- abbreviate: shorten, abridge
- abstinence: act of refraining from
- adulation: high praise
- adversity: misfortune
- aesthetic: pertaining to beauty
- amicable: agreeable
- anachronistic: out-of-date
- anecdote: short account of event
- anonymous: nameless
- antagonist: opponent
- arid: extremely dry
- assiduous: hard-working
- asylum: sanctuary
- benevolent: friendly, helpful
- camaraderie: trust among friends
- censure: to criticize harshly
- circuitous: indirect, roundabout
- clairvoyant: able to see the future
- collaborate: to work together
- compassion: sympathy, mercy
- compromise: to settle differences
- condescending: patronizing
- conditional: provisional, contingent
- conformist: follower of customs
- congregation: crowd of people
- convergence: joining of parts
- deleterious: harmful
- demagogue: rabble-rousing leader
- digression: straying from main point
- diligent: hard-working
- discredit: dishonor, disgrace
- disdain: to regard with scorn
- divergent: variant, moving apart
- empathy: sharing of feelings
- emulate: follow an example
- enervating: tiring, weakening
- enhance: improve, augment
- ephemeral: momentary, fleeting
- evanescent: short-lived, as an image
- exasperation: irritation, frustration
- exemplary: outstanding
- extenuating: guilt diminishing
- florid: flushed, ornate
- fortuitous: lucky
- frugal: thrifty
- hackneyed: overused, cliched
- haughty: arrogant, condescending
- hedonist: pleasure seeker
- hypothesis: theory requiring proof
- impetuous: rash, impulsive
- impute: to attribute to someone
- incompatible: unable to work together
- inconsequential: trivial
- inevitable: unavoidable, certain
- integrity: honesty, decency
- intrepid: fearless, adventurous
- intuitive: instinctive, untaught
- jubilation: joy, exultation
- lobbyist: persuader of legislators
- longevity: long life
- mundane: ordinary, common
- nonchalant: calm, casual
- novice: beginner
- opulent: wealthy
- orator: speaker
- ostentatious: displaying wealth
- parched: dried up
- perfidious: disloyal
- precocious: talented beyond one's age
- pretentious: pompous, self-important
- procrastinate: to delay unnecessarily
- prosaic: run-of-the-mill
- prosperity: wealth, success
- provocative: inflammatory
- prudent: wise, careful, cautious
- querulous: irritable
- rancorous: hateful
- reclusive: withdrawn, hermit-like
- reconciliation: agreement after a quarrel
- renovation: state of being renewed
- resilient: quick to recover
- restrained: controlled, restricted
- reverence: profound respect
- sagacity: wisdom
- scrutinize: to observe carefully
- spontaneity: impulsive action
- spurious: phony, false
- submissive: meek
- substantiate: to verify, confirm
- subtle: elusive, sly, ambiguous
- superficial: lacking in depth
- superfluous: more than enough
- suppress: to end an activity
- surreptitious: secret, stealthy
- tactful: diplomatic, polite
- tenacious: persistent, resolute
- transient: temporary, fleeting
- venerable: respectable due to age
- vindicate: to clear from blame
- wary: watchful, alert