abeyance
(n.) a state of being temprarily inactive, suspended, or set aside
SYN: deferment, posponement, suspension
ambivalent
(adj.) having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something.
SYN: equivocal,ambigous, of two minds
ANT: unequicoval, unambigous, clear-cut
beleaguer
(v.) to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass
SYN: besiege, encircle, pester
carte blanche
(n.) full freedom or authority to act at one's own discretion
SYN: blank check, free rein
cataclysm
(n.) a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge
SYN: disaster, catastrophe
debauch
(v.) to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation
(n.) an act or occasion of dissipation or vice
SYN: (v.) carouse (n.) spree, orgy
ANT: (v.) elevate, uplift, inspire, purify
eclat
(n.) dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)
SYN: celebrity
ANT: dullness, insipidity, mediocrity
fastidious
(adj.) overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted
SYN: precise meticulous, exacting, finicky
ANT: careless, sloppy, messy, untidy, slovenly
gambol
(v.) to jump or skip about playfully
SYN: frolic, romp, cavort, caper
ANT: lumber, trudge, plod
imbue
(v.) to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind
SYN: infuse, instill, indulcate
ANT: remove, expunge, eradicate, erase
inchoate
(adj.) just beginning; not fully shaped or formed
SYN: incipient, embryonic, rudimentary
ANT: mature, developed, complete
lampoon
(n.) a malicious satire; (v.) to satirize, ridicule
SYN: (n.) burlesque; (v.) parody
ANT: (n.) compliment, flattery, homage
malleable
(adj.) capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced
SYN: pliable, impressionable, adaptable
ANT: rigid, inflexible, unyielding, intractable
nemesis
(n.) an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival
SYN: comeuppance, avenger
ANT: guardian angel, ally, patron
philistine
(adj.) lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements;
(n.) such a person
SYN: (adj.) boorish, lowbrow; (n.) yahoo
ANT: (adj.) refined, cultivated; (n.) esthete, highbrow
picaresque
(adj.) involving or charasteristic of clever rogues or adventurers
SYN: roguish, rascally, rakish
queasy
(adj.) nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled
SYN: unsettled
ANT: calm, untroubled, confident
refractory
(adj.) stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure
SYN: unruly, disobedient, willful, mulish
ANT: docile, tractable, dutiful, obedient