World Lit WOW Words

Edify

To instruct or improve someone morally and intellectually.

Felicity

Joyfulness; happiness.

Veracity

State of being truthful and straightforward.

Paragon

A perfect example of something.

Kitsch

Low quality with a style people find amusing in an ironic way.

Cognizant

Being aware of something.

Ethereal

Extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.

Ephemeral

Lasting a very short time.

Decry

Publicly denounce or criticize.

Fetter

To restrain or chain.

Demagogue

A leader who seeks support by appealing to prejudice rather than reason.

Largesse

Generosity in giving money or large gifts.

Wane

To decrease in vigor, power, or size.

Bombastic

High-level language that holds little meaning.

Levity

Humor/frivolity when discussing a serious matter.

Prodigious

Impressively great in extent, size, degree.

Reverent

Feeling or showing deep, solemn respect.

Insolvent

Unable to pay one’s debt.

Savant

An especially intelligent person.

Spurn

To reject with hatred.

fastidious

very attentive to detail

duplicity

deceitfulness and dishonesty

hackneyed

lacking significance because of overuse

esoteric

understood by only a small, specialized audience

cherubic

having the childlike innocence or plump prettiness of a young angel

abate

to become less intense/widespread

clemency

decision not to punish someone

lurid

presented in shocking/sensational terms

gall

bold/disrespectful behavior

kinetic

of, relating to, or resulting from motion

mottled

covered with spots or patches of color

accentuate

to make more noticeable

nascent

just beginning to come into existence

disparage

to regard as being worthless

pariah

person who is/should be excluded

sequester

ro remove/hide away

caustic

sarcastic in a scathing way

unwieldy

difficult to carry/move because of size, shape, or weight

coalesce

to come together/form one mass or whole

expedite

to make happen soon or more quickly

wily

skilled at gaining an advantage, deceitfully

nebulous

unclear or vague

distend

to cause bloating by stretching something from inside

heretic

person who holds an opinion that is at odds with what is generally accepted

diminutive

extremely/unusually small

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious or boring

parsimony

extreme unwillingness to spend money/use resources

indolent

wanting to avoid activity or exertion

chastise

to reprimand severely

fallible

capable of making mistakes or being wrong

progeny

descendants of a person

veneer

attractive appearance that hides something’s true nature

carouse

to enjoy oneself with others in a noise, lively way

supercilious

behaving/looking as though one thinks one is superior

immutable

unchanging over time or unable to be changed

svelte

slender and elegant

effrontery

rude or disrespectful behavior

undulate

to move with a smooth, wave-like motion

rescind

to revoke or cancel a law, order, or agreement

elusive

difficult to find, catch, or achieve

circuitous

longer than the most direct way

disaffected

dissatisfied and no longer willing to support people in authority

anachronistic

belonging to a different time period

ebullient

cheerful and full of energy

feral

in a wild state, especially after escape from captivity