hedonist n. (HEE dun ist) a self-indulgent pleasure seeker. During weekdays, I'm a hard worker, but on weekends I tend to become something of a hedonist.
heinous adj. (HAY nus) extremely wicked or evil. Mass murder is a heinous crime.
heterogeneous adj. (HET ur o GEE nee us) composed of differing elements; incongruous. America is famous for its richly heterogeneous society.
hiatus n. (hye AY tus) a break or rest from work. I've worked without a vacation all year, so next week I'm going to take a three-week hiatus.
hierarchy n. (HYE uh RAHR kee) an order of rank; a tier system of command. In the corporate hierarchy, I was a common peon.
highbrow n. (HYE brow) an intellectual; a scholar. Don't let highbrows intimidate you; everyone has gaps in their education.
histrionic adj. (his tree ON ik) theatrical or overly dramatic. My teenage daughter claimed with all sincerity that she would die if she wasn't allowed to go to the party, but she is often histrionic.
Hobson's choice n. a choice that is in reality no choice at all because it offers no alternative. I was offered a Hobson's choice: either I would stop protesting about poor working conditions or I would be fired.
hoist with one's own petard a Shakespearean metaphor for getting hurt with one's own offenses or weapons. The metaphor refers to a bomb (petard) blowing up in one's face. The company polluted the river surreptitiously at night, but then were hoist with their own petard as fishermen downstream sued for the massive fish kills they caused.
holier-than-thou adj. (HO lee er than THOW) self- righteous; taking a superior, moralizing stance. Whenever anyone cops that annoying, holier-than-thou attitude, I remind them that only those who are without sin can rightfully cast stones.
holistic adj. (ho LIS tik) consisting of a whole or integrated approach, as opposed to that comprising individual components. Holistic medicine looks at the mind and the body in order to more fully understand the disease process.
Holy Grail n. a metaphor for any fervently sought after object, goal, etc., so-named after the cup supposedly used by Jesus at the Last Supper, the subject of numerous medieval quests. The Holy Grail of auto manufacturers is a car that will produce zero emissions and travel one hundred miles on a single gallon of gas.
homage n. (AW mij) that which is shown or given in order to honor someone. We paid homage to our city's philanthropists by giving them a dinner and awards.
homogeneous adj. (ho mo JEE nee us) made of similar elements. Some nations are composed of only one ethnic group and are therefore described as homogenous.
hubris n. (HYOO bris) arrogant pride. Ralph presumed that the vote for most eligible bachelor would go to him; such hubris was rather nauseating.
humility n. (hyoo MIL i tee) modesty; the absence of pride or arrogance. Joan never expected to win, and she accepted the award with great embarrassment and humility.
hyperbole n. (hi PUR bul ee) exaggeration, as a figure of speech. "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse" is a statement illustrating the use of hyperbole.
hypochondriac n. (hi poh KON dree ak) one who chronically imagines himself to be sick when in reality he is not; one overly concerned with his health. My friend is the worst hypochondriac I've ever known; he is sure that he is suffering from cancer, beriberi, and Lyme disease, all at the same time.
hypothetical adj. (hi puh THET uh kul) suppositional; unproven; assumed; theoretical. The professor asked us to imagine a hypothetical situation in which humans could travel faster than the speed of light.
iconoclast n. (iye KON uh KLAST) one who disrespects and attacks society's revered beliefs, institutions, public figures, etc. The famous atheist earned her reputation as an iconoclast when she forced prayer to be removed from schools.
idyllic adj. (iye DIL ik) peaceful, rustic, pastoral. We passed an idyllic rural scene of sheep grazing along rolling green hills.
ignominy n. (IG num MIN ee) dishonor; shame. For acting up in class, Jed had to suffer the ignominy of being sent to the principal's office.
imbroglio n. (im BROHL yo) a confusing or entangled situation. The two parties were involved in a heated imbroglio that soon boiled over into a fistfight.
immutable adj. (im MYOOT uh bul) unchangeable. The Constitution guarantees that our rights as U.S. citizens are immutable.
impartial adj. (im PAR shul) unbiased; fair. You can't be an impartial judge if one of the beauty contestants is your niece.
impeccable adj. (im PEK uh bul) perfect; flawless. We could easily see how John had been appointed as ambassador; he had impeccable manners.
impermeable adj. (im PERM ee uh bul) impenetrable. It was unfortunate we had to camp out in a downpour but fortunate that our tent was impermeable.
impetuous adj. (im PECH oo us) acting in a careless or thoughtless manner. The impetuous youth threw the rock through the window and immediately regretted it.
impinge vb. (im PINJ) to encroach upon or hit up against. If you play your stereo loud all night you impinge on the rights of others to get a good night's sleep.
implausible adj. (im PLAWS uh bul) not possible or probable; unbelievable. The boy's explanation of the spilled milk—that a ghost had knocked it over—was implausible.
implicit adj. (im PLIS it) implied or suggested but not expressed directly. Implicit in the contract was the issue of timeliness, although no deadline was expressly given.
imposing adj. (im POH zing) having a powerful or grand presence. Tourists like to gawk at the imposing skyscrapers all around New York.
impotent adj. (IM puh tent) ineffectual. The new pitcher's attempts at striking out batters were completely impotent; the opposing team hit one home run after another.
impregnable adj. (im PREG nuh bul) secure or impossible to break through. The castle's walls were ten feet thick and were thought to be impregnable.