| Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| Ambivalent | undecided; having 'mixed' feelings |
| Apathy | lack of energy or interest |
| Autonomy | self-government |
| Benevolent | kindly |
| Blanched | turned pale |
| Bolster | give support to |
| Bucolic | concerned with the countryside and farming |
| Callous | cruel and unfeeling |
| Cantankerous | bad tempered |
| Capricious | changeable; fickle |
| Chicanery | trickery; attempt to deceive |
| Churlish | ill-mannered |
| Cohesive | forming a whole; 'sticking' together |
| Concur | agree |
| Cryptic | hidden; obscure |
| Decimation | extensive destruction |
| Deft | skilful |
| Delinquency | wrong-doing |
| Depravity | moral corruption |
| Desolate | lonely; devoid of life; feeling very sad and hopeless |
| Devoid of | empty of |
| Didactic | intending to teach or give instructions |
| Disingenuous | crafty |
| Dispassionate | unbiased |
| Disposition | tendency; personality |
| Dissent | disagreement |
| Effusive | overly expressive of emotions; 'gushing' |
| Endorse | support |
| Enigma | puzzle |
| Enumerate | count out; list |
| Ephemeral | short-lived |
| Erroneous | wrong |
| Erudition | great knowledge or learning |
| Esoteric | obscure |
| Fabrication | something made up; untrue |
| Facetious | cheeky; not to be taken seriously |
| Factions | sides in a dispute; groups with common interests |
| Flotsam | floating rubbish |
| Fostered | encouraged |
| Hackneyed | stale and over-used |
| Harbored | held [as in 'harbored and idea'] |
| Hodgepodge | strange mixture |
| Hypothetical | not proven; based on guesswork |
| Impetuous | impulsive |
| Implacable | cannot be appeased; relentless |
| Impugned | challenged; attacked in words |
| Incorrigible | cannot be corrected (of behavior) |
| Indigenous | native to a particular place |
| Ineffable | cannot be expressed in words |
| Irascible | easily angered |
| Ironic | unexpected |
| Lament | express regret |
| Languid | having no energy or interest |
| Lassitude | lack of energy |
| Lugubrious | mournful; very sad |
| Mercurial | rapidly changing |
| Misnomer | wrong name for something |
| Mollified | calmed; pacified |
| Multifaceted | having many aspects |
| Mundane | dull; ordinary |
| Nostalgic | longing for the past |
| Obtrusive | easily seen; 'sticking out' |
| Omnipotent | all powerful |
| Pedagogy | science of teaching |
| Phlegmatic | calm |
| Plausible | believable |
| Precursor | fore-runner; earlier version |
| Preeminence | fame; top position |
| Pretentious | putting on an act |
| Prognosis | outlook |
| Prolific | producing a lot |
| Provocative | provoking |
| Raiment | clothes; garments |
| Reciprocate | pay back |
| Reconcile | bring disputing side together again |
| Remiss | wrong |
| Remonstrance | criticism |
| Resilient | able to spring back; strong |
| Retrenchment | reducing staff or forces; conserving resources |
| Robust | firm and strong |
| Skeptical | doubtful |
| Skewed | distorted; bent |
| Stringent | strict |
| Subtle | not obvious |
| Succinct | clear, short and well-expressed |
| Sundry | miscellaneous |
| Sustenance | support; food |
| Tenable | can be held (of an opinion, for example) |
| Tenuous | shaky; not firm |
| Torrid | hot and steamy |
| Undermine | attempt to overthrow; weaken |
| Underscore | emphasize |
| Unequivocal | clear; cannot be misunderstood |
| Vector | carrier (of disease, for example) |
| Verbose | wordy |
| Whimsical | fickle; changeable |
| Wistful | full of sadness and longing |
