| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| disingenuous |
not candid or sincere. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| nonfeasance |
in law, failure to perform a required duty, as by a public official. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| peripatetic |
walking or traveling around; going from place to place; itinerant. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |