JP's 2000

deus ex machina

"An unrealistic or unexpected intervention to rescue the protagonists or resolve the conflict. The term means ""The god out of the machine"" and refers to stage machinery."

doppleganger

"Double walker". It refers to a character in the story that is usually a counterfeit or a copy of a genuine character. Usually bear the ability to impersonate the main character but have vastly different spirits and intentions. Also any double or look alike of a person.

coptic

"Egyptian," and Christians living in Egypt identify themselves as ... Christians.

facticity

"Facts as they are" those aspects of our experience that we can't change

Orwellian

"Orwellian" is an adjective describing the situation, idea, or societal condition that George Orwell identified as being destructive to the welfare of a free and open society. It connotes an attitude and a policy of control by propaganda, surveillance, misinformation, denial of truth, and manipulation of the past, including the "unperson" — a person whose past existence is expunged from the public record and memory, practiced by modern repressive governments.

gigantomachy

"battle of the giants

Gordian knot

"cut the xxxxxxx knot" has become a popular way to describe a neat solution for an apparently insurmountable difficulty.

spumescence

"foam, froth", especially the foam on the breaking waves of the sea.

jeunesse dorée

"gilded youth"; name given to a body of young dandies, also called Muscadins, who, after the fall of Robespierre, fought against the Jacobins (n.) fashionable and wealthy young people

prima facie

"on its face"

personalty

( Personal property: movable property, as contrasted with real estate.

aposiopesis

("a falling silent") a breaking off in the middle of a sentence, the syntax of which is never resumed

false light

(1) publication of facts about P by D placing P in a false light in the public eye (false light = attributes to P views he does not hold or actions he did not take, A privacy tort that consists of intentionally taking actions that would lead observers to make false assumptions about the person.

allocute

(1) the statement made by a defendant at the time he or she admits to the commission of a crime as a condition of the court accepting a guilty plea. (2) the statement made by a defendant at his/her sentencing hearing.

bathetic

(Adjective) effusively or insincerely emotional; 'The movie manages to be poignant without becoming bathetic'

asteism

(Aka left handed compliment | backhanded compliment) An insult that is disguised as a compliment, e.g. "You're smarter than you look.".

contextomy

(Fallacy of quoting out of context): refers to the selective excerpting of words from their original linguistic context in a way that distorts the source's intended meaning

antinomy

(Greek ἀντί, antí, "against, in opposition to," and νόμος, nómos, "law") literally means the mutual incompatibility, real or apparent, of two laws. a contradiction between two beliefs or conclusions that are in themselves reasonable; a paradox. Antinomy literally means the mutual incompatibility, real or apparent, of two laws. It is a term used in logic and epistemology, particularly in the philosophy of Immanuel Kant and Roberto Unger.

solacium

(Latin) comfort; consolation.

gumption

(Regional) Self-confident willpower, backbone with smartness. This word is a Southern US regionalism for chutzpah, moxie, brashness, or just plain pluck.

traipse

1. To extensively travel about without much thought. 2. To gad about, to travel about showily in search of fun and pleasure. Notes: Where Southerners say gallivant, folks in the northern US tend to use today's Good Word. As the definitions above show, they are almost identical synonyms used in different regions of the US.

regale

1. To fete someone sumptuously, as to be regaled with a lavish party upon their return. 2. To entertain lavishly in a delightful way, even superfluously, as to be regaled with tales of adventures in Africa.

snarl

1. To growl, baring one's teeth (animals). 2. To snap in an angry voice (people). 3. To snare, catch in a trap. 4. To hopelessly entangle, to become twisted in knots and tangles.

perturb

1. To make someone anxious or unsettled. 2. (Physics & Astronomy) To disturb a system or process, to cause it to deviate from its normal path or direction.

skulk

1. To move about sneakily, trying not to be seen. 2. To lurk out of sight in a cowardly, resentful, and rather sinister way.

oust

1. To remove from office or some particular position, to expel or force out, as

gazump

1. To sell a house to a higher bidder after accepting a lower bid from someone else or to raise the price just before signing the contract. 2. To trump or preempt in any endeavor by questionable means.

assuage

1. To soothe, mitigate, mollify, make easier, as to assuage someone's grief. 2. To satisfy, relieve, allay, appease, as to assuage a thirst. 3. To pacify, becalm, to lay to rest, as to assuage someone's fears.

defenestrate

1. To throw out a window. 2. To remove the windows from.

eccentric

1. Unconventional, odd, peculiar, departing from the norm. 2. Not having a common center, off center, as an ellipse. 3. Not circular, not concentric. Notes: Someone once said that only poor people are crazy; rich people are eccentric.

ponderous

1. Very heavy, very bulky, clumsy, unwieldy, slow moving from bulk and weight, such as a ponderous elephant. 2. Important, worth pondering, such as ponderous words. 3. Belabored, slow-moving, dull

anamorphic

1. Visually distorted, twisted or squeezed, as 'an xxxxxxxxxx lens' used in making cinemascope pictures. 2. The gradual phyllogenous development of a species from a lower to a higher stage.

spatchcock

1. [Noun] A chicken or other fowl split in half for grilling. 2. [Verb] To split a chicken or other fowl in half and grill it. 3. [Verb] To sandwich in, insert in between; to squeeze or shoehorn in.

pander

1. [Noun] The scientific term for pimp, a procurer of sexual favors. 2. [Noun] A person who complies with the base inclinations of others. 3. [Verb] To lower one's standards or morals for approval or wealth, as to pander to the whims of the wealthy.

imprimatur

1. a license to print or publish especially by Roman Catholic episcopal authority. 2. Sanction, approval (imprint a mark of approval or distinction)

expatriate

1. a person who lives outside their native country. expelled from one's native country. 1. settle oneself abroad.

coup

1. a sudden, violent, and illegal seizure of power from a government. 2. a notable or successful stroke or move.

submission

1. an act or instance of submitting. 2. the condition of having submitted. 3. submissive conduct or attitude. 4. something that is submitted, as an application. 5. Law. an agreement between parties involved in a dispute, to abide by the decision of an arbitrator or arbitrators.

artifact

1. an object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest. 2. something observed in a scientific investigation or experiment that is not naturally present but occurs as a result of the preparative

accede

1. assent or agree to a demand, request, or treaty. 2. assume an office or position.

propagate

1. breed specimens of (a plant, animal, etc.) by natural processes from the parent stock. "try propagating your own houseplants from cuttings" synonyms: breed, grow, cultivate "an easy plant to propagate" •(of a plant, animal, etc.) reproduce by natural processes. "the plant propagates freely from stem cuttings" synonyms: reproduce, multiply, proliferate, increase, spread, self-seed, self-sow "these shrubs propagate easily" 2. spread and promote (an idea, theory, etc.) widely. "the French propagated the idea that the English were violent and gluttonous

bereft

1. deprived of or lacking something, especially a nonmaterial asset. "her room was stark and bereft of color" synonyms: deprived of, robbed of, stripped of, devoid of, bankrupt of; wanting, in need of, lacking, without; informal minus, sans, clean out of

penurious

1. extremely poor; poverty-stricken. poor, destitute, necessitous, impecunious, impoverished, indigent, needy, penniless

benighted

1. in a state of pitiful or contemptible intellectual or moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity. 2. overtaken by darkness.

succor

1. n. assistance and support in times of hardship and distress. 2 v. give assistance or aid to.

sensibility

1. the ability to appreciate and respond to complex emotional or aesthetic influences; sensitivity: "the study of literature leads to a growth of intelligence and sensibility"

tenor

1. the direction in which something is consistently moving 2. the general sense or meaning or wording of something written or spoken 3. The exact meaning or wording of a legal document 4. The highest natural voice or an adult male or a singer with this voice

cachet

1. the state of being respected or admired; prestige. synonyms: prestige, status, standing, clout, kudos, snob value, stature, preeminence, eminence; street credibility 2. a distinguishing mark or seal.

lollapalooza

(Slang) A corker, a beaut, a knockout, something outstanding of its kind, something fine and grand. Notes: This is a pure Americanism right down to its obscure origin. If you are British, it's OK to spell this word lallapalooza and pronounce it [læ-lê-pê-lu-sê]. Since it is more widely spoken than written, it has suffered a wide variety of spellings. In the Second World War this word was the shibboleth for distinguishing friendly Filipinos from the Japanese enemy. When asked to repeat today's Good Word, rorraparooza was the wrong answer.

bodacious

(US slang) 1. Unrestrained, outspoken, brazen, bold and audacious. 2. Exceptional, excellent, or outlandishly striking.

via dolorosa

(VY/VEE-uh dol-uh-RO-suh) noun: A distressing journey or experience.

splendiferous

(a) extraordinarily or showily impressive

presumptive

(adj) based on inference or assumption; providing reasonable grounds for belief

prelapsarian

(adj) characteristic of the time before the Fall of Man; innocent and unspoiled

apotropaic

(adj) intended to ward off evil

formulaic

(adj) made according to a formula done according to an overused method; trite

penultimate

(adj) next to last

incorrigible

(adj) not able to be corrected; beyond control

anserine

(adj) of or like a goose; silly

genteel

(adj) refined; polite; aristocratic; affecting refinement

uncanny

(adj) strange, mysterious, weird, beyond explanation

enervating

(adj) weakening, tiring, draining of energy

unctuous

(adj.) Excessively smooth or smug; trying too hard to give an impression of earnestness, sincerity, or piety; fatty, oily; pliable

capacious

(adj.) able to hold much, roomy

anomalous

(adj.) abnormal, irregular, departing from the usual

autocrat

(adj.) absolute in power or authority

concomitant

(adj.) accompanying in a subordinate fashion

acerbic

(adj.) biting, bitter in tone or taste

paramount

(adj.) chief in importance, above all others (of primary importance)

trite

(adj.) commonplace; overused, stale

consummate

(adj.) complete or perfect in the highest degree; (v.) to bring to a state of completion or perfection

somber

(adj.) dark, gloomy; depressed or melancholy in spirit oppressively solemn or sober in mood; grave.

poignant

(adj.) deeply affecting, touching; keen or sharp in taste or smell; moving, painful to the feelings

luminous

(adj.) emitting or reflecting light, glowing; illuminating

magniloquent

(adj.) expressed in lofty or high-flown language (often in the sense of being pompous or over-elaborate)

chary

(adj.) extremely cautious, hesitant, or slow (to); reserved, diffident

corpulent

(adj.) fat; having a large, bulky body

indignant

(adj.) filled with resentment or anger over something unjust, unworthy, or mean

inveterate

(adj.) firmly established, long-standing; habitual

waggish

(adj.) fond of making jokes; characteristic of a joker; playfully humorous or droll

obtrusive

(adj.) forward; undesirably prominent; thrust out

gratuitous

(adj.) freely given; not called for by circumstances, unwarranted

amiable

(adj.) friendly, good-natured xxxxxxxx refers to the connections between people or things, like a friendly situation with a crowd. Take out the "c" for crowd and you're left with xxxxxxx, one friendly person.

grandiose

(adj.) grand in an impressive or stately way; marked by pompous affectation or grandeur, absurdly exaggerated

vituperative

(adj.) harshly abusive, severely scolding

averse

(adj.) having a deep-seated distaste; opposed, unwilling

exuberant

(adj.) high-spirited, enthusiastic, unrestrained; excessive, abundant

prodigious

(adj.) immense; extraordinary in bulk, size, or degree

irrefutable

(adj.) impossible to disprove; beyond argument

myriad

(adj.) in very great numbers; (n.) a very great number

trenchant

(adj.) incisive, keen; forceful, effective; cutting, caustic; distinct, clear-cut vigorous or incisive in expression or style.

cogent

(adj.) intellectually convincing

insidious

(adj.) intended to deceive or entrap; sly, treacherous of a disease: developing so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent

subversive

(adj.) intended to undermine or overthrow; (n.) one who advocates or attempts to undermine a political system

feckless

(adj.) lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible, unreliable

contingent

(adj.) likely but not certain to happen, possible; dependent on uncertain events or conditions; happening by chance; (n.) a representative group forming part of a larger body

ostentatious

(adj.) marked by conspicuous or pretentious display, showy

occult

(adj.) mysterious, magical, supernatural; secret, hidden from view; not detectable by ordinary means; (v.) to hide, conceal; eclipse; (n.) matters involving the supernatural

obstreperous

(adj.) noisy; unruly, disorderly

inimitable

(adj.) not capable of being copied or imitated one of a kind, peerless

untenable

(adj.) not capable of being held or defended; impossible to maintain

stolid

(adj.) not easily moved mentally or emotionally; dull, unresponsive

servile

(adj.) of or relating to a slave; behaving like or suitable for a slave or a servant, menial; lacking spirit or independence, abjectly submissive

demotic

(adj.) of or relating to the common people of a given area or region

decrepit

(adj.) old and feeble; worn-out, ruined

venal

(adj.) open to or marked by bribery or corruption

imperious

(adj.) overbearing, arrogant; seeking to dominate; pressing, compelling

pompous

(adj.) overly self-important in speech and manner; excessively stately or ceremonious

contrite

(adj.) penitent, eager to be forgiven

vicarious

(adj.) performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another

bombastic

(adj.) pompous or overblown in language; full of high-sounding words intended to conceal a lack of ideas

quizzical

(adj.) puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal, eccentric

cryptic

(adj.) puzzling, mystifying, or enigmatic

enigmatic

(adj.) puzzling, perplexing, inexplicable, not easily understood

substantive

(adj.) real, having a solid basis; considerable in number or amount; meaningful and on topic

wanton

(adj.) reckless; heartless, unjustifiable; loose in morals; (n.) a spoiled, pampered person; one with low morals

pertinent

(adj.) related to the matter at hand, to the point

adventitious

(adj.) resulting from chance rather than from an inherent cause or character; accidental, not essential; (medicine) acquired, not congenital

ludicrous

(adj.) ridiculous, laughable, absurd

boisterous

(adj.) rough and noisy in a cheerful way; high-spirited

austere

(adj.) severe or stern in manner; marked by rigorous restraint, simplicity, or self-denial

reciprocal

(adj.) shared; involving give-and-take between two persons or things; working in both directions; (n.) (math) a number that, when multiplied by another number, gives 1

brusque

(adj.) short, abrupt, dismissive

impassive

(adj.) showing no feeling or emotion; inanimate; motionless

diffident

(adj.) shy, lacking self-confidence; modest, reserved

fluent

(adj.) speaking or writing easily and smoothly, flowing gracefully

surreptitious

(adj.) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation; made or accomplished by fraud

piquant

(adj.) stimulating to the taste or mind; spicy, pungent; appealingly provocative

fatuous

(adj.) stupid or foolish in a self-satisfied way

capricious

(adj.) subject to whim, fickle

pejorative

(adj.) tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disparagement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling

wry

(adj.) twisted, turned to one side; cleverly and often grimly humorous

illustrious

(adj.) very famous, distinguished

heinous

(adj.) very wicked, offensive, hateful (HOW)

exemplar

(adj.) worthy of imitation, commendable; serving as a model

dispositive

(adjective) involving or affecting disposition or settlement

deportment

(behavioral attributes) the way a person behaves toward other people

basilisk

(classical mythology) a serpent (or lizard or dragon) able to kill with its breath or glance

rapprochement

(especially in international relations) an establishment or resumption of harmonious relations:

requiem

(especially in the Roman Catholic Church) a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead. •a musical composition setting parts of a requiem Mass, or of a similar character. •an act or token of remembrance.

frenetic

(fre·net·ic) adj Fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way: "A frenetic ride on the snowboard."

eutaxiological

(from the Greek eu - good, and tax - order) is the philosophical study of order and design. It is distinguished from teleology in that it does not focus on the purpose or goal of a given structure or process, merely the degree and complexity of the structure or process.

colloquial

(ism) adj. (of language) Used in ordinary conversation; not formal or literary.

mens rea

(law) criminal intent

arbitration

(law) the hearing and determination of a dispute by an impartial referee agreed to by both parties (often used to settle disputes between labor and management)

proposition

(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false a plan suggested for acceptance; a proposal So, per Aristotle's definitions, the difference between "premise" and "proposition" is that the former is a strict subset of the latter —all premises are propositions, while not all propositions are premises—:

stratagem

(n) A scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end plot; plan; trick

barouche

(n) a four-wheeled horse-drawn carriage with a collapsible hood over the rear half, a seat in front for the driver, and seats facing each other for the passengers, used esp. in the 19th century.

ingenue

(n) a naive girl

flair

(n) a natural quality, talent, or skill; a distinctive style

din

(n) loud, confused noise, esp. for a long period of time

kibosh

(n) nonsense; Idiom: the act of halting or squelching, to put a stop to. "Put the _______ on"; "Living in a dorm doesn't put the _______ on your first adventures in cooking."

verisimilitude

(n) the appearance of being true or real

persiflage

(n). lighthearted joking, talk, or writing SYN: banter, jesting, repartee, badinage

lull

(n, v) soothe or cause to fall asleep (as in a lullaby); quiet down; make to feel secure, sometimes falsely (verb); a period of calm or quiet (noun)

umbrage

(n.) Shade cast by trees; foliage giving shade; an overshadowing influence or power; offense, resentment; a vague suspicion

rite

(n.) a ceremony; the customary form of a ceremony; any formal custom or practice

anathema

(n.) a cursed, detested person or thing

incubus

(n.) a demon or evil spirit supposed to haunt human beings in their bedrooms at night; anything that oppresses or weighs upon one, like a nightmare a demon in male form who has sexual intercourse with sleeping females.

illusion

(n.) a false idea; something that one seems to see or to be aware of that really does not exist

apparition

(n.) a ghost or ghostly figure; an unexplained or unusual appearance

boon

(n.) a gift or blessing

semblance

(n.) a likeness; an outward appearance; an apparition

demarche

(n.) a line of action; change of policy a political step or initiative:

touchstone

(n.) a means of testing worth or genuineness

paragon

(n.) a model of excellence or perfection

impetus

(n.) a moving force, impulse, stimulus

propensity

(n.) a natural inclination or predilection toward

foray

(n.) a quick raid, especially for plunder; a venture into some field of endeavor; (v.) to make such a raid 1 : a sudden or irregular invasion or attack for war or spoils : raid. 2 : a brief excursion or attempt especially outside one's accustomed sphere

tether

(n.) a rope or chain used to fasten something to a fixed object; the outer limit of strength or resources; (v.) to fasten with a rope or chain

antipathy

(n.) a strong dislike, repugnance

shibboleth

(n.) a word, expression, or custom that distinguishes a particular group of persons from all others; a commonplace saying or truism A word or pronunciation that distinguishes someone as of a particular group

libel

(n.) a written statement that unfairly or falsely harms the reputation of the person about whom it is made; (v.) to write or publish such a statement

accord

(n.) agreement, harmony; (v.) to agree, be in harmony or bring into harmony; to grant, bestow on

mien

(n.) air, manner; appearance; expression demeanor literary a person's look or manner, especially one of a particular kind indicating their character or mood: "he has a cautious, academic mien" synonyms: appearance · look · expression · countenance · aura

advent

(n.) an arrival; a coming into place or view arrival or coming into being 2. (capitalized) The period beginning four weeks before Christmas; the birth of Christ

connoisseur

(n.) an expert; one who is well qualified to pass critical judgments, especially in one of the fine arts

talisman

(n.) an object that serves as a charm or is believed to confer magical powers, an amulet, fetish

heresy

(n.) an opinion different from accepted belief; the denial of an idea that is generally held sacred

decree

(n.) an order having the force of law; (v.) to issue such an order; to command firmly or forcefully ((see fiat))

ambisinistrous

(n.) antonym of ambidextrous; awkward in the use of both hands

acrimony

(n.) bitterness, discord

legerdemain

(n.) deception, slight-of-hand (Smuggling the French plants through customs by claiming that they were fake was a remarkable bit of legerdemain.)

alacrity

(n.) eagerness, speed

clemency

(n.) mercy

propinquity

(n.) nearness in place or time; kinship

insurgent

(n.) one who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority; surging or rushing in or on

aegis

(n.) protection; patronage; sponsorship A shield, protection Synonym: auspices

obloquy

(n.) public abuse indicating strong disapproval or censure; the disgrace resulting from such treatment

conundrum

(n.) puzzle

credulity

(n.) readiness to believe

prodigy

(n.) something wonderful or marvelous; something monstrous or abnormal; an unusual feat; a child or young person with extraordinary ability or talent

cynosure

(n.) the center of attraction, attention, or interest; something that serves to guide or direct

brunt

(n.) the main impact, force, or burden

guile

(n.) treacherous cunning, deceit sly or cunning intelligence. see subterfuge

cacophony

(n.) tremendous noise, disharmonious sound

nepotism

(n.) undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives

majesty

(noun) impressive stateliness, dignity, or beauty (2) royal power

wretched

(of a person) in a very unhappy or unfortunate state:

altricial

(of a young bird or other animal) hatched or born in an undeveloped state and requiring care and feeding by the parents. Also called nidicolous. Often contrasted with precocial. •(of a particular species) having altricial young.

perspicuous

(of an account or representation) clearly expressed and easily understood; lucid: "it provides simpler and more xxxxxxxxxxx explanations than its rivals" •(of a person) able to give an account or express an idea clearly.

coherent

(of an argument, theory, or policy) logical and consistent. •(of a person) able to speak clearly and logically.

contumelious

(of behavior) scornful and insulting; insolent.

nidifugous

(of birds) leaving the nest shortly after hatching

nidicolous

(of birds) remaining in the nest for a time after hatching

discursive

(of e.g. speech and writing) tending to depart from the main point or cover a wide range of subjects

limpid

(of language) transparently clear

incoherent

(of spoken or written language) expressed in an incomprehensible or confusing way; unclear: "he screamed some xxxxxxxxxx threat" synonyms: unclear · confused · unintelligible · incomprehensible · physics (of waves) having no definite or stable phase relationship. disjointed

semiotics (semiology)

(philosophy) a philosophical theory of the functions of signs and symbolshe study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing. a general theory of signs and symbolism, usually divided into the branches of pragmatics, semantics, and syntactics.

placentious

(pla-SEN-shus) adjective: Pleasing or inclined to please.

prolepsis

(rhetorical anticipation) (1) In rhetoric, prolepsis is foreseeing and forestalling objections to an argument. Adjective: proleptic. Similar to procatalepsis.

fractious

(typically of children) irritable and quarrelsome: synonyms: grumpy · bad-tempered · irascible · irritable · crotchety · •(of a group or organization) difficult to control; unruly

coruscate

(v) To shine or sparkle

elide

(v) to suppress, omit, ignore or pass over

purfle

(v): to ornament the border or edges of

inculcate

(v.) To thoroughly teach by frequent repetition or other strong measures; to firmly embed a concept in someone's mind. Notes: Today's Good Word bears a slight tinge of pejorativity, though it may be used quite positively in the right context. It has produced a large and illustrious family of derivations: inculcator, someone who inculcates, inculcation, the process itself, while both inculcatory and inculcative serve as adjectives.

abrogate

(v.) to abolish, usually by authority

irk

(v.) to annoy, trouble, make weary

attest

(v.) to bear witness, affirm to be true or genuine

dissipate

(v.) to cause to disappear; to scatter, dispel; to spend foolishly, squander; to be extravagant in pursuit of pleasure

blandish

(v.) to coax by using flattery

decry

(v.) to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially deprecate

comport

(v.) to conduct or bear oneself, behave; to be in agreement

corroborate

(v.) to confirm, make more certain, bolster, substantiate, verify

vanquish

(v.) to defeat in a battle or contest, overthrow; to overcome a feeling or condition

gainsay

(v.) to deny, contradict, controvert; to dispute, oppose

covet

(v.) to desire something belonging to another

encompass

(v.) to encircle, go or reach around; to enclose; to include with a certain group or class

extricate

(v.) to free from entanglements or difficulties; to remove with effort

subsist

(v.) to have existence; to remain alive, manage to make a living or maintain life; to persist or continue

aggrandize

(v.) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater

mitigate

(v.) to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity

defile

(v.) to make unclean, impure

reminisce

(v.) to recall one's past thoughts, feelings, or experiences

bowdlerize

(v.) to remove material considered offensive (from a book, play, film, etc.)

equivocate

(v.) to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous

inure

(v.) to toughen, harden; to render used to something by long subjection or exposure

exhort

(v.) to urge strongly, advise earnestly

cajole

(v.) to urge, coax

gibe

(v.) to utter taunting words; (n.) an expression of scorn

flaunt

(v.) to wave or flutter showily; to display in a conceited, offensive way

galvanize

(verb) shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action Replaces: motivates

asserts

(verb) state a fact or belief confidently and forcefully Replaces: says

engenders

(verb) to cause or give rise to

solecistic

- grammatical mistake or absurdity, non-standard usage - - "this is just between you and I" instead of between of you and me - "alls i'm saying" - "irregardless"

flamboyantly

-extravagantly; with pompous, high sounding phrases -in a fancy colorful manner

immanant

...(linear algebra) A function or property of a matrix, defined as a generalization of the concepts of determinant and permanent.

immanent

...of qualities that are spread throughout something adjectiveEx. "ambition is immanent in human nature"; "we think of God as immanent in nature;of a mental act performed entirely within the mind adjectiveEx. "a cognition is an immanent act of mind"

soupcon

/so͞opˈsoN/noun a very small quantity of something.

mogul

1 : (capitalized Mogul) an Indian Muslim of or descended from one of several conquering groups of Mongol, Turkish, and Persian origin; especially : Great Mogul 2 : a person of rank, power, influence, or distinction often in a specified area

brogue

1 : a heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole 2 : a stout oxford shoe with perforations and usually a wing tip

facet

1 : a small plane surface (as on a cut gem) — see brilliant illustration 2 : any of the definable aspects that make up a subject (as of contemplation) or an object (as of consideration)

jeopardy

1 : exposure to death, loss, or injury : danger 2 : the danger that an accused person is subjected to when on trial for a criminal offense

recondite

1 : hidden from sight : concealed. 2 : difficult or impossible for one of ordinary understanding or knowledge to comprehend : deep

quantal

1 : of, relating to, or having only two experimental alternatives (such as dead or alive, all or none) 2 : of or relating to a quantum or to quanta (as of energy or a neurotransmitter)

reticulate

1 : resembling a net or network 2 : being or involving evolutionary change dependent on genetic recombination involving diverse interbreeding populations

pyrrhonism

1 : the doctrines of a school of ancient extreme skeptics who suspended judgment on every proposition — compare academicism 2 : total or radical skepticism

inanity

1 : the quality or state of being inane: as a : lack of substance : emptiness b : vapid, pointless, or fatuous character : shallowness 2 : something that is inane

discomfit

1 : to frustrate the plans of : thwart 2 : to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment : disconcert

herald

1 : to give notice of : announce 2 a : to greet especially with enthusiasm : hail b : publicize 3 : to signal the approach of : foreshadow

keelhaul

1 : to haul under the keel of a ship as punishment or torture 2 : to rebuke severely

allision

1 obs : the action of dashing against or striking upon. 2 : the running of one ship upon another ship that is stationary —distinguished from collision.Nov 8, 2007

nadir

1. (Astronomy) The point in a celestial sphere directly below the observer, the antonym of zenith. 2. The lowest point in the fortunes of a person or organization

stodgy

1. (Food) Fattening, unhealthy, rich. 2. Heavy-set, stocky, pudgy. 3. Square, old fashioned, uptight, conventional, unimaginative, resistant to anything new or fresh—in short, boring.

commute

1. (Intransitive) To go back and forth over a long distance, as to commute to work from a neighboring town. 2. (Transitive) To change, exchange or substitute for something lesser or more agreeable, as to commute a criminal sentence to time already served in jail. 3. (Electrical engineering) To regulate the direction of an electrical current.

kismet

1. (Islam) the will of Allah. 2. Fate, destiny, one's lot, implying fatalism, predestination.

vitriolic

1. (Literally) Containing or similar to sulfuric acid or any of the metal sulfates. 2. (Figuratively) Extremely caustic, scathing, filled with rage and abasement, often accompanied by profanity

fillip

1. (Noun) A movement made by curving a finger against the thumb and then suddenly releasing it. 2. (Noun) A stimulus, an act that attracts attention or arouses interest. 3. (Verb) To flip, to move a small object with a sharp motion of the fingers.

glom

1. (Transitive) To grab, snatch, take, or seize something not belonging to you, as to glom some cash. 2. (Intransitive) Used in the same sense with the preposition onto, for instance to glom onto some cash. 3. To stare at, to ogle, to fix your attention on or attach yourself to someone or something.

don

1. (Verb) Put on (clothes). 2. (Noun) A university professor, especially a high-ranking member of the faculty at Oxford or Cambridge University. 3. (Noun) The head of an organized crime ring, a capo in the Mafia.

facile

1. (especially of a theory or argument) appearing neat and comprehensive only by ignoring the true complexities of an issue; superficial.

lagniappe

1. A bonus gift given to a customer in gratitude for his or her business. 2. A bonus or extra value of any kind.

caucus

1. A closed political meeting that determines policy or selects candidates for office.

welter

1. A confused jumble or mass; 2. To become deeply involved or embroiled in something; 3. To roll, writhe or heave

bijou

1. A dainty exquisite trinket. 2. A jewel in the metaphoric sense (a jewel of a house), a small but especially elegant or glamorous work of art in the generic sense, that is, including music, architecture, jewelry, etc.

disquisition

1. A diligent investigation, a thorough piece of research. 2. An elaborate analytical essay or a detailed treatise on a research project.

spate

1. A flash flood; a deluge, sudden flood or enormous gush. 2. A huge downpour, a gully-washer capable of producing a flash flood. 3. A huge amount or number.

buccaneer

1. A freebooter, a pirate, a filibuster who preyed on Spanish shipping in the West Indies in the 17th and 18th centuries. 2. An adventuresome, irrepressible daredevil with little or no concern for others.

palooka

1. A good-hearted but dumb and incompetent professional boxer. 2. Any stupid, clumsy man who is not a bad sort.

lodestar

1. A guiding star, a star that shows the way, particularly Polaris, the North Star. 2. A guiding light, a principle by which we may set our course in life.

pomander

1. A hollow, perforated ball containing pot-pourri or other aromatic substances, hung in a closet, wardrobe, or placed in a drawer. 2. The contents of such a ball.

pundit

1. A learned person, an expert. Notes: The meaning of today's Good Word has become a bit tarnished of late. It originally referred to a genuine expert.

gig

1. A light two-wheeled carriage drawn by a horse or other animal. 2. Any job, especially a booking for a musical show-business group. 3. A spear with a forked head bearing several barbed spikes, used for floundering or frogging.

bunny

1. A lump or swelling. 2. A term of endearment for rabbits and, sometimes, for girls and women.

catholicon

1. A panacea, a remedy for all diseases or other misfortunes. 2. (Church) A comprehensive treatise.

hiatus

1. A pause or gap in a sequence, process, or anything else. 2. An interruption in an activity during which nothing appears or happens, such as a blank space on a printed page. 3. A pause between two consecutive vowels that are pronounced independently, as in naive or coopt.

constellation

1. A recognized grouping of stars in the celestial sphere. 2. An assemblage of prominent people or things. 3. A large configuration of related items or ideas.

menorah

1. A seven-branched candelabrum symbolizing the seven days of creation. 2. A nine-branched candelabrum used in the celebration of Hanukkah, also called the Hanukiah.

aspersion

1. A spattering or sprinkling, especially of holy water. 2. That which bespatters or besmirches someone's character, slander, defamation of character.

flummery

1. A sweet gelatinous pudding made by straining oatmeal or wheatmeal. 2. Any kind of soft, sweet, bland food, such as custard. 3. Meaningless, deceptive speech; humbug, hocus-pocus.

devoir

1. Act of respect or courtesy, that which someone ought to do, as 'to pay one's devoirs'. 2. Duty, responsibility

montage

1. An artistic composition created from bits and pieces of other objects, such as a picture made up of pieces from other pictures. 2. (Motion pictures) The selecting and arranging of scenes and transitions in putting together a motion picture.

coadjutor

1. An assistant, a helper. 2. An assistant to a bishop designated to succeed the bishop.

yeoman

1. An attendant, subordinate, or lesser official, especially in a royal household, as a yeoman of the guard, also known as "Beefeaters". 2. A clerical petty officer in the US Navy. 3. A dependable, competent, hard-working person.

hybrid

1. An offspring produced by genetically disparate parents, a half-breed, cross-breed, mongrel, as a mule is a hybrid of a donkey and a horse. 2. Anything of mixed origin or composition, as the word television is a hybrid of Greek (tele-) and Latin (vision).

gnomon

1. An upright arm that projects a shadow and is used as an indicator or measure, as on a sundial. 2. An L-shaped figure created by removing a smaller parallelogram from a larger one from one of its corners. 3. (Facetiously) The nose.

rumpus

1. An uproar, hullabaloo, brouhaha, fracas. 2. A loud, disorderly quarrel.

incunabulum

1. Books printed in the infancy of printing, particularly those printed before 1500. 2. (usually in the plural) The earliest stage of anything, as role of the vacuum tube among the incunabula of computing.

demonstrable

1. Capable of being demonstrated or proved.. 2. Obvious or apparent

incendiary

1. Capable of igniting or igniting something else, related to fire or conflagration. 2. Related to or having to do with arson. 3. Highly provocative, inflammatory, capable of inciting a person or group to radical action.

perpetual

1. Continuing for a long period without interruption, constant, never stopping. 2. Eternal, lasting forever.

esurient

1. Craving food, starving, voracious, famished. 2. Devouring food in great quantities. 3. Ardently desirous of anything.

artless

1. Devoid of any guile or deceit, ingenuous, sincere. 2. Natural, unpretentious, without artifice, (naively) simple. 3. Unskilled, clumsy, ignorant, inartistic.

disport

1. Diversion, amusement, recreation, entertainment. 2. Merriment, fun, a display of playfulness or frolic. Notes: Today's Good Word can be used as a verb meaning "to entertain in a playful manner", as in "Squirrels are disporting themselves in the tree." The noun for this verb is disportment, which has about the same meaning as disport. If we were to omit the initial syllable, di-, we would be left with sport. That is exactly what our English-speaking ancestors did.

dichotomy

1. Division or classification into two categories, as the dichotomy of thought on whether to pursue the war. 2. [Biology] Forking, bifurcation, a branching into two approximately equal extensions. 3. [Astronomy] A half moon or that phase of any planet or satellite when only half of it is illumined.

conceit

1. Extreme egotism, excessive and vain pride in oneself. 2. A fanciful or outlandish notion or idea. 3. In literature, an unusually creative twist, a bit of unexpected imagery or metaphor

perdurable

1. Extremely durable, enduring continuously over a lifetime or the course of human history. 2. Permanent, imperishable, lasting forever.

shmoo

1. Imaginary selfless creatures shaped like bowling pins with chubby legs that only desire to fulfill the material needs of humans. 2. A person who is a pushover to do things for anyone.

inculpate

1. Incriminate, to cause a charge to be brought against someone. 2. Accuse, blame, to find fault with, to bring a charge against. Notes: Here is a verb whose antonym, exculpate "to clear of guilt", is encountered more frequently than it is. It comes with a complete family of derivational relatives befitting Latinate verbs ending on -ate: an action noun, inculpation, and two adjectives, inculpative and inculpatory. Inculpable, however, means "not culpable"; the in- prefix here is the Latin negative prefix as in inactive, incorrect, and so forth.

risible

1. Laughable, humorous, causing laughter. 2. Easily amused, easily made to laugh, given to laughter.

salvific

1. Leading to salvation, having the power to bring about redemption. 2. Acting to save or rescue; securing safety. Notes: Today's word is probably used more to refer to Christian salvation, but we should keep in mind that it simply means "rescuing". It is an esoteric Latinate word, so we should use it only when referring to more elevated topics. This word has a variant, servifical, which must be used to form the adverb, servifially

hysteria

1. Loss of control of the emotions resulting in frenzied crying, laughter, screaming, or flailing about. 2. Panic, uncontrollable fear.

concupiscent

1. Lustful, libidinous, horny, randy. 2. Strongly desirous of anything. This is the polite word for horny or randy, whichever you currently use. Like most adjectives ending on -nt, this one forms its noun by replacing the final T with -ce, xxxxxxxxxxxxx. The adverb is, again, predictably, xxxxxxxxxxxxly.

untoward

1. Not showing a disposition or inclination to do something, as untoward for math. 2. Difficult to manage or manipulate, as an untoward lock of hair. 3. Wrong, bad, adverse, unpropitious, as an untoward storm. 4. Awkward, clumsy, unseemly, as an untoward remark.

philistine

1. One of a non-Semitic people living on the coast of Palestine in the 12-11 centuries BCE who were frequently at odds with the Israelites. 2. A crude, ignorant, uneducated person with no understanding of the finer things in life, an oaf, a clod, a yokel, a boor.

revenant

1. One that returns after a lengthy absence. 2. One who returns after death.

onerous

1. Oppressively burdensome. 2. Having obligations or responsibilities that outweigh the benefits. troublesome and oppressive; burdensome

lambent

1. Playing slowly and softly over a surface, breaking up or flickering, as lambent moonlight on the rippling lake. 2. Glowing faintly, as a lambent light in the fog. 3. Gracefully sportive and flashing occasionally, as a lambent wit.

victorian

1. Prudish; outdated; exaggeratedly proper; hypocritical. 2. Relating to the period of the reign of Queen V (1837-1901). 3. Relating to ornate architecture, furnishings, etc., characteristic of the period.

cognitive

1. Relating to the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception. 2. Having a basis in or reducible to empirical factual knowledge.

curt

1. Rudely short, abrupt in speaking to someone as though unwilling to answer. 2. Using few words, short, terse, to the point.

rumspringa

1. Rumspringa is a right of passage available to Amish youth around the age of 16 when they are allowed to see the world outside the closed Amish community. It ends when the youths return to the community to be baptized into the Amish church or decide to remain outside it. 2. Any break away from a rigid regime of any sort, as to take a rumspringa from a steady diet of pizza.

apprentice

1. Someone under legal contract to work for someone else (a master) for a specified period of time in exchange for instruction in the master's trade. 2. A beginner at a trade, a novice, a tyro, a learner.

debonair

1. Suave, sophisticated, urbane. 2. Affable, pleasant, genial.

valence

1. The combining capacity of an atom or a group of atoms to form molecules. 2. The capacity of someone or something to affect another.

phylogeny

1. The evolutionary development of a species, organism, or organ in an organism. 2. The history of the sociological development of a people or race.

livery

1. The fancy uniform required of some servants, officials, or jobs. 2. The commercial insignias designed to be recognized as emblems of particular companies on their vehicles. 3. The stabling of horses for the owner, including feed and other care, for a fee. 4. (Adjective, US) Related to a car or a horse and carriage for public hire, as 'a livery cab'.

manor

1. The main house on a landed estate, usually a mansion. 2. A tract of land with hereditary rights granted by royal charter. 3. (Historical) The estate of a lord, a landed possession of a lord, including the lands which he governs.

advertence

1. The quality or practice of being advertent; heedfulness. 2. The action of being attentive; attention or consideration

ramify

1. To branch out, to extend multiple branches, to split up in a branching manner. 2. To have consequences.

stifle

1. To choke, smother, strangle, suffocate, prevent breathing. 2. Restrain, repress, hold back, cut off, as 'to stifle one's indignation'. 3. (oneself) Shut up, be quiet. Notes: This word is a common enough word. I selected it for its fascinating history (see Word History). Anyone or anything that stifles may be called a stifler. Back in the 19th century it was a very appropriate slang word for the gallows. The present participle may be used as an adjective or noun. We may speak of 'the stifling heat' or 'the stifling of the heat'.

mortify

1. To embarrass horrendously, to humiliate beyond all measure. 2. To discipline yourself by abstinence and privation of the physical urges. 3. To become gangrenous or necrotic (a part of the body).

lascivious

1.(of a person, manner, or gesture) feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire: "he gave her a lascivious wink" synonyms: lecherous · lewd · lustful · licentious · libidinous · salacious · lubricious · prurient · ribald · concupiscent

thanatocracy

1.Nominal governance by a dead person, through posthumous holding of an official position of authority, or by popular veneration and lasting influence of a personal ideology. 2.The enactment of mass and organized killing as an official policy of a state. 3.The enactment of policies held to lead, directly or indirectly, to death or an increased risk of death. 4.A culture in which rituals relating to the dead play a unique or important role. 5.(figuratively) Endemic stagnation or decay.

conjure

1.make (something) appear unexpectedly or seemingly from nowhere as if by magic:

relativism

1.the doctrine that knowledge, truth, and morality exist in relation to culture, society, or historical context, and are not absolute.

fiat

1: a command or act of will that creates something without or as if without further effort 2: an authoritative determination : dictate an official order, a decree

chink

1: a small cleft, slit, or fissure <a chink in the fence> 2: a weak spot that may leave one vulnerable <his lawyers found a chink in the law>

soever

1: to any possible or known extent —used after an adjective preceded by how or a superlative preceded by the <how fair soever she may be> <the most selfish soever in this world> 2: of any or every kind that may be specified —used after a noun modified especially by any, no, or what <gives no information soever>

raspberry

2. The edible fruit (berries) of many species of this genus. 3. A gesture of derision made by placing the tongue between the lips and blowing, so that the lips and tongue vibrate.

odyssey

: a long journey full of adventures : a series of experiences that give knowledge or understanding to someone

vet

: to investigate (someone) thoroughly to see if they should be approved or accepted for a job : to check (something) carefully to make sure it is acceptable

diaspora

A Greek word meaning 'dispersal,' used to describe the communities of a given ethnic group living outside their homeland. Jews, for example, spread from Israel to western Asia and Mediterranean lands in antiquity and today can be found in other places.

pigovian

A Pigovian tax (also spelled Pigouvian tax) is a tax applied to a market activity that generates negative externalities

catafalque

A bier, a decorated platform on which a coffin rests in a funeral.

philipic

A bitter or impassioned speech of accusation

lacuna

A blank gap or missing part (an ornamental sunken panel in a ceiling or dome).

codex

A book with pages that can be turned

bibliophile

A book-lover, an avid reader.

affix

A bound (nonword) morpheme that changes the meaning or the function of a root or stem to which it is attached.

sobriquet

A characteristically relevant or otherwise special nickname for someone.

collateral adjective

A collateral adjective is an adjective that is identified with a particular noun in meaning, but that is not derived from that noun

compendium

A collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject. A collection of things, esp. one systematically gathered.

farce

A comedy that contains an extravagant and nonsensical disregard of seriousness, although it may have a serious, scornful purpose.

farrago

A confused mixture.

syllepsis

A construction in which one word is used in two different senses ("After he threw the ball, he threw a fit.")

inglenook

A cozy nook by the hearth.

melancholy

A deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness. adj. Sad, gloomy, or depressed.

plebiscite

A direct vote of all the people of a country or district on an important matter; a referendum

renegade

A disloyal person who betrays his or her cause; a traitor; a deserter

codicil

A document that legally modifies a will without revoking it.

lotusland

A dreamy, indolent, self-indulgent place where unreality prevails. In the US it is applied to California. Originally from the Odyssey: Odysseus and his men come to the land of the lotus-eaters; when some of his crew eat the food, they forget their wives and homes, and wish to stay with the lotus-eaters -- abandoning their life of fighting and pulling oars. Odysseus drags them all unwilling back to the boat and resumes his journey.

grimace

A facial expression of fear, disapproval, or pain (n.) a wry face, facial distortion; (v.) to make a wry face

fatwa

A fatwa is any religious decision made by mufti (Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law). The most infamous fatwa is the one by Ruhollah Khomeini sentencing Salman Rushdie (Muslim essayist) to death - that's why most Western people see fatwa just as a death sentence, although it's more than that.

figment

A fictitious invention, a fabrication, an invented or imaginary story, idea, doctrine, etc.

paraprosdokian

A figure of speech in which the latter part of a sentence, phrase, or larger discourse is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part.

oxymoron

A figure of speech that combines two apparently contradictory elements A combination of two words with contrasting meanings meant to convey a single thought or idea.

trope

A figure of speech using words in nonliteral ways, such as a metaphor

confluence

A flowing together

ado

A flurry of activity or a lot of complaining about a little problem are both examples of ado. It's an old fashioned word, dating back to the fourteenth century, when it meant "conflict or trouble." "At do" was a Norse version of the English phrase "to do," which was eventually shortened to ado. The most famous use of the word is probably the Shakespeare play "Much Ado About Nothing."

epigone

A follower of a distinguished artist or philosopher. 2. A second-rate imitator.

caliphate

A form of Islamic government led by a caliph —a person considered a political and religious successor to the prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim community.[Mohammed until the 13th century

ambage

A form of circumlocution in which the truth is spoken in a way that tends to deceive or mislead. Like a riddle

syllogism

A form of reasoning in which two statements are made and a conclusion is drawn from them. A syllogism is the format of a formal argument that consists of a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. Example: Major Premise: All tragedies end unhappily. Minor Premise: Hamlet is a tragedy. Conclusion: Therefore, Hamlet ends unhappily.

fortnight

A fortnight is a unit of time equal to 14 days (2 weeks).

contingency

A future event or circumstance that is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty

regime

A government in power; a form of system of rule or management; a period of rule.

sentinel

A guard (n.) A sentry; one who keeps watch

speculation

A guess or theory

gaucherie

A lack of tact or grace; also an instance of this.

threnody

A lament, dirge, or requiem for the dead, possibly a sermon, poem, song, or similar creative work. Notes: This is an odd little word with a sad meaning, but a bit lovelier than its synonyms mentioned in the Meaning. A person who writes or delivers a threnody is a threnodist. Works that contain or resemble a threnody are threnodic. Don't forget to change the Y to IE before adding the plural suffix: threnodies.

morosoph

A learned fool, or one who puts up the pretense of knowledge or wisdom;

dextrosinistral

A left-handed person trained to use the right hand; from the Latin dexter, meaning right, and sinister, meaning left

refrain

A line or set of lines repeated several times over the course of a poem. verb: stop oneself from doing something.

saga

A long narrative of heroic exploits. 2. A long detailed report.

paramour

A lover, often secret, not allowed by law or custom

malefaction

A malicious act, a bad or evil deed. Notes: Today's Good Word is the antonym of benefaction "a good deed". Just as benefaction comes with a regular personal noun, benefactor, and an odd adjective, beneficial, so comes malefaction with a normal personal noun, malefactor, and an irregular adjective, malefic, as 'malefic spell'. (Maleficial is now considered obsolete.)

palimpsest

A manuscript written over earlier ones.

meme

A meme (/ˈmiːm/ meem)[1] is "an idea, behavior, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture."[2] A meme acts as a unit for carrying cultural ideas, symbols, or practices that can be transmitted from one mind to another through writing, speech, gestures, rituals, or other imitable phenomena with a mimicked theme. Supporters of the concept regard memes as cultural analogues to genes in that they self-replicate, mutate, and respond to selective pressures.

pastiche

A mixture of materials, forms, motifs, and/or styles; often incongruous; dramatic, literary, or musical piece openly imitating the previous works of other artists, often with satirical intent; an artistic effort that imitates or caricatures the work of another artist. See postiche

acrostic

A mnemonic device that involves making verbal associations for items to be remembered by constructing phrases containing words that begin with the first letters of the information to be remembered.

epiphany

A moment of sudden revelation or insight 1. The Christian celebration on January 6 of the visit of the Three Wise Men to the newly born Christ. 2. The sudden appearance of a divine being. 3. A profound insight brought on suddenly by some experience, usually with spiritual overtones.

leprechaun

A mythical Irish elfin, one of the mischievous Little People of Irish folklore with a purse, the contents of which are given to anyone who catches one.

appellation

A name or title that distinguishes or identifies

witling

A not-so-witty person who thinks of himself as very witty

paywall

A page on a website requiring payment of a subscription or one-time fee for access to the content of that website.

penumbra

A partial shadow that appears where light from part of the source is blocked and light from another part of the source is not blocked.

hue

A particular shade of a given color

swidden

A patch of land clearing for planting through slash-and-burn agriculture

caesura

A pause in a line of verse, indicated by natural speech patterns rather than due to specific metrical patterns.

utopia

A perfect place

fiduciary

A person in a position of trust and confidence, as between principal and broker; broker as fiduciary owes certain loyalty which cannot be breached under the rules of agency.

savant

A person of learning; wise or scholarly

docent

A person who acts as a guide, typically on a voluntary basis, in a museum, art gallery, or zoo in certain universities and colleges) a member of the teaching staff immediately below professorial rank.

gourmand

A person who enjoys eating and often eats too much; gluttonous. A connoisseur of good food.

sciolist

A person who has only superficial knowledge of a subject, or who pretends to have knowledge.

shaman

A person who is believed to have the power to cure the sick and forecast and control the future A part time religious practice that mediates between ordinary people & supernatural beings & forces. A part time magic religious practitioner.

poseur

A person who pretends to be what he or she is not.

titan

A person, organization, or thing of great strength, size, or achievement. ETYMOLOGY: From Titan, any of a family of giant gods in Greek mythology who were overthrown by Zeus and company. Atlas was a titan. Earliest documented use: 1412.

paradise

A place of surpassing beauty and happiness, an idealized perfect location We have a plethora of adjectives in the company of today's noun to choose from. They include paradisiac(al), paradisal, paradisean, paradisic(al). My spellchecker prefers the first of these, but I find the third somehow more appealing

cultivar

A plant variety that is produced by selective breeding specifically for human beings

nativism

A policy of favoring native-born individuals over foreign-born ones

aphaeresis

A procedure in which a patient's blood is passed through a machine to exchange a specific component, such as plasma., take off part of the word from beginning (apheresis)

stochastic

A process in which the next state of the environment is partially but not fully determined by the previous state

apercus [ah-purr-SUE]

A quick but illuminating comment, a clever insight

pretext

A reason given in justification of a course of action that is not the real reason; excuse., A false reason, deceptive excuse

ZOROASTRIANISM

A religion originating in ancient Iran that became the official religion of the Achaemenids. It centered on a single benevolent deity, Ahuramazda, who engaged in a struggle with demonic forces before prevailing and restoring a pristine world. It emphasized truth-telling, purity, and reverence for nature.

diaporesis

A rhetorical term for an expression of uncertainty about what to say or what course of action to take. Similar to aporia and dubitatio. Diaporesis is usually characterized as "pretended doubt" or "feigned hesitation," and it often takes the form of a question or a series of questions.

resurgence

A rising again to life, use, acceptance, or prominence; a revival

shunpike

A road that avoids (shuns) turnpikes or other toll roads; a slower, local route that costs nothing to drive. Today it refers to slower back roads as opposed to high-speed motorways and the like.

heuristic

A rule-of-thumb problem-solving strategy

blasphemy

A sacrilege, an irreverent act or slanderous utterance aimed at something considered holy or sacred.

lampoon

A satire ridiculing something or someone

schism

A schism is a division between people, usually belonging to an organization, movement, or religious denomination. The word is most frequently applied to a split in what had previously been a single religious body, such as the East-West Schism or the Great Western Schism.

gestalt

A school of psychology that believes individuals perceive objects and patterns as whole units and that the whole is more than the sum of its parts. They believed that behavior, perception, and all elements of the self must be viewed as a whole.

sycophant

A servile self-seeking flatterer.

apothegm

A short saying that teaches; as, "Man proposes and God disposes" or "Time and tide wait for no man."

anecdote

A short, interesting story about a real incident or person. 2. An account of an isolated incident regarded as unreliable hearsay.

rickshaw

A small, two-wheeled vehicle pulled by one man: Noun

fricative

A speech sound produced by narrowing the distance between two articulators so that the airstream is not completely closed but obstructed enough that turbulent airflow is produced /f,v,s,z/ in enough, valve, sister, zoo.

prologue

A speech, passage, or event coming before the main speech or event

torpor

A state marked by apathy, lethargy, and inactivity.

satiety

A state of being glutted, very full or too full, oversatisfaction, surfeit

rapture

A state of great joy, delight, or love

ecdysiast

A stripper, an exotic dancer, a person who performs a striptease

adjunct

A subordinate or auxiliary person, place, or thing, something or someone that is dependent but inessential, not fully integrated.

phlogiston

A substance that 17th century German scientists Becher and Stahl believed was contained in all matter and that matter would burn only as long as it still contained this substance; this theory was believed for 120 years until Lavoisier disproved it

caprice

A sudden impulse, whim, or unmotivated change of mind

sophist

A sxxxxxx is someone who makes good points about an issue — until you realize those points aren't entirely true, like a political candidate who twists an opponent's words or gives misleading facts during a speech.

cadastral

A system that delineates property lines. Includes the rectangular survey system and the metes and bounds survey system.

sojourn

A temporary stay, visit, stopover, brief stay

hypothesis

A testable prediction, often implied by a theory

assault

A threatened or attempted physical attack by someone who appears to be able to cause bodily harm if not stopped

perpetuity

A time period lasting through the ages; eternity

periphrasis

A trope in which one substitutes a descriptive word or phrase for a proper noun. Example: "The big man upstairs hears your prayers." A round-about or long-winded way of expressing something

cavil

A verb meaning to raise trivial and oftentimes irritating objections or to find fault unnecessarily; from the Latin cavillari, meaning to jeer or scoff

elan

A vigorous spirit; great enthusiasm

idyllic

A week at the beach that goes perfectly is an idyllic vacation. Idyllic means so wonderful it seems almost magical. Are you having an idyllic childhood? You may not think so now, but in your old age, you may remember your days as a youngster as simple and carefree. The clear, blue water of the Caribbean Sea, the beautiful village perched on a cliffside, the sunny grassy field of wildflowers, these are all Idylls — simple peaceful scenes — that you may or may not find idyllic.

yenta

A woman who is a gossip or busybody

nonce

A word coined for or used on one occasion ___ is a number that a protocol will use only once in a lifetime.

littoral

Is the shallow area near the shore, to the depth at which rooted plants stop growing. Because of abundant sunlight and the nutrients it gets from the surrounding land, ________is the most productive zone of a lake. It has a high biological diversity, containing a variety of phytoplankton, rooted plants that extend above the water's surface (such as cattails and water lilies), totally submerged rooted plants (such as muskgrass), and various species of floating plants (such as duckweed). It also contains large numbers of decomposers, as well as frogs, snails, insects, fish, and other consumers.

deontology

It is not the consequences that make an action right or wrong but the principle or motivation on which the action is based that determines right or wrong. The branch of philosophy concerned with ethics, especially that branch dealing with duty, moral obligation, and right action.

annihilism

It is the philosophy by which most current governments operate, ie. hoarding nuclear weapons (in the name of national security) at the cost of basic existential needs of its citizens. ie. making choices which leads to annihilation of the planet / humanity. We've reached a point on the planet where it's gonna be either idealism, or annihilism... realism is no longer an option.

gentrification

It refers to shifts in an urban community lifestyle and an increasing share of wealthier residents and/or businesses and increasing property values

Judicial Rhetoric

Judicial Rhetoric (legal, forensic, with the purpose to accuse or defend) Judicial rhetoric is speech or writing that considers the justice or injustice of a certain charge or accusation. In the modern era, judicial (or forensic) discourse is primarily employed by lawyers in trials decided by a judge or jury

comeuppance

Just deserts, retribution, what they deserve, deserved punishment (see condign)

perspicacity

Keenness in observing and understanding

strident

LOUD; HARSH; UNPLEASANTLY NOISY

demesne

Land attached to a manor, territory over which one controls. This word is a more beautiful way to spell domain in its general senses. It is not used in the abstract sense of domain, as the domain of someone's knowledge.

parallelism

Also referred to as parallel construction or parallel structure, this term comes from Greek roots meaning "beside one another." It refers to the grammatical or rhetorical framing of words, phrases, sentences, or paragraphs to give structural similarity. This can involve, but is not limited to, repetition of a grammatical element such as a preposition or verbal times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of believe, it was the epoch of incredulity....") The effects of parallelism are numerous, but frequently they act as an organizing force to attract the reader's attention, add emphasis and organization, or simply provide a musical rhythm.

volition

An act of choosing, using one's own will in a conscious choice

attributive

An adjective that usually comes before the noun it modifies without a linking verb. Contrast with predicative adjective.

logos

An appeal based on logic or reason used by rhetoricians

polemic

An argument against an idea, usually regarding philosophy, politics, or religion

ad hominem

An argument based on the failings of an adversary rather than on the merits of the case; a logical fallacy that involves a personal attack.

baroque

An artistic style of the seventeenth century characterized by complex forms, bold ornamentation, and contrasting elements Overly decorated

allegation

An assertion that someone has done something wrong, often without proof

temblor

An earthquake. Notes: We would all expect an earthquake to be called a trembler, but what is this temblor, with no R after the T and ending on -or? Today's Good Word is the Spanish word for "earthquake" pure and simple—no embellishments or refinements. Because it was borrowed quite recently, it has no family of related words. It is a lexical orphan.

factotum

An employee with many duties A HANDYMAN

accolade

An expression of praise or admiration. An award or privilege granted; an acknowledgment of merit.

Idyll

An idyll is a short period in which everything is wonderful. You could say a cruise you took with your family was an idyll in an otherwise difficult year. In its more formal sense, idyll describes a pastoral interlude or a poem set in nature--an idealized, or idyllic, version of nature where you are drinking champagne under the apple trees, and no one has stepped in cow manure or walked through poison ivy.

bovarism

An imagined or unrealistic self-image with sexual overtones, which most commonly affects older single women, in which their fantasized world overlaps and becomes confused in their minds with the real world. The term has also been used to refer to the drive by a married woman to escape the boredom and obligations of her married life

contretemps

An inopportune or embarrassing occurrence; a mishap

invigilation

An observation technique that involves observing a suspect's behavior before, during, and after an announced investigation

heathen

An uncivilized or irreligious person a person who does not acknowledge your god

catacomb

An underground cemetery, esp. one consisting of tunnels and rooms with recesses dug out for coffins and tombs.

miasma

An unhealthy atmosphere or environment; an unpleasant feeling pervading the air.

luddite

Any of a group of British workers who between 1811 and 1816 rioted and destroyed laborsaving textile machinery in the belief that such machinery would diminish employment. n. A person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology, and is often someone who is incompetent when using new technology.

asunder

Apart, separated.

pathos

Appeal to emotion, pity or compassion used by rhetoricians

affect

Appearance of observable emotions To influence to produce a change in something

approbation

Approbation is an official, important-sounding, and somewhat old-fashioned word for approval or praise. A princess, for example, might only consider marrying a prince that is met with her father's, the King's, approbation. How is it possible that approbation means approval when probation is a form of being in trouble in school? Remember that probation is a testing period, to see if you can be good. Approbation means it's all good. Or you can remember this rhyme: "Filled with approbation, the audience gave a standing ovation."

prosody

Appropriate expression when reading. Includes pitch (intonation), loudness, stressing phrases, etc.

parthenogenesis

Asexual reproduction in which females produce offspring from unfertilized eggs.

prevaricate

Avoid telling the truth, speak evasively

gauche

Awkward, clumsy, tactless, lacking in grace Borrowed from French xxxxxx "left", which replaced Old French sinistre in the 15th century.

empirical

Based on practical experience rather than theory

viridescent

Beginning to turn green, greenish.

demeanor

Behavior towards others, outward bearing and behavior.

malaphor

Blend 2 phrases (or words) into one., Catachresis, a mixed metaphor. An idiom blend: an error in which two similar figures of speech are merged, producing a nonsensical result.

craven

COWARDLY

insouciance

Casual lack of concern

excoriate

Censure or criticize severely

labile

Changing rapidly and often

maniacal

Characterized by excessive enthusiasm or excitement. "A maniacal grin on his face."

collegial

Characterized by the equal sharing of responsibility and authority among the members of a group who form a college

vociferous

Characterized by vehemence, clamour, or noisiness: "A vociferous crowd."marked by or given to vehement insistent outcry

ingannation

Cheat; deception.

emanating

Coming forth from a source

phatic

Communication that is used to establish a mood of sociability rather than to communicate information or ideas

arrant

Complete and utter (usually negative)

aplomb

Composure, confidence, coolness, poise, self-control.

epistolary

Concerned with letters; through correspondence

ontological

Concerning the very essence or nature of a being. One of the xxxxxxxxxxx realities about humans is our sexuality. Being a male or female is an essential part of human nature.

primacy

Condition of being first in time or importance

sentient

Conscious, awake, even acutely conscious and aware, finely attuned to sensations.

confer

Consult, compare views; bestow or give

incessant

Continuing without pause or interruption.

outsource

Contract with an outside firm to produce goods or services rather than to produce them internally

objurgate

Criticize/Criticism, scold; castigate, censure severely

friable

Crumbly, brittle

Machiavellian

Cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous, esp. in politics or in advancing one's career.

wont

Custom, Accustomed, Likely

precarious

Dangerous; risky; lacking in security or stability

remorse

Deep and painful regret for wrongdoing contrition

woe

Deep distress or misery great sorrow or distress

pensive

Deep in thought, meditative, absorbed in wistful, often melancholic, thinking.

presbyopia

Defect in vision in advancing age involving loss of accommodation or recession of near vision; due to loss of elasticity of crystalline lens

delegate

Delegate means to ASSIGN someone to a particular duty. Relegate means to REFER someone to another for action or decision.

genocide

Deliberate extermination of a racial or cultural group

Deliberative Rhetoric

Deliberative Rhetoric (legislative, political, with the purpose to exhort or dissuade) Deliberative rhetoric is speech or writing that attempts to persuade an audience to take (or not take) some action. Whereas judicial rhetoric is primarily concerned with past events, deliberative discourse, says Aristotle, "always advises about things to come." Political oratory and debate fall under the category of deliberative rhetoric.

aleatory

Dependent on luck or chance

prudent

Describe an action as prudent if it is the wise thing to do under the existing circumstances. If you're getting in trouble, it is probably prudent to keep your mouth closed and just listen. If you show good and careful judgment when handling practical matters, you can be described as prudent. Similarly, a wise and well-thought-through decision or action can be called prudent. The word comes from a contracted form of the Latin prōvidēns from the verb "to foresee." The English word provident "wise in planning for the future" is the non-contracted descendent of the same Latin root.

pelagic

Describing organisms that live in the water column away from the ocean bottom., Open water above the ocean floor

cisgender

Designating a person whose gender identity corresponds with his or her actual physical gender.

dissolute

Devoted to sensual pleasure; lacking moral restraint

predicament

Difficult situation; tricky or dangerous situation; dilemma

craft

Disingenuous

monism

Doctrine that reality is one The presumption that mind and body are different aspects of the same thing. In metaphysics, the theory that reality is quantitatively one single entity

perfunctory

Done as a formality, routinely, indifferently, just to get through a duty

leeward

Downwind side of an elevated area like a mountain. Opposite of windward.

moribund

Dying

connivance

Law. a. tacit encouragement or assent (without participation) to wrongdoing by another. b. the consent by a person to a spouse's conduct, especially adultery, that is later made the basis of a divorce proceeding or other complaint.

filiation

Legal relationship between child and parent.

eisegesis

E is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that the process introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases into and onto the text. This is commonly referred to as reading into the text.[2] The act is often used to "prove" a pre-held point of concern to the reader and to provide him or her with confirmation bias in accordance with his or her pre-held agenda. concerned only with making a point, even at the expense of the meaning of words.

terrestrial

Earthly; of or from land earthly; down-to-earth; commonplace

docile

Easy to teach or manage

execrable

Loathsome, detestable

yore

Long ago, in the distant past.

tycoon

Magnate, mogul, plutocrat; a person of great wealth and power, especially a superwealthy, aggressive businessman

acerbate

Make sour or bitter, irritate, vex.

comportment

Manner in which one acts or behaves dignified manner or conduct

modus operandi

Manner of working L. modus, "way," + operandi "of working" = way of working.

ides of march

March 15, 44 BC the day Ceasar was murdered

synoeciosis

Enantiosis, synoeciosis or discordia concors is a rhetorical device in which opposites are juxtaposed so that the contrast between them is striking. Examples include the famous maxim of Augustus, festina lente, and the following passage from Paul's second letter to the Corinthians: Dr. Johnson in his Lives of the Poets defined discordia concors as "a combination of dissimilar images, or discovery of occult resemblances in things apparently unlike. The most heterogeneous ideas are yoked by violence together."

coltish

Energetic but awkward in one's movements or behavior. Playful, not trained or disciplined. "Coltish horseplay to celebrate their graduation."

ardent

Enthusiastic or passionate.

equanimity

Equanimity (Latin: æquanimitas having an even mind; aequus even animus mind/soul) is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind. The virtue and value of equanimity is extolled and advocated by a number of major religions and ancient philosophies.

integral

Essential; being an indispensable part of a whole

superfluous

Exceeding what is sufficient or required, excess

atrocious

Exceedingly bad; wicked or cruel; abominable

rapacious

Exceedingly greedy

exorbitant

Excessive

bathos

Excessive and insincere sentimentality; (especially in a work of literature) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous. synonyms: anticlimax · letdown · disappointment · disillusionment

parsimony

Excessive frugality; stinginess.

transcendant

Existing outside the material universe., excelling; surpassing; going beyond beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience

grueling

Extraordinarily demanding and exhausting, 'punishing'

importunate

Extremely demanding; insistent

propaganda

False or misleading information that is spread to further a cause

ensorcell

Fascinate, enchant, bewitch, captivate.

agoraphobia

Fear of open spaces (or agoras). .Fear of places and situations that might cause panic, helplessness, or embarrassment

cloak

Figuratively, a xxxxx may be anything that disguises or conceals something.

evanescent

Fleeting, dissipating softly, tending to evaporate or simply disappear softly into thin air.

sphallolalia

Flirtatious talk that leads nowhere.

reduplicative

Formed by redoubling; reduplicate, double.

unmoored

Free or be freed unattached

parkour

Free running; running through an urban area performing gymnastic maneuvers to get past obstacles.

redemption

From a Latin word meaning "a buying back," referring, in the Old Testament, to Yahweh's deliverance of Israel and, in the New Testament, to Christ's deliverance of all Christians from the forces of sin.

rhetoric

From the Greek for "orator," this term describes the principles governing the art of writing or speaking effectively, eloquently, and persuasively.

feracious

Fruitful, fertile, prolific, producing abundantly.

orotund

Full, rich, and clear (of the voice or speaking); pompous, bombastic

duplicitous

Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech. "They warned him not to trust the duplicitous telemarketer."

supererogate

Go beyond the call of duty, do more than is expected.

kakistocracy

Government by the worst, least competent citizens

odious

Hateful; Extremely unpleasant; repulsive. Deserving of hatred or repugnance.

fissilingual

Having a forked tongue.

elegiac

Having a mournful quality.

hypermnesia

Having an exceptional memory; from the Greek hyper, meaning above or beyond, and mnesia, meaning memory

nullifidian

Having no faith or religion, Someone who has no faith or religion. We all know that an atheist is someone who does not believe in God. Today's Good Word refers to a person who may believe in God, but does not adhere to the tenets of any faith or religion. It is a lonely word, without derivational family

typhoon

Hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons are all the same weather phenomenon; we just use different names for these storms in different places. In the Atlantic and Northeast Pacific, the term "hurricane" is used. The same type of disturbance in the Northwest Pacific is called a "typhoon" and "cyclones" occur in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean.

peremptory

IMPERATIVE; LEAVING NO CHOICE

falsifiability

If we claim something is scientifically true, we must be able to specify what evidence it would take to prove it wrong

equanimous

Meaning: In full control of your faculties Synonyms: equanimous; self-collected; self-possessed; poised; self-contained; collected Context examples: the witness remained collected throughout the cross-examination / perfectly poised and sure of himself / more self-contained and more dependable than many of the early frontiersmen / strong and self-possessed in the face of trouble Similar: composed (serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress)

bourgeois

Middle class, anyone conventional and unrefined

malfeasance

Misconduct or wrongdoing, especially by a public official

demure

Modest and reserved in manner or behavior

spendthrift

N. PERSON WHO SPENDS MONEY RECKLESSLY, ADJ. WASTEFUL AND EXTRAVAGANT

espionage

N. The act of spying, especially a government spy obtaining secrets of another government

ineluctable

NOT TO BE AVOIDED OR ESCAPED; INEVITABLE

travail

NOUN 1. (travails) painful or laborious effort: VERB 1.engage in painful or laborious effort.

bolshie

NOUN 1. BRIT. informal a Bolshevik or socialist. ADJECTIVE 1. BRIT. informal dated (of a person or attitude) deliberately combative or uncooperative:

firmament

NOUN 1. literary the heavens or the sky, especially when regarded as a tangible thing. synonyms: the sky · heaven · the heavens · the skies · •a sphere or world viewed as a collection of people: "one of the great stars in the American golfing firmament"

automaton

NOUN a moving mechanical device made in imitation of a human being. synonyms: robot · android · cyborg · droid · bot

libertine

NOUN 1.a person, especially a man, who behaves without moral principles or a sense of responsibility, especially in sexual matters. synonyms: philanderer · playboy · rake · roué · Don Juan · Lothario · 2.a person who rejects accepted opinions in matters of religion; a freethinker. ADJECTIVE 1.characterized by a disregard of morality, especially in sexual matters: "his more libertine impulses" 2.freethinking in matters of religion

clairvoyant

NOUN ADJECTIVE 1. a person who claims to have a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future or beyond normal sensory contact.

bahuvrihi

NOUN or adjective 1.a compound word in which the first part describes the second or governs it grammatically, and the second element cannot be substituted for the whole, e.g. "yellowhammer" or "afternoon" (synecdoche: flatfoot)

sectarian

Narrowly confined to a particular group Devoted to a particular religious sect, particularly when referring to religious involvement in politics

nascent

Nascent [nas·cent] adj. Recently coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential. Not yet fully developed; emerging. "The business remains nascent but very promising."

sympatico

Nice / Sympathetic To share a mental connection or bond with someone, or to have a lot in common with someone.

defunct

No longer existing or functioning

Noblesse oblige

Noblesse oblige is a French phrase literally meaning "obligation of Nobility". It is the concept that nobility extends beyond mere entitlements and requires the person with such status to fulfill social responsibilities, particularly in leadership roles 1.Whoever claims to be noble must conduct himself nobly. 2.(Figuratively) One must act in a fashion that conforms to one's position, and with the reputation that one has earned.

provident

If you are provident, that means you plan carefully for the future. You have your Christmas lights up in early December, you have a well-stocked pantry, and you have some savings tucked away just in case. The word provident traces back to the Latin word providere, meaning "foresee, provide." The word can be used to describe someone who looks into the future — foresees the future, in a sense — and makes decisions based on future needs. It's often used to describe a thrifty individual who denies himself something today in order to save up for tomorrow, but it can describe actions as well — such as a provident decision that ends up preventing ruin down the road.

eristic

If you love to argue, you're eristic. Being eristic is a fairly common quality for a debater to have. Eristic describes things that have to do with an argument, or simply the tendency to debate, especially when someone loves to win an argument and values that more highly than arriving at the truth. The person doing the arguing can also be called an eristic: "It makes me mad when that eristic wins his debates with his false arguments." The Greek root word is eris, "strife or discord."

litany

If you've got a whole slew of complaints to get off your chest or requests to make, you've got yourself a litany — a long, drawn-out list. From Greek origins meaning "entreaty" or "supplication," litany often refers to certain long responsive petitions offered to God, particularly by practitioners of the Christian faith. For some reason, litany is usually used in reference to negative things — such as a litany of complaints or a litany of injuries.

usary

Illegal action of lending money at a very high interest rate

avarice

Immoderate desire, greed for wealth: an unreasonably strong desire to obtain and keep money. "His life was consumed by ambition and avarice."

inexpugnable

Impossible to be forcibly overcome, unassailable, unbreachable, impregnable, unconquerable.

impertinent

Impudent; rude

clarigation

In ancient Roman international law, a clarigation was a loud, clear call or summons made to an enemy to demand satisfaction for some injury received, without which there would be a declaration of war. Clarigation equates to what the Ancient Greeks called ανδροληψία (androlepsy).

anthropic principle

In astrophysics and cosmology, the xxxxxxxx principle (from Greek anthropos, meaning "human") is the philosophical consideration that observations of the physical Universe must be compatible with the conscious and sapient life that observes it. States that the universe we perceive must be of precisely such a nature as will make possible living beings who can perceive it

what's past is prologue

In contemporary use, the phrase stands for the idea that history sets the context for the present. The quotation is engraved on the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.[1] and is commonly used by the military when discussing the similarities between war throughout history.[2][3]

arbitrage

In economics and finance, arbitrage is the practice of taking advantage of a price difference between two or more markets: striking a combination of matching deals that capitalize upon the imbalance, the profit being the difference between the market prices.

Solastalgia

In essence, it's pining for a lost environment.

colloquy

In law, a colloquy is a routine, highly formalized conversation. Conversations among the judge and lawyers (as opposed to testimony under oath) are colloquys.

en banc

In law, an en banc session is a session in which a case is heard before all the judges of a court (before the entire bench) rather than by a panel selected from them. En banc review is often used for unusually complex cases or cases considered to be of greater importance.

de jure

In law, and in government, the terms de jure and de facto are used instead of 'in law' and 'in practice', respectively. In a legal context, de jure (laws) are contrasted to de facto practices, where, for example, the people obey a contract as though there were a law enforcing it, yet there is no such law. A process known as 'desuetude' may allow de facto practices to replace de jure laws that have fallen out of favour locally.[citation needed]

voir dire

In law, the act or process of questioning prospective jurors to determine whether they are qualified and suitable for service on a jury.

cognate

In linguistics, xxxxxxxs are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus (blood relative

abjure

In short, when you xxxxxx something, you strongly oppose it. When you adjure someone, you strongly urge him/her to do something. The direct object of xxxxxx is always the thing you oppose, and the direct object of adjure is always the person whom you urge to act.

sedition

Inciting rebellion against a government, esp. speech or writing that does this

autochthonous

Indigenous

irrefragable

Indisputable, undeniable, incontestable, irrefutable, incontrovertible

induction

Induction (epagôgê) is defined as the proceeding from particulars up to a universal A method of reasoning by which a rhetor collects a number of instances and forms a generalization that is meant to apply to all instances.

ineffable

Inexpressible

visceral

Instinctive rather than rational Pertaining to internal organs

malicious

Intended to hurt or harm

interdiction

Interdiction is a military term for the act of delaying, disrupting, or destroying enemy forces or supplies en route to the battle area. A distinction is often made between strategic and tactical interdiction. The former refers to operations whose effects are broad and long-term; tactical operations are designed to affect events rapidly and in a localized area.

temulent

Intoxicated, drunken

ire

Ire comes almost directly from the Latin word for anger, ira. While it means pretty much the same thing, ire usually stems from a specific grievance, rather than just general irritation with the world. And if you provoke someone's ire, you're probably going to feel their wrath.

abnegate

The verb abnegate means to deny or renounce something. Scientists abnegate the existence of little green spacemen from Mars. The verb abnegate also means to surrender a position of power. If you serve on too many committees, you may need to cut back. You could abnegate the treasurer position for P.T.A., in order to have more time to serve as president of Band Boosters. What's the difference between abnegate and abdicate? Both mean to renounce power or authority, but abdicate is usually reserved for higher offices of power. The king abdicates the throne. The CEO, who gives up day-to-day responsibility? He abnegates responsibility.

legitimate

The verb and the adjective "legitimate" are easy to tell apart in speech because the last syllable is pronounced differently (MATE for the verb, MUT for the adjective). But in writing, the two are identical and can be told apart only from the context. ***legitimated is easy*** it is easy to tell that it's a verb

exaction

The wrongful act of an officer or other person in compelling payment of a fee or reward for his services, under color of his official authority, where no payment Is due. Between "extortion" and "exaction" there is this difference: that in the former case the officer extorts more than his due, when something is due to him; in the latter, he exacts what is not his due, when there is nothing due to him. (Black's Law Dictionary)

larceny

Theft

prosodic

These are used instead of paralinguistic techniques (hand movements etc. to add more meaning to words), they are used to provide emphasis or other effects. E.g. 'hmmm/haha!!!!'

frugal

Thrifty

prebut

To argue against someone's position on an issue before they have even announced their position on an issue.

aver

To aver is to declare something is true or to state. This verb has a serious tone, so you might aver something on a witness stand or you might aver that you won't back down to a challenge.

truckle

To behave as a lowly servant in an obsequious , fawning manner

vaunt

To brag about or boast of pretentiously; to bluster about, to tout flamboyantly.

repudiate

To cast off, disown (a person or thing previously claimed as one's own or associated with oneself). Repudiate is a transitive verb. You repudiate something or someone you no longer wish to be associated with. You can repudiate a debt, a wife, or a belief.

dissert

To converse for a long while, to speak (or write) at length on a subject.

vouchsafe

To deign, to grant or agree to either graciously or condescendingly.

photoshop

To digitally alter an image, especially in order to distort reality.

retract

To draw back; withdraw

augur

To foresee, foretell, presage.

gilded

To gild is to cover with a layer of gold. It word is often used in the participial-adjective form, gilded, which means covered with a layer of gold, and it's usually figurative. The common expression to gild the lily means to unnecessarily adorn something that is already beautiful. Guild is a noun referring to an association of people with the same interests, trade, or pursuits. It also works as a verb meaning to form a guild, but this sense is rarely used..

jury-rig

To improvise a temporary repair or substitute, to cobble together something from unlikely parts. (Jury-rigging in the sense of jury tampering is quite a different matter, a rather illegal one.)

extrapolate

To infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information. "He extrapolated the historical data to determine the projected outcome."

edify

To instruct for intellectual, moral, or spiritual improvement

shanghai

To kidnap, steal, or forcibly remove in the most egregious manner, especially by drugging or force.

dissemble

To pretend, to give a false or misleading semblance of something, to mislead, deceive, misguide, or fake.

enunciate

To pronounce or articulate, utter, proclaim

ensconce

To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably; to place or conceal in a secure place; hide; tuck away; fix firmly

ogle

To stare at something as though you have intentions toward it, to stare at amorously or lecherously depending on the point of view: the ogler's or oglee's.

nuzzle

To stroke lightly with the nose or face.

transmogrify

To transform; change completely in a fantastic or grotesque way

endeavor

To try hard, attempt, to take pains, to make an effort.

courtesan

Today, the term has become a euphemism to designate a comforter, escort, mistress or a prostitute, especially one of dignified etiquette who attracts wealthy, powerful, or influential clients

peripatetic

Traveling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods.

patronize

Treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority.

collocation

Two or more words that co-occur in a language more often than would be expected by chance.

ambivalent

Uncertain; unable to decide, or wanting to do two contradictory things at once

unwittingly

Unknowingly; without awareness

declaim

Use the verb declaim when someone is speaking very passionately against something, like when you declaim having to be home at an early hour. Declaim can also describe reciting words aloud for practice. If you're learning a new language, you might declaim a sentence until it sounds clear and natural when you say it. Declaim was originally spelled declame, similar to the Latin word declamare, meaning "to practice public speaking," but later became declaim as its other meaning came into greater use.

declaim

Use the verb declaim when someone is speaking very passionately against something, like when you declaim having to be home at an early hour. Tasty Morsels Vocabulary Shout-Out: Gina Bellafante for "Declaim" Kudos to New York Times "Big City" columnist Gina Bellafante for invoking an ancient "-claim" in "declaimed absurdities." Continue reading... Declaim can also describe reciting words aloud for practice. If you're learning a new language, you might declaim a sentence until it sounds clear and natural when you say it. Declaim was originally spelled declame, similar to the Latin word declamare, meaning "to practice public speaking," but later became declaim as its other meaning came into greater use.

ahem

Used to represent the noise made when clearing the throat, typically to attract attention or express disapproval or embarrassment

proscribe

V. TO CONDEMN; FORBID OUTLAW, ADJ. RELATING TO PROHIBITION

ingurgitate

V. To swallow greedily or in great quantity, as food; to engulf swallow up

couch

VERB 1. (be couched in) express (something) in language of a specified style: "many false claims are couched in scientific jargon" synonyms: express · phrase · word · frame · put · formulate · style ·

purport

VERB 1.appear or claim to be or do something, especially falsely; profess: "she is not the person she purports to be" synonyms: claim to be · profess to be · pretend to be · appear to be · NOUN 1.the meaning or substance of something, typically a document or speech: "I do not understand the purport of your remarks" synonyms: gist · substance · drift · implication · intention · meaning

acclaim

VERB 1.praise enthusiastically and publicly: "the conference was acclaimed as a considerable success" · synonyms: praise · applaud · cheer · commend · approve · ovation · tribute · accolade ·

hyponym

VOCABULARY A specific item of a larger category. An orange is a fruit (orange is the specific item).

allude

Verb, intransitive To refer to indirectly, without giving specific details identifying the reference.

horripilate

Verb: 1. To experience gooseflesh, skin-creeping, or bristling hair out of fear. 2. To cause goose flesh, the skin to creep, or the hair to bristle out of fear.

veridical

Veridical describes something that's true. When you're talking to your friend who's prone to exaggeration, it's hard to tell what's veridical and what's just made up. Using the adjective veridical is a formal way to describe things that are accurate or based in reality. Sworn testimony in a courtroom is expected to be veridical, as is the information you learn in a history class in school. Sometimes predictions or dreams that appear to foretell the future are also described as veridical. The Latin root word veridicus merges verus "true" with dicere "to speak."

loquacious

Very talkative; garrulous.

noctivagant

Wandering or roaming about at night. In Play: This word is generally used to describe the behavior of animals:

contumacious

Wilfully obstinate; stubbornly disobedient

sapient

Wise and full of knowledge

leviathan

Written by English philosopher Thomas Hobbes, maintained that sovereignty is ultimately derived from the people, who transfer it to the monarchy by implicit contract. something enormous and powerful; a sea monster

diminutive

[di·min·u·tive] adj. Extremely small in size; tiny. A very small person or thing. "Although diminutive in stature, they were a formidable opponent;" "A diminutive report."

tangential

[tan·gen·tial] adj. Superficially relevant; divergent. Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic. "He took credit for anything tangentially related to their work."

umbrageous

[um-BRAY-jes] Easily offended, quick to take umbrage

attribution theory

_______ ______ deals with how the social perceiver uses information to arrive at causal explanations for events. It examines what information is gathered and how it is combined to form a causal judgment"

belabor

a : to attack verbally b : to beat soundly : to explain or insist on excessively

annealed

a : to heat and then cool (as steel or glass) usually for softening and making less brittle; also : to cool slowly usually in a furnace b : to heat and then cool (double-stranded nucleic acid) in order to separate strands and induce combination at lower temperature with complementary strands : strengthen, toughen

rebuff

a blunt or abrupt rejection

lore

a body of traditions and knowledge on a subject or held by a particular group, typically passed from person to person by word of mouth:

mugwump

a bolter from the Republican party in 1884 a person who is independent (as in politics) or who remains undecided or neutral

edifice

a building

ailurophile

a cat lover

vicissitudes

a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant.

argot

a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)

checkmate

a chess move constituting an inescapable and indefensible attack on the opponent's king defeat completely

prestidigitation

a cleverly executed trick or deception; sleight of hand. see legerdemain

canon

a collection of books accepted as holy scripture a law or body of laws, esp. religious; an established principle or basis for judgment; the works of a writer that have been accepted as authentic

dossier

a collection of papers containing detailed information about a particular person or subject (usually a person's record)

repertoire

a collection of works that an artist or company can perform

behest

a command or urgent request

fungible

a commodity that is freely interchangeable with another in satisfying an obligation

symposium

a conference or meeting together to discuss a topic

parley

a conference, especially between enemies

gourmet

a connoisseur of food and drink

depravity

a corrupt or depraved or degenerate act or practice

reverie

a daydream; the condition of being lost in thought

asseveration

a declaration that is made emphatically (as if no supporting evidence were necessary)

perversity

a deliberate desire to behave in an unreasonable or unacceptable way; contrariness., deliberately deviating from what is good

sophistry

a deliberately invalid argument displaying ingenuity in reasoning in the hope of deceiving someone

cruciverbalist

a designer or aficionado of crossword puzzles. a person skillful in creating or solving crossword puzzles. n A person who is a word enthusiast; a person who loves crossword puzzles.

apostate

a disloyal person who betrays or deserts his cause or religion or political party or friend etc.

dyspepsia

a disorder of digestive function characterized by discomfort or heartburn or nausea

deference

a disposition or tendency to yield to the will of others

fiefdom

a domain controlled by a dominant person or lord A piece of land you give in feudalism

oubliette

a dungeon with the only entrance or exit being a trap door in the ceiling

henchman

a faithful follower or political supporter, especially one prepared to engage in crime or dishonest practices by way of service.

calumny

a false and malicious statement designed to injure the reputation of someone or something the act of uttering calumnies; slander; defamation.

feint

a false attack

buff

a fan, follower

rancor

a feeling of deep and bitter anger and ill-will

foreboding

a feeling of evil to come

solicitude

a feeling of excessive concern

compunctious

a feeling of remorse, guilt, or regret

compunction

a feeling of uneasiness or anxiety of the conscience caused by regret for doing wrong or causing pain; contrition; remorse

succubus

a female demon believed to have sexual intercourse with sleeping men A succubus is the female version of an incubus - a demon in male form who has sexual intercourse with sleeping females.

chanteuse

a female singer of popular songs, especially in a nightclub.

fray

a fight (not skirmish)

patina

a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal (see verdigris)

paroxysm

a fit, sudden outburst

charlatan

a flamboyant deceiver, (n.) one who feigns knowledge or ability; a pretender, impostor, or quack

diatribe

a forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something

harbinger

a forerunner, advance notice

encomium

a formal expression of praise

panegyric

a formal expression of praise

cavalcade

a formal procession of people walking, on horseback, or riding in vehicles. synonyms: procession · parade · motorcade · cortège

bastion

a fortified place, stronghold, a classroom might be a bastion of banality

entente

a friendly understanding or informal alliance between states or factions.

dystopian

a futuristic society that seems perfect, but really is not A dystopia (from the Greek δυσ- and τόπος, alternatively, cacotopia, kakotopia, or anti-utopia) is a community or society that is in some important way undesirable or frightening. It is literally translated as "not-good place", an antonym of utopia.

amnesty

a general pardon

zephyr

a gentle breeze; something airy or insubstantial

acanthophis

a genus of elapid snakes. Commonly called death adders, they are native to Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, and are among the most venomous snakes in the world

verdigris

a green patina that forms on copper or brass or bronze that has been exposed to the air or water for long periods of time

retinue

a group of advisers, assistants, or others accompanying an important person

avocation

a hobby or minor occupation

abiogenesis

a hypothetical organic phenomenon by which living organisms are created from nonliving matter

despot

a king or other ruler with absolute, unlimited power; autocrat; any tyrant or oppressor.

legion

a large number (not myriad)

euphemism

a less offensive way of saying something

effigy

a likeness (usually of a hated person)

slog

a long period of hard work or effort

clamour

a loud uproar

integrated

a management concept designed to make all aspects of marketing communication work together as a unified force

matron

a married woman usually marked by dignified maturity or social distinction

reproach

a mild rebuke or criticism, express criticism towards

salmagundi

a mixture or assortment; also, a kind of mixed dish or salad.

idiosyncrasy

a mode of behavior or way of thought peculiar to an individual:

chimera

a monster from Greek mythology that breathes fire and has a lion's head, a goat's body, and a snake's tail : something that exists only in the imagination and is not possible in reality

neologism

a new word, expression, or usage; the creation or use of new words or senses; Itself an invented word used exclusively pejoratively to dismiss newly coined words. Usually used to express distaste for words inconvenient to one's ideology.

whammy

a paralyzing or lethal blow jinx, hex

circumstance

a particular incident that influences another event Contributing or determining factor. Financial means, as a person of substantial circumstances.Celebratory ceremony, as in pomp and circumstance.

signatory

a party to a contract, treaty or other legal document

cri de cœur

a passionate appeal, complaint, or protest French a passionate appeal or protest (literally 'cry from the heart')

respite

a pause from doing something (as work) an interval of relief, delay

huckster

a peddler; one who is loud, persistent, overbearing in selling

voluptuary

a person addicted to luxury and pleasures of the senses

acolyte

a person assisting the celebrant in a religious service or procession. •an assistant or follower.

sybarite

a person devoted to pleasure and luxury

supplicant

a person who asks, prays, or begs humbly and earnestly

deist

a person who believes that God created the universe and then abandoned it

dissident

a person who dissents from some established policy person who disagrees [dissidence (n)]

infidel

a person who does not acknowledge your God

scofflaw

a person who flouts the law, especially by failing to comply with a law that is difficult to enforce effectively.

panjandrum

a person who has or claims to have a great deal of authority or influence

bigot

a person who is intolerant of other people or ideas

impresario

a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas.

interlocutor

a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation

bona fides

a person's honesty and sincerity of intention: "he went to great lengths to establish his liberal bona fides"•

Hegelianism

a philosophy developed by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel which can be summed up by a favorite motto by Hegel "The rational alone is real". Which means that all reality is capable of being expressed in rational categories. His goal was to reduce to a more synthetic unity the system of transcendental idealism., The monist, idealist philosophy of Hegel in which the dialectic of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis is used as an analytic tool in order to approach a higher unity or a new thesis

je ne sais quoi

a pleasant quality that is hard to describe, something that cannot be adequately described or expressed; ineffable "I know not what"

tranche

a portion of something (especially money)

scenario

a postulated sequence of possible events

corollary

a practical consequence that follows naturally

conclave

a private, exclusive, or secret meeting

cortege

a procession; a group of attendees; a retinue

assertoric

a proposition in Aristotelian logic that assert that something is or is not the case (in contrast with problematic propositions which assert the possibility of something being true and apodeictic propositions which assert things which are necessarily or self-evidently true)

a posteriori

a proposition that is knowable a posteriori is known on the basis of experience A priori knowledge or justification is independent of experience, as with mathematics (3+2=5), tautologies ("All bachelors are unmarried"), and deduction from pure reason (e.g., ontological proofs).[3] A posteriori knowledge or justification is dependent on experience or empirical evidence, as with most aspects of science and personal knowledge.

pusillanimous

a pussy; someone who is not courageous, (adj) Contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited This odd-looking word has ancestry in the Latin pusillus ("very small") plus animus ("soul, mind, spirit").

repercussion

a remote or indirect consequence of some action

reprisal

a retaliatory action against an enemy in wartime, retaliation A reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them.[1] Reprisals in the laws of war are extremely limited, as they commonly breached the rights of non-combatants, an action outlawed by the Geneva Conventions. It is not to be confused with retorsions, as these constitute unfriendly acts generally permitted by international law.

tu quoque.

a retort charging an adversary with being or doing what he criticizes in others.

contumely

a rude expression intended to offend or hurt

vignette

a running ornament or design (as of vine leaves, tendrils, and grapes) put on or just before a title page or at the beginning or end of a chapter a picture (such as an engraving or photograph) that shades off gradually into the surrounding paper the pictorial part of a postage stamp a short descriptive literary sketch a brief incident or scene (as in a play or movie)

hypernym

a semantic category that names a more general class that contains less general members

dilemma

a situation in which a difficult choice has to be made between two or more alternatives, especially equally undesirable ones.

artifice

a skillful or ingenious device; a clever trick; a clever skill; trickery

modicum

a small quantity

proletariat

a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages

hootenanny

a social gathering or informal concert featuring folk singing and, sometimes, dancing

dirge

a song or hymn of mourning composed or performed as a memorial to a dead person

camaraderie

a spirit of friendly good-fellowship

concord

a state of agreement, harmony

comity

a state or atmosphere of harmony or mutual civility and respect

paradox

a statement that at first seems to be absurd or self-contradictory but which may in fact turn out to be true

distaff

a stick or spindle onto which wool or flax is wound for spinning. •of or concerning women.

cessation

a stopping, either final or temporary

coxcomb

a stupid man who is too proud of his clothes and appearance; a vain, empty headed man; conceited dandy; fo

oaf

a stupid person a big clumsy slow-witted person

congeries

a sum total of many heterogeneous things taken together, a collection; an aggregation

cacafuego

a swaggering braggart or boaster Cacafuego, by the way, comes from the Spanish word fuego, meaning "fire," and, ultimately, the Latin cacare, meaning (ahem) "to void as excrement." The word probably referred to the ship's cannon fire.

tract

a system of body parts that serve some particular purpose

ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

underpinning

a system of supports beneath; a foundation or basis

eschatological

a term having to do with the end times or the "last things" (death, resurrection, judgment, Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, everlasting life, etc.)

shim

a thin wedge of material (wood or metal or stone) for driving into crevices

menace

a threat or the act of threatening

milquetoast

a timid, weak, or unassertive person

tinge

a trace, smattering, or slight degree, a slight but appreciable addition

vestige

a trace; remnant a bodily part or organ that is small and degenerate or imperfectly developed in comparison to one more fully developed in an earlier stage of the individual, in a past generation, or in closely related forms

ilk

a type of people or things similar to those already referred to: kind, sort

shtick

a usual way of performing, behaving, speaking, etc. something that a person likes to do or does well a usually comic or repetitious performance or routine : bit one's special trait, interest, or activity : bag <he's alive and well and now doing his shtick out in Hollywood — Robert Daley>

asset

a valuable thing to have

precipice

a very steep rock face or cliff, typically a tall one: "we swerved toward the edge of the xxxxxxxxx" · synonyms: cliff face

epistemic

a way to come to know things that cannot be known through any type of discourse besides rhetoric. "knowing that,"

dowager

a widow holding property received from her deceased husband an elderly woman of elevated social status

velleity

a wish or inclination not strong enough to lead to action _______ is the lowest degree of volition, a slight wish or tendency.

epigram

a witty saying, a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying

weasel word

a word used in order to evade or retreat from a direct or forthright statement or position

contranym

a word with two opposite meanings, e.g., sanction (which can mean both 'a penalty for disobeying a law' and 'official permission or approval for an action').

dystopia

a work of fiction describing an imaginary place where life is extremely bad because of deprivation or oppression or terror

resourceful

able to meet any situation

megalomania

abnormal desire for wealth and power

dipsomania

abnormal, uncontrollable craving for alcohol; alcoholism

emaciated

abnormally thin, wasted away

sententious

abounding in or given to pompous or aphoristic moralizing

engrossed

absorbed

temperance

abstinence from alcoholic drink: •moderation or self-restraint, especially in eating and drinking.

preposterous

absurd; completely unreasonable; ridiculous

vitriol

abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will

cumulative

accumulated

indict

accuse (To formally accuse of criminal activity)

sagacious

acutely insightful and wise

perspicacious

acutely perceptive, shrewd

adverse

adj - unfavorable, antagonistic

exact

adj 1. not approximated in any way; precise. •(of a person) tending to be accurate and careful about minor details. "she was an exact, clever manager" verb: exact; 3rd person present: exacts; past tense: exacted; past participle: exacted; gerund or present participle: exacting 1. demand and obtain (something, especially a payment) from someone.

circumspect

adj Wary and unwilling to take risks. "His circumspect approach to investing."

calvous

adj bald noun calvity

dire

adj causing fear or dread or terror, fraught with extreme danger

arduous

adj characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion; especially physical effort

fraught

adj filled with or attended with "words fraught with meaning" "an incident fraught with danger" Synonyms: pregnant, full containing as much or as many as is possible or normal ....................................................................... adj marked by distress "a fraught mother-daughter relationship" Synonyms: troubled characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

sapid

adj having a strong, pleasant taste

restive

adj impatient especially under restriction or delay

patronymic

adj- of or derived from a personal or family name noun- a family name derived from name of your father or a paternal ancestor (especially with an affix (such as -son in English or O'- in Irish) added to the name of your father or a paternal ancestor)

noetic

Noetic derives from the Greek adjective noētikos, meaning "intellectual," from the verb "noein" ("to think") and ultimately from the noun nous, meaning "mind." ("Nous" also gave English the word paranoia by joining with a prefix meaning "faulty" or "abnormal.") "Noetic" is related to "noesis," a rare noun that turns up in the field of philosophy and refers to the action of perceiving or thinking. The most notable use of "noetic" might be in the name of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, a research organization based in California that is devoted to studies of consciousness and the mind.

disingenuous

Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending that one knows less about something than one really does.

incompossible

Not capable of joint existence; incompatible; inconsistent.

Ignoble

Not honorable in character or purpose; shameful.

untrammeled

Not limited or restricted; unrestrained

fastidious

Notes:Fastidious, meticulous, and punctilious are near synonyms, but careful speakers and writers distinguish them in use. Meticulous implies a general hypersensitive attention to details, as a meticulous accountant who checks and rechecks all his figures. Punctilious most often refers to hypersensitive attention to rules of conduct, as a chairman who is punctilious in his observance of Robert's Rules of Order. Our word, fastidious, more generally applies to matters of taste and cleanliness and implies squeamishness to imperfection, as someone might keep a fastidious home or dress fastidiously. The adverb is fastidiously and the noun is fastidiousness. If you want to have some fun, you might try fastidiosity; you won't be the first.

gherkin

Noun: 1. A prickly West Indian gourd whose immature fruit is pickled. 2. A small pickled cucumber.

caparison

Noun: 1. Ornamental trappings for a horse or other animal. 2. Finery; rich, elaborate clothing.

quip

Noun: a witty remark Verb: to make a witty remark

surfeit

Noun: the state of being more than full, Verb: indulge (one's appetite) to satiety

denouement

OUTCOME; UNRAVELING OF THE PLOT OF A PLAY OR WORK OF LITERATURE

Apocryphal

Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true.

misogynous

Of or characterized by a hatred of women. "Police believe it was a misogynous assault."

elision

Omission of a sound or sounds in speech. Often because it follows other similar sounds. e.g.: Baked beans

mythomane

One having a tendency to exaggerate or lie. adjective: Having a tendency to exaggerate or lie.

emissary

One sent on a special mission to represent others

lemming

One who follows mindlessly

ambiguous

Open to more than one interpretation

primal

Original; dating from the beginning of existence

imbrication

Overlapping

subvert

Overturn or overthrow from the foundation; undermine

forbearance

PATIENCE, Abstaining from the enforcement of a right; the act of refraining from acting on a desire or impulse

kinesophobia

Pathological fear of motion

peevish

Peevish [peev·ish] adj. Easily irritated, particularly by unimportant things. "He was peevish around smokers."

pareidolia

People see patterns even where there are none. Pattern-seeking is understandable because pattern recognition is the basis of all aesthetic enjoyment, whether it is music, poetry or science.

peeps

People, especially when referring to one's friends or associates.

precognition

Perceiving future events

doctrinaire

Person who applies doctrine in an impractical or rigid and close-minded way (noun); merely theoretical, impractical, or fanatical about other people accepting one's ideas (adj)

repertorial

Pertaining to a repertory or repertoire, a stock of available things or a number of theatrical performances presented regularly or in sequence

insular

Pertaining to an island; detached, standing alone; narrow-minded, provincial

penitential

Pertaining to sorrow for sin with desire to amend and to atone. relating to or expressing penitence or penance

provenance

Place of origin; derivation; the history of the ownership of an object, especially when documented or authenticated

apogee

Point at which an orbiting object is farthest from what is being orbited, or the apey of something.

perigee

Point in orbit of the moon or satellite where it's closest to Earth

positivism

Positivism is a philosophical theory stating that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations. Thus, information derived from sensory experience, interpreted through reason and logic, forms the exclusive source of all authoritative knowledge. Positivism holds that valid knowledge (certitude or truth) is found only in this derived knowledge.----------------- a theory that theology and metaphysics are earlier imperfect modes of knowledge and that positive knowledge is based on natural phenomena and their properties and relations as verified by the empirical sciences

Potentate

Potentate [po·ten·tate] n. One who has the power and position to rule over others: A monarch or ruler. "Industrial potentates."

prolegomenon

Preface, introduction, prefatory observation, preamble to a scholarly book or monograph. Here is a noun that we almost never encounter in the singular; the plural form, prolegomena, in the sense of "introductory observations" is preferred. However, the plural form is almost four times more likely to be taken as a singular noun than as a plural form according to a Google search.

a priori

Prior to experience (before), Can be known independent of any empirical observation (with pure reason), God is the basic assumption of the bible

projection

Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against unpleasant impulses by denying their existence in themselves, while attributing them to others.[1] For example, a person who is rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude. According to some research, the projection of one's negative qualities onto others is a common process in everyday life.

impugn

Question someone's character or honesty Challenge, cast doubt upon

louche

Questionable, 'fishy', not straightforward, suspicious, even disreputable in some contexts.

rapier

Quick and incisive. A sharp-pointed sword a used for thrusting.

purview

Range of skills or authority; capability (n.) the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope or limit of what is provided in a statute

antebellum

Relating to the period preceding a war.

vernal

Relating to the spring; fresh, youthful

germane

Relevant, pertinent, on point, related.

apostasy

Renunciation of a belief system or part of a belief system: religious faith, political party, or other cause.

cerulean

Resembling the blue of the sky

sommelier

Restaurant wine specialist

recrudescence

Revival of material or behavior that had previously quiesced.

janus

Roman god of beginnings and endings; often depicted with two faces on gates and arches

embrocation

Rubbing on a lotion.

desuetude

STATE OF DISUSE

weltschmerz

Sadness or pessimism over the suffering in the world.

de facto

Segregation resulting from economic or social conditions or personal choice. in fact, or in effect, whether by right or not.

socialism

Several political movements united by the belief that ownership of the means of production should be collective. Corporations should be owned by society as a whole through democratically elected governments (unlike the erstwhile dictatorships in Eastern Europe). Socialism differs from communism in the communist desire to prohibit all private ownership; everything except household possessions should be owned in common by the community.

inglorious

Shameful; disgraceful

iniquitous

Showing a lack of fairness; wicked; vicious

vehement

Showing strong feeling; forceful, passionate, or intense

indicia

Signs; indications. Circumstances that point to the existence of a given fact as probable, but not certain. The term is much used in Civil Law in a sense nearly or entirely synonymous with Circumstantial Evidence. It denotes facts that give rise to inferences, rather than the inferences themselves.

simultaneity

Simultaneity is the property of two events happening at the same time in a frame of reference. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, simultaneity is not an absolute property between events; what is simultaneous in one frame of reference will not necessarily be simultaneous in another. (See Relativity of simultaneity.) For inertial frames moving at speeds small compared to the speed of light with respect to one another this effect is small and can for practical matters be ignored such that simultaneity can be treated as an absolute property.

crass

So crude and unrefined as to be lacking in discrimination and sensibility.

philodox

Someone who loves his or her own opinion; a dogmatic person. the love of opinion, rejects the possibility of alternative explanations letting opinion define reality

pettifogger

Someone who practices chicanery and employs underhanded methods

schismatic

Someone who promotes division

numinous

Something numinous has a strong religious quality, suggesting the presence of a divine power. When you enter a temple, church, or mosque, you might feel as though you've entered a numinous space.

horrid

Something that causes horror, or is at least pretty bad

reify

Speaking as though the words we use refer to something tangible and real rather than to ideas that may be faulty.

apoplexy

Sudden loss of consciousness; a stroke

ghoulish [ghoul·ish]

Suggesting the horror of death and decay; morbid or disgusting.

meretricious

Superficially attractive and flashy, but worthless

solicitous

Sxxxxxxxxx comes from the Latin roots sollus "entire" and citus "set in motion." If someone is sxxxxxxxxx, he is entirely set in motion caring for you. Your neighbors are sxxxxxxxxxx if they try to help your family out all the time. Use this word too if you're eager to do something. A good student will be sxxxxxxxxx to appear interested in what the teacher says — even when it's not that interesting.

syncretism

Syncretism (/ˈsɪŋkrətɪzəm/) is the combining of different, often contradictory beliefs, while blending practices of various schools of thought. Syncretism involves the merger and analogizing of several originally discrete traditions, especially in the theology and mythology of religion, thus asserting an underlying unity and allowing for an inclusive approach to other faiths. Syncretism also occurs commonly in expressions of arts and culture (known as eclecticism) as well as politics (syncretic politics) adj syncretic

banal

Synonym Discussion of banal insipid, vapid, flat, jejune, banal, inane mean devoid of qualities that make for spirit and character. insipid implies a lack of sufficient taste or savor to please or interest <an insipid romance with platitudes on every page>. vapid suggests a lack of liveliness, force, or spirit <an exciting story given a vapid treatment>. flat applies to things that have lost their sparkle or zest <although well-regarded in its day, the novel now seems flat>. jejune suggests a lack of rewarding or satisfying substance <a jejune and gassy speech>. banal stresses the complete absence of freshness, novelty, or immediacy <a banal tale of unrequited love>. inane implies a lack of any significant or convincing quality <an inane interpretation of the play>.

interdict

TO FORBID; PROHIBIT; TO CONFRONT AND HALT THE ACTIVITIES, ADVANCE, OR ENTRY OF

presage

TO FORETELL; INDICATE IN ADVANCE (n.) an omen

dorsaloquy

Talking behind someone's back.

demonstrative

Tending to show feelings, especially the open expression of emotion.

deja vu

That eerie sense that "I've experienced this before." Cues from the current situation may subconsciously trigger retrieval of an earlier experience.

apomixis

The ability of some plant species to reproduce asexually through seeds without fertilization by a male gamete.

defalcation

The act of misusing funds or embezzling

suppositional

The act of supposing, something supposed

subduction

The application of duct tape to the bottom of something, usually to hold it up but also for decoration.

orthography

The art or study of correct spelling according to established usage.

gravamen

The basis or essence of a grievance; the issue upon which a particular controversy turns.

heteropraxy

The behavior of not adhering to the teachings of one's own religion; from the Latin hetero, meaning different, and praxis, meaning practice or action

specificity

The condition or state of being specific rather than general. "His input added a desirable note of _______ the discussion."

lalochezia

The emotional relief gained by emitting vulgar or indecent words; from the Greek lalia, meaning speech, and chezo, meaning to relieve oneself

ichneumon wasps

The females meticulously paralyze and lay eggs in live caterpillars. Their eggs hatch into larvae that proceed to consume the caterpillar inside out in a manner which maximizes suffering by starting with the least important innards before consuming the essential ones—such as the heart—to keep the caterpillars alive as long as they can. This insures that the meat is fresh for the offspring. Do caterpillars feel pain? Dawkins hopes not.

zenith

The highest point

zeitgeist

The intellectual and moral tendencies that characterize any age or epoch.

philomathy

The love of learning

dysphemism

The opposite of euphemism. Starts with a neutral work and moves to an offensive one. Die (neutral), pass away (euphemism), croak (dysphemism).

usufruct

The right to benefit from the use of property belonging to someone else.

apophasis

The sneaky rhetorical device of alluding to something by denying that it will be mentioned. Axxxxxxx theology begins with the assumption that God is unknowable; we can only eliminate the things that he is not. What is left, presumably, defines God. XXXXXXXXX is a rhetorical device wherein the speaker or writer brings up a subject by either denying it, or denying that it should be brought up. Accordingly, it can be seen as a rhetorical relative of irony.

protasis

The subordinate or "if" clause that expresses the condition in a conditional sentence.

teleological argument

The teleological or physico-theological argument, also known as the argument from design, or intelligent design argument is an argument for the existence of God or, more generally, for an intelligent creator "based on perceived evidence of deliberate design in the natural or physical world".

homophily

The tendency of individuals to associate and bond with others who are similar or "like" themselves

begs the question

The term "begging the question", as this is usually phrased, originated in the 16th century as a mistranslation of the Latin petitio principii, which actually translates as "assuming the initial point".[2] In modern vernacular usage, "to beg the question" is sometimes used to mean "to invite the question" (as in "This begs the question of whether...") or "to dodge a question".[2] These usages are often criticized as being mistaken.[3]

intrepid

invulnerable to fear or intimidation

nettle

irritate

sarcophagus

is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and displayed above ground, though it may also be buried.

latent

is an adjective that you use to describe something that is capable of becoming active or at hand, though it is not currently so.

mendicant

is one who practices mendicancy (begging) and relies chiefly or exclusively on charitable donations to survive.

realpolitik

is politics or diplomacy based primarily on power and on practical and material factors and considerations, rather than explicit ideological notions or moral or ethical premises.

defamation

is the communication of a false statement that harms the reputation of an individual person, business, product, group, government, religion, or nation.

ceilidh

kay-lee (Scotland and Ireland) A social gathering, especially one at which hosts and guests participate in traditional music, dancing, or storytelling—or a professional ceilidh band might be hired for the event.

acumen

keen insight

patronage

kindness done with an air of superiority, (politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

realm

kingdom (special field of something or someone; the territory of a ruler

exoteric

known externally; readily understandable

inanition

lack of mental or spiritual vigor and enthusiasm: •exhaustion caused by lack of nourishment.

intemperance

lack of moderation or restraint lack of moderation; especially : habitual or excessive drinking of intoxicants

privation

lack of necessities

irresolute

lacking decisiveness of character

heft

large and powerful; heavy

sedentary

largely inactive, accustomed to sitting

recherche

lavishly elegant and refined

laborious

la·bo·ri·ous] adj. Hard-working; industrious. Marked by or requiring long, hard work. "It was a laborious project, but they still kept it under budget."

inanimate

lifeless

levity

lightness of dispostion (a manner lacking seriousness)

vulpine

like a fox [compare with bovine (cow-like); porcine (pig-like), etc.]

malignant

likely to cause death

imminent

likely to happen, threatening

nettlesome

literally, full of nettles (plants with stinging hairs); irritating; causing annoyance or vexation

pecunious

literary having plenty of money; wealthy. 2. US miserly; thrifty

predacious

living by victimizing others for personal gain

consecution

logical sequence or progression of an argument

introspective

looking into one's own feelings

tepid

lukewarm; unenthusiastic, marked by an absence of interest

supine

lying on the back

grandeur

magnificence; splendor

Olympian

majestic; godlike; lofty (from Mt. Olympus, highest mountain in Greece)

tergiversate

make conflicting or evasive statements; equivocate. change one's loyalties; be apostate.

elucidate

make free from confusion or ambiguity

subtilize

make more subtle or refined

diecious

male and female reproductive organs are in different orgnaisms

assiduous

marked by care and persistent effort, devoted, attentive

meticulous

marked by extreme care in treatment of details

jocund

marked by or suggestive of high spirits and lively mirthfulness

oppressive

marked by unjust severity or arbitrary behavior

ignominious

marked with or characterized by disgrace or shame : dishonorable deserving of shame or infamy : despicable humiliating, degrading

monolithic

massively solid

virile

masterful, manly

repast

meal or mealtime

mentation

mental activity-thinking

hebetude

mental dullness or sluggishness.

peccadillo

minor sin or offense

parsimonious

miserly

mondegreen

misinterpretation of words (ex. "very close veins" is a mondegreen for "varicose veins")

fallacious

misleading

modus tollens

mode that denies

abstemious

moderate in eating or drinking

zaftig

adj. having a full, shapely figure

adiaphorous

morally neutral or indifferent; doing neither good nor harm, as a medicine

ineradicable

adj. incapable of being removed or destroyed or eradicated

ulterior

adj. lying beyond what is evident, revealed, or claimed 1 a. lying farther away : more remote b : situated on the farther side 2 : going beyond what is openly said or shown

dregs

most worthless part

prosaic

adj. not fanciful or imaginative

crepuscular

adj. pertaining to twilight

lugubrious

adj. very sad looking or sounding sad and dismal. synonyms: mournful, gloomy, sad, unhappy, doleful, glum, melancholy, woeful, miserable, woebegone, forlorn, somber, solemn, serious, sorrowful, morose, dour, cheerless, joyless, dismal; More funereal, sepulchral.

inimical

adj: hostile; unfriendly

salacious

adj: lascivious, lustful, obscene

mellifluous

adjective (of a voice or words) sweet or musical; pleasant to hear.

lissome

adjective 1 : easily flexed 2 : lithe, nimble

grandiloquent

adjective pompous or extravagant in language, style, or manner, especially in a way that is intended to impress. pompous, bombastic, magniloquent, pretentious, ostentatious, high-flown, orotund, florid, flowery; More: overwrought, overblown, overdone; informal highfalutin, purple antonyms: understated

rococo

adjective 1 : of or relating to an artistic style especially of the 18th century characterized by fanciful curved asymmetrical forms and elaborate ornamentation 2 : excessively ornate or intricate

obstinate

adjective 1 : perversely adhering to an opinion, purpose, or course in spite of reason, arguments, or persuasion 2 : not easily overcome or removed

verdant

adjective 1 a : green in tint or color b : green with growing plants 2 : unripe in experience or judgment : green

stygian

adjective 1. of or relating to the river Styx or to Hades. 2. dark or gloomy. 3. infernal; hellish.

sumptuary

adjective 1. pertaining to, dealing with, or regulating expense or expenditure. 2. intended to regulate personal habits on moral or religious grounds. Sumptuary law Sumptuary laws are laws that attempt to regulate permitted consumption. Black's Law Dictionary defines them as "Laws made for the purpose of restraining luxury or extravagance, particularly against inordinate expenditures in the matter of apparel, food, furniture, etc."

expedient

adjective (of an action) convenient and practical, although possibly improper or immoral. noun: a means of attaining an end, especially one that is convenient but considered improper or immoral.

internecine

mutually destructive

res ipsa loquitur

n a rule of evidence whereby the negligence of an alleged wrongdoer can be inferred from the fact that the accident happened

amphibology

n an ambiguous grammatical construction

misandrist

n or adj. man-hater

imprecation

n the act of calling down a curse that invokes evil (and usually serves as an insult) (malediction)

razbliuto

n the sentimental feeling you have about someone you once loved but no longer do

vice

n) -- An evil or immoral practice or habit; a serious moral failing; indulgence in degrading practices; depravity; corruption; sexual immorality; especially, prostitution

byzantine

adjective 1. of or relating to Byzantium, the Byzantine Empire, or the Eastern Orthodox Church. •of an ornate artistic and architectural style that developed in the Byzantine Empire and spread especially to Italy and Russia. The art is generally rich and stylized (as in religious icons) and the architecture typified by many-domed, highly decorated churches.2. (of a system or situation) excessively complicated, typically involving a great deal of administrative detail. "Byzantine insurance regulations"

stalwart

adjective : marked by outstanding strength and vigor of body, mind, or spirit

indubitably

adjective certainly true : not able to be doubted.

otiose

adjective oti·ose \ˈō-shē-ˌōs, ˈō-tē-\. 1. : producing no useful result : futile. 2. : being at leisure : idle ·

peckish

adjective peck·ish \ˈpe-kish\ : slightly hungry : irritated or annoyed

cromulent

adjective. Appearing legitimate but actually being spurious : These citations are indeed cromulent. [a word used by the schoolteacher, Miss Hoover, in an episode of The Simpsons, in which she defended one made-up word by making up another]

mercurial

adjective: 1. Fickle; volatile; changeable. 2. Animated; quick-witted; shrewd. 3. Relating to the metal, planet, or god Mercury.

gnomic

adjective: 1. Relating to a gnome (an aphorism or a pithy saying). 2. Puzzling, ambiguous, or incomprehensible yet seemingly profound. ETYMOLOGY: From Greek gnome (judgment, opinion), from gignoskein (to know). Ultimately from the Indo-European root gno- (to know), which also gave us knowledge, prognosis, ignore, narrate, normal, and gnomon. Earliest documented use: 1815.

constitutive

adjective: 1. having the power to establish or give organized existence to something. 2. forming a part or constituent of something; component.

orthogonal

adjective: 1. of or involving right angles; at right angles. 2. Statistics (of variates) statistically independent

temporal

adjective: 1. relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs; secular. synonyms: secular, nonspiritual, worldly, profane, material, mundane, earthly, terrestrial; More nonreligious, areligious, lay "the temporal aspects of church government" antonyms: spiritual 2. of or relating to time.

excruciating

agonizing, torturing

underwrite

agree to finance

amenable

agreeable; responsive to suggestion

tocsin

alarm bell

palliate

alleviate, relieve without curing

astounding

amazing astonishing adj. very surprising

awesome

amazing, breathtaking, or overwhelming

inter alia

among other things

droll

amusing in a wry, subtle way

mufti

an Islamic scholar who is an interpreter or expounder of Islamic law. A muftiate or diyanet is a council of muftis. William Cleveland wrote in his A History of the Modern Middle East that muftis were "experts in Islamic law qualified to give authoritative legal opinions known as fatwas; muftis were members of the ulama establishment and ranked above qadis".

anacronym

an acronym where few remember what the letters stand for (e.g. radar, laser, scuba)

enormity

an act of extreme wickedness

rebuke

an act or expression of criticism and censure

ideologue

an adherent of an ideology, especially one who is uncompromising and dogmatic

accomplice

an associate in crime

vidimus

an attested copy of a document. In purely legalistic terms, a notarized document could be called a xxxxxxx.

prepossession

an attitude, belief, or impression formed beforehand : prejudice an exclusive concern with one idea or object : preoccupation

mandate

an authoritative order or command

segue

an easy, effective, or uninterrupted transition

jeremiad

an elaborate and lengthy tale of sadness

vagary

an erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion

anachronistic

an error in chronology; especially : a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other

soiree

an evening party or gathering, typically in a private house, for conversation or music.

coterie

an exclusive circle of people with a common purpose

rhetorician

an expert in formal rhetoric. •a speaker whose words are primarily intended to impress or persuade.

alas

an expression of grief, pity, or concern.

allegory

an expressive style that uses fictional characters and events to describe some subject by suggestive resemblances, a visible symbol representing an abstract idea. A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, usually a moral or political one.

thaumaturgy

an illusory feat; considered magical by naive observers

escalation

an increase, intensification

deterministic

an inevitable consequence of antecedent sufficient causes

expletive

an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger

presentiment

an intuitive feeling about the future, especially one of foreboding:

sprachgefühl

an intuitive feeling for the natural idiom of a language

cacoethes

an irresistible urge to do something inadvisable.

fetish

an object that is thought to have magic powers

bacchanal

an occasion of wild and drunken revelry. a priest, worshiper, or follower of Bacchus.

demagogue

an orator who appeals to the passions and prejudices of his audience

rankled

caused to have long-lasting anger and resentment

dismal

causing gloom or misery

desist

cease

pomp

ceremonial elegance and splendor

metamorphosis

change

phantasmagoric

characterized by fantastic imagery and incongruous juxtapositions

foursquare

characterized by firm and unwavering conviction

ethereal

characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; not earthy, spiritual, delicate

reductive

characterized by or causing diminution or curtailment, over-simplifing

decorous

characterized by propriety and dignity and good taste in manners and conduct

tempestuous

characterized by strong and turbulent or conflicting emotion

impetuous

characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation Adj

bavardage

chattering; prattle

scion

child, descendant or heir

deasil

clockwise

acidulous

coarsely insulting; physically harmful. sour in taste or manner

ethics

code of principles

diagraph

combination of 2 letters possessing a single sound (graph= ph/ swing=ng/chance=ch/head=ea) two letter spelling for 1 phoneme

androgynous

comes from a Latin word meaning hermaphrodite

contravention

coming into conflict with

perpetrate

commit

analogous

comparable, similar

reparation

compensation for an insult or injury

inane

complacently foolish, Silly, empty of meaning or value

fiasco

complete failure

replete

completely filled or supplied with, fill to satisfaction

manifold

complex, many

sangfroid

composure or coolness, especially in trying circumstances

duress

compulsion, force

existential

concerned with existence, especially human existence as viewed in the theories of existentialism. •Logic (of a proposition) affirming or implying the existence of a thing.

pithy

concise and full of meaning

coda

concluding part of a literary or musical composition; something that summarizes or concludes

hypomnesia

condition of impaired ability to remember

shrift

confession to priest to ask forgiveness for sins, the act of being shriven

esoteric

confined to and understandable by only an enlightened inner circle

garbled

confused, mixed up

countenance

consent to, give permission, the appearance conveyed by a person's face

relegate

consign or dismiss to an inferior rank or position: Relegate means to REFER someone to another for action or decision. Delegate means to ASSIGN someone to a particular duty. .

compendious

containing or presenting the essential facts of something in a comprehensive but concise way

taint

contamination, undesirable substance that spoils (n.)

disdain

contempt, to refuse or reject scornfully

complacent

contented to a fault

perverse

contrary, persisting in error (of a person or their actions) showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences:

consternate

con·ster·nate /ˈkänstərˌnāt/ verb past tense: consternated; past participle: consternated fill (someone) with anxiety. "you'll probably be consternated by all this talk"

consigliere

counselor, adviser

recrimination

counteraccusation

frustrate

counteract, foil, thwart 1.prevent (a plan or attempted action) from progressing, succeeding, or being fulfilled.

throng

crowd, a large gathering of people

truncated

cut short

sardonic

cynical; scornfully mocking

tenebrous

dark and gloomy ... see stygian

gloomy

dark or poorly lit, especially so as to appear depressing or frightening:

murky

dark, obscure

metadata

data that provides information about other data

controversial

debatable

decadence

decay

duplicity

deceitfulness; double-dealing.

perfidy

deceitfulness; untrustworthiness

subterfuge

deception by artifice or stratagem in order to conceal, escape, or evade : a deceptive device or stratagem

chicanery

deception by means of craft or guile see subterfuge

contrition

deep regret for doing something wrong remorse

distraught

deeply upset and agitated

sabotage

deliberately destroy, damage, or obstruct (something), especially for political or military advantage.

delectation

delight

salvation

deliverance from ruin

aforementioned

denoting a thing or person previously mentioned.

adscititious

derived or acquired from something extrinsic

progeny

descendants

epithet

descriptive name

culpable

deserving blame

voracious

desiring or consuming great quantities, excessively greedy and grasping

raze

destroy

anomaly

deviation from what is normal

concoct

devise

hedonistic

devoted to pleasure

disparate

different

abstruse

difficult to penetrate

solemnity

dignified seriousness, ceremoniousness, formality

allay

diminish or put at rest (fear, suspicion, or worry): synonyms: reduce · diminish · decrease · lessen · assuage · •relieve or alleviate (pain or hunger)

antithetical

directly opposed or contrasted; mutually incompatible: synonyms: (directly) opposed to · contrasting with · contrary to

sordid

dirty, base

incapacitated

disable, made unfit

dissonance

disagreeable sounds, a conflict of people's opinions or actions or characters, discord

blatant

disagreeably loud, very showy

catastrophic

disastrous

strife

discord, disagreement, bitter conflict

malady

disease

consternation

dismay

histrionics

display of emotions

liquidation

disposal of, killing

credulous

disposed to believe on little evidence

heterogeneous

dissimilar

tribulation

distress or suffering especially resulting from oppression or persecution; also : a trying experience

academicism

doctrine that nothing can be known a style of painting and sculpture produced under the influence of European academies of art

stare decisis

doctrine that rules or principles of law on which a court rested a previous decision are authoritative in all future cases in which the facts are substantially the same.

dubitation

doubt, hesitation

dubious

doubtful

recoil

draw back

dreigh

dreary

imbibe

drink

repulse

drive back

avid

eager, marked by active interest and enthusiasm

supplication

earnest prayer

petulant

easily irritated or annoyed

squeamish

easily shocked, overly sensitive

fissile

easily split capable of being split (think about fission of molecules)

solace

easing of grief

orient

east; the hemisphere that includes Eurasia and Africa and Australia

omnivorous

eating any kind of food

externalities

economic side effects or by-products that affect an uninvolved third party; can be negative or positive

effectuate

effect; produce; achieve

efficacious

effective, efficient

component

element

effusive

emotionally excessive; overly demonstrative

sensibilities

emotions or feelings In nuisance law, ways in which peoples physical and emotional senses are affected.

zealous

enthusiastic

expunge

erase or remove completely (something unwanted or unpleasant):

enthymeme

essentially, a syllogism with one of the premises implied and taken for granted as true.

relativist

ethics depend on viewpoint

sinister

evil, ominous

antithesis

exact opposite

scrutinize

examine closely

inordinate

excessive

fulsome

excessive, insincere

ebullient

exhilarated; full of enthusiasm and high spirits

abound

exist in large numbers or amounts

dox

expose person's file, quote vital info

commiserate

express or feel sympathy or pity; sympathize: "she went over to commiserate with Rose on her unfortunate circumstances"

deprecate

express strong disapproval of

charientism

expression of an unpleasant thing in an agreeable manner; euphemism, the act of artfully veiling an insult [rhetoric] A figure of speech wherein a taunting expression is softened by a jest; an insult veiled in grace.

eulogy

expression of praise often on the occasion of someone's death

singular

extraordinary

plethora

extreme excess

destitution

extreme poverty

apoplectic

extremely angry or furious In the nature of a stroke; highly excited

abysmal

extremely hopeless or wretched; bottomless

sultry

extremely hot and moist, torrid

gossamer

extremely light, delicate, or tenuous

stentorian

extremely loud

irascible

f you're irascible, you get angry easily — perhaps blowing up in rage when someone brushes into you. Irascible comes from the Latin root ira, which means "anger" or "rage," the same root that gives us the word ire, "anger." The -sc in the middle of irascible, means "becoming," so irascible doesn't just mean you're angry — it's got action built into it. If you're looking for a fight most of the time, then you're irascible — ready for the spark that's going to set you on fire.

remiss

failing in what duty requires adjective Ex. "derelict (or delinquent) in his duty"; "neglectful of his duties"; "remiss of you not to pay your bills"

ersatz

fake an artificial or inferior substitute or imitation

captious

faultfinding; intended to entrap, as in an argument

impeccable

faultless

acrophobia

fear of heights

aichmophobia

fear of sharp or pointed objects

sublime

fear to the point of awe; elevated or lofty in thought, language, etc.; impressing the mind with a sense of grandeur or power; inspiring awe, veneration, etc.; supreme or outstanding; complete; absolute; utter.

timorous

fearful

aggrieved

feeling anger because of unfair treatment law : having suffered from unfair treatment

chagrin

feeling of disappointment, humiliation

dubitatio

feigned doubt about your ability to speak well. It's a personal form of aporia pretending to be uncertain so that you are presented as an honest person rather than a master of rhetoric.

grim

fierce in disposition or action : savage stern or forbidding in action or appearance b : somber, gloomy ghastly, repellent, or sinister in character unflinching, unyielding

synecdoche

figure of speech The use of the part of object to equate the entire object. hired-hand ........................................ meaning "simultaneous understanding") is a figure of speech

veracity

filled with truth and accuracy

pecuniary

financial

resolute

firm in purpose or belief

adamant

firm in purpose or opinion, unyielding, obdurate, implacable, inflexible

condign

fitting or appropriate and deserved

garret

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof

refluent

flowing back; ebbing; tidal

disciple

follower

temerity

foolish boldness

taboo

forbidden by custom or religious practice

verboten

forbidden, as by law; prohibited

extrinsic

foreign, coming from outside

premonition

forewarning

shriven

forgiven

gravitas

formality in bearing and appearance, great or very dignified seriousness

forswear

formally reject or disavow a formerly held belief, usually under pressure formal agree to give up or do without (something): swear falsely; commit perjury: "I swore that I would lead us safely home and I do not mean to be forsworn"

erstwhile

former; of an earlier time

redolent

fragrant

deceitful

fraudulent, dishonest, duplicitous

nirvana

freedom from care and pain, Buddhist heaven

impunity

freedom from punishment

repine

fret, complain

comradery

friendship, rapport, and goodwill, as among fellow soldiers; camaraderie

mirth

frivolity; gaiety; laughter

ostensibly

from appearances alone, seemingly; apparently

fructuous

fruitful; productive

virulent

full of hate, harmful

rugose

full of wrinkles

putative

generally regarded as such; reputed; hypothesized, inferred

largesse

generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others. money or gifts given generously. "the distribution of largesse to the local population"

historicity

genuineness as a historical figure

obeisance

gesture that expresses deference, such as a bow or curtsy

relinquish

give up or renounce usually with reluctance; yield

mendacious

given to lying, intentionally untrue

saturnine

gloomy, dark, sullen, morose

hircine

goatlike, especially in smell

rampant

going unchecked, widespread

oligarchy

government dominated by a clique of a few /ˈäləˌɡärkē/noun: a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

lithe

gracefully slender

attrition

gradual wearing away, weakening, or loss; a natural or expected decrease in numbers or size

conflagration

great fire

virtuosity

great technical skill

cupidity

greed

scurrilous

grossly or obscenely abusive, coarse

premise

grounds for a conclusion So, per Aristotle's definitions, the difference between "premise" and "proposition" is that the former is a strict subset of the latter —all premises are propositions, while not all propositions are premises—:

entourage

group of attendants

arenicolous

growing or living or burrowing in sand

surmise

guess (not conjecture)

querulous

habitually complaining

indolent

habitually lazy or idle

chirography

handwriting, penmanship calligraphy

fortuitous

happening by accident or chance rather than design

elusive

hard to grasp

indurate

hardened

obdurate

hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion

pernicious

harmful, causing injury

consonant

harmonious; in agreement

opprobrium

harsh criticism or censure. the public disgrace arising from someone's shameful conduct.

restrictive

harsh, confining

asperity

harshness of temper

precipitate

hasten

cursory

hasty, not thorough (adj.) brief to the point of being superficial

misology

hatred of reasoning

hold sway

have great power or influence over a particular person, place, or domain.

determinate

having a fixed order of procedure; precisely defined; invariable; fixed; conclusive; final adj. Having exact and discernible limits or form.

tangible

having actual form

infamous

having an exceedingly bad reputation

resplendent

having great beauty and splendor Shining brightly

effete

having lost one's original power; barren; worn out; exhausted

monecious

having male and female reproductive organs in the same plant or animal

incisive

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

tendentious

having or marked by a strong tendency especially a controversial one

vacuous

having or showing a lack of intelligence or serious thought : lacking meaning, importance, or substance

noble

having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals:

coterminous

having the same boundaries or extent in space, time, or meaning: "the southern frontier was xxxxxxxxxxx with the French Congo colony"

pugilistic

having to do with boxing or fighting with the fists

transfixed

having your attention fixated as though by a spell (adjective): Motionless due to awe, wonder, or fear

inadvertent

heedless, not attentive, unintentional

metaphysical

highly abstract and over-theoretical, without material form or substance

landmark

historic, turning point of a period

domicile

home

sanctimonious

hypocritically pious, "holier than thou"; a pejorative to describe a person who makes a great show of being super-religious and exceedingly righteous

paralogism

illogical reasoning of which the reasoner is not aware

Shangri-la

imaginary remote paradise on earth

delusive

imaginary, deceptive, misleading

forthwith

immediately

redoubtable

adj. 1. Arousing fear or awe; formidable. 2. Worthy of respect or honor. .

pulverulent

adj. 1. Dusty, covered with dust, powdery. 2. Crumbly, friable, given to crumbling to powder. 3. Consisting of dust or a fine powder

ravenous

adj. 1. Extremely hungry; voracious. 2. Rapacious; predatory. 3. Greedy for gratification

placid

adj. 1. Satisfied; complacent. 2. Undisturbed by tumult or disorder; calm or quiet.

extemporaneous

adj. 1. Unrehearsed. Done or said without advance preparation or thought; impromptu. 2. Prepared in advance but delivered without notes or text:

expeditious

adj. Acting or done with speed and efficiency.

officious

adj. Assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, esp. with regard to petty or trivial matters. Intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering.

anecdotal

adj. Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis:

haughty

adj. Condescending: behaving in a superior, condescending, or arrogant way. "He always seemed ________ in company meetings."

perfidious

adj. Deceitful and untrustworthy. "A perfidious relationship."

epicurean

adj. Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, particularly the enjoyment of gourmet food.

opprobrious

adj. Disgraceful; shameful. "His actions were opprobrious."

derisive

adj. Expressing contempt or ridicule; mocking or scornful. "A derisive laugh

acrid

adj. Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell. Angry and bitter.

epicene

adj. Having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex.

voluminous

adj. Having great volume, fullness, size, or number; ample or lengthy in speech or writing.

infinitely

adj. Having no boundaries or limits; impossible to measure or calculate. See Synonyms at incalculable.

surreal

adj. Having the disorienting quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic.

nescient

adj. Lacking knowledge; ignorant.

copious

adj. Large in quantity; abundant. Abounding in matter, thoughts, or words; wordy. "He took copious notes during the business meeting."

pragmatic

adj. More concerned with practical results than with theories and principles.

formative

adj. Of or relating to formation, growth, or development: the formative stages of a child.

sartorial

adj. Of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress.

bucolic

adj. Of or relating to the pleasant aspects of country life. "He retired to a more bucolic life on his farm

equivocal

adj. Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous. Uncertain or questionable in nature.

contemporaneous

adj. Originating, existing, or happening during the same period of time: "The contemporaneous court cases for the two defendants."

licentious

adj. Promiscuous and unprincipled. Lacking moral discipline. "The judge treated her in a most licentious manner

boorish

adj. Resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior. "His boorish behavior was unacceptable to the directors."

audacious

adj. Showing a willingness to take risks. Showing an impudent lack of respect.

amorous

adj. Showing, feeling, or relating to sexual desire. "She did not appreciate his amorous advances."

recalcitrant

adj. Stubborn, often defiant of authority; difficult to manage or control.

verbose

adj. Using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words; wordy.

tacit

implied but not stated

equitable

implying justice dictated by reason, conscience, and a natural sense of what is fair to all

inexorable

impossible to stop or prevent (of a person) impossible to persuade by request or entreaty.

indomitable

impossible to subdue or defeat: synonyms: invincible · unconquerable · unbeatable · unassailable

impudent

improperly forward or bold, rude, impertinent

brash

impudent

despondent

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage.

sub rosa

in secret; confidentially; privately; secretive

incongruous

inappropriate, not fitting in; out of place

inherent

inborn

unfathomable

incapable of being fully explored or understood

taciturn

inclined to talk very little

subsume

include or absorb (something) in something else.

agita

indigestion •anxiety, stress, or aggravation. "there will be times when he causes the Democratic leadership some agita"

solipsistic

adj. believing that oneself is all that exists

senile

infirm, weak from old age

curry favor

ingratiate oneself with someone through obsequious behavior.

detriment

injury, damage, hurt

interject

insert, interrupt

prestigious

inspiring respect and admiration; having high status

barometer

instrument for measuring change

spurious

intended to deceive, plausible but false

felicity

intense happiness. 2. the ability to find appropriate expression for one's thoughts.

fervid

intensely emotional; feverish

prelude

introduction

matronymic

noun- a name derived from the name of your mother or a maternal ancestor

tumulus

noun: 1. A mound of earth placed over prehistoric tombs. Also known as a barrow. 2. A dome-shaped swelling formed in cooling lava.

colophon

noun: 1. A note at the end of the book giving information about its production: font, paper, binding, printer, etc. 2. A publisher's emblem, usually on the spine or the title page of the book.

doggerel

noun: 1. Comic verse that is irregular in rhythm and in rhyme especially for burlesque or comic effect. 2. Trivial or bad poetry.

rechauffe

noun: 1. Warmed leftover food. 2. Rehash: old reworked material.

pathography

noun: A biography that focuses on the negative

parastatal

noun: A company or agency owned wholly or partly by the government. adjective: Relating to such an organization.

limerick

noun: A humorous, often risque, verse of three long (A) and two short (B) lines with the rhyme scheme AABBA.

cento

noun: A literary work, especially a poem, composed of parts taken from works of other authors.

shadchan

noun: A matchmaker or a marriage-broker.

samaritan

noun: A person who voluntarily helps others in distress. Also used as: good Samaritan.

pregustator

noun: A person whose job is to taste food or drink before it's served.

constative

noun: A statement that can be judged as true or false. adjective: Capable of being true or false.

opisthograph

noun: A text written on both front and back (of some parchment, papyrus, stone, etc.).

truchman

noun: An interpreter

quoz

noun: An odd person or thing. something absurd

seism

noun: Earthquake.

frankenfood

noun: Genetically modified food.

autochthon

noun: Indigenous thing or person 1. A native; an aborigine. 2. Something, as a rock, formed or originating in the place where found.

scapegoat

noun: One blamed for another's wrongdoing. verb tr.: To blame someone for another's wrongdoing.

bibliogony

noun: The art of producing or publishing books. Also known as bibliogenesis

exordium

noun: The beginning or introductory part of anything, especially of a discourse, treatise, etc. From Latin ex- (out, from) + ordiri (to begin). Earliest documented use: 1531.

recto

noun: The front of a leaf, the side that is to be read first.

whataboutery

noun: The practice of responding to an accusation by making a counter-accusation, real or imaginary, relevant or irrelevant. See also tu quoque.

id

noun: The unconscious, instinctive part of the psyche in Freudian theory.

laissez-aller

noun: Unrestrained freedom

kerfuffle

noun: a commotion or fuss, especially one caused by conflicting views.

parameter

noun: a standard set in order to make contrasts

allusion

noun: an expression designed to call something to mind without mentioning it explicitly; an indirect or passing reference.

connotation

noun: an idea that is implied or suggested, what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression

extortion

noun: extortion; plural noun: extortions the practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats. synonyms: blackmail, shakedown; formal exaction

hyperbole

noun: hyperbole; plural noun: hyperboles exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally.

schadenfreude

noun: joy from watching the suffering of other

quiddity

noun: the inherent nature or essence of someone or something. •a distinctive feature; a peculiarity.

alible

nourishing, nutritious

accommodate

oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt; make enough space for

manifestly

obviously readily perceived by the eye or the understanding; evident; obvious; apparent; plain: a manifest error. 2. Psychoanalysis. of or relating to conscious feelings, ...

sporadic

occasional

quotidian

occurring daily; commonplace

coincident

occurring or operating at the same time

endemic

of a disease or condition) regularly found among particular people or in a certain area: (of a plant or animal) native or restricted to a certain country or area:

antecedently

of anything preceding something

eminent

of high reputation, outstanding, standing above others in quality or position

telluric

of or relating to or inhabiting the land as opposed to the sea or air : of or relating to the earth : terrestrial 2 : being or relating to a usually natural electric current flowing near the earth's surface

neoteric

of recent emergence; beginning; modern

de jour

of the day

consanguineous

of the same origin; related by blood

ecumenical

of worldwide scope or applicability

maritime

of, relating to, or adjacent to the sea.

faustian

of, relating to, resembling, or suggesting Faust; especially : made or done for present gain without regard for future cost or consequences <a Faustian bargain>

noisome

offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious

bumptious

offensively self-assertive (presumptuously, obtusely, and often noisily self-assertive : obtrusive)

presby- (prefix)

old, old age

majuscule

one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis

polemicist

one skilled in argument and in refuting attacks

confidant

one to whom you confide your secrets

theist

one who believes in the existence of a god or gods

antiquarian

one who collects or studies objects of former times

malfeasant

one who is guilty of misbehavior or wrongdoing

incipient

only partly in existence, beginning; at an early stage

overt

open

sanguine

optimistic

epideictic

or praise-and-blame rhetoric, is one of the three branches, or "species" (eidē), of rhetoric as outlined in Aristotle's Rhetoric, to be used to praise or blame during ceremonies.

ex nihilo

out of nothing

flagrant

outrageous, glaringly bad (not egregious)

salient

outstanding, prominent leaping, jumping, or springing forth; prominent, standing out, conspicuous; (n.) a projection or bulge, a land form that projects upward or outward

preciosity

overly meticulous, extremely fastidious

obsequious

overly submissive and eager to please

privy

participating in the knowledge of something private or secret

complicity

partnership in wrongdoing

logomaniac

pathologically excessive (and often incoherent) talking Synonyms:logorrhea noun: One who is obsessively interested in words

discern

perceive

prescient

perceiving the significance of events before they occur, having foresight

mulligan

permitting a second hit of a badly played ball, usually on the tee shot, in a friendly match, not in competition

bemused

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements, deeply absorbed in thought

sedulous

persevering, persistent, diligent in one's efforts

disabuse

persuade someone that an idea or belief is mistaken

Terpsichore

pertaining to dance; for Terpsichore, one of the nine muses, sometimes said to be the mother of the sirens and the protector of dance.

seminal

pertaining to or containing or consisting of semen, original and inspiring further similar efforts

callipygian

pertaining to or having finely developed buttocks

uxorial

pertaining to, characteristic of, or befitting, a wife

apposite

pertinent, apropos ADJECTIVE 1.apt in the circumstances or in relation to something: appropriate · suitable · fitting · befitting · relevant

condolence

pity, an expression of sympathy

persnickety

placing too much emphasis on trivial or minor details; fussy.

specious

plausible but false

sophistic

plausible but misleading

machinations

plots or schemes

venom

poison, spit, malice

urbane

polished, witty

indigent

poor, needy

impecunious

poor; having no money

compossible

possible in coexistence with something else

placard

poster

puissant

powerful

viable

practicable, workable

praxis

practice, as distinguished from theory

ascetic

practicing restraint as a means of self-discipline, usually religious (n or adj)

laudable

praiseworthy

plight

predicament, dangerous situation

hegemony

preponderant influence or authority over others

propitious

presenting favorable circumstances

temerarious

presumptuously daring; marked by temerity

preclude

prevent

obsolescence

process of wearing out

prolific

producing abundantly

fatidic

prophetic

bulwark

protection

expostulation

protest; remonstrance; reasoning with someone to correct or dissuade

refute

prove to be false or incorrect

nom de guerre

pseudonym anonym (see: nom de plume)

quell

put an end to (not terminate)

subjugate

put down by force or intimidation to bring something or someone under your control and to force submission or compliance.

incompatibility

quality of being mismated, lack of harmony

pugnacious

quarrelsome

tremulous

quivering as from weakness or fear

jurisdiction

range of authority (When talking of jurisdiction, there are three concepts; such as, personal jurisdiction, subject matter jurisdiction, and territorial jurisdiction. 'Personal jurisdiction' means the right of the court over a person, and here the position of the individual is not so important. 'Subject matter jurisdiction' means the right over the subject. 'Territory jurisdiction' means the right over a region or territory. The court does not have the right to hear cases that fall outside its jurisdiction.)

ecstasy

rapture; very strong feeling of joy and happiness; any overpowering emotion; ADJ. ecstatic: causing or experiencing ecstasy

precocious

reaching maturity early

ratiocinate

reason methodologically and logically

conjecture

reasoning that involves the formation of conclusions from incomplete evidence

censure

rebuke formally: severe disapproval (noun or verb)

inchoate

recently begun, rudimentary, elementary

discriminate

recognize or perceive the difference

reverberating

reechoing, resounding

rue

regret

lament

regret strongly a passionate expression of grief or sorrow: "his mother's night-long laments for his father" · VERB 1.mourn (a person's loss or death):

exult

rejoice greatly

connubial

related to marriage (not conjugal)

doxastic

relating to an individual's beliefs

conjugal

relating to marriage

riparian

relating to or living or located on the bank of a natural watercourse (such as a river) or sometimes of a lake or a tidewater

tactile

relating to the sense of touch

apropos

relating to; of an appropriate and pertinent nature

egregious

remarkably bad (not flagrant)

obviate

remove (a need or difficulty): synonyms: preclude · prevent · remove · get rid of · do away with · •avoid; prevent: "a parachute can be used to xxxxxxx disaster"

rebarbative

repellent, irritating

belie

represent falsely 1. (of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict. 2. fail to fulfill or justify (a claim or expectation); betray.

arcane

requiring secret or mysterious knowledge

priapic

resembling or being a phallus, overly concerned with masculinity and male sexuality

adaptive preference formation

resolution of cognitive dissonance

inhibition

restraint

effect

result: anything brought about by a cause

inept

revealing lack of perceptiveness or judgment or finesse having or showing no skill; clumsy: "the inept handling of the threat" synonyms: incompetent · unskillful · unskilled · inexpert

remuneration

reward, pay

affluent

rich

enigma

riddle

fustian

ridiculously pompous, bombastic, grandiose in delivery

rhadamanthine

rigorously strict or just showing stern and inflexible judgment.

elliptical

rounded like an egg, characterized by extreme economy of expression or omission of superfluous elements. can be difficult to understand.

debris

ruins, fragments

doleful

sad, melancholy

deplorable

sad, pitiable

inviolable

safe (from destruction, etc.)

caustic

sarcastic, biting, harsh or corrosive in tone

imbued

saturated, permeated

paucity

scarcity

dispersed

scattered, spread, broken up

exegesis

scholarly explanation or interpretation

cartography

science or art of making maps

reviled

scolded

cache

secret hiding place

eclectic

selecting from or made up from a variety of sources

soi-disant (swä-dē-ˈzäⁿ\)

self-styled; so-called. as claimed by and for yourself often without justification Synonyms: self-styled questionable

maudlin

sentimental

compensatory

serving to pay back

acuity

sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing

sanctuary

shelter

chinoiserie

shin-wahz-ree Anything reflecting Chinese culture: Chinese artifacts, designs, artistic styles, behavior.

epilogue

short speech at conclusion of dramatic work a short passage added at the end of a literary work

flout

show contempt, scoff

gesticulate

show, express or direct through movement

contemptuous

showing contempt; scornful: synonyms: scornful · disdainful · disrespectful · insulting · insolent · derisive · mocking · sneering · scoffing · withering · scathing · snide · condescending · supercilious · haughty · proud · superior · arrogant · dismissive · aloof · high and mighty · snotty · sniffy

punctilious

showing great attention to detail or correct behavior., (adj.) very careful and exact, attentive to fine points of etiquette or propriety

ludic

showing spontaneous and undirected playfulness

harridan

shrew; an ill-tempered, scolding woman

astute

shrewd, keen in judgement

verecund

shy, modest, diffident

wan

sickly pale

antipodal

situated on opposite sides of the earth; being exactly opposite.

subnivean

situated or occurring under the snow

incredulous

skeptical

artful

skillful, clever, tricky

adroit

skillful, expert in the use of the hands or mind

travois

sled made of poles tied together; used by Native Americans to transport goods across the plains

nuance

slight variation in meaning, tone, etc.

obtuse

slow to learn or understand, lacking insight or discernment

skirmish

small fight, brief encounter (not fray)

mote

small particle, speck

saturate

soak, fill up completely

steeped

soaked, drenched, saturated

gregarious

sociable

sinecure

soft job

arbiter

someone chosen to judge and decide a disputed issue

res gestae

something done (usually as opposed to something said) n rule of evidence that covers words that are so closely associated with an occurrence that the words are considered part of the occurrence and as such their report does not violate the hearsay rule

tribute

something given or done as an expression of esteem, payment extorted by gangsters on threat of violence, payment by one nation for protection by another

exteriority

something on the outside; the state of being outside

bane

something that causes misery or death

travesty

something that is shocking, upsetting, or ridiculous because it is not what it is supposed to be; a debased, distorted, or grossly inferior imitation —NOT a disastrous event; a tragedy

inveigh

speak against in an impassioned mannerPicture an old man banging his fist on the dinner table, inveighing against the evils of teenagers being allowed to listen to music and dance. Inveigh means to rail against something with hostility and passion.

pontificate

speak pompously or dogmatically

sumptuous

splendid and expensive-looking: "the banquet was a xxxxxxxxx, luxurious meal" synonyms: lavish · luxurious · opulent · magnificent · resplendent

vitiate

spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of.

jaunty

sprightly, gay

boilerplate

standard formulations uniformly found in certain types of legal documents or news stories, Ready-made or all-purpose language that will fit in a variety of documents

conspicuous

standing out; obvious

repose

state of rest

furtive

stealthy, marked by quiet and caution and secrecy

austerity

sternness or severity of manner or attitude. extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance. conditions characterized by severity, sternness, or asceticism.

extant

still existing

catachresis

strained or paradoxical use of words either in error (as 'blatant' to mean 'flagrant') or deliberately (as in a mixed metaphor: 'blind mouths')

discord

strife resulting from a lack of agreement

animus

strong dislike or enmity; animosity

appurtenances

subordinate possessions; something added to a more important thing

metonymy

substituting the name of an attribute or feature for the name of the thing itself (as in `they counted heads')

unawares

suddenly and unexpectedly adverb

sally

suddenly rush forth (not surge)

crapulous

suffering from excessive eating or drinking

morose

sullen and ill-tempered

recapitulate

summarize and state again the main points of

abject

sunk to or existing in a low state or condition cast down in spirit : servile, spiritless showing hopelessness or resignation expressing or offered in a humble and often ingratiating spirit

definitive

supplying or being a final or conclusive settlement

ascendancy

supremacy domination

beleaguer

surround so as to force to give up, annoy persistently

congenial

sympathetic, agreeable

semiotician

t

wrest

take by force

epicaricacy

taking pleasure in other's misfortune; schadenfreude

voluble

talkative (not gregarious)

pedagogue

teacher

reticent

temperamentally disinclined to talk

abeyance

temporary suppression or suspension (An abeyance is a temporary halt to something, with the emphasis on "temporary." It is usually used with the word "in" or "into"; "in abeyance" suggests a state of waiting or holding. The word abeyance has a legal ring to it, and for a good reason — appearing in English in the 16th century, it comes from the Anglo-French word abeiance, a legal term for waiting or hoping to receive property. Nowadays, the word is used in a similar way. Different legal rights, like property rights, can be held in abeyance until matters are resolved.)

apophenia

tendency to perceive meaningful connections among unrelated phenomena

evocative

tending to call to mind or produce a reaction

dismissive

tending to dismiss or reject, showing indifference or disregard

probative

tending to prove a particular proposition or to persuade you of the truth of an allegation

preternatural

that which appears outside or beside the natural. In contrast to the supernatural, preternatural phenomena are presumed to have rational explanations that are unknown

prohibition

the act of forbidding certain behavior

divergence

the act of moving away in different direction from a common point

depredation

the act of preying upon or plundering; robbery; ravage.

remand

the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial) Send the case back to the lower court to be tried again.

contemplation

the action of looking thoughtfully at something for a long time:

deceit

the action or practice of deceiving someone by concealing or misrepresenting the truth.

gastronomy

the art and practice of choosing and preparing and eating good food

personna

the aspect of someone's character that is presented to or perceived by others. •a role or character adopted by an author or an actor.

verso

the back of a printed sheet; thus the left‐hand (and even‐numbered) page in a book, as opposed to the recto, which is the right‐hand, odd‐numbered page on the other side.

hermeneutics

the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts. The terms "xxxxxxxxxxxx" and "exegesis" are sometimes used interchangeably. Hxxxxxxxxxxx is a wider discipline which includes written, verbal, and nonverbal communication. Exegesis focuses primarily upon texts.

semantics

the branch of linguistics and logic concerned with meaning. There are a number of branches and subbranches of semantics, including formal semantics, which studies the logical aspects of meaning, such as sense, reference, implication, and logical form, lexical semantics, which studies word meanings and word relations, and conceptual semantics, which studies the cognitive structure of meaning. •the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text.

semasiology

the branch of semantics that studies the cognitive aspects of meaning

theodicy

the branch of theology that defends God's goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil, a vindication of divine justice in the face of the existence of evil

despair

the complete loss or absence of hope: the feeling that everything is wrong and nothing will turn out well

synesthesia

the concurrent response of two or more of the senses to the stimulation of one

precedence

the condition of being considered more important than someone or something else; priority in importance, order, or rank: "his desire for power soon took xxxxxxxxxx over any other consideration" synonyms: priority · rank · seniority · superiority · primacy

acetabulum

the cup-shaped hollow in the hipbone into which the head of the femur fits to form a ball-and-socket joint

teleology

the doctrine that there is evidence of purpose or design in the universe, and esp that this provides proof of the existence of a Designer. The belief that all events are directed toward some ultimate purpose

detente

the easing of hostility or strained relations, especially between countries. "a serious effort at xxxxxxx with the eastern bloc"

fealty

the fidelity of a vassal or feudal tenant to his lord the obligation of such fidelity intense fidelity

renunciation

the formal rejection of something, typically a belief, claim, or course of action

legerity

the gracefulness of a person or animal that is quick and nimble

culprit

the guilty person

apotheosis

the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax: "his appearance as Hamlet was the apotheosis of his career" •the elevation of someone to divine status; deification. deification, glorification to godliness, the perfect example

apodosis

the main (consequent) clause of a conditional sentence

ontology

the metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence

toponym

the name by which a geographical place is known

bereavement

the period of grief and mourning after a death. When you grieve, it's part of the normal process of reacting to a loss. You may experience grief as a mental, physical, social or emotional reaction. Mental reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness and despair.

ascesis

the practice of disciplining oneself; asceticism

apotropaism

the process of dispelling evil with magic. An xxxxxxxxxxxx is the amulet, talisman, incantation, or spell that supposedly dispels it.

accretion

the process of growth or increase, typically by the gradual accumulation of additional layers or matter:

deduction

the process of moving from a general rule to a specific example

isonomy

the quality of being equal under the law

finitude

the quality of being finite the quality or condition of having limits or boundaries/of being measurable

preponderance

the quality or fact of being greater in number, quantity, or importance

sonder

the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Narrated, written, directed, edited and coined by John Koenig. THE DICTIONARY OF OBSCURE SORROWS http://www.dictionaryofobscuresorrows...Oct 26, 2014

reportage

the reporting of news or the typical style in which this is done in newspapers, or on TV and radio

linguistics

the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics. Specific branches of linguistics include sociolinguistics, dialectology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, historical-comparative linguistics, and applied linguistics.

millieu

the setting, surroundings, environment

agerasia

the state of looking younger than one really is

dysgenics (also known as cacogenics)

the study of factors producing the accumulation and perpetuation of defective or disadvantageous genes and traits in offspring of a particular population or species

passivity

the trait of remaining inactive; a lack of initiative submission to others or to outside influences

malapropism

the unintentional misuse of a word by confusion with one that sounds similar

zeugma

the use of a word to modify or govern two or more words in such a way that it applies to each in a different sense or makes sense with only one (as in "opened the door and her heart to the homeless boy")

irony

the use of words to convey a meaning that is opposite of its literal meaning. Literature- a technique of indicating , as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated.

gamut

the whole range or extent

voila

there it is; there you are

veneer

thin covering

comprehensive

thorough

baleful

threatening harm; menacing: •having a harmful or destructive effect

minacious

threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments Synonyms: baleful, forbidding, menacing, minatory, ominous, sinister, threatening

spew

throw up, vomit, eject

funambulist

tightrope walker

festinate

to accelerate; to quicken

dither

to act confusedly or without clear purpose

kowtow

to act in an obsequious manner; show servile deference; to touch the forehead to the ground while kneeling, as an act of worship, reverence, apology, etc.

accost

to approach and speak to first; to confront in a challenging or aggressive way

apricate

to bask in the sun

cope

to be a match for, to be able to handle

advocate

to be in favor of, to support

solicit

to beg, seek earnestly

stigmatize

to brand with disgrace; to set a mark of disgrace upon

perpetuate

to cause to continue

masticate

to chew up

emanate

to come out from a source

ponder

to consider carefully

castigate

to correct by punishing

curtail

to cut short

invalidate

to deprive of legal force, to nullify

abhor

to detest, to despise (Abhor is from Latin abhorrere — "to shrink back in horror." It is the strongest way in English to express hatred, even stronger than loathe. We only use abhor in formal contexts; you might say "I abhor that man," but you would be less likely to say "I abhor spinach" unless you tend to express yourself in highfalutin terms no matter what the occasion.)

divagate

to digress

disparage

to discredit, belittle

loathe

to dislike intensely.

elicit

to draw forth

desiccate

to dry out thoroughly

terminate

to end (not quell)

canoodle

to engage in amorous embracing, caressing, and kissing

traduce

to expose to shame or blame by means of falsehoods and misrepresentations Traduce is one of a number of English synonyms that you can choose when you need a word that means "to injure by speaking ill of". Choose traduce when you want to stress the deep personal humiliation, disgrace, and distress felt by the victim. If someone doesn't actually lie, but makes statements that injure by specific and often subtle misrepresentations, malign may be the more precise choice. To make it clear that the speaker is malicious and the statements made are false "calumniate" is a good option; but if you need to say that certain statements represent an attempt to destroy a reputation by open and direct abuse - vilify

opine

to express an opinion

adulate

to flatter or admire excessively or slavishly

inundate

to flood

delude

to fool

coerce

to force

divine

to foretell or know by inspiration of, from, or like God or a god:

exonerate

to free from guilt

submit

to give or offer something for a decision to be made by others (and many other well known meanings)

abdicate

to give up a position --- give up, renounce, resign, vacate leave (a job, post, or position) voluntarily

glean

to gradually acquire facts or information

batten

to grow fat; to feed gluttonously; to grow prosperous especially at the expense of another; fatten

fetter

to hamper

beset

to harass; to surround (v.) to attack from all sides;hem in; studded (as with jewels)

militate

to have effect or force on or against someone or something, fight against

thwart

to hinder, defeat

ululate

to howl; to wail.

denote

to indicate; be a sign or indication of verb Ex. "Her smile XXXXXXd that she agreed"

immolate

to kill as a sacrifice

adduce

to lead or bring along (a witness in order to help your case) ( a piece of evidence), think of the word add to help you remember the definition

fabricate

to lie; construct, make up, invent

construe

to make a deduction, to infer

expiate

to make amends, make up for; to atone for

promulgate

to make known officially

jostle

to make or force one's way by pushing or elbowing

exacerbate

to make worse (v.) to make more violent, severe, bitter, or painful

gerrymander

to manipulate the boundaries of an election district to gain advantage

broach

to mention or suggest for the first time

romp

to move in a lively manner

ascended

to move upward; went up (v)

onomasiology

to name, which in turn is from ὄνομα—name) is a branch of linguistics concerned with the question "how do you express X?" It is in fact most commonly understood as a branch of lexicology, the study of words (although some apply the term also to grammar and conversation).

nurture

to nourish, support

demur

to object; hesitate

hither

to or toward this place

intimidate

to overawe

juxtapose

to place side by side

tout

to praise highly; to brag publicly about

repress

to put down

gruntle

to put in good humor

procrastinate

to put off intentionally and habitually

peruse

to read carefully

abide

to remain; continue; stay; endure put up with something or somebody unpleasant

eventuate

to result finally

deride

to ridicule, scoff at

surge

to rush suddenly (not sally)

reprove

to scold or to rebuke for a misdeed usually with kindly intent

fossick

to search; to rummage; to ferret out (v) to search for any object by which to make gain.

evince

to show clearly, display, signify

adumbrate

to sketch out in a vague way

elapse

to slip by

scoff

to sneer at

expatiate

to speak or write at length or in detail

stipulate

to specify a condition

permeate

to spread through

bristle

to stiffen with fear or anger

stymie

to stop (someone) from doing something or to stop (something) from happening

aspire

to strive for

buttress

to support, hold up (n or v)

besiege

to surround, hem in

commandeer

to take by force or without authorization.

arrogate

to take or claim (something, such as a right or a privilege) in a way that is not fair or legal

confabulate

to talk informally 2. Psychiatry -- fabricate imaginary experiences as compensation for loss of memory.

indoctrinate

to teach certain principles

afflict

to trouble greatly, to distress

admonish

to warn, to reprove

whither

to what place or state:

indite

to write; to compose

rash

too hasty, reckless

ingratiate

tr.v. Bring oneself into favor or good graces of another, especially by deliberate effort. "She soon xxxxxxxxxxx herself with her new boss."

quisling

traitor who aids invaders; CF. Vidkun Quisling

pellucid

translucent, transparent, clear, crystal clear, crystalline, glassy, limpid, unclouded, gin-clear

peregrination

travel

facetious

treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

trepidatious

trembling reluctance, tremulous fear, alarm, or agitation; perturbation.

doddering

trembling, shaking

avert

turn away or aside

infrangible

unable to be broken or removed; inalienable

chutzpah (Yiddish)

unbelievable gall

nebulous

unclear, vague

incontrovertible

undeniable

subterranean

underground

samisdat

underground press

implicit

understood though not expressly stated

interminable

unending, tiresomely long, endless, so long as to seem endless

inclement

unfavorable, stormy

ominous

unfavorable, threatening, of a bad omen, menacing

hapless

unfortunate; having bad luck

interloper

uninvited person, intrusive into the affairs of others

sui generis

unique, an entity unto itself, The expression is often used in analytic philosophy to indicate an idea, an entity, or a reality which cannot be reduced to a lower concept or included in a wider concept.

affectation

unnatural or artificial behavior usually intended to impress

inexpiable

unpardonable; incapable of being atoned for

turbulent

unruly, agitated

outre

unusual and startling: Beyond the bounds of what is considered usual, normal, or proper, unusual, peculiar

stereotype

unvarying pattern

imprudent

unwise, not careful

hitherto

up to this time; until now

imperative

urgent, necessary, compulsory

avail

use or take advantage of (an opportunity or available resource)

fruitless

useless

tautology

useless repetition . "to say that something is 'adequate enough' is a tautology"

bifurcate

v Divide into two branches or forks: "The river bifurcates at the base of the mountain."

plagiarize

v. 1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one's own. 2.To appropriate for use as one's own passages or ideas from another.

conflate

v. Combine two or more texts, ideas, etc. into one.

machinate

v. Engage in plots and intrigues; scheming.

glower

v. Have an angry or sullen look on one's face; scowl. "The librarian glowered at her for talking too loud."

canonize

v. Regard as being above reproach or of great significance. "He xxxxxxxxx women."

ruminate

v. Think deeply about something. "We sat xxxxxxxxxx on the nature of existence."

recidivate

v. To return to a previous pattern of behavior. Relapse: go back to bad or criminal behavior.

thrasonical

vainglorious; think/act like you have glory when you really don't

bilk

verb 1 : to block the free development of : frustrate 2 a : to cheat out of something valuable : defraud b : to evade payment of or to 3 : to slip away from

enjoin

verb 1 : to direct or impose by authoritative order or with urgent admonition 2 a : forbid, prohibit b : to prohibit by a judicial order : put an injunction on

inured

verb 1. (transitive; often passive) often foll by to. to cause to accept or become hardened to; habituate 2. (intransitive) (esp of a law, etc) to come into operation; take effect

buffet

verb (especially of wind or waves) strike repeatedly and violently; batter. "the rough seas buffeted the coast" •knock (someone) over or off course. "he was buffeted from side to side" •(of misfortunes or difficulties) afflict or harm (someone) repeatedly or over a long period. synonyms: afflict, trouble, harm, burden, bother, beset, harass, assail, harry, plague, torment, blight, bedevil

perseverate

verb 1 : to repeat or recur persistently 2 : to go back over previously covered ground

inveigle

verb : influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering

roil

verb \ˈrȯi(-ə)l, vt 2 is also ˈrī(-ə)l\. : to upset (someone or something) very much : to cause (someone or something) to become very agitated or disturbed.

savvy

verb to understand

derogate

verb tr.: To disparage or belittle. verb intr.: 1. To detract from (authority, value, etc.). 2. To deviate from (a standard, for example).

expurgate

verb tr.: To remove parts considered objectionable.

chicane

verb tr.: To trick or deceive. noun: 1. Deception. 2. An artificial narrowing or a turn added to a road to slow traffic down.

posit

verb: assume as a fact; put forward as a basis of argument.

mollify

verb: mollify; 3rd person present: mollifies; past tense: mollified; past participle: mollified; gerund or present participle: mollifying appease the anger or anxiety of (someone).

exceptionable

very bad (something which we should object to)

intrepid

very brave, fearless, unshakable

magnanimous

very generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.

diaphanous

very sheer and light

lurid

very vivid in color, especially so as to create an unpleasantly harsh or unnatural effect synonyms: bright · brilliant · vivid · glaring · shocking · fluorescent of crimes or sexual matters

nefarious

villainous, vicious

chimerical

visionary, imaginary, fantastic

vox populi

voice of the people

nomadic

wandering

itinerant

wandering (not nomadic)

belligerent

warlike, characteristic of an enemy or one eager to fight

vigilant

watchful, carefully observant or attentive

opulence

wealth, riches

mundane

worldly, ordinary, commonplace

secular

worldly; not pertaining to church matters or religion; temporal

cosmopolitan

worldy; widely sophisticated

fretful

worrisome, irritable

nugatory

worthless

caconym

wrongly derived name

loath

xxxxx is an adjective meaning unwilling or reluctant, and it's usually followed by a to-infinitive.

amicable

xxxxxxxx refers to the connections between people or things, like a friendly situation with a crowd. Take out the "c" for crowd and you're left with xxxxxxx, one friendly person.

nostalgia

yearning for the past

eschew

avoid

cognizant

aware

mala fides

bad faith

ficus

banyan tree; walking banyan any of numerous chiefly tropical trees, shrubs, and vines belonging to the genus Ficus, of the mulberry family, having milky sap and large, thick or stiff leaves, including the edible fig, the banyan, and many species grown as ornamentals.

arbitrary

based on random choice or personal whim, rather than any reason or system

rudimentary

basic; elementary; in the earliest stages of development

palter

be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information prevaricate, equivocate (n. prevarication, mendacity) to bargain with; haggle trifle with

exquisite

beautifully made or designed 1. extremely beautiful and, typically, delicate. magnificent, superb, excellent, wonderful, ornate, well crafted, well made, perfect; delicate, fragile, dainty, subtle "exquisite antique glass" •intensely felt. "the most exquisite kind of agony" synonyms: intense, acute, keen, piercing, sharp, severe, racking, excruciating, agonizing, harrowing, searing; More unbearable, unendurable "exquisite agony" •highly sensitive or discriminating. "her exquisite taste in painting" synonyms: discriminating, discerning, sensitive, selective, fastidious; More refined, cultivated, cultured, educated "exquisite taste" noun: exquisite; plural noun: exquisites a man who is affectedly concerned with his clothes and appearance; a dandy

ubiquitous

being everywhere at the same time

equiponderant

being of the same weight

nominal

being such in name only, insignificantly small, trifling

ethos

beliefs or character of a group, An appeal to one's beliefs used by rhetoricians

-arian (suffix)

believer or producer

egalitarian

believing in the social and economic equality of all people

vilipend

belittle, deprecate verb, to regard or treat as of little value or account or to vilify,

acrimonious

bitter

benison

blessing, a spoken blessing

corporeal

bodily (rather than spiritual); of a bodily form; material; tangible

valor

boldness or determination in facing great danger, especially in battle; heroic courage; bravery

gallant

brave and noble

suborn

bribe or otherwise induce (someone) to commit an unlawful act such as perjury

laconic

brief and to the point (verbal austerity) A laconic person speaks clearly but tersely, in short, precise phrases that do not waste words.

eclat

brilliant or conspicuous success or effect

reprehensible

bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure worthy of blame

clairaudience

n. the power to hear sounds said to exist beyond the reach of ordinary experience or capacity, as the voices of the dead

forenamed

named or mentioned before

pedantic

narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned unimaginative, dull

indigenous

native

innate

natural

nigh

near, almost

unprecedented

never done or known before

solecism

nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules, a socially awkward or tactless act

familism

noun fam·i·lism \ˈfa-mə-ˌli-zəm\ : a social pattern in which the family assumes a position of ascendance over individual interests Pride in the extended family, expressed through the maintenance of close ties and strong obligations to kinfolk outside the immediate family.

invidious

calculated to create ill will or resentment or give offense Unpleasant, hateful, offensive

phlegmatic

calm, hard to rouse to action

slander

calumny, False oral defamation

aspirant

candidate for high position

implacable

cannot be pacified, inexorable

evitable

capable of being avoided; avoidable.

controvertible

capable of being disputed or opposed by reason

vulnerable

capable of being injured

palpable

capable of being touched or felt

fecundity

capable of producing offspring or vegetation, intellectually productive

blithe

carefree and happy and lighthearted

vetted

carefully investigated for reliability and trustworthiness; scrutinized

lax

careless, negligent

tentative

not certain or fixed; provisional: synonyms: provisional · unconfirmed · penciled in · iffy · preliminary · •done without confidence; hesitant:

equable

not easily irritated adjective

ineffectual

not effective

unlamented

not grieved for

innocuous

not harmful or offensive

opaque

not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid

anodyne

not likely to provoke dissent or offense; inoffensive, often deliberately so.

juncture

noun 1 : joint, connection 2 : a point of time; especially : one made critical by a concurrence of circumstance

predicate

noun 1. the part of a sentence or clause containing a verb and stating something about the subject something that is affirmed or denied concerning an argument of a proposition. verb: predicate; 3rd person present: predicates; past tense: predicated; past participle: predicated; gerund or present participle: predicating verb 1. GrammarLogic state, affirm, or assert (something) about the subject of a sentence or an argument of proposition. "a word that predicates something about its subject" 2. found or base something on. "the theory of structure on which later chemistry was predicated" synonyms: base, be dependent, found, establish, rest, ground, premise "expansion of the group is predicated on further research"

interiority

noun the quality of being interior or inward. •inner character or nature; subjectivity. "the profound interiority of faith"

hat trick

noun 1 : the retiring of three batsmen with three consecutive balls by a bowler in cricket 2 : the scoring of three goals in one game by a single player 3 : a series of three victories, successes, or related accomplishments

helm

noun 1. Nautical. a.a wheel or tiller by which a ship is steered. b. the entire steering apparatus of a ship. c. the angle with the fore-and-aft line made by a rudder when turned: 15-degree helm. 2. the place or post of control: A stern taskmaster was at the helm of the company. verb (used with object) 3. to steer; direct.

shill

noun 1. a person who poses as a customer in order to decoy others into participating, as at a gambling house, auction, confidence game, etc. 2. a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty. verb (used without object) 3. to work as a shill: He shills for a large casino. verb (used with object) 4. to advertise or promote (a product) as or in the manner of a huckster; hustle: He was hired to shill a new TV show.

naivete

noun 1. the quality or state of being naive; natural or artless simplicity. 2. a naive action, remark, etc. 1670s, from French naïveté, from Old French naiveté "genuineness, authenticity," literally "native disposition" (see naive ). Englished form naivety is attested from 1708.

penance

atonement for sin

hinterland

noun 1 : a region lying inland from a coast 2 a : a region remote from cities b : a region lying beyond major metropolitan or cultural centers

nonage

noun 1 : minority 2 : a : a period of youth b : lack of maturity

saltation

noun 1 a : the action or process of leaping or jumping b : dance 2 : the origin of a new species or a higher taxon in essentially a single evolutionary step

portmanteau

noun 1 a large suitcase 2 : a word or morpheme whose form and meaning are derived from a blending of two or more distinct forms The word "ginormous" is a xxxxxxxxxxx of "gigantic" and "enormous."

tyro

noun : a beginner in learning : novice

quidnunc

noun : a gossip or busybody

diapause

noun : a period of physiologically enforced dormancy between periods of activity

parlay

noun a series of wagers in which the winnings from one wager are used as a stake for the subsequent wagers; verb stake winnings from one bet on a subsequent wager

critique

noun a serious examination and judgment of something, verb appraise critically

fait accompli

noun a thing that has already happened or been decided before those affected hear about it, leaving them with no option but to accept.

tenable

ADJECTIVE 1.able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection: "such a simplistic approach is no longer tenable" synonyms: defensible · justifiable · supportable · sustainable · 2.(of an office, position, scholarship, etc.) able to be held or used: "the post is tenable for three years" able to be protected or maintained

malign

ADJECTIVE 1.evil in nature or effect; malevolent: synonyms: harmful · evil · bad · baleful · hostile · inimical · VERB 1.speak about (someone) in a spitefully critical manner

tenuous

ADJECTIVE 1.very weak or slight: "the XXXXXXX link between interest rates and investment" synonyms: slight · insubstantial · meager · flimsy · weak · doubtful · •very slender or fine; insubstantial: "a xxxxxxx cloud" synonyms: fine · thin · slender · delicate · wispy · gossamer ·

indiscriminate

ADJECTIVE done at random or without careful judgment

adjudication

AKA claim settlement, final determination of an insurance claim. the final judgment in a legal proceeding

derelict

Abandoned, forsaken Dilapidated, run-down, falling into ruins(Adjective) Remiss, negligent, neglectful. 4. (Noun) A forsaken person, a homeless or jobless person, a vagrant who can't take care of himself

apodictic

Absolutely certain, necessarily true, proved or demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt. SYN: incontestable, incontrovertible, irrefragable. Assertoric judgments are judgments which are possibly true but are unproven." xxxxxxxx judgments are judgments which are clearly provable and logically certain.

invective

Abusive language, harsh discourse

adieu

Adieu is French for goodbye, but English borrows it. Au revoir is also French for goodbye, but that's more of a "see ya later" while adieu is more like "farewell forever." Adieu comes from "a dieu" which means "to god." You say that to someone if you think it's the last time you'll see her alive, or even if it just seems that way. You can also bid something adieu.

profligate

Adj. Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.

dolorous

Adj. exhibiting sorrow or pain

rupestral

Adjective : Growing on or living among rocks Notes: Today's contributor proposed an obsolete synonym of today's word, rupicoline. Our word seems to be currently the more prominent. Another synonym, rupestrine, was used as late as 1999. Rupestral has only one other contemporary relative: rupestrian means "inscribed or painted on rocks", as the rupestrian artwork of the Cro-Magnons found in the caves of Lascaux, France.

desultory

Aimless; haphazard; digressing at random lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm

emolument

All wages, benefits or other benefits received as compensation for holding an office or employment

anaphora

Alliteration is the repetition of the first LETTER of a word. xxxxxxxx is the repetition of the first PART OF A SENTENCE, meaning a word or phrase, not just a letter. EX: "The cute cupcakes are currently cooling." That's alliteration because the "C" sound is being repeated. EX: "Cupcakes are love. Cupcakes are life." Even though it seems there's alliteration because of the two "C" and "L" sounds, that's anaphora because ultimately "cupcakes," a whole word, is being repeated.

auspicious

attended by favorable circumstances, tending to favor or bring good luck

materialism

attention to worldly things and neglect of spiritual needs

moot

adjective: 1. subject to debate, dispute, or uncertainty, and typically not admitting of a final decision. "whether the temperature rise was mainly due to the greenhouse effect was a moot point" •having no practical significance, typically because the subject is too uncertain to allow a decision. "it is moot whether this phrase should be treated as metaphor or not" verb: moot; 3rd person present: moots; past tense: mooted; past participle: mooted; gerund or present participle: mooting raise (a question or topic) for discussion; suggest (an idea or possibility). "Sylvia needed a vacation, and a trip to Ireland had been mooted" synonyms: raise, bring up, broach, mention, put forward, introduce, advance, propose, suggest "the idea was first mooted in the 1930s" noun noun: moot; plural noun: moots 1. historical an assembly held for debate, especially in Anglo-Saxon and medieval times. a regular gathering of people having a common interest. 2. Law a mock trial set up to examine a hypothetical case as an academic exercise

ex post

adjective: Based on past events; actual, rather than predicted.

bona fide

adjective: Genuine. adverb: In good faith; sincerely.

ultracrepidarian

adjective: Giving opinions beyond one's area of expertise. noun: One who gives opinions beyond one's area of expertise.

posthumous

adjective: Happening after someone's death, but relating to something done earlier.

duoliteral

adjective: Having two letters.

piacular

adjective: Making or requiring atonement. From Latin piare (to appease). Earliest documented use: 1606.

intractable

adjective: Not easily handled, managed, or controlled.

frangible

adjective: Readily broken; breakable.

performative

adjective: Relating to a statement that functions as an action by the fact of its being uttered. Some examples of performative utterances are I promise, I apologize, I bet, I resign, etc. By saying I promise a person actually performs the act of promising.

entopic

adjective: Relating to images that originate within the eye (as opposed to images resulting from the light entering the eye). Example: floaters, thread-like fragments that appear to float in front of the eye but are caused by the matter within the eye.

de rigueur (duh ree-GUHR)

adjective: Required by fashion, custom, or etiquette. ETYMOLOGY: From French de rigueur (literally, of strictness), from Latin rigor.

quiescent

adjective: Still; inactive; not showing symptoms

dour (rhymes with tour)

adjective: Sullen; severe; gloomy; stubborn

religiose

adjective: excessively religious.

anfractuous

adjective: full of windings and intricate turnings : tortuous, sinuous or circuitous

erudite

adjective: having or showing knowledge that is gained by studying : possessing or displaying extensive knowledge acquired chiefly from books

offputting

adjective: unpleasant, disconcerting, or repellent.

acknowledge

admit

embellish

adorn, touch up

videlicet

adverb .. namely; as follows <the meaning of the Constitution is determined by one—and only one—body, videlicet, the U.S. Supreme Court>

a cappella

adverb or adjective without instrumental accompaniment a purely vocal performance.

per se

adverb: In or by itself; intrinsically.

imprimis

adverb: In the first place. ETYMOLOGY: From contraction of Latin phrase in primis (among the first), from in (among) and primus (first). The word was originally used to introduce the first of a number of articles in a list, such as a will, an inventory, etc. Earliest documented use: 1465. USAGE: "Imprimis, H.M. did not like being addressed as the Ancient Mariner; and, secondly, he said he had an artistic temperament and must not be interrupted while rehearsing his lines."

hierophant

advocate, advocator, apostle, backer, booster, champion, expounder, espouser, friend, gospeler (or gospeller), herald, exponent, high priest, paladin, promoter, proponent, protagonist, supporter, true believer, tub-thumper, white knight

gallimaufry

an unorganized assortment

ipse dixit

an unsupported dogmatic assertion

vexatious

annoying

flak

antiaircraft fire. synonyms: antiaircraft fire · shelling · gunfire · bombardment · •strong criticism: synonyms: criticism · censure · disapproval · disapprobation

angst

anxiety; fear; dread

dialectic dialectics

any formal system of reasoning that arrives at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments, A form of reasoning that proceeds by juxtaposing contradictory ideas and synthesizing or finding areas of agreement between them

nemesis

anything by which it seems one must be inevitably be defeated

fetching

attractive

prepossessing

attractive or appealing in appearance. "he was not a prepossessing sight" synonyms: attractive, beautiful, pretty, handsome, good-looking, fetching, charming, delightful, enchanting, captivating; archaicfair "his prepossessing wife turned heads wherever they went"

anthropomorphise

attribute human characteristics/behavior to a god, animal, or object

dogmatic

authoritatively and or arrogantly assertive of principles, which often cannot be proved; stubbornly opinionated

apologia

apology, apologia, excuse, plea, pretext, alibi mean matter offered in explanation or defense. apology usually applies to an expression of regret for a mistake or wrong with implied admission of guilt or fault and with or without reference to mitigating or extenuating circumstances <said by way of apology that he would have met them if he could>. apologia implies not admission of guilt or regret but a desire to make clear the grounds for some course, belief, or position <his speech was an apologia for his foreign policy>. excuse implies an intent to avoid or remove blame or censure <used illness as an excuse for missing the meeting>. plea stresses argument or appeal for understanding or sympathy or mercy <her usual plea that she was nearsighted>. pretext suggests subterfuge and the offering of false reasons or motives in excuse or explanation <used any pretext to get out of work>. alibi implies a desire to shift blame or evade punishment and imputes mere plausibility to the explanation <his alibi failed to stand scrutiny>.

ostensible

apparent offered as genuine or real

entreaty

appeal, plea

evaluate

appraise, find the value of

imbibe

archaic : soak, steep a : to receive into the mind and retain <imbibe moral principles> b : to assimilate or take into solution drink b : to take in or up <a sponge imbibes moisture>

remonstrate

argue in protest or opposition

contentious

argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement

labyrinth

arrangement of winding passages

hubris

arrogant presumption or pride

postiche

artificial, counterfeit, or false.

factitious

artificial; produced artificially; sham; false; Ex. factitious tears

importune

ask (someone) pressingly and persistently for or to do something: "if he were alive now, I should xxxxxxxxx him with my questions" synonyms: beg · beseech · entreat · implore · plead with · appeal to · •approach (someone) to offer one's services as a prostitute.

anomie

n. lack of moral standards in a society Synonyms: anomy Type of:immorality the quality of not being in accord with standards of right or good conduct ...................................... n personal state of isolation and anxiety resulting from a lack of social control and regulation Synonyms: anomy Type of: isolation a state of separation between persons or groups

canard

n. A false or unfounded rumor or story

phalanx

n. A group of people or things of a similar type forming a compact body or brought together for a common purpose.

nexus

n. A means of connection; a link or tie: "The nexus between the mob and gambling." 2. A connected series or group. 3. The core or center.

cudgel

n. A short thick stick used as a club.

tumult

n. Confusion or disorder. A loud, confused noise, esp. one caused by a large mass of people. "He quickly became aware of the violent xxxxxx behind the trees."

myopic

n. Distant objects appear blurred - Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning: "Myopic thinking."

synergism

n. Interaction of discrete agencies or conditions where the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual parts. "The directors saw considerable synergism in the business merger."

auspices

n. Protection, support, or guidance; patronage. Synonym: aegis

efficacy

n. The ability to produce a desired or intended result. "The xxxxxxxx of the new marketing plan has not been proven."

protagonist

n. The main figure or one of the most prominent figures in a real situation. The leading character or a major character in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text. "The unnamed protagonist was the hit of the film."

altruism

n. Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness. (also 'Altruistic'). "Despite his miserly demeanor, his life is driven by Altruism." "Altruistic motives."

oracle

n. a person thought to be a source of wisdom or prophecy

presbyphonia

n. a term used to describe the ageing voice. As we get older the structures in our voice box and the muscles that support our vocal folds may change as part of the normal ageing process. This can result in changes in the quality of our voice.

constituency

n. the group of voters represented by a politician; a group of supporters for anything

renowned

well-known, famous, celebrated (Famous, renowned, celebrated, noted, notorious, distinguished, eminent, illustrious mean known far and wide. famous implies little more than the fact of being, sometimes briefly, widely and popularly known <a famous actress>. renowned implies more glory and acclamation <one of the most renowned figures in sports history>. celebrated implies notice and attention especially in print <the most celebrated beauty of her day>. noted suggests well-deserved public attention <the noted mystery writer>. notorious frequently adds to famous an implication of questionableness or evil <a notorious gangster>. distinguished implies acknowledged excellence or superiority <a distinguished scientist who won the Nobel Prize>. eminent implies even greater prominence for outstanding quality or character <the country's most eminent writers>. illustrious stresses enduring honor and glory attached to a deed or person <illustrious war heroes>.)

occident

west; countries of Americas and Europe

apolaustic

wholly devoted to the seeking of enjoyment.

rife

widespread (not rampant)

dereliction

willful negligence of duty; abandonment

propitiate

win or regain the favor of (a god, spirit, or person) by doing something that pleases him or her

eolian

wind transported and deposited sediment Pertaining to geological processes powered by the wind.

tortuous

winding

sage

wise man, philosopher

ex cathedra

with the full authority of office This term is being used for when the Pope proclaims something a dogma it literally means from the chair

recant

withdraw previous statements

intramural

within the walls

inert

without power to move

monosemous

word with one meaning

codswallop