| Term | Definition |
|---|
| ambition | eager or strong desire to achieve something |
| chastise | to criticize severely; punish by beating |
| conspiracy | an agreement to form together an illegal, treacherous or evil act |
| disconsolate | hopelessly sad or gloomy |
| engender | to bring into existence; to give rise to |
| exigent | requiring immediate attention |
| flattery | excessive or insincere praise |
| imminent | about to occur |
| mettle | courage and fortitude; spirit |
| perilous | dangerous; risky |
| prodigious | impressively great in size, force or extent |
| puissant | powerful; mighty |
| tarry | to delay or be late in going or coming |
| treason | violation of allegiance towards one's country or sovereign |
| valiant | courageous; marked by valor |
| whet | to make more keen; to stimulate |
| alight | to settle or stay after descending |
| antebellum | before or existing before the war, especially the American Civil War |
| ashen | extremely pale; drained of color; pallid |
| avert | to turn away or aside; to ward off; prevent |
| cynical | bitterly or sneeringly distrustful, contemptuous, or pessimistic |
| emphatic | forceful; insistent; strongly expressive |
| inclement | sever, rough, or harsh; stormy |
| inflection | modulation of the voice; change in pitch or tone of voice |
| innate | inherent in the essential character of something |
| inquisitor | a questioner, esp. an unduly curious or harsh one |
| olfactory | of, relating to, or contributing to the sense of smell |
| pastoral | pertaining to the country or to life in the country; rural; rustic |
| precedent | any act, decision, or case that serves as a guide or justification for subsequent situations |
| relent | to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more compassionate, or forgiving |
| brusque | abrupt and curt in manner or speech |
| complacent | content to a fault |
| contemptuous | scornful of others |
| derision | contemptuous or jeering laughter; ridicule |
| derogatory | disparaging; belittling |
| despair | to lose all hope |
| disarming | capable of winning favor or confidence; allaying suspicion |
| imperious | arrogantly domineering or overbearing |
| lumber | to walk or move with heavy clumsiness |
| mollify | to calm in temper or feeling |
| morose | sullenly melancholy; gloomy |
| ominous | menacing; threatening |
| pugnacious | combative in nature; belligerent |
| adherent | a person who follows or upholds a leader, cause, etc.; supporter, follower |
| amalgam | a mixture or combination |
| ambivalence | uncertainty or fluctuation, esp. when caused by inability to make a choice |
| chutzpah | audacity; nerve |
| contumacious | stubbornly perverse or rebellious; willfully and obstinately disobedient |
| convivial | friendly; agreeable |
| discernible | distinguishable |
| emasculate | to deprive of strength or vigor; to weaken |
| enigmatic | perplexing; mysterious |
| epiphany | a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something |
| feckless | having no sense of responsibility; indifferent; lazy |
| garrulous | excessively talkative in a rambling, roundabout manner, esp. about trivial matters |
| hauteur | haughty manner or spirit; arrogance |
| hubris | excessive pride or self-confidence; arrogance |
| indelible | incapable of being eliminated, forgotten, changed, or the like |
| inveigle | to acquire, win, or obtain by beguiling talk or methods |
| mercurial | changeable; volatile; fickle; flighty; erratic |
| onerous | burdensome, oppressive, or troublesome; causing hardship |
| perfunctory | performed merely as a routine duty; hasty and superficial |
| rancor | bitter, rankling resentment or ill will; hatred; malice |
| recalcitrant | resisting authority or control; not obedient or complaint |
| sobriquet | a nickname |
| taciturn | inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation |
| terse | neatly or effectively concise; brief and pithy, as language |
| veracity | conformity to truth or fact; accuracy |
| audacious | fearlessly, often recklessly daring; bold |
| avenge | to take vengeance on behalf of |
| beguile | to deceive; to distract the attention of |
| contentious | quarrelsome |
| deity | god or goddess |
| hecatomb | large scale sacrifice or slaughter |
| impertinent | improperly forward |
| indolent | lazy |
| insidious | working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner |
| judicious | having or exhibiting sound judgment; prudent |
| libation | pouring of a liquid offering as a religious ritual |
| pernicious | causing great harm; destructive |
| propitious | presenting favorable circumstances; auspicious |
| requite | return, as for an injury or friendly act |
| stalwart | firm and resolute; stout |
| tenacious | holding together firmly; cohesive |
| transgress | go beyond or over; act in violation of |
| woo | to seek the affection of |
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