convoluted

intricate; complex

The directions were so convoluted that we drove all around the city and got lost.

cryptic

difficult to comprehend

The writing on the walls of the crypt was cryptic; none of the scientists understood it.

futile

having no useful purpose; pointless

It is futile to try to explain the difference between right and wrong to your pet.

impede

to slow the progress of

The retreating army constructed barbed-wire fences and destroyed bridges to impede the advance of the enemy.

obscure

(adj.) relatively unknown

Scott constantly makes references to obscure cult films, and no one ever gets his jokes.

obscure

(v.) to conceal or make indistinct

The man in front of me was so tall that his head obscured my view of the movie.

quandary

a state of uncertainty or perplexity

Ann was in a quandary because she had no soap with which to do her laundry.

indolent

lazy

Mr. Lan said his students were indolent because they had not done their homework.

insipid

uninteresting; unchallenging

That insipid movie was so boring and predictable.

listless

lacking energy

Since he is accustomed to an active lifestyle, Mark feels listless when he has nothing to do.

torpor

laziness; inactivity; dullness

The hot and humid day filled everyone with an activity-halting torpor.

alienated

removed or disassociated from (friends, family, or homeland)

Rudolf felt alienated from the other reindeer because they never let him join in their reindeer games.

alliance

a union of two or more groups

The two countries formed an alliance to stand against their common enemy.

disparity

inequality in age, rank, or degree; difference

There is a great disparity between rich and poor in many nations.

servile

submissive; like a servant

Cameron’s servile behavior finally ended when he decided to stand up to his older brother.

suppressed

subdued; kept from being circulated

The author’s book was suppressed because the dictator thought it was too critical of the regime.

embellish

to make beautiful by ornamenting; to decorate

We embellished the account of our vacation by including descriptions of many colorful people and places we visited.

florid

describing flowery or elaborate speech

The candidate’s speech was so florid that although no one could understand what he was talking about, they all agreed that he sounded good saying it.

opulent

exhibiting a display of great wealth

Dances at the king’s palace are always very opulent affairs because no expense is spared.

ornate

elaborately decorated

The carved wood was so ornate that you could examine it several times and still notice things you had not seen before.

ostentatious

describing a showy or pretentious display

Whenever the millionaire gave a party, the elaborate decorations and enormous amounts of food were always part of his ostentatious display of wealth.

poignant

profoundly moving; touching

The most poignant part of the movie was when the father finally made peace with his son.

ebullience

intense enthusiasm

A sense of ebullience swept over the crowd when the matador defeated the bull.

effusive

emotionally unrestrained; gushy

Gwyneth Paltrow was effusive in her thanks after winning the Oscar; she even burst into tears.

egregious

conspicuously bad or offensive

Forgetting to sterilize surgical tools before an operation would be an egregious error.

flagrant

extremely or deliberately shocking or noticeable

His throwing the pie at his teacher was a flagrant sign of disrespect.

frenetic

wildly excited or active

The pace at the busy office was frenetic; Megan never had a moment to catch her breath.

gratuitous

given freely; unearned; unwarranted

The film was full of gratuitous sex and violence that was not essential to the story.

superfluous

extra; unnecessary

If there is sugar in your tea, adding honey would be superfluous.

alleviate

to ease a pain or burden

John took aspirin to alleviate the pain from the headache he got after taking the SAT.

asylum

a place of retreat or security

The soldiers sought asylum from the bombs in the underground shelter.

auspicious

favorable, promising

Our trip to the beach had an auspicious start; the rain stopped just as we started the car.

benevolent

well-meaning; generous

She was a kind and benevolent queen who was concerned about her subjects’ well-being.

benign

kind and gentle

Uncle Charlie is a benign and friendly man who is always willing to help.

mollify

to calm or soothe

Anna’s apology for scaring her brother did not mollify him; he was mad at her all day.

reclamation

the act of making something useful again

Thanks to the reclamation project, the once unusable land became a productive farm.

sanction

to give official authorization or approval

The students were happy when the principal agreed to sanction the use of calculators in math classes.

dubious

doubtful; of unlikely authenticity

Jerry’s claim that he could fly like Superman seemed dubious—we didn’t believe it.

fabricated

made; concocted to deceive

Fabio fabricated the story that he used to play drums for Metallica; he had never actually held drumsticks in his life.

hypocrisy

the practice of pretending to be something one is not; insincerity

People who claim to be vegetarian but eat chicken and fish are guilty of hypocrisy.