| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| belie |
to give a false impression of. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| idiosyncrasy |
a characteristic of temperament, habit, or physical structure particular to a given individual or group; peculiarity. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| lacuna |
a gap or omitted part. |
| plaudit |
(often plural) an enthusiastic show of approval, such as a round of applause or a very favorable review. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| rebarbative |
tending to irritate or repel; forbidding or unattractive. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |