Lesson 1 1. apathy – lack of emotion or interest (noun) 2. ambiguous – having more than one meaning; vague (adjective) 3. fervent – passionate (adjective) 4. vagrant – a wandering homeless person; a tramp (noun) 5. undermine – to weaken; to wear the foundation of (verb) 6. oblivious – unaware; unconscious (adjective) 7. indifferent – not caring one way or the other; lacking a preference; neutral (adjective) 8. obscure – unclear; clouded; partially hidden; hard to understand (adjective; verb) 9. objective – without bias (as opposed to subjective) (adjective) 10. revere – to worship (verb) 11. discriminate – to differentiate; to make a clear distinction; to see the difference (verb) 12. embellish – to add details; to exaggerate (verb) 13. denounce – to speak out against; to condemn (verb) 14. innovate – to be creative; to introduce something new (verb) 15. stagnant – not moving (adjective) 16. candid – honest; frank (adjective) 17. impartial – unbiased; neutral (adjective) 18. discern – to distinguish one thing from another (verb) 19. ostentatious – showing off (adjective) 20. contentious – quarrelsome (adjective)
Lesson #2 1. reprove – to scold; to find fault with (verb) 2. pessimistic – gloominess; a belief that the bad guys always win (adjective) 3. cursory – hasty, not thorough or detailed (adjective) 4. profligate – extremely wasteful; wildly extravagant (adjective) 5. miser – someone who hoards money (noun) 6. jocular – joking (adjective) 7. fracas – uproar; brawl (noun) 8. caricature – a satiric portrait or representation (noun) 9. corroborate – to confirm (verb) 10. precarious – dangerously unstable (adjective) 11. expository – explanatory (adjective) 12. bolster – to support ; to prop up (verb) 13. daunt – to intimidate; to discourage (verb) 14. inclined – tending toward one direction (adjective) 15. uniform – constant; without variety (adjective) 16. perceptive – having keen understanding; discerning (adjective) 17. superficial – shallow; on the surface only (adjective) 18. lucid – clear; easy to understand (elucidate) (adjective) 19. immune – safe from harm; protected (adjective) 20. aesthetic – concerned with art or beauty (not the same as ascetic) (adjective)
Lesson #3 1. bombastic– using long and difficult words, usually to make people think you know more than you do; pretentious (adj.) 2. assess – to estimate the value of; to measure (v.) 3. deter – to prevent, especially by threatening (v.) 4. complacent –pleased, especially with oneself or one's merits, advantages, situation, etc., often without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied (adj.) 5. contempt – disdain; hatred (n.) 6. eloquent – speaking well; articulate (adj.) 7. virtue – moral excellence (n.) 8. vital – essential; necessary (adj.) 9. guile – cunning in attaining a goal; deceitfulness; crafty or artful deception; duplicity. (not the same as guilt) (n.) 10. biased – prejudiced; not neutral (adj.) 11. censor – to delete objectionable material (not the same as censure) (v.) 12. vulnerable – capable of being harmed (adj.) 13. hypocritical – pretense of having virtues, beliefs, principles, etc., that one does not actually possess (adj.) 14. eccentric – odd; unusual; quirky (n.) (adj.) 15. perturbed-troubled in mind: feeling or showing agitation : bothered, upset (adj.) 16. abstract – theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete) (adj.) 17. valid – founded on fact or evidence (adj.) 18. subtle – not obvious; hard to spot (adj.) 19. enigma – mystery; a puzzling or inexplicable occurrence or situation (n.) 20. inevitable – unavoidable; bound to happen (adj.)
(Lesson #4) 1. inferred – derived by reasoning; implied, as a conclusion (verb) 2. diverse – varied (adjective) 3. articulate – speaking well (of a persons' words or speech) (adjective) 4. apprehensive – fearful; worried (adjective) 5. benevolent – good; king-hearted; generous (adjective) 6. virulent – very harmful; bitterly hostile (like a virus) (adjective) 7. pious (piety) – deadly religious (adjective) 8. skeptical – doubting (adjective) 9. provincial – narrow-minded; unsophisticated (adjective) 10. resignation – acceptance of a situation that is negative but inevitable (secondary meaning: an act of retiring or giving up a position) (noun) 11. illuminate – to light up; make clear (verb) 12. resolve – to find a solution to (verb) 13. servile – overly submissive; cringing; like a servant (adjective) 14. diligent – hard-working (adjective) 15. refute – to disprove (verb) 16. anarchy – lack of government; chaos (noun) 17. loquacious- talkative (adjective) 18. discord – disagreement (noun) 19. monotonous – without variety; tiresome (adjective) 20. trivial – unimportant; insignificant (adjective)
Lesson #5 1. profound – deep; insightful (adj.) 2. enhance – to improve; to augment (v.) 3. phenomenon – an observable fact or occurrence that is impressive (n.) 4. enduring – lasting a long time (adj.) 5. advocate – to speak in favor of; to support (v.) 6. solitude – to state of being alone (n.) 7. tentative – temporary; not final; not definite or positive (adj.) 8. contemporary – living at the same time; modern (adj.) 9. provocative (provoke) – exciting, inciting, irritating; attracting attention (adj.) 10. adversary – an opponent; enemy (n.) 11. gravity (grave) – serious and critical (n.) 12. banal – common; dull; ordinary (adj.) 13. depraved – moral corruption (v.) 14. temper – to moderate; to soften; to tone down (v.) 15. censure – to blame; to criticize (not the same as censor) (v.) 16. extol – to praise (v.) 17. indulgent – pampering oneself; satisfying one’s own desires (adj.) 18. erratic – irregular; without direction; unpredictable behavior (adj.) 19. insipid – bland; boring; tasteless (adj.) 20. euphony – pleasant sound (n.)
Lesson 6 1. antagonist – opposition; hostility; resistance 2. arbitrary – subject to individual judgment 3. austere – severe; without frills 4. expedite (expedient) – to make faster or easier 5. heresy – an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs 6. compromise – to settle by concession or surrender 7. condescend – to talk down to 8. fallacious (fallacy) – false; untrue 9. intangible – abstract; not capable of being touched or felt 10. arrogant – acting superior to others; snooty 11. compatible – able to co-exist; harmonious 12. dubious – doubtful 13. solicit – to ask for; to seek 14. elusive (elude) – tough to catch; hard to pin down 15. facilitate – to make easier; to help 16. static – stationary; not moving (not the same as radio fuzz) 17. ironic – satiric; unexpected 18. irrational – unreasonable; unpredictable 19. dogmatic – stubbornly opinionated 20. flagrant – shocking; outstandingly bad
Lesson #7 1. frivolous – not serious; trivial; silly 2. taciturn – quiet; saying little 3. infamous – notorious; scandalous 4. redundant – repetitive; unnecessary; superfluous 5. authoritarian – like a dictator 6. exhaustive – thorough; complete 7. profuse – flowing freely; generous; excessive 8. berate – scold or criticize 9. fastidious – not easy to please; overly critical 10. prosaic – uninspired; dull; banal 11. philanthropy – a desire to help mankind 12. languid – slow; tired; drooping; weak 13. astute – perceptive; clever 14. authentic – real; genuine 15. brevity – briefness 16. relevant – pertinent; important to know 17. incoherent – impossible to understand; chaotic 18. mitigate – to make milder; to make less severe 19. reprehensible – shameful; bad 20. augment – to add; to increase; to make bigger
Lesson #8 1. engender – to create; to produce 2. deride (derision) – to ridicule; to make fun of 3. acclaim – praise; applause; admiration 4. lethargic – tired; languid; weak 5. fanatic – one who is very devoted to a cause or an idea 6. novel – new; unusual (secondary meaning) 7. solemn – serious; grave 8. ambivalent – undecided 9. futile – hopeless; worthless; useless 10. fervor – passion; zeal; great enthusiasm 11. scanty – inadequate; minimal 12. dispassionate – free from passion or spirit 13. pragmatic – practical 14. didactic – instructive 15. deference (defer) – a show of respect 16. alleviate – to lighten or relieve 17. incessant – unceasing; never ending 18. endorse – to approve of; to give support to 19. conspicuous – easily seen; out in the open 20. negligence – carelessness; neglect; indifference