adversary
(AD-vuh-ser-ee)
n. opponent
advocate
(AD-vuh-kut)
n. a supporter; proponent
artisan
(AR-tuh-zun)
n. a person who is skillful with his or her hands
- make art with hands
ascetic
(uh-SEH-tik)
n. person who refrains from indulging in earthy pleasures
charlatan
(SHAR-luh-tun)
n. a froud; a quack or imposter
hedonist
(HEE-fuh-nist)
n. a person who lives for pleasure
orator
(OR-uh-tur)
n. a skillful public speaker
pariah
(puh-RIE-uh)
n. a social outcast
raconteur
(ra-kahn-TUR)
n. a skillful storyteller
- recount
skeptic
(SKEP-tik)
n. a person who doubts
virtuoso
(vur-choo-OH-so)
adj. n. a highly skilled performer, usually a musical performer
frivolous
(FRIH-vuh-lus)
adj. not having substance, a sense of importance, or seriousness; silly
incidental
(in-suh-DEN-tl)
adj. less important; minor
- a small moment
inconsequential
(in-kahn-suh-KWEN-shul)
adj. irrelevant; of no significance; unimportant
- no consequence
irrelevant
(ih-REH-luh-vunt)
adj. not relation to the matter at hand
- not related
negilgible
(NEH-glih-juh-bul)
adj. able or likely to be ignored or bypassed dure to smallness or lack of importance
peripheral
(puh-RIH-fuh-rul)
adj. only marginally connected to what is truely important; minor
petty
(PEH-tee)
adj. minor or trivial; small on quantity
- pettete
superficial
(soo-pur-FIH-shul)
adj. lacking in depth or importance; on the surface
trifling
(TRY-fling)
adj. lacking significance; unimportant
trivial
(TRIH-vee-ul)
adj. unimportant; ordinary
- trial
astute
(uh-STOOT)
adj. sharp-minded; very clever
discerning
(dih-SUR-ning)
adj. able to judge people and situatuions clearly
- distinguish
erudite
(ER-uh-dite)
adj. wise due to much reading and studying; scholarly
- etude
incisive
(sin-SIE-siv)
adj. decisive, keen and directly to the point
- straight into the matter
judicious
(joo-DIH-shus)
adj. showing wisdom in judging people and situations
- judge
perspicacious
(pur-spuh-KAY-shus)
adj. using wise judgement; sharp-minded
- judge from other people's perspective
prudent
(PROO-dnt)
adj. careful, cautious, and wise
sagacious
(suh-GAY-shus)
adj. wise
- think "sage"
savvy
(SA-vee)
adj. smart; informed
shrewd
(SHROOD)
adj. insightful; clever
acrid
(A-curd)
adj. bitter, harsh
- crude
arid
(A-rid)
adj. dry, lacking water
- get rid of
aesthetic
(es-THEM-tik)
adj. having to do with artistic beauty
ascetic
(uh-SEH-tik)
n. a person who refrains from indulging in earthly pleasures
atheistic
(ay-thee-IS-tik)
adj. without a belief in any god
- atheist
ambiguous
(am-BIH-gyuh-wus)
adj. hard to understand; unclear; open to more than one interpretation
- big
ambivalent
(am-BIH-vuh-lunt)
adj. having conflicting feelings or opinions about something; unsure
- bi- means both
coalesce
(koe-uh-LES)
vb. to have different opinions join together
- co-
convalesce
(kahn-vuh-LES)
vb. to recover from an illness
- valeo in latin means to be well
delusion
(dih-LOO-zhun)
n. a false opinion or belief
- de- means not or false
- false vision
allusion
(uh-LOO-zhun)
n. an indirect reference, often to a character or theme found in some work of literature
- preposition a- in latin means away from
- a vision from somewhere else
illusion
(ih-LOO-zhun)
n. something unreal that gives the appearance of being real
- ill- means sick
- you have illusions when you're real