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abase: to lower in position, estimation, or the like, degrade
abate: to reduce in amount, degree, or severity
abhorrent: inspiring disgust and loathing
abtruse: hard to understand; secret or hidden
admonish: to council against something, to caution
adulation: high praise
adversity: misfortune or unfavorable turn of events
aesthetic: pertaining to beauty and the arts
aggrandize: to increase in power, influence, and reputation
alacrity: cheerful readiness; promptness or willingness
altruist: concerned with the welfare of others
amicable: friendly or agreeable
anachronistic: out of date, not attributed to correct historical period
anecdote: a short, usually funny account of an event
animosity: a feeling of ill-will arousing active hostility
apathy: lack of interest or emotion
arid: extremely dry or deathly boring
assiduous: persistent, hard-working
balk: to stop or block abruptly
banal: cliched or boring
beguile: to trick or deceive
bemoan: to express pity for
benevolent: friendly and helpful
bombastic: pompous in speech or manner
capricious: changes one's mind quickly and often
castigate: to punish or criticize harshly
complacent: unconcerned
conflagration: large or destructive fire
confluence: merging into one
congregation: crowd of people or an assembly
convergence: state of separate elements joining or coming together
corroborate: establish or strengthen with new evidence or facts
crestfallen: dejected or disappointed
cursory: going rapidly over something, hasty
decadent: decaying or deteriorating
diatribe: an abusive, condemnatory speech
dichotomy: division into two parts or kinds
diffidently: timidly or shyly
digression: act of turning aside or straying from the main point, especially in a speech or argument
dilatory: inclined to delay or procrastinate
diligent: careful, hardworking
discredit: to harm the reputation of, to dishonor or disgrace
disdain: to regard with scorn or contempt
dogma: firmly held opinion, often a religious belief
doleful: sorrowful, mournful, sullen
eccentric: unconventional or slightly strange
elucidate: to make clear
empathy: identification with the feelings of others
emphatic: forceful or insistent
emulate: to imitate or to follow in example
enervate: to reduce in strength
entangle: to twist together, entwine into confusing mass
ephemeral: lasting a short time
errant: sinful, wayward, badly behaved
erudite: scholarly, bookish
esoteric: known or understood by only a few
evanescent: quickly fading, short lived especially in image
expound: prevent and explain systematically and in detail
extenuating: excusing, lessening the seriousness of guilt or crime, or mitigating factors
fervor: passion, dedication, or enthusiasm
fortuitous: happening by luck, fortunate
furtive: sneaky or secretive
guile: deceit or trickery
haughty: arrogant and condescending
hedonist: a person who pursues pleasure as a goal
hiatus: break or pause
iconoclast: one who opposes established beliefs, customs, and institutions
immutable: unchanging over time, unable to be changed
impalpable: intangible, imaginary, or nonexistant
impartial: treating all rivals equally; fair and just
impervious: incapable of being influenced, unwavering
impugn: to challenge as false
incorrigible: not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed
incredulous: skeptical, disbelieving
inevitable: certain, unavoidable
insolent: boldly rude or disrespectful
integrity: decency, honesty, wholeness
intrepid: fearless, adventurous
intuitive: instinctive or untaught
iota: a very small quantity
litigate: to make the subject of a lawsuit
lobbyist: a person who seeks to influence political events
malevolent: malicious, wicked, spiteful
malign: to speak harmful untruths about or to slander
multitudinous: countless, without number
mundane: ordinary, commonplace
nefarious: extremely wicked or villainous
onerous: troublesome and oppressive, burdensome
opulent: wealthy
orator: lecturer or speaker
ostentatious: showy or displaying wealth
pallor: paleness or whiteness
paragon: model of excellence or perfection
paucity: smallness of quantity, scantiness
petulant: easily irritated or annoyed
philanthropy: a desire or effort to promote goodness
plethora: excess
pliant: flexible
precept: commandment given as a rule of action or conduct
preclude: to prevent the presence of
precocious: unusually advanced, talented at an early age
pretentious: pretending to be important, intelligent, or cultured
proliferate: to increase in number quickly
promulgate: to make known by open declaration
prudent: also means careful or cautious
pugnacious: to quarrel or fight readily
querulous: complaining or irritable
rancourous: bitter or hateful
rapt: engrossed, captivated
reclusive: preferring to live in isolation
rejuvenate: to make something or someone look or feel younger, fresher, or more lively
renovation: to repair or make something new again
repudiate: to reject the validity of
resilient: quick to recover or bounce back
reticent: silent or reserved
reverence: worship or profound respect
sagacity: wisdom
salient: prominent or conspicuous
spurious: lacking authenticity, false
steadfast: unwavering, persistent
stigma: mark of shame or discredit
stolid: unemotional and lacking sensitivity
submissive: tending to weakness or to submit to the will of others
subtle: hard to detect or describe
tactful: considerate, skillful in acting to avoid offense to others
tempestuously: stormily, passionately, emotionally
tenacious: determined, or keeping a firm grip on
tirade: rant or violent speech
transient: temporary, short lived, fleeting
tumult: uproar, commotion
unfounded: having no basis or foundation in fact
unscathed: without suffering any injury, damage, or harm
venerable: respected because of age
verbose: using or containing too many words
verismilitude: appearance or semblence of truth
verity: truthfulness
vindicate: to clear from blame or suspicion
virtuoso: dazzlingly skilled in any field
voracious: having a great appetite
wary: careful, cautious