Diminutive [di·min·u·tive] adj. Extremely small in size; tiny. A very small person or thing. “Although diminutive in stature, they were a formidable opponent;” “A diminutive report.”

Laborious [la·bo·ri·ous] adj.  Hard-working; industrious. Marked by or requiring long, hard work. “It was a laborious project, but they still kept it under budget.”

Altruism n.  Unselfish concern for the welfare of others; selflessness.  (also ‘Altruistic’). “Despite his miserly demeanor, his life is driven by Altruism.” “Altruistic motives.”

Copious adj.  Large in quantity; abundant. Abounding in matter, thoughts, or words; wordy.  “He took copious notes during the business meeting.”

Ambiguous adj.  Open to more than one interpretation: “An ambiguous response.” Doubtful or uncertain. “The survey results were ambiguous.”

Euphemism 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 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 adj. Not straightforward or candid; insincere or calculating.  “It was disingenuous of her to claim she had no financial interest in the company.”

Duplicitous adj.  Given to or marked by deliberate deceptiveness in behavior or speech. “They warned him not to trust the duplicitous telemarketer.”

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.”

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.”

Bucolic (bu·col·ic) adj. Of or relating to the pleasant aspects of country life. “He retired to a more bucolic life on his farm.”

Placate (pla·cate) verb To appease or pacify; make (someone) less angry or hostile. “The customer service representative tried to placate the dissatisfied customer.”

Atypical adj.  Not conforming to type; unusual or irregular. Deviating from what is usual or common or to be expected; often somewhat odd or strange. “The strong sales were atypical of the normally weak market.”

Antiquated 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 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.”

Insipid [in·sip·id] adj.  Lacking flavor or zest; not tasty. Lacking qualities that excite, stimulate, or interest; dull. “The insipid play caused many to walk out of the theater.”

Voluminous adj.  Having great volume, fullness, size, or number; ample or lengthy in speech or writing. “Voluminous paperwork.”

Chagrin 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.”

Loquacious (lo·qua·cious) adj Very talkative; garrulous. “Her loquacious sales pitch lasted the entire afternoon.”

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.”

Rapacious (ra·pa·cious) Adj Aggressively greedy or ravenous; plundering: “A rapacious salesman.”

Mendacious (men·da·cious) adj Not telling the truth; lying: “A mendacious politician;” “A mendacious defendant.”

Perspicacious (per·spi·ca·cious) adj Having strong insight into and understanding of things. “She showed perspicacious judgment.”

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

Frenetic (fre·net·ic) adj Fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way: “A frenetic ride on the snowboard.”

Bifurcate; bifurcation (bi·fur·cate) v Divide into two branches or forks: “The river bifurcates at the base of the mountain.”

Pernicious (per·ni·cious) adj Having a harmful effect, particularly in a gradual or subtle way. “The hostile takeover will have a pernicious effect on the business.”

Halcyon (hal·cy·on) Adj 1. Calm; peaceful; tranquil: “Halcyon seas.” 2. Rich; wealthy; prosperous: “Halcyon times before the recession.”

Cerebral (cer·e·bral) adj.  Appealing to or requiring the use of the intellect; intellectual rather than emotional: “Her methods were cerebral, analytical, and cautious.”

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.

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

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

Plagiarize (pla·gia·rize) v.  1. To use and pass off (the ideas or writings of another) as one’s own.  2.To appropriate for use as one’s own passages or ideas from another.

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 [tu·mult] 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.”

Protagonist n. The main figure or one of the most prominent figures in a real situation. The leading character or a major character in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text. “The unnamed protagonist was the hit of the film.”

Amorous [am·o·rous] 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.”

Sartorial adj. Of or relating to tailoring, clothes, or style of dress. “Sartorial taste; “Sartorial elegance.”

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