gre-words

moribund - stagnant (not growing or changing)
poignant - having a touching effect, "affecting" in the adjective sense
insidious - beguiling but harmful, pernicious, intended to entrap
hegemony - dominance of one social group over another
preponderance - superiority in power or in numbers (also large in size)
regent - someone who rules in the absence of the actual monarch
         also: member of the governing board
sovereign - adj. autonomous, not controlled by outside forces
            also: n. ruler of nation, usually by hereditary right
eclectic - choosing from the best of different possibilities, not confined to a
           single doctrine or style
execrable - very poor in quality; deserving a curse
execrate - loathe; find repugnant; curse as being evil
garrulous - full of trivial conversation; chatty, talkative, loquacious
taciturn - reserved, uncommunicative
ascetic - practicing great self-denial; austere, spartan
apocryphal - of questionable authenticity
unabashed - not embarrassed
hedonistic - pleasure-seeking, pagan
pagan - one who does not acknowledge your god, infidel; pleasure-seeking
gentile - Christian; not Jewish (for Jews); not Hindu (for Hindus)
heathen - not acknowledging Christianity/Judaism/Islam; (tribal, I guess)
bombastic - ostentatiously lofty in style, turgid
ostentatious - intending to attract attention; (of display) vulgar
pretentious - claiming to be important; also ostentatious
pompous - puffed with vanity: pontifical, grandiloquent, overblown, portentous
    [Note: Many of these words have multiple meanings. Some meanings intersect]
pontifical - relating to the pope or bishops, papal, apostolic
portentous - of momentous (monumental) or ominous significance
portent - sign, omen
maladjusted - not adjusted; also emotionally unstable
prodigious - awe-inspiring, colossal, stupendous, olympian
inured - toughened by habitual exposure, hardened, indurated
indurate - v. make durable, harden
           adj. emotionally hardened, pachydermatous, callous, thick-skinned
intransigent - adamant, stubborn, uncompromising, inexorable, relentless
balk at - refuse to comply with, object to
pragmatic - practical
enamour - attract, charm, captivate, fascinate
prerogative - privilege
sidereal - relating to stars or constellations. "sidereal day" = day calculated
                                                by movement of stars
ineluctable - impossible to elude
denouement - the outcome of a complex sequence of events
invidious - causing envy; implying slight or prejudice, discriminatory
plangent - (of a sound) loud and resounding, often melancholy
nugatory - of no real value, worthless (nugator - latin. joker, jester)
antediluvian - archaic, outdated, literally: before the biblical deluge
diluvian - of or referring to a deluge
pusillanimous - cowardly, unmanly
jejune - having no nutritive value; insipid; immature
ludology - the study of games
kinesiology - the study of mechanics of body movements
cybernetics - the science of automatic control systems
disencumber - free, extricate
              (weirdly, it is disencumber, but unencumbered)
belie - contradict, represent falsely
superannuation - pension; also: becoming obsolete
herpetologist - studies reptiles
icthyologist - studies fish
ornithologist - studies birds
epicurean - devoted to pleasure, gratifying the senses, hedonic(=hedonistic)
acrimonious - resentful, bitter, cynical
benignant - pleasant, beneficial, kind
intractable - difficult to manage or mould
nascent - being born, incipient
erudite - knowledgable
predilection for - liking for, affinity to, prefer, penchant for
inveterate - habitual and in a longstanding manner, chronic
turgid - bombastic; also: distended
expatriate - expel from country, exile, deport
repatriate - take back into country; send back to own country against free will
                                     (eg: refugees)
extradite - hand over to the authorities of another country
interdict - prohibit, forbid, disallow; also: destroy with firepower
expurgate - edit parts considered indelicate, bowdlerize, castrate 
                                                          (in some senses)
indelicate - verging on indecent, lacking propriety
narcissism - excessive love of oneself
polemical - diatribe-ical, (polemic=written attack)
dogma - religious doctrine claimed to be true without proof, tenet
dogmatic - characterized by assertion of unprovable principles
ignominious - shameful, disgraceful, dishonourable, opprobrious
opprobrious - inglorious; expressing offensive reproach, abusive, scurrilous
disabuse - disillusion {Nithin Sivadas}
debilitating - make weak, enfeebling, draining
enervate - weaken mentally or morally, faze, unnerve, unsettle
repudiate - disown; renounce
recant - revoke, take back (a statement)
clemency - mercy, "Granted him clemency"
prodigality - recklessness; wasteful extravagance, profligacy
profligacy - wasteful extravagance
nonplus - leave at a loss as to what to do/think
nonplussed - bewildered
founder - v. fail (material failure), give way: "The Titanic foundered"
fractious - comes from infraction: tending to commit an infraction
libellous - defamatory, calumniatory, slanderous, denigratory
inveigle - {Smeagol} insidious
didactic - instructive, preachy
brook - v. put up with, tolerate
perfunctory - cursory
languid - lacking vitality, lackadaisical, listless, lethargic, lassitude-ish
languor - above; also: relaxed and comfortable
lassitude - above (appears to be more severe): comatose torpor
canonical - appearing in a biblical canon, relating to or required by canon law
            conforming to orthodox or recognized rules;
            also: simplest form, basic, "canonical ensemble", "canonical form 
                  of a boolean expression"
canon - principles regarded as valid and fundamental in a field or philosophy
##
approbation - official recognition or approval
capricious - changeable, impulsive, whimsical
censure - n. harsh criticism, excommunication; v. rebuke formally
chicanery - use tricks to deceive (and hence extract money)
subterfuge - misrepresentation, a blind
effrontery - audacious behaviour, presumptuousness, "sheer nerve", impudence
ennui - listlessness caused by lack of activity, boredom, tedium
equivocate - beat around the bush, mislead or speak ambiguously, prevaricate
exigent - demanding one's attention, clamant, crying [need]
filibuster - tactic of delaying legislation with long speeches; delay
ingenuous - lacking sophistication, artless, innocent, frank and  candid
neologism - newly invented word/phrase, act of coining the same
obviate - do away with, make unnecessary (possibly by anticipating)
paean - hymn of praise
perfidy - betrayal of trust, treachery
perspicacious - acutely perceptive, sagacious, sapient
precipitate - adj. done with haste and without deliberation
precipitate - v. bring about abruptly; settle
prescient - able to foresee the future
reticent - quiet, reserved, taciturn, uncommunicative
solicitous - anxious, concerned, eager
sordid - morally degraded, unethical, foul and repulsive, squalid; grimy
stymie - obstruct, blockade, hinder
truculent - eager to argue or fight, aggresively defiant
veracity - honesty
##
adulation - servile flattery, excessive praise
ameliorate - make better or more tolerable, meliorate
burgeon - grow rapidly, flourish
bucolic - idyllically rustic, pastoral, rural
chary - wary, cautious, sparing
cogent - powerfully persuasive
complaisance - tendency to bend to others' wills
contrite - adj. regretful, penitent, remorseful (n. contrition)
demur - to question or oppose, take exception to
emollient - soothing, making less harsh (same root as mollify)
ephemeral - fleeting, transient, fugacious (n. ephemeron - something ephemeral)
esoteric - something understood only by a small group of people
exoteric - suitable for the general public
eulogy - praise (often to the dead)
facetious - cleverly amusing, tongue-in-cheek, playful, humorous, teasing
furtive - sneaky, stealthy, covert, surreptitious, clandestine
heretic - violating dogma or convention
hyperbole - exaggeration
impecunious - lacking in funds, without money
odious - unequivocally detestable, causing intense aversion
penurious - penny-pinching, thrifty, stingy
penury - extreme poverty, destitution, indigence
preen - dress or groom with elaborate care; congratulate (self) for achievement
quaff - drink deeply, hearty draught, gulp, swig
redoubtable - inspiring fear, formidable; worthy of honour
torpid - slow, apathetic, dormant, sluggish (n. torpor)
urbane - polished, refined, svelte
vilify - defame, vituperate, revile
##
halcyon - idyllically calm and peaceful: "a halcyon atmosphere"
mendacity - dishonesty
obdurate - obstinate, unrepentant, cussed
obsequious - sycophantic, toadyish, bootlicking, fawning
occlude - block, obstruct path, impede
opprobrium - dishonour, infamy, obloquy
pedantic - overly concerned with small details; showing off one's learning
pith - kernel, substance, core, centre
platitude - a trite or obvious remark, banality, cliche, bromide
rancorous - showing deep-seated resentment
repudiate - disown, renounce
rescind - cancel officially, repeal, revoke, annul
rhetoric - effective use of communication to persuade or make one's point;
           high-flown style, ornate; loud confused empty talk;
salubrious - promoting health, healthy, good for you
solvent - adj. capable of meeting financial obligations (having liquidity)
specious - plausible but false, deceptively pleasing, meretricious
subpoena - n. writ to compel witness to attend court - disobedience is criminal
tenacity - persistence, relentlessness
tenuous - fragile, flimsy: "a tenuous argument"
##
aggrandize - add details to, embroider, embellish, dramatize
astringent - tending to constrict tissue; sour or bitter in taste, acerbic
cynicism - pessimism; misanthropism; distrustful; seeing selfishness in others
desiccate - v. dehydrate; adj. arid
disparage - express negative opinion, belittle: "disparage your claims"
dilettante - showing frivolous or superficial interest, amateurish
glib - without intellectual depth; showing only superficial plausibility;
       artfully persuasive in speech
hubris - overbearing pride and presumption
impetuous - impulsive, hot-headed
inimical - unfreindly
intrepid - without trepidation, fearless, brave, dauntless, audacious
maverick - rebel, unorthodox
phlegmatic - showing little emotion
probity - complete integrity, having strong moral principles: "a reputation for
          probity"
prosaic - not fanciful, unimaginative, matter-of-fact, humdrum, pedestrian
quixotic - idealistic, unrealistic
recondite - difficult to penetrate, incomprehensible, abstruse, deep
refulgent - beaming, radiant, effulgent
sedulous - marked by persistent effort, assiduous, diligent
tout - v. publicly support, advertise in highly positive terms
trenchant - keen and penetrating in thought/expression/intellect; clearly or
            sharply defined; characterized by force and vigour
untenable - indefensible, unjustifiable
vacillate - oscillate, waver, fluctuate (possibly in indecision)
vexation - annoyance, irritation, chafe
vituperate - vilify, defame, revile, rail
##
chagrin - deep embarrassment/humiliation, mortification
derision - contemptuous laughter, ridicule
puissant - powerful
munificent - magnanimous
insularity - state of detachment; also: narrow-mindedness (due to isolation)
pejorative - expressing disapproval, dyslogistic, depreciatory, disparaging
cognizance - having knowledge of, awareness
refractory - unmanagable, stubborn, recalcitrant; "stubborn infection"
sinecure - an office that involves minimal duties, but pays well {JB}
commensurate - corresponding, proportionate
fatuous - devoid of intelligence, mindless, brainless, asinine, vacuous
frenetic - very agitated, distraught, frantic, phrenetic, frenzied
cupidity - extreme greed, avarice, covetousness
sanguine - optimistic and cheerful; reddish, ruddy, rubicund
circumscribe - limit, confine
chasten - chastise, castigate, objurgate, censure
sophistry - deliberately invalid argument disguised to deceive
gratuitous - without cause, free, uncalled-for, needless, complimentary
broach - initiate, introduce [something new]
malinger - pretend to be ill to avoid responsibilities, skulk
lachrymose - sorrowful, dolorous, tearful, weeping
arcane - secret, mysterious and esoteric
jingoist - chauvinist, militant, patrioteer (bellicose nationalist)
deputation - commission, delegation, contingent
charlatan - flamboyant deceiver, cheat, mountebank
sentient - endowed with feeling, consciously perceiving
restive - tense, high-strung, jittery, jumpy, uptight, restless
foment - agitate, stir up; bathe with warm water
byzantine - convoluted, involved, tortuous, labyrinthine
encomium - eulogy, panegyric, paean
welter - clutter, jumble, muddle
toady - sycophantic, obsequious
acme - peak, superlative, high-point [of something], meridian, vertex
beneficent - benevolent, eleemosynary, philanthropic
rue - repent, regret, sorrow
coda - closing, finale [of a musical composition]
asperity - something hard to endure, harshness of manner, severity
aspersions - slur, calumny, defamation, slander
fortuitous - by happy chance, luckily
heterodox - unorthodox, dissident, heretical
reparation - compensation, fixture, amends
abrogate - revoke formally, repeal
blithe - lacking concern, lighthearted, carefree
augur - foreshadow, bode, portend, presage, betoken, auspicate, prognosticate
salutary - beneficial to health: "salutary influence of pure air"
gregarious - sociable, outgoing
proscribe - forbid, prohibit, interdict, veto, disallow, nix
vestigial - not fully developed, rudimentary: "an ostrich's vestigial wings"
virtuosity - technical skill or fluency (virtuoso: skilled person, master)
billingsgate - foul-mouthed or obscene abuse
flag - v. droop/sink due to loss of pressure/tautness
importune - beg persistently, insist: "I importune you to help them"
iniquity - absence of moral values wicked, evil, dark, immorality
inequity - injustice, unfairness
apostate - adj. not loyal to party/religion/cause; n. deserter, turncoat
apposite - extremely pertinent, very apt
palliate - lessen in intensity, physical relief from pain, extenuate, alleviate
panegyric - a formal expression of praise, encomium, eulogy, paean
rarefied - adj. of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in style
obstreperous - boisterously and noisily defiant/aggressive
extol - praise, glorify, honour
euphemism - an inoffensive or mild substitute for something blunt/embarrassing
ostensible - apparent, seeming, appearing such but not necessarily so
harbinger - herald, preshadow, foretell
edify - make understand, enlighten
itinerant - someone who keeps travelling; gypsy
jocular - with humor, joking, jesting, jocose
abominate - abhor, loathe, execrate
levity - not serious, frivolity, lightheartedness, flippancy (opp: gravity)
libertine - debauched and dissolute person, rake, womanizer, roue
peripatetic - n. a person who walks from place to place; adj. travel, esp. walk
indefatigable - tireless, unflagging, unwearying (derives from fatigue)
bellicose - combative, warlike
pugnacious - tough, callous (from experience); ready/able to resort to force
propitiate - make peace with, appease
aphoristic - containing aphorisms or maxims, axiomatic
aphorism - a short and pithy instructive saying, maxim, apothegm
flagrant - outrageously bad/reprehensible, egregious, glaring, crying, gross
bigotry - intolerance and prejudice of a bigot, dogmatism
chauvinist - patrioteer, jingoist, bellicose nationalist
chimerical - fanciful, unreal, impossible (like a chimera)
foible - idiosyncrasy, mannerism
abandon - n. lacking restraint/control, reckless freedom from inhibitions
##
insensible - incapable of physical sensation, unresponsive, indiscernible
baleful - deadly, sinister, forbidding, menacing, ominous, minatory
countenance - n. person's face, visage; formal explicit approval, endorsement
              v. consent to, give permission, sanction
cant - n. cliche; bank [of road]; slang, jargon; insincere talk about morals
       v. heel over, tilt, slant, pitch
cathartic - inducing catharsis or purging, cleansing, purgative; laxative
tourniquet - compression bandage (eg. for after snake bites)
surfeit - excess, overabundance, glut, oversupply
rejoinder - retort, return, comeback, counter
sanction - approve, countenance, endorse, okay
commodious - large and roomy
compendium - a collection; a precise but comprehensive summary, abstract
paragon - model of perfection, ideal, exemplar: "paragon of virtue", archetype
pariah - a person rejected from society/home, outcast
high-minded - noble, lofty, serving a grand purpose
travesty - parody, spoof, mockery, lampoon, farce, charade, burlesque
parsimony - thrift, stinginess, penny-pinching, tightfistedness
partisan - n. ardent supporter, zealot, enthusiast, drumbeater
cavalier - adj. given to haughty disregard of others; n. gallant, courtly
sybarite - person addicted to luxury and pleasuring the senses, voluptuary
hermetic - completely sealed, airtight; insulated from outside influences
reprehensible - deserving blame/rebuke/censure, condemnable, deplorable
solecism - socially awkward or tactless act, faux pas, slip, gaffe, gaucherie
conciliate - gain goodwill, come to terms, make compatible, reconcile, lenify
craven - recreant, adj. abjectly fearful; n. an abject coward, poltroon
unconscionable - not governed by conscience, inordinate, unscrupulous
belabor - dwell on, overstress; assail verbally
burnish - make shiny polish, gloss, buff, furbish
corroborate - affirm, validate, substantiate, underpin
wheedle - coax, cajole, palaver
charisma - personal appeal, personal magnetism
stint - v. subsist, scrimp [on meager allowance]; restrict [allowance]
belligerence - truculence, harshness, aggressiveness, ferocity, pugnacity
verisimilitude - being true to life: "to create verisimilitude in the play"
cardinal - primary, main, key, important, chief
curmudgeon - n. irascible cantankerous old person, grouch, grump, ill-humored
cavil - v. find unnecessary fault with, nit-pick, raise petty objections, carp
exegesis - critical interpretation, explanation, exposition
diffidence - lack of self-confidence, shyness, reserve, self-doubt
dilatory - procrastinating, slow, tardy, laggard
stentorian - extremely loud, blaring, sonorous, resonant
stigma - mark of disgrace, badge of infamy, stain, blot, blemish, brand, taint
cabal - clique, faction, conspiracy
intrigue - n. machination, scheme, design; clandestine love affair
venal - corruptible, bribable, dishonest, purchasable
mercantile - profit-oriented, mercenary, money-making
fastidious - giving attention to detail; hard-to-please; extremely clean
sardonic - disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking, sarcastic
impugn - attack as false or wrong, challenge
invective - abusive/venomous language, vituperation, vitriol
reprobate - v. reject (docs) as invalid; abandon to damnation; disapprove
            n. a person without moral scruples
preclude - rule out, keep from happening, prevent, forestall, forbid:
           "precluded the possibility that..."
tenet - doctrine claimed true without proof, dogma
fugacious - ephemeral, fleeting, transient
occult - v. eclipse, hide, conceal; n. supernatural, mystic, secret;
         adj. hard to see; beyond ordinary understanding/sensory perception
import - n. imported goods; also: implication, significance, meaning
disdain - lack of respect + dislike, condescension, patronizing
meretricious - tastelessly showy, based on pretense, deceptively pleasing
extirpate - destroy completely, eradicate, exterminate, uproot
threadbare - banal, commonplace, hackneyed, trite, shopworn, timeworn
## Familiar words with different meanings - Beyond the hit parade 1
essay - make an effort, try, attempt
fell - v. as in "fell a tree"; adj. inhumanely cruel
grouse - complain or grumble
meet - fitting proper
nice - exact, fastidious, extremely precise: like "nice shot!"
obtain - adj. established, accepted, true
pied - multicolored, usually in blotches
pluck - courage, spunk, fortitude
prize - pry, press or force with a lever: "prize free [something]"
qualify - to limit, restrict
waffle - to change one's position
## Beyond the hit parade 2
adumbrate - foreshadow vaguely or intimate, to outline sketchily; obscure
anathema - solemn or ecclesiastical curse; thoroughly loathed [by person]
bete noire - thoroughly loathed [by person]: "He is an anathema to me"
anodyne - adj. soothing, comforting; n. something that assuages or allays pain
apotheosis - exalted example, model of perfection
asseverate - to aver, allege, assert
captious - disposed to point out trivial faults; calculated to confuse/entrap
celerity - speed, alacrity
contumacious - insubordinate, rebellious (contumely=insult, scorn, aspersion)
debacle - rout, fiasco, complete failure
descry - discriminate, discern
desuetude - disuse
eschew - shun, avoid
excoriate - censure scathingly, upbraid
expiate - atone, make amends for
imbroglio - difficult or embarrassing situation
inimitable - one of a kind, peerless (not imitate-able)
insouciant - unconcerned, carefree, heedless, casual, nonchalant
lubricious - lustful, prurient, salacious
wanton - v. waste [money], indulge in luxury; adj. occurring without motivation
         or provocation; voluptuary
mendicant - a beggar, a supplicant
ossified - set in a rigidly conventional pattern of behavior, fossilized
pellucid - transparent, crystal clear, limpid
peroration - a flowery and highly rhetorical oration
prolix - tediously long, verbose (prolixity=boring verbosity)
puerile - characteristic of a child, adolescent, juvenile, jejune
remonstrate - argue or protest in opposition, point out, take to task, rag
saturnine - brooding ill humor, glowering, glum, morose, sour, sullen
sententious - given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing
stygian - hellish, saturnine; of the river styx
tendentious - having marked tendencies, partial
vitiate - corrupt morally, make imperfect, render ineffective
demagogue - political leader who seeks support by appealing to popular passions
            and prejudices
amortize - liquidate gradually; gradually write off initial cost of [an asset]
compunction
precocious
apostatize
commiserate
tergiversate