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abate (v.) to make less in amount, degree, etc.; to subside, become less; to nullify; to deduct, omit -- diminish, decrease, subside, let up adulation praise or flattery that is excessive -- adoration, idolization, hero-worship anathema (n.) an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation (often used adjectivally without the article) -- malediction, imprecation, abomination astute shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom -- shrewd, acute, sagacious, judicious, wily avarice a greedy desire, particularly for wealth -- cupidity, rapacity, acquisitiveness culpable deserving blame, worthy of condemnation -- guilty, delinquent, peccant, blameworthy dilatory tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone -- stalling, slow, tardy, laggard egregious conspicuous, standing out from the mass -- glaring, flagrant, blatant equivocate to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous -- to talk out of both sides of one's mouth, palter, hedge evanescent vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy -- ephemeral, transient, transitory irresolute unable to make up one's mind, hesitating -- indecisive, vacillating, wavering nebulous cloudlike, resembling a cloud; cloudy in color, not transparent; vague, confused, indistinct -- hazy, fuzzy, cloudy, vague, murky, opaque, indeterminate novice (n.) one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience (also used adjectivally) -- neophyte, tyro, trainee, apprentice penury extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency -- destitution, want, indigence pretentious done for show, striving to make a big impression; claiming merit or position unjustifiably; making demands on one's skill or abilities, ambitious -- infalted, ostentatious, affected recapitulate (v.) to review a series of facts; to sum up -- review, summarize, sum up, go over resuscitate (v.) to revive, bring back to consciousness or existence -- revitalize, reanimate, restore, reactivate slovenly untidy, dirty, careless -- unkempt, slatternly, slipshod supposition something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence -- assumption, presumption, hypothesis torpid inactive, sluggish, dull -- sluggish, lethargic, otiose, languid