34 words starting with L

• labile adjective

  easily changing or breaking down; unstable

  Some vitamins are labile and are destroyed by cooking.

  Like unstable, changeable, volatile

• lacerate verb

  to tear or cut skin roughly

  He lacerated his knee on the sharp rocks while climbing.

  Like cut, gash, tear

• lachrymose adjective

  tending to cry easily; tearful

  The lachrymose toddler cried whenever her balloon floated away.

  Like tearful, weepy

• lackadaisical adjective

  lacking enthusiasm and effort; careless

  His lackadaisical approach to practice cost him his place on the team.

  Like lazy, careless, half-hearted

• laconic adjective

  using very few words

  The laconic farmer answered every question with a simple “yes” or “no.”

  Like terse, brief, taciturn

• laggard noun

  a person or thing that falls behind others

  The laggard of the group finally reached the camp an hour after the rest.

  Like straggler, dawdler, slowpoke

• lambaste verb

  to criticize someone very harshly

  The coach lambasted the team for their careless defense.

  Like berate, castigate, excoriate

• lambent adjective

  softly glowing or flickering, like a gentle flame; lightly brilliant, as wit

  The lambent glow of the butter lamps filled the temple during the evening prayers.

  Like glowing, flickering, shimmering

• lampoon verb

  to mock someone publicly with a funny, exaggerated piece of writing or drawing

  The school magazine lampooned the principal’s love of long speeches in a cartoon.

  Like satirize, mock, parody

• languid adjective

  slow and lacking energy, often in a relaxed or tired way

  On hot afternoons, the cat made only a few languid movements before falling asleep again.

  Like sluggish, lethargic, listless

• largess noun

  generous giving of money or gifts, especially by someone powerful or rich

  Thanks to the businessman’s largess, the village school received new desks and books.

  Like generosity, bounty, munificence

• lassitude noun

  a heavy feeling of physical or mental tiredness and lack of energy

  After the long fever, a deep lassitude kept her in bed for another week.

  Like weariness, fatigue, lethargy

• laud verb

  to praise highly, especially in public

  Newspapers lauded the young climbers for reaching the summit without extra oxygen.

  Like praise, acclaim, extol

• laudatory adjective

  expressing strong praise

  The teacher wrote a laudatory note on his science project, calling it the best in class.

  Like complimentary, admiring, glowing

• leery adjective

  cautious and slightly suspicious because something might be unsafe or untrue

  Grandmother is leery of online shops and prefers to buy things in the market.

  Like wary, suspicious, cautious

• legerdemain noun

  skillful sleight of hand in magic tricks; clever trickery meant to deceive

  With a little legerdemain, the magician made the coin vanish from his palm.

  Like sleight of hand, trickery, conjuring

• levitate verb

  to rise or make something rise and float in the air without visible support

  A strong magnet can make a small piece of superconductor levitate above it.

  Like float, hover

• libation noun

  a drink, such as milk or wine, poured out as an offering to a god

  At the festival, priests poured a libation of milk over the stone image.

  Like offering, oblation

• libertine noun

  a person who lives for pleasure and ignores moral rules and restraint

  In the old novel, the young libertine wasted his family’s fortune on feasts and gambling.

  Like rake, hedonist, profligate

• licentious adjective

  ignoring accepted moral rules, especially about behavior and pleasure

  The historian described the king’s licentious court, where parties and gambling never stopped.

  Like dissolute, immoral, debauched

• liege noun

  a lord or ruler to whom people owe loyalty and service, in the feudal system

  The knight knelt and promised to serve his liege for the rest of his life.

  Like lord, sovereign, overlord

• limpid adjective

  perfectly clear and see-through, like clean water; easy to understand, as writing

  We could see small fish in the limpid water of the mountain stream.

  Like clear, transparent, lucid

• lionize verb

  to treat someone as a celebrity and give them great public attention

  After winning the gold medal, the runner was lionized across the whole country.

  Like celebrate, idolize, glorify

• lissome adjective

  thin, supple, and graceful in movement

  The lissome dancer bent and turned as easily as a reed in the wind.

  Like lithe, supple, graceful

• listless adjective

  lacking energy and interest, so unwilling to do anything

  The children were listless on the rainy day and just stared out of the window.

  Like lethargic, languid, apathetic

• litany noun

  a long, tiresome list of things, often complaints; a prayer of repeated calls and responses

  My brother gave a litany of reasons why he could not clean his room.

  Like list, catalog, recital

• lithe adjective

  bending and moving easily and gracefully; slim and strong

  The lithe gymnast jumped onto the beam and landed without a wobble.

  Like supple, agile, lissome

• loquacious adjective

  talking a great deal, often more than needed

  Our loquacious guide talked the whole way up to the viewpoint at Nagarkot.

  Like talkative, garrulous, voluble

• lucre noun

  money or profit, especially when gained in a greedy or dishonest way

  He left his honest job for a scheme that promised easy lucre.

  Like money, profit, gain

• lugubrious adjective

  sad and gloomy in an exaggerated way

  The actor’s lugubrious face made the audience laugh even before he spoke.

  Like mournful, doleful, gloomy

• luminary noun

  a famous, respected person who inspires others in their field

  Luminaries of science gathered in Stockholm to see the new Nobel winners honored.

  Like leading light, notable, eminence

• lurid adjective

  shockingly vivid in color; describing shocking details in a sensational way

  The magazine printed lurid stories about film stars to sell more copies.

  Like sensational, garish, vivid

• lustrous adjective

  shining with a soft, gentle brightness

  The polished copper pots on the shelf were lustrous in the morning light.

  Like shiny, gleaming, glossy

• luxuriant adjective

  growing thickly and richly; full and abundant

  Luxuriant ferns covered the forest floor after the monsoon rains.

  Like lush, abundant, profuse