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Spoken incessantly and fluently
"When I left a message on Jack's answer machine, I spoke at a voluble pace to beat the twenty-second cut off." |
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Exaggerated or false praise
"There has always been a fine line between legitimate puffery and misleading advertising." |
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Combative
"Cleary a writer with a chip on his shoulder, he's agonistic even when he states the facts." |
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Very good
"The crack detective solved the case with ease." |
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Dependent on chance; random
"The very creation of life spawned from many aleatoric mutations." |
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Modest or shy because of a lack of self confidence
"Because she was unattractive, Ally was diffident and kept to herself at parties." |
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Showing a sharp, critical quality; biting
"The mordant comedian offended many people with his scathing taunts." |
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Ordinary and every day; mundane
"After the excitement of decorating her new home, Janet made an attitude adjustment and got down to the quotidian chores of housekeeping." |
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Cheerful and full of energy
"The ebullient song was so uplifting I danced in my chair." |
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Sharp and forthright, especially when referring to a comment or style of speaking; harsh
"While I value constructive criticism, I see no value your acerbic comments." |
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| Of or relating to counterpoint. Can also refer to music. |
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Truthfulness
"The police doubted the veracity of the suspects alibi." |
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Something of not great value given to pacify.
"Media pundits suggest it was a sop given to appease the right wing of the cabinet." |
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A position of prominence or superiority
"The eminence of the Nobel Prize in the field of awards and prizes is nearly unmatched." |
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A person whose interest in an art or area of knowledge is not very serious.
"When it comes to learning guitar, my daughter is a dilettante who will practice one day but not the next." |
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To break up into smaller, often hostile units.
"Now, pop culture has been balkanized; it is full of niches with different groups doing their own thing." |
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An aftereffect of a disease, condition or injury
"The emotional sequelae of the early death of a parent can be heavy." |
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Persistent, stubbornly determined.
"Her dogged efforts eventually paid off." |
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An individualizing characteristic or quality; a characteristic peculiarity.
Her habit of using "like" in every sentence was just another one of her idiosyncrasies. |
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Scare supply of.
"The dearth of usable firewood at the campsite led to a cold night." |
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Commonly accepted or supposed
"Even though there has not been a DNA test, everyone accepts Jason as the girls putative father." |
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Gullible
"The con man was easily able to sell his wonder products to credulous buyers." |
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To give information to someone.
"How long will it be before the doctor comes out of surgery to apprise me of my wife's condition?" |
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The act of deceiving; misrepresentation.
"Conspiracists argue that landing on the moon was an act of subterfuge." |
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The quality of a person who is completely honest.
"When the police officer refused the million dollar bribe, he let everyone know he was a man of probity." |
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