| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| imbricate |
overlapping in an even sequence, as roof tiles or fish scales. |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| insularity |
the condition of being closed to new ideas or outside influences; narrow-mindedness. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| pungent |
sharp and strong in taste or smell. |
| Sabbatarian |
one who observes the Sabbath on Saturday, as Jews and certain Christians. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |