| A | B |
|---|
| Acrid | (adj.) Sharp; Pungent |
| Boorish | (adj.) Ill- mannered |
| Cynical | (adj.) Believing that people act only out of selfish motives |
| Epistle | A letter (form of communication) |
| Heresy | Against orthodox opinion |
| Maunder | (v.0 To talk incoherently or in a rambling manner |
| Novice | (n.) beginner; tyro |
| Poignant | (adj.) Deeply moving; strongly affecting the meotions |
| Respite | (n.) A break; intermission |
| Terse | concise; to the point |
| Benevolent | (adj.) kindly |
| Bourgeois | Middle class |
| Debility | (n.) weakness; incapacity |
| Emaciated | (adj.) Very thin; withered |
| Hiatus | (n.) interruption; Pause |
| Languid | (adj.) Tired; slow |
| Obscured | Hidden; covered; buried |
| Poised | (adj.) Calm; collected; self-possessed |
| Resplendent | (adj.) shining; glowing |
| Sardonic | (adj.) Bitter or scornful decisionn; mocking; cynical |
| Acuity | sharpness (mental or visual) |
| Braggart | (n.) Someone who boasts |
| Debunk | (v.) to expose false claims or myths |
| Epitomize | (v.) To typify; characterize; personify |
| Hidebound | (adj.) Rigid in opinions |
| Languish | (v.) to decay; fade away; get weaker |
| Obsequious | (adj.) servile; submissive |
| Polemical | (adj.) causing debate or argument |
| Recalcitrant | (adj.) resisiting authority or control; not obedient or compliant |
| Thwart | To prevent; frustrate |
| Adamant | forceful; inflexible |
| Brash | Tactless; impudent |
| Derisive | (adj.)Contemptuous; mocking |
| Equivocate | (v.) to speak ambiguously; avoid telling the truth |
| Hubris | (n.) excessive pride |
| Ludicrous | causing laughter because of absurdity |
| Mordant | sharply caustic or sarcastic |
| Ponderous | Weighty; slow and heavy |
| Retention | Preservation; withholding |
| Timorous | cowardly; fearful |
| Adulation | strong admiration; worship |
| Bristle | to show irritation |
| Distraught | distracted; deeply agitated |
| Erratic | wandering; irregular |
| Histrionic | theatrical; exaggerated |
| Laud | To praise |
| Obstreperous | Noisy and boisterous |
| Portend | To foretell |
| Retraction | (n.) withdrawal; cancellation of a statement |
| Titter | (v.) to giggle quietly |
| Adversity | hardship |
| Broach | (v.) to start to discuss; approach |
| Deference | (n.) Respect |
| Esoteric | Obscure and difficult to understand |
| Hoary | (adj.) old |
| Lavish | on a grand scale; wasteful |
| Obtuse | Mentally dull |
| Portent | a warning sign; omen |
| Revere | to worship |
| Tome | (n.) Large book |
| Advocate | (v.) to support |
| Brusque | (adj.) blunt, abrupt |
| Contrite | sorry; showing remorse |
| Espouse | (v.) To promote; take up; support |
| Hone | (v.) To sharpen; increase; whet |
| Lax | (adj.) Careless; not strict |
| Obviate | to avoid; make unnecessary |
| Poseur | someone who puts on an act |
| Riddled | Full of (usually full of holes) |
| Torpid | Inactive; lazy; stagnant |
| Aesthetic | Concerning art or beauty |
| Benign | harmless; kindly |
| Defunct | no longer in existence |
| Etymology | (n.) The study of word origins |
| Gritty | (adj.) Coarse; granular |
| Jingoistic | extremely patriotic; nationalistic |
| Odious | (adj.) hateful |
| Posterity | (n.) Future generations |
| Rife | Common |
| Torpor | Dormancy; sluggishness; inactivity |
| Affable | (adj.) Friendly; social; easygoing |
| Bureaucracy | (n.) Officialdom |
| Degradation | (n.) deprivation; poverty; debasement |
| Eulogy | (n.) Praise |
| Hypochondriac | (n.) A person obessessed with health; having imaginary ilnesses |
| Legion | (n.) In large numbers |
| Officious | Domineering; intrusive; meddlesome |
| Posthumous | (adj.) After death |
| Rigor | (n.) Thoroughness |
| Totter | (v.) to walk unsteadily |
