| Abstemious: Sparing in consumption of especially food and drink |
| They are used to leading an abstemious life. |
| Decadence: The state of being degenerate in mental or moral qualities |
| He lived a life of total decadence. |
| Derogatory: Expressive of low opinion |
| He passed derogatory comments about everyone who came in contact with him. |
| Desultory: Marked by lack of definite plan or regularity or purpose |
| We made some desultory conversation while waiting for the bus. |
| Disparate: Fundamentally different or distinct in quality or kind |
| A disparate group of people across the city protested against the rise in prices. |
| Edifice: A structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place |
| She was armed with a list of historical edifices which she must not fail to visit. |
| Extant: Still in existence; not extinct or destroyed or lost |
| The oldest extant copy is dated 1492. |
| Levity: Feeling an inappropriate lack of seriousness |
| Levity during working hours was not tolerated by his boss. |
| Lugubrious: Excessively mournful |
| He plays the violin so slowly that it becomes lugubrious. |
| Maudlin: Effusively or insincerely emotional |
| He turned maudlin after three drinks. |
| Nebulous: Lacking definite form or limits |
| We glimpsed a nebulous figure through the mist. |
| Obsequious: Attempting to win favour from influential people by flattery |
| He bowed in an obsequious manner. |
| Puissant: Powerful |
| The puissant Red Indian chief was not open to discussion. |
| Redolent: Having a strong pleasant odour |
| The redolent aroma of the pines filled the air. |
| Repose: Freedom from activity |
| He took his repose by the swimming pool. |
| Reviled: Spread negative information about |
| Some of us admire them, some revile them, but most people can't imagine joining their ranks. |
| Scion: A descendent or heir |
| He was the scion of an aristocratic family that lost their fortune in the revolution. |
| Sultry: Characterized by oppressive heat and humidity |
| Summers are usually sultry and oppressive. |
| Supplication: A prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service |
| He raised his arms in a gesture of supplication. |
| Trenchant: Characterized by or full of force and vigour |
| He was shattered by the trenchant criticism. |
| Vicissitudes: A variation in circumstances or fortune |
| He was continuously stiffening himself to withstand life’s vicissitudes. |
