pecuniary
(adj) consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money
syn: monotary, financial
fatuous
(adj) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way
syn: silly, vapid, inane, doltish, vacuous
ant: sensible, intelligent, perceptive, bright
gambit
(n) in chess, an opening move that involves risk or sacrifice of a minor piece in order to gain a later advantage; any opening move of this type
syn: plot, stratgem, ruse, maneuver
convival
(adj) festive, sociable, having fun together, genial
syn: fun-loving, jovial, merry
ant: dour, grim, sullen, unsociable
arrogate
(v) to claim or take without right
syn: expropriate, usurp, commandeer
ant: relinquish, renounce, abdicate, abandon
invidious
(adj) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment
syn: malicious, spiteful, prejudicial, pejorative
ant: complimentary, flattering, ameliorative
ephemeral
(adj) lasting only a short time, short-lived
syn: fletting, transient, evanescent, transitory
ant: durable, long-lasting, permanent, porpetual
sacrilege
(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
syn: desecration, profanation, defilement
concord
(n) a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant
ant: disagreement, strife, discord
garish
(adj) glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way
syn: gaudy, flashy, tawdry
ant: subdue, muted, understated, quiet
summarily
(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
syn: promptly, peremptorily, abruptly
arrant
(adj.) thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant syn: egregious, unmitigated
allay
(v.) to calm or pacify, set to rest; lessen or relieve
syn: reduce, alleviate, moderate
ant: aggravate exacerbate, intensify
murky
(adj.) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision
syn: dim, cloudy, unclear
ant: clear, transparent, lucid, limpid
coterie
(n.) a circle of aquaitances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest
syn: clique, set
furtive
(adj) done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen
syn: clandestine, covert, surreptitious
ant: forthright, aboveboard, open
effigy
(n) a crude image of a despised person
syn: figure, figurine, likeness
talisman
(n) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish
carping
(adj) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n) petty, nagging criticism
syn: nit-picking, caviling
ant: approving, uncritical
dissemble
(v) to disguise or conceal, deliberately give a false impression
syn: dissimulate, mask, feign
flotsam
(n) floating debris; homeless, impoverished people
syn: floating wreckage
acquisitive
(adj) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
syn: greedy, grasping, avaricious, retentive
ant: altruistic, unretentive
lackadaisical
(adj.) lacking spirit or interest; halfhearted
syn: listless, indolent, indifferent, lax
ant: energetic, vigorous, wholehearted
undulate
(v) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form
syn: ripple, fluctuate, rise and fall
belabor
(v) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly
syn: overwork
nefarious
(adj) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards
syn: iniquitious, reprehensible
ant: virtuous, honorable, praiseworthy, meritorious
raze
(v) to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out
syn: pull down, demolish, shave off
ant: build, construct, raise, erect
litany
(n) a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list
syn: rigmarole, catalog, megillah
banal
(adj) hackneyed, trite, commonplace
syn: stale, insipid
ant: fresh, novel, original, new
delineate
(v) to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially
syn: depict, picture, render
acuity
(n) sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)
syn: keeness, acuteness
ant: dullness, obtuseness
derelict
(n) someone or something that is abandoned or neglected; (adj) left abandoned; neglectful of duty
syn: vagrant; remiss, delinquent
ant: punctilious, conscientious, scruptilous
propinquity
(n) nearness in place or time; kinship
syn: proximity, similarity
ant: remoteness, distance
accost
(v) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way
syn: buttonhole, approach, confront
ant: evade, avoid, shun
intermittent
(adj.) stopping and beginning again, sporadic
syn: fitful, spasmodic, random
ant: continuous, uninterrupted
mundane
(adj) earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary
syn: prosaic, humdrum, routine, sublunary
ant: heavenly, unworldy, spiritual, transcendental
atrophy
(n.) the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure; (v.) to waste away
syn: degeneration, deterioration;wither
ant: growth, development; nature, develop
moot
(adj) open to discussion and debate, unresolved; (v) to bring up for discussion; (n) a hypothetical law case argued by students
syn: debatable, questionable; broach
ant: undebatable, indisputable, self-evident
strategem
(n.) a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end
syn: ruse, trick, play, subterfuge
articulate
(v.) to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; (adj,) expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed
syn: pronounce, elucidate; eloquent
ant: mumble, slur; tongue-tied, h
encomium
(n) a formal expression of praise; a lavish tribute
syn: pangyrie, eulogy, commendation
ant: condemnation, castigation, criticism
nuance
(n) a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference
syn: shade, nicely, refinement