Expand Your Vocabulary

Updated: October 21, 2006






ABATE (verb): to make or become less strong; to reduce in value, amount, degree, or intensity; to diminish.

The penalty fee may be abated if you have reasonable cause for paying your invoice late. 



AFFLUENT (adjective): having a generous supply of money or material possessions.

Thieves often hit houses in affluent neighbourhoods. 



ATROCIOUS (adjective): very bad or unpleasant.

His table manners are atrocious. 



CONFINE (verb): to keep within limits; to hold captive.

The animals are confined in large cages. 



CONCUR (verb): to express agreement.

I concur with Mr. Johnson. 



CONJECTURE (noun): an opinion based on guesswork or incomplete information.

Do you still support your conjecture? 



CONSENSUS (noun): a general agreement.

It didn't take long before the council came to a consensus. 



DAWDLE (verb): to move slowly; to waste time.

Stop your dawdling or we'll never make it on time! 



DEBACLE (noun): a complete failure or great disaster; a sudden collapse.

The Enron debacle has spurred much debate in the US. 



DEBRIS (noun): remains of something that has been destroyed.

They removed the debris from the area. 



DEDUCT (verb): to subtract.

We will deduct the cost of your uniform from your pay cheque. 



DISOWN (verb): to refuse to acknowledge as one's own; to refuse to have any connection with.

Her father disowned her. 



DREIDEL (noun): a four-sided spinning top marked with Hebrew letters; a game often played at Hanukkah.

The players take turns spinning the dreidel. 



EFFACE (verb): to wipe out; to remove all traces of.

The stone is still there but its inscriptions have been effaced. 



ELICIT (verb): to bring out; to draw forth or evoke (a reaction, response, etc.).

His book elicited much praise. 



EVENTUALITY (noun): a possible outcome.

They must be ready for that eventuality. 



EXHORT (verb): to urge strongly.

The cult leader exhorted his followers to sell their personal belongings. 



EXODUS (noun): mass departure.

The recent attacks have led to the exodus of Afghans to neighboring countries. 



FALLACY (noun): a mistaken belief or idea; faulty reasoning.

It's a fallacy to think that things were better in the past. 



FATHOM (verb): to understand; to grasp.

It is hard to fathom how deep the ocean is. 



FICKLE (adjective): changeable; disloyal; inconstant.

Clients are fickle. 



FORGE (verb): to write something with the intention of passing it off as written by someone else.

She forged her husband's signature. 



FRUMPY (adjective): dowdy; unattractive.

That dress looks so frumpy and old-fashioned. 



GLOAT (verb): to contemplate with triumph and often malicious satisfaction.

The team gloated over their win. 



GOLLY (interjection): expressing surprise.

Golly, I was shocked she came on time. 



GUILE (noun): deceitful behavior.

His lack of guile is not always appreciated by his co-workers. 



IMPEACH (verb): to remove from office, most often because of misconduct.

Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives in 1998. 



INCARCERATION (noun): imprisonment.

Many critics question if incarceration is an effective crime deterrent. 



INDICT (verb): to charge a person with a crime by legal process.

Two men were indicted by a jury on charges of burglary. 



INEVITABLE (adjective): unavoidable.

Yesterday's events were inevitable. 



IRRECONCILABLE (adjective): hostile; incompatible; unable to be brought into harmony.

Marriages today are often terminated on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. 



JARGON (noun): words or expressions used by a particular group, trade, or profession.

I don't understand medical jargon. 



JEOPARDIZE (verb): to put in danger.

Their carelessness jeopardized our mission. 



LAYMAN (noun): a person lacking specialized knowledge in a subject.

Are there any law books here for laymen? 



LIQUIDITY (noun): available cash; the state of being liquid.

The company is having liquidity problems. 



LITIGATION (noun): the process of carrying on a legal contest or lawsuit.

Are the months or years involved in litigation worth it? 



MAROON (noun): a dark brownish or purplish red.

I bought some beautiful maroon fabric that I'm going to use to make curtains. 



MAVEN (noun): an expert.

She has become quite the marketing maven. 



MENTOR (noun): an experienced and trusted adviser.

She is both my boss and my mentor. 



MISGIVING (noun): a feeling of doubt or apprehension.

Despite his misgivings, he continued to work on the project. 



NEPOTISM (noun): favoritism of any sort shown to relatives.

The company has a strict anti-nepotism policy. 



ONEROUS (adjective): burdensome.

Conducting market surveys can be a time-consuming, onerous process. 



OXYMORON (noun): a combination of contradictory terms;
for example, jumbo shrimp or pretty ugly. 



PANDEMONIUM (noun): utter confusion; uproar.

Pandemonium erupted five minutes after you left. 



PARAPHRASE (verb): to express the same message with different words.

She paraphrased a portion of the story. 



PARTITION (noun): division into parts; something that divides space into parts.

My hard disk has two partitions. 



PEER (noun): a person who is equal with another in regards to age, grade, or status.

I was envied by my peers. 



PIOUS (adjective): devout; religious.

Her poetry reflects her pious thoughts and beliefs. 



PIPSQUEAK, also PIP-SQUEAK (noun): a small or insignificant person or thing.

That little pipsqueak! 



POMPOUS (adjective): exhibiting self-importance; excessively ornate.

She is the most arrogant, pompous woman I have ever met. 



PRECOCIOUS (adjective): early in development; maturing at an early age.

He astounded everyone he met with his precocious talents. 



RECKLESS (adjective): careless; irresponsible.

She must be held responsible for her reckless behavior. 



REFURBISH (verb): to brighten up; to redecorate or restore.

They refurbished our office two months ago. 



REHASH (verb): to use old material in a different form without significant change or improvement; to discuss again.

She spent all week rehashing the reports. 



REIMBURSE (verb): to repay.

We will reimburse you for the cost of your uniform on your next pay cheque. 



REMINISCE (verb): indulge in remembering events from the past.

I cannot wait to attend my ten-year reunion so I can reminisce about my high-school years with my former classmates. 



RENDER (verb): to make; to cause to be.

The brutality of the crime rendered him speechless. 



SACRILEGIOUS (adjective): relating to or being a violation of a person, place, or thing that is regarded as sacred.

The book is one long sacrilegious rant. 



SEGREGATE (verb): to isolate; to separate from the rest.

Gifted children are usually segregated into separate classes that are better tailored to their way of learning. 



SLANDER (noun): a false statement about a person.

The media often start rumors and spread slanders. 



TURNKEY (adjective): supplied or assembled ready for immediate use or operation.

Our company specializes in providing turnkey IT solutions. 



TYCOON (noun): a powerful leader; a business magnate.

Property tycoon John Smith recently bought a huge piece of land by the river. 



VINDICTIVE (adjective): involving revenge; vengeful.

This incident has exposed her vindictive nature. 



WOBBLE (verb): unsteadily move from side to side.

My legs start to wobble when I'm up high; I'm terrified of heights. 



WOOZY (adjective): dizzy or unsteady; dazed or slightly drunk.

I had only one glass of wine yet I feel woozy. 



YULE LOG (noun): a large log burned in the hearth on Christmas; a log-shaped cake eaten at Christmas.

The tradition of burning a yule log has been around for over 1000 years.