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
cavort
(v.) to romp or prance around exuberantly; to make merry
credence
(n.) belief, mental acceptance
decry
(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate
dissemble
(v.) to disguise or conceal; deliberately give a false impression
distraught
(adj.) very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict
eulogy
(n.) a formal statement of commendation; high praise
evince
(v.) to display clearly, to make evident, to provoke
exhume
(v.) to remove from a grave; to bring to light
feckless
(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable
murky
(adj.) dark and gloomy, obscure; lacking in clarity and precision
nefarious
(adj.) wicked, depraved, devoid of moral standards
piquant
(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative
primordial
(adj.) developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic
propinquity
(n.) nearness in place or time; kinship
unwonted
(adj.) not usual or expected; not in character
utopian
(adj.) founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical
verbiage
(n.) language that is too wordy or inflated in proportion to the sense or content, wordiness; a manner of expression
verdant
(adj.) green in tint or color; immature in experience or judgment
viscous
(adj.) having a gelatinous or gluey quality, lacking in easy movement or fluidity
accost
(v.) to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way
animadversion
(n.) a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval
avid
(adj.) desirous of something to the point of greed; intensely eager
brackish
(adj.) having a salty taste and unpleasant to drink
celerity
(n.) swiftness, rapidity of motion or action
devious
(adj.) straying or wandering from a straight or direct course; done or acting in a shifty or underhanded way
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
halcyon
(n.) a legendary bird identified with the kingfisher; (adj.) of or relating to the halcyon; calm, peaceful; happy, golden; prosperous, affluent
histrionic
(adj.) pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic
incendiary
(adj.) deliberately setting or causing fires; designed to start fires; tending to stir up strife or rebellion; (n.) one who deliberately sets fires, arsonist; one who causes strife
maelstrom
(n.) a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction
SYN: vortex, chaos, turbulence, tumult
myopic
(adj.) nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of a situation; lacking foresight or discernment
overt
(adj.) open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized
pejorative
(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling
propriety
(n.) the state of being proper, appropriateness; (pl.) standards of what is proper or socially acceptable
sacrilege
(n.) improper or disrespectful treatment of something held sacred
summarily
(adv.) without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
suppliant
(adj.) asking humbly and earnestly; (n.) one who makes a request humbly and earnestly, a petitioner, suitor
talisman
(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish
undulate
(v.) to move in waves or with a wavelike motion; to have a wavelike appearance or form
acquisitive
(adj.) able to get and retain ideas or information; concerned with acquiring wealth or property
arrogate
(v.) to claim or take without right
banal
(adj.) hackneyed, trite, commonplace
belabor
(v.) to work on excessively; to thrash soundly
carping
(adj.) tending to find fault, especially in a petty, nasty, or hairsplitting way; (n.) petty, nagging criticism
coherent
(adj.) holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensible, meaningful
congeal
(v.) to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid
emulate
(v.) to imitate with the intent of equaling or surpassing the model
encomium
(n) formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
eschew
(v.) to avoid, shun, keep away from
germane
(adj.) relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
insatiable
(adj.) so great or demanding as not to be satisfied
intransigent
(adj.) refusing to compromise, irreconcilable
invidious
(adj.) offensive, hateful; tending to cause bitterness and resentment
largesse
(n.) generosity in giving; lavish or bountiful contributions
reconnaissance
(n.) a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination
substantiate
(v.) to establish by evidence, prove; to give concrete or substantial form to
taciturn
(adj.) habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
temporize
(v.) to stall or act evasively in order to gain time, avoid a confrontation, or postpone a decision; to compromise
tenable
(adj.) capable of being held or defended
allay
(v.) to calm or pacify, set to rest; to lessen or relieve
bestial
(adj.) beastlike; beastly, brutal; subhuman in intelligence and sensibility
convivial
(adj.) festive, sociable, having fun together, genial
coterie
(n.) a circle of acquaintances; a close-knit, often exclusive, group of people with a common interest
counterpart
(n.) a person or thing closely resembling or corresponding to another; a complement
demur
(v.) to object or take exception to; (n.) an objection
effrontery
(n.) shameless boldness, impudence
embellish
(v.) to decorate, adorn, touch up; to improve by adding details
ephemeral
(adj.) lasting only a short time, short-lived
felicitous
(adj.) appropriate, apt, well chosen; marked by well-being or good fortune, happy
furtive
(adj.) Done slyly or stealthily, sneaky, secret, shifty; stolen
garish
(adj) glaring; tastelessly showy or overdecorated in a vulgar or offensive way
illusory
(adj.) misleading, deceptive; lacking in or not based on reality
indigent
(adj.) needy, impoverished
inordinate
(adj.) far too great, exceeding reasonable limits, excessive
jettison
(v.) to cast overboard, get rid of as unnecessary or burdensome
misanthrope
(n.) a person who hates or despises people
pertinacious
(adj.) very persistent; holding firmly to a course of action or a set of beliefs; hard to get rid of, refusing to be put off or denied
picayune
(adj.) of little value or importance, paltry, measly; concerned with trifling matters, small-minded
raiment
(n.) clothing, garments
abject
deserving contempt; sunk to a low condition; wretched
agnostic
(n.) one who believes that nothing can be known about God; a skeptic; (adj.) without faith, skeptical
complicity
(n.) involvement in wrongdoing; the state of being an accomplice
derelict
(n) someone or something that is abandoned or neglected;
(adj) left abandoned; neglectful of duty
diatribe
(n.) a bitter and prolonged verbal attack
effigy
(n.) a crude image of a despised person
equity
(n.) the state of being just, fair, or impartial; fair and equal treatment; something that is fair; the money value of a property above and beyond any mortgage or other claim
inane
(adj.) silly, empty of meaning or value
indictment
(n.) the act of accusing; a formal accusation
indubitable
(adj.) certain, not to be doubted or denied
intermittent
(adj.) stopping and beginning again, sporadic
moot
(adj.) open to discussion and debate, unresolved; (v.) to bring up for discussion; (n.) a hypothetical law case argued by students
motif
(n.) a principal idea, feature, theme, or element; a repeated or dominant figure in a design
neophyte
(n.) a new convert, beginner, novice
perspicacity
(n.) keenness in observing and understanding
plenary
(adj.) complete in all aspects or essentials; absolute; attended by all qualified members
surveillance
(n.) a watch kept over a person; careful, close, and disciplined observation
sylvan
(adj.) pertaining to or characteristic of forests; living or located in a forest; wooded, woody
testy
(adj.) easily irritated; characterized by impatience and exasperation
travesty
(n.) a grotesque or grossly inferior imitation; a disguise, especially the clothing of the opposite sex; (v.) to ridicule by imitating in a broad or burlesque fashion
acuity
sharpness (particularly of the mind or senses)
delineate
to portray, sketch, or describe in accurate and vivid detail; to represent pictorially
depraved
marked by evil and corruption, devoid of moral principles
enervate
to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring
esoteric
intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret
fecund
fruitful in offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive
fiat
an arbitrary order or decree; a command or act of will or consciousness
figment
a fabrication of the mind; an arbitrary notion
garner
to acquire as the result of effort; to gather and store away, as for future use
hallow
to set apart as holy or sacred, sanctify, consecrate; to honor greatly, revere
idiosyncrasy
a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
ignominy
shame and disgrace
mundane
earthly, worldly, relating to practical and material affairs; concerned with what is ordinary
nuance
a subtle or slight variation (as in color, meaning, quality), delicate gradation or shade of difference
overweening
conceited, presumptuous; excessive, immoderate
penchant
a strong attraction or inclination
reputed
according to reputation or general belief; having widespread acceptance and good reputation; alleged
sophistry
reasoning that seems plausible but is actually unsound; a fallacy
sumptuous
costly, rich, magnificent
ubiquitous
present or existing everywhere
allege
to assert without proof or confirmation
arrant
thoroughgoing, out-and-out; shameless, blatant
badinage
light and playful conversation
conciliate
to overcome the distrust of, win over; to appease, pacify; to reconcile, make consistent
countermand
to cancel or reverse one order or command with another that is contrary to the first
echelon
one of a series of grades in an organization or field of activity; an organized military unit; a steplike formation or arrangement
exacerbate
to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful
fatuous
stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way
irrefutable
impossible to disprove; beyond argument
juggernaut
a massive and inescapable force or object that crushes whatever is in its path
lackadaisical
lacking spirit or interest, halfhearted
litany
a prayer consisting of short appeals to God recited by the leader alternating with responses from the congregation; any repetitive chant; a long list
macabre
grisly, gruesome; horrible, distressing; having death as a subject
paucity
an inadequate quantity, scarcity, dearth
portend
to indicate beforehand that something is about to happen; to give advance warning of
raze
to tear down, destroy completely; to cut or scrape off or out
recant
to withdraw a statement or belief to which one has previously been committed, renounce, retract
saturate
to soak thoroughly, fill to capacity; to satisfy fully
saturnine
of a gloomy or surly disposition; cold or sluggish in mood
slough
to cast off, discard; to get rid of something objectionable or unnecessary; to plod through as if through mud; a mire; a state of depression
atrophy
n. the wasting away of a body organ or tissue; any progressive decline or failure
v. to waste away
bastion
n. a fortified place, stronghold
concord
n. a state of agreement, harmony, unanimity; a treaty, pact, covenant
consummate
adj. complete or perfect in the highest degree
v. to bring a state of completion or perpection
disarray
n. disorder, confusion
v. to throw into disorder
exigency
n., often pl. urgency, pressure; urgent demand, pressing need; an emergency
flotsam
n. floating debris; homeless, impoverished people
frenetic
adj. frenzied, highly agitated
glean
v. to gather bit by bit; to gather small quantities of grain left in a field by the reapers
grouse
n. a type of game bird; a complaint
v. to complain, grumble
incarcerate
v. to imprison, confine, jail
incumbent
adj. obligatory, required
n. one who holds a specific office at the time spoken
jocular
adj. humorous, jesting, jolly, joking
ludicrous
adj. ridiculous, laughable, absurd
mordant
adj. biting or caustic in thought, manner, or style; sharply or bitterly harsh
nettle
n. a prickly or stinging plant
v. to arouse displeasure, impatience, or anger; to vex or irritate severely
pecuniary
adj. consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money
pusillanimous
adj. contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited
recumbent
adj. in a reclining position, lying down, in the posture of one sleeping or resting
stratagem
n. a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end