Julie walked in; 'ashen-faced' after the shocking accident.
pale; gray; ghastly
Steve seemed to 'acquiesce' to the decision.
accede; agree; consent to
Her eyes 'scintillated' after she heard the wonderful news.
sparkled; shone; gleamed
The new parking fines are positively 'draconian'.
ruthless; harsh; extreme
The student's theme was marred by a number of 'egregious' errors in spelling.
shocking; awful; terrible
George was in a 'quandary'; should he go for it or not?
dilemma; predicament; confusion
The professor's explanations were so 'abstruse' that we never understand a thing.
difficult; perplexing; complicated
It's a shame that the Aurora Borealis spectacle is only 'ephemeral'.
short-lived; momentary; temporary
Manufacturers are keen to cash in on this 'burgeoning' demand.
increasing; growing; blooming
The rules in the army academy are 'adamantine'.
firm; inflexible; rigid
He was arrested for possessing syringes and other drug 'paraphernalia'.
equipment; tools; kit
It is very frustrating to get behind schedule just because of one person's 'tardiness'.
lateness; delay
There was a 'diminutive' figure dressed in black following me; it looked like a little child.
tiny; small; little
He was forceful, but by no means a 'zealot'
radical; extremist; maniac
He worked 'assiduously' at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his results.
careful; meticulous; attentive
After an 'arduous' mountain climb, he finally made it to the top.
difficult; burdensome; heavy
He succeeded in 'cajoling' her into buying a house.
coaxing; persuading; talking into
Racial discrimination is 'abhorrent' to our staff
despised; hated; loathed