| A | B |
|---|
| volatile | vaporizing quickly (a ____ substance) or fickle, capricious (a ____ person) |
| iconoclast | anyone opposed to the religious use of images or advocating the destruction of such images |
| carping | bragging, finding fault in a nagging way |
| intransigent | refusing to compromise or come to an agreement |
| criterion | means of judging; rule by which something can be tested |
| jurisprudence | the science or philosophy of law |
| syntax | orderly arrangement |
| vociferous | loud, noisy, vehement in making one's feeelings known |
| fractious | hard to manage, unruly, rebellious |
| tyrant | an absolute ruler, generally one who seized leadership illegally; oppressive leader |
| inoculation | injecting a serum into a living organism in order to build immunity |
| conundrum | a riddle whose answer contains a pun or a puzzling situation |
| rancor | rankness, deep spite or malice |
| emollient | something that has a softening or soothing effect |
| indignation | anger or scorn resulting from injustice, ingratitude or meanness |
| bombastic | pompous; characterized by high-sounding but unimportant words |
| superfluous | not needed, irrelevant, unnecessary |
| nuance | a slight or delicate variation in color, shade, or meaning |
| ostentatious | pretentious; showy display of wealth, knowledge, etc. |
| cogent | forceful and to the point as a reason or argument; compelling |
| semaphore | any apparatus for signaling as by an arrangement of lights or flags |
| lucid | clear of the mind (a ____ thinker) or transparent, bright shining |
| catharsis | the purifying of emotions |
| catalyst | a person or thing acting as the stimulus in bringing about or hastening an event |
| censure | a condemning as wrong |
| austere | having a severe or stern look, manner, etc. |
| capricious | tending to change abruptly |
| capitulate | to give up or give in |
| cajole | to coax with flattery |
| callous | thick or hardened (a ____ object) or insensitive (a ____ person) |
| apocryphal | of doubtful authenticity or not genuine ( an ____ gesture) |
| arduous | difficult to do, laborious, strenuous; using much energy |
| aggrandizement | made to seem greater, better, richer |
| acquiesce | to agree or consent quietly without protest, but also without enthusiasm; essentially to give in |
| elephantine | like an elephant in size or gait; clumsy, heavy, slow, etc. |
| assuage | to calm or pacify |
| augment | to make greater in size; add to |
| authoritarian | a person who advocates strict obedience or that which is characterized by unquestioning obedience |
| caustic | that which can burn chemically or cutting, sarcastic in tone or manner (a ____ personality) |
| libertarian | a person who believes in the doctrine of the freedom of the will |
