remunerate

47

repay

Talented people should be well remunerted for their labors.

proscenium

47

the frame of a stage

She took a final bow from the proscenium.

epistle

47

long instructive letter

Read her tiring epistle on the proper way to vacation.

anachronistic

47

misplaced in time

Notice the anachronistic 20^th century details in the novel.

feckless

47

without effect

We saw Hector's feckless efforts overcome fear of Achilles.

contretemps

47

embarrassing mishap

The chance meeting was a ludicrous contretemps.

hyperbole

47

overstatement

His colorful hyperbole amused us.

paradigm

47

model

Show us an instructive paradigm or example.

germane

47

related

Her germane comments were vitally relevant to the debate.

filigree

47

lacy design

It was difficult to clean the gold filigree around the jewel.

chronic

47

lasting

The chronic illness plagued him for years.

paragon

46

excellent model

Her computer graphic design was a paragon of geometric form.

antipathy

46

strong dislike

His fierce antipathy for his rival continued unabated.

abyss

46

bottomless fissure

The wild mountain gorge seemed an abyss without bottom.

dissemble

46

conceal through pretense

Do not be fooled by his lying and dissembling.

insidious

46

sly

The agent entrapped him with her patient, insidious plot.

impecunious

46

poor

The impecunious spendthrift could no longer afford fudgesicles.

beatify

46

make blissfully happy

She spoke his name, beatifying him for ten minutes.

execrate

46

denounce or curse

He vilified and execrated his arch enemy, Minnie Mouse.

ne plus ultra

46

peak of perfection

The Mona Lisa is the ne plus ultra of portraits.

vociferous

46

loud (spoken voice)

His vociferous expostulations disrupted her tranquility.

corpulent

46

full-bodied (fat)

The corpulent gourmet continued to indulge in his own creations.

cryptic

46

having hidden meaning

The Celtic runes contained a cryptic message from the Druids.

sanctimonious

46

affectedly holy

His sanctimonious attitude was offensive to the group.

malfeasance

45

public misconduct

The public official was accused of malfeasance.

expostulate

45

to earnestly object

She ignored his earnest expostulations.

pungent

45

sharp

The pungent smell of the spice penetrated the room.

megalomania

45

delusions of greatness

The megalomaniac had a Napoleon complex.

syndrome

45

complex of symptoms

Down's syndrome afflicts some children.

euphemism

45

pleasant name

The term "Rest room" is a euphemism.

dissonant

45

inharmonious

A dissonant clamor arose in the streets below Talleyrand's room.

narcolepsy

45

attacks of sleep

The sleepy man was a victim of narcolepsy.

apocryphal

44

not authentic

The recently discovered writings proved apocryphal.

transom

44

window or door crossbar

He hung, apelike, from the door's transom.

commiserate

44

sympathize

She commiserated with him in his distress.

misogynist

44

hater of women

We deplored the misogynist's intransigence.

diffident

44

shy

His diffident glance gave her confidence.

cognizant

44

aware

It's important to be cognizant of the rules.

stringent

44

binding (non-literal, figurative)

Stringent regulations are very restrictive.

temporize

44

delay

Please begin without temporizing.

somnambulist

44

sleepwalker

The critic discussed Lady Macbeth's somnambulism.

misandrist

44

man-hater

misanthrope

44

mankind-hater

remonstrate

remonstrance

43

plead in protest

Her earnest, repeated remonstrations were in vain.

ineluctable

43

not escapable

You must face the ineluctable consequences.

truculent

43

fiercely savage

His truculent nationalism was undiplomatic.

recondite

43

abstruse

The recondite subject was beyond his intellect.

disinter

43

unearth

The crew slowly disinterred the buried home.

abrogate

43

annul

It is preferable not to abrogate a firm agreement.

acronym

43

initials-name

NATO, RADAR, and SCUBA are acronyms.

pugnacious

43

combative

The pugnacious youth always started fights.

incisive

43

sharp

Her incisive questions cut to the heart of the issue.

diatribe

43

abusive speech

The senator's public diatribe reflected his rage.

nonpareil

42

matchless excellence

A unique achievement is a nonpareil.

malefic

42

causing harm

Notice Iago's malefic influence on Roderigo in Shakespeare's Othello.

contiguous

42

touching

We especially need to make good treaties with contiguous nations.

punctilio

42

point of conduct

Her high society world was a treacherous thicket of punctilios.

superannuated

42

obsolete

We saw his rusted, superannuated farm implements at the auction.

intractable

42

stubborn

You can't pull that bigot away from his intractable opinions.

egregious

42

blatant

The egregious act of vandalism shocked the large crowd.

abjure

42

renounce

It is painful to abjure one's former beliefs.

analgesic

42

pain killer

He took an extra-strength analgesic for the pain.

discursive

42

rambling

The illogical, discursive speech was difficult to follow.

euthanasia

41

mercy killing

She was opposed to euthanasia on moral grounds.

ineffable

41

inexpressible

His overwhelming love for her was ineffable.

expedite

41

hasten

Please expedite this matter, as time is short.

expatiate

41

to elaborate

He loved expatiating on his deeds of valor.

mellifluous

41

honeyed

Read the poet's mellifluous language.

patronize

41

condescend to

He resented their patrician, patronizing attitude.

bellicose

41

warlike

The bellicose barbarian tribes in Gaul feuded constantly.

anthropomorphic

41

man-shaped

The Greek gods were anthropomorphic.

malediction

41

a curse

We heard the convict's muttered malediction.

xenophobia

41

fear of foreigners

The xenophobic public hated the immigrant.

specious

41

false

The specious argument looked to be true, but it wasn't.

valediction

40

farewell speech

Read Donne's "Valediction, Forbidding Morning."

protagonist

40

leading person

Oedipus is the protagonist of Sophocles's tragedy, Oedipus Rex.

maladroit

40

clumsy

His maladroit groping for the handle was humorous to observe.

stoicism

40

indifference to sensation

His austere stoicism helped him overcome the pain.

sarcophagus

40

stone coffin

The sarcophagus's cold, sculpted surface was mossy.

ignominious

40

disgraceful

The convicted traitor faced a future of ignominious oblivion.

expository

40

explanatory

His essay was expository, not creatively descriptive.

magnum opus

40

great work

Dante's magnum opus, The Divine Comedy, is a classic.

moribund

40

dying

The moribund economy affected the stock market.

supercilious

40

scornful

His arrogant, supercilious manner irked us.

diction

40

word choice

Her scholarly Latin diction was impressive to the students.

emissary

40

messenger

An emissary sent out from the Queen suddenly arrived.

narcissism

39

self-infatuation

He had a narcissistic love of his own reflection.

patrician

39

aristocratic

The dignitary's patrician aloofness offended some people.

apostasy

39

desertion of principle

Worse than disloyalty is apostasy.

hedonism

39

devotion to pleasure

His ascetic discipline degenerated into hedonism.

on the que vive

39

on the alert

Be on the qui vive for a sign of compromise from the enemy.

manumission

39

release from slavery

The refusal was an act of self-manumission.

sanction

39

authorize

We do not sanction the use of our firm's name.

terra firma

39

firm land

It's good to stand on terra firma after a rough voyage.

synopsis

39

summary

She wrote a brief synopsis of the course for the students.

in loco parentis

39

in the place of the parents

Schools often act in loco parentis.

metonymy

38

association name

Example: The White House has announced a new policy.

anaphora

38

repetition in successive phrases

Dr. King used anaphora, repeating "I have a dream."

bowdlerize

38

censor prudishly

We deplore the bowdlerization of great literature.

reiterate

38

repeat

It is needless to reiterate one's objections.

desultory

38

rambling

He gave a desultory, soporific lecture. (des' ultory)

idée fixe

38

obsession

For Ahab, the whale was an idée fixe.

schism

38

division

A schism developed in the Democratic party. (sizm)

precursor

38

forerunner

This unfortunate event was the precursor of the tragedy to come.

vacuous

37

stupidly empty of ideas

See the vacuous expression on his uninformed face.

ex cathedra

37

from the throne

The king pronounced, ex cathedra, his opinion.

legerdemain

37

sleight of hand

His verbal legerdemain confused those who didn't listen.

nepotism

37

favoritism to relatives

Graft and nepotism weakened the government.

lionize

37

treat as a celebrity

Upon her return to the city, she was lionized by the joyful crowd.

assiduous

37

persevering

His assiduous efforts to balance the budget finally paid off.

subterfuge

37

evasive dodge

He ducked a question with a clever subterfuge.

bon vivant

37

indulger in luxury

The wealthy bon vivant lived the good life in Hawaii.

sedentary

37

sitting

Flagpole sitting is a notably sedentary occupation.

pusillanimous

37

small-minded

The snub at the losing team was a low, pusillanimous act.

assonance

36

vowel repetition

Notice the assonance of the words croon, duel, and tube.

soporific

36

sleep-inducing

His soporific platitudes bored everyone in the audience.

internecine

36

mutually destructive

Their internecine wars doomed the barbarian tribes.

sesquipedalian

36

very long (words)

Having a sesquipedalian vocabulary is fun.

sui generis

36

unique

Her self-originated style was boldly sui generis.

plutocracy

36

government of the wealthy

The democracy degenerated into a plutocracy.

delineate

36

to outline

Please quickly delineate the features of your plan.

dichotomy

36

two-part division

Is there a clear dichotomy between the two choices?

epiphany

36

revelation

In a sudden epiphany, he saw the solution!

tortuous

36

twisting

The tortuous highway winds throught the hills of West Virginia.

gastronome

35

a gourmet or epicure

Try the gastronome's recipe for squid al la mode.

in media res

35

in the middle of things

Homer began The Odyssey in media res.

lycanthrope

35

werewolf

Jove's anger turned Lycaon into a howling lycanthrope.

transmogrify

35

change from

The hecklers were transmogrified into obsequious admirers.

au contraire

35

to the contrary

"Au contraire!" he exclaimed in protest.

vivacious

35

lively

His vivacious conversation entertained the group long into the night.

circumvent

35

get around

To circumvent this surgical procedure is dangerous.

heliotropic

35

sun-following

The sun-seeking tourists reminded him of heliotropic plants.

exculpate

35

free from blame

Fortunately, the jury exculpated the innocent girl.

introspective

35

inward looking

His introspective thoughts were too personal to share.

obsequious

34

servilely following

He's an obsequious, fawning flatterer; he is a toady.

abase

34

to lower

You abase yourself when you always agree.

interstice

34

small space

Wind blew through the wall's interstices, and the candle flickered.

sedate

34

calm

The Count's sedate good manners charmed us all, alas.

retort

34

swift reply

She was famous for her devastatingly witty retorts.

nihilism

34

belief in nothing

The new convert forsook his former nihilism.

supersede

34

replace

This procedure supersedes our former process.

inanimate

34

lifeless

Inanimate objects tell no tales, but many animate objects have tails.

condescend

34

lower oneself

His condescending remarks insulted the guest.

epigram

34

witty comment

She enjoyed her spontaneously brilliant epigram on the topic.

sotto voce

33

in a low voice

He tried to inform her, sotto voce, of the problem.

translucent

33

semitransparent

The glass was translucent, not completely transparent.

forte

33

strong point

Spelling is not his forte. (pronounced fort)

fortissimo

33

very loudly

The orchestra played a thunderous fortissimo passage.

impugn

33

attack as false

Another witness impugned his testimony.

egocentric

33

self-centered

His egocentric conversation became boring.

loquacious

33

talkative

We avoided the loquacious chatterbox.

sacrosanct

33

sacred

The second rule is sacrosanct and inviolable.

cacophony

33

bad noise

We heard the cacophonous blaring of the horns in the street below.

tangible

33

touchable

The nice office is a tangible benefit of the job.

heterodox

32

unorthodox

He was criticized for his heterodox opinions.

paterfamilias

32

male head of family

Please consult with the paterfamilias.

putative

32

thought to be

He was putative leader of the mafia.

aver

32

affirm or declare

He had seen nothing, he averred to the prosecutor.

sangfroid

32

cold-blooded composure

She performs with cool sangfroid in emergencies.

altercation

32

heated dispute

Talleyrand heard the noisy altercation in the streets.

contravene

32

go against

Do not contravene a command intentionally.

soliloquy

32

speech to oneself

He roamed the kitchen in humorous soliloquy.

mollify

32

makes soft

We need to mollify the client's resentment.

gregarious

32

sociable

The warm host had a gregarious personality.

nonplussed

31

perplexed

He was nonplussed by the unexpected question.

postlude

31

concluding section

It was a tragic postlude to her long life.

hierarchy

31

ranking

There must be a hierarchy of values.

portly

31

stout

The portly doorman carried himself gracefully.

interdiction

31

prohibition

The judge's interdiction stopped the construction.

omnibus

31

covering many things

The omnibus legislative bill passed.

monolithic

31

massive and uniform

The monolithic totalitarian society revolted.

imponderable

31

difficult to ponder

He tried to weigh the imponderable issue.

benediction

31

blessing

The grandfather's benediction made them happy.

incredulous

31

not believing

Her incredulous face revealed her mistrust.

omniscient

31

all-knowing

The story was told from an omniscient point of view.

neophyte

31

beginner

The graduate was a neophyte in the business world.

unilateral

31

one-sided

The unilateral decision required no conference.