Panolpy

A panoply is a collection or an assortment of things. You might be eager

to show off your panoply of bobble-head dolls when friends come to
your house.

An array or display of things is a panoply, so you can show off your panoply of spooky clown
paintings, but you can also display a panoply of dance moves or talk about the panoply of
flags at the parade — as long as it's a complete or impressive display, it's a true panoply. In
ancient Greece, the word was used exclusively to talk about military costumes which were
always suits of armor.

Disposition
Other forms: dispositions

Someone's disposition is their mood or general attitude about life. If

your friend woke up on the wrong side of the bed, tell her that she
might need a disposition makeover.

Disposition means the positive or negative way a person views the world. In contrast, your
character is determined by your inner moral values, and your personality reflects what
you're like as an individual. An animal with an excellent disposition is friendly towards
people. If you are cheerful, you're often said to have a sunny disposition. Disposition can also
mean "getting rid of something," so cleaning your room might involve the disposition of
empty pizza boxes and soda cans.

Rhetoric

Other forms: rhetorics

Rhetoric is speaking or writing that's intended to persuade. If your goal

is to write editorial columns for the New York Times, you should work on
your rhetoric.

Rhetoric comes from the Greek meaning "speaker" and is used for the art of persuasive
speaking or writing. When people listened eagerly to long speeches and studied them in
school, rhetoric was generally used positively; now it is often a negative term, implying
artfulness over real content. If someone gives a clever speech but doesn't really address the
problem, you might say, "That's just a lot of rhetoric."

Benevolent

Choose the adjective benevolent for someone who does good deeds or

shows goodwill. If your teacher collects homework with
a benevolent smile, she's hoping that you've done a good job.

Benevolent comes from the Latin bene, "well," and volent, from a verb meaning "to wish." A
benevolent society is a charity group organized to serve a community through programs,
sponsorships, and donations. The expression "benevolent dictatorship" may seem like an
oxymoron, but it is a political term for an authoritative government that (supposedly) works
for the good of the people under its rule.