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.”

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.”