2002

2002 asseverate: to affirm or declare positively or earnestly. sentient: capable of perceiving by the senses. malapropos: unseasonable or unseasonably; inappropriate or inappropriately. agitprop: propaganda. fiat: an arbitrary or authoritative command or order. nimiety: excess. surreptitious: done, made, or gotten by stealth; also, marked by stealth. pleonasm: the use of more words than are necessary to express an idea. abominate: to detest intensely. discursive: digressive; rambling; also, marked by analytical reasoning. countervail: to counteract; also, to offset. myrmidon: a loyal follower. perforce: by necessity. pusillanimous: cowardly. claque: a group of fawning admirers. fugacious: lasting but a short time. hauteur: haughtiness; arrogance. somnolent: drowsy; also, tending to cause sleepiness. susurration: a whispering; a soft murmur. puerile: juvenile; childish. gelid: extremely cold; icy. philomath: a lover of learning; a scholar. redoubt: a stronghold. extant: still existing. incipient: beginning to exist or appear. extempore: without premeditation or preparation. potable: drinkable; also, a beverage, especially an alcoholic one. irascible: easily provoked to anger. descry: to catch sight of; to detect. mien: demeanor; also, aspect; appearance. nefarious: wicked in the extreme. volte-face: an about-face. exiguous: extremely scanty. pecuniary: relating to money. traduce: to vilify. postprandial: happening or done after a meal. sinecure: an office or position that involves little work or responsibility. apogee: the highest point. incontrovertible: indisputable; unquestionable. furbelow: something showy or superfluous. maudlin: excessively sentimental. exigent: requiring immediate aid or action; also, demanding. contravene: to act or be counter to. temerarious: reckless; rash.

philter: a love potion. reticent: inclined to keep silent. pronunciamento: a proclamation; a pronouncement. voluble: characterized by a ready flow of speech. erudite: characterized by extensive reading or knowledge. quotidian: occurring daily; also, ordinary. roister: to revel; to carouse. seriatim: in a series; one after another. detritus: debris. sybarite: a person devoted to luxury and pleasure. loquacious: very talkative. tyro: a novice. salubrious: healthful. evanescent: fleeting. ineluctable: impossible to avoid or evade. prolix: wordy. cavalcade: a procession. celerity: quickness; swiftness. obloquy: ill repute. extol: to praise. frisson: a brief moment of intense excitement. malediction: a curse. lenity: the state or quality of being lenient. unctuous: marked by a false or smug earnestness or agreeableness. expatiate: to speak or write at length. nescience: lack of knowledge or awareness. desideratum: something desired. indomitable: incapable of being subdued or overcome. raconteur: one who excels in telling stories and anecdotes. sunder: to break apart. peccadillo: a slight offense; a petty fault. extricate: to free or release from a difficulty or entanglement. aspersion: a damaging or derogatory remark. levity: frivolity. mellifluous: flowing sweetly or smoothly. logorrhea: excessive talkativeness. arrogate: to claim or seize without right or justification. forlorn: sad and lonely because deserted, abandoned, or lost. comport: to behave (oneself) in a particular manner. farrago: an assortment; a medley. ratiocination: the process of reasoning. varicolored: having a variety of colors. doula: a woman who assists in childbirth. nonagenarian: someone whose age is in the nineties. friable: easily crumbled, pulverized, or reduced to powder. gravitas: high seriousness. lachrymose: given to causing tears.

abscond: to depart secretly. probity: complete and confirmed integrity. taciturn: not inclined to talk. proclivity: a natural inclination. demagogue: a leader who obtains power by means of appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace. exculpate: to clear from alleged fault or guilt. recalcitrant: stubbornly resistant to and defiant of authority or restraint. quondam: former; sometime. pellucid: transparent, clear; also, easily understandable. desuetude: disuse. apposite: of striking appropriateness and relevance. jocund: light-hearted; mirthful. firmament: the sky; the heavens. spoonerism: the transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words. perfunctory: done routinely. beholden: obliged; indebted. polyglot: speaking or containing many languages. abjure: to renounce, reject, or shun. collude: to act in concert; to conspire. dissolute: loose in morals and conduct. mendacious: untruthful; also, untrue. clemency: disposition to show mercy; also, an act of mercy. ebullient: high-spirited. propitious: presenting favorable circumstances. indolent: lazy; inactive. adamant: not susceptible to persuasion; unyielding. bonhomie: pleasant and easy manner. depredation: an act of plundering or ravaging. lissom: supple; nimble. enervate: to weaken. condign: deserved; adequate. blandishment: flattering speech or action. plenary: full; complete. cosset: to treat with excessive indulgence; to pamper. sang-froid: coolness in trying circumstances. brio: vigor; vivacity. vociferous: clamorous; noisy. protean: readily assuming different shapes or forms. eschew: to shun; to avoid. somniferous: causing or inducing sleep. gregarious: seeking and enjoying the company of others. lassitude: lack of vitality or energy. inchoate: partly but not fully in existence or operation. esurient: hungry; greedy. subterfuge: a deceptive device or stratagem. gastronome: a lover of good food and drink.

affable: easy to speak to; also, gracious. precipice: a very steep, perpendicular, or overhanging place. purblind: having greatly reduced vision. fulminate: to issue or utter verbal attacks or censures. cogitate: to think; to ponder. lambent: playing on the surface; flickering. Zeitgeist: the spirit of the time. pugnacious: combative; quarrelsome. acumen: quickness or keenness of perception or discernment. rapine: the act of plundering. autodidact: one who is self-taught. dilatory: given to, or marked by, procrastination or delay. bete noire: something or someone particularly detested or avoided. chary: wary; cautious. kvetch: to complain habitually. platitude: a banal, trite, or stale thought or remark. ablution: the washing of the body or some part of it. ameliorate: to make or grow better. chagrin: acute vexation or embarrassment. tortuous: marked by repeated turns and bends. kismet: destiny; fate. exacerbate: to aggravate; to make worse. penchant: a strong liking. ennui: a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction arising from lack of interest. garrulous: talkative; also, wordy. acrid: sharp and harsh; bitter. rubicund: inclining to redness; ruddy. sojourn: to dwell for a time; also, a temporary stay. laudable: praiseworthy; commendable. aesthete: one who cultivates great sensitivity to beauty. perspicacity: clearness of understanding. rara avis: a rare or unique person or thing. turpitude: baseness; depravity. diffident: bashful or unassertive. persiflage: frivolous or bantering talk. moribund: dying. sobriquet: a nickname. polymath: a person of great or varied learning. appurtenance: an adjunct or accessory. hirsute: covered with hair or bristles. nadir: the lowest point. wastrel: a person who wastes; a loafer. facetious: playfully jocular; humorous. afflatus: a divine inspiration. cupidity: eager or excessive desire, especially for wealth. intransigent: uncompromising. cynosure: a center of attention.

refulgent: brilliant; resplendent. concomitant: accompanying; attending. ribald: characterized by, or given to, vulgar humor. sesquipedalian: (of words) long; having many syllables. deleterious: harmful. temerity: unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger. extirpate: to eradicate; to destroy. lineament: a distinguishing or characteristic feature. monomania: obsession with a single subject. pari passu: at an equal pace or rate. prelapsarian: pertaining to the time or state before the Fall. coeval: existing during the same period of time; also, a contemporary. immure: to enclose within or as if within walls. bumptious: crudely, presumptuously, or noisily self-assertive. apostasy: desertion or departure from one's faith, principles, or party. importunate: troublesomely urgent. busker: a street musician or performer. disconcert: to disturb the composure of. malfeasance: wrongdoing, misconduct, or misbehavior. intractable: not easily governed, managed, or directed. equivocate: to be deliberately ambiguous or unclear. factotum: a person employed to do all kinds of work. peregrination: a traveling from place to place. diaphanous: allowing light to pass through. quorum: such a number of the officers or members of any body as is legally competent to transact business. relegate: to assign or remove, usually to an inferior position. fanfaronade: empty boasting; bluster. roseate: cheerful; bright; also, rose-colored. camarilla: a group of secret and often scheming advisers. torpid: dull; sluggish; apathetic. concomitant: accompanying; attending. stasis: a state of balance, equilibrium, or stagnation. prepotency: predominance. bagatelle: a trifle; also, a short, light literary or musical piece. insensate: lacking sensation or awareness. confute: to refute conclusively. revenant: one who returns after death or a long absence. corroborate: to strengthen or make more certain with other evidence. exegete: one who explains or interprets difficult parts of written works. dubiety: the condition or quality of being doubtful; also, a matter of doubt. carapace: a shell; a protective covering. tocsin: a warning. puissant: powerful. aplomb: confidence; coolness. procrastination: To put off doing something. opportune: suitable for a given purpose or occasion.

renascent: rising again into being; showing renewed vigor. fettle: a state or condition of fitness, order, or mind. proponent: an advocate. cursory: hastily or superficially performed. numinous: spiritual; holy. evince: to show in a clear manner. recondite: difficult to understand. pelf: money; riches. flagitious: grossly wicked; scandalous. auspicious: favorable; also, prosperous; fortunate. deliquesce: to melt away or become liquid. prescient: knowing or anticipating the outcome of events before they happen. indigent: extremely poor. palpable: plain; distinct; obvious. billingsgate: foul language. anodyne: serving to relieve pain. schadenfreude: a malicious satisfaction in the misfortunes of others. euphonious: pleasing or sweet in sound. quaff: to drink with relish. ostensible: appearing to be true, but not necessarily so. xenophobia: fear or hatred of what is strange or foreign. recrimination: a counter accusation. malleable: capable of being shaped; also, adaptable. perdurable: very durable; long lasting. onus: burden; also, blame; stigma. triskaidekaphobia: fear of the number 13. bravado: a real or pretended show of courage or boldness. littoral: on a coastal or shore region. redivivus: living again; revived; restored. paladin: a champion of a cause. bootless: unavailing; useless. gimcrack: a showy but useless or worthless object. munificent: very generous. hobnob: to associate familiarly. fiduciary: relating to the holding of something in trust for another. indelible: incapable of being removed or erased. fortuitous: happening by chance. diktat: an authoritative decree or order. boulevardier: a man-about-town. convivial: relating to feasting, drinking, and good company; festive. legerdemain: sleight of hand. foment: to nurse to life or activity; to incite. concatenation: a chain; a succession. parsimonious: frugal to excess. moiety: a half; a small part. venial: capable of being forgiven; excusable. accede: to agree or assent; also, to become a party.

portend: to foreshadow; to bode. chthonic: dwelling in or under the earth; also, pertaining to the underworld. mercurial: changeable; temperamental; volatile. ineffable: incapable of being expressed. adventitious: added extrinsically; not essentially inherent. omnipresent: present in all places at the same time. gourmand: one who enjoys good food in great quantities. crepuscular: pertaining to twilight. exalt: to praise, glorify, or honor. contradistinction: distinction by contrast. soporific: causing sleep; also, something that causes sleep. deride: to laugh at with contempt. laconic: using or marked by the use of a minimum of words. bellwether: a leader or leading indicator. effulgence: the state of being bright and radiant. riparian: of or pertaining to the bank of a river. mordant: biting; caustic; sarcastic. woebegone: woeful; also, run-down. scintilla: a tiny amount; a spark. halcyon: peaceful; undisturbed; happy. tendentious: marked by a strong tendency in favor of a particular point of view. palimpsest: an object or place whose older layers or aspects are apparent. ostentation: excessive or pretentious display. captious: disposed to find fault or raise objections. ersatz: being a substitute or imitation. paroxysm: an outburst; a fit. tenebrous: dark; gloomy. cadre: a core or nucleus of trained or otherwise qualified personnel around which an organization is formed. gubernatorial: of or pertaining to a governor. inscrutable: difficult to fathom or understand. parley: a conference or discussion; also, to confer. clarion: a kind of trumpet; also, loud and clear. circumambient: surrounding; encompassing. trammel: something that impedes activity, progress, or freedom; also, to hamper. matutinal: relating to or occurring in the morning. beneficence: the practice of doing good. aver: to assert as true. nugatory: insignificant; also, ineffectual. multifarious: having great diversity or variety. impassive: devoid of emotion; also, showing no emotion. fealty: fidelity; allegiance; faithfulness. segue: to proceed without interruption. visage: the face; also, appearance; aspect. obsequious: servilely attentive; fawning. pukka: authentic; genuine; also, first-class. coruscate: to give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light.

foment: to nurse to life or activity; to incite. missive: a written message; a letter. hale: free from disease and weakening conditions; healthy. edacious: given to eating. algorithm: a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem. bouleversement: complete overthrow; a reversal. practicable: feasible; also, usable. encumbrance: a burden, impediment, or hindrance. repast: a meal. panacea: a cure-all. circumlocution: the use of many words to express an idea that might be expressed by few. meticulous: extremely careful about details. wayworn: wearied by traveling. parlous: fraught with danger; hazardous. vim: energy; vigor. booboisie: a class of people regarded as stupid or foolish. orotund: full in sound; also, bombastic. palindrome: a word, verse, phrase, or sentence that reads the same backward or forward. flippant: showing inappropriate levity; pert. irrefragable: impossible to refute. cogent: appealing to the mind or to reason; convincing. ukase: an edict. fetid: stinking. badinage: light, playful talk. atelier: a workshop; a studio. posit: to postulate; also, to suggest. callow: immature. succinct: brief; concise. lugubrious: mournful; gloomy; dismal. officious: meddlesome. castigate: to punish or criticize severely. propinquity: nearness. descant: a discourse; also, to discourse. robustious: boisterous; vigorous. subfusc: dark or dull in color. jollification: merrymaking; revelry. doff: to take off; to remove; also, to rid oneself of. conurbation: an aggregation or continuous network of urban communities. pugilist: a boxer. gewgaw: a trinket; a bauble. quiddity: the essence or nature of a thing. complement: something that fills up or completes.