Ambiguous

Adjective

doubtful or uncertain especially from obscurity or indistinctness

Analogy

Noun

inference that if two or more things agree with one another in some respects they will probably agree in others

Analyze

Verb

to subject to scientific or grammatical analysis

Arcane

Adjective

known or understood by very few

Avunclular

Adjective

suggestive of an uncle especially in kindliness or genialit

Broadcast

Adjective

cast or scattered in all directions

Concrete

Adjective

constituting an actual thing or instance

Conservative

Adjective

tending or disposed to maintain existing views, conditions, or institutions

Desiccate

Verb

to dry up

Enormity

Noun

an outrageous, improper, vicious, or immoral act

Epithet

Noun

a word or phrase occurring in place of the name of a person or thing

euphemism

Noun

the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant

Facade

Noun

a false, superficial, or artificial appearance or effect

Fecund

Adjective

fruitful in offspring or vegetation

Foible

Noun

a minor flaw or shortcoming in character or behavior

Forte

Noun

one's strong point

Holocaust

Noun

a thorough destruction involving extensive loss of life

Hypnotic

Adjective

tending to produce sleep

Insipid

Adjective

lacking in qualities that interest, stimulate, or challenge

Interface

Noun

a surface forming a common boundary of two bodies

Left Wing

Noun

the liberal faction of a group

Liberal

Adjective

not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms

Lucid

Adjective

having full use of one's faculties

Magnetize

Verb

to attract, charm or influence.

Mecca

Noun

a place regarded as a center for a specified group, activity, or interest

Mercenary

Adjective

motivated solely by a desire for monetary or material gain

Narcissism

Noun

love of or sexual desire for one's own body

Noxious

Adjective

physically harmful or destructive to living beings

Obdurate

Adjective

stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing

Orthodox

Adjective

conforming to established doctrine especially in religion

Osmosis

Noun

a gradual, often unconscious process of absorption or learning.

Ostensibly

Adverb

to all outward appearances

Pecuniary

Adjective

of or relating to money

Perspective

Noun

a mental view or outlook

Ponderous

Adjective

Having great weight

Progressive

Adjective

making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities

Protract

Verb

to prolong in time or space

Radical

Adjective

marked by a considerable departure from the usual or traditional

Reactionary

Adjective

extremely conservative

Renaissance

Noun

a rebirth or revival

Right Wing

Noun

the conservative faction of a group or party

Sinister

Adjective

suggesting or threatening evil.

Stoic

Adjective

apparently or professedly indifferent to pleasure or pain

Synthesis

Noun

a complex whole formed by combining

Tantalize

Verb

to excite by exposing something desirable while keeping it out of reach.

Tenuous

Adjective

having little substance or strength

Unoctuous

Adjective

Characterized by insincere earnestness

Utopian

Adjective

excellent or ideal but impractical

Vacuous

Adjective

marked by lack of ideas or intelligence

Winnow

Verb

to blow away; scatter

Term

Allusion

Noun

A figure of speech making a reference to past or present culture

Term

Cliche

Noun

A phrase, often an idiom, which has become trite through overuse.

Term

Figurative Language

Noun

Language that creates meaning by non-literal, imaginative means.

Term

Figure of Speech

Noun

a recognizable pattern or type of figurative language

Term

Hyperbole

Noun

a figure of speech that uses exaggeration.

Term

Idiom

Noun

a phrase whose meaning cannot be deduced from the denotations of the words in it.

Term

Irony

Noun

use of words to convey a meaning different from, and usually opposite to, the literal meaning of those words.

Term

Literal Language

Noun

language that uses words in their plain, direct meanings

Term

Metaphor

Noun

a figure of speech making an implicit comparison between two mostly unlike things, in order to highlight a point of similarity.

Term

Personification

Noun

a figure of speech treating some thing as human by using language literally suitable only to humans.

Term

Simile

Noun

a figure of speech making an explicit comparison, often using the words as or like.

Affect

Verb

To make a false show of

Astringent

Adjective

causing contraction of soft organic tissues

Bemused

Verb

to make confused

Blatant

Adjective

noisy especially in a vulgar or offensive manner

Capital

Noun

the city or town that is the official seat of government in a country, state

Capitol

Noun

A building or complex of buildings in which a state legislature meets.

Credible

Adjective

offering reasonable grounds for being believed

Credulous

Adjective

ready to believe especially on slight or uncertain evidence

Cull

Verb

to reduce or control the size of (as a herd) by removal (as by hunting) of especially weaker animals

Dilemma

Noun

a usually undesirable or unpleasant choice

Disclose

Verb

to expose to view

Discreet

Adjective

capable of preserving prudent silence

Discriminate

Verb

to distinguish from another like object

Disingenuous

Adjective

giving a false appearance of simple frankness

Distinguish

Verb

to mark as separate or different

Divulge

Verb

to make known

Effect

Verb

to cause to come into being

Eminent

Adjective

standing out so as to be readily perceived or noted

Flagrant

Adjective

conspicuously offensive

Flaunt

Verb

to wave or flutter showily

Flout

Verb

to treat with contemptuous disregard

Fortuitous

Adjective

occurring by chance

Fortunate

Adjective

bringing some good thing not foreseen as certain

Illicit

Adjective

not permitted

Imminent

Adjective

ready to take place

Implicit

Adjective

capable of being understood from something else though unexpressed

Inculate

Verb

to teach and impress by frequent repetitions or admonitions

Infamous

Adjective

having a reputation of the worst kind

Ingenious

Adjective

marked by especial aptitude at discovering, inventing, or contriving

Integral

Adjective

essential to completeness

Interpolate

Verb

to insert (words) into a text or into a conversation

Intricate

Adjective

having many complexly interrelating parts or elements

Jejune

Adjective

devoid of significance or interest

Luxuriant

Adjective

characterized by abundant growth

Luxurious

Adjective

of the finest and richest kind

Nepotism

Noun

favoritism based on kinship

Notorious

Adjective

generally known and talked of

Nuance

Noun

a subtle quality 

Parameter

Noun

characteristic or factor

Perimeter

Noun

the boundary of a closed plane figure

Precede

Verb

to be earlier than

Principal

Adjective

most important, consequential, or influential

Principle

Noun

a comprehensive and fundamental law, doctrine, or assumption

Proceed

Verb

 to come forth from a source

Prospective

Adjective

likely to come about

Prudent

Adjective

marked by wisdom or judiciousness

Puritanical

Adjective

characterized by a rigid morality

Suffragist

Noun

one who advocates the extension of voting

Vapid

Adjective

lacking liveliness

Term

Confusable Pairs

Words with different meanings but similar sound, spelling or etymology, which makes them easy to mix up

Term

Connotation

the emotional associations of a word beyond it's denotation

Term

Denotation

the most specific or direct meanings of a word

Term

Double Entendre

a word used in two senses simultaneously, one being rather vulgar

Term

Grammatical Ambiguity

a case when syntax permits multiple meanings of a construction

Term

Lexical Ambiguity

Term

Malapropism

an apparently unintentional pun mistaking one word for another

Term

Pun

a play of two similar-sounding words in humorous combination

Term

Semantics

the linguistic study of a meaning

Term

Thesaurus

literally "treasury," a reference work of synonyms and antonyms