edify
instruct or improve someone morally or intellectually
felicity
joyfulness; happiness
veracity
the state of being truthful and straightforward
paragon
a perfect something
kitsch
low quality, but with a style that many people find amusing in an ironic way
succumb
fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force
enticing
attractive or tempting; alluring
disconsolate
extremely sad and lacking any comfort
chide
to scold mildly
regale
entertain or amuse (someone) with talk
intrepid
brave and adventurous
balk
to be unwilling to accept an idea or request
guant
too thin, as in suffering from hunger or illness
persnickety
placing too much emphasis on minor or unimportant details
whet
to sharpen the point of something
atrophy
to gradually decline or waste away
quaff
to drink heartily
collusion
secret or illegal cooperation, especially to cheat others
drivel
nonsense; foolishness
stoic
able to endure hardship without showing pain or complaining
reticent
not revealing one's thoughts or feelings easily
farcical
in a ridiculous manner
egalitarian
relating to the idea of all people deserving equal rights
palpable
able to be touched or felt
charlatan
a person falsely claiming to have special talents or skills
fetid
smelling very unpleasant
perfunctory
carried out with a minimum effort to satisfy the situation
fracas
noise disturbance or fight; brawl
foible
a small flaw
vacuous
showing a lack of thought or intelligence
bulwark
a defensive wall
cajole
persuade by flattering or gently teasing
harbinger
something that marks the approach of something else
extemporaneous
spoken or done without preparation
mitigate
to make less severe, serious, or painful
anodyne
something that kills pain
vacillate
to alternate indecisively between two choices
incendiary
designed to start fires or conflict
depravity
moral corruption
act
a division withing a play, much like chapters of a novel
cast of characters
a list of characters presented before the action begins
chorus
a person or group of people who act as a narrator, commentator, or general audience to the action of a play
dialogue
a conversation between two or more characters
monologue
a long speech spoken by a character to himself, another character, or to the audience
scene
a division of an act into smaller parts
stage directions
italicized comments that identify parts of the setting or the use of props or costumes, give further information about a character, or provide background information; in Shakespeare's plays, stage directions can also appear in brackets, parenthesis, and/or half brackets
aside
lines that are spoken by a character directly to the audience
comedy
a humorous work of drama with a generally happy ending
drama
a work of literature designed to be performed in front of an audience
foil
a character who is nearly the opposite of another character; the purpose of [this term] is to reveal a stark contrast between the two characters, often the protagonist and the antagonist
soliloquy
thoughts spoken aloud by a character when he/she is alone or thinks he/she is alone
tragedy
a serious work of drama in which the hero suffers catastrophe or serious misfortune, usually because of his own actions
tragic hero
a protagonist with a fatal flaw which eventually leaders to his demise
solace
comfort in a time of stress or sadness
insipid
lacking taste or class
visceral
from the gut
inept
having or showing no skill
gauche
awkward, lacking in social graces, tactless, clumsy
zenith
the top of a trajectory; the highest point
futile
incapable of producing any result
ruminate
to think deeply about something; to ponder
acrimony
tense bitterness in a relationship
kismet
destiny
exonerate
to remove blame or guilt for wrongdoing
altruism
selfless act
myopic
focused on the small things you don't see the big picture
galvanize
shock or excite (someone), typically into taking action
engender
to cause or give rise to
nuance
a subtle difference
impetuous
acting quickly without thought
reown
the state of being known and celebrated by many
tangent
a completely different line of thought