Group 9

adept

Highly skilled or proficient in a particular area.

apprehension

Anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen.

antagonize

To provoke someone to react with hostility.

adverse

Preventing success or development; harmful or unfavorable.

ardent

Very enthusiastic or passionate.

barren

Not able to produce vegetation; empty, unproductive.

appropriate

Suitable or proper in the circumstances.

axiomatic

Self-evident or unquestionable; universally accepted.

bombastic

High-sounding but with little meaning; inflated.

archetype

A very typical example of a certain person or thing.

cease

To bring or come to an end.

cajole

To persuade someone to do something through flattery.

articulate

Able to express thoughts and ideas clearly and effectively.

conducive

Making a certain situation or outcome likely or possible.

chary

Cautiously or suspiciously reluctant to do something.

auspicious

Conducive to success; favorable.

corporeal

Relating to a person's body, especially as opposed to their spirit.

curmudgeon

A bad-tempered or surly person.

bereft

Deprived of or lacking something, especially a non-material asset.

doctrinaire

Stubbornly or excessively devoted to a doctrine or theory.

dirge

A lament for the dead, often performed at funerals.

captious

Tending to find fault or raise petty objections.

eclectic

Selecting or choosing from various sources.

estimable

Deserving respect and admiration.

conclusive

Serving to prove a case; decisive or convincing.

equanimity

Mental calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation.

euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh.

conspire

To make secret plans jointly to commit an unlawful or harmful act.

exorbitant

Unreasonably high in price or amount.

excoriate

To criticize severely and publicly.

delineate

To describe or portray something precisely.

fickle

Changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties or affections.

exigent

Pressing; demanding.

disentangle

To free something from entanglement; to extricate.

figurative

Departing from a literal use of words; metaphorical.

haughty

Arrogantly superior and disdainful.

exhort

To strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.

flustered

Agitated or confused.

heady

Having a strong or exhilarating effect; intoxicating.

frailty

The condition of being weak and delicate.

gullible

Easily persuaded to believe something; credulous.

imperturbable

Unable to be upset or excited; calm.

grievance

A real or imagined cause for complaint.

idiosyncratic

Peculiar or individual; unique to a person.

implacable

Unable to be placated; relentless.

harangue

A lengthy and aggressive speech.

incidental

Less important; minor.

lambaste

To criticize someone or something harshly.

ploy

A cunning plan or action designed to turn a situation to one's advantage.

ingrained

Firmly fixed or established; difficult to change.

miscreant

A person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law.

poise

Graceful and elegant bearing in a person.

insolent

Showing a rude and arrogant lack of respect.

peccadillo

A small, relatively unimportant offense or sin.

pomposity

The quality of being pompous; self-importance.

lampoon

To publicly criticize someone or something by using ridicule.

philistine

A person who is indifferent to culture and the arts.

proxy

The authority to act on behalf of another.

lavish

Sumptuously rich, elaborate, or luxurious.

relegate

To assign an inferior rank or position.

relent

To become less severe or strict.

lugubrious

Looking or sounding sad and dismal.

repugnant

Extremely distasteful; unacceptable.

rhetoric

The art of effective or persuasive speaking or writing.

macabre

Disturbing and horrifying because of involvement with or depiction of death.

sentimental

Resulting from emotions rather than reason or logic.

rigor

The quality of being extremely thorough and accurate.

morose

Sullen and ill-tempered.

squander

To waste something, especially money or time, in a reckless manner.

sparse

Thinly dispersed or scattered.

officious

Assertive of authority in a domineering way, especially with regard to petty or trivial matters.

swindle

To use deception to deprive someone of money or assets.

steadfast

Resolutely or dutifully firm and unwavering.

ramification

A consequence of an action or event, especially when complex or unwelcome.

tangible

Perceptible by touch; clear and definite.

suspect

To have an idea or impression of the existence of something.

serene

Calm, peaceful, and untroubled.

turpitude

Depravity; wickedness.

tedious

Too long, slow, or dull; tiresome or monotonous.

supplant

To replace one thing with another.

unalloyed

Complete and unqualified; pure.

vitality

The state of being strong and active; energy.

tacit

Understood or implied without being stated.

undercut

To undermine or damage something, especially by offering a lower price.

whimsical

Playfully quaint or fanciful, especially in an appealing and amusing way.

transcend

To go beyond the range or limits of something.

wheedle

To use flattery or coaxing to persuade someone to do something.

yield

To produce or provide.

treatise

A written work dealing formally and systematically with a subject.

xenophobic

Having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against people from other countries.