Melancholy n. A deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness. adj. Sad, gloomy, or depressed. “She was in a melancholy mood.”

Disparate adj. Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison. markedly distinct in quality or character. “He is a strong leader capable of managing a disparate team to achieve their goals.”

Demonstrative adj. Tending to show feelings, especially the open expression of emotion. “A demonstrative argument.”

Atrophy n. A decrease in size or wasting away or progressive decline, as from disuse. “Misleading and infrequent reporting have facilitated the atrophy of self-sufficiency.”

Bellicose adj. Hostile in manner or temperament. Demonstrating aggression or a willingness to fight. “His bellicose behavior concerned authorities.”

Accolade n. An expression of praise or admiration. An award or privilege granted; an acknowledgment of merit. “The scientist was given many accolades for his research.”

Impish adj. Mischievous. Inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun. “He approached her with an impish grin on his face.”

Benign adj. Mild or favorable (result). Gentle, kind, good. “The results were benign and required no treatment.”

Amicable adj. Having a spirit of friendliness; without arguments or serious disagreement. “An amicable agreement between the two firms.”

Patronize v. Treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority. “She detests being patronized.” Frequent an establishment as a customer. “He always patronizes the same restaurant.”

Incessant adj. Continuing without pause or interruption. “The incessant noise kept him awake.”

Ardent adj. Enthusiastic or passionate. “He is an ardent sports fan.”

Vituperative adj. Bitter and abusive. “The critic’s vituperative review was needlessly harsh.”

Servile [ser·vile] adj. Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others. “She wrote a servile letter to her upset neighbor.”

Phalanx n. A group of people or things of a similar type forming a compact body or brought together for a common purpose. “A phalanx of lawyers took charge of the case.”

Tangential adj. Superficially relevant; divergent. Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic. “He took credit for anything tangentially related to their work.”

Discern; Discerning v. Perceive or recognize (something). Distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or with the other senses. “Discern who is telling the truth.”

Compendium n. A collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject. A collection of things, esp. one systematically gathered. “Compendium of old stories gathered by topic.”

Canonize v. Regard as being above reproach or of great significance. “He canonized women.”

Equivocal adj. Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous. Uncertain or questionable in nature. “Congress was equivocal on its domestic spending package.”

Audacious; Audacity adj. Showing a willingness to take risks. “An audacious attack on the company.” Showing an impudent lack of respect. “An audacious move.”

Obdurate adj. Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action. “Despite her plea, he remained obdurate.”

Sapid adj. Having a strong, pleasant taste; palatable. “The wine tasting was a most sapid event.” (of talk or writing) Pleasant or interesting.

Profligate Adj. Recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources. A profligate lifestyle resulted in his bankruptcy.”

Malodorous adj. Smelling very unpleasant; an offensive odor. “A malodorous side of town.”

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.”