Make
(someone) feel embarrasse
d, disconcerted,
or ashamed:
Harriet looked slightly abashed
abdicate
humiliate, embarrass
relinquish power or
position
aberrant
abnormal
abet
Encourage or assist (someo
ne) to do something wrong, he was not guilty of murder ,
aid, encourage (typically in particular to commit
but guilty of aiding and
a crime
abetting others
of crime)
abash
abeyance
postponement
aboriginal
indigenous
abridge
shorten
acclimate
moderate
accustom oneself to a
climate
accost
to approach and speak
to someone
abstemious
cachet
cacophony
callow
to give up power
Departing from
an accepted standard
Manufacture of anti-retrovirals is being
A state
of temporary disuse or susp held in abeyance pending official
ension
government policy on the issue.
existing in a land from
the earliest times
Shorten without losing the
sense
Around the world, 70 percent of uranium
deposits are located on aboriginal land.
indulging only very
moderately in something
Dalton was said to be abstemious but did
indulge in a game of bowls on a Thursday.
rule
capacious
spacious
capitulate
surrender
castigate
criticize
an abridged text of his speech
helping freshmen to acclimate
to college life
Approach and address (som
eone) boldly or aggressively reporters accosted him in the street
The state of
being respected or admired;
prestige
prestige
A harsh discordant mixture
dissonance, harsh noise of sounds
inexperienced and immatur
e
inexperienced
canon
in 1918 Kaiser Wilhelm abdicated as
German emperor
this somewhat aberrant behaviour req
uires an explanation
A general law,
rule, principle, or criterion by
which something is judged:
Having a lot of
space inside; roomy:
no other shipping company had quite the
cachet of Cunard
a cacophony of deafening alarm bells
earnest and callow undergraduates
the appointment violated the canons
of fair play and equal opportunity
she rummaged in her
capacious handbag
the patriots had to capitulate
to the enemy forces
Reprimand (someone) sever he was castigated for not setting a
ely:
good example
cathartic
purgative, purifying
catholic
universal, worldly
caustic
scathing (of speech)
censure
chagrin
Providing psychological relie
f through the
open expression of
strong emotions
crying is a cathartic release
Including a wide variety of
things; all-embracing
her tastes are pretty catholic
the players were making
caustic comments about the refereeing
condemn
The
formal expression of severe
disapproval
two MPs were singled out for censure
embarrassment
Annoyance or distress at
having failed or
been humiliated
He coughed up his Bickfords and turned
purple with a mixture of shame and
chagrin.
A person falsely claiming to
have
a special knowledge or skill
Cautiously or suspiciously re
luctant to do something
change to a solid or semisolid state
a self-confessed con artist and
charlatan
she had been chary
of telling the whole truth
blood had coagulated round the edges of
the gash
the first movement ends with
a fortissimo coda
the newspaper’s lawyers must prepare
a cogent appeal
charlatan
quack
chary
cautious
coagulate
thicken
coda
concluding passage
cogent
well-put, convincing
The concluding passage of
a piece or movement,
typically forming
an addition to
the basicstructure
clear, logical,
and convincing:
conspiracy
Secret or illegal cooperation
the armed forces were working in
or conspiracy in order
to deceive others
collusion with drug traffickers
collusion
Originating or occurring
indigenous
relinquish
naturally in
a particular place; native:
coriander is indigenous to southern
Europe
Voluntarily cease to kee
he relinquished his managerial role to
become chief executive
salary will be commensurate
with age and experience
p or claim; give up:
commensurate proportionate
commiserate
eclectic
Corresponding in size or
degree; in proportion
empathize
she went over to commiserate
Express or feel sympathy or with Rose on
pity; sympathize
her unfortunate circumstances
from many sources
Deriving ideas, style,
or taste from
a broad and diverse range
of sources
universities offering an eclectic mix of
courses
efficacy
effectiveness
effigy
likeness, mannequin
effloresce
to bloom
effrontery
insolence
The ability to produce
a desired or intended result
A sculpture or model of a
person
Reach an optimum stage
of development
Insolent or impertinent beha
viour:rude
there is little information on the efficacy
of this treatment
a tomb effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine
simple concepts that effloresce
into testable conclusions
one juror had the effrontery
to challenge the coroner’s decision
elicit
provoke
eloquent
well-spoken
Evoke or draw
out (a reaction, answer,
or fact) from someone
Fluent or persuasive in
speaking or writing
liberate
Set free, especially
from legal, social,
or political restrictions
embellish
exaggerate
Make (something)
more attractive by
the addition of decorative de blue silk embellished
tails or features
with golden embroidery
endemic
peculiar to a particular
region
regularly found among parti
cular people or in a certain complacency is endemic
area
in industry today
weaken
Make
(someone) feel drained of e
nergy or vitality
enervating heat
generate
Cause or give rise to (a
feeling, situation,
or condition)
boredom
A feeling
of listlessness and dissatisfa
ction arising from
a lack of occupation or excit
ement
he succumbed to ennui and despair
emancipate
enervate
engender
ennui
enumerate
count
esoteric
esthetic
known by only a few
artistic
euphemism
genteel expression
Mention (a number
of things) one by one
I tried to elicit a smile from Joanna
the citizen must be emancipated
from the obsessive secrecy of
government
an eloquent speech
the issue engendered continuing contro
versy
I would need more fingers and toes than I
have to enumerate the number of people
who contacted me to say ‘well done’ on
going so forcefully public on the matter.
Intended for or likely to
be understood by only a sm
all number of people with
a specializedknowledge or in
terest
esoteric philosophical debates
the jargon has given us ‘ downsizing ’
as a euphemism for cuts
euphoria
elation
evanescent
fleeting, very brief
A feeling or state
of intense excitement and h
appiness
quickly fading or disappearin
g
in his euphoria, he
had become convinced he
could defeat them
the evanescent Arctic summer
exacerbate
worsen
exasperate
irritate
Make
(a problem, bad situation, or rising inflation was exacerbated by
negative feeling) worse
the collapse of oil prices
this futile process exasperates prison
Irritate intensely; infuriate
officers
exhibitionist
one who draws
attention to himself
A person who behaves in
an extravagant way in order
to attract attention
I am something of an exhibitionist
free from blame
absolve (someone)
from blame for
a fault or wrongdoing
they
should exonerate these men from this
crime
hasten;Be quick to do
something
Make (an action
or process) happen sooner
or be accomplished more
quickly
he promised to
expedite economic reforms
exonerate
expedite
extemporize
improvise
extol
praise highly
Compose or perform
something such as music or
a speech without preparatio
n; improvise
he extemporized at the piano
he extolled
Praise enthusiastically
the virtues of the Russian peoples
joking, sarcastic
Treating serious issues with
deliberately inappropriate hu
mour; flippant
a facetious remark
facilitate
make easier
Make (an action
or process) easy or easier
fallacy
false belief
A mistaken belief
schools were located in the
same campus to facilitate
the sharing of resources
the notion that the camera never lies is
a fallacy
fathom
understand
fervor
intensity
Understand (a difficult probl
em or an enigmatic person)
after much thought
Intense and passionate feeli
ng
he couldn’t fathom why she was being
so anxious
he talked with all the fervour of a
new convert
facetious
Changing frequently,
especially
as regards one’s loyalties or celebs trying to appeal to
affections
an increasingly fickle public
fickle
filibuster
always changing one’s
mind
long speech
fledgling
develop wing feathers that
just beginning,struggling are large enough for flight
A young bird that has just fledged
flout
to show disregard for
the law or rules
openly ignored;disregard
foment
forsake
instigate
abandon
Instigate or stir up;initiate
Abandon or leave
fortuitous
lucky
the similarity between
Happening by chance rather the paintings may not
than intention
be simply fortuitous
foster
encourage
frugal
thrifty
fulminate
denounce, menace
furtive
stealthy
so loud as to make
deafening
crescendo
Encourage the development
Sparing or economical as re
gards money or food
declare wrong or evil
;express vehement protest
Attempting to avoid notice or
attention
the advertising code is being flouted
they accused him of
fomenting political unrest
he would never forsake Tara
the teacher’s task is to foster learning
I’m a bit too frugal to splash out
on designer clothes
all fulminated against the
new curriculum
they spent a furtive day together
it impossible to hear anyt
hing else:
the music reached a
deafening crescendo
A gradual increase in lou
each time the key changes , there is
a gradual crescendo
dness in a piece ofmusic
Search unsystematically
rummage
she rummaged in her
capacious handbag
and untidily through
something
A feeling
of smug or uncritical sati
complacency
sfaction with oneself or
one’s achievements,prid
e
Having or showing
an excessive pride in
smug
oneself or
one’s achievements
Of the same kind; alike
However, these results were based on a
sample of university men who were fairly
homogeneous in age
exaggeration
Exaggerated statements or
claims not meant to be
taken literally
he vowed revenge with oaths and
hyperboles
deceiving, two-faced
fearless
Behaving in a
way that suggests one has
higher standards
Fearless; adventurous
we don’t go to church and we thought it
would be hypocritical to have
him christened
our intrepid reporter
flood
Overwhelm (someone) with
we’ve been inundated
things or people to
be dealt with
with complaints from listeners
homogeneous uniform
hyperbole
hypocritical
intrepid
inundate
he was feeling smug after his win
inure
accustom, habituate,
harden
Accustom (someone) to
something, especially
something unpleasant
omnipotent
all-powerful
having unlimited power
these children have been inured
to violence
God is described as omnipotent
and benevolent
onerous
burdensome
opprobrium
disgrace
involving a great deal
of effort, trouble, or difficulty
Harsh criticism or censure;c
astigate
he found his duties increasingly onerou
s
the critical opprobrium generated by
his films
iconoclast
one who rails against
sacred institutions
invective
verbal insult
A person who attacks
or criticizes cherished belief
s or institutions
Insulting, abusive, or
highly critical language
he let out a stream of invective
oscillate
waver
Move or swing back and
forth in a regular rhythm
the grain pan near the front of
the combine oscillates back and forth
idiosyncrasy
peculiarity
inveigle
lure
A mode of behaviour or way
one of his little idiosyncrasies was
of thought peculiar to
an individual
always preferring to be in the car first
induce,persuadeto do
something
he inveigled her back to his room
paean
a song of praise
A song of praise or triumph
imminent
about to happen
About to happen
a paean of praise for the great poets
they were in imminent danger of being
swept away
irascible
irritable
Having or showing
a tendency to be
easily angered
an irascible and difficult man
paradigm
impecunious
a model
indigent
Having little or no money
society’s paradigm of the ‘ ideal woman
a titled but impecunious family
irresolute
hesitant, uncertain
Showing or feeling hesitancy she stood irresolute outside his door
paragon
imperative
standard of excellence
vital, pressing
A person or
thing regarded as
a perfect example
Of vital importance; crucial
itinerary
route
parody
imitation, ridicule
imperturbable calm
judicious
prudent
parsimonious
stingy
A planned route or journey
An imitation of the style of
a particular writer,
Unable to
be upset or excited; calm
it would have taken a paragon
of virtue not to feel viciously jealous
immediate action was imperative
his itinerary included an
official visit to Canada
the film is a parody of the horror genre
an imperturbable tranquillity
Having, showing, or done
with
good judgement or sense
the judicious use of public investment
Very unwilling to spend mon even the parsimonious
ey or use resources
Joe paid for drinks all round
impervious
impenetrable
Not allowing fluid to pass
through
an impervious layer of basaltic clay
laconic
brief, terse
using very few words
his laconic reply suggested a lack of
interest in the topic
paucity
scarcity
impetuous
impulsive
The presence of something
in only small or insufficient q
uantities or amounts
a paucity of information
Acting or done quickly and she might live to rue this
without thought or care
impetuous decision
lassitude
pedagogical
lethargy
pertaining to teaching
implicit
implied
laudatory
commendable
A state of physical or
mental weariness; lack of en
ergy
Relating to teaching
Suggested though
not directly expressed
expressing praise and com
mendation
pedantic
bookish
Excessively concerned with
his analyses are careful and even pains
minor details or
rules; overscrupulous
taking , but never pedantic
impolitic
unwise
not wise or sensible; foolish unwise policy decisions
levity
frivolity
The treatment of
a serious matter with humou as an attempt to introduce a note of
r
levity, the words were a disastrous flop
penchant
inclination
impulsive
to act suddenly
lucid
clearly understood
penury
poverty
impunity
exemption from harm
lurid
ghastly
pernicious
destructive
Unpleasantly bright in colour lurid food colourings
the pernicious influences of the mass
Having a harmful effect
media
inadvertent
unintentional
Not resulting from
or achieved through delibera he was pardoned for
te planning
inadvertent manslaughter
Machiavellian
Cunning, scheming,
politically crafty,cunning and unscrupulous
A strong or habitual liking for
something
Acting or done
without forethought
Expressed clearly; easy to u
nderstand
she was overcome by lassitude and
retired to bed
they show great pedagogic skills
comments seen as implicit criticism of
the policies
enthusiastic and laudatory articles
he has a penchant
for adopting stray dogs
they’d married as impulsive teenagers
write in a clear and lucid style
The state of being very poor he couldn’t face another year of penury
protestors burned flags on
Exemption from punishment the streets with impunity
a whole range
of outrageous Machiavellian manoeuvre
s
perpetuity
incendiary
eternity
inflammatory
The state or quality
of lasting forever
designed to cause fires
he did not believe in the perpetuity
of military rule
incendiary bombs
magnanimous
generous, kindhearted
Generous or forgiving
she should be magnanimous in victory
perspicacious
keen
Having a ready insight into it offers quite a few facts to the
and understanding of things perspicacious reporter
magnate
beginning
a powerful, successful
person
pervade
permeate
incipient
incontrovertible indisputable
Beginning
to happen or develop
he
could feel incipient anger building up
A wealthy and influential bus
inessman
a property magnate
spread through and
be perceived in every part of
Not able to
be denied or disputed
Having or showing a wish to
do evil to others
a smell of stale cabbage pervaded the
air
incontrovertible proof
his eyes were glowing with malevolence
they receive financial support from
philanthropic bodies
malevolence
bad intent, malice
philanthropic
charitable
incorrigible
unreformable
not able to
be changed or reformed
she’s an incorrigible flirt
shirk
sluggish
Pretend to be ill in order
to escape duty or work
calm
people who
had psychosomatic complaints were pr
obably malingering
the phlegmatic British character
unconcerned
Having
no particular interest or sym
pathy
he gave an indifferent shrug
malinger
phlegmatic
indifferent
malleable
moldable, tractable
piety
devoutness
able to be hammered or
pressed into shape without a malleable metal can be beaten into
breaking orcracking
a sheet
The quality of being religious
or reverent
acts of piety and charity
indigent
poor
Poor; needy
a charity for the relief of indigent artists
A person
who dislikes humankind
deeply religious
Wanting to avoid activity or
exertion; lazy
Scrooge wasn’t the meanspirited misanthrope most of
us believe him to be
a deeply pious woman
they were indolent and addicted to a life
of pleasure
misanthrope
pious
hater of mankind
devout, holy
indolent
lazy
miscreant
evildoer
piquant
tart-tasting, spicy
the police are straining every nerve
A person who has done
something wrong or unlawful to bring the miscreants to justice
Having
a pleasantly sharp taste
a piquant tartare sauce
indomitable
pithy
invincible:Too powerful
to be defeated
an invincible warrior;a woman of
indomitable spirit
concise
When the trees bloom in March or April,
the Walkers try to remove any remaining
old, pithy fruit.
ineffable
inexpressible
mitigate
lessen the severity
Too great or extreme to
be expressed or described i
n words
the ineffable mysteries of the soul
Make (something bad) less drainage schemes have helped to
severe, serious, or painful
mitigate this problem
platitude
trite remark
inert
inactive
mundane
ordinary
A remark or statement,
especially one with
a moral content, that has
been used too often to
beinteresting or thoughtful
she began uttering liberal platitudes
Lacking the ability or strengt
h to move
she lay inert in her bed
Lacking interest or exciteme
nt; dull
his mundane, humdrum existence
nonsexual
(Of love or friendship) intima
their relationship is purely platonic;plat
te and affectionate but not
sexual
onic love
innate, inborn
Existing in something as
a permanent, essential, or
characteristic attribute
any form of mountaineering has its
inherent dangers
nadir
lowest point
The lowest or
most unsuccessful point in
a situation
asking that question was the nadir of
my career
plethora
overabundance
A large or excessive amount Allen won a plethora of medals during
of something
his illustrious career
restrain
Hinder, restrain,
or prevent (an action
or process)
self-love
But excessive self-love, or narcissism,
Excessive interest in
or admiration of oneself and could actually increase violence in
one’s physical appearance schools.
polemic
a controversy
his polemic
A
strong verbal or written attac against the cultural relativism of
k on someone or something the Sixties
inimical
adverse, hostile
nascent
incipient
Tending to obstruct or harm an inimical alien power
beginning to happen or
develop.
the nascent space industry
after death
Occurring, awarded,
or appearing after
the death of the originator
platonic
inherent
inhibit
narcissism
posthumous
cold inhibits plant growth
Heath Ledger became the first actor to
win AFII award posthumously
insatiable
gluttonous-Excessively
greedy
neologism
A newly coined word or expr Politicians invent neologisms and use
words in a very imaginative way
newly coined expression ession
pragmatic
practical
insidious
treacherous
nonplus
confound
precarious
dangerous, risky
insipid
flat, dull
noxious
toxic
impossible to satisfy
an insatiable hunger for success
Dealing with
things sensibly and realistica
lly in a way that
is based on practical rather
than theoretical
a pragmatic approach to politics
sexual harassment is a serious and
Proceeding in
a gradual, subtle way
insidious problem
Surprise and confuse (some
one) so much that they
are unsure how to react
Not securely held or in
position
Lacking flavour; weak or tast
eless
Harmful, poisonous,
or very unpleasant
Diane was nonplussed by such
an odd question
a precarious ladder
mugs of insipid coffee
they were overcome by the
noxious fumes
precipitate
cause
insufferable
unbearable
Cause (an event or situation
, typically one that
the incident precipitated
is undesirable)
to happen suddenly
a political crisis
Too extreme to
bear; intolerable
the heat would be insufferable by July
obfuscate
bewilder, muddle
Make obscure, unclear,
or unintelligible;confuse
forerunner
person or thing that comes
before another of the same
kind
a three- stringed precursor of the violin
precursor
insular
narrow-minded
obtuse
stupid
preponderance predominance
Ignorant of
or uninterested in cultures, i
deas, or peoples outside
one’s own experience
Annoyingly insensitive or slo
w to understand
The quality or fact of being
greater in number
the new rule is more likely to
obfuscate people than enlighten them
a stubbornly insular farming people
he wondered if the doctor was being
deliberately obtuse
the preponderance of women among
older people
intangible
Unable to be touched; not
not perceptible by touch having physical presence:
the moonlight made
things seem intangible
obviate
make unnecessary
Remove
the presence of roller blinds obviated
the need for curtains
failing to observe the limits o
f what
is permitted or appropriate
Destructive to both sides in
a conflict
I hope I won’t be considered
presumptuous if I offer some advice
the region’s history of savage interneci
ne warfare
presumptuous assuming
internecine
mutually destructive
Extremely
unpleasant; repulsive
a pretty odious character
odious
despicable
pretentious
intractable
affected, inflated
unmanageable
officious
forward, obtrusive
Attempting to impress by aff
ecting greater importance
pretentious art films
Hard to control or deal with intractable economic problems
Assertive of authority in
a domineering way
the security people were very officious
excuse
A reason given
in justification of a course of he called round on the pretext
action
of asking after her mother
lie
Speak or act in
an evasive way
he seemed to prevaricate
when journalists asked pointed questio
ns
miscreant
An unprincipled person
he had to present himself as more of
a lovable reprobate than a spirit
of corruption
combination
The combination of compon
the synthesis of intellect and emotion in
ents or elements to form
a connected whole
his work
integrity
The quality of having
strong moral principles; hon
esty and decency
financial probity
pretext
prevaricate
reprobate
synthesis
probity
Refuse to accept; reject
she has
repudiated policies associated with pre
vious party leaders
Understood or implied witho
ut being stated
Constituting or presenting
a problem
your silence may be taken
to mean tacit agreement
the situation was problematic
for teachers
necessary
Made necessary
the application will not
be processed until the
requisite fee is paid
boldness
And this Minister has the audacity and
Excessive confidence or bol temerity to try to say that that is listening
dness; audacity
to the people.
prodigal
wasteful
Spending money or using re
sources freely and recklessl
y; wastefully extravagant
prodigal habits die hard
rescind
revoke
Revoke, cancel, or repeal
the government eventually rescinded
the directive
tenuous
thin, insubstantial
Very weak or slight
the tenuous link between interest rates
and investment
marvelous, enormous
Remarkably or impressively
great in extent, size, or
degree
her memory was prodigious
tacit
disavow
understood without
being spoken
problematic
uncertain
repudiate
requisite
temerity
prodigious
Admirably purposeful, deter he was resolute in
mined, and unwavering
his fight to uphold liberal values
Sparing in
the use of words; abrupt
a terse statement
resolute
determined
terse
prodigy
concise
a person with
extraordinary ability or
talent
reticent
reserved
torpid
lethargic, inactive
A young person
a Russian pianist who was
with exceptional qualities
or abilities
a child prodigy in his day
Not revealing one’s thoughts she was extremely reticent about
or feelings readily
her personal affairs
Mentally or physically inactiv
e; lethargic
we sat around in a torpid state
licentious, prodigal
Recklessly extravagant or w
asteful in
the use of resources
profligate consumers of energy
profligate
retribution
reprisal
tractable
docile, manageable
profound
deep, knowledgeable
Punishment inflicted on
someone as vengeance for
a wrong or criminal act
divine retribution
she has always been tractable
easy to control or influence and obedient , even as a child
the implications of this discovery are
very great or intense
profound
Feeling or
showing deep and solemn r
espect
a reverent silence
Lasting only for a short
time; impermanent
a transient cold spell
An abundance or large quan
tity of something
a rich profusion of flowers
reverent
respectful
transient
fleeting, temporary
profusion
trenchant
overabundance
ecstasy;An
overwhelming feeling of
great happiness or joyful
excitement
incisive, penetrating;
intelligently analytical
and clear-thinking
prolific
fruitful, productive
producing much fruit
rhetoric
elocution,
grandiloquence
Born into a rich provincial family, he
The art
of effective or persuasive sp studied philosophy as well as rhetoric and
eaking or writing
law.
fierce, savage
the
Eager or quick to argue or fi truculent attitude of farmers to cheape
ght; aggressively defiant
r imports
inclination
An inclination or
natural tendency to behave i
n a particular way
his propensity for violence
rhapsody
truculent
propensity
An effusively enthusiastic or
ecstatic expression of
feeling
rhapsodies of praise
the White Paper makes
Vigorous or incisive in expre trenchant criticisms of health authoriti
ssion or style
es
in captivity tigers are prolific breeders
sanctimonious self-righteous
Making a show of
being morally superior
to other people
Present, appearing,
or found everywhere
what happened to all the
sanctimonious talk about putting his
family first?
cowboy hats are ubiquitous among
the male singers
the punishment should be proportional
to the crime
ubiquitous
omnipresent, pervasive
proportionate
commensurate
sanction
approval
Corresponding in size
Give official permission or a
pproval
the scheme was sanctioned by the court
hidden, covert
Existing beyond what
is obvious or admitted
could there be
an ulterior motive behind his request
he always behaved with
the utmost propriety
they lost heavily in the sanguinary
campaigns that followed
ulterior
propriety
decorum
sanguinary
gory, murderous
Conformity to conventionally
accepted standards
of behaviour
Involving or causing much bl
oodshed
untenable
cannot be achieved
not able to
be maintained or defended a
gainst attack orobjection
this argument is clearly untenable
prosaic
uninspired, flat
satiate
satisfy fully
untoward
perverse
proscribe
prohibit
satire
ridicule
urbane
refined, worldly
protuberance
bulge
schism
vacillate
pundit
secular
venerable
lacking imaginativeness oror prosaic
iginality
language can’t convey the experience
he folded up his newspaper ,
Satisfied to the full; sated
his curiosity satiated
Unexpected and inappropria both tried to behave as if nothing
te or inconvenient
untoward had happened
strikes remained proscribed in
Forbid-Refuse to allow
the armed forces
The use of humour, irony, ex
aggeration,
or ridicule to expose and criti
cize people’s stupidity
courteous and refined in ma
nner
A thing that protrudes from
something else
A split caused by
differences in opinion or
belief
rift
Waver between different opi
nions
waver
An expert in
politically astute person a particular subject
worldly, nonreligious
revered-Feel deep
respect or admiration
for
the crude satire seems to be directed at
the fashionable protest singers of the
time
he is charming and urbane
the widening schism
between Church leaders and politicians
I vacillated
between teaching and journalism
political pundits were tipping him
for promotion
Not connected with religious secular buildings
Accorded a great deal
of respect
a venerable statesman
pungent
sharp smell or taste
sedulous
diligent
veracity
truthfulness
qualms
misgivings
Having
a sharply strong taste or sm
ell
showing dedication and dilig
ence
Conformity to facts; accurac
y
An uneasy feeling
of doubt, worry, or fear,
division
The action
of ending a connection or rel the severance and disestablishment of
ationship
the Irish Church
verbose
wordy
Using or expressed in
more words than
are needed
quash
put down, suppress
Reject as invalid, especially
by legal procedure
his conviction was quashed on appeal
doubtful
Not easily convinced;
having doubts or reservation the public were deeply sceptical about
s
some of the proposals
common speech
The language
or dialect spoken by
the ordinary people
querulous
complaining
Complaining in
a rather petulant or whining
manner
she became querulous and demanding
solicitous
considerate, concerned showing interest or concern a solicitous enquiry
severance
skeptical
vernacular
the pungent smell of frying onions
he watched himself with the most
sedulous care
officials expressed doubts concerning
the veracity of the story
military regimes generally have no
qualms about controlling the press
much academic language is obscure and
verbose
he wrote in the vernacular to reach a
larger audience
Characterized by or
vex
annoy
quixotic
impractical, romantic
Make
(someone) feel annoyed, fru the memory of
strated, or worried
the conversation still vexed him
Extremely idealistic; unrealis
tic and impractical
a vast and perhaps quixotic project
financially sound
interest rate rises
Having assets in excess
of liabilities; able to pay one’ have very severe effects
s debts
on normally solvent companies
capable of surviving
Capable of
working successfully; feasibl the proposed investment was economic
e
ally viable
solvent
viable
raconteur
story teller
sophistry
specious reasoning
A person
who tells anecdotes in
a skilful and amusing way
a colourful raconteur
The use of clever but false a The Guardian's argumentation is pure
rguments
sophistry.
defame
Speak or write about in
an abusively disparaging ma
nner
he has been vilified in the press
vilify
recalcitrant
stubborn
specious
false but plausible
spurious
false, counterfeit
virulent
deadly, poisonous
Having
an obstinately uncooperative
attitude towards authority or
discipline
a class of recalcitrant fifteen-year-olds
Superficially plausible,
but actually wrong
a specious argument
separating authentic and
false or fake
spurious claims
extremely severe or harmful the poison is so virulent that it kills a
in its effects
fish instantly
retract
Galileo was forced to recant
Say that one no longer holds his assertion that
an opinion or belief
the earth orbited the sun
recant
squander
waste
vitriolic
scathing
Waste in a reckless and
foolish manner
Filled with bitter criticism or
malice
£100m of taxpayers' money has
been squandered
on administering the tax
vitriolic outbursts
redoubtable
formidable, steadfast
stolid
vituperative
impassive
abusive
formidable-Inspiring fear or
respect through being
impressively large
a formidable opponent
Calm, dependable, and
showing little emotion
a stolid bourgeois gent
Bitter and abusive
a vituperative outburst
refractory
obstinate
Stubborn or unmanageable his refractory pony
stupefy
deaden, dumfound
vivacious
relegate
lively
assign to an inferior
position
stymie
hinder, thwart
volatile
unstable
renege
sullen
voluminous
break a promise
sulky, sour
bulky, extensive
renounce
disown
supercilious
arrogant
voracious
hungry
reprehensible
blameworthy
Make (someone) unable to When I walked out of the movie theatre
think or feel properly
after seeing the film, I was stupefied.
attractively lively and animat
ed
she was dark-haired and vivacious
they aim to prevent women from
being relegated to a secondary role
the changes must not be allowed to
stymie new medical treatments
volatile solvents such as petroleum
ether , hexane , and benzene
the government had reneged
Go back on a promise
on its election promises
Bad-tempered and sulky
a sullen pout
very loose or full;
a voluminous purple cloak
Formally declare one’s aban Isabella offered to renounce
donment
her son’s claim to the French Crown
Assign an inferior rank or
position
Prevent or hinder the progre
ss
easily evaporated at
normal temperatures
Behaving or looking as
though one thinks one
is superior to others
Wanting or devouring great
quantities of food
Deserving censure or conde
mnation
a supercilious lady’s maid
a voracious appetite
his complacency and
reprehensible laxity
superfluous
xenophobia
Unnecessary
fear of foreigners
Dislike of
or prejudice against people f racism and xenophobia
rom other countries
are steadily growing in Europe
reproach
blame
surfeit
overabundance
zealot
malice
scrupulous
the purchaser should avoid asking for
superfluous information
overabundant
fanatic
Express to (someone)
one’s disapproval of
or disappointment
An excessive amount of
something
A person who
is fanatical and uncompromi
sing in pursuit of their
religious, political, or
otherideals
The desire to harm someon
e; ill will
her friends reproached her for not
thinking enough about her family
a surfeit of food and drink
He says there have always been religious
zealots, but modern technology has given
them a lethal capacity.
I bear no malice towards anybody
the research has been carried out with
extremely attentive to details scrupulous attention to detail