| apprehensive |
feeling fearful about future events. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| condone |
to pardon, disregard, or overlook voluntarily or without condemning. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| euphoria |
a strong feeling of well-being or elation, sometimes unrealistic or unwarranted, and able to be induced by certain drugs. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| fungible |
interchangeable. |
| opiate |
something that induces relaxation, calm, or stupor. |
| pedagogy |
the act, process, or profession of teaching. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |