ca·lam·i·tous
ca·lam·i·tous (ke-làm¹î-tes) adjective
Causing or involving calamity; disastrous.
— ca·lam¹i·tous·ly adverb
— ca·lam¹i·tous·ness noun

ran·cor ran·cor (ràng¹ker) noun Bitter, long-lasting resentment; deep-seated ill will. See synonyms at enmity.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin, rancid smell, from Latin rancêre, to stink, be rotten.] — ran¹cor·ous adjective — ran¹cor·ous·ly adverb — ran¹cor·ous·ness noun con·done con·done (ken-don¹) verb, transitive con·doned, con·don·ing, con·dones To overlook, forgive, or disregard (an offense) without protest or censure. See synonyms at forgive.
[Latin condonâre : com-, intensive pref.. See com- + donâre, to give (from donum, gift).] — con·don¹er noun ser·vile ser·vile (sûr¹vel, -vìl´) adjective 1. Abjectly submissive; slavish. 2. a. Of or suitable to a slave or servant: servile tasks such as floor scrubbing and barn work. b. Of or relating to servitude or forced labor.
[Middle English, from Latin servìlis, from servus, slave.] — ser¹vile·ly adverb — ser¹vile·ness or ser·vil¹i·ty (ser-vîl¹î-tê) noun
in·cur in·cur (în-kûr¹) verb, transitive in·curred, in·cur·ring, in·curs 1. To acquire or come into (something usually undesirable); sustain: incurred substantial losses during the stock market crash. 2. To become liable or subject to as a result of one's actions; bring upon oneself: incur the anger of a friend.
[Middle English incurren, from Old French encorir, from Latin incurrere, to run upon : in-, on. See in-2 + currere, to run.] in·fuse in·fuse (în-fyooz¹) verb, transitive in·fused, in·fus·ing, in·fus·es 1. To put into or introduce as if by pouring: infused new vigor into the movement. 2. To fill or cause to be filled with something: infused them with a love of the land. 3. Chemistry. To steep or soak without boiling in order to extract soluble elements or active principles. 4. To introduce (a solution) into the body through a vein for therapeutic purposes.
[Middle English infusen, from Old French infuser, from Latin ìnfundere, ìnfús- : in-, in. See in-2 + fundere, to pour.] — in·fus¹er noun
a·ver·sion a·ver·sion (e-vûr¹zhen, -shen) noun 1. A fixed, intense dislike; repugnance: formed an aversion to crowds. 2. One that is intensely disliked and avoided. 3. A feeling of extreme repugnance accompanied by avoidance or rejection: Her aversion to alcohol consumption caused her to shun all social gatherings where such beverages would be served. 4. Obsolete. The act of turning away or averting.
lu·rid lu·rid (l¢r¹îd) adjective 1. Causing shock or horror; gruesome. 2. Marked by sensationalism: a lurid account of the crime. See synonyms at ghastly. 3. Glowing or shining with the glare of fire through a haze: lurid flames. 4. Sallow or pallid in color. [Latin lúridus, pale, from lúror, paleness.] — lu¹rid·ly adverb — lu¹rid·ness noun
e·lude e·lude (î-l¡d¹) verb, transitive e·lud·ed, e·lud·ing, e·ludes 1. To evade or escape from, as by daring, cleverness, or skill: The suspect continues to elude the police. 2. To escape the understanding or grasp of: a name that has always eluded me; a metaphor that eluded them. See synonyms at escape. [Latin êlúdere : ê-, ex-, ex- + lúdere, to play (from lúdus, play).]
in·eq·ui·ty in·eq·ui·ty (în-èk¹wî-tê) noun plural in·eq·ui·ties 1. Injustice; unfairness. 2. An instance of injustice or unfairness: discerned some inequities in the criminal justice system.
be·nign be·nign (bî-nìn¹) adjective 1. Of a kind and gentle disposition. 2. Showing gentleness and mildness. See synonyms at kind1. 3. Tending to exert a beneficial influence; favorable: the benign influence of pure air. See synonyms at favorable. 4. Medicine. Of no danger to health; not recurrent or progressive; not malignant: a benign tumor. [Middle English benigne, from Old French, from Latin benignus.] — be·nign¹ly adverb
lu·di·crous lu·di·crous (l¡¹dî-kres) adjective Laughable or hilarious because of obvious absurdity or incongruity. See synonyms at foolish. [From Latin lúdicrus, sportive, from lúdus, game.] — lu¹di·crous·ly adverb — lu¹di·crous·ness noun
af·flu·ent af·flu·ent (àf¹l¡-ent, e-fl¡¹-) adjective 1. Generously supplied with money, property, or possessions; prosperous or rich. See synonyms at rich. 2. Plentiful; abundant. 3. Flowing freely; copious. noun 1. A stream or river that flows into a larger one; a tributary. 2. A person who is well-off financially: "the so-called emerging affluents" (Leslie Tweeton). [Middle English, abundant, flowing, from Old French, from Latin affluêns, affluent-, present participle of affluere, to abound in : ad-, ad- + fluere, to flow.] — af¹flu·ent·ly adverb on·er·ous on·er·ous (òn¹er-es, o¹ner-) adjective 1. Troublesome or oppressive; burdensome. See synonyms at burdensome. 2. Law. Entailing obligations that exceed advantages.
[Middle English, from Old French onereus, from Latin onerosus, from onus, oner-, burden.] — on¹er·ous·ly adverb — on¹er·ous·ness noun per·vade per·vade (per-vâd¹) verb, transitive per·vad·ed, per·vad·ing, per·vades To be present throughout; permeate. See synonyms at charge.
[Latin pervâdere : per-, through. See per- + vâdere, to go.] — per·vad¹er noun — per·va¹sion (-vâ¹zhen) noun ex·plic·it ex·plic·it (îk-splîs¹ît) adjective 1. a. Fully and clearly expressed; leaving nothing implied. b. Fully and clearly defined or formulated: "generalizations that are powerful, precise, and explicit" (Frederick Turner). 2. Forthright and unreserved in expression: They were explicit in their criticism. 3. a. Readily observable: an explicit sign of trouble. b. Describing or portraying nudity or sexual activity in graphic detail.
[Latin explicitus, past participle of explicâre, to unfold. See explicate.] — ex·plic¹it·ly adverb — ex·plic¹it·ness noun Synonyms: explicit, categorical, definite, express, specific. The central meaning shared by these adjectives is "entirely clear and unambiguous": explicit statements; a categorical refusal; a definite answer; my express wishes; a specific purpose. Antonyms: ambiguous.
per·func·to·ry per·func·to·ry (per-fùngk¹te-rê) adjective 1. Done routinely and with little interest or care: The operator answered the phone with a perfunctory greeting. 2. Acting with indifference; showing little interest or care.
[Late Latin perfúnctorius, from Latin perfúnctus, past participle of perfungì, to get through with : per-, per- + fungì, to perform.] — per·func¹to·ri·ly adverb — per·func¹to·ri·ness noun pal·pa·ble pal·pa·ble (pàl¹pe-bel) adjective 1. Capable of being handled, touched, or felt; tangible: "Anger rushed out in a palpable wave through his arms and legs" (Herman Wouk). 2. Easily perceived; obvious: "There was a palpable sense of expectation in the court" (Nelson DeMille). See synonyms at perceptible. 3. Medicine. That can be felt by palpating: a palpable tumor.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin palpâbilis, from Latin palpâre, to touch gently.] — pal´pa·bil¹i·ty noun — pal¹pa·bly adverb
e·nig·ma e·nig·ma (î-nîg¹me) noun 1. One that is puzzling, ambiguous, or inexplicable. 2. A perplexing speech or text; a riddle. [Latin aenigma, from Greek ainigma, from ainissesthai, ainig-, to speak in riddles, from ainos, fable.] an·i·mos·i·ty an·i·mos·i·ty (àn´e-mòs¹î-tê) noun plural an·i·mos·i·ties Bitter hostility or open enmity; active hatred. See synonyms at enmity.
[Middle English animosite, from Old French, from Late Latin animositâs, courage, from Latin animosus, bold, from animus, soul, spirit.] pre·ten·tious pre·ten·tious (prî-tèn¹shes) adjective 1. Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified. 2. Making or marked by an extravagant outward show; ostentatious. See synonyms at showy. — pre·ten¹tious·ly adverb — pre·ten¹tious·ness noun
ca·coph·o·ny ca·coph·o·ny (ke-kòf¹e-nê) noun plural ca·coph·o·nies 1. Jarring, discordant sound; dissonance: heard a cacophony of horns during the traffic jam. 2. The use of harsh or discordant sounds in literary composition, as for poetic effect. [French cacophonie, from Greek kakophonia, from kakophonos, cacophonous. See cacophonous.]
hy·poc·ri·sy hy·poc·ri·sy (hî-pòk¹rî-sê) noun plural hy·poc·ri·sies 1. The practice of professing beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not hold or possess; falseness. 2. An act or instance of such falseness. [Middle English ipocrisie, from Old French, from Late Latin hypocrisis, play-acting, pretense, from Greek hupokrisis, from hupokrinesthai, to play a part, pretend : hupo-, hypo- + krinesthai, to explain (from krinein, to decide, judge).]
her·maph·ro·dite her·maph·ro·dite (her-màf¹re-dìt´) noun 1. One having the reproductive organs and many of the secondary sex characteristics of both sexes. 2. Biology. An organism, such as an earthworm or a monoclinous plant, having both male and female reproductive organs. 3. Something that is a combination of disparate or contradictory elements. [Middle English hermofrodite, from Medieval Latin hermofrodìtus, from Latin hermaphrodìtus, from Greek hermaphroditos, Hermaphroditus, hermaphrodite. See Hermaphroditus.] — her·maph´ro·dit¹ic (-dît¹îk) adjective — her·maph´ro·dit¹i·cal·ly adverb
brou·ha·ha brou·ha·ha (br¡¹hä-hä´) noun An uproar; a hubbub. [French, of imitative origin.]