Caprice [ca·price] n. A sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior.

Existential [ex·is·ten·tial] adj. (1) Of or relating to existence. (2) Concerned with existence, esp. human existence as viewed in the theories of existentialism. “An existential threat.”

Facetious [fa·ce·tious] adj. Treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant.

Tactile [tac·tile] adj. (1) Of or connected with the sense of touch. (2) Perceptible by touch or apparently so; tangible: “A tactile keyboard.”

Propitious [pro·pi·tious] adj. (1) Indicating a good chance of success; favorable. “It was a propitious time to leave the party without offending the host.” (2) Favorably disposed toward someone.

Divergence [di·ver·gence] n. (1) A difference or conflict in opinions, interests, wishes, etc. (2) The process or state of diverging.

Mitigate [mit·i·gate] v. (1) Make less severe, serious, or painful: “he wanted to mitigate the damages in court.” (2) Lessen the gravity of (an offense or mistake).

Luminous [lu·mi·nous] adj. Bright or shining, esp. in the dark. Glowing with health, vigor, or a particular emotion: “Her eyes were luminous with joy.”

Austerity [aus·ter·i·ty] n. (1) Sternness or severity of manner or attitude. (2) Extreme plainness and simplicity of style or appearance.

Fractious [frac·tious] adj. (1) Easily irritated; bad-tempered: “they fight and squabble like fractious kids.” (2) (of an organization) Difficult to control; unruly.

Abysmal [a·bys·mal] adj. Extremely bad; appalling. “The results were pretty abysmal;” “Abysmal failure.”

Atrocious [a·tro·cious] adj. Horrifyingly wicked: “Atrocious cruelties.” Of a very poor quality; extremely bad or unpleasant: “Atrocious weather.”

Endemic [en·dem·ic] adj. Native to a specific region or environment and not occurring naturally anywhere else. “Malaria is endemic in tropical climates.” (n.) An endemic plant or animal.

Paradox [par·a·dox] n. A statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth. An opinion or statement contrary to commonly accepted opinion, but may be factual.

Superfluous [su·per·flu·ous] adj. Unnecessary, being beyond what is required or sufficient. “The repeated warnings were superfluous.” “Superfluous details.”

Lascivious adj. Feeling or revealing an overt and often offensive sexual desire. “He gave her a lascivious wink.” Inclined to lustfulness; wanton; lewd. “The lascivious old man.”

Didactic [di·dac·tic] adj. (1) Intended to teach, particularly in having moral instruction as an ulterior motive. (2) In the manner of a teacher, particularly so as to treat someone in a patronizing way. “The didactic speech influenced the weaker members of the audience

Decadent [dec·a·dent] n. A person who is luxuriously self-indulgent. (adj.) Characterized by or reflecting a state of decay or cultural decline, as in being self-indulgent or morally corrupt.

Innervate [in·ner·vate] v. To stimulate or supply nervous energy.

Insolent [in·so·lent] adj. Showing a rude or arrogant lack of respect. “The child’s insolentbehavior was unacceptable.”

Garrulous [gar·ru·lous] adj. Excessively talkative, especially on trivial matters. “A garrulousreprimand.”

Vacuous [vac·u·ous] adj. Having or showing a lack of thought or intelligence; mindless: “a vacuous smile.”

Juxtapose [jux·ta·pose] tr.v. 1. To place side by side, especially for comparison or contrast. “The exhibition juxtaposes Picasso’s early drawings with some of his later works.”

Tenacious [te·na·cious] adj. 1. Not readily letting go of, giving up, or separated from an object that one holds, a position, or a principle: “A tenacious hold.” 2. Not easily dispelled or discouraged; persisting in existence or in a course of action: “A tenacious legend.”

Vacillate [vac·il·late] v. Alternate or waver between different opinions or actions; be indecisive. “Her tendency to vacillate made her a poor director.”

Fastidious [fas·tid·i·ous] adj. 1. Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail. 2. excessively particular, critical, or demanding; hard to please: “A fastidious eater.” 3. Very concerned about matters of cleanliness.

Assuage [uh·sweyj] v. 1. To make milder or less severe; relieve; ease; mitigate: “to assuageone’s pain.” 2. to appease, satisfy, or relieve: “To assuage one’s hunger.” 3. to soothe or calm: “To assuage his fears;” “To assuage her anger.”

Vicarious [vi·car·i·ous] adj. 1. Experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person: “A vicarious thrill.” 2. Acting or done for another: “A vicarious atonement.”

Transitory adj. 1. Not lasting, enduring, permanent, or eternal. 2.Lasting only a short time; brief; short-lived; temporary. “It was a transitory stage in the actor’s career.”

Rhetorical adj. Of or relating to rhetoric. Characterized by language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or intellectually vacuous.

Egalitarian [e·gal·i·tar·i·an] adj. Affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people.

Colloquialism [col·lo·qui·al·ism] n. 1. An informal word or phrase that is more common in conversation than in formal speech or writing. Colloquialisms can include words such as “gonna” and phrases such as “ain’t nothin’” and “dead as a doornail.”

Temerity [te·mer·i·ty] n. Excessive confidence or boldness; audacity: “No one had the temerityto question her decision.”

Ignominious [ig·no·min·i·ous] adj. Deserving or causing public disgrace or shame; humiliating: “An ignominious defeat.”

Homogeneous [ho·mo·ge·ne·ous] adj. 1. Uniform in structure or composition. 2. Of the same or similar nature or kind: “The corporation maintains tight-knit, homogeneous board members.”

It's sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew.

Clandestine adj. 1. Kept or done in secret, often in order to conceal an illicit or improper purpose. “The CIA maintains clandestine operations in many countries.”

Monolithic [mon·o·lith·ic] adj. 1. Massive, solid, and uniform: “The monolithic cathedral.” 2. Large and unchanging: massive, uniform in character, and slow to change.

Eccentric [ec·cen·tric] adj. 1. Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern. 2. n. One that deviates markedly from an established norm, especially a person of odd or unconventional behavior. “His eccentricities now extend to never leaving his home.”

Impugn [im·pugn] tr.v. To attack as false or questionable; challenge in argument: “To impugn a political opponent’s record.”

Erudite [er·u·dite] adj. Deep, extensive learning. “He has a reputation as an eruditeintellectual with a deep understanding of the issues.”

Nocturnal [noc·tur·nal] adj. Occurring or coming out at night: “A nocturnal lifestyle.”

Aesthetic(s) [aes·thet·ic] adj. 1. Of or concerning the appreciation of beauty or good taste. 2. Characterized by a heightened sensitivity to beauty. “The aesthetic design of the building is amazing!”

Enervate [en·er·vate] tr.v. 1. To weaken or destroy the strength or vitality. 2. Lacking physical, mental, or moral vigor. “Prolonged exposure to the sun and dehydration enervated the desert racing team.”

Tempestuous [tem·pes·tu·ous] adj. Tumultuous; stormy: “A tempestuous relationship.”

Attrition [at·tri·tion] n. 1. A gradual, natural reduction in membership or personnel, as through retirement, resignation, or death. 2. A gradual diminution in number or strength. “The company’s attrition rate was quite high.”

Axiom [ax·i·om] n. 1. An established rule, principle, or law. 2. A self-evident or universally recognized truth; a maxim. 3. A self-evident principle or one that is accepted as true without proof as the basis for argument.

Prognosticate [prog·nos·ti·cate] tr.v. To predict according to present indications or signs; foretell. “The armchair quarterback tried to prognosticate the play from his recliner.”

 [in·sid·i·ous] adj. 1. Working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner: insidious rumors; an insidious disease. 2. Beguiling but harmful; alluring: insidious pleasures.

1. Feeling or showing little or no emotion; unresponsive. 2. Feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern; indifferent. “He seemed very apathetic about the company’s closure.”