Vocabulary #7

aberration - (noun) an optical phenomenon resulting from the failure of a lens or mirror to produce a good image; a disorder in one's mental state; a state or condition markedly different from the norm
-After her mothers death ,the aberration took over her life; she was never the same anymore.
Ad hoc- (adverb) for the special purpose or end presently under consideration
-The ad hoc dress was perfect for the prom.
bane - (noun) something causes misery or death
-Her mothers death caused lots of bane in her life.
bathos - (noun) triteness or triviality of style; a change from a serious subject to a disappointing one; insincere pathos
-When the smart girl failed her classes she caused bathos in her family because she was always an A student.
cantankerous - (adj.) having a difficult and contrary disposition; stubbornly obstructive and unwilling to cooperate
-The cantankerous boy was always giving the teacher a hard time because he was so stubborn.
casuistry - (noun) moral philosophy based on the application of general ethical principles to resolve moral dilemmas; argumentation that is specious or excessively subtle and intended to be misleading
-The boy used his casuistry to make the girl feel sorry for him.
de facto - (noun) in fact; in reality
-The girl was fed up with her boyfriend, de facto she broke up with him yesterday.
depredation - (noun) an act of plundering and pillaging and marauding; (usually plural) a destructive action
-The depredation caused a big drama at the school.
empathy - (noun) understanding and entering into another's feelings
-My empathy for everyones feelings makes me want to become a psychologist 
harbinger - (noun) an indication of the approach of something or someone; verb foreshadow or presage
-Every book has a harbinger because it makes the action more interesting.
hedonism - (noun) an ethical system that evaluates the pursuit of pleasure as the highest good; the pursuit of pleasure as a matter of ethical principle
-Every American has the dream of hedonism.
lackluster - (adj.) lacking luster or shine; lacking brilliance or vitality
-The old car had lackluster tires.
malcontent - (adj.) discontented as toward authority; noun a person who is discontented or disgusted
-The malcontent boy , threw up when he saw the blood.
mellifluous - (adj.) pleasing to the ear
-The mellifluous boy always knows how talk to girls.
nepotism - noun favoritism shown to relatives or close friends by those in power (as by giving them jobs)
-The napotism was shown when the coach chose his son to start over all the other players even though he was not very good.
pander - (noun) someone who procures customers for whores (in England they call a pimp a ponce); verb arrange for sexual partners for others; yield (to); give satisfaction to
-The pander made lots of money of the girls.
peccadillo - (noun) a petty misdeed
-Even a peccadillo can weigh on a person conscience. 
piece de resistance - (noun) the most noteworthy or prized feature, aspect, event, article, etc., of a series or group; special item or attraction. 
-The girl was the piece de resistance for the boy because he was in love with her.
remand - (noun) the act of sending an accused person back into custody to await trial (or the continuation of the trial); verb refer (a matter or legal case) to another committee or authority or court for decision; lock up or confine, in or as in a jail
-After court , the judge remanded the criminal back to jail.
syndrome - (noun) a complex of concurrent things; a pattern of symptoms indicative of some disease
-Old people often get irritable bowel sydrome.