100 Words To Make You Sound Smart

propriety

correct or appropriate behavior

panacea

cure-all; remedy for all diseases

fastidious

difficult to please

vicarious

done or felt for, or on behalf of, another

peevish

easily irritated or annoyed

rhetoric

effective writing or speaking

élan

enthusiastic vigor or liveliness

zealous

enthusiastic; fervent; fanatical

cloying

excessively sweet or sentimental

lurid

ghastly pale

perfunctory

hasty and without attention to detail

suave

having a sophisticated charm

baroque

having elaborate symmetrical ornamentation

byzantine

highly involved or intricate

infinitesimal

immeasurably small

capricious

impulsive and unpredictable

disheveled

in disarray

untenable

indefensible

esoteric

intended for or understood by only a small group

ubiquitous

being present everywhere at once

acrimony

bitterness

ennui

boredom

scintillating

brilliantly clever

charisma

charm

idyllic

charming in a rustic way; suggestive of an idyll

red herring

any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue

litany

any long, repetitive, or dull recital

nirvana

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

precocious

appearing or developing early

kitsch

art in pretentious bad taste

glib

artfully persuasive in speech

carte blanche

authority with no bounds

Svengali

A person who exercises excessive control or influence over another person

avant-garde

Ahead of the times, especially in the arts

waft

be driven or carried along, as by the air

heresy

a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion

mantra

a commonly repeated word or phrase

fiasco

a complete failure

paradox

a contradiction or dilemma

dichotomy

a division into two parts

tirade

a long, angry speech, usually very critical

Catch-22

a lose lose situation

cacophony

a loud harsh or strident noise

bourgeois

a member of the middle class; belonging to the middle class

philistine

a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

minimalist

a person who practices arts in less detailed ways

hedonist

a pleasure seeker

white elephant

a possession that costs more to keep than its worth

tête-à-tête

a private conversation between two people

mercenary

a professional soldier hired by a foreign army; profit oriented

antidote

a remedy that stops or controls the effects of a poison

tryst

a secret meeting of lovers; rendezvous

sycophant

a self-serving flatterer, a brownnoser

faux pas

a social blunder

bravado

a swaggering show of courage

stigma

a symbol of disgrace or infamy

accolade

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

brogue

a thick and heavy shoe; a strong dialectal accent

junket

a trip taken by an official often times for pleasure at public expense

epitome

a typical example

Freudian slip

a verbal mistake that is thought to reveal an unconscious belief, thought, or emotion

anomaly

abnormality

angst

an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety

misnomer

an incorrect or unsuitable name

euphemism

an inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is considered offensive

fait accompli

an irreversible accomplishment

harbinger

an omen or sign; forerunner

indelicate

lacking propriety and good taste in manners and conduct

ogle

look at with amorous intentions

spartan

marked by simplicity and lack of luxury

vile

morally reprehensible

nouveau riche

newly rich

bona fide

not counterfeit or copied

unrequited

not returned in kind

teetotaler

one who does not drink alcohol

maudlin

overemotional

idiosyncratic

peculiar to the individual

quintessential

perfect example

malaise

physical discomfort (as mild sickness or depression)

brusque

rudely abrupt

caustic

sarcastic

dilettante

showing frivolous or superficial interest

ostentatious

showy

gregarious

sociable

narcissist

someone in love with themselves

non sequitur

something that does not logically follow

equanimity

steadiness of mind under stress

déjà vu

the experience of thinking that a new situation had occurred before

quid pro quo

this for that

equivocate

to be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information

malinger

to evade responsibility by pretending to be ill

ostracize

to exclude from a group; banish; exile

revel

to take delight in

finagle

to trick, swindle or cheat

oblivion

total forgetfulness

insidious

treacherous

camaraderie

trust among friends

stoic

unaffected by pleasure or pain

Machiavellian

unprincipled and crafty

boondoggle

work of little or no value done merely to look busy