Histrionic [his·tri·on·ic] adj. Overly theatrical or dramatic. n. Exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention. “His histrionic reaction disrupted the meeting.”

Serendipity; Serendipitous [ser·en·dip·i·ty] n. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. “A fortunate stroke of serendipity.”

Egress n. The action of going out of or leaving a place. “The company’s egress procedures.”

Abrogate v. Repeal or do away with a law, right, or agreement. “To abrogate a law.”

Credulous; Credulity adj. A tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true. “A credulous rumor.”

Opprobrious adj. Disgraceful; shameful. “His actions were opprobrious.”

Sentient adj. Characterized by sensation and consciousness. Able to perceive or feel things: “Sentient life forms.”

Officious adj. Assertive of authority in an annoyingly domineering way, esp. with regard to petty or trivial matters. Intrusively enthusiastic in offering help or advice; interfering. “The officious man is widely disliked.”

Propensity n. An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way. “He has a propensity for clear thinking.”

Sycophant n. A person who acts attentively toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer.

Perfidious adj. Deceitful and untrustworthy. “A perfidious relationship.”

Evocative; Evocate adj. Bringing strong memories, images, or feelings to mind.

Voracious adj. An eager approach to an activity; Wanting or devouring great quantities of something or somebody: “She has a voracious appetite for life.”

Insular adj. Ignorant of or uninterested in cultures, ideas, or people outside a person’s own experience. “An insular taste in music.” Lacking contact with other people. “She seemed too insular to leave her house.”

Taciturn adj. Reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little. “Today the normally taciturn man would not stop talking.”

Excoriate v. Censure or criticize severely; Severely berate: “He was excoriated for his mistakes.”

Contentious adj. Causing or likely to cause an argument; controversial. Involving a heated argument. “The terms of the agreement remain contentious between the parties.”

Corpulent adj. Physically bulky; fat. “The once corpulent woman is now trim and fit.”

Dubious adj. Hesitating or doubting. Not to be relied upon; suspect. “He seemed dubious about the idea.”

Slavish adj. Showing no originality; blindly imitative: “A slavish copy of the original work.”

Reciprocal; Reciprocate adj. Done or performed in return: “Reciprocal respect.”

Frugal; Frugality adj. Economical with regard to money or food. Simple and plain that costs very little: “A frugal meal.”

Docile adj. Submissive. Ready to accept control or instruction. “The dog was very docile around children.”

Gravitas n. Dignity, seriousness, or solemnity in manner. “He has the necessary gravitas to lead the company.”

Incendiary adj. Designed to cause fires. “An incendiary device.”

Dismal adj Gloomy. Depressing; dreary. “The business was a dismal failure;” “Dismal weather.”

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.