Belabor
v. to work on excessively; to thrash soundly
syn: overwork
Encomium
n. a formal expression of praise, a lavish tribute
syn: panegyric, eulogy
ant: condemnation, castigation, criticism
Reconnaissance
n. a survey made for military purposes; any kind of preliminary inspection or examination
syn: exploration
Maelstrom
n. a whirlpool of great size and violence; a situation resembling a whirlpool in violence and destruction
syn: chaos, turbulence, tumult
Pusillanimous
adj. contemptibly cowardly or mean-spirited
syn: lily-livered
ant: stouthearted, courageous
Ignominy
n. shame and disgrace
syn: humiliation, disrepute, odium
ant: honnor, acclaim
Utopian
adj. founded upon or involving a visionary view of an ideal world; impractical
syn: idealistic
ant: realistic, pragmatic
Decry
v. to condemn, express strong disapproval; to officially depreciate
syn: denounce, censure, devalue
ant: tout, commend, extol, laud, praise
Summarily
adv. without delay or formality; briefly, concisely
syn: promptly, peremptorily
Histrionic
adj. pertaining to actors and their techniques; theatrical, artificial; melodramatic
syn: affected, stagy
ant: muted, untheatrical, subdued
Congeal
v. to change from liquid to solid, thicken; to make inflexible or rigid
syn: harden, jelly, solidify
ant: liquefy
Propriety
n. the state of being proper, appropriateness, (pl.) standards of what is proper or socially acceptance
syn: fitness, correctness
ant: unseemingliness, inappropriateness
Articulate
v. to pronounce distinctly; to express well in words; to connect by a joint or joints; expressed clearly and forcefully; able to employ language clearly and forcefully; jointed
syn: pronounce, elucidate; eloquent
ant: mumble, slur; halting
Ludicrous
adj. ridiculous, laughable, absurd
syn: preposterous
ant: pathetic
Delineate
v. to portray, sketch or describe in accurate and vivid detail to represent pictorially
sny: picture, render
Coherent
adj. holding or sticking together; making a logical whole; comprehensive, meaningful
syn: connected, unified
ant: muddle, chaotic
Intransigent
adj. refusing to compromise, irreconcilable
syn: uncompromising, unyielding, obdurate
ant: lukewarm, half hearted, yielding
Animadversion
n. a comment indicating strong criticism or disapproval
syn: rebuke, reproof
ant: praise, compliment
Idiosyncrasy
n. a peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify
syn: eccentricity, quirk, mannerism
Incarcerate
v. ti imprison, confine, jail
syn: intern
ant: free
Eulogy
n. a formal statement of commendations; high praise
syn: tribute
ant: invective
Feckless
adj. lacking in spirit and strength; ineffective, weak; irresponsible. unreliable
syn: incompetent
ant: capable
Pejorative
adj. tending to make worse; expressing disapproval or disagreement, derogatory, deprecatory, belittling
ant: complimentary, ameliorative
Largesse
n. generosity in giving, lavish or bountiful contributions
syn: liberality, bounty
ant: stinginess
Halcyon
n. a legendary bird; calm; peaceful; happy, golden
syn: tranquil
ant: turbulent
Unwonted
adj. not usual or expected; not in character
syn: unusual
ant: usual
Frenetic
adj. frenzied, highly agitated
syn: frantic
ant: calm
Ubiquitous
adj. present or existing everywhere
syn: omnipresent, persative, universal
ant: restricted, limited, rare, scare
Germane
adj. relevant, appropriate, apropos, fitting
sny: pertinent
ant: irrelevant, extraneous, inappropriate
Taciturn
adj. habitually silent or quiet, inclined to talk very little
syn: uncommunicative
ant: verbose
Overt
adj. open, not hidden, expressed or revealed in a way that is easily recognized
sny: clear, obvious
ant: concealed
Primordial
adj. developed or created at the very beginning; going back to the most ancient times or earliest stage; fundamental, basic
syn: original, primal
Enervate
v. to weaken or lessen the mental, moral, or physical vigor of; enfeeble, hamstring
syn: impair
ant: strengthen
Talisman
n. a charm, an amulet
Distraught
adj. very much agitated or upset as a result of emotion or mental conflict
syn: distracted
ant: calm, collected
Myopic
adj. nearsighted; lacking a broad, realistic view of situation; lacking foresight or discernment
syn: shortsighted
ant: farsighted
Esoteric
adj. intended for or understood by only a select few, private, secret
syn: cryptic
ant: accessible
Pecuniary
adj. consisting of or measured in money; of or related to money
syn: monetary
Stratagem
n. a scheme to outwit or deceive an opponent or to gain an end
syn: trick, ploy, subterfuge
Penchant
n. a strong attraction or inclination
syn: proclivity, predilection
ant: disinclination, aversion