Adroit

skillful, clever

Adulterate

to make impure, to contaminate;

impure

Adventitious

accidental; nonessential

Aegis

a shield; protection; sponsorship

Aesthetic

pertaining to beauty

Affectation

a phony attitude; pose

Affinity

an attraction to

Affluence

wealth; richness

Agape

open-mouthed; suprised; agog

Aggrandize

to enlarge; to expand

Altruism

a concern for others; generosity

Ambiguous

open to more than one interpretation

Amoral

lacking a sense of right and wrong

Amorphous

shapeless, formless, vague

Animosity

hatred

Antipathy

an intense dislike

Antithesis

an exact opposite; an opposite extreme

Badinage

playful, teasing talk;

to banter; to tease with playful talk

Banal

common, ordinary

Baroque

overly decorated

Bauble

a showy but useless thing

Bedlam

a noisy uproar; a scene of wild confusion

 Beguile

to deceive; to charm; to enchant

Besiege

to overwhelm; to surround and attack

Besmirch

to make dirty; to stain

Bestial

savage, brutal

Bilious

bad tempered; cross

Blanch

to whiten, to make pale

Bland

mild, tasteless, dull

Blandishment

flattery

Bombast

impressive but meaningless language

Bona fide

in good faith

Boor

a rude or impolite person

Bovine

pertaining to cows or cattle

Bowdlerize

to remove offensive passages of a play, novel, etc.

Brevity

briefness; short duration

Bucolic

pertaining to the countryside; rural, rustic

Cajole

to coax, persuade, wheedle

Callow

young and inexperienced

Carcinogen

causing cancer

Carnal

sensual, sexual

Carrion

decaying flesh

Cataclysm

a violent change

Cataract

large waterfall;

abnormality of the eye

Caveat

a warning

Celibate

unmarried;

abstaining from sex

Censure

to criticize sharply

Cessation

a stopping; a discontinuance

Chaff

worthless matter

Chagrin

embarrassment;

a complete loss of courage

Chimerical

imaginary; fantastic

Coalesce

to blend; to merge

Debacle

a complete failure; a total collapse

Debauchery

corruption; self-indulgence

Deference

respect; consideration

Defile

to pollute, to corrupt

Deign

to lower oneself before an inferior

Delineate

to describe, to depict

Demeanor

behavior; manner of conducting oneself

Denouement

an outcome, result

Deride

to ridicule, to mock

Desiccated

dried up

Despicable

contemptible, hateful

Desultory

wandering from subject to subject

Deviate

to turn aside

Diadem

a crown

Diaphanous

very sheer and light

Dichotomy

a division into two parts

Ebullient

enthusiastic

Eclectic

choosing from various sources

Edify

improve someone morally

Effete

worn out; barren

Egregious

remarkably bad; outrageous

Elegy

a sad or mournful poem

Elicit

to draw forth; to call forth

Elixir

a supposed remedy for all ailments

Elucidate

to make clear

Emanate

to come forth; to send forth

Emendation

a correction

Empathy

an understanding of another's feelings

Empirical

based on practical experience rather than theory

Endemic

confined to a particular country or area

Enervate

to weaken

Ennui

boredom;

a weariness resulting from a lack of interest

Ephemeral

lasting only a brief time; short lived

Epitome

a typical example;

a condensed account

Ergo

therefore

Erotic

pertaining to sexual love

Eschew

to keep away from; to avoid; to shun

Facetious

comical; jocular; flippant

Factious

causing disagreement

Fastidious

hard to please; fussy

Fatuous

foolish, inane

Fecund

fertile, productive

Ferret

a small animal of the weasel family;

to search or drive out

Fervent

eager, earnest

Fetish

an object that receives respect or devotion

Finesse

diplomacy; tact; artful management

Fiscal

pertaining to finances

Fissure

an opening; a groove; a split

Flaccid

flabby

Flagellate

to whip; to lash

Flaunt

to show off

Flout

to ridicule; to show contempt for

Foment

to stir up; to incite

Fop

an excessively fashion-conscious man

Fortuitous

lucky; by chance

Gambol

to frolic; to romp about playfully

Garish

tastefully gaudy

Garner

to gather; to acquire

Garrulous

talkative

Germane

relevant; fitting

Gibe

to scoff; to ridicule

Gloat

to look at or think about with great satisfaction

Glower

to stare angrily

Grandiose

impressive, showy, magnificent

Gratuitous

unnecessary or uncalled for

Grotesque

absurd; distorted

Gumption

courage and initiative;

common sense

Hackneyed

commonplace; overused

Halcyon

calm, pleasant

Hallow

to make holy;

holy

Harbinger

an omen or sign

Harlequin

a clown

Hector

to bully; to pester

Hedonism

pursuit of pleasure, especially of the senses

Hegira

flight, escape

Hermetic

tightly sealed

Heterogeneous

different; dissimilar

Hiatus

a pause or gap

Hoi Polloi

common people; the masses

Hospice

a shelter

Hubris

excessive pride or self-confidence

Hybrid

anything of mixed origin;

mixed, assorted

Idiosyncrasy

a peculiar personality trait

Idolatry

excessive or blind adoration; worship of an object

Ignoble

dishonorable, shameful

Imminent

likely to happen; threatening

Immolate

to kill someone as a sacrificial victim, usually by fire

Immutable

unchangeable, fixed

Impair

to weaken; to cause to become worse

Impale

to pierce with a sharp stake through the body

Impalpable

unable to be felt, intangible

Impecunious

without money; penniless

Impediment

a barrier; obstruction

Imperative

extremely necessary; vitally important

Imperious

domineering; haughty

Impinge

to strike; to encroach

Impious

disrespectful toward God

Importune

to persistently ask; to beg