| criteria |
a set of standards or tests by which to judge or decide something. |
| emboss |
to decorate the surface of with a raised design. |
| ephemeral |
lasting for only a short period. |
| haggle |
to bargain or argue over petty differences in price, terms, or point of view. |
| implicit |
implied rather than directly stated. |
| infidelity |
unfaithfulness, especially to marital vows; adultery. |
| panacea |
a remedy or solution for all diseases, ills, or difficulties; cure-all. |
| refract |
to bend (rays or waves of light, heat, sound, or the like) in passing (them) obliquely from one medium into another which transmits them at a different speed. |
| retrograde |
moving or tending to move in a backward direction; retreating. |
| rhetoric |
the art, ability, or study of using language effectively in speech or writing, especially to influence or persuade one's audience. |
| rudiment |
(often plural) something in an initial, imperfect, or undeveloped form. |
| scintillate |
to send out sparks. |
| sophistry |
a subtle, deceptive method of reasoning or arguing, involving statements that sound plausible but are actually false or fallacious. |
| travail |
strenuous and often painful or exhausting work; toil. |
| ungovernable |
unable to be governed, ordered, or controlled; uncontrollable. |