Beautiful Words

Loquacious (Adjective)

Extremely talkative

“The loquacious salesman didn’t give me an opportunity to say no so I just hung up the phone.”

Plethora (Noun)

Overabundance

“There is a plethora of food in the kitchen.”

Necrosis (Noun)

Death; especially of tissue

“The doctor pointed out the necrosis after performing the scan.”

Evocative (Verb)

Suggestive

“The ambiance at dinner was evocative of Ryan’s intentions.”

Obsequious (Adjective)

Submissive

“The meaner he gets, the more obsequious Amy is.”

Negate (Verb)

To do away with or discount the importance of

“Never negate the importance of education, regardless of your age.”

Ken (Noun)

Knowledge

“That old man has more ken than anyone I know.”

Diminution (Noun)

Reduction

“The diminution of jobs in the area is becoming scary.”

Malfeasance (Noun)

Wrongdoing, especially by a public official

“The governor’s malfeasance will be the subject of a rather interesting trial.”

Confluence (Noun)

Coming together; assembly or concourse

“The confluence of believers meet at the church on the corner.”

Miscreant (Noun)

Depraved person; villain

“The miscreant who murdered the toddler got the death penalty.”

Discern (Verb)

To judge

“Every person should discern whether or not the person they marry will make a good parent if they plan to have children.”

Extol (Verb)

To praise

“The website extolled Professor Williams so I chose him for history.”

 

Taciturn (Adjective)

Reserved; quiet

“Most of her coworkers are taciturn; there is only one loudmouth in the bunch.”

 

Eponymous (Adjective)

Named after someone as a building or a park

“It’s an eponymous project; whoever contributes the most money will see their name on the building.”

Odious (Adjective)

Hateful

“The judge said the defendant was odious as he handed down the maximum sentence.”

 

Myriad (Noun)

Large number; countless

“There are a myriad number of reasons for you to increase your vocabulary.”

Niggling (Adjective)

Petty; inconsequential 

“The kids were niggling over who sat where in the backseat all day and it drove me crazy.”

Languid (Adjective)

Lacking energy; slow

“His languid reply got on my nerves because I was in a hurry.”

Intransigent (Adjective)

Uncompromising

“After several hours of negotiations, the team was intransigent on the remaining issues.”

Impenetrable (Adjective)

Not penetrable; inaccessible

“We couldn’t drive to the cabin because the roads were impenetrable.”

Heretic (Noun)

Person who holds different beliefs; nonconformist

“Throughout history, some heretics have been forced out of town or executed for their beliefs.”

Ubiquity (Noun)

Omnipresence

“Many people feel that God’s ubiquity is comforting.”

Poignant (Adjective)

Emotional

“The movie was so poignant that even the men cried.”

Proclivity (Noun)

Natural predisposition

“Mary has a proclivity to spend every dime she gets.”

Rancor (Noun)

Ill will

“Her neighbor felt rancor toward anyone with dogs.”

Quintessential (Adjective)

Classic; typical

“He was a quintessential gentleman; he opened every door and pulled out my chair at dinner.”

Insouciant (Adjective)

Carefree

“The insouciant child skipped happily along the beach.”

Fervor (Noun)

Intense feeling

“The fervor with which the mother held her found child was moving.”

Disperse (Verb)

To distribute

“I didn’t work today because I was dispersing food to the hungry.”

Sovereignty (Noun)

Supreme Power

“Many people believe in the sovereignty of a higher power.”

Redolent (Adjective)

Fragrant

“It was the redolent aroma in the parking lot that drove me into the restaurant.”

Purveyor (Noun)

A person who provides

“The purveyor of those rumors should check his facts first.”

Ostentatious (Adjective)

Flashy; pretentious

“It was ostentatious of Mrs. Miller to wear her fur coat even though it was warm out.”

Mercurial (Adjective)

Easily changeable; fickle

“Janet’s mercurial taste in men brings men of all ages and backgrounds into the picture.”

Laconic (Adjective)

To the point; concise

“His laconic reply told me all I wanted to know about the job market.”

Guile (Noun)

Cunning; cleverness

“The guile with which he pulled the wool over my eyes scares me.”

Banal (Adjective)

Dull, boring

“The moment she was of age, Lydia knew she had to leave her banal existence behind and move to the city.”

Demagogue (Noun)

Leader or speaker who plays on emotions

“The demagogue figured we would vote for him if he could convince us his rival was a crook.”

Proverbial (Adjective)

Traditional

“The proverbial winds come every March”

Implacable (Adjective)

Intolerant; unforgiving

Implacable people often live lonely lives and die alone too.

Halitosis (Noun)

Bad breath

“I just couldn’t bring myself to tell Nancy that she had halitosis.”

Gauche (Adjective)

Awkward or clumsy

“She is so beautiful she makes me feel gauche.”

Dubious (Adjective)

Doubtful

“It’s dubious if anyone you know will actually win the lottery.”

Facetious (Adjective)

Not to be taken seriously; sarcastic

“Diana was being facetious when she said she wished she could have a hat just like mine.”

Commensurate (Adjective)

Of equal proportion

“The hiring manager told me my salary would be commensurate with my experience.”

Articulate (Adjective)

Speaking distinctly and effectively

“The hiring manager chose to hire Mindy, largely because she was so articulate.”

Usurp (Verb)

Take over

“Mary didn’t want her mother to usurp her authority in front of her child.”

Sublimate (Verb)

Purify

“Marcy didn’t want to drink the water until she found out it was sublimated.”

Quixotic (Adjective)

Idealistic

“Many law school graduates have a quixotic energy about practicing law.”

Pillage (Verb)

To plunder; rob

“The town was quickly pillaged after the storm knocked the power out.”

Tangible (Adjective)

Able to be touched

“I don’t believe in fairy tales; I only believe in that which is tangible.”

Pragmatic (Adjective)

Practical

“It was a pragmatic decision to put the stimulus check in the bank.”

Nescience (Noun)

Ignorance

“The nescience of some people is appalling.”

Mediocre (Adjective)

Ordinary; adequate

“The homeowner won’t hire Joe the Painter again because his work was mediocre.”

Jocular (Adjective)

Funny

“He was jocular after only a couple of drinks.”

Infuse (Verb)

To introduce wholly

“I didn’t stay long because the place was infused with the aroma of bug killer.”

Prosaic (Adjective)

Common

“The gown was so prosaic that Ellen would not wear it; she likes to make a grand entrance.”

Pontificate (Verb)

To preach

“Sally’s father pontificates every time she has a date.”

Array (Noun)

Large quantity

“There is a wide array of online study guides.”

Ambiguity (Noun)

Something that is unclear

“The ambiguity in his voice made Rachel wonder if her boyfriend really meant it when he said he loved her.”

Diabolical (Adjective)

Devilish

“Amy didn’t rob the store because she needed the money; she robbed it because she is diabolical.”

Revisionist (Noun)

Someone who revises, especially political or religious doctrine

“The revisionist wouldn’t be happy until he had brought everyone around to his way of thinking.”

Querulous (Adjective)

Complaining

“It was so hot outside, the entire group was querulous.”

Vaporous (Adjective)

Formed of vapor; foggy

“It’s too vaporous to drive very far.”

Capacious (Adjective)

Spacious

“I chose my apartment because of the capacious closets.”

Anomaly (Noun)

Something that is odd or strange

“It was an anomaly to see father home during the day.”

Repellent (Adjective)

Repulsive

“The idea of eating raw fish is repellent to some.”

Vacillate (Verb)

To change one’s mind

“Some people vacillate but when Al Gore did it, he was said to have waffled.”

Arbitrary (Adjective)

Determined by whim or chance

“The judge could not sentence the convicted man to an arbitrary prison term; he was forced to impose the maximum sentence.”

Waif (Noun)

A stray or orphan

“The waif looked so sad I wanted to cry.”

Utopian (Adjective)

Ideal, perfect

“The wedding and the honeymoon were utopian.”

Pensive (Adjective)

Meditative; thoughtful

“She looked pensive as she stared out the window.”

Onus (Noun)

Burden

“Don’t put the onus on me; that’s your responsibility.”

Juxtapose (Verb)

Place side by side

“I juxtaposed both handbags to see which one would look best with my outfit.”

Eschew (Verb)

To shun or avoid

“Parolees are often told to eschew other former inmates.”

Tacit (Adjective)

Nonverbal understanding

“His tacit approval was all I needed.”

Simulacrum (Noun)

A copy or duplication

“It is only a simulacrum on display; the original is locked away.”

Anachronism (Noun)

Something that is misdated, such as an historical event

“To place Abraham Lincoln in the 21^st century is an anachronism.”

Cacophony (Noun)

Blaring unmusical noise

“I couldn’t sleep last night because of the cacophony the neighborhood dogs were making.”

Blithe (Adjective)

Cheerful

“The neighbors offered their assistance blithely.”

Tyro (Noun)

Novice

“The Tyro made more money on her first book than many of the contemporary authors put together.”

Yare (Adjective)

Quick

“The yare, old man put many of the young in the crowd to shame.”

Provocative (Adjective)

Inciting

“Susan doesn’t let her girls leave the house with provocative clothing on.”

Obviate (Verb)

To block or prevent

“Swine flu may be obviated if you take the proper precautions.”

Supercilious (Adjective)

Arrogant

“Ester developed a headache after discovering how supercilious her date was.”

Aesthetic (Adjective)

Appealing to the senses

“The aesthetic appeal of the flora that surrounded the building is what convinced her to rent an apartment there.”

Disparity (Noun)

Difference

“The disparity in their ages borders on the hilarious.”

Wry (Adjective)

Sarcastic

“Her boyfriend has a wry sense of humor.”

Vicissitude (Noun)

Change

“No matter what vicissitudes the couple has to face, they are committed to staying together.”

Didactic (Adjective)

Educational

“Every toy she buys for her son is didactic.”

Callow (Adjective)

Immature

“The applicant feared she wouldn’t get the job if she appeared too callow.”

Succinct (Adjective)

Brief; concise

“Be succinct; I don’t have time to hear the whole story.”

Eradicate (Verb)

Wipe out; erase

“If Swine flu isn’t eradicated, many people could become ill.”

Zephyr (Noun)

Light wind

The zephyr propelled the hammock as I lazed the afternoon away.

Sycophant (Noun)

Someone who engages in excessive flattering; brownnoser

“The sycophant who got my job won’t like it for long.”

Abience (Noun)

A penchant for withdrawal

“Her abience kept her at home most weekends while her roommates went out on the town.”

Foray (Noun)

Sudden attack

“Before the police officer could get out of his vehicle, the foray started almost in front of him.”

Garrulous (Adjective)

Excessively talkative; babbling

“I hated to invite my garrulous coworker to dinner but I wanted to be friendly.”

Enumerate (Verb)

To list one by one

“My father enumerated all the reasons why I shouldn’t marry Zack.”