stolid – adjective – (of a person) calm, dependable, and showing little emotion or animation. “a stolid bourgeois gent”
reproach – verb -address (someone) in such a way as to express disapproval or disappointment. “You know that isn’t true,” he reproached her”
congeal – verb – solidify or coagulate, especially by cooling. “the blood had congealed into blobs”
obstreperous – adjective – noisy and difficult to control.
“the boy is cocky and obstreperous”
transmute – verb – change in form, nature, or substance. “the raw material of his experience was transmuted into stories”
leitmotif – noun – a recurrent theme throughout a musical or literary composition, associated with a particular person, idea, or situation
staid – adjective – sedate, respectable, and unadventurous. “staid law firms”
comportment – noun – behavior; bearing. “he displayed the comportment expected of the rightful king.”
paragon – noun – a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality. “it would have taken a paragon of virtue not to feel viciously jealous”
parsimonious – adjective – unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugal.
garrulous – adjective – excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters. “Polonius is portrayed as a foolish, garrulous old man”
sobriquet – noun – a person’s nickname. “she was a vast and haughty person who answered to the sobriquet “Duchesse””
taciturn – adj. – Habitually untalkative. Characterized by reserve or a lack of expression:
redolent – adjective – strongly reminiscent or suggestive of. “names redolent of history and tradition”
bloviate – verb – talk at length, especially in an inflated or empty way
ebullient – adjective – cheerful and full of energy. “she sounded ebullient and happy”
auspicious – adj – conducive to success; favorable. “His brilliant acceptance speech was an auspicious start to his political career.”
impute – verb – represent (something, especially something undesirable) as being done, caused, or possessed by someone; attribute. “the crimes imputed to Richard”
mulct – verb – extract money from (someone) by fine or taxation. “no government dared propose to mulct the taxpayer for such a purpose” deprive someone of (money or possessions) by fraudulent means. “he mulcted Shelly of $75,000”
expiate – verb – atone for (guilt or sin). “their sins must be expiated by sacrifice”
importune – verb – harass (someone) persistently for or to do something. “reporters importuned him with pointed questions”
deprecate – verb – express disapproval of. “what I deprecate is persistent indulgence”
blithe – adjective – showing a casual and cheerful indifference considered to be callous or improper. “a blithe disregard for the rules of the road”
rue – verb – bitterly regret (something one has done or allowed to happen). “Ferguson will rue the day he turned down that offer”
vilify – verb – speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner. “he has been vilified in the press”
propitiate – verb – win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them. “the pagans thought it was important to propitiate the gods with sacrifices”
ably – adverb – in an able manner, with great ability
anima – noun – an individual’s true inner self that in the analytic psychology of C. G. Jung reflects archetypal ideals of conduct also : an inner feminine part of the male personality.
feckless – adjective – lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible. “a feckless mama’s boy”
glib – adjective – (of words or the person speaking them) fluent and voluble but insincere and shallow. “she was careful not to let the answer sound too glib”
diaphanous – adjective – (especially of fabric) light, delicate, and translucent. “a diaphanous dress of pale gold”
impecunious – adjective – having little or no money. “a titled but impecunious family”
capacious – adjective – having a lot of space inside; roomy. “she rummaged in her capacious handbag”
castigate – verb – reprimand (someone) severely. “he was castigated for not setting a good example”
bellicose – adjective – demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight. “a group of bellicose patriots”
nettle – verb – irritate or annoy (someone). “I was nettled by Alene’s tone of superiority”
surly – adjective – bad-tempered and unfriendly. “he left with a surly expression”
esoteric – adjective – intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest. “esoteric philosophical debates”
meretricious – adjective – apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity. “meretricious souvenirs for the tourist trade”
equivocate – verb – use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself. ““Not that we are aware of,” she equivocated.”
augury – noun – a sign of what will happen in the future; an omen. “they heard the sound as an augury of death”
juxtapose – verb – place or deal with close together for contrasting effect.
prevaricate – verb – speak or act in an evasive way. “he seemed to prevaricate when journalists asked pointed questions”
affable – adjective – friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to. “an affable and agreeable companion”
neologism – noun – a newly coined word or expression.
mnemonic – noun – a device such as a pattern of letters, ideas, or associations that assists in remembering something. “the usual mnemonic for star types is O Be A Fine Girl Kiss Me”
ambivalent – adjective – having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone. “some loved her, some hated her, few were ambivalent about her”
obfuscate – verb – render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. “the spelling changes will deform some familiar words and obfuscate their etymological origins”
salubrious – adjective – health-giving; healthy. “salubrious weather” pleasant, agreeable, high-class.
perspicacious – adjective – having a ready insight into and understanding of things. “it offers quite a few facts to the perspicacious reporter”
hendiadys – noun – the expression of a single idea by two words connected with “and,” e.g., nice and warm, when one could be used to modify the other, as in nicely warm.
auspicious – adjective – conducive to success; favorable. “it was not the most auspicious moment to hold an election”
dirge – noun – a lament for the dead, especially one forming part of a funeral rite. A mournful song, piece of music, or poem. “singers chanted dirges”
haste – noun – excessive speed or urgency of movement or action; hurry. “working with feverish haste”
peevish – adjective – easily irritated, especially by unimportant things. “all this makes Steve fretful and peevish”
unprevailing – adjective -not culminating or not capable of culminating in success : INEFFECTIVE
retrograde – adjective – directed or moving backward. “a retrograde flow”
jocund – adjective – cheerful and lighthearted. “a jocund wedding party”
sully – verb – damage the purity or integrity of; defile. “they were outraged that anyone should sully their good name”
sardonic – adjective – grimly mocking or cynical. “Starkey attempted a sardonic smile”
tenable – adjective – able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection. “such a simplistic approach is no longer tenable”
prodigal – adjective 1. spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. “prodigal habits die hard”
precept – noun – 1. a general rule intended to regulate behavior or thought. “the legal precept of being innocent until proven guilty”
exaltation – noun – a feeling or state of extreme happiness. “she beams with exaltation”
pernicious – adjective – having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way. “the pernicious influences of the mass media”
gentry – noun – the state or condition of being a gentleman.
expostulate – verb – express strong disapproval or disagreement. “I expostulated with him in vain”
rogue – noun – a dishonest or unprincipled man. “you are a rogue and an embezzler”
consonance – noun – harmony or agreement among components.
promontory – noun – a point of high land that juts out into a large body of water; a headland. “a rocky promontory”
paragon – noun – a person or thing regarded as a perfect example of a particular quality. “it would have taken a paragon of virtue not to feel viciously jealous”
quintessence – noun – the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class. “he was the quintessence of political professionalism”
inhibition – noun – a feeling that makes one self-conscious and unable to act in a relaxed and natural way. “the children, at first shy, soon lost their inhibitions”
wonted – adjective –habitual; usual. “the place had sunk back into its wonted quiet”
affectation – noun – behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impress. “the affectation of a man who measures every word for effect”
veracity – noun – conformity to facts; accuracy. “officials expressed doubts concerning the veracity of the story”
contumely – noun insolent or insulting language or treatment. “the Church should not be exposed to gossip and contumely”
insolent – adjective – showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect. “she hated the insolent tone of his voice”
raze – verb – completely destroy (a building, town, or other site). “villages were razed to the ground”
visage – noun – a person’s face, with reference to the form or proportions of the features. “an elegant, angular visage”
wondrous – adjective – inspiring a feeling of wonder or delight; marvelous. “this wondrous city”
definement – NOUN 1. the act of defining. “The hour of definement for a perky England side has cometh.” 2. another word for definition “his definement suffers no perdition in you”
conjunctive: adjective: serving to join; connective. “the conjunctive tissue”
splenitive a. 1. Splenetic. Even and smooth as seemed the temperament of the nonchalant, languid Virginian – not splenitive or rash.
vernal – adjective of, in, or appropriate to spring. “the vernal freshness of the land”
agnosia – noun – inability to interpret sensations and hence to recognize things, typically as a result of brain damage. “visual agnosia”
reprobate – noun – an unprincipled person (often used humorously or affectionately). “he had to present himself as more of a lovable reprobate than a spirit of corruption”
deleterious – adjective – causing harm or damage. “divorce is assumed to have deleterious effects on children”
ruse –noun – an action intended to deceive someone; a trick. “Eleanor tried to think of a ruse to get Paul out of the house”
ineluctable – adjective – unable to be resisted or avoided; inescapable. “the ineluctable facts of history”
enshroud – verb – past tense: enshrouded; past participle: enshrouded envelop completely and hide from view. “heavy gray clouds enshrouded the city”
undulate – verb – move or go with a smooth up-and-down motion. “the surface of the liquid undulated gently”
Relegate – verb – consign or dismiss to an inferior rank or position. “they aim to prevent women from being relegated to a secondary role”
propitiate – verb – win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases them. “the pagans thought it was important to propitiate the gods with sacrifices”
limpid – adjective (of a liquid) free of anything that darkens; completely clear. “the limpid waters of the Caribbean”