| astringent |
a substance or drug that contracts body tissue and slows discharge or secretion. |
| astute |
keen in understanding and judgment; shrewd. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| incessant |
never stopping; constant. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| penury |
severe poverty; pennilessness. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |