Words. They make the world work. Imagine what life would be like without words. Pretty tough, huh? Especially because you're describing that vision with words. Anyway, if the world runs on words, you owe it to yourself to get to know some new words. If you have a powerful vocabulary, you might just be able to convince your boss to give you a raise. (That is not a guarantee. Don't hold me accountable if you get fired) The words in this article are sure to make you feel smarter. (That's not a guarantee, either, but I'd be impressed if you already knew all these words.)
The Words
Algid (adj.) - Chilly or cold; having a low temperature
Sentence: The climate in Greenland is algid, at the least, and unbearable at the worst.
Apotheosis (n.) - Elevation to a divine state; a perfect example
Sentence: The host at the restaurant was the apotheosis of a haughty and scornful elitist.
Circean (adj.) - Refering to beauty of a dangerous kind (Comes from the myth of the beautiful sorceress Circe, who would lure weary sailors to her island, only to turn them into pigs and eat them)
Sentence: Some people have attached a circean characteristic to a life of crime.
Circumscript (adj.) - Limited or enclosed; confined
Sentence: I can't work in such a circumscript environment!
Conundrum (n.) - A perplexing riddle or puzzle
Sentence: He's been working on that problem for hours. It must be a true conundrum to confuse such a genius!
Edacious (adj.) - Voracious; starving
Sentence: She looks as if she hasn't eaten for days. She must be edacious.
Expiate (v.) - To atone for or to make amends
Sentence: I have come here not to argue, but to expiate and apologize for my actions.
Hobson's choice (n.) - An apparent free choice when there is no real alternative.
Sentence: Don't be fooled by his sweet talk. This is a Hobson's choice; you have no choice but to sell the farm.
Lascivious (adj.) - Producing sexual desire or behavior; arousing
Sentence: She's trying to hard to be lascivious; she'd have more friends if she were herself.
Illeism (n.) - Reference to oneself through the use of the third person.
Sentence: Use of illeism often makes one appear full of himself.
Luddite (n.) - One who is opposed to technological change (Comes from a group of 19th century English workmen who destroyed labor-saving machinery as a protest.)
Sentence: Don't be such a Luddite. Computers are a very useful new technology.
Maven (n.) - Someone with special knowledge; an expert
Sentence: We've sent the specimen to the premier maven in archaelogy. We will soon found out the truth about your "fossil."
Obfuscate (v.) - To make obscure or unclear; to darken
Sentence: Don't listen to him. The only brand of truth he knows is obfuscation and lies.
Occam's razor (n.) - A philosophical and scientific rule that states that entities should not multiply unnecessarily. (Interpreted to mean that the simplest theories are to be prefered more than complex ones.)
Sentence: Cut some of this out. Remember: Occam's razor and less is more.
Puerile (adj.) - Juvenile or silly; annoying
Sentence: Please, grow up and stop being so puerile.
Skepsis (n.) - Philosophic doubt as to the objective reality of phenomena; (broadly) a skeptical outlook or attitude
Sentence: This would be much easier if you weren't pressing your skepsis onto everyone.
Sybarite (n.) - One who is self-indulgent; a wanton
Sentence: He's quite the sybarite, and one of these days, it's going to catch up to him.
Tacit (adj.) - Silent; having nothing to say
Sentence: He hasn't said anything but hello. Is he tacit or just shy?
Telos (n.) - An ultimate end
Sentence: The story reached its Telos with the main character dying.
Tyro (n.) - A novice or beginning learner
Sentence: Don't give him such a hard time; he's still only a tyro.
Ubiquitous (adj.) - Omnipresent (In Theology, refers to Christ or God)
Sentence: The issue of racial prejudice seems to be ubiquitous; we can never escape it.
Whinge (v.) - To whine or complain profusely
Sentence: If you want something done, stop whinging about it and get working.
Zeitgeist (n.) - The spirit of the age; the taste, outlook, and spirit characteristics of the time
Sentence: The zeitgeist of today is ever-changing. What's cool today is old tomorrow.
