| backfire |
to have results that are the opposite of what one wanted. |
| conservationist |
a person who promotes and encourages preservation, especially of natural resources. |
| demagogue |
a leader, especially a speaker or politician, who attempts to persuade and to gain a following by appealing to the emotions and prejudices of the public, rather than by rational argument. |
| excoriate |
to denounce or criticize severely. |
| hypocrite |
a person who pretends to be different or better than he or she really is. Someone who does not act according to his or her stated beliefs is a hypocrite. |
| inimitable |
impossible to mimic or copy, because of uniqueness or superiority. |
| intimacy |
the condition of being close in friendship or otherwise intimate. |
| invocation |
the act or process of calling out to a god, muse, or the like, for help, support, or inspiration. |
| lieu |
the place formerly occupied by something or someone. |
| obsession |
that which preoccupies one's mind or emotions excessively or abnormally. |
| precedent |
an action that may serve as an example for future acts of the same nature. |
| profane |
irreverent or irreligious; blasphemous. |
| reverberation |
the continuation of a sound after the source of the sound has been cut off. |
| ruffian |
one who is tough and violent; bully; thug. |
| seemly |
in accord with decency and propriety; suitable; fitting; decorous. |