Word smart words with definitions

1. abash

   cause to be embarrassed

2. abdicate

   give up power, duties, or obligations

3. aberration

   a state or condition markedly different from the norm

4. abhor

   feel hatred or disgust toward

5. abortive

   failing to accomplish an intended result

6. absolve

   grant remission of a sin to

7. abysmal

   exceptionally bad or displeasing

8. accost

   approach and speak to someone aggressively or insistently

9. acumen

   shrewdness shown by keen insight

10. adamant

    very hard native crystalline carbon valued as a gem

11. adherent

    someone who believes and helps to spread a doctrine

12. adulterate

    make impure by adding a foreign or inferior substance

13. affectation

    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display

14. affinity

    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship

15. ambience

    the atmosphere of an environment

16. amenity

    something that provides value, pleasure, or convenience

17. amorous

    inclined toward or displaying love
18. antecedent

    a preceding occurrence or cause or event

19. antipathy

    a feeling of intense dislike

20. aphorism

    a short pithy instructive saying

21. apocalypse

    a cosmic cataclysm in which God destroys the powers of evil

22. apotheosis

    model of excellence or perfection of a kind
23. aptitude

    inherent ability

24. arbiter

    someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue

25. arcane

    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

26. arduous

    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion

27. artifice

    the use of deception or trickery
28. attrition

    the act of rubbing together
29. avow

    declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

30. avuncular

    being or relating to an uncle

31. awry

    turned or twisted to one side

32. axiom

    a proposition that is not susceptible of proof or disproof
33. bastion

    projecting part of a rampart or other fortification

34. beget

    have children

35. belabor

    beat soundly

36. beleaguer

    annoy persistently

37. bemuse

    cause to be confused emotionally

38. benefactor

    a person who helps people or institutions

39. bequest

    a gift of personal property by will

40. beset

    assail or attack on all sides

41. blithe

    carefree and happy and lighthearted

42. bovine

    any of various wild or domestic cattle

43. broach

    bring up a topic for discussion

44. bucolic

    devoted to raising sheep or cattle

45. burgeon

    grow and flourish

46. burlesque

    a theatrical entertainment of broad and earthy humor

47. cadence

    the accent in a metrical foot of verse

48. callow

    young and inexperienced

49. catalyst

    substance that initiates or accelerates a chemical reaction

50. categorical

    relating to or included in a class or classes

51. catharsis

    purging the body to stimulate evacuation of the bowels

52. catholic

    comprehensive or broad-minded in tastes and interests

53. cerebral

    of or relating to the brain

54. chagrin

    strong feelings of embarrassment

55. chasm

    a deep opening in the earth’s surface

56. chicanery

    the use of tricks to deceive someone

57. chimera

    a grotesque product of the imagination

58. choleric

    characterized by anger

59. circuitous

    deviating from a straight course

60. clemency

    leniency and compassion shown toward offenders

61. cogent

    powerfully persuasive

62. commensurate

    corresponding in size or degree or extent

63. compendium

    a publication containing a variety of works

64. complicity

    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense

65. condescend

    behave in a patronizing manner

66. conducive

    tending to bring about; being partly responsible for

67. congenital

    present at birth but not necessarily hereditary

68. conjecture

    believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds

69. connoisseur

    an expert able to appreciate a field

70. construe

    make sense of; assign a meaning to

71. contentious

    showing an inclination to disagree

72. contiguous

    having a common boundary or edge

73. contingent

    determined by conditions or circumstances that follow

74. contrite

    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow

75. corollary

    an inference following from the proof of another proposition

76. cosmopolitan

    composed of people from many parts of the world

77. covenant

    an agreement between a god and the people

78. covet

    wish, long, or crave for

79. criterion

    the ideal in terms of which something can be judged

80. culpable

    deserving blame or censure as being wrong or injurious

81. cursory

    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

82. daunt

    cause to lose courage

83. dearth

    an insufficient quantity or number

84. decadent

    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable

85. decimate

    kill in large numbers

86. decorous

    characterized by propriety and dignity and good taste

87. deduce

    reason from the general to the particular

88. deluge

    a heavy rain

89. denizen

    a plant or animal naturalized in a region

90. desiccate

    lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless

91. destitute

    poor enough to need help from others

92. desultory

    marked by lack of definite plan, purpose, or enthusiasm

93. dexterous

    skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands

94. dialectical

    relating to reasoning by the exchange of logical arguments

95. dictum

    an authoritative declaration

96. diffident

    showing modest reserve

97. dilettante

    an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
98. discreet

    marked by prudence or modesty and wise self-restraint

99. discrete

    constituting a separate entity or part

100. distend

     cause to expand as if by internal pressure

101. docile

     easily handled or managed

102. doctrinaire

     a stubborn person of arbitrary or arrogant opinions
103. eccentric

     conspicuously or grossly unconventional or unusual

104. edify

     make understand

105. efface

     remove by or as if by rubbing or erasing

106. effusion

     an unrestrained expression of emotion

107. egalitarian

     favoring social equality

108. egregious

     conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible
109. elicit

     call forth, as an emotion, feeling, or response

110. eminent

     standing above others in quality or position

111. empirical

     derived from experiment and observation rather than theory

112. endemic

     native to or confined to a certain region

113. enormity

     the quality of extreme wickedness

114. epigram

     a witty saying

115. epitome

     a standard or typical example

116. equitable

     fair to all parties as dictated by reason and conscience
117. equivocal

     open to two or more interpretations

118. exasperate

     make furious

119. exhaustive

     performed comprehensively and completely

120. exhort

     spur on or encourage especially by cheers and shouts

121. exigency

     a pressing or urgent situation

122. existential

     relating to or dealing with the state of being
123. expatriate

     a person who is voluntarily absent from home or country

124. extrapolate

     draw from specific cases for more general cases

125. exult

     feel extreme happiness or elation

126. fabrication

     the act of making a product from raw materials

127. facetious

     cleverly amusing in tone

128. farcical

     broadly or extravagantly humorous

129. fatuous

     devoid of intelligence

130. fecund

     capable of producing offspring or vegetation

131. felicity

     pleasing and appropriate manner or style

132. fetter

     a shackle for the ankles or feet

133. flout

     treat with contemptuous disregard

134. foible

     a minor weakness or peculiarity in someone’s character

135. foment

     try to stir up

136. forbear

     refrain from doing

137. forego

     do without or cease to hold or adhere to

138. founder

     fail utterly; collapse

139. frenetic

     fast and energetic in an uncontrolled or wild way

140. gauche

     lacking social polish

141. gesticulate

     show, express, or direct through movement

142. glut

     supply with an excess of

143. hapless

     unfortunate and deserving pity

144. harbinger

     something indicating the approach of something or someone

145. hegemony

     the dominance or leadership of one social group over others

146. hermetic

     completely sealed or airtight

147. histrionic

     overly dramatic or emotional

148. idyllic

     charmingly simple and serene

149. imminent

     close in time; about to occur

150. impartial

     free from undue bias or preconceived opinions

151. impervious

     not admitting of passage or capable of being affected

152. inane

     devoid of intelligence

153. incandescent

     emitting light as a result of being heated

154. incantation

     a ritual reciting of words believed to have a magical effect

155. ineffable

     defying expression or description

156. infatuated

     marked by foolish or unreasoning fondness

157. innate

     present at birth but not necessarily hereditary

158. insidious

     working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

159. intrinsic

     belonging to a thing by its very nature

160. invective

     abusive language used to express blame or censure

161. inveterate

     habitual

162. irascible

     quickly aroused to anger

163. juxtapose

     place side by side

164. lampoon

     ridicule with satire

165. latent

     potentially existing but not presently evident or realized

166. libel

     a false and malicious publication

167. litigate

     engage in legal proceedings

168. lugubrious

     excessively mournful

169. machination

     a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends

170. malaise

     a feeling of mild sickness or depression

171. malfeasance

     wrongful conduct by a public official

172. malinger

     avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness

173. marshal

     a military officer of highest rank

174. matriculate

     enroll as a student

175. maudlin

     very sentimental or emotional

176. maverick

     someone who exhibits independence in thought and action

177. maxim

     a saying that is widely accepted on its own merits

178. mendacious

     given to lying

179. mendicant

     a pauper who lives by begging

180. microcosm

     a miniature model of something

181. milieu

     the environmental condition

182. misanthropic

     hating mankind in general

183. monolithic

     imposing in size or bulk or solidity

184. moribund

     being on the point of death

185. nebulous

     lacking definite form or limits

186. neologism

     a newly invented word or phrase

187. nepotism

     favoritism shown to relatives or friends by those in power

188. nihilism

     complete denial of established authority and institutions

189. noxious

     injurious to physical or mental health

190. obfuscate

     make obscure or unclear

191. oblique

     slanting or inclined in direction or course or position

192. ostensible

     appearing as such but not necessarily so

193. pacify

     ease the anger, agitation, or strong emotion of

194. panacea

     hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases

195. paradigm

     a standard or typical example

196. parsimonious

     excessively unwilling to spend

197. peccadillo

     a petty misdeed

198. pejorative

     expressing disapproval

199. penitent

     feeling or expressing remorse for misdeeds

200. peremptory

     putting an end to all debate or action

201. perfidy

     an act of deliberate betrayal

202. perquisite

     an incidental benefit for certain types of employment

203. peruse

     examine or consider with attention and in detail

204. philistine

     a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

205. plaintive

     expressing sorrow

206. portent

     a sign of something about to happen

207. postulate

     maintain or assert

208. pragmatic

     concerned with practical matters

209. precept

     a rule of personal conduct

210. preeminent

     greatest in importance, degree, or significance

211. premise

     a statement that is held to be true

212. prepossess

     cause to be preoccupied

213. prerogative

     a right reserved exclusively by a person or group

214. proletariat

     a social class comprising those who do manual labor

215. promulgate

     state or announce

216. proprietary

     protected by trademark or patent or copyright

217. proselytize

     convert or try to convert someone to another religion

218. purportedly

     allegedly but not definitely true

219. putative

     purported

220. quixotic

     not sensible about practical matters

221. rapacious

     living by preying on other animals

222. reciprocal

     concerning each of two or more persons or things

223. recondite

     difficult to understand

224. recrimination

     mutual accusations

225. redolent

     having a strong pleasant odor

226. relinquish

     turn away from; give up

227. remonstrate

     argue in protest or opposition

228. reparation

     something done or paid in expiation of a wrong

229. ruminate

     reflect deeply on a subject

230. rustic

     characteristic of rural life

231. saccharine

     overly sweet

232. sacrilege

     blasphemous behavior

233. salient

     conspicuous, prominent, or important

234. salutary

     tending to promote physical well-being; beneficial to health

235. sanctimonious

     excessively or hypocritically pious

236. sanguine

     confidently optimistic and cheerful

237. scintillate

     emit or reflect light in a flickering manner

238. sentient

     endowed with feeling and unstructured consciousness

239. serendipity

     good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries

240. slander

     words falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another

241. solicitous

     full of anxiety and concern

242. solvent

     capable of meeting financial obligations

243. sordid

     foul and run-down and repulsive

244. specious

     plausible but false

245. spurious

     plausible but false

246. squalor

     sordid dirtiness

247. squander

     spend thoughtlessly; throw away

248. stigmatize

     condemn or openly brand as disgraceful

249. stipulate

     make an express demand or provision in an agreement

250. stoic

     seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive

251. stratum

     one of several parallel layers of material

252. stricture

     a principle that restricts the extent of something

253. stringent

     demanding strict attention to rules and procedures

254. subjugate

     make subservient; force to submit or subdue

255. substantive

     having a firm basis in reality and therefore important

256. synthesis

     the combination of ideas into a complex whole

257. tacit

     implied by or inferred from actions or statements

258. tautological

     characterized by unnecessary repetition

259. temerity

     fearless daring

260. tenable

     based on sound reasoning or evidence

261. tenet

     a basic principle or belief that is accepted as true

262. tenuous

     lacking substance or significance

263. touchstone

     a basis for comparison

264. tout

     advertise in strongly positive terms

265. transgress

     act in disregard of laws, rules, contracts, or promises

266. turpitude

     a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice

267. urbane

     showing a high degree of refinement

268. utilitarian

     having a useful function

269. vehement

     marked by extreme intensity of emotions or convictions

270. verisimilitude

     the appearance of truth; the quality of seeming to be true

271. vestige

     an indication that something has been present

272. vex

     disturb, especially by minor irritations

273. vicarious

     experienced at secondhand

274. vitiate

     make imperfect

275. vitriolic

     harsh, bitter, or malicious in tone

276. wanton

     a lewd or immoral person

277. wistful

     showing pensive sadness

Created on August 4, 2012

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