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