100 Words to Make You Sound Smarter...

1.  accolade
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
2.  acrimony
a rough and bitter manner
3.  angst
an acute but unspecific feeling of anxiety
4.  anomaly
deviation from the normal or common order, form, or rule
5.  avant-garde
radically new or original
6.  baroque
relating to an elaborately ornamented style of art and music
7.  bonafide
not counterfeit or copied
8.  bonhomie
a disposition to be friendly and approachable
9.  boondoggle
work of little or no value done merely to look busy
10.  bourgeois
being of the property-owning class
11.  bravado
a swaggering show of courage
12.  brogue
a thick and heavy shoe
13.  brusque
rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
14.  cacophony
loud confusing disagreeable sounds
15.  camaraderie
the quality of affording easy familiarity and sociability
16.  capricious
determined by chance or impulse rather than by necessity
17.  carte blanche
complete freedom or authority to act
18.  caustic
capable of destroying or eating away by chemical action
19.  charisma
personal attractiveness that enables you to influence others
20.  cloying
overly sweet
21.  deja vu
the experience of thinking a new situation already occurred
22.  dichotomy
a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
23.  dilettante
an amateur engaging in an activity without serious intention
24.  disheveled
in disarray; extremely disorderly
25.  elan
enthusiastic and assured vigor and liveliness
26.  ennui
the feeling of being bored by something tedious
27.  ephemeral
lasting a very short time
28.  epitome
a standard or typical example
29.  equanimity
steadiness of mind under stress
30.  equivocate
be deliberately ambiguous or unclear
31.  ersatz
artificial and inferior
32.  esoteric
understandable only by an enlightened inner circle
33.  euphemism
an inoffensive expression substituted for an offensive one

34.  facetious
cleverly amusing in tone
35.  fait accompli
an irreversible accomplishment
36.  fastidious
giving careful attention to detail
37.  faux pas
a socially awkward or tactless act
38.  fiasco
a complete failure or collapse
39.  finagle
achieve something using trickery or devious methods
40.  glib
artfully persuasive in speech
41.  gregarious
temperamentally seeking and enjoying the company of others
42.  harbinger
something indicating the approach of something or someone
43.  hedonist
someone motivated by desires for sensual pleasures
44.  heresy
a belief that rejects the orthodox tenets of a religion
45.  idiosyncratic
peculiar to the individual
46.  idyllic
charmingly simple and serene
47.  indelicate
in violation of good taste even verging on the indecent
48.  infinitesimal
immeasurably small
49.  insidious
working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
50.  junket
dessert made of sweetened milk coagulated with rennet
51.  litany
a prayer led by clergy with responses from the congregation
52.  lurid
glaringly vivid and graphic; marked by sensationalism
53.  Machiavellian
of or relating to amoral or conniving political principles
54.  malaise
a feeling of mild sickness or depression
55.  malinger
avoid responsibilities and duties, often by faking illness
56.  mantra
a sacred utterance or poetic hymn in Vedism
57.  maudlin
very sentimental or emotional
58.  mercenary
a person hired to fight for another country than their own
59.  minimalist
a conservative advocating only minor reforms in government
60.  misnomer
an incorrect or unsuitable name
61.  narcissist
someone who is excessively self-centered
62.  nirvana
the beatitude that transcends the cycle of reincarnation
63.  non sequitur
a reply that has no relevance to what preceded it
64.  oblivion
the state of being disregarded or forgotten
65.  ogle
stare or look at, especially with amorous intentions
66.  ostentatious
intended to attract notice and impress others

67.  ostracize
expel from a community or group
68.  panacea
hypothetical remedy for all ills or diseases
69.  paradox
a statement that contradicts itself
70.  peevish
easily irritated or annoyed
71.  perfunctory
hasty and without attention to detail; not thorough
72.  philistine
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
73.  picayune
small and of little importance
74.  precocious
characterized by exceptionally early development
75.  propriety
correct behavior
76.  quid pro quo
something given in exchange for something else
77.  quintessential
representing the perfect example of a class or quality
78.  red herring
something intended to distract attention from the main issue
79.  revel
take delight in
80.  rhetoric
study of the technique for using language effectively
81.  scintillating
having brief brilliant points or flashes of light
82.  spartan
unsparing and uncompromising in discipline or judgment
83.  stigma
a symbol of disgrace or infamy
84.  stoic
seeming unaffected by pleasure or pain; impassive
85.  suave
having a sophisticated charm
86.  supercilious
having or showing arrogant superiority
87.  sycophant
a person who tries to please someone to gain an advantage
88.  teetotaler
someone who abstains from drinking alcoholic beverages
89.  tete-a-tete
a private conversation between two people
90.  tirade
a speech of violent denunciation
91.  tryst
a secret rendezvous, especially a romantic one
92.  ubiquitous
being present everywhere at once
93.  unrequited
not returned in kind
94.  untenable
incapable of being defended or justified
95.  verbose
using or containing too many words
96.  vicarious
experienced at secondhand
97.  vile
morally reprehensible
98.  waft
a long flag; often tapering
99.  zealous
marked by active interest and enthusiasm
100.  Zeitgeist
the spirit of the time