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(n.) A slanderous remark; the act of slandering
Such vehement aspersions cannot be ignored. |
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(n.) A false accusation
The speech was considered a calumny of the administration. |
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(n.) a bitter written or verbal attack
repeated diatribes against the senator. |
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(n.) censure, blame, or abusive language aimed at a person or thing, especially by numerous persons or by the general public.
The politician's racist remarks quickly led him to obloquy. |
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(n.) the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy.
The revelation of the coach's obsession with child pornography incurred permanent opprobrium unto him and his family. |
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(n.) A deliberately false report or rumor
A canard spread around the high school that Jack's girlfriend was being unfaithful. |
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(n.) deception or trickery
He resorted to the worst flattery and chicanery to win the job. |
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(n.) a subtle, tricky, superficially plausible, but generally fallacious method of reasoning.
The professor failed the student because his seemingly well-argued paper was, in fact, mere sophistry. |
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(n.) A particular skill or cleverness in deceiving people
The child who talks sweetly to its mother to get its way is learning to practice guile. |
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(n.) Treachery or deceit
perfidy that goes unpunished. |
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(n.) Someone too concerned with rules/details; someone who shows off knowledge; a teacher
Bryan often corrects his peers; he is gaining a reputations as a pedant. |
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(n.) an unexpected change or fluctuation
They remained friends through the vicissitudes of 40 years. |
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(n.) the best or greatest part, apex
The soundtrack was the movie's apogee. |
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(n.) a paid job requiring little or no work
Desk jobs at libraries on campus are taken very quickly by students, due to their reputation as being sinecures. |
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(n.) favoritism shown by somebody in power to relatives and friends
I practice nepotism when tending bar at my eating club, giving members only drinks to my personal friends. |
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(n.) wrong or illegal conduct, especially one that violates the public trust.
The treasurer's embezzlement constituted a terrible malfeasance. |
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(n.) debris or discarded material
One of the main concerns about hurricane winds is detritus being launched into the air as projectiles, potentially causing much structural damage to nearby buildings. |
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(n.) a place or situation full of noise, frenzied activity, and confusion
The London Riots turned the tourist destination into bedlam for weeks. |
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(n.) somebody's appearance, bearing, or posture
Aladdin dresses up in order to appear to be a man of noble mien. |
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(n.) a slight or invisible exhalation or vapor, especially one that is disagreeable or noxious.
The public restroom is a place to politely ignore various effluvia. |
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(n.) nearness in place, proximity; nearness of relation, kinship; nearness in time; similarity
My sister and I look nothing alike--people are often surprised by our propinquity. |
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(n.) extremely stingy, miserly; extremely poor, destitute; poorly or inadequately supplied
The teacher blamed the parents for being too penurious (cheap) to purchase school supplies for their students, but in fact they were too penurious (poor). |
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(n.) a formal expression of high praise, eulogy
The awards ceremony featured encomiums for many students from their teachers. |
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(n.) a reduction of swelling
After getting her wisdom teeth removed, Tracy hoped for quick detumescence. |
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(n.) disgrace, dishonor, public contempt
After rumors were spread that she'd slept with the entire football team, Mary was subject to ignominy for the rest of her high school years. |
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(n.) something totally unrealistic and impractical
Many underprivileged kids do not realize their dreams of playing professional sports are most likely chimeras. |
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(n.) slight of hand; a display of skill or cleverness, especially for the purposes of deceit
The magician was a master of legerdemain. |
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(n.) large or excessive in amount or number
There are a plethora of words one must learn to be prepared for the verbal section of the GRE. |
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(n.) a petty or unimportant offense or fault
Jaywalking is generally considered to be a peccadillo. |
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(n.) evenness of temper even under stress
My roommate was raised to practice equanimity in arguments, while I was raised to yell: these incompatible fighting styles led to tension. |
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(n.) promptness or eager and speedy readiness
Hopefully, the police will respond to emergency calls with alacrity. |
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(n.) a confusing, messy, or complicated situation
Whenever someone lists their relationship status as "it's complicated," I want to know the details of the imbroglio. |
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(n.) resentment or annoyance arising from some offense
Umbrage comes naturally to my grandmother--she can hold a grudge for years. |
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(n.) a pointless, unoriginal, or empty comment/statement made as though it were helpful
When I ask what time it is and someone responds with the platitude, "Time for you to get a watch," I want to smack him. |
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(n.) reckless confidence that might be offensive
Confidence is sexy to an extent, but once it crosses into temerity, it's a turnoff. |
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(n.) a confused mixture of things
Unsure of how she was feeling, Nicole's head swam with a farrago of hope, doubt, fear, and desire. |
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(n.) mental slowness; dullness
When little Mikey didn't talk, walk, or show interest in toys at the ages his older brother had, his parents took him to the doctor to be tested, fearing that these signs of hebetude might belie autism. |
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(n.) conversationalist
Nathan has no problem striking up conversations with strangers; he is a wonderful deipnosophist. |
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(n.) the forefront of an action or movement; the leading position or persons of a movement
A prominent scholar, my professor is at the vanguard of the movement to make hip-hop a respectable field of study. |
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(n.) a judge or umpire who makes a final decision or resolves a dispute
Dylan was fired for being an arbitrary arbiter--umpires' decisions must have clearly identifiable reasons. |
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(n.) wordiness or redundancy
Even when struggling to meet minimum word requirements, verbiage should be avoided in academic writing. |
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(n.) a brief treatment or account of a subject, especially an extensive subject; concise treatise; a summary or abridgement
When the student's presentation reached the 15 minute mark, his teacher asked for a compendium of his closing remarks. |
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(n.) appearance, especially the look or expression of the face; approval, favor, encouragement, moral support
Maribel was glad to see her boyfriend sitting in the front row at the talent show; he provided the countenance she needed to get through her performance. |
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(n.) a person or thing that acts as a chief support or part of something else.
The casinos are the mainstay of Atlantic City's economy. |
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(n.) anger; a feeling of offense or resentment
The man's racist behavior left Mark full of dudgeon. |
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(n.) a beginner or novice; a person newly converted to a belief
Alicia was excited when she saw the dance team's auditions were open to neophytes; though she'd always been interested in dance, she'd never participated before. |
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(n.) the state or period of being a beginner, especially in a religious congregation; a novice
Danielle's unfamiliarity with church policies showed that she was still in the novitiate period of her membership. |
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(n.) a person who has changed from one opinion, religious belief, sect, or the like, to another; convert.
Mark became a proselyte to the Jewish faith when he married his wife. |
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(n.) a beginner in learning anything; novice.
It surprises many that Erika was a tyro to tae kwon do her freshman year; she has won medals at Nationals for the past two years. |
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(n.) harshness or sharpness of tone, temper, or manner; severity, acrimony; hardship, difficulty, rigor; roughness of surface, unevenness
The asperity of the headmaster's remarks made the student cry. |
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