Acumen Keen, accurate judgment or insight

Adulterate To reduce purity by combining with inferior ingredients

Amalgamate To combine several elements into a whole
Archaic So extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period
"archaic laws"
Aver To state as a fact, to declare or assert
Bombastic Pompous, grandiloquent
Diatribe A harsh denunciation, fulmination, Thunderous verbal attack
Dissemble To disguise or conceal, to mislead
Endemic Characteristic of or often found in a particular locality
Evanescent Tending to disappear like vapor
"evanescent beauty"
Exacerbate To make worse or more severe
Fervent Greatly emotional or zealous
"a fervent desire to change society"
Fortuitous Happening by accident or chance
"profits were enhanced by a fortuitous drop in the cost materials"
Germane Relevant to the subject at hand
Grandiloquence Pompous speech or expression
Hackneyed Repeated too often; over familiar through overuse
Halcyon Calm and peaceful
Hedonism Devotion to pleasurable pursuits
Hegemony The consistent dominance of one state of ideology over others.
"the hegemony of a single member state is not incompatible with a
genuine confederation"
Iconoclast One who attacks or undermines traditional conventions or institutions
Idolatrous Given to intense or excessive devotion to something
Imperturbable Marked by extreme calm
Implacable Not capable of being appeased or significantly changed
Impunity Immunity from punishment or penalty
Inchoate In an initial stage, not fully formed
Infelicitous Unfortunate, inappropriate
"the infelicitous typesetting was due to illegible copy"
Loquacious Extremely talkative
Malevolent Having or showing often vicious ill will, spite, or hatred
Mendacity Dishonesty
Meticulous Characterized by extreme care and precision, attentive to detail
Misanthrope One who hates all other humans
Mitigate To make or become less severe or intense
Obdurate Stubbornly persistent, Showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings
"the child's misery would move even the most obdurate heart"
Obsequious Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery
Opprobrium State of disgrace resulting from public abuse
Pedagogy The profession or principles of teaching or instructing
"pedagogy is recognized as an important profession"
Pedantic Overly concerned with the trivial details of learning or education
Penury Poverty, destitution
Pith The essential or central part
Pithy Precise and brief
"welcomed her pithy comments"
Placate To appease, to calm by making concessions
Platitude A superficial remark
Polemical Controversial, argumentative
Prodigal Recklessly wasteful, extravagant, lavish
Proliferate To grow or increase swiftly and abundantly
"Pizza parlors proliferate in this area"
Querulous Prone to complaining or grumbling
Rancorous Characterized by bitter, long lasting resentment
Recalcitrant Obstinately defiant of authority
"the University suspended the most recalcitrant demonstrators"
Repudiate To refuse to have anything to do with
"The woman repudiated the divorce settlement"; "repudiate a debt"
Rescind To invalidate, to repeal, to retract
Rhetoric The art of effective use of language for communication and persuasion
Salubrious Promoting health or well being
"the salubrious mountain air and water"
Specious Seeming true, misleadingly attractive
Spurious Lacking authenticity or validity, Intended to deceive
"a spurious work of art"
Subpoena A court order requiring appearance and/or testimony
Succinct Brief, concise
Superfluous Exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
Surfeit An overabundant supply, excess
Tenuous Having little substance, or strength
Tirade A long and extremely critical speech
Transient Fleeting, passing quickly, brief
Zealous Fervent, ardent, impassioned, devoted to a cause