimidate frighten, overwhelm, scare,
Intrepid brave,
Intricate complex, convoluted, complicated, tricky, અટપટુું, compound,
Intrigue trickery, secrecy, plotting, conspiracy, fascinate – captivate,
charm, enthral, absorb, interest, mesmerise,
Inundate to flood, deluge,
Invective abusive or insulting speech, to spew, to gush out, diatribe,
Inveigh attack verbally, denounce, castigate, fulminate, X praise
English Language Vocabulary
12 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Inveterate habitual or firmly established,
Irascible irritable, petulant, grumpy, short – tempered,
Irate angry, furious, enraged,
Irrevocably once and for all, permanently, forever, irreversibly,
Itinerate nomadic, wandering,
Jargon slang, argot, lingo, waffle, nonsense, verbiage,
Jaunty sprightly, lively,
jeer contemptuous shout, scoff
Jejune boring, uninteresting, undemanding, insubstantial, childish,
puerile – juvenile, silly, dull, childish,
Jostle to push or shove hard, knock, elbow,
Jotting note, a hastily written note, comment or observation,
Juncture point at time, occasion, stage, interval,
jurisdiction prerogative, right, control, power, authority
Juxtapose side by side, compare, contrast, beside, adjacent to,
Juxtaposition association, collocation, apposition, connection,
concomitant,
Ken perception, understanding, recognition, cognition - thought,
reasoning, awareness, perception, cognizance,
labyrinth a maze
lacerate to cause sharp mental or emotional pain to, gash, cut,
incision,
Lachrymose tearful, crying, weepy, in tears, in flood of tears, easily
moved,
Laconic concise, indifferent, terse,
Latinate derived from, relating to, characteristic of, from the Latin,
Always written as Latinate & not as latinate, doesn’t matter where it’s used in the sentence.
Lax careless, slovenly,
Legion plentiful, abounds
Lethal deadly
Lethargic lazy, sluggish, tired, exhausted,
Lexicon dictionary, word list, vocabulary,
Lilt A cheerful lively manner of speaking,
Linchpin fulcrum, cornerstone, essential, prerequisite,
Lithic consisting of stone,
Loath unwilling, hesitant, falter, waver, dither, vacillate, against,
reluctant, X adamant
Loathe hate, dislike, detest, abhor, despise,
Lollapalooza the biggest & the best,
Longevity a long duration, long life, endurance,
Lop to cut off unnecessary and superfluous things, trim, chop,
Lugubrious extremely sad, mournful, doleful, somber,
English Language Vocabulary
13 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Magnanimous generous, benevolent, altruistic, noble, worthy, upright,
benign,
Maladjusted mentally or emotionally disturbed, neurotic, alienated,
confused, unstable,
Malady ailment, disease
Malign pernicious, harmful, negative, damaging, slander,
Manumit to free somebody from slavery, liberate, release, set free,
unshackle, emancipate, unfetter X fetter – tie, chain, shackle,
Marsupial
Mastiff a large dog
Maudlin overly sentimental,
Meddle interfere, nose into someone else’s affairs,
Megalomania abnormal desire for power
Megalomaniac one with abnormal desire for power
Menial degrading, humble,
Metacognition knowledge about own thinking,
Meticulous attentive to details, scrupulous, thorough, finicky, fastidious,
Metier the type of work or subject that you are good at, job, work,
Mewl cry weakly,
Moil drudgery, toil, plod – to work laboriously and monotonous,
Moniker first name,
Moribund dying, waning,
Mortified ashamed, embarrassed, humiliated, affronted, chagrined,
Moss non-flowering plant,
Motivate stimulate, provoke, rouse, arouse
Moue
Mundane down to earth, ordinary, dull, every day,
Nadir the lowest point, base,
Naiveté the quality or state of being naive; natural or artless
simplicity,
Nascent beginning to develop, burgeon, bourgeoning – rapidly
increasing, X dwindle, shrink, diminish, drop, decrease,
Nebulous vague, unclear, elusive, imprecise, undefined,
Nefarious wicked, villainous
Neophyte novice, tenderfoot, beginner, inchoate,
Nettle irritate, nag, annoy, pester, rile, needle, badger,
Neurotic having an emotional disorder, maladjusted, fixated –
absorbed, anxious, phobic, fearful,
Nihilistic pessimistic, anarchistic, rebellious, negativistic,
Noisome extremely unpleasant, especially because of being very dirty
or having a bad smell, foul, harmful, offensive, detestable,
Nomadic wandering, itinerate, roaming, roving,
Nondescript undistinguishable, difficult to describe,
English Language Vocabulary
14 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Nostalgia a yearning for the past, longing,
Nub the most basic or essential part of something, essence, core,
heart, roots, gist, crucial-point, crux,
Oar
Obligation duty, requirement, compulsion, commitment, X option,
Obligatory compulsory, mandatory, required, requisite, necessary,
essential, enforced,
Obliterate destroy, wipe out, annihilate, eradicate, demolish,
Oblivion completely lost or forgotten, forgetfulness, stupor, postpone
a decision, act evasively to gain time, X Awareness,
Oblivious unaware, unconscious, ignorant, unmindful,
Obscure hard or difficult to see or understand, elusive, intangible,
recondite, opaque – impervious, milky, misty, vague, unclear, nebulous,
Obsess preoccupy, fixate, fascinate, X bore
Obstreperous disruptive, loud, noisy, undisciplined, rough, rowdy, unruly,
Obviate do away with, make unnecessary, hinder, forestall,
Occult mysterious, supernatural
Odious hateful, horrible, loathsome, abhorrent, repugnant, vile,
Offend upset, hurt somebody’s feeling, affront, insult,
Ominous worrying, menacing, threatening,
Omnipotent unlimited power or authority,
Omnivorous eating all kind of foods,
Operose busy, active, hardworking, requiring a lot of effort, strain –
stress, hardworking, tension, worry, pressure,
Opine speak out, lecture, speech, harangue – diatribe - attack,
invective, scold, tirade, criticism, discourse, rant – outburst, tirade, rage, bluster,
Ostentatious showy, brazen, grandiose, flashy, pretentious, flamboyant,
gaudy,
Otiose futile, useless, impractical, quixotic, inept – lack of ability,
lack of skills, indolent,
Ought must, should, have to,
Oust eject, to drive out
Overt openly, evident , blatant, unconcealed, open,
Palliate relieve without curing,
Paltry of little importance, measly, trifling,
Para liminal liminal – of conscious awareness,
Paragon a model of excellence
Parchments the skin of a sheep or goat prepared for writing on, a
parchment manuscript, strong, tough, and often somewhat translucent paper made to
resemble parchment,
paroxysm a sudden outburst
Parquet wooden floor, floor,
Parsimonious stingy, miserly, sparing
English Language Vocabulary
15 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Pathetic pitiful, sad,
Paucity scarcity, shortage, dearth, rareness,
Pecuniary financial
Pedagogue a teacher, tutor, lecturer,
Pedantic giving too much importance to details and formal rules,
especially of grammar, finicky - liking things only when they are correct in every detail, more
complicated than necessary and difficult to deal with, obscure – murky, unclear, vague,
opaque, dim, dark, plodding – to work laboriously and monotonous (drudge), to walk heavily
or slowly (trudge),
Penitent one who repents, regretting, remorseful, rueful, confess
Per se
Perceive to understand, to know
Perceptive keen, insightful, observant, discerning, incisive,
Perjury lie, untruth, fabrication, untruthfulness, X veracity,
Permeate spread throughout, pervade,
Pernicious harmful, damaging, malevolent, malign, spiteful
Perpetuate cause to continue, prolong, spread, propagate, extend,
Persevere persist, continue, stick, endure, keep it up,
Perspicacious insightful, wise, sagacious, discerning, astute, shrewd, wary,
Perspicuous clear and comprehensible, lucid, coherent, clear,
comprehensible, rational, articulate,
Persuade encourage, coax, convince, sway, induce
Pertinent apt, suitable, germane, appropriate, apposite,
Peruse read carefully, scrutinise,
Pesky annoying, irritating, bothersome,
Petulant sulky, cantankerous, sullen, peevish, irascible, grumpy,
irritable,
Phlegmatic calm, sluggish, unemotional,
Pickings earnings,
Pinnacle highest point, summit, zenith, acme, apex X nadir
Pique anger, resentment,
pithy expressing much in few words, terse, succinct, concise,
laconic,
Placard poster,
Platitude a trite saying, cliché, bromide,
Plethora an overabundance, abounds,
Plight a predicament, dilemma,
Pluck valor,
Poignant painful to the feelings, distressing,
Polyandry the custom of having more than one husband at a time,
Polyglot a mixture of languages, a language composed of many
languages,
Potent strong, powerful, persuasive, compelling, puissant, mighty,
English Language Vocabulary
16 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Precipitate rapid, hasty, quick, precipitous, impulsive, X slow
Preclude prevent, impede, exclude, prohibit, an introduction,
Prelature episcopal church government, an office of prelate - an
ecclesiastic (as a bishop or abbot) of superior rank,
Premise a basis for belief, evidence, preposition,
prerogative privilege, right, jurisdiction, sanction
Pretext an excuse,
Prevenient antecedent, preceding,
Probity correctness, justice, morality, goodness, integrity, honesty,
Procrastinate to postpone the action, to delay, to adjourn, defer, dally,
temporize,
Procrastinate to postpone the action, to delay, to adjourn, defer, dally,
temporize,
Prodigy a marvel or a phenomenon, genius, wonder, phenomenon,
wunderkind,
Profligate wasting money or other things, reckless, wasteful ,
squandering, X parsimonious,
Profound deep, thoughtful, reflective, philosophical, insightful X
superficial,
Profundity wisdom, understanding, acuity, insightfulness, insight, ken,
cognition – perception, reasoning, awareness,
Prognosticate Predict, foretell
Prologue the preface or introduction to a literary work, introduction,
preface, preamble, foreword, prelude,
Promulgate make public or proclaim, spread, propagate, disseminate,
publicize, X suppress,
Propensity an inclination
Propinquity nearness in time or place, proximity, closeness, blood
relationship,
Propitious favourable, auspicious, shows potential, bodes well,
encouraging, promising,
Prose style, writing style, text,
Provoke motivate, stimulate, incite, rouse, arouse, excite
Puerile childish, immature, foolish, trivial, infantile, jejune, inane,
Pugnacious quarrelsome, cantankerous, troublesome,
Puissant mighty, powerful, potent, strong, persuasive,
Pulchritude physical beauty, appeal,
Pun joke, quip, gag, jibe,
Puny weak, unimportant,
Pupils
Purloin steal, pilfer, filch, lift, pinch,
Purloined stolen, pilfered, filched, lifted,
Quarry something hunted or pursued, prey, target
English Language Vocabulary
17 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Quintessential typical, ideal - consummate, model, exemplary, classic,
essential,
Quip joke, jibe, pun, taunt, sneer, gag, jest, one liner, clever
remark,
Quitclaim to release or relinquish a legal claim to, The transfer of a
title, right, or claim to another,
Quixotic impractical, unrealistic, idealistic, dreamy, down – to –
earth, otiose – futile, useless,
Rabid furious, frantic, fanatical, unwell,
rambling incoherent – jumbled, disjointed, illogical, confused, wordy,
inconsequential X coherent,
Rampant aggravate, ubiquitous, rife, widespread, flourishing,
Ranch farm, stud, estate,
Rapacious insatiable, greedy, voracious, ravenous, avaricious, esurient,
Ratiocinate think or argue logically, reason,
Raze destroy, level
Realm domain, field, kingdom
Recant take back previous statements, take back,
Recidivism habit, repetition to going into crime, relapsing into crime,
Recoil draw back, withdrawal, shudder, flinch, wince,
Recondite obscure, hard to understand or see, intangible, abstruse,
Reconnaissance exploration, survey, investigation, inspection, scouting,
recce,
Rectitude morality, decency, righteousness, correctness, integrity,
Redolent filled with an odor,
Relegate assign to an inferior job, demote
Render melt down, boil down, reduce, concentrate, condense,
purify, extract, solidify,
Repel deter, resist, keep away, fend off, ward off, prevent, keep
away, keep at bay,
Replete completely filled
Repose state of rest,
reprehensible blameworthy,
Repress restrain, hold back,
Reproach rebuke, reprimand, admonishment, scolding, warning,
criticism, censure, chasten,
Repugnant offensive, objectionable, unacceptable, abusive,
Repulse drive back, snub, rebuff, X welcome
Restrictive harsh, confining, constrict
Revere respected, honor, admire,
revert go back
Revile scold,
Rewording summary, paraphrase, rephrasing, rewriting,
English Language Vocabulary
18 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Rhetoric pretentious words, empty talk, persuasive speech or writing,
skill with language, the ability to use language effectively, especially to persuade or influence
people,
rife widespread, common, prevalent, ubiquitous, rampant,
predominant, extensive,
Rife widespread, rampant, ubiquitous, common, prevalent,
Rigmarole hassle, bother,
Ritzy elegant, fashionable,
Rue regret, lament, repent, deplore, be remorseful,
Ruminative thoughtful, reflective, cogitative, cogitation, pondering,
musing, meditative, contemplative,
Rustic unpolished, countrified, bucolic, pastoral, rural,
Sage a wise man, erudite, astute,
Salient prominent, striking, relevant, main,
Saltation an abrupt movement or transition, leaping movement,
Salubrious wholesome, healthful, salutary, X insalubrious,
Sampan
sanction approval, authorisation, consent, prerogative, right,
Sanguine optimistic, upbeat, hopeful, X uncertain,
Sans without, lacking, in need, short,
Sapid pleasant to mind, engaging,
Saw adage, aphorism, axiom, maxim, proverb, saying,
Schism a narrow opening, split, rift, division,
scoff to make fun of, jeer, mock, to flout or contempt,
Scramble to move with urgency or panic, to spread or grow
irregularly, to struggle eagerly or unceremoniously for possession of something, struggle,
ascent, climb, hike,
Screed lengthy piece of writing or speech often tedious – boring,
dull, wearisome, top layer in construction,
Screed lengthy piece of writing or speech, top layer in construction,
Scrutinize examine carefully
Scurrilous using vulgar language, scandalous, libellous,
Sedate quiet, undisturbed, calm, peaceful, serene,
Seminal influential, pivotal, ground- breaking, important, formative,
inspirational, highly creative,
Senile weak as a result of old age,
Sententious disapproving, censorious, moralizing, critical, judgemental,
pithy – expressing much in few words, X approving,
Sequester put someone into isolation, to keep a group of people,
especially a jury in a court trial, apart from other people take enemy’s property, to
sequestrate, confiscate, seize,
Serendipity chance, fate, destiny, fortune, luck, coincidence,
Serenity tranquillity, peacefulness, quietude, calmness X bustle,
Shalom
English Language Vocabulary
19 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Siam
Simile figurative language, drawing comparison, symbol, allegory,
image, expression, metaphor, idiom, figure of speech,
Sinecure a safe and secure job
Singular extraordinary, unique,
Skitter run with tiny steps, unreliable person,
Slovenly lax, careless, sloppy, unkempt
Smoking crack
Sojourn a temporary stay
Sordid filthy, lacking dignity,
Spew gush out, to utter abusive/ objectionable language, invective
Spoonerism mistake, error, gaffe, slip of the tongue, Freudian Slip -
parapraxis, an inadvertent mistake in speech or writing that is thought to reveal a person's
unconscious motives, wishes, or attitudes,
Sprout to grow, an offshoot, cause to develop,
Squeak say something shrilly, barely manage something, be
informer, screech, squeal, whine, yelp, shrill – to make high-pitched penetrating sound, pipe,
Squeak say something shrilly, barely manage something, be
informer, screech, squeal, whine, yelp, shrill – to make high-pitched penetrating sound,
pipe,
Squeamish easily upset,
Stammer hesitant speech, stutter, speech impediment,
Steeped saturated, soaked
Stochastic
Strenuous vigorous, spirited, tireless, determined, active, energetic,
Strife discord, conflict, trouble, friction, dissention,
Stultifying put to sleep, put off, numbing, dulling, boring, X
stimulating,
stymie impede, hinder, thwart, foil, block, obstruct, halt, balk,
baulk, outwit, stalemate, X expedite,
Subjugate conquer, vanquish, defeat,
Sublime beautiful, inspiring, inspirational, noble, grand,
Subordinate secondary, subsidiary,
Suborn bribe, induce, corrupt, entice, incite, commit perjury – lie,
untruth,
Substantial considerable, ample, extensive, significant, important,
Substantive having independent existence, fundamental, applicable,
practical, functional, essential,
subterfuge hoax, trick, deception
Succinct concise, laconic, brief,
Sultry oppressively hot and humid, muggy, sticky,
Superfluous extra, surplus, excessive, unnecessary, redundant,
Supersede to take place of, to supplant, to succeed, to surpass,
Surveillance investigation, observation,
English Language Vocabulary
20 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Susceptible vulnerable to, inclined, prone, disposed, at risk, liable, open
to
Tantamount equivalent, identical X heterogeneous
Temporize to postpone a decision, delay, procrastinate, tarry, to put off,
avoid argument, adjourn, postpone, defer, dally, loiter - to delay an activity with idle stops
and pauses, dawdle,
Temporize to postpone a decision, delay, procrastinate, tarry, to put
off, avoid argument, adjourn, postpone, defer, dally,
Tenable defendable, supportable,
Tenacity stubbornness, obstinacy, persistence, insistence, adamant,
perseverance,
Ternary threefold, with base of 3, with three variables,
Throng a great number of people, horde, crowd, multitude,
Timid nervous, shy, fearful, bashfulness, timorous, coy, reticent –
reserved, quiet, cagey, taciturn, aloof,
Timidity nervousness, shyness, coyness, bashfulness,
Timidity nervousness, shyness, coyness, bashfulness,
Timorous fearful, afraid, scared, nervous, frightened, timid,
Tinge a trace, slight degree
Torpor apathy – lack of interest or emotion, lethargy, boredom,
inactivity, inertia, languor, lassitude, indifference, X excitement,
Torpor apathy, lethargy, boredom,
Tottering shaking as a result of old age, doddering,
Traverse to move over or across an area, pass through, cross,
crisscross,
Tremulous quivering, trembling, quaking, shaky,
Trenchant incisive, cutting, sharp, biting, acerbic, severe, scathing,
Trove a collection of valuables,
Tumid swollen, bombastic, overblown, pretentious, flatulent,
Turbid confused, muddled, unclear, chaotic, rambling, jumbled,
tangled, X clear,
Turbulent agitate, unruly, ferment, tumult, turmoil, confusion, foment,
commotion, bedlam,
Turgid overly ornate in style or language, articulate, grandiloquent,
Turgidity overly ornate in style or language, grandiloquent,
Tutelage expert hand, sponsorship, guidance, instruction, aegis,
Umbrage offense, resentment, affront,
Umpteen countless, myriad, numerous, loads of, scads of, tons of,
Unabated without subsiding,
Underlie motivate, inspire, trigger, bring about, cause, be the cause
of,
Unequivocally clearly, undisputedly, plainly, undeniably, unmistakably,
Unremitting relentless, ceaseless, implacable,
Usufruct legal right to use another’s property,
English Language Vocabulary
21 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Usurp to unrightfully seize power or office, take, grab, take over,
annex, seize, arrogate,
Utopia a place of perfection, ideal, Shangri – la, paradise,
Vacillation hesitancy, equivocation,
Vagabond someone with no home or job who travels from place to
place, vagrant - someone with no home or job who asks people for money, beggar, wanderer,
traveller, itinerant - traveling around frequently, especially in order to get work, roving - ,
traveling around from place to place, especially as part of your job,
Vagabond vagrant, beggar, wanderer, traveller, itinerant, roving,
Valor courage, gallantry, bravery, boldness, pluck, fortitude
Veracity validity, truth, exactness, authenticity, reliability, veritable –
true, genuine, absolute, authenticate, real, proper,
Verbose talkative, wordy, garrulous, loquacious, chatty,
Veritable absolute, authenticate, true, real, genuine, proper,
Vernacular argot, colloquial speech, slang, dialect, jargon – waffle,
nonsense - drivel, verbiage,
Versatile multipurpose, handy, useful, nifty, X inflexible,
Vertex zenith, apogee, summit, acme, apex, pinnacle, peak,
Vertigo dizziness
Vestige trace, sign, indication, remnant – remainder, left over,
indication, hint,
Vex irritate, annoy, aggravate, displease, irk, pester, irate,
Vexatious troublesome, annoying
Viable workable, practicable,
Vicissitudes difficulties, ups and downs, fluctuations,
Vie to compete, contest,
Vignettes a short descriptive piece of literary writing, a painting,
drawing, or photograph that has no border but is gradually faded into its background at the
edges, a short sketch,
Vim jovial, cheerful, jolly, lively, ebullient,
Viridescent green or becoming green,
Vitriolic biting, burning
Voluminous large, bulky
Voluptuous sensual in appearance, providing sensual appearance,
Voracious desiring or consuming in great quantities
Vulnerable susceptible, weak, helpless, exposed, open to, prone,
Waif a forsaken or orphaned child; the poor little waif.
Wallow આળોટવુું, lurch – to loiter (dawdle) – to delay an activity with
idle stops and pauses, to remain in area for no obvious reason, about a place furtively,
flounder, tumble,
Wane decline, decrease,
Wary watchful, shrewd, perspicacious,
Wen a very large overpopulated city, a skin bump,
English Language Vocabulary
22 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Wheedle coax, cajole, sweet – talk, persuade,
Whimsical impulsive – thoughtless, spontaneous, imprudent, rash,
brash, unwary,
Wont accustomed, inclined, habituated, used, prone, inured -
trained,
Wrest seize or take away by force,
Yen urge, desire, longing, wish, yearning, craving,
Yokefellows an associate or companion, especially at work; partner, a
spouse,
Zenith a summit, pinnacle, acme,
Zymurgy the process used in brewing and distilling, a fermenter,
Idioms
A feather in one’s cap something to be proud of
A lick and a promise do something in a cursory manner
Achilles’ heel a weakness or a vulnerable spot
Apple pie order good condition
Behind the eight ball in trouble
Bitter pill to swallow a humiliating defeat
Break the ice overcome initial difficulties
Carry the day win the approval of the majority
Cold feet hesitation because of fear
Crocodile tears hypocritical sympathy
Fair – weather friends people who are with you only in good times
Feather one’s nest enrich oneself at every opportunity
Feeling no pain under the influence of alcohol
Fly in the ointment something that spoils or lessens the enjoyment
From pillar to post from one place to another
Get your back up become angry
Gild the lily elaborate unnecessarily
Give the cold shoulder snub or ignore someone
Go up in smoke end fruitlessly
Handwriting on the wall a prediction or warning
Hit the nail on the road state something correctly
Hobson’s choice no choice at all
In the doldrums in a bored or depressed state
In the lap of the gods out of one’s hands
English Language Vocabulary
23 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Ivory tower a protected place that is out of touch with life
Keep a stiff upper lip be uncomplaining and courageous
Know the ropes be fully acquainted with procedures
Like Caesar’s wife above suspicion
Lionize a person make a big fuss over someone
Loaded for bear well prepared
Lock, stock and barrel entirely or completely
Look a gift horse in the mouth be critical of a present
Off the beaten track out of the ordinary
On tenterhooks in a state of suspense
On the dot exactly on time
On the qui vive on the alert
Out of one’s depth in a situation too difficult to handle
Out of the frying pan, into the fire go from a difficult situation to a worse one
Pass the buck evade responsibility
Pay the piper bear the consequences
Playing possum fooling someone by pretending to be harmless
Pull your weight do a fair share of the work
Rule the roost be the boss
Save face avoid embarrassment
Show one’s hand reveal one’s plans
Sow wild oats lead a wild life
Spur the moment on impulse or without thinking
Square peg in a round hole someone doesn’t fit the surroundings
Steal someone’s thunder take attention from
Stock in trade tools of a profession
Sword of Damocles any threatening danger
Take down a peg humiliate
Take the pull by the horns face a problem directly
Take the wind out of someone’s sails remove an advantage
Take under one’s wing become responsible for
The fat is in the fire the mischief is done
The grapevine an informal means of spreading information
The lion’s share the major portion
Throw down the gauntlet offer a challenge
Tighten your belt get set for bad times
Tilt at windmills fight imaginary enemies
Tongue in cheek mocking or satirical
Upset the apple cart disturb a plan or intention
Wash dirty linen in public openly discuss private affairs
Wear your heart on your sleeve make your feelings obvious
Wet blanket a spoilsport
Without rhyme or reason making no sense
English Language Vocabulary
24 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Go through the roof become very angry, go through very high level,
Gall making you feel annoyed or angry, especially because something is not fair, Chutzpah strong confidence in yourself so that you can say or do rude or shocking
things without becoming ashamed or embarrassed. This word usually shows that you admire this quality in a person.
The little words
Avid eager; greedy; zealous, enthusiastic, Craig is an avid golfer.
Bask exposed to pleasant warmth or favourable treatment; Jim will bask in reflected glory.
Cloy to weary with too much sweetness, richness, pleasure; this tiramisu is rather cloying.
Daft crazy; goofy; simple-minded; Mickey said Goofy was daft.
Espy to glimpse; descry; I barely espied the mugger.
Flux continual change; some people live their lives in a state of
constant flux.
Grig a lively person; Old Bill is a true grig.
Hasp a metal fastener or lock; Dave broke the hasp with a sledge hammer.
Icon an image; a symbol; a representation; our governor is a true icon.
Jape to joke or quip; don’t jape me Patrick.
Knur a bump or knot; Dana has a small knur on his noggin.
Lank lean; long; slender; Paul is a lanky boy.
Mien bearing; demeanor; Lynette has a regal mien, don’t you think?
Node a knob, knot, or protuberance; Nathan has a node on his nose.
Ogle to stare impertinently with fondness or desire; It’s against the law to ogle.
Pate the head; top of the head; reference to baldness; Nate’s pate is showing.
Quip a witty, sometimes sarcastic remark; Kathy’s quips are like whips.
English Language Vocabulary
25 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Rasp to speak hoarsely; recording three lessons a day leaves your voice raspy.
Seep to ooze; leak; my car is seeping oil and transmission fluid.
Tarn a mountain lake or swampy pond; Bud camped on the shores of the tarn.
Urdu the Hindustani language–used to indicate an extremely difficult and remote language; Professor Johnson might as well lecture in Urdu.
Vale a valley; the little brown church is in the vale.
Waif a forsaken or orphaned child; the poor little waif.
Xeno a Greek prefix indicating strange, foreign, or different as in xenophobe, one who fears and hates strangers, or xenophile, one who loves or is attracted to them.
Yean to give birth; Trixie yeaned again–two little lambs.
Zeal ardour; fervor; Connie was filled with a missionary zeal.
Engender to produce, to give rise to,
3 Letter Words
Ken perception, understanding, recognition,
o The subject is within my ken.
Coy shy, bashful, modest, reserved, reticent, demure,
coquettish,
o The young secretary was very coy.
Din a loud, unpleasant noise, cacophony
o Bob’s garage band is making quite a din.
Vie to compete, contest
o He was vied in election to become a mayor.
Sans without, lacking, in need, short,
o
Lilt A cheerful lively manner of speaking,
o
Fey clairvoyant, magical, enchanted, fanciful, capricious, mystic,
o My friend is a fey and gifted person.
Yen desire, yearn, crave,
o A yen for learning.
Zen meditative practice,
o He seems calmer since he began studying Zen.
Nub a protuberance, knob, lump, gist of a story, bulge, bump,
swelling,
English Language Vocabulary
26 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
o Gist essence, kernel – seed, grain, sense, meaning,
Word Master
Wiles cunning deception, treachery, craftiness, perfidy – the state
of being disloyal or faithless,
Wrought made, worked, created, crafted,
Bolster to prop, support, strengthen, reinforce,
Cherubic like a beautiful, innocent child, sweet, angelic,
Fastidious attentive to details, assiduous – hard working and thorough,
hard to please, scrupulous, meticulous, finicky, pernickety, painstaking – the action of taking
pains, diligent care and effort,
Throttle to silence, to stop, suppress,
Flagrant openly disgraceful, wicked, outrageous, blatant – completely
obvious, conspicuous, noisy especially in a vulgar or offensive manner, clamorous,
Jostle to push or shove roughly or hard,
Penchant a strong liking or inclination for something, proclivity, desire,
predilection, liking,
Culpable blameworthy, accountable for errors, guilty, liable,
Picayune trifling, unimportant, trivial, petty, insignificant,
Scathing bitterly severe, critical, biting, scornful,
Drivel something said in a foolish manner, nonsense, hokum,
bunkum, hogwash, twaddle, to let saliva dribble – to let or cause to fall in drops little by
little, from the mouth,
Affinity a natural liking, attraction, X indifference – marked by
impartiality unbiased,
Altercation a noisy heated quarrel, mostly physical than a dispute –
difference of opinion, heated discussion, argument,
Aspire to have an earnest desire, ambition, aim, wish, want,
Dichotomy a division into two contrasting hands or pairs,
Dispute heated discussion, difference of opinion, argument,
Impetus stimulus, incentive, a motivating force, impulse, spur,
Latent not developed, dormant, not apparent, concealed, hidden,
Lament expression of grief, cry, dirge – a slow, solemn and mournful
piece of music,
Assimilate to take in, absorb, integrate, adapt, adjust, fit in, blend in,
Vista a far view seen through a narrow expanse – span, area,
Wane to decrease in size or degree, to fade, subside, diminish, X
Wax – shine,
English Language Vocabulary
27 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Atone to make up for past failing or wrongdoing, contrition –
penitence, remorse, repentance, contrite,
contrite penitent, ashamed, regretful, sorry, apologetic, repentant,
Caper a wild prank, antics - behaviour that is funny or silly in an
enjoyable way, jape, clowning, playfulness, trick, lark, joke, children love to caper in
garden.
Ostracize to exclude, banish, cold shoulder, shun – eschew , ignore,
snub, excommunicate,
Unwieldy difficult to move because of size, clumsy, awkward,
cumbersome, arduous, bulky, onerous, ponderous,
Vacillate waver, to be unsure, hesitate, falter, dither, boggle,
equivocate, loath, fickle – changeable, indecisive, capricious, inconsistent,
Cynical sarcastic, pessimistic, nihilistic,
Ardent intense, passionate, devout,
Effects movable goods, belongings, keen, fervent, dedicated,
Prelusory introductory,
Revel to take great pleasure or delight in something, carousel,
Emaciate so thin as to look weak, wither, shrink,
Ordeal torment, a severe trial, suffering, affliction – the cause of
persistent pain or distress,
Upbraid reproach, rebuke – an expression of strong disapproval,
castigate, chastise – censure – to inflict punishment on, chasten, admonish - to give friendly
earnest advice or encouragement to, scold,
Plunder to rob a place/person by force or fraud, loot, swag,
Blasé weary or bored with life, indifference, nonchalant – cool,
calm, carefree, lax,
Dauntless bold, fearless, courageous, intrepid, valiant, gallant, brave,
Defile to make unclean or impure, contaminate, pollute, to make
dirty,
Facile skilful, quick, finding the task easy, easily accomplished or
attained,
Insolvent bankrupt, unable to pay one’s debt, impoverished, indigent,
destitute,
Rotund rounded out, spherical,
Trite commonplace, banal, stale – tedious from familiarity,
tasteless or unpalatable from age,
Stale tedious – (boring, tiresome, wearisome, dull, dreary,) from
familiarity, tasteless or unpalatable – inedible, from age,
Ensue to follow as a consequence, follow on, pursue, X precede,
Extricate to set free, release, detangle, free, disengage,
Henchman a trusted helper or follower,
Censure expression of disapproval, condemn, criticize, rebuke,
castigate, chasten, chastise, reprimand,
English Language Vocabulary
28 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Exonerate to clear someone from blame who is not a guilty, to free
from accusation, exculpate,
Absolve to set free from blame or an obligation who is actually a
guilty,
Disconcert agitate, disturb, perturb, to upset with, incommode,
Portent sign, omen, indication, warning,
Harbinger herald, forerunner,
Swagger to walk in a conceit – pride, arrogance, manner,
Corpulent large bulky body, fat, stout, obese,
Contrition sadness or remorse feeling over past wrong actions, atone,
repentance, penitence, regret, remorse, sorry, apology,
Impudent offensively bold, rude, impertinent – irrelevant,
Incumbent mandatory, compulsory, unavoidable,
Milieu surroundings, environment, ambiances, settings,
Perfidy treachery, duplicity, dishonesty, betrayal, deceit, disloyal,
wiles,
Prodigious marvellous, enormous in size, quantity or degree,
Sinuous curving in and out, winding, of a serpentine of wavy form,
Ubiquitous universal, omnipresent, pervasive,
Apprise to give notice to, inform, notify as an event, impart, acquaint
– make aware, inform, pass on,
Expiate to atone for, to amend,
Extant still exist, in existence,
Fatuous silly in a self- satisfied way, pointless, complacent, childish,
Incommode to cause inconvenience, bother, perturb, disturb, disconcert,
Ruminate ponder, muse, cogitate, contemplate,
Ignominious shameful, humiliating, embarrassing, disreputable,
ignominy,
Implacable impossible to have peace with, pitiless, merciless, cruel,
cold-hearted, unremitting, inexorable, relentless,
Voluble smooth in speech, talkative, fluent, articulate, garrulous –
pointlessly or annoyingly talkative, effusive – unrestrained in expressing feelings, verbose,
vociferous,
Feral unrestrained, wild, untamed, uncontrollable,
undomesticated, savage, regressive, 236930, 02699,
Palpable capable of being touched, obvious,
Paroxysm a sudden violent outburst, spasm, outburst, outbreak,
frenzy,
Vilify to speak badly of, slander, malign, denigrate, belittle,
disparage,
Abnegation self-denial, abstention,
Amenable agreeable, open to discussion, docile, cooperative,
Tribulation distress, hardship, suffering,
Prerogative right, privilege, due, entitlement, perquisite, choice,
English Language Vocabulary
29 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Tantamount equal, equivalent,
Tenet a belief, principle, rule, view, precept, conviction,
Antithetic totally opposite, completely opposed,
Progeny children, descendants, offspring, scions, descendants,
Ossify harden, rigid, petrify, coalesce - to grow together, to unite,
Portend foretell, predict,
Protract to extend in time, to prolong,
Virile manly, muscular,
Ancillary auxiliary, secondary,
Belie contrary, contradict, oppose,
Iniquitous evil, wicked, nefarious,
Innocuous innocent, inoffensive,
Charlatan impostor, con, fake, swindler,
Scornful full of contempt, disdain, derisive,
Tenable justifiable, reasonable, acceptable, plausible,
Assiduous diligent, hard-working, tireless, sedulous, relentless,
Eschew shun, avoid,
Mnemonic reminder, prompt, cue, memory aid,
Plausible reasonable, conceivable, acceptable, believable, credible,
tenable,
Snugger comforting, inviting, warmer, cozier,
Fickle erratic, capricious, indecisive, inconsistent, changeable,
vacillating,
Ignominy deep personal humiliation and disgrace, disgraceful or
dishonourable conduct, quality, or action, embarrassing, humiliation,
New Words
Tandem with one behind another,
Bestrode to stand over something or sit on it, with one leg on each side,
Swoon to be extremely excited and impressed by someone who you like or admire, to become unconscious and fall to the ground,
Scourge something that causes a lot of trouble or harm, to whip – lash, belt, hit, someone,
Squint an act of closing your eyes slightly and trying to see something,
Contentious quarrelsome, pugnacious, bellicose, belligerent,
Craven cowardly, lacking courage,
Detritus debris, waste, litter, garbage,
Didactic instructive, informative,
Erudite learned, adroit, clever, scholarly, well-read,
Prevaricate to lie, dither, misstate, to distort the truth, fabricate,
English Language Vocabulary
30 Created by: Ronald Christian; email – [email protected]
Deleterious harmful, causing moral or physical injury,
Erudition deep knowledge, scholarship,
Exculpate to free from charge,