| abash |
to cause to feel embarrassed, uneasy, or ashamed. |
| ambidextrous |
able to use both the left and right hands with equal skill. |
| asceticism |
self-discipline and self-denial as a means of spiritual improvement. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| pandemic |
a widespread outbreak of disease that afflicts many people over different continents. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| reprisal |
injury inflicted in retaliation for injury received, as in war; revenge. |