gre word

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GRE Word List | Author: M. Faisal Riyad

Abase: to make yourself seem to be less important or not to deserve respect

Debase: to reduce the quality or value of something

Deflate: to make someone lose confidence or feel less important

Demean: degrade; humiliate

Abash: embarrass

Awkward: causing problems, worry or embarrassment

Mortifying: very embarrassing

Abate: to become less strong

Attenuate: to make something smaller, thinner or weaker

Attrition: gradually making something weaker and destroying it

Crumble: to become weaker in strength or influence; to break

Debilitate: to make someone or something physically weak

Abbess: a woman who is in charge of a convent

Abbot: a man who is in charge of a monastery

Abbey: a building where monks or nuns live or used to live.

Cathedral: a very large, usually stone, building for Christian worship, which is the largest

and most important church of a diocese

Hermitage: a place where a religious person lives on their own, apart from the rest of

society

Shrine: a place for worship which is holy because of a connection with a holy

person/object

Synagogue: a building in which Jewish people worship and study their religion

Abdicate: to give up

Emeritus: no longer having a position, especially in a college or university, but keeping

the title of the position

Abduction: a carrying away of a person against his will, or illegally

Molest: to touch or attack someone in a sexual way against their wishes

Aberration: a temporary change from the typical or usual way of behaving

Discrepancy: difference between two things that should be the same

Gaffe: a remark or action that is a social mistake and not considered polite

Malapropism: the wrong use of one word instead of another word because they sound

similar to each other, and which is funny as a result

Abet: to help or encourage someone to do something wrong or illegal

Auxiliary: giving help or support, especially to a more important person or thing

Avail: to help or be useful to someone or something

Recourse: using something or someone as a way of getting help, especially in a difficult

or dangerous situation

Succor: help given to someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need

Abeyance: a state of not happening or being used at present

Hiatus: a short pause in which nothing happens or is said, or a space where something is

missing

Lapse: a period of time passing between two things happening; to end legally or officially

by not being continued or made effective for a longer period

Moratorium: a stopping of an activity for an agreed amount of time

Plateau: a period during which there are no large changes

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Abhorrence: a feeling of hating something or someone

Abomination: something that you dislike and disapprove of

Animosity: strong dislike, opposition, or anger

Antagonism: hate, extreme unfriendliness or actively opposing someone

Antipathy: strong dislike, opposition or anger

Contempt: a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something;

behavior that is illegal because it does not obey or respect the rules of a law court

Disdain: when you dislike someone or something and think that they do not deserve your

interest or respect

Enmity: a feeling of hate

Misandry: hatred of men

Misogynist: a man who hates women or believes that men are much better than women

Odium: hate and strong disapproval

Rancour: a feeling of hate and continuing anger about something in the past

Venom: a poisonous liquid which some snakes, insects, etc. produce when biting or

stinging; the expression of feelings of hatred or extreme anger

Abject: when someone is extremely unhappy, poor, frightened, etc; showing no pride or respect

for yourself

Bereft: not having something or feeling great loss

Desolate: describes a place that is empty and not attractive, with no people or nothing

pleasant in it; extremely sad and feeling alone

Despondent: unhappy and with no hope or enthusiasm because you feel you are in a

difficult situation

Destitute: without money, food, a home or possessions

Impecunious: having very little money; poor

Impoverished: very poor; made weaker or worse in quality

Indigent: very poor

Penury: the state of being extremely poor

Skint: having no money.

Wistful: sad and thinking about something that is impossible or in the past

Wretched: unhappy, unpleasant or of low quality; very ill or very unhappy

Abjure: to state publicly that you no longer agree with a belief or way of behaving

Defy: to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc.

Demur: to express disagreement or refuse to do something;

Disavow: to say that you know nothing about something, or that you have no

responsibility for or connection with something

Gainsay: to refuse to accept something as the truth

Renounce: to say formally or publicly that you no longer own, support, believe in or have

a connection with something

Repudiate: to refuse to accept something or someone as true, good or reasonable

Shun: to avoid something; to ignore someone and not speak to them because you cannot

accept their behavior, beliefs, etc.

Spurn: to refuse to accept something or someone because you feel that they are not worth

having

Ablution: washing

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Abnegation: the act of not allowing yourself to have sth that you want; the act of rejecting sth

Aboriginal: describes a person or living thing that has existed in a country or continent since the

earliest time known to people;

Abortive: describes an attempt or plan that you have to give up because it has failed

Arid: dry, barren; unsuccessful; not interesting and showing no imagination

Futile: having no effect or achieving nothing; unsuccessful

Unavailing: when an attempt to do something is unavailing, it is unsuccessful or has no positive effect

Above board: legal and honest; in a legal and honest way

Abrasion: the process of rubbing away the surface of something

Buff: to rub an object made of metal, wood or leather in order to make it shine, using a

soft, dry cloth a person who knows a lot about and is very interested in a particular subject

Chafe: to make or become damaged or sore by rubbing

Abridge: to make a book, play or piece of writing shorter by removing details and information

that is not important

Bowdlerize: to remove words or parts from a book, play or film that are considered to be

unsuitable or offensive

Abrogate: to end a law, agreement or custom formally

Abolish: to end a law, agreement or custom formally

Repeal: if a government repeals a law, it causes that law no longer to have any legal

force.

Rescind: to make a law, agreement, order or decision no longer have any (legal) power

Abscess: a painful swollen area on or in the body, which contains pus (= thick, yellow liquid)

Abscission: removal by cutting off; separation

Abscond: to go away suddenly and secretly in order to escape from somewhere

Decamp: to leave suddenly and unexpectedly, usually without telling anyone

Absolve: (especially in religion or law) to free someone from guilt, blame or responsibility for

something

Impunity: freedom from punishment or from the unpleasant results of something that has

been done

Remission: a reduction of the time that a person has to stay in prison; forgiveness for

breaking religious laws or rules; a period of time when an illness is less severe

Reprieve: an official order that stops or delays the punishment, especially by death, of a

prisoner; an escape from a bad situation or experience

Abstain: to not do something, especially something enjoyable that you think might be bad

Abstemious: not doing things which give you pleasure, especially not eating good food or

drinking alcohol

Abstinence: not doing something, such as drinking alcohol or having sex

Desist: to stop doing something, especially something that someone else does not want

you to do

Refrain: to avoid doing or stop yourself from doing something

Abstruse: difficult to understand

Ambiguity: (an example of) when something has more than one possible meaning and

may therefore cause confusion

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Convolution: a twist; something that makes an explanation, story, etc. complicated and

difficult to understand

Cryptic: mysterious and difficult to understand

Equivocal: not clear and seeming to have two opposing meanings, or confusing and able

to be understood in two different ways

Esoteric: very unusual; understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially

those with special knowledge

Fathomless: impossible to understand

Impalpable: difficult to feel or understand

Impenetrable: impossible to see through or go through; impossible to understand

Obscure: not known to many people; not clear and difficult to understand or see

Oracular: mysterious and difficult to understand, but probably wise

Prolix: using too many words and therefore boring or difficult to read or listen to; verbose

Recondite: not known about by many people and difficult to understand; secret

Serpentine: curving and twisting like a snake; complicated and difficult to understand

Abusive: using rude and offensive words

Affront: a remark or action intended to insult or offend someone

Brickbat: a spoken attack; an insult

Abut: border upon; join

Affix: to fix one thing to another

Aggregate: to combine into a single group or total

Conflate: to combine two or more separate things, especially pieces of text, to form a

whole

Splice: to join two pieces of rope, film, etc. together at their ends in order to form one

long piece

Absurd: stupid or unreasonable; silly in a humorous way

Asinine: extremely stupid

Bovine: slow or stupid in a way that a cow is thought to be

Abundant: more than enough

Ample: more than enough

Bountiful: large in amount; generous in giving to others

Copious: in large amounts; more than enough

Galore: in great amounts or numbers

Lavish: more than enough, especially if expensive; very generous; wasteful

Profuse: produced or given in large amounts

Prolific: producing a great number or amount of something

Abysmal: bottomless; very bad

Abyss: enormous chasm; vast; bottomless pit

Accede: agree

Acquiesce: to accept or agree to something, often unwillingly

Capitulate: to accept something or agree to do something unwillingly; surrenders

Acclaim: public approval and praise

Accolade: praise and approval; award of merit

Adulation: very great admiration or praise for someone, especially when it is more than is

deserved

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Eulogize: to praise someone or something in a speech or piece of writing

Panegyric: a speech or piece of writing that praises someone very much and does not

mention anything bad about them

Plaudit: praise

Rave: to praise something very much; to speak in an uncontrolled way, usually because

you are upset or angry, or because you are ill

Rhapsody: a piece of music which has no formal structure and which expresses powerful

feelings; a speech or piece of writing that contains powerful feelings and enthusiasm

Vaunted: praised often in a way that is considered to be more than acceptable or

reasonable

Acclimate: adjust to climate or environment; adapt

Acclivity: sharp upside of a hill

Accommodate: to provide with a place to live or to be stored in

Billet: a place for especially soldiers to stay in for a short time

Accomplice: a person who helps someone else to commit a crime or to do something morally

wrong

Accord: agreement; to treat someone specially, usually by showing respect

Assent: agree; accept

Compact: a formal agreement between two or more people

Concur: to agree with someone or have the same opinion as someone else

Consensus: a generally accepted opinion or decision among a group of people

Consent: permission or agreement

Countenance: to find acceptable; to approve of or give support to; face

Embrace: to accept something enthusiastically; to hold someone tightly with both arms to

express love, liking or sympathy, or when greeting or leaving someone; to include

something, often as one of a number of things

Ratify: (especially of governments or organizations) to make an agreement official

Accost: to go up to or stop and speak to someone in a threatening way

Accoutre: equip

Accursed: very annoying; doomed to evil, misery or misfortune

Aggravating: annoying

Damnable: very annoying

Exasperating: extremely annoying

Irksome: annoying

Accretion: growth; increase

Accrue: to increase in number or amount over a period of time

Proliferate: to increase a lot and suddenly in number

Acerbic: describes something that is spoken or written in a way that is direct, clever and cruel;

bitter or sour in nature

Acetic: vinegary

Acidulous: slightly sour

Acknowledge: to accept, admit or recognize something, or the truth or existence of something

Avow: to state or admit something

Concede: to admit, often unwillingly, that something is true

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Acme: peak; highest point

Apex: the highest point or most successful part of something

Apogee: the most successful, popular or powerful point

Heyday: the most successful or popular period of someone or something

Pinnacle: the most successful or admired part of a system or achievement

Zenith: the best or most successful point or time

Acquittal: the decision of a court that someone is not guilty

Exculpate: to remove blame from someone

Exonerate: to show or state that someone or something is not guilty of something

Acrid: describes a smell or taste that is strong and bitter and causes a burning feeling in the

throat

Aromatic: having a pleasant smell

Fetid: smelling extremely bad and stale

Malodorous: having an unpleasant smell

Pungent: describes a very strong smell or taste, sometimes one that is unpleasantly

strong; describes speech or writing that is very strongly felt

Putrid: decayed and having an unpleasant smell; very unpleasant or ugly

Redolent: smelling strongly of something or having qualities (especially smells) that

make you think of something else

Acrimonious: full of anger, arguments and bad feeling

Disgruntled: unhappy, annoyed and disappointed about something

Actuarial: calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics

Actuate: motivate

Acuity: the ability to hear, see or think accurately and clearly

Acumen: skill in making correct decisions and judgments in a particular subject, such as

business or politics

Acute: (of the senses, intelligence, etc.) very good, accurate and able to notice very small

differences

Adage: a wise saying; proverb

Aphorism: a short clever saying which is intended to express a general truth

Apothegm: pithy; compact saying

Dictum: a short statement, especially one expressing advice or a general truth

Adamant: impossible to persuade, or unwilling to change an opinion or decision

Intransigent: refusing to be persuaded, especially refusing to change opinions that are

strongly believed in

Resolute: determined in character, action or ideas

Tenacious: holding tightly onto something, or keeping an opinion in a determined way

Unrelenting: extremely determined; never becoming weaker or admitting defeat

Adapt: alter; modify

Addendum: something that has been added to a book, speech or document

Addiction: habitual need

Compulsive: doing something a lot and unable to stop doing it

Addle: to make someone feel confused and unable to think clearly

Bewilder: to confuse someone

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Confound: to confuse and very much surprise someone, so that they are unable to explain

or deal with a situation

Disorientate: to make someone confused about where they are and where they are going

Flummox: to confuse someone so much that they do not know what to do

Perplex: to confuse and worry someone slightly by being difficult to understand or solve

Address: direct speech to; deal or discuss

Adept: expert at

Adroit: very skilful and quick in the way you think or move

Artisan: a person who does skilled work with his or her hands

Dexterous: skillful

Deft: skilful, clever or quick

Intimate: expert, detailed and obtained from a lot of studying or experience; having, or

being likely to cause, a very close friendship or personal or sexual relationship

Virtuoso: a person who is extremely skilled at something, especially at playing an

instrument or performing

Adhere: stick fast

Adherent: sticky; a person who strongly supports a particular person, principle or set

ideas

Glutinous: sticky

Adieu: good-by

Adjacent: very near, next to, or touching

Contiguous: next to or touching another, usually similar, thing

Adjunct: something added or connected to a larger or more important thing

Adjuration: solemn urging

Admonish: to tell someone that they have done something wrong; warn

Berate: to criticize or speak in an angry manner to someone

Castigate: to criticize someone or something severely

Chasten: to make someone understand that they have failed or done something wrong and

make them want to improve

Ado: without wasting more time

Adorn: decorate

Bedeck: to decorate or cover

Embellish: to make something more beautiful or interesting by adding something to it

Adulation: very great admiration or praise for someone, especially when it is more than is

deserved

Eulogize: to praise someone or something in a speech or piece of writing

Extol: to praise something or someone very much

Felicitations: an expression used to wish someone happiness, or to praise or show

approval

Laudatory: expressing praise

Adulterate: to make food or drink weaker or to lower its quality, by adding something else

Alloy: to spoil or reduce in value

Blemish: a mark on something that spoils its appearance; to spoil something

Blight: a disease that damages and kills plants; to spoil something

Deface: to damage and spoil the appearance of something by writing or drawing on it

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Desecrate: to damage or show no respect towards something holy or very much respected

Detriment: harm or damage

Taint: to spoil something, especially food or blood, by adding a harmful substance, or to

spoil people's opinion of someone

Adumbrate: to give only the main facts and not the details about something, especially

something that will happen in the future

Advent: the arrival of an event, invention or person

Adventitious: not expected or planned

Abrupt: describes something that is sudden and unexpected, and often unpleasant

Extemporaneous: done or said without any preparation or thought

Adversary: an enemy

Antagonist: a person who is strongly opposed to something or someone

Adverse: having a negative or harmful effect on something

Adversity: a difficult or unlucky situation or event; poverty

Advert: an advertisement

Advocacy: support; active pleading on behalf of someone or something

Buttress: to make support for an idea or argument stronger by providing a good reason for

it; a structure made of stone or brick, which sticks out from and supports a wall of a

building

Aegis: with the protection or support of someone or something, especially an organization

Asylum: protection or safety, especially that given by a government to foreigners who

have been forced to leave their own countries for political reasons

Bulwark: something that protects you from dangerous or unpleasant situations

Aesthetic: relating to the enjoyment or study of beauty; describes an object or a work of art that

shows great beauty

Alluring: attractive or exciting

Affable: friendly and easy to talk to

Amiable: describes a person or their behavior that is pleasant and friendly

Amicable: relating to behavior between people that is pleasant and friendly often despite

a difficult situation

Amity: friendship; a good relationship

Convivial: friendly and making you feel happy and welcome

Gregarious: (of people) liking to be with other people, or (especially of animals) living in

groups

Jovial: (of a person) friendly and in a good mood, or (of a situation) enjoyable because of

being friendly and pleasant

Pally: friendly

Affected: artificial and not sincere; to have an influence on someone or something, or to cause

them to change

Factitious: false or artificial

Affiliation: a connection with a political party or religion, or with a larger organization

Affinity: a liking or sympathy for someone or something, especially because of shared

characteristics

Affliction: something that makes you suffer

Affluence: abundance; wealth

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Afoot: in progress

Agape: with the mouth open, especially showing surprise or shock

Aghast: suddenly filled with strong feelings of shock and worry

Agglomeration: a large group of many different things collected or brought together

Conglomeration: a large group or mass of different things all collected together in an

untidy or unusual way

Aggrandize: increase in power or importance; increase or intensify

Aggressor: a person or country that starts an argument, fight or war by attacking first

Besiege: to surround a place, especially with an army, to prevent people or supplies

getting in or out

Agility: able to move your body quickly and easily

Agitate: to make someone feel anxious or angry; to shake a liquid; to argue forcefully, especially in public, in order to achieve a particular type of change

Agnostic: someone who does not know, or believes that it is impossible to know, whether a god

exists

Apostate: a person who has given up their religion or left a political party Atheist: someone who believes that God or gods do not exist

Agog: excited; eager to know or see more

Avid: extremely eager or interested

Delirious: extremely happy or excited; unable to think or speak clearly because of fever

or mental confusion

Exhilarate: very excited and happy; to give someone strong feelings of happiness and

excitement

Agrarian: related to the land, especially farms, and its ownership

Arable: describes farming and farm land that is used for, or is suitable for, growing crops

Ailment: an illness

Alacrity: speed and eagerness

Alcove: nook; recess

Niche: a hollow in a wall, especially one made to put a statue in so that it can be seen

Alderman: in the US, Australia and Canada, an elected member of a city government

Alias: used when giving the name that a person is generally known by, after giving their real

name

Appellation: a name or title

Epithet: an adjective added to a person's name or a phrase used instead of it, usually to

criticize or praise them

Misnomer: a name that does not suit what it refers to, or the use of such a name

Alienate: to cause someone or a group of people to stop supporting and agreeing with you; to

make someone feel that they are different and do not belong to a group

Alimony: a regular amount of money that a court of law orders a person, usually a man, to pay

to their partner after a divorce

Allay: calm; pacify

Allege: sate without proof

Alleviate: to make something bad such as pain or problems less severe

Ameliorate: to make a bad or unpleasant situation better

Assuage: to make unpleasant feelings less strong

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Mollify: to make someone less angry or upset

Redeem: to make something or someone seem less bad

Alliteration: the use, especially in poetry, of the same sound or sounds, especially consonants, at

the beginning of several words that are close together

Diphthong: a vowel sound in which the tongue changes position to produce the sound of

two vowels

Allude: refer indirectly

Alluvial: earth and sand that has been left by rivers, floods, etc.

Aloof: describes an unfriendly person who refuses to take part in things; apart; reserved

Aloft: upward

Altar: a type of table used in ceremonies in a Christian church or in other religious buildings

Altercation: a loud argument or disagreement

Cleavage: division or disagreement

Altruistic: showing a wish to help or bring advantages to other people, even if it results in

disadvantage for yourself

Munificent: very generous with money

Philanthropist: a person who helps the poor, especially by giving them money

Amalgamate: to join or unite to form a larger organization or group, or to make separate

organizations do this

Coalesce: If two or more things coalesce, they come or grow together to form one thing

or system

Concatenation: a series of events, ideas or things that are connected

Amass: collect

Collate: to bring together different pieces of written information so that the similarities

and differences can be seen; to collect and arrange the sheets of a report, book, etc., in

the correct order

Garner: to collect something, usually after much work or with difficulty

Amatory: relating to sexual love

Bawdy: containing humorous remarks about sex

Carnal: relating to the physical feelings and wants of the body; sexual

Earthy: like or relating to earth; referring to sex and the human body in a direct way

Indecent: morally offensive, especially in a sexual way

Lascivious: expressing a strong desire for sexual activity

Lewd: (of behavior, speech, dress, etc.) sexual in an obvious and rude way

Libidinous: having or showing strong sexual desires

Licentious: (especially of a person or their behavior) sexual in an uncontrolled and

socially unacceptable way

Lurid: (especially of a description) shocking because involving violence, sex or immoral

activity; too brightly colored

Prurient: too interested in the details of another person's sexual behavior

Titillate: to make someone excited intentionally but only a little, usually with sexual

images or descriptions

Wanton: (of a woman) behaving or appearing in a very sexual way; extreme and showing

no care at all

Ambidextrous: able to use both hands equally well

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Ambience: (especially of environmental conditions) existing in the surrounding area

Ambivalence: having two opposing feelings at the same time, or being uncertain about

Dubious: thought not to be completely true or not able to be trusted

Irresolute: not able or willing to take decisions or actions

Quandary: a state of not being able to decide what to do about a situation in which you

are involved

Straddle: to be unable to decide which of two opinions about a subject is better and so

partly support both opinions; to combine different styles or subjects

Vacillate: to be uncertain what to do, or to change often between two opinions

Amble: to walk in a slow and relaxed way

Meander: to walk slowly without any clear direction; a curve of a river or stream; if a

text, process or activity meanders, it has no clear direction

Mincing: describes a way of speaking that is too delicate and not direct enough; to cut

meat, or other food, into very small pieces, sometimes using a special machine

Promenade: a path for walking on, especially one built next to the sea

Saunter: to walk in a slow and relaxed way, often in no particular direction

Stroll: to walk in a slow relaxed manner, especially for pleasure

Ambulatory: able to walk; not bedridden

Amenable: willing to accept or be influenced by a suggestion

Amend: to change the words of a text, especially a law or a legal document

Amenities: convenient features; courtesies

Amiss: wrong; not suitable or not as expected

Delusive: false

Erroneous: wrong or false

Fallacious: not correct

Flawed: not perfect, or containing mistakes

Iniquitous: very wrong and unfair

Spurious: false and not what it appears to be, or (of reasons and judgments) based on

something that has not been correctly understood and therefore

Amnesty: a decision by a government that allows political prisoners to be free

Clemency: kindness when giving a punishment; (of weather) the quality of being pleasant

Amoral: without moral principles

Degenerate: someone with low standards of behavior; to become worse in quality

Demonic: wild and evil

Devilish: evil or morally bad

Diabolical: evil, or caused by the Devil

Nefarious: (especially of activities) evil or immoral

Sordid: immoral and shocking

Squalid: not moral; involving sex and drugs, etc. in an unpleasant way; (of places)

extremely dirty and unpleasant, often because of lack of money

Turpitude: evil

Vile: unpleasant, immoral and unacceptable

Amorous: of or expressing sexual desire

Amorphous: having no fixed form or shape

Amphitheatre: oval building with tiers of seats

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Amplify: to increase the size or effect of something

Escalate: to make or become greater or more serious

Amputate: to cut off a part of the body

Circumcise: to cut the protecting loose skin off a boy's penis, or to cut away a girl's

clitoris and the skin around it, for medical, traditional or religious reasons

Eviscerate: to remove one or all of the organs from the inside of a body

Excise: to remove, especially by cutting; a tax made by a government on some types of

goods produced and used within their own country

Amok: to be out of control and act in a wild or dangerous manner

Frenzied: uncontrolled and excited, sometimes violent

Rampant: getting worse quickly and in an uncontrolled way

Riotous: very loud and uncontrolled, full of energy

Amulet: an object worn because it is believed to protect against evil, disease or unhappiness

Talisman: an object believed to bring good luck or to keep its owner safe from harm

Anachronism: a person, thing or idea which exists out of its time in history, especially one

happened or existed later than the period being shown, discussed, etc.

Analgesic: a type of drug which stops you from feeling pain

Anesthetic: a substance that makes you unable to feel pain

Astringent: a drug or cream that causes the skin or other tissue to tighten so that the flow

of blood or other liquids stops; describes remarks which are clever but unkind or criticize

someone

Emollient: a cream or liquid which makes dry or sore skin softer or less painful

Narcotic: a drug which makes you want to sleep and prevents you feeling pain

Analogous: comparable

Anarchy: a situation in which there is no organization and control; no governing body

Anathema: something which is strongly disliked or disapproved of

Aversion: (a person or thing which causes) a feeling of strong dislike or of not wishing to

do something

Ancestry: ancestors who lived a long time ago, or the origin of your family

Descendant: a person who is related to someone and who lives after them, such as their

child or grandchild

Anchor: to make something or someone stay in one position by fastening them firmly

Ancillary: providing support or help; additional; extra

Anecdote: a short often funny story, especially about something someone has done

Anemia: a medical condition in which there are not enough red blood cells in the blood

Anguish: extreme unhappiness caused by physical or mental suffering

Ardent: showing strong feelings

Animadversion: critical remark

Animus: hostile feeling

Annals: historical records of the activities of a country or organization

Archives: a collection of historical records relating to a place, organization or family

Chronicle: a written record of historical events

Docket: a list of cases to be dealt with in a law court, or an agenda in business

Annex: to take possession of an area of land or a country, usually by force; attach

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Annihilate: to destroy completely so that nothing is left; to defeat completely

Apocalypse: a very serious event resulting in great destruction and change

Depredation: (an act causing) damage or destruction

Devour: to destroy something completely

Disfigure: to spoil the appearance of something or someone, especially their face,

completely

Extirpate: to remove or destroy something completely

Obliterate: to remove all signs of something, either by destroying it or by covering it so

that it cannot be seen; to make an idea or feeling disappear completely

Vitiate: to destroy or damage something

Annotate: to add a short explanation or opinion to a text or drawing

Annuity: yearly allowance

Covenant: a formal agreement to pay a fixed sum of money regularly, especially to a

charity; a formal agreement between two or more people

Annul: to officially announce that something (a law, agreement, marriage) no longer exists

Anodyne: drug that relieves pain

Anoint: to make someone holy in a religious ceremony by putting holy water or oil on them

Anomalous: abnormal; irregular

Anonymity: when someone's name is not given or known

Antecede: precede

Antediluvian: extremely old-fashioned

Antiquated: old-fashioned or unsuitable for modern society

Archaic: from an ancient period in history

Anthem: song of praise or patriotism

Dirge: a slow sad song or piece of music, sometimes played because someone has died

Elegy: a sad poem or song, especially remembering someone who has died or something

in the past

Madrigal: a song performed without musical instruments in which several singers sing

different notes at the same time

Anthology: a collection of artistic works which have a similar form or subject, often those

considered to be the best

Antic: extravagantly odd

Anticlimax: letdown in thought or emotion

Chagrin: disappointment or anger, especially when caused by a failure or mistake

Antithesis: the exact opposite

Dichotomy: a difference between two completely opposite ideas or things

Apathy: when someone shows no interest or energy and is unwilling to take action, especially

over something important

Indifference: lack of interest in someone or something

Ape: imitate or mimic

Aperture: a small and often narrow opening

Aphasia: a medical condition in which a person is not able to speak or write or understand

speech or writing because of damage to the brain

Apiary: a place where people keep bees, especially a collection of hives

Aviary: a large cage or closed space in which birds are kept as pets

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Aplomb: confidence and style

Apocryphal: describes a story that is probably not true although often told and believed by some

people to have happened

Apolitical: not interested in or connected with politics

Apologist: a person who supports a particular belief or political system, especially an unpopular

one, and speaks or writes in defense of it

Exponent: a person who supports an idea or belief or performs an activity

Proponent: a person who speaks publicly in support of a particular idea or plan of action

Apothecary: a person who in the past made and sold medicines

Apotheosis: the best or most extreme example of something; the act of making someone into a

God

Appall: to make someone have strong feelings of shock or of disapproval

Dismay: a feeling of unhappiness and disappointment

Jolt: to shock someone in order to change their behavior or way of thinking; to (cause

something or someone to) move suddenly and violently

Ruffle: to annoy or upset someone, or to make them very nervous; to touch or move

something smooth so that it is not even

Apparition: the spirit of a dead person appearing in a form which can be seen

Appease: pacify or soothe; relieve

Append: to add something to the end of a piece of writing

Augment: to increase the size or value of something by adding something to it

Apposite: suitable and right for the occasion

Apropos: suitable in a particular situation or at a particular time; used to introduce

something which is related to or connected with something that has just been said

Felicitous: suitable or right and expressing well the intended thought or feeling

Felicity: when words or remarks are suitable and express what was intended; happiness,

luck, or a condition which produces positive results

Appraise: to examine someone or something in order to judge their qualities, success or needs

Apprehend: to catch and arrest someone who has not obeyed the law; to understand something

Apprehensive: feeling worried about something that you are going to do

Distracted: nervous, worried or confused because you are worried about something

Fraught: causing or having extreme worry or anxiety; full of unpleasant things such as

problems or dangers

Frayed: describes someone's mood when they are feeling worried, upset or annoyed

Fret: to be nervous or worried

Grim: worrying, without hope

Perturb: to worry someone

Apprise: to tell someone about something

Disseminate: to spread or give out something, especially news, information, ideas, etc., to

a lot of people

Enunciate: to state and explain a plan or principle clearly or formally; to pronounce

words or parts of words clearly

Promulgate: to announce something publicly, especially a new law; to spread beliefs or

ideas among a lot of people

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Approbation: approval or agreement, often given by an official group; praise

Countenance: approval; the appearance or expression of someone's face

Appurtenances: a possession or piece of property that is considered to be a typical feature of a

particular way of living

Aptitude: a natural ability or skill

Aquiline: of or like an eagle (= large bird); curved; hooked

Arabesque: a type of decoration based on flowers, leaves and branches which are often twisted

together, found especially in Islamic art

Dappled: covered with spots of color that are lighter or darker than the main color, or

covered with areas of light and darkness

Filigree: delicate jewellery made from twisted, especially silver, wire; decorative open

patterns

Motif: a pattern or design; an idea that is used many times in a piece of writing or music

Striated: having long thin lines, marks or strips of color

Tessellate: (of shapes) to fit together in a pattern with no spaces in between

Variegated: having a pattern of different colors or marks

Arbiter: someone who makes a judgment

Arbitrary: based on chance rather than being planned or based on reason; using unlimited

personal power without considering other people's wishes

Arboretum: place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied & exhibited

Arcade: a covered area or passage

Vestibule: a small closed area on the front of a house; a porch

Arcane: mysterious and known only by a few people

Archetype: a typical example of something

Paradigm: a model of something, or a very clear and typical example of something

Exemplar: a typical or good example of something

Quintessence: the most typical example

Archipelago: a group of small islands or an area of sea in which there are many small islands

Ardor: great enthusiasm or love

Arduous: difficult, needing a lot of effort and energy

Grueling: extremely tiring and difficult, and demanding great effort and determination

Intractable: very difficult and seeming to be impossible to control, manage or solve

Obstinate: describes a problem, situation or thing that is difficult to deal with, remove or

defeat; unreasonably determined, especially to act in a particular way and not to change

at all, despite what anyone else says

Onerous: difficult to do or needing a lot of effort

Argot: slang

Cant: special words used by a particular group of people such as thieves, lawyers or

priests, often in order to keep things secret

Jargon: special words and phrases which are used by particular groups of people,

especially in their work

Aria: a song sung by one person in an opera

Ballad: a song or poem that tells a story

Armada: a large group of war ships

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Arraign: charge in court

Indict: charge

Array: to arrange a group of things in a particular way; adorn

Arrears: money that is owed and should already have been paid

Arrest: to stop or interrupt the development of something

Adjourn: to have a pause or rest during a formal meeting or trial

Curtail: to stop something before it is finished, or to reduce or limit something

Arrhythmic: lacking rhythm or regularity

Arrogance: pride; haughtiness

Arroyo: gully

Arsenal: a building where weapons and military equipment are stored

Artful: clever and skilful, especially in getting what you want

Crafty: clever, especially in a dishonest or secret way

Devious: describes people or plans and methods that are dishonest, often in a complicated

way, but often also clever and successful

Disingenuous: (of a person) slightly dishonest; not speaking the complete truth

Machiavellian: using clever but often dishonest methods which deceive people so that

you can win power or control

Articulate: able to express thoughts and feelings easily and clearly

Eloquent: giving a clear, strong message

Artifact: an object that is made by a person

Artifice: a clever trick or something intended to deceive

Canard: a false report or piece of information which is intended to deceive people

Charade: an act or event which is clearly false

Concoct: to invent an excuse, explanation or story in order to deceive someone

Delude: to make someone believe something that is not true; to deceive

Fabricate: to invent or produce something false in order to deceive

Artless: simple and honest; not wanting to deceive

Candid: honest and telling the truth, especially about something difficult or painful

Candor: the quality of being honest and telling the truth

Rectitude: honesty and correct moral behavior

Scrupulous: extremely honest; doing everything correctly & exactly as it should be done

Ascendancy: a position of power, strength or success

Hegemony: (especially of countries) the position of being the strongest and most

powerful and therefore able to control others

Ascertain: to discover; to make certain

Ascetic: avoiding physical pleasures and living a simple life, often for religious reasons

Ascribe: refer; attribute; assign

Aseptic: medically clean or without infection

Immaculate: perfectly clean or tidy

Salubrious: describes a place that is pleasant, clean, and healthy to live in

Askance: to look at or think about someone or something with doubt, disapproval or no trust

Askew: not straight or level

Asperity: the quality of being severe in the way that you speak and behave

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Aspersion: slanderous remark

Assail: to attack someone violently or criticize someone strongly

Censure: strong criticism or disapproval

Condemn: to criticize something or someone strongly, usually for moral reasons

Denounce: to criticize something or someone strongly and publicly

Disparage: to criticize someone or something in a way that shows you do not respect or

value them

Excoriate: to state the opinion that a play, a book, a political action, etc. is very bad

Fulminate: to criticize strongly

Iconoclast: a person who strongly opposes generally accepted beliefs and traditions

Malign: to say false and unpleasant things about someone or to unfairly criticize them

Maul: to criticize something or someone severely

Nag: to criticize or complain often in an annoying way

Niggle: to criticize someone about small details or give too much attention to details

Opprobrium: severe criticism and blame

Pillory: to severely criticize someone, especially in a public way

Stricture: a statement of severe criticism or disapproval

Traduce: to strongly criticize someone, especially in a way that harms their reputation

Vitriol: violent hate and anger expressed through severe criticism

Assay: to perform an examination on a chemical in order to test how pure it is

Assert: to behave in a way which expresses your confidence

Aver: to state the truth of something strongly

Emphatic: done or said in a strong way and without any doubt

Assessment: estimation; appraisal

Assiduous: showing hard work, care and attention to detail

Conscientious: putting a lot of effort into your work

Exertion: when you make a lot of mental or physical effort

Painstaking: extremely careful and correct, and using a lot of effort

Perseverance: continued effort and determination

Strenuous: needing or using a lot of physical or mental effort or energy

Assimilate: to take in, fit into, or become similar (to)

Subsume: to include something or someone as part of a larger group

Assurance: promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence

Vow: to make a determined decision or promise to do something

Astigmatism: a fault in the lens of the eye which reduces the quality of sight

Cataract: a disease in which an area of the eye becomes cloudy so that a person cannot

see correctly

Astral: relating to the stars or outer space; relating to forces which are not known or understood;

supernatural

Celestial: of or from the sky or outside this world

Astronomical: describes an amount which is extremely large

Behemoth: something that is extremely large and often extremely powerful

Colossal: extremely large

Enormity: very great size or importance; an extremely evil act

Gargantuan: very large

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Ginormous: extremely large

Humungous: extremely large

Immense: extremely large in size or degree; extremely good

Mammoth: extremely large

Prodigious: extremely great in ability, amount or strength

Thumping: very big or important

Astute: clever and quick to see how to take advantage of a situation

Donnish: intelligent, often in a way that is too serious

Ingenious: very clever and skilful

Asunder: into forcefully separated pieces; apart

Dismantle: to take a machine apart or to come apart into separate pieces

Shatter: break suddenly into very small pieces; to end or severely damage something

Atavism: resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; throwback

Atone: to do something that shows that you are sorry for something bad that you did

Expiate: to show that you are sorry for bad behavior by doing something or accepting

punishment

Penance: an act which shows that you feel sorry about something that you have done,

sometimes for religious reasons

Penitent: showing that you are sorry for something you have done because you feel it was

wrong

Repentant: feeling sorry for something that you have done

Atrocity: when someone does something extremely violent and shocking

Bellicose: wishing to fight or start a war

Belligerent: wishing to fight or argue

Fierce: physically violent and frightening

Loutishness: rude, offensive behavior

Marauding: going from one place to another killing or using violence, stealing and

destroying

Outrage: a feeling of anger and shock

Pugnacious: wanting to start an argument or fight, or expressing an argument or opinion

very forcefully

Rampage: violent and usually wild behavior

Savage: extremely violent, wild or frightening

Atrophy: to be reduced in size and therefore strength, or, more generally, to become weaker

Attentive: alert & watchful; considerate

Circumspect: careful not to take risks

Diligent: careful and using a lot of effort

Meticulous: very careful and with great attention to every detail

Prudent: avoiding risks and uncertainties; careful

Punctilious: very careful to behave correctly or to give attention to details

Rigorous: careful to look at or consider every part of something to make certain it is

correct or safe; severe or strict

Vigilance: more careful attention, especially in order to notice possible danger

Attest: to show something or to say or prove that something is true

Attribute: a quality or characteristic that someone or something has

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Atypical: not typical; different from all the others of its type

Chasm: a very large difference between two opinions or groups of people; a very deep

narrow opening in rock, ice or the ground

Discrepancy: difference between two things that should be the same

Disparate: different in every way

Nuance: a very slight difference in appearance, meaning, sound, etc

Yawning: describes a difference or amount that is extremely large and difficult to reduce

Audacious: showing a willingness to take risks or offend people

Ballsy: brave and determined

Gallant: showing no fear of dangerous or difficult things

Gritty: brave and determined

Indomitable: describes someone strong, brave, determined and difficult to defeat or

frighten

Intrepid: extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations

Manfully: with determination and bravery, despite great problems

Valiant: very brave or bravely determined, especially when things are difficult or the

situation gives no cause for hope

Augury: a sign of what might happen in the future

Bode: to be a sign of something that will happen in the future

Divination: the skill or act of saying or discovering what will happen in the future

Envisage: to imagine or expect something in the future, especially something good

Foreboding: a feeling that something very bad is going to happen soon

Foresee: to know about something before it happens

Foreshadow: to act as a warning or sign of a future event

Intuitive: based on feelings rather than facts or proof

Ominous: suggesting that something unpleasant is likely to happen

Portend: to be a sign that something bad is likely to happen in the future

Presage: to show or suggest that something, often something unpleasant, will happen

Prescient: knowing or suggesting correctly what will happen in the future

Sinister: making you feel that something bad or evil might happen

August: having great importance and especially of the highest social class

Eminent: famous, respected or important

Auspicious: suggesting a positive and successful future

Austere: plain and without decoration; very strict and unfriendly in manner

Chaste: describes decoration or style that is very simple and smooth; only having a sexual

relationship with the person you are married to

Homespun: (of beliefs, theories, etc.) simple and ordinary

Humdrum: having no excitement, interest or new and different events; ordinary

Mundane: very ordinary and therefore not interesting

Authenticate: to prove that something is real

Confute: to prove a person or an argument to be wrong

Corroborate: to add proof to an account, statement, idea, etc. with new information

Dispel: to remove fears, doubts and false ideas, usually by proving them wrong or

unnecessary

Substantiate: to show something to be true, or to support a claim with facts

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Vindicate: to prove that someone is not guilty or is free from blame, after other people

blamed them

Authoritarian: demanding that people totally obey and refusing to allow them freedom to act as

they wish

Autocratic: having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial

Despot: a person, especially a ruler, who has unlimited power over other people, and

often uses it unfairly and cruelly

Tyrant: a ruler who has unlimited power over other people, and uses it unfairly and

cruelly

Autonomous: independent and having the power to make your own decisions

Autopsy: the cutting open & examination of a dead body in order to discover the cause of death

Avail: to help or be useful to someone or something

Succor: help given to someone, especially someone who is suffering or in need

Avalanche: a large amount of ice, snow and rock falling quickly down the side of a mountain;

the sudden arrival of too many things

Flurry: a sudden light fall of snow, blown in different directions by the wind; a sudden,

short period of activity, excitement or interest

Avarice: an extremely strong want to get or keep money or possessions; greed

Mercenary: interested only in the amount of money that you can get from a situation; a

soldier who fights for any country or group that pays them

Rapacious: having or showing a strong wish to take things for yourself, usually using

unfair methods or force

Avenge: take vengeance for something

Reprisal: (an example of) activity against another person, especially as a punishment by

military forces or a political group

Retaliate: to hurt someone or do something harmful to them because they have done or

said something harmful to you

Vindictive: having or showing a wish to harm someone because you think that they have

harmed you; unwilling to forgive

Averse: strongly disliking or opposed to

Abominate: to hate something very much

Despise: to feel a strong dislike for someone or something because you think they are bad

Detest: to hate someone or something very much

Disdain: view with scorn or contempt

Loathe: to hate someone or something

Avert: to turn away your eyes or thoughts; to prevent something bad from happening

Avocation: secondary or minor occupation

Avuncular: friendly, kind or helpful, like the expected behavior of an uncle

Awe: a feeling of great respect sometimes mixed with fear or surprise

Deference: respect and politeness

Deify: to consider someone or something to be more important than anything else; to

make someone or something into a god

Esteem : respect for or a good opinion of someone

Homage: deep respect and often praise shown for a person or god

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Reverent: showing great respect and admiration

Venerate: to honor or very much respect a person or thing

Awl: pointed tool used for piercing

Awry: not in the intended way; in the wrong position

Axiom: a statement or principle which is generally accepted to be true, but need not be so

Azure: (having) the bright blue color of the sky on a sunny day

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