Challenge: Try writing a poem or short story with as many of the following words and you can.
Adieu – goodbye; farewell; the act of leaving or departing
Altruistic – unselfishly concerned for or devoted to the welfare of others
Beleaguer – to exhaust with words
Benevolent – characterized by expressing good will or kindly feelings; charitable
Brood – to think alone
Bucolic – in a lovely, rural setting
Bungalow – a small, cozy cottage
Celestial – pertaining to the sky or visible heaven; heavenly; divine
Cerebral – betraying or characterized by the use of the intellect rather than intuition and instinct
Chandelier – a decorative or ornate light fixture suspended from the ceiling
Chatoyant – like a cat’s eye
Cornucopia – an abundant, overflowing supply
Comely – attractive
Cynosure – a focal point of admiration
Dalliance – a brief love affair
Demure – shy and reserved
Denouement – the resolution of a mystery
Desuetude – disuse
Desultory – slow, sluggish
Diaphanous – filmy
Droplet – a little drop
Dulcet – sweet, sugary
Earthenware – pottery of baked or hardened clay
Ebullience – bubbling enthusiasm
Eclectic – selecting or choosing from various sources; not following any one system, but selecting and following the best elements from various systems
Effervescence – bubbly
Efflorescence – flowering, blooming
Elixir – a good potion
Eloquence – beauty or persuasion in speech
Elysian – blissful, delightful
Embrocation – rubbing on a lotion
Emollient – a softener
Ephemeral – short-lived
Epiphany – a sudden revelation
Epitome – a person or thing that is typical of or possesses to a high degree the features of a whole class
Erstwhile – at one time, for a time
Ethereal – gaseous, invisible but detectable
Euphonious – pleasant in sound; agreeable to the ear; sweet
Evanescent – vanishing quickly, lasting a very short time
Evocative – suggestive
Fetching – pretty
Felicity – pleasantness
Firmament – the vault of heaven; sky;
Fugacious – fleeting
Gambol – to skip or leap about joyfully
Gossamer – the finest piece of thread, a spider’s silk
Gracious – pleasantly kind
Grandeur – impressive; lofty; elevated
Halcyon – happy, sunny, care-free
Harbinger – messenger with news of the future
Haven – a harbor or port; any place of shelter or safety; refuge
Illumination – a decoration of lights, usually colored; to illuminate
Illustrious – highly distinguished; renowned; famous; glorious
Imbrication – overlapping and forming a regular pattern
Imbroglio – an altercation or complicated situation
Imbue – to infuse, instill
Incandescence – the emission of visible light by a body, caused by its high temperature
Ineffable – unutterable, inexpressible
Insouciance – blithe nonchalance
Inure – to become jaded
Labyrinthine – twisting and turning
Lagoon – a small gulf or inlet
Languid – lacking in vigor or vitality; slack or slow; lacking in spirit or interest; listless; indifferent; drooping or flagging from weakness or fatigue; faint
Languor – listlessness, inactivity
Lassitude – weariness, listlessness
Lilt – to move musically or lively
Lissome – slender and graceful
Lithe – slender and flexible
Lucid – easily understood; comprehensible; characterized by a clear perception or understanding; rational or sane; shining or bright
Meander – to proceed by or take a winding or indirect course; to wander aimlessly; ramble
Mellifluous – sweet sounding
Moiety – one of two equal parts
Mondegreen – a slip of the ear
Murmurous – murmuring
Nycthemeron – the natural day and night or space of twenty-four hours
Opaque – not transparent or translucent; impenetrable to light; not shining or bright; dark; dull
Opulent – lush, luxuriant
Palooka – a stupid, clumsy person
Panacea – a solution for all problems
Panoply – a complete set
Paradisaical – relating to or befitting Paradise
Pastiche – an artwork combining materials from various sources
Penumbra – a half shadow
Petrichor – the smell of earth after rain
Philanthropic – giving; showing concern for humanity; charitable
Phosphorescence – the property of being luminous at temperatures below incandescence, as from slow oxidation in the case of phosphorous or after exposure to light or other radiation; a luminous appearance resulting from this; a fluorescence that persists after the bombarding radiation producing has stopped
Pique – to affect with sharp irritation and resentment, especially by some wound to pride; to wound; to excite
Plethora – a large quantity
Quintessential – most essential
Quiver – to shake with a slight but rapid motion; vibrate or tremble
Ratatouille – a spicy French stew
Rationale – the fundamental reason or reasons serving to account for something; a statement of reasons
Ravel – to knit or unknit
Redolent – fragrant
Repose – the state of being at rest; sleep; peace; tranquility; calm; dignified calmness; composure; to lie dead; to be peacefully calm and quiet
Requiem – any musical service, hymn, or dirge for the repose of the dead
Riparian – by the bank of a stream
Ripple – a very small wave
Sagacity – acuteness of mental discernment and soundness of judgment; keen perception; ability to make good decisions
Scintillating – animated; vivacious; witty; brilliantly clever
Scintilla – a spark or very small thing
Sempiternal – eternal
Seraglio – rich, luxurious oriental palace or harem
Serendipity – finding something nice while looking for something else
Serenity – the state or quality of being serene; calm or tranquil
Shards – a fragment, especially of broken earthenware;
Shimmer – to shine or reflect with a subdued, tremulous light; gleam faintly
Silhouette – the outline or general shape of something; a dark image outlined against a lighter background
Splendor – brilliant or gorgeous in appearance; magnificence
Succulent – juicy, rich in desirable qualities; affording mental nourishment
Sumptuous – lush, luxurious
Superfluous – being more than is sufficient or required; excessive; unnecessary; needless
Surreptitious – secretive, sneaky
Susurrous – whispering, hissing
Talisman – a good luck charm
Timorous – full of fear; timid
Tintinnabulation – tinkling
Translucent – clear; transparent; easily understandable; lucid
Tremulous – characterized by trembling
Verandah – a large, open porch
Vestigial – in trace amounts
Vivacious – lively; animated; gay;
Wafture – waving
Wherewithal – the means
Woebegone – sorrowful, downcast
Zephyr – a gentle, mild breeze; any of the various things of fine, light quality, as fabric, yarn, etc.