to lessen in intensity or degree

uh-beyt

an expression of praise

ak-uh-leyd

excessive praise; intense adoration

aj-uh-ley-shuh[image]n

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful

es-thet-ik

to make better or more tolerable

uh-meel-yuh-reyt

one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion

uh-set-ik

greed, esp. for wealth

av-er-is

a universally recognized principle

ak-see-uh[image]m

to grow rapidly or florish

bur-juh[image]n

The town burgeoned into a city.

rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants

byoo-kol-ik

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

kuh-kof-uh-nee

A cacophony of hoots, cackles, and wails.

an established ser of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature

kan-uh[image]n

severe criticism or punishment

kas-ti-geyt

a substance that accelerated the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change

kat-l-ist

burning or stinging;  causing corrosion

kaw-stik

wary; cautious; sparring

chair-ee

He was chary of investing in a supposed gold mine.

appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing

koh-juh[image]nt

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

kuh[image]m-pley-suh[image]ns

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

kuh[image]n-ten-shuh[image]s

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

kuh[image]n-trahyt

deserving blame

kuhl-puh-buh[image]l

smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

durth

There is a dearth of good engineers.

to question or oppose

dih-mur

They wanted to make her president, but she demurred.

intended to teach or instruct

dahy-dak-tik

cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions

dih-skresh-uh[image]n

free of bias or self-interest; impartial

dis-in-tuh-res-tid

expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles

dawg-mat-ik

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

ih-buhl-yuh[image]ns

composed of elements drawn from various sources

ih-klek-tik

a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead

el-i-jee

soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes.

ih-mol-yuh[image]nt

based on observation or experiement

em-pir-i-kuh[image]l

mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand

en-ig-mat-ik

brief; fleeting

ih-fem-er-uh[image]l

intended for or understood by a small, specific group

es-uh-ter-ik

a speech honoring the dead

yoo-luh-jee

to remove blame

ig-zon-uh-reyt

He was exonerated from the accusation of cheating.

playful; humorous

fuh-see-shuh[image]s

an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief

fal-uh-see

That the world is flat was at one time a popular fallacy.

marked by stealth; covert; surrptitious

fur-tiv

sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people

gri-gair-ee-uh[image]s

to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech

huh-rang

violating accepted dogma or convention

huh-ret-i-kuh[image]l

an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech

hahy-pur-buh-lee

lacking funds; without money

im-pi-kyoo-nee-uh[image]s

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

in-sip-ee-uh[image]nt

unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

in-urt

harmless; causing no damage

ih-nok-yoo-uh[image]s

refusing to compromise

in-tran-si-juh[image]nt

to obtain by deception or flattery

in-vey-guh[image]l

sad; sullen; melancholy

muh-rohs

evoking intense aversion or dislike

oh-dee-uh[image]s

impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

oh-peyk

the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterupted rhythm

os-uh-ley-shuh[image]n

penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous

puh-noo[image]r-ee-uh[image]s

extremely harmful; potentially causing death

per-nish-uh[image]s

to examine with great care

puh-rooz

extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion

pahy-uh[image]s

one that precedes and indicates or announces another

pri-kur-ser

Lightening is a precursor to thunder.

abundant in size, force, or extent; etraordinary

pruh-dij-uh[image]s

producing large volumes or amounts; productive

pruh-lif-ik

to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor

pyoo-truh-fahy

to drink deeply

kwof

stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest

kwee-es-uh[image]nt

awe-inspiring; worthy of honor

ri-dou-tuh-buh[image]l

tended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to

sangk-shuh[image]n

a literary work that ridicules or critizes a human vice through humor or derision

sat-ahy^uh[image]r

sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect

skwol-id

indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast

stoh-ik

to take the place of; to supersede

suh-plant

lethargic; sluggish; dormant

tawr-pid

exsisting everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread

yoo-bik-wi-tuh[image]s

There was a ubiquitous fog all along the coast.

sophisticated; refined; elegant

ur-beyn

She accepted the nomination in an urbane manner.

to defame; to characterize harshly

vil-uh-fahy

thick; sticky

vis-kuh[image]s

She poured the viscous honey.