| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| disheveled |
not neat; messy. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| disquisition |
a formal, often lengthy, oral or written discussion of a subject. |
| epistolary |
established or continued through letters. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| indulgent |
gratifying, or being inclined to gratify or yield to others' wishes, especially rather than enforcing discipline or strictness. |
| jeremiad |
a long complaint about life or one's situation; lamentation. |
| meretricious |
appealing or attracting in a cheap, showy, or shallow way. |
| modus operandi |
a method of accomplishing something; way of working. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| reprobate |
an evil or lawless person, often beyond hope of redemption. |
| sagacious |
possessing or characterized by good judgment and common sense; wise. |