| gadfly | annoying critic |
| recalcitrant | resisting authority or control |
| malarkey | nonsense |
| jaunt | short pleasure trip |
| gallivant | roam for pleasure |
| piffle | nonsensical or trivial talk |
| panache | distinctive and stylish elegance |
| festoon | decorate with garlands |
| smashing | impressive, wonderful (informal british) |
| appetency | intense desire |
| fussbudget | one who fusses over trifles |
| munificent | very generous |
| nadir | lowest point |
| gauche | awkward or tactless |
| rizzle | likely meant to be “sizzle” or “riddle”; if neither, it’s unknown |
| stygian | very dark |
| palliate | lessen the severity without curing |
| agog | eager anticipation |
| inimical | hostile |
| venal | open to bribery; corrupt |
| peccadillo | small, relatively unimportant offense |
| toothsome | tasty, delicious |
| raconteur | a person skilled in telling anecdotes |
| quiddity | the essential nature of something |
| scurryfunge | a hasty tidying of the house |
| vex | make (someone) feel annoyed, frustrated, or worried |
| bugbear | a cause of obsessive fear or anxiety |
| irascible | easily angered |
| wanton | deliberate and unprovoked ; sexually unrestrained or having no just foundation or provocation |
| scrub | incompetent person |
| squelch | forcefully silence or suppress |
| panoply | complete or impressive collection |
| mugwump | independent in politics, or a fence-sitter |
| persiflage | light, mocking talk or writing |
| scrofulous | morally degraded; also refers to a disease marked by swellings of the lymphatic glands |
| slake | quench or satisfy (one’s thirst) |
| martinet | strict disciplinarian |
| smarmy | ingratiating and wheedling in a way that is perceived as insincere or excessive |
| folderol | trivial nonsense |
| mountebank | charlatan or trickster |
| garrulous | talkative |
| avuncular | uncle-like kindness |
| eldritch | weird, eerie |
| ersatz | substitute, usually inferior |
| insipid | lacking flavor or interest |
| dastardly | cowardly and treacherous |
| miasma | noxious atmosphere or influence |
| imbroglio | complex dispute or argument |
| brontide | a sound like distant thunder, thought to be caused by seismic activity |
| degust | to taste carefully |
| bowdlerize | to censor a text by removing or altering parts considered vulgar |
| elan | vivacious energy |
| iconoclast | one who attacks cherished beliefs |
| conniption | informal term for a fit of rage or hysterics |
| callow | inexperienced and immature |
| tyro | a beginner or novice |
| churlish | rude in a mean-spirited and surly way |
| mawkish | sentimentally emotional |
| buoyant | able to float; cheerful and optimistic |
| arcadian | idyllically pastoral |
| flummox | confuse |
| zaftig | having a full, rounded figure; plump (often used of a woman) |
| putative | generally considered or reputed to be |
| jejune | naive, simplistic, and superficial |
| paroxysm | sudden outburst of emotion or activity |
| numinous | spiritual or supernatural |
| truckle | to submit or yield obsequiously to a superior force or to the authority or will of another |
| plangent | loud, reverberating, and often melancholy |
| suborn | bribe or otherwise induce someone to commit an unlawful act |
| antediluvian | pre-flood ancientness |
| turgid | swollen and distended or congested; (of language or style) tediously pompous or bombastic |
| athanasia | immortality |
| mottle | mark with spots or blotches |
| foist | impose deceitfully |
| smeuse | a gap in the base of a hedge made by the regular passage of a small animal |
| twee | excessively quaint, pretty, or sentimental |
| gibbous | more than half but not fully illuminated (used in describing moon phases) |
| swivet | a state of nervous excitement or agitation |
| unctuous | excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily |
| chelonian | pertaining to turtles |
| lummox | clumsy, stupid person |
| refulgent | shining brightly |
| hirsute | hairy |
| impecunious | having little or no money |
| clamor | loud and confused noise, especially that of people shouting vehemently |
| weltschmerz | a feeling of melancholy and world-weariness |
| marplot | meddler who spoils plans |
| vulpine | of or like a fox; cunning or crafty |
| pestiferous | harboring infection and disease |
| sardonic | grimly mocking or cynical |
| mephitic | foul-smelling |
| surfeit | an excessive amount of something |
| blight | a plant disease causing damage; something that impairs growth or ruins prospects |
| quisling | a traitor who collaborates with an enemy force occupying their country |
| declivity | downward slope |
| furtive | stealthy |
| slank | likely an error or unknown; no clear definition |
| saucy | impertinent; cheeky |
| ribald | referring to sexual matters in an amusingly coarse or irreverent way |
| parlous | dangerous, risky |
| thrall | the state of being in someone’s power or having great power over someone |
| woolgathering | indulgence in aimless thought or dreamy imagining; absentmindedness |
| stultify | cause to lose enthusiasm and initiative, especially as a result of a tedious or restrictive routine |
| spurious | not being what it purports to be; false or fake |
| ennui | boredom |
| otiose | useless; serving no practical purpose |
| quaff | to drink heartily and deeply |
| knave | dishonest man |
| nascent | just beginning to develop |
| tripe | the edible lining of the stomach of a ruminant used as food; something regarded as worthless or offensive |
| meretricious | attractively flashy but having no real value |
| obsequious | excessively submissive |
| farrago | confused mixture |
| saturnine | slow and gloomy |
| sodriquet | likely meant to be “sobriquet,” which means a person’s nickname |
| sartorial | relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress |
| fetching | attractive |
| insouciance | casual lack of concern |
| carking | causing distress or worry |
| saccharine | excessively sweet or sentimental |
| fusty | musty, stale |
| lollygag | idle aimlessly |
| mollycoddle | overprotect excessively |
| pedant | someone who overemphasizes rules or minor details |
| anterior | situated in front |
| guttle | eat greedily |
| wend | to go in a specified direction, typically slowly or by an indirect route |
| lagniappe | small gift given to a customer |
| procrustean | enforcing uniformity or conformity without regard to natural variation |
| orotund | full and rich in sound (in speech) |
| couth | cultured, refined, and well-mannered |
| brouhaha | a noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something |
| insolent | rude and arrogant |
| truculent | eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant |
| camarilla | a small group of secret advisers; a clique |
| fantods | nervous jitters |
| fubsy | short and stout |
| flibbertigibbet | frivolous, talkative person |
| jeremiad | a prolonged lament |
| foment | stir up trouble |
| sylvan | relating to the woods or forest |
| bosky | wooded, shady |
| eventide | evening time |
| quixotic | exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical |
| vociferous | clamorous; outspoken or noisy, especially in opposition |
| sinecure | a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit |
| obloquy | public criticism or verbal abuse |
| perfidy | deceitfulness, untrustworthiness |
| lacuna | gap or missing part |
| fractious | irritable and quarrelsome |
| effluvium | unpleasant odor |
| philistine | one indifferent to culture and the arts |
| natter | chat idly |
| gruntled | pleased, satisfied |
| nettle | irritate or annoy |
| cloying | disgustingly or distastefully sweet |
| concinnity | harmony or elegance in the arrangement or disposition of parts or elements of something; stylistic unity |
| bedlam | a scene of uproar and confusion |
| invective | harsh, abusive language |
| jirble | to spill liquid by shaky hands |
| acedia | spiritual lethargy |
| sanguine | optimistic or positive, especially in an apparently bad or difficult situation |
| peremptory | leaving no opportunity for denial or refusal |
| didactic | instructive |
| gehenna | place of fiery torment |
| chicanery | the use of trickery to achieve a political, financial, or legal purpose |
| yclept | named or called (used humorously or archaically) |
| scuttle | to deliberately cause (a scheme) to fail |
| fugacious | fleeting |
| dither | indecisive agitation |
| sea lawyer | argumentative individuals who debate points that might be considered trivial or obvious to others |
| quidnunc | a person eager to learn news and gossip |
| logorrhea | excessive talkativeness |
| mayhap | perhaps |
| harbinger | sign of future events |
| bibulous | given to drinking alcohol |
| gobbet | lump or chunk of raw meat |
| reticent | not revealing one’s thoughts or feelings readily |
| languid | slow and relaxed |
| odium | general or widespread hatred or disgust |
| factotum | doitall servant |
| obstreperous | noisy and difficult to control |
| rigmarole | a lengthy and complicated procedure |
| eucatastrophe | joyous turn in a story |
| vamoose | depart hurriedly |
| dragoon | coerce by force |
| vicissitudes | changes of circumstances or fortune, typically those that are unwelcome or unpleasant |
| apotheosis | deification |
| lachrymose | tearful |
| oeuvre | a body of work by an artist or writer |
| melange | mixture |
| subtopia | the unsightly sprawl of urban areas into the countryside |
| frangible | breakable |
| bloviate | to speak pompously or excessively |
| fetid | badly smelling |
| august | majestic dignity |
| fulsome | excessive to the point of disgust, often insincere |
| denouement | outcome; resolution |
| jalopy | old, unreliable car |
| fecund | fertile |
| bellicose | warlike; aggressive |
| pithy | concise and full of meaning |
| susurrus | whispering or rustling sound |
| cahoots | collaborating together secretly |
| quotidian | daily; everyday or ordinary |
| corpulent | fat |
| oleaginous | excessively flattering; oily |
| lugubrious | mournfully gloomy |
| specious | superficially plausible, but actually wrong |
| mercurial | unpredictable and changeable |
| treacle | a thick, sticky dark syrup made from refined sugar; overly sentimental |
| winkle | extract or obtain something with difficulty |
| cerulean | deep sky blue |
| felicitous | apt and delightful |
| clement | mild or merciful in disposition or character; lenient; compassionate |
| apoplectic | showing intense rage |
| mordant | bitingly sarcastic |
| temerity | excessive confidence or boldness; audacity |
| gewgaw | cheap, showy trinket |
| portent | a sign or warning that something momentous is likely to happen |
| trice | in a very short time |
| prolix | tediously wordy |
| querulous | complaining in a petulant or whining manner |
| crepuscular | pertaining to twilight; active during the twilight |
| cadge | to beg or get by begging |
| desiderata | essential items |
| scintilla | a tiny trace or spark of a specified quality or feeling |
| helter-skelter | disorderly haste |
| poltroon | an utter coward |
| velleity | a wish or inclination not strong enough to lead to action |
| frazzle | exhaust physically or emotionally |
| sophistry | the use of fallacious arguments, especially with the intention of deceiving |
| bilious | associated with nausea or vomiting; peevish |
| sagacity | acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment |
| alacrity | brisk willingness |
| zephyr | a soft, gentle breeze |
| squalid | extremely dirty and unpleasant, especially as a result of poverty or neglect |
| torpid | mentally or physically inactive; lethargic |
| scurrilous | spreading scandalous claims meant to damage reputation |
| lilliputian | extremely small |
| beano | a game in which beans are used as markers; a social gathering with games |
| warble | to sing softly and with a succession of constantly changing notes |