| austere |
having only what is needed; very simple or plain. |
| consternation |
surprise and alarm, leading to panic, deep disappointment, or total confusion. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| quotidian |
happening every day or once a day. |
| recessional |
a piece of music that accompanies the exit of participants in a program or religious ceremony. |
| syntax |
the word order or pattern of word order in a sentence. |