absolve | v. let off hook; relieve of requirement or obligation |
abstinent | a. self-restraining; not indulging an appetite especially for food or drink |
accolade | n. award of merit; expression of approval; praise |
adamant | a. extremely hard; inflexible; stubbornly unyielding |
aesthetics | n. the branch of philosophy dealing with beauty and taste, emphasizing the evaluative criteria that are applied to art |
ameliorate | v. make or become better; improve; grow better |
amiable | a. good-natured and likable; lovable; warmly friendly |
atypical | a. not normal; unusual or irregular; not representative of a group, class, or type |
blithe | a. joyous; showing a lack of proper thought or care; not caring or worrying |
caustic | a. capable of burning, corroding, dissolving, or eating away by chemical action |
concise | a. brief and compact; expressing much in few words |
connoisseur | n. specialist; person with expert knowledge or training, especially in the fine arts |
depravity | n. extreme corruption or degradation; wickedness |
depreciation | n. devaluation; decrease in price or value |
dogma | n. something held as an established opinion, especially a definite authoritative tenet; doctrine |
emergent | a. occurring unexpectedly and requiring urgent action; coming into existence |
ephemeral | a. short-lived; enduring a very short time |
equitable | a. marked by or having equity; just and impartial |
evanescent | a. fleeting; vanishing or likely to vanish like vapor |
expediency | n. the quality of being convenient and practical despite possibly being improper or immoral |
fecund | a. capable of producing offspring or vegetation; intellectually productive |
fiduciary | a. involving trust, especially with regard to the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary |
flimsy | a. weak; feeble; limp; slight; vain; without strength or solidity |
furtively | ad. in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively |
gesticulate | v. show, express or direct through movement |
guile | n. skillful deceit; disposition to deceive or cheat; disguise cunningly |
hierarchy | n. arrangement by rank or standing; series in which each element is graded or ranked |
ideology | n. study of origin and nature of ideas |
ignominy | n. deep disgrace; shame or dishonor |
impetuous | a. marked by sudden and violent force; hasty; impulsive and passionate |
incense | v. enrage; infuriate; cause to be extremely angry |
indigenous | a. native; originating where it is found |
indulgence | n. the practice of allowing enjoyment of whatever is desired |
infinitesimal | a. very small; immeasurably or incalculably minute |
infusion | n. act or process of infusing; introduction of a solution into person through vein for therapeutic purposes |
inordinate | a. exceeding reasonable limits; excessive; not regulated; disorderly |
insipid | a. lacking flavor or zest; not tasty; dull |
instigator | n. a person who initiates a course of action; someone who deliberately foments trouble |
interdict | n. a court order prohibiting a party from doing a certain activity |
inversion | n. turning upside down; a reversal of position, order, form, or relationship |
jurisprudence | n. philosophy or science of law; division or department of law |
latency | n. the time that elapses between a stimulus and the response to it; the state of being not yet evident or active |
levee | n. a pier that provides a landing place on a river; a formal reception of visitors or guests , as at a royal court |
lugubrious | a. mournful, dismal, or gloomy, especially to exaggerated degree |
malleable | a. capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable |
mayhem | n. offense of willfully maiming or crippling a person; state of violent disorder; havoc; physical disturbance |
militia | n. civilians trained as soldiers but not part of the regular army |
monsieur | n. used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English 'Mr' |
mortify | v. cause to experience shame or humiliation; embarrass |
myriad | a. of very large or indefinite number; of ten thousand |
nepotism | n. favoring of relatives or friends because of their relationship rather than their abilities |
nostalgia | n. homesickness; bittersweet longing for things of past. |
nuance | n. subtle or slight degree of difference; small difference in meaning |
occult | a. hidden from the eye or the understanding; invisible; secret; concealed; unknown |
orthodox | a. traditional; conservative in belief; adhering to established faith, especially in religion |
palette | n. board on which painter mixes pigments |
panacea | n. remedy for all diseases, evils, or difficulties; a cure-all |
parity | n. equality in status or amount; similarity or close |
patriarch | n. father and ruler of family or tribe |
peccadillo | n. slight offense; small sin or fault |
pedigree | n. a line of ancestors; descent; lineage; register or record of a line of ancestors |
penitent | a. feeling or expressing deep regret for misdeeds |
peripatetic | a. traveling especially on foot |
perturb | v. disturb greatly; make uneasy or anxious; throw into great confusion |
plenary | a. full in all respects; attended by all the people who have the right to attend |
posse | n. a large group often with a common interest; a group of people temporarily organized to make a search |
potency | n. capacity to produce strong physiological or chemical effects; the power or right to give orders or make decisions |
preeminent | a. outstanding; superior to or notable above all others |
profuse | a. in great quantity or abundance; bountiful; exceedingly liberal |
putative | a. purported; commonly put forth or accepted as true on inconclusive grounds |
recalcitrant | a. obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority |
refute | v. disprove; prove to be false or incorrect |
relinquish | v. give up something with reluctance; retire from; give up or abandon |
reticent | a. inclined to keep silent; reserved; uncommunicative. |
salutary | a. tending to improve; beneficial; favorable to health |
sanguine | a. cheerfully confident; optimistic; of healthy reddish color; ruddy |
secular | a. worldly rather than spiritual; not specifically relating to religion; lasting from century to century |
serendipity | n. gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune or luck |
sordid | a. filthy; unethical or dishonest; dirty; foul; morally degraded |
staunch | a. firm and dependable especially in loyalty; loyal and committed in attitude |
surrogate | n. one that takes position of another; substitute |
tenable | a. capable of being held, maintained, or defended, as against an assailant or objector, or against attempts to take or process |
touchstone | n. stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; excellent quality used to test excellence or genuineness of others |
vapid | a. dull and unimaginative; lacking taste or flavor |
viable | a. practical or workable; capable of maintaining life; capable of continuing effectiveness |
virulent | a. extremely poisonous or harmful in its effects; bitterly hostile |
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