| ambidextrous |
able to use both the left and right hands with equal skill. |
| aplomb |
great self-confidence, composure, or poise. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| contumacious |
stubbornly disobedient; insubordinate; rebellious. |
| emulous |
filled with the desire to equal or surpass. |
| extrude |
to force out; expel. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| remonstrate |
to say in opposition, protest, or objection. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |