vocab

tl;dr: write down words you don't know

I started a mental exercise some time ago: write down every word I came across and didn't understand (within reason; no floccinaucinihilipilification)

The below list is provided only to keep myself accountable. I'll update this page periodically.

vocab

• didactic - intended to teach with a particularly moralistic, patronizing, and/or ulterior motive
• connotes - implies an idea or feeling in addition to the literal meaning. Note: connotates is not a word.
• concomitant - naturally accompanying/associated
• prandial - relating to dinner or lunch (see also: postprandial)
• ineluctably - unable to resisted/avoided
• spurious - not what it purports to be
• concatenating - link things together in a chain or series
• palimpsest - something (ex: paper) that has been written over and shows traces of original
• inexorable - unyielding; impossible to stop
• somnolent - sleepy / causing drowsiness
• thrall - servant/captive. (common usage: "in thrall")
• topical - of immediate relevance
• cathartic - relief through expression of emotions
• hale - strong/healthy; free from infirmity or illness
• pandiculation - stretching and yawning simultaneously
• supercilious - behaving or appearing like you think you’re better than everyone else
• disingenuous - insincere; pretending you know less than you do
• phenocopy - phenotype expression caused by environment
• navel-gazing - self-indulgent/excessive contemplation of oneself or a single issue, at the expense of a wider view
• reprobate - unprincipled person (common usage: connotes humor)
• sybarite - self-indulgent person; fond of luxury
• licentious - lacking legal or moral restraints; promiscuous
• bacchanal - occasion of drunk and wild revelry
• vacuous - having or showing lack of intelligence/thought
• vicissitudes - change of circumstances or fortune
• parochialism - limited or narrow outlook (esp a literal area, like a parish)
• dilettante - a person with a whimsical interest in a subject
• anodyne - not likely to offend; serving to alleviate pain
• propound - put an idea forth to others
• astringent - sharp or severe in manner or style (literal: causes bodily contraction)
• labile - easy/liable to change; emotionally unstable
• avarice - extreme greed
• verity - a fundamental truth; a principle or belief
• polemic - strong written or verbal attack
• ardor - enthusiasm or passion
• benighted - in a state of pitiful intellectual/moral ignorance, typically owing to a lack of opportunity
• ribaldry - humorous, if vulgar, entertainment
• poltroon - an utter coward
• cachexia - weakness and body wasting due to severe illness
• asperity - harshness of tone or manner
• evanescence - an event that fades quickly from memory
• etiology - the cause or causes of a disease or condition
• loutish - uncouth and aggressive (common usage: of a boy/man)
• denouement - the final part of a play/narrative in which the plot(s) are drawn together and resolved
• enouement - The bittersweetness of not being able to tell your past self how the present turned out
• internecine - destructive to both sides involved
• dyadic - the interaction/intersection between two individuals
• ostentatious - characterized by pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice
• subrogation - one person/group assuming another's debt/insurance claim
• countenance - admit as acceptable; support
• ecumenical - representing the body of Christian churches
• bloviating - talking at length in an pompous or empty way
• vituperative - bitter and abusive

• apoplectic - overcome with anger; extremely indignant
• histrionic - overly theatrical or melodramatic in character or style
• inculcate - teach by persistent instruction
• vagary - an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or someone's behavior
• augury - an omen
• sententious - given to moralizing in a pompous manner
• surfeit - an excessive amount of something
• maudlin - self-pityingly or tearfully sentimental, often through drunkenness
• inimical - tending to obstruct or harm
• explicate - analyze and develop an idea or principle in detail
• patina - the appearance of something (ex: "the patina of wealth"; literally: a layer on the surface of copper, leather, etc)
• pedagogy - the method of teaching, as an academic/theoretical concept
• effusive - expressing gratitude/pleasure/approval in an unrestrained manner
• obsequious - obedient or attentive to an excessive degree
• decadally - a frequency measured in decades
• idempotent - multiple identical requests have the same effect as making a single request
• garrulous - excessively talkative (esp on trivial matters)
• mirthless - lacking real amusement (common usage: conveys irony)
• derisory - ridiculously small, inadequate. Analogous to derisive
• halcyon - a period of time that was very happy and peaceful
• exigent - pressing or demanding
• reify - make something more concrete/real
• cursorily - performed with haste or minimal attention to detail
• praxis - the action or practice of an art, science, or skill
• limerence - a state of mind resulting from romantic attraction
• piquant - mentally stimulating (note: different than piquante)
• brusque - abrupt or offhand speech or mannerism
• cachinnation - an act of laughter

Try it for yourself! It's a nice little hobby.

Thanks for reading. Questions or comments? 👉🏻 alec@contextify.io