300 Smart words and their meaning
Abate – to become weaker; to decrease in strength.
Aberrant – different from usual or natural type; unusual or abnormal.
Abeyance – a lapse in succession during which there is no person in whom a title is vested.
Abscond – to go away or escape from a place secretly.
Abstemious – not eating and drinking too much.
Admonish – to speak to (someone) in a way that expresses disapproval or criticism.
Adulterate – to make (something, such as a food or drink) impure or weaker by adding something of poor quality.
Aesthetic – of or relating to art or beauty.
Aggregate – formed by adding together two or more amounts.
Alacrity – a quick and cheerful readiness to do something.
Alleviate – to reduce the pain or trouble of (something); to make (something) less painful, difficult, or severe.
Amalgamate – to unite two or more things into one thing.
Ambiguous – able to understood in more than one way; having more than one possible meaning.
Ambivalence – simultaneous and contradictory attitudes or feelings (as attraction and repulsion) toward an object, person, or action.
Ameliorate – to make (something, such as a problem) better, less painful, etc.
Anachronism – something (such as a word, an object, or an event) that is mistakenly placed in a time where it does not belong in a story, movie, etc.
Analogous – similar in some way.
Anomalous – inconsistent with or deviating from what is usual, normal, or expected.
Antipathy – a strong feeling of dislike.
Apathy – the feeling of not having much emotion or interest; an apathetic state; lack of feeling or emotion.
Appease – to make (someone) pleased or less angry by giving or saying something desired.
Apprise – to give information to (someone).
Approbation – praise or approval; an act of approving formally or officially.
Appropriate – to take or use (something) especially in a way that is illegal, unfair, etc.
Arduous – very difficult; marked by great labor or effort.
Artless – not false or artificial; made without skill.
Ascetic – relating to or having a strict and simple way of living that avoids physical pleasure.
Assiduous – showing great care, attention, and effort.
Assuage – to make (something, such as an unpleasant feeling) less painful, severe, etc.
Attenuate – reduced especially in thickness, density, or force.
Audacious – very confident and daring; very bold and surprising or shocking.
Austere – simple or plain; not fancy.
Autonomous – existing or acting separately from other things or people.
Aver – to say (something) in a very strong and definite way.
Banal – boring and ordinary; not interesting.
Belie – to give false idea of (something); to show (something) to be false or wrong.
Beneficent – doing or producing good.
Bolster – a long bag of cloth completely filled with soft material; a long pillow or cushion.
Bombastic – marked by or given to bombast; pompous, overblown.
Boorish – resembling or befitting a boor (as in crude insensitivity).
Burgeon – to grow or develop quickly.
Burnish – to make (something, such as metal or leather) smooth and shiny by rubbing it.
Buttress – a structure built against a wall in order to support or strengthen it.
Capricious – changing often and quickly; often changing suddenly in mood or behavior.
Castigation – to criticize (someone) harshly.
Catalyst – a substance that causes a chemical reaction to happen more quickly.
Caustic – able to destroy or burn something by chemical action.
Chicanery – actions or statements that trick people into believing something that is not true.
Coagulate – being clotted or congealed.
Coda – an ending part of a piece of music or a work of literature or drama that is separate from earlier parts.
Cogent – very clear and easy for the mind to accept and believe.
Commensurate – equal or similar to something in size, amount, or degree.
Compendium – a collection of things (such as photographs, stories, facts, etc.) that have been gathered together and presented as a group especially in the form of a book.
Complaisant – willing or eager to please other people.
Compliant – willing to do whatever you are asked or ordered to do; ready and willing to comply.
Conciliatory – intended or likely to placate or pacify.
Condone – to forgive or approve (something that is considered wrong); to allow (something that is considered wrong) to continue.
Confound – to surprise and confuse _someone or something); to prove (someone or something) wrong.
Connoisseur – a person who knows a lot about something (such as art, wine, food, etc.); an expert in a particular subject.
Cumbersome – hard to handle or manage because of size or weight; complicated and hard to do.
Debilitate – to make (someone or something) weak; to reduce the strength of (someone or something).
Decorum – correct or proper behavior that shows respect and good manners.
Deduce – to use logic or reason to form a conclusion or opinion about something.
Déjà vu – the illusion of remembering scenes and events when experienced for the first time.
Deify – to treat (someone or something) like a god or goddess.
Delectable – very pleasant to taste or smell; very attractive.
Demure – quiet and polite; not attracting or demanding a lot of attention; not showy or flashy.
Deplorable – very bad in a way that causes shock, fear, or disgust.
Dialectic – a method of examining and discussing opposing ideas in order to find the truth.
Dichotomy - a difference between two opposite things.
Eclectic – including things taken from many different sources.
Eccentric – tending to act in strange or unusual ways.
Elicit – to get a response, information, etc., from someone.
Elusive – hard to find or capture.
Emanate – to come out from a source; to send something out.
Enigmatic – full of mystery and difficult to understand.
En masse – as a single group; all together.
Endemic – growing or existing in a certain place or region.
Eradicate – to remove something completely.
Evasive – not honest or direct.
Faux Pas – an embarrassing social mistake.
Fiasco – a complete failure.
Futility – the quality or state of being futile; a useless act or gesture.
Fortuitous – happening by chance; having or showing good luck.
Formidable – very powerful or strong.
Fractious – causing trouble; hard to manage or control.
Funereal – very sad and serious.
Fledging – (of a young bird) develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight.
Fidelity – the quality of being faithful to your husband, wife , or sexual partner.
Flippant – lacking proper respect or seriousness.
Galvanize – to cause people to become so excited or concerned about an issue, idea, etc., that they want to do something about it.
Gamut – a range or series of related things.
Gargantuan – very large in size or amount.
Globular – having the shape of a globe or globule.
Gormandize – to eat gluttonously or ravenously.
Grandeur – a great and impressive quality.
Gradation – a small difference between two points or parts that can be seen in something that changes gradually.
Gregarious – enjoying the company of other people.
Gratuitous – not necessary or appropriate.
Halcyon – a bird identified with the kingfisher and held in ancient legend to nest at sea about the time of the winter solstice and to calm the waves during incubation.
Haphazard – having no plan, order, or direction.
Hapless – having no luck; very unfortunate.
Herculean – of, relating to, or characteristic of Hercules.
Hiatus - period when something (such as an activity or program) is stopped.
Ignoble – not deserving respect; not noble or honorable.
Ignominious – causing disgrace or shame.
Illicit – not allowed by law; unlawful or illegal.
Impasse – a situation in which no progress seems possible.
Impertinent – a rude and showing a lack of respect.
Jocular – liking to tell jokes; said or done as a joke.
Jettison – a voluntary sacrifice of cargo to lighten a ship’s load in time of distress.
Jejune – not interesting; too simple.
Juxtapose – to place different things together in order to create an interesting effect or to show how they are the same or different.
Jingoistic – the feelings and beliefs of people who think that their country is always right and who are in favor of aggressiveacts against other countries.
Kibosh – something that serves as a check or stop.
Kinetic – of or relating to the movement of physical objects.
Kudos – praise or respect that you get because of something you have or achieved.
Keynote – the most important idea or part of something.
Kinesiology – the study of the principles of mechanics and anatomy in ralation to human movement.
Laconic – using few words in speech or writing.
Laggard – lagging or tending to lag.
Lascivious – filled with or showing sexual desire.
Latent – used to describe something (such as a disease) that exists but is not active or cannot be seen.
Lethargic – feeling a lack of energy or lack of interest in doing things.
Levity – a lack of seriousness; an amusing quality.
Liaison – a person who helps organizations or groups to work together and provide information to each other.
Loquacious – liking to talk and talking smoothly and easily.
Ludicrous – very foolish.
Lucid – very clear and easy to understand.
Malignant – very serious and dangerous.
Maniacal – affected with or suggestive of madness.
Maverick – a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group.
Mawkish – sad or romantic in a foolish or exaggerated way.
Megalomania – a condition or mental illness that causes people to think that they have great or unlimited power or importance.
Mendacious – not honest; likely to tell lies.
Mesmerize – to hold the attention of someone entirely.
Misconstrue – badly; wrongly.
Mnemonic – assisting or intended to assist memory.
Narcissistic – love of or sexual desire for one’s own body.
Narcolepsy – a medical condition in which someone suddenly falls into a deep sleep while talking, working, etc.
Nascent – beginning to exist; recently formed or developed.
Nefarious – evil or immoral.
Ne plus ultra – the highest point capable of being attained.
Noblesse Oblige – the idea that people who have high social rank or wealth should be helpful and generous to people of lower rank or to people who are poor.
Nocturnal –active mainly during the night.
Nom de guerre – an assumed name under which a person engages in combat or some other activity or enterprise.
Nonchalance – the quality or state of being nonchalant.
Non sequitur – a statement that is not connected in a logical or clear way to anything said before it.
Oblivious – not conscious or aware of someone or something.
Obsequious – too eager to help or obey someone important.
Obsolete – no longer used because something newer exists.
Onus – the responsibility for something.
Optimal – best or most effective.
Opus – a place of music written by a major composer.
Onerous – difficult and unpleasant to do or deal with.
Ostensibly – in an ostensible manner.
Ostracize – to not allow someone to be included in a group.
Onomatopoeia – the creation of words that imitate natural sounds.
Pacify – to cause someone who is angry or upset to become calm or quiet.
Pandemic – occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.
Paradigm – a model or pattern for something that may be copied.
Paragon – a person or thing that is perfect or excellent in some way and should be considered a model or example to be copied.
Paroxysm – a sudden attack or increase of symptoms of a disease (such as pain, coughing, shaking, etc.) that often occurs again and again.
Paucity – a small amount of something.
Peccadillo – a small mistake or fault that is not regarded as very bad or serious.
Pedantic – of, relating to, or being a pedant.
Penultimate – occurring immediately before the last one; net to the last.
Perennial – living for several years or for many years.
Perpetuate – to cause (something that should be stopped, such as a mistaken idea or a bad situation) to continue.
Peruse – to look or read something in an informal or relaxed way.
Pervasive – existing in every part of something.
Picayune – a Spanish half real piece formerly current in the South.
Pinnacle – the best or most important part of something.
Placid – not easily upset or excited.
Platonic – of, relating to, or having a close relationship in which there is no romance or sex.
Plethora – a very large amount or number.
Polarize – to cause (people, opinions, etc.) to separate into opposing groups.
Polemics – a strong written or spoken attack against someone else’s opinions, beliefs, practices, etc.
Portend – to be a sign or warning that something usually bad or unpleasant is going to happen.
Posit – to suggest something such as idea or theory, especially in order to start a discussion.
Pragmatic – dealing with the problems that exist in a specific situation in a reasonable and logical way instead of depending on ideas and theories.
Precarious – not safe, strong, or steady.
Precedent – prior in time, order, rrangement, or significance.
Precocious – having or showing the qualities or abilities of an adult at an unusually early age.
Preemptive – done to stop an unwanted act by another group, country, etc., from happening.
Pretense – a false reason or explanation that is used to hide the real purpose of something.
Primordial – existing from the beginning of time.
Pristine – in perfect condition.
Prodigal – carelessly and foolishly spending money, time, etc.
Procrastinate – to be slow or late about doing something that should be done.
Proliferate – to increase in number or amount quickly.
Promiscuity – miscellaneous mingling or selection of persons or things.
Protégé – one who is protected or trained or whose career is furthered by a person of experience, prominence, or influence.
Protocol – a system of rules that explain the correct conduct and procedures to be followed in formal situations.
Proverbial – of, relating to, or resembling a proverb.
Prudent – having or showing careful good judgment.
Pulchritude – physical comeliness.
Raconteur – someone who is good at telling stories.
Raillery – friendly joking about or with somebody.
Raiment – clothing, garments.
Raison d’être – reason or justification for existence.
Rambunctious – uncontrolled in a way that is playful or full of energy.
Ramification – something that is the result of an action, decision, etc.
Rancor – an angry feeling of hatred or dislike for someone who has treated you unfairly.
Rapacity – the quality of being rapacious.
Rapprochement – the development of friendlier relations between countries or groups of people who have been enemies.
Recalcitrant – stubbornly refusing to obey rules or orders.
Recant – to publicly say that you no longer have an opinion or belief that you once had.
Recapitulate – to give a brief summary of something.
Reciprocity – a situation or relationship in which two people or groups agree to do something similar for each other, to allow each other to have the same rights, etc.
Recriminate - an angry statement in which you accuse or criticize a person who has accused or criticized you.
Rectitude – the quality of being honest and morally correct.
Redact – to put in writing.
Redolent – hving a strong smell.
Reflexive – showing that the action in a sentence or clause happens to the person or thing that does the action.
Rejoinder – a usually rude or angry reply to something written or said.
Salacious – relating to sex in a way tht is excessive or offensive.
Salient – very important or noticeable.
Salubrious – making good helth possible or likely.
Sangfroid – the ability to stay calm in difficult or dangerous situations.
Sapient – possessing or expressing great sagacity.
Sardonic – showing that you disapprove of or do not like someone or something.
Sartorial – of or realting to clothes.
Satiety – a feeling or condition of being full after eating food.
Saturnine – very serious and unhappy.
Satyr – one of the forest gods in Greek mythology who have faces and bodies like men and ears, legs, and tails like goats.
Savoir faire – the ability to behave in a correct and confident way in different situations.
Scintilla – a very small amount of something.
Scion – a person who was born into a rich, famous, or important family.
Secular – not spiritual; of or relating to the physical world and not the spiritual world.
Sedentary – doing or involving a lot of sitting.
Serendipity – luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for.
Sinecure – a job or position in which someone is paid to do little or no work.
Sojourn – a period of time when you stay in a place as a traveler or guest.
Spurious – not genuine, sincere, or authentic.
Supercilious – having or showing the proud and unpleasant attitude of people who think that they are better or more important than other people.
Tabula Rasa – the mind in its hypothetical primary lank or empty state before receiving outside impressions.
Taciturn – tending to be quiet.
Tangential – slightly or indirectly related to something.
Tantamount – equal to something in value, meaning, or effect.
Tautology – a statement in which you repeat a word, idea, etc., in a way that is not necessary.
Teleological – exhibiting or relating to design or purpose especially in nature.
Temerity – the qualtiy of being confident and unafraid of danger or punishment especially in a way that seems rude or foolish.
Temper – to make something less sever or extreme.
Tempestuous – affected by tempest; full of strong emotions such as anger or excitement.
Tenet – a belief or idea that is very important to a group.
Tendentious – strongly favoring a particular point of view in a way that may cause argument.
Tenacious – not easily stopped or pulled appart.
Tete-a-tete – a private conversation between two persons.
Thaumaturge – a worker of wonders and performer of miracles; a magician.
Titular – having an important or impressive title but nt having the power or duties that usually go with it.
Toothsome – having a pleasing taste.
Tractable – easily managed or controlled.
Transient – not lasting long; staying somewhere only for a short time.
Tryst – a meeting by lovers at a secrett time or place.
Tumid – marked by swelling.
Ubiquitous – seeming to be seen everywhere.
Umbrage – a feeling of being offended by what someone has said or done.
Unassuming – not having or showing desire to be noticed, praised, etc.
Unbridled – not controlled or limited.
Unceremonious – happening or done very suddenly and quickly with no effort to be careful or polite.
Unctuous – used to describe someone who speaks and behaves in a way that is meant to seem friendly and polite but that is unpleasant because it is obviously not sincere.
Ungainly – moving in an awkward or clumsy way.
Unilateral – involving only one group or country.
Unimpeachable – very reliable and trusted.
Unsavory – unpleasant or offensive.
Vacuous – having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought.
Vagary – an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion.
Vainglorious – having or showing too much pride in your abilities or achievements.
Vapid – not lively or interesting.
Vanguard – the group of people who are the leaders of an action or movement in society, politics, art, etc.
Vehement – showing strong and often angry feelings.
Venal – willing to do dishonest things in return for money.
Veracity – truth or accuracy.
Verdant – green with growing plants.
Vignette – a short written description.
Vociferous – expressing feelings or opinions in a very loud or forceful way.
Wanderlust – a strong desire to travel.
Wane – to appear to become thinner or less full.
Wanton – showing no thought or care for the rights, feelings, or safety of others.
Watershed – a time when an important change happens.
Wayfaring – the action of traveling by foot.
Weltschmerz – mental depression or apathy caused by comparison of the actual state of the world with an ideal state.
Wherewithal – the money or other means needed for a particular purpose.
Xanadu – an idyllic, exotic, or luxurious place.
Xenophile – one attracted to foreign things (as styes or people).
Yahoo – a person who is very rude, loud, or stupid.
Xenophobic – one unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin.
Yawnful – causing or arousing yawns, especially as the result of boredom, tedium, or the like.
Zeitgeist – the general beliefs, ideas, and spirit of a time and place.
Zest – lively excitement.
Zenith – the strongest or most successful period of time.
Yammer – to talk in an annoying way usually for a long time.
