CSS/PMS Vocabulary List Set 2
Set 1 | Set 2 |Set 3 |Set 4 | Set 5
- Derogatory — showing a critical or disrespectful attitude
- Desiccate — to dry out thoroughly; to remove vitality
- Desist — to cease; to stop doing something
- Desolate — barren, uninhabited; lonely in feeling
- Despot — a ruler with absolute power, often cruel or oppressive
- Despondent — in low spirits from loss of hope or courage
- Despotism — the exercise of absolute power, especially in a cruel way
- Deter — to discourage or prevent an action by fear or doubt
- Determinate — having exact limits; clearly defined
- Detrimental — causing damage or harm
- Deviate — to depart from an established course or norm
- Devious — showing a skillful use of underhanded tactics to achieve goals
- Dexterity — skill, especially with hands or mind
- Diatribe — a bitter and abusive verbal attack
- Dichotomy — division between two contrasting things
- Dictum — an authoritative statement or opinion
- Didactic — intended to teach; moralistic
- Diffident — shy; lacking self-confidence
- Dilapidated — in ruin or disrepair
- Dilatory — slow; intended to delay
- Diligent — hardworking and careful
- Diminutive — extremely small
- Disabuse — to correct a false belief
- Discerning — showing good judgment; perceptive
- Disclaim — to deny responsibility for
- Disclose — to reveal information
- Disconcert — to unsettle or disturb
- Disconsolate — extremely sad; beyond comfort
- Discord — disagreement; lack of harmony
- Discrepancy — inconsistency; difference
- Discretion — ability to behave prudently and confidentially
- Disdain — contempt; lack of respect
- Disgruntled — annoyed or dissatisfied
- Disheveled — untidy; disordered
- Disingenuous — insincere; pretending to know less than one does
- Disparate — essentially different; not comparable
- Dispel — to drive away or eliminate (doubts, fears)
- Disseminate — to spread widely (information, ideas)
- Dissident — one who opposes official policy
- Dissipate — to scatter or disappear
- Dissolute — lacking moral restraint
- Dissuade — to persuade someone not to do something
- Distill — to extract the essential meaning
- Distort — to twist out of shape or meaning
- Distraught — deeply upset or agitated
- Dither — to hesitate nervously
- Divergent — moving in different directions
- Diverse — varied; including many different types
- Divisive — tending to cause disagreement
- Divulge — to reveal something secret
- Docile — easily taught or managed
- Dogged — stubbornly persistent
- Dogmatic — asserting opinions as unquestionably true
- Dolorous — feeling or expressing great sorrow
- Dossier — a collection of detailed documents
- Downplay — to make something seem less important
- Draconian — extremely harsh or severe (laws, measures)
- Droll — amusing in an odd or subtle way
- Dubious — doubtful; suspect
- Dulcet — sweet and soothing (sound)
- Duplicitous — deceitful, dishonest
- Duration — length of time something lasts
- Ebullient — full of enthusiasm and energy
- Eccentric — odd or unconventional
- Eclectic — selecting ideas from many sources
- Edict — official order or proclamation
- Edify — to instruct morally or intellectually
- Efface — to erase or remove
- Effectuate — put into force; bring about
- Effete — depleted of vitality; weak
- Efficacious — effective; capable of producing desired outcome
- Effrontery — shameless boldness
- Egregious — outstandingly bad
- Elated — extremely happy
- Elucidate — to clarify or explain
- Elusive — difficult to catch or understand
- Emancipate — to free from restraint or oppression
- Embargo — official ban on trade
- Embellish — to add decorative details; exaggerate
- Embolden — to give courage or confidence
- Emend — to correct or improve text
- Emphatic — showing strong emphasis
- Empirical — based on observation or experiment
- Enact — to make into law
- Enervate — to weaken; drain energy
- Engender — to cause or give rise to
- Engross — absorb the full attention of
- Enigmatic — mysterious; puzzling
- Ennui — boredom; dissatisfaction
- Enshrine — to preserve and protect as sacred
- Entail — to involve or require
- Entice — to attract by offering pleasure or reward
- Entrenched — firmly established
- Enumerate — list one by one
- Envoy — diplomatic representative
- Envision — to imagine clearly
- Ephemeral — lasting for a very short time
- Epicenter — central point of activity or problem
- Epiphany — sudden realization
- Epitaph — inscription in memory of the dead
- Epithet — descriptive phrase expressing a quality
- Epitome — perfect example; embodiment
- Equanimity — calmness under stress
- Equitable — fair and impartial
- Equivalent — equal in value or meaning
- Erratic — unpredictable; inconsistent
- Erroneous — incorrect; mistaken
- Erstwhile — former
- Erudite — scholarly; learned
- Esoteric — intended for or understood by few
- Espouse — to support or adopt a belief
- Estranged — no longer close or affectionate
- Ethereal — delicate; heavenly
- Euphemism — mild word replacing harsh one
- Euphoria — intense happiness
- Evanescent — fading quickly
- Evince — to show clearly
- Evoke — to bring to mind
- Exacerbate — to worsen a problem or situation
- Exacting — demanding perfection
- Exalt — to praise highly
- Exasperate — to annoy intensely
- Excavate — to dig up; uncover
- Excoriate — to criticize severely
- Exculpate — to free from blame
- Execrable — extremely bad; detestable
- Exemplify — to illustrate by example
- Exhort — strongly encourage
- Exhaustive — fully comprehensive
- Exigency — urgent need or demand
- Exile — forced removal from one’s country
- Exonerate — to clear from blame
- Exotic — foreign; strikingly unusual
- Expansive — broad; extensive
- Expedite — to speed up a process
- Expeditious — done quickly and efficiently
- Expel — officially force out
- Expiate — to make amends for
- Explicit — clearly stated
- Exploit — use unfairly; benefit from
- Exponent — strong advocate
- Expropriate — to take property for public use
- Expunge — to erase or remove
- Extant — still existing
- Extemporaneous — spoken or done without preparation
- Extenuate — to make less serious
- Extinguish — to put out (fire, emotion)
- Extol — to praise exuberantly
- Extract — to pull out or obtain
- Extraneous — irrelevant; unnecessary
- Extricate — to free from difficulty
- Exuberant — full of energy and joy
- Facade — outward appearance concealing reality
- Facetious — humorous in inappropriate situations
- Facilitate — to make easier
- Factitious — artificially created; not natural
- Fallacious — based on mistaken belief
- Fallow — inactive; unused land
- Fathom — to understand deeply
- Fatuous — foolish; silly
- Feasible — possible; workable
- Feckless — irresponsible; ineffective
- Fervent — having strong passion
- Fiasco — complete failure
- Fidelity — loyalty; faithfulness
- Figurative — metaphorical; not literal
- Filibuster — prolonged speech to delay action (parliamentary)
- Finagle — to obtain by trickery
- Finesse — skillful handling
- Flabbergasted — astonished
- Flagrant — extremely offensive
- Flamboyant — showy; extravagant
- Flippant — not taking things seriously
- Florid — excessively decorated or complicated
- Flounder — to struggle helplessly
- Flout — openly disobey
- Fluctuate — rise and fall irregularly
- Foible — minor weakness
- Foment — to stir up (rebellion, unrest)
- Forbear — refrain from; show restraint
- Forensic — relating to courts or scientific investigation
- Formidable — inspiring fear or respect
- Fortify — strengthen; reinforce
- Fortitude — courage in pain or difficulty
- Fortuitous — happening by chance
- Foster — encourage growth or development
- Fractious — irritable; difficult
- Fragrant — having a pleasant smell
- Fraught — filled with (danger, difficulty)
- Frenetic — wildly excited or energetic
- Frivolous — not serious; trivial
- Frugal — economical; avoiding waste
- Frustrate — to prevent success
- Fulminate — to explode with anger
- Furtive — secretive; sneaky
- Futile — pointless; ineffective
- Gainsay — to deny or contradict
- Galvanize — to shock into action
- Garrulous — excessively talkative
- Gaudy — excessively bright or showy
- Gaunt — extremely thin
- Genesis — origin or beginning
- Germane — relevant and appropriate
- Glacial — extremely cold or unfriendly
- Glib — fluent but insincere
- Gloomy — dark; depressing
- Gluttonous — greedy for food or drink
- Goad — to provoke or annoy
- Grandiose — excessively grand or ambitious
- Gratuitous — unnecessary; uncalled for
- Gregarious — sociable; fond of company
- Grievous — causing severe pain or suffering
- Grumble — complain quietly
- Guile — sly or cunning intelligence
- Gullible — easily deceived
- Hackneyed — overused; trite
- Halcyon — peaceful and prosperous
- Hamper — obstruct; hinder
- Haphazard — lacking order or planning
- Harangue — long, aggressive speech
- Harbinger — a sign or omen
- Hardy — capable of enduring hardship
- Haughty — arrogant; disdainful
- Hedonistic — pleasure-seeking
- Heinous — shockingly evil
- Heresy — belief contrary to orthodox doctrine
- Hiatus — gap or break
- Hinder — to obstruct
- Hinterland — remote, less developed region
- Historicity — factual authenticity
- Histrionic — overly dramatic
- Homage — honor or respect
- Homogeneous — of the same kind
- Hyperbole — exaggerated statements
- Iconoclast — one who attacks established beliefs
- Ideology — system of ideas, often political
- Idiosyncrasy — unique characteristic
- Ignoble — dishonorable
- Ignominious — deserving shame
- Illicit — illegal
- Illustrious — famous and respected
- Immaculate — perfectly clean
- Immaterial — irrelevant
- Immense — very large
- Immutable — unchangeable
- Impartial — fair and unbiased
- Impasse — deadlock; no progress possible
- Impeccable — flawless
- Impede — to obstruct progress
- Impel — to drive or force
- Imperative — essential; necessary
- Imperious — arrogant; commanding
- Impertinent — rude; irrelevant
- Impervious — impossible to penetrate
- Impetuous — acting quickly without thought
- Impinge — to interfere or encroach
- Implacable — unable to be appeased
- Implicate — to involve in wrongdoing
- Implicit — implied; not directly stated
- Impolitic — unwise; not prudent
- Imponderable — difficult to estimate
- Importune — to beg persistently
- Impostor — someone who pretends to be another person
- Imprecise — not exact
- Impregnate — fill or saturate
- Improbable — unlikely to happen
- Impropriety — improper behavior
- Improvised — created without preparation
- Imprudent — not showing care for consequences
- Impudent — rude; disrespectful
- Impugn — to dispute or question
- Inaccessible — hard to reach
- Inaccurate — incorrect
- Inactive — not in use; idle
- Inalienable — cannot be taken away
- Inane — silly; lacking meaning
- Inapplicable — not relevant
- Inartistic — lacking artistic quality
- Inaudible — cannot be heard
- Inaugurate — begin formally
- Incapacitated — unable to act or respond
- Incarnate — embodied in human form
- Incense — make very angry
- Incentive — motivation to act
- Inception — beginning; start
- Incidence — occurrence; rate of occurrence
- Incidental — secondary; minor
- Incinerate — burn completely
- Incipient — beginning to appear
- Incisive — clear and sharp
Set 1 | Set 2 |Set 3 |Set 4 | Set 5
