“Impervious” means immune to or not affected by something.

Example:  “Native Americans and early pioneer settlers would rub animal fat into their leather shoes to make them impervious to water.”

“Consummate” means the absolute best, and describes someone who has completely mastered a skill, who is the acme of perfection in that aspect or talent.

Example: “Pablo Picasso was a consummate artist, able to create detailed ink sketches with a single unbroken flowing line.”

Something that is “sacrosanct” is something that people believe should not be altered or changed, because it’s perfect the way it is. This word is formed from two Latin words, “sacrum” and “sanctus”, both meaning “sacred,” and originally applied to something protected under religious law.

Example: “While many people these days write their own wedding vows, others believe that the traditional pledges such as ‘in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer’ are sacrosanct and that couples are not truly married until they say them.”

“Integral” means an essential part of a larger whole, something that is necessary to achieve a desired result.

Example:  “The choir director always took a few minutes to explain the background and history of the composer before introducing a new piece of music, as he believed that understanding the context of a piece was integral to learning how to sing it effectively.”

“Permeate” means to spread throughout something.

Example: “Once the students dropped the red dye into the clear glass of water, they could see how molecular vibration caused the red coloring to eventually permeate the liquid from top to bottom.”

“Cosmos” means “everything that exists” and comes from the Greek word for “universe”. You’ll often hear it used when people are referring to the physical universe – the vast stretches of interstellar space in which we live – but it also has a more metaphysical sense, encompassing space and time, everything imaginable and unimaginable at once.

Example:  “The first astronauts to look back at Earth from space were all moved by the wonder of our little planet’s place in the endless cosmos around it.”

“Badinage” means banter, playful remarks, or repartee. It’s conversation that isn’t meant to be taken seriously.

Example: “Playwright Noel Coward, like his predecessors George Bernard Shaw and Oscar Wilde, was famous for his ability to write witty badinage that made his plays immensely popular entertainment.”

“Hackneyed” means overused, trite, banal; something repeated so often that it has lost its original significance.

Example: “That comedian still gets bookings, even though his hackneyed jokes all poke fun at politicians who haven’t been in office for years.”

“Didactic” means written or presented in a format designed to be educational or instructional, especially in terms of moral or religious matters. Someone with a didactic manner of speaking might be called “preachy” today.

Example: “During the Cultural Revolution in China, possession of books or newspapers from the West was dangerous, and most people found it safest to only read the didactic publications coming from the Central Committee, while following the strict party line.”

“Nuance” means a subtle difference in implication, or a hidden meaning, and can refer to the use of a single word, or to the effect of the entire communication.

Example: “Many traditional forms of Japanese poetry use specific, symbolic words to create nuances of meaning, and the reader must be aware of Japanese history and culture in order to appreciate the full effect.”