| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| derelict |
failing to fulfill one's responsibilities or obligations; remiss. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |