| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| animus |
a feeling or attitude of enmity. |
| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| concur |
to share the same opinion; agree. |
| deify |
to raise to the rank of a god; consider to be a god. |
| dissimulate |
to hide one's true feelings, intentions, or the like by pretense or hypocrisy. |
| equivocal |
having at least two plausible alternative meanings, often intentionally so in order to deceive or avoid commitment; ambiguous. |
| ersatz |
serving as a substitute, especially when of inferior quality. |
| expostulate |
to argue earnestly with someone, usually against an intended action; remonstrate. |
| fulminate |
to vehemently denounce or criticize something. |
| loll |
to hang down loosely; dangle. |
| maverick |
a person who thinks and behaves independently, especially one who refuses to adhere to the orthodoxy of the group to which he or she belongs. |
| occlude |
to close or obstruct (a passage or opening, one's vision, or the like). |
| sanctimony |
a pretense of righteousness or piety; feigned devotion or holiness. |
| seminal |
of critical importance; essential. |