| accretion |
the process of gradual increase or growth, especially by additions from the outside. |
| adulteration |
the act or process of making worse or impure by adding unnecessary or inferior ingredients. |
| benign |
causing little or no harm. |
| coeval |
coinciding in time of origin or existence; contemporary. |
| consummate |
of the highest order or degree. |
| descry |
to see or make out, especially something obscured or at a distance. |
| exegesis |
a critical explanation or interpretive analysis, especially of religious texts. |
| forbear |
to keep or abstain from (an action or utterance). |
| gullible |
believing almost anything; easily tricked. |
| indurate |
to make hard in texture; harden. |
| oppugn |
to oppose, contradict, criticize, or call into question. |
| parlous |
full of dangers or risks; perilous. |
| pedantic |
making or characterized by an excessive display of learnedness, or overly insistent on scholarly details and formalities. |
| pinchbeck |
false, sham, or counterfeit. |
| sartorial |
of or pertaining to tailors or tailored clothing, especially men's clothing. |