Haughty adj. Condescending: behaving in a superior, condescending, or arrogant way. “He always seemed haughty in company meetings.”

Synergism n. Interaction of discrete agencies or conditions where the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual parts. “The directors saw considerable synergism in the business merger.” (also Synergy).

Anecdotal adj. Based on casual observations or indications rather than rigorous or scientific analysis: “There is anecdotal evidence that the stock will soon double in price.”

Sanguine adj. Cheerfully optimistic, hopeful, or confident: “A sanguinedisposition;” “Sanguine expectations.”

Feckless [feck·less] adj. 1. Careless and irresponsible. “The kids were feckless during spring break.” 2. Lacking purpose or vitality; feeble or ineffective – unlikely to be successful. “It was a feckless attempt to make the company a success.”

Ephemeral adj. 1. Lasting for a markedly brief time: “The ephemeralnature of fashion trends.” 2. Living or lasting only for a day, as with certain plants or insects.

Myriad adj.  Constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable: “The myriad snowflakes in the winter.”

Capricious adj.  Characterized by or subject to whim; impulsive and unpredictable. “He’s such a capricious boss I never know how he’ll react.”

Gregarious adj. 1. Seeking and enjoying the company of others; sociable. “She is a gregarious, outgoing person.”

Visceral adj. 1. Instinctual: proceeding from instinct rather than from reasoned thinking or intellect. “A visceral business decision.” 2. Emotional: characterized by or showing crude or elemental emotions.

Auspicious adj. Marked by success; prosperous. Suggesting a positive and successful future. “An auspicious time to purchase the stock.”

Cognitive adj. 1. Relating to the process of acquiring knowledge by the use of reasoning, intuition, or perception. 2. Having a basis in or reducible to empirical factual knowledge. “A Cognitive model for success.”

Specious adj.  1. Having the ring of truth or plausibility but actually fallacious. “A specious argument.” 2. Deceptively attractive.

Incredulous adj. 1. Skeptical; disbelieving. “Most people are incredulousof stories about flying saucers.” 2. Expressive of disbelief. “An incredulousstare.”

Odious (o·di·ous) adj. Extremely unpleasant; repulsive. Deserving of hatred or repugnance. “The detective said it was the most odious crime she had ever seen.”

Acerbic adj. Sharp or biting, as in character or expression. “The director occasionally allowed an acerbic tone to an otherwise subtle dialogue.”

Esoteric adj. 1. Difficult to understand; abstruse. 2. Not publicly disclosed; confidential. 3. Of rare, special, or unusual interest. “Her software’s success was based on an esoteric programming language.”

Incongruous adj. 1. Lacking in harmony; incompatible. 2. Not in agreement, as with principles; inconsistent. “A plan incongruous with reason.” 3. Not in keeping with what is correct, proper, or logical; inappropriate. “She showed incongruous behavior.”

Ominous adj. Menacing; threatening. “Ominous black clouds;” “An ominous scream prior to the shooting.”

Anachronism n. One that is out of its proper, chronological, or historical order, especially a person or practice that belongs to an earlier time. “A sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.”

Nebulous adj. 1. Lacking definition or definite content. 2. Lacking definite form or limits; vague. “The test results were nebulous and determined to be unusable.”

Exacerbate transitive verb.  To make more violent, bitter, or severe; to irritate or make worse. “The continued delays were greatly exacerbated by the lack of workers on the project.”

Temporal adj.  Relating to, or limited by time. Lasting only for a time; not eternal.  Also: fleeting, passing, momentary, temporary, transient, short-lived. “The beneficial effects of the loan were temporal.”

Pragmatic adj.  More concerned with practical results than with theories and principles. “The CEO used a pragmatic approach to making his business a success.”

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.”