| apocryphal |
of dubious authorship or authority. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| pelf |
money or wealth, usually regarded with disapproval or contempt. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| prolix |
wordy and boringly long. |
| sanguine |
having an optimistic temperament or outlook. |
| sepsis |
infection, especially by pus-forming bacteria in the blood or tissues. |
| solipsism |
the self-centered habit of interpreting and judging all things exclusively according to one's own concepts of meaning and value. |
| veneration |
a feeling of great respect; awe; reverence. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |