Pop-Up Lexicon words
metamorphisis
a change -- often a radical change
epithet
a contemptuous word or place
stoic
a determined indifference to outward force or pain
anecdote
a little story
gourmand
a lover of food, glutton
hiatus
a peaceful interlude, calm period
conclave
a secret meeting or convention
eulogy
a speech or essay of high praise, delivered in a formal setting
digression
a straying from the main subject
morass
a swamp, something that entraps you
epigram
a witty saying
transgression
a wrongdoing
viable
able to love
fluent
able to speak or read easily, quickly
prolific
abundant, fertile, very productive
serendipitous
accidental, by good fortune
truculent
aggressively hostile
virtuouso
an expert in
chimera
an illusion
cacophony
an inharmonious jumble of words
vagary
an unexpected occurrence; erratic behavior
feral
animal-like
officious
annoyingly easy to help
ostensible
apparent -- but po
astute
astute, shrewd
temerity
audacity, rashness
cognizant
aware, having knowledge
inscrutable
baffling impossible to understand
tenuous
barely, by the skin of one's teeth
rudimentary
basic, undeveloped, uncomplicated
incipient
beginning
omnipresent
being everywhere at once
ubiquitous
being everywhere at once
meticulous
being very careful and exact, especially with details
credible
believable
deride
belittle, ridicule
bellicose
belligerent, ready to make war
legacy
bequest, something handed down from earlier generations
invective
bitter resentment
acerbity
bitterness
rancor
bitterness, hatred built over time
audacity
boldness, recklessness
tedium
boredom
inveterate
born from long habit
ebullient
bubbly with excitement, giddy
pastoral
bucolic, rustic, rural; sometimes relating to the ministry or clinic
specious
but beguilingly so
palpable
capable of being touched
blithe
carefree, cheerful
cavil
carping, insignificant and hurtful criticism
mordant
characterized by biting sarcasm
crass
characterized by grossness of mind; materialistic
parsimonious
cheapness, stinginess
eclectic
choosing from various sources
lucid
clear
fulsome
cloying, disgusting
ribald
coarse, lewd
belligerent
combative, quarrelsome
querulous
complaining peevishly
terse
concise, curt
succinct
concise, to the point
sentient
conscious, able to perceive to one's senses
ramifications
consequences
salient
conspicuous, sticking out at you
disdain
contempt, disregard
emulate
copy, imitate
urbane
cosmopolitan,
pusillanimous
cowardly
obscure
dark, shadowy, unclear
chicanery
deceitfulness, trickery
tenable
defensible, valid
resolute
determined, unwavering, unflinched
abhorrent
detestable, something easy to dislike intensely
arduous
difficult
ineffable
difficult to explain in words
sedulous
diligent, persevering, careful
unruly
disorderly, not easily controlled
pejorative
disparaging, negative, unkind
bailiwick
district, one's area of special knowledge
dubious
doubtful, uncertain
wizened
dried up, withered, wrinkled
malleable
easy to mold, change
facile
easy, fluent, skilled but superficially so
frugal
economical
milieu
environment, place
hyperbole
exaggeration
lugubrious
excessively mournful
poignant
extremely moving, emotional
propitious
favorable, auspicious
fervid
fervent, zealous
zealous
fervently devote
replete
filled with
fastidious
finicky, picky, demanding
antipathy
firm dislike
magnanimity
forgiving, generous act
redoubtable
formidable, scary, awesome
candid
forthright, open
frenetic
frenzied
affable
friendly
amiable
friendly, warm, sociable
meretricious
gaudy, glitzy, showy
largess
generosity, gifts that one gives
altruistic
generosity, selflessness
philanthropic
generous, doing good deeds for social causes
funereal
gloomy
hirsute
hairy or bristly
foruitous
happening by chance
abstruse
hard to understand
esoteric
hard to understand, or understood by only a select group
diligent
hard working
assiduous
hardworking, diligent
innocuous
harmless
odious
hateful, detestable
heinous
hateful, unthinkable
saturnine
having a gloomy or foreboding appearance
agrarians
having to do with farming
arboreal
having to do with trees or the shade of trees
ethereal
heavenly, light
ponderous
heavy, dull, massive
ascetic
hermit like, spare
patrician
high class, aristocratic
accolade
honor, applause
enormity
huge size -- usually a negative sense
mortify
humiliate, embarrass
gelid
icy
splenetic
ill tempered, grouchy
peremptory
imperious, insisting on obedience
tacit
implied, not spoken
capricious
impulsive, changeable
supernumerary
in excess of the normal, an extra
dormant
inactive, apparently asleep, asleep
innate
inborn, inherent
inept
incapable, clumsy
incite
incite, to urge into action
disparate
incompatible, unequal
unctuous
insincere, oily
probity
integrity
vehement
intense, violent
inherent
intrinsic, part of someone's nature
superfluous
irrelevant, redundant, unnecessary
extraneous
irrelevent
profane
irreverent, blasphemous
dissonant
jarring, inharmonious
literal
keepin
benign
kind, not harmful
profuse
lavish, extravagant
erudite
learned, scholarly
indulgent
lenient
salacious
lewd, erotic
levity
lightheartedness, frivolity
acrid
like acid
vicarious
lived through the experiences of someone else
nostalgic
longing for things in the past, homesickness
vociferous
loud, noisy
strident
loud, trying to get attention by being loud for a long time
gesticulate
making gestures with the hands and arms while speaking
clemency
mercy, forgiveness
arcane
mysterious, known only to a few people
ingenuous
naive
indigenous
native to
proclivity
natural, tendency
icongrous
not consistent or unharmonious
spurious
not genuine or authentic
transitory
not lasting long
figurative
not literal, expressing something in words that seem unusual
dilatory
not prompt, slow to do something
desultory
not systematic
indomitable
not to be overcome
obstreperous
obnoxiously noisy and disruptive
tenebrous
obscure, dark, gloomy
nocturnal
of or in the night
tactile
of or using the sense of touch
ostentatious
offensively showy
harbinger
omen, precursor of things to come, forerunner
iconoclast
one who attacks -- usually verbally -- things held sacred by the rest of society
dilettante
one who dabbles, an amateur
glutton
one who eats or drinks to excess
martyr
one who gives up his life or seems to for a cause
connoisseur
one who knows about artistic matters, one who can be judged of such things
onerous
oppressively burdensome
sanguine
optimistic, cheerful
mundane
ordinary, run of the mill
egregious
outrageous, outstandingly bad
dogmatic
overly assertive that something is true
flip
overly casual, disrespectful
cursory
overly casual, superficial
credulous
overly eagerly to believe, gullible
histrionic
overly theatrical
inundate
overwhelm, flood
idiosyncrasy
peculiarity, eccentricity
trenchant
penetrating, strong and effective
cogent
persuasive
palatable
pleasing to one's taste
hedonistic
pleasure seeking -- excessively so
copious
plentiful, in large quantities
aplomb
poise, self confidence
virulent
poisonous, malignant
destitute
poor
indigent
poor, poverty-struck
latent
potential, present but not visible
potent
powerful
laudable
praiseworthy
auspicious
promising
salubrious
promoting health
discreet
prudent, able to keep things secret
pristine
pure
enigma
puzzle
cryptic
puzzling
cullinary
related to cooking
germane
relevant, appropriate
antidote
remedy for a poison
purported
reported, rumored
opulent
rich, ample (nearly ostentatious)
munificent
rich, lavish, splendidly generous
sumptous
rich, luxurious, magnificent
rotund
round, chubby
uncouth
rude
petulant
rude, cranky, ill-tempered
baleful
ruinous, menacing
bucolic
rural in a charming way
idyllic
rustic and charming
morose
sad, excessively sad
paucity
scarcity
compunction
scruple, regret
covert
secret
clandestine
secret, sneaky
discrete
separate
subservient
servile, obsequious
nuances
shade of meaning
superficial
shallow, not thorough
naive
showing lack of experience or knowledge
malaise
sickliness, depression
inane
silly, foolish
discursive
skipping from one idea to another
mellifluous
smooth, like honey
surreptitious
sneaky, secretive
gregarious
sociable, fun to be around
pathos
something apt to stir pity
bequest
something left in a will
ephemeral
something that doesn't last very long
catalyst
something that makes something else happen but does not enter into the process itself
alacrity
speediness
precipitous
steep, rapid declining
dour
stern, severe, gloomy
austere
stern, without adornment
fetid
stinking
anomalous
strange, unfitting, irregularity
scrupulous
strictly careful
obdurate
stubborn, hardheaded
recalcitrant
stubborn, refusing to obey
obtuse
stupid
insipid
stupidly, silly
subjugate
subdue, enslave
servile
submissive, like a servant, but unpleasantly so
surrogate
substitute
putative
supposed, reported, rumored
surfeit
surplus, especially of things to eat
dulcet
sweet sounding
distended
swollen by pressure from within
viscous
syrupy, sticky
garrulous
talkative, chatty
loquacious
tendency to babble or talk to much
laconic
terse, to the point of being rude
definitive
the final word on the matter
nadir
the lowest point, a moment of deepest depression
plebeian
the opposite of patrician; low class, pedestrian
archetype
the precursor, the model on which similar things are designed
antecedent
the thing that comes before
pensive
thoughtful
hermetically
tight
diffident
timid, lack in self-confidence
augment
to add to, to increase
inure
to become accustomed, especially to something unpleasant
languish
to become feeble or depressed
disparage
to belittle, to say nasty things about something or someone
vacillate
to change one's mind again and again
culminate
to come to a climax
censure
to condemn severly
comprise
to consist of, to contain
obfuscate
to darken, to make something confusing
vilify
to defame or say nasty things about someone
coerce
to force someone to do something
exonerate
to free from blame
acquiesce
to give in without protest
abet
to improve
suborn
to incite, to cause to happen
edify
to instruct in a uplifting way
osculate
to kiss
mitigate
to lessen a bad effect
prevaricate
to lie
ameliorate
to make better or easier to take
vitiate
to make impure, pollute
pacify
to make peaceful
exacerbate
to make something worse
oscillate
to move (as a pendulum); to vary between extremes
decimate
to obliterate, to wipe out -- usually in large numbers
delineate
to outline, describe in detail
placate
to pacify appease, please
condone
to permit, to overlook
ruminate
to ponder
extol
to praise highly
persevere
to press on steadfastly
fulminate
to protest loudly and bitterly
ostracize
to refuse or associate with
rue
to regret
allay
to relieve, to calm
alleviate
to relieve, to make bearable
adulate
to revere
satiate
to satisfy an appetite fully
chastise
to scold, censure
relegate
to send away
abridge
to shorten, curtail
curtail
to shorten, to cut short
flouted
to show disrespect to something, often by ignoring it
mollify
to soothe, to pacify
instigate
to start something
foment
to stir up
abate
to subside
preempted
to take over by moving in on it
enervate
to tire
desecrate
to treat a sacred thing with disrespect
ossify
to turn to bone
exhort
to urge strongly
brandish
to wave wildly, fiercely
debilitate
to weaken, cripple
tangible
touchable
contiguous
touching, next to each other
perfidious
treacherous
vicissitude
troubles, upheaval, troublesome occurence
veracity
truth or accuracy
inevitable
unavoidable
gratuitous
uncalled for, given freely
apathetic
uncaring, uncommited
immutable
unchangeable
avunclular
uncle-like
perfunctory
unenthusiastic
adverse
unfavorable
hapless
unlucky
banal
unoriginal, stupid
prosaic
unpoetic, plain
mercurial
unpredictable
ineptitude
unsuitability, inability
lethargy
unwillingness or inability to move or act
reticence
unwillingness to speak out
exigent
urgent in nature of an emergency
futility
uselessness
obliterate
uselessness
grandiloquent
using fancy things or big words to impress someone
execrable
very bad, wretched, detestable
abstemious
very moderate in eating or drinking
miniscule
very tiny
sacreligious
violation of something sacred or religious
erratic
wandering, irregular in movement or quality
prodigal
wastefully, extravagant
sinuous
wave-like, snaky
eminent
well known and respected
nefarious
wicked, evil
turpitude
wickedness
sagacious
wise
pundit
wise person, an expert at something
impeccable
without fault, blameless
philistine
without good taste, smugly arrogant of being ignorant
impromptu
without notes or preparation
ligneous
wooden
squalor
wretched, filthy conditions or enviroment
abject
wretched, without resources
