All terms in this list:

volatile: readily changing to a vapor; changeable; fickle; explosive

vituperate: to use harsh condemnatory language; to abuse or censure severely or abusively; to berate

vigilant: alertly watchful

vexation: annoyance; irritation

variegated: multicolored; characterized by a variety of patches of different color

vacillate: to waver indecisively between one course of action or opinion and another; to waver

untenable: indefensible; not viable; uninhabitable

unfeigned: genuine; not false or hypocritical

trenchant: sharply perceptive; keen; penetrating

tout: to publicly praise or promote

terse: brief and concise in wording

tacit: implied; not explicitly stated

subtle: not obvious; elusive; difficult to discern

spendthrift: one who spends money wastefully

sparse: thin; not dense; arranged at widely spaced intervals

shard: a piece of broken pottery or glass

renege: to fail to honor a commitment; to go back on a promise

refulgent: radiant; shiny; brilliant

recondite: hidden; concealed; difficult to understand; obscure

rarefy: to make or become thin, less dense; to refine

quotidian: occurring or recurring daily; commonplace

quixotic: foolishly impractical; marked by lofty romantic ideals

pungent: characterized by a strong, sharp smell or taste

prosaic: dull; unimaginative

propensity: a natural inclination or tendency; penchant

profligate: excessively wasteful; recklessly extravagant

proclivity: a natural predisposition or inclination

probity: adherence to highest principles; uprightness

pristine: pure; uncorrupted; clean

presumptuous: overstepping due bounds (as of propriety or courtesy); taking liberties

neophyte: a recent convert; a beginner; novice

intractable: not easily managed or directed; stubborn; obstinate

inimical: damaging; harmful; injurious

immutable: not capable of change

divulge: to disclose something secret

disparage: to slight or belittle

dilettante: one with an amateurish or superficial interest in the arts or a branch of knowledge

desiccate: to dry out or dehydrate; to make dry or dull

derision: scorn; ridicule; contemptuous treatment

decorum: polite or appropriate conduct or behavior

cynicism: an attitude or quality of belief that all people are motivated by selfishness

convention: a generally agreed-upon practice or attitude

contiguous: sharing a border; touching; adjacent

astringent: having a tightening effect on living tissue; harsh; severe

anachronism: something or someone out of place in terms of historical or chronological context

alchemy: a medieval science aimed at the transmutation of metals, esp. base metals into gold

aggrandize: to increase in intensity, power, or prestige