| animus |
a feeling or attitude of enmity. |
| canard |
a deliberately false story or rumor, usually defamatory to someone. |
| conversant |
familiar; acquainted; practiced (usually followed by "with" or "in"). |
| expiation |
the act or the means of making amends, as for a sin or crime. |
| extenuate |
to reduce the magnitude or seriousness of (a fault or offense) by offering partial excuses. |
| flummox |
(informal) to confuse or puzzle. |
| harbinger |
someone or something that signals or foreshadows a later arrival or occurrence; herald; forerunner. |
| hirsute |
covered with hair or stiff hairs; hairy or shaggy. |
| noisome |
offensive or disgusting, especially in smell; foul. |
| obfuscate |
to make (something) seem or be difficult to understand; obscure or darken. |
| oblique |
not direct or straightforward in intent, means, or achievement; indirect or devious. |
| obviate |
to prevent or eliminate in advance; render unnecessary or irrelevant. |
| oligarchy |
a government or state in which only a relatively few people or members of a family have real power. |
| remonstrate |
to say in opposition, protest, or objection. |
| supine |
lying with the face upward. |