| adamantine |
firmly decided or fixed; unyielding. |
| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| dearth |
a shortage or scarcity of something; lack. |
| determinism |
the belief or teaching that every effect, including human thoughts and actions, is completely and predictably brought about by preceding causes and that, therefore, free will does not exist. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| diurnal |
occurring or active during, or belonging to, the daytime rather than nighttime. |
| Draconian |
(often lower case) harshly cruel or rigorous. |
| incessant |
never stopping; constant. |
| laureate |
one honored for achievement in a particular field or by a particular award, especially in the arts or sciences. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| nostrum |
a favorite but unproven scheme or theory, offered as a remedy for social or political problems; panacea. |
| unabashed |
not feeling or showing embarrassment, uneasiness, or shame. |
| uxorious |
excessively or foolishly devoted to one's wife, and often thereby submissive to her. |
| welter |
to roll about or wallow, as in mud or the open sea. |