| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| cyst |
a small pouch within body tissue that is filled with fluid or air. Some cysts are connected with serious disease, but most are not harmful at all. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| ingenuous |
having or showing simplicity and lack of sophistication; artless. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |