PRIMORDIAN APEX

Aberration

A departure from what is normal, usual, or expected; an anomaly

Abjure

To solemnly renounce a belief, cause, or claim

Abstemious

Not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinking; moderate

Acrimonious

Angry and bitter, typically in relationships or debate

Acumen

The ability to make good judgments and quick decisions

Adroit

Clever or skillful in using the hands or mind

Adulation

Excessive admiration or praise; flattery

Alacrity

Brisk and cheerful readiness; eagerness

Alleviate

To make suffering or a problem less severe

Ambivalent

Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something

Anachronism

A thing belonging to a period other than that in which it exists

Anomalous

Deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected

Antediluvian

Ridiculously old-fashioned; belonging to the time before the biblical Flood

Antithesis

A person or thing that is the direct opposite of someone or something else

Aphorism

A pithy observation that contains a general truth; a maxim

Apocryphal

Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true

Apposite

Apt in the circumstances or in relation to something; highly appropriate

Approbatory

Expressing praise or approval

Assiduous

Showing great care, attention, and perseverance

Attenuate

To reduce the force, effect, or value of something; to weaken

Audacious

Showing a willingness to take surprisingly bold risks; daring

Auspicious

Conducive to success; highly favorable and promising

Avarice

Extreme greed for wealth or material gain

Banal

So lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring; trite

Bellicose

Demonstrating aggression and a willingness to fight

Beneficent

Generous or doing good, resulting in beneficial outcomes

Bilious

Spiteful, bad-tempered, or irritable

Blandishment

A flattering or pleasing statement used to persuade someone

Bolster

To support, strengthen, or prop up

Bombastic

High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated and pompous

Boorish

Rough and bad-mannered; coarse and unrefined

Brevity

Concise and exact use of words in writing or speech

Cacophony

A harsh, discordant mixture of sounds

Calumny

The making of false and defamatory statements to damage a reputation

Capricious

Given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior

Castigate

To reprimand someone severely; to punish verbally

Caustic

Sarcastic in a scathing and bitter way; physically corrosive

Celerity

Swiftness of movement or action; speed

Chicanery

The use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose

Churlish

Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way

Circumlocution

The use of many words where fewer would do, especially to evade

Clairvoyant

Having a supernatural ability to perceive events in the future

Clandestine

Kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit

Coalesce

To come together to form one mass or whole; to merge

Cogent

Clear, logical, and convincing in an argument

Collusion

Secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy to cheat others

Compendious

Presenting essential facts in a comprehensive but concise way

Complacent

Showing smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or achievements

Compunction

A feeling of guilt or moral scruple that prevents bad behavior

Concede

To admit that something is true or valid after first denying it

Concomitant

Naturally accompanying or associated with something else

Conflagration

An extensive, destructive fire destroying land or property

Confluence

A situation in which two or more things come together; a merging

Contentious

Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial

Contrite

Feeling or expressing remorse or penitence; affected by guilt

Contumacious

Stubbornly or willfully disobedient to authority

Conundrum

A confusing and difficult problem or question

Copious

Abundant in supply or quantity; plentiful

Corporeal

Relating to a person's body, as opposed to their spirit

Corroborate

To confirm or give support to a statement, theory, or finding

Cosmopolitan

Familiar with and at ease in many different countries and cultures

Craven

Contemptibly lacking in courage; cowardly

Credulity

A tendency to be too ready to believe that something is true

Culpable

Deserving blame; guilty of a misconception or crime

Cursory

Hasty and therefore not thorough or detailed

Dearth

A scarcity or lack of something

Debacle

A sudden and ignominious failure; a complete fiasco

Debilitate

To make someone or something very weak or infirm

Decorous

In keeping with good taste and propriety; polite and restrained

Defame

To damage the good reputation of someone; to slander

Deference

Humble submission and respect toward an elder or authority

Deleterious

Causing harm or damage; injurious to health

Demagogue

A political leader who appeals to popular desires rather than logic

Demur

To raise doubts or objections; to show reluctance

Denigrate

To criticize unfairly; to disparage the reputation of

Deplore

To feel or express strong disapproval of something

Depravity

Moral corruption; wickedness

Deprecate

To express disapproval of; to play down or make light of

Deride

To express contempt for; to ridicule or mock

Derivative

Imitative of the work of another person; unoriginal

Desiccate

To remove the moisture from something; to dry out thoroughly

Desultory

Lacking a plan, purpose, or enthusiasm; occurring haphazardly

Detrimental

Tending to cause harm; damaging or injurious

Diatribe

A forceful and bitter verbal attack against someone or something

Dichotomy

A division or contrast between two entirely opposed things

Didactic

Intended to teach, particularly in having a moralizing lecture style

Diffident

Modest or shy because of a lack of self-confidence

Dilatory

Slow to act; deliberately intended to cause delay

Dilettante

A person who cultivates an interest without real commitment or knowledge

Disabuse

To persuade someone that an idea or belief is mistaken

Discerning

Having or showing good judgment and sharp perception

Discomfit

To make someone feel uneasy, confused, or embarrassed

Discrepancy

An illogical lack of compatibility or similarity between facts

Discursive

Digressing from subject to subject; rambling without a clear focus

Disdain

The feeling that someone or something is unworthy of respect

Disingenuous

Not candid or sincere, typically by pretending ignorance

Disparage

To regard or represent as being of little worth; to belittle

Disparate

Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison

Dissemble

To conceal one's true motives, feelings, or beliefs

Disseminate

To scatter or spread information widely