| Term | Definition |
|---|
| serrated | adj.; Saw-toothed, notched |
| detrimental | adj.; Harmful. |
| sagacious | adj.; Showing wise judgment. |
| accolade | n.; High praise, honor |
| propound | v.; To propose, to present |
| ebullient | adj.; Bubbling over with high spirits |
| exculpate | v.; To clear from insinuated charge or fault, to free from blame or guilt |
| deferential | adj.; Showing polite respect, appropriate consideration, courteous regard |
| retrospect | n.; A looking back to the past |
| guile | n.; Treacherous cunning, deceitful or crafty talk or conduct |
| guileless | adj.; Innocent, naive, incapable of deceit. |
| divulge | v.; To reveal |
| aspiring | adj.; Ambitious, seeking, longing for |
| enigma | n.; A riddle, puzzle, something very difficult to understand |
| sparse | adj.; Thinly scattered, not dense |
| mercenary | n.; "Gun for hire", a soldier who fights for monetary gain instead of patriotism |
| innuendo | n.; An insinuation |
| symmetry | n.; Proportion, harmony, balance |
| vivid | adj.; clear, inescapable |
| connoisseur | n.; Authority, expert, gourmet |
| penitence | n.; Remorse, the showing or feeling of regret that one has done wrong |
| didactic | adj.; Given to instruction, "preachy" or "teachy" |
| apathy | n.; Lack of interest or concern, indifference |
| vestige | n.; Remnant, a trace of something that disappeared |
| accentuate | v.; To emphasize, to make more noticeable |
| espouse | v.; To give support, to advocate; to take a spouse |
| omnipotent | adj.; All seeing, all knowing, all powerful, mighty |
| indolence | n.; Idleness, laziness |
| elated | adj.; Feeling very pleased or proud, joyful. |
| congeal | v.; To thicken, to jell, to coagulate. |
| misconstrue | To misinterpret, to misunderstand |
| jaundiced | adj.; Envious, begrudging, intolerant, unfair, bigoted. |
| hypotheses | n.; (pl.) Educated guesses, a supposition put forward to account for certain facts and used as a basis for further investigation by which it may be proven or disproved. |
| extrinsic | adj.; External, originating from outside, not belonging to the basic nature of a person or thing. |
| bemoan | v.; To lament, to complain (not as strong as "grieve"). |
| credulous | adj.; Gullible |
| discretion | n.; Good judgment, freedom to act according to one's own judgment |
| skeptic | n.; "Doubting Thomas", disbeliever, cynic |
| ossify | v.; To change into bone; to harden |
| amass | v.; To heap up, to collect |
| dilettante | n.; Dabbler, dallier, amateur (French) |
| deride | v.; To laugh at scornfully, to ridicule. |
| condescension | n.; Patronizing manner or behavior |
| parry | v.; To block the thrust |
| repudiate | v.; To reject or disown utterly, to deny totally |
| evade | v.; To avoid giving a direct answer |
| insatiable | adj.; Unquenchable, unappeasable |
| philanthropist | n.; One who is charitable, a humanitarian. |
| hypochondriac | n.; One who is obsessed with his physical maladies |
| risque | adj.; Slightly improper, suggestive, daring (French). |
| caricature | n.; Satirical cartoon or picture |
| innovative | adj.; new methods, new approaches |
| laconic | adj.; Concise, terse, to the point, pithy |
| incessant | adj.; Unceasing, continually repeated |
| intermittent | adj.; Occurring at intervals, not continuous |
| malicious | adj.; Desiring to cause harm, spiteful |
| inkling | n.; Hint, suggestion |
| abridge | v.; To deprive of |
| circumvent | v.; To find a way around |
| teeming | adj.; full to overflowing |
| acumen | n.; Quickness and keenness of judgment or insight |
| petulant | adj.; Peevish, irritable over petty annoyances. |
| indulge | v.; To give into your own desires (or of others) |
| tenacious | adj.; Holding firm [a tenacious grip], retaining well [a tenacious memory], cohesive, adhesive, persistent, stubborn |
| mundane | adj.; Worldly, everyday, ordinary |
| raucous | adj.; Hoarse, rough sounding |
| standoffish | adj.; Aloof, remote, unapproachable, unsociable; cool (to an idea) |
| dubious | adj.; Doubtful [a dubious character] [a dubious remark]. |
| transcendent | adj.; Surpassing, excelling [a transcendent experience], Theol. existing apart from the material universe: said of God |
| pretentious | adj.; Affectedly grand, acting superior, ostentatious |
| despondent | adj.; Dejected, hopeless |
| autonomy | n.; Self-government, independence. |
| chicanery | n.; deception by trickery or sophistry. |
| epiphany | n.; a revelation, a sudden recognition of the essence or meaning of something |
| apocryphal | adj.; Of doubtful authorship or authenticity, fictitious. |
| overt | adj.; Not hidden, open, observable, apparent. |
| gauche | adj.; lacking grace or social polish, awkward, tactless. |
| propriety | n.; Conformity with accepted standards or proper manners or behavior, decorum. |
| recalcitrant | adj.; Refusing to obey authority, custom, regulation, stubbornly defiant, unruly. |
| stringent | adj.; Strict, rigidly controlled, severe |
| instigate | v.; To urge on, to incite to action (develop an evil action). |
| kowtow | v.; To show servile deference. |
| pugnacious | adj.; Ready to fight, belligerent, combative. |
| dour | adj.; sullen, gloomy, forbidding. |
| fallacy | n.; An error in logical judgement. |
| sanctioned | adj.; Approved. |
| verify | v.; To confirm |
| rectify | v.; To correct, to amend. |
| akin | adj.; Similar or closely related to. |
| mandate | n.; An authority's written (usually) order or command. |
| surreptitious | adj.; Clandestine, stealthy, secretive. |
| rescind | v.; To abolish, to revoke, to repeal, to cancel. |
| eminence | n.; Superiority in rank, position, character, achievement, greatness, celebrity. |
| precipitate | v.; To hasten, to bring on, to expedite. |
| protract | v.; To prolong, to draw out, to lengthen, to extend. |
| capricious | adj.; Erratic, inconstant, flighty. |
| discerning | adj.; Astute, having good taste and good judgment. |
| immutable | adj.; Unchanging. |
| infamous | adj.; Famous in a bad way. |
| annihilate | v.; To destroy completely, to demolish |
| disheveled | adj.; Untidy, mussed up, disorderly. |
| affected | adj.; "Putting on airs," behaving in an artificial way to impress people |
| subsidize | v.; To assist or support financially. |
| subjugate | v.; To bring under control, to conquer, to subdue |
| temerity | n.; Foolish or rash boldness, recklessness, audacity, effrontery, nerve, gall. |
| charlatan | n.; fake, quack, fraud, someone who misrepresents him/herself |
| bellicose | adj.; Warlike or hostile in manner or temperament |
| bedlam | n.; Any place filled with confusion and noise. |
| pedestrian | adj.; Lacking interest or imagination, mundane. |
| deter | v.; To prevent through fear or anxiety |
| civility | n.; Politeness |
| hubris | n.; (Ancient definition) Excessive pride (or passion) (in the face of undeserved prosperity), insolence, impertinence. |
| wanton | adj.; Unmanageable [a wanton child]; deliberately malicious [wanton cruelty]. |
| pseudonym | n.; Pen name (a fictitious name usually taken by an author.) |
| propitious | adj.; Favorable |
| devastating | adj.; Overwhelming |
| priority | n.; Order of importance |
| assail | v.; To attack mentally or emotionally |
| sporadic | adj.; Intermittent |
| allegation | n.; An assertion without proof |
| brazen | adj.; Showing no shame, impudent, bold |
| partisan | n.; An unreasoning emotional follower |
| manifest | adj.; Evident (in a political or spiritual sense – not physical.) |
| usurp | v.; To seize and hold (the power or rights of another) by force and without legal authority. |
| culminate | v.; To reach its highest point or result. |
| compensate | v.; To make up for, to pay for. |
| arcane | adj.; Esoteric, understood only by a select few |
| consensus | n.; General agreement(especially in opinion) |
| homage | n.; Allegiance, honor |
| besmirch | v.; To bring dishonor or sully. |
| empathy | n.; The ability to share in another's emotions and feelings |
| exonerate | v.; To absolve, to declare free from guilt, to exculpate |
| meticulous | adj.; Finicky, extremely careful about details |
| impose | v.; To place a burden on by an authority. |
| ascertain | v.; To find out, to determine, to learn, to discover. |
| rampant | adj.; Spreading everywhere, like a vine – widespread |
| rejuvenate | v.; To make seem young or new again. |
| conjecture | n.; Guess. |
| specter | n.; Any object of fear or dread. |
| impasse | n.; Deadlock, difficulty without solution or an argument where no agreement is possible. |
| ominous | adj.; Foreboding, threatening, sinister; portentous, fateful |
| traipse | v.; To walk or stroll affectedly, to sashay nemesis n. Rival, enemy, opponent |
| disgruntled | adj.; Bad-tempered, discontented, grumpy. |
| harbinger | n.; Forerunner, herald, omen |
| compel | v.; To coerce, to force. |
| incognito | adv or adj.; With one's identity concealed or hidden |
| ignominious | adj.; Dishonorable, shameful, infamous, scandalous |
| pensive | adj.; Reflective, deeply thoughtful, attentive |
| simulate | v.; To imitate, to copy, to counterfeit |
| disseminate | v.; To scatter, spread or broadcast. |
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