| agog |
highly excited and full of anticipation. |
| bereft |
deprived or stripped of something. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| devolve |
of a duty or the like, to be passed on to someone else. |
| disaffection |
an absence or loss of good will, faith, or loyalty, especially toward a government, principle, or the like. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| insipid |
having a bland or uninteresting flavor; tasteless. |
| intelligentsia |
the elite class of highly learned people within a society, or those who consider themselves part of such a class. |
| laudatory |
expressing praise. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| parlance |
manner of speaking or writing, especially word choice; vernacular. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| sotto voce |
in a low voice or undertone, so as not to be overheard; softly (often used as a musical direction). |
| virago |
a shrewish, domineering woman; nag or scold. |