vituperation
abusive or venomous language used to express blame or censure or bitter deep-seated ill will
frisson
an almost pleasurable sensation of fright
apotheosis
model of excellence or perfection of a kind; one having no equal
hubris
overbearing pride or presumption
inchoate
only partly in existence; imperfectly formed
daedal
complex and ingenious in design or function
otiose
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
nimiety
a quantity much larger than is needed
escalade
an act of scaling by the use of ladders (especially the walls of a fortification)
phylogeny
(biology) the sequence of events involved in the evolutionary development of a species or taxonomic group of organisms
metaphysics
the philosophical study of being and knowing
agglutinate
clump together; as of bacteria, red blood cells, etc.
claque
a group of followers hired to applaud at a performance
apostatize
abandon one's beliefs or allegiances
tergiversate
be deliberately ambiguous or unclear in order to mislead or withhold information
funicular
relating to or operated by a cable
gamin
(sometimes offensive) a homeless boy who has been abandoned and roams the streets
modicum
a small or moderate or token amount
sociopath
someone with a sociopathic personality; a person with an antisocial personality disorder (`psychopath' was once widely used but has now been superseded by `sociopath')
psychosis
any severe mental disorder in which contact with reality is lost or highly distorted
existential
relating to or dealing with existence (especially with human existence)
teleology
(philosophy) a doctrine explaining phenomena by their ends or purposes
ontology
the metaphysical study of the nature of being and existence
meme
a cultural unit (an idea or value or pattern of behavior) that is passed from one person to another by non-genetic means (as by imitation)
unctuous
unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech
prosaic
lacking wit or imagination
vicissitude
a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something
