substantial
a. fairly large; in essentials; material; true or real; not imaginary; solidly built |
subvert
v. cause the downfall of; destroy property or hinder normal operations; corrupt morally or by intemperance or sensuality |
successful
a. having succeeded or being marked by a favorable outcome |
sufficient
a. adequate; enough; being as much as is needed |
summarize
v. give a brief statement of the main points of something |
supernatural
a. not existing in nature or explanation according to natural laws |
supersede
v. be placed in or take the room of; replace; make obsolete; make void or useless by superior power |
suppress
v. put down by force or authority; overwhelm; keep from being revealed |
surgeon
n. one who performs manual operations on a patient |
surmise
v. guess; infer something without sufficiently conclusive evidence |
surpass
v. be or go beyond, as in degree or quality; exceed |
surreptitiously
ad. in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively |
suspense
n. uncertain cognitive state; uncertainty |
sustenance
n. act of sustaining; something, especially food, that sustains life or health |
syllable
n. a unit of spoken language larger than a phoneme |
symphony
n. large orchestra; harmony, especially of sound or color |
synonymous
a. having the same or a similar meaning; identical; equivalent |
tactful
a. showing skill and sensitivity in dealing with people |
tattletale
n. someone who gossips indiscreetly |
technique
n. practical method or art applied to some particular task; skillfulness |
telepathy
n. apparent communication from one mind to another without using sensory perceptions |
temperance
n. moderation or self-restraint, especially in eating and drinking; avoiding excesses |
tendency
n. trend; a general direction in which something tends to move |
terrestrial
a. earthly, as opposed to celestial; pertaining to the land |
thesaurus
n. book of synonyms, often including related and contrasting words and antonyms |
throng
n. large group of people gathered or crowded closely together |
tiresome
a. so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness |
toil
n. exhausting labor or effort; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey |
traffic
n. the amount of activity over a communication system during a given period of time; buying and selling; especially illicit trade |
transitive
n. a verb that requires an object in order to be grammatical |
tribulation
n. an annoying or frustrating or catastrophic event |
tying
n. the act of tying or binding things together |
tyranny
n. oppression; cruel government; office or authority of an absolute ruler; absolute power |
unanimous
a. uniform; in complete agreement |
undaunted
a. unshaken in purpose; resolutely courageous |
undergarment
n. a garment worn under other garments |
underrate
v. make too low an estimate of |
undersized
a. smaller than normal for its kind |
undoubtedly
ad. unquestionably; without doubt; certainly |
unforgettable
a. impossible to forget; very memorable |
unpleasant
a. disagreeable to the senses, to the mind, or feelings |
unseemly
a. grossly improper; indecent; in poor taste |
untenable
a. indefensible; not able to be maintained |
unusually
ad. in a way that is not habitual or common |
upheave
v. lift forcefully from beneath |
uppermost
ad. in or into the highest position; in or into the most prominent position, as in the mind; at or nearest to the top |
uproot
v. pull up; displace; destroy completely, as if down to the roots; eradicate |
veer
v. shift to clockwise direction; turn sharply; change direction abruptly |
vengeance
n. punishment inflicted in return for an injury or an offense; retribution |
vexed
a. troubled persistently especially with petty annoyances; causing difficulty in finding an answer or solution; much disputed |
viaduct
n. bridge consisting of a series of arches supported by piers used to carry a road or railroad over a valley |
vie
v. strive for victory or superiority; contend; compete |
vivacious
a. animated; lively; vigorous and active |
vivisection
n. the act of operating on living animals, especially in scientific research |
voluminous
a. large in volume or bulk; large in number or quantity, especially of discourse |
voracious
a. ravenous; excessively greedy and grasping; devouring or craving food in great quantities |
warily
ad. in a way that shows a lack of trust; suspiciously; cautiously; carefully |
warlike
a. suggesting war or military life; disposed to warfare or hard-line policies |
welterweight
n. an amateur boxer who weighs no more than 148 pounds |
wheedle
v. cajole; coax; deceive by flattery |
whereabouts
n. the general location where something is |
whetstone
n. a flat stone for sharpening edged tools or knives |
witchcraft
n. the art of sorcery; the practice of magic, especially black magic |
wrangle
n. angry dispute; noisy quarrel; altercation |
wrest
v. obtain by seizing forcibly or violently, also metaphorically |
wriggle
v. to move in a twisting or contorted motion, especially when struggling |