SANCTIMONIOUS
adjective 1: hypocritically pious or devout <a sanctimonious moralist><the king's sanctimonious rebuke � G. B. Shaw>
MUTUALITY
noun 1: the quality or state of being mutual 2: a sharing of sentiments : INTIMACY
SOVEREIGNTY
noun 1obsolete : supreme excellence or an example of it 2a: supreme power especially over a body politic b : freedom from external control : AUTONOMY c : controlling influence 3: one that is sovereign; especially : an autonomous state
HETEROCLITE
noun 1: a word irregular in inflection; especially : a noun irregular in declension 2: one that deviates from common forms or rules
MORATORIUM
noun 1a : a legally authorized period of delay in the performance of a legal obligation or the payment of a debt b : a waiting period set by an authority 2: a suspension of activity
TROPE
noun 1a : a word or expression used in a figurative sense : FIGURE OF SPEECH b : a common or overused theme or device : CLICH� <the usual horror movie tropes> 2: a phrase or verse added as an embellishment or interpolation to the sung parts of the Mass in
POLEMIC
noun 1a : an aggressive attack on or refutation of the opinions or principles of another b : the art or practice of disputation or controversy �usually used in plural but singular or plural in construction 2: an aggressive controversialist : DISPUTANT
CORRODE
transitive verb 1: to eat away by degrees as if by gnawing; especially : to wear away gradually usually by chemical action <the metal was corroded beyond repair>2: to weaken or destroy gradually : UNDERMINE <manners and miserliness that corrode the human
QUIXOTIC
adjective 1: foolishly impractical especially in the pursuit of ideals; especially : marked by rash lofty romantic ideas or extravagantly chivalrous action 2: CAPRICIOUS, UNPREDICTABLE
FASTIDIOUS
adjective 1archaic : SCORNFUL 2a : having high and often capricious standards : difficult to please <critics ... so fastidious that they can talk only to a small circle of initiates � Granville Hicks> b : showing or demanding excessive delicacy or care c
ZEITGEIST
noun 1: the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era
POSIT
verb 1: to dispose or set firmly : FIX 2: to assume or affirm the existence of : POSTULATE 3: to propose as an explanation : SUGGEST
EXORBITANT
adjective 1: not coming within the scope of the law 2: exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size
ARCHIPELAGO
noun 1: an expanse of water with many scattered islands 2:a group of islands 3: something resembling an archipelago; especially : a group or scattering of similar things <an archipelago of small parks within the city>
TEMERITY
noun 1: unreasonable or foolhardy contempt of danger or opposition : RASHNESS, RECKLESSNESS 2: a rash or reckless act
ANTICLERICAL
adjective 1: opposed to clericalism or to the interference or influence of the clergy in secular affairs
CADENCE
noun 1a : a rhythmic sequence or flow of sounds in language b : the beat, time, or measure of rhythmical motion or activity 2a : a falling inflection of the voice b : a concluding and usually falling strain; specifically : a musical chord sequence moving
DECADENCE
noun 1: the process of becoming decadent : the quality or state of being decadent 2: a period of decline
RAIMENT
noun 1: CLOTHING, GARMENTS
MERCANTILE
adjective 1: of or relating to merchants or trading 2: of, relating to, or having the characteristics of mercantilism<mercantile system>
PEREMPTORY
adjective 1a : putting an end to or precluding a right of action, debate, or delay; specifically : not providing an opportunity to show cause why one should not comply <a peremptory mandamus> b : admitting of no contradiction 2: expressive of urgency or c
HONORARIUM
noun 1: a payment for a service (as making a speech) on which custom or propriety forbids a price to be set
SAGACITY
noun 1: the quality of being of keen and farsighted penetration and judgment :DISCERNING
TOPOGRAPHY
noun 1a : the art or practice of graphic delineation in detail usually on maps or charts of natural and man-made features of a place or region especially in a way to show their relative positions and elevations b : topographical surveying 2a : the configu