Vocabulary Listing

Vocabulary list for September 2010

Platelets – a minute colorless anucleate disklike body that assists in blood clotting
Succinct – expressed in few words; concise; terse
Prognostication – a forecast or prediction
Popinjay – a person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter; coxcomb
Voluptuous – full of indulgence in luxury, pleasure, and sensuous enjoyment
Mitigate – to lessen in force or intensity, as wrath, grief, harshness, or pain; moderate
Onerous – burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship
Caterwaul – to utter long wailing cries, as cats in rutting time.
Ubiquitous -- existing or being everywhere, esp. at the same time; omnipresent
Fallacious – containing a fallacy; logically unsound


Vocabulary list for October 2010

Vociferous – crying out noisily; clamorous
Chock – a wedge or block of wood, metal, or the like, holding an object steady, etc.
Abate – to reduce in amount, degree, intensity, etc.; lessen; diminish
Platitude – a flat, dull, or trite remark
Innocuous – not interesting, stimulating, or significant; pallid; insipid; not likely to irritate or offend; inoffensive
Palatial – befitting or suitable for a palace; stately; magnificent
Inane – lacking sense, significance, or ideas; silly;empty;void
Ostentatious – characterized by or given to pretentious or conspicuous show in an attempt to impress others
Extraneous – not pertinent; irrelevant
Sidle –to move sideways or obliquely


Vocabulary list for November 2010

Alacrity - cheerful readiness, promptness, or willingness
Callous - insensitive, indifferent, unsympathetic, to make hard; A thickened skin area
Extol - to praise highly; laud
Fractious - Unruly;refractory;peevish;readily angered
Haughty - disdainfully proud; snobbish; scornfully arrogant; supercilious
Knell - the sound made by a bell rung slowly, announcing the death of a person or the end; any mournful sound
Refurbish - renovate; brighten or restore
Venerable - commanding respect because of great age or impressive dignity; worthy of veneration or reverence; elderly
Zenith - a highest point or state on a celestial sphere; culmination
Staid - of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious; fixed, settled, or permanent.

Vocabulary list for December 2010

Adhere - to stay attached; stick fast; cling; to be a devoted follower in support or allegiance
Nucleus - a central part about which other parts are grouped or gathered; core
Uxorious - doting upon, foolishly fond of, or affectionately submissive toward one's wife
Lambaste - to reprimand or berate harshly; censure; to beat or whip severely
Pontificate - to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner; to serve as a bishop
Harrowing - extremely disturbing or distressing; grievous
Protracted - to draw out or lengthen, especially in time; extend the duration of; prolong
Juxtaposition - an act or instance of placing close together or side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
Antithesis - opposition; contrast; the direct opposite of
Pristine - having its original purity; uncorrupted or unsullied; of or pertaining to the earliest period or state; primitive

Vocabulary list for January 2011

Neuter - an animal made sterile by castration or spaying; neutral; siding with no one
Pander - a person who caters to or profits from the weaknesses or vices of others; procurer; pimp
Escalate - to increase in intensity, magnitude, etc.
Pithy - brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible
Monolith - a single block of stone of considerable size; something having a uniform, massive, redoubtable, or inflexible quality
Debate - to engage in argument or discussion
Algorithm - a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps, as for finding the greatest common divisor
Obtuse - not quick or alert in perception, feeling, or intellect; not sensitive or observant; dull
Rote - routine; a fixed, habitual, or mechanical course of procedure: by rote, from memory in a mechanical way
Adaptation - the act or process of adapting or the state of being adapted; adjustment to surroundings


Vocabulary list for February 2011

Moot - of little or no practical value or meaning; purely academic
Inalienable - not transferable to another
Apathy - absence or suppression of passion or emotion; lack of interest in that others find moving
Jimjams - extreme nervousness; jitters
Misnomer - a misapplied or inappropriate name
Pusillanimous - lacking courage or resolution; cowardly or fearful
Rugose - having wrinkles; ridged
Clement - mild or merciful in disposition; lenient; compassionate
Culpable - deserving blame
Unequivocal - clear; having only one possible meaning or interpretation

Vocabulary list for March 2011

Hamish - Cozy or homey
Catatonic - appearing to be in a daze or stupor; unresponsive; in a state of rigidity of muscles and mentality
Churlish - boorish; rude: difficult to work or deal with, as soil
Lychnobite - one who labors at night and sleeps in the day
Nosology - the systematic classification of diseases; knowledge of a disease
Pyknic - having a fat, rounded build or body structure
Interpolate - to introduce between other things; interject; to alter by insertion of matter
Onomatopoeia - the formation of a word by imitation of the sound (such as meow)
Purport - to present deliberately; to convey to the mind as the meaning
Coeval - of the same age, date, or duration; equally old

Vocabulary list for April 2011

Comely - Pleasing in appearance; attractive
Idyllic - Charmingly simple or rustic
Consolidate - to bring together in a single unified whole
Frugal - Not wasteful; sparing use of resources
Sublime - Elevated or lofty thought; complete or absolute
Blasphemy - Impious utterance or action concerning God
Surreptitious - obtained by stealth; acting in a secretive manner
Egregious - extraordinarily bad in some manner; flagrant
Calamity - a great misfortune or disaster
Penchant - a strong inclination or liking for something

Vocabulary list for May 2011

Precipitous - Impassibly steep
Winsome - Sweetly or innocently charming or engaging
Pretentious - Outwardly show of exaggerated importance
Explicit - Clearly and fully expressed
Exiguous - scanty; meager; small; slender
Shiv - make-shift knife
Obstinate - Stubbornly adhering to one's position
Cleave - To cling to; to cut in half
Placid - Pleasantly calm or serene; peaceful
Disparage - To speak of slightly; demean or belittle

Vocabulary list for June 2011

Soliloquy - an utterance or discourse by a person who is talking to himself or herself
Irascible - easily provoked to anger; characterized by anger
Witzelsucht - especially facetiousness and inappropriate or pointless humor
Vacillate - to waver in mind or opinion, to be indecisive
Virago - A shrew
Ignoble - Of low character or grade; inferior
Copious - Abundant; plentiful amounts
Adjunct - Something added to another thing, but not essential; a person of less rank or authority
Defenestrate - the act of throwing out a window
Groak - Look or stare at longingly

Vocabulary list for July 2011

Dank - Unpleasantly moist or humid; damp
Tautology - Needless repetition without imparting any more clearness
Paradigm - Pattern, Standard, or Ideal (often used to describe a mindset)
Decry - To speak disparagingly of; Denounce as worthless
Furtive - An action done in secrecy
Harangue - Scold; A long and intense verbal attack
Rigmarole - Foolish talk, confuse, to go through a meaningless process
Bellicose - Inclined to fight
Supercilious - Haughty disdain or contempt
Abdicate - To give up power such as from a throne or right

Vocabulary list for August 2011

Dearth - An inadequate supply or scarcity
Lax - Loose or not strict; careless; not precise
Wizened - shriveled
Undulating - To move in a wave-like motion
Sordid - morally ignoble; self-seeking; dirty
Beset - to surround and attack on all sides; gems set in jewelry
Relegate - to send to an inferior place or position; banish
Maudlin - tearfully or weak emotionally; foolishly sentimental
Requite - to make repayment for a wrong; avenge
Pensive - expressing wistful thought often marked by sadness

Vocabulary list for September 2011

Bemoan - To regard with regret; express grief
Aperture - An opening as in a slit, gap, crack; the opening allowing light into a camera
Demur - To make an objection based on moral grounds
Digress - to deviate from the main topic
Insipid - without distinct interesting characteristics; bland
Discombobulate - to frustrate or confuse
Fecund - capable of producing fruit or offspring
Bailiwick - a person's area of skill or area of expertise; a district of authority
Penultimate - Next to the last
Ostensibly - apparent or outwardly appearing as such; evident

Vocabulary list for October 2011

Morose - having a gloomy or sullen manner; not friendly or sociable
Coerce - to cause to do through pressure, by physical, moral or intellectual means
Prolific - highly inventive or productive
Axiom - self-evident truth requiring no proof
Avow - admit openly and bluntly
Avarice - extreme greed for material wealth
Austere - of a stern or strict bearing or demeanor
Deluge - An overwhelming amount
Gist - The main idea or topic
Malinger - To fake an illness to avoid work

Vocabulary list for November 2011

Eschew - to abstain or keep away from; shun; avoid
Vivacious - animated and lively
Parochial - narrowly restricted in scope or outlook; provincial
Malleable - capable of being shaped or formed, as by hammering or pressure
Recondite - dealing with very profound, difficult, or abstruse subject matter; beyond ordinary knowledge;obscure
Machination - the act of devising plots or schemes to accomplish a sinister end
Allegory - a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; a parable or fable
Virtuoso - a person who has special knowledge or skill in a field such as music.
Puttee - a strip of cloth worn wound around the legs from the ankle to the knee, as part of a military uniform
Inured - to accustom to hardship, difficulty, pain, etc.; toughen or harden; habituate


Vocabulary list for December 2011

Kvetch - to chronically complain
Perdition - a state of final spiritual ruin; hell; utter destruction or ruin
Dour - sullen; gloomy; severe; stern
Expostulate - to reason earnestly with someone against something that person intends to do or has done; remonstrate
Peevish - cross, querulous, or fretful; showing annoyance, irritation, or bad mood
Vagary - an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance; a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action
Interminable - incapable of being terminated; unending; monotonously or annoyingly protracted or continued
Mosaic - a picture or decoration made of small, usually colored pieces of inlaid stone, glass, etc.
Quibble - petty or carping criticism; a minor objection
Subterfuge - an artifice or expedient used to evade a rule, escape a consequence, hide something, etc.


Vocabulary list for January 2012

Insular - of or pertaining to an island or islands
Shamble - walk awkwardly
Effigy - a representation or image, especially sculptured, as on a monument or a crude representation of someone disliked
Inexorable - unyielding; unalterable; not to be persuaded, moved, or affected
Mollify - to soften in feeling or temper, as a person; pacify; appease
Quadrennial - occurring every or lasting for four years
Insatiable - incapable of being satisfied or appeased
Proclivity - natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition
Acquiesce - to assent tacitly; submit or comply silently or without protest; agree; consent
Temerity - reckless boldness; rashness

Vocabulary list for February 2012

Captious - apt to notice and make much of trivial faults; faultfinding; difficult to please
Lethargy - the state of being drowsy and dull, listless and unenergetic, or indifferent and lazy
Devout - devoted to divine worship or service; pious; earnest or sincere
Persnickety - overparticular; fussy; snobbish
Alate - Having wings
Bricolage - A construction made of whatever materials are at hand
En masse - together; as a group or whole
Evince - to show clearly; make evident; prove
Mimetic - characterized by imitation; mimic
Turgid - swollen; distended; inflated; bombastic

Vocabulary list for March 2012

Carom - a shot where the cue ball hits two balls in succession; any strike and rebound as a ball striking a wall and glancing off
Peremptory - leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; dictatorial; assertive in speech, tone, manner
Supine - lying on the back, face or front upward; Inactive, passive or inert, especially from indifference; Palm upward.
Verisimilitude - the appearance or semblance of truth; likelihood; probability
Sojourn - a temporary stay
Pecuniary - of or pertaining to money
Loquacious - tending to talk excessively
Ineluctable - incapable of being evaded; inescapable
Apogee - the point in an orbit which is farthest from the Earth; the highest or most distant point
Aberrant - departing from the right, normal, or usual course

Vocabulary list for April 2012

Ambisinister - clumsy or unskillful with both hands.
Elide - to suppress; omit; ignore; pass over.
Eclat - brilliance of success, reputation, etc.
Effluvium - a slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, esp. one that is disagreeable.
Verdant - green.
Desideratum - something desired.
Philomath - a lover of learning; a scholar.
Daedal - skillful; artistic; ingenious.
Imbroglio - a complicated and embarrassing state of things.
Risible - exciting or provoking laughter.

Vocabulary list for May 2012

Procacity - Forwardness; pertness; petulance
Recuse - to withdraw from a position of judging so as to avoid any semblance of partiality or bias
Retrograde - moving backward; having a backward motion or direction; retiring or retreating
Vulpine - of or resembling a fox; cunning or crafty
Runic - consisting of or set down in runes: runic inscriptions; having some secret or mysterious meaning
Mundify - to cleanse; deterge: to mundify a wound; to purge or purify
Billet - lodging for a soldier, student, etc., as in a private home or nonmilitary public building; an official order, written or verbal, directing the person to whom it is addressed to provide such lodging; a place assigned, as a bunk, berth, or the like, to a member of a ship's crew
Jobbery - the conduct of public or official business for the sake of improper private gain
Mussitate - to mutter; mumble
Funambulist - a tightrope walker

Vocabulary list for June 2012

Arbitrage - the simultaneous buy and sell of an item to take advantage of a temp difference in price
Convoluted - twisted; coiled; unusually difficult or complicated
Erudite - characterized by great knowledge
Flamboyant - strikingly bold or brilliant; conspicuously ornate; elaborately styled
Pontificate - to speak in a pompous or dogmatic manner; to serve as a pontiff or bishop
Ebb - a flowing backward or away; decline or decay
Polyglot - able to speak or write several languages; multilingual
Labyrinth - a maze of paths or passages designed to confuse one's exit
Ersatz - serving as a substitute; synthetic; artificial
Dour - sullen; gloomy; severe; stern

Vocabulary list for July 2012

Beguile - to influence by trickery, flattery, etc.; mislead; delude; to take away from by cheating or deceiving
Malapropism - an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound.
Bulwark - a wall of earth or other material built for defense; rampart; a person or thing used as support in time of need
Foolhardy - recklessly or thoughtlessly bold; foolishly rash or venturesome
Mettle - courage and fortitude: a man of mettle; disposition or temperament of a person
Precocious - prematurely developed, as the mind, faculties, etc.
Didactic - intended for instruction; instructive
Incontrovertible - not open to question or dispute; indisputable; an absolute
Assail - to attack or assault
Conjecture - the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof; a guess; speculation

Vocabulary list for August 2012

Abjure - to swear off something once believed or experienced, such as a religion, marriage, or alcohol for example
Quotidian - the daily activities of life
Moiety - one of two equal parts
Jejune - something that is uninteresting or insignificant
Hubris - displaying excessive confidence
Homogeneous - all alike or similar in some fashion
Gauche - when you want to call something tacky, graceless, tactless, rude, boorish, or awkward and foolish
Wrought - shaped, manufactured, or molded (a wrought-iron fence); to cause damage (destruction that the storm wrought)
Winnow - to separate (blowing away the chafe to have the grain remain); remove excess to have what is desired remain
Nomenclature - a system of naming things in working environment (when starting a new job you may have difficulty with your peer's nomenclature)

Vocabulary list for September 2012

Malady - sickness, disease, illness, disorder
Predilection - preexisting preference, desire towards something
Ameliorate - to make better
Sanguine - cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident OR reddish; ruddy
Astute - of keen penetration or discernment; sagacious;clever; cunning; ingenious; shrewd
Allusion - a passing or casual reference; an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication
Evoke - to call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.): to elicit or draw forth; summon
Consecrate - to make or declare sacred; set apart or dedicate to the service of a deity; to make (something) an object of honor or veneration; hallow: a custom consecrated by time; to devote or dedicate to some purpose
Embody - to give a concrete form to; express, personify, or exemplify in concrete form:to provide with a body; incarnate; make corporeal
Suffice - to be enough or adequate, as for needs, purposes, etc.

Vocabulary list for October 2012

Sodden - soaked with liquid or moisture; saturated
Piteous - evoking or deserving pity; pathetic
Waif - a person, especially a child, who has no home or friends; a stray animal, whose owner is not known; a stray item or article
Opaque - not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not allowing light to pass through; dull, stupid, or unintelligent
Nonchalant - coolly unconcerned, indifferent, or unexcited; casual
Mnemonic - assisting or intended to assist the memory
Impecunious - having little or no money; penniless; poor
Brandish - to shake or wave, as a weapon; flourish
Cull - to choose; select; pick; to gather the choice things or parts from; pluck
Emancipate - to free from restraint, influence; to free from bondage.