all vocab

pedantic

Excessively concerned with book learning and formal rules

succor

Help in time of distress

Levity

Lightness or gaiety or manner or expression

effusive

Overflowing with words or feelings; gushing

Discursive

Rambling; covering a wide range of subjects

emolument

Salary or fees for work done; compensation

refulgent

Shining, radiant

expatiate

To elaborate, speak or write at great length

malinger

To pretend to be sick in order to avoid something

vicissitude

a change or variation; ups and downs

imbroglio

a complicated or intricate situation

emendation

a correction

Stricture

a criticism, critical comment

reprobate

a dishonest or immoral person; a scoundrel

sycophant

a flatterer; one who fawns on others in order to gain favor

cacophony

a harsh, jarring sound

myrmidon

a loyal follower

Iconoclast

a person who attacks cherished or popular beliefs

sinecure

a position that provides a good income or salary but that requires little or no work

predilection

a preference or preconceived liking

peccadillo

a small sin or fault

martinet

a strict disciplinarian

proclivity

a tendency to do something regularly

paradigm

a typical example used as a model

plethora

a very large amount of something

miscreant

a vicious person

invective

abusive language

machination

an evil design or plan

Epigraph

an inscription on a building, a short quotation or saying at the beginning of a book or chapter, intended to suggest its theme

crotchet

an odd notion or whim that one clings to stubbornly

Pariah

an outcast

importune

beg persistently and urgently

supercilious

behaving as if you are better than other people

complicity

being an accomplice in a wrongdoing

tangential

beside the point; divergent

acerbic

bitter, sharp in taste or temper

tenable

capable of being held or defended

puerile

childish and silly

adduce

cite as evidence

banal

common, ordinary

Equanimity

composure, calmness, evenness of mind and temper

egregious

conspicuously bad, remarkable or outstanding for some undesirable or offensive quality

abstruse

difficult to understand

mandacious

dishonest

wizened

dry, shrunken, wrinkled

alacrity

eagerness

irascible

easily angered

docile

easy to teach or manage

efficacy

effectiveness

hypobole

exaggeration

infinitesimal

extremely small

odious

extremely unpleasant; repulsive; hateful

truculent

fierce and cruel; eager to fight

blandishment

flattering or coaxing speech or action

mellifluous

flowing smoothly and sweetly, like honey

magnanimous

generous in forgiving, above small meanness

obeisance

gesture of respect

senescent

growing old; aging

assiduous

hard working; diligent

capacious

having a lot of space

tantamount

having equal force, effect, or value

salubrious

healthy

Etherea

heavenly, not earthly

quixotic

idealistic but impractical

inexorable

impossible to stop or prevent

insouciant

indifferent; lacking concern or care

ineffable

inexpressible, unable to describe in words

Didactic

instructive

Anomalous

irregular, out of place

Licentious

lacking moral restraint, especially in sexual conduct

nonage

legal minority; period before maturity

vapid

lifeless, dull. boring, flat, stale

avuncular

like an uncle

lissome

limbe, flexible, moving with ease and grace

circuitous

longer than the most direct way

lugubrious

looking or sounding sad and dismal

strident

loud and harsh

sonorous

loud and pleasant sound

supine

lying on the back

sanctimonious

making a show of being morally superior to other people

variegated

multicolored

Incessant

never stopping, going on all the time

stolid

no easily moved, aroused, or excited

inchoate

not fully formed; disorganized

spurious

not genuine; false

heterodox

not in agreement with accepted beliefs; holding unorthodox opinions

vacuous

not showing purpose

dissemble

not showing true intentions

umbrage

offense; resentment

ribald

offensive in speech or gesture

exponent

one who champions or advocates

remuneration

payment for work done

bombastic

pompous; using inflated language

ubiquitous

present or existing everywhere

commensurate

proportional to size or degree

vindicate

proving something to be true

contentious

quarrelsome, inclined to argue

mercurial

quick, shrewd, and unpredictable

objurgation

rebuke severely; scold

intransigent

refusing to compromise

bucolic

relating to the countryside

Germane

relevant, fitting

compunction

remorse, regret

Redress

reparation, compensation, satisfaction for a wrong done

superannuated

retired because of age, weakness, or ineffectiveness

Opulent

rich, wealthy, very well-to-do, having substantial means

fetid

smelling extremely unpleasant

parvenu

someone newly wealthy

mnemonic

something such as a acronym used to help someone remember something

Abstemious

sparing or moderate, especially in eating and drinking

nascent

starting to develop; coming into existence

Refractory

stubborn and disobedient, impossible to work with or manage

Obsequious

subservient, ready and willing to serve

ruminate

think deeply about something

admonish

to advise someone not to do something

transmute

to alter

supplicate

to beg earnestly and humbly

Disparage

to belittle, speak or treat as inferior

expurgate

to censor

Truncate

to cut short

goad

to drive or urge on

ostracize

to exclude someone from a group

suppurate

to fester, form, or discharge pus

edify

to improve

interpolate

to insert; change by adding new words or material

palliate

to make less serious; ease

prognosticate

to predict

obviate

to prevent; to make unnecessary

engender

to produce, cause, or bring about

Aver

to state positively, declare with confidence

surfeit

to supply, fill, or feed to excess or the point of discomfort

capitulate

to surrender

Enervate

to weaken, drain of energy, deprive of force or vigor

propitiate

to win over, appease

accede

to yield to; to assume an office or dignity

duplicity

treachery, deceitfulness

legerdemain

trickery

impalpable

unable to be felt; intangible

Catholic

universal; wide-ranging

grandiloquent

using big and fancy words when speaking for the purpose of impressing others

offal

waste, garbage, rubbish

volition

will; conscious choice

sagacious

wise

redoubtable

worthy of fear or respect; mighty

captious

(adj.) excessively ready to find fault

pernicious

(adj.) extremely harmful; deadly, fatal

mordant

(adj.) sharply or bitterly harsh

nostrum

(n.) an alleged cure-all; a remedy or scheme of questionable effectiveness

Oligarchy

A government ruled by a few powerful people