| acumen |
superior insight; quickness and shrewdness of judgment, especially in practical matters. |
| cacophonous |
characterized by a discordant, sometimes unpleasant, mixture of sounds. |
| cede |
to give up or surrender, especially formally. |
| constraint |
a state of confinement or restraint. |
| contortion |
a straining or twisting by the intellect; mental gymnastics. |
| infamous |
having, deserving, or causing a bad reputation; notorious or shameful. |
| inimitable |
impossible to mimic or copy, because of uniqueness or superiority. |
| permissive |
allowing much, often excessive, freedom of behavior; lenient. |
| pessimism |
the belief that events will turn out badly; tendency to expect the worst. |
| poignant |
deeply touching; arousing strong emotion, especially sadness or sympathy; piercing; penetrating. |
| progeny |
a descendant, or descendants collectively; offspring. |
| pseudonym |
a false name adopted by someone, especially an author, to conceal his or her identity; pen name. |
| readjust |
to adapt oneself anew. |
| Spartan |
(usually lower case) characterised by simplicity and austerity. |
| tenacity |
the quality or condition of holding on strongly or persistently to something. |