Word list 02
Group 1
| Acrid |
sharp; pungent (used of smells and tastes) |
| Boorish |
ill-mannered |
| Cynical |
believing that people act only out of selfish motives |
| Epistle |
a letter (form of communication) |
| Heresy |
against orthodox opinion |
| Lance |
spear; spike; javelin |
| Obscure |
difficult to understand; partially hidden |
| Poignant |
deeply moving; strongly affecting the emotions |
| Respite |
a break; intermission |
| Terse |
concise; to the point |
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Group 2
| Acrophobia |
fear of heights |
| Bourgeois |
middle class |
| Debility |
weakness; incapacity |
| Epistolary |
concerned with letters; through correspondence |
| Hiatus |
interruption; pause |
| Languid |
tired; slow |
| Obscured |
hidden; covered; buried |
| Poised |
calm; collected; self-possessed |
| Resplendent |
shining; glowing |
| Therapeutic |
medicinal; curative |
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Group 3
| Acuity |
sharpness (mental or visual) |
| Braggart |
someone who boasts |
| Debunking |
exposing false claims or myths |
| Epitomized |
typified; characterized; personified |
| Hidebound |
rigid in opinions |
| Languish |
decay; fade away; get weaker |
| Obsequious |
servile; submissive |
| Polemical |
causing debate or argument |
| Restorative |
a tonic |
| Thwart |
prevent; frustrate |
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Group 4
| Adamant |
forceful; inflexible |
| Brawny |
muscular |
| Decathlon |
an athletic competition with ten events |
| Equivocate |
speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth |
| Hieroglyphics |
1. picture writing; 2. writing which is difficult to read or enigmatic |
| Larceny |
theft; robbery; stealing |
| Obsession |
a dominating concern |
| Ponderous |
weighty; slow and heavy |
| Retention |
preservation; withholding |
| Timorous |
cowardly; fearful |
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Group 5
| Adroit |
skilful / skillful |
| Brevity |
being brief |
| Decorum |
dignified, correct behavior [decorous (a)] |
| Err |
make a mistake |
| Hinder |
obstruct |
| Largess |
generosity |
| Obsolete |
no longer valid |
| Pontificate |
speak pompously or dogmatically |
| Reticent |
restrained; holding something back; uncommunicative |
| Tirade |
stream of verbal abuse |
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Group 6
| Adulation |
strong admiration; worship |
| Bristle |
to show irritation |
| Decoy |
lure; trap; trick |
| Erratic |
wandering; irregular |
| Histrionic |
theatrical; exaggerated |
| Laud |
praise |
| Obstreperous |
noisy and boisterous |
| Portend |
foretell |
| Retraction |
withdrawal; cancellation of a statement |
| Titter |
giggle quietly |
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Group 7
| Adversity |
hardship |
| Broach |
start to discuss; approach |
| Deference |
respect |
| Esoteric |
obscure and difficult to understand |
| Hoary |
old |
| Lavish |
on a grand scale; wasteful |
| Obtuse |
mentally dull |
| Portent |
a warning sign; omen |
| Revere |
worship |
| Tome |
large book |
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Group 8
| Advocate |
support |
| Brusque |
blunt; abrupt |
| Defoliate |
cause leaves to fall off |
| Espouse |
promote; take up; support |
| Hone |
sharpen; increase; whet |
| Lax |
careless; not strict |
| Obviate |
avoid; make unnecessary |
| Poseur |
someone who puts on an act |
| Riddled |
full of (usually full of holes) |
| Torpid |
inactive; lazy; stagnant |
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Group 9
| Aesthetic |
concerning art or beauty |
| Bulwark |
fortification; barricade; wall |
| Defunct |
no longer in existence |
| Etymology |
the study of word origins |
| Hyperbole |
grossly exaggerated speech |
| Legend |
1. key to map; 2. myth or story |
| Odious |
hateful |
| Posterity |
future generations |
| Rife |
common |
| Torpor |
dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity |
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Group 10
| Affable |
friendly; social; easygoing |
| Bureaucracy |
officialdom |
| Degradation |
deprivation; poverty; debasement |
| Eulogy |
praise |
| Hypochondriac |
a person obsessed with health; having imaginary illnesses |
| Legion |
in large numbers |
| Officious |
domineering; intrusive; meddlesome |
| Posthumous |
after death |
| Rigor |
thoroughness |
| Totter |
walk unsteadily |
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