aegis
protection, sponsorship
auspicious
favorable, promising a good outcome
jaded
wearied, dulled or bored by having too much, overindulgence
atone
make up for a wrong
lewd
obscene, indecent, lustful, vulgar
succint
briefly and clearly expressed
aloof
reserved, detached, unconcerned, indifferent
jovial
full of hearty humor and fun, jolly
saturnine
gloomy, grave
prevaricate
stray from the truth, mislead
eulogy
speech or writing in praise of something, especially one who is dead
euphemism
pleasant, mild, or inoffensive expression substituted for an unpleasant of offensive one
eugenics
science of improving a breed or species through selection of parents
euphoria
feeling of complete well-being, great happiness, bliss
euthanasia
mercy killing, painlessly putting to death
curtail
shorten, reduce, lessen
travesty
ridiculous imitation
scruple
doubt or uneasiness as to what is right or proper
havoc
great destruction or confusion
mentor
wise, trusted teacher or counselor
haggard
looking worn and tired
utopian
characteristic of an ideal society; visionary
mercurial
changeable; unpredictable; lively
diffident
lacking self-confidence; timid; unassertive
hypocrisy
pretending to be what one is not, especially to have feelings, beliefs or virtues that one does not have
monologue
long speech by one person
monogamy
marriage with one person at a time
monotonous
tiresome because lacking variety, repetitively dull
monotheism
belief in one god
monopoly
total control of a product or a service; company that is in total control; exclusive control or possession of anything
zealous
extremely active; eager; devoted
candid
honest; straightforward; truthful
posthumous
occurring after death
enthrall
charm; fascinate; please greatly
parasite
plan or animal that lives on or in another and feeds off this other’s body; a person receiving support without giving anything useful or meaningful in return.
chagrin
humiliation; disappointment; irritation
cant
insincere talk; special language of a social class, trade, or profession
ephemeral
short-lived, fleeting, lasting a very short time
dexterous
skillful, clever
sinister
threatening, wicked, evil
bilingual
someone who speaks two languages equally; pertaining to two languages
bigamy
marriage to two people at the same time
biped
two-footed animal
bilateral
having or concerning two sides, parties, countries, etc.
bifocals
eyeglasses with lenses that have two sections for correcting both close and distant vision.
ignominy
disgrace, humiliation, shame
aboveboard
without dishonesty of trickery
anecdote
brief story of an interesting or amusing incident
bedlam
noisy confusion
martinet
strict disciplinarian
indolent
lazy
meander
follow a winding course; wander idly or aimlessly
precocious
advanced beyond one’s age
scapegoat
someone blamed for the faults of other
shibboleth
password, slogan or custom characteristic of a certain group and used to distinguish that group; empty, outworn expression or doctrine
induce
persuade, bring about, cause
seduce
lead astray; persuade one to do wrong; persuade one to have sexual intercourse
abduct
carry off by force; kidnap
traduce
slander
conducive
leading, contributing, promoting, helpful
agnostic
One who believes it’s impossible to know whether or not God exists
nepotism
favoritism to relatives in giving jobs and offices
enigmatic
puzzling, mysterious, and perplexing
blatant
completely obvious, often offensively so; shameless
nebulous
unclear, hazy, indistinct
procrustean
forcing rigid conformity
denigrate
defame, speak ill of, attack the reputation of
prosaic
commonplace, dull, uninspired
docile
easily managed, controlled, or taught; gentle; submissive
boycott
refuse to deal with as a means of protest and persuasion
carnage
great slaughter; massacre
carnal
pertaining to desires of the flesh; sensual, sexual, lustful, worldly
carnivorous
flesh-eating
incarnate
having bodily form, especially human form; personified
reincarnation
rebirth in another body