| cavil |
to make petty criticisms or objections; carp (usually followed by "at" or "about"). |
| cistern |
a tank or other receptacle for catching and storing water, especially rainwater. |
| criminality |
the condition or fact of being against the law; illegality. |
| diffidence |
reticence; shyness. |
| disenfranchise |
to deprive (someone) of a right of citizenship, especially the right to vote. |
| disincline |
to cause to be unwilling or reluctant. |
| equilibrium |
a state of balance between two or more forces. |
| iota |
an extremely small amount. |
| irony |
a manner of using language so that it conveys a different or opposite meaning to that which is literally expressed in the words themselves. Irony is used in ordinary conversation and also as a literary technique, especially to express criticism or to produce humor or pathos. |
| irreparable |
impossible to repair, restore, or rectify. |
| litigious |
inclined to bring lawsuits. |
| ramshackle |
poorly constructed or in disrepair; rickety. |
| recurrent |
happening again or repeatedly. |
| satire |
a literary or dramatic work that ridicules or derides human vice or foolishness, usually through the use of parody or irony. |
| scruple |
a belief about right and wrong that keeps a person from doing something that may be bad. |