Collected vocabulary
Diction
A collection of words worth knowing.
155 entries
A
- Acrimonious
- angry and bitter, especially in speech or debate
- Alacrity
- brisk and cheerful readiness
- Anodyne
- unlikely to provoke offense or disagreement, but often dull; a medicine that relieves pain. Wikipedia
- Aplomb
- self-confidence or assurance, especially in a demanding situation
- Apotheosis
- the highest point in the development of something; a perfect example. Wikipedia
- Askance
- with a sideways glance, often expressing doubt or disapproval.
- Assuage
- to make an unpleasant feeling less intense; to satisfy an appetite or desire
- Asymptotic
- approaching a limit increasingly closely without ever fully reaching it. Wikipedia
- Athwart
- from side to side; in opposition to. "Pearl Jam stood athwart popularity."
B
- Bagatelle
- a thing of little importance; a trifle; a short, light piece of music
- Behooves
- it is right, necessary, or advantageous for someone to do something.
- Blandishments
- flattering or pleasing statements used to persuade someone. Wikipedia
- Blather
- to talk at length in a foolish way
- Brouhaha
- a noisy and overexcited reaction or response to something
C
- Capitulate
- to cease to resist; to surrender. Wikipedia
- Capricious
- given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior; unpredictable.
- Chockablock
- packed tightly together or completely full. Wikipedia
- Codswallop
- nonsense (British slang). Wikipedia
- Cogent
- clear, logical, and convincing
- Confabulation
- the production of fabricated or distorted memories without intent to deceive; in AI, when a model generates plausible but false information. Wikipedia
- Copacetic
- in excellent order; perfectly satisfactory
- Cornpone
- unsophisticated or countrified; lacking subtlety
- Crass
- showing no sensitivity or finesse; grossly insensitive
D
- Digression
- a temporary departure from the main subject in speech or writing. Wikipedia
- Dilettante
- a person who cultivates an area of interest without real commitment or knowledge. Wikipedia
- Disparate
- fundamentally different or distinct in kind; unable to be compared
- Donnybrook
- a scene of uproar and disorder; a heated argument. Wikipedia
- Drivel
- silly nonsense; to talk in a foolish or meaningless way
E
- Ecumenical
- promoting unity among different religions or groups. Wikipedia
- Edification
- moral or intellectual instruction or improvement
- Edify
- to instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually
- Epistolary
- relating to or conducted through letters or correspondence
- Equanimity
- mental calmness and composure, especially in a difficult situation. Wikipedia
- Erudite
- having or showing great knowledge gained from study and reading
- Espouse
- to adopt or support a cause, belief, or way of life
- Exuberant
- filled with lively energy and excitement
F
- Folkelig
- a Norwegian and Danish adjective meaning "of the people"; popular, unpretentious, or rooted in everyday life
G
- Garish
- obtrusively bright and showy; lurid
H
I
- Inchoate
- just begun and not fully formed or developed; rudimentary
- Incongruent
- not in agreement or harmony; incompatible
- Incongruous
- not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings
- Incredulous
- unwilling or unable to believe something
- Indelible
- making marks that cannot be removed; not able to be forgotten
- Insipid
- lacking flavor or interest; dull
- Insouciance
- casual lack of concern; indifference
- Interlocutor
- a person who takes part in a dialogue or conversation
K
L
M
- Maelstrom
- a powerful whirlpool; a situation of confused and turbulent movement
- Menagerie
- a collection of wild or exotic animals kept for exhibition; a varied group of people or things. Wikipedia
- Milquetoast
- a timid, meek, unassertive person. Wikipedia
- Miserliness
- the quality of being excessively unwilling to spend or share; stinginess. Wikipedia
N
- Nihilistic
- rejecting all religious and moral principles in the belief that life is meaningless. Wikipedia
O
- Obsequious
- obedient or attentive to an excessive or servile degree
- Obstreperous
- noisy and difficult to control
- Opprobrium
- harsh criticism or censure; public disgrace
- Orthogonal
- independent, unrelated, or statistically uncorrelated; at right angles in geometry. Wikipedia
P
- Palimpsest
- a manuscript on which earlier writing has been effaced to make room for later writing; something bearing visible traces of its earlier form. Wikipedia
- Paltry
- small or meager; petty or trivial
- Parochial
- having a limited or narrow outlook; relating to a parish
- Parsimonious
- unwilling to spend money or use resources; stingy
- Pathological
- relating to disease; extreme, obsessive, or compulsive in a way considered unhealthy. Wikipedia
- Pejorative
- expressing contempt or disapproval. Wikipedia
- Penultimate
- second to last
- Phantasmagoric
- having a dreamlike quality; surreal and constantly shifting. Wikipedia
- Philistine
- a person who is hostile or indifferent to art, culture, and intellectual pursuits. Wikipedia
- Piddling
- pathetically trivial; trifling
- Posterity
- all future generations; the descendants of a person
- Prevaricate
- to speak or act in an evasive way; to avoid giving a direct answer
- Prosaic
- lacking poetic beauty; commonplace; dull
- Puerile
- childishly silly or immature
Q
R
- Rapacious
- aggressively greedy or grasping, especially for wealth or resources
- Recalcitrant
- having an obstinately uncooperative attitude
- Redolent
- strongly reminiscent or suggestive of; fragrant
- Reprobate
- an unprincipled or immoral person
- Resplendent
- attractive and impressive through being richly colorful or splendid
- Rigmarole
- a lengthy, complicated, and seemingly pointless procedure
- Roughshod
- (ride roughshod over) carrying out one's own plans without regard for others
S
- Sagacity
- the quality of being discerning, sound in judgment, and farsighted; wisdom
- Sanctimonious
- making a show of being morally superior to others. Wikipedia
- Sanguine
- optimistic, especially in a difficult situation; also blood-red in color
- Sinecure
- a position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status or financial benefit. Wikipedia
- Solipsistic
- relating to the view that the self is all that can be known to exist; self-absorbed. Wikipedia
- Sophomoric
- pretentious or immature. Wikipedia
- Sordid
- involving ignoble actions and motives; morally degraded
- Splurge
- an act of spending money freely or extravagantly
- Subterfuge
- deceit used to achieve one's goal
T
- Taciturn
- reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little
- Tawdry
- showy but cheap and of poor quality
- Temerity
- excessive confidence or boldness; audacity
- Toil
- hard and continuous work; exhausting labor
- Traipse
- to walk or trudge wearily or reluctantly
- Triumvirate
- a group of three powerful or notable people or things. Wikipedia
- Troika
- a group of three people working together, especially in an administrative capacity; a Russian vehicle drawn by three horses. Wikipedia
- Trundle
- to move slowly and heavily, especially with a rolling motion
U
- Umbrage
- offense or annoyance (take umbrage)
V
- Vicissitude
- a change of circumstances, typically unwelcome; the uncertainty of outcomes
- Vituperative
- bitter and abusive in language or criticism
W
- Wanton
- deliberate and unprovoked; reckless