| Byzantine |
characterized by complexity and intrigue. |
| canny |
difficult to fool or take advantage of; shrewd; wary; clever. |
| contumely |
contemptuous insolence; rudeness. |
| denigrate |
to deny the worth of; sneer at; belittle. |
| disinter |
to dig up or remove from a place of burial; exhume. |
| effrontery |
shameless impudence; insolence. |
| harrow |
to go over or break up with a harrow. |
| heterodox |
deviating from an officially approved belief or doctrine, especially in religion. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| limn |
to paint or draw. |
| louche |
of questionable decency, morality, or taste; shady; disreputable. |
| lugubrious |
sad or mournful, especially in an exaggerated way; gloomy. |
| revetment |
a facing of stone, masonry, or the like to support or protect a wall, embankment, or mound of earth. |
| schadenfreude |
(often capitalized) pleasure derived from the misfortune of others. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |