1. Affable Our affable neighbors told us that we could come over without being invited any time we wanted to chat or borrow a stick of butter.

1. Affable (adj.) courteous and pleasant, sociable, easy to speak to Synonyms: genial, amicable, agreeable, cordial If you happen to have an affable seatmate on a long airplane flight, you may find yourself talking more freely about personal matters than you would under normal circumstances.

2. Aggrandize Bill Gates was able to aggrandize his bank account by developing Microsoft.

2. Aggrandize (v.) to increase in greatness, power, or wealth; to build up or intensify; to make appear greater Synonyms: amplify, enhance He used his admittedly remarkable talents only to aggrandize himself, not to benefit the society that was so kind to him.

3. Amorphous The dress she wore was unflattering because its long length and large amount of fabric made her body look amorphous.

3. Amorphous (adj.) shapeless, without definite form; of no particular type of character; without organization, unity, or cohesion Synonyms: formless, unstructured The program he suggested was so barren of good ideas and specific proposals that I felt justified in referring to it as amorphous.

4. Aura What people thought was her aura of mystery was actually a mask for her shyness.

4. Aura (n.) that which surrounds (as an atmosphere); a distinctive air or personal quality Synonyms: ambience, atmosphere On his combat uniform he wore absolutely no insignia of rank, but he was surrounded with an unmistakable aura of authority.

5. Contraband Three jeweled combs from the 17 th century were among the contraband seized by the police.

5. Contraband (n.) illegal traffic, smuggled goods (adj.) illegal, unlawful, illicit Synonyms: illicit, bootleg, unlawful Under the latest regulations, any shipment of arms to those countries is illegal and may be seized as contraband.

6. Erudite For my paper, I would like to find an erudite history of the subject written in a clear and unbiased manner.

6. Erudite (adj.) scholarly, learned, bookish Synonyms: profoundly educated, well-read As my opponent cited facts and figures without once referencing to notes, I became aware of how erudite she was.

7. Gossamer The long-sleeved t-shirt he was wearing was so gossamer, that it did not provide him with any warmth.

7. Gossamer (adj.) thin, light, delicate, insubstantial (n.) a very thin cloth Synonyms: filmy, sheer, airy The drops of dew sparkled like diamonds on the gossamer threads of the spider web.

8. Infer I can infer nothing from his odd behavior because I am not a psychologist.

8. Infer (v.) to find out by reasoning; to arrive at a conclusion on the basis of thought; to hint, suggest, imply Synonyms: gather, deduce, presume, guess Am I able to infer from what you said that you were not present at the scene of the accident?

9. Inscrutable I could not tell by her inscrutable smile whether she was pleased or only amused with me.

9. Inscrutable (adj.) incapable of being understood; impossible to see through physically Synonyms: impenetrable, incomprehensible I tried to make some sense out of the strange orders he had given us, but his plan and purpose remained utterly inscrutable.

10. Insular You seem too sophisticated to hold such insular opinions.

10. Insular (adj.) relating to, characteristic of, or situated on an island; narrow or isolated in outlook or experience Synonyms: narrow-minded, provincial In an age when the world has become a “global village,” we cannot afford leaders with insular outlooks.