introspection \in-truh-SPEK-shuhn\ (noun) - The act or process of self-examination; contemplation of one's own thoughts and feelings; a looking inward.

"Religion absorbed Bailey, and following a period of intense ...Read More

winsome \WIN-suhm\ (adjective) - 1 : Cheerful; merry; gay; light-hearted. 2 : Causing joy or pleasure; agreeable; pleasant.

"And, oh, it was a sweet smile, they said, none sweeter, so winsome and large it transformed her ...Read More

compunction \kuhm-PUHNK-shuhn\ (noun) - 1 : Anxiety or deep unease proceeding from a sense of guilt or consciousness of causing pain. 2 : A sting of conscience or a twinge of uneasiness; a qualm; a scruple.

"If they ...Read More

spurious \SPYUR-ee-uhs\ (adjective) - 1 : Not proceeding from the true or claimed source; not genuine; false. 2 : Of illegitimate birth.

"She knew, with the perfect cynicism of cruel youth, that to rise in the world meant...Read More

waylay \WAY-lay\ (transitive verb) - 1 : To lie in wait for and attack from ambush. 2 : To approach or stop (someone) unexpectedly.

"He returned to her night after night, until his brother, Frank, waylaid him one evening ...Read More

sough \SAU; SUHF\ (intransitive verb) - To make a soft, low sighing or rustling sound, as the wind.

(noun) - A soft, low rustling or sighing sound.

"In the dark of winter, tin roofs sough with rain." -- Les A. Murray, '...Read More