| apostate |
a person who abandons his or her religious faith, principles, cause, or the like. |
| broach |
to suggest or mention for the first time; bring up. |
| condescension |
patronizing, arrogant behavior or attitude. |
| diverge |
to extend or move away in different directions from a common point. |
| empirical |
based on or verifiable by experience or experiment, rather than on or by theory. |
| fusion |
the act of fusing or joining together. |
| impasse |
a situation that allows no escape or solution; stalemate. |
| lampoon |
an attack through ridicule, as in an essay, cartoon, or comedy; satire. |
| mellifluous |
flowing and sweet, as though with honey. |
| myopia |
a visual defect in which distant images are focused in front of rather than on the retina; nearsightedness. |
| ostracism |
an exclusion or rejection, as from a social group. |
| precipitous |
very steep or sudden; rising or dropping abruptly. |
| reprimand |
a strong, usually formal statement of disapproval; rebuke. |
| scavenger |
an animal that finds and eats dead animals or rotting plants; a person who finds things that others no longer want. |
| solicit |
to try to obtain (business, recruits, donations, help, or the like) by persuasion, formal request, or pleading. |