The Word Library

(Of a monarch) renounce one's throne; fail to fulfill a responsibility or duty.

The aging king chose to abdicate rather than fight the rebellion.

The act of renouncing or rejecting something; self-denial.

Her abnegation of comfort let her save enough to retire early.

Difficult to understand; obscure.

The professor's abstruse footnotes lost half the class.

The reluctant acceptance of something without protest.

He nodded in quiet acquiescence, though he disagreed with every point.

Clever or skillful in using the hands or mind.

She was adroit at defusing arguments before they escalated.

Friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to.

The new manager was affable enough that even nervous interns relaxed.

Showing a disinterested and selfless concern for others' well-being.

His altruistic donations went unnoticed, exactly as he wanted.

Old-fashioned or outdated.

The office still ran on an antiquated filing system nobody dared replace.

Self-confidence or assurance, especially in a demanding situation.

She handled the hostile crowd with total aplomb.

The highest point in the development of something; a climax or culmination.

The band's world tour was the apogee of their career.

Severe or strict in manner; (of conditions) having no comforts or luxuries; harsh or plain.

The monastery's austere rooms held nothing but a bed and a candle.

Threatening harm; menacing; having a harmful or destructive effect.

He shot a baleful glare across the courtroom.

Blissfully happy; imparting holy bliss (Christian theology).

The bride wore a beatific smile throughout the entire ceremony.

Charm or enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive way.

The salesman beguiled her with promises he never intended to keep.

(Of a young person) inexperienced and immature.

The callow intern mistook confidence for competence.

Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior.

Her capricious moods made it impossible to plan the meeting.

Sarcastic in a scathing or bitter way; able to burn or corrode organic tissue.

His caustic review ended three careers in one paragraph.

The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose.

The merger was built on years of quiet chicanery.

A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows a bad act.

She felt no compunction about correcting him in front of everyone.

(Of punishment or retribution) appropriate to the crime; fitting and deserved.

The judge called the sentence condign, given the severity of the fraud.

A fit of rage or hysterics.

Dad had a conniption when he saw the dent in the car.

Willingness to secretly allow or be involved in wrongdoing.

The scandal survived for years thanks to the board's quiet connivance.

Feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected.

The announcement was met with consternation from the entire staff.

Feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt.

His contrite apology came a decade too late.

Belief in or acceptance of something as true.

The rumor gained credence once the CEO refused to deny it.

Causing emotional pain; hurtful.

Her cutting remark silenced the entire table.

Excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures.

The estate had a reputation for weekend debauchery.

The changing of the form of a word, generally to express its syntactic function, by way of inflection.

Latin nouns are grouped by declension, not by gender alone.

Do something that one considers to be beneath one's dignity.

The star didn't even deign to look at the opening act.

Criticize unfairly; disparage.

He denigrated her work without having read a single page.

The state of having been abandoned and become dilapidated; failure to fulfill a duty.

The captain was charged with dereliction of duty.

A forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something.

The op-ed devolved into a diatribe against modern architecture.

Intended to teach, particularly having moral instruction as an ulterior motive; patronizing.

The film's didactic tone made it feel more like a lecture.

Regard or represent as being of little worth.

She disparaged the plan before hearing the full proposal.

(Of a person or their clothes) unfashionable and without style.

The dowdy curtains hadn't been changed since the '70s.

Curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement.

His droll commentary made even the safety briefing entertaining.

Hesitating or doubting; not to be relied upon; suspect.

I'm dubious about a deal that sounds this good.

Instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually.

The lecture series was meant to edify, not entertain.

Shining brightly; radiant.

Sunset turned the lake effulgent gold.

Make something clear; explain.

The footnote elucidated a reference most readers would've missed.

Abnormally thin or weak, especially from illness or lack of food.

The rescued dog was emaciated but alert.

Showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly.

Her emphatic 'no' ended the negotiation on the spot.

A phrase written in memory of someone who has died, often on a tombstone; something by which a person is remembered.

His epitaph was a single line from his favorite poem.

Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge.

The paper was full of esoteric jargon only three people in the field could parse.

Make pale; (of plants) bleach through lack of sunlight.

Kept from sunlight, the seedlings etiolated within days.

Having a great deal of nervous excitement or energy; showing symptoms of a fever.

The trading floor had a febrile energy before the announcement.

Having or displaying a passionate intensity.

She was a fervent advocate for the new park.

Not showing a serious or respectful attitude.

His flippant response to the eulogy request offended the family.

A series of shots fired or missiles thrown all at once or in quick succession.

A fusillade of questions greeted the spokesperson.

Shock or excite someone into taking action.

The photo galvanized the entire community into action.

Obtrusively bright and showy; lurid.

The garish neon sign clashed with the quiet street.

Have an angry or sullen look on one's face; scowl.

He glowered at the referee from the bench.

A person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.

The first robin is a harbinger of spring.

Haughtiness of manner; disdainful pride.

Her hauteur made the interns too nervous to ask questions.

Engaged in the pursuit of pleasure; sensually self-indulgent.

Their hedonistic vacation involved zero itineraries and endless naps.

Leadership or dominance, especially by one country or social group over others.

The company's hegemony over the market lasted two decades.

Characterized by attack on cherished beliefs or institutions.

The architect's iconoclastic designs horrified the historical society.

Unchanging over time or unable to be changed.

Gravity is treated as an immutable law, not a suggestion.

Not showing proper respect; rude. Out of place.

His impertinent question caught the panel off guard.

Persistent, especially to the point of annoyance or intrusion.

The importunate salesman called four times in one afternoon.

A person's acceptance or guarantee that something is of a good standard.

The report carried the imprimatur of the entire committee.

Not showing due respect for another person; impertinent.

The impudent reply cost him the internship.

Exemption from punishment or freedom from the injurious consequences of an action.

For years he broke the rules with total impunity.

Treat someone as a child, or in a way that denies their maturity in age or experience.

The instructions infantilize the reader with excessive hand-holding.

Tending to obstruct or harm; unfriendly, hostile.

The policy was inimical to small businesses from the start.

Not harmful or offensive.

It seemed like an innocuous comment until it wasn't.

Describes environments, conditions, or habits that are unhealthy or detrimental to well-being.

The factory's insalubrious conditions finally drew inspectors.

Showing a casual lack of concern; indifferent.

She strolled in late with an insouciant shrug.

Endless (often used hyperbolically).

The meeting felt interminable by the third hour.

Accustom someone to something, especially something unpleasant; (law) come into operation, take effect.

Years on the trading floor had inured him to bad news.

A long, mournful complaint or lamentation; a list of woes.

His jeremiad about traffic lasted the entire commute.

Using very few words.

His laconic texts never gave away what he was actually thinking.

Displaying a disinclination for physical exertion; slow and relaxed; weak or faint from illness or fatigue.

They spent a languid afternoon on the porch, doing nothing at all.

A drink poured out as an offering to a deity.

They poured a libation before the feast began.

(Of a person or manner) lacking energy or enthusiasm.

The dog had been listless since the heat wave started.

Very vivid in color, creating a harsh or unnatural effect; presented in shockingly sensational terms.

The tabloid ran a lurid account of the trial.

Generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person.

The champion was magnanimous in victory, praising her opponent's game.

A wrong or inaccurate name or use of a term.

Calling it a 'freeway' is a bit of a misnomer during rush hour.

Appease the anger or anxiety of someone.

A partial refund was enough to mollify most customers.

Nearsighted; lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.

The plan was myopic, solving this quarter's problem and creating next year's.

Noisy and difficult to control.

The obstreperous crowd drowned out the announcer.

A natural clay earth pigment.

The hills turned ochre in late summer.

Relating to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being; showing relations between concepts in a domain.

The debate got ontological fast, questioning what 'exists' even means.

Having turned into bone or bony tissue; having become rigid or fixed in attitude or position.

The department's ossified hierarchy resisted every reform.

Apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually.

He was ostensibly there to help, though everyone suspected otherwise.

A manuscript on which the original writing has been effaced but of which traces remain; something reused but still bearing traces of its earlier form.

The old city felt like a palimpsest, new construction over centuries of ruins.

(Of a person's face) pale, typically because of poor health; feeble or insipid.

She went pallid the moment she read the results.

The jargon or informal speech used by a particular social group.

The dockworkers had their own patois, half slang, half shorthand.

Easily irritated, especially by unimportant things.

He got peevish whenever the wifi lagged.

Having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way.

The rumor had a pernicious effect on morale that took months to undo.

Light and slightly contemptuous mockery or banter.

Their persiflage at dinner masked a real disagreement underneath.

(Of a person or their manner) childishly sulky or bad-tempered.

He gave a petulant sigh when asked to wait his turn.

(Of a man) readily or frequently enter into casual sexual relationships with women.

Rumors that he'd philander through every tour stop finally reached his wife.

A remark, especially one with a moral message, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.

The commencement speech was one platitude after another.

Affectedly and irritatingly grand, solemn, or self-important.

His pompous introduction took longer than the actual talk.

Having a stout body; somewhat fat (of a man); of a stately or dignified appearance and manner.

The portly gentleman in the corner turned out to be the museum's biggest donor.

Speak or act in an evasive way.

Stop prevaricating and tell me what actually happened.

Anticipating and representing something as done or existing before it actually is.

The novel's proleptic opening reveals the ending before the story even begins.

Giving or indicating a good chance of success; favorable.

It was a propitious time to launch, with competitors distracted.

Having the style of prose; lacking poetic beauty; commonplace, unromantic.

The film's ending was disappointingly prosaic after such a wild setup.

Convert or attempt to convert someone from one belief to another; advocate or promote a belief.

He couldn't mention his diet without proselytizing to the whole table.

Having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters.

The headline was written for prurient clicks, not information.

Eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight.

His pugnacious style made him a nightmare cross-examiner.

Complaining in a petulant or whining manner.

The querulous email demanded a refund for a ten-minute flight delay.

Bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing.

Years later, the rancor between the two founders had barely faded.

Aggressively greedy or grasping.

The rapacious landlord raised rent again the day the lease renewed.

Address someone to express disapproval or disappointment; the expression of such disapproval.

She looked at him with quiet reproach and said nothing.

The opinion generally held of someone; be generally regarded as being (but not definitely the case).

The restaurant's repute for rudeness only made it more popular.

A short period of rest or relief from something difficult; postpone (a sentence or obligation).

The rain offered a brief respite from the heat.

Attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or sumptuous.

The cathedral was resplendent under the morning light.

Not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.

He stayed reticent about the offer until the papers were signed.

Punishment inflicted on someone as vengeance for a wrong or criminal act.

The plot centers on one man's quest for retribution.

Deep respect for someone or something.

The old teacher was spoken of with reverence long after he retired.

Making a show of being morally superior to others.

His sanctimonious lecture ignored his own record entirely.

Grimly mocking or cynical.

She gave a sardonic laugh at the mention of 'teamwork.'

Calm, confident, and in control of one's feelings; composed.

Even under cross-examination, she stayed remarkably self-possessed.

Given to moralizing in a pompous or affected manner.

His sententious toast lasted longer than the wedding vows.

Occurring or discovered by chance in a happy or beneficial way.

Their meeting was entirely serendipitous, a wrong turn into the same café.

Cheat someone by giving insufficient change; treat unfairly by withholding something of value.

The contractor short-changed us on materials and hoped we wouldn't notice.

Having or showing sharp powers of judgment; astute.

It was a shrewd move, buying the property before the announcement leaked.

A position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit.

The board seat was widely known as a sinecure for retired politicians.

Involving ignoble actions and motives; arousing moral distaste and contempt; dirty or squalid.

The tabloids dug up every sordid detail of the affair.

Dull and uninspired.

The firm had a stodgy reputation long before the rebrand.

The action of bringing someone or something under domination or control.

The novel traces the subjugation of the colony over three generations.

Include or absorb something in something else.

The smaller agency was subsumed into the larger department.

Deceit used in order to achieve one's goal.

The whole scheme relied on subterfuge and a fake email address.

Behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.

The supercilious waiter made us feel underdressed for a diner.

The action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly.

He wrote a letter of supplication to the board, asking for one more chance.

Bad-tempered and unfriendly.

The surly cashier didn't say a word the entire transaction.

A person's or animal's nature, especially as it permanently affects their behavior.

Her calm temperament made her the obvious choice to lead the crisis team.

Showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence.

He gave a timorous knock, unsure if he was even welcome.

Give a short, half-suppressed laugh; giggle.

The class tittered when the teacher's phone rang mid-lecture.

Walk or move wearily or reluctantly.

We had to traipse across the whole campus for a five-minute meeting.

(Of a remark, opinion, or idea) overused and of little import; lacking originality or freshness.

The card's message felt trite, like it was chosen at random.

Eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant.

The truculent teenager slammed the door before anyone could respond.

Showing or motivated by susceptibility to bribery.

The venal official approved the permit for a modest 'fee.'

Having or showing a feeling of vague or regretful longing.

She got wistful looking at old photos from that summer.