Vocabulary List #7

1. aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm 
2.Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration 
3.bane - (noun) something causes misery or death 
4.bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos 
5.cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate 
6.casuistry - (noun) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading 
7.de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality 
8.depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action 
9.empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings 
10.harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage 
11.hedonism - (noun) an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle 
12.lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
13.malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted 
14.mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear 
15.nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
16.pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to 
17.peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed
18.piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction. 
19.remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail 
20.syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease