| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| attune |
to adjust so as to be harmonious. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| cantankerous |
irritable, stubborn, and quarrelsome. |
| compunction |
uneasiness about the propriety or suitability of an action; qualm. |
| condone |
to pardon, disregard, or overlook voluntarily or without condemning. |
| constrict |
to pull or squeeze in; make smaller or more narrow; tighten. |
| dawdle |
to waste time; be slow. |
| etiolate |
to weaken, especially through deprivation of normal development. |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| pastiche |
a work of visual art, music, or literature that consists mostly of materials and techniques borrowed from other works, sometimes done as an exercise to learn the technique of others. |
| picayune |
having little value or significance; small; paltry. |
| quondam |
having been in the past; former. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |