Erudite
(adj.) Learned, knowledgeable, or scholarly
Diffident
(adj.) Lacking self-confidence; shy or timid
Eschew
(v) To shun, avoid, or abstain from
Encomium
(n) Warm, glowing praise, especially formal praise
Savant
(n) A learned person, scholar, or safe; an idiot savant
Sedulous
(adj.) Diligent or persevering in effort or application
Hallmark
(n) An outstanding or distinguishing feature; A mark indicating quality or excellence
Hapless
(adj.) Unfortunate or unlucky
Sinecure
(n) A paid position or office requiring little or no work
Harrow
(v) To disturb or torment
(v) To prepare ground for planting with a harrow (a tool designed to breakup and even out plowed land)
Exhaustive
(adj.) Thorough; not leaving anything out
(adj.) Tending to exhaust; exhausting
Haven
(n) A place of comfort or rest; a sanctuary
(n) A port or harbor
Clinch
(v) Grab or hold; secure a goal (to "clinch the win")
Stymie
(v) To block, thwart, or stand in the way of
Enigma
(n) A puzzling or inscrutable person, occurrence, or situation
(n)A puzzling or obscure text or speech
Welter
(n) A confused jumble or mass
(v) To become deeply involved or embroiled in something
(v) To roll, writhe, or heave
Supplicate
(v) To ask humbly of (someone); to beseech
(v) To ask for something humbly; to pray for
Zealous
(adj.) Fervent, filled with, or motivated by passionate or excessive enthusiasm
Hyperbole
(n) Extreme exaggeration, often used for effect as a figure of speech
Torrid
(adj.) Parched; burning or intensely hot
(adj.) Passionate or ardent
(adj.) Fast or hurried
Idyll
(n) A poem, either a short description of an idealized rural scene or a narrative dealing with romantic or heroic themes
(n) A carefree, lighthearted experience or period; a romantic interlude
Travesty
(n) A distorted, debased, grotesque, or inferior imitation or likeness
(n) An exaggerated burlesque or imitation of a serious literary work, which is usually grotesquely incongruous
Turpitude
(n) Depravity, baseness, or vileness
(n) A corrupt act
Fervor
(n) Intensity or warmth of emotion
(n) Intense heat
Cacophony
(adj.) Dissonance; jarring, harsh, or discordant sound
Fledge
(v) To care for (as a young bird) until it is ready to fly
(v) To cover with or as with feathers
(v) To grow plumage needed for flight
Impassive
(adj.) Not revealing, expressing, or betraying emotion
Impecunious
(adj.) Penniless; without money
Warmonger
(n) One who advocates or attempts to incite war
Impede
(v) To hinder or obstruct movement or progress
Abhor
(v) To hate or despise; to regard with horror or repugnance
Prevaricate
(v) To equivocate, lie, or stray from the truth
Divulge
(v) To reveal or make known (a secret or confidence)
Precursor
(n) One that precedes and announces or suggests another's approach
(n) A forerunner or predecessor; one that precedes another
Fallow
(adj.) Left unplanted (soil or land); not in use
Ostentatious
(adj.) Given to excessive, pretentious, conspicuous display
Improbity
(n) Dishonesty; lack of probity (probity = honesty)
Conversance
(n) Familiarity; the state of being able to speak bout something ("converse") knowledgeably
Quandry
(n) State of perplexity, especially regarding how to proceed
Propriety
(n) The quality of being proper or appropriate
(n) Plural: the customs and rules of polite society
Impudent
(adj.) Insolent; boldly disrespectful
Dwindle
(v) To shrink or diminish until little remains
Impugn
(v) To challenge or attack as false or questionable
Capricious
(adj.) Whimsical; governed by or subject to caprice or impulse
Inadvertent
(adj.)( Accidental or unintentional
(adj.) Inattentive; not fully focused or taking heed
Recumbent
(adj.) Lying down or reclining, especially in repose
(adj.) Resting or idle
Impromptu
(adj.) Done, said, or composed on the spur of the moment; improvised
Abjure
(v) To renounce, recant, or repudiate, often solemnly or under oath
Pallid
(adj.) Abnormally pale; lacking color or vitality
Refulgent
(adj.) Radiant or resplendent shining brilliantly