| backlash |
a strong reaction against some prior development, especially political or social change. |
| curriculum |
the courses offered at a school or in a particular area of study. |
| decrepit |
in poor condition because of old age or much use; dilapidated; worn-out. |
| discredit |
to harm the reputation of. |
| epigram |
a short, pithy, often paradoxical sentence. |
| fallible |
capable of making mistakes; liable to error. |
| importune |
to pester with insistent demands or requests. |
| intermittent |
alternately stopping and starting with pauses in between. |
| laxity |
the state or quality of being careless or slack; looseness. |
| maturation |
the act or process of becoming fully grown or developed, in structure, behavior, or the like. |
| paucity |
smallness of number or amount; scarcity. |
| rebuttal |
a statement or contention, as in a debate or legal case, that is intended to disprove or confute another. |
| tantamount |
equal to or the same as; equivalent. |
| unfeigned |
not pretended or false; genuine; sincere. |
| vestige |
a visible trace or sign of something no longer present or existing. |