| | | | --------------: | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | acedia | spiritual lethargy _via [Devine](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | agog | eager anticipation | | alacrity | brisk willingness | | ambigram | a word or design that can be understood from multiple orientations _via [Devine](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | antediluvian | pre-flood ancientness | | anterior | situated in front | | antifragile | gaining strength from stress/disorder _via [Devine](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | apoplectic | showing intense rage | | apotheosis | deification | | appetency | intense desire | | arcadian | idyllically pastoral | | asemic | deliberately meaningless writing or artistic marks _via [Devine](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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](https://mastodon.social/@sillygwailo/113834508921536499)_ | | 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](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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](https://x.com/alexeyguzey)_ | | 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](https://www.futilitycloset.com/2025/01/19/in-a-word-689/)_ | | 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](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | leitmotif | a recurring theme or pattern in a work of art _via [Devine](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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 | | snout-fair | having an attractive face | | 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 | | whelve | to turn (as a dish or vessel) upside down, usually to cover something | | weltschmerz | a feeling of melancholy and world-weariness _via [Devine](https://mastodon.social/@neauoire@merveilles.town/113833864724074792)_ | | 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 |