... a tasteful and récherché stock of frames and feathers and ribbons was chosen .... William Dean Howells, A Woman's Reason, 1882
But, among the books which load their shelves, there is the most recherché collection of European standard works to be found in this country .... "Scribner & Co.," New York Times, December 12, 1874
... I had found that in entering with aplomb, and mounting the estrade with emphasis, consisted the grand secret of ensuring immediate silence. Charlotte Brontë, The Professor, 1857
Whether he was coached in the art of transcendental stillness by his mother, whose acting career is not long over, has yet to be revealed, but he performed his task with aplomb. Anthony Lane, "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Introduce Their Son, a Royal Named Archie," The New Yorker, May 8, 2019
Historiated initials often emphasize the praiseworthiness of a certain paragraph with an elaborately illustrated letter. Emma Green, "The Emoji Bible, Reviewed," The Atlantic, June 9, 2016
At the request of Queen Claude, he used historiated rather than purely decorative borders. Roberta Smith, "Heaven and Earth, Sized to Grasp," New York Times, June 5, 2014
Mrs. Smithers, you will also permit me to felicitate you upon this happy event. John Kendrick Bangs, Coffee and Repartee, 1893
The novelists appear to felicitate themselves in all sincerity upon their success ... Thomas R. Lounsbury, "Differences in English and American Usage," Harper's Monthly Magazine, Vol. 127, June–November 1913
She painted biomorphs and wonky grids within the defined parameters of the picture plane .... Tess Thackara, "The Brief, Transformative Career of Eva Hesse," Artsy, September 3, 2019
There is nothing bitter or sweet about this antsy, unnamable biomorph; refusing to stay put in its own painterly space, it reels ... into ours — willfully rude and buoyantly playful, a jolt of unalloyed energy. Thomas Micchelli, "Elizabeth Murray, Force of Nature," Hyperallergic, January 14, 2017
There is the lightning wit that flashes of a short sentence or an apt reply, and there is the lambent wit that sparkles either by description or dialogue. Walter Sydney Sichel, "The Wit and Humour of Lord Beaconsfield," Macmillan's Magazine, Vol. 44, May–October 1881
He goes to Oxford, where his lambent gift of tongues is recognized and encouraged, and then to war, where everything he values is laid waste. Anthony Lane, "Why Make Movies About Writers," The New Yorker, May 10, 2019
Ridding oneself of guilt is often easier than overcoming shame, in part because our society offers many ways to expiate guilt-inducing offenses, including apologizing, paying fines, and serving jail time. Annette Kämmerer, "The Scientific Underpinnings and Impacts of Shame," Scientific American, August 9, 2019
Carbon offsets do seem to offer the most direct way to assuage traveler’s guilt. In theory, they magically expiate your sins. Andy Newman, "If Seeing the World Helps Ruin It, Should We Stay Home?" New York Times, June 3, 2019