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.