| baleful |
threatening harm; full of malice; ominous. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| fixation |
an obsession, especially one that interferes with normal functioning. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| luminary |
a famous, important, or inspirational person. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| pretentious |
assuming or marked by an air of importance or superiority that is unwarranted. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |