81. Stoic
Definition: free from passion, including happiness and grief (think Spock)
Example: Ebony attempted to remain stoic as her boss explained why she was being let go.
82. Sublime
Definition: a new level of quality or perfection; unduplicated
Example: The chef’s food was so sublime, the harshest critic in the area came back once a week for the rest of his life.
82. Superfluous
Definition: excessive, unnecessary or needless; extra
Example: To make extra space on her hard drive, Doreen asked the technician to eliminate the superfluous files.
83. Svengali
Definition: a person who controls or dominates another, usually with selfish motives (from evil hypnotist character in Maurier’s Trilby)
Example: Raven knew Michael was far too caring and submissive to be the Svengali her coworkers portrayed him to be.
84. Sycophant
Definition: a brownnoser; someone who flatters others in an attempt to serve their own interests
Example: Jenny realized she’d misjudged her boss when her hard work got her the promotion over the lazy sycophant she was up against.
85. Synergy
Definition: a partnership or combination that works well to the advantage of both
Example: The goal of the Apple TV is to create synergy between your various Apple devices: iPhone, iPad and iMac or MacBook.
86. Tantamount
Definition: equivalent in significance or effect, though not identical
Example: The public relations head told us that saying anything that could make people stop buying our products is tantamount to stealing.
87. Tenuous
Definition: unsubstantiated or weak
Example: The link between the appetizer and entree was tenuous, though both were executed beautifully.
88. Tête-à-tête
Definition: a private conversation between two people
Example: After the board meeting, the marketing director was called aside for a tête-à-tête with the president, making the entire marketing team nervous.
89. Ubiquitous
Definition: present everywhere; everywhere at once
Example: Try as competitors might, the iPhone has become ubiquitous.
90. Untenable
Definition: indefensible, usually in relation to a difficult or impossible situation
Example: Aliyah was in an untenable position; she couldn’t keep telling the employees to cut costs while staying in five-star hotels on business trips.
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