abstruse
(adj.) extremely difficult to understand
SYN: esoteric, arcane, recondite, occult
ANT: simple, straightforward
affront
(n.) an open or intentional insult; a slight; (v.) to insult to one's face in defiance, confront
SYN: offense; offend
ANT: 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, nit-picking, carping
ANT: uncritical
cognizant
(adj.) aware, knowledgeable, informed; having jurisdiction
SYN: conscious, acquainted
ANT: unaware, unconscious, oblivious
contrite
(adj.) regretful for some misdeed or sin; plagued by a sense of guilt; thoroughly penitent
SYN: remorseful, rueful
ANT: unrepentant, unapologetic, impenitent
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: unseemly, unbecoming, improper, tasteless
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, soggy, waterlogged, drenched
efficacy
(n.) the power to produce a desired result
SYN: effectiveness, potency, reliability
ANT: ineffectiveness, impotence
engender
(v.) to bring into existence, give rise to, produce; to come into existence, assume form
SYN: beget, generate, cause, form
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, pretense
ANT: interior
ghoulish
(adj.) revolting in an unnatural or morbid way; suggestive of someone who robs graves or otherwise preys on the dead
SYN: fiendish, barbarous, monstrous
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, scheme, maneuver
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; hypothesized, inferred
SYN: supposed, presumed
ANT: known, corroborated, confirmed