| austere |
having only what is needed; very simple or plain. |
| belie |
to give a false impression of. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| dawdle |
to waste time; be slow. |
| divergence |
the act of separating and moving or leading in different directions. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| extrude |
to force out; expel. |
| imprecation |
a curse, uttered or thought of. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| libertine |
acting without restraint; dissolute; amoral. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| shyster |
a person, usually a lawyer, who uses underhanded, unethical methods. |
| stentorian |
extremely loud and powerful. |