abstinence

noun – the giving up of certain pleasures such as food or drink. He started drinking again after a long period of total/complete abstinence from alcohol.

bequeath

verb – to leave money or property by a will; to pass along. I bequeath this ring to my sister.

cacophony

noun- discord; harsh sound. I hear a cacophony of protest

debilitate

verb – to weaken. The troops were severely debilitated by hunger and disease

eclectic

adjective – consisting of selections from various sources. She has very eclectic tastes in literature

fallacy

false idea; mistaken belief. It's a fallacy to suppose that wealth brings happiness

garbled

adjective – confused; mixed up. We could not understand him because of his garbled speech.

haphazard

adjective – not planned; random. The investigation does seem haphazard.

immaterial

adjective – insignificant; unimportant. The fact that she is a woman is immaterial and irrelevant.

judicious

adjective – wise; careful; showing sound judgment; prudent. I make judicious use of taxis

lackluster

adjective – lacking brightness; dull; lacking liveliness, vitality, or enthusiasm. Since she noticed that the response she was getting on the dating website was rather lackluster

marred

verb – injured; spoiled; damaged; disfigured. Violent scars marred her torso and arms

nonchalance

noun – carelessness; lack of interest or concern. He leaned back in his chair with apparent nonchalance

obscure

adjective – not clear or distinct; hidden. grey clouds obscure the sun

painstaking

adjective – very careful, diligent. It took months of painstaking research to write the book.