Vocab 22 Synonyms

hired hand

mercenary

solider of fortune

one who fights in wars primarily for profit or for adventure

condottiere

A mercenary soldier of a political ruler

avaricious

greedy

rapacious

greedy

broach

to bring up a subject for discussion

fen

a low and marshy or frequently flooded area of land

quagmire

A difficult situation
(n.) a muddy area w/ slippery surface

polychrome

many-colored

polychromatic

having many different colors

Pieblad

spotted

variegated

varied; marked with different colors

heterogeneous

(adj.) composed of different kinds, diverse

Secular

Non-religious

temporal

relating to the everyday world as opposed to that which is spiritual or eternal

prosaic

(adj.) dull, lacking in distinction and originality; matter-of-fact, straightforward; characteristic of prose, not poetic

banal

common, ordinary

multitudinous

very numerous

multifarious

having great variety; numerous and diverse

manifold

diverse, varied

vain

having or showing an excessively high opinion of one's appearance, abilities, or worth.

egomaniacal

morbidly, obsessively wrapped up in oneself

amorphous

shapeless

opaque

(adj.) not letting light through; not clear or lucid; dense, stupid

piddling

insignificant; trifling; petty

trifling

not significant, frivolous

nugatory

trifling; invalid

Partisanship

Government action based on firm allegiance to a political party

partiality

A favorable bias or a prejudice toward something

Patronage

Granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support

itinerant

traveling from place to place

peripatetic

wandering from place to place, especially on foot

titular

in title or name only; nominal

token

symbol

wistfulness

a sadly pensive longing

hankering

a strong desire to have or do something

postulant

a person who is a candidate seeking to become a member of a religious community

neophyte

beginner

tyro

beginner; novice

fledgling

an inexperienced person, beginner; a young bird about to leave the nest; inexperienced, budding

trainee

a person who is being taught how to do a particular job

greenhorn

beginner

tenderfoot

one new at something

subtlety

Something not obvious

overtone

A natural frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental tone's frequency.

still wet behind the ears

immature and inexperienced

a babe in the woods

an innocent or very naive person who is apt to be duped or victimized

a freshman senator

newly elected senator

a puppet ruler

A ruler without authority

footloose and fancy-free

free and without responsibilities to anyone

a fly by night operation

not reliable or responsible, especially in business

a roving reporter

a reporter who travels around, rather than staying in a fixed place

a peripatetic philosopher

someone who follows the teaching of Aristotle

wanderlust

a strong desire to travel

client state

nation dependent on the support of a stronger power

Spoils System

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists and friends.

small potatoes

something insignificant or unimportant

amour propre

self-love

worldly goods

everything that someone owns

worldly wisdom

Comes from the demonic and is bitter jealousy, arrogant and resists truth

a man of the world

a practical or worldly-wise man of wide experience

a pluralistic society

a society made up of many different groups

a diversified economy

economy that depends on a variety of exports or products

a checkered career

a background that includes many changes, especially of employment

a gordian knot

extremely complex problem

a foregone conclusion

a result that is obvious to everyone even before it happens