To edify someone is to teach them in a way that improves their mind or character.

// The commencement speaker hoped that her words would edify the graduates, and give them hope and encouragement.

If something—such as a path, route, or journey—is described as circuitous, it is not straight, short, and direct, but rather takes a circular or winding course. Circuitous can also describe speech or writing that is not said or done simply or clearly.

// He took a circuitous route to town, stopping at several of his favorite shops even though it added minutes and miles to his trip.

// While either method will yield the correct answer, one is far less circuitous and therefore considered superior.

Something false or inauthentic is spurious. Don't trust spurious ideas and stories. Spurious statements often are lies, just as a spurious coin is a counterfeit coin — a fake.

Divers is an adjective meaning "numbering more than one."

// The tri-county fair offers divers amusements for the whole family.

To opine is to express an opinion about something.

// Many people opine that social media platforms should be better regulated.

A gourmand is a person who loves and appreciates good food and drink. Gourmand can also refer to someone who enjoys eating and drinking to excess.

// He was a gourmand who retired to New Orleans to live close to the cuisine he loved best.

Virtuoso is used broadly to refer to a person who does something very skillfully, and is often used specifically to refer to a very skillful musician.

// He’s a real virtuoso in the kitchen, whipping up gourmet dishes for his family not just on holidays but on regular weeknights.

// Although the violin was her first instrument, she eventually proved to be a virtuoso on the harp.

To parlay something is to use or develop it in order to get something else of greater value. Parlay is often used with the word into.

// He hoped to parlay his basketball skills into a college scholarship.

// She parlayed $5,000 and years of hard work into a multimillion-dollar company.

Something is considered hackneyed when it is not interesting, funny, etc., because of being used too often; in other words, it's neither fresh nor original.

// The new crime drama's characters are shallow stereotypes who engage one another in hackneyed dialogue.

Cerulean describes things whose blue color resembles the blue of a clear sky.

// The painting depicts leafless trees bordering a cerulean lake.

Secular describes things that are not spiritual; that is, they relate more to the physical world than the spiritual world. The word also carries the closely related meaning of "not religious."

// Each year, Ian directed his charitable giving toward secular concerns like affordable housing and arts programming for teens.

// In her autobiography, the actor mentions that her education in parochial school was not so different from that of secular institutions.

To cozen someone is to deceive, win over, or induce them to do something by coaxing or trickery.

// The organization cozened scores of people by persuading them to participate in a fraudulent investment scheme.

Something, such as a position, excuse, or situation, that is described as untenable cannot be defended against attack or criticism.

// The scientists considered their colleague's theory to be bold but ultimately untenable.

Something described as gelid, such as the weather or a person’s demeanor, is literally or figuratively extremely cold or icy.

// She decided to move down south after experiencing Chicago’s gelid winters throughout college.

To fulminate is to complain loudly or angrily about something.

// The editorial fulminated against the corruption in the state government that has been recently uncovered.

Tome is a formal word for a book, and especially a very large, thick, often scholarly book.

// We picked up a tome on the Ghana Empire for our history project.

To fulminate is to complain loudly or angrily about something.

// The editorial fulminated against the corruption in the state government that has been recently uncovered.

Someone described as addlepated is mixed-up or confused. Addlepated can also be used as synonym of eccentric.

// Some addlepated clerk confused our hotel reservation with that of another, similarly named, party.

To rejuvenate a person, parts of the body, etc., is to make them feel young, healthy, or energetic again. To rejuvenate something abstract, such as an economy or career, is to give it new strength or energy.

// The hotel package includes a day at the spa to rejuvenate guests.

// Small businesses opening along the main street have rejuvenated the downtown area.

Someone described as urbane is notably polite, confident, or polished in manner. Urbane is also used to describe things that are fashionable and somewhat formal.

// "When did my willful, childish cousin turn into this urbane young artist greeting the guests at her opening reception?" wondered Elena.

// We were impressed by the hotel's urbane sophistication.

1. a process in which a substance reacts with oxygen to give heat and light

2. the act of burning something

3. a state of violent disturbance and excitement

Feisty describes someone who has or shows a lively aggressiveness, especially in being unafraid to fight or argue. In some regions of the US, feisty may also be used as a synonym of fidgety, quarrelsome, or frisky.

// Even her opponents admire her feisty spirit.

A menorah is a candelabra with seven or nine lights that is used in Jewish worship.

// At sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, Elliott's father helped him light the first candle on the menorah.

Delectation is a formal word for a feeling of delight or enjoyment. It can also be used to refer to the source of such feelings.

// The resort staff left a sampling of fine chocolate in our room for our delectation.

// For lovers of art and architecture, Paris offers visitors a peerless abundance of delectations.

In technical use, ambient describes things—such as air quality or light in a room—that exist or are present on all sides. Ambient is also used to describe electronic music that is quiet and relaxing, with melodies that repeat many times.

// The chemicals must be kept at an ambient temperature of 70°F.

Beatific is a formal word that describes something or someone having a blissful appearance or showing complete happiness.

// As the pair danced, beatific smiles on their faces, the audience sat hushed and almost reverential.

To describe something as lexical is to say that it is related to words or vocabulary.

// A dictionary provides lexical information—it tells you what the word "cat" means, not all there is to know about cats.

An allusion is a reference to something that avoids mentioning the thing directly. Allusion may also describe the use of such a statement or the act of alluding to something.

// The lyrics contain biblical allusions.

// They made allusion to their first marriage, but said nothing more about it.

Pastiche refers to something (such as a piece of writing, music, etc.) that imitates the style of someone or something else. It can also refer to a work that is made up of selections from multiple other works, or it can be used as a synonym of hodgepodge.

// The director’s new murder mystery is a clever pastiche of the 1950s noir films she watched as a girl.

// The research paper was essentially a pastiche made up of passages from different sources.

// The house is decorated in a pastiche of mid-century styles.

A brogue is a low shoe, usually made of leather, that is decorated with small holes along the sides at the toe, and that usually features a wing tip.

// Even though his brogues are scuffed and old, Dad prefers them to his new loafers.

Fulgent is a formal, often poetic word used to describe something that is dazzlingly bright. It is a synonym for radiant.

// After a long, drizzly morning, a fulgent sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds.

yellowish

An ambigram is an image of a written word or phrase that is intended or able to be oriented in either of two ways for viewing or reading.

// Angel started taking calligraphy classes to learn how to create ambigrams and other fun designs that can be read both upside down and right side up.

To eschew something is to avoid it, especially because you do not think it is right, proper, or practical.

// Their teacher was known as a Luddite because he eschewed the use of smartphones and tablets in the classroom.

Someone described as complaisant is willing or eager to please other people, or is easily convinced to do what other people want.

// Derek was a complaisant boy, always happy to oblige whenever his mother or father asked him to run an errand.

// She was too complaisant to say no to her sister's demands.