| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| dissemble |
to disguise or hide behind a false semblance; conceal the true nature or state of. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| extralegal |
not regulated or permitted by law; outside of legal authority. |
| fealty |
faithfulness or loyalty. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| lachrymose |
weeping, tending to weep readily, or being on the point of tears; tearful. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| ostentation |
a showy display to impress others. |
| parturient |
giving birth or about to give birth; in labor. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| tyro |
one who is beginning to learn a business, trade, sport, or the like; novice; neophyte. |