Eclectic Words

cheryl F. (United States of America)
Words collected over the years that meet one or more of the following criteria: (1) words that we have read or heard, but may not be able to clearly define if called upon, (2) words that are extremely descriptive of a specific, abstract concept, (3) words that some people occasionally define or pronounce incorrectly (often opposite of the true meaning), and (4) words that simply sound pleasant or have a crisp, descriptive tone.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acolyte
    a devoted follower or assistant
  2. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  3. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  4. anathema
    a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
  5. angst
    an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
  6. antithetical
    sharply contrasted in character or purpose
  7. argot
    a characteristic language of a particular group
  8. bohemian
    a nonconformist who lives an unconventional life
  9. bruit
    tell or spread rumors
  10. cachet
    an indication of approved or superior status
  11. caesura
    a break or pause in the middle of a verse line
  12. callow
    young and inexperienced
  13. canard
    a deliberately misleading fabrication
  14. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  15. carapace
    hard outer covering or case of certain organisms
  16. catharsis
    purging the body to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
  17. cathexis
    (psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object
  18. cavil
    raise trivial objections
  19. chary
    characterized by great caution
  20. contagion
    an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted
  21. cudgel
    a club that is used as a weapon
  22. denouement
    the outcome of a complex sequence of events
  23. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  24. droll
    comical in an odd or whimsical manner
  25. eclat
    brilliant or conspicuous success or effect
  26. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  27. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
  28. exiguous
    extremely scanty
  29. facile
    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
  30. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  31. fecund
    capable of producing offspring or vegetation
  32. frippery
    something of little value or significance
  33. fugleman
    a leader and organizer and spokesman
  34. gamut
    a complete extent or range
  35. gossamer
    a gauze fabric with an extremely fine texture
  36. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice
  37. hamartia
    the character flaw or error of a tragic hero
  38. herald
    a person who announces important news
  39. heuristic
    a commonsense rule to help solve some problem
  40. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  41. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
  42. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
  43. incommodious
    uncomfortably or inconveniently small
  44. inexorably
    in a manner impervious to change or persuasion
  45. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  46. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  47. ipso facto
    by the fact itself
  48. juxtapose
    place side by side
  49. ken
    range of what one can know or understand
  50. kismet
    fate or fortune
  51. kvetch
    express complaints, displeasure, or unhappiness
  52. laconic
    brief and to the point
  53. languish
    become feeble
  54. luminary
    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others
  55. maw
    the mouth, jaws, or throat
  56. mortmain
    real property held inalienably
  57. nadir
    the lowest point of anything
  58. nexus
    the means of connection between things linked in series
  59. obverse
    the more conspicuous of two alternatives or cases or sides
  60. oracle
    a shrine where a prophet is consulted
  61. palaver
    loud and confused and empty talk
  62. palliative
    moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear
  63. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  64. paradigm
    a standard or typical example
  65. patina
    a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal
  66. paucity
    an insufficient quantity or number
  67. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  68. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
  69. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  70. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  71. quintessential
    representing the perfect example of a class or quality
  72. rogue
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
  73. rubric
    category name
  74. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
  75. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  76. sclerotic
    relating to or having sclerosis; hardened
  77. shibboleth
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
  78. sibilant
    of speech sounds forcing air through a constricted passage
  79. sobriquet
    a familiar name for a person
  80. sophistry
    a deliberately invalid argument in the hope of deceiving
  81. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
  82. tabula rasa
    an opportunity to start over without prejudice
  83. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
  84. tawdry
    tastelessly showy
  85. trenchant
    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
  86. truculent
    defiantly aggressive
  87. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  88. catholic
    comprehensive or broad-minded in tastes and interests
  89. patois
    a regional dialect of a language
Created on 十月 7, 2009

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