| abstruse |
difficult to comprehend or understand; esoteric; arcane. |
| appellative |
a descriptive name or title, as "Terrible" in "Ivan the Terrible". |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| emote |
to express or simulate feelings, especially in an exaggerated or theatrical manner. |
| flagitious |
viciously or shamefully wicked; infamous. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| recidivism |
chronic return to bad habits, especially criminal relapse. |
| relict |
a plant, animal, or geological feature that has survived in a considerably changed environment. |