Pedantic describes someone or something that exhibits the characteristics of a pedant—that is, a person who often annoys other people by correcting small errors and giving too much attention to minor details. Pedantic also means “narrowly, stodgily, and often ostentatiously learned.”

// Their habit of reminding fellow birders that the bird is called a “Canada goose” and not a “Canadian goose” came across as pedantic rather than helpful. // Several attendees walked out of the lecture due to the pedantic nature of the presentation.

Knowledge is the eye of desire and can become the pilot of the soul.

When used with into, dragoon means "to force or convince someone to do something." Without into, dragoon means "to subjugate or persecute by harsh use of troops."

// Employees complained that they had been dragooned into working overtime without adequate compensation.

Scurrilous is a formal adjective that most often describes language that contains obscenities, abuse, or, especially, slander—that is, a false statement that damages a person’s reputation. Scurrilous can also describe someone who uses or tends to use scurrilous language, or it can describe a person or thing as evil or vulgar.

// The press secretary made a point at the briefing not to address the scurrilous rumors surrounding the senator.

To allege something is to assert it without proof or before proving it.

// Consumer advocates allege that the company knew about the faulty switches but sold the product anyway.

Something described as tawdry is cheap and gaudy in appearance or quality. Tawdry is also often used to describe something considered morally bad or distasteful, as in "a tawdry tale of political skulduggery."

// Tawdry decorations cluttered the tiny house.

to deck oneself out.

If you emulate someone or something, you try to be like that person or thing. The word is used especially when one is trying to equal or surpass someone in accomplishment or achievement.

// She grew up emulating her sports heroes.

// Younger children will often try to emulate the behavior of their older siblings.

A cacophony is a mixture of loud and usually harsh unpleasant sounds. Cacophony can also refer to an incongruous or chaotic mixture.

// The sounds of shouting added to the cacophony on the streets.

// A cacophony of aromas wafted through the air.