Ron's Word List

Doc
Words I enjoy or look up on this site; words that can be selected to embody an precise (but often abstract) mood, tone, emotion or nuance - in most cases a positive or lovely one...
417 words 1 learner

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. abdicate
    give up power, duties, or obligations
  2. abrogate
    revoke formally
  3. accede
    yield to another's wish or opinion
  4. accentuate
    stress or single out as important
  5. accoutrement
    accessory or supplementary item of clothing
  6. acquiesce
    agree or express agreement
  7. acrimonious
    marked by strong resentment or cynicism
  8. acrimony
    a rough and bitter manner
  9. acumen
    shrewdness shown by keen insight
  10. addled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
  11. adulation
    exaggerated flattery or praise
  12. affable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  13. affectation
    a deliberate pretense or exaggerated display
  14. affinity
    a natural attraction or feeling of kinship
  15. aficionado
    a serious devotee of some activity, genre, or performer
  16. aground
    with the bottom lodged on land
  17. alchemy
    a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times
  18. allay
    lessen the intensity of or calm
  19. ambivalent
    uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow
  20. ameliorate
    make better
  21. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
  22. amicable
    characterized by friendship and good will
  23. anathema
    a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
  24. anomalous
    deviating from the general or common order or type
  25. antipathy
    a feeling of intense dislike
  26. antiquity
    the historic period preceding the Middle Ages in Europe
  27. apotheosis
    model of excellence or perfection of a kind
  28. approbation
    official acceptance or agreement
  29. apropos
    of a suitable, fitting, or pertinent nature
  30. arcane
    requiring secret or mysterious knowledge
  31. ardour
    feelings of great warmth and intensity
  32. aromatic
    having a strong pleasant odor
  33. artful
    not straightforward or candid
  34. articulation
    the manner in which things come together and are connected
  35. ascension
    a movement upward
  36. ashen
    pale from illness or emotion
  37. assiduity
    great and constant diligence and attention
  38. assiduously
    with care and persistence
  39. assuage
    provide physical relief, as from pain
  40. astute
    marked by practical hardheaded intelligence
  41. asymptotic
    relating to or of the nature of an asymptote
  42. attenuated
    reduced in strength
  43. attune
    adjust or accustom to; bring into harmony with
  44. audacious
    disposed to venture or take risks
  45. auspicious
    indicating favorable circumstances and good luck
  46. avuncular
    being or relating to an uncle
  47. azimuth
    the azimuth of a celestial body is the angle between the vertical plane containing it and the plane of the meridian
  48. bailiwick
    one's particular area of interest or branch of knowledge
  49. bedrock
    solid unweathered stone beneath surface deposits of soil
  50. beguiling
    highly attractive and able to arouse hope or desire
  51. behest
    an authoritative command or request
  52. beholden
    under a moral obligation to someone
  53. belie
    be in contradiction with
  54. bemused
    perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements
  55. benevolent
    showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding
  56. bereft
    lacking or deprived of something
  57. bestow
    give as a gift
  58. bifurcate
    split or divide into two
  59. bombastic
    ostentatiously lofty in style
  60. bon vivant
    a sociable person who enjoys fine food and luxury
  61. bourgeois
    being of the property-owning class
  62. bourgeoisie
    a socioeconomic group that is neither wealthy nor poor
  63. burgeon
    grow and flourish
  64. cachet
    an indication of approved or superior status
  65. cajole
    influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
  66. campy
    having an absurdly exaggerated and often humorous appeal
  67. capacious
    large in the amount that can be contained
  68. capitulate
    surrender under agreed conditions
  69. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  70. cathartic
    emotionally purging
  71. cede
    give over
  72. certitude
    complete assurance or confidence
  73. cherry
    any of numerous trees and shrubs producing a small fleshy round fruit with a single hard stone; many also produce a valuable hardwood
  74. circuitous
    deviating from a straight course
  75. circumspect
    careful to consider potential consequences and avoid risk
  76. clandestine
    conducted with or marked by hidden aims or methods
  77. cogent
    powerfully persuasive
  78. cohesive
    combining well to form a unified whole
  79. colloquial
    characteristic of informal spoken language or conversation
  80. commensurate
    corresponding in size or degree or extent
  81. complicity
    guilt as a confederate in a crime or offense
  82. comport
    behave in a certain manner
  83. concupiscence
    a desire for sexual intimacy
  84. conducive
    tending to bring about; being partly responsible for
  85. confluence
    a place where things merge or flow together
  86. conjoin
    make contact or come together
  87. conjure
    summon into action or bring into existence
  88. contrite
    feeling or expressing pain or sorrow
  89. conviviality
    a jovial nature
  90. coterminous
    being of equal extent or scope or duration
  91. cursory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  92. dalliance
    the act of delaying and playing instead of working
  93. debonaire
    having a sophisticated charm
  94. decadent
    relating to indulgence in something pleasurable
  95. delectable
    extremely pleasing to the sense of taste
  96. deleterious
    harmful to living things
  97. demarcate
    set, mark, or draw the boundaries of something
  98. demur
    politely refuse or take exception to
  99. demure
    shy or modest, often in a playful or provocative way
  100. derivation
    the source or origin from which something comes
  101. diffuse
    spread out; not concentrated in one place
  102. dignify
    confer honor upon
  103. diminutive
    very small
  104. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
  105. discerning
    having or revealing keen insight and good judgment
  106. discombobulate
    cause to be confused emotionally
  107. disconsolate
    sad beyond comforting; incapable of being soothed
  108. discordant
    not in agreement or harmony
  109. disquieting
    causing mental discomfort
  110. dissonance
    disagreeable sounds
  111. distil
    undergo condensation
  112. distill
    undergo condensation
  113. Draconian
    imposing a harsh code of laws
  114. dragoon
    compel by coercion, threats, or crude means
  115. dulcet
    pleasing to the ear
  116. dulcimer
    a stringed instrument used in American folk music
  117. duplicitous
    marked by deliberate deceptiveness
  118. ebullient
    joyously unrestrained
  119. edifice
    a structure that has a roof and walls
  120. effectuate
    bring about or cause to happen
  121. efficacious
    giving the power to produce an intended result
  122. efficacy
    capacity or power to produce a desired result
  123. effusive
    uttered with unrestrained enthusiasm
  124. elan
    enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness
  125. elemental
    of or being the essential or basic part
  126. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
  127. emanate
    give out, as breath or an odor
  128. embellish
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
  129. emolument
    compensation received by virtue of holding an office
  130. emotive
    characterized by feeling
  131. emphatic
    spoken with particular stress
  132. emulate
    strive to equal or match, especially by imitating
  133. enchanting
    capturing interest as if by a spell
  134. ennui
    the feeling of being bored by something tedious
  135. enrapture
    hold spellbound
  136. ensue
    take place or happen afterward or as a result
  137. enthrallment
    a feeling of great liking for something wonderful and unusual
  138. envisage
    form a mental image of something that is not present
  139. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  140. epicenter
    a point on the Earth's surface directly above an earthquake
  141. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
  142. epitome
    a standard or typical example
  143. equanimity
    steadiness of mind under stress
  144. errant
    straying from the right course or from accepted standards
  145. erudite
    having or showing profound knowledge
  146. eschew
    avoid and stay away from deliberately
  147. esplanade
    a stretch of pavement or grass for walking by the seashore
  148. espouse
    choose and follow a theory, idea, policy, etc.
  149. esthetically
    in a tasteful way
  150. ethereal
    characterized by lightness and insubstantiality
  151. euphemistic
    substituting a mild term for a harsher or distasteful one
  152. evocative
    serving to bring to mind
  153. exigent
    demanding immediate attention
  154. existential
    relating to or dealing with the state of being
  155. expatiate
    add details to clarify an idea
  156. exquisite
    delicately beautiful
  157. extol
    praise, glorify, or honor
  158. exult
    feel extreme happiness or elation
  159. facade
    the front of a building
  160. farcical
    broadly or extravagantly humorous
  161. fastidious
    giving careful attention to detail
  162. fervent
    characterized by intense emotion
  163. filial
    designating the generation following the parental generation
  164. foible
    a minor weakness or peculiarity in someone's character
  165. formidable
    extremely impressive in strength or excellence
  166. fractious
    easily irritated or annoyed
  167. frenetic
    fast and energetic in an uncontrolled or wild way
  168. furtive
    secret and sly
  169. garish
    tastelessly showy
  170. gentility
    elegance by virtue of fineness of manner and expression
  171. germane
    relevant and appropriate
  172. gestalt
    a whole that cannot be described as a sum of its parts
  173. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
  174. gossamer
    a gauze fabric with an extremely fine texture
  175. gratuitous
    unnecessary and unwarranted
  176. hackneyed
    repeated too often; overfamiliar through overuse
  177. heartrending
    causing or marked by grief or anguish
  178. hedonistic
    devoted to pleasure
  179. hegemony
    the dominance or leadership of one social group over others
  180. heuristic
    a commonsense rule to help solve some problem
  181. holistic
    emphasizing the organic relation between parts and the whole
  182. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  183. idiosyncratic
    peculiar to the individual
  184. idyllic
    charmingly simple and serene
  185. idyllic
    charmingly simple and serene
  186. illustrative
    clarifying by use of examples
  187. illustrious
    widely known and esteemed
  188. imbue
    spread or diffuse through
  189. immaculate
    completely neat and clean
  190. impeccable
    without error or flaw
  191. imperative
    requiring attention or action
  192. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
  193. implacable
    incapable of being appeased or pacified
  194. imprudent
    not sensible, responsible, or wise
  195. inadvertent
    happening by chance or unexpectedly or unintentionally
  196. inception
    an event that is a beginning
  197. incessant
    uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing
  198. inchoate
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  199. incipient
    only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
  200. incisive
    demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
  201. indelible
    not able to be forgotten, removed, or erased
  202. indomitable
    impossible to subdue
  203. ineffable
    defying expression or description
  204. ineffably
    to an inexpressible degree
  205. inexorable
    impossible to prevent, resist, or stop
  206. inexplicable
    incapable of being explained or accounted for
  207. inextricable
    incapable of being disentangled or untied
  208. infuse
    fill, as with a certain quality
  209. inimitable
    matchless
  210. insatiable
    impossible to fulfill, appease, or gratify
  211. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
  212. insinuation
    an indirect (and usually malicious) implication
  213. insouciant
    marked by unconcern
  214. inspirit
    infuse with spirit
  215. insular
    relating to or characteristic of or situated on an island
  216. intellection
    the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
  217. interstitial
    of or relating to small spaces between things
  218. intractable
    difficult to manage or mold
  219. intransigence
    stubborn refusal to compromise or change
  220. intrepid
    invulnerable to fear or intimidation
  221. inure
    cause to accept or become hardened to
  222. iteration
    the act or process of doing or saying again
  223. iterative
    marked by repetition
  224. jaunty
    having a cheerful, lively, and self-confident air
  225. jettison
    throw away, of something encumbering
  226. jingoism
    fanatical patriotism
  227. jubilant
    full of high-spirited delight
  228. jubilant
    full of high-spirited delight
  229. juxtaposition
    the act of positioning close together
  230. kismet
    fate or fortune
  231. labile
    liable to change
  232. languid
    lacking spirit or liveliness
  233. languorous
    lacking spirit or liveliness
  234. largesse
    liberality in bestowing gifts
  235. lascivious
    driven by lust
  236. lassitude
    a feeling of lack of interest or energy
  237. legitimize
    sanction or make legal
  238. levy
    impose and collect
  239. lexicon
    a reference book containing an alphabetical list of words
  240. licentious
    lacking moral discipline
  241. lilting
    characterized by a buoyant rhythm
  242. lithe
    moving and bending with ease
  243. loquacious
    full of trivial conversation
  244. Lothario
    a successful womanizer
  245. Lothario
    a successful womanizer
  246. lucidity
    freedom from obscurity of expression; comprehensibility
  247. luminary
    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others
  248. luminous
    softly bright or radiant
  249. luscious
    having strong sexual appeal
  250. macabre
    shockingly repellent; inspiring horror
  251. machination
    a crafty and involved plot to achieve your ends
  252. malign
    speak unfavorably about
  253. mellifluous
    pleasing to the ear
  254. mercurial
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
  255. meticulous
    marked by precise accordance with details
  256. mettle
    the courage to carry on
  257. milieu
    the environmental condition
  258. mindful
    being attentive to
  259. ministerial
    of or relating to a government department
  260. misgiving
    uneasiness about the fitness of an action
  261. modicum
    a small or moderate or token amount
  262. mollify
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  263. monolith
    a single great stone, often in the form of a column
  264. moxie
    courage, confidence, and determination
  265. myopic
    unable to see distant objects clearly
  266. myriad
    a large indefinite number
  267. nascence
    the event of being born
  268. nascent
    being born or beginning
  269. nefarious
    extremely wicked
  270. nettle
    plant having stinging hairs that cause skin irritation
  271. nostalgic
    unhappy about being away and longing for familiar things
  272. nouveau-riche
    characteristic of someone who has risen economically or socially but lacks the social skills appropriate for this new position
  273. obfuscate
    make obscure or unclear
  274. obscurity
    the state of being indistinct due to lack of light
  275. obsequious
    attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
  276. obstreperous
    noisily and stubbornly defiant
  277. onerous
    burdensome or difficult to endure
  278. onomatopoeia
    using words that imitate the sound they denote
  279. ontological
    relating to the metaphysical study of existence
  280. ostentatious
    intended to attract notice and impress others
  281. palatial
    relating to or being a large and stately residence
  282. panacea
    hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
  283. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  284. paradigm
    a standard or typical example
  285. paragon
    a perfect embodiment of a concept
  286. parsimonious
    excessively unwilling to spend
  287. parsimony
    extreme stinginess
  288. parvenue
    of or characteristic of a parvenu
  289. pedantic
    marked by a narrow focus on or display of learning
  290. penchant
    a strong liking or preference
  291. penultimate
    next to the last
  292. perfunctory
    hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
  293. perilous
    fraught with danger
  294. peripatetic
    traveling especially on foot
  295. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
  296. permutation
    a complete change in character or condition
  297. piecemeal
    one thing at a time
  298. pithy
    concise and full of meaning
  299. placate
    cause to be more favorably inclined
  300. placid
    calm and free from disturbance
  301. platitude
    a trite or obvious remark
  302. plethora
    extreme excess
  303. poignant
    keenly distressing to the mind or feelings
  304. polemic
    a verbal or written attack, especially of a belief or dogma
  305. pollyannaish
    pleasantly (even unrealistically) optimistic
  306. Potemkin
    a Russian officer and politician who was a favorite of Catherine II and in 1762 helped her to seize power; when she visited the Crimea in 1787 he gave the order for sham villages to be built (1739-1791)
  307. precipice
    a very steep cliff
  308. precipitous
    extremely steep
  309. precocious
    characterized by exceptionally early development
  310. predilection
    a predisposition in favor of something
  311. prescient
    perceiving the significance of events before they occur
  312. pretentious
    creating an appearance of importance or distinction
  313. preternaturally
    in a supernatural manner
  314. preternaturally
    in a supernatural manner
  315. prevailing
    most frequent or common
  316. privy
    informed about something secret or not generally known
  317. proclivity
    a natural inclination
  318. proclivity
    a natural inclination
  319. prodigious
    great in size, force, extent, or degree
  320. progeny
    the immediate descendants of a person
  321. prognosticate
    make a prediction about; tell in advance
  322. promulgate
    state or announce
  323. prosaic
    lacking wit or imagination
  324. providence
    prudence and care exercised in the management of resources
  325. provincial
    associated with an administrative district of a nation
  326. prowess
    a superior skill learned by study and practice
  327. punctilious
    marked by precise accordance with details
  328. purview
    the range of interest or activity that can be anticipated
  329. putative
    purported
  330. quaint
    attractively old-fashioned
  331. quidnunc
    a person who meddles in the affairs of others
  332. quintessential
    representing the perfect example of a class or quality
  333. quixotic
    not sensible about practical matters
  334. quotidian
    found in the ordinary course of events
  335. rakish
    marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners
  336. rankle
    make resentful or angry
  337. recrimination
    mutual accusations
  338. redolent
    having a strong pleasant odor
  339. redoubtable
    inspiring fear
  340. rejoinder
    a quick reply to a question or remark
  341. reminiscent
    serving to bring to mind
  342. render
    give or supply
  343. repartee
    adroitness and cleverness in reply
  344. replete
    filled to satisfaction with food or drink
  345. resonant
    characterized by a loud deep sound
  346. resplendent
    having great beauty
  347. reticent
    reluctant to draw attention to yourself
  348. rhapsodic
    feeling great rapture or delight
  349. Rubicon
    the boundary in ancient times between Italy and Gaul
  350. rudimentary
    being in the earliest stages of development
  351. ruefully
    in a manner expressing pain or sorrow
  352. ruminate
    reflect deeply on a subject
  353. sagacious
    acutely insightful and wise
  354. salacious
    suggestive of or tending to moral looseness
  355. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
  356. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  357. satirical
    exposing human folly to ridicule
  358. satyriasis
    abnormally intense sexual desire in men
  359. scintilla
    a tiny or scarcely detectable amount
  360. scintillating
    having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
  361. scrupulous
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
  362. seismic
    subject to or caused by an earthquake or earth vibration
  363. seismograph
    an instrument for measuring movements of the ground
  364. semantic
    of or relating to meaning or the study of meaning
  365. semaphore
    an apparatus for visual signaling
  366. seminal
    influential and providing a basis for later development
  367. sententious
    concise and full of meaning
  368. serendipity
    good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries
  369. sesquipedalian
    a very long word (a foot and a half long)
  370. sojourn
    a temporary stay
  371. solicitude
    a feeling of excessive concern
  372. solicitude
    a feeling of excessive concern
  373. soporific
    inducing sleep
  374. specious
    plausible but false
  375. spectacularly
    in a spectacular manner
  376. splendid
    characterized by grandeur
  377. spurious
    plausible but false
  378. steely
    resembling steel in hardness
  379. stepwise
    proceeding in steps
  380. stoicism
    an indifference to pleasure or pain
  381. stratification
    forming or depositing in layers
  382. striation
    a groove or ridge
  383. stultify
    deprive of strength or efficiency; make useless or worthless
  384. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
  385. succinct
    briefly giving the gist of something
  386. sundry
    consisting of a haphazard assortment of different kinds
  387. supercilious
    having or showing arrogant superiority
  388. superlative
    highest in quality
  389. supposition
    the cognitive process of conjecturing
  390. surreal
    characterized by fantastic and incongruous imagery
  391. surreptitious
    marked by quiet and caution and secrecy
  392. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
  393. titillating
    pleasantly and superficially exciting
  394. tome
    a large and scholarly book
  395. tremulous
    quivering as from weakness or fear
  396. tryst
    a secret rendezvous, especially a romantic one
  397. tumescence
    tumidity resulting from the presence of blood or other fluid in the tissues
  398. typify
    embody the essential characteristics of
  399. ubiquitous
    being present everywhere at once
  400. unassailable
    impossible to attack
  401. undulate
    move in a wavy pattern or with a rising and falling motion
  402. untenable
    incapable of being defended or justified
  403. urbane
    showing a high degree of refinement
  404. veneration
    a feeling of profound respect for someone or something
  405. veracity
    unwillingness to tell lies
  406. verdant
    characterized by abundance of vegetation and green foliage
  407. veritable
    not counterfeit or copied
  408. vernacular
    the everyday speech of the people
  409. verve
    an energetic style
  410. vicissitude
    a variation in circumstances or fortune
  411. visceral
    relating to or affecting the internal organs
  412. vitriol
    abusive or venomous language to express blame or censure
  413. vivacious
    vigorous and animated
  414. vivid
    having striking color
  415. wile
    the use of tricks to deceive someone
  416. wonderment
    the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
  417. Zeitgeist
    the spirit of the time
Created on Fri May 06 01:07:33 EDT 2011

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