If you’re preparing for CSS, PMS, or any other competitive exam with an English vocabulary section, you don’t need to memorize all 3,000+ GRE words — you need the ones that actually show up on the paper, over and over again.
This list of 750 carefully selected words is built exactly for that. Every word here has been pulled from years of recurring CSS/PMS vocabulary questions — the words examiners keep coming back to in synonym, antonym, and sentence completion sections. Instead of drowning in an oversized word list, you can focus your limited prep time on the words most likely to actually appear in your exam.
Each entry gives you four things: a clear definition, 3–5 synonyms, 2–5 antonyms, and an example sentence that shows the word doing real work in context — because a word you’ve only seen in isolation is a word you’ll freeze on in the exam room.
How to Use This List
This isn’t the full 3,000+ GRE word list — it’s a filtered set of 750 high-frequency words that actually show up again and again in CSS, PMS, and other competitive exam vocabulary sections (synonyms, antonyms, and sentence completion). If you’re short on time, master these before touching a bigger list.
How to cram it effectively:
- Don’t just read — recall. Cover the definition/synonym/antonym columns and try to remember them from the word alone. Recognition ≠ recall, and exams test recall.
- Learn synonyms and antonyms together. Most exam questions ask for one or the other — knowing both locks the word in from two directions.
- Read the example sentence out loud. The sentence shows the word in real context, which is how you’ll actually recognize it in a passage or a tricky exam question — not just as an isolated definition.
- Batch it: 25–30 words a day. Don’t try to do all 750 in one sitting. Small daily batches with review the next day beat one long cram session.
- Revisit yesterday’s batch before starting today’s. Repetition across days is what moves words into long-term memory.
- Make your own sentence. After reading the given example, try using the word in your own sentence — even mentally. This is the single biggest predictor of whether you’ll remember it in the exam.
- Group tricky pairs. Words that sound similar or get confused (e.g., venal/venial, illusive/elusive) are worth extra attention — exams love testing these.
Treat the synonym and antonym columns as two separate memory hooks for the same word, not one combined fact — and don’t skip the sentences. Words learned in context stick far better than words learned as a bare list.
CSS/PMS Vocabulary List
| # | Word | Definition | Synonyms | Antonyms | Example Sentence |
| 1 | Abase | To lower in rank, dignity, or self-esteem | humble, degrade, demean, humiliate | exalt, elevate, honor, dignify | He refused to abase himself by begging for the judge’s mercy. |
| 2 | Aberration | A deviation from what is normal or expected | deviation, anomaly, irregularity, oddity | normalcy, conformity, regularity | The sudden snowfall in June was a strange aberration from the usual summer weather. |
| 3 | Abet | To encourage or assist someone in wrongdoing | incite, encourage, support, aid | discourage, hinder, oppose, deter | The getaway driver was charged with abetting the robbery even though he never entered the bank. |
| 4 | Abeyance | Temporary suspension or inactivity | suspension, dormancy, postponement | continuation, activity, resumption | The project was held in abeyance until the company secured more funding. |
| 5 | Abjure | To formally renounce or reject | renounce, forsake, recant, disavow | embrace, affirm, uphold, adopt | Under pressure, he was forced to abjure the beliefs he had held for years. |
| 6 | Ablution | The act of washing oneself, often ceremonially | washing, cleansing, purification | soiling, contamination | Before entering the temple, worshippers performed their ablutions at the stone basin. |
| 7 | Abnegation | Self-denial; renunciation | self-denial, renunciation, abstinence | self-indulgence, gratification | Her abnegation of luxury allowed her to donate most of her income to charity. |
| 8 | Aborigine | An original/native inhabitant of a region | native, indigene, original inhabitant | settler, immigrant, newcomer | The museum exhibit honored the customs of the region’s aborigines. |
| 9 | Abortive | Failing to achieve intended result | unsuccessful, failed, futile, fruitless | successful, fruitful, effective | Their abortive attempt to climb the peak ended when a storm forced them back. |
| 10 | Abstinence | Restraint from indulgence, especially food/drink | restraint, self-denial, temperance | indulgence, excess, overindulgence | The doctor recommended total abstinence from alcohol during his recovery. |
| 11 | Abstruse | Difficult to understand; obscure | profound, esoteric, cryptic, obscure | simple, clear, obvious, plain | The professor’s abstruse lecture on quantum theory left most students baffled. |
| 12 | Abut | To touch or border on; adjoin | adjoin, border, touch, neighbor | separate, detach | Their backyard abuts a quiet nature reserve. |
| 13 | Abysmal | Extremely bad; bottomless | dreadful, bottomless, profound, terrible | superb, excellent, shallow | The team’s abysmal performance led to their relegation at the end of the season. |
| 14 | Accede | To agree to a demand or request | agree, consent, comply, assent | refuse, reject, dissent, deny | After hours of negotiation, the company finally acceded to the workers’ demands. |
| 15 | Acclivity | An upward slope | incline, ascent, upgrade, rise | declivity, descent, downgrade | The hikers paused to catch their breath on the steep acclivity. |
| 16 | Adulation | Excessive praise or flattery | praise, flattery, admiration, worship | criticism, disdain, contempt | The pop star was met with adulation from thousands of screaming fans. |
| 17 | Advocate | One who supports or pleads for a cause; to support | support, champion, promote, defend | oppose, denounce, discourage | She has long been an advocate for affordable healthcare in rural areas. |
| 18 | Affable | Friendly, easy to talk to | friendly, amiable, genial, cordial | rude, hostile, unfriendly, surly | The affable shopkeeper greeted every customer with a warm smile. |
| 19 | Affected | Artificial or pretended; influenced | artificial, pretentious, feigned | natural, genuine, unaffected | His affected British accent fooled no one who knew he grew up in Ohio. |
| 20 | Affluence | Wealth; abundance | wealth, prosperity, abundance, riches | poverty, scarcity, destitution | The gated mansions in that neighborhood are a clear sign of affluence. |
| 21 | Agility | Ability to move quickly and easily | nimbleness, dexterity, quickness | clumsiness, awkwardness, sluggishness | The gymnast’s agility allowed her to land the difficult routine flawlessly. |
| 22 | Alacrity | Brisk and cheerful readiness | eagerness, briskness, enthusiasm | reluctance, sluggishness, apathy | The volunteers responded to the emergency call with great alacrity. |
| 23 | Alleviate | To make suffering less severe | ease, relieve, soothe, lessen | worsen, aggravate, intensify | The new medication helped alleviate her chronic back pain. |
| 24 | Allure | Power to attract; charm | charm, appeal, attraction, fascination | repulsion, deterrent, repel | The allure of a higher salary tempted him to leave his hometown. |
| 25 | Aloof | Distant, reserved, uninvolved | distant, reserved, detached, cold | friendly, gregarious, sociable | The new manager seemed aloof, rarely speaking to anyone outside meetings. |
| 26 | Amalgamate | To combine or unite into one | merge, combine, unite, blend | separate, divide, split | The two small banks decided to amalgamate into a single larger institution. |
| 27 | Ambiguous | Open to more than one interpretation; unclear | vague, equivocal, unclear, obscure | clear, definite, unambiguous | The contract’s ambiguous wording led to a dispute between both parties. |
| 28 | Amble | To walk at a leisurely pace | stroll, saunter, wander, meander | rush, dash, sprint | We watched the elderly couple amble slowly along the beach at sunset. |
| 29 | Ambulatory | Able to walk; not bedridden | mobile, walking, convalescent | bedridden, immobile, stationary | Two weeks after surgery, the patient was finally ambulatory again. |
| 30 | Ameliorate | To make better; improve | improve, better, enhance, upgrade | worsen, deteriorate, aggravate | New irrigation systems helped ameliorate the farmers’ drought conditions. |
| 31 | Amicable | Friendly, characterized by goodwill | friendly, cordial, peaceable, harmonious | hostile, antagonistic, unfriendly | The couple reached an amicable agreement during their divorce settlement. |
| 32 | Amoral | Lacking moral sense; indifferent to right/wrong | unethical, unprincipled, neutral | moral, ethical, principled | The con artist seemed amoral, feeling no guilt about cheating elderly victims. |
| 33 | Amorphous | Without definite shape or form | shapeless, formless, vague | defined, structured, shaped | The committee’s amorphous plan lacked any clear goals or timeline. |
| 34 | Amplify | To increase in size, volume, or effect | intensify, magnify, expand, boost | reduce, diminish, lessen | The speakers amplified the singer’s voice so it could fill the entire stadium. |
| 35 | Analogous | Comparable in certain respects | comparable, similar, parallel, equivalent | dissimilar, unrelated, different | The structure of an atom is often described as analogous to a solar system. |
| 36 | Anathematize | To formally curse or condemn | curse, denounce, condemn, damn | bless, praise, commend | The council moved to anathematize the heretical teachings of the rebel monk. |
| 37 | Anemic | Weak; lacking vitality | pale, weak, feeble, pallid | robust, vigorous, healthy | The company’s anemic sales growth worried its investors. |
| 38 | Animated | Full of life; lively | lively, spirited, vivacious, energetic | dull, lifeless, listless | She gave an animated description of her trip, gesturing excitedly the whole time. |
| 39 | Animus | Hostility or ill feeling | animosity, enmity, hostility, antagonism | goodwill, friendship, amity | Years after the lawsuit, there was still clear animus between the former partners. |
| 40 | Anomaly | Something that deviates from the norm | aberration, deviation, irregularity | norm, regularity, standard | Scientists noticed an anomaly in the data that didn’t match their predictions. |
| 41 | Anonymous | Of unknown or unnamed identity | unnamed, unidentified, unsigned | named, identified, signed | An anonymous donor gave the school a generous gift of new computers. |
| 42 | Antediluvian | Extremely old or outdated | ancient, archaic, outdated, primitive | modern, current, contemporary | He still uses an antediluvian flip phone that has no internet access. |
| 43 | Antipathy | A deep-seated dislike | aversion, hostility, dislike, distaste | affinity, fondness, liking | She felt a strong antipathy toward anyone who treated animals cruelly. |
| 44 | Antithesis | Direct opposite | opposite, reverse, converse, contrary | equivalent, counterpart, same | Her calm, organized approach was the antithesis of her brother’s chaotic style. |
| 45 | Aphasia | Loss of ability to use or understand language | speechlessness, mutism | volubility, fluency, eloquence | After the stroke, he developed aphasia and struggled to form simple sentences. |
| 46 | Appease | To pacify or placate | pacify, placate, mollify, soothe | provoke, agitate, antagonize | The manager offered a refund to appease the angry customer. |
| 47 | Apposite | Apt; highly relevant | fitting, apt, relevant, suitable | inappropriate, irrelevant, unsuitable | She found an apposite quote that perfectly captured the theme of her essay. |
| 48 | Apprehend | To understand; to arrest; to fear | grasp, understand, arrest, dread | release, free, misunderstand | Police were able to apprehend the suspect just blocks from the crime scene. |
| 49 | Aptitude | Natural ability or talent | talent, knack, flair, capability | ineptitude, incompetence, inability | From a young age, she showed a real aptitude for solving math problems. |
| 50 | Aquiline | Hooked or curved like an eagle’s beak | hooked, curved, eagle-like | straight, flat | The portrait highlighted the king’s sharp, aquiline nose. |
| 51 | Archaic | Very old; outdated | ancient, antiquated, obsolete, old-fashioned | modern, current, new | The law still contains archaic language that hasn’t been updated in a century. |
| 52 | Ardour | Great enthusiasm or passion | passion, zeal, fervor, enthusiasm | apathy, indifference, coldness | He pursued his research with such ardour that he often forgot to eat lunch. |
| 53 | Array | An impressive display; to arrange | display, collection, arrangement | disarray, disorder, chaos | The bakery offered a dazzling array of pastries in the front window. |
| 54 | Arroyo | A dry creek bed or small gully | gully, ravine, gulch, channel | — | After the rare desert rainstorm, water briefly rushed through the dry arroyo. |
| 55 | Artifice | Clever trickery; cunning | trickery, deception, cunning, ruse | honesty, candor, sincerity | The magician’s trick relied on simple artifice rather than real magic. |
| 56 | Artisan | A skilled craftsperson | craftsman, artificer, technician | amateur, novice | The artisan spent weeks hand-carving the intricate wooden chair. |
| 57 | Ascertain | To find out for certain | determine, verify, confirm, establish | doubt, guess, speculate | Detectives worked to ascertain the exact time of the break-in. |
| 58 | Asperity | Harshness of tone or manner | harshness, severity, sharpness | gentleness, mildness, kindness | The coach spoke with such asperity that several players looked hurt. |
| 59 | Assuage | To ease or soothe | soothe, relieve, alleviate, pacify | aggravate, worsen, intensify | A warm cup of tea helped assuage her nerves before the interview. |
| 60 | Asteroid | A small rocky body orbiting the sun | planetoid, minor planet | — | Astronomers tracked the asteroid as it passed safely by Earth. |
| 61 | Astute | Shrewd; having sharp judgment | shrewd, sharp, clever, perceptive | naive, foolish, obtuse | Her astute analysis of the market saved the company from a costly mistake. |
| 62 | Atrocity | An extremely cruel or brutal act | outrage, barbarity, cruelty, horror | kindness, humanity, mercy | The trial revealed the full scale of the atrocities committed during the war. |
| 63 | Atrophy | To waste away from disuse | wither, waste away, decline, degenerate | grow, develop, strengthen | His leg muscles began to atrophy after months in a cast. |
| 64 | Attenuate | To weaken or reduce in force | weaken, dilute, reduce, lessen | strengthen, intensify, amplify | Thick concrete walls help attenuate the sound from the busy street outside. |
| 65 | Atypical | Not typical; unusual | unusual, abnormal, irregular, anomalous | typical, normal, usual | Her atypical symptoms made the illness difficult for doctors to diagnose. |
| 66 | Audacity | Bold, daring confidence | boldness, daring, nerve, impudence | timidity, cowardice, shyness | I can’t believe he had the audacity to ask for a raise after missing deadlines. |
| 67 | Augment | To make greater; increase | increase, enlarge, expand, boost | reduce, diminish, decrease | She took a part-time job to augment her income while finishing school. |
| 68 | Auxiliary | Providing supplementary support | supplementary, supportive, secondary | primary, main, essential | The hospital switched to an auxiliary generator when the power went out. |
| 69 | Avarice | Extreme greed for wealth | greed, covetousness, cupidity | generosity, charity, altruism | The old miser’s avarice kept him from ever donating a single coin. |
| 70 | Avert | To prevent or turn away | prevent, ward off, deflect, avoid | cause, invite, allow | Quick thinking by the pilot helped avert what could have been a disaster. |
| 71 | Awry | Off course; askew; wrong | askew, crooked, amiss, wrong | straight, correct, right | Their carefully planned picnic went awry when it suddenly started to pour. |
| 72 | Baleful | Threatening harm; malignant | menacing, malevolent, sinister, ominous | benign, harmless, favorable | The villain gave a baleful glare before slipping out of the room. |
| 73 | Balmy | Mild and pleasant (of weather) | mild, pleasant, soothing, gentle | harsh, severe, stormy | We spent the balmy evening relaxing on the porch in light jackets. |
| 74 | Banal | Lacking originality; trite | trite, cliched, unoriginal, dull | original, fresh, novel | The movie’s banal dialogue made it feel like every other romantic comedy. |
| 75 | Baneful | Harmful; destructive | harmful, deadly, pernicious, noxious | beneficial, harmless, wholesome | The factory’s baneful chemicals polluted the river for miles downstream. |
| 76 | Baroque | Highly ornate and elaborate | ornate, elaborate, extravagant, florid | plain, simple, austere | The cathedral’s baroque ceiling was covered in gold leaf and intricate carvings. |
| 77 | Beatific | Blissfully happy; serene | blissful, joyful, serene, radiant | miserable, gloomy, wretched | The newlyweds wore beatific smiles throughout the entire ceremony. |
| 78 | Belittle | To make someone seem unimportant | demean, disparage, deride, minimize | praise, exalt, magnify | His coworkers belittled her idea before realizing it actually saved the company money. |
| 79 | Bellicose | Eager to fight; aggressive | warlike, hostile, pugnacious, aggressive | peaceful, peaceable, friendly | The senator’s bellicose speech alarmed allies who feared it might lead to war. |
| 80 | Benign | Gentle; harmless | gentle, kindly, harmless, mild | malignant, harmful, malevolent | Thankfully, the biopsy confirmed the tumor was benign. |
| 81 | Benison | A blessing | blessing, benediction | curse, malediction | The priest offered a benison over the newborn child. |
| 82 | Berate | To scold harshly | scold, reprimand, chastise, rebuke | praise, commend, compliment | The coach berated the team for missing three practices in a row. |
| 83 | Bestial | Brutal; animal-like | savage, brutal, barbaric, feral | civilized, humane, noble | The soldiers were horrified by the bestial treatment of the prisoners. |
| 84 | Bigotry | Intolerance toward those who differ | intolerance, prejudice, narrow-mindedness | tolerance, open-mindedness, acceptance | The film exposes the bigotry that immigrants faced in the small town. |
| 85 | Bizarre | Strikingly odd or unusual | strange, odd, peculiar, weird | normal, ordinary, conventional | Neighbors described hearing a bizarre noise coming from the abandoned house. |
| 86 | Blanch | To turn pale; to whiten | whiten, pale, bleach, fade | darken, color, flush | His face seemed to blanch the moment he heard the bad news. |
| 87 | Bland | Lacking flavor or excitement; mild | dull, mild, flavorless, insipid | spicy, exciting, zesty, caustic | The hospital food was so bland that he asked for extra salt and pepper. |
| 88 | Blase | Unimpressed due to overexposure; indifferent | jaded, unimpressed, indifferent, nonchalant | enthusiastic, eager, fiery | After years of world travel, she had become blase about even the most famous landmarks. |
| 89 | Bleak | Bare, cold, depressing | desolate, dreary, grim, cheerless | bright, cheerful, hopeful | The bleak winter landscape stretched out for miles without a single tree. |
| 90 | Blithe | Carefree and lighthearted | cheerful, carefree, lighthearted, merry | gloomy, somber, melancholy | She skipped down the street with a blithe disregard for the rain. |
| 91 | Boisterous | Noisy, energetic, unruly | rowdy, noisy, rambunctious, unruly | calm, quiet, subdued | The boisterous crowd cheered loudly after the winning goal. |
| 92 | Bombastic | Pompous, high-sounding but with little meaning | pompous, grandiloquent, pretentious | modest, plain, simple | The politician’s bombastic speech was full of grand promises but few real plans. |
| 93 | Boorish | Rude and ill-mannered | rude, crude, uncouth, churlish | polite, refined, courteous | His boorish table manners embarrassed everyone at the formal dinner. |
| 94 | Bouillon | A clear, thin broth | broth, stock, consomme | — | The chef simmered chicken bones for hours to make a rich bouillon. |
| 95 | Brackish | Slightly salty (of water) | salty, briny | fresh, pure | Where the river meets the sea, the water becomes noticeably brackish. |
| 96 | Braggadocio | Boastful, arrogant behavior | bragging, boasting, swagger | modesty, humility | Beneath all his braggadocio, he was actually quite nervous about the match. |
| 97 | Brazen | Bold and shameless | shameless, bold, audacious, impudent | shy, timid, modest | In a brazen move, the thief walked out of the store carrying the stolen TV in plain sight. |
| 98 | Brindled | Brownish/tawny with streaks of another color | streaked, mottled, dappled | solid-colored, uniform | The brindled dog had dark stripes running across its tan fur. |
| 99 | Brochure | A small booklet or pamphlet for information | pamphlet, booklet, leaflet, flyer | — | The travel agency handed out a colorful brochure describing the island resort. |
| 100 | Bucolic | Relating to pleasant, rural country life | rural, pastoral, rustic, idyllic | urban, metropolitan, industrial | After years in the city, she craved the bucolic peace of her grandparents’ farm. |
| 101 | Buxom | Plump and healthy-looking, especially large-busted | plump, voluptuous, full-figured, curvaceous | slender, thin, slight | The painting showed a buxom woman carrying baskets of fruit to market. |
| 102 | Cache | A hidden store of things, or a hiding place | hoard, stash, stockpile, reserve | — | Police discovered a cache of stolen weapons buried behind the old barn. |
| 103 | Cacophony | A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds | discord, dissonance, din, racket | harmony, melody, euphony | The cacophony of car horns and construction noise made it impossible to concentrate. |
| 104 | Callow | Immature and inexperienced | immature, inexperienced, naive, green | mature, experienced, seasoned | The callow intern kept making rookie mistakes during his first week on the job. |
| 105 | Candid | Truthful and straightforward; frank | frank, honest, forthright, outspoken | evasive, deceptive, guarded | Her candid review of the restaurant mentioned both the great food and the slow service. |
| 106 | Capacious | Having a lot of space; roomy | spacious, roomy, ample, extensive | cramped, small, confined | The capacious trunk of the old sedan easily held all their camping gear. |
| 107 | Capricious | Given to sudden, unpredictable changes in mood or behavior | fickle, whimsical, unpredictable, erratic | consistent, steady, stable | The capricious weather in the mountains can shift from sunshine to snow within an hour. |
| 108 | Captious | Tending to find fault over trivial matters | faultfinding, carping, nitpicking, critical | tolerant, uncritical, lenient | The captious editor rejected the article over a single misplaced comma. |
| 109 | Carnal | Relating to physical or bodily pleasures rather than spiritual ones | physical, bodily, sensual, fleshly | spiritual, chaste, ascetic | The monk had renounced all carnal pleasures to focus on his spiritual practice. |
| 110 | Carnivorous | Feeding on meat | meat-eating, predatory | herbivorous, vegetarian | Lions and tigers are carnivorous animals that hunt other creatures for food. |
| 111 | Carping | Persistently criticizing in a petty, nagging way | nagging, faultfinding, nitpicking, complaining | praising, complimentary, approving | His carping remarks about every small decision wore down the whole team’s morale. |
| 112 | Castigation | Severe criticism or punishment | reprimand, rebuke, chastisement, censure | praise, commendation, approval | The report was a harsh castigation of the company’s failure to protect its workers. |
| 113 | Categorical | Stated absolutely and without exception or qualification | unqualified, absolute, unconditional, explicit | vague, ambiguous, qualified | She gave a categorical denial, insisting she had never even met the man. |
| 114 | Catholic | Universal in range; including a wide variety | universal, broad, all-embracing, comprehensive | narrow, limited, parochial | His catholic taste in music ranges from classical symphonies to underground hip-hop. |
| 115 | Celerity | Swiftness of movement or action | speed, swiftness, alacrity, rapidity | slowness, sluggishness, lethargy | The firefighters moved with such celerity that the blaze was out within minutes. |
| 116 | Celibate | Abstaining from marriage and sexual relations | chaste, unmarried, abstinent | married, sexually active | The priest had lived a celibate life since taking his vows twenty years ago. |
| 117 | Censure | To express strong formal disapproval of | condemn, criticize, reprimand, denounce | praise, commend, approve | The senator was censured by his colleagues after the ethics investigation. |
| 118 | Centrifugal | Moving or directed away from a center | outward-moving, radiating | centripetal, inward-moving | The centrifugal force pushed the wet clothes against the walls of the spinning drum. |
| 119 | Cessation | The fact or process of ending or stopping | stopping, ending, halt, termination | continuation, commencement, beginning | Both sides agreed to an immediate cessation of hostilities along the border. |
| 120 | Chaffing | Light-hearted teasing or joking | teasing, joking, bantering, ribbing | serious, solemn, grave | The old friends spent the evening chaffing each other about their college days. |
| 121 | Chaste | Abstaining from sex outside marriage; pure and modest | pure, virtuous, modest, celibate | promiscuous, impure, licentious | The novel’s heroine remained chaste despite the many suitors pursuing her. |
| 122 | Chide | To scold or rebuke mildly | scold, rebuke, reprimand, admonish | praise, commend, compliment | Her mother gently chided her for leaving the dishes in the sink again. |
| 123 | Chimerical | Highly unrealistic; fanciful or imaginary | fanciful, illusory, unrealistic, fantastical | realistic, practical, feasible | His chimerical plan to build a floating city struck investors as pure fantasy. |
| 124 | Choleric | Easily angered; bad-tempered | irritable, testy, hot-headed, bad-tempered | calm, placid, easygoing | The choleric coach screamed at the referee after every close call. |
| 125 | Churlish | Rude and ill-mannered | rude, boorish, surly, impolite | polite, courteous, gracious | It seemed churlish to refuse the gift after she had driven two hours to deliver it. |
| 126 | Ciliated | Covered with tiny hair-like structures called cilia | hairy, fringed, bristled | bald, smooth | The ciliated cells lining the airway sweep dust and mucus out of the lungs. |
| 127 | Circuitous | Indirect and roundabout, taking a longer route | indirect, roundabout, meandering, winding | direct, straight, straightforward | We took a circuitous route through the back roads to avoid the highway traffic. |
| 128 | Cite | To quote as evidence, or to mention as an example | quote, reference, mention, invoke | omit, ignore | The lawyer cited three earlier rulings to support her argument. |
| 129 | Clandestine | Kept secret or done secretively | secret, covert, surreptitious, furtive | open, public, overt | The two companies held a clandestine meeting to discuss the merger before announcing it. |
| 130 | Claustrophobia | An intense, irrational fear of confined spaces | fear of enclosed spaces | — | His claustrophobia made the cramped elevator ride feel unbearable. |
| 131 | Cleft | Split, divided, or partly split; a crack or fissure | split, crack, fissure, divide | whole, united, unbroken | Water had carved a deep cleft into the rock over thousands of years. |
| 132 | Cliche | An overused phrase or idea that has lost its original impact | platitude, truism, stereotype, banality | original idea, novel expression | The speech was full of tired cliches like ‘giving 110 percent.’ |
| 133 | Coerce | To persuade someone to do something by force or threats | force, compel, pressure, intimidate | persuade gently, invite, allow | The witness claimed she had been coerced into signing the false statement. |
| 134 | Cognizance | Knowledge, awareness, or understanding of something | awareness, knowledge, perception, recognition | ignorance, unawareness, oblivion | The judge took cognizance of the new evidence before issuing his ruling. |
| 135 | Cohere | To stick together or be logically consistent | stick together, bond, unite, connect | separate, disperse, scatter | Without a clear thesis, the essay’s paragraphs failed to cohere into one argument. |
| 136 | Collation | A light informal meal, or the act of comparing texts | light meal, snack, buffet | — | Guests enjoyed a simple collation of sandwiches and fruit after the ceremony. |
| 137 | Colloquial | Used in ordinary, informal conversation rather than formal writing | informal, conversational, vernacular, everyday | formal, literary, formal register | The textbook was praised for explaining grammar in colloquial, easy-to-follow language. |
| 138 | Colloquy | A conversation or formal discussion | conversation, dialogue, discussion, conference | monologue, silence | The two philosophers engaged in a lengthy colloquy about the nature of free will. |
| 139 | Comatose | In a deep state of unconsciousness; extremely sluggish | unconscious, lethargic, inert, sluggish | alert, conscious, awake | The patient remained comatose for three days following the accident. |
| 140 | Combustible | Capable of catching fire and burning easily | flammable, inflammable, incendiary | nonflammable, fireproof, incombustible | The warehouse stored combustible chemicals that required strict fire safety measures. |
| 141 | Comely | Pleasant to look at; attractive | attractive, pretty, fair, pleasing | unattractive, plain, homely | The old ballad described a comely young woman waiting by the shore. |
| 142 | Commiserate | To express sympathy or sorrow for someone’s misfortune | sympathize, condole, console, empathize | congratulate, rejoice, mock | Coworkers gathered to commiserate with him after he lost the promotion. |
| 143 | Commodious | Spacious and comfortable | spacious, roomy, ample, capacious | cramped, small, confined | The new apartment had a commodious kitchen with plenty of counter space. |
| 144 | Compliant | Willing to yield to others; obedient to rules | obedient, submissive, yielding, docile | defiant, rebellious, obstinate | The company updated its policies to remain compliant with the new regulations. |
| 145 | Conciliate | To placate or win over someone by pleasant behavior | appease, placate, reconcile, pacify | provoke, antagonize, alienate | The manager tried to conciliate the angry clients by offering a full refund. |
| 146 | Concoct | To make up or devise something, often by combining elements | devise, contrive, fabricate, invent | reveal honestly, disclose | He concocted an elaborate excuse for why he had missed the meeting. |
| 147 | Condone | To accept or overlook behavior that is considered wrong | overlook, excuse, forgive, tolerate | condemn, denounce, punish | The school made clear that it would not condone any form of bullying. |
| 148 | Confiscate | To take or seize property with authority | seize, appropriate, commandeer, impound | return, restore, give back | Airport security confiscated the oversized bottle of shampoo from her bag. |
| 149 | Conformity | Behavior in accordance with accepted standards or rules | compliance, agreement, obedience, adherence | nonconformity, rebellion, defiance | The factory was inspected to ensure conformity with safety regulations. |
| 150 | Congenital | Present from birth | inborn, innate, hereditary, inherent | acquired, developed later, learned | The child was born with a congenital heart defect that required early surgery. |
| 151 | Conjecture | A guess or opinion formed without sufficient evidence | guess, speculation, hypothesis, surmise | fact, certainty, proof | Without any real evidence, the theory remained mere conjecture. |
| 152 | Connoisseur | An expert judge in matters of taste, especially art or food | expert, aficionado, gourmet, specialist | novice, amateur, layperson | As a wine connoisseur, he could identify the vineyard from a single sip. |
| 153 | Consanguinity | Blood relationship; kinship by descent from a common ancestor | kinship, blood relation, lineage | unrelatedness, estrangement | Marriage between close relatives is restricted due to consanguinity laws. |
| 154 | Consensus | General agreement among a group | agreement, accord, unanimity, unity | disagreement, discord, dissent | After hours of debate, the board finally reached a consensus on the new budget. |
| 155 | Construe | To interpret or explain the meaning of something | interpret, explain, understand, deduce | misinterpret, confuse | His silence was construed by the jury as an admission of guilt. |
| 156 | Contaminate | To make impure by exposing it to something harmful | pollute, taint, infect, corrupt | purify, cleanse, sanitize | Chemical waste from the factory contaminated the town’s drinking water. |
| 157 | Contentious | Likely to cause an argument; controversial | controversial, disputed, divisive, argumentative | uncontroversial, agreeable, undisputed | Immigration remains one of the most contentious issues in the election. |
| 158 | Continence | Self-restraint, especially regarding sexual desire | self-restraint, abstinence, moderation | indulgence, excess, incontinence | The monastic order required strict continence from all its members. |
| 159 | Contraband | Goods that are illegal to import, export, or possess | smuggled goods, illicit goods | legal goods | Customs officers seized a shipment of contraband cigarettes at the border. |
| 160 | Contrite | Feeling or showing sincere remorse for wrongdoing | remorseful, penitent, regretful, repentant | unrepentant, remorseless, unashamed | He offered a contrite apology after realizing how much his words had hurt her. |
| 161 | Controvert | To deny or contradict a statement or claim | contradict, dispute, refute, challenge | confirm, support, corroborate | The new study seemed to controvert everything scientists had previously believed. |
| 162 | Convene | To come together, or to call people to assemble | assemble, gather, meet, congregate | disperse, scatter, adjourn | The committee will convene next Monday to discuss the proposed changes. |
| 163 | Conversant | Familiar with or knowledgeable about a particular subject | familiar, knowledgeable, versed, acquainted | unfamiliar, ignorant, uninformed | As a longtime lawyer, she is thoroughly conversant with contract law. |
| 164 | Copious | Abundant in supply or quantity | abundant, plentiful, ample, profuse | scarce, meager, scant | She took copious notes throughout the entire three-hour lecture. |
| 165 | Corpulent | Fat; having a large, heavy body | obese, stout, portly, fat | slim, thin, lean | The corpulent king in the painting sat surrounded by plates of rich food. |
| 166 | Coy | Shy or modest, often in a flirtatious or teasing way | shy, demure, bashful, reticent | bold, forward, brazen | She gave a coy smile instead of answering the question directly. |
| 167 | Cozen | To deceive or trick someone, usually for personal gain | deceive, trick, dupe, swindle | deal honestly, treat honestly | The salesman cozened elderly customers into buying insurance they didn’t need. |
| 168 | Craven | Completely lacking courage; cowardly | cowardly, timid, fainthearted, spineless | brave, courageous, bold | His craven refusal to defend his friend disappointed everyone in the room. |
| 169 | Crux | The most important or decisive point of a matter | core, heart, essence, gist | periphery, side issue | The crux of the disagreement was who would pay for the repairs. |
| 170 | Cryptic | Having a meaning that is mysterious or difficult to understand | mysterious, obscure, enigmatic, puzzling | clear, obvious, explicit | He left a cryptic note that no one could quite decipher. |
| 171 | Cupidity | Greed, especially for money or possessions | greed, avarice, covetousness | generosity, charity, altruism | The executive’s cupidity led him to falsify the company’s earnings reports. |
| 172 | Curtail | To reduce or cut something short | reduce, shorten, cut short, limit | extend, lengthen, expand | The airline was forced to curtail its flight schedule due to the storm. |
| 173 | Cynical | Distrustful of people’s sincerity or motives; pessimistic | skeptical, distrustful, pessimistic, doubtful | trusting, optimistic, naive | After being lied to so many times, she grew cynical about politicians’ promises. |
| 174 | Dank | Unpleasantly damp, cold, and often musty smelling | damp, moist, clammy, musty | dry, arid | The dank basement smelled of mildew and old cardboard boxes. |
| 175 | Dapper | Neat, trim, and stylish in dress and appearance | smart, spruce, neat, well-groomed | scruffy, untidy, disheveled | The dapper old gentleman always wore a bow tie and polished shoes. |
| 176 | Dauntless | Showing fearlessness and determination | fearless, brave, intrepid, bold | cowardly, timid, fearful | The dauntless firefighter ran back into the burning building to save the child. |
| 177 | Dearth | A scarcity or lack of something | scarcity, shortage, lack, paucity | abundance, surplus, plenty | There was a dearth of affordable housing in the growing city. |
| 178 | Debacle | A sudden, humiliating failure or disaster | fiasco, disaster, catastrophe, collapse | success, triumph, achievement | The product launch turned into a complete debacle when the app crashed on stage. |
| 179 | Debilitate | To make someone or something weak | weaken, enfeeble, sap, exhaust | strengthen, invigorate, energize | The long illness left him too debilitated to walk without assistance. |
| 180 | Debonair | Confident, stylish, and charming, especially in a man | charming, suave, elegant, sophisticated | awkward, uncouth, gauche | The debonair actor charmed the entire audience with his easy smile and wit. |
| 181 | Decimate | To destroy or kill a large proportion of something | destroy, annihilate, devastate, wipe out | preserve, restore, rebuild | The disease decimated the local deer population within a single winter. |
| 182 | Declivity | A downward slope | descent, downgrade, slope, decline | acclivity, ascent, incline | The skiers raced down the steep declivity toward the finish line. |
| 183 | Decollete | Having a low-cut neckline that reveals the shoulders or chest | low-cut, revealing | high-necked, covered | She wore an elegant decollete gown to the awards ceremony. |
| 184 | Decorous | Behaving in a way that is polite, proper, and socially acceptable | proper, dignified, seemly, respectable | improper, indecorous, unseemly | Guests were expected to maintain decorous behavior throughout the formal dinner. |
| 185 | Decrepitude | The state of being weakened or worn out by age or wear | feebleness, frailty, infirmity | vigor, vitality, strength | The old mansion had fallen into decrepitude after decades of neglect. |
| 186 | Default | Failure to fulfill an obligation, especially a financial one | failure to act, nonpayment, omission | fulfillment, compliance, payment | The homeowners were at risk of default after missing three mortgage payments. |
| 187 | Defection | The abandonment of loyalty or duty, often to join an opposing side | desertion, abandonment, betrayal, apostasy | loyalty, allegiance, fidelity | The general’s defection to the rebel forces shocked the entire nation. |
| 188 | Defile | To make dirty or violate the sanctity of something | pollute, contaminate, desecrate, corrupt | purify, cleanse, honor | Vandals defiled the ancient monument with spray paint overnight. |
| 189 | Degraded | Reduced in quality, status, or dignity | debased, lowered, demeaned, corrupted | elevated, ennobled, enhanced | Years of pollution had degraded the once-clear waters of the lake. |
| 190 | Deleterious | Harmful or damaging, often in a subtle way | harmful, damaging, detrimental, injurious | beneficial, harmless, wholesome | Too much stress can have a deleterious effect on both physical and mental health. |
| 191 | Deluge | A severe flood, or an overwhelming rush of something | flood, downpour, torrent, inundation | drought, trickle, drizzle | A deluge of complaints flooded the company’s customer service line. |
| 192 | Denigrate | To criticize unfairly or belittle someone’s reputation | belittle, disparage, defame, malign | praise, extol, commend | The rival candidate tried to denigrate her opponent’s record in every speech. |
| 193 | Denouement | The final resolution of the plot of a story or situation | resolution, outcome, conclusion, ending | beginning, introduction, prelude | In the novel’s denouement, the long-lost siblings are finally reunited. |
| 194 | Depravity | Moral corruption or wickedness | wickedness, corruption, immorality, vice | virtue, morality, goodness | The documentary exposed the shocking depravity of the prison guards. |
| 195 | Deranged | Mad or insane, often violently so | insane, crazed, unhinged, mad | sane, rational, lucid | Witnesses described the deranged man shouting incoherently at passing cars. |
| 196 | Derogatory | Showing a critical or disrespectful attitude | disparaging, insulting, demeaning, contemptuous | complimentary, respectful, flattering | He was fired for making derogatory comments about his coworkers online. |
| 197 | Desecrate | To treat a sacred place or object with violent disrespect | profane, defile, violate, dishonor | consecrate, honor, revere | Protesters were arrested for attempting to desecrate the war memorial. |
| 198 | Despicable | Deserving hatred and contempt | contemptible, vile, detestable, loathsome | admirable, honorable, respectable | Stealing from a children’s charity is a truly despicable act. |
| 199 | Destitute | Extremely poor and lacking basic necessities | impoverished, penniless, poverty-stricken, indigent | affluent, wealthy, prosperous | The flood left thousands of families destitute and homeless overnight. |
| 200 | Devoid | Completely lacking or without something | lacking, bereft, empty, void | full, replete, abundant | The abandoned house was devoid of any furniture or signs of life. |
| 201 | Devout | Deeply religious or sincere in belief | pious, religious, devoted, fervent | irreligious, indifferent, impious | The devout monk prayed for hours every morning before sunrise. |
| 202 | Diabolical | Evil, devilish | evil, wicked, fiendish, satanic | angelic, virtuous, benevolent | The villain hatched a diabolical scheme to destroy the entire city. |
| 203 | Diatribe | A forceful verbal attack | tirade, rant, harangue, invective | praise, tribute, compliment | He launched into a diatribe against his former business partner. |
| 204 | Diffidence | Shyness; lack of self-confidence | shyness, timidity, reticence, hesitancy | confidence, boldness, assurance | Her diffidence kept her from speaking up during the meeting. |
| 205 | Dilate | To make wider; to expand | expand, widen, enlarge, distend | contract, shrink, narrow | The doctor used drops to dilate her pupils before the eye exam. |
| 206 | Dilatory | Slow; intended to cause delay | slow, tardy, procrastinating, sluggish | prompt, punctual, efficient | The company’s dilatory response to the complaint frustrated customers. |
| 207 | Diminution | A reduction in size or importance | reduction, decrease, lessening, decline | increase, enlargement, growth | There has been a noticeable diminution in the river’s water level this year. |
| 208 | Din | A loud, unpleasant noise | noise, racket, clamor, uproar | silence, quiet, calm | The din from the construction site made it hard to concentrate. |
| 209 | Disabuse | To free someone from a mistaken belief | correct, undeceive, enlighten | mislead, deceive, delude | The teacher tried to disabuse students of the myth that the test would be easy. |
| 210 | Disconsolate | Unable to be comforted; very unhappy | heartbroken, inconsolable, miserable, forlorn | cheerful, content, joyful | She was disconsolate after losing her beloved dog. |
| 211 | Disingenuous | Not candid; insincere | insincere, deceptive, dishonest, two-faced | sincere, genuine, honest | His disingenuous apology fooled no one in the room. |
| 212 | Disinterested | Impartial, unbiased | impartial, unbiased, neutral, objective | biased, partial, prejudiced | The judge remained disinterested throughout the entire trial. |
| 213 | Disjointed | Lacking order or coherence | incoherent, fragmented, disconnected, rambling | coherent, organized, connected | His disjointed speech left the audience confused about his main point. |
| 214 | Disparity | A great difference | inequality, difference, discrepancy, imbalance | similarity, equality, parity | There is a huge disparity in income between the two neighborhoods. |
| 215 | Dispassionate | Not influenced by emotion | impartial, unemotional, objective, detached | emotional, biased, passionate | The analyst gave a dispassionate assessment of the company’s failing strategy. |
| 216 | Dispirited | Having lost enthusiasm or hope | discouraged, disheartened, downcast, demoralized | encouraged, inspired, hopeful | The dispirited team trudged off the field after their tenth straight loss. |
| 217 | Dissipate | To disperse or scatter; to squander | disperse, scatter, dwindle, squander | gather, accumulate, concentrate | The morning fog began to dissipate as the sun rose higher. |
| 218 | Distend | To swell or bulge outward | swell, bloat, expand, inflate | shrink, contract, deflate | The starving child’s stomach was visibly distended. |
| 219 | Distrait | Absent-minded, distracted | absent-minded, distracted, preoccupied, inattentive | attentive, focused, alert | He seemed distrait during dinner, barely responding to anyone. |
| 220 | Divulge | To reveal private information | reveal, disclose, expose, leak | conceal, withhold, hide | The employee refused to divulge the company’s trade secrets. |
| 221 | Doff | To take off or remove, especially clothing | remove, take off, shed | don, put on, wear | The gentleman doffed his hat as a sign of respect. |
| 222 | Dogmatic | Asserting opinions without proof, in an arrogant way | opinionated, doctrinaire, rigid, inflexible | open-minded, flexible, tolerant | His dogmatic insistence on being right made discussions with him exhausting. |
| 223 | Dotage | A decline of mental faculties in old age | senility, feebleness, decrepitude | prime, vigor, alertness | In his dotage, the old man often forgot where he had put his keys. |
| 224 | Dour | Stern and gloomy in manner | stern, grim, severe, sullen | cheerful, warm, friendly | The dour librarian rarely smiled at any of the students. |
| 225 | Droll | Amusing in an odd or quaint way | amusing, quirky, comical, whimsical | serious, humorless, solemn | His droll sense of humor caught everyone off guard at the funeral reception. |
| 227 | Ecstasy | Overwhelming joy | joy, rapture, bliss, elation | misery, despair, agony | The fans screamed in ecstasy when their team scored the winning goal. |
| 228 | Edify | To instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually | instruct, enlighten, educate, uplift | corrupt, degrade, mislead | The professor’s lecture was meant to edify students about ancient philosophy. |
| 229 | Efface | To erase or make indistinct | erase, obliterate, delete, remove | highlight, emphasize, preserve | Years of rain had begun to efface the inscription on the old gravestone. |
| 230 | Effigy | A sculpture or model representing a hated person | dummy, model, image, likeness | — | Protesters burned an effigy of the corrupt politician outside city hall. |
| 231 | Egregious | Shockingly bad; outstandingly bad | outrageous, flagrant, blatant, glaring | minor, negligible, unremarkable | The referee’s egregious mistake cost the team the championship. |
| 232 | Egress | The act of going out; an exit | exit, departure, outlet | entrance, ingress | In case of fire, use the nearest egress to leave the building quickly. |
| 233 | Elated | Very happy, joyful | joyful, thrilled, overjoyed, exultant | dejected, depressed, sad | She was elated when she found out she had been accepted into medical school. |
| 234 | Elusive | Difficult to find, catch, or achieve | evasive, hard to find, slippery, intangible | obvious, apparent, easy to catch | A cure for the disease has remained elusive despite decades of research. |
| 235 | Emaciated | Abnormally thin from lack of food | gaunt, skeletal, malnourished, wasted | plump, healthy, robust | Rescuers were shocked by the emaciated condition of the stranded hikers. |
| 236 | Emancipate | To free from restriction or slavery | liberate, free, release, unshackle | enslave, imprison, restrict | The proclamation helped emancipate thousands of enslaved people. |
| 237 | Embellish | To decorate; to add exaggerated details to a story | decorate, adorn, elaborate, embroider | simplify, understate, plainify | He tends to embellish his fishing stories with each retelling. |
| 238 | Embroil | To involve someone deeply in a conflict | entangle, involve, ensnare, implicate | extricate, disentangle, free | The company got embroiled in a lengthy legal battle over patents. |
| 239 | Emendation | A correction, especially of a text | correction, revision, amendment | error, mistake | The editor made several emendations to the manuscript before publication. |
| 240 | Eminent | Famous and respected; high in rank | renowned, distinguished, prominent, illustrious | obscure, unknown, insignificant | An eminent scientist was invited to open the new research center. |
| 241 | Enervate | To weaken or drain of energy | weaken, exhaust, debilitate, sap | strengthen, invigorate, energize | The oppressive heat enervated the marathon runners by mile twenty. |
| 242 | Enhance | To improve or increase in quality | improve, boost, augment, amplify | diminish, worsen, degrade | The new lighting helped enhance the restaurant’s cozy atmosphere. |
| 243 | Ennui | A feeling of boredom and dissatisfaction | boredom, tedium, listlessness, apathy | excitement, enthusiasm, interest | A deep sense of ennui settled over him during the long, uneventful summer. |
| 244 | Enunciate | To pronounce words clearly | articulate, pronounce, express clearly | mumble, slur, mutter | The teacher asked students to enunciate each word slowly during the speech. |
| 245 | Ephemeral | Lasting a very short time | fleeting, transient, momentary, short-lived | permanent, lasting, enduring | The cherry blossoms are beautiful but ephemeral, lasting only a week or two. |
| 246 | Equable | Calm and even-tempered; uniform | even-tempered, calm, steady, consistent | volatile, erratic, temperamental | Despite the chaos around him, he maintained an equable temperament. |
| 247 | Equanimity | Mental calmness in difficult situations | composure, calmness, poise, serenity | agitation, anxiety, distress | She handled the crisis with remarkable equanimity, never once raising her voice. |
| 248 | Equilibrium | A state of balance | balance, stability, symmetry, steadiness | imbalance, instability, disequilibrium | The gymnast fought to maintain her equilibrium on the narrow beam. |
| 249 | Equitable | Fair and impartial | fair, just, impartial, unbiased | unfair, biased, unjust | The judge worked to reach an equitable settlement for both parties. |
| 250 | Equivocal | Ambiguous, open to more than one interpretation | ambiguous, vague, unclear, evasive | clear, unambiguous, definite | His equivocal answer left reporters unsure whether he would resign. |
| 251 | Erratic | Inconsistent, unpredictable | unpredictable, inconsistent, irregular, capricious | consistent, steady, predictable | The driver’s erratic swerving alarmed everyone else on the highway. |
| 252 | Erroneous | Incorrect, based on a mistake | incorrect, mistaken, false, inaccurate | correct, accurate, true | The report contained several erroneous statistics that had to be corrected. |
| 253 | Erudite | Having or showing great knowledge | scholarly, learned, knowledgeable, educated | ignorant, uneducated, unlearned | The erudite professor could discuss ancient Greek philosophy for hours. |
| 254 | Ethereal | Extremely delicate and light; heavenly | delicate, airy, heavenly, otherworldly | earthly, solid, substantial | The singer’s ethereal voice seemed to float above the orchestra. |
| 255 | Eulogistic | Full of praise, especially of the dead | laudatory, complimentary, adulatory | critical, derogatory, disparaging | The eulogistic speech at the funeral highlighted every kindness he had shown. |
| 256 | Euphonious | Pleasant sounding | melodious, harmonious, mellifluous, sweet-sounding | cacophonous, harsh, discordant | The poem’s euphonious rhythm made it a joy to read aloud. |
| 257 | Evasive | Avoiding direct answers; elusive | elusive, noncommittal, cagey, vague | direct, forthright, candid | The witness gave evasive answers whenever asked about that night. |
| 258 | Exasperate | To irritate intensely | infuriate, irritate, aggravate, annoy | soothe, calm, please | Her constant excuses began to exasperate her manager. |
| 259 | Excoriate | To criticize severely; to strip the skin off | denounce, criticize harshly, censure, berate | praise, commend, compliment | The critic excoriated the film for its shallow plot and wooden acting. |
| 260 | Exculpate | To clear from blame | absolve, acquit, clear, vindicate | incriminate, blame, convict | New DNA evidence helped exculpate the man after twenty years in prison. |
| 261 | Execrable | Extremely bad or unpleasant | atrocious, abominable, appalling, dreadful | excellent, superb, admirable | The restaurant’s execrable service ruined what should have been a nice evening. |
| 262 | Execrate | To feel or express great loathing for | loathe, detest, condemn, curse | admire, revere, praise | Villagers execrated the warlord responsible for burning their homes. |
| 263 | Exhume | To dig up a buried body | disinter, unearth, dig up | bury, inter, entomb | Investigators decided to exhume the body to search for new evidence. |
| 264 | Exodus | A mass departure of people | departure, migration, evacuation, flight | arrival, influx, immigration | The war triggered a mass exodus of refugees toward the border. |
| 265 | Exonerate | To clear of blame | absolve, acquit, vindicate, clear | incriminate, blame, convict | The new witness statement helped exonerate the wrongly accused man. |
| 266 | Exorbitant | Unreasonably high, excessive | excessive, extortionate, outrageous, unreasonable | reasonable, moderate, fair | Tourists were shocked by the exorbitant prices at the airport cafe. |
| 267 | Extemporaneous | Spoken without preparation | impromptu, unrehearsed, spontaneous, improvised | rehearsed, prepared, scripted | She delivered a brilliant extemporaneous speech after her notes were lost. |
| 268 | Extraneous | Irrelevant, not essential | irrelevant, unnecessary, superfluous, unrelated | relevant, essential, pertinent | The editor cut all the extraneous details to make the article more concise. |
| 269 | Extrinsic | External; not part of the essential nature of something | external, outside, extraneous | intrinsic, inherent, internal | The value of the antique comes from extrinsic factors like its rarity, not its material. |
| 270 | Extrovert | An outgoing, sociable person | sociable person, people-person | introvert | As a natural extrovert, she loved meeting new people at every party. |
| 271 | Fanciful | Imaginative but unrealistic | imaginative, whimsical, fantastical, unrealistic | realistic, practical, down-to-earth | The children loved her fanciful bedtime stories about talking animals. |
| 272 | Fatuous | Silly, foolish, lacking intelligence | foolish, inane, silly, vacuous | sensible, wise, intelligent | His fatuous remarks about the economy revealed how little he understood it. |
| 273 | Feasible | Possible to do easily; achievable | possible, achievable, viable, practicable | impossible, impractical, unfeasible | The engineers determined the bridge design was structurally feasible. |
| 274 | Fecundity | The ability to produce offspring; fertility | fertility, fruitfulness, productiveness | infertility, barrenness, sterility | The fecundity of the soil allowed farmers to harvest three crops a year. |
| 275 | Feign | To pretend | pretend, fake, simulate, affect | reveal, show genuinely | He feigned illness to avoid attending the mandatory meeting. |
| 276 | Fell | Fierce and deadly | deadly, lethal, cruel, savage | gentle, harmless, benign | With one fell swing of the axe, the lumberjack felled the massive oak. |
| 277 | Ferment | A state of agitation or excitement | turmoil, unrest, agitation, upheaval | calm, stability, peace | Political ferment spread through the capital after the announcement. |
| 278 | Fiasco | A complete, usually embarrassing failure | disaster, debacle, failure, catastrophe | success, triumph, achievement | The product launch turned into a total fiasco when the servers crashed. |
| 279 | Fickle | Changeable, not loyal or consistent | capricious, inconsistent, changeable, unpredictable | loyal, steadfast, constant | His fickle taste in music changes almost every week. |
| 280 | Filch | To steal, especially something small | pilfer, steal, swipe, pinch | return, give | The raccoon filched a sandwich right off the picnic table. |
| 281 | Finite | Having limits or bounds | limited, bounded, restricted | infinite, unlimited, boundless | Everyone has only a finite amount of time each day to get things done. |
| 282 | Flail | To swing or move wildly | thrash, swing wildly, flounder | still, steady | The swimmer began to flail his arms as the current pulled him further out. |
| 283 | Flair | A natural talent or stylish quality | talent, aptitude, panache, style | ineptitude, clumsiness | She has a real flair for designing eye-catching invitations. |
| 284 | Flamboyant | Very showy or elaborate | showy, ostentatious, extravagant, colorful | understated, plain, restrained | The singer’s flamboyant costumes were as memorable as his songs. |
| 285 | Fledgling | Inexperienced, new; a young bird | novice, beginner, inexperienced, new | veteran, experienced, seasoned | The fledgling company struggled to compete with established rivals. |
| 286 | Florid | Flushed with color; overly elaborate | ruddy, flushed, ornate, flowery | pale, plain, simple | His florid writing style was full of unnecessary adjectives. |
| 287 | Foil | To prevent from succeeding; a contrasting person or thing | thwart, frustrate, block, prevent | aid, assist, help | Security cameras helped foil the burglars’ plan. |
| 288 | Foment | To instigate or stir up trouble | incite, instigate, provoke, stir up | quell, suppress, calm | The propaganda was designed to foment unrest among the villagers. |
| 289 | Foolhardy | Recklessly bold | reckless, rash, imprudent, daring | cautious, prudent, careful | Climbing the icy cliff without ropes was a foolhardy decision. |
| 290 | Foppish | Excessively concerned with fashion; dandyish | dandyish, vain, overdressed | plain, unpretentious, modest | The foppish nobleman spent hours choosing the perfect silk cravat. |
| 291 | Foray | A brief attempt or incursion into a new activity | venture, excursion, incursion, attempt | retreat, withdrawal | This cookbook marks the chef’s first foray into publishing. |
| 292 | Formidable | Inspiring fear or respect through being impressive | intimidating, daunting, impressive, powerful | weak, unimpressive, feeble | The defending champion is a formidable opponent for any challenger. |
| 293 | Foster | To encourage the development of | encourage, nurture, promote, cultivate | hinder, discourage, suppress | The program was designed to foster creativity among young students. |
| 294 | Franchise | Authorization to sell a company’s goods; the right to vote | license, authorization, right, privilege | prohibition, restriction | He decided to open a franchise of the popular coffee chain. |
| 295 | Fritter | To waste time or money gradually | squander, waste, dissipate | save, conserve, invest | She frittered away her entire paycheck on impulse purchases. |
| 296 | Frugality | The quality of being economical | thriftiness, economy, prudence | extravagance, wastefulness, lavishness | His frugality allowed him to save enough to retire early. |
| 297 | Fulminate | To express strong criticism loudly | rail, denounce, protest loudly | praise, endorse, commend | The senator fulminated against the proposed tax increase for over an hour. |
| 298 | Furor | A great excitement or outcry | uproar, commotion, outcry, frenzy | calm, peace, tranquility | The announcement caused a furor among fans of the show. |
| 299 | Furtive | Secretive, sly | secretive, sly, stealthy, sneaky | open, forthright, candid | He gave a furtive glance over his shoulder before slipping through the door. |
| 300 | Gadfly | A persistently annoying critic or provocateur | critic, nuisance, provocateur | supporter, ally, conformist | The reporter earned a reputation as a gadfly, constantly needling local politicians. |
| 301 | Galleon | A large sailing ship, especially Spanish | sailing ship, vessel | — | The museum displayed a model of a 16th-century Spanish galleon. |
| 302 | Garish | Obtrusively bright or gaudy | gaudy, flashy, loud, showy | subtle, tasteful, understated | The hotel lobby’s garish neon lights gave visitors an instant headache. |
| 303 | Garner | To gather or collect | gather, collect, accumulate, amass | scatter, distribute, disperse | The documentary garnered widespread praise from critics. |
| 304 | Garnish | To decorate, especially food | decorate, adorn, embellish | strip, plain | The chef garnished the plate with a sprig of fresh mint. |
| 305 | Garrulity | Excessive talkativeness | talkativeness, loquacity, chattiness | reticence, silence, taciturnity | His garrulity made even short car rides feel like hours. |
| 306 | Garrulous | Excessively talkative | talkative, chatty, loquacious, verbose | reticent, quiet, taciturn | The garrulous cab driver talked nonstop for the entire ride. |
| 307 | Gauche | Lacking social grace; awkward | awkward, clumsy, tactless, unpolished | graceful, polished, tactful | Asking about her salary at dinner was a rather gauche question. |
| 308 | Gaudy | Extremely bright and showy, tastelessly | garish, flashy, loud, tacky | tasteful, subtle, elegant | He wore a gaudy gold chain that clashed with his suit. |
| 309 | Gaunt | Thin and haggard, especially from illness | haggard, emaciated, thin, drawn | plump, robust, healthy-looking | After weeks in the hospital, he looked gaunt and pale. |
| 310 | Genuflect | To bend the knee, especially in worship | kneel, bow, curtsy | stand upright | Worshippers genuflect before entering the pew at church. |
| 311 | Germane | Relevant to a subject | relevant, pertinent, applicable, related | irrelevant, unrelated, immaterial | Please keep your comments germane to today’s agenda. |
| 312 | Germinal | In the earliest stage of development | nascent, embryonic, developing, initial | mature, developed, fully formed | The theory was still in a germinal stage when he first proposed it. |
| 313 | Gist | The essential meaning or main point | essence, summary, substance, crux | details, specifics | I didn’t catch every word, but I got the gist of his argument. |
| 314 | Glib | Fluent but insincere or superficial | smooth-talking, slick, facile, superficial | sincere, awkward, genuine | The salesman’s glib promises didn’t convince the skeptical buyers. |
| 315 | Gnome | A legendary dwarf-like creature; a short wise saying | dwarf, sprite, aphorism, maxim | giant | A small stone gnome stood guard beside the garden path. |
| 316 | Grandiose | Impressively but unrealistically grand | grand, pompous, extravagant, overblown | modest, humble, understated | His grandiose plans to build a private space station never got off the ground. |
| 317 | Gratuitous | Uncalled for; given free of charge | unwarranted, unnecessary, needless, free | warranted, justified, necessary | Critics complained about the gratuitous violence in the film. |
| 318 | Gregarious | Sociable, enjoying the company of others | sociable, outgoing, friendly, convivial | antisocial, reserved, solitary | Her gregarious personality made her the life of every party. |
| 319 | Grisly | Causing horror or disgust | gruesome, ghastly, horrifying, macabre | pleasant, delightful, appealing | The detective had seen many grisly crime scenes during his career. |
| 320 | Gullible | Easily deceived or tricked | credulous, naive, trusting, unsuspecting | skeptical, suspicious, shrewd | The gullible tourist paid triple the price for a fake watch. |
| 321 | Gusto | Enthusiasm and energy | enthusiasm, zest, relish, vigor | apathy, indifference, lethargy | He dug into the barbecue with tremendous gusto. |
| 322 | Gusty | Characterized by strong bursts of wind | windy, blustery, stormy | calm, still, windless | The gusty winds made it hard to keep the umbrella upright. |
| 323 | Hackneyed | Overused and unoriginal | cliched, trite, stale, overused | original, fresh, novel | The movie relied on hackneyed plot twists that everyone saw coming. |
| 324 | Haggard | Looking exhausted, worn out | exhausted, worn out, drawn, gaunt | refreshed, rested, vibrant | After the all-night shift, the nurse looked haggard and pale. |
| 325 | Halcyon | Calm and peaceful; happy and prosperous | peaceful, tranquil, golden, idyllic | turbulent, chaotic, troubled | She often reminisced about the halcyon days of her childhood summers. |
| 326 | Haphazard | Lacking order or planning; random | random, disorganized, arbitrary, unplanned | organized, systematic, methodical | The files were stored in such a haphazard way that nothing could be found quickly. |
| 327 | Hapless | Unlucky | unlucky, unfortunate, luckless, ill-fated | lucky, fortunate, blessed | The hapless intern spilled coffee on the CEO during his first week. |
| 328 | Heed | To pay careful attention to | attend to, listen to, obey | ignore, disregard, neglect | The hikers were warned to heed the storm advisory and turn back. |
| 329 | Heretic | A person holding unorthodox or unconventional beliefs | dissenter, nonconformist, apostate | believer, orthodox follower, conformist | In earlier centuries, scientists who challenged church doctrine were branded heretics. |
| 330 | Heterogeneous | Diverse in character or content | diverse, varied, mixed, assorted | homogeneous, uniform, similar | The city’s heterogeneous population includes people from over eighty countries. |
| 331 | Hibernal | Relating to winter | wintry, cold-season | estival, summery | Bears enter a hibernal state of reduced activity to survive the cold months. |
| 332 | Hilarity | Extreme amusement; loud fun | mirth, amusement, glee, merriment | gloom, sorrow, solemnity | The comedian’s jokes reduced the entire audience to hilarity. |
| 333 | Hirsute | Hairy | hairy, bristly, shaggy | bald, hairless, smooth | The hirsute mountain man hadn’t shaved in over a year. |
| 334 | Hortatory | Urging strongly; encouraging | exhortative, urging, encouraging | discouraging, dissuasive | The coach gave a hortatory speech before the final game. |
| 335 | Hover | To remain suspended or linger nearby | linger, float, loom, remain suspended | depart, leave, settle | The helicopter continued to hover above the rescue site. |
| 336 | Hubbub | A loud, confused noise; commotion | commotion, uproar, din, clamor | silence, calm, quiet | A hubbub broke out in the stands when the referee made the controversial call. |
| 337 | Hummock | A small hill or mound | mound, knoll, hillock | valley, depression | The dog dug happily at the base of a small grassy hummock. |
| 338 | Husbandry | Careful management of resources; farming | farming, agriculture, careful management | waste, mismanagement | Good husbandry of the farm’s soil kept it fertile for generations. |
| 339 | Hybrid | Something of mixed origin or composition | mix, blend, cross, composite | pure, purebred | The car company introduced a new hybrid model that runs on both gas and electricity. |
| 340 | Hyperbole | Deliberate exaggeration for effect | exaggeration, overstatement | understatement, litotes | Saying I’ve told you a million times is a classic example of hyperbole. |
| 341 | Hypercritical | Excessively critical | overcritical, faultfinding, nitpicking | tolerant, lenient, uncritical | Her hypercritical boss found fault with even her best work. |
| 342 | Hypocritical | Claiming standards one doesn’t meet oneself | two-faced, insincere, false, deceptive | sincere, genuine, honest | It was hypocritical of him to criticize littering while throwing trash out his car window. |
| 343 | Hypothetical | Based on a suggested idea, not fact | theoretical, speculative, conjectural, assumed | factual, actual, real | The professor posed a hypothetical scenario to spark classroom debate. |
| 344 | Ignoble | Not honorable; base | dishonorable, base, shameful, disgraceful | noble, honorable, virtuous | He met an ignoble end, betrayed by the very friends he had trusted. |
| 345 | Illusive | Deceptive, illusory | illusory, deceptive, misleading, false | real, genuine, actual | The mirage created an illusive pool of water on the desert horizon. |
| 346 | Immolate | To kill or sacrifice, especially by fire | sacrifice, burn, offer up | spare, save, rescue | In protest, the monk chose to immolate himself in the public square. |
| 347 | Immutable | Unchanging over time | unchangeable, fixed, permanent, constant | changeable, mutable, variable | The laws of physics are considered immutable across the universe. |
| 348 | Impair | To weaken or damage the function of | weaken, damage, harm, diminish | improve, enhance, strengthen | Drinking alcohol can significantly impair a driver’s reaction time. |
| 349 | Impalpable | Unable to be felt by touch; not easily understood | intangible, imperceptible, indiscernible | palpable, tangible, obvious | There was an impalpable tension in the room that no one could quite explain. |
| 350 | Impassive | Showing no emotion | unemotional, stoic, expressionless, indifferent | emotional, expressive, animated | The judge remained impassive as the verdict was read aloud. |
| 351 | Impeccable | Without fault or flaw | flawless, perfect, faultless, immaculate | flawed, imperfect, faulty | The waiter’s impeccable manners impressed every guest at the banquet. |
| 352 | Impecunious | Having little or no money | poor, penniless, destitute, broke | wealthy, affluent, rich | The impecunious artist survived on ramen noodles for months. |
| 353 | Impervious | Unable to be affected or penetrated | unaffected, resistant, impenetrable | vulnerable, susceptible, permeable | He seemed impervious to criticism, no matter how harsh it got. |
| 354 | Impetuous | Acting without thought; impulsive | rash, impulsive, hasty, reckless | cautious, deliberate, prudent | Her impetuous decision to quit her job surprised everyone. |
| 355 | Impolitic | Not wise or sensible; imprudent | unwise, imprudent, injudicious, tactless | wise, prudent, sensible | Criticizing the host at his own dinner party was rather impolitic. |
| 356 | Importune | To ask persistently and urgently | beg, plead, pester, entreat | ignore, dismiss | Beggars would importune passersby for spare change near the station. |
| 357 | Impromptu | Done without preparation | unrehearsed, spontaneous, improvised, off-the-cuff | planned, rehearsed, prepared | The band gave an impromptu performance in the middle of the street. |
| 358 | Inalienable | Unable to be taken away or transferred | inherent, absolute, untransferable | transferable, revocable | The declaration lists life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as inalienable rights. |
| 359 | Inane | Silly, lacking sense | silly, senseless, foolish, vacuous | sensible, meaningful, profound | The talk show was full of inane celebrity gossip. |
| 360 | Incarcerate | To imprison | imprison, jail, confine, detain | release, free, liberate | The judge decided to incarcerate the repeat offender for five years. |
| 361 | Inclement | Unpleasant weather, especially cold or stormy | harsh, stormy, severe, unfavorable | mild, pleasant, fair | The flight was delayed due to inclement weather over the mountains. |
| 362 | Incompatible | Not able to exist or work together | conflicting, mismatched, irreconcilable | compatible, harmonious, suited | Their conflicting schedules proved incompatible with a long-term relationship. |
| 363 | Inconsequential | Unimportant, insignificant | trivial, insignificant, minor, negligible | significant, important, momentous | The typo was inconsequential and didn’t affect the report’s meaning. |
| 364 | Incontinent | Unable to control natural discharges; lacking self-restraint | unrestrained, uncontrolled | continent, restrained, controlled | The elderly patient became incontinent after the stroke. |
| 365 | Incorrigible | Not able to be corrected or reformed | irredeemable, unmanageable, hopeless | reformable, correctable, manageable | The incorrigible prankster was expelled after his fifth suspension. |
| 366 | Incriminate | To make someone appear guilty | implicate, accuse, inculpate | exonerate, clear, absolve | The fingerprints on the weapon helped incriminate the suspect. |
| 367 | Inculcate | To instill an idea through repetition | instill, ingrain, implant, teach | eradicate, remove | Parents try to inculcate good manners in their children from an early age. |
| 368 | Indigent | Poor, needy | poor, impoverished, needy, destitute | wealthy, affluent, prosperous | The charity provides meals to indigent families in the city. |
| 369 | Indignity | Treatment that causes shame or embarrassment | humiliation, disgrace, insult | honor, respect, dignity | Losing his job in front of coworkers was an indignity he never forgot. |
| 370 | Indolence | Laziness | laziness, idleness, sloth, lethargy | diligence, industriousness, energy | His indolence during the semester led to a stack of unfinished assignments. |
| 371 | Indubitably | Without doubt | undoubtedly, certainly, unquestionably | doubtfully, questionably | She is indubitably the most talented violinist in the orchestra. |
| 372 | Inebriety | Drunkenness | drunkenness, intoxication | sobriety, temperance | His inebriety at the wedding embarrassed his entire family. |
| 373 | Inept | Lacking skill; clumsy | incompetent, clumsy, unskilled, bungling | skillful, competent, adept | The inept plumber left the pipes leaking worse than before. |
| 374 | Infallible | Incapable of being wrong | unerring, faultless, perfect, foolproof | fallible, imperfect, error-prone | No system is truly infallible, no matter how advanced. |
| 375 | Infirmity | Physical or mental weakness, especially from age | frailty, weakness, ailment, disability | strength, vigor, health | Despite his infirmity, the old sailor still told stories with a booming voice. |
| 376 | Ingenuous | Innocent and unsuspecting; naive | naive, innocent, artless, guileless | cunning, sophisticated, deceitful | Her ingenuous belief that everyone was honest often got her taken advantage of. |
| 377 | Inimical | Hostile, harmful | hostile, antagonistic, harmful, adverse | friendly, favorable, beneficial | The new regulations are inimical to small business growth. |
| 378 | Innocuous | Not harmful or offensive | harmless, benign, inoffensive, safe | harmful, dangerous, offensive | The comment seemed innocuous, but it hurt her more than he realized. |
| 379 | Insinuate | To suggest indirectly, often something unpleasant | imply, hint, suggest, intimate | state directly, declare | He insinuated that she had lied about her qualifications. |
| 380 | Insipid | Lacking flavor or interest | bland, dull, flavorless, vapid | exciting, flavorful, interesting | The soup was so insipid that she reached for the salt immediately. |
| 381 | Integrate | To combine into a whole | combine, unify, merge, incorporate | separate, segregate, divide | The new software will integrate seamlessly with existing systems. |
| 382 | Inter | To bury | bury, entomb, inhume | exhume, disinter | The soldiers were interred with full military honors. |
| 383 | Interdict | To prohibit officially | forbid, prohibit, ban, proscribe | permit, allow, authorize | The court moved to interdict the sale of the counterfeit goods. |
| 384 | Intermittent | Occurring at irregular intervals | sporadic, periodic, occasional, fitful | continuous, constant, uninterrupted | Intermittent rain showers interrupted the outdoor wedding ceremony. |
| 385 | Intractable | Hard to control or deal with | unmanageable, stubborn, difficult, obstinate | manageable, tractable, compliant | The negotiations stalled over an intractable dispute about land rights. |
| 386 | Intransigence | Unwillingness to change one’s views | stubbornness, obstinacy, inflexibility | flexibility, willingness to compromise | The union’s intransigence made a quick resolution impossible. |
| 387 | Intrepid | Fearless, adventurous | fearless, brave, bold, valiant | cowardly, timid, fearful | The intrepid explorer was the first to reach the summit in winter. |
| 388 | Intangible | Unable to be touched; not solid or concrete | abstract, untouchable, immaterial | tangible, concrete, physical | Trust is an intangible quality that takes years to build. |
| 389 | Intemperate | Lacking self-restraint; excessive | excessive, immoderate, unrestrained | moderate, temperate, restrained | His intemperate drinking eventually cost him his job. |
| 390 | Interregnum | A period when normal government is suspended | gap, interval, hiatus, transition period | continuity, established rule | The country endured months of political interregnum after the coup. |
| 391 | Irksome | Annoying, irritating | annoying, irritating, tiresome, bothersome | pleasing, delightful, agreeable | The constant dripping faucet became an irksome distraction at night. |
| 392 | Irrelevant | Not connected to the matter at hand | unrelated, immaterial, extraneous, beside the point | relevant, pertinent, related | His comments about the weather were irrelevant to the budget discussion. |
| 393 | Irreparable | Unable to be repaired or fixed | irreversible, unfixable, irremediable | repairable, fixable, correctable | The fire caused irreparable damage to the ancient manuscripts. |
| 394 | Irreverent | Showing a lack of respect | disrespectful, flippant, mocking, impudent | respectful, reverent, deferential | The comedian’s irreverent jokes about the monarchy drew both laughs and gasps. |
| 395 | Jaded | Tired and bored from having too much of something | worn out, cynical, weary, blase | fresh, enthusiastic, eager | After years on the job, the detective had grown jaded about human nature. |
| 396 | Jaundiced | Bitter, resentful, or prejudiced; yellowed | bitter, cynical, prejudiced, resentful | fair, unbiased, optimistic | His jaundiced view of politics stemmed from years of broken promises. |
| 397 | Jaunty | Lively and self-confident in appearance | lively, sprightly, cheerful, spirited | gloomy, dejected, downcast | He walked down the street with a jaunty spring in his step. |
| 398 | Jeopardy | Danger of loss or harm | danger, risk, peril, hazard | safety, security, protection | The company’s finances were put in serious jeopardy by the lawsuit. |
| 399 | Jettison | To throw overboard or discard | discard, dump, abandon, dispose of | retain, keep, preserve | The sinking ship’s crew had to jettison cargo to stay afloat. |
| 400 | Jocular | Fond of joking; humorous | playful, humorous, jovial, lighthearted | serious, solemn, grave | His jocular attitude made even stressful meetings feel relaxed. |
| 401 | Judicious | Having good judgment; sensible | sensible, wise, prudent, discerning | unwise, imprudent, rash | She made a judicious decision to invest her savings conservatively. |
| 402 | Kindle | To ignite or arouse | ignite, spark, arouse, stir | extinguish, quench, douse | The old photograph kindled memories of their childhood together. |
| 403 | Lachrymose | Tearful, given to crying | tearful, weepy, mournful, sorrowful | cheerful, joyful, dry-eyed | The lachrymose ending of the film left half the audience in tears. |
| 404 | Lackadaisical | Lacking enthusiasm and effort | lazy, half-hearted, apathetic, listless | enthusiastic, energetic, diligent | His lackadaisical approach to studying resulted in a disappointing grade. |
| 405 | Laconic | Using very few words | terse, concise, brief, succinct | verbose, wordy, talkative | His laconic reply of maybe gave nothing away about his real plans. |
| 406 | Lampoon | To publicly criticize through satire | satirize, mock, ridicule, parody | praise, flatter, honor | The magazine’s cartoon lampooned the senator’s recent scandal. |
| 407 | Languor | A state of tiredness or inactivity | lethargy, listlessness, sluggishness, fatigue | vitality, energy, vigor | A pleasant languor settled over the beachgoers in the afternoon heat. |
| 408 | Latent | Present but not yet developed or visible | hidden, dormant, potential, undeveloped | obvious, apparent, manifest | The therapy helped uncover a latent talent for painting she never knew she had. |
| 409 | Lavish | Given in great amounts; luxurious | extravagant, luxurious, generous, sumptuous | sparse, meager, frugal | The couple threw a lavish wedding with over three hundred guests. |
| 410 | Laudatory | Expressing praise | complimentary, praising, admiring, approving | critical, disparaging, derogatory | The reviews of her debut novel were overwhelmingly laudatory. |
| 411 | Lax | Not strict; careless | careless, negligent, slack, loose | strict, rigorous, stringent | The company’s lax security measures made it an easy target for hackers. |
| 412 | Lechery | Excessive sexual desire; lustfulness | lust, lewdness, licentiousness | chastity, purity, restraint | The old count was infamous throughout the court for his lechery. |
| 413 | Lethargic | Lacking energy, sluggish | sluggish, drowsy, listless, tired | energetic, lively, vigorous | The heavy lunch left everyone feeling lethargic during the afternoon meeting. |
| 414 | Levity | Lighthearted humor, especially inappropriately | frivolity, playfulness, flippancy | seriousness, gravity, solemnity | He tried to inject some levity into the tense negotiation with a joke. |
| 415 | Lilliputian | Very small; trivial | tiny, miniature, minuscule, diminutive | gigantic, enormous, huge | From the airplane window, the cars below looked positively Lilliputian. |
| 416 | Limpid | Clear and transparent | clear, transparent, crystal-clear, lucid | murky, turbid, cloudy | The limpid waters of the mountain lake revealed every stone on the bottom. |
| 417 | Lithe | Thin, supple, graceful | supple, flexible, graceful, agile | stiff, rigid, inflexible | The lithe dancer moved effortlessly across the stage. |
| 418 | Livid | Furiously angry; bluish-gray in color | furious, enraged, incensed, irate | calm, pleased, content | She was livid when she discovered someone had scratched her new car. |
| 419 | Loath | Reluctant, unwilling | reluctant, unwilling, disinclined, averse | willing, eager, keen | He was loath to admit that he had been wrong all along. |
| 420 | Loquacious | Very talkative | talkative, garrulous, chatty, verbose | taciturn, reticent, quiet | The loquacious tour guide never stopped talking for the entire trip. |
| 421 | Lugubrious | Mournful, dismal, exaggeratedly sad | mournful, gloomy, sorrowful, doleful | cheerful, joyful, lighthearted | The funeral procession moved through the streets to a lugubrious drumbeat. |
| 422 | Lurid | Shockingly vivid, especially in a disturbing way | sensational, shocking, graphic, garish | dull, mild, understated | The tabloid published lurid details about the celebrity divorce. |
| 423 | Macabre | Disturbing because concerned with death | gruesome, grim, gory, ghastly | pleasant, cheerful, delightful | The museum’s macabre exhibit on medieval torture devices unsettled many visitors. |
| 424 | Magniloquent | Using grand, pompous language | pompous, grandiloquent, bombastic, verbose | plain, simple, modest | His magniloquent speech impressed no one and clarified nothing. |
| 425 | Magnitude | Great size or importance | size, scale, extent, importance | insignificance, smallness | Scientists were still assessing the magnitude of the earthquake’s damage. |
| 426 | Maladroit | Clumsy, lacking skill | clumsy, awkward, inept, bungling | skillful, adroit, graceful | His maladroit attempt at small talk made the date even more awkward. |
| 427 | Malediction | A curse | curse, damnation, imprecation | blessing, benediction | The witch uttered a malediction against the village that stole her land. |
| 428 | Malefactor | A person who commits a crime | criminal, wrongdoer, offender, culprit | benefactor, do-gooder | The sheriff vowed to track down the malefactor responsible for the robbery. |
| 429 | Malevolent | Having or showing a wish to do harm | malicious, spiteful, vicious, wicked | benevolent, kind, compassionate | The story’s malevolent villain plotted to destroy the entire kingdom. |
| 430 | Malign | To speak evil of; harmful in nature | defame, slander, disparage, vilify | praise, honor, compliment | Rivals tried to malign her reputation before the election. |
| 431 | Malleable | Easily shaped or influenced | pliable, moldable, flexible, adaptable | rigid, inflexible, brittle | Gold is a highly malleable metal that can be hammered into thin sheets. |
| 432 | Maniacal | Showing extreme, wild, or obsessive behavior | frenzied, crazed, obsessive, deranged | calm, rational, composed | The villain let out a maniacal laugh before pressing the button. |
| 433 | Manifest | Clearly visible or obvious; to show plainly | evident, obvious, apparent, clear | hidden, obscure, concealed | Her disappointment was manifest in the way she avoided eye contact. |
| 434 | Manumit | To release from slavery | free, emancipate, liberate | enslave, subjugate | The plantation owner agreed to manumit several of his enslaved workers before he died. |
| 435 | Martial | Relating to war or the military | military, warlike, combative | peaceful, civilian | The general declared martial law after the coup attempt. |
| 436 | Mawkish | Sentimental in a feeble or sickly way | overly sentimental, saccharine, maudlin | restrained, unsentimental, austere | Critics found the film’s ending too mawkish to be believable. |
| 437 | Mediocre | Of only average quality | average, ordinary, unremarkable, so-so | exceptional, outstanding, superior | The restaurant’s mediocre food didn’t match its excellent reviews. |
| 438 | Melee | A confused fight or crowd | brawl, scuffle, fracas, skirmish | order, peace, calm | A melee broke out near the stage after the concert was canceled. |
| 439 | Mellifluous | Sweet or musical sounding | melodious, sweet-sounding, dulcet, euphonious | harsh, discordant, grating | Her mellifluous voice made even the news sound soothing. |
| 440 | Menial | Requiring little skill; lowly | unskilled, lowly, humble, degrading | prestigious, skilled, important | He started with menial tasks like sweeping floors before being promoted. |
| 441 | Mentor | An experienced advisor or trainer | advisor, guide, coach, teacher | novice, protege | Her mentor encouraged her to apply for the fellowship. |
| 442 | Mesmerize | To captivate completely | hypnotize, captivate, enthrall, spellbind | bore, repel | The magician’s illusions mesmerized the entire audience. |
| 443 | Meticulous | Showing great attention to detail | careful, thorough, precise, painstaking | careless, sloppy, negligent | The meticulous accountant double-checked every figure in the report. |
| 444 | Miasma | An unpleasant or unhealthy atmosphere or smell | stench, fumes, foul odor | fragrance, freshness | A miasma of rotting garbage hung over the alley. |
| 445 | Militant | Aggressively active in support of a cause | combative, aggressive, belligerent, radical | peaceful, passive, moderate | The militant protesters clashed with police outside the parliament building. |
| 446 | Minion | A servile follower of a powerful person | underling, subordinate, lackey, henchman | leader, superior, master | The villain sent his minions to retrieve the stolen artifact. |
| 447 | Mirage | An optical illusion, especially in a desert | illusion, hallucination, phantom | reality, actuality | Desperate for water, the travelers chased what turned out to be only a mirage. |
| 448 | Misanthrope | A person who dislikes humankind | cynic, loner, man-hater | philanthropist, humanitarian | The old misanthrope refused to speak to any of his neighbors. |
| 449 | Mischance | Bad luck; an unfortunate event | misfortune, bad luck, mishap | good fortune, luck | Through sheer mischance, they missed the last train home. |
| 450 | Misdemeanor | A minor wrongdoing or crime | offense, infraction, peccadillo, violation | felony, serious crime | Shoplifting a candy bar is typically charged as a misdemeanor. |
| 451 | Modish | Fashionable, stylish | fashionable, stylish, trendy, chic | outdated, unfashionable, old-fashioned | She always wore the most modish outfits to every event. |
| 452 | Mollify | To calm someone’s anger; to appease | appease, placate, soothe, pacify | provoke, anger, agitate | The manager tried to mollify the furious customer with a free meal. |
| 453 | Monetary | Relating to money | financial, fiscal, pecuniary | nonmonetary | The award came with a monetary prize of ten thousand dollars. |
| 454 | Moratorium | A temporary suspension of an activity | suspension, freeze, halt, postponement | continuation, resumption | The government declared a moratorium on new construction permits. |
| 455 | Mordant | Sharply critical or sarcastic | biting, sarcastic, caustic, cutting | gentle, mild, complimentary | His mordant wit made him both feared and admired by his colleagues. |
| 456 | Moribund | Approaching death; no longer active | dying, declining, stagnant, near-death | thriving, vibrant, flourishing | The once-thriving factory town had become a moribund shell of itself. |
| 457 | Motley | Composed of diverse elements | varied, diverse, assorted, mixed | uniform, homogeneous, consistent | A motley crew of volunteers showed up to help clean the beach. |
| 458 | Muggy | Unpleasantly warm and humid | humid, sticky, sultry, close | dry, crisp, cool | The muggy summer air made it hard to breathe outside. |
| 459 | Mulct | To fine or penalize; to defraud | fine, penalize, swindle | reward, compensate | The company was mulcted heavily for violating environmental regulations. |
| 460 | Multilingual | Able to speak several languages | polyglot, multilingual | monolingual | Growing up in Switzerland, she became fluently multilingual by age ten. |
| 461 | Mundane | Lacking excitement; ordinary | ordinary, routine, dull, humdrum | extraordinary, exciting, exceptional | He longed for adventure beyond his mundane office job. |
| 462 | Munificent | Very generous | generous, lavish, bountiful, charitable | stingy, miserly, ungenerous | The munificent donor funded an entire new wing of the hospital. |
| 463 | Musty | Having a stale, moldy smell | stale, moldy, dank, fusty | fresh, fragrant, clean | The old book had a musty smell from years in the damp basement. |
| 464 | Myopic | Nearsighted; lacking foresight | shortsighted, narrow-minded, nearsighted | farsighted, visionary | Critics called the policy myopic, warning it would cause problems for future generations. |
| 465 | Nascent | Just beginning to develop | emerging, budding, incipient, developing | mature, established, developed | The nascent tech startup attracted investors within its first month. |
| 466 | Nebulous | Vague, unclear, or ill-defined | vague, hazy, unclear, ambiguous | clear, precise, definite | His nebulous explanation left the committee more confused than before. |
| 467 | Nefarious | Wicked, criminal | wicked, villainous, criminal, evil | honorable, virtuous, good | The detective uncovered the gang’s nefarious smuggling operation. |
| 468 | Negation | The absence or opposite of something; a denial | denial, opposite, contradiction | affirmation, confirmation | His silence felt like a negation of everything he had promised before. |
| 469 | Neophyte | A beginner or novice | novice, beginner, newcomer, rookie | expert, veteran, master | As a neophyte in the kitchen, she burned the toast twice before breakfast. |
| 470 | Niggardly | Stingy, ungenerous | stingy, miserly, cheap, tightfisted | generous, lavish, bountiful | His niggardly tips annoyed every waiter who served him. |
| 471 | Nocturnal | Active at night | night-active, night-dwelling | diurnal, daytime | Owls are nocturnal hunters that rely on excellent night vision. |
| 472 | Noisome | Having an extremely offensive smell | foul-smelling, putrid, malodorous, stinking | fragrant, pleasant-smelling | A noisome odor drifted from the overflowing dumpster behind the restaurant. |
| 473 | Notorious | Famous for something bad | infamous, disreputable, ill-famed | reputable, esteemed, respected | The city’s notorious crime boss evaded capture for over a decade. |
| 474 | Obdurate | Stubbornly refusing to change one’s mind | stubborn, unyielding, inflexible, adamant | flexible, yielding, compliant | Despite the evidence, he remained obdurate in his refusal to apologize. |
| 475 | Obese | Very overweight | overweight, fat, corpulent, portly | thin, slim, lean | The doctor recommended a new diet plan for her obese patient. |
| 476 | Objective | Not influenced by personal feelings; a goal | impartial, unbiased, neutral, goal | subjective, biased | Reporters are expected to give an objective account of the events. |
| 477 | Obligatory | Required, compulsory | mandatory, required, compulsory, necessary | optional, voluntary, elective | Wearing a helmet is obligatory for all motorcyclists in this state. |
| 478 | Obloquy | Strong public criticism or disgrace | condemnation, disgrace, censure, vilification | praise, honor, esteem | The disgraced official faced widespread obloquy after the scandal broke. |
| 479 | Obsequious | Excessively eager to please or obey | servile, fawning, sycophantic, submissive | assertive, domineering, independent | The obsequious waiter hovered nervously around the wealthy customer. |
| 480 | Obsession | A persistent, uncontrollable preoccupation | fixation, preoccupation, mania | indifference, disinterest | His obsession with the case kept him awake most nights. |
| 481 | Obsolete | No longer in use; outdated | outdated, antiquated, out-of-date, defunct | modern, current, up-to-date | Floppy disks became obsolete once USB drives entered the market. |
| 482 | Obstreperous | Noisy and difficult to control | unruly, boisterous, rowdy, rambunctious | calm, quiet, obedient | The obstreperous toddler screamed throughout the entire flight. |
| 483 | Obtuse | Slow to understand; blunt | dull, slow-witted, dense, stupid | sharp, perceptive, quick-witted | He seemed strangely obtuse to the obvious hints she was giving him. |
| 484 | Odious | Extremely unpleasant, repulsive | repulsive, hateful, detestable, loathsome | pleasant, delightful, agreeable | The task of cleaning the sewage pipes was truly odious. |
| 485 | Odium | Widespread hatred or disgust | hatred, disgrace, loathing, contempt | admiration, esteem, favor | The dictator faced international odium for his brutal crackdown. |
| 486 | Omnipotent | Having unlimited power | all-powerful, almighty, supreme | powerless, weak, impotent | In the myth, the omnipotent god could reshape the world with a single word. |
| 487 | Omniscient | Knowing everything | all-knowing, all-seeing | ignorant, uninformed | The novel is narrated from an omniscient point of view that reveals every character’s thoughts. |
| 488 | Opiate | A sedative drug; something that induces calm or dullness | sedative, narcotic, tranquilizer | stimulant | Television became a kind of opiate for the exhausted factory workers. |
| 489 | Opportune | Occurring at a favorable time | timely, well-timed, favorable, apt | untimely, inopportune, ill-timed | Her resignation came at an opportune moment for the struggling company. |
| 490 | Opportunist | Someone who exploits circumstances for personal gain | schemer, self-server, exploiter | idealist, altruist | Critics labeled the politician an opportunist for switching parties before the election. |
| 491 | Opprobrium | Harsh criticism or public disgrace | disgrace, condemnation, censure, infamy | honor, praise, respect | The company faced public opprobrium after the pollution scandal broke. |
| 492 | Optimum | The most favorable condition for growth or success | best, ideal, optimal, perfect | worst, poorest, suboptimal | Farmers monitor soil moisture to find the optimum time to plant. |
| 493 | Ostentatious | Showy, designed to impress | showy, flashy, pretentious, extravagant | modest, understated, unassuming | His ostentatious display of wealth included a fleet of sports cars. |
| 494 | Overweening | Excessively arrogant or confident | arrogant, conceited, presumptuous, haughty | humble, modest, unassuming | His overweening pride blinded him to his own obvious mistakes. |
| 495 | Paean | A song of praise or triumph | tribute, hymn of praise, ode | lament, dirge | The critic wrote a paean to the director’s groundbreaking new film. |
| 496 | Pallet | A straw bed or mattress; a platform for transporting goods | mattress, cot, platform | — | The refugees slept on thin pallets laid across the gymnasium floor. |
| 497 | Palliate | To relieve symptoms without curing | alleviate, ease, soothe, mitigate | aggravate, worsen, intensify | The medication can palliate the pain but won’t cure the underlying disease. |
| 498 | Pandemonium | Wild uproar or chaos | chaos, uproar, mayhem, bedlam | order, calm, peace | Pandemonium broke out in the stadium after the last-second goal. |
| 499 | Panegyric | A public speech praising someone | eulogy, tribute, encomium | criticism, condemnation | The retiring CEO received a lengthy panegyric from the board of directors. |
| 500 | Parable | A simple story illustrating a moral lesson | allegory, fable, moral tale | — | The teacher used a parable about a lost sheep to explain the lesson on compassion. |
| 501 | Paradox | A statement that seems contradictory but may be true | contradiction, puzzle, incongruity | consistency, certainty | It’s a paradox that the more choices we have, the harder it is to decide. |
| 502 | Paramour | A lover, especially in an illicit relationship | lover, mistress, illicit partner | spouse | Rumors swirled about the count’s secret paramour in the countryside. |
| 503 | Paranoia | Irrational distrust or suspicion of others | suspicion, distrust, delusion | trust, confidence | His growing paranoia made him suspect even his closest friends of betrayal. |
| 504 | Pariah | An outcast | outcast, exile, untouchable | darling, favorite, insider | After the scandal, he became a pariah in his own industry. |
| 505 | Parity | Equality, especially in status or amount | equality, equivalence, sameness | disparity, inequality | The union fought for wage parity between male and female workers. |
| 506 | Parsimonious | Excessively unwilling to spend money | stingy, miserly, cheap, frugal | generous, lavish, extravagant | His parsimonious habits meant he never once bought a round of drinks. |
| 507 | Partiality | Unfair bias in favor of something | bias, favoritism, preference | impartiality, fairness, neutrality | The referee was accused of partiality toward the home team. |
| 508 | Passe | No longer fashionable | outdated, old-fashioned, dated, out of style | current, fashionable, modern | Wearing shoulder pads is now considered rather passe. |
| 510 | Pastiche | A work imitating the style of previous works | imitation, homage, parody | original work | The film was a clever pastiche of classic 1980s action movies. |
| 511 | Pejorative | Expressing contempt or disapproval | derogatory, disparaging, negative, belittling | complimentary, positive, favorable | The word was once neutral but has since taken on a pejorative meaning. |
| 512 | Pellucid | Transparently clear | clear, transparent, lucid, limpid | murky, opaque, unclear | The professor’s pellucid explanation made the complex theory easy to follow. |
| 513 | Penchant | A strong liking for something | fondness, inclination, predilection, taste | aversion, dislike, distaste | She has a penchant for collecting vintage postcards. |
| 514 | Penurious | Extremely poor; stingy | poor, impoverished, miserly, stingy | wealthy, generous, prosperous | Despite his fortune, he lived a penurious lifestyle out of habit. |
| 515 | Perfunctory | Done with minimal effort, as a routine | cursory, superficial, halfhearted, routine | thorough, careful, attentive | The clerk gave the documents only a perfunctory glance before stamping them. |
| 516 | Perigee | The point in an orbit closest to Earth | closest orbital point | apogee | The supermoon appeared largest when the moon reached its perigee. |
| 517 | Peripatetic | Traveling from place to place | itinerant, wandering, nomadic, roving | settled, stationary, sedentary | His peripatetic childhood meant he attended seven different schools. |
| 518 | Permeable | Allowing liquids or gases to pass through | porous, penetrable | impermeable, impenetrable | The tent’s permeable fabric let moisture escape but kept rain out. |
| 519 | Pernicious | Having a harmful effect, especially gradually | harmful, destructive, damaging, malignant | harmless, beneficial, benign | The pernicious rumor slowly destroyed her reputation over several months. |
| 520 | Perpetual | Never ending; constant | continuous, endless, everlasting, constant | temporary, finite, occasional | The old mill wheel turned in perpetual motion, powered by the stream. |
| 521 | Perspicuity | Clarity of expression | clarity, lucidity, precision | obscurity, vagueness, confusion | The lawyer’s perspicuity in explaining the contract impressed the jury. |
| 522 | Pert | Impudently bold, especially in speech | cheeky, sassy, impertinent, saucy | polite, respectful, demure | The pert young intern didn’t hesitate to correct her supervisor’s mistake. |
| 523 | Pertinacious | Holding firmly to an opinion; stubborn | persistent, stubborn, tenacious, obstinate | yielding, flexible, compliant | His pertinacious pursuit of the truth eventually cracked the case open. |
| 524 | Pertinent | Relevant to the matter at hand | relevant, applicable, appropriate, apt | irrelevant, unrelated, inapplicable | Please limit your questions to those pertinent to today’s lecture. |
| 525 | Petulant | Childishly irritable | sulky, peevish, irritable, cranky | patient, easygoing, good-natured | The petulant child stomped off after being told it was bedtime. |
| 526 | Phlegmatic | Calm, unemotional in temperament | calm, unemotional, stoic, composed | excitable, emotional, passionate | His phlegmatic response to the bad news surprised everyone in the room. |
| 527 | Physiognomy | Facial features, especially as indicating character | facial features, countenance | — | The old sailor’s weathered physiognomy told stories of decades at sea. |
| 528 | Piebald | Having patches of two colors, especially black and white | spotted, mottled, dappled | solid-colored, uniform | The piebald pony trotted happily around the paddock. |
| 529 | Pillage | To rob a place using violence, especially in war | plunder, loot, ransack, rob | protect, preserve, restore | Invading soldiers pillaged the village before burning it to the ground. |
| 530 | Pinion | To restrain someone’s arms; a bird’s wing | restrain, bind, shackle | free, release, unbind | The guards pinioned the prisoner’s arms before leading him away. |
| 531 | Pinnacle | The highest point of achievement | peak, summit, apex, zenith | nadir, low point, bottom | Winning the championship marked the pinnacle of her athletic career. |
| 532 | Pious | Devoutly religious | devout, religious, godly, reverent | impious, irreverent, godless | The pious old woman attended church every single morning. |
| 533 | Pique | A feeling of irritation from a perceived slight; to provoke interest | resentment, irritation, annoyance | contentment, satisfaction | Her curiosity was piqued the moment she saw the mysterious envelope. |
| 534 | Placate | To calm someone’s anger | appease, pacify, soothe, mollify | provoke, anger, enrage | The airline offered a free upgrade to placate the frustrated passenger. |
| 535 | Plagiarism | Using someone else’s work without credit | copying, theft of ideas, literary theft | original work, attribution | The student was expelled after being caught committing plagiarism on his thesis. |
| 536 | Plaintive | Expressing sorrow; mournful | mournful, sorrowful, sad, melancholy | cheerful, joyful, upbeat | The plaintive cry of the violin filled the empty concert hall. |
| 537 | Platitude | A trite, overused remark | cliche, truism, banality | original insight, novel idea | The politician’s speech was full of empty platitudes about hope and change. |
| 538 | Polemic | A strong verbal or written attack on an idea | argument, tirade, diatribe, controversy | agreement, endorsement | The essay was a fierce polemic against the new tax legislation. |
| 539 | Ponderous | Slow, heavy, or dull, especially in movement or speech | heavy, slow-moving, labored, dull | light, nimble, lively | The professor’s ponderous lecture put half the class to sleep. |
| 540 | Precarious | Not securely held; dangerously uncertain | unstable, unsafe, risky, shaky | secure, stable, safe | The climber found himself in a precarious position on the icy ledge. |
| 541 | Precipitate | To cause something to happen suddenly; hasty | trigger, hasten, cause, rash | delay, prevent, cautious | The assassination precipitated a war that lasted four years. |
| 542 | Prefatory | Serving as an introduction | introductory, preliminary, opening | concluding, final | The author added a prefatory note explaining her research methods. |
| 543 | Prelude | An introductory event or piece of music | introduction, preamble, opening, overture | conclusion, finale, epilogue | The small tremors were just a prelude to the massive earthquake that followed. |
| 544 | Presumption | An assumption, especially an audacious one | assumption, audacity, arrogance | humility, deference | It was quite a presumption for him to assume he’d get the promotion automatically. |
| 545 | Pretentious | Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance | showy, ostentatious, affected, snobbish | modest, unpretentious, humble | His pretentious use of jargon made a simple idea sound complicated. |
| 546 | Prim | Stiffly formal and proper | prudish, formal, proper, prissy | informal, relaxed, casual | The prim schoolteacher disapproved of any deviation from the dress code. |
| 547 | Pristine | In its original, unspoiled condition | unspoiled, immaculate, untouched, pure | spoiled, contaminated, corrupted | The lake was surrounded by pristine wilderness untouched by development. |
| 548 | Probity | Honesty and strong moral principles | integrity, honesty, uprightness | dishonesty, corruption, immorality | The judge was known throughout the state for his unwavering probity. |
| 549 | Prodigal | Wastefully extravagant | wasteful, extravagant, lavish, profligate | thrifty, frugal, economical | The prodigal son squandered his entire inheritance within a year. |
| 550 | Prodigious | Impressively great in size or extent | enormous, immense, extraordinary, remarkable | tiny, insignificant, ordinary | The young pianist showed prodigious talent from the age of four. |
| 551 | Profane | Showing disrespect for sacred things; irreverent | irreverent, blasphemous, sacrilegious | sacred, reverent, holy | He was scolded for his profane language during the church service. |
| 552 | Prolific | Producing much fruit, work, or offspring | productive, fruitful, abundant, fertile | unproductive, barren, sparse | The prolific author has published over forty novels in her career. |
| 553 | Prolix | Using too many words; tediously long | verbose, long-winded, wordy, rambling | concise, succinct, terse | His prolix report could have said the same thing in half the pages. |
| 554 | Prophylactic | Preventing disease; protective | preventive, protective | causing disease, harmful | The nurse administered a prophylactic vaccine before the trip abroad. |
| 555 | Propinquity | Nearness in place or relation | proximity, closeness, nearness | remoteness, distance | Their propinquity as neighbors eventually blossomed into friendship. |
| 556 | Propitious | Favorable, likely to succeed | favorable, auspicious, promising, opportune | unfavorable, inauspicious, unpromising | The weather forecast promised a propitious day for the outdoor wedding. |
| 557 | Prosaic | Lacking imagination; dull, ordinary | dull, mundane, unimaginative, ordinary | poetic, imaginative, exciting | His prosaic description of the sunset failed to capture its beauty. |
| 558 | Protean | Readily assuming different forms or roles | versatile, changeable, adaptable, variable | fixed, unchanging, rigid | The actor’s protean talent let him convincingly play villains and heroes alike. |
| 559 | Protract | To prolong or extend in duration | prolong, extend, lengthen, drag out | shorten, curtail, abbreviate | The lawyers protracted the trial for months with endless motions. |
| 560 | Provident | Preparing for future needs; frugal | prudent, thrifty, farsighted, careful | improvident, careless, wasteful | Her provident habit of saving each month paid off during the layoffs. |
| 561 | Provincial | Narrow-minded; relating to a rural region | parochial, narrow-minded, unsophisticated, regional | cosmopolitan, worldly, sophisticated | His provincial attitudes toward fashion made him stand out in the big city. |
| 562 | Psychotic | Suffering from a severe mental disorder involving loss of contact with reality | deranged, disturbed, insane | sane, rational, stable | The character in the film has a psychotic break after months of isolation. |
| 563 | Puerile | Childish, immature | childish, juvenile, immature, infantile | mature, adult, sophisticated | His puerile jokes about the teacher’s name got him sent to the principal. |
| 564 | Pugnacious | Eager to argue or fight | combative, belligerent, quarrelsome, aggressive | peaceful, agreeable, docile | The pugnacious boxer never backed down from a challenge. |
| 565 | Puissant | Having great power or influence | powerful, mighty, potent, dominant | weak, powerless, feeble | The puissant empire controlled trade routes across three continents. |
| 566 | Pulchritude | Great physical beauty | beauty, attractiveness, comeliness | ugliness, unattractiveness | The magazine praised the actress’s timeless pulchritude. |
| 567 | Punctilious | Very careful about details or correct behavior | meticulous, precise, scrupulous, exacting | careless, sloppy, negligent | The punctilious editor caught even the smallest grammatical errors. |
| 568 | Punitive | Inflicting or intended as punishment | disciplinary, penal, retributive | rewarding, lenient, merciful | The court imposed punitive damages on the company for its fraud. |
| 569 | Pusillanimous | Lacking courage; cowardly | cowardly, timid, fainthearted, spineless | brave, courageous, bold | His pusillanimous refusal to speak up let the injustice continue. |
| 570 | Putative | Generally considered to be the case; supposed | supposed, presumed, alleged, reputed | confirmed, proven, verified | The putative leader of the group turned out to be a minor player. |
| 571 | Queasy | Feeling nauseated; uneasy | nauseated, sick, uneasy, unsettled | settled, comfortable, at ease | The rocky boat ride left several passengers feeling queasy. |
| 572 | Quell | To suppress or extinguish | suppress, subdue, extinguish, squash | incite, provoke, encourage | Riot police were called in to quell the growing unrest. |
| 573 | Quixotic | Extremely idealistic and unrealistic | idealistic, impractical, romantic, fanciful | realistic, practical, pragmatic | His quixotic plan to end world hunger single-handedly impressed but worried his friends. |
| 574 | Ragamuffin | A person, especially a child, in dirty ragged clothes | urchin, waif, tattered child | — | A group of ragamuffins played happily in the alley behind the market. |
| 575 | Raucous | Loud and harsh sounding; disorderly | loud, rowdy, boisterous, noisy | quiet, calm, subdued | The raucous crowd cheered as the band took the stage. |
| 576 | Ravage | To cause severe damage to | devastate, destroy, ruin, wreck | preserve, protect, restore | The hurricane ravaged the coastal town, destroying dozens of homes. |
| 577 | Raze | To demolish completely | demolish, flatten, level, destroy | build, construct, erect | The old stadium was razed to make way for a new shopping center. |
| 578 | Reactionary | Opposing political or social change | conservative, regressive, traditionalist | progressive, radical, reformist | The reactionary politician campaigned to reverse decades of reform. |
| 579 | Rebate | A partial refund | refund, discount, reimbursement | charge, surcharge | Customers who bought the appliance received a fifty-dollar rebate. |
| 580 | Recalcitrant | Stubbornly resistant to authority | defiant, disobedient, obstinate, unruly | compliant, obedient, cooperative | The recalcitrant employee refused to follow the new safety protocols. |
| 581 | Recluse | A person who lives in solitude, avoiding others | hermit, loner, isolationist | socialite, extrovert | After the scandal, the author became a recluse, rarely leaving his cabin. |
| 582 | Recondite | Dealing with abstruse or profound subjects | obscure, esoteric, abstruse, arcane | familiar, well-known, accessible | The professor’s recondite theories were understood by only a handful of specialists. |
| 583 | Rectify | To correct or set right | correct, fix, amend, remedy | worsen, break, corrupt | The company moved quickly to rectify the billing error. |
| 584 | Recuperate | To recover health or strength | recover, heal, convalesce, mend | deteriorate, worsen, decline | She spent two weeks at home recuperating from surgery. |
| 585 | Recurrent | Happening repeatedly | repeated, periodic, recurring, frequent | rare, one-time, isolated | He suffered from recurrent nightmares after the accident. |
| 586 | Refractory | Stubborn, difficult to control or treat | stubborn, unmanageable, obstinate, resistant | compliant, manageable, tractable | The doctors struggled to treat her refractory infection with standard antibiotics. |
| 587 | Regal | Relating to or fit for a monarch; splendid | royal, majestic, kingly, stately | common, humble, plain | The palace’s regal architecture impressed visitors from around the world. |
| 588 | Reiterate | To repeat for emphasis or clarity | repeat, restate, reaffirm, emphasize | retract, withdraw | The coach reiterated the importance of teamwork before the final match. |
| 589 | Relish | To enjoy greatly; great enjoyment | enjoy, savor, delight in, appreciate | dislike, detest, loathe | She relished every bite of the homemade lasagna. |
| 590 | Remiss | Careless in performing one’s duty | negligent, careless, lax, slack | diligent, conscientious, careful | It would be remiss of me not to mention the risks involved. |
| 591 | Remonstrate | To make a forceful protest or complaint | protest, object, complain, argue against | agree, comply, acquiesce | Employees remonstrated against the sudden change in company policy. |
| 592 | Repartee | Quick, witty conversation or reply | banter, witty exchange, wordplay | dull conversation, silence | The talk show host was known for his sharp repartee with celebrity guests. |
| 593 | Repellent | Causing distaste or aversion; resistant | repulsive, off-putting, disgusting, unattractive | attractive, appealing, inviting | The insect repellent kept mosquitoes away all evening. |
| 594 | Repercussion | An unintended consequence of an action | consequence, aftermath, effect, ramification | cause, origin | Cutting corners on safety inspections had serious repercussions for the company. |
| 595 | Replenish | To fill up again | refill, restock, replace, restore | deplete, drain, exhaust | The store replenished its shelves before the holiday rush. |
| 596 | Replica | An exact copy of something | copy, duplicate, facsimile, reproduction | original | The museum displayed a replica of the ancient Egyptian tomb. |
| 597 | Reprisal | Retaliatory action against an enemy | retaliation, revenge, retribution, payback | forgiveness, mercy, pardon | The country launched an airstrike in reprisal for the attack on its embassy. |
| 598 | Reprove | To express disapproval of; scold | rebuke, admonish, chastise, reprimand | praise, commend, approve | The teacher gently reproved the student for talking during the exam. |
| 599 | Repudiate | To refuse to accept or be associated with | reject, disown, renounce, disavow | accept, embrace, endorse | The senator repudiated the extremist views attributed to him. |
| 600 | Repugnance | Intense dislike or disgust | disgust, aversion, distaste, revulsion | attraction, liking, fondness | She felt a deep repugnance toward the cruelty she witnessed. |
| 601 | Resilient | Able to recover quickly from difficulties | tough, adaptable, hardy, buoyant | fragile, weak, vulnerable | Children can be remarkably resilient after difficult experiences. |
| 602 | Restive | Unable to remain still or quiet; restless | restless, fidgety, uneasy, impatient | calm, still, placid | The restive crowd grew impatient as the concert start was delayed. |
| 603 | Retentive | Able to retain information well | sharp, absorbent, quick to remember | forgetful, leaky, poor | Her retentive memory allowed her to recall entire conversations verbatim. |
| 604 | Reticence | The quality of being reserved or reluctant to speak | reserve, silence, restraint, taciturnity | openness, talkativeness, candor | His reticence about his past made colleagues curious and a little suspicious. |
| 605 | Retrograde | Moving backward; reverting to an earlier state | regressive, backward, declining | progressive, advancing, forward-moving | Critics called the new policy a retrograde step for workers’ rights. |
| 606 | Revere | To feel deep respect or admiration for | admire, honor, esteem, venerate | despise, scorn, disdain | Students still revere the retired professor for his groundbreaking research. |
| 607 | Rife | Widespread, especially of something unwelcome | widespread, prevalent, abundant, common | rare, scarce, uncommon | Corruption was rife throughout the local government. |
| 608 | Robust | Strong and healthy; vigorous | strong, sturdy, healthy, vigorous | weak, frail, feeble | The company reported robust sales growth for the third quarter. |
| 609 | Rotundity | The state of being round or plump | roundness, plumpness | slimness, thinness | The Buddha statue is often depicted with a cheerful rotundity. |
| 610 | Rubble | Rough fragments of stone or brick from a demolished structure | debris, wreckage, ruins | intact structure | Rescue workers searched through the rubble for survivors after the earthquake. |
| 611 | Ruddy | Having a healthy red color | rosy, flushed, red-cheeked | pale, pallid, ashen | The children came inside with ruddy cheeks after playing in the snow. |
| 612 | Rudimentary | Basic, undeveloped | basic, elementary, primitive, undeveloped | advanced, sophisticated, developed | He had only a rudimentary understanding of the software before the training. |
| 613 | Rueful | Expressing sorrow or regret, often with humor | regretful, remorseful, sorrowful, wistful | unrepentant, cheerful, glad | She gave a rueful smile as she recalled her embarrassing mistake. |
| 614 | Rustic | Relating to the countryside; simple, unsophisticated | rural, countrified, pastoral, simple | urban, sophisticated, cosmopolitan | The cabin’s rustic charm made it the perfect weekend getaway. |
| 615 | Ruthless | Having no pity or compassion | merciless, cruel, pitiless, harsh | merciful, compassionate, kind | The ruthless dictator crushed all opposition without hesitation. |
| 616 | Sadistic | Deriving pleasure from cruelty to others | cruel, brutal, vicious, merciless | kind, compassionate, gentle | The sadistic warden enjoyed tormenting the prisoners under his watch. |
| 617 | Sagacious | Having good judgment; wise | wise, shrewd, perceptive, astute | foolish, unwise, imprudent | The sagacious old advisor predicted the political crisis months in advance. |
| 618 | Sallow | Of an unhealthy yellowish skin color | pallid, jaundiced, wan, pale | ruddy, rosy, healthy-looking | Years of smoking had left his skin looking sallow and tired. |
| 619 | Salubrious | Favorable to health; wholesome | healthy, beneficial, wholesome, health-giving | unhealthy, harmful, noxious | The mountain air was said to have a salubrious effect on tuberculosis patients. |
| 620 | Salvage | To rescue from loss or destruction | rescue, retrieve, recover, save | abandon, discard, lose | Divers worked for weeks to salvage cargo from the sunken ship. |
| 621 | Sanctimonious | Hypocritically pious or self-righteous | self-righteous, hypocritical, pious, holier-than-thou | humble, genuine, modest | His sanctimonious lecture about honesty was ironic given his own lies. |
| 622 | Sanguine | Optimistic, especially in a difficult situation | optimistic, hopeful, positive, confident | pessimistic, despairing, gloomy | Despite the setbacks, she remained sanguine about the project’s success. |
| 623 | Satiety | The state of being fully satisfied, especially with food | fullness, satisfaction, repletion | hunger, craving, deprivation | After the enormous feast, a pleasant satiety settled over the guests. |
| 624 | Scurrilous | Making scandalous claims to damage a reputation | defamatory, slanderous, abusive, insulting | complimentary, respectful, honorable | The tabloid published scurrilous rumors about the actress’s private life. |
| 625 | Secular | Not connected with religion | nonreligious, worldly, temporal | religious, sacred, spiritual | The country’s constitution establishes a secular government. |
| 626 | Sedentary | Involving little physical activity; sitting a lot | inactive, stationary, deskbound | active, energetic, mobile | A sedentary lifestyle can contribute to a range of health problems. |
| 627 | Sedulous | Diligent and persistent | diligent, industrious, painstaking, persistent | lazy, careless, negligent | Her sedulous efforts to master the violin finally paid off at the recital. |
| 628 | Senility | The loss of mental faculties associated with old age | dementia, dotage, decline | mental sharpness, alertness | His grandmother’s senility made it hard for her to recognize family members. |
| 629 | Sententious | Given to moralizing in a pompous way | moralistic, preachy, pompous, self-righteous | humble, unassuming, plainspoken | His sententious speeches about virtue annoyed even his closest friends. |
| 630 | Sequester | To isolate or hide away | isolate, seclude, separate, quarantine | unite, integrate, release | The jury was sequestered in a hotel for the duration of the trial. |
| 631 | Serrated | Having a jagged, saw-like edge | jagged, toothed, notched | smooth, even | The bread knife’s serrated edge cut cleanly through the crusty loaf. |
| 632 | Servile | Excessively submissive or obedient | submissive, subservient, obsequious, fawning | assertive, independent, dominant | His servile behavior toward the boss made his coworkers uncomfortable. |
| 633 | Shoddy | Poorly made or done | cheap, inferior, poorly made, substandard | excellent, well-made, superior | The shoddy construction led to leaks after just one rainstorm. |
| 634 | Singular | Remarkably good or great; unique | exceptional, unique, remarkable, extraordinary | ordinary, common, unremarkable | She showed singular talent in mathematics from a very young age. |
| 635 | Sinister | Suggesting evil or harm | menacing, ominous, threatening, malevolent | benign, harmless, innocent | A sinister figure lurked in the shadows outside the abandoned house. |
| 636 | Skittish | Nervous, easily frightened; unpredictable | nervous, jumpy, flighty, timid | calm, steady, composed | The skittish horse bolted at the sound of the firework. |
| 637 | Sleazy | Squalid, immoral, or disreputable | seedy, sordid, disreputable, shady | reputable, respectable, wholesome | The sleazy motel had a reputation for illegal activity. |
| 638 | Sloth | Laziness, reluctance to work | laziness, idleness, indolence | diligence, industriousness | His sloth throughout the semester left him with a mountain of makeup work. |
| 639 | Slough | To shed or cast off; a swamp | shed, cast off, discard | retain, keep | The snake sloughed off its old skin as it grew. |
| 640 | Slovenly | Untidy and careless in appearance or habits | untidy, messy, sloppy, unkempt | neat, tidy, meticulous | His slovenly desk was covered in old papers and coffee cups. |
| 641 | Sobriety | The state of being sober; seriousness | soberness, seriousness, gravity | drunkenness, frivolity | The judge’s sobriety and calm demeanor lent weight to his verdict. |
| 642 | Solecism | A grammatical mistake; a social blunder | error, blunder, mistake, faux pas | correctness, propriety | The editor caught the solecism before the article went to print. |
| 643 | Solstice | Either of the two times a year when the sun is farthest from the equator | — | equinox | They gathered at Stonehenge to watch the sunrise on the summer solstice. |
| 644 | Solvent | Able to pay all debts; a substance that dissolves others | financially stable, dissolving agent | insolvent, bankrupt | After years of restructuring, the company finally became solvent again. |
| 645 | Sonorous | Producing a deep, full sound; impressive-sounding | resonant, deep, rich, booming | thin, weak, tinny | The preacher’s sonorous voice carried to the back of the cathedral. |
| 646 | Sophomoric | Immature and pretentious, like a second-year student | immature, juvenile, shallow | mature, sophisticated, profound | His sophomoric jokes fell flat at the formal dinner. |
| 647 | Soporific | Inducing sleep or drowsiness | sleep-inducing, sedative, tranquilizing | stimulating, invigorating | The professor’s monotone lecture had a soporific effect on the class. |
| 648 | Spasmodic | Occurring in sudden, brief bursts; intermittent | intermittent, fitful, sporadic, irregular | continuous, steady, constant | The engine made a spasmodic sputtering noise before finally starting. |
| 649 | Sporadic | Occurring occasionally or irregularly | occasional, intermittent, irregular, scattered | continuous, regular, constant | Sporadic gunfire could be heard throughout the night. |
| 650 | Sportive | Playful, lighthearted | playful, frisky, lighthearted, jesting | serious, solemn, somber | The sportive puppy chased its tail around the yard. |
| 651 | Spurious | Not genuine; false | fake, false, counterfeit, bogus | genuine, authentic, real | The lawsuit was based on spurious claims with no factual basis. |
| 652 | Squander | To waste money or resources carelessly | waste, misuse, fritter away, dissipate | save, conserve, invest | He squandered his lottery winnings within just two years. |
| 653 | Staccato | With each note or sound sharply detached from the others | abrupt, clipped, disconnected | legato, smooth, flowing | The drummer’s staccato beats gave the song an urgent energy. |
| 654 | Stamina | The physical or mental strength to sustain prolonged effort | endurance, energy, resilience, vigor | weakness, fatigue, exhaustion | Marathon runners need incredible stamina to finish the race. |
| 655 | Stereotyped | Conforming to a fixed, oversimplified image | formulaic, cliched, conventional, unoriginal | original, unique, individual | The film relied on stereotyped characters instead of developing anyone fully. |
| 656 | Stilted | Stiff and unnatural, especially in speech or writing | formal, wooden, awkward, unnatural | natural, fluid, relaxed | The actor’s stilted dialogue delivery took the audience out of the scene. |
| 657 | Stringent | Strict, precisely controlled | strict, rigorous, severe, exacting | lenient, lax, flexible | The lab follows stringent safety protocols when handling chemicals. |
| 658 | Suavity | Smooth, confident charm | charm, polish, sophistication, urbanity | awkwardness, gruffness, crudeness | His suavity made him a natural at winning over new clients. |
| 659 | Sublime | Of great excellence or beauty; awe-inspiring | magnificent, glorious, exalted, majestic | ordinary, mundane, common | The view from the mountaintop was utterly sublime. |
| 660 | Subliminal | Perceived by the mind without conscious awareness | unconscious, subconscious, hidden | conscious, obvious, overt | Advertisers were once accused of using subliminal messages to boost sales. |
| 661 | Superannuated | Obsolete, retired due to age | outdated, retired, obsolete, aged | current, active, modern | The superannuated machinery was finally replaced after forty years of service. |
| 662 | Supercilious | Behaving as if superior to others | arrogant, haughty, condescending, snobbish | humble, modest, unassuming | The supercilious waiter looked down on customers who couldn’t pronounce the menu items. |
| 663 | Superficial | Existing only on the surface; shallow | shallow, cursory, surface-level, trivial | deep, thorough, profound | His superficial understanding of the topic became obvious during the interview. |
| 664 | Supernumerary | Exceeding the required or standard number | extra, surplus, additional, spare | essential, required, necessary | The play used several supernumerary actors for the crowd scenes. |
| 665 | Suppliant | Asking humbly for something; a person who begs | pleading, imploring, beseeching | demanding, commanding | The suppliant villagers begged the king for mercy after the failed harvest. |
| 666 | Surfeit | An excessive amount of something | excess, overabundance, glut, surplus | shortage, scarcity, lack | There was a surfeit of food left over after the wedding banquet. |
| 667 | Surreptitious | Done secretly or stealthily | secretive, sneaky, furtive, clandestine | open, obvious, blatant | She took a surreptitious glance at her phone during the meeting. |
| 668 | Suture | A stitch used to join skin or tissue | stitch, seam | — | The doctor placed several sutures to close the deep wound. |
| 669 | Swathed | Wrapped or bound with fabric | wrapped, bundled, enveloped, bound | unwrapped, exposed | The newborn was swathed in a soft blanket to keep her warm. |
| 670 | Sycophantic | Excessively flattering toward someone powerful | fawning, obsequious, servile, toadying | independent, honest, straightforward | The sycophantic assistant agreed with everything the CEO said. |
| 671 | Synthetic | Made artificially rather than occurring naturally | artificial, man-made, fabricated | natural, organic, genuine | The jacket is made from a synthetic fabric that repels water. |
| 672 | Tacit | Understood without being stated openly | implied, unspoken, understood, implicit | explicit, stated, expressed | There was a tacit agreement between them not to discuss the breakup at work. |
| 673 | Talisman | An object believed to have magical protective powers | amulet, charm, good-luck token | — | She wore the necklace as a talisman for good luck before every exam. |
| 674 | Tantalize | To tease by showing something desirable but out of reach | tease, torment, entice, taunt | satisfy, fulfill, gratify | The smell of fresh bread tantalized everyone waiting outside the bakery. |
| 675 | Tarry | To stay longer than intended; linger | linger, delay, dawdle, loiter | hurry, hasten, rush | They decided to tarry a little longer to watch the sunset. |
| 676 | Tautology | Needless repetition of the same idea in different words | redundancy, repetition, pleonasm | concision, brevity | Saying free gift is a common tautology since gifts are already free. |
| 677 | Tawdry | Showy but cheap and of poor quality | cheap, gaudy, shabby, garish | elegant, tasteful, refined | The tawdry souvenir shop sold plastic trinkets at inflated prices. |
| 678 | Temerity | Excessive confidence or boldness; audacity | audacity, boldness, nerve, impudence | timidity, caution, hesitancy | He had the temerity to demand a raise after being late every day that month. |
| 679 | Temporal | Relating to time or to worldly affairs, not spiritual | worldly, secular, transient | eternal, spiritual, timeless | The king held both temporal and religious authority over his subjects. |
| 680 | Tenacious | Holding firmly; persistent | persistent, determined, dogged, stubborn | yielding, weak, irresolute | Her tenacious pursuit of justice finally led to his conviction. |
| 681 | Tenacity | The quality of being persistent | persistence, determination, doggedness, grit | irresolution, weakness | It took years of tenacity for the small startup to become profitable. |
| 682 | Tendentious | Promoting a particular biased point of view | biased, one-sided, partisan, slanted | impartial, balanced, objective | The tendentious documentary presented only one side of the debate. |
| 683 | Tentative | Not fully worked out or certain; hesitant | uncertain, provisional, hesitant, unconfirmed | definite, certain, confirmed | We made tentative plans to meet for lunch next Tuesday. |
| 684 | Tenuous | Very weak or slight | flimsy, weak, insubstantial, shaky | strong, solid, substantial | The prosecution’s case rested on a tenuous connection between the two suspects. |
| 685 | Tepid | Only slightly warm; lacking enthusiasm | lukewarm, halfhearted, unenthusiastic | hot, enthusiastic, passionate | The critics gave the new film a tepid response at best. |
| 686 | Terse | Brief and to the point, sometimes curtly | concise, brief, curt, succinct | verbose, wordy, elaborate | Her terse reply made it clear she didn’t want to discuss it further. |
| 687 | Tesselated | Decorated with a mosaic pattern of small tiles | mosaic, checkered, patterned | plain, unpatterned | The ancient villa’s floor was covered with a beautiful tesselated design. |
| 688 | Thespian | Relating to drama and acting; an actor | actor, performer, dramatic | — | The young thespian dreamed of one day performing on Broadway. |
| 689 | Titillate | To excite or stimulate pleasurably | excite, stimulate, arouse, tantalize | bore, dull | The trailer was designed to titillate audiences without revealing the plot twist. |
| 690 | Tractable | Easily controlled or managed | manageable, docile, compliant, obedient | unmanageable, unruly, obstinate | The trainer chose the most tractable horses for the beginner riders. |
| 691 | Traduce | To speak badly of someone falsely; slander | slander, defame, malign, vilify | praise, honor, defend | The newspaper was sued for traducing the businessman’s reputation. |
| 692 | Tranquillity | The quality of being calm and peaceful | calm, peace, serenity, stillness | turmoil, chaos, agitation | The monastery offered visitors a rare sense of tranquillity. |
| 693 | Transient | Lasting only for a short time | temporary, fleeting, brief, momentary | permanent, lasting, enduring | The hotel mostly houses transient guests passing through on business. |
| 694 | Tremulous | Shaking, quivering, especially from fear or weakness | trembling, shaky, quivering, wavering | steady, firm, calm | Her tremulous voice betrayed how nervous she was during the speech. |
| 695 | Trenchant | Vigorous, effective, and sharply expressed | incisive, cutting, sharp, biting | vague, weak, dull | His trenchant critique exposed every flaw in the proposal. |
| 696 | Trepidation | A feeling of fear or anxiety about something | apprehension, anxiety, dread, unease | confidence, calm, fearlessness | She approached the interview with a mix of excitement and trepidation. |
| 697 | Trite | Overused and unoriginal | cliched, hackneyed, stale, banal | original, fresh, novel | The greeting card was full of trite phrases about love and friendship. |
| 698 | Truculent | Eager to argue or fight; aggressively defiant | aggressive, belligerent, hostile, combative | peaceful, agreeable, docile | The truculent customer refused to accept the store’s refund policy. |
| 699 | Tumult | A loud, confused noise or disturbance | uproar, commotion, chaos, turmoil | calm, order, peace | A tumult broke out in the crowd when the results were announced. |
| 700 | Turbid | Cloudy or muddy, not clear | murky, cloudy, muddy, opaque | clear, transparent, limpid | The turbid river water made it impossible to see the riverbed. |
| 701 | Turbulence | Violent or unsteady movement; disorder | unrest, disorder, chaos, instability | calm, stability, order | The plane hit turbulence just before landing, rattling the passengers. |
| 702 | Turgid | Swollen; excessively complex or pompous in style | swollen, bloated, pompous, bombastic | deflated, simple, plain | His turgid prose made a simple argument nearly impossible to follow. |
| 703 | Turpitude | Depraved or wicked behavior | depravity, wickedness, corruption, vileness | virtue, morality, integrity | The scandal revealed a shocking level of moral turpitude among the officials. |
| 704 | Tyro | A beginner, novice | novice, beginner, rookie, newcomer | expert, veteran, master | As a tyro in the kitchen, he ruined three batches of cookies before getting it right. |
| 705 | Unearth | To discover something buried or hidden | discover, uncover, dig up, reveal | bury, hide, conceal | Archaeologists unearthed a collection of ancient coins beneath the ruins. |
| 706 | Unfeigned | Genuine, not pretended | genuine, sincere, real, authentic | feigned, fake, insincere | Her unfeigned joy at seeing her old friend brought tears to everyone’s eyes. |
| 707 | Ungainly | Awkward, clumsy in movement | clumsy, awkward, gawky, graceless | graceful, elegant, agile | The ungainly newborn giraffe wobbled on its long legs within its first hour of life. |
| 709 | Unimpeachable | Beyond doubt or reproach; unquestionable | impeccable, flawless, beyond question, irreproachable | questionable, doubtful, suspect | The witness had an unimpeachable reputation for honesty in the courtroom. |
| 710 | Unkempt | Untidy, not properly maintained | disheveled, messy, untidy, scruffy | neat, tidy, well-groomed | His unkempt hair and wrinkled shirt made a poor impression at the interview. |
| 711 | Unruly | Disorderly and difficult to control | disobedient, rowdy, wild, uncontrollable | obedient, disciplined, orderly | The unruly classroom fell silent the moment the principal walked in. |
| 712 | Unseemly | Not proper or appropriate for the circumstances | improper, indecorous, unbecoming, inappropriate | proper, decorous, appropriate | Laughing loudly at the funeral was considered highly unseemly. |
| 713 | Unsullied | Not stained or damaged; pure | pure, untarnished, immaculate, pristine | tarnished, sullied, corrupted | Her unsullied reputation made her the ideal candidate for the award. |
| 714 | Untenable | Not able to be defended or maintained | indefensible, unsustainable, insupportable | defensible, sustainable, supportable | His argument became untenable once new evidence contradicted his claims. |
| 715 | Unwitting | Not aware; unintentional | unintentional, inadvertent, accidental, unaware | deliberate, intentional, knowing | She became an unwitting accomplice to the fraud without realizing it. |
| 716 | Vacillation | Indecision between different options | indecision, wavering, hesitation, uncertainty | decisiveness, resolve, certainty | His constant vacillation over the job offer frustrated his family. |
| 717 | Valedictory | Relating to a farewell; a farewell speech | farewell, parting, closing | welcoming, opening | She delivered the valedictory address on the last day of school. |
| 718 | Valor | Great courage, especially in battle | bravery, courage, heroism, gallantry | cowardice, timidity, fear | The soldier was awarded a medal for valor during the rescue mission. |
| 719 | Vanguard | The leading position in a movement or trend | forefront, leaders, pioneers, front line | rear, rearguard, followers | The company has long been at the vanguard of renewable energy technology. |
| 720 | Vaunted | Boasted about; highly praised | boasted, celebrated, acclaimed, touted | unheralded, unnoticed, belittled | Despite its vaunted reputation, the restaurant left us disappointed. |
| 721 | Venal | Susceptible to bribery; corrupt | corrupt, corruptible, bribable, mercenary | honest, incorruptible, upright | The venal customs officer accepted bribes to overlook smuggled goods. |
| 722 | Venerate | To regard with great respect | revere, honor, esteem, admire | despise, scorn, disdain | Villagers venerate the old temple as a sacred and protected site. |
| 723 | Venial | Easily forgiven or excused, especially of a sin | forgivable, excusable, pardonable, minor | unforgivable, unpardonable, serious | Forgetting to call back was a venial mistake, easily forgiven. |
| 724 | Veracious | Truthful, honest | truthful, honest, accurate, sincere | dishonest, false, deceitful | The journalist was known for his veracious reporting, even on unpopular topics. |
| 725 | Verdant | Green with vegetation; lush | lush, green, leafy, flourishing | barren, arid, bare | The valley was covered in verdant hills after the spring rains. |
| 726 | Verity | A true principle or belief; truth | truth, fact, reality, certainty | falsehood, lie, untruth | The novel explores timeless verities about love and loss. |
| 727 | Vestige | A remaining trace of something that once existed | trace, remnant, remains, relic | entirety, whole | Only a few vestiges of the ancient wall remain standing today. |
| 728 | Viable | Capable of working successfully; feasible | feasible, workable, practicable, sustainable | unworkable, impractical, unfeasible | The startup’s business model wasn’t viable without additional funding. |
| 729 | Viand | An item of food, especially a delicacy | food, delicacy, fare, provisions | — | The banquet table was piled high with rich viands from every region. |
| 730 | Vicarious | Experienced through another person’s actions rather than firsthand | secondhand, indirect, substitutional | direct, firsthand, personal | She got a vicarious thrill watching her daughter win the championship. |
| 731 | Vigilance | Careful and constant attention; watchfulness | watchfulness, alertness, wariness, attentiveness | carelessness, negligence, inattention | Constant vigilance is required to keep the border secure. |
| 732 | Vilify | To speak of in an abusively disparaging way | defame, malign, denigrate, slander | praise, honor, eulogize | The tabloids vilified the actor long before any charges were proven. |
| 733 | Vindictive | Having a strong desire for revenge | revengeful, spiteful, vengeful, malicious | forgiving, compassionate, magnanimous | Her vindictive ex-boss badmouthed her to every potential employer. |
| 734 | Virulent | Extremely severe or harmful; bitterly hostile | malignant, toxic, hostile, venomous | harmless, benign, mild | The virulent strain of the virus spread quickly through the hospital. |
| 735 | Visage | A person’s face, especially in terms of expression | face, countenance, features, expression | — | His grim visage revealed nothing about what he was truly thinking. |
| 736 | Voluble | Talking fluently, readily, and at length | talkative, garrulous, loquacious, fluent | taciturn, reticent, quiet | The voluble tour guide kept up a constant stream of commentary. |
| 737 | Voracious | Wanting or eating great quantities of food; very eager | ravenous, insatiable, greedy, avid | satisfied, indifferent, moderate | He’s a voracious reader, finishing three novels a week. |
| 738 | Vouchsafe | To grant something in a gracious or condescending manner | grant, bestow, give, confer | withhold, deny, refuse | The king vouchsafed his blessing to the young knight before the battle. |
| 739 | Waif | A homeless, neglected person, especially a child | urchin, stray, orphan, ragamuffin | — | A small waif wandered the streets, searching for scraps of food. |
| 740 | Wanton | Deliberate and unprovoked; reckless, especially sexually so | reckless, gratuitous, unrestrained, licentious | restrained, disciplined, chaste | The court condemned the soldiers’ wanton destruction of civilian property. |
| 741 | Warranty | A written guarantee of quality or repair | guarantee, assurance, promise, pledge | — | The laptop came with a two-year warranty covering all repairs. |
| 742 | Wastrel | A wasteful or good-for-nothing person | spendthrift, waster, ne’er-do-well, profligate | saver, provider, industrious person | His grandfather considered him a wastrel who never held a steady job. |
| 743 | Waylay | To ambush or accost someone unexpectedly | ambush, accost, intercept, corner | let pass, avoid | Reporters waylaid the senator the moment she left the courthouse. |
| 744 | Welter | A large, confused mass; turmoil | jumble, confusion, muddle, morass | order, clarity, simplicity | She struggled to make sense of the welter of paperwork on her desk. |
| 745 | Whinny | The soft, high-pitched sound a horse makes | neigh | — | The horse gave a soft whinny as its owner approached with an apple. |
| 746 | Windfall | An unexpected gain, especially of money | bonanza, jackpot, unexpected gain, boon | loss, expected earnings | The inheritance was a welcome windfall during a difficult financial year. |
| 747 | Winsome | Attractive in a charming, innocent way | charming, engaging, endearing, appealing | repellent, unattractive, off-putting | The puppy’s winsome expression melted everyone’s heart at the shelter. |
| 748 | Wizened | Shriveled or wrinkled with age | shriveled, withered, wrinkled, gaunt | plump, youthful, smooth | The wizened old fisherman had spent sixty years on these waters. |
| 749 | Yeoman | A middle-class farmer who owns land; a loyal, hardworking assistant | farmer, freeholder, loyal helper | — | The yeoman worked his small plot of land alongside his three sons. |
| 750 | Zealot | A person who is fanatically committed to a cause | fanatic, extremist, enthusiast, devotee | moderate, skeptic, apathetic person | The religious zealot refused to compromise on even minor points of doctrine. |