| abysmal |
of vast extent; unmeasurable; extreme. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| atavism |
the recurrence or reappearance of a particular trait, style, attitude, or behavior that seemed to have disappeared, or that which has recurred or reappeared after such an absence. |
| brash |
rudely self-assertive; bold; impudent. |
| gamut |
the whole extent or range of anything. |
| goad |
something that spurs a person to action; stimulus. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| malfeasance |
an illegal act or wrongdoing, especially by a public official. |
| raffish |
carelessly unconventional or disreputable, sometimes appealingly so. |
| refulgent |
shining brilliantly; radiant. |
| shibboleth |
a slogan, phrase, or belief that characterizes or is held devotedly by a group. |
| stridulate |
to produce a shrill grating, creaking, or chirping sound by rubbing certain parts of the body together, as some insects do. |
| surcingle |
a girth or belt that wraps around the body of a horse to secure a saddle, pack, or the like to its back. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |