CSS/PMS Vocabulary List Set 1

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• Abdicate — to renounce power or responsibility
• Aberration — deviation from the normal or expected
• Abet — to assist or encourage wrongdoing
• Abeyance — temporary suspension or inactivity
• Abhor — to detest; regard with disgust
• Abject — utterly hopeless, wretched, or contemptible
• Abjure — to formally renounce or reject (a belief)
• Abrogate — to repeal or annul (a law or agreement)
• Abridge — to shorten (a text) without losing sense
• Absolve — to free from guilt or blame
• Abstemious — self-restraining, esp. with food or drink
• Accede — to agree or give consent
• Accolade — praise or an award of merit
• Accord — agreement; to grant or give
• Accost — to approach and speak boldly or aggressively
• Accrue — to accumulate over time (benefit, interest)
• Acerbic — sharply critical or sarcastic in tone
• Acquiesce — to accept reluctantly but without protest
• Acrimony — bitterness or ill feeling in speech/behavior
• Acumen — keen insight; shrewd judgment
• Adage — a traditional proverb or saying
• Adamant — unyielding; firmly holding an opinion
• Addendum — an addition or supplement to a document
• Adept — highly skilled at a particular task
• Adhere — to stick to; to follow (a rule, policy)
• Adjudicate — to make a formal judgment or decision
• Adjunct — something added but not essential; auxiliary
• Admonish — to warn or reprimand firmly
• Adroit — skillful, clever, and resourceful
• Adulation — excessive praise or flattery
• Adversary — an opponent in contest or conflict
• Adverse — harmful or unfavorable
• Adversity — hardship or misfortune
• Advocacy — active support of a cause or policy
• Aegis — protection, sponsorship, or backing
• Affable — friendly, pleasant in manner
• Affluent — wealthy; prosperous
• Agenda — a list of items for discussion or action
• Aggregate — total sum; to gather into a whole
• Aggrieve — to oppress or cause distress to someone
• Alacrity — cheerful willingness or promptness
• Albeit — although; notwithstanding
• Allocate — to distribute resources for a purpose
• Allude — to hint at; to refer indirectly
• Altercation — a noisy or angry dispute
• Ameliorate — to make better; improve a condition
• Amenable — willing to cooperate or be influenced
• Amicable — friendly and peaceable (relations)
• Amorphous — lacking definite form or structure
• Anachronism — something out of its proper time period
• Analogy — a comparison highlighting similarity
• Anarchy — absence of government; disorder or chaos
• Anathema — a thing or person detested or shunned
• Anemic — weak, lacking vitality or effectiveness
• Animosity — strong hostility or resentment
• Annals — historical records or chronicles
• Anodyne — unlikely to provoke dissent; soothing
• Anomalous — irregular; not fitting a pattern
• Antagonize — to provoke hostility or opposition
• Antecedent — preceding circumstance or event
• Antediluvian — ridiculously old-fashioned or outmoded
• Antithesis — direct opposite; contrast of ideas
• Apathy — lack of interest or concern
• Apex — the highest point; summit
• Apocryphal — of doubtful authenticity or origin
• Apostate — one who abandons a previous loyalty or belief
• Appall — to shock or horrify
• Appease — to pacify by acceding to demands
• Apposite — highly relevant; appropriate
• Appraise — to evaluate or assess value/quality
• Apprehend — to arrest; to understand with anxiety
• Apropos — with reference to; appropriate to the situation
• Arable — fit for growing crops; cultivable
• Arbitrary — based on random choice rather than reason
• Arbiter — an authority who settles disputes
• Arcane — known or understood by few; obscure
• Archaic — outdated; belonging to an earlier period
• Arduous — extremely difficult; requiring effort
• Arrogate — to claim unwarrantedly; appropriate
• Articulate — able to express ideas clearly and effectively
• Artifice — clever trickery or cunning devices
• Ascertain — to find out for certain; determine
• Assail — to attack violently or criticize strongly
• Assent — agreement; to give approval
• Assertion — a confident and forceful statement
• Assiduous — diligent and persistent in effort
• Assimilate — to absorb into the culture or system
• Assuage — to relieve or ease an unpleasant feeling
• Astute — shrewd; quick to understand and act
• Atrocity — an extremely wicked or cruel act
• Attenuate — to weaken or reduce in force/degree
• Audacious — bold, daring, sometimes recklessly so
• Augment — to increase or make greater
• Auspicious — favorable; promising success
• Austere — severe or strict in manner or appearance
• Autonomous — self-governing; independent
• Avarice — extreme greed for wealth or material gain
• Avert — to prevent or ward off
• Axiomatic — self-evident truth; taken as given
• Banal — trite; lacking originality
• Bastion — a stronghold defending a principle or interest
• Belabor — to overemphasize or dwell on excessively
• Beleaguer — to surround with difficulties; besiege
• Belie — to give a false impression; to contradict
• Bellicose — demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight
• Benediction — blessing; expression of good wishes
• Benign — kindly; harmless in effect
• Bequeath — to leave property by will; pass on legacy
• Berate — to scold vehemently
• Bereft — deprived of or lacking something valued
• Beseech — to beg urgently or fervently
• Bifurcate — to divide into two branches or forks
• Bilateral — involving two sides or parties
• Bizarre — very strange; unusual
• Blandishment — flattery intended to coax or persuade
• Bolster — to support or strengthen
• Bombastic — high-sounding but with little meaning; pompous
• Bond — a formal obligation or tie; financial instrument
• Borgesian — (adj.) reminiscent of Jorge Luis Borges’ themes (use sparingly in literary essays)
• Bourgeois — middle-class values or materialism (often pejorative)
• Bravado — show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate
• Breach — violation or infraction (law, trust)
• Brevity — concise expression; shortness in time or duration
• Bucolic — relating to the pleasant aspects of country life
• Buffer — a cushion or barrier that reduces shock or impact
• Buffoon — a clown; someone behaving foolishly
• Bulwark — strong defense or protection against an external threat
• Bureaucracy — administrative system with many rules and procedures
• Burgeon — to grow or expand rapidly
• Buttress — to support, strengthen, or prop up an argument
• Byzantine — excessively complex; intricate (esp. systems)
• Caché — prestige or reputation associated with success or status
• Cacophony — harsh discordant mixture of sounds
• Cajole — to persuade by flattery or deceit
• Calibrate — to adjust precisely for a particular function
• Callous — emotionally hardened; unfeeling
• Calumny — a false, malicious statement intended to injure reputation
• Candor — frankness; open honesty
• Canvass — to solicit opinions or votes; to discuss thoroughly
• Capitulate — to surrender or yield under pressure
• Capricious — subject to sudden, unpredictable changes
• Captious — tending to find fault; hypercritical
• Cardinal — of prime importance; fundamental
• Caricature — exaggerated depiction, often to satirize
• Carnage — mass killing; large-scale bloodshed
• Cartography — map-making; useful in geography essays
• Castigate — to reprimand severely; to criticize harshly
• Catalyst — an agent that provokes or speeds significant change
• Categorical — unambiguously explicit; absolute
• Cathartic — providing psychological relief through expression of strong emotion
• Caustic — severely critical or sarcastic; corrosive (literal & figurative)
• Censure — formal expression of disapproval or condemnation
• Chagrin — distress or embarrassment at failure or humiliation
• Charlatan — a fraud; fake expert or pretender
• Chary — cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to act
• Chastise — to discipline; to scold sharply
• Chaotic — in complete disorder; lacking order or organization
• Chauvinism — blind patriotism or excessive bias toward one’s group
• Chicanery — the use of trickery for political, legal, or financial gain
• Chide — to express mild disapproval; scold gently
• Circumscribe — to limit or restrict scope or range
• Circumspect — cautious and prudent; considering consequences
• Circumvent — to find a way around an obstacle or rule
• Clemency — mercy or leniency shown toward an offender
• Coalesce — to come together to form one mass or whole
• Coalition — temporary alliance for combined action (politics)
• Coerce — to compel by force or threats
• Cogent — persuasive and logically sound argumentation
• Cognizant — having knowledge or being aware of something
• Cohesive — forming a united whole; logically connected
• Cohort — a group sharing a characteristic or supporting cause
• Collaborative — involving joint effort or cooperation
• Collusion — secret cooperation to deceive or defraud others
• Colloquial — informal conversational language; use sparingly in essays
• Collude — to act together secretly to deceive
• Commensurate — proportionate in size or degree
• Commodious — roomy, spacious (eg. house, hall)
• Complacent — self-satisfied, often unaware of danger or deficiency
• Complaisant — eager to please; overly agreeable
• Complement — something that completes or enhances another thing
• Comprehensive — covering all or nearly all elements; exhaustive
• Compunction — feeling of guilt that prevents wrongdoing
• Conceal — to hide or keep secret
• Concise — expressing much in few words; succinct
• Concomitant — accompanying; attendant circumstance
• Conciliatory — intended to placate or reconcile opponents
• Conclave — private or secret meeting (political, religious)
• Concur — to agree or have the same opinion
• Concurrent — occurring simultaneously
• Condone — to overlook or accept morally questionable behavior
• Conducive — making a certain result likely; favorable to
• Confabulate — to converse informally; or fabricate (in psychology)
• Confer — to consult or grant (a title, right)
• Confidant — trusted friend to whom private matters are told
• конфиденциально — (avoid non-English terms in English essays)
• Confiscate — to seize property by authority
• Conflagration — large destructive fire; metaphor for chaos
• Confluence — the junction of two rivers; coming together of ideas
• Conformity — compliance with standards or norms
• Confound — to perplex or bewilder; to mix up
• Congeal — to solidify; to become fixed or set
• Congenial — pleasant because of similar tastes or interests
• Conglomerate — a large corporation made of diverse companies
• Congruent — in agreement or harmony; consistent with
• Conjecture — an inference or conclusion formed on incomplete evidence
• Connive — to secretly cooperate in wrongdoing
• Connoisseur — an expert judge in matters of taste (art, literature)
• Conscientious — diligent and guided by moral sense
• Consensus — general agreement among a group
• Consequential — important or significant in effect
• Conservatism — political ideology favoring tradition and status quo
• Conservation — protection and careful management of resources
• Conservative — favoring traditional views and cautious about change
• Consortium — association of organizations for common objectives
• Constituent — component element; voter represented by an official
• Constitute — to form or compose; to establish legally
• Constraint — limitation or restriction on action or policy
• Construe — to interpret or explain the meaning of something
• Consummate — complete or perfect in the highest degree
• Contemptuous — showing disdain or scorn
• Contend — to assert, argue, or struggle with difficulty
• Contentious — likely to cause dispute or controversy
• Contravene — to act in opposition to a law or rule
• Contrite — sincerely repentant or remorseful
• Contumacious — stubbornly disobedient to authority
• Conundrum — a puzzling problem or riddle
• Convene — to call together for a meeting or assembly
• Conversant — familiar with or knowledgeable about something
• Conversely — on the other hand; in contrast
• Conveyance — the act of transferring; vehicle or means of transport
• Conviction — strong belief; a formal declaration of guilt
• Convivial — friendly, lively, and enjoyable (social atmosphere)
• Copious — abundant in supply or quantity
• Cordial — warm and friendly; sincere
• Corollary — a direct consequence or result
• Corporeal — having a physical body; material rather than spiritual
• Corroborate — to confirm or support with evidence
• Corrosive — gradually damaging or destructive in effect
• Cosmopolitan — worldly; familiar with many cultures
• Coterie — a small, exclusive group sharing interests
• Counteract — to act against something to reduce its effect
• Counterintuitive — contrary to common sense expectation
• Countermand — to revoke or cancel an order
• Coup — a sudden, decisive exercise of power; overthrow
• Coup de grâce — a final, decisive act (use sparingly; French phrase)
• Covenant — a formal agreement or binding promise
• Covert — concealed; not openly acknowledged or displayed
• Covet — to yearn to possess something belonging to another
• Credence — belief in or acceptance of something as true
• Credible — believable; convincing
• Credulous — too ready to believe; gullible
• Cremate — to reduce a body to ashes 
• Crescendo — a gradual increase in intensity; peak of development
• Criterion — standard by which something may be judged
• Critique — detailed evaluation or review, often critical
• Culpable — deserving blame; guilty of wrongdoing
• Cultivate — to develop (skills, relations) with care
• Cumbersome — large, heavy, or awkward; inefficient to use
• Cupidity — greed for wealth or possessions
• Curtail — to reduce or restrict (rights, powers, spending)
• Cynical — distrustful of human sincerity or motives
• Daunt — to intimidate; to discourage from acting
• Debacle — a sudden and ignominious failure; fiasco
• Debilitate — to weaken physically or mentally
• Debunk — to expose falseness or hollowness of a belief
• Decadent — characterized by moral or cultural decline
• Decelerate — to slow down (economic activity, traffic)
• Decry — to publicly denounce or criticize
• Deference — respectful submission or yielding to judgment
• Defunct — no longer existing or functioning
• Degenerate — to decline in quality or morality
• Deleterious — harmful or damaging to health or reputation
• Deliberate — intentional; done with careful consideration
• Delineate — to describe or portray precisely
• Demagogue — a leader who seeks support by appealing to popular desires and prejudices
• Demeanor — outward behavior or bearing
• Demographic — statistical characteristics of populations
• Demur — to object or take exception to something
• Denigrate — to belittle or disparage unjustly
• Denote — to be a sign of; indicate explicitly
• Denounce — to publicly condemn; to accuse openly
• Denude — to strip bare; remove covering (forests, resources)
• Deplore — to strongly disapprove of; to lament
• Deploy — to position strategically for action (forces, resources)
• Deprecate — to express disapproval of; to belittle
• Deprecatory — expressing disapproval; derogatory
• Deride — to mock or ridicule contemptuously
• Derivative — unoriginal; derived from something else

Set 1 | Set 2 |Set 3 |Set 4 | Set 5