expatriate / expatriate n./adj./v. 1. either an exile or a person who lives by choice in a foreign country 2. To expel a person from his/her native country; banish, exile.
insurgency n. an organized rebellion aimed at overthrowing a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict.
fabricate v. 1. to make or construct, assemble pre-made pieces; 2. to make up, forge
niche n. 1. an ornamental recess in a wall or the like, usually semicircular in plan and arched, as for a statue or other decorative object. 2. a place or position suitable or appropriate for a person or thing.
pundit n. 1. a learned person, expert, or authority. 2. a person who makes comments or judgments, esp. in an authoritative manner; critic or commentator.
constituent n./ adj. 1. a person who authorizes another to act in his or her behalf, as a voter in a district represented by an elected official. 2. component. 3. serving to compose or make up a thing.
androgynous adj. being both male and female; hermaphroditic.having both masculine and feminine characteristics. having an ambiguous sexual identity.
interim n./ adj. 1. an intervening time; interval; meantime. 2. belonging to, serving during, or taking place during an intermediate interval of time; temporary.
siphon n./ v. 1. A pipe or tube fashioned or deployed in an inverted U shape and filled until atmospheric pressure is sufficient to force a liquid from a reservoir in one end of the tube over a barrier higher than the reservoir and out the other end. 2. to convey, draw, or pass through or as if through a siphon.
periphery n. 1. the external boundary of any surface or area. 2. the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in question.
coalesce v. 1. to blend or come together; 2. to grow together or into one body, to unite so as to form one mass, community, etc.
volatile adj. 1. evaporating rapidly; passing off readily in the form of vapor, fleeting; transient; 2. tending to fluctuate sharply and regularly; 3. able to fly or flying.
antipathy n. 1. a feeling of intense dislike; 2. the object of a feeling of intense aversion; something to be avoided.
conjecture n./v.i. 1. the formation or expression of an opinion or theory without sufficient evidence for proof; 2. to conclude or suppose from grounds or evidence insufficient to ensure reliability.
ubiquitous adj. existing or being everywhere, esp. at the same time; omnipresent.
lethargy n. 1. the quality or state of being drowsy and dull, listless and unenergetic, or indifferent and lazy; apathetic or sluggish inactivity; 2. an abnormal state or disorder characterized by overpowering drowsiness or sleep.
integrity n. 1. adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. 2. the state of being whole, entire, or undiminished.
balk v. to stop, as at an obstacle, and refuse to proceed or to do something specified.
bleak adj. 1. bare, desolate, and often windswept; 2. cold and piercing; raw 3. without hope or encouragement; depressing; dreary.
dank adj. unpleasantly moist or humid; damp and, often, chilly.
calamity n. An event that brings terrible loss, lasting distress, or severe affliction; a disaster.
curtail v. to cut short; cut off a part of; abridge; reduce; diminish.
conspiracy n. the act of conspiring; a combination of persons for a secret, unlawful, or evil purpose.
cumbersome/ encumber adj./v. difficult to handle or use especially because of size or weight.
despondent adj. feeling miserable, unhappy, gloomy; without or almost without hope.
dilapidated adj. reduced to or fallen into partial ruin or decay, as from age, wear, or neglect.
emulate v. to try to equal or excel; imitate with effort to equal or surpass.
foil n./ v. 1.To prevent from being successful; thwart. 2. to set off by contrast. 3. Anything that serves as contrast to call attention to another thing's qualities; 4. metal in the form of very thin sheets.
frugal adj. economical in use or expenditure; prudently saving or sparing; not wasteful.
formidable adj. causing fear, apprehension, or dread; of discouraging or awesome strength, size, difficulty; intimidating.
irony n. the indirect presentation of a contradiction between an action or expression and the context in which it occurs.
lament v. to feel or express grief, sorrow, or regret for; a formal expression of sorrow or mourning, esp. in verse or song.
mandate n. / v. an authoritative order or command; to authorize or decree, make mandatory.
muse v. /n. 1. to think or meditate in silence, as on some subject. 2. the goddess or the power regarded as inspiring a poet, artist, thinker, or the like.
paradox n. a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth.
prudent adj. 1. caution with regard to practical matters; discretion. 2. wise or judicious in practical affairs; careful in providing for the future.
pragmatic / pragmatism adj./ n. dealing or concerned with facts or actual occurrences; practical.
predicament n. an unpleasantly difficult, perplexing, or dangerous situation.
shrewd adj. / n. 1. Characterized by keen awareness, sharp intelligence, and often a sense of the practical. 2, Disposed to artful and cunning practices; tricky.
slander n./ v. a malicious, false, and defamatory statement or report; defamation by oral utterance rather than by writing.
suffice v. to be enough or adequate for; satisfy; be sufficient.
sporadic adj. appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional.
vehement adj. marked by great zeal; ardent; impassioned.
abate v. 1. to make less, reduce in size, number, degree, amount importance, speed, or force 2. to fail or become void.
abhor v.1. to regard with repugnance; feel the horror of; detest; loathe.
aggregate v./adj./n. 1. to bring or gather together into a group; to mass 2. composed of distinct minerals separable by mechanical means 3. the entire number or sum.
amalgam 1. a mixture of different elements.
smite v. to strike or hit hard, with o as with the hand, a stick, or other weapons; To deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.
disseminate v.t. to scatter or spread widely, as though sowing seed; promulgate extensively; broadcast; disperse.
egregious adj. extraordinary in some bad way; glaring; flagrant.
exonerate v. 1. to clear, as of an accusation; free from guilt or blame 2. to relieve, as from an obligation, duty, or task.
gentrification n. the buying and renovation of houses and stores in deteriorated urban neighborhoods by upper- or middle-income families or individuals, thus improving property values but often displacing low-income families and small businesses.
peevish adj. 1. bad-tempered or tending to complain; discontented; fretful 2. contrary, spiteful.
demographics/demography n. the statistical data of a population, esp. those showing average age, income, education, etc.; A portion of a population, especially considered as consumers.
idiosyncrasy/ idiosyncratic n./ adj. a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.
idiom /idiomatic n./adj. an expression whose meaning is not predictable from the usual meanings of its constituent elements, as kick the bucket or hang one's head, or from the general grammatical rules of a language, as the table round for the round table, and that is not a constituent of a larger expression of like characteristics.
eccentric/ eccentricity adj./ n. 1. deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd. 2. not having the same center; not concentric.
homogenize/ homogenous v./ adj.
to form by blending unlike elements; make uniform or similar in composition or function.
innocuous adj. 1. having no adverse effect; harmless. 2. Not likely to offend or provoke to strong emotion; insipid.
kitsch/kitschy n./ adj. sentimentality or vulgar, often pretentious bad taste, especially in the arts.
proliferate / proliferation v./n. to increase or spread rapidly.
utilitarian/ utilitarianism adj. exhibiting or stressing utility over other values; practical.
laudable adj. commendable, praiseworthy.
effeminate adj. having qualities or characteristics more often associated with women than men.
emasculate v. to deprive of force or strength; destroy the vigor of; weaken.
austere adj. having a stern look; showing strict self-discipline; plain, unwelcoming.
supersede v. to replace in power, authority, or effectiveness. To set aside or cause to be set aside as void, useless, or obsolete.
pandemic n. an epidemic over a wide geographic area and affecting a large proportion of the population
transcend/ transcendent v./ adj. 1. to pass beyond the limits of 2. to be greater than as in intensity or power 3. to exist above and independent of
pedant/pedantic n./ adj. 1. one who pays undue attention to book teaching and formal rules 2. characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules
dexterous/ dexterity adj./ n. skillful in the use of the hands.
fatal adj. 1. causing or capable of causing death 2. causing ruin or destruction
fatalism/ fatalistic n./ adj. doctrine that all events are predetermined and unalterable
mortuary n. a place, esp. a funeral home, where dead bodies are kept before burial or cremation. 2. of or relating to burial practices 3. relating to or a characteristic of death.
sage/sagacious n./adj. One venerated for experience, judgement, and wisdom; a wise person.
hasten v. to urge, press; expedite, quicken, speed; precipitate, cause to accelerate.
pastoral adj./n. 1. having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characteristics generally attributed to rural areas. 2. a poem, play, or the like, dealing with the life of shepherds, commonly in a conventional or artificial manner, or with simple rural life generally; a bucolic.
reverberate v. 1. to respond in a succession of echoes.
cadence n. rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words.
lilt/ lilting n./adj. 1. a cheerful or lively manner of speaking in which the pitch of the voice varies pleasantly. 2. having lightness or resilience in manner of moving or walking.
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