A bland sauce is mild and tasteless. A bland vocabulary lacks flavorful descriptors such as insipid! Insipid means without distinctive, interesting, or stimulating qualities, as in the case of remarks that are uninspired and flat, or song lyrics that are so clichéd they are utterly dull. Neither of these terms is used as a compliment, generally speaking, but insipid is the more pointed of the two, connoting at times a shallowness or lack of mental rigor.

To allude is to refer to something indirectly. It is a way of pointing toward something or calling it to mind without explicitly naming it. A pop singer might allude to events in their personal life through abstracted lyrics. Allusions, or references to earlier artistic works, are very common in literature, as in the case of a book title (Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) that borrows language from another work (The Tempest by William Shakespeare).

The adjectives ridiculous and preposterous both describe things that are inconsistent with reason or common sense. True to its root, however, ridiculous implies ridicule or contempt. Preposterous emphasizes foolishness and suggests a topsy-turvy, inverted, or disorderly quality. A preposterous notion or idea, for instance, is so jumbled in its reasoning or so contrary to expected order that it is downright disorienting.

To enhance something is to add to its desirability or to magnify it. To augment something is to make it larger or to increase it. A person might augment or supplement their income by taking a second job; a teacher might augment course curriculum with unique educational experiences. Augment is often used to talk about additions that are made to meet needs, standards, or requirements.

Something that is intricate has many interrelated parts or facets. Such involvement or entanglement can be the source of wonder or appreciation, as in the case of intricate patterns in nature or art, or frustration, as in the case of an argument that is so intricate it is difficult to understand. Networks, webs, and systems are interrelated by definition; in describing complex entities such as these, intricate draws special attention to their elaborate nature.

Posthaste, also spelled post-haste, is an adverb that means “with the greatest possible speed or promptness.” It works in a sentence similar to immediately or ASAP. When the term entered English, it referred to speed like that of someone traveling post, or riding express to deliver mail. Nowadays you can use it to command speedy movement or action, “Leave the premise posthaste!” or to describe it, “She came to her friend’s aid posthaste.”

Something that is boring is dull and uninteresting—maybe even nap inducing. Something that is humdrum is especially boring for its lack of variety (unlike your synonym-rich vocabulary!). Fun though it may be to say, humdrum emphasizes monotony and the drone of the everyday. This dreary adjective commonly describes recurring activities or routines, or even the monotony of life itself.