Word list 02
Group 1
Acrid | sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes) |
Boorish | ill-mannered |
Cynical | believing that people act only out of selfish motives |
Epistle | a letter (form of communication) |
Heresy | against orthodox opinion |
Lance | spear; spike; javelin |
Obscure | difficult to understand; partially hidden |
Poignant | deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions |
Respite | a break; intermission |
Terse | concise; to the point |
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Group 2
Acrophobia | fear of heights |
Bourgeois | middle class |
Debility | weakness; incapacity |
Epistolary | concerned with letters; through correspondence |
Hiatus | interruption; pause |
Languid | tired; slow |
Obscured | hidden; covered; buried |
Poised | calm; collected; self-possessed |
Resplendent | shining; glowing |
Therapeutic | medicinal; curative |
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Group 3
Acuity | sharpness (mental or visual) |
Braggart | someone who boasts |
Debunking | exposing false claims or myths |
Epitomized | typified; characterized; personified |
Hidebound | rigid in opinions |
Languish | decay; fade away; get weaker |
Obsequious | servile; submissive |
Polemical | causing debate or argument |
Restorative | a tonic |
Thwart | prevent; frustrate |
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Group 4
Adamant | forceful; inflexible |
Brawny | muscular |
Decathlon | an athletic competition with ten events |
Equivocate | speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth |
Hieroglyphics | 1. picture writing; 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic |
Larceny | theft; robbery; stealing |
Obsession | a dominating concern |
Ponderous | weighty; slow and heavy |
Retention | preservation; withholding |
Timorous | cowardly; fearful |
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Group 5
Adroit | skilful / skillful |
Brevity | being brief |
Decorum | dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a)] |
Err | make a mistake |
Hinder | obstruct |
Largess | generosity |
Obsolete | no longer valid |
Pontificate | speak pompously or dogmatically |
Reticent | restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative |
Tirade | stream of verbal abuse |
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Group 6
Adulation | strong admiration; worship |
Bristle | to show irritation |
Decoy | lure; trap; trick |
Erratic | wandering; irregular |
Histrionic | theatrical; exaggerated |
Laud | praise |
Obstreperous | noisy and boisterous |
Portend | foretell |
Retraction | withdrawal; cancellation of a statement |
Titter | giggle quietly |
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Group 7
Adversity | hardship |
Broach | start to discuss; approach |
Deference | respect |
Esoteric | obscure and difficult to understand |
Hoary | old |
Lavish | on a grand scale; wasteful |
Obtuse | mentally dull |
Portent | a warning sign; omen |
Revere | worship |
Tome | large book |
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Group 8
Advocate | support |
Brusque | blunt; abrupt |
Defoliate | cause leaves to fall off |
Espouse | promote; take up; support |
Hone | sharpen; increase; whet |
Lax | careless; not strict |
Obviate | avoid; make unnecessary |
Poseur | someone who puts on an act |
Riddled | full of (usually full of holes) |
Torpid | inactive; lazy; stagnant |
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Group 9
Aesthetic | concerning art or beauty |
Bulwark | fortification; barricade; wall |
Defunct | no longer in existence |
Etymology | the study of word origins |
Hyperbole | grossly exaggerated speech |
Legend | 1. key to map; 2. myth or story |
Odious | hateful |
Posterity | future generations |
Rife | common |
Torpor | dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity |
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Group 10
Affable | friendly; social; easygoing |
Bureaucracy | officialdom |
Degradation | deprivation; poverty; debasement |
Eulogy | praise |
Hypochondriac | a person obsessed with health; having imaginary illnesses |
Legion | in large numbers |
Officious | domineering; intrusive; meddlesome |
Posthumous | after death |
Rigor | thoroughness |
Totter | walk unsteadily |
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