A Vindication of the Rights of Woman

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman Glossary

adamantine

rock-solid in firmness of constitution or character

animadvert

observe and critique

bugbear

bogeyman; cause of dread

credulous

loose with belief on weak or nonexistent evidence; impressionable

cursorily

hastily and sloppily, without taking account of details

ephemeron

something that quickly winks out of existence

expostulate

speak at some length about and describe

factitious

false

immutable

not changeable

impious

not pious; irreverent; disrespectful

inculcated

taught via pressure (in contrast to persuasion)

inefficacious

not effective

inimical

hostile or unfriendly; in a contrasting manner

insuperable

incapable of being overcome

irrefragable

invulnerable to refutation

lugubrious

mournful; so dismal it is nearly humorous

meliorate

assuage; make a bad situation better

meretricious

meritless; tawdry

panacea

a universal remedy

parity

equality or equity

puerile

childish

purblind

partly blind; myopic; mentally dim

satiety

fullness or completeness; being completely full

scrupulous

carefully exact; painstaking; guided by strict morality

sedulous

diligent

seraglio

harem; sultan's palace

specious

deceptive

superlative

the extreme or exaggerated form, especially of praise

supine

lying on one's back or with one's face upward

vitiate

debase or hollow out; suck the spirit out

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