hackneyed, trite, commonplace

to work on excessively; to thrash soundly

tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; petty, nagging criticism

holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful

to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid

to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model

a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute

to avoid, shun, keep away from

relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting

so great or demanding as not to be satisfied

refusing to compromise, irreconcilable

offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment

generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions

 able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property

a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary

to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to

habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little 

to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise

capable of being held or defended

a figure of speech that consists of saying less than what is really meant or saying something with less force than is appropriate

a reference to a statement, person, place, event, or thing that is known from literature, history, religion, mythology, politics, sports, science, or popular culture

a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two seemingly unlike things without using a connective word like, as, or resembles

the use of clues to hint at what is going to happen later in the plot 

the repetition of consonant sounds in words that are close to one another

occurs when a writer or speaker says one thing but means something quite different

a poem that mourns the death of a person or laments something lost

a person, place, thing, or event that stands both for itself and something beyond itself

a long narrative poem that relates the great deeds of a larger-than-life hero who embodies the values of a particular society

language that appeals to the senses

a figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion or create a comic effect

a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval

desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager

having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink

swiftness, rapidity of motion or action

straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way

in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type

a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent

pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic

deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife

a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction

nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment

open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized

tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

the state of being proper, appropriateness; standards of what is proper or socially acceptable

improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred

to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

without delay or formality; briefly, concisely

asking humbly and earnestly; one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor

an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form

Synonym: buttonhole, approach

Antonym: avoid, shun

Synonym: rebuke, reproof

Antonym: praise, compliment

Synonym: keen, enthusiatic, grasping

Antonym: reluctant, indifferent, unenthusiastic

Synonym: saline

Antonym: clear, sweet

Synonym: promtness, speed

Antonym: slowness, slugishness, dilatoriness

Synonym: roundabout, indirect, tricky, sly, artful

Antonym: direct, straightforward, open, aboveboard

Synonym: ploy, ruse, maneuver

Synonym: tranquil, placid, palmy

Antonym: turbulent, tumultuous

Synonym: affected, stagy

Antonym: muted, untheatrical, subdued

Synonym: inflammatory, provocative, firebrand

Antonym: soothing, quieting, peacemaker

Synonym: chaos, turbulence, tumult

Synonym: shortsighted

Antonym: farsighted

Synonym: fluctuate, rise and fall

Synonym: promptly, peremptorily

Synonym: desecration, profanation, defilement

Synonym: fitness, correctness

Antonym: unseemliness, inappropriateness

Antonym: complimentary, ameliorative

Synonym: clear, obvious, manifest, patent

Antonym: clandestine, covert, concealed

to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed

to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry

belief, mental acceptance

to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate

to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression

very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict

a formal statement of commendation; high praise

to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke

to remove from a grave; to bring to light

lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking clarity and precision 

wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards

stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic

nearness in place or time; kinship

not usual or expected; not in character

founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical

language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression

green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgement

having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity

Synonym: gambol

Antonym: calm, collected

Antonym: virtuous,  honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious

Synonym: feeble, incompetent, ineffectual

Antonym: realistic, pragmatic

degraded; base, contemptible; cringing, servile; complete and unrelieved 

one who believes that nothing can be known about God; a skeptic; without faith, skeptical

involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice

someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; left abandoned; neglectful of duty

a bitter and prolonged verbal attack

a crude image of a despised person

the state or quality of being just, fair, or impartial and equal treatment; something that is fair; the money value of a property above and beyond any mortgage or other claim

silly, empty of meaning or value

the act of accusing; a formal accusation

certain, not to be doubted or denied

stopping and beginning again, sporadic

open to discussion and debate, unresolved; to bring up for discussion; a hypothetical law case argued by students

a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design

a new convert, beginner, novice

keenness in observing and understanding

complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all qualified members

a watch kept over a person; careful, close, and disciplined

pertaining to or characteristic of forests; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody

easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation

a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing of the opposite sex; to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion

to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially

marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles

to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring

intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret

fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive

an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or conciousness

a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion

to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use

to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere

a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify

shame and disgrace

earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary

a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference

conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate

a strong attraction or inclination

according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; alleged

Antonym - dullness, obtuseness

Synonym - picture, render

Antonyms - moral, virtuous, upright, uncorrupted

Synonym - impair, cripple, paralyze

Synonym - fertile, teeming, prolific

Synonym - invention, fancy

Antonym - defile, profane

the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; to waste away

a fortified place, stronghold

a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant

complete or perfect in the highest degree; to bring to a state of completion or perfection

disorder, confusion; to throw into disorder

often; urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency

floating debris; homeless, impoverished people

frenzied, highly agitated

to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers

a type of game bird; a complaint; to complain, grumble

to imprison, confine, jail

obligatory, required; one who holds a specific office at the time spoken of

humorous, jesting, jolly, joking

ridiculous, laughable, absurd

biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bit

a prickly or stinging plant; to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely

consisting of or measure in money; of or related to money

in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting

a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end

Synonym: degeneration, deterioration; wither

Synonyms: requirement, crisis

Antonyms: optional, unnecessary

Synonyms: trick, ploy, subterfuge