Michael of St. Joseph 🖊️

#blog

This list was not compiled by online internet searches, dutiful research, or any sort of premeditated concerted effort. Instead, it is a list compiled over years of listening. A personal list of over 600 words I want to share with you.

• Abettor Absit-omen Abject Abreast Abyss Accoutrement Acquaintance Acumen Addle Adjacent Adjudicate Adolescent Adorn Aeonian Affectation Affinity Affluence Agog Alabaster Albatross Altruistic Amalgamate Amateur Amble Ambulate Amicable Amulet Anagram Ancillary Animus/Animas Annunciate Antecedent Antiquate Apogee Apparatus Appetite Arachnid Ardent Aroma Aspect Asperse Astonish Astronomical Atrocity Au-contraire Auspice Austere Avalon Avarice Aversion Axiom
• Badgered (verb) Balderdash Balmy Banal Bane Baroness Baroque Barren Basilisk Bauble Begat Behemoth Behest Benign Bequeath Bleary Bleat Blight Blossom Bombast Boon Bozo Braggadocios Bravado Bravo Brawn Bray Brigade Bric-a-brac Broad Buffoon Bulwark
• Cachet Cacophony Cadence Cajole Camaraderie Candor Canister Cantankerous Capisce Capricious Carpetbagger Cartesian Cartography Castigate Catachresis Catalyst Catharsis Caveat Cavern Cavil Centaur Cease Ceremony Cessation Chamelot Chasam Chicanery Chortle Clammy Clamor Clasp Clocked (verb) Coagulate Coalesce Coherent Cohesive Coincide Contrive Cogito/Cogitator Cognizant Chronicle Comely Commiserate Compendium Compulsion Concerted Conceit Concord Condemn Condescension Condolence Confidant Conflagration Confluence Congeal Conjugate Conscientious Constable Constitution (health) Consortium Controversy Conundrum Conversant Copacetic Coquette Countenance Counteract Coy Cozen Crass Croak Croft Cruel Cryptic Cudgel Curio
• Daft Dainty Daunt Dawdle Deadeye Debauchery Decanter Decked (verb) Decorum Delight(ful) Delimma Delineate Demonstrative Demure Depreciate Deprivation Deracinate Derelict Desalination Designate Device Dialectic Dichotomy Didactic Dignitary Diminution Diminutive Dimple Dimwit Dirge Disiderate Dismiss Disseminate Dither Divot Dreg Dross Dryad Dubious Duplicitous Durst
• Eccentricity Eeire Effervescence Effluence Effulgence Eidolon Elasticity Element Elucidate Embodiment Emerge Enclave Engender Enigma Enigmatic Enmity Ensconce Enterprise Entrepreneur Ephemeral Epidemic Epistle Epitaph Epithet E-Pluribus-Unum Ere Eros Estoppel Ethic Etiquette Equivocate Euphemism Euphoria Excerpt Exclave Exemplar Exfiltrate Ex-Nihilum Exposure Expunge Expurgate Extemporaneous Extol Extraneous Extricate
• Facetious Facsimile Faff Fanciful Faux-pas Feckless Feign Fervor Fetid Fetor (Foetor, Fœtor) Fetter Fiefdom Flask Flattery Flimflam Flippant Flub Flurry Firmament Foible Foppery Forebode Forego Forlorn Forsooth Fratricide Fray Frazzle Fernetic Fret Frieze Furlough Furnace Furthermore
• Gaggle Garish Gash Gazebo Gestalt Glib Gloom Gormless Gratuitous Gratuity Gravitas Gregarious Gripe Groggy Grotesque Gruesome Gruff Guile
• Hagiography Handmaiden Harangue Havoc Hearken Heed Henchman Hither Histrionic Hoarse Homage Hoopla Horde Hubbub Humiliate Humph Hurl Huzzah Hydra Hyssop
• Idiosyncratic Illustrative Imbecile Imbibe Immaculate Immolation Impeccable Impetuous Imprecatory Incantation Incarnate Inconspicuous Incorporeal Incorrigible Increment Indelible Indignity Indolent Industrious Inebriate Ineffable Inept Inexorable Infatuation Insolent Instantiate Instigate Interpolation Interpunction Ignominious Infernal Ingrate Ingratiate Inhibition Inordinate Interim Interrogative Intonation Intuition Iradescent
• Jackal Jargon Jumble
• Kerfuffle Knackered Knickknack
• Lair Laissez-faire Lament Languid Lectionary Lethargic Lethargy Leviathan Levitate Liaison Libation Licentious Lineage Linger Lingo Liturgy Lionize Listless Locket Loom Loquacious Lucid Lucrative Lucre Luncheon Lurch Lurid Luscious
• Macabre Maelstrom Magnanimous Magnum(-opis) Malady Malaise Malcontent Malediction Malevolent Malfeasance Mantle Marionette Masquerade Matriculate Maya Meander Medallion Melchior Menagerie Meridian Merriment Metaphysic Meticulous Mewl Midwit Milquetoast Mimicry Mire Misanthrope Mitten Modicum Monotonically Monotony Monsoon Moreover Mores Mortify Morose Moxie Munchkin Multiplicity Mutable Myriad Mystify Myopia Myopic
• Nascent Ne’er-Do-Well Nemesis Neologism Nest Nincompoop Non-Sequitur Nuance Nullify
• Obeisance Oblong Obstinate Odious Ominous Ontology Onus Onward Ooze Opera Ornament
• Palate Panacea Pang Panoply Paragon Paramour Pariah Parlance Parlay Parochialism Passe Pedagogue Pederast Pedestrian Penance Pendant Penitence Peon Perchance Percolate Peregrinate Perfidious Peripatetic Pernicious Persnickety Peruse Pestilential Petrichor Petulant Phantasm Phonetic Phooey Picaresque Pinion Pitch Pithy Placid Platitude Poignant Polygot Pompous Porpoise Posterity Potpourri Precept Preempt Prelest Preposterous Prerogative Pretorium Priggish Primeval Primordial Privy Proclivity Proliferate Pro-rata Prosaic Proselyte Prowess Prowling Proximity Pugilist Purveyor Putting-on-airs Putrid
• Quagmire Quibble Quirky
• Racket Ramification Rapport Rascal Razzmatazz Recalcitrant Reciprocate Reciprocity Reductive Redux Reflection Refuge Refulgent Regent Regiment Reliquary Remnant Reneg Replete Reprobate Resolution Retinue Retrograde Reverie Rhapsody Ridden Rigmarole Robust Romp Rotic Rubicon Rudiment Ruminate
• Sabaton Sabbatical Saccharine Sacrosanct Saga Sage Salacious Salvific Sanctimonious Sanctum Sardonic Savvy Scant Scarlett Schadenfreude Schlock Scintillation Scoff Scour Sear Seethe Selah Sequester Serendipity Serpentine Scrawl Scrawny Scrutiny Shackle Shamble Shyster Sidestream Simpleton Sinuous Skedaddle Snafu Siphon Sizzle Skim Skitter Skullduggery Slag Sleuth Sliver Slobber-knocker Sluggard Slumber Smote Snark Snide Snivel Snuffle Socialite Sociopathy Soliloquy Solipsism Soiree Sortie Spectacle Spectre Spritz Squalid Squalor Stammer Stasis Stockade Stoop Stutter Suave Subordinate Succinct Succulent Sully Superfluous Surly Surmise Sustenance Sustentation Swelter Swell Swill Symphonic Synapse Syndicate
• Tabulate Talisman Tantrum Tapestry Tarnish Tchotchke Teetotaler Telos Temperance Tenuous Tepid Terse Thrash Throng Transient Transliteration Transverse Trappings Tremulous Tribunal Triennial Trifecta Troglodyte Trudge Tone Topple Torrid Totter Tumult Twinkle
• Ultimatum Umbrage Uncouth Undulate Unique Untenable Utterly
• Vale Valiant Vapid Vaunt Vehement Veil Veracity Verbatim Verboten Verdant Verdict Verily Veritable Vernier Vexation Vicissitude Vigor Vile Viol Virility Visceral Vitriol Vociferous Voracious Vortigern Vouchsafe Voyage Voyeur Vulture
• Warlord Waylaid Wayland Well-to-do Whimsy Wicked Wiles Wryly
• Yearn Yelp Yesternight
• Zealot Zeitgeist Zest

Oof! That was a mouthful. I say often that the English language is good for one thing and one thing only and that thing is sounding fancy. Now your homework is to look up the definition of any word that caught your eye or ear (and perhaps the correct pronunciation as well). Really, honestly, truly I believe my start as a writer began as a child when I started noting down memorable words. My curiosity was to embellish, exaggerate, emphasize, and epitomize these words as concepts or characters. Then I would weave them into small isolated narratives that slowly threaded together over many years into stories much much greater.

I hope sharing this impromptu tool could give you the same inspiring effect. If not, do not fear! I have more stories and more fun creative writing thoughts to share with you. Please do stick around 4 at least Fifteen. I’d love to build something wonderful together. Free, open, original stories from yours truly to you dearly facilitated through the Public Domain. For posterity I will have the list on my special website https://michaelofstjoseph.com/ for your own reference and premiere access to everything I do.