| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| austerity |
a tightened or stringent economy, as when there are high taxes, frozen wages, and shortages of consumer goods. |
| berate |
to reproach or scold severely. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| daunt |
to lessen the determination of; intimidate; discourage. |
| figurehead |
a person whose title sounds important but who has no real power. |
| hypocrisy |
the practice or an instance of stating or pretending to hold beliefs or principles that one does not actually live by; insincerity. |
| inanition |
a state of exhaustion caused by a lack of nourishment. |
| insularity |
the condition of being closed to new ideas or outside influences; narrow-mindedness. |
| malinger |
to pretend illness or injury, especially in order to be excused from duty or work. |
| panegyric |
a formal speech or piece of writing devoted to publicly praising a person or thing. |
| putrefaction |
the act or process of rotting or decomposing. |
| recant |
to withdraw from commitment to (a former position or statement), especially publicly; retract. |
| solecism |
a gross violation of convention in grammar, etiquette, or the like; impropriety. |
| stipple |
a method of painting, drawing, or engraving by applying small points, dots, or dabs to a surface. |