<p>euphemism- nice way of saying something
lucid- obvious, clear
ascertain- to make sure
erudition- profound scholarly knowledge
pragmatic- reasonable, sensible
didactic- educational
insinuate- to suggest; to hint at
adroit- highly skilled
disseminate- to spread; to distribute
perspicacious- perceptive, observant
conjecture- an assumption
incoherent- not understandable, confusing
acumen- ability to make good judgments and quick decisions
circumspect- cautious
pedantic- scholarly
candid- staightforward and honest
extrapolate- to infer
rhetoric- the art of using language effectively
astute- intelligent
loquacious- talkative
abstruse- difficult to understand
inscrutable- impossible to understand or interpret
assimilate- to comprehend
entourage- followers
insular- narrow-minded
rudimentay- basic
enigma- a mystery
arcane- understood by few; secret
derivative- something based on another source
idiosyncrasy- a distinctive characteristic of a individual or group
prospectus- an outline of a proposed project
convoluted- complicated and difficult to follow
staid- serious
cosmopolitan- sophisticated
gaffe- a social mistake
precocious- developing abilities at a younger age
callous- unfeeling
reticent- secretive, quiet
autonomy- independence
esoteric- obscure, understood by few
censure- to critcize; to blame
renounce- to give up, especially by formal announcement
conciliatory- appeasing; pleasant
indict- to accuse or charge someone with a serious crime
rectitude- morally correct behavior or thinking
castigate- to conflict severe punishment on
relinquish- to give up or abandon
contiguous- sharing a common border; touching
incontrovertible- unable to be denied
parity- equality in amount, status, or value
potentate- a monarch
reclusive- preferring to be isolated
circumscribe- to restrict; to draw a circle around
exonerate-to free from blame
partisan- devoted to or biased in support of a party, group, or cause
orthodox- conforming to what is accepted as right or true
denounce- publicly declare to be wrong or evil
vituperative- bitter and abusive
credible- believable
litigious- tending to engage in lawsuits
scrupulous- having a strong sense of right and wrong; extremely careful
veracity- truthfulness
obsequious- submissive
empathetic- understanding of another’s situation, feelings, and motives
philanthropic- seeking to promote the welfare of others
sanctimonious- making a show of being morally superior to other people
substantiate- to support with proof or evidence
chicanery- deception by trickery
eminent- distinguished; prominent
magnanimous- very generous or forgiving
repudiate- reject the truth or validity of
disaffected- having lost faith or loyalty
cajole- to urge with repeated appeals, teasing, or flattery
altruism- selflessness
laudatory- full of praise
remiss- lacking care or attention towards a duty
solicitous- concerned
vindicate- to free of blame
sycophant- a person who acts obsequiously toward someone in order to gain advantage
extol- to praise highly
effusive- showing excessive emotion
squelch- to suppress
deride- ridicule
ignominy- great personal dishonor or humiliation
vex- to annoy or bother
eradicate- to get rid of
raze- to demolish
abase- to lower in rank, prestige, or esteem
effrontery- boldness; nerve
pejorative- derogatory
defunct- no longer existing or functioning
quell- to suppress
stymie- to prevent or slow down the progress of
disparage- to belittle
mar- to damage, especially in a disfiguring way
reciprocate- to mutually take or give
extirpate- to root out and destroy completely
supplant- to replace, usually by force
derogatory- insulting
impugn- to question the validity of
exorbitant- unreasonably high
gratuitous- unnecessary
ornate- elaborately decorated
vicarious- experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person
multifarious- diverse; various
ebullience- intense enthusiasm
flagrant- extremely or deliberately shocking or noticable
opulent- displaying great wealth
ubiquitous- omnipresent
inundate- to overwhelm
bombastic- high-sounding but with little meaning
embellish- to exaggerate
lugubrious- gloomy
redundant- needlessly repetitive
amalgam- a combination of diverse elements; a mixture
vindictive- revengeful
exuberant- full of unrestrained enthusiasm or joy
lavish- extravagant
penchant- a strong liking
vignette- a short scene or story
beneficial- helpful
complement- something that completes or brings to perfection
debunk- to expose untruths, shams, or exaggerated claims
fallacy- a mistaken belief
ambivalent- having mixed beliefs or contradictory ideas about someone or something
cathartic- providing psychological relief through the expression of strong emotions
therapeutic- having or exhibiting healing powers
belie- to misrepresent
fabricate- to make up in order to deceive
ambiguous- open to more than one interpretation
alleviate- to ease a pain or burden
palliative- relieving or soothing the symptoms of without effecting a cure
felicitous- well-suited for the occasion
duplicitous- deliberately deceptive
specious- somewhat plausible but actually false
multiplicity- a great number
curative- able to heal or cure
epitome- a representative or example of a type
dubious- doubtful
mendacious- untruthful
erratic- unpredicatable
vacillate- alternate between different opinions or actions
ingenuous- lacking in cunning or worldlinesss
modicum- a small or moderate amount
tenuous- shaky
equivocal- open to more then one interpretation and often intended to mislead
spordiac- occuring at irregular intervals
jaded- worn out
dearth- scarce supply; lack
temperate- moderate
capricious- impulsive and unpredictable
impetuous- impulsive
flag- to tire
surreptitious- secretive; sneaky
squander- to spend wastefully
apathetic- feeling or showing little emotion
impetus- an impelling force or deadline
whimsical- unpredictable
subterfuge- a deceptive plan or device
paucity- scarcity
obstinate- stubbornly attatched to an opinion or a course of action
extraneous- irrelevant
tangential- only superficially relevant
dirge- a funeral hymn or lament
strident- loud and harsh
mercenary- motivated solely by a desire for money or material gain; a professional soldier
vigilant- watchful
synergy- a combined action or operation
cacophony- unpleasant noise
sonorous- producing a deep of full sound
maverick- one who is independent and resists adherence to a group
tenacity- persistance
superfluous- unnecessary
aural- of or related to the ear or sense of hearing
incongruous- incompatable
diligent- hardworking
proliferate- to grow or increase rapidly
juxtapose- to place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast
aesthetic- having to do with the appreciation of beauty
eclectic- made up of a variety of sources or styles
anachronistic- the representation of something existing or happening in the wrong time period
redolent- suggestive; fragrant
prescience- knowledge of action before they occur
insipid- uninteresting
brevity- the quality or state of being brief in duration
tumultuous- noisy and disorderly
ephermal- lasting for only a brief time
portent- omen
hackneyed- worn out through overuse
vapid- dull
debilitate- weaken
dilatory- habitually late
onerous- troublesome
banal- drearily commonplace
soporific- inducing or tending to induce sleep
debacle- fiasco
archaic- old
temporal- of, relating to, or limited by time
austere- without decoration; strict
prosaic- dull
bolster- to encourage or support
grandiose- grand
scintillating- brilliant
diffidence- shyness
quiescent- inactive
augment- to increase
distend- to swell out or expand from internal pressure
redouble- to make twice as great
demure- modest and reserved
placid- calm or quiet
transient- passing quickly in time or space
copious- plentiful
profundity- great depth of intellect, feeling, or meaning
conspicuous- easy to notice
innocuous- harmless
expedient- convenient
burgeon- to grow and flourish
prodigious- enormous
averse- having a strong dislike of something
docile- willing to be taught
fastidious- very attentative to detail
affable- friendly
sanguine- optimistic
contentious- quarrelsome
insolent- insulting in manner or speech
dogmatic- stubbornly attached to insufficiently proven beliefs
meticulous- extremely careful and precise
benign- kind and gentle
cantankerous- quarrelsome
flippant- disrepectfully humorous
concur- to agree
jocular- characterized by joking
amiable- friendly
supercilious- haughty
exacerbate- aggravate
concord- agreement
intransigence- refusal to moderate a position or to compromise
alacrity- eagerness
belligerent- eager to fight; hostile or aggressive
deleterious- having a harmful effect
repugnant- arousing aversion
stratify- to layer or seperate into layers
rancorous- characterized by bitterness or resentment
invocation- a call for assistance, support, or inspiration
pernicious- deadly
arboreal- relating to or resembling a tree or trees
verdant- green with vegetation
nefarious- wicked
prolific- very productive
variegated- exhibiting different colors, especially as irregular patches or streaks</p>
<p>Rather than memorizing a bunch of words, learn the Greek/Latin roots that they come from. For example, “arboreal.” An arbor is a tree (think, Arbor day).</p>
<p>nonplus: non(not)+plus(more, as in plural and +)=not more. Right? No. nonplus=to confound. Sometimes, using roots can be misleading. </p>
<p>inland: in(not)+land(land)=not land. Right? No. inland=on the interior of a region.</p>
<p>interest: inter(bury)+est(old english: “ye all knowest me”)=“Ye all interest the dead body.” Right? No. You’d have to make assumptions as to the meaning of “inter” unless you read about it beforehand.</p>
<p>In short, never learn a word entirely by roots, but while learning a word look at roots.</p>