Odious (o·di·ous) adj. Extremely unpleasant; repulsive. Deserving of hatred or repugnance. “The detective said it was the most odious crime she had ever seen.”

Acerbic adj. Sharp or biting, as in character or expression. “The director occasionally allowed an acerbic tone to an otherwise subtle dialogue.”

Esoteric adj. 1. Difficult to understand; abstruse. 2. Not publicly disclosed; confidential. 3. Of rare, special, or unusual interest. “Her software’s success was based on an esoteric programming language.”

Incongruous adj. 1. Lacking in harmony; incompatible. 2. Not in agreement, as with principles; inconsistent. “A plan incongruous with reason.” 3. Not in keeping with what is correct, proper, or logical; inappropriate. “She showed incongruous behavior.”

Ominous adj. Menacing; threatening. “Ominous black clouds;” “An ominous scream prior to the shooting.”

Anachronism n. One that is out of its proper, chronological, or historical order, especially a person or practice that belongs to an earlier time. “A sword is an anachronism in modern warfare.”

Nebulous adj. 1. Lacking definition or definite content. 2. Lacking definite form or limits; vague. “The test results were nebulous and determined to be unusable.”

Exacerbate transitive verb.  To make more violent, bitter, or severe; to irritate or make worse. “The continued delays were greatly exacerbated by the lack of workers on the project.”

Temporal adj.  Relating to, or limited by time. Lasting only for a time; not eternal.  Also: fleeting, passing, momentary, temporary, transient, short-lived. “The beneficial effects of the loan were temporal.”

Pragmatic adj.  More concerned with practical results than with theories and principles. “The CEO used a pragmatic approach to making his business a success.”