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.”

Peckish adj. Ill-tempered; irritable; Chiefly British feeling slightly hungry. “He felt rather peckish close to bedtime.”

Hyperbole; Hyperbolic n. Exaggerated statements or claims not meant to be taken literally. “The company chairman may have been guilty of too much hyperbole during the shareholders meeting.”

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 [sy·co·phan·tic] 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.”

Recidivate; Recidivism intr. v. To return to a previous pattern of behavior. Relapse: go back to bad or criminal behavior. “The convictions for those over sixty are unlikely to recidivate.”

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.”

Congruent; Congruous adj. In agreement or harmony. Suitable; appropriate. “The company’s operations were congruent with its business plan.”

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

Empathy; Empathetic 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.”

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

Amorphous adj. Without a clearly defined shape or form. Vague; ill-organized; unclassifiable. “The amorphous package caused alarm to many people in the terminal.”

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.”

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.”

Servile 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.”

Audacious; Audacity [au·da·cious] adj. Showing a willingness to take risks. “An audacious attack on the company.” Showing an impudent lack of respect. “An audacious move.”

Obdurate adj. Stubbornly refusing to change one’s opinion or course of action. “Despite her plea, he remained obdurate.”

Sapid [sap·id] adj. Having a strong, pleasant taste; palatable. “The wine tasting was a most sapid event.” (of talk or writing) Pleasant or interesting.

Portent n. A sign or warning that something significant is likely to happen. “an occurrence of crucial portent.”

Virulent [vir·u·lent] adj. Extremely severe or harmful in its effects. Bitterly hostile or antagonistic; hateful. “Virulent criticism.”

Prescient; Prescience adj. Having or showing knowledge of events before they take place; foresight. “You should be prescient about choosing your employer.”

Affinity n. A spontaneous or natural liking or sympathy for someone or something. “He has an affinity for science fiction movies.”

Timorous adj. Showing or suffering from nervousness, fear, or a lack of confidence: “A timorous demeanor.”

Unctuous adj. (of a person) Excessively or ingratiatingly flattering. “Anxious to please in an unctuous way.”

Surreal adj. Having the disorienting quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic. “There was something surreal about the diving accident.”

Incisive adj. (of a person or mental process) Intelligently analytical and clear-thinking. Accurate and sharply focused. “The incisive detective soon solved the crime.”