Dank means damp, humid, usually in an unpleasant way.

In lieu of means in place of, instead of.

Inordinate means excessive, too much, not kept within proper limits.

Putative means supposed, reputed, commonly accepted.

Insipid means without flavor, dull, uninspiring, bland.

Apocryphal means of dubious authenticity or authorship, fictitious.

A metamorphosis is a change in form, structure, character, circumstance, substance, etc.

Artful means crafty, clever, wily, sly.

Propitious means marked by favorable signs or conditions, auspicious.

To remonstrate is to protest, object, argue against.

An inkling is a hint, a vague notion, a slight suspicion.

A peon is an unskilled worker.

To appease means to soothe or pacify by giving in to or satisfying a demand.

Gratuitous means freely given.

Insolent means insulting, boldly rude or disrespectful.

Autocratic means having absolute authority, without checks or limitations.

Incandescent means glowing with heat.

An arbiter is one with the power to decide, such as a judge or umpire or a disinterested third party brought in and empowered to settle a dispute.

Profligate means wasteful and immoral, very wicked, shamelessly bad.

Intransigent means uncompromising and stubborn.

To inhibit means to restrain, to hinder, to hold back or prohibit.

To rectify means to put right, to remedy, to adjust, to correct.

Irrevocable means irreversible, unalterable, final.

Apprehensive means worried, concerned, alarmed.

A quirk is a peculiar mannerism.

A lectern is a reading stand or desk, especially the stand in a church on which the Bible sits and from which the lesson is read.

A subterfuge is a trick, an evasive pretense, or an excuse used to escape something unpleasant or to hide something.

Untoward means unfortunate, unfavorable, contrary to what was desired.

To mortify means to humiliate, to shame, to injure one's pride.

A paucity is a scarcity, a lack, a small amount.

To paraphrase means to say in other words, to restate in your own words, while retaining the meaning expressed in the original statement.

An introvert is someone who is introspective, more interested in his own thoughts than in what is going on in the world around him, is inner directed.

To regale means to entertain, to delight.

An emissary is a messenger, a person sent on a mission for someone else.

To burnish means to polish, to make shiny.

To encumber means to burden, hinder, obstruct, or make difficult to use.

A tryst is an appointed meeting, especially between lovers.

A libation is a drink, or the act of pouring wine, water, or some other liquid, usually as an offering to a god.

Ostensible means outwardly appearing; apparent, but with an element of pretense.

Patrician means aristocratic, of noble birth.

To protrude means to stick out, to thrust forth.

Brusque means abrupt, blunt.

To abase means to degrade, to lower, to bring down or lower in rank.

When used figuratively, caliber means quality, ability, merit, capacity.

Venial means excusable, trivial, unimportant.

Equine means pertaining to horses.

To swathe means to wrap, to bind.

Visceral means of the gut.

Quixotic means foolishly romantic, impractical.

Voluble means talkative, fond of talking, having a smooth, rapid flow or words.