venial
adjective: easily excused or forgiven; pardonable
His traffic violations ran the gamut from the venial to the egregious—on one occasion he simply did not come to a complete stop; another time he tried to escape across state lines at speeds in excess of 140 mph.
zeitgeist
noun: spirit of the times
Each decade has its own zeitgeist—the 1990’s was a prosperous time in which the promise of the American Dream never seemed more palpable.
exegesis
noun: critical explanation or analysis, especially of a text
The Bible is fertile ground for exegesis—over the past five centuries there have been as many interpretations as there are pages in the Old Testament.
factious
adjective: produced by, or characterized by internal dissension
The controversial bill proved factious, as dissension even within parties resulted
prosaic
adjective: dull and lacking imagination
Unlike the talented artists in his workshop, Paul had no such bent for the visual medium, so when it was time for him to make a stained glass painting, he ended up with a prosaic mosaic.
jingoist
noun: a person who thinks their country is always right and who is in favor of aggressive acts against other countries
In the days leading up to war, a nation typically breaks up into the two opposing camps: doves, who do their best to avoid war, and jingoists, who are only too eager to wave national flags from their vehicles and vehemently denounce those who do not do the same.
feckless
adjective: lazy and irresponsible
Two years after graduation, Charlie still lived with his parents and had no job, becoming more feckless with each passing day.
expansive
adjective: communicative, and prone to talking in a sociable manner
After a few sips of cognac, the octogenarian shed his irascible demeanor and became expansive, speaking fondly of the “good old days”.
This word has other definitions but this is the most important one to study
nadir
noun: the lowest point
For many pop music fans, the rap– and alternative-rock–dominated 90s were the nadir of musical expression.
vicissitude
noun: change in one’s circumstances, usually for the worse
Even great rulers have their vicissitudes—massive kingdoms have diminished overnight, and once beloved kings have faced the scorn of angry masses.
