transmute
(v.) to transform
Decorators transmute ordinary homes into interesting showcases.

transpire
(v.) to take place; come about
With all that's transpired today, I'm exhausted.

traumatic
(adj.) causing a violent injury
It was a traumatic accident, leaving the driver with a broken vertebra, a smashed wrist, and a concussion.

travail
(n.) very hard work; intense pain or agony
The farmer was tired after the travail of plowing the fields.
The analgesic finally ended her travail.

trek
(v.) to make a journey
They had to trek through the dense forest to reach the nearest village.

trenchant
(adj.) cutting; keen or incisive words
Without a trenchant tool, they would have to break the branches rather than cut them.
The trenchant words hurt the man deeply.

trepidation
(n.) apprehension; uneasiness
Her long absence caused more than a little trepidation.
With great trepidation, the boy entered the water for the first time.

tribunal
(n.) the seat of judge
The tribunal heard the case of the burglary.

tribute
(n.) expression of admiration
Her performance was a tribute to her retiring teacher.

trite
(adj.) commonplace; overused
The committee was looking for something new, not the same trite ideas.
Eating tomato salads became trite after their excessive popularity.

trivial
(adj.) unimportant; small; worthless
Although her mother felt otherwise, she considered her dish washing chore trivial.

troth
(n.) belief; faith; fidelity
The couple pledged troth to each other through their vows.

truculent
(adj.) fierce, savage, cruel
Truculent fighting broke out in the war-torn country.
The truculent beast approached the crowd with wild eyes and sharpened claws.

truncate
(v.) to shorten by cutting
With the football game running over, the show scheduled to follow it had to be truncated.

tumid
(adj.) swollen; pompous
The tumid river washed away the homes built on the shore.
After he earned his high-school diploma, he became insufferably tumid.
The tumid balloon floated, but the empty one did not.

tumult
(n.) a noisy commotion; disturbance
The tumult was caused by two boys wanting the same toy.
After the tumult, I found it difficult to resume my studies.

turbid
(adj.) thick and dense; cloudy
The turbid green waters of the lake prevented them from seeing the bottom.

turbulence
(n.) condition of being physically agitated; disturbance
Everyone on the plane had to fasten their seat belts as the plane entered an area of turbulence.

turmoil
(n.) unrest; agitation
Before the country recovered after the war, they experienced a time of great turmoil.

turpitude
(n.) vileness
The turpitude of the action caused a rage among the people.

tutelage
(n.) the condition of being under a guardian or a tutor
Being under the tutelage of a master musician is a great honor.

tycoon
(n.) wealthy leader
The business tycoon prepared to buy his fifteenth company.

tyranny
(n.) absolute power; autocracy
The people were upset because they had no voice in the government that the king ran as a tyranny.

ubiquitous
(adj.) omnipresent; present everywhere
A ubiquitous spirit followed the man wherever he went.
Water may seem ubiquitous, until a drought comes along.

ulterior
(adj.) buried; concealed; undisclosed
She was usually very selfish, so when she came bearing gifts he suspected that she had ulterior motives.
My ulterior concerns are more important than my immediate ones.
The man's ulterior motive was to spy on the lab, though he said he wanted a job.

umbrage
(n.) offense or resentment
The candidate took umbrage at the remark of his opponent.