| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| barrage |
a great number of things coming one after another very quickly. |
| comity |
mutual courtesy and respectful treatment among people or nations. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| divergence |
the act of separating and moving or leading in different directions. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| garrulous |
given to talking excessively. |
| ineptitude |
incompetence; lack of skill. |
| irrefragable |
impossible to refute or dispute; undeniable. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| obtrusive |
aggressive and self-assertive, or inclined to be so. |
| pungent |
sharp and strong in taste or smell. |
| risible |
provoking laughter; laughable or funny. |
| stately |
dignified. |