| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| feckless |
weak or incompetent; ineffective. |
| gird |
to surround, bind, or encircle, as with a belt. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| imprimatur |
any official permission or sanction. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| 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. |
| stentorian |
extremely loud and powerful. |
| vouchsafe |
to grant or give with condescension or as a special favor. |