| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| effluvium |
an outflow of usually invisible, foul-smelling vapor or gas. |
| elide |
to leave out or slur, as a syllable or letter, in pronunciation. |
| lenitive |
mitigating pain, discomfort, or distress; soothing. |
| mélange |
a mixture, usually of very dissimilar elements. |
| mésalliance |
marriage with someone of lower social standing than oneself. |
| minatory |
presenting a threat; menacing. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| periphrasis |
an indirect or roundabout way of phrasing something; circumlocution. |
| precursory |
coming before and serving to indicate what will follow; premonitory. |
| sententious |
using or marked by pompous, high-flown moralizing. |
| syntax |
the word order or pattern of word order in a sentence. |
| trabeated |
using horizontal beams or lintels as supports instead of arches. |
| travesty |
something so grotesque or inferior as to seem a parody. |