antipathy noun Feeling of intense dislike. Because of his bigoted remarks, the speaker provoked the antipathy of the audience.
avarice noun Too great a desire to have wealth; greed for riches. His avarice increased with age, until it became an uncontrollable obsession for wealth.
avocation noun A hobby; supplementary occupation. Bird watching was an avocation that gave him many hours of pleasure.
blithe adjective Merry; cheerful; happy. Our neighbor is a blithe fellow who tells amusing stories.
callow adjective Young and inexperienced; immature. He was surprised when his company hired a callow youth just out of college for the important new position.
doughty adjective Brave; strong and able. The doughty naval commander fought against very heavy odds.
elucidate adjective To make clear; explain. You may elucidate what happened after you relax for a while.
indolent adjective Lazy. "You indolent child!" cried the parent. "Stop playing video games and DO YOUR HOMEWORK!"
levity noun Lack of proper seriousness; improper gaiety. During the assembly George kept giggling; levity for which his teacher later scolded him.
ludicrous adjective Causing laughter because absurd or ridiculous; laughably absurd. His answer to the question was so ludicrous that everyone burst out laughing.
malign verb To speak evil of; to slander. I cannot bear to hear you malign such a good man.
nepotism noun Favoritism shown to relatives, especially in securing jobs. Whenever a President appoints a relative to a government position, the cry of nepotism is raised by the opposing party.
puerile adjective Foolish for a grown person to say or do; childish. Some people think that it is puerile for adults to enjoy cartoons.
stealthy adjective Marked by secrecy or concealment; furtive; sly.
Creeping stealthily, through the underbrush, the soldiers approached their enemies.
truculent adjective Savage; cruel; fierce; warlike. The debate, which might have been very interesting, was marred by a truculent exchange of personal abuse.