| amortize |
to deduct (expenditures) by fixed amounts over a period of time. |
| baneful |
causing or leading to death, destruction, or ruin; harmful or deadly. |
| chary |
not dispensing freely. |
| duress |
intimidation or coercion. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| plaudit |
(often plural) an enthusiastic show of approval, such as a round of applause or a very favorable review. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |
| 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. |