Table of Contents
diffident
Adjective
Meaning:
Hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence; reserved, unassertive
Usage:
My diffident manner should not be mistaken for a lack of energy
She is neither diffident nor boastful about this fact
Thirty years later he is still embarrassed or diffident every time he is confronted with even a simple practical task
verisimilitude
Noun
Meaning:
The appearance of being true or real;
Usage:
In terms of Hollywood verisimilitude, that’s pinpoint accuracy
As a novelist, he strives for verisimilitude: the appearance of reality
coterie
Noun
Meaning:
An intimate and often exclusive group of persons with a unifying common interest or purpose
Usage:
His films are admired by a small coterie of critics
Her coterie of fellow musicians
vicissitude
Noun
Meaning:
A change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant
Usage:
Though he had many vicissitudes in life, nothing would stop him from becoming an entrepreneur
Some say that we must go through the vicissitudes in life to become a stronger person
American will have their financial vicissitudes in recession
Dealing with traffic is a vicissitude of city life
propitious
Meaning:
Being a good omen; auspicious; tending to favor; advantageous
Usage:
It was a propitious time to leave the party without offending the host
When the timing of something is propitious, it is likely to turn out well
A propitious time for taking a big test is when you have studied hard and have had a good night’s sleep
insidious
Meaning:
Something slowly and secretly causing harm; pernicious; harmful; dangerous and unsafe
Usage:
The insidious rumours
Season 2 delves into the more insidious parts of racial politics, like alt-right Twitter and the ingrained whiteness of university secret societies
The most pervasive and insidious thought while packing is “well, I might need this.”