| cognoscente |
someone who has exceptional knowledge in a given area, especially of fashion, literature, or the fine arts; connoisseur. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| deposition |
a sworn statement, usually in writing, for use as testimony by an absent witness in a court of law. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| incessant |
never stopping; constant. |
| intransigence |
refusal to alter one's ideas or position in response to the wishes of others. |
| lattice |
a flat framework made with strips of wood or other material. The strips cross each other and have open spaces in between. A lattice is often used as a screen on a porch or in a garden. |
| malapropism |
the humorous or ridiculous misuse of a word, especially by using a word that sounds similar to the correct word, but whose meaning is inappropriate. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| pandemic |
a widespread outbreak of disease that afflicts many people over different continents. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| pretentious |
assuming or marked by an air of importance or superiority that is unwarranted. |