Guile

Guile - cunning or deceitful in nature

Sample Sentence:

The therapist could not believe the guile of the patient as she recounted a childhood memory of a non-existent sibling.

Acrid

Acrid - sharp or bitter smell or taste

Sample Sentence:

The unusual delicacy left an acrid taste in her mouth that remind her of metal.

Rhetoric

Rhetoric - persuasive speech

Sample Sentence:

The campaign rhetoric reaches its zenith during the respective party conventions.

Facetiously

Facetiously - humorously or in an ironic manner

Sample Sentence:

The speaker facetiously asked if anyone was in hurry before he began his 25 minute answer.

Alexithymia

Alexithymia - not having the words to express emotion

Sample Sentence:

Because his alexithymia prevented him from declaring his love for her, he played his guitar.

Vulgar

Vulgar - common, crude or coarse, even indecent

Sample Sentence:

The man's vulgar behavior drew the attention of the crowd and the police.

Obsequious

Obsequious - submissive, flatteringly attentive

Sample Sentence:

The obsequious assistant continued to fawn all over her boss, hoping for a promotion.

Precarious

Precarious - uncertain or unstable

Sample sentence:  The young boy found himself in the precarious situation of hanging by his pant leg from the tree.

Sojourn

Sojourn - a temporary stay or visit

Sample Sentence: Her sojourn to wine country left her very relaxed.

Chastise

Chastise - to punish or rebuke 

Sample Sentence:

The police officers began to verbally chastise the teenager caught defacing the store.

Edict

Edict - a forceful command, can be a pronouncement with the force of law.

Sample Sentence:

The king issued an edict for all the people to attend the ball.

Empirical

Empirical - possessing observable proof

Sample Sentence:

The empirical evidence was not in dispute, only its interpretation.

Avarice

Avarice - greed or covetousness

Sample Sentence:

The real estate agent, who was known for his avarice, lied to the buyers of the home about its foundation.

Eschew

Eschew - to avoid or shun

Sample Sentence:

He chose to eschew the worldly lifestyle of the other students in his apartment complex.

Perspicacious

Perspicacious - Discerning, wise

Sample Sentence:

His perspicacious analysis of the political situation helped him make a proper military choice.

Oaf

Oaf - a clumsy or bumbling person.

Sample Sentence:

As the big oaf walked down the sidewalk, he stepped on the little boy's toy plane.

Cacophony

Cacophony - discordant or harsh group of sounds.

Sample Sentence:

The screaming cacophony of the room scared away the little girl.

Specious

Specious - deceptive, having pretense

His continuous tardiness and specious excuses irritated his boss enough to fire him.

Sluggard

Sluggard - a lazy person

Sample Sentence - The sluggard couldn't even put on a clean shirt for his interview.

Exacerbate

Exacerbate - to intensify or worsen the negative effects

Sample Sentence:

Sitting in the sun seemed to exacerbate the baby's rash.

Squeamish

Squeamish - easily sickened or nauseated

An autopsy is extremely hard on squeamish medical students.

Trepidation

Trepidation - agitation or quivering fear

Sample Sentence:

His trepidation continued to mount as walked home through the woods.

Garish

Garish - gaudy, showy or excessively bright

Sample Sentence:

Her garish outfit turned heads on the street.

Zeitgeist

Zeitgeist - Characteristic of a specific period in time

Sample Sentence:

The zeitgeist listing on my LibraryThing account has books that reflect the users' current interests.

Vacillate

Vacillate - to sway or fluctuate

Sample Sentence:

In order to make both parties happy, the candidate continued to vacillate between the two sides of the issue

Pontificate

Pontificate - to speak pompously or patronizingly

Sample Sentence:

The neighborhood gossip began to pontificate to the women at the luncheon about keeping confidences. 

Scathing

Scathing - harsh, extremely critical

Sample Sentence:

The Post's scathing review of the movie lowered ticket sales.

Quagmire

Quagmire - a bog or a predicament

Sample Sentence: 

When she stumbled upon the boy hanging upside down from the tree by his belt loops above the pond, she laughed at the quagmire he had created.

Salient

Salient - important, significant, notable

Sample Sentence:

His salient point about the effect of off shore drilling on gas prices was lost in the debate.