13 words starting with U

• umbrage noun

  a feeling of offense or annoyance

  She took umbrage when her friend called her painting “cute.”

  Like offense, resentment, pique

• unabashed adjective

  openly showing something, without embarrassment or shame

  He is an unabashed fan of cheesy cartoons.

  Like unashamed, open, shameless

• uncouth adjective

  rude and lacking good manners

  It is uncouth to talk with your mouth full at the dinner table.

  Like coarse, crude, boorish

• unctuous adjective

  falsely and excessively flattering or friendly

  The unctuous salesman kept praising our taste while pushing the most expensive phone.

  Like oily, smarmy, ingratiating

• undulate verb

  to move or lie in gentle waves

  The rice fields undulated in the wind like a green sea.

  Like ripple, wave, roll

• unerring adjective

  always accurate; never making a mistake

  The archer’s unerring aim hit the center of the target every time.

  Like unfailing, accurate, infallible

• unfeigned adjective

  sincere and genuine, not pretended

  Her unfeigned joy at seeing her grandparents made everyone smile.

  Like genuine, sincere, heartfelt

• ungainly adjective

  clumsy and awkward in movement

  The baby giraffe took a few ungainly steps on its long legs.

  Like awkward, clumsy, gawky

• unseemly adjective

  not proper or suitable for the situation

  It would be unseemly to laugh loudly during the prayer.

  Like improper, inappropriate, unbecoming

• upbraid verb

  to scold someone sharply for a fault

  The teacher upbraided the students for leaving the lab in a mess.

  Like scold, reprimand, rebuke

• urbane adjective

  polished, courteous, and confident in social situations

  The urbane host greeted every guest by name and made them feel at home.

  Like suave, sophisticated, refined

• usurp verb

  to take a position or power without having the right to it

  In the old story, the king’s jealous cousin usurped the throne while the king was away on a pilgrimage.

  Like seize, take over, appropriate

• usury noun

  lending money at unfairly high interest rates

  The old moneylender was known for usury, charging farmers huge interest.

  Like loan-sharking