| abdicate |
to officially give up a position of power or a right. |
| acrimony |
bitterness or sharpness in speech or behavior. |
| archetype |
an original model or pattern from which others are made or copied. |
| complaisance |
willingness to please. |
| contend |
to struggle; fight against difficulties or opposition. |
| defile1 |
to make unclean, foul, or filthy. |
| discontinuity |
lack of coherence or logical sequence. |
| inscrutable |
impossible to comprehend or interpret; mysterious. |
| insubstantial |
lacking firmness or solidity; slight. |
| lackadaisical |
lacking energy, determination, or enthusiasm; listless or lazy. |
| naysayer |
a person who refuses, denies, or opposes, especially because of cynicism or pessimism. |
| neutrality |
the foreign policy of a nation that refuses to take sides in an international dispute. |
| ruse |
a trick, pretense, or diversion intended to deceive or mislead. |
| stark |
in all respects; total; extreme. |
| unworldly |
lacking sophistication; naive; provincial. |