Abate Formal Legal Medical verb common

To become less intense or widespread; to reduce in amount, degree, or severity.

Aberrant Formal adjective

different from what is typical or usual, especially in an unacceptable way

Abetment Formal Legal noun uncommon

The act of encouraging, supporting, or assisting someone to commit a wrongdoing or crime.

Acrid Formal Literary adjective common GRE: medium

Having a sharp, bitter, and irritating taste or smell; also, harsh or caustic in tone.

Adroit Formal adjective uncommon GRE: high

Skillful, clever, and effective, especially in handling difficult situations or people.

Alacrity Formal noun

Speed and eagerness

Alcahest noun very rare

A hypothetical universal solvent in alchemy, believed to be capable of dissolving any substance without altering or destroying it.

Alluvial Science adjective uncommon

Relating to or derived from alluvium, which is sediment deposited by flowing water, typically in riverbeds, floodplains, or deltas.

Ancillary adjective common

Providing necessary support to the primary activities or operation of an organization, system, or process; subordinate or supplementary.

Antediluvian Formal Literary adjective

Relating to the period before the biblical Flood; extremely old-fashioned or outdated.

Apportion Formal Business Legal verb common

To divide and allocate something among several people or groups, especially in proportion to a certain factor or criterion.

Apprehensive Formal adjective common GRE: high

Anxious or fearful that something undesirable may happen.

Ardent adjective

Having or showing very strong feelings, passion, or enthusiasm; fervent or intense.

Armature noun uncommon

A framework used to support material being shaped, especially in sculpture or modeling; also an electrical component consisting of the rotating part of a motor or generator.

Austere Formal Literary adjective common GRE: high

Severely simple, plain, or lacking comfort and decoration; also characterized by strict self-discipline or severity.

Avaricious Formal Literary adjective uncommon

Having or showing an extreme greed for wealth or material gain.

Awning noun common

A secondary covering attached to the exterior wall of a building, typically made of canvas or other fabric, designed to provide shade or shelter from the elements.

Barrister Formal Legal noun common

A type of lawyer in certain legal systems who is specialized in advocacy and representing clients in higher courts.

Bauble Informal noun common

A small, decorative trinket or ornament, often inexpensive or of little practical value, typically used for adornment or decoration.

Belabor Formal Academic Business verb uncommon

To argue or elaborate on a subject in excessive detail or to repeat something to the point of annoyance or redundancy.

Belligerent Formal Military Legal adjective uncommon

Having an aggressive or warlike attitude; inclined to fight or engage in conflict.

Bracken noun common

A type of large, coarse fern that grows abundantly in the wild, especially in woodlands and moorlands.

Brood Literary Formal verb uncommon GRE: high

To think about something at length, especially in a troubled, resentful, or morbid way.

Bucolic Literary Formal adjective uncommon GRE: high

Relating to or depicting the pleasant, peaceful aspects of rural life and the countryside.

Burro Literary noun

A small donkey, especially one found in the southwestern United States and Mexico, often used as a pack animal.

Chagrin Formal noun

disappointment or anger, especially when caused by a failure or mistake

Cogitate Formal Academic verb uncommon GRE: high

To think carefully and deliberately about something; to ponder.

Cognate noun

A word that has the same linguistic derivation as another; from the same original root or ancestor language. A blood relative or someone descended from the same family line.

Connivance Formal Legal Business noun uncommon

The act of secretly allowing or being complicit in wrongdoing; tacit cooperation in a questionable or illegal act.

Contemplate Formal Academic Philosophy verb common

To think about something deeply and thoughtfully, often considering it carefully or at length.

Contrite Formal adjective

Feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt.

Contumacious adjective

Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority; rebellious and defiant.

Cresset Archaic Literary noun rare

A metal cup or basket that holds combustible material, used as a torch or beacon for illumination, especially historically or in medieval contexts.

Crest Formal Biology Geography noun common

A distinctive tuft, ridge, or growth on the head of a bird or other animal, often used for display or identification; also the top or highest part of something, such as a wave or hill.

Crockery noun common

Items of pottery, especially dishes, plates, cups, and other tableware, used for serving or eating food.

Curtsey noun uncommon

A traditional gesture of lowering the body by bending the knees, typically performed by women as a form of respectful greeting or acknowledgment.

Cynical adjective

Having a distrustful attitude towards others' motives, believing that people are generally selfish and dishonest.

Delectable adjective

looking or tasting extremely good, and giving great pleasure

Depradation Formal Literary noun rare

An act of plundering or ravaging; the state or action of causing damage by violent destruction or robbery.

Derelict Formal Literary adjective

In a very poor condition as a result of disuse and neglect; a person without a home, job, or property; neglectful of duty or responsibility.

Disenchant Formal Literary verb uncommon

To cause someone to lose their idealized beliefs, hopes, or illusions about a person, situation, or institution.

Dragnet Formal Legal noun uncommon GRE: medium

A widespread, coordinated search or operation by authorities to capture suspects or locate missing people or objects.

Dulcet Formal Literary adjective uncommon

Pleasant to the ear; melodious or soothing in sound.

Emaciation noun common

The state of being abnormally thin or weak, especially due to severe lack of nutrition or illness.

Enfilade Military noun

A military term referring to gunfire directed along the longest axis of a target, such as a line of troops or a trench, maximizing the effect of the fire; also describes a series of rooms with aligned doorways allowing continuous visibility and passage.

Equanimity noun common

Mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation.

Ersatz Formal Academic adjective uncommon GRE: high

Artificial or inferior substitute; made to imitate something genuine.

Escarpment Science noun uncommon

A steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion, separating two relatively level areas of differing elevations.

Eschew verb

To deliberately avoid using, abstain from, or keep away from something, especially on moral or practical grounds.

Exasperating Informal adjective common

Causing intense irritation or annoyance; extremely frustrating.

Expedient Formal adjective

helpful or useful in a particular situation, but sometimes not morally acceptable.

Facetious adjective

Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Fatuous adjective

Showing a lack of intelligence or thought, often in a way that is foolish or silly.

Filigree noun uncommon

Delicate ornamental work made from fine gold, silver, or other metal wires, arranged in artistic patterns often used in jewelry and decorative art.

Fledged Formal Academic Biology adjective uncommon

Having acquired the feathers necessary for flight or being fully developed and capable of independence, especially in reference to young birds.

Fortuitous adjective

Happening by chance, often in a lucky or beneficial way.

Gait Formal noun common GRE: medium

A person's or animal's manner or pattern of walking.

Garrot verb

To strangle someone by tightening a cord or similar device around the neck, typically as a method of execution or assassination.

Gaudy Informal adjective common

Excessively bright or showy, typically in a tasteless or vulgar way.

Gingerly adverb

In a careful or cautious manner, often to avoid causing damage or injury.

Gullied Geography adjective uncommon

Having been eroded or scored by gullies, which are deep channels cut into soil by running water, typically due to erosion.

Hackamore noun uncommon

A type of headgear for horses that controls the animal by pressure on the nose and jaw, used especially in training or riding without a bit.

Hewn Formal adjective uncommon

Shaped or cut with blows of a cutting instrument such as an axe or chisel, often referring to stone or wood that is roughly or deliberately shaped by hand.

Hobble verb

To walk in an awkward way, typically because of pain or injury; or to limit the movement or progress of someone or something.

Ignominious Formal Literary adjective uncommon GRE: high

Marked by or causing disgrace, shame, or public humiliation.

Importune Formal Business verb uncommon

To persistently and urgently ask someone for something, often in a way that is annoying or troublesome.

Improvident adjective uncommon

Lacking foresight or thrift; not providing for the future; wasteful or thoughtless in terms of resource management.

Inameliorate Formal Philosophy verb very rare

To fail to improve or to make worse; to not become better.

Indemnify Formal Business Legal verb uncommon

To compensate someone financially for loss, damage, or liability incurred, often by providing security against future losses.

Indolent Formal Literary Medical adjective uncommon

Showing an inclination to avoid activity or exertion; habitually lazy or idle.

Inert Formal adjective common GRE: high

Lacking movement, energy, or the capacity to act; inactive or unresponsive.

Inexorable Formal Literary adjective common

Impossible to stop, prevent, or persuade by entreaty; unyielding in attitude or process.

Insolent adjective common

Showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.

Integument Biology Medical noun

A natural outer covering or coat of an organism or an organ, such as skin, shell, or rind, serving to protect the underlying parts.

Jumbled adjective common

Confused or mixed together in a disorderly or chaotic way, lacking clear order or organization.

Kipple Literary noun very rare GRE: unlikely

Noun: Useless or unwanted objects that accumulate and seemingly multiply, especially in a neglected space.

Loam noun common

A type of fertile soil composed of a balanced mixture of sand, silt, and clay, often dark and rich, suitable for planting and farming.

Moral noun archaic or obsolete

A box or case, typically made of canvas or another sturdy material, used for storing and carrying provisions or supplies.

Opprobrious Formal Literary adjective rare

Expressing strong criticism, scorn, or public disgrace; shamefully reproachful or contemptuous.

Ostensible adjective

Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so; apparent or professed.

Ostensive Formal Philosophy Academic adjective

Serving to show, demonstrate, or point out something clearly and directly.

Pail noun common

A bucket, typically made of metal or plastic, used for carrying liquids or other substances.

Paltry Formal Literary adjective uncommon

Insignificantly small or meager; trivial or worthless in amount or importance.

Perceptive Formal Literary Academic adjective common

Having or showing sensitive insight or understanding; able to notice or comprehend things quickly and accurately.

Perpetual Formal Literary adjective common

Continuing or enduring forever; everlasting; never-ending.

Pert Informal Literary adjective uncommon

Attractively lively or cheeky, often describing a person, especially a face or manner, that is confidently stylish and somewhat bold or flirtatious.

Poultice noun uncommon

A soft, moist mass of material, often plant-based or medicinal, applied to the body to relieve soreness and inflammation.

Precipitous adjective

Very steep or fast decline. Falling very fast

Pretext noun

false or feigned reason put forward to conceal your true motives or the real purpose behind an action. It serves as an excuse to do or say something that might otherwise be questioned.

Priviledge noun

A special right, advantage, or immunity granted to a particular person or group, often by authority or social custom.

Promontory noun

A high point of land or rock projecting into a body of water, often serving as a prominent landmark.

Prurience Literary Formal noun uncommon

A strong or excessive interest in sexual matters or a tendency toward lewdness and lasciviousness, often regarded as inappropriate or offensive.

Purview Formal noun uncommon

The range of operation, authority, control, concern, or knowledge; the scope within which something is relevant or effective.

Quaintly Literary Formal adverb uncommon GRE: low

In an attractively old-fashioned, unusual, or charmingly picturesque manner.

Quip Informal Literary noun common GRE: medium

A witty or clever remark, often brief and sometimes mildly sarcastic.

Quirt noun rare

A short riding whip typically made of braided leather, used by horse riders.

Rayon noun common

A semi-synthetic fiber made from regenerated cellulose, used in textiles and fabrics for clothing and other products.

Refurb verb

To renovate, restore, or make improvements to a building or equipment to bring it back to a good condition.

Reprobate Formal Literary Religion noun uncommon

A person who is morally unprincipled or depraved; someone condemned as beyond hope of salvation or redemption.

Reticence noun common

The quality or state of being reserved, restrained, or unwilling to reveal one's thoughts or feelings readily; silence or reserve in speech or behavior.

Revile verb uncommon

To criticize or speak about someone or something with intense hatred or contempt; to subject to verbal abuse.

Rueful Formal Literary adjective uncommon

Feeling or expressing sorrow, regret, or pity, often in a slightly humorous or self-deprecating way.

Ruminate Formal verb common GRE: high

To think deeply and repeatedly about something, often in a reflective or brooding way. Literally “to chew the cud.” Like a ruminant repeatedly chewing partially digested food, to ruminate is to return to the same thought and turn it over at length.

Sagacious Formal Academic adjective uncommon GRE: high

Having keen judgment, sound reasoning, and practical wisdom; discerning and insightful.

Sanguine Formal Literary adjective common

Having a positive and hopeful outlook, especially in a difficult or challenging situation; optimistic.

Scabbedover adjective

Covered with a scab; having a wound or sore that has formed a hard protective crust as it heals.

Scrim noun uncommon

A lightweight, translucent fabric used in theater and stage productions to create visual effects, backgrounds, or to partially conceal scenery or actors.

Sedge noun common

A type of grass-like plant typically found growing in wet ground or near water bodies, often characterized by its triangular stems and grassy leaves.

Sententiously Literary Formal adverb uncommon

In a manner that is concise and full of meaning, often in a pompous or moralizing style; using brief, forceful expressions of moral or general truths.

Solicitude Formal Literary noun uncommon

Care or concern for someone or something, often expressed by attentive actions or thoughtful behavior to ensure well-being or comfort.

Squalid adjective common

Extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially due to poverty or neglect.

Subjugate Formal Military verb uncommon

To bring under complete control or domination, especially by conquest; to conquer and gain control over a person, group, or territory.

Subterfuge Formal Literary noun uncommon GRE: high

Deception or a deceptive strategy used to conceal one's intentions or achieve a goal.

Sundry Formal Business adjective uncommon

various or diverse items or people grouped together without specifying each individually; used especially to refer to a miscellaneous collection

Suture Literary noun uncommon

A line or seam formed where two edges or parts are joined or fused, especially used metaphorically to describe something connecting or joining parts together seamlessly.

Tacit Formal Academic Philosophy adjective common

Understood or implied without being stated openly; expressed or carried out without words or explicit communication.

Taut adjective

Stretched or pulled tight; not slack; tense or rigid in form or appearance.

Tawdry Formal adjective uncommon

Showing cheapness or gaudiness in appearance or quality; tastelessly or cheaply adorned or ornamented.

Transept Religion noun uncommon

An area set crosswise to the main body of a building, especially in a church, forming a cross-shaped floor plan.

Transgress Formal Legal verb uncommon

To violate a law, rule, command, or moral standard.

Travois noun

A frame used by indigenous peoples of the North American Plains, traditionally made by fastening two long poles to a harness on a horse or dog, used to drag loads across the ground.

Trestle noun uncommon

A framework consisting of a pair of sloped legs with a horizontal crosspiece, used to support a flat surface such as a table or a bridge; often used in construction and furniture-making.

Tumpline noun uncommon

A strap that passes over the top of the head and is used to carry heavy loads on the back or shoulders, typically employed by indigenous peoples and porters.

Ubiquitous adjective

Present, appearing, or found everywhere.

Unscrupulous Formal Literary Academic adjective

Having or showing no moral principles; not honest or fair.

Vengeance Formal Literary noun

The act of inflicting harm, punishment, or retribution on someone in response to a perceived wrong or injury.

Verdant Literary Formal adjective uncommon GRE: medium

Covered with or characterized by lush green vegetation; green and flourishing.

Vicarious Formal Academic Philosophy adjective

Experienced or realized through imaginative or sympathetic participation in the experience of another.

Victrola noun uncommon

A brand name originally used for a type of early phonograph or gramophone that plays records, often referring to any phonograph with a built-in horn enclosed in a wooden cabinet.

Votive Religion adjective uncommon

Relating to or expressive of a vow, pledge, or offering made as an act of religious devotion or in fulfillment of a pledge.

Wan Formal Literary adjective common

Describing a person or their complexion as pale, weak, or showing signs of illness or fatigue; lacking color or vitality.

Wimple Literary Archaic noun archaic or obsolete GRE: low

A cloth head covering, traditionally worn by women, that frames the face and covers the neck and chin; especially associated with medieval dress.

arbitrary adjective common

Based on random choice or personal whim rather than any reason or system.

besotted adjective

Strongly infatuated or obsessed with someone or something, often to the point of losing clear judgment.

chafe Informal Medical verb

To irritate or wear away by rubbing; to make sore by friction, especially on the skin, to rub or to become annoyed.

curfew Legal noun

A rule requiring people to remain indoors during specific hours.

dignity noun common

The state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect; a sense of pride in oneself that prevents one from behaving in an undignified manner.

equivocal Formal Academic adjective

Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous or uncertain, often deliberately to mislead or avoid commitment.

fallibility Academic Philosophy noun common

The quality or state of being capable of making mistakes or being wrong.

fecund Formal Literary Academic adjective

Producing or capable of producing an abundance of offspring, vegetation, or creative ideas; highly fertile or productive.

futile Formal Academic adjective common

Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless or ineffective.

incongruous adjective common

Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects; inappropriate or out of place.

indignation Formal noun

Anger or annoyance provoked by something perceived as unfair.

inebriated Informal Formal adjective

Affected by alcohol to the point of being drunk; intoxicated.

jettison verb

to get rid of as superfluous or encumbering : omit or forgo as part of a plan or as the result of some other decision

myopic Medical adjective

Lacking imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight.

obstinate adjective

Stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or chosen course of action, despite attempts to persuade one to do so.

philanthropic Formal Business adjective common

Showing a desire to help others by donating money, resources, or time to charitable causes or to promote the welfare of others.

predillection Formal noun

A preference or special liking for something.

quixotic Formal Literary adjective uncommon GRE: high

Characterized by idealistic, romantic, or visionary aims that are impractical and unlikely to succeed.

recalcitrant Formal Academic Legal adjective

Having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline; stubbornly resistant to control or guidance.

tangible adjective

Perceptible by touch; capable of being touched or felt. Also used figuratively to describe something real or concrete, rather than abstract or imaginary.

totter verb

To move in a feeble, unsteady, or shaky way; to waver as if about to fall.