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