| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| bibulous |
addicted to alcohol; alcoholic. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| epicure |
a person who has cultivated tastes, as in food or wine; connoisseur. |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| plaudit |
(often plural) an enthusiastic show of approval, such as a round of applause or a very favorable review. |
| sanguine |
having an optimistic temperament or outlook. |
| sere1 |
dried up or withered. |