Provenance n. The beginning of something’s existence; something’s origin. The place of origin or earliest known history of something. “An exquisite vase of Chinese provenance.”

Tepid adj. Showing little enthusiasm: “The president had a tepid response to the proposal.”

Efficacious adj. Successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective. “Efficacious treatment for the disease.”

Incorrigible adj. Not able to be corrected, improved, or reformed. “His bad habits were incorrigible.”

Malicious adj. Characterized by malice; intending or intended to do harm. “Malicious rumors.”

Bromide n. A commonplace remark or notion; a platitude. “Her speech contained the usual bromides about teamwork.” A tiresome or dull person; a bore.

Labyrinth n. A complicated irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze. “Exploring the labyrinth of waterways.” An intricate and confusing arrangement.

Abstruse adj. Difficult to understand; obscure. “An abstruse argument presented by the lawyers.”

Veracity n. Conformity to facts; accuracy. “What is the veracity of these allegations.” Habitual truthfulness. “Her veracity and character.”

Sardonic adj. Grimly mocking or cynical. “His sardonic smile.”

Doleful [dole·ful] adj Expressing sorrow; mournful. “A doleful look.” Causing misfortune or grief. “Doleful consequences.”

Abstruse adj. Difficult to understand; obscure. “An abstruse argument presented by the lawyers.”

Predacious adj. Predatory; Given to victimizing, plundering, or destroying for one’s own gain. “A victim of predacious behavior.”

Vitriol; Vitriolic n. Cruel, bitter, scathing criticism; Abusive feeling or expression. “A vitriolic tone of voice.”

Alchemy n. 1. A power or process of transforming something common into something special. 2. An inexplicable or mysterious process by which paradoxical results are achieved with no obvious rational explanation.

Caprice n. A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.

Existential adj. (1) Of or relating to existence. (2) Concerned with existence, esp. human existence as viewed in the theories of existentialism. “An existential threat.”

Facetious adj. Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Tactile adj. (1) Of or connected with the sense of touch. (2) Perceptible by touch or apparently so; tangible: “A tactile keyboard.”

Propitious adj. (1) Indicating a good chance of success; favorable. “It was a propitious time to leave the party without offending the host.” (2) Favorably disposed toward someone.

Divergence n. (1) A difference or conflict in opinions, interests, wishes, etc. (2) The process or state of diverging.

Mitigate v. (1) Make less severe, serious, or painful: “he wanted to mitigate the damages in court.” (2) Lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake).

Austerity n. (1) Sternness or severity of manner or attitude. (2) Extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance.

Fractious adj. (1) Easily irritated; bad-tempered: “they fight and squabble like fractious kids.” (2) (of an organization) Difficult to control; unruly.

Abysmal adj. Extremely bad; appalling. “The results were pretty abysmal;” “Abysmal failure.”

Paradox n. A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. An opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion, but may be factual.

Superfluous adj. Unnecessary, being beyond what is required or sufficient. “The repeated warnings were superfluous.” “Superfluous details.”

Lascivious adj. Feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire. “He gave her a lascivious wink.” Inclined to lustfulness; wanton; lewd. “The lascivious old man.”

Masticate v. To chew (as in food). To reduce to pulp by crushing, grinding or kneading. “The patient was unwilling to masticate or swallow his food.”

Didactic adj. (1) Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive. (2) In the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way. “The didactic speech influenced the weaker members of the audience.”

Insolent adj. Showing a rude or arrogant lack of respect. “The child’s insolent behavior was unacceptable.”

Garrulous adj. Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters. “A garrulous reprimand.”

Vacuous adj. Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless: “a vacuous smile.”

Agnostic n. A person who believes that nothing is known or can be known of the existence or nature of God or of anything beyond material phenomena.

Juxtapose tr.v. 1. To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. “The exhibition juxtaposes Picasso’s early drawings with some of his later works.”

Pundit n. 1. Somebody who expresses an opinion: somebody who acts as a critic or authority on a particular subject, especially in the media. “The election results threw the political pundits into confusion.” 2. Somebody wise: somebody with knowledge and wisdom.

Vacillate v. Alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive. “Her tendency to vacillate made her a poor director.”

Fastidious adj. 1. Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail. 2. excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please: “A fastidious eater.” 3. Very concerned about matters of cleanliness.

Assuage v. 1. To make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate: “to assuage one’s pain.” 2. to appease, satisfy, or relieve: “To assuage one’s hunger.” 3. to soothe or calm: “To assuage his fears;” “To assuage her anger.”

Vicarious adj. 1. Experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person: “A vicarious thrill.” 2. Acting or done for another: “A vicarious atonement.”

Transitory adj. 1. Not lasting, enduring, permanent, or eternal. 2.Lasting only a short time; brief; short-lived; temporary. “It was a transitory stage in the actor’s career.”

Rhetorical adj. Of or relating to rhetoric. Characterized by language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous.

Egalitarian adj. Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people.

Tenacious adj. 1. Not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a principle: “A tenacious hold.” 2. Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action: “A tenacious legend.”

Colloquialism n. 1. An informal word or phrase that is more common in conversation than in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words such as “gonna” and phrases such as “ain’t nothin’” and “dead as a doornail.”

Ignominious adj. Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame; humiliating: “An ignominious defeat.”

Homogeneous adj. 1. Uniform in structure or composition. 2. Of the same or similar nature or kind: “The corporation maintains tight-knit, homogeneous board members.”