| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| bathos |
a sudden descent from an exalted style or esteemed state to the commonplace. |
| boorish |
rude; ill-mannered; crude. |
| cognoscente |
someone who has exceptional knowledge in a given area, especially of fashion, literature, or the fine arts; connoisseur. |
| desideratum |
something that is needed or wanted. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| erudite |
having or showing a high level of scholarly knowledge; learned. |
| fulminate |
to vehemently denounce or criticize something. |
| gambit |
a tactic or maneuver designed to gain an advantage, especially one that involves some sacrifice on one's part. |
| lachrymose |
weeping, tending to weep readily, or being on the point of tears; tearful. |
| modular |
designed with standardized units that may be arranged or connected in a variety of ways. |
| stochastic |
of, or arising from chance or probability. |