| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| ensconce |
to position (oneself) firmly or comfortably. |
| eulogy |
a spoken or written tribute, especially to honor a dead person; high praise; formal commendation. |
| fulminate |
to vehemently denounce or criticize something. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| magnum opus |
a great work of art, literature, or music, especially a particular person's masterpiece. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| reconnoiter |
to go through or over (an area) so as to gain information about it, as for military or engineering purposes. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| remonstrate |
to say in opposition, protest, or objection. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |