to lessen in intensity or degree.

Old French abattre, literally, to knock down, from a-, prefix stressing result + battre to beat

synonym: decrease 

excessive praise; intense adoration.

Similar sounding synonym:  Adoration 

dealing with, appreciative of, or responsive to art or the beautiful.

1798, from Ger. ästhetisch or Fr. esthétique, both from Gk. aisthetikos "sensitive," from aisthanesthai "to perceive, to feel," from PIE *awis-dh-yo-, from base *au- "to perceive." Popularized in Eng. by translation of Immanuel Kant, and used originally in the classically correct sense "the science which treats of the conditions of sensuous perception." Kant had tried to correct the term after Baumgarten had taken it in Ger. to mean "criticism of taste" (1750s), but Baumgarten's sense attained popularity in Eng. c.1830s (despite scholarly resistance) and removed the word from any philosophical base. Walter Pater used it (1868) to describe the late 19c. movement that advocated "art for art's sake," which further blurred the sense. Aesthete first recorded 1881. 

greed, esp. for wealth.

c.1300, from O.Fr. avarice, from L. avaritia "greed," from avarus "greedy," adj. form of avere "crave, long for." 

to grow rapidly or flourish.

Synonyms: bloom; blossom 

harsh, jarring, discordant sound; dissonance

caco means bad... phony is often used in association with sound (microphone, telephone, etc.)  Therefore, "bad sound". 

severe criticism or punishment.

shares root with chastise 

burning or stinging; causing corrosion.

"to burn"... shares root with sarcastic, which means in some sense means "to burn with words". 

wary; cautious; sparing

shares root with careful... which is still a synonym. 

the willingness to comply with the wishes of others

shares root with comply. 

regretful; penitent; seeking forgiveness

trite originally meant "worn; exhausted"... contrite therefore suggests a "conscience worn down".  the word trite now means something tedious and unoriginal because it is in itself worn out.

smallness of quantity or number; scarcity; a lack

c.1250, derthe "scarcity," abstract n. formed from root of O.E. deore "precious, costly" (see dear). Originally used of famines, when food was costly because scarce. 

to question or oppose

c.1225, "to linger, tarry," from O.Fr. demorer "delay, retard," from L. demorari, from de- + morari "to delay," from mora "a pause, delay." Main modern sense of "raise objections" is first attested 1639. 

intended to teach or instruct

1635–45; < Gk didaktikós apt at teaching, instructive, equiv. to didakt(ós) that may be taught + -ikos -ic

think perhaps of "dictionary"..? 

the quality of lively or enthusiastic expression of thoughts and feelings

synonym: exuberance 

a mournful poem, esp. one lamenting the dead

1514, from M.Fr. elegie, from L. elegia, from Gk. elegeia ode "an elegaic song," from elegeia, fem. of elegeios "elegaic," from elegos "poem or song of lament," perhaps from a Phrygian word. 

Similar but different: eulogy 

soothing, esp. to the skin; making less harsh; mollifying.

1643, from Fr. emollient, from L. emollientem (nom. emolliens), prp. of emollire "soften," from ex- "out" + mollire "soften," from mollis "soft." 

based on observation or experiment

shares root with experience... "the study of experience." 

mysterious; obscure; difficult to understand.

1449, from L. ænigma "riddle," from Gk. ainigma, from ainissesthai "speak obscurely, speak in riddles," from ainos "fable, riddle," of unknown origin. 

intended for or understood by a small, specific group.

1655, from Gk. esoterikos "belonging to an inner circle," from esotero, comp. adv. of eso "within." In Eng., originally of Pythagorean doctrines. According to Lucian, the division of teachings into exoteric and esoteric originated with Aristotle. 

an invalid or incorrect notion; a mistaken belief.

shares root with false. 

marked by stealth; covert; surreptitious

shares root with fertile (meaning to bear)... furt implied to bear another's things... suggesting a thief.  this in turn, led to thief-like, which led to stealthy.

Fur"tive\, a. [L. furtivus, fr. furtum theft, fr. fur thief, akin to ferre to bear: cf. F. furtif. See Fertile.] Stolen; obtained or characterized by stealth; sly; secret; stealthy; as, a furtive look. 

to deliver a pompous speech or tirade.

 shares root with ring... meaning originally "to speak to a ring of people."

lacking funds; without money

1590–1600; im- 2 + obs. pecunious wealthy < L pecūniōsus, equiv. to pecūni(a) wealth + -ōsus -ous 

beginning to come into being or to become apparent

[L. incipiens, p. pr. of incipere to begin. See Inception.]... think of conception. 

unmoving; lethargic; sluggish

from the root art, meaning skill.  inert meant "unskilled", and evolved into "unmoving".

Think of "inertia", which could be interpreted as meaning "the tendency of something to resist movement." 

harmless; causing no damage

not harmful... shares root with noxious... "not noxious". 

refusing to compromise

shares root with transaction... means unwilling to come to an agreement. 

to obtain by deception or flattery

1494, "to blind (someone's) judgment," from M.Fr. aveugler "delude, make blind," from V.L. *aboculus "without sight, blind," from L. ab- "without" + oculus "eye." Loan-transl. of Gk. ap ommaton "without eyes." Meaning "to win over by deceit, seduce" is c.1540. 

evoking intense aversion or dislike

c.1380, from Anglo-Fr. odious, from O.Fr. odieus (1376, Mod.Fr. odieux), from L. odiosus "hateful," from odium "hatred"

synonym: hateful 

think of how much garfield dislikes odie. 

impenetrable by light; not reflecting light

exhibiting opacity 

to examine with great care

1470–80 in sense “use up, go through”; 1525–35 for current senses; per- + use 

to dress up; to primp; to groom oneself with elaborate care

1480–90; late ME prene, var. of ME prunen, proynen (see prune 3 ), perh. by assoc. with prenen, to stab, pierce (v. use, now dial., of prene preen 2 ), from the pricking action of a bird's beak in preening

think of "to prune"

abundant in size, force, or extent; extraordinary

1552, "having the appearance of a prodigy," from L. prodigiosus "strange, wonderful, marvelous," from prodigium (see prodigy).

to rot; to decay and give off a foul odor.

think of putrid, meaning "rotten" 

to drink deeply

perhaps onomatopoeic... the gulping sound..? 

1) authoritative permission or approval.

2) a penalty intended to enforce compliance.

Word History: Occasionally, a word can have contradictory meanings. Such a case is represented by sanction, which can mean both "to allow, encourage" and "to punish so as to deter." It is a borrowing from the Latin word sānctiō, meaning "a law or decree that is sacred or inviolable." In English, the word is first recorded in the mid-1500s in the meaning "law, decree," but not long after, in about 1635, it refers to "the penalty enacted to cause one to obey a law or decree." Thus from the beginning two fundamental notions of law were wrapped up in it: law as something that permits or approves and law that forbids by punishing. From the noun, a verb sanction was created in the 18th century meaning "to allow by law," but it wasn't until the second half of the 20th century that it began to mean "to punish (for breaking a law)." English has a few other words that can refer to opposites, such as the verbs dust (meaning both "to remove dust from" and "to put dust on") and trim (meaning both "to cut something away" and "to add something as an ornament"). 

sophisticated; refined; elegant

1533, "of or relating to cities or towns," from M.Fr. urbain (14c.), from L. urbanus "belonging to a city," also "citified, elegant" (see urban). The meaning "having the manners of townspeople, courteous, refined" is first attested 1623.