| abeyance |
temporary suspension or cessation. |
| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| crass |
lacking in sensitivity or refinement; crude. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| erratic |
not expected or predicted; not regular. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| impromptu |
without advance plan or preparation; spontaneously. |
| kibbutz |
an Israeli farming settlement whose ownership is shared by those who live and work there. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| quiescence |
a state of inaction, rest, or stillness; dormancy. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |