Eclectic Words

Andrew L. B.
Words collected over the years that meet one or more of the following criteria: (1) words that we have read or heard, but may not be able to clearly define if called upon, (2) words that are extremely descriptive of a specific, abstract concept, (3) words that some people occasionally define or pronounce incorrectly (often opposite of the true meaning), and (4) words that simply sound pleasant or have a crisp, descriptive tone.
87 words 0 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. acolyte
    a devoted follower or assistant
  2. alacrity
    liveliness and eagerness
  3. anachronism
    locating something at a time when it couldn't have existed
  4. anathema
    a formal ecclesiastical curse accompanied by excommunication
  5. angst
    an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
  6. antithetical
    sharply contrasted in character or purpose
  7. argot
    a characteristic language of a particular group
  8. bohemian
    a nonconformist who lives an unconventional life
  9. bruit
    tell or spread rumors
  10. cachet
    an indication of approved or superior status
  11. caesura
    a break or pause in the middle of a verse line
  12. callow
    young and inexperienced
  13. canard
    a deliberately misleading fabrication
  14. capricious
    determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
  15. carapace
    hard outer covering or case of certain organisms
  16. catharsis
    purging the body to stimulate evacuation of the bowels
  17. cathexis
    (psychoanalysis) the libidinal energy invested in some idea or person or object
  18. cavil
    raise trivial objections
  19. chary
    characterized by great caution
  20. contagion
    an incident in which an infectious disease is transmitted
  21. cudgel
    a club that is used as a weapon
  22. denouement
    the outcome of a complex sequence of events
  23. didactic
    instructive, especially excessively
  24. eclat
    brilliant or conspicuous success or effect
  25. ephemeral
    anything short-lived, as an insect that lives only for a day
  26. epiphany
    a usually sudden insight, perception, or understanding of something
  27. exiguous
    extremely scanty
  28. facile
    arrived at without due care or effort; lacking depth
  29. fatuous
    devoid of intelligence
  30. fecund
    capable of producing offspring or vegetation
  31. frippery
    something of little value or significance
  32. fugleman
    a leader and organizer and spokesman
  33. gamut
    a complete extent or range
  34. gossamer
    a gauze fabric with an extremely fine texture
  35. halcyon
    a mythical bird said to breed at the winter solstice
  36. hamartia
    the character flaw or error of a tragic hero
  37. herald
    a person who announces important news
  38. heuristic
    a commonsense rule to help solve some problem
  39. hubris
    overbearing pride or presumption
  40. impervious
    not admitting of passage or capable of being affected
  41. impunity
    exemption from punishment or loss
  42. incommodious
    uncomfortably or inconveniently small
  43. inexorably
    in a manner impervious to change or persuasion
  44. inimical
    tending to obstruct or cause harm
  45. insipid
    lacking interest or significance or impact
  46. ipso facto
    by the fact itself
  47. juxtapose
    place side by side
  48. ken
    range of what one can know or understand
  49. kismet
    fate or fortune
  50. kvetch
    express complaints, displeasure, or unhappiness
  51. laconic
    brief and to the point
  52. languish
    become feeble
  53. luminary
    a celebrity who is an inspiration to others
  54. maw
    the mouth, jaws, or throat
  55. mortmain
    real property held inalienably
  56. nadir
    the lowest point of anything
  57. nexus
    the means of connection between things linked in series
  58. obverse
    the more conspicuous of two alternatives or cases or sides
  59. oracle
    a shrine where a prophet is consulted
  60. palaver
    loud and confused and empty talk
  61. palliative
    moderating pain or sorrow by making it easier to bear
  62. panoply
    a complete and impressive array
  63. paradigm
    a standard or typical example
  64. patina
    a fine coating of oxide on the surface of a metal
  65. paucity
    an insufficient quantity or number
  66. pernicious
    exceedingly harmful
  67. petulant
    easily irritated or annoyed
  68. plaintive
    expressing sorrow
  69. profligate
    unrestrained by convention or morality
  70. quintessential
    representing the perfect example of a class or quality
  71. rogue
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
  72. rubric
    category name
  73. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
  74. sardonic
    disdainfully or ironically humorous
  75. sclerotic
    relating to or having sclerosis; hardened
  76. shibboleth
    a favorite saying of a sect or political group
  77. sibilant
    of speech sounds forcing air through a constricted passage
  78. sobriquet
    a familiar name for a person
  79. sophistry
    a deliberately invalid argument in the hope of deceiving
  80. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
  81. tabula rasa
    an opportunity to start over without prejudice
  82. taciturn
    habitually reserved and uncommunicative
  83. tawdry
    tastelessly showy
  84. trenchant
    having keenness and forcefulness and penetration in thought
  85. truculent
    defiantly aggressive
  86. virulent
    extremely poisonous or injurious; producing venom
  87. denouement
    the outcome of a complex sequence of events
Created on Sat Oct 03 09:04:10 EDT 2009 (updated Fri Jul 08 07:13:04 EDT 2011)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.