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abate
to lessen in intensity or degree
Aberrant
Deviating from the norm.
abjure
to renounce or reject solemnly; to recant; to avoid
Abscond
To depart clandestinely; to steal off and hide.
accolade
an expression of praise
acerbic
having a sour or bitter taste or character; sharp; biting
acumen
keen, accurate judgment or insight
adulation
excessive praise; intense adoration
adulterate
to reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients
adumbrate
to foreshadow vaguely or intimate; to suggest or outline sketchily; to obscure or overshadow
aesthetic
dealing, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
aggrandize
to increase in intensity, power, influence, or prestige
Alacrity
Eager and enthusiastic willingness.
alchemy
a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold
alloy
to commingle; to debase by mixing with something inferior. Unalloyed
amalgamate
to combine several elements into a whole
ameliorate
to make better or more tolerable
amenable
agreeable; responsive to suggestion
anachronism
something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context
anathema
a solemn or ecclesiastical (religious) curse; accursed or thoroughly loathed person or thing
anodyne
soothing; something that assuages or allays pain or comforts
Anomaly
deviation from the normal order, form, or rule; abnormality.
apogee
farthest or highest point; culmination; zenith
apostate
one who abandons long-held religious or political convictions
apotheosis
deification; glorification to godliness; an exalted example; a model of excellence or perfection
Approbation
an expression of approval or praise
appropriate
to take for one's own use; to confiscate
archaic
outdated; associated with an earlier, perhaps more primitive, time
Arduous
strenuous, taxing; requiring significant effort
arrest, arresting
to suspend; to engage; holding one's attention
ascetic
one who pratices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
asperity
severity, rigor; roughness, harshness; acrimony, irritability
asseverate
to aver, allege, assert
assiduous
diligent, hard-working, sedulous
Assuage
to ease or lessen; to appease or pacify
astringent
having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe; something with a tightening effect on tissue
Audacious
daring and fearless; recklessly bold
augury
omen, portent
august
majestic, venerable
Austere
without adornment; bare; severly simple; ascetic; harsh in manner of temperament
avarice
greed, esp. for wealth
aver
to state as a fact; to declare or assert
axiom
a universally recognized principle
Axiomatic
taken as a given; possessing self-evident truth
bellicose
belligerent, pugnacious, warlike
bent
leaning, inclination, proclivity, tendency
bolster
to provide support or reinforcement
bombastic
pompous; grandiloquent
broach
to bring up; to announce; to begin to talk about
brook
To put up with something or someone unpleasant
bucolic
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
burgeon
to grow rapidly or flourish
cacophony
harsh, jarrring, discordant sound; dissonance
calumniate
to slander, to make a false accusation
calumny
slander, aspersion
canon
an establisehd set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
Canonical
following or in agreement with accepted, traditional standards
Capricious
inclined to change one's mind impulsively; erratic, unpredictable
captious
disposed to point out trivial faults; calculated to confuse or entrap in argument
cardinal
major, as in cardinal sin
castigation
severe criticism or punishment
catalyst
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction wihtout itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
caustic
burning or stinging; causing corrosion
cavil
to find fault without good reason
celerity
speed, alacrity; think: accelerate
Censure
to criticize severely; to officially rebuke
chary
wary; cautious; sparing
chauvinist
a blindly devoted patriot
Chicanery
trickery or subterfuge
chimera
an illusion; originally, an imaginary fire-breathing she-monster
cogent
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
color
to change as if by dyeing, i.e. to distort, gloss, or affect
complaisance
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
Connoisseur
an informed and astute judge in matters of taste; expert
consequential
pompous, self-important
contentious
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
contiguous
sharing a border; touching; adjacent
contrite
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
contumacious
insubordinate, rebellious
contumely
insult, scorn, aspersion
convention
a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude
Convoluted
complex or complicated
credulous
tending to believe too readily; gullible
culpable
deserving blame
cynicism
an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness
damp
to diminish the intensity or check the vibration of a sound
dearth
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
debacle
rout, fiasco, complete failure
decorum
polite or appropriate conduct or behavior
demur
to question or oppose
denouement
an outcome or solution; the unraveling of a plot
derision
scorn, ridicule, contemptuous treatment
descry
to discriminate or discern
desiccate
to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull
desuetude
disuse
desultory
random; aimless; marked by lack of plan or purpose
diaphanous
transparent, gauzy
diatribe
harsh denunciation
didactic
intended to teach or instruct
die
a tool used for shaping, as in a tool-and-die shop
