Word Power

Every student can submit up to five NEW entries for consideration. If selected, the student will receive one point per word towards their cumulative point total. Submissions must include the word or phrase, and a succinct definition. Words selected will be added to this page. Send these to me as a Word (C) document attached to an email, using only your ACC gmail account. If you do not have Microsoft products you may submit your words as the body of a text in an email using only your ACC gmail account.

FALL 2025 DEADLINE: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 12th

A

abhorrence: a feeling of a strong repugnance or disgust

abject: most miserable or unfortunate; showing utter resignation or hopelessness

adroit: clever or skillful in using the hands or mind 

alluring: having a strong quality or qualities

altruism: the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others

ambiguity: vague or equivocal expression when precision should be used

anachronism: a thing belonging to a period other than that in which it exists, especially a thing that is conspicuously old-fashioned

antiquated: old fashioned or outdated

apathetic: feelings of indifference

averse: feelings of dislike or opposition 

B

bathos: (especially in a work of literature) an effect of anticlimax created by an unintentional lapse in mood from the sublime to the trivial or ridiculous 

benevolent: well-meaning and kindly

bourgeoisie: middle class  

bumfuzzled: confused 

C

capricious: given to sudden and unaccountable changes of mood or behavior 

catharsis: the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions

cathexsis: the binding of psychic energy due to trauma or unconscious conflict 

choleric: easily moved to often unreasonable or excessive anger 

clandestine: characterized by, done in, or executed with secrecy or concealment, especially for purposes of subversion or deception; private or surreptitious

complement: added to, enhanced, improved, completed, or brought close to perfection 

confabulation: to talk informally 

conundrum: a riddle; anything that puzzles

cumulative: increasing or growing by accumulation or successive additions

D

dauntless:  someone or something described as fearless

defenestration: the action of throwing someone out of a window 

defilade: (military) a position in which the enemy can only observe and fire upon you when they are in your killing area, often achieved using a large piece of ground such as a berm or ditch

despondent: someone who is in low spirit from loss of hope or courage

discrete: individual, separate, or distinct; secretive

domicile: home, residence 

E

ebullient: cheerful and full of energy 

eclectic: all encompassing

effervescent: can be used to describe an enthusiastic person 

egregious: extraordinary in some bad way 

enamored: strong feelings of love 

ethereal: heavenly, not from this planet 

ethos: a mode of persuasion, to convince the audience of the author's credibility 

eudaemonia: being extremely lucky

exacerbate: to make something worse 

F

facetious: the deliberate treatment of serious manners with inappropriate humor

fairysm: the state of being or being like a fairy

feeble: lacking physical strength, especially as a result of age or illness

flibbertigibbet: a foolish, flighty, and overly talkative person

G

garish: excessively or disturbingly vivid; tasteless, showy; flashy

gerrymander: to manipulate the boundaries of electoral districts so as to favor one party

gilded: covered with gold or something of a golden color, having a pleasing or showy appearance that conceals something of little worth

gustatory: of or having to do with sense of taste

H

haughty: arrogantly superior or disdainful 

herculean: calling for great strength, size or courage  (named after Hercules who had to do a TON of really nasty stuff. 

Seriously. Google the guy.) 

hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia: the fear of long words 

hypocrisy: the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one's own behavior does not conform; pretense

I

ignoble: not honorable in character or purpose; of humble origin or social status 

ignorant: lacking knowledge or awareness in general, one who does not know as opposed to someone who chooses to disregard what they know

illicit: illegal or unlawful 

illustrious: well-known, respected, and admired for past achievements 

inchoate: just begun and so not fully formed or developed 

indomitable: someone who is strong, brave, and impossible to defeat or make frightened

infer: deduce or conclude (information) from evidence and reasoning rather than from explicit statements

irrevocable: not able to change, reverse, or recover

L

languorous: characterized by tiredness or inactivity, especially of a pleasurable kind

loquacious: tending to talk a great deal

luscious: richly verdant or opulent

M

magnanimous: generous or forgiving, especially toward a rival or less powerful person 

malapropism: an act or habit of misusing words ridiculously, especially by the confusion of words that are similar in sound 

malice: the intention or desire to do evil; ill will

mendacious: given to lying

myelencephalon: the posterior part of the hindbrain in developing vertebrates; forms the medulla oblongata in adults

N

nebulous:  a concept or idea that is unclear or vague 

nefarious: flagrantly wicked or impious

numismatist: coin or currency collector 

O

obdurate: showing unfeeling resistance to tender feelings

obfuscate: to confuse, bewilder, or stupefy; to make obscure or unclear 

olfactory: of or having to do with sense of smell 

ostentatious: characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice

P

perfidious: deceitful and untrustworthy

peripatetic: traveling from place to place

perspicacious: having a ready insight into and understanding of things

philatelist: postage stamp collector 

polyglot: someone who speaks more than one language 

pretentious: attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed 

propinquity: another word for proximity

Q

quandary: a situation from which extrication is difficult

quintessence: the most perfect example of something (originates from perfection so unattainable that humans may not touch it)

R

rambunctious: full of energy and playful

rapacious: someone who is greedy, the satisfaction of greed

resilience: the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties 

resplendent: shining brilliantly

S

sanctimonious: making a show of being morally superior to other people; hypocritically pious or devout

sensitization: the process of becoming highly sensitive to specific events or situations (especially emotional events or situations)

serendipity: the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way

sordid: morally ignoble or base; being of a dirty or filthy state  

sporadic: occurring occasionally, singly, or in irregular or random instances 

stasis: in, or of a state that does not change  

sublimation: divert or modify (an instinctual impulse) into a culturally higher or socially more acceptable activity

superfluous: made unnecessary, most often by being excessive

T

taciturn: reserved or uncommunicative in speech; saying little

U

ubiquitous: present, appearing, or found everywhere 

unwieldy: cumbersome, difficult to manage because of weight or bulk 

usurp: to seize and hold (office, place, powers, etc.) in possession by force or without right; to take or or make use of without right 

W

waggish: humorous in a playful, mischievous, or facetious manner.

wanderlust: an intense desire to travel and explore (borrowed from German)

Z

zealous: showing great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or objective 

zelotypia: excessive jealousy; excessive zeal in carrying out a project

zemblanity: the inevitable discovery of what we would rather not know

zenith: the highest, most successful point of a situation