84 words starting with I

• iconoclast noun

  a person who attacks cherished beliefs or traditions

  An iconoclast in art, she painted in styles that shocked the experts.

  Like rebel, nonconformist, maverick

• iconoclastic adjective

  attacking cherished beliefs or established traditions

  The iconoclastic scientist questioned theories that others thought were settled.

  Like rebellious, nonconformist, radical

• idolatry noun

  the worship of idols; excessive admiration

  Some fans’ idolatry of the singer seemed to have no limits.

  Like worship, adoration, idolization

• idyll noun

  a happy, peaceful period or scene, often in the country

  Our week in the hill village was an idyll of walks, fresh milk and quiet evenings.

  Like paradise, bliss

• ignoble adjective

  not honorable in character or purpose

  Copying a classmate’s answers is an ignoble way to pass an exam.

  Like dishonorable, base, shameful

• ignominious adjective

  deeply embarrassing and humiliating

  The champion suffered an ignominious defeat in the first round.

  Like humiliating, shameful, disgraceful

• ignominy noun

  public shame or disgrace

  The team faced the ignominy of losing every match of the season.

  Like disgrace, humiliation, dishonor

• imbibe verb

  to drink; to absorb ideas or knowledge

  Children imbibe the customs of their family without even noticing.

  Like drink, absorb, take in

• imbroglio noun

  a confused, complicated and embarrassing situation

  The double booking of the hall created an imbroglio between the two schools.

  Like muddle, tangle, mess

• imbue verb

  to fill someone or something deeply with a quality or feeling

  The teacher imbued her students with a love of science.

  Like instill, infuse, suffuse

• immolate verb

  to kill or offer as a sacrifice, especially by burning

  In the ancient ritual, priests immolated offerings of grain and ghee in the sacred fire.

  Like sacrifice, offer up

• immure verb

  to shut someone away, as if behind walls

  The writer immured herself in her study for months to finish the novel.

  Like confine, isolate, seclude

• immutable adjective

  unable to change, ever

  The laws of nature seem immutable, the same today as they were billions of years ago.

  Like unchangeable, fixed, permanent

• impassioned adjective

  filled with or showing strong feeling

  She made an impassioned plea to protect the city’s old trees.

  Like passionate, fervent, emotional

• impassive adjective

  showing no emotion at all

  The guard’s face remained impassive as the tourists tried to make him smile.

  Like expressionless, stolid, deadpan

• impecunious adjective

  having little or no money

  As an impecunious student, he walked to school to save the bus fare.

  Like poor, penniless, needy

• impenetrable adjective

  impossible to pass through or to understand

  The jungle was so thick that it seemed impenetrable.

  Like impassable, dense, incomprehensible

• impenitent adjective

  feeling no shame or regret for one’s wrongs

  The impenitent puppy chewed another shoe the very next day.

  Like unrepentant, remorseless, unashamed

• imperious adjective

  proud and bossy, expecting to be obeyed

  With an imperious wave, the manager sent the waiter back to the kitchen.

  Like domineering, overbearing, haughty

• impertinent adjective

  rude and lacking respect

  It was impertinent of him to interrupt the principal’s speech.

  Like rude, insolent, cheeky

• imperturbable adjective

  staying calm even when things go wrong

  The imperturbable pilot landed the plane smoothly through the storm.

  Like unflappable, composed, serene

• impetuous adjective

  acting quickly without thinking carefully

  In an impetuous moment, she jumped into the lake fully dressed.

  Like impulsive, rash, hasty

• impinge verb

  to have an unwanted effect on something, by limiting it or intruding on it

  The new building will impinge on the view of the mountains.

  Like encroach, intrude

• impolitic adjective

  unwise because it may cause problems or offense

  It would be impolitic to criticize the host’s cooking at dinner.

  Like unwise, imprudent, tactless

• imponderable noun

  something whose effect cannot be measured or predicted

  The weather is the great imponderable of any Himalayan expedition.

  Like unknown, uncertainty

• importune verb

  to ask someone again and again in an annoying way

  The children importuned their mother for ice cream all afternoon.

  Like pester, badger, beg

• impostor noun

  a person who pretends to be someone else to deceive others

  The impostor claimed to be a famous chef but could not boil an egg.

  Like fraud, pretender, charlatan

• imprecation noun

  a spoken curse

  The sailor muttered imprecations at the wind that tore his sail.

  Like curse, oath, malediction

• impregnable adjective

  impossible to capture or break into

  The hilltop fort was impregnable for centuries.

  Like unassailable, impenetrable, invulnerable

• imprimatur noun

  official approval or permission

  The project received the school board’s imprimatur last week.

  Like approval, sanction, endorsement

• improvident adjective

  not planning or saving for future needs

  The improvident grasshopper had no food stored for the winter.

  Like wasteful, spendthrift, shortsighted

• imprudent adjective

  not showing good judgment; unwise

  It is imprudent to hike in the mountains without checking the weather.

  Like unwise, rash, careless

• impugn verb

  to question or challenge someone’s honesty or a claim

  The opposing lawyer impugned the witness’s memory of the event.

  Like challenge, dispute, question

• impute verb

  to say that someone or something is responsible for something, often unfairly

  They imputed the delay to the driver, though the road was blocked.

  Like attribute, ascribe, assign

• incandescent adjective

  glowing with light because of great heat

  An incandescent bulb wastes much of its energy as heat.

  Like glowing, luminous, radiant

• incendiary adjective

  designed to start fires; tending to stir up anger

  The firefighters found an incendiary device near the warehouse.

  Like inflammatory, provocative

• incense verb

  to make someone very angry

  The referee’s unfair decision incensed the home crowd.

  Like enrage, infuriate, anger

• inchoate adjective

  just begun and not yet fully formed or developed

  My plan for the science project was still inchoate, just a few rough ideas.

  Like undeveloped, rudimentary, embryonic

• incipient adjective

  in an early stage; just beginning to appear

  The doctor treated the incipient cold before it became worse.

  Like beginning, emerging, nascent

• inclement adjective

  (of weather) cold, wet and stormy

  The flight was delayed because of inclement weather in Lukla.

  Like stormy, harsh, foul

• incommensurate adjective

  out of proportion to; not matching in size or degree

  The small reward was incommensurate with all the work she had done.

  Like disproportionate, inadequate

• incorrigible adjective

  impossible to correct or reform because the habit is too strong

  My incorrigible little brother still leaves his shoes in the doorway every day.

  Like incurable, hopeless, inveterate

• inculcate verb

  to fix an idea in someone’s mind by repeated teaching

  Our parents inculcated in us the habit of reading every night.

  Like instill, implant, drum into

• incursion noun

  a sudden invasion or entry into another’s territory

  Farmers built fences to stop the elephants’ incursions into their fields.

  Like raid, invasion, intrusion

• indefatigable adjective

  never seeming to get tired

  The indefatigable volunteers worked all day to clean the riverbank.

  Like tireless, untiring, unflagging

• indemnify verb

  to pay someone, or promise to pay, for a loss or damage

  The insurance company indemnified the farmers for crops lost in the hailstorm.

  Like compensate, reimburse, insure

• indigent adjective

  very poor and lacking basic necessities

  The clinic offers free care to indigent patients.

  Like destitute, impoverished, needy

• indolent adjective

  lazy and avoiding effort

  The indolent cat slept in the sun while the mice ran past.

  Like lazy, idle, slothful

• ineffable adjective

  too great or beautiful to be described in words

  We felt an ineffable wonder watching the sunrise over Everest.

  Like indescribable, inexpressible

• ineluctable adjective

  impossible to avoid or escape

  The ineluctable passing of time turns children into grown-ups.

  Like inevitable, inescapable, unavoidable

• inerrant adjective

  never making mistakes

  No textbook is inerrant, so always check important facts.

  Like infallible, unerring, flawless

• inestimable adjective

  too great to be measured or calculated

  The library’s old manuscripts are of inestimable value to historians.

  Like immeasurable, incalculable, priceless

• infelicitous adjective

  poorly chosen or unsuitable for the situation

  His infelicitous joke about the rain spoiled the mood at the picnic.

  Like inappropriate, unsuitable, inapt

• ingenuous adjective

  innocent, trusting and honest, sometimes too much so

  The ingenuous tourist believed the shopkeeper’s story about the magic stone.

  Like naive, artless, guileless

• ingrate noun

  an ungrateful person

  Only an ingrate would forget to thank the friend who helped him move house.

• inimical adjective

  harmful or hostile to something

  Too much salt in the soil is inimical to plant growth.

  Like harmful, hostile, adverse

• inimitable adjective

  so good or unusual that it cannot be copied

  The comedian’s inimitable style kept the audience laughing all evening.

  Like unique, incomparable, matchless

• iniquity noun

  great injustice or wickedness

  The novel describes the iniquities of the old factories that made children work.

  Like injustice, wickedness, wrong

• innuendo noun

  an indirect hint, usually suggesting something unfavorable

  He never accused her directly but used innuendo to suggest she had cheated.

  Like insinuation, hint, implication

• inordinate adjective

  far more than is usual or reasonable

  He spends an inordinate amount of time choosing what to wear.

  Like excessive, undue, disproportionate

• inscrutable adjective

  impossible to understand or read

  The cat watched us with an inscrutable expression.

  Like enigmatic, mysterious, unfathomable

• insinuate verb

  to suggest something unpleasant indirectly

  Are you insinuating that I ate the last piece of cake?

  Like imply, hint, suggest

• insipid adjective

  lacking flavor, interest or liveliness

  The soup was insipid until we added salt and chilies.

  Like bland, tasteless, dull

• insouciant adjective

  cheerfully unconcerned and carefree

  She gave an insouciant shrug when told the bus would be late.

  Like carefree, nonchalant, casual

• insuperable adjective

  impossible to overcome

  The steep cliff seemed an insuperable obstacle until we found a hidden path.

  Like insurmountable, unconquerable

• intemperate adjective

  lacking self-control, especially in speech or drinking

  He apologized for his intemperate remarks during the heated debate.

  Like immoderate, excessive, unrestrained

• interdict verb

  to forbid officially; to stop goods or people from getting through

  Customs officers interdicted the shipment of illegal wildlife products.

  Like prohibit, ban, intercept

• interlocutor noun

  a person taking part in a conversation

  My interlocutor on the train turned out to be a famous mountaineer.

  Like speaker, conversation partner

• interloper noun

  a person who intrudes where they are not wanted

  The older boys treated the newcomer as an interloper in their game.

  Like intruder, trespasser, outsider

• interregnum noun

  a period between two rulers or leaders when no one is in charge

  During the interregnum, a council ran the club until a new president was chosen.

  Like interval, hiatus

• intimation noun

  an indirect sign or hint

  The cool breeze was the first intimation that autumn was coming.

  Like hint, suggestion, sign

• intractable adjective

  hard to control, manage or solve

  Traffic in Kathmandu has become an intractable problem.

  Like unmanageable, stubborn, difficult

• intransigent adjective

  refusing to change one’s views or compromise

  The intransigent shopkeeper would not lower his price by a single rupee.

  Like uncompromising, unyielding, obstinate

• inure verb

  to make someone used to something unpleasant

  Years in the mountains had inured the porters to the cold.

  Like accustom, harden, toughen

• invective noun

  strongly abusive and insulting language

  The angry customer let out a stream of invective at the waiter.

  Like abuse, vituperation, insults

• inveigh verb

  to speak or write about something with angry disapproval

  The columnist inveighed against the plastic bags littering the river.

  Like rail, protest, fulminate

• inveigle verb

  to persuade someone by flattery or trickery

  She inveigled her brother into doing her chores.

  Like coax, cajole, wheedle

• inveterate adjective

  having a habit that is long-established and unlikely to change

  My uncle is an inveterate storyteller who never misses a chance to tell a tale.

  Like habitual, confirmed, chronic

• invidious adjective

  likely to cause resentment because it seems unfair

  It would be invidious to praise one twin and ignore the other.

  Like unfair, discriminatory

• inviolable adjective

  never to be broken, attacked or disobeyed

  The rule that we never leave a teammate behind is inviolable.

  Like sacrosanct, unbreakable, sacred

• irascible adjective

  easily made angry

  The irascible old man shouted at the boys whose ball landed in his garden.

  Like irritable, short-tempered, testy

• irksome adjective

  irritating and tiresome

  Waiting in the long line for tickets was irksome.

  Like annoying, tedious, vexing

• irresolute adjective

  unable to decide what to do

  She stood irresolute at the crossroads, unsure which path to take.

  Like indecisive, hesitant, wavering

• itinerant adjective

  traveling from place to place, especially for work

  Itinerant traders once carried salt from Tibet across the Himalaya.

  Like wandering, traveling, nomadic