Vocabulary
abstemious - not self-indulgent, especially when eating and drinkingaffectation - behavior, speech, or writing that is artificial and designed to impressameliorate - make something bad or unsatisfactory better; improveanathema - something or someone that one vehemently dislikesapogee - the highest point in the development of something; a climax or culminationbeatific - blissfully happy; serenebeguile - charm or enchant someone, sometimes in a deceptive waycallow - (of a young person) inexperienced and immaturecantankerous - bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperativecapacious - having a lot of space inside; roomy - e.g. capacious mindcircumspect - wary and unwilling to take risksconfabulate - fabricate imaginary experiences as compensation for loss of memorycountenance - a person’s face or facial expression; supportconflate - combine two or more ideas into onedeleterious - causing harm or damagedemur - raise doubts or objections or show reluctancedenigrate - criticize unfairly; disparagediaphanous - light, delicate, and translucentdiscordant - disagreeing or incongruousedifice - a complex system of beliefsequanimity - mental calmness, composure, and evenness of temperequivocate - use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself; beat around the bushelucidate - make something clear; explainerudite - having or showing great knowledge - e.g. erudite discussionespouse - adopt or support a cause, belief, or way of lifeevanescent - soon passing out of sight, memory, or existence; quickly fading or disappearingfatuous - silly and pointlessgossamer - something very light, thin, and insubstantial or delicateiconoclastic - characterized by attack on cherished beliefs or institutionsimpertinent - not showing proper respect; rude, insolentincandescent - full of strong emotion; passionateincongruous - not in harmony or keeping with the surrounding or other aspects of something; out of placeindelible - lasting, memorableinscrutable - impossible to understand or interpretinvidious - (of an action or situation) to arouse or incur resentment or anger in othersmendacity - untruthfulnessnon sequitur - a conclusion or statement that does not logically follow from the previous argument or statementobeisance - a gesture expressing deferential respect, such as a bow or curtsyparochial - having a limited or narrow outlook or scopeparsimonious - unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy or frugalperfunctory - (of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or reflectionpernicious - having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle wayprecipitously - very steeplyprofundity - deep insight; great depth of knowledge or thoughtputative - generally considered or reputed to berepudiate - refuse to accept or be associated with; deny the truth or validity ofsanguine - optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad situationsimulacrum - an image or representation of someone or something; an unsatisfactory imitation or substitutespurious - not being what it purports to be; false or fakeundulation - the action of moving smoothly up and downvacuous - having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence - e.g. vacuous claimvalediction - the action of saying farewell; goodbyevaunted - praised or boasted about, especially in an excessive wayveridical - truthful; coinciding with reality