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ostentatious
adj.
exclusively displayed; conspicuous, vainglorious, pretentious, showy
sagacious
adj.
discerning, shrewd, marked by keen judgment
hoary
adj.
white with age; extremely old
votary [VOE tuh ree]
n.
enthusiast, devotee; devout worshipper
swain
n.
a male admirer or suitor; peasant; shepherd
ineffaceable
adj.
cannot be eliminated or worn away
inexorable [in EGGS ruh bul]
adj.
relentless; cannot be moved or stopped
boudoir [bood WARH]
n.
a woman's bedroom or sitting room
recondite [RECK un dite]
adj.
esoteric, profound, abstruse, hard to understand
nostrum
n.
a secret medicine, especially of questionable power; panacea
verdure [VER jer]
n.
the greenness of vegetation; health and vigor
vicissitudes
n.
fluctuations; alternating changes
sallow
adj.
of a grayish, greenish yellow color
sedulous
adj.
diligent
deleterious [dell uh TEAR ee us]
adj.
harmful, injurious
lurid
adj.
sensational, shocking; gruesome; shining with the red glow of fire seen through smoke or cloud
ebullition
n.
outburst
vacuity
n.
empty space; something that is inane or empty of reason
sophistry [SOFF ih stree]
n.
false argument
obtuse
adj.
insensitive, stupid; blunt; dull
virulent
adj.
malignant; objectionably harsh or strong; extremely poisonous; able to overcome bodily defensive mechanisms
changeling
n.
a child secretly exchanged for another in infancy; a turncoat; an imbecile
excoriation
n.
a scathing condemnation or reprimand
hawser
n.
a large rope for towing, mooring, or securing a ship
unguent
n.
a soothing or healing salve
pellucid
adj.
admitting maximum passage of light without diffusion or distortion; reflecting light evenly from all surfaces; easy to understand
rictus
n.
the gape of a bird's mouth; the mouth orifice; *a gaping grin or grimace*
mottled
adj.
marked with spots of blotches of different color as if stained
frowst
adj.
slovenliness or an uncared-for appearance
atavistic
adj.
recurrence attributable to ancestors more remote than parents
malefic
adj.
malicious; having malignant influence
lee
n.
the side that is sheltered from the wind
ochre
adj.
an earthy red or yellow and often impure iron ore used as a pigment; the color of ochre, esp yellow orchre
canted
adj.
sloping, leaning, slanting
freshet
n.
a great rise or overflowing of a stream caused by heavy rains or melted snow
brigand
n.
one who lives by plunder, usu. as a member of a band; bandit
invective
n. or adj.
abusive speech; insulting or abusive language
feculent
adj.
foul with impurities; fecal
grapnel
n.
a small anchor with four or five flukes or claws used in dragging operations and for anchoring a dory or skiff
stentorian
adj.
extremely loud, thundering
aubergine [OH ba jeen]
adj.
fruit of the eggplant;
*purple*
ruvid
adj.
rude, barbarous, rough, rugged
runnel
n.
rivulet, streamlet
pharology
n.
the art or science connected with lighthouses and signal lights
rive
v.
to tear or split apart
inexorable
adj.
unyielding, unalterable; unrelenting, merciless
nonpareil
adj.
having no equal, peerless
trove
n.
something valuable or pleasing, esp. something that has been kept hidden or is discovered
plangent
adj.
resounding loudly, as a bell
patina
n.
a surface appearance of something grown beautiful esp. with age or use
cairn
n.
a heap of stones set up as a landmark, monument, tombstone, etc
vitrid
adj.
glass-like
sough [SUFF]
v.
to make a rushing, rustling, or murmuring sound
welter
n./v.
a confused mass, jumble; to roll, toss, or heave as waves
ululate [YULE you late]
v.
to howl or hoot; to lament loudly
caliginous
adj.
misty, dim, dark
detritus
n.
debris
hector
v.
to bully
ichor [EYE core]
n.
fluid that flows in the veins of the gods; *watery discharge, as from a wound*
mollify
v.
to pacify, appease; to mitigate or reduce
indifferent
adj.
not caring one way or the other; mediocre; lacking a preference; neutral
apathy
n.
lack of emotion or interest
obscure
adj.
unclear; clouded; partially hidden; hard to understand
impartial
adj.
unbiased; neutral
objective
adj.
without bias (as opposed to subjective)
revere
v.
to worship; to honor (think of a reverend)
discriminate
v.
to differentiate; to make a clear distinction; to see the difference
denounce
v.
to speak out against; to condemn
innovate
v.
to be creative; to introduce something new
relevant
adj.
important; pertinent
candid
adj.
honest; frank
discerment
n.
insight; ability to see things clearly
disdain
n.
arrogant scorn; contempt
abstract
adj.
theoretical; lacking substance (the opposite of concrete)
temperate
adj.
modest; restrained
enigma
n.
mystery
inevitable
adj.
unavoidable; bound to happen
eccentric
adj.
not conventional; a little kooky; irregular
provincial
adj.
limited in outlook to one's own small corner of the world; narrow
futile
adj.
hopeless; without effect
diverse
adj.
varied
benevolent
adj.
kind; good-hearted; generous
pious
adj.
reverent or devout; outwardly (and sometimes falsely) reverent or devout
conciliatory
adj.
making peace; attempting to solve a dispute through gooodwill
resignation
n.
reluctant acceptance of a bad situation (secondary meaning)
resolute
adj.
determined; firm; unwavering
servile
adj.
submissive and subservient; like a servant
acute
adj.
sharp; shrewd
reticent
adj.
restrained; uncommunicative
anarchy
n.
absence of government or control; lawlessness; disorder
virulent
adj.
extremely poisonous; malignant; full of hate
scrutinize
v.
to examine closely
discord
n.
disagreement (the opposite of concord)
repudiate
v.
to reject; to deny
diligent
adj.
hardworking
superficial
adj.
on the surface only; shallow; not thorough
contempt
n.
reproachful disdain
lucid
adj.
clear; easy to understand
aesthetic
adj.
having to do with artistic beauty; artistic (not to be confused with ascetic, also on the Hit Parade)
prodigal
adj.
extravagant; wasteful
abortive
adj.
fruitless, unsucessful
supercilious
adj.
coolly and patronizingly haughty
fractious
adj.
irritable, quarrelsome
peremptory
adj.
expressive of urgency; admitting no contradiction
tortuous
adj.
marked by repeated bends or twists
banns
n.
proclamation of marriage
hauteur [haw TER]
n.
arrogance, haughtiness
fortnight
n.
two weeks time
cordial [CORE jul]
n.
a stimulant or liqueur
prodigal
n.
marked by extravagant waste or profuse generosity
vacuous
adj.
empty, stupid, inane
wan [wahn]
adj.
sickly, feeble, dim, faint, languid
echolalia
n.
repetition of words just spoken by others
obstetrical
adj.
relating to birth
vinous [VIGH nus]
adj.
affected by wine
punctilious
adj.
careful
somnambulatory
adj.
sleepwalking
denizen
n.
one that frequents a place, inhabit
postern [POE stern]
n.
back door or gate; private entrance
insidious
adj.
beguiling but harmful, seductive; intended to entrap
nebulous
adj.
indistinct, vague
meretricious
adj.
attracting attention vulgarly; falsely attractive
ineffable
adj.
indescribably, unutterable
florid
adj.
ruddy; red-faced
dilatory [DILL uh tory]
adj.
tending to delay
caravansary [care uh VAN suhree]
n.
an inn for caravans
magnanimous
adj.
generous in overlooking injury, shortcoming, or insult
precipitately
adv.
rushing headlong
libertine [LIB er teen]
n.
one who is sexually promiscuous
prig
n.
one who is morally uptight
truculent [TRUCK yuh lunt]
adj.
hostile, belligerent, cruel
redolent
adj.
smelling of
garrulous
adj.
talkative
amorphous
adj.
shapeless, unorganized
holocaust
n.
devastation, ruination
adventitious
adj.
not inherent, nonessential; accidental
pasquinade
n.
lampoon
ulster
n.
long, lose, heavy overcoat
pander
v.
to provide gratification for others' desires [as a noun, a go-between in love intrigues]
orgastic
adj.
relating to sexual climax or to the peak of emotional excitement
augment
v.
to add to; to increase; to make bigger
complacent
adj.
smug; self-satisfied; pleased with oneself; contented to a fault
guile
n.
cunning; duplicity
squander
v.
to waste
incessant
adj.
unceasing; never-ending
laudable
adj.
worthy of praise
deter
v.
to prevent; to stop; to keep from doing something
redundant
adj.
repetitive; unnecessary; excessively wordy
infamous
adj.
shamefully wicked; having (and deserving) an extremely bad reputation; disgraceful
provocative
adj.
exciting; attracting attention
depravity
n.
moral corruption
gravity
n.
seriousness (secondary meaning)
banal
adj.
unoriginal; ordinary
extol
v.
to praise
euphony
n.
pleasant sound (the opposite is cacophony)
deride
to ridicule; to laugh at contemptuously
insipid
dull; banal
austere
unadorned; stern; forbidding; without much money
expedite
to make faster or easier
heresy
an opinion violently opposed to established beliefs
novel
adj.
new; original
philanthropy
n.
love of mankind; donating to charity
tentative
adj.
experimental; temporary; uncertain
deference
n.
submission to another's will; respect; courtesy
vacillate
v.
to be indecisive; to waver back and forth
fervor
n.
passion
dispassionate
adj.
without passion; objective; neutral
pragmatic
adj.
practical; down-to-earth; based on experience rather than theory
rigorous
adj.
strict; harsh; severe
solemn
adj.
serious; grave
alleviate
v.
to lessen; to relieve, usually temporarily or incompletely; to make bearable
negligence
n.
carelessness
conspicuous
adj.
standing out; obvious
advocate
v.
to speak in favor of; to support
ascetic
n.
hermit-like; practicing self-denial
profound
adj.
deep; insightful (the opposite of superficial)
ironic
adj.
satiric; unexpected
dogmatic
adj.
arrogantly assertive of unproven ideas; arrogantly claiming that something (often a system of beliefs) is beyond dispute
condone
v.
to overlook; to permit to happen
dissent
n.
disagreement
volition
n.
will; conscious choice
voluntary
adj.
willing; unforced
didactic
adj.
instructive; intended to instruct
disparate
adj.
different; incompatible
disparage
v.
to belittle; to say uncomplimentary things about, usually in a somewhat indirect way
ephemeral
adj.
short-lived; fleeting; not lasting
compliant
adj.
yielding; submissive
prosaic
adj.
dull; unimaginative; like prose
profuse
adj.
flowing; extravagant
expediant
adj.
providing an immediate advantage; serving one's immediate self-interest
fastidious
adj.
meticulous; demanding
belligerent
adj.
combative; quarrelsome; waging war
astute
adj.
perceptive; intelligent
languish
v.
to become weak, listless, or depressed
censure
v.
to condemn severely for doing something bad
stagnation
n.
motionlessness; inactivity
mitigate
v.
to lessen the severity of something
reprehensible
adj.
worthy of blame or censure
engender
v.
to create; to produce
exemplary
adj.
outstanding; setting a great example
venery [VEN uh ree]
n.
sexual intercourse; the pursuit or indulgence in sexual pleasure
antic
adj.
whimsically gay, frolicsome; characterized by clownish extravagance or absurdity; bizarre or grotesque (archaic)
quiescent [kwy ES unt]
adj.
marked by inactivity or repose, tranquilly at rest; causing no trouble or symptoms
incarnadine [in CAR nuh dine]
adj.
having the pinkish color of flesh; red
carnal
adj.
given to crude bodily pleasures; marked by sexuality; bodily; worldly; temporal
inviolate
adj.
undisturbed; pure
fetor [FEE tur]
n.
stench
fledgling
adj.
a young bird until ready for flight; an immature or inexperienced person; one that is new
whiffet
n.
small, young, or unimportant person
marmorean
adj.
marble-like or of a marble statue, esp in aloofness
doxie or doxy
n.
prostitute, loose woman; doctrine, creed, opinion
candor
n.
unreserved honesty, forthrightness
bower
n.
attractive dwelling or retreat; shelter
lave
v.t.
wash, bathe
arbutus [are BYOO tus]
n.
evergreen shrubs or trees, with red berries or white or pink fragrant flowers
incipient
adj.
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
swart
adj.
of a dark color; malignant
gliddered
adj.
glazed over; covered with ice
madrona
n.
small evergreen tree with white flowers
cockalorum
n.
a self-important, pretentious little man
supercilious
adj.
disdainful or contemptuous; full of pride or scorn, haughty
wan
adj.
sickly pale; faint or weak, suggesting weariness or sadness; dim
effrontery [i FRONT er ee]
n.
unashamed boldness, impudence, audacity
spurious
adj.
not true or genuine, counterfeit, artificial
cretin
n.
a very stupid or foolish person
imprecations
n.
curses
ennui [ON WEE]
n.
weariness and dissatisfaction resulting from inactivity or boredom
desultory [DES ul tor ee]
adj.
disconnected, unmethodical; lacking direct relevance, random, incidental
lugubrious
adj.
very sad or mournful, esp. in a way that seems exaggerated or ridiculous
recherché [ruh shir SHAY]
adj.
sought out with care; having refinement or elegance; too refined
nimbus
n.
an aura of splendor about a person or thing
wizened [WIZ und]
adj.
dried up, shriveled, withered
doxy
n.
a woman of low morals; a prostitute
modicum
n.
a small amount, a bit
coterie [KOH tuh ree]
n.
a close circle of friends who share a common interest; a clique
libertine
n.
one who leads an unrestrained, sexually immoral life; a rake
salacious
adj.
lecherous, lustful; obscene, pornographic
ingenuous [in JIN you us]
adj.
frank, open, candid; simple, artless, naive
lachrymose [LACK ri mose]
adj.
inclined to cry, tearful; causing tears, sad
hirsute [HER suit]
adj.
hairy, shaggy, bristly
abstruse
adj.
hard to understand, hidden, secret, esoteric, recondite
olfactory
adj.
related to the sense of smell
trollop
n.
dirty, immoral, or promiscuous woman, esp. a prostitute
distaff
adj.
female, maternal
patina
n.
any thin coating or color change resulting from age
daube [dobe]
n.
stew
mensch
n.
yiddish fir a decent, moral, respectable person
perambulate
v.
to walk about or through, esp in examining or inspecting
roistering
n.
noisy revelry
viscous
adj.
having a cohesive, sticky consistency
fop
n.
a foolish person; a vain, affected man, a dandy
eructation
n.
belch
offal [AWE full]
n.
garbage; butchered remains of an animal unfit for consumption
surreptitious
adj.
secret, done by stealth
vitner
n.
a person who sells or makes wine
chanteuse [shawn TOOSE]
n.
female singer, esp. in nightclubs
fey [fay]
adj.
strange or unusual
avian
adj.
having to do with birds
roué [roo AYE]
n.
A man devoted to a life of sensual pleasure; a debauchee, rake
vitriolic
adj.
sharp or bitter in speech or writing
adze
n.
a cutting tool with a high arched blade for shaping wood
brogans
n.
ankle-high work shoe
burlesque
n.
ridiculous parody
catamount
n.
mountain lion
chinking
n.
caulking, mortar
chocked
adj.
stopped with a block or wedge
curvetting
v.
the leaping of a horse from a rearing position
discommode
v.
to inconvenience or disturb
fetlock
n.
part of a horse's leg where a tuft of hair grows behind the foot-joint
foal
v.
give birth to
forehanded
adj.
thrifty
frieze
n.
decorative band bearing sculpture
glycerin
n.
syrupy liquid
gout
n.
a drop, spot, or splash
implacable
adj.
relentless
interstices
n.
narrow spaces or intervals between things; spaces of time
keen
v.
to wail in lamentation
maul
n.
heavy hammer used for driving wedges; a sledgehammer
nimbus
n.
a bright cloud surrounding a deity or saint
opaline
adj.
like an opal; milky iridescence
peremptory
adj.
imperative; leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal
portentous
adj.
ominous, threatening
portiere
n.
curtain hung over a door to prevent draft or serve as screen or ornament
prosceniuim
n.
the arch that separates the stage from the auditorium; or the stage itself
reaccruent
adj.
having gathered up again
reeve
v.
to pass a rope through a hole or opening
runnel
n.
a small stream
rutting
v.
looking for sexual release while in a period of longing
sanctity
adj.
holiness
sawbuck
n.
ten-dollar bill
scoriation
n.
a flayed or sore place
serge
n.
a woolen fabric
shoat
n.
young hog that has been weaned
slough
n.
a creek in a marsh; state or moral degradation or spiritual dejection
soporific
adj.
inducing sleep
stanchion
n.
an upright bar
stertorous
adj.
snoring
turgid
adj.
swollen
vindication
n.
justification
withers
n.
ridge between shoulder bones of a horse
neutral
adj.
unbiased; not taking sides; objective
relegate
v.
to banish; to send away
anecdote
n.
a brief, entertaining story
scanty
adj.
inadequate; minimal
fallacious
adj.
false
acclaim
n.
praise; applause; admiration
uniform
adj.
consistent; unchanging; the same for everyone
incoherent
adj.
jumbled; chaotic; impossible to understand
repress
v.
to hold down
articulate
adj.
speaking clearly and well
solicit
v.
to ask for; to seek
reproach
v.
to scold
condescend
v.
to stoop to someone else's level, usually in an offensive way; to patronize
orthodox
adj.
conventional; adhering to established principles or doctrines, especially in religion; by the book
indolence
n.
laziness
congenial
adj.
agreeably suitable; pleasant
preclude
v.
to prevent; to make impossible; to shut out
apprehensive
adj.
worried; anxious
elaborate
adj.
detailed; careful; thorough
arrogant
adj.
feeling superior to others; snooty