| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| cachet |
prestige. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| deadeye |
an expert shooter. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| incessant |
never stopping; constant. |
| indomitable |
too strong to be subdued or discouraged; unconquerable. |
| jejune |
lacking interest or liveliness; dull. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| phlegmatic |
not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite. |
| pronate |
to turn or rotate (the hand or forearm) so that the palm of the hand faces down or backwards. |
| recrudesce |
to become active again or break out anew, as a disease or harmful condition. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |