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| acerbic adj 1: sour or bitter in taste [syn: acerb, astringent, sharp] 2: harsh or corrosive in tone; "an acerbic tone piercing otherwise flowery prose"; "a barrage of acid comments"; "her acrid remarks make her many enemies"; "bitter words"; "blistering criticism"; "caustic jokes about political assassination, talk-show hosts and medical ethics"; "a sulfurous denunciation" [syn: acerb, acid, acrid, bitter, blistering, caustic, sulfurous, sulphurous, venomous, virulent, vitriolic] See also: [acerb] [astringent] [sharp] [acid] [acrid] [bitter] [blistering] [caustic] [sulfurous] [sulphurous] [venomous] [virulent] [vitriolic] |
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| aggrandize v : add details to [syn: embroider, pad, lard, embellish, aggrandise, blow up, dramatize, dramatise] See also: [embroider] [pad] [lard] [embellish] [aggrandise] [blow up] [dramatize] [dramatise] |
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| alchemy n 1: a pseudoscientific forerunner of chemistry in medieval times 2: the way two individuals relate to each other; "their chemistry was wrong from the beginning -- they hated each other"; "a mysterious alchemy brought them together" [syn: chemistry, interpersonal chemistry] See also: [chemistry] [interpersonal chemistry] |
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| amenable adj 1: disposed or willing to comply; "someone amenable to persuasion"; "the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak"- Matthew 26:41 [syn: conformable, willing] 2: readily reacting to suggestions and influences; "a responsive student" [syn: responsive, tractable] 3: liable to answer to a higher authority; " the president is amenable to the constitutional court" See also: [conformable] [willing] [responsive] [tractable] |
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| anachronism n 1: something located at a time when it could not have existed or occurred [syn: mistiming, misdating] 2: an artifact that belongs to another time 3: a person who seems to be displaced in time; who belongs to another age See also: [mistiming] [misdating] |
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| astringent adj 1: sour or bitter in taste [syn: acerb, acerbic, sharp] 2: tending to draw together or constrict soft organic tissue; "astringent cosmetic lotions" [ant: nonastringent] n : a drug that causes contraction of body tissues and canals [syn: astringent drug, styptic] See also: [acerb] [acerbic] [sharp] [nonastringent] [astringent drug] [styptic] |
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| contiguous adj 1: very close or connected in space or time; "contiguous events"; "immediate contact"; "the immediate vicinity"; "the immediate past" [syn: immediate] 2: connecting without a break; within a common boundary; "the 48 conterminous states"; "the contiguous 48 states" [syn: conterminous] 3: having a common boundary or edge; touching; "abutting lots"; "adjoining rooms"; "Rhode Island has two bordering states; Massachusetts and Conncecticut"; "the side of Germany conterminous with France"; "Utah and the contiguous state of Idaho"; "neighboring cities" [syn: abutting, adjacent, adjoining, conterminous, neighboring(a)] See also: [immediate] [conterminous] [abutting] [adjacent] [adjoining] [neighboring(a)] |
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| convention n 1: a large formal assembly; "political convention" 2: something regarded as a normative example; "the convention of not naming the main character"; "violence is the rule not the exception"; "his formula for impressing visitors" [syn: normal, pattern, rule, formula] 3: (diplomacy) an international agreement 4: orthodoxy as a consequence of being conventional [syn: conventionality, conventionalism] [ant: unconventionality] 5: the act of convening [syn: convening] See also: [normal] [pattern] [rule] [formula] [conventionality] [conventionalism] [unconventionality] [convening] |
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| credulous adj 1: disposed to believe on little evidence; "the gimmick would convince none but the most credulous" [ant: incredulous] 2: showing a lack of judgment or experience; "so credulous he believes everything he reads" See also: [incredulous] |
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| cynicism n : a cynical feeling of distrust |
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| decorum n : propriety in manners and conduct [syn: decorousness] [ant: indecorum, indecorum] See also: [decorousness] [indecorum] |
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| derision n 1: contemptuous laughter 2: the act of deriding or treating with contempt [syn: ridicule] See also: [ridicule] |
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| desiccate adj : lacking vitality or spirit; lifeless; "a technically perfect but arid performance of the sonata"; "a desiccate romance"; "a prissy and emotionless creature...settles into a mold of desiccated snobbery"-C.J.Rolo [syn: arid, desiccated] v 1: preserve by removing all water and liquids from; "carry dehydrated food on your camping trip" [syn: dehydrate] 2: remove water from; "All this exercise and sweating has dehydrated me" [syn: dehydrate] 3: lose water or moisture; "In the desert, you get dehydrated very quickly" [syn: dehydrate, dry up] [ant: hydrate] See also: [arid] [desiccated] [dehydrate] [dry up] [hydrate] |
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| dilettante adj : showing frivolous or superficial interest; amateurish; "his dilettantish efforts at painting" [syn: dilettantish, dilettanteish, sciolistic] n : an amateur who engages in an activity without serious intentions and who pretends to have knowledge [syn: dabbler, sciolist] [also: dilettanti (pl)] See also: [dilettantish] [dilettanteish] [sciolistic] [dabbler] [sciolist] [dilettanti] |
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| disparage v : express a negative opinion of; "She disparaged her student's efforts" [syn: belittle, pick at] [ant: flatter] See also: [belittle] [pick at] [flatter] |
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| divulge v : make known to the public information that was previously known only to a few people or that was meant to be kept a secret; "The auction house would not disclose the price at which the van Gogh had sold"; "The actress won't reveal how old she is"; "bring out the truth"; "he broke the news to her" [syn: disclose, let on, bring out, reveal, discover, expose, impart, break, give away, let out] See also: [disclose] [let on] [bring out] [reveal] [discover] [expose] [impart] [break] [give away] [let out] |
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| fawn n 1: a color varying around light grayish brown; "she wore a dun raincoat" [syn: dun, grayish brown, greyish brown] 2: young deer v 1: show submission or fear [syn: crawl, creep, cringe, cower, grovel] 2: try to gain favor by cringing or flattering; "He is always kowtowing to his boss" [syn: toady, truckle, bootlick, kowtow, kotow, suck up] 3: have fawns; "deer fawn" See also: [dun] [grayish brown] [greyish brown] [crawl] [creep] [cringe] [cower] [grovel] [toady] [truckle] [bootlick] [kowtow] [kotow] [suck up] |
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| flout v 1: treat with contemptuous disregard; "flout the rules" [syn: scoff] 2: laugh at with contempt and derision; "The crowd jeered at the speaker" [syn: jeer, scoff, barrack, gibe] See also: [scoff] [jeer] [barrack] [gibe] |
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| garrulous adj : full of trivial conversation; "kept from her housework by gabby neighbors" [syn: chatty, gabby, loquacious, talkative, talky] See also: [chatty] [gabby] [loquacious] [talkative] [talky] |
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| glib adj 1: marked by lack of intellectual depth; "glib generalizations"; "a glib response to a complex question" 2: having only superficial plausibility; "glib promises"; "a slick commercial" [syn: pat, slick] 3: artfully persuasive in speech; "a glib tongue"; "a smooth-tongued hypocrite" [syn: glib-tongued, smooth-tongued] [also: glibbest, glibber] See also: [pat] [slick] [glib-tongued] [smooth-tongued] [glibbest] [glibber] |
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| hubris n : overbearing pride or presumption |
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| imminent adj : close in time; about to occur; "retribution is at hand"; "some people believe the day of judgment is close at hand"; "in imminent danger"; "his impending retirement" [syn: at hand(p), close at hand(p), impending] See also: [at hand(p)] [close at hand(p)] [impending] |
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| immutable adj : not subject or susceptible to change or variation in form or quality or nature; "the view of that time was that all species were immutable, created by God" [syn: changeless] [ant: mutable] See also: [changeless] [mutable] |
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| impetuous adj 1: characterized by undue haste and lack of thought or deliberation; "a hotheaded decision"; "liable to such impulsive acts as hugging strangers"; "an impetuous display of spending and gambling"; "madcap escapades"; (`brainish' is archaic) [syn: hotheaded, impulsive, madcap, tearaway(a), brainish] 2: marked by violent force; "impetuous heaving waves" See also: [hotheaded] [impulsive] [madcap] [tearaway(a)] [brainish] |
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| indifferent adj 1: marked by a lack of interest; "an apathetic audience"; "the universe is neither hostile nor friendly; it is simply indifferent" [syn: apathetic] 2: showing no care or concern in attitude or action; "indifferent to the sufferings of others"; "indifferent to her plea" 3: (usually followed by `to') unwilling or refusing to pay heed; "deaf to her warnings" [syn: deaf(p), indifferent(p)] 4: (often followed by `to') lacking importance; not mattering one way or the other; "whether you choose to do it or not is a matter that is quite immaterial (or indifferent)"; "what others think is altogether indifferent to him" [syn: immaterial] 5: fairly poor to not very good; "has an indifferent singing voice"; "has indifferent qualifications for the job" 6: having only a limited ability to react chemically; not active; "inert matter"; "an indifferent chemical in a reaction" [syn: inert, neutral] 7: marked by no especial liking or dislike or preference for one thing over another; "indifferent about which book you would give them"; "was indifferent to their acceptance or rejection of her invitation" 8: characterized by a lack of partiality; "a properly indifferent jury"; "an unbiased account of her family problems" [syn: unbiased, unbiassed] 9: neither good nor bad; "an indifferent performance"; "a gifted painter but an indifferent actor"; "her work at the office is passable"; "a so-so golfer"; "feeling only so-so"; "prepared a tolerable dinner"; "a tolerable working knowledge of French" [syn: passable, so-so(p), tolerable] 10: neither too great nor too little; "a couple of indifferent hills to climb" See also: [apathetic] [deaf(p)] [indifferent(p)] [immaterial] [inert] [neutral] [unbiased] [unbiassed] [passable] [so-so(p)] [tolerable] |
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| inimical adj : not friendly; "an unfriendly act of aggression"; "an inimical critic" [syn: unfriendly] See also: [unfriendly] |
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| intractable adj : not tractable; difficult to manage or mold; "an intractable disposition"; "intractable pain"; "the most intractable issue of our era"; "intractable metal" [ant: tractable] See also: [tractable] |
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| intrepid adj : invulnerable to fear or intimidation; "audacious explorers"; "fearless reporters and photographers"; "intrepid pioneers" [syn: audacious, brave, dauntless, fearless, unfearing] See also: [audacious] [brave] [dauntless] [fearless] [unfearing] |
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| laconic adj : brief and to the point; effectively cut short; "a crisp retort"; "a response so curt as to be almost rude"; "the laconic reply; `yes'"; "short and terse and easy to understand" [syn: crisp, curt, terse] See also: [crisp] [curt] [terse] |
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| maverick adj : independent in behavior or thought; "she led a somewhat irregular private life"; "maverick politicians" [syn: irregular, unorthodox] n 1: someone who exhibits great independence in thought and action [syn: rebel] 2: an unbranded range animal (especially a stray calf); belongs to the first person who puts a brand on it See also: [irregular] [unorthodox] [rebel] |
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| mercurial adj 1: liable to sudden unpredictable change; "erratic behavior"; "fickle weather"; "mercurial twists of temperament"; "a quicksilver character, cool and willful at one moment, utterly fragile the next" [syn: erratic, fickle, quicksilver(a)] 2: relating to or under the (astrological) influence of the planet Mercury; "the Mercurial canals" 3: relating to or having characteristics (eloquence, shrewdness, swiftness, thievishness) attributed to the god Mercury; "more than Mercurial thievishness" 4: relating to or containing or caused by mercury; "mercurial preparations"; "mercurial sore mouth" See also: [erratic] [fickle] [quicksilver(a)] |
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| mollify v 1: cause to be more favorably inclined; gain the good will of; "She managed to mollify the angry customer" [syn: pacify, lenify, conciliate, assuage, appease, placate, gentle, gruntle] 2: make more temperate, acceptable, or suitable by adding something else; moderate; "she tempered her criticism" [syn: temper, season] 3: make less rigid or softer [also: mollified] See also: [pacify] [lenify] [conciliate] [assuage] [appease] [placate] [gentle] [gruntle] [temper] [season] [mollified] |
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| neophyte n 1: a plant that is found in an area where it had not been recorded previously 2: any new participant in some activity [syn: newcomer, fledgling, fledgeling, starter, freshman, newbie, entrant] 3: a new convert being taught the principles of Christianity by a catechist [syn: catechumen] See also: [newcomer] [fledgling] [fledgeling] [starter] [freshman] [newbie] [entrant] [catechumen] |
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| obfuscate v : make obscure or unclear [ant: clarify] See also: [clarify] |
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| obstinate adj 1: stubbornly persistent in wrongdoing [syn: cussed, obdurate, unrepentant] 2: resistant to guidance or discipline; "Mary Mary quite contrary"; "an obstinate child with a violent temper"; "a perverse mood"; "wayward behavior" [syn: contrary, perverse, wayward] 3: persisting in a reactionary stand [syn: stubborn, unregenerate] v : persist stubbornly; "he obstinates himself against all rational arguments" See also: [cussed] [obdurate] [unrepentant] [contrary] [perverse] [wayward] [stubborn] [unregenerate] |
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| ostentatious adj 1: intended to attract notice and impress others; "an ostentatious sable coat" [syn: pretentious] [ant: unostentatious] 2: of a display that is tawdry or vulgar [syn: pretentious, kitsch] See also: [pretentious] [unostentatious] [kitsch] |
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| pervade v : spread or diffuse through; "An atmosphere of distrust has permeated this administration"; "music penetrated the entire building" [syn: permeate, penetrate, interpenetrate, diffuse, imbue] See also: [permeate] [penetrate] [interpenetrate] [diffuse] [imbue] |
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| phlegmatic adj : showing little emotion; "a phlegmatic...and certainly undemonstrative man" [syn: phlegmatical] See also: [phlegmatical] |
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| plethora n : extreme excess; "an embarrassment of riches" [syn: overplus, superfluity, embarrassment] See also: [overplus] [superfluity] [embarrassment] |
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| pragmatic adj 1: concerned with practical matters; "a matter-of-fact (or pragmatic) approach to the problem"; "a matter-of-fact account of the trip" [syn: matter-of-fact, pragmatical] 2: of or concerning the theory of pragmatism [syn: pragmatical] 3: guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory; "a hardheaded appraisal of our position"; "a hard-nosed labor leader"; "completely practical in his approach to business"; "not ideology but pragmatic politics" [syn: hardheaded, hard-nosed, practical] See also: [matter-of-fact] [pragmatical] [hardheaded] [hard-nosed] [practical] |
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| presumptuous adj : excessively forward; "an assumptive person"; "on a subject like this it would be too assuming for me to decide"; "the duchess would not put up with presumptuous servants" [syn: assumptive, assuming] See also: [assumptive] [assuming] |
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| pristine adj 1: completely free from dirt or contamination; "pristine mountain snow" 2: immaculately clean and unused; "handed her his pristine white handkerchief" |
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| probity n : complete and confirmed integrity |
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| proclivity n : a natural inclination; "he has a proclivity for exaggeration" [syn: propensity, leaning] See also: [propensity] [leaning] |
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| profligate adj 1: recklessly wasteful; "prodigal in their expenditures" [syn: extravagant, prodigal, spendthrift] 2: unrestrained by convention or morality; "Congreve draws a debauched aristocratic society"; "deplorably dissipated and degraded"; "riotous living"; "fast women" [syn: debauched, degenerate, degraded, dissipated, dissolute, libertine, riotous, fast] n 1: a dissolute man in fashionable society [syn: rake, rip, blood, roue] 2: a recklessly extravagant consumer [syn: prodigal, squanderer] See also: [extravagant] [prodigal] [spendthrift] [debauched] [degenerate] [degraded] [dissipated] [dissolute] [libertine] [riotous] [fast] [rake] [rip] [blood] [roue] [squanderer] |
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| propensity n 1: an inclination to do something; "he felt leanings toward frivolity" [syn: leaning, tendency] 2: a natural inclination; "he has a proclivity for exaggeration" [syn: proclivity, leaning] 3: a disposition to behave in a certain way; "the aptness of iron to rust"; "the propensity of disease to spread" [syn: aptness] See also: [leaning] [tendency] [proclivity] [aptness] |
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| prosaic adj 1: not fanciful or imaginative; "local guides describe the history of various places in matter-of-fact tones"; "a prosaic and unimaginative essay" [syn: matter-of-fact] 2: lacking wit or imagination; "a pedestrian movie plot" [syn: pedestrian, prosy, earthbound] 3: not challenging; dull and lacking excitement; "an unglamorous job greasing engines" [syn: commonplace, humdrum, unglamorous, unglamourous] See also: [matter-of-fact] [pedestrian] [prosy] [earthbound] [commonplace] [humdrum] [unglamorous] [unglamourous] |
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| pungent adj 1: sharp biting or acrid especially in taste or smell; "tasting the pungent wood sorrel"; "pungent curry"; "a pungent smell of burning sulfur" [ant: bland] 2: capable of wounding; "a barbed compliment"; "a biting aphorism"; "pungent satire" [syn: barbed, biting, nipping, mordacious] See also: [bland] [barbed] [biting] [nipping] [mordacious] |
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| quixotic adj : not sensible about practical matters; unrealistic; "as quixotic as a restoration of medieval knighthood"; "a romantic disregard for money"; "a wild-eyed dream of a world state" [syn: romantic, wild-eyed] See also: [romantic] [wild-eyed] |
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| quotidian adj : found in the ordinary course of events; "a placid everyday scene"; "it was a routine day"; "there's nothing quite like a real...train conductor to add color to a quotidian commute"- Anita Diamant [syn: everyday, mundane, routine, unremarkable, workaday] See also: [everyday] [mundane] [routine] [unremarkable] [workaday] |
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| rarefy v 1: lessen the density or solidity of; "The bones are rarefied" 2: make more subtle or refined [syn: sublimate, subtilize] 3: weaken the consistency of (a chemical substance) [syn: attenuate] [also: rarefied] See also: [sublimate] [subtilize] [attenuate] [rarefied] |
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| recondite adj : difficult to penetrate; incomprehensible to one of ordinary understanding or knowledge; "the professor's lectures were so abstruse that students tended to avoid them"; "a deep metaphysical theory"; "some recondite problem in historiography" [syn: abstruse, deep] See also: [abstruse] [deep] |
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| refulgent adj : radiating or as if radiating light; "the beaming sun"; "the effulgent daffodils"; "a radiant sunrise"; "a refulgent sunset" [syn: beaming, beamy, effulgent, radiant] See also: [beaming] [beamy] [effulgent] [radiant] |
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| renege n : the mistake of not following suit when able to do so [syn: revoke] v : fail to fulfill a promise or obligation; "She backed out of her promise" [syn: renege on, renegue on, go back on] See also: [revoke] [renege on] [renegue on] [go back on] |
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| sedulous adj : marked by care and persistent effort; "her assiduous attempts to learn French"; "assiduous research"; "sedulous pursuit of legal and moral principles" [syn: assiduous] See also: [assiduous] |
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| shard n : a broken piece of a brittle artifact [syn: sherd, fragment] See also: [sherd] [fragment] |
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| soporific adj 1: sleep inducing [syn: soporiferous, somniferous, somnific, hypnogogic, hypnagogic] 2: inducing mental lethargy; "a narcotic speech" [syn: narcotic, soporiferous] n : a drug that induces sleep [syn: hypnotic] See also: [soporiferous] [somniferous] [somnific] [hypnogogic] [hypnagogic] [narcotic] [hypnotic] |
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| sparse adj : not dense; "a thin beard"; "trees were sparse" [syn: thin] See also: [thin] |
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| spendthrift adj : recklessly wasteful; "prodigal in their expenditures" [syn: extravagant, prodigal, profligate] n : someone who spends money prodigally [syn: spend-all, spender, scattergood] See also: [extravagant] [prodigal] [profligate] [spend-all] [spender] [scattergood] |
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| subtle adj 1: be difficult to detect or grasp by the mind; "his whole attitude had undergone a subtle change"; "a subtle difference"; "that elusive thing the soul" [syn: elusive] 2: faint and difficult to analyze; "subtle aromas" 3: able to make fine distinctions; "a subtle mind" 4: working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way; "glaucoma is an insidious disease"; "a subtle poison" [syn: insidious, pernicious] See also: [elusive] [insidious] [pernicious] |
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| tacit adj : indicated by necessary connotation though not expressed directly; "gave silent consent"; "a tacit agreement"; "the understood provisos of a custody agreement" [syn: implied, silent, understood] See also: [implied] [silent] [understood] |
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| terse adj : brief and to the point; effectively cut short; "a crisp retort"; "a response so curt as to be almost rude"; "the laconic reply; `yes'"; "short and terse and easy to understand" [syn: crisp, curt, laconic] See also: [crisp] [curt] [laconic] |
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Definition
| tout n 1: someone who buys tickets to an event in order to resell them at a profit [syn: ticket tout] 2: someone who advertises for customers in an especially brazen way [syn: touter] 3: one who sells advice about gambling or speculation (especially at the racetrack) [syn: tipster] v 1: advertize in strongly positive terms; "This product was touted as a revolutionary invention" 2: show off [syn: boast, swash, shoot a line, brag, gas, blow, bluster, vaunt, gasconade] See also: [ticket tout] [touter] [tipster] [boast] [swash] [shoot a line] [brag] [gas] [blow] [bluster] [vaunt] [gasconade] |
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Definition
| trenchant adj 1: having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought, expression, or intellect; "searching insights"; "trenchant criticism" [syn: searching] 2: characterized by or full of force and vigor; "a hard-hitting expose"; "a trenchant argument" [syn: hard-hitting] 3: clearly or sharply defined to the mind; "clear-cut evidence of tampering"; "Claudius was the first to invade Britain with distinct...intentions of conquest"; "trenchant distinctions between right and wrong" [syn: clear-cut, distinct] See also: [searching] [hard-hitting] [clear-cut] [distinct] |
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| unfeigned adj : not pretended; sincerely felt or expressed; "genuine emotion"; "her interest in people was unfeigned"; "true grief" [syn: genuine, true(a)] See also: [genuine] [true(a)] |
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| untenable adj : (of theories etc) incapable of being defended or justified [syn: indefensible] See also: [indefensible] |
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| vacillate v 1: be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action; "He oscillates between accepting the new position and retirement" [syn: hover, vibrate, oscillate] 2: move or sway in a rising and falling or wavelike pattern; "the line on the monitor vacillated" [syn: fluctuate, waver] See also: [hover] [vibrate] [oscillate] [fluctuate] [waver] |
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| variegated adj : having a variety of colors [syn: varicolored, varicoloured] See also: [varicolored] [varicoloured] |
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| vexation n 1: anger produced by some annoying irritation [syn: annoyance, chafe] 2: the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed [syn: irritation, annoyance, botheration] 3: something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness; "New York traffic is a constant concern"; "it's a major worry" [syn: concern, worry, headache] 4: the act of troubling or annoying someone [syn: annoyance, annoying, irritation] See also: [annoyance] [chafe] [irritation] [botheration] [concern] [worry] [headache] [annoying] |
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Definition
| vigilant adj : carefully observant or attentive; on the lookout for possible danger; "a policy of open-eyed awareness"; "the vigilant eye of the town watch"; "there was a watchful dignity in the room"; "a watchful parent with a toddler in tow" [syn: argus-eyed, open-eyed, wakeful, watchful] See also: [argus-eyed] [open-eyed] [wakeful] [watchful] |
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Definition
| vituperate v : spread negative information about; "The Nazi propaganda vilified the Jews" [syn: vilify, revile, rail] See also: [vilify] [revile] [rail] |
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Definition
| volatile adj 1: evaporating readily at normal temperatures and pressures; "volatile oils"; "volatile solvents" [ant: nonvolatile] 2: liable to lead to sudden change or violence; "an explosive issue"; "a volatile situation with troops and rioters eager for a confrontation" [syn: explosive] 3: marked by erratic changeableness in affections or attachments; "fickle friends"; "a flirt's volatile affections" [syn: fickle] 4: tending to vary often or widely; "volatile stocks"; "volatile emotions" n : a volatile substance; a substance that changes readily from solid or liquid to a vapor; "it was heated to evaporate the volatiles" See also: [nonvolatile] [explosive] [fickle] |
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