cool words glossary
interesting words to add to your vocabulary
I keep a glossary of words I come across in books and articles that I think are cool or want to remember to use in the future. Here is a selection (for clarity, some of these words were posted in January of this year, but I decided to post a longer list!)
abeyance ➝ a state of temporary disuse or suspension.
accrue ➝ be received in regular or increasing amounts (usually used for money).
adumbrate ➝ to foreshadow in an indirect way.
affectless ➝ characterized by lack of emotion or desire.
affront ➝ an action or remark that causes outrage or offense.
ambulatory ➝ relating to or adapted for walking (somnambulism / sleepwalking).
antediluvian ➝ extremely old fashioned.
anomie ➝ lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group.
aphoristic ➝ terse and witty and like a maxim.
apotheosis ➝ the highest point in the development of something; a culmination or climax.
appellation ➝ a name or title.
appurtenance ➝ an accessory or other item associated with a particular activity or style of living.
arriviste ➝ an ambitious or ruthlessly self seeking person.
arrogate ➝ take or claim something without justification.
badinage ➝ humorous or witty conversation.
bedizen ➝ dress up or decorate gaudily.
celerity ➝ swiftness of movement.
chimera ➝ a thing which is hoped for but is illusory or impossible to achieve.
cogent ➝ clear, logical, and convincing.
concatenation ➝ a series of interconnected things.
compendium ➝ a collection of information about a particular subject, especially in a book or other publication.
corporeality ➝ the fact of existing as a physical body.
cruciform ➝ having the shape of a cross.
cynosure ➝ a person or thing that is the center of all attention or admiration.