23 Words You Can Use To Impress Your Friends

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 cant work in such a circumscript environment!
Conundrum (n.) - A perplexing riddle or puzzle
Sentence: Hes 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 hasnt 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.
Hobsons choice (n.) - An apparent free choice when there is no real alternative.
Sentence: Dont be fooled by his sweet talk. This is a Hobsons choice; you have no
choice but to sell the farm.
Lascivious (adj.) - Producing sexual desire or behavior; arousing
Sentence: Shes trying to hard to be lascivious; shed 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: Dont be such a Luddite. Computers are a very useful new technology.
Maven (n.) - Someone with special knowledge; an expert
Sentence: Weve 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: Dont listen to him. The only brand of truth he knows is obfuscation and lies.
Occams 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: Occams 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 werent pressing your skepsis onto everyone.
Sybarite (n.) - One who is self-indulgent; a wanton
Sentence: Hes quite the sybarite, and one of these days, its going to catch up to him.
Tacit (adj.) - Silent; having nothing to say
Sentence: He hasnt 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: Dont give him such a hard time; hes 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. Whats cool today is old tomorrow.