| abstract | (adj) general; not concrete |
| aesthetic | (adj) having to do with the appreciation of beauty |
| alleviate | (v) to ease a pain or a burden |
| ambivalent | (adj) simultaneously feeling opposing feelings; uncertain |
| apathetic | (adj) feeling or showing little emotion |
| auspicious | (adj) favorable; promising |
| benevolent | (adj) well-meaning; generous |
| candor | (adj) sincerity; openness |
| cogent | (adj) convincing; reasonable |
| comprehensive | (adj) large in scope or content |
| contemporary | (adj) current, modern; from the same time |
| conviction | (n) a fixed or strong belief |
| diligent | (adj) marked by painstaking effort; hard-working |
| dubious | (adj) doubtful; of unlikely authenticity |
| eclectic | (adj) made up of a variety of sources or styles |
| egregious | (adj) conspicuously offensive; blatantly bad to an extreme degree |
| exculpate | (v) to free from guilt or blame |
| florid | (adj) describing flowery or elaborate speech |
| gratuitous | (adj) given freely; unearned; unwarranted |
| hackneyed | (adj) worn-out through overuse; trite |
| idealize | (v) to consider perfect |
| impartial | (adj) not in favor of one side or the other; unbiased |
| imperious | (adj) arrogantly domineering or overbearing |
| inherent | (adj) inborn; built-in |
| innovative | (adj) introducing something new |
| inveterate | (adj) long established; deep-rooted; habitual |
| laudatory | (adj) giving praise |
| maverick | (n) one who resists adherence to a group |
| mollify | (v) to calm or soothe |
| novel | (adj) strikingly new or unusual |
| obdurate | (adj) stubborn; hardened against feeling or emotional appeal |
| objectivity | (n) treating facts uninfluenced by emotion |
| obstinate | (adj) stubbornly adhering to an opinion |
| ornate | (adj) elaborately decorated |
| ostentatious | (adj) describing a pretentious display |
| paramount | (adj) of chief concern or importance |
| penitent | (adj) expressing remorse for one's misdeeds |
| pervasive | (adj) dispersed throughout |
| plausible | (adj) seemingly valid or acceptable; credible |
| profound | (adj) having great depth or seriousness |
| prosaic | (adj) unimaginative; dull |
| quandary | (n) a state of uncertainty or perplexity |
| rancorous | (adj) hateful; marked by deep-seated ill will |
| spurious | (adj) not genuine; false; counterfeit |
| stoic | (adj) indifferent to pleasure or pain; impassive |
| superfluous | (adj) extra; unnecessary |
| tenuous | (adj) having little substance or strength; unsure; weak |
| timorous | (adj) timid; fearful about the future |
| transitory | (adj) short-lived; temporary |
| vindicated | (v) freed from blame |
| adulation | (n) high praise; laudatory remarks |
| adversity | (n) misfortune; an unfavorable turn of events |
| amicable | (adj) friendly; agreeable |
| assiduous | (adj) persistent; hard-working |
| censure | (v) to criticize harshly |
| circuitous | (adj) indirect; taking the longest route |
| clairvoyant | (adj) able to foresee the future (can be used to refer to someone exceptionally insightful, but not necessarily a literal fortune teller) |
| conformist | (n) person who complies with accepted rules and customs |
| congregation | (n) a crowd of people; an assembly |
| convergence | (n) the state of separate elements joining or coming together |
| demagogue | (n) leader; rabble-rouser; usually appealing to emotion or prejudice |
| digression | (n) straying from the main point, esp. in a speech or argument |
| divergent | (adj) separating; moving in different directions from a particular point |
| empathy | (n) identification with the feelings of others |
| emulate | (v) to imitate; follow an example |
| enervating | (adj) weakening; tiring |
| ephemeral | (adj) momentary; transient; fleeting |
| evanescent | (adj) quickly fading; short-lived, esp. an image |
| exemplary | (adj) outstanding; an example to others |
| extenuating | (adj) excusing; lessening the seriousness of guilt or crime; of mitigating factors |
| fortuitous | (adj) happening by luck; fortunate |
| frugal | (adj) thrifty; cheap |
| hedonist | (n) person who pursues pleasure as a goal |
| impetuous | (adj) rash; impulsive; acting without thinking |
| impute | (v) to attribute an action to particular person or group |
| incompatible | (adj) opposed in nature; not able to live or work together |
| inconsequential | (adj) unimportant; trivial |
| inevitable | (adj) certain; unavoidable |
| integrity | (n) decency; honesty; wholeness |
| intrepid | (adj) fearless; adventurous |
| intuitive | (adj) instinctive; untaught |
| jubilation | (n) joy; celebration; exultation |
| longevity | (n) long life |
| mundane | (adj) ordinary; commonplace |
| nonchalant | (adj) calm; casual; seeming unexcited |
| novice | (n) apprentice; beginner |
| opulent | (adj) wealthy |
| parched | (adj) dried up; shriveled |
| perfidious | (adj) faithless; disloyal; untrustworthy |
| precocious | (adj) unusually advanced or talented at an early age |
| pretentious | (adj) pretending to be important, intelligent or cultured |
| procrastinate | (v) to unnecessarily delay, postpone, put off |
| prosperity | (n) wealth or success |
| provocative | (adj) tending to provoke a response like anger or disagreement |
| prudent | (adj) careful; cautious |
| querulous | (adj) complaining; irritable |
| renovation | (n) repair; making something new again |
| resilient | (adj) quick to recover |
| ruminate | (v) to think about carefully; to ponder over; to meditate |
| spontaneity | (n) impulsive action; unplanned events |