| avow |
to assert or affirm. |
| banal |
lacking originality or liveliness; disappointingly ordinary; commonplace; trite. |
| cravat |
a scarf or band of cloth tied loosely about the neck. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| gnomic |
short and pithy, as an aphorism. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| truculent |
extremely hostile or belligerent; inclined to fight. |
| tummler |
an entertainer or social director who encourages participation by guests or audience. |