105 terms

Terms	Definitions
camaraderie	rapport and goodwill
frangible	fragile; easy to break
litany	any long, repetitive, or dull recital
moratorium	a suspension of activity; an authorized delay
zealous	fervent; fanatical
desiccate	to dry out; to remove moisture
wrenching	causing mental or physical pain
replete	full; abundant
interminable	tiresome and long; seemingly endless
arable	suitable for cultivation of land
lugubrious	mournful; gloomy
truncate	to shorten
ubiquitous	occurring or seeming to occur everywhere; omnipresent
vernacular	everyday language
equanimity	composure; calmness
metamorphosis	a transformation or dramatic change
donnybrook	a fight; an uproar
nonchalant	unconcerned; indifferent
vestige	a trace or evidence of something that once existed
interlocutor	someone who participates in a conversation
procrustean	strictly disregarding individual differences or circumstances
stygian	dark and forbidding
sophistry	a deliberately deceptive or misleading argument
carte blanche	boundless authority; unlimited power to act
incantation	a chant; a recited magical spell
cosmopolitan	worldly; sophisticated
rife	abundant; prevalent
nomenclature	technical names or naming system in an art or science
brigand	a robber or bandit
contemptuous	haughty, scornful
scapegoat	one who bears the blame for others
peremptory	not allowing refusal or delay; imperative
atelier	an artist's or a designer's workshop
axiom	a universal truth; an established rule
dulcet	melodious; pleasing to the ear
usurp	to take over; to seize power
patronizing	treating with condescension; acting superior
iniquity	an evil or wicked act
archaic	no longer current or applicable; antiquated
vacillate	to waver; to sway indecisively
perspicacious	keen; mentally sharp
abstemious	using or consuming sparingly
talisman	a magic charm or superstitious object for protection or luck
expurgate	to remove vulgar or objectionable material
pellucid	transparent; clear
efficacious	effective; producing the desired outcome
catharsis	a release of emotional tension
inundate	to overwhelm; to fill beyond capacity
revere	to regard with respect, aw, or adoration
internecine	mutually destructive
risible	relating to laughter; laughable
sybaritic	marked by luxury or pleasure
crepuscular	pertaining to twilight
kudos	acclaim or praise
estrange	to alienate
intrinsic	of or relating to a thing's basic nature; inherent
maxim	an established principle; a truth or rule of conduct
putrid	rotten and foul smelling
servile	submissive; slavish
apocryphal	of questionable authenticity
consternation	alarming dismay or concern
anomaly	a deviation from the norm; an odd or peculiar occurrence
vitriolic	harsh in tone; bitterly critical
preamble	a preliminary statement; an introduction
coterie	a small group of people who share interests and meet frequently
expiate	to make amends for
compendium	a list or collection of items
comprise	to include or consist of; contain
eidetic	pertaining to extraordinarily detailed and vivid recall
innocuous	harmless
foist	to pass off as genuine or valuable
plethora	an overabundance; excess
flippancy	disrespect
incongruous	incompatible; unsuitable for the situation
disconcert	to frustrate; confuse
sectarian	narrowly confined to a particular group
peregrination	travel by walking
accoutrement	an accessory item of dress or equipment
contrive	to plan cleverly; to devise
hubris	overbearing pride; arrogance
platitude	an obvious remark; a cliche
venerate	to respect or revere
scullion	a servant for menial tasks
quotidian	everyday; commonplace
prognosticate	to predict
antediluvian	extremely old; antiquated
stringent	restrictive; imposing demanding standards
haughty	condescendingly proud; arrogant
sanctimonious	showing false piety or righteousness
imbroglio	a difficult and embarrassing situation
gibberish	nonsense; unintelligible speech
inimical	unfriendly; hostile; injurious
nexus	a link, tie, or bond
coeval	of the same time period
dilatory	tending to delay or procrastinate
convoluted	complicated; intricate
entreat	to earnestly request or petition
anecdote	a short account of an incident
incumbent	obligatory; necessary
churlish	boorish or vulgar
promulgate	to announce; to make known
staid	showing dignity and often strait-laced propriety
livid	extremely angry
lurid	shocking; explicit
cogent	convincing; reasonable

Flickr Creative Commons Images

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• "desiccate" image
• "donnybrook" image
• "stygian" image
• "scapegoat" image
• "perspicacious" image
• "expurgate" image
• "apocryphal" image
• "innocuous" image
• "incongruous" image
• "stringent" image
• "inimical" image
• "convoluted" image
• "incumbent" image
• "promulgate" image

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