| absolutist |
of or relating to government by total, unrestrained power. |
| banter |
joking, clever conversation. |
| criteria |
a set of standards or tests by which to judge or decide something. |
| dapple |
to mark or be marked with spots or mottling. |
| emboss |
to decorate the surface of with a raised design. |
| empirical |
based on or verifiable by experience or experiment, rather than on or by theory. |
| imperil |
to put at risk; endanger. |
| longevity |
long life. |
| prude |
someone who is extremely or overly concerned with modesty or proper conduct, speech, dress, or the like. |
| ravish |
to overwhelm with emotion or sensation; enrapture. |
| reputable |
known to be held in esteem; respected. |
| rote |
unthinking or mechanical routine or habit. |
| specious |
apparently true, genuine, or plausible, but actually worthless, as an argument or evidence. |
| speculative |
of, pertaining to, or based on conjecture or theorizing. |
| unchallenged |
not or not having been questioned, disputed, or contested. |