adjunct
(n.) something added to something else as helpful or useful but not essential; an assistant or helper; a valuable quality or characteristic (adj.) added or connected in a subordinate capacity; attached to a faculty or staff in an auxiliary capacity
S: (n.) associate, addition, accessory
bellwether
(n.) the male sheep that leads the flock to the slaughterhouse; a leader, as in a desperate or violent undertaking; an indicator of trends
S: ringleader, initiator, barometer
A: follower, imitator, emulator
caterwaul
(v.) to howl or screech like a cat; to quarrel (n.) a harsh or noisy cry; a racket
S: (v.) whine; (n.) wail, screech
effete
(adj.) lacking in wholesome vigor or energy; worn-out or exhausted; sterile or unable to produce; out-of-date
S: decadent, enfeebled, outmoded
A: thriving, burgeoning, vigorous, dynamic
chimerical
(adj.) absurd; wily fantastic; impossible
S: fanciful, visionary, quixotic, pie-in-the-sky
A: realistic, down-to-earth, practiable
fait accompli
(n.) an accomplished and presumable irreversible deed, fact, or action
S: accomplished fact
hidebound
(adj.) narrow-minded and rigid, especially in opinions or prejudices; stubbornly and unthinking conservative
S: intolerant, inflexible
A: open-minded, tolerant, liberal, progressive
hierarchy
(n.) any system of things or people arranged or graded one about another in order of rank, wealth, class, etc.
S: chain of command, pecking order
laissez-faire
(adj.) a philosophy or practice characterized by a usually deliberate abstention from direction or interference, especially with individual freedom of choice and action
S: non interventional, nonrestrictive, hands-off
liturgy
(n.) a religious service or rite; the form of a ritual or other act of public worship
S: observance
morass
(n.) a patch of low, soft, wet ground; a swamp; a confusing situation in which one is entrapped, as in quicksand
S: bog, quagmire
A: sold ground, bedrock, terra firma
noisome
(adj.) offensive or disgusting; foul-smelling; harmful or injurious
S: fetid, noxious, vile, loathsome
A: wholesome, pleasant,s weet-smelling
oblivious
(adj.) forgetful; unaware
S: insensible
A: aware, mindful, cognizant, alert
poltroon
(n.) a base coward
S: craven, dastard, “chicken”
A: hero, stalwart, gallant
proselyte
(n.) a convert; a disciple
S: novice, neophyte
A: master, teacher, guide, guru
quasi
(adj.) resembling but not actually being; seemingly but not actually or completely
S: kind of, semi-, as if
A: totally, completely, actually, in fact
raillery
(n.) good-humored ridicule; teasing
S: banter, presiflage
ribald
(adj.) irreverently mocking; coarse, vulgar, or indecent in language
S: bawdy, risque
A: seemly, proper, decorous
supine
(adj.) lying flat on one’s back; listless or lethal or passive
S: prone, prostrate; inert
A: upright, erect, perpendicular, vertical
vignette
(n.) a short description or sketch; a picture of illustration with edges that gradually shade off; a decorative design on the title page of a book or at the beginning or end of a chapter
S: thumbnail sketch, anecdote
A: epic, full-length treatment
sanguine
adj.) having a ruddy complexion; of a naturally cheerful, confident, or optimistic outlook
S: flushes, rosy
A: bloodless, ashen, pessimistic, gloomy
aegis
(n.) protection; patronage; sponsorship
S: auspices
apprise
(v.) to inform of; to make aware of by giving oral or written notice
S: acquaint, notify
A: keep secret, withhold information
bibulous
(adj.) fond of or inclined to drink; absorbent
S; inebrious, alcoholic
A: teetotaling, abstemious, temperate
claque
n.) a group of people hired to applaud a performer or performance; enthusiastic or fawning admirers; an open hat
S: fan club, flatterers, hangers-on
deracinate
(v.) to pull up by the roots; to root out, uproot, or dislocate; to eliminate all traces of
S: extirpate, eradicate, expunge
A: implant, nurture, foster, instill
exegesis
(n.) an explanation or critical interpretation (especially of a text)
S: analysis, explication
A: mystification
indigenous
(adj.) originating in the country or region where found, native; inborn; inherent
S; endemic, domestic, homegrown
A: foreign, alien, exoteric, imported
lachrymose
(adj.) given to tears or weeping; causing to shed tears; mournful, lugubrious
S: tearful, doleful, dolorous
A: dry-eyed, cheerful, merry, hilarious
lexicon
(n.) a dictionary of a language; the special vocabulary of a person, group, or subject; a compendium
S: wordbook, glossary
melee
(n.) a confused struggle; a violent free-for-all; a tumultuous mingling
S: fracas, brawl, scuffle, donnybrook
A: friendly chat, peace and quiet
microcosm
(n.) a miniature world or universe; a group or system viewed as the model of a larger group or system
S: epitome, world in little
A: universe, macrocosm, cosmos, totality
minuscule
(adj.) very small, tiny (n.) a lowercase letter
S: (adj.) infinitesimal, insignificant
A: (adj.) huge, massive, monumental
obfuscate
(v.) to darken or obscure; to confuse or bewilder
S: muddy the waters
A: clarify, elucidate, explicate
paternalism
(n.) the policy or practice of treating or governing people in the manner of a father dealing with his children
S: benevolence, solicitude, fatherliness
polarize
(v.) to cause to concentrate around two conflicting or contrasting positions; to cause light to vibrate in a pattern
S: split, divide, alienate, estrange
A: unite, unify, reconcile
purview
n.) the range, extent, or scope of something; in law, the scope of limit of what is provided in a statute
S: jurisdiction, orbit
solecism
(n.) a substandard or ungrammatical usage, a breach of etiquette; any impropriety or mistake
S: misusage, blinder, faux pas
A: correct usage
vassal
(n.) a person under the protection of a feudal lord to whom he or she owes allegiances; a subordinate or dependent; a servant (adj.) subservient
S: (n.) menial, minion; (adj.) servile
A: (n.) overlord
verisimilitude
(n.) the quality of appearing to be true, real, likely, or probable
S: realism, lifelikeness, authenticity
eleemosynary
(adj.) charitable, dependent upon or supported by charity; derive from or provided by charity
S: philanthropic, beneficent
A: selfish, self-seeking, uncharitable
therapeutic
adj.) having the power to heal or cure; beneficial
S: curative, salutary, salubrious
A: harmful, injurious, deleterious
ancillary
adj.) subordinate or supplementary
S: auxiliary, subsidiary, accessory
A: central, key, primary, main
bowdlerize
(v.) to remove material considered offense (from a book, play, film, etc.)
S: censor, purge, expurgate
condescend
(v.) to come down or stoop voluntarily to a lower level; to deal with people in a patronizing manner
S; deign
cozen
(v.) to trick; to cheat or swindle
S: dupe, deceive, beguile, inveigle
enclave
(n.) an enclosed district, region, or area inhabited by a particular group of people or having a special character
S: island, subgroup
forte
(n.) a person’s strong point; what a person does best
S: gift, aptitude, speciality
A: weakness, shortcoming, foible
gratis
(adj.) free (adv.) without charge
S: (adj.) on the house; (adv.) freely
A: (adv.) for a price
icon
(n.) a representation or image of a sacred personage, often considered sacred itself; an image or picture; a symbol; a graphic symbol on a computer monitor display; an object of blind devotion
S: emblem , idol
interstice
(n.) a small, narrow space between things or parts of thing
S: gap, slot, crevice, interval, lacuna
macrocosm
(n.) the universe considered as whole; the entire complex structure of something
S: cosmos, entirety
A: model, miniature, microcosm
mountebank
(n.) a trickster or swindler; a charlatan
S: imposter, quack
A: sucker, dupe, “mark”, “pigeon”
paean
(n.) a song of praise, joy, or triumph
S: hymn, ode, anthem
A: dirge, elegy, lament, threnody
persiflage
(n.) light hearted joking, talk or writing
S: banter, jesting, repartee, badinage
plethora
(n.) overfullness; superabundance; superfluity
S: surplus, surfeit, glut, excess
A: shortage, paucity, dearth, scarcity
pragmatic
(adj.) concerned with practical considerations or values; dealing with actions and results rather than with abstract theory; stiff in one’s opinions
S: down-to-earth, businesslike
A: idealistic, impractical, visionary
quizzical
(adj.) puzzled; mocking; odd; equivocal
S: peculiar, perplexed, mystified, dersivie
A: unequivocal, crystal-clear, unambiguous
rapacity
(n.) inordinate greed; the disposition to obtain one’s desires by force, extortion, or plunder
S: avarice, cupidity, voraciousness
A: liberlity, generosity, altruism
schism
(n.) a formal split within a religious organization; anydivison or separation of a group or organization into hostile faction
S: rift, breach
A: united front, reconciliation
virtuoso
(n.) a brilliant performer; a person with masterly skill or technique (adj.) masterly or brilliant
S: (n.) expert, master, prodigy, maestro
A: (n.) amateur, beginner, novice; (adj.) mediocre