| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| collateral |
property or other security put forward to guarantee repayment of a loan. |
| convoluted |
complex; intricate. |
| cynosure |
a thing or person that is the center of attention and admiration. |
| dawdle |
to waste time; be slow. |
| declivity |
a downward or descending slope. |
| expound |
to discuss or explain in detail (usually followed by "on" or "upon"). |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| impugn |
to call into question; challenge or try to discredit. |
| intersperse |
to place or scatter among other things. |
| invidious |
tending to arouse feelings of resentment or animosity, especially because of a slight; offensive or discriminatory. |
| paroxysm |
a sudden strong outburst of feelings or actions. |
| parsimonious |
excessively frugal; stingy. |
| preferment |
the act of promoting or being promoted to a higher position or office. |
| quotidian |
happening every day or once a day. |