
1. abbreviate shorten
Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her speech.

2. abate subside or moderate
Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to abate.

3. abortive unsuccessful; fruitless
We had to abandon our abortive attempts.

4. absolute complete; totally unlimited; certain
Although the King of Siam was an absolute monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

5. abstract theoretical; not concrete; non-representational
To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he had never missed a meal.

6. abusive coarsely insulting; physically harmful
An abusive parent damages a child both mentally and physically.

7. accelerate move faster
In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

8. accessible easy to approach; obtainable
We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on foot.

9. accessory additional object; useful but not essential thing
She bought an attractive handbag as an accessory for her dress.

10. abscond depart secretly and hide
The teller absconded with the bonds and was not found.

11. aberrant abnormal or deviant
Given the aberrant nature of the data, we came to doubt the validity of the entire experiment.

12. abeyance suspended action
The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

13. adamant hard, inflexible
He was adamant in his determination to punish the wrongdoer.

14. adulterate make impure by mixing with baser substances
It is a crime to adulterate foods without informing the buyer.

15. adversity poverty, misfortune
We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

16. abase lower; degrade; humiliate
Anna expected to have to curtsy to the King of Siam; when told to cast herself down on the ground before him, however she refused to abase herself.

17. abash embarrass
He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

18. abdicate renounce; give up
When Edward VII abdicated the British throne, he surprised the entire world.

19. abet assist, usually in doing something wrong
She was unwilling to abet him in the swindle he had planned.

20. abject wretched; lacking pride
On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

21. abjure renounce upon oath
He abjured his allegiance to the king.

22. ablution washing
His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled "Opera in the Bath."

23. abnegation renunciation; self-sacrifice
Though Rudolph and Duchess Flavia loved one another, their love was doomed, for she had to wed the king; their act of abnegation was necessary to preserve the kingdom.

24. abominate loathe; hate
Moses scolded the idol worshippers in the tribe because he abominated the custom.

25. abrasive rubbing away; tending to grind down
Just as abrasive cleaning powders can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience.

26. abrogate abolish
He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

27. absolve pardon (an offense)
The father confessor absolved him of his sins.

28. abstain refrain; withhold from participation
After considering the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained for the race.

29. abut border upon; adjoin
Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

30. abysmal bottomless
His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

31. accede agree
If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future demands.

32. acclimate adjust to climate or environment
One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travellers to acclimate themselves to their new and often strange environments.

33. acclivity sharp upslope of a hill
The car could not go up the acclivity in high gear.

34. accolade award of merit
In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

35. accord agreement
She was in complete accord with the verdict.

36. accost approach and speak first to a person
When the two young men accosted me, I was frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

37. accoutre equip
The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply 

38. accretion growth; increase
The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

39. accrue come about by addition
You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the principal sum.

40. acidulous slightly sour; sharp; caustic
James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and acidulous remarks.

41. acme peak; pinnacle; highest point
Welles's success in Citizen Kane marked the acme of his career as an actor; never again did he achieve such popular acclaim.

42. acquiesce assent; agree passively
Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made.

43. acquittal deliverance from a charge
His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him guilty.

44. acrid sharp; bitterly pungent
The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol had been fired.

45. acrimonious stinging, caustic
His tendency to utter acrimonious remarks alienated his audience.

46. actuarial calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics
According to recent actuarial tables, life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

47. actuate motivate
I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.

48. acuity sharpness
In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

49. acumen mental keenness
His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

50. adage wise saying; proverb
There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

51. addendum addition; appendix to book
Jane's editor approved her new comparative literature text but thought it would be even better with an addendum on recent developments in literary criticism.

52. addle muddle; drive crazy
This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle anyone.

53. adherent supporter; follower
In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherent quietly deserted him.

54. adjunct something attached to but holding an inferior position
I will entertain this concept as an adjunct to the main proposal.

55. adjuration solemn urging
Her adjuration to tell the truth did not change the witnesses' testimony.

56. adjutant staff officer assisting the commander; assistant
Though Wellington delegated many tasks to his chief adjutant, Lord Fitzroy Somerset, Somerset was in no doubt as to who made all major decisions.

57. admonish warn; reprove
He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways.

58. adorn decorate
Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple.

59. adroit skillful
His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.

60. adulation flattery; admiration
The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes-men.

61. advent arrival
Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news of Hiroshima reached them.

62. adventitious accidental; casual
He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

63. adversary opponent; enemy
Batman struggled to save Gotham City from the machinations of his wicked adversary, the Joker.

64. adverse unfavorable; hostile
adverse circumstances compelled him to close his business.

65. advert refer to
Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important.

66. advocate urge; plead for
The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves.

67. aegis shield; defense
Under the aegis of the Bill of Rights, we enjoy our most treasured freedoms.

68. affable courteous
Although he held a position of responsibility, he was an affable individual and could be reached by anyone with a complaint.

69. affected artificial; pretended
His affected mannerisms irritated may of us who had known him before his promotion.

70. affidavit written statement made under oath
The court refused to accept his statement unless he presented it in the form of an affidavit.

71. affiliation joining; associating with
His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he soon disagreed with his colleagues.

72. affinity kinship
She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

73. affirmation positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath
Despite Tom's affirmation of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

74. affix attach or add on; fasten
First the registrar had to affix his signature to the license; then he had to affix his official seal.

75. affluence abundance; wealth
Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American way of life.

76. affront insult; offend
Accustomed to being treated with respect, Miss Challoner was affronted by Vidal's offensive behavior.

77. agape openmouthed
She stared, agape, at the many strange animals in the zoo.

78. agenda items of business at a meeting
We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there was very little time for the meeting.

79. agglomeration collection; heap
It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous items she had collected on her trip.

80. aggrandize increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank or honor
The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of Congress.

81. aggregate sum; total
The aggregate wealth of this country is staggering to the imagination.

82. aghast horrified
He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

83. agility nimbleness
The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

84. agitate stir up; disturb
Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

85. agnostic one who is skeptical of the existence of knowability of a god or any ultimate reality
The agnostic demanded proof before she would accept the statement of the minister.

86. agog highly excited; intensely curious
We were all agog at the news that the celebrated movie star was giving up his career in order to enter a monastery.

87. agrarian pertaining to land or its cultivation
As a result of its recent industrialization, the country is gradually losing its agrarian traditions.

88. alacrity cheerful promptness
He demonstrated his eagerness to serve by his alacrity in executing the orders of his master.

89. alchemy medieval chemistry
The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of alchemy.

90. alcove nook; recess
Though their apartment lacked a full-scale dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young couple.

91. alias an assumed name
John Smith's alias was Bob Jones.

92. alienate make hostile; separate
Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith in each other.

93. alimentary supplying nourishment
The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of foods occurs there.

94. alimony payments make to an ex-spouse after divorce
Because Tony had supported Tina through medical school, on their divorce he asked the court to award him $500 a month in alimony.

95. allay calm; pacify
The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by announcing that the fire had been controlled.

96. allege state without proof
It is alleged that she had worked for the enemy.

97. allegory story in which characters are used as symbols; fable
Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the temptations and victories of the human soul.

98. alleviate relieve
This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger drugs.

99. alliteration repetition of beginning sound in poetry
"The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

100. alloy mixture as of metals
alloy of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

101. allude refer indirectly
Try not to allude to this matter in his presence because the topic annoys him.

102. allure entice; attract
allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the reef.

103. allusion indirect reference
the allusions to mythological characters in Milton's poems bewilder the reader who has not studied Latin.

104. alluvial pertaining to soil deposits left by running water
The farmers found the alluvial deposits at the mouth of the river very fertile.

105. aloof apart; reserved
Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

106. aloft upward
The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging.

107. altercation noisy quarrel
Throughout the altercation, not one sensible word was uttered.

108. altruistic unselfishly generous; concerned for others
In providing tutorial assistance and college scholarships to hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a truly altruistic deed.

109. amalgamate combine; unite in one body
The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one national body.

110. amass collect
The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

111. amazon female warrior
Ever since the days of Greek mythology we refer to strong and aggressive women as amazons.

112. ambidextrous capable of using either hand with equal ease
A switch-hitter in baseball should be naturally ambidextrous.

113. ambience environment; atmosphere
She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

114. ambiguous unclear or doubtful in meaning
His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know which road to take.

115. ambivalence the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes
Torn between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the ambivalence of her feelings.

116. amble moving at an easy pace
When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the animal to go faster than a gentle amble.

117. ambrosia food of the gods
ambrosia was supposed to give immortality to any human who ate it.

118. ambulatory able to walk
He was described as an ambulatory patient because he was not confined to his bed.

119. ameliorate improve
Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in the slums.

120. amenable readily managed; willing to be led
He was amenable to any suggestions that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors.

121. amend correct; change, generally for the better
Hoping to amend his condition, he left Vietnam for the United States.

122. amenities convenient features; courtesies
In addition to the customary amenities for the business traveler -- fax machines, modems, a health club -- the hotel offers the services of a butler versed in social amenities.

123. amiable agreeable; lovable
His amiable disposition pleased all who had dealings with him.

124. amicable friendly
The dispute was settled in an amicable manner with no harsh words.

125. amiss wrong; faulty
Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss.

126. amity friendship
Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were established to promote international amity.

127. amnesia loss of memory
Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the young girl to identify herself.

128. amnesty pardon
When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

129. amoral non-moral
The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he should not be classified as immoral.

130. amorous moved by sexual love; loving
Don Juan was known for his amorous adventures.

131. amorphous shapeless; vague; indeterminate
John was subject to panic attacks that left him prey to vague, amorphous fears: he knew he was terrified, but could neither define nor explain the cause of his terror.

132. amphibian able to live both on land and in water
Frogs are classified as amphibian.

133. amphitheater oval building with tiers of seats
The spectators in the amphitheater cheered the gladiators.

134. ample abundant
He had ample opportunity to dispose of his loot before his police caught up with him.

135. amplify enlarge
Her attempts to amplify her remarks were drowned out by the jeers of the audience.

136. amputate cut off part of body; prune
When the doctors had to amputate Ted Kennedy's leg to prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of his leg keep him from participating in sports.

137. amok in a state of rage
The police had to be called in to restrain him after he ran amok in the department store.

138. amulet charm; talisman
Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

139. anachronism something or someone misplaced in time
Shakespeare's reference to clocks in Julius Caesar is an anachronism; no clocks existed in Caesar's time.

140. analgesic causing insensitivity to pain
The analgesic qualities of his lotion will provide temporary relief.

141. analogous comparable
She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous situation and recommended that we do the same.

142. analogy similarity; parallelism
Your analogy is not a good one because the two situations are not similar.

143. anarchist person who rebels against the established order
Only the total overthrow of all governmental regulations would satisfy the anarchist.

144. anarchy absence of governing body; state of disorder
The assassination of the leaders led to a period of anarchy.

145. anathema solemn curse; someone or something that is despised
He heaped anathema upon his foe.

146. anathematize curse
The high priest anathematized the heretic.

147. anchor secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place
We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

148. ancillary serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary
In an ancillary capacity Doctor Watson was helpful; however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own.

149. anecdote short account of an amusing or interesting event
Rather than make concrete proposals for welfare reform, President Raegan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their impoverished backgrounds.

150. anemia condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles
The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

151. anesthetic substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness
His monotonous voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep.

152. anguish acute pain; extreme suffering
Visiting the site of explosion, Premier Gorbachev wept to see the anguish of the victims and their families.

153. angular sharp-cornered; stiff in manner
His features, though angular, were curiously attractive.

154. animadversion critical remark
He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true.

155. animated lively
Her animated expression indicated a keenness of intellect.

156. animosity active enmity
He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of their power.

157. animus hostile feeling or intent
The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

158. annals records; history
In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

159. anneal reduce brittleness and improve toughness by heating and cooling
After the glass is annealed, it will be less subject to chipping and cracking.

160. annihilate destroy
The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

161. annotate comment; make explanatory notes
In the appendix to the novel, the critic sought to annotate many of the more esoteric references.

162. annuity yearly allowance
The annuity he set up with the insurance company supplements his social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.

163. annul make void
The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

164. anodyne drug that relieves pain; opiate
His pain was so great that no anodyne could relieve it.

165. anoint consecrate
The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

166. anomalous abnormal; irregular
He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to approve procedures that he despised.

167. anomaly irregularity
A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

168. anonymity state of being nameless; anonymousness
The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.

169. antagonistic hostile; opposed
Despite his lawyers' best efforts to stop him, the angry prisoner continued to make antagonistic remarks to the judge.

170. antecede precede
The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a quarter of a century.

171. antecedents preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; early life; ancestors
Before giving permission for Drummie to marry Estella, Miss Havisham had a few questions about the young man's birth and antecedents.

172. antediluvian antiquated; ancient
The antediluvian customs had apparently not changed for thousands of years.

173. anthropoid manlike
The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals.

174. anthropologist student of the history and science of humankind
Anthropologists have discovered several relics of prehistoric humans in this area.

175. anthropomorphic having human form or characteristics
Primitive religions often have deities with anthropomorphic characteristics.

176. anticlimax letdown in thought or emotion
After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the play was an anticlimax.

177. antipathy aversion; dislike
His extreme antipathy to dispute caused him to avoid argumentative discussions with his friends.

178. antiquated obsolete; outdated
Accustomed to editing his papers on word processors, Philip thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

179. antiseptic substance that prevents infection
It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no matter how slight or insignificant.

180. antithesis contrast; direct opposite of or to
This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped for, and he fought it with all his strength.

181. anvil iron block used in hammering out metals
After heating the iron horseshoe in the forge, the blacksmith picked it up with his tongs and set it on the anvil.

182. apathetic indifferent
He felt apathetic about the conditions he had observed and did not care to fight against them.

183. apathy lack of caring; indifference
A firm believer in democratic government, she could not understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote.

184. ape imitate or mimic
He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of the whole school.

185. aperture opening; hole
She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects had entered the room.

186. apex tip; summit; climax
He was at the apex of his career.

187. aphasia loss of speech due to injury or illness
After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.

188. aphorism pithy maxim
An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or scientific.

189. apiary a place where bees are kept
Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very seldom stung by a bee.

190. aplomb poise; composure
Wellington's nonchalance and aplomb in the heat of battle always heartened his followers.

191. apocalyptic prophetic; pertaining to revelations; especially of disaster
His apocalyptic remarks were dismissed by his audience as wild surmises.

192. apocryphal untrue; made up
To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his adventures in the big city.

193. apogee highest point
When the moon in its orbit is furthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

194. apoplexy stroke; loss of consciousness followed by paralysis
He was crippled by an attack of apoplexy.

195. apostate one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs
Because he switched from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate.

196. apothecary druggist
In Holland, apothecaries still sell spices as well as ointments and pills.

197. apothegm pithy, compact saying
Proverbs are apothegms that have become familiar sayings.

198. apotheosis deification; glorification
The Roman empress Livia envied the late emperor his apotheosis; she hoped that on her death she, too, would be exalted to the rank of a god.

199. appal dismay; shock
We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.

200. apparition ghost; phantom
Hamlet was uncertain about the identity of the apparition that had appeared and spoken to him.

201. appease pacify; soothe
We have discovered that, when we try to appease our enemies, we encourage them to make additional demands.

202. appellation name; title
He was amazed when the witches hailed him with his correct appellation.

203. append attach
I shall append this chart to my report.

204. application diligent attention; (secondary meaning) apply
Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly praised him for his application.

205. apposite appropriate; fitting
He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression for every occasion.

206. appraise estimate the value of
It is difficult to appraise old paintings; it is easier to call them priceless.

207. appreciate be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of
Little Orphan Annie truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks ave her, whose value appreciated considerably over the years.

208. apprehend arrest ( a criminal); dread; perceive
The police will apprehend the culprit and convict him before long.

209. apprehensive fearful; discerning
His apprehensive glances at the people who were walking in the street revealed his nervousness.

210. apprise inform
When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone his trip.

211. approbation approval
Wanting her parents' regard, she looked for some sign of their approbation.

212. appropriate acquire; take possession of for one's own use
The ranch owners appropriated the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

213. appurtenances subordinate possessions
He bought the estate and all its appurtenances.

214. apropos with reference to; regarding
I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and pertinent.

215. aptitude fitness; talent
The counselor evaluated his aptitudes before advising him about the career he should follow.

216. aquiline curved, hooked
He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak of the eagle.

217. arable fit for plowing
The land was no longer arable; erosion had removed the valuable topsoil.

218. arbiter person with power to decide a matter in a dispute; judge
As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won the confidence of the workers and the employers.

219. arbitrary unreasonable or capricious; tyrannical
The coach claimed the team lost because the umpire made some arbitrary calls.

220. arbitrate act as judge
She was called upon to arbitrate the dispute between the union and the management.

221. arboretum place where different varieties of trees and shrubs are studied and exhibited
Walking along the treelined paths of the arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.

222. arcade a covered passageway, usually lined with shops
The arcade was popular with shoppers because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

223. arcane secret; mysterious
What was arcane to us was clear to the psychologist.

224. archaeology study of artifacts and relics of early mankind
The professor of archaeology headed an expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

225. archaic antiquated
"Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our normal vocabulary.

226. archetype prototype; primitive pattern
The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

227. archipelago group of closely located islands
When he looked at the map and saw the archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

228. archives public records; place where public records are kept
These documents should be part of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

229. ardor heat; passion; zeal
Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause.

230. arduous hard; strenuous
Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

231. argot slang
In the argot of the underworld, she "was taken for a ride."

232. aria operatic solo
At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from Norma.

233. arid dry; barren
The cactus had adapted to survive in an arid environment.

234. aristocracy hereditary nobility; privileged class
Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary aristocracy: 

235. armada fleet of warships
Queen Elizabeth's navy was able to defeat the mighty armada that threatened the English coast.

236. aromatic fragrant
Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

237. arraign charge in court; indict
After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

238. array marshal; draw up in order
His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.

239. array clothe; adorn
She liked to watch her motherarray herself in her finest clothes before going out for the evening.

240. arrears being in debt
He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

241. arrogance pride, haughtiness
The arrogance of the nobility was resented by the middle class.

242. arroyo gully
Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

243. articulate effective; distinct
Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign impressed her employers.

244. artifacts products of primitive culture
Archaeologists debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor and came to no conclusion.

245. artifice deception; trickery
The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were often more effective than military might.

246. artisan a manually skilled worker
Artists and artisans alike are necessary to the development of a culture.

247. artless without guile; open and honest
Red Riding Hood's artless comment, "Grandma, what big eyes you have!" indicates the child's innocent surprises at her "grandmother's" changed appearance.

248. ascendancy controlling influence
President Marcos failed to maintain his ascendency over Philippines.

249. ascetic practicing self-denial; austere
The wealthy young man could not understand the ascetic life led by the monks.

250. asceticism doctrine of self-denial
We find asceticism practiced in many monastries.

251. ascribe refer; attribute; assign
I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

252. asceptic preventing infection; having a cleansing effect
Hospitals succeeded in lowering the mortality rate as soon as they introduced asceptic conditions.

253. ashen ash-colored; deadly pale
Her face was ashen with fear.

254. asinine stupid
Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious consideration.

255. askance with a sideways or indirect look
Looking askance at her questioner, she displayed her scorn.

256. askew crookedly; slanted; at an angle
When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers laughed.

257. asperity sharpness (of temper)
These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom they had been directed.

258. aspersion slanderous remark
Do not cast aspersions on her character.

259. aspirant seeker after position or status
Although I am as aspirant for public office, I am not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses.

260. aspiration noble ambition
Youth's aspirations should be as lofty as the stars.

261. assail assault
He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

262. assay analyze; evaluate
When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a very rich vein.

263. assent agree; accept
It gives me great pleasure to assent to your request.

264. assert state strongly or positively; insist on or demand recognition of (rights, claims, etc).
When Jill asserted that nobody else in the junior class had such an early curfew, her parents Asserted themselves, telling her that if she didn't get home by nine o'clock she would be grounded for the week.

265. assessment estimation; appraisal
I would like to have your assessment of the situation in South Africa.

266. assiduous diligent
It took Rembrandt weeks of assiduous labor before he was satisfied with his portrait of his son.

267. assimilate absorb; cause to become homogenous
The manner in which the United States was able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early part of the twentieth centuries will always be a source of pride.

268. assuage ease; lessen(pain)
Your messages of cheer should assuage her suffering.

269. assumption something taken for granted; the taking over or taking possession of
The young princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her Assumption of power.

270. assurance promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence
When Gutherie gave Guiness his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guiness was convinced.

271. asteroid small planet
asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel stories in science fiction magazines.

272. astigmatism eye defect that prevents proper focus
As soon as his parents discovered that the boy suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

273. astral relating to the stars
She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope revealed.

274. astringent binding; causing contraction; harsh or severe
The astringent quality of unsweetened lemon juice made swallowing difficult.

275. astronomical enormously large or extensive
The government seemed willing to spend astronomical sums on weapons development.

276. astute wise; shrewd
That was a very astute observation.

277. asunder into parts; apart
Their points of view are poles asunder.

278. asylum place of refuge or shelter; protection
The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in a new land.

279. asymmetric not identical on both sides of a dividing central line
Because one eyebrow was set markedly higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

280. atavism resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; reversion to an earlier type; throwback
Martin seemed an atavism to his Tuscan ancestors who lavished great care on their small plots of soil.

281. atheistic denying the existence of God
His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

282. atone make amends for; pay for
He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

283. atrocity brutal deed
In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

284. atrophy wasting away
Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected limbs.

285. attenuate make thin; weaken
By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy lines.

286. attest testify; bear witness
Having served as a member of a grand jury, I can attest that our system of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

287. attribute essential quality
His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

288. attribute ascribe; explain
I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received from her parents.

289. attrition gradual wearing down
They decided to wage a war of attrition rather than to rely on all-out attack.

290. audacious daring; bold
Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their audacious, death-defying leap to freedom and escaped Darth Vader's troops.

291. audit examination of accounts
When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier.

292. augment increase
How can we hope to augment our forces when our allies are deserting us?

293. augury omen; prophecy
He interpreted the departures of the birds as an augury of evil.

294. august impressive; majestic
Visiting the palace at Versailes, she was impressed by the august surroundings in which she found herself.

295. aureole sun's corona; halo
Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureols around their heads.

296. auroral pertaining to the aurora borealis
The auroral display was particularly spectacular that evening.

297. auspicious favoring success
With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to set sail.

298. austere strict, stern
His austere demeanor prevented us from engaging in our usual frivolous activities.

299. austerity sternness; severity; lack of luxuries
The austerity and dignity of the court were maintained by the new justices, who were a strict and solemn group.

300. authenticate prove genuine
An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting, distinguishing it from its imitation.

301. authoritarian favoring or exercising total control; non-democratic
The people had no control over their destiny; they were forced to obey the dictates of the authoritarian regime.

302. authoritative having the weight of authority; dictatorial
We accepted her analysis of the situation as authoritative.

303. autocrat monarch with supreme power
He ran his office like an autocrat, giving no one else any authority.

304. automaton mechanism that imitates actions of humans
Long before science fiction readers became aware of robots, writers were creating stories of automation who could outperform humans.

305. autonomous self-governing
This island is a colony; however, in most matters, it is autonomous and receives no orders from the mother country.

306. autopsy examination of a dead body; postmortem
The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

307. auxiliary offering or providing help; additional or sub-sidiary
To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power station.

308. avarice greed for wealth
King Midas's avarice has been famous for centuries.

309. aver state confidently
I wish to aver that I am certain of success.

310. averse reluctant
He was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

311. aversion firm dislike
Their mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

312. avert prevent; turn away
She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

313. aviary enclosure for birds
The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

314. avid greedy; eager for
He was avid for learning and read everything he could get.

315. avocation secondary or minor occupation
His hobby proved to be so fascinating and profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

316. avow declare openly
I must avow that I am innocent.

317. avuncular like an uncle
Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's shortcomings.

318. awe solemn wonder
The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand Canyon.

319. awl pointed tool used for piercing
She used an awl to punch additional holes in the leather belt she had bought.

320. awry distorted; crooked
He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had caught cold in his neck during the night.

321. axiom self-evident truth requiring no proof
Before a student can begin to think along the lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

322. azure sky blue
azure skies are indicative of good weather.







1. babble chatter idly
The little girl babbled about her doll.

2. bacchanalian drunken
Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

3. badger pester; annoy
She was forced to change her telephone number because she was badgered by obscene phone calls.

4. badinage teasing conversation
Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement with cheerful badinage.

5. baffle frustrate; perplex
The new code baffled the enemy agents.

6. bait harass; tease
The soldiers baited the prisoners, terrorizing them.

7. baleful menacing; deadly
Casting a baleful eye at his successful rival, the rejected suitor stole off, vowing to have his revenge.

8. balk stoop short, as if faced with an obstacle, and refuse to continue
The chief of police balked at sending his officers into the riot-torn area.

9. balk foil
When the warden learned that several inmates were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt.

10. ballast heavy substance used to add stability or weight
The ship was listing badly to one side; it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel.

11. balm something that relieves pain
Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of disappointed love.

12. balmy mild; fragrant
A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

13. banal hackneyed; commonplace; trite
His frequent use of cliches made his essay seem banal.

14. bandy discuss lightly; exchange blows or words
The president refused to bandy words with reporters at the press conference.

15. bane cause of ruin
Lack of public transportation is the bane of urban life.

16. bantering good-naturedly ridiculing
They resented his bantering remarks because they misinterpreted his teasing as sarcasm.

17. barb sharp projection form fishhook, etc.; pointed comment
The barb from the fishhook caught in his finger as he grabbed the fish.

18. bard poet
The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

19. barefaced shameless; bold; unconcealed
Shocked by Huck Finn's barefaced lies, Miss Watson prayed the good Lord would give him a sense of his unregenerate wickedness.

20. baroque highly ornate
Accustomed to the severe, angular lines of modern skyscrapers, they found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing.

21. barrage barrier laid down by artillery fire; overwhelming profusion
The company was forced to retreat through the barrage of heavy canyons.

22. barrister counselor-at-law
Galsworthy started as a barrister, but when he found the practice of law boring, turned to writing.

23. barterer trader
The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs.

24. bask luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth
basking on the beach, she relaxed so completely that she fell asleep.

25. bastion stronghold; something seen as a source of protection
The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could protect them from the guerrila raids.

26. bate let down; restrain
Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their curiosity.

27. bauble trinket; trifle
The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

28. bawdy indecent; obscene
She took offense at his bawdy remarks.

29. beatific giving bliss; blissful
The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

30. beatitude blessedness; state of bliss
Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of indescribable beatitude.

31. bedizen dress with vulgar finery
The witch doctors were bedizened in their gaudiest costumes.

32. bedraggle wet thoroughly
We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had to change into dry clothing.

33. befuddle confuse thoroughly
His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only on befuddling her further.

34. beget father; produce; give rise to
One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily beget another.

35. begrudge resent
I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings.

36. beguile amuse; delude; cheat
I beguiled himself during the long hours by playing solitaire.

37. behemoth huge creature; something of monstrous size or power
Sportcasters nicknamed the linebacker "The Behemoth."

38. beholden obligated; indebted
Since I do not wish to be beholden to anyone, I cannot accept this favor.

39. behoove be suited to; be incumbent upon
In this time of crisis, it behooves all of us to remain calm and await the instructions of our superiors.

40. belabor explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; assail verbally
The debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring his point.

41. belated delayed
He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death.

42. beleaguer besiege
As soon as the city was beleaguered, the life became more subdued as the citizens began their long wait for outside assitance.

43. belie contradict; give a false impression
His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his innate sensitivity.

44. belittle disparage; depreciate
Parents should not belittle their children's early attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts.

45. bellicose warlike
His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

46. belligerent quarrelsome
Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and tried to pick fights with strangers.

47. bemused confused; lost in thought; preoccupied
Jill studied the garbled instructions with a bemused look on her face.

48. benediction blessing
The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

49. benefactor gift giver; patron
Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him a benediction.

50. beneficent kindly; doing good
The overgenerous philanthropist had to curb his beneficent impulses before he gave away all his money and left himself with nothing.

51. beneficiary person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy
You may change your beneficiary as often as you wish.

52. benevolent generous; charitable
His benevolent nature prevented him from refusing any beggar who accosted him.

53. benign kindly; favorable; not malignant
The old man was well liked because of his benign attitude toward friend and stranger alike.

54. benison blessing
Let us pray that the benison of peace once more shall prevail among the nations of the world.

55. bent determined; natural talent or inclination
bent on advancing in the business world, the secretary heroine of Working Girl had a true bent for high finance.

56. bequeath leave to someone by means of a will; hand down
In his will, Father bequeathed his watch to Phillip; the bequest meant a great deal to the boy.

57. berate scold strongly
He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

58. bereavement state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved
His friends gathered to console him upon his sudden bereavement.

59. bereft deprived of; lacking
The foolish gambler soon found himself bereft of funds.

60. berserk frenzied
Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

61. beset harass; trouble
Many problems beset the American public school system.

62. besmirch soil, defile
The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every member of the society.

63. bestial beastlike; brutal; inhuman
The Red Cross sought to put an end to the bestial treatment of prisoners of war.

64. bestow confer
He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

65. betroth become engaged to marry
The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised their friends who had not suspected any romance.

66. bevy large group
The movie actor was surrounded by a bevy of startlets.

67. bicameral two-chambered, as a legislative body
The United States Congress is a bicameral body.

68. bicker quarrel
The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

69. biennial every two years
The group held biennial meetings instead of annual ones.

70. bifurcated divided into two branches; forked
With a bifurcated branch and a piece of elastic rubber, he made a crude but effective slingshot.

71. bigotry stubborn intolerance
Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, student was shocked by the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

72. bilious suffering from indigestion; irritable
His bilious temperament was apparent to all who heard him rant about his difficulties.

73. bilk swindle; cheat
The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

74. bivouac temporary encampment
While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under the stars.

75. bizarre fantastic; violently contrasting
The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

76. blanch bleach; whiten
Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

77. bland soothing; mild
She used a bland ointment for her sunburn.

78. blandishment flattery
Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the outfit.

79. blase bored with pleasure or dissipation
Your blase attitude gives your students an erroneous impression of the joys of scholarship.

80. blasphemous profane; impious
The people in the room were shocked by his his blasphemous language.

81. blatant extremely obvious; loudly offensive
Caught in a blatant lie, the scoundrel had only one regret: he wished that he had lied more subtly.

82. bleak cold; cheerless
The Aleutian Islands are bleak military outposts.

83. blighted suffering from a disease; destroyed
The extent of the blighted areas could be seen only when viewed from the air.

84. blithe gay; joyous; careless
Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy song.

85. bloated swollen or puffed as with water or air
Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

86. blowhard talkative boaster
After all Sol's talk about his big show business connections led nowhere, Sally decided he was just another blowhard.

87. bludgeon club; heavy-headed weapon
His walking stick served him as a bludgeon on many occasions.

88. bluff pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff
Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff, she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into the waters below.

89. blunder error
The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture.

90. blurt utter impulsively
Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

91. bode foreshadow; portend
The gloomy skies and the sulfurious odors from the mineral springs seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

92. bogus counterfeit; not authentic
The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar bills.

93. boisterous violent; rough; noisy
The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to quiet them.

94. bolster support; reinforce
The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolster their arguments.

95. bombast pompous, inflated language
Filled with bombast, the orator's speech left the audience more impressed with his pomposity than with his logic.

96. boon blessing; benefit
The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole community.

97. boorish rude; insensitive
Though Mr. Potts constantly interrupted his wife, she ignored his boorish behavior, for she had lost hope of teaching him courtesy.

98. bouillon clear beef soup
The cup of bouillon served by the stewards was welcomed by those who had been chilled by the cold ocean breezes.

99. bountiful generous; showing bounty
She distributed gifts in a bountiful and gracious manner.

100. bourgeois middle class
The French Revolution was inspired by the bourgeois, who resented the aristocracy.

101. bovine cowlike; placid and dull
Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

102. bowdlerize expurgate
After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's rating was changed from "R" to "PG."

103. brackish somewhat saline
He found the only wells in the area were brackish; drinking the water made him nauseous.

104. braggadocio boasting
He was disliked because his manner was always full of braggadocio.

105. braggart boaster
Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments speak for themselves.

106. bravado swagger; assumed air of defiance
The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

107. brawn muscular strength; sturdiness
It takes brawn to become a champion weight-lifter.

108. brazen insolent
Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

109. breach breaking of contract or duty; fissure; gap
They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications and penetrated their lines.

110. breadth width; extent
We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

111. brevity conciseness
brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are charged for every word.

112. brindled tawny or grayish with streaks or spots
He was disappointed in the litter because the puppies were brindled; he had hoped for animals of uniform color.

113. bristling rising like bristles; showing irritation
The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

114. brittle easily broken; difficult
My employer's brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

115. broach open up
He did not even try to broach the subject of poetry.

116. brocade rich, figured fabric
The sofa was covered with expensive brocade.

117. brochure pamphlet
This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

118. brooch ornamental clasp
She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

119. brook tolerate; endure
The dean would brook no interference with his disciplinary actions.

120. browbeat bully; intimidate
Billy resisted Ted's attempts to browbeat him into handing over his lunch money.

121. brusque blunt; abrupt
She was offended by his brusque reply.

122. bucolic rustic; pastoral
The meadow was the scene of bucolic gaiety.

123. buffoonery clowning
John Candy's buffoonery in Uncle Buck was hilarious.

124. bugaboo bugbear; object of baseless terror
If we become frightened by such bugaboos, we are no wiser than the birds who fear scarecrows.

125. bullion gold and silver in the form of bars
Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.

126. bulwark earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends
The navy is our principal bulwark against invasion.

127. bungle spoil by clumsy behavior
I was afraid you would bungle his assignment but I had no one else to send.

128. bureaucracy government by bureaus
Many people fear that the constant introduction of federal agencies will create a government by bureaucracy.

129. burgeon grow forth; send out buds
In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the beauty that is to come.

130. burlesque give an imitation that ridicules
In his caricature, he burlesqued the mannerisms of his adversary.

131. burly husky; muscular
The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

132. burnish make shiny by rubbing; polish
The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the lamplight.

133. buttress support; prop up
Just as architects buttress the walls of cathedrals with flying buttresses, debates buttress their arguments with facts.

134. buxom full-bosomed; plump; jolly
High fashion models usually are slender rather than buxom.







1. cabal small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests
The cabal was defeated when its scheme was discovered.

2. cache hiding place
The detectives followed the suspects until he led them to the cache where he had stored his loot.

3. cacophony discord
Some people seem to enjoy the cacophony of an orchestra that is tuning up.

4. cadaver corpse
In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

5. cadaverous like a corpse; pale
From his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the disease had ravaged him.

6. cadence rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat
Marching down the road, the troops sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

7. cajole coax; wheedle
I will not be cajoled into granting your wish.

8. calamity disaster; misery
As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken community.

9. caliber ability; capacity
A man of such caliber should not be assigned such menial tasks.

10. calligraphy beautiful writing; excellent penmanship
As we examine ancient manuscripts, we became impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

11. callous hardened; unfeeling
He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he was callous to the suffering in the wards.

12. callow youthful; immature
In that youthful movement, the leaders were only a little less callow than their immature followers.

13. calorific heat-producing
Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

14. calumny malicious misrepresentation
He could endure his financial failure, but he could not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

15. camaraderie good-fellowship
What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his co-workers shared.

16. cameo shell or jewel carved in relief
Tourists are advised not to purchase cameos from the street peddlers of Rome who sell poor specimens of the carver's art.

17. canard unfounded rumor
It is almost impossible to protect oneself from such a base canard.

18. candor frankness
The candor and simplicity of his speech impressed all, it was all clear he held nothing back.

19. canine related to dogs; doglike
Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to outnumber the human population.

20. canker any ulcerous sore; any evil
Poverty is a canker in the body politic; it must be cured.

21. canny shrewd; thrifty
The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

22. cant pious phraseology; jargon of criminals
Angry that the president had slashed the education budget, we dismissed his speech on the importance of education as mere cant.

23. cantankerous ill-humored; irritable
Constantly complaining about his treatment and refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

24. cantata story set to music, to be sung by a chorus
The choral society sang the new cantata composed by its leader.

25. canter slow gallop
Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter wrote that the race was won in a canter.

26. canto division of a long poem
Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided into cantos.

27. canvass determine or seek opinions, votes, etc.
After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district.

28. capacious spacious
In the capacious areas of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered while waiting for their train.

29. capillary having a very fine bore
The changes in surface tension of liquids in capillary vessels is of special interest to physicists.

30. capitulate surrender
The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

31. caprice whim
She was an unpredictable creature, acting on caprice, never taking thought of the consequences.

32. capricious fickle; incalculable
The storm was capricious and changed course constantly.

33. caption title; chapter heading; text under illustration
I find the captions that accompany these cartoons very clever and humorous.

34. captious faultfinding
His criticisms were always captious and frivolous, never offering constructive suggestions.

35. carafe glass water bottle
With each dinner, the patron receives a carafe of red or white wine.

36. carapace shell covering the back (of a turtle, crab, etc)
At the children's zoo, Richard perched on top of the giant turtle's hard carapace as it slowly made its way around the enclosure.

37. carat unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold
He gave her a diamond that weighed three carats and was mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

38. carcinogenic causing cancer
Many supposedly harmless substances have been revealed to be carcinogenic.

39. cardinal chief
If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is to read.

40. careen lurch; sway from side to side
The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

41. caricature distortion; burlesque
The caricatures he drew always emphasized personal weaknesses of the people he burlesqued.

42. carillon set of bells capable of being played
The carillon in the bell tower of the Coca-Cola pavilion at the New York World's Fair provided musical entertainment every hour.

43. carnage destruction of life
The carnage that can be caused by atomic warfare adds to the responsibilities of our statesmen.

44. carnal fleshly
The public was more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters.

45. carnivorous meat-eating
The lion is a carnivorous animal.

46. carousal drunken revel
The party degenerated into an ugly carousal.

47. carping petty criticism; fault-finding
Welcoming constructive criticism, Lexy appreciated her editor's comments, finding them free of carping.

48. carrion rotting flesh of a dead body
Buzzards are nature's scavengers; they eat the carrion left behind by other predators.

49. cartographer map-maker
Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able to construct a map of the fictional world.

50. cascade small waterfall
We could not appreciate the beauty of the many cascades as we made detours around each of them to avoid getting wet.

51. caste one of the hereditary classes in Hindu society, social stratification; prestige
The differences created by caste in India must be wiped out if true democracy is to prevail in that country.

52. castigation punishment; severe criticism
Sensitive even to mild criticism, Woolf could not bear castigation that she found in certain reviews.

53. casualty serious or fatal accident
The number of automotive casualties on this holiday weekend was high.

54. cataclysm deluge; upheaval
A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries.

55. catalyst agent that brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged
Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

56. catapult slingshot; hurling machine
Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by catapults.

57. cataract great waterfall; eye abnormality
She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known as Niagara Falls.

58. catastrophe calamity
The Johnstown flood was a catastrophe.

59. catechism book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer
He taught by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

60. categorical without exceptions; unqualified; absolute
Though the captain claimed he was never, never sick at sea, he finally qualified his categorical denial; he was hardly ever sick at sea.

61. catharsis purging or cleansing of any passage of the body
Aristotle maintained that tragedy created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

62. cathartic purgative
Some drugs act as laxatives when taken in small doses but act as cathartics when taken in much larger doses.

63. catholic universal; wide-ranging liberal
He was extremely catholic in his taste and read everything he could find in the library.

64. caucus private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy
At the opening of Congress the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the majority leader of the House and the party whip.

65. caulk to make watertight (by plugging seams)
When water from the shower leaked into the basement, we knew it was time to caulk the tiles at the edges of the shower stall.

66. causal implying a cause-and-effect relationship
The psychologist maintained there was a causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult personality.

67. caustic burning; sarcastically biting
The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

68. cauterize burn with hot iron or caustic
In order to prevent infection, the doctor cauterized the wound.

69. cavalcade procession; parade
As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was motley group.

70. cavalier casual and offhand; arrogant
Sensitive about having her ideas taken lightly, Marcia felt insulted by Mark's cavalier dismissal of her suggestion.

71. cavil make frivolous objections
I respect your sensible criticisms, but I dislike the way you cavil about unimportant details.

72. cede transfer; yield title to
I intend to cede this property to the city.

73. celerity speed; rapidity
Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his father's death.

74. celestial heavenly
She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

75. celibate abstaining from sexual intercourse; unmarried
Though the late Havelock Ellis wrote extensively about sexual customs and was considered an expert in such matters, recent studies maintain he was celibate throughout his life. 

76. censor overseer of morals; person who eliminates inappropriate matter
Soldiers dislike having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution.

77. censorious critical
censorious people delight in casting blame.

78. censure blame; criticize
He was censured for his inappropriate behavior.

79. centaur mythical figure, half man and half horse
I was particularly impressed by the statue of the centaur in the Roman Hall of the museum.

80. centigrade denoting a widely used temperature scale (basically same as Celsius)
On the centigrade thermometer, the freezing point of water is zero degrees.

81. centrifugal radiating; departing from the center
Many automatic drying machines remove excess moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

82. centrifuge machine that separates substances by whirling them
At the dairy, we employ a centrifuge to separate cream from milk.

83. centripetal tending toward the center
Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies to the earth's surface?

84. centurion Roman army officer
Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers, he was called a centurion.

85. cerebral pertaining to the brain or intellect
The content of philosophical works is cerebral in nature and requires much thought.

86. cerebration thought
Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

87. ceremonious marked by formality
Ordinary dress would be in appropriate at so ceremonious an affair.

88. cessation stopping
The workers threatened a cessation of all activities if their demands were not met.

89. cession yielding to another; ceding
The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in this chapter.

90. chafe warm by rubbing
The collar chafed his neck.

91. chaff worthless products of an endeavor
When you separate the wheat from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

92. chaffing bantering; joking
Sometimes his flippant and chaffing remarks annoy us.

93. chagrin vexation; disappointment
Her refusal to go with us filled us with chagrin.

94. chalice goblet; consecrated cup
In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.

95. chameleon lizard that changes color in different situations
Like the chameleon, he assumed the political coloration of every group he met.

96. champion support militantly
Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality.

97. chaotic in utter disorder
He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs.

98. charisma divine gift; great popular charm or appeal
Political commentators have deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television campaigning.

99. charlatan quack; pretender to knowledge
When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her friends were sure they'd been duped by a charlatan.

100. chary cautious; sparing or restrained about giving
A prudent, thrifty New Englander, DeWitt was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary compliments.

101. chase ornament a metal surface by indenting
With his hammer, he carefully chased an intricate design onto the surface of the chalice.

102. chasm abyss
They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

103. chassis framework and working parts of an automobile
Examining the car after the accident, the owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.

104. chaste pure
Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the occasion.

105. chasten discipline; punish in order to correct
Whom God loves, God chastens.

106. chastise punish
I must chastise you for this offense.

107. chauvinist blindly devoted patriot
A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no matter how flagrant they may be.

108. check stop motion; curb or restrain
Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper."

109. checkered marked by changes in fortune
During his checkered career he had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

110. cherubic angelic; innocent-looking
With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a particularly cherubic child.

111. chicanery trickery
Your deceitful tactics in this case are indications of chicanery.

112. chide scold
Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

113. chimerical fantastic; highly imaginative
Poe's chimerical stories are sometimes too morbid for reading in bed.

114. chivalrous courteous; faithful; brave
chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

115. choleric hot-tempered
His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

116. choreography art of dancing
Martha Graham introduced a form of choreography that seemed awkward and alien to those who had been brought up on classic ballet.

117. chronic long established, as a disease
The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.

118. chronicle report; record (in chronological order)
The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest escapades of the socially prominent celebrities.

119. churlish boorish; rude
Dismayed by his churlish manners at the party, the girls vowed never to invite him again.

120. ciliated having minute hairs
The paramecium is a ciliated, one-celled animal.

121. cipher nonentity; worthless person or thing
She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher and wondered why she had ever married him.

122. cipher secret code
Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him in cipher.

123. circlet small ring; band
This tiny circlet is very costly because it is set with precious stones.

124. circuitous roundabout
Because of the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous route.

125. circumlocution indirect or roundabout expression
He was afraid to call spade a spade and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

126. circumscribe limit; confine
Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that you complete this assignment before you start anything else.

127. circumspect prudent; cautious
Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

128. circumvent outwit; baffle
In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in other sections before starting our major campaign.

129. citadel fortress
The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

130. cite quote; commend
She could cite passages in the Bible from memory.

131. civil having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite
Although internal Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax evaders.

132. clairvoyant having foresight; fortuneteller
Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by the Trojans.

133. clamber climb by crawling
She clambered over the wall.

134. clamor noise
The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a nap.

135. clandestine secret
After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

136. clangor loud, resounding noise
The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of hammers on steel.

137. clapper striker (tongue) of a bell
Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf around the clapper to muffle its striking.

138. clarion shrill, trumpetlike sound
We woke to the clarion to muffle its striking.

139. claustrophobia fear of being locked in
His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia and often threatened to lock him in his room.

140. clavicle collarbone
Even though he wore shoulder pads, the football player broke his clavicle during a practice scrimmage.

141. cleave split asunder
The lightening cleaves the tree in two.

142. cleft split
Erosion caused a cleft in the huge boulder.

143. clemency disposition ot be lenient; mildness, as of the weather
The lawyer was pleased when the case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first offenders.

144. cliche phrase culled in meaning by repetition
High school compositions are often marred by such cliches as "strong as an ox."

145. clientele body of customers
The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

146. climactic relating to the highest point
When he reached the climactic portions of the book, he could not stop reading.

147. clime region; climate
His doctors advised him to move to a milder clime.

148. clique small, exclusive group
She charged that a clique had assumed control of school affairs.

149. cloister monastery or convent
The nuns lived in the cloister.

150. clout great influence (especially political or social)
Gatsby wondered whether he had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

151. cloying distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental
Disliking the cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose a homemade carrot cake for their reception.

152. coagulate thicken; congeal; clot
Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to coagulate as it stands.

153. coalesce combine; fuse
The brooks coalesce into one large river.

154. coda concluding section of a musical or literary composition
The piece concluded with a distinctive coda that strikingly brought together various motifs.

155. coddle treat gently; pamper
Don't coddle the children to much; they need a taste of discipline.

156. codicil supplement to the body of a will
This codicil was drawn up five years after the writing of the original will.

157. codify arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify
We need to take the varying rules and regulations of the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

158. coercion use of force
They forced him to obey, but only by great coercion.

159. coeval living at the same time as; contemporary
coeval with the dinosaur, the pterodactyl flourished during the Mesozoic era.

160. cog tooth projecting from a wheel
A bicycle chain moves through a series of cogs in order to propel the bike.

161. cogent convincing
She presented cogent arguments to the jury.

162. cogitate think over
cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

163. cognate related linguistically; allied by blood; similar or akin in nature
The English word "mother" cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity."

164. cognitive having to do with knowing or perceiving related to the mental precesses
Though Jack was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced intellectually.

165. cognizance knowledge
During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of the international situation.

166. cohere stick together
Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

167. cohesion tendency to keep together
A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the emperor, by lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion ofthe free nations.

168. cohorts armed band
Caesar and his Roman cohorts conquered almost all of the known world.

169. coiffure hairstyle
You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the 60's many African-Americans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

170. coincident occurring at the same time
Some people find the coincident events in Hardy's novels annoyingly improbable.

171. colander utensil with perforated bottom used for straining
Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a colander to drain it.

172. collaborate work together
Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

173. collage work of art put together from fragments
Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs all went into her collage.

174. collate examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order
They collated the newly found manuscripts to determine their age.

175. collateral security given for loan
The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by collateral.

176. collation a light meal
Tea sandwiches and cookies were offered at the collation.

177. colloquial pertaining to conversational or common speech
Your use of colloquial expressions in a formal essay such as the one you have presented spoils the effect you hope to achieve.

178. colloquy informal discussion
I enjoy our colloquies but I sometimes wish that they could be made more formal and more searching.

179. collusion conspiring in a fraudulent scheme
The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

180. colossal huge
Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

181. colossus gigantic statue
The legendary Colossus of Rhodes, bronze statue of the sun god that dominated the harbor of the Greek seaport, was one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

182. comatose in a coma; extremely sleepy
The long-winded orator soon had his audience in a comatose state.

183. combustible easily burned
After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers.

184. comely attractive; agreeable
I would rather have a poor and comely wife than a rich and homely one.

185. comestible something fit to be eaten
The roast turkey and other comestibles, the wines, and the excellent service made this Thanksgiving dinner particularly memorable.

186. comeuppance rebuke; deserts
After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his comeuppance.

187. comity courtesy; civility
A spirit of comity should exist among nations.

188. commandeer to draft for military purposes; to take for public use
The policeman commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

189. commemorative remembering; honoring
The new commemorative stamp honors the late Martin Luther King, Jr.

190. commensurate equal in extent
Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

191. commiserate feel or express pity or sympathy for
Her friends commiserated with the widow.

192. commodious spacious and comfortable
After sleeping in a small roadside cabins, they found their hotel suite commodious.

193. communal held in common; of a group of people
When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing their communal property.

194. compact agreement; contract
The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of government.

195. compact tightly packed; firm; brief
His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling than to basketball.

196. compatible harmonious; in harmony with
They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over unimportant matters.

197. compelling overpowering; irresistible in effect
The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but the defense attorney's compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

198. compendium brief, comprehensive summary
This text can serve as a compendium of the tremendous amount of new material being developed in this field.

199. compensatory making up for; repaying
Can a compensatory education program make up for the inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

200. compilation listing of statistical information in tabular or book form
The compilation of available scholarships serves a very valuable purpose.

201. complacent self-satisfied
There was a complacent look on his face as he examined his paintings.

202. complaisant trying to please; obliging
The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant manner.

203. complement complete; consummate; make perfect
The waiter recommended a glass of port to complement the cheese.

204. compliance conformity in fulfilling requirements; readiness to yield
The design for the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

205. compliant yielding
He was compliant and ready to go along with his friends' desires.

206. complicity participation; involvement
You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

207. component element; ingredient
I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same time.

208. comport bear one's self; behave
He comported himself with great dignity.

209. composure mental calmness
Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

210. compound combine; constitute; pay interest; increase
The makers of the popular cold remedy compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine.

211. comprehensive thorough; inclusive
This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and math skills for the SAT.

212. compress close; squeeze; contract
She compressed the package under her arm.

213. comprise include; consist of
If the District of Columbia were to be granted a statehood, the United States of America would comprise fifty-onestates, not just fifty.

214. compromise adjust; endanger the interests or reputation of
Your presence at the scene of the dispute compromises our claim to neutrality in this matter.

215. compunction remorse
The judge was especially severe in this sentencing because he felt that the criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

216. compute reckon; calculate
He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate.

217. concatenate link as in a chain
It is difficult to understand how these events could concatenate as they did without outside assistance.

218. concave hollow
The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the concave wall of the cliff.

219. concede admit; hield
Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to concede that she was right.

220. conceit whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor
He was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

221. concentric having a common center
The target was made of concentric circles.

222. conception beginning; forming of a idea
At the first conception of the work, he was consulted.

223. concerted mutually agreed on; done together
The girl scouts in the troop made a concerted effort to raise funds for their annual outing, and emitted a concerted sigh when their leader announced that they had reached their goal.

224. concession an act of yielding
Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain concessions.

225. conciliatory reconciling; soothing
She was still angry despite his conciliatory words.

226. concise brief and compact
When you define a new word, be concise; the shorter the definition, the easier it is to remember.

227. conclave private meeting
He was present at all their conclaves as an unofficial observer.

228. conclusive decisive; ending all debate
When the stolen books turned up in John's locker, we finally had conclusive evidence of the identity of the mysterious thief.

229. concoct prepare by combining; make up in concert
How did the inventive chef ever concoct such strange dish?

230. concomitant that which accompanies
Culture is not always a concomitant of wealth.

231. concord harmony
Watching Tweediedum and Tweedledee battle, Alice wondered why the two brothers could not manage to life in concord.

232. concur agree
Did you concur with the decision of the court or did you find it unfair?

233. concurrent happening at the same time
In America, the colonists were resisting the demands of the mother contry; at the concurrent moment in France, the middle class was sowing the seeds of rebellion.

234. condescend bestow courtesies with a superior air
The king condescended to grant an audience to the friends of the condemned man.

235. condign adequate; deservedly severe
The public approved the condign punishment for the crime.

236. condiments seasonings; spices
Spanish food is full of condiments.

237. condole express sympathetic sorrow
His friends gathered to condole with him over his loss.

238. condone overlook; forgive; give tacit approval; excuse
Unlike Widow Douglass, who condoned Huck's minor offenses, Miss Watson did nothing but scold.

239. conducive helpful; contributive
Rest and proper diet are conducive to good health.

240. conduit aqueduct; passageway for fluids
Water was brought to the army in the desert by an improvised conduit from the adjoining mountain.

241. confidant trusted friend
He had no confidants with whom he could discuss his problems at home.

242. confiscate seize; commandeer
The army confiscated all available supplies of uranium.

243. conflagration great fire
In the conflagration that followed the 1906 earthquake, much of San Francisco was destroyed.

244. confluence flowing together; crowd
They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.

245. conformity harmony; agreement
In conformity with our rules and regulations, I am calling a meeting of our organization.

246. confound confuse; puzzle
No mystery could confound Sherlock Holmes for long.

247. congeal freeze; coagulate
His blood congealed in his veins as he saw the dread monster rush toward him.

248. congenial pleasant; friendly
My father loved to go out for a meal with congenial companions.

249. congenital existing at birth
His congenital deformity disturbed his parents.

250. conglomeration mass of material sticking together
In such a conglomeration of miscellaneous statistics, it was impossible to find a single area of analysis. 

251. congruence correspondence of parts; harmonious relationship
The student demonstrated the congruence of the two triangles by using the hypotenuse-arm theorem.

252. conifer pine tree; cone-bearing tree
According to geologists, the conifers were the first plants to bear flowers.

253. conjecture surmise; guess
I will end all your conjectures; I admit I am guilty as charged.

254. conjugal pertaining to marriage
Their dreams of conjugal bliss were shattered as soon as their temperaments clashed.

255. conjure summon a devil; proactive magic; imagine; invent
He conjured up an image of a reformed city and had the voters completely under his spell.

256. connivance pretense of ignorance of something wrong; assistance; permission to offend
With the connivance of his friends, he plotted to embarrass the teacher.

257. connoisseur person competent to act as judge of art, ect.; a lover of an art
She had developed into a connoisseur of fine china.

258. connotation suggested or implied meaning of an expression
Foreigners frequently are unaware of the connotations of the words they use.

259. connubial pertaining to maffige or the matrimonial state
In his telegram, he wished the newlyweds a lifetime of connubial bliss.

260. consanguinity kinship
The lawsuit developed into a test of the consanguinity of the claimant to the estate.

261. conscientious scrupulous; careful
A conscientious editor checked every definition for its accuracy.

262. conscript draftee; person forced into military service
Did Rambo volunteer to fight in Vietnam, or was he a conscript, drafted against his will?

263. consecrate dedicate; sanctify
We shall consecrate our lives to this noble purpose.

264. consensus general agreement
The consensus indicates that we are opposed to entering into this pact.

265. consequential pompous; self-important
Convinced of his own importance, the actor strutted about the dressing room with a consequential air.

266. conservatory school of the fine arts (especiallymusic or drama)
A gifted violinist, Marya was selected to study at the conservatory.

267. consign deliver officially; entrust; set apart
The court consigned the child to her paternal grandmother's care.

268. consistency absence of contradictions; dependability; uniformity; degree of thickness
Holmes judged puddings and explanations on their consistency; he liked his puddings without lumps and his explanations without improbabilities.

269. console lessen sadness or disappointment; give comfort
When her father died, Marius did his best to console Cosette.

270. consonance harmony; agreement
Her agitation seemed out of consonance with her usual calm.

271. consort associate with
We frequently judge people by the company with whom they consort.

272. consort husband or wife
The search for a consort for the young Queen Victoria ended happily.

273. conspiracy treacherous plot
Brutus and Cassius joined in the conspiracy to kill Julius Caesar.

274. constituent supporter
The congressman received hundreds of letters from angry constituents after the Equal Rights Amendment failed to pass.

275. constraint compulsion; repression of feelings
There was a feeling of constraint in the room because no one dared to criticize the speaker.

276. construe explain; interpret
If I construe your remarks correctly, you disagree with the theory already advanced.

277. consummate complete
I have never seem anyone who makes as many stupid errors as you do; you must be a consummate idiot.

278. contagion infection
Fearing contagion, they took drastic steps to prevent the spread of the disease.

279. contaminate pollute
The sewage system of the city so contaminated the water that swimming was forbidden.

280. contempt scorn; disdain
Even if you feel superior to others, it is unwise to show your contempt for them.

281. contend struggle; compete; assert earnestly
In Revolt of the Black Athlete, sociologist Harry Edwards contends that young black athletes have been exploited by some college recruiters.

282. contentious quarrelsome
We heard loud and contentious noises in the next room.

283. contest dispute
The defeated candidate attempted to contest the election results.

284. context writings preceding and following the passage quoted
Because these lines are taken out of context, they do not convey the message the author intended.

285. contiguous adjacent to; touching upon
The two countries are contiguous for a few miles; then they are separated by the gulf.

286. continence self-restraint; sexual chastity
She vowed to lead a life of continence.

287. contingent conditional
The continuation of this contract is contingent on the quality of your first output.

288. contortions twistings; distortions
As the effects of the opiate wore away, the contortions of the patient became more violent and demonstrated how much pain she was enduring.

289. contraband illegal trade; smuggling; smuggled goods
The coast guard tries to prevent contraband in U.S. waters.

290. contravene contradict; oppose: infringe on or transgress
Mr. Barrett did not expect his frail daughter Elizabeth to contravene his will by eloping with Robert Browning.

291. contrite penitent
Her contrite tears did not influence the judge when he imposed sentence.

292. contrived forced; artificial; not spontaneous
Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws; James made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

293. controvert oppose with arguments; contradict
To controvert your theory will require much time but it is essential that we disprove it.

294. contumacious disobedient; resisting authority
The contumacious mob shouted defiantly at the police.

295. contusion bruise
She was treated for contusions and abrasions.

296. conundrum riddle; difficult problem
During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

297. convene assemble
Because much is needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

298. convention social or moral custom; established practice
Flying in the face of convention, George Sand (Amandine Dudevant) shocked her contemporaries by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

299. conventional ordinary; typical
His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for his wife's eccentric family.

300. converge come together
Marchers converged on Washington for the great Save Our Cities-Save Our Children March.

301. conversant familiar with
The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

302. converse opposite
The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

303. convert one who has adopted a different religion or opinion
On his trip to Japan, though the President spoke at length about the merits of American automobiles, he made few converts to his beliefs.

304. convex curving outward
He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

305. conveyance vehicle; transfer
During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of conveyances.

306. conviction strongly held belief
Nothing could shake his conviction that she was innocent.

307. convivial festive; gay; characterized by joviality
The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their college songs.

308. convoke call together
Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency.

309. convoluted coiled around; involved; intricate
His argument was so convoluted that few of us could follow a it intelligently.

310. copious plentiful
She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

311. coquette flirt
Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he called her a coquette.

312. cordial gracious; heartfelt
Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a hearty hug.

313. cordon extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress
The police cordon was so tight that the criminals could not leave the area.

314. cornice projecting molding on building (usually above columns)
Because the stones forming the cornice had been loosened by the storms, the police closed the building until repairs could be made.

315. cornucopia horn overflowing wiht fruit and grain; symbol of abundance
The encyclopedia salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an inexhaustible source of knowledge for the entire family.

316. corollary consequence; accompaniment
Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with a sibling rivalry its natural corollary.

317. corporeal bodily; material
He was not a churchgoer; he was interested only in corporeal matters.

318. corpulent very fat
The corpulent man resolved to reduce.

319. correlation mutual relationship
He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises.

320. corroborate confirm
Unless we find a witness to corroborate your evidence, it will not stand up in court.

321. corrosive eating away by chemicals or disease
Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of corrosive chemicals.

322. corrugated wrinkled; ridged
She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.

323. cosmic pertaining to the universe; vast
cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space.

324. coterie group that meets socially; select circle
After his book had been published, he was invited to join the literary coteri that lunched daily at the hotel.

325. countenance approve; tolerate
He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

326. countenance face
Whe Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his countenance.

327. countermand cancel; revoke
The general countermand the orders issued in his absence.

328. counterpart a thing that completes another; things very much alike
Night and day are counterparts.

329. coup highly successful action or sudden attack
As the news of his coup spread throughout Wall Street, his fellow brokers dropped by to congratulate him.

330. couple join; unite
The Flying Karamazovs couple expert juggling and amateur joking in their nightclub act.

331. courier messenger
The publisher sent a special courier to pick up the manuscript.

332. covenant agreement
We must comply with the terms of the covenant.

333. covert secret; hidden; implied
She could understand the covert threat in the letter.

334. covetous avaricious; eagerly desirous of
The child was covetous by nature and wanted to take the toys belonging to his classmates.

335. cow terrorize; intimidate
The little boy was so cowed by the hulking bully that he gave up his lunch money without a word of protest.

336. cower shrink quivering, as from fear
The frightened child cowered in the corner of the room.

337. coy shy; modest; coquettish
She was coy in her answers to his offer.

338. cozen cheat; hoodwink; swindle
He was the kind of individual who would cozen his friends in a cheap card game but remain eminently ethical in all his business dealings.

339. crabbed sour; peevish
The children avoided the crabbed old man because he scolded them when they made noise.

340. crass very unrefined; grossly insensible
The philosophers deplored the crass commercialism.

341. craven cowardly
When he saw the enemy troops advancing, he had a craven impulse to run for his life.

342. credence belief
Do not place any credence in his promises.

343. credo creed
I believe we may best describe his credo by saying that it approximates the Goldren Rule.

344. credulity belief on slight evidence
The witch doctor took advantage of the credulity of the superstitious natives.

345. creed system of religious or ethical belief
In any loyal American's creed, love of democracy must be emphasized.

346. crescendo increase in the volume or intensity, as in a musical passage; climax
The overture suddenly changed from a quiet pastoral theme to a crescendo featuring blaring trumpets and clashing cymbols.

347. crestfallen dejected; dispirited
We were surprised at his reaction to the failure of his project; instead of being crestfallen, he was busily engaged in planning new activities.

348. crevice crack; fissure
The mountain climbers found footholds in the tiny crevices in the mountainside.

349. cringe shrink back, as if in fear
The dog cringed, expecting a blow.

350. criteria standards used in judging
What criteria did you use when you selected this essay as the prize winner?

351. crone hag
The toothless crone frightened us when she smiled.

352. crotchety eccentric; whimsical
Although he was reputed to be a crochety old gentleman, I found his ideas substantially sound and sensible.

353. crux crucial point
This is the crux of the entire problem.

354. crypt secret recess or vault usually used for burial
Until recently only bodies of rulers and leading statesmen were interred in this crypt.

355. cryptic mysterious; hidden; secret
His cryptic remarks could not be interpreted.

356. cubicle small chamberused for sleeping
After his many hours of intensive study in the library he retired to his cubicle.

357. cuisine style of cooking
French cuisine is noted for its use of sauces and wines.

358. culinary relating to cooking
Many chefs attribute their culinary skill to the wise use of spices.

359. cull pick out; reject
Every month the farmer culls the nonplaying hens from his flock and sells them to the local butcher.

360. culmination attainment of highest point
His inauguration as President of the United States marked the culmination of his political career.

361. culpable deserving blame
Corrupt politicians who condone the activities of the gamblers are equally culpable.

362. culvert artificial channel for water
If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road at this point, we will reduce the possibility of the road's being flooded during the rainy season.

363. cumbersome heavy; hard to manage
He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

364. cumulative growing by addition
Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

365. cupidity greed
The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded excessive tribute.

366. curator superintendent; manager
The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

367. curmudgeon churlish, miserly individual
Although he was regarded by many as a curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly performed.

368. cursive flowing, running
In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in printing, we separate the letters.

369. cursory casual; hastily done
A cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility of arson; a more extensive study should be undertaken.

370. curtail shorten; reduce
During the coal shortage, we must curtail our use of this vital commodity.

371. cynical skeptical or distrustful of human motives
cynical at all times, he was suspicious of all altruistic actions of others.

372. cynosure object of general attention
As soon as the movie star entered the room, she became the cynosure of all eyes.

373. consternation anxiety, dismay
Lincoln is famous for saying that the consternations during the civil war had left him decrepit.

374. casual accidental; not regular or permanent; careless; informal
It can be argued that physical laws can be casual as well as inveterate, since it is based on an induction.






1. dais raised platform for guests of honor
When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers from the people who had come to honor him.

2. dally trifle with; procrastinate
Laertes told Ophelia that Hamlet could only dally with her affections.

3. dank damp
The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

4. dapper neat and trim
In "The Odd Couple," Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

5. dappled spotted
The sunlight filtering though the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

6. daub smear (as with paint)
From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew nothing of oils.

7. daunt intimidate
Your threats cannot daunt me.

8. dauntless bold
Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for the assignment.

9. dawdle loiter; waste time
Inasmuch as we must meet a deadline, do not dawdle over this work.

10. deadlock standstill; stalemate
The negotiations had reached a deadlock.

11. deadpan wooden; impassive
We wanted to see how long he could maintain his deadpan expression.

12. dearth scarcity
The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

13. debacle breaking up; downfall
This debacle in the government can only result in anarchy.

14. debase reduce to lower state
Do not debase youself by becoming maudlin.

15. debauch corrupt; make intemperate
A vicious newspaper can debauch public ideals.

16. debilitate weaken; enfeeble
Overindulgence debilitates character as well as physical stamina.

17. debonair friendly; aiming to please
The debonair youth was liked by all who met him, because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

18. debris rubble
A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, workers were still carting away the debris.

19. debunk expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc.; ridicule
Pointing out that he conhsistently had voted afainst strenghtening antipollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he was a fervent environmentalist.

20. debutante yound woman making formal entrance into society
As a debutante, she was often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

21. decadence decay
The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the period.

22. decant pour off gently
Be sure to decant this wine before serving it.

23. decapitate behead
They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her.

24. decelerate slow down
Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

25. deciduous falling off, as of leaves
The oak is a deciduous tree.

26. decimate kill, usually one out of ten
We do more to decimate our population in automobile accidents than we do in war.

27. decipher decode
I could not decipher the doctor's handwriting.

28. declivity downward slope
The children loved to ski down the declivity.

29. decollete having a low-cut neckline
Fashion decrees that evening gowns be decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

30. decomposition decay
Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were able to identify the murdered man.

31. decorum propriety; seemliness
Shocked by the unruly behavior, the teacher criticized the class for its lack of decorum.

32. decoy lure or bait
The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy.

33. decrepitude state of collagse caused by illness or old age
I was unprepared for the state of decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.

34. decry express strong disapproval of ; disparage
The founder of the Children's Defense Fund, Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in America today.

35. deducible derived byreasoning
If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily deducible.

36. deface mar; disfigure
If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

37. defamation harming a person's reputation
Such defamation of character may result in a slander suit.

38. default failure to do
As a result of her husband's failure to appear in court, she was granted a divorce by default.

39. defeatist resigned to defeat; accepting defeat as a natural outcome
If you maintain your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed.

40. defection desertion
The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his defection from our cause.

41. deference courteous regard for another's wish
In deference to his desires, the employers granted him a holiday.

42. defile pollute; profane
The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

43. definitive most reliable or complee
Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

44. deflect turn aside
His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

45. defoliate destroy leaves
In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the woodlands.

46. defray provide ofr the payment of
Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

47. defrock to strip a priest or minister of church authority
We knew the minister had violated church regulations, but we had not realized his offense was serious enough to cause him to be defrocked.

48. deft neat; skillful
The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

49. defunct dead; no longer in use or existence
The lawyers sought to examine the books of the defunct corporation.

50. degenerate become worse; deteriorate
As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until he could barely keep on his feet.

51. degraded lowered in rank; debased
The degraded wretch spoke only of his past glories and honors. 

52. dehydrate remove water from; dry out
Vigorous dancing quickly dehydrates the body; between dances, be sure to drink more water than normal.

53. deify turn into a god; idolize
Admire the rock star all you want; just don't deify him.

54. deign condescend
He felt that he would debase himself if he deigned to answer his critics.

55. delete erase; strike out
If you delete this paragraph, the composition will have more appeal.

56. deleterious harmful
Workers in nuclear research must avoid the deleterious effects of radioactive substances.

57. deliberate consider; ponder; unhurried
Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she made her decision.

58. delineate portray
He is weakest when he attempts to delineate character.

59. delirium mental disorder marked by confusion
The drunkard in his delirium saw strange animals.

60. delta flat plain of mud or sand between branches of a river
His dissertation discussed the effect of intermittent flooding on the fertility of the Nile delta.

61. delude deceive
Do not delude yourself into believing that he will relent.

62. deluge flood; rush
When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

63. delusion false belief; hallucination
This scheme is a snare and a delusion.

64. delusive deceptive; raising vain hopes
Do not raise your hopes on the basis of his delusive promises.

65. delve dig; investigate
delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.

66. demagogue person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader
He was accused of being a demogogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

67. demean degrade; humiliate
He felt that he would demean himself if he replied to the scurrilous letter.

68. demeanor behavior; bearing
His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

69. demented insane
She became increasingly demented and had to be hospitalized.

70. demise death
Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

71. demographic related to population balance
In conducting a survey, one should take into account demographic trends in the region.

72. demolition destruction
One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of transportation by the bombing of rail lines and the terminals.

73. demoniac fiendish
The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture.

74. demotic pertaining to the people
He lamented the passing of aristocratic society and maintained that a demotic society would lower the nation's standards.

75. demur delay; object
To demur at this time will only worsen the already serious situation; now is the time for action.

76. demure grave; serius; coy
She was demure and reserved.

77. denigrate blacken
All attempts to denigrate the character of our late President have failed; the people still love him and cherish his memory.

78. denizen inhabitant of
Ghosts are denizens of the land of the dead who return to earth.

79. denotation meaning; distinguishing by name
A dictionary will always give us the denotation of a word; frequently, it will always give us its connotation.

80. denouement outcome; final development of the plot of a play or other literary work
The play was childishly written; the denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.

81. denounce condemn; critcize
The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having betrayed the public's trust.

82. depict portray
In this book, the author depicts the slave owners as kind and benevolent masters.

83. deplete reduce; exhaust
We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order replacements.

84. deplore regret
Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to express yourself freely.

85. deploy move troops so that the battle line is extended at the expense of depth
The general ordered the battalion to deploy in order to meet the offensive of the enemy.

86. depose dethrone; remove form office
The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military government.

87. deposition testimony under oath
He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

88. depravity corruption; wickedness
The depravity of the tyrant's behavior shocked us all.

89. deprecate express disapproval of; protest against; belittle
A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy, Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.

90. depreciate lessen in value
If you neglect this properly, it will depreciate.

91. depredation plundering
After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

92. deranged insane
He had to be institutionalized because he was deranged.

93. derelict neglectful of duty; abandoned
The corporal who fell asleep while on watch was thrown into the guardhouse for being derelic in his duty.

94. deride scoff at
The people derided his grandiose schemes.

95. derision ridicule
They greeted his proposal with derision and refused to consider it seriously.

96. derivative unoriginal; obtained from another source
Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in nature, the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

97. dermatologist one who studies the skin and its diseases
I advise you to consult a dermatologist about your acne.

98. derogatory expressing a low opinion
I resent your derogatory remarks.

99. descry catch sight of
In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

100. desecrate profane; violate the sanctity of
The soldiers desecrated the temple.

101. desiccate dry up
A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate food in order to preserve it.

102. desolate rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake
The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and carrying off the harvest.

103. desperado reckless outlaw
Butch Cassidy was a bold desperado with a price on his head.

104. despicable contemptible
Your despicable remarks call for no reply.

105. despise scorn
I despise your attempts at a reconciliation at this time and refuse to meet you.

106. despoil plunder
If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

107. despondent depressed; gloomy
To the dismay of his parents, he became more and more depondent every day.

108. despotism tyranny
The people rebelled against the despotism of the king.

109. destitute extremely poor
The costs of the father's illness left the family destitute.

110. desultory aimless; haphazard; digressing at random
In prison Malcolm X set himself the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him reading was purposeful, not desultory.

111. detached emotionally removed; calm and objective; indifferent
A psychoanalyst must maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with her patients' perssonal lives.

112. determinate having a fixed order of procedure; invariable
At the royal wedding, the procession of the nobles followed a determinate order of precedence.

113. deterrent something that discourages; hindrance
Does the threat of capital punishment serve as a deterrent to potential killers?

114. detonation explosion
The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

115. detraction slandering; aspersion
He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

116. detrimental harmful; damaging
Your acceptance of her support will ultimately prove detrimental rather than helpful to your cause.

117. deviate turn away from
Do not deviate from the truth; you must face the facts.

118. devious going astray; erratic
Your devious behavior in this matter puzzles me since you are usually direct and straightforward.

119. devoid lacking
He was devoid of any personal desire for gain in his endeavor to secure improvement in the community.

120. devolve deputize; pass to others
It devolved upon us, the survivors, to arrange peace terms with the enemy.

121. devotee enthusiastic follower
A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

122. devout pious
The devout man prayed daily.

123. dexterous skillful
The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow his movements as he performed his tricks.

124. diabolical devilish
This scheme is so diabolical that I must reject it.

125. diadem crown
The king's diadem was on display at the museum.

126. dialectic art of debate
I am not skilled in dialectic and therefore, cannot answer your arguments as forcefully as I wish.

127. diaphanous sheer; transparent
They saw the burglar clearly through the diaphanous curtain.

128. diatribe bitter scolding; invective
During the lengthy diatribe delivered by his opponent he remained calm and self-controlled.

129. dichotomy branching into two parts
The dichotomy of our legislative system provides us with many safeguards.

130. dictum arthoritative and weighty statement
She repeated the statement as though it were the dictum of the most expert worker in the group.

131. didactic teaching; instructional; preaching or moralizing
The didactic qualities of his poetry overshadow its literary qualities; the lesson he teaches is more memorable than the lines.

132. die device for stamping or impressing; mold
In coining pennies, workers at the old mint squeezed sheets of softened copper between two dies.

133. diffidence shyness
You must overcome your diffidence if you intend to become a salesperson.

134. diffusion wordiness; spreading in all directions like a gas
Your composition suffers from a diffusion of ideas; try to be more compact.

135. digression wandering away from the subject
Nobody minded when Professor Renoir's lectures wandered away from their offical theme; his digressions were always more fascinating than the topic of the day.

136. dilapidated ruined because of neglect
We felt that the dilapidated building needed several coats of paint.

137. dilate expand
In the dark, the pupils of your eyes dilate.

138. dilatory delaying
Your dilatory tactics may compel me to cancel the contract.

139. dilemma problem; choice of two unsatisfactory alternatives
In this dilemma, he knew no one to whom he could turn for advice.

140. dilettante aimless follower of the arts; amateur; dabbler
He was not serious in his painting; he was rather a dilettante.

141. diligence steadiness of effort; persisten hard work
Her employers were greatly impressed by her diligence and offered her a partnership in the firm.

142. dilute make less concentrated; reduce in strength
She preferred her coffee diluted with milk.

143. diminution lessening; reduction in size
The blockaders hoped to achieve victory as soon as the diminution of the enemy's supplies became serious.

144. din continued loud noise
The din of the jackhammers outside the classroom window drowned out the lecturer's voice.

145. dinghy small boat (often ship's boat)
In the film Lifeboat, an ill-assorted group of passengers from a sunken ocean liner are marooned at sea in a dinghy.

146. dingy dull; not fresh; cheerless
Refusing to be depressed by her dingy studio apartment, Bea spent the weekend polishing the floors and windows and hanging bright posters on the walls.

147. dint means; effort
By dint of much hard work, the volunteers were able to control the raging forest fire.

148. diorama like-size, three-dimensional scene from nature or history
Because they dramatically pose actual stuffed animals against realistic painted landscapes, the dioramas at the Museum of Natural History particularly impress high school biology students.

149. dire disastrous
People ignored her dire predictions of an approaching depression.

150. dirge lament with music
The funeral dirge stirred us to tears.

151. disabuse correct a false impression; undeceive
I will attempt to diabuse you of your impression of my client's guilt; I know he is innocent.

152. disaffected disloyal
Once the most loyal of Gorbachev's supporters, Shverdnaze found himself becoming increasingly disaffected.

153. disapprobation disapproval; condemnation
The conservative father viewed his daughter's radical boyfriend with disapprobation.

154. disarray a disorderly or untidy state
After the New Year's party, the once orderly house was in total disarray.

155. disavowal denial; disclaiming
His disavowal of his part in the conspiracy was not believed by the jury.

156. disband dissolve; disperse
The chess club disbanded after its disastrous initial season.

157. disburse pay out
When you disburse money on the company's behalf, be sure to get a receipt.

158. discernible distinguishable; perceivable
The ships in the harbor were not discernible in the fog.

159. discerning mentally quick and observant; having insight
Because he was considered the most discerning member of the firm, he was assigned the most difficult cases.

160. disclaim disown; renounce claim to
If I grant you this previlege, will you disclaim all other rights?

161. disclose reveal
Although competitors offered him bribes, he refused to disclose any information about his company's forthcoming product.

162. discombobulated confused; discomposed
The novice square dancer became so discombobulated that he wandered into wrong set.

163. discomfit put to rout; defeat; disconcert
This ruse will discomfit the enemy.

164. disconcert confuse; upset; embarrass
The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence produced by her adversary.

165. disconcolate sad
The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

166. discordant inharmonious; conflicting
She tried to unite the discordant factions.

167. discount disregard
Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

168. discourse formal disscussion; conversation
The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers.

169. discredit defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve
The campaign was highly negative in tone; each candidate tried to discredit the other.

170. discrepancy lack of consistency; difference
The police noticed some discrepancies in his description of the crime and did not believe him.

171. discrete separate; unconnected
The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

172. discretion prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances
Use your discretion in this matter and do not discuss it with anyone.

173. discrimination ability to see differences; prejudice
They feared he lacked sufficient discrimination to judge complex works of modern art.

174. discursive digressing; rambling
They were annoyed and bored by her discursive remarks.

175. disdain treat with scorn or contempt
You make enemies of all you disdain.

176. disembark go ashore; unload cargo from a ship
Before the passengers could disembark, they had to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

177. disenfranchise deprive of a civil right
The imposition if the poll tax effectively disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

178. disengage uncouple; separate; disconnect
A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.

179. disfigure mar the appearance of; spoil
An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

180. disgorge surrender something; efect; vomit
Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

181. disgruntle make discontented
The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

182. dishearten discourage
His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened him.

183. disheveled untidy
Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

184. disinclination unwilingness
Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed.

185. disingenuous not naive; sophisticated
Although he was young, his remarks indicated that he was disingenous.

186. disinter dig up; unearth
They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

187. disinterested unprejudiced
The only disinterested person in the room was the judge.

188. disjointed disconnected
His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

189. dislodge remove (forcible)
Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in this throat.

190. dismantle take apart
When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before restoring it.

191. dismember cut into small parts
When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new countries were established.

192. dismiss eliminate from consideration; reject
Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the notion that he might be unfaithful.

193. disparage belittle
Do not disparage anyone's contribution; these little gifts add up to large sums.

194. disparate basically different; unrelated
It is difficult, if not impossible, to organize these disparate elements into a coherent whole.

195. disparity difference; condition of inequality
The disparity in their ages made no difference at all.

196. dispassionate calm; impartial
In a dispassionate analysis of the problem, he carefully examined the causes of the conflict and proceeded to suggest suitable remedies.

197. dispatch speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed
Young Napoleon defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters, informing his commander of the great victory.

198. dispel scatter; drive away; cause to vanish
The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the morning mist.

199. disperse scatter
The police fired tear gas into crowd to disperse the protesters.

200. dispirited lacking in spirit
The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the enthusiasm of his team, which I had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

201. disport amuse
The popularity of Florida as a winter resort is constantly increasing; each year, thousands more disport themselves at Miami and Palm Beach.

202. disputatious argumentative; fond of argument
People avoided discussing contemporary problems with him because of his disputatious manner.

203. disquisition a formal systematic inquiry; an explanation of the results of a formal inquiry
In his disquisition, he outlined the steps he had taken in reaching his conclusions.

204. dissection analysis; cutting apart in order to examine
The dissection of frogs on the laboratory is particularly unpleasant to some students.

205. dissemble disguise; pretend
Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking modern dance, we all knew there not to dance but to meet girls.

206. disseminate scatter (like seeds)
The invention of the radio helped propagandists to disseminate their favorite doctrines very easily.

207. dissent disagree
In a landmark Supreme Court decision, Justice Marshall dissented from the majority opinion.

208. dissertation formal essay
In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.

209. dissident dissenting; rebellious
In the purge that followed the student demonstrations at Tianamen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their supporters.

210. dissimulate pretend; conceal by feigning
She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant attitude.

211. dissipate squander
The young man quickly dissipated his inheritance and was soon broke.

212. dissolution disintegration; looseness in morals
The profligacy and dissolution of life in Caligula's Rome appall some historians.

213. dissonance discord
Some contemporary musicians deliberately use dissonance to achieve certain effects.

214. dissuade advise against
He could not dissuade his friend from joining the conspirators.

215. distant reserved or aloof; cold in manner
His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome from the start.

2