| amity |
friendly and peaceful relations; good will. |
| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| encomium |
a formal expression of praise. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| exponent |
one that expounds or interprets. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| indolence |
the tendency to avoid exertion or effort; laziness. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pneumatic |
of, using, or concerning air or other gases. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |