| Aloof: Remote in manner |
| He stood apart with aloof dignity. |
| Canard: A deliberately misleading fabrication |
| Canards can fall apart pretty quickly; one has to be careful with them. |
| Carnage: The savage and excessive killing of many people |
| Their peaceful protest ended in carnage. |
| Corpulent: Excessively fat |
| His corpulent figure betrayed his self-indulgent lifestyle. |
| Deprecate: Belittle |
| The boss deprecated his junior’s behaviour and subjected him to some harsh criticism. |
| Dulcet: Pleasing to the ear |
| The dulcet tones of the cello were admired by the audience. |
| Excoriate: Express strong disapproval of |
| The editorial excoriated the administration for its reaction. |
| Impromptu: An extemporaneous speech or remark |
| They put up an impromptu concert for the visitors. |
| Iniquity: Absence of moral or spiritual values |
| He rails against the iniquities of capitalism. |
| Largess: A gift or money given |
| The president has been travelling around the world distributing largesse. |
| Libel: Print slanderous statements against |
| The news magazine was accused of libelling him. |
| Malevolent: Wishing or appearing to wish evil to others; arising from intense ill will or hatred |
| Her stare was malevolent, her mouth a thin line while staring at the beggars. |
| Mercenary: Marked by materialism |
| Despite his mercenary motives he is not a cynic. |
| Mollify: Make more temperate, acceptable. |
| She managed to mollify the angry customers. |
| Pariah: A person who is rejected |
| I was treated like a pariah for the rest of the journey. |
| Profuse: Produced or growing in extreme abundance |
| The plant produces profuse bright blue flowers. |
| Raiment: Especially fine or decorative clothing |
| The lady was robed in raiment of beauty, made by the artisans of Benares. |
| Subservient: Serving or acting as a means or aid |
| Her willingness to be subservient to her children isolated her. |
| Unctuous: Oily, creamy, greasy |
| Goose fat gives the most unctuous flavour. |
| Vestige: An indication that something has been present |
| She had lost every vestige of her puppy fat. |
| Wistful: Showing pensive sadness |
| The dog looked into the butcher’s window with a wistful expression in his eyes. |
