| blatant |
completely obvious or undisguised, sometimes offensively so. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| curmudgeon |
an irritable or ill-tempered person. |
| decedent |
in law, one who has died. |
| epistemology |
the branch of philosophy dealing with the origin, nature, and limits of human knowledge. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| heinous |
extremely wicked or despicable; atrocious. |
| incursion |
a raid or sudden invasion. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| otiose |
having no purpose or use; unnecessary or futile. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| sequester |
to remove into protection and isolation; seclude. |
| stanch1 |
to cause (a liquid, especially blood) to stop flowing. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |