| backwater |
any place that is seen as primitive, unchanging, or stagnant. |
| contraband |
goods banned by law from being imported or exported. |
| dissipate |
to cause to disappear by, or as though by, dispersing or dissolving. |
| figment |
something imaginary or invented. |
| mendacity |
a tendency to lie; untruthfulness. |
| opprobrium |
a condition of disgrace or shame; ignominy. |
| paraphrase |
a restatement of a passage or text in somewhat different words so as to simplify, clarify, or amplify. |
| ponderous |
heavily labored and dull. |
| preoccupy |
to absorb the entire time or attention of. |
| ruminate |
to think at length; meditate. |
| saturate |
to fill or soak completely. |
| senile |
showing certain characteristics of old age, especially a deterioration of mental faculties or emotional control. |
| sophistry |
a subtle, deceptive method of reasoning or arguing, involving statements that sound plausible but are actually false or fallacious. |
| unguided |
without someone to lead or escort. |
| wizened |
shriveled or dried up. |