| absolve |
to free from consequences, blame, or guilt. |
| devoid |
not having something; totally lacking. |
| droll |
wryly amusing or humorous. |
| expatriate |
one who has gone into exile from or renounced allegiance to his or her native land. |
| forestall |
to prevent or hinder by taking action beforehand. |
| maniacal |
marked by wildness, craziness, and violence. |
| ominous |
giving a sign of future evil or trouble. |
| portend |
to serve as a sign or warning of; bode. |
| preemptive |
of or relating to a strike or attack such as a bid in bridge or a military attack, made in anticipation of or to prevent an opposing strike. |
| progenitor |
an ancestor or forebear. |
| pundit |
an authoritative, or purportedly authoritative, commentator or critic. |
| tenet |
any belief, opinion, doctrine, or the like, that a person or especially an organization holds as being true. |
| tenuous |
having little substance, support, or significance; flimsy; weak. |
| tout |
to publicize flatteringly and boastfully. |
| vanquish |
to subdue or defeat by or as if by greater force; conquer; overcome. |