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abate
to lessen in intensity or degree
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accolade
an expression of praise
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adulation
excessive praise; intense adoration
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aesthetic
dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful
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ameliorate
to make better or more tolerable
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ascetic
one who practices rigid self-denial, especially as an act of religious devotion
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avarice (adj. form: avaricious)
greed, especially for wealth
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axiom (adj. form: axiomatic)
a universally recognized principle
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burgeon
to grow rapidly or flourish
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bucolic
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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cacophony (adj. form: cacophonous)
harshing, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance
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canon (adj. form: canonical)
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature
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castigation (verb form: castigate)
severe criticism or punishment
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catalyst
a substance that accelerates the rate of a chemical reaction without itself changing; a person or thing that causes change
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caustic
burning or stinging; causing corrosion
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chary
wary; cautious; sparing
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cogent
appealing forcibly to the mind or reason; convincing
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complaisance (adj. form: complaisant)
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others
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contentious
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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contrite (noun form: contrition)
regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness
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culpable (noun form: culpability)
deserving blame
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dearth
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
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demur
to question or oppose
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didactic
intended to teach or instruct
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discretion (adj. form: discrete)
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions
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disinterested
free of bias or self-interest; impartial
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dogmatic (noun form: dogma)
expressing a rigid opinion based on unproved or improvable principles
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ebullience (adj. form: ebullient)
the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings
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eclectic
composed of elements drawn from various sources
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elegy (adj. form: elegiac)
a mournful poem, especially one lamenting the dead
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emollient
soothing, espcially to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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empirical
based on observation or experience
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enigmatic (noun form: enigma)
mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand
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ephemeral
brief; fleeting
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esoteric
intended for or understood by a small, specific group
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eulogy (verb form: eulogize)
a speech honoring the dead
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exonerate
to remove blame
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facetious
playful; humorous
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fallacy (adj. form: fallacious)
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief
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furtive
marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious
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gregarious
sociable; outgoing; enjoying the company of other people
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harangue
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
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heretical (noun form: heresy)
violating accepted dogma or convention
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hyperbole (adj. form: hyperbolic)
an exaggerated statement, often used as a figure of speech
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impecunious
lacking funds; without money
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incipient
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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inert
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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innocuous
harmless; causing no damage
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intransigent (noun form: intransigence)
refusing to compromise
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inveigle
to obtain by deception or flattery
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morose
sad; sullen; melancholy
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odious
evoking intense aversion or dislike
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opaque
impenetrable by light; not reflecting light
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oscillation (verb form: oscillate)
the act or state of swinging back and forth with a steady, uninterrupted rhythm
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penurious
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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pernicious
extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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peruse (noun form: perusal)
to examine with great care
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pious (noun form: piety)
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion
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precursor
one that precedes and indicates or announces another
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preen
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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prodigious
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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prolific
producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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putrefy (adj. form: putrid)
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor
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quiescence (adj. form: quiescent)
stillness; motionlessness; quality of being at rest
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redoubtable
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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sanction
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
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satire (adj. form: satirical)
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision
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squalid (noun form: squalor)
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect
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stoic (noun form: stoicism)
indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; steadfast
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supplant
to take the place of; to supersede
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torpid (noun form: torpor)
lethargic; sluggish; dormant
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ubiquitous
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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urbane (noun form: urbanity)
sophisticated; refined; elegant
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vilify
to defame; to characterize harshly
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viscous (noun form: viscosity)
thick; sticky
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