abstruse
(adj.) extremely difficult to understand
Syn: arcane, recondite, occult, esoteric
Ant: simple, straightforward
affront
(n.) an open or intentional insult; a slight; (v.) to insult to one's face; to face in defiance, confront
Syn: (n.) offense; (v.) offend
Ant: (n., v.) compliment, praise
canard
(n.) a false rumor, fabricated story
Syn: hoax
captious
(adj.) excessively ready to find fault; given to petty criticism; intended to trap, confuse, or show up
Syn: faultfinding, carping, nit-picky
Ant: uncritical
cognizant
(adj.) aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction
Syn: acquainted, conscious
Ant: unaware, unconscious, oblivious
contrite
(adj.) regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent
Syn: remorseful, rueful
Ant: unapologetic, impenitent, unrepentant
cynosure
(n.) the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct
Syn: focus
decorous
(adj.) well behaved, dignified, socially proper
Syn: seemly, becoming, tasteful
Ant: unbecoming, improper, tasteless, unseemly
deign
(v.) to think it appropriate or suitable to one's dignity to do something; to condescend
Syn: deem, stoop
desiccated
(adj., part.) thoroughly dried out; divested of spirit or vitality; arid and uninteresting
Syn: dehydrated, shriveled, parched
Ant: sodden, waterlogged, drenched, soggy
efficacy
(n.) the power to produce a desired result
Syn: effectiveness, potency, reliability
Ant: impotence
engender
(v.) to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume form
Syn: generate, cause, form, beget
Ant: stop, deter
ethereal
(adj.) light, airy, delicate; highly refined; suggesting what is heavenly (rather than earthbound)
Syn: heavenly, celestial, gossamer
Ant: infernal, hellish, thick, heavy
facade
(n.) the front or face of a building; a surface appearance (as opposed to what may lie behind)
Syn: exterior, surface, mask
Ant: interior
ghoulish
(adj.) revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or otherwise preys on the dead
Syn: barbarous, monstrous, fiendish
Ant: angelic
incongruous
(adj.) not in keeping, unsuitable, incompatible
Syn: discordant, jarring
Ant: compatible, harmonious, consistent
machination
(n.) a crafty, scheming, or underhanded action designed to accomplish some (usually evil) end
Syn: plot, maneuver, scheme
mesmerize
(v.) to hypnotize, entrance; to fascinate, enthrall, bewitch
opprobrium
(n.) disgrace arising from shameful conduct; contempt, reproach
Syn: infamy, dishonor, odium, shame
Ant: acclaim, honor, glory, renown
putative
(adj.) generally regarded as such; reputed; hypnotized; inferred
Syn: supposed, presumed
Ant: corroborated, confirmed, known