| adamant |
unlikely to change in response to any request or argument; firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| cognizant |
aware; informed (usually followed by "of"). |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| extort |
to extract or obtain (money or the like) by force, threats, or abuse of authority. |
| guru |
in a cult or religious movement, a spiritual guide or leader, sometimes believed to be divine. |
| maladroit |
not skillful; clumsy; tactless. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |
| peremptory |
not permitting refusal or disobedience. |
| pliant |
easily flexed; supple. |
| prerogative |
an exclusive right or privilege derived from one's office, position, age, citizenship, birth, or the like. |
| profligate |
totally given over to immoral and shameful pursuits; dissolute. |
| shunt |
to turn or move aside or out of the way; divert. |