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accolade
(noun)
an expression of praise
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adulation
(noun)
excessive praise; intense adoration
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ascetic
(noun)
one who practices rigid self-denial, esp. as an act of religious devotion
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avarice
(noun)
greed, esp. for wealth (adj. form: avaricious)
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bucolic
(adj)
rustic and pastoral; characteristic of rural areas and their inhabitants
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canon
(noun)
an established set of principles or code of laws, often religious in nature (adj. form: canonical)
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castigation
(noun)
severe criticism or punishment (verb form: castigate)
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chary
(adj)
wary; cautious; sparing
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complaisance
(noun)
the willingness to comply with the wishes of others (adj. form: complaisant)
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contentious
(adj)
argumentative; quarrelsome; causing controversy or disagreement
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culpable
(adj)
deserving blame (noun form: culpaility)
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dearth
(noun)
smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack
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didactic
(adj)
intended to teach or instruct
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discretion
(noun)
cautious reserve in speech; ability to make responsible decisions (adj. form: discreet)
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disinterested
(adj)
free of bias or self-interest; impartial
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emollient
(adj/noun)
soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying; an agent that softens or smoothes the skin
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empirical
(adj)
based on observation or experiment
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facetious
(adj)
playful; humorous
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fallacy
(noun)
an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief (adj. form: fallacious)
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furtive
(adj)
marked by stealth; covert; surrepticious
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harangue
(verb/noun)
to deliver a pompous speech or tirade; a long, pompous speech
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heretical
(adj)
violating accepted dogma or convention (noun form: heresy)
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incipient
(adj)
beginning to come into being or to become apparent
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inert
(adj)
unmoving; lethargic; sluggish
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inveigle
(verb)
to obtain by deception or flattery
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odious
(adj)
evoking intense aversion or dislike
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penurious
(adj)
penny-pinching; excessively thrifty; ungenerous
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pernicious
(adj)
extremely harmful; potentially causing death
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peruse
(verb)
to examine with great care (noun form: perusal)
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pious
(adj)
extremely reverent or devout; showing strong religious devotion (noun form: piety)
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precursor
(noun)
one the precedes and indicates or announces another
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preen
(verb)
to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care
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prodigious
(adj)
abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary
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prolific
(adj)
producing large volumes or amounts; productive
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putrefy
(verb)
to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor (adj. form: putrid)
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quaff
(verb)
to drink deeply
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redoubtable
(adj)
awe-inspiring; worthy of honor
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sanction
(noun/verb)
authoritative permission or approval; a penalty intended to enforce compliance; to give permission or authority to
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satire
(noun)
a literary work that ridicules or criticizes a human vice through humor or derision (adj. form: satirical)
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squalid
(adj)
sordid; wretched and dirty as from neglect (noun form: squalor)
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torpid
(adj)
lethargic; sluggish; dormant (noun form: torpor)
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ubiquitous
(adj)
existing everywhere at the same time; constantly encountered; widespread
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urbane
(adj)
sophisticated; refined; elegant (noun form: urbanity)
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vilify
(verb)
to defame; to characterize harshly
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