List of Use dictionary entries
- Abate: To become less intense or widespread.
- Abridge: To shorten without losing the sense.
- Adept: Very skilled or proficient at something.
- Adhere: To stick fast to a surface or substance.
- Admonish: To warn or reprimand someone firmly.
- Affable: Friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to.
- Alleviate: To make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe.
- Ambiguous: Open to more than one interpretation; not having one obvious meaning.
- Amicable: Having a spirit of friendliness; without serious disagreement or rancor.
- Animosity: Strong hostility.
- Apathy: Lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
- Arduous: Involving or requiring strenuous effort; difficult and tiring.
- Astute: Having or showing an ability to accurately assess situations or people and turn this to one’s advantage.
- Avert: To turn away (one’s eyes or thoughts).
- Benevolent: Well-meaning and kindly.
- Brevity: Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech.
- Candor: The quality of being open and honest in expression; frankness.
- Chastise: To rebuke or reprimand severely.
- Clemency: Mercy; lenience.
- Coerce: To persuade (an unwilling person) to do something by using force or threats.
- Cohesive: Characterized by or causing cohesion.
- Complacent: Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one’s achievements.
- Comprehensive: Complete and including everything that is necessary.
- Concur: To be of the same opinion; agree.
- Condone: To accept and allow (behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive) to continue.
- Consensus: General agreement.
- Conspicuous: Standing out so as to be clearly visible.
- Contrive: To create or bring about (an object or a situation) by deliberate use of skill and artifice.
- Conundrum: A confusing and difficult problem or question.
- Conventional: Based on or in accordance with what is generally done or believed.
- Culminate: To reach a climax or point of highest development.
- Debilitate: To make (someone) weak and infirm.
- Decipher: To succeed in understanding, interpreting, or identifying (something).
- Deference: Humble submission and respect.
- Delineate: To describe or portray (something) precisely.
- Derogatory: Showing a critical or disrespectful attitude.
- Deter: To discourage (someone) from doing something, typically by instilling doubt or fear of the consequences.
- Devise: To plan or invent (a complex procedure, system, or mechanism) by careful thought.
- Dilapidated: In a state of disrepair or ruin as a result of age or neglect.
- Diligent: Having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties.
- Discreet: Careful and circumspect in one’s speech or actions, especially in order to avoid causing offense or to gain an advantage.
- Disdain: The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of one’s consideration or respect; contempt.
- Dissent: The expression or holding of opinions at variance with those previously, commonly, or officially held.
- Docile: Ready to accept control or instruction; submissive.
- Eccentric: (Of a person or their behavior) unconventional and slightly strange.
- Eclectic: Deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
- Elicit: To evoke or draw out (a response, answer, or fact) from someone in reaction to one’s own actions or questions.
- Elucidate: To make (something) clear; explain.
- Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.
- Encumber: To restrict or burden (someone or something) in such a way that free action or movement is difficult.
- Ephemeral: Lasting for a very short time.
- Equitable: Fair and impartial.
- Eradicate: To destroy completely; put an end to.
- Esoteric: Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest.
- Euphemism: A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing.
- Exacerbate: To make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse.
- Exonerate: To absolve (someone) from blame for a fault or wrongdoing, especially after due consideration of the case.
- Exorbitant: (Of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high.
- Expedite: To make (an action or process) happen sooner or be accomplished more quickly.
- Extraneous: Irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with.
- Facetious: Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.
- Fallacy: A mistaken belief, especially one based on unsound arguments.
- Fastidious: Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail.
- Fathom: To understand (a difficult problem or an enigmatic person) after much thought.
- Feasible: Possible to do easily or conveniently.
- Feign: To pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury).
- Fluctuate: To rise and fall irregularly in number or amount.
- Formidable: Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively large, powerful, intense, or capable.
- Frivolous: Not having any serious purpose or value.
- Frugal: Sparing or economical with regard to money or food.
- Garrulous: Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters.
- Gratuitous: Uncalled for; lacking good reason; unwarranted.
- Guile: Sly or cunning intelligence.
- Haphazard: Lacking any obvious principle of organization.
- Harangue: A lengthy and aggressive speech.
- Haughty: Arrogantly superior and disdainful.
- Heinous: (Of a person or wrongful act, especially a crime) utterly odious or wicked.
- Immaculate: (Especially of a person or their clothes) perfectly clean, neat, or tidy.
- Imminent: About to happen.
- Impartial: Treating all rivals or disputants equally; fair and just.
- Inadvertent: Not resulting from or achieved through deliberate planning.
- Incessant: (Of something regarded as unpleasant) continuing without pause or interruption.
- Incisive: (Of a person or mental process) intelligently analytical and clear-thinking.
- Inept: Having or showing no skill; clumsy.
- Infallible: Incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.
- Inhibit: To hinder, restrain, or prevent (an action or process).
- Innate: Inborn; natural.
- Insatiable: (Of an appetite or desire) impossible to satisfy.
- Insidious: Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.
- Intrepid: Fearless; adventurous (often used for rhetorical or humorous effect).
- Jargon: Special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand.
- Juxtapose: To place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.
- Lament: To mourn (a person’s loss or death).
- Laudable: (Of an action, idea, or goal) deserving praise and commendation.
- Lethargic: Affected by lethargy; sluggish and apathetic.
- Magnanimous: Very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.
- Malevolent: Having or showing a wish to do evil to others.
- Malleable: Easily influenced; pliable.
- Meticulous: Showing great attention to detail; very careful and precise.
- Nefarious: (Typically of an action or activity) wicked or criminal.