| Torment | severe pain or suffering | As the test date neared, haunting thoughts of failing her exam began to torment her mind. |
| Torpid | dull and slow | My torpid brother rests on the couch all day. |
| Torpor | the state of being motionless or inactive | After overeating on Christmas, I fell into a satisfied torpor. |
| Torque | twisting force causing rotation | Street racers will try to increase the torque in their cars so that their cars will travel at a faster speed. |
| Torrid | extremely sweltering and dry | In the summer, the desert’s torrid climate makes it incredibly unpleasant for most people. |
| Tortuous | devious/not straightforward, containing coils, turns and curves | When the tortuous snake moved across the Sahara Desert, his body made an S-shape in the sand. |
| Totter | to move with an unsteady or unsure gait or walk | If you are drunk, you will probably totter to and fro as you walk, because you are too unsteady on your feet to move properly. |
| Tout | To solicit customers, votes, or patronage, to brag or flaunt | Listening to the basketball player tout his skill becomes boring after a while. |
| Tractable | easily controlled or guided | The dog was more tractable when he wore the vibrating collar. |
| Traitor | someone who betrays trust, alliance, or duty | The police apprehended the traitor to the throne and tried him for treason. |
| Trample | to crush, disfigure, maim, etc., by walking or running over something | The girl walked lightly through the garden, carefully watching her feet so that she didn’t trample the beautiful flowers. |
| Tranquil | relaxed; peaceful | The doctor says I need to be in a tranquil place so I can relax. |
| Transcendental | relating to a spiritual realm | the transcendental importance of each person’s soul |
| Transcribe | to change a form of communication into another form | When I finish my current project, I will transcribe all of the actor’s audiotapes and compile them into a written biography. |
| Transgress | break go beyond (a limit) | All soldiers who serve their time and never transgress any of the regulations will receive an honorable discharge. |
| Transient | lasting only for a short time; impermanent | If you are a transient person, you never remain in one place for too long. |
| Transitory | brief, not permanent; temporary | Unfortunately, the homeless people can only stay in the transitory shelter for a short period of time. |
| Traverse | to travel a rough path | The settlers had to traverse unsafe terrains to reach ground that was suitable for farming. |
| Travesty | parody/imitation, a false or distorted representation of something, usually of something serious | It would be a travesty of justice to put an innocent man in jail. |
| Treacherous | not to be trusted, perfidious | Drivers are asked to stay home and avoid the treacherous icy roads. a treacherous Gestapo agen |
| Trenchant | forceful effective vigorous extremely perceptive incisive, sharp or cutting | Marvin’s trenchant wit made him a popular speaker at conservative fundraisers. |
| Trencherman | person who eats a lot | a doughty trencherman who gives the Simpson’s beef trolley a good run for its money |
| Trepidation | a nervous or fearful feeling | Shaking with trepidation, the young man faced his fear of heights by skydiving. |
| Trickle | flow in drops | Before it began to gush, the roof leak started off as a trickle. |
| Trifling | unimportant | My time is too valuable to spend on trifling matters that have little worth. |
| Trilogy | a group of three things which are related | The first book in the trilogy sets the course for the other two books in the series. |
| Trinket | a small showy ornament or piece of jewelry | Before returning from vacation, I purchased a cheap trinket for my daughter Robyn. |
| Trite | not new | I did not finish the novel because the story’s plot was trite and uninspiring. |
| Trivial | of little significance or value | Although the role seems trivial at first, a good actor can use it to create a huge impact. |
| Truant | one who skips something important | The truant hid in the park to avoid taking his midterm exams. |
| Truce | (agreement) stop of fighting for a time | If the two generals agree to the holiday truce, there will be a ceasefire on Christmas Day. |
| Truculence | aggressiveness ferocity, quick to fight or argue | When my uncle drinks too much, he becomes very truculent and will fight anyone |
| Truculent | quick to fight or argue | When my uncle drinks too much, he becomes very truculent and will fight anyone. |
| Trudge | walk heavily | Despite three days without food or rest, the weary soldiers continue to trudge over the battlefield. |
| Truncate | to reduce the length of an item by clipping it | Jill had to truncate her presentation so it would not exceed five minutes. |
| Tumult | confusion or disorder | While the political candidate’s popularity rating continues to fall, his office has declined into a state of tumult. |
| Turbid | muddy having the sediment stirred up | I will not drink the turbid water because I cannot see through it. |
| Turbulence | being uncontrollably violent | The recession is going to cause turbulent times for families who are already struggling to pay their bills. |
| Turgid | language that is complex and hard to understand, excessively ornate swollen or bloated | The movie’s plot was so turgid that people left the theater completely confused. |
| Turmoil | trouble disturbance | The mayor was not reelected to his office because of his inability to bring the city out of financial turmoil. |
| Turpitude | wickedness shamefulness | In less than an hour, the judge decided to execute the killer for his moral turpitude. |
| Turquoise | greenish-blue precious stone, skyblue | Turquoise sea, white sand, balmy winds and intriguing locals. |
| Tutelary | having guardianship or protection of | Although her grandmother died before her birth, she always felt her tutelary presence was guiding her wherever she went. |
| Tyro | a beginner | Julie is a good violinist, but at 13, she is a tyro and still has a lot to learn. |
| Ubiquitous | present everywhere | his ubiquitous influence was felt by all the family |
| Ulterior | situated beyond | Politicians often use religion as a tool to get people to believe them despite their ulterior motives. |
| Umbrage | offense resentment, to take offense; to find offensive, The posture of attacking | if my freedom of speech was taken away, I’d take umbrage to that. |
| Unalloyed | completely genuine | When my boyfriend proposed to me, I felt unalloyed joy. |
| Uncouth | rough awkward, having a lack of acceptable manners | While George comes from a very wealthy family, he often behaves in an uncouth manner and acts as though he has no social skills at all. |
| Unctuous | not expressing true feelings; pretending to display true feelings | His unctuous hand gestures let everyone know he was upset about the encounter. |
| Underbid | make a lower bid then somebody else | That is, every deal must in total be either overbid or underbid. |
| Undercutting | offer goods or services at a lower price than (a competitor). | these industries have been undercut by more efficient foreign producers |
| Undergird | secure or fasten from the underside, especially by a rope or chain passed underneath. | that’s a philosophy that needs to undergird retailers’ business plans this year |
| Undermine | weaken gradually at the base make something under | Chloe hoped that her allergies were not going to undermine her ability to perform in the recital. |
| Underscore | to highlight | When the teacher reviewed the essay with her student, she went out of her way to underscore the paper’s best features. |
| Underwrite | sign and accept liability under (an insurance policy), thus guaranteeing payment in case loss or damage occurs. | the policy, underwritten at Lloyd’s, indemnifies trustees against loss arising from wrongful acts |
| Undulate | to move in wavelike fashion fluctuate, move with a smooth wavelike motion | The dancers’ movements were arranged so that they seemed to undulate like dolphins with the music. |
| Unearth | discover and bring to light | The scientists were able to unearth several fossils from the bottom of the river bed. |
| Unencumbered | easy-going trifle, free of to move forward or advance | Because she had her official transcripts, the woman was unencumbered to move on to any college she wanted. |
| Unequivocal | unquestionably clear | The teacher was impressed by the gifted student’s unequivocal explanation of the complex subject. |
| Unfeigned | real; not pretense | Most reality shows are scripted and are not unfeigned. |
| Unfetter | release from restraint or inhibition | his imagination is unfettered by the laws of logic |
| Unfrock, defrock | deprive (a person in holy orders) of ecclesiastical status. | he had left his diocese one step ahead of a move to defrock him |
| Unprecedented | previously never experienced or seen | The Internet has erased distance and given people unprecedented access to each other. |
| Unprepossessing | looking plain or ordinary | The gate was rusty and unprepossessing, its lack of appeal making it a bad fit for the lovely mansion it led to. |
| Unscathed | unharmed unhurt | It was a miracle Jim survived the car wreck completely unscathed. |
| Untenable | not capable of being supported or maintained | The losing debate team had an untenable argument. |
| Untoward | unfortunate inconvenient, inappropriate | As soon as my daughter realized her peers were acting untoward at the party, she left because she did not want to get in trouble. |
| Unwitting | ignorant or unaware | At the party, the unwitting young woman was embarrassed to admit that she did not know who the Vice President was. |
| Upbraid | scold reproach, to harshly criticize | Without a doubt, my parents are going to upbraid me for not passing any of my classes this semester. |
| Uphold | to support or defend something | The mother coddles her grown son and will always uphold him, even when what he is doing is wrong. |
| Uproarious | exceptionally funny | The comedian’s jokes were so uproarious I laughed until my stomach began to hurt. |
| Upshot | the final or end result of an event or situation | The upshot of the investigation is that the police will not face any charges. |
| Urbane | elegant refined in manners | Henry is an urbane traveller who has visited over eighty countries. |
| Usurp | to take over; to seize or use something without authority | After the king dies, his brother will usurp the throne from the prince. |
| Usury | the act of lending money at ridiculously excessive rates of interest | When borrowing money, check the interest rate for usury because you do not want to pay an extreme rate of interest. |
| Utilitarian | useful and not simply for appearance | The bed is comfortable and also includes utilitarian features like drawers and bookshelves. |
| Utopian | an idealistic reformer | he describes himself as an educational Utopian |
| Vacillate | to waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive | If you ask Paula to choose a restaurant for lunch, she will vacillate between restaurants forever. |
| Vacillation | being uncertain hesitating | The prime minister was in vacillation what to decide. |
| Vacuity | idleness, emptiness or blankness, often used to criticize someone or something because of lack | The Scarecrow’s vacuity led most people to assume that he didn’t have a brain. |
| Vacuous | containing lack of thought or intelligence; containing nothing; empty | There is no substance to her vacuous claim on the property! |
| Vagary | strange act or idea, an unpredictable action or behavior | Hank’s outburst in church was a vagary that simply came out of nowhere. |
| Vagrant | an individual who lacks regular work and moves around frequently | The vagrant does not appear to work and frequently asks tourists for money. |
| Vain | without use result conceited, without success | The toddler’s attempt to reach the cookie jar on the counter was in vain. |
| Valiant | brave | The valiant police officer was willing to take on the entire gang to save the little girl. |
| Valorous | brave | Firefighters are valorous every time they rush into a burning building to save people. |
| Vandalism | action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property | Two teens were charged with vandalism after the spray painted curse words on their elderly neighbor’s garage. |
| Vanquish | conquer, to overcome, beat, or make disappear | In the movies, the superheroes usually vanquish the villains. |
| Vapid | lacking liveliness; dull | To me, baseball is a vapid sport that quickly puts me to sleep. |
| Variegate | To mark with different shade or colors | By which he meant : a government variegated by race and gender. |
| Varnish | resin dissolved in a liquid for applying on wood, metal, or other materials to form a hard, clear, shiny surface when dry. | several coats of varnish |
| Veer | change direction | In a split second decision, the student decided to veer left and go home instead of heading to her classes. |
| Vehemence | forcefulness | I was vehement about monitoring the actions of the police as they sought my husband’s killer. |
| Venal | ready to do something dishonest, willing to do dishonest things in return for money; willing to take bribes | Because the mayor was a venal man, he had no problem accepting bribes from real estate developers |
| Veneer | a pleasant appearance that hides the truth | Although the celebrity wears a sociable veneer in public, she is ruthless when she deals with people in private. |
| Venerable | worthy of respect because of age, position, or dignity | The Pope is a venerable leader who is recognized for his commitment to helping others. |
| Venerate | to respect or worship someone or something | The teacher says we should venerate our parents and our elders. |
| Veneration | regard with deep respect | Although I do believe we should venerate honest politicians, I do not believe these individuals should be paid large salaries |
| Venial | capable of being excused | We excused our son’s venial lies. |
| Venturing | undertake a risky or daring journey or course of action | she ventured out into the blizzard |
| Veracious | honest; always truthful | “Honest” Abraham Lincoln was known as a veracious president who stood for truth. |
| Veracity | truth | The police doubted the veracity of the suspect’s alibi. |
| Verbiage | speech or writing that uses too many words or excessively technical expressions | he book’s verbiage makes it a difficult read. |
| Verbose | described as using an excessive amount of words | The verbose man took thirty minutes to give me a simple answer. |
| Verdant | fresh and green | Two years after they bought the grand old estate, they had finally restored the grounds and gardens to their original verdant grandeur. |
| Verisimilar | seemingly truthful or likely | Skilled liars craft verisimilar stories that seem so real that people believe them. |
| Verisimilitude | appearing TRUE or real | Even though Hashim was telling a lie, he still managed to present his story with verisimilitude. |
| Veritable | real rightly named, used to highlight the realness of a person, place, or thing | Chocolate is a veritable addiction for many women. |
| Vertigo | the feeling of spinning and being lopsided, often as a result of an inner ear problem | Because Kate suffers from vertigo, it is difficult for her to walk in a straight line. |
| Verve | spirit vigor enthusiasm, a combination of passion and energy that is typically found in artistic expression | Johnny Depp is known for eccentric performances that burst with verve and energy. |
| Vestige | trace or sign | After the huge fire, only a vestige of the house remained visible among the ashes. |
| Vestigial | an organ or limb that is no longer in use due to evolution but may be used for other unintended purposes | Penguins, unlike other birds, have vestigial wings that are too heavy for flight but are perfect for swimming. |
| Vex | annoy distress trouble | If you attempt to vex the dog by pulling his tail, he is sure to bite you! |
| Viable | having the possibility of being achieved or developed | If the project is not viable, there is no reason for us to consider it. |
| Vicious | violent, destructive and cruel | Andy was struck by a vicious bout of meningitis which ultimately claimed his life. |
| Vicissitude | a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant. | The parental vicissitude I currently have is trying to pay child support for six children. |
| Vigilance | the state of keeping a careful watch for danger | Lack of vigilance caused the Titanic to crash into an iceberg that no one saw coming. |
| Vigilant | watchful, especially for danger or disorder | Although this highway is a beautiful drive, you have to stay vigilant for deer and other animals in the road. |
| Vignette | a short but meaningful account | In my short film class, I shot a vignette about the life of a homeless teenager. |
| Vigor | physical or mental strength/force | The spirited bodybuilder attacked his workouts with energetic vigor. |
| Vigorous | strong energetic | The older woman was unable to participate in the vigorous boot camp training. |
| Vilification | criticism, abusively disparaging speech or writing | he vilification of minority groupings |
| Vilify | slander say evil things, to utter slanderous and abusive statements against | Halle’s husband tried to vilify her during their child custody battle. |
| Vindicate | to clear from an accusation, suspicion or criticism | Don’t even try to use your charm and good looks to vindicate your obnoxious behavior last night. |
| Vindictive | having a desire to revenge, having or showing a desire to hurt someone who has hurt or caused problems for you | My aunt is a vindictive woman who once burned all my uncle’s clothes. |
| Virago | a loud domineering woman a scold or nag, bad-tempered woman | I refuse to go your mother’s house,” Karen said angrily to her husband, “because that virago is always yelling at the kids and demanding we do everything she says.” |
| Virtuosity | great skill in music or another artform | The artist’s amazing virtuosity allowed her to work with many different mediums. |
| Virtuoso | a person (esp. a musician) who does something in a very skillful way | Ruben is a musical virtuoso who runs his own school of music. |
| Virulent | extremely dangerous and deadly and usually spreading very quickly | The firemen had to wear masks that would protect them from the virulent fumes. |
| Visceral | of the internal organs of the body, based on emotional reactions rather than on reason or thought | Although I admit that there’s definitely a visceral power in his art, I can’t look at it for very long because I find it so disturbing. |
| Viscous | sticky/semi-fluid | It seemed to take forever for the viscous cough medicine to come out of the bottle. |
| Vital | essential for something | Peanut butter is a vital ingredient in the recipe for peanut butter cookies. |
| Vitiate | lower the quality weaken the strength | While some public servants are found to be corrupt, it is impossible to vitiate the integrity of the majority of law enforcement officers by offering them a bribe. |
| Vitriolic | corrosive; sarcastic, harsh or corrosive in tone | Your vitriolic comments about my dress hurt my feelings! |
| Vituperate | curse abuse in words | We are sure that the nail technicians vituperate us in their own language when they are irritated. |
| Vivacious | lively high-spirited, (especially of a woman) attractively lively and animated | Vivacious actresses typically get picked for comedic roles where the characters are very active by running around. |
| Vivacity | (especially in a woman) the quality of being attractively lively and animated | he was struck by her vivacity, humour and charm |
| Vivify | to arouse, stimulate or invigorate | Exercise and eating healthy can really vivify someone into doing more activities in their day due to their increase in energy. |
| Vociferous | making a loud outcry | The protestors were vociferous as they screamed outside of the government building. |
| Volatile | changeable inconstant fickle unstable explosive | The couple’s volatile marriage ended with one of their murders. |
| Volubility | fluency verbosity easy use of spoken language | After my grandfather drinks a few beers, he becomes voluble and will not stop talking. |
| Voluble | fluent | After my grandfather drinks a few beers, he becomes voluble and will not stop talking. |
| Voluminous | spacious; roomy | The hospital is adding a more voluminous waiting room on to his building in order to hold more patients. |
| Voluptuous | arousing sensual pleasures | Although I love to experience a voluptuous evening out at the theater and an expensive dinner, I also enjoy the simple pleasure of watching the sun rise or hearing birds sing. |
| Voracious | having a large appetite; greedy | The football player was a voracious eater who easily consumed two chickens during one meal. |
| Vulnerable | exposed or in a position that cannot be completely defended | The poorly built castle was vulnerable to attack. |
| Vulpine | relating to a fox or foxes. | the thriving vulpine population |
| Waffle | talk vaguely and without much result | The speech was a lot of waffle about politics |
| Waft | scent waving movement carry lightly through | When my mother removes the lid off the pot, the smell of delicious homemade chicken soup will waft throughout the house. |
| Wag | merry person, (especially with reference to an animal’s tail) move or cause to move rapidly to and fro. | his tail began to wag |
| Waive | to give up one’s rights or claims | Because Bill knows he is innocent, he is going to waive his right to an attorney. |
| Wan | looking ill, not bright | Although the toddler was quite ill, he still managed to give his mother a wan smile. |
| Wane | to gradually decrease in value or intensity | John asked his wife for a divorce when his feelings for her started to wane. |
| Wanton | unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste, having no concern for the rights, feelings, or safety of others | The man is probably going to get the death penalty for his wanton killing of six schoolchildren. |
| Wardrobe | a large, tall cupboard in which clothes may be hung or stored | she left the doors of the wardrobe open |
| Warmonger | person who stirs up war | The Serbian president, turned from warmonger to peacemaker |
| Warrant | authority written order guarantee | Without a warrant signed by the court, the officers had no legal right to search the man’s vehicle. |
| Wary | caution; guarded; careful | Compared to the other animals in the shelter, the greyhound seems more wary around people, as if she has been abused. |
| Waver | to be uncertain | I am certain of my selection so my decision will not waver. |
| Wax | to expand or enlarge in appearance, amount or power | When the population began to wax, there were fewer jobs and much more pollution in the city. |
| Waylay | to actively block an individual’s path in order to interrogate, detain, etc. | The police officer stepped in front of the distraught woman to waylay her before she reached the crime scene. |
| Wean | to turn away (from a habit) | he patient must wean his body off alcohol before he can leave the hospital. |
| Weary | worn out; exhausted | After the long road trip, we were all so weary we fell asleep in our clothes. |
| Weigh | measure hoe heavy something is | If you weight the fruit, it should equal one pound. |
| Weighty | heavy; hefty | The weighty dresser was difficult to move from one room to the next. |
| Welter | turmoil a bewildering jumble, wild disorder | The classroom was in a welter when the teacher did not show up for class. |
| Wend | to go proceed | Miles of trails wend their way through the trees and meadows. |
| Wheedle | to try and persuade using flattery | When my sister could not pay her light bill, she batted her eyelashes at the clerk in an attempt to wheedle an extension |
| Whelp | a baby dog or wolf; a puppy | The little whelp will cry anytime the momma dog is away from him too long. |
| Whet | to trigger or make desire | The mobile phone company uses celebrity endorsements to make consumers whet their phones. |
| Whimsical | full of odd and fanciful ideas | The whimsical music made me feel like a little kid again. |
| Whittle | to reduce or gradually eliminate something | Her patience began to whittle when the students would not stop talking. |
| Wile | a trick | She tried to lure him with her wiles |
| Willful | declining to alter one’s behavior or opinions | The willful boy refused to take his seat in class. |
| Wily | sneaky and calculating | The wily cartoon character was always thinking of ways to steal food. |
| Wince | show bodily or mental pain, to make a tensing movement as a result of distress or pain | The electric shock made the dog wince. |
| Wispy | (of hair, threads, smoke, etc.) fine; feathery. | the sky was blue with a few wispy clouds |
| Wistful | sad and reflective | When I visit my mother’s grave, I feel wistful. |
| Withhold | refuse to give (something that is due to or is desired by another). | the name of the dead man is being withheld |
| Woo | try to win | he wooed her with quotes from Shakespeare. try to gain the love of (a woman |
| Writ | written order, the power to enforce submission and compliance | The police have the writ and right to enforce the law, as their actions are condoned and supported by the government. |
| Wry | Mocking or sarcastic in nature; dry humor | Bill’s wry sense of humor made it difficult to be taken seriously at the office. |
| Xenophile (zen-uh-fahyl) | a person who is attracted to foreign peoples cultures | The American professor is a xenophile particularly interested in Roman cathedrals. |
| Xenophobe | deep-rooted fear towards foreigners | Definition of xenophobe. : one unduly fearful of what is foreign and especially of people of foreign origin. |
| Yarn | tale story fibers for knitting, to tell a long and unlikely story | You should not yarn on with your stories, as adding untrue embellishments might make for a better tale, but not for an honest one. |
| Yeoman | man owning small estate; middle-class farmer | Because he was born to a yeoman, it was likely that he would grow up to farm the same land. |
| Zany | unique and amusing | The comedian’s zany performances are hilarious and never fail to engage the audience. |
| Zeal | a lot of energy, effort, and enthusiasm | Jack’s zeal made him stand above all the other candidates during the interview process. |
| Zealot | one who is uncompromising and fanatical in pursuit of his ideals | The religious zealot was willing to break the law to follow his prophet’s orders. |
| Zenith | the strongest or most successful period of time | Before her zenith ended, Meredith published six best-selling books. |