Advanced Word Power: Chapter 8-9

diatribe

a bitter, abusively critical speech or piece of writing; denunciation

infraction

a breaking of a law or rule

edifice

a building; especially of large, imposing size

paucity

a scarcity; a insufficiency

censure

blame; a rebuke

opaque

difficult to understand or explain; obscure; incomprehensible

irascible

easily angered; irritable

affable

friendly; easy to get along with

cacophony

harsh; discordant sounds

garbled

mixed up to such an extend as to be misleading or incomprehensible

desultory

moving from one thing to another in an unplanned way

aprocryphal

of doubtful authenticity: not genuine

accolade

praise

gravity

severity; weighty importance

profane

showing disrespect or contempt for sacred things; irrverent

obtuse

slow to understand; dull

somber

solemn; sad and depressing; melancholy

assuage

to relieve; lessen

recapitulate

to summarize or repeat briefly

loquacious

very talkative