Word List 03

Group 1

Alacrity
eagerness; enthusiasm; quickness

Burgeon
grow; flourish; put forth new shoots

Deleterious
harmful

Euphemism
a polite phrase to cover something unpleasant

Hypocritical
insincere

Lethargic
tired; without energy

Ogle
stare at; observe in an obvious manner

Postulate
hypothesize; propose

Robust
strong; healthy; tough

Tractable
obedient; dutiful; polite

Group 2

Alchemy
medieval chemistry; attempt to change base metal into gold

Burnish
polish

Deliberate
to think over deeply

Euphony
pleasant sounds

Iconoclast
person who opposes orthodoxy

Levity
flippancy; joking about serious matters

Olfactory
concerned with the sense of smell

Potable
suitable for drinking

Rotund
round

Tranquil
peaceful

Group 3

Alibi
an excuse that shows someone was not at a crime scene

Buttress
strengthen; support

Delineation
demarcation; explanation; definition; outlining

Evacuate
vacate; empty; abandon

Idiosyncrasy
a personal peculiarity; something unique to an individual

Libertarian
someone who opposes tyranny

Ominous
threatening

Potent
powerful; compelling; strong

Ruminate
think over something; ponder

Transcribe
copy

Group 4

Allay
to lessen

Byline
the line that tells you who wrote an article

Demur
hesitate; refuse

Exacerbate
make worse

Ignominious
shameful

Liniment
soothing lotion

Omnipotent
all-powerful

Pragmatic
practical

Ruse
trick; stratagem

Transgress
go astray; disobey; commit a sin

Group 5

Alleviate
make less severe

Cacophony
discordant loud noises

Denounce
condemn; speak out against

Exasperated
frustrated; annoyed

Ignominy
shame [ignominious (a) = shameful]

Lithe
flexible; supple

Omniscient
all-knowing

Pragmatist
practical person; one who is concerned with usefulness

Saccharin
falsely sweet

Transient
short-lived; ephemeral

Group 6

Aloof
distant; detached; cold

Cajole
coax

Deplete
use up; lessen

Exceptionable
very bad (something which we should object to)

Illuminate
to light up or make clear

Livid
very angry

Onerous
burdensome; hard to undertake

Preamble
introductory material

Sacrosanct
very holy; inviolable

Traverse
to move across

Group 7

Altruism
putting others first; being self-sacrificing

Caldron
huge cooking pot

Deplore
regret

Exculpate
free someone from blame; pardon; acquit

Illusory
deceptive; false; misleading

Lobbyist
person who tries to persuade someone to support a particular cause

Onus
burden

Precarious
unstable; risky

Sagacious
wise

Trepidation
fear

Group 8

Amass
accumulate

Callow
immature

Depravity
moral corruption

Execrable
very, very bad

Immoderate
excessive; extreme

Lofty
snooty; arrogant; haughty

Opaque
does not let light through

Precedent
a previous occurrence used as a guide

Sage
a wise person

Trinket
something of little value; knick-knack

Group 9

Ambiguity
uncertainty; vagueness

Candid
frank; honest

Deprecate
criticize; denounce

Exegesis
scholarly explanation or interpretation

Immutable
unchanging; permanent

Longevity
long life

Opulent
wealthy; rich; magnificent

Precept
guiding principle

Salacious
lecherous; erotic

Trite
unoriginal; dull

Group 10

Ambiguous
unclear in meaning; can be interpreted in different ways

Candor
frankness; openness

Deride
ridicule; make fun of; mock

Exemplary
outstandingly good; setting a fine example

Impartial
unbiased; neutral

Loquacious
talkative

Ordain
1. destine; 2. confer holy orders on a priest

Precinct
district of a city

Sallow
yellowish

Trivial
unimportant