Pugnacious adj. 1. Quarrelsome or combative in nature; belligerent. 2. Expressing an argument or opinion very forcefully. “Rather than maintaining a calm demeanor, his boss was quite pugnacious.”

Austere [aus·tere] adj. 1. Markedly simple without adornment or ornamentation. “An austere office;” “An austere writing style.” 2. Strict or stern in appearance or manner. “He was an austere movie critic.”

Euphemism [eu·phe·mism] n. A mild, inoffensive expression that is substituted for one that is often considered harsh or offensive. “To pass away” is a euphemism for “to die.”

Ostensible [os·ten·si·ble] adj.  Stated or appearing to be true, but not necessarily so. Being such in appearance, plausible rather than demonstrably true or real. “The ostensible purpose of the trip was for business.”

Disingenuous [dis·in·gen·u·ous] adj. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating.  “It was disingenuous of her to claim she had no financial interest in the company.”

Duplicitous [du·plic·i·tous] adj.  Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech. “They warned him not to trust the duplicitous telemarketer.”

Derisive (de·ri·sive) adj. Expressing contempt or ridicule; mocking or scornful. “A derisive laugh.”

Prodigious (pro·di·gious) adj. Remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree. “Her prodigious sales performance resulted in a promotion.”

Recalcitrant (re·cal·ci·trant) adj. Stubborn, often defiant of authority; difficult to manage or control. “After months of recalcitrant behavior, the employee was terminated.”

Anomalous (a·nom·a·lous) adj. Deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected. “The marketing department could not explain the anomalous sales performance.”

Reciprocity (rec·i·proc·i·ty) n A reciprocal condition or relationship. “The president’s proposal calls for full reciprocity.”

Penurious (pe·nu·ri·ous) adj Extremely poor; poverty-stricken; miserly. “The penurious family was forced from their home.”

Myopic; Myopia n.  Distant objects appear blurred – Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning: “Myopic thinking.”

Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.

Antiquated [an·ti·quat·ed] adj.  Very old; aged. Too old to be fashionable, suitable, or useful; outmoded, obsolete. “The committee thought the marketing strategy was too antiquated to approve.”

Ubiquitous [u·biq·ui·tous] adj.  Being or seeming to be everywhere, or in all places, at the same time; omnipresent. “Ubiquitous cell phones.”

Fortuitous [for·tu·i·tous] adj.  Happening by accident or chance. Happening by a fortunate accident or chance. Lucky or fortunate. “The check could not have arrived at a more fortuitous time.”

Vociferous (vo·cif·er·ous) adj Characterized by vehemence, clamour, or noisiness: “A vociferous crowd.”

Nefarious [ne·far·i·ous] adj.  Infamous by way of being extremely wicked. Wicked in the extreme; abominable; iniquitous; atrociously villainous; execrable; detestably vile. “His nefarious scheme cost investors millions of dollars.”

Chagrin [cha·grin] n.  A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event. “He decided to take the day off, much to the chagrin of his boss.”

Reciprocity (rec·i·proc·i·ty) n A reciprocal condition or relationship. “The president’s proposal calls for full reciprocity.”

Myopic; Myopia [my·o·pia] n.  Distant objects appear blurred – Lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning: “Myopic thinking.”

Genteel (gen·teel) adj.  1. Refined in manner; well-bred and polite.  2.
Free from vulgarity or rudeness.  3.Elegantly stylish: genteel manners and appearance.

Epicurean (ep·i·cu·re·an) adj.  Devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, particularly the enjoyment of gourmet food.

Formative (for·ma·tive) adj.  Of or relating to formation, growth, or development: the formative stages of a child.

Expeditious (ex·pe·di·tious) adj.  Acting or done with speed and efficiency.

Nexus (nex·us) n.  A means of connection; a link or tie: “The nexus between the mob and gambling.”  2. A connected series or group.  3. The core or center.

Placid (plac·id) adj.  1. Satisfied; complacent.  2. Undisturbed by tumult or disorder; calm or quiet.

Lucid (lu·cid) adj.  1. Easily understood; intelligible. 2. Mentally sound; sane or rational. “A lucid conversation.” 3. Translucent or transparent.

Demonstrable (de·mon·stra·ble) adj.  1. Capable of being demonstrated or proved: “demonstrable truths.”  2. Obvious or apparent: “demonstrable lies.”

Ravenous (rav·en·ous) adj.  1. Extremely hungry; voracious.  2. Rapacious; predatory.  3. Greedy for gratification: “Ravenous for power.”

Perpetuity (per·pe·tu·i·ty) n.pl.  1. Time without end; eternity.  2. The quality or condition of being perpetual: “The terms of the agreement remain in effect in perpetuity.”

Enigmatic (en·ig·mat·ic) adj.  Of or resembling an enigma; puzzling: “An enigmatic tax form.”

Contemporaneous (con·tem·po·ra·ne·ous) adj.  Originating, existing, or happening during the same period of time: “The contemporaneous court cases for the two defendants.”

Verbose (ver·bose) adj.  Using or containing a great and usually an excessive number of words; wordy. “She was too verbose in her narrative.”

Tumult n. Confusion or disorder. A loud, confused noise, esp. one caused by a large mass of people. “He quickly became aware of the violent tumult behind the trees.”

Amorous adj. Showing, feeling, or relating to intimate desire. “She did not appreciate his amorous advances.”

Maniacal adj. Characterized by excessive enthusiasm or excitement. “A maniacal grin on his face.”

Exogenous adj. Of, relating to, or developing from external factors. “There have been exogenous factors pushing up the stock price.”

Circumspect adj Wary and unwilling to take risks. “His circumspect approach to investing.”

Apocryphal adj. Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true. “Apocryphal stories dating from Hollywood’s golden age.”

Coltish adj. Energetic but awkward in one’s movements or behavior. Playful, not trained or disciplined. “Coltish horseplay to celebrate their graduation.”

Glower v. Have an angry or sullen look on one’s face; scowl. “The librarian glowered at her for talking too loud.”

Luddite [lud·dite] n. A person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology, and is often someone who is incompetent when using new technology. “He was a luddite that preferred his typewriter over a computer.”

Conflate v. Combine two or more texts, ideas, etc. into one. “Their ideas were conflated in ways that were not helpful.”

Untenable adj. Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection. “She was in an untenable situation that was difficult to get out of.”

Boorish adj. Resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior. “His boorish behavior was unacceptable to the directors.”

Penitent [pen·i·tent] n. Feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant. “After the robbery, the thief was penitent and returned the property.”

Mellifluous adj. Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear. “She had a mellifluous voice.”

Peripatetic adj. Traveling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods. “He maintained a peripatetic lifestyle.”