 | Term | Definition |
| |
aggrandize |
to increase in intensity, power, or prestige |
| |
alchemy |
a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold |
| |
anachronism |
something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
| |
astringent |
having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe |
| |
contiguous |
sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
| |
convention |
a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
| |
cynicism |
an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness |
| |
decorum |
polite or appropriate conduct or behavior |
| |
derision |
scorn; ridicule; contemptuous treatment |
| |
desiccate |
to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull |
| |
dilettante |
one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge |
| |
disparage |
to slight or belittle |
| |
divulge |
to disclose something secret |
| |
immutable |
not capable of change |
| |
inimical |
damaging; harmful; injurious |
| |
intractable |
not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate |
| |
neophyte |
a recent convert; a beginner; novice |
| |
presumptuous |
overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties |
| |
pristine |
pure; uncorrupted; clean |
| |
probity |
adherence to highest principles; uprightness |
| |
proclivity |
a natural predisposition or inclination |
| |
profligate |
excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant |
| |
propensity |
a natural inclination or tendency; penchant |
| |
prosaic |
dull; unimaginative |
| |
pungent |
characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste |
| |
quixotic |
foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals |
| |
quotidian |
occurring or recurring daily; commonplace |
| |
rarefy |
to make or become thin, less dense; to refine |
| |
recondite |
hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure |
| |
refulgent |
radiant; shiny; brilliant |
| |
renege |
to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise |
| |
shard |
a piece of broken pottery or glass |
| |
sparse |
thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals |
| |
spendthrift |
one who spends money wastefully |
| |
subtle |
not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern |
| |
tacit |
implied; not explicitly stated |
| |
terse |
brief and concise in wording |
| |
tout |
to publicly praise or promote |
| |
trenchant |
sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating |
| |
unfeigned |
genuine; not false or hypocritical |
| |
untenable |
indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable |
| |
vacillate |
to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another; to waver |
| |
variegated |
multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color |
| |
vexation |
annoyance; irritation |
| |
vigilant |
alertly watchful |
| |
vituperate |
to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate |
| |
volatile |
readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive |
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