| apotheosis |
a perfect or ideal example; epitome. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| burgeon |
to start to grow; send forth shoots, leaves, buds, or the like (often followed by "out" or "forth"). |
| contretemps |
an embarrassing or unfortunate happening; mishap; mischance. |
| credulous |
disposed to believe, especially on scanty evidence; gullible. |
| discomfit |
to upset or confuse. |
| engender |
to create or give rise to. |
| indistinct |
not clearly perceived or perceiving. |
| lambent |
glowing softly. |
| liminal |
of or at the threshold of a physiological or psychological response or change of state. |
| macrocosm |
a large unit or entity that represents on a large scale one of its smaller components. |
| misanthrope |
someone who hates or distrusts humanity. |
| naturalism |
in literature, a method of depicting life that reflects a philosophy of determinism. |
| tort |
in law, any civil rather than criminal harm or injury that violates the implicit duty of each citizen not to harm others, and for which one may bring a civil suit and collect compensation. |
| unadulterated |
unmixed with or undiluted by additives or extraneous elements; pure; complete. |