| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| conclave |
a secret, private, or confidential meeting or gathering. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| deign |
to consider some act to be appropriate or in keeping with one's dignity; condescend. |
| dilatory |
used to cause a delay. |
| gadfly |
a persistent critic, especially of established institutions and policies. |
| laconic |
using very few words; succinct; terse. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| obtrude |
to thrust or force (oneself, one's concerns, or one's opinions) on another or others without being asked. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| quadrant |
any of the four parts that result when an area is divided by two lines, real or imaginary, that intersect each other at right angles. |