deviation from what is normal

Albino animals are an anomaly in nature.

to make something unpleasent less severe

Serena used asprin to assuage her pounding headache.

a puzzle; a mystery

Speaking in riddles and dressed in old robes, the artist gained a reputation as something of an enigma.

ambiguous

learned, scholarly, bookish

The annual meeting of philosophy professors was a gathering of the most erudite, well-published individuals in the field.

intensely emotional; feverish

The fans of Lady Gaga are unusally fervid, doing anything to catch the entertainer's attention.

clear and easily understood

The explainations were written in a lucid manner so that the students were able to immediately apply what they had learned.

impossible to see through; preventing the passage of light

The heavy buildup of dirt and grime on the windows almost made them opaque.

to smoothe or pacify

The burglar tried to placate the angry dog by offering it a treat.

to throw violently of bring about abrutly; lacking deliberation

Upon learning that the couple married after knowing each other only a week, friends expected such a precipitate marriage to end in divorce.

lavish, wasteful

The prodigal son quickly wasted all of his inheritance on a lifestyle devoted to pleasure.

passion, excitement

She bought her typical zeal to the project, sparking enthusiasm in the other team members.

to choose not to do something

She abstained from ordering dessert.

to make impure

The chef made the ketchup last londer by adulterating it with water.

lack of interest or emotion

The apathy of voters is so great that less than half of eligable voters acutally vote.

fearless and daring

Her audacious nature allowed her to fulfill her dream of skydiving.

changing one's mind quickly and often

Queen Elizabeth was capricious and her courtiers could never be sure which of them would catch her fancy.

to provide supporting evidence

Fingerprints corroborated the witness's testimony that hte defendent was in the apartment.

to dry out throughly

After a few weeks of lying on the desert's sands, the cow's carcass became completely desiccated.

to produce, cause, or bring about

His fear of clowns was engendered when he said his father was murdered by one.

lasting a short time

The lives of mayflies are ephermal, lasting only a few hours.

easily decieved

The con man fooled gullible bank customers into giving him money by pretending to be a bank officer.

of a similar kind

the class was fairly homogenous since all the students were senior journalism majors.

using few words

She was a laconic poet who built her reputation on using words as sparingly as possible.

to give praise; to glorify

Parades and fireworks were staged to laud the success of the rebels.

talkative

She was naturally loquacious, which as a problem when listening was more appropriate response.

to soften; to lessen

A judge may mitigate a sentence is she decides that a person committed a crime out of need.

someone who shows off learning

The graduate instructor's tedious and excessive commentary on the subject soon gained her a repuation as a pedant.

practical as opposed to idealistic

Many gamblers dream of wealth, but pragmatic gambles realize that the odds are heavily stacked against them.

correct behavior; obedience to rules and customs

The aristocracy maintained a high level of propriety, adherring to even the most minor social rules.

to sway physically; to be indecisive

The customer held up the line as he vacilated between ordering chocolate or vanilla ice cream.

easily aroused or changeable; lively or explosive

His volatile personality made it difficult to predict his reaction to anything.