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