| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| diatribe |
a bitter, abusive attack in speech or writing. |
| euphoria |
a strong feeling of well-being or elation, sometimes unrealistic or unwarranted, and able to be induced by certain drugs. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| imbroglio |
a difficult, confused, or complicated situation, often involving a misunderstanding, disagreement, or quarrel. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |
| redoubtable |
inspiring fear; formidable. |
| somatic |
of or pertaining to the body itself; corporeal. |