| askance |
with distrust or suspicion. |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| descant |
a secondary, usually higher, melody that is played or sung at the same time as the chief melody. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| froward |
unwilling to agree or obey; stubborn; perverse. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| malaise |
a state or condition of feeling generally unwell, mentally depressed, sluggish, or uneasy. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| reprobate |
an evil or lawless person, often beyond hope of redemption. |
| uxorial |
of, pertaining to, or befitting a wife. |