Docile adj. Submissive. Ready to accept control or instruction. “The dog was very docile around children.”

Gravitas [grav·i·tas] n. Dignity, seriousness, or solemnity in manner. “He has the necessary gravitas to lead the company.”

Incendiary adj. Designed to cause fires. “An incendiary device.”

Dismal [dis·mal] adj Gloomy. Depressing; dreary. “The business was a dismal failure;” “Dismal weather.”

Provenance [prov·e·nance] n. The beginning of something’s existence; something’s origin. The place of origin or earliest known history of something. “An exquisite vase of Chinese provenance.”

Tepid [tep·id] adj. Showing little enthusiasm: “The president had a tepid response to the proposal.”

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.”