| Term | Definition |
|---|
| wiles | (n) skill in outwitting "She used her feminine ___ to get everything she wanted." |
| diverge | (v) to turn aside from a path or course; to move or extend in different directions from a common point; to become or be different in character or form |
| cogent | (adj) smart; (sharp in the sense of intelligence) having power to compel or constrain |
| scheme | (n) a crafty plot; (v) creating a crafty plot |
| dissipate | (v) to cause to spread thin or scatter and gradually vanish; to spend or use up wastefully or foolishly |
| fractious | (adj) tending to be troublesome |
| apostate | (n) one who renounces his/her faith; someone who gives up religion |
| renounce | (v) to give up, refuse, or resign usually by formal declaration ; to refuse to follow, obey, or recognize any further |
| effete | (adj) weak; having lost character, vitality, or strength |
| fetter | (n/v) a chain for the feet; something that constrains or stops one from doing things |
| inveigle | (v) to acquire(get) by trickery, ingenuity, or flattery |
| circuitous | (adj) having a circular course; not being direct in language or action |
| renegade | (n) rebel; a deserter from one faith, cause, or allegiance to another |
| uphold | (v) to give support to; to keep in place |
| lissome | (adj) flexible; nimble, quick, |
| missive | (n) a letter (the kind you send to another person through the post) |
| suffuse | (v) to spread over or through in the manner of fluid or light |
| devious | (adj) tricky/underhanded; wandering; not straightfoward "The Joker in the Batman series is a _____ character." |
| fiat | (n) a command or act of will that creates something without or as if without further effort |
| avow | (v) to declare openly, bluntly, assuredly, and without shame |
| connive | (v) to pretend ignorance of or fail to take action against something one ought to oppose; to be indulgent or in secret sympathy |
| potentate | (n) one who holds great power; a king or other supreme leader |
| saturate | (v) to compltely cover/fill; to fill a solid with a liquid to the point where no more can be absorbed, dissolved, or retained; to cause to combine until there is no further tendency to combine |
| diaphanous | (adj) see-through (a gown, eg) delicate; letting light through "Diana's diaphonous gown showed off her lovely legs." |
| partisan | (n) a firm believer in a cause, (or party, person...); a member of a guerrilla band operating within enemy lines |
| breach | (n/v) infraction or violation of a law, obligation, or physical space |
| dissemble | (v) to hide under a false appearance; to put on the appearance of |
| wayward | (adj) really-super-poorly behaved; following one's own capricious, wanton, or depraved inclinations; following no clear principle or law |
| impasse | (n) a predicament affording no obvious escape; deadlock |
| deprecate | (v) to put down (with words); to express disapproval of; to pray against |
| grandiloquent | (adj) a lofty, extravagantly colorful, pompous, or bombastic style, manner, or quality especially in language |
| estrangement | (n) to arouse especially mutual enmity or indifference in where there had formerly been love, affection, or friendliness |
| constrain | (v) to hold back by force (physical or otherwise) |
| ingenuous | (adj) innocent and showing childlike simplicity; naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated; candid |
| trajectory | (n) a path, progression, or line of development "The ball followe an arching ____ that carried it from Hank Aaron's bat and into the bleachers." |
| posture | (n) the position or bearing of the body whether characteristic or assumed for a special purpose; a conscious mental or outward behavioral attitude |
| chastened | (adj) warned severely |
| cataclysm | (n) a momentous and violent event marked by overwhelming upheaval and demolition; catastrophe |
| embroil | (v) to throw into disorder or confusion |
| dissident | (n) someone who disagrees (dissents) with the prevailing government; |
| remorse | (n) a gnawing distress arising from a sense of guilt for past wrongs |
| accrue | (v) to come about as a natural growth, increase, or advantage; to accumulate or be added periodically |
| recalcitrant | (adj) difficult to manage or operate; obstinately defiant of authority or restraint |
| canard | (n) a lie; a trick used to deceive someone |
| reconcile | (v) to make consistent or congruous; to restore to friendship or harmony |
| inane | (adj) lacking significance, meaning, or point |
| poseur | (n) a person who pretends to be what he or she is not |
| extricate | (v) to free or remove from an entanglement or difficulty |
| pithy | (adj) brief, forceful, and meaningful in expression; full of vigor, substance, or meaning; terse; forcible |
| caucus | (n) a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy |
| chagrin | a feeling of vexation, marked by disappointment or humiliation. |
| foist | (v) to force upon or impose fraudulently or unjustifiably |
| quotidian | (adj) daily; usual or customary; everyday |
| gambit | (n) a tricky way to reach one's goal; any maneuver by which one seeks to gain an advantage. |
| bestow | (v) to give; to present as a gift; to make some use of |
| abstemious | (adj) sparing or moderate in eating and drinking; temperate in diet |
| maneuver | (n) a planned and regulated movement or evolution of troops; (v) to steer |
| replicate | (v) to copy |
| pejorative | (adj) insulting; having a belittling effect or force |
| disciple | (n) one who follows a religious teacher; one who spreads the teachings of a teacher |
| cadge | (v) to beg; to borrow without repaying |
| germane | (adj) relevant; closely or significantly related |
| hedonist | (n) a person who spends her/his life in pursuit of happiness -- seeking only momentary, sensory pleasures |
| validate | (v) to make valid; to give legal purpose; to agree with |
| trenchant | clearly or sharply defined |
| stalemate | (n) to come to a standstill; deadlock |
| emulate | (v) to copy in behavior, style, software... |
| inimical | (adj) unfriendly; hostile |
| rift | fissure; break in friendly relations |
| imbue | (v) to saturate with feelings/ideas/color/moisture |
| pragmatic | (adj) practical; |
| nullity | nothingness; invalidity |
| grovel | (v) to humble oneself or act in an abject manner; to beg |
| evanescent | (adj) vanishing away |
| supplicant | (n) a religious person who prays humbly |
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