earthly; not spiritual; merely human

carnal desire, the carnal world

to change or treat with air or a gas

to aerate soil

universal; broad or wide-ranging in tastes

Her interests are catholic in nature, as she travels all over the world.

reserved; reluctant; timid

He is reticent about telling his girlfriend he loves her.

inclined to silence; reserved in speech; reluctant to join in conversation.

The old man has a taciturn expression on his face.

morally ignoble;meanly selfish, self-seeking; shameful

The newspapers printed all the sordid details of the scandal.

lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity

She is disingenuous when she says that she loves him; she doesn't.

to make less severe; moderate

Cool weather from Canada mitigated the heat wave in New York.

to obstruct or block

occlude an artery, occlude the flow of blood

the profession of teaching; study of teaching

The school of education teaches pedagogy.

overly concerned with minute details or formalisms, esp. in teaching

a pedantic attention to details.

to yearn intensely; to fail gradually in health or vitality from grief

He pined away after the death of his wife.

precise and brief

Proverbs in the Bible contain pithy sayings.

to appease by concessions; to soothe

Our boss was angry at us, so we placated him by working late.

a superficial remark uttered as profound

Politicians speak platitudes about lowering taxes.

wastefully or recklessly extravagant with money

In the Bible, a prodigal son spent all his money and returned as a poor man to his father's house.

full of complaints; complaining

Nothing pleased her; her querulous demands never stopped.

difficult to manage; resisting authority

Recalcitrant students are always in trouble with their teachers.

disown; refuse to have anything to do with

A witness repudiated his earlier testimony and told the truth.

The state repudiated its bond and refused to pay the people.

seeming to be true, but actually false; misleadingly attractive

a specious argument

lacking authenticity; false; counterfeit

The movie star told spurious lies about his ex-wife.

brief; concise

Her succinct letter was one page long and stayed on one topic.

exceeding what is necessary

He worked so well that my help was superfluous.

weak; flimsy

His arguments in support of the project are so tenuous that management decided not to do it.

devoted, or diligent; fervent: having or showing great warmth or intensity of spirit

He is zealous about going to church everyday.

to make appear greater; exaggerate; to increase in intesity

aggrandize one argument while belittling another.

a form of chemistry and speculative philosophy practiced in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance and concerned principally with discovering methods for transmuting baser metals into gold

He wondered by what alchemy it was changed, so that what sickened him one hour, maddened him with hunger the next

something or someone that is not in its correct historical or chronological time

It is almost an anachronism to use a typewriter these days, since computers are used everywhere.

a substance that contracts the tissues or canals of the body, thereby diminishing discharges, as of mucus or blood; harsh, severe

These astringents are used to freshen and tighten facial skin.

sharing a border; touching; adjacent

In the USA, 48 of the 50 states are contiguous.

generally agreed upon practice

Guests observe the conventions at parties by always speaking first with the person(s) giving the party.

scorn, ridicule

His idea was greeted with derision; people laughed at him.

to dry out or dehydrate

There was only the sun-bruised and desiccate feeling in his mind

a person who takes up an art, activity, or subject merely for amusement, esp. in a desultory or superficial way; dabbler; amateur

His occasional trips to the opera show he is a dilettante in the arts.

not capable of change

The laws of physics are constant and immutable.

damaging; harmful

habits inimical to good health.

a beginner; a recent convert

He is a neophyte at playing the piano.

integrity and uprightness; honesty

He was a gentlemanly Georgian, a person of early American probity

Probitas (latin) - upright, good

natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition

She has a proclivity toward reading books for hours and hours.

natural or habitual inclination or tendency; propensity; predisposition

She has a proclivity toward reading books for hours and hours.

a natural inclination or tendency a propensity to drink too much

He has a propensity for drinking too much alcohol.

dull; lacking in imagination

Cleaning the house and washing dishes are prosaic but necessary chores.

foolishly impractical; extravagantly chivalrous or romantic

Bringing every homeless child in the city into your house is a quixotic act.

occurring or recurring daily; commonplace

Feeding the dog is a quotidian chore.

one who spends money wastefully

Every week, my husband spends his entire paycheck on silly things; what a spendthrift!

implied; not explicitly stated

Management gave tacit approval to a marketing plan by asking to be told about its progress.

to publicly praise or promote

Sidewalk vendors touted their goods

Forceful, effective; keen; sharply perceptive

The consultant provided trenchant advice to her client.

indefensible; not fit to be occupied

The army is located in an untenable place and must retreat or be killed.

changeable; fickle; explosive

Gasoline is a volatile chemical and can catch fire easily.

The situation is very volatile; rioters may try to overthrow the government.