| Term | Definition |
|---|
| amiss | improper; defective; faulty |
| antithesis | [a figure of speech] a contradiction that establishes a work's theme |
| auspicious | favorable circumstances |
| avaricious | greedy |
| behoove | to be necessary or proper |
| blase | uninterested because of frequent exposure; nonchalant |
| calumnious | slanderous; defamatory; malicious |
| castellated | like a castle |
| circumvent | to avoid or get around by artful maneuvering |
| cleft | split or divided |
| coalesce | to grow together; to fuse; to unite |
| collateral | property acceptable as security for a loan |
| contrition | sincere remorse for wrongdoing; penitence |
| crystalline | resembling crystal transparent or distinct of structure or outline |
| cynical | suspicious of others' motives; negative and pessimistic; callously selfish |
| dearth | a scarce supply; a lack; a shortage |
| depreciate | to lesson the price for value of; to belittle |
| despotic | possessing and abusing unlimited power |
| desultory | occurring haphazardly; random |
| dire | fraught with danger; nearly hopeless; desperate |
| dominion | sovereignty; a territory of influence or control; a supreme authority |
| droll | amusingly odd; whimsically comical |
| encompass | to enclose or envelope to surround |
| entreat | to ask for earnestly |
| equivocation | [pretty close to a flat-out lie] an intentionally vague or ambiguous statement |
| expostulate | to reason with someone in an effort to dissuade or correct |
| felicity | happiness; bliss |
| filial | pertaining to a son or daughter |
| garish | loud and flashy; gaudy |
| hone | to sharpen on a whetstone; to make perfect or more intense |
| belie | to show to be false; to picture falsely |
| idiom | an expression (or style of expression) peculiar to a given people |
| imminent | threatening or about to happen |
| impeccable | flawless; perfect |
| incantation | a ritual recitation; a charm or spell |
| incarnate | embodied in human form |
| incognito | with one's identity concealed or disguised |
| indiscriminate | un-selective; haphazard; unrestrained |
| inexorable | relentless; inflexible;determined |
| inexplicable | difficult or impossible to explain |
| infuse | to fill or caused to be filled |
| jocund | cheerful and lighthearted in disposition or quality |
| lilting | a cheerful or lively manner of speaking |
| myriad | constituting a large, indefinite number, innumerable |
| nascent | coming into existence; emerging |
| nonchalant | indifferent; careless; coolly unconcerned |
| opaque | impenetrable by light; dense or obscure |
| pall | a cover for a coffin; a gloomy effect or atmosphere |
| pedagogical | academically snobbish |
| perdition | eternal damnation; loss of soul |
| peruse | to read or examine, with great care |
| pervasive | having the ability to spread throughout |
| portentous | full of unspecified significance; ominous |
| precept | a rule of conduct |
| prodigal | wastefully extravagant |
| proficient | having an advanced degree or level of competence |
| provocative | stimulate |
| pulsate | to expand and contract rhythmically; beat |
| qualms | reservations; reluctance |
| quandary | a state of uncertainty or perplexity |
| rapt | deeply absorbed; engrossed |
| reiterate | to repeat; to say again repeatedly |
| requiem | a mass for a dead person |
| rueful | feeling or expressing sorrow or regret for sins or offenses |
| suave | smoothly agreeable and courteous |
| subversive | intending to overthrow or undermine an established government |
| sullen | showing a brooding ill humor; morose or sulky |
| superfluous | beyond what is necessary or sufficient |
| surcease | to bring or come to an end |
| tactual | tactile; relating to the sense of touch |
| transfix | to pierce or impale with a weapon; to render motionless with terror or amazement |
| umbrage | offense or resentment follows the verb to take) |
| usurp | to seize and hold without legal authority |
| voracious | marked by an insatiable appetite; ravenous |
| zephyr | a gentle breeze; a light fabric or garment |
| versatile | capable of doing many things competently; changeable |
| fortitude | strength of mind that allows one to courageously face adversity |
| emissary | an agent sent on a mission to represent the interests of another |
| diatribe | a bitter and abusive verbal attack or criticism |
| demagogue | a leader who obtains power by appealing to the emotions and prejudices of the populace |
| conjure | to produce or influence as if by magic |
| chasten | to chastise for the sake of moral improvement |
| beatific | blissful; saintly |
| apocryphal | of questionable authenticity; erroneous |
| aggregation | the state of being collected |
| accede | to yield or give consent to another's opinion or request; to assume an office |
| acquiesce | to submit or comply silently or without protest |
| acumen | keen insight; shrewdness |
| castigate | to criticize or reprimand severely |
| daunt | to overcome with fear; to intimidate |
| demise | termination of existence or operation |
| denigrate | ) to belittle or disparage; to treat something as having little value or importance |
| enclave | a small, distinct area isolated within a larger one |
| epitaph | a gravestone inscription |
| epithet | a characterizing word or phrase firmly associated with a person or thing; OR, a word, phrase, or expression used to abuse or express contempt |
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