| Word of the Week |
Definition |
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| Jaunty |
1) Having a buoyant or self-confident air; brisk.
2) Crisp and dapper in appearance; natty. |
| Fickle |
1) Characterized by erratic changeableness or instability, especially with regard to affections or attachments; capricious. |
| Inclement |
1) Stormy (as in weather), severe, or tempestuous.
2) Harsh, severe, or merciless. |
| Pragmatic |
1) Dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.
2) Efficient, sensible, realistic. |
| Wassail |
1) Celebrate noisily; engage in uproarious festivities. |
| Agitate |
1) To cause to move with violence or sudden force.
2) To upset; disturb.
3) To arouse interest in (a cause, for example) by use of the written or spoken word; debate.
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| Advocate |
1) One that argues for a cause; a supporter or defender.
2) One that pleads in another's behalf; an intercessor.
3) A lawyer.
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| Appalled |
1) Struck with fear, dread, or consternation. |
| Vapid |
1) Lacking liveliness, animation, or interest; dull.
2) Lacking taste, zest, or flavor; flat. |
| Enigma |
1) One that is puzzling, ambiguous, or inexplicable.
2) A perplexing speech or text; a riddle. |
| Furtive |
1) Characterized by stealth; surreptitious.
2) Expressive of hidden motives or purposes; shifty. |
| Aghast |
1) Struck by shock, terror, or amazement. |
| Debunk |
1) To expose or ridicule the falseness, sham, or exaggerated claims of. |
| Wizened |
1) Shrivelled, wrinkled, or dried up, especially with age.
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| Turgid |
1) Excessively ornate or complex in style or language; grandiloquent.
2) Swollen or distended, as from a fluid; bloated. |
| Cacophony |
1) Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance.
2) The use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition, as for poetic effect. |
| Copacetic |
1) Very satisfactory or acceptable; fine. |
| Benign |
1) Of a kind and gentle disposition.
2) Showing gentleness and mildness.
3) Tending to exert a beneficial influence; favorable.
4) Having little or no detrimental effect; harmless.
5) Medicine Of no danger to health; not recurrent or progressive; not malignant. |
| Irenic |
1) Promoting peace; conciliatory. |
| Abrupt |
1) Sudden; unexpected.
2) Brusque or brief in speech, manner, etc.; curt.
3) (Of a style of writing or speaking) making sharp transitions from one subject to another; disconnected.
4) Precipitous; steep. |
| Bibliophobia |
1) A dread of books. |
| Penultimate |
1) Next to last. |
| Dormant |
1) Lying asleep or as if asleep; inactive.
2) Latent but capable of being activated. |
| Naive |
1) Lacking wordly experience and understanding.
2) Simple and guileless; artless.
3) Unsuspecting or credulous.
4) Showing or characterized by a lack of sophistication and critical judgment. |
| Shambles |
1) A scene or condition of complete disorder or ruin.
2) Great clutter or jumble; a total mess.
3) A place or scene of bloodshed or carnage.
4) A scene or condition of great devastation. |
| Curt |
1) Rudely brief or abrupt, as in speech or manner; gruff.
2) Using few words; terse.
3) Having been shortened. |
| Ostracize |
1) To exclude or banish (a person) from a particular group, society, etc..
2) (Historical term in ancient Greece) to punish by temporary exile. |
| Memoir |
1) An account of the personal experiences of an author.
2) An autobiography. Often used in the plural.
3) A biography or biographical sketch. |
| Powwow |
An informal conference or gathering. |
| Infinite |
1) Having no boundaries or limits.
2) Immeasurably great or large; boundless. |
| Reciprocate |
1) To give or take mutually; interchange.
2) To show, feel, or give in response or return. |
| Tenacity |
1) Persistent determination, doggedness. |
| Sub Rosa |
1) In secret; privately or confidentially. |
| Verbose |
1) Using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words; wordy.
2) Using or containing an excess of words, so as to be pedantic or boring; poolix [from Latin verbosus from verbum word]. |
| Lexicon |
1) A dictionary.
2) A stock of terms used in a particular profession, subject, or style; a vocabulary: the lexicon of surrealist art. |
| Fortitude |
1) Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain or adversity with courage.
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| Synchronize |
1) To occur at the same time; be simultaneous.
2) To operate in unison. |
| Gravitas |
1) Substance; weightiness.
2) A serious or dignified demeanor. |
| Jejune |
1) Not interesting; dull.
2) Lacking maturity; childish.
3) Lacking in nutrition. |
| Abloom |
Being in bloom; flowering. |
| Poignant |
1) Sharply distressing or painful to the feelings
2) To the point; cutting or piercing. |
| Replenish |
1) To fill or make complete again.
2) To inspire or nourish. |
| Paradox |
1) A seemingly contradictory statement that may nonetheless be true.
2) One exhibiting inexplicable or contradictory aspects.
3) An assertion that is essentially self-contradictory, though based on a valid deduction from acceptable premises.
4) A statement contrary to received opinion. |
| Laconic |
Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. |
| Muse |
The source of an artist's inspiration. |
| Confabulate |
To talk casually, chat. |
| Joie de Vivre |
Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life. |
| Plethora |
1) A superabundance; an excess.
2) An excess of blood in the circulatory system or in one organ or area. |
| Petulant |
1) Unreasonably irritable or ill-tempered; peevish.
2) Contemptuous in speech or behavior. |
| Abrasive |
1) A substance or material such as sandpaper, pumice, or emery, used for cleaning, grinding, smoothing, or polishing.
2) Causing abrasion; grating; rough.
3) Irritating in manner or personality; causing tension or annoyance. |
| Gist |
The main point or part; essence. |
| Mettle |
1) Courage and fortitude; vigor and strength of spirit.
2) Inherent quality of character and temperament.
3) Staying quality; stamina.
4) Aroused to do one's best. |
| Voracious |
1) Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous.
2) Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit. |
| Solace |
1) Comfort in sorrow, misfortune, or distress; consolation.
2) A source of comfort or consolation.
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| Ludicrous |
Laughable or hilarious because of obvious absurdity or incongruity. |
| Omnipotent |
Having unlimited or universal power, authority, or force; all-powerful. |
| Laborious |
1) Requiring much work, exertion, or perseverance.
2) Characterized by extreme care and much attention to detail.
3) Exhibiting excessive effort, dullness, and lack of spontaneity.
4) Given to or diligent in work. |
| Hiatus |
A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break. |
| Ennui |
Listlessness and dissatisfaction resulting from lack of interest; boredom. |
| Inconspicuous |
1) Not readily noticeable.
2) Not easily noticed or seen; not prominent or striking. |
| Taciturn |
1) Habitually untalkative.
2) Quiet and silent. |
| Chicanery |
1) Deception by trickery.
2) A trick; subterfuge |
| Ubiquitous |
Being or seeming to be everywhere at the same time; omnipresent. |
| Tact |
1) A sense of what is fitting and considerate in dealing with others, so as to avoid giving offence or to win good will; discretion.
2) Skill or judgement in handling difficult or delicate situations; diplomacy. |
| Stealth |
1) The act or characteristic of moving with extreme care and quietness, especially so as to avoid detection.
2) Cunning or underhand procedure or dealing. |
| Nebulous |
1) Cloudy, misty, or hazy.
2) Lacking definite form or limits; vague. |
| Ruminate |
1) To turn a matter over and over in the mind.
2) To reflect on again and again. |
| Repose |
1) The act of resting or the state of being at rest.
2) Freedom of worry; peace of mind.
3) Calmness; tranquility. |
| Shimmy |
To vibrate or wobble abnormally. |
| Dubious |
1) Fraught with uncertainty or doubt; undecided.
2) Arousing doubt; doubtful.
3) Of questionable character. |
| Cosmopolitan |
Pertinent or common to the whole world; so sophisticated as to be at home in all parts of the world |
| Harangue |
1) A long, pompous speech, especially one delivered before a gathering.
2) A speech of piece of writing characterized by strong feeling or expression; a tirade. |
| Apropos |
To the point; fitting; suitable; relevant |
| Eloquence |
Persuasive and powerful speech or discourse; the quality of persuasive powerful expression; graceful, forceful, or persuasive speech |
| Eschew |
To avoid, shun |
| Reproach |
1) To express disapproval of, criticism of, disapointment in (someone).
2) Blame, disgrace, shame. |
| Myriad |
Innumerable; composed of numerous diverse elements or facets; a vast number. |
| Audacity |
Fearless, daring; bold; heedless of restraints. |
| Epiphany |
1) A sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something.
2) A comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization. |
| Loquacious |
Very talkative, chatty, full of trivial conversation. |
| Avant-Garde |
A group active in the invention and application of new techniques in a given field, especially in the arts. The adjective form is used in English, to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.
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| Cerebral |
1) Of or relating to the brain or cerebrum. 2) Appealing to or requiring the use of the intellect; intellectual rather than emotional.
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| Germane |
Relevant, appropriate, being both pertinent and fitting |
| Auspicious |
1) Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious; 2) Marked by success; prosperous |
| Crescendo |
A gradual increase in loudness |
| Egregious |
Conspicuously bad or offensive |
| Chagrin |
A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event |
| Addled |
1) confused and vague; used especially of thinking. 2) To muddle; confuse |
| Beguile |
1) To deceive by guile; delude; 2) To take away; cheat; 3) To distract the attention of; divert; 4) To pass (time) pleasantly; 5) To amuse or charm; delight. |
| Erudite |
Having or showing extensive scholarship; learned. |
| Vicarious |
Felt or undergone as if one were taking part in the experience or feelings of another. |
| Satiate |
To satisfy (an appetite or desire) fully. To satisfy to excess. |
| Lackluster |
Lacking brightness, luster, vitality; dull; lethargic. |
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