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Definitions
concerning or characterized by an appreciation of beauty or good taste
"The garden had an aesthetic beauty that made it much more than just an assortment of plants."
"He was more focused on the aesthetic appearance of his outfits than comfortability."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
based on or subject to individual discretion or preference or sometimes impulse or caprice
"One should try to finish a boxing match quickly as to not leave the decision to the arbitrary judges."
"The application seemed to ask arbitrary questions that were unrelated to the job."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
Understood by only a few; obscure; requiring secret or mysterious knowledge.
"Pure mathematics is one of the most arcane subjects in academia."
"The arcane dissertation required deep theoretical knowledge to understand the concepts."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
To carry through impudently or shamelessly.
"The hyena made a brazen attempt to steal the impala from the much larger lion."
"There have been more and more instances of shop patrons openly participating in brazen theft."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
(used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic
"The New Yorker decided to leave the city for the more bucolic life."
"The bucolic homestead had many farm animals in the barn and crops in the field."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
To join into a single mass or whole.
"The two groups of friends coalesced into one larger friend group."
"The rashes coalesced into one large red area on his back."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Obtained or deduced from another.
"The derivative piece of art was so similar to its "inspiration" that you could not even tell the two pieces apart."
"The professor could tell that the student's paper was derivative of one written last year."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Fitted or intended to teach; conveying instruction; preceptive; instructive; teaching some moral lesson.
"The didactic writing was meant to help the students learn quickly."
"The didactic film was not meant to entertain, but to teach."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
cause to become widely known
"Newspapers are meant to disseminate news and other relevant information to the public."
"The spokesperson could not disseminate that information to the public until he got permission."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
To strive to equal or to excel in qualities or actions; to imitate, with a view to equal or to outdo, to vie with; to rival.
"The sequel was primarily made to emulate the hyper-successful original film."
"He wanted to emulate all the good qualities of his father."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Not conformed to truth or justice; incorrect; false; mistaken
"Her false argument rests upon erroneous logic."
"It is erroneous to assume that the polar bear is harmless just because it is cute."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Making excessive demands; hard to satisfy.
"The exacting schoolmaster expected nothing less than perfect behavior from the students."
"The exacting store owner would not give her workers even one vacation."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
not essential
"Training wheels are extraneous for experienced cyclists."
"The unrelated information is extraneous to the issue at hand."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
to stimulate to action
"The prospect of moving back in with his parents galvanized the young man into working two jobs."
"The comedian galvanized the bored crowd into laughter and amusement."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
about to happen, occur, or take place very soon, especially of something which won't last long.
"The many cracks in the walls foreshadowed the building's imminent collapse."
"The tornado sirens informed the people that they were in imminent danger."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Contained in the essential nature of something but not openly shown
"Though he never directly stated that he did not enjoy the movie, it was implicit in his response that he disliked the film."
"Though he lived alone, there was an implicit reliance on his parents to support him."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Extremely persistent and untiring.
"The indefatigable defensive force held the castle all throughout a year long siege."
"She had an indefatigable belief that education should be free for all."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
Indulging in ease; avoiding labor and exertion; habitually idle; lazy; inactive.
"It is easy to be indolent and sit inside all day when it is rainy outside."
"The indolent old dog sat on the couch all day."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
Clumsy; awkward; unskillful.
"The maladroit juggler seemed to drop the juggling balls more often than catching them."
"The maladroit keeper could not block the soccer ball."
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
the quality of wearisome constancy, routine, and lack of variety
"Working a nine-to-five while in the suburbs can be a life of monotony."
"The monotony of eating the same meal every day was beginning to frustrate him."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
A claim that two apparently contradictory ideas are true.
"It was a paradox that the most expensive item on the menu was the cheapest to make."
"It was a paradox that the healthiest person in the family had the most difficult time recovering from the flu."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
on or near an edge or constituting an outer boundary; the outer area
"The status of his new tv was only a peripheral worry as his entire house was burning down."
"Lifeguards often have peripheral responsibilities related to pool maintenance."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
defend, explain, clear away, or make excuses for by reasoning
"People often rationalize the harmful things they do in order to suppress guilt."
"Politicians can rationalize any disastrous policy."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
To reject the truth or validity of something; to deny.
"It is not difficult to repudiate illogical claims."
"Newtonian physics was repudiated by Einstein's theory of relativity."
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
establish or strengthen as with new evidence or facts
"The lack of sales substantiated the idea that the company needs to cut costs."
"He struggled to find arguments that substantiated his point of view."
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
