REVERA 1021-1080

abeyance

a state of being temporarily inactive suspended, or set aside

ambivalent

having opposite and conflicting feelings about someone or something

beleaguer

to set upon from all sides; to surround with an army; to trouble, harass

carte blanche

full freedom or authority to act one's own discretion

cataclysm

a sudden, violent, or devastating upheaval; a surging flood, deluge

debauch

to corrupt morally, seduce; to indulge in dissipation; an act or occasion of dissipation or vice

eclat

dazzling or conspicuous success or acclaim; great brilliance (of performance or achievement)

fastidious

overly demanding or hard to please; excessively careful in regard to details; easily disgusted

gambol

to jump or skip about playfully

imbue

to soak or stain thoroughly; to fill the mind

inchoate

just beginning; not fully shaped or formed

lampoon

a malicious satire; to satirize, ridicule

malleable

capable of being formed into different shapes; capable of being altered, adapted, or influenced

nemesis

an agent or force inflicting vengeance or punishment; retribution itself; an unbeatable rival

opt

to make a choice or decision

phillistine

lacking in, hostile to, or smugly indifferent to cultural and artistic values or refinements; such a person

picaresque

involving or characteristic of clever rogues or adventures

queasy

nauseated or uneasy; causing nausea or uneasiness; troubled

refractory

stubborn; hard or difficult to manage; not responsive to treatment or cure

savoir-faire

the ability to say and do the right thing in any situation; social competence

aberration

a departure from what is proper, right, expected, or normal; a lapse from a sound mental state

ad hoc

for this specific purpose; improvised; with respect to this

bane

the source or cause of fatal injury, death, destruction, or ruin; death or ruin itself; poison

bathos

the intrusion of commonplace or trite material into a context whose tone is lofty or elevated; grossly insincere or exaggerated sentimentality; the lowest phase, nadir; an anticlimax, comedown

catankerous

ill-tempered, quarrelsome; difficult to get along or deal with

casuistry

the determination of right and wrong in questions of conduct or conscience by the application of general ethical principles; specious argument

de facto

actually existing or in effect, although not legally required or sanctioned; in reality, actually

depredation

the act of preying upon or plundering

empathy

a sympathetic understanding of or identification with the feelings, thoughts, or attitudes of someone or something else

harbinger

a forerunner, herald; to herald the approach of

hedonism

the belief that the attainment of pleasure is life's chief aim; devotion to or pursuit of pleasure

lackluster

lacking brilliance or vitality; dull

malcontent

discontented with or in open defiance of prevailing

mellifluous

flowing sweetly or smoothly; honeyed

nepotism

undue favoritism to or excessive patronage of one's relatives

pander

to cater to or provide satisfaction for the low tastes or vices of others; a person who does this

peccadilo

a minor sin or offense; a trifling fault or shortcoming

piece de resistance

the principal dish of a meal; the principal event, incident, or item; an outstanding accomplishment

remand

to send or order back; in law, to send back to jail or to a lower court

syndrome

a group of symptoms or signs that collectively characterize or indicate a disease, disorder, abnormality, etc.

beautitude

a state of perfect happiness or blessedness; a blessing

bete noire

someone or something that one especially dislikes, dreads, or avoids

bode

to be an omen of; to indicate by signs

dank

unpleasantly damp or wet

ecumenical

worldwide or universal in influence or application

fervid

burning with enthusiasm or zeal; extremely heated

fetid

having an unpleasant or offensive odor

gargantuan

of immense size, volume, or capacity; enormous, prodigious

heyday

the period of greatest power, vigor, success, or influence; the prime years

incubus

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

infrastructure

a basic foundation or framework; a system of public works; the resources and facilities required for an activity; permanent military installations

inveigle

to entice, lure, or snare by flattery or artful inducements; to obtain or acquire by aritifice

kudos

the acclaim, prestige, or renown that comes as a result of some action or achievement

lagniappe

an extra or unexpected gift or gratuity

prolix

long-winded an wordy; tending to speak or write in such a way

protege

someone whose welfare, training or career is under the patronage of an influential person; someone under the jurisdiction of a foreign country or government

prototype

an original pattern or model; a primitive or ancestral form

sycophant

someone who attempts to win favors or advance him or herself by flattery or servile behavior; a slanderer, defamer

tautology

needless repetition of an idea by using different but equivalent words; a redundancy

truckle

to yield or submit tamely or submissively