| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| caste |
the status conferred by the class to which one belongs. |
| cloture |
in U.S. parliamentary procedure, a method of ending debate and causing an immediate vote on the matter being discussed. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| gossamer |
delicately fine, gauzelike, or filmy. |
| granulate |
to make into small particles or grains. |
| incumbent |
currently holding an office or position. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| oblivious |
not conscious or paying attention; unknowing or unaware (usually followed by "to" or "of"). |
| obtrusive |
aggressive and self-assertive, or inclined to be so. |
| opprobrious |
expressing condemnation or scorn; accusing of shameful behavior. |
| reprise |
repetition of a musical phrase or theme in an identical or slightly altered way. |
| reprobate |
an evil or lawless person, often beyond hope of redemption. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |