ameliorate 2010.10.02

• to make or become better; improve

bathos2010.10.24

• an abrupt, often ludicrous change from the lofty to the ordinary or trivial in writing or speech; unintentional anticlimax
• false pathos; sentimentality
• hackneyed quality; triteness

catharsis 2010.09.30

• purgation, esp. of the bowels
• the purifying of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, esp. by art; concept applied originally by Aristotle to the effect of tragic drama on the audience
• Psychiatry the alleviation of fear, problems, and complexes by bringing them to consciousness or giving them expression
• A release of emotional tension after an overwhelming vicarious experience, resulting in the purging or purification of the emotions, as through watching a dramatic production (especially a tragedy).

comport 2010.12.05

• to behave or conduct (oneself) in a specified manner
• to agree or accord (with)
• behave well or properly

conflagration 2010.12.05

• a big, destructive fire
• a very intense and uncontrolled fire

convivial 2010.11.11

• having to do with a feast or festive activity
• fond of eating, drinking, and good company; sociable; jovial
• (of an atmosphere or event) Friendly, lively, and enjoyable

extemporaneous 2010.10.05

• made, done, or spoken without any preparation; unpremeditated; offhand [an extemporaneous speech]
• spoken with some preparation but not written out or memorized: distinguished from impromptu
• speaking or adept at speaking without preparation
• made for the occasion; improvised

fetid 2010.10.30

• having a bad smell, as of decay; stinking; putrid
• offensively malodorous

frenetic 2010.09.30

• fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way
• frantic; frenzied

germane 2010.09.30

• truly relevant; pertinent; to the point

hegemony 2010.12.05

• leadership or dominance, esp. that of one state or nation over others
• the dominance or leadership of one social group or nation over others

hubris 2010.09.30

• wanton insolence or arrogance resulting from excessive pride or from passion
• Extreme haughtiness or arrogance. Hubris often indicates a loss of touch with reality and overestimating one's own competence or capabilities, especially for people in positions of power.
• Excessive pride, presumption or arrogance (originally toward the gods).

indict 2010.10.27

• to charge with the commission of a crime; esp., to make a formal accusation against on the basis of positive legal evidence: usually said of the action of a grand jury
• to accuse of wrongdoing; charge; To make a formal accusation or indictment against (a party) by the findings of a jury, especially a grand jury

incredulous 2010.11.28

• unwilling or unable to believe; doubting; skeptical
• showing doubt or disbelief [an incredulous look]
• not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving

inveigh 2010.10.02

• to speak or write about with great hostility
• to make a violent verbal attack; talk or write bitterly (against); rail

largess(e) 2010.10.03

• generosity in bestowing money or gifts upon others
• generous giving, as from a patron
• a gift or gifts given in a generous, or sometimes showy, way
• nobility of spirit

moribund 2010.10.08

• dying
• coming to an end
• having little or no vital force left

ostensible 2010.10.08

• apparent; seeming; professed
• [Rare] clearly evident
• shown outwardly

putative 2010.10.30

• generally considered or deemed such; reputed [a putative ancestor]

redolent 2010.10.30

• sweet-smelling; fragrant
• smelling (of) [redolent of the ocean]
• suggestive or evocative (of)
• fragrant or aromatic; having a sweet scent; having the smell of; suggestive or reminiscent

tacit2010.10.20

• [Now Rare] saying nothing; still
• unspoken; silent
• not expressed or declared openly, but implied or understood [tacit approval]
• Law happening without contract but by operation of law
• understood or implied but not specifically expressed

erudite2010.10.20

• having or showing a wide knowledge gained from reading; learned; scholarly

pathos 2010.10.02

• [Rare] suffering
• the quality in something experienced or observed which arouses feelings of pity, sorrow, sympathy, or compassion
• the feeling aroused
• The quality in literature which stimulates pity, tenderness, or sorrow in the audience.

pedant 2010.09.30

• a person that is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning
• a person who puts unnecessary stress on minor or trivial points of learning, displaying a scholarship lacking in judgment or sense of proportion
• a narrow-minded teacher who insists on exact adherence to a set of arbitrary rules

purview 2010.09.30

• the scope of the influence or concerns of something
• the body and scope of an act or bill
• the extent or range of control, activity, or concern; province
• range of sight or understanding

sanguine 2010.10.05

• cheerful and confident; optimistic; hopeful
• of the color of blood

satiated 2010.10.28

• to provide with more than enough, so as to weary or disgust; glut; surfeit
• [Now Rare] to satisfy to the full; gratify completely
• supplied to satisfaction

stochastic 2010.10.07

• of, pertaining to, or arising from chance; involving probability; random
• designating a process in which a sequence of values is drawn from a corresponding sequence of jointly distributed random variables
• being or having a random variable

tepid 2010.10.05

• barely or moderately warm; lukewarm: said of liquids
• lacking warmth of feeling or enthusiasm

vociferous 2010.10.07

• loud, noisy, or vehement in making one's feelings known; clamorous
• characterized by clamor or vehement outcry
• blatant: conspicuously and offensively loud; given to vehement outcry

zeitgeist 2010.10.06

• the spirit of the age; trend of thought and feeling in a period