| acrimony |
bitterness or sharpness in speech or behavior. |
| affectation |
falseness or superficiality of appearance or behavior; pretense. |
| crux |
an essential, basic, crucial, or pivotal point. |
| egoism |
the tendency to evaluate everything in relation to one's own interests; self-centeredness. |
| inquisitive |
given to asking and inquiring; eager to learn. |
| labyrinthine |
complex and intricate to the point of being puzzling. |
| parameter |
any of a set of specifications or limits, the value or variations of which determine the form or behavior of something. |
| plagiarize |
to wrongfully and deliberately claim as one's own (the ideas, words, or the like) of someone else. |
| presumptive |
affording a reasonable basis for belief. |
| recrimination |
an accusation made in response to being accused by another, or the act of countering one accusation with another. |
| savant |
a person of deep learning; scholar. |
| scrutinize |
to look at closely and carefully, with attention to detail. |
| solace |
comfort or consolation in times of sorrow or suffering. |
| substantive |
of or pertaining to the fundamental nature or concerns of something; essential. |
| unproductive |
not yielding useful or helpful results; not fruitful. |