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.”

Recondite adj. (of a subject or knowledge) Little known, obscure, abstruse. “Recondite information.”

Obsequious adj. Obedient or attentive to an excessive degree. “The obsequious service resulted in an excellent tip.”

Colloquial (ism) adj. (of language) Used in ordinary conversation; not formal or literary. “His lecture was quite engaging due to his colloquial speech.”

Ignoble adj. Not honorable in character or purpose; shameful. “An ignoble act.”

Tenuous adj. Very weak or slight; insubstantial. “A tenuous argument.”

Ostracize v. Exclude (someone) from a society or group. “She felt ostracized by society.”

Irascible adj. Characterized by or arising from anger. (of a person) Easily made angry. “He was always irascible and quick to get into a fight.”

Nescient; Nescience adj. Lacking knowledge; ignorant. “His nescience of the topic was obvious.”

Acrid adj. Having an irritatingly strong and unpleasant taste or smell. Angry and bitter. “An acrid odor filled the room.”

Elucidate v. Make (something) clear; explain. “The presentation will help to elucidate the project.”

Contrite adj. 1. Arising from sense of guilt: done or said out of a sense of guilt or remorse. 2. Very sorry: genuinely and deeply sorry about something. “He was suitably contrite.”

Precocious adj. Manifesting or characterized by unusually early development or maturity, especially in mental aptitude. “A precociouschild.”

Assertive adj. 1.Inclined to bold or confident assertion; aggressively self-assured. “She is an assertive businesswoman.”

Ethereal [e·the·re·al] adj. Characterized by lightness and insubstantiality; intangible. “Her fragrance lingered in the room, an ethereal reminder of her presence.” 2. Highly refined; delicate. “Ethereal beauty.”

Avuncular adj. Kind and friendly toward a younger or less experienced person. “An avuncular manner.” Of or relating to an uncle.

Licentious adj. Promiscuous and unprincipled. Lacking moral discipline. “The judge treated her in a most licentious manner.”

Eviscerate v. Deprive or take away (something) of its essential content. “The compromise eviscerated the proposed agreement.”

Abate v. To reduce in amount, degree, or intensity; lessen. “The wind finally abated.”

Futile adj. Incapable of producing any useful result; pointless. “All of his attempts to rectify the situation proved futile.”

Ingratiate tr.v. Bring oneself into favor or good graces of another, especially by deliberate effort. “She soon ingratiated herself with her new boss.”

Titular adj. Relating to or constituting a title. “The titular head of the business.”

Histrionic adj. Overly theatrical or dramatic. n. Exaggerated dramatic behavior designed to attract attention. “His histrionic reaction disrupted the meeting.”

Sagacious adj. Shrewd; showing keen mental discernment and good judgment. “A sagacious remark.”

Apoplectic adj. Overcome with anger; extremely indignant. “He showed apoplectic rage.”

Overt adj. Done or shown openly; plainly or readily apparent, not secret or hidden. “Overt hostility.”

Intrinsic adj. Belonging naturally; essential. “Intrinsic stock value.”

Confluence [con·flu·ence] n. The act or process of merging. A flowing together of two or more streams. “A fortunate confluence of factors led to his success.”

Trepidation n. A feeling of fear or agitation about something that may or may not actually happen. “He entered the cave with considerable trepidation.”

Egress n. The action of going out of or leaving a place. “The company’s egress procedures.”

Credulous; Credulity adj. A tendency to be too ready to believe that something is real or true. “A credulous rumor.”

Opprobrious adj. Disgraceful; shameful. “His actions were opprobrious.”

Sentient adj. Characterized by sensation and consciousness. Able to perceive or feel things: “Sentient life forms.”

Propensity n. An inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way. “He has a propensity for clear thinking.”

Sycophant [syc·o·phant] n. A person who acts attentively toward someone in order to gain advantage; a servile flatterer.