To aggrandize someone (or something) is to enhance their power, wealth, position, or reputation. Aggrandize can also mean "to increase or enlarge" or "to praise highly."

// Critics of the book argue that the author aggrandizes corrupt politicians.

Watershed, used figuratively, refers to a crucial dividing point, line, or factor. Used literally, the word may refer to a ridge from which rivers drain on either side, or to the area of land that includes a particular river or lake and all the rivers, streams, etc. that flow into it. : a crucial dividing point, line, or factor

// The protests marked a watershed in the nation’s history.

// The Continental Divide is the most well known watershed in the United States.

When we describe something, such as data, as empirical, we mean that it originated in, or was based on, observation or experience. Empirical can also be used to describe something that can be verified or disproved by observation or experiment, as in “empirical laws.”

// The team of conservation biologists has over the years collected reams of empirical data, from species inventories to soil analyses.

1. anything sunk in the sea, but attached to a buoy or the like so that it may be recovered.

A patina is a usually green film that forms on copper and bronze that is exposed to moist air for an extended time. The word patina can also refer to a shiny or dark surface that over time forms naturally on something (such as wood or leather), or to a literal or figurative thin layer.

// The town erected a statue in her honor, which over the years developed a seafoam green patina.

// Although the winery is brand-new, it has been constructed and decorated to give it a patina of old-world quaintness.

A person who is loath to do something is unwilling or reluctant to do that thing.

// Proud of the company he had built, Henry was loath to admit that it was time to think about retiring.

Stigma refers to a set of negative and often unfair beliefs that a society or group of people have about something.

// The organization is animated by a commitment to challenging stigmas associated with the condition.

Magnanimous is a formal word that means “having or showing a generous and kind nature.”

// She was too magnanimous to resent the unkind words of those grousing about her winning the spelling bee.

Gist, which almost always appears in the phrase “the gist,” refers to the general or basic meaning of something written or said.

// I found the author’s grandiloquent style of writing intolerable, but I got the gist of the story.

To matriculate is to enroll or be enrolled as a student, especially at a college or university.

// She matriculated at the Rhode Island School of Design and began classes in the fall.

// A spokesperson for the college said the school is expected to matriculate approximately 1,000 students for the fall semester.

Apiary refers to a place where bees are kept, and especially a collection of hives or colonies of bees kept for their honey.

// One of the best parts of having a beekeeper for a sister-in-law is getting fresh jars of local honey from the family apiary.

Recalcitrant is a formal word typically used to describe someone who stubbornly refuses to obey rules or orders. Recalcitrant can also describe something that is difficult to manage or operate.

// The magazine, aimed at parents and caregivers of young children, will include the latest in child development science as well as practical information, like tricks for persuading even the most recalcitrant toddler to cooperate.

Dissonant typically describes music that is not in harmony, or sounds and notes that clash. In non-music contexts, dissonant describes things that clash by not being in agreement or by not fitting well together.

// The guitarist struck a dissonant chord.

// The retrospective provided a sometimes dissonant journey through the artist's decades of work.

Conscientious describes someone who is concerned with doing things correctly. It can be used as a synonym for both meticulous and careful.

// She has always been a conscientious worker committed to painstaking research.

Gumption refers to courage and confidence.

// It took a lot of gumption to speak up for yourself like that.

Kith is an old-fashioned term that refers to familiar friends, neighbors, or relatives. It is often used in the phrase “kith and kin,” which means “friends and relatives.”

// Spending time with kith and kin at the end of the summer is the highlight of our year.

Southpaw is an informal word for someone who is left-handed. It is especially used for a left-handed baseball pitcher or boxer.

// The team’s new pitcher is a southpaw with a wicked knuckleball.

To devolve is to gradually go from an advanced state to a less advanced state, or to pass something, such as responsibility or power, from one person or group to another at a lower level of authority.

// Somehow the debate devolved into a petty competition to see who could get more applause.

// Community leaders hope that the new government will devolve more power to the community itself.

Expeditious is a formal word that is used to describe someone acting in a quick and efficient way, or something done in such a manner.

// Both sides hoped for an expeditious resolution of the dispute.

Rigmarole refers to a long, complicated, and annoying process, description, etc.

// We went through the rigmarole of installing, registering, and activating the software before we found out it wouldn’t work.

To divulge something, especially secret or private information, is to make it known.

// Rather than divulge the baby name we’ve chosen, we’re waiting till the little one arrives to make introductions.

Balmy is an adjective that is often used to describe weather that is warm, calm, and pleasant. It can also be used to describe someone or something (such as an idea) that is foolish or irrational.

// After a long, eight-hour drive, we were rewarded with a mild, balmy evening at our vacation spot on the shores of Lake Erie.

// Despite being a devout Green Bay fan, she finds the idea of attending games in head-to-toe yellow and green body paint to be a bit balmy.

An oxymoron is a combination of words that have opposite or very different meanings, such as "cruel kindness" or "open secret." In broader usage, oxymoron can also refer to something (such as a concept) that is made up of contradictory or incongruous elements.

// Some of Shakespeare's most famous plays are filled with oxymorons such as "loving hate" and "tragical mirth."

Something or someone described as lackadaisical is lacking in interest, enthusiasm, or zest.

// Feeling particularly lackadaisical in the summer heat, they lazily tossed a ball back and forth.

To circumscribe something is to limit its range or activity.

// The president’s decision-making power was carefully circumscribed by the company’s board.

Vacuous is a formal word indicating a lack of thought, intelligence, or substance.

// Despite a lengthy advertising campaign pitching the film as a masterwork, critics ultimately assailed it as dull and filled with self-important characters spouting vacuous platitudes.

In military contexts, salvo refers to various actions involving discharge or release of bombs, rockets, artillery, etc., as well to the bombs or projectiles released in such an action. In general use, salvo is usually used to refer to a strong or sudden verbal attack, but it can also refer to a sudden occurrence of applause, laughter, etc., from many people.

// The troops were driven back by a salvo of cannon fire.

// The editorial's opening salvo was a list of grievances against the mayor's policies.

// The conclusion of her performance was answered with a salvo of cheers and applause.

Gnomic is a formal word that describes something cryptically said or written in few words.

// The painter is notorious for offering terse, gnomic responses to questions about her work that leave interviewers and critics scratching their heads.

Pedagogical is a formal word used to describe things that are of or related to teachers or education.

// The new professor is known for particularly engaging pedagogical methods.

Invidious is a formal word used to describe things that are unpleasant and likely to cause bad feelings in other people. Such bad feelings may include resentment, discontent, animosity, or envy.

// Psychologists caution against drawing invidious comparisons between other people’s lives as portrayed on social media and one’s own.

Torpor is a formal word for a state of inactivity and sluggishness. It can also be used, especially in the context of hibernating and estivating animals, to refer to a state of lowered physiological activity.

// The magazine offers lots of ideas for activities designed to shake off the torpor of a rainy day.

Colloquial is used with words like term and word and expression to describe language that is used in familiar and informal conversation.

// The author can switch from formal academic language to a charmingly colloquial style, depending on the audience and subject of her writing.

To mitigate something is to make it less severe, harmful, or painful.

// One way we can mitigate the impact the construction project will have on residents is to commit to completing it in the allotted time.

Spindrift refers to spray blown from waves during a gale or to fine wind-borne snow or sand.

// Our whale-watching cruise was a whirlwind of flukes, fins, and clinging to the handrails amid the waves and salty blasts of spindrift.

Comely is an adjective with an old-fashioned and literary feel that describes someone or something that has a pleasing appearance, or that is pretty or attractive.

// The newlyweds make quite a comely couple.

To inveigle someone is to persuade them in a clever or deceptive way to do something. Inveigle can also mean “to get something in a clever or deceptive way.”

// According to rumors, the company inveigled employees into signing the agreement.

// Their attempts to inveigle the information from her were, eventually, fruitful.

A kludge is a haphazard or makeshift solution to a problem and especially to a computer or programming problem. // Andy knocked out a hasty kludge to circumvent the glitch until a more robust solution could be developed.

Parochial is a formal word that is usually used in a disapproving way to describe something that is limited in range or scope, as to a narrow region or area.

// For some, college can be an expansive experience that lifts them out of a parochial mindset.

To vituperate someone is to criticize or censure them severely or abusively. Vituperate can also mean "to use harsh condemnatory language."

// They were vituperated for betraying their friends.

Itinerant describes someone who travels from place to place or only stays in a place for a short amount of time. It is used especially for people who travel in a circuit for their profession.

// Being an itinerant musician gave her the opportunity to see the wonders of the world with her own eyes.

Maverick refers to a person who refuses to follow the customs or rules of a group; in other words, a nonconformist.

// Ayo has always been a bit of a maverick in the fashion world, inventing new trends rather than following them.