Vocabulary Enrichment No. 1

Myriad
adjective - countless or extremely great in number. - "The myriad lights of the city dazzled the travelers.

Innocuous
adjective - not harmful or offensive. - "The words were innocuous, to the common listener, but full of meaning for us."

Feign
verb - pretend to be affected by (a feeling, state, or injury) - "You would feign ignorance, even though we caught you in the act?"

Temerity
noun - excessive confidence or boldness; audacity. - "You should be more careful, your temerity may get us all killed one day."

Affront
noun - an action or remark that causes outrage or offense. - "What you did in the temple was an affront and you will burn for it!"

Acquiesce
verb - accept something reluctantly but without protest. - "I refuse to acquiesce to your request."

Interim
adjective - in or for the intervening period; provisional or temporary. - "She is the interim administrator and will has the run of the place until the director returned."

Trepidation
noun - a feeling of fear or agitation about something that may happen. - "She felt a wave of trepidation at the unexpected duty."

Alleviate
verb - make (suffering, deficiency, or a problem) less severe. - "Her anxiety was alleviated with the director's return

Stagnant
adjective - showing no activity; dull and sluggish. - "The marketplace was stagnant since the merciless sun had driven away all but the most dedicated customers."

Elicit
verb - evoke or draw out (a response, answer, or fact) from someone in reaction to one's own actions or questions. - "The horror before her elicited a silent scream."

Exacerbate
verb - make (a problem, bad situation, or negative feeling) worse. - "The injuries were exacerbated by his clumsy movements."

Tumultuous
adjective - excited, confused, or disorderly. - "It's getting tumultuous out there, the crowd could turn violent if we don't put something on stage."

Bolster (use as a verb only)
verb - support or strengthen; prop up. - "A miracle would bolster their faith, don't you think?"

Cajole
verb - persuade (someone) to do something by sustained coaxing or flattery. - "It took some alcohol and more money than I wanted to spend, but I managed to cajole the plans out of him."

Clandestine
adjective - kept secret or done secretively, especially because illicit. - "Little did they know that their clandestine meeting was being observed."

Ameliorate
verb - make (something bad or unsatisfactory) better. - "The balm helped ameliorate the symptoms, but he would fall to infection if they didn't find some antibiotics soon."

Cessation
noun - the fact or process of ending or being brought to an end. - "An immediate cessation of hostilities would be in your best interest."

Proliferation
noun - rapid increase in numbers. - "The proliferation of the bacteria would prove fatal given time."

Fervent
adjective - having or displaying a passionate intensity. - "The adherents of the religion were fervent in their devotion."

Ubiquitous
adjective - present, appearing, or found everywhere. - "In the wake of the disaster, destruction was ubiquitous."

Sweltering
adjective - uncomfortably hot. - "It was sweltering in the forge."

Extraneous
adjective - irrelevant or unrelated to the subject being dealt with. - "I'll fill the conversation with extraneous information and hopefully that will buy you enough time."

Recalcitrant
adjective - having an obstinately uncooperative attitude toward authority or discipline. - "Teenagers are often recalcitrant."

Schadenfreude
noun - pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. - "There was a sense of schadenfreude, watching him fall into one misfortune after another."

Malleable
adjective - easily influenced; pliable. - "In the extreme heat of the forge, the metal was malleable."

Augment
verb - make (something) greater by adding to it; increase. - "I'll augment the machine with extra armor."

Debauchery
noun - excessive indulgence in sensual pleasures. - "He was known throughout the town for his debauchery and indeed well-loved by the houses of ill repute."

Decadence
noun - moral or cultural decline as characterized by excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury. - "Their parties are known for their decadence, watch yourself lest you fall too deeply into temptation."

Presumptive
adjective - of the nature of a presumption; presumed in the absence of further information. - "It's presumptive of you to think I have a plan."