| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| demotic |
of or relating to the common people; popular. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| discountenance |
to embarrass or disconcert. |
| doyen |
the senior or highest-ranking male member of a group. |
| fracas |
a noisy disturbance or quarrel. |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| inchoate |
partially or imperfectly developed. |
| maunder |
to speak in an aimless or foolish way; babble. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| parlance |
manner of speaking or writing, especially word choice; vernacular. |
| requite |
to retaliate for; strike back on account of. |
| spurn |
to reject, refuse, or treat with scorn; disdain; despise. |