Missive n. A written message; a letter. “He received a missive from his company manager.”

Portent n. A sign or warning that something significant is likely to happen. “an occurrence of crucial portent.”

Virulent adj. Extremely severe or harmful in its effects. Bitterly hostile or antagonistic; hateful. “Virulent criticism.”

Prescient; Prescience [pre·scient] adj. Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place; foresight. “You should be prescient about choosing your employer.”

Affinity n. A spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something. “He has an affinity for science fiction movies.”

Timorous [tim·or·ous ] adj. Showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence: “A timorous demeanor.”

Surreal [sur·re·al] adj. Having the disorienting quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic. “There was something surreal about the diving accident.”

Irascible adj. Characterized by or arising from anger. (of a person) Easily made angry. “He was always irascible and quick to get into a fight.”

Nescient; Nescience adj. Lacking knowledge; ignorant. “His nescience of the topic was obvious.”

Acrid adj. Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell. Angry and bitter. “An acrid odor filled the room.”

Elucidate v. Make (something) clear; explain. “The presentation will help to elucidate the project.”

Contrite adj. 1. Arising from sense of guilt: done or said out of a sense of guilt or remorse. 2. Very sorry: genuinely and deeply sorry about something. “He was suitably contrite.”

Precocious adj. Manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude. “A precocious child.”

Assertive adj. 1.Inclined to bold or confident assertion; aggressively self-assured. “She is an assertive businesswoman.”

Ethereal adj. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible. “Her fragrance lingered in the room, an ethereal reminder of her presence.” 2. Highly refined; delicate. “Ethereal beauty.”

Avuncular adj. Kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person. “An avuncular manner.” Of or relating to an uncle.

Licentious adj. Promiscuous and unprincipled. Lacking moral discipline. “The judge treated her in a most licentious manner.”

Eviscerate v. Deprive or take away (something) of its essential content. “The compromise eviscerated the proposed agreement.”

Abate v. To reduce in amount, degree, or intensity; lessen. “The wind finally abated.”

Futile adj. Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. “All of his attempts to rectify the situation proved futile.”

Ingratiate tr.v. Bring oneself into favor or good graces of another, especially by deliberate effort. “She soon ingratiated herself with her new boss.”

Sagacious adj. Shrewd; showing keen mental discernment and good judgment. “A sagacious remark.”

Apoplectic adj. Overcome with anger; extremely indignant. “He showed apoplectic rage.”

Serendipity; Serendipitous n. The faculty of making fortunate discoveries by accident. “A fortunate stroke of serendipity.”

Overt adj. Done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden. “Overt hostility.”

Intrinsic [in·trin·sic] adj. Belonging naturally; essential. “Intrinsic stock value.”

Confluence n. The act or process of merging. A flowing together of two or more streams. “A fortunate confluence of factors led to his success.”

Formidable adj. Inspiring fear or respect through being impressively powerful, large, or capable. “A formidable opponent.”

Obfuscate v. Render obscure, unclear, or unintelligible. Bewilder (someone). “The eclipse will obfuscate the sun’s light.”

Trepidation n. A feeling of fear or agitation about something that may or may not actually happen. “He entered the cave with considerable trepidation.”

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 [op·pro·bri·ous] 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.”

Antipathy [an·tip·a·thy] n. A deep-seated feeling of dislike; aversion. “His antipathy for first wife dates back to his divorce.”

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.

Magnanimous adj. Very generous or forgiving, particularly toward a rival or someone less powerful than oneself.

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.”

Accommodate; Accommodating v. Provide lodging or sufficient space for. “The room will accommodate ten people.” Fit in with the wishes or needs of another: “It’s difficult to accommodate his new management style.”

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

Excoriate [ex·co·ri·ate] 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.”

Pontificate v. To speak or behave in a pompous or dogmatic manner. “He pontificates at great length in political matters.”

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