| A | B |
|---|
| acerbity | n. sourness or bitterness of taste; harshness or severity of manner or expression |
| resplendent | adj. shining or gleaming brilliantly; splendid or magnificent |
| chauvinist | adj. extravagantly patriotic; blindly devoted to a cause; n. such a person |
| vestige | n. a trace or visible evidence of something that once existed but now is lost or vanished |
| accolade | n. praise or approval; a ceremonial embrace or greeting |
| palliate | v. to make less serious or severe by glossing over; to relieve without actually curing; mitigate |
| expound | v. to explain in detail |
| factionalism | n. party strife and intrigue |
| immaculate | adj. spotless; without blemish or fault |
| attrition | n. the process of wearing down by friction or gradual impairment |
| vainglory | n. excessive pride in and boastfulness about one's own accomplishments or qualities; a vain show or display |
| stigmatize | v. to brand or mark as in some way discreditable, disgraceful, or ignominious |
| bromides | n. a trite or commonplace remark; a tiresome or boring person; a sedative |
| chronic | adj. continuing over a long period of time or recurring often |
| mercurial | adj. characterized by rapid and unpredictable changes of mood; fickle or inconstant |
| protocol | n. customs and regulations dealing with official behavior and etiquette, as at a court or among diplomats; a type of international agreement; a memorandum, official account or record |
| sub rosa | adv. in secret; confidentially; privately adj. secretive |
| ineluctable | adj. not able to be avoided, changed, or overcome |
| imprecation | n. a curse; the act of cursing |
| volition | n. the power to choose, will, or decide; the act of choosing, willing, or deciding |
