 | Term | Definition |
| |
admonish |
warn strongly |
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actuate |
put in motion or move to act |
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antedate |
establish something as being earlier relative to something else |
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arcane |
esoteric; secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated; Ex. arcane ritual; Ex. arcane process closed to the uninitiated listener |
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avarice |
greed, extreme greed for material wealth |
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belies |
contradicts |
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brazen |
(adj.) shameless, impudent; made of brass |
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cabal |
a clique (often secret) that seeks power usually through intrigue |
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coeval |
of the same period, coexisting |
| |
demur |
to hesitate, raise objections |
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diffident |
lacking self-confidence |
| |
bellicose |
warlike in manner or temperment, pugnacious |
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ebullient |
Showing enthusiasm or exhilaration of feeling. |
| |
equanimity |
the quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure |
| |
erroneous |
Incorrect |
| |
excoriate |
To censure strongly; denounce |
| |
filigree |
delicate and intricate ornamentation (usually in gold or silver or other fine twisted wire) |
| |
hermetic |
completely sealed |
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ineluctable |
impossible to avoid or evade:"inescapable conclusion" |
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invidious |
tending to provoke envy or ill will |
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insouciance |
blithe lack of concern; nonchalance |
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renumerate |
(v) to reward, pay, reimburse |
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jejune |
lacking interest or significance; dull or insipid; dry; empty |
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abjuration |
a disavowal or taking back of a previous assertion |
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abrogation |
cancellation, abolition |
| |
abscission |
the act of cutting something off |
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calumny |
a malicious attack |
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ecclesiastical |
of or associated with a church (especially a Christian Church) |
| |
egregious |
conspicuously and outrageously bad or reprehensible |
| |
exiguous |
small in amount; minute |
| |
dubious |
fraught with uncertainty or doubt |
| |
largesse |
(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions |
| |
nugatory |
of no real value |
| |
peregrination |
travel (especially by foot) |
| |
peroration |
the concluding part of a speech; grandiloquent speech |
| |
plangent |
loud and resounding |
| |
promulgate |
put a law into effect by formal declaration |
| |
prate |
to talk idly and at length |
| |
prestidigitation |
sleight of hand (synonym legerdemain),dexterous |
| |
pusillanimous |
lacking in courage and manly strength and resolution |
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quandary |
a state of uncertainty or perplexity |
| |
repudiate |
refuse to acknowledge, ratify, or recognize as valid |
| |
sophistry |
a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone |
| |
supererogatory |
superfluous, more than needed or demanded |
| |
tepid |
(adj): lukewarm; unenthusiastic, marked by an absence or interest |
| |
tautology |
a repetition, a redundancy |
| |
uncouth |
lacking refinement or cultivation or taste |
| |
vapid |
lacking significance or liveliness or spirit or zest |
| |
apostate |
not faithful to religion or party or cause |
| |
tyro |
someone new to a field or activity |
| |
demagogue |
(n) leader; rabble-rouser; usually appealing to emotion or prejudice |
| |
perfidy |
betrayal of a trust or faith |
| |
puissance |
power to influence or coerce |
| |
officious |
meddlesome, pushy in one's services |
| |
effusive |
extravagantly demonstrative |
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potentate |
a ruler who is unconstrained by law |
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scurrilous |
obscene, indecent |
| |
Expostulation |
an exclamation of protest or remonstrance or reproof |
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Tumult |
commotion of a crowd, loud voices |
| |
Tumultuous |
characterized by unrest or disorder or insubordination |
| |
Garish |
gaudy |
| |
solicitude |
a feeling of excessive concern |
| |
scrupulous |
characterized by extreme care and great effort |
| |
corpulent |
excessively fat |
| |
crenelated |
having a margin with small rounded teeth, having repeated square indentations like those in a battlement |
| |
imprudent |
lacking caution; not prudent; injudicious |
| |
languid |
lacking spirit or liveliness |
| |
lugubrious |
mournful, excessively sad |
| |
fastidious |
giving and careful attention to detail |
| |
cherubic |
angelic; innocent looking |
| |
disputatious |
inclined or showing an inclination to dispute or disagree, even to engage in law suits |
| |
divestiture |
taking off getting rid of giving up |
| |
insularity |
the state of being isolated or detached |
| |
gossamer |
characterized by unusual lightness and delicacy |
| |
petulent |
impatient or irritable, esp. over a petty annoyance |
| |
raucous |
unpleasantly loud and harsh |
| |
perfidious |
disloyal |
| |
perfunctorily |
(adv) without enthusiasm; routinely |
| |
imperious |
domineering; overbearing |
| |
improvidence |
an absence of foresight; a failure to provide for future needs or events: "Their improvidence resulted in the loss of their home." |
| |
panegyric |
a formal expression of praise |
| |
quixotic |
idealistic without regard to practicality |
| |
enigmatic |
mysterious, inexplicable, puzzling |
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