Word | Definition |
acerbic | having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting |
aggrandize | to increase in intensity, power, influence or prestige |
alchemy | a medieval science aimed as the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold |
amenable | agreeable; responsive to suggestion |
anachronism | something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context |
astringent | having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe; something with a tightening effect on tissue |
contiguous | sharing a border; touching; adjacent |
convention | a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude |
credulous | tending to believe too readily; gullible |
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 superticial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge |
disparage | to slight or belittle |
divulge | to disclose something secret |
fawn | to flatter or praise excessively |
flout | to show contempt for, as in a rule or convention |
garrulous | pointelessly talkative, talking too much |
glib | marked by ease or informality; nonchalant; lacking in depth; superficial |
hubris | overbearing presumption or pride; arrogance |
imminent | about to happen; impending |
immutable | not capable of change |
impetuous | hastily or rashly energetic' impulsive and vehement |
indifferent | having no interest or concern; showing no bias or prejudice |
inimical | damaging; harmful; injurious |
intractable | not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate |
interpid | steadfast and courageous |
laconic | using few words; terse |
maverick | an independent individual who does not go along with a group or party |
mercurial | characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood |
mollify | to calm or soothe; to reduce in emotional intensity |
neophyte | a recent convert; a beginner; novice |
0bfuscate | to deliberately obscure; to make confusing |
obstinate | stubborn; hardheaded; uncompromising |
ostentatious | characterized by or given to pretentious display; showy |
pervade | to permeate throughout |
phlegmatic | calm; sluggish; unemotional |
plethora | an overabundance; a surplus |
pragmatic | practical rather than idealistic |
presumptuous | overstepping due bounds; taking liberties |
pristine | pure; uncorrupted; clean |
probity | adherence to highest principles; complete and confirmed integrity; uprightness |
proclivity | a natural predisposition or inclination |
profligate | excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant |
propensity | a natural inclination or tendency, penchant |
prosaic | dull; lacking in spirit or imagination |
pungent | characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste |
quixotic | foolishly impractical; marked by loft romantic ideals |
quotidian | ocurring 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 fo back on a promise |
sedulous | diligent; persistent; hard-working |
shard | a piece of broken pottery or glass |
soporific | causing drowsiness; tending to induce sleep |
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; waver |
variegated | multicolores; characterized by a variety of parches of different color |
vexation | annoyance; irritation |
vigilant | alertly watchful |
vituperate | to use harsh, condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; berate |
volatile | readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive |