Doleful [dole·ful] adj Expressing sorrow; mournful. “A doleful look.” Causing misfortune or grief. “Doleful consequences.”

Abstruse [ab·struse] adj. Difficult to understand; obscure. “An abstruse argument presented by the lawyers.”

Sardonic [sar·don·ic] adj. Grimly mocking or cynical. “His sardonic smile.”

Pejorative adj. Expressing contempt or disapproval. Disparaging; belittling. “He used pejorative overtones in his speech.”

Spurious adj. Not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit. Not being what it purports to be; false or fake. “Spurious claims.”

Vitiate [vi·ti·ate] v. Spoil or impair the quality or efficiency of. “The government programs were vitiated by excessive red tape.” Destroy or impair the legal validity of.

Predacious adj. Predatory; Given to victimizing, plundering, or destroying for one’s own gain. “A victim of predacious behavior.”

Capacious adj. Having a lot of space inside; roomy. “A capacious closet.”

Vitriol; Vitriolic [vit·ri·ol] n. Cruel, bitter, scathing criticism; Abusive feeling or expression. “A vitriolic tone of voice.”

Alchemy [al·che·my] n. 1. A power or process of transforming something common into something special. 2. An inexplicable or mysterious process by which paradoxical results are achieved with no obvious rational explanation.