| Term | Definition |
|---|
| apocryphal | adj -of questionable authorship or authenticity (apocryphal rumors). |
| foment | v-to promote the growth of; to incite; to stimulate or provoke. Negative connotation. |
| protean | adj -readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings; exhibiting considerable variety or diversity (protean skill). Like Mystique from X-Men, or a person who is very skilled at many different things. |
| inimitable | adj -defying imitation; matchless; unique; incomparable. |
| belie | v -to picture falsely; misrepresent; to be counter to; to contradict. Belie the argument. |
| expiate | v - (tr./intr.) to make amends or reparation for; to atone (expiate one's sins by acts of penance). |
| paroxysm | n-a sudden outburst of emotion or action (a paroxysm of laughter); a sudden attack or intensification of a disease; a spasm or fit; a convulsion. |
| promulgate | v-to make known (a decree) by public declaration; to announce officially; to put into effect by former public announcement. |
| philander | v-to carry on a sexual affair or many affairs, esp. with a frivolous or casual attitude (philanderer-n). |
| incur | v-to acquire or come into (something usually undesirable); to sustain; to bring upon oneself. |
| exhume | v-to remove from a grave; disinter; to bring to light, especially after a period of obscurity; to unearth (exhumation-n). |
| vituperative | adj-using, containing, or marked by harshly abusive censure. |
| vituperate | v-(tr.) to rebuke or criticize harshly or abusively; berate; scold; (intr.) to use harshly abusive language; to rail. |
| treatise | n-a systematic, usually extensive, written discourse on a topic. Such as Raskolnikov's article on the two types of people. |
| ungainly | adj-lacking grace or ease of movement or form; clumsy; difficult to move or use; unwieldy. Like a dancer. |
| nominal | adj-of, resembling, relating to, or consisting of a name or names; existing in name only; titular; insignificantly small; trifling. A nominal amount does not matter. Being the student body president is usually nominal. |
| pillory | n-a wooden framework on a post, with holes for the head and hands, in which offenders were formerly locked to be exposed to public scorn as punishment. v-to ridicule and abuse; to put in a pillory as punishment. |
| cull | v-to pick out from others; to select; to gather or collect; to remove rejected members or parts from (a herd). n-something picked out from others, especially because of inferiority. |
| fodder | n-feed for livestock, especially material, as for artistic creation; a consumable, often inferior item or resource that is in demand and usually in abundant supply. |
| aplomb | n-self-confident assurance; composure; ease. |
| disingenuous | adj-not straightforward or candid; insincere; hypocritical. |
| invidious | adj-tending to rouse ill will, animosity, or resentment (invidious accusations); discriminatory; odious. |
| cataclysm | n-a violent upheaval that causes great destruction or brings about a fundamental change, a devastating flood (cataclysmic-adj). |
| masochist | n-the turning of destructive tendencies upon oneself; the willingness to subject oneself to unpleasant or trying experiences (masochist-n, masochistic-adj). |
| consortium | n-an association or combination, as of business, in order to engage in a joint venture; a cooperative arrangement among groups or institutions. |
| emissary | n-an agent sent on a mission to represent or advance the interests of another. |
| harrowing | adj-extremely distressing; disturbing; tormenting; vexing. |
| nihilism | adj-an extreme form of skepticism that holds that or rejects all moral or religious values as baseless and that nothing can be known or communicated; the belief that destruction of existing political and social institutions is necessary for future improvement (nihilistic-adj). |
| retinue | n-the retainers accompanying a high-ranking person; entourage. |
| quotidian | adj-everyday; commonplace; recurring daily; on a daily basis. |
| brio | n-vigor; vivacity; liveliness; exuberance. |
| secular | adj-worldly rather than spiritual; not bound by monastic restrictions, especially not belonging to a religious order; material. |
| fete | n-a festival or feast; an elaborate, often outdoor entertainment; gala; jamboree. v-to celebrate or honor with a festival, feast, or an elaborate entertainment; to pay honor to. |
| reprieve | v-to postpone or cancel the punishment of; to bring relief to. n-postponement or cancellation of a punishment; temporary relief, as from danger. |
| schmaltz | n-excessively sentimental art or music; maudlin sentimentality (schmaltzy-adj). |
| fetid | adj-having an offensive odor; putrid; squalid; decaying. |
| unseemly | adj-not in accord with accepted standards of good taste; grossly improper; not suited to the circumstances; inappropriate. |
| dither | n-a state of indecisive agitation. v-to be nervously irresolute in acting or doing (dithering-adj). |
| restive | adj-uneasily impatient under restriction, opposition, criticism, or delay; resisting control; refusing to move. The crowd grew restive. |
| queue | n-a line of waiting people or vehicles; a long braid of hair worn hanging down the back of the neck; a pigtail. |
| rube | n-an unsophisticated country person. |
| cogent | adj-appealing to the intellect or powers of reasoning; convincing; persuasive; influential (a cogent argument) (cogency-n). |
| cognition | n-the mental process of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment; that which comes to be known, through perception, reasoning, or intuition, knowledge. |
| cognitive | adj-having a basis in or reducible to empirical factual knowledge. |
| ineffable | adj-defying expression or description; indescribable; inexpressible, unspeakable, indefinable (an ineffable quality). |
| consummate | v-to bring to completion or fruition; to conclude; to fulfill. -Adj-complete or perfect in every aspect; supremely accomplished or skilled (a consummate politician). |
| inveigh | v-(against) to give vent to angry disapproval; to protest vehemently. |
| nadir | n-in astronomy, a point on the celestial scale directly below the observer, diametrically opposite the zenith; the lowest point. The very bottom. |
| sumptuous | adj-of a size or splendor suggesting great expense; lavish; luxurious; extravagant; opulent; plush. |
| arbiter | n-one chosen to judge or decide a disputed issue; an arbitrator; one who has the power to judge or ordain a will. |
| crony | n-a longtime close friend or companion. Has a negative connotation. |
| cronyism | n-favoritism shown to old friends without regard for their qualifications, as in political appointments to office. |
| promenade | n-a leisurely walk, especially one taken in a public place; a formal dance; a ball. v-to go on a leisurely walk. |
| posthumous | adj-occurring or continuing after one's death; published after a writer's death. |
| behoove | v-to be necessary or proper for (it behooves you to try). |
| graft | n-unscrupulous use of one's position for profit or advantages; extortion; money or an advantage gained by unscrupulous means. v-to join or unite closely (as in a plant, a transplant, or a custom). |
| venerate | v-to regard with respect, reverence, or heartfelt deference; to honor or idolize (veneration-n). |
| venerable | adj-commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position, worthy of reverence, especially by religious or historical association. |
| unctuous | adj-characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness; having the quality or characteristics of oil; slippery. |
| obdurate | adj-hardened in wrongdoing or wickedness; stubbornly impenitent; hardened against feeling; hardhearted; not giving in to persuasion; intractable; inflexible (an obdurate miser). |
| alcove | n-a recess or portly enclosed extension connected to or forming part of a room; a secluded structure, such as a bower, in a garden. A Gazebo. |
| baleful | adj-portending evil; ominous; harmful or malignant in intent or effect; that which is menacing or foreshadows evil; sinister (a baleful look). |
| placard | n-a sign or notice for display in a public place; a small cord or plaque, such as a nameplate on a door. |
| oblique | adj-having a slanting or sloping direction, course, or position; indirect or evasive; devious, misleading, or dishonest. |
| interloper | n-one who interferes with the affairs of others, often for selfish reasons; a meddler; one who intrudes in a place, situation, or activity. |
| amorphous | adj-lacking definite form; shapeless; of no particular type; anomalous; lacking organization; formless. |
| attrition | n-a rubbing away or wearing down by friction; a gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through retirement, resignation, or death. |
| roil | v-to make (a liquid) muddy or cloudy by stirring up sediment; to displease or disturb; to vex; to agitate. |
| prurient | adj-inordinately interested in matters of sex; lascivious; abusing or appealing to an inordinate interest in sex (prurience- n). |
| mete out | v-to distribute by or as if by measure; allot (mete out punishment). |
| epigram | n-a short, witty poem expressing a single thought or observation; a concise, clever, often paradoxical statement. |
| inception | n-the beginning of something, such as an undertaking; a commencement. |
| parse | v-to examine closely or subject to detailed analysis, especially by breaking into components; to make sense of; to comprehend. |
| recompense | v-to award compensation to; to remunerate. n-amends made for a loss; payment in return for something; remuneration; compensation. |
| proprietor | n-one who had legal title to something; an owner; manager. |
| proprietary | adj-exclusively owned; private. |
| effrontery | n-brazen boldness; presumptuousness; impudence. |
| fatuous | adj-vacuously, smugly, and unconsciously foolish; delusive; inane; unreal; absurd. |
| natty | adj-neat, trim, and smart; dapper (a natty dresser). |
| slattern | n-an untidy, dirty woman. |
| slatterny | adj-characteristic of or befitting a slattern; slovenly; untidy. |
| crass | adj-so crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility; inane; asinine. |
| tractable | adj-easily managed or controlled; governable; easily handled or worked; malleable. |
| intractable | adj-difficult to manage or govern; stubborn; unruly; difficult to mold or manipulate. |
| accost | v-to approach and speak to boldly or aggressively, as with a demand; to confront or detain. |
| voluble | adj-marked by a ready flow of speech; fluent. |
| obrogate | v-to abolish; do away with, or annul, especially by authority. |
| threshold | n-a piece of wood or stone beneath a door; a doorway; entrance; the place or point of beginning; the outset; the point that must be exceeding to begin producing a given effect or result to elicit a response. |
| parlay | v--to bet (an original wager and its winnings) on a subsequent event; to maneuver (an asset) to great advantage (He parlayed his small investment into a large fortune). |
| Fissure | n- a long, narrow opening; a crack or cleft; the process of splitting or separating; a division; a schism |
| Messianic | adj- of or relating to a messiah or savior |
| Repudiate | v- to reject the validity or authority of; to eject strongly as false or unjust; to refuse to recognize or pay; to disown (as a child) |
| Requisite | adj- required; essential -n- something that is indispensable; a requirement |
| Catatonia | n- an abnormal condition variously characterized by stupor, mania, and either extreme rigidity or extreme flexibility of the limbs |
| Catatonic | adj- |
| Chagrin | n- a keen feeling of mental unease caused by disappointment or failure; mortification; vexation |
| Rapprochement [ raga-prosh-man] | n- a reestablishing of cordial relations, as between two countries; the state of reconciliation |
| Untoward | adj- not favorable; unpropitious; troublesome; adverse (an untoward incident); hard to guide or control; unruly; improper; unseemly (untoward advances) |
| Ineluctable | adj- not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable |
| Vis-à-vis [vee-ze-vee] | prep- face to face with; opposite to; compared with; in relation to |
| Macabre | adj- suggesting the horror of death and decay; gruesome |
| Raconteur | n- one who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit |
| Pontificate | v- (intr) to express opinions or judgments in a dogmatic way |
| Apotheosis | n- exaltation of divine rank or stature; deification; elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification, an exalted or glorified example (the |
| Florid | adj- flushed with rosy color; ruddy; very ornate; flowery; healthy; baroque; extravagant (doesn't directly describe a person) |
| Dilatory | adj- intended to delay; tending to postpone or lacking promptness due to procrastination or indifference (dilatory in his work habits) |
| Mollify | v- to calm in temper or feeling; soothe; pacify; to lessen in intensity; to reduce the rigidity of; soften |
| Emollient | adj- softening and soothing, especially to the skin, making less harsh or abrasive; mollifying |
| Salutary | adj- effecting or designed to effect an improvement; remedial; favorable to health; wholesome |
| Inveigle | v- to win over by coaxing, flattery, or artful talk; to obtain by cajolery |
| Verbatim | adj- using exactly the same words, corresponding word by word |
| Portend | v- to serve as an omen or warning of; presage (black clouds that portend a storm) to indicate by prediction, to forecast (economic indicators that portend a recession) |
| Portentous | adj- foreboding; full of unspecificable significance, exciting wonder and awe; marked by pompousness; pretentious weighty |
| Milk | v- to press out, to drain off, or remove by as if by milking; to obtain money or benefits from in order to achieve personal gain; exploit |
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