BOMBASTIC WORDS FOR SPM ESSAY

Accolade

praise

Allusion

indirect reference

Ambivalenceuncertainty; having 'mixed' feelings

Ambivalent unable to decide
Analogy

comparison

Anecdote

short account of something interesting; story

Anomalous odd; not fitting the pattern

Apparition

ghost; something that 'appears'

Aspersion

negative feeling; damaging remark

Belligerence aggression
Bombastic

too elaborate; exaggerated

Candid

truthful

Capricious

changeable; fickle

Cherished

cared for; firmly-held

Cliche

over-used expression

Conception 1. idea; view. 2. beginning of pregnancy

Convoluted complicated or long-winded
Credence

belief

Cryptic

hidden

Currency

1. widespread acceptance, 2. money

Decorous

good and correct (used of behavior)

Denunciation

act of speaking out against

Derailed

thrown off course

Derivative

unoriginal

Despotic

acting like a tyrant

Detritus

rubbish

Diaphanous very thin and transparent

Dictum

often-used saying

Dilettante

person who dabbles in the arts

Disdained

showed contempt for

Dispassionate

unbiased; fair

Dowager

an elderly woman of elevate social status

Dubious

doubtful

Egalitarian

equal; believer in equality

Elicit

draw out (used mainly for information or feelings)

Elliptical

1. shaped like an ellipse, 2. indirect

Epitomizes

acts as a typical example of

Equivocate speak ambiguously/vaguely

Evasiveness trying to avoid something
Explicitly

very clear; nothing hidden

Foraging

searching for food

Hypothetical based on guesswork; not proven

Iconoclast

person who goes against accepted authority

Idiosyncratic quirky; unique to an individual

Imponderable

cannot be understood

Indecorous

not well-behaved; lacking in dignity

Indigence

extreme poverty

Inept

clumsy

Inherent

inbuilt; genetic

Intricate

complicated

Irrefutable

cannot be proved wrong

Jingoism

using words to stir up exaggerated patriotism

Jubilant
Judicious

joyful
fair and equal

Lament

express regret over something

Loquacious talkative; using too many words

Mendicancy begging
Metaphoricalnot literal; figurative
Milieu

environment; surroundings

Mitigated

made less severe

Nascent

just begun; in an early stage of development

Nostalgia

longing for the past

Obtrusive

easily seen

Orthographical
Ossified

concerned with writing and spelling

become fixed and rigid

Ostentatious showy
Palpable

can be felt

Pastoral
1. concerned with the countryside, 2. concerned with the care a
pastor gives to someone
Pedestrian

1. boring (adj), 2. person who walks (n)

Perfidy

treachery; betrayal

Profligacy

wasteful and immoral behavior

Prohibitive

very expensive

Prudence

wisdom; caution

Pugnacious aggressive
Purveyor

one who sells something or causes something to spread

Resonance

echo

Respite

break (from work etc.)

Resurgence revival
Sparse
Stringent

thin; not thick

strict

Succumbing giving in to; falling under the influence of

Supercilious arrogant

Tenacity

firmness of purpose

Transcend

go beyond a limit

Variegated

multi colored

Venerable

worthy of respect

Viable

workable; able to live or grow

Visceral

Ailurophile

concerned with the 'guts'; physical rather than mental

A cat-lover.

Assemblage A gathering.
Becoming

Attractive.

Beleaguer

To exhaust with attacks.

Brood

To think alone.

Bucolic

In a lovely rural setting.

Bungalow

A small, cozy cottage.

Chatoyant

Like a cat's eye.

Comely

Attractive.

Conflate

To blend together.

Cynosure

A focal point of admiration.

Dalliance

A brief love affair.

Demesne

Dominion, territory.

Demure

Shy and reserved.

DenouementThe resolution of a mystery.

Desuetude

Disuse.

Desultory

Slow, sluggish.

Diaphanous Filmy.
Dissemble

Deceive.

DulcetSweet, sugary.
Ebullience

Bubbling enthusiasm.

Effervescent Bubbly.
Efflorescence

Flowering, blooming.

Elision

Dropping a sound or syllable in a word.

Elixir

A good potion.

Eloquence

Beauty and persuasion in speech.

Embrocation Rubbing on a lotion.

Emollient

A softener.

Ephemeral

Short-lived.

Epiphany

A sudden revelation.

Erstwhile

At one time, for a time.

Ethereal

Gaseous, invisible but detectable.

Evanescent Vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time.

Evocative

Suggestive.

Fetching

Pretty.

Felicity

Pleasantness.

Forbearance Withholding response to provocation.

Fugacious

Fleeting.

Furtive

Shifty, sneaky.

Gambol

To skip or leap about joyfully.

Glamour

Beauty.

Gossamer

The finest piece of thread, a spider's silk

Halcyon
Harbinger

Happy, sunny, care-free.

Messenger with news of the future.

Imbrication Overlapping and forming a regular pattern.

Imbroglio

An altercation or complicated situation.

Imbue

To infuse, instill.

Incipient

Beginning, in an early stage.

Ineffable

Unutterable, inexpressible.

Ingnue

A nave young woman.

Inglenook

A cozy nook by the hearth.

Insouciance Blithe nonchalance.

Inure

To become jaded.

Labyrinthine Twisting and turning.

Lagniappe
Lagoon

A special kind of gift.

A small gulf or inlet.

Languor

Listlessness, inactivity.

Lassitude

Weariness, listlessness.

Leisure
Lilt

Free time.
To move musically or lively.

Lissome

Slender and graceful.

Lithe

Slender and flexible.

Love

Deep affection.

Mellifluous

Sweet sounding.

Moiety

One of two equal parts.

Mondegreen A slip of the ear.

Murmurous Murmuring.
Nemesis

An unconquerable archenemy.

Offing

The sea between the horizon and the offshore.

Onomatopoeia

A word that sounds like its meaning.

Opulent

Lush, luxuriant.

Palimpsest

A manuscript written over earlier ones.

Panacea

A solution for all problems

Panoply

A complete set.

Pastiche

An art work combining materials from various sources.

Penumbra

A half-shadow.

Petrichor

The smell of earth after rain.

Plethora

A large quantity.

Propinquity An inclination.
Pyrrhic

Successful with heavy losses.

Quintessential

Most essential.

Ratatouille

A spicy French stew.

Ravel

To knit or unknit.

Redolent

Fragrant.

Riparian

By the bank of a stream.

Ripple

A very small wave.

Scintilla

A spark or very small thing.

Sempiternal Eternal.

Seraglio

Rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem.

Serendipity Finding something nice while looking for something else.

Summery

Light, delicate or warm and sunny.

Sumptuous Lush, luxurious.

Surreptitious Secretive, sneaky.
Susquehanna

A river in Pennsylvania.

Susurrous

Whispering, hissing.

Talisman

A good luck charm.

Tintinnabulation

Tinkling.

Umbrella

Protection from sun or rain.

Untoward

Unseemly, inappropriate.

Vestigial

In trace amounts.

Wafture

Waving.

Wherewithal The means.

Woebegone Sorrowful, downcast.

Bright sunny day

dark and gloomy night
happiness
a tired face

arms spread wide open for a hug

sobbed

opened the door to take a peek

exclaimed

ran towards

shriek of

a warm smile

A tear slipped down his cheek

she