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.”

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.”

Ambivalent; Ambivalence adj. Having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone. “She has ambivalent feelings about the relationship.”

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 [grav·i·tas] 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 [dis·mal] adj Gloomy. Depressing; dreary. “The business was a dismal failure;” “Dismal weather.”

Provenance [prov·e·nance] 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 [tep·id] adj. Showing little enthusiasm: “The president had a tepid response to the proposal.”

Doleful [dole·ful] adj Expressing sorrow; mournful. “A doleful look.” Causing misfortune or grief. “Doleful consequences.”

Abstruse [ab·struse] adj. Difficult to understand; obscure. “An abstruse argument presented by the lawyers.”

Sardonic [sar·don·ic] adj. Grimly mocking or cynical. “His sardonic smile.”

Pejorative adj. Expressing contempt or disapproval. Disparaging; belittling. “He used pejorative overtones in his speech.”

Spurious adj. Not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. Not being what it purports to be; false or fake. “Spurious claims.”

Vitiate [vi·ti·ate] v. Spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of. “The government programs were vitiated by excessive red tape.” Destroy or impair the legal validity of.

Predacious adj. Predatory; Given to victimizing, plundering, or destroying for one’s own gain. “A victim of predacious behavior.”

Capacious adj. Having a lot of space inside; roomy. “A capacious closet.”

Vitriol; Vitriolic [vit·ri·ol] n. Cruel, bitter, scathing criticism; Abusive feeling or expression. “A vitriolic tone of voice.”

Alchemy [al·che·my] 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.

Salacious adj. Treating sexual matters in an indecent way. Lustful; lecherous: “A salacious grin.”

Indolent; Indolence [in·do·lent] n. Having or showing a disposition to avoid exertion; slothful, lazy: “an indolent person.”

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.”