| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| blandishment |
(often plural) flattering or coaxing remarks or stratagems intended to persuade. |
| blithe |
indifferent or casual; unconcerned. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| flak |
(informal) irritating opposition, criticism, or dissent. |
| glut |
a greater supply or amount than is needed. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| pleonasm |
a redundant word, phrase, or expression. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |