| acclivity |
a rising slope. |
| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| antebellum |
in or of the period prior to a war, especially the American Civil War. |
| arrant |
complete; unmitigated; downright. |
| attenuate |
to cause to be thin, rarefied, or fine. |
| cession |
the act of formally giving up or signing over, as a territory; ceding. |
| deify |
to raise to the rank of a god; consider to be a god. |
| derision |
mockery or ridicule. |
| disencumber |
to remove burdens or hindrances from. |
| extirpate |
to get rid of completely, as if by pulling up the roots; root out. |
| flout |
to show scorn or contempt for, especially by openly or deliberately disobeying. |
| humanism |
a doctrine or mode of thought that gives highest importance to human dignity, values, potentials, and achievements. |
| inveigle |
to entice or ensnare by clever talk or flattery. |
| nonpareil |
a person or thing whose excellence is unequaled; paragon. |
| penumbra |
an indefinite, borderline area. |