Nick's Knack for Neologisms

garrulous

talkative

distend

to swell; to expand

levity

a lack of seriousness or earnestness, especially about things that should be treated with respect

"as an attempt to introduce a note of levity, the words were a disastrous flop"

complaisant

Eager to please; cheerfully complying

ascetic

practicing self-denial; austere

*think Buddha

occlude

to obstruct or block

erudite

scholarly

opprobrium

disgrace arising from shameful conduct; contempt, reproach

dogmatic

stubbornly opinionated

alacrity

eagerness

iconoclast

one who attacks common beliefs or institutions


*Martin Luther King attacked the institutional belief that black people should be inferior to white people

grandiloquent

attempting to impress with big words or grand gestures

pompous, bombastic, ostentatious

tenuous

very weak or slight

imperturbable

not capable of being disturbed

decorum

appropriateness of behavior or conduct; propriety

proper behavior, etiquette

abjure

to renounce, reject; abandon formally

"his refusal to abjure his pagan beliefs led to his imprisonment"

prodigious

remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree

"the stove consumed a prodigious amount of fuel"

calumniate

to slander, to make a false accusation

inchoate

in an initial stage; not fully formed

nefarious

extremely wicked

imbibe

(v.) to drink; to take in, absorb

tutelage

instruction, protection, or guardianship

xenophobia

fear of foreigners

chicanery

trickery; deception

maverick

one who is independent and resists adherence to a group; rebel, nonconformist

empirical

based on observation or experiment, rather than theory

obdurate

stubborn

banal

common, ordinary

trite, hackneyed, platitudinous

dichotomy

a division into two parts

venerate

to respect deeply

fawning

displaying exaggerated flattery or affection

edify

instruct or improve (someone) morally or intellectually

neologism

new word or expression

mnemonic

memory device

prevaricate

to lie, to deliberately avoid the truth; to mislead

ambivalent

uncertain or unable to decide about what course to follow

obfuscate

to confuse; to bewilder

salubrious

promoting health or well-being

juxtapose

to place side by side for comparison

misanthropic

disliking humankind and avoiding human society

affable

friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to

countenance

(1) facial expression
(2) allow, tolerate, approve of

esoteric

intended for or understood by only a small group

loquacious

talkative

garrulous, voluble

meretricious

apparently attractive but having in reality no value or integrity

flashy, pretentious
*mere(merit)+tricious(trick)--> seemingly having merit but being a trick

equivocate

to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague or ambiguous

prevaricate, beat around the bush

augury

prophecy; prediction of events

bellicose

Demonstrating aggression and willingness to fight

belligerent, aggressive

nettle

irritate or annoy (someone)

surly

bad-tempered and unfriendly

grumpy, crotchety, bad-tempered

impecunious

having little or no money

capacious

(adj.) able to hold much, roomy

spacious

castigate

to criticize or punish severely

scold, chastise, reprimand

feckless

lacking initiative or strength of character; irresponsible

useless, incompetent, good-for-nothing

glib

fluent in an insincere way; offhand

*offhand means casual/nonchalant

diaphanous

very sheer and light; almost completely transparent

harangue

a lengthy and aggressive speech

abstemious

(adj.) moderate, sparing (as in eating and drinking); characterized by abstinence and self-discipline

lampoon

to ridicule with satire

satirize, mock
*A cartoon making fun of a politician is an example of a lampoon

irascible

easily angered, irritable

sacrilegious

grossly disrespectful of what is sacred

promulgate

promote or make widely known (an idea or cause).

quibble

to argue over insignificant and irrelevant details; minor criticism

platitude

stale; overused expression

cliche, truism
"Nobody's perfect."

neophyte

beginner

morose

gloomy

contentious

quarrelsome, inclined to argue

quagmire

marsh, difficult situation

contumacious

Rebellious; stubbornly disobedient

florid

(1) having a red or flushed complexion.
(2) excessively decorated or embellished

vitiate

to corrupt morally; to contaminate

*THINK EVIL STAR WARS MAN!! SPOILED BAD MAKE WORSE
**or think of spoiling fruit...

usury

the practice of lending money at exorbitant rates

*a loan shark!!

epitome

The best or most typical example

blasphemy

an act, utterance, or writing showing contempt for something sacred

profanity

jubilant

extremely joyful, happy

renege

to go back on one's word

zealous

eager, earnest, devoted; enthusiastic

rectify

to make right, correct

spurious

not genuine; false

bogus, fake

hedonist

one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life

mercurial

characterized by rapid and unpredictable change in mood

nonplussed

puzzled, not knowing what to do, at a loss

perfidy

faithlessness, treachery

eschew

to avoid, shun, keep away from

replete

Filled up with

belie

to misrepresent

filibuster

A lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill; used only in the Senate

terse

brief and to the point

conspicuous

Easily seen or noticed

intractable

hard to control or deal with

shirk

to avoid or get out of doing work

tacit

understood or implied without being stated

"There was a tacit agreement that he would pay off the loan."

placate

to appease, soothe, pacify

pugnacious

quarrelsome, fond of fighting

disquiet

a feeling of anxiety or worry

unease

herald

to announce

doppelganger

Ghostly counterpart of a living person or an alter ego

skullduggery

underhanded or unscrupulous behavior; trickery

tomfoolery

foolish or silly behavior

rubberneck

turn one's head to stare at something in a foolish manner