Quiescent

being at rest; quiet; still; inactive or motionless: a quiescent mind

Meditators reach a quiescent state that I'd like to experience before my death.

A better word than:

quiet
still
inactive
motionless
peaceful
serene

Virulent

actively poisonous; intensely noxious: a virulent insect bite.

I fear that I'll have a virulent reaction to bee stings.

A better word than:

poisonous

Opprobrium

the disgrace or the reproach incurred by conduct considered outrageously shameful; infamy

Paul's opprobrium behavior goes uncorrected.

A better word than:

infamy
disgrace
defamation

Facile

moving, acting, working, proceeding, etc., with ease, sometimes with superficiality: facile fingers, a facile mind

Tracy is an innovative and facile artist.

A better word than:

dexterous

Precipitous

resembling a precipice; extremely steep

Davie had to pay a precipitous price to the IRS.

A better word than:

extremely steep

Bouleversement

1. reversal

2. a violent disturbance: disorder

Bouleversement is a genetic concern in our family.

A better word than:

disorder

Florid

reddish; ruddy;rosy: a florid complexion

She has an enigmatic, florid complexion that's not caused by rosacea.

A better word than:

reddish
ruddy
rosy

Emaciate

to make abnormally lean or thin by a gradual wasting away of flesh

When she chose ballet as her profession, she developed an emaciated appearance.

A better word than:

wasting away
thin

Incumbent

holding an indicated osition, role, office, etc.

My family expects my sister to take over my aunt's incumbent position.

A better word than:

official
dutiful
responsible

Vitriolic

very caustic; scathing: vitriolic criticism

Her vitriolic criticism still offends me to this day.

A better word than:

caustic
scathing
bitter
hostile
acrid

Aparheid

(in the Republic South Africa) a rigid policy of segregation of the nonwhite population

We can't imagine what it was truly like to live in a time when apartheid was the norm.

A better word than:

racial segregation

Incongruous

not corresponding; disagreeing; made up of diversity or discordant elements

Her incongruous sense of style didn't come off as eclectic as much as it did disorderly and distasteful.

A better word than:

discordant
disagreeing
divergent

Extant

in existence; still existing; not destroyed or lost

There are only three extant copies of the document

A better word than:

still existing
alive

Ersatz

being a substitute or imitation, usually an inferior one

I've always feared being an ersatz in every aspect of my life.

After spending an exorbitant amount of money on ersatz skincare products, I took it upon myself to investigate superior ingredients.

A better word than:

substitute
artificial

Praxis

practice, as distinguished from theory; application or use, as of knowledge or skills.

The praxis of Western medicine is becoming inferior because of it symptom management oriented techniques, which doesn't eradicate diseases or symptoms at the root of the problem.

A better word than:

practice
way

Dilapidate

to bring or fall into a state of painful ruin, decay, or disrepair

With laborious effect, some dilapidated houses can be restored and refined beautifully.

A better word than:

destroy
demolish

Adroit

expert or nimble in the use of the hands or body

I want an adroit oral surgeon for my wisdom teeth extraction.

A better word than:

expert
nimble
dexterous
agile
skillful
deft

Seneschal

an officer having full charge of domestic arrangements, ceremonies, the administration of justice, etc., in the household of a medieval prince or dignitary; steward

The seneschal executed everything with success.

A better word than:

steward

Exorbitant

much too high; unreasonably excessive

My cousins are unaware that they're leading an exorbitant lifestyle.

A better word than:

unreasonably excessive
extravagant
outrageous
preposterous
extortionate

Meretricious

alluring by a show of flashy or vulgar attractions; tawdry

Regina's meretricious outfit and behavior attracts the wrong kind of attention.

A better word than:

tawdry
gaudy
flashy

Hypocorism

1. a pet name

2. the use of pet names

My friend and her family had difficulty agreeing to a hypocorism for the imported dog she wanted to get.

Ironically enough, my friend's nickname has a hypocoristic origin.

A better word than:

a pet name

Maudlin

tearfully or weakly emotional; foolishly sentimental: a maudlin story of a little orphan and her lost dog.

Pregnancy makes women unpredictably maudlin.

A better word than:

overemotional
overly sentimental

Anodyne

a medicine that relieves or allays pain

Because ocular migraines are so ambivalent and poorly understood, I've been unsuccessful in finding an anodyne.

A better word than:

anaesthetic
analgesic
painkiller

Acrimonious

caustic, stinging, or bitter in nature, speech, behavior, etc.: an acrimonious answer, an acrimonious dispute

As annoying and intrusive as Holly was, it came as a surprise when she spoke so acrimoniously of me.

A better word than:

caustic
bitter
acrid

Pedantic

characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: a pedantic attention to details

A pedantic approach is a dying practice in modern classrooms.

I can, at times, become unproductively pedantic.

A better word than:

precise
scholastic
ostentatious

Tawdry

(of finery, trappings, etc.) gaudy; showy and cheap

Some people try to overcompensate or allude more sophistication than they have with a tawdry wardrobe that shows more distaste than class.

A better word than:

gaudy
showy
cheap
tasteless
brazen

Malapert

unbecomingly bold or saucy

Viable candidates' potentials can easily be concealed with malapert behavior.

A better word than:

saucy