Epochal adj. 1. Highly significant or important; momentous: “Epochal decisions made by the president.” 2. Without parallel: “Epochal stupidity.”

Voracity; Voracious adj. Consuming or eager to consume great amounts of food; ravenous. 2. Having or marked by an insatiable appetite for an activity or pursuit; greedy: “A voracious reader.”

Venality n. 1. The condition of being susceptible to bribery or corruption. 2. The use of a position of trust for dishonest gain: “The venality of a corrupt judge.”

Egregious adj. Conspicuously bad or offensive. “The judge’s conduct was egregious.”

Auspices n.pl. 1. With the protection or support of someone or something, especially an organization: “Financial aid is being provided under the auspices of NATO.”

Salient adj.  1. Strikingly conspicuous; prominent.  “A salient argument.”

Embellish tr.v. 1. To make beautiful, as by ornamentation; decorate. 2. To add fictitious details to exaggerate the truth: “A dramatic account that embellished the true story.”

Analogous adj. 1. Similar or alike in such a way as to permit the drawing of an analogy. “The brain and the Acme 1000 supercomputer are analogous to each other.”

Metaphor n. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate something else. Example: “She was drowning in money.”

Indigenous adj. Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment. “The cactus is indigenous to Arizona.”

Progeny [prog·e·ny] n.pl. 1. Something that originates or results from something else; outcome; issue. 2. A result of creative effort; a product.

Causative adj. 1. Indicative that the subject causes an act to be performed or a condition to come into being. “A causative factor of war.”

Ambivalence n. 1. Uncertainty or indecisiveness as to which course to follow. 2. The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings, such as love and hate, toward a person, object, or idea.

Litigious adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by litigation.
Tending to engage in lawsuits. A litigious celebrity.

Gratuitous Gratuitous adj. 1. Given or granted without return or recompense; unearned. 2. Unnecessary or unwarranted; unjustified: A gratuitous remark.

Aplomb n.  Self-confident assurance, skill, and poise – especially in difficult or challenging circumstances.

Arduous adj. 1. Demanding great effort or labor; difficult. “An arduous undertaking.” 2. Testing severely the powers of endurance; strenuous. “A long and arduous process.”

Antithesis n.pl. 1. Direct contrast; opposition. 2. The direct or exact opposite. “Hope is the antithesis of despair.”

Aplomb n.  Self-confident assurance, skill, and poise – especially in difficult or challenging circumstances.

Pervicacious adj. Stubborn, extremely willful, obstinate. “He became quite pervicacious in his old age.”

Accoutrement n. Additional items of dress or equipment, carried or worn by a person or used for a particular activity. The General dressed for battle in shining accoutrements.”

Vernacular n. The language or dialect spoken by the ordinary people in a particular country or region. An idiomatic word, phrase, or expression. The idiom of a particular trade or profession: “In the legal vernacular.”

Deciduous adj. Not permanent or lasting; ephemeral. “The fire created a deciduous outlook for the company.”

Pedantic adj. 1. Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules. “A pedantic attention to details.”

Vexatious adj. 1. Full of annoyance or distress; harassed. 2. Causing or creating vexation; annoying. “Her ex-husband put her in a vexatious situation.”

Assiduous adj. 1. Constant in application or attention; diligent: “An assiduous worker who strove for perfection.” 2. Unceasing; persistent: “Assiduous cancer research.”

Precarious adj. 1. Dangerously lacking in security or stability: “The precarious life of an undercover cop.” 2. Subject to chance or unknown conditions. 3. Based on uncertain, unwarranted, or unproved premises. “A precarious solution to a difficult problem.”

Guile n. Treacherous cunning; skillful deceit. Particular skill and cleverness in tricking or deceiving people. “Considerable guile was involved in the transaction.”

Obtuse adj. 1. Lacking quickness of perception or intellect. 2. Characterized by a lack of intelligence or sensitivity. “An obtuse remark.” 3. Not distinctly felt. “An obtuse pain.”

Intrepid adj. 1. Resolutely courageous; fearless. Persistent in the pursuit of something. “A team of intrepid explorers.”

Acrimonious adj. 1. Bitter and sharp in language or tone; rancorous: “An acrimonious debate between the two candidates.”

Demure adj. 1. Modest and reserved in manner or behavior. “Despite her demure appearance, she is an accomplished mountain climber.”

Divisive adj. Creating dissension or discord; Causing disagreement or hostility within a group so that it is likely to split. “Divisive politics.”

Pervasive adj. Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate. “The pervasive odor of garlic.”

Benevolent adj. 1. Charitable: performing good or charitable acts and not seeking to make a profit. 2. Characterized by or suggestive of doing good; showing kindness or goodwill.

Truculent adj. Eager or quick to argue or fight; aggressively defiant. “Truculent children.”

Garish adj. 1. Marked by strident color or excessive ornamentation; gaudy. 2. Loud and flashy. “Garish makeup.”

Supercilious adj. 1. Full of contempt and arrogance. 2. Behaving as if or showing that a person thinks they are better than other people, and that their opinions, beliefs or ideas are not important, condescending. “He spoke in a haughty, supercilious voice.”

Systemic adj. Relating to or common to a system. A problem, risk, or change that is a basic one, experienced by the whole of a system or organization and not just particular parts of it. “The systemic risks of the investment.”

Hubris n. 1. Overbearing pride or presumption; arrogance. 2. A strong belief in a person’s own importance. “He was disciplined for his hubris.”

Precipitous adj. Done rashly: acting too quickly and without sufficient thought. “Excessive spending caused the precipitous demise of the company.”

Specificity n. 1. The condition or state of being specific rather than general. “His input added a desirable note of specificity to the discussion.”

Avarice n. Immoderate desire, greed for wealth: an unreasonably strong desire to obtain and keep money. “His life was consumed by ambition and avarice.”

Extrapolate v.tr. To infer or estimate by extending or projecting known information. “He extrapolated the historical data to determine the projected outcome.”

Prolific adj. Productive: Producing abundant works or results. “A prolific artist.” “A prolific writer.”

Haughty adj. Condescending: behaving in a superior, condescending, or arrogant way. “He always seemed haughty in company meetings.”

Synergism n. Interaction of discrete agencies or conditions where the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual parts. “The directors saw considerable synergism in the business merger.” (also Synergy).

Extemporaneous adj. 1. Unrehearsed. Done or said without advance preparation or thought; impromptu. 2. Prepared in advance but delivered without notes or text: “An extemporaneous speech.”

Furtive adj. 1. Marked by quiet, caution or secrecy; taking pains to avoid being observed. “A furtive kiss.” 2. Characterized by stealth; surreptitious. “A furtive attempt to take control of the business.”

Anecdotal adj. Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis: “There is anecdotal evidence that the stock will soon double in price.”