Hedonist (noun) A person who believes pleasure and enjoyment are the most important goals in life.
Example: As a committed hedonist, he planned every vacation entirely around good food and comfort.
Mnemonic: Picture someone who has 'he done' nothing all week but chase fun and comfort.
Hyperbole (noun) Exaggerated language not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect.
Example: When she said she'd told him a million times, that was pure hyperbole, not an actual count.
Mnemonic: 'Hyper-' means beyond or over (as in 'hyperactive') — hyperbole pushes a statement way beyond the literal truth purely for dramatic effect.
Iconoclast (noun) A person who challenges or attacks widely accepted beliefs, traditions, or institutions.
Example: The young architect was an iconoclast, rejecting every convention of the style she had been trained in.
Mnemonic: Breaks into Greek roots for 'icon' (a sacred image) and 'clast' (to break, as in geology's 'clastic' rock) — an iconoclast literally smashes icons, and figuratively smashes cherished ideas.
Illicit (adjective) Not allowed by law or social custom; forbidden.
Example: Police shut down the illicit gambling operation running out of the warehouse.
Mnemonic: 'Il-' (not) plus 'licit' (legal) — it simply means 'not legal.'
Immutable (adjective) Not able to be changed or altered.
Example: The scientists treated the speed of light as an immutable constant in their equations.
Mnemonic: Break it down: 'im-' (not) plus 'mutable' (changeable, as in 'mutate') — immutable is literally 'not able to mutate.'
Impervious (adjective) Not able to be affected or penetrated by something.
Example: Coated in wax, the jacket was impervious to the steady afternoon drizzle.
Mnemonic: Impervious: im- (not) + per- (through) + via (way) — literally no way through, nothing can get in.
Inadvertent (adjective) Happening by accident, without intention or awareness.
Example: Her inadvertent mention of the surprise party nearly ruined it.
Mnemonic: From Latin 'advertere,' to turn the mind toward — inadvertent means your attention simply never turned that way.
Inexorable (adjective) Impossible to stop, persuade, or turn aside from a relentless course.
Example: The inexorable rise of the floodwaters forced the town to evacuate.
Mnemonic: From Latin 'exorare,' to persuade by pleading — something inexorable cannot be begged or reasoned out of its path.
Ingenious (adjective) Extremely clever and original, especially in solving a problem.
Example: The engineers came up with an ingenious way to cool the building using outside air instead of electricity.
Mnemonic: It shares a root with genius, so an ingenious idea feels like it sprang from a sudden flash of brilliance.
Inscrutable (adjective) Impossible to read or understand clearly, especially someone's thoughts or feelings.
Example: The old man's inscrutable expression gave no hint of whether he approved of the plan.
Mnemonic: Scrutable relates to scrutinize, to examine closely, so something inscrutable resists even the closest examination.
Jargon (noun) Special words or expressions used by a particular profession or group that outsiders find hard to understand.
Example: The doctor tried to explain the diagnosis without using too much medical jargon.
Mnemonic: Picture geese gargling nonsense sounds at each other; to an outsider, jargon can sound just as meaningless.
Jovial (adjective) Full of cheerful friendliness and good humor.
Example: The jovial host greeted every guest with a warm laugh.
Mnemonic: Named for the god Jove/Jupiter, believed by ancient astrologers to bring joyful, generous moods.
Knell (noun) The sound of a bell rung slowly, especially to mark a death or an ending.
Example: The factory closing sounded the knell for the town's entire economy.
Mnemonic: Knell rhymes with 'bell' — it is literally the mournful ring of a bell.
Laconic (adjective) Using very few words; terse.
Example: Asked how the exam went, he gave a laconic 'Fine.'
Mnemonic: Named after Laconia, the region around Sparta — Spartans were famous for saying as little as possible.
Lampoon (verb) To mock or ridicule someone or something through exaggerated satire.
Example: The late-night show loved to lampoon politicians' most awkward moments.
Mnemonic: Picture a comedic 'goon' shining an unflattering spotlight, like a lamp, on someone's flaws.
Largesse (noun) Generous giving, especially of money or gifts, often from someone wealthy or powerful.
Example: The scholarship program exists thanks to the largesse of a single anonymous donor.
Mnemonic: Contains 'large' — largesse is generosity on a large, open-handed scale.
Lavish (adjective) Given or spent in great, extravagant abundance.
Example: They threw a lavish wedding with a live orchestra and a five-course meal.
Mnemonic: Lavish sounds like 'lush' — an overflowing, luxurious abundance of everything.
Levity (noun) A light, humorous treatment of a situation that might otherwise feel heavy or serious.
Example: He added a moment of levity to the tense meeting with a well-timed joke.
Mnemonic: Related to 'levitate' (to rise, be light) — levity lightens the mood, keeping things from becoming too heavy.
Listless (adjective) Lacking energy or enthusiasm, indifferent to activity.
Example: The listless dog barely lifted its head when the mail carrier walked past.
Mnemonic: Listless = list (desire, an old word for wanting) + -less — literally without any desire to do anything.
Lofty (adjective) Very high, either physically or in terms of ambition and ideals; sometimes overly proud.
Example: She set lofty goals for her first year running the nonprofit.
Mnemonic: A 'loft' is a high space — lofty ideas and lofty towers both reach way up high.
Lugubrious (adjective) Exaggeratedly or theatrically mournful, beyond what a situation calls for.
Example: The actor's lugubrious sighs at every setback made the tragedy feel almost comic.
Mnemonic: From Latin 'lugere,' to mourn — lugubrious sadness is mourning turned up to a theatrical, over-the-top volume.
Machination (noun) A scheming or crafty plot, usually devised in secret.
Example: The senator's downfall was the result of years of quiet machinations by his own staff.
Mnemonic: Machination contains 'machine' — a hidden machine grinding away in the background, engineering someone's plot.
Malaise (noun) A general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease whose exact cause is hard to identify.
Example: A quiet malaise spread through the factory town after the plant announced its closing.
Mnemonic: Malaise contains 'mal' (bad), as in 'malady' — a bad, vague feeling hanging over everything.
Malevolent (adjective) Having or showing a wish to cause harm to others.
Example: The novel's malevolent stepmother poisoned every gift she gave with a hidden cruelty.
Mnemonic: Malevolent = mal (bad) + volent (wishing, as in 'voluntary') — wishing bad things upon someone.
Maverick (noun) An independent-minded person who breaks from convention rather than following the group.
Example: The company's founder was a maverick in the industry, ignoring every standard business model.
Mnemonic: Named after Samuel Maverick, a rancher who famously left his cattle unbranded — a maverick, like his cattle, refuses to be branded or grouped with the rest.