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100 Words to Make You Sound Smart

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accolade
 n.a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
acrimony
n.a rough and bitter manner
angst
n.an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
anomaly
n.deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
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Full list of words from this list:

words onlydefinitions & notes
     

1.  accolade
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

2.  acrimony
a rough and bitter manner

3.  angst
an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety

4.  anomaly
 deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule

5.  avant-garde
radically new or original

6.  baroque
relating to an elaborately ornamented style of art and music

7.  bona fide
not counterfeit or copied

8.  bonhomie
a disposition to be friendly and approachable

9.  boondoggle
work of little or no value done merely to look busy

10.  bourgeois
being of the property-owning class

11.  bravado
a swaggering show of courage

12.  brogue
a thick and heavy shoe

13.  brusque
 rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner

14.  cacophony
loud confusing disagreeable sounds

15.  camaraderie
the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability

16.  capricious
determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity

17.  carte blanche

complete freedom or authority to act

18.  caustic
capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action

19.  charisma
personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others

20.  cloying
overly sweet

21.  deja vu
the experience of thinking a new situation already occurred

22.  dichotomy
 a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses

23.  dilettante
an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention

24.  disheveled
in disarray; extremely disorderly

25.  elan
enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness

26.  ennui
the feeling of being bored by something tedious

27.  ephemeral
lasting a very short time

28.  epitome
a standard or typical example

29.  equanimity
steadiness of mind under stress

30.  equivocate
be deliberately ambiguous or unclear

31.  ersatz
 artificial and inferior

32.  esoteric
understandable only by an enlightened inner circle

33.  euphemism
an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one

34.  facetious
cleverly amusing in tone

35.  fait accompli

an irreversible accomplishment

36.  fastidious
giving careful attention to detail

37.  faux pas

a socially awkward or tactless act

38.  fiasco
a complete failure or collapse

39.  finagle
achieve something by means of trickery or devious methods

40.  glib
 artfully persuasive in speech

41.  gregarious
temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others

42.  harbinger
something indicating the approach of something or someone

43.  hedonist
someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures

44.  heresy
a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion

45.  idiosyncratic
peculiar to the individual

46.  idyllic
charmingly simple and serene

47.  indelicate
in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent

48.  infinitesimal
immeasurably small

49.  insidious
 working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way

50.  junket
dessert made of sweetened milk coagulated with rennet

51.  litany
a prayer led by clergy with responses from the congregation

52.  lurid
glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism

53.  Machiavellian
of or relating to amoral or conniving political principles

54.  malaise
a feeling of mild sickness or depression

55.  malinger
avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness

56.  mantra
a sacred utterance or poetic hymn in Vedism

57.  maudlin
very sentimental or emotional

58.  mercenary
 a person hired to fight for another country than their own

59.  minimalist
a conservative advocating only minor reforms in government

60.  misnomer
an incorrect or unsuitable name

61.  narcissist
someone who is excessively self-centered

62.  nirvana
the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation

63.  non sequitur

a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it

64.  oblivion
the state of being disregarded or forgotten

65.  ogle
stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions

66.  ostentatious
intended to attract notice and impress others

67.  ostracize
 expel from a community or group

68.  panacea
hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases

69.  paradox
a statement that contradicts itself

70.  peevish
easily irritated or annoyed

71.  perfunctory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough

72.  philistine
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits

73.  picayune
small and of little importance

74.  precocious
characterized by exceptionally early development

75.  propriety
correct behavior

76.  quid pro quo

 something given in exchange for something else

77.  quintessential
representing the perfect example of a class or quality

78.  red herring

something intended to distract attention from the main issue

79.  revel
take delight in

80.  rhetoric
study of the technique for using language effectively

81.  scintillating
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light

82.  spartan
unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment

83.  stigma
a symbol of disgrace or infamy

84.  stoic
seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive

85.  suave
 having a sophisticated charm

86.  supercilious
having or showing arrogant superiority

87.  sycophant
a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage

88.  teetotaler
someone who abstains from drinking alcoholic beverages

89.  tete-a-tete
a private conversation between two people

90.  tirade
a speech of violent denunciation

91.  tryst
a secret rendezvous, especially a romantic one

92.  ubiquitous
being present everywhere at once

93.  unrequited
not returned in kind

94.  untenable
 incapable of being defended or justified

95.  verbose
using or containing too many words

96.  vicarious
experienced at secondhand

97.  vile
morally reprehensible

98.  waft
a long flag; often tapering

99.  zealous
marked by active interest and enthusiasm

100.  Zeitgeist
the spirit of the time
Created on April 26, 2013 (updated November 16, 2021)

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