Vocabulary: Words Of The Day

Vocabulary Words of the Day 1. altercation (n) –a noisy dispute 2. opulent (adj) –demonstrating great wealth; extravagant 3. cryptic (adj) –secret; mysterious 4. fiasco (n) –a failure 5. nocturnal (adj) –pertaining to the night; active at night 6. whet (vb) –to sharpen, to stimulate 7. intrepid (adj) –fearless, bold 8. demagogue (n) –a leader who promises things to people to gain power 9. superfluous (adj) –beyond what is necessary; excessive 10. emulate (vb) –to try to equal by imitating 11. assiduous (adj) –hard-working; diligent 12. conform (vb) –to become similar; to act in agreement 13. benevolent (adj) –kindly; charitable 14. spurious (adj) –false; fake; counterfeit 15. precocious (adj) –brilliant or expert at an early age 16. infer (vb) –to conclude; to deduce 17. inevitable (adj) –unavoidable 18. hedonist (n) –a pleasure seeker 19. abbreviate (vb) –to shorten; to abridge 20. condescending (adj) –patronizing 21. florid (adj) –flushed; ornate 22. rancor (n) –hatred 23. venerable (adj) –respectable because of age 24. prosaic (adj) –dull; ordinary; run-of-the-mill 25. impetuous (adj) –acting suddenly with little thought 26. sagacious (adj) –shrewd 27. ephemeral (*adj) -=-momentary; fleeting 28. diligent (adj) –hardworking 29. abstain (vb) –to refrain from doing something 30. remuneration (n) –payment 31. wary (adj) –watchful; alert 32. subtle (adj) –elusive; sly; ambiguous 33. capricious (adj) –impulsive; unpredictable 34. amphibious (adj) –able to function both on land and in water 35. restrained (adj) –controlled; restricted

36. hackneyed (adj) –overused; clichéd 37. emaciated (adj) –skinny, especially from hunger 38. antagonist (n) –opponent 39. pretentious (adj) –self-important; pompous 40. intuitive (adj) –instinctive; untaught 41. parched (adj) –dried up; thirsty 42. conflagration (n) –a large, destructive fire 43. disdain (n) –scorn; contempt 44. NO VOCAB WORD 45. insipid (adj) –bland 46. enervate ()v) –to tire; to weaken 47. covert (adj) –secretive, veiled 48. adulation (n) –high praise 49. caucus (n) –a closed meeting of members of a political party 50. indignant (adj) –angry; offended 51. deleterious (adj) –harmful 52. ostentatious (adj) –marked by conspicuous (obvious) or pretentious (showy) display 53. scrupulous (adj) –cautious in action; careful 54. prudent (adj) –careful; cautious 55. querulous (adj) –irritable 56. mundane (adj) –ordinary; common 57. novice (n) –beginner 58. adversity (n) –misfortune 59. compassion (n) –sympathy; mercy 60. arid (adj) –extremely dry