 | Term | Definition |
| |
abate |
to lessen in intensity or degree |
| |
accolade |
an expression of praise |
| |
adulation |
excessive praise; intense adoration |
| |
aesthetic |
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful |
| |
avarice |
greed, esp. for wealth |
| |
burgeon |
to grow rapidly or flourish |
| |
cacophony |
harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance |
| |
canon |
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature |
| |
castigation |
severe criticism or punishment |
| |
catalyst |
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing |
| |
catalyst |
a person or thing that causes change |
| |
caustic |
burning or stinging; causing corrosion |
| |
chary |
wary; cautious; sparing |
| |
cogent |
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing |
| |
complaisance |
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others |
| |
contrite |
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness |
| |
dearth |
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack |
| |
demur |
to question or oppose |
| |
didactic |
intended to teach or instruct |
| |
discretion |
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions |
| |
disinterested |
indifferent; free from self-interest |
| |
dogmatic |
stubbornly opinionated |
| |
ebullience |
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings |
| |
elegy |
a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead |
| |
emollient |
soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh |
| |
empirical |
based on observation or experiment |
| |
enigmatic |
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand |
| |
esoteric |
intended for or understood by a small, specific group |
| |
exonerate |
to remove blame |
| |
fallacy |
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief |
| |
furtive |
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious |
| |
gregarious |
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people |
| |
harangue |
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade |
| |
heretical |
violating accepted dogma or convention |
| |
impecunious |
lacking funds; without money |
| |
incipient |
beginning to come into being or to become apparent |
| |
inert |
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish |
| |
innocuous |
harmless; causing no damage |
| |
intransigent |
refusing to compromise |
| |
inveigle |
to obtain by deception or flattery |
| |
morose |
sad; sullen; melancholy |
| |
odious |
evoking intense aversion or dislike |
| |
opaque |
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light |
| |
peruse |
to examine with great care |
| |
preen |
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care |
| |
prodigious |
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary |
| |
putrefy |
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor |
| |
quaff |
to drink deeply |
| |
sanction |
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance |
| |
urbane |
sophisticated; refined; elegant |
| |
viscous |
thick; sticky |
