| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| cavalier |
carefree and offhand; nonchalant. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| insouciant |
having no cares or anxieties; light-hearted; carefree. |
| lorgnette |
eyeglasses, such as opera glasses, that have a short handle by which one holds them in position. |
| mendicant |
living on charity; begging. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| reconnaissance |
the act or process of examining an area, especially to gain militarily useful information. |
| remonstrate |
to say in opposition, protest, or objection. |
| stative |
in grammar, of or designating a category of verbs that express state or condition. |