| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| apprehensive |
feeling fearful about future events. |
| calumny |
a harmful statement, known by the maker to be false. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| demulcent |
an oily or sticky substance used especially to soothe irritation in mucous membranes. |
| disabuse |
to free (a person) from misconception or deception; set straight. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| espouse |
to take up, hold, or commit oneself to (a cause, idea, or belief); embrace. |
| 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. |
| peroration |
the concluding part of a speech in which there is a summing up of the principal points. |
| plaudit |
(often plural) an enthusiastic show of approval, such as a round of applause or a very favorable review. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| recondite |
involving profound concepts and complexities; not easily understood. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |