| |
| macabre |
gruesome; grisly; ghastly; CF. of death |
| mace |
ceremonial staff used as a symbol of authority; clublike
medieval weapon |
| macerate |
soften by soaking in liquid; waste away; Ex. macerate
powdered wood to make paper |
| Machiavellian |
crafty; double-dealing; of the political doctrine of
Machiavelli, which holds that craft and deceit are justified
in pursuing political power |
| machinations |
evil schemes or plots; schemes or plots to achieve
an evil end; V. machinate |
| maculated |
spotted; stained; CF. immaculate |
| madrigal |
pastoral song; song for several singers without instruments |
| maelstrom |
violent whirlpool; violent or tublent situation; CF.
stream |
| magisterial |
authoritative; imperious; commanding; of a magistrate;
Ex. magisterial study of Roman law; Ex. magisterial manner |
| magistrate |
official with power to administer the law |
| magnanimity |
generosity; ADJ. magnanimous: generous |
| magnate |
person of prominence or influence; powerful or influential
person (in business or industry); Ex. oil magnate |
| magniloquent |
boastful; pompous |
| magnitude |
greatness (in size or extent); extent |
| maim |
mutilate; injure lastingly; disable; cripple; Ex. maimed
for life |
| makeshift |
temporary expedient or substitute (in the case of urgent
need); Ex. makeshift shelter |
| maladroit |
clumsy; not skillful; awkward; bungling |
| malady |
illness |
| malaise |
uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health (without any
particular pain or appearance of disease) |
| malapropism |
comic misuse of a word; CF. Mrs. Malaprop |
| malapropos |
inappropriate; ADV. |
| malcontent |
person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs;
discontented person; ADJ: discontented |
| malediction |
curse |
| malefactor |
evildoer; criminal |
| maleficient |
doing evil; N. maleficience |
| malevolent |
wishing evil; exhibiting ill will; N. malevolence |
| malfeasance |
wrongdoing; misconduct (by a public official) |
| malicious |
hateful; spiteful; expressing malice; N. malice: desire
to harm others; spite |
| malign |
speak evil of; bad-mouth(criticize spitefully); defame;
ADJ: harmful; Ex. malign influence |
| malignant |
tending to cause death; highly injurious; aggressively
malevolent; Ex. malignant tumor |
| malingerer |
one who feigns illness to escape duty; V. malinger:
feign illness to avoid work |
| malleable |
(of a metal) capable of being shaped by pounding(beating);
pliable; (of someone) impressionable(easily influenced);
easily controlled; tractable |
| malodorous |
foul-smelling |
| mammal |
vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young |
| mammoth |
gigantic; enormous |
| manacle |
restrain; handcuff; N. |
| mandate |
order; charge; authoritative command; power to govern
another country; power to given to a government; region
under administration; V: give a mandate to; place under
a mandate; Ex. mandated territory |
| mandatory |
obligatory; compulsory; of a mandate |
| maneuver(manoeuver) |
strategic military or naval movement (done for training
purposes); carefully planned process; stratagem; V: carry
out a military maneuver; use maneuvers in gaining an end |
| mange |
skin disease (esp. of domestic animals) marked by loss
of hair |
| mangle |
tear or cut to pieces; mutilate or disfigure; Ex. badly
mangled bodies |
| mangy |
shabby; wretched; suffering from mange; of bad appearance |
| maniacal |
raging mad; insane; N. maniac: insane person; CF. mania:
disorder of the mind; intense enthusiasm |
| manifest |
evident; visible; obvious; V: show plainly |
| manifestation |
outward demonstration; manifesting; indication of the
presence of something; Ex. manifestation of his pronounced
musical bent |
| manifesto |
public declaration of principles; statement of policy |
| manifold |
many in number or kind; numerous; varied |
| manipulate |
operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people,
forces, etc.) artfully; maneuver; Ex. how to manipulate
publicity and men; ADJ. manipulative |
| mannered |
affected; not natural; Ex. mannered way of speech |
| mannerism |
distinctive behavioral trait; affected style in art
(according to a set of styles) |
| mantle |
loose sleeveless outer garment; cloak; something that
covers or envelops; the layer of the earth between the
crust and the core |
| manumit |
emancipate; free from slavery or bondage |
| mar |
spoil the appearance of |
| maraud |
move in search of plunder; Ex. marauding army |
| margin |
border; room; allowance beyond what is needed; Ex.
margin of safety |
| marginal |
of a margin; barely within a limit; Ex. marginal effect/writing
ability |
| marital |
pertaining to marriage |
| maritime |
bordering on(adjacent to) the sea; nautical; of the
ships or the sea; Ex. Maritime Provinces |
| marked |
noticeable; targeted for vengeance or attack; Ex. marked
improvement/man |
| maroon |
leave helpless on a deserted island or coast; ADJ.
red brown |
| marred |
damaged; disfigured; V. mar: spoil; disfigure |
| marrow |
soft fatty tissue that fills most bone cavities and
is the source of blood cells |
| marshal |
put in order; guide ceremoniously to the correct place;
Ex. marshal the children into the museum; N: military
officer; official |
| marsupial |
one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring
in a pouch(pocket of skin or leather); CF. kangaroo, opossum,
wombat |
| martial |
warlike; of war; Ex. martial art/law |
| martinet |
strict disciplinarian; person who demands total obedience
to rules and orders; CF. Jean Martinet |
| martyr |
one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion
or cause; great sufferer; Ex. martyr to his rheumatism |
| mash |
crush into mash; convert into mash; N: mixture of ground
grain and nutrients fed to livestock and fowl |
| masochist |
person who enjoys his own pain; CF. masochism |
| mason |
one who builds or works with stone or brick; N. masonry:
work of a mason; stonework or brickwork |
| masquerade |
wear a mask or disguise; pretend; N: costume party
or ball at which masks are worn; pretense; disguise |
| mass |
Christian religious ceremony; CF. Mass: ceremony of
the Eucharist |
| masticate |
chew |
| mat |
not shiny; matte; having a dull finish; N: flat piece
of material used as a floor covering; V. |
| materialism |
preoccupation with physical comforts and things; excessive
regard for worldly concerns (rather than spiritual matters) |
| maternal |
motherly; N. maternity: motherhood |
| matin\'ee(matinee) |
dramatic or musical performance given in the afternoon |
| matriarch |
woman who rules a family or larger social group |
| matriculate |
enroll (in college or graduate school); CF. matrix |
| matrimony |
state of being married |
| matrix |
point of origin; array of numbers or algebraic symbols;
mold or die; Ex. the matrix of Western civilization |
| maudlin |
effusively sentimental |
| maul |
handle roughly; batter; injure by beating; Ex. mauled
by his overexcited fans; N: heavy long-handled hammer |
| mausoleum |
monumental tomb; large stately tomb; CF. Mausolos |
| mauve |
pale purple |
| maverick |
rebel; nonconformist (in a group) |
| mawkish |
mushy(sentimental) and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental;
excessively and objectionably sentimental |
| maxim |
proverb; truth pithily stated |
| mayhem |
injury to body; crime of willfully maiming or crippling
a person; violent disorder; Ex. mayhem in the zoo; CF.
maim |
| meager |
scanty; inadequate |
| mealymouthed |
indirect in speech (when something unpleasant must
be said); hypocritical; evasive |
| meander |
wind or turn in its course; follow a winding or turning
course; move aimlessly and idly |
| meddlesome |
interfering; V. meddle: interfere |
| mediate |
settle a dispute through the services of an outsider;
act as an intermediary; produce by mediating; Ex. mediate
a cease-fire |
| mediocre |
ordinary; commonplace; neither good nor bad |
| meditation |
reflection; thought; V. meditate |
| medium |
element that is a creature's natural environment; nutrient
setting in which microorganisms are cultivated; appropriate
occupation or means of expression; channel of communication;
compromise; middle position between extremes; intervening
substan |
| medley |
mixture |
| meek |
submissive; patient and long-suffering |
| megalomania |
mania for doing grandiose things; mental disorder characterized
by delusions of wealth, power, or importance |
| melancholy |
gloomy; morose; blue; N. ADJ. melancholic; CF. melancholia |
| melee |
fight |
| mellifluous |
(of words or a voice) sweetly or smoothly flowing;
melodious; having a pleasant tune |
| memento |
token; reminder of the past; keepsake; Ex. memento
of your visit |
| memoir |
memoirs; autobiography; biography |
| memorial |
something, such as a monument or holiday, intended
to honor the memory of a person or event; ADJ: commemorative |
| memorialize |
commemorate |
| menace |
threat; V: threaten |
| menagerie |
collection of wild animals on exhibition; zoo |
| mendacious |
lying; habitually dishonest; N. mendacity |
| mendicant |
beggar; ADJ: living as a beggar |
| menial |
suitable for servants; lowly; mean; N: someone who
does menial work (esp. servant in a house) |
| mentor |
counselor; teacher |
| mercantile |
concerning trade or merchants |
| mercenary |
motivated solely by money or gain; N. |
| mercurial |
capricious; quick and changing; fickle; containing
the element mercury; Ex. mercurial temper; CF. mood |
| meretricious |
flashy; tawdry; attractive on the surface but of no
real value; Ex. metericious argument/jewel; CF. prostitute |
| merger |
combination (of two business corporations); act of
merging |
| merit |
deserve; ADJ. meritorious: deserving reward or praise |
| mesmerize |
hypnotize; N. mesmerism; CF. Franz Mesmer |
| metallurgical |
pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores;
N. metallurgy: science that deals with extracting metals
from ores |
| metamorphosis |
change of form; Ex. metamorphosis of caterpillar to
butterfly; V. metamorphose: change by metamorphosis |
| metaphor |
implied comparison; CF. simile |
| metaphysical |
pertaining to speculative philosophy; of metaphysics;
N. metaphysics: branch of philosophy that examines the
nature of reality |
| mete |
measure; distribute; administer; Ex. mete out justice/punishment |
| meteoric |
like a meteor; swift; momentarily brilliant; Ex. meteoric
rise to fame; N. meteor |
| meter |
arrangement of words in the form of poetry (by accentual
rhythm) |
| methodical |
systematic; N. method: systematic method of procedure |
| meticulous |
excessively careful (with great attention to detail);
painstaking; scrupulous |
| metrical |
metric; written in the form of poetry; Ex. metrical
translation of Homer |
| metropolis |
large city |
| mettle |
courage (to continue bravely in spite of difficulties);
spirit; ADJ. mettlesome |
| miasma |
swamp gas; heavy vaporous atmosphere often emanating
from decaying matter; pervasive corrupting influence;
noxious atmosphere or influence |
| microcosm |
small representative world; world in miniature; Ex.
microcosm of English society |
| migrant |
changing its habitat; wandering; Ex. migrant birds/workers;
N: one that migrates |
| migratory |
wandering; V. migrate: move from one region and settle
in another; move periodically from one region to another |
| milieu |
social environment; means of expression; Ex. feel out
of one's milieu; Ex. His proper milieu is watercolor. |
| militant |
combative; bellicose; N. |
| militate |
work against; Ex. militate against the chances of promotion;
CF. serve as a soldier |
| militia |
army composed of ordinary citizens rather than professional
soldiers |
| millennium |
thousand-year period (as in the New Testament); hoped-for
period of happiness and prosperity |
| mime |
pantomime(act without dialogue); mimicry; mimer; V:
mimic; pantomime |
| mimicry |
imitation |
| minatory |
menacing; threatening |
| mincing |
affectedly dainty(delicate); V. mince: cut (esp. meat)
into very small pieces; walk with exaggerated primness;
walk in an unnatural way, taking little short steps; Ex.
The actor minced across the stage; CF. mincemeat; CF.
mincer |
| mingle |
mix together in close association |
| miniature |
small model; small painting; ADJ: small |
| minion |
servile dependent; obsequious follower |
| minuscule(miniscule) |
extremely small |
| minute |
extremely small; CF. minutes: official record of the
proceedings at a meeting |
| minutiae |
petty or trivial details; CF. minutia |
| mirage |
unreal reflection; optical illusion |
| mire |
entangle; stick in swampy ground; stick or sink in
mire; N: bog; deep mud; Ex. sucked deeper into the mire |
| mirth |
merriment; laughter |
| misadventure |
mischance; ill luck; Ex. death by misadventure |
| misanthrope |
one who hates mankind; misanthropist |
| misapprehension |
error; misunderstanding; V. misapprehend |
| miscellaneous |
made up of a variety of parts |
| miscellany |
mixture of writings on various subjects; collection
of various items |
| mischance |
ill luck |
| mischief |
behavior (of children) causing trouble with no serious
harm; damage; harm; Ex. mischief to the crops; ADJ. mischievous:
causing mischief; playfully troublesome |
| misconduct |
immoral behavior; bad management; V. |
| misconstrue |
interpret incorrectly; misinterpret; misjudge |
| miscreant |
wretch; wrongdoer; villain; Ex. kindness to the miscreant;
CF. believe |
| misdemeanor |
minor crime; misdeed; wrongdoing |
| miserly |
stingy; mean |
| misgivings |
doubts |
| mishap |
unfortunate accident |
| misnomer |
wrong or improper name; incorrect designation |
| misogamy |
hatred of marriage |
| misogynist |
hater of woman; CF. misogyny |
| missile |
object to be thrown or projected |
| missive |
letter; written statement; CF. sent |
| mite |
very small object or insect-like creature; small coin |
| mitigate |
appease; moderate; make or become less in force or
intensity |
| mnemonic |
pertaining to memory; assisting the memory; N: device,
such as as formula or rhyme, used as a mnemonic aid |
| mobile |
movable; not fixed; N. mobility |
| mock |
ridicule; deride; imitate often in derision |
| mode |
prevailing style; current fashion; manner; way of doing
something; Ex. in the latest mode; Ex. simple mode of
life |
| modicum |
limited quantity; small amount; Ex. He does not have
a modicum of sense; CF. moderate |
| modish |
fashionable; conforming to the current fashion |
| modulate |
tone down in intensity; change the intensity or tone
of; regulate; change from one musical key to another;
Ex. modulate from E to G |
| mogul |
powerful person; Ex. oil moguls; CF. Mogol, Moghul;
CF. Mongolian |
| molecule |
the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance
that has all the properties of that substance |
| mollify |
soothe an angry person |
| mollycoddle |
pamper; coddle; baby; indulge excessively |
| molt(moult) |
periodically shed or cast off hairs or feathers (for
replacement by a new growth) |
| molten |
melted; Ex. molten lava |
| momentous |
very important; N. moment; CF. momentary |
| momentum |
quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus; moving
force |
| monarchy |
government under a single ruler |
| monastic |
related to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly
concerns |
| monetary |
pertaining to money |
| mongrel |
plant or animal (esp. a dog) of mixed breed; ADJ. |
| monochromatic |
having only one color |
| monochrome |
painting in only one color; ADJ. |
| monogram |
design composed of one or more initials of a name;
V. |
| monograph |
scholarly article |
| monolithic |
solidly uniform; unchangeable; unyielding; N. monolith:
large block of stone |
| monotheism |
belief in one God |
| monotony |
sameness leading to boredom; monotonousness; ADJ. monotonous;
CF. monotone |
| monumental |
massive; impressively large; built as a monument |
| moodiness |
fits of depression or gloom; ADJ. moody: given to changeable
moods; subject to periods of depression; gloomy CF. mood:
| state of mind or emotion |
| moratorium |
legal delay of payment or action; Ex. declare moratorium
on the building of new houses |
| morbid |
given to unwholesome or unhealthy thought; moody; characteristic
of disease; Ex. morbid curiosity; N. morbidity; CF. disease |
| mordant |
biting; sarcastic; stinging; (apprec.) incisive; cutting;
Ex. mordant pen/wit |
| mores |
conventions; moral standards; moral customs |
| morgue |
mortuary; place where bodies are kept before burial
or cremation |
| moribund |
dying; at the point of death; CF. death |
| morose |
ill-humored; sullen; sullenly melancholy |
| mortar |
vessel in which substances are crushed with a pestle |
| mortician |
undertaker; CF. death |
| mortify |
humiliate by embarassing excessively; shame; punish
the flesh; discipline (one's body) by self-denial; Ex.
mortified by her blunder; Ex. mortify the flesh; CF. cause
to die |
| mosaic |
picture made of small colorful inlaid tiles; ADJ. |
| mote |
small speck (esp. of dust) |
| motif |
theme; recurrent thematic element in a musical or literary
work; single or repeated pattern; figure |
| motility |
ability to move spontaneously; ADJ. motile: moving
spontaneously |
| motley |
multi-colored (as of a garment worn by a jester); mixed;
heterogeneous; CF. jester: one who jests (as a paid fool
at medieval courts) |
| mottled |
blotched in coloring; spotted; Ex. mottled face; V.
mottle: mark with blotches of different colors |
| motto |
brief statement used to express a principle |
| mountebank |
charlatan; boastful pretender |
| muddle |
confuse; mix up confusedly; N: state of confusion |
| muggy |
(of weather) warm and damp |
| mulct |
defraud a person of something; swindle; Ex. mulct the
boy of his legacy |
| multifarious |
varied; greatly diversified; Ex. multifarious activities |
| multiform |
having many forms |
| multilingual |
having many languages; fluent in several languages |
| multiplicity |
state of being numerous or multiple; large number;
Ex. multiplicity of details; ADJ. multiple: of more than
one element |
| mundane |
worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday; of the ordinary;
Ex. mundane existence; CF. world |
| munificent |
very generous in giving; Ex. munificent benefactor;
N. munificience |
| mural |
wall painting |
| murky |
dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague; Ex. murky night/fog;
N. murk: partial or complete darkness; gloom |
| murmur |
low, indistinct, continuous sound; V. CF. mumble |
| muse |
ponder at length; N: source of inspiration (esp. of
a poet) |
| musky |
having the odor of musk; N. musk: odorous substance
secreted by an Asian deer |
| muster |
gather; assemble (troops); Ex. muster up one's strength
for the ordeal; N. |
| musty |
stale (in odor or taste); spoiled by age; CF. moist |
| mutablility |
ability to change in form; fickleness; ADJ. mutable:
able to change; fickle; CF. mutate; CF. mutant |
| mute |
silent; without speech; not pronounced; unable to speak;
N: one who is incapable of speech; V: soften the sound,
color, shade of |
| muted |
silent; muffled; toned down; Ex. muted traffic noise |
| mutilate |
maim; injure lastingly; deprive of a limb or an essential
part |
| mutinous |
unruly; rebellious; Ex. mutinous teenagers; N. mutiny:
open rebellion; CF. mutineer |
| mutter |
utter (complaining words) indistinctly in low tones |
| myopic |
nearsighted; lacking foresight; N. myopia |
| myriad |
very large number; ADJ. CF. ten thousand |
| mystic |
of hidden meaning and spiritual power; Ex. mystic ceremonies;
N. CF. mysticism |
