(adj.) abrupt, blunt, with no formalities
S: curt, tactless, ungracious, gruff, rough
A: gracious, tactful, courteous, diplomatic
cajole
(v.) to coax, persuade through flattery or artifice, to deceive with soothing thoughts or false promises
S: wheedle, inveigle, soft-soap, sweet-talk
A: coerce, force, strong-arm
castigate
(v.) to punish severely, to criticize severely
S: chastise, rebuke, censure, upbraid
A: reward, honor, praise, laud
contrive
(v.) to plan with ingenuity, invent, to bring about as the result of a scheme or plan
S: think up, devise, concoct, fabricate
demagogue
(n.) a leader who exploits popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power
S: rabble-rouser, firebrand
disabuse
(v.) to free from deception or error, set right in ideas or thinking
S: undeceive, enlighten, set straight
A: deceive, delude, pull wool over one's eyes
ennui
(n.) weariness and dissatisfaction from lack of occupation or interest, boredom
S: languor, world-weariness, listlessness
A: enthusiasm, liveliness, excitement, intensity
fetter
(n.) a chain or shackle placed on the feet (often used in plural) anything that confines or restrains; (v.) to chain or shackle, to render helpless or important
S: (n.) bond, restraint; (v.) blind, hamper
A: (v.) free, liberate, emancipate
(adj.) not subject to change, constant
S: unchangeable, unalterable, fixed, invariable
A: changeable, inconstant, variable, fickle
insurgent
(n.) one who rebels or rises against authority; (adj.) rising in revolt, refusing to accept authority, surging or rushing in or on
S: (adj.) revolutionary, rebellious, mutinous
A: (adj.) loyalist, loyal, faithful
megalomania
(n.) a delusion marked by a feeling of power, wealth, talent, etc. far in excess of reality
S: delusion or grandeur
A: humility, modesty, self-abasement
sinecure
(n.) a position requiring little or no work, an easy job
S: "no show" job, cushy job, "plum"
surreptitious
(adj.) stealthy, secret, intended to escape observation, made or accomplished by fraud
S: furtive, covert, clandestine, concealed
A: open, frank, aboveboard, overt
transgress
(v.) to go beyond a limit or boundary, to sin, violate a law
S: overstep, exceed, trespass, err
A: obey, toe the line
transmute
(v.) to change from one nature, substance, or form to another
S: transform, convert, translate, metamorphose
A: maintain unchanged, preserve
vicarious
(adj. performed, suffered, or otherwise experienced by one person in place of another
S: surrogate, substitute, imagined, secondhand
A: real, actual, firsthand