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