| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| derelict |
failing to fulfill one's responsibilities or obligations; remiss. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| hackneyed |
made trite or commonplace by overuse, as an expression or phrase. |
| malingerer |
one who pretends to be ill or injured, especially in order to avoid work or duty. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| nonplus |
to cause (someone) to be unable to think of what to say, do, or decide; perplex; bewilder. |
| obtrusive |
aggressive and self-assertive, or inclined to be so. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| symbiosis |
a close association, usually a mutually beneficial relationship, between two dissimilar organisms. |