18 words starting with H

• habituate verb

  to make someone used to something

  Trekkers rest a day at Namche to habituate themselves to the thin air.

  Like accustom, acclimatize, adapt

• hackneyed adjective

  used so often that it has lost its freshness

  The story ended with the hackneyed line “and it was all a dream.”

  Like clichéd, trite, stale

• haggard adjective

  looking very tired and worn out

  After the all-night bus ride, the travelers looked haggard.

  Like gaunt, drawn, worn

• halcyon adjective

  calm, happy and peaceful, especially when remembering the past

  My parents often talk about the halcyon days of their childhood in the village.

  Like idyllic, serene, golden

• hallowed adjective

  greatly respected and treated as holy

  The old cricket ground is hallowed by fans across the country.

  Like sacred, revered, holy

• harangue noun

  a long, loud, scolding speech

  The neighbor gave us a harangue about the ball that landed in his garden.

  Like tirade, rant, lecture

• harbinger noun

  something that signals that something else is coming

  The first swallows are a harbinger of spring.

  Like herald, forerunner, omen

• hermetic adjective

  completely sealed so that no air can get in or out

  The spices are kept fresh in hermetic jars.

  Like airtight, sealed

• heterodox adjective

  not agreeing with accepted beliefs or standards

  Her heterodox ideas about teaching surprised the other teachers but worked well.

  Like unorthodox, unconventional, dissenting

• heterodoxy noun

  a belief or opinion that differs from the accepted one

  In his time, the idea that the Earth moves around the Sun was heterodoxy.

  Like dissent, unorthodoxy, nonconformity

• hidebound adjective

  unwilling to accept new ideas because of fixed habits

  The hidebound club refused to change rules that were a hundred years old.

  Like conservative, narrow-minded, rigid

• hirsute adjective

  having a lot of hair on the face or body

  The hirsute yak is well protected from the Himalayan cold.

  Like hairy, shaggy

• histrionic adjective

  overly dramatic in behavior or speech, to get attention

  His histrionic groans over a tiny scratch made everyone laugh.

  Like theatrical, melodramatic, overacted

• hoary adjective

  gray or white with age; very old and overused

  The hoary old joke still made Grandmother laugh.

  Like gray, ancient, timeworn

• hortatory adjective

  strongly urging or encouraging someone to act

  The coach’s hortatory speech at halftime lifted the team’s spirits.

  Like exhortative, encouraging, urging

• hovel noun

  a small, dirty, poorly built house

  The family turned an old hovel into a bright, clean home.

  Like shack, shanty

• hubris noun

  excessive pride that leads to a downfall

  In the old fable, the hare’s hubris made him nap during the race.

  Like arrogance, conceit, overconfidence

• husbandry noun

  the care of crops and farm animals; careful use of resources

  Good husbandry keeps the village’s goats healthy through the winter.

  Like farming, agriculture, management