abate

1. abate (verb) to make less in amount, degree, etc.; to subside, nullify, or omit Synonym: diminish, decrease, subside Age lines abated, or diminished.

2. adulation (noun) praise or flattery that is excessive Synonyms: adoration, idolization, hero-worship Lloyd took drugs to win 1 Tour De France, Lance took none to win Seven! Who’s adulation is excessive?

3. anathema (noun) an object of intense dislike; a curse or strong denunciation Synonyms: malediction, imprecation, abomination

4. astute (adjective) shrewd, crafty, showing practical wisdom Synonyms: shrewd, acute, sagacious, judicious Bill gates and Steve Jobs are probably the most astute of all the tech C.E.O.s.

5. avarice (noun) a greedy desire, particularly for wealth Synonyms: cupidity, rapacity, acquisitiveness Also one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Mr. Trump is arguable the most avaricious man in these United States.

6. culpable (adjective) deserving blame, worthy of condemnation Synonyms: guilty, delinquent, blameworthy

7. dilatory Don’t be like dilatory Dan. (adjective) tending to delay or procrastinate, not prompt; intended to delay or postpone Synonyms: stalling, slow, tardy, laggard

8. egregious (adjective) conspicuous, standing out from the mass Synonyms: glaring, flagrant, blatant

9. equivocate (verb) to speak or act in a way that allows for more than one interpretation; to be deliberately vague Synonyms: to talk out of both sides of one’s mouth, palter, hedge Harvey Dent may be two faced, but there’s nothing equivocal about how he does business.

10. evanescent (adjective) vanishing, soon passing away; light and airy Synonyms: ephemeral, transient, transitory Like a wisp of smoke, or a face in the clouds.

11. irresolute (adjective) unable to make up ones mind, hesitating Synonyms: indecisive, vacillating, wavering I can’t decide which is more disgusting, or delicious.

12. nebulous (adjective) cloudlike, resembling a cloud; cloudy in color, not transparent; vague, confused Synonyms: hazy, fuzzy, cloudy, vague, murky, opaque This is a horse head and crab nebula from the Hubble Space Telescope. They are made of clouds of electrically charged gases.

13. novice Before finishing his first term as a rookie U.S. Senator, Barack Obama is now a novice President of these United States. (noun) one who is just a beginner at some activity requiring skill and experience (also adjective) Synonyms: neophyte, tyro, trainee, apprentice

14. penury This is Kenyan poverty. The United States does not know penury like this. (noun) extreme poverty; barrenness, insufficiency Synonyms: destitution, want, indigence

15. pretentious (adjective) done for show, striving to make a big impression, claiming merit or position unjustifiably Synonyms: inflated, ostentatious, affected

16. recapitulate Al Gore didn’t need to recapitulate the vote when he won the Academy Award for best Documentary Film. Though Hillary and Barack weren’t thrilled. (verb) to review a series of facts; to sum up Synonyms: review, summarize, go over

17. resuscitate (verb) to revive, bring back to consciousness or existence Synonyms: revitalize, reanimate, restore, reactivate

18. slovenly (adjective) untidy, dirty, careless Synonyms: unkempt, slatternly, slipshod, lax

19. supposition Did you simply suppose that the Liger either did or did not exist without evidence? Well, because of that supposition, you missed out on this super sweet photo. (noun) something that is assumed or taken for granted without conclusive evidence Synonyms: assumption, presumption, hypothesis

20. torpid (adjective) inactive, sluggish, dull Synonyms: sluggish, lethargic, languid