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a priori: 1. Derived by or designating the process of reasoning without reference to particular facts or experience. 2. Knowable without appeal to particular experience.
abditory: n. A place for hiding or preserving articles of value. (a. abditive) A safe.
ablution: A washing or cleansing of the body, especially as part of a religious rite.
abscond: To leave quickly and secretly and hide oneself, often to avoid arrest or prosecution.
abstemious: 1. Eating and drinking in moderation. 2. a. Sparingly used or consumed: abstemious meals. b. Restricted to bare necessities: an abstemious way of life.
abstruse: Difficult to understand; recondite.
abulia: "Loss or impairment of the ability to make decisions or act independently
accede: 1. To give one's consent, often at the insistence of another; concede. See synonyms at assent. 2. To arrive at or come into an office or dignity: accede to the throne. 3. To become a party to an agreement or treaty.
accidie: Sloth; torpor. [Obs.] «The sin of accidie.» Chaucer. (accidious)
Aceldama: "A place with dreadful associations. (A potter's field bought with 30 silver coins by the priests for burrying strangers near Jerusalem)
acrimonious: Bitter and sharp in language or tone
acroamatic: pertaining to deep learning.
addle: To cause to be unclear in mind or intent
adscititious: not inherent or essential; derived from something extrinsic
adumbrate: 1. To give a sketchy outline of. 2. To prefigure indistinctly; foreshadow. 3. To disclose partially or guardedly. 4. To overshadow; shadow or obscure.
aeolian: "Giving forth or marked by a moaning or sighing sound or musical tone produced by or as if by the wind.
agog: Full of keen anticipation or excitement; eager
allay: 1. To reduce the intensity of 2. To calm or pacify; set to rest
amanuensis: one employed to take dictation or to copy manuscript
apotheosis: 1. Exaltation to divine rank or stature; deification. 2. Elevation to a preeminent or transcendent position; glorification 3. An exalted or glorified example
apposite: Strikingly appropriate and relevant.
approbation: 1. An expression of warm approval; praise. 2. Official approval.
apropos: adj. Being at once opportune and to the point. See synonyms at relevant. adv. 1. At an appropriate time; opportunely. 2. By the way; incidentally: Apropos, where were you yesterday? prep. With regard to; concerning: Apropos our date for lunch, I can't go.
argot: A specialized vocabulary or set of idioms used by a particular group
arrant: Completely such; thoroughgoing
aspersion: An unfavorable or damaging remark; slander
assiduous: Characterized by steady attention and effort.
attenuate: Reduced or weakened, as in strength, value, or virulence
avuncular: Adj. 1. Of or having to do with an uncle. 2. Regarded as characteristic of an uncle, especially in benevolence or tolerance.
babblative: given to babbling; prattling, prating, loquacious
badinage: Light, playful banter; a playful repartee
baleful: "Portending evil; ominous.
bellicosity: Warlike or hostile attitude or nature
benumb: 1. To make numb, especially by cold. 2. To make inactive; dull
bifurcate: v. To separate into two parts or branches; fork. adj. Forked or divided into two parts or branches, as the Y-shaped styles of certain flowers.
blithe: Lacking or showing a lack of due concern; casual
bloviate: To discourse at length in a pompous or boastful manner.
bodacious: unrestrained by convention or propriety
bombinate: To buzz; hum, drone
bonhomie: A pleasant and affable disposition; pleasant and easy manner
bowdlerize: To remove material that is considered offensive or objectionable from (a book, for example). (considered indelicate)
bromide: A dull person with conventional thoughts. A commonplace or conventional saying.
brummagem: Tastelessly showy; cheap and showy; also, spurious
careworn: Showing the effects of worry, anxiety, or burdensome responsibility
catachresis: (kăt'ə-krē'sĭs) Use of a wrong word in a context; strained use of a word or phrase
cavil: v., -iled also -illed, -il·ing -il·ling, -ils -ils. v.intr. To find fault unnecessarily; raise trivial objections. v.tr. To quibble about; detect petty flaws in. n. A carping or trivial objection.
cerebrate: To use the powers of the mind, as in conceiving ideas, drawing inferences, and making judgments; to think. n. cerebration
circuitous: Being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course
circumspect: Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences
cognoscente: A person with superior, usually specialized knowledge or highly refined taste
commodious: Spacious; roomy
complaisant: Exhibiting a desire or willingness to please; cheerfully obliging.
compunction: 1. A strong uneasiness caused by a sense of guilt. 2. A sting of conscience or a pang of doubt aroused by wrongdoing or the prospect of wrongdoing.
concinnate: to arrange or blend together skillfully, as parts or elements; put together in a harmonious, precisely appropriate, or elegant manner.
concinnity: 1. Harmony in the arrangement or interarrangement of parts with respect to a whole. 2. Studied elegance and facility in style of expression 3. An instance of harmonious arrangement or studied elegance and facility.
conflate: To bring together
connubial: Relating to marriage or the married state; conjugal
consternation: A sudden or complete loss of courage in the face of trouble or danger. A state of paralyzing dismay
contumelious: Exhibiting contumely; rudely contemptuous
coruscate: 1. To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle. 2. To exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style.
coterie: A small, often select group of persons who associate with one another frequently
coxcomb: A conceited dandy; a fop.
crapulous: 1. Suffering the effects of, or derived from, or suggestive of gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous stomach. 2. Marked by gross intemperance, especially in drinking; as, a crapulous old reprobate. N. crapulence
craven: adj. Characterized by abject fear; cowardly; n. coward
crepuscular: Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim
cupidity: Excessive desire, especially for wealth
cynosure: 1. Center of attention and admiration. 2. Something that serves to guide.
daedal: Ingenious and complex in design or function. Finely or skillfully made or employed
dalliance: 1. Frivolous spending of time; dawdling. 2. Playful flirtation.
dank: Disagreeably damp or humid.
dastard: A sneaking, malicious coward
détente: "A relaxing or easing, as of tension between rivals.
deipnosophist: someone who is skilled in table talk
denizen: 1. An inhabitant; a resident: denizens of Monte Carlo. 2. One that frequents a particular place: a bar and its denizens. 3. Ecology. An animal or a plant naturalized in a region. 4. Chiefly British. A foreigner who is granted rights of residence and sometimes of citizenship.
denouement: 1. A. The final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot. B. The events following the climax of a drama or novel in which such a resolution or clarification takes place. 2. The outcome of a sequence of events; the end result. (dā'nū-mäN')
depredation: A predatory attack; a raid. Damage or loss; ravage
deracinate: 1. To pull out by the roots; uproot. 2. To displace from one's native or accustomed environment.
derogate: To disparage; belittle
desideratum: (dĭ-sĭd'ə-rā'təm, -rä'-) Something considered necessary or highly desirable
despondent: being without or almost without hope
desuetude: A state of disuse or inactivity (dĕs'wĭ-tūd')
desultory: 1. Without aim, purpose, or intent. 2. Having no particular pattern, purpose, organization, or structure: (dĕs'əl-tôr'ē)
detritus: Disintegrated or eroded matter: the detritus of past civilizations. Accumulated material; debris: “Poems, engravings, press releases—he eagerly scrutinizes the detritus of fame”
diktat: 1. A harsh, unilaterally imposed settlement with a defeated party. 2. An authoritative or dogmatic statement or decree.
diminuendo: a gradual decrease in loudness
discomfit: to frustrate, thwart, or embarrass
disconsolate: 1. Seeming beyond consolation; extremely dejected. 2. Cheerless; gloomy.
disquisition: a formal discourse on a subject; often in writing
dissimulate: To change or modify so as to prevent recognition of the true identity or character of
distend: To cause to expand by or as if by internal pressure.
dotage: feebleness of mind due to old age.
dystopia: 1. An imaginary place or state in which the condition of life is extremely bad, as from deprivation, oppression, or terror. 2. A work describing such a place or state: “dystopias such as Brave New World”.
ebullient: Full of joyful, unrestrained high spirits
effete: 1. Depleted of vitality, force, or effectiveness; exhausted: the final, effete period of the baroque style. 2. Marked by self-indulgence, triviality, or decadence: an effete group of self-professed intellectuals. 3. Overrefined; effeminate. 4. No longer productive; infertile.
effluent: Something that flows out or forth, especially: 1. A stream flowing out of a body of water. 2. An outflow from a sewer or sewage system. 3. A discharge of liquid waste, as from a factory or nuclear plant.
effusive: 1. Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy: an effusive manner. 2. Profuse; overflowing: effusive praise.
elan: 1. Enthusiastic vigor and liveliness. (ā-läN', ā-län') 2. Distinctive style or flair.
elucidate: To make clear or plain, especially by explanation
elucubration: 1. The act or process of elucubrating (Producing a written work by working long and diligently.) 2. A written work produced by elucubrating. v. to elucubrate - To work out or express by studious effort; to burn the midnight oil
emblazon: 1a. To adorn (a surface) richly with prominent markings: emblazon a doorway with a coat of arms. 1b. To inscribe (a prominent marking) on a surface: emblazon a cross on a banner. 2. To make resplendent with brilliant colors. 3. To make illustrious; celebrate: emblazoning a heroine's deeds in song.
embrasure: 1. An opening in a thick wall for a door or window, especially one with sides angled so that the opening is larger on the inside of the wall than on the outside. 2. A flared opening for a gun in a wall or parapet.
endemic: Prevalent in or peculiar to a particular locality, region, or people
engender: To bring into existence; give rise to.
ennead: (ĕn'ē-ăd') A group or a set of nine
ennui: (ŏn-wē') Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom
ensconce: 1. To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair. 2. To place or conceal in a secure place.
ephemeral: Lasting for a markedly brief time
ephemeron: A short-lived thing.
equivocate: 1. To use evasive or deliberately vague language. 2 To stray from truthfulness or sincerity.
erstwhile: adv., adj. In the past; at a former time; formerly; former
eructation: The act of belching.
esprit: 1. Liveliness of mind or spirit; sprightliness. 2. Esprit de corps. (ĕ-sprē')
etiolate: 1. To make pale or sickly. 2. To make weak by stunting the growth or development of.
eudaimonism: A system of ethics that evaluates actions in terms of their capacity to produce happiness, and states that the highest ethical goal is happiness and personal well-being.
evanescent: Vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor.
evince: To show or demonstrate clearly; manifest
eviscerate: To remove the entrails of; disembowel. To take away a vital or essential part of
excoriate: To censure strongly; denounce
execrable: Deserving of execration (ĕk'sĭ-krə-bəl) Extremely inferior.
exigence: 1. The condition of being in need of immediate assistance. 2. A condition in which something necessary or desirable is required or wanted. 3. A decisive point. 4. Something asked for or needed.
eximious: Select; choice; hence, extraordinary, excellent
expatiate: 1. To speak or write at length or in considerable detail. 2. To move about freely; to wander.
expiate: To make amends or reparation for; atone.
extemporaneous: 1. Carried out or performed with little or no preparation; impromptu: an extemporaneous piano recital. 2. Prepared in advance but delivered without notes or text: an extemporaneous speech. 3. Skilled at or given to unrehearsed speech or performance: an accomplished extemporaneous speaker. 4. Provided, made, or adapted as an expedient; makeshift: an extemporaneous policy decision.
extirpate: 1. To pull up by the roots. 2. To destroy totally; exterminate. 3. To remove by surgery.
facile: 1. Done or achieved with little effort or difficulty; easy. See synonyms at easy. 2. Working, acting, or speaking with effortless ease and fluency. 3. Arrived at without due care, effort, or examination; superficial: proposed a facile solution to a complex problem. 4. Readily manifested, together with an aura of insincerity and lack of depth: a facile slogan devised by politicians.
fatidic: Of, relating to, or characterized by prophecy
fatuous: (făch'ū-əs) Foolish or silly, especially in a smug or self-satisfied way
febricity: The condition of having a fever.
febrile: (fĕb'rəl) Of, relating to, or characterized by fever; feverish.
fillip: 1. A snap of the finger forced suddenly from the thumb; a smart blow. 2. Something serving to rouse or excite; a stimulus. 3. A trivial addition; an embellishment
flounce: 1a. To move in a lively or bouncy manner: The children flounced around the room in their costumes. 1b. To move with exaggerated or affected motions: flounced petulantly out of the house. 2. To move clumsily; flounder.
flout: To show contempt for; scorn
foment: To stir to action or feeling
forfend: 1. To keep or ward off; avert. 2. To defend or protect.
fritter (away): 1. To reduce or squander little by little: frittered his inheritance away. See synonyms at waste. 2. To break, tear, or cut into bits; shred.
fugacious: Passing away quickly
fulminate: 1. To issue a thunderous verbal attack or denunciation: fulminated against political chicanery. 2. To explode or detonate.
fulsome: 1. Offensively flattering or insincere. 2. Offensive to the taste or sensibilities.
furtiveness: The act of proceeding slowly, deliberately, and secretly to escape observation
fustian: pompous or pretentious language
gambol: To leap about playfully; frolic.
garrulous: 1. Given to excessive and often trivial or rambling talk; tiresomely talkative. 2. Wordy and rambling: a garrulous speech.
genuflect: 1. To bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor or ground, as in worship. 2. To be servilely respectful or deferential; grovel.
germane: Being both, pertinent and fitting
gerrymander: To divide (a geographic area) into voting districts so as to give unfair advantage to one party in elections.
glabrous: Having no hairs, projections, or pubescence. n. glabrity
gloaming: The period between afternoon and nighttime
glower: glare, scowl. Idioms: look daggers at
gravid: Carrying a developing fetus within the uterus: pregnant
halcyon: (hăl'sē-ən) Adj. 1. Calm and peaceful; tranquil. 2. Prosperous; golden: halcyon years.
harridan: A woman regarded as scolding and vicious.
harrumph: To make a show of clearing one's throat. To offer usually brief critical comments: harrumphed for a while over the proposal.
hebetude: Mental dullness or sluggishness
hebetudinous: Lacking in intelligence, mental and physical alertness and activity
hegemony: The predominant influence, as of a state, region, or group, over another or others.
hew: 1. To cut something by repeated blows, as of an ax. 2. To adhere or conform strictly; hold: hew to the line.
hidebound: Stubbornly prejudiced, narrow-minded, or inflexible.
histrionic: 1. Of or relating to actors or acting. 2. Excessively dramatic or emotional; affected.
Hobson's choice: An apparently free choice that offers no real alternative.
hortatory: Marked by exhortation or strong urging
iconoclast: One who attacks and seeks to overthrow traditional or popular ideas or institutions
ignominy: 1. Great personal dishonor or humiliation. 2. Shameful or disgraceful action, conduct, or character.
imbroglio: 1. an intricate and confusing interpersonal or political situation 2. a very embarrassing misunderstanding
immolate: 1. To kill as a sacrifice. 2. To kill (oneself) by fire. 3. To destroy.
immutable: Incapable of changing or being modified
impassive: 1. Without emotion or interest. 2. With little or no emotion or expression. 3. Not capable of being affected or impressed.
importunate: Troublesomely urgent or persistent in requesting; pressingly entreating
imprecate: To invoke evil upon; curse.
imprimatur: Official approval or license to print or publish, especially under conditions of censorship. Official approval; sanction.
improvident: lacking foresight
impugn: To attack as false or questionable; challenge in argument
inalienable: Incapable of being alienated, surrendered, or transferred (inalienable rights)
incarnadine: Adj. 1. Of a fleshy pink color. 2. Blood-red. V. 3. To make incarnadine, especially to redden.
incipient: Beginning to exist or appear
inconcinnous: unsuitable; discordant, dissimilar; incongruous
indefatigable: Having or showing a capacity for protracted effort, regardless of difficulty or frustration
indolent: 1. Disinclined to exert oneself; habitually lazy 2. Conducive to inactivity or laziness.
ineluctable: Not to be avoided or escaped; inevitable
inimitable: Defying imitation; matchless
inkhorn: Characterized by a narrow concern for book learning and formal rules, without knowledge or experience of practical matters
inscrutable: Incapable of being grasped by the intellect or understanding
insensate: A. 1. Lacking sensation or awareness; inanimate. 2. Unconscious. B. Lacking sensibility; unfeeling: “a predatory, insensate society in which innocence and decency can prove fatal” (Peter S. Prescott). C. 1. Lacking sense or the power to reason. 2. Foolish; witless.
insentient: Completely lacking sensation or consciousness
insouciant: Marked by blithe unconcern. Cheerfully nonchalant.
intemperate: Not temperate or moderate; excessive, especially in the use of alcoholic beverages.
internecine: 1. Of or relating to struggle within a nation, organization, or group. 2. Mutually destructive; ruinous or fatal to both sides. 3. Characterized by bloodshed or carnage.
interstice: A space, especially a small or narrow one, between things or parts.
intransigent: Refusing to moderate a position, especially an extreme position; uncompromising
inveigh (against): To give vent to angry disapproval; protest vehemently
inveterate: Firmly and long established; deep-rooted: inveterate preferences. Persisting in an ingrained habit; habitual: an inveterate liar.
inveterate: 1. Firmly and long established; deep-rooted: inveterate preferences. 2. Persisting in an ingrained habit; habitual: an inveterate liar.
irascible: Prone to outbursts of temper; easily angered
jettison: To cast overboard or off: a ship jettisoning wastes; a pilot jettisoning aircraft fuel. Informal. To discard (something) as unwanted or burdensome: jettisoned the whole marketing plan
kedogenous: brought about by worry, or anxiety
ken: 1. Perception; understanding. 2a Range of vision. 2b View; sight.
lambaste: 1. To give a thrashing to; beat. See synonyms at beat. 2. To scold sharply; berate.
languish: 1. To be or become weak or feeble; lose strength or vigor. 2. To exist or continue in miserable or disheartening conditions 3. To remain unattended or be neglected 4. To become downcast or pine away in longing 5. To affect a wistful or languid air, especially in order to gain sympathy.
languor: 1. Lack of physical or mental energy; listlessness. See synonyms at lethargy. 2. A dreamy, lazy mood or quality: “It was hot, yet with a sweet languor about it” (Theodore Dreiser). 3. Oppressive quiet or stillness.
lectern: A stand that serves as a support for the notes or books of a speaker.
lickspittle: A fawning underling; a toady.
limn: 1. To describe. 2. To depict by painting or drawing.
limpid: 1. Characterized by transparent clearness. 2. Easily intelligible; clear: writes in a limpid style. 3. Calm and untroubled.
lionize: To look on or treat (a person) as a celebrity.
littoral: A coastal region; a shore.
lope: To run or ride with a steady, easy gait
lucubrate: To write in a scholarly fashion; produce scholarship. To apply one's mind to the acquisition or production of knowledge.
lucubratory: Composed by candlelight, or by night; of or pertaining to night studies; laborious or painstaking.
lurid: 1. Causing shock or horror; gruesome. 2. Marked by sensationalism: a lurid account of the crime. See synonyms at ghastly. 3. Glowing or shining with the glare of fire through a haze: lurid flames. 4. Sallow or pallid in color.
magisterial: 1. A. Of, relating to, or characteristic of a master or teacher; authoritative: a magisterial account of the history of the English language. B. Sedately dignified in appearance or manner: “She would appear on the porch and reign over the street in magisterial beauty” (Harper Lee). 2. Dogmatic; overbearing: expounded on official protocol in magisterial tones.
malapropism: 1. Ludicrous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound. 2. An example of such misuse. adj. malapropian
malodorous: Having a bad odor
malversation: Misconduct, corruption, or extortion in public office.
manumit: To free from slavery or bondage; emancipate.
maudlin: Effusively or tearfully sentimental
maw: The mouth, stomach, jaws, or gullet of a voracious animal, especially a carnivore. The opening into something felt to be insatiable: “I saw the opening maw of hell” (Herman Melville).
mendacity: 1. The condition of being mendacious; untruthfulness. 2. A lie; a falsehood.
metaphor: a figure of speech in which one class of things is referred to as if it belonged to another class. Whereas a simile states that A is like B, a metaphor states that A is B or substitutes B for A.
metonymy: A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use of Washington for the United States government or of the sword for military power.
miscreant: 1 Utterly reprehensible in nature or behavior 2 A person without moral scruples
morass: 1. An area of low-lying, soggy ground. 2. Something that hinders, engulfs, or overwhelms: a morass of details.
mordant: A. 1. Bitingly sarcastic: mordant satire. 2. Incisive and trenchant: an inquisitor's mordant questioning. B. Bitingly painful. C. Serving to fix colors in dyeing.
multifarious: Having great variety; diverse. Consisting of a number of different kinds.
nadir: The lowest point; an extreme state of adversity
nascent: Coming into existence; emerging
nefarious: Infamous by way of being extremely wicked
neoteric: recent in origin
nepenthe: A drug mentioned in the Odyssey as a remedy for grief. Something that induces forgetfulness of sorrow or eases pain. Nepenthean - adj. (nĭ-pĕn'thē)
nescience: lack of knowledge or awareness: ignorance; the doctrine that nothing is truly knowable
nexus: 1. A means of connection; a link or tie: “this nexus between New York's . . . real-estate investors and its . . . politicians” 2. A connected series or group. 3. The core or center: “The real nexus of the money culture [was] Wall Street” (Bill Barol).
niggardly: Grudging and petty in giving or spending. Meanly small; scanty or meager.
nigrescence: 1. The process of becoming black or dark. 2. Blackness or darkness, as of complexion.
nimiety: The state of being too much.
nolens volens: Whether unwilling or willing
nonplus: To put at a loss as to what to think, say, or do; bewilder.
nugatory: Contemptibly unimportant
numinous: 1. Of or relating to a numen; supernatural. 2. Filled with or characterized by a sense of a supernatural presence: a numinous place. 3. Spiritually elevated; sublime.
obloquy: 1. Abusively detractive language or utterance; calumny: “I have had enough obloquy for one lifetime” (Anthony Eden). 2. The condition of disgrace suffered as a result of abuse or vilification; ill repute.
obsidian: black, blackish
obstreperous: 1. Noisily and stubbornly defiant. 2. Aggressively boisterous.
obviate: To anticipate and dispose of effectively; render unnecessary.
odoriferous: Having or giving off an odor
oneiric: \oh-NY-rik\ Of, pertaining to, or suggestive of dreams
opprobrium: 1. Disgrace arising from exceedingly shameful conduct; ignominy. 2. Scornful reproach or contempt: a term of opprobrium. 3. A cause of shame or disgrace.
ossify: 1 To change into bone; become bony. 2 To become set in a rigidly conventional pattern
otiose: 1 lacking use or effect, functionless. 2 being at leisure, idle. 3 sterile, futile
overweening: 1. Presumptuously arrogant; overbearing. 2. Excessive; immoderate: overweening ambition.
pablum: Trite, insipid, or simplistic writing, speech, or conceptualization
pall: 1. A cover for a coffin, bier, or tomb. A coffin. 2a v.intr. To become insipid, boring, or wearisome. 2b To have a dulling, wearisome, or boring effect. 2c To become cloyed or satiated. 3a v.tr. To cloy; satiate. 3b To make vapid or wearisome.
pallor: unusual or extreme paleness
paltroon: A base coward; An ignoble, uncourageous person
Panglossian: Blindly or naively optimistic.
parsimonious: Excessively sparing or frugal; stingy
parturient: 1. About to bring forth young; being in labor. 2. Of or relating to giving birth. 3. About to produce or come forth with something, such as an idea or a discovery.
patina: A superficial layer
patois: A regional dialect, especially one without a literary tradition, The special jargon of a group
paucity: Smallness of number, Scarcity, dearth
penurious: extremely frugal; stingy
peremptory: 1. Putting an end to all debate or action: a peremptory decree. 2. Not allowing contradiction or refusal; imperative: The officer issued peremptory commands. 3. Having the nature of or expressing a command; urgent: The teacher spoke in a peremptory tone. 4. Offensively self-assured; dictatorial: a swaggering, peremptory manner.
perfervid: marked by overwrought or exaggerated emotion: excessively fervent
perfidious: Not true to duty or obligation
perfidy: Betrayal, especially of a moral obligation. Willful betrayal of fidelity, confidence, or trust
peripatetic: adj., n. Walking about or from place to place; traveling on foot.
permabulate: To walk leisurely, to inspect on foot.
perorate: 1. To conclude a speech with a formal recapitulation. 2. To speak at great length, often in a grandiloquent manner; declaim.
pervicacious: willful; refractory, very stubborn, obstinate
phatic: [Parts of] speech used to share feelings or to establish a mood of sociability rather than to communicate information or ideas.
plaudit: Enthusiastic expression of praise or approval
plenipotentiary: Invested with or conferring full powers
pleonasm: 1. The use of more words than are necessary to express an idea; as, "I saw it with my own eyes." 2. An instance or example of pleonasm. 3. A superfluous word or expression.
plumage: The covering of feathers on a bird. Feathers used ornamentally. Elaborate dress; finery.
prattle: To talk or chatter idly or meaninglessly
preamble: An introductory statement.
presage: An indication or warning of a future occurrence; an omen. A feeling or intuition of what is going to occur; a presentiment. Prophetic significance or meaning.
prescience: Knowledge of actions or events before they occur Unusual or creative discernment or perception
prescient: perceiving the significance of events before they occur
prestidigitation: 1. Performance of or skill in performing magic or conjuring tricks with the hands; sleight of hand. 2. A show of skill or deceitful cleverness.
prevaricate: 1. To stray from truthfulness or sincerity 2. To make untrue declarations
Procrustean bed: An arbitrary standard to which exact conformity is forced.
profligate: 1. Lacking in moral restraint 2. Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant
profundity: 1. Great depth. 2. Depth of intellect, feeling, or meaning. 3. Something profound or abstruse.
prole: proletarian
prolix: 1. Tediously prolonged; wordy: editing a prolix manuscript. 2. Tending to speak or write at excessive length
protean: 1. Readily taking on varied shapes, forms, or meanings. 2. Exhibiting considerable variety or diversity:
provenance: A point of origination
prow: 1. Nautical. The forward part of a ship's hull; the bow. 2. A projecting forward part, such as the front end of a ski.
prurient: "A. Inordinately interested in matters of sex; lascivious.
puerile: Belonging to childhood; juvenile. Immature; childish.
pukka: 1. Authentic; genuine. 2. Good of its kind; first-class.
pule: To cry with soft, intermittent, often plaintive sounds
Punchinello: 1. The short fat buffoon or clown in an Italian puppet show. 2. One who resembles a short fat clown.
punctilious: Strictly attentive to minute details of form in action or conduct. Precise; scrupulous.
pusillanimous: Lacking courage; cowardly
putative: commonly believed; assumed to be such
pyre: 1. A heap of combustibles for burning a corpse as a funeral rite. 2. A pile of combustibles.
quisling: A traitor who serves as the puppet of the enemy occupying his or her country.
quotidian: 1. Everyday; commonplace: “There's nothing quite like a real . . . train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute” (Anita Diamant). 2. Recurring daily. Used especially of attacks of malaria.
rapacious: 1. Taking by force; plundering. 2. Greedy; ravenous. See synonyms at voracious. 3. Subsisting on live prey.
rapine: Forcible seizure of another's property (rah'pihn)
ratiocinate: To reason methodically and logically
rebarbative: Tending to irritate; repellent
recondite: 1. Not easily understood; abstruse 2. Concerned with or treating something abstruse or obscure:
redolent: 1. Having or emitting fragrance; aromatic. 2. Suggestive; reminiscent
refractory: 1. Obstinately resistant to authority or control. 2. Difficult to melt or work; resistant to heat: a refractory material such as silica. 3. Resistant to treatment: a refractory case of acne.
reticent: 1. Inclined to keep one's thoughts, feelings, and personal affairs to oneself. 2. Restrained or reserved in style. 3. Reluctant; unwilling.
revelry: The act of showing joyful satisfaction in an event: Joyful, exuberant activity:
rictus: The expanse of an open mouth, a bird's beak, or similar structure. A gaping grimace
riparian: of or pertaining to the bank of a river
risible: 1. Relating to laughter or used in eliciting laughter. 2. Eliciting laughter; ludicrous. 3. Capable of laughing or inclined to laugh.
rive: (rived, riven) 1. To rend or tear apart. 2. To break into pieces, as by a blow; cleave or split asunder. 3. To break or distress (the spirit, for example).
rondelay: A poem with a refrain repeated frequently or at fixed intervals, as in a rondel.
roseate: 1. Rose-colored: the roseate glow of dawn. 2. Cheerful or bright; optimistic: a roseate outlook.
rue: verb. To feel or express sorrow for noun. A feeling of regret for one's sins or misdeeds
rusticate: to go or send to the country
salmagundi: 1. A salad plate usually consisting of chopped meat, anchovies, eggs, and onions, served with oil and vinegar. 2 Any mixture or assortment; a medley; a potpourri; a miscellany.
salubrious: Conducive or favorable to health or well-being.
sardonic: Marked by or displaying contemptuous mockery of the motives or virtues of others. disdainfully or ironically humorous
satori: (Zen Buddhism) a state of sudden spiritual enlightenment
saturnalia: A celebration marked by unrestrained revelry and often licentiousness. (Saturn - Roman god of agriculture)
saturnine: Broodingly and sullenly unhappy; Melancholy or sullen; Having or marked by a tendency to be bitter or sardonic.
saunter: To walk at a leisurely pace; stroll.
scatology: 1. The study of fecal excrement, as in medicine, paleontology, or biology. 2a An obsession with excrement or excretory functions. 2b The psychiatric study of such an obsession. 3. Obscene language or literature, especially that dealing pruriently or humorously with excrement and excretory functions.
schadenfreude: Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.
sciolism: A pretentious attitude of scholarship; superficial knowledgeability (sciolist)
screed: A long monotonous speech or piece of writing.
scurrilous: Given to the use of vulgar, coarse, or abusive language; foul-mouthed. Expressed in vulgar, coarse, and abusive language. Expressing offensive reproach
sedulous: Persevering and constant in effort or application
sentient: Having sense perception; conscious. Experiencing sensation or feeling.
shibboleth: 1. A word or pronunciation that distinguishes people of one group or class from those of another.2. A. A word or phrase identified with a particular group or cause; a catchword. B. A commonplace saying or idea. 3. A custom or practice that betrays one as an outsider.
sibilant: Of, characterized by, or producing a hissing sound like that of (s) or (sh)
simian: adj. Relating to, characteristic of, or resembling an ape or a monkey. n. An ape or a monkey.
simile: A figure of speech in which two essentially unlike things are compared, often in a phrase introduced by like or as, as in “How like the winter hath my absence been” or “So are you to my thoughts as food to life” (Shakespeare).
skullduggery: Crafty deception or trickery or an instance of it.
slake: 1. To satisfy (a craving); quench: slaked her thirst. 2. To lessen the force or activity of; moderate: slaking his anger. 3. To cool or refresh by wetting or moistening.
sobriquet: An affectionate or humorous nickname. An assumed name.
solecism: 1. A nonstandard usage or grammatical construction; also, a minor blunder in speech. 2. A breach of good manners or etiquette. 3. Any inconsistency, mistake, or impropriety.
solipsism: 1. The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified. 2. The theory or view that the self is the only reality.
somnolent: 1. Drowsy; sleepy. 2. Inducing or tending to induce sleep
sough: [sau] v. To make a soft murmuring or rustling sound. n. A soft murmuring or rustling sound, as of the wind or a gentle surf.
spate: 1. A sudden flood, rush, or outpouring: efflux, gush, outflow, outpour, outpouring. 2. Something suggestive of running water: current, drift, flood, flow, flux, rush, stream, surge, tide. 3. An abundant, usually overwhelming flow or fall, as of a river or rain: alluvion, cataclysm, cataract, deluge, downpour, flood, freshet, inundation, Niagara, overflow, torrent. See big/small/amount.
staid: 1. Characterized by sedate dignity and often a strait-laced sense of propriety; sober. See synonyms at serious. 2. Fixed; permanent:
stentorian: Marked by extremely high volume and intensity of sound
stripling: an adolescent youth
stultify: to render ineffective, inefficient. To cause being dumber.
stygian: Gloomy and dark. Infernal; hellish.
supercilious: disdainfully arrogant; haughtily contemptuous
supervenient: Not part of the real or essential nature of a thing
supine: 1. Lying on the back or having the face upward. 2. Having the palm upward. Used of the hand. 3. Marked by or showing lethargy, passivity, or blameworthy indifference. 4. Inclined; sloping.
suss: 1. To infer or discover; figure out: “I think I'm good at sussing out what's going on” 2. To size up; study: “Suss out the designers in whom you are interested”
syncretism: 1. Reconciliation or fusion of differing systems of belief, as in philosophy or religion, especially when success is partial or the result is heterogeneous. 2. Linguistics. The merging of two or more originally different inflectional forms.
synecdoche: A figure of speech in which a part is used for the whole (as hand for sailor), the whole for a part (as the law for police officer), the specific for the general (as cutthroat for assassin), the general for the specific (as thief for pickpocket), or the material for the thing made from it (as steel for sword).
temerity: unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger
temulent: Intoxicated, drunken
tendril: 1. A twisting, threadlike structure by which a twining plant, such as a grape or cucumber, grasps an object or a plant for support. 2. Something, such as a ringlet of hair, that is long, slender, and curling.
termagant: A quarrelsome, scolding woman; a shrew.
timorous: Full of apprehensiveness. Easily frightened.
tocsin: 1. An alarm bell, or the ringing of a bell for the purpose of alarm. 2. A warning.
transmogrify: To change into a different shape or form, especially one that is fantastic or bizarre.
tremulant: Marked by or affected with tremors
triumvirate: rule by three men
truancy: The act or condition of being absent without permission.
truculence: A disposition or apparent disposition to fight, especially fiercely. Ferociously cruel actions or behavior.
trundle: n. 1. A small wheel or roller. 2. The motion or noise of rolling. 3. A trundle bed. 4. A low-wheeled cart; a dolly. v.tr. 1. To push or propel on wheels or rollers. 2. Move heavily; of vehicles, such as streetcars
turgid: Excessively ornate or complex in style or language Swollen or distended, as from a fluid
turpitude: Conduct that is unjust, depraved, or shameful; that which is contrary to justice, modesty, or good morals.
ululate: To howl, wail, or lament loudly.
umbrage: Offense; resentment, insult
unctuous: Characterized by affected, exaggerated, or insincere earnestness
unfurl: To spread or open (something) out or become spread or opened out.
unhampered: Not slowed or blocked or interfered with. Not held in check or subject to control.
unremitting: Never slackening; persistent
untenable: 1. Being such that defense or maintenance is impossible. 2. Being such that occupation or habitation is impossible.
untrammeled: Not limited or restricted; unrestrained.
vade mecum: 1. A useful thing that one constantly carries about. 2. A book, such as a guidebook, for ready reference.
vagary: An impulsive, often illogical turn of mind; an erratic, extravagant or unpredictable manifestation, action or notion
varicolored: having a variety of colors
venal: 1a. Open to bribery; mercenary: a venal police officer. 1b. Capable of betraying honor, duty, or scruples for a price; corruptible. 2. Marked by corrupt dealings, especially bribery: a venal administration. 3. Obtainable for a price.
virago: 1. A woman regarded as noisy, scolding, or domineering. 2. A large, strong, courageous woman. 3. A person, traditionally a woman, who persistently nags or criticizes
virtu: (vər-tū') 1. A knowledge or love of or taste for fine objects of art. 2. Objects of art, especially fine antique objets d'art, considered as a group.
virulent: 1. A. Extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous. Used of a disease or toxin. B. Capable of causing disease by breaking down protective mechanisms of the host. Used of a pathogen. 2. Bitterly hostile or antagonistic; hateful: virulent criticism. See synonyms at poisonous. 3. Intensely irritating, obnoxious, or harsh.
visceral: "Relating to, situated in, or affecting the viscera.
vitiate: To corrupt morally; debase. To reduce the value or impair the quality of. To make ineffective; invalidate.
vituperative: Adj. Using, containing, or marked by harshly abusive censure
wag: A humorous or droll person
wan: adj. 1. Unnaturally pale, as from physical or emotional distress. 2. Suggestive or indicative of weariness, illness, or unhappiness; melancholy: a wan expression. v. To become pale.
wayfaring: Traveling, especially on foot.
welter: 1. A confused mass; a jumble: a welter of papers and magazines. 2. Confusion; turmoil.
wheedle: 1. To persuade or attempt to persuade by flattery or guile; cajole. 2. To obtain through the use of flattery or guile.
zaftig: 1. Full-bosomed. 2. Having a full, shapely figure.