ascendancy 
Definition:  (noun) The state that exists when one person or group has power over another.  
Synonyms:  dominance, control  
Usage:  Thanks to widespread governmental corruption and instability, the extremists are gaining ascendancy in the region.  

self-aggrandizement
Definition:  (noun) The act or practice of enhancing or exaggerating one's own importance, power, or reputation.  
Synonyms:  ego trip  
Usage:  The speaker encouraged bursts of applause from the crowd, which many suspected was merely a form of self-aggrandizement.  

scavenger 
Definition:  (noun) Someone who collects things that have been discarded by others.  
Synonyms:  pack rat, magpie  
Usage:  A devoted scavenger, Harold refused to buy a new sofa, opting instead to search for one that had been abandoned by its previous owner at the curb.  

portend 
Definition:  (verb) Indicate by signs.  
Synonyms:  augur, auspicate, bode, foreshadow, omen, presage, prognosticate, predict, prefigure, betoken, forecast, foretell  
Usage:  Comets, in Western tradition, always portend doom and gloom.  

head-to-head
Definition:  (adjective) Involving two persons; intimately private.  
Synonyms:  tete-a-tete  
Usage:  The quiet, uncrowded restaurant was the perfect setting for the couple's head-to-head conversation.  

oscillate 
Definition:  (verb) Be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action.  
Synonyms:  hover, vacillate, vibrate  
Usage:  He continues to oscillate between accepting the prestigious promotion and retiring.  

unbridled 
Definition:  (adjective) Not restrained or controlled.  
Synonyms:  unchecked, uncurbed, ungoverned  
Usage:  My own spirits were high, and I bounded along with feelings of unbridled joy and hilarity.  

intoxication 
Definition:  (noun) A temporary state resulting from excessive consumption of alcohol.  
Synonyms:  drunkenness, inebriety, insobriety, tipsiness  
Usage:  Kevin drank beer after beer, heedless of the hangover that would undoubtedly follow his intoxication.  

sanctify 
Definition:  (verb) Render holy by means of religious rites.  
Synonyms:  hallow, bless, consecrate  
Usage:  Though they are comfortable with the fact that their marriage has not been sanctified in a Christian church, their parents are not.  

abbess 
Definition:  (noun) The superior of a group of nuns.  
Synonyms:  mother superior, prioress  
Usage:  The abbess welcomed the novice to the convent with a warm smile, putting her immediately at ease.  

well-being
Definition:  (noun) The state of being healthy, happy, or prosperous.  
Synonyms:  eudaimonia, welfare  
Usage:  Holistic medicine emphasizes the emotional as well as the physical well-being of the patient.   

switchblade 
Definition:  (noun) A pocketknife having a spring-operated blade that opens instantly when a release on the handle is pressed.  
Synonyms:  flick-knife  
Usage:  When I heard his switchblade snap open, I knew that our verbal altercation was about to become something much more gruesome.  

tuneful 

Definition: (adjective) Having a musical sound; especially a pleasing tune.

Synonyms: melodious

Usage: Melodic and tuneful, his songs made me weep.

creaky 
Definition:  (adjective) Worn and broken down by hard use.  
Synonyms:  decrepit, derelict, flea-bitten, run-down, woebegone  
Usage:  There is a certain house within my familiar recollection...a rusty, crazy, creaky, dry-rotted, dingy, dark, and miserable old dungeon.  

finicky 

Definition: (adjective) Excessively particular, as in tastes or standards.

Synonyms: picky, fussy

Usage: She is incredibly finicky about her food and will not eat anything prepared by a stranger.

plenteous 

Definition: (adjective) Affording an abundant supply.

Synonyms: ample, copious, rich

Usage: The vintner was thrilled with the plenteous grape harvest, which would make barrels and barrels of wine.

minibar 
Definition:  (noun) Sideboard with compartments for holding bottles.  
Synonyms:  cellaret  
Usage:  Kevin pulled several bottles of wine from his minibar to serve to his guests.  

self-reliance
Definition:  (noun) Personal independence.  
Synonyms:  self-direction, self-sufficiency, autonomy  
Usage:  I should have thought you had learned self-reliance on Berande, instead of needing to lean upon the moral support of every whisky-guzzling worthless South Sea vagabond.  

natation 
Definition:  (noun) The act or art of swimming or floating on water.  
Synonyms:  floating  
Usage:  Prolonged natation will cause the skin on your hands and feet to swell and wrinkle.  

inedible 

Definition: (adjective) Not suitable for food.

Synonyms: uneatable

Usage: Though it may look delicious, plastic fruit is inedible and should be used for display only.

unfurl 
Definition:  (verb) To spread or open (something) out or become spread or opened out.  
Synonyms:  unroll  
Usage:  Unfurl your wings, and fly into superhuman regions…and if your wings, like those of Icarus, melt before the sun, we are here to ease your fall.  

semiannual 
Definition:  (adjective) Occurring or payable twice each year.  
Synonyms:  biyearly  
Usage:  Our semiannual family vacation to France usually occurs in December and July.  

bestir 
Definition:  (verb) To cause to become active.  
Synonyms:  rouse  
Usage:  If nobody knows the address, you must still bestir yourself in trying to find it.  

immobilize 
Definition:  (verb) To hold fast or prevent from moving.  
Synonyms:  pin, trap  
Usage:  The police officer was able to immobilize the violent suspect and hold him in place long enough for another cop to assist in handcuffing him.  

parlous 

Definition: (adjective) Fraught with danger.

Synonyms: perilous, touch-and-go, precarious

Usage: Our economy is in a parlous state and has been for some time.

layperson 

Definition: (noun) Someone who is not a clergyman or a professional person.

Synonyms: secular

Usage: Many religious doctrines bar the average layperson from conducting certain rites and rituals that are reserved for ordained clergy.

dissemble 

Definition: (verb) Hide under a false appearance.

Synonyms: cloak, mask

Usage: So artfully can this people dissemble their sentiments that we had not been able hitherto to distinguish our real from our pretended favorers.

pent-up

Definition: (adjective) Characterized by or showing the suppression of impulses or emotions.

Synonyms: repressed

Usage: A fierce fighter, he releases much of his pent-up anger in the boxing ring and has been known to knock out opponents with a single punch.

derisive 

Definition: (adjective) Abusing vocally; expressing contempt or ridicule.

Synonyms: gibelike, jeering, mocking, taunting

Usage: Dirk Stroeve was one of those persons whom…you cannot think of without derisive laughter or an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders.

quadrilateral 
Definition:  (noun) A four-sided polygon.  
Synonyms:  tetragon  
Usage:  Our geometry teacher drew several shapes on the chalkboard, including triangles, circles, and quadrilaterals.