zenith: (noun) the highest point; the point in the sky above one
zealot: (noun) a person who shows great enthusiasm for a cause
whet: (verb) the sharpen; to make stronger; to stimulate
wanton: (adj) immoral; senseless; excessive; deliberately malicious
waive: (verb) to dispense with; to relinquish; to postpone
voluminous: (adj) large, bulky, enough to fill volumes
vitriolic: (adj) extremely biting or caustic; sharp and bitter
virtuoso: (noun) one with masterly skill or technique in any field; as in the arts
vilify: (verb) to defame; to slander; to cause a person to become vile
vicarious: (adj) taking the place of another; experienced through sympathetic participation in the experience of another
viable: (adj) able to live or exist; praticable
verbose: (adj) wordy; tedious
venerate: (verb) to regard with respect and reverence; to honor
vacillate: (verb) to waver; to sway unsteadily; to fluctuate
urbane: (adj) courteous; suave; polished
untenable: (adj) incapable of being defended or held; that which cannot be maintained or occupied
unobtrusive: (adj) not readily noticeable; inconspicious
ungainly: (adj) clumsy; awkward; hard to handle
unequivocal: (adj) plain; very clear in meaning
unassailable: (adj) undeniable, unquestionable; not liable to attack
tirade: (noun) a long, angry, or scolding speach; a harangue
thwart: (verb) to oppose directly; to battle; to block
terse: (adj) using only a few words but clear to the point
tenet: (noun) a principle, a doctrine or belief held as a truth by a group
temerity: (noun) foolish or reckless boldness; rashness
tawdry: (adj) gaudy and cheap vulgarly ornamental
tangential: (adj) diverging or digressing, merely touching on a subject
taciturn: (adj) habitually untalkative; uncommunicative
sycophant: (noun) one who tries to win favor by flattering persons of influence
surmise: (verb) to imagine or infer on slight grounds
supercilious: (adj) proud and scornful; haughty
succinct: (adj) clearly expresseed in a few words; concise
stoic: (adj) indifferent to or unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
spurious: (adj) lacking authenticity; counterfeit
soporific: (adj) causing sleep; drowsy
scrupulous: (adj) very honest and conscientious; careful about details
scapegoat: (noun) one taking blame for the mistakes and crimes of others
salutary: (adj) healthful; useful or helpful
sagacious: (adj) very wise or shrewd
reticent: (adj) not saying much, especially about one's thoughts
rescind: (verb) to cancel; to repeal
repugnant: (adj) disgusting; loathsome; objectionable
repudiate: (verb) to reject; to refuse to recognize, acknowledge or pay
relegate: (verb) to put in a less important position; to assign; to banish
recalcitrant: (adj) refusing to obey rules or follow orders; unmanageably resistant
rancor: (noun) deep spite or malice, strong hate or bitter feeling
raconteur: (noun) a person skilled at telling stories or anecdotes
quixotic: (adj) idealistic and utterly impractible
querulous: (adj) peevish; faultfinding; expressing or suggestive of complaint
pugnacious: (adj) eager and ready to fight; quarrelsome
partisan: (adj) showing a strong support for a party or cause
parsimonious: (adj) too thrifty; stingy
pariah: (noun) an outcast
provincial: (adj) having the ways and speech of a certain province; of or like country people; unsophisticated; thinking in narrow ways
preclude: (verb) to make impossible; to shut out; to prevent
pragmatic: (adj) practical; condemned with practice rather than theory
ponderous: (adj) very heavy; bulky; labored and dull or tiresome
pique: (verb) to hurt the feelings of or make resentful; to arouse or excite
peruse: (verb) to study; to read
peripheral: (adj) external; incidental; tangential
perfidy: (noun) treachery; betrayal of trust
peerless: (adj) having no equal; better than the rest
paucity: (noun) scarcity; smallness in number or amount
officious: (adj) meddling; giving unnecessary or unwanted advice
nonchalance: (noun) carelessness; lack of interest or concern
nomenclature: (noun) a systematic naming in art or science
morose: (adj) gloomy; bad tempered
mitigate: (verb) to make or become milder or less severe; to moderate
meandering: (adj) winding back and forth; rambling
levity: (noun) lightness; lack of seriousness; fickleness
laudable: (adj) worthy of praise
latent: (adj) present but invisible or inactive; lying bidden and undeveloped
lucid: (adj) clear; clear-minded; rational; easily understood
listless: (adj) marked by lack of energy or enthusiasm
lassitude: (noun) state of feeling or being tired and listless; weariness
lampoon: (noun or verb) strong, satirical writing, usually attacking or ridiculing someone
laconic: (adj) brief or terse in speech; using few words 
lackluster: (adj) lacking brightness; dull; lacking liveliness, vitality, or enthusiasm
kindle: (verb) to ignite; to arouse or inspire, to catch fire
irrefutable: (adj) cannot be disproved
intractable: (adj) hard to manage; not easily treated
intemperate: (adj) lacking in self control
insurgent: (noun/adj) one who rises in revolt
insipid: (adj) lacking interest or spirit
inscrutable: (adj) so mysterious it cannot be understood
innocuous: (adj) harmless
ingratiate: (verb) to make oneself acceptable
indigent: (adj/noun) poverty stricken
indefatigable: (adj) tireless
incorrigible: (adj) too firmly fixed to be reformed or changed
incontrovertible: (adj) not able to be disputed or denied
incongruous: (adj) inappropriate; out of place
incisive: (adj) keen; penetrating
incipient: (adj) in an early stage
impassive: (adj) without feeling or emotion; insensible
immutable: (adj) never changing
immaterial: (adj) insignificant; unimportant
iconoclast: (noun) a person who attacks cherished beliefs or established institutions
hedonist: (noun) one who lives solely for pleasure
hackneyed: (adj) used too often; trite; commonplace
guile: (noun) crafty deceit; cunning
gratuitous: (adj) freely given; unnecessary; uncalled for
garrulous: (adj) talkative
garbled: (adj) confused; mixed up (eg. facts, statements)
galvanize: (verb) to arouse suddenly; to startle
furtive: (adj) done quickly and with stealth to avoid notice; secret
fortuitous: (adj) happening by chance
formidable: (adj) hard to overcome; to be dreaded
fledgling: (adj) newly developed; little known
fastidious: (adj) hard to please; dainty in taste
fallacy: (noun) false idea; mistaken belief
extol: (verb) to praise highly
expunge: (verb) to erase; to remove completely
exacerbate: (verb) to make a situation worse; to irritate
evanescent: (adj) gradually disappearing; fleeting
esoteric: (adj) understood by only a select few
equanimity: (noun) evenness of temper
ephemeral: (adj) lasting only for a short time
enigma: (noun) a puzzle; a baffling situation
engender: (verb) to cause; to produce; to bring into being
enervate: (verb) to weaken, to lessen the strength of
emulate: (verb) to try to equal or surpass
embroil: (verb) to involve in a quarrel
embellish: (verb) to decorate; to elaborate on
elucidate: (verb) to make clear
egregious: (adj) extraordinarily bad
effervescent: (adj) lively; giving off bubbles
efface: (verb) to wipe out; to erase
eclectic: (adj) consisting of selections from various sources
duplicity: (noun) deceitfulness
dogmatic: (adj) positive and emphatic in asserting opinions
distraught: (adj) in a state of mental conflict and confusion; distracted
dissipated: (adj) indulging excessively in sensual pleasures
disparity: (noun) lack of equality; difference
disparage: (verb) to discredit; to belittle
discerning: (adj) keenly perceptive; shrewd
diminution: (noun) a lessening
diffuse: (adj) spread out; wordy
didactic: (adj) intended to instruct
diatribe: (noun) a denunciation; a bitter verbal attack
