Impervious – (im PUR vee us) adj. Not allowing anything to pass through: impenetrable.

Unctuous – (UNGK choo us) adj. Oil, both literally and figuratively: insincere.

Bane – (bayn) n. Poison; torment; cause of harm.

Cogent – (KOH iunt) adj. Powerfully convincing.

Agrarian – (uh GRAR ee un) adj. Relating to land; relating to the management or farming of land.

Empirical – (em PIR uh kul) adj. Relying on experience or observation; not merely theoretical.

Cadence – (KAY Duns) n. Rhythm; the rise and fall of sounds.

Erudite – (ER yoo dyte) adj. Scholarly; deeply learned.

Turpitude – (TUR puh tood) n. Shameful wickedness; depravity

Astute – (uh STOOT) adj. Shrewd; keen in judgment.

Maudlin – (MAWD lin) adj. Silly and overly sentimental.

Torpor – (TOR pur) n. Sluggishness; apathy.

Dilettante – (DIL uh tahnt) n. Someone with superficial knowledge of the arts; an amateur.

Panacea – (pan uh SEE uh) n. Something that cures everything

Obdurate – (AHB dyoo rit) adj. Stubborn and insensitive.

Adamant – (AD uh munt) adj. Stubborn; unyielding; completely inflexible.

Nihilism – (NYE uh liz um) n. The belief that there are no values or morals in the universe.

Homily – (HAHM uh lee) n. A sermon.

Impugn – (im PYOON) v. To attack, especially to attack the truth or integrity of something

Coalesce – (koh uh LES) v. To come together as one; to fuse; to unite.