| ascertain |
to learn without question; determine. |
| asperity |
harshness or roughness, especially of tone or manner. |
| blatant |
completely obvious or undisguised, sometimes offensively so. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| effete |
marked by excessive refinement or delicateness of taste. |
| equipoise |
a state of balance or equal weight, importance, or the like; equilibrium. |
| oblivious |
not conscious or paying attention; unknowing or unaware (usually followed by "to" or "of"). |
| obscurantism |
a deliberate lack of clarity or directness of expression, as in certain styles of art or literature. |
| phlegmatic |
not given to shows of emotion or interest; slow to excite. |
| proselytize |
to convert or try actively to convert (others) to one's own beliefs or religion. |
| rapacious |
capable of capturing and eating live prey; predacious. |
| salvo |
the firing of guns or other firearms simultaneously or in succession, especially as a salute. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| sudorific |
causing or increasing sweat, as a medication. |