| apprehensive |
feeling fearful about future events. |
| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| deter |
to stop or discourage from some action by creating doubt or fear. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| inquest |
a legal investigation, usually involving a jury, especially a coroner's investigation of a suspicious death. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| savor |
to give an impression; hint (usually followed by "of"). |