Sets #1 & 2 (Words 1-50): 100 Words to Make You Sound Smart

Accolade

An expression of approval; a special acknowledgment, such as an award

Acrimony

Bitter, sharp hostility, esp. in a speech

Angst

A feeling of anxiety or apprehension

Anomaly

Someone or something that deviates from normal/common form, order, or rule; abnormality

Antidote

An agent that counteracts something that is poisonous or otherwise harmful

Avant-garde

A group that creates/promotes innovative or unconventional ideas in a given field, esp. the arts

Baroque

Extravagant, complex, or bizarre, esp. in ornamentation

Bona fide

Made or carried out in good faith; sincere; authentic; genuine

Boondoggle

An unnecessary or wasteful activity

Bourgeois

Relating to/typical of the middle class, esp. in espousing respectability and conventional materialistic values

Bravado

A show of bravery or defiance, often intended to make an impression or mislead someone

Brogue

A strong dialectal accent, esp. a strong Irish or Scottish accent in English

Brusque

Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt

Byzantine

Highly complicated; intricate and involved

Cacophony

Jarring, discordant sound

Camaraderie

Goodwill and lighthearted rapport between or among friends; comradeship

Capricious

Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable

Carte blanche

Unrestricted power to act at one's own discretion; unconditional authority

Catch-22

A situation where a desired outcome or solution is impossible to attain b/c contradictory rules/conditions

Caustic

Incisively critical or sarcastic; cutting

Charisma

Exceptional personal magnetism or charm

Cloying

Causing distaste or disgust because of an excess of something originally pleasant

Déjà vu

An impression of having seen or experienced something before

Dichotomy

A division into two contrasting things or parts

Dilettante

A person with superficial interest in an art/field of knowledge; a dabbler; superficial; amateurish

Disheveled

Being in loose disarray; marked by disorder; untidy

Élan

Enthusiastic vigor and liveliness; distinctive style or flair

Ennui

Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom

Epitome

The best or most representative example of a class or type

Equanimity

The quality of being calm and even-tempered; composure

Equivocate

To use vague or ambiguous language to avoid committing oneself to a position or to deceive

Esoteric

Intended for or understood by only a restricted number of people

Euphemism

A mild, indirect, or vague word used instead of one considered harsh, blunt, or offensive

Fait accompli

An accomplished, presumably irreversible deed or fact

Fastidious

Possessing or displaying meticulous attention to detail; excessively scrupulous or sensitive, esp. in taste

Faux pas

A social blunder

Fiasco

A complete failure

Finagle

To obtain or achieve something by cleverness or deviousness, esp. in using words

Freudian slip

A verbal mistake that is thought to reveal an unconscious belief, thought, or emotion

Glib

Performed with natural, offhand ease; marked by ease/fluency of speech/writing from insincerity

Gregarious

Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable

Harbinger

Something that indicates or foreshadows what is to come; a forerunner

Hedonist

A person who is devoted to the pursuit of pleasure, esp. to the pleasure of the senses

Heresy

An opinion or a teaching at variance with established beliefs or opinions

Idiosyncratic

Peculiar to a specific individual or group

Idyllic

Tranquil, carefree, or picturesque

Indelicate

Marked by a lack of good taste or consideration for the feelings of others; tactless or improper

Infinitesimal

Immeasurably or incalculably small

Insidious

Doing harm in a subtle or imperceptible manner; treacherous

Junket

A trip or tour, esp. taken by an official at public expense or by a guest of a business-seeking patron