| cavil |
to make petty criticisms or objections; carp (usually followed by "at" or "about"). |
| cessation |
a pausing or stopping; discontinuance. |
| compulsion |
coercion or constraint; act of using force to bring about another's action. |
| convoke |
to summon to an assembly; marshal. |
| emaciated |
extremely thin, as from starvation or disease. |
| ludicrous |
worthy of mockery; laughable and ridiculous. |
| mire |
deep, heavy mud or soil. |
| pique |
to cause (a feeling or action) to be aroused or incited. |
| platitude |
an overused, dull, or trivial remark; hackneyed expression; cliché. |
| plenitude |
abundance; fullness. |
| quizzical |
expressing doubt, confusion, or questioning; puzzled. |
| recession1 |
a period of reduced or declining economic activity. |
| revelry |
noisy merrymaking. |
| tome |
a large thick book, often one of a multivolume scholarly work. |
| whimsy |
an odd, fanciful, or capricious notion, or such notions collectively. |