| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| appose |
to place next to or side by side; juxtapose. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| salacious |
excited by lust; lecherous. |