| Term | Definition |
|---|
| peremptory | adj. leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal; imperative |
| sycophancy | n. self-seeking or servile flattery |
| demagogy | n. impassioned appeals to the prejudices and emotions of the populace |
| obeisance | n. a movement of the body expressing deep respect or deferential courtesy; deference or homage |
| shibboleth | n. a peculiarity of pronunciation, behavior, mode of dress, etc., that distinguishes a particular class or set of persons |
| quixotic | adj. impulsive and often rashly unpredictable. |
| recalcitrant | adj. resisting authority or control; not obedient or compliant; refractory. |
| peonage | n. the practice of holding persons in servitude or partial slavery, as to work off a debt or to serve a penal sentence. |
| defalcation | n. misappropriation of money or funds held by an official, trustee, or other financial guardian. |
| exigencies | n. the need, demand, or requirement intrinsic to a circumstance, condition, etc.: |
| ascendancy | n. the state of being in the ascendant; governing or controlling influence; domination. |
| acme | n. the highest point; summit; peak. |
| captious | adj. apt to notice and make much of trivial faults or defects; faultfinding; difficult to please. |
| deprecate | v. to express earnest disapproval of. |
| abatement | n. suppression or termination of a nuisance |
| fallacious | adj. deceptive; misleading |
| ambivalence | n. uncertainty; inability to make a choice |
| paradox | n. a self-contradictory and false proposition |
| impunity | n. exemption from punishment |
| benign | adj. showing or expressive of gentleness or kindness |
| rhetoric | n. the ability to use language effectively. |
| sublimate | v. to make nobler or purer |
| impervious | adj. incapable of being influenced, persuaded, or affected |
| exemplify | v. to show or illustrate by example |
| emanate | v. to flow out, issue, or proceed, as from a source or origin |
| complacent | adj. pleased without awareness of some potential danger or defect; self-satisfied |
| assiduous | adj. persevering; industrious; attentive |
| petulant | adj. moved to or showing sudden, impatient irritation |
| venality | n. The condition of being susceptible to bribery or corruption. |
| stanchion | n. an upright bar, beam, post, or support, as in a window, stall, ship, etc. |
| vagrancy | n. mental or physical wandering; conduct of having no visible means of support |
| ludicrous | adj. causing laughter because of absurdity; provoking or deserving ridicule |
| repudiate | v. to reject with disapproval or condemnation; to cast off or disown |
| wanton | adj. deliberate and without motive or provocation; uncalled-for |
| predication | n. act of proclaiming or affirming |
| overt | adj. open to view or knowledge; not concealed or secret |
| covert | adj. concealed; secret; disguised. |
| monolithic | adj. consisting of one piece; solid or unbroken |
| disseminate | v. to scatter or spread widely |
| hegemony | n. leadership or predominant influence exercised by one nation over others, as in a confederation. |
| sanction | v. to authorize, approve, or allow |
| exorbitant | adj. exceeding the bounds of custom, propriety, or reason; highly excessive |
| nullify | v. to render or declare legally void or inoperative |
| spurious | adj. not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. |
| abstemious | adj. characterized by abstinence |
| presage | n. a presentiment or foreboding. |
| asperity | n. hardship; difficulty; rigor |
| breviary | n. a book of daily prayers and readings in some other churches |
| palaver | n. a conference or discussion |
| usury | n. the lending or practice of lending money at an exorbitant interest. |
| aberration | n. the act of deviating from the ordinary, usual, or normal type. |
| chthonic | adj. of or pertaining to the deities, spirits, and other beings dwelling under the earth. |
| flagrant | adj. shockingly noticeable or evident; obvious; glaring |
| dialectical | adj. of or characteristic of a dialect; dialectal |
| perquisite | n. something demanded or due as a particular privilege |
| antithesis | n. opposition; contrast |
| inexorable | adj. unyielding; unalterable |
| functionary | n. a person who functions in a specified capacity, esp. in government service; an official |
| reformatory | adj. serving or designed to reform; n. a penal institution for reforming young offenders |
| retrogression | n. movement backward |
| insurrection | n. an act or instance of rising in revolt, rebellion, or resistance against civil authority or an established government |
| disfranchise | v. to deprive (a person) of a right of citizenship, as of the right to vote. |
| wainscot | n. wood, esp. oak and usually in the form of paneling, for lining interior walls. |
| imperceptible | adj. very slight, gradual, or subtle |
| swathe | v. to wrap, bind, or swaddle with bands of some material; wrap up closely or fully |
| assimilate | v. to be or become absorbed (intransitive) |
| jocular | adj. given to, characterized by, intended for, or suited to joking or jesting |
| sojourn | n. a temporary stay |
| vestibule | n. a passage, hall, or antechamber between the outer door and the interior parts of a house or building. |
| feist | n. a small mongrel dog, esp. one that is ill-tempered; cur; mutt. |
| exhilarate | v. to enliven; invigorate; stimulate |
| synthesis | n. the combining of the constituent elements of separate material or abstract entities into a single or unified entity |
| imbecility | n. an instance or point of weakness; feebleness; incapability. |
| consummate | adj. complete or perfect; supremely skilled; superb |
| gauntleted | adj. wearing a protective glove |
| bridle | v. or n. anything that restrains or curbs |
| volition | n. the act of willing, choosing, or resolving; exercise of willing |
| drone | v. to make a dull, continued, low, monotonous sound |
| disputation | n. the act of disputing or debating; verbal controversy; discussion or debate. |
| aggregation | n. collection into an unorganized whole |
| perfidious | adj. deliberately faithless; treacherous; deceitful |
| bellow | v. to roar; bawl |
| taut | adj. tightly drawn; tense; not slack. |
| gait | n. a manner of walking, stepping, or running. |
| incantatory | adj. characteristic of chanting or uttering of words purporting to have magical power. |
| peal | v. to sound loudly and sonorously |
| helical | adj. pertaining to or having the form of a helix; spiral. |
| vaunted | adj. praised boastfully or excessively |
| vacillate | v. to waver in mind or opinion; be indecisive or irresolute |
| antiphonal | adj. responsive to a musical utterance |
| blight | v. to cause to wither or decay; blast |
| nebulous | adj. hazy, vague, indistinct, or confused |
| defunct | adj. no longer in effect or use; not operating or functioning |
| quaver | v. to sound, speak, or sing tremulously |
| vesper | n. a religious service in the late afternoon or the evening. |
| doleful | adj. sorrowful; mournful; melancholy |
| injunction | n. a command; order; admonition |
| extol | v. To praise highly; exalt |
| clamber | v. to climb, using both feet and hands; climb with effort or difficulty. |
| strident | adj. having a shrill, irritating quality or character |
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