Maniacal adj. Characterized by excessive enthusiasm or excitement. “A maniacal grin on his face.”

Exogenous adj. Of, relating to, or developing from external factors. “There have been exogenous factors pushing up the stock price.”

Circumspect adj Wary and unwilling to take risks. “His circumspect approach to investing.”

Apocryphal adj. Of doubtful authenticity, although widely circulated as being true. “Apocryphal stories dating from Hollywood’s golden age.”

Coltish adj. Energetic but awkward in one’s movements or behavior. Playful, not trained or disciplined. “Coltish horseplay to celebrate their graduation.”

Glower v. Have an angry or sullen look on one’s face; scowl. “The librarian glowered at her for talking too loud.”

Luddite [lud·dite] n. A person opposed to increased industrialization or new technology, and is often someone who is incompetent when using new technology. “He was a luddite that preferred his typewriter over a computer.”

Conflate v. Combine two or more texts, ideas, etc. into one. “Their ideas were conflated in ways that were not helpful.”

Untenable adj. Not able to be maintained or defended against attack or objection. “She was in an untenable situation that was difficult to get out of.”

Boorish adj. Resembling or characteristic of a boor; rude and clumsy in behavior. “His boorish behavior was unacceptable to the directors.”

Penitent [pen·i·tent] n. Feeling or showing sorrow and regret for having done wrong; repentant. “After the robbery, the thief was penitent and returned the property.”

Mellifluous adj. Sweet or musical; pleasant to hear. “She had a mellifluous voice.”

Peripatetic adj. Traveling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods. “He maintained a peripatetic lifestyle.”

Peripatetic adj. Traveling from place to place, esp. working or based in various places for relatively short periods. “He maintained a peripatetic lifestyle.”

Canard n. A false or unfounded rumor or story. “The tabloid included some of Hollywood’s oldest canards.”

Ghoulish adj. Suggesting the horror of death and decay; morbid or disgusting. “The ghoulish mask was a scary Halloween favorite.”

Rapier n. Quick and incisive. A sharp-pointed sword used for thrusting. “Rapier combat was not for the meek.” “Rapier wit.”

acuity n. Sharpness or keenness of thought, vision, or hearing. “The sun’s glare can cause discomfort and reduces visual acuity.”

Ruminate v. Think deeply about something. “We sat ruminating on the nature of existence.”

Sycophant; Sycophantic Attempting to win favor from influential people by flattery; A servile self-seeking flatterer. “There was sycophantic laughter from the audience at their bosses jokes.”

Nuance n. A subtle difference in or shade of meaning, expression, or sound. “Subtle nuances of her on-screen character.”

Potentate n. One who has the power and position to rule over others: A monarch or ruler. “Industrial potentates.”

Nascent adj. Recently coming into existence and beginning to display signs of future potential. Not yet fully developed; emerging. “The business remains nascent but very promising.”

Surreptitious adj. Kept secret, particularly because it would not be approved of. “His surreptitious drug habit could land him in jail.”

Peevish adj. Easily irritated, particularly by unimportant things. “He was peevish around smokers.”

Brusque adj. Abrupt and curt in manner or speech; discourteously blunt. “Her boss gave a brusque reply.”

Churlish adj. Rude in a mean-spirited and surly way. “It was rather churlish of him to complain about the small donations.”

Efficacy n. The ability to produce a desired or intended result. “The efficacy of the new marketing plan has not been proven.”

Empathy; Empathetic [em·pa·thet·ic] adj. The action of understanding, being aware of, being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and experience of another. “Her doctor was empathetic to her condition.”

Gourmand n. A person who enjoys eating and often eats too much; gluttonous. A connoisseur of good food. “The traveling gourmand seldom passed up a restaurant.”

Melancholy n. A deep, pensive, and long-lasting sadness. adj. Sad, gloomy, or depressed. “She was in a melancholy mood.”

Disparate adj. Essentially different in kind; not allowing comparison. markedly distinct in quality or character. “He is a strong leader capable of managing a disparate team to achieve their goals.”

Demonstrative adj. Tending to show feelings, especially the open expression of emotion. “A demonstrative argument.”

Atrophy n. A decrease in size or wasting away or progressive decline, as from disuse. “Misleading and infrequent reporting have facilitated the atrophy of self-sufficiency.”

Bellicose adj. Hostile in manner or temperament. Demonstrating aggression or a willingness to fight. “His bellicose behavior concerned authorities.”

Accolade n. An expression of praise or admiration. An award or privilege granted; an acknowledgment of merit. “The scientist was given many accolades for his research.”

Impish adj. Mischievous. Inclined to do slightly naughty things for fun. “He approached her with an impish grin on his face.”

Benign adj. Mild or favorable (result). Gentle, kind, good. “The results were benign and required no treatment.”

Amicable adj. Having a spirit of friendliness; without arguments or serious disagreement. “An amicable agreement between the two firms.”

Patronize v. Treat with an apparent kindness that betrays a feeling of superiority. “She detests being patronized.” Frequent an establishment as a customer. “He always patronizes the same restaurant.”

Incessant adj. Continuing without pause or interruption. “The incessant noise kept him awake.”

Ardent adj. Enthusiastic or passionate. “He is an ardent sports fan.”

Vituperative adj. Bitter and abusive. “The critic’s vituperative review was needlessly harsh.”

Servile [ser·vile] adj. Having or showing an excessive willingness to serve or please others. “She wrote a servile letter to her upset neighbor.”

Phalanx n. A group of people or things of a similar type forming a compact body or brought together for a common purpose. “A phalanx of lawyers took charge of the case.”

Tangential adj. Superficially relevant; divergent. Diverging from a previous course or line; erratic. “He took credit for anything tangentially related to their work.”

Discern; Discerning v. Perceive or recognize (something). Distinguish (someone or something) with difficulty by sight or with the other senses. “Discern who is telling the truth.”

Compendium n. A collection of concise but detailed information about a particular subject. A collection of things, esp. one systematically gathered. “Compendium of old stories gathered by topic.”

Canonize v. Regard as being above reproach or of great significance. “He canonized women.”

Equivocal adj. Open to more than one interpretation; ambiguous. Uncertain or questionable in nature. “Congress was equivocal on its domestic spending package.”