aplang

scrutiny (noun)

critical observation or examination

Intimacy (noun)

close familiarity or friendship; closeness.

Revelation (noun)

a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way.

Distillation (noun)

the extraction of the essential meaning or most important aspects of something; A process that separates the substances in a solution based on their boiling points

Sustain (verb)

(v.) to support, nourish, keep up; to suffer, undergo; to bear up under, withstand; to affirm the validity of

Efficacy (noun)

the ability to produce a desired or intended result

Disparage (verb)

to belittle, speak slightingly of; to undervalue

Malcontents (noun)

a person who is dissatisfied and rebellious

Presentiment (noun)

a vague sense of approaching misfortune or doom

Predilection (noun)

preference

Verisimilitude (noun)

the appearance of being true or real

Self-effacing (adjective)

not drawing attention to oneself; modest

Implacable (adjective)

unable to be calmed down, stopped, or made peaceful

Conceit (noun)

A fanciful expression, usually in the form of an extended metaphor or surprising analogy between seemingly dissimilar objects.

Recrimination (noun)

an accusation in response to one from someone else

Poignant (adj)

creating a keen sense of sadness or regret

Staccato (adj)

short and detached

Utilitarian (adj)

designed to be useful or practical rather than attractive

Luddite (noun)

a person who is averse to technology or technological progress

Cadre (noun)

a core group of trained, highly skilled people capable of training others

Solipsistic (adj)

believing that oneself is all that exists

Evangelist (noun)

A person who tries to persuade others to believe in or have a particular opinion, often used in a religious context

Portentous (adj)

foreshadowing an event to come; causing wonder or awe; self-consciously weighty, pompous/pretentious

Status quo (noun)

the existing state of affairs

Epithet (noun)

A descriptive name or phrase used to characterize someone or something, often abusive or insulting

Pertain (verb)

relate to; have to do with

Exposition (noun)

a comprehensive description and explanation of an idea or theory; a fair or event showing something

Exemplify (verb)

To illustrate by being an example of

Antecedent (noun)

The word, phrase, or clause referred to by a pronoun

Buttress (verb)

to support, prop up, strengthen; to act as a supporting structure

Colloquial (adj)

Characteristic of ordinary conversation rather than formal speech or writing

Connotation (noun)

All the meanings, associations, or emotions that a word suggests

Denotation (noun)

the literal meaning of a word

Premise (noun)

a previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion.

Syllogism (noun)

a logical structure that uses the major premise and minor premise to reach a necessary conclusion

vulgar

lacking refinement or taste; crude

banal

so lacking in originality as to be obvious and boring

heterogeneous

different; dissimilar; diverse

surmise

(v.) to think or believe without certain supporting evidence; to conjecture or guess; (n.) likely idea that lacks definite proof

ambivalent

Having mixed feelings

discourse

written or spoken communication or debate

recourse

help for a problem; solution

anglicize

to make or become English in form or character

incessant

never stopping, going on all the time

Malleability

the ability of a substance to be shaped without breaking

mitigate

to make milder or softer, to moderate in force or intensity

Contiguous (adj)

sharing an edge or boundary; touching

Ascertain (verb)

find (something) out for certain; make sure of

orthodox

in agreement with established or generally accepted beliefs or ways of doing things

idiosyncratic

Peculiar to one person; highly individualized

supplant

to take the place of, supersede

Penchant (noun)

a strong attraction or inclination

impugn

(v.) to call into question; to attack as false

palliative

a remedy that improves but doesn't cure

mercurial

characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood

tangential

merely touching or slightly connected; only superficially relevant

dearth

a lack, scarcity

modicum

a small amount

incidental

not essential; minor

sagacious

wise; having keen perception and sound judgement