| assuage |
to make less severe or more bearable; alleviate. |
| blithe |
indifferent or casual; unconcerned. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| forswear |
to give up or renounce, often with an oath or pledge. |
| guttural |
articulated in the back of the mouth; velar. |
| highbrow |
one who has or pretends to have highly sophisticated intellectual and cultural interests and tastes (often used disparagingly). |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| linguistics |
(used with a singular verb) the scientific and historical study of the form and structure of human language. |
| pungency |
sharpness or bite in taste or smell. |
| repine |
to express or feel unhappiness; complain; fret. |
| triage |
a system of determining priority of medical treatment, on the basis of need, chances of survival, and the like, to victims on a battlefield or in a hospital emergency ward. |
| woebegone |
displaying or full of distress. |