| substantiate | provide evidence to support or prove the truth of |
| gratuitous | uncalled for, unwarranted; lacking good reason; done free of charge |
| guile | sly or cunning intelligence; guileless - innocent and without deception |
| visceral | related to deep inner feelings rather than intellect |
| milieu | social setting |
| temerity | excessive confidence or boldness |
| sardonic | grimly mocking or cynical |
| inexorable | impossible to stop or prevent |
| atavistic | relating to or characterized by reversion to something ancient or ancestral |
| insouciance | casual lack of concern; indifference |
| inimical | tending to obstruct or harm |
| opine | hold and state as one’s opinion |
| recalcitrant | having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline |
| quixotic | exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical |
| pedantic | of or like a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning |
| idiosyncrasy | a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual; a distinctive or peculiar feature or characteristic of a place or thing |
| epoch | a period of time in history or in a person’s life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics |
| avail | use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource) |
| polity | an organized society; a state as a political entity |
| contingency | a future event or circumstance that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty; a provision for such events; absence of uncertainty in events |
| indemnify | compensate (someone) for harm or loss |
| parity | the state or condition of being equal, esp. regarding status or pay |
| ignominious | deserving or causing public disgrace or shame |
| disingenuous | not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does |
| paradigm | a typical example or pattern of something; a model; a worldview underlying the theories and methodology of a particular scientific subject |
| paradox | a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory; something that combines contradictory features or qualities |
| plenary | unqualified; absolute |
| bastion | an institution, place, or person strongly defending or upholding particular principles, attitudes, or activities |
| pedagogic | of or relating to teaching |
| probative | affording proof or evidence |
| approbation | approval |
| junta | a military or political group that rules a country after taking power by force |
| sua sponte | of one’s own accord |
| immaculate conception | something without sin or ulterior motives |
| cadre | a small group of people specially trained for a particular purpose or profession |
| specious | superficially possible, but actually wrong |
| a posteriori | relating to or denoting reasoning or knowledge that proceeds from observations or experiences to the deduction of probable causes |
| expedient | convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral |
| inexorable | impossible to stop or prevent |
| polemical | or or relating to, or involving strongly critical, controversial, or disputatious writing or speech |
| canvass | ascertain |
| abstraction | the quality of dealing with ideas rather than events |
| pejorative | expressing contempt or disapproval |
| desultory | lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; unfocused; occurring randomly or occasionally |
| gregarious | (of a person) fond of company; sociable |
| misanthrope | a person who dislikes humankind and avoids human society |
| lacustrine | of, relating to, or associated with lakes |
| parity | the state or condition of being equal, esp. regarding status or pay |
| perfunctory | (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflection |
| innominate | not named or classified |
| epithet | an adjective or descriptive phrase expressing a quality characteristic of the person or thing mentioned |
| extant | (esp. of a document) still in existence; surviving |
| pejorative | expressing contempt or disapproval |
| augury | a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen |
| privation | a state in which things that are essential for human well-being such as food and warmth are scarce or lacking |
| halcyon | denoting a period of time in the past that was idyllically happy and peaceful |
| idyll | an extremely happy, peaceful, or picturesque episode or scene, typically an idealized or unsustainable one |
| unmitigated | absolute; unqualified |
| sacrosanct | (esp. of a principle, place, or routine) regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with |
| coup de grâs | a final blow or shot given to kill a wounded person or animal |
| obtuse | annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand |
| aggregate | a whole formed by combining several (typically disparate) elements |
| disparate | essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison |
| quotidian | of or occurring every day; daily; ordinary or everyday, esp. when mundane |
| congener | a thing or person of the same kind or category as another |
| beguile | charm or enchant (someone), sometimes in a deceptive way |
| aphorism | a pithy observation that contains a general truth, such as, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” |
| pithy | (of language or style) concise and forcefully expressive |
| incipient | in an initial stage; beginning to happen or develop |
| innocuous | not harmful or offensive |
| piquant | pleasantly stimulating or exciting to the mind |
| recidivism | a tendency to lapse into a previous condition or pattern of behavior, esp. a falling back or relapse into prior criminal habits |
| duplicitous | deceitful; Law (of a charge or plea) containing more than one allegation |
| congenital | (esp. of a disease or physical abnormality) present from birth |
| syncretism | the amalgamation or attempted amalgamation of different religions, cultures, or schools of thought |
| atrophy | (of body tissue or an organ) waste away, typically due to the degeneration of cells, or become vestigial during evolution; figurative gradually decline in effectiveness or vigor due to underuse or neglect |
| sanctimonious | derogatory making a show of being morally superior to other people |
| prurient | having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters |
| sally | make a military sortie |
| copasetic (copacetic) | informal in excellent order; fine |
| embolize | to lodge in and obstruct (as a blood vessel or organ) |
| parlance | a particular way or speaking or using words, esp. a way common to those with a particular job or interest |
| indubitable | impossible to doubt; unquestionable |
| assuage | make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense |
| primeval (primaeval) | of or resembling the earliest ages in the history of the world |
| solipsism | the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist |
| mitigate | make less severe, serious, or painful |
| behoove | formal it is a duty or responsibility for someone to do something; it is incumbent on; [with negative] it is appropriate or suitable; it befits |
| incumbent | [on, upon] necessary for (someone) as a duty or responsibility; (of an official or regime) currently holding office |
| deductive | characterized by the inference of particular instances from a general law |
| inductive | characterized by the inference of general laws from particular instances |
| rhapsody | an effusively enthusiastic or ecstatic expression of feeling |
| libertine | a person, esp. a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, esp. in sexual matters |
| specious | superficially plausible, but actually wrong; misleading in appearance, esp. misleadingly attractive |
| evince | reveal the presence of (a quality or feeling); be evidence of; indicate |
| anodyne | not likely to provoke dissent or offense; uncontentious or inoffensive, often deliberately so |
| encomium | a speech or piece of writing that praises someone or something highly |
| abnegate | renounce or reject (something desired or valuable) |
| reticent | note revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily |
| unremitting | never relaxing or slackening; incessant |
| opprobrium | harsh criticism or censure |
| perspicacious | having a ready insight into and understanding of things |
| caveat | a warning or proviso of specific stipulations, conditions, or limitations |
| patina | figurative an impression or appearance of something |
| perfervid | intense and impassioned |
| aberration | a departure from what is normal, usual, or expected, typically one that is unwelcome |
| reprehensible | deserving censure or condemnation |
| pathos | a quality that evokes pity or sadness |
| watershed | an event or period marking a turning point in a course of action or state of affairs |
| avarice | extreme greed for wealth or material gain |
| pervasive | (esp. of an unwelcome influence or physical effect) spreading widely throughout an area or a group of people |
| attrition | the action or process of gradually reducing the strength or effectiveness of someone or something through sustained attack or pressure |
| fealty | a feudal tenant’s or vassal’s sworn loyalty to a lord |
| iniquity | immoral or grossly unfair behavior |
| perdition | (in Christian theology) a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unpenitent person passes after death |
| mawkish | sentimental in a feeble or sickly way |
| precept | a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought |
| prescient | having or showing knowledge of events before they take place |
| myopia | lack of imagination, foresight, or intellectual insight; nearsightedness |
| solipsism | the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist |
| denouement | the final part of a play, movie, or narrative in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved; the climax of a chain of events, usually when something is decided or made clear |
| gregarious | (of a person) fond of company; sociable |
| idiosyncrasy | a mode of behavior of way of thought peculiar to an individual |
| contravene | violate the prohibition or order of (a law, treaty, or code of conduct); conflict with (a right, principle, etc.), esp. to its detriment |
| inchoate | just begun and so not fully formed or developed; rudimentary |
| urbane | (of a person, esp. a man) suave, courteous, and refined in manner |
| propensity | an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way |
| comport (oneself) | behave; (with) - accord with, agree with |
| sublime | of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe |
| euphony | the quality of being pleasing to the ear, esp. through a harmonious combination of words |
| sleight | the use of dexterity or cunning, esp. so as to deceive |
| ipso facto | by that very fact or act |
| in concert with | to be in agreement, accordance, or harmony with |
| impetus | the force that makes something happen or happen more quickly |
| inure | accustom someone to something, esp. something unpleasant |
| sanctimonious | making a show of being morally superior to other people |