Word list 11
Group 1
| Abate | reduce in intensity |
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| Abjure | renounce; swear to refrain from something |
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| Blandishment | words used to coax or flatter [blandish (v)] |
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| Boor | ill-mannered person [boorish (a)] |
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| Cardinal | 1. high ranking church official; 2. major, important |
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| Deliberate | 1. slow (a); 2. to think over (v); 3. on purpose (a) |
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| Equivocation | speaking ambiguously [equivocate (v), equivocal (a)] |
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| Feckless | feeble; helpless; lacking in initiative |
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| Imperturbability | quality of being calm and not easily disturbed [imperturbable (a)] |
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| Meretricious | falsely attractive; tawdry |
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Group 2
| Augury | prediction, looking for omens [augur (v)] |
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| Boycott | refuse to have dealings with |
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| Glib | slick; superficial esp. in speech |
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| Incise | cut into [incision (n); incisive (a)] |
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| Moralistic | concerned with morals [moralize (v)] |
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| Ostracism | shunning; social isolation [ostracize (v)] |
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| Penchant | inclination; leaning; tendency; predilection |
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| Rarefy | make less dense [rarefaction (n)] |
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| Repine | fret; be discontented |
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| Stipulate | specify [stipulation (n)] |
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Group 3
| Diaphanous | transparent; thin and delicate |
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| Feint | pretended attack; a move intended to deceive |
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| Inured | hardened; habituated |
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| Mettlesome | spirited [mettle (n)] |
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| Puissance | power |
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| Recondite | obscure |
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| Stygian | very dark |
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| Touting | advertising; supporting [tout (v)] |
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| Virtuosity | skill, expertise [virtuoso (n); virtuosi (n.pl)] |
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| Volubility | excessive talkativeness [voluble (a)] |
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Group 4
| Caret | punctuation mark signifying omission |
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| Contiguous | adjacent; touching; abutting [contiguity (n)] |
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| Damp | (used of vibration) reduce in extent |
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| Ellipsis | omission of essential words |
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| Extirpation | wiping out; complete destruction [extirpate (v)] |
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| Foppish | behaving or dressing like a dandy; excessively concerned with fashion |
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| Gaffe | blunder; social mistake |
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| Hortatory | encouraging; exhorting |
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| Opprobrious | expressing great scorn [opprobrium (n)] |
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| Recumbent | reclining; lying down |
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Group 5
| Ambidextrous | able to use both left and right hands equally well |
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| Culpability | guilt [culpable = blameworthy] |
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| Discernment | judgment; perceptiveness |
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| Encomium | praise |
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| Inveigle | coax; cajole; wheedle; entice |
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| Minatory | threatening |
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| Ossified | turned to bone; become rigid [ossification (n)] |
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| Plumb | measure depth of (v); exact (a. slang) |
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| Quintessential | most typical; the perfect example of [quintessence (n)] |
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| Runic | mysterious; magical |
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Group 6
| Accretion | accumulation of matter; growth produced by adding from the outside |
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| Anachronistic | occurring in the wrong time period [anachronism (n)] |
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| Chronic | long lasting (often used for diseases in which case the opposite is acute) |
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| Churlishness | rudeness; ill-mannered behavior |
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| Demagogue | mob leader (who appeals to base instincts) [demagogy/demagoguery (n)] |
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| Effrontery | daring; audacity (has a negative connotation) |
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| Idyll | story or incident in peaceful or ideal setting [idyllic (a)] |
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| Interregnum | interval between reigns or governments |
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| Nugatory | of minor significance; futile |
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| Sinecure | job which pays salary but requiring little effort |
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Group 7
| Anodized | electroplated; coated with thin layer of metal |
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| Aphoristic | expressed tersely [aphorism (n) = short statement; maxim] |
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| Canonical | orthodox [canon (n) = set of accepted works] |
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| Commensurate | equal in significance |
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| Dexterity | skill, esp. with hands [dexterous (a)] |
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| Extant | still in existence (opposite of extinct) |
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| Impugned | challenged; called into question |
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| Probity | uprightness; honesty |
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| Raconteur | person who relates a story |
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| Solicitous | kindly; expressing care and concern |
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Group 8
| Amalgamate | join; consolidate [amalgamation (n)] |
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| Baleful | evil |
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| Coerce | force [coercion (n); coercing (a)] |
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| Inchoate | undeveloped; nascent |
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| Iniquitous | evil; unjust [iniquity (n)] |
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| Libertine | dissolute person; prodigal |
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| Millinery | hats and hat-making |
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| Natty | neat; dapper; smart |
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| Occluded | obscured; blocked |
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| Sidereal | of or related to stars |
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Group 9
| Avaricious | greedy for money |
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| Extirpate | wipe out totally |
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| Halcyon | peaceful and happy; calm (esp. of summer weather) |
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| List (v) | 1. to lean to one side; 2. to write in order |
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| Maudlin | sad; sentimental; inclined to weep |
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| Refulgent | glowing; radiant |
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| Subliminal | below the threshold of consciousness |
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| Testiness | irritability; irascibility [testy (a)] |
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| Vituperate | attack bitterly |
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| Whittle | 1. carve with knife; 2. reduce step by step |
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Group 10
| Colander | bowl with holes used to drain vegetables etc. |
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| Cumbersome | bulky; difficult to carry [encumber = to burden] |
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| Diaphanous | transparent; thin and delicate |
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| Dispatch | 1. send (v); 2. speed; celerity (n) |
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| Epistemology | theory of knowledge |
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| Froward | stubborn; wayward; disobedient |
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| Supine | lying flat on one’s back |
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| Throwback | exhibiting primitive, or ancestral, traits |
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| Untoward | unexpected |
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| Verisimilar | true to life; giving the appearance of reality |
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