(of something bad) experienced or present to the maximum degree
Abjure
solemnly renounce
Abridge
shorten, condense without losing meaning
Abstemious
not self-indulgent, especially when eating or drinking
Abstruse
difficult to understand, obscure
Accretion
the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of addition layers of matter
Acolyte
a person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession
Acrid
sharp, pungent (smells and tastes)
Adulation
obsequious flattery; excessive admiration or praise
Adulterate
to make impure or weaker by adding something of inferior quality
Adumbrate
report as an outline, describe roughly or give the main points or summary of
Affable
friendly, good-natured
Agog
very eager or curious to hear of see something
Alacrity
eagerness, speed
Ambivalent
having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone
Ambulatory
relating to or adopted for walking
Amorphous
without a clearly defined shape or form
Anathema
something or someone that one vehemently dislikes
Anodyne
not likely to provoke dissent or offence
Antagonist
the adversary
Antediluvian
of or belonging to the time before the biblical flood
Antipathy
a strong feeling of dislike
Apace
quickly, swiftly
Aplomb
confidence, coolness
Apocryphal
of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true
Apostate
a person who renounces a religious or political belief or principle
Apotheosis
model of excellence or perfection of a kind – the highest point of development of something; culmination or climax
Approbation
approval or praise
Apropos
in regard to
Arboreal
relating to trees
Arcana
secrets or mysteries
Arcane
understood by few, mysterious or secret
Ardor
great enthusiasm or passion
Arrogate
take or claim without justification
Ascetic
severe self-discipline and abstention
Assiduous
showing great care and perseverance
Augury
a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen
Auspices
with the support and approval of, patronage
Auspicious
favorable
Avocation
a hobby or minor occupation
Bane
something causing misery or death
Belie
fail to give a true notion or impression of
Bemuse
confuse
Bestial
of or like an animal or animals, savagely cruel and depraved
Blithe
showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous and improper
Brackish
(of water) slightly salty, as is the mixture of river water and seawater in estuaries
Brevity
concise and exact use of words
Bromide
platitude
Bucolic
relating to the pleasant aspects of country life and the countryside
Callous
unfeeling or insensitive
Callow
without experience, lacking sophistication
Calumny
slander, false accusation
Canard
unfounded rumor or story
Canonical
according to or ordered by Church Law; belonging to a literary or artistic canon; something following a principal or rule
Cantankerous
bad tempered, quarrelsome
Capacious
very large, spacious
Capricious
given to sudden and unaccountable changes in mood or behavior
Captious
quick to find fault about trifle
Caustic
biting wit, sarcastic and severe
Chagrin
embarrassment, loss of courage
Chicanery
trickery, deception
Choleric
easily moved to unreasonable or excessive anger
Circuitous
longer than the most direct way
Circumlocution
indirect expression of something, a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive
Circumspect
wary and unwilling to take risks
Cloture
a procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote
Coda
a concluding event, remark or section
Cogent
clear, logical, convincing
Commiserate
express or show sympathy or pity; sympathize
Compendium
a collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject
Complaisant
willing to please others; obliging; agreeable
Compunction
a feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents or follows the doing of something bad
Conciliate
placate, pacify
Concupiscence
strong sexual desire, lust
Consternation
worry or concern
Contrite
feeling or expressing remorse
Contumacious
willfully disobedient
Convivial
friendly, lively and enjoyable
Corporeal
of, relating to or characteristic of the body
Cosset
care for and protect in an overindulgent way
Coterie
a small group of people with shared interests or tastes
Countenance
appearance especially facial expressions
Craven
cowardly
Credulous
gullible; naïve
Crepuscular
of, resembling, or relating to twilight; an animal appearing or active in twilight
Daguerreotype
a photograph taken by an early photographic process employing an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapor
Dauntless
showing fearlessness and determination
Dearth
an insufficient quantity of something
Dearth
lack, scarcity
Deign
do something one considers to be beneath one’s dignity
Demur
raise doubts or objections or show reluctance
Demure
reserved, modest and shy
Denizen
an inhabitant or occupant of a particular place
Desiccate
remove moisture from something
Desultory
lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; (of conversation or speech) going constantly from one subject to another in a halfhearted way; unfocused
Diaphanous
very sheer and light, almost completely transparent or translucent
Dictum
a short statement that expresses a general truth or principle
Didactic
instructive
Diffidence
modesty out of shyness resulting from a lack of self-confidence
Diffident
modest and shy because of lack of self-confidence
Diffuse
spread out over a large area
Dilettante
a person who cultivates an area of interest without real commitment or knowledge
Direful
extremely bad, dreadful
Dirge
Lament with music
Discursive
wandering from one topic to another, rambling
Disparate
fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind
Dissemble
conceal one’s true motives, feelings, beliefs
Dissonance
disharmony between things
Distend
swell or cause to swell by pressure from inside
Diurnal
active in the daytime
Divagation
to wander or stray from a course
Doff
remove (an item of clothing)
Droll
curious or unusual in a way that provokes dry amusement
Dross
something regarded as worthless
Dulcet
sweet and soothing (especially of sound)
Dyspeptic
of or having indigestion or consequent irritability or depression
Dysphoria
a state of unease or dissatisfaction with life
Ebullient
cheerful and full of energy
Eclectic
wide-ranging; broad
Eddy
to move in a circular way
Edifice
a building, especially a large imposing one
Edify
to instruct or improve morally or intellectually
Efface
to blot out, to erase
Effervescent
giving off bubbles, fizzy; vivacious and enthusiastic
Effete
no longer productive, worn out
Effusive
gushing
Emancipate
set free
Emollient
having the quality of softening or smoothing the skin
Endemic
disease or condition regularly found among particular people or in a certain area
Enervate
cause to feel drained of energy; weaken; tiring
Enmity
the state of feeling of being actively opposed or hostile to someone or something
Ennui
weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom
Ephemeral
lasting a very short time
Epigram
a pithy saying or remark expressing an idea in a clever and amusing way
Epistemology
the theory of knowledge
Epistle
a letter
Epithet
label, smear
Equanimity
mental calmness, composure and evenness of temper, especially in a difficult situation
Equivocal
ambiguous
Ersatz
used as a substitute, typically an inferior one, for something else
Erudite
scholarly, learned
Eschew
avoid using, abstain
Esoteric
intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with specialized knowledge or interest
Ethereal
extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world
Ethos
the characteristic spirit of a culture, era or community as manifested in its attitudes and aspirations (appeal using correct form, personal character and qualifications, trustworthiness, manner, credibility)
Euphemism
substituting a pleasant or polite word or phrase for an unpleasant reality
Euphony
the quality of being pleasing to the ear
Evanescent
soon passing out of sight, memory or existence, quickly fading or disappearing
Evince
give expression to, indicate
Eviscerate
disembowel, deprive of its essential content
Excoriate
censure or criticize severely
Execrable
extremely bad or unpleasant
Exigent
demanding immediate attention
Expiate
atone for
Expurgate
censor, redact
Extant
still in existence, surviving
Facetious
treating serious issues with inappropriate humor
Facile
(especially of a theory or an argument) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial
Factious
turbulent, causing disagreement
Fallow
unplanted; inactive
Fastidious
very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail
Fatuous
silly and pointless, obtuse, devoid of intelligence
Fecund
fertile, productive
Felicity
intense happiness, the ability to find appropriate expression for one’s thoughts
Feral
in a wild state, especially after an escape from captivity or domestication
Fetid
smelling extremely unpleasant
Fetter
a shackle for the ankles or feet
Flaccid
lacking firmness
Florid
using unusual words or complicated rhetorical constructions, ornate
Flout
openly disregard (a rule, law or convention)
Foible
a minor weakness or eccentricity in character
Forbearance
patience, restraint
Force Majeure
unforeseeable circumstances that prevent fulfillment of a contract
Frieze
a broad horizontal band of sculpted or painted decoration, especially on a wall near the ceiling
Furtive
attempting to avoid notice or attention typically because of guilt or a belief that discovery would lead to trouble
Fusillade
a series of shots fired of missiles thrown
Gainsay
speak against or oppose
Garrulous
excessively talkative
Genuflect
lower one’s body briefly by bending one knee to the ground
Gerontocracy
a state, society, or group governed by old people
Gesticulate
using gestures instead of speaking or to emphasize one’s words
Gossamer
something light, thin, insubstantial or delicate
Gourmand
a person who enjoys eating and often eats too much
Grandiloquent
pompous in language style or manner
Grotto
a little cavern, small cave
Grouse
complain pettily, grumble
Guileless
devoid of guile; innocent and without deception
Hackneyed
lacking significance through having been overused, unoriginal and trite
Halcyon
denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful
Hale
healthy
Hermetic
insulated or protected from outside influences
Heterodox
not conforming with accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs
Heterogeneous
diverse in character or content
Hoary
old
Iconoclast
a person who attacks cherished beliefs or institutions
Idiosyncratic
distinctive, individual, peculiar
Idolatry
worship of idols; excessive admiration
Idyll
an extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque episode or scene
Ignoble
not honorable in character or purpose
Ignominious
deserving or causing public disgrace/ shame
Illicit
forbidden by law, rules or custom
Illustrious
well known, respected and admired for past achievements; great, grand, noble
Imbibe
drink
Immaculate
perfectly clean, neat, tidy; perfect
Impecunious
having little or no money
Imperious
assuming power or authority without justification, marked by arrogant assurance
Impetuous
done quickly without though or care; rash
Implacable
incapable of being pacified
Importune
to ask persistently, to beg
Imprecation
a curse
Impudent
rudely bold, overly confident
Impute
represent (something, especially something undesirable) as being done, caused or possessed by someone; attribute, ascribe
Inchoate
just begun and so not fully formed
Inchoate
not fully formed, at an initial stage
Incipient
in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop; developing, impending
Incisive
quick and direct (of an action), intelligently analytical and clear thinking (of a person or mental process)
Incredulous
unwilling or unable to believe something
Incubus
a cause of distress or anxiety
Inculcate
instill by persistent instruction
Incumbent
necessary as a duty or responsibility
Indemnify
compensate for loss, damage, injury
Indigent
poor, humble
Indignant
feeling or showing anger or annoyance at what is perceived as unfair treatment
Indolence
avoidance of activity or exertion
Indolent
lazy, idle
Inexorable
impossible to stop or prevent
Ingenuous
innocent and unsuspecting, naturally simple, not complicated
Inherent
permanent, essential or characteristic attribute
Inimical
unfriendly, hostile
Innocuous
safe, harmless
Insipid
lacking flavor, lacking vigor or interest
Insouciance
casual lack of concern; indifference
Instantiate
represent as, or by an instance
Interminable
endless
Internecine
destructive to both sides in a conflict; internal, bloody conflict
Intrepid
fearless
Inure
accustom to something unpleasant
Inured
accustomed to something unpleasant
Invective
insulting, abusive
Inveterate
habitual
Invidious
likely to arose or incur resentment or anger in others; unfairly discriminating, unjust
Irascible
a tendency to be easily angered
Jargon
special words or expressions that are used by a particular profession or group and are difficult for others to understand
Jocund
cheerful, pleasant
Knell
the sound of a bell, especially when rung solemnly for a death or funeral
Lachrymose
tearful, sad
Laconic
using very few words
Lacuna
an unfilled space or interval, a gap
Largesse
generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others
Legerdemain
an illusory feat, deception, trickery, slight of hand
Libertine
a person who rejects accepted opinions in matters of religion
Licentious
debauched, salacious, promiscuous and unprincipled in sexual matters
Liege
feudal superior or sovereign
Limpid
clear and accessible, melodious, understandable
Lithe
limber, bending easily
Logos
reasoned discourse, reason, rationality, logic (appeal to logic)
Loquacious
tending to talk a great deal
Lugubrious
looking or sounding sad and dismal
Lustrous
shiny
Magnanimous
generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival or less powerful person
Malady
sickness
Malapropism
the mistaken use of a word in place of a similar sounding one, often with unintentionally amusing effect
Malignant
cancerous, harmful
Maudlin
self-pitying or tearfully sentimental
Maverick
an unorthodox or independent-minded person
Mendacious
not telling the truth, lying, deceitful
Mercurial
liable to sudden unpredictable change
Meretricious
apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity
Metaphor
poetically calling things something else
Mien
air, manner
Milieu
a person’s social environment
Mince
use polite or moderate expressions to indicate disapproval
Mirth
amusement, especially expressed in laughter
Misanthrope
a person who dislikes humankind
Miser
one who saves greedily
Miserly
stingy, mean
Monolithic
large, powerful and intractably indivisible and uniform
Morass
an area of muddy or boggy ground; a complicated or confused situation
Mores
the conventions embodying the fundamental values of a group
Motif
decorative design or pattern; a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition
Munificent
larger or more generous than is usual
Mutable
changeable
Nadir
the lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization
Nascent
just coming into existence and beginning to show signs of future potential
Natty
smart and fashionable
Neophyte
a person who is new to a subject, skill or belief
Nexus
connection or series of connections; the central and most important point or place
Noisome
having an extremely offensive smell
Nonplussed
surprised and confused so much that they are unsure how to react
Nostrum
a pet scheme or favorite remedy especially one for bringing about some social or political reform or improvement
Obdurate
stubborn
Oblique
not explicit of direct
Obsequious
excessively servile
Obstinate
stubborn
Obstreperous
noisy and difficult to control, defiant
Occlude
stop, close up, or obstruct
Onerous
burdensome, oppressively burdensome
Opprobrium
infamy; vilification
Ornery
bad tempered, stubborn
Orthogonalize
the process of splitting a problem or system into its distinct components; statistically independent
Ostensible
stated, seeming, or appearing to be true but not necessarily true
Ostentation
pretentious and vulgar display, especially of wealth
Overwrought
too elaborate or complicated in design or construction
Oxymoron
a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction
Paean
a song of praise or triumph
Palindrome
word spelled the same forwards and backwards
Pallid
pale, typically because of poor health
Panache
confidence of style or manner
Panoply
a complete or impressive collection of things
Parable
a short moral story
Pastiche
an artistic work consisting of a medley of pieces taken from various sources
Pathos
a quality that evokes pity, emotions, belief (elicits and appeals to emotion)
Paucity
the presence of something only in small or insufficient quantities or amounts
Pecuniary
pertaining to money
Pedant
a person who makes an excessive display of learning
Pedestrian
ordinary, dull, commonplace
Pellucid
lucid in style or meaning; easily understood
Penitent
to show remorse
Peremptory
leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal
Perennial
something long lasting
Perfidious
deceitful and untrustworthy
Perfidy
treachery, faithlessness
Perfunctory
done in a routine way, indifferent, half-hearted
Permeance
the property of allowing the passage of lines of magnetic flux
Pernicious
harmful, especially in a gradual and subtle way
Perpetual
never ending or changing; occurring repeatedly – so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted
Perquisite
perk
Persnickety
placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy
Pertinacious
holding firmly to an opinion or a course of action; unyielding
Perverse Instantiation
the implementation of a benign final goal through deleterious methods unforeseen by a human programmer
Petulant
displaying impatience, childishly sulky or bad tempered
Phalanx
a body of troops standing or moving in close formation
Philistine
a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts
Phlegmatic
unemotional and calm disposition
Photovoltaic Effect
the process in which two dissimilar materials in close contact produce an electrical voltage when struck by light or other radiant energy
Picayune
not important, petty
Pique
a feeling of irritation or resentment resulting from a slight
Pithy
terse and vigorously expressive
Plaintive
sounding sad and mournful
Platitude
a remark or statement that has been used too often to be interesting of thoughtful
Plenitude
an abundance
Pleonasm
use of more words than necessary
Polemic
a strong verbal or written attack
Polemical
causing debate or argument
Pollyannic
unfailingly cheerful
Polyglot
speaking several languages
Portent
a sign that something, especially something momentous or calamitous is likely to happen
Precipitous
dangerously high or steep; (of an action) done suddenly and without careful consideration
Precis
a summary or abstract of a text or speech
Precocious
having developed certain abilities or proclivities at an earlier age than usual
Presage
a sign or warning (of an imminent event, typically an unwelcome one)
Prescient
having foreknowledge of things before they happen
Prestidigitation
magic tricks performed as entertainment
Prevaricate
avoid telling the truth by not directly answering a question
Primeval
of or resembling the earliest ages in the history of the world
Probity
integrity
Prodigal
wastefully extravagant
Profligate
recklessly extravagant, wasteful
Profundity
deep insight; great dpth of knowledge or thought; great depth or intensity of a state, quality or emotion
Prolific
producing many works
Promulgate
promote or make widely known (an idea or cause); put into law by formal declaration
Propitiate
appease
Prosaic
ordinary, commonplace; unromantic
Proscribe
banish, forbid
Protagonist
the leading character; an advocate or champion of a particular cause or idea
Protean
tending or able to change frequently or easily
Puerile
childishly silly and trivial
Pugnacious
eager or quick to argue, quarrel or fight
Purloin
to steal
Quant
an abbreviation for analysts who use a quantitative, algorithmic approach to markets and trading
Querulous
complaining in petulant or whining manner
Quibble
argue or raise objections about a trivial matter
Quiescence
a state or period of inactivity or dormancy
Quixotic
exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical
Quotidian
ordinary or everyday, especially when mundane
Raconteur
a person who tells anecdotes in a skillful and amusing way
Ramify
form branches or offshoots
Rancor
bitter resentment or ill-will
Rapacious
grasping, seizing everything, greedy
Rarefied
made less dense (of a gas)
Recalcitrant
having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority
Recondite
(of a subject or knowledge) little known; abstruse
Rectitude
morally correct behavior or thinking, righteousness, virtue, honor
Redoubtable
formidable, especially as an opponent
Redundant
no longer needed or useful; superfluous
Remonstrate
make a forcefully reproachful protest
Repartee
quick witty conversation or reply
Repast
a meal
Repose
a state of rest, sleep or tranquility
Reprobate
depraved, vicious, unprincipled person, wicked
Reprobation
severe disapproval
Resplendent
shining brilliantly, splendor
Restive
resisting authority, difficult to control
Reticence
the quality of not revealing one’s thought or feelings readily
Reticent
not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily
Ribald
referring to sexual matters in an amusingly rude or irreverent way
Rigor
activity of being careful, paying attention to detail, being thorough
Rococo
characterized by an elaborately ornamental late baroque style of decoration
Rodomontade
boastful or inflated talk or behavior
Saccharine
sugary
Sacrosanct
sacred, inviolable
Sagacious
good judgement or discernment
Salient
most noticeable or important
Sallow
sick; (of a person’s face or complexion) of an unhealthy yellow or pale brown color
Salubrious
healthy; health giving
Sanctimonious
making a show of being morally superior to other people; self-righteous
Sanguinary
involving or causing much bloodshed
Sanguine
optimistic or positive especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation; blood red
Sardonic
grimly mocking or cynical
Scourge
to punish severely, to afflict, a person or thing that causes great trouble
Scrupulous
diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details
Scurrilous
making or spreading scandalous claims about someone with the intention of damaging their reputation
Seminal
formative, pioneering, strongly influencing later developments
Simile
comparison of two different things using “like” or “as”
Similitude
the quality or state of being similar to something
Simulacrum
a superficial likeness or imitation
Sobriquet
a person’s nickname
Solicitous
worried, concerned
Soliloquy
an act of speaking one’s thoughts aloud when by oneself, especially by a character in a play
Solipsism
the view that the self is all that can be known to exist
Soporific
tending to induce drowsiness or sleep
Sordid
involving ignoble actions or motives, wretched, arousing moral distaste
Specious
illogical, plausible but false
Spurious
false, untrue
Staccato
describing the breaks between successive sounds
Stalwart
strongly and stoutly built; strong and brave
Stint
thrifty, limit or restriction, fixed share of work
Stolid
dull, impassive; (of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation
Sublimate
divert or modify (an instinctual impulse) into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity
Succor
to give help or assistance
Succulent
tender, juicy, tasty
Supine
failing to act as a result of moral weakness or indolence
Supplicate
to beg
Surfeit
an excessive amount of something
Surly
bad tempered and unfriendly
Surmise
suppose that something is true without having evidence to confirm it
Surreptitious
kept secret, secret, clandestine
Syncopation
a displacement of the beat or accents in music so that the strong beats become weak and vice versa
Synoptic
taking or involving a comprehensive mental view
Syntax
the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in language
Tawdry
showy but cheap and of poor quality
Teleology
explaining things in terms of the purpose they serve or the end result
Telos
an ultimate aim or object
Temerity
audacity
Temperate
region of climate characterized by mild temperatures
Tergiversate
make conflicting or evasive statements; equivocate; change one's loyalties; be apostate
Timorous
cowardly, fearful
Tippet
shawl, scarf
Toady
act in an obsequious way
Torpid
inactive, lethargic
Torpor
mentally or physically inactive, lethargic
Torrid
full of difficulty and tribulation
Tortuous
winding; full of curves
Tractable
docile; easily managed
Trenchant
vigorous or incisive in expression or style, keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
Truculent
eager or quick to argue or fight, aggressively defiant
Turgid
tediously pompous or bombastic
Turpitude
conduct that is considered contrary to community standards of justice, corrupt, depraved
Turpitude
depravity, wickedness
Tyro
a beginner or novice
Umbrage
sense of injury or insult, offence
Undulate
move or go with a smooth up and down motion
Urbane
courteous and refined in manner
Usury
lending money at high interest rates
Venality
the condition of being open to bribery or corruption
Verdant
green with grass or other rich vegetation
Vestibule
an antechamber, lobby or hall next to the outer door of a building
Vicissitude
a change in circumstances or fortune typically one that’s unwelcome or unpleasant
Visceral
relating to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect
Viscous
thick, sticky consistency between solid and liquid
Vitiate
destroy or impair the legal validity of
Vituperative
scolding; abusive
Vociferous
loud, noisy, clamorous
Volatile
liable to change rapidly and unpredictably, especially for the worse, unstable, explosive
Voracious
insatiable, unquenchable, excessively eager
Wanton
deliberate and unprovoked
Welter
a large number of items in no order, a confused mess
Whet
excite or stimulate
Winnow
blow a current of air through (grain) in order to remove the chaff
Winsome
attractive or appealing in appearance or character
Wry
using or expressing dry especially mocking humor
Yoke
a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull