Word list

Sudden and unexpected, often without warning.

To accept or admit that something is true.

A difficult or unfavorable situation.

To publicly support a cause, or a person who does so.

To make pain or difficulty less severe.

Selfless concern for the well-being of others.

The quality of having more than one possible meaning, causing confusion.

Open to more than one interpretation; unclear in meaning.

Comparable in certain respects to something else.

A state of disorder due to absence of authority.

Something that deviates from what is standard or expected.

A lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.

Anxious about something that might happen.

Based on random choice rather than reason.

Requiring great effort; difficult and tiring.

Able to express ideas clearly, or to express clearly.

Showing great care and perseverance.

Having sharp judgment; clever and perceptive.

Not typical or usual; different from the usual pattern.

Causing embarrassment or difficulty; not smooth.

Producing good results; helpful.

A person who receives money or benefits from something.

Completely obvious, especially in a negative way.

To support or strengthen something.

To support something structurally or strengthen an argument, often by propping it up from beneath or the side.

Given to sudden, unpredictable changes.

Something that triggers a significant change or event.

Strongly convincing or attention-grabbing.

The state of having many interconnected parts, making something hard to understand.

Involved with others in a wrongful act.

To understand something fully.

To admit that something is true, often reluctantly.

To accept or approve of behavior, often implicitly.

A conclusion based on incomplete information.

General agreement among a group of people.

To confirm or support a statement or theory with additional evidence.

To express disapproval of someone or something's faults.

No longer existing or functioning.

Easily damaged, or requiring careful handling.

Requiring a lot of skill, effort, or attention.

Not original; based heavily on something else.

To discourage someone from doing something.

Completely lacking something.

A division between two sharply contrasting things.

To move away from the main subject temporarily.

To become smaller or less, or to make something so.

Causing great, often sudden, damage or harm.

To notice or understand something that isn't obvious.

A difference between things that should match.

Not influenced by personal interest; impartial.

Lacking order or a clear system; messy.

Fundamentally different; not comparable.

Disagreement with an official or widely held opinion.

A lack of trust or confidence in someone or something.

Easy to manage or teach; submissive.

Asserting opinions as facts, without allowing room for doubt.

The state of having the most power or influence in a situation.

Temporarily inactive, but capable of becoming active again.

Excessively harsh or severe, especially of laws or punishments.

The ability to stretch, adapt, or return to an original form after change.

To draw out a response or reaction.

Difficult to find, catch, or achieve.

To accept something readily or enthusiastically.

The extreme scale or seriousness of something, especially something bad.

To completely destroy or eliminate something.

To deliberately avoid something.

A mild word substituted for a harsh or blunt one.

To make a problem worse.

Serves as a clear example of something.

Unreasonably excessive, especially in price.

Convenient and practical, though not necessarily fair or moral.

To make full use of something, often unfairly, for one's own benefit.

Still in existence; not extinct or destroyed.

To invent or construct falsely.

Treating a serious matter with inappropriate humor.

Based on a mistaken belief; logically flawed.

Intense and passionate feeling.

To stir up or instigate trouble.

Courage and strength in facing pain or adversity.

Easily broken or damaged; not sturdy.

Relevant to the topic at hand.

To gather information or material gradually, often bit by bit.

Uncalled for; done without good reason.

Lacking any organized system or plan; random.

A belief or opinion that goes against accepted doctrine.

To make progress more difficult; to get in the way of.

Made up of parts that are all the same or very similar.

Exaggerated statements not meant to be taken literally.

Forbidden by law, rules, or custom.

About to happen very soon.

To delay or block the progress of something.

About to happen soon, often something ominous.

Impossible to enter, pass through, or understand.

Acting quickly without thinking things through.

Not enough, or not good enough, for what is needed.

Silly and lacking sense.

Lacking skill or ability.

To reach a conclusion based on evidence and reasoning.

To hinder or restrain a process or action.

Not likely to cause harm or offense.

To suggest something indirectly, often something negative.

Too great to be overcome.

Unable to be touched or precisely defined; abstract.

Necessary to make something whole or complete.

Refusing to change one's views or agree about something.

Having many small, detailed parts; complicated.

To overwhelm with a large amount of something.

To make something no longer valid, true, or effective.

To lose strength or become weak, often from being neglected.

Present but not yet developed or visible.

Lacking energy; sluggish.

To push a group or person to the edges of society, reducing their influence.

Extremely careful and precise about details.

Understood incorrectly.

To make a bad situation less severe or harmful.

Ordinary and lacking excitement.

A very large, indefinite number.

Calm and casual, showing little concern.

New and original, not seen before.

To make something legally or officially invalid; to cancel out an effect.

Not aware of what's happening around oneself.

Suggesting that something bad is about to happen.

Not able to be seen through, or, figuratively, hard to understand.

Stated or appearing to be true, though possibly not.

To fail to notice something, or to let it pass without objection.

Done or shown openly; not hidden.

So intense as to be almost touchable; obvious.

An outcast, someone widely rejected by others.

Overly concerned with formal rules or minor details.

Of secondary importance; on the edge rather than the center.

Continuing firmly despite difficulty or opposition.

To read something carefully and thoroughly.

Spreading widely throughout something.

A trite, overused remark presented as if profound.

The quality of evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.

Evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret.

An approach that deals with things sensibly and realistically.

Widespread respect or admiration resulting from success or high status.

Attempting to impress by affecting greater importance than one has.

A natural tendency to behave in a certain way.

A person who argues in favor of something.

Careful and sensible judgment, especially about practical matters.

Eager to argue or fight.

Everyday; ordinary.

To formally withdraw a previously held statement or belief.

To correct or fix something that is wrong.

To voluntarily give up a possession, role, or right.

The capacity to recover quickly from difficulty.

Able to recover quickly from difficulty.

A tendency to be reserved about expressing thoughts or feelings.

Reluctant to share thoughts or feelings; reserved.

The art of persuasive speaking or writing, sometimes used dismissively for empty language.

Basic and undeveloped.

Making a show of being morally superior.

Optimistic or positive, especially in a difficult situation.

To examine something very closely.

To move smoothly from one topic to another.

Having doubts about the truth of a claim.

An attitude of doubt toward claims.

Having refined knowledge, taste, or complexity; not simple or naive.

Tending to induce sleep; extremely boring.

Severe or bare in appearance; harshly clear.

Firmly loyal or unchanging.

A mark of shame associated with something.

Showing little emotion; calm and unexcitable.

To block or hinder progress.

Of such excellence as to inspire awe.

Large in amount, size, or importance.

Deceit used to achieve a goal.

Behaving as if superior to others.

To take the place of something previously in use.

To forcibly put an end to or prevent the expression of something.

Understood without being directly stated.

Very weak, thin, or easily broken, especially of an argument or connection.

To prevent someone from accomplishing something.

Sluggish and lacking energy.

Calm and peaceful, without disturbance.

Lasting only a short time; temporary.

Easy to see through, or, figuratively, open and honest.

Present or seeming to be present everywhere.

The fact of seeming to be everywhere at once.

Modest and not seeking attention.

Excessively flattering or ingratiating in an insincere way.

To weaken or damage something gradually, often secretly.

To emphasize the importance of something.

Leaving no doubt; completely clear.

Never having happened before.

Having no moral principles; dishonest.

To confirm that something is true, accurate, or worthwhile.

Likely to change; not consistent.

Deserving great respect, especially because of age or wisdom.

A sudden or unexpected change in circumstances, especially of fortune.

Relating to deep, instinctive feeling rather than reason.

Cruel and bitter criticism.

Likely to change suddenly or unpredictably.

Cautious about possible danger or problems.

To sharpen, or to stimulate interest or appetite.

Playfully quaint or fanciful.

Happening or existing in many places at once.

Dryly and often ironically humorous.