MLK Letter from Birmingham Jail Vocabulary

affiliate

associated in a dependent of subordinate position

cognizant

having special or certain knowledge often from firsthand sources

deplore

to feel or express grief for; consider worthy of deprecation

moratorium

a suspension of activity; delay

gadfly

a usually annoying person who stimulates or provokes others with annoying questions or criticism

conniving

conspiring, plotting

precipitate

to bring about abruptly

vitriol

something written or spoken regarded as harsh and burning; former name for H2SO4

stagnation

staying still, not flowing, unchanging

complacent

self-satisfied, unconcerned

perilous

dangerous

repudiate

to separate from

Zeitgeist

the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of an era

latent

lying hidden

ominous

foreboding or foreshadowing evil

tortuous

marked by repeated twists, turns, and bends

leaven

something that lightens or causes to rise

sublime

lofty, grand, or exalted in thought, expression, or manner

provincial

having a narrow, unsophisticated outloook

gainsay

deny

fetter

chain

unfettered

unchained

corode

to eat away, gnaw

reiterate

repeat