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.”

Cornucopia [cor·nu·co·pi·a] n. A large amount of something; a great supply, an abundance: “A cornucopia of employment opportunities.”

Solicitous adj. 1. Marked by or given to anxious care and often hovering attentiveness. 2. Extremely careful; meticulous: “solicitous in matters of behavior.” 3. Anxious or concerned: “a solicitous parent.”

A warning or proviso: something said as a warning, caution, or qualification. “The agreement contains the usual caveats.”

Known automatically: known directly and instinctively, without being discovered or consciously perceived. “He intuitively knew that one day she would become a movie star.”

1. To shorten or cut off. 2. To shorten (a number) by dropping one or more digits after the decimal point.

Producing a feeling of being purified emotionally, spiritually, or psychologically as a result of an intense emotional experience or therapeutic technique. “The strength of the movie had a cathartic effect on her.”

Being or taking a roundabout, lengthy course: “He took a circuitous route to avoid traffic.”

Edit something: to edit, revise, or delete content in preparation for publication. “The documents were redacted so personal information wasn’t released to the public.”

1. Composed of elements drawn from various sources 2. Not following any one system, but selecting and using what are considered the best elements of all systems. “An eclectic taste in decorating; an eclectic approach to management.”

Opine v.tr. To state as an opinion. Latin: opinari – to have an opinion.

Effusive adj. 1. Unrestrained or excessive in emotional expression; gushy: “An effusive manner.” 2. Profuse; overflowing: “effusive praise.”

1. Highly significant or important; momentous: “Epochal decisions made by the president.” 2. Without parallel: “Epochal stupidity.”

Episodic adj. Happening at irregular intervals. “He has episodicmigraines.”

Venality n. 1. The condition of being susceptible to bribery or corruption. 2. The use of a position of trust for dishonest gain: “The venality of a corrupt judge.”

Egregious adj. Conspicuously bad or offensive. “The judge’s conduct was egregious.”

Salient [sa·li·ent] adj.  1. Strikingly conspicuous; prominent.  “A salient argument.”

Embellish [em·bel·lish] tr.v. 1. To make beautiful, as by ornamentation; decorate. 2. To add fictitious details to exaggerate the truth: “A dramatic account that embellished the true story.”

Analogous [a·nal·o·gous] adj. 1. Similar or alike in such a way as to permit the drawing of an analogy. “The brain and the Acme 1000 supercomputer are analogous to each other.”

Indigenous [in·dig·e·nous] adj. Originating and living or occurring naturally in an area or environment. “The cactus is indigenous to Arizona.”

Savant [sa·vant] n. A person of learning; wise or scholarly.

 1. Something that originates or results from something else; outcome; issue. 2. A result of creative effort; a product.

1. Indicative that the subject causes an act to be performed or a condition to come into being. “A causative factor of war.”

1. Uncertainty or indecisiveness as to which course to follow. 2. The coexistence of opposing attitudes or feelings, such as love and hate, toward a person, object, or idea.

adj. Of, relating to, or characterized by litigation.
Tending to engage in lawsuits. A litigious celebrity.