Word Warriors Bringing good words back from oblivion http://www-dev.wordwarriors.wayne.edu/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:05:55 -0500 PHPSimpl Procrustean http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Procrustean Designed to produce conformity to arbitrary standards by ruthless or capriciously violent means. From Procrustes, a mythical giant who stretched or shortened his captives to make them fit their beds. Obloquy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Obloquy Abusive language, defamation or denunciation. Also the ill repute, deserved or not, that results from such abuse. Zaftig http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Zaftig Comfortably and pleasingly plump. Well-proportioned. Incorrigible http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Incorrigible Unchangeable; beyond correction; impervious to reform. Indecorous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Indecorous (1) Lacking propriety in manners and conduct; (2) Not in accord with accepted standards of appropriate behavior polite society Desuetude http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Desuetude (Des' wi tyood). Obsolescence; a state of disuse. Prolix http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Prolix Tending to write or speak tediously and at great length. Truculent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Truculent Savage; pugnacious; ferocious; brutally harsh; defiant. Persiflage http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Persiflage Banter; frivolous talk. Myriad http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Myriad (adj.)A large, indefinite number; made up of many diverse elements. ... "A myriad of" is gaining acceptance only because those who don't know any better brazenly continue to use it. Orotund http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Orotund (1) Pompous or bombastic. (2) Characterized by fullness, clarity and strength of sound. Oblique http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Oblique Indirect, slanting. Devious. Proclivity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Proclivity A natural inclination to something; predisposition; propensity. Aplomb http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Aplomb Self-confidence, poise, self-assurance; coolness, especially under pressure or in strange situations. Jeremiad http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Jeremiad A long and mournful story, often prophesying doom or at least decrying the sad state of society. From the Biblical "Lamentations," attributed to the prophet Jeremiah. Scuttle (verb) http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Scuttle (verb) A versatile verb meaning to sink a ship or boat deliberately; to sink figuratively, as to scuttle a project; or to scurry. Pipsqueak http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pipsqueak Someone who is small and insignificant. Saturnine http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Saturnine Gloomy, cold and unfeeling, morose, sardonic. Assuage http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Assuage To mollify or ease. Querulous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Querulous Petulant; complaining; peevish; whiny. Superfluous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Superfluous More than enough. Unecessary. Extraneous. Redundant. Quisling http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Quisling Traitor. Betrayer. From Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian who collaborated with the occupying Nazis during World War II and was later executed. Perturbate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Perturbate To upset, agitate or unsettle. Swell http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Swell Eminently pleasurable and satisfying. Thrall http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Thrall Slavery; servitude. Irascible http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Irascible Irritable; easily provoked; quick-tempered. Ennui http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ennui Boredom. Lack of interest. Pedantic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pedantic Excessively concerned with rules and formality; eager to show off one's knowledge, generally in an overbearing way. Surfeit http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Surfeit Excessive amount; overabundance. Esoteric http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Esoteric Understood, known by or intended for only a very few; requiring knowledge possessed by only a small group. Flummox http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Flummox Bewilder; baffle; confuse. From an old Scottish or English dialect; Charles Dickens is the first writer known to have used this word in print. Diatribe http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Diatribe Tirade; abusive speech. Circumspect http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Circumspect Cautious, prudent, wary; taking all circumstances into account. Concatenation http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Concatenation A series of things depending on each other, as if linked together. A chain. Temerity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Temerity Reckless boldness; audacity. Penchant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Penchant Strong leaning; propensity. Enervate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Enervate To weaken (reduce in strength) or debilitate. Recalcitrant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Recalcitrant Resisting authority; disobedient; hard to handle. Vacuous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Vacuous Lacking in intelligence or ideas. Devoid of meaning. Ineluctable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ineluctable Unavoidable; inevitable; inescapable. Tyro http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Tyro A beginner in learning; a novice. Lacuna http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lacuna A gap or absent part, as in a manuscript or logical argument; a hiatus. From the Latin "lacuna," for ditch, hole or gap. The preferred plural is "lacunae." Sinecure http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sinecure A position or commission that requires little or no work or real responsibility but still receives payment. Sycophant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sycophant Someone who seeks personal advantage by excessively trying to please someone else. Toady; brown-noser; suck-up. Penultimate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Penultimate Next to last. Abattoir http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Abattoir Slaughterhouse. Wherewithal http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Wherewithal The ability and the financial means required to accomplish a task. (Wiktionary) Panache http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Panache Distinctive, often flamboyant, style or action. Verve. Absquatulate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Absquatulate To flee; abscond. Acrimony http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Acrimony Bitterness or ill feeling. Ablution, pl. ablutions http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ablution, pl. ablutions The act of washing or cleansing. Often seen in the plural form. Tomfoolery http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Tomfoolery A silly act, matter, or thing; foolish or silly behavior. Disabuse http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Disabuse To free someone from a misconception. Cantankerous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cantankerous Cranky; disagreeable to deal with; stubborn; contentious; surly. Mirth http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mirth Merriment; amusement accompanied by laughter. Execrable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Execrable Atrocious, wretched, deplorable, extremely inferior, hateful. Abominable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Abominable Loathsome, odious or detestable. Rigmarole http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Rigmarole An intricate and often petty set of procedures. Quaff http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Quaff To drink deeply or with vigor. Imbroglio http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Imbroglio A complicated disagreement; a confused or chaotic situation. From the Italian "imbrogliare," meaning to tangle. Taciturn http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Taciturn Habitually silent or reserved; reticent, uncommunicative. Loquacious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Loquacious Adj. Talkative, especially when excessively so. Dastardly http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Dastardly Cowardly; meanly base; sneaking. Sophistry http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sophistry A plausible but fallacious or misleading argument. Brobdingnagian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Brobdingnagian Of huge size; gigantic; tremendous. After the residents of Brobdingnag from Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." Hornswoggle http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Hornswoggle To deceive. Unctuous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Unctuous Oily or greasy; unpleasantly polite and insincerely earnest. Vociferous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Vociferous Clamorous; loud; making or given to noisy outcries. Intransigent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Intransigent Unwilling to compromise; incapable of being swayed or diverted; not susceptible to persuasion. Avuncular http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Avuncular Of or relating to an uncle, or resembling an uncle in attitude; kindly, genial, benevolent. Hurly-burly http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Hurly-burly Noisy tumult and confusion. Winsome http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Winsome Innocently pleasing; alluring; captivating; having a childlike charm. Insidious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Insidious Producing serious harm in a stealthy, often gradual, manner. Treacherous. (Wiktionary) Supercilious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Supercilious Contemptuous, overbearing, arrogant or condescending. Sardonic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sardonic Scornfully mocking or cynical; disdainfully humorous. Galoshes http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Galoshes Waterproof shoes or boots. "Galoshes" may be said to be onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound they make when splashing through puddles. Gallivant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gallivant To frolic or roam about in a joyful manner, with no definite plan or objective. Cloying http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cloying Unpleasantly excessive; excessively sweet. Crapulent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Crapulent Sick from eating or drinking too much. Peckish http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Peckish A bit hungry. Not famished, not starving, just in the early stages of hunger. Indefatigable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Indefatigable Tireless; endlessly persistent. Quietus http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Quietus Something that stifles or ends; a period of inactivity. Paraphernalia http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Paraphernalia Personal belongings; articles or equipment used in a particular activity or by a specific profession; according to common law, a married woman's personal property excluding her dowry. Apoplectic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Apoplectic Extreme rage or fury, to the point of virtual paralysis; relating to a stroke (apoplexy). Buncombe http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Buncombe Obvious nonsense spoken as truth. A favorite word of author and journalist H.L. Mencken (1880-1956) Alacrity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Alacrity Cheerful willingness. Bellicose http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bellicose Warlike, aggressive, hostile. President Obama did his part for rescuing this word from obscurity by using it in a recent press conference. Mendacity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mendacity Untruthfulness. Lying. Lachrymose http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lachrymose Tearful; deeply gloomy; mournful. Cogent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cogent Convincing, plausible, reasonable, persuasive. Bloviate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bloviate To speak at length in a pompous or boastful manner. Interregnum http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Interregnum Literally the interval between the end of a sovereign's reign and the accession of a successor. Also has come to mean any interruption in leadership or, more rarely, any break in continuity. Bugbear http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bugbear An imaginary goblin or specter used to excite fear; an object or source of dread; a continuing source of irritation. Denigrate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Denigrate Criticize; defame; disparage. cause to seem less serious; play down Raconteur http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Raconteur One who tells stories and anecdotes with skill and wit. Bamboozle http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bamboozle To cheat or steal. Sanguine http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sanguine 1. Optimistic, cheerful, confident. 2. Of the color of blood. ... In medieval physiology, a reddish complexion was thought to imply a hopeful temperament. Vicissitudes http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Vicissitudes Changes, especially in life circumstances or fortunes; changes as a natural process. Usually seen as plural. Sockdologer http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sockdologer A conclusive remark; a knockout punch. As far as we can tell, the last words Abraham Lincoln heard before he was shot were from the play he was watching, "Our American Cousin": 'Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out, old gal, you sockdologizing old man-trap!' It was a great laugh line, and Booth was waiting for it. Lagniappe http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lagniappe Something thrown in for free. A bonus. Promulgate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Promulgate To make known or public; to put into effect by publishing, as a regulation. Approbation http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Approbation Approval, sanction or commendation. Balderdash http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Balderdash Nonsense. Cede http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cede Turn over possession or control to someone else. Moue http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Moue A pouting grimace; a wry face. Noisome http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Noisome Offensive, unwholesome; disgusting; disagreeable, foul-smelling. Ignominious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ignominious Shameful or disgraceful. Vestigial http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Vestigial A visible sign or trace remaining after something more important has disappeared. 2. In biology, surviving in a degenerate, atrophied or imperfect form. Lugubrious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lugubrious Extremely mournful or gloomy. Palimpsest http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Palimpsest An old vellum or parchment document from which the original words have been scraped away to permit new writing. "Many historical texts have been recovered using ultraviolet light and other technologies to read the erased writing." (Wiktionary) Insipid http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Insipid Dull; lacking qualities that excite, interest or stimulate. Invidious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Invidious Tending to cause envy, discontent or animosity. Antediluvian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Antediluvian Very old, old-fashioned, or out of date; antiquated; primitive. Literally "before the flood," referring by implication to the Biblical tale of Noah. Winnow http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Winnow To separate the useful from the useless. As in winnowing grain from chaff. Profligate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Profligate Recklessly wasteful; wildly extravagant (adj.). Preposterous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Preposterous Consummately absurd or foolish. Poppycock http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Poppycock Nonsense. Reportedly from an old Dutch word, 'pappekak,' meaning soft manure. Moot http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Moot Open to debate (adj.). Having no legal significance (n.). Mayhap http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mayhap Perhaps; possibly. Usually dismissed as archaic, but what the heck. Behoove http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Behoove Be necessary for; befit; be proper. Tawdry http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Tawdry Showy or gaudy without real value. Putative http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Putative Commonly believed to be true, but without proof; supposed, reputed. Untoward http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Untoward Troublesome, unruly, unfavorable, unseemly. Reticent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Reticent 1. Disposed to be silent or not speak freely; reserved. 2. Reluctant or restrained. Amanuensis http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Amanuensis One who manually copies documents or takes dictation; clerk, secretary or stenographer. Innocuous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Innocuous Harmless. Wont http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Wont Someone's usual way of doing things; accustomed. Jejune http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Jejune Childish; unsophisticated; naive; dull or uninteresting; lacking nutritive value. Nadir http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Nadir Lowest point. Draconian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Draconian Hard, severe, cruel. From Draco, a politician of ancient Athens whose codified laws were notorious for their severity. Consanguinity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Consanguinity A blood relationship; family; having common ancestors; affinity. Inimical http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Inimical Having harmful effects; hostile. Quotidian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Quotidian Commonplace; occurring daily. Practically nobody uses this word nowadays except Gore Vidal. Panegyric http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Panegyric Formal, elaborate public praise; an encomium. Cadge http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cadge To obtain by wit or cajolery; to mooch. Quash http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Quash To defeat, suppress or put down. Most commonly, but not always, used in a legal context. Peripatetic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Peripatetic Nomadic, traveling from place to place (adj.). 2. Pedestrian, itinerant, one who walks about (n.). Gambit http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gambit 1. An opening maneuver designed to provide an advantage. 2. In chess, an opening move in which a minor piece is sacrificed to gain advantageous position. Punctilious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Punctilious Attention to minute detail; meticulous. Verisimilitude http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Verisimilitude The appearance or quality of being true or real. Redact http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Redact 1. To edit in such a way as to make suitable for publication. 2. To censor sensitive information from a document to protect an individual or institution. Panjandrum http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Panjandrum An important person -- or one who just thinks he is. Legerdemain http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Legerdemain Trickery, often in the guise of magic. Lambast/Lambaste http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lambast/Lambaste To beat or reprimand severely. Folderol http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Folderol 1. Nonsense. 2. A pretty but useless trinket. Subterfuge http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Subterfuge An expedient used to evade a rule, hide something, escape a consequence, etc. Sesquipedalian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sesquipedalian Someone given to the use of long or multisyllable words. Savvy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Savvy Shrewd. Interlocutor http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Interlocutor Someone who takes part in a conversation or dialogue. In music, the emcee of a minstrel show. Fetching http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fetching Attractive. Exacerbate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Exacerbate Make worse. Eleemosynary http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Eleemosynary Charitable. Eloquence http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Eloquence Powerful, effective language. Precise expression. Cleave http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cleave To split or penetrate; to cling or be faithful. Antithetical http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Antithetical Opposite. Nonplus http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Nonplus To bewilder or confound (v.) ... A state of confusion (n.) Skedaddle http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Skedaddle To run away; flee. Pariah http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pariah Outcast. Sartorial http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sartorial Of or relating to tailoring, clothes or style of dress. Velocipede http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Velocipede Tricycle. Formerly a rather primitive bicycle with pedals on the front wheel. Dulcet http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Dulcet Pleasing to the ear or sweet to the taste. Spurious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Spurious False. Specious. Ne'er-do-well http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ne'er-do-well A good-for-nothing, ineffectual person. Peachy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Peachy Really good. Unicoid http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Unicoid Pear-shaped. Volatile http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Volatile Explosive. Erratic and suddenly changeable. In chemistry, a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor. Portentous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Portentous Ominous. Foreboding. Of great significance. Odium http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Odium A state of disgrace resulting from hateful conduct. Also contempt. Pulchritude http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pulchritude Beauty. Pusillanimous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pusillanimous Timid; cowardly. Mellifluous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mellifluous Smooth and flowing with sweetness. Perspicacity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Perspicacity Discernment. Sharp and insightful intelligence. Persnickety http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Persnickety Very particular about details; fastidious. Potable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Potable Safe to drink. Salient http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Salient Prominent; most important (adj.) Projection (n.), as a military position protruding into enemy lines. Catty-corner http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Catty-corner Diagonal. Also "catercorner." From, among other things, the Middle English "cater," meaning 'four at dice.' Replete http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Replete Well-supplied or abounding (with). Sedulous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sedulous Diligent; persevering; steady; focused. Chelonian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Chelonian Like a turtle (and who doesn't like turtles?) Usuriously http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Usuriously To an exorbitant degree. Adverb form of usurious, or "excessively immoderate." Pontificate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pontificate Speak in a dogmatic or pompous manner. Gobbledygook http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gobbledygook Incomprehensible jargon bordering on gibberish. Gnarly http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gnarly Knotty or twisted. Pokey http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pokey A colloquialism for jail. Probity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Probity Integrity. Honesty. Intelligentsia http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Intelligentsia The intellectual elite. Inimitable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Inimitable Matchless. One of a kind. Indubitable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Indubitable Beyond doubt. Undeniable. Fubsy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fubsy Fat. Fractious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fractious Cranky. Unruly. Peevish. Fracas http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fracas A boisterous, noisy fight or quarrel. Disingenuous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Disingenuous Lacking in candor; insincere. Malfeasance http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Malfeasance Wrongdoing, misconduct or misbehavior, especially by a public official. Obstreperous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Obstreperous Unruly, noisy, clamorous. Omphaloskepsis http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Omphaloskepsis Meditation while contemplating one's navel. Palaver http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Palaver Discussion; also idle talk; also unnecessarily time-consuming chatter. From the Portuguese "palavra," or "talk," or the Spanish "palabra," or "word." Specious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Specious Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious or at best not serious. Festoon http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Festoon To adorn or decorate, principally in a loop between two points. Histrionics http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Histrionics Deliberate and often exaggerated display of emotion for effect. Impalpable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Impalpable Barely felt or discernible; intangible but nonetheless perceptible. Chagrin http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Chagrin A feeling of vexation or annoyance, marked by disappointment, discouragement or humiliation. (n.) Disambiguation http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Disambiguation The removal of ambiguity; clarification. Distaff http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Distaff Associated with women. Discombobulate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Discombobulate Confuse or upset. Copacetic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Copacetic Acceptable. Satisfactory. Churlish http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Churlish Rude. Boorish. Ill-mannered. Calumny http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Calumny The making of false and defamatory statements in order to damage someone's reputation; a false and slanderous statement. Antepenultimate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Antepenultimate Third from the end. The one before the next-to-the-last. Albeit http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Albeit Even though... Anachronisms http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Anachronisms Things, persons or practices that exist out of their proper historical time. Ersatz http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ersatz Imitation. Fake. Erratum http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Erratum Latin word meaning an error. The plural is "errata." Boisterous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Boisterous Exuberant; full of energy. Cognoscente http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cognoscente A person who has superior knowledge or understanding in a particular field. Conniption http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Conniption A fit of extreme anger or excitement. Imperturbable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Imperturbable Marked by extreme calm; serene Visceral http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Visceral Instinctive, as opposed to rational, like a "gut feeling." From the Latin "viscera," for internal organs. Righteous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Righteous Morally correct; virtuous. Pensive http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pensive Deeply thoughtful. Termagant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Termagant A quarrelsome, overbearing woman; a shrew. Vitriol http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Vitriol Abusive or venomous language. Malapropism http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Malapropism The substitution of an incorrect word for one with a similar sound, frequently to comic effect. From the misspeaking character of Mrs. Malaprop in Sheridan's play "The Rivals" (1775). Crepuscular http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Crepuscular Pertaining to or active in twilight; dim; moving about at dawn or dusk. Bacchanalian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bacchanalian Relating to drunkenness and mad revelry. From Bacchus, the Greek god of wine. Conundrum http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Conundrum A difficult problem to be solved, especially one whose answer involves a pun or play on words. A difficult decision. Allision http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Allision The act of a moving object striking a fixed object; this is in contrast to a collision, which is the meeting of two moving objects. Recreant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Recreant Cowardly; disloyal. Brouhaha http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Brouhaha Uproar; hubbub. Niggardly http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Niggardly Extraordinarily stingy. Malevolent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Malevolent Malicious. Having evil intent. Pinguid http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pinguid Fat. Oily. Unctuous. Flibbertigibbet http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Flibbertigibbet A scatterbrained or ditzy person. Impecunious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Impecunious Poor; penniless. Kerfuffle http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Kerfuffle Tumult. Brouhaha. Acrid http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Acrid Bitter, stinging, sharp, harsh. Fulsome http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fulsome Excessively, even offensively, flattering or ingratiating. Insincere. Beware attempts to give this word a positive spin. Fortnight http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fortnight Two weeks. Obfuscate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Obfuscate To make something obscure or otherwise hard to understand. Scunner http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Scunner A strong dislike, or someone who is avidly disliked. Jake http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Jake Satisfactory, OK. Scintilla http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Scintilla A very, very small amount. Plethora http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Plethora An abundance. Bumbershoot http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bumbershoot Umbrella; parasol. Bucolic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bucolic Rustic; pastoral; peacefully rural. Brusque http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Brusque Abrupt; discourteously curt. Markedly http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Markedly In such a way as to be obvious. Smarmy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Smarmy Overly, even unbearably, ingratiating. Unctuous. Soporific http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Soporific Tending to induce drowsiness or sleep. Caitiff http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Caitiff Villain. Jiggery-pokery http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Jiggery-pokery Hanky-panky. Skullduggery (see below). Borborygmus http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Borborygmus Noises produced by gases moving through the intestines. Saucy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Saucy Impertinent; impudent. Egregious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Egregious Outstanding, usually in the negative sense. Outrageously bad. Twee http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Twee Excessively cute; nice to the point of being saccharine. Crux http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Crux The pivotal point in an argument. From the Latin "crux," or cross. Popinjay http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Popinjay A person given to vain, pretentious displays and empty chatter; coxcomb; fop. Comport http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Comport To behave in a particular way. Ineffable http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ineffable Indescribable; inexpressible. Hyperbole http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Hyperbole Intentional exaggeration. Asinine http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Asinine Utterly stupid or silly. Unexpurgated http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Unexpurgated Unedited; without deletions. Munificent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Munificent Very generous; extremely liberal in giving. Dragoon http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Dragoon To force into compliance, often by violent measures. Overweening http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Overweening Arrogant; excessive. Neophyte http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Neophyte Novice. Newcomer. Gregarious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gregarious Someone who enjoys being in social situations. Outgoing. Thwart http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Thwart To oppose or prevent an action or process. Myrmidon http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Myrmidon A subordinate who follows orders without question. From the Myrmidons, who followed Achilles to Troy. Flabbergasted http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Flabbergasted Totally bewildered or astounded. Eschew http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Eschew Avoid; shun. Evaginate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Evaginate To turn inside out. Consternation http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Consternation Stunning or confounding amazement and/or dismay. Propinquity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Propinquity Nearness; proximity. Bifurcate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bifurcate Divide into two branches. Lackadaisical http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lackadaisical Without enthusiasm. Mesmerize http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mesmerize Spellbound. From Franz Anton Mesmer (1734-1815), whose work and theories helped lay a foundation for the development of hypnosis. Forlorn http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Forlorn Miserable, as when lonely after being abandoned. Scrofulous http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Scrofulous Morally degenerate; corrupt. Chicanery http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Chicanery Deception; trickery. Mome http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mome A dull, silent person; a blockhead. (Obsolete.) Most of us see this word in Lewis Carroll's poem "Jabberwocky," to wit: 'All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.' Lilliputian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Lilliputian Very small. From Lilliput, a country of teeny-weeny people in Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels." Uxorious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Uxorious Excessively devoted or submissive to one's wife. Exsanguinate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Exsanguinate To drain someone of blood. Charnel http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Charnel A chapel attached to a mortuary; a storage facility for dead bodies. Phantasmagoria http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Phantasmagoria A dreamlike state featuring both real and imagined elements. Yclept http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Yclept Named or so-called. Peruse http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Peruse To examine carefully; to read completely. Ratiocination, ratiocinative http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ratiocination, ratiocinative Rational and exact thought, or the process of precise reasoning. Willowy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Willowy Tall, slender and graceful. Nondescript http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Nondescript Lacking distinctive qualities or character. Measured http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Measured Careful and calculated. Didactic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Didactic Instructive; intending to teach (adj.) Effluvium http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Effluvium A slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, esp. one that is disagreeable or foul-smelling. Ribald http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ribald Coarsely or disrespectfully humorous; vulgar. Fecundity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Fecundity Fruitfulness; fertility; the ability to produce offspring. Traipse http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Traipse Walk, tramp, travel. Feckless http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Feckless Ineffective, incompetent, indifferent. Recrudescence http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Recrudescence A new outbreak, especially of something undesired. Rebirth. Schadenfreude http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Schadenfreude A German word meaning delight in the misfortune of others. Callipygian http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Callipygian Endowed with shapely buttocks. Concupiscence http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Concupiscence Sexual desire or longing. Lust. Stymied http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Stymied Hindered, thwarted, foiled. Gallimaufry http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gallimaufry Odds and ends; a hodgepodge or motley assortment. Turgidity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Turgidity Excessively ornate or (more likely) pompous and overblown language. Gumption http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Gumption Initiative, usually implying a lack of outside prompting. Enterprise. Spunk. Peccadillo http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Peccadillo A trivial or petty misdeed. Bailiwick http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Bailiwick Area of interest or skill. Tacit http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Tacit Not spoken; implied. Roborant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Roborant Restoring vigor or strength (adj.) A restorative or tonic (n.) Varlet http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Varlet Scoundrel; attendant. Picayune http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Picayune Something trivial. Degenerate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Degenerate Of low physical, mental or moral qualities. Mastication http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mastication The act of chewing. Poltroon http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Poltroon An abject coward. Ebullient http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ebullient Overflowing with enthusiasm or excitement. Pernicious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pernicious Highly injurious or destructive. Recidivist http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Recidivist One who relapses; a repeat offender. Pithy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Pithy Brief but meaningful. The Gettysburg Address was described as "pithy." Ensorcelled http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Ensorcelled Enchanted. Obtuse http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Obtuse Dull. Slow on the uptake. Osculation http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Osculation Kissing. Paramount http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Paramount Extreme importance. Insouciance http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Insouciance The quality of being carefree; a lack of concern. Sycophant http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sycophant Someone who seeks personal advantage by excessively trying to please someone else. Toady; brown-noser; suck-up. Cahoots http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Cahoots Questionable collaboration; secret partnerships. Sublime http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sublime Majestic, outstanding, uplifting, lofty or awe-inspiring. Skullduggery http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Skullduggery Underhanded or unscrupulous behavior. Trickery. Sagacity http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Sagacity Keen discernment or insight; sound judgment. Resplendent http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Resplendent Splendid, brilliant or glorious. Quixotic http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Quixotic Excessively romantic; visionary but unrealistic. Like Cervantes' Don Quixote. Obsequious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Obsequious Overly deferential or attentive; fawningly submissive. Mercurial http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mercurial Fickle; erratic. Mendacious http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Mendacious Untruthful; dishonest. Higgledy-piggledy http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Higgledy-piggledy In a disordered manner; helter-skelter. Galoshes http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Galoshes Waterproof overshoes or boots. “Galoshes” may be said to be onomatopoeic, mimicking the sound they make when splashing through puddles. Farrago http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Farrago An assortment or medley, a jumble or a hodgepodge. Defenestrate http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Defenestrate To throw out of a window. Charlatan http://wordwarriors.wayne.edu/list.php#Charlatan Quack. Imposter.