vocab for pagtakhan

sycophant

one who is eager to please for personal gain; or more informally, a suck-up or brown-noser

lugubrious

extremely sad, gloomy, or mournful

pernicious

causing great harm & destruction, wicked

insouciant

unconcerned or unworried, often to the point of arrogance

ubiquitous

present everywhere at once, omnipresent

non sequitur

a statement that is totally unrelated to the statement that it follows

restive

uneasy, agitated; having little patience; unwilling to be controlled

diatribe

 a bitter verbal or written attack on someone or something

jingoistic

extremely fervent and patriotic, to the point of even expressing hostility toward other countries

implacable

not easily calmed or pacified; impossible to change or move

hirsute

covered with hair or having a large amount of hair

affinity

a natural liking for or inclination toward somebody or something, particularly because you identify with that person/thing

accede

to give consent or agreement to something

bonhomie

easy & good-humored friendliness

quotidian

ordinary & commonplace, particularly because it occurs on a daily basis

coquette

a flirt

harangue

to criticize or question somebody in an angry way

bovine

displaying the slowness regarded as being typical of cattle

facetious

intended to be humorous, not to be taken seriously

inchoate

just beginning to develop, only partly formed

contrite

genuinely & deeply sorry about something

erudite

having great knowledge gained from study & reading

anomaly

something that deviates from the norm or expectations

cantankerous

easily angered & difficult to get along with

coterie

a small, exclusive group of people who share the same interests

deride

to ridicule/insult someone or something

feckless

lacking the thought or organization necessary to succeed, incompetent due to an inability to do anything useful

excoriate

to criticize and/or scold somebody very strongly

debacle

something that becomes a defeat or humiliating failure

temerity

reckless confidence that might be offensive

penury

the state of extreme poverty

vituperation

an outburst of violently abusive language

supercilious

full of contemptuous arrogance

gambol

to skip about playfully

folderol

silly nonsense

ennui

a bored weariness & dissatisfaction with life resulting from a loss of interest or sense of excitement

curmudgeon

a bad-tempered, disagreeable person

sojourn

a short trip or stay at a place

truculent

displaying great aggression

gregarious

very friendly & sociable

augment

to grow/increase something in number, amount, size, strength, or intensity

insidious

slowly and subtly harmful or destructive

kismet

fate or destiny

enmity

extreme hatred, particularly between enemies

denizen

somebody who is in a place or area and/or a regular visitor to a place

fallacious

deceptive and liable to mislead people because of a mistaken belief or idea

obfuscate

to make something confusing and unclear, especially by making it unnecessarily complicated

malaise

a general feeling of worry/depression, resulting is lethargy or a general feeling of illness or sickness without any specific diagnosis

peculate

to get money or property by embezzlement or theft

efficacious

having the power to produce the desired result

exonerate

to officially free someone from blame or fault, particularly of a crime

altruism

an attitude/way of behaving characterized my unselfish concern for the welfare of others; the belief that acting for the benefit of others I right and good

ignominy

a total loss of dignity and self-respect, particularly a public disgrace

soporific

causing sleep or drowsiness or dull and boring, as though it would put a person to sleep

enigma

somebody or something that is not easily explained or understood, of then the point mysteriousness

dilatory

tending to waste time or move slowly; intended to cause a delay

myopic

short sighted, both literally and figuratively. Literal: can only see up close, so needs glasses to see long distances. Figurative: showing a lack of foresight or long-term planning, only seeing the short term and not looking beyond the immediate

moribund

nearly dead, having lost all sense of purpose or vitality

alacrity

eager and speedy readiness

surfeit

an excess number or quantity of something, especially so much of it that people become sickened, repelled, or bored by it

galvanize

to arouse into awareness or action

largess

the generous giving to others

gauche

lacking social refinement

jocular

playful and humorous

zenith

the peak or highest point

impunity

exemption from punishment

bellicose

ready or inclined to quarrel, fight, or go to war

maladroit

clumsy or insensitive in speech or behavior

futile

with no useful or practical effect, useless

ruminate

to think carefully and at length about something

acrimony

bitterness & resentment, especially in speech, attitude, or tone

solace

somebody or something that provides comfort in times of sadness

exorbitant

far greater than is reasonable or manageable

censure

verb form—to express disapproval or condemnation, particularly in official form (for example, by a vote of a legislature)

noun form—severe criticism or official expression of disapproval or condemnation

reprimand

to scold/punish somebody for a wrongdoing

lackadaisical

without much enthusiasm, energy, or effort

insipid

dull and lacking in lively qualities

archaic

old and out of use because it comes from a time period long past

punctilious

showing great care in small details, particularly when it comes to behavior and etiquette

irreverent

disrespectful

aspersion

the act of slandering or defaming someone; a damaging rumor

candid

frank and sincere; direct honesty

capricious

tending to make sudden and unpredictable changes

despot

a tyrant; somebody who behaves in a tyrannical way

diaphanous

so delicate it is transparent

detritus

debris or discarded material

equivocate

to speak vaguely or ambiguously, especially to mislead

iconoclast

somebody who challenges or overturns traditional beliefs, customs, and values

mendicant

an extremely poor person, a beggar

pedestrian

ordinary, unimaginative, or uninspired

visceral

characterized by instinct (from the “gut”) rather than reasoned thinking

ostentatious

marked by an obnoxious display of wealth and/or success designed to impress people

nascent

in the process of emerging, being born, or starting to develop

loquacious

tending to talk a great deal

inept

lacking competence or skill for a particular task

derivative or derivate

copied from somewhere & not original

accolade

an expression of high praise and esteem for somebody’s achievements

indigent

poor/impoverished, lacking in the necessities of life, such as food, clothing, & shelter

mitigate

to make something less harsh, severe, or violent

perfidy

treachery or deceit, betrayal