| abash |
to cause to feel embarrassed, uneasy, or ashamed. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| facetious |
not serious; humorous or frivolous. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| ineluctable |
impossible to be avoided; inescapable. |
| neophyte |
a beginner or novice at any activity. |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| pusillanimous |
shamefully timid; cowardly. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |