 | Term | Definition |
| |
acumen |
quick, keen, or accurate knowledge or insight |
| |
adulterate |
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients |
| |
archaic |
outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time |
| |
aver |
to state as a fact; to confirm or support |
| |
dissemble |
to disguise or conceal; to mislead |
| |
eccentric |
departing from norms or conventions |
| |
endemic |
characteristic of or often found in a particular locality, region, or people |
| |
evanescent |
tending to disappear like vapor; vanishing |
| |
exacerbate |
to make worse or more severe |
| |
grandiloquence |
pompous speech or expression |
| |
hackneyed |
rendered trite or commonplace by frequent usage |
| |
hedonism |
devotion to pleasurable pursuits, esp. to the pleasures of the senses |
| |
hegemony |
the consistent dominance of one state or ideology over others |
| |
iconoclast |
one who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions |
| |
impassive |
revealing no emotion |
| |
impunity |
immunity from punishment or penalty |
| |
inchoate |
in an initial stage; not fully formed |
| |
infelicitous |
unfortunate; inappropriate |
| |
insipid |
without taste or flavor; lacking in spirit; bland |
| |
loquacious |
extremely talkative |
| |
luminous |
characterized by brightness and the emission of light |
| |
malevolent |
having or showing often vicious ill-will, spite, or hatred |
| |
misanthrope |
one who hates all other humans |
| |
mitigate |
to make or become less severe or intense; to moderate |
| |
occlude |
to obstruct or block |
| |
pedagogy |
the art or profession of training, teaching, or instructing |
| |
penury |
poverty; destitution |
| |
pine |
to yearn intensely; to languish; to lose vigor |
| |
pith |
the essential or central part |
| |
pithy |
precise and brief |
| |
placate |
to appease; to calm by making concessions |
| |
platitude |
a superficial remark, esp. one offered as meaningful |
| |
plummet |
to plunge or drop straight down |
| |
prodigal |
recklessly wasteful; extravagant; profuse; lavish |
| |
profuse |
given or coming forth abundantly; extravagant |
| |
proliferate |
to grow or increase swiftly and abundantly |
| |
queries |
questions; inquiries; doubts in the mind; reservations |
| |
querulous |
prone to complaining or grumbling; quarrelsome |
| |
recalcitrant |
obstinately defiant of authority; difficult to manage |
| |
repudiate |
to refuse to have anything to do with; to disown |
| |
rescind |
to invalidate; to repeal; to retract |
| |
reverent |
marked by, feeling, or expressing a feeling of profound awe and respect |
| |
specious |
seeming true, but actually being fallacious; misleadingly attractive |
| |
spurious |
lacking authenticity or validity; false; counterfeit |
| |
subpoena |
a court order requiring appearance and/or testimony |
| |
succinct |
brief; concise |
| |
superfluous |
exceeding what is sufficient or necessary |
| |
surfeit |
excess; overindulgence |
| |
tenacity |
the quality of adherence or persistence to something valued |
| |
tenuous |
having little substance or strength; flimsy; weak |
| |
tirade |
a long and extremely critical speech; a harsh denunciation |
| |
transient |
fleeting; passing quickly; brief |
| |
zealous |
fervent; ardent; impassioned |
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