pariah - - - - an outcast
surfeit - - - - abundance, excessive amount
enigma - - - - a puzzle; a mystery
spurious - - - - false, fake, not genuine
erudite - - - - learned; scholarly; bookish
fervid - - - - intensely emotional; feverish
lucid - - - - clear and easily understood
opaque - - - - impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light
placate - - - - to sooth or pacify
precipitate - - - - to throw violently or bring about abruptly; lacking deliberation
prodigal - - - - wasteful; reckless with money
zeal - - - - passion, excitement
abstain - - - - to choose not to do something
adulterate - - - - to make impure
apathy - - - - lack of interest or emotion
audacious - - - - fearless and daring
capricious - - - - changing one’s mind quickly and often
corroborate - - - - to provide supporting evidence
desiccate - - - - to dry out thoroughly
engender - - - - to produce, cause, or bring about
ephemeral - - - - lasting a short time
gullible - - - - easily deceived
homogenous - - - - of a similar kind
laconic - - - - using few words
laud - - - - to give praise; to glorify
loquacious - - - - talkative
mitigate - - - - to soften; to lessen
pedant - - - - someone who shows off learning
pragmatic - - - - practical as opposed to idealistic
propriety - - - - correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs
vacillate - - - - to sway physically; to be indecisive
volatile - - - - easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive
advocate - - - - to speak in favor of
nemesis - - - - a powerful river, a usually unconquerable opponent
bolster - - - - to support; to prop up
cacophony - - - - harsh, jarring noise
deride - - - - to speak of or treat with contempt; to mock
dissonance - - - - a harsh and disagreeable combination, often of sounds
enervate - - - - to reduce in strength
eulogy - - - - speech in praise of someone
rescind - - - - to cancel, to repeal
ingenuous - - - - showing innocence or childlike simplicity
lethargic - - - - acting in an indifferent or slow, sluggish manner
malleable - - - - capable of being shaped
misanthrope - - - - a person who dislikes others
obdurate - - - - hardened in feeling; resistant to persuasion
ostentation - - - - excessive showiness
paradox - - - - a contradiction or dilemma
respite - - - - an interval of rest, a temporary delay
prevaricate - - - - to lie or deviate from the truth
venerate - - - - to respect deeply
trite - - - - unoriginal, overused
