Reciprocal; Reciprocate [re·cip·ro·cal] adj. Done or performed in return: “Reciprocal respect.
Docile [doc·ile] adj. Submissive. Ready to accept control or instruction. “The dog was very docile around children.”
Gravitas [grav·i·tas] n. Dignity, seriousness, or solemnity in manner. “He has the necessary gravitas to lead the company.”
Frugal; Frugality [fru·gal] adj. Economical with regard to money or food. Simple and plain that costs very little: “A frugal meal.”
tremulous
1.characterized by trembling, as from fear, nervousness, or weakness.
2. timid; timorous; fearful.
The bridge was tremulous beneath me, and marked the tremor of the solid earth.
convive
1. an eating or drinking companion; fellow diner or drinker.
A mug of foaming hafanaf (so a certain sort of beer is called) was placed by the side of most of the convives.
fugleman
1. a person who heads a group, company, political party, etc.; a leader or manager.
2. (formerly) a soldier placed in front of a military company as a good model during training drills
scuttlebutt
1. Informal. rumor or gossip.
2. Nautical. a. an open cask of drinking water. b. a drinking fountain for use by the crew of a vessel.
Ambivalent; Ambivalence [am·biv·a·lent] adj. Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone. “She has ambivalent feelings about the relationship.”
Slavish [slav·ish] adj. Showing no originality; blindly imitative: “A slavish copy of the original work.”
Dubious [du·bi·ous] adj. Hesitating or doubting. Not to be relied upon; suspect. “He seemed dubious about the idea.”
Corpulent [cor·pu·lent] adj. Physically bulky; fat. “The once corpulent woman is now trim and fit.
Contentious [con·ten·tious] adj. Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial. Involving a heated argument. “The terms of the agreement remain contentious between the parties.”
Lugubrious [lu·gu·bri·ous] adj. Looking or sounding sad and dismal; mournful. “The lugubrious country song reminded her of an ex-boyfriend.”
Pontificate [pon·tif·i·cate] v. To speak or behave in a pompous or dogmatic manner. “He pontificates at great length in political matters.”
Excoriate [ex·co·ri·ate] v. Censure or criticize severely; Severely berate: “He was excoriated for his mistakes
Taciturn [tac·i·turn] adj. Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little. “Today the normally taciturn man would not stop talking
Insular [in·su·lar] adj. Ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or people outside a person’s own experience. “An insular taste in music.” Lacking contact with other people. “She seemed too insular to leave her house.”
Sycophant [syc·o·phant] n. A person who acts attentively toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer.
Perfidious [per·fid·i·ous] adj. Deceitful and untrustworthy. “A perfidious relationship.”
Evocative; Evocate [e·voc·a·tive] adj. Bringing strong memories, images, or feelings to mind.
Magnanimous [mag·nan·i·mous] adj. Very generous or forgiving, particularly toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.
Voracious [vo·ra·cious] adj. An eager approach to an activity; Wanting or devouring great quantities of something or somebody: “She has a voracious appetite for life.”
Antipathy [an·tip·a·thy] n. A deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion. “His antipathy for first wife dates back to his divorce.”
Propensity [pro·pen·si·ty] n. An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way. “He has a propensity for clear thinking.”
Officious [of·fi·cious] adj. Assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, esp. with regard to petty or trivial matters. Intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering. “The officious man is widely disliked.”
Sentient [sen·tient] adj. Characterized by sensation and consciousness. Able to perceive or feel things: “Sentient life forms.”
Opprobrious [op·pro·bri·ous] adj. Disgraceful; shameful. “His actions were opprobrious.”
Credulous; Credulity [cre·du·li·ty] n. A tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true. “A credulous rumor.”
Confluence [con·flu·ence] n. The act or process of merging. A flowing together of two or more streams. “A fortunate confluence of factors led to his success.”
Formidable [for·mi·da·ble] adj. Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively powerful, large, or capable. “A formidable opponent.”
Obfuscate [ob·fus·cate] v. Render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. Bewilder (someone). “The eclipse will obfuscate the sun’s light.”
Intrinsic [in·trin·sic] adj. Belonging naturally; essential. “Intrinsic stock value.”
Peripatetic [per·i·pa·tet·ic] adj. Traveling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods. “He maintained a peripatetic lifestyle.”
Overt [o·vert] adj. Done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden. “Overt hostility.”
Apoplectic [ap·o·plec·tic] adj. Overcome with anger; extremely indignant. “He showed apoplectic rage.”
Serendipity; Serendipitous [ser·en·dip·i·ty] n. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. “A fortunate stroke of serendipity.”
Sagacious [sa·ga·cious] adj. Shrewd; showing keen mental discernment and good judgment. “A sagacious remark.”
Titular [tit·u·lar] adj. Relating to or constituting a title. “The titular head of the business.”
Histrionic [his·tri·on·ic] adj. Overly theatrical or dramatic. n. Exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention. “His histrionic reaction disrupted the meeting.”
Ingratiate [in·gra·ti·ate] tr.v. Bring oneself into favor or good graces of another, especially by deliberate effort. “She soon ingratiated herself with her new boss.”
Futile [fu·tile] adj. Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. “All of his attempts to rectify the situation proved futile.”
Abate [a·bate] v. To reduce in amount, degree, or intensity; lessen. “The wind finally abated.”
Licentious [li·cen·tious] adj. Promiscuous and unprincipled. Lacking moral discipline. “The judge treated her in a most licentious manner.”
Avuncular [a·vun·cu·lar] adj. Kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person. “An avuncular manner.” Of or relating to an uncle
Ethereal [e·the·re·al] adj. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible. “Her fragrance lingered in the room, an ethereal reminder of her presence.” 2. Highly refined; delicate. “Ethereal beauty.”
Assertive [as·ser·tive] adj. 1.Inclined to bold or confident assertion; aggressively self-assured. “She is an assertive businesswoman.”
Precocious [pre·co·cious] adj. Manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude. “A precocious child.”
Contrite [con·trite] adj. 1. Arising from sense of guilt: done or said out of a sense of guilt or remorse. 2. Very sorry: genuinely and deeply sorry about something. “He was suitably contrite.”
Elucidate [e·lu·ci·date] v. Make (something) clear; explain. “The presentation will help to elucidate the project
Acrid [ac·rid] adj. Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell. Angry and bitter. “An acrid odor filled the room.”
Nescient; Nescience [nes·cient] adj. Lacking knowledge; ignorant. “His nescience of the topic was obvious.”
Irascible [i·ras·ci·ble] adj. Characterized by or arising from anger. (of a person) Easily made angry. “He was always irascible and quick to get into a fight.”
Ostracize [os·tra·cize] v. Exclude (someone) from a society or group. “She felt ostracized by society
Tenuous [ten·u·ous] adj. Very weak or slight; insubstantial. “A tenuous argument.”
Ignoble [ig·no·ble] adj. Not honorable in character or purpose; shameful. “An ignoble act.”
Incisive [in·ci·sive] adj. (of a person or mental process) Intelligently analytical and clear-thinking. Accurate and sharply focused. “The incisive detective soon solved the crime.”
Obsequious [ob·se·qui·ous] adj. Obedient or attentive to an excessive degree. “The obsequious service resulted in an excellent tip.”
Recondite [rec·on·dite] adj. (of a subject or knowledge) Little known, obscure, abstruse. “Recondite information.”
Elegiac [el·e·gi·ac] adj. Having a mournful quality. “An elegiac poem.”
Surreal [sur·re·al] adj. Having the disorienting quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic. “There was something surreal about the diving accident.”
Unctuous [unc·tu·ous] adj. (of a person) Excessively or ingratiatingly flattering. “Anxious to please in an unctuous way.”
Timorous [tim·or·ous ] adj. Showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence: “A timorous demeanor.”
Affinity [af·fin·i·ty] n. A spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something. “He has an affinity for science fiction movies.”
Prescient; Prescience [pre·scient] adj. Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place; foresight. “You should be prescient about choosing your employer.”
Virulent [vir·u·lent] adj. Extremely severe or harmful in its effects. Bitterly hostile or antagonistic; hateful. “Virulent criticism.”
Portent [por·tent] n. A sign or warning that something significant is likely to happen. “an occurrence of crucial portent.”
Missive [mis·sive ] n. A written message; a letter. “He received a missive from his company manager.”
Malodorous [mal·o·dor·ous] adj. Smelling very unpleasant; an offensive odor. “A malodorous side of town.”
Profligate [prof·li·gate] Adj. Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources. A profligate lifestyle resulted in his bankruptcy.”
Sapid [sap·id] adj. Having a strong, pleasant taste; palatable. “The wine tasting was a most sapid event.” (of talk or writing) Pleasant or interesting.
Obdurate [ob·du·rate ] adj. Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action. “Despite her plea, he remained obdurate.”
Audacious; Audacity [au·da·cious] adj. Showing a willingness to take risks. “An audacious attack on the company.” Showing an impudent lack of respect. “An audacious move.”
Equivocal [e·quiv·o·cal] adj. Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous. Uncertain or questionable in nature. “Congress was equivocal on its domestic spending package.”
Compendium [com·pen·di·um] n. A collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject. A collection of things, esp. one systematically gathered. “Compendium of old stories gathered by topic.”
Discern; Discerning [dis·cern] v. Perceive or recognize (something). Distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or with the other senses. “Discern who is telling the truth.”
Canonize [can·on·ize] v. Regard as being above reproach or of great significance. “He canonized women.”
salubrious favourable to or promoting health; healthful: salubrious air.
to make whole again; restore to a perfect state; renew; re-establish
firstfoot : the first person met after starting out on the day of an important occasion
Tangential [tan·gen·tial] adj. Superficially relevant; divergent. Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic. “He took credit for anything tangentially related to their work.”
Phalanx [pha·lanx] n. A group of people or things of a similar type forming a compact body or brought together for a common purpose. “A phalanx of lawyers took charge of the case.”
Servile [ser·vile] adj. Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others. “She wrote a servile letter to her upset neighbor.”
Cineaste : any person, especially a director or producer, associated professionally with filmmaking.
sybaritic : characterized by or loving luxury or sensuous pleasure
probity : integrity and uprightness; honesty
stelliferous : having or abounding with stars
Vituperative [vi·tu·per·a·tive] adj. Bitter and abusive. “The critic’s vituperative review was needlessly harsh.
Ardent [ar·dent] adj. Enthusiastic or passionate. “He is an ardent sports fan.
Incessant [in·ces·sant] adj. Continuing without pause or interruption. “The incessant noise kept him awake.
Benign [be·nign] adj. Mild or favorable (result). Gentle, kind, good. “The results were benign and required no treatment.”
Impish [imp·ish] adj. Mischievous. Inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun. “He approached her with an impish grin on his face.”
Accolade [ac·co·lade] n. An expression of praise or admiration
Bellicose [bel·li·cose] adj. Hostile in manner or temperament. Demonstrating aggression or a willingness to fight. “His bellicose behavior concerned authorities.”
Atrophy [at·ro·phy] n. A decrease in size or wasting away or progressive decline, as from disuse.
Amorphous [a·mor·phous] adj. Without a clearly defined shape or form. Vague; ill-organized; unclassifiable. “The amorphous package caused alarm to many people in the terminal.”
Efficacy [ef·fi·ca·cy] n. The ability to produce a desired or intended result. “The efficacy of the new marketing plan has not been proven.”
Empathy; Empathetic [em·pa·thet·ic] adj. The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. “Her doctor was empathetic to her condition.”
Churlish [churl·ish] adj. Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way. “It was rather churlish of him to complain about the small donations.”
Congruent; Congruous [con·gru·ent] adj. In agreement or harmony. Suitable; appropriate. “The company’s operations were congruent with its business plan.”
Brusque [brusk] adj. Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt. “Her boss gave a brusque reply.”
Melancholy [mel·an·chol·y] n. A deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness. adj. Sad, gloomy, or depressed. “She was in a melancholy mood.”
Gourmand [gour·mand] n. A person who enjoys eating and often eats too much; gluttonous. A connoisseur of good food. “The traveling gourmand seldom passed up a restaurant.”
Peevish [peev·ish] adj. Easily irritated, particularly by unimportant things. “He was peevish around smokers.”
Surreptitious [sur·rep·ti·tious] adj. Kept secret, particularly because it would not be approved of. “His surreptitious drug habit could land him in jail.”
Recidivate; Recidivism [re·cid·i·vate] intr. v. To return to a previous pattern of behavior. Relapse: go back to bad or criminal behavior. “The convictions for those over sixty are unlikely to recidivate.”
Ruminate [ru·mi·nate] v. Think deeply about something. “We sat ruminating on the nature of existence.”
Sycophant; Sycophantic [sy·co·phan·tic] Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery; A servile self-seeking flatterer. “There was sycophantic laughter from the audience at their bosses jokes.”
Nuance [nu·ance] n. A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. “Subtle nuances of her on-screen character.”
acuity [a·cu·i·ty] n. Sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing. “The sun’s glare can cause discomfort and reduces visual acuity.”
Nascent [nas·cent] adj. Recently coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential. Not yet fully developed; emerging. “The business remains nascent but very promising.”
Rapier [ra·pi·er] n. Quick and incisive. A sharp-pointed sword used for thrusting. “Rapier combat was not for the meek.” “Rapier wit.”
Ghoulish [ghoul·ish] adj. Suggesting the horror of death and decay; morbid or disgusting. “The ghoulish mask was a scary Halloween favorite.”
Hyperbole; Hyperbolic [hy·per·bo·le] n. Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. “The company chairman may have been guilty of too much hyperbole during the shareholders meeting.”
Canard [ca·nard] n. A false or unfounded rumor or story. “The tabloid included some of Hollywood’s oldest canards.”
Peckish [peck·ish] adj. Ill-tempered; irritable; Chiefly British feeling slightly hungry. “He felt rather peckish close to bedtime.”
Mellifluous [mel·lif·lu·ous] adj. Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear. “She had a mellifluous voice.
Bolshie; Bolshiness [bolshie] adj. emotionally charged terms used to refer to extreme radicals or left-wing. Deliberately combative or uncooperative: “The driver maintained a bolshie attitude before his arrest.”
Conflate [con·flate] v. Combine two or more texts, ideas, etc. into one. “Their ideas were conflated in ways that were not helpful.”
Boorish [boor·ish] adj. Resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior. “His boorish behavior was unacceptable to the directors.”
Penitent [pen·i·tent] n. Feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant. “After the robbery, the thief was penitent and returned the property.”
Epicene [ep·i·cene] adj. Having characteristics of both sexes or no characteristics of either sex; of indeterminate sex. “Clothing fashions are becoming increasingly epicene.”
Untenable [un·ten·a·ble] adj. Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection. “She was in an untenable situation that was difficult to get out of.”
Machinate [mach·i·nate] v. Engage in plots and intrigues; scheming. “To machinate the overthrow of the government.”
Luddite [lud·dite] n. A person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology, and is often someone who is incompetent when using new technology. “He was a luddite that preferred his typewriter over a computer.”
Misogynous; Misogyny; Misogynistic [mi·sog·y·nis·tic] adj. Of or characterized by a hatred of women. “Police believe it was a misogynous assault.”
Glower [glow·er] v. Have an angry or sullen look on one’s face; scowl. “The librarian glowered at her for talking too loud.”
