| acumen |
superior insight; quickness and shrewdness of judgment, especially in practical matters. |
| adversity |
a condition of trouble or difficulty. |
| alienate |
to cause to become unfriendly or averse; estrange. |
| bravado |
a false, exaggerated, or boastful display of courage. |
| decadence |
a decline into immorality; loss of moral values. |
| expurgate |
to remove from a book or the like material considered to be offensive or erroneous prior to publication. |
| exuberance |
the condition or quality of being vigorously happy or high-spirited. |
| novice |
a person with little or no experience at a particular job or activity. |
| polemic |
an emphatic statement of a controversial viewpoint, usually criticizing or refuting an existing position. |
| populist |
a person, especially a political leader, who represents, or claims to represent, the interests and concerns of the common people rather than the privileged, the politically powerful, or the intelligentsia. |
| propitiate |
to overcome the disfavor or distrust of; conciliate; appease. |
| quorum |
the number of members that an organization's rules require to attend a meeting in order for voting or other business to take place. |
| rebate |
a part of a payment that is returned. |
| recurrent |
happening again or repeatedly. |
| soliloquy |
an act of talking or a speech by one who is, or is considered to be, alone. |