Power Words #1-19

English 2 honors @ TRHS

Abstruse

difficult to understand

obscure

hazy; unfamiliar; difficult to understand

lucid

easy to understand; transparent; clear-thinking

Ambiguous

unclear; vague; having several interpretations

equivocal

misleading; uncertain

explicit

absolutely clear; free from ambiguity 

Ameliorate

to make an unpleasant situation better; to improve

assuage

to make less severe; to ease

exacerbate

to make a bad situation worse

Animosity

a feeling of resentment, hostility, or enmity

rancor

bitter, long-lasting resentment

amity

friendship

Apathy

lack of interest or concern

dispassionate

not emotionally involved; objective 

zealous

filled with or motivated by enthusiastic devotion 

Apocryphal

of questionable authorship or authenticity

dubious

doubtful; questionable

authentic

having a claimed and verifiable origin or authorship

Ascetic

person who rejects physical comfort or luxuries for self-discipline

austere

plain; without luxuries 

hedonism

the belief that only pleasure is worth pursuing

Avarice

greed

cupidity

greed, especially for money

philanthropy

charitable work; generosity 

Banal

 boring; trite; insipid

pedestrian

dull; ordinary 

exotic

 intriguingly unusual, different, or beautiful 

Blatant

offensively conspicuous or undisguised

brazen

rudely bold; insolent

decorous

marked by decorum; proper

Capricious

unpredictable

impetuous

making quick decision and taking sudden action; hasty; impulsive

steadfast

not moveable; strong in belief; staunch

Circumlocution

the use of wordy and indirect language

garrulous

tiresomely talkative; rambling

succinct

short and to the point; concise

Clemency

mercy

exonerate

to free from blame; to exculpate

avenge

to take revenge for

Desecrate

to violate the sacredness; profane

sacrilege

desecration, profanation, misuse, or the theft of something sacred

venerate

respect greatly; revere

Din

jumble of loud usually discordant sounds

cacophony

harshness of sound; unharmonious

euphony

agreement of sounds 

Dogmatic

striking to widely-accepted beliefs, even when faced with contrary evidence; closed minded

categorical

being without exception or qualification; absolute

obsequious

behaving like a meek, spineless servant; subservient; sycophantic 

Elusive

hard to catch or understand; evasive

evasive

tending to avoid giving direct answers

candid

direct and frank; straightforward

Contrite

sorry; penitent

repentant

remorse or contrition for past conduct or sin

incorrigible

impossible to correct, control, or discipline

Enigmatic

 mysterious or puzzling 

conundrum

riddle or mystery 

manifest

clearly apparent to the sight or understanding