 | Term | Definition |
| |
aberrant |
deviating from the norm |
| |
alacrity |
eager and enthusiastic willingness |
| |
anomaly |
deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality |
| |
approbation |
an expression of approval or praise |
| |
assuage |
to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify |
| |
audacious |
daring and fearless; recklessly bold |
| |
capricious |
inclined to change one’s mind impulsively; erratic; unpredictable |
| |
censure |
to criticize severely; to officially rebuke |
| |
chicanery |
trickery or subterfuge |
| |
connoisseur |
an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert |
| |
discordant |
conflicting; dissonant or harsh in sound |
| |
disparate |
fundamentally distinct or dissimilar |
| |
eloquent |
well-spoken; expressive; articulate |
| |
enervate |
to weaken; to reduce in vitality |
| |
ennui |
dissatisfaction and restlessness resulting from boredom or apathy |
| |
equivocate |
to use ambiguous language with a deceptive intent |
| |
exculpate |
exonerate; to clear of blame |
| |
exigent |
urgent; pressing; requiring immediate action or attention |
| |
filibuster |
intentional obstruction, esp. using prolonged speechmaking to delay legislative action |
| |
ingenuous |
artless; frank and candid; lacking in sophistication |
| |
inured |
accustomed to accepting something undesirable |
| |
irascible |
easily angered; prone to temperamental outbursts |
| |
laud |
to praise highly |
| |
magnanimity |
the quality of being generously noble in mind and heart, esp. in forgiving |
| |
martial |
associated with war and the armed forces |
| |
mundane |
of the world; typical of or concerned with the ordinary |
| |
nascent |
coming into being; in early developmental stages |
| |
nebulous |
vague; cloudy; lacking clearly defined form |
| |
neologism |
a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses |
| |
noxious |
harmful; injurious |
| |
obtuse |
lacking sharpness of intellect; not clear or precise in thought or expression |
| |
obviate |
to anticipate and make unnecessary |
| |
onerous |
troubling; burdensome |
| |
parody |
a humorous imitation intended for ridicule or comic effect, esp. in literature and art |
| |
perennial |
recurrent through the year or many years; happening repeatedly |
| |
perfunctory |
cursory; done without care or interest |
| |
prattle |
to babble meaninglessly; to talk in an empty and idle manner |
| |
prescience |
foreknowledge of events; knowing of events prior to their occurring |
| |
prevaricate |
to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead |
| |
refute |
to disprove; to successfully argue against |
| |
relegate |
to forcibly assign, esp. to a lower place or position |
| |
solicitous |
concerned and attentive; eager |
| |
sporadic |
occurring only occasionally, or in scattered instances |
| |
static |
not moving, active, or in motion; at rest |
| |
stupefy |
to stun, baffle, or amaze |
| |
tortuous |
winding; twisting; excessively complicated |
| |
truculent |
fierce and cruel; eager to fight |
| |
voracious |
having an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; ravenous |
| |
waver |
to move to and fro; to sway; to be unsettled in opinion |
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