| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| austere |
having only what is needed; very simple or plain. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| disallow |
to refuse to allow or admit; reject. |
| élan |
enthusiasm or vigor. |
| festoon |
a decorative chain or strip of ribbons, flowers, leaves, or the like, suspended at the ends and hung in a curve. |
| fulminate |
to vehemently denounce or criticize something. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| lanugo |
fine, soft hair, especially that with which a human fetus or newborn is covered. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| rodomontade |
puffed-up boasting or bravado. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |