v. weaken, mitigate

It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of others. 

v. show clearly

When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject matter. 

adj. objectionable

Do you find the punk rock band Green Day a highly exceptionable, distasteful group, or do you think... 

n. trickery, deception

Those sneaky  lawyers misrepresented what happened -- used chicanery.

adj. unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding.

The repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy. 

adj. very bad

The anecdote was in such execrable taste that the audience was revolted. 

v. distribute, spread, scatter (like seeds)

By their use of the Internet, propagandists have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines. 

v. curse, express abhorrence for

The world execrates teh memory of Hitler and hopes that genocide will never again be the policy of any nation. 

v. adopt, support

She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause. 

adj. accidental, casual

She found this adventitous meeting with her friend extremely fortunate. 

adj. bitter in words or manner

The candidate attacked his opponent in highly acrimonious terms.

n. acrimony 

n. bitterness of speech and temper

The meeting was marked with such acerbity that observers had little hope of reaching any useful settlement.

adj. acerbic 

n. critical remark

He resented the animadversions of his critics, particularly because he realized they were true. 

n. insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves

Shocked by the news of the minister's extra-marital affiar, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy. 

n solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse

THe Ayatolla heaped anathema upon "The Great Satan" the U.S. To them, the west is anathema. 

adj. insolent

She made brazen overtures! - The Music Man

Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials. 

adj. pompous; using inflated language

Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a bombastic manner, that we longed to defeat him. 

n. consequence, accompaniment

n. mutual relationship 

v. refer (to)

Since you advert to this matter so frequently, you must regard it as important. 

n. kinship

syn. consanguinity

She felt an affinity with all who suffered. 

adj. supplying nourishment

We have an alimentary canal where digestion takes place. 

v. call together

n. convocation

Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. 

v. increase or intensify; raise in power, wealth, rank, honor

Presidents often aggrandize their power to act aggresively in int'l affairs. 

n. self-restraint, sexual chastity

At the convent, Connie vowed to lead a life of continence. Could she always be continent? 

n growth, increase

v. accrete

Over the years, Bob put on weight; because of this accretion of flesh, he went from M to size XL. 

v. motivate

I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily. 

adj. 1 readily managed and willing to be led

2. answerable and accountable legally

He was amenable to the enemies demands.   As a foreign diplomat, he claimed he was not amenable to minor local laws. 

v. gather, accumulate

Dealers in so-called junk bonds managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. 

n. collection, heap

It took weeks to sort the agglomeration of misc. items she had collected on her trip.